Val Muller

Set in my favorite time period, this book for young readers follows a young slave named Sal (Isabel), who is separated from her sister during the American Revolution. The book is upper-level middle grade (for strong readers) or the younger end of YA (School Library Journal has it listed as grades 6-10, but I could see some strong readers reading it in elementary school, and I could also see some older readers, including adults, reading it).

What I liked most about the novel is how immersed I felt in the American Revolutionary time period. Told in first person, the story uses some historical diction to give the feel of being back in the 1770s without being cumbersome.

The novel examines the gray nature of the American Revolution: there was no clear-cut “good” or “bad” guy. In some senses, the British were more humane than the Americans in that they often helped free the slaves. In other cases, the Americans were more humane, since the British jailed American freedom fighters without feeding them properly or providing sanitary conditions.

Without being cliché, the novel also examines—through Isabel’s realizations when reading Common Sense—the hypocrisy of Americans fighting for their own freedom while still allowing slavery. And as Isabel demonstrates, education is the most powerful tool against one’s own enslavement.

I have already purchased the second book in the trilogy, Fever, and plan to read it soon. While I enjoy reading MG and YA works, I am sometimes left wanting more depth as is offered by books for full-on grownups. But this was not the case with Chains. The level of depth not only in Isabel but in some of the more minor characters made the entire world seem real and human. I highly recommend this book.

I was at a consignment sale the other week, and I picked up several of the books in the Magic Treehouse series (by Mary Pope Osborne) for a fairly good price. They are not consecutive, but volumes 1 and 2 were there.

The series came out during the gap between my own childhood and that of my child, so I never got to read the series. But I always hear elementary students talking about it when I conduct writing and reading workshops, and my own high school students share fond memories with me of reading the series.

The story follow almost nine-year-old Jack and his eight-year-old sister Annie as they find a treehouse in the woods of Pennsylvania. It’s just before dark, and they’re supposed to be heading home, but Annie decides to investigate, and Jack is tempted to follow when he learns the treehouse is full of books.

In this episode, they end up opening a dinosaur book, and Jack says aloud that he wishes he could see real dinosaurs in action. And his wish is granted. The two travel in time to see dinosaurs, and on the way they find a strange medallion with the letter “M” stamped on it, suggesting that someone else has traveled there before them.

When they return home, no time has passed.

The book is about 60 pages, which includes illustrations. It’s a chapter book, but for a grown-up, it only takes a few minutes to read. It’s an engaging, plot-based story, and I will definitely be sharing it with my daughter in a few years. The text is large enough to read easily, and there are enough details to tell the story without being overwhelming. It’s a good story to read aloud each night or for a young independent reader tackling chapter books.

Since each book only takes a few minutes to read, I’ll tackle the rest of the stack as I have time–and then leave the books on my daughter’s bookshelf so that they’ll be ready when she is!

For the next week, my young adult novels are deeply discounted over at Barking Rain Press. You can buy The Scarred Letter or The Girl Who Flew Away for just $2.99. This deal is valid at Amazon.com (Scarred or Girl), the publisher (Scarred or Girl) and anywhere else e-books are sold!

I purchased this book when I heard Garcia speak at a writers conference. The book is meant for young adult readers. The story follows a 17-year old named Kennedy. After her father abandoned her, Kennedy is left with just her mother and cat. But a gruesome start to the book leaves Kennedy without anyone, and before long she is approached by four others who form a Legion, a group formed long ago. In its past, the group summoned a demon, and now the job of each descendant is to keep the fight against the demon going. Each member of the Legion has been trained for his or her job by a former member (and relative)—except for Kennedy, who knows nothing about it.

Each group brings a particular talent to the group in their fight against demons. Kennedy has a photographic memory and learns to draw symbols that help bind the demons and spirits they encounter. And, of course, there is a love interest.

I liked the plot of the novel. Most chapters were completely action-packed, and there was hardly any downtime for the group. That said, at times the plot was formulaic—like watching episodes of ghost hunters on steroids—and the constant action left me yearning for a bit more character development. There were flashbacks that offered a little insight into Kennedy’s life, but I wanted more—and to know more about all the characters. There is a second book in the series, which make sense since it ends on a cliffhanger.

I would recommend this book as a high-interest book to young readers, especially those who want more of a plot-centered book. I could see myself devouring this book as a younger reader. As a grown-up, I craved just a bit more. That said, aside from some violence/creepiness involving ghosts, it was a relatively clean read listed as appropriate for grades 8 and up, so I would recommend it to my daughter when she gets old enough!