Send us your reviews.
NEW BOOK, BE THE FIRST TO CHECK IT OUT: The Goblin Wood
Booklist Review: Gr. 6-10. After her mother is drowned as a sorceress, young
hedgewitch Makenna flees into the woodlands. While there, she accidentally
antagonizes some goblins, who plague her until she captures one,
Cogswhallop, and inadvertently puts him in her debt. As she travels with
Cogswhallop, she learns goblin rules about repaying a favor, and she soon
finds herself united with goblins in a battle against the ruling Hierarchy,
bent on eradicating all magical creatures. Five years later, a young knight
comes to Goblin Wood to trap a powerful human sorceress who is thought to
lead an army of enslaved goblins. By this time, Makenna has become a
strategist par excellence and the Hierarchy’s greatest threat. Leavened by
humor and a dollop of romance, this well-crafted fantasy adventure
demonstrates Bell’s talent for creating enduring characters and worlds. It
also has a cliffhanger ending that begs a sequel. The author of A Matter of
Profit -- Sally Estes
(FOR EIGHTH GRADERS ONLY--MATURE CONTENT)
Motorcycle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility by Patricia Santana. Realistic
fiction set in the late
60's. The main character's favorite older brother has just returned from
Vietnam, and has a
serious case of PTSD. The family, strongly Catholic Mexican-Americans,
learn to deal with his
instability and its effect on their family. A strong theme is coming of
age, because the main
character, who is 14, watches her older brothers and sisters and their
relationships with
boyfriends and girlfriends, and near the end, acquires a boyfriend herself.
Another theme is
friendship because of the relationships between the main character and her
favorite older
brother, as well as her best friend. The book definitely has mature
content - language and
"adult situations." It's best suited for more mature readers in 7th or 8th
grade. The family
speaks "Spanglish" so Spanish-speaking students might enjoy it while English-
only readers may
find the dialogue a challenge.
--Lynn Keim
Abarat by Clive Barker. Most people know Clive
Barker as a horror story/screenplay author. This book is a little out-of-
the-ordinary, even by Barker's standards. First, the genre is fantasy, and
students who prefer a young, female protagonist will enjoy it. The story
details the main character's journey out of our world, into another world,
one which used to be more closely connected in the past. As with most
fantasy books, the main theme is good vs. evil, with the main character's
goal being to carry a key to the right person in Abarat. Of course, other
characters, who are evil are attempting to thwart her. It's a challenging
read, especially due to length, and is recommended mostly for experienced
readers. Two things that make this book unique are Barker's thorough and
sometimes unsettling sensory descriptions of characters and events coupled
with his original, full color paintings which are interspersed with the text
on nearly every page; and the title on the front cover - this will make
sense to Dan Brown readers of Angels & Demons - which can be read both right
side up and upside down.
--Lynn Keim
The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom was recently turned into a
made-for-TV movie. It's a short read, a little less than 200 pages, but
very thought-provoking. It's secular, for the most part, so any ideas about
whether the author was discussing a Christian heaven won't necessarily be a
problem. For students who want a challenge with setting, this is it. The
story follows a character, Ed, in the minutes up to the time his life ends,
then through some flashback scenes that tie in to the people he meets in
heaven, all of whom were of importance during his lifetime. It could be
realistic fiction or fantasy, depending on how the reader wants to look at
it. In fact, it might even qualify as self-help, if the experienced reader
goes deeper into the author's message.
--Lynn Keim
Finally, Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism, by Georgia Byng came out
a year or two ago. It's mostly realistic fiction, unless the reader decides
that a story about people who are readily able to hypnotize others tends
more toward fantasy. It could also be considered an action/adventure
novel. The main character, Molly, is an orphan who uses her ability to
hypnotize people to gain fame and fortune, but later realizes that there are
more important things in life. The author's message (honesty and integrity
are important qualities) is pretty apparent. The themes of friendship and
integrity are also strong. The story is pretty straightforward, without too
many changes in setting, and no change in perspective. The length (300+)
pages might encourage reading stamina in some students. Character
development is another well-developed aspect of this book.
By Ms. Keim
