Category: Fantasy

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Intermediate, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

The Great TBR Readdown: Hello, Neighbor and The Land of Broken Time

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

My Great TBR Readdown continues!

Hello Neighbor: Missing Pieces (Hello Neighbor, Book 1), by Carly Anne West/Illustrated by Tim Heitz, (Sept. 2018, Scholastic), $7.99, ISBN: 978-1-338-28009-8

Ages 10-14

Based on the horror video game, Hello Neighbor, this is the first book in a middle school-and-up series introducing Nicky Roth, a new kid in the town of Raven Brooks, and their neighbors, the Petersons. Nicky and Aaron, the Peterson’s son, become friends over their shared interest in tinkering, but when Nicky visits Aaron’s home, he’s uncomfortable. Aaron’s father makes him uneasy, and Nicky notices that Aaron, his mother, and sister are equally uncomfortable around him. The kids at school seem afraid of Aaron, and secrets and rumors about his father run wild. What’s the Peterson family’s dark secret, and why does Nicky feel like Aaron’s father is stalking him?

Knowing nothing about the Hello Neighbor game, I picked this book up and discovered a quietly creepy, light horror novel for tweens. If you have horror fans, this should be a good book to hand them. There are three in the series so far; the characters have a good background to build on, and the suspense builds nicely throughout the book. Illustrations throughout keep the pages turning.

 

In the Land of Broken Time, by Max Evan/Illustrated by Maria Evan, (Aug. 2016, self-published), $7.99, ISBN: 978-1520569291

Ages 8-10

A self-published novella by husband-wife team Max and Maria Evan, we’ve got a time-traveling fantasy starring a boy, a girl, and a talking dog, taking place in a fantasy land ruled by time – or the lack of it. Christopher sneaks out of his house to go to a nearby traveling circus, meets a girl named Sophie, and ends up hijacking a hot-air balloon, where the two meet a talking circus dog named Duke. They end up in a land where sibling scientists work at opposite ends: one seek to help them repair time, while the other wants to use time to manipulate his own power struggle.

The books is only about 50 pages, and is a quick enough read. I’d like to see something a little more fleshed out, because the world-building felt a little rushed, but was promising. Where is this land? What are the origin stories for the scientists, gnomes, and townspeople who waited for the prince? How did this power struggle between the two scientists begin? There are Narnian influences here that I enjoyed spotting, and there’s obviously more backstory to draw on; the story’s end leaves a sequel – or a prequel? – open to possibility. Maria Evan’s illustrations are beautiful, bright, and colorful, and brought the land and its characters to life. I’d like to see more. Let’s hope we get it.

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Teen, Tween Reads

Folk and Fairy Tales from Across the Pond: Between Worlds

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Between Worlds: Folktales of Britain and Ireland, by Kevin Crossley-Holland/Illustrated by Frances Castle, (Oct. 2019, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536209419

Ages 10+

Forty-eight folk and fairy tales from Britain and Ireland; some you’ve heard before, most will be new to you. The tales are organized by Magic and Wonder; Adventures and Legends; Power, Passion, and Love; Wits, Tricks, and Laughter; and Ghosts. This is a wonderful tome for your fantasy and fairy/folk tale collections; especially, if, like me, you love having a collection of tales from all over the world. Some are short enough to read aloud, others are longer and invite readers to sit down, have a nice cup of hot chocolate, and imagine a storyteller leading you back through time for  stories about fairy rings, boggarts, and changelings. Frances Castle’s stark black-and-white illustrations set a mood for each story and each section. An afterword on “Why Everyone Needs to Be Able to Tell a Story” is told as a final folktale, infusing the entire volume with a bit of magic. Comprehensive source notes identify each story’s source(s) and original titles, if any.

A definite add to your folk and fairy tale shelves, and a gorgeous gift for readers. Keep a copy at your Reference desk, too, if you have it in the budget.

 

 

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

The Malamander welcomes you to Eerie-on-Sea with a HUGE GIVEAWAY!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Malamander, by Thomas Taylor/Illustrated by Tom Booth, (Sept. 2019, Walker Books US), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536207224

Ages 9-13

Winter comes to the sleepy town of Eerie-on-Sea, and Herbert Lemon – the 12-year-old Lost and Founder for the Grand Nautilus Hotel – discovers a girl about his age hiding, in his Lost and Found room, from a very angry man with a hook for a hand. Violet Parma was found abandoned as an infant in the Grand Nautilus Hotel, and she’s come back, determined to learn what would have taken her parents away from her. Is the Eerie legend of the Malamander – a part-fish, part-human creature – tied into the mystery? Everyone in town seems to know more about Herbert and Violet – and the Malamander – than they’re letting on.

I could not get enough of this first Legends of Eerie-on-the-Sea adventure! It’s got a very period feel – very British (the book was originally published in the UK), almost steampunk, but takes place in the modern day. There’s delightfully creepy, creaky worldbuilding; the Malamander itself shows up, wreathed in fog, but is far from mild-mannered, attacking if it feels threatened. There’s a fantastically oddball Book Dispensary, where selections are chosen by a mechanical mermonkey, and a cast of quirky, instantly memorable characters like the mysterious hotel proprietress, Lady Kraken; Mrs. Fossil, the eccentric beachcomber, and Jenny Hanniver, who works in the Book Dispensary. Everyone’s got a backstory, and the world-building is weird and wonderful. Kirkus calls it “H.P. Lovecraft crossed with John Bellairs”, and really, that’s the most spot-on quick take I’ve read. My advanced reader copy only had some of the illustrations in place, but from what I’ve seen, Tom Booth’s black and white artwork lends great shadow and mist to a shadowy, misty, seaside mystery; the characters have exaggerated, bold facial expressions and angular shapes, and every chapter is heralded with a load of tentacles to draw readers in. In other words, it all comes together perfectly.

I loved visiting Eerie-on-Sea, and can’t wait to take my kids (both library and the ones in my family) there for a stay. Malamander is the first in a planned trilogy, so pardon me, while I sit and wait.

Malamander is out in September, but you can read an interview with author Thomas Taylor here. You can read an excerpt and check out some postcards Herbie’s received at the Lost and Found, at the Eerie on Sea website. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that GeekDad gives five reasons to read Malamander, and they’re all very good reasons.

Malamander has a starred review from Booklist.

 

Candlewick has offered a great giveaway for MomReadIt and Malamander. THREE readers will win a Malamander gift set, containing an advanced reader copy of the book and a Malamander tote bag! U.S. addresses only, please, and no P.O. boxes. Check out the Rafflecopter giveaway and enter!

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade

The Root of Magic: Fantasy middle grade and a giveaway!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Root of Magic, by Kathleen Benner Duble, (June 2019, Delacorte Books for Young Readers), $16.99, ISBN: 978-0525578505

Ages 9-13

Twelve-year-old Willow, her mother, and younger brother, called Wisp, are lucky when they survive a car crash while driving home in a snowstorm. They’re luckier when a couple happen to be out on the road to pull them out of their car and bring them to a B&B in the town of Kismet, Maine, to ride out the snowstorm. Willow starts noticing that the people in Kismet are different: sure, they’re friendly, but they have some secrets. And what’s up with always seeming to know when someone is at the door, or what someone’s dinner order is, before things even happen? Willow is busy trying to navigate her overprotective mother, her sick brother, Wisp, and her crush on one of the local boys, but Kismet’s secrets are seductive, and her mother seems to be drawn in.

The Root of Magic pulled right RIGHT in. It’s kind of an M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village, with a dash of Invasion of the Body Snatchers thrown in, and Kathleen Benner Duble creates a small, supernatural tale with just enough creeping discomfort to keep readers riveted. She’s got great world-building here; she creates a small, almost claustrophobic town where Willow and her family are the clear outsiders, and adds elements with each chapter that tease readers, tempt readers, into pushing further to find out exactly what Kismet’s deal is. The climax had me sitting straight up in bed, insisting on reading the last few chapters, before I turned the lights out, because I wasn’t going to be able to rest until I had it all sorted.

The Root of Magic is great summer reading for your fantasy and your mystery readers. And, in this 90-degree weather, who doesn’t want to read about snow and ice skating?

Kathleen Benner Duble is a critically acclaimed and award-winning author of many historical novels for children. Her books include Phantoms of the Snow, The Sacrifice, and Quest. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband. Visit her at www.kathleenduble.com and find her recipe for Kismet Blueberry Pie and a free, downloadable discussion guide. You can also find her on Twitter: @KathleenDuble and Instagram: @kathleenbduble.

Want a chance at winning your own copy of The Root of Magic? Check out this Rafflecopter giveaway!

Posted in Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Non-Fiction, Teen, Tween Reads, Young Adult/New Adult

July graphic novels: A Hawking bio and a witchy middle grade noir

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hawking, by Jim Ottaviani/Illustrated by Leland Myrick, (July 2019, First Second), $29.99, ISBN: 9781626720251

Ages 12+

If your science and biography sections don’t have an Ottaviani/Myrick section yet, you may want to get to work on that. This is the second collaboration the two have worked on; the first being Feynman, a graphic biography on physicist and Nobel laureate Richard Feynman.

Hawking is in parts biography and science comic for teens and adults, moving easily back and forth between Stephen Hawking’s life story and explanations of physics, black holes, and the universe at large. The story begins with Hawking’s birth, 300 days to the day after Galileo’s death, wanders through his early adolescence as a teen who speaks “Hawkingese” and appears socially awkward; his marriage to Jane Hawking and his diagnosis with motor neurone disease, also known as ALS; his research and ultimate pop culture fame, and his later years, second marriage, and the degenerative path of his disease. First and foremost, this is a story about science; there are pages devoted to discussions between defining voices, including Newton, Faraday, and Einstein, about cosmology, light, and gravity. Jim Ottaviani captures Hawking’s voice – the graphic novel is narrated by a fictional Hawking – and shows up a glimpse of the man behind the legend. Award-winning illustrator Leland Myrick‘s artwork is unfussy, providing scientific sketches as easily as he captures Stephen Hawking’s wry smirk and his ability to disappear into a cloud of physics, even in a crowded room. The end of Hawking’s story will catch readers right in the feelings – I choked up a bit. An author’s note discusses how graphic novels are a good medium for narrative nonfiction, and I couldn’t agree more. Jim Ottaviani is an New York Times-bestselling author whose graphic biographies also include The Imitation Game (Alan Turing) and Primates (Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas), so the man knows how to plot out a graphic biography. There is a nice list of references that will give interested readers even more material to look through.

I love graphic novel bios – they’re a great way to get tweens, teens, and adults interested in reading biographies, and the graphic medium allows for great explanations of topics that may be difficult in solid print (like physics!). If you have readers who have aged up from Science Comics, hand them Hawking. A definite must-add to your (growing!) graphic novel biographies.

 

Grimoire Noir, by Vera Greentea/Illustrated by Yana Bogatch, (July 2019, First Second), $17.99, ISBN: 9781626725980

Ages 12+

This beautifully illustrated graphic novel has a few plots going on at once: set in a town called Blackwell, where all the girls are witches, a teen named Bucky yearns for power of his own – despite the fact that no witch can leave the town. Ever. Bucky’s younger sister, Heidi, is kidnapped, and Bucky joins forces with his estranged friend, a teen girl named Chamomile, to look for her. Within this main story are threads of other plots; the hostility Chamomile’s father, Blackwell’s deputy, has toward Bucky (who also happens to be the sheriff’s son); a coven of Mean Girls/The Craft witches called The Crows, who want to set plans in motion that will set them free to leave Blackwell, and a ghost of the very first witch, a child named Griselda, whose death at the hands of witch hunters set the curse on Blackwell’s daughters into motion.

The storyline has moments where the storyline becomes confusing to follow, but has some touching relationship bits that I’d like to have seen more about. The relationship between Chamomile and her father runs deep, and we only get a surface glimpse, for instance. Will we get more Blackwell stories from Vera Greentea and Yana Bogatch? We can sure hope so; I think there’s a lot more to tell in a town with a history like theirs. Tween and young teens will enjoy this human, paranormal tale with a twist.

 

Posted in Fantasy, Science Fiction, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

LOKI YA IS HERE!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Loki: Where Mischief Lies, by Mackenzi Lee, (Sept. 2019, Disney Book Group), $17.99, ISBN: 9781368022262

Ages 12+

Disclaimer: I am a rabid Marvel and Loki fangirl. When I heard that Loki was getting his own YA novel, I shrieked just a little bit, and camped out on NetGalley and Edelweiss until the DRC gloriously appeared. In short, I’ve been really, really, flipping excited for this book! So let’s get the show on the road.

Loki is Thor’s younger brother, and still hoping that his father, Odin, will see that he’s just as capable of heroism – and possibly, the throne of Asgard – as his older, golden brother. He and his best friend, the sorceress-in-training Amora, find themselves in deep trouble when they accidentally destroy a powerful artifact. Amora takes the blame for Loki and finds herself banished to Earth; essentially a death sentence for a magical being, because her powers will wither and die slowly. Fast forward some years later, and Loki is sent to Earth to investigate a series of murders in Victorian London. He joins forces with a watchdog organization that believes otherworldly magic is involved in the murders. Dare Loki hope that Amora is still alive and in London? And if she is… is she connected to the murders? Our (well, my) favorite son of Asgard is at a crossroads in this first adventure.

I thoroughly enjoyed Where Mischief Lies. Mackenzi Lee has given us a delightful mix of Marvel/Tom Hiddleston Loki with a sprinkling of gender-fluid Norse myth Loki. He prefers high-heeled boots, sees Midgardian (Earth) society and its concern with binary sexuality and relationships ridiculous, and he’s got a wonderfully snarky way of interacting with people, especially those he sees as below him, which is… basically, everyone. He is also a vulnerable, often fragile, young man coming into his powers and frustrated by the lack of attention from his father, who prizes only traditional masculinity and strength rather than magic and wisdom. You can see Loki’s trajectory from this story to Earth’s favorite villain in years to come.

The writing is page-turning, with witty dialogue, a creepy whodunit, and slow-burn heartache throughout. My head spun a little bit as I tried to connect the dots from myth Loki to present-day Loki (What about Sigyn? His monstrous children? That whole situation with the cave and the venom?), but Mackenzi Lee deftly maneuvers around these questions with an interesting explanation that works for me.

I’m a fan of Mackenzi Lee’s God of Mischief. I’m looking forward to seeing who else she takes on in the Marvel Universe. A solid must-add to collections.

Posted in Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

The Order of the Majestic: Defend Magic! Plus, a Giveaway!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Order of the Majestic, by Matt Myklusch, (May 2019, Aladdin), $17.99, ISBN: 9781534441781

Ages 10-13

Joey Kopecky is a 13-year-old kid who’s good at taking tests. He just knows how to figure out the right answer, you know? His parents are thrilled when Joey’s invited to test for the exclusive Exemplar Academy, but Joey does not share their enthusiasm. He doesn’t feel like he’s anything special; he’s just got a knack for taking tests. When he arrives at Exemplar, the test is nothing like he’s ever experienced – he’s given magic tricks to do, and the final trick leads him to an abandoned theatre hidden pocket dimension where he meets Redondo, a magician in hiding. Magic is real. Redondo is the last of a group called the Order of the Majestic, who defend magic from The Invisible Hand, a group that seeks to control magic – and the world. Could Joey be the next great hope for a renewed Order of the Majestic?

This is the first book in a new series. There’s some intrigue and a lot of action, and some interesting takes on magic and technology in the modern day. We have two ancient societies battling one another over power – is it good versus evil? Depends on who you ask; the Invisible Hand thinks they’re doing the right thing, keeping powerful magic out of  the hands of the “norms”; the Order of the Majestic believes magic is tied to wonder and belief in the world. It’s idealism versus power, with the future of the whole world on the line and one kid from Hoboken holding the key. The Big Bad is delightfully glib, and Redondo, a Mr. Miyagi of sorts, is the curmudgeonly teacher with a horrible secret. Give this to your Potion Masters and Five Kingdoms readers, and talk it up to your fantasy fans.

Want your own copy of Order of the Majestic? Check out this Rafflecopter giveaway (U.S. addresses only, please!)

Posted in Fantasy, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Groundhog Day meets the ’80s in Pretty in Punxsutawney

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Pretty in Punxsutawney, by Laurie Boyle Crompton, (Jan. 2019, Blink YA), $17.99, ISBN: 9780310762164

Ages 12+

This fun mash-up of ’80s teen classic movies (Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club) and 1993’s Groundhog Day stars a high schooler who’s stuck in a time loop: her first day of school in a new town. Andie, daughter of a Gen X John Hughes fanatic, wakes up every morning with the Pretty in Pink DVD from the night before stuck in her DVD player. She goes through the first day of school again and again, trying to figure out how to break the loop; she tries everything from joining different cliques to trying on new personas, to no avail. But as she tries to get through each day and stave off the frustration and depression that tries to set in, she also sees past the social groups to the personalities of her classmates, and realizes that she can bring everyone together.

Pretty in Punxsutawney is a fun, light-hearted love letter to ’80s movies (the novel is loaded with great references), friendship, and finding your own space in your community. Andie gains depth as a character as the novel progresses; the other characters are there to support her, so we only get a taste of them. This one’s a fun beach read that Gen X parents can enjoy with their teens.

 

Posted in Fantasy, Teen, Tween Reads

Keira Gillett wraps up Aleks Mickelsen’s trilogy with the Eighth Fox Throne War

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Aleks Mickelsen and the Eighth Fox Throne War, by Keira Gillett/Illustrated by Eoghan Kerrigan/maps by Kaitlin Statz, (May 2019, self-published), $14.99, ISBN: 9781942750123

Ages 10+

The second trilogy in Keira Gillett’s Zaria Fierce series is loaded with the epic battles, dragon fights, and complex relationships that have defined the series, but most important, the friendship between the core characters: Aleks, Zaria, Christoffer, Geirr, and Filip, the original group of friends from Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest, have been through a lot together: kidnapping by trolls; magical fantasy worlds and the discovery that Zaria and Aleks are royalty within this magical realm; fantastic beasts (who always seem to know where to find them), and epic battles, just to name a few. In this last Aleks Mickelsen adventure, Fritjof, the chaos dragon, is still causing trouble in Niffelheim, and Aleks and his friends – the original gang, plus stag lord Henrik, Airi the raven, Aleks’s fey sister, Nori – are ready to take him down. If they can get through the army of dwarf ravagers on their trail and past the warring fey courts, that is.

Aleks continues to grow as a character in the Eighth Fox Throne War. Ever conflicted over whether to embrace his fey gifts or abandon them to remain human, he makes decisions based on the good of a people who don’t want him: he’s a changeling, and is on the receiving end of a lot of prejudice and anger. The fact that he’s king isn’t helping. There’s intrigue and war on a previously untold level here, so upper middle graders and middle schoolers are more the target audience for this series. The characters have grown up, are experiencing first love (Filip and Zaria, now Aleks and Saskia, a Winter Court fey and love interest), and are in fights for their lives and the lives of both Niffleheim and the modern world.

Relationships are at the heart of every Keira Gillett fantasy, and that’s what makes these books so good. The high fantasy aspects – the dragons, the epic conflicts, the grandiose ceremonies – they’re brilliant, but the emotion, the investment in these characters and their ties to one another, is what makes it all come together. Eoghan Kerrigan’s artwork is as fantastic as ever, bringing Keira Gillett’s incredible creatures and characters to life ; Kaitlin Statz’s maps help readers place themselves in the story.

Aleks Mickelsen and the Eighth Fox Throne War is a strong conclusion to another character arc in the Zaria Fierce series. Give this series to your high fantasy fans and watch them ask for more. (Ahem… nudge your Magnus Chase readers to explore this one!)

Author Keira Gillett is having a virtual book launch party on May 23 from 10:30-midnight! Put on your pajamas and join for a book reading, trivia, bingo, and a Q&A session!

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Set sail for big graphic novel storytelling in The Island

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Island Book, by Evan Dahm, (May 2019, First Second), $22.99, ISBN: 9781626729506

Ages 8-12

Sola lives as an outcast within her small community on an island. She is cursed – that’s what everyone says – because a Monster came to the Island when Sola was a child; everyone around her ran, but Sola alone stood before it, and it reached out to her. The destruction left in the monster’s wake, coupled with its interest in Sola sealed it: the rest of the Island branded her. As Sola reaches adolescence, she’s curious: what drew the Monster to her? Tired of living with everyone’s fear, and wanting answers, Sola leaves the island, taking to the open water. As she travels, she discovers that the Island isn’t alone: there are new lands and people to meet.

Island Book is Sola’s story. A quietly strong female protagonist, she faces adversity at home and has a curious streak that contributes to her own community’s distrust and fear of her. The plot meanders on a bit in spots, but is mostly a solid story about courage and curiosity; about friendship and working together, and about opening oneself up to new ideas and experiences. The characters are humanoid but not human; the artwork is bright and the nature is beautifully depicted.

The first in a new series, Island Book is a good choice for middle grade book discussion groups, too. Ask kids if they’ve ever felt like Sola, unable to change someone’s mind or looked down on because of their age. Does Sola do the right thing by going off on her own? Would Sola’s community encourage relationships with other beings?

There’s a soundtrack for Island Book available, along with two books of development artwork, through author Evan Dahm’s website. There’s a great review by the AV Club here.