Excellent Reads

THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET A Novel in Words and Pictures. By Brian Selznick. Illustrated. 533 pages. Scholastic Press. £12.99. (Ages 9 and up). ISBN 9781407103488 Rating: 5 Stars       This book tells you of the adventures Hugo Cabret had while trying to fix the automaton without being caught.       It is about a 12 year old boy called Hugo Cabret whose father died in a fire in the museum where he had worked and had found an automaton. After the fire went out, Hugo lived with his uncle in a train station where he was trying to live by stealing food. His uncle went missing, but he continued to work on his uncle's clocks so no one would know. Meanwhile, he was fixing the automaton which he recovered from the wreckage of the museum fire. Hugo only has one problem, the train station toy shop owner has stolen his notebook. What happens when the toy shop owner says that his notebook is burned? Should Hugo believe the toy sho...

MY STORY: VIKING BLOOD By Andrew Donkin 176 pages. Scholastic. £6.99. (Ages 8 and up). ISBN 9781407104812 Rating: 4.5 Stars MY STORY: ROMAN INVASION By Jim Eldridge 144 pages. Scholastic. £6.99. (Ages 8 and up). ISBN 9781407107370 Rating: 4.5 Stars MY ROYAL STORY: ANASTASIA By Carolyn Meyer 224 pages. Scholastic. £6.99. (Ages 8 and up). ISBN 9781407116198 Rating: 4.5 Stars MY ROYAL STORY: ANNE BOLEYN AND ME By Alison Prince 224 pages. Scholastic. £6.99. (Ages 9 and up). ISBN 9781407114774 Rating: 4.5 Stars       This report is about four books, one's called "Viking Blood", another's called "Roman Invasion", another's called "Anastasia" and the last is called "Anne Boleyn and Me". The similarity between these four novels is that they are all historical.       First I will tell you about the book called "Anne Boleyn and Me". It is about a Tudor girl named Elinor who is one of the ladies in waiting for Queen Catherine of Arag...

Welcome to week four of Fall Into YA. Sandy of Scribing Shadows is helping me celebrate, and this week we are definitely challenging you all. To a YA quiz! Congrats to Em who won our last contest. Check your email! Here is her entry! And our runner-ups! The prize for week 4 is, you guessed it, a fall YA release. Here are the rules: 1. You must follow both blogs. 2. You must be 13 or over. 3. It's open internationally but please be sure The Book Depository ships to you. 4. Take this quiz ! You may leave comments on the blog asking clarifying questions. I spent a bit of time in the YA section to put this quiz together. None of the questions are spoilers. Most answers can be found by scouring Goodreads. Not every book on the quiz released this year. Most did. But there's nothing more than three years old. And all books are YA. Not adult; not MG; just YA. This giveaway is open until Wednesday, November 30. The winner will be the person with the highest number of correct answers. I...

I'm almost finished reading Breaking Dawn and since I saw the previous 3 Twilight movies on opening weekend, I had to stick with tradition. And I was far enough past the middle of the book to know I had read enough to see part one. The good... The acting was far superior in this film. I've been a long-time fan of Kristen Stewart. I think she was wonderful in Speak and Panic Room, so I was disappointed with her acting in Twilight. I'm not sure if it was script or directing or something else entirely, but scenes I was looking forward to laughing at weren't cheesy enough to laugh at. *shock* Not only was her acting better, but R-Patt and Taylor Lautner stepped up their game as well. Charlie. This guy always gets the best lines. "I know Edward will be a good husband. I know this... because I'm a cop." Actually, out of all the wedding reception speeches, he was the only one that didn't make me cringe. That scene was so uncomfortable and awkward. It only rei...

MY ROYAL STORY: MARIE ANTOINETTE By Kathryn Lasky 224 pages. Scholastic. £6.99. (Ages 8 and up). ISBN 9781407116181 Rating: 5 Stars       This book tells you of the adventures Marie Antoinette had on her way to becoming a French queen. It is about a young princess called Marie Antoinette who is learning how to be a French queen. Although she hates being away from her family she knows it can't be to bad. On her way to becoming Queen many sad and funny things happen. It is sad when her dance teacher dies, however it is funny when she has to run naked in front of five thousand people! Marie Antoinette is not very happy when she meets her husband because she finds he has pimples, is really fat, and droops a lot. Later on she finds she might be able to make a friend of him. Marie Antoinette hates her main lady in waiting who wears thick red lip gloss, likes to be very proper, and makes the king do what ever she wants him to. However when Queen Marie Ant...

I'm sure you all know how much I love going to book signings. I've been lucky enough to meet dozens of authors. And I've met my top five favorite authors on more than one occasion: Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, Charles de Lint, Holly Black, and Maggie Stiefvater. So when I found out that Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, was going to be in DC to promote his new book, Cabin Fever, I knew I had to take my boy. Like me when I was his age, he doesn't much care for reading. It's not that either of us were bad with reading or reading comprehension; the problem lies in poor self confidence. I've gotten past that. But not John. However, John loves the Wimpy Kid books, and he was thrilled when I invited him to go with me to DC. Book six is entitled Cabin Fever. It involves poor Greg being stuck inside while a blizzard rages outside. So to celebrate that, they created a fake snow storm. Look... fake snow! Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of...

Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin? For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask. Som...

Welcome to week three of Fall Into YA. Sandy of Scribing Shadows is helping me celebrate. Congrats to Molly Gibson-Mee who won our last contest. (Check your email for a message from Sandy.) Her dream boyfriend pick was Simon from the Mortal Instruments series. There were more votes for Jace, but I'm going to have to stick with Molly on this one. Simon is a much better choice. Also, I agree with all of you who love Tod. He's always been my favorite guy from that series. And for week 3, we are giving away a third fall YA release. Rules are as followed: 1. You must follow both blogs. 2. You must be 13 or over. 3. It's open internationally but please be sure The Book Depository (link) ships to you. 4. Recreate a book cover. Pick any YA book that released this year and recreate that cover. Sandy and I will choose a winner. Feel free to post your cover on both blogs, but that isn't necessary. And it won't earn you extra points. But make sure you post it either here or at...

Welcome to week two of Fall Into YA. Winner of our first contest is April X who chose The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson. Congrats! This week, our contest is something you'll need to work for. ; ) Think of all the YA books you've read, and pick one character who you think would be the perfect boyfriend or girlfriend for you. Tell me who they are and why you picked them. Leave your email so I can contact you if you win. You must be 13 or older. Contest is open internationally, but please be sure Book Depository ships to you. Winner chooses any YA book that releases this fall. Want an extra chance to win? Be sure to check Scribing Shadows for a similar contest. One winner chosen between both blogs/contests. Winner chosen at random so don't worry if your entry isn't original. Good luck!

BEDEVILED: DADDY'S LITTLE ANGEL Bedeviled Series: Book 1 By Shani Petroff. Illustrated by J. David McKenney. 240 pages. Penguin Group. $6.99. (Ages 8 and up). ISBN 9780448451114 Rating: 3 Stars It is about a devil.The devil is Angel's dad. Angel's dad gave Angel power.but Angel does not know how to use her power. When she used her power she made a mistake. She put her friends in the zoo, in cages. she's sad because she does not have friends now. Sunday Angel goes to Gabi's house and says sorry for yesterday so on Monday she,ll have friends. On Monday Cole came to school and said to Angel "Friday can we go on a date",I like the book because I love the part when Cole kissed Angel it was so funny.I was sad because Angel did not have friend.

He is the Songweaver, but before he was a master of song he was merely Cerin of Wran Cheaping—a seventeen-year-old orphan raised by a wildland witch. Then he encountered the Maid of the Grey Rose—the lone survivor of the war that devastated the Trembling Lands and the promised bride of Yarac Stone-Slayer, the feared and terrible Waster. The mysterious beauty captured Cerin’s heart, drawing him into a world both dark and deadly, until, armed with only a tinkerblade and the magic of song, he would take on a man’s challenge . . . and choose a treacherous path toward a magnificent destiny. The Harp of the Grey Rose is award-winning fantasist Charles de Lint’s first novel, long out of print—and it hints of the wonderful stories to come.

Minda Sealy is afraid of her own nightmares. Then, one night, while asleep, she meets Jan, the Lord of the Moors, who has been imprisoned by Ildran the Dream-master-the same being who traps Minda. In exchange for her promise to free him, Jan gives Minda three tokens. She sets out, leaving the safety of her old life to begin a journey from world to world, both to save Jan and to solve "the riddle of the Wren"-which is the riddle of her very self. The Riddle of the Wren was Charles de Lint's first novel, and has been unavailable for years. Fans and newcomers alike will relish it. Review

After a brutal Civil War, America is a land divided. As commander of her nation's border guards, Ever is a warrior sworn to protect her country and her queen. When an airship attacks and kills the monarch, Ever must infiltrate enemy territory to bring home the heir to the throne, and the dirigible Dark Hawk is her fastest way to the Union. Captain Spencer Pierce just wants to pay off the debt he owes on the Dark Hawk and make a life for himself trading across the border. When the queen's assassination puts the shipping routes at risk, he finds himself Ever's reluctant ally. As they fly into danger, Ever and Spencer must battle not only the enemy but also their growing attraction. She refuses to place her heart before duty, and he has always put the needs of his ship and crew above his own desires. Once the princess is rescued, perhaps they can find love in the Badlands— if death doesn't find them first... Out of everything I've read by Seleste deLaney, and I've ...

The winner for Forever Summer by Seleste deLaney is... literati_rain66! And the winner for The Scorpio Races is... Samantha W! Congrats to you both! And be sure to check your emails in the next few days on the progress of your book. : )

It's the month of November, and here at Aine's Realm we are celebrating Fall! But I'm not celebrating alone. Joining me is Sandy of Scribing Shadows . Kicking off our Fall Into YA celebration will be a simple giveaway. Rules: 1. You must follow both blogs. 2. You must be 13 or over. 3. It's open internationally but please be sure The Book Depository (link) ships to you. 4. Fill out this form . Sandy and I are using the same form, so DON'T fill it out in both places. What's the prize you ask? Any YA book that releases this Fall. Preorders count. This giveaway is open until Wednesday, November 9. Check back the next day to see if you've won and to check out giveaway #2.