Excellent Reads

THE TREASURE HOUSE By Linda Newbery 224 pp. Orion. £8.99. (Ages 11 and up) ISBN 9781444003437 Rating: ? Stars             This book had an eye-catching front cover, and an alluring story summary and title, which is appropriate because it was actually a really good book. This book has a really good mix of mystery, excitement, and adventure that makes you tell your parents "I have to finish this book today" and "just one more page" (although you end up reading ten more pages, then one hundred more, until it's finished).             Meanwhile this book is actually about a girl called Nina whose mum goes off without telling anyone, only leaving a note behind. This causes her dad to go off in search of her so Nina is left alone and slowly she uncovers the mystery of where her mum is and why.             Reader, I think that after you have read this book you will agree with me that ages eight to tw...

THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY By Trenton Lee Stewart 512 pp. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. $6.99. (Ages 9 and up) ISBN 9780316003957 Rating: 5 Stars       I am not sure if this book would appeal to everyone but it certainly appealed to me! I must say that when it says (behind the front cover) that this book is like Lemony Snicket’s books, the Harry Potter series and Roald Dahl’s books, it is definitely true.       Meanwhile I really like how the writer blends clues with adventure and fantasy. However this story isn’t exactly all fantasy. First of all it is true that most teachers are treated badly by parents if their children don’t get a perfect grade. Last of all TV does actually control your brain because of COMMERCIALS. Have you ever noticed that after seeing TV you run to the shop and buy something? Well if you have it’s because of commercials.       Anyways the actual story in t...

The Starting Line Thanks so much for hosting me today! Before I forget, I have a contest running for my blog tour—all commenter’s are entered into a drawing for two copies of my book, and one person will win a $25 giftcard to Amazon or Barnes & Noble. There are more details on my home blog, if you want to check it out! Today I thought I’d talk a little about opening lines and paragraphs in books. For writers, they are so vitally important, and some say they can make or break your book. As someone who regularly browses books by reading the first page, I know this is the case! If I don’t really like the opening, it takes a lot to get me through the rest of the chapters, let alone spending money on it. Now, a first line doesn’t have to be magical and captivating, but it does have to draw me in. Some of my favorites include: “It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.” The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (so telling and so bleak. I am in love with Steifvater’s ...

THE QUEEN By Richard Brassey 24 pp. Orion. £4.99. (Ages 7 and up) ISBN 9781444001273 Rating: ? Stars       This story is not really about anything I could say without giving away the story. It is basically about the queen, in longer words it is about the queen's childhood, as she grew up and turned into queen.       What really caught me and half made me laugh was when the queen and Crawfie (her governess)  disguised themselves as normal people and went for tea. The funny thing about this was that when they went there they had to carry their own tea and that even though they made good efforts people still knew who they were and they were stared at. I really liked Queen Salote of Tonga because she ignored the rain and waved cheerily from an open window.       I think the average age to read this book (or have it read to) is five. The reason I think the average age is five is because it is not exactly a baby book...

DEAD END IN NORVELT By Jack Gantos 352 pp. Yearling. £5.99. (Ages 12 and up) ISBN 9780440870043 Rating: ? Stars       I read this book because it was winner of the Newbery Medal 2012. Also, it had a good front cover so that made me want to read it. However, I did have a problem with it. That was because there weren't any skeletons eating cookies in boxes, unlike the cover. My other problem was that Jack wasn't actually dying of boredom (like a skeleton) but was starting to have fun in other ways.       This book did have a bit of an interesting story towards the end though, I must grant it that. The actual story in this book is about a boy called Jack (just like the writer). First Jack gets in trouble for playing with his dad’s guns. Then he gets in trouble for mowing the corn lawn because even though his dad tells him to do it. His mum does not want him to do that, and then he is grounded for all of his summer. However Mi...

WONDER By R. J. Palacio 320 pp. Knopf Books for Young Readers. $15.99. (Ages 8 and up) ISBN 9780375869020 Rating: ? Stars   This book's theme is about a boy with an unusual face who turns out to be a nice person in personality. This book is quite interesting, because the writer writes about it from different characters’ perspectives, so that none of the story is missed out.   The story is mainly about a boy called August, who has an unusual face and is treated unfairly at school. Although I leave it to you to find out if it always stays that way or if he is finally treated fairly!   When I got up to the part where some people started to act kind to August, a smile appeared upon my face because I felt happy for him.   My mom bought this book for me in America, because I had finished reading the book I had brought with me and needed a new book. My mom also gave me this book because she likes to buy me famous books and this one was very famous. ...

Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to. Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift. As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart. I read Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready at the end of last year, and I held off on Shift until closer to the Shine release. I liked Shade a lot, but I liked Shift even more! Shift picked up right where Shade left off. Logan died and turned shade in front of so many people who had come to watch his send off into the light. And after he turned shade, he disappeared. His girlfriend, Aura, is waiting for him to return, hoping to help him turn back i...

I got the opportunity to meet Kristin Cashore (again) last week when Bitterblue released. I had met her a few years ago when Fire came out, and I had had such a great time, I had to go back to Politics and Prose to meet her again. She started out by talking about the writing process for Bitterblue . All three books she wrote by hand and transcribed once fifty or so pages have been completed. (She kept the notebooks in a waterproof/fireproof box.) The first draft of Bitterblue took two and a half years, and came out to be 777 pages. After she turned it in, her agent requested a re-write. So Kristin re-wrote the entire book by hand-writing between the printed lines of her original manuscript. She said that she outlines, starting with a basic outline, and then adding as she goes. She said the Bitterblue outline ended up becoming 94 pages long, but she never even referenced it. After talking about writing Bitterblue , she fielded questions from the audience. There were a questions abou...

I received an ARC of The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi, and I'm giving it away. To enter: 1. You must be a follower of this blog. 2. You must be 13 or older. 3. You must live in the US. 4. You must fill out this form . Winner drawn midnight on Thursday, May 17.

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past. Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore is a book that's been on my "to-read" list for a few years. Publication kept being pushed back, but I must say...