The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

Current MiTunes - "The Wardrobe" from Harry Gregson Williams' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
Genre: Middle grade/ Fantasy
Release Date: August 30th, 2011
Publisher: Aladdin
Pages: 400

Every year in Quill, thirteen-year-olds are sorted into categories: the strong, intelligent Wanteds go to university, and the artistic Unwanteds are sent to their deaths.

Thirteen-year-old Alex tries his hardest to be stoic when his fate is announced as Unwanted, even while leaving behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted. Upon arrival at the destination where he expected to be eliminated, however, Alex discovers a stunning secret--behind the mirage of the "death farm" there is instead a place called Artime.


In Artime, each child is taught to cultivate their creative abilities and learn how to use them magically, weaving spells through paintbrushes and musical instruments. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it's a wondrous transformation.


I have to be honest, I didn't really enjoy this book. In fact I almost didn't finish it at all. Still, I felt I should plow through to the end  because I have read many of its good reviews.

The Unwanteds begins quickly, following Alex during the purge, which of course reminded me of Katniss awaiting her fate during the reaping. Within the first chapter you learn that he is destined to be marked Unwanted and killed in a lake of boiling oil. Alex and the fellow Unwanteds are seemingly awaiting their deaths when a peculiar older man presents himself as Mr. Today the Mage (or magician) of Artime'. I was immediately reminded of Albus Dumbledore, especially since he stood before the new students and gave them an introduction to Artime' and the rules of this new world.

Here in lies one of the biggest reasons I didn't like the book. The cover has a quote comparing The Unwanteds to two highly successful and separately creative novels. Opening the pages I couldn't get the worlds of those two books out of my head. Instead of fully enveloping in the world created by McMann, I kept wanting Artime' to be Hogwarts and equally imagined Quill as the desolate Seam in which Katniss calls home.

The characters were also very difficult to connect to. The story followed both twins, Alex and Aaron, however it seemed that the narrative only switched to Aaron when it was necessary to tell aspects of the story that Alex would never have been able to experience or see himself. The narrative also switches periodically to other characters as well, including other students and professors at the school. I wondered what reading this book would have been like if I was younger, I have a feeling it would have been one of those condemned to the shelf of dust.

The story is slow, but I can't tell if that is due to the multiple viewpoints or if it was the actual plot. The  last fifth of the book had some twists and turns but not enough to really keep me wanting more. The concept of magic being contained in the world of art was neat and I found McMann's initial inspiration for the story very compelling. (The world of Artime' was inspired from McMann's children losing art programs at their school, which is represented in the novel as Quill.) However, I think that is more interesting than the actual book.

I have read many positive reviews for this novel as well as many of McMann's other works, but this one just wasn't for me. I'll have to check out some of McMann's other work, which seem to have more promise.

The Caldecott Chronicles by R.G. Bullet

Mitunes: "When Ginny Kissed Harry" from Nicholas Hooper's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince


The Caldecott Chronicles (Exceprt No. 1) By R. G. Bullet
Genre: Young Adult - Horror
Release Date: October 29, 2011
Publisher: Silver House Books
Pages: 121

Caldecott Estate, the ancestral home of the 32nd Earl of Rothshire, is besieged. The undead are traipsing and crawling across overgrown lawns, intent on ripping the very flesh from the Earl’s body.

But many of them will not make it that far as the 32nd Earl has two things in their way: A prised Purdey shotgun and an accomplice named, Saffy. Saffy is a young and simple girl from the local village. She is quick of foot at setting traps, and dispatching the undead to the afterlife. She is endlessly coming up with cunning and disturbing methods to rid the estate of disease.

The bizarre and gruesome details are narrated in a journal by a very Aristocratic British gent. Get a first hand look on how the Victorian upper class deal with stumbling trespassers and see how one draws inspiration from a teenage girl born to kill.


I don't read many zombie books, but I must say that R. G. Bullet's short story is quite good. 

As stated above, the story is about the 32nd Earl of Rothshire, whose manor has been overrun by strange beasts who crave flesh and brains. The first half of the story, the Earl is alone as he explains the terrifying and some times funny, adventures he has had ridding his lands of these creatures. The Earl, who is later aided by Saffy, a young girl, sets up many traps and surprises for the wild beasts who are gunning for his flesh. Many times these traps lead to a wickedly funny demise of one or several evil creatures. 

The book is written as a series of letters from the Earl to his son, Albert. Bullet's use of voice instantly reminded me of Robert Louis Stevenson, for it captures a time long past so vividly and accurately. 

The ebook version includes several illustrations that are not only a perfect match for Bullet's style but also gruesomely, and in a strange way hilariously, entertaining.

Though this book falls into young adult, I would say it is also perfect for the adult who is looking for a quick read. It's entertaining and a great spin for a zombie tale.

DRAMA! : The Four Dororthys by Paul Ruditis

Mitunes - John Williams' - The Best of John Williams 

DRAMA! : The Four Dorothys By Paul Ruditis
Genre: Teen Fiction
Release Date: February 2007
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 236

         Spawned from Hollywood's A-list glitterati, nearly every student at the exclusive Orion Academy is a singer, dancer, model, or actor -- with the ego to match. So how do you fit so many budding stars into one school musical?
         Multi-cast, of course. It's a Wizard of Oz like no other: four Dorothys, two Scarecrows, two Glindas, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Every "star" gets a moment in the spotlight.
         Meanwhile, Bryan Stark, narrator extraordinaire, needs to shed some light on a more scandalous plot. Dorothys are mysteriously dropping out of the show, one after the other. If Bryan doesn't figure out why, there may be no one left to click her heels by opening night. . . .

         I found The Four Dorothys at a used bookstore earlier this week. I will admit the ruby slippers pictured across the spine caught my attention and, being a former high school drama geek myself, decided to buy it. 
I would best describe this book as High School Musical meets Drop Dead Gorgeous. So if you like one or both of those movies, you'll enjoy this book. 
        
        The novel is told from the perspective of Bryan Stark, a closeted high schooler who is self proclaimed as a background character to everyone else in his life, which I found sort of odd considering he was the narrator of the story (How can you be secondary in your own story?) Maybe that is just me being picky. 


        Anyway, Bryan introduces us to his school, the Orion Academy, a private school funded by the donations of Hollywood starlets who send their children there. His best friend Sam, who is one of the Dorothys, is the only kid in the school who is viewed as a charity case because her mom is a teacher there and gets special scholarships. Bryan's other friend, Hope, is a large breasted, eccentric who calls her personal style 'Goth - Ick'. I couldn't decide whether that was a joke I didn't like or didn't get. We are also introduced to a slew of other characters, some of which stood out while others fell flat.
       
         The humor, which tends to be mostly theatre oriented (obviously), is light and fun. Ruditis does a good job explaining things for readers who are non-theatrical and may not understand certain things. Luckily, if you are lacking in knowledge of the theatrical world, you can still read and enjoy this book. (Though some knowledge may help.)

          As stated in the synopsis, Dorothys start falling subject to strange things and one by one are knocked out of their moment in the spotlight. The incidents are vastly different, one occurring on stage, another at lunch and so on. As far as the mystery goes, I wish there was more of it. There are several accidents, or so they seem, but I wouldn't say these occurrences drove the plot.

         Side bar: For those who do not know, there are many tales the cast and crew of The Wizard of Oz have shared, many of which involved strange accidents. These events led to cast changes and even risked several people's lives**. I guessed that was part of Ruditis' inspiration, but wished there was more of it, or that the main 'mystery' incorporated more of that idea.

         Other than that, I found The Four Dorothys an entertaining read. It's perfect for the high school drama kid, or the one at heart. I enjoyed reading it, for it reminded me of my high school years and all the pranks my friends and I got into. And, if you have a love for theatre, musicals or The Wizard of Oz , you'll enjoy this book.


** The make-up used on Buddy Ebson (the first actor to play the Tin Man), contained aluminum dust and almost killed him. This forced him to leave the project. Margaret Hamilton (the Wicked Witch of the West) suffered second and third degree burns due to a malfunction of the trap door used during the sequence right after she says the famous line "I'll get you my pretty and you're little dog too." and disappears in an explosion of red smoke. There is also a story about how one of the munchkin performers killed himself on set while the crew were filming a scene with Dorothy, The Scarecrow and The Tin Man, but that isn't true.
If you wish to know more stories, check out the documentary The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic hosted by Angela Lansbury, which is included on many of the DVD and Blu Ray editions.

Eighth Grade Bites (Or The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod) by Heather Brewer

Mitunes - Vince Guaraldi Trio's A Charlie Brown Christmas

Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer
Genre: Young Adult/ Fantasy/ Vampire
Released: August 16, 2007
Publisher: Dutton
Pages: 182

Junior High really stinks for thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh and Vlad has a secret: His mother was human, but is father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers and no one to teach him, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a strange substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he realizes he has a much bigger problem: He's being hunted by a vampire killer who is closing in ... fast!

Over all, I found the first book in this series to be a fast and entertaining read. As one can guess from the title, Eighth Grade Bites contains a decent amount of fresh humor when it comes to the legend of the vampire. I'm a tough person to please when it comes to reading a vampire novel. This is because when I start a vampire book I find myself asking, "What are the rules? What are these vampires capable of and equally incapable of?" Honestly, the rules of a vampire for me tend to be high ranking in these novels, because other wise I find it hard to digest them. I can't stand it when vampires, or other mythological creatures for that matter, are ALL powerful or ALL knowing.

Now with that said, I thought Heather's Brewer's take on vampires was interesting. It wasn't completely new, Vlad and his fellow vamps are still incapable of being near garlic and he wears sun screen as protection from day light, which I thought was a fun idea. I thought Brewer added a fun sense of humor to this story, which was good for other wise I am not sure how much fun it would have been to read.

The story as a whole is basic: Vlad's an orphaned vampire. He doesn't fit in and someone is after him. There is also a new teacher in school. I was waiting for him to be revealed as Vlad's mentor or something (Hem Hem... Rupert Giles to a Buffy Summers maybe?) Alas, it didn't happen that way. Not exactly.

Still, there are some fun ideas that Brewer add to the vampire myth which I enjoyed. Vlad lives with his aunt, Nelly the nurse who steals blood for him. However, he can also consume normal foods, as long as there is blood infused in them. (There is a fun scene where Vlad dips his chocolate chip cookies, not in hot cocoa or milk, bud deep, red, juicy blood.) Vlad's still a kid after all.

His best friend, Henry, knows he's a vampire and supports him like a brother. They talk about girls and share other secrets, and Henry basically does whatever Vlad tells him to. This is not because he is afraid he will be bitten, but because he is a drudge, a vampire's human servant. (Neither of the boys know of this power.)

As for the mystery: I thought it was kind of vague. Some evil vampire is searching for Vladimir, but we don't know why. All we know is that the reason somehow involves Vlad's parents and possibly their deaths. (I was definitely reminded of Count Olaf in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events)

All in all, I would say that Eighth Grade Bites is a fun, fast read and if you're looking for a good vampire book for boys, this may be your ticket. (There's no sparkling vampires or love triangles found here.) It contains some fun characters, lots of vampire puns and a story that moves. I wish there was more to it, but I am hoping to find all I am looking for in the next installments of Vlad's story.

Oh! And bonus points for mentioning my favorite slayer: Buffy. (But that's really incidental in my judgement - It just made me smile.)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Current Mitunes: Kristen Chenoweth's A Lovely Way to Spend a Holiday

(I'm playing around with a title for my current musical tastes. Mitunes is the top contender.)

It seems everyone is reading The Hunger Games these days and who can blame them? There is so much buzz around the books and now even more with the upcoming movie that it seems we have the next Twilight Saga to amp up for. Though let's be honest The Hunger Games is way cooler than Twilight. (My opinion of course!)

Anyway, I decided that with all of this buzz I would make my first book review be on The Hunger Games.

Jacket Synopsis:

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before - and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I can't start this review any other way. And let me just say I know I am not the only one who loved it, considering that it has sold rights in almost 50 countries.

I must admit, I was concerned on the subject matter at first ( I couldn't shake the idea that our heroin would eventually have to kill someone. And not just anyone, another innocent kid struggling to survive - just like her.) Obviously I was able to get over that pretty early on and continue to read the book.

That is probably due to Suzanne Collins wonderful story telling capabilities. Pretty well from the get-go you get a sense of who Katniss Everdeen is and what life is like on 'The Seam', which is all together miserable. Unlike many dystopian tales that I have read, where protagonists live among familiar relics and monuments of current society, Katniss lives far enough in the future that she has only heard about North America, but has never actually seen it.

The concept of this book is great. The mixing of Roman entertainment with today's television viewer's drooling over reality TV really hits home. (Think The Gladiator clashing with Survivor) These kids are plucked from their families, brought to the Capitol, a place beautiful to some and deadly to others, and are pampered and prepped to fight each other to death. The craziest thing is, this idea isn't that far fetched. A brief look at the practices of ancient cultures will show that games like this were literally child's play.

Although the topic sounds gruesome, the actual evidence of death and other sights you expect in a Freddy Krueger movie seem to be much less than expected. Collins performs an excellent job at giving you just enough detail to add suspense while not really divulging in many of the contestants' deaths.

And for those who fear romances like that of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen - NEVER FEAR! There really isn't all that much lovie-dovie sort of talk in the Hunger Games. Collins steers clear of it, besides Katniss would never allow it anyway. Any and all talk of love is seemingly passed between Katniss and fellow district twelver, Peeta Mellark, as means of survival. (The audiences of the Capitol love a couple destined for tragedy.)

I could go on about the fantastic characters, the amazing journey of survival and the exciting moments of battle, but I don't want to ruin it if you haven't read it yet. I can't stress it enough that this book is so good. And if you need another reason to read the book, there is a movie coming out in March and though it looks very promising, reading the book before is generally the best way to go.