Wise Child

Wise Child is a book about a young girl who becomes apprentice to a village healing woman, Juniper. Wise Chile is reluctant to go, since the villagers consider Juniper to be a witch, but Wise Child soon comes to realize that superstitions and rumors don't come close to describing the amazing woman that Juniper turns out to be. FIlled with medieval lore about plants and herb use, lifestyles, and healing knowledge, this is a wonderful book for anyone who enjoyed Mists of Avalon and Clan of the Cavebear. As Wise Child grows into a young woman, her skills and knowledge become finely honed tools as she aids Juniper in her healing arts. This book is actually the second book in a series written by Monica Furlong, who was, ironically, a stout Christian. However, reading-wise it is sequentially the first book to read. It is followed by Colman and Juniper.

Author: Monica Furlong

Princess Academy

If I describe the plot of this book, it will sound silly. But believe me, this is yet another fine Shannon Hale novel that will have you up past your bedtime. I love the Nordic elements of this book; you'll feel like you're constantly in on the set of Heidi.

Author: Shannon Hale

Eragon

I really bought into the hype. I bought the book, for goodness sake, and I hardly EVER buy a book I've never read before. Yes, yes, it was written by a teenager and yes, it has gotten great reviews and yes, it was made into a movie. I thought the book stunk. It was a bad retelling of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Dragonriders of Pern. These are all respectable stories, and archetypal, but GOD I got sick of seeing them poorly rehashed in this novel that was in need of heavy editing. I didn't like the main character. If Luke Skywalker was whiny, this kid was downright obnoxious. He is guided by a man who is a one-dimensional mix of Aragorn and Obi Wan Kanobe, who we know from the minute we meet him is more than who he says he is, which leaves me wondering if we were supposed to be surprised when he reveals his true identity? Please. Congrats to Christopher Paolini for writing a best-selling novel that appealed to tons of kids; but I've heard this story before.

Author: Christopher Paolini

Artemis Fowl

Anti-hero Irish boy genius discovers world of fairies and how to
exploit them. Love it!!! Kids will love Mulch, who's talent involves
juicy flatulence, but adults will love the riddles thatArtimis Fowl
lays for his fairy foes. He really is a good guy, which becomes more
apparent in the sequels, (of which there are five to date). So that's
redeeming. I love that this book turns apparentarchetypes on their heads, and Eoin Colfer's writing and story craft is a much-welcome break from the usual. These are great as books-on-tape.

Author: Eoin COlfer

Peter and the Starcatchers

Dave Berry and friend re-write Peter Pan. Could life get any better? Carefully crafted, this book answers the question: "how did Peter first meet Captain Hook?" along with many other puzzles (why can Peter fly? Where did Tinkerbell come from?). Readers will enjoy the origins of the Peter Pan characters and the recreations of the events that shaped a childhood classic. It's a fast read that will occupy most of your time and have you reaching for the sequel.

Authors: Dave Berry and Ridley Pearson

Publishing info: Disney Editions (April 25, 2006)

Peter and the Shadow Thieves

Had to borrow the sequel as soon as I finished the first one. Seriously
addictive. Imbued with Dave Berry's humour and Pearson's touch of
mystery, this sequel to Peter and theStarcatchers is every bit as
engaging and original as the first. It's a little darker, namely
because it takes place in a dank and dismal depiction of London, but
also because of a fairly creepy character who is the namesake shadow
thief. Still, I think it's appropriate for all ages and is a fantastic
read-out-loud book. This novel once again rewrites the story of Peter
Pan, this time addressing the strange phenomenon of losing one's
shadow, as Peter did in the opening scene of the Disney movie. By the
way, I've only ever seen the Disney film, and this book still appeals
to me.I'm guessing since Disney had a hand in distributing and publishing, they made sure it would.

Authors: Dave Berry and Ridley Pearson
Publishing info: Disney Editions (July 15, 2006)

Ranger's Apprentice

Gross. Tales from the Crypt meets Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Not scary enough to be really bad, but not unscary enough to be good.

Author: John Flanagan

Tithe

Gag me. I already survived being a teenager once, thank you.

Oddly enough, loved Holly Black's Spiderwick Chronicles that she co-wrote with Tony DiTerlizzi.

Author: Holly Black

Fish

While not fantasy in the strictest sense, it is a little surreal that a
fish would show up in a mud puddle and that a girl would then carry
said fish all the way across a country on her journey to safety. A
missionary family must flee civil war, and this is the story of their
journey over the mountains and to a neutral zone. Girls and women alike
will identify with this very real and brave heroine. If you are partial
to books on tape, this one isparticularly interesting. The actress (Jenna Lamia) who reads it puts on a strange accent. I thought it was Welsh, then maybe some blend of South African with British
? but since she's is, in fact, neither, I have no idea what she was
going for. Oddly enough, it totally works, whatever it is.

Okay,
here's the weirdest part. After reading other reviews of this book, it
seems that our androgynous hero is, in fact, a boy. And apparently it's
a Christian allegory. Maybe I got a different sense of it all because I
listened to the book rather than read it, but in my mind Tiger is still
a girl, and I didn't pick up at all on the alleged themes ofChristianity. So, weird. Maybe it is a little sci-fi after all.

Author: L.S. Matthews

Fablehaven

There are a lot of books that have Fablehaven's theme: children go reluctantly to kooky relatives house only to discover themselves in a world of magic and wonder (usually inhabited by magical creatures). However, Fablehaven is a fantastic read that lends a new light to a well-worn idea. This book had me up way past my bedtime wondering what happens next on the namesake fairy and magical creature preserve. There's plenty of humour and suspense, well-drawn characters and interesting twists. I kept wanting to slap Seth, the little brother, who constantly disobeys authority and puts everyone in danger, but I suppose that's part of the tension. You always need a good I-want-to-kick-you-in-the-pants character.

Author: Brandon Mull

Publisher: Aladdin (April 24, 2007)

This book has a sequel! Yay! It's titled Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star.

It's on my booklist, and as soon as I read it I'll post a review!

Faerie Wars

Wow, great book. Two worlds collide as a animal-loving, father-rebelling young man accidentally ends up in this world and is found by a kooky old man and a young boy. Well written, it addresses (although loosely) topics that aren't usually afforded much light in YA fantasy (homosexuality, divorce) while still clinging to the more explored themes of faeries and demons. I'm going to read the sequel, although it's not as high on my list as other sequels to some other books I'm reading.

Author: Herbie Brennon

The Amulet of Samarkand

I made it through this book on will power, and also to see what happens. If I could post stars (and someday I'll learn how), I would give this a 2 out of 5. Something like that. Readable, and even funny at times, but there's a lot of collateral damage and weird ethics. I was really excited about this book when I first got it, but maybe it
was because there was a shiny thing on the cover. Who wouldn't love a shiny thing? And the plot is pretty original, I'll give it that.


Author: Jonathon Stroud

His Dark Materials

Once you delve into the world of Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon,
you'll never be the same. One of the reasons Lord of the Rings and
Harry Potter work so well is that they create fully formed worlds that
you find yourselfcompletely immersed in, and Philip Pullman's trilogy
creates the same kind of magic. I found myself often wondering why I
don't have a daemon, or what parallel worlds lie just beyond my sight.
Although this trilogy is targeted for young adults, I often found it
over my head. It's for that reason I love to read these books over and
over again. It's very metaphysical in theme, with the myth of Adam and
Eve at its core, and isdefiantly anti-church-establishment (which is
the best part). An inspiring female heroine, original theme,
well-developed characters and creations, and challenges to the notions
of good and evil make this one of my top favourite trilogies. It is
currently being made into movies, with the Golden Compass set to debut
in December.

Read in the order of: The Golden Compass; The
Subtle Knife; and the Amber Spyglass. Or you can now buy the complete
trilogy as one big, fat book.

Author: Philip Pullman

Publishing info: Knopf Books for Young Readers (April 10, 2007)

The Astonishing life of Octavian Nothing

There's more to the title than that, but I'll have to fill it in later
(toddler's patience is wearing thin). I found this to be a very
interesting book, albeit one that wasn't so interesting that I finished
it. It masterfully creates a character that is unlike one I have read
before: a boy is basically a racialexperiment for a house full of bizarre scientists. The period language alone is quite extravagant
. The racial tensions might be over children's heads, but really I
don't know if this is an entirely appropriate book for children anyway.
Not that it matters, since I'm trying to review this for an adult
audience; nevertheless, I had trouble finishing the book. Great piece
of historical fiction, and deeply disturbing, as much of our past is.

Author: M.T. Anderson

Gregor the Overlander

I know this book gets rave reviews elsewhere, but I found it very disturbing. Again, it's my mommy instincts that are talking here. The plot is about a young boy and his baby sister who fall through a grate into a dangerous underground world. Besides the fact that this little baby is constantly dodging certain death and must rely on a distracted older brother to watch over her, what a horrible thing to think about the mother who must frantically be wondering where her children are. Again, Mommy talking here.

Author: Suzanne Collins