The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collin (author of the "Gregor" series) hits it out of the ball park with THe Hunger Games. First in a series of three, this novel has gotten nothing but rave reviews and for good reason: it will hook you in and leave you craving more. In a futuristic post-apocalyptic world (don't the best ones seem to start that way?) there are 13 districts rippling out from the Capitol; and in order to mark the failed uprising of the 13th district, the Capitol holds the immensely popular Hunger Games. Each year two tributes from each District are chosen to compete to the death in a staged arena until only one victor emerges. Did I mention that the tributes are children? But of course. Because how best to perpetually punish a botched rebellion and keep people under the Thumb than by killing off their children? Sick? Totally. Disturbing? Absolutely. WIll you be able to put it down? Not a chance.

Imagine "American Idol" meets "Gladiators". The tributes are cast into a spotlight that echos the bustle of starlets in Hollywood, are filmed at every moment, are watched by every citizen. Main character Katniss is strong and savvy, Peta is kind and constant; both come from the shambles of District 12 and must fight to stay alive in the Hunger Games arena. But the methods they use will have the Capitol panicked and the populace rioting.

Believe the buzz. It's a great read for young adults and grown-ups alike. You'll be reaching for the sequel withint days.

Outcast

I am so in love with this series. It's a cross between Clan of the Cavebear and Mists of Avalon. This is the fourth book in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series by Michelle Paver; it's set in prehistoric times and is primarily about a young boy named Torak, his pack-brother Wolf (who really is a wolf, that's not just a name), and his best friend Renn. Torak has the ability to communicate with wolves, being as he was raised by them (it's not as Jungle Book as it sounds), and connects in the first book (Wolf Brother) with an abandoned pup. As Torak is also freshly orphaned, the two become "pack-brothers" and go in search of a larger tribe that they can form up with. Torak's abilities mark him as destined for great and dangerous things, and as he goes on his adventures in search of Soul Eaters and evil spirits, he is accompanied by Renn, a mage of the Raven clan. What I personally find most fascinating about these books is the portrayal of Wolf. Normally I really don't go for getting inside the heads of animal characters, but Paver's writing is so well-crafted that I look forward to chapters from Wolf's perspective. Paver completely understands the dog/wolf mentality and behavior, so it is believable as well as engaging. And as in the Clan of the Cavebear series, you can't help but learn a little about the medicinal properties of plants and the secret lives of forest animals.

Author: Michelle Paver
In this book, Torak is outcast (as the title implies). He must constantly be on the run from surrounding clans while trying to find a way to prove he is not a Soul Eater. However, a mysterious enemy has gotten a hold of his name-spirit and is slowly draining the sanity and strength from Torak. Wolf watches helplessly while Torak goes mad, and Renn must find a way to not only track down Torak but to release him from his trance. An underlying plot set us up nicely for the fifth book, Oath Breakerr.

The Golden Compass

I just reread this book, and liked it even more the second (or third?) time around. I wanted to be all brushed up before I go to see the movie. As with almost any book, I'm sure the movie will never equal the richness of the written text (the one exception is the Princess Bride, which I thought was a stupid book but one of the greatest movies of all times), but I'm looking forward to it none-the-less. I'm a total Philip Pullman fan, so I expect I will gripe and fawn in equal parts over the Golden Compass movie. I never realized what a fantastic read-out-loud book this is, but I began reading it to my daughter and we both found it enchanting. The book on CD is also very enjoyable; it's supported by a full cast (who are much more authentic than my fake Cockney and London accents, but my daughter doesn't seem to care). The complexity of the Dark Materials plot lends itself well to frequent re-reading. Even this time through I caught things I didn't previously. So if you haven't already, dust this off and curl up with a blanket and cup of coffee before going to see it in the theaters.

Author: Philip Pullman

FOLLOW-UP: I saw the movie. It was actually better than I expected. The film rearranged some sequence of event that worked to not only condense the plot but make it more linear and focused; and the conflict between the Church and free will was made much more clear. I admit that the books left me working harder to discern the importance of Dust, the reason the Maagestrium was after the control of Dust and the purpose of the Intercisions. The movie actually clarified a lot for me. The morphing of Pan and the other daemons also worked very well. Yay!

East

Are you getting tired of the girl-meets-talking-bear theme yet? Yeah, me neither. This was a terrific novel that wove in elements of Nordic mythology and fantasy together with a strong heroine and compelling story. Bears, weaving, family, solitude, evil sorceresses...all great themes that kept me up way past my bedtime. This would be a great book to curl up with on a cold, snowy day.

Author: Edith Pattou

The Hollow People (The Promises of Dr. Sigmundus, Book 1)

Strange book of the Hidden Hero persuasion. A young boy who has so far been treated like garbage discovers he has amazing powers of control over theenigmatic Odylic force (which was a concept explored by real-life scientist Baron Karl von Reichenbach in the 1800s). It has a ring of Jedi Knight-ness to it. The tone of the book is dark and unworldly, with just enough unique narrative detail to make it stand out. It is, by the way, the first of a series which I abruptly found out when the book ended quite suddenly and on a major cliffhanger. Drat.

The City of Ember

Boy/Girl combo must save world, but no one listens to them because they're kids. Sigh. Is this a common theme because it's easy to write or because it's true? Anyway, City of Ember does a great job of creating a world that is slowly dying. The writing is well-paced and subtle details bring to mind a fully-formed, dark grey world with memorable characters, flushed out with just the right amount of mystery. When I was younger I lived in Siberia, and the City of Ember actually reminded me a lot of small-town Soviet Union. Basically, girl and boy must escape a world that is quickly falling into darkness, and hold the sole key to salvation. Again, the mother in me is quick to gasp at the idea of bringing a little tiny toddler along on their dangerous journey (I know, I'm paranoid), but it's okay; she's fine. I didn't get into the sequel (the People of Sparks). I tried, but it just didn't have the same mystery to me as the first. It doesn't quite matter, though; the first was a good story all on its own.

Author: Jeanne DuPrau

The Lightning Thief

What a great way to get in to Greek mythology! Loosely similar in theme to Harry Potter (boy doesn't know he has magical powers and must use them to save world) but very well thought-out. There wasn't a dull moment in the book, and I even got over the snarky adolecent style of narrative. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Author: Rick Riordan

Nacky Patcher and the Curse of the Dry Land Boats

A very odd book, but engaging somehow. Sort of like Firefly meets young adult fantasy. Whereas many books are, I feel, erroneously targeted for young kids just because the main character is a kid, this book actually features an adult as the main character. The use of nautical terms is great. I really can't put my finger on why this book
is good; it was perhaps just enough out of the ordinary to be tantalizing.

Author: Jeffrey Kluger

The Looking Glass Wars

A retelling of Alice (or, Alyss, as it should be) in Wonderland. Fully realized and creative storytelling. There is a lot of violent aspects of the novel (in case you are a sensitive reader or parent of one), but it is coupled with a very strong heroine and good morals (not giving in to the dark side, for example. Might does not make right, stuff like that). The drawings annoy me because they look like they were ripped off straight from Star Wars, so I listened to the book on tape.

Author: Frank Beddor

The Mysterious Benedict Society

Fun, engaging. Slightly mysterious, well-drawn characters. Slightly disturbing twist at the end, at least from this mom's point of view, although I think it's supposed to be a little creepy. You want to know what it is? SPOILER ALERT!!!!!: one of the main characters is actually a two year old. I find this very bizzare. What is a two year old doing away from her mommy and daddy this whole time? See, that's what you get when you have a mom reviewing children's books.

Author: Trenton Lee Stewert

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

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)