Charlotte's Library

The Prophet of Yonwood written by Jeanne DuPrau First of all, I still don't understand why this is called "the third book of Ember" when it is clearly not the third. I was so confused about what was happening, where Lina and Doon were, until I read the back cover and found out it was a prequel. That is not the sort of information I should be getting off the back cover, that is something that should be made evident upon starting the book. For a children's book, there is an overload of social commentary, and I'm pretty sure the entire ideas would just fly over their heads, and I thought People of Sparks was bad in that regard! Hah! Regardless of whether or not I agree with her views, this is entirely too preachy. It proved very difficult to get into the plot, the characters were not well-developed, it was very slow paced, with not much action at all. I think I may possibly have only liked one page of this entire novel--the last one. How ridiculous. Don...

Audrey, Wait! written by Robin Benway Audrey, Wait! was a book full of honest conversational narration and clever, snarky humor with a narrator who screws up a lot, but is still likable enough. The musical references contained within the pages are what really makes this book spectacular. I don't know about you, but I now have practically a book full of music recommendations that I'm dying to listen to. The chapter titles were great, using song lyrics to highlight Audrey's current predicament, whatever it was at the time. The situation Audrey is put in is unlikely to happen in real life, but at the same time, songs are sometimes obviously about a specific person. It could somehow happen, and that's the fun of books, imagining all the possible scenarios and applications to real life. The characterization in this book was so good that some characters evoked really strong feelings, both positive and negative. For instance, I liked Victoria as a character, but my God t...

want to read: The Prophet of Yonwood reading next: Audrey, Wait! The People of Sparks written by Jeanne DuPrau I found this book to have many of the similar problems that other sequels encounter--there's not much interesting. The odd thing is, this is typically due to a sequel serving as a bridge between books, but honestly, I'm not seeing very much that'll come in use for future books. We'll see though. Although Lina and Doon are still characters, I felt like they didn't get nearly enough page-time. Too many new secondary characters were introduced, and while some of them had personalities that were interesting enough, others did not. We still don't have any new information about the mythology, which is disappointing. The book's boredom was aggravated by the fact that it moved slower than the first fast-paced book. A lot of time was dedicated to necessary but overly preachy social and political commentary. I don't know if a child would have the ...

The City of Ember written by Jeanne DuPrau The City of Ember was an easy but enthralling read, so ridiculously easy to love. The characters were so real in this unreal world, presented with plenty of exposition. Plotwise, the book excels, with plenty of fast-paced suspense carrying the reader steadily through the book. The characters act so realistically—like the children they are, but with unambiguous bravery. It’s full of the characterization symbolism, and other literary elements that teachers crave, but also filled with wonder, suspense, and just an amazing plot that kids of all ages will enjoy. It ends on a cliffhanger, so I strongly suggest having the second book on hand to immediately jump into—trust me, you’ll want to have it. Rating: 5/5 I got this book from...:Waldenbooks

SO. Lauren Myracle visited the Squirrel Hill library in Pittsburgh tonight, and I got to go to my very first author visit! She was a fantastic storyteller :) She started off talking about how she first started writing. She'd been writing since the 2nd grade, and loved it all through elementary school. In middle and high school, she got fed up with research papers and the like and the writing stopped, because the fun of it all went away. She started up again in college when she found out that Creative Writing was a major offered at UNC-Chapel Hill (where she went to school the same time as Sarah Dessen, and didn't even know it!). She joined a creative writing class, with a total of 14 students and Daphne the teacher. It wasn't until near the end of the class that Daphne let her students know that creative writing was a limited major and only a few people could take it. 12 students from the class could go on. 2 would not. Lauren and a girl affectionately termed Ap...

Invisible Lines written by Mary Amato Invisible Lines has a narrator quite unlike any other, though comparable to Julius Zimmerman, titular character of Claudia Mills' You're a Brave Man, Julius Zimmerman . The book reads in a warmly funny and stingingly honest style reminiscent of Andrew Clements, with a highly likable and humorous narrator in Trevor Musgrove. While parts were slightly predictable in a way often found in children's books, there are plenty of completely unforeseen plot elements. Everything about this book is enthralling, the humor and realness keeping the readers' attention the whole way through. There is a perfect balance struck between seriousness and humor. Issues such as a missing father figure and domestic violence are dealt with, but in a child-friendly way that is both honest and appropriate. Interestingly enough, many scientific facts are easily picked up through reading this book, and the reader learns about the fascinating world of mush...

My guest blogger today is LM Preston , author of YA sci-fi book Explorer X-Alpha , the first in a series. Her book will be out in February of 2010. WHY I WROTE EXPLORER X – ALPHA It all started on a long car trip to Florida. My husband, kids and I were on our way to my ‘Happy Place ’, better known as Walt Disney World. Anyway, while on this long drive, my husband turns to me and says, “You should write a book. You loved to write when we were younger and you haven’t written since.” I thought about what he said and replied,” Well, I did try to write that one book, but it was boring and didn’t keep my interest.” Then he told me,” You should write science fiction. You like it, and you work in the IT field. That way you have no boundaries, you create your own.” That was a pivotal point in my writing career. He told me to think up something and share it with him. Well, let me tell you a little secret about my husband. He is a big science fiction fanatic, and has comi...

City of Bones written by Cassandra Clare City of Bones was a great read...if you don't mind reading a book that is extremely predictable. I have in my notes details from the first chapter that end up being the Big Plot Twists, so that's slightly sad. A lot of the book falls into what one typically expects from a fantasy novel, down to the "turn a person into a rat" trope. The Big Reveals were kind of pathetic, and frustrating to read, I know I wanted to reach into the book to shake Clary in her utter obliviousness. The exposition to the fantasy world was done well, introducing it simultaneously to the reader and Clary herself. While I was irritated by yet another love triangle , sick to death of those, I was thrilled with its conclusion. The characters, despite their predictability and all, are very well developed, and you find yourself getting attached to some, repulsed by others, all essential parts of great characterization. The ending does leave the reader...

Catching Fire written by Suzanne Collins While part of me is still reeling from the cliffhanger presented at the conclusion of this book, another, quite larger, part of me really strongly questions if this book was necessary. What couldn't have been accomplished through a few quick whispers strategically placed in the woods, in conversation with Bonnie, Twill, and a quick jump to the final chapter? I'm dwelling on so much of the pointlessness of everything but the last chapter. More irritating than everything else was the Quarter Quell, a seemingly desperate plot device only created to echo exactly what had happened in The Hunger Games . REPETITIVE MUCH? I got extraordinarily irritated when I even thought of the idea that it might happen again, and was disappointed beyond words when it actually became reality. I expected this book to be all about political rebellion, and I don't see why that wouldn't have been the natural continuation--but no, the wait continues f...