TREASURE ISLAND

TREASURE ISLAND, by Robert Louis Stevenson, ill. by John Lawrence (Candlewick 2009). This handsome, over-sized (it's 8 1/8 in. x 11 13/16 in. and tips the scales at 2.5 lbs.), unabridged edition, illustrated with Lawrence's trademark woodcuts, brings the classic tale of adventure and piracy to life.

Jim Hawkins works with his parents at the Admiral Benbow Inn, where a strange drunken sailor named Billy Bones, but who usually goes by "the captain," has taken up residence. A mysterious series of odd personages/cutthroats comes to visit, followed shortly by the captain's death. When Jim and his mother find a map in the captain's belongings, the local squire and doctor immediately conclude that it leads the way to the hidden treasure of the notorious pirate, Captain Flint.

So they outfit a ship (the Hispaniola), take Jim aboard as cabin boy, and hire a crew, including the charming and villainous Long John Silver.

And along the way, they find treachery and mutiny and mayhem...

This is an absolutely gorgeous volume. The woodcuts are bold and striking, the pages are thick, and the font is old-fashioned-seeming, yet easy to read. Sure, you can get the text of TREASURE ISLAND in paperback or download it onto your Kindle, but this edition is a work of art from and for people who appreciate the difference.

MIKE STELLAR: NERVES OF STEEL

MIKE STELLAR: NERVES OF STEEL, by K.A. Holt (Random House 2009)(ages 8+). Some time in the future, Mike Stellar gets the unwelcome news that his family is moving to Mars. Tomorrow. On only the second Mars mission, after the first failed (and which his parents might've been responsible for). About the only good part is that he'll be leaving his hated teacher, Mrs. Halebopp, behind.

Once on board the Sojourner, Mike meets an odd girl, Larc, his parents' weird assistant, aka, Mr. Honey Bear, and discovers that Mrs. Halebopp is there, too! Throw in a conspiracy to sabotage the mission, and Mike will truly need nerves of steel to get to the bottom of it all.

MIKE STELLAR is a clever and fun middle grade adventure, both funny and action-packed. Altogether, an excellent debut novel.

BABYLONNE

BABYLONNE, by Catherine Jinks (Candlewick 2008)(12+) is either book 5 of the Pagan Chronicles or book 1 of the Babylonne Chronicles.

At the time of the Albigensian Crusade, Babylonne, the daughter of Templar knight Pagan Kidrouk, runs away from her abusive grandmother and aunt, on a Crusade of her own: to fight the Catholic Church and the French king, who are trying to destroy Toulouse and put down the Cathar heresy.

On the way, she disguises herself as a boy, finds herself in the company of a Catholic priest who apparently knew her parents, and ends up in the middle of a siege...

With terrific voice and great period texture, BABYLONNE is an intense and exciting adventure and provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of the early thirteenth century. Readers will be eager for more.

ALL THE WORLD

ALL THE WORLD, by Liz Garton Scanlon, ill. by Marla Frazee (Beach Lane Books 2009). This gem of a picture book follows a family through a summer day, highlighting in rhyming groups of four the interrelatedness of small and large things.

The text is exquisite and the illustrations are detailed and gorgeous, with plenty for the reader to pore over. Excellent for a young read-aloud and for those who love language.

THE BOY WHO INVENTED TV

THE BOY WHO INVENTED TV: THE STORY OF PHILO FARNSWORTH, by Kathleen Krull, ill. by Greg Couch (Knopf, 2009). This picture book biography tells the story of Philo T. Farnsworth, credited with inventing, among other things, the first electronic television (U.S. Patent No. 1,773,980).

THE BOY WHO INVENTED TV describes Farnsworth's modest upbringing in Utah and his flash of inspiration while plowing a potato field when he was 14 (which he subsequently described to his science teacher) that led to his development of the first working "image dissector" at age 21.

With illustrations that provide a period "feel," THE BOY WHO INVENTED TV is an excellent introduction to a little-known piece of television history.

SACRED SCARS

SACRED SCARS, by Kathleen Duey, (Atheneum, 2009)(ages 12+), book 2 of the Resurrection of Magic trilogy (read my recommendation of book 1: SKIN HUNGER), is a vivid and darkly compelling fantasy that takes up where the first, SKIN HUNGER, left off.

In the past, Sadima tries to convince Franklin to leave and/or kill the obsessed and sadistic Somiss, and take the captive youths with them. Ar first, it seems she succeeds, but then Somiss uncovers her "treachery" and takes vengeance, leaving her alone and without memory...

In the present, Hahp continues his studies at the magicians' academy and, with his roommate Garrard, uncovers some uncomfortable facts...Along the way, they resolve that they must destroy the magicians...if they can get out alive.

SACRED SCARS is an intense and fascinating story of obsession and evil. Highly recommended.

STONEWALL HINKLEMAN AND THE BATTLE OF BULL RUN

STONEWALL HINKLEMAN AND THE BATTLE OF BULL RUN, by Michael Hemphill and Sam Riddleburger (Dial 2009). Twelve-year-old Stonewall Traveler Hinkleman was named after a general who got shot by his own troops, and a horse. His parents are Civil War re-enactors and he's sick of having to spend weekends in leaky tents and wearing itchy, hot, wool clothing, and could there be anything more dorky than being the bugle boy?

But then he encounters a pretty girl, a corrupt politician, and a mysterious vendor, and suddenly finds himself transported back into the real First Battle of Bull Run Manassas, where he will need to use all the knowledge he's unwillingly picked up over the years to prevent the South from rising again and changing the course of American history.

STONEWALL HINKLEMAN is an entertaining and sophisticated romp that nevertheless provides a serious look at the first battle of the Civil War. The sarcastic, first-person voice is just right and gradually grows less snarky, more thoughtful (but still full of wit), as Stonewall experiences the real, not re-enacted battle, and grows to appreciate the real people involved therein. In STONEWALL HINKLEMAN, Hemphill and Riddleburger have succeeded in the difficult task of pulling off a novel based around a grim historical event that is both fun and thought-provoking.

FOOD, GIRLS, AND OTHER THINGS I CAN'T HAVE

FOOD, GIRLS, AND OTHER THINGS I CAN'T HAVE, by Allen Zadoff (Egmont 2009). Sophomore Andrew Zansky has a forty-eight inch waist and weighs in at 306.4 pounds, and he's only the second fattest kid in school. His mom's a caterer, his dad's a lawyer (they're divorcing), his sister is thin, he's being plagued by a bully, and April, the girl of his dreams, just transferred in to his high school.

To impress April, he jumps at the chance to join the football team, where he's immediately made starting center and, for a while, enjoys the rise in popularity and new-found fame. But then he discovers that things just might not be as they seem...

FOOD, GIRLS, AND OTHER THINGS I CAN'T HAVE will resonate with everyone who's ever been on the outside looking in and everyone on the inside looking to get out. Andy is smart and engaging and the supporting cast also feels real and well-rounded. In short, FOOD GIRLS, AND OTHER THINGS I CAN'T HAVE is a funny and sometimes bittersweet tale of a boy who's just growing into himself.

We're going to need bigger bookshelves...

Okay, so I haven't been blogging many books this summer, for several reasons.

First, I've been in the process of finalizing a new new manuscript and revising an old new manuscript, so that hasn't left a lot of time for extra reading or time to go to the book store.

Second, we haven't actually been receiving many books, which we had attributed to the slow economy (i.e., we assumed that publishers weren't sending out review copies to the same extent as previously). Well. We just discovered that the post office has been holding incoming packages addressed to our PO Box without letting us know they were being held (No, we don't know why). Yesterday, we went to pick up our mail, and discovered three months worth of review copies. (That's six postal bins worth). Pretty much everything from review copies from publishers and copies from individual editors and individual authors since about the beginning of June...

Oh, and am I the only one disturbed that most of the objects at IKEA labeled "bookscases" are in fact designed to hold one's television?

More writing ...and the odd pizza

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending a writer's workshop at the home of Austin SCBWI founder Meredith Davis. We broke into small groups to critique first ten pages of manuscripts in progress and then had workshop-wide sessions with all the participants. It was a terrific event, full of camaraderie and even some excellent writing :-).

My small group consisted of Chris Barton, Helen Hemphill, Alison Dellenbaugh, Lyn Seippel, and me. The manuscripts were all a pleasure to read -- it's always fun to peer into the creative processes of other writers.

Other participants included Brian Anderson; Varsha Bajaj; Chris Barton; Donna Bratton; Gene Brenek; Shana Burg; Meredith Davis; Alison Dellenbaugh; Debbie Gonzales; Helen Hemphill; PJ Hoover; Julie Lake; Carmen Oliver; Lyn Seippel; Andy Sherrod; Don Tate; Brian Yansky; Frances Hill Yansky; and Jenny Ziegler

For pictures, Donna Bowman Bratton posts here; Don Tate posts here; Deb Gonzalez, here; and P.J. Hoover, here.

And here's the odd pizza (from the lakefront pub we retired to afterward):