Children's & Young Adult book reviews by a rather odd duo.
Posts tagged joint review
The Power to Kill: Joint Review
March 14, 2011
by Ruby
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
What Ruby has to say…
Katsa was only eight years old when she killed for the first time. She is one of the “Graced,” a person who is distinguished by their eyes, which are different colors. She has the Grace of fighting and is used by her uncle, King Randa, to be his “lady killer,” to carry out torture and killings to satisfy any wrongs (right or otherwise) done to him.
In order to bring some good from her Grace, Katsa and her friends form the “Council” to help people throughout the seven kingdoms who have been unjustly punished, imprisoned, or abused. Through this secret council, Katsa rescues an elderly man who turns out to be a prince from a neighboring kingdom. His grandson, Prince Po, comes looking for him in the kingdom of Middluns.
Po is also Graced with superior fighting skills and is a welcome fighting partner for Katsa. The two form a close friendship…which turns into more. Both are pulled into a plot that starts with the kidnapping of Po’s grandfather and turns into something far more dangerous. Po and Katsa have to rely on each other and their Graces to survive. (more…)
A Grand Adventure with a Dash of Pepper: Joint Review
March 2, 2011
by Ruby
The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton and illustrated by Brett Helquist
What Ruby has to say…
Persimmony Smudge lives on the peaceful Island at the Center of Everything. When she gets lost in the woods, she starts a series of events that will change her life and the life of those on the island.
Persimmony longs for adventure, and with her very active imagination it’s hard for her family to understand. Her mother morally objects from everything from using soap to reading books. Her sister, Prunella, is not much different. Persimmony takes after her long missing father, who may have gone off on a heroic adventure of his own… read the book to find out. While lost in the woods, she overhears something about gold beneath the King’s castle and how the Leafeaters (“Reclusive denizens of the secret underground city of Willowroot who love ceremonies, hate rudeness, and (ahem) eat leaves.”) are going to dig straight to it. From here, Persimmony and her friend Worvil the Worrier find out that the daily rise and fall of the island is actually a sleeping giant and must not be woken lest the island be destroyed…and it’s up to her to convince everyone. (more…)
Holding Out for a Hero: Joint Review
March 2, 2011
by Ruby
Beyonders: A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull (Book 1 Beyonders)
(Ruby’s review based on ARC of the book.)
What Ruby has to say…
Jason Walker lives a very normal life for a 13-year-old boy, but when an event at the hippo exhibit during his volunteer job at the zoo leads him to the land of Lyrian, life is anything but normal. Upon entering this place, he comes across a gathering of people who are watching a suicidal sacrifice of musicians called “The Giddy Nine” on the river and over a very large waterfall. In seeing this, Jason tries to stop it, but may have done more harm than good.
In trying to determine where he is, he stumbles upon the Repository of Learning. He is told by the Loremaster (the librarian) that Jason is a Beyonder. Beyonders are rarely seen in Lyrian, but there still exist portals that connect Jason’s world to this one. Hoping for more information, he is forbidden to enter the third floor. Curiosity and the thought that there might be knowledge there that will help him get home leads him to his destiny. In this unused portion of the Repository, he discovers and reads a page, and in particular a syllable that will delay his journey home and set him on another journey. He now has to find all the syllables to a “Word” that will destroy the wizard ruler of Lyrian, Maldor. These syllables are hidden all over Lyrian. With the help of Rachel, a girl from the same place as Jason (although Jason is from California and Rachel is from Washington), they will have to use their wits and each other to piece together the “Word.” With Maldor and his minions on their trail, their journey is fraught with peril…from friend and foe alike. (more…)