young adult fiction

Dec 7 2011

Tales from the Odyssey series by Mary Pope Osborne

I was vaguely familiar with Mary Pope Osborne‘s Tales from the Odyssey series but hand’t read any of it until I stumbled upon book two at a library sale.  My daughter had been studying mythology at school and is an avid reader so I thought this might be a good series for her.  So decided to read the whole series. (I read version that is broken into six books but the version in two volumes is more readily available.)

Here is a good description from an education site:

Greek classics, with all their complexities, are understandably a little difficult for younger children to understand, but hey, with sea monsters, one-eyed giants, beautiful royalty, sailors on a dangerous sea, angry gods and goddesses, powerful enchantresses that can turn people into animals, and other strange creatures, there’s not much more than an adventure-craving reader could ask for in a book. Mary Pope Osbourne has retold The Odyssey for middle-grade readers, breaking it up into volumes of 8 or 9 chapters each. Large, readable print, and a “classic” look add to the appeal while the books also include additional information about Homer and The Odyssey, a map of the voyage, and a list of gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece. Also, a pronunciation guide to the names is appended, making the difficult job of stumbling through those long Greek names a little easier for youngsters.

I am not an expert on the Odyssey, or Greek mythology, by any means but I thought the series was a well done children’s version of this epic tale.  More thoughts below.

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By Kevin Holtsberry • Reviews • 0 • Tags: , , , , , , ,

Nov 4 2011

Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby

I first heard about Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby from a Shelf Awareness review. It was not hard to see this as a book I should check out:

The king of a Northern land, having refused to marry off his beautiful eldest daughter and deed some of his holdings to a nearby chieftain, is now at war. He sends Harald, his youngest child and heir to the throne, along with Asa, the eldest daughter, and his middle daughter, Solveig, to a remote land to keep them safe. The king also sends a handpicked group to accompany them. As the novel opens, they await supplies before winter freezes out any vessel’s passage by water. A ship eventually arrives with the king’s personal guard–20 hearty berserkers wrapped in animal skins, led by Hake, a giant to rival Thor, and the king’s skald, Alric. When someone poisons the berserkers, everyone suddenly becomes a suspect.

Solveig, the only one of the king’s children who feels she has no purpose, narrates the story. At Alric’s urging, she begins to cultivate her gift for weaving a tale–and her narrative holds us in her spell. Her recurring nightmare suggests that she may also have the gift of foresight, in addition to her skills as a keen observer and storyteller. Matthew Kirby’s story peels away like layers of an onion. Two-thirds of the way into the book, Solveig reveals a structure to the novel that serves a dual purpose. Every piece of this puzzle, infused with Norse lore, fits together.

Young adult fiction tied to myths and stories? Yep, that’s me.  And it turned out to be a gripping and imaginative story with great characters and a unique setting. Kirby really explores issues of trust in a community pushed to the brink while at the same telling a powerful coming of age story about a child awkwardly trying to find her identity (in contrast to the beautiful sister and the young brother and heir to the throne).

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Sep 28 2011

No Place Like Holmes by Jason Lethcoe

No Place Like Holmes is another book I picked up at a discounted rate for Kindle ($1.99 at the time). I had read You Wish (The Misadventures of Benjamin Bartholomew Piff, #1) and was intrigued by the spiritual angle to this new story and series.  Looking for some light reading recently I decided to give this a try.  It turned out be a creative and well done young adult mystery adventure with a subtle spiritual element.

Here is the publishers synopsis:

The new resident in 221A Baker Street is about to give Sherlock Holmes a run for his magnifying glass!

When Griffin is sent to stay with his detective uncle at 221A Baker Street for the summer, he is certain that his uncle must be the great Sherlock Holmes! But Griffin is disappointed to discover that Holmes lives at 221B Baker Street and his uncle lives unit 221A. His uncle is a detective, just not a very good one. But when Griffin meets a woman with a case that Holmes has turned away for being too ridiculous, he and his uncle team up to help her. Along the way, Griffin shows his uncle just what it means to have true faith in God, even when the case challenges that. The woman claims that her husband was eaten by the Loch Ness Monster, but monsters aren’t real-or are they?

There are a couple of interesting hooks in this story. One is that Griffin is a precocious young man with a photographic memory and highly developed sense of deductive reasoning.  Two is that his uncle not only lives next to the great detective Sherlock Holmes, but is obsessed with him; intent on proving himself the better detective.  But rather than deductive reasoning, Rupert Snodgrass uses science and machines to solve his cases (or would if he had any cases).

Lastly, Griffin is the son of a Methodist minister and has an active Christian faith.  This faith is an active part of the story and dialog.  Griffin regularly prays and tries to act out his faith in his interactions with his uncle and other adults that he meets.  All this combines to place Griffin in an exciting but dangerous situation.

The first two hooks make for a creative and entertaining story. Not surprisingly given its length and audience (Ages 9-12), it is not a particularly complex mystery, and the characters are not highly developed, but the story moves at a quick pace and the depth builds as more details are revealed.  There is, however, a well developed sense that there is more to the story than the reader is aware of; that the plot is deeper and wider than it seems.  And, as is usual with these type of chapter books, the complexity is sure to add up as the series continues.

The last hook, the faith element, is also well done.  For those not used to mentions of God and faith in their fiction the inclusion of prayers and spiritual reflections will stand out. I didn’t find them overly preachy, however, and found it refreshing that a character’s faith would be taken seriously.

Given Griffin’s precociousness in other areas, it is not out of character that his faith seems rather mature as well. For example, he chooses to show his uncle love and to pray for him after he is treated poorly and even cruelly.  And this strategy works a little too perfectly.  But perhaps a story of this nature is not the place for spiritual struggles and wrestling with the nature of evil. And, as I said, for the most part I found the “God” aspects well done and refreshing.

Caveats or nitpick aside, this is a creative and entertaining young adult mystery adventure. If you have young readers looking for something different to read, or if you are looking for books that integrate faith into fiction, I recommend this first book in a new series. I think it will be one worth following.

By Kevin Holtsberry • Reviews • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Sep 10 2011

Haunted Waters by Mary Pope Osborne

Ondine, by John William Waterhouse (1872)

Image via Wikipedia

As a confirmed book addict I always make sure to check the “Friends of the Library” sale section of any library I visit. Often you can get great deals on new and classic books. A few days ago I picked up Haunted Waters by Mary Pope Osborne at a local library in this fashion.

I was intrigued because it was a reworking of a myth, something I am fascinated by, and it was a short well packaged story – something I else enjoy.

After reading it last night I can say it was well worth the dollar I paid for it! It is a reworking of the myth of Undine (a water spirit) and in particular the version as told by Baron de la Motte-Fouqu in 1814.

Lord Huldebrand of Ringstetten is lost in an ancient forest when he is driven by a violent storm and otherworldly spirits toward the sea. There he finds a poor elderly fisherman and his wife. They invite him in to escape the storm and share their humble hut and meager food.  He also meets their beautiful and ethereal daughter Undine.

The storm cuts off the coastal penisula from the mainland forcing Huldebrand to stay with the family. He slowly becomes enchanted with Undine and can’t be without her.  But a demon seems to haunt her, or at least the family, and he is unsure of who or what this enchanting creature is or represents.

In Osborne’s telling Undine rather unsubtly proposes marriage and Lord Huldebrand, in his infatuations and obsession, agrees. A priest is conveniently washed up on shore and is there to conduct the ceremony. Soon the couple head back to civilization to start their lives.

As you might imagine, not everything goes as planned and this story doesn’t exactly end with “happily ever after.” Huldebrand swore love and faithfulness to Undine forever even as she hinted that tragedy might await.

Back in his own world Huldebrand can’t shake the haunted nature of his love nor the sense that he has made a tragic mistake. And despite his love and true devotion, he only finds out the true nature of his bride, and the consequences of his choices, when it is too late.

This is easily a story you can read in one sitting.  The simple tale has all the elements of mythical romance and tragedy; and it pulls the reader forward in the way these classic stories do.

Publisher’s Weekly summed it up well:

The gifted author unfolds her tale so that its developments seem both inevitable and wholly surprising. She chooses details elegantly and economically, using just a few descriptive phrases to evoke a sumptuously imagined chivalric age. Lustrous as a pearl.

If like me you love a good story infused with mythology, and all the romance and mystery that entails, be sure to check out this great edition.  A classic for teens and adults alike.

By Kevin Holtsberry • Reviews • 0 • Tags: , , , ,

Sep 8 2011

Blood (Mercian Trilogy #1) by K.J. Wignall

I had a hard time collecting my thoughts on Blood, the first book in the new Mercian triology by Kevin “K.J.” Wignall. I re-read it just to get a stronger sense of my reaction.  I am biased as I am a big fan of the superbly named (although initialed in this effort) Wignall. I enjoyed this book, and think it will make for an interesting series, but it was hard getting my head around it as it was just so different than his previous works.

Here is what I said about his last book (Who is Conrad Hirst?)

Wignall writes psychological novels that have the action, tension and pace of the thriller or espionage genre but the style and depth or more literary works. His sparse and sharp prose somehow adds to both the thriller and literary aspects. His focus on the world of hit-men and his almost amoral perspective add a dark or icy edge; if I may mix my metaphors.

At first I thought he would be taking this same approach to a vampire story – and that would work, right?

But this young adult novel didn’t have that same feel for me (perhaps because of its audience). The lead character, Will, could easily have been that icy cold exterior with the philosophical interior but instead what struck me was this epic sadness coupled with a deep sense of honor and decency. He is trapped in this tragic way and instead of embracing the power and giving into it he seems determined to just endure.

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