The Red Pyramid

This is a review of the audio book.

Author: Rick Riordan

Reader: Kevin R. Free and Katherine Kellgren

Producer: Brilliance Audio

Production Year: 2010

Most of the listeners will be: 5th through 8th grade boys and girls.

Listener's Advisory: For another great series opener about children helping to battle the forces of evil, listen to Over Sea and Under Stone by Susan Cooper. 

Summary: After their mother's death six years ago Carter and Sadie Kane were separated. Carter travels around with their father, a respected Egyptologist, and Sadie lives with their grandparents in England. They only see each other two days a year. Carter and his father arrive in England for their scheduled Christmas Eve visitation with Sadie and they are all admitted to the British Museum after hours. After Mr. Kane has his children lock the curator in his office, he uses the Rosetta Stone to attempt to summon one of the Egyptian gods. The firey man Sadie and Carter see imprison their father in a golden sarcophagus laughs that he tried to summon one, but got five. Which gods have been unleashed? What has happened to Carter and Sadie's father? And what will they do now?

My favorite passage:

Sadie's cat Muffin is really the goddess Bast and she is charged with protecting them. Not long after Muffin changes in to Bast the three of them are running through the streets of New York together when she pauses to demolish a large wrecking ball with her knives. Carter asks if the ball was really a threat, to which she replies "You never know." It is strongly implied that even a cat goddess can't resist playing with a ball. 

What I really think:

Even though I enjoyed The Lightening Thief, the only other of Riordan's books I've read, I didn't go into The Red Pyramid with the highest of expectations. I mean, the man publishes so many books. Can they all really be that good? And I'm into Greek and Roman mythology. Egyptian? Meh. And I actually only read it because one of my book clubs chose it. However, I immediately fell in love with this book to the point of mild obsession (I do also get more attached to audio books than print, I have found).

There is a lot going on - so many characters, settings, things to accomplish before Set takes over the world. But it is such a pleasure to read (or listen to) that I went right along with Carter and Sadie, only thinking later of how far we had come. All the characters (gods and mortals) are so well developed that even those that have a small part are rich and memorable. I mean Toth in Memphis, Tennessee? I really hope there is more of him later in the series!

The readers both did an excellent job. I was especially impressed that they coordinated the way they did voices for other characters - and each other! It must have been a difficult undertaking and having two narrators could have been jarring for the listener, but they worked together beautifully. 

Cursing the fact that my library doesn't have book 2 on CD. I need more Kanes and I really need to hear them. 

Gregor the Overlander

This is a review of the audio book.

Author: Suzanne Collins

Reader: Paul Boehmer

Producer: Listening Library

Production Year: 2005

Most of the listeners will be: 4th-7th grade boys and girls. 

Listener's Advisory: For another book involving a quest, a hidden fantasy world, and battle scenes, listen to Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising. 

Summary: 

Gregor (11) and his two-year-old sister Boots fall through a grate in their laundry room into the Underland. He discovers there not only giant bats, cockroaches, spiders, and rats, but a society of humans. His father, lost for almost three years may be in the Underland. But most interesting of all is the possibility that Gregor is the warrior promised in a cryptic prophesy. He doesn't feel like a warrior, but he could pretend to be one if the Underlanders will help him find his dad. 

My favorite passage:

When Gregor and Boots first land in the Underland they are discovered by giant cockroaches. Boots is immediately fascinated by them and calls out to them, "Big bugs!" The cockroaches also like Boots, asking "Smells what, so good, smells what?" The smell they like is emanating from Boots's diaper! The cockroaches soon decide that Boots is a princess and one carries her on his back as they travel to the human city. 

What I really think:

I have been trying to sell the Underland books to students who bemoan the fact our elementary library doesn't have The Hunger Games. Now I can report that the Underland is a difficult place to live and the first novel at least does contain some gruesome fights and death...if that's what young readers are after. However, it is tamer than The Hunger Games, so I still feel comfortable recommending it. 

I, personally, got so in to the beginning of the story that I forgot about my rule about sparing myself from books in which babies and toddlers suffer. I get very upset by this and it maybe isn't worth it. I was happily enjoying Princess Boots as a character and then Gregor takes her on a fast-moving, underground river in a boat made of skins with no life-jackets! And then they are attacked by rats! Fortunately, Boots survives this episode and isn't put in much danger during the rest of the book, so I was able to listen comfortably. 

Gregor is a very standard hero. Reluctant at first to step up to this role, but ultimately the master of his own fate. His willingness to sacrifice himself for the group in the end is an especially nice touch. 

The ending is a little unsatisfactory in that it isn't clear why no Overlander has returned to the surface before, but Gregor, Boots, and their father are flown there by bat without much trouble. Gregor begs to go home when he first arrives and it seems impossible. Maybe the currents weren't right at the time, but more explanation would have been better. 

I found Boehmer's voice for Gregor not 11-year-old-like enough. I'm not sure I can explain, but it just seemed too formal. My favorite was his voice for Rip Red, the rat that betrays his own people to help the humans on their quest. He sounds bored and sinister - love it!

It is certainly old news that Collins is a thrilling author, but I'm glad to see for myself that her early work is every bit as good as her recent hits. 

Peter Pan

This is a review of the audio book. 

Author: J. M. Barrie

Reader: Jim Dale

Producer: Random House

Production Year: 2006

Most of the listeners will be: 2nd through 5th grade boys and girls. 

Listener's Advisory: For more on Peter, listen to Peter and the Starcatchers written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, and also read by Jim Dale. 

Summary: 

Wendy, John, and Michael Darling are lured out of their window and away to Neverland by Peter Pan, who wants Wendy to be mother to him and his band of Lost Boys. In Neverland the boys have adventures all day long and Wendy tells them stories at night and tucks them into bed. When the Darling children decide it is time to go home, and take all the Lost Boys with them, Peter sulks in his underground home. But he soon learns that Captain Hook has captured his friends and he vows to save them. 

My favorite passage:

The narrator repeatedly calls the children selfish and heartless because they have left without any care for how their parents must feel and they are sure the window will always be open so that they can return at their leisure. Every time this came up, I found myself thinking back to the Darlings getting ready to go out, and how Michael especially hugged his mother and told her how fond he was of her. It was hard, at times, to see Michael forget his parents and think Wendy was his real mother. 

What I really think:

This is another classic that I obviously can't take much issue with. And, once again, it has the Virginia seal of approval. After we listened to the first few chapters she said, "I hope Peter Pan teaches me how to fly." (Please, don't steal her away, Peter!)

But let's be real for a second. What is with the teeth? Repeatedly we hear that Peter still has his "first teeth." And this is supposed to be a charming quality. Really? I know his age is hard to pinpoint, but it seems to be more than 5 or 6 years old. So, the fact that he still has his baby teeth is creepy to me. Also, all the ladies want to be more to him than a mother. Being attracted to a kid with baby teeth? Double creepy. 

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Although this is an image of a print version of the book, I am reviewing the audiobook. 

Author: L. Frank Baum

Reader: Jim Weiss

Producer: Books on Tape

Production Year: 2002

Most of the listeners will be: 3rd through 5th grade girls.

Listener's Advisory: For a modern twist on wondering through a fantasy world, listen to Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu. 

Summary:

Dorothy and her dog Toto haven't quite made it to the storm cellar when a tornado picks up their Kansas home and floats them away to Oz. Dorothy is hailed as a hero by the local people, Munchkins, because her house has landed on, and killed, the Wicked Witch of the East, freeing them from bondage. The only thing Dorothy really wants is to go home, and since the country of Oz is surrounded by a desert on all sides this seems practically impossible. The Good Witch of the North, a friend of the Munchkins, advises Dorothy to ask the Wizard for help. Dorothy begins walking to the Emerald City wearing the Wicked Witch's magical silver shoes and a protective kiss on her forehead from the Good Witch. Along the way she meets companions who also wish to seek favors from the Wizard. They have many adventures on their way to the Emerald City, and beyond. 

My favorite passage:

On their way to the Emerald City, Dorothy and Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion pass through a forest that is inhabited by a particularly nasty kind of beast (whose name I won't try to spell, since I have only heard it - not seen it). They come to a fissure in the ground and wonder how to cross before they are caught by the beasts. The Scarecrow comes up with the plan that the Woodman can cut down a large tree for them to walk across, which the Woodman does. As they cross, two beasts show up and the Lion roars at them to try and hold them back. But, as the beasts continue to approach, Dorothy's friends hurry across the tree and the Scarecrow instructs the Woodman to cut through it, destroying the bridge before the beasts get them. 

What I really think:

Dorothy isn't much of a heroine. Most of the story seems to be descriptions of the outlandish places that make up the country of Oz and the character development of her companions. Dorothy does very little for herself and her biggest victories are accidental. Her house happens to land on one wicked witch and she pours water on the other without knowing the effect it will have. Nevertheless the story is entertaining, and perhaps Dorothy is just a device to hold the rest together. 

Jim Weiss did a nice job of differentiating the voices. I especially liked the king of the flying monkeys. I did find his cadence to be a little unnatural. More like reading (which it was) than talking. And all the characters spoke with a similar cadence, even though their voices sounded different. 

I had never read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz before, only seen the movie. The book is even better. I enjoyed hearing the backstory of the Scarecrow, the Woodman and the Winged Monkeys. I also got to visit new corners of the country of Oz. Perhaps the biggest endorsement, however, is that my daughter (who is 3) listened to the whole thing and continues to talk about it. 

The Secret of Zoom

Author: Lynne Jonell

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Publication Year: 2009

Most of the readers will be: Late elementary and early middle school girls.

Reader's Advisory: For another book that has some cool inventions, read The Gadget War by Betsy Duffy.

Summary:
Christina Adnoid lives with her father in the Loompski mansion. Her father is the head scientist for Loompski Labs and her mother died in an explosion when Christina was young. Her father tries to protect Christina by having her home schooled by a computer and keeping her inside as much as possible. But first Christina meets one of the orphans from the nearby orphanage run by Lenny Loompski and then she finds a secret passage out of the mansion. Christina and Taft (the orphan) learn that Lenny Loompski is up to no good. Can they save the other orphans and reveal Lenny's nefarious plot? With the help of Christina's perfect pitch and a magical stone called "zoom" they can.

My favorite passage:

The orphans sat in the dust, all eyes fixed on Christina. She had told them very little about herself - who knew if one of them might accidentally blurt something out in front of a guard? But they seemed most interested in the fact that she wasn't an orphan.
"So..." Dorset traced a line in the dirt with her finger. "What's it like to have a father?"
Christina looked around the circle of children. The faces were all different, and yet every child had the same look: unwashed, uncared-for, eyes large and hungry.
The small boy at Christina's side tugged at her sleeve. "Not a Happy Orphan Daddy," he whispered. "The real kind."
"Well," Christina began, and stopped. What could she possibly say?
The orphans inched closer, leaning in to hear.
Christina tried again. "I guess...a real father keeps you safe."
A soft sigh went up from each orphan throat.
"What about a mother?" asked a small girl with tangled hair and an upturned nose. "What does she do?"
Christina gazed at the girl thoughtfully and reached out a hand. "A mother does a lot of things. Like this, for one." She pulled the girl in close and began to comb gently through the tangled hair with her fingers. (pg 215-216)

What I really think:
This book started out a little slow but I quickly grew to love it. As a music person I like that the zoom is activated by singing and the little air plane is turned on by singing the notes in a chord. But what really got me was the passage I transcribed above.

So many protagonists have parents that are absent or not too great. This allows children to have adventures and furthers the storyline. But, it is still nice to have this one book where the child talks warmly about her parents, both of whom are still alive. (I know I said Christina's mother is dead, you'll have to read the book to see how Jonell pulls this off.)

At first Christina's father does seem a little distant. He keeps her isolated from the outside world, and likes to talk to her about math (which she hates). But Christina knows how much he loves her and appreciates that he is trying to keep her safe. The beauty of her family really makes the book.