The Traitor Game

Author: B. R. Collins

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Publication Year: 2008

Most of the readers will be: Late middle school and early high school boys.

Reader's advisory: For another book that contains an ancient kingdom try Bloodline by Katy Moran.

Summary:
Francis has always been nice to Michael. They meet on Saturdays to draw maps and make up stories about their imaginary country: Evgard. Michael is sure that Francis is his friend, until he finds a note in his locker that says, "I know where Aracaster is." Aracaster is part of Evgard and only he and Francis know about it. Michael is forced to conclude that Francis has told someone about Evgard. Maybe Francis isn't really his friend. Maybe he has been laughing at Michael behind his back all along. After Michael was beaten up by bullies at his last school he promised himself he would never be a victim again. No one will laugh at him, not even Francis.
Meanwhile, Argent has been captured by the Duke of Aracaster. Most of the Mereish prisoners are kept in the dungeon, but Argent lives in the castle as a slave to the Duke. Then, the Duke's son, Columen, befriends him, and even swindles him away from his father. When Mereish fighters attack the castle, whith whom will Argent side?

My favorite passage:

Judas floors don't exist in the real world. At least, if they did, Michael had never heard of them, and he definitely hadn't seen anyone fall through one. But for a second he thought he knew how it would feel: the black, sick terror of falling, knowing that the best you could hope for at the bottom was cold stone, and the worst . . . well, if you were lucky you didn't have time to think about the worst. In his imagination he'd made people dance pavanes and galliards on the great Judas floor at Calston, but it was only now that he really understood the horror of it. One moment you were there, in the middle of your galliard, hopping around as gracefully as you could, and then -
He remembered, irrelevantly, that there was a net underneath the floor at Calston to break your fall, so for a second you'd almost think it was some twisted practical joke. Until you saw the vipers nesting in the ropes near your face . . . (pg 16)

What I really think:
I like to read before I go to bed and this was one of those books that isn't so good for that. It actually makes you more awake and kind of stressed out. There are so many issues here: bullying, friendship, homosexuality...
Bullying is a really difficult issue and I'm not sure Collins has cleared it up. Francis tells Michael at one point that he wants to see him stand up for himself. When Michael truly does stand up for himself (spoiler) he gets pushed through a window. He feels better about himself, but he still gets injured.
The friendship issues are important ones. Teenagers can break friendships just as quickly as they make them, and I like Collins's message that you can't undo the damage you have done, but maybe you can still reconcile with a friend you have hurt.
I like that the fact that one of the characters is gay is a side issue. It isn't the reason that bad stuff happens initially, but it is the reason stuff gets worse. This book isn't about being gay, but it does illustrate the need for some sensitivity.
The intermittent chapters that take place in Aracaster are a nice touch. At first I was annoyed that I was being dragged away from the "real" story. But ultimately I enjoyed those chapters just as much as the chapters about Michael and Francis.

Stone Heart

Author: Charlie Fletcher

Publisher (In Great Britain): Hodder Children's Books

Publication Year (In Great Britain): 2006

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

Reader's Advisory: For another book in which statues come to life try The Stonewalkers by Vivien Alcock.

Summary:
When George breaks a carving on the front of the Natural History Museum he finds himself in a terrifying version of London he never knew existed. Immediately he is pursued by a pterodactyl, which was stone only a moment ago, and is saved in the nick of time by the statue of the Gunner on the Royal Artillery War Memorial. The Gunner gives George a crash course in this version of London.
"Spits" are sculptures of men and they are usually nice. "Taints" are sculptures of things, like gargoyles, and they aren't nice. They wish they had the spirit of a man like spits do. George has done something to make the taints angry and they are after him.
George's predicament is further complicated when Edie shows up. Edie sees George walking with the Gunner and is excited to find someone else who can see the statues move. But the Gunner isn't happy to see Edie. She is, what he calls, a "glint." Glints can "make the stones cry" because they can see the bad things that happened to them in their past.
Nevertheless, Edie sticks with George (something the Gunner isn't always able to do) as he tries to do whatever he can to right the wrong and get back to London as he knows it, meeting a series of helpful spits and frightening taints on the way.

My favorite passage:

The monk leaned back and looked round the room. He looked at the four imp-cherubs that sat high in each corner, but George saw no answering movement in them. The monk stretched a kink out of his shoulders.
'And why should I help you?'
'Because you're one of the good guys.'
'Am I? I wasn't aware of that. Indeed I wasn't aware of being a "guy" at all. A "guy" is something you burn on Bonfire Night, and I can assure you an incendiary finale is the very last thing I foresee for myself. My whole life's work has been committed to avoiding a fiery end, you might say.'
The Black Friar clearly savoured the taste of his own words rolling round his mouth, thought George with a strong twinge of irritation. It seemed like people - things, really - had been talking at him all day, and none of them had really given him a straight answer, just pushed him from one horrible experience to another. His voice was unexpectedly curt.
'You know what I mean.'
Edie caught the tone and looked up at him in surprise. The friar cocked his head to balance the irritatingly raised eyebrow.
'Not at all, goodness gracious. I only know what you say. Who told you I was "a good guy"?'
'You're a monk,' Edie cut in.
'And monks help do they?'
'Yes. Monks are on the side of good.'
'Well let me tell you what I am.' He spread his arms wide in the expansive gesture of a man with nothing to hide. The sleeves of his robe fell back, revealing stong muscular arms that didn't look as fat as George had expected.
'I am what I seem, no more no less. I am both a fat monk and a merry innkeeper; the halest of fellows wellmet and the watcher who stands at the road's fork. I am also a man who likes talking with men who like to talk. I provide mirth and happiness, warmth and cheer and absolution for sins past, present, and even - for a fee - future. In short, I can soothe your needs and ease your passage through this vale of tears. I am a helpmeet to the needy and a bringer of quietus. If you see what I drive at..." (pg 258-259)

What I really think:
Being a visitor to England, I found Fletcher's London very exciting. I am looking forward to looking for some the statues that come to life in the book on my trips to London. (The endpapers contain a map with the statues we meet in the story highlighted.) I wonder if true Londoners forget how magical their city is beneath the surface. If they do, I hope this book helps them remember.
This book, like many others, begins with a rather wimpy protagonist who is transformed into a hero by the end. I like this type of story because I think we are changed by our experiences and are stronger when we choose to face the challanges that come our way. But why is it that our hero is better equipped to face a dragon than a bully? Do the lessons that George learns translate into everyday life? I only bring this up becuase George is bullied before he falls into the parallell London but (SPOILER) at the end of the story he chooses not to go back. So we never get to see if his adventures with spits and taints help him become a stronger person back in the real world. This is the first book in a trilogy, so perhaps I'll get my answer yet.

Cassie Was Here

Author: Caroline Hickey

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Publication Year: 2007

Lexile: 610L (This book is not in the Lexile Book Database. I used the Lexile Analyzer to get this value.)

Most of the readers will be: Middle to late elementary school girls.

Reader's Advisory: For another book on a girl a little too old for an imaginary friend, read Still There, Clare by Yvonne Prinz.

Summary: Bree's family has just moved to a new house and suddenly Bree's imaginary friend, Joey, has returned to keep her company. Bree's brother Reid and her parents don't like Joey. They think she is too old for an imaginary friend. They are all really angry when Joey tells Bree to tell Reid to jump out of a tree, and he breaks his arm. Then, while Bree and Joey are playing Nancy Drew, they see a girl getting out of a taxi with a suitcase and going into one of the houses. Bree's mother encourages her to make friends with the new girl, so Bree introduces herself to Cassie. It turns out that Cassie isn't new. She has left her boarding school to come stay with her grandmother. Cassie is a couple years older than Bree and invites her to smoke the day that they meet! A few days later, Cassie cuts off Bree's long hair and gives her highlights that make her look just like Cassie. She may be a little bit of a trouble maker, but Bree thinks she is fun and exciting. Joey doesn't like Cassie at all and she stops talking to Bree. Bree is pretty upset about losing Joey, but not as upset as she is when she and another neighborhood girl, Anna find Cassie and Reid making out in the school! Things go from bad to worse when Reid tells Cassie and Anna about Joey. Bree can't figure out if Cassie has just been using her to get close to Reid or if maybe Cassie really does like her. By the time Cassie leaves her grandmother's house later in the summer, the two girls finally start to understand each other.

My favorite passage:

We each grab a glass and sit back. Anna starts telling me stories about things Cassie did the last time she visited, like painting her grandmother's metal trashcans hot pink and stealing the stop sign from the corner. Anna doesn't sound impressed, just matter of fact, and I start to wonder how close they are. They don't seem like good friends, but they've obviously hung out together a lot.
Exactly twenty minutes later, a voice comes booming over the intercom again.
"ANNA, PLEASE TELL YOUR GUESTS IT'S TIME TO GO. THEY'RE WELCOME TO COME BACK ANYTIME."
Anna makes a noise like she has gum stuck in her throat. Remembering my manners, I thank her for having us and tell her I'll be back to see her soon.
"I'll be here," she says dismally. "I'm always here."
As we go down the stairs and yell good-bye to Mrs. Randall, a very furry gray cat passes through the living room in front of us and yowls at Cassie. It obviously remembers her.
"So that's the cat," I say.
She nods. That's the cat. And see? His hair grew back just fine." (pg 80)

What I really think:
When I first started reading I thought to myself, "Did she really write the whole book in present tense?" And yeah, she did, and I never noticed it again because it flows so naturally.

I love this book because every character is complex. In some ways Bree wants to stop talking to Joey to please her family, but she is sad when Joey leaves because she is her oldest and most loyal friend. Then there is Cassie. Even the reader can't understand her until the end. Does she like Bree or doesn't she? It turns out that Cassie is still struggling with her mother's death. At first she hangs out with Bree to stay out of trouble, but in spite of her sometimes vicious behavior, she really does like Bree and envies her relationship with her mother.

There are so many issues here a young reader could latch on to: getting along with siblings, making new friends, coping with loss.

Ivy + Bean Break the Fossil Record

Author: Annie Barrows

Illustrator: Sophie Blackall

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Publication Year: 2007

Lexile: 600L (This book is not in the Lexile Book Database. I used the Lexile Analyzer to get this value.)

Most of the readers will be: Early elementary school girls.

Reader's Advisory: For a chapter book series about boys who are friends, try Jon Scieszka's Time Warp Trio books.

Summary:
When Bean gets board with the cat book she has picked out for Drop Everything and Read, Ms. Aruba-Tate lends her The Amazing Book of World Records. By recess, Bean has the whole class looking over her shoulder at the strange things people have done. Bean and several of her classmates go home that day intending to break records from the book. Bean tries for most straws stuffed in her mouth and breaking glass with her voice before Ivy talks her into looking for dinosaur bones in the back yard. They actually find bones, and declare themselves the youngest paleontologists. Their classmates do not believe Ivy and Bean have dug up a dinosaur so the girls invite them over for an exhibition. Right before their gusts arrive, Bean's older sister Nancy tells the girls that those are bones a dog buried and not a dinosaur. Bean's father and Ivy salvage the day as Bean thinks of new records to break.

My favorite passage:

"Hey!" said Bean.
Ivy looked at her.
"I've got a great idea!" said Bean. This is going to be easy. "I'm good at screaming, and I'm good at breaking things, right?"
"I guess so."
"I'll break a glass by screaming," said Bean. "I'll be the youngest person ever to do it."
"What? You scream and throw a glass?" Ivy looked confused. "You already did that with a plate."
"No - the scream breaks the glass. This lady in the book did it.She screamed so loud that a wine glass shattered. But she was old. I could probably scream louder because I'm young. I'll be a record breaker."
"That's a good record," said Ivy. "That'll be fun." She bounced a little on Bean's bed.
"Okay," said Bean, "I'll need a wine glass. I'll go get it." She jumped up. And then she sat down again. Her dad was still sweeping up little pieces of plate. He probably wouldn't be very happy to find out that she was planning to break something else. Maybe she could find something made of glass upstairs where he wouldn't need to know about it. Not a mirror. That was bad luck. But there had to be something she could use. "I've got it!" she yelled.
"Got what?"
"Nancy's glass animals. I'll shatter one of them. It'll be even better than a wine glass."
"Won't Nancy get mad?"
Bean pictured Nancy's face and then quickly put it out of her mind. "No. She has gazillions of them, and besides, I'll glue the animal back together when I'm done. She won't even notice." I hope, she added silently. (pg 44-47)

What I really think:
I am indebted to one of our young patrons for introducing me to Ivy and Bean. Children often ask for chapter book series and the ones with which I am most familiar are more appealing to boys. So now, I have a series to recommend to girls!

Ivy and Bean are a wonderful example of a healthy friendship. Although they are very different, each girl supports the other and respects her interests. Ivy tries to help Bean break records even when her attempts are messy and will probably get them in trouble. And Bean agrees to help Ivy dig up dinosaur bones like Ivy's idle, Mary Anning.

I think the way that Ms. Aruba-Tate deals with Bean's lack of interest in reading is also noteworthy. It can be difficult to get kids to enjoy reading, but she knows that all it takes is the right book. This is a good message to parents that kids don't have to read story books all the time. Some children are more interested in reading non-fiction books, like a book of world records. And why not encourage them to do so? They can learn fun facts and read at the same time!

Thank You, Lucky Stars

Author: Beverly Donofrio

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books

Publication Year: 2008

Lexile: 950L (This book is not in the Lexile Book Database. I used the Lexile Analyzer to get this value.)

Most of the readers will be: Mid to late elementary school girls.

Reader's Advisory: For a non-fiction book on friendship check out The Best Friends' Handbook by Erica Orloff.

Summary:
Ally Miller is super excited about starting fifth grade. She and her best friend Betsy are in the same class and they are going to be in the fifth grade talent show together. But when Ally arrives at the bus stop on the first day she is met with disappointment. She and Betsy were supposed to dress alike, but Betsy is dressed like Mona (their sworn enemy) instead. Things go downhill from there as Ally realizes she has Betsy replaced her, but she is now the school reject. The only person who wants to be her friend is even weirder than she is: the new kid Tina. Tina wears pants that are too short and looks like she could own a pet snake. But as the weeks go on, Ally learns to appreciate Tina's friendship and even teachers her how to disco so they can dance together in the talent show. After Tina and Ally have a disastrous run through in front of the other talent show participants, Betsy and Mona tell Ally that their band needs a go-go dancer. Will Ally ditch Tina to join the group that has been ostracizing her all year?

My favorite passage:

You know those lines in the wedding vows, "For better or for worse, in sickness and in health"? When I thought about it, I saw how that was kind of how it would feel being friends with Tina - except for the "till death do us part" part. Here was the "worse" part: she really did look like she had a pet snake, and she did sometimes wear weird Princess Leia hair. She talked All The Time, and kept right on waving her arm like a rusty fan in class even though Mrs. No Joy hardly ever called on her. And Tina was a reject.
Then again, so was I.
Here was the "better" part: she was funny in her strange Tina way. She was really smart and knew a lot about a whole lot of things, even if she did make some of it up. And she liked me, even though she could plainly see that just about nobody else did. Plus, she'd stuck up for me. She was a loyal friend. And I had to admit, lunchtime was the most fun part of every day.
And so when Tina invited me to her house after school to cut out pictures for the talent show bulletin boards, I accepted. (pg 77-78)

What I really think:
Parts of this book are touching and parts are painful, and in both cases it is because of how real these friendship issues are. Kids first start to think about popularity in the fourth and fifth grade. They have to worry about their own status as "cool" or "uncool" and also have to decide how they are going to treat people who are less "cool" than they are. This book is so, so important to children at this time in their lives. They will certainly relate to one character or another and begin to understand how fifth graders can be cruel to one another, but can choose not to be. Hopefully they will also see that being uncool isn't the end of the world, and there are still great friendships to be had.