Artemis Fowl
Eoin Colfer
ISBN 078680801-2
Hyperion Books for Children, 2001
279 pages
Genre: Faerie
Readers Annotation
Artemis Fowl is the smartest person on earth and a criminal mastermind. He's kidnapped a fairy and is demanding a metric ton of gold as ransom. And, oh--he's just 12 years old.
Plot Summary
Artemis Fowl, age 12, is probably the smartest person on earth. He comes from a long line of criminals and is himself a criminal mastermind. He and his trusted friend and bodyguard Butler go to Vietnam to track down a medicine woman. Artemis has figured out that fairies really exist and strikes a deal with the woman, an alcoholic sprite, that lets him get a copy of a holy fairy book. He deciphers the book (written in a strange fairy language) and learns that fairies must recharge their magic by performing an elaborate ceremony by an oak tree near a river bend under a full moon. Artemis stakes out all possible locations where this ritual could take place, and eventually his patience is rewarded. He spies Holly, a captain with the fairy police force, kidnaps her and holds her for ransom. In return for her release, he demands that fairies bring him one metric ton of fairy gold, worth an absolute fortune. (Leprechauns, it turns out, did really have a pot of gold.)
The fairies are sure they can outsmart a mere human boy, but Artemis is the smartest person on the planet, after all. Can he stay one step ahead of them?
Critical Evaluation
Despite the fact that this is a book about an evil mastermind and a criminal genius, it's actually fairly lighthearted. The violence is comic, and it reminded me, more than anything, of a sort of magical version of Home Alone, with Artemis outsmarting the fairies time and time again with a neato trick or smart idea. One touch I loved was how the author kept on using some real-life examples to demonstrate how the fairies influence our world.
Fowl is an interesting character; though he's incredibly greedy and has held Holly hostage to restore his family's wealth and power, in the end he does perform an unselfish act. The fairy chief of police is written as a bumbling character, and teenagers with a bit of an authority problem will enjoy laughing at him. While the reader definitely sympathizes with Holly and hopes she will escape unscathed, half the fun of the book is rooting for Artemis, a bad guy. While the book's language and characterizations are not that sophisticated, it is an original, tightly plotted, fast-paced story. The reader is compelled to keep turning the pages to see how on earth Artemis will get out of this one. Many people, including the author, have called this a sort of fantasy action novel, and that's about right. The right audience--and I'm thinking boys in junior high and early high school in particular--will absolutely eat this book up.
Other Books in the Series
Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident (2002)
Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code (2003)
Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception (2005)
Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony (2006)
Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox (2008)
About the Author
Eoin Colfer, an Irish author, is best known for the Artemis Fowl books. However, he's written other books for children (like Benny and Omar) and adults (The Supernaturalist series, cyberpunk for adults). He's known for having a great sense of humor, which may be why he was chosen to write the fifth book in Douglas Adams' ever-popular Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.
Curriculum Ties
None
Booktalking Ideas
1. Explore the character of Artemis Fowl: genius, criminal mastermind, 12 year old.
2. Talk about fairies in the novel's world. Who are they? What do they do?
3. Talk about the character of Holly and the people in the LEPrecon.
Reading Interest/Level
This book is aimed at early teens in junior high; however, older teens and adults would (and do!) enjoy the series.
Challenge Issues
While there is some degree of violence, it's all rather comical. I do not see this book being challenged.
Selection Criteria
I knew absolutely nothing about this book, other than some people called it the next Harry Potter and that it was extremely popular. When I saw a bunch of copies of it in the teen section of my local library, I decided to give it a try. It was named an ALA Popular Paperback.
Showing posts with label faerie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faerie. Show all posts
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie by Holly Black
Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie
Holly Black
ISBN 978-0-689-868238
Simon Pulse, 2005
313 pages
Genre: Faerie, Urban Fantasy
Readers Annotation
When a teenage girl runs away to New York City, her life becomes inextricably intertwined with the secret, dark world of faeries, a group of junkie street kids, a murder mystery... and a troll she might be falling in love with.
Plot Summary
After Valerie catches her boyfriend in bed with her mother, she flees to New York City. Intending to stay for just the night, she decides to stay after befriending Lolli, Luis, and Dave, a group of teenage street kids who live in the subway system. Luis is able to see faeries, who use illusion to hide themselves from most people, and he and Dave work delivering potions to them for a troll named Ravus. Though the potions are medicinal for the faeries, it's a heroin-like drug for humans, who get temporary magical powers from it. Lolli and Dave are junkies, shooting up the drug which they call "Nevermore." Val soon becomes addicted, too. Ravus catches Val and Lolli breaking into his home; he magically indentures Val to work for him for a month to work off her debt. Ravus, however, is not as bad as he seems; he starts teaching Val swordfighting; she's a natural, after years of lacrosse. Like Beauty and the Beast, Val realizes she is falling in love with Ravus and cleans up her act.
Ravus' customers, however, are turning up dead, and Ravus becomes the main suspect. When Val's best friend comes to New York to try and convince her to come back home, they get caught in the middle of the mystery and are kidnapped by an evil faerie. Can Val clear Ravus' name? Will she ever return home now that her life is so intertwined with the world of the faeries?
Critical Evaluation
Black has written an extremely dark story of faerie, a very gritty urban fantasy. At times, it almost feels too dark. Black covers a lot of ground here--homelessness, drug addiction, rape, violence, with a few alternative lifestyles thrown in for good measure--and at times to me it felt like she was being edgy for the sake of being edgy, rather than choosing controversial topics that would really advance her story and her characters. Why, for instance, did the impetus for Val's leaving need to be the needlessly shocking affair between her boyfriend and her mother? (I did think the whole concept of Nevermore was creative and well-done, though.)
However, she's created a strong character in Val, one teenage girls who love the faerie genre will very much relate to, though I didn't feel that the character of Ravus was fully developed. Black is a talented writer, her beautiful language conveying the beautiful and seedy world of this magical New York. To be honest, this book was not quite my cup of tea. However, in reading the reviews of teen readers on Amazon, I can see that many young adult readers really loved this book and Holly Black's brand of dark faerie fantasy. This would be a great title to recommend to readers who are already fans of the genre, but for someone like me, who is relatively unfamiliar with the genre, it's not a compelling introduction.
Other Books in the Series
This is a companion novel to Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale and Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale. While these books inhabit the same world, they are companion books rather than pure sequels; the books stand alone, though characters from one may make an appearance in another.
About the Author
Holly Black is best known for being author of the children's fantasy series The Spiderwick Chronicles, though she has a big young adult following as well, thanks to her "Modern Faerie Tale" series. Her latest project is The Good Neighbors, a series of graphic novels, also aimed at young adults.
Curriculum Ties
This book is not well-suited for use in any school curriculum.
Booktalking Ideas
1. Talk about how Val gets caught up in the world of the street kids, their connection to the faerie world, and their addiction to Never.
2. Talk about Val and Ravus' "Beauty and the Beast" relationship.
3. Talk about the book's murder mystery element.
Reading Interest/Level
This book is full of dark subjects, making it appropriate for teens in high school.
Challenge Issues
This book is chock full of 'em. Take your pick: drug addiction, homeless teens, rape, sex, violence, murder... and throw in a few gay characters to boot. If the book were to be challenged, the librarian should ideally read the book; if not able to, s/he should read professional reviews of the book and reviews on sites like Common Sense Media that detail its potentially controversial material. S/he should also be able to explain and defend the library's collection policy and explain how the title fits that policy. In the case of Valiant, she could point out that ALA named it both a "Best Book for Young Adults" and a "Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers." The book also won the Andre Norton Award for young adult fiction.
Selection Criteria
I was not familiar with the author or the faerie genre, but when I saw a prominent display of this author's book at a local library in their teen section, I decided to check it out.
Holly Black
ISBN 978-0-689-868238
Simon Pulse, 2005
313 pages
Genre: Faerie, Urban Fantasy
Readers Annotation
When a teenage girl runs away to New York City, her life becomes inextricably intertwined with the secret, dark world of faeries, a group of junkie street kids, a murder mystery... and a troll she might be falling in love with.
Plot Summary
After Valerie catches her boyfriend in bed with her mother, she flees to New York City. Intending to stay for just the night, she decides to stay after befriending Lolli, Luis, and Dave, a group of teenage street kids who live in the subway system. Luis is able to see faeries, who use illusion to hide themselves from most people, and he and Dave work delivering potions to them for a troll named Ravus. Though the potions are medicinal for the faeries, it's a heroin-like drug for humans, who get temporary magical powers from it. Lolli and Dave are junkies, shooting up the drug which they call "Nevermore." Val soon becomes addicted, too. Ravus catches Val and Lolli breaking into his home; he magically indentures Val to work for him for a month to work off her debt. Ravus, however, is not as bad as he seems; he starts teaching Val swordfighting; she's a natural, after years of lacrosse. Like Beauty and the Beast, Val realizes she is falling in love with Ravus and cleans up her act.
Ravus' customers, however, are turning up dead, and Ravus becomes the main suspect. When Val's best friend comes to New York to try and convince her to come back home, they get caught in the middle of the mystery and are kidnapped by an evil faerie. Can Val clear Ravus' name? Will she ever return home now that her life is so intertwined with the world of the faeries?
Critical Evaluation
Black has written an extremely dark story of faerie, a very gritty urban fantasy. At times, it almost feels too dark. Black covers a lot of ground here--homelessness, drug addiction, rape, violence, with a few alternative lifestyles thrown in for good measure--and at times to me it felt like she was being edgy for the sake of being edgy, rather than choosing controversial topics that would really advance her story and her characters. Why, for instance, did the impetus for Val's leaving need to be the needlessly shocking affair between her boyfriend and her mother? (I did think the whole concept of Nevermore was creative and well-done, though.)
However, she's created a strong character in Val, one teenage girls who love the faerie genre will very much relate to, though I didn't feel that the character of Ravus was fully developed. Black is a talented writer, her beautiful language conveying the beautiful and seedy world of this magical New York. To be honest, this book was not quite my cup of tea. However, in reading the reviews of teen readers on Amazon, I can see that many young adult readers really loved this book and Holly Black's brand of dark faerie fantasy. This would be a great title to recommend to readers who are already fans of the genre, but for someone like me, who is relatively unfamiliar with the genre, it's not a compelling introduction.
Other Books in the Series
This is a companion novel to Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale and Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale. While these books inhabit the same world, they are companion books rather than pure sequels; the books stand alone, though characters from one may make an appearance in another.
About the Author
Holly Black is best known for being author of the children's fantasy series The Spiderwick Chronicles, though she has a big young adult following as well, thanks to her "Modern Faerie Tale" series. Her latest project is The Good Neighbors, a series of graphic novels, also aimed at young adults.
Curriculum Ties
This book is not well-suited for use in any school curriculum.
Booktalking Ideas
1. Talk about how Val gets caught up in the world of the street kids, their connection to the faerie world, and their addiction to Never.
2. Talk about Val and Ravus' "Beauty and the Beast" relationship.
3. Talk about the book's murder mystery element.
Reading Interest/Level
This book is full of dark subjects, making it appropriate for teens in high school.
Challenge Issues
This book is chock full of 'em. Take your pick: drug addiction, homeless teens, rape, sex, violence, murder... and throw in a few gay characters to boot. If the book were to be challenged, the librarian should ideally read the book; if not able to, s/he should read professional reviews of the book and reviews on sites like Common Sense Media that detail its potentially controversial material. S/he should also be able to explain and defend the library's collection policy and explain how the title fits that policy. In the case of Valiant, she could point out that ALA named it both a "Best Book for Young Adults" and a "Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers." The book also won the Andre Norton Award for young adult fiction.
Selection Criteria
I was not familiar with the author or the faerie genre, but when I saw a prominent display of this author's book at a local library in their teen section, I decided to check it out.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Impossible by Nancy Werlin
Impossible
Nancy Werlin
ISBN 9780803730021
376 pages
Genre: Faerie
Reader's Annotation
With the help of her boyfriend and foster parents, Lucy Scarborough must solve impossible riddles to reverse the curse an evil faerie has placed upon her mother and generations of Scarborough women.
Plot Summary
Lucy Scarborough is a typical junior; she's been raised her whole life by her loving and devoted foster parents, though her mother, who is insane, appears from time to time on the periphery of her life, always singing the old folk song "Are You Going to Scarbourough Fair?" At her junior prom, Lucy is visited and raped by an evil fairy, the Elfin Knight, who impregnates her and tells her of her fate: he has cursed countless women in her family. They all become teenage mothers and have all descended into madness. The only chance Lucy has of escaping her fate is by completing three impossible tasks detailed in the song "Scarborough Fair": make a magical shirt without seams or needlework; find an acre of land between the salt water and the sea strand; and to plow that land with a goat's horn and sow it all with one grain of corn.
Lucy, however, has one thing on her side that none of her ancestors did. Her foster parents believe her fantastical story and are determined to help her; so does the boy next door, Zach. Lucy has also found a diary left for her by her mother and written before she went crazy, that may contain clues that will help her solve the riddles.
Critical Evaluation
This was an incredibly clever conceit for a book. Werlin has crafted an intriguing structure for her story, and it's especially clever how she uses the already exisiting song of "Scarborough Fair" to draw in the reader. She seamlessly balances the fantastical elements of the story in with a very realistic and recognizable high school world. Werlin has made Lucy into a very pragmatic, skeptical character; by having Lucy directly address whether or not her story can possible be real, Werlin helps the reader suspend belief, too.
The puzzles are fun for the reader to work on, and the answers to them are satisfying. Though they are old fairy tale tasks, Lucy, Zach, and her parents use very modern resources and techniques to solve them. It's a largely wonderful book. However, Werlin spends a little too much time setting up her story; its progression and resolution seem slightly rushed.
About the author
Nancy Werlin, a National Book Award finalist for her previous book, The Rules of Survival, has written a number of popular and critically acclaimed young adult novels. Impossible is her first foray into the world of romance and fantasy; her previous books have been tightly crafted thrillers.
Curriculum Ties
None
Booktalking Ideas
1. Start out by playing or singing a bit of "Scarborough Fair," and then explain how Lucy must complete the three impossible tasks contained in the song.
2. In the booktalk, convey the dual nature of the book by equally focusing on Lucy's everyday teenage problems and the fantastical fairy tale element of this book.
3. Focus on the romance between Lucy and Zach.
Reading Interest/Level: 8th grade and up
Challenge Issues
Lucy is supernaturally raped. There is also a teenage wedding and the insinuation that Lucy will be turned into the Elfin Knight's sex slave for all eternity.
If this book is challenged, the librarian should read it if possible; if not, s/he should read as many professional reviews as possible of the book, as well as read about it on a site like Common Sense Media, that lists all of the details that might possible be controversial.
The librarian should be able to present and defend the library's collection policy to the challenger and explain how the book meets those criteria. S/he could point out Nancy Werlin's many previous awards, the many glowing reviews this book has received (starred reviews in both Kirkus and School Library Review), and its inclusion of several best of the year book lists already.
Selection Criteria
This book was singled out as "Outstanding" by four separate librarians in the Association for Children's Librarians of Northern California, which intrigued me. I also was very interested in the idea of a teen fantasy novel set in a very realistic setting.
Nancy Werlin
ISBN 9780803730021
376 pages
Genre: Faerie
Reader's Annotation
With the help of her boyfriend and foster parents, Lucy Scarborough must solve impossible riddles to reverse the curse an evil faerie has placed upon her mother and generations of Scarborough women.
Plot Summary
Lucy Scarborough is a typical junior; she's been raised her whole life by her loving and devoted foster parents, though her mother, who is insane, appears from time to time on the periphery of her life, always singing the old folk song "Are You Going to Scarbourough Fair?" At her junior prom, Lucy is visited and raped by an evil fairy, the Elfin Knight, who impregnates her and tells her of her fate: he has cursed countless women in her family. They all become teenage mothers and have all descended into madness. The only chance Lucy has of escaping her fate is by completing three impossible tasks detailed in the song "Scarborough Fair": make a magical shirt without seams or needlework; find an acre of land between the salt water and the sea strand; and to plow that land with a goat's horn and sow it all with one grain of corn.
Lucy, however, has one thing on her side that none of her ancestors did. Her foster parents believe her fantastical story and are determined to help her; so does the boy next door, Zach. Lucy has also found a diary left for her by her mother and written before she went crazy, that may contain clues that will help her solve the riddles.
Critical Evaluation
This was an incredibly clever conceit for a book. Werlin has crafted an intriguing structure for her story, and it's especially clever how she uses the already exisiting song of "Scarborough Fair" to draw in the reader. She seamlessly balances the fantastical elements of the story in with a very realistic and recognizable high school world. Werlin has made Lucy into a very pragmatic, skeptical character; by having Lucy directly address whether or not her story can possible be real, Werlin helps the reader suspend belief, too.
The puzzles are fun for the reader to work on, and the answers to them are satisfying. Though they are old fairy tale tasks, Lucy, Zach, and her parents use very modern resources and techniques to solve them. It's a largely wonderful book. However, Werlin spends a little too much time setting up her story; its progression and resolution seem slightly rushed.
About the author
Nancy Werlin, a National Book Award finalist for her previous book, The Rules of Survival, has written a number of popular and critically acclaimed young adult novels. Impossible is her first foray into the world of romance and fantasy; her previous books have been tightly crafted thrillers.
Curriculum Ties
None
Booktalking Ideas
1. Start out by playing or singing a bit of "Scarborough Fair," and then explain how Lucy must complete the three impossible tasks contained in the song.
2. In the booktalk, convey the dual nature of the book by equally focusing on Lucy's everyday teenage problems and the fantastical fairy tale element of this book.
3. Focus on the romance between Lucy and Zach.
Reading Interest/Level: 8th grade and up
Challenge Issues
Lucy is supernaturally raped. There is also a teenage wedding and the insinuation that Lucy will be turned into the Elfin Knight's sex slave for all eternity.
If this book is challenged, the librarian should read it if possible; if not, s/he should read as many professional reviews as possible of the book, as well as read about it on a site like Common Sense Media, that lists all of the details that might possible be controversial.
The librarian should be able to present and defend the library's collection policy to the challenger and explain how the book meets those criteria. S/he could point out Nancy Werlin's many previous awards, the many glowing reviews this book has received (starred reviews in both Kirkus and School Library Review), and its inclusion of several best of the year book lists already.
Selection Criteria
This book was singled out as "Outstanding" by four separate librarians in the Association for Children's Librarians of Northern California, which intrigued me. I also was very interested in the idea of a teen fantasy novel set in a very realistic setting.
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