Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke

A dragon. A boy. A journey. Firedrake, a brave young dragon, his loyal brownie friend Sorrel and a lonely boy called Ben are united as if by destiny. Together, they embark on a magical journey to find the legendary place where silver dragons can live in peace forever. With only a curious map and the whispered memories of an old dragon to guide them, they fly across moonlit lands and seas to reach the highest mountains in the world. Along the way, they discover extraordinary new friends in unlikely places and a courage they never knew they had. Just as well, for the greatest enemy of all is never far behind them - a heartless monster from the past who's been waiting a very long time to destroy the last dragons on earth.

From Heather:  I have really enjoyed Cornelia Funke's books lately.  All the ones I've read have been really long, but worth every page.  This one is no different.  The story is fun to explore.  I never thought I would like books about dragons but it sort of works for me.  Firedrake happens to be a wonderful dragon!  :) 

Sorrel the brownie sort of drove me a little nuts.  She's not very nice, always grumpy and sarcastic.  But Ben I absolutely loved.  Firedrake and Sorrel find him alone in an abandoned warehouse in London and he joins them on their journey to find the Rim of Heaven.  It's a wonderful book, if a bit long.  And probably about an age 10 and up sort of book.

Princess Academy: Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city seems a thrill beyond imagining. When Miri and her friends from Mount Eskel set off to help the future princess Britta prepare for her royal wedding, she is happy about her chance to attend school in the capital city. There, Miri befriends students who seem so sophisticated and exciting… until she learns that they have some frightening plans. They think that Miri will help them, that she “should “help them. Soon Miri finds herself torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends’ ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home and the bustling city. Picking up where “Princess Academy “left off, this incredible stand-alone story celebrates the joys of friendship, the delight of romance, and the fate of a beloved fairy tale kingdom.

Jillian’s Review:

I really enjoyed the first Princess Academy and was super excited to find out that there was another one. Although it's been over two years since I read the first, Hale does a great job of bringing us up to speed.

I love Hale's writing style: “Hunger ran through her childhood like a string through a bead necklace,” such beautiful imagery. Her characters are intelligent, insightful, and funny. Miri is a great, strong character who hasn't regressed in her attributes just so she has room to grow in this second book, like I've read in many other Middle Grade and Young Adult novels. And even though she's stronger from her experiences in book one, she still grows, develops, and learns a whole lot about herself in book two.

There was a sense of doom just waiting to descend, which made this a bit darker than I would have liked, but everything is thankfully resolved well and makes the world of the lowlands feel brighter once the doom is lifted.

I’m happy to say there was more romance in this one, but clean enough that a MD reader wouldn't be uncomfortable reading it. And I'm SO glad Miri chooses the best guy in the end. Yay for happy endings!

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan

Summary:

Will anyone take on Jake Semple?

Jake Semple is notorious. Rumor has it he burned down his old school and got kicked out of every school in his home state.

Only one place will take him now, and that's a home school run by the Applewhites, a chaotic and hilarious family of artists. The only one who doesn't fit the Applewhite mold is E.D.--a smart, sensible girl who immediately clashes with the unruly Jake.

Jake thinks surviving this one will be a breeze . . . but is he really as tough or as bad as he seems?

What I thought:

I liked  it. Though not the kind of book I usually reach for, Surviving the Applewhites kept my attention and made me laugh. Sometimes when an author attempts quirky, she just doesn't reach it and arrives instead at cheezy, but Tolan does a great job at achieving her aim: quirky and endearing.

Jake is a delinquent one stop away from Juvenile Hall, but staying with the Applewhites turns him around. The only thing I didn't like was that none of the characters make an actual choice to either help Jake or be helped. Everything that happens, every bit of growth you see in the characters, just happens by accident because the Applewhites are so oblvious. And I guess you can't have oblivious characters and still expect them to make a plan of action and follow it through to completion. The Applewhites don't hate Jake like everyone else, but they don't really like him either, or even learn to like him.

Still, despite that, I enjoyed the book and think most of the readers of this blog would too.

The Singer of All Songs by Kate Constable

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Kate Constable's lyrical, acclaimed fantasy debut--now in paperback Calwyn has never been beyond the high ice-wall that guards the sisters of Antaris from the world of Tremaris. She knows only the rounds of her life as a novice ice priestess, tending her bees, singing her ice chantments, and dreaming.

But then Calwyn befriends Darrow, a mysterious Outlander who appears inside the Wall and warns of an approaching danger. To help Darrow, to see the world, and perhaps to save it, Calwyn will leave the safety of the Wall for a journey with a man she barely knows--and an adventure as beautiful and dangerous as the music of chantment itself.

Jillian’s Review:

This book kind of felt longer to read than is should have. It’s one of those travel adventure fantasies where a lot of things happen and you get a handful of heroes (like Lord of the Rings minus all the Elves and Dwarves). I did like Calwyn, though I wish she discovered her special abilities sooner so we could watch her develop more throughout the story. Darrow is a nice guy, but there isn’t nearly the chemistry that I like to see between love interests, which I guess makes this a better read for the older Middle Grade reader. Don't expect any romance, it barely has any and it's only at the very end.

I have books two and three on my nightstand just waiting for me to read. Hopefully they won’t take me as long to get through and I’m really hoping for more romance.

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

A deathbed promise to their father sends a daring girl and her brother off to war. Filled with intrigue, romance, and magic, this spellbinding novel is a dramatic coming-of-age story about a girl who rises from impoverished beginnings to take command of her own fate. “Smith tells a fast-moving tale of adventure, intrigue, and honor, with Mel a likable heroine and a lively narrator.”—Booklist

Jillian’s Review:

A well written, interesting read. The main character has plenty of room for growth but she wasn’t annoying before her growth. I love that the main girl (can’t remember her name) realizes that she’s so ignorant and wants to do something about it.

There’s some action, but not so detailed that I wanted to skip through it to get to the good stuff. Most of the characters we realistic, yet several of the minor characters probably could have been cut because we never really get to know them well enough.

 I hope to see a romance bloom where it was just barely hinted at in this first book, but I can’t find the second on, Court Duel anywhere! Anyone have a copy I can borrow?

This is a good book for older Middle Grade or the younger Young Adult reader.

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

 Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

THE FALSE PRINCE is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.

An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.

Jillian’s Review:

This was a well written Middle Grade read with an interesting plot. I loved how clever Sage was. It always makes for a fun read when you can depend on the main character to figure things out on his own and even have a few tricks up his sleeve. It annoys me when the kids in a Middle Grade novel lack intelligence and foresight (i.e. Harry Potter—don’t get me wrong, though, I LOVE Harry Potter!) Even though this was written from the POV of a boy, it didn’t feel like a boy’s book (like The Maze Runner).

This book reminded me of The Queen's Thief series but with less societal background information, which is just fine for MG. The False Prince had a really great ending and could easily be a standalone novel but I can’t wait for the second in The Ascendance Trilogy to come out (April 2013) to find out what happens to Sage and his friends.

 

Wings by E. D. Baker

Wings by E.D. Baker

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

There’s always been something a little unusual about Tamisin. Her freckles look more like sparkles, and the full moon makes her want to dance.

But nothing could have prepared her for the day when real, working fairy wings sprout from her back. At school there’s a new guy names Jak, who seems to know something she doesn't. As her world get stranger by the minute Tamisin finds out more about herself and the fairy world.

Jillian’s Review:

This was really a cute story, with great detail, but it became silly (my nice word for stupid) when the fantasy land came into play (e.i. during a battle between goblins and fairies, the fairies throw pixie dust on the goblins which makes then grow really big noses, or shrink, or some such nonsense).  This is a middle grade novel which would explain the silliness, I guess.

That being said, I did enjoy the characters and Baker’s descriptions are wonderfully visual, I especially liked the description of the emerging of Tamisin’s wings.

I do think younger girls would enjoy this one a lot more than I did.

The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

In the tradition of Gail Carson Levine, Karen Cushman, and Shannon Hale comes a magical debut that weaves favorite fairy tale elements into a fabulous new story starring an irrepressible heroine.

Jillian’s Review:

This was a lot like reading The Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George, only The Princess Curse is Middle Grade instead of Young Adult which means there’s not nearly enough romance for my taste. That being said, it’s still a great read. There’s lots of action and humor with a great heroine.

As with the majority of MG and YA novels I’ve read, the heroine is strong willed, smart, and determined, which are all great qualities (especially when reading about a person with them) but not true to the typical teenager. I often forgot that the main character was only 13 and thus kept looking forward to the romance. It never came, which it good when the main girl is only 13! I wrote the sequel to this one in my mind after I finished reading it. My sequel was YA a few years afterwards so the girl is old enough to have a romance with the guy and I went to sleep happy.

A great book for girls ages 10-13ish.