Interesting Readers Society - Book Reviews by Young Adults
Interesting Reader Society -- School Library Journal, 9/2/2009
Yep, Laurence. City of Fire. Tom Doherty/Starscape. September 2009. ISBN: 978-0-7653-1924-1. Gr 6-9.
When Scirye's sister is killed defending one of her kingdom's greatest treasures, Scirye sets off on a quest for revenge. Along with a ragtag band that includes a dragon assassin, her prey, and a “lap griffin,” she chases the murderer to a new Hawaiian island, where they discover a plot that stretches much further than they had imagined. City of Fire takes place in an alternate version of our own world, one in which the Kushan Empire is a power to be reckoned with and mythological creatures walk the streets alongside “ordinary” humans. Yep creates this unusual place with deft description, and makes it similar enough to the real world that it is familiar without being normal.
There was one scene at the end that felt kind of contrived and cheesy. It contained a “This is the evil plan and we are going to save the world!” bit of dialog. But as there was only one scene like this, it didn't really affect the book. Also, the cover showing Bayang, Scirye, and Leech flying over a tidal wave isn't actually a scene from the book. It’s certainly eye-catching, though, and the art is great. I would have liked to have seen an image of Kles, Scirye's lap griffin, somewhere, but as there are to be two more books in the series I imagine he'll show up eventually.
All in all, Yep’s writing is absolutely fantastic, and the blending of many cultures is done with grace and skill. While City of Fire is a bit of a light read, it's a lot of fun and promises sequels of equal caliber.—Lisa M., age 15
Kibuishi, Kazu. The Stonekeeper's Curse. GRAPHIX. Sept. 2009. ISBN: 978-0439846837. Gr 5-8.
After losing her father, Emily, her younger brother, and their mom move to their great grandpa's abandoned house. While cleaning the house, Emily stumbles across an unusual necklace with an amulet. From the moment she puts it on, Emily’s life is never the same—and never will be again.
This graphic novel could very well be a normal novel without all the pictures, but the illustrations really capture you and bring you into the world of the book. The cover couldn’t be better. It shows the main characters and a little preview of what’s in the basement. The most compelling element of the book is the whole world that Emily falls into, just by finding the amulet and walking down the stairs to that basement.
The only thing that slightly disappointed me is the fact that the elves are the bad guys this time. But then again, I really did like the new look of the elves as the bad guys because it mixed things up a bit. Special congratulations to the artist!—Jordan H., age 14
Blank, Jessica. Karma for Beginners. Hyperion. August 2009. ISBN: 9781423117513. Gr 8-12.
Tessa never asked for any of it—a New Age hippie mom, a new life in an ashram center, and no chance to succeed at what she is good at. The ashram center is supposed to be a place of self-discovery, but all Tessa sees is a homestead for freaks. That is, until, she meets Colin. He's gorgeous and kind, and has no regard for the age difference between them—the illegal age difference. Soon Tessa plunges into a world of love, false promises, heartache, and secrets, all leading to the destruction of her and her mom's place in the ashram center, which ultimately leads to her own self discovery and true love in the world.
The most compelling feature of the book was the difference in self discovery between mother and daughter. Tessa's mother finds peace in the world thanks to an overly friendly guru and the faith to which she belongs, while Tessa’s constant struggle to remain in the good eyes of Colin, separate from the stereotypical impression of the ashram center and her mother, results in Tessa’s new self awareness. However, eventually, both she and her mother discover their own inner sense of belonging.
I disliked the ending. It was disappointing because so much tension was built up as to what would happen to Colin and his pals, or to Tessa and her mom, and yet it fell flat. Nothing really happened and the ending seemed unconvincing, especially since Tessa's mom was so in love with the ashram and yet easily gave in to Tessa's demands of leaving. I loved the story right up until the end. If it weren't for the ending, it would definitely be on my list of top 20 favorite books.—Jason P., age 14
North, Pearl. Libyrinth. Tor. July 2009. ISBN: 978-0-76532-096-4. Gr 6-10.
In a post apocalyptic, abandoned colony of Earth, the Libyrians of the Libyrinth safeguard the written word of the Ancients, while the Eradicants seek to liberate the "dead words" through song. Haly is a junior Libyrian who hears books speak to her mind, and has grown up hating the Eradicants who threaten her beloved books. When The Book of the Night, a tome written in the lost language of the Ancients and containing their technological secrets, is discovered, the race is on between the Libyrians and the Eradicants to gain control of Haly and the book, and to learn the book’s hidden secrets.
The pacing of the story was extraordinarily well done; from beginning to end I wanted to keep reading. The book also shows us how important the written word is to us, and similarly how important friendship, trust, and camaraderie are. By the end of the story, the reader has a sense of the longevity of the written word, as well as its immediate or ultimate frailty.
Although not a huge problem, there were very few plot-critical male characters. Most everyone who is anyone is female, but the lack of plot-centric teenage romance (still there, just not plot-centric) makes it a tolerable read for most guys. The title is a clever pun, and pronounceable. This impresses me.—Jack K., age 17
The Interesting Reader Society (IRS--“teens, not taxes!”) is a library teen advisory and reading group of kids in grades 6 to 12 from throughout the Poudre River Public Library District in Fort Collins, CO. Currently, there are about 40 members. IRS is also one of the 15 2009–2010 national teen reading group appointees for the Young Adult Library Services Association’s (YALSA) Teens’ Top Ten/YA Galley project.
