Review: Keeper

Sorry I've been somewhat MIA this week. I am still looking for a job, but I've managed to figure out what laptop I'm buying. (Don't know if I've mentioned it hear, but my laptop has been in death throes for two months. I've been sneaking time on shared computers.)

By Kathi Appelt
Illustrated by August Hall
Available now from Simon & Schuster (Athenum)
Review Copy



I promised I'd review more middle grade fiction and I'm keeping that promise. I first became aware of Kathi Appelt last year, when THE UNDERNEATH received the Newberry Honor Award. I haven't read it yet, unfortunately, but I did jump at my chance to read KEEPER, a novel about a ten-year-old Texas girl who believes in magic.

It was supposed to be a wonderful day for Keeper, her guardian Signe, and the other residents of Oyster Ridge Road - Dogie and Mr. Beauchamp. But everything went wrong, and now Keeper slips out while everyone is sleeping to find her mermaid mother Meggie Marie with BD (Best Dog) and Captain (a watermelon-loving seagull). KEEPER is postmodern magical realism for kids.

But as an adult, it's a fairly harrowing reading experience. Like the narrator, an adult reader knows the danger of a young girl alone in a boat catching the outgoing tide. Unlike Keeper, the adult reader doesn't believe the mermaids will be waiting. Yet as intense as the sense of danger could be, Appelt keeps everything on a slow boil.

She slips into a variety of POVs - all animal and human characters get their say. She also slips back and forth in time, all the way back to old Mr. Beauchamp's young love in Paris. (Her matter-of-fact treatment of homosexuality is welcome and appropriate to the age group.) Her language is lyrical and lulling, obscuring the dark undercurrent, much like the sea that is integral to KEEPER's story.

I also love the illustrations by August Hall. They're simple and bold. My favorite may be the fist time we see Signe, young and fierce. Hall illustrates a nice mix of dramatic and intimate moments, which contributes to the tone of the novel, which remains calm no matter how badly things go wrong.

Most middle grade books don't end in senseless tragedy, so I wondered how Appelt could reach a satisfying end. But she does, without betraying the characters or the story. If you're looking for action and adventure, KEEPER might not be the best choice. But it's still a good summer read that will make you long for a nice bowl of gumbo.

Review: Legacy

By Thomas E. Sniegoski
Available now from Random House (Delacorte)



I've been on a comic book inspired YA kick. I have HERO by Perry Moore, the Hottie series by Jonathon Bernstein, DULL BOY by Sarah Cross, and I'm probably forgetting a few. (Any suggestions to assauge my craving?) From the above list, LEGACY most closely resembles HERO. There's an emphasis of the father-son relationship and a questioning of superhero idols. Aside from that, they don't have much in common.

Thomas E. Sniegoski started his career in comics, and it shows. He's familiar with the tropes and uses one of my least favorite - the disposable woman. (LEGACY, specifically, is an instance of Doomed Hometown, which is far preferable to Women in Refrigerators. Please not that the Women in Refrigerators site is not appropriate for children as it catalogues "superheroines who have been either depowered, raped, or cut up and stuck in the refrigerator.") Lucas Moore's mom raised him alone, working as a waitress. One day a man shows up at his job, claiming to be his father - billionaire Clayton Hartwell and superhero Raptor. Pretty soon, Raptor's enemies have killed Lucas's mother and neighbors. Lucas is inspired to defeat those responsible for his mother's death, but other than that he shows no signs of grief and barely thinks about her.

But the plot does move quickly, which is essential in a short novel like LEGACY. Lucas encounters a former protege of Raptor and begins to realize that his dying father is concealing dark secrets. Sniegoski develops an entertaining origin for Lucas, and I like his helpers - a teenaged girl and a crippled old man. I'd be enthusiastically recommending it to comic book fans if it weren't for that pesky use of a hated trope.

Sniegoski is also the author of the FALLEN quartet, which is currently being rereleased. (The second omnibus will be available July 20th.) I haven't read these since they were first released in 2003-4, but I remember liking them. Fans of fallen angel books like HUSH, HUSH may enjoy this guy-oriented series.

Review: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

By Seth Grahame-Smith
Available now from Grand Central Publishing; Review copy



I'm not often this torn about a book.

On one hand, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER has a lot going for it. I enjoy the meta, that a vampire sent Seth Grahame-Smith Lincoln's diaries. I admire how well Grahame-Smith managed to replicate the tone of a history text - somewhat dry, but hints that the author is having lots of fun. (I would, however, be over the moon for footnotes.) Grahame-Smith makes up most of Lincoln's backstory wholesale, but says it quite convincingly. I'll also admit that the bloody mayhem is fairly fun too. On the other hand, Grahame-Smith failed to absorb me into his world.

Perhaps it was because of the academic tone. Perhaps it was the use of history I'm familiar with. Whatever it was, I could not stop reading critically after Lincoln's encounter with a slave market.

The Civil War is a rough time to write about. People still feel strongly about it, especially since racism is alive and well. The depiction of racism in pop culture is important. (See: Racialicious.)

Lincoln is pretty horrified by how the slaves are treated. But he only vows to end slavery once he realizes the slaves help sustain America's vampire population. It made me uncomfortable, especially since human rights' violations convinced the real Lincoln slavery needed to be ended. I disliked that ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER made vampires the tipping point, the impetus for the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War. I felt like it cheapened many of the real reasons the nation went to war against itself.

I had fun reading ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, mostly. But I'm not looking to be made uncomfortable by my popcorn reading. Although, my medieval lit professor, a classmate, and myself noticed an odd thing about Grahame-Smith's writing: it's enjoyable enough while you're reading, but it doesn't really compel you to pick the book up after you set it down. I ended up reading ABRAHAM LINCOLN, VAMPIRE HUNTER in sporadic chunks.

Review: Faithful

By Janet Fox
Available now from Speak (Penguin), Review Copy



Billed as a romance, there's a lot more going on in FAITHFUL. Sixteen-year-old Maggie Bennet's largest preoccupation is not Tom Rowland, nor her fiance George Greybull. Instead, she is trying to decide the course of her life after her mother's death and her move to Yellowstone. While Yellowstone still has class divisions, it is much less stratified than Newport, where Maggie was raised. She's beginning to realize that she may have more options than she thought.

Historical fiction is not my favorite, but I wanted to read Janet Fox's YA debut since she's frequented my blog. (Two years later and I'm still excited that people actually read this thing.) I do like how Fox uses the setting of 1904 Montana. She does bring in historical society as well as sensory details.

Maggie makes important connections to other women. Her mother never fit into society, and Maggie was partially isolated by the gossip. But now she's working with Mrs. Gale, a widowed photographer, and trying to be friends with Kula, a servant. She's discovering hidden parts of herself that she likes and others that she's less thrilled by.

I enjoyed Maggie's voice. FAITHFUL starts slowly, as Maggie accepts other's words at face value and allows her father to control her life. But it works, as things begin to move faster once Maggie discovers the pleasure in asserting herself. She's a strong female character even if she couldn't win a fistfight.

History and animal lovers will probably enjoy FAITHFUL. Those sold on the romance between Maggie and Tom might be somewhat disappointed by the percentage of the book devoted to the relationship, but should still be satisfied because it is sweet.

Interview with Janet Fox

Fellow Texan Janet Fox's debut young adult novel FAITHFUL arrived in stores this month, although she has previously written children's nonfiction. You might have seen her before, however, as an IBWB commenter. But this is only one stop one her blog tour: you can find her at SLJ Teen tomorrow and Rebecca's Book Blog on Thursday. In addition, you can read my review posted later today.

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1. Before writing professionally, you studied oceanography - very different. What drew you to the sea floor? What's the most interesting thing you learned during your time as an oceanographer?

It is very different! But then . . . most people think of science as a left-brain thing and writing as a right-brain thing, but in fact I used a lot of creative energy when I worked in oceanography. The fact that we can’t actually walk around on the sea floor means ocean science requires a lot of imagination. I studied the formation of the crust – volcanism and deformation – and how do we know anything about what really happens inside the earth? It requires a lot of speculation, extrapolation. That fascinates me. I have to tell you about the most interesting thing I experienced, when I was a passenger in the submersible (mini-submarine) ALVIN. We were diving very deep. As the submersible descended, we had the outside lights off to save energy. As we got close to the bottom, I turned on the lights outside my window – and saw a world of fantastic creatures, most very tiny. Spirals, snowflakes, pinwheels – it was like watching a sci fi movie. All these marine animals live at great depths and never make it to the surface (they’d die and deform) and yet there they are, in a silent dark high-pressure world of their own in which we are the aliens.

2. You've also been a teacher. What are your favorite grades to teach, and why?

I taught 8th and 9th grades, and they will always be my favorites. There’s something about that age – it’s like teaching centaurs (half man, half beast) because they are caught in between innocent childhood and knowing adulthood. I feel for them. What a frightening, frustrating, glorious time of life.

And, I’m basically stuck there myself, emotionally. Stuck at about 14.



3. Before FAITHFUL, you wrote a non-fiction middle grade book: GET ORGANIZED WITHOUT LOSING IT, inspired by your own son's struggles with organization. Do you think you'll publish more non-fiction? Do you prefer writing for a middle grade or a young adult audience?

I do think I’ll write more nonfiction; in fact, there’s an idea in the works. Both fiction and nonfiction require creativity so they’re both satisfying. And I like both middle grade and young adult. I’ve got 4 manuscripts in various stages of development – I like working on multiple projects at a time – and they span the spectrum, from young middle grade to sophisticated young adult. The only thing I think I’m not into is really edgy YA . . . although, I never say never. I do have a couple of picture books, but that’s a genre I struggle with.




4. FAITHFUL is set in 1904 and takes readers on a journey across the country to Yellowstone. What attracted you to write about this time and place? How did you research it?

I love history at the cusp of change – when things take a huge leap or shift. The Wright brothers flew the first airplane in late 1903. Women’s suffrage was emerging in the early 1900s. This country was in transition, from an agrarian economy to an urban industrial economy fueled by an immigrant workforce. Women were emerging from behind their husbands, to have their own voice. That’s where I wanted to put Maggie – so that she could make the choice: do I want to be the submissive girl I’m supposed to be, or a modern woman thinking for myself? Yellowstone fed that theme, because it was so wild and untamed, and could become a metaphor for Maggie’s discovery of “freedom.”

5. Margaret Bennet, the heroine, worries about what her mother's mental issues mean for her own life, particularly as others gossip how like her mother she is. I found it to be an interesting relationship to explore, since it's very relevant to girls today, not just girls in the early twentieth century. How did you develop the mother's character?

Oh, I love Maggie’s mother, and I’m so glad you do, too. She’s such an interesting person. I felt that she was ahead of her time – artistic and passionate and not really willing to repress her feelings. I developed a whole backstory for her, almost another book in itself. She is torn between what she wants and what she must do. And this, of course, is what Maggie must understand about herself, and decide what kind of choice she will make. Will she be like her mother . . . or make a different choice?

6. What books have influenced your evolution as a writer?

Jane Austen (of course). But I also truly love fantasy. CS Lewis and Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings were my favorites as a child – I read them over and over. And then, I also read all of Nancy Drew. I read everything when I was a kid . . . I was a reading maniac. I’m trying to get back to that place, reading as much as I can.