Regan's Reviews and Musings

My Rotten Life (Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie) by David Lubar

2009-12-22T13:30:00.000-05:00

Official product description:

"Ten-year-old Nathan Abercrombie is having a really bad day. First, Shawna Lanchester, the prettiest girl in his class, doesn’t invite him to her party. Then he gets picked last in gym class. Things couldn’t get any worse…until he gets doused with an experimental serum that turns him into a half-dead zombie!

Nathan soon discovers that being half dead isn’t all bad. He doesn’t need any sleep, so he can stay up all night and play games online. He doesn’t feel any pain, so there’s no need to worry about Rodney the bully anymore. Still, Nathan would rather be human. Will he find a cure? Or will Nathan be half-dead forever?

Fans of David Lubar’s popular Weenies short story collections—which have sold more than one million copies—will love My Rotten Life, the first of a series of hilariously rotten adventures starring Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie"

OK, I'm being a little lazy here, but the description pretty much covers it. This was amusing, occasionally funny, a little zombie fun for the younger set. Definitely for younger readers. A second title is already out, with a third slated for January. My 9-year-old loved it. [more info]

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch and Curse of the Bane by Joseph Delaney

2009-12-22T13:15:00.001-05:00

I've always been a big fan of the dark and mysterious, and these books by Joseph Delaney are some of the best I've read for young adults. They're the first two in a series that currently numbers six and promises to keep coming, with the requisite "side" titles and other marketing gimmicks on board.

Thomas Ward is the seventh son of a seventh son who is getting old enough to be apprenticed and leave home. It comes as a surprise when his Mam announces that he'll be heading off with the local "Spook", the fellow people call for help when they have trouble with ghosts, ghasts, boggarts or witches.

John Gregory, the Spook, has a mysterious past and a fierce work ethic. He's tough, but capable of kindness. Together they set off on a series of adventures as Tom is taught his new trade. Along the way we meet Alice, who may or may not be a witch, and who may or may not be turning toward "the dark".

I rarely read more than one in a series, an occupational hazard. There's just too much out there for me to read. Still, I took the time to polish off the second volume for the sheer, spooky fun of it. Each book is full of gorgeous wood-cut-style illustrations that only intensify the scary mood and portend what's to come in each chapter.

Highly recommended for fans of Darren Shan or RL Stine (and better written). [more info]

Some New Quick Reviews

2009-12-22T12:59:00.001-05:00

Sorry I've been away from the blog a while. Busy busy... I have been reading though, and have a few quick reviews to add. First, I took a 1000 page break from YA literature and read the latest Stephen King, Under the Dome. While it's not the best thing he's ever done, it's far from the worst. I've read them all & I'd put this in the top 15 or so.

The whole book spans a mere 5 days, but it's packed with story & characters of all sorts. An impenetrable, clear dome suddenly appears over a small Maine town one sunny autumn afternoon. The unexplained crisis results in some pretty horrific accidents right away, then a surprisingly quick deterioration of society as the corrupt second selectman Big Jim Rennie jumps at the opportunity to make a power grab. There are plenty of King's small-town archetypes in the play, with the somewhat predictable rag-tag group of "good folks" banding together in opposition. It was a fun read, but like most King, probably not for the younger crowd. [more info]

Mr. Regan with Some Morning Library Guys

2009-10-30T12:25:00.000-04:00

Halloween 2009 at Barker Road

2009-10-30T12:19:00.001-04:00

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

2009-10-28T12:49:00.002-04:00

Calpurnia is 11, and not at all typical for her time. It's 1899, and young girls from good families in Texas are expected to spend their time learning to cook, sew, and generally be a "lady". Calpurnia would much rather be swimming in the river, reading books or running around with one of her 6 brothers. When Callie discovers that she shares an interest in the natural world with her odd, distant grandfather, the two begin developing a tentative friendship. She assists in his experiments and specimen-gathering and he teaches her about the scientific method and the controversial ideas of Charles Darwin. This does not, unfortunately, sit well with Calpurnia's mother....

This may be my favorite yet of the Newbery Award candidates for this year. The portrayal of that time and place in our history is rich and real, and the characters are three-dimensional and entertaining. Recommended, especially for girls with an interest in science. [more information]

Pumpkins 2010!

2009-10-27T20:02:00.000-04:00

Here are this year's Halloween masterpieces!

Squidward & Greg (the "Wimpy Kid") Heffley.

Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry

2009-10-25T16:21:00.000-04:00

I have to admit, it took me quite a while to warm up to this story, but in the end it proved gripping, emotional and powerful. "Brother" is, at 11 years old, the youngest in a spiritual family of military men and ranchers in rural Oregon. His mother left years earlier, his brothers are off in the military or boarding school, and his father has just been called up for active duty in Iraq. That leaves Brother and his grandparents to keep it all together, and they're not as young as they used to be.

Brother takes comfort and inspiration from a variety of people: his grandparents, a traveling priest, other ranchers and email & IM contact with his brothers. The hard realities of ranching and war are portrayed in ordinary and extraordinary ways. Along the way, Brother figures out what role the future may hold for him. This is coming of age in a very different America from the one I know.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

2009-10-17T20:22:00.000-04:00

I really liked this book. It's cool steampunk, sci-fi, (alternate) historical, adventuresome fun. Alek is the son of Franz Ferdinand, the murdered Archduke whose death led to the start of World War I. Deryn is the rough and tumble daughter of an airman, who has disguised herself as a boy and lied about her age to pursue a life in the British air force.

It's 1914, but not the 1914 we know. In this alternate history, the British have taken Darwin's science and developed genetically modified creatures to power their lives and war machines. The Leviathan of the title is actually a genetically modified whale, a massive, living airship, with a menagerie of other modified creatures that provide power, defense and maintenance. The Germans & Austrians (Clankers) have developed machines the likes of which we've never seen. Huge walkers with 2 to 8 legs, iron precursors to the Empire's attack vehicles in the Empire Strikes Back.

The two main characters have amazing adventures on their own, but when their paths cross, things start to get really interesting. War is brewing, and they are caught up in the intrigue, socio-political upheaval and battles of a pivotal time in history. This is just the first chapter in an epic tale (more volumes to come), with adventure, history, science and politics that will keep you turning pages and anxious for the next book in the series. Highly recommended.

When the Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton

2009-10-13T10:22:00.000-04:00

When the Whistle Blows tracks a West Virginia steam train family through 6 years of All Hallow's Eve (Halloween) in the 1940's, with each chapter telling a self-contained story. Through the course of the stories, we learn about Jimmy Cannon, his 2 older brothers Mike and Bill, and especially their father WP. He is an old steam engine man who sees the writing on the wall - deisel engines are on the rise, and the days of generations of men working on the steam-run railroads are coming to an end. There are Halloween hijinks, a championship football game, a secret society and several funerals, all told with love and nostalgia for a lost era of steam trains and the men who ran them. more information

The Brooklyn Nine (a Novel in Nine Innings) by Alan Gratz

2009-10-07T08:56:00.000-04:00

I'm not generally a big fan of sports books, but I really enjoyed this one. It follows a family through nine generations, from mid-19th Century to present day, with each of the nine stories relating in different ways to the game of baseball and the New York borough of Brooklyn. The child at the center of one story often appears as an adult in the next one. This meandering line of continuity is a great device for telling some very different kinds of stories. Real historical events and people are sprinkled liberally throughout, and the final story brings together a number of threads from all of them. more information

When You Reach Me - Rebecca Stead

2009-09-28T20:10:00.002-04:00

This is such an odd little book. In many ways, it's just the ordinary daily life of Miranda, an 11-year-old growing up in NYC in the late 70's. But gradually, a mystery creeps in. A mystery I won't give away here, but that relates to Miranda's favorite book, Madeleine L'Engle's Wrinkle in Time.

I was not an 11-year-old girl growing up in NYC in the late 70's, but I was an 11-year-old boy growing up near Buffalo in the late 70's, and Wrinkle in Time was one of my favorite books. I really enjoyed the way the author captures that time, and the atmosphere of the schools, shops and daily life. All the many threads she weaves into the story come together in a deeply satisfying way in the end. Highly recommended. more information

FYI - The author will be appearing at the Rochester Children's Book Festival on November 7 at MCC. -BR

Wild Things by Clay Carmichael

2009-09-28T08:49:00.001-04:00

Zoë is tough. She's had to be, as all the adults in her 11 years so far have been less than model citizens. She never knew her father, and her mother has just died, and Zoë has moved in with an uncle she's never met before, a famous sculptor named Henry. It's a big adjustment for both of them, and in the course of a few months, they both grow and learn a great deal. The storytelling is interspersed with observations from the viewpoint of a stray cat Zoë befriends, giving an interesting perspective, and occasionally some cat's-eye-view history to the main story. I really liked the depth of the characters in this book, and the warmth that permeates their lives and friendships. more information

All The Broken Pieces by Ann Burg

2009-09-24T16:54:00.000-04:00

Matt Pin is a 12-year-old child of a US soldier and Vietnamese woman. He was airlifted out of Saigon at the end of the war, leaving his injured brother and mother behind. Now he lives in America. It's 1977, he has a loving adoptive family, is a star pitcher and a fine piano player, but he still suffers nightmares from his past. The war is still fresh in many people's minds, and Matt's visit to a veteran's center is enlightening for everyone. This story is told in verse, making for a quick, but powerful read about putting together the pieces. more information

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick

2009-09-24T16:38:00.001-04:00

Homer is a boy with a talent for tall tales. He and his older brother Harold are orphans, living with a cruel uncle in Maine during the Civil War. When the uncle flies into a rage and sells Harold into the Union Army (even though he's underage), Homer sets out to find and rescue him. Crazy adventures follow, told by Homer in a voice that reminded me of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Some of the tales get pretty tall, but they're always entertaining. more information

Nora Raleigh Baskin - Anything But Typical

2009-09-20T17:35:00.001-04:00

Jason just tries to get through each day. Some are better than others, but every day has its challenges. You see, Jason is autistic, and sometimes he does or says things that other people don't understand. He is also a good writer, and through an online community he strikes up a friendship with another young writer who calls herself Phoenixbird. Everything is fine until the day comes when they will meet face to face...
This is a fascinating look inside a mind that is anything but typical. more information

Scholastic Book Fair is THIS WEEK!

2009-09-20T17:31:00.001-04:00

September 21-24. Mon-Thurs during school and Thursday night at Open House. Please stop in!