Call of the Wild October 27, 2007

London, Jack (1903). Call of the Wild. Project Gutenberg Etext.

Buck, a dog living a comfortable, domesticated life, is abducted from his home and thrust into the harsh environment of the Yukon, where he unexpectedly thrives.

I don’t usually read dog books, because, frankly, the dogs don’t really have a good survival rate and there’s nothing that makes me tear up faster than man’s best friend biting the bullet (literally or otherwise). So (SPOILER) I was only willing to read this years after everyone else in the world has after I found out that Buck ends up ok. Mind you – he’s practically the only character that does.

London does an excellent job of characterizing Buck without anthropomorphizing (read: Disney-fying), and managed to maintain my interest and affection for the hairy protagonist throughout the length of the book, and through his evolution into a purely wild creature. The dog’s-eye view of the Yukon was interesting and surprisingly intense as well.

If you liked this book:  Maybe you should watch the Due South episode by the same title to get more of that adventuring-in-the-Yukon feeling.

Bound October 27, 2007

Napoli, Donna Jo (2004). Bound. NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 186 pages.

Xing-Xing is the young heroine of this retelling of the old Chinese folktale that Cinderella, more familiar to Wester readers, was based on. In this version of the story she is treated as a servant by her stepmother and half-sister, but continues to live her life by demonstrating the three virtues of painting, poetry, and calligraphy.

This novel is a beautiful and intriguing retelling of an old, old story, fleshed out with historical and atmospheric details of ancient China. The plot meanders its way to a rather sudden conclusion, but the book is really more concerned with the characters – and with social issues that have possibly more current than historical importance.

The title, Bound, is taken from the practice of foot binding, wherein Chinese women would bind their feet, inhibiting their growth (and use) in order to make them smaller and more attractive. Not dissimilar to our current practice of wearing high heels. While Xing-Xing has naturally small feet, her half-sister needs to have hers bound in order to attract a husband, and the painful and sometimes overly gory process is described in full. This foot binding is reflective of the metaphorical bondage of Chinese women in the time period, and Xing-Xing has to face existing within a social system that she cannot tolerate, which makes for an interesting internal conflict. Unfortunately, the resolution of the conflict happens about two pages from the end, and the reader really needs a basic understanding of Chinese history to fully appreciate it (this is hinted at in the author’s afterword, but is not actually explained).

Also, in what I’m assuming is an homage to the Grimm’s version of Cinderella (mutilation in the name of beauty!), the story treads a little heavily past the boundaries of cultural sensitivity in its reverse-exoticism regarding the foot binding. A large portion of the book is devoted to making this practice seem alien and barbaric, which can be (or rather, I’ve been informed, is) offensive to people of Asian, particularly Chinese, extraction. The overbearing obsession with foot binding also somewhat weakens the plot, as after all, the heroine does not experience it directly.

Booktalk Hook: Do you like the darker, grittier, Grimm’s version of fairy tales? Bound is a no-holds barred retelling of a Chinese folktale that is bound (haha!) to please.

If you liked this book: Why not play Kingdom Heart’s II, and help Mulan, another plucky Chinese girl-power hero, save the day? This game is the best thing Disney’s had its name on in a long time.

Dragon’s Keep October 27, 2007

Carey, Janet Lee (2007). Dragon’s Keep. Orlando, FL: Harcourt. 302 pages.

Rosalind will be the 21st Queen of Wilde Island, prophesied by Merlin to restore honor to the Pendragon family and to end an unspecified war. But Rosalind’s mother is more concerned about the prophecy than her daughter is, and she’s definitely more worried about Rosalind’s ring finger – which just happens to be a dragon’s talon.

I had some problems with this book – while the conflict is certainly interesting, it refuses to map out on paper. By my count, there are four characters that could be counted as antagonists: Demetra (the creepy witch), Rosalind’s desperate mother, Faul (the irate and anti-human dragon) , and Magnus (the creepy wizard). And Rosalind, when she comes into conflict with these antagonists, loses every time. Or, rather, her triumph generally comes through her allies, characters connected with her and acting on her behalf. This makes, you can imagine, for a less than compelling heroine.

The tone of the book is light on the fun, and heavy on the angst. Rosalind is, according to the other characters, a charming girl, however she spends most of the narrative arguing, or sulking. And she’s gets progressively more depressed as the novel continues, and (of course) can’t eat and wastes away (and then is forced onto a dragon-style Atkins Diet) until she loses all of her “womanly curves” (oh no!) I like fantasy, but there’s a difference between “fantasy” and “completely divorced from real life” When I get depressed? I eat too much chocolate, and get more “womanly curves” than I can handle – and I bet the majority of readers are more like me than not. Basically, Rosalind fails at being a sympathetic or likable protagonist. Her relationship with her mother is compelling, deep, and interesting, but the novel really doesn’t finish exploring it, and rather neglects her relationships with the other characters as a consequence. Her relationship to the baby dragons she raises (the key relationship, plotwise, of the novel) is severely underdeveloped. No affection is shown on either side, though the author plots the novel as though it exists. Likewise her love for whatsisname.

On the other hand, the plot is very interesting, if a trifle predictable – there’s a wonderful combination of fairy tale, history, and mystery that made it hard for me to put the book down, despite my lack of affection for Rosalind.

Booktalk Hook: Of course most parents want their children to be perfect, whether or not their kids can take the pressure of their expectations. But Rosalind’s mother takes “pushy mom” to a whole new level.

If you liked this book: You might want to try Patricia C. Wrede’s fabulously fun Enchanted Forest Chronicles, starting with Dealing with Dragons, the story of another princess who learns the joys of working for a dragon employer.

Knights of the Hill Country October 19, 2007

Tharp, Tim (2006). Knights of the Hill Country. NY : Alfred A. Knopf. 233 pages.

Hampton Green is on the brink of becoming a legend – he’s the star of the football team in a town where football is practically a religion, and his team is on its way to a record number of undefeated games. But the rest of his life isn’t going nearly that well. His mom only seems to have time for her string of short term boyfriends. His best friend is coming unglued. And the only girl he can talk to is completely inappropriate for him, according to the etched-in-stone social hierarchy of high school.

This book draws heavily from the old legends and stories of the medieval era. Being a Kennisaw Knight is more than just being a member of a football team – it’s a way of life. It means fighting for your honor, never giving up, and, according to Hampton’s friend Blaine, enjoying the perks that come with a heroic victory (aka, the hottest girls in school). The metaphor works perfectly – not only in terms of equating football with war, there’s also the “town hero” idea, and the rigidity of the high school hierarchy (which I always felt was a little medieval) backing it up. The concept was really well done, with appropriate conflicts and resolutions building up the theme.

The book is written in Hampton’s unabashed, ungrammatically, country voice that nevertheless manages to be both efficient and lyrical. The characters are also well drawn – I particularly liked Sarah, Hampton’s unpopular love interest. Or maybe that was just because I could relate – her unfortunate nickname “Bush Girl” is very similar (yet slightly more inventive) than the one I had in junior high. Ah, memories!

All in all, this book was well written, well plotted, and well characterized – and I definitely recommend it. I even enjoyed the football scenes!

Booktalk hook: Do you like football? Do you hate football? Doesn’t matter, you’ll probably like this book either way.

And if you like this: You might want to try the football manga, Eyeshield 21, or Gordon Korman’s Zucchini Warriors.

Half-Moon Investigations October 16, 2007

Colfer, Eoin (2006). Half-Moon Investigations. NY : Miramax Books/Hyperion Books for Children. 290 pages.

Fletcher Moon knows better than to get involved in the cases he’s investigating – even if he did only just earn his detective badge via correspondence course – but when his first case leads to him, and his enemy, Red Sharkey, getting framed for crimes they didn’t commit, Fletcher has to get way more involved than he intended.

This book hits every single one of my reading kinks in the best way – I really can’t be objective about it at all. The writing is excellent – I think Colfer (better known for the Artemis Fowl series) is really at his best here – and Fletcher’s first person narration is a brilliant cross between detective noir and teenage boy. The mystery is engrossing, unpredictable and hilarious. And I loved the reluctant-allies relationship between Red and Fletcher.

My only problem? There is no sequel.

The book is mainly a light read, but there are some deeper issues that sort of haunt the book around the edges – issues with family, rumor, society, etc. And there’s a slight vein of sort of girl phobia that some people may find offensive.

Booktalk Hook: It’s like the Hardy Boys but 100 times more awesome.

And if you like this: You might want more teen detectives, and a good bet to satisfy would be the short Japanese live action drama, Detective Academy Q. Like Half-Moon Investigations, this series also scores really high points for the quality of the mysteries, good characterizations, and strong friendships between characters.

Hikaru no Go October 16, 2007

Hotta, Yumi & Obata, Takeshi. (2004-) Hikaru no Go (Andy Nakatani, Trans.). San Francisco: Viz Media.

Twelve year old Hikaru was just minding his own business, looking around his grandfather’s attic for stuff to pawn (ok, maybe not minding his own business) when he stumbled on a go board haunted by the thousand year old ghost of go enthusiast, Fujiwara no Sai. Only now that Sai’s met Hikaru, he has no intention of staying in the attic – he wants to play more go - and drags Hikaru with him, into a world of competitive and passionate people, where he makes friends, rivals, and enemies.

If you asked me if I’d like this series before I read it (and people did) the answer would have been “hell no.” It’s about go, which as far as I was (and still am) concerned is like chess, but with little round stones. So, the series had to be really boring, right? Wrong. This series is excellent – the art is wonderful, the story telling is compelling, and the overall experience is addictive. The story follows Hikaru from 12 to 18, from Sai’s reluctant proxy, to an enthusiastic professional player, using his own strengths and abilities.  Once I started, I couldn’t stop reading (and I was lucky, because I had the entire series, but American readers should be aware that only half of the series has been published as of now.) The manga doesn’t take a microscopic, obsessive view of the game itself, but uses it as a tangible object around which the characters act out obsession, competition, rivalry, pride, revenge, and triumph like any great story. The result is that you may not learn a hell of a lot about go, but you definitely enjoy the ride.

For me, the most compelling part of the story is (antihero?) Akira Touya. Akira is the rising young progidy of the go world, with his title-winning father and his heaps of natural talent and careful training. And all of that crashes around his head when he tries to make (his first!) friend in Hikaru and ends up totally smushed at go by Sai. Of course, he doesn’t know it’s Sai, prompting Hikaru from the shadows, all he knows is that he’s suddenly got a rival his age – a rival that’s strangely reluctant to face him. And he doesn’t handle it well – but he handles it interestingly. (Stalking, among other things, is involved.)

Booktalk Hook: Did you ever think it would be kind of cool to be haunted by a ghost? Poor Hikaru probably hadn’t thought anything like that at all – but when it happened to him, it wasn’t cool, because all the ghost wanted to do was make him play a really boring old game. But – was it really that boring?

If you like this: Check out the movies Onmyouji and Onmyouji II, for more Heian era ghosts. Although these ghosts aren’t friendly, harmless, go enthusiasts – they’re dangerous. And only Abe no Seimei’s powers and Hiromasa’s – uh – flute, are standing between them and total destruction. Or if you want the younger, friendlier version, try Shonen Onmyouji instead.

Dragonhaven October 16, 2007

McKinley, Robin. (2007). Dragonhaven. NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons. 342 pages.

Jake Mendoza begins a life as an interspecies liaison when he precipitously (and illegally) adopts a baby dragon after he finds its dying mother.

I’d like to start out by saying that this is a really good book, and that I did enjoy it… but I need to start out saying that because there is a lot more that this book did wrong than it did right. And most of it is something a good editor really should’ve fixed, which is most of the problem – the book reads a little too much like what it’s aiming to be, the unedited memoirs of teenage Jake Mendoza. And that means, as a result, that the organization of the plot, and its telling, is all over the place to the point where it became frankly hard to follow. The book is filled with asides and chatty meanderings through tangential subjects – some of which are later actually important, so too bad if your eye starts skimming a bit. There is also a lot of repetition. And there didn’t need to be.

One criticism I’d heard before I bought the book was that the teenage-boy voice of the narrator was a little bit jarring from those who expected something a bit more like McKinley’s usual style, but I personally thought that this was one of the best aspects of the book (aside from some strange slip ups, like the use of the word “cheezing” – editor, find me a boy who actually uses this word, please!). Jake has an interesting, complicated, blunt and charming voice, and is a genuinely likable protagonist. And while some McKinley fans might notice the lack of “girls who do things” in the book’s summary, they should note that any and all girl characters who appear are usually doing things.

Dragonhaven, taking place as it does in an alternate universe modern day, tries really hard to avoid a lot of the romanticism of the usual boy- meets- dragon story. Sure, the dragons communicate telepathically (although Jake refuses to use the word), but it causes headaches! Sure, Jake finds a baby dragon, but it’s really more like a gooey fetus than a cute, wide-eyed, anime-style baby dragon! If you like realism, this take on things should be a plus. If you’re a fan of, say, Eragon or other dragon-centric fantasy novels, the tone can be almost a little offensive (i.e. “obviously dragons aren’t cute! Duh! God, who’d expect them to be?!”).

Booktalk Hook: Did you ever want a story about a boy and a dragon that was a little less Eragon and a little more like real life?

And if you liked this book: You might want to check out Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series, which, while not YA, is another excellent take on the “like real life with dragons” premise, set in the British “age of sail” period (read: like Master and Commander with dragons.)