2011+December

"The purest intentions can stir up the darkest obsessions." That sums it up pretty well. Victor Frankenstein in this prequel wants to save his fatally ill twin brother Konrad. Doctors aren't helping and there are secretive rumors of an alchemist who may be able to recreate the Elixer of Life. So many dark secrets. So many conflicted emotions. Victor loves Elizabeth who loves Konrad. This could be YA for the romance, but it's simply very Victorian. The ending is pretty intense but inevitable. Very very good. 5 1/2 + (I'm still not sure. It needs a mature reader.) **Beryl: A Pig's Tale** by Jane Simmons Not Charlotte's Web or Babe the Pig by a long shot. The illustrations are adorable, but the plot was not strong. Beryl falls off the turnip truck--oh, I mean the pigs going to slaughter truck and escapes to the wild where a pig settlement proceeds to through her out. She's not racially pure. Long trek to find another home and after a bear helps them, the other settlement where all are welcome. The bears knows all. (?) The bad lands = civilization. But humans are the pinnacle of evil. Long live the pigs. Huh, that sounds like Animal Farm. I was hoping for a pleasant 3rd-5th read. But the human bashing was too bombastic. **In a Heartbeat** by Ellsworth, Loretta. A Scholastic deal. Not great. Not bad. I feel about this like I do about Ghost Whisperer. So much bad theology and not even good science. The two girls who share a heart after one dies in an accident, and both have much to work out. Relationships with mothers and boys. How compliant to be. Forgiveness. But the afterlife is just a rerun of your life. Not YA. **Elephant in the Garden** by Michael Morpurgo Larger print and short chapters makes this an accessible WWII story. Told by an old woman in a nursing home to a young boy and his mother, this is the story of the rescue of an elephant from the Dresden zoo, and ultimately the rescue of a family and an RAF pilot. Excellent. **Floors** by Patrick Carman In the genre of Willy Wonka, Merganzer Whippet has built a fantastic hotel with 13 floors of imaginative rooms--from the Pinball Room to the Flying Farm Room. Leo knows he is rescuing the Whippet Hotel somehow by solving a series of mysteries, and at the same time he rescues his new friend Remi and all of the miscellaneous guests. Always take a duck with you. Very Good 4th+ **Pie** by Sarah Weeks Alice's Aunt Polly has departed to pie-making heaven and left so many confused people. Her secret crust recipe has been left to Lardo. And Lardo(the cat) has been left to Alice. This is good for 4th+ and has a mystery as well as lots of relationship issues. Poignant. Very Good. **The Trouble with May Amelia** by Jennifer L Holm 1900 Washington State on the Nasel River. Comparable to Little House on the Prairie. May Amelia is the only girl in a Finnish farm family of 7 boys. Her pappa doesn't think there is any use for girls. This starts slowly but escalates into serious problems and conflicts. Some lighter moments relieve the dark ones, but this is not for immature readers. A cousin arrives who has seen his mother murdered and was attacked himself. A neighbor commits suicide. But May Amelia has sisu--guts. Very Good. 5th+ Based on the author's family history. **Ten miles past normal** by Frances O'Roark Dowell Freshman year of high school has started all wrong--goat poop on her shoe, and no one to eat lunch with--Janie Gorman just wants to be normal. Seems to be typical school story, but then involves a social studies project that introduces Janie to civil rights heroes in her own community. High school setting and quick kiss has made this YA, but not much to object to. Well-written and terrific themes. I'm a pushover for civil rights stories. **Young Fredle** by Cynthia Voight Fredle is pushed to out to be "went" after eating chocolate and getting sick. It turns out his eyes are open to the wide world of field mice, barn mice, cellar mice, and even raccoons. Plenty of adventure, but the strength of this book is the wonder that continues to happen. Also, Fredle is a wonderful character--brave yet self-effacing. Excellent. **The Fox Inheritance** by Mary Pearson 260 years after The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Jenna's two friends Kara and Locke are restored to rebuilt bodies. Plenty of intrigue and danger along with a heavy dose of moral conflict. Well done. YA for violence and mature content. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare Tessa Gray is in the middle of the work of the Magister, Mortmain, who is trying to gain control of the Institute by deposing Charlotte. At the same time Tessa finds herself torn between Will and Jem--can you love two men at the same time? YA for creepiness. And steamy kissing scenes. **Radiance** by Alyson Noel Riley finds herself in the Her and Now (afterlife) and is discovering just what she is supposed to be doing. With her guide Bodhi, a cute nerdy afterlife guy, she returns to earth plane to help Radiant Boy cross over. He's been haunting a castle for centuries. Nothing to make this YA. Riley is 12. Some scary scenes including the depth of grief of a mother locked into a tower in the castle. Story was OK, theology stinks. I personally wouldn't recommend this, but didn't hate it either. meh.
 * This Dark Endeavor : the Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein** by Kenneth Oppel

**True (…sort of)** by Katherine Hannigan Delly just can't seem to stay out of trouble until she gets some good advice: try counting and ask first. Ferris Boyd appears but never speaks. A mysturiousity. You know something terrible has happened to Ferris Boyd which adds a shadow to the story, but the energy Delly brings carries the storyline. This is a good story for voice. Also for troublemakers. Her battle with keeping out of trouble and the effects of cruel words are moving. Might be good for read aloud sections. Good 4th+