Blood Sinister by Celia Rees

I really enjoyed the way the mystery of the book was revealed slowly through the main character Ellen Reading her ancestor's diaries. It allowed the story and the characters to be revealed at a steady pace. The use of Ellen's illness managed to create a sense of anticipation for the next clue. Overall the story was quite tame for a vampire tale. While I like the characters and the relationship between Ellen and Her grandmother, the relationship between Ellen and Andy could have used more depth And more intensity. I also really liked the character of nurse Jenny and appreciated her role in the end chapters but felt that the Swiftness with which Ellen and Andy trusted her and reveal their secrets and the ease with which Jenny accepted their story and willingly took on such great risk required more suspension of disbelief than this reader could muster. 

The cover art on this book was what grabbed my interest and it having a 'mature read' sticker from the Scholastic book fair let me to believe that it was going to be a deeper more intense and more intricate story and it actually turned out to be. Overall this was a satisfactory book for younger YA readers who may be interested in vampire mystery but who are not looking for the intensity or violence and gore that is common in this genre. 

No Girls Allowed: Tales of Daring Women Dressed as Men for Love, Freedom and Adventure

A female pharaoh? A woman general in the Kahn's army? A female Viking raider? No way, you say? Look again. Appearances can be deceiving ? Based on legends, poems, letters and first-hand accounts, these seven biographical tales tell of women who disguised themselves as men. From ancient Egypt through the Middle Ages to the 19th century, this historically accurate graphic treatment is perfect to transport readers back to bygone eras. The lives of these daring women were often filled with danger and the fear of discovery. However, for the sake of freedom, ambition, love or adventure, these women risked everything. No Girls Allowed brings a contemporary edge to a part of history largely untold ? until now.

An informative and stylish read, No Girls Allowed tells of brave and creative girls and women throughout the ages who defied the social restrictions of their gender.  I would have liked to have seen colour in the illustrations, but the feeling of inspiration still came through.  I especially liked that the tales ended with an update or sorts on the women, what happened to them when known and what was likely to have happened when not known.  These are not simply tales of individuals but of the influence and affects they had on those around them and on other women of the time.

wEIRD wORD wEDNESDAY

whelve:  means to turn something over and hide something underneath; to bury something



scaramouche: a cowardly buffoon

lopeholt: a place that is safe; refuge

What wEIRD wORDS do you know?  Share in the comments.

The Romeo and Juliet Code by Phoebe Stone

 SEVEN MYSTERIOUS LETTERS.

A BOY WITH BROWN SUGAR EYES.

A FIRST BIG CRUSH.

When Felicity's glamorous parents leave her with distant relatives in Maine, Felicity isn't happy.  Her Uncle Gideon hides things.  There's an odd person in the house who won't come out of his room.  And the only kids around is too handsome for his own good.  Felicity is on her own, but soon she know that she needs help.  Gideon is getting coded letters from Felicity's parent, and she's sure they're in trouble.  Can Felicity crack the code, heal the family, and save her parents ... all while surviving her first big crush?

I did enjoy this book, which was a surprise given that the cover and back cover synopsis gave no hint to a major part of the story.  When I started reading, I had no idea that this was actually a WWII story or that it took place anytime but the present.  That did cause a bit of confusion at the beginning and I am not sure I would have chosen this book for my weekend read had I known.  Once I understood the setting, the story started to flow.  Stone is quite good at conveying the emotions and mindset of Felicity and her motivations.  Her experiences as a youth in London during the bombings, sneaking on a ship to Maine with her parents and being left in the care of relatives she has never met are well described. As a reader, I was able to understand the isolation and fear she felt.  Young readers not yet familiar with the events surrounding WWII, the bombing of London, the redistribution of English children for safety and how America struggled with the timing of entering the war, will learn in a non-graphic and age appropriate telling.

There was an aspect of the story that I felt was somewhat out of place in this story and, perhaps, in a book for young readers. Some of the secrets and tension that Felicity must deal with concerns a falling out between her parents and the relatives she come to stay with. I found this thread of the story to be unnecessary and somewhat out of place.  I think another cause for the familial falling out would have been welcomed.

Whatever After Series

A brand-new series for middle-grade readers.

Every time Abby and Jonah enter their basement mirror, they find themselves messing up a different fairy tale!

I read the first in the series, Fairest of All

Mirror, mirror, on the basement wall . . .Once upon a time my brother and I were normal kids. The next minute? The mirror in our basement slurped us up and magically transported us inside Snow White's fairy tale.
I know it sounds crazy, but it's true.
But hey -- we're heroes! We stopped Snow White from eating the poisoned apple. Hooray! Or not. If Snow White doesn't die, she won't get to meet her prince. And then she won't get her happy ending. Oops.
Now it's up to us to:
- Avoid getting poisoned
- Sneak into a castle
- Fix Snow White's story

And then, fingers crossed, find our way home.

This is a cute series told from the point of view of the quirky, likable and lively Abby.  The humour is genuine and relatable for young girls. Perfect for grades 2 & 3, it is a great precursor to Meg Cabot books.  The familiarity of fairy tales makes this series very approachable for reluctant readers.  It explores how changing one part of a story can affect the outcome.  A large part of the appeal is the empowerment Abby gains as she realizes her actions affect the storybook world and that her ability to empathize with the characters and devise plans make her an important and valuable part of the new story.

wEIRD wORD wEDNESDAY

doolally:  refers to a person who is  insane, irrational or crazy

esquivalience: a copyright or plagiarism trap

quartervois:   crossroads

What wEIRD wORDS do you know?  Share in the comments.

Behind the Gates by Eva Gray (Tomorrow Girls Series)

The first in the Tomorrow Girls four book series, Behind the Gates sets the background for a near-future post-war world where young teens are sent away to safety.  North America struggles to survive a war with the mysterious group known as  The Alliance.  Canada is rumored to be saturated  Alliance agents.  Our main character Louisa, has grown up sheltered from the war due to the advantaged provided by her wealthy parents.  Her best friend Maddie is a somewhat more aware of how harsh life can be.  Her parents are both soldiers and not nearly as well off as Louisa's family.  The wealthy are able to send their children off to safety by paying for admittance into secret boarding schools.  Not even their parents will know where they are located. Communication is forbidden.

Louisa is nervous about being sent away to a boarding school -- but she's excited, too. And she has her best friend, Maddie, to keep her company. The girls have to pretend to be twin sisters, which Louisa thinks just adds to the adventure! Country Manor School isn't all excitement, though. Louisa isn't sure how she feels about her new roommates: athletic but snobby Rosie and everything's-a-conspiracy Evelyn. Even Maddie seems different away from home, quiet and worried all the time. Still, Louisa loves CMS -- the survival skills classes, the fresh air. She doesn't even miss not having a TV, or the internet, or any contact with home. It's for their own safety, after all. Or is it?

I wasn't expecting much from this book other than a quick read and hopefully some smart-not-silly female protagonists.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I fell easily into the narrative, travelling along with Louisa and Maddie.  Hints of tension lace the story from the beginning preparing the reader for the big reveal.  Louisa feels safe at her new school and even enjoys the unusual but exciting classes.  Still,  she and her roommates can't help but notice that there's something odd about their classes and surroundings.

I liked this book not only for the characters and plot, but because it is clearly written for brand-new teens.  The popularity of dystopian novels has captured the interest of many of my younger students whose  comprehension and reading maturity have not yet reached the level in the most popular titles.  Eva Gray managed to bring to life a dystopian world without the violence and bloodshed and moral ambiguity found in much of the genre.
She also manages to leave the reader hanging on the last page, prompting a mad rush to get the next in the series.