Meet young reader Ruth Ebersole.
Ruth is a founding member of Watermark's Young
Reader's Advisory Group; she attends Wichita East High School. Ruth enjoys
fiction of most any kind, and her favorite thing about reading is how the
author's words create little pictures in her mind. When it's time to snack, she
likes raw veggies, fruit, and anything sweet.
August 2008
Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier.
This
is by the author of Wildwood Dancing. Paula goes with her father on
this grand adventure to buy a relic that they've heard is for sale. The
relic turns out to be broken, but they get it, and Paula takes her friends
to go on an adventure to find the missing half. The people she meets are all
really unique and connect to her in mysterious ways. Marillier continues to
be one of my favorite authors. I liked all the different people Paula meets,
and I liked learning a little bit about Istanbul. It was a just little
predictable in places, but still interesting, thoughtful, and fun.
Graceling by Kristin Cashore.
This
book is just a dash of romance, a sprinkling of fantasy, and a whole lot of
adventure all combined. Certain people in this book, called Gracelings, are
"Graced" - which means there's something that they are beyond amazing at
doing. They're distinguished by having two different colored eyes. When a
Graceling prince and the Graced niece of a king meet and discover a twisted
plot of the king of a seperate area of the country (there's seven such
areas) they work together to try and stop King Leck. It's a simply amazing
book and is now one of my favorites!
I loved how this book would appeal to just about anybody since there's so
many different genres just kind of all blended into one book. It combined
all the different things that I love about books. In parts, I just wanted
the story to move faster so that I could find out what happened next!
Superbly-wonderful! Captivating! Enchanting!
Elf
Realm: The Low Road by Daniel Kirk.
The
premise of the book is that there's a fairy world that is adjacent to the
human world and that they share the land, so when a human family moves onto
a sacred spot, there's a huge problem. As the fairies deal with this
catastrophe there's all these politics and their system of travel is
deteriorating so they gradually become more and more connected to the human
world. Eventually a couple of kids befriend some fairies and a troll and
work to help the fairy world.
I liked all the different plots and schemes. It would've been nice to hear
more about the "history" of the fairy world. Interesting, suspenseful, and
awesome.
My
Bonny Light Horseman by L.A. Meyer.
The
book starts out with Jacky on one of her own ships, but they get trapped by
an English ship and she is recognized. They take her aboard ship to
transport Jacky back to England, and along the way she befriends her fellow
travelers as well as encountering old friends. When the ship gets captured
by the French right before Jacky attempts to escape, she gets put into
prison only she must face the guillotine and just barely escapes with her
life. The narrow escape is thanks to the English who expect a repayment,
which comes in the form of Jacky spying on the French for England. And from
there, adventure ensues.
I loved all the different twists and turns that the book takes, but I think
Meyer tried to squeeze a little too much into one book.
Amazing! Captivating! I-loved-it!
The
Red Necklace by Sally Gardner.
This
boy is separated at birth from his parents, and a gypsy performer takes him
in, but when they get separated, he must go to London, where he later runs
away to go save a girl he meets at a performance. The girl is kept by her
father and can't really leave. Meanwhile, the villain of the story is
loaning people money in exchange for secrets, and if they can't repay him
when he calls in the debt, they get killed and he puts a red necklace on
them. It's kind of complicated, but that's the basic idea.
I liked how history was incorporated into the book and how the author didn't
make it really gory and graphic. It got kind of confusing since the villain
used several aliases. It was captivating, well-written, and suspenseful.
Crossing to Paradise by Kevin Crossley-Holland.
This
girl has nothing in the world, basically, and the lord who she works for
sends her on a pilgrimage with an acquaintance and some other people.
However, she doesn't really fit in with them, just because her life has been
so different from everyone else's. So it's basically about the experiences
she has on the pilgrimage and what she learns about herself. I liked
watching her change as the book went on. It would've been neat to have had a
map in the front that showed where all they ended up going.
July 2008
How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine
Larbalestier.
People in a fantasy land each have a fairy
that gives them some special capability, but they don't get to choose their
fairy. Charlie, a girl with a parking fairy, gets really fed up with her
fairy because everyone tries to use her for it, since she can always find a
parking spot no matter where she goes. Eventually, she begins plotting with
her "nemesis" -- whose parents both happen to be fairy experts -- so that
they can both get rid of their annoying fairies. The book continues on with
all of the crazy stunts they pull in an effort to "ditch their fairies"
I really liked Steffi's role and how he showed the differences between the
different cities and talked about pressure on kids in specialized schools. I
also loved his fairy and imagining what kind of fairy I would really enjoy
having. The whole thing with Danders Anders got really confusing until the
very end, and that whole plot didn't seem to add much to the story except to
show why Charlie didn't like her fairy.
May 2008
Juliet's Moon by Ann Rinaldi.
Even though I studied the Civil War this year
in school, I didn't learn about (or don't remember) William Quantrill, so
that was cool to learn about a different aspect of the war. The whole deal
with Sue Mundy got confusing in my head. It was informative, enjoyable,
well-written historical teen fiction.
Twice Upon a Marigold by Jean Farris.
It was great to catch up with all the
characters, and it showed how no one can really "live happily ever after" --
even royalty. I did not like that it followed essentially the same storyline
as book 1 - Olympia takes over, her plan is foiled, and everyone "lives
happily ever after." This was a funny, lightweight, and easy-to-read fairy
tale.
Keeping Score by Linda Sue Park.
I enjoyed learning about baseball. It gave
enough details about the sport, but not too much to overwhelm the storyline.
It was kind of predictable, but not too much that it ruined the book. Fun,
enjoyable, well-done children's fiction filled with anticipation -- for
people who enjoy sports.
April 2008
Climbing the
Stairs by Padma Venkatraman.
It was cool
to learn about a different culture from a different time period: Amazing,
interesting, thoughtful historical fiction for people who want to know more
about the British colonization of India--and who liked Born Confused.
The
Willoughbys by Lois Lowry.
It was a
really funny, light read. The perfect thing for a gloomy day. Hilarious,
concise, well-written. For people who liked Mary Poppins.
Princess Ben
by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
My favorite
part was her time spent in the enchanted room. An energetic fairy tale with
a kind of cliché ending.
Playing with
Matches by Brian Katcher.
I liked how
it showed things from the boy's perspective. A fun first person romance
about dating from a guy's point of view. For people who liked "Surviving the
Applewhites."
Airhead
by Meg Cabot.
A pleasant
surprise from Meg Cabot. Stupendous, awesome chick lit about brain
transplants. This has to be my favorite of all her books. I want to read the
sequel now because it ended in a cliff hanger.
Autumn 2007
Raleigh's Page by
Alan Armstrong.
This book is historical fiction about Sir Walter
Raleigh. It was interesting and informational. I liked seeing a different
side of people I've heard about in history. I also liked the sketches that
were in the book.
Red Glass by Laura
Resau.
This action-filled book is great for those who like
adventure. I enjoyed seeing a different culture through the eyes of someone
who lives in it and is also a visitor. This would be a good choice for those
who liked Esperanza Rising.
Billie Standish Was Here by Nancy Crocker.
This realistic fiction was interesting, wonderful
and enjoyable. I liked how it showed that inter-generational friendships can
really happen. It would be a good book for readers who want to know more
about true friendship or life in the country.
Zodiac Girls: Recipe for Rebellion by Cathy
Hopkins.
When Danu's forgetful father has a chance to go to
South
America, he decides to go. The only thing is, Danu can't go with him. Due to
her father's forgetfulness, she ends up at a public school living with her
aunt. Upon her arrival there, Danu proceeds to go straight from straight-A
student, skips go, and arrives at a teacher's worst nightmare. With the help
of Zodiac Girls and some new friends, she totally turns her life around.
Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor.
This is the wonderful sequel to The Looking Glass
Wars. While everyone is unaware, Redd discovers a way to go to Earth
from the Heart Crystal, where she begins to plot her return to her home and
to power. But just who else is plotting? Is King Arch friend or foe? Where'd
Hatter Madigan go and what is he up to? This is an awesome book so far, and
I can't wait to finish it!
Early 2007
Wildwood
Dancing by
Juliet Marillier.
If
you open a fairy tale book, most of the time you will see, if you scan the
table of contents closely, “The Twelve Dancing Princesses”. Well, in this
case there are only five sisters, they are by no means princesses, and they
do not go out at night just to dance, yet they do do their fair share of
dancing. Told by the second eldest daughter Jena and her frog, Gogu, this
book entranced me. After the father leaves, the sisters are left with their
cousin, two servants, a portal to another kingdom, and a magic frog. Once
their cousin begins to hunt for the portal, things turn nasty for the
sisters. A wild combination of dancing, mystery, chauvinistic people, and
fantasy, this book is a must-read for any believer in magic and any princess
lover and anyone else as well.
Fall 2006
The Taker
by J.M. Steele.
Carly
took the SAT for the first time and flunked it. The same day she gets a text
message from “The Taker”. He’s offering to change her scores when she
retakes the test. But she must give him something afterwards. He will make
sure she gets within 150 points of perfect. She gets instructions for him
and must decide whether or not to use the Taker. In preparation for the SAT
she gets a tutor, her neighbor Ronald Gross (rhymes with floss). Meanwhile,
her boyfriend is cheating on her and her friend is trying to investigate the
rumors of a Taker. Read this book to find out who the Taker is!
August 2006
Shelter
by
Beth Cooley.
This
book tells of life in a homeless shelter. Lucy’s father recently passed
away, and her family discovered that they didn't have as much money as they
used to have. Lucy had to go to a public school instead of her private
school. And of course, they had to sell their home and go to a homeless
shelter. Her mom is getting a degree from college. Lucy meets some very
different people at the shelter and learns not to judge by how someone
seems, but instead get to know them. This is a very interesting book. I
strongly recommend you read this book!
July 2006
New Moon
by Stephenie Meyer.
This is the exciting sequel to Twilight. On one page you may be on
the edge of the chair in excitement while on the next page you will want to
go hide in your bedroom. You will both laugh and cry with Bella through her
experiences. You will travel along Bella’s trail as she has a close-miss
experience, her birthday, broken heart, and other trials of life. But you
will also experience her happiness. Join with Bella as she meets new love,
finds a new hobby, has fun with her friends and all the other fun stuff
there is in life. This is a must-read for any and all Twilight
readers.
