The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery, Graeme Base

The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery, Graeme Base

ISBN : 0810908514

Read August 10, 2013

 

Oh what fun.  I've loved Animalia since I was a child, and The Water Hole is beautiful and somewhat haunting, but I have somehow missed this one.  I'm not one for long hard puzzles, and since this was a library book, of course the "solutions" pages in the back (really more a set of directions as to where to find and how to begin solving the codes involved) were already opened, but I was glad to see my suspicions were on the right track.  All I'll say is that "Mr Roboto" by Styx is a great song, and it's never led me wrong before, and that I'm a big fan of Hide and Seek and Find.  Also, the Swan's name?  I DID figure that bit out on my own: it's an easy puzzle, in the cards.  If you're not in the mood for a mystery, the story and pictures are intricate and easy to get lost in regardless, and if/when you do solve the mystery, you'll "unlock" a seek-and-find quest that opens up afterwards to keep the fun going for another good while. 

 

Similar to Kit Williams' Masquerade (still beautiful, even after the prize is long since gone) and "Book Without A Name" (ISBN: 978-0394538174) which I love partly because it features bees and I've always been fascinated by them, and partly because the solution/prize has more to do with the book itself: the book's name.  That way the prize can be "found" again and again by new readers, and it's personal to them - even though in both cases the actual reward/treasure already been rewarded many years ago by the author/illustrator.  

 

The Eleventh Hour is actually preferable to Kit William's work, because in my opinion, the "reward" comes in the enjoyment of the book and the intellectual high of solving the puzzle.  Science has borne me out in that, actually.  If you attach rewards to activities that were previously enjoyable on their own, they become less enjoyable afterwards, even if the reward stays, and especially if the reward goes away again.  Base knows this, and he wisely makes the adventure and the read and the puzzle its own reward, all intrinsic to the book.  

Reserved for the Cat vs Steadfast, Mercedes Lackey

Reserved for the Cat, Mercedes Lackey (published 2007)

Re-read August 9, 2013

ISBN - 978-0756403621

 

Steadfast ("reviewed" on my reading page June 10-15, 2013)

 

While reading, I felt that the plotline of Steadfast was very similar to Reserved for the Cat, but then I read that way back in 2007 when it came out, and my memory was a bit fuzzy.  I re-read Reserved yesterday, and they really are quite similar.

 

I have to wonder if that is on purpose, because the whole of Reserved for the Cat had a feel of "ballet girls are better than variety-show dancers" to it, and the whole point of Steadfast was to feature those same slightly lower class of dancers and personages as the protagonists and important figures in that same world. 

 

There were minor differences of course - Nina/Ninette the ballerina couldn't choreograph, while Katie is a brilliant dance designer.  The gathered "powerful menfolk" are Masters in the first and Magicians in the second.  The foe was an Earth Elemental in Nina's case, and Katie's abusive husband in the second. Although I do pause for a moment that in the comparison, it's sort of rough for Katie's poor hubby that an Earth Elemental comes off as so much more crafty and witty and clever than that poor sot. 

 

What's interesting is that reading them so close together, I can't really decide that one is better than the other, just that they are so very close to each other in style and tone and plot.  Really, the major difference I see is that Ninette gets to save herself in the end (although she hides that knowledge) and Katie gets saved in the end by a magical dragon who thinks she's sweet.  As a woman, I have to say I like the first option better.  However, the entire plotline (in both cases) is a woman alone and dependent on the whims (thankfully of the most noble and kindhearted sort) of the current batch of men who are angling to save her because it helps them out.  Not much in the way of agency when you're relegated to taking orders, after all.  

 

On a final note, re-reading Reserved for the Cat did make me question one thing: why didn't the Cat ever reveal himself to Ninette?     

Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll, Orem Hiawyn, illus Ruth Brown

Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll, Orem Hiawyn, illus Ruth Brown.

ISBN - 978-0525459477

(re-read) August 9, 2013

Ran across this one again while researching juv 398s for rusalkas, and wanted to draw some attention to it because of how marvelously witchy and gruesome Baba Yaga is.  I still like the story/illustrations combo better in Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave, but the illustrations in this one are just creepy-perfect.

Gender-unclear (meant, I'm sure, to be female, but in clothes and with a haircut that make that somewhat ambiguous) Too Nice lives with equally unclear siblings: Horrid and Very Horrid.  Their faces make their names quite clear.  One day, the Horrids have had enough of Too Nice, so they kick Too Nice out of the house to fetch them a jeweled toad from Baba Yaga. 

Not to fear, Too Nice has a mother's poppet, a wise doll that aids in the work.  What I like about this rendition is two-fold:  First, unlike a lot of versions of this story, Too Nice actually begins the work and works hard all day before despairing of the magnitude of the task and calling in the doll for backup.  Secondly, the illustrations are brilliant in showing how the doll is helping.  Too Nice is passed out exhausted, with the doll still in arms, but look to the shadows to see what's really going on.  Brilliant idea, beautiful execution.

And Baba Yaga - Oh My God.  She is one scary witch.  She puts all those Disney witches to SHAME.  She's all grey except for her "glowing red eyes" which aren't actually red, but rheumy and yellowish and tiny and mean.  She's tall and overwhelming and PERFECT.  I love her.  She's my new favoritest witch ever.   

The final change I like to the basic story structure is that instead of bringing home a skull-lamp that burns the nasty family to cinders instantly (PTSD anyone?) Too Nice brings back one of the huge jeweled toads, just as they asked, and it snaps them up and they're gone, then the toad hops back over to Baba Yaga's chicken-legged house.  Now, I don't know WHY it seems to me that having a giant bejewelled toad eat your siblings seems much less traumatic to me than having them burned to death by a skull-lamp, but there it is. 

Actually, I lied - there's one more difference I appreciated.  The story wisely stops there with Too Nice becoming Little Just About Right - instead of dragging on into odd unrelated widows and weaving and marrying of kings, also, incidentally, keeping that subtle bit of gender neutrality that I really appreciate.

Perfect.   

Weather Witch, Shannon Delaney

Weather Witch, Shannon Delaney.  ISBN: 9781250018519

August 2, 2013

YA Alt-American Gaslamp Fantasy.

 

Ohh boy.  Fair warning - this one did not go so well with me.  I sulked for about an hour after reading it, and was petulant and unhappy to my poor husband all night.  Really unfortunate combination of potential in the premise with (in my opinion) an absolutely dismal execution.

 

I had written up a review that was exceedingly ranty, and felt bad about it, so I refrained from publishing it.

 

After about a week's consideration, I'm going to not post what I originally wrote up, and simply give a short explanation of why I don't consider this in any way a good read.

 

The main issue is the worldbuilding.  It was abysmal.   The setting was poorly defined, poorly set up, and did not make internal sense.  Even the character names didn't fit the place and time.  Nowhere did I get any feeling that this universe was real or able to be self-supporting.  It was horrible, and very frustrating.

In addition, the plot was the usual "oh, I got a contract from the publisher to do a series!" which translates to "this entire book is going to be an elaborate (but still badly done) set-up for the next book, and no actual feelings of accomplishment will occur."  Also very frustrating.

 

Lastly, the characters were obvious and paper thin.  Villains were totally transparent from the outset (to the degree that I wondered about the intelligence of the respective hero and heroine) and the main characters were little better.  Relationships were unrealistic and idealized, and several characters are brought into focus and then dropped entirely with absolutely no resolution to their plotlines.  Repeat it with me: very frustrating.

Now, what's sad, this review is practically charitable compared to what I ranted after having just read the thing.  

Amish Values for Your Family, Suzanne Woods Fisher

Amish Values for your Family, Suzanne Woods Fisher.  ISBN: 9780800719968

August 2, 2013

Nonfiction, morals and character development of children, Amish life.

Ms Fisher is obviously taken with the Amish and their way of life.  However, she doesn't quite manage to convey that captivation in this book.  Each section is intended to show a facet of Amish life and values, to demonstrate that in a sketch of Amish life, and then to convey how to get that same feel or end-point in a modern (presumed Christian) family structure, especially in regards to children.  The reality doesn't quite measure up.  The very short sections are arbitrary and oddly divided (birding?  throwing eggs?) and the morals or lessons from the sketches don't always seem to relate to the moral or lesson she elaborates upon.  

In addition, the morals and lessons that are taken are quite simplistic - don't spoil your kids, let them have graduated responsibility, stay connected as a family, let kids be kids, nature is awesome, discipline rarely and from the standpoint of producing character growth not rebellion.  Not really earthshaking or new information there.

Perhaps I'm too cynical an audience for this one, but I think it is illuminating that the Amish have a church retention rate in the high 80% (and an additional 10% join up with more liberal Amish or Mennonite groups) for their children, while Christian families are clocking in at a dismal 40% retention rate for their children.  So a book that promises to help families pick the "values" of the Amish without adopting the accompanying lifestyle, seems to be a bit disingenuous.  Most presumed Christian families are supposedly already teaching the same basic values and morals as their religious Amish cousins, but for some reason, it isn't working for modern families, while it is working quite well for the Amish.  This book seems to be promising all of the gain for none of the pain, and I really don't think that's going to work out.

Sadly, not a book I would recommend about the Amish, or about values or character training for families and children.  Just too facile and fragmented to offer any real grounded valuable advice.

Paradox, A.J. Paquette

Paradox, AJ Paquette.  ISBN:  9780375869624
August 1, 2013

YA.  Dystopian planetary exploration.  Ana has amnesia, and she's on a different planet than Earth - that much is completely obvious, what with the rocketship, the two suns, the pink and peach sky, and the notes in her strangely limited mission briefing.  WHY she is on another planet, and without her memories, that's the real question.   

I really liked this.  Of course it was pretty obvious where things were headed, and I would like to say that if this wasn't a direct homage to Invitation to the Game, it bloody well should be.  I think that the two of them would go very well together as a reading assignment, actually.

Normally I'm all about very deep and indepth treatments of background and history and the world of the story, but with this set-up, I was very happy to have things just trundle along as mysteries, knowing that the pay-off would come at the end.  I think that the setup very much contributed to Paquette's ability to craft a tight little short YA read, and I have to give props for that.  

The only quibble I have is with the mechanism of the ending - there is a lot of damage to deal with, and the optimistic tone there seems to be just a little bit unwarranted.  Perhaps I'm simply a cynic. 

The Different Dragon, Jennifer Bryan, illustrated by Danamarie Hosler

The Different Dragon

Jennifer Bryan, illus by Danamarie Hosler, ISBN: 9780967446868

August 1, 2013

 

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did.  A lesbian-led family, a sweet little boy, a dragon who doesn't want to be "fierce" anymore - but sadly it wasn't as good as I hoped.

 

It has all the hallmarks of a "vanity press" book.  Slightly naive illustrations that too perfectly echo the text, the over-descriptive and wordy writing of someone who isn't an actual children's picture-book author...

 

Which is sad, really, because the bones are excellent.  If it's ever considered for re-publication, I would like to see the "two mommies" played down a bit more so it really is just a part of the background like the pet cats or the little sister.  I would like to see more in the illustrations and have less in the text - leave some things to context or discovery when perusing the illustrations.  I would like the writing to smooth out in flow and lighten up in volume.  

 

I would also like for there to be more actual large-press picture books that deal with alternative family arrangements, so that children in these families can see beautiful quality artwork and craftmanlike stories that ring true to their own lives and situations.  In the meantime, this one isn't bad, just not as good as it could have been.