A Lengthy Journey

After about 4,500 pages of text, I have finally finished all 10 of the Pendragon books by D.J. MacHale. I was pulled into the series by the first installment, The Merchant of Death about 3 months ago. The "thing" that hooked me immediately was the voice of the primary narrator, Bobby Pendragon. When he is telling the story, you immediately feel sucked into his rather strange life. Bobby quickly learns that not every thing is as it seems and he is key player in the battle between good and evil. This battle is not only here on present day Earth, but it is playing out in other worlds and other times as well. Pretty heavy stuff for a middle school basketball player to be handling.

Bobby and his companions throughout the series are called "travellers." The travellers have the ability to bounce around the universe on pathways that seem to be interdimensional portals. When Bobby visits the other territories in the universe, he gains an appreciation for how different life could be and how precious life is. Some of the places Bobby visits are virtual paradises compared to Earth, but others are a little rougher and less sophisticated. He realizes that the battle between the travellers and a "fallen" traveller named Saint Dane (one of the best and creepiest bad guys in childrens' literature) is about the path of free-will versus the path of being dictated your lot in life.

Overall the books in this series are well conceived with rich characters, an remarkably fluid plot and well described settings. As I approached the end of the last book, The Soldiers of Halla, I kept wishing for an ending that wasn't to predictable or too goofy. Thankfully, MacHale deliveres a thoughtful closing to the Pendragon adventure. In many ways MacHale's writing reminds me of a roller-coaster ride because there may be too many thrills along the way, but he does make you want to continue reading. At times the overall tone and some of the action may be too intense for some kids, but if you have read the Harry Potter series, the Pendragon books won't be too "scary."

If you are into adventure, science fiction or fantasy give the Pendragon books a try. I enjoyed the stories a great deal. The only real complaint I have is that the series was too long. I know writers and publishers have a hard time not wanting to make money on a thriving series, but I don't know if 10, 300-600 page books was really that necessary.

As a side note, MacHale also has a pretty slick webiste devoted to the Pendragon books. You can click here to access it.

A Dark View of the Future

I first learned about The Roar by Emma Clayton when I was browsing the Chicken House Publishing website. I go there about once a month or so when I am prowling for books that will be hitting the USA within the next year. I read a brief review and it caught my eye, but I had forgotten about it until I was cashing in a gift card from Borders about two weeks ago. I grabbed it and read the first 4-5 pages right there and the story hooked me immediately.

The two central characters in The Roar are twins Mika and Ellie who live in a dark vision of London in the future and have been separated for about a year. Ellie has been kidnapped by a particularly vile character named Mal Gorman, but her family believes she drowned in an accident. The opening of the book follows Ellie as she tries to escape Gorman in a futuristic airplane called a Pod Fighter. During the initial chapters, the reader quickly understands the intense bond these two have.

Mika and his parents live in what is called a fold down apartment complex which seems comparable to living in a modern slum. Mika has intense dream and visions that relate to Ellie, a dog and a group of strange being that he calls Telly Heads (human bodies with old-fashioned TV sets for heads, but the Telly Heads are no Jimmy Jet). While Ellie is held captive by Mal Gorman for a plot we don't understand until much later in the story, Mika trudges through his paltry existence trying to convince everyone that Ellie is still alive.

The Roar really picks up when Mika and his school mates are introduced to a concept called Fit Camp at their school. An ominous organization called the Youth Development Foundation is requiring all 12-13 year-olds to go through rigorous physical education activities and drink a concoction called Fit Mix. The Youth Development Foundation is also behind a new video game called Pod Fighter that all the kids in England are tempted to play because great rewards will be given to those who win a competition. Mika temporarily gets expelled from school when he refuses to participate and only returns when his therapists tells him that Fit Camp and Pod Fighter might be able to lead him to answers about Ellie.

The setting is an integral part to this story and provides the reader much to think about as the plot progresses. The vision of the future Clayton created is dark and a little disturbing. There is a giant wall that separates England from the ocean and the government leaders tell the citizens the wall was built for the safety of all. Another concept driving the setting and the plot is that future London has no living beings with the exception of humans. There is also a clear line between the rich and the poor in this story and Ellie and Mika are on the poor side of that line. Clayton works the setting extremely well and as a reader I felt at times like I was right there with the characters.

I am also impressed with how Clayton created depth in almost all the important characters. Mika is particularly interesting, but Ellie, Mal Gorman, Mika and Ellie's parents and some of the other side characters all have multiple levels and go through changes as the story unfolds. Clayton's narration lets you in on what the characters are thinking, but slowly in order to build suspense.

As a reader and a teacher this was a particularly satisfying read. I do not know if I would read it aloud to a class because apparently it's the beginning of a three part series and I have always had a little difficulty reading aloud books in a series. However, The Roar does end with some closure unlike some other series. So I do think it is a book you can enjoy and think about for a long time without having to read book number 2. There are a multitude of thematic ideas to think about including the power of love, how fear can be manipulated so easily, environmental destruction, and the effects of greed and power on people and societies.

I know Mika and Ellie will stick with me for a long time.

I want to be a Cahill!

In case you have been on an extended vacation during the last 7-8 months, The 39 Clues is Scholastic's newest money making phenomenon. The 39 Clues is part action/adventure book series, part trading card game and part web based scavenger hunt. I have only read the books that have been released so far (I have played around a little on the website, but either I am too old or the site is not that great).

So, The 39 Clues books are fast-paced narratives that come in short installments (160-220 pages so far) which make them almost perfect 'weekend' reading. The premise behind The 39 Clues is quite appealing to most kids and many adults. Imagine a family that is so powerful that nearly every great leader, writer, inventor, musician, thinker, artist etc is somehow in the family tree. Now imagine you and some select other heirs have been given the keys to the kingdom so to speak. All you have to do is travel the world, avoid near death experiences (some at the hands of your own relatives) and find all of the 39 Clues. If you can do this, you will have untold and unimaginable power and wealth. Sign me up immediately please.

The two main characters are Dan and Amy Cahill. They are preteen siblings and the youngest competitors in the race for the 39 Clues. Dan and Amy learn about the contest after their loving grandmother passed away. Little do they know that Grandma Grace was the woman who seemingly controlled a great deal of Cahill secrets. Almost immediately Dan and Amy are thrown into a world of treachery, archaeology, symbology world travel and the understanding that they are not who they think they are. In fact, they could be related to Ben Franklin, Napoleon, Mozart, Winston Churchill, the list goes on and on.

The chase through the first 4 books of the series leads the Cahill siblings to Paris, Vienna, Salzburg, Venice, Tokyo and Cairo. During the adventures in these places, Dan and Amy begin to understand how vast their 'family empire' is and how far certain family members will go to achieve their goal.

The characters in The 39 Clues are all entertaining, even if they are predictable. The plot is incredibly fast-paced with lots of twists and turns. The settings are all well developed and work together very well. The concept behind the stories is very catchy and laced with an historical conspiracy element. What is really impressive about these stories is how well they flow together when they are written by different authors. Scholastic has lined up some of the best and brightest middle grade/YA authors to pound these books out as quickly as possible. Rick Riordan wrote the first and apparently the rough sketch of the complete tale of the Cahills. Other authors already include Peter Lerangis, Gordon Kroman, Jude Law and Patrick Carman. Rumor has it that Linda Sue Park and Margaret Petersen Haddix will wrap up the series.

As one of my students said this spring, "These books are like the National Treasure movies, only better." I have devoured all 4 books to date in the series and I expect I will continue to eagerly await the next installments. At $12.99 they are a tad expensive, but so far they have been worth the ride.

Hiaasen Strikes Again

Scat is the third book for kids by Carl Hiassen. Like his previous efforts Hoot and Flush, Scat is a character-heavy, environmentally-themed story set in Florida. However, Scat is more mystery than Hiaasen's previous efforts for children.

Early on in Scat, the mystery begins with the disappearance of a feared biology teacher named Mrs. Starch during a school field trip to Black Vine Swamp. The central character Nick, with the help of classmate Marta begins to investigate Starch's disappearance after a string of unusual events. During the time Nick is on the trail for information about Starch, he also is wrestling with the aftermath of his father's wartime injury.

Nick and Marta eventually end up teaming with another classmate named Smoke and eco-terrorist named Twilly Spree (who also appears in Hiaasen's book Sick Puppy). This collaboration is formed to stop some not-so-ethical oil men that are threatening an endangered Florida panther.

Having parallel story lines is a trait of Hiaasen's writing style. In Scat, Hiaasen almost takes it too far. However, I do think that middle readers will really love how he pulls all the story lines together for a satisfying ending.

Many of Hiaasen's archetypal characters from previous books are also in play with Scat. Twilly is very similar to Mullet-Fingers from Hoot and Grandpa Bobby from Flush. All three share that "behind the scenes, willing to do anything it takes" attitude. Nick and Marta have the bantering relationship we have seen in other Hiaasen books. I think what makes Scat a little better than his previous efforts for kids is the mystery element. You know everything is going to turn out fine by the end, but how you get there is a little more entertaining in Scat.

For kids and adults, Scat is a very good, fast-paced story with just enough surprises to keep you guessing. Have fun with it.

Day 1

After a lengthy time of being an avid reader of some blogs devoted to children's literature, I finally got the nerve to start sharing some of my own views as well as reviews from my students. I tend to gravitate toward plot-driven books. The kind that make you want to read it all in one sitting. For example, in the past week, along with wrapping up the school year, I was again sucked into the worlds of Bobby Pendragon and Percy Jackson. I am not sure where this blogging adventure will lead, but one of my professional and personal goals for the summer was to get this started. Look for more to come soon.