Kikoo and the Land of the Shimmers (review)

Kikoo and the Land of the Shimmers - Book One

Author: Suresha Hill
Publisher: First Edition Design Publishing (Feb 19 2015)
Review copy courtesy of NetGalley

I recently joined NetGalley, and was looking for new children's books to try. Kikoo and the Land of Shimmers attracted my attention because of my interest in multicultural books, as well as the fact that a review copy was available without requiring approval.

In this story, Kikoo and his dog, Boonie, discover that Kikoo can travel to a land called Terraauck, descibed as "right next door to where you dream." In this land, Kikoo has a mentor who will teach him what he needs to know. Pretty quickly, he needs to know how to get back to the regular world, where some boys are stealing his bike!

I found that I liked the story when it was more concerned with getting Kikoo's bike back, but less so when it was in Terraauck. The magical realism of the early part of the story was promising, and the lesson Kikoo learned about helping himself by helping others was a good one. Unfortunately, the magical part was a little clumsy. One problem might be that the book is the first in a series of stories, and the author needed to get past the explanations, but I think the story could have been more smooth. While the digital version did not include all the illustrations, some were at the end, and were interesting though a little amateurish. It also should be noted that the multiculturalism is mostly reflected in the names, illustrations and descriptions of people, not in any deep sense in the story or interactions.

I would recommend this book for first through third graders who like dogs and magic.

Three out of five stars.

Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk (review)

Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk (to be published by Knopf in April 2015)
Author: Liesl Shurtliff
Review ARC sent by publisher

Having read and greatly enjoyed Liesl Shurtliff's debut middle grade novel, Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin, I was eager to read "Jack," but a little worried that it might not live up to her first. I needn't have worried.

Shurtliff devised a very clever way to tie together the two stories, while managing the essential task of allowing each to be read on its own. Jack does not start out in the same magical world in which "Rump" takes place, but instead in a place slightly reminiscent of Dorothy's Kansas in the "Wizard of Oz." But we do eventually get to that world, and the shift will delight young readers with its shift in perspective as much as earlier readers delighted in the magical kingdom of Oz.

Giants, elves, pixies and golden eggs, and none of them quite what they seem at first. Jack is destined to be the hero, but not in the way he expects, and only after getting in and out of a number of difficult situations and learning to depend on others, no matter how small. Keep a close eye out, because other fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters make appearances as well.

While I read this as an ARC, I'll be sure to pick up a hardcover copy when it is available. Terrific fun for kids (and adults who aren't afraid to be kids as well).

I can easily recommend this book for both boys and girls in third through seventh grade. I'm glad to have had a chance to read it.

Five out of five stars!

Hiatus over - resuming the reviews on My Comfy Chair

After a much needed six month break working on other projects, I am resuming my review activities on My Comfy Chair. Watch for new reviews over the next few days. On deck, a new middle grade adventure called The Storm Makers by Jennifer E. Smith.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday - Un Lun Dun

Un Lun Dun published in U.S. by Del Rey in Jan 2008
Author: China Miéville
Purchased personally

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday again, and I'm proud to be part of this great tradition started by Shannon Whitney Messenger promoting middle grade books.

I was browsing through Mac's Backs, a wonderful independent bookstore near us, and I happened upon Un Lun Dun without ever having heard of it before. As I very much enjoyed The City and The City, I bought the book to see if China Miéville could do as good a job with middle grade as he had with adult science fiction.

Like some wonderful mix between The Phantom Tollbooth, No Passengers Beyond This Point and Neverwhere, this book takes kids on a wonderful, somewhat scary but ultimately fantastic voyage through an abcity beneath London populated by fantastical creatures who have seeped down from London.

Filled with wordplay and incredibly imaginative characters, this should be appealing to 5th to 7th graders, as well as many older teens and adults who are willing to give it a try. While the main characters are girls, this is a book that will appeal equally to boys and girls. I would strongly recommend it.

Five stars!

Purchase a copy on Amazon.com
...or on Amazon.co.uk

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday was started by Shannon Whitney Messenger. She, and others frequent MMGM posters are:

Shannon Whitney Messenger at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe
Joanne Fritz at My Brain on Books
Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming
Brooke Favero at somewhere in the middle
Myrna Foster at Night Writer
Sherrie Petersen at Write About Now
Kimberley Griffiths Little at Kimberley’s Wanderings
Barbara Watson at Novel and Nouveau

If you watch those blogs today, as well as Shannon's blog, you are likely to find other great middle grade book recommendations.

Digital Debuts: Enchantment by Charlotte Abel

Enchantment
Author: Charlotte Abel
Purchased from Amazon.com

Enchantment is an absolutely delightful and original book. It could be described as paranormal romance, but it is a far cry from the girl-meets-werewolf/vampire stories that abound. It combines magic, treachery, humor and thrills, as well as a rampant simmering sexuality that might seem out of place if you had not dealt with a teenage girl recently.

Channie Belks lives a hardscrabble life with her parents and siblings, crammed together in a small shack in the Ozark Mountains, but everything is about to get a lot worse. Her father's gambling leads to a nasty run-in with a powerful mage family, and the family has no choice but to leave in a hurry. Unsafe among any of the magic folks, they hide in a town of Magically Disabled people (like you and me). Channie, who has never been to a regular school, is suddenly faced with a very unfriendly student body, and prevented from using the one power she has that might have allowed her to make friends.

On the other hand, she meets Josh, a hot BMX racer with a killer smile, so perhaps you could call it even. Except for the curse.

That is what Enchantment is like, though I could never do it justice. Every corner hides a pitfall, but Channie faces them all. Not happily, or even nicely, but she faces them. We get carried along for the ride, and it is a wild one. I absolutely love the wonderful Ozark language and mentality, funny and different while never getting in the way. The book is flat out fun to read.

Younger readers, or squeamish parents, may have a little trouble with the obsession with sex. It is barely ever acted on or visible, and most girls over the age of 13 will have read stronger stuff, but I thought I should point that out. As for the magic, the folklore and the snappy plot, I can see those appealing to all ages.

Highly recommended. Five Stars!

Pick up a copy of Enchantment on Amazon.com or on BarnesAndNoble.com

Interview with Wren Emerson

In mid-June, I posted about a wonderful Digital Debut: Wren Emerson's I Wish..., the first book in a Young adult series titled The Witches of Desire. Recently, I was lucky enough to get Wren to spare a bit of time to answer questions.

Thus, I bring you my first interview, with the talented Wren Emerson:

1) When did you start writing, and when did you start thinking of yourself as a writer?

That's a hard one. I've always written. Not always with the clear intention of getting published, but I've always felt compelled to put words on a page and express myself that way. When I heard about indie publishing and decided that's what I wanted to do for a living, I started to think of myself as writer. Wild horses wouldn't have pried that out of my mouth to another living person though. I still don't necessarily bring up my writing when I talk to people in real life. I'm actually a little shy about the idea of people who already know me in a real life context knowing that I write.

I anticipate changing that when we move this summer. I plan to introduce myself as an author to the new people we meet and that's all they'll ever know me as. I guess what I'm saying is that it's much easier for me to reinvent myself than to try to change the impression of me that people already have as a non-writer.

2) Did you start by publishing short stories, or dive right into a novel?

I find short stories to be really hard for me. I'm working on several right now for different projects and oh boy. I started with I Wish and in a lot of ways I think it was far easier to write than any short story ever will be for me. I just don't think short, I suspect.

3) I've seen that you like to outline. Have you always written like that, or is it a learned habit?

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Nate Rocks the World

Nate Rocks the World independently published.
Author: Karen Pokras Toz
Free copy sent by author after request

I have a backlog of books to review, most with partial reviews saved in draft mode, but I decided to do a Marvelous Middle Grade Monday (woefully neglected for the past several weeks) on another self-published book.
Nate Rockledge is ten years old, and he has many of the difficulties boys of his age face. His mother is a truly terrible cook. His father reminisces endlessly about past glories. His thirteen year old sister taunts him mercilessly.

But Nate has a secret. Like a fourth grade Walter Mitty, Nate dreams of heroic adventures where he saves the day, and often the life of the cute Madeline who lives across the street, although Nate does.not.like.girls! Unfortunately, after saving the day, he is left with little but the comics he draws and the wish that he could do something real. Little does he know how close the chance for real heroics is.

I love the way the author seamlessly blends Nate's real life and his fantasies of heroism and excitement. Middle grade readers, especially on the younger end, will easily relate to the loose boundaries between real life and fantasy, and will also instantly relate to the real trials and tribulations Nate faces with his family and friends.

I can easily recommend this book for both boys and girls in third through fifth grade. I'm glad to have had a chance to read it.

Four out of five stars.

Buy 'Nate Rocks the World' on Amazon.com

Normally, there are several bloggers who participate in Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, but since it is the 4th of July holiday here in the United States, most are taking a holday. The only other I have found so far is Deb Marshall, who is Canadian. She profiles Leslie Carmichael (Lyranel's Song and The Amulet of Amon-Ra), and has an interview with the author plus a giveaway. See her post HERE.