Something Red

Something Red
By Douglas Nicholas
Simon & Schuster, 2012.  315 pgs. Mystery

Just in time for the Halloween season, along comes this atmospheric--by which I mean dang scary--story of a troupe of musicians and healers traveling over the northern mountains in thirteenth century England. Molly is the Earth Mother, Queen Maeve, the head of the company, and the heart, but the story belongs to young Hob, her apprentice. As the company travels, hoping to clear the mountains before snowfall, they are beset by uneasiness, glimpses of a malign something, red like a fox, but too large. People not of their group are found dead, torn and ruined. The travelers take shelter in a monastery, then an inn, and finally a knight's castle where the battlements and the defenses seem impenetrable, but can they find safety even here? This may be the most dangerous place of all. Something Red is filled with the panoply of medieval life as well as the coming into his own of a fine young man. One of the best books of the year so far if you ask me, and since you are reading this review, you are. Ha Ha

LW

No More Dead Dogs

No More Dead Dogs
By Gordon Korman
Recorded Books, 2001. 4.5 hours. Young Adult

Eighth grader Wallace Wallace never tells a lie--ever. Not even when it means that his English teacher gives him ongoing detention that forces him off the football team when he writes a book review of Old Shep, My Pal and calls it the worst book ever. Refusing to cave and say he likes the book, Wallace is forced to serve detention with his teacher, who is directing the upcoming school play, which just happens to be Old Shep, My Pal. With as much as he dislikes the book, Wallace can't help but offer ideas for how to improve the play. As Wallace gets some flack from his football friends, and someone seems out to sabotage the play, Wallace and some of drama kids, and even their teacher, find out a lot about life and what's important to them.

This is a good choice for those looking for a humorous book or a short audio book. Wallace is an endearing character, and readers will cheer for him as he points out that too many dog books involve the dog dying--so true! I didn't love the voice for some of the minor characters, but the narrator for Wallace did a good job.

AE

Masquerade

Masquerade
By Nancy Moser
Bethany House, 2010. 400 pgs. Fiction

Financial problems and personal scandal have left Charlotte Gleason's family on the outskirts of polite society in England, and Charlotte's parents feel that the only thing they can do to help their daughter now is to arrange a marriage for her with a wealthy American who doesn't know of their family's predicament. Charlotte, reluctant to marry for any reason other than love, is sent across the Atlantic, along with her maid, Dora, who she persuades to switch place with her upon arrival in the States. So Dora assumes Charlotte's place, being courted by wealthy Conrad, while missing a man she met on their voyage from England, and Charlotte becomes Lottie Hathaway and finds herself quickly becoming acquainted with the real world, beyond the pampering she's become accustomed to.

I found Charlotte to be a somewhat grating character, as it took her most of the book to become less selfish and think about someone besides herself, so it was good that half of the story was told through Dora, since she was a much more likable character, and I could step away from Charlotte to look at Dora's situation instead. The story is slightly predictable, but at the same time, it will still satisfy fans of historical romance who enjoy watching characters learn to follow God's plan for their lives, instead of following their own headstrong plans.

AE

Seraphina

Seraphina
By Rachel Hartman
Random House, 2012. 465 pgs. Young Adult

The kingdom of Goredd has had four decades of uneasy peace between the dragons and the people. However, despite the treaty that has kept the peace, the prince has been killed--and decapitated--by what is suspected to be a rogue dragon, and people are on edge. Seraphina, who is the product on an illegal marriage between a human man and a female dragon who took human form, has always hidden her identity because she isn't supposed to exist. However, with the kingdom on edge at the thought of a rogue dragon, as well as the upcoming visit of the leader of the dragons, Seraphina may be the only one who can keep the peace between the two species.

This multi-layered fantasy is truly one of a kind. The complexity of the plot line, as well as Seraphina herself, make this book a little bit slower read, but no less enjoyable. The ending leaves it open for a sequel, but there's enough closure to also keep readers satisfied.

AE

Beyond the White River

Beyond the White River
By Kristen McKendry
Covenant Communications, 2012. 197 pgs. Romance

When Joe Condie settles into his homestead in Wyoming, Faith Frisbee quickly catches attention--partly for her looks and partly because she has taken in eight orphaned or unwanted boys and raises them by herself. Drawn to her despite the fact that she is beyond prickly--initially rejecting every offer her makes for conversation or help--he eventually begins to win her over, helping her with the boys. But when he voices his feelings for her, she rejects him, and when she later shares the reason why, Joe faces a whole new round of emotions he must deal with.

While pretty predictable, fans of the genre will still enjoy it. It's pretty easy to guess what causes Faith's reluctance to wed, and the resolution comes quickly, easily, and somewhat unrealistically, but it's a fun, quick read to pass an afternoon.

AE

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
By Rachel Joyce
Random House, 2012. 320 pgs. Fiction

Harold is in his sixties, retired, and living a fairly mundane life. When the post arrives with a letter from Queenie, one of his old friends, Harold is saddened to hear that she has cancer. He writes back but on the way to the mail box a simple letter doesn’t feel like enough. He walks a little further to the next mail box so he can think. Then he walks a little further. Harold then decides to walk the entire length of England, all the way to Queenie. If he can just keep walking, perhaps Queenie can keep on living. Along the way Harold meets many interesting people, some which give him hope to continue on, others that make his journey more difficult. Yet, ever determined, Harold continues on.

This is a moving, character-driven story. Harold’s journey is interspersed with details of his life, slowly revealing who he is and why he feels so driven to visit Queenie. Just like Harold plodding along, the book had a slow and steady pace, but I never felt bored. If you find profanity offensive, be aware that there are a couple minor characters you won’t like, but for the most part the book is clean. I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

ACS

The Masqueraders

The Masqueraders 
 By Georgette Heyer
Harlequin, 2004. 409 pgs. Romance.

In The Masqueraders, Heyer takes the classically unbelievable plot-line of gender-swapping and gives it at least a twinge of reality, and more than a good dose of humor. Prudence and her younger brother Robin travel to London to meet their adventurer of a father. This seems simple enough, but because the siblings are escaped Jacobites, an offense punishable by death, they must masquerade as each other – namely, large Prudence poses as 20 year old Peter, while tiny Robin makes a charming Lady Kate. The problem comes in when each of them falls in love with a member of the London high society and must skillfully reveal themselves to their intended partners.

 For me Georgette Heyer is the comfort food of books – I read her when life seems wobbly and uncomfortable because she is a constant. While her plots and characters, and even period language, may change, the tone and atmosphere of her regency-era quasi-romances stay immutably the same. Each of her books, and this one in particular, are charmingly elegant, humorous, and playful. You will not be able to help yourself from smiling the whole time – your cheek muscles may hurt by the end, but your spirit will inevitably be in better condition.

JM

Miracle

Miracle
By Elizabeth Scott
Simon Pulse, 2012. 217 pgs. Young Adult

When the small plane she's flying in crashes, Megan is the only survivor and is instantly proclaimed a miracle. Her parents, who thought she had died, now dote on her, rejoicing in the fact that she's alive, and Megan's afraid to let them know how messed up she is after the crash, since she knows how desperately they want her to be okay. But she isn't okay--she has no interest in her friends, school, or former hobbies, and while she can't initially remember anything from the crash, she begins seeing the people who died all around her. Tired of being called a miracle, and sure she's on the verge of falling apart, Megan finds solace in a couple of her town's less popular people.

Elizabeth Scott does a fantastic job of capturing the grief and confusions following a tragedy. As readers are taken inside Megan's thoughts, they're given the chance to explore post-traumatic stress disorder. While Megan's emotions, or sometimes lack thereof as she shuts down emotionally, makes this book almost cold in some way, it still provides a lot of understanding about how we deal with tragedy.

AE

Deadly

Deadly
By Julie Chibbaro
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011. 293 pgs. Young Adult

Prudence Galewski has long been interested in how death and disease happen--what make the human body fail. Although most girls are interested in marriage and family, Prudence doesn't want to settle down; she wants to use her brain to delve into the world of science. When she's offered a job taking notes for Mr. Soper, who works for the Department of Health and Sanitation, she's excited to have found an opportunity that lets her do just that. An outbreak of typhoid fever leads Mr. Soper and Prudence to investigate how the disease has spread, and they find themselves facing a possibility considered only rarely before: that a healthy person could be the carrier for a disease that proves deadly in others. Although they suspect Mary Mallon of being a carrier of typhoid, she and many others find it impossible to believe that a healthy person could reasonably be believed to spread a disease to others, and Prudence finds herself torn between her scientific mind, which wants to find and stop the disease, and her heart, which aches for Mary and the treatment she receives when suspected of being a typhoid carrier.

This is a highly engaging piece of historical fiction. Chibbaro has done a fantastic job showing the scientific ideas and limitations of the early 1900s, and especially demonstrating why "Typhoid Mary" would find it hard to believe she could possibly be making others sick and would keep spreading the disease. She also does a great job showing Prudence's struggle to find her place in the world and figure out what she wants, even at a time when options for women were still extremely limited. Very well written.

AE

The Sweetest Spell

The Sweetest Spell
By Suzanne Selfors
Walker & Co., 2012. 404 pgs. Young Adult

Born with a deformed foot, Emmeline was left at the edge of the forest to die--except, protected by a group of cows, she lived. Her survival and her deformity have made her an outcast among her people, the impoverished dirt-scratchers, who fear she has some sort of black magic. When a flood wipes out her entire village and carries her beyond the Flatland boundaries--the only place the dirt-scratchers are allowed to live--Owen Oak, the son of a dairy farmer, finds her, and after his family nurses her back to health, discovers that she has a magical gift long lost to the people of their country--the gift of making chocolate. While the gift suddenly offers Emmeline a way out of poverty and respect she'd never have as merely a deformed dirt-scratcher, it also the sort of gift that others will do anything to get their hands on. Just as Emmeline starts to hope for a better life, and perhaps even acceptance beyond the Flatlands, she becomes the target of the evil schemes of those who will do anything to get Emmeline's chocolate for themselves.

The idea of chocolate being the hot commodity in a society seemed a little silly to me, but Selfors did a great job of making it believable. This fantasy world is a delightful one to visit. With adventure, political intrigue, a dash of romance, and a heroine who dares to believe in herself and fight for her people, this book was fun from start to finish.

AE