Princess of the Midnight Ball

It's official. Jessica Day George is one of my favorite authors. From this point forward, I will be sure to own all of her books as soon as they are released. I loved Dragon Slippers and the sequels and Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow.

Besides loving her books, I've heard her speak and believe me, she's a red-headed riot. Here's an interview I did with her a while back.

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Review by Emily Beeson

Princess of the Midnight Ball is a retelling of the twelve dancing princesses. To be honest, I'm not familiar with the original tale, so I can't tell you how much this version deviates. However, I can certainly tell you that this version is very enjoyable.

Tall, handsome Galen is returning from war. His parents and sister have all been killed, so he is headed for his aunt and uncle's house in Westfalin.

When he arrives, he finds a welcoming home and a job as an under-gardener at the palace. While working in the gardens, he befriends the eldest princess, Princess Rose. He discovers that Rose has a secret. She is a prisoner and is required to dance every night from midnight until dawn, along with her eleven younger sisters.

A string of princes come to rescue the princesses from their unseen captor. When none of them are successful, Galen takes the matter into his own hands...but he doesn't know anything about magic...and the captor is certainly not a regular mortal.

Princess of the Midnight Ball is full of romance, humor, mystery, adventure, and fantasy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

It is perfectly clean (as long as an innocent kiss is clean to you :). I recommend it to fairy-tale-lovers of all ages.

Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Princess Ben. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2008. 344 pp.

Review by Lina Crowell

Benevolence (Ben), daughter of a prince, is herself second in the line of succession to the throne of the small fictional country of Montagne, her uncle the king having no children. Ben, however, is not your typical princess. She has been raised away from the glamour and elegance of the castle, dresses plainly, and freely socializes with the common people, having often accompanied her mother, a healer, on her visits to the sick. When her parents and uncle fail to return from a day’s outing and are later found dead, Ben, not yet old enough to ascend to the throne in her own right, finds herself being “tutored” by her aunt, Sophia, the Queen Regent who rules in her stead until Ben comes of age. Ben, having never before considered that she would one day rule Montagne, balks at her aunt’s demands that she begin conducting herself more in the manner in which a princess is expected to behave.

Eventually, Ben’s unruly behavior leads to her being banished to a small tower room except for the hours of her schooling. In the tower Ben discovers a hidden and magical passageway leading to the invisible “Wizard Tower” where she finds a spell book and other magical instruments that she uses to secretly teach herself rudimentary magic skills. Through use of her magical abilities, Ben discovers a network of hidden passages throughout the castle and uses these to learn of the queen’s plans for Montagne to secure an alliance with another country by arranging a marriage between Ben and a suitable prince, a plan that does not meet with Ben’s approval, particularly if that marriage is to Prince Florian of Drachensbett, Montagne’s sworn enemy and the most likely suspect in the deaths of her parents and the king. The king of Drachensbett has made it clear that he will invade Montagne if such an alliance is not made. Although Ben believes herself to be as capable as any man, and is not content to wait idly for rescue by a knight in shining armor, she has come to realize that it is through marriage that many political alliances are made and must now decide whether or not to use her skills in magic to save Montagne from impending attack by Drachensbett, a decision that may mean her secret could be exposed, or else give in to Drachensbett’s demands.

Princess Ben is a fine fantasy that works in elements from various fairy tales and that features a strong female protagonist who is not afraid to speak her mind. Recommended for age 12 and up, particularly for those who enjoy light fantasy and/or romance.

Enter Three Witches by Caroline Cooney

Enter Three Witches by Caroline Cooney

Review by Cindy Bohn

Lady Mary is a ward of the Macbeths. Yes, those Macbeths. The ones in the play. She is beautiful, rich, and sweet. She has a perfect life. Until her father is captured as a traitor to the king and executed. Her lands are given to Macbeth and she is expected to work in the kitchen. From idle rich to scullery maid in one day.

Lady Mary begins to notice some odd things happening in the castle. First she saw Macbeth speaking with some witches. Then she saw Lady Macbeth reading a letter, something quite out of the ordinary. And then the king himself comes to stay at their castle and his shockingly and cruelly murdered.

I really enjoyed this book for teens. I am a sucker for Shakespeare-based stories, and Macbeth is probably my favorite play. So when I saw this book, I had high hopes. Cooney does an excellent job portraying the customs and manners of the day. The new characters are woven nicely into the original story, and they become so real. Lady Macbeth is especially well done. I wasn't as perfectly pleased with Macbeth himself - I felt that his motivation and his character remained a little mysterious. But overall, I was swept away.

Enter Three Witches has some difficult themes-witchcraft, religion, loyalty, ambition. I would recommend it for any older teen or adult.

The Mysterious Benedict Society #2

Mysterious Benedict Society, Number 2! by Trenton Stewart

Review by Amanda Snow from A Patchwork of Books

I loved the first installment (reviewed here) of Trenton Stewart's Mysterious Benedict Society books and this second installment was pretty fantastic as well. Lots of adventure, thrills, and more of those brilliant children we've all come to love!

Book two, titled The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, does in fact, take the reader on quite the journey! Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance reunite about a year after the first book finished, ready to go on a scavenger hunt their beloved Mr. Benedict has set up for them. Unfortunately, once the pair gets together, instead of a fun game, they must complete the scavenger hunt in order to find Mr. Benedict, who has been kidnapped by the evil Mr. Curtain. The quartet boards a ship and ends up on a journey around the world, searching for their leader. All of the enemies from the first book are back and extra nasty, but the tricks the kids have up their sleeves are even more impressive, making for an awesome adventure.

I love these books and I'm already looking forward to the next one. If a book keeps me turning pages, involves me in the minds of the characters, and puts a smile on my face, it's a definite winner. Children will love this book, whether or not they've read the first book.

A Beginning, A Muddle, and an End by Avi

Avi. 2008. A Beginning, A Muddle, and An End.

Review by Becky Laney, frequent contributor.

Becky's Book Reviews

Young Readers

Reading with Becky

Avon, the snail, and Edward, the ant, are back for their second book in Avi's newest: A Beginning, A Muddle, and An End. In our last adventure--their first adventure--Avon and Edward were out to have adventures. Adventures like they'd read about in books. What they found was that creating your own adventures--imagining your own adventures--was more enjoyable than seeking those adventures out. In other words, fiction tends to be more enjoyable than the truth. In this adventure, Avon is determined to write. He's a snail on a mission. Always a lover of books, now he seeks to write books for others to read. He's not quite certain WHERE to begin. Fortunately, or unfortunately as the case may be, Edward is always there to give his good friend advice.

The subtitle to this one is The Right Way to Write Writing. And writing is the focus of their twisted dialogue. Full of puns and twisted logic, it is an enjoyable, light-hearted read. Honestly, this one didn't charm me as much as the first. I don't know if it's because my mood has shifted from night to day. Or if what was charming the first time, loses a bit of its magic the second time around. Or perhaps it's just because I'm reading them back to back.

Still, I think the book is fun in its own little way.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Review by Katy

http://whatktreads.blogspot.com/

This is a pretty amazing story. Three Cups of Tea is the true story of Greg Mortenson, who upon failing to summit K2 stumbles quite ill and emaciated into Korphe, a remote village in Pakistan. The people of this village nurse him back to health, and he falls in love with them. During his stay, he asks to visit the school, and is brought to a large field where 84 children were writing in the dirt with sticks. No teacher, no books, just the children studying as best they could. The village leader, Haji Ali, explained that they couldn't afford to pay a teacher, so a teacher comes to the village occasionally, and the children study on their own the rest of the time. Greg promises to come back to Korphe and build the village a school. And he does.

There is so much to say about the work that Mortenson does. He is the director of the Central Asia Institute (CAI), which (as of 2007) has established more than 61 schools in rural areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. After he learns that providing girls with at least a 5th grade education will help prevent infant mortality, population explosion, and overall health and sanitation of a village, he began focusing more towards (though not exclusively) girl's education. He also helps fund projects for clean water and women's halls (where all the local women can get together to sew, etc). He figures that with the unhealthy water that they have now, one in three children don't even make it to their first birthday in these villages. You can't educate someone that isn't there.

I had the opportunity to hear Mortenson speak at a local event. He seems like an honest, humble man doing what he can to help people he loves. He really doesn't seem to be in this for the "glory." He showed a picture of a school, and said that he was proud of this school because it had taken almost 8 years to convince the local leaders to allow it to be built. He is in it for the long term and he is willing to learn the customs and mores of the area in order to build a school that they will be proud of and use.

Mortenson also had a lot of interesting facts about the importance of education in these areas. He said that people that decide to become suicide bombers are without hope. They see no other way of succeeding in life. By providing an education to people in rural areas, they are given some hope.

The one thing that I didn't like about this book is the writing. First of all, it's written in third person, which is not what I was expecting, considering the main character is listed as the first author.

But, even without that little complaint, the writing really isn't that great. It sometimes takes a long time to say simple things and that can get really frustrating. There are also a lot of non-English words used throughout, and not all of them are fully explained. Possibly they are terms that everyone should know, but I didn't, and I got tired of trying to figure some of them out.

However, even with this small(ish) complaint, I highly recommend the Three Cups of Tea. It gives you lots of food for thought and would make a great discussion book for a book club.

I'm Back with a Review--Crispin by Avi

Avi. 2002. Crispin: The Cross of Lead.

Review by Becky Laney, frequent contributor.

Becky's Book Reviews

Young Readers

Reading with Becky

I honestly didn't know what to expect from this one. Not the most clever way to start out a review, but true nevertheless. The cover. I was not easily won over with the cover. It is ugly and unappealing. It doesn't shout out "read me, read me." But I'd heard good things about it, of course, and it did win the Newbery in 2003. So I knew that I had to get past my initial misgivings.

Here's how it begins:

England, A.D. 1377 "In the midst of life comes death." How often did our village priest preach those words. Yet I have also heard that "in the midst of death comes life." If this be a riddle, so was my life. The day after my mother died, the priest and I wrapped her body in a gray shroud and carried her to the village church. Our burden was not great. In life she had been a small woman with little strength. Death made her even less. Her name had been Asta.

Our narrator is a young boy. At first, we only know him as Asta's son. Later his real name is revealed, Crispin. Here is a young boy, a peasant, tied to the land for life. But the day after his mother's funeral everything changes. (Or maybe it's the day of his mother's funeral.)

Told by John Aycliffe (boo, hiss) that he must return the ox to the manor since his mother is dead (and he's now an orphan) he is told that he can starve. His life, his welfare is of no concern for this substitute lord-of-the-manor. Upset, he runs into the woods. He's working out his emotions--anger, grief, confusion, etc., but a fall and a bump on the head changes his life. Or you could say saves his life. He wakes up at some point during the night. He sees two men. One is John Aycliffe (boo, hiss) and the other is unknown to him at that time. What he hears confuses him. He can't make sense of it. But when he is seen, he gets a sick feeling that his life is in danger.

He is able to get away and hide for the rest of that night and the day. But the next night, he makes his way to his trusted friend, the priest, Father Quinel. What the priest tells him doesn't erase his questions. If anything, it just adds to his confusion. He's told that his mother could read and write. He's told that he was baptized (albeit secretly) Crispin. He's told that he MUST flee for his life. That John Aycliffe (boo, hiss) has started spreading lies about him. Accused him of theft. Is offering an award for whoever kills him. The priest gives him a few things to do on his own, and makes arrangement to meet him again before the two part ways forever.

His errand? To go to Goodwife Peregrine's house and pick up a cross of lead. But on his way to meet the priest one last time, the time where all would be revealed, he is met by another man instead. A man who claims he comes in the priest's place. But something doesn't feel right.

Crispin doesn't know who he is or exactly why John Aycliffe (boo, hiss) is out to kill him. Why Aycliffe (boo, hiss) wants him dead so very badly. He doesn't know who he is or where he needs to go, he just knows that his life is in danger and he is being pursued relentlessly.

Crispin's journey could have been a lonely one. But he meets an unusual friend, a man called Bear, who takes him under his protection. Together they try to make sense of it all. But the journey won't be easy.

I loved this book. I can easily see now why it won the Newbery. I definitely recommend this one to lovers of historical fiction. Also for those that love coming-of-age novels.

The GollyWhopper Games by Jody Feldman

Feldman, Jody. 2008. The Gollywhopper Games.

Review by Becky Laney, frequent contributor.

Becky's Book Reviews

If Gil Goodson was to have a chance, any chance at all, he would have to run faster than he was running right now.

I enjoyed The GollyWhopper Games. It's part Chasing Vermeer. Part Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Part The Mysterious Benedict Society. In other words, it's a whole lot of fun. The Golly Whopper toy company is having a contest, a true once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Thousands and thousands of kids want to make it, hope to make it, but no one wants it more than Gil Goodson. His father was fired from the GollyWhopper company--falsely accused of embezzling the company's funds. He's been proven innocent, but the Goodson family is still the town's scapegoats. Gil Goodson wants to win, and if wanting gives you power, then he's fully charged and ready to go. But is he ready to face all of the obstacles and challenges in his path?

Gil is a likable narrator. He is. He's a kid--much like Charlie Bucket--who you want to win. I should note that the other contestants aren't as detestable as Charlie's competitors. The games, the challenges, require mental, emotional, and physical prowess. The finals of the game--for example--require each team of five to solve a logic puzzle. After the mind has been stimulated, then there is a physical stunt required. The puzzles are puzzling. Meaning, the reader can have just as much fun as the characters themselves. For those that love the puzzle-solving elements of Chasing Vermeer and Mysterious Benedict Society, The GollyWhopper Games might be just what you're looking for.

A book that encourages higher thinking skills? A book that encourages team work? A book that encourages determination and diligence? What's not to love?

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Some--but not all--readers might find it a bit predictable. Some might not be on the edge-of-their-seats waiting to see if Gil wins the big game. But even if it is a wee bit predictable on that front, it is satisfying. And being satisfying is important too. After all, I wouldn't want anyone other than Gil to win!

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Tolkien, J.R.R. 1937, 1966. The Hobbit.

Review by Becky Laney, frequent contributor.

Becky's Book Reviews

Young Readers
Reading with Becky

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort. (3)

Hobbits do like to be comfortable. That is a fact. But in The Hobbit, we read of one hobbit in particular, a Mr. Bilbo Baggins, who leaves his life of comfort behind him to go on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure with thirteen dwarves and one wizard. It is the story of how he went from being a respectable hobbit to a very unrespectable, "odd" little hobbit. Bilbo never meant to have an adventure. He was quite clear on that. But never say never. It all starts with a visit from a wizard, Gandalf. That visit leads to another visit--a visit by thirteen dwarves--who call upon him unawares and give him the surprise of his life. They want him--they expect him--to be a part of their expedition, their adventure, their journey to go off and kill a dragon, Smaug by name, and steal his treasure. It's laughable almost, at least at first, but slowly and surely Bilbo gets carried away with it all. And the adventures that follow--oh my!

The Hobbit is a charming and delightful though-not-a-thin adventure book that everyone should read. (Or at least attempt to read! By that I mean, while I loved it--while I think many many people love it--I suppose no one book can please everyone. But this one should at least be attempted, tested to see if you like this sort of thing.)

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

Review by Natalie, regular contributor

From the very beginning, "Wildwood Dancing" kept me absolutely captivated. There is such imagery and beautiful language and authentic names and places and folklore – and it fulfilled every hope I had for it!

"Wildwood Dancing" is a loose retelling of several fairy tales, including The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Frog Prince, and Dragutsa, also realistically incorporates such elements as the fairy court and vampires. It follows the point of view of Jena, second-oldest daughter of a frail widower who is about to leave the family in the care of an old family friend as he goes away to better his health. Jena has a secret – every Full Moon, she and her sisters go to the fairy realm to dance and play with all the mythical creatures there. But their innocent revelry is about to end, as forces collide and the fate of all is in question.

My favorite aspect of this book was the attention to detail Juliet Marillier used. She employed authentic names and places and folklore to make this seem as though it really could have happened in Romania. I also felt she didn’t impose too much of the twenty-first century on Jena – so often, readers are stopped cold by an attitude that just wouldn’t exist at that time, and while Jena and her sisters have somewhat unconventional views, I never felt they were too out of place for the time period. Jena is forward-thinking, but also bows to tradition in a lot of ways.

I would recommend this book to anyone! It is certainly most appropriate for teenage readers and up, but even older children can appreciate the suspense and unmasking that goes on in this story. There are vampires (a.k.a. "Night People"), but the subject is touched upon so delicately that I feel confident people of all ages can enjoy "Wildwood Dancing".

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is an inspiring journey that teaches readers to follow their Personal Legend.

The story is a parable about life and how so many people settle for less than their dreams.

We follow the story of a young shepherd boy who desires to search for treasure. Will he choose to follow his dream? If he does, will he make it to his goal?

Coelho talks about “Beginner’s Luck”, saying that when a person sets out to achieve their life dreams, the whole universe comes together to try to help. Then, at the end of the journey, the universe tests everything it has taught us.

I want to share with you a piece of my favorite part of the book (being the romantic that I am), but I’m not going to share the whole scene because I don’t want to spoil anything…

“At that moment, it seemed to him that time stood still, and the Soul of the World surged within him…when he saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke—the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in the heart. It was love.” P. 92

I recommend The Alchemist because it is a quick, inspiring read that can be read on a very basic level or on a more philosophical level.

The Alchemist is meant for adults, but it is perfectly clean and appropriate for teens as well.

The Shadow Thieves by Anne Ursu

The Shadow Thieves By Anne Ursu

Review by Katy, regular contributor

Greek myths are in right now. This is the second series that I have picked up where the Greek gods feature prominently (the other is Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan), and I have to admit that I've enjoyed both of them a lot.

The Shadow Thieves follows Charlotte and Zee (short for Zachary). Charlotte is a quick talking, mopey adolescent. She thinks well on her feet, but she has a difficult time dealing with the human race. Her mom calls her "prickly." Zee is Charlotte's cousin who was raised in London and insists on calling soccer balls footballs. After Zee's grandmother dies, all of his friends become very ill; they are unable to get out of bed or do anything, but no one can figure out what's wrong with them. Eventually, Zee decides that it must all be his fault, so he talks his folks into sending him to live with his cousin in America. Unfortunately, once he arrives, Charlotte's friends start falling ill. Charlotte and Zee must figure out a way to save their friends (and the world).

I have a love/hate relationship with books where the language is super informal. It really rubs me the wrong way, yet I almost always like the story, and because the language is informal, there are usually a lot of funny lines throughout. That was the kind of relationship I had with this book. The language is pretty informal, and at times the author talks to the reader ("You thought your name was bad" p 1) which drives me crazy. But, I really enjoyed the story and thought it was hilarious. Here are some favorite passages: (all pages refer to paperback ed)

"That day the topic of conversation was, not surprisingly, Charlotte and her attitude. Said topic was a particular favorite of Charlotte's mom's; no one in the history of the world ever liked to talk about anything as much as Charlotte's mom liked to talk about Charlotte's attitude" (p 8)

"Okay, so not the truth, exactly. To Charlotte, truth was a flexible instrument, one that could be readily shaped to fit her needs." (p 24)

Charon (the guy that rows the dead across the River Styx) describing a typical day at his job: "He spends his day rowing back and forth along the Styx, listening to the dead freak out because they're dead and that they had so much to live for, blah, blah, blah and where the heck were the pearly gates anyway?"(p 228)

Other than the informal language, I really enjoyed this book. I found Charlotte clever and funny, and she reminded me a lot of me when I was younger (though I never knew what to say). I struggled a bit more with Zee. He seemed like a nice enough kid, but he was so busy being stressed/feeling sorry for himself that he never seemed to grow as a character.

I loved that the Underworld was the setting for a lot of the book. The Underworld isn't all that bad unless you end are sent to Tarturus (very rare), though it's not necessarily the heaven most people are looking for. It was original and different. I also really liked the character of Hades; he didn't fit a single myth that I had ever read about him, but he seemed kind of realistic. The bad guy (err, um Evil Genius) was hilarious, and while I am glad he was soundly defeated, I enjoyed his chapters quite a bit.

I am sure there will be comparisons to Percy Jackson, but this book stands well on its own. The stories aren't even similar other than the Greek myths being real thing. It's the first of a trilogy (the second book The Siren Song, is available in hardback) but the ending should satisfy (I hate cliffhangers!). I look forward to the next installment.

Recommended for ages 10 and up, but I would guess a lot of the humor would be lost if you haven't done a cursory study of the Greek myths.

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

Review by Emily of ...whimsy...

The difficult thing about reviewing is finding a balance between telling about a story and not giving anything crucial away. I am finding this balance particularly difficult with Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow.

If I knew everyone would be intrigued enough to read it with a recommendation that simply said, "I love this book. If you enjoy YA fantasy, such as books by Shannon Hale, Robin McKinley, Patricia Wrede, C.S. Lewis, etc. don't pass this one by"...that is all I would write. I enjoyed the journey through this book, not having any clue about the story ahead of time. I have seen reviews since I read Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow that gave away crucial elements of the story that I am glad I didn't know.

Having said all that, here is my review. I know. Finally.

The girl, aka the pika, lives in a place that is always winter. Her family is poor. The girl, though a teenager, remains nameless. Her mother was so upset at having another worthless girl, that she refuses to name her.

Legend has it, that nameless girls are often stolen by trolls...but it isn't a troll that takes the pika away from her safe home and beloved brother. It is an isbjorn, or ice bear. The great white bear takes the girl to live in an ice castle for a year, promising that her family will be wealthy.

Many girls have been taken by isbjorns in the past, but the girl has a special quality that distinguishes her from the others.

She can talk to animals, which certainly helps when you have been taken captive by a bear.

Jessica Day George loved this Norwegian fairy tale and decided to flesh it out into a full length novel. At the BYU conference, she said she chose the story because it had everything...adventure, trolls, castles, mystery, romance.

I also enjoyed the details she added to the tale...like how the ice castle smells of rotten meat. Ewww. So gross. Great description though.

Recommended readers: lovers of YA fantasy/fairy tales.

Don't forget to comment (in a relevant way, please) on this review, the review of Dragon Slippers or the interview posted earlier today for a chance to win a signed copy of Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow!!!

Interview with Jessica Day George

What can I say about Jessica Day George? She is a riot in a bottle. She is a red-headed firecracker. When asked for a picture of herself she sent the one to the right, saying, "Oh, here, post this picture! I swear, it's an exact likeness!"

Today we have the opportunity to find out a bit about her, her books, and her writing habits.

But quickly, before we get started, let me remind you about her books. The first one was Dragon Slippers, which I requested from the publisher after hearing it was something I might enjoy. I did. Tremendously. To find out all my thoughts about it, visit my review here.

The sequel to Dragon Slippers will be released in April. Dragon Flight is a fantastic sequel and lovers of Dragon Slippers will surely be happy with it. I have had the chance to read it already and will be reviewing it fully closer to its release.

Jessica Day George's latest book, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, is my favorite of the three. I will be reviewing it shortly. If you love fairy tales and fantasy, you don't want to miss this book. I loved it.

If you comment on this post (be relevant, please), the one about Dragon Slippers, or the review of Sun and Moon (which is coming soon) you will be entered into the drawing for a free signed copy of Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow!!! Comments will close a week from today, on Wednesday, March 5th at midnight. A winner will be announced the following day.

JDG: Okay, let's get to these questions before my brain falls out my ear, which is a very likely scenario at this point.

1. How much research do you do for your stories? How do you organize it?

JDG: Ah, organization. Yes, er, I'm not that organized, actually. It's kind of alarming. For Dragon Slippers, I pretty much did no research, since I like my dragons a certain way and I invented the customs, language and culture of Feravel. But for Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, I reread the original fairy tale both in English and Norwegian, and kept an Old Norse dictionary at hand for reference. It was a project I had been mulling over for years, and so I already knew what elements of Norwegian culture I wanted to bring to it.

2. How did you get the ideas for Dragon Slippers and Dragon Flight?

JDG: Dragon Slippers came to me one night like a bolt of lightning, which is just as painful as it sounds. The entire book just downloaded into my brain (again: ouch!), and I just had to type fast enough to get it all in before I forgot any of it. I never intended to write a sequel, but one day while telling my husband that I had no ideas for a sequel, I thought of one. So Dragon Flight was a bit harder to write. I knew that certain dragons were still alive (not to spoil anything), and I knew that I wanted to go to a new country, and have that country using dragons like cavalry horses. But piecing the rest of it together took a lot more effort than the first book. Hilariously, I've just finished the first draft of a third dragon book, which was much easier to write than the second one.

3. Is the setting in Dragon Slippers and Dragon Flight based on a real location and society?

JDG: Not at all. But if there is a Feravel out there, I'd love to visit. (Not so much Citatie, I don't do well with heat.)

4. How did you get into writing?

JDG: "Oh, yo ho! Yo ho! The writer's life for meeeee. . . ." I am just completely unsuited for anything else. All my life I've wandered around with my nose in a book or my head in the clouds, making up stories. I've got a Cabbage Patch Kid diary from when I was eight that has about five pages of actual diary entries, and then it suddenly goes off on some story about a girl and her horse. (Which, incidentally, I'm turning into a trilogy based loosely on World War I England.) I've been telling people I was going to be a fantasy author since I was at least eleven, and my parents always supported me in that. They would take me to writers' conferences or to booksignings so that I could meet real authors, and all I've ever wanted was to be one of them.

5. What authors have influenced you as a writer? As a person?

JDG: The person and the writer are the same being, really. And I owe so much of my childhood and my writing to Robin McKinley, Patricia C. Wrede and Diana Wynne Jones. If you haven't read The Hero and the Crown, Dealing with Dragons, or Dogsbody. . . . for shame! And there's also the inestimable Tad Williams, whose giant, 1,000 page fantasy novels were the most treasured possessions of my awkward high school years. (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn: best fantasy trilogy ever.)

6. Why did you choose to retell Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow?

JDG: It is, hands down, my favorite folk/fairy/legend/tale/story. Trolls, polar bears, fabulous palaces, it has them all! And it's set in Norway, one of the most gorgeous places on the planet. I used to read the P.J. Lynch picture book version over and over, and dream about how I was going to turn that story into a full-length novel. There was just something about it that appealed to me. It was my story, the way little girls now dress up like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, I wanted to be the woodcutter's youngest daughter.

7. After Dragon Flight, do you have any other books in the works?

JDG: Oh, my yes! I have a retelling of Twelve Dancing Princesses coming out next year (title is under construction), which will have knitting patterns in it, and I'm a hundred pages into a sequel to that. Plus I just this week finished a third dragon book, and have about half a dozen more books planned. So far.

8. How did you break into publishing?

JDG: With a crowbar and a delicate set of lockpicks. . . . Oh, sorry! That's another story. . . . I was at BYU's Writing for Young Readers Conference (which I very much recommend), and the girl sitting next to me during one of the sessions heard me talk about Dragon Slippers. She invited me to attend a private writing retreat she and some local authors were putting together. They were bringing in a real live New York editor to talk to about 20 people about publishing, and then we would each get 15 minutes alone with the editor to tell her about our writing. I went, it was wonderful, the editor loved my story and ended up buying it. I couldn't understand one word in ten of the contract, though, so I called up an agent I had met at the BYU conference, and asked her if she could negotiate it for me. Now she's my agent full time, and Bloomsbury is my publisher! I really recommend attending writing conferences. Not only does it help you become a better writer, but meeting an agent or editor face-to-face gives you a much better chance at selling your story.

9. What is the hardest thing about being a writer?

JDG: Not enough time! Balancing writing new books, editing the ones on their way to the printer, and taking care of my little one and our messy house is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Added that are making time for school visits and booksignings, it's just crazy-busy!

10.What advice do you have for other aspiring writers?

JDG: Make sure you don't forget to read, not just in the genre you're writing in, but all kinds of books. Write down all your ideas and keep them, even if you think they sound stupid five minutes later. A few years down the road, you may find a use for that scene/character/plotline. Did you catch my above comment? I'm using a story I wrote when I was EIGHT as the starting point for a trilogy! And writers' conferences = invaluable.



A commenter at Clean Reads asked the following questions:

What are you reading right now?

JDG: I am currently reading Juliet Marillier's Wildwood Dancing, which is also a Twelve Dancing Princesses story (but vastly different from mine), and next I am very excited to read Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay, a wonderful writer for grown ups and a cool person too!

What do you do when you get writer's block?

JDG: Eat licorice and dance around the room. (You're laughing because you haven't tried it.)

What's your favorite part of the creative process?

JDG: Sitting down at the computer and starting a fresh new story. There is no writer's block yet. There is nothing but that blank screen. And as soon as I start typing, I get this giddy feeling and think that I could go on and on for days . . . if only my family didn't need dinner and clean underwear.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

JDG: You're welcome, you're welcome!

To find out more about Jessica, visit her website, http://www.jessicadaygeorge.com/, where she blogs and there's all kinds of fun stuff about the books.

ISLE OF SWORDS by Wayne Thomas Batson

ISLE OF SWORDS by Wayne Thomas Batson

Review by Allana

Now, I'm a very big reader, and when I don't have much to do, I can read as many as three to four novels a week. So when I sat down to read the Isle of Swords by Wayne Thomas Batson, I was just expecting another book. Mediocre, and just a good read. But nothing that was really going to keep me turning the pages. By the end of this wonderful novels, my opinion had completely changed. It is truly one of the best I've ever had my big reading nose stuffed in. It's really fantastic. I completely engulfed it.

It is about a young girl named Anne. Her lifelong dream is to become a pirate. Her father will not let her formally join the crew, and Anne despises it. Sure, it has its occupational hazards, but she's just a strong as any of the men that work on her father's own pirate ship. But when Anne and her father's crew take a short stop on a small island, they find a wounded young man on the beach. Turns out that his name is Cat. He has amnesia. But what he doesn't know could come back to bite him.

At the same time, Bartholomew Throne is out to get Anne and her father's crew and ship. He is the self proclaimed "Most ruthless pirate sailing the seas" and he carries around a stick that he beats his crew members with. It always drips sap making it look like the stick itself is bleeding. Whether or not Anne escapes Bartholomew's wrath is for you to find out. I loved this book's element of surprise and would recommend it to any one of any age. It's great.

Recommended Age Group: Teen

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

PRINCE CASPIAN by C.S. Lewis.

Review by Becky Laney, frequent contributor

Becky's Book Reviews: http://blbooks.blogspot.com/
Becky's Christian Reviews: http://stand-firm-then.blogspot.com/
Young Readers: http://zero-to-eight.blogspot.com/
Reading With Becky: http://readingwithbecky.blogspot.com/

Prince Caspian, the second of the novels in the Chronicles of Narnia series, takes place one year after the close of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. The four children, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, are preparing to return to school when they're instantly, magically transported (or translated) to Narnia. What they find there shocks them. Shocks them for many reasons. You see, it hasn't been a year in Narnia time. It hasn't even been just a hundred years. Their castle, their lands, unrecognizable ruins. The adventures are about to begin. Again. Many surprises, many adventures await them, along with one old friend. A friend that takes a little more faith to recognize these days.

Prince Caspian centers on a new hero. Caspian. The son of Caspian the Ninth, king of Narnia. But it is Caspian's uncle, King Miraz, that rules the land, and rules it harshly. Gone are the days of talking animals and other fantastical creatures. No the "old Narnians" must hide if they are to survive at all. Caspian may have been raised by his aunt and uncle, but his upbringing was left to an old nurse who believed in the old ways. Now, Caspian is a young man who longs to restore the golden days of the past. Who longs to restore Narnia to its former glory. Who longs to create a peaceful age where old Narnians can live and live well. But he can't do it alone. What he needs is help. Divine help.

Can a horn of old bring much-needed help from afar?

I love Prince Caspian. I do. It is exciting. It is thrilling. Again, Lewis has created memorable characters and memorable scenes.

Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke

IGRAINE THE BRAVE by Cornelia Funke

Review by Katy from http://whatktreads.blogspot.com/

I love Cornelia Funke. This love affair started with The Thief Lord, which I found on a "what to read while waiting for the next Harry Potter book" list and really enjoyed the imagery and imagination. I wanted to be with those kids, hiding from evil aunts, etc. Next came Inkheart which to this day is my favorite book. I've since read all the books that she has published (at least in English), including two picture books. She is one of the few authors that I will buy on site, even if I haven't heard anything about the book.

Igraine the Brave is a book aimed at a slightly younger crowd than Inkheart and Thief Lord, but I found it very enjoyable. Igraine is the 12 year old daughter of a couple of powerful magicians. Her older brother is also training to be a magician, but Igraine wants to be a knight. Not just any knight, but the kind of knight that wins competitions and that people will remember for generations.

Shortly after the story begins, Igraine and her family are warned by a friend that their castle will soon be under attack by an evil nephew of a neighbor. Igraine's parents decide to wait until after Igraine's birthday to worry about him though. Unfortunately,they turn themselves into pigs while finishing Igraine's birthday present. In order to reverse the spell, the magicians need some hair from the head of a giant, which they are all out of. Igraine volunteers to fetch the hairs, and the adventure begins!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found Igraine an engaging heroine. She could really stand on her own and her friends only added to the fun. The addition of the Sorrowful Knight was a great way of including things that all honorable knights should know in an unpretentious manner. Everything just fits well together, and the silliness of the story doesn't necessarily feel silly. Somehow, it just works. Cornelia Funke has a way with words that always makes the the story feel so real for me. Also, I believe she sketched the artwork that appears throughout the book.

Recommended for Readers 10 and up, though it would make a good read aloud for ages 6 and up.

Spitfire by Kate Messner

SPITFIRE by Kate Messner
Review by Emily of Whimsy Books and Whimsy Daisy

Spitfire has great voice, two great voices actually.

Abigail, who is nearly 13, disguises herself as a boy to fight against the British in 1776. She never was a very good girl, so she set out to see if she would make a better boy. Abigail joined the battle at Lake Champlain in an attempt to find her uncle, her only remaining relative.

During her adventures, she finds friendship in Pascal.

We follow these two young fighters through their battles on the ship, the Spitfire.

The book is well-written and the characters are enjoyable. Spitfire, the name of the book, is also a fitting description for the characters who fight for their country and to prove themselves in a tough world.

Spitfire is a quick, easy read. Excellent for young people learning about history. The way the story is told, it is easy for the reader to put themselves into the battle scenes and imagine life as a young soldier on the Spitfire.

DRAGON SLIPPERS by Jessica Day George

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

Review by Emily of ...Whimsy...

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George is absolutely delightful.

The story begins with this great opening: “It was my aunt who decided to give me to the dragon. Not that she was evil, or didn’t care for me. It’s just that we were very poor, and she was, as we said in those parts, dumber than two turnips in a rain barrel.”

Creel’s aunt hopes Creel will come away from the dragon with a rich husband. Creel hopes to come away with gold from the dragon’s hoard. What she actually comes away with is something nobody expected…a pair of enchanted slippers.

When she escapes from the dragon’s lair, she can’t return home, so she makes the long journey to the King’s Seat in search of a job as a dressmaker. Of course, things don’t often turn out the way we expect. Many obstacles arise, but in the midst of her struggles, she finds love, courage, friendship, and the strength to pursue her dreams.

As you can probably tell, I highly recommend this novel. It is an original fairy tale full of dragons, princes, adventures, and laughs. Nothing pleases me more than a good fairy tale.

Kaza Kingsley on Blog Tour HERE!

I'm very excited to be hosting Day Ten of Kaza Kingsley's whirlwind tour through the blogosphere. Let me reiterate that her Erec Rex series is fabulous. I am reading it slowly to my little guy, but everyday I'm tempted to just sit and finish it myself. Kaza Kingsley is a wonderfully creative writer. Erec Rex, a Harry Potter-type series, is a ton of fun and absolutely worth reading.

The amazing thing about this tour, is that there are original questions/answers and pictures at every stop!

So, here goes...

1/16 – Deliciously Clean Reads ; Emily Beeson

Emily – Thank you so much for hosting me on Deliciously Clean Reads. What a great site! It’s been fun, and I look forward to see if your readers have any comments or questions. Also, enjoy the kid picture of me below! Readers will get to see me “grow up” along this blog tour!

-Kaza, This picture is SO adorable. It looks like you came straight out of a Harry Potter movie...or maybe an Erec Rex movie? Let's begin.

-What is your favorite thing about being an author?

I think it’s split right down the middle between two things – and they are complete opposites of each other!

First, for me, there is nothing better than escaping into my writing. It’s so satisfying for me to plunge in, and get so involved in the story in my head, that I lose myself. It’s escapist, really, like seeing a movie or listening to your favorite music. And it recharges me, too.

But, also, I like the opposite end of the spectrum just as much. Along with the quiet, solitary side of writing, I also enjoy meeting people, especially fans who love my series. Going to schools, talking to kids and adults, recharges me in another way, and gives me the inspiration I need to keep going.

-What is your least favorite?

The pressure!! I wish I could just focus on the books, and I hope to get to a point when I no longer worry about hitting sales marks and wonder where my books will fall on the lists. Unfortunately it’s a real part of being an author today. Book sales mean better placement in stores that lead to better book sales.

I wish I knew what the future held for the Erec Rex series. But at least I feel I’ve hit a point where I don’t have to worry quite so much any more. Cross fingers!!

-What do you want readers to take away from your books?

The most important thing to me is that my readers come away feeling like they’ve had a great escape. I’d like my books to be a safe place for kids and adults to go, to experience harrowing adventure from the safety of their armchairs (or beanbags…)

But beyond that, I do hope readers will come away with a few more things, too. I made Erec face some tough choices, and I hope these will inspire readers to question how they might handle the same situation. Do you do what’s easy, do something to help yourself only, or do you do what’s right, even if it puts you at risk? How far are you willing to go out of your way to help others in need? I think some of the hardest choices we face involve doing what we should do instead of what we want to do.

Similarly, the books also deal with themes of trust, prejudice and self-doubt that I hope give people some more thoughts to chew on…

-Do you consider your books to be for children mainly, or adults too?

I actually wrote the books for adults to enjoy, going with a story that I found interesting, rather than one written just for kids. There are definitely some references and jokes in the books that most kids won’t pick up on.

But at the same time I was conscious of keeping the words in the story relatively simple, so that kids wouldn’t be put off. It was important to me to keep it clean, too! There were a few times when, in a rough draft, a swear word might pop out of one of the characters mouths in a really tense situation. Of course, I changed those words. There are much better ways of expressing the same ideas without bad language. Usually more creative ones!

The beauty of fantasy is that it’s a great medium for stories that interest both kids and adults! That makes it a great genre for parents to read to their kids, too.

-You've had a lot of interviews, posted in your website. Have any of them gone badly?

I have had a lot of interviews! Luckily most go well, but there was one once that turned a corner and went terribly. It makes me cringe to remember it! It was a radio interview. The host had heard there would be twelve books in the series, but I corrected him and said it would be eight. Somehow that upset him, I think. For the rest of the interview he became so negative and disparaging! I tried to keep my wits about me, and bit my tongue until it was over. Not pleasant, though!

You can see a bunch of TV interviews in my Media / Press Room at http://www.erecrex.com/press.htm.

-Why did you choose a male main character?

I actually didn’t decide on the main character of this series until after I knew the underlying story theme, which was the legend of Hercules. After I knew that, I had to go with a boy. But his best friend, Bethany, is a very big part of the series as well. I hope that evens things out for girl readers.

-Was it hard to write from a boy's perspective?

Surprisingly, no! Writing his character did put me in touch with my mischievous side, though. I think I was still able to find enough kid in me to get into his head, as well as his friends’. I guess once you know a character well you kind-of become them, so it gets easy.

Kaza, Thanks so much for stopping here. I've truly enjoyed hosting your tour.

Readers-Kaza will be checking back all week to answer any questions or comments, so talk away...and here's the schedule if you're itching for more...

Day 1 – A Fort Made of Books - http://afortmadeofbooks.blogspot.com/2008/01/kaza-kingsley-interview.html

Day 2 – Books4Ever, http://kamannix.wordpress.com/2008/01/08/kaza-kingsley-blog-tour/ Day 3 – Baseballs and Bows, http://baseballsandbows.blogspot.com/2008/01/erec-rex-blog-tour.html

Day 4 – Fanatic Space Blog, http://www.fanaticspace.com/blog/2008/01/10/kaza-kingsley-blog-tour/

Day 5 – Bibliophile's Retreat, http://forstrose.blogspot.com/2008/01/and-now-presenting-kaza-kingsley-and.html

Day 6 – Children's Literature Book Club, http://childlitbookclub.blogspot.com/2008/01/kaza-kingsley-is-here-today.html

Day 7 – Stephanie’s Confessions of a Book-A-Holic, http://stephaniesbooks.blogspot.com/2008/01/kaza-kingsley-blog-tour-2008.html

Day 8 – A Year of Books, http://sarah-yearofbooks.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-tour.html

Day 9 – Author Chris Rettstatt's blog - http://rettstatt.wordpress.com/2008/01/15/kaza-kingsley-and-erec-rex/

Day 10 – Deliciously Clean Reads, http://cleanreads.blogspot.com/2008/01/kaza-kingsley-on-blog-tour-here.html

Day 11 – Into the Wardrobe, http://peteredmundlucy7.blogspot.com/2008/01/kaza-kingsley-blog-tour.html

Day 12 – Real Gurlz Magazine, http://realgurlzmag.blogspot.com/2008/01/our-interview-with-kaza-kingsley.html

Day 13 – Chauceriangirl, http://chauceriangirl.wordpress.com/2008/01/19/guest-starring-kaza-kingsley/

Day 14 – Kaleb Nation’s Official Website - http://kalebnation.com/blog/2008/01/20/interview-with-kaza-kingsley/

Day 15 – The Jay – http://www.thejay.com/2008/01/21/interviews-kaza-kingsley/

Day 16 – Young Adults and Kids Books Central Blog, http://yabookscentral.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-tour-kaza-kingsley.html