Reporter's Review: Anything But Typical, by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Simon and Schuster; 2009

Overall Grade: A

Even for a typical kid, it can be hard getting by from one school day to the next. Hard to relate. Hard to figure out the right thing to do at the right moment. But Jason is anything but typical, and for him, every day is a battle to be the best version of himself he can be. He finds release and happiness in writing short stories and sharing them with an online friend from a creative writing website--but will his happiness last when he gets the chance to meet her in person where he can't hide behind his stories?

Anything But Typical is well-written, with a cast of great characters, all very believable and well-developed. Nora Raleigh Baskin's story is touching as well as important, and she brings it masterfully to life with excellent metaphors and descriptions, great pacing, and a wonderful first-person voice. The one drawback was a slight difficulty following the plot in a few moments; because the story is told from Jason's viewpoint, there are times when it was hard to tell whether what he was revealing was his daydreams or actual events.

This is one for the Newbery watch list.

Literary Quality: A-

Plot: A-

Voice: A+

Originality: A-

Descriptive Ability: A+

Humor: n/a

Illustrations: n/a

Believability of Characters: A+

Believability of Situations: A+

Overall Reading Enjoyment: A+

Possibly objectionable topics*: bullying

Reporter's Review: Fortune's Folly, by Deva Fagan

Henry Holt; April 2009
Overall Grade: A

Princesses in dire peril…a prince with a destiny to fulfill… an all-knowing fortune teller: seems like the recipe for a perfect fairy tale. Unless, that is, you are that all-knowing fortune teller—and not only don’t you believe your own fortunes, you don’t believe in fairy tales at all. Fortunata, the shoemaker’s daughter, is satisfied concocting fake portions to keep food on her father’s plate after he loses his wife and all his creative ability. But under the influence of an evil master, she is tricked into giving a prince a prophecy she is sure won’t come true…and she soon finds out that she is bound to see it does. If Fortunata is not able to help the prince fulfill his destiny (a.k.a. her prophecy), her father’s life will be taken. As she struggles to make the fortune come true, Fortunata learns that perseverance, a little wit, and a lot of love can be more powerful than magic itself.
Fortune’s Folly is, first and foremost, a very enjoyable book to read, full of all the great characters and action and true emotions you could hope to find in an original fairy tale. But Deva Fagan’s construction of plot and her clever allusions to many old fairy tales take the book to a higher level, far above the average fairy tale retelling. Like its plot, there are a lot of pieces to this story itself: action, romance, intrigue, characters…and each one fits seamlessly. Fans of fairy tales aren’t the only readers who will be fascinated and delighted with this excellent debut novel—the writing makes for a story that crosses and transcends genres and can be appreciated by everyone.

Literary Quality: A
Plot: A
Voice: A
Originality: A+
Descriptive Ability: A-
Humor: A (though limited, what’s there is good)
Illustrations: n/a
Believability of Characters: A
Believability of Situations: A
Overall Reading Enjoyment: A+

Possibly objectionable topics*: some scary moments and violence

Reporter's Review: The Year the Swallows Came Early, by Kathryn Fitzmaurice

Harper Collins, February 2009
Overall Grade: A

Groovy Robinson knows exactly what she wants: to go to cooking school; wear a tall, oval chef’s hat; learn the exact amount of time to cool a cake before frosting it; make lemon zest fall from her grater like confetti. And another thing: to keep her family together—even if her superstitious mother claims that the zodiac signs predict unavoidable failure. But when her father is arrested, her mother admits to turning him in, and Groovy discovers that his crime is gambling away her inheritance, all her dreams seem to crumble at once. It takes some sturdy friends, a handful of insight, and many trays of chocolate-covered strawberries to help Groovy along her path to understanding, forgiveness, and moving ahead.
Kathryn Fitzmaurice is a brilliant writer with a unique, but comfortable voice which practically propels you into her characters’ lives and fortunes. Every character, and every scene, is true-to-life and completely tangible, and the descriptions and metaphors of daily life are stunning. Once you begin reading Groovy’s story, I defy you to ever forget her.

Literary Quality: A
Plot: B+ (As a character novel, it is light on plot, but nicely constructed)
Voice: A
Originality: A
Descriptive Ability: A+
Humor: A
Illustrations: n/a
Believability of Characters: A+
Believability of Situations: A
Overall Reading Enjoyment: A

Possibly objectionable topics*: broken families, superstition, gambling (However, these serious issues are dealt with in a subtle, graceful way, reminiscent of Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie…they are serious, but not oppressive.)

Reporter's Review: Tropical Secrets; Holocaust Refugees in Cuba, by Margarita Engle

Henry Holt, 2009

Overall Grade: A

Daniel is a young German Jewish refugee, seeking harbor in the last haven available to him and his countrymen: Cuba. Paloma is the daughter of the Cuban official who decides which refugees will be given assistance...and which will be returned to Nazi Germany to face their deaths. As the years pass and the two become friends, their lives change with the tide of war: when the United States enter the war, all Japanese and non-Jewish Germans (even if they are spouses of Jews) are rounded up and arrested. Daniel must risk his own safety to keep others from suffering from the prejudice and danger he has known for so long.

Told in first-person free verse, using alternating viewpoints between Daniel and Paloma (and a couple others, briefly), Tropical Secrets is a beautifully told, exceptionally crafted story of a little-known aspect of history. Margarita Engle uses free verse to her advantage; whereas some free verse "poets" seem to randomly arrange prose sentences to resemble something greater than it is, Ms Engle chooses her words carefully and artistically. In addition, the plot of Tropical Secrets is appropriate to the length and style of a free verse novel, simple enough to be told completely and rich enough to benefit from the stylized language.

But we wonder why the name was chosen... ??? It makes the book sound more like a history text than a novel in verse...which is a grave injustice.

Literary Quality: A

Plot: A-

Voice: A

Originality: A+

Descriptive Ability: A+

Humor: n/a

Illustrations: n/a

Believability of Characters: A

Believability of Situations: A

Overall Reading Enjoyment: A

Possibly objectionable topics*: separation of family due to war, religious prejudice

Reporter's Review: The Amaranth Enchantment, by Julie Berry

Bloomsbury, March 2009
Overall Grade: A

Lucinda is the daughter of wealthy aristocrats, but when they die in a tragic carriage accident, Lucinda is taken in my her uncle-by-marriage and his cruel wife, the owners of a struggling goldsmithy. When Uncle dies, Lucinda is thrown out onto the streets—but fate brings her to the home of a kind, but mysterious woman reputed to be a witch…and it turns out to be Lucinda’s childhood home, as well. Throw in a charming thief, a down-to-earth prince, an immortal villain, and a magical stone that they all seem to be after—and you have the key ingredients for one of the most exciting Cinderella stories you’ll ever read.
The Amaranth Enchantment is gripping and fast-paced as well as romantic. Julie Berry is a master of thinking outside the box, turning a wonderful, but dog-eared, fairy tale into an original novel. Her plot was very clever, though at times the pacing of the events was slightly jarring. There are a few unbelievable moments at the dénouement—but they provide such a satisfying ending that they likely won’t bother anyone. On the whole, a very enjoyable, and highly recommended, read.

Literary Quality: A-
Plot: B+ (While the actual plot was brilliant, the way it was pieced together was occasionally sudden and, as a result, slightly confusing)
Voice: A
Originality: A+
Descriptive Ability: A+
Humor: A
Illustrations: n/a
Believability of Characters: A
Believability of Situations: B
Overall Reading Enjoyment: A+

Possibly objectionable topics*: child neglect/abuse, mild swears, some blood and violence

Reporter's Review: The Willoughbys, by Lois Lowry

Overall Grade: A
Houghton Mifflin; April 2008

Once upon a time there was a clever woman named Lois Lowry who wrote a great many children’s books and won gold medals that got printed into stickers and put on the covers of two of them. Then one day, she decided to flout all convention and write a book called “The Willoughbys” about four children who wish they were orphans with two parents who wish they were childless. Both teams work at their goals with great spirit and determination, but the children prevail. With their fairy-tale billionaire benefactor and odd (but not really odious) nanny and a couple random children thrown into the mix, they live happily and parentlessly ever after. The End.
The strangest thing about this book was how much we liked it. Considering how recognizable the name of “Lowry” is in the insightful, complex, thought-provoking branch of the Children’s Literature World, her sense of humor was so surprisingly wonderful in this book that it left us smiling long after we finished shaking our heads in disbelief at the Willoughby parents (un)timely demise near the end. No one in the past or present world of books seemed safe from the narrator’s sarcastic wit, and we loved it—but let us note that Lowry owes a profound debt to Roald Dahl. If he hadn’t been so insanely clever—and perhaps plain insane—she not only would have missed out on a few jokes but would have left us with our mouths gaping open at her irreverent humor. After all, we’ve seen squished aunts, devoured parents, malevolent toddlers, and unbalanced candy-makers…so we can put up with a little more lunacy now.

Literary Quality: A+ (It’s Lois Lowry—what did you expect?)
Plot: A
Voice: A+
Originality: A
Descriptive Ability: A-
Humor: A (We wanted so badly to give it an A+…but there was this one lame joke… Oh, why did you do it, Dear Author? Considering how short the book is, it is simply unforgivable to use more than one page to lead up to a joke about NOT naming a candy bar Baby Ruth.)Illustrations: A- (Despite the proviso on the cover they were not ignominious, but added to the spirit and interest of the story)
Believability of Characters: A (For a farcical work, that is; everyone was developed well and the emotional honesty of the main characters—though not always the secondary ones—was absolutely top-notch)
Believability of Situations: A (See above)
Overall Reading Enjoyment: A+

Possibly objectionable topics*: Neglectful parents; Parents abandoning their children; Children planning their parents’ death; Unhappy marriages.
As a warning: anyone without a developed sense of sarcasm should be carefully monitored during the reading of this product.