Critique

As the sequel to Eon, it’s interesting that the two books are not very like each other. Eon is far more about the politics of the court, and Eona’s struggle with her new found power. Eona is really more of a long, straightforward story about the war the main characters suddenly find themselves thrust into. Little of it involves the fantasy and power of the dragons, and I certainly would have loved to see more, but, all in all, the narrative kept me interested from beginning to end.

Critique

At first I didn’t know what to think about this book. I was teetering a bit at the beginning, and it felt difficult to follow from time to time. However, as the book continued to unveil, I stumbled less and less and was able to lose myself in the story. Some of the confusion may have stemmed from my lack of knowledge about the Imperial China, but I do feel as though the text could have used a bit more scenery description so that the full breadth of the environment could be taken in. Also, I don’t typically recommend drawings in books, but it would have been incredibly illuminating to see depictions of the various fighting forms being used in order to imagine the fight scenes.

All in all, though, it’s an engaging, original fantasy that’s part historical China and part something of its own entirely. Eon is a believable character, so much so, in fact, that often I found it annoying that she was making choices natural to her personality that were shaping her future in detrimental ways. No criticism of Goodman’s work, certainly. Sometimes characters are like that, and as much as we want them to be different for their own good, they’ll continue making ridiculous choices that mire them further into the very mess form which they’re struggling to break free. I recommend this text to readers 12+.

The other book in this series is Eona.

Critique

Laurence Yep is known for his beautiful exposés on Chinese history as it intersects with American history. His two books that have previously won the Newbery Honor awards, Dragonwings and Dragon’s Gate, bring to life the under-explored story of the men who came to America from China to work on the railroad. They brought with them the hope and promise of a better life only to be met by hardship and disillusionment, but had the strength and perseverance to see it through.

Dragons of Silk is a perfect addition to this series and companion to the previous books because it provides a new perspective on Chinese history and culture as it intersects with American history and culture through a different medium—silk—but also through a different voice—women. The plot and conflict is palpable and multifaceted. Yep has brought his reader into the lives of the characters and done a masterful job creating connection and empathy with their struggles and triumphs.

It seems no accident that Yep has chosen silk as the object of the plot and a main symbolic theme throughout the writing. One can feel the connection, the threads that bind chapter to chapter, person to person, and generation to generation as his story is weaved throughout its 75-year span. I recommend this to all readers 10+ as it will connect with both children and adults.

Critique

I could not have imagined that the sequel to such an engaging book could actually be better than the first. Alek and Deryn are just the type of characters that belong in a story of war, espionage and international intrigue and politics. The setting is perfect, the characters are believable and fun, and the story is almost impossible to put down. Westerfeld has accomplished the perfect balance between telling a great, compelling story with lots of action and danger with character and plot development. Hats off!

This is one of those books that I have the opportunity to read every now and again that I really cherish. My favorite books in the young adult genre are those that delve into the difficult, real-life experiences of teens placed into impossible circumstances. I also love learning about these other cultures and the truth behind what has been happening around the world. It’s unfortunate that all too often here in America, we don’t care enough about the world outside of our own country to pay it much mind. The entire story is happening during my lifetime, and I had no idea that there was such strong oppression in Laos until after reading this book.

As for the text itself, Manivong narrates the story in a way that creates an excellent balance between the plot and characters and the description of the world. I could have used a bit more, actually, of the description of the awful circumstances in which our main characters have found themselves. Overall, it’s a compelling story with beautiful narration and an educational journey that is good for American audiences. I recommend it to readers 12+.

Critique

Unlike many of the books I read and review in the young adult arena, I was not able to skip through this text quickly. I found myself reading a few chapters and then pondering on the implications of the text and the honesty it forced me to face in my own life. Marcelo has this way of relating experiences in their most simplistic form, breaking things down from the complexity that we often try to shroud our interaction and thought process with in order to pursue negative and destructive behavior that we ultimately know is wrong and bad for us and others.

It caused me to question why we interact with each other in certain ways, and what prohibits us from being living in honesty and decency. It reminds me of many of the conversations I have around ‘sharing’ music, a term we use to defend something that it, in reality, is nothing but stealing. We have many methods we use to doublespeak ourselves into believing that this kind of behavior in all aspects of our lives is not only ‘ok’ but should actually be ‘encouraged.’ Through our selfishness, we create our own systems of misery and suffering, and I believe that a character like Marcelo has the capability to help us refocus and put it all back into perspective—cause and effect, action and consequence.

As for the story itself, it’s beautifully written, and I enjoyed every last word. It reads as if Stork truly took the time to create a rich, engaging, and educational experience for his audience. It’s been several days since I’ve finished, and although I’m in the midst of other books, this text has stuck with me as I continue to process through my priorities and the way I live my life in general. Marcelo is a believable character who goes through a painful transition and an arc that is riddled with sadness and joy. I think, in many ways, his journey helps to remind us that the ‘real world’ is more complicated than we’d like it to be, but that we often create that drama for ourselves. I recommend this to all readers 13+.

Critique

What can I say about Boys Without Names? It is such an amazing book, that I’m not sure describing it, or just using words like ‘moving,’ ‘poignant,’ and ‘beautifully painful’ really do it justice. It’s a simple yet profound story that everyone in America should read, not just teens. It’s important that we as a culture understand that many of the nice things that we want at a cheap price often come at an incredibly high price for someone else. Including becoming a slave.

Read it! Expand your worldview. Change your perspective on what it truly, tangibly means to have your clothes made in sweatshops in poorer countries around the world. Our rampant materialism is an oppressor to people in other nations, and we should have to account for it.

Other than the message Sheth so profoundly communicates, the world she creates is beautiful. I can feel the heat, smell all the amazing smells, and learn a great deal about Indian culture. I feel as if I am also one of those boys without names, working in the sweatshop, and through their experience of creating family and bonds, and reminded fondly of my own childhood. All the more reason that I want to step into the story and save these children from injustice, and punish those who are responsible for it.

It was everything I was hoping for and more, and I recommend that everyone read it.

Critique

Even though I was certain Montmaray was not a real place, I continually second guessed myself throughout reading the text. Cooper does such a fantastic job of creating a believable history, topography, and culture for this imaginary island that it makes it difficult to believe it’s not an actual place.

Also, typically I don’t like the whimsical girl 1st person narrative, but I believe it worked for this story very well. However, there were sometimes where the journal concept Cooper uses to tell the story breaks down a bit. By that I mean specifically that the events and the way Sophie is relaying those events seem less like a girl writing in her journal and more like a standard 3rd person omniscient narrator.

The most accomplished element of the book is certainly the intertextual weaving of historical fiction with historical fact over the course of the history of Montmaray with the rest of Europe, as well as the discussions that arise between the characters about their roles in the world as European royalty given the tumultuous nature of Europe at the time. The war feels real told through the eyes of Sophie as does everything else about her little island kingdom. I recommend this novel to readers 13-17.

Critique

Lawrence has composed a beautifully written book that aptly creates two different worlds. The first, the ‘real’ world is a heart-wrenching account of children who are suffering from Polio, but are able to be brightened because one girl decides to be brave enough to show up every Saturday and narrate an ongoing story. The second world is the frame story, the fantasy tale that Laurie creates for the kids in the Polio ward, which feels equally as tangible as the first.

It soon becomes clear that the two worlds are merging, and each child represents a character in the story. Laurie doesn’t always necessarily intend for it to play out that way, but through the merging of the worlds, it becomes clear to the kids that the story must be finished. Lawrence has created a treasure where both stories keep the reader interested and informed at the same time, rooting for the heroes to overcome the giant, and for the kids to overcome Polio. I wouldn’t be surprised if this novel is in the clear running for the Newbery. I recommend it to all readers 8+.

Critique

This novel was surprisingly good, not that I was expecting less, but more that I wasn’t sure what to expect at all. The overall premise of the book doesn’t really do the actual story justice. I love how Thompson has woven together Ireland’s past and present, the ancient, tribal, mythological version of the nation with the present, Christian-influenced nation we see today.

Although Thomson lifted the core of her fantasy from Irish mythology, I still feel this is an original fantasy because it’s rare that we get to see fantasies using Irish mythology. We see a lot of Norse and Austro-Hungarian myth, with elves, dragons, dwarves, as well as Greek and Roman, but it’s rare that we get a taste of Irish mythology, which is characteristically different, both in its creatures and the world in which they live.

What I found most interesting was the correlation that Thompson makes between the Irish mythology, which is treated as fact in the text, and the Irish culture. The music is thought to have come from the fairies, and when J.J. discovers the world of the fairies, who are actually much more like humans than our traditional view of fairies, he discovers that time never passes in their land, so they have no fear or worry about anything. Thompson’s theory spoken through the text creates a connection between the Irish people and their love for music, beer, dancing and general merriment with their mythology.

It’s a fun take on Ireland’s past and present, but, in a way, it may not be too far off. Even though they may not have actually gotten their music from fairies, there are theories about how cultures and languages emerge. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis works off of the belief that a culture’s language is formed out of its surroundings, thus why the Eskimos would have 30+ words for snow. There may be some credence to why Ireland and the Gaelic people have been historically very different from the rest of the people’s of Europe—why they’ve valued music and merriment, relationships and family over conquering other lands or industrial progress. Perhaps Thompson’s theory is correct, and the Irish music does come from the immortals who live in Tír na n’Óg, the land of eternal youth.

I highly recommend this book to all readers 11+.