Fantasy Literature for Children ages 9-12.
The Hotel Under the Sand by Kage Baker
Kage Baker left us on January 31, 2010, at the much-too-young age of 57. Those of us who read and loved her Company novels and short stories, beginning with In the Garden of Iden, will miss her more than we can collectively say — though many of us tried, in those last few weeks, to tell her what her work had meant to us.
Nominated for the 2009 Andre Norton Award for Young Science Fiction and Fantasy,
February 3rd, 2011. Terry Weyna´s rating: 4 | Kage Baker | Children, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Peter and the Starcatchers by Ridley Pearson & Dave Barry
How did Peter Pan get to Neverland? Where did Tinkerbell come from? How did Hook lose his hand? And most importantly, how did Captain Hook and Peter Pan meet? This last question is the one Paige Pearson asked her father after hearing “Peter Pan,” which in turn led to Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson‘s collaborative effort Peter and the Starcatchers, written as a prequel to J.M. Barrie‘s classic work of children’s literature.
January 16th, 2011. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Ridley Pearson | Children | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Lost in the Labyrinth by Patrice Kindl
In recent years there has been a massive increase in the publication of re-told fairytales and myths, usually with the author twisting the known facts and meanings of the original source material into something more contemporary: villains become sympathetic characters, we see the proceedings through the eyes of a minority character such as a slave or a woman, or hidden agendas and meanings are revealed behind the bare bones of the story.
Famous examples of this have been Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon,
January 11th, 2011. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Patrice Kindl | Children, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Sherwood is a collection of eight short stories all based around the legends of Robin Hood. Edited by long-time Hood aficionado Jane Yolen, most of the stories centre on original or minor characters that are in some way related to Robin and his Merry Men. Judging by the “About the Authors” segment at the back of the book, all the contributors have had previous writing experience in both the fantasy and the medievalist period, with works such as Nancy Springer’s I Am Mordred,
December 20th, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Jane Yolen | Children, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Clockwork Three by Matthew Kirby
Amid the several highly anticipated children’s and YA works this year by big names such as Suzanne Collins and Rick Riordan, one can be forgiven for missing the entry onto the stage of Matthew Kirby’s first novel, The Clockwork Three. Forgiven, but no longer excused, for among all those much more hyped releases (though they are often justifiably hyped), this stands out as among the best. There. Now you know.
December 16th, 2010. Bill Capossere´s rating: 5 | Matthew Kirby | Children, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Rowan Hood series consists of five books that pertain to the four members of a young outlaw gang. Each of the first four books centers on one of these characters, with the fifth book focusing on all five. These are brave, spunky Rowan, the daughter of the legendary Robin Hood; Lionel, an overgrown cowardly minstrel; Rook the wild boy; and Ettarde, a runaway princess. Also with them is Tykell, a wolf-dog hybrid that can catch arrows out of the air. Lionclaw,
December 11th, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Nancy Springer | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
The Red Pyramid (2011), by Rick Riordan, starts readers off on a new series intermingling ancient mythology, today’s world, and snappy young teens. In this case, though, the mythology is Egyptian, not Greek as in his Percy Jackson series (or Roman, as in the newest addition to that series) and the young teens aren’t the sons and daughters of gods but are instead possessed by them (if that doesn’t seem like much of a difference, it’s because it really isn’t as the story plays out).
December 6th, 2010. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Rick Riordan | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Susan Cooper is best known for her five-part The Dark is Rising series, a sequence of fantasy novels that any self-respecting lover of fantasy should have on their bookshelf. Among her lesser known works is the time-slip adventure King of Shadows, a picture book trilogy based on Celtic legends, and two stories chronicling the doings of a Scottish boggart: The Boggart and its sequel The Boggart and the Monster.
In the Western Highlands of Scotland lives a mysterious and mischievous spirit known as a boggart.
December 3rd, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Susan Cooper | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Theseus by Geraldine McCaughrean
Out of all the heroes in the Greek mythology canon, Theseus always struck me as the most pitiable. Though he started out promisingly enough, a string of bad decisions and unlucky circumstances left him the most broken of all the heroes in Greek mythology. In her retelling of his story, Geraldine McCaughrean pinpoints the reason for all this misery, Theseus’s fatal pride, and maps the trail of ruined lives and broken hearts that Theseus leaves behind him before his sins finally catch up with him.
King Aegeus of Athens is desperate for a son,
November 30th, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Geraldine McCaughrean | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Howard Pyle is best known as the writer of The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, a book that’s widely considered to be the definitive compilation of the Robin Hood ballads into a cohesive whole. Though that’s his most famous work, he also wrote two anthologies of fairytales: Pepper & Salt and The Wonder Clock. This adaptation of Bearskin is from the latter collection, and Pyle’s love of fairytales and legends is apparent,
November 26th, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Howard Pyle | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
What a fascinating exploration of Edwige Fenech's contributions to the giallo genre! I love how the post highlights her unique…
Pretty challenging book. Cut by half, speed up the cadence. Trying to figure out the plot, the main point of…
Thanks for the kind words, Marion! Coming as they are from a professional writer, they are much appreciated!
Wonderful review, Sandy.
The "body count" bothered me a bit less because being dead seemed more like an inconvenience than anything else... unlike…