Fantasy Literature for Children ages 9-12.
Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken
Black Hearts in Battersea is the second book in Joan Aiken‘s beloved Wolves saga, beginning with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and continuing in Nightbirds in Nantucket. Each book can be read separately and out of order (i.e., each is a separate story, not one big story broken into several parts), linked by re-appearing characters, plot lines and locations. Each is set in a cleverly devised “parallel universe”
December 10th, 2007. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Joan Aiken | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Windrider is the second of the Floramonde books, though unlike other books in series, they all can be read on their own or out of order, and indeed when it came to the first book The Willow Tree’s Daughter, the chapters themselves could be read out of sequence thanks to the format which made the book appear more like a collection of short stories rather than a complete novel.
That trend in format does not continue into Windrider,
December 5th, 2007. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Pamela Freeman | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Charlie Bone and the Time Twister by Jenny Nimmo
The first Charlie Bone book had lots of basic flaws in it: lack of story or character development, a sense of arbitrariness, an overly familiar feel to it, etc., but the premise was just interesting enough, and the characters’ magical “endowments” just quirky enough that one hoped Jenny Nimmo could improve in book two and start putting together a worthwhile series. Sadly, based on this second effort, that hope isn’t borne out.
First, Charlie Bone and the Time Twister simply has a careless feel to it.
December 4th, 2007. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2 | Jenny Nimmo | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is the first book in the Wolves Saga by Joan Aiken, a series of books set in an alternative 18th century England in the reign of King James III. In this altered history a large number of wolves migrate from the bitter cold of Europe and Russia into Britain via the Channel Tunnel, and terrorize the inhabitants in their continuing hunting.
The story is set at Willoughby Chase,
December 2nd, 2007. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Joan Aiken | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Care and Feeding of Sprites by Holly Black
Since the publication of the five-part Spiderwick Chronicles there have been three “spin-off” publications: Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You (a copy of the book that featured so heavily in the Chronicles themselves), A Notebook for Fantastical Observations, designed for readers themselves to fill out, and this, Care and Feeding of Sprites. If you can only choose one of them, then the pick of the litter is undoubtedly the Field Guide,
November 30th, 2007. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Holly Black, Tony DiTerlizzi | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
I am always vaguely amused at the debate that goes on over the reading order of The Chronicles of Narnia and how worked up some people get over it. True, some books should be read before others and The Last Battle should definitely be read last; but in my own experience The Silver Chair (published fourth, written fifth*, and chronologically sixth in the series) was read first! Was my love and appreciation of Narnia ruined because of this? Of course not!
The Silver Chair is set about a year after the proceedings of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,
November 29th, 2007. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | C.S. Lewis | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Willow Tree’s Daughter by Pamela Freeman
It is a very sad fact that this book is so overlooked, as it is a rare gem that everybody should try to get hold of, filled with amazing characters, strange creatures and stereotypes that get twisted on their heads!
The most unique thing about this book however is that it does not as such have a clear plot structure, but rather each chapter relates an encounter or experience with its heroine Princess Betony. In fact, the story actually starts years before her birth when the Crown Prince Max,
November 24th, 2007. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Pamela Freeman | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Nixie’s Song by Holly Black
After the five-part The Spiderwick Chronicles ended with a promise that there would be more to follow in the Spiderwick world, it was only a matter of time before there was another installment in the series. Now we pick up in the first book of a proposed trilogy that features a new set of children (two step-siblings) and a different location (the mangrove swamps of Florida as opposed to the old world charm of New England), but with plenty of new faerie lore incorporated into the story.
October 31st, 2007. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Holly Black, Tony DiTerlizzi | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
The third book in The Chronicles of Narnia (or the fifth if you’re reading them in chronological order), is a rather unusual book within the context of the series, considering the good-against-evil theme that permeates the other six books in the series is largely absent here. Of course there are dangers and trials, as well as personal conflict that need to be resolved, but because there is no central villain nor any fundamental evil that needs to be defeated, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is more thoughtful,
October 29th, 2007. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | C.S. Lewis | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Wizard’s Dilemma by Diane Duane
The Wizard’s Dilemma continues the story of Nita and Kit, young wizards at work. If you haven’t read the others, you should. Though one could get through this and the others without prior knowledge, lack of background knowledge robs the reader of the full impact of the story.
The Wizard’s Dilemma is a darker, more personal book than the previous ones, which is made quickly clear when Nita’s mother is diagnosed with cancer. As one might expect,
October 19th, 2007. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Diane Duane | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
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How did I miss this? Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
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