FINISHED:

Marriott, Zoe. (2008). The swan kingdom. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

[Liked it, but thought that it dragged in the middle. Lots of stunning descriptions, but not a whole lot of dialogue to move things along. Will post my ACL review when it is finished...

And here it is:

After her mother, Queen of the Kingdom, is viciously mauled to death by a mysterious beast, Alexandra’s father suddenly marries a woman who seems to have all of the Kingdom locked in a spell. Alexandra is then sent to another land to live with her aunt, all the while trying to get back and find her three older brothers who have all disappeared – most likely turned into swans. Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s tale “The Wild Swans” (first published in 1838), Marriott’s take plays out as an extended fairy tale for a new generation of readers. Loaded with stunningly descriptive passages, the novel actually feels a bit heavy in this regard with very little narrative action. As Alexandra is making her way back to the Kingdom, there are whole sections without any dialogue at all to move things forward as Alexandra can not speak or else she’ll ruin a spell to save her brothers. This all serves to make the ending somewhat anticlimatic compared to all that comes before it. Still, the language is lovely, and fans of fairy tale fantasy with strong female protagonists will be delighted.]


STARTED:
Bray, Libba. (2007). The sweet far thing. New York: Delacorte/Random House.

[Reading this one to see if I deem it "outstanding" for ACL. At over 800 pages, it's a BEAST.]


STARTED & FINISHED:

Stamaty, Mark Alan. (2004). Alia's mission: Saving the books of Iraq. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

[Read this one for obvious reasons. Such an amazing and inspiring story about a woman who feels so passionately about books and preserving history that she moves books out of the library in Basra and into her home in an effort to save them from possible bombing. Presented in a fantastic comic book/graphic novel format which ought to attract young ones to this story of bravery during wartime.]



Holm, Jennifer L., and Matthew Holm. (2007). Babymouse: puppy love. New York: Random House.

[Another great Babymouse adventure. In this one she goes through a series of pets (which all end up "lost" under her bed where they have a party together) before bringing home, caring for, and training a lost dog. FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY. The Babymouse series continues to please.]




Harper, Charise Mericle. (2005). Fashion Kitty. New York: Hyperion.

[Just couldn't resist this one - was especially drawn in by the glitter on the cover. A funny little graphic novel about a cat who realizes that she has special powers - especially the power to help people who are having a "fashion emergency". Had a bit of trouble telling one character from the other, but it was a swift little treat. Comes with mix and match panels in the middle.]

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