FINISHED:

Joyce, William. (2016). Ollie's Odyssey. New York: Atheneum/Simon & Schuster.

[.]

STARTED:
Brown, Peter. (2016). The Wild Robot. New York: Little, Brown.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Cossanteli, Veronica. (2016). The Extincts. New York: Henry Holt/MacMillan.

[Hoping to help his single mother out financially, George answers an ad for help at a local farm, only finding out when he gets there that its owner is taking care of a menagerie of extinct and mythological creatures.  With the help of a girl named Prudence, George is on a mission to find a basilisk from the farm who is on the loose and turning the town’s animals (and a few humans) to stone, hoping to catch it before it can fall into the hands of Prudence’s taxidermist stepmother.  Dry humor abounds, and George learns that “real men aren’t afraid of pink” and that it’s ok to be friends with a girl, though Prudence’s evil, taxidermist stepmother and her henchmen come across as villainous caricatures.  Originally published in the UK, there are a few “British-isms” that may confound some (Mum, redundancy money, rugby tackle, cherry stone, fancy-dress party), but shrewd readers should be able to discern their meaning through context clues.  Digitally-created, spot illustrations that read somewhat flat are scattered throughout, while a glossary at the end provides a bit of information about some of the creatures featured in the story.  Readers eager for a more sophisticated story about a sanctuary for fanciful creatures are best to try out Brandon Mull’s far superior Fablehaven series (Shadow Mountain, 2006-).  Review based on ARC.]

STARTED:
Joyce, William. (2016). Ollie's Odyssey. New York: Atheneum/Simon & Schuster.

[New William Joyce!  New William Joyce!  And it's an illustrated novel!]

*

FINISHED:
Khan, Joshua. (2016). Shadow Magic. New York: Disney/Hyperion.

[Thorn, after having been captured while trying to find his father who took the blame for a crime Thorn committed, is bought and taken to Castle Gloom by Tyburn the executioner to be a squire.  Lilith Shadow, ruler in Castle Gloom after the rest of her family is killed, is being force to marry Gabriel Solar in an effort to bring peace between their kingdoms/houses.  When a failed poisoning of Lilith occurs, the tale suddenly becomes an entertaining murder mystery, filled with red herrings, magic, ghosts, a giant bat that Thorn learns to ride, and even some zombies, though the revelation of the true villain and what happened to Thorn’s father may not come as total shockers.  Plodding and overlong at times, this is still a nuanced fantasy with a vivid setting.  The characters of Thorn and Lilith are given equal time, thus broadening its appeal, though it should be noted that there are a handful of instances of visceral violence.  Full page illustrations in a dynamic, mood-setting style are scattered throughout.  Review based on ARC.]

STARTED:
Cossanteli, Veronica. (2016). The Extincts. New York: Henry Holt/MacMillan.

[.]

*

FINISHED:

Federle, Tim. (2016).  The Great American Whatever. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[.]

STARTED:
Khan, Joshua. (2016). Shadow Magic. New York: Disney/Hyperion.

[Reviewing for ACL...]

*

FINISHED: 
Highsmith, Patricia. (1952). The Price of Salt. Mineola, NY: Dover.

[.]

STARTED:

Federle, Tim. (2016).  The Great American Whatever. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Corey, Shana. (2016). The Secret Subway. New York: Schwartz & Wade/Random House.

[.]


STARTED:
Highsmith, Patricia. (1952). The Price of Salt. Mineola, NY: Dover.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Alexander, Kwame. (2016). Booked. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.



[.]




STARTED:
Corey, Shana. (2016). The Secret Subway. New York: Schwartz & Wade/Random House.



[.]


*

FINISHED: 
Castleman, Virginia. (2016). Sara Lost and Found. New York: Aladdin/Simon & Schuster.



[REALLY didn't live up to my expectations.  Name-checks Dicey's Song, so maybe I'll read that one to cleanse the palate...]



STARTED:
Alexander, Kwame. (2016). Booked. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.



[Whoo hoo!  New one from last year's Newbery Award winner!]



*

FINISHED:
Clarke, Susanna. (2004). Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. New York: Bloomsbury.

[FINISHED IT!  An enjoyable read, to be sure, though a bit plodding in places.  HOWEVER, never did I feel like, "I really want to give this up and read something else," nor did I finish it just to say that I did.  She built an entire world here, with complex characters, a full "alternate" history, and injected a whole bunch of deadpan humor.  And I just love that the only name we got for the "gentleman with the thistledown hair" was the "gentleman with the thistledown hair".  Currently in the middle of the BBC adaptation, and finding that it is remarkable true to the source material, annotations and all!]

STARTED:
Castleman, Virginia. (2016). Sara Lost and Found. New York: Aladdin/Simon & Schuster.

[Intrigued because it is about foster kids.]

*

 

FINISHED:
Park, Linda Sue. (2016). Wing & Claw: Forest of Wonders. New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Clarke, Susanna. (2004). Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. New York: Bloomsbury.

[I'm going to give it go!  The paperback - at just over 1000 pages - is daunting, but I'm intrigued by the BBC series and really want to read the source material first.  I gave it a shot years ago...  Don't remember why I couldn't finish it...]

*