Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

The Disney movie version of the story of Alice in Wonderland was never one of my favorites, and so it has taken me until now to read the original story.  Truth be told, I found the book to be quite enjoyable.  The oddity of the world Alice finds herself in when she falls down the rabbit hole, and the strange yet memorable characters she meets along the way, are creatively and imaginatively blended together to make a world any child would want to dream about.

At times, I admit, I was a little annoyed with Alice’s silly and nonsensical thinking, but I guess it’s what you would expect from a child’s dreamland.  Overall, a great read, and even though it’s been around for nearly 150 years, this is one classic children’s book that is sure to delight children (and adults) for ages to come.

The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell

Thanks to my friend Sydney for introducing me to this enchanting book.  Using a character full of courage and spunk, Merrie Haskell weaves together two different fairy tales: Twelve Dancing Princesses and Beauty and the Beast.

Reveka is a young herbalist who takes it upon herself to figure out how to break a curse, which causes the 12 princesses to wear away their shoes every night, and which has caused a deathless sleep to overcome any and all people who have ventured to break the curse.  Agreeing to be the bride of a zmeu (type of dragon), Reveka is able to save her father and the princesses.  But can she find a way to heal the sleepers and heal the Underworld?

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

This book is about a twelve-year-old orphan named Hollis Woods who is known for running away from her foster homes.  Her one wish is to have a family and it looks like her wish is going to come true when she spends the summer with the Regan’s.  But she ends up running away from the Regan’s after an accident that she blames herself for.  When she goes to stay with an elderly artist named Josie, Hollis feels like she is needed as Josie’s memory is slowly deteriorating.  In an effort to stay with Josie, Hollis runs away with Josie, but slowly comes to understand that running away does not solve anything. 

I had previously seen the made-for-television movie done by Hallmark and thought it was a really touching and emotional story, which made me want to read the book.  Words sometime have a power that is so much greater than what can be seen.  This is true of Giff’s Newbery Honor book.  This is a story of courage and love that will touch your heart.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

I loved it!  This sequel to Divergent lives up to expectations.  Picking up right where Divergent leaves off, this sequel is fast-paced and full of danger, deception, and betrayal as each individual must decide where they stand in the face of war.  I couldn’t put it down.  Veronica Roth has created a world that is hauntingly memorable, and characters that have a depth to them as they face physical and emotional struggles that cause them to question human nature.

All I can say is, When is the next one coming out?

Inferno! by Scott R. Rigby

Inferno is about a 15-year-old boy named Caleb who finds out that he is a Dream Charmer – somebody with the ability to use their dreams to change the future.  As the most powerful Dream Charmer in a thousand years, it is up to Caleb, with a little help from his dead twin brother Tom, to stop an evil villain named Darius from destroying the gateway between the world of the living and the world of the dead.

While the plot and storyline of this self-published book was fantastic, the author seems to be ignorant of many basic language rules.  The poor structure, misuse of punctuation, and incorrect use of contractions detracted from what potentially could have been a bestseller.  

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but I thought this latest installment in the Heroes of Olympus series was spectacular!  First off, Percy and Annabeth’s reunion was sweetly humorous.  Jason and Percy are an awesome duo when they are working together.  Those Romans, however, (particularly Octavian) are a hotheaded and war-hungry group, not to mention ruthlessly persistent.  I guess I will have to wait until the next book to find out how Camp Half-Blood fared against the Romans from Camp Jupiter.  As always, Riordan’s book was packed with non-stop action and adventure, with a healthy dose of humor.

Next fall: The House of Hades

D.N. Angel, Vol. 1 by Yukiru Sugisaki

This first installment of a Japanese manga series is about a boy named Daisuke Niwa.  On his fourteenth birthday, not only is he rejected by Risa, the girl he loves, but he learns that Risa is the trigger that causes him to transform into Dark, the notorious Phantom Thief.  This curse will only end when Daisuke’s first love, Risa, returns his love.  To make matters more complicated, Dark is attracted to Risa’s twin sister Riku, who has the same transforming effect on Dark as Risa has on Daisuke. 

This is the first manga book I have read and I loved it!  And it wasn't too hard to get used to reading backwards!  I will definitely be reading more of this series. 

The 39 Clues

My 10-year-old nephew Andrew got me started reading the 39 Clues series.  Each book in the series is written by a different author, although some authors have written more than one book in the series.  It is about orphans Amy and Dan Cahill who learn that many of the most influential, prominent, intelligent, and artistic figures in the world are descended from one of the four branches of the Cahill family.  When their grandmother Grace dies, her will lays out a challenge to all of her relatives.  Dan and Amy accept the challenge of hunting the 39 clues that, once found, will give them the power to influence and shape the world.  But they are only two kids competing against more wealthy and more knowledgeable relatives who are ruthless in their search. 

These are exceptional books filled with imagination and mystery.  The series starts with Maze of Bones written by Rick Riordan. 

The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley

I was first introduced to this enchanting series a couple years ago by my niece Jordyn, who was reading them at the time.  The series follows 11-year-old Sabrina Grimm and her 7-year-old sister Daphne.  They have been in foster care since the mysterious disappearance of their parents nearly 2 years ago.  Sabrina is surprised and suspicious when an old lady claiming to be their grandmother (whom they thought dead) takes them to live with her in a little town called Ferryport Landing. 

Ferryport Landing is not like normal towns.  The residents are fairytale characters called Everafters who came across the Atlantic to the new world.  However, they are trapped in Ferryport Landing by a magical barrier put there by the original Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm to prevent the more mischievous and and sinister Everafters from escaping and wreaking havoc.  So thus Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are introduced to their family business of being fairytale detectives.

Adventure and danger abound in this series as they look for clues to their parents' disappearance and discover a more sinister plot that involves a group called the Scarlet Hand. 

Books in the series:
1 - Fairy-tale Detectives
2 - The Unusual Suspects
3 - The Problem Child
4 - Once Upon a Crime
5 - Magic and Other Misdemeanors
6 - Tales From the Hood
7 - The Everafter War
8 - The Inside Story

Look for Council of Mirrors, the final book of the series, coming out May 2012!

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent is about a 16-year-old girl named Beatrice "Tris" Prior.  Taking place in post-apocalyptic Chicago, the city is divided into five factions: Dauntless, Abnegation, Amity, Erudite, and Candor.  Every year, all 16-year-olds are given a test to see which faction they would best fit in with (which isn't always the faction they grew up in), after which a day of Choosing occurs, where the teens can choose which faction they want to join.  It is a time of unrest between factions and choosing a different faction from the one you grew up in is seen as a betrayal to the faction you're leaving. 

Tris leaves Abnegation for Dauntless.  She has a secret.  During her testing, her results were inconclusive - she could do equally well in Abnegation, Dauntless, or Erudite.  The ability to be like more than one faction is known as divergence.  And there are those who seek out and kill the Divergent. 

Go out and get this book!  If you liked the Hunger Games, you are going to love Divergent!  After reading a copy from the library, I went out and bought my own copy to have.

The Hunger Games Movie

Excellent cast!  I especially loved Woody Harrelson as Haymitch.  Stanley Tucci was excellent as Caesar Flickerman.  Great young cast as well.  I had my doubts about Jennifer Lawrence, but was unexpectedly pleased with her performance as Katniss.  As ever, Josh Hutcherson (one of my favorite young actors) played his role superbly.

I loved that the movie stayed mostly true to the book.  This is definitely one I'll buy on DVD!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

A science fiction twist on the Cinderella fairy tale.  In the future, over a hundred years after the Fourth World War, Cinder is a cyborg living with the adoptive mother who never wanted her.  Cinder works as a mechanic in a world that distrusts and looks down on cyborgs, a world that is battling a disease called Letumosis, a world that is struggling to maintain a fragile peace with the Lunar queen Levana. 

I loved this book and had a hard time putting it down.  Three more books are planned.