Entries Categorized as 'Fiction'
Posted by Becca
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Archie Binns, Out of Print, Puget Sound, Seals
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Clint Barlow goes on a sailing expedition one day and finds an orphaned harbor seal. Unwilling to just leave the animal and interested in all things having to do with the ocean, Clint takes the seal home and gains permission to keep it until it makes trouble. The seal, Buster, becomes a good friend to Clint, but soon becomes a nuisance when he steals milk from cows, “helps” fishermen with their catches, and scares a family who have never seen a seal, much less a tame one. Clint also finds that Buster is always in danger because almost everybody in the area considers seals as pests to be shot on sight. The Barlows try sending Buster to Alaska, only to have the seal return. Clint is torn between keeping his friend forever and finding a place where Buster will be safe from harm.
Sea Pup presents a fairly good take on the “adopt an orphaned wild animal” theme. There are times when Clint seems to act young for his age and, with his interest in science, there are some references to the evolutionary origin of seals. Thankfully, these do not dominate the story. The ending could have used some work, but on the whole the story is an enjoyable light read.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Cat Royal, French Revolution, Julia Golding
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Cat Royal’s patron Mr. Sheridan is tearing down his London theatre so he can build a bigger one. There’s just a small problem with that: the theatre is Cat’s home! Realizing what he’s done, Mr. Sheridan sends Cat to France to do some spying for him. When Cat gets there, she immediately gets tangled up in the French Revolution and enters a dangerous world where everything hangs on the will of the people.
As is the usual Cat Royal formula, Cat finds herself in a complicated situation that is quite tense and edge-of-your-seat exciting. The storyline here is excellent, the characters dimensional and complex. Unfortunately, all this greatness is marred by language that gets a little salty at times. Den of Thieves sets up a few events for the next Cat Royal book, which (not to spoil that review!) cut back a lot on the objectionable elements. All that to say that in my opinion, Den of Thieves is probably the low point of the series. But keep going, as the next one is much better.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Advanced Readers, Fantasy, Fiction, Review
Tags:Susanna Clarke
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There has not been a practical magician in England for several hundred years. So the people are astonished when Mr. Norrell, a small, quiet gentleman who has been studying the subject for much of his life, proves that he is, in fact, the next great magician. More than that, he intends to restore magic to England and even aid the country in the war against Napoleon Bonaparte.
In the midst of this rises a second magician, the young and dauntless Jonathan Strange. Strange has an uncanny knack for magic, and despite some rather grave differences of opinion between the two of them, Mr. Norrell takes him on as a pupil. Perhaps their most serious disagreements are about the Raven King, a mysterious figure in history who was responsible for much of the magical foundation. As time goes on, Strange becomes more and more intrigued with the Raven King and the more perilous forms of magic, risking not only his partnership with Norrell but everything that he holds dear.
If I do not restrain myself, I’m going to gush about this book. Problem is, if I force myself to slow down, I’m left speechless. This novel is 782 pages long, and I was enthralled to the very last one. It is incredible. The writing style itself is so beautifully similar to that of Jane Austen and other writers of that period, I could scarcely believe this was such a recent publication (2004). It is intricate, delightful, terrifying, and captivating. I have never come across anything quite like it. The antagonist alone was one of the most uniquely and well-done characters I’ve read. Everything is brilliant, right down to the use of footnotes to enhance the story and add to the seeming reality.
Now, all that to say… I don’t feel that I can go about recommending Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell to everyone. My one single—but substantial—reservation about this book is the heavy involvement of magic. I do not mind magical things in fantasy realms, but this particular story grounds magic firmly in reality, in Europe, in the 1800s. Given that Susanna Clarke is not a Christian author, it creates some gnarly situations. So, is this book for you? I cannot say. You will have to do your own research and choose for yourself.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Anne of Green Gables, L. M. Montgomery, Prince Edward Island
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Anne and Gilbert finally get married and move into their house of dreams. What follows is the account of their life there and their interactions with their new neighbors. There’s Miss Cornelia, who has some fun quirks; Captain Jim, a retired sailor; and then there’s Leslie, whose tragic life makes Anne reach out to her.
And really, there’s not much of a throughline here. Most of this fifth Anne book involves small, one or two chapter stories. We get plenty of L. M. Montgomery’s signature Anne humor and heartwarming here, though, and it only gets better with the second read. I do prefer some of the other books in the series better, but I did find this one quite enjoyable.
Posted by Becca
Categories: Advanced Readers, Fiction, Review
Tags:Dogs, Eric Knight, Flying, Sam Small, World War II, Yorkshire
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Sam Small is the most extraordinary man in Yorkshire, which, of course, means the whole world. Throughout the book, Sam manages to get into several absurd situations, such as splitting his personality so that there are two Sams, finding a talking dog, learning how to fly, and turning into a German officer and planning an attack on Britain by accident.
Sam Small is in an episodic format, so each of the ten stories can stand alone. Some of the stories contain material that is unsuitable for younger readers, similar to James Herriot’s books, and much of the humor may not be understood by a younger reader. Older readers will find Sam Small to be enjoyable and hilarious. Do not skip author’s note as it explains the origins of the main character and includes a beautiful piece about writing in general. The Yorkshire dialect takes a bit of getting used to, but the book is well worth it. Despite the title, Sam Small Flies Again is Eric Knight’s only book about Sam.
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