The Phoenix and the Carpet. E. Nesbit. 1904. 224 pages.
It began with the day when it was almost the Fifth of November, and a doubt arose in some breast--Robert's, I fancy--as to the quality of the fireworks laid in for the Guy Fawkes celebration.
The Phoenix and the Carpet is the sequel to Five Children and It. It stars Robert, Anthea, Jane, Cyril, and Lamb. (Though Lamb isn't a big star in the novel, he does manage to steal a few scenes in this one!) If you thought the magical adventures for these children were over--now that they've returned to the city and are far from their Psammead--you'd be wrong. (The Psammead is the "It" from the previous book.) For the delightful-sometimes-dangerous adventures are just beginning. After an "accident" in the nursery ruins the carpet, the carpet is replaced with a magical one. And this magical carpet holds another secret--for within it was an egg. Not just an ordinary egg. No, the Phoenix hatches from this egg--once another "accident" lands it in the nursery fireplace. The children now have THE Phoenix and a magic carpet--so you see the adventures are just beginning. Do you think these children are any wiser this time around? Do you think their wishes will lead them into trouble? Or into trouble that they can't think themselves out of?
Some of my favorite passages:
On this particular Sunday there were fowls for dinner, a kind of food that is generally kept for birthdays and grand occasions, and there was an angel pudding, when rice and milk and orange and write icing do their best to make you happy. (52)and
Mother was really a great dear. She was pretty and she was loving, and most frightfully good when you were ill, and always kind, and almost always just. That is, she was just when she understood things. But of course she did not always understand things. No one understands everything, and mothers are not angels, though a good many of them come pretty near it. The children knew that mother always wanted to do what was best for them, even if she was not clever enough to know exactly what was the best. (73)There were many things I loved about this one. I loved the trouble that comes about when the wishing carpet makes its own wish--and brings back one-hundred and ninety-nine Persian cats. Of course, that is only the start of that particular mishap...
I also LOVED Lamb's scenes in this novel. In particular when this little one crawled onto the wishing carpet and started babbling. The carpet, of course, understands all languages--even baby ones--and Lamb and the carpet vanish. This puzzles the children, how will they get their baby brother back?! How can they ever explain to their mom what happened?! I won't tell you how this one resolves, but I just loved it!
I loved this one. I don't know that I love it any more than I do Five Children and It. I just know that I love E. Nesbit. I love her narrative style. I love her descriptions. And I am so very thankful I've discovered her! And I'm looking forward to reading more of her books.
Have you read any Nesbit? Do you have a favorite book? Which do you think I should read next?
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By: Becky Laney,
on 6/2/2010
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Sisters Red. Jackson Pearce. 2010. June 2010. Little, Brown. 328 pages.
He's following me.
Scarlett and Rosie are sisters with more than a few secrets. Sisters with a (relatively) unique mission in life. To fight, fight, fight. To rid the world--well, maybe not the whole world, but their community at least--of Fenris (werewolves). You might say their introduction to this real world--the world of monsters--was quite brutal, both girls witnessed the death of their grandmother--Oma March--and this attack left Scarlett scarred inside and out. Joining them in their mission is a young guy (one that Rosie finds oh-so-dreamy), Silas. He comes from a long line of woodsmen.
But though these three fight together as a team--and are quite close in many ways--some things are changing, for better or worse. Silas and Rosie, well, they are changing. And Scarlett may have to deal with that.
I liked having both Rosie and Scarlett as narrators. When I was reading Rosie's chapters, I felt connected with her. I loved her. I could completely sympathize with her. See things from her perspective, see her side of things. Her need for her life to be more than just fighting, to be more than just battling evil. Her love for Silas. When I was reading Scarlett's chapters, I felt connected with her. I could see things from her side. Her passion--her obsession--to do anything and everything to protect people from the Fenris threat. The world may not know it's in danger--but for Scarlett, it's all too real. She can't forget for a moment, for a day, that she has a responsibility to protect others. She's a driven young woman, strong and powerful in many ways. And I have to respect that. Scarlett's choices are her own. Rosie's choices are her own. These two sisters love each other deeply, need each other deeply. But they want (and need) different things from life.
I thought Sisters Red was well-written. I would definitely recommend this one.
What do you think of the cover? I really liked this one. Though I must admit (a bit sheepishly) that it took me a few days to see the wolf on the cover!
Other reviews: A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy, Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf, Sarah's Random Musings, Tales of the Ravenous Reader, I Just Wanna Sit Here And Read, Extreme Reader, Bookworming in the 21st Century,
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By: Becky Laney,
on 5/15/2010
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The Red Pyramid. (Kane Chronicles #1) Rick Riordan. 2010. May 2010. Hyperion. 528 pages.
We only have a few hours, so listen carefully.The Red Pyramid is narrated by Carter and Sadie, a brother-sister team who hold the fate of the world in their hands. Carter has spent most of his life traveling the world with his father, Dr. Julius Kane, an archaeologist who specializes in Ancient Egypt. Sadie, his sister, has spent most of her life living in England with her grandparents--the Fausts. She only sees her dad and her brother a couple of times a year. (It's been like that since their mother's tragic death). But one Christmas Eve, everything changes. Because that is when Dr. Kane accidentally-on-purpose explodes the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum. And life is never the same for these two after that.
If you're hearing this story, you're already in danger. Sadie and I might be your only chance.
Go to the school. Find the locker. I won't tell you which school or which locker, because if you're the right person, you'll find it. The combination is 13/32/33. By the time you finish listening, you'll know what those numbers mean. Just remember the story we're about to tell you isn't complete yet. How it ends will depend on you.
The most important thing: when you open the package and find what's inside, don't keep it longer than a week. Sure it'll be tempting. I mean, it will grant you almost unlimited power. But if you possess it too long, it will consume you. Learn its secrets quickly and pass it on. Hide it for the next person, the way Sadie and I did for you. Then be prepared for your life to get very interesting.
Carter and Sadie discover many things in The Red Pyramid. For starters that Egyptian gods and goddesses are very real. And that they can be unleashed in the modern world with great big consequences. Sometimes for good, sometimes for evil. One god, Set, is out to destroy the world. And it falls to these two kids to stop him. Of course, they aren't working all on their own. But just who is helping, well, I'll let you discover that on your own! Then there are the family secrets--details about just who these two children really are...and their connection with the House of Life, a secret order of magicians.
If you're a fan of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, chances are you'll pick this one up no matter what I say, no matter what any reviewer says. How do I think these two compared? Well, that's tough.
I think The Red Pyramid is a bit longer than The Lightning Thief. I felt it to be a bit weightier as well. So much time is spent setting everything up. The little details here and there that give a richness, a depth, to this fantasy world, but at the same time slow it down just a bit. (Not enough that I would ever stop reading, stop caring. Just that I wasn't able to speed through this one.)
I think it's an interesting choice to have two narrators with different strengths and weaknesses. Interesting to have biracial narrators facing their own challenges--you know in addition to facing the powers of evil. (Carter is darker than his sister, and sometimes people don't realize that these two are brother-and-sister. Especially since their mom's death. And he has faced some discrimination in his life. And Sadie, well, Sadie has some issues with her dad's lack of involvement in her life.)
I can't say I feel as connected with either Sadie or Carter as I did with Percy Jackson upon first reading it. That's not to say that these two may not grow on me with further reading. (Bast just isn't
By: Becky Laney,
on 5/1/2010
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Any Which Wall. Laurel Snyder. 2009. May 2009. Random House. 256 pages.
Have you ever stumbled onto magic? Maybe while you were trudging to school one drizzly day, or in the middle of a furious game of freeze tag? Has anything odd ever happened to you?Why the long quote? Well, I wanted to share the opening paragraphs of this one simply because they begged to be read. Once I read the prologue of this book, I had to take it home with me. I just had to read this one. I wanted to know what kind of magical adventures were to be had. I shared them in the hopes that they would hook you like they had hooked me!
If you're shaking your head right now, if you think that nothing out of the ordinary ever happens, you might be mistaken. Because it's possible that you stumbled onto magic and missed it--that you were teetering on the edge of a strange and wonderful adventure but then turned the other way. This happens all the time.
I know a boy (we'll call him Horbert, though that isn't his name, thank goodness), and for years he lived in a house where the bathtub had a magical drainpipe that led straight to the lost city of Atlantis! But Horbert was always in such a hurry to get where he was going that he never lingered in the bath. Whenever he got really filthy, and his mother nagged him to wash, he just jumped in and briefly splashed at himself. Then he'd spring right from the tub, and out the door he'd fly, afraid that his older brother Noah was beating his high score on Super-Space-Zombie-4000, his very favorite video game. Though mermaids sang in the plumbing, he never heard their call.
Henry, Emma, Susan, and Roy are about to have a very uncommon common adventure. One summer day, these four kids discover a wall in the middle of a corn field. One of them oh-so-innocently wishes to be somewhere else. (Susan wishes for a root beer float at Annabelle's Diner.) And well, what happens next is quite extraordinary. These children have a magical summer before them as they discover just where this wishing wall will take them.
This book reminded me (in a good way) of Five Children and It by E. Nesbit. (I suppose other children's fantasy books could be mentioned as well.) There's something satisfying about this fun fantasy. I really enjoyed reading it.
Other reviews: Charlotte's Library, Jen Robinson, Semicolon, Never Jam Today.
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By: Becky Laney,
on 4/14/2010
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Dovey Coe. Frances O'Roark Dowell. 2000. Simon & Schuster. 192 pages.
My name is Dovey Coe, and I reckon it don't matter if you like me or not. I'm here to lay the record straight, to let you know them folks saying I done a terrible thing are liars. I aim to prove it, too. I hated Parnell Caraway as much as the next person, but I didn't kill him.
Loved this one. Loved the way it started out too! (What do you think?! Would you want to read more after reading that first paragraph?!) Frances O'Roark Dowell has a way with words, a way with characters. And she did a wonderful job in describing the Coe family and the mountain community in which they live.
Dovey Coe does not like Parnell Caraway hanging around her sister, Caroline. Doesn't like the fact that her oh-so-beautiful sister doesn't reject him outright. Doesn't like the fact that her sister might just be reconsidering her plans. You see, Caroline wants to go to college, wants to be a teacher. But Parnell is trying to do anything and everything to make her change her mind. The pretty words he's been saying. The drives they've been taking in his car. The promises of a rich future they could have...together. But not all his words sound so pretty--some are quite ugly. Will Caroline make the right choice? And what will her choice mean for the rest of the Coe family?
This book would be perfect for the Southern Reading Challenge.
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By: Becky Laney,
on 4/2/2010
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The Lost Conspiracy. Frances Hardinge. 2009. September 2009. HarperCollins. 576 pages.
It was a burnished, cloudless day with a tug-of-war wind, a fine day for flying. And so Raglan Skein left his body neatly laid out on his bed, its breath as slow as sea swell, and took to the sky. He took only his sight and hearing with him. There was no point in bringing those senses that would make him feel the chill of the sapphire-bright upper air or the giddiness of his rapid rise. Like all Lost, he had been born with his senses loosely tethered to his body, like a hook on a fishing line.
Arilou is one of the Lost. She's also one of the Lace. But she is not our heroine. No, that would be Arilou's sister, Hathin. Though not 'visible' in the noticeable, attention-grabbing way (like some heroines are), Hathin's role to her people (the Lace) is essential. When we first meet her, she is merely her sister's keeper. She tends to her sister's needs. She's her voice when she needs to speak. She's her everything really. Arilou simply could not function without her.
Our story begins with news of an Inspector (Raglan Skein) coming to visit Arilou. Her powers and skills will be tested or graded to see how she rates among other Lost. But when the Inspector is murdered before the test can be completed, suspicions surface. And that is only the beginning.
Soon news begin to arrive which will change everything: the Lost are dead. All of them, dead. All except Arilou. The word conspiracy is being thrown about recklessly. And soon people are calling for vengeance. Calling for all of the Lace to be eliminated. And they do mean business. Mad mobs almost always mean business.
Risking everything--including angry volcanoes and dangerous jungles--Hathin is determined to to save her sister, to solve the mystery of why the Lost died, to revenge the loss of her entire village, to fight to save her people. She will meet some allies along the way as she faces one enemy after another.
The Lost Conspiracy is a complex but compelling fantasy. It can be very dark in places. We are talking about prejudice and genocide. About cultures clashing. But it can be quite funny at times. Take the character of Superior. Because he is concerned about his (dead) ancestors' hygiene, he becomes an unexpected ally and protector of the Lace. (It really is a bit too complicated to explain. But trust me, chapter nineteen is quite funny. It had me laughing!)
I would definitely recommend this one to those that love rich-and-complex fantasy novels.
This one was originally published in the UK as Gullstruck Island.
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By: Becky Laney,
on 3/28/2010
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Perfect Chemistry. Simone Elkeles. 2008. [December 2008] Walker & Company (Bloomsbury). 368 pages.
Everyone knows I'm perfect. My life is perfect. My clothes are perfect. Even my family is perfect.
Brittany looks like she has the perfect life. A life that includes the perfect boyfriend. But. Appearances can be deceiving. Brittany is keeping more than a few secrets. Not wanting anyone at school to know how her home life really is. She doesn't want anyone to see the real her. Brittany has a role to play, control to maintain.
Alex, our other narrator, doesn't even pretend to have the perfect life. (Though that doesn't mean he's not pretending about other things.) There are thousands of rumors going round about him at school. And some of them are true. Not all of them, mind you. But some of them. Like the fact that he's a gang member. Like the fact that he's been arrested.
Destiny steps in when the chemistry teacher pairs these two (from opposite sides of town) as lab partners. These two teens have nothing in common (so they think) and don't want anything to do with each other. At first. Brittany just doesn't know what to make of Alex, his teasing, his charisma. Does he really like her? Does he really understand her more than Colin?
Is she brave enough to go there?
I loved this one. It's not that I think it's the most perfect book I've ever read. It's not. But it's satisfying. Really satisfying. I really enjoyed these characters. I loved the development of this relationship.
There's been something nagging at me all day. As long as I'm here with him, I might as well ask. "Did we kiss last night?"If you enjoy romance, you'll probably enjoy this one. It's satisfying in the same way as 10 Things I Hate About You, Dirty Dancing, and How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days.
"Yes."
"Well, it wasn't memorable because I have no recollection of it."
He laughs. "I was kiddin'. We didn't kiss." He leans in. "When we kiss you'll remember it. Forever."
Oh, God. I wish his words didn't leave my knees weak. I know I should be scared, alone with a gang member in a deserted place talking about kissing. But I'm not. Deep in my soul I know he wouldn't intentionally hurt me or force me to do anything. (142)*
*All quotes are from an ARC. They might have been revised in the final edition.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
By: Becky Laney,
on 3/13/2010
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Mare's War. Tanita S. Davis. Random House. 352 pages.
It's just a sporty red car parked across our driveway, but when I see it, my stomach plummets. It's my grandmother.
Mare is no ordinary grandma, that's for sure! As her two granddaughters discover one summer when all three embark on a cross country road trip. There are rules to be decided; and compromises to be made. But in the end, it will be a summer the two sisters (Octavia and Tali) will never forget. (It will also be a healing summer for Mare.)
What makes this inter-generational book such a great read is that the narration is broken into 'then' and 'now' segments. As the two girls learn about their grandmother's not-so-tame past, readers learn first hand what America was like in the past. Things that they take for granted--have always taken for granted--were not so easy back in the day. There are a few scenes, for example, that really stand out in showing how far we've come. (The scene on the bus moved me. It was so emotional, but not overly done.)
But this isn't an issue book. Not really. The characters are too human for that for one thing. The two granddaughters have never given much thought to Mare's life, her history, her past, her story. They haven't thought about her as a person, a real person with hopes, dreams, disappointments, regrets, etc. Mare's broken home is haunting. As are her stories of joining the Women's Army Corps during World War II. And as these two teens learn to listen, really, truly listen, something significant, something personal happens. In some ways, this is a quiet book about families coming together--listening, loving, understanding, bonding. But it isn't a slow novel. Mare's story is compelling. I think the framework works well, helps keep history in context.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
By: Becky Laney,
on 2/25/2010
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Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. 2010. [March 2010]. HarperCollins. 480 pages.
They say that just before you die your whole life flashes before your eyes, but that's not how it happened for me.
Our narrator, Sam (Samantha) Kingston, has died. But that's not the end of this story, no, it's only the beginning. Because Sam keeps reliving her last day over and over and over again. Six times Sam relives her last day--knowing that it is her last day. Will knowing change anything? Will Sam change? Can she change? Is there a way to save herself?
Sam has been given a rather unique window of opportunity. She knows things others don't. She makes new observations each time through--learns things about her friends, her classmates, things that matter.
I'll be honest. I hated Sam. I hated her friends. I thought they were awful people--just awful. Sam realizes this too. Though she realizes it a bit too late. It's only after she's died that she realizes the person she's become isn't the person she'd want to be. Sam has the opportunity to use each 'second' chance to change. Small things at first. But by the end, Sam isn't the same. Sam has learned (although it is a lesson learned the hard way) that little things do matter. Little decisions, little things, do have an impact not only on how you live your life but on other people in your life as well. The way you treat others does matter.
This one has a clever premise. One I hadn't seen before in a young adult novel. (Though, of course, dead narrators have been done before.) And the best thing about it is that the promising premise doesn't disappoint. (You know, some books have great premises but fail to carry it out.) I think Lauren Oliver did a good job. Especially with her characterization. As each layer is added to the unfolding story, it just gets better and better. A very compelling book!
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By: Becky Laney,
on 2/24/2010
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Kaleidoscope Eyes. Jen Bryant. 2009. Random House. 264 pages.
If I've known this one was a verse novel, I would have read it much sooner! I'd been looking for a good verse novel for quite a while now.
What is Kaleidoscope Eyes about? Well, the year is 1968, and our heroine, Lyza, is going through some struggling times. Her mom's gone. Her grandpa's dead. Her older sister is acting even stranger than usual. She has a hippie for a boyfriend. 'Hairy' Harry. Her father's almost always gone, always busy doing something. And it just seems like everything is coming apart. Not just with Lyza and her family, but with the world, the country, in general. But Lyza has several things going for her. She has two of the best friends a girl could have: Malcolm and Carolann. True, these friends are very different from one another. (Tall, shy, black guy and a small, hyperactive white girl.) But together these three have a great time together. Together these three are family.
One day--after reluctantly being called into service--Lyza finds something remarkable, something special, something just for her eyes. You see, her grandfather has died. And the three of them (her dad, her sister, herself) have to sort through his house, his belongings. Lyza assigns herself the attic, and what she discovers--a letter with three maps--changes her life forever. Her grandfather has given her one last gift, one last adventure, and that means everything to her.
Soon this adventure is shared between the three friends (though not with her family). This adventure will make the summer of 1968 unforgettable!
Here's a sample of one of the poems:
"Kaleidoscope Eyes"
Some nights, before I go to sleep,
I look through the lens of the
one Mom gave me
for my tenth birthday, just to see how, when I
turn the tube slowly around,
every fractured pattern that bends and splits
into a million little pieces
always come back together, to make a picture
more beautiful than the one before. (9)
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By: Becky Laney,
on 2/20/2010
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Looking for Red. By Angela Johnson. 2002. Simon & Schuster. 116 pages.
When I was four, I could read the newspaper backward and upside down. I would stand and read the newspaper and not know I was doing it. Then suddenly everyone realized I was reading. It was something that just happened to me. It wasn't strange or anything. Magic, almost.
There is something almost raw and yet tender about Angela Johnson's Looking For Red. Our narrator, Michaela or Mike as everyone calls her, is grieving the loss of her brother, Red. Everyone is grieving. His family. His friends. (Especially his best friend, Mark, and his girl friend, Mona.) To Mike it seems almost wrong that life should go on, that a new school year should begin, that the seasons change. If it could just stay summer, she thinks, then perhaps her brother would still feel present. Part of her feels him still, sees him still.
This one is well-written and very bittersweet.
It's Red who I think of every time I pick up a book, ride my bicycle, or hear someone laugh. Everything was always him. He was always there, and we were always us. (2)
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By: Becky Laney,
on 1/9/2010
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The Magician's Elephant. By Kate DiCamillo. 2009. (September 2009). Candlewick Press. 208 pages.
At the end of the century before last, in the market square of the city of Baltese, there stood a boy with a hat on his head and a coin in his hand. The boy's name was Peter Augustus Duchene, and the coin he held did not belong to him but was instead the property of his guardian, an old soldier named Vilna Lutz, who had sent the boy to the market for fish and bread.
I loved this one. I did. It's Kate DiCamillo. If you're not familiar with her children's books, you should be*. You really should be. Because she is just that good, that amazing. Will everyone find this book to be the most-amazing-book-ever, no, I'm not even sure (as much as I loved it) that I'd go that far, get that carried away. But chances are one of her books will be the right book for you, and you'll have discovered something wonderful.
In this delightful book, we meet Peter. A young boy with a few tough decisions to make. When a fortuneteller appears (out of nowhere it seems), he must decide whether to spend his guardian's coin as he should or as he could. He's tempted, you see, by this promise: The most profound and difficult questions that could possibly be posed by the human mind or heart will be answered within for the price of one florit.
It would be a very short book indeed if Peter just bought fish and bread like he was told. So it shouldn't come as a great surprise when he gives into temptation and does what he barely dares....to visit the fortuneteller to find out the answer to a question that has been haunting him for years.
"Ask me your question."But what kind of an answer is that? What elephant?! It's not like elephants are to be found on every street corner! There are no elephants in Baltese! But she tells him (the fortuneteller that is) that the truth is forever changing. What's a young boy to do? Can the unexpected happen? Is something remarkable about to happen?
Peter felt a small stab of fear. What if, after all this time, he could not bear the truth? What if he did not really want to know?
"Speak," said the fortuneteller. "Ask."
"My parents," said Peter.
"That is your question?" said the fortune-teller. "They're dead."
Peter's hands trembled. "That is not my question," he said. "I know that already. You must tell me something that I do not know. You must tell me of another--you must tell me..."
The fortuneteller narrowed her eyes. "Ah," she said. "Her? Your sister? That is your question? Very well. She lives."
Peter's heart seized upon the words. She lives. She lives!
"No, please," said Peter. He closed his eyes. He concentrated. "If she lives, then I must find her, so my question is, how do I make my way there, to where she is?"
He kept his eyes closed; he waited.
"The elephant," said the fortuneteller.
"What?" Peter said. He opened his eyes, certain that he had misunderstood.
"You must follow the elephant," said the fortuneteller. "She will lead you there."
As I said, I loved this one. I thought it was beautifully told. I also enjoyed the illustrations by Yoko Tanaka.
*Because of Winn Dixie; The Tale of Despereaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and The Tiger Rising. There's also a series of books for much younger readers, Mercy Watson, but I have a feeling these wouldn't translate as oh-so-amazing for adult readers. Though I could be wrong. I *haven't* read any of these Mercy Watson books myself.
© Becky Laney of 13 Comments on The Magician's Elephant (MG), last added: 1/11/2010
Sounds like fun... I love 5 children and it so think I would quite like this. thanks for sharing
Hannah
Well, there is always "The Story of the Amulet" - the Psammead is back - or, well, the children are back with the Psammead. Either way. Lovely review, made me smile; it so evokes the happy feeling that is reading E Nesbit.:) L.
This looks like fun! My mother read us Five Children and It when we were kids, but I didn't know there were any sequels!
Yes, I've read all of her books I've been able to find. In addition to the three featuring the five children, I've especially enjoyed The Railway Children and the Treasure Seekers series. There's also The Enchanted Castle, The Magic City, The Book of Dragons, and more.
I love this one! The next obvious one to read is The Story of the Amulet, and then perhaps The Enchanted Castle, and then perhaps The Railway Children....