Veronica

Miner, Jane Claypool. 1986. Veronica. Sunfire Romance.

This particular Sunfire Romance novel is set during World War II. In Hawaii. Our heroine, Veronica, is sixteen. Her father is in the U.S. Navy. He's been stationed there all of her life, she was born and raised there. Veronica portrays the subtle-and-not-so-subtle prejudices of the day. Prejudices against those native Hawaiians; prejudices against the Japanese. Veronica Bennett, unlike her parents, has an open mind. Her best friend, Toshi Nakamura, is of Japanese descent. Her boyfriend, Mike Kokohuilano, is Hawaiian.

When the book opens, she is at a party. A party mostly consisting of those her parents' age. However, there just happens to be one boy there--a very cute boy at that--who is around her age. Two years older, in fact, a Navy man, Phillip Easterwood who's stationed on the U.S.S. Arizona. They meet in the late autumn of 1941.

Before Veronica knows it, she's being wooed by two men: Phillip, a so-called "romantic" man who likes to hear himself talk; and Mike, a guy who's more down-to-earth and all-around-nice-guy. Who will Veronica choose? Or will the Japanese bombers choose for her? Will Phillip survive to the end of the book?

This is from one of Phillip's speeches on their first date:

"The minute I saw you standing in the garden with all these flowers around you, I knew you were right for me. Your hair looked like gold against the blue sky, and then you smiled at me. Do you know how long it's been since someone really smiled at me? Sunny, will you be my girl?"

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Voss: How I Come To America And Am Hero Mostly

Ives, David. 2008. Voss: How I Come To America And Am Hero Mostly.

Back of the book:

My name is Vospop Vsklzwczdztwczky. This is a name nobody can forget, because nobody can pronounce it. Donut try to pronounce me. You will only hurt yourself! In ancient Slobvian, my name means "car crash." It also sounds like car crash. So, plizz, call me Voss. A good, easy, American-sounding name! You will learn all my American experiences in the ladders I wrote to my good friend Meero. In these ladders you will also learn about my gloomy father Bogdown and my crazy uncle Shpoont and the dipp, dipp trobble I got into. Maybe from my ladders you will learn what to do. Maybe you will learn what not to do. Or maybe not? In any cases, donut do what I did. As pipple say in Slobavia: Be yourself, mostly.

This is a wild and zany book. Unlike books you have probably read in the past, mostly. Voss and his family (and friends)--all illegal immigrants--are charming through and through. His experiences are recounted through letters--"ladders"--back home to his best friend. It has a lot of humor. But a good amount of heart as well. This is one of those books where you could open it to practically any page and soon be drawn into it. It's funny. It's fast-paced. It's unusual. But I like it. I more than "like" it in fact. I love it.

Here's one of my favorite passages:

She stomped back and forth up and down the street, making great noise in her Slobovian shoes. Indeed, Leena's feet stamped out the rhythm of our ancient Slobovian love ballad, "Angry Woman, Stupid Man." This is the song with the chorus, You're in the soup, you're in the soup, she's waving her iron spoon, you're in the soup and drowning. Listening to the sound of her shoes, I felt like what Americans call a heel. (55)

The book earned a starred review in Publisher's Weekly.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Viper Within

Mills, Sam. 2008. The Viper Within. (Originally published in Great Britain in 2007 as The Boy Who Saved the World.)

Opening paragraph:

7:00 PM: Two Hours To Go...
In two hours' time I--and the rest of the Brotherhood--will kidnap a terrorist. Our code for this terrorist is SNAKE. By kidnapping SNAKE tonight, we the Brotherhood of the Religion of Hebetheus--will prevent a bomb from going off at St. Sebastian's Secondary School.

Our narrator is teen guy named Jon. (His story is told in first person.) And his story is an intense one. Let me warn you now, it won't be for everyone. Exceedingly well-written, it keeps you hooked from cover to cover. In fact, I would venture a guess that you could open the book to any page, begin reading any paragraph, and within a sentence or two be hooked. And you can't say that lightly. Not many books can make good on such a boast. But this is a rare book.

Snake is a girl, an Indian girl named Padma--a Hindu. And she stands accused by a small group of her peers--her classmates--of being a terrorist, of being a Muslim, of being against 'the West.' This group of guys--Jon, Jeremiah, Martyn, Chris, Thomas, and Raymond--are ready to be prosecutor, judge, and jury. To say much more would risk spoiling it for those brave enough to go where this one goes. But Sarah Miller got it right when she said the book was, "The Patron Saint of Butterflies' evil twin."







© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Travel the World: England: Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis is the third novel in the seven-book series The Chronicles of Narnia. I loved both of these books--both Prince Caspian and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Loved. Yet I'm at a loss of words when it comes to the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe is the start of the magic. It is the first. It could arguably be the best. Prince Caspian has a charm all its own. It's consise; it's action-packed. It's thoroughly enjoyable. Yet The Voyage of the Dawn Treader--for me--has a certain magic all its own that I can't really explain. There are times when I feel it is my favorite. But at the same exact time I'm feeling that it's my favorite, I feel guilty for thinking that anything could be better than The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe. I guess I feel I need permission to love another just as much--however differently--as I do my first love.

This is a book that had me at hello. Say what you will about the first two books, neither have a first sentence that pops or sparks with magic. "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it." This sentence has to be one of my favorite, favorites of all time.

It goes on to say, "His parents called him Eustace Clarence and masters called him Scrubb. I can't tell you how friends spoke to him for he had none. He didn't call his Father and Mother "Father" and "Mother", but Harold and Alberta. They were very up-to-date and advanced people. They were vegetarians, non-smokers and tee-totallers, and wore a special kind of underclothes. In their house there was very little furniture and very few clothes on beds and the windows were always open."

This is our first description of Eustace, "Eustace Clarence liked animals, especially beetles, if they were dead and pinned on a card. He liked books if they were books of information and had pictures of grain elevators or of fat foreign children doing exercises in modern schools."

Can you tell already that The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is unique but uniquely wonderful? Eustace, as the reader soon learns, is the cousin of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. And The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the story of what happens when Lucy and Edmund go to visit their most unpleasant cousin. You'll find that magic follows the Pevensies wherever they go. This time the magic doesn't come from a wardrobe or the blowing of a magical horn. This time it's a painting--a portrait of a ship sailing the ocean that "calls" or "invites" the children to an unforgettable but dangerous thoroughly adventurous journey.

Edmund and Lucy--as you can imagine--are elated, thrilled, ever-so-happy to be back in Narnia. To be reunited with their good friend, Prince Caspian. But Eustace is miserable, cranky, mean, and downright unpleasant.

The dangers they face on their journey are unique. They're not like the dangers faced in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe or even the dangers faced in Prince Caspian. There are more dangers to be faced overall. But they're subtler. Quieter. The book has them sailing along on the seas, then occasionally stopping at various islands--some known, most unknown. Each chapter (though sometimes several chapters are related) has an adventure all its own. The novel is a handful of episodes, mini-adventures if you will. All of them unique. All of them memorable. Some episodes, I think I'll carry with me always. There's just something about this novel that just works for me.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Futuristic Pirates???

Somper, Justin. 2006. Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean.

Drawing from two of the trendiest trends in young adult literature, vampires and pirates, VAMPIRATES is an exciting adventure set five hundred years in the future. Yes, in 2505, apparently, children will have more than one reason to be 'afraid' of pirates.

Twins Connor and Grace are raised by their father, the lightkeeper on a small island. Their favorite lullaby is none other than a popular shanty about Vampirates. (Lyrics found throughout, but printed for convenience, I suppose, on the end papers of the book).

I'll tell you a tale of Vampirates,
A tale as old as true.
Yea, I'll sing you a song of an ancient ship,
And its mighty fearsome crew.
Yea, I'll sing you a song of an ancient ship,
That sails the ocean blue...
That haunts the ocean blue.

Seven years later (2012), the twins find themselves orphans. After their father's death, they risk a fate worse than death: going to live in an orphanage with a strange village woman OR being adopted by one of the richer couples in town who are childless. Connor and Grace find reasons to dislike--and distrust--them both and the reader agrees with them after an odd scene or two. "Good riddance to them both! Let the sharks get them" (38).

The two opt to steal their father's boat and head to sea. Unfortunately under mysterious circumstances, a storm appears out of the blue and threatens to kill them both. Grace, unbeknownst to her brother, is rescued by a mystery ship. And Connor, unbeknownst to his sister, is rescued by another ship--a pirate ship. Yet in dreams and visions, Connor sees his sister alive and on the most dangerous ship there is--the Vampirate ship. But can he convince the sailors and captain? Will he risk his life to save his sister? Told from alternating perspectives, Grace finds herself treated like a princess. True she's not allowed to mingle with the crew, but she is in the nicest room, fed the most delicious food, and finds herself in the charming companionship of a young man, Lorcan. Yet despite how 'nicely' she is treated by Lorcan and the captain, she is forbidden to even be seen by the crew. Could her life still be in danger? And how far will Lorcan go to protect her if she is?

http://www.vampirates.co.uk/

Spotlight on Laura Gallego Garcia

Laura Gallego Garcia won the prestigious El Barco de Vapor award at the age of twenty-one for her novel, Apocalypse, then won it again three years later for The Legend of the Wandering King. The author of fourteen published books, she is currently completing her doctorate in medieval literature at the University of Valencia. Laura lives in Alboraya, Spain. Two of her books have been translated and published in English.

About Laura Gallego Garcia
Official Laura Gallego Garcia site (in Spanish)
Spanish Lords, Swords, And Magic: An Article about Laura Gallego Garcia's work in Criticas

Garcia, Laura Gallego. 2005. THE LEGEND OF THE WANDERING KING. Translated by Dan Bellm. New York: Arthur Levine (Scholastic). ISBN 0439585562

As a young man, Walid (Wah-leed) ibn Hujr dreamed of being a great man, a great ruler, and a great poet. He wanted to be loved, admired, appreciated, and respected. And since he was born a prince, son of King Hujr ruler of Kinda (in Arabia), he thought his dreams would be easily attained—especially since many thought he’d been touched by a djinn at birth. (Djinn being a genie). However, Walid failed to consider what fate had in mind.

A gifted and beloved prince, Walid was certain that he was the best poet in Kinda. Wanting to earn his father’s approval to go to Ukaz to enter a poetry contest, he organizes a smaller poetry contest for the kingdom of Kinda—arrogance and vanity assuring him that his winning is a matter of certainty.

However, when a peasant man—a carpet weaver—Hammad ibn al-Haddad, wins the contest three years in a row, the once magnanimous prince becomes embittered and resolves to make the peasant pay for his superiority. He forces the peasant to leave his home, his wife, and his three sons (a merchant, a shepherd, and his youngest son who has not chosen a career yet) to become the kingdom’s archivist and historian. He is told he must read and organize the kingdom’s archives (library). The task is monumental and overwhelming. He begs for mercy, but none is given. Walid does grant him this, however, if he can organize the archives and weave him a carpet, then he can be free to return to his home.

After four years, a thinner and wearier man presents himself to the King—Walid’s father having died in the subsequent years. Walid is surprised, yet wanting to remain a man of his word, he adds a stipulation to his earlier request: he must weave a carpet “that will contain the entire history of the human race” (62). Hammad is subsequently driven mad on his quest to create such a carpet, but in his madness finds unusual peace. Even Walid notices the change in him and becomes scared of him noting that there was something not quite human about him now. Once when Walid visited him in his workshop, Hammad tells him mysteriously, “Know that you are a mere mortal who has unleashed powers more terrible than a mighty storm, and that as a mortal, you cannot stop their wrath. Not anymore. It is far too late” (73).

After considering these seemingly prophetic words, Walid decides to release the man from his “curse” and allow him to go home. He opens the door to discover him dead, collapsed on the floor, and the completed carpet. One look at the carpet and Walid becomes convinced that the old man spoke the truth; in shame and fear, he locks the carpet into his secret room. But his life (and destiny) is forever changed. His kingdom begins to fall apart. His soldiers, his servants, his household begins to distrust him. Betrayal seems inevitable.

In the middle of the night, a former friend and advisor slip into the palace with two companions their goal to steal the king’s treasure. Instead of silver or gold, they find a carpet. The king is awakened by a nightmare about the carpet—and so being a paranoid man—he decides to make sure the carpet is still locked away. He discovers that his dream is all too true, just in time to receive a club on the head. As soon as he awakes, however, he dashes off to the stables for a horse so he can pursue the thieves; he’s still dressed in his nightgown!

Since his plan was foolhardy—to begin a dash across the desert without any provisions—it’s no surprise when he collapses in the sand certain that his death is hours away. He is saved by a stranger, an outlaw. But this close-call with death won’t be his last.

THE LEGEND OF THE WANDERING KING is an adventure quest with unexpected twists and turns. As Walid sets out on his journey to recover the carpet and restore past wrongs, what he discovers is that it is never too late to change one’s self. It is an adventurous quest to restore and redeem his own life.

Set in Arabia in 6th century C.E., THE LEGEND OF THE WANDERING KING is an exciting adventure story with probing questions. Is there such a thing as fate? Can a man ever truly make amends for his past mistakes? Is a man defined by his mistakes? Can a person really change his character?

First published in Spain in 2002, THE LEGEND OF THE WANDERING KING has been translated into English by Dan Bellm. It is rich in pre-Islamic Arabic culture. An author’s note explains the time and culture which is depicted in the book. (Yes, the book is based loosely on a pre-Islamic legendary poet, Imru’l Qays.)

Garcia, Laura Gallego. 2006. The Valley of the Wolves.

I was first introduced to Laura Gallego Garcia's work when her book LEGEND OF THE WANDERING KING was published in English last year. When I saw she had another book translated and published, I was quite excited. LEGEND had thrilled me last year, and I was hoping for more of the same. There was something about LEGEND that was epic...it was beautiful...it was haunting...it was truly one of the best books I'd ever read. So perhaps I expected too much when I picked up THE VALLEY OF THE WOLVES.

The novel is fantasy. A young heroine is befriended early in her childhood by a playmate only she can see--a ghost--not that she'll know he's a ghost for quite a while. The two have a unique bond that makes it hard for her to relate to kids her own age. But her life, Dana is her name, changes when she is adopted by a mysterious sorcerer named Maestro. He takes her to live in a tower/castle which becomes surrounded by wolves at night. There she learns to become a sorceress. Her fellow companion--in addition to the ghost--is an elf. Not an ordinary elf, but a were-elf...who has the ability to keep the wolves from invading the tower.

Full of magic, VALLEY OF THE WOLVES moves quickly. She ages from 8 to 16 in two or three chapters. The Maestro remains ever-mysterious and untrustworthy. The truth is Dana doesn't know who to trust and who her allies are.

Perhaps the differences--besides subject matter of course--between The Valley of the Wolves and Legend of the Wandering King can be explained partly by the fact that Valley of the Wolves was one of Laura Gallego Garcia's earlier works written and published before Legend.