Author: Beverly Cleary
Year: 1970
Reading Level: Intermediate
Genre: Real world fantasy
Series: Mouse and the Motorcycle
Plot Summary: Fed up with living with his pesky younger cousins and nagging relatives, Ralph leaves the rustic inn that is his home and strikes out for freedom on the open road. After a long journey on his trusty motorcycle, Ralph finds himself at the Happy Acres summer camp. His freedom is short lived, however, as he soon finds himself shut in a wire cage with only a cynical hamster for company. In a bid for his freedom, Ralph launches a desperate escape plan, but the camp's cat isn't so keen on letting him go.
Red Flags: None
My Rating: B+. I loved and still love The Mouse and the Motorcycle, and while this one isn't as good, I still love the idea of a mouse being able to ride a motorcycle just by making the sound. About 3/4 of the way through I started to wonder if I've read this one before, or if I'm thinking of Ralph S. Mouse. Or did I read them both? I have no idea.
Showing posts with label real world fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label real world fantasy. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Jinx
Author: Meg Cabot
Year: 2007
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Novel/Fantasy
Plot Summary: Hoping to escape her perpetual bad luck, Jean Honeychurch (aka Jinx) moves from a small town in Iowa to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle in New York City. There she finds that her formerly friendly cousin, Tory, has turned into a surly teenager with a lot of attitude and a belief that she's a witch. When Jinx seems to be getting everything Tory wants, Tory does her best to make Jinx's life miserable, including bringing her past back to haunt her.
Red Flags: Some strong language, teenage partying, witchcraft
My Rating: B-
I expected this book to just be the standard teen drama novel, and then was really surprised when the witchcraft angle came in. It was kind of weird how it was presented, like witchcraft is a beautiful thing and all about being in harmony with nature. Not that I don't like nature or being harmony with it, but it was just kind of strange. The writing was all right, nothing spectacular, and the characters were all pretty standard. Also, Jinx was unbelievably dense when it came to her boy situation.
Year: 2007
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Novel/Fantasy
Plot Summary: Hoping to escape her perpetual bad luck, Jean Honeychurch (aka Jinx) moves from a small town in Iowa to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle in New York City. There she finds that her formerly friendly cousin, Tory, has turned into a surly teenager with a lot of attitude and a belief that she's a witch. When Jinx seems to be getting everything Tory wants, Tory does her best to make Jinx's life miserable, including bringing her past back to haunt her.
Red Flags: Some strong language, teenage partying, witchcraft
My Rating: B-
I expected this book to just be the standard teen drama novel, and then was really surprised when the witchcraft angle came in. It was kind of weird how it was presented, like witchcraft is a beautiful thing and all about being in harmony with nature. Not that I don't like nature or being harmony with it, but it was just kind of strange. The writing was all right, nothing spectacular, and the characters were all pretty standard. Also, Jinx was unbelievably dense when it came to her boy situation.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Coraline
Author: Neil Gaiman
Year: 2002
Reading Level: Intermediate
Genre: Real world fantasy
Plot Summary: Coraline loves exploring and she has plenty of time to explore her family's new flat, which is part of a larger house. In the course of her exploring she opens a door that leads to nothing...or so it seems. Soon she discovers an other world on the other side with other versions of her parents and neighbors. Her other parents adore her to a creepy extent and though they let her leave the first time, leaving the second time isn't so easy.
Red Flags: The story would scare some kids
Movie version: Coraline
My Rating: A-
This was such a spooky book! Ominous messages from mice, button eyes, shadowy things...spooky! This is probably my favorite Gaiman book that I've read. I really like the story and Coraline, though I wish we got into her head a little more. She says she's scared, but I don't always believe her. Also, I liked the cat.
Year: 2002
Reading Level: Intermediate
Genre: Real world fantasy
Plot Summary: Coraline loves exploring and she has plenty of time to explore her family's new flat, which is part of a larger house. In the course of her exploring she opens a door that leads to nothing...or so it seems. Soon she discovers an other world on the other side with other versions of her parents and neighbors. Her other parents adore her to a creepy extent and though they let her leave the first time, leaving the second time isn't so easy.
Red Flags: The story would scare some kids
Movie version: Coraline
My Rating: A-
This was such a spooky book! Ominous messages from mice, button eyes, shadowy things...spooky! This is probably my favorite Gaiman book that I've read. I really like the story and Coraline, though I wish we got into her head a little more. She says she's scared, but I don't always believe her. Also, I liked the cat.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The Spiderwick Chronicles Book 1: The Field Guide
Authors: Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
Year: 2003
Age Level: Intermediate
Genre: Real world fantasy
Series: The Spiderwick Chronicles
Plot Summary: After his family moves to the run-down Spiderwick estate, it's not long before Jared Grace starts to notice unusual things around the house. Jared, his twin brother, Simon, and his older sister, Mallory, decide to find the source of scratching noises behind the wall ("Probably a squirrel."). In the process, Jared discovers much more than a lost squirrel and finds himself battling a sneaky, mischievous foe.
Red Flag: Since this is only the first of five books, the ending is somewhat open.
Movie version/s: The Spiderwick Chronicles
My rating: A-
This was a really fun book. I feel like I've just tipped my toe in the water, so to speak, and so I will definitely be picking up the next book. I also really liked the illustrations. Just judging by the covers, I expected it to be much more of a Series of Unfortunate Events knockoff, but it really wasn't similar at all.
Year: 2003
Age Level: Intermediate
Genre: Real world fantasy
Series: The Spiderwick Chronicles
Plot Summary: After his family moves to the run-down Spiderwick estate, it's not long before Jared Grace starts to notice unusual things around the house. Jared, his twin brother, Simon, and his older sister, Mallory, decide to find the source of scratching noises behind the wall ("Probably a squirrel."). In the process, Jared discovers much more than a lost squirrel and finds himself battling a sneaky, mischievous foe.
Red Flag: Since this is only the first of five books, the ending is somewhat open.
Movie version/s: The Spiderwick Chronicles
My rating: A-
This was a really fun book. I feel like I've just tipped my toe in the water, so to speak, and so I will definitely be picking up the next book. I also really liked the illustrations. Just judging by the covers, I expected it to be much more of a Series of Unfortunate Events knockoff, but it really wasn't similar at all.
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