Review: The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow

The Scorpion Rules was my second Erin Bow novel—and is easily my favourite. It is a dystopian and sci-fi hybrid, set in a world where AIs rule over humanity, and where the children of world leaders are used as pawns in the game of maintaining world peace. Gripping dystopian story? Check. Beautifully written? Check. Hooks the reader? Check—my subway rides were painfully short. I love Erin Bow's writing. From the nail-biting drama to the beautiful and sometimes haunting imagery, her stories and characters have a habit of sticking with you long after you turn the final page.

Summary: Greta is a crown princess—and a hostage to peace, held by the de facto ruler of the world, the great Artificial Intelligence, Talis. Greta and the other royal hostages are Talis’s strategy to keep the peace: if her country enters a war, Greta dies. Greta will be free if she can make it to her eighteenth birthday. Until then she is prepared to die with dignity, if necessary. But everything changes when a new hostage arrives, a boy who refuses to play by the rules and opens Greta’s eyes to the brutality of the system and to her own power. 

The Scorpion Rules is a perfect balance of [believable] sci-fi and dystopian society. This is a YA novel, aimed at readers ages 14 & up. Parents and educators should be aware of on-page sex, violence, possibly disturbing scenes, and mature language (ranging from "hell" to the f-bomb). 

Most dystopian novels follow this formula: the corrupt "system" emerges after a long war and is maintained with violence. The protagonist has never felt loyal to the system and spends the book trying to hide his/her differences, while rebelling against it. While this is happening, there is a love triangle. Sounds like 95% of dystopian novels today, right? So I was surprised when The Scorpion Rules suddenly diverged from the formula that I was positive it was following. Surprised, but pleased, I should note. [[spoiler ahead]] The protagonist, who I was sure was going to fall for the "new boy," actually ends up in a sexual and romantic relationship with her best female friend. A break from the love triangle at last!

The Scorpion Rules finally gives the tired dystopian genre a story that is both fresh and that has real substance and merit to young adult readers. It is a beautiful love story, a tale of friendships and alliances, of murder and violence, of humanity vs. technology, of power and peace, and ultimately, good vs. evil. 

Erin Bow's writing, as always, is powerful and poetic. The Scorpion Rules is perfect for teen readers looking for their next dystopian/thriller fix. 

4 Stars

This novel has a pub date of September 22, 2015.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me an ARC for review. 

Review: Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

I haven't been surprised by a book in a while, but Lisa Graff's new novel, Absolutely Almost, got me. I ADORED this book! It's a heart-wrenching story of a boy who struggles in school, with bullies and in making friends. It's a story of a young boy who desperately wants to find the thing that makes him special. As kids, we all feel 'stupid' at something. We all experience moments of feeling not good enough or worry about letting our parents down. Absolutely Almost shows readers that in spite of our own weaknesses, we all are our special in our own way, we just have to look past the bad to see the good!

Summary: Albie has never been the smartest kid in his class. He has never been the tallest. Or the best at gym. Or the greatest artist. Or the most musical. In fact, Albie has a long list of the things he's not very good at. But then Albie gets a new babysitter, Calista, who helps him figure out all of the things he is good at and how he can take pride in himself. 

A perfect companion to Lisa Graff's National Book Award-nominated A Tangle of Knots, this novel explores a similar theme in a realistic contemporary world where kids will easily be able to relate their own struggles to Albie's. Great for fans of Rebecca Stead's Liar and Spy, RJ Palacio's Wonder and Cynthia Lord's Rules.

Absolutely Almost is a great choice for middle grade classrooms to discuss character traits like self-confidence and self-acceptance. I'm not really a fan of the cover. I think it's soft and skews toward boy readers, but the story will appeal to everyone.

A great example of why you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover! Absolutely Almost is a beautiful, wonderful story of an almost average boy who has always been absolutely perfect in his own way.

4 Stars

"Achingly superb, Albie’s story shines." - Kirkus, starred review

"Graff’s (A Tangle of Knots) ... stands out for its thoughtful, moving portrait of a boy who learns to keep moving forward, taking on the world at his own speed." - Publisher's Weekly, starred review

Review: I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

I've heard many amazing things about Jandy Nelson's I'll Give You the Sun and I'm so happy to say that this book definitely held up to all the praise. This book is heart-wrenching, beautiful, inspiring, and incredible, and I loved every minute of it. 

Summary: Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.

Nothing I could say about this YA novel can really justify the depth and power of the story. Both Jude and Noah not only struggle with their mother's death, their broken family, and their tormented twin-bond, but a myriad of other heartbreaking issues from identity crisis, to sexual orientation, to addiction. 

This book is written for YA readers ages 14 & up due to the mature language and themes. Nonetheless, it is already a celebrated novel among bloggers and reviewers. It is extremely well-written and highly acclaimed. Among its many awards and starred reviews, I'll Give You the Sun has already picked up the 2015 Printz Award and the 2015 Stonewall Honor. 

Move over Fault in Our Stars. There's a new beautiful, soul-crushing YA novel in town. 

4 Stars 

Review: Potterwookiee by Obert Skye

Two multi-million dollar fandoms merge together in this hilarious, middle grade illustrated novel. The second in the Creature From My Closet chapter book series, Potterwookiee is great for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and other similar illustrated novels. 

Summary: The latest creature to emerge from Rob’s closet is a cross between Chewbacca from Star Wars and Harry Potter. Rob names him “Potterwookiee” (“Hairy” for short) and soon Rob finds himself treading water as he tries to figure out how to care for his mixed-up friend. Great laughs and great books help Rob along the way.

After the Potterwookiee emerges from Rob's closet, the little guy ends up in a weird trance. To help him, Rob turns to the first Harry Potter book for the answer, illustrating that wisdom can be found in the pages of great books. Aside from helping his hybrid friend, Rob must also keep him safe from others and overcome the neighbourhood bully.

As a Potterhead and a fan of Star Wars, I really enjoyed this book. It's an easy, entertaining read for reluctant readers and is filled with hilarious illustrations to break up the text. Parents and educators can feel good about this clean, well-received, and most definitely fun read for middle grade readers. 

Keep kids reading this summer with Potterwookiee!

3.5 Stars 

Reviews for Potterwookie: 
“The second doll-sized literary mashup to come out of a wimpy kid’s magic closet adds wizardly spells [and] noxious smells…” - Kirkus 

"The text is hysterical by itself, but acts as the straight man in relation to the one-two punch of the childlike drawings and captions that appear on almost every page. Get multiple copies of this book: it will fly off the shelves.”- School Library Journal 

Review: Ghosts of War: The Secret of Midway by Steve Watkins

Ghosts of War is a new middle grade series from Scholastic, Inc. A twist of mystery, historical fiction, and middle school drama, these books are aimed at middle grade boys with an interest in war fiction. The series stars a trio of friends who meet a ghost and help him remember his mortal life and solve the mystery of his death.

Summary: In the basement of his family’s junkshop, Anderson and his friends Greg and Julie discover a trunk full of old military stuff. Including a battered navy peacoat from World War II, and when Anderson puts it on he finds a mysterious letter in the pocket. Curious, he takes the coat and letter home. But that’s not all he brings home...

Later that evening the ghost of a World War II sailor appears in Anderson’s room. Anderson is completely freaked out. Who is the ghost and why hasn’t he crossed over? But most importantly, what does he want with Anderson?

This is a content-free, fast-paced read about an important moment in history. Readers learn about a famous US naval battle without feeling like history is being shoved down their throats. While there is talk of gunfire, death, and violence between the Japanese and American forces, it's not at all graphic or frightening.

Overall, it's a solid middle grade read that offers an educational bonus that parents and educators can feel good about. A second book in the series is forthcoming in April!

Review: Klutz String Art

I wouldn't consider myself a crafter and by no means am I artistically talented. But I've had my eye on Klutz products for a while now. There are so many really cool Klutz products and activities out there, all of which come with all the supplies you need in a box!

I finally got my hands on a copy of Klutz String Art after seeing this cool retro craft splashed over Pinterest? Me and my sister sat down to have a Klutzy crafternoon together with String Art! And it was great! For two inexperienced crafters, we're both extremely proud of our string art and making them was easy, quick, and fun!

Overall, Klutz String Art comes with simple instructions, tons of pins, colourful string, pretty mounting paper, and lots of traceable patterns to create different designs in various sizes. You can make flowers, an owl, words, a whale, and more!

My only complaint is that the number of designs outnumbers the number of mounting boards you get. On the plus side, the mounting boards are just thick pieces of cardboard so you can definitely get more of your own.

For a couple of amateur crafters, I have to say they turned out pretty good! We taped some ribbon to the backs and hung them on the wall!

A simple and fun activity for kids ages 10 & up. You can find tons of other great craft ideas from Klutz on their website! 







4 Stars

Review: Gatekeepers #5: Oblivion by Anthony Horowitz

Anthony Horowitz's Gatekeepers series is an excellent choice for readers who enjoy thrilling, action-packed dystopian stories with all sorts of twist and turns. The series has positive reviews overall from several credible sources and Anthony Horowitz is beloved by his fans. Oblivion is the fifth and final book in the saga.

Summary: Matt. Pedro. Scott. Jamie. Scar. Five Gatekeepers have finally found one another. And only the five of them can fight the evil force that is on the rise, threatening the destruction of the world In the penultimate volume of The Gatekeepers series, a massive storm arose that signalled the beginning of the end. Now the five Gatekeepers must battle the evil power the storm has unleashed — and strive to stop the world from ending.

The book is not short on shock-factors, gun violence, or terrible people (demonic forces or human). I get why the series is thrilling; I can see why the plot is exciting, but honestly, I was just glad when it was over. As I work in the editorial world, I get itchy when a book needs to trim down the excess thinking, complaining, fretting, and bullets whizzing (book five comes in at a whopping 580 pages--there's A LOT of this).

There are also many scenes included not only to shock the readers, but to illustrate just how much the world has gone to hell. My argument: we're five books in so we get it. These shock factors include suicide, graphic violence, gore, human trafficking, torture, murder, and cannibalism. Plus all the time the characters spend dwelling on them. The publisher deems the series is for ages 9-12, but I would push 12+ due to all the reasons listed above, plus a little objectionable language. Moreover, some of the themes and concepts will make more sense to older reasons.

If you're just getting started, I can say that the series goes out with a bang. Actually, with all the gunfire and murder occurring in book five, the end battle is a touch anti-climatic. Although we do get two main character deaths (I do love an author who is brave enough to do this in a series that's lasted this long!).

I'm not a fan of books that need so much room to pack a punch, but if you love the build-up and the action, then you'll be fine. It's worth a read if you're a die-hard dystopian fan, but pass if you love dystopian and are anxiously looking to fill the void Divergent or Hunger Games left in your soul. Horowitz is a bestselling author and deserves all the acclaim he's received, but Oblivion doesn't come close to touching the crown jewels of YA.

3 Stars 

Praise for The Gatekeepers:

"Younger teens who like an exciting adventure mixed with supernatural horror will thrill to Matt's story." —VOYA

"Horowitz truly knows his way around a plot; he keeps the tension at a nail-biting level throughout." —Kirkus

"There's no denying Horowitz's talent for creating monstrous evil and pumping up the tension with bloody details, exciting escapes, and cliff-hanging sequences." —Booklist