Category: Juvenile

Cats and Mice in Victorian London

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Juvenile, Reviews2 Comments

I was between audiobooks recently, and browsed through my library to stumble upon The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright.  How could I resist a story about a cat set in Victorian London?  And even better–read by the amazing Katherine Kellgren!

“He was the best of toms.  He was the worst of toms.”  So says the opening line, describing alleycat Skilley.  He sets out to improve his lot in life by slipping into Ye Old Cheshire Cheese, pub and inn famous for making the best cheese in the realm.  With a grand display of mousing, Skilley earns a place at the inn.  Except he has a secret–he hates eating mice!  Skilley forms an alliance with Pip, the leader of the inn’s mice, but this happy arrangement becomes complicated by the arrival of another (much more vicious!) cat at the inn, as well as the presence of a royal raven who insists he must be returned to the Tower, or England will fall.

This is a delightful little tale with a lovely cast of characters (including Charles Dickens in a supporting role).  The friendship that develops between Skilley and Pip is sweet and genuine, and not without challenges.  I like that the book doesn’t oversimplify the challenges of two traditional enemies forming a friendship.  They have to deal with outside prejudice, and both make mistakes along the way.  It’s a light story, but I like that more complex thread.

That complexity and depth aside, this book has wonderful fun moments.  I particularly enjoy the image of Skilley showing off his mousing skill, by trotting through the inn’s common room all day long, always with a mouse in his mouth–except that it’s Pip, every time, because it’s part of their plan.  So he just keeps catching the same mouse, again and again…

There are some more violent moments in the interactions between cats and mice, but nothing too graphic.  Just be warned the book doesn’t ignore the reality of normal relations between cats and mice.

Besides Mr. Dickens, there’s a good crop of supporting characters, from the hard-faced and terrifying cook, to the hysterical servant Adele (who always seems to be the one who sees mice), to the tiny mouse Too and the wise but condescending raven Maldwyn.  There are a lot of threads of story in here, including Dickens’ writers block, all well-balanced and keeping the adventure moving quickly.

I would not recommend thinking too hard about the sanitation issues of 10,000 mice living in an inn (kind of like Ratatouille that way), but I would recommend having some cheese on hand while reading!  Or listening–because Katherine Kellgren’s reading, of course, was wonderful.  And obviously I recommend picking up this book in one form or another!

Book’s Site: http://cheshirecheesecat.com/

Other reviews:
Ms. Tami Reads
Reads 4 Tweens
Cat Chat
Anyone else?

Buy it here: The Cheshire Cheese Cat

A Magical Wall, and Magical Books

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Juvenile, Reviews2 Comments

There are some definite Types of fantasy books–for instance, ordinary kids finding a magical item/creature, and then coping with the inevitable chaos that results.  Having read two books like that recently, I thought a combined review was in order!

Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder features one of the odder magical items I’ve seen–a magical wall.  Henry, Emma, Roy and Susan (two sets of siblings) find the Wall out in a cornfield, and discover that they can use it to wish themselves to any other wall.  They find their way into adventures with Merlin, pirates and cowboys, though nothing is ever quite what they expect.

This is a clear descendent of the Edward Eager books–even including some references back (which is particularly fun because Eager always included references to his inspiration, E. Nesbit).  It’s a light book with somewhat low-key adventures, good for a younger reading audience.  Nothing is ever too scary or too big a disaster, though the kids do encounter plenty of things that don’t go as they anticipate.  That may be my favorite part, as they find out that their ideas of history are not carried out by the reality.

I did think there were a couple of lost opportunities where a little more danger and tension could have been pursued.  Their first encounter Guinevere sets her up as seriously creepy…and then that never goes anywhere.  I also thought they took the convenience of the magic a bit for granted.  The first time they use the magic to leave their own town, they don’t have any evidence about how the magic works to get back.  It turns out they can leave by the wall they came by, so to speak, but they hadn’t tested that before landing in Camelot–and the whole thing seemed much riskier to me than it did to any of them!

I have a feeling I would have liked this a lot as a kid.  As an adult, I wanted a little bit more…but maybe that wouldn’t have been right for the book after all!  And for the Type of book it is, it’s excellent.  The kids are likable, the adventures are fun, and they learn some good if not terribly complex lessons in the process of the magic adventures.

There’s also something I like about visiting Anytown in Anytime.  All these magical-item stories seem to be set in the same nice little town where kids ride bikes in the summer (except when they’re set in London), in a vague time period.  This one was more modern than Eager’s books; I think I remember a cell phone or two.  You know what really made it seem modern though?  At one point a father was preparing dinner.  I feel like that wouldn’t have happened in a book fifty years ago… 🙂

Magical Mischief by Anna Dale takes some twists on the usual Type.  It’s set in a city in England (though not actually London) and centers around a magical bookshop.  Magic takes up residence in Hardbattle Books, and despite the inconvenience (and the smell), Mr. Hardbattle doesn’t have the heart to force it out.  But it’s bad for business and rent is due, so he has to find a new home for it.  He joins forces with Arthur Goodenough, a boy just looking for somewhere quiet to do his homework, and Miss Quint, who’s mostly in search of company.

The magic here has some particularly entertaining features, like bringing a stuffed elephant and the black cat bookends to life, or turning one of the steps on the stairs into custard when it’s feeling rebellious.  Or there’s the pushpins that dance around and occasionally attack…  It also grants wishes in an unpredictable fashion, spurring my favorite thread of the book–Miss Quint gets lonely, and starts wishing characters out of their books.

Now–if you found out you could do that, I bet most of you know exactly what characters you’d bring out for a tea party, right?  I would know!  Miss Quint, on the other hand, picks up books at random and looks for interesting people, which seems like rather a waste of an opportunity.  However, the plot goes in exciting directions because of it, so I’ll forgive her…mostly.  Especially because her random choices brings out Susan, a girl whose only role in her book was to wait by the swings, but in the real world she grows into so much more.  I loved watching her development as a person.

This book has some good humor in it, and a more focused plot.  It’s also unusual to see a kids book with two adults as major characters; Mr. Hardbattle and Miss Quint were both distinctive and engaging.

If you like a particular Type of fantasy book, I would recommend either of these two! 🙂

Authors’ Sites:
http://laurelsnyder.com/
http://annadaleauthor.com/

Other reviews:

Any Which Wall
Charlotte’s Library (where I found out about both books, thank you!)
Jen Robinson’s Book Page
Reading Kids Are Dreaming Kids

Magical Mischief
Charlotte’s Library
Midleton and Fermoy Books

Anyone else?

Buy them here: Any Which Wall and Magical Mischief

Chrestomanci as Deus Ex Machina–sort of

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Juvenile, Reviews1 Comment

I’ve continued my chronological reread of Diana Wynne Jones’ Chrestomanci series with Witch Week, where the enchanter Chrestomanci plays a supporting (and somewhat deus ex machina) role.  But on the other hand, can his convenient arrival really be considered out of place if he’s the main character of the series?

Witch Week is the most independent book of the series.  Set in an alternate England where witches (with real magic) are hunted, arrested and burned, several children at a rather awful boarding school each come to realize that they have magic.  Their experiments and mishaps create escalating chaos until they’re in real danger of their lives…but fortunately they find a spell to summon Chrestomanci to their aid to unravel a problem of alternate worlds and mistakes in history.

I think this may be the first Diana Wynne Jones book I ever read, long ago before I ever knew it was part of a series.  I also think it was my first encounter with a reference to Guy Fawkes–and incidentally, when you don’t know who he is, you lose some of the impact of finding out that he successfully blew up Parliament in this world!

Witch Week is essentially a boarding school story with a bullying thread and a magical twist.  We get into the heads of several of the children, and Jones paints wonderful portraits of believable, complex individuals.  Charles and Nan stood out the most for me.  Charles is generally disliked in school, but mostly left alone because of the power of his evil eye glare.  Jones successfully makes him sympathetic, even though he really does mean that evil eye glare.  When he finds out he has magic, he’s perfectly willing to turn it on his enemies (with disastrous and often hilarious consequences).  I think I enjoy Charles because, much as I also like Jones’ typical earnest, well-meaning boy-hero, it’s fun to get one who isn’t well-meaning!

Nan is also a victim of the bullies, who are all too willing to accuse her of being a witch.  When she finds out she really does have magic, she’s completely surprised by the jolt of confidence it gives her–not because she does anything with it, but just by knowing that about herself.

Chrestomanci’s arrival towards the end of the book should have deus ex machina written all over it, but Jones manages more skillfully than that.  Chrestomanci does organize things towards their conclusion, but the children still play such an integral role that he doesn’t take over the narrative too badly.  And besides, if he’s really the main character of the series, perhaps he’s just asserting his proper place in things?

A note on the ending in white text to avoid spoilers…  If you’ve read the book, you know that the final conclusion completely alters the children’s lives, pasts and memories.  As far as I can recall, I always accepted the ending on previous reads; this time it struck me as rather an unaddressed tragedy.  Even if their lives are made objectively better, they still had to lose the people they had been through their previous experiences.  It’s like dying to allow another version of yourself to live, which seems like a major existential question that is ignored.  But I suppose we have Doctor Who for that discussion…

I think you could do worse than to start the series here, because it’s so independent of the others.  Although knowing who Guy Fawkes (and Chrestomanci!) are would probably add to the book.  🙂  In any order, this is another fun read, with a more bleak setting but a lot of humor and excitement to set against the gray background.

Author’s Site: http://www.dianawynnejones.com/

Other reviews:
Reading the End
Readers By Night
Just Book Reading
Anyone else?

Buy it here: Witch Week

The Last Battle for Narnia

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Juvenile, Reviews4 Comments

Last BattleI recently finished my voyage through Narnia on audiobook by listening to The Last Battle.  I began with an exciting narrator, Kenneth Branagh reading The Magician’s Nephew, and finished with another exciting one–Patrick Stewart!  And he was excellent, especially in some of the more exciting moments.

The Last Battle is a decidedly odd installment in the series.  It opens many generations after Caspian and Rillian of the previous book, with King Tirian, “the last king of Narnia.”  In the North, a crafty ape and misguided donkey set up a false Aslan to control the Narnians.  They form an alliance with the foreign Calormens, fell the trees and make plans to enslave Narnia’s people and talking animals.  Tirian tries to stand against them, and is soon joined by Eustace and Jill, sent from our world to help.

The book is much grimmer than the previous ones.  That’s not immediately apparent, but as the book goes on it becomes an increasingly desperate struggle against lengthening odds.  There is ultimately a victory, of a sort, but only on a cosmic level.

And that’s why I’m not sure how to feel about this one.  The end ultimately has a very positive feel to it…but it also renders the struggles of the first half of the book somewhat pointless.  The whole world of Narnia is highly symbolic, of course; I think this may be the one installment where Lewis’ symbolism overwhelmed the adventure aspect of the book.  I didn’t dislike the symbolic, cosmic-level side of the book, and Lewis actually did quite nicely with making eternity seem rather homey–and grand and immense at the same time.  All the same, it sits a little awkwardly next to the adventure side.

I am not entirely sure I’m making sense here, so on to other aspects!

The portrayal of the Calormen is a bit complicated here.  They weren’t exactly nice in The Horse and His Boy, but they somehow become worse here, maybe because there’s a new sense that they’re inherently villainous in some way.  Which is all well and good if Lewis wants inherently villainous Calormen; it becomes more troubling when you figure that, symbolically, Calormen are not really Calormen.  However–Lewis does something to redeem that aspect by giving us one Calormen soldier, who is a devoted servant of wicked Tash but still a good person and still comes into Aslan’s Country.  Aslan ends up telling him, essentially, that good is still good and evil is still evil, no matter whose name you’re doing it in.  It’s a simple message on a complex subject, but as a simple message it’s a nice, open-minded touch.

The question of Susan is another troubling one.  Even if she is a bit of a wet blanket, I’ve always felt bad for her in this book!  Here’s a case where Lewis’ symbolism is probably too vague; I find it hard to know exactly what barred Susan in the end (is it really a love of make-up, or is that symbolic?) so I don’t know quite how bothered to be.  I like to think, though, that the tragedy she experiences (rather off-stage) inspires some new depths of character, and that she eventually comes to Aslan’s Country too.

Enough deep and grim discussion, so I’ll wind up with three more amusing notes.

All the discussion of places within places in this book, many of them bigger on the inside, led me to wonder if Lewis’ wardrobe (a wooden box, you know) with an entire world inside of it might have been an inspiration for a police box that is also bigger on the inside.

I recently rewatched the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and that juxtaposition has made me want to mix things together a bit…and after all, who’s to say that the Undying Lands aren’t an offshoot of Aslan’s Country?  (Well, Tolkien and Lewis could say they aren’t, but I rather like the idea!)

And finally, my favorite moment from the very end of The Last Battle (a bit of a spoiler), is when all the long-dead characters of the series reunite (including my favorite, Mr. Tumnus!) and laugh over old jokes together.  Because really–what good is a heaven if you can’t enjoy old jokes there?

Having now finished the entire Narnia series, I can definitely say that The Magician’s Nephew and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader are my particular favorites, probably because they have the most appealing characters and visit the most interesting places.  All the books are good and the entire series is well-worth exploring.  Even if The Last Battle is more grim, it does serve to put a nice punctuation on the series.

Author’s Site: https://www.cslewis.com

Other reviews:
The Bookworm Chronicles
Life with Books & Movies
Stray Thoughts
My Head Is Full of Books
Anyone else?

Buy it here: The Last Battle

Classic Review: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Juvenile, ReviewsLeave a comment

This Classic Review might have made more sense a few months ago, when I was beginning my reread through Narnia…but as I approach the end (just The Last Battle to go!), it seems like a good time to re-post my review of the first (or chronologically, the second) book in the series…The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis.

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I know I read this one before, but I honestly couldn’t tell you how long ago it was.  Years and years, although the story is so familiar that in some ways it doesn’t feel that long.  For those who don’t know the story (sidenote–I once overheard a woman tell a librarian she’d never heard of the series, so it’s possible), it’s the story of four children who go through a wardrobe and find themselves in the magical country of Narnia.  There they meet the great Lion Aslan and fight an epic battle against the White Witch.

It’s a wonderful story on many levels.  It’s a lovely children’s fantasy with dashing heroes, not too much blood, magical creatures like Mr. Tumnus and Mr. and Mrs Badger, and several stern admonitions that it’s very foolish to shut oneself inside of a wardrobe (I honestly think Lewis was worried about this, he repeats it so many times).  On a symbolic level, there’s a clear Christ story being retold.  I feel it works on both levels, for however you want to take it.  I’ve always thought that was the mark of the best kind of book–a good story and a strong message where neither one gets in the way of the other.

I enjoyed Lewis’ style very much–things happen so quickly!  Lucy, the first child into Narnia, gets there by page six.  As the adventures continue, they go on at a tumblingly-quick rate.  There’s even a point where Lewis writes, of an unpleasant night journey by sledge, “This lasted longer than I could describe even if I wrote pages and pages about it.”  Thankfully, he doesn’t bother, concluding, “But I will skip on to the time when the snow had stopped and the morning had come and they were racing along in the daylight.”

C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien were in the same writing group, The Inklings.  I’ve heard that Tolkien spent 20 years on The Lord of the Rings, and Lewis wrote The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in a matter of weeks (something that I’ve also heard annoyed Tolkien no end!)  I have to say, it shows for both of them.  Different viewpoints on writing could consider that a plus or a minus to either one, but my preference would have to be with Lewis…

He begins the book with a lovely dedication to his goddaughter, the real-life Lucy.  In somewhat contradiction to the story that he wrote the book in a few weeks, he says that he wrote it for her but she grew up faster than it did and she’s now too old for it, “but some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”  Lewis clearly understood about the cross-age appeal of the best children’s stories.  We may go through an age where we think we’re too grown-up for “kids books,” but eventually we get old enough to realize we can come back to them too.  It seems you have to be a child to go to Narnia, but the books are lovely to visit for any age!