Category: Juvenile

Calling on Chrestomanci

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Juvenile, ReviewsLeave a comment

I recently reread The Lives of Christopher Chant, and have continued my chronological rereading of Diana Wynne Jones’ Chrestomanci series with Conrad’s Fate and Charmed Life.  Double review today!

Conrad’s Fate mostly focuses on 12-year-old Conrad of the title, whose magician uncle has told him he is cursed with a terrible Fate, and must go up to Stallery Castle and kill somewhere there to free himself of it.  Uncle magicians seem to never be a good thing, and all the sugar-coating in the world can’t put a very good face on a mission like that.  Conrad successfully obtains a servant job at the castle, but of course nothing goes smoothly after that.  He does make a friend of fellow-servant Christopher “Smith,” who is at Stallery Castle looking for his missing friend Millie.

This is a fun book to read chronologically after The Lives of Christopher Chant, because it fills in (some of) the missing link between the boy Christopher and the adult Chrestomanci of the other books.  Here Christopher is 15, and recognizably somewhere in transition between the two.  I would have quite liked to meet Christopher at around 20, to fill in a little more, but alas, we never got that book.

SPOILER WARNING: I think this book suffered in just one small way from being written after many of the others in the series.  At the end, Christopher and Millie’s wedding is tossed off as a by-the-way, which makes perfect sense if read after all the other books, where their marriage is a foregone conclusion.  Read in chronological order, it feels like there should be more to that story! SPOILERS DONE

Christopher and Millie aside, most of the book focuses on Conrad, who is remarkably likable for having come to the castle with murderous intent.  He’s so unhappy about the idea of killing someone, you see, and he’s so terribly earnest in all other ways.  He’s not a stock character by any means, but he is another of a collection of well-meaning, slightly inept boy heroes who populate Jones’ books.  They’re always such fun to read about, though!

I happened to be reading this at the same time that Downton Abbey was airing, which made for some interesting thought-connections.  Stallery Castle in many ways feels very like Downton Abbey…except with magic!  Magic starts running amok and disrupting the neat order of the servants hall, with disastrous results–of course!

Charmed Life has its own boy hero, Eric “Cat” Chant, who is very thoroughly under the thumb of his erratic, witch-in-training sister, Gwendolen.  Cat and Gwendolen’s parents died in a boating accident, and they’re taken in first by a local witch and then by the mysterious Chrestomanci.  Gwendolen does not like life at Chrestomanci Castle in the slightest, and kicks up a series of magical pranks, culminating in changing places (sort of) with Janet, her double from another world.

Somewhere deep in my subconscious I tagged “Gwendolen” as an unpleasant name, and it may be because of this book.  She’s a nasty piece of work–but she also provides much of the excitement and entertainment of the story.  Cat is perfectly sweet and likable, but he’s also extremely reactionary for most of the book.  Chrestomanci punishes him at one point because he didn’t try to stop Gwendolen from causing trouble, and there’s some valid justification in that.

We’re mostly in Cat’s point of view so I understand how he feels about Gwendolen and why he doesn’t take a more active role…but I still kind of want to shake him.  Although, to be fair, I mostly feel that way when I think back on the book.  When I was actually reading it, I didn’t give that much thought, because the crises and the humor come fast and furious and I didn’t do much analysis of Cat’s actions.

This was the first book  of the series written, and there are some mysteries lost by reading it later.  When you know who and what Chrestomanci is, it clears up a lot of questions Cat has (and probably the reader is supposed to have).  Christopher of the previous two books is Chrestomanci here, and on the opposite side of the order-to-read question, I did have fun spotting little hints and clues that were expanded so much more in The Lives of Christopher Chant.

And Chrestomanci is, of course, an absolute delight as a character, so suave and sophisticated and vague in a terribly incisive way.  Not to mention his fantastical dressing gowns!  Just one representative quote on the character: “Chrestomanci smiled and swept out of the room like a very long procession of one person.”

Chronologically-read or publishing-order-read, these are delightful books in a delightful series.  With three down and several to go, I’m not sure I have a favorite yet, and none have been disappointing.  I look forward to the rest!

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

Other reviews:

Conrad’s Fate
Chris White Writes
A Journey Through Pages
Jean Little Library

Charmed Life
The Rhubosphere
The Book Smugglers
Readers By Night

Anyone else?

Buy them here: Conrad’s Fate and Charmed Life

Questing Books from Oz

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Juvenile, ReviewsLeave a comment

I’ve been slowly rereading the Oz books by L. Frank Baum, reviewing a few at a time as I go.  Most of the books have fallen neatly into sets in numerical order, but the two I want to look at today are more random in series placement, but paired in focus: The Patchwork Girl of Oz (#7) and The Tin Woodman of Oz (#12), The Quest Duet.

Oz 7 and 12**********

The Patchwork Girl of Oz, despite its title (Oz titles rarely signify much), focuses on Ojo the Unlucky, who has grown up in the Blue Forest with Unc Nunkie.  Unluckiness strikes in force when Unc Nunkie is accidentally turned to stone.  Ojo sets out on a quest for the ingredients needed to create a cure, which are scattered all over Oz.  He’s accompanied by the Patchwork Girl, a woman made from a quilt, and the Glass Cat.  They’re soon joined by the Shaggy Man, and make their way to the Emerald City and meet numerous other familiar characters there.

Baum’s favorite device is to send his characters on a journey, and I like the focus Ojo’s quest gives to this journey.  The aimlessness of some of the other Oz books has bothered me; this one has clear stakes and a goal.  Ojo is a fairly typical young-boy-hero, though his determination to rescue his uncle at any cost lends him more depth.  The Patchwork Girl is delightfully zany (even for an Oz character), and becomes part of one of the very few romances in the series; the Patchwork Girl and the Scarecrow manage to flirt a bit, which does make a certain amount of sense.  Cotton and straw could be compatible…

I enjoy the Glass Cat especially, one of the few not-perfectly-nice characters in Oz.  She’s not a villain but she is terribly conceited, frequently inviting people to admire her pink brains, visible through her glass head (“you can see ‘em work”).

As is not unusual, there’s something of a deus ex machina ending, and the ruling party of Oz is a little heavy-handed…but on the whole this is an engaging journey with enough focus to make it a proper quest.

**********

The Tin Woodman of Oz has a surprisingly relevant title, and explores the backstory of the title character.  Woot the Wanderer, a Munchkin boy in the same mold as Ojo, comes to call on the Tin Woodman, finding him visiting with his old friend the Scarecrow.  The Tin Woodman tells the story of how he became tin, cursed by the Wicked Witch of the East who disapproved of his romance with her servant, Nimee Amee.  Although his heart, designed for kindness, doesn’t allow him to love, he decides it would be an act of kindness and honor to go in search of Nimee Amee and marry her now.  All three set off, encountering obstacles including Mrs. Yookoohoo and her transforming magic along the way.

I have the strange feeling that this should be one of my favorite books in the series, and yet it isn’t.  I don’t know that there’s any especial reason for that.  On the positive side, we get history filled in for one of the major characters, the book has a clear focus to its quest, and there are genuine obstacles to get in the way.  I think perhaps if the book falters anywhere it’s that there isn’t quite enough whimsy.  Often it’s isolated moments and bits of magic that appeal to me most in the Oz books, and somehow nothing much stands out (and this may be completely just me) in this installment.

The best part of the book is the ending, which utterly up-ends the expectations of the characters, and gives the Tin Woodman a thoroughly deserved comeuppance.

**********

Neither of these books fall into my particular favorites, but they’re both solid installments in the series.  On a purely plot-level, they’re among the best, and the characters are engaging.  There may be some indefinable spark of greatness missing here, but they do achieve the status of good!

Stay tuned for a review of the remaining three Oz books soon. 🙂

Other reviews:
Kara Kreative
Story Carnivores (Patchwork Girl and Tin Woodman)
Cavalcade of Awesome
Anyone else?

Buy them here: The Patchwork Girl of Oz and The Tin Woodman of Oz

Meeting a Ghost Girl Through a Twist in Time

On By cherylmahoneyIn Juvenile, ReviewsLeave a comment

Twist in TimeBetween Narnia, Bloody Jack, Doctor Who and Agatha Christie, I seem to listen to a lot of audiobooks with British narrators.  This is not a problem!  The trend continued, more or less by accident, when I pulled A Twist in Time by Jean Ure off the shelf at the library.

Cosy (Cosima) has her life turn upside down when her emotionally fragile mother has to go into hospital, and Cosy is sent to a foster family.  Quiet, introspective Cosy finds herself overwhelmed by the new house and new family, especially the boisterous girls Jade and Gemma.  A new school and challenges with maths [sic] doesn’t help.  Her one consolation is when she begins seeing a “ghost girl” in her room; Kathleen had the same room in the 1940s and, by reading her journal, Cosy realizes that Kathleen is seeing a “ghosty-person” too.

With lots of British slang or wording (like “maths” and “hospital” without “the” before it) this has a very strong British atmosphere that, for me, helped bring Cosy’s world to life.  I expected the book to focus mostly on the ghost girl element, so I was surprised by how much it focused on Cosy’s present-day situation–but that was vivid and meaningful so even though it might not have drawn me to pick up the book to begin with, it ended up being a powerfully engaging story.

I always enjoy stories about shy heroines who have to find their courage, and Cosy is an excellent character of that type.  She has particular nuances and complexities through her relationship with her mother, and her conflict between wanting to fit in with wild Jade and Gemma, and wanting to do well at school to keep her scholarship.  Cosy struggles with her identity and her relationships, a story told in a very moving way.  The situation with her mother is also delicately handled, revealing details slowly at the beginning of the book, and finally exploring more of that relationship through a fictional story Cosy writes.

The ghost girl has her own story, which we catch glimpses of.  Even though she wasn’t as prominent an element as I expected, she added some interest to the story as well.  There are also some subtle indications that seeing the ghost girl is doing more for Cosy than it appears on the surface.  The obvious surface help the ghost girl provides is to help Cosy with her maths–which is sending Cosy into fits of crying and frustration.

I do remember how life-and-death homework could feel at eleven years old (especially since Cosy worries about losing her scholarship) but at the same time it occasionally feels overdramatic.  However, I’m inclined to believe that maths is not really maths, and Cosy’s tears, while set off by algebra, are more about her larger situation.  From that perspective, the whole thing makes more emotional sense, and the ghost girl’s role has far more meaning.

I was impressed especially by the audiobook reading as well, done by Kim Hicks.  Though everyone sounds British, Hicks gives different accents to different characters.  It’s not taken to an exaggerated extreme, but Cosy (who’s teased about talking posh) does sound different than her working-class foster parents.  In fact, Auntie sounds remarkably like Jackie from Doctor Who, which makes a good deal of sense!

If you enjoy a bit of British flavor, a shy heroine and just a little magic (or is it science fiction?) then I definitely recommend this story.

Author’s Site: http://www.jeanure.com

Other reviews:
Tara Calaby
That was all!  Anyone else?

Buy it here: A Twist In Time

The Silver Chair

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Juvenile, Reviews4 Comments

Silver ChairNext in line on my adventure through the Chronicles of Narnia on audiobook is The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis, read by Jeremy Northam.  This one feels like a more direct sequel to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, following most closely on those events and characters.

The Silver Chair begins in our world, at the very dreadful school, Experiment House.  Eustace Clarence Scrubb (much improved and no longer deserving his name) attends here, along with Jill Pole.  Fleeing from a pack of bullies, the two children find an open door in the school wall—and go through into Aslan’s Country.  Despite some mishaps, Aslan sends them to Narnia, charged with finding the missing Prince Rillian.  In Narnia, they learn that Rillian is the son of the aged King Caspian.  They set off into Giant Country in search of Rillian, guided by Puddleglum the Marshwiggle.

This is reminiscent of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, as a journey story, but it has a much tighter focus on the quest.  Even when not immediately apparent, the various adventures (like being taken captive first by giants, and then by subterranean “earth men”) all lead towards the rescue of Prince Rillian.

Eustace and Jill are satisfying lead characters, not as noble as the Pevensies perhaps but good-hearted on the whole.  I enjoy characters who are good people trying to do the right thing, but who still descend to bickering and complaints when trudging through a snowstorm.  It’s very human, without making the characters unlikable.

My favorite character may be the non-human one, Puddleglum the Marshwiggle.  His name fits him perfectly, as he’s hopelessly doleful and apt to predict the worst.  Even though he seems like a wet blanket Eeyore at first, he comes through as courageous, sensible and dedicated.

My favorite scene is well along in the book, so spoilers beware!  After they find Rillian, there’s a confrontation with the witch who has been holding him captive.  It’s a wonderful, tense scene with an enemy who doesn’t swing a sword but uses words instead.  She uses magic, too, but the fascinating part is her mind-twisting arguments that the world above must not really exist.

This isn’t a new favorite of mine in the series (that’s still a toss-up between The Magician’s Nephew and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader).  It is a solid installment with a compelling plot and likable (but not too likable!) characters, and some nice creepy moments from truly dangerous villains.

Only the last book in the series left, the appropriately named The Last Battle.  Coming up soon (with a very exciting reader, by the way…)

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

Other reviews:
The Bookworm Chronicles
Living on Literary Lane
The Day Dreaming, Candy Eating Red-Headed Bookworm
Anyone else?

Buy it here: The Silver Chair

Cursed by Frogginess

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Juvenile, Reviews1 Comment

FroggedFew things are more disappointing than a premise I love in a book that just didn’t work for me.  It’s very rare that you get a second chance at that original brilliant premise.  I was disappointed by The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker, even though I loved the idea of the princess turning into a frog when she kisses the enchanted prince–so I was thrilled to hear about Frogged by Vivian Vande Velde, a story about a princess turning into a frog, from an author I’ve greatly enjoyed in the past.

Frogged is about Princess Imogene, twelve-almost-thirteen, and worried that she’s not a very good princess.  When she meets a talking frog, she tries to help by kissing him, and ends up trading places–he’s restored to being a boy, and she becomes a frog.  Since he quite rudely refuses to help, Imogene sets off herself in search of the witch who cast the spell.  Along the way, she meets new enemies, secures unexpected allies, becomes a star attraction in a terrible theatre company, and learns something about herself and the people around her.

This is not the same story as The Frog Princess, although the parallels are inescapable.  Happily, I liked this one much better.  It’s a simple story and the target age is young (perhaps 8-10), and there isn’t a huge amount of depth or complexity…but the voice was strong, there was a nice amount of humor, and the story was reliably entertaining.

An ordinary, possibly clumsy, not-stereotypical-beautiful princess has becomes something of a stereotype itself (I can think of five others without even trying), but Imogene has her own unique points.  I like that she very much feels 12-almost-13, and most of her problems are chalked up to being a difficult age more than anything else.  Some “ordinary princesses” are almost overpowering in their identity as “ordinary,” and become unusual by swinging so far that direction.

I also particularly liked an arc of learning Imogene goes through about changing how she sees others.  She’s always good-hearted, but she comes to realize that some people she thinks she understands have unexpected depths (for good and ill), and also that people don’t always perceive her the way she expects.

My favorite character apart from Imogene is the witch, who is gloriously untroubled by anyone else’s problems.  She’s not a wicked witch, exactly, and feels quite comfortable in her own mind that her actions have been reasonable (and she makes a convincing case).  She’s also not a Glinda-type, who wants the heroine to solve her problems herself so that she can learn the true lesson.  She’s simply practical, unsentimental and takes it for granted that everyone should take responsibility for handling their own lives.  She might drive me crazy in real life, but she’s remarkably refreshing in this kind of story.

Actually, a lot of the twists on traditional fairy tales are refreshing in here.  But I do tend to like that kind of thing. 🙂

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

Other reviews:
Charlotte’s Library
Ms. Tami Reads
Kid Lit Geek
Anyone else?

Buy it here: Frogged