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A Librarian Reads Girl From Mars

Monday, July 25th, 2011

Girl From Mars by Tamara Bach

Miriam is an average small town girl growing up in Germany. She hangs out with her fiends in the bathroom every morning before school. Sometimes the smoke cigarettes, other times she listens to them talk about their boyfriends or what they did the night before. A small town doesn’t offer much variety for having fun so Miriam lets her friends just drone on and on.  Miriam waits for the eternity of the school day to end only to go home to an empty house, eat, and wait for her mother to come home. Then for one trivial reason or another Miriam and her mother usually end the night shouting at one another. Miriam feels trapped between being a child and an adult, trapped by the small town she lives in, and trapped by her friends boring lives.

Then one day a new girl, Laura, is in her class. Laura is so cool that she evens rolls her own cigarettes. Soon, Laura starts hanging out with Miriam and showing up at the bathroom before school. Miriam isn’t sure what is going on with her new friend but she knows that whenever she looks at her she gets all wonky inside. Soon Miriam’s world doesn’t seem so small and boring anymore because now she has met her first love. Laura knows there is a connection between them as well. But how does a girl from nowhere talk to that someone special, especially someone like Laura. Soon Miriam and Laura start dancing around that attraction between them. They are both trying to figure out how to be more than friends, and how to be themselves, especially in a town where they feel like no one is like them.

Girl From Mars is a great read about first love, the confusion of being a teen and discovering things about who you are and how the world works. It is appropriate for ages 14 and up and contains foul language, drinking, and explorations of physical intimacy. Highly recommended.

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A Librarian Reads Fuzzy Nation

Monday, June 27th, 2011

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

Note: This is a reboot of H. Beam Piper’s Fuzzy Series, sort of in the same vein of how the Star Trek universe was rebooted in its latest movie.

Jack Holloway is one of many independent prospectors employed by a large corporation, ZaraCorp, to discover anything of value within the ground of Zara XXIII, a planet that whose mineral and oil rights belong to ZaraCorp. Holloway is a loner, a recluse, and most of all a jerk. On his latest expedition, Holloway discover a lucrative sunstone seam. However he had to blow up most of a cliff to get at it. His actions are against environmental regulations and promptly gets him fired, but when he explains to his boss about the sunstones he is rehired and given a bigger cut of the potential payout. Holloway is easily going to be set for life.

But a problem awaits for him back at his home. A small, fuzzy, native creature has somehow figured a way in the house and is causing all sorts of terror. Holloway and his dog corner the creature and soon he is luring the animal out with gifts of food. But something about the creature rubs Holloway wrong. The animal was smart, maybe even smarter than a dog. The next day the creature is back and has brought his family. Soon Holloway is considering the creatures may be sapient, which means the are intelligent and self-aware like humans. If the creatures are people so to speak, then Holloway can kiss his new sunstone seam goodbye. Colonial regulations call for ZaraCorp to stop exploiting all of the planets resources and leave in order for the resources to be used by the planets native sapient species. But Holloway isn’t quite willing to walk away from lots and lots of money. And Zaracorp would stoop as low as genocide to keep their profits.

Can a jerk be redeemed? Can Holloway discover a way to make money and protect his new fuzzy companions? Or will Holloway idly watch as genocide occurs because he is making tons of money?

Fuzzy Nation is an excellent fun, and humorous sci-fi romp. I highly recommend it for anyone who like classic sci-fi, or someone looking for an sleek adventure story with an environmental twist. Fuzzy Nation is appropriate for all ages, but can be found in adult sci-fi.

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A Librarian Reads Frankie Landau-Banks

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Frankie is a sophomore at an elite boarding school called Alabaster. Her father went to Alabaster and is still friends with his high school companions to this very day. They help each other get jobs, promotions, and most of all money. Frankie’s father claims that Alabaster is where she will learn how the world works. But all Frankie can see is that Alabaster is where young white men with money become old white men with even more money. How does she as a female fit into that world?

One example of the male centric attitude at Alabaster is a secret society that Frankie’s father used to belong to: The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. It’s a male only club that pulls pranks, but also is made up of the most influential male upperclassmen of Alabaster. These are the future businessmen, lawyers, and politicians; those who could most impact the world.

But Frankie can’t join because she is a woman. What is worse is that the Order wouldn’t even conceive of letting women be a part of it. It just so happens that  Frankie’s new boyfriend is the leader of the current Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. But what is better is that she discovers that the order has lost the Order’s journal that details its notorious history.

Frankie decides then what she will do. She will find the Order’s journal, and then covertly take over the Order through an anonymous email address. Then with the Order’s help she hopes to pull off the best school prank that Alabaster has seen in decades. Then she can prove that she is just as good as any man.

Except Frankie gets carried away with proving herself. What is she really after? And once the pranks start piling up who will take the blame? Is Frankie willing to betray her friends, boyfriend, and the school just to make a point? Does Frankie even know what point she is making? Or has she just fallen to the basest of motivations: revenge?

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is an amazingly entertaining and thought provoking book. It is highly recommended and appropriate for ages 14 and up.

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Malice: A Review by Aimee

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

Malice by Chris Wooding
4 stars

Seth is a teen with best friends Kady and Luke,one day Luke says he got hold of the rare comic featuring the city of make believe city of Malice. When Luke disappears the next day, Seth gets worried.

So he does the chant and ritual said to get him into the world in the horrifying comic that involves kids getting in bad situations getting chased by horrible creatures. But then when he wakes up he isn’t in his bed he is in a different world on a train. And he finds out that Malice is real and the creatures are out there to kill him and some to suck time out of him.

He finds out that all the missing kids are here and if you die in the Malice you die in real life. This world is controlled by the evil Tall Jack who is selling these mysterious comics and controlling this world.He also meets up with some other kids including one who saved his life from a chitter monkey a monkey that sucks time out of you. Seth saw a victim die when it bit her. And in her pocket was two white tickets that on the train can take you anywhere or take you home. And the black tickets can take you anywhere but not home.

Now everyone thinks he is missing to. And Kady is worried to0 because he is gone. But one night while she is talking to her cousin she finds out that she never went to visit her and that her mom is a professional hypnotist and what really happened is that she disappeared for four months and came home one day dazed and couldn’t remember where she was because when you come out of Malice you cant remember anything.And she does the chant and ritual to get back to Malice and save Seth. She uses the ticket and finds him. And they find a wise woman and they ask her about how to defeat Tall Jack.

If you want to find out what happens to Kady and Seth and if they will ever get out and defeat him or stay there forever. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars because it is part comic part book and all action I would recommend it for people who like action and don’t mind some scary things.

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A Librarian Reads the Book Thief

Friday, December 31st, 2010

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Liesel is a young girl growing up in a small German town during World War II. She has a best friend, Rudy, who is a talented athlete and her partner in crime. She has her foster parents, Hans and Rosa. Hans is always gentle and helps her learn the power of words. Rosa is firm with Liesel and makes her work very hard, but cares very deeply.

In a way Liesel has a picturesque childhood. There is plenty of adventure, trouble, and a loving family. But there is a darker side to life during war. Her biological mother was tied to the Communist party and must give up Liesel and her little brother in order that they may survive. But Liesel’s brother dies on the way to live with Hans and Rosa. Also, her foster home is on the outskirts of Munich and near the concentration camp Dachau. Jews are routinely paraded through the streets as they slowly walk to their doom.

How can you have a happy, loving life, when the world around you only wants death? How will Liesel cope when Hans brings home a mysterious young Jewish man? How can you be a carefree child but hide a human being in your basement from the hands of death?

The Book Thief is a wonderful book that shows us the beauty of living, the horrors of war, and the tenderness of death. Highly recommended for those interested in historical fiction, World War II, or coming of age tales. It is appropriate for all ages.

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