Thursday, July 26, 2012

The Entomological Tales of Augustus T. Percival : Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone by Dene Low


This book is delightfully silly, truly amusing, and a breath of fresh air in a world which increasingly descends to the crass and vulgar in attempting to entertain.  Such misguided buffoonery would clearly be beneath Petronella, a spirited, intelligent, stalwart heroine worthy of anyone's admiration.  In short, I loved it.  (Good for all ages; probably especially enjoyed by girls in the 9+ range.  A dignified alternative to "teenage girl" books  - a definite plus to my pre-teen girl.)

Monday, July 23, 2012

My Side Of The Mountain by Jean Craighead George

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8a/My_Side_of_the_Mountain.jpgMy Side Of The Mountain is about Sam Gribley, a 12 year old boy who decides to run away from his cramped home in New York, and learns to survive in the wilderness around his great-grandfathers farm up in the Catskill mountains. I found it interesting, well written, thought provoking, light-hearted, and enjoyable. 

Friday, July 13, 2012

The Roar by Emma Clayton

The Roar by Emma Clayton


The blurb: Post apocalyptic distopia, "mutant" psychics, Etc. Etc.

What it starts to look like: Enders Game/Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Carrie,
then edited until it looks PG(read: no aliens), if still depressing.

Plot Holes: Yes.
To name but a few:
  • No space colonies(despite the bad guy having a space station)
  • No underwater colonies
  • The twin in the beginning not leaving anything identifying during her escape and capture(she has telekinesis for crying out loud)
  • None of the "mutant" kids pulling a Carrie(except one, and he gets stopped by a glance)
  • Convincing via television hoax * nearly two thirds of the planet to evacuate to the remaining third.
Premise: Great, 4 stars, could make for some excellent fanfiction.
Execution: Terrible, 1.9 stars, not as bad as it could have been, but there are better uses of my time.

*Spoiler, highlight to show.