Pleasure reading

I talked with Dave about his latest pleasure reading: The Soul Thief, by Cecelia Holland.  Here's an excerpt from the Publisher's Weekly review:  "A bloody Viking raid on an Irish coastal town is the springboard for a nonstop romp through a fictional time of evil sorcery, ruthless kings, fierce pirates, kidnapped heroines, sweet romance and everyday heroes, set against the brutal backdrop of Norse life in feudal times."  And he just began book 2, The Witches' Kitchen.  This sounds like good escapism for the holiday break.  I hope everyone finds time to relax and to read.

Historical fiction, part 2

I just read Revolution, the latest teen novel by Jennifer Donnelly.  This one weaves together the stories of Andi (21st century NYC) and Alex (French Revolution era Paris) as Andi struggles to recover from the death of her younger brother, Truman, and Alex fights to survive the political climate as she cares for Marie Anoinette's son.   School Library Journal named Revolution as one of the best fiction books of 2010.  Melissa, the young adult/children's book buyer at Pudd'nhead Books, says it is her current favorite.  I would suggest Revolution for older teens because it opens with some heavy cynicism about school, including drinking to get through the day.  But this is not the tone of the book throughout; Donnelly uses the scene to highlight Andi's unhappiness and to introduce the particular group of upper class teens who are Andi's classmates.  Revolution will appeal to both boys and girls and to musicians.  Andi is a gifted guitarist and there is much talk about music throughout the novel.

why we like historical fiction

Sometimes the words "historical fiction" are the kiss of death when you introduce a new book to a teenager.  Better to describe the plot:  "It's about a thirteen year-old girl who boards a ship in Liverpool to sail across the Atlantic.  She believes the captain to be a good man but he is not, and she must join the crew as a sailor to survive the journey."  My daughter is entranced by this particular story at the moment-- The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi.  I read it to her at night and she was reading to me on the way to school this morning.   More later about good historical fiction for young adults...

Reader's Best Friend

Novelist is an amazing resource that is available to anyone who has a St. Louis City, St. Louis County or University City Public Library card (and other libraries, too--check with your librarian).  Novelist is a huge, searchable database of fiction and nonfiction books for all ages that provides multiple book reviews for each title (particularly helpful to parents who want to evaluate a book before their child reads it) as well as the capability to search by subject!   Yes, if you want to see a list of award-winning fantasy books for teens, Novelist can do it.  Or if you are interested in historical fiction set during the civil war era, Novelist will find them for you.  I'm glad to show you how Novelist works.