“The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose,” by Mary Hooper
“The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose,” by Mary Hooper, was one of the most disappointing historical novels I have ever read.
The storyline is set in the seventeenth century. Eliza Rose is a fifteen-year-old girl who travels to London to find her father. Soon she is imprisoned for stealing a mouthful of pastry from a shop. When a woman gains her release from jail Eliza feels that her life is taking a turn for the better. Little does she realize, but everyone in London wants something from her. Eliza travels throughout London using a variety of disguises, but in the end it turns out to be harder that she thought to find what she really wants: a place where she can belong.
“The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose,” was, I am afraid, had a plot that could hardly be considered remarkable: offspring of rich nobility grows up with peasant family and then finally discovers their true family. This rather cliché plot forms the backbone of so many books that it almost gets tiring. Usually the author finds a good way to conceal it behind twists and turns in the storyline. Mary Hooper, however, reveals the truth in the book’s first few pages, then tries to enliven Eliza’s story using sex. From reading “The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose” one would think that nearly everyone in seventeenth century London was either a prostitute, a mistress, a pimp, or something in-between. Surely there must have been a better way to breathe life into a worn out plot.
Unfortunately, I would have to say that “The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose” was rather disappointing to me.
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“The Big Empty,” by J.B. Stephens
“The Big Empty,” by J.B. Stephens is a science fiction novel about a post disaster world.
Before the plague had been named it had already killed more than half of the world’s population. With entire cities wiped out, the United States infrastructure came to a halt. When communication systems and other services failed a military government came to power. The new governments solution was to make the U.S. interior an evacuated zone. With all the survivors moved to the coast lands the nation’s infrastructure can be maintained. But inside the evacuated zone, called The Big Empty, government soldiers patrol with orders to shoot to kill.
Seven teenagers, however, will band together in the Big Empty. Some left the populated area because they were on the run, some are just looking to start a new life, and some want to escape the oppressive military government, but they all have one goal: find Novo Mundum, a secret Utopian society that has been established in the heart of The Big Empty.
“The Big Empty” is a very realistic science fiction story. The plot makes sense, and the characters are solid. J.B. Stephen has created a richly detailed world that stands alone very well. Science fiction readers should enjoy this fascinating book.
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“Fergus Crane,” by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
“Fergus Crane,” by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell is the first adventure story in the Far-Flung Adventures series.
Fergus Crane is a young boy who lives with his mother in an attic home at the top of the Archduke Ferdinand Apartments. Fergus Crane and his mother are very poor, so when the School Ship Betty-Jeanne offers Fergus a free education, both him and his mother are happy to accept. While Fergus attends the school his mother works at a bakery and does odd jobs for the Fateful Voyage Trading Co, a mysterious organization that sends them large paychecks for small jobs.
The plot thickens, however, when Fergus begins receiving strange messages delivered to him in the middle of the night by a flying mechanical box. They indicate that the School Ship Betty-Jeanne is not what it seems and that Fergus is in great danger. When Fergus finally realizes what the messages mean it is already too late. The ship disappears on a “school trip,” leaving Fergus behind, and only Fergus knows that the trip is not what it seems.
Fergus Crane sets out on a mission to save his schoolmates, aided by mechanical wonders created by the Fateful Voyage Trading, Co. A flying mechanical horse and a lunch box that sprouts legs and walks are Fergus’ tools in his rescue endeavor.
I enjoyed the detailed world defined by “Fergus Crane.” The rich descriptions written by Paul Stewart, and the beautiful pencil drawings by Chris Riddell are a winning combination that never fail to amaze me. The plot in “Fergus Crane” is exciting and the characters interesting. “Fergus Crane” is a fantasy story that any young reader will enjoy.
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“Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat,” by Lynne Jonell
“Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat,” by Lynne Jonell is a junior fiction novel that is surprisingly well designed and entertaining.
Emmy is young girl who always tries to be good. She does her all homework, gets straight A’s, and eats her vegetables, but for some reason no one seems to notice her. Not only do people forget her name, but they seem to look straight through her. Emmy’s parents are always away on business travels and they too seem to forget about her most of the time.
But then Emmy’s life changes when she forms a relationship with the classroom pet, a sulky and obnoxious rat that enjoys biting that hands that would feed it. No one else seems to notice that the rat can speak. But when Emmy opens the cage, giving the rat its freedom it begins a chain of events that will reveal a strange collection of rats with marvelous powers, an underground rodent city, and a deadly plot being carried out by Emmy’s nanny.
When I first selected “Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat” to add to my reading list I was a little dubious, expecting the average junior fiction novel with overly exaggerated characters, a disappointing plot, etc. However, “Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat” is not what it seems at first glance. The story is surprisingly well created, with a complex plot that was actually quite entertaining. The unique plot ideas that Lynne Jonell has created make the story refreshingly different. “Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat” is an excellent and very well written story for junior audiences.
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“The Starry Rift – Tales of New Tomorrows,” by Jonathan Strahan
“The Starry Rift – Tales of New Tomorrows,” is an original science fiction anthology compiled by Jonathan Strahan.
Among the many science fiction anthologies that I’ve read I must recommend “The Starry Rift” as one of the best. First of all, this special anthology is not merely a reprint of stories that have appeared elsewhere. All of the short stories were created specifically for this volume. The lineup of writers includes such marvelous authors as Scott Westerfield, notable for his high-tech fashion series (Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras),Niel Gaiman, and Garth Nix.
The pieces that make up “The Starry Rift” vary widely in scope and theme. Some are set in virtual gaming worlds, others in spaceships and cities. My favorite piece, however, was “The Dismantled Invention of Fate,” by Jeffrey Ford. The story is highly descriptive with a twisted plot and multiple surreal settings that completely swept me away.
Jonathan Straham has done an excellent job in compiling “The Starry Rift – Tales of New Tomorrows.” The pieces are well balanced and all of impeccable quality. I would highly recommend this 500 page science fiction anthology to all science fiction lovers.
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“George’s Secret Key to the Universe,” by Lucy & Stephen Hawking
“George’s Secret Key to the Universe” is a children’s novel written by Lucy Hawking & Stephen Hawking, the best selling author of “A Brief History of Time” and “The Universe in a Nutshell.” These two books made the field of theoretical physics interesting and understandable to adults. “George’s Secret Key to the Universe” is designed to make some of the same concepts available for children to understand.
The main character is George, a young boy whose life is defined by two things: his eco-friendly parents, who prohibit all technology in George’s house; and his pet pig. But when the pig breaks through the fence and escapes into the yard next door, George meets his new next door neighbors: a girl named Annie and her scientist father, named Eric.
Eric and Annie open up a whole new world of experience for George as the explain scientific concepts to George and take him on surprising adventures using their supercomputer Cosmos. Cosmos can take its users to any part of the universe in a blink of the eye. But little do George, Annie, and Eric realize, but someone out there wants Cosmos, and soon all of them will be in grave danger.
“George’s Secret Key to the Universe” has an interesting focus. It presents complicated scientific ideas in a way that children can understand, with small sidebars and information boxes along the way. What is more, the storyline is interspersed with beautiful full color pictures of space and various space objects. However, in reading the book I felt that “George’s Secret Key to the Universe” was really designed as a vehicle to spread Hawking’s theories concerning black holes. I don’t think that this is necessarily a bad thing, but “George’s Secret Key to the Universe” presents as truth that which has not yet been conclusively proved.
In conclusion, “George’s Secret Key to the Universe” has a great plot, interesting characters, and plenty of science facts. I think that it is a good introduction to science for young readers.
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“Alex and the Ironic Gentleman,” by Adrienne Kress
“Alex and the Ironic Gentleman,” by Adrienne Kress is a mesmerizing adventure story about a young heroine on a mission to save her sixth grade teacher from a group of deadly pirates.
Alex is a ten-and-a-half year old girl who attends the Wigpowder-Steele Academy, a prestigious institution noteworthy for its stuffy personalities and ancient teachers. Needless to say Alex doesn’t exactly enjoy attending school, that is, until her class gets a new teacher. Mr. Underwood knows how to teach lessons in a way that makes them interesting, and he always answers the student’s questions. Not only that, but for P.E. he teaches the students how to fence!
But Mr. Underwood is more than a sixth grade teacher; he’s also the sole remaining heir to a mysterious pirate treasure hidden decades ago. The only problem is, no one knows where the treasure map is, and what’s more a rival group of pirates from the infamous ship “The Ironic Gentleman” are still searching for the treasure after all these years. When Mr. Underwood is kidnapped, and Alex’s father is found dead, she is sets out on a journey to rescue Mr. Underwood from the pirates that have taken him.
Adrienne Kress has created a magical and mysterious world. The characters are sometimes dark, sometimes humorous, but all unique. The world in “Alex and the Ironic Gentleman” is a mixture of the modern world and the world of a few centuries ago. On the one hand people have laptops and household appliances intelligent enough to talk, but they still fight with broadswords and ride steam powered trains. This intriguing mixture gives the story a truly dreamlike appeal, and it was one aspect that I truly enjoyed.
Another point that I liked about “Alex and the Ironic Gentleman” is that is wasn’t just an adventure. The journey that Alex embarks upon takes her through a world of deeper meaning and strange encounters that are thrilling and dreamlike. The Lewis Carroll imagery and philosophical aspects of “Alex and the Ironic Gentleman” will probably be missed by young readers, but I could see many hidden meanings, satirical passages, and ideas that were well worth reading. In my opinion the best part of “Alex and the Ironic Gentleman” is Alex’s journey to find the pirate ship. It is during this portion of the book that most of the adventure takes place, just as is this case with the character Alice, in “Alice in Wonderland.” Unfortunately, the concluding portions of “Alex and the Ironic Gentleman” seem slightly dull and even a little rushed after the deliberate and surprising encounters that Alex experiences on her way to save Mr. Underwood. However, “Alex and the Ironic Gentleman” is still a marvelous book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I would recommend it to any young reader.
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