The House of the Scorpions

The House of the Scorpions. By Nancy Farmer. Atheneum, 2004. 400 pages. PB $9.99 ISBN 978-0689852237

Summary: Matteo Alacran is ignorant of the fact that he is the clone of El Patron, the leader of Opium, Mexico. Within the town of Opium, illegal immigrants are captured by the Farm Patrol and subjected to a lifetime of toiling in the fields. Chips are also embedded into the enslaved or ejitt’s brains, making them more compliant with El Patron’s desires. With the exception of his caregiver, Celia, and his body guard, Tam Lim, everyone who lives in Opium abuses Matteo. When word travels that El Patron is in need of Matteo’s organs, Matteo understands that he is a clone. Will  Matteo outsmart El Patron?

Critical Review: Nancy Farmer has created an absorbing book of science fiction. The action and adventure in this story kept me interested in learning what would happen to Matteo. Amazingly the dark aspect of this book did not leave a sour feeling. This was particularly because the cheerful ending resolved the majority of negative aspects in the story. Matteo successfully challenges El Patron, becoming the leader of Opium. The fact that Matteo and El Patron share similar DNA leads to El Patron’s downfall. In addition to the cheerful ending, I also enjoyed the addition of Marxism to the plot. The story of the Lost Boys poignantly illustrates how Marxism functions, and would be a suitable book to introduce these topics to tweens. 

Genre: Science Fiction; Action and Adventure

Reading/Interest Level: 11 years and up

Awards: National Book Award, 2002, Newbery Honor, 2003, Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book, 2003, Buxtehuder Bulle, 2003 (Germany), ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults, IRA Young Adults' Choices, Sequoyah Young Adult Award, Volunteer State Award, 2006, Arizona Young Readers Teen Award, 2005, South Carolina Junior Readers Award, 2005-2006, Rhode Island Teen Book Award nominee, 2004, Young Hoosier Book Award, 2006, Nevada Young Readers' Award, 2005, Senior Young Readers' Choice Award, Pacific Northwest Library Association, 2005, Bay Area Book Reviewers’ Association Award for Children’s Literature

Reviews: School Library Journal (2004, October 1); Publishers Weekly (2004, May 17)

Similar Materials: Nancy Farmer’s The Eye, the Ear and the Arm

Subjects/Themes: cloning; illegal immigration; Marxism; Mexico

Character Names: Matteo Alacran; El Patron; the Farm Patrol; eejits; Tam Lin; Celia; Maria Mendoza; Lost Boys; Esperanza; the Keepers

Author Website: http://www.nancyfarmerwebsite.com/

Brief Annotation: A tween clone learns about his identity and confronts his malevolent creator, in this science-fiction Marxist inspired novel. 

Interstellar Pig

Interstellar Pig. By William Sleator. Puffin, 1995. 208 pages. PB $6.99 ISBN 978-0140375954

Summary: When Barney was invited to play Interstellar Pig with his cottage neighbors he didn’t realize that his performance in the game could impact his non-gaming world. As he explores his cottage, Barney locates papers that lead him to Piggy. The player that controls Piggy ultimately decides the destiny for their planet and other worlds. When Piggy is found, all other words apart from the winner’s planet will instantly vanish. Will Barney be able to save his world and the entire galaxy?

Critical Review: Interstellar Pig is a fascinating example of science fiction writing at its best. Sleator’s prose vividly recreates Barney’s experiences. The rules and technological related aspects of the novel are clearly written in an engaging style. I heartedly recommend this novel to young fans of the genre.

Genre: Science Fiction

Reading/Interest Level: 10 years and up

Reviews: Publishers Weekly (2004, February 9)

Similar Materials: William Sleater’s House of Stairs and Singularity 

Subjects/Themes: human-alien encounters; pigs; board games; cottages; summer vacations; neighbors

Character Names: Barney; Zena; Manny; Joe; Captain Lantham

Author Website: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~sleator/billy/index.html

Brief Annotation: Can Barney save his world and the galaxy from complete annilhation when he joins his neighbors in a game of Interstellar Pig?

Artemis Fowl

Artemis Fowl. By Eoin Colfer. Hyperion, 2001. 277 pages. Tr. $16.95 ISBN 978-0786808014

Summary: It’s been two years after his multimillionaire father’s disappearance in Greece, and Artemis Fowl II needs to step into his dad’s place and provide for his mother and himself. When searching online he finds a secret book that belongs to the people, a group of mythical, elf-like creatures, and threatens a member of the group to reveal the location of the tome. From here he can access the wealth of this group, but can he succeed without being caught by the police or being attacked by a biological weapon?

Critical Review: Others have compared Colfer’s Artemis Fowl to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. I do not see the connection. Artemis II is an evil, vile and selfish little boy. Though he comes to the aid of his insane mother, the moral values on display in Harry Potter are absent here. If you’re looking for Harry Potter readalikes, look to Lemony Snicket, Phillip Pullman, and Brain Jacques.

Genre: Fantasy; Action and Adventure

Reading/Interest Level: 9-12 years 

Awards: Costa Book Awards (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2001
Galaxy British Book Awards (WON AWARD) 2002
Original Voices Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2002
Nevada Young Reader's Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2003
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2003
Massachusetts Children's Book Award (WON AWARD) 2003
Bilby (Books I Love Best Yearly) Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2003
Young Reader's Choice Award (WON AWARD) 2004
Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2004
Iowa Teen Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2005
Nene Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2006
Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2004
SCASL Book Award (South Carolina) (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2004
Garden State Teen Book Award (WON AWARD) 2004
Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2008

Reviews:  Library Journal (2001, June 15); School Library Journal (2001, May 1); Booklist (2001, April 15); Publishers Weekly (2001, April 9); Kirkus Reviews (2001, April 1)

Series: The Artemis Fowl series

Similar Materials: The Following books in the Artemis Fowl series: The Arctic Incident; The Eternity Code; The Opal Deception; The Lost Colony; The Time Paradox; The Atlantis Complex

Subjects/Themes: law and crime, Europe, kidnapping, England, mothers and sons, fairies, fantasy and magic, action and adventure 

Character Names: Artemis Fowl II; Butler; Captain Holly Shorter; Commander Julius Root; Foaly; Mulch Diggums; Briar Cudgeon

Author Website: http://www.eoincolfer.com/

Brief Annotation: A twelve-year-old criminal mastermind locates an Elfish treasure while surfing on the Internet. 

The Fairy Tale Detectives

The Fairy Tale Detectives. By Michael Buckley. Illustrated by Peter Ferguson. Amulet, 2007. 304 pages. PB $6.95 ISBN 978-0810993228

Summary: After moving from one foster home to another, Daphne and Sabrina receive word that their grandmother is alive and that she wants to care for them. Life with their grandmother is a shock to the girls. Their eccentric grandmother believes in fairies and informs her granddaughters that they are actually related to the Grimm Brothers. Sabrina is certain that this is not her grandmother, and urges her Daphne to runaway. On their journey the sisters meet many characters from the Grimm brother's fairy tales and learn more about themselves. 

Critical Review: Buckley’s novel magically intertwines stories from “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”, “Jack and the Beanstalk”, “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, “The Three Little Pigs”, and “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. Prince Charming is also part of the story, as is the Magic Mirror from “Snow White”. The Grimm sisters learn that they are responsible for writing additional fairy tales, and learn that their grandmother is telling them the truth.

Genre: Mystery; Fantasy; Adventure

Reading/Interest Level: 9-12 years 

Awards: Beehive Children's Fictional Book Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2007
Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2008
Grand Canyon Reader Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2009

Reviews: School Library Journal (2006, June 1 and January 1); Publishers Weekly (2005, December 19); Voice of Youth Advocates (2005, December 1); Booklist (2005, November 15)

Series: The Sisters Grimm series

Similar Materials: The following books in the Sisters Grimm series: The Sisters Grimm the Unusual Suspects; The Sisters Grimm the Problem Child; The Sisters Grimm: Once Upon a Crime; The Sisters Grimm: Magic and Other Misdemeanors; The Sisters Grimm: Tales from the Hood; The Sisters Grimm: The Everafter War

Subjects/Themes: monsters; multigenerational families; orphans and foster homes; siblings; sisters; grandparents; fairies; everafters

Character Names: Sabrina; Daphne; Grandmother Relda Grimm; Mr. Canis; Puck; Magic Mirror; Jack the Giant Killer; Mayor Charming/Prince Charming; Mama Bear; Tinman; Big Bad Wolf; Mr. Seven; Elvis

Author Website: http://www.sistersgrimm.com/

Brief Annotation: Unsure about whether their grandmother is telling them the truth, Sabrina and Daphne runaway and meet characters from several Grimm Brothers stories. 

Crispin: The Cross of Lead

Crispin: The Cross of Lead. By Avi. Hyperion Books for Children, 2002. 272 pages. Tr. $15.99 ISBN 978-0786808281

Summary: Avi’s Newbery award-winning novel vividly recreates fourteenth-century England. Here a thirteen-year-old nameless boy’s life dramatically alters when his mother dies. Without relatives, Asta’s Son turns to his only friend, the village priest. Father Quinel presents him with his mother’s engraved cross, and tells him that his name is Crispin. He promises that he will identify Crispin’s father, however, before he can do this he is murdered by Aycliffe, Lord Furnival’s steward. The latter also falsely accuses Crispin with stealing, forcing him to flee the village. Homeless and friendless, Crispin travels blindly until he meets Bear, a former priest, now traveling jester, who hires Crispin as his servant.

Critical Review: Tween historical aficionados will cherish the first book in the Crispin series. There are very few books with male primary characters. This book will engage both male and female readers. Crispin grows up nameless without the knowledge of his father. At the end of the book he finally has a name behind the mystery: Lord Furnival. The novel is rife with mystery, adventure, history, politics and friendship. Initially Bear is quite demeaning to Crispin, however, with time a friendship develops. In an age when only the wealthy were literate, Bear is a rarity. Under Bear’s tutelage, Crispin learns to read and kindles a love for learning. Bear also introduces Crispin with political rebels, like John Ball, an authentic historical actor who organized the Peasant Rebellion of 1391. 

Genre: Historical Fiction; Adventure 

Reading/Interest Level: 10-14 years

Awards: Michael L. Printz Award, 2003; Newbery Award, 2003; American Library Association Notable Books for Children, 2003

Reviews: Books in Canada (2003, March 1); Publishers Weekly (2002, June 3); Voice of Youth Advocates (2002, June 1); School Library Journal (2002, June 1); Booklist (2002, May 15)

Series: The Crispin Series

Similar Materials: Marguerite De Angeli’s The Door in the Wall

Subjects/Themes: Medieval England; orphans and foster homes; peasantry; poverty; priests; illiteracy; servants; jesters; feudalism; self-esteem; self reliance

Character Names: Crispen (Asta’s Son); Bear; John Aycliffe (Lord Furnival’s steward); John Ball; Father Quinel; Widow Daventry

Author Website: http://www.avi-writer.com/

Brief Annotation: In the fist book in the Crispin series, a thirteenth-century English orphan boy learns of his true identity.

The Magical Misadventures of Prunella Bogthistle

The Magical Misadventures of Prunella Bogthistle. By Deva Fagan. Henry Holt & Company, 2010. 272 pages. Tr. $17.99 ISBN 978-0805087437

Summary: Above all, Prunella Bogthistle longs for the day when she is a bona fide bogwitch. Unfortunately her witchery skills are in short supply. Her grandmother is peeved that she cannot even stop Barnaby, a non-magical Uplander, from poaching from her family’s resources and trespassing on their estate. Prunella is kicked out from the family, until she can prove that she is a proper witch. She travels with Barnaby through the Uplands, hopeful that by finding Esmeralda’s grimoire she will be able to learn her spells and return to her family.

Critical Review: Fagan’s magical novel satisfies those who additionally appreciate history. Prunella’s world is situated in the sixteenth or seventeenth century. When traveling through the Uplands, she is tarred and feathered, and is almost burnt at the stake by Mistress Helen Porter. Thankfully Mistress Porter’s son, Halbert, believes in Prunella’s goodness, bringing her food and defending her before the community. Prunella escapes persecution by successfully defending the Uplanders from ghouls, disembodied hands, and spectral stallions during the Thousandfold Night by producing featherweight charms and shielding sigils. Ultimately she learns that it is better to have a good heart than to be a proper witch. She does find Esmeralda’s grimoire, but leaves it for the life and friendship available in the Uplands.

Genre: Fantasy

Reading/Interest Level: 10-14 years

Reviews: School Library Journal (2010, June 1)

Similar Materials:  Frances O’Roark Dowell’s Falling In

Subjects/Themes: witches; magic; heroes; self-realization; unconditional love

Character Names: Prunella Bogthistle; Granny Bogthistle; Cousin Ezzie; Miranda; Milo; Yeg; Lord Blackthorn; Jacks/Pogwobben; Skillimug; Mistress Helen Porter; Halbert Porter; Cricket; Rencevin; Esmeralda; Queen Serafine; Barnaby

Author Website: http://devafagan.com/

Brief Annotation: A bogwitch leaves her bogland home, developing a better appreciation of herself through travels with non-magical Uplanders.