Archive for the ‘Fiction: Juvenile’ Category

Sideways Stories From Wayside School by Louis Sachar

ISBN: 0380731487
124 pages
published in 1978.

I LOVED this book when I was a kid. It is a series of short stories arranged into chapters following the lives of a classroom full of students (and some other characters) that go to a strange school called Wayside. The premise being that the school was meant to be built one story with 30 classrooms and instead was built to be 30 stories with a classroom on each story, thus making the entire school a little odd. It seems like a silly concept — and it is — but it’s actually a very charming and witty book at times and is one of the most age-appropriate books I think I’ve ever read (for elementary school / advanced-early readers). They’re giggle-inducing and running jokes make the reader feel as though they’ve entered a world that they can feel comfortable laughing in.

One of my favorite gags is the one about Miss. Zarves / the teacher on the 19th story (there is no 19th story, no Miss. Zarves). I really liked the cute illustrations, too, and the ability of Sachar to write stories that will amuse children but don’t involve immature toilet-humor. Seriously rare and I hope this book is still used in elementary schools the way it was when I was back there. :] The ending chapter was a bit weak, mostly because it made the author’s intent fairly obvious and took some of the magic away… but barring that, the writing and the execution is still strong.

Guardians of Ga’Hoole: The Capture by Kathryn Lasky

ISBN: 0439405572
240 pages
published in 2003.

I love animal fantasy — and it’s no secret. I picked up this book originally in MIDDLE SCHOOL but put it aside in favor of some other books and eventually forgot about it completely. Recently a good friend of mine told me about them. It’s one of her favorite series and once she got talking about them, I realized that I owned a copy of the first book. I’m glad I finally got around to reading them, as in the subgenre of juvenile fantasy, it’s quite strong.

In another world, owls live in kingdoms based upon species and in climates and environments that suit their species ideal living arrangements. They are much like normal owls, but there are some key differences. Talking being one. Keeping snakes as nursemaids for owlets is another. Exchanging stories and legends about a group of brave and fierce warrior owls is perhaps the strangest of all. Little owlet Soren loves hearing these stories and grows up in a hollow in a fir tree in Tyto with his family — his mother and father, his older brother and the newest addition — his little sister. Everything seems great until one day he finds himself at the bottom of his fir tree, too young to be able to fly back up to the hollow and save himself. He is snatched by a patrol of mysterious owls that take him to a place where hundreds and hundreds of other young owls are kept. It’s there that he learns about the secrets surrounding the hollow rocks and caverns of the place called St. Aggie’s and about the terrible danger that not only Barn Owls like himself face, but all the owls kingdoms in the world are threatened by.

It’s a very fun story and I love hearing all of the tidbits and information placed in the story about actual owl behavior and anatomy. It’s clever in that way, and although sometimes things seem a bit awkward (such as owls being able to read, etc. while still being anatomically real owls) it opens up the door for a lot more fantasy elements which of course makes it more fun to try and predict where the story will go. I got a bit sick of the preachy element and the almost quasi-religious sentiments that showed up towards the end (mostly the echo of “belief” without proof, which made me a bit nervous — though I can understand why it’s used and perhaps even appropriate in a story of this nature). All in all it was a good read, and with the movie coming out in September, I plan on getting through the first three so that I can go into the film with the plot in mind and perhaps make a post on here about the film in comparison to the first three books of the series (which it will be based upon.)

I would perhaps not recommend it to children older than junior high age, however, unless they have a strong interest already in animal fantasy. It has the potential to be an interesting and complex story, I think, but the writing is very simple and the characters are perhaps not as 3 dimensional as some older children might expect and desire.

Toklo’s Story by Erin Hunter

ISBN: 0061723800
112 pages
published in 2010.

Toklo’s Story is the first manga adaptation of Seekers, the newest series by bestselling author, Erin Hunter (who is actually a conglomeration of authors…) In this book, we get a little more of the backstory of one of the main characters of the series, Toklo. We follow him as a younger cub with his mother and brother and the difficulties that arise when a big bear threatens them away from his territory and he finds that life is much more complicated than he had thought. We see some of the beginnings of his brothers’ illness/weakness as well as some more insinuations about what makes Toklo’s mother quite so unstable as a parent.

The illustrations were sort of horrid and often didn’t make sense, as at times it seemed as though the seasons were changing from frame to frame (trees full of leaves followed by a ground covered in snow in the next panel?) However, the story was interesting and although not much happened, it was still engaging. I liked all of the clever ways the writer incorporated typical bear behavior into a story that would still be appropriate for 9-12 year-olds. I’ve been constantly impressed by the way that Hunter does not censor herself when discussing hard facts of life for any wild animal (whether circumstances like the cubs’ father in this book, or in her Warriors series, sequences of fighting and death or more ginger subjects like birth, etc.) While it is a bit over the top at times, it does not come across as overtly graphic and instead just seems to be a frank discussion about these characters’ ways of life.

I would buy another manga book for her Seekers series if it came out in an instant just to hear some more back story, perhaps, as hearing about the bears’ lives before their journey is interesting to me. I’ve been enjoying the main series a lot so this was a nice addition, but I do wish they would have chosen the illustrator more carefully. It took a lot away from the story as the illustrations in most of Hunter’s manga editions have been very weak. As the book is at least half illustrations, it really makes a big impact on the reader to have lazy illustrations.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

ISBN: 0142410314
176 pages
published in 1964.

Another popular (and rightfully so) book by Roald Dahl. It looks like Arpad & I are on a kick with Dahl recently (I’ve been reading these outloud, I think we’re starting Matilda next). I think people are most familiar with this book of all of his (if not the book itself then the story, thanks to the multiple movie adaptations.) It is a really great story, and the movies don’t really deviate much from the book (except in some sort of little and frustrating ways — but in general.) Wonka is such a lovable and exciting character. His excitement throughout the story is exciting to the reader, and as the first 1/3rd of the book helps us get to know Charlie, we really feel for him, too. Despite the fact that it is a children’s story and a fantasy one at that, it is very easy to feel attached to Charlie and think of him as a real person. We really understand how poor he is and desperately want him to do better. This is why his finding of the golden ticket is so exciting.

It is sort of a dark story as children’s books go, but not nearly as dark as I expected it to be — especially not with the way that people like Johnny Depp & Tim Burton portray it. The darkness in the book comes from the fact that the children are the ones committing the evil / naughty acts. It is not Wonka himself that is at fault — and in fact I don’t picture him as coming across as particularly sinister at all throughout the entire story. I think he is meant to come across as eccentric, but kind. He doesn’t do anything nasty to the children at all. Everything that goes wrong is entirely their own fault (and this really seems to be the point of the book, in the first place!) Charlie stands out simply because he IS such a “good nut” in comparison to all of the spoiled and blind little children that come into the factory. He cares genuinely about other people and he knows not to do things that he is told not to do.

The exchanges with Mike Teavee are particularly funny (“If you think gum is so disgusting,” said Mike Teavee, “then why do you make it in your factory?” “I do wish you wouldn’t mumble,” said Mr. Wonka. “I can’t hear a word you’re saying. Come on! Off we go!”) His evasion of Mike’s rather telling questions sort of make it quite apparent that Wonka is very aware of what he’s doing. This doesn’t make him evil at all though, simply a good businessman and very dedicated to his work. Clearly he’s not simply money-hungry (he does, after all, seem to have no issue about giving away lifetime supplies of chocolate to all of the kids, even the ones that disobeyed him). However, he is picky about who he wants to run his factory for him when he was gone, and I do think he’s quite right. Only a child would be able to pick up where he left off, and an obedient child like Charlie is the right way to go.

Despite the fact that I adored this book immensely, this does leave me with a small, sourish taste in my mouth. It’s a good book to discourage kids from disobeying their parents and not being selfish, and gluttonous, and spoiled, etc., but the underlying message (that if you never question anyone [like Mike Teavee] and you never do anything for yourself and simply hope for the best and be good-natured, etc., etc., that you’ll eventually turn out alright) is a bit unsettling.

The BFG by Roald Dahl

ISBN: 0142410381
208 pages
published in 1982.

I first read The BFG in elementary school, I think as a requirement. I remember ratty mass-market paperback copies of it being passed out to the class. I had never heard of Roald Dahl before, although my teacher sung his praises up and down to us. I do know, however, that the moment I started reading it I was totally hooked. I had never thought that I would be interested in stories about things like giants before (I was much too caught up on vampires and werewolves and beasts of THAT nature at the time), but I guess I was. The BFG — and Sophie — are two of the most lovely characters in children’s literature, I think, and the story itself is funny and sly and sweet.

Snatched out of her bed one night by a giant, Sophie — an orphan — is brought to Giant Country, where live 9 terrible, people-eating giants… and one other giant who does not eat people. The Big Friendly Giant. The BFG. Rather than spending his nights eating children from all over the world as do the other giants, he goes out and blows dreams into the heads of sleeping kids that he collected from a mysterious dream land. Sophie experiences all of this, and while the BFG also strongly disapproves of what the other giants do, he is a “runty” giant compared to the others and is not able to stop them. Together, Sophie and he come up with a plan to stop the giants.

The relationship between Sophie and the BFG is the sweetest, nicest part of the story — although the descriptions of the giants and the dreams and the way that people react once they first see the giants (and especially the arrangements that the Queen of England must make to accommodate the BFG at breakfast) are very good, as well. Sophie learns valuable lessons from the BFG — as he is someone who is not stuck in the middle of human society and can thus look at it objectively. The BFG of course is able to solve his problems with the other giants and no longer has to eat hideous, foul-tasting snozzcumbers. Both of them gain each other’s friendship.

I’m happy that I re-read it, and I’m especially happy that I was able to read it as a child. It was still magical and wonderful to read, but for a child it is ten-times over. The surprising and charming ending really helps in the suspension of disbelief and makes the story really come to life.

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