Tween Tuesday: Cosmic

Tween Tuesday is hosted @ GreenBeanTeenQueen.  It's an opportunity to highlight great tween reads!

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce 

New York: Walden Pond Press, 2010

313 pages

4.5 out of 5

Liam has always felt a bit like he's stuck between two worlds. This is primarily because he's a twelve-year-old kid who looks like he's about thirty. Sometimes it's not so bad, like when his new principal mistakes him for a teacher on the first day of school or when he convinces a car dealer to let him take a Porsche out on a test drive. But mostly it's just frustrating, being a kid trapped in an adult world. And so he decides to flip things around. Liam cons his way onto the first spaceship to take civilians into space, a special flight for a group of kids and an adult chaperone, and he is going as the adult chaperone. It's not long before Liam, along with his friends, is stuck between two worlds again--only this time he's 239,000 miles from home.

I loved this book! The tone is lighthearted and humorous and Liam is quite charming. Any kid who has ever dreamed of being an astronaut will get a kick out of Liam and Florida's adventure. (Yes, Florida. But this is one instance where interestingly named characters actually add to the quirkiness and warmth of the story instead of being different simply to be different.)

Reading the description and even the first bit of the novel it's easy to view this is a silly tale about something that could never really happen. And that may be true, but there is much more to this story than meets the eye.  Yes, Liam tries to be a typical kid but is often mistaken for an adult. As a result he finds himself in sticky situations.  Often, however, his dad manages to step in, usually in the nick of time. The relationships within this novel are what make it great. Liam and his father. Florida and Liam. Liam and the children he chaperones. There is something to be gained, by both parties, that ends in heart-warming revelations and understanding.

I highly recommend this novel.
__________________________
Disclosure: I borrowed this ebook from my local library.

Poetry Month: Zorgamazoo

National Poetry Month is in its 15th year.  To celebrate, I will be posting quick reviews of poetry books and novels in verse throughout the month of April.  

Zorgamazoo by Robert Paul Weston 

Razorbill, 2010 (Reprint)

288 pages

5 out of 5

"Here's a story that's stranger than strange.  Before we begin you may want to arrange: a blanket, a cushion, a comfortable seat, and maybe some cocoa, and something to eat."

In rhyming couplets, readers learn the take of the lost Zorgles of Zogamazoo.  Morty Yorgle is a hero, at least the lottery says so, and it becomes his quest to learn what happened to the Zorgamazoo Zorgles.  Along the way he meets Katrina Katrell, a precocious young lady on the run from her guardian and looking for adventure.  The two discover a foul plot to remove these special creatures and their mythical brethren from Earth to leave its inhabitants bored. Can Morty and Katrina return enchantment to Earth along with the Zorgles or Zorgamazoo? (my own description from an assignment of all places!)

Weston channeled both Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein to create this fun adventure. Within twenty pages I knew I had to own this book.  It's perfect if you're feeling energetic or want to feel energetic.  The rhythm of the text makes fast-paced sections feel as urgent as they should, while still not feeling like a race to get to the end.

To avoid the gush-fest that is attempting to burst forth from my fingertips, I'm going to simply end with a very adamant you should read this book.  Giggles are guaranteed, especially if you read it out loud. 


It's also won the 2010 Silver Birch Award (Ontario Library Association) and is an E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor book for 2009.
______________________________________
Disclosure: I purchased this book for my own reading enjoyment (after I borrowed it through inter-library loan).
______________________________________
I thought I had already published this!  It's the end of the semester, so I'm a bit scattered.  My apologies. Things should return to normal Sunday.

Tween Tuesday: The Rendering

The Rendering by Joel Naftali 

Egmont, USA, 2011

288 pages

4 out of 5

One mad scientist + one evil mercenary vs. two kids + three skunks = nonstop adventure

Doug Soloman was a normal kid.  But that ended once he became wanted for murder.  Now he's being hunted by VIRUS--an evil organization bent on world domination.

Only Doug and his friend Jamie stand between mad scientist Dr. Roach and VIRUS's success--well, them and three superpowerful skunks.

The Rending is a wild technological adventure that pushes the limits of reality with out-of-this-world gadgets and fun.

It was after I finished reading the book that I realized that is a skunk on the cover.  Brilliant.  Who in their right mind would think "I need an animal to turn into a superpowerful being.  A skunk! Perfect."  Apparently, Joel Nafatali would and it's awesome.

This science fiction novel is heavy on the tech speak, but it's not exclusionary if you don't know your way around.  The tech savvy characters discuss it in tech talk, then break down for the lay person, otherwise known as the main character.   And it's all done in a way that is not condescending to the character or the reader.

Doug's story is told in the form of a blog.  Since is a techie novel and the reader meets Doug after everything has already happened, this medium makes sense.  Some "posts" end abruptly for  various reasons, which I had a little bit of a hard time with because blogs are not in real time.  But this can be easily overlooked.

I love that these characters have real names: Doug and Jamie.*

This book is great.  It's got adventure.  It's got a loving (if not odd) family: Doug and Jamie are like brother and sister (no romance here!), there's Auntie M, and the Skunks (two male and one female) who are like surrogate parents to Doug.

The story is fresh and entertaining.  Wonderful debut.

_____________________________________________
Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sarah at GreenBeanTeenQueen.  The purpose is "to highlight great reads for tweens!" 
 
Disclosure: I purchased this title for review and my own enjoyment.


*This may sound strange, but I have a pet peeve about characters (and children) given an odd name for the sake of having an odd name.  This is in no way relevant, but it was in my notes.

X Isle

X Isle by Steve Augarde 

New York, David Fickling Books, 2009

ISBN: 9780385751933

478 pages

3.5 out of 5

In the fight for survival, anything goes.

The floods have come.  Some are lucky to be alive.  Though they might not count themselves lucky.  In the aftermath of global devastation, those left barely survive, living in fear and near starvation.  They have lost everything, including their future.

But there is one way out: a boat to X-Isle.

And Baz is about to take it.

A hard-hitting novel set in a world where there are no boundaries, and normality is just a word.

This is one of many in the genre of dystopian apocalyptic young adult fiction titles out there. I like the title.  I like the story.  I love the cover.

After storms of biblical proportions, the world Baz knew (the world we all know) is drowned, leaving millions dead and drastically shrinking available land and resources.  Boys on the mainland want nothing more than to catch passage to X-Isle, where food is guaranteed in return for a hard work.  Grocery stores are submerged and luckily for the survivors, Preacher John and his sons had their diving equipment during an inland trip before the storms.  Survival is the name of the game on the mainland and it's no different on X-Isle.  The group of boys work six days a week at the hands of the nasty capos to keep Preacher John's operation running. 

There are eight boys working for Preacher John. Usually when there's such a large cast of characters maybe four or five take center stage and the others remain underdeveloped extras.  But these boys each have a distinct personality, belief system, and voice. 

One hurdle I will mention is the language.  This is an American debut of a British novel and much of the language is still very British.  "Tins" of food are traded for other items and it took me a while to equate tin with the canned goods I'm familiar with instead of something like a sardine can.  Even so, the language definitely makes the setting and helps to set  a tone.

This is a lengthy title, coming close to 500 pages.  For a time I thought this book might never end.  That's not to imply that I was tired of it or not enjoying it, just that the build-up is measured and precise.  I simultaneously felt it was worth it and let down.  Even after 478 pages, I wanted just a bit more.