When I saw these two books side-by-side on the shelves in the middle-grade section, I just couldn’t resist! Two fantasies based in Asian legend and featuring fierce girls wielding sticks, is either a wonderful coincidence or a new trend. The … Continue reading →
Linus Baker is a quiet, somewhat cowardly social worker, who takes his job with the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY) very seriously. He investigates the orphanages where those troublesome magical youths are raised, and never really notices that … Continue reading →
In the past few months, two of my favorite fantasy books, both long out of print, have been re-released in new editions. Both are from smaller presses, so are a little bit expensive, but still cheaper than the used original … Continue reading →
The awfulness of 2020 is almost behind us, but we still need to get through another couple months of cold weather, short days, and quarantine. It’s a perfect time for reading in a comfy chair, preferably beside a fire or, … Continue reading →
The book begins at the funeral of 12-year-old Nnamdi’s father, who had been the Chief of Police in the town of Kaleria, Nigeria when he was murdered. When the funeral is crashed by a gang of criminals and their “Chief … Continue reading →
My Brother’s Husband by Gengoroh Tagame is a gentle story about the visit to Japan of a huge, gay Canadian named Mike. He is visiting Yaichi, the twin brother of his deceased husband, but the story is told mostly through … Continue reading →
Japanese comics, called manga, provide a fascinating glimpse of another culture, along with some wonderful new comic art styles. These two very different manga were first published in Japan for kids in middle school. They might be challenging to young … Continue reading →
From the pen of Jasper Fforde, author of the best-selling “Thursday Next” series, comes another novel set in a world that is very familiar, but . . . well, not quite right. Fforde never attempts to explain the Spontaneous Anthropomorphizing … Continue reading →
This book is the first volume in a trilogy called Between Earth and Sky. It is celebrated (on the cover copy) as “the most original series debut of the decade” and praised for finding its inspiration in the “civilization of … Continue reading →
T. Kingfisher, aka Ursula Vernon, is one of today’s most versatile and inventive writers. Her graphic novel, Digger, about the fantastic adventures of a female wombat engineer, won a Hugo award. It has been followed by a prolific number of … Continue reading →
Faith Erin Hicks is best known for her many popular graphic novels, including The Adventures of Superhero Girl, which won an Eisner Award. She is well-prepared to write her first young adult (prose) novel, particularly one which circles around comics … Continue reading →
In modern fantasy tales, the magical power of women is sometimes seen as a secret and complicated thing, imbued with the mysteries of childbirth and caregiving. This is not necessarily a benign power, since in this sort of fantasy, preventing … Continue reading →
I have been a fan of Australian writer Garth Nix since reading one of his first books, Sabriel, in somewhere around 1996. When my son was growing up, Nix’s Seventh Tower series was one of the most readable and interesting … Continue reading →
The world Elatsoe, as we find out on page 180 of the book, is pronounced “Eh-lat-so-ay,” and is the Lipan Apache word for hummingbird. It is also the full name of Ellie, the title character, who was named after her … Continue reading →
