MMGM: Echo Island

I know my blogging has been sporadic of late. It's been a very busy school year, and I keep thinking I'm going to catch my breath, and something else comes up. Until summer, I will be posting 2-3 times a month instead of every week. Thanks for understanding!

On to my post:

I’m not sure how to describe this book. It’s not really like anything I’ve read before. And though by the ages of the protagonists, it’d be generally classified as YA, I think advanced MG-ers would enjoy it as well.

Echo Island has been described as Stranger Things meets C.S. Lewis, but I think the movie Stranger than Fiction might be a more apt comparison.

Interestingly enough, this was the book my 18 year old, who doesn’t normally read a lot of fiction, devoured. My 16 year old didn’t like it. “It’s weird,” was his only comment.

If you like speculative fiction in the truest sense of the word, you will enjoy this book.

Synopsis from Amazon:

When four recent high school graduates return home from a weekend of camping, they expect to go back to life as usual. Instead, the boys discover empty streets, abandoned cars, and utter silence—everyone has disappeared.

As the friends attempt to solve the mystery, they stumble upon more questions than answers. Why won’t the electronics work? Where did the wind go? What do the notebooks full of gibberish mean? With each new discovery, they learn that nothing was ever quite what it seemed on Echo Island and that a deep secret is drawing them in—if only they would surrender to it.

Join Bradley, Jason, Archer, and Tim on this exploration into myth and mystery. Uncover exactly what happened on Echo Island and what these four friends’ story has to do with God, the meaning of life, and the nature of reality.

What I liked:

1.  Four teenage boys who sound like teens. Although publishers are always talking about how they want to find books that appeal to boys, I have found that books that actually appeal to boys are few and far between. It’s also rare to find realistic boy friendships in MG/YA fiction.

2.  Character arcs. Now some reviewers have complained that not every character has an arc in this book. But that's point. One of the themes of this book is whether you can change your life's trajectory. Unfortunately, not everyone wants to change, and I like how that’s reflected in these characters.

3.  A twist that really threw me, but in a good way. I thought I had this story figured out about 10 pages in. But I was wrong—or at least mostly. About ¾ of the way through the book there is a major twist I never saw coming. And I think there’s still a lot I don’t quite understand about the book. But I think that’s a sign of good writer. He got me thinking.

4.  Lots of allusions to Greek classics, Dante, and Lewis.  If you are a reader of Dante, the Greek myths, or Perelandra (Lewis’ space trilogy), there’s a lot of allusions here. These allusions threw me off though and made me think I knew the story, when I didn’t. Not many kids are familiar with these works, so they may not pick up on them. But for those who are, this will be an Easter egg hunt of familiar characters and stories.

5.  Existential themes and questions. Although death (especially of parents) is an epidemic in kidlit, surprisingly, I don’t see many books that deal with the existential themes—like what does life really mean? This book deals with some of those questions in a way I’ve never seen in MG or YA fiction.

Minor Quibbles: None. But this book is not for everyone. I know I will be thinking about it for a long time.

Content warning: This is fairly violent in parts and does include an instance of teenage drinking.

What books have you made you think lately?

If you'd like to read more middle grade reviews or join in the MMGM fun, go to Greg Pattridge's Always in the Middle blog.

MMGM: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

 

Like Green Ember, this was a book forced into my hand by my younger son. So, it's very appropriate that I'm featuring it today, because today is his 16th birthday.

I started and stopped it several times, for some reason, not being able to finish. But, I am so glad I gave it another go. The ending and the many reveals in the second half of the book are well worth the effort.

This is epic fantasy that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It reminds me of Gail Carson Levine’s world building combined with the humor of A Whole Nother Story  and Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place.

And there are footnotes! But these are not the boring ones of your school days.

From the back cover:

Andrew Peterson spins a riveting tale-for-all-ages, following Janner, Tink, and Leeili Igiby and their trusty dog, Nugget, in escape from the vicious Fangs of Dang who seek the lost jewels of Anniera. Quirky characters and their world of wonders—from the edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness to the deadly Glipwood Forest and beyond—set the stage for the epic adventure that includes….

-Original Songs and Silly Poems

-An Ex-Pirate Grandfather

-Toothy Cows and Real Sea Dragons

-Tours of Anklejelly Manor and Peet the Sock Man’s Tree House

--Suspenseful Legend and Fascinating Lore

-Genuine Recipes for Maggotloaf

-Authentic Hand-drawn maps

What I liked:

1.   Relatable kid characters. It’s hard to choose which of the Igiby children is my favorite: Janner struggles to protect his younger siblings and worries that he’s not a good enough leader. Tink is impetuous and runs headfirst into danger. Leeli doesn’t let a crutch stop her from standing up to the Fangs (lizard like creature).

2.    Quirky adult characters: Oh, how I enjoyed Peet the Sock Man (and discovering why he wears socks on his hands!) and Podo, the ex-pirate grandpa. Podo reminded me of my grandpa, who had that same combination of love of fun and the courage to stand up for what was right.

3.    A just right pace. This book doesn’t have the cliffhanger endings at the end of each chapter—although things pick up speed in the second half. But part of the fun is enjoying the creative world Peterson has created, the immense fun of his characters and word play. The story never felt rushed, but always engrossing.

4.    World building with a side of humor! From the footnotes to the replicas of Podo’s requests to dig the earth, to the Maggotloaf chapter (skip if you’re squeamish), to the running joke about Podo’s feud with the thwaps (gopher-like creatures), this book is so entertaining. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten lost in a world so well-built.

5.    Reveals and twists that made sense and enriched the story. As in all good stories, there are characters who turn out to be trustworthy that seemed sketchy at first and vice versa. What I really liked about this story is all these reveals made sense. And even something as simple as Leeli's crutch had backstory and meaning. I also liked how Peterson turned so many fantasy tropes on their head.

6.    Sacrifice: It’s hard to sum up why I liked the characters and the book so much, but it comes down to sacrifice. We not only see adults making great sacrifices to protect these kids, but kids taking the first steps to be leaders who lay down their lives for others. When characters puts others before themselves, you can’t help but be moved.

Minor Quibbles: None

It’s funny, I don’t consider myself much of a fantasy fan, yet when I find a good fantasy, those are my favorite types of books. This book reminded me of why I love fantasy.

What books have you loved lately?

 

Animated 15 minute feature of the Wingfeather Saga. From Youtube.

To read more middle grade reviews or join in on the MMGM fun, check out Greg Pattridge's blog Always in the Middle. 

MMGM: Green Ember

Although I’m not usually a fan of anthropomorphic books, my first pet was a rabbit, and I’ve always had a soft spot for bunnies. And then there’s Watership Down. I was sure I would not like a novel all about rabbits, but I loved it. It’s become part of our family culture.

We first heard about Green Ember from some friends whose reading tastes closely match our own. It seems to be all the rage in homeschooling circles, although it’s little known elsewhere.

So when my son devoured Green Ember and kept begging me to read it, I had to find out what all the fuss was about.

Synopsis from Amazon:

Heather and Picket are extraordinary rabbits with ordinary lives until calamitous events overtake them, spilling them into a cauldron of misadventures. They discover that their own story is bound up in the tumult threatening to overwhelm the wider world.

Kings fall and kingdoms totter. Tyrants ascend and terrors threaten. Betrayal beckons, and loyalty is a broken road with peril around every bend.

Where will Heather and Picket land? How will they make their stand?

What I liked:

1.  A brother and sister who like each other. It’s unusual to see siblings without rivalry in middle grade. Although sometimes Heather and Pickett argued at times, they always ultimately wanted to help each other, which was quite refreshing.

2. Picket’s character arc. I know some reviewers have complained that Picket is a little too whiny at times—and that’s certainly true. But I liked how he learned that it wasn’t anger itself that was bad, but what you do with it.

3.  Everyone has a calling. It was a given that all the rabbits have a gift to share with the world.  In the calling ceremony, the master and apprentice bind themselves to each other and the master says, “I bind you…to release you better still.” And storytelling is considered a high calling in this society!

4.   Backstory that is interesting. I liked the backstory of King Jupiter and his fall and betrayal and how that was a huge part of this society. I generally don’t like backstory, but his story, as told by Heather and Pickett’s dad and later by other characters, was interesting and rich.

5.   Themes of hope. The whole idea of the rabbits working and looking forward to a “Mended Wood” was lovely. A good reminder right now that this world is not all that there is.

6. Illustrations! You can tell from the cover that the illustrations (black and white inside the book) are beautiful and evoke that old fashioned fantasy. They add a lot to the story.

Minor Quibbles: While I really loved the beginning and ending of this book, I did struggle through the middle. There are a lot of characters and set up, which don’t get satisfied till the end or in the next book. However, I am not generally a fan of epic fantasy, so that might just be me.

Are you a fan of epic fantasy? What books have you loved lately?

To read more middle grade reviews or join in on the MMGM fun, please go to Greg Pattridge's blog Always in the Middle.