Orion Poe and the Lost Explorer

Orion Poe and the Lost Explorer
by Will Summerhouse

Eleven-year-old Orion lives with his stodgy grandfather in eastern Maine, where nothing exciting ever happens. But then a series of strange events draws him into the mystery of a lost explorer, and Orion is swept up in a whirlwind of adventure that takes him to the top of the world. To survive he must outwit a scheming treasure hunter, team up with a gang of flimps, and take on a tyrant with an anger management problem. Can Orion solve the mystery and get back home alive? And just what are flimps, anyway? Orion Poe is about to find out. Join him as he laughs, cries, bluffs, and shoots his way to the heart of one of the greatest mysteries in the history of exploration. Along the way he discovers that the world is far bigger—and stranger—than he ever imagined. (Description from Goodreads.com) 

This was a fun, easy to read middle grade adventure.  I liked Orion's voice.  I found him very believable as an eleven-year-old boy with a sense of adventure and a burgeoning sense of the world's wearies and dangers.  I liked that while this book had a lot of characters, they were easy to distinguish and how even with several different settings, the places and people flowed into the story as it moved with Orion. It all felt very organic and well described. 

I especially liked the steampunk feeling of the secret town Orion and the others stumble upon in their adventure.  It and its people were truly trapped in time and I loved the juxtaposition between modern day Maine and this Londonesque feeling town. I found myself not only rooting for Orion and the sailors from his ship, but also the townspeople stuck under such a scheming tyrant.  

I look forward to another Orion Poe adventure in the future!  

Full disclosure: eARC received from Netgalley 

Memento Nora

Memento Nora
by Angie Smibert

In the future, it doesn't pay to remember.

In Nora's world you don't have to put up with nightmares. Nora goes with her mother to TFC--a Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic. There, she can describe her horrible memory and take the pill that will erase it. But at TFC, a chance encounter with a mysterious guy changes Nora's life. She doesn't take the pill. And when Nora learns the memory her mother has chosen to forget, she realizes that someone needs to remember. With newfound friends Micah and Winter, Nora makes a comic book of their memories called Memento. It's an instant hit, but it sets off a dangerous chain of events. Will Nora, Micah, and Winter be forced to take the Big Pill that will erase their memories forever? (description from Amazon.com)

Short. Succinct. Intriguing. Well Done!

Though this book was smaller than I'd imagined, (which originally made me nervous) Smibert packs a ton of punch into this little book. The world is close enough to our own, that once the TFC centers were described and you understood that taking pills made you forget...well, whatever...you were pretty much all set. So simple, and yet so freaking scary. This is the type of book that seems utterly plausible. Both terrifying and absorbing.

With short chapters that jump between the three main characters' points of view, you had to pay attention to who was speaking and how things all played into the larger picture...and yet, that was not at all hard to do. Each character felt distinct and had their own easily discernable motives for their part in creating Memento.

While I loved each character, what struck me even more once I'd finished the book was the adults around them, in their lives. For the adults play a much stronger role in this story than you would originally think.
*spoilers ahead*

When each teen forgets the existence of Memento, it is the adults in their lives that continue the story. Even if Nora, Micah, and Winter never even realize it.
*Spoilers end*

Each teen greatly influences the adults around them...inspiring them to solve their own issues, to stand up for what they believe in, to truly see the others around them. I found inspiration in that. In today's world where we've become self-absorbed, it is rare for an adult to admit that another adult has greatly influenced them...let alone a teen. Too often they get written off...

Kudos to a fantastic debut by Angie Smibert.

2011 Debut Author Challenge

Wildwing

Wildwing
by Emily Whitman

When Addy is swept back in time, she couldn't be happier to leave her miser-able life behind. Now she's mistaken for Lady Matilda, the pampered ward of the king. If Addy can play her part, she'll have glorious gowns, jewels, and something she's always longed for—the respect and admiration of others. But then she meets Will, the falconer's son with sky blue eyes, who unsettles all her plans.

From shipwrecks to castle dungeons, from betrothals to hidden conspiracies, Addy finds herself in a world where she's not the only one with a dangerous secret. When she discovers the truth, Addy must take matters into her own hands. The stakes? Her chance at true love . . . and the life she's meant to live. (description taken from Amazon.com)

This was a great historical fiction read. I really loved how the original setting is 1913, but when Addy time travels she goes back to the Medieval period (which I LOVE). It was sooo interesting to compare the customs, fashion, and morals of each time.

Though Addy and Will's secret relationship is the surface focal point of the book and I really enjoyed their romance, I was much more interested in what I consider to be the true theme of the book...Addy learning to be okay with herself and having the strength to make her life what she chooses.

Born a bastard, Addy's life choices in 1913 are minimal. She wants so desperately to rebel, to escape, and when she gets the chance she takes it. Soon, though, she finds that even a Medieval Lady, with wealth, prestige, and beauty, is trapped within the social structures of her society. She has very few real choices.

The subplot when Addy begins training in falconry was fascinating, not just because I really love birds of prey, but also because of the symbolism that ran rampant. Addy was longing for the freedom to leave her jesses behind...and yet, for the right man, she could be whistled happily home.

This is another well-written and compelling book from Emily Whitman, who is fast becoming one of my new favorite authors. I loved her debut, Radiant Darkness, a retelling of the Persephone myth.

Beauty Queens - Blog Tour

Beauty Queens
by Libba Bray

Publication date: May 24, 2011

Survival of the Fittest!

The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program - or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan - or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up? (ARC jacket copy)

It is hard to believe, but it is only the middle of March and I think I just read my favorite book of this year. I think I may have just read my new favorite book...period. This book is...pure genius. Libba Bray is amazing. I am absolutely giving this book a gold star...plus some sparkles...plus, well it deserves a tiara for goodness sakes!!

This book is not just great. It is astounding. Thoughtful, tongue-in-cheek, laugh out loud funny...I mean, there is a girl who spends the entirety of the book with a plastic airplane tray sticking out of her forehead! Who else but Libba Bray could pull that off!?!

No, really. I think that EVERY woman, most men, heck everyone should read this book! Go out and get it as soon as it comes out. It will blow your mind. IT.WILL.BLOW.YOUR.MIND. There are beauty queens who learn to become not just real women, but real kick-ass women. There are sexy, sometimes stupid, reality tv pirates, an angry dictator with a taxidermied advisor, a secret laboratory/lair underneath a volcano, and subtextual references to current culture galore.

Besides the obvious, yet subtly disguised references to actual people (David Levithan, for one!) and products (Bratz dolls, Barbie, tons of makeup, etc.), Libba Bray also gave a shout-out to librarians!
p. 379 - Some in the crowd tossed copies of Ladybird's book into the fire while a librarian pleaded with them not to do that and grabbed a fire extinguisher.*
*(footnote) Really, being a librarian is a much more dangerous job than you realize.

OMG. Yes! This caused me to bounce up and down on the couch, laughing until I cried, and finally spluttered out what I was reading to my husband, who then said, "Oh, has she been following you around at work lately?" and I died again.

I cannot sincerely recommend this book enough. Yes, it is full of subcontext. It brings up a lot of morality issues, political issues, questions about feminism, sexuality...it covers a lot. What makes it a great book is that while everything is right out there in the open, it's not preachy. It's laugh out loud funny! Then when you're done, you sit back and think. Really think. Again...read this book. Read it as soon as you can. You won't regret it.

Full disclosure: ARC received as part of Book It Forward ARC Tour