The Cardturner -- Louis Sachar

Alton Richards has just finished his junior year of high school. His girlfriend has dumped him and started dating his best friend. He has no job. (And no money.) His car just... stops working sometimes. And then he takes this phone call from his great-uncle, who is elderly, blind, and very, very rich:

"Do you know the difference between a king and a jack?" asked a gruff voice that did not belong to Mrs. Mahoney.

"Uh, yes, sir," I said.

My mother's eyes widened when she realized to whom I was talking. "Tell him he's your favorite uncle," she urged.

"Do you know how to play bridge?" asked my uncle.

I didn't, but thought that maybe I could fake it.

"Tell him you love him," said my mother.

"No," I said to my uncle (and to my mother).

"Good!" barked my uncle. "It's better that way!"

So begins Alton's summer of being Lester Trapp's eyes at the bridge table. Alton tries to keep his mind as empty as Trapp believes it to be, but it isn't long before he's fascinated by the game. And then, it isn't long before he's fascinated by Tori Castaneda, a girl who -- according to his mother -- belongs to a family that is not only certifiably crazy, but out to inherit Lester Trapp's fortune.

The Line by Teri Hall

The Line by Teri Hall
"An invisible, uncrossable physical barrier encloses the Unified States. The Line is the part of the border that lopped off part of the country, dooming the inhabitants to an unknown fate when the enemy used a banned weapon. It’s said that bizarre creatures and superhumans live on the other side, in Away. Nobody except tough old Ms. Moore would ever live next to the Line.

Nobody but Rachel and her mother, who went to live there after Rachel’s dad died in the last war. It’s a safe, quiet life. Until Rachel finds a mysterious recorded message that can only have come from Away. The voice is asking for help.

Who sent the message? Why is her mother so protective? And to what lengths is Rachel willing to go in order to do what she thinks is right?"- summary from Amazon

It took me a little while to get into this book. The beginning, with the world building, was a bit too infodump-y for me and I started to get bored. But the book did eventually pick up and it got more suspenseful, and I loved when a new secret was revealed.

Rachel is a wonderful character that is strong, but has doubts and reservations about what she's doing, and the character is written really well. When the ending comes, she knows what she has to do and realizes what it will entail. She's led a sheltered life and is now having to branch out on her own. It's a great scene at the end as she has to shed her kid self who's codependent toward her mother and step into her adult life and into the unknown.

So despite the shaky start, this is a really good novel that brings up a lot of issues, which dystopian novels tend to do, of the way our world could be going. And despite the female protagonist, I do still think guys would enjoy this book. I'm excited for the sequel which will be out next year.

Saved By Rock 'n' Roll: Fat Kid Rules the World

As K. L. Goings’s Fat Kid Rules the World begins, Troy, narrator and eponymous fat kid, has his life—like The Velvet Underground’s Jenny—saved by rock ‘n’ roll. Here, rock ‘n’ roll arrives in the guise of Curt, semi-homeless, semi-drop out, and musical legend around Troy’s school.

The Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix

The Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix is a fantastic seven-book series which follows one boy's pulse-racing journey through a world where seven mysterious and powerful Trustees vie for control -- a realm that he, an asthmatic seventh-grader, is destined to save.

If he survives the next seven days, that is.

Two weeks after moving to a new town, Arthur Penhaligon (pen-HAL-uh-gun) is begrudgingly participating in the all-grade cross-country run. Even though he is severely asthmatic and has recently been hospitalized for his condition, he is forced to take part in the weekly event. When he begins his trudge across campus, little does that he will soon stumble upon what looks to be the minute hand of an antique clock. The piece is actually one of the Keys to the Kingdom, and handling it makes Arthur the Rightful Heir to the Realm, a place where otherworldly beings have long been engaged in a power struggle and are loathe to welcome the presence of a human child, much less acknowledge his title. The minute hand, the Key, leads Arthur to a mysterious house in another Universe where there's a Will, a (hard) way, and seven strange Keepers named after days. With no time to lose, Arthur must quickly determine who's good and who's up to no good, who can help him and who will hurt him.

This enchanting series is sure to delight fans of fantasy classics such as The NeverEnding Story by Michael Ende as well as followers of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and the OutCast quartet by Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski. Each book leads readers in vastly different lands, ranging from the watery to the industrial. When the locomotives came into play, I dreamt of steampunk. There are gardens and hidden passages, winged beings and mysterious creatures, skies heavy with unending rain and buildings which will never reach their desired destination, magical rings and stairs that appear at will. There's also the Will and assistance from assistants, hindered by the deceit and venom of those who want Arthur gone and/or dead.

Nix populates his world with distinct and dramatic characters. From the greedy Tuesday to the gluttonous Wednesday to the merciless Saturday, each and every one of the Trustees is intimidating and looming to their own degrees. Each Trustee also represents a deadly sin, something which is subtly suggested rather than blatantly stated.

My favorite supporting character was Suzy Turquoise Blue, a daring, quirky girl who has the gumption of Eliza Doolittle. I could see and hear her very clearly as I read the series. I loved her sassy nature, her boldness, and her mannerisms. It was the kind of role I'd love to play.

As with many truly good, solid fantasy books, The Keys to the Kingdom is a coming-of-age story, detailing Arthur's ascent from a sickly boy to a strong young man. Along the way, Arthur must make difficult choices and sacrifices to fully understand, maintain, and realize not only his position in the Realm but also his physical health, and to protect his family members and his newfound friends and companions. When the story began, Arthur was in the right place at the right time - or the wrong time, depending on how you look at it. When the story ends, he is irrevocably changed. His unexpected duality is powerful, and his internal and external struggle to maintain control over both his illness and his self-awareness is captivating, all of which would surely be appreciated by, say, Bastian from The NeverEnding Story or Bindi from The Fairy Rebel by Lynne Reid Banks. (Note: Though Bindi's book skews a little younger than Arthur's, this reviewer will never forget how she felt when Bindi was 'taken over' by her unhealthy impulses. My jaw may have actually dropped.)

It is crucial that you read the books in order:

#1 Mister Monday
#2 Grim Tuesday
#3 Drowned Wednesday
#4 Sir Thursday
#5 Lady Friday
#6 Superior Saturday
#7 Lord Sunday



To learn more about The Keys to the Kingdom and read and hear excerpts from the books, visit http://www.keystothekingdom.com.au and http://www.scholastic.com/titles/keys/

Related Posts at Bildungsroman:
Booklist: From a Land Down Under
Booklist: Fantasy Novels for Kids and Teens

Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth

When I first heard about Blood Oath, I admit was skeptical. A vampire secretly working for the president, protecting the country from threats? Seriously? I was also a bit intrigued, though, so when I had the chance to read the book, I was willing to give it a try. And I found Christopher Farnsworth's novel to be a sometimes humorous, sometimes gruesome, but always entertaining thriller. Seriously.

You Call That an Alien? Try Reading The Mote in God's Eye

If Star Trek is anything to go by, it isn't that hard to glue a few rubber ridges to someone's forehead and call him an alien. He can have the same desires for food, for love, for friendship, for success, for personal and spiritual fulfillment -- as long as they're skewed slightly from ours.

Of course, science fiction (including Star Trek) has a long tradition of using the ostensibly alien to illustrate our human assumptions. These aliens eat their dessert first, and they therefore have a whole different idea of what it means to truly live in the moment, seizing happiness wherever they can get it, celebrating life without our cumbersome self-punishing concepts of the order of dinner.

Lots of us read science fiction for an injection of the strange, for a glimpse at some of the real possibilities of our expansive universe. I'm no scientist, but I'm pretty sure that no alien we ever encounter will stand on two legs, shake our hands with one of its two arms, and grin beneath its ridged forehead.

So if there's one thing we can be sure of regarding alien life, it is that it will be weird. Not Uncle Hiram weird, either: weird like those horseshoe crab carcasses you find on the beach or those fans of fungus growing from the sides of trees.

And here, in the Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle novel The Mote in God’s Eye, we meet a truly alien species.

John Christopher's White Mountains

Aliens have invaded and destroyed our modern way of life, replacing it with ... the good old days.

These aliens have done what we never could ... created world-wide peace. And they've (re)created a sort of utopian middle ages society for us to live in. All we have to do in return is submit to wearing a metal cap, which will keep us from ever getting violent and trying to wreck the peace.

It all sounds pretty cushy and most everybody goes for it. Except for Will, a boy who resists the thought of being capped and losing ... what exactly?

A Story for Every Couch Potato Who Really Wants to Save the World

Life is not about the small things. That's a lie too many parents tell their sons. It is really about the large stuff, the things that take teamwork and effort. Like a couch. And some couch's are magical things and change the lives of three guys who are friends. Like in Couch by Benjamin Parzybok.

Orbital: Scars and Ruptures

Sylvain Runberg and Serge Pelle have created an expansive world in their Orbital graphic novel series that would do Gene Roddenberry and George Lucas proud. The first volume, Scars, was originally published in 2006 then released in English last year. Along with volume two, Ruptures, the Orbital series is a stunning achievement.

Published in a large format, illustrator Pelle creates a bustling 23rd century landscape. Runberg's story begins in 2278, when earth is allegedly poised to join the intergalactic Confederation. Unfortunately violence erupts, killing many of the Sandjaar race and the reputation of the humans.

Moving several years forward, Caleb Swany is now the first human to be a special agent for the Confederation's diplomatic unit. In a controversial move, the Prime Dignitary pairs up Caleb with Mezoke Ozzua, a Sandjaar Confederation Citizen. Caleb and Mezoke must deal with their own conflict, as well as those of the planet they are visiting and the horrifyingly destructive insects that also live there.

The new agents' mission is on the planet Senestam where war is eminent between a human colony and the Javlads. There is great conflict between all of the parties as Runberg leads his fictional world through realistic issues like immigration, racism and moral relativism. Runberg, who grew up in France, seems to be heavily influenced by Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica, among many other Science Fiction staples. Orbital is a deep series of politics, though there is still a sense of adventure and the heavy issues never weigh down the books.

I may be over-gushing, but this is one of my favorite graphic novels of the last few years. Fans of Brian K. Vaughan's Y: The Last Man and Tim Eldred's Grease Monkey will enjoy Orbital.

Born to Rock

You are probably not going to have a summer job as surreal or as cool (or as potentially corrupting) as Leo Caraway's (not unless you have just discovered that your dad is the lead singer of the world's most popular punk rock band and you are about to be his roadie for a cross-country tour, in which case, good luck to you). For those of you stuck with work at the other end of the excitement spectrum, you'll be happy to hear that if you read Gordon Korman's hilarious Born to Rock, you'll score all the laughs of life on tour and none of the hearing loss.

Leo Caraway is all set to embrace his perfectly-planned future. He was president of the Young Republicans club, a model student, acceptance to Harvard in hand. Then two things happen that send this plan off the rails. First, he comes to the aid of a kid who he doesn't even like very much, gets accused of cheating on a test, and before he can say "That's not fair" his scholarship to Harvard is revoked. As if anything could be more disturbing, next he finds out his biological dad is King Maggot, the lead singer of Purge, the legendary punk band. This disturbing revelation quickly becomes Leo's best hope for finding his way back to the Ivy League. He decides to accept a job as a roadie for Purge's summer revival tour, expecting that he will "bond" with the King, and convince him to pay his tuition for the fall. It's not long before Leo realizes that the road is an even stranger and more surprising place than he had imagined it would be. Much hilarity ensues.