Junior Fiction – Page 6

jabberjaw?

Posted on March 19, 2012March 20, 2012 by Greig

Catching Fire

Suzanne Collins

The second book in Collin’s popular series deals with the repercussions that follow Katniss’ actions in The Hunger Games.
Another enjoyable read, however, it definitely feels like the middle book of a trilogy.
A lot of the ground covered feels familiar from the first book and the ending is just there to tee up the final volume.
The lead character remains compelling. A flawed, deeply damaged person attempting to survive a horrific world.
I’m pretty sure if you read the first of these books you’ll know whether you want to move on to this one.

Rating: B+

nightlock?

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Greig

The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins

This hit teen novel’s film adaptation is about to land at the cinema in the UK and prompted me to finally read the kindle copy I picked up on the cheap in the Amazon Xmas sale.
In this dystopian world the children of the Twelve Districts are placed in the lottery to be chosen as Tributes in the Hunger Games, one male child and one female over the age of twelve from every District. The Hunger Games act as a reminder of the consequences of rebelling against the Capitol and take the form of a vicious reality show where the participants have to kill each other with the final survivor winning a lifetime of relative luxury.
The book is a first person narrative told from the point of view of Katniss Everdeen. Katniss is old beyond her years, trusts pretty much no one and has become very skilled at hunting wild game in order to provide food and extra income for her family after the death of her father.
When her sister, Prim, is chosen for the Games Katniss volunteers to replace her and from that point she’s thrown into a media frenzy and ultimately into the Games themselves.
This not a terribly original book but it has strong characters (especially Katniss), a compelling narrative and a convincing world.
I enjoyed reading this book and I cared enough about the characters that I’m currently reading the second book in the trilogy. Recommended if a compelling young adult piece of dystopian science fiction sounds like your kind of thing.

Rating: A-

orangee?

Posted on January 13, 2012January 13, 2012 by Greig

The Fault In Our Stars

John Green

John Green’s latest book is about two teenagers, Hazel and Augustus, who meet in a cancer support group. Spoilers in this case would be inappropriate, so I’ll not go into any more detail.
The book is moving, amusing and frequently insightful. The characters are complex, memorable, and you like them enough to become invested in their struggles. Green has a way with a nicely turned phrase, but he still has the occasional attempt at profundity fall flat. Understandably it’s not as laugh out loud funny as the last book of his I read (An Abundance of Katherines) but there’s enough humour to leaven the subject matter and indeed a few nice in-jokes for those who follow the Green brothers on youtube.
Ultimately it feels like he gets at the truth of what it’s like to have cancer and happen to be a teenager, which is no mean feat.
I would definitely recommend this book. I suspect it’s going to stay with me for a long time.

For those that care, the signature in my copy is in blue sharpie.

Rating: A

willow?

Posted on August 4, 2011October 24, 2011 by Greig

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

J.K. Rowling

The third book in the Harry Potter series achieves the best balance between the central plot, subplots and the overall story arc. It’s also the first book where it really feels like Rowling’s world becomes hers, rather than a tasteful mix of elements from earlier children’s literature.
Finally the paranoia and danger of the wider wizarding world begins to seep through. Things happen that will have real repercussions for the rest of the story arc. The characters start to grow and you can see the will become more than the archetypes the were at the outset of the series.
From here on in the books become less tightly structured and have more flaws but the world and the story arc only become more interesting.

Rating: A-

diary?

Posted on August 2, 2011October 24, 2011 by Greig

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

J.K. Rowling

This second book in the series is the weakest of all the Harry Potter books. It’s too similar to it’s predecessor and feels like it’s treading water in terms of the greater story arc.
Don’t get me wrong – it’s still a fun read and has a couple of great sequences. I particularly love the diary of Tom Riddle and whole Polyjuice potion storyline.
I guess it’s the almost videogame structure of the plot that makes it feel more generic and weak in comparison to the later books. It’s all very linear in a ‘solve this puzzle’, ‘play this sports section’, ‘gather these items’ and ‘face the big bad’ way (Lego Harry Potter is one the best games I’ve played in years by the way). Now the flaw of the later, larger books is that there’s too much in the matter of sideplots and digression. Failing to have any of that makes this book seem kind of perfunctory.

Rating: B-

cupboard?

Posted on August 1, 2011October 24, 2011 by Greig

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

J.K. Rowling

So I saw the final film installment of the Harry Potter saga the other week and it gave me the impetus to do something I’d been meaning to do for a while; to re-read all the books.
This is in part to experience the world as Rowling wrote it, shorn of the film maker’s interpretations and compromises. The other reason is that I’ve only read the last book once – and a very quick read it was. So there’s a lot of things that I can’t remember and I’m sure there’s a lot of nuance I missed throughout the entire series that I never picked up on.
The first book is a great kids book. It’s not terribly original but very well done with a consistency of tone and world building that would pay dividends as the series grew into a phenomenon.
It’s a quick, fun read within a recognizable tradition of boarding school (magic or otherwise) stories. The greatest pleasure of this re-read is identifying the number of things that are seeded here that come to fruition later in the series. Though it’s hard to tell what’s a deliberate plant – some things gain signifigance in an almost haphazard fashion.
Another enjoyable aspect of the book is getting to know characters again that aren’t terribly well served by the films. Ron and Hermione are richer and more interesting people in the books. In the celluloid version of the series I feel that they were reduced to comic foil and brain respectively.
One thing that I definitely noticed this time through are that there’s a lot of negatives in the depiction of fat people.
I like this book and it’s an enjoyable gateway to a series that is ultimately a very rewarding read.

Rating: B+

nowhere?

Posted on April 18, 2011June 25, 2013 by Greig

Fire and Hemlock

Diana Wynne Jones

Sadly Diana Wynne Jones died on the 26th March after a long battle against cancer. Always a favourite author of mine, I read as many of the obituaries and memorials as I could find online, it was reassuring to realize that many mourn her passing as much as I do.
I grew up with her Chrestomanci books, especially Witch Week and The Magicians of Caprona, and while I’ve tried to read as many of her books as I can get my hands on – one title that I’d never read kept cropping up in these articles – That’s the book I’m reviewing today.
Fire and Hemlock tells the tale of Polly Whittacker. As the book starts she’s a university student back living at her grandmother’s house during break. As she reads a book of short stories one day she realises that another set of memories has risen in her head. Most of what follows is Polly taking us through her memories, telling tales of becoming an apprentice hero and her friendship with Thomas Lynn. Typically for a Jones character, her family background is complicated, this time it’s a divorce and as she grows older you see the impact of that event and her gradual realization of both her parent’s flaws. It’s masterfully done.
The main plot is a retelling of the old Borderland myth of Tam Lin, there are no elves but there is magic.
The book, as you’d expect, is magnificent. Thrilling, funny and moving. I can see why so many of her fans totally love the book. Fire and Hemlock hasn’t suddenly become my favourite, though it might now be in my top five Jones books.
It’s going to be a sad day when I’ve finally read all of her books – because there’s nothing like reading a Diana Wynne Jones book for the first time. I hesitate to admit this but she’s the only author that’s inspired me to steal a book! It was very difficult to find some of her books before the Harry Potter phenomenon helped bring all her books back in print. Anyway, a copy of one of her Chrestomanci books found it’s way home one day with me after I spied it (I tried very hard to cover my tracks and make it look like it wasn’t simple theft and I doubt anyone noticed).
Please read as much of Diana Wynne Jones as you can – Fire and Hemlock would be a fine starting place.
Below is a list of links to every review I’ve done for a Diana Wynne Jones book while I’ve been keeping this blog:
Hexwood
Witch Week
Archer’s Goon
Charmed Life
The Pinhoe Egg
Conrad’s Fate
Howl’s Moving Castle
The Homeward Bounders
Witch Week
The Magicians of Caprona