Language: 0

Violence: 1

Sexual Content: 1

Adult Themes: 1

Title:  Princess for Hire

Author:  Lindsey Leavitt

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  In the Amazon rainforest, subbing for an Amazon tribal princess, natives shoot poison darts in Desi’s direction and at the “bubble” she travels in. The bubble then malfunctions, sending her crashing to the rainforest floor and breaking her rib.

Sexual Content:  Desi kisses Prince Karl. She also receives mouth-to-mouth resuscitation from a dreamy boy when she falls into a dunk tank and almost drowns.

Adult Themes:  Desi’s attorney father prosecutes the father of her former best friend (Celeste), landing him in jail. Celeste’s mother then divorces her father. Celeste blames Desi for ruining her life.

Synopsis

Desi Bascomb is a 15-year-old girl who dreams of making an impact in the world. The problem is, how do you do that when you’re stuck in Sproutville, Idaho, your ex-best friend torments you and is dating the boy you’re secretly crushing on, and your boring job requires you to dress as a groundhog for the local pet store? Ahh, with a little magic potential (“MP”), of course, which Desi just happens to be unwittingly in possession of.  She spots an ad in the paper looking for a “substitute Princess” and eagerly signs up when Meredith, a fairy godmother of a very different sort, appears in a magical bubble in her bathroom. Now all Desi has to do is rub some magical Egyptian rouge on her cheeks and, presto! she morphs into whatever princess is in need of a breather from the tedium of royal life. What she learns, however, is that not all princesses live glamorous, charmed lives. They have problems, too, like manipulative older sisters and unrequited love. Navigating these trials on-spot proves more difficult than Desi expects, and even though she lands herself in hot water a few times, she uncovers her true self-worth along the way.

Girls who enjoy princess-themed stories (a la “The Princess Diaries” or “Ella Enchanted”)–and even girls who don’t–will devour this book. The story is light-hearted and upbeat, but I was glad to see the main character learn that a princess’s life is not always enchanted. An entertaining read that leaves you with that happy, bubbly feeling afterwards. This book, released in spring 2010, is the first in a series (book 2 is in the works). I’m sure the sequel will have an eager following.

Language:  0

Violence:  2

Sexual content:  1

Adult themes:  2

Title: The Ruins of Gorlon (The Ranger’s Apprentice,  Book 1)

Author: John Flanagan

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  Pushing, name calling, humiliation – like having to stand holding a heavy rock over his head, and enduring beatings with heavy sticks.  A boy is held with a knife to his throat, fighting with a wooden sword and canes, and a boy is paddled and kicked.  A monster receives an arrow in the eye, screams in rage and fury, is pierced with arrows and pikes.  There is a battle using war axe, broadsword, arrow, and pikes, without a lot of gory descriptions.  There are 2 or 3 descriptions such as “blood streaming from a half-dozen deep slashes in his back.”  A monster emits piercing screams of agony as it burns.

Sexual Content:  Will is kissed on the mouth once by a girl and he thinks about the memory later.

Adult themes:  Abusive hazing

Summary
Fourteen-year-old Will has one great dream:  to become a knight in the Kingdom of Araluen.  If only he would grow!!  As the smallest of all the orphans being kept by the Baron, his chances of being chosen for Battleschool are slim.  When he is finally assigned an apprenticeship, it is his abilities to move across a field unseen, climb steep tower walls like a spider, and his great inquisitiveness that land him an assignment with the Ranger instead.  The next days are filled with learning about Rangers—they are the intelligence arm of the king’s forces.  The next months are filled with practicing the skills Rangers use—knife throwing, stealth moving, tracking the enemy, listening in without being seen, and learning to work with his unstoppable pony Tug.  In the meantime, Will’s friend Horace is having a harder time in his assignment at Battleschool.  He is humiliated, harassed and beaten by three upper classmen, and he thinks the authorities intentionally look the other way.  A deep resentment starts burning inside of Horace, with a bitterness that threatens long-term trouble.  He doesn’t realize that his instructors look at him as “a natural”, with the talent to be one of the great swordsmen of all time.  Horace alienates his friends, including Will, and then they face life-threatening danger together.  Bigger trouble lies ahead as rumors of war whisper through the intelligence community, and Will joins his master in facing the dangerous beasts called Kalkara that are slaying the military leaders of Araluen.

Will begins as an orphan, a common place to start in this kind of adventure, and ends up in battle, a common place to go.  However, a story does not have to be original to be good!  I like the way the relationship between Will and Horace develops, because friends do butt heads and have hard feelings, and sometimes these things really cement a true friendship.  Although a medieval fantasy, these young men face struggles real kids might face.  I thought many parts of the story were realistic, not overly contrived. Good adult characters add a lot to the story.  Most of the adults in this story act logically and honorably, and show patience and understanding in training the young people.   The Ranger’s description of the Battlemaster is choice: “He’s got a little more up top than the average bush and whacker.”  This adventure would appeal to boys in the 9 to 12 age range.

Language: 3.5

Violence: 3.5

Sexual Content: 3

Adult Themes: 3

Title: The Last Princess and the Cup of Immortality (Goddess Prophecies, Book 1)

Author: D.R. Whitney

Ratings Explanation

Language: Frequent exclamations of deity (Oh God, mother of Jesus, my God), hells and damns in various forms, bastard and the “B” word are used.

Violence: A sacred chamber is attacked and people are slaughtered by the dozens.  Centaurs are bloodied from battle.  There is a hold-up at a bank and gunfire.  A head is chopped off and bloody.  They were “all caught for their blood”, throats slit, blood drained.  A girl is beaten with a broom for spying.  There is a car chase and gunfire.  A bus blows up killing everyone.  Thugs attack with guns, an arm is smashed into throat, bones crack, and a butterfly dagger is stabbed into throat.  A boy is “flung across room, a deep gurgling cry came out of him as he lay twisting on the floor, writhing in pain”. More gunfire, Vivienne thinks they are going to kill her.  A dragon is fought and stabbed with a sword.  A man’s hands are cut off and it is described in detail.  Someone is covered in blood, sword raised.  A dagger is thrown to slash throat.  Rotting bodies lay everywhere.  Blood is squeezed from beating heart.  There is a battle.

Sexual Content: There are several kisses throughout the book.  He “felt erotic pleasure” walking next to a young priestess.  The feeling “gripped his loins and sent a rippling pleasure over his entire body.”  A girl is pinned against wall and kissed with “ravening lust”.  The women undress Vivienne.  Her naked body is doused with cold water.  There is implied sex.  He “exuded power and raw sexuality”.  There are naked, flying, lethal sentinels, exquisitely formed.

Adult Themes: Eleanor is neglected, abandoned and abused.  Her mother would disappear with a man, completely forgetting about her daughter.  “When one lover would disappear, a few weeks later another would take his place.”  Tarot cards are used.  There is chanting, demonic chanting and mystical rituals.  Mara falls deep into a trance.  Reincarnation is spoken of frequently.

Synopsis

When Vivienne’s grandmother dies, she is left with an amulet and many unanswered questions.   The Amulet is a priceless family heirloom and Vivienne soon realizes that there are people willing to go to any lengths to get their hands on it.  Vivienne begins having visions of a handsome golden-eyed man protecting her and warning her of danger.  Her fear and confusion lead her to seek out people who can help her find answers.  Vivienne travels to England and there finds a portal into another world of witchery and magic.  There she discovers who she really is and who the golden-eyed man is.  Her special gifts start to increase and enable her with power to overcome the evil that is threatening to take over the Misty Isle world.

Vivienne is supposed to be a 16-year-old girl, but I found throughout the whole book that her “voice” and actions make this age unbelievable.  I realize that she has been “reincarnated” and that this is supposedly not her first life, but still, sixteen?  I did not love this book but I am not generally a lover of the fantasy world full of witchery, demons and such things.  I did like how Lailoken calls Vivienne “my soul”.  It seems so much more than “my love”.  I thought that the bad guys were well written.  I got a very good sense of them in my mind.  My favorite quote from this book: “Belief was the essence of manifestation.”  The age group for this book is young adult which actually covers a large age range.  I would keep this book in the 12^th grade and higher range.

Language:  1

Violence:  2

Sexual Content:  0

Adult Themes:  1

Title:  Artemis Fowl

Author:  Eoin Colfer

Ratings Explanation

Language:   Swearing includes four uses of  “damn” and several uses of a swear word in fairy language that is not translated, “D’Arvit.”  There are mild ongoing insults between characters and verbal sparring.

Violence:  We see magical creatures fighting humans and bodies fly into walls, shattering bones.  There is one battle including gun shots to a troll, “serrated ivory” talons piercing a human’s chest, blood matting the Troll’s fur, a human paralyzed, the troll thinking about eating a human.  The troll is crippled with blows by a mace and then hand-to-hand combat.  There are several incidents of highly explosive dwarf flatulence.

Adult Themes:  Artemis is a youthful criminal from a criminal family.  His mother has no control of Artemis, takes a lot of sleeping pills, and has been bedridden since her husband disappeared, losing her sanity.  A fairy is corrupted by alcoholism.

Synopsis

Artemis Fowl is a 12-year-old criminal mastermind from a legendary family of criminals.  His father is missing, possibly killed, and his mother has lost her sanity.  In addition, the family fortune has been largely lost, and Artemis sets out to restore it.  This is the story of  “his first villainous venture”—a scheme to kidnap a magical creature and hold it hostage for a ransom of fairy gold.  First, he deviously acquires “The Book,” which tells the rules of the magical world.  Then he abducts a fairy who is out of magic for the moment.  A team from the “Lower Elements Police,” or LEP, is dispatched to rescue her.  Having knowledge of fairy operations, Artemis and his trusty bodyguard Butler are one step ahead of the fairy folk for most of the conflict.  The situation escalates to a life-or-death battle of wits, brawn, and technology, which concludes with a clever turn of events.  In the fairy world we meet sprites, leprechauns, centaurs, goblins and others of a magical persuasion, and learn about fairy technology.  The book includes a secret message along the bottom of all the pages, and the reader can either break the code themselves or get help online.

This fantasy speeds along on quick repartee, interesting technical inventions and unexpected plot twists.  Some of the characters that started out as  “just plain bad” turned out to be more “human” than expected, and I found myself wincing, hoping that Artemis would not betray his loyal servants.  His concern for his mother and loyalty to friends surprised me and added a satisfying depth to the story.  The part about dwarves eating dirt and bodily “processing” the dirt as they tunnel, with lots of powerful flatulence, was definitely directed at young boys.  There was suspense and risk and lots of humor.  It’s a fun adventure for the 9- to 12-year-old but interesting enough for younger teens as well.

Language: 4

Violence: 3

Sexual Content: 4

Adult Themes: 3

Title: Radiant Shadows (Wicked Lovely, Book4)

Author: Melissa Marr

Ratings Explanation

Language: Hell, damn and ass were used frequently.  Stronger language, including the “F word”, were also used.  Sucks was used often.  Bastard made an appearance and exclamations of deity were also used.

Violence: The death of a child is ordered.  He was “ripped away and hurled across aisle toward opposite stall.”  Devlin needs blood to live.  He is an assassin who kills at his sister’s bidding.  There is blood letting on Ani and her blood is used for experiments.  There are deaths “too perverse to speak of”.  Ani is ordered to kill people.  A girl is killed and it is said she is “bloodied but no longer screaming.”  There is talk of revenge and wanting blood.  A fire poker is speared into the leg, knives stabbed into body, blood spurting.  Blood is shared to seal bonding.

Sexual Content: There is kissing throughout.  Ani feeds on emotions and physical touch.  References to sex and sexual things are made throughout.  For example “so you’re going to be celibate or something,”  “keep your clothes on”, “gyrating hips”, “no sex until I’m sure I won’t kill them.”  There is implied sex between Ani and Devlin.  There is talk about taking clothes off, unbuttoning jeans and so forth.

Adult Themes: Ani grows up without a mother and many different people help and take care of her.  Dark and evil powers reign.  There is drinking of wine.  The sexual innuendo is strong throughout the book and hints at a male-male relationship.

Synopsis

Ani is half human, half faery.  She is driven by her hungers; a need to feed on emotions and physical touch.  She struggles with fitting in as she is caught between two worlds.  Devlin is the creative product of two faery sisters, Order and Chaos.  He is an assassin doing the bidding of faery High Queen.  He secretly saved Ani as a child instead of killing her knowing that his choice could mean his death.  Now as Devlin and Ani connect, they find the need to join forces to combat those who are against them in the  faery world.

I probably would have understood this book and its characters better if I would have read the previous 3 books in this series first.  I don’t think this is a stand alone book, but written well enough that I got the main ideas.  I think my favorite thing in this book was Ani’s “steed”.  A genderless shape-shifting thing that serves and defends its rider.  It communicates with thoughts in Ani’s head and they become as one.  First it is a car, fast and sleek.  Then it is a horse to ride or a dragon to defend.  It’s awesome.  I want a steed!  I liked several ideas in this book.  I always enjoy a strong main female character.  I liked that Ani came into her own and found a place that fit her perfectly even though it wasn’t the “normal” or expected one.  I also liked that Devlin was able to rise above the bad ideas and behaviors he was taught and follow his conscious to be better, kinder.

Having said all that, I need to say that this book was so hard for me to read.  I felt like the book was ruled by lust and sexual undertones.  The foul language was plentiful.  I am so surprised that the recommended reading group is 9th-12th grade.  If this were a movie, it would be rated R.  Rated R movies are for ages 18 and up and that is exactly where I would place this book.

Language: 1

Violence: 2

Sexual Content: 0

Adult Themes: 2

Title: Plain Kate

Autor:  Erin Bow

*This review refers to an Advanced Reading Copy. Plain Kate will be available September 2010.

Ratings Explanation

Language: One reference to Diety.

Violence: The book’s premise demonstrates a town’s cruelty to witches—burning at the stake, cutting off ears and hair, and drowning. The Roamers believe Kate is a witch and has brought evil with her. They imprison and try to burn her. Kate’s friend, Drina, is treated cruelly, as well as Drina’s mother, Lenore, due to their witchcraft abilities. Many people die from the sleeping death caused from the ghost’s touch.

Adult Themes: There are references to menstruation. There are descriptions of blood-letting by wrist slashing. Linay has evil desires to mass-kill a town to avenge the death of his sister Lenore, a witch.

Synopsis

Plain Kate, a young orphaned wood carver, lives in a land where superstitions run rampant. The people believe charms bring good luck and witches are to be feared and destroyed. Now there is a mysterious, evil curse that is bringing famine, fear and a sleeping death through a heavy, moving fog over the land. Cast out of her town on rumors of witchcraft, lonely Kate trades her shadow for the wish of her heart—the companionship of a talking cat. Little does she suspect that the albino stranger, Linay, who bargains for her shadow, wants it for an evil purpose. For Kate’s shadow can bring life back to the dead. And Linay plans to avenge the death of his sister—a witch who has been burned and drowned by the townfolk. Lonely Kate travels with a band of Roamers as she gains and loses friends, and experiences the anxiety of slowly losing her shadow. Linay rescues her from near tragedy amongst the Roamers, only to use her again to keep the ghost alive and moving toward the town. Plain Kate knows that since it is her shadow and blood that has kept the fog-driven curse alive, it is only she who can bring a stop to the evil before the whole town is destroyed.

While books about witchcraft, curses and rampant superstitions are not my favorite genre of literature, Plain Kate has a compelling storyline that keeps the readers interest piqued.

Language: 4

Violence: 3.5

Sexual Content: 3.5

Adult Themes: 3

Title: Nightshade

Author: Andrea Cremer

This review refers to an Advanced Reading Copy. Nightshade will be available for purchase October 2010.

Ratings Explanation

Language: Almost every swear word was used in this book, multiple times.  Hell, damn and ass were  used in many various ways and phrases.  Crude language such as “piss me off”, whore and “sucks” were used.  Expressions of deity were frequent.  Someone makes an obscene gesture.

Violence: A bear attacks a boy.  He is left bleeding and almost dead.  The boy drinks the wolf girl’s blood.  Shay and Calla are attacked by two men.  Calla kills one and leaves the other injured.  There are references to the torture of prisoners.  Calla is hurt and drinks pack blood to heal herself.  There is a fight in the bar and a table is thrown on its side, glass breaking.  Shay and Calla are attacked by a giant spider.  Calla tears its legs off and Shay hits it with ice axes.  Calla is bit and the venom starts eating her body away.  Calla bites Shay to turn him to wolf and then drinks his blood to save herself.  Calla and Shay hunt animals to eat.  The wolf pack hunts together and kills a deer.  It is described in detail.  Shay is tied up and blindfolded.  Calla and Shay fight a succubus and kill it.  They are attacked by incubus, chimera and succubi.  Searchers burst into room breaking glass which cuts Calla and Shay’s skin.  Wraiths attack.  Searchers plunge syringe into Shay’s neck.  Calla is hit with a crossbow arrow.

Sexual Content:   Close contact, kissing and touching are frequent.  “His fingers kneaded my hips”, “exploring the curve of my thigh”.  There is kissing and “wanting more”.  His hands go beneath her dress, her shirt is open, his hands move up her thighs.  Ren wants more sexually from Calla but Calla wants to wait for the union.  Calla strips off her shirt and bra, the corset makes bursting cleavage.  There is flirting and kissing.  One of the wolves is gay and the other wolves take sides for and against.  Sexual favors are demanded from those higher in ranks.  One girl gives them to save another girl from having to.  Kissing and touching on the bed, unbuttoning dress.  Calla describes “warm” feelings in her abdomen.  Several references are made to “boobs”.

Adult Themes: There is under-age drinking and smoking, as well as adult drinking and smoking.  One girl is given a drug in her drink that makes her act sexually aggressive.  Men in higher ranks demand sexual favors from those below them, male and female.  Same sex relationships are discussed.  Human sacrifices are performed at certain times of the year.

Synopsis

Calla is the leader of her pack of shape shifting wolves called Nightshades.  Their job is that of Guardians.  Calla awaits the night of her union to the other pack’s leader, Ren, which will unite the two packs as one.  The Guardians are in charge of protecting the sacred land for the Keepers.  This is what they were born to do.  In return, the Keepers provide them with everything they want and need.  One day as Calla is patrolling the sacred lands, she finds a boy, Shay, being attacked by a bear.  For some reason she is drawn to him and decides to save him.  Calla next sees Shay at school and from there a friendship begins.  Calla is ordered by the Keepers to protect Shay, but she doesn’t know why.  This gives Calla the opportunity to spend time with Shay without retribution from her pack or the Keepers because the wolves do not mix with humans, and Shay is human.  Shay begins to dig deeper into the rules and reasons for Calla’s world, pulling Calla into the mysteries.  The answers they find become more and more disturbing and a matter of life and death.

I was literally drawn into this book from the very first page.  The story moves quickly and I was caught up in it.  There were many similarities for me to the Twilight books.  I felt connected to the characters, liking and disliking them, wishing good things for them.  I was intrigued by the moon phases and the symbols at the beginning of each chapter.  I knew they had something to do with the story but I didn’t know what.  It took awhile to find out the meaning behind the symbols, but I still want to know why one or another appears randomly and what it has to do with the events in each chapter.  This is a thick book, which I always love when the story is good.  Having said all that, I was so disappointed in the level of sexual content and language in this book.  So much of it was just unnecessary.  If you have a great story, it will still be a great story without all the language and sexual content.  This book leaves you hanging in the end with no resolution, only a hope for the next book to come.  I would recommend this as an adult book, not a children’s book.  I would keep the reader level above high school level.

Language:  0

Violence:  2

Sexual Content:  0

Adult Themes:  1

Title:  The Tales of Beedle the Bard

Author:  J.K. Rowling

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  Witchhunters of the Middle Ages seek to persecute, imprison, or behead witches and wizards in one tale.  In another, a wicked warlock kills a maiden he woos to steal her beating heart and replace his own with hers, then dies in the process.  In another tale of three wizard brothers, one brother dies when his throat is slit; another kills himself. 

Adult Themes:  Typical unethical behavior of witches and wizards seeking to gain control over others.

Synopsis

This book is a short collection of five fairytales from the magical world of Harry Potter.  The tales were supposedly written by a 15th century wizard named Beedle the Bard (a sort of magical version of Hans Christian Andersen), and include extensive commentary by the late Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.  The commentary is often longer than the tales themselves, but very tongue-in-cheek and well-written.  So now the “Muggle” reader can enjoy such familiar tales to the wizarding world as “The Warlock’s Hairy Heart” and “Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump.”  Like traditional fairytales, virtue is prized and wickedness is condemned; those who deserve to come to a bad end generally do.  However, unlike Muggle children’s fairytales in which magic often lies at the root of a person’s troubles (a spell has been cast on our heroine by a wicked witch, for example), these tales are meant to teach young wizards and witches that magic can cause as much trouble as it cures.

This is an enjoyable read for any fan of Harry Potter.  My favorite tale of the five was “The Fountain of Fair Fortune,” in which three young, clever witches seek to relieve themselves of their sufferings and trials by entering the magical curing waters of the fountain, but in the end solve their problems through their own wit and wisdom.

Language: 0

Violence: 1

Sexual Content: 0

Adult Themes: 0

Title:  Fairies and the Quest for Never Land

Author:  Gail Carson Levine

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  The dragon Kyto threatens to crisp the fairies of Never Land.  During the battle seven fairies are lost to his flaming rampage.

Synopsis

Gwendolyn Jane Mary Darling Carlisle is the descendant  of the famous Wendy Darling of whom we hear so much about in the tales of Peter Pan.  That first ‘kiss’ that Peter gave Wendy (in this story it is an acorn), has been handed down from generation to generation enclosed in a locket.  Gwendolyn cherishes this ‘kiss’ which she carries around in a locket on a chain.  Every night she dreams of fairies and hopes that Peter will come to take her to Never Land so that she can see them. The ‘kiss’ occasionally gives Gwendolyn visions of things happening in Never Land.  Months and then years pass before the day Peter arrives and asks Gwendolyn to come with him.  Upon arriving in Never Land, as tradition would have it, Peter puts her to work mending socks and washing dishes.  When Gwendolyn is finished, she sneaks out to find the fairies hoping to make friends with them.  The fairies are not so excited to see her.  They call her (and every other human) a Clumsy.  She slowly wins them over with special gifts she has brought.  Gwendolyn spends all of her time observing and helping the fairies.  She also meets the island’s protector, Mother Dove, who guards a magical egg that gives Never Land its power.  The fairies’ peaceful life is interrupted when they find out that the island’s dragon Kyto is planning to escape his cage and destroy the Fairy Haven.  Gwendolyn begs to help but the fairies are somewhat unsure of her abilities.  Gwendolyn must learn to find her own talent and trust in her new friends in order to save them all.

If you are a Peter Pan lover you may want to stick with the classic version.   Peter makes only necessary occasional appearances in this story and seems to forget that he even brought Gwendolyn to Never Land.    Even Tinker Bell has abandoned him to live in Fairy Haven.  This story is for the fairy lover.  Gwendolyn has been one her whole life.  Her passion is a little overboard and I found her character frustrating at times, but the young fairy lover will surely overlook these flaws and enjoy the story.

Language: 0

Violence:2

Sexual Content: 2

Adult Themes: 2

Title:  Matched

Author:  Ally Condie

*This review refers to an advanced copy.  Matched will be available for purchase November 30, 2010.

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  The townspeople themselves experience no violence in their society.  They do watch a film which shows a person being shot. Blood stains his shirt and he falls to the ground.  This is so surreal to the audience that they laugh.  Cassia hears stories of poisoned rain and rivers which kill people.  She also learns of Ky’s past from pictures he has drawn showing him holding the words “mother” and “father” in his arms shaped like drooping dead bodies.  Pictures of the officials in these drawings show red hands representing their responsibility in what has happened.

Sexual Content:  Cassia remembers  playing kissing games as a young child.  She is relieved to know her match so that she can finally think of him with more romantic thoughts.  Xander and Cassia kiss after a recreational activity.  Cassia describes the feeling as “sweet”.  She and Xander hold hands and hug.  Cassia begins to have feelings for Ky after she has been matched to Xander.  She and Ky find opportunities to hold hands.  Cassia has a strong desire to kiss Ky but knows what it will do to Xander and her family.  Cassia finally gives in and kisses Ky.  It is all that she had hoped.  As part of Society rules, the optimal age for citizens to conceive, resulting in healthy offspring, is discussed.

Adult themes:  Cassia lives in a society where the government makes all of the hard decisions and leaves their citizens with few opportunities to make choices of their own.  This appears safe at first, but through major life changing experiences, Cassia begins to doubt the Society’s rules. One of these was the mandatory death of her grandfather, at which she was present.  Cassia is provided with many opportunities to succeed in her society but chooses to go against them.

Synopsis

Cassia has always trusted the Society.  They are never wrong.  They choose what you eat, what you wear, who you marry and when you die.  Life has been better for everyone since the Society has been in control.  Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she will attend her Match Banquet to find out who she will marry.  When her best friend Xander’s picture shows up on the screen she is surprised and relieved.  It is uncommon for a person to know who their match is, but she has known Xander her whole life and loves him dearly.  When Cassia gets home and puts in the computer chip to view background information on her match, a strange thing happens.  Xander’s picture comes up and then the screen goes black.  For a split second another face shows up on the screen.  Even stranger, is that it is a picture of another person she knows, Ky.  Cassia is puzzled.  How could this happen?  Was she really supposed to be matched with Xander? Throughout the summer Cassia finds opportunities to be with Ky and learns that he has come from the outer province areas where he lost his parents.  He also knows how to write something that has not been taught for generations.  Cassia asks him to teach her.  This is stepping on shaky ground and could get them both into serious trouble.  As Cassia spends more time with Ky she wonders why there is so little creating and ability to make choices in their world.  She begins to question all that the Society does to ensure happy productive lives for it’s citizens.  Cassia must now decide between the safety of being with Xander, whom she has always loved, or Ky who helps her to feel alive, real and free.  It is a decision that will change their world.

This is a must read.  Not only is Matched a touching love story, but it examines the very basis of what makes us happy and gives us purpose.  It will leave you thinking and grateful for all you have and all that you can be.

Language:  0

Violence:  2.5

Sexual Content:  0

Adult Themes:  2

Title:  Peter and the Shadow Thieves (Starcatchers Series, book 2)

Author:  Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  The pirates on Mollusk Island kidnap the island chief’s daughter.  It is briefly mentioned that Slank (one of the “Others”) killed and ate Little Richard while lost at sea.  In London, Peter runs into a man who beats runaway children; Peter is attacked by a street vendor who sells birds and has captured Tinkerbell, then arrested by a policeman for hitting the bird seller.  The Others kidnap Molly’s mother.  A servant girl working with the Others tries to stab Molly with a kitchen knife.  At the Tower of London, Molly tells Peter the story of two princes who were locked up, beaten, and murdered in the Tower by their cruel uncle.  Mr. McGuinn, a fellow Starcatcher, is killed when he falls from a stone stairwell.  In the final battle for the starstuff, both Peter and Molly’s father are shot by the Others (both recover.)

Adult Themes:  Peter is arrested and sent to jail, where he encounters several other boys (street urchins) who have been sent there “to rot.”  Boys who have been arrested are seldom set free again, but generally face a lifetime of imprisonment or hardship (very Dickensian).  When Molly’s mother is kidnapped by the Others and held for ransom, Molly’s father must choose between surrendering the starstuff to the evil powers or saving her life.

Synopsis

In this sequel to Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and his gang of Lost Boys now live on Mollusk Island and gamefully spar with Black Stache (now nicknamed “Hook” by Peter & co.) and his fellow pirates.   But the day a different ship arrives on the island bringing Slank, the noseless man Nerezza, and a dark, creepy figure called Lord Ombra in search of the magical starstuff, Peter smells trouble.  When Ombra and his men learn the starstuff is in London, they sail off, and Peter decides he must head to England to warn Molly and her family before the evil men get there first.  He stows away on Ombra’s ship unseen, then flies off in London with Tinkerbell to find the Aster family.  London does not receive Peter kindly, and he is cast into jail and Tinkerbell kidnapped by a bird seller before they can even blink.  They escape, of course (the ability to fly can come in handy) and eventually reach Molly, but not before the eerie, inhuman Lord Ombra kidnaps her mother for a starstuff ransom.  Ombra steals people’s shadows (and their souls), reads their thoughts, and turns them into emotionless robots.  But Peter, Molly, Tink, and even a young George Darling team up to combat the nefarious shadow-thieving Others and ensure that the starstuff does not fall into their filthy hands.

This sequel-to-the-prequel proves just as satisfying as the first, but has a different tone.  There is less swashbuckling and pirate jargon, as Hook and his crew on Mollusk Island take a back seat to the main storyline set in the streets of Dickens-era London with the spooky Lord Ombra, whose shapeless figure can creep under doorways and suck up people’s shadows without warning.  Famous London landmarks (the River Thames, the Tower of London, Kensington Gardens) make brief but shining appearances in the story, with the final showdown between good and evil being set in farm country at a very familiar, “stony” location.  The authors even have James Barrie (Peter Pan’s creator) make a clever cameo in one scene.  Another entertaining and adventurous read.

Language: 1

Violence: 3

Sexual Content: 0

Adult Themes: 1

Title: The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 5)

Author: Rick Riordan

Ratings Explanation

Language: “gods” used as an exclamation, e.g., “Thank the gods!”

Violence: A large ship explodes, killing many, including a friend of Percy. Percy takes on an entire army in Hades and single-handedly destroys them all. A full-scale battle in Manhattan with Percy and the other half-bloods battling Kronos and his army. In the battle, Percy tries to wound, not kill, the half-bloods who are on Kronos’s side. Destruction of many monsters. Annabeth is stabbed and another beloved half-blood is killed in battle.

Sexual Content: Percy and Annabeth kiss.

Adult Themes: Strained relationships between the gods and their half-blood children. Some are willing to give their lives in order to advance their cause.

Synopsis

In this last installment of the Percy Jackson series, Percy and his friends from Camp Half-Blood prepare for the final battle against Kronos and  his ever-growing army. While the gods are busy fighting the monster Typhon, who is advancing across the U.S., Percy and his army must defend Manhattan and Mount Olympus. Percy finally learns the entire prophecy surrounding his 16th birthday and realizes the gravity of it. It is very possible that he will not survive the fight against Kronos, the Lord of Time. Surrounded by those still loyal to the gods, Percy leads the army in this final conflict.

This was definitely my favorite book of the Percy Jackson series. Percy has always been the kind of hero I like to read about, but his loyalty, strength and bravery were extra-apparent in this book. I especially enjoyed the setting of Manhattan as, coincidentally,  my first visit to The Big Apple coincided with finishing this book. Being there made the descriptions of the city so alive I half expected to see monsters and Greek demi-gods rounding every corner.

My three readers ages 13, 10 and 8 all love this series. The level of content (in all 4 areas that we rate) remains constant throughout the series. I find that an advantage since in some series the content escalates with each book, making it inappropriate for younger readers to complete a series. Overall, I honestly enjoyed Percy and his adventures.

Language: 1

Violence: 2

Sexual Content: 2

Adult Themes: 1

Title:  Once Upon a Marigold

Author: Jean Ferris

Ratings Explanation

Language: The name of deity used. Name calling.

Violence: Some fighting with arrows and swords. Queen is forced off balcony and falls to the river far below. Queen threatens to kill her daughter and the king to gain power. The queen poisons the king to gain control over him.

Sexual Content: A scullery maid forces a kiss upon Christian. Babies born out of wedlock.

Adult Themes: Desire to rule a kingdom no matter the cost to family and others.  Dysfunctional family relationships.

Synopsis

Christian is adopted by a troll, Edric, who lives in a crystal lined cave in a forest. The young boy grows up learning the ways of troll life and inventing contraptions from things left behind on the forest road. One of these contraptions is a telescope with which Christian enjoys watching the inhabitants of the castle across the river. As he grows older, Christian becomes more unsettled and wants to see and be a part of the outside world. With Edric’s permission, he leaves the cave hoping to find a job at the castle.  Christian finds a job helping the castle housekeeper. This presents him with the opportunity of getting to know the young princess he has seen for years only through a lens.  He finds Princess Marigold quite enchanting. She loves the simple things in life like reading, telling awful jokes, and playing with her dogs. She is very lonely however, because of a curse put upon her at birth. Marigold can read the thoughts of anyone that touches her. No one dares to touch her and rarely even talks to her. Christian is not afraid of this and finds Marigold fascinating,  simple and charming. Unfortunately, the queen wants Marigold married so that she can take over the kingdom. Christian struggles with his emotions as he watches his new love being courted by neighboring royalty. Things get exciting when Marigold’s forthcoming marriage is announced. Christian finds himself in jail, Marigold’s sisters are locked up and the king is being poisoned. Christian must prove he is not a traitor, rid the kingdom of their evil queen, find a way to save his true love and live happily ever after.

This was your predictable fairy tale with many quirky twists and turns to keep you guessing how the heroes would ever manage to live happily ever after. Christian even manages to re-invent royal life by introducing p-mail, vegetarianism, and one ear piercing.

Language: 1

Violence: 1

Sexual Content: 1

Adult Themes: 1

Title: Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast

Author: Robin McKinley, Newbery Honor Author

Ratings Explanation

Language: This may not even rate for some but, the word “damning” used as a verb in the following sentence:”To a certain extent this was damning me with faint praise…”

Violence: Talk of desire to kill the magician that cast the spell.

Sexual Content: Beauty’s sister is advised to get married and start a baby. Beauty is kissed by a boy at a dance.

Adult Content: Beauty’s sister loses her fiance in a shipwreck. Beauty is offered ale by the villagers that she has helped. Parents threaten their children with stories of monsters taking them away if they are not obedient.

Synopsis

Beauty’s wealthy family has come to financial ruin after her father’s ships are destroyed by disease and storm.  A shipyard worker offers the family a home with him back in his native village.  The desperate yet grateful family accepts the offer despite rumors of magic being practiced in the area.  The family adjusts to their new country life and do quite well for themselves until their father’s fateful journey.  After being lost in a snow storm, Beauty’s father stumbles across an enchanted castle in the nearby woods.  The invisible servants care for his every need.  After resting, he prepares to finish his journey home.  On his way out of the gates he notices a most beautiful rose garden and decides to pick one for Beauty.  This enrages the castle’s owner, a beast who up until now has remained unseen.  He accuses the father of being ungrateful and demands that either he or one of his daughters returns within the month to stay with him forever as payment.  Upon returning home, Beauty’s father tells his story to his daughters.  Beauty insists that she will be the one to return.  After an emotional debate upon the matter, Beauty gets her way.  The rest of the story is fairy tale history as Beauty and the Beast discover real love in each other and live happily ever after.

One of my all time favorite books!  I read it as a young girl and twice as an adult.  McKinley’s words are beautifully enchanting and  quickly bring you into this fairy tale world.  I only wish that the ending wasn’t so quick. McKinley has written a sequel to this book called Rose Daughter which I haven’t read yet.

Language:  3.5

Violence:  2

Sexual Content:  4

Adult Themes:  3

Title:  Beastly

Author:  Alex Flinn

Ratings Explanation

Language:  A few instances of profanity; just about every other swear word but the f-word used at least once.  Other crass language (skank, piss, slut).   The bad language does not permeate the book, but is enough to give literate mothers pause.

Violence:  The beast attacks the witch after she transforms him; he has a temper and lashes out at people and breaks things.  He watches (through a magic mirror) a father physically and emotionally abuse his daughter.  The beast breaks a girl’s arm at a dance.  He is attacked by subway passengers and lashes out at them.  A man threatens and points a gun at the girl he loves and the beast attacks him to save her.

Sexual Content:  Kyle, the main character, says that school proms are a form of “legalized prostitution.”  Kyle uses crass talk when referring to situations between him and his girlfriend, i.e. “…in return, I get some,” school dance chaperones “keep us from mating on the dance floor,”  her hand on him was headed “toward the Danger Zone,”  ”going for the crotch again,” someone suggests a “threesome.”  Kyle watches naked girls through his magic mirror.  When searching for a girl online to break the spell, pay sex sites pop up and women send him naked pictures.  He overhears guys at the dance talking about “what they had in their pockets and who they’d use them on.”  He imagines “tangling [Lindy's] body with his.”

Adult Themes:  Kyle’s mother left his father to run off with another man.  Kyle and his girlfriend drink vodka at her parent’s house after the dance.  Rape is discussed very briefly, and castration as punishment.  Lindy’s druggie father abuses her; her “slut” sisters had run off to live with their boyfriends.  Kyle discusses a gay writer (Oscar Wilde) with his tutor.   A drug dealer breaks into Kyle’s house and offers him drugs.  In the end of the book, it is mentioned that Lindy has moved in with Kyle to get away from her drug-addicted father.  (She has a separate bedroom, but both Lindy and Kyle are still in high school.)

Synopsis

Kyle Kingsbury, a Manhattan freshman at an elite prep school, describes himself as the guy with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life, “The guy you wished you were.”  He treats everyone badly and laughs about it, having no sympathy for anyone less endowed than him in either looks or money.  That is, until the day a Gothic-looking girl at his school casts a horrible spell on him and turns him into a beast (sound familiar?).  Now he has two years to find someone he can love and who loves him in return for who he is–the classic spell-breaking love in fairy tales.  So Kyle’s dad moves him out of their Manhattan apartment and into a Brooklyn brownstone where he holes himself up with nothing but books, the internet, and the magic mirror the witch gave him and no one but a cook/maid and a blind tutor.  In the meantime, he transforms on the inside from a horrid, egotistical jerk into a sensitive, literary, rose-loving, gardening, sweet-but-hairy-on-the-outside kind of guy.  When a drug dealer breaks into his house and fears for his life in the clutches of the Beast, he offers his teenage daughter in exchange for his life (really?!)  Along comes Lindy, the average-looking, smart girl with a gentle touch and a love of books who sees past his beastly exterior and into his now-refined heart of gold .  Bet you can’t guess the ending.

The author paints such an annoying picture of Kyle in the beginning of the book, you almost want to put the book down.  I suppose that was intended, so that the reader will relish watching his sanctifying transformation.  Of course he becomes the lovable, perfect guy in the end who falls for the ordinary girl that every girl reading this book thinks she is.  It’s a nice, familiar story that doesn’t disappoint in the end, but it could have been just as good without the crude language and sex talk.  I also found it hard to believe that a 16-year-old couple could find true love that would last forever and that they were living together in the same enormous house by story’s end with no apparent parental supervision.  These are themes I would not recommend adolescent girls to indulge in.

Title: The Fairy Tale Detectives (The Sister’s Grimm, Book 1)

Author: Michael Buckley

Ratings Explanation

Language: There are many derogatory phrases and insults in this book.  For example:   loser, dirty little hooligan, incompetent boob, snot, goon, scum, mental patient, and you lumpy bag of foolishness.

Violence: Sabrina and Daphne are pinched by their case worker.  The girls are bitten by pixies and they bleed.  Three thugs block Grandma and the girls and threaten them with a metal pipe.  Grandma hits one thug with her purse while one of the girls kick him.  Mr. Canis holds two thugs up by the necks and then throws them to the ground.  A giant kidnaps Grandma and Mr. Canis.  Jack fires arrows at the Giant and Charming.  Jack cuts the dog and leaves him bleeding.   Mirror is beat up and bruised.  Mr. Canis fights with Jack and bites him.

Synopsis

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm find themselves in and out of foster care homes after their parents disappear, but then they are sent to live with someone who claims to be their grandmother.  The girls have always believed their grandmother to be dead, so they are quite shocked to find her not only alive, but full of information about a family history they never knew about.  Sabrina and Daphne are descendants of the famous Brothers Grimm, and they learn that the fairy-tales they wrote about are actually history.  The girls now find themselves in the middle of a fairy-tale mystery with a giant trying to destroy their home and new found family.   When grandma is taken by the giant, Sabrina and Daphne become the detectives, because that’s what Grimms are made for.

I loved the pictures throughout this book as well as the silhouettes at the beginning of each chapter.  That is one of the pleasures of reading childrens books.  I also really liked how the author uses the younger sister as a reason to explain and define larger words in the book that younger readers might not understand.  It’s like having a vocabulary lesson without even knowing it!  I could have done without the name calling in the book and the frequent insults.  There always seemed to be someone sticking out their tongue.  Overall though, a fun read.  I’m thinking this would be a fun series to read aloud with my 8 year old this summer.   I found this book to be pretty on par with the recommended age group.  My quote from this book is, “Fear can make people do terrible things.”

Language:  1

Violence:  2.5

Sexual Content:  1

Adult Themes:  2

 Title:  Peter and the Starcatchers

Author:  Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Ratings Explanation

Language:  A few instances of the word “damn”; typical derogatory pirate talk.

Violence:  A lot of talk of walking the planks, men being thrown overboard, and threats of slicing them up and feeding them to the sharks; the pirates smack each other around a lot.  Typical descriptions of pirate attacks on the open seas.  The natives on the Mollusk Island throw Peter and his friends into a pit to be eaten by a crocodile.  Mermaids viciously attack two seamen who, in turn, attempt to stab and kill the mermaids.  The boys beat up one of the seamen with coconuts.  Molly is held at knifepoint by a pirate.  Black Stache stabs a native in the chest and leaves him to die.  And quite a few other instances of pirates attempting to kill Peter, Molly, and other pirates.

Sexual Content:  Allusions to Mrs. Bumbrake, Molly’s governess, spending evenings in Slank’s cabin on board the ship.  Peter dreams he is kissing a mermaid and wakes to find it is true (she is actually breathing life into him); Peter sweetly thinks about kissing Molly and how “it doesn’t seem so bad”.  The pirates wantonly gaze at the sunbathing mermaids (who, being mermaids, are naturally topless but with very long hair discreetly covering certain areas.)

Adult Themes:  Mrs. Bumbrake (is she married?) getting cozy with Slank; an allusion to Peter being maltreated at a home for boys; common pirate behavior such as drinking rum into oblivion, ogling mermaids, stealing, plundering, pillaging, etc.  The sails on Black Stache’s pirate ship resemble an enormous brassiere.

Synopsis

In this clever ”prequel” to J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, we learn all about what happened to Peter before we meet him on Wendy Darling’s bedroom windowsill.  The book begins with Peter, a 13 or 14-yr-old (even he’s not sure) and his fellow orphan mates being taken from St. Norbert’s Home for Wayward Boys in London and being placed aboard a ship, the Never Land, which unbeknownst to them will deliver them into servitude on a faraway island.  There he meets Molly Aster, an astute, pretty 14-yr-old girl who speaks with porpoises and confides in him about the contents of a mysterious trunk aboard the ship.  According to Molly, the trunk contains mystical, glowing ”starstuff”, star matter which falls from the sky and is quickly retrieved by a secret society called the Starcatchers whose job it is to keep the powerful stuff from falling into the wrong hands.  Starstuff gives anyone who touches it immediate joy, warmth, increased intelligence, and the ability to fly.  It can also transform fish into mermaids, but in the hands of the Others, its power can be used for evil.  Peter is instantly intrigued (and a little dazed by the lovely Molly) and vows to help her protect the starstuff from Black Stache, a notorious and greedy pirate whose ship is now in hot pursuit of the Never Land.  Inevitably, a storm shipwrecks everyone on a tropical island inhabited by savage natives and a monstrous crocodile.  Swashbuckling adventures ensue as Peter and Molly rush to find the trunk before the pirates do. 

As with all great children’s fantasy tales, this one indulges the adults, as well.  Its classic pirate dialogue (not too randy for the kids), clever storyline, and high-seas adventure will keep the pages of this novel turning.  The authors fill in many of the blanks from the original story (and the Disney cartoon) with delightful satisfaction.

Language: 1

Violence:3

Sexual Content: 2

Adult Themes: 2

Title:  Heir Apparent

Author: Vivian Vande Velde

Ratings Explanation

Language:  Three common swear words used.  Belittling of others because of their rank in society.  Sarcastic humor used for good and bad throughout the book.

Violence:  A group of activists, supposedly protecting children and families, storms an arcade gaming center, damaging equipment and placeing some of the gamers lives in danger.  In the game, the participant can virtually kill other characters as well as be killed which starts the game over.  There are many battles using weaponry from the middle ages (bow and arrows, daggers, swords, catapults, poisoning etc.) .  Many heads are cut off, throats are slit, and bodies stabbed.  A young boy is killed for poaching, a man’s head is crushed by a wagon wheel.

Sexual Content:  Mentions that sexual harassment is not allowed in the games.  A man sits so that he has a good view down the front of a woman’s dress.  One of the wizards, a female, uses her good looks and feminine charms to influence men around her.

Adult Themes:  Main character does not have a good relationship with her dad.  She is uncertain that dads in general are any good.  The story is based on total immersion gaming which requires the gamer to link their senses and memories to the gaming system.  A group of activists protest the gaming center saying its product is ruining children and families.  In the game, minors are allowed to ‘consume’ alcoholic beverages.

Synopsis

Giannine receives a gift certificate for her 14th birthday from her dad.  It is for a gaming center which offers Total Immersion Gaming, the latest fad in the gaming industry.  When she arrives at the arcade, she  encounters a group of protesting activists claiming to protect families and children from this new evil.   She decides to go in, despite the protests, and signs up to play Heir Apparent.  This game offers a medieval adventure where the gamer is chosen to be the late king’s heir and must gain the confidence of the characters in the kingdom in order to be to be crowned and win the game.  Shortly after Giannine is in immersion, the activist group breaks into the building and begins to destroy some of the equipment.  Because she has already been immersed, technicians cannot safely disconnect  Giannine out without risking damage to her brain.   In order to be released from the total immersion status, Giannine must win the game.   On her adventure, she meets a spiteful step family, odd wizards, a few untrustworthy advisers, rebelling barbarians and a giant dragon.  Giannine must learn how to win their favor and be crowned before time is up.  She is killed virtually in several attempts and must start the game over until she finally learns from her mistakes.  This is coupled with the pressure of getting through the game in a timely manner so that she can escape her total immersion before her real brain is destroyed.

This book is a unique mix of fantasy and future with a creative story line and characters.  I thought it was interesting to see the influence that each of Giannine’s  choices had as she returned to the beginning after being ‘killed’. Sarcastic humor was abundant throughout the book and was a little much for me personally.  Because of the violence, (even though it wasn’t ‘real’, ) I would recommend it for the older end of the grade 6-9 spectrum depending upon the sensitivity of your reader.

Language: 3

Violence: 3

Sexual Content: 0

Adult Themes: 2

Title: The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride, Book 1)

Author: James Patterson

Ratings Explanation

 Language: Frequent and casual use of “God” as an exclamation. “Freaking” and common swearwords used a handful of times.

Violence: Erasers are part-human part-wolf and their purpose is to kill Max and her flock. The Erasers attack the flock several times in the book. In these fight scenes there is kicking, hitting, scratching, some shooting and a grenade or two.

Angel is kidnapped,  stuffed in a sack and zapped with an electric rod. Max takes on several teenage boys who are hassling a younger girl. She breaks noses, cracks ribs, and hits one in the head with a shotgun. They give chase, shooting at her, and one of the bullets finds its mark. Gazzy and Iggy drop a homemade bomb on a cabin. It blows up and two Erasers are killed. The scientists who are holding Angel hostage, torture, study and test her like an animal. Nudge and Fang fight Erasers and Fang is beaten up badly. Ari, an Eraser who is only 7-years old, shoots at Max and the others. Max bites Ari’s finger so hard it bleeds and she won’t let go. They fight the scientists who are holding them prisoner. Hawks tear into the flesh of the scientists. Max is caught by an Eraser, but he suddenly dies. Ari smashes Fang’s head into a rock, Fang kicks him in the chest and Ari elbows Fang in the mouth. Ari and Max fight. He hits her and she kicks him in the throat and chest. She has a hold of his head and when they fall down, his neck snaps and he dies. An Eraser explodes when he steps on the electric rail of a train track.

Sexual Content: Max kisses Fang

Adult Themes:  Gazzy, who is only 8, feels guilty for killing the two Erasers. The kids steal a car and money from an ATM.  There are many strange mutant experiments. Iggy gets his ear pierced. Max feels guilty and sad for killing Ari. All of the flock are searching for their birth parents. They all want to belong to a real family. They discover that Gazzy and Angel’s parents sold them to the scientists for experiments.

Synopsis

The Maximum Ride series is James Patterson’s first entry into Young Adult fiction.

Maximum Ride and her five friends have 98% human DNA and 2% bird DNA. They are engineered to fly. Having lived most of their lives in a science lab called The School, where they were constantly tested and studied, a scientist named Jeb finally rescues them from The School and takes them to live in a cabin in the wilderness. Jeb acts as the father figure for this makeshift family, but after he disappears, Max and the flock are completely on their own.  Erasers, who are half-human and half-wolf, kidnap 6-year old Angel. This spurs Max, Fang and Iggy all 14, along with Nudge 11 and Gazzy 8, to embark on a rescue mission to save their little sister.

While searching for Angel they attempt to learn more about their history. Why were they created? Where are their parents? Why do they continue to discover powers they never knew they possessed? Why is Max hearing a voice in her head? And is the voice for them or against them?

The story of The Angel Experiment is compelling and I finished in only a couple of days. But although it kept me turning the pages, I was uncomfortable with all of the violence the children participated in. Should a 7-year old know what it feels like to be responsible for killing someone? This is not the focus of the book, and the kids are in “kill or be killed” situations, but still it might be disturbing for more sensitive readers.

I do like the character Max . She is strong and smart and tough, but she is also the mother figure to all of the kids in the flock. She is genuinely concerned for their safety and happiness. Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal both recommend this book for ages 12 and up. I think that’s a bit young for the content.

©2010 The Literate Mother

Language:1

Violence:2

Sexual Content:0

Adult Themes:0

Title:  How to Train Your Dragon Book 1

Author: Cressida Cowell

Ratings Explanation

Language: No swearing but several bits of name calling and taunting.   Many of their names are based on primitive crudeness (the Meathead Tribe, Snotlout, Duhbrain, Newtsbreath etc.)

Violence:   These young viking characters are all about the ruff and tumble lifestyle of their parents.  Lots of teasing, bantering and taunting.  A very large dragon has eaten an entire army of Roman soldiers, carts, horses and all.  The dragon also describes the best way to bone a human.   Live sheep are one of the dragon’s  favorite snacks because of their crunchy bones.  Two dragons take chunks out of each other during a fight.   A large dragon explodes after his fire breathing holes are plugged.  His innards are sprayed everywhere.

Synopsis

Hiccup is the unassuming hero in this book.  He is the son of the viking Chief Stoik but unfortunately, lacks the brawn and brutal manner that is so important in his culture.   As part of a right of passage, Hiccup must capture a dragon and prove that he has trained it.  This doesn’t turn out well. He comes back with the smallest, most common dragon that doesn’t even have teeth.   Discouraged, Hiccup talks with his grandfather Old Wrinkley who is trying his hand at predicting the future.  His grandfather tells Hiccup that there is hope and  that he will eventually become a hero.  Hiccup finds that using his brains can be just as important as using brawn.  He does eventually save his tribe from a gigantic sea dragon using his clever tricks.

A fun read for those that enjoy a quirky sense of humor.   There are silly illustrations and ink splots all through the book adding to its youthful appeal.  Hiccup is the true underdog hero that we all find ourselves rooting for.

©2010 The Literate Mother

Language: 0

Violence: 2

 Sexual Content: 0

Adult Themes: 1

Title:  The Dark Hills Divide:  The Land of Elyon Book 1

Author: Patrick Carman

 Ratings Explanation

Violence: Pervis, a city guard, verbally belittles Alexa and destroys some of her personal property.  Two evil cats are killed after being crushed by bookcases.  A group of convicts joins together to take over the city.  Alexa hits a man in the leg with a fire poker.  The impact causes bleeding and a broken bone.  The same man admits killing Warvold, a city leader and friend to Alexa.  Alexa’s wolf friend attacks the man, causing further damage to the injured leg.  Alexa’s friend, Yipes, keeps the attacker at bay with a knife.

Adult Themes:  Alexa is with an important city official and friend when he dies. She describes the feeling of his cold bony wrists and cold clammy skin.  A boy with dwarfism is shunned by society and leaves the city to live on his own.  Prisoners are branded with letters indicating their crimes.    Alexa  spends some time in a prison, with rank smells and sounds, trying to find answers to her questions.

 Synopsis

Alexa, a small but clever twelve year old girl, visits the city of Bridewell every summer with her father, a political leader.  Bridewell and three nearby cities are surrounded by a high, stone  wall to protect the citizens from an unseen evil that lives outside of them. These walls have been there for as long as Alexa can remember and she has always wondered what lay beyond them.  One sad night after watching her old friend Warvold die suddenly, she finds a key in his hand.  Alexa takes it without telling anyone in  hopes that the key will help her find the answers that she has been looking for. This key and her curiosity lead Alexa to a map which shows a way out of the city and beyond its walls.  Alexa is determined to follow the map which leads to an enchanted land.  Here she finds a friend and guide in Yipes a dwarf.  Yipes introduces Alexa to the talking animals that inhabit this enchanted land.  These animals help her to find the answers she is seeking.  Alexa also discovers that Bridewell is in danger of being taken over by convicts filled with revenge for past wrongs.  Her courage and wit help to save the city and expose an unknown, powerful enemy.

I enjoyed this story, the first in its series.  Alexa was an engaging character, small for her age but full of curiosity and adventure.  Her friends Yipes the dwarf and Murphy the talking squirrel made unique supporting characters.  There are a few intense moments that are not overly graphic but could be intimidating to some young and sensitive readers.

Language: 0

Violence: 2

Sexual Content: 3

Adult Themes:2

Title: Just Ella

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  A maid servant is beaten within an inch of her life for oversleeping.  The prince kills a sentenced man in front of Ella, in an attempt to show his power and win her affections.  As Ella approaches the refugee camp, “screams of anguish and terror” come from the battle grounds.

Sexual Content:  Ella describes the power of persuasion through pillow talk “when coupled with a kiss and a breathing whisper and the rest of what men and women do in bed.” Ella says her father was blinded to her step-mother’s faults because of his “desire to touch her skin, caress her body, join his to hers.”  There is mention of different privileges for married women than for virgins.  Ella is threatened to comply to marry the prince or be “taken care of” by a sentenced rapist.

Adult Themes:  Ella’s religious teacher suffers a stroke or heart attack during a lesson and nearly dies.  He “fouls himself”  after passing out.  Religion is talked of as a formality. Brief comments on the sufferings of war.  Citizens living on the country’s borders loose their homes and farms to the destruction of war.   Ella is imprisoned to weaken her will  and force her compliance in marrying Prince Charming.  She is fed occasionally, only a bowl of thin gruel with weevils.

Synopsis

A twist on a popular fairy tale whisks Ella off her feet to live in the Charming castle after winning the prince’s affections (without magic) at a ball.  As she prepares for her upcoming wedding, Princess Cynthiana Eleanora, as she is now called,  is surrounded by tutors and advisers that teach her the proper way to think and behave.  Ella quickly becomes uncomfortable with this restrictive, royal life and longs to have some freedom.   After suffering ill health, Ella’s religious teacher is replaced by his son Jed.  Ella finds Jed refreshingly honest and real and decides to confide some of her feelings to him.  He in return tells Ella that his greatest desire is to create refugee camps for those left homeless from their country’s war.  As her wedding day quickly approaches, Ella realizes that she does not love the prince and decides to break off their engagement.  The prince doesn’t take this well and Ella is thrown into prison until she agrees to the marriage.  Meanwhile, Jed is finally given permission to start his refugee camp when palace advisers suspect a relationship forming between him and the princess.  After days of torment and starvation, Ella escapes the dungeon by digging her way out.  She discovers that Jed is at the battle front and decides her best bet at living a free life is to study up on her agricultural and medical skills,  making herself a valuable asset that the refugee camp cannot refuse.  Days of travel bring her to the country’s border where she finds Jed.  He immediately professes his love to Ella, but she is unsure that this is really what she wants.  After agreeing to work at the camp for a while, Ella eventually discovers that Jed is her one and only true love.

What girl doesn’t dream about living happily ever after.  The author gave this fairy tale a creative spin by using self initiative instead of magic to decide the heroine’s fate.  I did find Ella hard to connect with.  I never felt really drawn into her plight.  I think the author focused too much on the power of feminism rather than developing believable characters.  I also thought that some of the sexual content was too mature for some young readers that might be attracted to a fairy tale story.

2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 0

Violence: 4

Sexual Content: 3

Adult Themes: 3

Title:  The Host

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  Melanie is attacked by a man in the dark and held at knife point.  On Fire World, Fire Tasters burned Walking Flowers alive and ingested the smoke as their nourishment.  Eight humans surround Wanderer/Melanie “slavering for blood.”  Jared backhands Wanderer/Melanie with force enough to slam her into the rock floor.  Ian wraps his hands around Wanderer/Melanie’s throat in an attempt to strangle her.  Jared, Ian and Kyle take turns beating one another repeatedly throughout the book.  Doc kidnaps souls “…and mutilated, dismembered, tortured bodies, ripped into grotesque shreds.”… to learn more about them.  Jamie breaks Jared’s nose.  Melanie/Wanderer punches Jared after he kisses her.  Kyle attempts to kill Melanie/Wanderer and she ultimately saves his life.  Wes is killed by a Seeker.  At Wanderer/Melanie’s request, Jared hits Wanderer in the face with a rock and scrapes a few layers of skin off.

Sexual Content:  Sensuously described passionate kissing between Melanie, a 17 year old female and Jared, a 26 year old male.  Sensuous kissing and groping between Jared and Wanderer/Melanie and Wanderer/Melanie and Ian.  Ian implies that Wanderer ought to experience sex while she is living a human life.  Homosexual reference, one man to another, “But if you try cuddling up to me tonight…so help me, O’Shea.” 

Adult Themes:  Melanie attempts suicide by jumping down an elevator shaft.  She does not die, but is severely injured.  Wanderer/Melanie nearly dies of dehydration and starvation in the desert.  Euthenasia: Walter, a human suffering from cancer is given a morphine overdose and dies.  Wanda decides to sacrifice herself so Melanie can have her body back.

Synopsis

Wanderer, an invading “soul” with seven past lives, has been given Melanie Stryder’s body.  A human body – the host body.  The unseen souls (aliens) have been invading human bodies in a covert war with the human race.  A soul is a small silver centipede being that is inserted at the base of a human neck, where it connects its many legs to the human host’s brain and body, thereby controlling the host body and ultimately causing the human within to disappear.

Wanderer finds her host, Melanie, does not disappear.  Wanderer infiltrates Melanie’s memories in search of the whereabouts of the human resistance.  Melanie exposes Wanderer to her memories of human love and desire.  Wanderer finds that she also yearns to be with this man she has never known.  Melanie and Wanderer unite in a dangerous journey to find Jared and Melanie’s younger brother, Jamie as they traverse the unforgiving desert of the Southwest.  Wanderer is conflicted as she is forced to choose between the human race and her native race.  

The Literate Mother received a specific request that this book be read and reviewed.  I had to slog my way through the first 130 pages.  The author spent too much time describing the setting of the story and then finally the story began.  This book is Meyer’s first foray into writing expressly for adults.  This novel may be popular with science fiction fans.  “The Host” ultimately questions,  “What is our definition of a relationship?”  After the unhealthy relationships exhibited in The Twilight Series, this would seem to be a natural course for Meyer’s to explore.  As an Arizona Resident, I enjoyed the descriptions of the Sonoran Desert and Picacho Peak.  This book would be appropriate for a high school aged reader, if they were captivated by the story.  I was not.

Language: 2

Violence: 4

Sexuality: 2

Adult Themes: 3

Title: Inkheart

Author: Cornelia Funke

Ratings Explanation

Language:  Aunt Elinor curses often.  “Elinor swore a lot, and the more upset she was the worse her language became.”  The only words mentioned specifically are “damn” and “bloody hell” and one instance of diety.  Elinor is also referred to as a “fat woman” (offensive language in my house).

Violence:  The villains are from the middle ages.  They use brute force first and may or may not ask questions later.  Dead roosters are their calling card.  They infest the hills surrounding their village base with venomous snakes.  People condemned to death are put in a crypt under the church to die.  Tires are slashed.  Capricorn’s henchmen shoot shotgun rounds at the escaping prisoners.  While Elinor is driving the escape car, she collides with a stone wall.  Farid is bitten by a marten (a furry creature) and his finger bleeds profusely.  Farid hits Flatnose in the forehead with a rock and knocks him unconscious.  Mo is bitten by a dog and his sleeve is covered in blood.  Eleanor holds a shotgun to Basta’s head and threatens to kill him.  Flatnose and Basta are gagged, tied up and the left in the hills.  Basta uses his knife to slit throats and gash faces.  Dustfinger’s face is scarred by Basta’s knife.  Basta cut a pattern into Dustfinger’s face when they both fancied the same girl.  Dustfinger pulls a knife on Mortimer.  Flatnose puts his hand over a woman’s mouth to keep her quiet and she dies.  Farid snares a rabbit and kills it. Farid recalls beatings by the thieves, “they beat me like a dog”.  Tresa and Dustfinger are held captive in dangling nets.  Meggie and Fenoglio are kidnapped by Basta and Flatnose.  Capricorn threatens to wrap “pretty little vipers” around loved one’s necks, he threatens, “You all love something…”.  Capricorn seeks the submission of all.  The Shadow submits to Capricorn.  The Shadow is immortal, invulnerable and as pitiless as Capricorn.   The Shadow kills many.  An execution is planned and they hope the executioner is good with the sword so it will be over quickly.  Meggie kicks Basta in the shins and he drags her back up the stairs by the hair.  Dustfinger has the opportunity to kill Basta and he nearly takes it as he runs the knife over Basta’s flesh.  Elinor punches Cockerell and bloodies his nose.  Mortimer a.k.a. Silvertongue hides in a shallow grave with skeletal remains.

Sexuality:  Capricorn refers to Meggie as a “pretty little thing” that will come in handy when she is a bit older.  Capricorn has women read out of books by Darius to take care of his  needs.  Basta likes to use snakes to scare women who reject his advances. 

Adult Themes:  Capricorn was subjected to abuse as a child.  “His father, a blacksmith, made him play with hot coals, and sometimes beat him as hard as he beat the iron he forged.  There were more blows if he said ‘I can’t’ or ‘I’ll never do it’.”  Arson.  A trusted authority figure, a policemen, brings escaped prisoners seeking help, back to their captor, Capricorn.  Inkheart is rife with betrayal.

Synopsis

The book’s title is Inkheart “because it’s about a man (Capricorn) whose wicked heart is as black as ink, filled with darkness and evil.”

Meggie is twelve years old.  She and her father, Mortimer, have been constantly on the move since she was three years old.  Mortimer is a book binder.  They are both avid book lovers and voracious readers.  Curiously, Mortimer has never read to Meggie aloud.  One night, an old acquaintance, Dustfinger loiters under the street light in front of their home.  He is invited inside and therein begins the adventure for Meggie.  The trio of Dustfinger, Mortimer and Meggie travel to great-aunt Elinor’s to hide.  Mortimer is found and taken captive by the villains.  Meggie, Elinor and Dustfinger then travel to Capricorn’s hide-out to convince him to free Mortimer.  Meggie’s eyes are opened to her father’s mysterious talent.  When Mortimer reads aloud, the story escapes from the pages of the book, and is transplanted into their world.  Meggie soon discovers that she also possesses the gift.  Meggie discovers how to use her imagination to save her family.

“Inkheart” the movie will be released Friday, January 23rd, 2009.  The movie will no doubt pale in comparison to the book.  They always do.  However, if  the movie is 2/3 what the book is, it will be a fantastic movie!  The bags under my eyes are ENORMOUS today, after reading this book into the wee hours of the morning.  The adventure was captivating!  I was disappointed by the survival of two of  the villians, Basta and Mortola.  However, their existence is a perfect segway into a sequel. 

FYI: Inkheart was first written in German and then translated into English.  The writing style is superb.  As a lover of the printed word, I found the inclusion of book binding history to be fascinating. 

1/27/09  We saw the movie last night and the plot drastically departs from the plot in the book.  My husband, children and I all enjoyed the movie, but it is very loosely based upon the book’s premise.  My children were surprised when I outlined the differences and now they would like the book read aloud to them.

©2009 The Literate Mother

 Language:1

Violence: 5

Sexuality: 4

Adult Themes: 2

Title: Eclipse – Twilight Series, Book 3

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Ratings Explanation

Language: Bella writes a note to Edward – “Screw the protecting me crap.”  She also demands, “What the hell is this all about?”

Violence:   A clash between the werewolves and the Cullen Coven as they try to capture Victoria who treads along the boundary between the Quileute Reservation and the Town of Forks.  Rosalie refers to Bella’s experience in Twilight, where Bella was cornered by four men that were planning to rape her, had Edward not rescued her.  Rosalie recounts her last human experience.  She was violently raped by her wealthy fiance’ and his cluster of friends.  One friend ”…looked me over like I was a horse he was buying.”  The five men raped Rosalie and left her in the street for dead.  Rosalie was rescued by Carlisle and transformed into a vampire.  Rosalie systematically killed all who had raped her.  Jacob’s hand gets sliced by a boning knife while doing dishes with Bella.  Vampires break into Bella’s home and steal belongings that have her scent on them.  The Newborn Vampire Army creates havoc in Seattle with hundreds of unexplained deaths.  Jasper recounts gruesome vampire wars in Mexico.  Bella attends a tribal council with Jacob, where the History of the Quileutes is recounted.  The history includes the vampire’s slaughter of their tribe.  The suicide sacrifice of Taha Aki’s wife, as well as the tribe’s metamorphisis into werewolf protectors.  Jacob physically forces himself upon Bella, kissing her.  Bella breaks her hand punching him in the jaw.  Victoria and Riley, evil vampires, fight Edward and Seth the Werewolf.  The werewolf rips Riley the vampire to pieces and dismembers his body.  Edward kills Victoria.  The Cullen Coven defeat the Newborn Vampire Army.   The Cullen Coven collect the pieces of the dismembered corpses of the vampires and burn them.  A Newborn Vampire girl survives the battle.  She cannot control her thirst.  The Volturi arrive and dispose of the girl.  

Sexuality:  Meyer’s describes the most innocent of kisses in a very slow, sensuous manner.  Charlie, Bella’s father asks her if they are having  sex.  Bella is mortified.  She has never been immoral.  Jacob Black and Edward are described in vivid detail.  ie.) “..six foot seven inches of Jacob’s long body, muscled up the way no normal sixteen-and-a-half-year -old ever had been.  I saw those eyes rake over his tight black t-shirt….”  Werewolves are imprinted to their mate.  They instantly know who their soul mate is when they see them.  Quil imprints when he sees a two year old girl.  (He will be her friend, until she is older and comes to the realization that they are mates.)  Edward tells Bella, “You look…sexy.” Edward lifts her onto a counter to kiss him.   Bella does not want to give up the human experience of sex.  She begins to take her clothes off the seduce Edward.  Edward tells Bella he will not have sex with her until they are married.  She gives him a hard time about protecting his virtue.  He will not back down.  He is protecting her virtue as well.  Bella freezes in a snowstorm.  Jacob has to be the one to warm her up, since werewolves are hot-blooded.  Edward is upset, but sees that he has to allow Jacob to climb in Bella’s sleeping bag to warm her up.  Jacob suggests Bella take her clothes off and she would warm up really fast.  Edward tells Jacob to control his thoughts.  (Edward can read other’s thoughts.)  Jacob and Bella share an intense first kiss. 

Adult Themes:  Bella lies to her father about where she is going so that she can spend the weekend with Edward.  Bella loves both Jacob and Edward.  She can envision her life with each of them.  She has to make a decision and live with the consequences. 

Synopsis

Bella and Edward are back to together again.  Bella laments the passing of time.  Each day is a day she will be older than her non-aging vampire boyfriend, Edward, who was transformed into a vampire, when he was just seventeen.  The last few months of high school rapidly pass as Bella anxiously awaits and woefully dreads graduation.  Bella’s human days are numbered.  She tries to live her final human experiences to the fullest.  Bella has decided that after graduation she will become a vampire; and she desires Edward to be the one to make her immortal.  Edward agrees, if and only if they are married first.  Bella ponders the consequences of her impending decision to become a vampire.  Most poignantly, the impact upon family and friends.  She is fearful of what she may become.

Bella discovers that she is torn between her love for Edward and surprisingly, her unrequited love for her best friend, Jacob.  She wishes she could be divided in two and live both lives.

Meanwhile, Victoria seeks revenge.   She has created an army of “Newborn Vampires”, who are ravaging the city of Seattle.  (Victoria was James, “ The Tracker’s” mate, from the first book, Twilight.  In Twilight, the Cullen Coven dismembered and burned James – the only way to kill a vampire; to save Bella’s life.)  The werewolves and the Cullen Coven unite to fend off the “Newborn Vampire” Army.  Edward and Jacob personally unite to protect Bella.  The Volturi, from book two, New Moon, also make a chilling appearance after the vicious battle is fought.

Meyer’s talent lies in capturing the intense emotions you experience in a first crush/first kiss/first love.  The soap opera quality of the Twilight Series hooks young and younger readers alike, as you consume the drivel to see ”What will happen next?”.   In book three, Bella is finally developing into a more mature character.  She thinks about the ramifications of her impending “immortal” decision.  What will be most identifiable to young readers will be Bella’s torn heart, between her “True Love”, Edward and her “Best Friend”, Jacob.  Bella will always wonder what her life would have been like had she chosen the other. 

Bella Swann, as a role-model to young women is extremely discouraging.  Bella has redeeming character traits.  Bella is a responsible teenager, who competently handles the running of a household.  She grocery shops, prepares meals, and does her laundry, in addition to being an A+ student.  Bella also expresses maturity in relationships with her peers. 

Although, Bella’s relationship with Edward is unhealthy.  Bella has low self-esteem.  (Most teenage girls will identify easily with this.)  Bella is extremely self-deprecating, and she frequently describes Edward as perfect.  She juxtaposes her woeful inadequecies next to his perfection in her thoughts and voice.  Bella constantly diminishes her self-worth and her frequent self- descriptive words are “ordinary” and “regular”. 

The underlying message is, “Bella is of exceptional value, as long as someone of the opposite sex loves her.”  Edward is perfection.  Bella reminds us of his perfection and how lucky she is to have him.  Never does she acknowledge that she deserves to have someone attractive love her.  All of Edward’s controlling behaviors are deemed acceptable, and forgiven, on the premise that he loves her.

Eclipse would definitely be a great book to open discussion regarding self-worth, as well as the importance of virtue in relationships.  Eclipse is more appropriate for high school age readers.

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 1

Violence:  3

Sexuality: 2

Adult Themes: 2

Title: New Moon

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Series: The Twilight Saga, Book 2

 Ratings Explanation

 Language: 7 instances of “hell” and 6 instances of “damn”.

 Violence: While at the Cullen’s home, Bella cuts her arm and is nearly attacked by Jasper. Edward defends her. Bella encounters Laurent in the forest, a vampire who would very  much like to kill Bella since she smells so good and the Cullens are not around to protect her. Werewolves patrol the forest, save Bella and kill Laurent. Victoria, the vampire mate of James, who Edward killed in Twilight, is stalking Bella. She wants to kill Edward’s mate since Edward killed her mate. Hikers disappear; killed by either Laurent or Victoria. Bella engages in self-destructive behavior in order to hear Edward’s voice in her head. She discovers that when she is in danger, he “speaks” to  her, although he is nowhere near. Bella then tries out motorcycle riding, ending in injuries, and cliff diving, nearly resulting in her drowning. After her near drowning, Edward thinks that Bella is dead and goes to Italy to ask the Volturi to kill him. While in Italy to save Edward, Bella witnesses a roomful of 40 or more tourists who are brought into the Volturi’s lair on a “sightseeing” tour. That, of course, ends poorly for the tourists who become dinner for the Volturi clan. Bella is especially affected by a small, dark woman with a rosary and a cross. As Bella, Edward, and Alice escape, they hear the tourists screaming.

 Sexuality: Edward is actually absent for most of the book, so there isn’t too much kissing, but some of it is a little intense. “…his lips became much more urgent, his free hand twisted into my hair and held my face securely to his. And, though my hands tangled in his hair, too, and though I was clearly beginning to cross his cautious lines, for once he didn’t stop me. His body was cold through the thin quilt, but I crushed myself against him eagerly. “After Edward returns, as in the first book, he stays in Bella’s bed with her most nights. In another scene, “I could feel his marble body against every line of mine.”

 Adult Themes: Bella is so distraught when Edward leaves that she can barely hold herself together. She abandons her other friends and just barely functions. Charley wants her to see a therapist, but she refuses. Jacob loves Bella, but to her he is only a best friend. She knows she is leading him on, but can’t stay away from him because he fills the void left by Edward. Alice steals two cars while in Italy. Bella deceives her father by having Edward in her room at night.

 Synopsis

In the second installment of the Twilight Saga, Bella and Edward are very much in love. An unfortunate accident in which Bella is nearly attacked by Edward’s “brother” Jasper, emphasizes the differences between them and the potential danger Bella is exposed to when she is around his vampire family. In an effort to protect her, Edward leaves Forks and abandons Bella. Alone and seriously depressed, Bella begins hanging out with Jacob, an old family friend. With Jacob’s help, Bella begins to heal from losing Edward, but Jacob has a dark secret of his own. When Edward  believes that Bella is dead, he goes to Italy to ask the Volturi to kill him. Only seeing Bella in the flesh will convince him that she is still alive, but the Volturi do not take kindly to humans who know their secret. Can they escape Italy alive and together?

With Edward gone, Bella is a mess. I worry a little that young girls will think that this is how you are supposed to feel, and act, when your boyfriend breaks up with you.

The story is a page turner. Of the four books, this one is probably the least sensual since Edward is gone for the majority of the book. Still, not a series for young girls. My recommended age is high school.

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 1

Violence: 4

Sexuality: 3

Adult Themes: 3

Title:  Twilight

Author:  Stephenie Meyer

#1 New York Times Bestseller

Ratings Explanation

Language: References to rapidly uttered profanities spoken by the vampires – unintelligible to the human ear.  Bella claims Forks is her personal hell.

Violence:  The preface foreshadows Bella’s hopelessness as the hunter saunters toward her to kill her.  A van hits ice in the school parking lot and slides toward her.  If not for Edward’s stealth, she would have been crushed.  Blood typing in science class.  Every student has to prick their finger with a lancet.  Bella has a nightmare of Jacob the Werewolf and Edward the Vampire squaring off to fight.  Bella researches vampires and discovers the Romanian Varacolaci, a powerful undead human being who could appear as a beautiful, pale-skinned human, the Slovak Nelapsi, a creature so strong and fast it could massacre an entire village in the single hour after midnight.  Bella takes a girl’s shopping trip to Port Angeles.  She leaves their company in search of a book store.  Bella is herded and surrounded by four raucous men in a deserted industrial area.  Bella is terrified and knows there is no escape.  Fortunately, she is saved by Edward.  Although, thanks to Edward’s mind-reading capabilities, it is obvious that Bella would have been a victim of rape.  Edward confirms that he is indeed a vampire.  He warns Bella not to go into the woods alone.  There are things far more dangerous than him out there.  Edward describes how vampires hunt their prey.  “….we give ourselves over to our senses….govern less with our minds.  Especially our sense of smell.”  Edward tells Bella that he could have easily killed her when they first met.  “There was only one other frail human there – so easily dealt with.”  Edward also recounts how he was turned into a vampire.  He recounts the grisly description of Carlisle’s transformation from human to vampire.  Violence recounted from the 1600’s - the deaths of many innocent people.  Carlisle attacks a deer and his thirst is quenched, he vows to drink the blood of animals and not humans.  James the tracker desires Bella’s blood.  Alice describes how to become a vampire to Bella.  The bite, the incapacitating venom, and the blood-lust that ensue.  James attacks Bella.  Bella receives a crushing blow to the chest, her head crunches into the mirrors.  James steps on her leg, snapping the bone.  The glass from the mirrors, rips her scalp open and the blood soaks her.  James bites her hand and the venom begins to spread.  James is destroyed, meaning, torn into pieces by the Cullen Coven of vampires and burned.

Sexuality:  Twilight is a very sensual book.  Every interaction between Bella and Edward is amplified and described in a slow, sensuous manner.  Edward is described in repetitive detail, denoting his beautifully chiseled marble face etc.  ie) “Again, the fabric clung to his perfectly muscled chest.  It was a tribute to his face that it kept my eyes away from his body.”  Edward watches Bella sleep each night.  Eventually, he sleeps holding her in his arms in her bed.  As Edward is in her room, Bella notes that her father is in the house.  Bella watches as a waitress coyly suggests to Edward “Isn’t there anything I can get you?”   Intense first kiss, with Bella’s human reaction lacking in self-control as she wraps herself around Edward.  Bella curiously asks if vampires can have sex.

Adult Themes: Vampires – The Cold Ones, Blood Drinkers.  Bella deals with the complications of divorced parents.  Bella’s mother lives with her boyfriend, Phil.  Bella deliberately and unnecessarily takes cold medicine to knock herself out – gratuitous drug use.

Synopsis

Isabella Swan is seventeen years old.  “Bella’s” parents are divorced.  Mid-school year, Bella chooses to move to Forks, Washington, where her father resides.  Bella’s father, Charlie, is a single father, who is also the Chief of Police.  Bella leads her mother to believe that she really wants to move to Forks, when she would rather stay in Phoenix.  However, Bella believes her mother will be happier traveling with her boyfriend, Phil, to Florida for Baseball Spring Training.  Phil is an amatuer baseball player, working toward his big break.  Bella sacrifices her comfort for her mother’s happiness.

Bella arrives in Forks with little enthusiasm for her new life.  She quickly begins to realize life in Forks will be anything but dismal.  Her father purchases a “historic truck” for her to drive – forty years new.  Bella is showered with male attention as the “new girl” at Forks High School.  She finds that her pale complexion is an asset in Forks, Washington.  Bella is unaccustomed to so much male attention.  She is mutually humored and stunned by the attempts for her attentions.

Bella experiences her “First Crush/First Love”, with Edward Cullen.  She experiences her first kiss, as well as the intense longings and desires that accompany first love.  Bella discovers that Edward is not just another high school student.  Edward and his “siblings”, are a coven of vampires, who pose as high school students in their quest for co-existence with humans.  They drink the blood of animals instead of humans in order to stave off their thirst for human blood.  Bella is cautiously introduced into Edward’s World  - A World of Vampires.  As Bella participates in a Cullen Family game of baseball, another coven of vampires happens upon the Cullens.  Bella, as the only human, has her life threatened.  James, the leader of the opposing coven is a “tracker”, a hunter, with an insatiable desire for Bella’s blood.  An intense game of ”Hunter and Prey” ensues as the Cullen’s conspire to keep Bella alive and out of James’ grasp.

I first read this book two years ago when a few twelve and thirteen year old girls in my neighborhood told me “I just had to read Twilight”.  I admit, I was intrigued by the plot.  I had to find out how a vampire/human relationship could ever work out.  Meyer’s writing style leaves much to be desired.  Her descriptions are repetitive and unimaginative.  The strength of Meyer’s lies is her ability to capture the intense emotions that a person experiences in their “First Crush/First Kiss/First Love”.  The love story of Bella and Edward is the intense draw for so many young women.  The unattainable uber-attractive male who is just as enamored with the average female as she is with him is a universal desire.  This resounds with every female.  As I re-read Twilight this month, I have been quite surprised to recently see so many 4th and 5th grade readers devouring the Twilight Series.  The Twilight Series is more appropriate for a 9th-12th grade “young adult” reader.  Twilight lends itself to discussing many issues with your young reader: personal safety, drug abuse, theft, honesty, defining self-worth, boundaries in relationships and early sexuality.

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 0 

Violence: 3 

Sexual Content: 0

Adult Themes: 0 

Title: The Magician

Author: Michael Scott

Series: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

Rating Explanation

Violence: The characters are attacked by a creature made of wax. There is a fight between Scatty and 12 French police officers.  She uses swords and nunchaku but there are no deaths. A komodo dragon-like ancient monster is loosed on Paris. It attacks the house where the characters are staying. Scatty fights it, but is finally carried off unconscious. There is sword fighting and fire attacks. The komodo dragon monster is stabbed with a sword several times. The characters descend into the catacombs of Paris, which are creepy, and meet Ares, the God of War. The gargoyles on Notre Dame are brought to life with magic and fight the twins and their friends. The twins destroy the army of gargoyles using their magic.

Synopsis

After narrowly escaping Dr. John Dee in Ojai, Nicholas, Sophie, Josh, and Scatty leave California via a ley line and emerge in Paris, the city Nicholas calls home. Perenelle is still imprisoned at Alcatraz and she and Nicholas continue to age one year for every day they cannot brew their immortality potion. They must retreive the Book of Abraham the Mage, but now the powerful Niccolo Machiavelli is on Dee’s side. Defeating them both to get the book will be nearly impossible. Nicholas still believes that Sophie and Josh are the twins of the prophecy and that together they are capable of anything, but first Sophie must learn the Magic of Fire and Josh’s powers must be awakened. There is only one in Paris who can awaken Josh, and there will be a price to be paid.

I really like this series. It is exciting and compelling with a great deal of action, yet it is not gory or inappropriate for younger readers. Both books have certainly held my interest and I am looking forward to the next book, The Sorceress, which will be released in May of 2009.

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 1

Violence: 5

Sexuality: 3 

Adult Themes: 4

Title:  House of the Scorpion

Author:  Nancy Farmer

National Honor Book/2003 Newbery Honor Book/Printz Honor Book

Ratings Explanation

Language:  Two of the words of profanity used throughout the book mean nothing to us, but are future words of profanity.  “Crotting” which means anything to do with “eejits”.  The other,”Eejits” are people, clones or animals who are injected with a drug that blunts their intelligence or have an implant in their brain.  They are not considered human.  They can do repetitive tasks, but cannot think for themselves.  ie.)If the eejits are not told to drink water, they will die of thirst.  There are minimal references to the Country of Opium as hell. 

Violence:  Matt as a six year old child breaks a glass window and climbs out.  Matt’s foot is sliced open.  He is taken to the Alacran Mansion, where he is gently cared for until they realize he is a clone.  Matt is then thrown out of the house onto the lawn and left for the day until he is discovered to be El Patron’s clone.  Matt is then locked up.  There is no bathroom.  He tries to urinate quietly and the bucket tips over.  Rosa threatens to kill Matt.  Rosa takes his clothes, the bathroom bucket and slowly starves Matt.  Rosa has sawdust thrown into the room – deep litter.  Matt throws an orange at Tom’s face.  Tom shoots Matt with a pea shooter.  Rosa is turned into an eejit when Matt is found malnourished with a skin condition.  Matt and the bodyguard, Tam Lin come upon a dead man lying in the field, a worker, who died of thirst.  The eejit is left in the field like a piece of trash.  Tom unsuccessfully tries to drown Maria’s dog, Furball.  Tom uses laudunum, which is opium dissolved in alcohol to kill Furball.  Furball’s death is blamed on Matt.  Tom takes Maria and Matt to the estate’s hospital where McGregor’s clone is strapped to a bed, writhing in pain.  His eyes and liver have been transplanted.  When the eejits die, they are turned into compost to fertilize the opium fields.  Felicia unleashes a venomous tirade to Tom how she wants to kill Matt.  Matt discovers the eejit pens, where they sleep in filth.  The eejits are exposed to carbon dioxide from the wastelands on still nights and are commanded to sleep in the fields, so they don’t die.  The army of bodyguards consists of wanted international criminals.  Tam Lin, El Patron’s personal bodyguard, was a Scottish Nationalist who accidentally blew up twenty kids on a school bus, instead of the Prime Minister and Prince Charlie in London.  Matt tries to escape when El Patron has a heart attack and needs a new heart.  Matt is tackled by a guard and strapped to a bed.  Matt is poisoned by Celia with foxglove and arsenic to make his heart too unstable to transplant – which saves his life.  Matt barely escapes the Farm Patrol into Aztlanos, formerly Mexico.  Fidelito recounts his parents being killed by the Farm Patrol’s stun guns.  The orphans are beaten for not producing enough each day.  They are fed plankton feed, which makes the boys sick and gives them skin conditions.  The Keepers are drug addicts and traffickers of laudunum.  Matt is beaten by a keeper and he and Chacho are thrown into the boneyard to die.  El Patron dies and determines that a toast to him be made at the wake with a special wine he has saved for the occasion.  The wine is poisoned and kills everyone but Tam Lin, Mr. Ortega, and Celia who decided not to toast the old man.  They are all buried with El Patron.  El Patron worshipped the Pharoahs of old, who were buried with their possessions. 

Sexuality:  Tom, a vicious boy, who torments Matt, is the son of a competing drug lord, MacGregor.  While Tom’s mother, Felicia, was married to El Patron’s great-grandson.  Felicia ran off with Macregor, only it didn’t work out because El Patron doesn’t like people taking his possessions.  El Patron had Felicia brought back to the Alacran Estate.  However, Felicia’s husband, Mr. Alacran, did not want Felicia back.  El Patron didn’t care.  Felicia was the Property of El Patron.  Rosa has a lover, Willum the Chief Doctor for the Alacran Household.  Maria, the young daughter of Senator Mendoza sneaks food to Matt and spends the night in the locked room. 

Adult Themes:  Human beings are cloned for transplants, or to be workers in the poppy fields. The minds of the clones are destroyed at birth.  The coyotes who smuggle Mexicans into the U.S. and vice versa lead the illegals straight to the Farm Patrol in the country of Opium, where they are injected and turned into eejits.  The eejits are essentially slaves to the Country of Opium.  The boys in Aztlanos are all orphans of parents who have been turned into eejits, while searching for a better life in the U.S. or Aztlanos.  The orphans are kept as slave workers by the Border Patrol in Aztlanos. 

Synopsis

One hundred years from now, Matteo Alacran’ will be harvested.  Matteo is a clone of El Patron, a powerful drug lord.  El Patron is the undisputed ruler of a new country called Opium, which lies on a narrow strip of land between what was once Mexico and the United States.  Matt’s first cells grew and divided in a petri dish.  The cells were then placed into the womb of a cow, where Matt grew from a fetus into a baby.  Matt is now like any other boy, except those in Opium do not consider him human.  He is considered a monster, an “eejit”.  Celia, a cook for El Patron, cares for Matt.  El Patron loves Matt, because Matt is El Patron.  In fact, Matt is the eighth El Patron clone to be born.  The other seven have been sacrificed for El Patron.  Their youthful organs transplanted into El Patron to enable him to live for nearly a century and a half. 

Matt struggles to understand his existence.  El Patron lavishes a privately tutored education upon Matt.  Matt’s perspective of the world changes as he sees the cruel reality of Opium.  Matt is continually threatened by the evil, power-hungry family, friends and army of bodyguards who surround El Patron and his amassed property.  They are all El Patron’s property.  Matt’s only chance of survival is to escape from the Alacran Estate in Opium.  His escape from Alacran is no guarantee of freedom.  Matt discovers his intense desire to live as he confronts adversity.

Ironically, the day I began reading this book, I was stung by a scorpion hiding in the sheets of my bed as I drifted off to sleep – one of the perils of living in a desert.  Farmer’s plot was innovative and intense.  This is one of the most powerful and thought-provoking books I have read.  The story is a coming-of-age story that weaves today’s ethical, scientific, political and socioeconomic issues into an amazing tapestry that becomes a powerful story of survival. 

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 1 

Violence: 2 

Sexual Content: 0 

Adult Themes: 1 

Title: The Alchemyst

Author: Michael Scott

Series: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

Rating Explanation

Language: One instance of profanity

Violence: There is an explosion in which creatures are destroyed. Fighting between humans, both mortal and immortal, and magical creatures. Many creatures are killed as is one person, but she’s not human.  Many of the magical creatures are quite creepy, some half-human and half-animal, “men” made from mud (Golems), wereboars (like werewolves, but boars) and skeletons and mummies. In one scene, the evil magician raises all of the dead from a cemetery and controls their skeletons to fight for him. Most of these are destroyed in the ensuing battle. Nicholas’s wife is kidnapped and held prisoner.

Adult Themes: For the most part, magic is fun to read about. I would say that is true for this book as well, but the bad guy in this book is a necromancer. To me, this is a little more creepy than your regular magic.

Synopsis

Josh and Sophie Newman are 15-year old twins spending their summer in San Francisco. They are average teenagers who work summer jobs, text their friends and listen to their ipods. But one summer day they stumble into a centuries old feud between two competing magicians. They discover that Josh’s boss, Nick, is the famous alchemist Nicholas Flamel and that he and his wife, Perenelle, are over 600 years old. Nick’s nemesis, Dr. John Dee, kidnaps Perenelle and steals the ancient book of Abraham the Mage. Nick needs Abraham’s book to brew their immortality potion because without it, he and Perry will age one year for each day they live. Time is literally running out for them. Abraham’s book also contains a prophecy about two who can either save or destroy the world. Could this prophecy refer to Josh and Sophie? Now the twins, Nick, and an ancient warrior, who is a vegetarian vampire, are on the run to escape John Dee, reclaim and book and rescue Perry.

I had a hard time putting this book down! Well written and full of interesting mythology, Scott left me ready to read the second book, The Magician. The third book in the series, The Sorceress, will be available in May of 2009.

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 0 

Violence: 3 

Sexuality: 0 

Adult Themes: 2 

Title:  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter Series – Book One

Author: J.K. Rowling

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  The story of Harry’s parents death is recounted.  Cousin Dudley is cursed with a pig’s tail.  A troll sneaks into Hogwarts and creates havoc.  Harry and Ron attempt to rescue Hermione and take on the troll.  Ron puts a spell on the troll’s club and it hits the troll on the head which knocks him out.  A baby dragon nips and bites fingers.  A three-headed monstrous dog scares Harry, Hermione and Ron and almost bites off Professor Snape’s leg.  Harry is nearly killed playing Quidditch, as he falls from the sky.  Hermione puts a “full body bind” spell on Neville and he falls to the floor.  A large plant, “Devil’s Snare” nearly suffocates Harry and Ron to death.  The Chess Queen knocks Ron unconscious with her stone arm.  The most chilling and violent scene is when Harry comes upon Voldemort, a “slithering shadow” as he has just killed the innocent, a unicorn.  Harry sees Voldemort lower his head over the wound in the animal’s side and drink its blood.  Harry encounters Voldemort again, who has taken over Quirrell’s body as they wrestle for the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Adult Themes:  Harry is grossly neglected by the Dursley’s.  Age old battle of good vs. evil.  The evil states there is no good vs. evil, only power and those too weak to see it.

Synopsis

Harry Potter is an orphan.  His parents were killed by the evil villian, Voldemort, while he was still a baby.  Harry is unaware of who he really is.  Professor Dumbledore leaves Harry, as a baby, on his relative’s doorstep, where he spends the first eleven years of his life living with his aunt, uncle and cousin.  The Dursley’s treat Harry horribly.  He is neglected.  He sleeps in a tiny closet at the bottom of the stairs.  On Harry’s eleventh birthday, he is hit with a barrage of letters informing him of his acceptance at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  His life changes as he attends Hogwarts and discovers who he really is – a famous child whom Voldemort could not kill.  Harry makes friends and enemies as he learns about the world of wizardry.  Harry has a chilling encounter with Voldemort as they vie for the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Each year, an entirely new group of children are introduced to reading the Harry Potter Series.  Ansel, my fourth grader, and I read this together aloud in a week’s time, by alternating paragraphs.   (Grab that glass of water.)  I found myself tempted to open the book while he was still at school.  This first book whet the appetite of both my young readers.  Unbeknownst to me, my first grader, Helena was often listening while playing in the same room.  We are currently reading book two aloud and Helena persistently asks when we can read the next chapter.  I believe I am now locked into reading the entire series aloud.  This first book was action packed and I thoroughly enjoyed Rowling’s sense of humor.

{FYI:  I have an unofficial tally of “orphan” hero’s and heroine’s in literature…..add this book to your own personal list.}

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 1 

Violence: 2.5 

Sexual Content: 3 

Adult Themes: 1 

Title: Breaking Dawn 

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Series: Twilight Series

Rating Explanation – I cannot explain the ratings without giving certain parts of the book away. So if you haven’t read the book and want to be surprised, skip these explanations.

Language: 15 common swear words

Violence: A description of children who, long ago, were turned into vampires. These children were uncontrollable and bloodthirsty. Werewolves kill and eat a deer. Several descriptions of vampires hunting animals and drinking their blood. One vampire is ripped apart and burned (the only way to kill a vampire). Fairly intense birth of a baby, but not your average birth, this one involves lots of broken bones and a vampire’s teeth acting as a scalpel. I’m not sure where to put this bit of information, but Bella, as a human, drinks human blood for her baby.

Sexual Content: One make-out scene on the night before Bella and Edward’s wedding – kissing, legs entwining. Honeymoon description is not explicit, but there is also no doubt about what is going on. After their first night together they discuss the bruises Bella received from their human-vampire encounter. Edward is reluctant to have sex with her again because he is afraid he will hurt her more. Bella is persistent that they continue practicing.

Once Bella becomes a vampire, she has an insatiable sex drive. There aren’t any racy descriptions of their sexual relations, but I would say that overall the book is quite sensual.

Adult Themes: While Bella is pregnant some of the characters think aborting the baby would be best since they do not know exactly what the offspring of a vampire and a human will become. Bella is always resolute about keeping the baby.

Synopsis

In the final book of the Twilight Series, Bella Swan will finally make an eternal decision. She must choose once and for all between the immortal vampire Edward and the werewolf Jacob. Her choice will decide her fate for eternity.

After slogging through the first three books in this series I was glad that Bella’s story was finally going to be over. I am not a huge Twilight fan but I did want to see how everything turned out.  The first half of the book was long, a little slow, and irritating because of Bella’s dependence on Jacob. But once Bella became a vampire I actually really enjoyed the second half of the book. As Bella said herself, she was born to be a vampire and I liked her much better as an immortal beauty than as a clumsy and indecisive human. The ending is a little too tidy with everyone getting exactly what they want, but I guess after all she’s been through Bella deserves a happy ending.

I know many young girls who have read this series, but I personally would not recommend it for anyone younger than high school age because of the sexuality and violence.

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 1

Violence: 2

Sexual Content: 0

Adult Themes: 1 

Title: The Last Dragon

Author: Silvana De Mari

Rating Explanation

Violence: Soldiers shoot arrows at characters but they escape. There is talk about a hanging. A fight between an elf and soldiers ends with one soldier killed. Dragon is killed with arrows while protecting his friends.

Adult Themes: Dragon drinks beer, gets drunk and has a hangover

Synopsis

Yorsh is the last elf on earth and he must find the last dragon to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Helped by human friends, Yorsh finds the dragon and learns about sacrifice and friendship.

I thought the book was a little slow at first, but it picked up and I ended up enjoying it.

©2009 The Literate Mother