BookPikks

I’ve always loved a good “survival” story.  When I was younger it was The Boxcar Children, Swiss Family Robinson and My Side of the Mountain.  Later, it was The Postman; Into the Forest; Memory Boy; Tomorrow, When the War Began, and many others.  There’s just something about people defying the odds and thriving in the midst of tragedy and disaster that makes for great reading.  And the minute details about how the characters gathered food/made shelter/found clothes?  I love those parts!

I was hoping that The Compound would be another great survival story to add to the list.  Well it did have the minute details about food, shelter and clothing that made me happy.  But the story overall wasn’t great.  In the face of a nuclear attack, Eli and his family are quickly moved underground into a state of the art shelter, prepared by his billionaire father.  After 6 years of living underground, Eli has grown from a scared 9 year old boy to a questioning teenager.  He starts to suspect that his father isn’t telling him the truth about everything, and goes searching for answers.  It’s an interesting premise, but the rest of the story is convoluted and strange.  The ins and outs of why the “bad guys” did what they did just don’t make much sense.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Sumiko and her family are forced to abandon their thriving flower business, and are sent to live in an internment camp on an Indian reservation in the Southwest.  In the dry desert sand, Sumiko feels lost.  It is only when she plants a garden and makes a friend that hope for the future grows again.

After absolutely loving the first book I read by George - Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow - I had high hopes for Dragon Slippers, and I was not disappointed.  Dragon Slippers targets a slightly younger audience (late elementary/middle school), yet is such a phenomenal story that readers of all ages will enjoy it.

Creel and her brother are orphans, being reluctantly cared for by their poor aunt and uncle.  When Creel’s aunt devises a scheme to get Creel a dowry and a rich suitor, Creel feels she has no choice but to go along with the plan.  Unfortunately, the plan involves a dragon.  Creel doesn’t get either a dowry or a suitor from her dragon encounter.  What she does get is a pair of shoes, a trip out of town to seek her fortune, and a chance to save her country.  Creel is a fabulous heroine, and can proudly take her place among the great heroines of fantasy literature such as Ella,  the Goose Girl, and Miri.  I’m eagerly awaiting a chance to read the sequel, Dragon Flight, and I expect that it won’t be long before we see George’s movies appearing on the big screen.

“The lass” is the youngest of the poor woodcutter’s nine children.  At her birth, she was not even given a name, since she was just another useless daughter.  The lass is a kind girl, and loves most of all to spend time with her oldest brother, Hans Peter, learning the meaning of the mysterious signs that he carves over and over.  When she is given the gift of understanding animals, the lass is content in her life, until one night, a huge bear shows up, asking her to come live with him in his castle for a year and a day.  In return, her family will be made rich.  The lass goes to live with the bear in his enchanted castle, full of enslaved servants, mysterious carvings, and unanswered questions.

George’s retelling of the Nordic fairy tale, “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” is fabulous.  George became passionate about all things Norwegian when she was just a girl, and this passion infuses her book with realistic details.  The details and changes that she makes to the original story only make it more exciting and believable.  This book can proudly take its place amongst the finest of fairy tale retellings.

Bunce’s debut novel is a fantastic addition to the world of fairy tale retellings.  Mixing historical fact, fantasy, romance, and a suspenseful ghost story with the retold tale of Rumplestiltskin results in a tale that’s hard to put down!

Upon the death of their father, Charlotte Miller and her sister Rosie find themselves responsible for their family’s woolen mill.  Although the girls are skilled in their trade and eager to work, they find themselves fighting a losing battle to keep their mill.  Strange accidents, bad luck, unexpected debts and rumors of an ancient curse plague their family business.  Out of desparation, the girls make a deal with a mysterious man who appears to magically save the day.  But the price of his help, which at first comes cheap, soon threatens those they cherish most.