Bibliophile Support Group

Another throwback review this week! This one was posted originally in July 2009 and is still one of my favorites! Here ya go: Eyes Like Stars in the first book by Lisa Mantchev in the Theatre Illuminata trilogy. Bertie lives on a stage. Her friends are fairies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream . Her crush is Nate, a pirate from The Little Mermaid . And her childhood friend and now frenemie is Ariel, a hunky spirit from The Tempest . That’s right. On the stage Bertie lives on, all those characters from all those plays? They’re alive and bursting with drama. And not just the characters from Shakespeare. Every single play that has ever been written is represented in The Book. The Book that makes all of this possible. The Book that creates the magic. But Bertie isn’t one of these characters; the theatre has taken her in, with a rather murky explanation as to why. It is her home. The only place she knows. However, Bertie isn’t the most gracious of guests. She can’t seem...

Feeling Sorry for Celia is a YA contemporary novel by Jaclyn Moriarty. Elizabeth’s best friend Celia has gone missing… again. She has a habit of taking off due to her “free spirit.” Which is really quite inconvenient. Elizabeth’s father has announced that he will be staying in Australia for the next year, rather than Canada – meaning lots of father/daughter time. Again, quite inconvenient. In the meantime, Elizabeth’s mother is so busy that they tend to correspond with each other entirely through notes on the fridge. So though Elizabeth initially finds her English teacher’s homework to start writing actual, real letters (to rekindle the “Joy of the Envelope”) to a stranger at another school quite ridiculous, soon she finds herself telling this stranger more about herself than most know. Entirely written in the form of letters – either to/from her pen pal at the other school or from silly invented societies like “The Association of Teenagers,” Feeling Sorry fo...

The Lost Track of Time is a debut middle grade novel by Paige Britt. With her mind full of ideas and bursting with imagination, Penelope has aspirations of being a writer. Yet her mother’s plans for her are quite different – and every minute of Penelope’s days are scheduled and planned, leaving no time for her dreaming since she must use time to be “productive.” But when the unexpected happens – a hole in her schedule lasting an entire day! – Penelope somehow falls into it. Suddenly she is in a wonderful place called the Realm of Possibility that is being destroyed by the Clockworkers, led by the villain Chronos. Thrust into a position where her imagination is desperately needed, Penelope begins an adventure like no other – looking to find the Great Moodler, the one person that can save the Realm of Possibility and answer her many, many questions. The Lost Track of Time was a charming, intelligent, warm novel of brilliant wordplay! Anyone who is familiar with my reading ha...

A World without Princes is the second book in the middle grade fantasy trilogy The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani. As you may recall from my review of The School for Good and Evil , I absolutely LOVED book one. I strongly, strongly suggest reading these books in order. If you have not done so already – run, don’t walk, to a copy of The School for Good and Evil. In the meantime, avoid this review of book two for potential spoilers of book one. If, however, you have devoured The School for Good and Evil already – feel free to proceed in learning about A World without Princes . Best friends Sophie and Agatha have returned to their hometown of Gavaldon to live out their Happily Ever After. But things don’t seem as perfect as they expected… When Agatha secretly wishes she chose a different happy ending – with Tedros – she inadvertently reopens the gateway from Gavaldon to the School for Good and Evil. And it’s not at all the way they left it. Inextricably changed...

The School for Good and Evil is a middle grade fantasy novel by Soman Chainani. And oh my gosh it is sooooooooooooo good!!!!!! In the village of Gavaldon, it has become an accepted truth that once every four years two children are kidnapped – only to appear in mysteriously delivered fairytale books later on. Their faces are clearly seen in the illustrations – some the heroes, some the villains. Of course, many an adult has tried to resist such a ridiculous idea. Yet it is difficult to deny that it seems these children are being taken to be featured in new fairytales. Sophie, the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, is ready when the next four-year mark comes. She is prepared to be a princess, marry a prince and continue to wear as much as pink as she can. Her best friend, Agatha, isn’t too thrilled at the idea though. Not only does she think the idea of being whisked away to a fairytale is ridiculous – she doesn’t want to lose Sophie. With her off putting, antisocial personality...

Coraline is a middle grade contemporary fantasy by Neil Gaiman. Perhaps you’ve already read Coraline . Perhaps you are wondering, “How on earth could a self-proclaimed bibliophile have not yet read this modern classic?” Perhaps I am wondering the same thing. Yet this is an issue that has been rectified! In Coraline’s new flat there is a door that when opened reveals nothing but a wall of bricks. Yet being the young adventurer she is, Coraline tries it again another day and instead finds it is an entrance to another house – a house just like hers but better. Instead of always working and being very busy, these new versions of her parents want to spend time with her and want her to stay with them on this side of the door. Coraline, though, wonders why. There appears to be something sinister and secretive beneath the improved surface of this mirror house – and Coraline will have to use her wits and her nerve to save herself. I can’t say my summary of the premise of Cora...

The Color of Magic is the first book in the bestselling Discworld fantasy series by Terry Pratchett. On the back of a giant turtle stands four enormous elephants and on the back of those elephants the Discworld is balanced. As the giant turtle hurtles through space, the inhabitants of the Discworld live a life not grounded so much in logic as much as illogic. One of those inhabitants is Rincewind – a wizard to the most minimal degree, having been thrown out of the Unseen University after absorbing one of the original spells of creation entirely by accident. When his path crosses with Twoflower – a tourist with Luggage that walks by his side on multiple legs – he is pressed upon to act as a tour guide. A tourist is something entirely new to Discworld – after all, why on earth would someone want to see the sights when the sights are as unwelcoming, violent and ridiculous as they are? Two answers: adventure and lunacy. I have long heard of Terry Pratchett – and being a lov...

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy is the second book in the YA teen spies-in-training series Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter. To avoid any spoilers, you’ll want to have read the first book I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You before you read this review. Deal? Returning to school after having to give up her civilian boyfriend, Josh, Cammie is hoping to be fully distracted by her spy skills training to think of him – or that he is just outside the highly secure walls of the Gallagher Academy. Alas, her troubles with the male gender have not ended it seems. For a long time, there has been supposition that there must be a boy-version of the Gallagher Academy out there somewhere … Then the code name Blackthorne starts being thrown around – during some innocent eavesdropping on her mother the headmistress, ahem – and a wing of the Academy is being prepped for guests – determined after some just-as-innocent reconnaissance. Blamed for security breaches that – t...

Knocked Out By My Nunga-Nungas is the third entry in the sidesplitting contemporary YA series Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison. As always with a series, it’s best to read the books in order and best not to read the reviews until you’ve read the prior book. Therefore… YOU’VE BEEN WARNED. After a rather disastrous attempt to make Sex God Robbie jealous after he broke things off between them due to her “being too young”, they are now officially an item. But yet again her family of crazy people are determined to ruin everything. Why not a sudden vacation in Scotland?! Um, maybe because there’s nothing to do but look at old men in kilts and hang out with the young crowd in a GROCERY STORE?!?!? But upon return home, Georgia is struck with an odd revelation. Though she is in Snog Heaven with gorgeous Robbie, her prior only-dated-to-make-Robbie-jealous flame Dave the Laugh is looking marvelous. Not to mention their attractive new French teacher. Apparently...

I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You is the first in the YA contemporary spy school series Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter. As a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, Cammie has espionage in the blood. Her mother is the headmistress and her father’s life in the spy scene cost him his life. Now she’s “the Chameleon”, great at blending in and utilizing the academic education she is receiving – which isn’t what the town’s impression of a snooty girl’s boarding school is. Instead, Cammie and her friends are taught advanced martial arts, how to assimilate into various cultures, different languages and accents and so on and so forth. Essentially, a training ground for genius girls meant to be future spooks. But despite knowing how to kill someone with her bare hands and what is the latest in chemical warfare science, Cammie has no idea what to do when an ordinary boy talks to her like she’s an ordinary girl. Is it possible to enter into a r...

On the Bright Side, I’m Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God is the second book in the raucous British YA contemporary Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series by Louise Rennison. For maximum hoots and haws, I recommend reading this series in order – which means starting with Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging . If you haven’t yet read that first hysterical entry in the series – not only do I feel pity for you but I also warn you that this review may include potential spoilers of the first book. You have been warned. Just when Georgia has finally snagged Robbie the Sex God with her wily charms, her Mum announces that they will be joining her father in New Zealand – which may help to prevent Georgia’s Mum from embarking on an affair that she sees all too clearly – but is also very, very bad because she doesn’t want to leave the Sex God and go through snogging withdrawal. Not to mention hot steam apparently shoots out of the ground in New Zealand. Not marvy. With all of that ...

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging is a YA contemporary humor novel, and the first of the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson , by Louise Rennison. A long time ago I read And Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers , which is the 6th book in this series, as I had won it in a contest. Even though it was smack dab in the middle of the series I was immensely entertained and I am FINALLY getting the chance to read ALL the books in the series in correct order. Georgia is your average fourteen-year-old girl in England – nothing abnormal to see here. Yeah, right. Her cat Angus’s favorite pastime is to round up the neighbors small dogs and terrorize them. Her little three-year-old sister is at times adorable and other times pees in her room. In fact, there could be pee somewhere in her room right now . And, finally, upon deciding her eyebrows were furry terrors, she accidentally shaved them off. Whoops! But then she meets the Sex God – dazzling, older boy that makes her heart a-tremble...

Warm Bodies is, essentially, a zombie story – but so much more – by Isaac Marion. R doesn’t remember his name – none of his fellow Dead do. They don’t remember much of anything about their former lives, actually. He lives with a large hive of zombies in an abandoned airport, riding the conveyor belt, listening to Sinatra and calling an old 747 his home. Each day passes by in a blur. Then during a hunt, he meets a girl. A living girl – named Julie. Against all reason, instead of snacking on her brain, R takes Julie captive – but she becomes his hesitant guest. For some reason, R doesn’t want to eat Julie (well, most of the time) – he wants to protect her and try to talk to her (extremely difficult for zombies). Something is changing… Warm Bodies was INCREDIBLE!!! I was recommended it and I am so glad! Warm Bodies has moments that are shocking, sometimes gory, yet also surprisingly humorous, incredibly original and undeniably likable. It’s touching, dark and str...

The Well of Lost Plots is the third book in the book lover’s fantasy series Thursday Next by Jasper Fforde. Though it’s been said that these books stand well on their own – I still STRONGLY recommend reading them in order. That means The Eyre Affair first, Lost in a Good Book second and THEN The Well of Lost Plots . To avoid any potential spoilers for the first two books, I also recommend not reading this review unless you’ve read the prior novels. Deal? After burning some serious bridges at her Spec Ops-27 Literary Detective job, being pursued by the power-mad Goliath Corporation and continuing to carry the child of a husband that no longer exists, Thursday had to get away. Where better to get away than inside a book? Being one of the rare individuals that has entered BookWorld as a non-fictional character, Thursday has been granted permission to participate in the Character Exchange program – allowing a character in the unpublished Caversham Heights go on holiday while T...

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is a middle grade fantasy for all ages by Catherynnne M. Valente. Twelve-year-old September has gotten rather tired of the sameness of each day – washing the same dishes, sleeping on the same pillow, etc. That is why she leaps at the chance to go to Fairyland when the Green Wind and his flying leopard extend an invitation. Adventure at last! Yet Fairyland is in turmoil – things are not as they once were now that the evil Marquess is ruling after the suspicious disappearance of the beloved Queen Mallow. With the help of a dragon-like creature who has memorized A-through-L of the encyclopedia and a blue boy who is almost, but not quite, human – September will try to restore Fairyland back to its former glory. Days after finishing The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making I am still thinking about it! The prose and plot is astonishingly rich in its cleverness, inventiveness and beaut...

Unmade is the third book in the YA contemporary supernatural trilogy The Lynburn Legacy by Sarah Rees Brennan. This is a phenomenal, emotional trilogy that you MUST read in order!!! Therefore, feel free to check out my review of the first book Unspoken here and the second book Untold here . But whatever you do – DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW UNTIL YOU’VE READ THE FIRST TWO BOOKS! Understand?!? I’m trusting you!!! An only recently severed psychic link connected Kami and Jared their entire lives – creating a bond that was indescribable to others. Half the time they thought they were crazy – but oh how they relied on it. When Kami and Jared came face to face in Kami’s small, English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale, the shock of realizing they were both real, flesh-and-blood people nearly tore them apart. Now, Kami is left heartbroken as Jared is missing – and everyone is telling her he must be dead. She’s sure she would know if he were dead… wouldn’t she? During the months of...

The Bride Wore Size 12 is an adult contemporary mystery humor novel by Meg Cabot – and the fifth book in the Heather Wells series. To fully enjoy the series in order read the books as such: Size 12 is Not Fat Size 14 is Not Fat Either Big Boned Size 12 and Ready to Rock The Bride Wore Size 12 Got it? Now, if you haven’t read books one through four yet – don’t read this review! It’ll contain spoilers of the earlier books!!! Established Heather Wells fans, read on: Preparing for incoming freshman at New York College as the assistant director of Fischer Residence Hall – a.k.a. Death Dorm – is almost as exhausting as planning a wedding at the Plaza. Heather wants nothing more than for everything to go smoothly. Then an attractive junior turns up dead in her room. Tragic? Absolutely. Murder? Heather certainly hopes not. Yet Heather’s rather skilled observational talents and nose for trouble is starting to wonder… In the meantime, Heather’s mother shows up - the m...

Blackfin Sky is a YA contemporary paranormal debut novel by Kat Ellis. Blackfin is a town where strange things happen. People don’t blink at the abnormal and townsfolk don’t question the unexplained. Yet when Skylar Rousseau heads into school one day and finds everyone staring at her in utter shock – due to the fact that apparently they all saw her dead and buried three months ago – she believes things have gotten a lot stranger. Sky has no memory of dying – in fact, she remembers life as usual for the last three months. She can’t deny, though, that she’s the only one with this perspective. Every single other person in Blackfin is astounded to see her – and for once, they are asking questions. As Sky finds herself beginning to have odd, vivid dreams about a grimy circus in the middle of the woods, she knows that something is up. She becomes determined to find out what has happened to her. Her need to unravel the truth about herself – it just may unravel other truths abou...

The Phantom Tollbooth is a classic children’s/middle-grade fantasy novel by Norton Juster. How have I never heard of this book until recently??? All I can say is THANK YOU to a bookish bud that told me about the GEM!!! Have YOU heard of The Phantom Tollbooth ? Have YOU read it? Milo finds little interest in any place he’s at when he’s there or anything he’s doing when he’s doing it. When Milo finds a tollbooth in his room one day, he decides to go ahead and drive through it in his little electric car – if only because he’s got nothing better to do and this is certainly something different. For once, though, where he ends up doesn’t have him thinking about leaving. Milo finds himself in a world that’s very different from his own – meeting the residents of the Doldrums, being at a market of words at Dictionopolis, taking a look over Point of View, jumping to the Island of Conclusions – and much, much more. As he embarks on an adventure for the ages – involving a daring r...

When Did You See Her Last? is the second middle-grade amusing mystery novel in Lemony Snicket’s All the Wrong Questions series. If you haven’t read Who Could That Be at This Hour? the second book may be confusing to you, as it does have follow-up and a continued storyline. So I’d recommend reading the books in order! Nearly thirteen years old and graduated from an enigmatic school, Lemony Snicket finds himself still in the nearly empty town of Stain’d-by-the-Sea and still apprenticed to the crazy-haired S. Theodora. When a request comes in to investigate the disappearance of a young, brilliant chemist named Cleo Knight who also happens to be the daughter of the wealthy family of Ink Inc. fortune, Lemony and S. Theodora are on the case. But sightings of Cleo taking off in a taxi and advising she was off to join the circus have come in, and S. Theodora calls it a closed case. Yet Lemony is most definitely not certain of that. After all, there is the issue of Cleo’s expensive...