Books Read in January

[orangerful]

The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Wow, Disney really did butcher this series, didn't they? I'm glad that Tim made me read them and I am looking forward to the next 3 in the Pyrdain Chronicles. I was surprised by how INTENSE the last few chapters were, with actual threats to our heroes lives and one character going off the deep end in a big way. Wow. Great for fans of the LotR movies who might not be ready to read those books, but want a good fantasy series.



Star Wars: Jedi Academy by Jeffrey Brown

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a cute idea but it never quite pulled me in the way that "Origami Yoda" did. Both of them want to be a Star Wars Wimpy Kid but Roan's story was missing...something. I'm wondering if it is because this was the first in the series and so many introductions had to happen and setting up the whole Jedi Academy plot line. I might pick up book 2 and see if it has a little more to it.

I did REALLY like that Brown has, as the final page in the book, instructions for how readers can start their own journal like Roan's. He encourages them to draw and paste in newspaper articles etc.

I would recommend this to late elementary school aged Star Wars fans. I think anyone older would probably enjoy the The Strange Case of Origami Yoda series more, but this could tide them over while waiting for Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue: An Origami Yoda Book to be released.



A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel by Hope Larson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I've never read the original book but I thought this graphic novel was very accessible and it did make me want to read the other books in the series. I have been a fan of Hope Larson's art style since I happened to pick up 'Mercury' randomly one day. I really like the whole feel of it. The blue-gray-black color scheme worked well too.

I think reading this as a graphic worked best when it came to explaining all the mathematical theories behind the tesseract and time travel.

Would definitely recommend this to someone who is a fan of Doctor Who and other science fiction/fantasy stories with lots of weird but also lots of heart.



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Boxers by Gene Luen Yang

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I know absolutely nothing about the Boxer Rebellion so Yang's "Boxers & Saints" is really the introduction to this part of history for me. I haven't read "Saints" yet though, so I'm not quite sure how fair it is to review this book alone. But I loved "Boxers". Beautifully drawn and easy to understand. I will post more once I have read "Saints".



Saints by Gene Luen Yang

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I finished this in one sitting. It really is the companion to "Boxers", you shouldn't try to read it on it's own because there will be several parts that don't quite make sense. The ending, particularly, won't pack as much punch if you haven't read "Boxers".

This book wasn't exactly what I was expecting but I still enjoyed it. While "Boxers" focused on one boy but ultimately gave you a view on why a group of Chinese wanted to rebel against the "foreign devils" and their religion, "Saints" is all about Four-Girl/Vibiana and I don't know if it really explains why so many other Chinese converted to Christianity during this time, which by the end of "Boxers" I was really curious about.

I liked the story though and it was an interesting look at the other side of this conflict.



Year of the Jungle by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


3.5 stars

I'm not sure what to do about this book. I'm not sure who to give it to. But it was an interesting peek into Collins' childhood. I really liked the art style too. It would be a good conversation starter for kids who are becoming aware of the news going on around them.

...but I'm still not sure who I would actually give this book to...



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Comments

[poniesandphotos.livejournal.com]

I somehow missed that they made the Chronicles of Prydian a film. I read the books when I was much younger, I remember liking them. Now I'm curious.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

Don't do it. I remember liking "Black Cauldron" when I was a kid and i checked out the DVD from the library back when it was finally released "from the vault" and it was PAINFUL. It is in the list of movies that almost destroyed the Disney animation studio. And it's completely unfaithful to the books.

[ekaterin24.livejournal.com]

Both Boxers and Saints are high on my "to-read" list--our system hasn't gotten them in yet 8-(

The original "A Wrinkle in Time" was one of the books that got me into reading science fiction and fantasy (it's sort of both). I read an excerpt and thought Larson's art was just right, and her adaptation kept the soul of the book. Your review tells me that's true throughout. I must try it one day.

[pleasant-valley.livejournal.com]

I love reading posts! :) I'm really nosy when it comes to what other people read. *lol*

The original version of A Wrinkle in Time has been on my must-read list for ages.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

oh good, this encourages me to actually DO these posts LOL. Sometimes I get it in my head that I am going to write well thought out reviews for ALL the books I read and end up writing...nothing. So I figure a quick list is better than nothing! :D

I am going to try to find the two Sherlock short stories that the last episode of Series 3 was based on, I feel like I should read some Sherlock but not sure if I can commit to a full book right now.