Published: May 07, 2008 03:24 pm            

Good Reads: Books 5-7-08

EDMOND — ‘CORYDON & THE FALL OF ATLANTIS’

by Tobias Druitt

In this action-packed sequel to “Corydon & the Island of Monsters,” mother-and-son writing duo Diane Purkiss and Michael Dowling (writing under the pen name of Tobias Druitt) spin another mythological adventure starring Corydon, an unassuming, young goat herder who has the body of a boy and hooves for feet and whose fierce loyalty to this fellow monsters sends him on a dangerous journey.

When the stoic, peace-loving Minotaur is captured and taken from the quiet island of Monsters, Corydon and his fellow beasts — Medusa’s son Gorga, the winged sisters Euryale and Sthenno, the five-headed Lady Nagaina and Snake-Girl — set off to rescue him. They are convinced he has been taken to the legendary, far-away city of Atlantis. As they travel and narrowly escape dangers, the monsters draw closer to Atlantis and to an epic battle between Gods, a battle in which the monsters may be mere pawns.



‘DON’T TOUCH MY HAT!’

by James Rumford

Sheriff John is a lawman in the wild, wild West sending robbers and rustlers galloping out of town. Not only are scoundrels intimidated by his badge and his gun, but Sheriff John knows his 10-gallon hat makes an impression, too. But can Sheriff John still keep order when he doesn’t have his hat?

“Don’t Touch My Hat!” is the perfect picturebook for reading aloud with its repeating, “don’t touch my hat!” refrain. The western setting and cowboy characters are appealing to both girls and boys and readers young and old alike.



‘AM I RIGHT OR AM I RIGHT?’

by Barry Jonsberg



“Am I Right or Am I Right?” is a fresh, funny, big-hearted novel about Calma Harrison, a young woman who must figure out how to start new after learning things are not always as they seem.

Calma is a bright, eccentric, 16-year-old loner who loves English lit. Calma doesn’t like to over-react, but when her long-absent father turns up, she wants to leave town. It’s been five years since he left town with a barmaid, and Calma isn’t ready to forgive him. To make matters worse, her mother seems to be keeping a secret from her, and her best friend, Vanessa, has a huge problem.

Still, life’s not all bad. Calma gets a job at the local supermarket, Crazi-Cheep, in hopes of making Jason, the gorgeous checkout boy, her boyfriend. At school, Calma’s new English teacher, Miss Moss, is the best teacher she ever had and her class helps Calma improve her writing.

But in spite of these good things, Calma’s life seems to be falling apart. Her relationship with her mom is increasingly strained, and her dad won’t leave her alone. Calma knows it’s up to her to fix everything once and for all.



‘HARMLESS’

by Dana Reinhardt

What was the last lie you told? Was it a harmless little lie? What happens when a simple lie spirals out of control? Dana Reinhardt’s chilling novel explores what happens when a lie takes on a life of its own. “Harmless” will keep readers thinking about truth and consequences long after they finish the last page.

Anna, Emma and Mariah concoct a story about why they break curfew one Friday night. It’s a brilliant idea. The story they come up with causes their parents to replace their initial anger with concern. “There was a man. He had a knife. He attacked us down by the river.” Once the story, the lie, is told, the girls just have to stand by it. No matter what.

When the police get involved and the town demands an arrest, their lie takes on a life of its own. What happens next challenges the girls’ friendship, their community, their relationships with their families, and most importantly their sense of themselves. This provocative story is told from their alternating viewpoints and raises complex questions about truth and lies.



‘THE NAVIGATOR’

by Eoin McNamee

In his children’s novel, “The Navigator,” McNamee delivers a layered sci-fi adventure featuring a young boy named Owen, who suddenly finds himself alone in a world where time is flowing backward. With his house, his mother and life as he knows it is gone, Owen joins the Resisters, a group of humans living in the old, abandoned Workhouse in which he used to find refuge.

Owen is joined by an impressive girl Resister name Cati, and together, the two fight to vanquish mankind’s ancient enemies, the Harsh, and to restore time. “The Harsh long for emptiness, for cold nothingness,” McNamee writes. But the longer Owen stays with the Resisters, the more he learns about his important role in this age-old battle and about his father’s mysterious and controversial death years ago.



‘UNEVERSAURUS’

by Professor Potts

Children everywhere are captivated by dinosaurs — from their size and shape, and color of their skin, to the fossils that remain to be discovered. But how are they to know what a dinosaur really looks like if they’ve never seen one before? In “Uneversaurus,” Professor Potts explores this question in a way that will change how children look at dinosaurs and teach them to think like scientists.

Professor Potts takes children on a colorful investigation of what is known and what one can only guess about the reptiles that they love, but have never seen. He begins with the fossils that archaeologists dig up and the process of putting the pieces together to create a complete skeleton. The exploration then turns to what their skin looked like and how their muscles moved.

With colorful cartoon illustrations, Professor Potts’ inquisitive voice, and input from the dinosaurs themselves, “Uneversaurus” encourages children to put on their thinking caps and exercise their imagination. Offering a fresh perspective on a curriculum favorite, “Uneversaurus” provides teachers with a new and interesting way to present the subject.



‘FEELS LIKE HOME’

by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo

“Feels Like Home” is a compelling coming-of-age story that explores the tragedies that shape a young woman. Steeped in Texan and Mexican-American culture, Charlton-Trujillo’s novel opens readers’ hearts to a young girl facing heartache, betrayal and death.

Mickey Owens has two good things in her life: her football star big brother, Danny, and their beat up copy of The Outsiders. But when a high school prank goes terribly wrong, Danny abandons her and leaves her in a town full of rumors with a drunken father. All Mickey has left is a smoky memory, her anger, and the resolution to get out of town for good. She is tired of living in Danny’s tarnished shadow, and she wants out of her dead-end sleepy South Texan home.

When her father is killed in a tragic car accident, Danny unexpectedly returns in an attempt to make up for past mistakes. Mickey isn’t ready to forgive, but she has to face the brother who broke her heart in order to make peace with the past and embrace her future.



‘RICOCHET’

by Julie Gonzalez

All too often, gun-related accidents are grabbing national headlines. According to the Children’s Defense Fund and the National Center for Health Statistics, at least 3,000 children and teenagers are killed in gun-related accidents every year. “Ricochet” is a powerful and important novel for both teens and adults. Gonzalez has written a cautionary tale that although fictional is tragically real in communities across the country.

A game of Russian Roulette. A bully. A dare. Those simple things irrevocably change one life, and horribly end another in an instant. Connor Kaeden will never forget the moment he held a gun for the first time.

Russian Roulette is the ultimate gamble of spinning the cylinder and pulling the trigger while pointing it at your head. It is a gamble that Connor’s best friend, Ryan, lost. It also is a gamble that Connor will have to live with the rest of his life.

In “Ricochet,” Gonzalez lets actions and consequences speak for themselves. The story explores Connor’s struggle to make sense of his guilt and grief as he painfully tries to get on with his life.

        

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