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SILVER SHARD

Name: SILVER SHARD
Author: Betsy Streeter
ISBN: 978-1-61153-169-5

From the Silverwood series , Vol. 2

by Betsy Streeter ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 29, 2016

An entertaining if not entirely transparent sequel.

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In this follow-up to Silverwood (2015), the Silverwood clan must ensure its old enemy doesn’t escape its supernatural prison.

Streeter treats readers to a fairy-tale–esque prologue telling the story of a girl who is banished because of her power to predict negative future events and who grows up to be the ancestor of the Silverwoods. In the modern world, the Silverwoods, a close-knit white family, are camping when they learn that their cousin, bearer of half of the “portal coin” that locked away Monder, a powerful, evil, human-gobbling Tromindox, needs to pass the burden along. Throughout the book, the various Silverwoods are desperate to do three things: keep Monder imprisoned; guard their half of the portal coin; and find the Silver Shard, the only thing that can permanently destroy the portal coin and ensure that Monder never escapes. Through the nonstop action that ensues, adults often act as point-of-view characters, though Helen and, especially, Henry Silverwood are still major figures in the narrative. When Henry is abducted by Monder, Helen takes it upon herself to save him, but each character has an important role to play if they are to win the day. There’s a lot of talk about portals and time and space that’s not entirely clear. Readers may not be able to decide if the world Streeter offers actually makes sense, but if an engaging narrative is what readers crave, complete comprehension may be a sacrifice worth making.

An entertaining if not entirely transparent sequel. (Fantasy. 12 & up)

Pub Date: July 29, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-61153-169-5

Page Count: 290

Publisher: Light Messages

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

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WHEN YOU REACH ME

by Rebecca Stead ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 14, 2009

Some might guess at the baffling, heart-pounding conclusion, but when all the sidewalk characters from Miranda’s Manhattan...

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When Miranda’s best friend Sal gets punched by a strange kid, he abruptly stops speaking to her; then oddly prescient letters start arriving.

They ask for her help, saying, “I'm coming to save your friend's life, and my own.” Readers will immediately connect with Miranda’s fluid first-person narration, a mix of Manhattan street smarts and pre-teen innocence. She addresses the letter writer and recounts the weird events of her sixth-grade year, hoping to make sense of the crumpled notes. Miranda’s crystalline picture of her urban landscape will resonate with city teens and intrigue suburban kids. As the letters keep coming, Miranda clings to her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time, and discusses time travel with Marcus, the nice, nerdy boy who punched Sal. Keen readers will notice Stead toying with time from the start, as Miranda writes in the present about past events that will determine her future.

Some might guess at the baffling, heart-pounding conclusion, but when all the sidewalk characters from Miranda’s Manhattan world converge amid mind-blowing revelations and cunning details, teen readers will circle back to the beginning and say, “Wow...cool.” (Fiction. 12 & up)

Pub Date: July 14, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-385-73742-5

Page Count: 208

Publisher: Wendy Lamb/Random

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2009

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

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THE LIGHTNING THIEF

From the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series , Vol. 1

by Rick Riordan ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2005

The sardonic tone of the narrator’s voice lends a refreshing air of realism to this riotously paced quest tale of heroism...

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Edgar Award–winning Riordan leaves the adult world of mystery to begin a fantasy series for younger readers.

Twelve-year-old Percy (full name, Perseus) Jackson has attended six schools in six years. Officially diagnosed with ADHD, his lack of self-control gets him in trouble again and again. What if it isn’t his fault? What if all the outrageous incidents that get him kicked out of school are the result of his being a “half-blood,” the product of a relationship between a human and a Greek god? Could it be true that his math teacher Mrs. Dodds transformed into a shriveled hag with bat wings, a Fury, and was trying to kill him? Did he really vanquish her with a pen that turned into a sword? One need not be an expert in Greek mythology to enjoy Percy’s journey to retrieve Zeus’s master bolt from the Underworld, but those who are familiar with the deities and demi-gods will have many an ah-ha moment. Along the way, Percy and his cohort run into Medusa, Cerberus and Pan, among others.

The sardonic tone of the narrator’s voice lends a refreshing air of realism to this riotously paced quest tale of heroism that questions the realities of our world, family, friendship and loyalty. (Fantasy. 12-15)