25. Bone, Book 8: Treasure Hunters

Bone, Book 8: Treasure Hunters
By Jeff Smith
Scholastic, Inc., 2008

Genre
Graphic Novel, High Fantasy, Humor

Awards
None known for individual book; the series has received many awards and nominations.

Review
Fone Bone, along with his cousins Phoney Bone and Smiley (with a hidden baby rat creature), are traveling with a queen and Princess Thorn in disguise to get into the city of Atheia.  Many people are trying to take refuge in the city because ghost circles have begun swarming the surrounding towns and desert, forcing evacuations.  Upon entering the city, the group learns that the leaders of Atheia have banned worship of the dragons and demand that only Ven is worshiped, such a change from their old beliefs where people believed that the dragons created the earth, were responsible for life and death, and taught Ven, the first human queen everything she knew.  Guards were ordered to demolish any dragon shrines seen and to capture any dragon worshipers to be burned at the stake.  While the others are hiding and trying to find out more information about those loyal to the dragons and some secret group the queen is part of, and try to figure out how to restore balance between their world and the dream world, Phoney Bone is concerned with finding treasure somewhere in the city while Smiley frequently visits and plays with their smuggled baby rat creature.  All may be lost when Princess Thorn is captured along with the Bone cousins and the queen sees and approaching enemy army of Pawans and rat creatures.  The army belongs to the queen's sister, Briar, who is working to tip the balance toward the dream world, and her master, The Locust.

Opinion
I was lost for this entire book.  I don't think the books in this series, or at least this one in particular, can stand on their own.  The characters are not "reintroduced" in anyway and the plot seems to continue strait from the last book.  This was odd for me having read comic books previously that, though they are a number in a series, don't necessarily depend on their predecessors to tell their story.  The humor in this book is likely appropriate for tweens familiar with the series, but was mostly lost on me.  The artwork is interesting; the humans are fairly realistically drawn and reminded me of how people were drawn in Avatar, the Last Air Bender.  This, contrasting with the more cartoonish drawings of the Bone cousins, the giant bees and the rat creatures made for an amusing idea of what the world of this comic is like.

Ideas
If the first book in the series is available, I feel like it may be a good way to introduce tweens to a graphic novel if they've never read one.  The lively colors, glossy pages, and pressing adventure story will likely keep them entertained.  However, I would recommend suggesting something else if the first book is unavailable as they may be as lost in the story as I was and get discouraged.

12. A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 9: The Carnivorous Carnival

A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 9: The Carnivorous Carnival
By Lemony Snicket (Pen Name for Daniel Handler)
HarperCollins, 2002
Narrated by Tim Curry

Genre
Gothic Fiction

Awards
None known

Review

This is the ninth book in a 13 part series that follows the Baudelaire siblings, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, along a literal series of very unfortunate events that befall them.  Count Olaf and his odd troupe are still trying to find the Baudelaire's so they can likely kill two of them and capture the third to get their hands on a fortune left to the children by their parents.  The children must disguise themselves as circus freaks to fit in at a circus in the middle of nowhere.  The siblings spend their time at the carnival trying to escape and solve more of the mystery behind their parents' deaths before Count Olaf feeds one of the "freaks" working at the carnival to a group of recently acquired lions.  Handler creates a world where adults are ludicrous, caring more about the entertainment provided by "freaks", sloppy eating, and murder than the legality of the situation.  The children's guardian of sorts, Mr. Poe, is eternally inept causing the children to constantly try to escape Count Olaf on their own.  In contrast to the ridiculous adults, the three children are extremely smart and resourceful.  Handler also has a mysterious running side-story with the "author" Lemony Snicket who is supposedly chronicling the "true" tale of these children.  Their story somehow intertwines with his own unhappy circumstances, a mysterious organization named V.F.D., and a loss of his true love Beatrice.  The audiobook is satisfactory, with enough voice distinction to follow the characters and the narrator; there are orchestral inserts to introduce each chapter, played by The Gothic Archies created specifically for these audiobooks.

Opinion
This whole series is Gothic and dark, possibly disturbing some younger readers.  There is, however, dark comedy in how absurd the adults are in the face of all the children's problems.  Despite a lack of moral compass in many adults, the children maintain their own morals and struggle with having to do things that are wrong in order to ensure their survival.  I have read the previous books; this is the first book in the series I have listened to the audio of and I was disappointed.  I found the reading to be adequate if not lackluster, and I found the music irritating, abrupt, and distracting.

Ideas
This books shows many instances where the children must rely on their own skills to get out of situations.  Adults can show tweens that adults are not like this in reality - there is always someone they can talk to whether it's their parents, teachers, police, etc.  On a more positive note, this book has a lead female character who is an imaginative inventor, a role mostly taken by male characters.  Handler also instills a love of books through Klaus, an avid reader and apt researcher.  Children can learn that whatever their skills may be, they can be useful, especially when combined with others.

8. Candy Crush

Candy Crush

Developed by King

Genre

Puzzle

Awards

• Best Social Game - International Mobile Gaming Awards (2013)

Review

Candy Crush is a multifaceted game.  The player starts out on level one of a digital game board that looks like an expanded version of Candy Land.  The game provides a tutorial of how to swipe the colorful candies to get acceptable matching pairs.  The player is also shown how to create and combine special candies for dazzling, point creating effects.  As the player progresses in the game, different requirements are given to complete each level.  Players can link their account to Facebook, allowing friends to send them extra lives (players only get 5 lives to start with; one life is replenished every half hour) or boosters to help.  Players can make in-game purchases for items to help complete levels.  The game board is split into sections; in order to move from one section to the next, players can do one of three things: purchase the next section, get three friends to "help" them to the next section, or win a total of three unlocking levels that can only be played once every 24 hours.  The developers also added a "nighttime" game board where the player has to balance the number of candies of two particular colors removed from the board or an owl who sits on a crescent moon will become unbalanced and fall off, ended the game.  This is a fun game that is popular for all ages.

Opinion

This is a popular, colorful, and enticing game for all ages.  However, tweens especially can make great use of adding their Facebook account to this app which will allow them to trade lives and boosters with their many friends that also play.  Like similar games, this game can be addicting in nature because of the mindless swiping that happens and may result in excessive in-game purchases to keep playing without a break.

Ideas

I think this game is great for the younger side of the tween age group because it can engage their minds with matching and understanding the game objectives.  With the older tweens it becomes more of a social game while hooked up to Facebook, allowing groups of friends to challenge each other and see who can get the highest score on a particular level or give each other tips and tricks of how to pass more difficult levels.

3. Wings

Wings
By Bill Brittain
HarperCollins Children's Books,1991

Genre
Low Fantasy

Honors

• ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (1999)

Review
Ian has been having severe back pain for quite a while, causing him to see the doctor frequently.  This is irritating to his mother, who is pulled away from her perfect daughter to take Ian to the physician.  Eventually, after many tests and x-rays, the doctor found the cause of Ian's pain -- he was growing wing! The news, and eventual eruption of the wings, turn Ian's world upside-down.  His politically ambitious father tried to hide Ian in the home, confining him to his room and keeping him from attending the start of his 8th grade year.  Eventually Ian threatens to tell all the reporters that have been hounding his parents about the wings if he wasn't allowed to go to school.  School is difficult, as his classmates consider him a "freak", despite his teacher's best efforts.  A girl who had been considered the "class freak" for having a 6th finger on her left hand befriends Ian and supports him as he learns how to use his wings.  While hiding away from reporters at his new friend's home, Ian learns to be brave and finds out why his parents act like they do.  In the end, he is faced with a tough decision: keep his wings, leaving him a "freak" forever, but knowing the freedom of flying, or have them removed, making him "normal" again, but forever grounded.  A simple book that addresses many common problems experience while growing up, even for children who don't grow wings.

Opinion
This book is a favorite of a friend's 6th grader, so I thought I would read it for this assignment.  I loved the plot and found the story to be very enjoyable.  The story progresses quickly, with the main character also developing quickly.  Most of the characters lacked depth, but the reader feels some sympathy for Ian's family situation.  When left to make a "grown up" decision at the end of the book, the reader know that which ever decision Ian makes will affect the rest of his life and can understand the pros and cons of each choice.

Ideas
This book is a unique way of telling the story about the "different" kid in class and is a great way for children to learn about teasing, as well as a little bit about open communication within a family.  They also learn about friendships and what really makes a good friend.