Hush

Napoli, Donna. Hush: An Irish Princess Tale. New York: Atheneum, 2007.

Melkorka, an Irish princess, is kidnapped by slavers. She has to survive a harrowing journey through the open seas, knowing the end result will be slavery. Should she attempt to escape or should she accept her enslavement?

I thoroughly enjoyed the first sixteen chapters of this story. My enjoyment was shaken when Melkorka was purchased by a man who needed a concubine to keep him company in the months until his return to his wife. My appreciation of this story was shattered when Melkorka discovers she is carrying her owner's child and chooses to stay with him, in the hope that the birth of her son will mellow her master and grant her the freedom she craves. That's how the book ends.

I was disappointed. At least I did enjoy the first sixteen chapters, and I know this isn't the last book in my stack. Sorry, folks, but you shouldn't bother with this one.

The Miles Between

Pearson, Mary. The Miles Between. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2009.

Destiny wants a perfectly fair day, a day when the good guys win and all is well in the world. And she gets it - Destiny and her three friends escape their boarding school and begin a journey across the state. Throughout their journey, Destiny learns secrets about each of her friends, but will she be willing to share her secret with them?

Those of you familiar with the story I Am the Cheese will recognize the surprise ending technique in this story. No, Destiny is not locked in a mental hospital, but what she does reveal will surprise you.

This book is a good read. It was enjoyable, it was entertaining, and I am almost convinced I need to purchase a lambadoodle. Almost.

Princess Ben

Murdock, Catherine. Princess Ben. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2008.

I will have to admit that I was a bit nervous about this book when I glanced at the title. After all, I do live in a city where a person who names him/herself "Princess Ben" would be warmly accepted. I felt much better once I discovered that the nickname Ben was short for Benevolent. An unusual name, perhaps, but the princess protagonist is decidedly female.

All that to say, I really, really liked this book. The princess has some definite poor habits, habits which do her a great disservice once she is thrust into the position of heir to the throne. Her kingdom stands on the brink of being swallowed by another larger kingdom. Ben has to choose whether she will continue in her old ways or embrace the royal persona which has been handed to her.

This book is filled with all sorts of traditional fairy-tale elements: secret rooms, dragons, disguises, mistaken identity, magic beans traded for a cow - yet none of it seems forced, fake, or hokey. This book is well-written, the protagonist is believeable and entertaining, and I would gladly place this book on my classroom shelf, should I ever again have a classroom or a shelf.

Freefall

Anhalt, Ariela. Freefall. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2010.

What does a follower do once the leader has been removed? Luke has spent his entire high school career following his friend Hayden. He is friends with Hayden's friends, he takes the same classes as Hayden takes, and he agrees with Hayden's opinions. But when a tragic accident lands Hayden in jail, Luke is the only eyewitness, and he has to decide what he is going to say. Did Hayden's actions cause another student's death? Or was this tragic accident truly an accident?

I appreciated hearing this story from Luke's point of view; people from both sides of the story approached him, questioned him, attempted to influence him. Luke sunk into depression as he attempted to reconcile what he thought he knew with what was true and what was right. In the end, I was proud of Luke's decision.

Although this book presents some interesting ideas and would be great for a classroom discussion, I do not recommend it for classroom use due to the profusion of profanity from the teenage characters. For those of you who have read A Separate Peace, though, this is an interestingly similar story.

Timelock

Klass, David. Timelock. New York: Francis Foster Books, 2009.

I have serious doubts concerning the efficacy of "save the planet" fiction. It seems to me that many a good story has been ruined when the author chooses to beat the reader over the head with an environmentalist theme. I enjoyed James Patterson's Maximum Ride series until they joined this trend and began saving rainforests, ecosystems, the spotted owl, you name it.

Sadly, David Klass seems to have jumped on to the environmentalist bandwagon. Timelock, the third book in a series, was great until page 200 or so when the eco-babble started in. The main character has traveled back in time to save the planet from sure destruction at the hands of evil men. Unfortunately, we discover too late, 200 pages too late, that the evil men actually did not need to do anything - humankind was destroying the earth due to - wait for it - global warming.

Seriously, folks. If you strongly believe in global warming's destruction of the earth, why not host a 5K to raise money? Don't pollute the literary waters with your garbage.