Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Scholastic, 1999. Paperback $7.99, ISBN 0-439-13636-9.

What’s it about?

Harry Potter is about to begin his third year at Hogwarts with a deadly escaped prisoner from the notorious Azkaban afoot, no less than Sirius Black, who betrayed Harry’s parents and killed thirteen people with a single curse. Harry is in danger, but he has Lupin, a kind and masterful Defense of the Dark Arts instructor, the sage and powerful Dumbledore, and, of course, his loyal friends Ron and Hermione on his side.

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Harry Potter has had it with the Durselys. When his uncle’s insufferable sister insults his parents, Harry uses magic, a big no-no since he is an underage wizard. Gloomily expecting the worst, Harry runs away, only to find out that there are far worse things awaiting him than expulsion. A very dangerous prisoner has escaped from the infamous prison of Azkaban—Sirius Black, was killed thirteen people with a single curse. Worse still for Harry, Sirius was the man responsible for his parents’ deaths by betraying them to Voldemort.  Harry isn’t safe from Sirius or from the Dementors that surround Hogwarts, ostensibly to keep the students safe by keeping Sirius out.

Rowling seems to improve her craft with every Harry Potter book. The second book was arguably her weakest, but Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the most tightly plotted, exciting and suspenseful book yet. This third volume introduces a new character, the likeable Professor Lupin, the first Defense of the Dark Arts character that actually knows anything about the subject he teaches. He acts as a mentor to Harry, teaching him the charm that can repel Dementors, the Patronus. Rather than following the formula of the first two books, Rowling creates a showdown that involves several characters rather than Harry vs. Voldemort, a good decision because while H vs. V is always exciting, it could end up feeling overused. There are many new additions to wizard lore and the world of Hogwarts in this book, including a new “pet” of Hagrid's, boggarts, and a mysterious Marauder’s map cryptically signed by Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs.

Genre: Fantasy


Reading level: 7^th grade

Interest level: Grades 4-9—and beyond!

Awards:

ALA Notable Children’s Book

Booklist Editor’s Choice (1999)

Gold Medal Smarties Prize (1999)

A Los Angeles Times Best Book of 1999

Subjects: Wizards, Magic, Boarding School, Good vs. Evil, Betrayal

Read-alikes:

For children: Collins’ Gregor the Overlander series

Dahl’s BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, & Matilda

Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series

For adults:

Grossman’s The Magicians

Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series

Many Harry Potter fans also enjoy the TV shows Dr. Who and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Series information:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Companion books:

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Quidditch Throughout the Ages

Tales of Beedle the Bard

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle (Manga)

CLAMP. Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle.  Del Rey, 2004. Paperback $10.95, ISBN 978-0345470577.

What’s it about?

Princess Sakura has lost all her memories, and will die if she doesn’t recover them. Enter her childhood friend, Syaoran, who pleads for help from Yuko, the space-time witch, and two men from disparate worlds.

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Princess Sakura is first in line to succeed the throne of the Kingdom of Clow, and is in love with her childhood friend Syaoran, who is unaware of how she feels. She’s no ordinary girl.  She possesses a little-understood power that has the capability to change the world. This same power brings adversity to her life, however, in the form of a strange symbol formed on rock. When she steps on it, she is struck down and robbed of all her memories, never able to articulate how she feels to Syaoran.  Sakura’s memories are scattered. Fragments exist in many different worlds, and Syaoran must collect them to save Sakura’s life.  Syaoran enlists the help of Yuko, the space-time witch and two men from different worlds, the ninja Kurogane and the magician Fai, and begins his desperate search.  

CLAMP is a group of critically acclaimed and prolific Japanese manga artists.  Their artwork is well-known and respected for its detail, creativity, beautiful lines and breath-taking settings and character design. The artwork in this volume looks a bit rougher than usual, and this stylistic difference helps create urgency. Sakura is quickly running out of time, and the Syaoran has to visit many worlds if he wants her to survive. Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle is serious in tone, but there are moments of humor, particularly with Kurogane and Fai, whose disparate personalities provide some levity. The translation is solid, with sound effects are translated alongside the original Japanese.  Del Rey provides readers with some information about honorifics at the beginning of the book. The plot twists and grows more complex with each new volume, which may potentially confuse some readers, but boggles the mind (in a good way!) of the rest. This is overall a rich, gorgeous manga with likable protagonists and intriguing secondary characters.

 Genre: Fantasy, romance, adventure

Reading level/interest level: Grades 6 through adult

Subjects: Memory loss, other worlds, heroes, quests

Read-alikes:

CLAMP’s Cardcaptor Sakura

CLAMP’s Xxxholic

Inuyasha

Pandora Hearts

Series information:

Complete series spans 28 volumes. It’s also an anime that aired 52 episodes between 2005 and 2006. The first volume of XXXholic crosses over with the first volume of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. 

Rapunzel's Revenge

Hale, Shannon and Dean Hale.  Rapunzel’s Revenge. Illustrated by Nathan Hale. Bloombury, 2008. Paperback $15.99, ISBN 978-1599902883.

What’s it about?

In this graphic novel fractured fairy-tale, Rapunzel is not a dainty damsel in distress--she rescues herself with her whip-like braids. After her escape from the tower, Rapunzel teams up with the brave, impetuous Jack to free Rapunzel’s mother from the evil Mother Gothel’s mines.     

Find out more:

Mother Gothel and Rapunzel live in luxury, in a 78 room villa. But Rapunzel becomes curious about the world outside.  When Rapunzel sneaks out on her twelfth birthday to see what lies beyond the great wall, she discovers that Mother Gothel is not her mother. In fact, she stole her from her mother, enslaved and starved in the mine that lies beyond the wall of the castle.  Rapunzel is briefly re-united with her mother and after she angrily confronts Mother Gothel, she is taken away and imprisoned in an enchanted tree, which towers impossibly high over the forest floor.  Rapunzel is trapped for years, having little to do but grow her hair and learn to use it as a lasso and a swing. Finally, her hair grows long enough to allow her escape, and she meets with a young man, Jack, who sees her use her braids as a weapons. He is impressed with her fighting abilities and they team up to fight against the evil Mother Gothel and her far-reaching influence, attempting to free Rapunzel’s mother from slavery.

Rapunzel’s Revenge is a fun fractured fairy tale set in the Wild West. Rapunzel is not helpless a traditional damsel in distress —she’s a strong, feisty heroine who can hold her own.  The Hales put a fun spin on Rapunzel’s story by introducing another fairy-tale character, Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalk), who turns out to be Rapunzel’s romantic interest.  The energetic artwork of this graphic novel is colorful and funny—and sometimes frightening, as when Rapunzel is nearly eaten by an enormous rattlesnake. This is a well-paced, witty read that is perfect for reluctant readers, fairy-tale enthusiasts, and anyone who likes their adventure with a generous helping of adventure.

Genre: Fractured fairy-tale, Fantasy, Adventure, Humor

Reading level: 3^rd grade

Interest level: Grades 5 & up

Read-alikes:

Levine’s Ella Enchanted

Napoli’s Zel

McKinley’s Beauty

Awards:

ALA Notable Book for Children

On YALSA’s Great Graphic Novels for Teens list

Utah Book Award

Subjects: Fairy-tales, slavery, heroes, magic

Series information:

Calamity Jack 

Hunger Games

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Scholastic press, 2008. Tr. $17.99, ISBN 978-0439023481.  

What’s it about?

The corrupt Capitol of Panem hosts an annual televised fight to the death, and its participants are 24 children from surrounding districts. When Katniss Everdeen’s little sister Prim is one of the unlucky ones chosen in the annual lottery, Katniss volunteers to take her place, knowing she must out-wit and out-maneuver the game’s creators in order to survive.

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Hunger Games takes place in an imagined future United States, known as Panem. The novel opens when the 74^th annual Hunger Games are looming. Sixteen-year-old protagonist Katniss Everdeen of District 12 (the Appalachian region) is nervous about being reaped. If her name is drawn, she becomes one of 24 tributes, and must kill . . .  or be killed. Only one tribute will survive, and the odds are against her. Wealthier districts train career tributes who usually win these televised Games. District 12 tributes are long shots. When Katniss’s little sister Prim’s name is drawn, Katniss volunteers to take her place. To her horror, the other tribute is a fellow student, Peeta, a baker’s son who gave her bread when her family was facing starvation. In order to survive, Katniss will have to kill him and 22 others—unless she is able to outwit the game’s creators with the help of her clever, self-destructive mentor Haymitch, who knows how to survive the Games.

The power of Hunger Games stays with the reader hours, days, weeks, months, and years after reading. This is the kind of book people keep re-reading. This is the kind of book that opens the mouths of normally reticent individuals, who eagerly tell strangers to devour this disquieting dystopian novel. The plot is wonderfully crafted, and the arena is horrifyingly imagined. The characters, particularly the main characters Katniss, Haymith and Peeta are extremely well-drawn, flawed and believable, as are many of the secondary characters such as Gale and Rue. Critics mention the similarities of Collins’s plot to other books and series, particularly Battle Royale, but Collins takes the premise of a corrupt, totalitarian government using citizens harming citizens to keep its people in line and creates a powerful work that strays far from the bloated, over-written Battle Royale. Collins’s world-building and writing skills were apparent from her earlier Overlander Chronicles, so it comes as little surprise that she would turn out such a masterful twist on the dystopian plot staple of individuals versus a corrupt government.  

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Survivalist/Adventure

Reading level: 5^th grade

Interest level: Grades 6-12, adults

Subjects: Government Corruption, Reality Shows, Person vs. Society, Survival, Brutality

Awards:

Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year (2008)

New York Times Notable Children’s Book of 2008

 Cybil Winner (2008)

On School Library Journal’s Best Books of 2008 list

Booklist Editor’s Choice (2008)

California Young Reader Medal (2011)

Read-alikes:

Grant’s Gone series

Ness’s Chaos Walking trilogy

Pfeffer’s Life as We Knew It trilogy

Roth’s Divergent

Orwell’s 1984

Huxley’s Brave New World

Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451

Battle Royale (not recommended; very poor execution)

Series information:

Catching Fire (2009)

Mockingjay (2010)

View my book trailer for Hunger Games

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Arthur A. Levine, 1999. Tr. $ 24.99,  ISBN 978-0439064866

What’s it about?

In the sequel to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, students of Muggle-born parents have been attacked—and petrified-- by a mysterious and powerful sorcerer who reopened the Chamber of Secrets, which holds a deadly beast. Harry finds himself (and Hagrid) under suspicion, and works with Ron and Hermione to figure out who (or what) is behind these attacks.

 Find out more:

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets opens with Harry spending his summer with the horrible Dursleys. Things begin to look up when Harry is brought to the Weasley’s home to spend the remainder of the summer.  When Harry and Ron are unable to board the train to Hogwarts, they decide to steal the Weasley’s enchanted car and fly to school. They crash into a valuable tree, the Whomping Willow, and are nearly expelled. More trouble is brewing, however. Threatening messages begin to appear, warning students that Chamber of Secrets has been opened and the heir of Slytherin will kill Muggle-born students. These are hardly empty threats—Muggle-born pupils are attacked, and petrified. Harry finds himself under suspicion, and when he, Ron and Hermione investigate the Chamber of Secrets, (breaking countless school rules, of course) they again face a deadly struggle.

The books in the Harry Potter series become more sophisticated as the characters (and Harry Potter fans) get older.  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets casts Harry in a different light by creating doubt among his friends in regard to his intentions. The readers ask themselves as well: is Harry the heir of Slytherin? His ability to speak Parseltongue is disturbing, recalls the sorting hat’s comment that Harry would do well in Slytherin. The attacks on the Muggle-born, as well as the attitudes of Slytherins (particularly the Malfoys), is the wizard-world equivalent to racism. Wizards who are Muggle-born are considered inferior by some to those born into wizarding families. Characters with a strong moral fiber, of course, don’t buy into this and find the use of the epithet “Mudblood” despicable. This book is darker in tone than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, but is not without humor, particularly in the situations involving the character of Gilderoy Lockhart, who is the new instructor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lockhart is a self-aggrandizing author of several books that detail his heroics without a smidge of humility. However, it quickly becomes clear that Lockhart has very little skill or knowledge of magic, and probably fabricated the majority of his heroics. His “healing” of Harry’s broken arm is hilarious as well as disturbing. Instead of mending the bones, Lockhart removes them, and comments “The point is, the bones are no longer broken.”  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets contains a satisfying mix of mystery, humor, and fantasy that ends with an unexpected twist. The conclusion is a bit too pat, and the book’s arc is very similar to the first book. Still, this is a diverting read with plenty to enjoy.  

Genre: Fantasy

Reading level: 7^th grade

Interest level:  Grades 4-9

Subjects: Wizards, Magic, Boarding School, Good vs. Evil

Awards:

ALA Notable Book for Children

Children’s Book of the Year British Book Award

Booklist Top Ten Fantasy Novels for Youth

Read-alikes:

For children: Collins’ Gregor the Overlander series

Dahl’s BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, & Matilda

Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series

For adults:

Grossman’s The Magicians

Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series

Many Harry Potter fans also enjoy the TV shows Dr. Who and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Series information:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Companion books:

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Quidditch Throughout the Ages

Tales of Beedle the Bard

Calvin and Hobbes

Watterson, Bill. Calvin and Hobbes. Andrews McNeel, 1987. Paperback $12.99, ISBN 978-0836220889.

What’s it about?

Calvin is a rowdy, wildly imaginative 6 year old boy who lives with his mother, father, and tiger Hobbes. To most people, Hobbes is a stuffed animal, but Calvin and Hobbes know better!

Find out more:

Ever had an imaginary friend? Six-year-old Calvin does, but everyone only thinks he’s imaginary. Calvin’s best friend appears to be a large stuffed tiger, but Calvin knows he’s the real deal. Hobbes is the more practical and sage of the duo, although he’s prone to sass and sneak-pounce attacks on Calvin. Most strips focus on Calvin and Hobbes, although there are great secondary characters, like Calvin’s frazzled parents, Calvin’s goody-goody neighborhood nemesis Susie, and idiotic school bully Moe. In later collections, readers enjoy an increasing number of Calvin’s alter-egos. In this first collection, we’re introduced to Spaceman Spiff, whose life and death struggles parallel Calvin’s real-life adventures (such as tackling a playground slide).    

Calvin and Hobbes is the first collection of Watterson’s popular comic strip. The premise is simple and delightful.  Ordinary events are exaggerated and comedic through the eyes of Calvin and his incredibly over-active imagination.  In one Sunday strip (which contains twice as many panels as a daily strip) Calvin’s fear of baths makes perfect sense: when Calvin sits down in the tub, the bubbles form a large, monstrous fiend that tries to drown Calvin. His only recourse is to drain the tub. The last panel features Calvin’s cross mother: “don’t tell me he’s letting the water out already!” Behind her, the wet, naked, Calvin scowls “believe it, lady.” Just as the characters in the Peanuts strip evolved, Calvin and Hobbes look slightly different and more developed in Watterson’s later strips. Nevertheless, his artwork is expressive and masterful.  

Genre: Humor, satire

Reading level: 4^th grade

Interest level: Grades 4-Adult

Subjects: Imagination, Family, Misbehavior, Political & philosophical satire

Read-alikes:

Holm’s Babymouse

Spires’ Binky series

Shultz’s Peanuts

Ketcham’s Dennis the Menace

Awards:

2-time Reuben Award Winner “Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year” (1986 & 1988, nominated in 1992)

Series information:

Something Under the Bed is Drooling (1988)

The Essential Calvin and Hobbes (1988)

The Calvin and Hobbes Lazy Sunday Book (1989)

Yukon Ho! (1989)

The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes (1990)

Weirdoes From Another Planet (1990)

The Revenge of the Baby-Sat (1991)

Scientific Progress Goes “Boink” (1991)

Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons (1992)

The Indispensible Calvin and Hobbes (1992)

Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat (1994)

The Days are Just Packed (1993)

The Calvin and Hobbes 10^th Anniversary Book (1995)

There’s Treasure Everywhere (1996)

It’s a Magical World (1996)

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Selznick, Brian. The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Scholastic, 2007. Tr. $22.99, ISBN 978-0-439-81378-5.

 

What’s it about?

This gorgeous, cinematic cross between a picture and a novel, features the orphaned Hugo Cabret, who is a thief and a scavenger heavy with secrets. When the grand-daughter of a toy-maker befriends him, Hugo begins to unravel the mystery behind the automaton his father left him, and its creator.

Find out more:

Twelve-year-old Parisian orphan Hugo Cabret’s father died in a fire at a museum and left his son with a damaged automaton. He went to live with his abusive uncle, who teaches him to steal. When his uncle disappears, Hugo doesn’t let on. Instead, he lives in the train station, becoming a thief and scavenger, and keeping up with his uncle’s job of keeping the city’s clocks running.  Then Hugo is caught stealing from a toy-maker, who is curious about the automaton pictured in Hugo’s notebook (which he initially thinks was also stolen).  Intrigued, he hires Hugo at his shop. The toy-maker’s grand-daughter Isabelle befriends Hugo. Together, the two eventually unravel the mystery of behind the automaton—and the real identity of Isabelle’s grandfather.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is such a unique book, it is tough to categorize. When it won the 2008 Caldecott Medal, it was the first novel to win, and surprised a lot of people because the Caldecott is awarded to picture book illustrators, not novel or graphic novel artists. It's tough to call a novel, though, when half the book is comprised of Selznick's detailed, breath-taking, cinematic pencil sketches. There are also reproductions of drawings as well as film still from the mind of innovative film-maker Georges Meilies, one of the first to employ special effects in his work. The text and pictures are integrated seamlessly. This is a page-turner with a well-paced storyline that is just as intricate as the illustrations, with each character and detail clicking together to form a complex, mind-boggling narrative. This book is so cinematic in feel that it was a question of when, not if the book would hit the big screen. Martin Scorsese directed the film, which is in theatres now.  

   

Genre label: Mystery/suspense, historical fiction

Reading level: 5^th grade

Interest level: Grades 4-9

Subjects: Orphans, film-makers, automatons, Georges Meilies

Read-alikes:

This book is so unique, there are no true read-alikes. Readers who enjoy this book, however, will probably also like Konigsberg’s From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

Awards:

Caldecott Medal (2008)

One Piece (Anime)

One Piece (TV series). Toei Entertainment, 1999-present. English version released by Funimation Entertainment, 2007.

What’s it about?

Monkey D. Luffy ate a gum-gum fruit when he was younger, which gave his body such extreme elasticity; he is a nearly unbeatable pirate. Will this be enough for him to become the King of the Pirates?

Find out more:

Right before he is executed, the King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger, utters the location of the greatest treasure of all time.  The treasure is known as the “One Piece,” and it promises endless riches and success. Naturally, an arms race among pirates ensues, with an unlikely contender for the title of Pirate King--Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy, the hero of the show, doesn’t seem like a pirate at all. He’s not a villainous, ugly, lecherous, murderous thug, and looks like a lightweight. Despite his slight physique, however, he is a force to be reckoned with on the sea. This is because when he was a kid, he ate a gum- gum fruit, which transformed him into an elastic boy. His body is able to easily deflect (and inflict) harm. The first few episodes show him recruiting his oddball crew, dubbed the “Straw Hat Pirates.”

This anime is exciting and action packed. The humor is broad, and sometime slapstick. Some of the funniest aspects are due to character design and skilled animation. Monkey D. Luffy reminds me a bit of Peter Pan, with his bravado and exuberant personality and unexpected fighting abilities (and maybe also because there are pirates involved.) Like Peter Pan, he has a melancholy side when he remembers his childhood hero Shanks. His ubiquitous straw hat, in fact, belonged to Shanks, and when he nearly loses it, the viewer is drawn into a sometimes poignant flashback sequence that gives a lot of backstory information and adds complexity to Luffy’s character. This anime is a great one to recommend to tween boys; there is broad comedy, creative action sequences, likeable heroes, and despicable villains. Both the manga and anime can be appreciated by girls because of the quality and humor, but this is not an anime that will typically hook shojo fans.

Genre: Shonen, Action/adventure, Comedy

Interest level: Grades 5 - 9

Is there a manga?

Yes, the manga is currently has 64 volumes (in Japanese) and 59 volumes translated into English (volume 59 will be released in early December). And more One Piece is on the way!

Subjects: Pirates, Treasure, Exploration

Rating: TV-14 (this rating is unwarranted, from what I saw; there was very mild language and a scene where a character loses his arm. This scene wasn’t graphic, though).

Dub or Sub? The dub was pretty poor quality. During a recent anime club screening at my library, audience members were making fun of the dub, which featured some embarrassingly overacted scenes. Midway through the screening, I asked if the Japanese audio with subtitles would be preferred. Everyone voted yes! Please!! The subbed version was much better. Once the subs came on, the audience started laughing at the jokes, not the poor acting.

Series information:

If you’re a new fan, it’s going to take you awhile to catch up: there are over 500 episodes of One Piece to date.

Similar anime and manga titles:

Naruto

DragonBall Z

Bleach

Shaman King

Fruits Basket (Anime)

Fruits Basket. Studio DEEN production, 2001. English version released by Funimation Entertainment, 2002.

What’s it about?

Tohru Honda meets the Sohma family, and discovers their secret. The Sohmas are cursed, turning into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac when hugged by a member of the opposite sex.

Find out more:

Tohru Honda has had it rough—she was recently orphaned and is living in a tent, which, unbeknownst to her, is on the property of the Sohma family. Although Tohru is still in high school, she has been supporting herself by working night janitorial jobs. When classmate Yuki (a handsome boy known as “Prince Yuki” to hordes of sighing teen girl groupies) and his older cousin 27-year-old Shigure Sohma discover her living situation, they invite her to stay in their large home. Tohru also meets their cousin Kyo, an irascible boy who sees himself as Yuki’s rival. Tohru discovers the Sohma secret: many Sohmas are cursed, turning into animals from the Chinese Zodiac whenever they are touched by a member of the opposite sex. When Tohru sees which animals Kyo (the cat) and Yuki (the rat) transform into, Kyo’s rage toward Yuki makes more sense. In Chinese zodiac legend, God invited all the animals to a banquet. Rat was a trickster, and told Cat the banquet was the next day. All the other animals made it to the banquet while Cat slumbered, and the first 12 animals to arrive became the animals of the zodiac.  As the story unfolds, Tohru realizes that this curse is no laughing matter—there is a darkness and cruelty to this family, one that affected Yuki and Kyo deeply. The specifics will be revealed later in the series, and are only hinted at in the first four episodes.

Although Fruits Basket is a popular anime, and one that is tween and teen friendly, it has a few flaws. The pacing is slow in the first episodes, which is unfortunate, because this sets the tone for viewer, who might not give the anime a chance after the first episode, which largely consists of Tohru’s backstory. It picks up when more characters are introduced, particularly Shigure, Kyo, and Kagura. When new Sohmas are introduced, the viewer is just as curious as Tohru—what zodiac animal are they? There is plenty of comedy, but this shojo anime is overall a supernatural romance, and appeals largely to girls. 

Genre: Supernatural romance, Fantasy, Comedy

Interest level:  Grades 5 and up

Rating:  TV-PG

Subjects: Chinese Zodiac, family relationships, high school, romance

Dub or Sub?

In this anime, the dub is weaker, although it is not terrible. There are decent English language voice actors (Laura Bailey does a great job), but some voice actors drove me nuts. If you don’t mind subtitles, watch this anime in Japanese.

Is it also a manga?

Fruits Basket is also a complete series of manga. There are 23 volumes, the last published in 2007. The manga is actually a bit better than the anime, which sometimes suffers pacing problems.  

Similar anime & manga titles:

Gakuen Alice

Vampire Knight

Fushigi Yugi

D.N. Angel

Ouran High School Host Club

Series information: 26 episodes in the anime 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Arthur A. Levine, 1997. Tr. $20.25, ISBN 978-0780797086

(Published in the U.K. as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)

What’s it about? (In case you’ve been stranded on a desert island or studying orangutans for the past 14 years)

Harry Potter is the boy who lived, having survived Voldemort’s attack, which orphaned him, and also made him a legend in the wizarding world. Reluctantly raised by his muggle (non-magic folk) relatives, Harry is surprised to meet a giant named Hagrid, who tells him that he is wizard and will study his craft at Hogworts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

Find out more:

Harry Potter was orphaned as a baby and brought up by his loathsome aunt and uncle, the Durselys, who treat him as a sub-human. When he turns eleven, however, everything changes for Harry. A larger-than-life visitor, Hagrid, scares the daylights out of the Dursleys and tells Harry some exciting (and disturbing) news. Harry is a wizard, and mysteriously survived the attack that killed his parents and left him with a lightening-shaped scar on his forehead. The attack was at the hands (make that wand) of an evil, powerful wizard, He That Shall Not Be Named, aka Voldemort. Because he survived, Harry is a legend, and there are hints throughout this first book in the seven book saga that Harry is destined for great things. In the first book, he makes his mark in Quidditch (a game that seems like a cross between basketball and baseball, if either sport was played on broomsticks) and risks his life with his friends Ron and Hermione to prevent the powerful sorcerer’s stone from falling into the wrong hands.

Harry Potter deals with some heavy subjects, namely his mistreatment at the hands of the Dursleys (which was essentially child abuse), his parents’ deaths, and the sinister rumblings of Voldemort. This is not an overly serious book, though, because it is infused with humor and breathtaking world-building. Rowling does a fantastic job of creating the world of witches and wizards, which co-exists with the Muggle (non-wizard) world. Her descriptions of the Hogwarts are rich and detailed, and transport the reader into this magical world.  The characters, while not particularly layered, are enjoyable and relatable. The good characters have flaws enough to make them quirky, even the heroes, while the bad characters (with a key exception) are bad through and through.  

Critics of the Harry Potter books point to the “flat” characters and pedestrian writing as the reasons they dislike the books. I agree the writing of the first book wasn’t the best, and could have done with more editing. However, the plot and setting shine through anyhow. With the exception of most of the “bad guys,” I disagree that the characters are flat. Maybe a tad stereotypical, but each has very human vulnerabilities. Hermione seems insufferable at first, and never stops being overly concerned with her grades, but she also turns out to be someone who cares about what others think, puts her neck out for others, and ends up showing that she’s very brave, and can use her knowledge under pressure. Besides, the genre is fantasy, not realistic fiction. Fantasies are full of archetypes. Some say Rowling “ripped off” ideas from literary classics. But all literature references previous ideas to varying degrees. I don’t think she plagiarized or copied ideas; I think she paid homage to previous authors.

Genre: Fantasy

Reading level: 5^th-6^th grade

Interest level: All muggles, particularly those in grades 4-9

Subjects: Wizards, Magic, Boarding School, Good vs. Evil

Awards:

Winner of the United Kingdom’s National Book Award (1997)

ALA Notable Book

New York Public Library Best Book of the Year (1998)

Read-alikes:

For children: Collins’ Gregor the Overlander series

Dahl’s BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, & Matilda

Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series

For adults:

Grossman’s The Magicians

Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series

Many Harry Potter fans also enjoy the TV shows Dr. Who and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Series information:

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Companion books:

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Quidditch Throughout the Ages

Tales of Beedle the Bard

See my book trailer here!

Make it or Break it (TV Show)

Television series: Make It or Break It. Produced by ABC Family. 2009-present.  http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/make-it-break-it

A guilty-pleasure TV show on a book blog? 

I’m reviewing this show because tweens and teens enjoy it. It’s less raunchy and pandering than a lot of shows for this age group, and while far from perfect, does a good job of reaching this demographic. It’s even a little addicting. . . J

What’s it about?

Make it or Break it follows a group of young gymnasts, all Olympic hopefuls, as they struggle with new competition, coaching changes, injury, illness, and relationship problems.

Find out more:

Make it or Break it, which has been renewed for its third season, is about four teenage gymnasts, all Olympic hopefuls. In the pilot, we meet three girls, Kaylie, Lauren and Payson, who are the top three at their prestigious gym at the Rocky Mountain Gymnastics Training Center (The Rock) in Colorado. When the series opens, they are preparing for the Nationals. The arrival of a raw talent, Emily Kmetcko, who shows up with no formal experience (she’d been training at the YMCA), threatens the girls, particularly Lauren, who fears that Emily will knock her out of the top three, jeopardizing her chance at her Olympic dream. In the next few episodes, there is a new shocker—the coach, Marty, has left. There is a juicy back-story behind his departure, but more importantly, the gym must now scramble to find a replacement—enter the controversial (but effective) coach Sasha Beloff.   

Some of the characters in this series start out as caricatures, and a few remain that way. The show’s writers, however, do a good job of creating conflict that allows different sides of characters to show, which is necessary because some characters are too one-dimensional to be believable. Lauren, for instance, is vicious, manipulative, and perhaps a sociopath. In later episodes, however, it becomes clear that she was traumatized by her addict mother’s abandonment.  This doesn’t excuse her actions, and she continues to do many morally bankrupt things. It’s good, however, to see a glimmer of insight into why the character acts the way she does. The rest of the characters are fairly archetypal as well. The character Emily Kmetcko is the classic rebellious underdog, with a frustrating knack for sabotaging herself. Kaylie is a spoiled-rotten rich princess whose perfect existence is shattered by a recent betrayal by her best friend and boyfriend, who were caught cheating, and her father, also caught cheating. Payson is the best gymnast at The Rock, and has a shot at Olympic gold. She is a stable girl, who is 100% dedicated to the sport, and a mentor to her other, less focused teammates.  

This drama series is older tween and teen friendly, although some of the subjects are a little iffy for younger tweens (for a show that brands itself as a “family” show, it does seem unnecessary to have promiscuity and unfaithfulness so prominently featured). To be fair, the sex is alluded to and never shown. There is also an episode where the girls go to a “kegger,” which may, unfortunately, be realistic, but doesn’t seem like a great idea for a “family” show. This show is tamer than other shows geared toward teens, and I don't think it glamorizes the bad decisions the girls make.  

I don’t see many (if any) boys tuning into this show unless forced by their sister, girlfriend or mother. At times it is so overwrought, it is more soap opera than straight drama. Most of the acting is pretty poor, although it’s hard to tell if the poor dialog is to blame. Some of the adult characters are decent, and the performances of Alya Kell who plays Payson, the most relatable character, Lauren’s oft moral- challenged father, and Steve Tanner, played by Anthony Starke are very believable. Sometimes this show is so bad it’s good, making viewers laugh when they aren’t supposed to. Despite this, the show does a great job of creating cliff-hangers and getting the audience interested (if not exactly invested) in what will happen next. This show is the definition of a “guilty pleasure” show, and probably a large portion of the audience tunes in because of their interest in gymnastics, either as a fan or an athlete. The show does a decent job of shooting the gymnastics skills and throwing in the sport’s terminology, but the show focuses on the athletes more than the sport.  

Genre: Drama

Interest level: Grades 6-12

Subjects: Gymnastics, Friendship, Athletes, Coaches, Family, Betrayal

Awards:

Nominated several times at the Teen Choice Awards

Similar shows/movies:

Stick it (2006)

Degrassi Junior High 

Watch the pilot here!

A Wrinkle in Time

L’Engle, Madeline. A Wrinkle in Time. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1962.  Tr. $17.00, ISBN-10  0-374-38613-7

What’s it about?

The stubborn secret math whiz Meg Murry, her extraordinary little brother Charles Wallace, and their neighbor, the kind, athletic and intelligent Calvin O’Keefe band together to time-travel with three other-worldly beings, Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which to  find Meg and Charles’ father Mr. Murray, a physicist who has been missing for nearly two years.  Will they find Mr. Murray, or will their dangerous journeys destroy them?

 Find out more:

Meg Murry is an underdog, ridiculed at school and dismissed by her teachers. She bitterly misses her father, a physicist, for almost two years, when he disappeared while working on a secret project. Her brother, Charles Wallace, is rumored to be sub-normal, since he didn’t begin to talk until he was four, but he is actually a genius with an uncanny ability to read people. The unusual boy has been making some unusual friends: mysterious old women (Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which) who have taken up in the haunted house in the woods. Charles takes Meg to meet them, and the siblings encounter a boy, Calvin O’Keefe, who felt inexplicably compelled to come to the haunted house.  Calvin instantly feels connected to the Murrays, and the three band together with the ancient (try billions of years old) Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which to find Mr. Murray. The travel, of course, involves a tesseract, a wrinkle in time. Their journeys lead them to fantastic and frightening planets and beings—some that threaten to destroy them.   

A Wrinkle in Time is an intense book you’ll read with bated breath—especially when the children arrive on the planet Camazotz.  The most significant theme of the book, and one that allows the book to have a happy ending, is the power of love to vanquish the destructive nature of evil.  In A Wrinkle in Time, even beings that we think of as frightening (such as Aunt Beast) show an astonishing capacity for love. Another theme young readers will enjoy is the power of intelligence and individuality to stand against the cloying pressure to conform. L’Engle tackles these themes with breath-taking world-building, beautiful turns of phrase, and lets the events unfold through the eyes of Meg, the most ordinary character in this book—and also the bravest.

Did you know?

A side-note about this book is the difficulty L’Engle had in getting it published. She had over two dozen rejections before Farrar, Straus and Giroux agreed to publish it. The main reasons it was rejected are, interestingly, its strengths: it’s a very unique story, a complex story, a tale of fighting evil. Publishers seemed confused about whether this was a children’s book or an adult book as well.

This book is intelligent and deep, so it isn’t surprising it is on the ALA’s list of Frequently Challenged Books. Many great books end up on this list. I’m fascinated that L’Engle, who is a Christian, has had trouble with critics who, despite the positive religious and scriptural allusions (which remind me very much of C.S. Lewis’ works), think that mentioning Jesus in the same context as great artists and scientists amounts to blasphemy (even though L’Engle had Charles Wallace shout out his name first). Another reason this book has been challenged is because of references to witchcraft! This book will turn children over to the powers of darkness, just like Harry Potter! This type of “logic” makes me wonder if the critics actually bothered to read A Wrinkle in Time.  What book were they reading? Witchcraft? Witches? Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Which aren’t witches. Oh wait, Mrs. Which=Mrs. Witch. I stand corrected.

Genre: Science Fiction

Reading level: 5^th grade

Interest level: Grades 5-9

Subjects: Time travel, Extraterrestrials, Conformity, Love, Family, Good vs. Evil

Awards:

Newbery Medal (1963)

Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (1964)

Read-alikes:

Stead’s When You Reach Me

Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia

Series information:

The Time Quintet

A Wind in the Door (1973)

A Swiftly Tilting Planet (1978)

Many Waters (1986)

An Acceptable Time (1989)

When You Reach Me

Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me. Wendy Lamb Books, 2009. Tr. $15.99, ISBN 978-0-385-73742-5.

What’s it about?

When sixth-grader Miranda’s best friend Sal gets punched by a strange kid, the unprovoked attack somehow unravels their friendship. Shortly after, Miranda receives the first of a series of mysterious notes that hint at an impending tragedy she must help prevent.  

Find out more:

It’s 1978 in New York City, and two childhood friends, Sal and Miranda, know the safest route to and from school, and know to avoid the Laughing Man, who rants “bookbag, pocketshoe” and likes to sleep under a mailbox.  Miranda’s world changes forever when her friend Sal is sucker-punched by a strange boy one day. After the unprovoked attack, Sal suddenly starts to shut her out of his life. Shortly after, Miranda begins receiving strange, cryptic notes that appear to be from someone who knows things he or she couldn’t possibly know.  Miranda is terrified, especially when her mother’s emergency spare key is stolen.  In the meantime, Miranda meets the boy, Marcus, who punched Sal “just to see what would happen.” Marcus is unusual. He sees her battered copy of A Wrinkle in Time, her favorite books, and begins a head-spinning argument about time travel. Meanwhile, Miranda navigates 6^th grade friendship drama (and discovers the impact she makes through small acts of kindness) and begins to put the pieces of the mysterious notes together. When something terrible happens, everything finally makes sense.

This thoughtful, powerful novel, which is in the form of a letter addressed to the note writer, unfolds quietly until its dramatic final act. Some readers may already know what will happen, but it doesn’t make it any less painful or poignant.  The way the story is told, in a non-linear fashion, adds to the mystery. Incorporating discussion about the plot elements of the classic A Wrinkle in Time adds to richness of this book. Stead weaves numerous subplots into this slim volume, and makes them all relate to the main plot. There is no unnecessary exposition.  There is so much going on that readers will probably want to re-read the book, but this is not due to Stead creating an obscure or incomprehensible story—readers will want to revisit the story to delight in how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together, to marvel in Stead’s genius. This is a stunning, satisfying book that will appeal to a wide audience.

Genre label: Contemporary Realistic Fiction with a dash of Science-Fiction

Reading level: 4^th grade

Interest level: Grades 4-9

Subjects: Latch-key kids, Working class families, Single mothers, Time-travel, Friendship

Awards:

Newbery Medal Winner (2010)

Read-alikes:

L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time

Snyder’s The Egypt Game

The Higher Power of Lucky

Patron, Susan. The High Power of Lucky. Illustrated by Matt Phelan. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2006. Tr. $16.95 ISBN 978-1-4169-0194-5.

What’s it about?

Ten-year-old Lucky Trimble of Hard Pan, California, population 43, is worried that her French guardian Brigitte is going to leave her and move back to France, so she runs away in a dangerous dust storm before she can be abandoned. 

Find out more:

10-year-old Lucky Trimble lives in Hard Pan, California (population 43) with her guardian Brigitte, her absentee father’s first wife, a young Frenchwoman.   Lucky’s mother died two years ago when she was electrocuted after a storm, stepping on some downed power lines while barefoot. Lucky, who already lost a parent through abandonment, fears that Brigitte is going to leave her too. Brigitte misses her mother, misses France, and has taken out her suitcase and passport. Brigitte’s leaving is a foregone conclusion for the observant (and sometimes very mistaken) Lucky.  It’s time for Lucky to take control of her life and call on her “higher power,” something she’s learned a lot about from eavesdropping on 12-Step meeting. Lucky receives three signs that let her know it is the perfect day to run away. She takes her survival pack and her beloved dog HMS Beagle and heads off to the Mojave Desert during a dangerous dust storm.

The Higher Power of Lucky has a quirky and loveable cast of misfit characters. Patron does a wonderful job of showing who these people are through their words, actions, and Lucky’s observations. Despite the sadness in the story, there is plenty of quiet humor.  Although the story is Lucky-centric, the secondary characters are well-drawn, such as Brigitte, who obviously cares for Lucky, but can seem a bit impatient at times; Lucky’s friend Lincoln, the insightful knot-artist; and Miles, her clingy  five-year-old neighbor who is being raised by his grandmother because his mother is in prison for selling drugs.  

It’s nearly impossible to bring up this Newbery Medal winner without mentioning the ridiculous controversy over The Higher Power of Lucky. The controversy, of course, was due to a clinical term for a part of the male anatomy, which was used in describing Short Sammy’s dog’s rattlesnake bite. Over four years after Scrotumgate, people still associate The Higher Power of Lucky with the word scrotum. Not exactly the desired legacy for this little gem. At least the derisive comments are aimed at the small minds that made a big fuss about the clinical term Patron used to describe where the rattlesnake bit the poor dog. Many critics have mentioned that using an accurate term rather than a crude slang term is preferable. Patron herself defended her choice of words, saying that she’d use the word again, that the word was chosen carefully and deliberately, certainly not gratuitously. In fact, after Lucky finds out that Brigitte is going to adopt her and open up a restaurant in Hard Pan, she asks Brigitte what the word means. Brigitte answers her matter-of-factly, and then adds,”You know if anyone ever hurts you I would rip their heart out.” I’m not sure if kids will make the connection between the question Lucky asked and Brigitte’s protective response, but they will take away Brigitte’s deep love for Lucky.  

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Humor

Reading level: 6^th grade

Interest level: Grades 4-6

Subjects: Death of a parent, Abandonment, Small towns, Runaways

Awards:

Newbery Medal (2007)

Series information:

 Lucky Breaks (2009)

Lucky for Good (2011)

Read-Alikes:

Hannigan’s Ida B.

Wiles’ Love, Ruby Lavender

Character name/descriptions:

Lucky Trimble-a 10-year-old fearful of abandonment, who loves to listen in on 12-step meetings and tries to find her own “higher power”

Miles—a 5 year-old who loves cookies

Lincoln—Lucky’s friend, obsessed with knot-making

Brigitte—Lucky’s guardian, a parsley-loving Frenchwoman once married to Lucky’s father

Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time

Yee, Lisa. Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time. Scholastic, 2005. Paperback $5.99, ISBN-13 978-0-439-62248-6.

What’s it about?

Stanford Wong, star basketball player, in danger of failing the sixth grade and being off the team, must miss basketball camp, take summer school and endure the humiliation of his nemesis Millicent Min tutoring him.  

Find out more:

Stanford Wong is looking forward to going to a highly reputable basketball camp and being the only seventh grader to be on the A-team at school.  He feels that his life is over when his English teacher, Mr. Glick, tells him he will fail sixth grade if he doesn’t take English in summer school. As if this isn’t bad enough, Stanford must miss basketball camp to take summer school. He may even be off the basketball team if he doesn’t pass. Plus, his parents are fighting, his work-a-holic father is perpetually disappointed in him, and his beloved grandmother Yin-Yin is sent to a depressing nursing home. Could things be worse? Yes—Stanford must also suffer the indignity of being tutored by Millicent Min, a snotty eleven-year-old genius who is already taking college courses. He fears losing his friends and new girlfriend, Millicent’s friend Emily Ebers if they find out he is taking summer school. He and Millicent craft a lie that protects Stanford’s secret (that he struggle in school) and Millie’s secret (that she is a genius), but threatens their friendships with Emily.  

Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time is an accessible and funny book about a likeable under-achiever. It is not necessary to have read Millicent Min, Girl Genius to enjoy Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time, but it is hilarious to see how different the same events look to these very different protagonists. Stanford comes across as a bit of a jerk in from Millicent’s perspective, but he is far more sensitive than she imagines. He certainly doesn’t see himself as the handsome, popular big-shot he is portrayed as. Instead, Stanford always feels on edge about his social status, which wasn’t always good. He is secret stress-knitter. He watches Sesame Street with his taciturn friend Stretch (who is so self-conscious about his voice change that he never speaks.) At the same time, Stanford is a very talented athlete with a tight-knit group of friends (and a frenemy, the mean-spirited and trouble Digger).  This book may appeal more to boys, with its fart jokes and guy humor, but its humor and sensitive portrayal of Stanford will also appeal to girls.

Genre: Humor, Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Friendship Fiction

Reading level: 4^th grade 

Interest level: Grades 4-7

Subjects: School, Grades, Basketball, Family, Friends, Parental disapproval, Self-esteem, Popularity

Read-alikes:

Korman’s No More Dead Dogs

Series information:   

Millicent Min, Girl Genius

So Totally Emily Ebers 

Anastasia Krupnik

Lowry, Lois. Anastasia Krupnik. Houghton Mifflin, 1979. Tr. $13.95, ISBN 0-395-28629-8.

What’s it about?

Meet Anastasia Krupnik, a smart, quirky aspiring poet who documents the important things that happen during her tenth year, which is destined to be momentous.  

Find out more:

Sensitive, quirky ten-year-old Anastasia Krupnik, daughter of a published poet and college professor and an artist, both slightly eccentric as well, keeps a list of the most important things that happened the year she was ten, and an ever-changing list of things she loves and things she hates. She is determined that the arrival of her baby brother will be terrible, and places babies in the “Things I Hate” column. Some things she goes back and forth on—her crush Washburn Cummings and her parents for instance—and she decides she has a mercurial temperament.  One thing she has always hated was her name. When she find out that Catholics get to choose a Saint’s name at confirmation, she decides she will become a Catholic—until she finds out that Catholics must confess their sins (even secret bad thoughts).  When she discovers that her mother is pregnant, she feels betrayed and decides to give her new brother the worst name ever.

Anastasia is a very well-drawn, flawed and engaging character. The humor of this book is subtle and intelligent. Anastasia crafts a magnificent, modernist poem that conveys the sounds and look of creatures that live in tidepools after dark. Instead of being stunned by her gift and precociousness, Mrs. Westvessel gives her an F because the poem doesn’t rhyme or contain standard punctuation and capitalization.  In her class, directions must be followed, and she’d explained what she was expecting from the class. After Anastasia’s conversation with her father, the reader draws the conclusion that Mrs. Westvessel doesn’t understand everything she teaches. Although this book is largely light-hearted, Anastasia’s relationship and sadness about her frail and senile 92-year-old grandmother is very poignant and painful.  Anastasia also learns to recognize that she has misjudged some people in her life, including Mrs. Westvessel, who actually turns out to be very kind (albeit not the best teacher of poetry!). This is not one of Lowry’s best known works, but like everything she has written, it is a gem.  

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Humor

Reading level: 5^th grade

Interest level: Grades 4-6

Subjects: Family relationships, Siblings

Read-alikes:

Fitzhugh’s Harriet the Spy

Series information:

Anastasia Again (1981)

Anastasia at Your Service (1982)

Anastasia, Ask Your Analyst (1984)

Anastasia on Her Own (1985)

Anastasia Has the Answers (1986)

Anastasia’s Chosen Career (1987)

Anastasia at this Address (1991)

Anastasia Absolutely (1995)

Related series (features Anastasia’s younger brother Sam):

All About Sam (1988)

Attaboy, Sam! (1992)

See You Around, Sam! (1996)

Zooman Sam (1999)