Issue 10 - Unreal!

Angels  locked in good vs. evil battles.  Mysterious kites that seem to change everything. Spaceships travelling to a new, habitable planet. Secret societies. Gothic dystopias. Far-out fairy tales. They’re everywhere these days. But  what do all of these seemingly different themes have in common?

More and more, it seems our reading minds crave the unknown. So much, in fact, that most bookstores have dedicated entire sections to books that focus on the unreal. That’s why we’ve decided to center this issue of WRN? to all reads that send us, quite simply, out of this world.

For The Chat, us girls couldn’t say (debate, discuss, dispute! Yes, it’s that good!) enough about mind-boggling Across the Universe.  For our  Off The Shelf section, picture book writer Gloria Rothstein embraces three fun “happily ever after” tales. And for our Author Interview, Cynthia Leitich Smith answers every question we’ve ever wanted to know about her wholly-organic, gothic paranormal series, which includes titles Tantalize, Eternal, and Blessed.

So have fun out there, fabulous readers, and let your minds wander as far as your imaginations will take you. In fact, we guarantee these reads will take your minds even farther.

Across The Universe

Intro by Kerry
Chatted by Michelle, Kerry and Jill

A few months ago, Razor Bill publishing teased readers by releasing a single chapter of Across the Universe. In thirteen short pages, author Beth Revis had me intrigued, wanting to hug Amy’s Dad for giving her a choice, aching for Amy who had to make that tough choice, and shivering along with them as they were frozen in glass coffins. I literally had to tell myself to breath. So, yeah, I was hooked. And you can bet I was at my local bookstore the day this book came out.

Amy and her parents agreed to spend 300 years frozen—together. Whizzing through space—together. So they could wake up on a new planet and help that planet thrive—together. But Amy is forced awake—alone. Years before the ship will land. Trapped inside a mechanical, unemotional, dictorial world that is the spaceship Godspeed, she must use her knowledge from Sol-Earth to convince her new friend Elder that life on board isn’t “right.”

This book is part sci-fi, part dystopian, part murder mystery, and part love story, all wrapped up in one of the most amazing book jackets I’ve ever seen.

(WARNING: It was impossible to do this chat without a whole bunch of spoilers. We inked out what we could. Other parts were impossible to black out because we would have had to mark up entire lines or we would have had to literally not talk about the end which, come on, was not an option.)

Cynthia Leitich Smith

Interviewed by Michelle Delisle

Hey WRNers!  This month we bring you an interview with the very talented Cynthia Leitich Smith.  We’ll be discussing her New York Times and Publishers Weekly best-selling books Eternal, Tantalize and Blessed. She’s also the author of award-winning books for younger children including Jingle Dancer, Indian Shoes, Rain Is Not My Indian Name and Holler Loudly.  She’s a member of faculty at the Vermont College M.F.A. program in Writing for Children and Young Adults.

Her website at www.cynthialeitichsmith.com was named one of the top 10 Writer Sites on the Internet by Writer's Digest and an ALA Great Website for Kids. Her Cynsations blog at cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/ was listed as among the top two read by the children's/YA publishing community in the SCBWI "To Market" column.

Hi, Cynthia.Whew!  You’re a busy person.  We feel very lucky and grateful to have you with us so soon after the release of Blessed, the third book of your multi-creature-verse novel series.   Just to give our readers a quick rundown.  In Tantalize, the main character Quince is in danger of becoming a vampire while running her family restaurant and this creates problems with her werewolf boyfriend Kieren.  In Eternal, a guardian angel, Zachary, must protect Miranda from a “daddy” of a vampire, the new Dracula himself.  And, in Blessed, these characters are thrown together in a save-the-world-please story!  Wow!  There I think I did that without spoilers.  I just want to say these are so good, so well-done!  So, let’s get started.     

Matched by Ally Conde

Reviewed by Michelle Delisle

The Society that Cassia Maria Reyes lives in doesn’t allow its citizens any choices.  Before she was born, they picked the hundred best songs, best movies, best poems and the others have been discarded.  When Cassia becomes an adult they will pick her career.  But, the most disturbing choice that is controlled by the government sacrifices love.  The Officials even pick your mate. 

On the day Cassie turns seventeen, she’s Matched with her long-time best friend Xander.  This seems lucky.  After all, it’s been years since a Matched couple is even from the same city.  But The Society doesn’t believe in luck—only probabilities—so the coincidence is seen as simply uncommon.

What’s even more unlikely is a mistake by The Society.  But that’s exactly what happens when she sees the face of another boy she knows, Ky, as she reads the background of her future mate.   The mistake, no matter how small, sets up questions in Cassie’s mind.  What if she’s not supposed to be with Xander?  What if Ky should be her Match?  What if she could choose?

The dystopian world created by Ally Condie in Matched is complex, believable and frightening.  This page turner (I finished it in one sitting) will appeal to readers of both the very popular genres of paranormal romance and dystopian fiction. As a bonus, the author has left us with a heartbreaking, cliffhanger ending that would seem to indicate at least one more book as a follow up.  I, for one, can’t wait to see how Cassie deals with her choices and her new place in this broken world.

Windblowne by Stephen Messer

Reviewed by Kerry O’Malley Cerra

I’m actually not sure where to begin this review. I mean, so many things about this book are unique. But, since a cover is what we usually see first, I’ll start there. Oh. My. Goodness. It blew me away (pun intended). The contrast of the moonlight and the red kite…amazing. The boy flying over the tops of trees, two moons, just enough clouds and dark objects here and there to make it a tiny bit creepy. Wow! I couldn’t wait to read it.

It only got better from there. When I opened that first page and started reading about a town named Windblowne, where everyone lives in tree houses built on limbs of luscious Oaks, where night winds often blow with gale-force, I was captivated. Immediately transported to this vivid world. A world where kite flying is life. And that means disaster for Oliver, because no matter how hard he tries, his kite never lifts off the ground.

With the annual kite flying festival days away, Oliver finds out he has a great uncle who was a master kite flyer years ago. If only he’d help Oliver build the strongest kite ever, Oliver might finally earn a little respect from the townspeople. But, when Oliver manages to track Great-Uncle Gilbert down, in a well-hidden part of the forest, he discovers a magical secret. There’s not just one Windblowne. There are possibly millions. Each with the same map of oak trees, but with different whispers of the wind.

An evil Great-Uncle Gilbert clone, named Lord Gilbert, is set on gaining power over all Windblowne’s, but this involved taking energy from the Oaks, and in turn killing them. Lord Gilbert zaps Great-Uncle Gilbert to a hell-world Windblowne when he tries to save the trees. This sets Oliver on a quest to find his uncle, uncover the secret of the whispering winds, and discover that if kite flying isn’t his talent, what is. Kudos to Stephen Messer for a truly original, capitivating story. This fantasy world is so rich, I actually feel the need to reread the book. The clues planted along the way were surely missed the first time around. But, now that I know what links the worlds, I’m excited to go back and see Stephen’s extraordinary ability to weave so many threads into one satisfying ending.

I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll, illustrated by Howard McWilliam

Reviewed by Jill MacKenzie

When Ethan’s slightly scary, wonderfully loyal monster, Gabe, decides to take a fishing trip, Ethan worries that he won’t get a good night’s rest until Gabe returns. So, he decides to start interviewing for a new monster to take Gabe’s place. Gabe meets several good monster candidates in every shape, color, texture and gender (yes! A girl monster named Cynthia applies for the job, too!) But only after acquainting himself with several other monsters, like Ralph, who has polished, manicured and not-at-all scary claws, Ethan realizes that no other monster, no matter how scary, sweet, or tempting he may be, could replace his Gabe.

Featuring illustrations as bright, playful and inviting as Amanda Noll’s prose, I Need My Monster dispels the common childhood fear that having a monster living under your bed is something to fear.  On the contrary, I believe that, after reading I Need My Monster, every child out there will wish they had one of their own, too.

Hey, we have lots of books to give away. Like: MATCHED by Ally Condie, TANTALIZE, ETERNAL, and BLESSED by Cynthia Leitich Smith, WINDBLOWNE by Stephen Messer, NIGHTSHADE CITY by Hilary Wagner, SLEEPLESS by Cyn Balog, BRAIN JACK by Brian Falkner, PEGASUS by Robin McKinley, and more. Winning is super-easy. Just post an answer to the following question on our Facebook wall. Or in an email to contests@whatchareadingnow.com

What out of this world creature do you wish you could be?

Or

Whatcha’ Reading Now?

See, we made it double-easy with two choices. Every time you post, your names goes in the cookie jar. But, get creative with the first one. I know I’d prolly pick a mermaid…or a unicorn…or…ack, too many choices. Whatever you pick, just post today, this minute, this second…okay, how ‘bout now?

By Cathy Castelli

Catherine Fisher’s Incarceron (Incarceron, Book 1) is a romance without the romance.  The protagonist, Claudia, is the tutored daughter of the warden of the prison—Incarceron. Her life evokes feelings of a great romantic era.  Women are properly dressed and properly chaperoned.  Travel is by horse and carriage.  However, Incarceron (Incarceron, Book 1) is way more than a delicious Jane Austen novel.  It’s the twists that turn this would-be-romance into a steam-punk-thriller.  Fisher has created two marvelous worlds with amazing characters.

On the Outside where Claudia lives, life is all about how things look.  Her home is maintained to perfection at the requirement of her mostly absent father.  She spends her time being tutored and managing the servants like any young lady of culture and good-breeding should.  She had been promised in marriage to the King’s son, but when he died at a young age, Claudia was then betrothed to the King’s step-son.  When Claudia finds the key that her father uses to communicate with Incarceron, she replaces it with a holographic copy.  She is able to use it to contact Finn, a prisoner who cannot remember his childhood.  Claudia wonders why, out of all the prisoners, she can communicate with Finn.

While the people on the Outside are told that life is calm and orderly in Incarceron, it is actually a warring, dangerous place to live.  No one goes in, and no one comes out.  It is not a traditional prison with bars and cells; people roam freely within their confines. Prisoners sentenced to Incarceron have formed gangs for protection.  Children are born there, live their entire lives as prisoners, and die there.  While life Outside is idyllic, life inside is hell.

 Finn is a prisoner who must have been born inside, but he has strange seizures which lead to weird dreams.  When we read about Finn, we can almost smell the acrid stench and feel the grit of the prison on our hands.  When he and Claudia communicate with each other, they both feel urgency to figure out the truth.  Claudia leaves for the palace to get married determined to find a way into the sealed prison which she guesses may be there.  While it looks like Claudia is free and Finn is a prisoner, she is just as restricted and stuck in her world.  Perhaps if there is a way out, then they both can be saved.

For a story with staying power long after the last page has turned, check out Incarceron (Incarceron, Book 1). 

By Jonathan Rosen

When I was first contacted by someone from this website, I knew instantly what it was for. I was so overcome with joy, that I couldn't help but shout, “Yes! My patience has finally paid off!  At last, I’m going to become a Whatcha’ Reading Now girl!”
The awkward silence that followed made me realize that perhaps I may have misinterpreted the nature of the call…this time. However, I was soon told that my dream did have at least some relevance to what was being asked of me, and that was to write something about fantasy. By that they meant the unreal, magical places or things that couldn't happen in real life.

After getting over my rejection, I found myself becoming excited, because this topic was very appealing to me. Those are the things I loved to read about as a child and definitely what I like to write about as a semi-adult.

The first thing that immediately popped into my head was the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. When I set out to do this, my initial thoughts were to try and not use well-known and popular titles, but then I realized that the purpose of this was to say what held appeal for me, not to find something off the beaten path. With that in mind, no book meant more to me as a child than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Prior to that, I had mostly read books such as The Tower Treasure / The House on the Cliff (The Hardy Boys, 2 Books in 1). Yes, I still loved that series, but this was different.

When I first read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I was eleven years old and had just moved to another country. Nobody seems to believe it, but I was a shy kid, so trying to fit in had always been a problem. And that was in this country, now I had to carve out a place for myself in another language. Then I found this book and it took me away. I was mesmerized from the first pages. Letting myself imagine that any of the pieces of furniture in that small room I shared with my sister, might lead me to another land, another place. (Or maybe take her, which would be the next best thing). The series lit a spark in me. From that moment on, I started imagining stories all the time. What might lie behind this wall, what might be within that tree? To me, no talk about books with magical places can be complete without the Narnia series. Should you read them, please start with The Magician's Nephew, since even though not the first one written, it is the first one in the chronology of events. The rest of the series will read better going in that order.

Here are some other books that I loved or meant something to me:

The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
I loved this book. How can you not love a story that pretty much begins with the destruction of the earth? One of the first times I read something that was filled with fantasy and humor. That definitely inspired me as far as including humor in my work. So many funny things in this book, but the one that always stuck with me was the part about the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal, an animal so stupid, that if you wrap a towel around your head, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you. (By the way, I have tried the same trick on several of my friends with great success)

Harry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-7) by J.K. Rowling.
Okay, you may have heard of this one. Again, my promise to go for something off the beaten path has turned into a great big lie. (But the bending of the truth comes in handy for writing, no?) Anyway, Yes, I was technically an adult when this series began, but many of those feelings I had as a kid, of being taken away on an adventure returned. A kid who doesn’t know he’s a wizard? An evil wizard who wants to kill him? A school to learn magic? I mean, are you kidding? What’s not to love? Every kid who reads these books, somewhere in the back of their minds wonders what would happen if they were really a wizard. Who didn’t wish for the day when an owl would deliver a special invitation to their door? I still peek through the mail slot hoping that maybe I was just overlooked.

Okay, before I go, I was determined to try and at least get one thing a little more contemporary on here.

The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson
Loved this story. Another thing that I used to imagine as a kid, as I’m sure many other kids did as well, was sneaking into theme parks after closing, especially the Disney ones. Having the place to myself, going on some rides and seeing what happened to the characters and the audio-animatronic figures. Well, here we get to do all that, but let’s be careful what we wish for. Those lovable figures you see when the park is open, might not necessarily be the same way later after closing hours. This book gives us all that and is really a fun read.

Well, my time is up. I was warned by the members of this site that there was a strict policy about keeping this under 1,000 words and if I went over, there would be…repercussions.

I'm pretty sure they were joking, right? Hello? Right?

By Gloria Rothstein

Reality shows aren’t my thing. Happily Ever Afters are. Probably explains why I love romantic comedies and picture books. I like the way they end. Plus, I love that I can watch a movie over and over and still see something new each time. Same with picture books. Every time I reread a favorite, I discover some charming detail that I hadn’t noticed before. That “multiple read” factor is what makes picture books so unique. And it explains why the best thing any child can say about a new title is...“READ IT, AGAIN!”

So when Whatcha Reading Now? invited me to write about picture books for their UNREAL issue, I immediately pictured princes, princesses, knights, and damsels-in-distress. Love stories, of course, with lots of twists and turns. Add a castle, a wedding, maybe a dragon or two…and you’ve got the kinds of stories that are meant to be read and reread.

David LaRochelle’s The End (Arthur A. Levine Books, 2007) begins where most books end. And they all lived happily ever after. From the opening line, to the once upon a time ending, this book surprises readers at every page-turn. With simple text and enchanting illustrations, it’s a backwards tale that’s fun, funny, and action-packed. What child wouldn’t want to find out why the soggy prince fell in love with the clever princess? Or why the fire-breathing dragon wouldn’t stop crying? Or why the giant was throwing a temper tantrum? Throw in a flying teacup, an enormous tomato, a princess turning lemons into lemonade, and you have a cause and effect story, perfect for sharing.

Falling For Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox (Putnam, 2008) is one of the silliest fractured fairy tales on the market. Whether or not kids are familiar with the original tale, or are fans of the recent Disney film Tangled, this spoof is a must-read. Although Rapunzel’s tears are real, her problem isn’t all that serious. She’s simply having a bad hair day. But the prince rides by, hears her cries, and assumes she needs rescuing. From the moment, he yells, “throw down your hair,” and Rapunzel tosses out her underwear, readers get caught up in the fun. When asked to throw down her locks and tresses, the visuals are socks and dresses. Told in rhyming couplets, and sprinkled with laugh-out-loud illustrations, this hilarious tale turns one bad hair day into a page-turner.

In James Mayhew’s The Knight Who Took All Day (Chicken House, 2005), a clueless knight is determined to impress the princess. All he needs is a terrible dragon to slay. The problem is, no one has seen a dragon in a hundred and one years. But when a fire-breathing dragon finally appears, the hero focuses more on his attire than the task at hand. So it’s the princess, rather than the prince, that tames the beast, finds her prince, and lives happily ever after.

Need By Carrie Jones

Reviewed by Rebecca San Juan

Zara White can’t imagine moving on. She’s stuck living in the past, which is chock full of phobias. “Mnemophobia is a real fear. I did not make it up. I swear. You can be afraid of your memories. There’s no easy off button for your brain. It would be really, really nice if there were. So I crush my fingers into my eyelids, trying to make myself stop remembering things.” So, what is the ‘thing’ that on page two of Carrie Jones’s book, Need, Zara White wants to forget? That she’s been living in the past for four months in the same memory, the one of her stepfather dying on the kitchen floor due to a heart attack. Her mother sends her away to start a new life in Maine with her step grandmother, a brutally honest EMT.

Her step grandmother encourages her to rebuild her life, before she can settle down into the new school and make new friends; a newfound truth floats into Zara’s awareness. She finds out that a rumor that had been going around town, about pixies seducing men to drink their blood, is true. The best part? Those who surround her are battling against the pixies. Her step grandmother, love interest, and friends have been killing off pixies to save their own lives and those of the townspeople. Zara is strung between two groups. She finds out that her stepfather was also battling against the pixies, a secret he kept from Zara to protect her. Once she realizes whom his enemy was, Zara must decide between the family she’s built around her and the one she’s always been curious about.

Carrie Jones twirls the reader into a world that is seemingly like ours, but is inhabited by magical creatures. The plot flies by making the reader eagerly anticipate the turning of the page. The best treat is the characters. Each one bounces realistically off of the page. Their personalities vary and make the reader wish that their friends would be more like Devyn, Issie, and Nick. With down-to-earth characters put in mind-boggling situations, readers will root for Zara every step of the way.  

The movie is set to be released in August of 2011.

Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

Reviewed by Veronica L. Hernandez

Far away from her native Tiansher, Nimira is stuck in the land of Lorinar singing and dancing for a circus troupe.  She’s billed as a “trouser girl,” a dance hall entertainer, and nobody thinks much of her until a sorcerer hires her to sing with an automaton. 

Beautifully crafted and fairy-made, the automaton awes people and arouses suspicion.  Although it seems lifelike, it is only supposed to play the piano.  The sorcerer, the owner of this fascinating piece of technology, has hired other women to sing with it.  However, after the second day, they refuse to sing with the automaton, and claim that it moans and makes other strange noises.  Nimira also hears the odd sounds, but is captivated.  Why does it moan?  Why does it look so life-like?  What is the real secret behind the automaton?

Enchanting and romantic, this Victorian-era fantasy is the debut of author Jaclyn Dolamore. A companion novel set in the same world is to be released later this year. Magic Under Glass has been compared to Jane Eyre, another English classic of the Victorian era and Dolamore’s favorite book.  Fans of both romance and fantasy novels will enjoythis story and will anxiously await the sequel.

And before we sign off for this issue, stay with us for a brief commercial.

Did you know you support our site when you link to Amazon and purchase books? Yep! We use the money to keep the site going and mail out contest books to our winners. So we hope that if you’re going to purchase any of our great fantasy reads (or any books for that matter!), you’ll link to Amazon through our site.

Please click here. Pretty please with a cherry on top.

• Unreal reads for Teens
• Unreal books for Middle Graders
• Unreal Picture Books

So, thanks for stopping by this month and sticking with us to the very end of the issue without changing channels. Hope we see you next time when our theme is....aha! Fooled ya' You thought we were goona let it slip. No way. We'll keep that under wraps for just a little while longer.