The Amulet of Samarkand

The Amulet of
Samarkand
by Jonathan Stroud

From the publisher:
"Nathaniel is a boy magician-in-training, sold to the government by his birth parents at the age of five and sent to live as an apprentice to a master. Powerful magicians rule Britain, and its empire, and Nathaniel is told his is the "ultimate sacrifice" for a "noble destiny." 

If leaving his parents and erasing his past life isn't tough enough, Nathaniel's master, Arthur Underwood, is a cold, condescending, and cruel middle-ranking magician in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The boy's only saving grace is the master's wife, Martha Underwood, who shows him genuine affection that he rewards with fierce devotion. Nathaniel gets along tolerably well over the years in the Underwood household until the summer before his eleventh birthday. Everything changes when he is publicly humiliated by the ruthless magician Simon Lovelace and betrayed by his cowardly master who does not defend him.

Nathaniel vows revenge. In a Faustian fever, he devours magical texts and hones his magic skills, all the while trying to appear subservient to his master. When he musters the strength to summon the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus to avenge Lovelace by stealing the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, the boy magician plunges into a situation more dangerous and deadly than anything he could ever imagine. "

I really struggle with books when I don't like one of the main characters (ie - Artemis Fowl), and while I enjoyed Bartimaeus, I definitely did not like Nathaniel. So much so that I almost stopped reading this. I also found the constant footnotes obnoxious and distracting and there are not many middle school children in the world who will take the time to read them. It also seemed quite long. However, Bartimaeus kept me going with his boasting and quick wit. There is plenty of action, even though it seemed to drag sometimes, and I'm sure the remaining books in the series will have just as much. 

It is odd that this author's Lockwood and Co. series is very popular in my library, but I can't get the kids who loved that series to read this one. If I find a good author I have to get my hands on everything they have written, but apparently there is something off-putting about the cover or synopsis that isn't catching the middle schoolers attention. Now, just because this wasn't my favorite doesn't mean the kids won't like it if they once get into it. After all, they love Artemis Fowl, so I'll still recommend it to the students who love mythology, mythological creatures and magicians.

Areas of concern:
*Violence between mythological creatures and magicians
*Sad death of a loved character
*A character is killed by a young boy

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10+

School Library Journal - Grades 5-9

The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo)

The Hidden Oracle
by Rick Riordan

From the publisher:

"How do you punish an immortal?

By making him human.

After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disorientated, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favour.

But Apollo has many enemies—gods, monsters and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go... an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood."

I know this is a blasphemous statement to a lot of people, but I'm not a Rick Riordan fan. I read Percy Jackson and thought it was "meh", so I never read any more of his books. However, one of my students promised this one was amazing, so I tackled it. I ended up annoyed with the constant need to be cute and witty. It seemed way over the top. And it seems like the humor is aimed at the wrong audience. There are so many of the quips and one-liners that will go way over the heads of the target readers. Granted, I chuckled at some of them. "A penguin and a nun walk into a Shake Shack"...... come on, that's amusing. However, my middle school students would have no idea what that even means. 
It probably didn't help that I haven't read the entire Percy Jackson collection and didn't know or couldn't remember who most of the people were. 
I really didn't like Apollo, and when the main character annoys the heck out of you, it is hard to enjoy the book. I thought his constant talk of his past lovers (male and female) was totally inappropriate for this age group as well. 
So now that I have made the attempt twice, may I please be released from reading any more of this author? I will leave that to my students, who can't get enough or Rick Riordan no matter how prolific of a writer he is. Middle school students - enjoy! Adults - take a pass. No, wait, I know a lot of adults who love Rick Riordan, so if that is you - definitely read it.

Areas of concern:
*Above mentioned talk of Apollo's past lovers, both heterosexual and homosexual.
*Teenage love stories abound - both heterosexual and homosexual.

Suggested Ages:

Booklist - Grades 5-8
Kirkus Reviews - Ages 12-17

The Star-Touched Queen

The Star-Touched Queen
by Roshani Chokshi

From the publisher:
"Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen?

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire…

But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself."

While reading this book there were moments where I was so engrossed in the beautiful writing and the music and poetry of it, that I would get to the end of a paragraph and say, "Wait. What just happened?". The writing was stirring and magical and gripping, yet I feel like I am a little clueless about many things that happened. It was weird and other-worldly, but it was supposed to be weird and other-worldly because there is actually a place called The Otherworld in the book. I'm very conflicted about this one! On the one hand there were many things I loved, on the other hand I found a lot of things very confusing. I found the romance believable, very insta-love, but there is a reason for that. The villain was deliciously evil. One of the characters was creepily humorous (a talking horse-thing that wants to eat people.) I loved the sisterly bond, but disliked the rest of the familial relationships. The Indian mythology helped with the magical feeling of the book. All in all, I was very invested in the story and characters, but I'm not convinced that middle schoolers will be that invested. Will they be as enthralled as I was by the pictures the words of this book paint? I can think of a few that will stick with it, but probably high schoolers will do better with it. Not because of content issues, just because of maturity.

Areas of concern:
*No bad language that I can remember.
*Several passionate kisses between husband and wife. They share a bed, but it is clear that they are only sleeping there. 
*Quite a bit of violence is alluded to, but I never felt anything was very graphic. 
*Bullying of the main character at the very beginning of the book.

Suggested Ages:

Kirkus Reviews - Ages 12+

School Library Journal - Grades 9+

Loki's Wolves

Loki's Wolves
by K.L. Armstrong

From the publisher:
"In Viking times, Norse myths predicted the end of the world, an event called Ragnarok, that only the gods can stop. When this apocalypse happens, the gods must battle the monsters--wolves the size of the sun, serpents that span the seabeds, all bent on destroying the world.

The gods died a long time ago.

Matt Thorsen knows every Norse myth, saga, and god as if it was family history--because it is family history. Most people in the modern-day town of Blackwell, South Dakota, in fact, are direct descendants of either Thor or Loki, including Matt's classmates Fen and Laurie Brekke.

However, knowing the legends and completely believing them are two different things. When the rune readers reveal that Ragnarok is coming and kids--led by Matt--will stand in for the gods in the final battle, he can hardly believe it. Matt, Laurie, and Fen's lives will never be the same as they race to put together an unstoppable team to prevent the end of the world."

This is one of those books where I have to set my feelings aside and try to think like a middle school boy. I didn't particularly enjoy it - but then I didn't like Percy Jackson, either. Percy Jackson is much better than this one, though. I didn't like the characters very much and the writing didn't impress me. And how do all of these children just strike off on their own without more repercussions?! However, I know several middle school age kids who love this series, and this is one I recommend for kids who ask me what they can read after Percy Jackson. There is plenty of action, Norse gods are very popular right now, it ends with a huge cliffhanger, and it moves at a fast pace. Win, win, win, win for middle schoolers. 

Areas of concern:
*Complete and total lack of parental concern.
*Scary situations
*Sudden death of a main character.

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 8-12

School Library Journal - Grades 4-6

Son of War, Daughter of Chaos

Son of War, Daughter of Chaos
by Janette Rallison

From the publisher:
"Aislynn is accustomed to watching for the enemy. Her parents instructed her from the time she was young to look for the signs: people with greater than normal strength, eyes that can glow green, and have the ability to jump long distances. Over the years, Aislynn has come to view her parents’ fears as quirks—things that get in the way of having a normal high school life.

When Aislynn’s mother dies under suspicious conditions, her father doubles his restrictions. But all his precautions can’t stop the boy with glowing green eyes from finding Aislynn. She realizes too late she’s been drafted into an ancient Egyptian war, whether she’s prepared or not."

I'm still riding the high of having just finished this book and I LOVED it! I've never read anything by this author, but I will have to start now. To me, this was everything a YA book should be - great characters, great settings, exciting storyline, sweet romance - all with the added bonus of being clean, so I have no problem with my middle schoolers reading it. The Egyptian mythology was really interesting, I don't know much about that subject so I have no clue if it was accurate or not, but it was fun to read about. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and made me think about the greater good versus those you love. How do you make that decision? Aislynn was a strong, loyal character and I loved how close she was to her family. There was a conclusion, but it left us with a lot of things un-answered so I'm hoping there will be a sequel. I think this will spread like wildfire through the school once word gets out about it. I definitely recommend this one!

Areas of concern:
Kissing
Violence, fighting, killing