Children's Book Reviews

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Ah, a Love Story, Yet....

I guess I'm a sap for a good love story, especially one that takes place in a different time and culture. Best of all one that has determined characters and internal tension. After all that is the kind of historical fiction for young people I strive to write. For adults I think of books such as The Thorn Bird, Romeo and Juliet, or Far From the Madding Crowd. Downton Abbey, as a drama, fits those criteria. See, I am a sap! That's why I enjoyed the latest book by Jack Cain, Marcus and Selene in Alexandria. It's my kind of book, yet there is a giant cliffhanger at the end. I need the sequel.


Marcus and Selene in Alexandria is a fascinating read as it plunges the reader into Alexandrian society at the time of Cleopatra. Marcus, a Roman, is an angry 16 year old who is removed from his army training in Rome and sent to Alexandria, where his father is the Roman Legate, for punishment. Selene, the daughter of the richest Alexandrian merchant, dreams of owning her father’s business one day at a time when women are expected to marry early with no other ambitions. Marcus and Selene meet accidentally in the market place where their tutors, sisters, and friends accompany them. After they fall in love, intrigue pursues as they find out that Marcus’ father wants nothing to do with Selene’s father who wants to pander to Marcus’ father for more Roman business. When they see that their fathers will never let them be together, they plan to elope. They are caught and separated. The book ends on a cliffhanger note with the reader having to wait to see if they can ever reunite.

Jack Cain has written a compelling book with well researched details about Alexandrian society. The book successfully alternates between Marcus’ and Selene’s point of view. The reader even gets a glimpse of Cleopatra.
This book is the start of a fine series for young adults. Adults will enjoy it as well. Teachers can also use the book as an illustration for cultural differences and as a glimpse into history as would have been lived 2,000 years ago. The sequel is worth waiting for.


http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7035067.Jack_Cain


Friday, April 05, 2013

I Love a Great Adventure!

 Who doesn't love an adventure? Yet once we embark on an adventure, however passionate we are about it, we sometimes lose heart. I'm thinking of Frodo in The Hobbit. He doesn't like fighting or hurting others, the dwarfs make fun of him, and he misses the comfort of his home. He starts to go back when he remembers that he wants to be on this adventure, however dangerous it is. I feel that way sometimes about my writing and art, slipping and sliding between faint heart and brave heart modes when it comes to taking the next big step. If there is a hint of criticism or if there is any  mountain to climb, like day jobs, rules from agents or publishing houses, or the economy doesn't encourage art buying, I will want to head back to the comfort zone. Still, we all must keep on the path of our chosen adventure, or the bucket lists of life never see their full reward. What I love about Patalosh and its hero is Orion never gives up even when he is in the direst of circumstances. He will find his parents no matter the cost and become part of the Royal Navy.
  

One can hardly put Patalosh down. The plotting in this hero’s journey, undertaken by 10 year old Orion Spence, is dynamic with one predicament just being solved when another pops up as Orion and the crew of Exploricus time travel from one time and one culture to another looking for clues to the whereabouts of his kidnapped parents by the malevolent Emperor Daaggerd. Along the way Orion picks up his friends from different time zones and cultures including the penguin Pen who turns out to be someone who is not what she seems. The ending is a superb cliffhanger paving the way for a sequel or series.

Not only is it a rollicking good adventure, but it is also a quest that the reader feels a part of as descriptions are ample giving one a clear sense of the sights, sounds, smells, and especially the culinary tastes of each place in which Orion lands. Characters, including the different physical Taloshian body forms are carefully depicted. There are maps, illustrations and spot drawings sprinkled throughout to enable further visualization. The reader, parents, and teachers have plenty of follow through to create further activities or lesson plans with descriptions, recipes, and “Royal Academy” training exercises suggested. Go to the website www.Patalosh.com for more activities, a video trailer of the book, and useful information about space, fitness, and exploration. Highly recommended for ages 10 and beyond, even adults will not want to put it down. When will the sequel come out? One can hardly wait.