A Game of You (Sandman No. 5)
author: Neil Gaiman
audience: Adult
Like all the other Sandman graphic novels in the series (of 10 books,) this one is exquisitely designed and the story is the usual Gaiman-esque oddity: illogical and yet completely sensible, if one thinks with one's heart, not one's head. Some images are really quite gory... they even bothered me! (The severed, reconstructed Head of George which flapped its tongue and talked...hmm... really disturbing..)
The Clique (book 1)
author: Lisi Harrison
audience: 5th-7th
Wow... pre-Teen Soap Opera to the top level! My goodness. The girls are so mean and there does not seem to have any remorse after all their misdeeds... Yes, I wanted to read to find out what comes next, a guilty kind of pleasure, but am so appalled by the lack of any "moralistic" view that I simply won't endorse this series. I am curious, though, as to why this is such a popular series and what the young readers (as young as 4th grade in my school) see in these books and how they view these girls.
The Year of the Dog
author: Grace Lin
audience: 3th-5th
I am reviewing this one for the Horn Book so I won't post my opinions here! (Horn Book 2006 March/April issue)
Lionboy: The Truth (book 3)
author: Zizou Corder
audience: 4th-6th
The rip-roaring conclusion of the adventurous and exciting trilogy did not disappoint me. Although so many threads are dealt with, the story line keeps pushing forward and the climax is quite satisfying. The blend of quality prose and very very childlike details remains the most charming aspect of this story.
