A bit of realistic fiction for you: Tangerine by Edward Bloor.
The Fishers have just moved to Lake Windsor, Florida, in the county of Tangerine, from Houston, Texas. Erik Fisher is the family's star child and football perfectionist. He's been known to kick fifty yard field goals, and his father likes to brag about how his son never misses any extra points. The Erik Fisher Football Dream lives on in both father and son.
As told through Erik's little brother's, Paul's, eyes, this story spins a tale of a big-city family making a splash in a little-town pond. And though Paul plays the part of a second-string goalie for the best soccer team in the county, no one notices. Paul has been tossed into the shadows in favor of the Erik Fisher Football dream, but he can see what no one else can see. Will he be able to speak the truth after witnessing his frightening older brother come unhinged?
Yes, this story is a sports story, but it is not a story about sports. It's a story about a family struggling to pretend that everything's okay. It's a story about a boy who's trying to figure out where he fits in, even as his older brother scares him to death. It's also a story about finding your voice and telling the world the truth.
I like the character of Paul because he isn't dynamic. In the course of the story he doesn't change from a pathetic wimp who lets his brother push him around to a strong hero ready to take on the world. He always knows who he is, but he can't always find the words to show it. He isn't a scaredy-cat afraid to show his face who suddenly turns into someone who can face his fears. It suggests that anyone can do be brave like that. It suggests that anyone can be strong and close their eyes to the consequences.
Edward Bloor's story is most enjoyable because it can build up such a tension at times that you feel like you're running out onto the soccer fields with the War Eagles at your heels yourself.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
The Inheritance Cycle
I'll start with a basic piece of fiction--The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini.
This is a four part series about a fictional country, Agalasia, in a fictional world. There are elves, dragons, dwarves, humans, 'urgals' (brutes akin to trolls and the like), and a combined race of humans, elves, and dragons known as 'dragon riders' (humans and elves who ride dragons). If it was a historical fiction piece the setting would be the middle ages.
Agalasia is being ruled by an evil dragon rider who is supposed to be the only one who can use magic, but a rebellion has been growing. Our young hero finds himself in possesion of an illegal dragon, the power, and duty, to defeat the evil king, and the influence of a thousand coffers of gold. Aided by an old man, an outlaw, the leader of the rebels, the princess of the elves, the king of dwarves, an herbalist who might be insane, his cousin, and his dragon Eragon holds the fate of the realm in his hand.
It is basically a less complicated version of the Lord of the Rings. No, there is only one ring, but with the vast quantity of magical swords, lances, and belts you have to keep track of it doesn't really make much of a difference. At least with the rings several had the same purpose and only one had a specific name. If you read these books be prepared to have to put up with names such as 'The Belt of Beloth the Wise' and 'Zar'roc.' But, to continue my comparison, Urgals are the Orcs replacement, and instead of sightless beasts on horses you have the Ra'zac riding on letherblanka -- duck-like things riding on other duck-like things.
Thankfully, though, you can get past the complicated and similar names to some degree. And though the covers aren't stuffed full of action when you do get sword- and fist- fights they are coherant and are there for a reason. Another bonus for those unwilling to suspend their disbelief is that the 'magic' in this books comes with a well defined limit. So, while you might see hovering rocks those rocks aren't going to sprout wings and fly away.
The books in this series are as follows: Eragon, Eldest, Brisinger, Inheritance. Please, do yourself a favor and do not read them out of order. The latter three have a preface of what happened in the previous three, but in my opinion, they just confuse you even more.
The books' website--they have a few games on here and some trivia stuff. http://www.alagaesia.com/
This is a four part series about a fictional country, Agalasia, in a fictional world. There are elves, dragons, dwarves, humans, 'urgals' (brutes akin to trolls and the like), and a combined race of humans, elves, and dragons known as 'dragon riders' (humans and elves who ride dragons). If it was a historical fiction piece the setting would be the middle ages.
Agalasia is being ruled by an evil dragon rider who is supposed to be the only one who can use magic, but a rebellion has been growing. Our young hero finds himself in possesion of an illegal dragon, the power, and duty, to defeat the evil king, and the influence of a thousand coffers of gold. Aided by an old man, an outlaw, the leader of the rebels, the princess of the elves, the king of dwarves, an herbalist who might be insane, his cousin, and his dragon Eragon holds the fate of the realm in his hand.
It is basically a less complicated version of the Lord of the Rings. No, there is only one ring, but with the vast quantity of magical swords, lances, and belts you have to keep track of it doesn't really make much of a difference. At least with the rings several had the same purpose and only one had a specific name. If you read these books be prepared to have to put up with names such as 'The Belt of Beloth the Wise' and 'Zar'roc.' But, to continue my comparison, Urgals are the Orcs replacement, and instead of sightless beasts on horses you have the Ra'zac riding on letherblanka -- duck-like things riding on other duck-like things.
Thankfully, though, you can get past the complicated and similar names to some degree. And though the covers aren't stuffed full of action when you do get sword- and fist- fights they are coherant and are there for a reason. Another bonus for those unwilling to suspend their disbelief is that the 'magic' in this books comes with a well defined limit. So, while you might see hovering rocks those rocks aren't going to sprout wings and fly away.
The books in this series are as follows: Eragon, Eldest, Brisinger, Inheritance. Please, do yourself a favor and do not read them out of order. The latter three have a preface of what happened in the previous three, but in my opinion, they just confuse you even more.
The books' website--they have a few games on here and some trivia stuff. http://www.alagaesia.com/
What I'm doing here (THIS IS NOT A BOOK TITLE)
Okay, so, I guess there are dozens of blogs and sites out there that have the same function as this one, but I'm going to write reviews on the subject matter suggested by the title of this blog--books. These books can be found in the Young Adult Section of your nearest library--at least, that's where they're found in mine. So . . . What am I doing here? Well, I'm here to give you a look at pre-teen fiction that isn't Twilight.
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