Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: The Desolations of Devil's Acre by Ransom Riggs

Image: Penguin Random House

The Desolations of Devil's Acre by Ransom Riggs. Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series #6. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~15 hours. Narrated by Kirby Heyborne. Listening Library, February, 2021. 9780593415306. (Review of downloadable e-audiobook borrowed from the public library.)

Teen Tuesday features The Desolations of Devil's Acre by Ransom Riggs. This sixth book of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children is the series finale. It is absolutely imperative that the books get read in order. Book five, The Conference of Birds, ended in a cliffhanger and book six picks right up. There will be no spoilers here, except to say that the pace is fast, furious and fairly violent. Fans of the series will absolutely need to read this finale because all of Peculiardom is in jeopardy and chances are, they've come to care about Jacob Portman and his friends.

The audiobooks have been narrated by Kirby Heyborne, who performs an impressive array of voices and imbues energy and emotion into the tale. 

Picture Book Review: The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen

 

Image: Candlewick Press

The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen. 96 p. Candlewick Press, April, 2021. 9781536215625. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

This extra-long picture book is told in five chapters and is as darkly humorous and delightfully deadpan as we have come to expect from Mr. Klassen. Turtle is standing in his "favorite spot" and invites Armadillo(?) to stand with him*. Armadillo has a bad feeling about the spot and moves to a different spot. Only, it's a bit difficult to carry on a conversation with Turtle from the long distance. Turtle leaves his spot in order to hear Armadillo just before the rock falls.

Chapter two is called, "The Fall," and shows Turtle on his back under the rock. Armadillo asks if he fell. Stubborn Turtle insists he did not, that he doesn't need help and he certainly does not wish to take a nap, as Armadillo plans to do.

In the third chapter, Turtle and Armadillo contemplate the future complete with a forest that has grown up around the rock and a space alien. Chapter four might be the most hilarious as Snake and Armadillo enjoy a sunset and in the final chapter, Turtle gets jealous. 

The artist's signature muted palette and bleak and dreary landscape allow the reader to focus on the characters and anticipate what is about to come next and also allow the character's eyes to pop. Much of the dry humor comes from the eyes. 

The book begs to be reread immediately, not just because it is still hilarious the second (and third) time around, but to savor the depth of storytelling and to ponder the enigmas. I know. This is heady stuff for young ones, but never underestimate them. This is definitely a picture book to share with older readers as well. 

The Rock from the Sky is a first-purchase. 

*I don't know why I choose to make these characters him. I tried using "it," but that didn't feel right. 

Teen Tuesday: What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. Unabridged e-audiobook. ~9 hours, 48 minutes. Read by Noah Galvin and Froy Guitierez. HarperTeen, October, 2018. 9780062855091. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. This dual narrative is told from the POV of Arthur, an Atlantan with Ivy-league aspirations who is in NYC for an internship in a high-powered law firm and Ben, a native New Yorker who lives with his working-class parents in Alphabet City and is stuck in summer school with his ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend. The two meet cute at the post office where Ben is trying to mail a box of his ex's belongings back to him. Unfortunately, they go their separate ways without exchanging contact info. But neither of them can stop thinking about the other. With the help of some internet savvy friends, the two finally reconnect. Their first date is a disaster, but they decide on a do-over - twice before wondering if the universe is toying with them. 

This rom-com is laugh-out-loud funny and sweet, but also explores issues that can get in the way of romance. Arthur and Ben are surrounded by smart and supportive friends (OMG, Dylan!) and family and the NYC setting is vibrant and hip. 

The performances were perfectly paced and added to the appeal of the book. I was definitely late to the party with this, but sure am glad I finally got here. Fun, breezy, angsty, and endearing. 

Review: The Root of Magic by Kathleen Benner Duble

Image: Random House

The Root of Magic by Kathleen Benner Duble. 216 p. Delacorte Press/ Random House Children's Books, June, 2019. 9780525578505. (Review of finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

"Are we going to die?" sure is attention-grabbing. This is the question Willow's younger brother, Wisp asks from the backseat of their family's car, and also the first line of the book. They are heading home from Willow's hockey game in Canada and it's snowing. Hard. Like "blizzard of the century" hard. Willow flinches because no one is supposed to talk about death around Wisp. He has an undiagnosed, potentially fatal illness. Willow's mom has devoted all of her time, energy and attention to Wisp to the detriment of her marriage and possibly, her relationship with her daughter. Willow feels a toxic cocktail of guilt and anger swilling beneath the surface of her studied calm and competence. 

The car slides off the roadway and crashes through the bridge railing leaving the three passengers terrified as it teeters over a freezing rushing river. Miraculously, a couple arrive in a tow truck. They are able to rescue the family, but the car and all of their belongings crashes into the river. They are brought to the town of Kismet, Maine where Cora, owner of a bed and breakfast has rooms prepared for them. She even places a bucket next to Wisp in case he needs to vomit. This foresight puzzles Willow. It isn't long before other weird coincidence begin cropping up. Worst of all, there's a hospital and a doctor in this tiny town in the middle of nowhere giving Willow's mother more medical straws to grasp at. Something is off in this town and Willow intends to get to the bottom of it.

As a medically trained adult, the deadly, undiagnosable illness as a plot contrivance drives me bonkers. As a kid, I would've eaten it up though. So setting that aside, this was a suspenseful present-tense read featuring a fierce, intelligent little girl caught in the middle of one terrible problem, followed by another and then a third difficult dilemma. The dreamy, otherworldly setting is compelling and the main characters are interesting. Young readers who like magic and thinking about fate vs. free will will love this book. Fans of Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting might enjoy The Root of Magic.

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

Image: Scholastic

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~13 hours. Read by Jayne Entwistle. Scholastic Audio, May, 2019. 9781338357677. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Happy Tuesday TMS Readers! Don't let the rain get you down! Go out and sing in it, then dry off and curl up with a good book! Teen Tuesday features Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly. Author Donnelly begins at the end of the Cinderella tale and weaves a wholly original tale of identity and redemption. 

If the Disney version of Cinderella is the only one you are familiar with, then you're in for a bit of a shock. You see, Cinderella's stepmother had one stepdaughter cut off her heel in order to fit into the glass slipper that was left behind at the ball. When that didn't work, thanks to some tattletale birds living in the linden tree, she had the other stepsister, Isabelle, cut off her toes in order to fit the slipper. 

Isabelle doesn't want to. All her life, she has been told she doesn't fit in - she's too bold, she's too headstrong, her interests in horseback riding and fencing aren't feminine and she certainly has no interest in marrying the prince! Her heart belongs to someone else; someone who left her brokenhearted. 

We know that the stepsisters' ruse did not fool the prince and the archduke. What we don't know is what happened to the stepsisters after Cinderella's "happily ever after." Donnelly's fierce, feminist, wholly engrossing and original fairy tale is not for the faint of heart. It is, however, a must-read if you are a fan of fairy tale retellings, magic and fantasy and intricately plotted adventure. Isn't that cover gloriously gory?

Jayne Entwistle turns in an absolutely fabulous performance. Her vocal changes are subtle and consistent. The pace is careful, almost leisurely giving the listener time to savor the delicious writing and wry commentary. This is one I may reread with my eyes and underline (yes, underline) all the examples of terrific writing and plotting.