#tbt: A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Image: Author's Website

A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce. 400 p. Arthur A. Levine Books/ Scholastic Inc. March, 2008. 9780439895767. (Own)

Happy penultimate Thursday of the 2021 school year! #tbt features A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce. I hope Ms. Bunce's name seems familiar to you now, since I featured her Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries on Monday and Wednesday! A Curse as Dark as Gold is a reimagining of the Rumplestiltskin fairy tale. 

Charlotte Miller's father has died leaving his struggling textile mill to his daughters. Townsfolk like to say that the mill is cursed, but Charlotte is determined to make it work despite the fact that her greedy uncle would like to see it fail. Enter a dwarf named Jack Spinner. What would Charlotte do in order to succeed?

A Curse as Dark as Gold is long. Clocking in at almost 400 pages and tending toward slow and elaborate pacing, this won't appeal to teens who like fast and furious. Thoughtful teens, especially those who enjoy fairy tale retellings will appreciate the lovely writing, vivid setting and fascinating characters, as well as Ms. Bunce's take on what might be my least favorite fairy tale. I really liked it.

This story was published in 2008 and was Ms. Bunce's debut. It won the William Morris Award, which is given to a debut author and it was named an ALA Best Book For Young Adults as well as a Smithsonian Notable Book.

Cover Coincidence: Fences

A "Cover Coincidence" post is the occasional post prompted by the question, "Where have I seen this before?"

I read Efren Divided by Ernesto Cisneros a while back and thought the cover was very striking.

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

I got a deja vu feeling recently, when I came across this, which I am really looking forward to reading: 

Image: Little Brown Young Readers

Waiting on Wednesday: Cold-Blooded Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Image: Workman

Cold-Blooded Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce. 368 p. Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery #3. Algonquin Young Readers/ Workman, October 5, 2021. 9781616209209.

Happy Wednesday! One more Wednesday after today! Waiting on Wednesday features Cold-Blooded Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce. I gave a hint to this post when I recommended Premeditated Myrtle on Monday. Here's the publisher synopsis:

Myrtle Hardcastle—twelve-year-old Young Lady of Quality and Victorian amateur detective—is back on the case, solving a string of bizarre murders in her hometown of Swinburne.

When the proprietor of Leighton’s Mercantile is found dead on the morning his annual Christmas shop display is to be unveiled, it’s clear a killer had revenge in mind. But who would want to kill the local dry-goods merchant? Perhaps someone who remembers the mysterious scandal that destroyed his career as a professor and archaeologist. When the killer strikes again, each time manipulating the figures in the display to foretell the crime, Myrtle finds herself racing to uncover the long-buried facts of a cold case—and the motivations of a modern murderer.

Cold-Blooded Myrtle releases on October 5. Be sure to check out the first two books in the series before then. The books do not need to be read in order, but Myrtle is such a firecracker, you won't want to miss any. Happy reading!

Teen Tuesday: A Thief Among the Trees: an Ember in the Ashes Graphic Novel by Sabaa Tahir

A Thief Among the Trees by Sabaa Tahir and Nicole Andelfinger. Illustrated by Sonia Liao. 144 p. Archaia, July, 2020. 9781684155248. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Happy Tuesday! Only two more school day Tuesdays after today! The last day of school is two weeks from today! I am so ready to end this school year. Teen Tuesday features A Thief Among the Trees by Sabaa Tahir. If Ms. Tahir's name rings a bell, it's because I recently finished her Ember in the Ashes series. It was then that I discovered this graphic novel prequel to the events in the series. This first book in a planned three-book adaptation tells the story of Helene and Elias as Fivers during their training at Blackcliff Academy. They and their best friend, Tavi, are a team that is competing with other teams of Fivers to land on an isolated island in order to steal a rare poison.

Knowledge of the series is not necessary to enjoy this suspenseful adventure, but fans will enjoy this peek into the formative years of Elias and Helene. The full-color art leans toward the dark and murky and similarities between characters sometimes causes confusion. I'd be interested in reading the next installments.

Middle Grade Monday Audio Review: Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Image: Workman

Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~8 hours, 12 minutes. Read by Bethan Rose Young. Recorded Books, October, 2020. 978190085461. (Review of downloadable audio borrowed from public library.)

Happy Monday! Only two more Mondays left in our school year after today! Middle Grade Monday features Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce. Myrtle Hardcastle is a smart and spunky twelve-year-old who lives with her lawyer father and governess in Swinburne, England. She has a keen and curious mind and full access to all her father's law books and her dead mother's microscope. Her governess, Miss Judson, encourages her curiosity, but also reminds Myrtle that she is also training to be a Young Lady of Quality. Young Ladies of Quality don't spy on their neighbors. Myrtle calls it observing. When she notices that her unpleasant neighbor, Miss Wodehouse wasn't up and about for her morning routine, Myrtle calls the constabulary, who find the old woman dead in her bathtub. The death is ruled to be of natural causes, but Myrtle isn't so sure and launches her own investigation.

This intriguing whodunit will have you guessing. It's set in the Victorian Era and Myrtle constantly struggles with her drive to learn and the constraints on women and girls at the time. She's a spunky, endearing main character surrounded by a cast of colorful secondary characters. It's a long book and the vocabulary is fairly difficult, but if you love a good mystery and have outgrown the mild, middle grade stuff, Myrtle's your gal!

I just adored the audiobook energetically narrated by a new-to-me narrator. Perfectly paced and energetic. The voice made me love Myrtle even more. 

Premeditated Myrtle is book one of the Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery series. It was published last year and won an Edgar Award in the children's book category. If you enjoy it, move right on to book two, Premeditated Myrtle as I did! I can't wait for #3, Cold Blooded Myrtle, due out in October.. 

What's New?

"Stacking the Shelves" is was a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It seems the blog is gone though, for the link no longer takes you to it. So, I will just continue to post a "What's New? post whenever I receive new books. 

For Review:

Image: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Rescue at Lake Wild by Terry Lynn Johnson. 186 p. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April, 2021. 9780358334859.

Publisher synopsis: In this funny and moving animals-in-peril adventure, a twelve-year-old girl and her two best friends determine to rescue two orphaned beaver kits—and soon find themselves trying to solve a local environmental crisis. Perfect for fans of Pax and A Boy Called Bat.

Everyone knows that twelve-year-old Madison “Madi” Lewis is not allowed to bring home any more animals. After she's saved hairless mice, two birds, a rabbit, and a stray tom cat that ended up destroying the front porch, Madi’s parents decide that if they find one more stray animal in the house, she won’t be allowed to meet Jane Goodall at an upcoming gala event.

But when Madi and her two best friends, Aaron and Jack, rescue beaver kits whose mother was killed, they find themselves at the center of a local conspiracy that’s putting the beavers and their habitats in danger. As Madi and her friends race to uncover the threat targeting the beavers, Madi must put her animal whisperer skills to the test in both raising the orphaned beaver kits and staying out of trouble long enough.

Image: Macmillan

All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman. 388 p. Tor Teen/ A Tom Doherty Associates Book, November 9, 2021. 9781250789259.

Publisher synopsis: The Blood Moon rises. The Blood Veil falls. The Tournament begins.

Every generation, at the coming of the Blood Moon, seven families in the remote city of Ilvernath each name a champion to compete in a tournament to the death.

The prize? Exclusive control over a secret wellspring of high magick, the most powerful resource in the world—one thought long depleted.

This year, thanks to a salacious tell-all book, the seven champions are thrust into the worldwide spotlight, granting each of them new information, new means to win, and most importantly, a choice: accept their fate or rewrite their story.

But this is a story that must be penned in blood.

I also received a nifty "terrific Tuesdays" fall planner from Penguin.

Purchased: Nothing!

What was in your mailbox this week?

Fact Friday: Strange Nature: the Insect Portraits of Levon Bliss by Gary Mone

Image: Abrams Books

Strange Nature: the Insect Portraits of Levon Bliss by Gary Mone. Illustrated by Levon Bliss. 40 p. Abrams Books for Young Readers/ Abrams Books, March, 2021. 9781419731662. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Fact Friday features Strange Nature: the Insect Portraits of Levon Bliss by Gary Mone. Calling all entomologists! Mr. Mone has adapted Mr. Bliss' book for adults entitled, Microsculpture, for young people and it is not to be missed. One page features a stunning photo of an insect and the opposite page contains information, like the size, location and other fascinating facts presented in a conversational, sometimes humorous way. This is definitely a book to meander through, stopping to pore over the photos, which not only feature the full insect, but extreme close-ups of various body parts.  

Back matter includes a glossary and an invitation to learn more about the world of microsculpture by visiting microsculpture.net. I had a hard time wrapping my head around how Mr. Bliss created these phenomenal photos and visited the site. It was very helpful to view the short movie.