challenge wrap-up

I'm disappointed that I didn't finish these two challenges. It's the first I've failed to finish. I'm afraid I made my lists too long. Here's my lists with the ones I finished on time crossed off.



Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson

A Wolf at the Door and Other Retold Fairy Tales by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

What-the-dickens: The Story Of A Rogue Tooth Fairy by Gregory Maguire

Horns & Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson

100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson

Beauty by Robin McKinley

The Animals of Farthing Wood by Colin Dann

The Map That Breathed by Melanie Gideon

Bright Shadow by Avi

The Arkadians by Lloyd Alexander

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

The Pirate and the Princess Book 1: The Timelight Stone by Mio Chizhuru

Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer

Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones

The Dark Is Rising: Greenwitch by Susan Cooper

The Dark Is Rising: The Grey King by Susan Cooper

The Dark Is Rising: Silver On The Tree by Susan Cooper

Ratha's Creature: The First Book of the Named by Clare Bell

Tales of the Borderlands: Northlander by Meg Burden

Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones

Warriors, Gods, and Spirits from South and Central American Mythology by Douglas Gifford

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Diary of a Fairy Godmother by Esme Raji Codell

Mimus by Lilli Thal

Gregor and the Marks of Secret by Suzanne Collins

Physik by Angie Sage

Back to the Divide by Elizabeth Kay

Icefire by Chris D'Lacey

The Valley of Secrets by Charmian Hussey

Un Lun Dun by China Mieville

Dragons: The Greatest Stories by varied authors

Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman

Dragonsdale by Salamandra Drake

The Rivers of Zadaa by DJ MacHale

Gregor and the Code of Claw by Suzanne Collins

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare



Against the Storm by Gaye Hicyilmaz

It's Not the End of the World by Judy Blume

The Only Way Out by Deborah Kent

The Wright 3 by Blue Balliet

Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech

The Clue Of The Tapping Heels by Carolyn Keene

The Haunted Bridge by Carolyn Keene

The Secret of the Golden Pavilion by Carolyn Keene

The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle

Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle

The Mystery of Biltmore House by Carole Marsh

Rules by Cynthia Lord

Pieces of Georgia by Jen Bryant

Starcross by Philip Reeve

The Real Benedict Arnold by Jim Murphy

Best Dog Stories by varied authors

I'll Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech

Leonardo's Shadow by Christopher Grey

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Even though I didn't finish either of my lists, I really enjoyed participating in both of these challenges!

The Arkadians (book review)

In The Arkadians, by Lloyd Alexander, a young clerk named Lucian finds himself on the run from a pair of evil soothsayers. Fronto, a poet-turned-donkey, and a pythoness named Joy-in-the-Dance join him along the way. With their help, young Lucian manages to elude his enemies for long enough to escape from the kingdom in safety. He meets Joy-in-the-Dance's mysterious mother, the Lady of Wild Things, and helps Fronto return to his former shape. During his journey, Lucian finds himself accomplishing things he never imagined. He leads a pack of wolves, becomes an expert horseman, finds his sea legs, and fights a furious bull. But in the end, will Lucian discover his destiny as well?

I enjoyed this book much more than The Book of Three, which was also written by Lloyd Alexander. I also liked his book Time Cat. The characters in The Arkadians were unique and engaging, and the plot was enriched with the fantastic stories told by characters throughout the book.

Enna Burning (book review)

Enna Burning, by Shannon Hale, is the sequel to The Goose Girl. Instead of focusing on the princess, Isi, however, this book focuses on her close friend Enna. Leifer, Enna's brother, found a mysterious piece of vellum, which teaches him how to start fires without anything but the heat around him. He says that it is a great power, but Enna is not so sure. Ever since he began to use the fire power, Enna has sensed a change in her brother. He has unpredictable mood swings and cannot control his temper. But when Enna's country of Bayern go to war, Enna and Leifer must follow. When Leifer dies after losing control of his fire, Enna takes the piece of vellum from him and learns to control the fire as well. She becomes an essential weapon of war, burning enemy camps and weapons. It is good to help, but Enna must constantly keep the fire in check. When one day she loses control like Leifer, she is forced to take on the consequences of her new-found power.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I'm not sure if it was better than its prequel, because they were both so well-written and engaging. I did notice that Enna Burning was much darker than The Goose Girl. I like the character of Isi more, because she isn't as rash as Enna, and I sometimes thought that Isi would have made wiser choices were she in her friend's place.

What-the-dickens (book review)

What-the-Dickens, by Gregory Maguire, is the tale of an orphaned tooth fairy. With no knowledge of what he is or what he is supposed to do, What-the-dickens sets out to find his purpose in life. He stumbles upon another tooth fairy, also known as a skibberee. Her name is Pepper, and she takes him to her home. What-the-dickens is awestruck by the strange ways of the skibbereen colony, and they in turn are awestruck by his strange ways. They all agree that What-the-dickens is more of a hindrance than a help. But he gets a chance to prove his worth when Pepper is captured by a curious human child. In the end, however, it is up to the young boy to decide Pepper's fate.

This book was humorous and interesting. It explored a topic that many fantasy authors have ignored. I enjoyed it overall, although it wasn't one of the best books I read. The characters of What-the-dickens were funny, yet each had his or her own personality.

100 Cupboards (book review)

100 Cupboards, by ND Wilson, is the story of 100 magical cupboards that are, in fact, portals to other worlds. Henry and his cousin Henrietta discovered these magical cupboards. Immediately, they begin to investigate. At first, they were really just fooling around, peeking through doors and poking around. Then, Henrietta starts to talk of going through the cupboards. One day she disappears. Henry sets out on a quest to find her. But, unknown to him, a hideous witch is spreading evil in his home. Will Henry find Henrietta and get back in time to save themselves and their family?

This was a funny, dark adventure, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Well, except for the witch. She was, of course, essential to the story, but the witch was so grisly that it made me shudder. Of course, that's good for a spooky part of the story, isn't it?

The Map That Breathed (book review)

The Map That Breathed, by Melanie Gideon, is the story of two children, Billy and Nora. Billy is a Gatemaker; he makes windows and doors into other worlds. Nora, in turn, is his Traveler. She's the one who goes through the doors.

When one day Nora vanishes through a door into a world called Sanasarea and doesn't return, Billy knows something is wrong. When an ancient evil from Sanasarea escapes into Billy's world, he is left to confront it on his own. And Nora has to face the shocking truth about her family's past.

This was a good fantasy adventure. It had the right balance of magic and good/evil to weave a fascinating tale. The story was unique, unlike any other fantasy I've read. And it was a fast read. I highly recommend this book!

Once Upon A Time In The North (book review)

Once Upon A Time In The North, by Philip Pullman, is a prequel to the bestselling His Dark Materials trilogy. It is the tale of Texan aeronaut Lee Scoresby and the great armored bear Iorek Byrnison. Lee Scoresby has crashed in an unfamiliar town called Novy Odense and has gotten caught up a mission to free a Dutch sailor's cargo ship. Along the way, he meets a man with murder on his mind, a bear prince, and a rather charming but brainless lady.
When the time has come for Lee to confront the famed killer Pierre McConville one-on-one, he knows that only one of them will live. Can Lee, after all he has been through, get the best of a famous murderer?

I enjoyed this book a lot, but not as much as His Dark Materials (I think it would be to beat that series). It was interesting to see how Lee and Iorek met. I liked both the familiar characters and the new ones, although I missed Lyra.

Dragons: The Greatest Stories (book review)

Dragons: The Greatest Stories was a collection of dragon stories by notable science fiction and fantasy authors such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Ray Bradbury, Orson Scott Card, Anne McCaffrey, and many other people who I have never heard of. Some of the stories were light and funny, others were dark and despairing. There was a wide variety of dragons--good dragons, bad dragons, western dragons, Oriental dragons, and just plain weird dragons!

My favorite stories were "The Dragon" by Ray Bradbury and "The George Business" by Roger Zelazny. These were both very humorous stories! My least favorite stories were "The Storm King" by Joan D. Vinge, because it discussed inappropriate matters for a kid like me, and "A Hiss of Dragon" by Gregory Benford and Mark Laidlaw because of its bad language and the fact that I found it boring. Overall, though, I would say that I enjoyed this book a great deal, and would recommend it to anyone who loves dragons.

Bright Shadow (book review)

Bright Shadow, by Avi, is the tale of Morwenna. She's the lowliest servant in the castle of ruthless King Ruthvin, until she finds an old man who gives her five wishes. They are the last wishes in the land, and now Morwenna is their keeper, called the Wizard. Her best friend Swen mistakenly believes that it is he who has the last wishes, as does Ruthvin. The king is chasing after Sven, sure that the Wizard is a threat to his throne. Morwenna, running with him, has to keep her secret, and keep him safe at the same time...with only five wishes. Will she be able to juggle all of these challenges?

This book was enjoyable, but not as much as some other of Avi's other books have been. It was an incredibly quick read, with a fast-paced plot and interesting characters.

The Titan's Curse (book review)

The Titan's Curse, by Rick Riordan, is a sequel to The Lightning Thief and Sea of Monsters. In it, Perseus Jackson and his friends Annabeth and Thalia, all three of whom are demigods, receive an urgent distress call from their satyr friend, Grover. He has found two new powerful demigods whose origins are unknown! Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia race to the rescue, only to find not only Grover, but also a deadly manticore! The four friends fight to protect themselves and the other young demigods, but in the battle that ensues, Annabeth is carried off by the manticore.

Percy, Thalia, Grover, and the others return to the only place where demigod children are safe, Camp Half-blood, and tell the camp director (who just happens to be the wine god, Dionysus) about their problem. He and his helper, Chiron, send them on a quest to find Annabeth, along with two other girls, Zoe Nightshade and Bianca DiAngelo.
The journey that follows will test each member individually, and two of their number will die. Can they stick together during the hard journey which faces them?

This is definitely one of my favorite series!

Physik (book review)

Physik, by Angie Sage, is the third book in the Septimus Heap series. In this story, Septimus Heap and Princess Jenna find themselves confronted with the same problem: a snobby and vicious ghost queen whom Septimus's father had accidentally released from her prison. Queen Etheldredda's vicious pet aie-aie has been spreading a horrible sickness through their homeland. And if that isn't bad enough, Queen Etheldredda lures Septimus and Jenna into a trap, and manages to push Septimus through a "Glass", a mysterious artifact which distorts time.
Now, Septimus finds himself hundreds of years away from the current time. He is taken in by an Alchemist, Marcellus Pye, and becomes his apprentice, all the while trying to think of ways to return to his own time.

Soon Jenna, along with her new Northern friends, Snorri and Ullr, and her brother Nicko, head into the Glass. She is determined to find Septimus. But unbeknownst to them, they had traveled back to the time when Queen Etheldredda was alive and ruling! Jenna is mistaken for Etheldredda's sorely mistreated daughter Esmerelda, and is locked in the castle for (according to Etheldredda) running away. How can she save Septimus if she's locked up for something she didn't do? It's up to Snorri, Ullr, and Nicko to save the day!

I loved this book! I thought it was probably the best yet. It was hilarious, fast-paced, and light. I want the next book, Queste, to come out in paperback now!

Beauty (book review)

Beauty, by Robin McKinley, is a retelling of the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast". In this book, Beauty isn't pretty at all, which is why her nickname is so unfortunate. Although she isn't beautiful, Beauty is clever, hardworking, and brave. When her father heads into the woods and returns with a terrible curse laid upon him, Beauty knows what she must do. She has to journey deep into the woods and tame the Beast.

Beauty finds, to her surprise, that the Beast's company is in fact rather enjoyable. But there is something mysterious about he and the castle, something that she cannot quite place...

I read the original fairy tale right before reading this book, and I actually think I enjoyed Beauty more. The heroine was spunky, clever, and brave--things I like in a main character. Soon I will be reading another retelling of this fairy tale, The Princess and the Hound. I hope it's as good as this book!

Charmed Life (book review)

Charmed Life, by Diana Wynne Jones, was the first book in the Chronicles of Chrestomanci series. The book centers around two orphans, Cat and his older sister Gwendolen. Gwendolen is the most promising witch on all of Coven Street, and Cat clings to her. But then, the children are summoned to live in the castle of the enchanter Chrestomanci. Gwendolen is at first excited, but when she realizes that Chrestomanci will not, and never will, acknowledge her magical talents, she thinks up a scheme that will spin the castle out of control!

I enejoyed this book, although not as much as Dogsbody. I really do want the next book in the series, though. I liked Cat because he was modest and shy, while Gwendolen was rash and pig-headed.

Dogsbody (book review)

Dogsbody, by Diana Wynne Jones, is the tale of the Dog Star, Sirius. Sirius has been framed for a murder, and as punishment he is sent to Earth in the form of a lowly Earth-creature, a dog. His mission is to look for the mysterious Zoi, a weapon hidden on Earth. The Zoi is, for some reason Sirius can't remember, of utmost importance.
Sirius lives out the life of a dog, with his faithful friend Kathleen, who calls him by the name of Leo. They both live in a home where they are sorely mistreated, and they cling together. But Sirius knows that, eventually, he will have to leave his home to look for the Zoi. And someone...he doesn't know who...will stop at anything to keep Sirius away.

This book was my first Diana Wynne-Jones, and I wasn't disappointed! It was funny and adventurous. I was sad at the end, however, when Kathleen and Leo were parted forever. This is a book I will read again and again!

Greenwitch (book review)

Greenwitch is the third in the Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper. In the story, the three Drew children set out towards the coastal town of Trewissick in search for a lost grail that is of great importance to them. Another boy joins them on their quest. His name is Will Stanton, and he appears to be shy and goofy. But appearances aren't everything, for deep inside, Will has the heart of an Old One, an ancient Immortal. He is wiser than they think.
The three mortal children are also unaware of the sinister importance of the Greenwitch, a strange symbol woven of leaves and branches that is thrown into the sea every year. They do not know that the Greenwitch is truly alive, and it has something that they dearly need...

Although this book was good, I don't think it was as good as the first two. It was shorter, but that wasn't what I really meant. It just didn't have the same sense of adventure and mystery as the first two. It was more like a stereotypical fantasy-quest story. It was however, unique in the sense of the Greenwitch and the Old Ones. I still enjoyed it greatly, and I am definitely sticking with the last two.

Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits (book review)

This was a book of six short stories about elemental spirits, by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson. There were tales of mermaids, sea serpents, krakens, and less known things (like a mysterious golden eye and an enormous horse made out of water). In some stories, the heroes and heroines were human, and in some, they were sea-people. These two authors spun six magnificent tales and turned a simple element into something to be feared.

My favorite stories were "The Sea-King's Son", "Kraken", and "Water Horse". Also high on my list was "A Pool in the Desert". "Mermaid's Song" was okay, but I really hated "Sea Serpent". I wish the authors had written more stories like these ones, although I don't know for sure if they have or not. Some stories were typical fantasy-romance tales, and others were dark and disturbing. But overall, I loved this book!

The Prophet of Yonwood (book review)

The Prophet of Yonwood, by Jeanne DuPrau, was the last book of the Ember series. In it, young Nickie and her aunt Crystal travel to the odd town of Yonwood (Crystal has a house there that she is hoping to sell) and settle in to Crystal's mysterious mansion...for a while at least. Nickie has set herself three goals: convince Crystal to keep the house, fall in love, and do something to help the world (at this point, Earth was about to enter World War III). She finds herself, like many other people in the city, following the words of the mysterious Prophet Althea Tower. Althea has had a horrible vision of death and destruction soon in the future. Nickie hopes that following the Prophet's words will help her accomplish goal #3. But, as time goes by, Nickie starts to wonder...is following this strange Prophet really the right thing to do? Nickie will soon have to make one of the most important decisions of her life, one that could change it forever.

This book was the best of all three! I thought you couldn't beat the first two, but I was wrong! This book was really like a prequel to the first one, which I thought was interesting. There was just enough mystery, adventure, and humor in this book to create a wonderful tale!

Gregor and the Code of Claw (book review)

Gregor and the Code of Claw, by Suzanne Collins, is the fifth and final book of the Gregor series. Gregor, a normal kid from New York City, now feels at home in the strange underground world full of giant cockroaches, rats, mice, and bats. But that is about to change. A war between the humans and rats is quickly approaching, and it is a war to end all wars. Even more, there is a new prophecy and (you guessed it) this one also features Gregor. But this prophecy isn't like the others. And for another thing, it proves to be even more misleading than the prophecies usually are. For another thing, it calls for Gregor's death.

While Gregor and his "girlfriend", the intrepid princess Luxa, are off fighting in the war, in the capital of Regalia, Gregor's sister and a team of code crackers are struggling as well. They are desperately trying to crack a code that will help the humans come out victorious. Poor Lizzy now finds the fate of Regalia...and of her older brother... in her hands!

This book was probably the best of them all, which is hard to believe. I loved the amount of suspense in this book, and the plot was excellent. I am really sad that the series is over, but glad that I read the book. The ending was also very unexpected, sad, and yet happy in a strange way.

Ratha's Creature (book review)

Ratha's Creature, by Clare Bell, is the engaging tale of a clan of intelligent wildcats, the Named, who have a civilized society with laws and traditions. However, the savage and uncivilized raiders of the Un-Named are pushing the clan to the edge of survival. But when Ratha, who is just a yearling, discovers a weapon she calls the Red Tongue (fire), it may change everything. However, Ratha's discovery provokes the anger of the foolish and unwise clan leader, Meoran, and Ratha is banished to the ranks of the Un-Named.

In order to survive among the Un-Named, Ratha must push herself to the limit. She must fight and kill like she has never done in her time with the Named. Then comes the time that will change it all: Ratha must participate in a killing spree against her own clan!

I really enjoyed this book. I thought Ratha was a clever and thoughtful heroine who many people could relate to, even though she is a wildcat. Although the book was sad at times, it turned out all right in the end and I am interested to see what new adventures await in the second book, Clan Ground.

Horns and Wrinkles (book review)

This book, by Joseph Helgerson, is the story of twelve-year-old Claire and her bully cousin Duke. In the beginning, Duke, after throwing Claire off a bridge and into their stretch of the Mississippi River, suddenly sprouts a horn. Claire learns from a mysterious old lady that the only way for Duke to lose his horn is for him to do an act of genuine kindness. Claire knows that there is a slim chance of that, especially when she discovers that Duke has been hanging out with a trio of river trolls. Suddenly, Claire finds herself caught up in a quest to save the trolls' fathers. The journey is full of danger, laughs, and adventure. And on the way, Claire may find that she is more than who she thought...

I loved this book! It was funny, cute, and packed with adventure and mystery. I found myself longing for a sequel at the end!