Guest Post: Pin Stripped Suits (_Return of the Dapper Men_ by Jim McCann and Janet Lee, November 2010)

Here is another guest post by my twelve-year-old sister, Maeve!

What is hidden beneath pin stripped suits?  The story of The Return of the Dapper Men!  This is a unique graphic novel with a new story, some black humor, and a lot of designs and color. Having worked at Marvel, McCann knows the most popular stories of action, adventure, and superheroes.  But, instead of using typical ideas, he connects a unique story of machines and humans with a hard rainfall of dapper men and adds a twinge of humor.  Not only does he come up with the most revolutionary version of a fairytale, he partnered with the most revolutionary artist.

As McCann wrote the story, Janet Lee added the artistic spice with prismacolor markers, pencils, and brush pens that also open up the magic of the dapper men.  The way she illustrates gives a vintage feel to the book, even though it was only published in 2010.  The most interesting thing about this book is that at the end, it describes how the artist got this unusual, bright look to her pages.

This graphic novel is not one of my very favorite books, but it is great for a break from a long book.  You can read it in 30 minutes and it showed me that it doesn’t matter if people judge you for who your friends are, to just ignore it and stick with what you have.  It is great to read something different from my usual books, and this book was even better because it has a lot of adventure and a little bit of romance and friendship.  Jim McCann has created the essential comic book we have all been waiting for and I would recommend this book to 10 year olds and up!

Guest Post: Different Colored Eyes Tell All (_Graceling_ by Kristin Cashore, 2008)

Guest Post by Maeve (Sophie’s 12-year-old sister)

Graceling is about a realm of 7 kingdoms that each hosts a king, who is fighting to keep on his thrones.  Instead of using regular armies,  they will use gracelings, people graced with different abilities.  Now, Kasta is graced with killing.  She discovered her gift when she was 8 and killed a grown man by accident, from giving him a blow he would never wake up from.  Since then, the king Randa has used her as his personal thug.Then, one night on a rescue mission, Kasta runs into a Liened Prince Greening (aka Po).  They become friends and help each other in all sorts of ways.

Graceling is a beautifully written book, a unique story you won’t stop reading until it’s over.  It is a fantastic fantasy book for young adults, and for people looking for a swing of adventure and love.  The plot of the book is so exotic it has made it to my top 3 in my booklist!  If you enjoy this book, you could have even more adventures of this fairytale land, one you will never reach except through Kristin Cashore’s trilogy, Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue. 

Pop Culture Post: “You Win or You Die” (_Game of Thrones_ TV Adaptation, 2011)

Since Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, helped his friend Robert Baratheon seize control from the Targaryens, the kingdom of Westeros has enjoyed relative peace. Then the “Hand of the King” dies under mysterious circumstances, and Eddard is asked to leave his Northern home to replace him. But once Eddard Stark reaches the high court, he quickly realizes that danger lurks around every corner, and that people will do anything for power. After a nine-year long summer, “winter is coming” and the kingdom will never be the same.

After hearing about how much people loved Game of Thrones, I decided to  give both the series of books and TV series a try. Game of Thrones is an elaborate fantasy story whose primary plot line is the struggle for power. It’s a lot like a more complex, more adult version of Lord of the Rings. There are almost too many characters to keep track of, and the problems they face are endless. I still don’t know who exactly I’m supposed to be rooting for; nothing in this series is ever black and white.

In terms of the TV series in relation to the book series, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a more accurate adaptation of anything. I’ve only read the first book and seen the first season of the show, but was really impressed by how well the TV series followed the novel’s plot line. And the characters–those that I could keep straight anyway–were well cast. The characters are realistic because they are not easily categorized as good or evil–with the exception of the Lannisters, who, for the most part, are downright nasty–and therefore most people can find someone in the show to relate to. It’s a show I would suggest that fantasy lovers watch for sure, but even people who aren’t into fantasy will probably enjoy it.  So if you don’t mind some gore and, well, nudity, give Game of Thrones, either the book series or the TV show, a try.

If Cinderella was an Assassin… (_Throne of Glass_ by Sarah J. Mass, August 2012)

The back of the book says fans of The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones will enjoy Sarah J. Mass’ Throne of Glass, and it couldn’t be more accurate! Taken from the salt mines, the assassin Calaena Sardothien is offered the chance to compete for the honor of being the King’s Champion. If she beats 23 other competitors in a series of tests, Calaena will serve as the King’s assassin for four years before being given her freedom. If she loses, Calaena will be sent back to the salt mines for the rest of her life. But while winning the competition may seem easy to Calaena at first, she quickly finds that not all of the competitors are who they seem. And to make matters worse, someone–or something–is killing the competitors off one by one.

With just the right mix of life and death situations, romance, mystery, and magic, Throne of Glass is a fast-paced read. You can tell how much time Mass put into creating this world when you read her descriptions of the glass castle or when you begin to see realistic patterns in a character’s behavior. I was engrossed by the story and it still haunts me. With vivid imagery and constant action, Throne of Glass is a thrilling read.

On the author’s website, she writes that the inspiration for Throne of Glass came when she asked herself what the Cinderella fairy-tale would have been like if Cinderella was an assassin sent to the ball to kill the prince. While the finished story is completely original, it is always interesting to hear about inspiration. Mass published a few chapters on FictionPress.com, where she got positive reviews from thousands of fans. Throne of Glass will be published on August 7th and I highly recommend reading it!