Inkweaver Review

Inkweaver Review Has Moved

2009-09-18T17:20:00.002-05:00

I am pleased to announce to all my regular readers that Inkweaver Review has moved to a new web address. If you want more of the same great book reviews please visit us at Books For Sale. The new site has a slick, open theme that focuses on the things that really matter: book reviews and book cover art. I hope that if you have enjoyed reading Inkweaver Review you will update your bookmarks and subscribe to our new blog, as this one will not be updated in the future. Nathan

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Book Carnival

2009-09-13T08:45:00.003-05:00

The latest edition of the Book Review Blog Carnival has been posted at Pizza's Book Discussion I contributed "Inventing Elliot" by Graham Gardner. Please stop by to view the carnival and read all the latest book reviews from across the blogging world.

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“Zorgamazoo,” by Robert Paul Weston

2009-09-06T09:46:00.002-05:00

“Zorgamazoo,” by Robert Paul Weston is a fantasy novel written in smooth, flawless verse. The book begins with a delightful invitation: Here is a story that’s stranger than strange. Before we begin you may want to arrange: A blanket, a cushion, a comfortable seat, And maybe some cocoa and something to eat. The main character in this poetical adventure is Katrina Katrell, a young girl with a strong sense of perception and the ability to see things that other people ignore. Inkweaver Review...

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“Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree,” by Lauren Tarshis

2009-09-04T15:55:00.002-05:00

“Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree,” by Lauren Tarshis is a touching story about an intelligent young girl who decides to start helping her schoolmates by solving their social problems. Emma-Jean is an unusual girl known for being highly logical. This sets her apart from her fellow schoolmates because she usually doesn’t understand their jokes and queer social customs. Emma-Jean spends her time alone, studying trees, the Hindi language, and other important undertakings. Inkweaver Review...

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“From Sea to Shining Sea,” compiled by Amy L. Cohn

2009-08-29T14:54:00.000-05:00

“From Sea to Shining Sea,” compiled by Amy L. Cohn is “a treasury of American folklore and Folk Songs.” This excellent collection of traditional tales and tunes does a great job of giving young readers a taste of the rich ethnic and cultural foundation of America. The collection is beautifully illustrated by eleven Caldecott Medal and four Caldecott Honor artists. “From Sea to Shining Sea” is organized into several main sections, the first being “In the Beginning.” If you have ever been...

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“The Treasure of Savage Island,” by Lenore Hart

2009-08-27T14:52:00.000-05:00

“The Treasure of Savage Island,” by Lenore Hart is an adventure story that includes a runaway slave, pirates and buried treasure. Molly Savage lives with her father in an inn that the Savage family used to own. But her father gambled it away and now it is owned by a cruel woman who works Molly and her father like servants. Rafe is a young boy who ran away from the plantation where he was a slave. For Rafe staying hidden is a necessity, because if he is discovered slave catchers will take...

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“Danny, The Champion of the World,” by Roald Dahl

2009-08-25T14:49:00.000-05:00

“Danny, The Champion of the World,” by Roald Dahl is a novel about a young boy who lives with his mechanic father in a gypsy caravan. Danny has always enjoyed his life. Not only does Danny live in a fascinating gypsy caravan, but his father has taught him to work on automobiles. But one day, Danny discovers a surprising secret about his father, something that he has kept hidden for years. Danny's father loves to poach pheasants. As Danny comes to learn more about the illegal art of...

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“The Ice Cream Con,” by Jimmy Docherty

2009-08-23T14:46:00.000-05:00

“The Ice Cream Con,” by Jimmy Docherty is the story of a boy who decides to do something about the crime in his neighborhood. When Jake gets mugged and loses all of his grandmother's food money for the week, he decides that he needs to do something about that crime that is running rampant in his housing project. Jake and his friends invent an imaginary gangster that they name Big Baresi. By starting rumors and placing stickers that say “I'm watching you. - Baresi” Jake and his friends manage...

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“If You Come Softly,” by Jacqueline Woodson

2009-08-21T14:41:00.001-05:00

“If You Come Softly,” by Jacqueline Woodson is the story of romance between a Jewish girl and a black boy. The two main characters are Jeremiah, a teenage boy attending a fancy prep school in Manhattan. Although he is one of the few black boys there he still feels relatively comfortable being who he his. Jeremiah's greatest worries are about his rich parents who have separated and just can't seem to get along. But Jeremiah's life is due to change when he meets Ellie. Ellie is a Jewish girl...

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“Red Cap,” by G. Clifton Wisler

2009-08-19T14:37:00.002-05:00

“Red Cap,” by G. Clifton Wisler is a historical fiction novel based on the life of a boy who lived during the American Civil War. At the age of thirteen Ransom left home against his family's wishes to join the Civil War. At first the Union Army wouldn't accept him, but after lying about his age Ransom was finally accepted into the army as a drummer boy. “Red Cap” does a good job of showing the reasons why most young boys left home to join the Civil War. Most of the youngsters around Ransom...

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“Diamonds in the Shadow,” by Caroline B. Cooney

2009-08-17T14:33:00.002-05:00

“Diamonds in the Shadow,” by Caroline B. Cooney is a young adult novel about an American family who takes in a group of African refugees with a dangerous secret past. Jared Finch is not in the least bit thrilled about his parent's plan to sponsor four African refugees, a mother and father and two children. The way Jared sees it, if his parents and their church committee want to go to all that work they can do so, but he doesn't have to help. To make matters worse, the apartment that the...

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Book Review Blog Carnival #24

2009-08-16T01:00:00.027-05:00

Welcome to Book Review Blog Carnival #24! Over the past two weeks book bloggers from around the world have been searching book shelves and libraries for the best books to review and contribute to Book Review Blog Carnival #24. This week Inkweaver Review is the lucky host of the carnival. If you were a contributor to this carnival feel free to browse through some of your fellow blogger's submissions, and if you like the carnival, please link to it on your own blog. If you are one of...

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“Elijah of Buxton,” by Christopher Paul Curtis

2009-08-15T14:28:00.003-05:00

“Elijah of Buxton,” by Christopher Paul Curtis is a Newberry Honor Award novel about a young boy living in a historic Canadian community for runaway slaves. Eleven-year-old Elijah was the first child born in Buxton, Canada, a small settlement formed by runaway slaves who escaped over the border. Elijah is viewed by some as a symbol of the newfound freedom available in Buxton. At the same time, though, Elijah feels a little letdown about the fact that one of the community's favorite anecdotes...

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“Finding Miracles,” by Julia Alvarez

2009-08-13T14:25:00.002-05:00

“Finding Miracles,” by Julia Alvarez is a novel about a teenage girl who must accept her history as an adopted orphan from a third world country. Milly Kaufman does her best to be a normal American teenager, but she feels haunted by her past. In her parent's bedroom is The Box, a mahogany chest in which the truth of Milly's past is stored. Milly, however, is afraid of her past, so she has never opened The Box, and she tries to forget that she was adopted by her parents when they were working...

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“The Great Wide Sea” by M. H. Herlong

2009-08-11T14:22:00.002-05:00

“The Great Wide Sea” by M. H. Herlong is an epic survival story about three children lost at sea in a forty foot sailboat. Two months after a tragic accident that killed his mother, Ben and his family are still recovering. But then Ben's father suddenly announces that he has sold the house so that they can depart on a one year sailing trip through the Florida Keys. Ben and his two younger brothers Dylan and Gerry do not want to go, but they have little choice, because their father has...

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“Guardian,” by Julius Lester

2009-08-09T14:18:00.002-05:00

“Guardian,” by Julius Lester is a moving short novel about a young white boy who witnesses a shocking lynching that tears apart his family and his trust. Fourteen-year-old Ansel Anderson lives in Davis, a small town deep in the Southern United States. In 1946 racism and hatred still run strong, but Ansel himself doesn't understand why his Dad and other grownups seem to hate black people. Ansel and his young black friend Willie are like brothers and enjoy going fishing in the afternoons when...

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“Hard Hit,” by Ann Turner

2009-08-07T14:15:00.002-05:00

“Hard Hit,” by Ann Turner is a brief poetic exploration about a boy who loses his father to cancer. Throughout “Hard Hit” Ann Turner writes in a rather distinctive style. Almost all her sentences are written on the right hand pages in lines that are four or less words long. Only in a few places does she use the left hand pages, and only to make certain key phrases stand out. The main character is young Mark Warren. Compared with many other children, Mark Warren has a great life. He's a...

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“Rules,” by Cynthia Lord

2009-08-05T14:07:00.005-05:00

“Rules,” by Cynthia Lord is a touching story about a girl who must change her attitude about what is “normal” and learn to appreciate her autistic younger brother and a surprising new friend who is confined to a wheelchair. Like most other twelve-year-olds Catherine wants to have friends and live a fairly normal life. Unfortunately, neither of these goals seem obtainable. Catherine’s autistic younger brother David always seems to chase off potential friends. When other girls learn about...

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“Dork on the Run,” by Carol Gorman

2009-07-31T17:49:00.004-05:00

“Dork on the Run,” by Carol Gorman is the humorous tale of a shy, geeky young boy who finds himself as a candidate for president of sixth grade. In “Dork in Disguise” readers are introduced to Jerry Flack, a bona fide dork complete with glasses, an interest in science, and complete ignorance of social skills and pop culture. In the first book Jerry briefly tried to pass himself off as a cool person, but since then he has learned a little more about how to handle himself in public, and has...

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“Milicent Min - Girl Genius” by Lisa Yee

2009-07-25T13:54:00.002-05:00

“Milicent Min - Girl Genius” by Lisa Yee is a humorous book about a young Asian girl who is a genius. But for some reason, when it comes to social interaction she’s a little bit ignorant. Millicent’s parents are always worried that she hasn’t had a chance to enjoy a “normal childhood.” But Millicent doesn’t care. She would much rather be what she is: a child genius who has been featured in TV shows and Time magazine. Millicent has skipped so many grades that she is attending high school at...

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“Exodus,” by Julie Bertagna

2009-07-23T10:28:00.001-05:00

“Exodus,” by Julie Bertagna is an amazing science fiction novel about a future in which global warming has resulted in rising sea levels that have covered most of the world in water. Wing is an isolated island in the Northern Sea. Each year the seas rise a little farther, forcing the people of Wing to move upland. And each year the winter storms hit Wing even harder. For fifteen-year-old Mara the storms are frightening, and she is convinced that there must be some way to escape the...

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“Home of the Brave,” by Katherine Applegate

2009-07-21T17:42:00.001-05:00

“Home of the Brave,” by Katherine Applegate is a realistic fiction novel about a young emigrant boy named Kek. Kek emigrates to America to escape the brutal conditions and refuge camp life of his homeland. Kek arrives in the United States in winter, and to him this is a shocking surprise, for he is not used to either the cold, or the fact that all the trees have lost their leaves. In the cold of a Minnesota winter, Kek must get used to his new life in America. Kek begins to make friends...

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“The Boy Who Dared,” by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

2009-07-19T17:11:00.001-05:00

“The Boy Who Dared,” by Susan Campbell Bartoletti is a historical fiction novel based on the life of a young boy who fought the Nazi’s during World War II. Like most other Germans Helmuth Hübener is glad when Adolf Hitler is elected as leader of Germany. Hitler has plans for Germany, and he seems determined to help Germany recover from its national depression and become a great country again. “Hitler will get Germany out of this mess! No more unemployment! No more inflation! He will bring...

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“The Trap,” by John Smelcer

2009-07-17T16:15:00.001-05:00

“The Trap,” by John Smelcer is an unforgettably moving story about an Indian boy and his old grandfather. Johnny Least-Weasel and his grandfather Albert live in Alaska, where the winters are long and treacherous. Albert has been working traplines all his life. He travels out into the lonely wilderness and sets traps to catch wild animals. He sells the skins to make money to buy food and supplies. It is how his father and his father before him made a living. Now Albert is old, and although...

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Sean Beaudoin talks about his novel "Fade to Blue"

2009-07-16T19:22:00.009-05:00

This is a guest post by Sean Beaudoin, author of "Fade to Blue", a new novel/comic hybrid. "Fade To Blue" took almost two years to complete after I finished the initial draft. The novel went through numerous name changes. It started out as "Sour White", which is a fictional brand of soda the characters drink. There were internal discussions as to whether this title sounded too harsh. Then there were discussions about the similarity to "Snow White", and whether readers might think it was some...

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