"The Outlaw Varjak Paw" - a clunky, rather unwieldy title - nevertheless fittingly describes the adventurous action novel by SF Said. Like a classic western except with cats, the novel follows Varjak Paw, a new cat in an area long starving under the control of the white cat Sally Bones and her deadly gang. With his friends Holly and Tam, and even with the help of a great big dog named Cludge, Varjak learns to accept his place as leader of a new gang that will bring liberty from oppression to the Free Cats of the city.
There's nothing more refreshing than reading a true story told well. That's exactly what you get when you read "Up and Running."
Andrew was only six years old when he came down with the disease - setting in within twelve hours, shutting down his vital organs, covering him with purple and black boils and sores, and eventually causing both of his legs to be amputated. The astounding part is not just that he survived, but that he never stopped fighting.
Picture in your mind the image on the cover of this book, "Kalpana's Dream": a lone skateboard set dramatically against a periwinkle sky, casting a striking shadow onto the sun- bleached concrete beneath it. Now picture in your mind an elderly Hindu grandma, swathed comfortably in a traditional white sari, stepping confidently onto this skateboard, pushing off, and gracefully gliding into flight.
The trick with historical fiction is balancing atmosphere and information with an engaging, moving storyline. Too much story can turn facts to fiction; but too much data can leave the reader overwhelmed and, yes, even bored. Unfortunately for Louise Erdrich, her novel slips a little too much into the latter category. "The Game of Silence," sequel to Erdrich's novel "The Brichbark House," has a good story, which follows young Omakayas and her family and others in the Ojibwe tribe who live in what will later be called Minnesota.
Clare's turning thirteen this summer and has decided to make a big change in her life. She's not giving up her messy-casual wardrobe, her comic book collection, or her interest in Japanese monster movies. But she is giving up her best friend. Of course, Elsa isn't your usual best friend. For one thing, she and Clare are complete opposites, in everything from clothing styles to favorite movies to personalities. But for another, Elsa doesn't even exist. Actually, for Clare, Elsa is very real: she's been Clare's imaginary friend since they were five years old.
"Sugar Rush" by Julie Birchill is not a book I'd let my kids read, if I had kids. In fact, it's a book I wish I hadn't let myself read. It follows Kim's move from her old school to a new all-girls acadamy, to a new world full of new temptations, and to a new friend Maria Sugar, who eventually becomes her girlfriend.
