Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace, by MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi (Berkley Jam Books, 2005)

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When Jennifer’s parents gave her the usual “birds and bees” speech, they managed to leave out the part where the otherwise normal teenager would someday start growing scales, claws, fangs, and a tail, and be able to perform superhuman feats of strength and agility. So when the changes start to occur, they really throw Jennifer for a loop, especially since this upheaval in her life is wreaking havoc with her social, academic, and athletic lives. When it’s finally explained that Jennifer is one of a long line of weredragons (like her father), part of a hidden community that dwells amongst and alongside regular humanity, it’s not the most reassuring thing Jennifer ever could have heard. Now she has to contend with being a dragon for several days out of every month! Worse still, Jennifer’s displaying a wide mixture of powers, where most dragons concentrate upon one specific aspect of their being. So not only is she a monster out of myth, she’s a freak even among her own kind.

As Jennifer continues to learn about the secrets of her heritage, spending time with other young weredragons and hearing the old stories from her grandfather, she slowly realizes just how changed her world really is. And she learns about the deadly enemies of her kind: human hunters called beaststalkers, and were-spiders, who also dwell in secret. As evidence mounts that both were-spiders and beaststalkers have infiltrated even the closest aspects of her life, Jennifer is forced to fight for her life and call upon previously-unknown abilities. And what does the legend of the Ancient Furnace have to do with everything that’s going on?

Best known for her romantic comedies involving vampires and werewolves, MaryJanice Davidson teams up with her husband here to deliver the first in a new series, and they get things rolling with a fairly strong start. While much of Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace is dedicated to setup and exploration of the series’ premise, it still offers a good, entertaining story filled with some intriguing turns and surprises. As concepts go, it’s relatively underutilized, and still feels fresh, giving off a Buffyesque vibe. Jennifer is a good, strong character with a lot of potential, and I look forward to future offerings in this series.

In The Hall of the Martian King, by John Barnes (Warner Aspect, 2003)

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This is actually the third book in the continuing adventures of Jak Jinnaka, thirty-sixth-century secret agent and unwitting pawn, as he once again gets thrust into situations beyond his control. Far in the future, the solar system is a strange and bizarre place, with much of humanity dwelling on massive space stations, or on other planets, since Earth itself was largely ravaged by meteors during an alien attack known as the Bombardment. Mars, for example, is home to thousands of tiny nations, one of which has just found the lifelog, an electronic diary, of Paj Nakasen, the man who long ago created the social system known as the Wager, which influences all of human society. This relic could uphold, or destroy, everything humanity has come to believe in. Naturally, it’s up to Jak to lead a team to negotiate for it. It’ll be a true test of his abilities as spy, diplomat, and secret agent.

Unfortunately, there are a few wrinkles. His “superior” on the mission is a blithering, incompetent, politically valuable idiot who has to get the credit while being prevented from wrecking things. Jak’s uncle, also a secret agent, is along for the ride. Jak’s old friend Dujuv, now an ambassador, is present also. And Jak’s psychotic ex-girlfriend, now princess of an opposing society, has just shown up to make his life a living hell. The only way Jak can succeed is to betray the entire human race, and his own self-respect, but can he accomplish that much before his ex-girlfriend’s brainwashing kicks in and he surrenders to her tender, malignant mercies? Jak’s been in hopeless situations before, but this one takes the cake.

The Jak Jinnaka adventures aren’t for everyone; the future slang which permeates conversation may be difficult to pick up on quickly, and the societal attitudes towards love and sex are a bit looser than younger readers are comfortable with. But for older teens, the free-wheeling, chaotically whimsical nature of these stories may entertain. It’s as if someone took Spy Kids and James Bond, shoved them into a blender, and fired that blender into a Buck Rogers-meets-Futurama future. In the Hall of the Martian King is great fun, as is the series as a whole, and John Barnes doesn’t look like he’ll let up on the gas anytime soon. It’s occasionally hard to find good YA science fiction that isn’t media-related, so this is certainly quite welcome.

Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke (The Chicken House, 2003)

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From best-selling German author Cornelia Funke comes this extraordinary, thoughtful story about the magic of books and the power of an author’s imagination. Meggie lives alone with her bookbinding (and book doctoring) father, Mo, who’s instilled in her the same profound love of and respect for books that he himself has. The only oddity is that, for all his love, Mo refuses to read books out loud, thus forcing Meggie to experience them on her own terms. Their life is good, if quiet, and has been ever since Meggie’s mother left nine years ago under unspecified circumstances. Then a mysterious wanderer, a fire-eater and street performer named Dustfinger comes to pay a visit, and Meggie’s life is turned upside-down. Aware there’s a problem, but unable to get a straight answer from Mo, she goes with him to visit her aunt Elinor, a book collector who guards her treasures jealously. But Dustfinger follows, the harbinger of something much, much worse.

In no time, Mo, Meggie, and Elinor are brought under the malevolent influence of Capricorn, the dark villain of a book called Inkheart, an evil figure accidentally brought forth from the book nine years ago by Mo’s power to bring books to life. Now Capricorn wants Mo to do a little more work for him, to bring forth treasure, and much worse, from other books. Can Meggie, Elinor, the unpredictable Dustfinger, and even the very author of Inkheart himself stop Capricorn from realizing his wicked dreams?

Told with a profound love for books, and a respect for the power of imagination, Inkheart exists on a certain metafictional level, blending fantasy and reality, the real world and the literary one seamlessly. It evokes The Never-Ending Story, The Princess Bride, even The Eyre Affair in the way it crosses boundaries and plays with expectations. Meggie is a delightful protagonist, stubborn and resourceful, though short-sighted as only a twelve-year-old can be, while Dustfinger is wonderfully capricious. Even Capricorn and his men overcome the one-dimensional characterization they’re entitled to due to their unique book-within-a-book origin. This is a book written for book lovers, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only drawback is a certain repetitive yo-yo effect: heroes escape, heroes are recaptured by Capricorn, heroes escape, heroes are drawn back to deal with Capricorn… Luckily, it all advances the plot in the end. Do check this out.

House of Stairs, by William Sleator (Firebird, 2004)

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When five sixteen-year-old orphans are placed in a bizarre room unlike any other, they discover the true depravities of the mind and soul. Unable to get comfortable in this vast room of unending, unceasing staircases, hungry and ill at ease, the five teenagers are forced to work together to satisfy the unpredictable demands of a souless red machine. Only by working together to puzzle out its desires and obey them can they be fed, and even then, the food is never enough. For Peter, Lola, Blossom, Abigail and Oliver, this truly is Hell. Unable to trust one another, unwilling to even like each other, they still rely on a certain unity. But as time wears on, the unity breaks down and factions emerge, one bent on obeying the machine, the other on disobeying it. And then the ultimate, horrifying purpose of the red machine and the endless staircases, and the reason for their entrapment is made clear.

Coming from the same mind that brought us Interstellar Pig, inspired by an M.C. Escher painting, House of Stairs is a disturbing social commentary mixed with a terrifying psychological experiment. This may be one of Sleator’s bleakest books yet, especially since it’s rooted in reality and could very well be carried out today, in some hidden place. One could very well spend thousands of words analyzing this book, with regards to the role of teenagers in society and their alienation from the outside world and each other, or how aversion therapy works, or how positive/negative conditioning is applied, or how the government sees us all as tools, and every one of those directions would be valid in some way. But, boiled down to its essentials, what we have here is a darkly fascinating story about five teens who undergo a terrible experience in a dystopian setting. House of Stairs is a thought-provoking tale that stays with you long after it’s over. Originally published in 1974, it’s as relevant today as it was thirty years ago, and it’s good to see it back in print for a new generation’s consideration.

Hippolyta and the Curse of the Amazons, by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris, (HarperCollins, 2002)

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Once upon a time, when gods still strode the Earth and magic still manifested in unexpected ways, when the city of Troy stood in all its glory and the city-states of Greece dominated the world as they knew it, no tribe was more respected for their battle prowess than the legendary Amazons. Hidden away in the city of Themiscyra, they were every bit the equal of men, eschewing them altogether save for trading and procreation. Male children were always given to the father; only the females remained with the tribe. Ruled in peace by Queen Otrere and in war by Queen Valasca, blessed by Ares and Artemis, they stood strong and proud against all who would destroy them.

But the legends surrounding the creation of the Amazons hide an even darker beginning, one filled with tragedy and shame, blood and fire, and a curse laid down by the gods themselves. Should the second son of an Amazonian queen ever be allowed to grow to adulthood, the Amazons would fall, becoming as dead as the men that had once completed the tribe. For centuries, they have watched and waited, ready to prevent this dreadful curse from striking them. However, the day has finally come. Queen Otrere’s second son lies newly born in her arms, and the traditions call for him to be sacrificed to the gods. Can she do what it needed for the good of her people?

Her daughter Hippolyta, whose destiny as Queen of the Amazons lies years ahead of her, is willing to defy gods and traditions alike to fulfill her mother’s desire: that the newborn Podarces be delivered not into the bosom of the gods, but instead to his father, King Laomedon of Troy. Such an upset cannot go unpunished. Otrere is thrown into prison, and only a daring midnight escape allows Hippolyta to go free with her baby brother, intent upon seeing him safely to his new home. Hippolyta will brave bandits and soldiers alike, defy a king, and be condemned to die at the jaws of a mighty sea monster before she’s through, and only with the unwitting aid of her other unwanted half-brother Tithonus will she return home. There, she finds that the dreadful curse once pronounced by the gods has descended upon the Amazons, and only she and Tithonus may save the tribe from extinction. But can she overcome the very will of the gods?

Hippolyta and the Curse of the Amazons is part of the Young Heroes series of books, which takes famous heroes of myth and legend, and looks at what they might have been like in their younger days. This isn’t the Queen of the Amazons who interacted with Hercules during his Twelve Labors, or who met Bellerophon, tamer of the Pegasus. This is Hippolyta the teenage girl. She’s stubborn, overbearing, arrogant, strong-willed, hot-tempered, biased against men, and utterly fearless. She’s not a terribly nice person in some ways, but she’s completely loyal to her mother, and daring enough to challenge the gods. We can see in her the fire and steel that will someday turn her into a legend, if she can just live that long. As an adult, she’ll be a hero of myth. As a teenager, she must overcome her many faults, and accept the help of someone she initially despises, all to save her people.

Jane Yolen and Robert Harris do a wonderful job of taking someone who’s relatively unknown in the grand scheme of the Greek mythos, and fleshing her out into a character as real and believable as any modern teenager… if teenagers were allowed to carry double-bladed axes, that is. Yolen and Harris are in top form with this book, proving once again that Yolen has well earned her reputation as a master of the fantastic. This book is a treat for young and old readers alike, and worth checking out. Those interested may also go to www.janeyolen.com for more on the author and her works.

The Heroic Adventure of Hercules Amsterdam, by Melissa Glenn Haber (Puffin, 2004)

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Inexplicably, the improbably-named Hercules Amsterdam is only three inches tall, a condition which has plagued him for all of his nine years, providing his family with much consternation. He himself is fairly happy with this state of being, though he does, naturally, have his problems and fears, since his size makes him an easy target for cats and careless feet. One day, his life changes drastically, when he discovers a hidden world in the walls of his own house, a world in which mice live and play, much like humans do. In this magical world, Hercules is finally able to relax and live like a normal boy, able to play baseball and have fun with people his own size. Unfortunately, the lifespan of a mouse is much faster than that of a human, and before long he’s discovered the drawbacks of this life as well, as “childhood” friends become great-grandmothers in the space of months. This leads him to the next phase of his existence, as he goes delving into the hidden history and secrets of the mice, discovering several lost, abandoned cities elsewhere in the walls. What happened to the other cities? Where did the mice come from? And what horrible secrets have the mice forgotten altogether? His quest to discover the truth brings him face to face with the ancient enemy of the mice: rats. It’s up to Hercules and his young mouse friend Quanqster to save the mice from a pending rat invasion and solve the problem once and for all. Their journey will take them to the first mouse city, bring them into conflict with ants and rats, and finally grant them an audience with a capricious fairy. Can Hercules and his friends, including a new human ally named Juna, manage all of this, or are the mice doomed to relive the past?

The Heroic Adventure of Hercules Amsterdam is thoroughly charming, and completely entertaining. It’s Stuart Little with some Rats of NIMH thrown in, updated for a more modern audience and sensibility. While some parts are wildly implausible, this book takes the best route possible, and keeps on moving, embracing the fairy tale/fantastical aspects of the setting. Hercules himself is a pint-size hero with the intelligence, creativity, and stubbornness to get the job done. I hope we’ll see more from Melissa Haber.

Heir Apparent, by Vivian Vande Velde (Magic Carpet Books, 2004)

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For her birthday, Giannine Bellisario (Janine) receives a gift certificate to the popular Rasmussen Gaming Center, a virtual reality arcade offering the very best in role-playing simulations. After some thought, she chooses Heir Apparent, a complicated game in which the customer must fulfill a number of requirements, and pass a variety of tests in order to assume the throne of a mythical kingdom. But be careful, for one wrong step and it’s back to the beginning for you. What no one could predict, though, is that while immersed in her game, Janine would become trapped there, courtesy of an overzealous child protection society and a damaged simulator. Now, if she can’t complete the scenario on her own, within a certain real-world timeframe, she’ll be a brain-fried vegetable. Talk about getting your money’s worth!

So all she has to do now is find a magic ring, battle a barbarian horde, outwit a dragon, survive some homicidal royal siblings and a backstabbing queen, fend off some ghosts, win over the army to her side, and make it to the throne before she gets killed one too many times. Valiantly, she tries. Again, and again, and again, and again. Each time she gets a little further, but each time she uses up some more of her precious time. Will she figure things out before time runs out?

Combining science fiction technology and a fantasy setting, Heir Apparent is a brilliant blend of the two, an exciting and entertaining twist on a very old story. We’ve all read the one about the person of low birth who’s really royalty and who has to undergo certain tasks before they can take the throne they’ve always been destined for; Heir Apparent deconstructs the story by dropping in someone truly unfit for the destiny, and then giving her numerous “do-overs.” Imagine if your favorite fantasy novel came equipped with restarts. Naturally, Janine is tenacious, creative, and unorthodox, further twisting the familiar story into knots. This is another great offering from versatile author Vivian Vande Velde, and it’s a great deal of fun.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J. K. Rowling, (Scholastic Books, 2003)

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Harry Potter is back for the fifth installment in the best-selling phenomenon that’s swept the world, and this is his biggest, most dangerous adventure yet. Not only are all the old characters – Harry, Hermione, Ron, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Hagrid, Draco, and Snape – back, but they’re accompanied by new characters: the shapeshifting Tonks, the insidiously odious Delores Umbridge and befuddled Ravenclaw Luna Lovegood. After the events of Goblet of Fire, the wizarding world is in an uproar. Voldemort is back, but the Ministry of Magic, aided by the popular Daily Prophet newspaper, refuses to admit or see the truth. It’s up to Albus Dumbledore and the secretive Order of the Phoenix to prepare for the eventual, unavoidable war that Voldemort’s sure to spark. But is anywhere safe, when dementors can attack Harry near Privet Drive?

Once back at school, things can get only worse, as Ministry meddling and heightened paranoia collide with the pressure of fifth year O.W.L. exams for Harry and his friends, and the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher proves to have an agenda that does no one but herself any good at all. In the end, it’ll all boil down to discovering what secrets lie in the bowels of the Ministry of Magic and in St. Mungo’s Hospital, and not everyone will escape intact. Harry, in particular, will be confronted with truths regarding his past, his present, and his future. Will he crack under the strain?
Building on the plotlines of the first four books, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix pretty much starts out on an eventful note, and doesn’t let up for quite some time. The readers, like the characters, are thrown into a siege mentality, and the pressure continues to grow as revelations mix with new questions. Faithful readers are rewarded for their loyalty with a number of answers, and with watching Harry continue to grow and mature. This is one series where the characters change and evolve as a result of the events they experience.

If you’re already a fan, there’s no reason not to read this book. Newcomers are highly encouraged to read the series in order; this book doesn’t work well as a standalone. Due to a darker atmosphere and some mature topics regarding dating, death, betrayal and teen angst, I recommend that teachers, parents, and librarians read this book before deciding if younger readers (11 and below, I’d say) are ready for this one. And while 870 pages is excessive, and there’s some fat that can be trimmed, in the end, it’s just good to have a new Harry Potter, and the wait for the next book will be a long, impatient one.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, 2005)

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As Harry’s 6th year at Hogwarts approaches, a secret war amongst the wizards and witches of the world continues to rage on, with the reborn Lord Voldemort’s Death-Eaters inflicting a slow, ghastly toll upon those who would stop them. The Ministry of Magic is up to its wands in trouble, and even the Muggle world can sense something is wrong. Harry, of course, has a lot on his mind, including the death of Sirius Black, and the certain knowledge that Voldemort is coming for him at some point. But life goes on, and so does the school year. As always, there’s a new professor at Hogwarts, and a new teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Teenage hormones are raging, and Harry isn’t the only one looking for love in all the wrong places; Ron and Hermione have also been hit with the love bug, and their respective love lives may just drive the inseparable trio apart just when their strength is needed the most. Dumbledore takes longer and more frequent breaks from the school, intent upon some secret mission only he understands. When he’s at Hogwarts, he takes Harry on a guided tour of Voldemort’s early life, stripping away the mystery and horror to reveal the Dark Lord’s twisted beginnings in an eerie journey of discovery.

Before it’s all over, Harry will have found and lost love, received his O.W.L. scores, learned what drives Voldemort and how the Dark Lord may be destroyed for good, and he’ll decide upon a most fateful path. Unfortunately, there’s a traitor at the school, and his fiendish, desperate plans will culminate in one of the worst nights Hogwarts has ever seen, and someone else close to Harry will die, while someone else will show his true colors. And just who is the Half-Blood Prince, the mysterious figure from the past whose expertise in spells will both aid and guide Harry through a difficult time? This is the penultimate installment of the epic story of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, and after this book, nothing will be the same again.

While it’s occasionally hard to rank the Harry Potter books in any particular order, The Half-Blood Prince is definitely one of Rowling’s better offerings. The Harry of this book is confident, assured, decisive, and intelligent. He’s finally learned to work with authority, as opposed to the teen of the early books who defied authority whenever it didn’t suit his needs. Harry’s rapport with Dumbledore is one of the strongest parts of this book, though it comes at a cost; the chemistry between Ron, Harry, and Hermione is pretty weak this time around. Ron’s too busy as a slave to his hormones, while Hermione spends most of her time sulking for various reasons. Other characters also get short-changed on screen time: Draco spends so much time skulking off-stage, it’s a surprise when he remembers to show up for classes. Neville stumbles along in the background, though both he and the delightfully loopy Luna Lovegood have their moments. With such a large cast to keep track of, it’s no wonder Rowling has trouble finding significant roles for everyone.

Ultimately, while Half-Blood Prince may have some flaws, it’s one of the strongest books in the series, delivering a rousing adventure and some significant progress towards the inevitable conclusion of the series. With an ending that’s bound to leave readers guessing and talking for years, it’s a book no Potter fan will want to be without.

Hannah’s Garden by Midori Snyder (Firebird, 2005)

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Cassie Brittman’s always been there for family, especially when it comes to keeping her flighty mother grounded in the real world. But when her grandfather, a famous painter whose mind has seen better days, ends up in the hospital, dying, Cassie is forced to reluctantly tear herself away from the comfortable life she’s made and travel with her mother back to the family farm. There, they’ll discover that the farm they knew has been all but destroyed by malicious forces, that secrets lurk in the woods at night, that something old and dangerous stalks Cassie and her grandfather, and that a magical secret binds the generations together. But what does it all have to do with a magical war brewing between two different clans of nature spirits and faeries, and how can Cassie solve the problem? The answer may lie with a mysterious fiddler, an old notebook belonging to Cassie’s great-grandmother, and the garden which calls to Cassie.

This is a fun book. Cassie is a strong female protagonist who’s gained maturity and a sense of responsibility beyond her years. The setting and style are highly reminiscent of some of Charles de Lint’s works, but Snyder maintains a unique touch of her own. Managing to mix music, magic, nature, and beautiful descriptions with an intriguing storyline, Hannah’s Garden is a worthy reprint, and a deserving addition to the Firebird line.