In writing my review of The Dream Merchant I can't seem to get away from the idea that it is such a perfect "boy" book. I don't usually think that way and certainly don't craft my reviews that way, but I can't seem to help it with this book. The protagonist is a boy, but that really isn't the point (one of his sidekicks is a girl, one of the bad guys is a woman and another girl plays a major part). It just seems as if the way this book is written - it's combination 007/Harry Potter/Narnia (if you can imagine all of that in one book) - plot is so purely perfect for boys around the age of 12 or so that I feel like I should be flinging it at them in the streets. It will most certainly appeal to many many girls as well, but I just things it's a great entry on the boy side. I'm pretty happy about that as by and large books that I feel are great boy books are pretty damn hard to come by. This one has time travel, chase scenes, a quest, a major mystery (of epic proportions) and difficulties to overcome from alligators to earthquakes. It's a big sucker too (630 pages)! I hope that it finds its audience, because I'm sure they are out there just dying to find it.
Today brought a lovely Spring catalog from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Someday I will write a dandy of a personal essay about how much I love book catalogs (ala Rose Macaulay) but FSG's young adult catalog today was uncommonly good. If you are looking for books for a 10 year old girl in particular, they have some great ones looming on the horizon. My eye was caught by several: Isabella's Above-Ground Pool (we had one when I was growing up and loved it with a sick middle class passion!), That Fernhill Summer (about a tricky family tree), Julia's Kitchen (about an attempt to mend a broken family after a tragic fire - normally this sort of book would not work for me, but it sounds great and if it lives up to its promise this will give Sharon Creech a run for her money) and Georgie's Moon (set during the Vietnam War, but addressing situations we are certainly stuck in today.) Also, Elie Wiesel's Night is out with a new translation by his wife. I'm very intrigued by this idea and looking forward to reading that.
Also in the mail today was a very unexpected surprise: a young adult western for girls! I can not remember the last time I saw a western for young adults and as I am a huge Louis L'Amour fan from way back, (The Sacketts, Hondo and please - The Shadow Riders! Not only a great novel, but the movie starred Sam Eliott, Katherine Ross and Tom Selleck. If you like westerns this one rocks!), I am quite delighted to see The Misadventures of Maude March. It sounds very well done and whoever designed this book deserves some sort of prize, it looks gorgeous. So, while it showed up out of the blue (thank you Random House!) it certainly goes on the "to be read and seriously considered for review pile".
Right now I am reading Jay Lake's Rocket Science and it is a dandy. Shortly after WW2 ends the narrator's buddy comes home and then receives a massive crate on the train - something he had shipped out from Germany. It's an airplane - a very amazing airplane - and it seems to be alien in origin. I've just started and I can barely put it down. It's hard to compare but there's everyone from the Hardy Boys to Tom Swift to the Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet in here.
Has anyone noticed that I'm kind of on a boy kick?
So rockets, along with wonderful essays from Ray, I forgot to mention The Boys of Summer off of my "To Be Read Pile" and still, The Trouble with Tom. If you know anyone, and I mean anyone, who loves reading history then you must point them in the direction of Paul Collins. He is fantastic and reading his book is pure joy for someone like me. I can't wait to ask him a few questions about it.
Today's soundtrack was Carole King and The Black Crowes. "She Talks to Angels" just might be one of the most perfect songs ever written and as for King - well, she is just perfect, period. On the weatherfront, more rain and cold and yucky weather. At the gym it was back and bi's and as for the book - it is going to be a bit on the violent side. Not crazy violent (Scarface was not for me), but real violence. We live in violent times and my crew is going to know that, they are going to hate it, but they can't deny it.
It comes along in bits and pieces, starts and stops. But still, steadily, it comes along.
