The Griffin's Feather by Cornelia Funke

After finishing Dragon Rider, I quite eagerly continued on to The Griffin’s Feather, which takes place a few years later.

In The Griffin’s Feather, Ben is now a happy part of the Greenblooms, living in a sanctuary for marvelous creatures and helping to save those in danger. One day, word arrives that the mare of one of the last pegasi has passed away. Without her, her eggs can’t hatch and the Pegasus fowls will die. Their only chance of survival is with a sun-feather from a Griffin, the mortal enemy of dragons...

Like The Dragon Rider, this was a fun read. We alternate between Ben’s chapters, where he and Barnabas Greenbloom search for a Griffin with Guinevere’s chapters, which emphasises the short deadline that Barnabas has. I enjoyed seeing both Greenbloom children, especially since Guinevere didn’t have as much page-time in The Dragon Rider. It was touching to see how much care they had for others.

And poor Ben, struggling with his feelings! He loves his new family, but he so clearly misses Firedrake. And with Firedrake’s children about to hatch, which means fewer visits from the dragon, Ben has to make a choice about where he wants to live.

Firedrake was great, as usual. A bit wiser than the first book, which is to be expected. Sorrel, on the other hand, seemed a bit meaner (rather than just grumpy) compared to the first book, especially at the start. But that might be due to the narration rather than a change in character.

Speaking of the narrator, it isn’t Brendan Fraser this time. It’s a bit of a pity, because I really enjoyed his narration and the voices he used in The Dragon Rider. But once I got used to everyone’s new voice, I found that I quite enjoyed this version. Plus the background music and effects were very well-done.

Overall, The Griffin’s Feather is a great sequel to The Dragon Rider. There is a much greater sense of “you must care for the earth” in this book, and luckily that message never becomes preachy. I think younger fantasy fans will really enjoy this.

Disclaimer: I received a free audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke

When I was younger, I absolutely loved Inkheart and The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke. So when I received an invitation to review The Griffin's Feather, the second book in the Dragon Rider series, I decided that I had to start with book one.

Dragon Rider follows the adventures of Firedrake, a dragon searching for the mythical place called the Rim of Heaven, where dragons can live in safety. It's not that he wants to leave his home, but the humans are coming and the dragons in his valley must either leave or die.

Yes, humans are coming. I went into The Dragon Rider not knowing what to expect and was surprised to find out that this was set in the present day. And Ben, the lonely boy that Firedrake meets and who accompanies him on his journey is equally surprised by the existence of dragons. But Ben quickly adapts and along with Sorrel, the bad-tempered brownie, and Twigleg, the homunculus, the four begin their quest. Unfortunately, their quest attracts the vicious Nettlebrand, hunter of dragons.

To be honest, I was a bit confused at the beginning, but that is definitely because I am not used to audiobooks but borrowed the audiobook of this. Once I got the hang of it (and skimmed the Wikipedia page for a summary of what was going on), I really enjoyed this story. It's broken into several segments, as the team visits different places in an attempt to figure out exactly where the rim of heaven is.

Even though this is called The Dragon Rider, I feel like the book really is about Firedrake and his quest. True, Ben gets a bit more airtime in the latter half of the book, but the beginning of the book almost always sets the tone for me and the tone was: this is Firedrake's story. Ben was a nice character, although a bit too oblivious at times, but my favourite character was definitely Firedrake, the kind dragon.

The supporting characters, Sorrel and Twigleg, were interesting too. Sorrel basically played the role of the grumpy character with the heart of gold. Twigleg was a bit more interesting and probably had the most character development in the book - he starts of serving Nettlebrand but traveling with Ben and the others help him to change.

The audiobook I read was narrated by Brendan Fraser, who was brilliant. He did a whole range of voices for the characters, which helped me to distinguish them from each other and made them more endearing to me. I wish I found out about this book earlier because I can imagine younger me enjoying this even more than present me.

Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery

I had to read something light after The Zenith so I decided to read Anne of the Island! This is the third book in the series and follow’s Anne as she moved away from her home to go to university.

I’m going to be very upfront and say that a big part of why I read this was to find out how Anne and Gilbert’s relationship would develop. And if you’re like me, well, the first half of the book doesn’t really touch on that but the second half does.

(My heart broke a bit before I read the end though)

Something I thought interesting about the book was it’s description of university life! Well, there weren’t much details but it seems somewhat similar (if less rowdy) than university today. I almost forgot that Anne was living about a hundred years ago when I read about her house hunting, living with housemates, etc.

There are also quite a few new interesting characters. The most memorable one was Phil - this seemingly scatter-brain and indecisive girl. I actually thought she was going to be annoying when I first met her in the book, but like Anne, I realised that she has her charms and all you need to do is treat her normally.

That said, I felt the lack of Diana, Marilla, Davy, and even Mrs Lynde quite a bit. While Anne does go home for the holidays and Diana even gets married (how time flies in the books), the bulk of the action still takes place away from Avonlea. Oh, and I must say that Dora, Davy’s twin became more entertaining in this book. In the previous book, she was basically a doll but here she gets a bit more space to be herself.

To be honest, given this book’s happy ending, I’m really scared of picking up the next one. The characters are simply growing up to fast and there are so many new ones in each book! What if some of the older characters get replaced or worse, die? Two characters in book one have already passed away and I’m not sure if I want to read more. But, I have been assured that it's worth it so I'll return to this series soon.

Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery

I have finished the next book in the Anne of Green Gables series! This is also a really charming book, although it probably won’t make much sense if you haven’t read the first one.

Warning: Spoilers for Book 1

Anne of Avonlea picks up directly where Anne of Green Gables ended, with Anne starting her new job as the schoolmistress of the local school. Between the challenges of getting her students to like her and the arrival of twin children to the farm, Anne definitely has her hands full.

I’ve gotta say, I really miss the presence of Matthew here. He might have been quiet, but he was a huge presence in the first book and the first person who openly showed affection towards Anne. Marilla is definitely getting better at showing her love, but I do miss seeing Matthew do this best to spoil Anne.

But then again, the Anne in this book isn’t the lonely orphan of the first book. While she still loves to use her imagination and occasionally lets her feelings get the better of her, she is, on the whole, a more level-headed and mature individual. Which follows the theme of her growing up, but I do miss child Anne (although she’s between 16 to 18 here, which I feel is super young).

Oh yeah, and if you’re a Gilbert/Anne person like me (she finally buried the hatchet with him at the end of the first book), you should know that there isn’t much relationship development here. The book even explicitly says that while Anne is maturing, she’s very much still a child in the ways of love. And I guess it’s a strong reason for me to read the third book.

Overall, this is a very charming sequel to book 1. I was actually a bit worried that I wasn’t going to like all the new characters because I tend to enjoy having the same characters go on new adventures, but I found them all growing on me and I look forward to reading more about the people Anne befriends. I’ll just end my review with a quote that I thought was lovely:

"Living so that you beautify your name, even if it wasn't beautiful to begin with . . . making it stand in people's thoughts for something so lovely and pleasant that they never think of it by itself."

There are lots of quotable lines in the book (and the first one, come to think of it), but this was the one that stood out.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

For some strange reason, I never read Anne of Green Gables as a kid. Loads of Enid Blyton, yes, and even Caddie Woodlawn, but no Anne. When the Netflix series came out, I watched the first two episodes and was interested enough to pick up the book.

Now I regret not reading it sooner!

If you’re like me and haven’t read the book OR watched the Netflix show (anyone else living under a rock too?), Anne of Green Gables is the story of a little orphan girl with red hair who gets adopted by an elderly pair of siblings.

To be honest, the story doesn’t sound like much, since it’s just episodes in Anne’s life. But L. M. Montgomery has such a talent for writing that I was pulled in from the very start! Everything Anne did was charming, even though she made a lot of mistakes.

(I am basically Miss Barry)

I suppose the reason that I like Anne is that she likes reading and writing and she has a hot temper, which I also have. The difference is that I don’t have half her imagination or her skill (or red hair). Seeing Anne grow up gradually made me so happy! Like Anne mentioned, she doesn’t really change who she is, she’s just “pruned down and branches out”. All the good in Anne is still there, but her weaknesses aren’t as obvious.

By the way, the dialogue here is fantastic. I think a good majority of the book is dialogue - Anne relaying what happened and how she feels. Normally, that would make me put the book down because I like reading about things happening rather than people telling me about them, but Anne’s way of speaking is so charming and vivid that I loved all her little speeches.

And it’s not just Anne, the dialogue for all characters was marvellous and made me feel like I really got to know them - especially Marilla and Matthew.

The book ends with Anne coming to the end of her childhood and looking forward to her new life. I really hope that the second book is as good as the first because I am going to read it straight away.

Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrow by Katy Towell

This was an impulse borrow and read and a good example of why I like the library so much. A book catches your eye, you read it, and while it’s enjoyable, it’s a good thing you didn’t actually buy it (because for me, buying books = will reread in future).

Skary Childrin follows three girls (and one boy). There’s Adelaide, who is supposed to look like a werewolf but that isn’t really obvious in the illustrations. She has really keen senses though. And then there’s Maggie, who’s very quiet and spend a lot of the book being grumpy. Then there’s Beatrice, who’s the youngest and can see ghosts. She’s the sweetest character of the lot but the way she’s drawn made me think of a Black Eyed Child (maybe that was the inspiration?)

The three children are students at Madame Gertrude’s School for Girls and pretty much feared and hated by everyone. In a town that was cursed 12 years ago, anyone that’s different automatically gets the side-eye (or worse). But one day, a new librarian named Miss Delia comes to town. The girls and Miss Delia get off to a good start but Miss Delia mysteriously disappears. Desperate to find the one teacher who was kind to them, the girls enlist the help of Steffen and realise that Miss Delia’s disappearance may be connected to a string of disappearances happening around town.

What I liked the book was basically the concept. A town where the weird and strange exists sounded interestingly scary and I thought the three girls sounded like fitting protagonists (they were).

The mystery was also pretty decent - the girls’ narrative was interspersed with scenes of people disappearing after riding a mysterious carousel and that was enough to keep me reading until the end. It turns out that I managed to pinpoint the villain the minute he appeared, but I didn’t figure out the motive until the end.

Interspersed with the story are scenes that look to be pencil drawings. They’re pretty childish in style, so maybe it’s supposed to be one of the girls’ drawings? I thought it was a nice complement to the story.

What I wasn’t so enthusiastic about was the narrative style. It reads like a third person limited but it was hard to figure out who the POV character was (or if it was just skipping around the whole time), which hindered the suspension of disbelief. And like I mentioned before, the villain was pretty easy to identify, mostly because the majority of the book has them trapped at school rather than doing much investigating.

Overall, this is a pretty fun book for readers (the target audience are probably people way younger than me) who like spooky stuff that isn’t horror.

The Girl with the Green Ear by Margaret Mahy

I was intending to ration these stories and read them slowly, but I read the first one, realised that I remembered it, read the second one, awoke another memory, and then ended up finishing the book in one sitting. And you know what? This was a fantastic trip down memory lane that scratched a book itch that I've been having for years.

The Girl with the Green Ear was one of the books that I somehow had and then lost when we moved houses. But one of the stories (Thunderstorms and Rainbows) stayed with me and I so badly wanted to read it again. I couldn't remember the title for a few years and would intermittently be seized with the urge to google for it. Eventually, I found the book.

To be honest, I was afraid that I remembered the wrong book. But luckily I didn't. Thunderstorms and Rainbows is about the town of Trickle, where it always rains. As you can imagine, this is not good for the tourism industry and the townspeople got so sick of all the complaining that they made it illegal to say "Goodness, it does rain here, doesn't it?"

One day, a rare visitor comes and says the forbidden words. So obviously Policewoman Geraldine has to arrest him. But then she finds out that this visitor likes the rain.

Thunderstorms and Rainbows is a charming little story that very clearly illustrates how changing your perspective on something can bring about huge changes.

Other stories, which are all equally delightful, include:

- the titular The Girl with the Green Ear, about a musician's daughter who leaves home to find a very special calling

- Don't Cut the Lawn, a tale about how it's ok to let lawns grow wild

- The Good Wizard of the Forest, a story about a wicked but lonely wizard with amazing baking skills (this was really poignant and I was a bit surprised at how much I felt for the wizard)

And a few more. About half the stories were like old friends while I realised I'd completely forgotten about the other half, but I enjoyed reading them all.

If you know a child who likes nature and/or reading, you might want to get this for them (if you can get your hands on a copy). Or perhaps get this for yourself, because you're never too old for a good story.

The Shadows by Jacqueline West

Any book that is compared to Coraline is one that I will be trying. Sometimes, literary comparisons are off, but this one was great - fun and a little spooky and with cats.

The Shadows follows the journey of Olive as she and her mathematician parents move into their new house, which comes with creepy furniture. Unlike her parents, Olive isn't good at maths (I feel a connection to her already). Luckily for her, she doesn't need maths for what happens.

It turns out that this house is... not normal. Olive can enter paintings and talk to the people inside, and there are three cats that talk to her too. Unfortunately, cats will be cats and their hints were a little too cryptic. As a result, Olive accidentally unleashes evil onto the house and has to remedy it.

The book has a fantastic protagonist in Olive. She's likable and plucky, and I liked that she got herself out of the mistakes she made (also, she didn't like everyone, but still apologised when she was wrong). She made a great team with the three cats, whom I'd like to meet.

The cats are: Horatio, who's a bit cranky and cryptic, Leopold, who's very polite and I just want to cuddle him, and Harvey, who takes on different personalities and serves as comedic relief sometimes.

There's also Morton, a strange boy who isn't who he seems to be. He's also a little annoying so I don't have much to say about him. He was one of the people who introduced Olive to this odd world, though, so he is a fairly important character.

The book is apparently part of a series, but it reads well as a standalone. There is one loose end, but it doesn't make me want to read the second book immediately. (And I'm torn on whether I want to read the second book because I have no idea if it's as good as this one.)

Oh, and this isn't as scary as Coraline, although it is a bit creepy. But I do agree that fans of Coraline will like this. At least I did.

Grayling's Song by Karen Cushman

When I was halfway through this book, it occurred to me that I'm going to need to give this stars for Goodreads and I panicked. I had no idea whether I wanted to give it two stars or three. Which is to say, this book basically waffled between a two and a three the whole time that I was reading it. (Of course, I'll probably go for the higher star, but now you know)

Grayling is basically the story of a girl whose mother gets turned into a tree and their grimoire gets stolen and she has to go find it and save everyone. And to do there, she gathers a ragtag team of people with magic.

The good about the story: Pook, the shape-shifting, talking mouse was cute. Pook was basically what kept this at a two star level. And occasionally, there were scenes that made me chuckle, which was why it occasionally went into three star territory. Plus, the second half wasn't too bad.

The not-so-good:

First, the language. It's probably going to be one of those "I loved it" or "I couldn't stand it" type of language choices, and unfortunately, I was in the latter camp. The speech just sounded so awkward throughout the whole book, and I think I was about two-thirds done before I even got used to it. The language probably interfered with the characterisation too, because I remember getting annoyed with how Grayling was developing.

Second, the twist. I like to be surprised. I mean, I like to try and guess the surprise, but more often than not, I'm wrong and I'm glad I am. However, I basically saw the twist coming so early in the story. It's as though bad characters are incapable of being anything but bad, so even though I think there was supposed to be a surprise, I was totally unimpressed. It's a pity too, because by that point in time, I finally got used to the language and was ready to be entertained.

These two were basically the reasons why it never went into four or five star territory, and basically pushed it down to the two to three star area.

Sadly, this was not the book for me. It may have been the book for some people, but the language was definitely not something I enjoyed. If you're thinking of picking this book up (because the cover really is lovely), try and see if you can get a sample to read first.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.

Reading Throwback: Enid Blyton

So recently, I was thinking about the books I read as a kid, and Enid Blyton was one of the first few that popped to mind. So I started listing the books that I loved (more than the others) and...

it turned out to be a long, long list. So if you're an Enid Blyton fan, take a trip down memory lane with me!

Tales of Long Ago is actually a collection of Greek Myths! So yeah, I have Enid Blyton to thank for introducing me to the greek myths. There's the story of Pandora's box, Echo and Narcissus, Midas, Cupid and Psyche, etc.

I spent a lot of time reading and re-reading this book, getting to know the myths!

Tales of Brave Adventure is about Robin Hood and King Arthur!! How Robin Hood and the Merry Men came to be, the enchanted sword, the adventures of Balin, etc. I remember that the death of Robin Hood and the passing of King Arthur always made me sad.

Wow, haven't thought of these books in a long time! I only remembered them today, when I was trying to recall what Enid Blyton books I've read.

And now you know - she's also the one who introduced these myths and legends to me.

I think a lot of people will remember/love The Naughtiest Girl series!

By the way, most of the covers here are the same as the ones on the books I own. I don't quite like the newest ones because they look so cartoonish, when the books are anything but. I think the older covers are better.

Digression aside, I used to wish I could go to Whyteleafe! I mean, I wanted to go to ALL her school, but quite possible Whyteleafe the most, because the students govern themselves! So cool, right?

And I just realised that I don't know the piano piece that Elizabeth liked! (I'm looking at the Enid Blyton society page, cause they have the covers I want). Anyone have any idea what it is?

Oh, and Enid Blyton only wrote the first three books, which I loved. I think I read the later books by the other author, but they absolutely didn't leave an impression in my mind AT ALL.

Enid Blyton originals are the best, I think.

The Secret Series!

The first book, The Secret Island introduced me to Jack, Peggy, Mike and Nora, and make me want to live on an island! Of course in real life, I'd probably die because I need proper toilets (Japanese toilets, preferably), but whenever I reread the book, I want to stay on the island with them!

The second book introduced Prince Paul of Baronia, who is in the rest of the books too.

I know I've read (and own) the first four books, but as for the fifth and last book, The Secret of Moon Castle, I cannot remember if I read it!! Parts of it sound super familiar, but parts don't. And I don't recognise a single cover either >< I have to go home and check, and reread this series too!

I think the Famous Five series is Enid Blyton's most famous series. I saw this cover (Ok, this style of cover) all the time when I was younger.

I think everyone has their own favourite character, but mine was probably George. Second was Anne hahahaha.

Oddly enough, I don't have a favourite book in the series. Actually, I probably prefer The Secret Series, but the Famous Five is also fun, and there are a lot of books.

More to read = good, in my opinion

Oh, there's one book that I remember more clearly than the others - Five on Finniston Farm. But this is probably because I found a super old copy of the book at the MG carnival rather than anything special about the story. I do really like stories set on farms though.

And I remember watching a film (not in English, I think?) adaption of the Famous Five a few years back. But when I went to Google, I found a TV series and even a cartoon so... Can't remember what I watched!

Of course, I can't forget about the Faraway Tree!

Basically, I used to spend my holidays in Malaysia, so I have a lot of books there. Among them would be this Faraway Tree collection, and I'd bring thing huge hardback up to my room and put it near my bed, so that once I woke up, I could read without having to leave the bed. Those were the good old days of sleeping until 12! Now I feel guilty is I sleep until 10.

I guess one big appeal of The Faraway Tree (apart from the slide down - no wonder I was so excited at the Changi slide!) was that these kids could travel to all sorts of exciting lands without having to leave home! Best of both worlds, for sure!

Plus, the worlds were those that, as a kid, I always wanted to go to! Land of Goodies, for one!

And the other books I used to read a lot would be the Wishing Chair collection! Considering where I put the books, it's a wonder that none of them fell on my head!

The wishing chair is another way to travel - actually, I want the chair now, so I can go home, visit friends in London, Australia, Edinburgh, etc.

I sort of remember there being a wishing-chair/faraway tree crossover story, but I can't remember the particulars! More reasons to go home and do an Enid Blyton readathon!

This book is another favourite of mine! Although I have so many favourites the word is starting to lose its meaning.

Anyway, the Family at Red Roofs is like what the title says. At first, they seem to be a super happy family, but then tragedy strikes, and they're in danger of losing their house.

I guess the reason why I love this book is that though the characters (especially the two oldest children), seem too good to be true sometimes, they all make sacrifices. Real sacrifices that involve them giving up things that they love. Which I guess is why they don't count as Mary Sue/Gary Stu-type characters to me.

And I guess one of the good things about Enid Blyton is that her characters are very proactive and practical. They don't wait to be rescued, they do things to help. Sometimes they make the wrong decisions, but they're kids, so it's expected. Their heart is always in the right place.

I guess it's a good thing they were role models for me.

And this is the reason why I wanted to live on a farm. I mean, Enid Blyton managed to make farm work, which I'm guessing is back-breaking and smelly, sound attractive.

Definitely a genius, if you ask me.

And here's another animal book from here:

The Children at Green Meadows is about an animal loving family at the edge of financial ruin. But despite their financial constraints, the kids find a way to take in animals in need from the people who just moved into the "no animals" housing estate.

And this is the book that made me want to live in a houseboat! The first book in this series is The Caravan family, which I remember reading, but I own a copy of The Saucy-Jane family, so obviously I know this better.

It's basically about a family taking a holiday. Nothing much happens, except for the fact that every time I read this, I want to live on a houseboat! Too bad my parents will probably get seasick.

And I think I shall stop here. There are still a lot of books I haven't talked about, like Mallory Towers and St. Clare's, or Mr. Pink-Whistle or the Three Golliwogs, but if I keep going on, I'll never stop, so here's an arbitrarily drawn line.

I have so many books I want to re-read now! How about you? Did you read Enid Blyton when you were growing up? If you did, what was your favourite book?

Twelve Minutes to Midnight by Christopher Edge

I don't actually know how I stumbled across this book, only that it was in my wishlist in my eNLB account.

Twelve Minutes to Midnight is about Penelope Tredwell, an ultra-talented young author who writes macabre tales under the pseudonym Montgomery Finch. On the day where the actor she hired to be 'Montgomery Finch' debuts in public, she received a letter from Bedlam Madhouse about a strange madness spreading around the patients there, and goes to investigate (dragging along said actor).

As it turns out, there is something strange going on at the asylum. It's no ordinary madness that's infecting the patients. Their ramblings almost seem to make sense...

While this was a really quick read (I finished it in about an hour), I really enjoyed it. At first, I was a little surprised by the ravings of the inmates, because they made perfect sense to me. They'll also make perfect sense to anyone who has looked at a newspaper/watched the news before, so don't worry, I'm not insane.

The ending was pretty unbelievable, but I enjoyed it for the sheer number of authors that appeared in it. Not gonna give any more spoilers.

As for Penelope herself, I thought she was a good protagonist. She's a really precocious kid, and I liked her. She actually reminds me a little of Flavia de Luce, in terms of precociousness, although Flavia's voice is pretty different from her. But the two of them are pretty much trying to navigate the adult world, and they're doing it in their own way.

What I would have liked to see more of would be Penelope's writing process, and how her magazine (The Penny Dreadful), works. But I think this is the start of a series (it feels that way, at least), so I'm willing to wait for more details.

Warren the 13th and the All Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio

This was an absurdly adorable story. I was expecting it to be quirky cute, but I didn't expect it to be this adorable! I actually read it while on the shinkansen, so if you're interested in reading my thoughts as it happened, you can do so here.

Warren the 13th is about this adorable bellhop/jack of all trades for this old, now run-down hotel. Although Warren is the heir to the hotel, he's too young to assume the mantel of responsibility, so his lazy uncle has taken over. His uncle isn't a bad guy, but his new aunt Anaconda is - she's literally a witch! One day, a mysterious stranger checks in (first time in five years!), and his Aunt Anaconda's search for the All Seeing Eye intensifies.

To me, the story alone was delightful. I thought I knew what was going to happen, but the book still had a twist that shocked me. For the record, I was eventually right, but that twist really threw me off for a moment. There's a fairly large cast of characters, but they all have their distinct personalities, and I never got them confused, even though this was a short book.

What made the book really stand out, though, were the illustrations. The book is filled with illustrations, with I think about one or two on every page. Or at least, it felt that way. The illustrations really brought the world to life. My Netgalley version is an ebook and incomplete (for the last two chapters-ish), but I can totally see this as a beautiful hardback or paperback, with glossy paper for the illustrations.

Overall, this short little book is a delightful read. I love the characters, and the story was much more interesting that I expected. I hope that we'll be seeing more adventures from Warren the 13th in the future.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.

The King in the Window by Adam Gopnik

Ok, I first read this book a long time ago, when I was in MG, and I loved it so much I ordered a used copy from Amazon after searching the used bookstores in Singapore and coming up with nothing. So I'm more than a little biased about this book.

The King in the Window is about Oliver Parker, an American boy who has been living in Paris almost his whole life. He's not particularly extraordinary, nor is he exceptionally evil. He's perfectly normal. One day, however, he puts on a paper crown, and quite forgetting it was there, declares himself the King of the Window. As it happens, there is a King of the Window, and Oliver is not only the new king, he has to lead the Window Wraiths to defeat the Master of the Mirrors.

In a way, Oliver reminds me of Bastian from The Neverending Story. Neither of them are particularly extraordinary, and for Oliver, this is quite ruthlessly emphasised. Bastian became a hero quite by chance, Oliver was made into a hero as part of someone else's plan. Oliver, isn't particularly eloquent (thought he slowly learns, a little), nor is he exceptionally quick witted or cunning (that would be Mrs. Pearson and Neige). He is, however, a lot less irritating than Bastian, and I was rooting for this not-quite-outsider the whole time.

Apart from Oliver and the window wraiths, there are a whole host of supporting characters. Neige, the French girl who lives in Oliver's apartment; Mrs Pearson, a Brit with an acerbic wit; Charlie, Oliver's American friend who has very particular ideas of how adventures are about to go and a lot more that I haven't touched upon yet. I loved how they all interacted, and I thought the fact that they all had something to teach Charlie was interesting.

I suppose if I have a little dissatisfaction, it would be about how the author generalises about France and America. But to be honest, most of the time, I thought all the detail the author gave helped me imagine the Paris of that book. The stereotypes of nationalities did give me (not the younger me, though) pause every now and then, but I suppose it was done in the interest of not dwelling too much on details that don't really matter.

Overall, this book lived up to my memories of it. I really enjoyed it, and the hardcover version I ordered is beautiful! I'm glad that I ordered it, and I have no regrets.

Spendors and Glooms (a.k.a Fire Spell) by Laura Amy Schlitz

I heard about this book from Pages Unbound, and thought it sounded interesting. I managed to get a copy, and it was as good as I expected! (Although, finding a copy turned out to be rather difficult. My library has this under "Fire Spell", but I had the title written down as "Splendours and Glooms". Not sure how that happened, but at least I found the book through the author name)

Fire Spell has three main characters - Clara, a rich girl who's suffocating under the weight of her dead siblings, as well as Lizzie Rose and Parsefall, two orphans who help the puppet master Grisini. The book opens with Clara's birthday. She's fallen in love with the puppets, and has managed to invite the puppet master and his helpers to perform a show. However, she disappears the next night, and while Grisini is the main suspect, he soon disappears. It's up to Lizzie Rose and Parsefall to survive on their own.

However, what the two orphans don't know is that dark forces are at play. They've never even considered the possibility of magic, and so have no idea about the witch and Grisini, and what relationship these two have.

This book really kept me flipping through the pages. I wanted to know what happened to Clara, and what on earth was going on with the witch and Grisini. The two adults basically tried to manipulate the children throughout the whole book, and I was really rooting for the kids to find out what's happening.

What I liked about this book were the characters. None of the kids were perfect, although Lizzie Rose certainly tried her best. Clara has problems with her family, since you know, her siblings are dead. Lizzie Rose was born to actor parents (her dad seems really famous), but now she's reduced to the status of an orphan, and tries her best to remain a lady. Parsefall is a thief, but he's also a gifted puppeteer, and although he may try to be a hardened streetrat, he still has his moments of vulnerableness.

If you like magic, brave characters and enjoy flipping through pages for long stretches at a time, you're probably going to enjoy this book. I certainly did, and while I was a little sad to see the book come to an end, I'm glad that all the children received their happy endings.

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

I finally read another "classic". I've probably heard about this ten thousand times in school and on the internet and all that, but I never picked it up. Until now, when I was on my last library trip, and decided that it was time to read the book.

The Neverending Story is about Bastian, a shy, awkward and overweight bookworm who isn't happy. His dad has been distant since his mom died, and his classmates bully him. One day, he finds a book called The Neverending Story, gives in to the impulse to steal it, and starts reading. What he first thought was a great book staring Atreyu, a character Bastian wishes he could be slowly starts to mention another little boy - him. As he reads on, Bastian eventually becomes a character in The Neverending Story; and an important one at that. But, the more he wishes for things in the story, the more of himself that he loses.

First things first. This book reminds me of the anime/manga Fushigi Yuugi, where the heroine Miaka and her friend Yui end up in an old book that they're reading, and go through a bunch of adventures. The starting concept is the same, but everything else is different. Fushigi Yuugi is set in an ancient, clearly oriental world, but The Neverending Story is set in a fantasy world. The trials the two main characters go through are very different as well, in terms of plot. (Although if we're looking at theme, they're both pretty much a bildunsroman to me)

While I loved the story and the language, I found Bastian to get steadily more irritating as the book went on. I could partially understand it, because the un-cool kid is finally a hero and has the adoration of people, but as the story went on, he actually became even worse. And the loss-of-memory thing makes it hard for me to figure out if he really changed, or if he just forgot to be an awful little boy. I will say this though, if you read the ending, then go back and re-read the beginning, he is better, so clearly, losing his memory before regaining it had a positive effect, even if during the process of losing his memory, he got worse.

Apart from Bastian, the other main character in the book are Atreyu, the character that Bastian admires, and Falkor, the luck dragon. There's also the Childlike Empress, but she mainly appears in the beginning of the story. Atreyu and Falkor were basically what got me through the "Bastian is being irritating" section, and I really admire their friendship towards Bastian.

I saved so many quotes from this book (they might appear on the right, in the Goodreads quote widget!). The prose is lovely, and the story is interesting. I wasn't too happy about Bastian during the middle section of the book, but he was more mature by the end, and anyway, there was always Atreyu and Falkor's friendship with Bastian, even when he didn't appreciate them, that kept me going to the end.

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers

The movie Saving Mr. Banks sparked my interest in Mary Poppins. Despite the fact that the book and the movie is very famous, I haven't read or watch much or either. Of course, I can sing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, and Chim Chim Cheree, but that's about it.

So I was curious to find out, why is Mary Poppins so loved by children?

And as an experiment, I decided to read this with my little brother, to see if the magic still holds.

And well, I know why I like Mary Poppins. She's so different from the characters in most books. She's not the kind, grandmotherly sort that excuses wrongs and saves kids, neither is she the evil godmother type. Instead, she's Mary Poppins. She's magical, known to all sorts of fantastic creatures, and has the most interesting relatives. She's also vain, strict, and very insistent that she's a proper lady. She's a proper conundrum, and I can see why kids are fascinated by her.

The book itself is a series of short stories, without any overarching plot. That means that while it's easy to just read one-a-day, there's not much motivation to finish the whole book at one go. To finish the whole story, yes, but not the whole book.

When I was reading a story to my brother, he'd be paying attention, but when the story was over, his attention would wander of. Quite different from when I read Roald Dahl to him, and he never stops asking for more.

I wish I'd read Mary Poppins when I was a kid. I have no doubt that my imagination would have been all the more richer for it. But, she's still in print, and it's not too late for me to hunt down the rest of her books and read them.

Dancing Shoes by Noel Streatfield

I have long heard about the book Ballet Shoes. Apparently they're a childhood classic, and Dancing Shoes is in the same series as them. What I didn't know was that one of my childhood favourites - The Painted Garden, was also by this author! Thankfully, I liked Dancing Shoes, so I wasn't disappointed :D

Dancing Shoes follows Rachel and Hilary. Hilary is Rachel's adopted sister, and because of something that Rachel's mother said, Rachel is convinced that Hilary is cut out to be a dancer. However, when their mother dies, Rachel's aunt, who owns a dancing troupe takes them in. Not only is Mrs Winters a mean person who cares only for her selfish daugher Dulcie, they're doing the wrong sort of dancing! Although Hilary enjoys the dances, Rachel does her best to keep Hilary from making what she thinks is a mistake.

This book was a really fun read! Rachel and Hilary have a very adorable relationship - Rachel is goal-minded while Hilary is carefree, so their personalities were adorable together (made for some clashes though). Mrs Winters was a good villain, and had an interesting backstory. Dulcie was the type of girl that you'd hope to see fail, and when [SPOILER] both her cousins upstage her, you can't help but cheer a little. There's also a good supporting cast of characters, each with their own distinctive trait.

Most of the conflict in this book comes from the fact that everyone doesn't understand why Rachel is so opposed to Hilary dancing. As a result, most of the adults around her think that Rachel's a selfish and jealous sister. But since I, as the reader, know what's going on, it just made me like her more. I really admire how much she cares for Hilary, so much that she's willing to be misunderstood.

Hilary, on the other hand, I didn't like so much. She's a bit lazy, and I found her to be rather selfish, But I think that out of the two, Rachel is the real protagonist, and so I enjoyed the book for most part.

I'm way older than the target audience, but I would love to read the rest of the books in this series! And I really want to re-read The Painted Garden now. It seems like it's time for my second childhood!

Teaser Tuesday: The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm

Woohoo! It's Tuesday again, which means it's time for another Teaser Tuesday. This time, my teaser is coming from a translation of The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brother's Grimm (translated by Fairy Tale Scholar Jack Zipes).

Also, how cool is a "Fairy Tale Scholar"? Is it too late for me to become one?

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB of ShouldBeReading. To participate, just take a two sentence teaser from a book you're currently reading and share it, along with the title and author of the book.

The teaser:

There is much that also carries its own meaning within itself: a mother gets her real child back in her arms after she manages to cause the changeling, which the elves had subsituted for own child, to laugh. Similarly, the life of a child begins with a smile and continues in joy, and as the child smiles in its slepp, angels talk to the baby.

Don't you just love it?

ETA: I didn't know this, but apparently June 24th is National Fairy Day. What an awesome coincidence!

Fright Train by Majanka Verstraete

*This is Part 3 of a three part blog tour! Click on the titles to read my reviews of the first and second books in the series: The Doll Maker and House of Horrors*

So, we've come to the end of the this blog tour! Before I review, thanks for letting me participate Majanka, it's been really fun!

Fright Train is, to me, the most original book that I've read in this series. Creepy dolls and scary carnival attractions have appeared in many horror books for kids (and for good reason), but I have yet to see one for trains. Trains, I associate with stories like The Boxcar Children (although not strictly related to trains), The Little Engine who Could and The Railway Children, as well as quite a few Enid Blyton stories. As you can see, those are all happy, non-scary books.

In this book, Charlie is heading to Weirdville, the setting of the previous two books. However, this isn't the train he's supposed to be on, and he'll soon regret boarding the train. The train hides a secret (and no, I'm not giving a way spoilers) and it'll take Charlie all his wits and his luck to make to Weirdville alive.

What I found unique about this book was that it was the book where I felt the physical danger of the protagonist the strongest. In the other two books, there was that sense that the protagonists were in trouble, but I didn't feel that their lives were threatened like I did in this book.

Although I found this to be slightly less introspective than House of Horrors (which, to be honest, is introspective due to the subject matter), it is probably the most exciting read. If you (and/or the child you know) enjoy a horror story with a little action, you should definitely pick up this book.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from as part of Enchanted Blog Tours in exchange for a free and honest review.

House of Horrors by Majanka Verstraete

This is the second in a three-part blog stop of Majanka Vestraete's Weirdville series! Click on the title to read my review of Book 1: The Doll Maker. 

Tell me, do you like haunted houses?

If you do, please know that I'm definitely not with you. When I went to the Alien Panic Place at Spaceworld last year (I blame my friend for dragging me and my family there), I basically kept my eyes on the ground the whole time. And I still screamed several times.

So you can imagine that I wouldn't want to be in the situation that Jacky, Cass and Ben are in. When Jacky and Ben drag a hesitant Cass to the House of Horrors, something goes wrong and their made to face their real fears - or never leave.

The scary part about this book are the fears that the children face. Those fears aren't strange fears (for example, the fear of long words, or hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia). They're normal fears, such as the fear of being invisible to others, the fear of the weird old woman down the street, etc. Most kids will definitely identify with at least one of these fears.

In fact, this book is very instrospective. All three kids are forced to examine themselves, and through that, they come to know themselves better. It was an unexpected, but welcome element in the book.

And the ending. The ending may be the scariest part. Majanka is really proving her ability to write books with a (scary) twist at the end. I found this book to be much scarier than The Doll Maker.

Scarier than the first book, if you liked The Doll Maker, you should pick this up.

Disclaimer: I got this book free as part of Enchanted blog tours in exchange for a free and honest review.

ETA: Read my review of the third book House of Horrors here.