Gregor and the Code of the Claw comes out May 1st, and I hope I'm not the only excited to read the climax of Suzanne Collins' excellent fantasy series, The Underland Chronicles.
(In fact, if it weren't for this message board, I wouldn't even have known the series existed!)
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Stop trying to redirect our gaze towards your pretty flashlights and glow sticks, when the majestic luminous sun that is the Harry Potter series is setting at this very moment!
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
*surreptitiously breaks another glow stick*
Look! Pretty...
Posted by Sean Crouch (Member # 10263) on :
Had to register for this
I'm with you, can't wait for book 5. I've spent the last couple of weeks reading these books by the dim illumination of a pen-light as my 3 year old falls asleep next to me - I guess YA is all a state of mind, right?
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
Hey, lots of books originally listed as Childrens/YA have developed an enormous crossover audience. Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Another lurker comes out of the closet! Yay! Welcome, Sean!
quote:I guess YA is all a state of mind, right?
This, I can heartily agree with. I didn't discover Madeline L'Engle or Philip Pullman or others until I was in my late 20s to mid-30s. What, I'm supposed to not read them just cuz I'm old? Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
I hang out in the YA section a lot. Robin McKinley's stuff is all there, as is L.M. Montgomery's, some of OSC's, and all the new stuff I'm discovering. I have yet to read anything by Pullman. I know. I'm a loser. Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
Ooh, I'm so glad that you posted this. My 14 year old just finished the first book as part of a school assignment. I didn't know it was a series. I think I'll go get it for him. He really enjoyed the first one.
Posted by Sean Crouch (Member # 10263) on :
Thanks, Narnia, for the other names you listed - I'm always looking for more authors.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
The next books to check out are:
Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods Gregor and the Marks of Secret
...and the still forthcoming series conclusion.
Be warned that Collins is almost as bad as George R.R. Martin when it comes to major character deaths. Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
Sean, Robin McKinley is fabulous. I was actually rather stunned when I saw that she was in the YA section. Her fantasy is delightful.
I would also check out the Terry Pratchett in the YA section. I've seen a lot more of his stuff cropping up in the high school library and I see kids reading it!! Exciting. Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
Some of Robin McKinley's stuff certainly shouldn't be in the YA section. Deerskin comes immediately to mind.
And yes, she -is- wonderful.
I've loved her stuff since I first read Beauty way back the the 4th grade, quickly followed by A Door in the Hedge and her Damar books.
Currently, my favorite of her books is Rose Daughter.
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
I really liked Rose Daughter too, despite everyone telling me that they liked Beauty better. My current favorite is the ever popular The Hero and the Crown, but I also really loved Sunshine. Have you read that one? It's evidently her newest book, though it's already in paperback.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
I've wanted to read Sunshine for a while now.
Should just break down and buy a copy.
I -loved- Spindle's End to pieces.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
This reminds me that I haven't read any of the newest Young Wizards books. I like those. I'll have to buy them.
Posted by Mrs.M (Member # 2943) on :
Deerskin isn't a YA book - it shouldn't be on the YA shelves at all (it's listed as an adult novel in the author blurbs and on the "Also by Robin McKinley" page of her books). I think it ends up there because people tend to lump fantasy and YA together.
I love Robin McKinley. I decided to name my daughter Aerin Amelia after reading it in the books. Not exactly after the character, but sort of inspired by. I did make sure there were real-world people named Aerin, though.
Another one of my favorites is Tamora Pierce. I didn't discover her until a few years ago and now she's one of my favorites.
Would I like the Suzanne Collins series? I also haven't read any Pullman.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
I think you -would- like it, but I'm a fan so I'm biased.
The series has many fantastical elements (giant, sentient talking animals and numerous subterranean civilizations, eerily accurate prophecies) but balances this with realistic characterization and a markedly unromanticized approach to violence. There's an uneven mixture of good and bad in all the leads, and the pulp thrills and fun are often joined by the bite of more down-to-earth concerns.
I love rereading them. That's the highest praise I can give. Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
Mrs. M, I just read The Blue Sword for the first time and I thought of you and your Aerin at the end of the book. It made me grin.
Posted by Sean Crouch (Member # 10263) on :
Great- thanks for the heads up on McKinley - I've only read Door in the Hedge, some short stories and, I think, an excellent version of Robin Hood.
I feel I should give something back - Diana Wynne Jones consistently and constantly delivers fine fiction - i would suggest starting with her Crestomanci stories, but anything with her name on it will do. And it's a special treat if you're also a Miyazaki fan.
(Of course, being new here, maybe pulling her name out is like mentioning OSC, CS Lewis or Shakespeare, unnecessary at best)
Thanks again.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
I've asked this before, but if the movie rights to The Underland Chronicles get sold (there -has- been interest!), who would you cast?
Personally, I see Nick Nolte as the voice of Ripred...
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