Among the Shadow Children

My boyfriend and I have recently begun taking walks through Prospect Park to the Central Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. I'm not much of a library gal, mostly because my love affair with books is rooted in a materialistic and possessive need to own and display everything I've read, without the burden of overdue fees. Add that to the fact that most libraries are closed on Sunday (the best book day of all), and I've checked out fewer books since grade school than I've had birthdays.

Of course, that's all beginning to change now that spring has (more-or-less) sprung and our weekend excursions to the library have proven to be healthy, relaxing, and - best of all - completely free.

Last month, I decided to revisit my childhood by re-reading the chilling children's book, Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn. While browsing the Juv-Fic-H shelf, I stumbled on the Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix, a series I'd heard about on the YA grapevine but had never read. Three library trips and seven books later, I can now say that I'm hooked on the library experience and guilt-free YA pleasure reading.

My 2009 booklist is doomed.

The seven books of the Shadow Children series (Among the Hidden | Among the Imposters | Among the Betrayed | Among the Barons | Among the Brave | Among the Enemy | Among the Free) are set in a not-so-distant totalitarian future where devastating famines and fears of overpopulation have led to the brutal enforcement of the Population Law, restricting families to no more than two children. Any unfortunate third children born under this new regime are hunted down and murdered by the Population Police, the families who concealed them tried as traitors to the country.

The protagonist of the first, second, fourth, and seventh books is Luke Garner, an illegal third-child who has lived twelve years of his life in hiding, known only to his parents and two older brothers. When a new development of houses built by the wealthy Barons supplants the forest behind Luke's farm, he discovers that there are other "shadow children" like him, including his new neighbor Jen who dreams of leading a revolution against the government to demand that third children be given the same rights as other citizens.

While Jen's revolution ultimately fails, it sets Luke and other third children, Nina, Trey, and Matthias, on the path to freedom as they assume false identities, successfully infiltrating first a school, then a Baron family, and finally the Population Police itself, as they work with an underground movement of rebels who seek to overthrow the oppressive regime. The futuristic world Haddix has created is undeniably a fascinating one, with horrors and bitter truths that are all-to-real to a 21st century already suffering the effects of overpopulation and extreme inequality between the rich and the poor.

While the over-arching themes and plotting work well in each book, there are some weak characterizations with too many of the young protagonists stumbling through the series, getting lucky along the way, but rarely taking matters into their own hands. Much of the action requires a serious commitment to the suspension of disbelief as there are implausible set-ups and revelations that older readers will see coming from a mile away, but they detract only moderately from the dramatic tensions that run high throughout the series.

Although time is spent focusing on other characters in the later books, the series ultimately comes back to Luke who has matured from a frightened boy to a young man still learning to trust his instincts and use his wit to survive betrayals, torture, and government coups as he struggles to stand up for the rights of all people to live among the free.

A Commuter's Library: Literary Pursuits on the F Train

The Manhattan-bound F train out of Brooklyn has been sucking lately. There's more delays than ever with severe overcrowding during rush hour, and best of all, if the proposed MTA fare hikes go through, we B'klyners - and all other NYC subway riders - may soon have to pay 25% more for our unlimited Metrocards, raising the monthly bill from $81 to a sickening $103.

Mother $%&#s!

But we F train commuters are trying to make the best of it. Those of us lucky enough to get seats (and those able to stand and balance a book without impaling other riders), often engage in a little literary escapism to make it through the daily drudgery. In addition to the staples of NYC transit: The New Yorker, The Bible, and the Twilight series (in that order), F train commuters indulge in a veritable cornucopia of literary pursuits, from the trashy to the classy.

Some of last week's riveting reads:


The Billionaire in Penthouse B
A rich, powerful loner, Gage fit the description of the man who may have information about the mysterious demise of Jacinda Endicott's sister. Which was why Jacinda had abandoned her old life and taken a job at Gage's penthouse as his live-in maid. By day, she snooped for clues about her employer; by night, she fought her fatal attraction to the sexy, secretive billionaire. Her heart told her Gage was innocent; her head warned her otherwise. Which would she listen to? (product description)



Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Some of the 23 stories in Wallace's bold, uneven, bitterly satirical second collection seem bound for best-of-the-year anthologies. In the "interviews," that make up the title story, one man after another, speaking to a woman whose voice we never hear, reveals the pathetic creepiness of his romantic conquests and fantasies. These stories, at their best, show an erotic savagery and intellectual depth that will confound, fascinate and disturb the most unsuspecting reader as well as devoted fans. (Publishers Weekly)



The Graveyard Book
Neil Gaiman has created a charming allegory of childhood. Although the book opens with a scary scene as a family is stabbed to death, the story quickly moves into more child-friendly storytelling. The sole survivor of the attack, an 18-month-old baby, escapes his crib and toddles to a nearby graveyard. Quickly recognizing that the baby is orphaned, the graveyard's ghostly residents adopt him, name him Nobody, and allow him to live in their tomb. (Heidi Broadhead)



How Soccer Explains the World
Foer, a New Republic editor, scores a game-winning goal with this analysis of the interchange between soccer and the new global economy. The subtitle is a bit misleading, though: he doesn't really use soccer to develop a theory; instead, he focuses on how examining soccer in different countries allows us to understand how international forces affect politics and life around the globe. The book is full of colorful reporting, strong characters and insightful analysis. (Publishers Weekly)



The Omnivore's Dilemma
Michael Pollan writes about how our food is grown -- what it is, in fact, that we are eating. The first section discusses industrial farming; the second, organic food, both as big business and on a small farm; and the third, what it is like to hunt and gather food for oneself. Each section culminates in a meal - a cheeseburger from McDonald's; roast chicken and vegetables from Whole Foods; grilled chicken and corn from a sustainable farm; and, finally, a meal foraged from the wild. (Washington Post)



Petropolis
This debut novel traces Russian-Jewish Sasha Goldberg's screwball coming-of-age and search for her long-ago disappeared father. After Sasha is accepted into a local, cash-strapped art school in the gloomy Siberian town of Asbestos, she becomes pregnant and has a daughter, whom she is forced to leave behind to attend an art school in Moscow. Sasha begins scheming her way to America and soon is on a plane to Phoenix, Ariz., as a 17-year-old mail-order bride. (Publishers Weekly)



The Pitchfork 500
Named the "best site for music criticism on the web" by The New York Times Magazine, Pitchforkmedia.com has become the leading independent resource for music journalism, the place people turn to find out what's happening in new music. In The Pitchfork 500: Our Guide to the Greatest Songs from Punk to the Present, Pitchfork offers up their take on the 500 best songs of the past three decades.




The Secret Supper
Set in the late 15th century, the book revolves around a papal inquisitor's investigation into Leonardo da Vinci's alleged heresies. After receiving a series of cryptic messages from "the Soothsayer," who warns that "art can be employed as a weapon," the Secretariat of Keys of the Papal States dispatches Father Agostino Leyre on a twofold mission to Milan: identify the Soothsayer and discover what, if any, messages da Vinci is hiding in the painting. (Publishers Weekly)



Watchmen
The story concerns a group called the Crimebusters and a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore's characterization is as sophisticated as any novel's as he investigates issues of power and control, propelling the comic genre forward and making "adult" comics a reality. The intelligent social and political commentary, the structure of the story itself, the fine pace of the writing, and its humanity mean that Watchmen keeps its crown as the best the genre has yet produced. (Mark Thwaite)




The Wordy Shipmates
Essayist and public radio regular Vowell revisits America's Puritan roots in this witty exploration of the ways in which our country's present predicaments are inextricably tied to its past. In a style less colloquial than her previous books, Vowell traces the 1630 journey of several key English colonists and members of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Gracefully interspersing her history lesson with personal anecdotes, Vowell offers reflections that are both amusing and tender. (Publishers Weekly)

Coraline, a Modern Day Fairytale

I stumbled upon the Hugo Award-winning Coraline at the Strand Book Store a year ago, shortly after reading Stardust, a charming introduction into the magical worlds of author Neil Gaiman.

It's easy to forget in the current Disney-fied, PC-obsessed 21st century that a modern day fairytale can be as dark as it is enchanting, and that moral lessons come in all shapes and sizes, from easily-resolved G-rated conflicts, to frightening, "be careful what you wish for" adventure stories. Coraline, in both book- and film-form, is the latter.

Coraline is a quick, but thoroughly enjoyable read, in the fantastic and darkly comedic tradition of Roald Dahl meets Lewis Carrol. The creepy, black and white illustrations by Dave McKean are reminiscent of Stephen Gammell's illustrations in the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series by Alvin Schwartz ... only slightly less horrific.

There is a generation of kids (now in their 20s and 30s) who grew up reading the Scary Stories series and were traumatized for years to come. I believe most middle school libraries have since banned the books, so it's nice to know that Coraline's generation has its own thrillers to retell over summer camp fires, with Neil Gaimon's being significantly more palpable than Schwartz's "The Red Spot", in which a sore on a girl's face bursts open into a swarm of newly hatched baby spiders.

Yeah, I'm still trying to get over that one.

Back to ...

In Coraline, the title character and her parents have just moved into a creepy old house, complete with eccentric neighbors, an abandoned well behind the garden, and a door in the wall of the drawing room that leads to another house that is exactly the same, only better.

When Coraline journeys through the mysterious drawing room door, she meets her Other Mother, the ruler of an alternate world that is both more exciting and more magical than anything Coraline has ever encountered before. Coraline eagerly visits this Other World again and again, until faced with the Other Mother's ultimatum. Coraline can stay in the Other World forever, but she must first sew shiny, black buttons over her eyes. It is with this revelation and Coraline's subsequent refusal that the Other Mother's world begins to unravel, revealing the ugly truth beneath its gleaming surface. And things take a turn for the creepy, creepy worst.

Fans of the book will be delighted by the stop-motion animated film directed by Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas). The sets and characters are meticulously crafted and expertly filmed, with a charming visionary style guaranteed to appeal to kids and adults alike. While CGI animation can be beautifully executed (e.g. any Pixar film), it's a rare visual treat seeing Coraline's mastery of stop-motion filmmaking combined with the 3-D medium. The film is visually stunning and was a pleasure to watch, even with the minor headache that I invariably suffer when squinting through any pair of 3-D glasses.

The film is faithful to the tone and overall narrative of the original story, with the addition of a young neighbor named Wybie, whose presence gives the solitary Caroline someone to interact with, while also illustrating just how dementedly wicked the Other Mother turns out to be.

As I wrap up this review, I suddenly have the overwhelming desire to see Coraline again and to reread the cautionary tale that inspired this sumptuous masterpiece. I've already added the film to my mental list of must-own DVDs, but I wonder if I can talk another friend into accompanying me next week on theatrical screening #2 into the Other Worlds of Gaiman and Selick, 3-D headaches and all.

*9/10*

Books From My Childhood

I read a lot growing up - on the bus, at the playground, while not paying attention in class. I tended to strongly dislike, on principle, the books that were required academic reading (with a few notable exceptions - The Giver, Number the Stars), but that didn't stop me from discovering other, much beloved literature outside of the grade school system. Below are some of my favorites from elementary and middle school - books that kept me entertained, flexed my imagination, and helped shaped my perception of the world narrative.

I went on to read many more books by the same authors over the years, but these are the particular first-reads that really sparked my passion for literature - from young adult to nineteenth century classics.

If You Can't Write 'Em ... Adapt 'Em

After seeing and really enjoying the charming fairy tale Stardust at the theater last year, I was inspired to read Neil Gaiman's original illustrated novel that inspired the film's story and visual design. A few months ago while browsing the shelves at Strand, I stumbled upon another Gaiman original - the slim children's novel Coraline. Coraline (NOT CAroline, as the youthful protagonist insists, even when trapped in a terrifying alternate reality) is pleasantly creepy and surreal, bringing to mind classic Roald Dahl fantasies with a bit of R.L. Stine thrown in for good measure.

I was surprised - and very excited - to discover today that Coraline is being adapted as a stop motion (!!!) animated film, due in theaters in February of 2009.


Having made this (belated?) discovery, I'm curious as to what other children's fantasy novels are in development as films in this post-Harry Potter, post-attempted The Golden Compass, mid-overblown Chronicles of Narnia film world ... Here's what I'm looking out for/what IMDB won't tell me unless I get IMDB Pro:

Inkheart - A ten year old girl discovers that her father can bring fictional characters to life - and must deal with the consequences. I read the book a couple of years ago but found it too dull/anti-climatic to bother with the sequel. With Paul Bettany and Helen Mirren in the cast, surely the adaptation won't be that bad?




I haven't read The City of Ember, but I've heard that the book is much better than the plot summary would suggest. It's about a city of lights with a failing generator - is lack of energy conservation to blame? The film is due out in October and stars Saoirse Ronan of Atonement fame. Saoirse will also star as the murdered Susie Salmon in the long awaited adaptation of The Lovely Bones - the novel is not for children, but highly recommended!



The much-hyped adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are is scheduled for 2009. I can't remember much about the book other than the fact that it was significantly shorter than 120 pages (standard screenplay length). Methinks that Van Allsberg adaptation techniques will be called in to round out the other 90 minutes, and with Spike Jonze at the helm, the filler will probably involve a wild thing crawling into the mind of another wild thing. It may not make any sense but it will probably be a lot of fun.

The Book Thief has been on my 2008 booklist all year (I'll read it after savoring the rest of my Anne Bishop fantasies), and the film appears to be in development, but at this early stage, IMDB won't reveal any details unless you pay. :(

Also in suspended development are adaptations to two more young adult novels I've read - and loved - A Great and Terrible Beauty from author Libba Bray and Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card's brilliant science fiction novel.

I still have hopes that author Peter S Beale will stop being screwed over for the money owed to him from the success of the 1982 animated film The Last Unicorn and finally permit the rights for a new live-action adaptation. In the meantime I will just keep busy planning my own adaptation of The Princess Academy. Oh yes, that one is begging to become a film.