The Looking Glass Wars

Think you know the story of Alice in Wonderland? Not even close, according to Frank Beddor's new Looking Glass trilogy. First off, Alice is actually Princess Alyss of Wonderland, whose evil Aunt Redd's invasion has forced Alyss, the heir to the throne, to flee. With the aid of her trusted bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, she escapes through the Pool of Tears and finds herself in another world, namely, Victorian London. Of course, no one believes her fantastical stories about her kingdom and Alyss can find no way to get back. She finally thinks she has found a friend in the Reverend Charles Dodgson (pen name, Lewis Carroll) and tells him her whole story, but he completely changes the details till it is an unrecognizable children's fairy tale. Alice feels betrayed and begins to believe it was all a dream.

Meanwhile, Wonderland is falling apart under Redd's rule, with all of Alyss's mothers laws thrown out and evil and chaos invited in. A small faction of loyal "Alyssians" fight where they can and wait for the day when they can avenge the princess and return Wonderland to peace and glory once more.

The plot moves rapidly and keeps you hooked the way a well-paced movie does (not surprising since one of the author's previous day jobs was a movie producer). Like many fantasy movies, the characters are more ">archetypes than fully developed individuals, but their emotions--love, grief, revenge, wonder, lonliness, honor, loyalty--ring true and lend the story a universal feel that all great fantasies need. Seeing Redd is the next book in the series (and you can bet I'll be starting that tonight) and the third book comes out next fall. There is a companion graphic novel called Hatter M that details the bodyguard Hatter Madigan's adventures during the thirteen years he searched the human world for the missing Princess Alyss. There is also an extensive companion website to the trilogy, complete with book soundtrack, videos, artwork, video games, and other fan freebies (making the series trend on with the new "transmedia storytelling"). To check out the marketing madness go to: http://www.lookingglasswars.com/.

Wake

Have you ever had a dream so powerful you found it hard to wake from? Janie has...in fact Janie does, quite frequently, only the dreams are not her own. Since Janie was 8 years old she has been pulled into the dreams of people who sleep in close proximity to her. She simply falls asleep in the midst of what she is doing and watches the dreams--the secret dreams of the girl at the sleepover, the humilitating dreams of the kid in study hall, the distorted dreams of her alcoholic mother. She sees her best friend's reoccurring nightmare and the frightening, horror-filled dreams of a strange boy she hardly knows. She fights to gain control and fears this affliction will destroy her life--how can she possibly go to college or have a relationship if she can't be near people who sleep?

The novel is written in short chapters over time and dated like diary entries, giving the story much drive and suspense. A couple plot elements are a little far-fetched, but the struggles of kids with rough home lives is portrayed sensitively and realistically, as is the touching romance in the story. Overall I enjoyed this quick read, realistic with some sci-fi-ish elements, and I'm super excited for the sequel, Fade which arrives February 10. Lisa McMann is an author with a lot of talent, and I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

Here's a book trailer I stumbled upon for Wake--it takes a different angle on the book than I would have, but it's interesting none the less.

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Paper Towns

The wait is almost over loyal (and it must be said of some of you, rabid) John Green fans. Green's latest literary contribution drops October 16, but here at MHS Library, we were lucky enough to get an advanced copy (woo-hoo!). Here's what I can say without giving away too much:

As in Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines the narrator of Paper Towns is a guy who is witty and funny, self-deprecating and obsessed with a girl, in this case, the mysterious Margo. The narrator, Quentin (aka "Q") lives next door to Margo Roth Spielgelman, and has been in love with her as long as he can remember, though after a shared traumatic experience when they were nine, they have drifted apart. Now Margo is the superstar of coolness at their high school while Quentin dwells in the lower realms of the social ladder.

It comes as a shock then, when Margo shows up at Quentin's window in the middle of the night a few weeks before the end of senior year, insisting that he be her getaway driver for a night of revenge. Despite being petrified of losing his admission to Duke University, Quentin goes along for the ride and becomes more ensnared by his obsession with Margo...especially when she doesn't turn up for school the next day...or the next. The fact is Margo has disappeared and left behind clues to her whereabouts. Quentin sets off on journey of discovery to figure out where Margo went ...and who this enigma of a girl really is.

The novel is full of those trademark moments of perfect truth found in Green's earlier novels, and his gift for putting words to universal feelings never fails to amaze me. Some will argue that this book is too similar to the previous two novels, and to them I would say, yes there are similar themes and philosophical questions happening in all three novels, but these themes and questions are important ones, getting at the heart of what all young people must figure out as they reach adulthood. That, I suspect, is why so many teens love John Green's writing--he gets it.

I'm never good at predicting the Printz Award winners, but for my money, this one ought to get a nod in January.

For some funny video promos by John Green check out the links below.
Amazon Video Promo

Barnes and Noble Video Promo