Quick Reviews

Scat by Carl Hiaasen
Hiaasen's first foray into YA, Hoot, was an excellent book and a huge hit. Scat continues his tradition of writing about the eco-system in Florida. The usual elements are there: young and resourceful protagonists who are passionate about the environment; odd adults, a few of them sympathetic; greedy big corp guys; and endangered species. And great writing.

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
A mark of a classic is that it feels current and timeless simultaneously. Can a book published in the early nineties be considered a classic by 2009? I believe it can in the current publishing landscape. And Sarah Byrnes is one in my opinion. The questions raised and arguments presented are honest. The characters feel authentic. And Mobe is the best. Nit pick: the bad guy is too despicable to be believable.

The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas
Brilliant opening: A thief is a lot like a wizard. I have quick hands. And I can make things disappear. But then I stole the wizard's locus magicalicus and nearly disappeared myself forever. Nit pick: the age of the protag seems to make a leap in the middle, from 11 or 12 to about 15 or so.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
A glimpse into an intriguing world, that of the American Blue Bloods. But even within the exotic setting of a prep school, we see the same type of players at work. I admire the author's very sure hand in writing. Nit pick: Frankie's motivations aren't always clear. I am never sure if her plotting and actions are driven by revenge, or a desire to prove girl supremacy, or a way to keep her boyfriend, or simply because she can. This is a character I can't relate to very well even though her capers are interesting.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Just as imaginative as the first one. Nit pick: why would Ron seek out Lockhart after they've figured out how to get to the chamber? Percy as red herring is a bit obvious, but the real chamber of secrets opener is a surprise.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Raw, honest, haunting. Not a hint of the whiny, self-absorbed, and self-righteous teenage narrator in some YA books, especially those dealing with Issues. This narrator doesn't seek sympathy. She is struggling to understand not only the people around her but her own motivations. She lets us in on her journey, which can be difficult at times, but I'm glad to have gone along with her. It's be one to read again.

Mouse? What happened to the Dragon?

Some of you know that I am a fan of Jeff Stone's Five Ancestors series. I love the story, the main characters, the kung fu, and as a writer, I am extremely impressed by the opening of the first book in the series, Tiger.

The premise: four young and highly-trained martial arts masters are forced out of their temple home when one of their former brothers burnt it down and killed their master in search of a special scroll. Each book in the series is devoted to one of the young masters, whose style of martial arts is based on one of these animals: tiger, monkey, snake, crane, and dragon. If you look that covers of the books, you'll see the insignia of these five animals.

After devouring the first four books in the series, I eagerly awaited the fifth, which I had anticipated to be about the dragon and the last book in the series.

But that fifth book was Eagle, not dragon; and it wasn't the last book. So I grumbled a little, but accepted Eagle because the errant brother was originally trained in the eagle style kung fu even though he wants nothing more than to be a dragon.

At the library the other day, I saw the newest installment of this series, and not only is it still not the last book, its title is Mouse, a character who was introduced only in book 5! Can they create detours like that?

What am I to do? Can't not read it! So I grumbled: where is the kung fu? And why is the dragon scroll now so insignificant when it propelled the earlier books? And just where did that jade armor come from?

Mouse redeemed himself towards the end with some well-placed snot, an over-ambitious imitation of a kung-fu move, and lots of spunk.

All right, Jeff Stone, the next one had better be Dragon (an ad at the back of Mouse says it is but I"ll believe it when I see it) and there had better be more kung fu (not more violence though) and no more introduction of an extremely powerful and important artifact that was not mentioned before.

End of vent.

Book Review: Cybils Finalist, The Cabinet of Wonders

The Cabinet of Wonders starts off with a gruesome scene in the prologue, but the rest of the book is full of vim and vigor, with a determinedly bright outlook. These adjectives describe the protagonist, Petra, equally well.

Spunky, unconventional girls are all over kidlit these days. None of them think of themselves as pretty, although most of them are dropdead gorgeous and they just don't know the effect they have ton people. Many have to undertake grim tasks, risk their lives and everything they treasure to achieve a seemingly impossible goal. Many of them have boy best friends who may turn into romantic interests. These heroines act with great courage and make decisions out of classic values such as honor and justice.

So why is it that Petra's story doesn't feel trite or commonplace?

The answer comes down to a just-right combination of craft, story, heart, with some magic thrown in. Exactly what that combination is, well, that's what so many writers try to find out everyday.

Back to the book: Petra loves her father.

That fact drives the whole story. Her relationships with her pet spider, Astropil, and good friends, Tomik and Neel, are shown in great depth. Her motivations are clearly set out and easily relatable. The magic is fantastically imaginative. But it's her love for her father that pulses underneath all the actions and development of the book. That is why, when towards the end [spoiler alert] she blurts out the unthinkable "I hate you!" , my breath got caught in my throat.

Yes, when a story affects me this way, I am sold.

I do have a small number of nitpicky things with the book. I understand the reasons for each of them, but still wish somehow there are ways to solve those plot problems without the results sticking out quite so much.

[Spoiler alert again. You are under strict orders to read the following only after you've enjoyed the book!]

First off, the prologue bothered me. It didn't seem necessary to show Mikal Kronos being transported home. Starting the story with chapter 1 seems perfect. We get to meet Petra and her normal life before everything in her life turns upside down. But we need to know about the Jarek's horse, which is touched on in the prologue, so Petra can come home at the end.

Second nit-pick: when Petra started work at the castle, it seems strange that she would jeopardize her chance to stay at the castle, all because of the bad treatment--which she surely would have expected--she's received from the head cook. She's risked so much, she would have had to endure a lot more than what she did to sabotage her plans. Again, I realize she has to make her way to Iris's workshop and this was how she got there.

Third, just before Petra sees the heart of the clock, she suddenly recalls Tomik, whom she hasn't thought about for chapters. I had to stop to remember who Tomik is. Tomik is mentioned because Petra is about to unleash the spheres so we need a reminder of their existence. I wish Tomik was on her mind more often during her time in the castle, if only in the form of comparison with Neel.

These complaints, though, are very, very small.

[End: spoiler alert.]

This is an excellent book, and I highly recommend it. Go read it.

ps I typically don't read much fantasy or sci-fi, but now the folks over at the Cybils are turning me on to the genre. Hunger Games, Graceling, and now Cabinet of Wonders. Grumble, grumble. Like I don't have enough books that I already want to read? I hope you guys are happy!

AN UPDATE: As I mull over this book's prologue, Nathan Bransford is offering an agent's perspective on the subject of prologues. Check it out.

Harry Potter

That's who, or rather, the what: the book I haven't read till about a month ago.

And you call yourself a kidlit writer?

I know, I know. In my defense, however, it was the book I chose to bring to the hospital when I was in labor. My husband read parts of it to me before the pain got too much. So what if it was eight and a half years ago.

I figured Harry Potter had enough readers worldwide, it didn't need me. I went for the debuts and the quiet novels that didn't make it to the NY Times bestseller list: always rooting for the underdog. Also, I have this irrational reluctance to take part in any phenomenon huge enough to be known as a phenom. And you have to agree Harry is a phenom. But when the Harvard kids decided to pick on Rowling, I read her speech and was very impressed.

Anyway, I plucked Sorcerer's Stone from my TBR pile (does yours topple over?) recently and had a great time. No question, she's an excellent writer; Imagination, control over her craft, heart: she has it all. How does one not like Hagrid or Ron? Or get a rush from the Quiddich game? Or wish for a pet owl or a special cloak?

Phenom status: well deserved.

Quite a few people, all of whom women my age, have urged me to read Twilight.

Book Recommendation

Learning the craft of writing has its downside: it is difficult to disengage my writer-brain when I read, especially kid lit. The characters are memorable; the setting is evocative; the language is lyrical: these are the thoughts that typically occupy my mind. Or the POV shifts are abrupt; I don't buy that change of heart; I can't believe there are so many stock characters in one book.

So it's with great pleasure when I found myself not thinking any of those thoughts recently, while reading Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and The Olympians, The Lightning Thief

Instead of marveling at the author's skill and talents, I just devoured the book. The thought that I had? Not what a great cast of characters or authentic dialogue or the back story is seamlessly woven into the plot. All I could think of, after finishing the book, was that why wasn't this book around when I was younger? THIS is the book I'd always wanted to read.

If ever there was even one reader who thinks that of my book (if and when it's published) I'd be on cloud nine and a half.

Pep Talk Week: Resilience

Every once in a while, I'd get drawn to the promises of a self-help book and imagine my life improved after following its recommendations. More often than not, I can't even finish reading it. The Resilience Factor by Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatte, however, is an exception. This is one that I've read and come back to several times.

When we face seemingly unending and insurmountable obstacles--oh, I don't know, such as trying to get published when the likelihood of that happening is shrinking daily--there is a temptation to give in to hopelessness. Resilience is the trait that prevents that.

Excerpt:

[Resilient people] seem to soar in spite of the hardship and trauma they face. In fact, the most resilient people seek out new and challenging experiences because they've learned that it's only through struggle, through pushing themselves to their limits, that they will expand their horizons.

It's a good thing we don't have to seek out challenges.

...they don't wither when confronted with risky or dangerous situations...have found a system to galvanizing themselves and tackling problems thoughtfully, thoroughly, and energetically.

The authors are cognitive psychologists, so they advocate changing our lives by changing our thinking. They offer resilience tests, examples of thinking traps, and of course, ways to increase our RQ, (you've got it: resilience quotient!)

A couple of ideas that I find most relevant to me as a writer have to do with numbers 5 and 6 of the seven essential skills:

• Putting it in perspective
  
• calming and focusing

Yes, the book is written in the format of standard self-help books, with punchy titles and handy lists. But if you can get pass these distractions, I think the ideas may offer us dreamers and wordmules some tools for banishing negative thoughts that keep us from doing what we do.

Book Review: Cybils YA Fantasy Winner, Hunger Games

I was going to write about how the Hunger Games is like Lord of the Flies meets reality TV; about how surreal it is that the author juxtaposes descriptions of opulent clothing and lavish feasts with kids preparing to fight one another to death; about how the book throbs with an underlying ache that comes with the recognition that many of the outrageous happenings in the book aren't that far off from reality, about the depth and power of human connections.

But I am going to settle for this:

All the accolades heaped upon the book? Well-deserved.

Go read it.

Book Review: Cybils Finalist Graceling

Had it not been for the Cybils awards, I would not have picked up Graceling, because fantasy is not my usual cup of tea.

I am glad to have read it. Say what you will about contests and art not being compatible, well-respected ones can bring books into the hands of people who would otherwise have missed them.

Graceling is a story set in a world that, despite the differences to ours, have recognizable elements: love, jealousy, danger, geeks and other outcasts, power struggle.

It is billed as an adventure and a love story. There are sword fights and chases and a treacherous journey over an impossible mountain. Katsa's hero is a prince of a fellow and their romance is hearts-a-flutter tender.

But I think, at the heart, this is a story about a strong young woman. A young woman who has to come to terms with who she really is and where she stands in relation to people around her, who has to understand her gifts differently than what she's been told, who has to make choices for the sake of people she cares about and respects.

At the beginning of the book, she is under the control of a king, as his instrument of punishment, even though her heart is elsewhere. She wishes to free herself from his control, only to find that she may be controlled by something else: her own anger. When she overcomes that, she is understandably cautious about being involved with a man, because she doesn't want to be under the control of yet another person, hero though he may be.

Katsa struggles with trust and pride throughout the book and the author spends time in Katsa's mind as she makes a number of important decisions, including how to deal with the love of her life when she doesn't want to marry anyone. Incidentally, the book is written in a kind of older, more formal style language. The only time I find a modern word intruding into this make believe language is with the use of the word "lover" as she contemplates the difference between being married partners and "lovers."

As a character, Katsa definitely grows during the course of the book and it is a pleasure to read of the transformation of a wild, stubbornly-independent girl who doesn't like herself much grow into one who accepts herself and the gifts of friendship and support from others.

Book Review: Cybils Middle Grade Fiction Winner, The London Eye Mystery

Set up an impossible premise, throw in a cast of interesting characters, then deliver: that's how you write a page-turner mystery that gets everybody reading.

Impossible premise: someone enters a London Eye pod but doesn't disembark. Poof! He disappears.

Interesting characters: Ted, a highly functioning autistic weather-enthusiast, his alternately rebellious and conscientious sister, Kat, and a tempest of a character, Aunt Gloria.

Deliver: Yes.

Impossible premises and quirky characters are easy to conjure up. But I am sure you've read, just as I have, books that set up their high stakes and end with resolutions that are lame and unsatisfactory, and you feel cheated.

The London Eye Mystery gives the reader as much a chance to solve the mystery as the protagonist. It combines the best of the old-style mysteries in which experienced readers know which details to remember and which characters to mark with a flag, and the newer, character-driven mysteries in which readers get into the emotions and not just the minds of the mystery-solver.

Writing about autism in a first person point-of-view takes guts, and compassion. Ted is rendered as a intelligent, sensitive kid who doesn't just worry about navigating his confusing world, but also cares about people and wants to do the right thing.

The author writes with the same understanding and compassion for the other characters. There are no cardboard-box meanies or saints. Even the estranged father of the boy who disappeared who has been portrayed badly earlier in the book comes across as a sympathetic person after we meet him.

If I had any concerns as all about the book, it would be the over-abundance of non-literal sayings that Ted's family engages in on a daily basis. They are necessary; readers need to see that Ted doesn't read between the lines easily. But a family with a kid like that would learn to temper their speech, or at least explain themselves afterward.

The other concern is that even though this is a middle-grade book, it's at the high end of the spectrum. Parents of younger readers (say, a precocious seven-year old) of MG books may want to read the book along with their children.

Book Review: Cybils Finalist, Every Soul a Star

Wendy Mass writes this book from three alternating points-of-view: those of Ally, Jack and Bree, whose lives intersect in unexpected ways brought on by the eclipse.

Of the three, Ally, the carefree girl who lives with her family in a remote campsite, is the most believable. Jack, the overweight, overshadowed younger brother who escapes reality by drawing aliens, has the most convincing transformation. Bree, the beauty who wants to be a model, is the most cliche-ridden of the main characters. Even the positive aspect of her personality, her tender-heartedness, seems to be there just to round off her character.

Throughout the book are references to stars and space and the universe that fans would love. The main event of the book, the eclipse is described so well that even an astronomy-ignoramus like me is able to imagine what it might be like to experience this event.

There are a number of questions I was hoping would be answered that weren't, such as why was Jack chosen by his science teacher? Why did he act as if he didn't want to be at the eclipse but then panicked when he almost missed it because he was so engrossed in his drawing? Why would two academics give up their positions to take over a campsite after the eclipse?

My favorite scene in this book is when these three young people are stuck in a shed with a couple of younger siblings and Hot Dude in the middle of a storm. Each of them would belong to a different subsection out in the real world, i.e. school: brainiacs, jocks, A-Clique cheerleaders, yet in this shed, they are interested in the ideas of one another and actually formed connections. The bringing together of the diverse group of kids and the showing that people crave the same things underneath their facades: these are the biggest strengths of the book.

Book Review: Cybils Finalist, Alvin Ho

Alvin is afraid of
girls
school
bullies
and so many other things.

And so afraid is he that
he cannot talk at school.
He has no problems talking at home, with his friends, even friends from school. But something happens at school: his thoughts refuse to come out of his mouth as words.

His family accepts it.
His friends accept it.
He accepts it.
But nobody understands it.
Including himself.

But Alvin used to be a super hero, and he has Da Dad for a dad and Da Mom for a mom, a cool gunggung, and siblings who are are pretty okay to him (even if they did leave him hanging like a roast duck in a tree for hours.)

So Alvin makes plan to overcome his problems. He packs emergency supplies, asks for advice on how to make friends, and even goes to a therapist.

But not being able to talk at school turns out to be just one of many things Alvin has to deal with, such as:
how to be a gentleman,
how to be nice to old friends, even when they are girls and talk too much,
how to express himself without using the fake Shakesperean cusswords favored by his Daddy.

For a book whose title is Alvin Ho: allergic to girls, school and other scary things and one that starts with a whole list of scary things, it is a remarkably sunny book. You can't help but cheer for him and have your cynicism parked somewhere else for a while.

Unlike most books, this one doesn't set out with a Major Conflict that the Character Has To Overcome by the end of the book. There are a number of conflicts sprinkled throughout in the book but by the end of the book he still doesn't talk at school and he still has his fears.

Yet the story is completely satisfying. It's so refreshing to read a book that doesn't sound familiar in that overly work-shopped, let's-follow-what-the-pros-say-about-characterplotsettingvoicepointofview vibe. Sure it contains the essence of all the good advice out there: voice, character, conflicts, and spins it into a new mold.

I love this book. And I happen to know quite a few otherwise happy boys who have fears that seem incomprehensible. The snippets of Alvin's life will be so reassuring to them, especially because the book doesn't neatly end with Alvin overcoming all his fears and solving all his problems. Yet it is clear that Alvin has grown. The sense of hope that permeates the book will surely rub off on my young friends.

Things that make me go "Whee!": review of The Maze of Bones, Book 1 of 39 Clues

Maze of Bones, Book 1 of 39 Clues
by Rick Riordan
Middle grade fiction

Reading The Maze of Bones reminds me of watching Raiders of the Lost Ark: romping through one gleeful and heart-stopping adventure after another, knowing full well villains will appear just when the heroes figure out something important, but knowing just as well things will turn out for the good guys.

Many of you are familiar with this new venture by Scholastic, which combines a book series with interactive games and card-collecting. I don't know if the idea had anything to do with enticing reluctant boy readers, but the results sure looks like it may do just that.

The publisher is planning a series of ten books written by different authors, to be brought out every three months. The author of the first book, Rick Riordan, is the architect of the series, mapping out plotlines and characters.

The premise: Amy and Dan Cahill, of the most powerful family in history ever, embark on a world-wide treasure/clue hunt, competing with other Cahill teams, whose trustworthiness is unknown. The survival of our entire civilization will depend on the outcome of this quest (nobody can complain that the stakes aren't high enough!) Without fame or money, and not even old enough to buy plane tickets, Amy and Dan have to rely on their combined intelligence and loyalty, with occasional help from adults or storkes of luck to outwit their opponents.

These adventures take them to famous places all over the world, such as the Louvre in Paris (move over, Da Vinci Code) and the Philadelphia Museum, some of which get blown up.

I am excited about these books, even though interactive online games and card-collecting aren't my thing. As an educator, I love it that the books touch on history and geography and art and general knowledge. I love it that being knowledgable is portrayed as something very good; cool even. As a parent, I love how the sibilings care the world for each other, even though they are annoyed no end by each other.

But I know that kids are not going read to learn. They read to be part of an adventure, to solve mysteries, to laugh at funny things that happen, especially to nasty adults.

Maze of Bones provides all that. And if the other books match the writing and pace and fun of this first one, then I hope this venture will take off.

Whee!

Book Review: Masterpiece

Masterpiece
Written by Elise Broach

Boys and their dogs we know about, but a boy and his beetle best friend? Marvin the beetle doesn't even get to talk to James the boy, yet they understand each other instinctively.

In perhaps a tribute to The Mouse Named Wolf, Masterpiece describes how an animal living in a human household helps out the humans. Like Dick King Smith's book, Masterpiece explores the power of art and friendship, but it goes bigger to include an international art heist and a child's sense of security and confidence.

Yes, a book about bugs will have your standard bug jokes, so let's get them out of the way:

• Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite (yes)
• Oh what a tangled web we weave (yes, but qualified as a spider joke.)

The overall tone of the book is light-hearted, except for the moments describing James's thoughts and feelings about his mother, a irritable woman whose shrewdness in business opportunities overshadows her affection for her son. In a reassuring gesture, (for which I am glad, since some early middle graders still feel strong ties to their mothers and may not want to think of them as nasty human beings) the author restores some of her humanity at the end.

Marvin is an adventurous, self-aware bug who lives with a loving family with strong values. His easy life of foraging after meal times (especially under the baby's high chair), swimming in a bottle cap, and hitching rides on the vacuum cleaner for picnics in the solarium is interrupted by the sudden discovery of his gift of drawing. Before he knows it, he's learning about Durer the artist, involved in an elaborate scheme to find art thieves, and deciding how much risk he should take. His solo adventure of accompanying the stolen art work takes him to empty hotel lobbies, phone calls to people with foreign-sounding names, and a burglary.

IN the midst of the adventures, readers have to deal, as Marvin as to, with questions of justice and courage and forgiveness, and what it means to do right by the people who matter.

Because of its art subject matter, Masterpiece will likely be compared to another MG mystery, Chasing Vermeer. One reviewer calls Masterpiece more evidence-driven, and I agree, because that was my main beef with Vermeer. I enjoyed the writing in Vermeer but have my heart touched a little more in Masterpiece. The friendship between Marvin and James will be one I'll remember for a long time.

Boy and dog: so yesterday.

Book Review: Waiting for Normal

Waiting for Normal
by Leslie Connor
Middle Grade Fiction

As soon as I met Addie, the protagonist of this book, I liked her. Her Mommers is complaining and being unreasonable about the trailer home they are moving into but Addie is noticing that hey, the steps leading up to the trailer are very sturdy, and the kitchen is sized perfectly for a 6th-grader, and by golly, she is a 6th grader, how perfect!

In this one small detail, we know that this is a girl who digs through the junk that life dishes out and finds gems, even if they are plastic gems. She loves her stepfather and two step sisters and longs to have a normal life with them yet feels a loyalty toward her indulgent and undisciplined mother. Addie takes her lot in stride, taking care of herself when Mommers stays away for days, leaving no money and hardly any food. And even when Mommers is around, it's Addie who does the cooking and cleaning and laundry for the two of them. She does all the work without complaining.

Until Mommers' ongoing shenanigans eventually cause enough resentment that Addie refuses to wash a pan her mother promised to take care of but never did. That sets off the Huge Event, where all the problems converge.

Despite Mommers' negligence, Addie isn't left completely alone, she has her neighbors at the minimart, a cranky grandfather, and a concerned stepfather. It seems there is an effort to include a representative from the groups most prejudiced against: for their sexuality, weight, and race.The effort just seems a little too conscientious and obvious.

On a similar vein, (of conscientious efforts) I don't know if the Horrible Illness and Subsequent Death are necessary. I've heard young readers talk about how the "important" books all seem to have someone die in them.

But these are minor complaints toward a story that, despite the dramatic elements, doesn't go overboard with the tearing of garments and the gnashing of teeth. The author doesn't spell out Addie's reactions and emotions, but gives us just enough so that we get it. It's watching a scene unfold from a distance without a talk-show host jabbing a mic into people's faces and asking them how the current events make them feel, and without the swelling of strings in the background. It's quiet and moving.

The writing is aimed at middle graders but there are big issues--such as abandonment, what doing the right thing means, relationships between adults--that some young readers may want to find out more and parents should be aware of.

A thoughtful, optimistic, and tender story.

20 in 2009 : The Last Good Day

The Last Good Day
by Peter Blauner

About 13 years ago, I was getting ready to attend a summer session at Carnegie Mellon University (any Dalcroze Eurhythmics fans out there?) and packed along two novels to read on the plane. One was The Poet by Michael Connelly and the other, The Intruder by Peter Blauner.

They kept me up so late the first few nights that I would get to class with my mind still in the stories and so sleepy by 1 p.m. that piano improvisation classes became even more of a headache-inducing time that usual.

In the last year or so, most of the books I've read were MG or YA books, either to learn about the market or to study for craft. Over the Christmas break, I decided I would read a book, just for the sake of losing myself in a good tale.

The Last Good Day was that book. And it kept me riveted. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), I couldn't turn off my writer brain. Blauner is such a masterful creator of recognizable yet not stock characters, I can't help but get drawn into their complicated lives. It was pretty clear who he wanted his readers to believe to be the villain, but I didn't mind. I wasn't reading the book to pit my sleuthing powers against the book. I was reading it to enjoy and feel. And I did.

A headless body washing up the shore, a town with more intricately-related lives than a tangled jump rope, and personal and racial prejudices all come into play in this book set a few weeks post 9/11. So many of the things we think about when the lights are off at night--forgiveness, relationships with the few people we love most fiercely, our own courage/cowardice--are in here. I don't know why there is still the perception that writers of genre fiction don't give us glimpses into our lives.

I am now eyeing Slow Motion Riot for my next Blauner treat.

Book Review: Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy

Here it is, the first book I'll be reviewing for my 20 in 2009 challenge.

Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy
by Wendelin Van Draanen

Quite a few of the Middle-grade series mysteries are so plot-focused that character development and language seem to be on auto pilot. And perhaps that's the nature of a mystery series. Readers don't want to savor the language or delve deep into the psyche of the characters, they just want to turn the page to find out who dun it.

But important as it is, plot alone doesn't keep me reading. I want to know how the characters feel and think--besides just about solving the crime. I seek to make connections, find beauty, and be surprised by truth presented in a new way in any book I read, thrillers, mystery, literary.

In my mind, the Sammy Keyes mystery series stand out. The plots are interesting, as expected, as are the sub-plots. But more important is that Sammy is a fully-fleshed, likable, growing character. It's no wonder these books have either won the Edgar award or been finalists.

In The Sisters of Mercy, we even get a glimpse of many of the secondary characters. The author doesn't waste a lot of ink to describe each one, but what she chooses to highlight does a great job in showing us who these people are.

My middle-grade novel has a strong mystery element. I've even gone so far as to call it a mystery in a contest I entered. But I'm not sure if I wish to align my book with the all-plot mysteries. But as I wrote in an earlier review of Chasing Vermeer, perhaps a book doesn't need to be all-plot to be considered a mystery. Chasing Vermeer isn't, and while the Sammy Keyes books is more like a traditional mystery, they have a lot more than just plot. It's a mystery with heart and soul and flesh.