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Not So Blind That She Cannot See

12/31/2014

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Reviewed for  Readers' Favorite at www.ReadersFavorite.com.

*****
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The synopsis for A Hero’s Curse, by P. S. Broaddus, intrigued me. To find a fantasy story for young readers with a blind protagonist conjured up all sorts of thoughts and ideas—and Broaddus did not fail to deliver! The story is written from the perspective of Essie, in a manner that allows the reader to join with her in her thoughts. Together with her talking cat, Tig, Essie is left to the care of her Uncle Cagney when her parents must leave for unnamed purposes. But Uncle Cagney’s protection is short-lived. As a result, Essie and Tig (who Essie says is “my friend, my hunting tutor, and most importantly, my eyes”), must flee for safety. They find themselves chased into the Valley of Fire, a place from which no one has ever returned. From there, the two journey to discover what the new leader, Brogan, is up to, why the king disappeared, where Essie’s parents have gone (and why), at whose hand  she came to be blind, and whether she will find the means to forgive that person.

I was delighted with Essie’s inner dialog, and with her conversations with her Uncle Cagney, and with Tig. Together they provided insight into the main protagonist. For example, Essie thinks to herself: “I love Tig. He never feels sorry for me, which is great, because I can feel sorry enough for myself.” Later, after a beast chases Essie and Tig, Essie thinks: “It’s one thing to hear monsters bump in the night. It is quite another to never be able to light a lamp to chase them away.” These were the kind of thoughts that made the story so real and so believable. I also enjoyed the bits of insight. Uncle Cagney tells her: “Some people say that there are no heroes in the face of pain. That if the hurt is bad enough, the hero will break. They’re wrong. That’s just what makes a hero. They’re the ones who take the pain. Stand in the gap.” Finally, I laughed on occasion, at Tig’s sarcasm and at Essie’s responses to him. For example, she tells him: “Conceit is a weird disease—you have it, but it’s making me sick.” I found myself highlighting sections at a steady rate, as I found P. S. Broaddus’s “voice,” in A Hero’s Curse, so very interesting. The sarcasm was funny—and cutting—and age-appropriate for the intended reader. Overall, Broaddus’s voice is one I would like to hear again—and I am confident that young readers will agree.



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Some Things Cannot be Said

12/31/2014

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Reviewed for Readers' Favorite at www.ReadersFavorite.com.


*****

When Susan Elmore discovered a family connection to the victim of one of the most notorious crimes in Illinois history, Emma Bond, her curiosity got the better of her and her journey ended with Nameless Indignities. So began Elmore's search into records available about Emma, the "nameless indignities" the press mentioned were inflicted upon her, the small Illinois community that was the setting of the crime, and more. Emma's story was incredible in that as a young school teacher she told of how, after someone covered her head so that she could not see, two (or was it three?) men pulled her up into the attic-like space of the schoolhouse, then assaulted her, all late in the afternoon on a typical June day. Thereafter, Emma wavered between life and death for an extended period. Meanwhile, three (and later more) local men were charged with the crime. But were they the responsible parties, or had a crime, in fact, even been committed?

We take for granted in many ways today the technology that makes it possible to identify criminals, the procedures we use to investigate crimes and crime scenes, and so on. As Susan Elmore rightly points out in Nameless Indignities, however, investigating and solving crimes in days gone by was a very different matter. In the case at hand, a part of a toenail was examined by eye, to determine if it might belong to one of the defendants. Today, a simple DNA test would be the first order of business. On the other hand, this history shows how our media plays a similar part in events as it did in those long ago days. Susan Elmore's new theory of the crime and careful and complete rendition of events is certainly an interesting and most readable glimpse into a sensational crime from the past.



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It's Magickal!

12/31/2014

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Reviewed for Readers' Favorite at www.ReadersFavorite.com.


*****
Now and again, one of those stories for children (who are relatively new readers seeking a “chapter book”) comes along that is truly worthy of attention. Hapenny Magick, by Jennifer Carson, is just such a story. From the lovely cover art and internal pictures, to the storyline itself, this journey is sure to please young readers. In it, we meet Mae, a “hapenny,” or little person. Mae’s mother, now missing, left Mae with only an old (magic!) flute and a pendant. Left in the care of a guardian, Gelbane, a screeching, domineering woman (troll?), Mae is forced to work hard on Gelbane’s little pig farm. When strange things start happening, Mae leaves the pigs with which she sleeps, to follow a talking bird through the woods and to the home of the wizard, Callum. Although he and Aletta, another wizard, try to help Mae, she returns to Gelbane’s in the hopes that her mother will return there one day. But magick intrudes on the little village, and eventually, Mae returns to the wizard’s home. Then, with their help, she and the other hapennies are faced with a battle to free themselves from the trolls who seek to take over the village and to eat them.

Hapenny Magick met all the requirements I would have for recommending a story to young readers. It is creative, fun, interesting, and a story with which young readers are bound to identify. From a parent’s perspective, it offers even more: well-written prose and dialog, colorful word pictures (in addition to the interesting illustrations), and it is grammatically sound. While this may not be a serious issue for some, it is for me. It seems we spend a great deal of time trying to teach young children proper grammar, sentence structure, use of tense, and the like, then set them off to read stories that do not fit those criteria. Indeed, over the years, I did not recommend some (very) well-known stories to my children because I did not think they satisfactorily met these requirements. Parents need have no fear with Hapenny Magick. Moreover, they may recommend a story that provides children with some important life lessons, such as that the absence of a physical conflict is not the same as “peace,” and that working together can bring about the great results that one working alone may be unable to accomplish. 



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    Patricia Reding

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