They Threw Us Away

“They Threw Us Away” (Book 1 in the trilogy “The Teddies Saga”) by Daniel Kraus 256 pages 

I’m not sure what to make of this novel. When I picked it up, I never, in my wildest dreams, suspected that it was a horror story. When I got into the first particularly disgusting part, I checked the audience and learned that the book is aimed at 10-14 year olds. I know I wasn’t ready for this kind of horror at that age, but kids are worldlier these days. 

The premise of the story is a hero quest. Five teddy bears find themselves in the middle of a garbage dump. Buddy becomes their leader. He knows this is not where they are supposed to be, but he doesn’t understand how he ended up here. He was made to be loved and petted by a child. Or how he is supposed to get out. 

As Buddy wakes, he realizes that he is no longer tied to the box that he called home.  He can move! But now what? 

In the group are Sugar, Sunny, Horace and Reginald. Each has a different personality that is reflected in their colors. Sugar is pink, Sunny is yellow, Horace is black and Reginald is gray. Buddy is blue. One aspect that I really did like is the depiction of Sugar. She is a damaged teddy with a head injury. The others know she is different, but help her and protect her when needed with out being condescending or pitying. It’s a great lesson for kids. 

The teddies band together to climb over the mountains of trash and back to the modern world. Along the way they encounter ravenous rats, bulldozers, screeching gulls, a highway full of cars and truckers and not-nice people. Their goal is to find the Yellow Plastic Mountains. There, they have been told, they will be safe. I had to chuckle when I found out what the Yellow Plastic Mountains were. It was the only light-hearted moment in the entire book. 

I gagged several times as the little band made its way across the dump. This book is like a car wreck.  You don’t want to look, but you must.  I didn’t want to finish it, but I had to. I’m not sure if I’ll ready Book 2, “They Stole Our Hearts.” But I was so upset about the ending, I may have to in the hopes of something happy happening. I really don’t know how to rate this. Therefore, I’m going to give “They Threw Us Away,” 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

Be Prepared

Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol. 256 pages.

This is a semi-autobiographical recollection of Vera Brosgol's childhood experience going to summer camp...one I can thoroughly appreciate. Growing up, Vera always felt (and often was) left out because of her Russian heritage and for coming from a less affluent family. Her friends can't stop talking about how much they love summer camp, and finally Vera is able to convince her mother to send her and her brother to an American camp for children of Russian heritage, thinking this will be the key to finally finding a group of friends that share her identity. Vera is sorely mistaken, though, and finds she will have to endure torturous weeks of mean girls, outhouses and scary forest sounds, lessons on Russian history, and pranks galore.

I hated going to summer camp as a child, so this book really resonated with me. It feels like Brosgol presents herself in a fairly honest light, highlighting her best and worst moments with equal enthusiasm. I was hooked the whole way through, hoping she would find retribution with her tent-mates, wondering if the girls would ever win Capture the Flag, and, of course, pulling for Vera to make it out without a total loss of dignity. This is great for any kid who's ever had a problem fitting in. Due out April 24th.

The Water Castle

The Water Castle, Megan Frazer Blakemore, 344 pages


After his father’s awful stroke, Ephraim Appledore-Smith and his family have moved to their old family home in Crystal Springs, Maine, where a hundred years ago the Appledores bottled water believed to have healing properties. Mallory, a new classmate of his, is struggling to cope with her parents’ separation and has found refuge in science and skepticism of her mother’s mystical tales of the Fountain of Youth. Will, another classmate, befriends the two of them, to his father’s dismay – there are generations of bad blood between their families. As Ephraim becomes obsessed with finding the Fountain of Youth and using it to heal his father, the three of them explore the dilapidated mansion, interspersed with flashbacks to Mallory’s ancestor Nora, who helped old Dr. Appledore with his scientific discoveries.

Blakemore skillfully negotiates middle-school fears of fitting in, and balances characters learning that their parents are right about some things with characters forging their own identity against their parents’ wishes – both important, and seemingly contradictory, lessons for teenagers to learn. Of course, there are also heavy topics such as a parent’s illness (Ephraim’s father is catatonic from his stroke, and the doctors aren’t sure if he’ll ever recover) or parents separating (Mallory’s mother has moved out), painted against a backdrop of school projects and science experiments. The flashbacks are a nice touch, taking place as Admiral Robert Peary’s expedition nears the North Pole, while Ephraim, Mallory, and Will learn about Arctic exploration in the present. Blakemore never holds the reader’s hand, and several plot threads are left deliberately not wrapped up (though not too difficult to solve for the attentive reader). Though Ephraim can be a frustrating protagonist at times, very cocky and self-centered at first, The Water Castle is an excellent book for science-, history-, or fantasy-loving middle-grade readers.

The Royal Rabbits of London

The Royal Rabbits of London by Santa Montefiore and Simon Sebag Montefiore   208 pages

I love books about animals. Remember the All Creatures Great and Small series by James Herriot that came began in 1973? If you haven’t read them, do so. They are wonderful.  I also love rabbits, so how could I pass up a chance to read a book about a little rabbit that has to wear an eyepatch to help correct his vision?

I couldn’t, and I’m glad that I didn’t. This novel, aimed at middle school readers, is adorable and a fun read, even for middle-aged adults.

In this first book in the Royal Rabbits series, readers are introduced to Shylo Tawny-Tail, the runt of his litter and Mom’s pet. Shylo has made friends with an elderly rabbit who lives on the other side of the pasture. Horatio, the old rabbit, tells Shylo about the Royal Rabbits, the noble defenders of the royal family, a secret society of rabbits that live beneath Buckingham Palace.

On his way to visit Horatio, Shylo encounters his oldest brother, Maximilian. Rather the divulge his secret path, Shylo takes off in a different direction and looks for a low place to hide. He is successful and Maximilian soon tires of chasing him. As he waits to make sure that his brother has truly left, three Ratzis, under the control of Papa Ratzi, amble up the path, making plans to snap photos of the Queen in her nightie and selling it to the tabloids for big bucks.

When Shylo finally makes it to Horatio’s burrow and explains what he has just heard…and smelled, Horatio convinces him that the only way to save the Queen from total humiliation is for Shylo to travel to London, find the Royal Rabbits, and alert them to be on guard. Shylo, small and timid, rises to the challenge.

What an adventure Shylo has! This is a fun, light-hearted that teaches children about privacy, facing your fears, and being the best bunny that they can be.

The Royal Rabbits of London gets 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.