Witch & Wizard

Witch & Wizard: the manga Vol. 1-3 by James Patterson, 751 pages (3 books)

 

Witch and Wizard, the manga, is about two kids named Wisty and Whit who thought they were like all of the other kids until government agents break into their home and arrest them and their parents. The charges witchcraft. Now this is not one of those time were people are wrongly accused, they certainly can do magic but why that is illegal is very suspect. Separated from their parents, Wisty and Whit must learn to control their magic and escape, after all it seems the world is relying on them.

So I originally thought all three books in this series were all adapted pieces of the source novel Witch and Wizard. Having never read the actual book, this delusion continued right up until I started researching this series to write this post. It turns out that each manga book is based off a book in the novel series. The first follows Witch and Wizard, the second was based off of The Gift, and the last “completed” the series with The Fire. Patterson has two more book in the novel series, though I cannot find anything that says these will be adapted. I find this directly correlated manga to be quite strange. Typically when a book is adapted into this format it becomes several volumes. I have to wonder how much of the storyline was cut out for a one to one adaptation.

Boo

Boo by Neil Smith
310 Pages

"When Oliver "Boo" Dalrymple wakes up in heaven, the eighth-grade science geek thinks he died of a heart defect at his school. But soon after arriving in this hereafter reserved for dead thirteen-year-olds, Boo discovers he’s a 'gommer', a kid who was murdered. What’s more, his killer may also be in heaven. With help from the volatile Johnny, a classmate killed at the same school, Boo sets out to track down the mysterious Gunboy who cut short both their lives.

In a heartrending story written to his beloved parents, the odd but endearing Boo relates his astonishing heavenly adventures as he tests the limits of friendship, learns about forgiveness and, finally, makes peace with the boy he once was and the boy he can now be."

 An okay book.  The mystery is fairly easy to solve and there are parts in the middle that are just annoying.  Not recommended.

Paper Towns

Paper Towns, by John Green, 305 pages

Quentin has always had a crush on his neighbor, Margo- even though they drifted apart into different social circles in high school, the crush on the girl he knew as a child remained.  Margo is a bit of a legend to everyone in school- a daring risk-taker who sneaks into theme parks and turns down famous bassists, and a popular girl with the looks and the cool friends.  So when she shows up at Quentin's window one night to pull him into a night of mischief and adventure, he can't turn her down.  And at the end of the night he feels like she just taught him how to live.  So when Margo stays missing, Quentin is convinced that she has led him into a sort of scavenger hunt to find her.  The rest of the book is Quentin reading Whitman's Leaves of Grass, realizing how good his friends are, and trying to live life like Margo taught him.  Oh, and then realizing that he never really knew Margo, and we can never truly know another person.  This was interesting, and contained quite a bit for discussion regarding YA literature, John Green, and identity. 

Beating of his Wings

Beating of his Wings by Paul Hoffman
491 Pages

Following the bestselling novels The Left Hand of God and The Last Four Things comes the final installment of Paul Hoffman's stark, epic trilogy. Thomas Cale has been running from the truth#133;. Since discovering that his brutal military training has been for one purpose;to destroy God's greatest mistake, mankind itself;Cale has been hunted by the very man who made him into the Angel of Death: Pope Redeemer Bosco. Cale is a paradox: arrogant and innocent, generous and pitiless. Feared and revered by those who created him, he has already used his breathtaking talent for violence and destruction to bring down the most powerful civilization in the world. But Thomas Cale's soul is dying. As his body is racked with convulsions, he knows that the final judgment will not wait. As the day of reckoning draws close, Cale's sense of vengeance leads him back to the heart of darkness;the Sanctuary;and to confront the person he hates most in the world.

When this series first started I thought the first book the Left Hand of God was great and everyone who I recommended the book to also liked it.  When the second book came out it wasn't as strong an entry.  The third book is a combination of the two books, some parts good, some parts blah. 

Almost Perfect

Almost Perfect by Diane Daniels Manning     321 pages

 I know I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I do. If the cover looks like something I would like, or the title intrigues me, then I try it. Usually I’ve made up my mind long before I read the back cover. There is no way I could resist the cute poodle puppy on the cover of this novel without bothering to read the synopsis.

 At the center of this novel are two flawed individuals: Seventy-year-old Bess and teenage Benny. I’m not sure that the author ever revealed his age, but if he’s over fourteen, he’s an extremely immature fourteen.

Bess is a bitter woman. For decades she enjoyed a distinguished career as one of the nation’s top Standard Poodle breeders. She dreamed of winning the Westminster Dog Show all her life, and even had the dog, McCreery, to do, too. Yet, she always held herself, and McCreery, back. A psychologist would say that she was afraid of success.  Maybe, maybe there were other reasons. Now she’s in the process of tearing down the famous Umpawang kennels. She’s gotten rid of all the dogs except McCreery and his puppy-son Breaker, who is the spitting image of his daddy.

Enter Benny. He’s new to the neighborhood. After a messy divorce, Benny is forced to go live with his father and new stepmother. He attends a nearby therapeutic school for his autism. The one thing Benny wants more in the world---besides his mother's and attention---is a dog. Dad says no, but Benny wants what Benny wants.  it has to be a real dog, too, not some poodle.

As he walks home from school one night, he hears a dog crying. Sure the dog is the perfect one for him, he tries to locate the source. There he winds up in Bess’s kennel.

The story that follows is an often hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking story of two people and two dogs who teach other that life has more to offer than what’s happening at the moment.

I highly recommend this book; I give it 5 stars.

A Trick Of The Light

A Trick Of The Light by Lois Metzger 196 pages

Mike is hearing a voice in his head.  Even though Mike is a pretty good student and an athlete with a good friend who shares his interest in stop action movies, the voice has started telling him that he’s not good enough, that he is fat, and that he could be better and stronger.  Mike listens to that voice and starts eating less, exercising a lot more, and losing weight.  A lot of weight.  So much weight that the people in his life start to notice and may start to interfere.  A really awesome story about a boy with anorexia.  Because a lot of people believe that eating disorders are only a problem women and girls suffer from, this is a very compelling story that many teens would like

The Gospel Of Winter

The Gospel Of Winter by Brendan Kiely 296 Pages

Aidan’s dad has always been distant, traveling for work a lot, but now he seems to have moved out for good.  With just his mom and nanny around, Aidan feels somewhat lost, especially since Father Greg doesn’t have time for him anymore.  Aidan has been volunteering at the church and Father Greg has always been a mentor, father figure, and a comforter to Aidan.  Now, Father Greg, has other boys who he is helping.  Aidan’s new group of friends would like to help, but Aidan isn’t sure how to let them in, and some of them have serious problems of their own. This is a serious book about a serious issue.  It’s a good story and handles the situation delicately, but almost too delicately.  Everyone kind of dances around the issue of abuse until the very end and even then, nothing is ever actually said, only implied.  I think that the author may have been trying to focus more on the emotional aspect that the teens are dealing with, but it doesn’t quite work, at least for me.  I wasn’t drawn in enough.  I’m not sure that I would recommend this book unless someone wanted a book for teens specifically on this topic.