Review: Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

Book: Airborn

Author: Kenneth Oppel

Publisher: Eos

Release date: May 11, 2004

Source: Borrowed from library

Summary from Goodreads: Matt Cruse is a cabin boy on the Aurora, a huge airship that sails hundreds of feet above the ocean, ferrying wealthy passengers from city to city. It is the life Matt's always wanted; convinced he's lighter than air, he imagines himself as buoyant as the hydrium gas that powers his ship. One night he meets a dying balloonist who speaks of beautiful creatures drifting through the skies. It is only after Matt meets the balloonist's granddaughter that he realizes that the man's ravings may, in fact, have been true, and that the creatures are completely real and utterly mysterious.

In a swashbuckling adventure reminiscent of Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson, Kenneth Oppel, author of the best-selling Silverwing trilogy, creates an imagined world in which the air is populated by transcontinental voyagers, pirates, and beings never before dreamed of by the humans who sail the skies.

First impressions: Be still my beating, swooning heart! Kenneth Oppel wastes no time jumping into the action of this story, and it completely sucked me in. I so love when books do that.

Lasting impressions: Absolutely pitch perfect. Full of excitement, adventure, and mystery, this one grabs you and never lets go.

Conflicting impressions: None. Seriously.

Overall impressions: If I learned one thing from this book it's that airships are so my thing.

Fans of Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series will love this book as much as I did. Matt Cruse, our confident protagonist, is very similar to Westerfeld's Deryn Sharp. He is so comfortable in the air he feels as if he could fly. He lost his father to a horrible airship accident. He has to take a post as a cabin boy to help pay the bills, but he also really and truly loves working on a ship. If there's anyone who has found his place in the world, it's Matt.

On a routine flight across the Pacific, Matt's ship encounters an adrift hot air balloon with a few secrets contained within the pilot's journal. On the next flight, Matt meets the pilot's granddaughter, Kate de Vries. Kate is precocious, intelligent, stubborn, and a bit of a princess. She comes from the upper class and has a hard time taking no for an answer. Matt, as a lowly cabin boy, soon finds himself dragged into Kate's exploits as she pursues the mysterious creatures her grandfather had discovered.

But Matt is not all passive. Part of his journey is finding his voice and learning to exploit his own capabilities in the face of hardship. Through the course of the book, Matt faces pirates (several times) and crashes and strange flying cats (oh my!), and still manages to keep his brain on straight. Younger readers will chew through this one!

If you've never tried steampunk, this is a superb place to start. It's light on complicated gadgets and heavy on interesting characters and setting. Matt is brave and quick, and his story will capture your heart.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Click the stars for a description of my rating system

Review: Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Book: Wisdom's Kiss

Author: Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Release date: September 12, 2011

Source: ARC for review from NetGalley

Summary: (from Goodreads) Princess Wisdom, known as Dizzy, longs for a life of adventure far beyond the staid old kingdom of Montagne.

Tips, a soldier, longs to keep his true life secret from his family.

Fortitude, an orphaned maid, longs only for Tips.

These three passionate souls might just attain their dreams while preserving Montagne from certain destruction, if only they can tolerate each other long enough to come up with a plan. Tough to save the world when you can't even be in the same room together.

Magic, cunning, and one very special cat join forces in this hilarious, extraordinary tale by the author of Dairy Queen and Princess Ben. An incredibly creative tale told with diaries, memoirs, encyclopedia entries, letters, biographies, even a stage play, all woven together into a grand adventure.

First impressions: The short chapters and 8 POVs made it easy to get into this book. I was so anxious to see what style was coming next that I breezed through huge chunks of this novel in each sitting.

Lasting impressions: Though the book seemed gimmicky at times, it was a cute story with a fun ending.

Conflicting impressions: Some of the narrative styles made it more difficult to follow the action, and I had to read certain sections a couple of times to know what was happening.

Overall impressions: I'm not usually a middle grade reader, but something about this one drew my eye. I liked the idea of a special cat, and the POV structure appealed to me as well. I wanted to see what Catherine Gilbert Murdock (sister to Eat, Pray, Love's Elizabeth Gilbert, by the way) could do with all of the styles - memoir, play, letters, etc.

Unfortunately, the varying styles didn't always serve the story in the most effective way. The alternating perspectives tended to be a bit jarring with their frequency, even if they made for quick reading. The letters did give us nice glimpses into well developed characters, but the play script, in particular, didn't tell us much we couldn't have gotten from other points of view.

The story itself was interesting, with a cute reveal at the end that adds a little something for fairy tale lovers. I enjoyed the characters, but some added backstory would have helped me understand the political games beyond the superficial. I think this is a great book for younger readers looking for a unique narrative and an adventurous plot.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Click the stars for a description of my rating system

Review: No Place Like Holmes by Jason Lethcoe

Click the cover to purchase at Amazon
Book: No Place Like Holmes
Author: Jason Lethcoe
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release date: May 10, 2011
Source: ARC from NetGalley

Summary: (from Goodreads) When Griffin is sent to stay with his detective uncle at 221B Baker Street for the summer, he is certain that his uncle must be the great Sherlock Holmes! But Griffin is disappointed to discover that Holmes lives at 221A Baker Street and his uncle lives in unit 221B. His uncle is a detective, just not a very good one. But when Griffin meets a woman with a case that Holmes has turned away for being too ridiculous, he and his uncle team up to help her. Along the way, Griffin shows his uncle just what it means to have true faith in God, even when the case challenges that. The woman claims that her husband was eaten by the Loch Ness Monster, but monsters aren't real - or are they?

First impressions: Griffin is super cute and likable, probably because of his (intended) resemblance to Sherlock Holmes. I loved his quick mind, and the story starts off by displaying his deductive reasoning powers while interacting with the train staff on his way into London. It's so nice to spend time with a brilliant kid!

Lasting impressions: A fun middle grade detective book for the young Christian reader. It had humor, heart, and even a little steampunk thrown in for good measure. I particularly loved the extras at the end - a quiz and mini cases for readers to solve themselves!

Conflicting impressions: At times, the Christianity emphasis was heavy-handed, which ultimately made me like the book less. I don't mind God references if they are true to character, which here they were, but I do mind when they don't flow well with the rest of the narrative. It seemed like they were shoved in just to make a point, and I think most readers, even (perhaps especially) the young ones, are smart enough to pick up on that.

Overall impressions: This was a quickly paced story about a young American boy sent to London for the summer to visit an uncle he'd never met. He is a miniature genius with exceptional deductive reasoning skills and idolizes Sherlock Holmes. He soon discovers his uncle, Rupert Snodgrass, is Holmes' neighbor and also a detective, though not a very successful one. Rupert is crass, obsessed with beating Holmes at the detective trade, and at times even bitter and mean.

When a woman in need of help crosses paths with our young hero, Griffin, he takes her to his uncle and they set out trying to solve the mystery of her husband's disappearance. Though Griffin's relationship with his uncle starts out rather strained, by showing off his skills Griffin ultimately wins him over. It's a nice little subplot of family redemption and acceptance.

The Christian elements pop up a lot during Griffin's interactions with his uncle, as Griffin tries to force love and faith upon Rupert. I believed that Griffin was genuinely concerned for his uncle's well being, and that Griffin's faith was a huge part of his life. I just wasn't sure Griffin would push Rupert's buttons about it repeatedly if he was still trying to get Rupert to warm up to him. Something about it didn't gel with me.

Rupert is a sad, miserable man who ultimately transforms and gains some self-love by the end of the book. He has lots of fun inventions that carry them through the story, providing Griffin with the opportunity to look up to something in his poor uncle. It was cool to watch them bond over the case and start to work together. Though the case was fairly straightforward, it had plenty of exciting sequences to keep my interest.

If you like Holmes' style of detective work, you'll like this one, as long as you don't mind a little Christian love thrown in for good measure.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Click the stars for a description of my rating system

Are you looking for something to read for the All Male Review Challenge? This is a book with both a male protagonist and a male author! Score!