Something Wicked Returns: Review of The Real Boy by Anne Ursu & Giveaway

Today is the first day of Something Wicked Returns!  Be sure to stop by Rainy Day Ramblings for Heather Hildenbrand and Dirty Blood. You can also find the Something Wicked Blog Hop HERE where we're giving away a $50 Gift Card! You can find all the Something Wicked information and learn how you can take part on the Something Wicked page.

Today I'm reviewing the middle grade fantasy, The Real Boy by Anne Ursu.  Walden Pond Press is generously giving away a signed hardcover copy to one lucky person as well! 

The Real Boy by Anne Ursu

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published: September 24, 2013 by Walden Pond Press

Source: Publisher

On an island on the edge of an immense sea there is a city, a forest, and a boy. The city is called Asteri, a perfect city that was saved by the magic woven into its walls from a devastating plague that swept through the world over a hundred years before. The forest is called the Barrow, a vast wood of ancient trees that encircles the city and feeds the earth with magic. And the boy is called Oscar, a shop boy for the most powerful magician in the Barrow. Oscar spends his days in a small room in the dark cellar of his master's shop, grinding herbs and dreaming of the wizards who once lived on the island generations ago. Oscar's world is small, but he likes it that way. The real world is vast, strange, and unpredictable. And Oscar does not quite fit in it.

But it's been a long time since anyone who could call himself a wizard walked the world, and now that world is changing. Children in the city are falling ill, and something sinister lurks in the forest. Oscar has long been content to stay in his small room in the cellar, comforted in the knowledge that the magic that flows from the trees will keep his island safe. Now, even magic may not be enough to save it.

 Anne Ursu writes simply poetically.  Not with a ton of fancy words or lengthy descriptions, but by keeping things simple and somehow piecing things together in a way that is astounding and stunning.

We are introduced to Oscar and this world with magic.  Oscar is only a hand to the greatest magician, he's not even an apprentice.  Oscar is use to his job and he likes it. He likes his routine, he likes being alone, he likes working with the plants and he likes having only his cats as company.  But in this book everything changes.  His routine is thrown off when he suddenly is thrust in charge of everything, even if temporarily.  And at the same time strange things suddenly start happening.  With help from a new friend Oscar may be the only one who can fix things, or even discover what is 'broken'.

Oscar is a child that reminded me of maybe an autistic child. He doesn't do well with people.  He doesn't know how to lie, or twist things to sound nice. He sees things literally so dealing with people is not his forte. He comes across as rude.  Because we are with Oscar we know this isn't his intention though and I felt for him right away.  He really just wants to be with his cats and not have anything to do the village folk nor the city folk.  And he's very, very smart.  He secretly reads and he knows all this magic.  He's secretly brilliant.

In this book we discover that maybe magic isn't the cure to everything. That maybe people shouldn't rely on it quite so much.  I liked this message a lot, and I liked how it came about slowly.  We not only get a different sort of character, one that children who may be be considered 'odd' can relate to, but we get a subtle message along with an unbelievably gorgeous story.  On top of that, you'll never even guess the twists that sneak in there!

I highly recommend this one! While I think it's perfect for ages 8-12 as recommended, it does have parts that are a bit scarier.  So my daughter, who is very sensitive to scary, won't read it until she's 10 or so (I'm guessing).  So those sensitive to scary things should keep that in mind.

Disclosure: I received this book for review purposes, all opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.

Walden Pond Press is generously giving away a signed hardcover copy of The Real Boy to one lucky person! 

This is open to US only.

You must be 13 or older to enter

Ends October 31st.

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Middle Grade Review- Guys Read: Other Worlds

Guys Read: Other Worlds Edited by Jon Scieska

Hardcover, 352 pages

Expected publication: September 17th, 2013 by Walden Pond Press
Source: Publisher
Age: 8-12 (though I recommend it for more mature MG readers)
Grades: 3-7

Other Worlds, the fourth volume in Jon Scieszka’s Guys Read anthology series for tween boys, features ten thrilling new tales of science fiction and fantasy from some of the biggest names in children’s literature.

Prepare yourself for ten trips into the unknown, as ten of your favorite writers—Rick Riordan, who has written an all-new and exclusive Percy Jackson tale, Tom Angleberger of Origami Yoda fame, Newbery medalist Rebecca Stead, Shannon Hale, D. J. MacHale, Eric Nylund, Kenneth Oppel, Neal Shusterman, Shaun Tan, and none other than the late Ray Bradbury—spin tales of fantasy and science fiction the likes of which you have never imagined.

Compiled by National Ambassador for Children’s Literature (and Secret Ambassador for the Intergalactic Alliance) Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: Other Worlds is sure to boldly take you where no reader has gone before.

I'm not big on anthologies, but I will read about anything Walden Pond Press puts out (seriously love them!) and I'm pretty open minded.  It's hard to review books like this but I'm going to do a few sentences for each story.

Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo by Rick Riordan- I've only read two Percy books and this one is clearly later on, but it's a contained story, you don't need to have read anything about him.  I actually like this older, more mature Percy more though and I'm more anxious to continue the series.  There are a few spoilery things, like I now know about a girlfriend who was not yet his girlfriend (where I had read to) and some other stuff, but nothing big. I think that the world aspects would be easy to latch onto for those who haven't read any of the books yet. It was also a decent length at 29 pages. I really liked it.   4 stars

Bouncing the Grinning Goat by Shannon Hale- While I like Shannon Hale a lot this story didn't work so well.  It's fantasy and I didn't feel like I got enough of a look at the world to really feel it.  It also felt a big disjointed to me.  I didn't hate it, but it wasn't really my thing either. 2 stars

The Scout by D.J. Machale- This one was quite good.  I loved that we assume one thing and then get a big twist at the end, it really surprised me.  And the whole time I was reading I had no idea what to expect.  This was one that we didn't need world building for so it worked very well as a short story.  I wouldn't mind more of this particular story actually. 4 stars

Rise of the RoboShoes by Tom Angleberger- This story was just silly.  Not really to my taste but I can see how some kids (boys in particular) would enjoy it. 2 stars

The Dirt on Our Shoes by Neal Shusterman- This is one of my favorites. This somehow had a well developed world in a very short story.  It's set in outer space on a ship that's about to land after being in space for 60+ years.  I really loved the setting and connected with the characters surprisingly well.  I would love more of this story! 5 stars

Plan B by Rebecca Stead- This story was pretty silly, but I liked it okay.  I liked the twists though I saw some things coming ahead of time. 3 stars

A Day In the Life by Shaun Tan- This is like a short comic strip.  It definitely didn't work for me, but I can see how some younger readers would enjoy it. 2 stars

The Klack Bros. Museum by Kenneth Oppel- This was a pretty decent story.  It had enough development to have enough of a connection with the characters.  It was easy to settle into the world since it's our own and I liked what it became. I don't want to spoil, so I won't share more, but it was a good story! 4 stars

The Warlords of Recess by Eric Nylund- This was another one that's just slightly ridiculous.  It works though.  It's silly, but I can see how lots of MG boys would think it's hilarious so I think it's perfect for this book even though it didn't work great for me.  3 stars

Frost and Fire by Ray Bradbury-This story wasn't for me, but that's just Ray Bradbury, his style isn't really to my liking.  However, I know that many will enjoy the story.  While I know it's well written and is a unique concept, I'm not sure what kids will think of it.  It's definitely a bit too gory for my liking but I know kids watch a lot of stuff on TV so it's up to what parents allow their children to read/watch.  I would recommend this particular story to more mature readers.  I know Bradbury fans will enjoy the story, so keep that in mind. It's just not my own personal style. 2 stars

Overall I enjoyed most of the stories and I liked being able to sit down and read through an entire short story. I think it's got a lot of great ones for MG boys, which is what it's aimed at.  While the book says ages 8-12 and grades 3-7 I don't think I would have my 8 year old read it, nor would I donate this one to her 3rd grade class.  I would say maybe 4th grade and up but 5th, 6th and 7th would probably be more along the right age range.

Disclosure: I received this book for review purposes, all opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.