Girl, Stolen by April Henry

Lying in the back seat, Cheyenne is sick and waiting for her stepmother to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy. Her stepmom has left the car keys in case she gets cold. Covered up with a blanket, Cheyenne hears someone enter the car and start it up, racing out of the parking lot. From the way the person is driving she knows this is not her stepmom. Who is this person and what is happening? Cheyenne doesn't know because she's blind.
Griffin is a young man a few years older than Cheyenne. He lives with his dad Roy who runs a chop shop. Griffin's mom use to be around until he was seriously burned in an accident when she mysteriously left to go live with her family. When Griffin sees the Cadillac Escalade SUV with the keys in, he knows he just has to take it. He wasn't there to steal cars, only Christmas packages from the cars at the mall. How could he be so stupid not "to see past the keys dangling in the ignition." Now he has a bigger problem on his hands - a blind girl in the backseat. He can't just let her go. The cops will find him too quickly.
So Griffin takes her back to his dad's house and shop. Griffin wants to let Cheyenne go, but when his father learns that she is Cheyenne Wilder, the daughter of the president of Nike, he is determined to ransom millions from him.

But things turn ugly quickly and both Griffin and Cheyenne must make difficult choices. Will Griffin help Cheyenne escape? Can Cheyenne trust Griffin to protect her from Roy and his men?

April Henry's book is another twist on the kidnapped girl theme that is currently very popular in YA fiction. It follows books like Stolen (Lucy Christopher), Living Dead Girl (Elizabeth Scott) and The missing girl (Norma Fox Mazer).

In Henry's tale, there is the added tension of not knowing just where Griffin's loyalties lie. Griffin is portrayed as a basically good kid caught in bad circumstances. He is a thief but Henry shows us that he does have some redeeming qualities. He seems to want to do the right thing but is terrified of his father. He develops a growing attraction to Cheyenne whose helplessness and illness seems to bring out the protector instinct in Griffin. When Griffin gradually comes to the realization of what his father is planning to do, he realizes the situation has escalated far beyond auto theft.

The twist at the end seems highly implausible. But Henry leaves it open to the reader's interpretation. Told from both Cheyenne and Griffins perspective, Girl Stolen is an enjoyable, suspenseful read!

Book Details:
Girl, Stolen. A novel by April Henry
New York: Henry Holt & Company 2010
213 pp

Girl, Stolen

The year of finding memory by Judy Fong Bates

Synopsis:
Judy Fong Bates came to Canada with her mother in 1955, reuniting with her father who had lived in Canada on and off since 1914. Her father ran a hand laundry business in small-town Ontario.
In 2006, after both her parents were dead, Fong Bates returned to China with 12 other relatives and more than thirty pieces of luggage in what she thought would be a kind of tourist trip to see her parents ancestral villages and to learn more about her family history. She was also interested in learning more about her parents and why they were so unhappy in their marriage. What led these two very different people to marry in the first place. What WAS their story?
What Judy Fong Bates discovered offered a very different picture of her parents lives. She was able to fill in many blanks and to uncover some shocking truths about her mother.

I wanted to enjoy this memoir but I felt in some ways it didn't meet up with my expectations.

First off, I found the number of family characters simply overwhelming. It was hard to keep track of who belonged to whom despite the list of family at the beginning of the novel. Perhaps a family tree would have been beneficial. After finishing the book I felt that I didn't know any of the authors family, including herself and her husband, any better than when I started. The lone exception was the mother to some degree. None of Fong-Bates family are portrayed with any depth, including her husband whom she seems to adore. I also didn't know she had two daughters until well into the book.

Fong-Bates mother married at age 16 to a handsome but "very no-good man" who had a serious addiction to opium and was abusive. She left him and went to live with her brother. Eventually in 1930, her mother was hired by her father to teach in his village of Ning Kai Lee. After many years, and a very convoluted life in which circumstances worked against her, her mother married her father who was much older and was living most of the time in Canada working as a launderer. They soon had a daughter, Judy. When she and her mother joined her father in Canada in 1955, life was difficult and her parents fought a great deal of the time. Judy was often caught in the middle. This made her wonder why they had married in the first place and whether they had ever loved one another.Thus the trips to China.

Through meeting her many relatives in China Fong-Bates was able to piece together her mother's life and why she entered into this marriage. Unfortunately, we know little of her father's story, which also would have been interesting since he came to Canada in 1914 and was, at the end of his life, a broken man who eventually committed suicide.

The story that emerged was one of thwarted dreams and of two people who were victims of circumstances and events well beyond their control. There is great tragedy in both lives. The sense of tragedy comes out in The year of finding memory but at times gets lost in the telling. This is because the revelations are mixed in with a sort of touristy account of visits to various relevant areas of China, intermingled with conversations of relatives, Fong-Bates life in Canada, and her mother's life. It made the storyline of what is primarily her mother's life very difficult to follow. In fact, I found at times I had to go back a reread portions of the story to help me fit in the new information as it was revealed. Still, there are some parts of the book that are particularly heart-rending; the account of Fong-Bates father's suicide is one such portion.

Another difficulty is the author assuming that readers will know their early 20th century history of China. To this end, a prologue perhaps outlining this period would have been most helpful for setting the background. As an example, I am sure there will be some readers asking who are the Kuomintang?

The map at the front of the book was bland and too small to be useful. The book could have been significantly enhanced by larger photos of family members as well as pictures of her parents ancestral villages, the homes, rice fields and even some photos of family members they encountered on their two trips to China. After all, we got a verbal account of this part of the whole discovery process so why not enhance it visually?

All in all, this was an average book done in the form of storytelling that I felt could have been truly exceptional if done in a different manner. I still plan to read her "Midnight at the Dragon Cafe".

Book Details:

The year of finding memory by Judy Fong Bates
Random House Canada 2010
296pp

Amy By Any Other Name by Maureen Garvie

Amy By Any Other Name is a kind of redo of "Freaky Friday" that doesn't end quite so happily.
Two teen girls have accidents on the same day in May; 15 year old Goth girl Krystal Maria Marques steps in front of a car in downtown Toronto while 16 year old wealthy over-achiever Amy Wexford dives off a cliff in a quarry hitting a rock. Both girls begin to die and when they are brought back to life at the same hospital in Toronto, their out of body souls collide and they end up switching bodies. This soul switch leads to some serious identity crises for both girls, which in my opinion is somewhat glossed over in the novel. I would think anyone undergoing this experience would have some serious emotional and mental health issues. Instead, Amy seems to approach the entire situation with a maturity that seems almost super-human.

Despite this, I thought  Amy By Any Other Name was well written and fascinating. The story is told from the point of view of Amy inside Krystal's body. Amy and Krystal are complete opposites both in body type, looks and likes. Although both girls have been seriously injured, Krystal's body has suffered the more severe injuries. Amy not only has to cope with being in a different body that's injured but also with being in a body that is completely unsuited to the life she led as Amy. Amy essentially has to remake Krystal's body to fit the person she was in her own body. But she also now has Krystal's life, which was not going well and which was not a privileged as Amy's former life. Amy tells a few people whom she thinks she might be able to trust, what has happened to her. These people do not really believe her because the whole idea is preposterous.
We eventually learn how Krystal is coping with being in Amy's body and adapting to Amy's life when the two meet later on. Although Krystal gets the better deal, in some ways her life is just as much a struggle as Amy's is.
Amy is determined to recover her body and sets out with a plan and the same sort of determination she had when she was Amy the elite rower and top student. But will her plan succeed or will she be forever trapped in a body that is not hers? Either way, she and Krystal will face many challenges.

This story has us consider what defines us. Are we just our souls, thoughts, feelings and experiences? Do our bodies matter? Can we really exist in another body? What Garvie wants us to consider is both disturbing and unique.

A well crafted book suited to teens and adults.

Book Details:
Amy By Any Other Name by Maureen Garvie
Key Porter Books
256pp.

Tangled

I went to see Tangled on Friday night and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Generally I'm not a big fan of Disney movies and especially their fairytale animations. I saw the Frog Princess in the summer and thought it was terrible. The two lead characters were frogs for most of the movie. Not exactly exciting to watch. I also wasn't keen on the use of voodoo in the movie which my younger daughter thought was creepy.
Tangled was in a different class all together. Tangled is the title Disney gave to it's animated version of the fairytale, Rapunzel. Although initially the studio focused on the female character, Rapunzel, it was decided to redo the movie from the point of view of the prince. The story begins with the king and queen of a country having a baby. When the queen has difficulty during the birth, the citizens of the kingdom scour the countryside looking for a rare healing flower. Once found, the queen is given the essence of the flower to help her recover. A baby girl, Rapunzel is soon born. However, that flower had been hidden for years and used by an old witch to remain young. Now that the flower is gone she decides to kidnap Rapunzel who retains the flower's power to heal and restore youth. Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower hidden deep within the forest. The story picks up when Rapunzel is 18 years old.

Along comes Flynn Rider, not a prince but a thief on the run after stealing the princess's crown and who escapes into the forest to hide. He finds Rapunzel in the tower. This "prince" however is NOT interested in rescuing Rapunzel and she must convince him to help her escape so that she can see the special lanterns that float into the sky every year on her birthday.
What follows is a series of exciting adventures leading to Rapunzel eventually reuniting with her royal parents.

In many ways, Flynn Rider is typical of many modern young men - self-absorbed, immature, uncommitted and interested in only saving himself. But Rapunzel is not to be put off. She is a take-charge kind of girl whose virtues of loyalty, purity and honesty gradually rub off on Flynn. For Rapunzel the decision to leave the tower is a difficult one because she is torn between being an obedient daughter and doing what she so desperately wants – to be a grown up making her own decisions in life.

Gradually Flynn Rider changes and becomes a “knight in shining armor” in part due to Rapunzel’s influence on him. She is the classic young woman of virtue and beauty who redeems a man. In the end, there is a "happily ever-after"!

This movie was excellent because it had an interesting plot, absolutely incredible animation, excellent singing, and some great characters. The horse, Maximus, stole the show in this movie. He was hilarious and most of the adults in the theatre seemed to enjoy this character the most. The medieval bar characters are also well done.

The animation is beyond belief especially well done when combined with the 3D. The lantern scene has to be one of the best to date.

Enjoy the trailer and then go see Tangled!

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

The much awaited second book in Westerfeld's WWI steampunk trilogy, Behemoth was exciting but at times, confusing.
Like the first book, it was jam-packed with action, racing from one exciting adventure to the next. While this kept me as a reader engaged, at times it was confusing to follow and difficult to see just where Westerfeld was going with the plot.

The book opens with the Leviathan encountering two German warships and almost being destroyed by a Tesla cannon - a type of electrical weapon whose purpose is to ignite the hydrogen warships that Britain flies, thus destroying them.

Eventually the Leviathan reaches its destination of Constantinople, Turkey where Dr. Barlow has a secret mission to the Sultan. At this time, Alek, Volger, Klopp, Hoffman and Bauer attempt to escape the Leviathan as they come to realize that they are now in fact, prisoners of war. Alek, Klopp and Bauer are successful but instead of going into hiding, Alek becomes involved in with the revolutionary Committee of Union and Progress to overthrow the Sultan. While in Instanbul they come to realize that the Germans have managed to bring the Sultan to their side and have heavily mechanized the city.  The Germans are also constructing a enormous Tesla cannon above the city. The Germans wish to block the supply lines to Russia, thus starving the army and preventing them from aiding the British in the war. To accomplish this they want to close the Dardanelles.
To prevent this from happening, Deryn (as midshipman Dylan Sharp) is sent on a secret mission to open up the Dardanelles Strait so the Leviathan can lead the Behemoth in to destroy the German warships and thus keep The Straits open. Deryn's attraction to Alek, leads her back to Istanbul to try to locate and help him. She too is eventually drawn into helping Alek and the revolutionaries in overthrowing the Sultan. This all builds to an exciting confrontation on various levels.


To be honest I don't feel the book is accurately titled. There is very little in the way of build-up as to what the behemoth is and in fact, the Behemoth plays only a very small part in the overall storyline.

There is no doubt that the book has breathtaking action, imaginative creatures (vitriolic barnacles and Spottiswoode Rebreather, "an underwater apparatus created from fabricated creatures...."), outrageous machines of all types including djinns, golems and elephants, and colourful characters (Eddy Malone, an American with a talking bullfrog). There are the wonderful pencil illustrations by Keith Thompson which add to the overall visualization of the storyline, although a map would have been a welcome addition to the book since geography is pivotal to the plotline.

It is interesting to see how Westerfeld has created two societies who are the extreme opposite of each other. Clankers have taken technology to an extreme with their highly mechanized society. The Darwinists have taken genetic engineering to its extreme with their fabricated creatures. Of the two cultures, the Darwinist culture seems to be the more humane in some ways, showing an understanding of the ecological relationship between living things they have fabricated. The Leviathan is an ecosystem by itself. The Darwinists however, draw the line at these creatures not being capable of independent thought.

Although both Clankers and Darwinists show repulsion for the other's society, it seems that when each is exposed to the other's culture their views are modified somewhat. This is especially true for Alek who tells Dylan "Perhaps I'm putting this stupidly. But it's almost as though...I'm in love with your ship (the Leviathan)." It feels right here." Alek shrugged. "As if this is where I'm meant to be."

Overall, a good second part to this trilogy and highly recommended!

Book Details:
Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
Simon Pulse: New York 2010
485pp.

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

The Chosen One is one of several titles released in 2009 that deal with plygamist cults. Sister Wife explores the issue of forced marriage of young girls in these cults in Canada while The Chosen One is set in rural United States.
Kyra Carlson, 13 years old, is part of a polygamist family made up of 20 children her father and his three wives. The story opens with her family receiving a visit from The Prophet, Mark Childs and his Apostles who inform Kyra's parents that she will be her Uncle Hyrum's 7th wife! Kyra is horrified and determined to avoid this marriage even if it means leaving the cult. But she is fearful too becuase she knows people have disappeared in situations similar to hers where there was resistance and she knows the girl is always forced into the marriage.
Complicating matters is the fact that Kyra is attracted to 16 year old Joshua Johnson, whom she has been secretly meeting for the past 7 months.

Kyra's father attempts to intervene for her but is unsuccessful. Joshua's request to marry Kyra is disastrous, leading to violence and his being run out of the cult. The entire situation further escalates to the point where Kyra must make a decision that may place her not only herself but her family in great danger.

Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that Kyra has been secretly visiting the Ironton County Mobile Library van that has been stopping on a rural road near her cult's commune. She befriends the driver, Patrick and it is he who offers to help her in her dire need. But the cult is not willing to let Kyra get away so easily.

The Chosen One deals with the many concerns the we as a society have about polygamous cults including issues of control, forced marriage, violence, isolation and the social displacement of young men who are referred to as "Lost Boys".

Overall, this novel was well-written and fast-paced. We walk with Kyra as she explores her options and how she reasons her way through, hoping to find a solution. A few loose ends could have been tidied up by the author but otherwise this was a good presentation of an unusual, but important topic.

Sister Wife and The Chosen One are very similar in many ways but the subject matter is more realistically portrayed and better balanced in the former novel. Both touch on the difficulties former members of polygamous cults must face when attempting to assimilate into modern culture. In these novels we see how young children are conditioned to accept forced marriage and how every aspect of life is controlled. Kyra seemed less troubled by the effects her choices might have on her family than Celeste in Sister Wife.

It's hard to understand how such cults have continued to exist in our society today when it's obvious that they cause great harm to both young women and men.

Book Details:

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
St. Martin's Griffin: New York 2009
213pp.

Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Double Identity is a strange exploration of the issue of cloning and especially cloning humans.
Just before Bethany Cole's 13th birthday, her parents pack her into the family car and drive thousands of miles nonstop to the small town of Sanderfield, Illinois. Once there, she is left with Myrlie an aunt she has never met, with no explanations, some strange bits of conversation overheard and no idea when or even if her parents will return. Overhearing her father mention that she "does not know about Elizabeth" only adds to her fears. Who is Elizabeth?
The puzzles deepens as Bethany discovers her aunt seems to know many of her personal perferences and that she seems to resemble someone familiar to Sanderfield residents. When Bethany receives a package from her father containing 4 different sets of ID and a large amount of cash, the mystery and fear escalate. Who are her parents running from and why have they hidden her here?
Haddix gradually reveals who Elizabeth is (although the reader likely figures this one out very quickly), who Bethany is and the tragedy that led to the secret now unraveling Bethany's family and life. But the mystery of why her parents are in hiding is not revealed until the very end and in a somewhat contrived manner.
Double Identity explores issues of identity, selfworth and especially how new reproductive/scientific technologies might impact the people created by their use.
Athough this novel was written in 2005, we are beginning to experience a consideration of these issues in society at large today. Children created through the use of artificial insemination (AI) from anonymous sperm donors are seeking the right to know details about their biological father. They are asking society to consider the rights of the child and the right to know who he or she is.
Similarly Bethany feels betrayed and as though she has no real, unique self or value. But by the end of the novel, she begins to discover that her life had meaning before and will continue to do so.
I am thirteen years old now - nearly thirteen and a half. And with each second that passes, I mover further into territory Elizabeth never entered. Nobody knows what Elizabeth would have been like at fourteen, at fifteen, at sixteen. She is a ghost that will haunt me less and less, the older I get.

Although the ending is somewhat contrived and it seems that events come together in a too easy manner, this conclusion is typically satisfying. There is lots to think about here, in particular, the age old question regarding the use of scientific technology; just because we are capable of doing something, does this mean we ought to do it?

Book Details:

Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers: Toronto
218pp

Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Turnabout explores the themes of ageing and perpetual youth. Could we live forever? Would we want to? What if we could unage or stop aging altogether?

Turnabout tells the story of two of 50 elderly volunteers at a nursing home who are selected to participate in Project Turnabout. They will undergo a series of injections of PT-1 - a drug that caused laboratory rats to unage. The unaging process was then stopped in middle age and the rats simply stopped aging. Among the volunteers are 100 year old Amelia Lenore Hazelwood and 102 year old Anny Beth Flick. Unexpectedly, there are glitches from the beginning of the experiment. But when the second stage of the experiment fails, Amelia (Melly) and Anny decide to leave "The Agency" nursing home and live their unaging lives in freedom and quietly.

Haddix tells her story in alternating time frames. The first time frame is from a current perspective, from April 21 to June 3, 2085, as Melly and Anny try to cope with unaging from adolescence. Melly having just had her 16th birthday is becoming increasingly distraught over who will be her caretaker as she unages to babyhood. The second time frame tells the story in flashback from 2000 when the experiment was undertaken, to the present in the story which is the year 2085. So although time moves forward from 2000; instead of aging, Amy and Melly are growing younger and reliving their lives.

This book was fascinating to read because the author explores how we might feel if we had a chance to live our lives over again. The two main characters, Melly and Anny have different perspectives on this. The novel also explores the idea that when we go against our nature, disastrous things often happen.

Sphinx's Princess, Sphinx's Queen by Esther Friesner

Sphinx's Princess offers readers a fictional story of Egyptian princess Nefertiti, about her life before she became queen of Egypt.

The story opens with four-year-old Nefertiti struggling with nightmares of lions who hunt her. Her father, Ay, learning about what her night terrors involved, asks the goddess Isis to banish the evil dreams. Ay tells her that she was born further down the Nile, where the pyramids are located. At the time, Nefertiti's father served Pahraoh. Ay and Nefertiti's mother were travelling with Pharaoh and Ay's sister, Pharaoh's Great Royal Wife, Queen Tiye. On the night Nefertiti was born, she was given the Sphinx as a guardian - part man, lion, and god. Her father tells her she was born in one of the rest houses , "...where the pyramid tombs guard the kings and queens...where the Great Sphinx crouches on sand and rock, greeting the sunrise."

The story then moves to the following year when at the age of five,  Nefertiti's life began to change. In Akhmin, during the Festival of Inundation, her father marries Nefertiti's nursemaid, Mery. Nefertiti isn't happy about this and is indifferent when she learns Mery is expecting a baby. But that changes when the baby, a girl Mery names Mutnodjmet, is born. Mery asks Nefertiti to chose a name for her baby sister and she chooses "Bit-Bit, which means a double helping of honey." 

Nefertiti becomes very attached to Bit-Bit. One day Nefertiti meets a scribe, Henenu who helps Nefertiti when she believes that Bit-Bit has been stung by a scorpion. Henenu is a dwarf who becomes a frequent visitor to Nefertiti's family's home as he has known her father since they were boys. Henenu is one of Pharaoh's best scribes. He secretly begins tutoring Nefertiti, teaching her how to read and write whenever he came to Akhmin, retreating to the family garden. There he taught Nefertiti new words, "...new papyrus scrolls containing stories of the gods and goddesses, of pharaohs and queens from distant times, of love and adventure, even of the world that lay beyond the borders of the Black Land!"  The only problem was Bit-Bit who had to be directed somewhere else so Nefertiti and Henenu could have their lesson.

One day during a lesson from Henenu, ten-year-old Nefertiti becomes angry at the little scribe for laughing at a verse she wrote about the goddess Isis. Her temper tantrum causes Bit-Bit to return to the garden, and Nefertiti's rage at her little sister eventually brings her father, who discovers the lessons. When he confronts Henenu in the presence of Nefertiti and Bit-Bit, Nefertiti demands to know how learning to write was responsible for her mother's death. Ay reveals that Nefertiti's mother came to the Black Land from Mitanni. She was a scribe like Henenu and very beautiful. However, his sister, Tiye who is the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh, commanded Nefertiti's mother to be available at all times. When they were on their way journeying with the king and queen to Khufu's Horizon, Nefertit's mother tripped and fell and this cause her to be born early. Nefertit's mother died shortly afterwards. Ay admits to Nefertiti that they were afraid of his sister, Queen Tiye and should have stood up to her. She used her scribes, including Nefertiti's mother to transcribe her spies reports. Ay is determined that Nefertiti will not continue her lessons because this places her in danger of being used by Queen Tiye who has much power.

Before the Festival of Inundation, Ay invites the high priest to a lavish dinner as part of his investigation of the temples. Thirteen-year-old Nefertiti and Bit-Bit dance for him, and when his attempt to bribe Ay fails, he suggests that Nefertiti dance at the festival with the other maidens. However, Nefertiti faces jealousy from the other girls who are daughters from important families in Ahkmin, especially after learning it was the high priest's son, Ikeni who made a recent marriage proposal. During the dance Nefertiti falls off the dancing platform into the river and is saved from drowning by a young slave girl, Mahala who is from Habiru. However, the slave girl is taken away to be executed because the high priest of Isis declared that Nefertiti's fall into the river was the will of the goddess Isis and of Hapy as well. Anyone aiding Nefertiti would be offending the god. This revelation is devastating to Nefertiti and she secretly visits the house of the high priest to beg for the girl's life. However, the high priest tells her that the slave girl has already been executed and that he expects that Nefertiti will now marry his son, Ikeni since she tricked him into bringing her to see him. As a result Nefertiti is made a prisoner in the house of the high priest, but she manages to escape through trickery and arrives home the next morning to find that her father has been searching the city for her. 

Nefertiti's life takes a dramatic change after her father Ay and his family is ordered to Abydos by Queen Tiye.  Nefertiti is gifted an impressive "...many stranded necklace of gold, lapus lazuli, and rock crystal beads, with an enameled pendant of the goddess Hathor." by Queen Tiye. In Abydos Neferiti and her family are housed in Amun's temple where she encounters Henenu. After listening to Nefertiti describing what happened during the Festival of Iundation, Henenu suggests that Mahala who was a young, healthy, skilled musician may still be alive.

Nefertiti soon learns why her family has been suddenly ordered to Abydos: Queen Tiye, Pharaoh's Great Royal Wife and Nefertiti's paternal aunt has decided that she will marry her son, Crown Prince Thutmose. Ay tells the queen that he wants Nefertiti and Bit-Bit to marry men they love, while Neferititi states that she isn't sure she even wants to marry. However, Queen Tiyre is not to be dissuaded as she wants to ensure her son remains Crown Prince and eventually becomes Pharaoh. Although Ay attempts to reason with his sister, Queen Tiye, in the end he tells Nefertiti that Queen Tiye has threatened to accuse him along with a certain priest of Isis that he has "blasphemed against the gods". This would mean the enslavement of their entire family and all their possessions confiscated. Ay tells Nefertiti that he has managed to delay her marriage to Thutmose for three years while she learns the practices of the royal court. Nefertiti is to travel to the royal court in Thebes while Ay, Mery and Bit-Bit return to Akhmin.

In the royal palace at Thebes, Nefertiti must forge a new life with Pharaoh's family the harsh rule of Queen Tiye, while navigating the political intrigues of the palace. Although Prince Thutmose appears completely disinterested in Nefertiti, she forms a strong friendship with his brother, Amenophis who shows her around the palace, takes her on chariot rides through Thebes, and even teaches her to drive a chariot. After several bouts of illness, Pharaoh Amenhotep decides that he and Queen Tiye will travel to Dendra to pay homage to the temple of Hathor to worship the goddess in thanksgiving for his return to health. He names Thutmose to rule in his place.

In what seems to be a strange change of heart,  Thutmose gives Nefertiti his chariot and horses, frees her from marrying him and tells her he will send her back to her family in Akhmin in three days. But in a stunning and terrifying turn of events, Nefertiti is accused of the sacrilege of killing Thutmose's beloved cat, Ta-Miu. She soon learns that she is the object of a vast conspiracy by Thutmose. Following her sham trial and imprisonment, Nefertiti must rely on her friends to help her outwit Thutmose and the priests of Amun.

Discussion

Esther Friesner has crafted an exciting story that captures the intrigue of the Egyptian Royal Court and provides young readers with an imaginative and informative look into life in 14th century BC Egypt. The novel, Sphinx's Princess incorporates much historical detail about Ancient Egypt.

It is believed that Nefertiti was born sometime around 1370 B.C. Historical evidence is not conclusive about Nefertiti's early life or her parentage. As presented in Friesner's novel, Nefertiti is believed to be the daughter of Ay, who was a member of the royal court and a possible brother of Tiye, the mother of King Akhenaton. His wife was Tey who was also Nefertiti's nursemaid but it's also possible she was Nefertiti's mother. Another theory, as presented in this novel, is that Nefertiti was the daughter of Ay and his first wife who died before Nefertiti became queen, making Tey her stepmother. Ay and Tey lived in the Middle Egyptian city of Achmim. 

Friesner portrays the Egyptian court as full of intrigue especially involving Queen Tiye who was the Great Royal Wife of Amenhotep III. History describers her as an intelligent and a formidable woman who was involved in the administration of her husband's reign as Pharaoh. She was a trusted advisor to Pharaoh and often met with foreign dignitaries.  In the novel, Queen Tiye is portrayed as a woman of considerable influence with the ability to influence the fate of even Pharaoh's most trusted advisors. Even her own brother is unable to persuade her to change her mind in betrothing Nefertiti to Crown Prince Thutmose. Queen Tiye and Amenhotep III had at least six children, of which Crown Prince Thutmose was the eldest son and expected heir to the throne. His death at a young age left his younger brother Amenhotep IV (Akhenaen) to become Pharaoh.

Nefertiti married Akhenaton (known as Amenhotep IV before he left Thebes) although it's uncertain if she married Akhenaton before or shortly after he became king in 1351 B.C. Both were likely very young teenagers when they married and she was Pharaoh's Great Royal Wife. Akhenaton also had an older brother, Crown Prince Thutmose. Over a period of ten years, Akhenaton and Nefertiti had six daughters: Meritaten, Meketaten who died when she was ten years old, and a third daughter, Ankhesenpaaten all of whom were likely born in Thebes. Ankhesenpaaten would become the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Tutankhamen. The family then moved to Akhetaten, where the Pharaoh decided to build a new royal residence. Akhenaton and Neftiti established a new religion which worshipped the sun disc, Aten. It was Egypt's first montheistic religion.  It was during this move that Amenhotep changed his name to Akhenaton which means "pleasing to Aten". In Akhetaten they had three more daughters: Neferneferuaten Tasherit, Neferneferure, and Setepenre.

It's not known when or where Nefertiti died and her mummy nor that of King Akhenaton have ever been found. However, on December 6, 1912 duing the ongoing archeological excavation at Tell el-Amarna,  a bust of Nefertiti was recovered from what appeared to be the house of the sculptor, Thutmose. The bust, carved from limestone and painted, was discovered by German archeologist Ludwig Borchardt's team and currently resides in the Neues Museum, in Berlin, Germany. It offers an exquisite portrait of a queen who became synonymous with feminine beauty and whose name means "the beautiful one has come forth"

Sphinx's Princess is divided into three parts labelled by the setting of the story: Part I Akhmin, Part II Abydos,  and Part III Thebes. The author develops the setting and the characters in Part I, providing a backstory to Nefertiti by describing her family life in Akhmin and portraying her as a young girl who is strong, intelligent, and determined.  In Parts II and III, Nefertiti's life in the royal court of Pharaoh Amenhotep III is imagined while portraying Egyptian beliefs and further developing both the characters and the storyline. 

Because so little is known about Nefertiti, author Esther Friesner had the freedom to craft an engaging historical novel for young readers. In fitting with modern sensibilities, Friesner presents Nefertit as a strong, wilful young girl who is determined to forge her own path as much as is possible within Egyptian society. History tells us that Nefertiti learned to drive a chariot as there are numerous portrayals of her driving a chariot alone. It is possible that Nefertiti did learn to read and possibly write as this was not just limited to Egptian men.  In the novel,  Nefertiti is told by the scribe Henenu that she has no need to learn to read and write, but wealthy and elite Egyptian women could become scribes. Friesner incorporates this possibility into the novel with Nefertiti's mother having been a scribe (historians do not know for certain). Henenu does agree to teach Nefertiti to read and write, her lessons continuing even in the palace at Thebes. 

In Sphinx's Princess, the story focuses on the fictional relationship between Nefertiti and Crown Prince Thutmose. The Crown Prince is portrayed as a somewhat cruel and suspicious young man, the result of his mother, Queen Tiye's influence. Henenu tells Nefertiti "He was a merry child, but then the queen began teaching him that a future Pharaoh must always be dignified, as befits a god on earth....Queen Tiye insisted on training all the joy out of him..." Thutmose is strong and handsome, the very opposite of his brother Amenophis who is skinny, with oversized hands, a soft belly and an elongated head. The latter is so unlike an Egyptian prince that Nefertiti initially believes he is a servant. Thutmose is portrayed as indifferent towards Nefertiti and self-absorbed. Like his mother, Thutmose views almost everyone with suspicion: he believes that Amenophis is trying to steal Nefertiti from him. Amenophis tells Nefertiti, "...my brother is afraid of me and it breaks my heart. He can't even look at me without believing that my only desire is to take everything away from him. His fear and bitterness and jealousy are a sickness that's eating away at him. "  Thutmose's character is revealed when Nefertiti is framed for the disappearance of his beloved cat, imprisoned with an impending death sentence. Although initially Nefertiti believes he is attempting to help her, she quickly discovers this is not the case.

Friesner incorporates the religious beliefs of Egyptians of this time period through the character of Nefertiti. Almost every aspect of Egyptian life involved religious practices and beliefs and there are For example, the ship they take to Abydos has a sail painted with the image of the vulture goddess Nekhebet, who protects children, mothers and Pharaoh. The Egyptians believed in numerous gods and goddesses and this is shown through the character of Nefertiti. For example, she believes that the slave girl, Berett whose sister Mahala was executed will speak again, "Thoth will use his wisdom to heal you, Isis will comfort you, and the god of physicians Imhotep, will send me a dream telling me how we're going to find your voice again.". Nefertiti prays to the gods she believes in for the safety of her family as they journey back to Akhmin without her: "Blessed Isis, protect my father, my mother, my sister. Generous Hapy, give them a safe voyage home on your sacred river. Sweet Hathor, grant that we will meet again soon, in joy and peace...Great Sekhmet give me your strength to stand firm against anyone--anyone!-- who tries to change who I am into someone they think I ought to be..."

The Egyptian belief in the cat as a sacred animal is central to the storyline in Sphinx's Princess.At the dinner Thutmose has for his family in Pharaoh's absence, there is reference to Thutmose's beloved cat Ta-Miu being a "sacred animal" and the feast of Bast. Soon after, Nefertiti is accused of having killed Ta-Miu, a crime that is considered sacriligeous and punishable by death. 

Sphinx's Princess is well written and offers an interesting treatment of a young Nefertiti. The novel's hanging ending encourages readers to consider the sequel, Sphinx's Queen which tells the story of Nefertit's continuing struggle to cope with royal politics and in particular Thutmose, the Royal Prince Nefertiti is expected to marry. 

Nefertiti bust image:

By Philip Pikart - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8433730

Highly recommended.

Book Details:

Sphinx's Princess by Esther Friesner
New York: Random House      2009

288 pp.

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

I am Number 4 opens with “John” on the move again. He fled his home planet Lorien when he was almost too young to remember in an attempt to escape a devastating surprise attack by the dark, evil Mogadorians. The Mogadorians attacked Lorien to rape it of its resources and take the planet for themselves. In an attempt to save what was left of their race, the Loriens sent 9 Garde children and their Cepan guardians to Earth to regroup, mature and come back to retake their homeland. However, their plan was discovered and the Mogadorians pursued the Loriens to Earth.

The nine Lorien children dispersed thoughout Earth. A charm had been placed on all 9 guaranteeing that they can only be killed in the order of their numbers. If they come together the charm is broken. When one is killed a circular scar wraps around the right ankle of those still alive. The first scar came when John was 9 years old. There have been two more scars as Number 2 and Number 3 have been hunted down and killed by the Mogardorians. John is next, hence the title of the book.

“John Smith” and his guardian, Henri are moving to Paradise, OH. At first John has trouble fitting in at the local high school. It’s important that John blend in and remain unremarkable but things just don’t work out that way. There are confrontations with Mark James, the son of the local sheriff and the ex-boyfriend of Sarah Hart who begins to develop a crush on John. Besides trying to fit in, John must cope with the development of his first “legacy” or special power, his growing feelings for Sarah, and his desire to settle down somewhere.

Their lives are permeated by the “cat and mouse” games that they must play in order to outwit the Mogadorians while remaining simple human folk to the inhabitants of Earth. John's cover is finally blown when disaster strikes at a party he and Sarah attend. And from this point on, events develop to the final breathtaking and heartbreaking confrontation.

I am Number Four is suspenseful and definitely a page-turning read. There's no doubt that I very much enjoyed this book for that reason. Author, Pittacus Lore (who it turns out is the disreputable James Frey and newbie Jobie Hughes) gradually reveals the details behind Lorien’s demise and the escape of the nine Lorien “Garde” who have come to Earth. These details are fascinating and fill in periods where there is less action in the story. While details about John’s life are missing, we get a sense of what life was like on Lorien from John’s flashback dreams of his early life and also through Henri’s eyes.

I have several complaints about the book though. 15 year old John is remarkably assured and confident for a teen, and an alien teen living on a strange planet! His relationship with Sarah has no depth to it, naturally because he’s only known her for a few months and yet he seems incredibly set on loving Sarah and staying with her even when Henri tells him it’s not the way of Loriens who love completely for life.

The book itself seems to have been written as movie script first and as a novel. And in fact, I am Number Four is being made into a movie:



At times the action seems paced as though the writer is envisioning how the action might play out on the big screen. I am Number Four is one of those books that could be made into a very good movie or it could be a monumental flop.

There is also the similarity to the Superman storyline - a superhero who can run fast, fly and is impervious to heat. Pittacus Lore covers himself by indicating at the very beginning that Lorien's are like the superheros that humans admire and dream about. There are also a few cheesy onliners in the dialogue.This is sci fi, after all!

Still, for young adult science fiction fans, I am Number Four promises to be an exciting new series.

Queen of Hearts by Martha Brooks

Queen of Hearts is a coming of age story set in the 1940's when tuberculosis and TB sanatoriums were a significant part of twentieth century life. Marie-Claire Cote is a headstrong 15 year old who contracts TB from a beloved uncle. She is sent "chase the cure" at Pembina Hills San along with her younger brother and sister who have also become ill with TB. At Pembina Hills she is placed in a room with Signy, a young woman like herself but whom she finds annoying and needy. Signy has been at the San for years now and has suffered through many different procedures in an attempt to beat her TB. All Marie-Claire wishes to do though, it to get out of the San and get on with her life. In typical teenage ways, she doesn't care much about Signy, who has been abandoned to the sanatorium by her wealthy parents.  Marie Claire discovers that the sanatorium has a life all its own, with patients who marry and people who are cured who come back to work there. She gradually understands that she must learn to be a "patient patient". During her time there, Marie-Claire begins to mature and even falls in love.


This book provided a fascinating glimpse into a era that passed away only a decade before I was born. I remember asking my parents about the local sanatorium with its huge windows. This era ended with the widespread use of antibiotics which cured TB.
I have to say that throughout most of the book the character, Marie-Claire was not a likeable one. In fact, I had most decidely disliked her but then suddenly she grew up and seemed to change at the end. This was reflected in her decision at the end of the book which redeemed her in my eyes.

I'm not sure how attractive this book will be to ordinary teen readers, but those who like historical fiction will enjoy this short Canadian novel by acclaimed author and playwright, Martha Brooks.

Book Review: A Long Labour: A Dutch Mother's Holocaust Memoir

I've discovered that there is whole genre of fiction I did not recognize as such - women's holocaust narrative which exists within the larger context of Dutch Holocaust Literature. The book, A Long Labour was written by Rhodea Shandler whose name at birth was Henriette Dwinger. Rhodea was a Dutch Jew born in Leeuwarden, Netherlands in 1918. She was one of the few Dutch Jews to survive the extermination of approximately seventy-five percent of Jews in Holland. In 1951, Rhodea emigrated to Canada with her husband, Ernst and their five daughters. For many years she felt no compulsion to share her experiences with her family until advancing age led her to the decision that her story must be told.She writes,"Strange that the urge to write often comes after a time lapse. Perhaps there is sufficient distance now between the events and my recording of them for my mind to rest, to be able to make sense of those long-ago occurrences."

I found this book provided a window into an aspect of WWII that I've rarely encountered other than in Anne Frank's Diary. Rhodea writes about some of the choices she had to make in order to save her life and the lives of those in her family. But she also writes about how she and other Jews were unable to help most and that they didn't know until after the war that they would never see those family members sent to work camps. In many parts of the book, these choices are stated in a very matter of fact manner, without much emotion. Perhaps, after the passage of so many years, Rhodea has come to terms with her choices. Nevertheless, they must have been extremely difficult ones to make. Her memories of returning home, of the struggle to reunite with surviving family members, of trying to reclaim personal belongings given to so-called friends for safe keeping and of trying to adjust to living in a society complicit with what happened are compelling.
The Long Labour also made me understand what it must have been like for the survivors whose connection to the past after World War II was often completely eradicated. Aunts, uncles, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers...sent away, never again to return. It must have seemed impossible.
The pictures put a face to the names in the book, and I was especially touched by the picture of Rhodea's brother Simon, playing his violin. Simon a gifted musician did not survive the Holocaust. The Introduction written by Dr. S. Lillian Kremer, University Distinquished Professor Emerita, KSU is well worth reading.
Rhodea Shandler died in 2006, shortly after the memoir's completion.

Book Details:
A Long Labour
A Dutch Mother's Holocaust Memoir

by Rhodea Shandler
2007 Ronsdale Press & Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre