The Giver by Lois Lowry

I'm not sure how I've gone my whole life without reading this book. Most people read it in elementary or middle school, but somehow I missed it.

**spoiler warning--I figure most people have read this book, but if you haven't and don't want to know the ending, you probably shouldn't read this post**

The Giver is a dystopian children's novel about a boy named Jonas. In his society, there are no emotions, good or bad, and it is set far in the future. Everyone is pretty much the same and everything is controlled. There is no color, no snow, no hills, no hot or cold. There is one person in the society who holds all the memories of these kinds of things and he is called the Receiver. Jonas is called to be the new receiver and is slowly given memories from the old receiver, who he calls the giver. They come up with a plan to change their society so one person wouldn't have to hold all the pain and memories for everyone else. Jonas escapes the society to give the people a chance to experience the memories for themselves. The story ends super ambiguously with Jonas weak and cold and climbing a big mountain searching for another civilization.

When I finished the book I was mad at how unclear the ending was. What happened to Jonas? Did he find people? Did their plan work? Or did he die there on the mountain? He was freezing, starving, and in the middle of nowhere. I'm inclined to believe that Jonas died up there, still believing that he was close to a new life.

What do you think the ending meant?

4 out of 5 stars

My Fairy Godmother series by Janette Rallison

 It took me a day per book to read these gems. I'm always up for a good teen-lit fairy tale and these didn't disappoint! Chrysanthemum Everstar, aka Chrissy, is a Fair Godmother, not quite good enough to be a Fairy Godmother, which is why her teacher has assigned her to do some extra credit assignments to boost her grade. In book 1, Chrissy is sent to help 16-year-old Savannah who has just been dumped by her boyfriend for her older sister. Unfortunately she's already bought the perfect dress and now needs someone to take her to the prom, only a few weeks away! Savannah gets three wishes and the first two get her sent to the middle ages to play the part of Cinderella and then Snow White. When she wishes a "prince-type guy" will take her to the prom, she learns that a cute but quiet guy from school has been sent to the middle ages by Chrissy so that he can become a prince. Savannah must go and help Tristan become a prince so they can all get home, hopefully avoiding too much trouble along the way.

Book 2, My Unfair Godmother, is much like the first but still lots of fun. Her first extra credit project wasn't enough, so Chrissy is back to help another mortal with their dreary life. When her parents got divorced when she was a kid, Tansy didn't cope very well. She wouldn't talk to her dad on the phone and stopped reading novels because it used to be something they did together. She did things with the sole purpose of annoying her father. So when she is sent to stay with her dad, stepmom, and stepbrother for the summer, she finds Bo, who she believes is just misunderstood. After an already bad date gone wrong, Tansy finds herself in the police station and in a whole lot of trouble. Chrissy comes to grant three wishes, resulting in Robin Hood and his Merry Men showing up in Tansy's town and holding up local convenience stores. Further wishing lands Tansy and her family, plus gorgeous Hudson the police chief's son, in the middle ages. Tansy is forced to spin straw into gold for the king where she meets the manipulative Rumpelstiltskin. In order to get herself and her family home, Tansy must learn the moral to her story before it's too late.

I loved these books. They were witty, fun, had cute romances, and were so enjoyable to read. I love fairy tales and these were very fulfilling. Not too serious, though book 2 had a few serious moments, and perfect for a light and entertaining read. I highly recommend!

4 out of 5 stars

Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage

I've recently joined a new book club. I haven't actually been able to attend any of the meetings yet but I'm trying to read the books anyway. One of these months I'm convinced I'll be able to make it. Two months ago the assigned book was "Magyk" by Angie Sage. Little did I know that I was checking out the first of seven books in the series. If I'd known it would be such a commitment I'm not sure I would have taken the plunge.

How does one sum up an entire 7-book series?? I'm not so sure I'm up to the task but I'll do my best. The series has been compared to Harry Potter, targeted toward children and young adults, but aside from magic, I don't think they have much else in common. Septimus Heap is the seventh son of a seventh son, which, in the magical world, is very rare and means he is born with great magical power. As an infant he was stolen from his parents by agents of an evil and powerful magician, intended to become a dark apprentice, but through a mix-up, ended up in an army for kids with no knowledge of his true identity. The story brings him back to his family ten years later and Septimus begins his study of magic as the apprentice to the top wizard, Marcia Overstrand. Throughout the books Septimus fights evil alongside his adoptive sister, Princess Jenna (heir to the throne), best friend Beetle, and several of his Heap brothers.

Some of the books in this series were really good, others were kind of lame. One major problem I had with the series as a whole was that there was no overarching theme, dilemma, or objective to tie all seven books together. They could be grouped in pairs, trios, and singles: books 1+2, books 3+4+5, book 6, book 7. I think it desperately needed something to unify the series. In Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort pops up everywhere to create an epic battle at the end, culminating the efforts of the previous 6 books. Lord of the Rings has evil Lord Sauron and the Ring to keep the heroes busy throughout the trilogy. A series of this length needs something to unify the story, and poor Septimus just didn't have it.

Also I felt that the author went on a lot of boring and useless tangents. I had to skim read a lot, which I hate because it wastes my time. I shouldn't have to skim to get to the good parts. It's annoying.

I thought the characters were really fun. I loved Septimus and his best friend Beetle. By book 7 I had a little girl crush on Beetle. He's adorable. I liked how magic was presented and that it was different from HP.

Overall I enjoyed the series but there were definitely some flaws. Perhaps it would be enjoyed more by kids.  This was a fun read but long, so only start if you're willing to see it through. Starts a little slow but it picks up as you go.

3 out of 5 stars