The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley Random House, 2009 373 pages I think it was in one of my college lit classes that I first heard the term "antihero." Before that point, I had encountered the character type but had never had a name for it. For those who aren't … Continue reading The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Skulduggery Pleasant
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy HarperCollins, 2007 392 pages On the whole, I'm not much of a fantasy fan. I think Tolkien ruined the genre for me back in middle school, when I first read Lord of the Rings. After Tolkien, run-of-the-mill fantasy novels seemed so, well, run-of-the-mill: dry and derivative. There have been several … Continue reading Skulduggery Pleasant
Girl Sleuths and the Boys Who Appreciate Them
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stuart; ill. by Carson Ellis Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2007 485 pages As a girl, I loved mysteries, and I especially loved Nancy Drew. Most of the mystery stories and TV shows of my childhood starred heroes, not heroines (think Columbo, Encyclopedia Brown, and Magnum). But … Continue reading Girl Sleuths and the Boys Who Appreciate Them
Read Like a Girl 