#heather kassner
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JOMP BPC - October 15th - Black Books
🖤🖤🖤
#lauren james#heather kassner#penny joelson#justonemorepage#jompbpc#booklr#bookblr#trcc original#portraits#disabled characters#lgbt books
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“It was the day the stars fell. Have they fallen again?”He looked at her feet, as if a pile of stars might lie scattered on the ground.
- The forest of stars (Heather Kassner)
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July 2022 Books
The Castle of Tangled Magic by Sophie Anderson
I wanted to like this one. The inspiration from Russian fairy tales sounded promising! But I didn’t care for the story, which I couldn’t connect with. And the protagonist is a member of a formerly royal family whose apparent response to a revolution many years ago was to immediately and presumably peacefully surrender their status and take up a trade. The nature of this revolution is never made clear, but the protagonist sees her family’s royal past as something to be ashamed of, something she must compensate to others for. And knowing what I do of actual Russian history, this just...didn’t sit well with me.
The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate
Though perhaps not as profound (in a children’s-book way) as its predecessor, this one was charming. Applegate is good at creating animal protagonists who are anthropomorphized enough to bond with but also believable as their species.
Wreck at Ada’s Reef by Michael D. Beil
Some interesting mystery elements, but I didn’t care for the protagonist/narrator and had some content issues.
The Ghost Garden by Emma Carroll
Probably the best historical fiction of this month. My only fault with it is how very short it was! It felt more like the beginning of a series or at least a longer book--which regrettably doesn’t exist.
The Turnaway Girls by Hayley Chewins
Gorgeous prose. Did not care for the story at all.
The Gilded Girl and The Tarnished Garden by Alyssa Colman
“A Little Princess but set in New York with magic” is in theory an interesting premise, but the execution didn’t convincingly portray the period in which it was set.
SPOILERS also can we please have an adaptation or retelling of ALP where her father stays dead? It’s important thematically that this be the case.
The Tarnished Garden, despite its title, has very little connection to The Secret Garden and is more a direct sequel to The Gilded Girl, with similar unconvincing portrayal of turn-of-the-century society.
Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life by Kathleen Dalton
Read this as a counterpoint to McCullough’s biography. I liked Dalton’s perspective better--more balanced, less hagiographic without being a hatchet job. And she doesn’t dismiss asthma as purely psychological or manipulative. But my goodness, I feel for this family--the patterns of problematic parenting, the influence of the culture of muscular Christianity that led to self-loathing and insecurity for anyone who didn’t measure up. TR seems to have spent most of his life running from chronic illness, constructing an image of himself directly at odds with that, and pushing himself incredibly hard, which might have had something to do with his relatively early death at age sixty.
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes (reread)
I had forgotten how poignant this one is.
The Einsteins of Vista Point by Ben Guterson
A mystery with some supernatural elements. I especially enjoyed the family relationship--the sibling interactions, the running inside jokes--all quite believable. The book and the characters are in the spirit of classic children’s summertime adventure stories (the protagonist is even reading a series that appears to be an alternate version of the Swallows and Amazons books).
Very Rich by Polly Horvath
Bizarre and I have no idea what to make of it.
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell
Light-hearted and charming, with some surprising depth.
The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Volume 1 (Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant) by Diana Wynne Jones (reread)
Always enjoyable to revisit.
The Plentiful Darkness by Heather Kassner
Plenty of elegant prose and atmosphericness, but I was disoriented by the world and detached from the characters.
The Edge of In Between by Lorelei Savaryn
I wanted to love this one. A retelling of The Secret Garden by a Christian (Catholic) author? So much potential. She even begins the book with an epigram from The Great Divorce!
...but the other epigram was “If you look the right way, you can see the whole world is a garden,” attributed to The Secret Garden. Not Burnett directly, but still vague. It’s not from the book. It’s from the 1993 film. That should have told me that this book was about to complete misunderstand its inspiration.
Savaryn is telling a story about grief, the terrible lengths to which people can go to deal with it, and finding hope. Completely valid themes. Interesting concepts (it’s set in a world where people can literally lose their color). Beautiful prose. It just doesn’t work for me as a retelling of The Secret Garden.
Equivalents of the characters are present. The basic story beats still happen. But Saveryn really builds on that “whole world is a garden” thing rather than any of Burnett’s actual themes. As I’ve addressed elsewhere, The Secret Garden is about healing from emotional neglect. It’s about the detrimental effects that being raised in such an environment has on children and how healing can be found through connection, through caring for something. This is the heart of the story, and this is what needs to be present in any adaptation or retelling.
For instance, Ellen Potter’s The Humming Room, which retells The Secret Garden in the present day in the Thousand Islands region of New York, makes a lot of changes to the story and characters but has at its center the Mary analogue’s arc from detachment after a unstable and loveless upbringing to being able to connect with and help others, as well as accepting herself. This converses well with Burnett’s themes, and the retelling works.
The Edge of In Between doesn’t do this.
It opens with the Mary analogue enjoying her happy life with her wonderful, attentive parents. She’s creative, sensitive, and compassionate--quite likeable. But she’s devastated when her parents die and becomes withdrawn, cynical, and desperate to somehow get them back. There’s even an occasion or two where she explodes in a tantrum, which comes across as more obligatory because of the source material than authentic to the character Savaryn establishes. This is a very different character from Mary, with a completely different arc--which would be fine, but for a retelling there needs to be continuity. The Colin analogue is likewise suffering from bereavement and is introduced with some very on-the-nose dialogue about his estrangement from his father. Like a lot of the characters, he comes across more like an embodiment of something than an individual.
Saveryn’s story is very theme-heavy, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but in this case it comes at the cost of believable characters and the retelling in general. The themes and characterization are so far removed from those of the original that it should have been presented as its own story with a few vaguely Secret Garden-inspired elements than as a retelling. Despite its heavy-handed themes, it’s not a poorly-told story, but it’s so completely removed from Burnett in spirit that I found it more disappointing than enjoyable.
Flights and Chimes and Mysterious Times by Emma Trevayne
Some very interesting concepts but didn’t seem fully developed. I was left more disoriented than satisfied by the end.
Meet Kit; Kit Learns a Lesson; Kit’s Surprise; Happy Birthday, Kit!; Kit Saves the Day; Changes for Kit; Really, Truly Ruthie; and Kit’s Short Story Collection by Valerie Tripp (reread)
Already addressed here!
Childhood at Court 1819-1914 by John Van der Kiste
This is the kind of information I’m looking for in researching royalty from this era! Very useful and interesting.
Leave It to Psmith by P. G. Wodehouse (reread)
I think we all know how I feel about this book.
#random personal stuff#it was a month of mostly disappointing middle-grade reads#I am hoping for better things in August
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Heyyyyyyy I got tagged by @nepenthean-sleep
Three ships: Griddlehark obviously, Swanqueen forever, aaaaand I'm struggling to remember another ship I really love. It's cringe but let's go with Jetko
First ever ship: don't kill me but I shipped Merlin and Morgana so much, because I really identified with Merlin and I love evil women and Katie McGrath is so pretty.
All these ships are people who hate each other god damn...
Last Song: Fistfight by Ballroom Thieves (which I think kinda fits Griddlehark)
Last Movie: Moana
Currently reading: Jane Eyre, The Bone Garden by Heather Kassner, and The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Currently watching: I know it's quippy and corny as hell but Gilmore Girls. My GF loves it and I'm starting to love it too. I did just finish 1899 which was amazing so of course Netflix canceled it.
Currently consuming: I just had a toasted raisin bagel, and might have a banana or strawberries soon.
Currently craving: the rest of my ice cream cake
Tagging (but only if you want to!) @feijoaaas @aflyon @cassiopeia-the-first @icllucia
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Review: The Plentiful Darkness by Heather Klassner
Review: The Plentiful Darkness by Heather Klassner
The Plentiful DarknessHeather KlassnerHenry Holt & Co.Published August 3, 2021
Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads
About The Plentiful Darkness
In Heather Kassner’s spine-chilling fantasy novel, reminiscent of Serafina and the Black Cloak, an orphaned girl chases a thieving boy into a magician’s land of starless, moonless gloom where other children have gone missing before her.Though the darkness is…
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#Children&039;s Literature#friendship#grief#Heather Klassner#Henry Holt & Co#Magic#The Plentiful Darkness
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Forest of Stars: Review
3/5 Stars
I enjoyed Forest of Stars. It was a book with a plot that had just enough tension to keep you engaged - 12 year old Louisa walks on air and finds her way to a mysterious carnival after her mother dies. There she meets all manner of magical and mundane people and starts to find a place where she can be herself. While it's a common enough story to tell, I don't think Kassner told it badly.
When things start to go wrong, one of Louisa's new friends is the prime suspect. As a reader, it's made explicitly clear that Mercy is of course, innocent. However, this means that the plot twists are pretty obvious and that drains the tension from the novel. The main villain wasn't a bad character at all, when finally confronted I enjoyed the fight between then and Louisa, but from early in the story it was clear who would be in control.
Louisa's main motivation is finding her long lost father, which is sweet. She has the obstinate innocence of a child, refusing to believe he could be entirely lost or dead, despite what other characters may be telling her. This is endearing and I found myself aching with sympathy for Louisa, hoping she might find what she'd been missing. Otherwise, I found it difficult to relate to Louisa and put myself in her shoes - and I'm not talking about her magical abilities.
Speaking of magical abilities, I did enjoy the world that Kassner weaved, the powers that people were given. Many of the gifts in the carnival were fun, magical twists on carnival acts that have become almost stereotypical with how common they are. I particularly liked some of the plays on words that Kassner used when choosing stage names and the sense of awe that came from watching some of the shows. In other ways, the carnival felt strangely plain, lacking the hustle and bustle you've come to expect from a fairground.
Still, I didn't dislike Forest of Stars. Would I recommend it? Possibly, it depends on the person. However, I will say that I'd be interested in reading more from Kassner in the future.
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My Author Mentor Match mentor’s book --- The Bone Garden --- is out! I got two copies, one for me and one for my Free Little Library. It’s an ethereal, haunting children’s book, perfect for dreamy readers with a yen for the macabre, and you can add it on Goodreads here.
The text copy matches my cat’s eyes. I just feel the need to be very pleased with the color unity of this snapshot.
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Latest online order!
I’ve purchased some new books online. Yes, I know this is a lot. Yes, I know I have a lot of books. Yes, I probably do have a book obsession. Reading is something that I’ve always enjoyed my whole entire life. As I grew older, I realized that reading wasn’t just a form of entertainment, it was also a way for me to relieve stress. There’s a couple of items that aren’t out yet so I won’t be getting…
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#Adrian McKinty#Aiden Thomas#Alicia Keys#Andrew Weiner#Ann Gaiman#Arthur Rackham#Brittney Williams#Chloe Neill#Christian McKay Heidecker#Christina Henry#Christina Lauren#Chuck Palahniuk#Courtney Peppernel#Drew Shannon#Francis Donkin Bedford#Gilly MacMillan#Heather Kassner#Henn Kim#James Matthew Barrie#Jennifer Lynn Barnes#Jonathan Auxier#Joseph Mugnaini#Junyi Wu#K. R. Alexander#Lucy Foley#Maren Stoffels#Mary Downing Hahn#Matt Saunders#Naomi Novik#Nathan Page
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JOMP BPC - May 11th - Nature
some books with natural titles 🌳💙💚🦋
#heather kassner#anna marie mclemore#emily lloyd jones#robin benway#justonemorepage#jompbpc#booklr#bookblr#trcc original#portraits
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“Your father wouldn´t leave you. Not if he had a way back to you.”
- The forest of stars (Heather Kassner)
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hi yes read the forest of stars by heather kassner
huh
why not?
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Book Review: The Bone Garden
Good Morning and Happy Friday!
I just finished another buddy read and am sharing my individual review.
This time around it's MG novel The Bone Garden by Heather Kassner.
Unfortunately, this was a major flop for me.
The characters didn't feel three dimensional, and the main character felt vanilla and way too naive and innocent, even for a middle grade novel.
Overall, this one was just lackluster for me.
If you'd like to see my full review, feel free to click the link below or check this out on GoodReads, though I will say I think this one was overhyped by the reviews I saw.
Have a great day!
https://jonathanpongratz.com/2020/07/17/book-review-the-bone-garden/
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Bone Garden Review: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Magic
Bone Garden Review: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Magic
The Bone Garden, due out next week, has already been compared to The Graveyard Book and Coraline, which is certainly accurate in the broad strokes. It takes place in a graveyard, and features two children having dangerous adventures between the tombstones. And like Coraline, the heroine is a...
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Holly’s Mock Recommendations - July 16, 2019
Mock Newbery
The Bone Garden [Henry Holt & Company, $16.99, hc] by Heather Kassner - Irreaelle knows that Miss Vesper created her out of bone dust and magic. But does that mean she's not a real person? For the most part Irreaelle is content to do Miss Vesper's bidding, even though most of her work means that she has to spend long hours in the catacombs under the adjacent grave yard. But Irreaelle wasn't made very well—one arm and one leg are shorted than the other—and she can never seem to do her work well enough to satisfy her maker. When Miss Vesper is angry at her, she sometimes threatens to burn her bones. She tells Irreaelle that she wasn't the first helper she's created, and she won't be the last. Then one day when Irreaelle is working under the graves, she finds one of the others—a boy. He's caught under a rockfall, and when Irreaelle digs him out, his only desire is to get away from Miss Vesper. Irreaelle wonders if they really can. Do they have wills of their own? Then they find out just who—and what—Miss Vesper is, and they start to form a plan. A nicely written and plotted story with illustrations that are lovely, although they don't always match the text.
Mock Caldecott
Daddy-Sitting [Clarion Books, $17.99, hc] by Eve Coy - A small girl has a big job. When Mom goes to work, she does the Daddy-sitting. She gets Daddy up early (because she's sure he likes to get up early) and gets him ready for the day. She makes his breakfast (spilling only half the milk) and makes him bike her to the playground (because he needs his exercise). If he feels bad (from falling over her left-out toys), she tells him that he's very smart, and he can do anything when he grows up. But she's also sure that what he most wants is to be her Dad. A clever story, half-told through the expressive pictures.
When You Are Brave [Little Brown Books for Young Readers, $17.99, hc] by Pat Zietlow Miller and Eliza Wheeler - When everything around you is uncertain and maybe a bit scary, you need to be brave. A baby bird is brave, when it first steps from its nest into the sky. A dog is brave, when it travels hundreds of miles looking for home. And a caterpillar is brave, when it wraps itself into its cocoon, wondering what it will be when it awakens. If you can be that brave, you can use your bravery not only to light your own heart, but also to light the world around you. A beautifully written and illustrated contemplation of bravery, and how once you summon it, it gets easier and easier to call up.
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What are your favourite books where beauty and horror are intermingled, becoming wonder?
What a lovely question. The post I reblogged about books like this was about Piranesi, and that's certainly one that I loved.
I think Spinning Silver fits into that definition. And Heather Kassner's middle grade books. All the Crooked Saints.
Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke
Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik
The Plentiful Darkness, by Heather Kassner
All the Crooked Saints, by Maggie Stiefvater
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