Book Review: Airman by Eoin Colfer

Thrust from his pleasant childhood at the hand of a traitor, Conor finds himself rotting in a dismal prison, despised by his family. Conor's burning desire to fly sustains him, shining hope on a future of freedom in the skies.

Airmanwas a thrilling, swashbuckling, high flying adventure from start to finish. I loved the minor characters with their quirks and humor, but this book is sustained almost entirely by its exciting plot. The setting is perfect, described in humorous and realistic detail. I really couldn't put it down.

Read-alikes:
This really made me think The Count of Monte Cristoby Alexandre Dumas meets Airborn by Kenneth Oppel.

RATINGS:
s-factor: !
A few mild ones.

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->->
Some sword fighting and fist fighting.

Overall rating: *****

The Big Moment

So, the response to my giveaway, while not overwhelming, was rather more than I expected. Thanks to all who participated! The winner of the signed Fablehaven book and bookmark for book 4 is:

caribookscoops said...

"I am with Britt my favorite is Dragons, but I like a lot of other ones too, unicorns, talking beasts, centaurs, etc."

Congrats! You should have received an email from me and the goods will arrive as soon as I have an address!

And, just for entering, I thought I'd send a few others a bookmark (Brandon Mull was very generous when I mentioned I was a librarian) so:

1993wel said...

"I like dwarves, even though they are often evil, or at least have complicated loyalties."

Amy Btw M said...

"I haven't read this book yet, so I hope I win! Let me see, my favorite fantasy creature is the Hippogriff. Go Buckbeak!! Dragons are cool too.
I'll have a link on my haiku amy blog. http://haikuamy.blogspot.com"

The Jones Family said...

"I would love to have this book. I have heard so many good things about this series and really want to read it. Love your blog."

Britt said...

"I love dragons. Absolutely love them.
I haven't started this series yet, but I want to!!"

will each get a bookmark for Book 4 (Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary).

And a lovely signed poster of Book 4 goes to:

Abby said...

"Oh I'm so excited can you pick me pretty please? I have three kids who all three love any books that are in this genre!"

(hopefully your kids will like that :)

Please leave me a comment with your email and I will get these hopefully consoling prizes off as well! And just for statistical sake:

Fairies had 8 votes
Dragons had 6 votes
Elves had 4 votes
Gnomes, unicorns, dwarves, hypogriffs, pegasi, and trolls all had 1 vote

Thanks again and hopefully I'll have another giveaway soon!

Book Review: The Porcupine Year by Louise Erdrich

The Porcupine Yearis a remarkable year in the life of Omakayas and her family as they travel from their familiar home to an unknown future. They experience unexpected hardships and betrayal that will push them to the edge of survival.

This was a sweet and exciting story about a girl growing up while her family continually has to fight for survival. I thought it was very well written (probably a contender for the Newbery this year) and also managed to be a thrilling adventure story. The Ojibwe language and traditions mixed in throughout were interesting, but sometimes confusing. I found myself several times distracted by the long, complex words from the language that were sometimes not translated immediately. While it is a beautiful, touching story, I think the age group it is targeted for, children from grades 4-7, will not be very interested in it. It also most likely would have helped me understand the story and characters more if I had read the first two books.

Read-alikes:
The Birchbark Houseand The Game of Silenceby Louise Erdrich (first two in the series)
Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemisonby Lois Lensky (I remember reading this in grade school and thinking it was so awesome!)
The Sign of the Beaverby Elizabeth George Spear (also a grade school read)

RATINGS:
s-factor: !
I think there may have been one :)

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->
Not violent, per se, but some scary parts might frighten very young children.

Overall rating: ***

And it's the very last day to enter my Fablehaven giveaway! Winner chosen tomorrow. And if you still haven't entered this contest, well, your loss!