*** Dragons & Space Ships ***
*** Dragons & Space Ships ***
by
Kate Marley
Fantasy, for me, is where magic and myth intersect with (and
sometimes overwhelm) reality. Elves, dragons, magic
swords and others of that ilk are only the most obvious
signposts pointing to a fantasy story. Science fiction tends
to be, at least in my opinion, more grounded in our own
recognizable reality and the laws of science and nature.
Spaceships, aliens and the future are the bedrock of hard
science fiction. Occasionally, wisps of fantasy will touch
SF, and fantasy only really works if the author can make it
seem real and natural. Right now, fantasy is much more
popular with kids, but both fulfill an important need to
stretch the imagination by asking "What if?..."
PICTURE BOOKS
Child of Faerie, Child of Earth
by Jane Yolen. c 1997,
Little Brown.
This is a beautiful book - the illustrations by Jane Dyer
capture the delicate loveliness of each child, their worlds
and their relationship. The evocative, rhyming story will
tempt readers to read it aloud over and over. It’s a rare
fantasy treat for everyone.
Benjamin McFadden and the Robot Babysitter
by Timothy Bush.
c 1998, Crown.
When his parents leave the space station for an adult party,
Benjamin is left with an inflexible sitter. It’s then that
he finally sees the worth of his creative computing class,
and makes a few changes to the robot’s master program. But
like the sorcerer’s apprentice, he soon discovers a few
problems with his tampering. Detailed illustrations by the
author are just plain FUN.
Meanwhile...
by Jules Feiffer. c 1997, HarperCollins.
When Raymond tries to ignore his mother calling, he suddenly
gets a brainstorm! In comics, the words MEANWHILE...take the
reader away. And when he tries writing it himself, by golly
it works! His mother’s voice is replaced by - pirates. Which
all too soon must be replaced by Wild West
outlaws - bloodthirsty Martians - and quickly, what seemed like an
amazing getaway becomes a scary circle - until he finds the
way out, in the nick of time naturally. Humorous
illustrations by the author are a great compliment to this
fantasy adventure.
Moondogs
by Daniel Kirk. c 1999, Putnam.
Will’s parents think he spends too much time alone, gazing
at the stars, so they plan to get him a pet. But Will has to
do it his way, and makes a ship to take him to the moon,
where he’s seen all kinds of interesting (and I do mean
interesting!) moondogs. It’s a cute little adventure, told
in rhyme, with a not too surprising, but very satisfying
ending. Colorful and cartoonish illustrations are by the
author.
Beetle Boy
by Lawrence David. c 1999, Doubleday.
One morning, for no reason at all, Gregory wakes up to find
out that he’s turned into a giant beetle - and no one seems
to notice except his best friend! What will it take to
convince his family? Funny illustrations by Delphine Durand
add to the sense of bizarre as Gregory copes with the pros
and cons of being a bug.
TRANSITIONAL BOOKS
Jane on Her Own
by Ursula K. Le Guin. c 1999, Orchard Books.
Adventurous Jane is not content to hide forever like her
siblings - she wants to explore and experience all she can
as a winged cat. Of course she finds adventure, and of
course she gets into trouble - but she’s smart enough to
learn and find a solution to her problems. Pen and ink
drawings by S. D. Schindler are, as they were for all the
other Catwings books, attractive and realistic.
Alien for Rent
by Betsy Duffey. c 1999, Delacorte Press.
It all started when Lexie and her friend J.P. find an odd
notice on the school’s bulletin board about an alien for
rent. Curiosity takes them to the meeting place, but the
alien is not what they had expected. Nor is his work, or the
payments, and readers will enjoy the hilarious situation as
the two friends scramble to save (of all people!) the school
bully. Inside artwork is by Abby Carter.
FOR OLDER READERS
Star Hatchling
by Margaret Bechard. c 1995, Puffin.
It may be an old device, to strand a human on an alien world
and have them learn about the cultures there - or to switch
viewpoints from one character to another so that the reader
learns both sides of the story. Yet both methods are
effectively used here. Hanna is an earth child, marooned on
an alien world - Shem and Cheko are brother and sister,
enthralled with the new pet they found, and trying to keep
it a secret from the grownups. I found what they NEVER
learned about each other as interesting as what they did.
Dark Side of Nowhere
by Neal Shusterman. c 1997, Little,
Brown.
The town of Billington is boring, normal and nice. Fourteen
year old Jason feels trapped and stifled by this nowhere
place where nothing interesting happens - until one of his
best friends dies. They say Ethan died of a burst appendix,
but that’s only one of the many deep, dark lies about the
town, his parents, and about himself. I found this to be an
engrossing science fiction story with a lot of underlying
questions about what is really alien, and what is human.
Noli’s Story
by Peter Dickinson. c 1998, Grosset & Dunlap.
This is the second book of a series called 'The Kin', about
a group of children surviving on their own in prehistoric
times. While this one, like the previous 'Suth’s Story'(then Po's
Story, and Mana's story), can
stand on its own, kids who like series with believable
characters and great adventure will really enjoy this new
series from a writer who has a remarkable knack for making
the very remote past come alive.
Briar’s Book
by Tamora Pierce. c 1999, Scholastic.
This story winds up the Circle of Magic series begun three
books ago and focuses on Briar, a boy elevated from poverty
to sharpen his plant related mage skills at the temple. An
unknown plague in the nearby city becomes a crisis for
everyone, particularly all four youngsters and their still
developing talents. The book works on several levels - as a
fantasy story by itself, or with the others, and as an
environmental warning, but mostly about the value of
friendship no matter what age, gender or race.
Transall Saga
by Gary Paulsen. c 1998, Delacorte Press.
This may seem like a big departure for Paulsen, except that
after 13 year old Mark is caught in the strange beam of
light and transported to an alien planet, it quickly becomes
a survival story - at which the author excels. Through the
long years Mark’s struggles also include the problems of
loneliness and his determination to find a way home. How he
survives and grows up makes for a fine, if predictable, read.
Dark Lord of Derkholm
by Diana Wynne Jones. c 1998,
Greenwillow.
This lively fantasy has it all - wizards, elves, parallel
worlds, dragons, griffins - and much, much more. Most
importantly, it has lots of humor. Much to his dismay,
Wizard Derk is declared the Dark Lord for this year’s
Pilgrim tours by the Oracle, and it seems that everything is
going wrong. How can Derk and his unconventional family
reduce the damage caused by the tourists? What can any of
them do to get out from the slimy tour leader’s forty year
old contract? And whose side is the dragon really on? Don’t
be fooled by the scary cover - this is a great tongue in cheek,
campy book, and fantasy fans will enjoy it.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
by J.K. Rowling. first American edition c 1998,
Scholastic.
Imagine a cross between Matilda and The Dark Lord of
Derkholm, with some hint of Lord of the Rings, and
what we get
is a great adventure story about Harry. He thought he was just
an ordinary, albiet neglected, almost eleven year old, but he's not - he's one of
the most famous of the modern wizards, and has received an invitation
to Hogwarts, the elite school for wizardary. And of course, he
has adventures, learning about his heritage, dealing with being
new kid as well as treachery. Filled with weird characters, loads of
off hand humor and the hint (I hope!) of a sequel, this one was
a real page turner.
P.S. In case anyone is wondering about the long awaited
third volume in 'His Dark Material' series by Philip Pullman -
it’s due to be published sometime in the fall.
All contents © 1999, Kate Marley. All rights reserved.
