23.13: Beyond the Deepwoods (The Edge Chronicles 1), by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddel (1998 hardcover, on loan from Hank Wicklund)

Over the winter break, I set out to catch up on the comic series I neglected in the second half of last year. I've accomplished that task, and, while I have a few new series to take a look at in the coming weeks, I decided it's time to ease back into some (mostly) non-illustrated stories. Lest the shock be too abrupt, I've identified the perfect transition: a TweenLit book I borrowed from a colleague's eight-year-old son in September; it has chapters and lots of words, but it still sports a number of good illustrations. And, I figure that if a cool kid like Hank likes it, there's a good chance I will as well.

And like it, I did. The book is action-packed to say the least, with each chapter including an entire adventure, unusual characters, exciting chases, and new environments. The protagonist driving all this action if Twig, a boy who has always been an outsider among his (?) woodtroll people and is sent into the Deepwoods upon reaching adulthood. His mom thinks it will be the best thing for him to go live with his uncle in another woodtroll village, but Twig does the unthinkable: he steps off the path. And into a world of adventure.

The book is filled with a series of animals and beasts of all sorts: Hover Worms, Slaughterers, Skullpelts, carnivorous Bloodoak trees,  Gyle Goblins, Banderbears, Termagent Trogs, and--the creatures all the preceding are terrified of-- Gloamglozers. With each chapter, Twig encounters a new species--some friend, some foe, but all unexpected. Finally, though, toward the end of the book, the fabled Sky Pirates appear, and Twig's life is changed forever. Or so, I'm assuming readers will learn in book two of The Edge Chronicles.

I'm not certain that I'll be reading on in this series, but not because the first book wasn't good. It's actually excellent, but more appropriate for its intended Tween audience. As I told my sister Sarah, for an adult reader the pace and storyline are almost too exciting. Things happen with great speed and new characters pop up everywhere, and it's a bit too much for this forty-something-year-old reader to deal with. However, if you have a child or work with kids between the ages of 6-10, this series is one you should definitely pick up. It would make for a great read-aloud option, as each chapter is a nice length and tells an entire adventure--perfect for nightly or classroom reading. I think both girls and boys will enjoy it, but it definitely leans toward the male end of things (monsters and pirates, after all) if you're trying to entice boys to read.  

13.12: The Last Bookstore in America, by Amy Stewart (Kindle edition, Pub 2009)

First off, let me say that I have not failed to notice the irony that I read a novel about the decline of the bookstore on my iPad. Added to my guilt is the fact that Stewart is a local author and does, indeed, own a bookstore in my hometown. In fact, it's pictured on the front cover of the book. My guilt is slightly assuaged by the fact that I plan to purchase copies of the book in print as Christmas gifts for a number of people, but I've never been as aware of the issue of eBooks than I was while reading this book.

With that said, I have to say that I fully enjoyed this book. I downloaded it in the airport when traveling and found myself chuckling aloud at many parts. Much of the reason for my hilarity was the thinly-veiled discussion of small-time life in Eureka and surrounding Humboldt County. I recognized a good number of the characters--or at least parts of some people cobbled together to make a single character--places and settings were familiar, and social norms and attitudes were spot on.  While I think we likely come off a bit more charming and quaint in the book that we are in real life, reading this can give folks some idea of what it is like to live in rural, liberal, environmentalist, and--yes, of course--marijuana-influenced Northern California. I'd be curious to hear what folks that don't live here thought of the book.

As an aside, I want to mention that this is Stewart's first fiction release, but she has a number of amazing books on gardening: The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms (2005), Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful (2008),

Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities (2009), and Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects (2011). They make excellent gifts for the gardener, botanist, or nature lover in your life. Go buy them now. At your local bookstore.