Bloggin' 'bout Books: 10/28/11

2026 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama

- Alaska

- Arizona

- Arkansas

- ~~California~~ (1)

- Colorado

- Connecticut

- Delaware

- Florida

- Georgia

- Hawaii

- Idaho

- ~~Illinois~~ (1)

- ~~Indiana~~ (1)

- Iowa

- Kansas

- Kentucky

- Louisiana

- ~~Maine~~ (1)

- Maryland

- Massachusetts

- Michigan

- Minnesota

- Mississippi

- Missouri

- Montana

- Nebraska

- Nevada

- New Hampshire

- New Jersey

- New Mexico

- ~~New York~~ (2)

- North Carolina

- North Dakota

- Ohio

- Oklahoma

- Oregon

- Pennsylvania

- ~~Rhode Island~~ (1)

- South Carolina

- South Dakota

- Tennessee

- Texas

- Utah

- ~~Vermont~~ (1)

- ~~Virginia~~ (1)

- Washington

- West Virginia

- Wisconsin

- Wyoming

- Washington, D.C.*

International:

- England (3)

While We Wait ... A Q&A With Julie Kagawa

10:27 AM

So, am I the only person left in the book blogosphere who hasn't read Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series? Yep, that's what I thought. I've been meaning to, of course, just haven't

gotten around to it. But, now, thanks to Kagawa's publicist, I have a shiny new copy of The Iron Knight, the newest book in the series. Since - as you well know - my OCD does not allow me to start series in the middle, I put the first two books on reserve at the library. As soon as they come in, I'm going to dive right into this much-talked about series. I can't wait. Well, I have to wait, but in the mean time, let's enjoy this little Q&A with Julie Kagawa:

Q.) If you could pick one of the characters from The Iron Fey series to have dinner with, who would it be and why?

A.) I’m going to have to go with Ash, because I know he’d at least be polite. Unlike a certain faery prankster, who might put something in my food or turn the waiter into a hedgehog. Meghan would also be a good choice, we could catch a movie afterwards. Grim…not so much; he’d order the most expensive thing on the menu and then turn up his nose at it.

Q.) When you first started this series, with The Iron King, did you know then that there would be multiple books? And did you know you’d want to write them with a changing point of view?

A.) When I first began The Iron King, I knew I wanted to write at least a trilogy, but I left an open ending on the first book in case the publisher didn’t want to buy the whole series. Fortunately, they did, though I did intend the series just to be a trilogy. I didn’t think I would write a fourth book from Ash’s POV, but it made the most sense to continue the series with him.

Q.) Being that The Iron Knight is written from Ash’s point of view, was it easier or harder to switch over and tell his story?

A.) It was a little harder, initially. I knew Meghan; after three books I knew her voice and her personality and her quirks. It was difficult with Ash, because he was such a guarded character, and he never was really chatty. And because he’s lived such a long time, and is an Unseelie fey, he’s done some things in his life that might change how some people view him. It was actually kind of scary putting his story out there; what will people think now that they know the real Ash? But I wrote his story as honestly as I could, and I hope they will come to love the Winter Prince as much as I do.

Did that whet your appetite a little bit? Good. The Iron Knight can be picked up at your local bookstore (assuming, of course, that your community still has one) or your favorite online book retailer: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Harlequin Teen, etc.

If you've read the series, what do you think? Are you excited for the newest book?

(Images shamelessly stolen from Julie Kagawa's website)

Zany Adventure Story A Whole Lot of Fun

1:00 AM

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Griffin Bing, known far and wide as "The Man With the Plan" is beginning to doubt his newest venture. It was supposed to be a big thing - a crowd of 6th graders staying overnight in a spooky abandoned house to prove to the adults of Cedarville, New York, that kids can and, more importantly, should have a voice in local politics. Now? It's turned into a joke, a pathetic night of 11-year-old Griffin and his best friend, Ben Slovak, trading ghost stories in a crumbling haunted house. Not exactly the revolution Griffin was hoping for.

Things take a turn for the much, much, much better when Griffin discovers an old baseball card hidden in a desk. Griffin's not sure how valuable the card might be, but he's certain it's worth something. And even a little bit would go a long way toward keeping the Bings in the house they can no longer afford. When Griffin takes the card to a local pawn shop, he's thrilled to get $120 for it. Until he discovers he's been swindled - the 1920 Babe Ruth card is rare and worth at least $200,000.

It's not so much the money that bugs Griffin, but the injustice. Once again an adult in Cedarville is walking all over a kid. It's not right. And The Man With the Plan is not about to let it go this time. With the help of a crack team of 6th graders, he's going to get his card back. No matter what it takes.

Swindle, the first book in Gordon Korman's popular series about uber-planner Griffin Bing, is a whole lot of fun. It's not the best-written piece of middle-grade literature I've ever read, but it's an upbeat, exciting story that will speak to any kid who's ever felt invisible. This zany adventure makes for a quick, funny read, one that should engage even reluctant readers. I didn't like the book nearly as much as my kids did, but I definitely enjoyed Swindle. If my kids have anything to do with it - and believe me, they do - I'll be picking up the rest of the books in the series. Soon. And that's okay with me.

(Readalikes: Um, I can't think of anything. Can you?)

Grade: B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG

To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find