Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil by Jeff Smith
Who hasn’t dreamt of being a superhero? I have, and to be honest I still do. Yes, I am 29 and I daydream about being a superhero. But it’s all good because it only takes up like 75% of my day. I think I sleep and eat that other 25%… and work… and family… and read… and video games. How do I fit 150% of stuff in a 100% day? 
Jeff Smith, the creator of Bone, has produced a wonderful new spin on the Captain Marvel mythos. Billy Batson is a young homeless boy who is called upon by the ancient wizard Shazam to be a force of good in the world. By saying a magic word, (Shazam!), he turns into the mighty superhero Captain Marvel. Although he has similar powers to Superman, I believe he is far superior because he has the heart and the outlook of a child. These new powers of Billy’s are put to the test when he comes up against the villains of Mr. Mind (an intelligent worm) and Dr. Sivana (a super genius that happens to be the Director of Homeland Security). He does have help along the way. He guide for this journey is the talking tiger Talky Tawny and his little sister who shares his powers Mary Marvel. He can also rely on the ghost of the wizard Shazam who resides in the Rock of Eternity (which is located before space and time!).
I really enjoyed this for a variety of reasons. First off Jeff Smith’s art is astounding. A color comic has never looked this good. I was entranced by how he drew the ideas from the book from many different religious traditions, while making everything entirely accessible to readers of any age. Another aspect of the book is how great the characters are. They all have internal struggles, that are externally expressed with great dramatic effect. Billy as Captain Marvel is at once a kid and an adult and must balance the two. Mary Marvel is a six year old girl with powers to match her brother, but she never loses her sense of fun. This book has great depth but yet is still relevant for the young or young at heart. Smith also adds in references to the our own world, our fear of terrorism and how our government has reacted. Although this could have been very preachy it really adds a new flavor to the story, and I think it works well as a representation of how a child would respond to the world we live in.
All in all, this is a fun read. If you like Bone, if you like superheroes, you’ll love this. Highly recommended for all ages.
April 22nd, 2008
The Harsh Cry of the Heron by Lian Hearn
This is the last book in the Tales of the Otori series, a wonderful series about the adventures of Otori Takeo and his love and future wife Shirakawa Kaede in feudal Japan. The original trilogy began with Takeo as a young boy whose village was destroyed by an evil warlord. He escaped and was adopted by a nobleman, Otori Shigeru. Takeo is trained as a warrior and discovers that he has special skills known only to those of the Tribe. The Tribe abilities allow him to turn himself invisible, to project the “second self” (an illusionary duplicate), and to use the Kikuta Gaze (when you stare into his eyes you fall into a deep sleep). The original adventures follow Takeo and Kaede as they fall in love, and fall in love, get captured, and eventually reunite, all in the process of uniting the Three Countries. Early on a prophecy is revealed to Takeo:
Your lands will stretch from sea to sea…Five battles will buy you peace, four to win and one to lose. Many must die, but you yourself are safe from death, except at the hands of your own son.
By the end of the third novel the prophecy is fulfilled (except for the dying part 
).There is magic, romance, adventure, action, and political intrigue. Its a great series of novels.
The Harsh Cry of the Heron is billed as the Last Tale of the Otori. It picks up 16 years after the third novel. Takeo and Kaede still rule the Three Countries and peace and trade have prosperped. This novel fulfills the last part of the prophecy Takeo heard earlier in life, that he can only die by the hand of his own son. The plot focuses on the political intrigue of the previous novels. The Emperor of Japan has let Takeo rule the Three Countries but has now called his right to rule into question. At the same time Arai Zenko is developing firearms in order to challenge Takeo’s rule in the west. Also we finally get to read about Takeo’s long lost son, and how he has been raised to despise his father. Sounds like a great read huh? Unfortunately the novel focuses too much on side plots and details that never contribute anything to the ultimate climax and resolution. I would estimate that at least half of the novel could have been trimmed down with no loss to the major plots. In the last hundred pages it finally comes around to the concluding battles and they are just as exciting as the battle scenes Hearn wrote before. There is just not enough of them. Takeo seems to hem and haw all through the novel. Nothing really gets accomplished until more then halfway through the book.
For this reason I would recommend this book only to more advanced readers who have read the previous Otori tales and absolutely loved them. I liked the ending to the series but wished it got to the good parts quicker.
April 14th, 2008
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
This book deserves 5 stars.
I like this book because it was very mysterious. You never know what is going to happen till the end. It keep you reading throughout the whole book.
February 12th, 2008
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
This book deserves 5 stars.
This book is good because it has alot of adventure and is very interesting to read. Rt is a book that you can’t put down!!! I love it.
February 12th, 2008
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
This book deserves 5 stars.
This book is a reallly heartwarming, exciting, fascinating book about bravery, courage, and friendship. It touches the reader’s heart by the characters’ charming and funny dialogues, and it tells people about how love and courage can do the most amazing things. There were sad parts also, but they blended in with the happy ones and make the scenes come to life in front of me. My favorite part is the fisrt Quiddich game and when Harry got the snitch. The scariest part was when Harry , Ron and Hermoine go down the trap door and faces Voldemort himself.
February 12th, 2008
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
This book deserves 5 stars.
The second book to the Harry Potter series is just as exciting as the first one. In this book, Harry, Ron and Hermoine really had to compromise and solve the myth about the Chamber of Secrets. The book was like real magic and every little detail was very interesting and made me want to read more. My favorite part was when the students went to see the duel between Professor Snape and Professor Lockhart. The suprising part was when they found out that Ginny Weasley was the first one to open up the secret Chamber. The sad part was when Harry and Ron saw their best friend—Hermoine was petrified. The most scary part was when Harry first heard the voices of the snake and saw words written in blood on the wall.
February 12th, 2008
