July 14th, Bastille Day...a perfect day to read REVOLUTION by Jennifer Donnelly

Happy Bastille Day, La Fete Nationale! Although I've celebrated in the past by standing on the Champs-Elysees, waving at Jacques Chirac, I've decided to do something less royal this year. In the spirit of giving back, I labor for the people and produce a book recommendation (dramatic military drum roll please)...REVOLUTION by Jennifer Donnelly.
WINNER - 2011 Young Adult Book of the Year - American Booksellers Association.

High School senior Andi is a brilliant musician as well as an academic genius, but the tragic death of her brother has caused her to spiral into a depression. She's failing school, her mother is hospitalized, and her Dad forces her to spend her holiday in Paris (poor dear). In France Andi's father conducts DNA research to determine if a small heart sitting in a medical jar once beat in the chest of the child king, Louis Charles, son of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI.  Meanwhile, Andi has a find of her own: a 200 year-old diary written by a seventeen-year-old girl who lived with Louis Charles and the family from their time at Versailles up until the parents' beheading. Because Andi pops a ton of feel-good pills, it's hard to distinguish what "really" happens in Andi's world. This historical fiction cleverly weaves the 21st century with the 18th century. The uncertainty is part of the joy of this novel which is packed with adventure, mystery, drama, romance, and comedic relief.

Positives and Negatives:
The story hints at a beautiful message, one of no longer standing by and watching as injustice takes place. There are fabulous secondary characters (like Vijay). There's also a great leap that ties the Green Man of Paris and the girl in the diary (Alex), almost like Phillipa Gregory's THE QUEEN'S FOOL. I found the use of music lyrics and music references heavy, but I still wanted to belt out George Michael's Praying for Time (or even the Black-Eyed Pea's Going Gone...see, now I'm carried away). In regard to the music references, I did enjoy the discovery, inclusion, and clean wrap-up angle on the 18th century musician Malherbeau. Bravo!
Like the dark and winding uncertainty of Paris's catacombs, this historical fiction takes the reader on many exciting twists and turns that keep the pages turning. Tragedy, comedy, romance, history, music...what more could a reader want? A perfect read for Bastille Day, or any day.

Hardcover October 2010 (18.99 Delacorte Books for Young Readers); Paperback release, July 26, 2011 (Ember) $9.99.

ISBN-10: 0385737645

ISBN-13: 978-0385737647

ISBN-10: 0385737637
     ISBN-13: 9780385737630
Published: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 10/12/2010
Pages: 496    Language: English  

Buy at...
Boulder Bookstore
The Strand
Amazon

Bonus:
Click here to link to Discovery's Curiosity.com for the best slide show of art inspired by the French Revolution (Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI, the escape and capture in Varennes, Guillotine, storming of the Bastille, Robespierre, etc.)

Book Review: BLACK EAGLE FORCE A Guest Post by Joseph Provost

GUEST BOOK REVIEW BY JOSEPH PROVOST: I was the lucky winner of an advanced reader copy of BLACK EAGLE FORCE by Buck Stienke and Ken Farmer. Kim Tomsic suggested this book and I'm thankful she did as I found it beyond exciting. I took the book with me on a 10-day volunteer trip to Haiti and I found that every chance I had to relax was spent reading the next chapter.

From the beginning of this military thriller to the end, the reader feels like they're on an adventure. Stienke and Farmer start with Santa Anna's campaign in 1860 and take you through to present day in a way that makes you feel like you're reliving history.

When I finished reading Black Eagle Force, I shared the book with my friend, Peter Hughes (retired military). I said, "Trust me. Just read ten pages and see if you like it." Peter couldn't put it down. He didn't want to give the book back as we flew home from Port au Prince, but fortunately he finished before we landed. He agreed Black Eagle Force is a great read and easily deserves a five out of five star rating. Thank you Buck and Ken. You brought back memories of my time based at Fort Hood.

For more information, visit www.blackeagleforce.com


Sincerely,

CWO 2 (retired)

Joseph Provost

Quartermaster Core
(and for more about Haiti, visit http://www.thefriendsofhaitiinc.org/)

Ghost Story!

The Ghost Over Boulder Creek has been unleashed. Elain Pease's newest middle grade novel is now available at your favorite bookstore. Book signings are also happening this weekend, October 30, 2010 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm at Barnes &Noble in Boulder (2999 Pearl Street, Boulder 303-444-0349) and again on Sunday, October 31at Borders at the 29th Street Mall in Boulder.

After surviving the Washita River Massacre, Run Through Fire, a half-Cheyenne, half-white boy uses the ploy that he's a captured white and humbly follows Buffalo Bill across the plains in search of Run Through Fire's father. Run Through Fire hopes his father can help free the imprisoned survivors of his tribe. His mother is among them. When Run Through Fire arrives in Boulder, the ghost-like images that have haunted him during his journey prove to be more than warnings. Encourages discussions about prejudice, the westward movement and Manifest Destiny.