Geoff Rodkey

This book was so much fun! Claudia’s twin brother, Reese, embarrassed her at school in the lunch room in front of their entire class. Claudia decides she needs to humiliate Reese the same way he humiliated her. Thus begins the war: there’s some stinky fish, an embarrassing music video, crazy haircuts and an online trouncing. The book is told from Claudia’s point of view but as a series of interviews she conducts with her brother, her friends and her babysitter. Also mixed in are show more photos, screenshots of online chats and text messages between her parents.

Rodkey perfectly captures that age where kids are starting to come into themselves. That age where we have first crushes, where what other people think is so important, where an embarrassing incident can either crush you or make you stronger, and the most responsibility we have is for our homework and the people we control in a video game. At the same time, he captures the mannerisms, speech and slang of this age group perfectly. Claudia and Reese could absolutely jump off the page and fit right in at my son’s school. They were authentic and funny and sounded and acted like kids without the author talking down to his audience.

The plot is funny and engaging and brought back memories of tiffs between my brothers. While they never put dead fish in each other’s bags, and online games like Meta World weren’t around yet, the idea is the same and I was somewhat nostalgic while reading. Kids will find the pranks hilarious. As a parent, the snippets of text message between the Tapper parents had me rolling. Like many parents, they want to be involved but are really rather clueless despite their best efforts.

The format of the book lends itself well to the MG reading group. The pictures and screen shots add a lot of humor but also break up the story into pieces which will keep kids interested. This book will have wide appeal – both girls and boys will find characters to identify with. It’s definitely not a “girly” book even though the account of the events is being compiled by Claudia. It will also appeal to both avid and reluctant readers. The format lends itself well to reluctant readers because the pictures and screen shots add a lot of humor and also break up the story into pieces which will keep kids interested. Stronger readers won’t be disappointed by the strong characters, great dialogue and quick pace.

I have a quick side note about age. The twins in the books are 12 years old. The book is listed on some sites as being for ages 8 and up. My son is 8 and while there’s nothing inappropriate in the book, it was a little bit above is reading level. He could read it but some of the nuance and humor was lost on him. Some very mature 8 year old readers may appreciate this more than my son. He enjoyed it but not, I suspect, as much as slightly older kids will.

Overall, I really loved this book. I was thoroughly entertained. It was funny and made me a little bit nostalgic. There are some sweet moments at the end between Claudia and Reese that show how siblings can love each other even when they’re so different and even after they make mistakes. There are also some great messages here. Cyberbullying is addressed without preaching or beating you over the head. There are also nice lessons about how doing something not-so-nice can sometimes backfire, and about how, despite it all, the bond between siblings can be an amazing thing. show less

A spaceship carrying the surviving members of the human race (the others were lost in a world war, presumably nuclear) arrives at a livable planet. Twenty years ago, when their journey began, the aliens on the planet promised to take them in. But now they've changed their minds - they say humans are too violent. Finally they allow one test family down to the planet - so the main character has to go to school with aliens and try to win over hearts and minds. As an adult reader, I appreciated show more the science-fiction approach to immigration, civil rights, politics, and cultural differences. Young readers will probably like the pratfalls, the humor, and the exciting final battle. show less

Lan has been living with his family (Mom, Dad, older sister and former pop star Ila) on Mars for a while, when they have a chance to move to Planet Choom, inhabited by three other species that coexist peacefully. The Mifune family and many others go into bio-suspension for the trip, but by the time they arrive, the government on Choom has changed and their invitation has been rescinded. They have nowhere else to go - can Lan and his family convince the Zhuri, Ororo, and Krik to let them show more stay?

Lan is a very relatable narrator; he tries very hard to be likable (after all, humanity depends on it), even in situations that are very frightening; for example, his family is greeted by a swarm of Zhuri, reminiscent of angry protestors (but scarier, because they can fly and shoot venom).

After the final, climactic events, there's an epilogue of sorts: a transcript of Choom Television Channel Five, Day 162 After Human Arrival. Lan, his human friend Naya, Zhuri friend Iruu, Ororo friend Marf (seven thousand times smarter than humans), and Krik friend Ezger give news and updates on music, comedy, and entertainment.

See also: The Giver by Lois Lowry; (for teens) Feed by M.T. Anderson, Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

"People believe what they want to believe." (Dad to Lan, 16)

It was infuriating to get called violent and primitive, by a bunch of people who'd attacked us in a mob the second we set foot on their planet, then tried to pretend they were the peaceful ones. (111)

"In most societies, there are two basic forces in conflict: progress and tradition." (145)

"Even in a non-hive species, large groups of people - especially angry or frightened ones - behave in ways that individuals never would. Sometimes they wind up doing things that are incredibly tragic and stupid. Not to mention violent." (149)

"I'm trying very hard not to commit any crimes that can't be forgiven once we overthrow the government....
"I'm afraid it's my only choice...I seem to have gotten myself in the kind of trouble you don't get out of unless you change the rules of the game." (Marf to Lan, 210) show less

Since I was so very charmed by Geoff Rodkey's first installment in the Chronicles of Egg series, I couldn't wait to read New Lands! I was looking forward to more adventures, and greatly hoping that some of my questions from the last book would be answered. I was nervous as I turned the first page.

Luckily, I had nothing to worry about. New Lands turned out to be just as quirky and enjoyable as its predecessor. Rodkey reintroduces our faithful travelling companions and then, best of all, gives show more us some new ones to fall in love with. What I loved about this book was how much more in-depth the reader is allowed to see into the characters. Egg, Millicent, and even Guts, each begin to grow up right before our eyes.

Egg especially comes into his own during the course of this book. His new, mature attitude makes a definite impact on his travels this time. He finally begins to understand that he doesn't need to lean on his family for support, but that his strength comes from within. Rodkey allows Egg the perfect balance between childishness and adulthood, making for a beautiful adventure.

Rich with new lands (no pun intended) and problems to face, this is a very fast moving book. Whether it's chasing ancient weapons, battling curses, or figuring out who might be a traitor, Egg and his companions never have a moment's rest. Although this series is a bit darker than I expected, it is absolutely well written. I can't wait to see what happens next! show less