Mark of the Plague by Kevin Sands

Mark of the Plague by Kevin Sands

Historical Fiction, Mystery, Adventure

Age - 11-14

Grade - 6-9

529 pages, hardcover

c. 2016

     The opening line of The Mark of the Plague, the second book in The Blackthorn Mystery Series is Tom saying to Christopher, his best friend, “This is a bad idea.” It is a comment Tom often makes and many times he is correct. Christopher is proudly showing Tom his latest invention, Blackthorn’s Smoke-Your-Home, designed to prevent the plague and bring Christopher some much needed income. It does succeed in filling the shop with a thick, sweet-smelling haze but it also left a big black scorch mark on the wall and set Harry, the stuffed hedgehog, on fire.

            Christopher is still mourning the death of his master, Benedict Blackthorn, and the plague has hit London very hard. A strange prophet, who wears a bird’s head mask, has come to London with the ability to predict who will die from the plague. An unknown apothecary has also come who claims to have a cure for the plague. Christopher is given a letter from his master by a friend. The letter reveals that Master Benedict has left him a treasure but to find it he must follow many cryptic clues. The letter say, in part, “Somewhere in our house is a prize, hidden for you. Treasure. Understanding your nature, you probably haven’t found it yet….You won’t find it until you realize something incredibly important. Our home is yours. Use everything you have been given. Recognize exactly what this is…Solve this one last riddle, and you’ll not only find your treasure, you’ll learn one last thing - and that is the most important thing I’ll ever want you to know.” The riddle is, “The young bird finds its treasure when it settles in its place, hidden, deep, beneath its feet; don’t let it go to waste.” Christopher spends most of the book trying to solve the riddle and it is his faithful friend Tom who eventually helps him to do it.

            Sands based this story on actual events and included the Bills of Mortality, which listed the number of people who had died each week. The Great Plague of London would ultimately kill one in five of the city’s residents. The humorous dialogue between characters, especially between Christopher and Tom, makes a nice balance from the dark events described in the book. Interesting new characters are introduced, both good and evil. One of these characters, Sally, continues to be a major character in the following two books. As with the previous book there is much action, narrow escapes and many plot twists. I highly recommend this book.

The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands

The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands

Historical Fiction, Adventure

Age 11-14

Grade 6-9

371 pages, hardcover

c. 2015

          Picture the opening scene of The Blackstone Key. Christopher Rowe, apprentice apothecary to Master Benedict Blackstone, and his best friend Tom decide to build cannon in the shop while the master is out. It is illegal for an apprentice to make gun powder but Christopher has just decoded this recipe of his master. Things don’t go as expected and upon returning to the shop Master Blackthorn is looking at his large stuffed black bear which has been shot in the crotch, his straw guts spilling out.

      Although the book starts out with a humorous tone the story quickly turns serious. Apothecaeies are being murdered after being tortured. There is a secret cult that is looking for a recipe that will give them unearthly power and after Master Benedict is murdered Christopher realizes his own life is in danger. It is unclear who the real enemies are. Christopher must rely on his ability to decode mysterious puzzles his master has left him and the undying loyalty of his friend Tom to stay alive long enough to uncover who is behind the brutal murders.

            Set in London in the 1650’s this is a book of rich historical detail and well developed characters. Christopher is fearless when it comes to trying anything. This makes him a good apothecary and also gets him into a lot of trouble. But his courage and daring also helps him track down the people who killed his beloved master. When faced with a decision of great consequence his moral code helps him make a good choice. Master Blackthorn is a kind, generous master, unlike most others of the time. He is a lover of knowledge and truth and has a burning desire to help and heal others. Tom shows an amazing loyalty to his friend Christopher and reminds me of Sam’s relationship to Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. There is much action, adventure, mystery, science, history and humor. The codes and puzzles that Christopher must solve involve astronomy, botany and especially chemistry. It is possible for the reader to solve these puzzles as the narrative provides the codes to uncover the mystery before you turn the page.

                There is a fair amount of violence in the descriptions of the murders and assaults that take place but they are appropriate for the time period. The actual murders happen off scene. There is also much sound wisdom offered in the book. One of the first lessons Master Blackthorn teaches Christopher is that some of the ingredients they use in small doses can heal and in larger doses can kill. He says, “It is never the tool that decides. It's the hands-and the heart-of the one who wields it.” Lord Ashcombe, the King’s Warden, remarks to 

Christopher about the way he tricked the leader of the cult, “You used his nature against him.”

            While I still like The Ascendancy Series very much, see blog posts May 5, July 4, Aug 1,  The Blackstone Mystery Series is now my favorite book series. There are three additional books in the series. Watch for future blogs.

Revealed by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Revealed by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Science Fiction, Adventure, Historical Fiction

Age - 10-13

Grade  -6-8

438 pages, hardcover

c. 2014

Revealed is the seventh book in The Missing Series. In many ways it is the most complex and confusing book in terms of how the time travel elements are presented. It is also different from the other books in the series because there is no missing child from history to rescue and Jonah is on his own to solve the various problems that come up. His sister, Katherine, has been kidnapped by Charles Lindbergh and turned into a baby. All the other missing children from history have disappeared and all the adults in the area, including Jonah’s parents and JB and Angela, have been turned into young teenagers.

As the title suggests there is much that is revealed in this book, including Jonah’s real identity. However, since that would be such a big spoiler I will not mention it in this review. Gary and Hodge, the original time kidnappers, are responsible for all the problems Jonah is forced to deal with and this time the problems they have created with time seem to be beyond his ability to repair. Jonah is faced with the very real possibility that he will lose all those he loves and his own life as well. When, at a critical moment, he asks the Elucidator for help he is told that getting any help depends on the next decision he needs to make.

Much of the action revolves around the 1932 kidnapping of the son of Charles Lindbergh and his determination to find his son. As usual, Haddix provides much historical background in the author’s note at the back of the book. Lindbergh himself is an interesting and complex character. Though some of his actions and thoughts are fictional they reveal his development as a character. As the author notes reveal Lindbergh was not willing to stop the search for his son for some time. He managed to finally accept his death and go on with his life.  For a time he worked with the Ford Motor Company in connection with one of their factories that was building bombers. From there he became a test pilot, a test subject for extreme conditions for pilots, and a fighter-pilot instructor. In the novel he comments to Jonah, “I have learned that even with time travel, some things just are. They can’t be changed or undone or fixed. But people, people can heal. Even from events they believe ate unendurable.”

A major part of the book is the character development of Jonah himself. He has been maturing throughout the series but in this book he has attained a new level of self-sacrificing love. He is no longer impulsive or careless in his actions and decisions. He has learned that little actions can have great consequences, how tiny moments of helping one person can save many. So when everything seems lost he decides there is still one thing he can fix, one thing he can do before he dies. There is one thing that would be perfect and right and good, even as everything else is wrong.

There are many things I didn’t mention in this review but I encourage you to read the book. There are parts about time that are confusing but there is much that is inspiring and the plot twists and adventure are all there. There is one more book in the series. Jonah’s adventures and trials aren’t over yet.

The Shadow Throne by Jennifer Nielsen

The Shadow Throne by Jennifer Nielsen

Adventure

Age -10-13

Grade - 6-8 

317 pages, hardcover

c. 2014

     The Shadow Throne is the last volume in The Ascendance Trilogy, which began with The False Prince and continued with The Runaway King. Jaron has returned triumphantly to his throne in Carthya, having become king of the pirates and restored to friendship with Rodan. However, war is about to break out with three separate neighboring countries. To make matters worse Imogen, the serving girl that Jaron loves, has been kidnapped by the evil king Vargan of Avenia.

            Prepare yourself for a roller-coaster ride of ferocious battles, improbable plans, impossible escapes, treachery, betrayal, cruelty, undying loyalty, unexpected kindness and just possibly a happy ending. All the characters have developed through the series, especially Jaron. From a self-conscious, arrogant orphan he has matured into a true leader of his people capable of inspiring great loyalty and dedication. He has learned how to trust others and accept their counsel. He still makes poor and rash decisions at times and has kept his sense of humor and love of being mischievous, but he has proved himself to be leader dedicated to his people and willing to make great sacrifices for their well- being.

            Nielsen shows great wisdom and insight about true leadership qualities in the dialog she gives several characters. Roldan, as captain of the army, is having trouble inspiring his soldiers to follow him. Jaron gives him some good advice when he says, “Nobody gives you respect in this life. You must take it, you must earn it, and then you must hold it sacred, because no matter how hard respect is to gain, it can be lost in an instant. Go get it, Rodan. People won’t follow a leader who doesn’t know where he is going. Show them that you do.” In another instance, when Jaron is tempted to give up after great personal heartache and brutal physical torture, Mott tells him, “It’s your storm, and the future of us all depends on you now. So who are you? Sage, an orphan boy who cares only for himself? Or the undisciplined, rebellious prince your father sent away? Life has tested your resilience and strength and willpower, and you have succeeded in ways nobody even thought possible. But the storm has never been worse, and it will either destroy you or define you. When everything is taken from you, can you still stand before us as Jaron, the Ascendant King of Carthya?”

            Jaron is truly one of my favorite fictional heroes and there are many secondary characters that are both realistic and inspiring. Tobit develops his own strength, though not as a soldier, and Amarinda and Imogen are both strong, resilient woman, each in their own way. Connor Bevin, the regent who kidnapped Jaron in the first book, remains an enigmatic character to me. Is he just a cruel, power hungry man or the loyal patriot he claims himself t be or something in between? I would welcome the thought and comment of other readers on this. I highly recommend this trilogy.

Risked by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Risked by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Science Fiction, Adventure, Historical Fiction

Age - 10-13

Grade 6-8

350 pages, hardcover

c. 2013

     Risked, the 6^th book in The Missing Series, departs from the other books in that we now know what happened to Anastasia and Alexei Romanov, the missing children from history. However, when Haddix started writing the series in early 2007 there was still no conclusive evidence that they had been killed along with the rest of the family. New discoveries in the summer of 2007 and 2009 confirmed that they did die in 1918 with the rest of the family, but were buried in a different spot. However, this is a work of fiction which allows the author to imagine some intriguing possibilities.

            Very shortly after meeting Daniella, who is really Anastasia, Jonas, Katherine, and Chip are kidnapped by Gavin, who is really Alexei. Gavin is working for the original time kidnappers, Gary and Hodge, who have just escaped from time prison. Gavin thinks he is bringing them all into the future where he will be adopted by a family, as promised by Gary and Hodge. However they all land in Russia in 1918. While traveling to the future Jonas manages to tell the Elucidator, device from the future, to send then back to their correct time. He means the 21th century but the correct time for Anastasia and Alexei is 1918, the day before the entire Romanov family will be killed.

            After landing in 1918 Gavin and Daniella are captured by the Russian guards and returned to the house where the rest of the family is being kept as prisoners. Using the Elucidator Chip, Jonas and Katherine are able to become invisible. They begin to plan how they will rescue not only Daniella and Gavin but the entire family. The rescue plan is extremely complicated and made more challenging by the unexpected arrival of Gary and Hodge who still want to take all the children to the future as babies to be adopted by wealthy parents. During the following battles both Jonas and Gavin, who is a hemophilic, are wounded. Meanwhile, time travelers from the future are having a meeting about how to deal with the Romanov situation and protect time and history.

            Haddix does change some of the actual historic events in the end of the story so that some members of the Romanov family are saved as well as Jonas, Katherine and Chip. In the process of the rescue there is much heroic and self- sacrificing action as well as quick thinking. Haddix also includes many historical details in the story, such as the stuffed grizzly bear on the landing of the house and the diamonds the Romanov sisters sewed into their clothes, as well as the historical notes at the end of the book.

Caught by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Caught by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Science Fiction, Adventure

Age -10-13

Grade - 6-8

343 pages, hardcover

c. 2012

     “Jonah Skidmore was in science class when time stopped.” Thus begins Caught, the 5^th book in The Missing Series. Everyone, everywhere in the twenty first century is frozen in time except for time travelers. This is a complicated book, both in terms of the time travel concepts presented, and the development and interactions of the characters, both historic and fictional. Regarding time travel there are episodes where the future changes the past and the past meets the future. The historic character Mileva Einstein, Albert Einstein’s wife, is a fascinating person and her relationship with Katheryn and Jonah, but especially with Jonah is complex.

            Jonah and Katheryn find themselves suddenly and without warning or preparations in 1903. Their task is to return Einstein’s daughter, Lieserl to history. Additional challenges are involved due to the fact that Albert Einstein seems to know that time split in 1611 and he is thinking about that instead of what he should be thinking about in 1903. As JB communicates to Jonah and Katheryn, “He is not thinking about the right things. He could ruin everything.” Perhaps their biggest problem is that Mileva becomes aware of their presence, figures out they are time travelers and manages to capture their Elucidator. She then learns all about time travel, as well as her future and that of Albert, Lieserl and the two sons she will have in the future.

            At one point Jonah, Katherine, Emily, who is the modern Lieserl, Mileva, JB and another time agent are all trapped in a time hallow, a space outside of time. JB and the other agent are frozen and when Jonah and Kathryn frighten Mileva by running toward her she uses the Elucidator to freeze them as well. It is during this time that Mileva learns about time travel and the future by exploring the Elucidator. She sees much pain and suffering in her future. Eventually she realizes that she needs to trust Jonah and that together they can repair time, which is frozen. Mileva shows herself to be not only a brilliant scientist but a woman capable of great courage and self-sacrifice. Jonah comes to realize this and in the end, when he realizes she plans to stay in 1903 and go through all the suffering she saw in the time hallow, he offers her the Elucidator as a means to escape if she chooses. Many years pass before she chooses to use it. She is well aware of the potential damage she could cause to time so she does it in a way that is both wise and very loving. There will be no spoiler alert here but I do encourage you to read this thought provoking and inspiring book.