by Jenne Reese
Hardcover, 368 pages
Expected publication: February 14th 2012 by Candlewick Press
(For ages 10 and up)
NetGalley book for review
Thirteen-year-old Aluna has lived her entire life under the ocean with the Coral Kampii in the City of Shifting Tides. But after centuries spent hidden from the Above World, her colony's survival is at risk. The Kampii's breathing necklaces are failing, but the elders are unwilling to venture above water to seek answers. Only headstrong Aluna and her friend Hoku are stubborn and bold enough to face the terrors of land to search for way to save their people. But can Aluna's fierce determination and fighting skills and Hoku's tech-savvy keep them safe? Set in a world where overcrowding has led humans to adapt - growing tails to live under the ocean or wings to live on mountains - here is a ride through a future where greed and cruelty have gone unchecked, but the loyalty of friends remains true.My Review - No Spoilers, just enticing hints:
Issues first, I guess:
I had a bit of trouble getting into this book and then that question of “skimming” came up. My responses referred to this book.
I have a suspicion that some of the disconnect
between me and this book derives from my (oh-so-young) age. I have a similar response with the
Warrior cat books Bear loves so much. I am so curious whether my boys would
love Above World… only I talked about it too much, so I scared ‘em off
temporarily. (When Bear is making fish-faces at me in the hallway, something is
not right! Jajajaja *cough* Oops!)
To clarify, the main character, Aluna, and her best friend, Hoku, run into
shark trouble right at the beginning and somehow, miraculously escape, which is
very rare (and lucky for them!)… followed immediately by finding a dead body
floating around – somewhat increasingly less rare, but still very rare…
followed immediately by Hoku's awesome techno talent producing
super-listening ears so the two of ‘em get an earful of the exclusive elders’ meeting.
It’s just a lot of tremendous luck for someone of my, uh, maturity. *ahem* I was choking on the coincidences.
However, my son, Bear, would probably assume that all
good things naturally come his way, so of course all this is quite believable. In fact, he’d jump right into the very creative world – where technology
has enabled people to live underwater or fly through the air or gallop across
the plains.
I mean, WOW!! The different people groups of Above World are
so creative and detailed with history and character that any sociological
heart must be happy!! (I totally loved that.) And Aluna... she's such a kick-butt, gung-ho, fast-thinkin' hero - both
confident and growing at the same time. Hoku brings great balance with his thoughtfulness and creativity.
There’s enough hint at romance to be fun, but not weird for 13 year olds. I especially liked the way that even the shy characters get a chance to grow and develop
into people I enjoyed. (“People” used very
loosely. Not sure there’s any “people” in this story, technically speaking).
So… I’m rating this book 3.5 – worth the time – because that
is how it was for me. I set it down repeatedly and skimmed through parts just
to keep rolling. But I can’t fairly rate it lower than that because I suspect
it’ll earn a higher rating when my kids get ahold of it.
Wrap Up:
Does this book cross over into the Adult/Teen world? I don’t think so. I think it’s very Middle
Grade – and I am very open minded about loving kids’ books.
Will it be a hit with kids? I suspect
yes and I hope this writer keeps going with this creative world!
As a parent, is this a great book for your kids? Oh yea. It promotes action, thinking, creativity, kindness, self-sacrifice, thoughtfulness and CREATIVITY!! If you're trying to sell 'em on it, steer away from "Little Mermaid" - they may start off in the ocean, but they don't stay there and it's all scientifically explained (softly, not hard-technically).
About the Author:
 |
| Jenne Reese |
Ganked from her Bio:
Jenn Reese writes science fiction and fantasy adventure stories for readers of all ages. She has published short stories online and in various anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning Paper Cities. Her first novel, Jade Tiger, is an action-adventure kung fu romance for teens and adults. She’s currently at work on a middle-grade adventure series called Above World for Candlewick Press. She lives in Los Angeles where she studies martial arts, plays video games, and dreams of rain.
My first novel, Jade Tiger, is the story of Shan, a martial artist driven by the spirit of the tiger to recover the ancient jade artifacts stolen from her mother’s secret order. When geeky archaeologist Ian gets involved, Shan begins to understand that there’s more to life than chop kicks and joint locks.
Find & Follow Jenne Reese:
* on Goodreads
* her Website
* her blog (where I found awesome pictures)
* on Amazon
* on Twitter
Pre-Order the book available Valentine's Day (2/14/12):
* From Candlewick Press
* From Brilliance Audio
* From Barnes & Noble
* From Amazon:
($9.99 for Kindle version)
While surfing around looking for Above World news I found a raving review by Catching Books. She picked up on the sci-fi part of the book, which I didn't really. Horse-People are completely normal and expected in my world. :-)
