Book Drops: Dead To You by Lisa McMann

Dead To You by Lisa McMann. New York: Simon Pulse, 2012. ISBN: 978-1-4424-0388-8

Ethan De Wilde has been found.
He was abducted when he was 7. He is now 16.
He doesn't remember anything from the first 7 years of his life...That happens, right? Or does it?

I could not put this book down. It is a pretty intense book that explores what happens when a missing child is reunited with their family. It's painful, there's anger, but there is also hope and understanding.

I don't want to say more except that it is worth picking up. I would say this is for a mature 8th grader. There is some explicit language but it's not used excessively like in Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist where the F-Bomb was used all the time!!!

Book Drops: "The Dark and Hollow Places" by Carrie Ryan

I finished Carrie Ryan's final installment of the Forest of Hands and Teeth series, The Dark and Hollow Places, during this Turkey Day holiday. I thought it was a pretty good ending for this horror series. Annah is still in the City, waiting for Elias. 3 years have passed and she still cannot leave even though the City is getting worse. As she tries to leave, she notices a girl who looks just like her. Could it be Abigail? Annah needs to find out and strange things begin to happen. Annah struggles with her own self-doubt and insecurities as she tries to deal with the hordes of zombies that are beginning to infiltrate the city as well as dealing with the discovery that Elias and her sister are still alive.

If you liked the series, you will enjoy this finale.

Also, how come the UK cover of this book is a lot better than the US version? I am not a fan of the all the people on the covers. But again I guess that what the American audience likes.

Book Drops: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

I finally got to read Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi. This book is a National Book Award finalist and I can now see why. Also, one of our former students came for a visit and highly recommended it.

Honestly, I think the market is pretty saturated with these dystopian reads - Matched, Water Wars, The Uglies series, Hunger Games (which is now a movie) - so I was a skeptic about how good this book would be but it was engaging. I wasn't sure what exactly ship breaking is but lead me to another link - The Ship Breakers of Bangladesh.  Nailer, is a teen ship breaker, and the world is pretty much destitute for everyone except for the very rich - the people who own the oil companies, food companies, etc. Regular people are strung out or just surviving.  The only way out of the gangs of ship breakers is to get a lucky break, and then hope that no one else kills you to take it from you.  Nailer needs to get out, his father is abusive, he's almost at an age where he needs to join the older or "heavy" crew, how is he going to get out of this life?

Another thing about this book that I loved was that it was obviously a multicultural group of characters. Sometimes, when you read these books, it's obvious that they are not colored people.  In Ship Breaker, you have Latinos, Caribbeans, Indian (Asia), and of course, the hybrid people. I wonder, if that was why they didn't put a portrait on the cover. That is the trend now, all these portraits on the cover of YA books. I guess, it's what the kids like...

Anyway,  you should definitely check this out at your library or pick it up or download it.


Next on my reading table: Invasion (A C.H.A.O.S. Novel) by J.S. Lewis. So far it reminds me of Ender's Game and the movie, MIB and maybe a bit of Alex Rider and Star Wars. All of which I like so I'm pretty into this book.

Happy Reading!

Book Drops: Matched by Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie. New York: Dutton Children's, 2010. ISBN: 978-0525423645

Why I Picked It Up: I mentioned on Friday, that I read an interview in SLJ with Ally Condie. This book already received some notice so I asked Max to pick it up. I love the cover and it sounded like it would be a good bit of scifi/romance and I tend to enjoy those books.

Why I Didn't Put It Down: Matched is another dystopian novel. Similar to Hunger Games and The Uglies. Society appears so perfect. You don't even have to worry about finding the perfect mate because it's done for you. You don't even have to worry about dying..because when it's your time and you have lived the optimal amount of years, well, "they" let you rest. Everything is wonderful and there are even pills created to help you live your life. How could anything go wrong in a world where everything is decided for you?
That's when it happens. The once in a blue moon event where the match the government choose for you is a mistake. The mistake leaves you wondering and if you are anything like Cassia, you will not let it go. There are two faces on the microchip they give you. Both faces you know, one is Xander, the perfect boy and Cassia's best friend, the other is Ky, a bit of an outsider but he also is in your circle of friends. What do you do now? In order to find out, you need to read the book.

Who Would I Recommend This To: All of the kids who loved Hunger Games. However, I do have to preface this by saying that Matched does not have as much action as Hunger Games did. It is more of a science fiction romance and more on the romance side of things. I enjoyed it and there were some interesting twists. I definitely am looking forward to the second book.

Book Drops: "Three Black Swans" by Caroline B. Cooney

Cooney, Caroline B. Three Black Swans. New York: Delacorte Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0-385-73867-5.

Why Did I Pick This Up: I really like the cover and also was intrigued by the Wall Street Journal quote at the beginning of the book.

But the future isn't a hat full of little shredded pieces of the past.

It is, instead, a whirlpool of uncertainty populated by what the

trader and philosopher Nassim Nicholas Taleb calls "black swans"

---events that are hugely important, rare and unpredictabl, and

explicable only after the fact.

Why I Didn't Put It Down: If I had to rate this book, I would give it 3 out of 5 stars. It was an interesting tale of 3 lost sisters, who happen to be identical triplets but it took a while to get started and then the story of the biological parents was too quickly dealt with. I liked reading about the 3 separate lives but it was strange that 2 of the sisters ended up being cousins. It also just ended too perfect for my tastes. Also, I think, with that strong quote at the beginning, it was a lot to try to portray in this book. The events were not so profound or that spectacular. 2 of the girls are cousins and 1 is from a "rich" family. I really was interested in the premise but the portrayal was just not as strong as it could be.

Who Would I Recommend This To: I would not put this on my list. Though, I know there are some girls who would enjoy this quick read.

Hurray for another Rick Riordan Adventure!!!

This is the 3rd time I'm writing this post. You figure I would give up but I wanted to write it.

What Did I Read: Rick Riordan's The Lost Hero, Book 1 of the Heroes of Olympians.

Why Did I Pick This Up: RICK RIORDAN! I loved the Percy Jackson series and I was really excited to know that we would be returning to Camp Half Blood for this new series. Also, t he kids are super excited about this book. One student and I already have a favorite character - Leo Valdez!!! Go Leo! Go Hephaestus!!!

Why I Finished It: I couldn't put it down. I had to, of course, because I do need sleep but wow! what a fun exciting read. I loved the diversity of the characters, Piper is Native American and Leo is Latino. This gave Riordan the opportunity to mention myths from other cultures that are similar to the Greek and Roman mythologies that he is introducing to kids. I think, in a way, this might catch a kid's attention and spark their curiosity to learn more. It is funny, exciting, suspenseful and full of action and of course, we are introduced to a host of new gods, monsters and heroes. More evil, more good.

Who Would I Recommend This To: The growing Camp Half Blood campers and anyone who loves mythology or fantasy. Anyone who loves a good adventure and hero quest story.

Go Coach Hedge!!!!

Book Drops: "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness (rated 4 stars)

The Knife of Never Letting Go: Chaos Walking: Book One

by Patrick Ness

Book 1 of the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness is an incredible space adventure. A couple of things I associated with it while reading – the Firefly series (hello, Nathan Fillion) because of the space cowboys feel and the Disney movie, “Up”, because the dog “talks” and in one seen, a giant bird, like Kevin, briefly makes an appearance.
Todd Hewitt, is turning 13. He’s finally going to be a man. In Prentisstown, 13 is the year boys transition to manhood. The thing is, Todd, is the last boy in Prentisstown. There are no women. The other thing about Prentisstown is that you can hear everyone’s thoughts, or noise, including the animals. For the past couple of months, Todd, has pretty much been alone, well, he does have a dog, Manchee, who he never wanted. Men do not talk to boys in Prentisstown. Why that is Todd does not know. He just accepts it because that is how it has always been.
One day Todd is wandering around the swamps, the only place a person can get away from the noise, when he stumbles upon a weird patch of silence. Silence does not exist…or does it? This “silence” will lead to the destruction of all that Todd knows about Prentisstown and the New World.
This book moves very quickly. It also brings up questions of what would happen if you could not block out all the information that is constantly floating out at you, or how do you keep a hold of your own identity, and also how far would you go to protect your self? There is a lot of violence (against women, boys, animals and aliens) so I would say this is for middle school and high school. Also, the only drawback is that this is NOT a stand alone book. You will have to read Book 2 to find out what happens next – The Ask and the Answer will be out in Sept. 2009.

See more about The Knife of Never Letting Go: Chaos Walking: Book One

Book Drops: "Alligator Bayou" by Donna Jo Napoli (YA) (rated 5 stars)

Alligator Bayou

by Donna Jo Napoli

Calogero is running. Running to get help. Running to get away. His uncle, Giuseppe, just shot Dr. Hodge, who was beating his Uncle Carlo with a pistol. This is bad. This is the worse thing that can happen. Uncle Francesco told them all to not cause trouble because of what happened in New Orleans. But how long can someone sit and take the hate, take the ignorance, take the lies? Calogero runs and runs.

The story of the Italian immigrant experience in the south is not something I have been exposed to. The things we usually read about are the Italian immigrants who settled in New York. We watch movies like the Godfather and television shows like the Sopranos but do we ever learn about the ones who settled in the South? Do we learn about the Sicilians who were farmers and not part of the mafia? Not really. Here is a fictional story about the Sicilian experience in the South, specifically Tallulah, Louisiana. Based on real life events, Donna Jo Napoli creates a believable novel about the bigotry, alienation, friendships, and lives of 6 of those immigrants.

The whites tolerate their presence until they start losing money, the blacks are wary but eventually open up their homes to them, and they are away from most of the other Sicilians in the area. Calogero and his family do not understand why they cannot serve the blacks and do not understand the animosity of the whites. They are just trying to live their lives but it seems that in 1899, confrontations could not be avoided when a group hates your people so much and believes you are lower than a dog.

“Alligator Bayou” is a very powerful novel. It introduced a story that we rarely hear about and lets us not forget that ignorance, prejudice and bigotry can lead to violent ends.

If you are interested in more about the Italians in the Southern states, Napoli has a good afterword that has some links to articles she read and other information about resources she used.

See more about Alligator Bayou

Book Drops: "The Rock and The River" by Kekla Magoon (YA) (rated 5 stars)

The Rock and the River

by Kekla Magoon

This book deserves awards and I hope it wins for YALSA’s “Best Books for Young Adults” this year or next year. Actually, I hope it wins most of the awards out there for teen/ya books. Yes, it is THAT good!

“You can’t be the rock and the river” Stick says to Sam. Sam Childs is a son of Civil Rights leader, Roland Child, and younger brother, to Stick, who at 17 decides to join the emerging Black Panther party in Chicago, Illinois. Roland Childs represents the “old way” of thinking (pacifism) and protesting for civil rights, while Stick is the new way. Sam is caught in-between wanting to be both “the rock and the river.”

The novel starts off with Sam at another rally. You can feel his apathy. He is young, he has always gone to these things but does he really understand why? At one point, Sam thinks, “I was tired of marking, of protesting. Of leaning my back against a wall and expecting the wall to move. I wanted to rest.” He knows it is important but as you go along further in the story, you can see that he does not fully grasp the importance of what his father is doing and later, what his older brother is doing.

Kekla Magoon vivid writing brings out the tension between a son struggling to find his own way in a time of intense transition at home and the world at large. She does not sugar-coat anything and there is some graphic violence. It is very powerful and ties how both movements goals were the same but the approaches were different and how a kid can figure out the right thing to do and come to his own no matter how angry, frustrated, sad and torn he feels.

This is for middle schoolers and high schoolers. You could use it in a history class. Also use it with Christopher Paul Curtis’ “The Watsons Go to Burmingham.” I cannot rave enough about this book. Excellent. Fantastic. Worthy of any school and public library collection. I seriously better see some of those award stickers on this book!

See more about The Rock and the River

Book Drops: "after the moment" by Garrett Freymann-Weyr (YA) (rated 3 stars)

After the Moment

by Garret Freymann-Weyr

Leigh Hunter was in love. Love that was so intense all he wanted to do was take care of the girl, Maia Morland. It has been 4 years since he last saw her and now there she is at a cocktail party standing before him.

The novel goes through recollections of those months he fell in love with Maia and how it ends to 4 years later at the cocktail party. Maia is strange. She is not conventionally pretty but something about her pulls Leigh to her. He wants to protect her. He wants to fix her.

However, in fixing her, he ends up destroying her and what they had. Sad, intense and at times graphic, this shows how doing things for love can sometimes break things.

I think, if you like Laurie Halse Anderson, you might like this. It is definitely milder than Speak or Wintergirls.

More on Garret Freymann-Weyr here

See more about After the Moment

Book Drops: "Simon Bloom: the Octopus Effect" by Michael Reisman (Children's/YA) (rated 4 stars)

Simon Bloom: The Octopus Effect

by Michael Reisman

This is Book 2 of the Simon Bloom series by Michael Reisman. I have not read the second but it is good as a stand-alone from the series. Reisman places a list of characters at the beginning as well as a glossary at the end to help keep new readers up to speed with what happened in the first book.

Simon Bloom, is a twelve year old kid, who has to save the world! Again! from the evil Sirabetta (aka Sara Beth). Along with his friends, Alysha and Owen, Simon must stop Sirabetta, who has some how regained her powers, which are activated by tattoos of various scientific formulas that cover her body. Along the way, Simon, Alysha, and Owen meet more people from the various scientific orders that were formed to help keep science moving forward. Some of these people are friends and of course, some of them are foes.

I love how this book is filled with science references, covering things from physics, biology and chemistry. There is also a little history spread in and as a kid reading it, there are lots of different things to learn, like the scientific name of saber-toothed tigers and characteristics and habits of octopi.

It is interesting how individuals are given their powers from “super” books, like the Book of Physics, which Simon becomes the Keeper of or the Book of Biology. The Books are linked to the universe and can transfer powers to the individual in charge of them. Some of the great fun of this book, is the scenes when people try out their new powers. For example, on pg. 167, Simon is given some traits of the octopus and his transformation is pretty gross. He has the flexibility trait and can stretch and shrink his arms and body. The way Reisman describes it is pretty nasty but I’m sure a boy and even girl reading it would find it hilarious and fascinating. Who doesn’t want powers?!? Even if they are weird and gross.

The fight scenes (yes, multiple! the kids and their friends get attacked by giant mammoths at one point) are really fun to read and you can feel the tension between the characters. There are really funny moments as well that had me laughing out loud. Fun read especially for those kids who love science.

Definitely good for 5th – 8th grades depending on the level of the reader. Good stuff!

See more about Simon Bloom: The Octopus Effect

Book Drops: "Living Dead Girl" by Elizabeth Scott (YA) (rated 5 stars)

Living Dead Girl

by Elizabeth Scott

If you like “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson or “Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold, you will probably like (though I am not sure “like” is the proper word) “Living Dead Girl” by Elizabeth Scott.

This book is written mainly as “Alice’s” thoughts. She has just turned 15 and is no longer looking like a “little girl,” which is what her kidnapper, Ray, craves and needs. It is really uncomfortable to read but you cannot put it down. She blocks him out when he touches her and disappears into her mind when he beats her. She replays the moments when she was kidnapped and how he keeps her as “his little girl.”
She lives in an apartment and is invisible. Or she feels invisible. No one knows and no one cares or questions why she is not in school. She wants to escape. But in order to escape, she would need to find a new “Alice.” Can she do that? She is empty and doesn’t care. She wants to be free. She really just wants to die. For the 5 years to end. 5 years of raping, abuse and death threats…

This book is 170 pages of uncomfortable intense moments. It is not for a young reader but for a mature middle schooler and high schooler. Though, it could be used as a discussion point with a younger reader (6th grade maybe 5th if they are mature). It covers issues of abuse and safety and survival. But it is disturbing so if you do have it in your collection and see a younger reader checking it out, I would warn them.

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YA Book Review: "How To Ruin A Summer Vacation" by Simone Elkeles

Amy is on a plane with a man she barely knows. Well, she doesn't barely know him, he IS her biological father. But all of sudden, after years of barely being there, she has to go to Israel with him. Israel to meet a grandmother she never knew she had and family she's never met. Plus, the only thing she knows about Israel is what's on the news and that's that Israel is a war zone. A WAR ZONE! Her absent father is taking her to get killed!

Amy doesn't know what to expect and all she can think of is the worst case scenario.

How To Ruin A Summer Vacation is a humourous coming-of-age story about a teenage girl who comes to terms with her father, her Jewish heritage and her ignorance of her own heritage. Amy is annoying in the beginning but in the end she does grow up.

This book wasn't on All Consuming but if I had to rate it, I would give it 3 stars. Definitely good to have at the beach.

YA Review: "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson (rated 4 stars)

Wintergirls

by Laurie Halse Anderson

The phone kept ringing that night. Ring. Ring. Ring. Lia picks up the phone from underneath the pile of dirty clothes, it rang 33 times. Earlier, her stepmother told her that Cassie, her best friend, was found dead in a motel room. Dead. And alone. “33 times” the number and the word plays over and over in her head. They were supposed to do this thing together. They were each other’s support and then she was dumped and now Cassie is dead.

“Wintergirls,” like “Speak,” is another intense realistic portrayal of how girls struggle to maintain expectations that society places on them as well as they place on themselves. Lia is sick but she is not ready to acknowledge it. Her best friend is dead and she didn’t help. Anderson takes us on the downward spiral of Lia’s mental state as she tries to deal with the loss of her friend, her parents divorce and her own insecurities.

It is a work of fiction but this novel gives readers a glimpse of how people can self-destruct and how difficult it is to get out of whatever abyss someone in is mentally and physically. Definitely, worth reading but I had to temper it with some light-hearted movie watching when I finished.

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YA Review: "Graceling" by Kristin Cashore (rated 5 stars)

Graceling

by Kristin Cashore

Kasta is a killer. At 8 years old, she started training with the king’s guards. At 8 years old, she killed a cousin with one strike.

For years, Katsa has done the bidding of her king, maiming or killing those who crossed him. But now in her teens, she no longer blindly executes orders. She questions their validity and has begun going out on her own to right those that have been wronged. She is graced, born with two different colored eyes that mark her as someone with a gift. Her gift is killing, or is it?

After years of working for the King Randa, Katsa finally draws enough courage to leave the kingdom and those she loves. She sets out to help another graceling find the truth behind an unexplained kidnapping. Along the way, she finds out more about herself and what she is capable of.

It is a great, fast-paced story. It is good for boys and girls. It is a romance but that does not take away from the intense fight scenes and the suspense of figuring out why the kidnapping happened. It is great for a summer read and you will not want to put it down.

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YA Review: "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson (rated 5 stars)

Speak

by Lauriel Halse Anderson

It is the 10 year anniversary of the publication of “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson. It is a National Book Award Finalist and was awarded the Printz Award for Excellence in 1999. This book deserves the praise and recognition it received. A television movie was aired on Showtime and Lifetime in 2005 and stars Kristen Stewart, of Twilight.

This intense novel deals with the issue of rape. Melinda Sordino is an outcast. The only thing that her ex-friends and others know about that night is the Melinda called the cops. As she climbs into the bus that first day of school, no one talks to her. No one sits with her. Someone throws a Ho-hos wrapper at her head. As the year goes on, Melinda gets tormented, she becomes more of a loner, her grades drops and she ditches school. She loses her voice. She stops caring.

Anderson does an amazing job of portraying Melinda and the tension and torture she feels after her ordeal. It is a year long journey in which Melinda finds her voice, finds her strengthand power.

It is a fitting read given the media attention to Rihanna and Chris Brown, though that is about domestic abuse. It will make you uncomfortable but maybe it will help someone find their voice if this is happening to them.

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YA Review: "How Not To Be Popular" by Jennifer Ziegler (rated 3 stars)

How Not to Be Popular

by Jennifer Ziegler

Sugar Magnolia Dempsey, aka Maggie, has hippie nomadic parents. She just started settling into life in Portland, Oregon. She has a best friend but better still, she has a boyfriend, Trevor. Now they have to move…AGAIN! And this time, they’re going to Austin, Texas.
This time, there’s more heartache because she is in love. How can they move when she’s finally found someone? Parents can be so clueless!
Maggie vows to not make friends, not be social and become complete nobody to protect herself from the pain of moving and losing friends. She vows to be unpopular. However, that plan fails. In her attempt to be unpopular, Maggie draws more attention to herself and ends up getting more than she bargained for.
This a a great summer read for a middle school and even a high school girl. It’s funny and times and Ziegler starts each chapter with a “rule” or “observation” about the unpopular. It’s a very quick read and is pretty predictable but if you want something light and feel good this is one to pick up. There is a nice twist at the end that made it much better but still it’s a pretty predictable romantic comedy read.

See more about How Not to Be Popular

YA Review: "Mystic & Rider" by Sharon Shinn

Mystic and Rider (Ace Fantasy Book)

by Sharon Shinn

Mystics are being murdered. There is a strange tension that is building up as Senneth and her companions are traveling south in the country of Gillengaria. Some thing dreadful is happening in this country that is broken up into Twelve Houses, which are ruled by King Baryn, who lives in Ghosenhall. King Baryn has sent Senneth, a mystic on a mission to find out what is happening in this vast kingdom.

Mystics and Riders are different groups. Mystics have powers, for example, Senneth can control fire. Riders are the most elite group of warriors, who serve and are loyal only to the king. Senneth’s diverse group is made up of 2 Riders, one born to it and one introduced to it after being found on the streets surviving, and 4 mystics, one who just discovered his power, one who controls fire and 2 who can shape shift.

As they journey south, they encounter friends but more foes. The people’s views on mystics is changing. They see them as evil and some begin to feel that they need to be destroyed. Why is this happening? Who is fostering and proselytizing the destruction of this specific group of people? However, the mistrust and suspicious is not only outside the group but it is also amongst the companions even though they share the same mission.

Will the in-fighting stop amongst the companions long enough for them to discover the menace that is rising in Gillengaria? Will they make it back alive to the king to report on what they discover?

“Mystic and Rider” is book 1 of the Twelve Houses fantasy series by Sharon Shinn. It is filled with wonderful imagery of a land filled with strange people and strange creatures. Full of adventure and intrigue, as well as a bit of romance, “Mystic and Rider” will leave you wanting to know more about Gillengaria and its people.

See more about Mystic and Rider (Ace Fantasy Book)

YA Review: Cecil Castellucci's "The Plain Janes" (rated 4 stars)

The Plain Janes

by Cecil Castellucci

“There was a pop and then nothing,” Jane states on the first page of this graphic novel. The next panel is black with the text “I didn’t know what was happening.”

Cecil Castellucci’s “The Plain Janes” follows Jane after she has moved to the suburban town of Kent Waters. Before she leaves Metro City, she cuts off her hair and dyes it black. She changes her outward appearance to reflect the changes in her after that day – the day of the bomb explosion.

Jane is a reluctant loner. She wants friends but not the kinds of friends she had before. She is drawn to the nerds, benchwarmers, theater kids and the outsiders. In this short graphic novel, the reader follows Jane as she copes with what happened in the city, her relationship with “John Doe”, her move to the suburbs and the fear the engulfs her family through art and humour and a little help from her new friends, who all happen to be named “Jane.”

Fast-paced, humourous, inspiring, empowering – this is definitely a great book to give to that girl or boy who just fits a little bit outside the “norm.” It is a great g.n. and highly recommended.

See more about The Plain Janes

Links to:
Cecil Castellucci's Webpage
Cecil's Crush Library blog
Jim Rugg, illustrator

YA Book Review: "Cleopatra" by Kerrily Sapet

Cleopatra: Ruler of Egypt (World Leaders)

Kerrily Sapet

I have never written a review on a nonfiction y.a. book. I am a little nervous so please do not judge me too much. Plus, I do not feel like I am a very good book reviewer but I try. So here it goes:

Morgan Reynolds Publishing is one of the more popular nonfiction teen publishers. They have a great series on World Leaders that features leaders such as Genghis Chan to Adolf Hitler to Woodrow Wilson. This is the first book in the series that I have read. Kerrily Sapet offers an objective view into the reign of Cleopatra. She presents an overview of the time from Cleopatra's birth in 70 or late 69 b.c. to her death in 30 B.C. She weaves the history of the Roman empire into how Cleopatra's formative years lead her to be the famous, adept leader that individuals have come to know.

Sapet draws from many resources and her account of the events that lead to Cleopatra's reign as well as its demise offers a clear and thorough history of Cleopatra. She also includes primary source information and quotes as well as boxed information that is relevant in understanding why Cleopatra portrayed her self the way she did. For example. there is a information box about Mystery Religions that gives insight into why Cleopatra portrayed herself as Isis, the Egyptian goddess. The narrative also contains quotes from Plutarch and Suetonius that describe certain Romans disdain for the Egyptian Queen. It is full of intrigue that will engage a young reader to search for more information. Sapet alludes to the corruption of the court and the Roman government and the conspiracies that seemed to run rampant at the time. She does not go into graphic detail about the relationships Cleopatra had with various Roman Generals but she also does not lighten what occurred between them.

The book is easily accessible to a young historian and flows smoothly between the major events that occurred in Cleopatra's life and during her reign. She also includes a time line as well as an interesting list of bibliographic resources. Sapet remains as objective as possible to the end and allows the reader to decide their own opinion of Cleopatra.

If you are looking for an accessible, fact-filled history on Cleopatra, this is certainly one to add to a library collection.