"The Castle Corona" by Sharon Creech

I chose to review this book because it is included on the 3rd-5th grade list for the 2012-13 Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB).

The Castle Corona
Author: Sharon Creech
Genre: Fairy Tale
Age Level: 8-12 years

SUMMARY
Once upon a time, there was a royal family who lived in a castle high on a hill. King Guido and Queen Gabriella had three children: Prince Gianni, the aspiring poet; Prince Vito, the swordsman; and Princess Fabrizia, the spoiled. Below the castle lay a village where two young peasants named Pia and Enzio lived a miserable existence with their master. The two youngsters would dream of a better existence, but were always brought abruptly back to reality. One day, however, the peasants do meet adventure when they discover a stolen pouch bearing the King's seal. The pouch, and its contents, ultimately lead them to the castle where they find their lives suddenly intertwined with those of the royal family.

CRITIQUE
I wanted to like this book, but it was ultimately a big disappointment. The beginning was promising, but I kept waiting for something to happen, and it never did. The plot was predictable and full of holes, while the climax of the story was anything but captivating. I assume that this novel was supposed to be about self-discovery, but the only character who genuinely seemed to learn something and change was the Queen. Like the story, the illustrations were promising, but then the reader realizes that many of the images are recycled throughout the book. I appreciated that there was very little objectionable material (see below) and, therefore, did not regret reading it. Overall, though, this fairy tale was disappointing and forgettable.

RATINGS
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude: Mild
Frightening/Suspenseful: Mild
Profanity: Mild
Sex: None
Substance Use: Mild
Mature Themes: None
Violence: Mild

SPECIFIC CONTENT
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude:
-The master calls Pia and Enzio 'dirty beetles,' 'idle hogs,' and 'lazy turnips.'

Frightening/Suspenseful:
-Pia and Enzio are kidnapped by the King's Men and taken to the castle. They believe they are going to be thrown in the dungeon.

Profanity:
-One use of the word 'idiot.'

Substance Use:
-Several of the characters drink ale or wine.
-Pia says the master will come home drunk. "He'll be wobbling and stumbling and cursing."
-The Count sleeps soundly after drinking "too much wine."

Violence
-Pia and Enzio talk about what will happen if the King's Men catch the thief saying, "If they catch him they will slice off his head and chop him to bits!"
-Pia and Enzio realize that daydreaming may do you harm, "especially if your master is impatient with such daft dreams and will whack you on the back of your knees with a leather strap."
-The Wordsmith tells a story where a young servant boy dies after tasting the king's poisoned soup.
-The Wordsmith tells a story where the young prince captures a thief, "throwing him to the ground and stabbing through his tunic."

"The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones" by Rick Riordan

I chose to review this book because it is included on the 3rd-5th grade list for the 2012-13 Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB).

The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues, Book 1)
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Mystery/Adventure
Age Level: 9-12 years

SUMMARY
When Grace Cahill dies, her relatives are invited to the reading of her will where they are each given an unusual choice: to walk away with one million dollars or to be given the first in a series of clues that will eventually lead them to a mysterious treasure. Grace's grandchildren, Dan and Amy Cahill, decide to accept the challenge. What begins as an intriguing treasure hunt soon becomes a perilous adventure as Dan and Amy soon realize that some of the other teams will stop at nothing to win.

In this first novel (in a ten-book series written by a variety of authors), Dan and Amy follow the initial clues left by their forefather Benjamin Franklin. The two orphans travel with their college-aged au pair to Paris where a string of clues and adventures finally leads them into the Catacombs where they find the second big clue.

CRITIQUE
I am sure that many children in the targeted age range will enjoy this book, but don't expect this book to be great literature. The characters were not very well-developed nor, in my opinion, were they even very likable. I wearied quickly of the sibling protagonists' acrimonious relationship. The plot was very predictable and the clues were not very sophisticated. It was a fun adventure for the younger reader, but nothing at all deep or thought-provoking. If you are looking for a good mystery for your child to read, I would instead recommend The Westing Game or even The Mysterious Benedict Society (see my other blog - link below - for reviews of these books).

RATINGS
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude: Mild
Frightening/Suspenseful: Mild
Profanity: Mild
Sex: None
Substance Use: None
Mature Themes: None
Violence: Moderate

SPECIFIC CONTENT
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude:
-Dan says his sister "has a face like a baboon butt."
-Dan tells Jonah, "If your head was any bigger, we could use it as a hot air balloon."
-Amy says to Dan, "Why don't you go fly a kite in a storm and see if you get electrocuted?"

Frightening/Suspenseful:
-Suspenseful scene where Dan and Amy are trapped in the secret, underground library when someone sets fire to the mansion. They manage to escape unharmed.
-Paragraph describing how creepy the Catacombs are with all the human bones stacked like firewood.
-Suspenseful scene where Dan is nearly run over by an express train. Amy pulls him to safety at the last moment.

Profanity:
-Words/phrases used include stupid, dweeb, idiot, weirdo, loser, git, shut up, fool, wimp, dummy, creep, doofus, poop.

Violence
-Madison and Reagan drop Dan on his head.
-Dan wants to "kick Ian in a soft spot" but doesn't.
-Dan tries to trip Ian and Natasha, but they step over his leg.
-Amy boxes Dan on the ear.
-Dan finds a stone dagger. Grace describes how the Aztecs would use it for ritual sacrifice. "They would cut off the parts of their enemies that they believed held the fighting spirit."
-Amy considers strangling Dan, but doesn't follow through.
-Amy is tempted to whack Dan with a book. She doesn't do it.
-Amy wants to hit Nellie with the jewelry box, but doesn't.
-Natalie is carrying a poisoned silver dart gun and points it at Irina's chest.
-A bomb explodes and part of the ceiling collapses. Dan and Amy are upset because they believe the Starlings have been killed in the blast. Later Dan and Amy learn that no one was killed, but there were serious injuries that sent the Starlings to the hospital.
-Dan and Amy hear that Alistair Oh has been attacked. He ends up with a black eye and cracked ribs.
-The Holts are "strangling each other" fighting over the ice cream.
-Eisenhower Holt remembers how he "accidentally Tasered himself in the rear end."
-Holt family fights a group of thugs that were trying to bury Dan and Amy alive.
-Dan throws a concussive grenade that knocks everybody out.
-Amy electrocutes two thugs by charging a metal fence with a battery.
-Nellie "whopped Alistair Oh upside the head with her backpack."