Audiobooks: A Drowned Maiden's Hair & The Red Blazer Girls

My first audiobook of 2010 was 2007's recording of A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama by Laura Amy Schlitz. In anticipation of the author's new book for 2010 (The Night Fairy) I remembered I had wanted to read this one.


Alma Cuervo gives a fine performance as the reader. I love the complex and rich characters, the melodrama, the seances, and Maud. A great, suspenseful read for 8-12 year olds. Maud is a voracious reader and there are a number of turn-of-the-century (20th century that is) works mentioned, especially those featuring orphans who overcome. This story was a nice send up to those classics and I appreciated the author's nod to them. I cannot imagine a young reader not getting swept up in this deliciously gothic story. Thumbs up.

I'm almost finished with The Red Blazer Girls: the Ring of Racamadour By Michael Beil and I am loving it! It is a 2010 Texas Lone Star Reading List title which means it will get all the exposure it deserves as every middle school & public library in the state will think about purchasing it. Tai Alexandra Ricci's gives a solid performance with her pitch-perfect girl voices. But I have to hand it to (private girls' school) teacher Michael Beil for his amazing grasp of the preteen girl in all her over-the-top emotional wonderfulness. Sophie is spot-on. Love her. He must be one amazing teacher.


My one concern for the audio is that the puzzles the girls work on can be a challenge to imagine by the descriptions alone. I'm sure there are plenty of 10 year olds who know geometry far better than me, but I kept thinking it might be confusing to someone who has never figured out the Pythagorean Theorem before. Even still, put this on your booklist now. Hooray for mysteries! Hooray for the sequel! Random House, please have ARCs at TLA next month. Thanks!

Killer Pizza by Greg Taylor

Fourteen-year-old Toby gets his first summer job at "Killer Pizza" where all menu items go with the theme--for example, "Mummy Wraps," "The Monstrosity," and "Creature Double Feature." While he tells everyone he just wants to earn some extra cash, he really wants to become a famous chef and enjoys the chance to cook everyday. Then he finds out that "Killer Pizza" is just a cover for a secret organization that fights monsters and other creatures of the night. Now he must decide whether or not he wants to be a M.C.O. (Monster Combat Officer).

This book is full of adventure and somewhat campy monster craziness. I mean, what 14-year-old boy doesn't want to be an MCO? Heck, I want to be an MCO! And the end papers are great; it looks like the inside of a greasy pizza box.

I really liked the characters, although again as in many YA novels, the parents and other adults are barely there. Even the bad guys aren't very flushed out. But in this case, that kind of makes sense. It goes well with the B-movie, monster thriller vibe. Hey, and at least it's not vampires!

This is definitely a book that you want to talk up to your tween and younger teen boys. Not that some girls won't love it, too, but the boys are definitely the target audience. If they love R. L. Stine, Darren Shan, and all things monster, they will love this one.

Oh, and it's on the Lone Star List, too.

Reviewed from Library copy.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

He began his new life standing up, surrounded by cold darkness and stale, dusty air.

And so begins Thomas’ journey in a metal elevator, stripped of his
memories, delivered to a place where boys are fighting for their survival.

I picked this one up because it is on the 2010 Lone Star List. A very big deal in our lovely state of Texas. It’s also made some best of 2009 lists (Kirkus for one). I can see why this book was chosen – fast paced, non-stop action, a mystery that keeps building upon itself little by little, terrifying odds, and teen boys who are incredibly resourceful and smart despite their shortcomings.

I enjoyed several things about this novel. I loved the way the author got around swearing by inventing new terminology. “ Klunk” and “Shuck” were satisfying alternatives and sounded believable. In fact, they even sounded rude and fun to say– exactly what curse words should sound like (because we all know there is nothing like a good swear to get a point across). I especially respected how the emotional life of the boys was portrayed. They were fearful and emotional; they cried quite a bit, and not just the wimpy ones that got killed off, all the boys were emotional. I was so impressed – we rarely get such a depiction – usually it is all macho tough-guy bullsh*t. So bravo for that!

However, I wouldn’t be Patti unless I had major issues with a book everyone else just loved to death. The book is very suspenseful, but I think it could have benefitted from some judicious editing. It was a bit repetitive, it tried too hard to ratchet up the anxiety level and so it sometimes felt manipulative and forced, and it did a lot of telling rather than showing. It clocks in at 374 pages and it could have easily told the same story just as effectively at 250 and been a tighter more effective piece of writing.

It isn’t until page 351 that they finally escape the Maze and come face to face with the “Creators.” That leaves 23 pages to explain what is outside of the maze and why they were put in it in the first place. Yes, this is the first in a series. Yes, I understand that it is meant to be a cliff-hanger. But after so many pages dedicated to lost memories and maze running, I thought the ending lacked the oomph it needed…like a good reason they are in the GD maze to begin with. No, I did not find the so-called “rationale” satisfying at all and found myself frustrated by the rushed ending.

I think there is much to commend this book, certainly many others have loved it. I do feel as though it will be popular with boys and even reluctant readers despite its size. I just can’t say that I loved it for myself. Which is too bad because I was fascinated by its premise.

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Book Source: Publisher Review Copy