What Matters?

I am not a big fan of historical fiction books, and definitely not a fan of historical nonfiction. I just thought I'd say that right now, just to let you know that I have nothing against the book that I'm reviewing, just the genre.

In fact, Ann Rinaldi's The Secret of Sarah Revere is pretty good, considering its genre. But a beautiful rat is a rat nonetheless.

The book revolves mainly around Sarah Revere, daughter of the legendary Paul. Sarah constantly asks herself, "What matters? What's true? Or what people think?" This is one of the main themes of the book. That's where it is better than a normal nonfiction book, or even some historical fiction books. The characters seem dead, as in a history book. In Sarah Revere, however, this is not the case. The characters are as lively and sentient as most books.

Sarah lives in a world full of strife. Her mother, of whom she is named after, died years before. British soldiers are constantly terrorizing the colonists living in Boston, Massachusetts. Suspicious acts revolve around her stepmother Rachel and a family friend, Dr. Joseph Warren. The many brothers and sisters (Debby, Paul Junior, Mary, Frances, and Elizabeth were the ones who didn't die at birth) all have their own problems and fears and lives. Sarah struggles to survive emotionally through all this.

The story can get to be kind of confusing at times, and a little boring in other places, but for the most part, it works. The book, though historical fiction, is a decent story. I would recommend this for people who like historical fiction or that time period (American Revolution times), but would be very hesitant to do that for anyone else. So I ask myself: What matters? What's true? Or what people think? And for books, it's what people think.

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Sarah-Revere-Ann-Rinaldi/dp/0152046844/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208555276&sr=8-1

Grade: 6.5

Parallax to More Than the Plot

Orson Scott Card, as you know if you have read my previous reviews, is my favorite author. He wrote Ender's Game, one of my favorite books (see post "Ender Scores" and "My Favorites"). There have been three sequels to that book as of yet, one forthcoming sequel, six short stories that take place in the universe, one other novel that takes place at the same time as Ender's Game, and one short story collection about the Ender universe. In addition to all these, there is a parallel series, the Shadow saga, the first of which is Ender's Shadow (as Card calls it in his foreword to Ender's Shadow, a parallax).

And just like its parallel, Ender's Shadow rocks.

The book opens on the streets of Rotterdam, in what used to be called the Netherlands, but what is now International Territory. A four-year-old (who is the size of a two-year-old) is sitting by himself, homeless. He scavenges for food sometimes, but usually just watches the other homeless kids, inspecting their hierarchy. He is incredibly smart. Soon enough, he has the whole order of Rotterdam inverted and mixed up. A recruiter for the International Fleet takes the kid to Battle School, where Ender Wiggin (the protagonist of Ender's Game) is a student. The kid is Bean, one of Ender's friends in Ender's Game.

As expected by his intelligence and his incredible entry test scores, Bean thrives in the school. He advances quickly, and has many adventures (and misadventures) in Battle School.

Card doesn't write with humor per se, but with his incredible wit and intelligence that made me fall in love with Ender's Game. The amazing story, incredible characters, and the superb writing combine to form an amazing piece that anyone could enjoy.

When writing a parallel novel, a writer could easily fall into the trap of making events that don't go with the book it is parallel to. Card, though, successfully makes it so that nothing contradicts anything in Ender's Game, and so that there is enough different to make it not just another interpretation of Ender's Game. It seems like a completely different book that just takes place at the same time and place. Many characters are cast in completely different lights. Many events are interpreted completely differently by the two characters. And most importantly, even though both Bean and Ender are cognitively incredible, they think differently enough to make both books worth reading.

After reading this, I feel Ender's Shadow is a parallax to more than the plot of Ender's Game. It also parallels the excellence. I can hardly wait to read the other Shadow saga books. Thank you, Orson Scott Card.

http://www.amazon.com/Enders-Shadow-Ender-Book/dp/0765342405/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_2

Grade: 9.5