Another Fan

[ballet2nite.livejournal.com]

I just read a great book called Graceling by Kristin Cashore, and went to her website for some info on sequels, and ended up at her FAQ, and look what I found!!!

"Can you recommend some good YA fantasy?I can indeed, and I invite my readers to add their own recommendations in the comments.   I've never read anything by Tamora Pierce or Robin McKinley I didn't like.  With Pierce, the Alanna quartet is a great place to start; with McKinley, The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown, and Deerskin are among my personal favorites.  Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials cannot be beat.  Cynthia Voigt has an inter-related quartet of books called the Novels of the Kingdom that aren't technically fantasy (nothing impossible happens), but they have a medieval fantasy feel.  They are: Jackaroo; On Fortune's Wheel; The Wings of a Falcon; and Elske.  I've also just started reading the Megan Whalen Turner Attolia books, starting with The Thief -- WONDERFUL."

Just made me excited and I thought you'd like to know!!!!

Comments

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

Oh! I remember reading Jackaroo long ago. I may want to go back to those.

To my way of thinking alternate-universe fiction is fantasy. So if it feels like it's set in medieval Europe, but it's in a country ruled by King Fred and Queen Donna, then it's not from our history, and it's fantasy. Hmm?

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

This seems to be coming up a lot, lately.

It appears, many new young adult fantasy authors are reading or have read The Queen's Thief series. Perhaps, this bounds well for new books if their author's are being influenced by Mrs. Turner's work.

I have not read "The Graceling", but I've been meaning to and should get around to it.

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

Just 'graceling'. No 'the'.

You should read it - it was quite good. I thought the bad guy was a little stupid - one of the flattest I've ever seen, but I loved Bitterblue and Katsa was fun.

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

"Graceling"

Okay, got it, the last Eddis.

Yes, I will be reading the book as soon as I find time.

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

Yup, it's fun.

If you want, most people call me TLE - it's easier to type. :-)

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

I can type, and I usually refrain from using abreviations, even though I know it's common on blogs. I tend to forget what they are. Lol and BTW are about all I can keep track of.

[bluestalking.livejournal.com]

Ah, good! I'm glad she has good taste. ;P

[readsintrees.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it does seem like a lot of YA/fantasy authors have read The Thief. So how come more YA readers haven't come across these??

I went to my local library today and peeked at the card catalog; they have The Thief and The King of Attolia.....but no Queen! And both of the books they DO have are in the childrens' section. Argh! I am sorely tempted to buy another set of the trilogy and donate it to the library under the stipulation that they be put in the YA room. We need more Attolia fans in this town! (especially if I ever want anyone to recognise my license plate)

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

My local library has "The Thief" and "The Queen of Attolia" very smartly placed in the Young Adult section. They are the old Greenwillow Press hardcover edition. This is where I discovered the books.
Perhaps, you could very nonchalant put the books in another stack of books you are caring and then slip them into the Young Adult section. The librarians may never know.

I think part of the reason why these book aren't more famous (in my opinion they should as popular if not more popular than "Harry Potter") is the very non-discript covers of the first few editions. The copy of "The Thief" at my library lacks even a summary. I surprised myself when I picked it up, because I usually don't read books when I have no clue what they are going to be about.

There are also errors on the part of book stores. One book store I went to had none of the books in stock. Another had two copies of "The Thief", but in the middle school (10-13) section. One more had all three, but in the middle school section again.

Perhaps, we should stage a protest at a few Barnes and Noble.

*looks for cardboard to make sign*

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

I AGREE

I always find these books completely seperated from each other - QoA at one bookstore, TT in the children's section at another...

It's a CRIME

[peggy-2.livejournal.com]

to be fair, they do target different age ranges

: )

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

That's true, but I think the books are most appropriately categorized as Young Adult. My nephew is almost 10, and I know "The Thief" wouldn't most much sense to him.

And I know at least when I was about 12, I browsed around in the Young Adult section even though they were technically out of my reading level. (I never payed attention to such trivialities.) I just knew that if the book was in the Young Adult section, I should expect a more serious plot as well as older characters. So even if the books aren't strictly in the middle school section, younger readers could still be exposed to them.

Also, I've taken a looks at the shelf just for Newberry Honor books, and I've never seen "The Thief" there. Has anyone else noticed this?