Reading Abounds

Title: Just Ella Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 167305 Description: In this continuation of the Cinderella story, Fifteen-year-old Ella finds that accepting Prince Charming's proposal ensnares her in a suffocating tangle of palace rules and royal etiquette, so she plots to escape. Rubric Rating: Level 1: Leave it. Why I Read It:  The premise of the story sounded quite interesting.  What happens once Cinderella moves into the castle. Lori's Notes: A slow read, starting after Ella has moved into the castle.  Happily ever after is not everything she dreamed it would be.  The prince isn't so charming, life isn't so good, she's bored and repressed, and falling in love with her tutor.  The action in this novel is a long time coming and not worth the read.  I was happy when the book ended. Recommended Reader: If you have a girl who is a budding feminist and enjoys fairytales this would be a good selection.  Grade 6 a...

Title: The False Prince Series: The Ascendance Trilogy Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 69857 Description:  In the country of Carthya, a devious nobleman engages four orphans in a brutal competition to be selected to impersonate the king's long-missing son in an effort to avoid a civil war. Rubric Rating: Level 3: Laud It! Why I Read It: I actually picked this book out for my husband to read as he's a fan of the fantasy genre.  However, he left it on his desk and I snatched it up after reading the first chapter. Lori's Notes:  The royal family is dead.  King Eckbert, Queen Erin, and the Crown Prince Darius have been killed - the country of Carthya just doesn't know it yet.  The King and Queen's youngest son, Prince Jaron, has been missing for the last four years and presumed dead.  To prevent a possible war with the surrounding countries or a takeover by one of the twenty regents, Bevin Connor recruits four orphan boys - ...

Title: Incarceron Author: Catherine Fisher Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 41041 Description:   To free herself from an upcoming arranged marriage, Claudia, the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, a futuristic prison with a mind of its own, decides to help a young prisoner escape. Rubric Rating: Level 2: Like It Why I Read It:  I loved this book's cover and title and that's the reason I started this novel.   I was captivated by the beautiful key and I liked that the companion novel's cover shows a keyhole. Lori's Notes:  I'm sad that the inside of the book didn't live up to the outside for me.  A living prison and social experiment, Incarceron has been sealed for centuries and no one has escaped. Claudia, the warden's daughter wants to escape an arranged marriage and through the use of a crystal key meets Finn, trapped within the prison.  Finn has no idea whom he is or how he ended up in Incarceron.  Each day is a struggle for survival bu...