Abarat: Absolute Midnight

Barker, Clive. 2011. Abarat: Absolute Midnight. New York: Harper Collins.

I don't read many YA books, so I'm not typically searching the YA stacks to see what's new.  That's how Abarat: Absolute Midnight 's September 2011, release slipped right past me. Of course, I'm one of the lucky ones.  I read the second book in the Abarat series, Days of Magic, Nights of War, back in 2008.  I've only been waiting 4 years for the sequel.  True fans have been waiting seven years for Clive Barker's latest tale of the Abarat. The original Abarat appeared in 2002, with the second in the series showing up two years later in 2004.  Since then, nothing.  Nothing but rumors - two more books! no, three books -  A movie! - no, no movie ...

But now, after 7 years of rumors and waiting, book 3 of a planned 5 book series is here, and it is as massive a project (582 pages and a hundred paintings, or thereabouts) as the first two books in the series.  With the fate of Christopher Carrion in question (did he perish in Chickentown?) and Mater Motley poised to deliver darkness to all of the Hours, Candy returns to the Abarat to meet her destiny, which, though cloudy at first, becomes clearer with each passing day.  Candy Quackenbush, of Chickentown, Minnesota has a role to play in determining the fate of the Abarat. With her devoted and trusting companion, Malingo, the geshrat, Candy will follow her destiny wherever it leads - even to Gargossium, midnight, the 24th hour. 

Although this book may be darker in tone, the reader never has the feeling that the politely indomitable Candy will fail. In fact, while other readers may revel in the Abarat's more horrific and macabre characters, it is Candy (and Malingo) that have ensured my return.  Coming from a sadly dysfunctional home in a boring Midwest town, traveling to the Abarat, and then back to Chickentown in a showdown between the two worlds, Candy emerges not broken, but steady, independent and resourceful - sure of her convictions, whatever the cost.  Malingo senses this in Candy, as well as the magic that resides in her.  She may not understand or see her true potential, but Malingo sees it, protects it, and relies upon it.  Together they are a perfect pair.  It remains to be seen how Candy's newest admirer will change the dynamics in this touching human/geshrat friendship.

The fate of the Abarat still hangs in the balance.  Perhaps all of the answers may be found on the 25th hour, Odom's Spire.  Based on past history, we may have to wait some time to find out!

Click here for the latest news from Clive Barker's website on the future of the Abarat series.

An Absolute Midnight Review from the LA Times


Previous reviews:
Abarat
Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War

Spooky Cemeteries

Williams, Dinah. 2008. Spooky Cemeteries. New York: Bearport.

Spooky Cemeteries was the 2009 winner of the Children's Choice Book Awards 3rd and 4th Grade Book of the Year. At the time the awards were announced in May, my library did not own a copy , but I'm pleased to say that we have it now.

According to its opening pages, "in this book, you'll meet a voodoo queen, ghosts who won't rest in peace, an ancient mummy, and other creepy creatures of the night."

Spooky Cemeteries is a compilation of short pieces on 11 of the world's most famously creepy burial grounds, including the Catacombs of France (home to 6 million skeletons and featured in the 39 Clues mystery, Maze of Bones), Tutankhamun's Tomb in Egypt, and Westminster Burying Grounds in Baltimore, Maryland, the final resting place of Edgar Allan Poe (whose 200th anniversary we celebrate this year).

More factual than fantastic, most entries contains the local legend or lore,

She then turns into an ugly monster with long teeth and red eyes before killing
them. She hides in the tall trees and flies through the air. Don't let her get
close! ... Some people think that a Pontianak is nothing more than a large owl.
The faces of these birds can look human when they swoop out of the darkness.

actual photographs of the location, dramatized photos or artwork depicting the ghost or relevant artifacts, and a text box containing interesting facts,

Most cemeteries in New Orleans have tombs where the dead can be buried above
ground. why? About half of the city is below sea level. If coffins were buried
in the soggy ground, they would float up out of their graves.

A table of contents, map, glossary, bibliography, index, and suggested reading round out this scholarly look at an unscholarly topic. Spooky Cemeteries is part of the Scary Places series.

A real kid-pleaser! Not too gory, but just spooky enough!

Coraline, Inkheart, movies, and books

I've always been one to read the book first, then see the movie. Then I always complain that the book was better. That is certainly the case with Coraline, now in theaters. I saw it in 3-D with my daughter. It's a great movie and the 3-D effects are awesome, but of course, I don't think the movie is as good as the book; and I didn't like the addition of a new character to the story. Part of Coraline's charm as a heroine is her self-reliance and assuredness. She really didn't need a sidekick.

Still, it's well worth seeing. Leave the preschoolers at home though! (I was surprised to see how many were in the theater)


Inkheart is a different story. I had never read Inkheart and went to see the movie with my daughters. It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, but I really did enjoy it as a reading-themed, action movie.

I followed up the movie by downloading the audiobook version of the book, read by Lynn Redgrave (Listening Library 2005). I'm not sure if it was the length of the book (over 15 hours) or the monotony of listening to the same reader, that made it such slow-going. I've listened to Lynn Redgrave as the reader of Prince Caspian, and got used to her characterizations after a few chapters, however, the number and variety of characters in Inkheart makes it difficult for any narrator to create enough vocal variety for each character. Add to that fact, the fact that I already knew most of the story (although the movie does depart from the book in several major ways), and the whole audiobook experience was a bit of a chore.

But...

just when I was deciding that I wouldn't follow through on the rest of the series, Listening Library played a cruel trick on me - they included the first chapter of Inkspell, read by Brendan Fraser after the final chapter of Inkheart. Now I have no choice. I have to know what happens to Dustfinger!

The Graveyard Book

I always seem to have trouble when I try to add tags to an embedded Animoto video. Not sure if it's a Blogger glitch or an Animoto proprietary issue. In any case, I'm still an Animoto fan.

So, the tags are here and the video is in the next post.
http://shelf-employed.blogspot.com/2009/02/graveyard-book_24.html

Seer of Shadows

A video booktalk for Seer of Shadows by Avi

The Seer of Shadows

Avi. 2008. The seer of shadows. New York: Harper Collins.

The prolific Avi has a winner in Seer of Shadows, historical fiction with a decidedly eerie and menacing twist. Horace Carpetine, raised to believe in science and rationalism, has been apprenticed to a photographer in post-Civil War, New York City. When his unscrupulous employer decides to perpetrate a hoax on a grieving mother, a tangled tale of death, deception, abuse and the supernatural "develops," literally, on the glass plates of the photographer's camera.

Horace befriends Pegg, a black servant girl from the deceased's household, and together they confront the inconceivable. The Seer of Shadows is a gripping tale with a strong historical base and the supernatural eeriness of Gaiman's Coraline.