(Minor spoilers—nothing big.) Again Jonathan Auxier tells an intriguing story with compelling, interesting characters, while dealing with the question of ‘What is a story, and what is it for?’ in a way that both a child and an adult can understand and appreciate. Set amid the Irish potato famine and English prejudice against the Irish,Continue reading “Review & Analysis: The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier”
Tag Archives: Literary Criticism
Book Review: Starlight
I enjoyed this collection of short stories by Hannah Lee Kidder. It includes 11 short stories, six of which are flash fiction. The flash fiction was excellent. Kidder rarely uses exposition, and all of her stories in this collection unfold gradually with little to no expositional setup, leading the reader along through intrigue. Whether herContinue reading “Book Review: Starlight”
Coraline: A Fun, Eerie Read
Spoilers! I really enjoyed this book! At 30,826 words I think it makes more sense to call it a novella than a short story. I think my favourite aspect of Gaiman’s writing in this work is the tone (I’m now on my third Gaiman book, and that seems to be one of his foremost skills).Continue reading “Coraline: A Fun, Eerie Read”
Book Review: Six of Crows
Spoilers! World-building: Renaissance Fantasy I have thought to myself that it would be interesting to read or write a renaissance fantasy story, and I think Bardugo did a fine job making one. Her originality in the combination of magic and guns, as well as in making a world that deliberately resembles our own (Amsterdam, Russia,Continue reading “Book Review: Six of Crows”
Clay & Steel: Differences between Children’s Stories, Young Adult, & Adult
A while back I was trying to determine what distinguishes children’s books—specifically for older children, say age 10 on average—from young adult, and young adult from adult novels. I think it may consist partly in the following. The protagonists in children’s books are generally not on a path of self-discovery, but rather have a practicalContinue reading “Clay & Steel: Differences between Children’s Stories, Young Adult, & Adult”
Lloyd Alexander’s Gypsy Rizka: A Delightful Read!
I nearly missed this book! I was at The Dusty Bookshelf looking for The Prydain Chronicles, and almost walked away without seeing that Lloyd Alexander’s books occupied another shelf! I had previously seen Gypsy Rizka listed among his works on Audible and it sounded interesting. I had no idea it would be so good! ItsContinue reading “Lloyd Alexander’s Gypsy Rizka: A Delightful Read!”
Book Review & Analysis of Children’s Stories: The Mysterious Benedict Society
A delightful read, which exemplifies two or three characteristics especially important in children’s books. The first of these is a catalyst right at the start (or nearly so). If we look at some other well-done (or at least popular) children’s stories, all or nearly all of the following have the inciting incident occurring within theContinue reading “Book Review & Analysis of Children’s Stories: The Mysterious Benedict Society”
The Curious Critic 