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Thursday, September 10, 2015

Review of Lauren Oliver's CURIOSITY HOUSE: THE SHRUNKEN HEAD (by: guest reviewer Kira Lemke)


Hello Mayhemers!

Marissa here. Today, I'm delighted to welcome to the blog a good friend of mine, Kira Lemke, who has read and reviewed Lauren Oliver's forthcoming THE SHRUNKEN HEAD, the first installment in THE CURIOSITY HOUSE series.

First, let me introduce you to Kira. Kira Lemke is a student at Providence Classical Christian School. She has three novels in process on Storybird as KiraNoelle. When she isn't studying or writing, she likes to paint, bake, and keep her younger siblings in line. Some of her favorite things are tardigrades, giant squids, Ancient Egypt, and sensorimotor neural engineering.



Here's what Kira had to say about THE SHRUNKEN HEAD:

"Pippa, Max, Sam, and Thomas are four orphans with remarkable abilities who reside in Dumphrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, oddities, and Wonders, still reeling from the Great Depression and recent lack of public interest in freak shows.

In a last ditch effort to save the museum, Mr. Dumphrey procures the supposed shrunken head of an Amazonian chief. Everything seems to be going splendid- record crowds, women fainting in horror- until the head is stolen. The four children band together in an effort to save the head, the museum, and themselves.

 Mysteries and mysterious abilities are all well and good, but, quite frankly, the superhuman and the unknown populate every other book on the middle grade bookshelf. And for a good reason- unusual abilities add a layer of excitement, of novelty, of escape from normal life, and ambiguity is crucial for plot and suspense- but each new novel needs to find its special niche to set it a cut above the rest. For The Shrunken Head, it’s character.

There is a place, between upper middle grade and young adult, where a child reads both and fits in neither. Standard middle grade plots begin to seem a bit childish, but young adult is still a bit too mature. The key to bridging this gap is not to read exclusively Charles Dickens (and I’m speaking from experience here), but to read books with good characters. Young adult won’t get any less mature, but good characters can add a layer of sophistication to any middle grade novel, a tricky gamut The Shrunken Head runs effortlessly. Pippa, Max, Sam, and Thomas are all clearly children, but each deals with problems common to all age groups. Though the obstacle in question (e.g., reading minds) may never be encountered, the underlying emotion (e.g., fear of failure) is far too familiar. With such masterful writing, The Shrunken Head will appeal to all age groups.

The genius of the children is not limited to relatability. Each child has a distinct voice easily recognizable from the others. Now, yes, in most books, you can tell which character is speaking. Oliver and Chester have turned this into an art form. Max is so Max, and Sam is so Sam, that the otherwise unremarkable fundamental building block of writing becomes one of the book’s crowning jewels.

This book is exactly what middle grade needs. I’d recommend it to anyone."

Kira, thank you so much for joining the Mayhem and sharing your thoughts on THE SHRUNKEN HEAD!

It is now available for pre-order from your favorite book-seller or library and will be on shelves 9/29/2015. Happy reading! :) 

14 comments:

  1. So true about the place between MG and YA where a child doesn't quite fit either and such an interesting take on the best kind of books to read then. Sounds like this could be a great book for my middle school classroom library--thanks for the review to put it on my radar!

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  2. I've got this one on my bedside table~ you've made me excited to start it!

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  3. Kira, I appreciate your review--which made me want to read THE SHRUNKEN HEAD immediately.

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  4. I love having MGers review, especially to give a perspective on upper MG -- those "in-between" books. Excellent review, Kira.

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  5. Kira, your bio makes me smile every time I read it. :) Love it! And you! Thanks for guest posting today!

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  6. Kira, thank you for the beautifully written review! I love Lauren Oliver's YA, but haven't connected with her previous MGs. You've convinced me to give this one a try! (And I was just bemoaning the lack of in-between books the other day.) Thanks for joining us at Project Mayhem today!

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  7. That is an awesome bio and thank you for the wonderful review. I've been looking forward to another one of Lauren Oliver's MG books and your review makes me want to jump on getting this one that much faster.

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  8. "There is a place, between upper middle grade and young adult, where a child reads both and fits in neither. Standard middle grade plots begin to seem a bit childish, but young adult is still a bit too mature." ~ I love this quote! And you are so right. Depth of character is everything for that particular age reader ~ who is just becoming mature enough to recognize the difference between books with standard, carbon-copy characters and books with full fledged people between the pages.

    Excellent review!

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  9. This is a well-written review, which makes me think you recognize good writing when you read it, which in turn lends credibility to your recommendation of THE SHRUNKEN HEAD! Nice!

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  10. Great review, and so well written. I can see that you're destined to be a writer!

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  11. Thanks so much for sharing this review, Kira! You are clearly an author and a great author is a careful reader.This shows your depth of insight and your pleasure at journeying through a good book. BTW- I am writing you from Cairo, Egypt. I teach at The American University in Cairo. One of my dear friends in Salima Ikram, one of the world's foremost authorities on mummified animals. Look her up-she has made some remarkable discoveries! Send love to Marissa!

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  12. Great review - and thanks for no spoilers as I am reading it now (and enjoying). And you are so right about the characters being distinct. It's quite a flavorful stew pot of a story with a chewy mystery that keeps you biting!

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  13. Sounds like a great read. Excellent review.

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Thanks for adding to the mayhem!