Book Log: The Mysterious Benedict Society, Singing the Dogstar Blues, Z for Zachariah

52. The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart

"Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?"

When Reynie Muldoon, orphan and gifted child, responds to an ad in the paper, his world is instantly turned upside down. After a series of tests that challenge not just his intelligence, but also his ingenuity, cleverness and character, Reynie is selected with three other children - brilliant Sticky Washington, ingenious Kate Wetherell, and irritable Constance Contraire - for an important mission. Brought together by the mysterious and benevolent Mr. Benedict, the four children must go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, a special school where the only (and deceiving) rule is that there is no rules. There, the children will be challenged to the max as they rush to uncover the conspiracy that is broadcasting messages of distrust and compliance into the minds of people everywhere.

This is one of the best children's books I've read all year. Every single second of it was - and there really is no better word for it - delightful. Reynie and his fellow children are interesting, immensely likeable and unique characters. The challenges that are presented to them - and their unique ways of conquering them - make an excellent read. And their undercover adventure is compelling and scary and enjoyable. My only complaint is that I would have preferred if some of the other children at the Learning Institute for the Very Englightened would have been fleshed out a little bit more, if we (and the children) had gotten to know some of them beyond the villainous ones. But that aside, I loved every single second, every single page of this book. I loved the Harry Potter-esque illustrations at the start of every chapter (reminded me a bit of Edward Gorey). I adored Mr. Benedict and his cadre of devoted geniuses. And I may venture to say that there is no better team of children anywhere in fiction. This is a wonderful book. I really can't recommend it enough.

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53. Singing the Dogstar Blues, by Alison Goodman

Joss Aaronson is the feisty, harmonica-playing, juvenile delinquant daugher of a famous newscaster and a sperm donor. She is also a student of time travel at the Centre for Neo-Historical Studies, though one teetering on the verge of expulsion. Her life is turned upside down when the first alien exchange student joins her program. Mavkel is a Chorian, a species that communicates through harmonizing with their lifelong twin. But Mavkel's twin has died, and Mavkel will too, unless he can join with a new partner. He has chosen Joss, for reasons that neither of them can understand. But to partner with Mavkel and save his life, Joss will have to track down the identity of her sperm donor father - an adventure that involves illicit time travel.

This is a good read, if unremarkable. It's fast-paced with a good strong voice, and Joss is a generally likeable character. But the storyline is predictable, and the alien-bonds-with-delinquant-girl has been done before (see Annette Curtis Klaus's Alien Secrets.) I was turned on to this book by Alison Goodman's story "The Real Thing" in the consistently excellent Firebirds Rising anthology. The story there focuses on the rising divide in Joss's world of those who were naturally born and those who were made in a petri dish. That conflict fascinated me, and I was eager to read more of that ilk. Unfortunately, this novel barely touches on that issue, aside from a bit of momentary racism. I would have preferred a novel that focused more on the issues in Joss's future world, instead of a time-travelling sci-fi adventure. I think Goodman could have pulled it off, too - and it would have been a more thoughtful, more interesting novel.

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54. Z for Zachariah, by Robert C. O'Brien

Ann Burden is sixteen years old, and the last person alive. She knows this because after the disaster, her family went off to search for survivors, and they never came back. Her valley is safe, somehow protected from the nuclear disaster that has wiped out the rest of the world by some sort of weather formation. And so she tills her field and keeps her house and stays alive, alone. Until he comes. When John Loomis shows up in her valley, wearing a safe suit that protects him from radiation, Ann is cautious. When he accidentally exposes himself to radiation, Ann nurses him back to help. At first, she is glad to have human company, but her joy soon turns to fear as it becomes clear that John Loomis is a tyrant who will not be satisfied unless he is in control - of the valley, of the house, and of her. And now, Ann must decide how she will survive - and how she will live - in this new world.

This is a powerful post-apocalyptic story, and I devoured it in a sitting. Ann's diary is thoughtful and reflective, making her a good narrator for the end of the world. John Loomis, seen through her eyes, is a fascinating and frightening - is the word villain? And their relationship is also fascinating and frightening to watch, at least from the POV of the reader, who can see where it's going almost from the start. The ending - especially Loomis's final and desperate request - is haunting.