Book Thoughts: Son by Lois Lowry part 2

by J.R. Wagner

 This is part 2 of this post. Click below for part 1.
Part 1

 Warning:  Spoiler Alert!!!! As always, I like to think of this as a collection of thoughts rather than a review.

 As I was saying (in part 1) Son is broken into three parts.  Of all three, I found the second most enjoyable. 

After escaping on board a supply boat, Claire finds herself in a small village by the sea having shipwrecked and lost all memory of how she got there.  She recovers and regains some of her memories -most importantly that she has a son for whom she is is bent upon finding. 

The village is situated at the base of sheer cliffs. There are two ways to leave the village.  First is by sea, which Claire has no desire to attempt due to her fear of the water.  Second is up the cliffs.  Only one villager has ever made it to the top of the cliffs. (only to be tossed back down and crippled in the process)

Claire decides to try for the top of the cliffs under the guidance of Einar (the guy who made it up...then tossed off).  Her training begins. When she is finally ready to make the climb.  Six years have passed. I really enjoyed her training, which was far from boring or monotonous.

It had been six years now since the day she had been carried from the sea, and five since the morning that Elen's birth had returned the memory of her son to her.  Somewhere he would be a half-grown boy; running, shouting, playing.

The Climb

The climb out spans four chapters and is covered in meticulous detail.  You feel as though you are there with Claire with every hand-hold, every step up, every slip.

It took Claire longer than she had expected to make her way through the narrow shadowed tunnel that the crevice had formed.  It was not life-threatening, as the rope-assisted passage across the cliff face had been.There was no sheer drop here. 

Does she make it up?  Yes.  What I will not divulge is what waits for her at the top.  I had envisioned all sorts of men and monsters yet none were quite so terrible as what Claire eventually faced. But face it she does.

Part three of the book is less about Claire (which I found disappointing because she is such a compelling character) and more about her son, Gabe.  Because I have not read Gathering Blue or Messenger, I was not aware that Jonas and Gabe had survived their trek over the mountain (and was somewhat disappointed to find out that they had, mostly because in the back of my mind I wonder whether keeping them alive was best for the story) but it was immediately apparent in part three of this book that both are alive and well.

The story seems to slow at this point.  I suppose if I had more invested into these characters (by reading books 2 and 3) I would have enjoyed spending more time with them but my only focus was on Claire, who was a peripheral character for much of this part of the story.

I will not ruin the details of the ending.  I'll say I wasn't thrilled with the wrap-up -but I'm one of those readers who like endings that make you think (like The Giver) more often than endings that leave you feeling satiated.

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Book Thoughts: Son by Lois Lowry part 1

by J.R. Wagner

 Warning:  Spoiler Alert!!!! As always, I like to think of this as a collection of thoughts rather than a review.

 I recently started and finished reading Son, by Lois Lowry.  I read and thoroughly enjoyed The Giver and for some reason, I decided to skip over the second (Gathering Blue) and third book (Messenger) in the series and go right to the last.  Don't ask me why. I have books 2 and 3 sitting on my shelf waiting to be read...anyway

Book Thoughts: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

By J.R. Wagner

Top ten eye moistening (shut up) death scenes in books a boy would actually read.

By J. R. Wagner

Books for Teen Boys -a guest post

Books for Teen Boys

By Carlie M A Cullen

Getting teen boys to read isn’t an easy task unless it’s something they’ve grown up with and really enjoy. Let’s face it the vast majority of boys in that age group are interested in sports, gaming and maybe girls. So what sort of books would you look to give a male teen?

I think it has to be something they can relate to, subject matter which will pique their interest and spark their imagination. Fantasy; swords and sorcery, Action and Adventure, Sci-Fi – there are some really great books available for boys of all ages.

In my opinion, you can’t beat the Harry Potter series by J K Rowling. These books appeal to all age groups and both sexes. There’s plenty of action, intrigue, sorcery and with the lead character being male, other boys can relate to him. I don’t think I need to say much more about this series as it’s so well known.

For younger teen boys there’s The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾ by Sue Townsend. This was made into a TV series in the UK and is a very British book. The premise of the book is as follows:

The book is written in a diary style by Adrian Mole, a thirteen year old boy who, although writes confidently, often misinterprets and does not understand the events that go on around him. The book follows him through the year of 1981 and a bit of 1982, starting with his new year's resolutions including "stopping squeezing my spots" and "vowing to never drink alcohol... after hearing disgusting noises from downstairs last night." Mole is a self-described intellectual who writes unreliably about the events he goes through and his troubles as an adolescent - resulting in a light-hearted and amusing book.
He writes bluntly about his parents' marital troubles and his own relationship with Pandora, a fellow Year 9 with beautiful "treacle hair": "Pandora and I are in love! It is official! She told Claire Nelson, who told Nigel, who told me." Adrian Mole also writes about his cringe-worthy poetry, his troubles at school, his acne problem, the Royal Wedding and his eighty-year old friend Bert, and numerous other events.

There’s also The Coracle Boy by Edwin Sayers. The blurb reads:

A long time ago, in a land not too far away, there was a fabled and mysterious place known as ‘Farland - the land of the great swamp’. At its heart lay the town of Westown, the home of Harry, the ‘Coracle Boy’.

Time and time again pirates and robbers from all over this land came to plunder the good folk of Westown, rampaging and taking anything they could. The people of Westown dare not venture into the forests and even the river that had supplied food and goods from far away were now deemed unsafe to travel.

But Harry knew the river like the back of his hand and no-one knew how to use a coracle more than he. And now, more than ever, Harry’s skill and determination were desperately needed. For it was only Harry who could navigate this dangerous, swollen river and get a message to General Smith that the notorious King Axel was about to mount his most vicious assault. . . Will Harry be able to save the day?

The future of Westown depends upon the ‘Coracle Boy’.

For boys aged 16+ there’s The Boy Who Made It Rain by Brian Conaghan.

When a school tragedy happens, you may lay the blame on society, the Internet, TV or violent films. Not many of you think it could be the parents' or teachers' fault, do you? But then, is it? We have our say, spout off opinions in different directions according to our view of the world. In this novel, too, they all have their say, but who's right?

At only sixteen Clem's world is turned upside down. His Willy-Loman-like father, a travelling salesman and a loser, is transferred from Eastbourne to Glasgow and along with him go Clem and his meek accommodating mother. But Glasgow is rough and Clem's posh English accent is not well-accepted in the sink school he attends. And he's a brilliant scholar. He soon becomes the target for McEvoy's group of thugs for whom slashing faces is the most important ambition in their depraved lives. When a school tragedy happens, you probably lay the blame on society, the Internet, TV or violent films. Not many of you think it could be the parents' or the teachers' fault, do you? But then, is it? We all have our say, spout off opinions in different directions according to our view of the world. In this novel, too, they all have their say, but who's right?

There are some other great epic fantasy series appearing on Kindle and paperback like DarknessRising by Ross M Kitson, The Tower of Bones series by Connie J Jasperson and The Never Chronicles by none other than our very own J R Wagner.

A few other titles that caught my eye are:

One Dog and His Boy – EvaIbbotson

Boys Without Names –Kashmira Sheth

The Book of Ralph – JohnMcNally

The Kite Runner – KhaledHosseini

The Ice Boy – PatriciaElliott

There are plenty of books to choose from and I’ve only selected some here that really captured my attention. Ultimately, if you’re buying a book for a teen boy, you need to know what type of things he likes. It’s a bit of a minefield, but if you do your homework, you’re sure to pick a winner!

 Carlie M A Cullen is the author of newly released novel Heart Search.