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I’ve been reading a lot of young-adult fiction recently, and this delightfully charming novel might be the best of the bunch. Originally written in German and released in 2002, The Thief Lord follows a group of runaways in Venice who are watched over by the mysterious and self-assured Scipio (the Thief Lord), a boy no older than themselves. Two of the gang members are brothers on the lam from their aunt, a mean women who wants to adopt Bo, the younger of the two boys, but send Prosper, the older, off packing to an orphanage.

When the Thief Lord is offered a high-paying theft by an aged and wealthy Conte, the kids see it as their one-way ticket out of poverty. But the Conte isn’t what he seems. And the children soon find themselves in more danger than they bargained for.

It’s a beautiful story. Adventure and mystery and family and loyalty with just a sprinkle of magic to boot.

I was THRILLED after I read it to learn that a film based on the book was coming out on DVD in March. You can bet your picked pocket I’ll be the first in line to rent it. A.

I rarely buy comic books. I feel guilty when I do. My wife doesn’t read them, and taking a bit of the monthly family allowance to buy something only I will read feels like a selfish indulgence. And it is. But, hey, it’s my birthday. I’m allowed a little spending money on my birthday.

Ed McGuinness is my favorite comic artist–1) Because he draws a squared-jaw Superman that’s half realistic and half Saturday morning cartoon and 2) Because he draws Superman.

I’ll admit it, the Man in Steel is my comic character of choice. Yeah, he wears a silly costume, but let’s not forget that he fights for truth, justice, and the American way. Not many people can say that. Nor many aliens, which Superman is.

Since I buy comics so rarely I prefer the comic I pick up to be a stand-alone story, with a beginning, middle, and end, which is why I was so disappointed with Superman Batman #23. The whole book was confusing. A) It had two of the dumbest comic characters created: Bizarro and Batzarro, which are opposite-speaking mindless versions of Superman and Batman and B) I had no idea what was going on. The big twist in the end that explained why everyone had been acting like pawns in a big chess game should have been an “Aha!” but instead felt like an “Oh brother!”

Better luck next time. C.

This is a short novel. I listened to an unabridged reading of it on a recent road trip, and the whole thing fit on three CDs.

Hatchet is the story of thirteen-year-old Brian, a boy still coming to grips with his parents’ recent divorce and who must now divide his time between them.

The novel begins with Brian boarding a tiny prop plane that will take him up into the Canadian wilderness where his father now lives and with whom he is to spend his summer vacation. Before Brian departs, his mother — who was the cause of the divorce — gives him a hatchet as a parting gift.

When the pilot of the plane has a sudden and massive heart attack mid-flight, Brain must take the wheel and call for help. But help doesn’t come. And Brian crash lands the plane in the remote and unforgiving wilderness with only his hatchet to aid him.

This is a survival story, of course, but one that is real and gut wrenching. Swiss Family Robinson this ain’t. Brain finds no easy answers. Like the movie Cast Away, Hatchet shows how one must tirelessly struggle to find the necessities of life. Building a fire. Not easy. Spearing fish. Not easy. Finding shelter. Not easy. And the wildlife are far more dangerous than cute PBS documentaries would lead us to believe.

In short, this is an honest adventure story. One that will keep you turning pages (or listening to the CDs) as Brian struggles to stay alive. But it’s also a coming-of-age tale, one that explores the nastiness of divorce and it’s effects on the children involved. A great read. B.

I rarely see a movie and then read the book it was based on. It’s usually the other way around. If I know a film is based on a book. I’ll read the book first. That way, when the film comes out, I’ll be able to see how the screenwriters adapted the story — a process that fascinates me.

But Ella Enchanted is an exception. I saw the movie starring Anne Hatheway a few years ago but read the book only a few days ago. Boy was I suprised. The book is nothing like the film. This is a loose adapation if there ever was one.

And I was relieved to see that everything that I found annoying about the movie was not in the book.

This isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy the movie. I did. But had the screenwriters been a little more faithful to the original story, the film would have been all the more entertaining.

For example, Cary Elwes character. Not in the book. The secret plot to assasinate the prince. Not in the book. The fairie with an attitude. Not in the book. Ella’s solo at the giant wedding. Not in the book (although I was thrilled when I saw the movie to learn that Anne Hathway can sing).

In fact, the movie skips what is the most important angle of the story: that this is the retelling of a very famous fairy tale. Watch the movie and one would assume that this is simply a silly fairy tale invented entirely by the author, not one based a pre-existing story.

Read the book and you’ll realize what a wonderful and inventinve writer Gail Carson Levine really is. She took a well told (and somewhat bland story) and turned it into something magical.