The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean

Another intense novel. Wow. Two huge impact books with Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings sandwiched in with my reading time between. I am obviously humor starved.

Me: Whatever shall I do?

Inner Aella: Why, write a review and get that cloying tensity outoutout.
Me: AH! Of course!

Sym has an imaginary friend. So what if she's 14 years old? Titus is the only steady thing in her life. She can depend on him and his past to stay the same. For once, Titus, better known as Captain Scott of the Shackleton Expedition, almost made it to the southerly most point of the world. Unfortunately, the endeavor failed and he died, only to return as the comforting (and 125 year old) figment in a broken girl's mind.

So when Sym's genius of an uncle (Victor) proposes a trip to Paris, who is she to turn him down? And when her mother's passport mysteriously disappears, who is Sym to question how it occurred? But there is more than meets the eyes to Victor's day ride into France. Oh no. Soon Sym finds herself on a trip to Antarctica with celebrities, scientists, and a very attractive Viking-boy. There, her bond with Titus grows and is sorely tested when everything goes awry (or maybe they were meant to go awry *eyebrow raise*). Dead captain or no, she must keep her wits about her in the barren land that has come to be known as the Ice. And even when surrounded by the mirages of ice and sun that blur the edges of her focus, the choice is clear. Fight for her life above all else. Or die.

The White Darkness received the Printz award this year and was completely engrossing on a psychological level. Sym's character is complex, bearing enough originality to maintain my attentions through the entire first-person work. And yet, at the same time, I was struggling to believe her sanity. Why does she not notice her Uncle is a nutter from the very beginning? At times, I was worried that perhaps I wouldn't be able to enjoy her character because she wasn't giving the appearance of being especially bright. But at the conclusion of the novel, I was happy I had stuck with it. I realized her ignorance is the product of mental blocks she has developed to preserve herself.

Ms. McCaughrean's novel is excellently researched and at times, chilling (no pun intended). Her descriptions of the poles are dark and beautiful and the experiences of the explorers as they succumb to the blinding white of the snow and the killing cold are written realistically. It seems almost as if the author herself had experienced such things in an earlier time.

But if you're looking for a swashbuckling adventure story, this isn't it. An afternoon of quiet time will be needed to absorb every element. And, like what lies beneath the ice of Antarctica, there is much more to the story than meets the eye. Some key elements are easily missed if the reader so much as skips a page. But I don't think that will be a problem. You'll want to read every piece of the incredible description and startling twists.

I bestow upon this novel a 6 out of 7 lightnings (and a prize for longest review)! Expect more reviews than ever from the Maelstrom in the months to come.

In Pursuit of Odyssey,


P.S. Has anyone read any exceptionally humorous books lately? As I said before, my mindset is in a constant shade of gray from the sort of reading material I have been consuming of late. Comment Away!

*sings* It's the end of the world as we know it

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer is a story about a normal girl with normal high-school problems. Well, not really, but that's how it starts. Miranda has a lot to deal with (*ominously* or so she thinks...). She has to convince her mother to let her take up ice-skating again, the sport that she loves. Her Dad wants her to be the godmother of his second wife's baby. She tries not to let her two best friends (Sammi who has a new boyfriend every week and the disturbingly god-obsessed Megan) drive her crazy. On top of that, she has to bring up her failing math grades. All while listening to the repetitive ravings about the meteor that will hit the moon in a short time. It's all anyone can talk about, and frankly, Miranda is sick of it.

However, this event quickly transforms from the harmless, tell-your-grandchildren moment to a disaster. The meteor hits the moon, but in the process, knocks it closer to Earth. This sets up for tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanoes world wide with no end in sight. Everything has become complete chaos. Gas prices skyrocket to around $12 a gallon (if you can get it at all). Food is scarce and soon the temperature starts to drop drastically. Miranda and her family soon learn that to survive they have to work together and put family above all else. Even then, they might not make it through...

I have to say, even though I don't usually go for the diary-style of writing I found this book really easy to get into. It was written very well and actually affected me. When I had to put it down to eat lunch, I got to the table and thought "woah, we have food". It even got to the point that I felt really cold. As in, it was 80 outside and I was sitting in my living room covered in a blanket, reading this book.

All in all, I give Life as We Knew It a 5 out of 7.

From the Shadows,