New Teen Fiction: Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City

I have a vested interest in finding great Young Adult novels because my teen and 'tween are voracious readers. They have totally different tastes in books but have one thing in common: it's hard to keep them stocked with books to read.

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to be introduced to five new Young Adult authors. A few were previously published in other genres and debuting in YA fiction; one was a brand new published author named Kirsten Miller. Miller's Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City made its debut this month.

Imagine a world of tunnels and rooms crisscrossing under the streets of New York. They're really there, and fascinated first-time author Kirsten Miller. "Occasionally, parts of New York’s hidden underground are accidentally exposed. When this happens, I’m always one of the first civilians on the scene," said Miller. The underground world of New York is where twelve year-old Kiki Strike and her band of "Irregulars" operate to save the world in Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City.

Kiki's goal in life is to be "dangerous." She handpicks five girls to form her "Irregulars," each with her own 'special' talent, such as forgery, chemistry, the art of disguise, and audio surveillance. Together, they explore the Shadow City (New York's underground) - and in the process stumble onto an evil plan to take over the world. Robbery, kidnapping, royalty, disguises, mayhem...the Irregulars will need every one of their unusual talents to take it all on and save the world.

Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City is the first book in a series. Each book will focus on one of the Irregulars. The second book is already in the works. "... the story will center on Kiki Strike and her adventures with Oona Wong, who’s a master forger, computer hacker, manicurist, and all-around troublemaker," said Miller.

The book is appealing - what kid isn't fascinated with hidden rooms, tunnels and disguises? What kid isn't convinced they are capable of so much more than adults believe them to be? And how cool is it that one of the book's "coming out" parties was at the Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.?

The cover is eye-catching, in the style of manga but more refined. "It’s the creation of a New York artist by the name of Tara McPherson," said Miller. "I had always felt the book needed a cover that was, at the same time, both cute and dangerous. I also knew this was easier said than done. To my surprise, that somewhat bizarre combination appeared to be Tara McPherson’s specialty. I expected McPherson to come up with something amazing, but the mirror image—New York above and the Shadow City below—knocked my socks off," said Miller.

The series is backed by a web site (http://www.kikistrike.com), which includes a blog written by Ananka, one of the Irregulars, and profiles of the Irregulars.

Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City is an edgy adventure and makes a great summertime read for 'tweens and teens.

Book Review: Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse

My friend Pauline Jones recommended the book Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse in her blog a couple of posts ago (http://www.livejournal.com/~paulinebjones/). I took her up on it and got the book. She said it was a fun read, and as per usual, she was exactly right!

While Monk's building is tented and de-infested, he stays with assistant Natalie and her daughter Julie. Monk and Natalie arrive home to find Julie in tears - the local firehouse's dalmatian has been murdered. Monk assigns himself to the case, which leads to another murder mystery. Shiny firetrucks on the plus side. Cats, garbage, dentures, chipped plates and elevators on the minus side. In the way only Monk can, he observes all and bites back many fears on his way to solving the cases.

I don't watch the show all the time, so I'm not an expert on the series. I've only seen one episode with Natalie as the new assistant. The book is told from Natalie's point of view, which gives a little more insight into Monk in the longer book format. Your heart aches at his loneliness and his burdens, but he makes you smile too.

If you're a fan of the show, the book is a must. Like Pauline said, it's fun to see and hear the characters in your head as you read - no one but Tony Shalhoub can be Monk! Lee Goldberg, the book's author and one of the show's writers, gives us a good mystery and a surprise ending. A very charming book, fast-paced, full of visuals and fun. Highly recommended.

If you're not a fan of the show, would you like this book? Probably, but I can't say for sure because I have seen the show. For me, half the fun of reading it was visualizing Monk (Tony Shalhoub) and Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) as I read. Beyond that, the characters are drawn well enough to get a sense of them even without the tv show background. The pace is fast. Watching Monk solve the case then backtrack into proving his hypothesis is entertaining. So yeah, if you haven't seen the show, you'll probably like the book, but you might appreciate it more if you can catch an episode on tv or on DVD before you read it.

This is the first book in a series and includes a preview from the next book, Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii (due out July 2006). Remember the tv episode where meds turn Mr. Monk into The Monk? He's baaaaack....and you can bet I'll be getting this next book as soon as it comes out.

Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse
By Lee Goldberg
Signet, January 2006
ISBN 0-451-21729-2

A personal pet peeve: a typo right on page two. Sheesh. Something for a human to catch; not a spellcheck type of error. Slow down, people.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Books You Can Click With blog. I'm Jamie, a freelance writer and book reviewer. Mostly I write about books and authors. Or as the pitch letter goes:

"My plastic library card is worn thin. The bookstore clerks - even the temporary employees - greet me by name. I have book bags from almost every Friends of the Library Association in our county.

I love books. Any books. It doesn't matter what genre or age level. I read them all. And I love bringing together people with the books they need to read.

That's why I'm a book reviewer."

I also love interviewing authors. I find what they do and how they do it fascinating.

Me, I'm a solid nonfiction writer. I've dabbled in fiction, but it's not my calling to write it - reading it is a whole different matter. You can see who I review and write for at the web site, http://www.booksyoucanclickwith.com. It has a link to the resume and clips.

This blog is a place to talk about books and authors. Once I figure things out, I'll invite authors to come by and chat, post some links and all that good stuff. Right now, I'm just hoping that publishing this initial post doesn't wipe out the web site. Here's hoping....

Thank you for stopping by. Y'all come back now, ya hear?

Jamie