January 2019 Book Report

The Dark Volume (2009) and The Chemickal Marriage (2012) by Gordon Dahlquist

These are books 2 & 3 of the Dream Eaters trilogy. Celeste, Cardinal Chang and Doctor Svenson continue to fight against the Cabal. They thought the main leaders had perished in the sinking of the balloon ship, but they were wrong. At the end, the Cabal was defeated, with many lives lost, both good and bad.

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The Different Girl (2013) by Gordon Dahlquist

Very good YA sci-fi. On a secret island, the lives of four girls, tended only by their 2 adult caregivers, are disrupted when a castaway girl is washed up on shore. The caregivers at first try to keep the girls and the castaway separated, but they eventually allow them to interact with each other. I’d love to see this book made into a movie, but it would be difficult to do without giving away a secret too early. I can’t say much more about the book without ruining the surprise. Read it!!

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Fatal Fortune (1987) by Marian Babson

Rich Grandpa Buck is dying. Relatives are waiting like vultures. Only Hope truly loves her grandfather and is dreading his passing. She gets a frantic message from her sister-in-law in Europe and goes to smuggle her nephew to safety in the US, hoping to get back before Buck dies.

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The Fur Person (1957) by May Sarton

May Sarton and her partner adopt a stray cat they name Tom Jones. After being a ‘Cat About Town’, he decides it’s time to get off the street and accepts the love and affection from the 2 spinsters.

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Twenty-one Balloons (1947) by William Pene DuBois

Interesting YA adventure book. A taste of Jules Verne here. A retired teacher decides he wants to travel the world for a year by balloon and get completely away from people. A wayward seagull changes his plans by puncturing his balloon. He lands on a volcanic island just before it erupts.