Night sky dragons - Mal Peet

Night sky dragons - Peet, Mal

Summary: Yazul loves making kites with his grandfather, but all he truly desires is the approval of his father. Yazul's father, lord of a han along the Silk Road, is a man made stern by loneliness, and Yazul's love of kite-making only seems to elicit disappointment. "Travel and trade are what matters," his father says. But when the han is attacked by bandits, Yazul has an idea. With the help of his grandfather, he might just be able to use his kite-making skills to scare the bandits away and save the han. Will Yazul's courage and cleverness make his father proud?

Booklist Reviews
Yazul lives in a han, a walled settlement that shelters travelers on the Silk Road. Though his widowed father, the lord of the han, is rather distant, the boy enjoys making and flying kites with his grandfather. After a prank goes wrong and causes his grandmother to drop a precious bowl, Yazul's father accuses him of idleness and orders him to work as a kitchen drudge. Then bandits besiege the settlement, which nearly runs out of food and water. Fortunately, Yazul comes up with an ingenious plan to drive their enemies away. Though the setting's time and place aren't precisely determined, this nicely designed and illustrated volume offers a story with broad appeal. Yazul and his grandfather are sympathetic characters, but so is his strict father, given the weight of his experiences and responsibilities. Yazul's pleasure in gaining his approval is clear. Created with pen and watercolor, Benson's detailed illustrations help readers envision Yazul's world. A well-knit story that reads aloud beautifully. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

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True grit - Charles Portis

True grit - Portis, Charles


Summary: Pursuing a murderer who has escaped into Indian Territory, U.S. Marshal Rooster J. Cogburn teams up with a bounty-hunting Texas Ranger and Mattie Ross, a cantankerous young lady who is bent on revenge.



Review
True Grit, first published in 1968 and the basis for the movie by the same name starring John Wayne, tells the story of fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross. A coward going by the name of Tom Chaney shoots her father down in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and robs him of his life, his horse, and $150 in cash money. That's when Mattie fearlessly heads out to avenge her father's blood, convincing one-eyed Rooster Cogburn, the meanest U.S. Marshal there is, to accompany her. But their plans run into an obstacle -- namely, a Texas Ranger who is also investigating the murder, and whose idea of justice is vastly different from Mattie and Rooster's.

Like Mattie herself, True Grit is eccentric, cool, straight, and unflinching. This is an American classic through and through.
- (Center Point Pub)

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Darkly dreaming Dexter: a novel - Jeffry P. Lindsay

Darkly dreaming Dexter: a novel - Jeffry, Lindsay P.

Series Title: Dexter

Summary: Hiding a secret life as an assassin while working as a murder analyst for the Miami police, Dexter Morgan is intrigued by the work of a new serial killer whose style mimics his own.


Booklist Reviews
/*Starred Review*/ After finishing this debut novel, readers will have only one thing to say: wow! This is a mystery about the efforts of the Miami police to capture a serial killer who cuts up the bodies of his victims. One police officer, Deborah Morgan, is hoping that her participation in the investigation will help her make the leap from Vice to Homicide. Meanwhile, her adopted brother, Dexter, a blood-spatter expert who works for the police department, feeds her information about the case that he hopes will help her. Oh, and did we say that Dexter narrates the novel? And did we mention that Dexter is also a serial killer? (But not the serial killer his sister is trying to catch.) Dexter, a likable fellow on the surface, firmly in touch with his own inhumanity, is one of the genre's most original, compelling characters to appear in years. He makes a fascinating narrator, appealing, articulate, and ghoulish all at the same time. He is probably not the type of guy you could build a series around, but, oh boy, does he make an impression. Long after readers finish this gripping novel, they will still be thinking (or dreaming) about Dexter. ((Reviewed May 15, 2004)) Copyright 2004 Booklist Reviews.

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