What Would Harry Read?

Fruits Basket

This post comes to us from guest blogger Cat Penny...

Tohru Honda is a highly optimistic girl, despite being an orphan. Because of her desire to not burden anyone, and determined to finish high school, Tohru balances a part-time job and school. Things become more difficult for her when her grandpa has his house remodeled, and Tohru must find somewhere else to stay. Not wanting to impose on her friends, she ends up pitching a tent on a forested hillside until she can return to her grandpa’s.

Enter the Sohmas. A family plagued by an ancient curse that turns 13 of its members into animals from the Chinese Zodiac, they are very wary of outsiders. (Understandable, since getting hugged by a member of the opposite gender will turn them into their animal form!). Tohru unknowingly pitches her tent on the property of two of these Sohmas: Shigure, the lecherous dog of the Zodiac; and Tohru’s classmate, Yuki, the rat.

Shigure and Yuki eventually stumble upon her tent, and bring Tohru back to their less-than-spotless house. They invite her to stay with them until she can move back in with her grandpa, and in exchange for this hospitality, Tohru cooks their meals and cleans their kitchen. Although Tohru is a girl, Yuki and Shigure are confident they can keep their secret from her.

Boy, are they wrong.

Things go well until Kyo Sohma, the vengeful cat of the Zodiac, appears, looking to fight his rival, Yuki. Surprised by this turn of events, Tohru accidentally hugs him, revealing the secret of the Sohma family.

Whoops.

Things only get worse when she falls into Yuki and Shigure, transforming them as well. However, she is allowed to stay, as long as she keeps the family secret. Excited to meet more Zodiac members, she soon gets her wish with the arrival of Kagura, the seemingly innocent girl who becomes completely psychotic when in the presence of her love, Kyo. Angered that he didn’t call her during his four-month disappearance, Kagura shows how much she missed him by promptly throwing him through a wall. One event leads to another, and Kagura ends up transforming into her Zodiac animal—the boar.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and Tohru returns to her grandpa’s. No one is happy with this arrangement, and the men sorely miss her good-natured kindness (not to mention her cooking!). At her grandpa’s, Tohru is met with hostile relatives, and is only saved when Yuki and Kyo, fed up with her not being around, track her down and bring her back with them.

So, why would Ron like Fruits Basket? Well, with impending doom upon the wizarding world and nearly fatal adventures with his best friends, he could probably use a good comedy. Plus, he could understand the whole person-becoming-animal thing since he’s met a few. Then there’s the expansive Sohma family with which he could relate (his family is massive, after all), and the close friendships. All in all, it’s the perfect series for him!

Besides, Ron likes rats, doesn’t he?

Ron #7 - M Is For Magic

Shout out to Kailana for another magical post.

Neil Gaiman writes novels but he has often dabbled with short stories. In these collections he can be a fantasy author, dabble in science fiction, or scare his readers with a horror story.

M is for Magic is Gaiman's attempt to market his stories to a younger audience, as many of the eleven stories contained in this collection have been published before. But why would Ron read them? Well, he often finds himself in the middle of some great new adventure, and when he's got some down time, Ron can safely visit the adventurers in Gaiman's novels without any risk to himself. (Unless a wizard has put a spell on the book for everything in it to come alive while Ron is reading it, then he might have some trouble.)

Of the eleven stories, the best one, I think, is the very first one, a very clever reworking of famous nursery rhymes into a great story.  If that does not attract readers, though, there is plenty more for boys like Ron to enjoy.  There is the jack-in-the-box that controls the lives of the children that played with it, a real live troll living under a bridge, and many other wonders for readers to enjoy.  Gaiman's stories often have a magical feel to them, which is perfect for wizards-in-training, all the wonders without the mess!  Every time you pick up Gaiman you can be assured something magical, so he is perfect for Ron.  And the best thing is that for this one, he does not have to trade in his father to enjoy it.

Ron #6 - NASTYbook

Imagine that you’re stuck at school all day studying intense subjects such as Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Divination—wouldn’t it be fun to read something 100% non-educational in your free time? How about if the book was printed upside-down so that everyone who saw you reading it thought you were either stupid or just pretending to read (unconvincingly)? What if the stories were all short, say a page or two, and were about the freakiest things—like a werewolf who loves his garden, a boy obsessed with cutting other people’s toenails, poisoned spaghetti or an elephant who gets admitted to elementary school.

Or maybe it’s summer vacation and you’re at home in your very crowded house with way too many brothers and sisters…need a perfect book to take to the bathroom with you while you hide? Short, hilarious, twisted and totally engrossing, Barry Yourgrou’s Nastybook is that book! Made up of 43 short tales this book is not for the faint of heart or those that are easily offended. Do you think panda bears are cute and cuddly? You won’t after reading this book!

But would Ron like it? Or would it make him horribly uncomfortable? The stories in Nastybook are funny, scary and disturbing all at once. Ron, having seen more than his share of the strange and unusual in his life, would probably crawl into his bed with a flashlight and relish the creepiness of it all. Best of all, when he's done, there are two more Nasty collections available!

Ron #5 - The Lambkins

Take one musical prodigy, add a baseball player who dreams of being an author, a promising painter, an adorable Shirley Temple-type little girl, and a dog, then mix in a demented woman who unfortunately possesses both a genetic concoction for shrinking people and a replica doll house of her own home, and you've got the strange, twisted book The Lambkins. One things for sure: The Lambkins really drives home the message “Don’t Talk to Strangers.” After reading this book kids will know why: Because they might throw you in their car trunk, take you home, shrink you and make you their living doll, that’s why!

This is exactly what happens to 14-year old Kyle on his way home from art class one evening.  When he reluctantly agrees to help a unknown woman with her flat tire, the last thing he expects is to be kidnapped. But the next thing he knows he is in a strange house with Mcnamara, Tanya, Lulu and Pippy being taken care of by what he assumes is a giant. The other captive kids, who’ve been there much longer than him, inform him that no, crazy Mrs Shepherd isn’t big, they’re little! To make matters worse Mrs Shepherd has a terrible temper and has already killed one of her lambkins, a singer named John. Kyle begins planning their escape—can they flush themselves down the tiny toilet? Stab her with doll-sized knives and forks? Things look pretty bleak until they discover a leaky pipe in the basement near their doll house...

What would Ron think about this book? He’d think it was a blast! Having personal experience with transformation, invisibility and giants, he’d get a kick out of their wacky predicament. And knowing Ron he’d have all sorts of ideas about how he would not only escape the doll house and defeat the nasty lady but also get the girl!

Step into the doll house yourself and read a chapter excerpt here.

Ron #4 - Skulduggery Pleasant

So how would you feel if your favourite uncle suddenly dies and then leaves you, well, everything? I mean, it’s sad that he’s died, and obviously tragic, but kind of cool to be twelve years old and own an entire house! Well, that’s the position that Stephanie finds herself in when her uncle Gordon dies and leaves her his giant mansion. While alive, her uncle was a writer, and found himself involved with all sorts of interesting characters, including a very mysterious stranger who shows up both at his funeral and the reading of his will.

Spectacularly dressed in a top-notch suit with an awesome hat atop his (for lack of a better word) head, Skulduggery Pleasant introduces himself to Stephanie as a detective. But Skulduggery's not just any kind of detective. Oh no, he's part of a whole magical world that Stephanie finds herself smack in the middle of when it’s discovered there may have been other forces at work in terms of her uncle’s untimely death.

And as Stephanie discovers, Skulduggery is even more than a detective: he’s a skeleton! That’s right, he’s a walking, talking, fire-throwing magical skeleton who, through the course of the book, allows Stephanie to become his partner.  And what a ride it is.  As they battle vampires (scary!) and Hollow Men (even scarier) to fight off an evil that might even make Ron quake in his boots, Stephanie comes to understand a lot more about not only herself, but her family as well.

Why would Ron like Derek Landy’s Skulduggery Pleasant?  For many reasons, I think.  For one, he might have a kick-ass crush on Stephanie: she’s talented, smart and funny. Also, he might enjoy thinking about inheriting a house where he’d be all by himself, no Ginny, no pesky brothers, and no parents sending embarrassing packages via owl. But best of all, with Ron already being familiar with the world of magic, the idea of a skeletal detective might not be all that shocking in his world.  I’m sure he’d pal around with the likes of Skulduggery Pleasant himself.

And why don't you see for yourself what you think of Skulduggery Pleasant. Read a chapter here.

Ron #3 - The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish

Have you ever wanted a goldfish? How about two?

What would you give for them? Your allowance? Or your favourite toy? Would you trade your bike? Or even your dad? Yes, that’s right, your own father! Would you swap your dad for two pet fish?

In The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish, a foolish boy does just that when his friend Nathan comes calling and tempts him into a trade that soon gets out of control! Now there’s wanting things, and then there’s wanting things.

Sometimes some of us desire a cookie, or a comic book, or a new pair of socks but that kind of want clearly does not compare to the level of desire this boy feels for those two fish. Because after offering some broken toys, an old punching bag and even Clownie, the clown he sleeps with, the boy has a brainstorm (apparently he has these on a regular basis) and offers his distracted father in exchange for the fish.

Not surprisingly, Nathan is reluctant, after all there are two fish, but only one dad. And the fish swim backwards and forwards, can the dad do that? Eventually a deal is struck and Nathan leaves with the newspaper-reading father, leaving the boy and his sister alone with the new fish and a lot of explaining to do.

If you are thinking their mom will be mad when she gets home and finds her husband missing—you’re right! At first, the boy avoids any discussion about the whereabouts of their father. But eventually the truth comes out and the two kids are sent to retrieve their dad. Easier said than done. Nathan, they discover, has traded the dad to Vashti for an electric guitar. Vashti, in turn, has traded him for a gorilla mask, and so on... So after visiting many houses around town and returning various swapped items the children are eventually reunited with their father.

Now seriously, what wouldn’t Ron like about this book? The art is brilliant, and the story, with its escalating ridiculousness, is hilarious! Just imagine if you were Ron, and lived in a small house with all those siblings wouldn’t you think the idea of trading one of them was a wonderful idea? How about a brother for a broomstick? A sister for some candy? Don’t think he wouldn’t do it if he thought he could get away with it! So why don’t you take your dad to your local bookstore and see if they’ll take him in exchange for a copy of this fabulous book.

Ron #2 - The Owl Service

Even though it was originally published 40 years ago, Alan Garner's The Owl Service is a book that stands the test of time. Set in an isolated Welsh valley, this stunning novel combines myth, mystery and family dynamics. When Alison’s mother and Roger’s father marry, the new family spends the summer in a house that Alison inherited. And they’re not alone: also in the house are Nancy, the housekeeper who lived in the valley years ago, her son Gwyn, and an odd handyman/gardener named Huw.

Alison, Roger and Gwyn’s discovery of a dirty set of plates hidden in the attic, sets in motion a terrifying sequence of events.  Alison traces the pattern on the dishes and uses it to make owls out of paper—owls that keep disappearing. There are freak storms, paintings that appear and disappear, and haunting lights in the forest. The Owl Service retells the Welsh legend of Blodeuwedd about a man who creates his wife from flowers and then turns her into an owl when she is unfaithful to him. It appears that Alison, Roger and Gwyn’s lives are connected to this legend and that they are destined to relive it, as have other generations before them.

The Owl Service is not for the faint of heart, as mysteries abound, tension builds and the scenes in the forest are frightening. But the compulsion to understand what is happening will keep readers hooked until the very end.

Why would Ron like this book? He’d definitely be happy to be reading it and not living it! Like a backseat driver or an armchair critic, Ron would read this book while thinking of how he would solve the mystery, confident in the fact that he would have been braver and wiser than the main characters! In fact, he’d be very happy not to be in the isolated Welsh valley—even if it meant being forced into adventures of other kinds by those other two best friends of his…

Ron #1 - Rowan of Rin

Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda is a fabulous adventure story set in a vaguely medieval fantasy world. In this book, the first of a five-part series, a motley group of villagers must travel to a mountain top to confront a mysterious dragon who has stopped their water source. Without the fresh spring water the people of Rin and their beasts, the bukshah, will soon perish. While no one who has ventured on to the mountain before has ever survived, the seven who set out feel there is no other choice if their village is to be saved.

Among the travelers is young Rowan, timid and weak, who knows people in the village are disappointed in him because he is not as brave as his father. Guided by a bewitched map that only Rowan can hold, the group follows mysterious clues in verse that appear once a task has been accomplished. Along their journey the villagers face terrors they could not have imagined: they are misled by evil spirits and tested physically over and over again. Through these trials Rowan discovers in himself courage and strength, he didn’t know he possessed. He also discovers friends amongst the villagers he has known his whole life.

So why would Ron like this book? Because Ron knows what it is like to be considered weaker or less accomplished than his friends or even his brothers. Ron also knows that being brave often means doing something even though you’re terrified of doing it. Even when there are spiders involved. And oh does this book have spiders…

Read an excerpt here.