Review of Crazy House by James Patterson

Patterson, James.  Crazy House.  Hanchette, 2017.

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The United States has been split up into cells which are totally controlled by the new government, “The United”.  Citizens have jobs chosen for them, and it is forbidden to leave the cell’s boundaries.  Seventeen-year-old twins Cassie and Becca are trying to keep their family’s farm going after their mom was sent away to have a “mood adjustment” and their dad was hospitalized after trying to commit suicide. 

There have been a number of child kidnappings, and Becca becomes the ninth victim.  She is thrown into a secret prison full of teens and tweens who are now on “Death Row”.  These “prisoners” are tortured, forced to fight one another, and, overall, treated brutally.  Occasionally, one of them is murdered in front of the others.  Cassie ends up as a kidnap victim, joining her sister in prison, and experiences what has happened to her twin.  

Becca and Cassie work together with fellow prisoners to escape and figure out the prison’s secrets, many dealing with cells, the general masses, and the elite, but unknown, population.

This is the second young adult collaboration between James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet.  Although James Patterson is well known for his adult novels, he has been making the foray into the YA world for a number of years now.  Gabrielle Charbonnet also writes under the pen name, Cate Tiernan.  She has written books for both children and young adults.

This dystopian novel has all the surprises, twists, and turns that readers have come to expect from Mr. Patterson.  The prison scenes are, at times, horrific and quite gory--add to that, the experience of having a child murdered right in front of an audience full of kids!  There are reasons behind all of the plot devices, but I do not want to spoil any of the suspense for those who have not yet read the book.

Readers will be sucked into this fast-paced novel.  The ending is a real cliffhanger, so I am hoping this is the first in a planned series of books.  I recommend the book for upper middle, high school, and public libraries, and I give it four out of five fleur de lis!

Review of Ivy's Ever After by Dawn Lairamore



Ivy's Ever After by Dawn Lairamore; Holiday House, 2010.

Princess Ivory Isadora Imperia Irene, known as Ivy, heiress to the kingdom of Ardendale, finds out when she is ten-years-old about “The Dragon Treaty”. Under its terms, she is to be locked in a tower and guarded by a dragon until a prince can slay the dragon and lay claim to Ivy as his bride, her kingdom as his own, and the dragon’s treasure. The treaty is in effect to insure that Ardendale will always have a king and so that the dragons living in the nearby Smoke Sand Hills will not become extinct. When Prince Romil arrives with his entourage from faraway Glacia to fight the dragon, Ivy tries everything she can think of to persuade him to leave. She cannot bear the thought of such an unpleasant, arrogant prince ruling her beloved Ardendale. After being placed in the tower, she manages to escape, befriend a dragon, and hatch a plan to save Ardendale from sure destruction.

Ivy Ever After is a delightful fairy tale, with a twist on the stereotypical damsel in distress! The main characters are charming—Ivy is an unconventional, funny, and resourceful. Since Ivy has been grown up without a mom and has free rein of the entire kingdom, she is friends with everyone in court; in fact, her best friends, Rose and Clarinda, are daughters of the kitchen staff! The girls are loyal and fierce in their devotion to Ivy. Ivy’s nursemaid, Tildy, is loving, but disapproving of how Ivy behaves; Ivy’s father, the king, is a little addled, but dotes on his daughter and is happy to let her have fun while she is young. Elridge, the small dragon who was to guard the tower, is sweet, but very protective of Ivy. Drusilla, Ivy’s long-lost fairy godmother, and her goat, Toadstool, were hilarious in their antics! On the other hand Prince Romil and his staff are evil, critical, and devious in their plans to take over Ardendale and destroy it! The way that Ivy, the dragons, and Drusilla plot to save Ardendale was ingenious!

The plot has lots of action, suspense, and funny moments to keep the reader wanting more! I highly recommend Ivy Ever After for upper elementary, middle school, high school, and public libraries!