Friday, September 3, 2010

City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare

Vampires, werewolves, demons, magicians--again. But, I was drawn into the story. It has a somewhat predictable plot line. Our heroine, Clary Fray discovers that she has supernatural powers, a mother with a hidden past, and something odd about her dead father. It's okay. For younger readers (I'd suggest 7th-9th grades for this) the predictable plot line helps with comprehension and fluency. What I appreciate about this book is the ambiguity and subtly shaded characterizations.

I enjoyed the reader comments on the Barnes & Noble website. It tells me my instincts about this book's attraction for kids was right. They find it a good read and will continue with the series.

I listened to this as a CD checkout from the public library. I wasn't bothered by the narration the way that Publisher's Weekly seemed to be. But, I listen to these books while walking the dog, gardening, cooking & cleaning house. It might be that if I was using it as something to read while driving that I would be annoyed.

I have the next in the series on reserve from the library. I don't think I'll buy the books--I'm running out of shelf space and want to save the available inches for books I would use for instruction. This probably isn't one I would use (I'd use the Rick Riodan Red Pyramid or Michael Scott The Alchemyst instead). But, it is one I will keep as a recommendation for kids who like the genre. A good next read for Twilight or Percy Jackson fans.

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