The Bad Mother's Handbook ****

Long, Kate. The Bad Mother's Handbook. New York: Ballantine, 2004.

This is an adult book appropriate for YAs.

This is an interesting story, told from the perspective of three related woman. The first, Nan, is old and has dementia. She is always setting things on fire and losing things. The other woman is her adopted daughter, Karen. Karen is stressed out. She works part time at a school, she has to take care of her demented mother, and her teenage daughter is a pain in the butt. Her ex hasn't been involved in her child's life. She is still young, but hasn't really lived life-- she had her daughter Charlotte when she was a teenager. All Karen wants really is a life. Charlotte, her teenage daughter finds herself pregnant and with no boyfriend since he dumped her and has moved on. She finds herself in love with dorky Daniel as the novel progresses. Meanwhile, Karen begins a search for her birth parents.

Overall, this is a good book that would interest most female readers. It is about mothers and daugters and growing up, or growing old. The fact that the book alternates the perspective from one character to another throughout adds to the book so we can see where each character is at all points throughout the books. Great read!

The Schwa was Here *****

Schusterman, Neal. The Schwa was Here. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 2004.

This was a great book. I put off reading this book for so long because I had a bad experience with his last book, Full Tilt, which I do NOT recommend. I disliked that book so much it negated the good feelings I had about the author after reading Downsiders, which I DO recommend.

In this novel, Antsy befriends a kid, Calvin Schwa, who is mostly invisible. Not that he is really invisible, but it seems that no one really sees him most of the time even though he is right there. During a scheme, Antsy and Schwa end up getting caught trying to steal a dog bowl from a local shut in, Crawley. Their punishment involves having to be the man's dog walker for his 14 Afghans. This progress and Crawley decides to switch Antsy's duties to entertaining Crawley's blind granddaugher while she is visiting him for a few months. She ends up falling for Antsy while Schwa ends up falling for her.

Meanwhile, Antsy tries to investigate the disappearance of Schwa's mother. The last he saw her was when he was 5, and she left him abandoned at the grocery store. He also gets involved with the Granddaughter and her plot to try to get her Grandfather out of the apartment.

Antsy is a real funny kid, quite witty and smart. The way he tells his story is entertaining. The story is made more interesting by reading it through his perspective. Even though he isn't the smart kid in his family, he is pretty darn smart. Overall, this is an entertaining read, and is recommended for most readers.

Perfect ****

Friend, Natasha. Perfect. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed, 2004.

Winner of the Milkweed Prize for Children's Literature.

Isabelle's father died a few years back, and since then the family has been a mess. Her mother is unable to get over it, and still cries herself to sleep. Isabelle's way of coping is to make herself throw up.

She must attend weekly Group sessions with other girls with eating disorders. In the Group is Ashley, a popular girl at school. Isabelle starts to become friends with Ashley, and their get togethers involve binging and purging together. As the story progresses, Isabelle starts to get a handle on herself and she also starts to demand that others do the same.

This was a great book, recommended for girls. I would particularly recommend this book to girls with body image issues. This publisher is a non-profit. Their goal, according to information at the back of the book, is to publish "with the intention of making humane impact on society, in the belief that good writing can transform the human heart and spirit." Their books all have a purpose, and that is certainly something worth supporting!

Grind **?

Walters, Eric. Grind. Custer, WA: Orca, 2004.

I wasn't sure how to determine how many stars to give this book. It isn't a literary masterpiece. There isn't much plot, and there isn't any character development. BUT, that isn't the point of this book. This publisher publishes books geared toward teens that are relutant readers, which would be defined as someone that doesn't like to read. These books are also great for someone that just isn't reading up to their grade level, but still wants to read a book geared toward their age. There are other similar titles by this publisher. I will list them as I get more. These are something that can be recommended to reluctant or struggling readers.

Hit Squad by James Heneghan
Charmed by Carrie Mac
The Troube with Liberty by Kristin Butcher
Fastback Beach vy Shirlee Smith Matheson

Godless **** 1/2

Hautman, Pete. Godless. New York: Simon Pulse, 2004.

This was a great book. My library doesn't have this book (yet!) but I read it because it was recommended to me by a public library children's/YA librarian. I am glad I read it!

Jason is rather charismatic. He could sell snow to Eskimos. His mother is a hypochondriac and his father is very religious, to the point of obsession. His father is always trying to get him to be religious, including making him go to the teen night at their church. He isn't interested in religion, but he goes to be a pain and ask questions the youth pastor can't answer.

Jason, along with his friend Shin, come up with a new religion, one that reveres the town's water tower. Shin takes it quite seriously, while Jason is just doing it because he thinks it is funny. Joining them in their church is the son of a local preacher, the town bully, and a girl from the church youth group, on whom Jason has a major crush. Their goal is to climb the water tower, which they do; they end up prying open a door and actually swimming in it, which they consider their "Baptism". Shin starts to take things too seriously along with a few other members.

This entire book really is all about religion. Jason is really quite anti-religion, so if you are a person that is really religious, his approach may offend you, so I would read something else. Jason is really not an athiest, he is really just in search of what he believes in. He isn't into Christianity, but that is all he has been exposed to, and he doesn't know anything else. This is really about finding who he is, and a part of that includes finding out what he believes in. This is more of a character study than anything, so anyone that is more interested in plot and action might be disappointed; not that this is boring, but the focus here is on the characters and who they are, and how they change.

Looking for Alaska *****

Green, John. Looing for Alaska. New York: Dutton, 2005.

*Winner of the Prinz Award, Announced January 23, 2006*

What a fanastic novel. This is a rare instance where I agree that a book that got a starred review in School Library Journal really does deserve that star!

In this book, Miles opts to go to a boarding school in Alabama during his high school years. His roomate, who is nicknamed the Colonel introduces him to the school and his circle of friends, which include Alaska, Lara, and Takumi. They spend their time sneaking off to smoke, drink, and pull pranks on the school and headmaster. We learn rather quickly that Alaska is somewhat troubled. We also realize that something big is coming.

The book's chapters are arranged by days, such as "40 days before" and so on up until "the incident". We don't get to that until 3/4 of the way through the novel, so we spend a lot of time trying to figure out what exactly happens on Day 0. I can tell you that I didn't see it coming! Then after that, the rest of the novel is told as "3 days after" and so on. This format kept me interested and made me aniticipate the climax of the novel even more.

I highly recommend this novel to most readers. It is a rather "deep" read so readers that prefer fluff will not enjoy this one. Not that there is anything wrong with fluff, but if that is what you are looking for, this isn't it. Highly recommended.

Uglies ****

Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies. New York: Simon Pulse, 2005.

I guess this would be considered speculative fiction. Although this isn't a genre that I enjoy, I have to say that I did enjoy this novel.

This novel takes place in the future. Things have changed. When teens turn 16, they go from being Uglies to Pretties. They go through massive plastic surgery to become what society thinks is pretty. Everyone looks forward to being pretty. That is especially true for Tally who is friendless now that her best friend Peris is now a pretty and living in Pretty Town. She meets Shay, who has run away and doesn't want to be pretty. Shay knows of a place where people run away where people want to say Ugly-- The Smoke. She gives Tally directions to find them if she decides to run away.

Tally ends up being taken by the Special Circustances unit, and she is blackmailed. They won't make her pretty unless she tells then where The Smoke is. She doesn't know, so they give her a necklace with a locket on it. They tell her that once she gets there, she should push the button in the locket. Things are complicated because she doesn't want to betray her friend. She also ends up falling in love with Dave, but Shay is in love with Dave-- he is the reason she ran away to begin with.

I won't go into any more details. There is a lot more going on, but I don't want to give any more away. This is also the first book in a trilogy, so readers will be interested to continue on and read the next two books. Highly recommended for anyone wondering what the future could be like. This is a great mix of speculation and adventure/action.

The Sledding Hill *****

Crutcher, Chris. The Sledding Hill. New York: Greenwillow, 2005.

I want to give Chris a high-five. This entire book is about thumbing his nose at the critics and book banners. There is so much stuff in here that people will find offensive that I imagine it will be banned left and right, even in places where his works were never banned before. Hopefully kids will still go out and buy it because it is so good. I believe he wrote this book in response to all of the school districts that have banned his works. Maybe a book like this will open a dialogue about the freedom to read, and the freedom of sharing ideas. I certainly hope so.

Poor Eddie Profitt finds his father dead and then a few weeks later he finds his best friend dead. This is all within the first few chapters of the book. The dead friend, Billy, narrates the book before he died, and then continues to do so as a spirit. As a spirit, he can be anywhere and know everything that is going on. (the book banners will hate that a spirit is narrating the book!)

Eddie starts high school and is no longer speaking. His holy roller mother wants him to find Jesus, but he has no desire to find him. She starts inviting the Preacher over, Tarter, and they are trying to convince him to be Baptized. Tarter is also a teacher at the school where he has been making students miserable for years. Eddie is in a Modern Lit class with the school librarian, and they all have to read a Chris Crutcher novel, Warren Peece. Well, the religious fundamental people start to try to ban the book. They also control the school board, so the Chris Crutcher books don't stand a chance. Eddie plays a pivotal role in the whole ordeal, but I won't go into any further detail on that. You will have to read about it to see what happens.

I enjoyed this book so much. Whoever heard of an author becoming a character in their own book? It's awesome! I have to say that anyone that is unfamiliar with Crutcher's work will not fully understand where this book is coming from. Crutcher is frequently banned because he writes about real things, real problems, and it is all very true to life. But, people don't like reality sometimes, and they think that reading about something will make a teen go out and do the things they read about. Anyone who has read Crutcher knows that he writes with some curses (where they are appropriate, not gratuitously), and he writes about the way things really are. So anyone that has read his previous novels will understand this book. Certainly others will enjoy this book, too, but fans of Crutcher will get a little added enjoyment from it.

GO READ THIS BOOK NOW.

24 Girls in 7 Days ***

Bradley, Alex. 24 Girls in 7 Days. New York: Alloy, 2005.

Despite the questionable title, I bought this book. Now that I have read it, I am left scratching my head. Who is this book meant for? Let me explain the plot so you can understand what I mean.

First, the main character's name is Jack Grammar. Someone with a last name like that just has to be a total dork. The book opens up with Jack being egged on to ask out a girl to the prom-- the girl he has liked forever. She turns him down. His best friends Percy and Natalie cook up a scheme where they put a personal ad on the online school newspaper for him, looking for a prom date, without his knowledge. This leave Jack with 24 dates in 7 days, the 7 days leading up to prom. He hates the idea once he finds out about it, and he gets really angry. Adding to the confusion are the email from FancyPants, who seems to be his real soul-mate, but she isn't interested in being his prom date or even meeting with him. Of course, he has some real bad dates and stuff, and in the end he has to pick a date.

So this leaves me wondering--who wants to read this book? It is about a guy-- but what guy wants to read about a total tool who can't get a prom date? While it is pretty funny, yes, there aren't that many guys that want to read about the subject matter. So, this leaves me with the girls. I know girls will read books with main characters that are guys, so this book does have an audience. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys funny books, or books about proms.

Prom ****

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Prom. New York: Viking, 2005.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. A few weeks before the prom, the senior prom committee discovers that the prom advisor has gone off and stolen the prom money. Left with no money, it seems as if they aren't going to have a prom at all. Ashley couldn't care less since she has no interest in the prom and wasn't planning on going anyway. But, it is important to her best friend and some of her other friends. She jumps in to help her friends try to save prom.

Meanwhile, she has a lot of family drama going on. Her mother is VERY pregnant, and her father is always working on a home-improvement project that takes forever. Ashley wants to marry her boyfriend, who we see as a total loser, but she thinks is fabulous. She has no plans to go to college, and doesn't really know what she wants to do with her life. She is somewhat aimless in life and not sure where she wants to go in life.

The prom helps her focus and do something important for once. Obviously, the prom does happen (duh-- we know the book has to have some sort of happy ending.) The part of her journey through those weeks is what is interesting. The story isn't about the prom-- it is about Ashley growing up and finding direction in her life. Highly recommended to girls crazy about prom!

Invisible ****

Hautman, Pete. Invisible. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.

Doug is weird. He lives next door to his best friend is Andy, who lives next door. They grew up together and they talk to each other every night from their bedroom windows. Andy has become popular-- in the plays and the football quarterback, but Doug hasn't. He gets beat up and people think he is weird.

Doug has a lot of repetitive thoughts. He gets stuck on an idea and can't get off of them. He is also obsessed with railroads and trains. He is building a whole town out of matchsticks in the basement, with the tips rubbed off. He spends hours working on it. As the novel progresses, we start to understand that Andy isn't just a little strange; he is mentally ill. Because the novel is told in the first person point of view, we don't realize how ill until the novel almost comes to its conclusion.

I recommend this novel to anyone interested in reading a book about mentally ill people, particularly when the novel is told from the perspective of the mentally ill person. This novel reminds me a bit of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nite-Time, in that the affected person tells the story, so we aren't sure what is going on in their head and what is really going on. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the subject matter as well as anyone interested in stories that are a bit of a mystery, until all of the details are given at the end of the novel.

Shrimp ****

Cohn, Rachel. Shrimp. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.

This is the sequel to Gingerbread. It isn't necessary to read Gingerbread to read this one, although it would make it more enjoyable. Reading the first book will help the reader understand the whole journey Cyd has been on.

The previous summer, Cyd went to NYC to meet her biological father and her half-brother and -sister. Now she is back, and looking to hook up with her ex-boyfriend Shrimp. She can't find him, but she befriends a girl from her school, Helen. She also ends up befriending Autumn, who hooked up with Shrimp while Cyd was away. She has never really had friends before, but she ends up liking it. When Shrimp comes back, he only wants to be friends with Cyd, at least for now. Meanwhile, Cyd's parents get on her about filling out college applications, but she has no interest in going to college.

Fans of Gingerbread will enjoy seeing how Cyd grows after Gingerbread ends. I recommend readers read Gingerbread and Shrimp if they are interested in reading about smart, quirky characters.

This Must Be Love **

Sutherland, Tui T. This Must Be Love. New York: Harper Collins, 2004.

I can tell you one thing that was NOT love-- my feelings for this book. Yuck. It took me 2 weeks to read it. I could only read 20-25 pages at a time. This novel is based upon A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare. The main female characters are Helena and Hermia. The story pretty much follows the plot of Midsummer, only in modern times. To add something interesting to the story, the play within the play is the school production of Romeo & Juliet. It is an all male cast, just like in Shakespeare's time. Hermia and Helena are involved with the production as is their male love interests.

This book is told in various ways. It is told in emails, notes to each other, and diary entries. While I usually enjoy books like this, particularly books where the reader gets multiple persepectives, I didn't enjoy this one. The characters were really quite annoying. Hermia would sign her notes to Helena with things like "cartwheels, pinwheels, waterwheels, Hermia". Huh? There wans't anything in the entire note about wheels, water, or anything. It was just annoying.

I would recommend this to anyone that likes Shakespeare, since they might enjoy the parallels between this books and the play upon which it is based. Anyone who likes sappy boosk with overly dramatic characters might also enjoy this one. But, most readers won't like it at all.

Who's Your Daddy? ****

Sandoval, Lynda. Who's Your Daddy? New York: Simon Pulse, 2004.

This was pure chick lit, but it was fun and entertaining. Lila and her friends Caressa and Meryl are part of the "Who's Your Daddy" club because all of their fathers have shaped who they are. Lila's father is the chief of police. Caressa's is a famous blues musician. Meryl's father is the school's disciplinarian and football coach. Because of their fathers, it scares off most guys they are interested in.

The three friends want boyfriends. They have a "Dumb Supper" which is a ritualistic meal that tells you who will be your true love. Things go awry. Lila gets into a little trouble, and her father makes her join the student Police Squad, which Lila calls the Junior Narcs. Caressa decides she is meant to be with a young musician, and writes him a letter saying her father wants to produce his next album. Meryl falls in love with a new student from Bosnia who is not interested in dating her because she isn't American enough-- Meryl's family doesn't have a TV and they don't watch movies.

The year progresses with many funny situations. Most chapters are told from the perspective of Lila, although some chapters alternate between Caressa and Meryl as well. There are no major issues here, just good fun reading about these three girls and their experiences throughout the year. The ending is really predictable, but readers won't care because the writing is so funny that they will be entertained regardless.

Cruise Control ****

Trueman, Terry. Cruise Control. New York: Harper, 2004.

This is a companion novel to Trueman's Stuck in Neutral. In Stuck..., Shawn is a regular boy, stuck inside his body that won't cooperate with him. He is intelligent and is able to think, but he is unable to communicate in any way. He has frequent seizures. He becomes convinced his father is trying to kill him.

In this novel, we get the perspective of Paul, Shawn's older brother. Shawn is a straight-A student, but he has problems with anger. He beats people up at the drop of a hat. He also hates his father, a Pulitzer-prize winning poet that abandoned him, his mother, sister, and Shawn, leaving them all to deal with Shawn without him. Shawn can't resolve his anger with his father so he takes his anger out on others. Shawn's dream is to get a basketball scholarship, but he feels that even if he gets one, he won't be able to leave his family. Shawn stuggles through growing up and what to do with his future, while also strggling with his love/hate he feels for his father and the pure hate he has for his father.

It isn't necessary to read Stuck in Neutral to read this book as it stands all on its own. Reading both, however, would be a better experience, to see what Shawn and Paul are thinking and feeling. Both books are short and easy to read. Most readers will enjoy this book.

Jude *****

Morgenroth, Kate. Jude. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004.

While this books is supposed to be a young adult novel, it reads more like an adult book with a teenage character. Not that it matters as this book is fantastic. It had me on the edge of my seat, so to speak, from beginning to end.

Jude grows up with his father, who is an abusive drug dealer. He has always moved from place to place, but has been living in a Hartford slum for the last 2 years. His father is killed in their home while Jude looks on. He has to promise to never tell who it was, or they will kill him too. The detectives find some paperwork that indicates that Jude was kidnapped by his father when he was just three months old. He had always thought he was abandoned by his mother. It also turns out that his mother is DA for West Hartford.

Jude has a hard time fitting in with his mother and her boyfriend Harry. He also has problems at his new private school. He is asked to help some kids find drugs. While he doesn't sell drugs himself, he connects the kids with some people in his old neighborhood. Detectives, who are still trying to get him for his father's murder, see him with these known drug dealers.

Harry convinces Jude it would be a good idea to get caught selling drugs. His mother is running for mayor and looking tough on crime and drugs would help her case. Harry and Jude set up an elaborate scheme wherein Jude gets caught by his mother and then gets arrested selling drugs. Jude does this to help his mother, from whom he desperately desires acceptance. He is promised by Harry that once she is elected, they will get him out of juvenile detention. This do horribly awry and Jude ends up in the state penitentiary and Harry refuses to help him. Turns out Harry was just trying to get rid of him.

The story progresses from there, with Jude falling apart in prison and then finally building himself up. His goal is still to be accepted by his mother. For that, he needs Harry to tell his mother the truth, which is harder said than done.

Anyone that reads this book will be sucked into the story. Jude is a good person, who lived a hard life. He is flawed because he makes some silly mistakes and is too trusting of some people he shouldn't trust. But, all the same, Jude really is a good person in there, and wants to make something of himself. He is truly the underdog, and we root for him the entire time. All he really wants his entire life is love and acceptance, and it has eluded him for much of his life. Highly recommended for anyone that enjoys stories about crime and anyone that enjoys suspenseful books. This one is a litttle longer than most YA titles, but most readers won't even notice because they will be sucked in right away and have to get to the end to see how it ends.

When Dad Killed Mom **** 1/2

Lester, Julius. When Dad Killed Mom. New York: Harcourt, 2001.

I am glad I chose to re-reas this book. I remember enjoying it then and I enjoyed it again. This novels begins with Jeremy and his sister Jenna finding out that there father has killed their mother by shooting her outside a coffee shop. Jenna and Jeremy take sides and stop wanting to be around each other. Jenna takes her fathers side because she has always been a Daddy' girl while Jeremy was always with their mother. Jeremy remains in their mother's painting studio with their Grandfather watching over him. Jenna goes to stay with Karen, her mother's best friend and, interestingly, her father's ex wife.

Jenna and Jeremy start getting pulled in all directions. Their mother's parents live in San Franciso and want them to come and live with them, but they don't want to. They give up on that but then their other Grandfather gets deeply into their father's defense. The lawyer tries to get Jenna and Jeremy to testify that their parents fought all the time and that their mother was abusive to their father. While living in their mother's painters studio, Jeremy comes across his mother's diary. As he reads it, a lot of information comes out that changes things for everyone.

Each chapter alternates between Jeremy and Jenna which works really well for this book. Instead of a one-sided story, we get to see two sides and then see how they come together in the end. Highly recommended for all readers!

Rainbow Boys **** 1/2

Sanchez, Alex. Rainbow Boys. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.

This is my 100th post! Wow. That's a lot of books. Just think- in between reading all the fiction books at work, I also read adult novels just or me that never even get reviewed on here!

I can't believe it took me this long to get to this book. I had heard good things about it from some gay students at school but just never got around to reading it. Each chapter alternates between the three main characters.

Jason is on the basketball team and has been dating his girlfriend for years, but he has feelings for boys and doens't know what to make of them. His father is a violent alcoholic that screams and shouts and insults him and his mother, including calling him a "faggot" when he doesn't act as he wants him to act. He starts hanging out with Kyle because he needs help in Math, but it goes deeper than that. Kyle is gay but isn't out to his parents. When his parents find out, they freak out, particulary his father. Kyle has had a crush on Jason for years and is ecstatic when Jason turns up at a gay/lesbian support group. Nelson is Kyle's best friend but is in love with him. He is a little self centered. He is out to his parents and the student body. After Kyle rejects him, he has an encounter with an older man that doesn't end how he wants it to end. There is alot of homophobia. Nelson is frequently called "faggot" and encounters violence all the time. Kyle is attacked as well. Once people start to figure out Jason is gay, he also experiences discrimination.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a very strong story because it is told from the persepctive of three different gay teens, so we get multiple experiences about the same topic all in one story. I highly recommend this book to anyone, but particulary to gay or lesbian teens or anyone interested in learning more about it.

Skud ****

Foon, Dennis. Skud. Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre, 2003.

What a great book. The cover artwork is very interesting and will draw readers in immediately. The story inside won't disappoint either!

Tommy is an honor student, and a model citizen; deep inside, however, he has a hard time controlling his anger. His current problem is Sheila, his girlfriend, who has dumped him. He is angry at her, but moreso at Andy, who he thinks she is now seeing. Tommy invites Andy to a fight after school. Andy is in the drama club and a bit of a dork. He wants to be an actor and spends a lot of time going to auditions. His mother is somewhat disapproving of him overall, and his father is dead. Brad is a hockey player that is stuck on steroids. He uses the steroids to bulk up. He is Tommy's best friend and his back-up in the fight. During the fight Shane inexplicably comes to Andy's rescue and ends the fight. Shane is huge, and was a part of a big gang that is very violent. Andy has no idea why he would want to help him. They strike up an unlikely friendship. Each boy has inner demons he is fighting and they all come to a head at the climax of the book.

This is a great book for male readers. First of all, it is told from the perspective of 4 different people, so it keeps things interesting. It is a great book, reading about 4 people that all have problems and how their lives all seem to intersect at the same time. Recommended highly for male readers.

Gifts ****

LeGuin, Ursula K. Gifts. New York: Harcourt, 2004.

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that fantasy is not my cup of tea. I have to say, however, that I enjoyed this book more than I could have ever expected. Orrec and Gry live in the Uplands with their families. Each family there has a special Gift. Families try not to marry out of their line so that their gifts aren't lost. Gry's family gift is the call animals. Gry refuses to use her gift as her mother uses it-- to call animals to her so that hunters can slaughter them. Orrec's family can undo things. They can undo things as simple as undoing a knot, or they can undo a life-- from killing trees to animals to people. Orrec's gift doesn't seem to come on when it should, until he starts undoing things he doesn't mean to undo. He is told that his Gift is "wild", meaning he can't control what he undoes. He takes to wearing a blindfold so he doesn't undo anything by accident.

There is warring and feuding families in the novel, particularly between Orrec's land and the land next to their land, owned by Ogge. Ogge steals some of their cows but then tries to betroth his Granddaughter to Orrec. Ogge invites Orrec's family to their home for a period of time, to betroth them, but things go awry, leaving more discontent between the lands and families. Gry and Orrec don't know what to make of their gifts, and neither want to use them, although without using their gifts they are essentially useless to their respective families.

The novel comes to a satisfying conclusion, although not one that will surprise the reader. Recommended for anyone that enjoys fantasy novels.