What If...?
What If...?
by
Kate Marley
Fantasy for children is as old as Alice, Aslan and Ananzi, while science fiction is more modern.
Spaceships, aliens and the future are the bedrock of hard
science fiction. Occasionally, wisps of fantasy will touch
SF, and fantasy only really works if the author can make it
seem real and natural. And while fantasy is much more
popular with kids, both fulfill an important need to
stretch the imagination by asking "What if?..."
PICTURE BOOKS
Martian Rock
by Carol Diggory Shields. c 1999, Candlewick Press
Bright, cartoonish illustrations by Scott Nash merge with rhyming text to make a funny
story about Martian explorers searching the solar system for other signs of intelligent life.
Since they land only in Antartica when on earth, their impressions of terrestial life are
limited to penguins!
Astronauts Are Sleeping
by Natalie Standiford. c 1996, Knopf.
A bedtime book with a twist - of what are the three astronauts dreaming? Galaxies and
celestial wonders? Planetary mysteries and heavenly glories? No, in this gentle rhyming
book, with muted drawings by Allen Garns, they are dreaming of earth - the beach, the
woods and of cozy winter nights by a fire.
Nobody Rides the Unicorn
by Adrian Mitchell. c 1999, Scholastic.
An orphaned beggar girl named Zoe is tricked by her nasty king into helping him trap a
unicorn. But when she realizes that the king plans to kill the gentle creature, she lets it
escape. When the furious king commands her to be ostracized she heads for the only ones
who might still love her. Lovely soft pastel illustrations are by Stephen Lambert.
Lonely Scarecrow
by Tim Preston. c 1999, Dutton.
While created to scare animals from the farmer's crops, the scarecrow is unhappy and
lonely. He doesn't want to frighten anyone; he wants someone to be friends with. But as
the seasons pass, he becomes lonelier and sadder. Then when the snows come and cover
him up, the animals think he's someone else, and befriend him. Will they change their
minds once the snow melts? This little fantasy about judging someone by their looks is
somewhat ironic, given how beautiful this book is, most particularly the intricate, raised
drawings by Maggie Kneen.
MoonBall
by Jane Yolen. c 1999, Simon & Schuster.
For once, just once, Danny would love to make a hit in baseball. He's tired of the
humiliation and embarrassment. After one particularly bad game, he goes home to brood,
only to be mysteriously floated out to space to play ball with the All-Stars. Literally! He's
on the team with Gemini, Orion and other constellations against the Orbits, who have the
tough Man in the Moon as pitcher. When it's his turn at bat, will Danny be, once again,
the hitless wonder? Or can he find the confidence to finally connect? While we know the answer, how it's done is very nice, particularly the luminous
illustrations are by Greg Couch.
Captain Pajamas
by Bruce Whatley and Rosie Smith. c 2000, HarperCollins.
By day he's plain Brian, but when the need arises, he becomes Captain Pajamas,
Defender of the Universe. Late one night, he hears the aliens land, and rushes to save his
sister Jessie. Aided by his faithful dog Shadow (in more ways than one), he rushes from
room to room, always just missing the wily creatures. Large colorful pictures by Bruce
Whatley, sarcastic prose and a clever ending make this as enjoyable for adults as for the
kids.
TRANSITIONAL BOOKS
Virtual Fred and the Big Dip
by Vincent Courtney. c 1997, Random House.
Best known for his virtuosity in the video game world, Virtual Fred runs across a
different sort of problem here. Contacted by a sleepy scientist through virtual reality,
Fred is given a mission…stop the ice cream man from circling the Professor's house so he
can make an important appointment. Funny and totally pointless, it's just the sort of tale
that's great to read on summer vacation.
City in the Clouds
by Tony Abbott. c 1999, Scholastic.
Part of the Secrets of Droon series, this trip to the fantasy world is prompted by an old
spell that is turning Neal into a bug again. Julie and Eric are trying to get their friend to
the Princess Keeah for help and of course, they run into the evil Lord Sparr, again. It's a
fluffy little fantasy that's just for fun.
FOR OLDER READERS
Power of UN
by Nancy Etchemendy. c 2000, Cricket Books.
A really good time travel story is rare and deserves special mention - and this is definitely
one! Gib Finney is just your average middle school age boy until the day he meets the
strange old man in the woods who gives him an incredible machine called the Unner.
Like the command on a computer menu that lets one undo a mistake, this machine will
take the user back in time so they can undo mistakes. But after his initial euphoria, Gib
discovers a few drawbacks. How does he work the blasted machine? How often can he undo something? What actions can he take that will really make changes? And most
important, what is truly worth undoing?
Magic Steps
by Tamora Pierce. c 2000, Scholastic.
This is a new series that continues with the characters from the Circle of Magic series.
Then, the youngsters were students, learning how to use their powers. This series, The
Circle Opens, plans to be about how each of the kids are maturing, and becoming
teachers as well as students. Sandry discovers a boy with a rare magic for dancing, and
takes on the challenge of tutor as well as nursing her uncle after his heart attack, and
solving the string of mysterious murders within a prominent trading family. It's what I
consider a tidy fantasy, where magic has definite rules and boundaries, and takes hard
work and energy to master. The characters are interesting, believable, and have to make
some hard choices in tough situations.
Taker's Stone
by Barbara Timberlake Russell. c 1999, DK Ink.
Egged on by his older cousin David, fourteen year old Fischer takes something that is not
his, and the two boys are plunged into a maelstrom of events trying to right the wrong
while coping and competing with each other. A beautiful but mysterious girl, evil that
walks as men, and dangerous, freakish weather complicate their mission. It's a slightly dark and
heavy story, with complex moral implications, but still, a great read.
Rem World
by Rodman Philbrick. c 2000, Blue Sky Press.
Food is a great comfort to ten year old Arthur. But being overweight has earned him
some embarrassing nicknames at school, like Goodyear, Arty Farty, or the worst of all,
Biscuit Butt. He sends off for a weight loss device advertised on the back of a comic book,
but it doesn't exactly work the way he had thought. It transports him to another world,
with strange and wondrous creatures and dangerous adventures. Arthur is constantly
struggling to stay alive, and find a way home but Rem World does teach him some important lessons and he does earn a new and
better name.
Tomorrowland
compiled by Michael Cart. c 1999, Scholastic.
These ten stories about the future by well known authors such as Jon Scieszka, Katherine
Paterson, Lois Lowry and Tor Seidler make a wonderful, imaginative collection of "What
if...?" What if you discovered the last dog on earth? How did the Neanderthals die? And
who do these brothers remind you of? A great collection of science fiction.
All contents © 2000, Kate Marley. All rights reserved.
