R.L.S. Hoff's Blog, page 5

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko is such a good book. Really. Go out and get it if you haven’t read it yet. (From the library works–that’s what I did.)

The book is about Tarisai, who is beautiful, intelligent, talented, strong, and immune to fire. She can also read (or steal) memories when she touches a person or thing that holds the memory. But she has been brought up by the servants of a mostly absentee mother. These caregivers see to her physical needs and provide for her intellectual stimulation, but they’re afraid of her and avoid touching her.

Tarisai first feels love when she goes away to compete to be part of the team forming around the young prince who will be the next emperor. The team becomes the family she’s never had.

But her mother insists that her entire reason for existence is to kill the prince who is the linchpin of her new family.

I love the characters in this–and the gorgeous world-building–and the intense internal (and external conflict.)

The magic feels original, too. Original, but inevitable, like the best magic systems do.

At any rate, if you like young adult fantasy, or political dramas, or just really good stories, I encourage you to read this book.

If you’ve already read it, what did you think? Interested in reading the next one (Redemptor) together?

Looking for other books a bit like this? Try Binti.

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When I was young, my mother would tell me stories about her sister, an agile, world-famous, circus performer. My mother didn’t hold her in much esteem. But I soaked up the stories with incredulous reverence, never able to quench my thirst for news of her.

My eccentric aunt would sporadically send me nonsensical gifts—tops that wouldn’t spin, kites that wouldn’t fly—that kind of thing. Though they didn’t work, these gifts were inconsequential and benign. So, I wasn’t sure why my mother fell into a sullen melancholy every time one of the spontaneous offerings in ornate packaging arrived. To pacify her, I would whisk the gift out of sight, so I could peel back its opaque wrapping in private and sit, awestruck, before the glorious thing.

Unable to be apathetic, I could not hide my treasure for long. I would bring out the beautiful toy and show it off, only to endure excruciating embarrassment when the gadget wouldn’t function, even with reinforced weak spots.

“I have to halt these ridiculous gifts,” my mother would mutter as I returned the newest one to the shelf. There, the previous gifts gathered dust in a bleak, desolate existence. Even though none of the toys worked, I couldn’t bear to throw any of them away.

I could not explain why, but I felt sure these were not insubstantial toys, but something more, something amazing—if only I could formulate the right way to use them.

Each time my aunt sent a new toy, I became more bashful about displaying its charms. Each time, it became less feasible to convey the avid faith I had in my aunt.

One pivotal afternoon, when yet another gift had arrived and disappointed (the lovely blue bucket’s bottom was porous, allowing all the water I’d put in it to leak out), I returned to my room feeling a melancholy of my own.

Sitting before all the gifts, it occurred to me that I could use the leaky bucket to power a contraption made from the gears of an earlier present. Once I made that connection, I saw how another few gifts might fit together. Excited, I carried all my gifts outside and worked away at them until I had a colorful engine to fit onto my old red wagon.

As my mother watched from the front doorway, I took my cart to the street and climbed aboard.

“Are you sure this will work?” my mother asked, chewing her lip.

“I’m positive,” I said and swung the bucket so that it leaked on the gears. With all the toys working in one accord, wind and water propelled me up the hill.

At the top, I looked back and saw my mother smiling for the first time in a long time. She waved.

Seconds later, my wagon started down the other side of the hill, speeding down toward the park.

It was a turbulent ride, but I felt like I was flying.

On wings my aunt had given me.

A story inspired by a need to put a long and varied vocabulary list into some sort of context that might help a student remember the words. Hopefully I managed it without straining either the words or the story too far. (Can you guess which words are the vocabulary ones? There are 35.)

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JL Kaiser’s Aeon The Sands of Undal has a great main character, wonderful world-building, and lots of food for thought.

Caiia Shadi is smart, resourceful, a bit unconventional, and exceptionally loyal to her family–and to friends. I love how she makes her own path in a world that leaves no paths for her.

Caiia lives in a world of dust, wind and dark religious forces, where her people have been made slaves and are sent to retrieve dangerous treasure from the ground. They pay in sickness and misery, so that their overmasters can have access to the stars. 

It’s a beautiful, if stark, world, and I thoroughly enjoy all the layers of power and privilege (and the corruption) Caiia begins to uncover.

For a story that ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, it also has more closure than some. (But I’d still like to see more of the series–and have discovered there are no new books out yet.)

At any rate, I’d recommend this if you like science fiction or stories about strong women coming into their own. Interested in other YA science fiction? You might like Binti or Beyond.

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Where did the adoption stuff go?

You may have noticed that there are only a few Kid Stuff posts on this new version of my website, and all the old content has disappeared.  (Unlike the Bookshelf posts, many of which have been updated for the new website.)

Well, it’s like this: Updating to the new website required manually moving posts from the old to the new. In that process, things like comments got lost. For the book review posts, where there were few comments, and the content was simple, the effort was worth it (and the loss minimal).

For the Kid Stuff posts, transferring the old content was harder (because many posts had multiple pictures.) Besides, transferring things over destroyed the evidence of a community that sustained me in those early months and years. I just couldn’t do it. So if you’re interested in looking at my adoption journey, or posts about my family that happened before August 2021, you can find them in the Kid Stuff tab of my archived old site.

So, where did the adoption stuff go?

Here: https://archive.pencilprincessworkshop.com/category/kidstuff/

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I’ve been meaning to read Jade City for a while, and I don’t know what took me so long.

Once I finally got into it, I found this book totally lived up to its hype. It’s a brilliant story, with intricate plotting and rich world-building

The real stars, though, are the characters. My favorite is Kaul Shaelinsan, the prodigal daughter returned to her hometown to lick her wounds and try not to get caught up in the family business. But I also love her brothers, and her cousin. And the dozens of minor characters who fill out this magical city-state.

If you like young adult fantasy, or martial arts, or stories about crime syndicates, or just a wonderful story well-told, I’d recommend Jade City. (And if you don’t like any of those things, why are you reading book reviews?)

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Write a short story or poem about this picture:

The Pencil Princess Workshop will award $25 & publication in the RLS Hoff Newsletter to the winner. I will also publish both the winning entry and honorable mentions on this website.How to Enter:

Download this form, fill it out, and send it to [email protected]. Use “Fall/Winter 2021 Writing Contest” as the subject line.

Rules:Entries must be 1000 words or fewer, must be written in English, and must be appropriate for a general audience that may include children.The deadline to enter is midnight at US Mountain Standard Time on November 30, 2021Entries must be original poems or stories, written by the person entering the contest.Writers of the poems or stories retain all rights.Writers entering this contest grant The Pencil Princess Workshop the non-exclusive right to publish their entry in the RLS Hoff Newsletter and on this website.Submissions are open to anyone from anywhere, payment of entries will usually be through check or Paypal, but if another option becomes necessary, we’ll work it out.Young writers are welcome and encouraged to enter. However, they must get a parent or guardian’s permission to do so if they are under 18 years of age.RLS Hoff will decide which piece is best based on (her admittedly subjective opinion of) the quality of the writing and the connection to the picture.Look for the winning entry in the January 15, 2022 RLS Hoff Newsletter. Winners will begin to appear on the website in January as well.

The post Fall/Winter 2021 Teeny Tiny Writing Contest appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.

Congratulations to our Spring 2021 Teeny Tiny Writing Contest Winner: Katie Hoff. Under the image, you can find her lovely poem, “The Tree.”

The Tree

by Katie Hoff

Deep within a forest

In a clearing stands a tree

Shorter than the rest of them

Out of all the eye could see

This tree had weaker bark

And was plainer too

With fewer leaves than others

And flowers that seldom grew

It had no fruit to eat

Nor branches you could climb

Yet out of all the other trees

I’d wish this one could be mine

Even though it might not seem

To be as good as the rest

This one is the only one

That stands up to the test

I couldn’t notice other trees

For they all look the same

But this one has a different feel

So this one I shall claim

The few leaves that grew there

And the flowers too

Were the most delicate

Through and through

This tree had truly tall branches

The bark I thought was plainer

Had just made me blind

Just not within its kind

It may not be the best

But between you and me

I really think I’m growing

Quite fond of this tree

I tried to show my peers

But they all laughed at me

They told me it was pretty strange

To be fond of a tree

I wasn’t sad

I wasn’t even mad

I would say

I felt rather glad

For when I had first seen my tree

I had thought it strange

But after a little while

My perspective began to change

After that I realized

I didn’t have to be

Like anybody else

For I am just the tree

(In full disclosure, the Spring 2021 Teeny Tiny Writing Contest winner was also the only entrant, which made judging super easy, and I didn’t have to stress about being related to contest entrants. That makes it a bit less like a contest, though. Fortunately, this is a decent poem. But, if you think you have an equally good or better story or poem in you, the Pencil Princess Workshop will try at least one more of these contests. Details on the Contest tab. )

The post Spring 2021 Teeny Tiny Writing Contest Winner! appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.

The Tree by Katie Hoff

Congratulations to our Spring 2021 Teeny Tiny Writing Contest Winner: Katie Hoff. Here’s her lovely poem:

The Tree

by Katie Hoff

 

Deep within a forest

In a clearing stands a tree

Shorter than the rest of them

Out of all the eye could see

 

This tree had weaker bark

And was plainer too

With fewer leaves than others

And flowers that seldom grew

 

It had no fruit to eat

Nor branches you could climb

Yet out of all the other trees

I’d wish this one could be mine

 

Even though it might not seem

To be as good as the rest

This one is the only one

That stands up to the test

 

I couldn’t notice other trees

For they all look the same

But this one has a different feel

So this one I shall claim

 

The few leaves that grew there

And the flowers too

Were the most delicate

Through and through

 

This tree had truly tall branches

The bark I thought was plainer

Had just made me blind

Just not within its kind

 

It may not be the best

But between you and me

I really think I’m growing

Quite fond of this tree

 

I tried to show my peers

But they all laughed at me

They told me it was pretty strange

To be fond of a tree

 

I wasn’t sad

I wasn’t even mad

I would say

I felt rather glad

 

For when I had first seen my tree

I had thought it strange

But after a little while

My perspective began to change

 

After that I realized

I didn’t have to be

Like anybody else

For I am just the tree

 

 

(In full disclosure, the Spring 2021 Teeny Tiny Writing Contest winner was also the only entrant, which made judging super easy, and I didn’t have to stress about being related to contest entrants. That makes it a bit less like a contest, though. Fortunately, this is a decent poem. But, if you think you have an equally good or better story or poem in you, the Pencil Princess Workshop will try at least one more of these contests. )

The post Spring 2021 Teeny Tiny Writing Contest Winner! appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.

J has been part of our family for five years as of yesterday. For five years now, we’ve been a five-person family.

Some days, it seems like we’ve always been this way. Sometimes it seems like hardly any time has passed at all.

We’ve had joy, we’ve had heartbreak, we’ve had laughter, we’ve had violence, we’ve had encouragement, we’ve had insults.

And we’re still together. One family. Sometimes sticking with it is all you can handle.

Sometimes, sticking with it is the most important thing.

A few brief reflections on five years together: This thing – adopting a teenager – is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.Our lives are richer now than they used to be.Adoption has brought both unanticipated costs and unanticipated benefits.

Want to check out the beginning of this journey? My first five-person family post is here. Other specifically adoption related posts are tagged “adoption.”

And hey, if you’re in the middle of an adoption and need a bit of encouragement (or respite if you’re local), please get in touch. We’ve made it to a place where we have a bit of margin, and we’d love to help. My email is [email protected].

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In A Voice that Thunders, Cully Mack plays around with that weird bit from Genesis 6. You know the bit–where Nephilim are on Earth, and sons of God are having children with daughters of men.

That bit is a mysterious and intriguing glimpse of something odd going on in ancient times. As such, it has given rise to more than a few fascinating stories (including Many Waters by Madeleine L’Engle). Mack’s story doesn’t have as strong a setting as L’Engle’s, but I like the way it explores temptation. The story is about Mirah, a captive of a band of warriors from a far off place. Before capturing Mirah and several of her friends, these warriors slaughtered everyone else in Mirah’s village.

As Mirah and her friends seek to survive, to escape, and perhaps even seek revenge, they receive amazing, powerful tools. Unfortunately, those tools come at a great cost. That’s where the temptation comes in. Do they use the tools they’ve been given? Or do they figure out another way to survive and defeat their enemies?

If you like young adult stories, especially ones with magic and romance sprinkled in liberally, you’ll probably enjoy A Voice that Thunders. I enjoyed it, and I suspect I’ll go looking for the rest of the series at some point.

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