These are all books that I read before I started my blog and never wrote a post about. (Sorry for that dangling preposition. After having watched a few seasons of The Last Man on Earth, I'm starting to notice those more!) Anyway, I've included a mini-review for each of these books so you know if you should give them a try or not.
by Franny Billingsly
Read a preview here.
Just one page. That's all it took. Well, actually, this is one of those books that had me hooked with the very first line. (See my post about that, here.) I read this way back and never wrote a review for it, but it's a great fantasy novel. Not high fantasy, mind you, but more the kind that deals with uncanny lore, along the lines of Neil Gaiman. (Reading level: 4.4 / Upper Grades)
by China Mieville
Read a preview here.
Here is another book that I read years and years ago that had a fantastic prologue. If I were an editor, I would have jumped at this one. You can't tell from the beginning, but it is actually a futuristic steampunk-ish retelling of Moby Dick. And did you notice those ampersands in place of the word 'and'? They are supposed to represent the twisting and turning of the rail lines and the entire book is written that way. Seriously. Which, interestingly enough, really seemed to slow down the pace at which I was able to read. (Good thing it was only 424 pages, and not 720 like Herman Melville's classic.) So, if you decide to give this book a try, don't wait until two days before it is due back at the library before starting it! (Reading level: 730 Lexile / Middle Grade+)
by Margaret McMullen
Read a preview here.
When reading the first two pages of this book, you'll notice two things. First, that it is historical fiction. Second, that the author does a superb job creating a unique voice for the narrating character. Since this is yet another book that I haven't written a review on, I will tell you now that the rest of the book lives up to the potential promised at the beginning. It is the second book in a trilogy (each comes at a later time and focuses on a different character who is in some way related to the one from the previous book), and it is really, very good. In fact, I gave it four stars on my Goodreads list, and you know how often I actually do that (not very)! (Reading Level: 5.0 / Middle Grades)
by Ashley Hope Perez
Read a preview here.
Although this prologue doesn't have that special something that usually grabs me right away, what it does have is the ability to make the reader understand the horror of the situation it is describing. In a powerful way. Which is the mark of a good writer and a great book for sure. This imagery, along with the last line of the prologue, combine to let us know that this story is not going to be a walk in the park. And it definitely isn't. It is about life in a small Texas town in the 1930's, and all of the ugliness that society allowed at that time. Due to the subject matter, it is definitely a book for older readers. (Reading level: 4.6 / Upper Grades)
by Patrick Carman
Read a preview here.
Here is an example of a prologue that is intriguing. Not only does it imply that the book will have an interesting subject matter, but it makes the reader curious about exactly where and how the author is going to take us through that subject matter. And notice how the books starts at 'Midnight.' So we begin at the end and then find out how we got there. As it turns out, I loved this book. The concept was so original and amazing. The story follows a guy and his two friends through the thirteen days leading up to one culminating event. I don't want to give anything else away and spoil the awesomeness for you, so just go out and grab a copy and read it already. (Reading level: 5.0 / Middle Grade+)
by Nancy Werlin
Read a preview here.
Read an alternate preview here.
Okay, so this one is a little weird, because the previews are laid out differently depending on which version you get. In this preview, you have to actually start reading on the page in between the two title pages where it says "The Harsh Truth." I found a preview where this was on its own page, but I somehow lost it and can't find it again. Anyway, some preview versions replace it with a long letter, but I think this one is better, because it has that whole commenting-on-a-deep-truth thing going for it, while also hinting at the specifics of this book. When you read it along with the first page in chapter one, you can also see what makes this book unique - it is written to somebody. I haven't run across that very often, and not where it started out so well. Just so you know, this is a book about abuse and neglect, so it is very sad and emotional. But it is also a book about hope, so once again, emotional. I read this almost ten years ago, and it was probably one of the first books that I rated as four stars (a pretty high rating for me). (Reading level: 4.3 / Upper Grades)
by S. D. Crockett
Read a preview here.
Okay, so if you just skip the two pages with the quotes (one from the Bible and one from the unknown Irish author), and you start reading at chapter one, after the first two pages you're probably going to be like WHAAAAAAT?! But in a good way. After those first two pages you know that you've got something different on your hands. And in the vast sea of books that are just variations of one another, different is definitely good. This book is a post-apocalyptic story about a boy trying to find his family and survive in a new ice age. It is fantastic, with a very interesting character and a well-developed theme that will provoke some deep thought and teach us some important lessons. I highly recommend it. (Reading level: 3.8 / Upper Grades)
by Karen Cushman
Read a preview here.
You have to scroll quite a few pages of the preview to get to the actual story with this link. Start reading at the point where it says SEPTEMBER. And then you will see why I love Karen Cushman's books. She writes a unique kind of historical fiction, with irreverent heroines learning to be strong through the situations thrust upon them. This one in particular grabs you from the start, as it is rare to find a book that is written entirely in short snippets of a diary, and the humor is evident immediately. If you are looking for a good historical fiction book for middle grade readers and up, this one won't disappoint. (Cushman's earlier books are better than her later ones. You can find these on my Historical Fiction book list marked with an *.) (Reading level: 6.4 / Middle Grade+)
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