Book review - A Many Feathered Thing

Title: A Many Feathered Thing
Author: Lisa Gerlits
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake
                      The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall
Rating:

lovely

Summary (provided by publisher): Eleven-year-old Clara is known as the "girl who draws," but she's not tortured enough to become a real artist. Her only suffering, besides embarrassment over her real name Clarity Kartoffel, German for Clarity Potato is a crippling inability to speak in public. When Clara and her oldest friend, Orion break their neighbor's glass gazing ball, Clara decides that in order to suffer like a true artist, she will do every hard thing in her path . . . starting with knocking on scary old Mr. Vogelman's door. That's when she meets "Birdman." That’s when she sees his swirling painting. And that's when everything changes. To pay for the broken glass ball, Clara begins working for Birdman in his atelier. He challenges her to throw away her eraser and draw what she sees, not what she wants to see. But as Clara discovers, seeing, really seeing is hard. Almost as difficult as befriending the new girl at school, or navigating awkward feelings for Orion or finding the courage to speak in front of the entire class. But little does Clara know, the biggest challenges are yet to come. To cope with tragedy, she will have to do more than be brave. As Birdman teaches her, she will have to "bring the hope."

My opinion: Let's get this out of the way: the general thrust of this plot is going to be entirely predictable to the average reader. In this case, the events are not really the point. This one is all about the characters and their individual journeys. We struggle along with Clara, feeling her pain and sense of inadequacy, her excitement over finding a mentor and her increasing confusion and complication with Orion. We know, instinctively, that she is making all the wrong choices. We even get the sense that she knows it as well. And yet, her choices seem inevitable, a necessary part of adolescence. It's a very realistic journey, painful and awkward, as Clara's lessons in art teach her more about interacting with other people. Gerlits has managed to create a straightforward story that can relay a number of lessons to the reader, one that will hold up to repeat reads.

More information: A Many Feathered Thing releases March 2.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Picture books for everyone

All About Allosaurus by Greg Gormley

Most kids love a dinosaur book, especially when it is essential to the plot that a character is a dinosaur. This book takes on a topic standard to picture books - feeling inferior and wanting to prove your value. The dinosaurs make it unique. The facts that Allosaurus writes about the other dinosaurs are a combination of science and personality of the individuals. All together, this is a sweet and funny story, conveying a postive message without becoming preachy or condescending. The illustrations are complex and engaging with a great sense of action and emotion. A small child will enjoy the characters on an individual level. Older kids could use this as an introduction to a project comparing dinosaur species or appreciating one another.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Non-fiction book review - Railway Jack

Railway Jack by KT Johnston

Talk about a cool historical story. We've got a lot of compelling elements at play here. First, there's a man who didn't let negative circumstances hold him back. Having lost his legs he could have resigned himself to a quiet life at home, other people taking care of him. Instead he found a way to prove himself and go back to work, even though it was much harder for him to do on wooden legs. And then we add in an intelligent and affectionate animal. Railway Jack's story proves that animals can learn. He wasn't simply trained to complete specific tasks. He learned to associate signals and respond accordingly. He drew conclusions. This is an absolute joy to read with just the right amount of detail for an elementary aged reader.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - I Hate You Fuller James

Title: I Hate You Fuller James
Author: Kelly Anne Blount
Genre: teen romance
Similar books: 100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons
                      Pretty in Punxsutawney by Laurie Boyle Compton
Rating:

I have problems with it

Summary (provided by publisher): I hate you, Fuller James.
I hate your floppy hair and your lopsided grin and those laughing blue eyes that always seem to be laughing at me.
I hate that you’re the most popular guy in school and I’m still the girl who sneezed and spit out her retainer on someone at a middle school dance. It’s just such a cliché.
I hate that I’m being forced to tutor you in English and keep it a secret from everyone. Because otherwise it might put our basketball team’s chances at winning State in jeopardy, and even though I hate you, I love basketball.
I hate that it seems like you’re keeping a secret from me…and that the more time we spend together, the less I feel like I’m on solid ground. Because I’m starting to realize there’s so much more to you than meets the eye. Underneath it all, you’re real.
But what I hate most is that I really don’t hate you at all.

My opinion: Simply based on the description, most of us will be able to guess the major plot points of this novel. Predictability is generally not a desired trait, though we're far more inclined to forgive it in a romance than in any other genre. Personally, I can for give a predictable plot if the characters are compelling. And I'll grant Blount this: she's creating believable characters. I simply didn't find them especially likeable. This is largely because of the lengths the book goes to in order to reassure us that Fuller is a "good guy." His bet manipulating Wren is only to cover up his genuine feelings and to protect the basketball team (a thin explanation at best). The bullying he started was actually him repeating what someone else started. And let's talk about that bullying. The nickname "Wren-tainer". I acknowledge that this is a reference to what had been a painful moment for Wren, but she frequently references it as "the worst name ever". But is it really? Or is it akin to continuing to point out that someone vomited in a classroom once. Additionally, the plot relies on a number of tropes: the manipulative athlete, motivation-less mean girl, the surprisingly pretty smart girl. It takes a standard plot through a standard path, never plumbing any new depths.

More information: I Hate You Fuller James releases March 2.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

3D glasses

I've never watched many 3D movies. As a lifetime glasses wearer, adding a pair of cardboard glasses is challenging. They never seem to line up correctly with my frames. When I decided I wanted to try drawing red-blue 3D images, I knew I needed a better way to do the glasses. So I made my own clip-on glasses out of some plastic packaging and sharpie.

I consider these 3D glasses Mark 1. Proof of concept though there's room for improvement. 

Book review - Junk Magic and Guitar Dreams

Title: Junk Magic and Guitar Dreams
Author: T. James Logan
Genre: magical realism
Similar books: Mr. 60%  by Clete Barrett Smith
                      The Bad Decisions Playlist by Michael Rubins
Rating:

decent, not great

Summary (provided by publisher): A guitar, a box of junk, and a pile of trouble...
Fifteen-year-old Otter is in a dark place. When he loses his mom to cancer, Child Services wants to put him in foster care, or even a home for troubled youth.
Living on his own, he’s one bad decision away from the street. His band’s first gig is only two weeks away, but his crush on their new lead singer has him tied in knots.
Then he inherits a box of random junk from a dead grandfather he barely knew. Can his grandfather’s memories help Otter win the girl of his dreams, reconnect with his family, and keep him out of juvenile detention...maybe even become a rock star?

My opinion: I struggle somewhat with this book. I think it's well intentioned. It highlights the struggles of kids in poverty, of marginalized communities. We see how stress and grief break a person down, make them fail to use logic, makes them make bad choices. We see how families and friendships fall apart is stages, seldom all at once. How each choice, each moment, builds on the ones that came before. I also think that the major plot points are obvious, the resolutions over simplified. I understand wanting to show how a vulnerable teen, especially a young man caught up in grief and feeling lost, can be radicalized. This is a very real problem in our society and worth discussing. BUt this particular presentation struggles with some logic issues.
More information: Junk Magic and Guitar Dreams releases March 1.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Graphic novel spotlight - Green Lantern Legacy

Green Lantern Legacy by Minh Le

DC Comics is doing some great things these days in the realm of superhero comics for kids. Green Lantern Legacy both acknowledges the vast history of the Green Lantern and allows for a future of all new directions. It carefully balances heroism and kid concerns. Tai has school obligations. He has troubles with friends and the looming potential loss of his family's business. At the same time he's learning how to be a hero and faces off against a real villain. Many comics featuring kid heroes look only at friendship or minor villains. This book doesn't hold back on any front, making it reminiscent of various iterations of Spider-man. While it's largely introductory, setting up new readers with the idea of the Green Lantern Corp and threat of Sinestro, the potential is there to take this series to some very cool places.  

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley 

Non-fiction book review - What's the Point of Math?

What's the Point of Math?

Finally, a book that answers the question that most kids ask. And it isn't cagey about it. Starting with basic counting and going all the way up to theoretical mathematics, the authors explore the purpose of math. We get the history of math - different systems of counting and measurement, the role of zero, that sort of thing. Then, starting with arithmetic we walk through the practical uses of math. What is geometry for? Why might we need to use variables in every day life? If I'd had this book in middle and high school I might have taken my math studies more seriously. This one is a must have for every collection - personal and professional. Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Subject A36

Title: Subject A36
Author: Teri Polen
Genre: dystopia
Similar books: Taken by Edward Bloor
                      The Seclusion by Jacqui Castle
Rating:

rather disappointing

Summary (provided by publisher): If genetic engineering could guarantee you and your family perfect health and unparalleled beauty, would you pay top dollar for it? Would you kill for it?
Residents of the Colony would. And do.
Only the Insurgents can stop them.
Seventeen-year-old Asher Solomon is a premier operative with the Insurgents. He and his team have rescued countless hostages, saving them from painful deaths in Colony labs as desirable genetic traits are stripped from their bodies.
He’s also suffered more losses than anyone should have to.
Then Asher gets intel that might give his people the upper hand. The Colony is searching for Subject A36. If the Insurgents determine the subject’s identity first, they might be able to turn the tide of the war.
Asher and his team embark on their riskiest mission ever, and the stakes have never been higher. But even if he survives the physical dangers, the devastating secrets he uncovers might destroy him.

My opinion: The overarching thrust of this plot is entirely predictable. This is not unheard of - there are only so many plots in the world, after all. Predictability is acceptable if the characters are complex or if there are interesting elements along the way. Polen is going for some interesting elements but it falls short. The science, in particular, doesn't make any sense. The premise works - the inherent dangers of genetic engineering as it intersects with the class divide. But there is only the thinnest explanation for the genetic harvesting. That motivation feels tacked on, a way to explain the revolution rather than focusing on the hunt for Subject A36. Asher is not a fully developed character either. Had Asher and the super-soldier plot been fully developed this would be a much stronger experience.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Blazer

A while back I bought some trousers on sale. They came with a blazer. It was a bit boxy and plain but comfortable when I put it on. I figured it was worth keeping if I was willing to do a little customization.

I cut some shapes out of fabric with some iron-on fusing.

Nothing punches up a blazer like elbow patches. Especially planet patches.

Book review - This Train is Being Held

Title: This Train is Being Held
Author: Ismee Williams
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Field Notes On Love by Jennifer E Smith
                      You Before Anyone Else by Julie Cross and Mark Perini
Rating:

deeper than I was expecting

Summary (provided by publisher): Alex is a baseball player. A great one. His papi is pushing him to go pro, but Alex maybe wants to be a poet. Not that Papi would understand or allow that.
Isa is a dancer. She'd love to go pro, if only her Havana-born mom weren't dead set against it...just like she's dead set against her daughter falling for a Latino. And Isa's privileged private-school life—with her dad losing his job and her older brother struggling with mental illness—is falling apart. Not that she'd ever tell that to Alex.
Fate—and the New York City subway—bring Alex and Isa together. Is it enough to keep them together when they need each other most?

My opinion: In many ways, this book is like a more complex version of movies like  Save the Last Dance. It has the elements standard to a lot of teen fiction: privileged girl meets underprivileged streetwise boy; privileged teen adjusting to a change in circumstance; initial romance complicated by a series of misunderstandings; even the parent pressured athlete with the soul of a poet. That's a lot o cliche in one book. I have to wonder, though, if Williams is doing this intentionally. Because a lot of these cliches are just masking deeper issues. Isa is seen as a rich white girl, but has Cuban roots and family secrets. Alex is Dominican, his background obvious to even casual observers and the source of constant judgement. They are both somewhat hindered by other peoples perceptions and judgements. We're dealing with a lot of carefully orchestrated masks, hiding issues that feel too big to explain or even deal with. Williams has taken a shallow notion and granted it a surprising amount of depth. As a teen romance it's end result is fairly predictable but the journey is far more engaging than I had expected.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Pick 6: Mystery

There's nothing like a good mystery. Whether you're six or sixty, we all enjoy going over clues and trying to guess the solution before the book's characters do. Here are six new mystery stories published in the last six months.

Six New mysteries:

1. I Have No Secrets by Penny Joelson
2. Mr. Penguin and the Fortress of Secrets by Alex T Smith
3. Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Missing Adults by Scott Bryan Wilson
4. The Amazing Life of Azaleah Lane by Nikki Shannon Smith
5. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
6. Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: The Body Under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn

Non-fiction book review - 3D Printing and Maker Lab for Kids

3D Printing and Maker Lab for Kids by Eldrid Sequeira

I'd had some introductions to 3D printing previously but the approach had always been either the basics of how the printers worked or the ways you might use them in library programming. I'd never had anyone explain to me how to program what you wanted to print. This book is more than a how-to. It doesn't teach the user just how to make a particular object. Instead, Sequeira walks us through a series of basic shapes and suggests ways you can combine them to make more complex objects. Once you have those simple ideas mastered, anything is possible. I'd call this one an essential for any maker space that includes a 3D printer.

More Information: 3D Printing and Maker Lab for Kids releases February 25.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley 

Book review - Chirp

Title: Chirp
Author: Kate Messner
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Boy Bites Bug by Rebecca Petruck
                      The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones by Wendelin Van Draanen
Rating:

an emotionally complex, layered book

Summary (provided by publisher): When Mia moves to Vermont the summer after seventh grade, she's recovering from the broken arm she got falling off a balance beam. And packed away in the moving boxes under her clothes and gymnastics trophies is a secret she'd rather forget.
Mia's change in scenery brings day camp, new friends, and time with her beloved grandmother. But Gram is convinced someone is trying to destroy her cricket farm. Is it sabotage or is Gram's thinking impaired from the stroke she suffered months ago? Mia and her friends set out to investigate, but can they uncover the truth in time to save Gram's farm? And will that discovery empower Mia to confront the secret she's been hiding--and find the courage she never knew she had?
In a compelling story rich with friendship, science, and summer fun, a girl finds her voice while navigating the joys and challenges of growing up.

My opinion: My access point for this book was entomophagy, an area of fascination for me. That interest was stronger than my hesitation to read a Messner novel. I've read a couple of her books in the past and haven't especially enjoyed them. Once I got a couple of chapters into this particular novel, I was hooked. There's a lot going on: making new friends, STEM, athletics, business skills, a mystery, and personal secrets that drive much of Mia's behavior. I appreciated that there were some very serious, complex issues presented in this novel and they were given appropriate weight. Dealing with bullies is often dismissed as a kid issue. In this book we see how that translates in the business world, especially as it applies to women in business. And the conclusion drawn is that there is no fix, that it's something we just have to deal with but that we can make it better by refusing to be quiet about it. Additionally, we see the path forward from a difficult situation. That when we lose a part of ourselves we have to let that loss go and learn from it to move forward. With an emotionally dark undercurrent, this is not what you'd call a gentle or innocent novel. But for a kid with some emotional maturity or even just one in need of some empowerment it could spark some great discussion.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Painting on canvas

I've done some drawing over the years but never did much  serious painting. I was gifted some small canvas boards and tubes of acrylic paint this Christmas so I've been trying it out. I'm surprisingly pleased with the result of this first experiment.

 

Book review - Red Menace

Title: Red Menace
Author: Lois Ruby
Genre: historical fiction
Similar books: The Wednesday Wars by Gary D Schmidt
                      How I Became a Spy by Deborah Hopkinson
Rating:

high concept, not especially complex

Summary (provided by publisher): If thirteen-year-old Marty Rafner had his way, he'd spend the summer of 1953 warming the bench for his baseball team, listening to Yankees games on the radio, and avoiding preparations for his bar mitzvah. Instead, he has to deal with FBI agents staking out his house because his parents—professors at the local college—are suspected communist sympathizers. Marty knows what happens to communists, or Reds, as his friends call them: They lose their jobs, get deported...or worse. Two people he's actually met, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, have been convicted of being communist spies, and they're slated to be executed in two months.
Marty just wants everything to go back to normal, but that's impossible thanks to the rumors that his parents are traitors. As his friends and teammates turn on him and federal agents track his every move, Marty isn't sure what to believe. Is his family really part of a Red Menace working against the United States? And even if they're simply patriotic Americans who refuse to be bullied by the government, what will it cost them?
As the countdown to the Rosenbergs' execution date continues, it may be up to Marty to make sure his family survives.

My opinion: This book is quite reminiscent of The Wednesday Wars. They share many elements: a protagonist on the cusp of his teen years, feeling out of place, and wishing for the simplicity of what life used to be. Circumstances force him to consider his own political opinions and the state of the world at large. Marty is dealing with stigmatization, the reality that once society suspects something about you it colors the rest of your life. Suspicion can't simply be erased. This plot takes right and wrong from a simple dichotomy to a sliding scale. These moral and societal issues are worth discussing with a middle grade reader, especially if you can tie it to issues in the modern world.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Listen with me

There are a couple of elements at play when it comes to evaluating an audio book: the story itself and the way it's narrated. 

As you might expect given the authors, Good Omens is a tight narrative with impeccable comedic timing. It's fairly tongue in cheek but isn't afraid to say something real at the same time. It also doesn't feel the need to beat the reader over the head with it's messaging. Characters are distinct, each with just enough complexity to be distinct without wasting words on unnecessary description.

Narration is almost more important in an audio book. I've experienced otherwise excellent books that were derailed by an awkward reading. The version I listened to was read by Martin Jarvis. As a Brit, Jarvis' accent is the right one for this story. And his timing was just about perfect. No awkward pauses between lines. He varies speed to keep us engaged. His voice is dynamic as well, conveying the right emotion for each moment. He does slightly different voices for each character, enough to be distinct without becoming a distraction.

All in all, I've got to say that this is one of the better audio books I've experienced. If you have any interest in the work of Pratchett or Gaiman, do yourself a favor and listen to Good Omens.

Non-fiction book review - 101 Awesome Women Who Transformed Science

101 Awesome Women Who Transformed Science by Claire Philip

I love learning even just a little bit about inspiring figures. This book consists of very brief profiles with the focus on the woman's contribution to her field. With just a page or two per person, you won't learn much. But if this book inspires a young person to learn more about even a single female scientist, especially one who has been previously overlooked, then it has served it's purpose.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Don't Read the Comments

Title: Don't Read the Comments
Author: Eric Smith
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee
                      Can't Look Away by Donna Cooner
Rating:

a solid reminder of our reality

Summary (provided by publisher):  Divya Sharma is a queen. Or she is when she’s playing Reclaim the Sun, the year’s hottest online game. Divya—better known as popular streaming gamer D1V—regularly leads her #AngstArmada on quests through the game’s vast and gorgeous virtual universe. But for Divya, this is more than just a game. Out in the real world, she’s trading her rising-star status for sponsorships to help her struggling single mom pay the rent.
Gaming is basically Aaron Jericho’s entire life. Much to his mother’s frustration, Aaron has zero interest in becoming a doctor like her, and spends his free time writing games for a local developer. At least he can escape into Reclaim the Sun—and with a trillion worlds to explore, disappearing should be easy. But to his surprise, he somehow ends up on the same remote planet as celebrity gamer D1V.
At home, Divya and Aaron grapple with their problems alone, but in the game, they have each other to face infinite new worlds…and the growing legion of trolls populating them. Soon the virtual harassment seeps into reality when a group called the Vox Populi begin launching real-world doxxing campaigns, threatening Aaron’s dreams and Divya’s actual life. The online trolls think they can drive her out of the game, but everything and everyone Divya cares about is on the line…
And she isn’t going down without a fight.

My opinion: Many of us want to be famous. Smith's book reminds us that fame isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Cruel comments are, any more, a standard part of reality. They're something we feel like we just have to deal with. Smith draws the line between bullying and criminal behavior. Bullying that leaves the cyber world behind and enters Divya's real world with physical attacks and threats. The reader is asked to consider at what point bullying crosses that line. That conversation alone makes this worth reading. So too is the conversation it prompts between characters about privilege. Wealth, race, gender, sexuality. We see the different kinds of privilege at platy and the ultimate conclusion that we can never fully understand another person's experience and challenges. While the plot is a bit predictable and Aaron's perspective sections felt unnecessary, its ultimately a solid read with a fair amount of heart.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Mandrake

When I saw this mandrake paperclip holder online, I was inspired to try making one myself. The original uses sculpey and a real plant pot. I decided to take a slightly different approach for my version. I found these items in my craft bin:

The first step was to put two holes in the doll: one in it's head to anchor the plant and one in the belly for the magnet. Once those pieces were secure, I painted the doll and the plastic cup. A circle of craft foam provided a top to hide the "mandrake" and paperclips.