Book review - School for Sidekicks

Title: School for Sidekicks
Author: Kelly McCullough
Genre: sci-fi/superhero
Similar books: Hero by Mike Lupica
                     Hero Worship by Christopher Long
Rating:

super-cool

Summary: Evan has always dreamed of being a superhero but no matter how many times he checks, he never seems to develop any powers. Not until he takes a trip to a local amusement park and has a strange experience with one of the attractions. Then, on a class trip to a museum, he has an encounter with a villain that turns out, surprisingly, in his favor. The next thing he knows he's been swept off to a secret school for meta-humans, known to the students as the School for Sidekicks. Apprenticed to a has-been hero, Evan soon discovers that being a superhero is far more complicated than he ever dreamed.

My Opinion: Modern books about superheroes are doing a great job of exploring the very nature of being "super" (or as this books calls it "meta"). This particular novel really explores heroes and villains, pointing out the necessity and sacrifice of both and providing a larger design for both sides of the dichotomy. I also appreciated the way this novel points out the inherent danger to non-powered humans simply because powered humans exist. There is only the beginning of exploration of character in this novel but given how it ended this is clearly the first in a series and I presume that the characters will develop further in future books. 

More information: School for Sidekicks releases August 4.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Pick 6: music

Have you ever noticed that characters in novels tend to have the same hobbies. They're either athletes, aspiring writers, or musicians. For this list, I gathered titles where being a musician plays an important role in the plot. So, here are six books published in the last six months that in some way feature musicians. Most of these titles are teen oriented but #3 is more of a Diary of a Wimpy Kid read-alike.

6 new books about musicians

1. Kissing Ted Callahan (and Other Guys) by Amy Spalding

2. The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre

3. Excellent Excuses (and Other Good Stuff) by Liz Pichon

4. The Rise and Fall of the Gallivanters by M J Beaufrand

5. Jesse's Girl by Miranda Kenneally

6. Song of Summer by Laura Lee Anderson

Non-fiction book review - Jars of Hope

Title: Jars of Hope
Author: Jennifer Roy

We need to hear more stories like this one, more stories of everyday people who did extraordinarily dangerous things simply because it is the right thing to do. This one is particularly suited to upper elementary kids with simple vocabulary and sentence structure. Each page has a short paragraph of text supported by a full page illustration. Books like this one are great to use when you first introduce young children to the history of the Holocaust. While it is horrific, that horror can be somewhat balanced by stories of bravery and kindness and renewed faith in humanity.

More information: Jars of Hope releases August 1.

Book review - Piper Green and the Fairy Tree

Title: Piper Green and the Fairy Tree
        Piper Green and the Fairy Tree: Too Much Good Luck
Author: Ellen Potter
Genre: realistic fiction, very mild fantasy
Similar books: Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker
                     Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord
Rating:

cute

Summary: In the first book, we meet Piper Green, a second grader living on an island off the coast of Maine. The island is so small that elementary students take a boat to school every day. Older kids, like Piper's brother, board on the mainland. It's the first year that her brother has lived away from home and Piper misses him desperately. So much so that she's determined to wear his earmuffs every day, much to the consternation of her parents and her teacher.
Book two finds Piper experiencing a string of good luck. Her friend Jacob thinks it might be too much good luck. Sure enough, a new student in their class seems to have introduced a trend of bad luck that just seems to get worse every minute. Piper decides to set the world back on a positive path with the help of the fairy tree.

My Opinion: These really are cute little books. For their brief length, they have a decent amount of characterization. Quirky, funny, and meaningful. The characters are, at times, bizarre but in a way that is more charming than distancing. The simple vocabulary is accessible to young readers without talking down to them. The already fun stories are only improved by the cartoon style illustrations that highlight the supplement the text.

More information: The first two books in the Piper Green series release August 4.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Puppet plans

Ever since I got started making puppets with kids, I've taken more notice of how professional puppets work. This also means that I've been known to sketch out plans for elaborate puppets. This particular puppet is inspired by a character from the Team Starkid show Starship. The rod that extends out the back of his head is bent, allowing it to hook into the puppeteers belt (or it can be held like a regular puppet rod) and the rods from his feet attach to the puppeteers shoes, allowing him to walk with a halfway natural gait. If I ever manage to make this guy he'll stand about waist high in his natural, knees bent, pose. Of course at the moment, he's well beyond my skill level.

Someday, frog man. Someday.

Book review - The Doublecross

Title: The Doublecross: and Other Skills I Learned as a Superspy
Author: Jackson Pearce
Genre: thriller
Similar books: School for S.P.I.E.S. #1 Playing with Fire by Bruce Hale
                     NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society by Michael Buckley
Rating:

a pretty fun read

Summary: The Sub Rosa Society is all Hale has ever known. His parents have been SRS spies his entire life. Hale and his sister are training to become junior agents and it's all Hale has ever wanted. Of course, he's not your stereotypical spy. Unathletic, he has to work twice as hard as his fellow trainees. Then his parents disappear on a mission and SRS says they can't be rescued. It's up to Hale to infiltrate enemy headquarters and bring his parents home.
 
My Opinion: Hale is a great protagonist. Not only is he somewhat of a non-traditional hero (his mother calls him big-boned, the bullies call him fat), it's not luck or even his body type that allows him to succeed. It's a combination of his unique perspective and sheer determination. Simply put, Hale tries harder. He knows he can't compete physically so he finds his own work-arounds. While the plot is somewhat predictable, the quirky characters and great pacing make up for that weakness. The appeal factor is pretty high for middle grade readers.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Picture books for everyone

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: an African tale  by John Steptoe

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters is the story of two girls: one who values kindness and the other who values power. Their king calls all "worthy and beautiful" girls to be considered in his quest for a queen. On their journey to the king, Manyara time and again proves to be self-serving while Nyasha, faced with the same situations, is kind and generous. In essence, this is a simple story about the value of generosity and true beauty. What makes this a great choice for older kids is detail. The writing is elegant and atmospheric (consider this line: "Just as they entered through the great doors, the air was rent by piercing cries."). The illustrations are fantastically detailed, creating texture and nuance. It's a slightly more sophisticated fairy tale, a change of pace from the watered down tales to which kids have become accustomed.