Book review - The Sandwich Thief

Title: The Sandwich Thief
Author: Andre Marios
Genre: early chapter book/mystery
Similar books: The Magic Box by L. M. Falcone
                     The Case of the Stolen Sixpence by Holly Webb Rating:

kinda fun

Summary (provided by publisher): Marin loves the sandwiches his parents make for him—every day they're different and more delicious than the last. One morning, someone dares to steal his favorite sandwich: ham-cheddar-kale. Furious, Marin begins a fevered and famished investigation to unmask the thief. The days go by, the suspects multiply, and Marin's sandwiches continue to disappear. This droll, graphic caper is a funny school mystery exploring the high stakes of low blood sugar. The first in a series, the book's witty text and graphic illustrations make this funny school mystery perfect for early and advanced readers alike—and for anyone who's been the victim of lunchtime crime. 

My opinion: Positives for this one: It's a mystery for young kids that involves an actual crime, a genuine theft. Sure the stolen objects are sandwiches but its theft nonetheless. Little kid mysteries tend to fall into the missing object-misunderstanding vein. This is a nice change of pace. Marin makes a list of suspects and motivations, follows clues, and draws conclusions. Solid mystery elements. As a side benefit, it advocates the consumption of diverse "real" foods instead of the same-old-same-old processed fare. Negatives: the conclusion is odd. While having his mother create mysterious flavor balls to put in the trap sandwich makes it a non-imitatable stunt I can't help but wonder if there might have been a more believable solutions. Plenty of illustrations, though, supporting the text with a great range of facial expressions.

More information: The Sandwich Thief releases March 1.
Advance Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Picture books for everyone

You Look Yummy! by Tatsuya Miyanishi

The illustration style of this book is highly stylized, some might say strange, but the content more than makes up for it. The beginning is phenomenal. The whimsical innocence of the child character is pretty funny. Young children will relate to his thought process; older ones will be as entertained by him as the adult reader. The ending is more melancholy, with the T-Rex letting go of his young charge. This may be confusing or unsettling for some young ones but a little reassurance from their adults will quickly allay any fears. Also, adult readers beware: be prepared to attempt pronunciation of (and probably have your pronuciation corrected by young dinosaur enthusiasts) Chilantaisaurus.

Non-fiction book review - Ballpark Eats

Ballpark Eats by Katrina Jorgensen

I like that this book has a wide range of information: facts about the parks, the foods, and baseball in general. I found the assortment of recipes a little odd. Some are fully from scratch (pickles, poutine, steak sandwiches) while others were combinations of convenience foods easily assembled by kids with little assistance (sweet sushi, Boston cream pies). Like most kids' cookbooks, it's hard to imagine the average reader cooking much if anything from this book. But, the appeal factor is high and the facts make this a book that can be perused and explored often.

Book review - The Trolls Will Feast

Title: The Creeps #2: The Trolls Will Feast
Author: Chris Schweizer
Genre: humor/horror/graphic novel
Similar books: Camp Midnight by Steven T. Seagle
                     Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson
Rating:

a fun adventure

Summary (provided by publisher): In Pumpkins County, monster attacks are a common enough occurrence, but when Jarvis is attacked by an invisible monster, the Creeps know they've found their next case. Through Mitchell's extensive monster expertise, the gang identifies the culprit: a Troll. Unfortunately, Trolls travel in packs. They hibernate together, and they feast on humans together. The tastiest type of human? Those who have been marinating in their own stress hormones. And there's an awful lot of stress to go around these days, what with the town's gossip site spewing out nonstop misinformation and alarmist messages. Could the Trolls be behind the county-wide breakdown in communication? With the town's anxiety levels soaring off the charts, it's up to the Creeps to find out—before the Trolls' big feast.
This hilarious graphic-novel series celebrates the power of underdogs and the importance of finding your tribe—even if your tribe is weird and just, well . . . creepy.

My opinion: When I read the first Creeps book last year, I was somewhat underwhelmed. While it was entertaining, it didn't blow me away as I had expected from a Chris Schweizer book. This book is much stronger. While still odd, it is more endearing. Perhaps that's because we are expecting something strange or because we are familiar with the characters so there is less emphasis on introduction. Either way, we have a quirky humorous horror plot with subtle messages about social media, bullying, and societal stress. There's certainly no sophomore slump here. If Schweizer continues on this arc, each successive book in the series should reach an increasing level of awesome.

More information: The Trolls Will Feast releases March 8.
Advance Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

A few pages from my sketchbook

While I have a few crafts in progress, I've not finished anything since Christmas. Since I can't bring myself to post pictures of Christmas ornaments right now, I thought I'd share some sketchbook pages. Most of the contents are just doodles, though a few hold promise for future projects that just might make their way onto this blog at some point. For now, this is a small part of what my creative process looks like.

 

Book review - Behind the Canvas

Title: Behind the Canvas
Author: Diane Zahler
Genre: Adventure/fantasy
Similar books: The Goblin's Puzzle by Andrew S. Chilton
                     Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
Rating:

surprisingly intellectual

Summary (provided by publisher): There is a world behind the canvas. Past the flat façade and the crackling paint is a realm where art lives, breathes, creates, and destroys.
Claudia Miravista loves art but only sees what is on the surface-until the Dutch boy Pim appears in the painting in her room. Pim has been trapped in the world behind the canvas for centuries by a power-hungry witch, and he now believes that Claudia is his only hope for escape. Fueled by the help of an ancient artist and some microwaveable magic, Claudia enters the wondrous and terrifying world behind the canvas, intent on destroying the witch's most cherished possession and setting her new friend free. But in that world nothing is quite as it appears on the surface. Not even friendship.

My opinion: This is a pretty solid adventure story with loads of art history facts, both incorporated directly into the text and added as footnotes. I like that the footnotes are both informative and entertaining, with a solid dose of humor. Readable and conversational instead of dry. I felt like the writing was a little bulky, perhaps overly descriptive at times. I was able to skim some passages without feeling like I was missing anything important (similar to when I read Chasing Vermeer). Not something you're going to read casually but for an middle grader who enjoys an intellectually challenging read this is a solid choice.

More information: Behind the Canvas releases February 23.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Books on screen

The Tale of Despereaux

I know that The Tale of Despereaux was an award winner and is beloved by thousands. It wasn't my favorite though. So I didn't have very high hopes going into the movie. Again, not a bad movie though it's not my cup of tea. More importantly, it's not the best representation of the book. Firstly, Despereaux is a very different character type on screen: brave and adventurous rather than the fearful shy mouse in the book. Another important characterization change is that of the antagonist, Roscuro. In the book, he is twisted by circumstance, conspiring to destroy the lives of royalty to suit his dark ideas. In the movie, he is more of an anti-hero, a wandering rat who causes accidental harm and seeks revenge on those who judge him unfairly. When you look at these changes along with a number of other, smaller changes, you can see that this all comes down to a difference of intent for the two mediums. The book is focused on characters overcoming their nature for the good of others, finding bravery when one is fearful, looking past the prejudice we are taught, and so on. The movie, on the other hand, looks at how others judge us and we must use our actions to help them see through their prejudices. In all, the book is stronger as it gives motivations and history to secondary and tertiary characters.