Book review - The Serpent King

Title: The Serpent King
Author: Jeff Zentner
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre
                     Some Kind of Normal by Juliana Stone
Rating:

good luck keeping your emotions in check

Summary (provided by publisher): Dill has had to wrestle with vipers his whole life—at home, as the only son of a Pentecostal minister who urges him to handle poisonous rattlesnakes, and at school, where he faces down bullies who target him for his father's extreme faith and very public fall from grace.
He and his fellow outcast friends must try to make it through their senior year of high school without letting the small-town culture destroy their creative spirits and sense of self. Graduation will lead to new beginnings for Lydia, whose edgy fashion blog is her ticket out of their rural Tennessee town. And Travis is content where he is thanks to his obsession with an epic book series and the fangirl turning his reality into real-life fantasy.
Their diverging paths could mean the end of their friendship. But not before Dill confronts his dark legacy to attempt to find a way into the light of a future worth living.

My opinion: Fantastic. A vivid depiction of teens on the verge of a major life change. These kids are your quintessential outsiders, too odd to fit in with their peers in small-town America. I was prepared to be annoyed with this book. Intentional outsiders can get a little too much play in novels. They tend to be overly strong and defiant. While Lydia fits this description, Travis is more oblivious and Dil is incredibly damaged. Their personality traits become more intense as the novel progresses, almost as if they are desperately trying to hold on to themselves with the prospect of major life change looming. The writing itself is elegant, artistic. Zentner consistently chooses the best possible words, an archaic and artistic vocabulary. Now, this writing style can border on self-importance and arrogance, but the sentences are so well put together that I'm inclined to forgive a handful of unnecessary SAT words. And be prepared. The last quarter of this book nearly had me in tears. Like, full-on sobbing. This is a book from which it can be difficult to disentangle yourself.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Books on screen

The Smurfs and the Magic Flute

The original Smurfs books, and especially this first story, are surprisingly different from the cartoon of the 80's. In fact, the Smurfs are secondary characters in this story which focuses on Johan and Peewit (renamed John and William in the British dub of the film). For the most part, the film follows the plot of the book fairly closely. A few scenes are combined or altered to improve the flow of the movie and a couple of songs are added (probably to pad the movie length a little). These songs serve little purpose in terms of the plot and one of them (about the Smurfs' personalities) was so irritating I could barely stand to listen to it. The humor and story-telling style are more reflective of the comics than of the cartoon. Strictly speaking, this movie is strong representation of the original book. As a movie, it's not exactly the most entertaining though. If you're a real Smurf fan, give this one a watch. Everyone else could probably skip it.

Book review - Tru and Nelle

Title: Tru & Nelle
Author: G. Neri
Genre: historical fiction
Similar books: Young Houdini by Simon Nicholson
                     My Near Death Adventures(99% True) by Alison DeCamp
Rating:

charming, but audience specific

Summary (provided by publisher): Long before they became famous writers, Truman Capote (In Cold Blood) and Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird) were childhood friends in Monroeville, Alabama. This fictionalized account of their time together opens at the beginning of the Great Depression, when Tru is seven and Nelle is six. They love playing pirates, but they like playing Sherlock and Watson-style detectives the most. It's their pursuit of a case of drugstore theft that lands the daring duo in real trouble. Humor and heartache intermingle in this lively look at two budding writers in the 1930s South. 

My opinion: For a reader familiar with Capote and Lee, the events of this book are expected but too charming to become tiresome. I was entertained at every turn. The problem is, this book skews young. Content-wise, it's middle grade. The major characters, though, are early elementary. And 5-7th graders aren't likely to be familiar with either author. That's going to make this book a really tough sell, especially as there isn't enough depth to the secondary characters to up the appeal. Frankly, I expect the largest audience for this book to be adults looking for a quick read.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Wooden Spoon Puppets

I am a big fan of wooden spoon puppets. With a very simple shape you have a great deal of room to play with details. These are the designs I came up with for the craft fair. Given a short time frame, I wasn't able to put in as many details as I had hoped. I may be able to upgrade them in future.

Book review - Gorilla Tactics

Title: Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions: Gorilla Tactics
Author: Sheila Grau
Genre: fantasy
Similar books: Fairy Tale Reform School series by Jen Calonita
                     Goblins by Philip Reeve
Rating:

Excellent Read

Summary (provided by publisher): The second book in this hilarious, illustrated series cracks the imaginative world of minions wide open, and we meet the other schools and Evil Overlords that surround Dr. Critchlore's. Runt Higgins needs answers, fast. Someone cursed him to die on his sixteenth birthday, but no one seems to know who cursed him or why. Runt decides he must find the Great Library, where all true knowledge is hidden. Unfortunately, the only people who know the location of the Great Library are a covert network of librarian-spies who'd rather die than give up the Library's secrets. And when one of Runt's professors is attacked, it soon becomes clear that others are also out to find the Library at any cost. Meanwhile, Runt's not the only one whose days are numbered. To save the floundering school from an inevitable sale, Dr. Critchlore takes some desperate measures. His master plan to save the school: a fashion show.

My opinion: Sometimes the second book in a series flounders. That is certainly not the case here. This is a solid, entertaining read. There's a decent recap of the events in the last book, enough to serve as a reminder if it's been a while since you read it but not so much as to become an annoyance if it hasn't. This book focuses on it's own plot while also building on the larger series plot, that of Runt trying to identify his origins. Characters are solidly portrayed with a little development. The book is infused with enough humor to keep it from becoming overly bleak or melodramatic. While foreshadowing in this volume seems to be hinting at some developments that don't thrill me, as it stands now this is a series I'll continue to eagerly recommend.
Advance Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Graphic Novel Spotlight: Astronaut Academy

Astronaut Academy by Dave Roman

Initially, Astronaut Academy was the webcomic Astronaut Elementary. This is reflected in episodic style of the book. Connections between each episode are barely present at times, making this book easy to read in fits and starts. In fact, that's how I recommend reading it, each episode read and absorbed on it's own. Mull each over for a bit before moving on. Some are not very deep, more humorous than thought-provoking. We have scenes of dinosaur racing, school rivalries, the love of toys or snack foods. Then there are the hearts. Roman's portrayal of love, crushes, and heartbreak really sets this book apart. In the world of Astronaut Academy, when you love someone you literally give them one of your hearts. If they love you in return, they also give you heart, leaving each person with a complete collection of hearts. If many people love you, you may have an abundance of hearts and love. If your love is not returned, you are stretched thin, left slightly empty. And worst, if your heart is broken, it never fits right again. I've read those scenes repeatedly and it never fails to have impact. While certainly quirky, Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity and it's sequel Re-Entry remain some of my favorites are definitely worth a read.

Non-fiction book review - Helen Thayer's Arctic Adventure

Helen Thayer's Arctic Adventure by Sally Isaacs

This is a pretty cool story for kids. A great sense of adventure and danger but enough distance to keep it from being overly frightening.\. The level of detail is just about perfect for elementary age readers. The images weren't as polished as I might have liked but the subject appeal makes up for that somewhat. This wouldn't be the first non-fiction book I'd recommend, but given the right circumstances I could imagine directing a kid to it.