Non-fiction book review - Last of the Giants

Last of the Giants by Jeff Campbell

An absolutely fascinating read. Campbell explains the science of extinction and population development as well as the affects of human society on animal populations. Threats, preservation efforts, historical context, it's all here wrapped up in a  personable and engaging narrative. The subject and language are somewhat complex at times so this book won't appeal to everyone. A little bit of reading diligence pays off though with this book.

Book review - The Wooden Prince

Title: Out of Abaton: The Wooden Prince
Author: John Claude Bemis
Genre: fantasy/retelling
Similar books: The Peddler's Road by Matthew Cody
                     Stravaganza by Mary Hoffman
Rating:

Interesting but not my favorite

Summary (provided by publisher): The automa Pinocchio has always been duty-bound to serve in the floating palace of Venice's emperor. So when Pinocchio finds himself locked in a trunk and delivered to a new master-a wanted criminal and alchemist named Geppetto-he is curious about everything around him. But most curious is the way Pinocchio seems to be changing from a wooden servant into a living, human boy. Before Geppetto and Pinocchio can uncover the mystery surrounding the automa's transformation, Pinocchio is stolen away. Determined to find Geppetto again, Pinocchio begins a harrowing journey across the Empire, where danger in the form of half-beast outlaws and winged airmen abounds for a lost automa.
Meanwhile, Princess Lazuli, the daughter of the ruler of a magical kingdom called Abaton, is also on a quest through the emperor's territory. Her father, Prester John, has been captured by the Venetian Empire, and Lazuli is desperate to rescue him. With the emperor's airmen closing in fast, Lazuli learns the only hope for saving her father-and her beloved home-lies in Pinocchio and Geppetto. In a masterful reimagining of Pinocchio, John Claude Bemis weaves an enchanting, thrilling adventure for middle-grade readers in the first installment in the Out of Abaton duology.

My Opinion: This is an intriguing twist on the Pinocchio story. If one is familiar with the original book rather than the Disney movie, one will recognize many of the individual elements in this book. Not ho  they are put together, though. Not their purposes or motivations. Mostly just the characters and general locations. Pinocchio does end up a part of a puppet show,  though even this serves an entirely different purpose in this novel. Even Pinocchio has different motivations. In the original story Pinocchio is learning what it  means to be real, to be human. Both good and bad. He learns selfishness, pleasure, and self-sacrifice. This is the point of the original book. Bemis' Pinocchio is naturally virtuous. He always makes the right choice, or at least the wrong choice for the right reason. 
Out of Abaton features a fascinatingly complex world but a less pleasing plot. Not a book for the casual reader.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Magnets

At our fall craft fair, we had several requests for magnets. So, in getting ready for the spring fair it only seemed natural to include some magnets. We only had a few weeks to get ready so here are the designs I came up with. In future I might expand this to a larger variety.

 

Book review - The Girl in the Well is Me

Title: The Girl in the Well is Me
Author: Karen Rivers
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: How to Fly with Broken Wings by Jane Elson
                     Into the Forest by Louis Nowra
Rating:

interesting, but gives me pause

Summary(provided by publisher): Newcomer Kammie Summers has fallen into a well during a (fake) initiation into a club whose members have no intention of letting her join. Now Kammie's trapped in the dark, growing increasingly claustrophobic, and waiting to be rescued—or possibly not.
As hours pass, the reality of Kammie's predicament mixes with her memories of the highlights and lowlights of her life so far, including the reasons her family moved to this new town in the first place. And as she begins to run out of oxygen, Kammie starts to imagine she has company, including a French-speaking coyote and goats that just might be zombies.

My opinion: This is not the first book I've read with a surrealist, disjointed narration. Those other books, though, are written with a teen audience in mind. This book is clearly meant for a younger middle grade audience, an age where you're only just starting to analyze books, interpret symbolism, explore more complex cause and effect. Half of the plot of this book borders on hallucination, al a 128 Hours but with a kid. That's a seriously hard sell. The intent is good, with Kammie examining what led her to this place and what choices she could make differently in the future. In execution it is ambitious but impractical.

Advance Reader Copy provided by  NetGalley.

Picture books for everyone

Never Insult a Killer Zucchini by Elana Azose and Brandon Amancio

This book reads like a hybrid of an alphabet book and a graphic novel. Each entry is well supported by a humorous illustration. It could just be viewed as an odd alphabet novelty were it not for the glossary. The final pages briefly explain the real science behind each project that the protagonist and his zucchini encounter at the science fair. Older kids and parents will get a chuckle out of this book and younger kids will be entertained by the illustrations. A great choice for a family of science geeks.

Book review - Holding Court

Title: Holding Court
Author: K.C. Held
Genre: mystery
Similar books: Sight by Juliet Madison
                     17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma
Rating:

Good, not great

Summary (provided by publisher): Sixteen-year-old Jules Verity knows exactly what's in store at her new job at castle-turned-dinner-theater Tudor Times. Some extra cash, wearing a fancy-pants dress, and plenty of time to secretly drool over the ever-so-tasty-and completely unavailable-Grayson Chandler. Except that it's not quite what she imagined.
For one, the costume Jules has to wear is awful. Then there's the dead body she finds that just kind of...well, disappears. Oh, and there's the small issue of Jules and her episodes of what her best friend calls "Psychic Tourette's Syndrome"-spontaneous and uncontrollable outbursts of seemingly absurd prophecies.
The only bright side? This whole dead body thing seems to have gotten Grayson's attention. Except that the more Jules investigates, the more she discovers that Grayson's interest might not be as courtly as she thought. In fact, it's starting to look suspicious...

My opinion: There are two elements to this book I really enjoy: Jules' job and her psychic manifestations. That twist on the medieval times/historical reenactment job is pretty entertaining. Clever. And I love the psychic blurt thing. Like a Greek seer, unable to control her gift. I'm a fan of double edged abilities in books like this. Now the book does suffer from some believably issues and is not particularly complex. Still, the mystery is solid if not mind blowing. An entertaining read, just not something that would hold up to multiple reads.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

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