Non-fiction book review - Like a Bird

Like a Bird: The Art of the American Slave Song by Cynthia Grady

This short book is an ideal example of interdisciplinary or integrated education. Grady brings together art, music, history, religion, and visual interpretation and critical thinking skills in just 40 pages. For each song example in the book, Grady provides a brief history and description of how the artist has portrayed the concept. Then she asks the reader to evaluate both the lyrics and the painting, to judge the representation of the song, to find symbols, to interpret the emotions. Just an introduction to the subject, this would be a great choice for homeschoolers or a small classroom setting.

Like a Bird releases September 1.
Advanced reader copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - Click Here to Start

Title: Click Here to Start
Author: Denis Markell
Genre: adventure
Similar books: The Lost Cipher by Michael Oechsle
                     Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Rating:

some nice elements at play here

Summary(provided by publisher): Young fans of Ernie Cline's Ready Player One will love this classic video game inspired mystery filled with elements of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
What if playing video games was prepping you to solve an incredible real-world puzzle and locate a priceless treasure?
Twelve-year-old Ted Gerson has spent most of his summer playing video games. So when his great-uncle dies and bequeaths him the all so-called treasure in his overstuffed junk shop of an apartment, Ted explores it like it's another level to beat. And to his shock, he finds that eccentric Great-Uncle Ted actually has set the place up like a real-life escape-the-room game!
Using his specially honed skills, Ted sets off to win the greatest game he's ever played, with help from his friends Caleb and Isabel. Together they discover that Uncle Ted's “treasure” might be exactly that—real gold and jewels found by a Japanese American unit that served in World War II. With each puzzle Ted and his friends solve, they get closer to unraveling the mystery—but someone dangerous is hot on their heels, and he's not about to let them get away with the fortune.

My opinion: This novel is a great variation on a standard puzzle novel. It incorporates video games, history, literature, and science. The gaming elements are necessary for the plot to be believable. Otherwise, these kids finding obscure clues in strange places would have been a real stretch. The plot already had believably issues. It is a very elaborate puzzle requiring a lot of set up in a number of places, nearly impossible for and elderly and ailing man to accomplish. And for all of these complex clues in place for who knows how long, to go undisturbed, even one in a hospital room. There were a number of questions that remained unanswered at the end of the novel, including the questions I found most compelling. So, it's not a perfect novel. I found it a bit frustrating at times. But if you're a fan of puzzles and books that celebrate different kinds of intelligence this is a good choice.
Advanced reader copy provided by NetGalley.

The wonders of duct tape

Today's craft is something I made about a decade ago. I got a mandolin as a gift and wanted a case to keep it in. It turns out my mandolin is a slightly off-standard shape and having a case custom made would have been prohibitively expensive. So, I decided to make my own case out of corrugated cardboard, an old egg-crate mattress pad, hot glue, fleece, and duct tape. I've been using that same case ever since. Ten years and I'm only just now needing to add new tape.

 

Book review - DC Super Hero Girls: Finals Crisis

Title: Finals Crisis
Author: Shea Fontana
Genre: graphic novel
Similar books: Princeless by Jeremy Whitley
                     The Gumazing Gum Girl! Chews Your Destiny by Rhode Montijo
Rating:

A nice, simple superhero story

Summary(provided by publisher): Class is in session! Welcome to DC Super Hero High!
It was the night before finals and the student body is hard at work... and nothing is going right! Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Harley Quinn, Batgirl and their friends are learning to become heroes, but no one knew the trials that awaited them. In the first original graphic novel from the DC Super Hero Girls line, meet the students of Superhero High School as they find out that fun, friendship and hard work are all parts of growing up!
The DC Super Hero Girls is an exciting new universe of Super Heroic storytelling that helps build character and confidence, and empowers girls to discover their true potential. Developed for girls aged 6-12, DC Super Hero Girls features DC Comics' most powerful and diverse line-up of female characters as relatable teens, playing out across multiple entertainment content platforms and product categories to create an immersive world. Icons including Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Bumble Bee, Poison Ivy, Katana and many more make their unprecedented teenaged introduction, as each character has her own storyline that explores what teen life is like as a Super Hero.

My opinion: I'm impressed. While recognizability of characters is clearly important in this book, it doesn't rely on it entirely. Each character gets at least a little bit of characterization, some insecurity r flaw that must be addressed by the plot. And each little plot ties up together in the larger plot. I will say that I found the ending a little disappointing. A) The culprit was pretty obvious from early on if you are at all familiar with superheroes. B) His motivations is revealed entirely via exposition in the final scenes. Some hint earlier on would have been nice. A nice choice for elementary readers though.

Advanced reader copy provided by NetGalley.

Books on screen

Goosebumps

When I first heard there was a Goosebumps movie in the works, I wondered how it would work. There were so many Goosebumps books, how could they possibly pick one to adapt. No matter which one they selected some fan would be upset to have his/her favorite monster excluded. The solution really is ingenious. The movie features all of the monsters, all of the books. The plot of the movie, then, becomes a Goosebumps book itself. Just as the books were the perfect introduction to the horror fiction genre for kids, the movie is like a horror film with training wheels. It has the standard jump scares and romantic elements but with enough humor and lack of violence to be acceptable for preteens. It does suffer from some logical failings and a notable amount of overacting, so it may not hold up to multiple viewings but that was often true of the books as well.

Book review - Towers Falling

Title: Towers Falling
Author: Jewell Parker Rhodes
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Nine, Ten: a September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin
                     Hold Fast by Blue Balliett
Rating:

lovely complex story

Summary(provided by publisher): When her fifth-grade teacher hints that a series of lessons about home and community will culminate with one big answer about two tall towers once visible outside their classroom window, Deja can't help but feel confused. She sets off on a journey of discovery, with new friends Ben and Sabeen by her side. But just as she gets closer to answering big questions about who she is, what America means,
and how communities can grow (and heal), she uncovers new questions, too. Like, why does Pop get so angry when she brings up anything about the towers?
Award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes tells a powerful story about young people who weren't alive to witness this defining moment in history, but begin to realize how much it colors their every day.

My opinion: Just last week I praised Nora Raleigh Baskin for telling a September 11 story that personalized the tragedy without a great deal of up close emotion. Rhodes' approach is the exact opposite. While the setting is fully modern, we see the ongoing emotional effect of September 11 on a few kids. Struggles continue for a survivor and for a middle-eastern family. This is more than a September 11 story though. It's a story about homelessness, depression, and divided families. Its about finding a place to belong when you're full of anger and fatigue and confusion. It's a beautiful, tough story that resolves with hope rather than with solutions. If you can only choose one book to bring the September 11 tragedy home to middle grader readers, this may well be that book.

Advanced reader copy provided by NetGalley.

Ceramic vegetables beware

This spring our local Dollar Tree store had some small ceramic animals to paint. Not unexpectedly, the selection included rabbits, ducks, and the like. I bought a couple, put them on the table in my craft room, and promptly forgot about them. I remembered them recently when I was looking for a plastic rabbit to repaint as Bunnicula from the James Howe series. I don't think this is exactly what the designers had in mind when they made these kits but then the kit included red, yellow, and blue paint, so who knows what they were thinking.