Title: Lemons
Author: Melissa Savage
Genre: historical/realistic fiction
Similar books: The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
Soar by Tracy Edward Wymer
Rating:
 |
| a solid read |
Summary (provided by publisher): Fans of Kate DiCamillo’s Flora & Ulysses and Katherine Applegate’s Crenshaw will fall in love with this charming adventure story about a girl learning to accept her new life, her quirky detective neighbor, and their epic search for Bigfoot.
Lemonade Liberty Witt’s mama always told her: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But Lem can’t possibly make lemonade out of her new life in Willow Creek, California—the Bigfoot Capital of the World—where she’s forced to live with a grandfather she’s never met after her mother passes away.
Then she meets eleven-year-old Tobin Sky, the CEO of Bigfoot Detectives Inc., who is the sole Bigfoot investigator for their small town. After he invites Lem to be his assistant for the summer, they set out on an epic adventure to capture a shot of the elusive beast on film. But along the way, Lem and Tobin end up discovering more than they ever could have imagined. And Lem realizes that maybe she can make lemonade out of her new life after all.
My opinion: In some ways, this is a standard fish out of water story. Lem wishes for her old life back even as she begins to adjust to the new. The cryptid aspect gives it some freshness. It's historical in setting, and needs to be for the sake of certain plot elements, but doesn't feel particularly historical. This has two very different effects on the book. on the one hand, it gives it an air of universality. We don't get stock on the history elements so it's easier for modern readers to relate. On the other hand, because we sometimes forget that this is set in the late 60s, those historical elements that do come through can be a bit jarring. Or we find ourselves wondering why the characters don't, say, Google a subject. This can leave the reader feeling slightly off kilter. Still, it takes itself seriously and thus doesn't belittle the thoughts, emotions, and experiences of the reader.
More information: Lemons releases May 2.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
There
are many levels of science fiction, from mostly realistic with some mild
sci-fi elements to tales entirely set in a fictional world. While my
personal tastes lean more towards the former, I try to read novels that
fit all over the spectrum. Luckily, there are some really good sci-fi
novels being written for young people these days. Here are six sci-fi
novels, from beginning readers to teen novels, written in the last six
months.
6 new sci-fi novels:
1. Nowhere Near You by Leah Thomas
2. The Time Museum by Matthew Loux
3. Star Scouts by Mike Lawrence
4. The Castoffs by M.K. Reed
5. How to Tame a Triceratops by Will Dare
6. Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
If there's one craft material most of us have in abundance, it's cardboard. I've got two quick(ish) projects here I threw together out of corrugated cardboard.
Desk organizer
This project came out of necessity. I have a mug on my desk at work that holds pencils, pens, scissors, etc. Then I started keeping some sugar packets and condiments in there as well, and it struck me as a potential problem. A pen dropped a little too hard on a packet of hot sauce could spell disaster. Not to mention contamination. A little bit of hot glue and duct tape turned this box into a handy second organizer for my desk.
Birdcage
I wanted to keep random action figures and figurines in a birdcage. But birdcages are surprisingly hard to come by. So I made my own.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
When The Bad Beginning first came out I was enamored. It wasn't the adventure or the mystery. It was the tone. A Series of Unfortunate events relied on a tongue-in-cheek, self-mocking, intentionally over-wrought tone. My brother and I devoured each volume. When the first movie was announced, I was thrilled. The dramatic, action oriented nature of the plot was well suited to film and the right cast could do justice to it's pseudo-serious nature. When they cast Jim Carrey in the role of Count Olaf, I figured it would perfection. The reality was ... less than perfect. In this case, I think it's a failure of the script, which combined several books and eliminated many of the best elements. It takes itself too seriously and cuts out most of the quirky narration. The cast does it's very best, of course, but there is little you can do to fix a poor script.
Fast forward a decade to the Netflix miniseries. After the disappointment of the film I wasn't thrilled by the announcement. Even when I found out Neal Patrick Harris was slated to play Count Olaf. This new effort is stronger. While the cast is a bit lackluster at times (particularly the children) it has the same charm of the original novels. Lemony Snicket himself is a more present character. There are new jokes that keep true to the sense of the source material. I don't know that it is as engaging as the book but is worth watching. I've only seen the first two episodes, those based on the first novel, so I can't speak to the series on the whole but it's a promising beginning.
Strange Medicine by Jon Farndon
Like many non-fiction books aimed at young readers, this is more a collection of trivia than any real informative text. It relies somewhat on the gross-out factor of folk remedies but Farndon takes pains not to be overly graphic. The text is gentle enough for an upper elementary reader. Use this one to what a child's scientific appetite.
Title: The Door in the Alley
Author: Adrienne Kress
Genre: adventure
Similar books: The Voyage to Magical North by Claire Fayers
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Rating:
 |
| delightfully silly |
Summary (provided by publisher): Featuring a mysterious society, a secretive past, and a pig in a teeny hat, The Explorers: The Door in the Alley is the first book in a new series for fans of The Name of This Book Is a Secret and The Mysterious Benedict Society. Knock once if you can find it—but only members are allowed inside.
This is one of those stories that start with a pig in a teeny hat. It’s not the one you’re thinking about. (This story is way better than that one.)
This pig-in-a-teeny-hat story starts when a very uninquisitive boy stumbles upon a very mysterious society. After that, there is danger and adventure; there are missing persons, hired thugs, a hidden box, a lost map, and famous explorers; and there is a girl looking for help that only uninquisitive boys can offer.
The Explorers: The Door in the Alley is the first book in a series that is sure to hit young readers right in the funny bone.
My opinion: A nice introductory novel. The scenario is easy enough to understand right from the start but clearly has complexity on the way. These complications are added organically. Characters are unique and imperfect. So while they may not be 100% relatable they are very likeable. The humor tends to be of the absurd variety, which won't work for everyone but I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact I'd say that those absurd moments were my favorite. It's not a must read, nail-biting adventure but is thoroughly enjoyable book with the potential to become even better with future volumes.
More information: The Door in the Alley releases April 25.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
It has become my habit every year to make a new skirt for Easter every year. Recently, I've taken to buying used skirts and modifying to better suit my style. This year I found a bright orange linen skirt at a thrift store. I liked the color but it was far too long to really suit my shape.
Once I cut several inches from the top, added an elastic waistband, and a ribbon embellishment I was all set for Easter Sunday.
