Book review - Chaotic Good

Title: Chaotic Good
Author: Whitney Gardner
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
                      All the Feels by Danika Stone
Rating:

nerdy fun

Summary (provided by publisher): Cosplay, comic shops, and college applications collide in this illustrated novel, perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and Noelle Steveson!
Cameron's cosplay creations are finally starting to earn her attention--attention she hopes to use to get into the CalArts costume design department for college. But after she wins a major competition, she inadvertently sets off a firestorm of angry comments from male fans online.
When Cameron's family moves the summer before her senior year, she hopes to complete her costume portfolio in peace and quiet away from the abuse.
Unfortunately, the only comic shop in town--her main destination for character reference--is staffed by a dudebro owner who challenges every woman who comes into the shop.
At her twin brother's suggestion, Cameron borrows a set of his clothes and uses her costuming expertise to waltz into the shop as Boy Cameron, where she's shocked at how easily she's accepted into the nerd inner sanctum. Soon, Cameron finds herself drafted into a D&D campaign alongside the jerky shop-owner Brody, friendly (almost flirtatiously so) clerk Wyatt, handsome Lincoln, and her brother Cooper, dragged along for good measure.
But as her "secret identity" gets more and more entrenched, Cameron's portfolio falls by the wayside--and her feelings for Lincoln threaten to make a complicated situation even more precarious in this geek girl anthem from You're Welcome, Universe author Whitney Gardner, complete with fully illustrated comic pages inked by Gardner herself.

My opinion: With nerd culture finally legitimized, it's time to take things a step further. Its time to take a harder look at the culture, to point out it's flaws. Nerds can be very harsh, especially to those perceived as posers and noobs. Anyone who doesn't like the thing we like the way we like it is inherently wrong. And many nerds are especially hard on girls. And Gardner takes us deep into the dark side of the nerd world, pointing out cruelty in abundance. We see sexism, cyber-bullying, and doxing. She also uses D&D as a metaphor for character's fears and failings. The lot is overly predictable. It wraps up neatly. Normally that level of predictability would be annoying but in this case its acceptable because the characters are so likeable. Not terribly complex but certainly likeable.

More information: Chaotic Good releases March 13.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Picture books for everyone

I Got a Chicken for My Birthday by Laura Gehl

It's a fairly universal experience, disappointment in a gift that we've been given. And the intent of the plot is clear: gratitude and looking past disappointment to see possibilities. It points us to that occasion when the gift we didn't want turns out to be a wonderful thing. It just does it in a fantastical way. It's silly fun with heart behind it. Little kids will enjoy the sillyness. Older kids could use it as a starting point for a creative project. What could their own chicken do?

More information: I Got a Chicken for my Birthday releases March 1.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Non-fiction Book review - Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace by Isabel Sanchez Vegara

Lovelace is a figure I wish that I knew more about. Seriously, friends, this lady is the mother of Binary code! She's basically the reason we have computers. And yet when we teach Women's history we teach Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Clara Barton. That's about it. Kids need more female STEM heroes, which is where books like this one come into play. This is a very basic book. We are given only the simplest information. Vegara doesn't even use the term binary. Use this book to introduce the topic, to pique a child's interest.

More information: Ada Lovelace releases March 1.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Custom llama

In my family, we are fond of giving craft kits as gifts. And I have a well known fondness for llamas. So, it should come as no surprise that my Christmas gifts this year included this kit.

The kit included a sheet of felt, three colors of paint, pom poms, and some floss. To get the look that I wanted, I needed to add a little paint of my own. She's a pretty sweet creature.

Book review - You Can't Just Kiss Anyone You Want

Title: You Can't Just Kiss Anyone You Want
Author: Marzena Sowa
Genre: historical fiction/graphic novel
Similar books: The Silence of Our Friends by Mark Long
                      The Other Side of the Wall by Simon Schwartz
Rating:

Contemplative

Summary (provided by publisher): A little boy tries to kiss a little girl. No big deal. The little girl gets away and sends the little boy packing. Nothing more than an anecdote amongst many others of any normal childhood. But if this event takes place at school in a Socialist republic, half way through a propaganda movie, years before the wall is even showing the slightest sign of giving out... Well, it's asking for trouble. This is the story of two children in a society in which paranoia and obsessive control mean that even the most innocent gesture can be blown completely out of proportion.

My opinion: There are plenty of stories about life in Socialist countries and I applaud them all, especially those like this one. We need to see the dangers of totalitarian government, where your every actions is watched and questioned. Where people simply disappear and everyone just accepts it as normal. Even more than the starkness of the life we need the reminder of small rebellions. They can control what you say and do but never what you think. That's the focus of this book. Not revolution but making it through your every day life. It's a contemplative plot supported by clean lines and soft colors, remincent of the innocence of children's fiction in the 50s.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Non-fiction book review - Bees, Bugs and Butterflies

Bees, Bugs & Butterflies by Ben Raskin

It's rather clever, centering you exploration of the insect world on a practical theme like your garden. This allows Raskin to not only explore features of the various insects but the ways that they work together and affect one another. We come to appreciate all species of insect, even those we might otherwise find distasteful. There are also activities that educate about and benefit these garden insects.

More information: Bees, Bugs, and Butterflies releases March 13.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - The Beauty That Remains

Title: The Beauty That Remains
Author: Ashley Woodfolk
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
                      Between Two Skies by Joanne O'Sullivan
Rating:

impressive and engrossing

Summary (provided by publisher): We've lost everything...and found ourselves.
Music brought Autumn, Shay, and Logan together. Death might pull them apart.
Autumn always knew exactly who she was: a talented artist and a loyal friend. Shay was defined by two things: her bond with her twin sister, Sasha, and her love of music. And Logan has always turned to writing love songs when his real love life was a little less than perfect.
But when tragedy strikes each of them, somehow music is no longer enough. Now Logan is a guy who can't stop watching vlogs of his dead ex-boyfriend. Shay is a music blogger who's struggling to keep it together. And Autumn sends messages that she knows can never be answered.
Despite the odds, one band's music will reunite them and prove that after grief, beauty thrives in the people left behind.

My opinion: It's ambitious to tie together plots of characters grieving three entirely unrelated deaths, but Woodfolk pulls it off. We are presented with three distinct events. They're linked by connections to a band rather than any links in the deaths. The characters grieve in a variety of ways but they are all struggling. They fail to relate to their families and peers. Their grief threatens to destroy their lives. They're absolutely deconstructing. Their grief is hard to watch but compelling nonetheless.

More Information: The Beauty That Remains releases March 6.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.