Graphic novel spotlight - Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff

Delilah Dirk is a charming adventure series featuring a dashing female adventurer and her hapless, somewhat unwilling, sidekick. Surprisingly, there is no central plot to this particular volume. There's no big villain they're fighting against, no large aim. They aren't aiming for revenge or treasure or power. They're just adventuring, righting the occasional wrong. The interest is in the interplay between Delilah and the titular Lieutenant, the differences between their personalities. And it's an absolute delight. The characters change each other. Delilah softens a little. The Lieutenant has his eyes opened to excitement and novelty. The overall feel is surprisingly gentle (in spite of a large number of swordings). The illustrations are fantastic, all about action and dynamic lines and expressive faces. 

 

Book review - Operation Frog Effect

Title: Operation Frog Effect
Author: Sarah Scheerger
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Frindle by Andrew Clements
                      The Reckless Club by Beth Vrabel
Rating:

Better than anticipated

Summary (provided by publisher): Hi--
It's us, Ms. Graham's class. We didn't mean to mess things up. But we did. We took things too far, and now Ms. Graham is in trouble--for something we did. We made a mistake. The question is, can we fix it? Ms. Graham taught us that we get to choose the kind of people we want to be and that a single act can create ripples. So get ready, world--we're about to make some ripples.
Sincerely,
Kayley, Kai, Henry, Aviva, Cecilia, Blake, Sharon, Emily (and Kermit, class frog)
Everyone makes mistakes. But what happens when your mistake hurts someone else? Told in eight perspectives--including one in graphic novel form, Operation Frog Effect celebrates standing up and standing together, and tells the unforgettable story of how eight very different kids take responsibility for their actions and unite for a cause they all believe in.

My opinion: This books has a couple of notable strengths. First, the perspective range is limited. While that does mean that the remainder of the class basically disappears from the narrative, it allows the 8 perspective students to develop into complex characters with unique voices. Secondly, there are consequences to their actions. Yes, they are able to make things right for the most part but some things can't be fixed just because they're sorry. Just as there are troubles too big for them to tackle head on. I liked that message, that when you see a problem in the world you start by finding some small way you can help out. Maybe you can't change the whole world but you can make one thing better for a couple of people and that's a start. Now, there are some believably issues but that's not uncommon in middle grade books.

More information: Operation Frog Effect releases February 26
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Lion Dancer

I've got some bigger projects in the works. So for now, here's a doodle I made this week in honor of Chinese New Year. My favorite element of New Year parades: Lion dancers.

Book review - How I Became A Spy

Title: How I Became A Spy
Author: Deborah Hopkinson
Genre: historical fiction
Similar books: Listen to the Moon by Michael Morpurgo
                      The Romeo and Juliet Code by Phoebe Stone
Rating:

less than I wanted it to be

Summary (provided by publisher): Bertie Bradshaw never set out to become a spy. He never imagined traipsing around war-torn London, solving ciphers, practicing surveillance, and searching for a traitor to the Allied forces. He certainly never expected that a strong-willed American girl named Eleanor would play Watson to his Holmes (or Holmes to his Watson, depending on who you ask).
But when a young woman goes missing, leaving behind a coded notebook, Bertie is determined to solve the mystery. With the help of Eleanor and his friend David, a Jewish refugee--and, of course, his trusty pup, Little Roo--Bertie must decipher the notebook in time to stop a double agent from spilling the biggest secret of all to the Nazis.

My opinion: At face value, the plot for this book is interesting. Espionage is, by it's very nature, intriguing. And Hopkinson is playing with some interesting ideas. I like d the inclusion of instruction in codes and ciphers. We do get some subtle social lessons: guilt, gender bias, racism. These are fairly simple explorations. I found the actual writing stiff and unrelatable. And the plot is built on a shaky premise that is not sufficiently explained. It doesn't live up to promise.

More information: How I Became a Spy releases February 12.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley..

Pick 6: animals

I'm often intrigued by the approach an author takes to a plot. This is especially true when they make the main characters animals. You can do things with animal characters that would seem implausible with humans. Simply by virtue of being animals, they encourage us to expand our suspension of disbelief. Not to mention they're usually cute and fun. Here are six new books published in the past six months that feature animal characters.

6 new animal stories

1. Freya & Zoose by Emily Butler
2. Kitten Construction Company: Meet the House Kittens by John Green
3. Snazzy Cat Capers by Deanna Kent
4. Tiger Vs Nightmare by Emily Tetri
5. Narwhal's Otter Friend by Ben Clanton
6. Escape from the Palace by Santa Montefiore

Book review - Pretty in Punxsutawney

Title: Pretty in Punxsutawney
Author: Laurie Boyle Crompton
Genre: romance
Similar books: 29 Dates by Melissa de la Cruz
                      Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson
Rating:

nice enough

Summary (provided by publisher): A Groundhog Day meets Pretty in Pink mashup that tells the tale of a shy, introverted high school girl who must relive the first day of school over and over again until her first kiss can break the curse … she hopes.
Andie is the type of girl who always comes up with the perfect thing to say … after it’s too late to say it. She’s addicted to romance movies—okay, all movies—but has yet to experience her first kiss. After a move to Punxsutawney, PA, for her senior year, she gets caught in an endless loop of her first day at her new school, reliving those 24 hours again and again.
Convinced the curse will be broken when she meets her true love, Andie embarks on a mission: infiltrating the various cliques—from the jocks to the nerds to the misfits—to find the one boy who can break the spell. What she discovers along the way is that people who seem completely different can often share the very same hopes, dreams, and hang-ups. And that even a day that has been lived over and over can be filled with unexpected connections and plenty of happy endings.

My opinion: I wasn't sure the plot of this book would really land for me, given that I haven't seen either of the influencing movies. As it turns out, they are so culturally ubiquitous that I could guess much of the plot regardless. There were details referenced with which I was unfamiliar, but major plot points were fine. In some ways, the plot is the epitome of a shallow teen rom-com. While the parallels are intentional, it never transcends the genre standards. Andi meets a cute guy who's a bad match for her, explores friend groups, realizes there is more to others than the surface, etc. And while it's admirable to have your protagonist realize that her snap judgements are ignorant, it's a very shallow lesson. The romance is flat and expected, most of the characters without much nuance. It's entertaining, to be certain, but doesn't have much depth backing it. A light read.
Advanced Reader copy provided by NetGalley

The Great Owl Repaint Project part 6

This owl was almost separate from my big project. Mostly the original design was so quirky. The shape is truly odd and there are these funny star shapes around the eyes. It makes the original glaze that much more disappointing. They really could have gone wild on the design and I considered it myself. 
 

It looks so much like a cat

In the end, though, he really wanted to be part of the owl family. The new design is inspired by the Malay Eagle Owl. He's been dubbed Crazy Uncle Seawolf.

Check out the rest of the family:  Evangeline, Leif, Clara, Beatrice, and Rowan .