You can tell what I've been (re)reading

I had kind of a busy weekend so there wasn't a lot of extra time for crafting. I did manage to decorate an Altoid tin with a quote from A Wrinkle In Time. Not sure what I'll be storing in this little tin, but I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

 

Book review - Pay Attention, Carter Jones

Title: Pay Attention, Carter Jones
Author: Gary D. Schmidt
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Sidetracked by Diana Harmon Asher
                      The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang
Rating:

simply lovely

Summary (provided by publisher): Carter Jones is astonished early one morning when he finds a real English butler, bowler hat and all, on the doorstep—one who stays to help the Jones family, which is a little bit broken.
In addition to figuring out middle school, Carter has to adjust to the unwelcome presence of this new know-it-all adult in his life and navigate the butler's notions of decorum. And ultimately, when his burden of grief and anger from the past can no longer be ignored, Carter learns that a burden becomes lighter when it is shared.

My opinion: Gary D. Schmidt's books break my heart in the best possible way. The plot here is a simple one, without a lot of complication. A good portion of it's beauty is in that simplicity. A fair amount of the text is actually dedicated to the playing of cricket and the use of technical terms. But all of that build up pays off in the central metaphor: finding your way to growing up. If there would otherwise be any ambiguity for the reader that is cleared up with the repeated refrain "remember who you are" which we can of course understand to me "remember the kind of person you want to be." If the characters weren't so well presented that sort of obvious lesson would be a blunt instrument but the charm of the writing covers that.
As a bonus, fans of Schmidt's prior books will recognize many teachers and neighbors as previous central characters (an occurrence that never failed to make me smile).
 
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

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