Note cards

I've been enjoying exploring drawing techniques with note cards. Here are a few cards I took to my last craft fair.

 

Non-fiction book review - The Race to Space

The Race to Space by Clive Gifford

With the anniversary of the moon landing this year, there is no shortage of new space program books for young readers. This particular effort is more than worth the time it takes to read. We start with the Cold War and it's influence on what would become the Space Race. We are presented with each achievement and failure, in chronological order, by both the American and Russian space missions. The reader can then see how each attempt by one team influenced future efforts by the other team. There is not much detail about each mission, of course. This is only a brief overview, but its still a compelling read and a great starting point for young readers with an interest in science and/or history. I can't wait to put this one in the hands of a couple of young readers I know.

Custom shoes

I'm not usually one who wears leopard print, but it's hard to turn down dress shoes when they cost a dollar.

The solution? Paint them. A little multi-surface acrylic paint does wonders. I added little pterosaurs for personality.

 

Graphic Novel Spotlight - Tamamo the Fox Maiden

Tamamo the Fox Maiden and other Asian Stories by Kel McDonald et al

We get explorations of European folk tales far more often than we do of eastern cultures. Probably because the religions and culture differ so much from what is familiar to an American audience. Demons, gods, and yokai, as presented in these stories are far different from the beings as we know them. There's less good and evil , more complexity and negative traits. Bad behavior rather than bad characters. These stories represent a wide variety of characters and styles, so there's something for everyone.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Wild and Crooked

Title: Wild and Crooked
Author: Lean Thomas
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Nick and June Were Here by Shalanda Stanley
                      More Than Good Enough by Crissa-Jean Chappell

As good as I'd hoped

Summary (provided by publisher): In Samsboro, Kentucky, Kalyn Spence's name is inseparable from the brutal murder her father committed when he was a teenager. Forced to return to town, Kalyn must attend school under a pseudonym . . . or face the lingering anger of Samsboro's citizens, who refuse to forget the crime.
Gus Peake has never had the luxury of redefining himself. A Samsboro native, he's either known as the "disabled kid" because of his cerebral palsy, or as the kid whose dad was murdered. Gus just wants to be known as himself.
When Gus meets Kalyn, her frankness is refreshing, and they form a deep friendship. Until their families' pasts emerge. And when the accepted version of the truth is questioned, Kalyn and Gus are caught in the center of a national uproar. Can they break free from a legacy of inherited lies and chart their own paths forward?

My opinion: There's a lot going on in this book. We have the obvious exploration of the roles we play in life - roles we find for ourselves and those others place upon us. Thomas has three different approaches in her characters. Kalyn despises the role thrust upon her and is determined to be her own person regardless of expectations. Gus is frustrated by his societal role but can't see a way out of it. His friend has fully embraced his role to the point that he's loathe to depart from it's guidelines. He see this role as a way to guide his behavior. Each character either finds ways his roles don't fit or failings in what society has laid out for them At the same time, they also come to realize the ways they have put others into boxes that perhaps don't fit them as neatly as originally supposed. Now the idea that people are more than one thing is certainly not new. And the central plot has some logical failings, some elements that are thin. But the characters are compelling and their interplay charming.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Peg dolls completed

I made enough historical women peg dolls to take to my craft fair over the weekend. I included a fact card with each peg. As a result I had long conversation with one customer about the role of Eleanor Roosevelt in the development of American politics. Totally worth it.

 

Book review - Princess Ninjas

Title: Princess Ninjas
Author: Dave Franchini
Genre: fantasy graphic novel
Similar books: Crystal Cadets by Anne Toole
                      Gillbert the Little Merman by Art Baltazar
Rating:

not what I'd hoped it would be

Summary (provided by publisher): When the kingdom is under attack who do we turn to? The king and his guards? A knight of myth and legend? Or the prophesized, chosen Princess Ninjas who battle evil and will save the day? I think we all know who!
Working together to protect their home, adopted sisters Bridget, Megan, and Elyce along with their sidekick Turtle-Bear, will find out that being a ninja isn't all about sticking to shadows, magic, and cool karate moves. Sometimes it's about honor, loyalty, and finding out what being a family truly means.

My opinion: I like the concept here, girls being able to be princesses and warriors at the same time. That liking something "girly" doesn't have to mean that you're soft and fragile and useless. It also makes the point that they're all princess warriors but still have different interests, that people are complex. The plot, though, is fairly contrived. We have the leaders of a country raising the orphaned children of warring factions in the name of peace, not to mention magic and a dark sorcerer lurking in swamps and dungeons out to take all of the magic for himself. Add in stiff dialogue and indistinct character voices and it simply isn't a compelling read.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley