Non-fiction book review - The Vegetarian Cookbook

The Vegetarian Cookbook

In my opinion, too many people dismiss cookbooks aimed at children. The good ones, like this book, are just as focused on "real" foods as books aimed at adults. These recipes require peeling, slicing, and actual cooking. These recipes are good if you're just getting started cooking. They don't assume you know how to do anything. Each step is carefully explained. There's a nice glossary of cooking terms and a solid section on kitchen safety and basics. If you've always thought that going vegetarian would be too much work, involve too much fuss, this is the book that will prove you wrong.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - Keystone

Title: Keystone
Author: Katie Delaharty
Genre: dystopia
Similar books: The Future Will Be BS-Free by Will McIntosh
                      The Hive by Barry Lyga
Rating:

a return to what we liked about dystopian fiction

Summary (provided by publisher): When Ella Karman debuts on the Social Stock Exchange, she finds out life as a high-profile "Influencer" isn't what she expected. Everyone around her is consumed by their rankings, in creating the smoke and mirrors that make them the envy of the world.
But then Ella’s best friend betrays her, her rankings tank, and she loses—everything.
Leaving her old life behind, she joins Keystone, a secret school for thieves, where students are being trained to steal everything analog and original because something—or someone—is changing history to suit their needs.
Partnered with the annoyingly hot—and utterly impossible—Garrett Alexander, who has plenty of his own secrets, Ella is forced to return to the Influencer world, while unraveling a conspiracy that began decades ago.
One wrong move and she could lose everything—again.

My opinion: After the big dystopian boom, we all got kind of burnt out on the genre and they largely disappeared from the landscape. Now they're starting to make a slow return with far more focus on quality writing and innovative ideas. The new focus, thematically, is on the negative influences of social media and complacency. How we allow ourselves to e oppressed in the name of convenience or social power. Delaharty points some blame at social media, saying that people are inclined to sell their souls in the name of influence. It's not an especially unique take though the approach has a unique spin. It takes some extreme views but uses those extremes to open our eyes to the dark sides of our own society.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Punch needle

I was given a 'learn to punch needle' book for Christmas, so I've been practicing the necessary skills. This is the first picture I completed.

 

Book review - Clean Getaway

Title: Clean Getaway
Author: Nic Stone
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
                      Some Places More Than Others by Renee Watson
Rating:

a bit disappointing

Summary (provided by publisher): How to Go on an Unplanned Road Trip with Your Grandma:
  •  Grab a Suitcase: Prepacked from the big spring break trip that got CANCELLED.
  •  Fasten Your Seatbelt: G'ma's never conventional, so this trip won't be either.
  •  Use the Green Book: G'ma's most treasured possession. It holds history, memories, and most important, the way home.
What Not to Bring:
  •  A Cell Phone: Avoid contact with Dad at all costs. Even when G'ma starts acting stranger than usual.
Set against the backdrop of the segregation history of the American South, take a trip with New York Times bestselling Nic Stone and an eleven-year-old boy who is about to discover that the world hasn't always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren't always what they seem--his G'ma included. 

My opinion: There are certainly things I like about this book. I especially like the parallels between G'ma's experience with racism and societal expectations and Scoob's. It makes it clear both how much the world has changed and yet racism remains. There are ways life is easier for Scoob yet he must be more mindful of his actions. By highlighting the differences it points out how truly unfair our current reality is. That makes this book worth a read. But I didn't love many of the plot elements. I found several plot twists entirely too predictable. And I'm concerned that the subtlety of the final chapters will be lost on many readers.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Pick 6: Comedy

There are a lot of ways to refocus your life at the start of a new year. You can read something super meaningful. Sometimes, though, it's nice to lighten things up. To start 2020 on a positive note, here are 6 funny books published in the past 6 months.

6 new comedies:

1. AstroNuts by Jon Scieszka
2. The Secret of Shadow Lake by Joe McGee
3. Laser Moose and Rabbit Boy: Time Trout by Doug Savage
4. Seafoam: A Friend for Madison by Jorry Keith
5. Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Missing Adults by Scott bryan Wilson
6. Kid Normal and the Rogue Heroes by Greg James

Non-fiction book review - Mamie on the Mound

Mamie on the Mound by Leah Henderson

We don't get enough stories of women and people of color in the early years of sports. Mamie on the Mound aims to help remedy that. This is a truly remarkable story, one of women facing racial and gender discrimination, having to constantly prove themselves in ways that their male counterparts never need to do. We see Mamie taking inspiration from other innovators. We see the change she affected and the ways she responded to criticism with dignity. It's well illustrated and has a simple vocabulary making it quite accessible. Small children will appreciate it at face value. For older kids it could park a more complex conversation about continued biases in modern sports. For sports fans and indoor types alike.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - Me and Banksy

Title: Me and Banksy
Author: Tanya Lloyd Kyi
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: That Girl Lucy Moon by Amy Timberlake
                      Zero Tolerance by Claudia Mills
Rating:

good conversation starter

Summary (provided by publisher): Dominica's private school is covered in cameras, and someone is hacking into them and posting embarrassing moments for the whole school to see. Like Ana picking her nose. When Dominica quickly changes her shirt from inside out in what she thinks is the privacy of a quiet corner in the library, she's shocked -- and embarrassed -- to discover a video has captured this and is currently circulating amongst her schoolmates. So mortifying, especially since over the past three years, they've had a half-dozen school talks about social media safety.
Who has access to the school security cameras and why are they doing this? Dominica and her best friends, Holden and Saanvi, are determined to find out, and in the process start an art-based student campaign against cameras in the classroom.

My opinion: Taken on the whole, I had some problems with this book. The plot was taken to extremes that really challenged my willing suspension of disbelief. Kyi has pushed too many elements to the extreme. I would still recommend middle graders read this book. I liked the example it presents. These kids see an injustice. They try to report it and are dismissed. When the adults in their lives fail to set things straight they have to matters into their own hands. They put together an act of protest intended to get people talking. Kyi is showing the reader the power of the individual and of conversation to effect change.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley