Non-fiction book review - The Laura Ingalls Wilder Companion

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Companion by Annette Whipple

I was, frankly, a bit disappointed by this book. The chapter by chapter guide amounts more to a footnote. I was anticipating a full paragraph of some element of historical context. The real strength is in the accompanying activities: crafts, gardening, research ideas, and other activities. These are of varying  quality but it's handy to have an assortment of suggestions collected all together in one place. This is a book that will shine on the homeschooler's resource shelf. 

 Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - Eva Evergreen, Semi Magical Witch

Title: Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch

Author: Julie Abe

Genre: fantasy

Similar books: The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner

                      Curse of the Night Witch by Alex Aster 

Rating:

delightful

Summary (provided by publisher): Sometimes all you need is a pinch of magic...
Eva Evergreen is determined to earn the rank of Novice Witch before her thirteenth birthday. If she doesn't, she'll lose her magic forever. For most young witches and wizards, it's a simple enough test:
One: Help your town, do good all around.
Two: Live there for one moon, don't leave too soon.
Three: Fly home by broomstick, the easiest of tricks.
The only problem? Eva only has a pinch of magic. She summons heads of cabbage instead of flowers and gets a sunburn instead of calling down rain. And to add insult to injury, whenever she overuses her magic, she falls asleep.
When she lands in the tranquil coastal town of Auteri, the residents expect a powerful witch, not a semi-magical girl. So Eva comes up with a plan: set up a magical repair shop to aid Auteri and prove she's worthy. She may have more blood than magic, but her "semi-magical fixes" repair the lives of the townspeople in ways they never could have imagined. Only, Eva's bit of magic may not be enough when the biggest magical storm in history threatens the town she's grown to love. Eva must conjure up all of the magic, bravery, and cleverness she can muster or Auteri and her dreams of becoming a witch will wash away with the storm.

My opinion: It can be a bit risky, pulling direct inspiration from a popular piece of media like Kiki's Delivery Service. If poorly done it comes off as a pale copy. But if, as in this case, it is well done you borrow the positive associations from our fondness for the source material and uses it to build a whole new world. In this book, Abe has resolve some of my complaints about the movie, namely that there was no clear conflict or point to the plot. Eva's world has a lot more complexity. There's clear rules to magic and a larger conspiracy afoot. Eva is not an exceptional witch. Her powers are such that she has to use extra creativity to solve her problems. She also genuinely wants to help people. Yes, she wants to prove herself, but helping her people takes precedence. The plot is compelling and the characters are pleasant and reasonably complex. One I would easily recommend.
 

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Paola Santiago and the River of Tears

Title: Paola Santiago and the River of Tears

Author: Tehlor Kay Mejia

Genre: fantasy

Similar books: Silverworld by Diana Abu-Jaber

                     Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

 Rating: 

a solid adventure

Summary (provided by publisher): Space-obsessed 12-year-old Paola Santiago and her two best friends, Emma and Dante, know the rule: Stay away from the river. It's all they've heard since a schoolmate of theirs drowned a year ago. Pao is embarrassed to admit that she has been told to stay away for even longer than that, because her mother is constantly warning her about La Llorona, the wailing ghost woman who wanders the banks of the Gila at night, looking for young people to drag into its murky depths.
Hating her mother's humiliating superstitions and knowing that she and her friends would never venture into the water, Pao organizes a meet-up to test out her new telescope near the Gila, since it's the best stargazing spot. But when Emma never arrives and Pao sees a shadowy figure in the reeds, it seems like maybe her mom was right. . . .
Pao has always relied on hard science to make sense of the world, but to find her friend she will have to enter the world of her nightmares, which includes unnatural mist, mind-bending monsters, and relentless spirits controlled by a terrifying force that defies both logic and legend.

My opinion: Generally speaking, you know what you're in for with this book. As with any of the "Rick Riordan presents" books, we have a regular kid who is confronted with the reality of myth or folk lore. There's magic, spirits, and an over-arching villain who must be defeated within a specific time frame. This book shines in the details that have been fitted into that framework. It's more than just a different culture. Pao's life experiences are unique. She's facing borderline poverty, racism and classism. The world seems designed to prevent her from advancing. And with her interest in science, she's dismissive of folklore as nonsense. She sees her mother's interests as not only foolish, but potentially damaging. This adds to the conflict on multiple levels. And her interest in science informs her approach to the challenges she faces.

 

Listen with me

Absolutely Everything by Christopher Lloyd

As promised by the title, this book takes us from the creation of the universe to the modern era. As you might expect, no single event gets much detail. This is especially true since the intended audience is middle grade. Even major world events, from mass extinction to the world wars, get a few sentences apiece. The focus of the text is less on the details of events and more on general movements, the sorts of things that were happening and what that tells us about various cultures or species interactions. Even more, there is an emphasis on how the whole of human history makes up just a tiny fraction of the history of our world.
The interest level for the text is high. The vocabulary is accessible. As an audio, it's well read. Lloyd has a flair for the dramatic, so it may be a bit over-acted at times but that will simply add to the excitement for a young reader.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Non-fiction book review - Jefferson Measures a Moose

Jefferson Measures a Moose by Mara Rockliff

We learn many facts about Jefferson from school lessons and pop culture. His fondness for measurement is not one of those things, which is a real shame. I'd no idea how much Jefferson's work did for standardization and record keeping. Not only is this story an interesting anecdote, it's a good example for young readers. Through this tale of Thomas Jefferson, we can see that even the most unusual interest can be valuable. Even if something is considered a waste of time, it may have value. With detailed, elegant illustrations this is an entertaining read.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Quintessence

Title: Quintessence
Author: Jess Redman
Genre: magical realism
Similar books: The Magic of Melwick Orchard by Rebecca Caprara
                      What We Found in the Corn Maze and How it Saved a Dragon by Henry Clark
Rating:

pleasant and empowering

Summary (provided by publisher): Find the Elements. Grow the Light. Save the Starling.
Three months ago, twelve-year-old Alma moved to the town of Four Points. Her panic attacks started a week later, and they haven’t stopped—even though she’s told her parents that they have. She’s homesick and friendless and every day she feels less and less like herself.
But one day she finds a telescope in the town’s junk shop, and through its lens, she watches a star—a star that looks like a child—fall from the sky and into her backyard. Alma knows what it’s like to be lost and afraid, to long for home, and she knows that it’s up to her to save the star. And so, with the help of some unlikely new friends from Astronomy Club, she sets out on a quest that will take a little bit of science, a little bit of magic, and her whole self.

My opinion: A lot of book explore the idea that we all have something that makes us special, something that only we can contribute. What makes this book stand out is that the thing that makes each of these kids special, their elemental power, can also be detrimental. It makes them prideful, impulsive, leads them to make truly disastrous decisions that have long reaching consequences. Additionally, while they are forced to address their interpersonal issues and they gain more understanding of each other, that understand doesn't automatically mean that they get along. It merely starts them on a path. The plot, the exploration of starlings and quintessence, is an odd combination of magic and fringe science. It may be a bit too weird for mainstream readers but will be a compelling read for a small group of kids.

Headed to Hogwarts

I had one of these Hotel Transylvania blind bag trunks. It was fun but I knew right away that it had the potential to be more.

A little acrylic paint gives it a more traditional look and by painting only the "H" of the logo, it's ready for Hogwarts. Since I'm a Ravenclaw, I painted the inside blue and gray.