Book review - Millionaires for the Month

Title: Millionaires for the Month

Author: Stacy McAnulty

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Effie Starr Zook Has One More Question by Martha Freeman

                      The Dollar Kids by Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Rating:

 

 a tough one to pull off

Summary (provided by publisher): Felix Rannells and Benji Porter were never supposed to be field-trip partners. Felix is a rule follower. Benji is a rule bender. They're not friends. And they don't have anything to talk about. Until . . .
They find a wallet. A wallet that belongs to tech billionaire Laura Friendly. They're totally going to return it-but not before Benji "borrows" twenty dollars to buy hot dogs. Because twenty dollars is like a penny to a billionaire, right?
But a penny has value. A penny doubled every day for thirty days is $5,368,709.12! So that's exactly how much money Laura Friendly challenges Felix and Benji to spend. They have thirty days. They can't tell anyone. And there are LOTS of other rules. But if they succeed, they each get ten million dollars to spend however they want.
Challenge accepted! They rent cool cars, go to Disney World, buy pizza for the whole school-and that's just the beginning! But money can't buy everything or fix every problem. And spending it isn't always as easy and fun as they thought it would be. . .

My opinion: The concept here is one many kids dream of: suddenly finding yourself able to spend indiscriminately, to buy or do anything that pops into your head. By putting limits (limits that will be familiar if you've ever seen Brewster's Millions) on how they can spend the money the plot is more interesting, especially as each of the boys ring different approaches to the endeavor. Benji is looking for fulfillment and recognition. Felix is extremely driven to win and help his mother but torn by his natural inclination to follow the rules. As expected, their relationships are tested. They have initial popularity at large but earn a lot of disapproval. And their more meaningful relationships are tested by the money and secrets. The ending is a bit rough. The final confrontation is awkward, not entirely satisfying, and leaves me with reservations. Entertaining and might serve as a good prompt for a writing project for young readers.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley 

Listen with me

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

With the state of the world right now, this book about a young Black man in prison and the biases in the justice system seems especially timely. And I'm especially interested to hear the verse novel approach to this narrative. I don't expect that this will be an especially relaxing or comfortable listen but certainly an eye-opening one.

Non-fiction book review - CRISPR

CRISPR by Yolanda Ridge

This is one of the most comprehensive explorations of gene editing that I personally have encountered. Complex but not excessively bogged down with technical jargon. A lay person can understand the content with a minimal amount of effort. We get first an explanation of DNA and genetic engineering, then the story of CRISPR and how scientist intend to use it. That's what we expect, of course, but Ridge doesn't stop there. There's a full exploration of the complications both scientific and moral. We look at how things might go wrong, how we might create new problems, and how gene editing might be misused. And it doesn't tell us what to think so much as it gives us questions to consider. A solid entry in the world of scientific texts.

More information: CRISPR releases September 8. 

 Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Teen Titans: Beast Boy

Title: Teen Titans Beast Boy

Author: Kami Garcia

Genre: superhero/graphic novel

Similar books: Ms Marvel: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson

                      Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Louise Simonson

Rating:

one I've been waiting for

Summary (provided by publisher): Garfield Logan has spent his entire life being overlooked. Even in a small town like Eden, Georgia, the seventeen-year-old with green streaks in his hair can't find a way to stand out--and the clock is ticking. Senior year is almost over. If Gar doesn't find a way to impress the social elite at Bull Creek High School, he will never know what it's like to matter. Gar's best friends, Stella and Tank, can't understand why he cares what other people think, and they miss their funny, pizza-loving, video game-obsessed best friend.
Then Gar accepts a wild dare out of the blue. It impresses the popular kids, and his social status soars. But other things are changing, too. Gar grows six inches overnight. His voice drops, and suddenly, he's stronger and faster. He's finally getting everything he wanted, but his newfound popularity comes at a price. Gar has to work harder to impress his new friends. The dares keep getting bigger, and the stakes keep getting higher.
When Gar realizes the extent of his physical changes, he has to dig deep and face the truth about himself--and the people who truly matter--before his life spirals out of control.

My opinion: The Teen Titans are an example of superheroes where we aren't overwhelmed with origin stories (with the exception of Robin). This is probably because we typically only see them in the context of their team while origin stories are the realm of solo books. So I was super excited to learn that DC was introducing this Teen Titans series, with books focused on the history of individual members. It began last year with Raven. Now we come to my personal favorite: Beast Boy. Garcia is digging into Gar's motivations. We see him as a jokster, with humor trying to cover up his feelings of inadequacy. Picolo's illustrations add a great deal of complexity to an otherwise simple story. This is really only an introductory volume but I look forward to seeing how the story develops.

More information: Check out the book trailer here.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - The Inkberg Enigma

Title: The Inkberg Enigma

Author: Jonathan King

Genre: mystery/graphic novel

Similar books: Bad Machinery series by John Allison

                     Rocket Robinson and the Pharoah's Fortune by Sean O'Neil

Rating:

 

interesting plot development

Summary (provided by publisher): Haven't you always thought there’s something WEIRD about this town, Miro?"
Miro and Zia live in Aurora, a fishing town nestled in the shadow of an ancient castle. Miro lives in his books; Zia is never without her camera. The day they meet, they uncover a secret. The fishing works, the castle, and the town council are all linked to an ill-fated 1930s Antarctic expedition. But the diary of that journey has been hidden, and the sea is stirring up unusual creatures. Something has a powerful hold over the town.
With Zia determined to find out more, Miro finds himself putting aside his books for a real adventure.

 

My opinion: King has created something of an homage to Lovecraft with this book. The parallels are certainly present. This is a fairly fanciful plot and yet it follows a clear internal logic. Each action has a consequence and leads to further plot complications. The characters are somewhat underdeveloped and the art is a bit flat. But the plot is reasonably engaging, especially for kids with an affinity for investigation and the mystical.

 

More information: The Inkberg Enigma releases September 1

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Graphic novel spotlight - Earthworm Jim Launch the Cow

  

 Earthworm Jim: Launch the Cow! by Doug TenNapel

If you're at all aware of the Earthworm Jim video game or short lived animated series, you know this book is going to be far from a traditional narrative. If this review is your first introduction to the character, allow me to give you a quick summary: a regular earthworm encounters a magical space energy and a high tech space suit which together turn him into the sentient (though rather dim) hero Earthworm Jim. He joins forces with Princess-What's-Her-Name, the genetically modified Peter Puppy who turns into a marauding monster when hurt or angry, and an unnamed mid-western farmer to fight off the evil Queen Slug-for-a-Butt and her minions Professor Monkey-for-a-Head and Psycrow. Weird, right? But to my way of thinking, it's the best kind of weird. It doesn't try too hard to fit into the workings of the real. Instead, it just asks us to follow along on a vaguely off-kilter mission that uses it's own internal logic. Kooky humor abounds, both visually and in the dialogue. If you have any affinity for chaotic humor, give Earthworm Jim a look.

 

Non-fiction book review - The Constitution Decoded

The Constitution Decoded by Katie Kennedy

There are some good very simple guides to the Constitution already on the market, but sometimes you want a little bit more. Sometimes you want more than just what the words mean. You want information about the application of our founding documents. You want to know what the rights spelled in the Constitution mean for individuals and for various levels of government. And that's where this book comes in. There is, of course, a plain language breakdown of what the Constitution literally says but equal space is given to application. This serves as a solid foundational guide for people wanting to understand their legal rights, accessible for middle grade and above.

More information: The Constitution Decoded releases September 1. 

 Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.