Non-fiction book review - That's No Dino

 

That's No Dino by Helaine Becker

There's certainly no shortage of dinosaur books out there for kids, ranging from simple picture and name combinations to complex explorations of each species. This may well be the first I've encountered with a central focus on defining dinosaurs. While that could be achieved with a simple paragraph, Becker knows that isn't going to reach anyone. Instead she takes each qualifier, and shows us a creature that proves the rule. Thus, we have a couple of animals that resemble or have been listed as dinosaurs but which don't meet the classification requirements. It's not afraid to use scientific terms, though anything with any complexity is carefully defined. A solid choice for young dinosaur enthusiasts.

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Book review - D-39

 

Title: D-39

Author: Irene Latham

Genre: dystopia

Similar books: Parched by Melanie Crowder

                     The Last Wild by Piers Torday

Rating:

 

mostly fun with a stab at emotional complexity

Summary (provided by publisher): In a future United States, civil war is devastating a country on its last legs. On one side: the Patriots. On the other: President Vex's corrupt government. In the middle: everybody else, just trying to survive. The war is going from bad to worse, but out in the sparsely populated Worselands, twelve-year-old Klynt Tovis doesn't see much of it.
Instead, Klynt spends most of her long summer days bored, or restoring artifacts in her Museum of Fond Memories. Real pet dogs are a thing of the past: after they were found to be carriers of a sickness the government ordered them all killed. But one day an incredible antique shows up at the farm: a D-39 robodog, "Real as a dog can be!" Klynt is overjoyed, but the good luck doesn't last. When the war makes its way into the empty Worselands, she and D-39 find themselves thrown into an epic journey for survival and hope.
Through the twists and turns of this riveting read, Irene Latham deftly shows how kindness can appear in unexpected places during uncertain times.

My opinion: While technically this is a verse novel, in large part it reads as a traditional narrative, just broken up into little chunks of thought. Snapshots, really. The first section is fairly positive, showing us how Klynt and the others live. It's just life as they know it. It takes a fairly sharp turn at the halfway point, becoming more of a survival story. Those early chapters get us engaged. The later chapters give the narrative meaning. It's a bleaker world than we typically see in middle grade fiction but that makes it more compelling. The unique vocabulary is a touch confusing at first but a dedicated reader will quickly make sense of it.

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Book review - That Thing About Bollywood

 

Title: That Thing About Bollywood

Author: Supriya Kelkar

Genre: magical realism

Similar books: The Magic of Melwick Orchard by Rebecca Caprara

                      Mira in the Present Tense by Sita Brahmachari

Rating: 

 

well balanced

Summary (provided by publisher): Bollywood takes over in this contemporary, magical middle grade novel about an Indian American girl whose world turns upside down when she involuntarily starts bursting into glamorous song-and-dance routines during everyday life.
You know how in Bollywood when people are in love, they sing and dance from the mountaintops? Eleven-year-old Sonali wonders if they do the same when they’re breaking up. The truth is, Sonali’s parents don’t get along, and it looks like they might be separating.
Sonali’s little brother, Ronak, is not taking the news well, constantly crying. Sonali would never do that. It’s embarrassing to let out so many feelings, to show the world how not okay you are. But then something strange happens, something magical, maybe. When Sonali gets upset during a field trip, she can’t bury her feelings like usual—instead, she suddenly bursts into a Bollywood song-and-dance routine about why she’s upset!
The next morning, much to her dismay, Sonali’s reality has shifted. Things seem brighter, almost too bright. Her parents have had Bollywood makeovers. Her friends are also breaking out into song and dance. And somehow, everyone is acting as if this is totally normal.
Sonali knows something has gone wrong, and she suspects it has something to do with her own mismanaged emotions. Can she figure it out before it’s too late?

My opinion: I've read a plot like this one before, where inexplicable magic takes control of a character's life, but this is the first time I've seen it for a middle grade audience. It's unique in it's approach to Sonali's parent's separation as well. Typically in middle grade novels when parents separate the protagonist is desperate to bring them back together. Sonali, though, is relieved. She's ready for her life to find it's new normal and sees the intrusion of what she calls "Bollywood-itis" as a barrier to that change. The nuance comes when Sonali finally addresses her emotions. We see situations where we can be relieved and yet still grieve, happiness and anger all at once. Kelkar really demolishes the notion that emotion is weakness. These ideas might be a little heavy for some middle graders but the zaniness of the Bollywood changes add a lot of light moments.

More information: That Thing About Bollywood releases July 1.

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Picture books for everyone

 

Arnold the Super-ish Hero by Heather Tekavec

Superhero stories are pretty much always a win with young readers. In this case, we have a character with no powers. A character who has always just been an assistant but finds himself in a position to help when the "real" heroes are busy. The evil he fights is nothing big. He finds his niche in small problems. The suggestion is, of course, that we all can help, that no one is too weak or too small. And Arnold isn't perfect. He sometimes bumbles his way into a solution. A great choice for a kid who aspires to be super.

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Non-fiction book reivew - The Good Germ Hotel

 

The Good Germ Hotel by Kim Sung-hwa

The microbiome has become a subject of fascination for me so I was super excited to read this book. It does a solid job of explaining the role of microbes through the body with a primary focus on gut flora. We take the full journey of eating to elimination, learning the vital part bacteria play in breaking down and drawing nutrients from our food. There are plenty of easy to understand parallels and the tone is quite conversational. The illustrations feel a bit dated and cheesy but the information is strong. 

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Book review - Ophie's Ghosts

 

Title: Ophie's Ghosts

Author: Justina Ireland

Genre: historical fiction

Similar books: Root Magic by Eden Royce

                     Unstoppable Octobia May by Sharon Flake

Rating:

 

hits all the right notes

Summary (provided by publisher): Ophelia Harrison used to live in a small house in the Georgia countryside. But that was before the night in November 1922, and the cruel act that took her home and her father from her. Which was the same night that Ophie learned she can see ghosts.
Now Ophie and her mother are living in Pittsburgh with relatives they barely know. In the hopes of earning enough money to get their own place, Mama has gotten Ophie a job as a maid in the same old manor house where she works.
Daffodil Manor, like the wealthy Caruthers family who owns it, is haunted by memories and prejudices of the past—and, as Ophie discovers, ghosts as well. Ghosts who have their own loves and hatreds and desires, ghosts who have wronged others and ghosts who have themselves been wronged. And as Ophie forms a friendship with one spirit whose life ended suddenly and unjustly, she wonders if she might be able to help—even as she comes to realize that Daffodil Manor may hold more secrets than she bargained for.

My opinion: The general direction of this plot is pretty obvious from early on, but that's okay. In spite of predictability, the characters and atmosphere are well enough developed to make for a compelling read. We have a family broken by tragedy, held down by poverty and cruelty. Their situation is directly contrasted by the family they work for, a privileged family with no close ties. There's no affection at Daffodil manor, just carefully orchestrated roles. Even more importantly for a modern reader, the racism Ophie encounters isn't all in-you-face white-supremacy. She meets with a lot of micro-aggression, subtle slights that make her uncomfortable but for which she has no defenses. This provides a lot of opportunity for discussion with young readers. There are short chapters written from the perspective of the city, houses, the trolley, that take us out of the flow of the narrative but this is ultimately a minor annoyance rather than a real problem.

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Book review - Rule of Threes

 

Title: Rule of Threes

Author: Marcy Campbell

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Steering Toward Normal by Rebecca Petruck

                      Kinda Like Brothers by Coe Booth

Rating:

 

a nuanced plot with idealized characters

Summary (provided by publisher): How do you share a parent with a stranger?
Maggie’s accustomed to leading her life perfectly according to her own well-designed plans.
But when Maggie learns that she has a half-brother her own age who needs a place to stay, any semblance of a plan is shattered. Tony’s mom struggles with an addiction to opioids, and now she’s called upon Maggie’s dad—who’s also Tony’s dad—to take him in.
As Maggie struggles to reconcile her mom and dad’s almost-divorce, accept the Alzheimer’s afflicting her grandmother, and understand Tony’s own issues—ignorance is no longer an option. While Maggie can strive for—and even succeed in—a perfect design, when it comes to family, nothing is perfect, and tackling its complexities is only possible with an open heart.

My opinion: Discovering previously unknown family makes for an emotionally complex plot already. A half-sibling your own age is a truly stark betrayal. Maggie's life is in total disarray as she must redefine her family, deal with her grandmother's decline, and address the change in her friendships that comes with the middle grade years. Three issues, any of which can support a plot all on their own. It is, perhaps, too much for a middle grade book. No one issue is explored in any real depth. The characters are pretty idealized, naturally inclined towards kindness and consideration, very little of the general self-centeredness that typifies most preteens. It's not a subtle plot but might serve as a stepping stone for kids making the transition from the obvious plots of grade school fiction to more subtle and literary books.

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