Book review - Hide and Don't Seek

 

Title: Hide and Don't Seek 

Author: Anica Mrose Rissi

Genre: horror/short stories

Similar books: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz

                      The Fearsome Foursome by Amicus Arcane

Rating:

 

I get the appeal

Summary (provided by publisher):A game of hide-and-seek goes on far too long…
A look-alike doll makes itself right at home…
A school talent-show act leaves the audience aghast…
And a summer at camp takes a turn for the braaaains…
This collection of all-new spooky stories is sure to keep readers up past their bedtimes, looking over their shoulders to see what goes bump in the night.

My opinion: This style of book has enduring appeal. The short story format is an excellent one to introduce horror to young readers. They get the scare without having to invest days or weeks into reading the build up of character and complex rules to explain fear. This collection is more technology focused than the standard bearer of horror collections: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Still, we can see the relationship between them as well as the influence of "Black Mirror". Personally I don't find these stories especially scary but I can see where they might induce dread in a young reader.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

 

Graphic Novel Spotlight - Pax Samson

 

Pax Samson: The Cookout by Rashad Doucet

Superheroes are the standard when we're talking about graphic novels. Most people expect the standards: Superman, Spider-man, that sort of thing. These stories explore the pressures of the superhero life, the need to keep a secret identity, balancing personal lives. Stuff that isn't especially relatable for kids. That leads to books like Pax Samson, the story of a world with many superheroes. Our hero is learning how to be a hero, practicing and building up his abilities. He has other interests too and is allowed to explore them. He fights villains but also gathers rare ingredients for new recipes. Both of his interests are given equal value by the author and the characters. The plot also explores the history of this world and the effects of perspective. Enough nuance to make it good for discussion but not so much as to make it a difficult read.

 

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Non-fiction book review - Pando

 

Pando by Kate Allen Fox

I've had a minor obsession with Pando since I learned about it from a podcast a while back. I was eager to see how Fox would present the information. This is a fairly basic introduction to the organism and it's history, with an emphasis on preservation and the importance of ecology. If you're looking for a way to show kids that there is more to trees than they think, give Pando a look.

More information: Pando releases August 15. 

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Buried Beneath

 

Title: Buried Beneath

Author: Kelly Ann Hopkins

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: The Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey

                      Lucky Girl by Jamie Pacton

Rating:

 

it has some problems

Summary (provided by publisher): On the outside, Shelly Frank lives a normal teenage life, balancing her gas station job and a budding new relationship with a boy from school. But on the inside, she’s harboring a dark secret: her mother is an extreme hoarder. Within the pristine, outer walls of their beautiful New Jersey home, Shelly and her mother are living amidst piles of collected trash from her mother’s disorder, and Shelly is at her breaking point.
By some miracle, Shelly is offered a chance to escape when she receives a plane ticket to Florida from her estranged father, but she’s met with a decision: should she flee this life of filth and seize the opportunity of a future in the Sunshine State? Or should she risk her own health and sanity by staying with her mother who is helpless without her? When Shelly becomes gravely sick from years of living in her mother’s nest, her decision is staring her in the face. She needs to save herself, but her mother is willing to do everything in her power to prevent that from happening.

My opinion: The base elements of this book are becoming standard: a single mother with a hoarding disorder and the daughter trying to live a "normal" life within the chaos. There are a few elements that make this one stand out from the crowd. For one, the hoarding doesn't have a distinct trigger. It's a part of a complex net of mental disorders that also means it is not easily resolved. Her mother can't seem to track reality. And that begins my trouble with this book. The mother character in particular has no consistent characterization. And the other people in Shelly's life are extremely idealized. Each plot element goes to an extreme. This makes the book increasingly difficult to accept. While I liked some parts of it, especially the conclusion, I found the overall package too much to swallow.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Small cards

 A bargain on a stack of small sized, brightly colored cardstock inspired me to try making some mini greeting cards. I draw full sized cards with colored pencil and focus on realistic images. In this smaller format I decided to try more cartoon type drawings.

 

My first attempt did not go well, prompting these mostly black images to cover up my mistakes.

Book review - Kind of Sort of Fine

 

Title: Kind of Sort of Fine

Author: Spencer Hall

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Life Unaware by Cole Gibsen

                      The Secret Science of Magic by Melissa Keil

Rating:

 

better than I expected

Summary (provided by publisher): Senior year of high school is full of changes.
For Hayley Mills, these changes aren’t exactly welcome. All she wants is for everyone to forget about her very public breakdown and remember her as the overachiever she once was—and who she’s determined to be again. But it’s difficult to be seen as a go-getter when she’s forced into TV Production class with all the slackers like Lewis Holbrook.
For Lewis, though, this is going to be his year. After a summer spent binging 80s movies, he’s ready to upgrade from the role of self-described fat, funny sidekick to leading man of his own life—including getting the girl. The only thing standing in his way is, well, himself.
When the two are partnered up in class, neither is particularly thrilled. But then they start making mini documentaries about their classmates’ hidden talents, and suddenly Hayley is getting attention for something other than her breakdown, and Lewis isn’t just a background character anymore. It seems like they’re both finally getting what they want—except what happens when who you’ve become isn’t who you really are?

My opinion: Let's get one thing out of the way - this book is pretty predictable. Its ultimately a teen romance and thus can only end a couple of ways. Hall has successfully elevated the plot, though. Hayley and Lewis could follow simple character arcs - Hayley learning to loosen up and be okay with making mistakes, Lewis learning to take chances for things that he cares about. Instead they both make a fair amount of progress following their same old toxic patterns. They both seem like they are at the bottom at the book's opening but we eventually discover they have much farther to fall. They make huge mistakes in the name of fixing things. Their choices and relationships aren't simple. This standard plot isn't turned completely on its ear but it's tilted enough that we look at some new angles and examine behaviors through a different lens.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Picture books for everyone

 

Except Antarctica by Todd Sturgell

The premise here is fairly simple: the narrator tells us that turtles live on every continent but Antarctica. A contrary turtle sets out to prove that wrong. As it makes the journey south, it meets with a number of other animals which also are not found in Antarctica. Each animal joins in the journey out of curiosity, desire for company, a sense of adventure. The premise and it's eventual resolution is all a bit silly but should hit the right level of humor for elementary age kids. Each page also includes a couple of facts about an animal, giving it a small degree of educational value.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley