Book review - Waking Romeo

 

Title: Waking Romeo

Author: Kathryn Barker

Genre: sci-fi

Similar books: Mirror X by Karri Thompson

                      After Eden by Helen Douglas

Rating:

 

not as exciting as I'd hoped

Summary (provided by publisher): Year: 2083. Location: London. Mission: Wake Romeo.
It’s the end of the world. Literally. Time travel is possible, but only forward. And only a handful of families choose to remain in the “now,” living off of the scraps left behind.
Among them are eighteen-year-old Juliet and the love of her life, Romeo. But things are far from rosy for Jules. Romeo lies in a coma and Jules is estranged from her friends and family, dealing with the very real fallout of their wild romance.
Then a mysterious time traveler, Ellis, impossibly arrives from the future with a mission that makes Juliet question everything she knows about life and love.
Can Jules wake Romeo—and rewrite her future?

My opinion: Barker has included some interesting elements here. The Romeo and Juliet framework turned out to be a bit of an unnecessary diversion, a complication that took up unnecessary space. More interesting is the approach to time travel. We see the destructive power of time travel. That can only be interesting for so long, though. The excessive complications of time travel and chaos in the world with constant nods to Shakespeare were a bit tiresome after a while. It's a book I'd recommend only to serious sci-fi fans.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Birdie's Billions

 

Title: Birdie's Billions

Author: Edith Cohn

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Millionaires for a Month by Stacy McAnulty

                     Skateboard Sibby by Clare O'Connor

Rating:

 

a good one for group discussion

Summary (provided by publisher): For as long as eleven-year-old Birdie can remember, it's always been just her and her mom, which means there's not a lot of extra money to spend on things like new clothes and batons from the fancy gymnastics store. Still, they always find a way to make ends meet. Then Birdie makes one silly mistake that has a big consequence: Mom loses her job. Now things are more dire than ever, and Birdie knows it's up to her to fix it.
When Birdie discovers a huge stash of cash in an abandoned house, she just knows it must be the answer to their problems. But the people who left that money behind aren't willing to give it up so easily. Does “finders, keepers” count when it's half a million dollars?

My opinion: The strength in this book is definitely the moral dilemma. Cohn presents us with a believable scenario. Bridie is old enough to recognize both the precarious nature of her financial situation and the likely suspicious nature of the money she finds. She is a realistic character, likeable but not perfect. She justifies a lot of bad decisions, keeping secrets and alienating those closest to her. She lies and manipulates. Since her ultimate goal is selfless she remains likeable. She also faces consequences for all of her bad decisions. The messaging is clear enough to allow for a solid discussion with a group of young readers.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Listen with me

 

The Swallows' Flight by Hilary McKay

I've read several of McKay's books before, so I'm interested to see how she handles multiple characters in the era of World War II.

Non-fiction book review - Bugs for Breakfast

 

Bugs for Breakfast by Mary Boone

If you have any interest at all in the idea of eating insects, this book is an excellent resource. Boone lays out the environmental impact and nutritional content, as we would expect. But we also have chapters on  cultural and sociological influences. We explore the history of eating insects and why it is taboo in some cultures. There's even a hole section on vegans and insects. While the approach is fairly scholarly, it is quite readable.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Strangeville School is Totally Normal

 

Title: Strangeville School is Totally Normal

Author: Darcy Miller

Genre: humor

Similar books: Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

                     The Kids of Cattywampus Street by Lisa Jahn-Clough

Rating:

 

not for me but I can see the appeal

Summary (provided by publisher): Harvey Hill just wants other kids to think he’s normal. So he’s happy to start fresh as the newest kid at Strangeville Middle School. Except Strangeville is anything but normal. Something sinister swims in the drinking fountain, the cafeteria could swallow you whole, and a giant rat named Cuddles is on the loose. And don't even get the vice principal started on the third-floor supply closet. In fact, don't even think about it. What supply closet?
At least Harvey has his guide and sort-of new friend Stella Cho to show him the ropes. School newspaper reporter, first chair flugelhorn, and hiding a secret of her own, Stella shows Harvey that maybe "normal" is overrated. But when Stella goes missing while trying to solve the secret of the supply closet (oh that supply closet!), Harvey must embrace what makes him unique to save his new friend and his new school.

My opinion: "Strangeville" is certainly an accurate name for this book. We are presented with a wide variety of events, mostly unexplained. We simply accept them as the reality of this world. There is some heavy handed hinting at secrets that got annoying as the book progressed but a kid will likely ignore that. You can see the influence of Wayside School on this book though Miller has included a stronger central plot driving all of the weirdness. While I found it perhaps a bit too strange I can certainly imagine that a young audience will enjoy it.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 1

 I thought long and hard about how to end this countdown right. I wanted to share a project that I really enjoyed and that really captures Christmas. I decided on a puppet. For my subject I went with one of the magi. I've been toying with the idea of a full puppet version of the Christmas story, so this is my first attempt at a puppet for that. I used the same design as I used for my Dobby puppet. No process photos here, since I sort of just cut and glue on the fly for these puppets. It will probably need a little refinement in future but I think he looks surprisingly regal.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 2

 I normally don't shop for toddler clothes but this shirt caught my eye at a thrift store. The image is weird enough that I felt the urge to craft with it. 

 

T-shirts make excellent tote bags but since this one was toddler sized it didn't work to simply cut off the sleeves and collar. Since I was doing so much extra designing anyway, I lined it with more knit fabric to keep it from over-stretching. Not pictured here: the strap. I have a clip on strap I use for such bags that I'll swap onto this one as needed.