Book review - Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit

 

Title: Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit

Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto

Genre: fantasy/magical realism

Similar books: Ace Takes Flight by Cory McCarthy

                     Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

Rating:

 

pretty fun with decent original elements

 

Summary (provided by publisher): Theo Tan doesn't want a spirit companion. He just wants to be a normal American kid, playing video games, going to conventions, and using cirth pendants to cast his spells like everyone else. But, when his older brother dies, Theo ends up inheriting Jamie's fox spirit, Kai.
Kai isn't happy about this either. Theo is nothing like Jamie, and the two of them have never gotten along. But, when they realize the mysterious journal Jamie left Theo is filled with clues and secret codes, it's clear that something strange was going on with Jamie's internship at Reapling Corp.
But the only way onto the campus is the highly competitive "Know Your Roots" summer camp program, a celebration of Chinese and Indian cultures designed to help connect students with their heritage. Theo and Kai will have to put aside their differences long enough to honor Jamie's last wishes, or the mystery he died for will remain unsolved forever...

My opinion: At first glance, this looks like just another Percy Jackson clone. And I won't deny that they share some literary DNA. Even so, Sutanto has done a fair bit to make both the plot and the character stand out from the pack. For one thing, magic is not something that Theo falls into by surprise. It's a fully integrated part of his world. It's only his relationship to that magic that changes as the novel progresses. And Theo does not embrace his adventure or stumble through it because he has no alternative. He fights his growing knowledge of the spirit realm, resents it's intrusion on his normal life. He isn't a noble, heroic character. Theo is selfish and petty. In other words: he's a normal kid who has to learn to look beyond his own interests. There's solid character development across the board here. Add in exploration of mythology and spirits that extends beyond just the basics and a genuine meditation on the sliding scale between "good" and "evil" and there's enough to entertain a kid and give them something to chew on after they're done reading. The plot may be a bit predictable but it doesn't harm the entertainment value.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Picture books for everyone

 

Norton and the Bear by Gabriel Evans

There is no shortage of picture books about the importance of individuality and being true to yourself. A few are written about the idea of copycats, usually a younger sibling who wants to be "just like" the older one causing a great deal of frustration for both and resulting in the realization that copying is a compliment but finding ways for the younger one to be different. I like that this book doesn't try to explain the bear's behavior. It just admires Norton's style and replicates it. It's not about the bear needing to be exactly like Norton but rather sharing the same tastes, much to Norton's great annoyance. The plot is more about Norton's intense need to be different to the point that he can't see how he hurts the bear until it's too late. Evans is suggesting to the reader that other peoples choices are not about you and don't have to effect you. All of this is done with simple prose and charming illustrations featuring expressive characters that support the text well.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Esme's Birthday Conga Line

 

Title: Esme's Birthday Conga Line

Author: Lourdes Heuer

Genre: early chapter book

Similar books: Henry and Mudge series by Cynthia Rylant

                     Kitty and Dragon by Meika Hashimoto

Rating:

 

cute and easy to understand

 

Summary (provided by publisher): Esme lives with her grandparents on the uppermost floor of the topmost best building. It's her birthday. Mimi and Pipo gave her a beautiful guitar. But they didn't plan a birthday party.
Esme thinks this is the way with grandparents. They don't know about parties or piñatas or birthday cake. No problem! Esme is great at problem solving.
With the help of her cat, El Toro, and a LOT of help from her neighbors in the topmost best building, the irrepressible Esme gets the birthday party of her dreams. 

My opinion: This book straddles the line between picture book and chapter book, much like Henry and Mudge. The plot has the simplicity of a picture book, a basic conflict with only minimal complications. Much of the complication is seen more in the illustrations than in the text itself. The writing is a bit more fleshed out, including more details and descriptive language than would be typical of a picture book. This leaves us with a quick, charming, easy to follow story that helps a beginning reader gain confidence. It helps that Esme is an irrepressible character. When her birthday isn't what she expected, she makes it happen for herself. She doesn't moan about not having a birthday party; she plans her own. Sure, that leaves some chaos in her wake but her cheerfulness wins over even the grumpiest of neighbors.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Listen with me

 

All the Best Liars by Amelia Kahaney

This book promises some great elements: the straining of a lifelong friendship between girls, complicated secrets, and multiple perspectives on a single dramatic event.

Book review - Duet

 

Title: Duet

Author: Elise Broach

Genre: realistic fiction/magical realism

Similar books: Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

                      Fleabrain Loves Franny by Joanne Rocklin

Rating:

 

charming and not overly dramatic

Summary (provided by publisher): Welcome to the world of Mirabelle, a young goldfinch who loves to sing and dreams of becoming a musical star. She lives with her family in the backyard of a piano teacher, and she is quickly intrigued by Mr. Starek's newest pupil. Michael Jin is an eleven-year-old keyboard sensation, but lesson after lesson, he refuses to play.  With the prestigious Chopin Festival looming at summer’s end, how will he be ready in time?  Mirabelle is responsible for Michael’s breakthrough—to her own astonishment, she sings the Chopin piece he is beginning to play at the piano. It is their first duet.
Thus begins a secret adventure that will take Mirabelle and Michael further than they ever imagined—in music, in friendship, and in solving the mystery of a lost piano that could be worth millions.  A house full of treasures holds the clues. There, Mirabelle, Michael, and their friend Emily will make an important discovery that links the great composer Frederic Chopin, the trailblazing author George Sand, and the French Romantic painter Eugene Delacroix.
A fast-paced, history-rich mystery will have young readers hooked as they root for boy and bird in this beautifully told novel, full of emotion and suspense.

My opinion: At face value, this is a story about a boy and a bird that learn to recognize their own abilities and rely on their shared strength to accomplish things. Even more than that, though, there is a celebration of the beauty, artistry, and near magic of music and musicians. Of their instruments. Broach addresses the way that the same song played by the same artist may sound different with different instruments. Composition affects resonance which can become important with instrumental music. It was cool to see that explored in any book, much less one for children. And that exploration as well as the historical mystery involving Chopin is explained with enough detail to be interesting without ever becoming overwhelming. There's enough tension and mystery to keep the reader engaged but nothing that will become too much for sensitive kids.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Pick 6: music

 Have you ever noticed that characters in novels tend to have the same hobbies? They're either athletes, aspiring writers, or musicians. For this list, I gathered titles where being a musician plays an important role in the plot. So, here are six books published in the last six months that in some way feature musicians

6 new books about musicians

1. The Way I Say It by Nancy Tandon
2. The Legend of Brightblade by Ethan M Aldridge
3. Wrath by Marcus Sedgwick
4. Scout is Not a Band Kid by Jade Armstrong
5. A Duet for Home by Karina Yan Glaser
6. Duet by Elise Broach
   

Book review - Gideon Green in Black and White

 

Title: Gideon Green in Black and White

Author: Katie Henry

Genre: Mystery

Similar books: Cold by Mariko Tamaki

                      Dead Weight by Terry Blas

Rating:

 

quirky, but reasonably entertaining

Summary (provided by publisher): Gideon’s short-lived run as a locally famous boy detective ended when middle school started, and everyone else—including his best friend, Lily—moved on while Gideon kept holding on to his trench coat, fedora, and his treasured film noir collection. Now he’s sixteen and officially retired. That is, until Lily shows up suddenly at Gideon’s door, needing his help.
He might be mad at her for cutting him off with no explanation, but Gideon can’t turn down a case. As a cover, Gideon joins Lily on the school paper. Surprisingly, he finds himself warming up to the welcoming, close-knit staff . . . especially Tess, the cute, witty editor-in-chief.
But as the case gets bigger than Gideon or Lily could have anticipated, Gideon must balance his black-and-white quest for the truth with the full colors of real life—or risk a permanent fade to black.

My opinion: It's a plot we don't often see: the once loved child detective finds the world has moved on and his interests in solving mysteries now make him an outcast. And much like in the lesser known movie "Mystery Team" we have a young detective used to finding missing toys and observing strange goings on at a neighbor's house suddenly confronted with the realities of real, dangerous crime. While the book has it's amusing moments it leans more into the noir feel. It shoots for grit, often falling a bit short, leaving the reader in a bit of a no-man's land of tone. Gideon's development as a character, having to confront his own short comings and learn to rely on and trust other people, give the book some depth and heart, making it worth a read.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley