Graphic novel spotlight - Enola Holmes

 

Enola Holmes by Serena Blasco

The Enola Holmes stories find the delicate balance required in middle grade mysteries between genuine stakes and a lack of gruesome details. Enola investigates actual crime: theft, kidnapping, smuggling, etc. Her life is at times threatened, making for an exciting read, but never goes over the top. Enola herself also finds a balance between doing things her own way and fitting into societal expectations. This is a series that will work well for readers who enjoy a more historical setting. This volume is comprised of three stories, each telling a complete mystery of it's own while also contributing to a larger series plot. The text works in concert with dynamic illustrations to tell a charming tale.

 Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - In the Beautiful Country

 

Title: In the Beautiful Country

Author: Jane Kuo

Genre: realistic fiction/verse novel

Similar books: Front Desk by Kelly Yang

                     A Glasshouse of Stars by Shirley Marr

Rating:

 

gives the reader something to think about

Summary (provided by publisher): Anna can’t wait to move to the beautiful country—the Chinese name for America. Although she’s only ever known life in Taiwan, she can’t help but brag about the move to her family and friends.
But the beautiful country isn’t anything like Anna pictured. Her family can only afford a cramped apartment, she’s bullied at school, and she struggles to understand a new language. On top of that, the restaurant that her parents poured their savings into is barely staying afloat. The version of America that Anna is experiencing is nothing like she imagined. How will she be able to make the beautiful country her home?

My opinion: An immigrant story is a solid choice for a verse novel since a lot of the conflict is internal. This is a story of Anna trying to fit in, trying to make a life in a place she feels constantly off balance and discovering that reality isn't living up to her expectations. Kuo presents the reader with a hard view of the immigrant experience: the constant struggle to get my, harsh criticisms from random people, racism and ignorance, the limitations on opportunities. It's a quick read and doesn't get into deep depth but could work well in contrast to a more idealized story and could inspire discussion of the "American dream" and the notion of the US as the land of opportunities.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Wretched Waterpark

 

Title: Wretched Waterpark

Author: Kiersten White

Genre: mystery/humor

Similar books: A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

                      The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch

Rating:

 

fun, and a bit off the beaten path

Summary (provided by publisher): Meet the Sinister-Winterbottoms: brave Theo, her timid twin, Alexander, and their older sister, Wil. They’re stuck for the summer with their Aunt Saffronia, who doesn’t know how often children need to eat and can’t use a smartphone, and whose feet never quite seem to touch the floor when she glides—er—walks.
When Aunt Saffronia suggests a week pass to the Fathoms of Fun Waterpark, they hastily agree. But the park is even stranger than Aunt Saffronia. The waterslides look like gray gargoyle tongues. The employees wear creepy black dresses and deliver ominous messages. An impossible figure is at the top of the slide tower, people are disappearing, and suspicious goo is seeping into the wave pool.
Something mysterious is happening at Fathoms of Fun, and it’s up to the twins to get to the bottom of it. The mystery, that is. NOT the wave pool. Definitely NOT the wave pool. But are Theo and Alexander out of their depth?

My opinion: White follows the pathway that Lemony Snicket laid, presenting the reader with odd scenarios that the characters largely accept as simply the way the world works. There is a larger mystery at play that is certain to be further revealed as the series progresses but this volume has a complete story all it's own. While that mystery/adventure is a fairly wild one, it never takes itself too seriously so we don't question the logic of events. While it lacks the pseudo-serious tone of Snicket's series, it has a charm all it's own. If your reader has worked through A Series of Unfortunate Events give Sinister Summer a try.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Listen with me

 

All the Best Liars by Amelia Kahaney

Former friends and long time friends, poverty and privilege, revenge and escape all combine together in a solid thriller. The narrative flits back and forth through a six month span, slowly revealing the events that lead to the death of one character and who is really to blame. While the eventual reveal isn't terribly surprising, we've gone through so many suggestions and motivations by that point that it remains satisfying. All three major characters have a reasonable amount of complexity and motivations that aren't immediately apparent. While it's not the most innovative book you'll ever read, it's solidly compelling and carries enough tension that it will probably support a repeat read (or listen).

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Non-fiction book review - Honeybee Rescue

 

Honeybee Rescue by Loree Griffin Burns

Most books that we get about bees stress the role that they play in nature and their behavior within the hive, and frankly that's what I was expecting from this book. Instead, Burns focuses on manufactured hives and bees on the small farm. We are presented with a particular case of a group that has swarmed and is establishing a new hive in a barn. Through simple prose we learn why it needs to be moved and the careful process used to safely relocate them. It's a more subtle way to teach about bee behavior.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Catastrophe

 

Title: Catastrophe

Author: Sherri Winston

Genre: mystery

Similar books: The Case of the Stolen Sixpence by Holly Webb 

                      The Amazing Life of Azaleah Lane by Nikki Shannon Smith

Rating:

 

solid junior mystery

Summary (provided by publisher): Detective Tip #1 Try not to jump to conclusions. Wednesday and her service dog, Woof, are the best detectives in the whole world—or at least their neighborhood. But can they find Mrs. Winters’s missing cat before her big trip? Or will the case of the cat-napped kitty be their first unsolved mystery? 

My opinion: Elementary mysteries are a real challenge to pull off. The author has to set appropriate stakes that will be exciting and meaningful to the child reader without becoming too frightening or putting the characters in real danger. So most of these books center on missing pets or favorite toys, and this one is no exception. But it has a couple of things going for it. First, the vocabulary is accessibly and the writing is straightforward. This means that kids just beginning to read independently will be able to follow the plot as it will assist in comprehension. Second, there is an emphasis on proper investigation techniques and not relying on assumptions. Wednesday has to learn to examine all of the evidence to get a complete picture of what happened to the cat. Lastly, Wednesday's physical limitations, while important to her character and motivations, do not define the plot or every interaction people have with her. It simply an influence on her decision making and on important people in her life. This strikes me as a series worth watching.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Three dapper birds

 

I found this dress really cheap at the store. I liked the bright color and most importantly it has pockets. But it needed a little help. For one thing, it was 2 sizes too big. Luckily, that was easily correctable. I was able to take it in at an angle starting at the armpit and leaving the pockets untouched. Once I got it resized, it was still a bit boring. I wanted to take that basic stripe pattern and jazz it up a bit. 

I planned out a design for the bottom of the skirt that I planned to draw or stitch on some plain fabric that I would then iron onto it. As luck would have it, though, when I opened my sewing box to find my iron-on interfacing, I found instead this metalic patch fabric I'd bought on a whim. It was the perfect thing to really make my design pop.

I traced my design onto the patch fabric, cut it out, and ironed it in place. I finished it off with permanent marker, adding detail to my birds and "telephone lines" to the striping on the dress.