Non-fiction book review - The Wonders We Seek

 

The Wonders We Seek by Saadia Faruqi and Aneesa Mumtaz

I've made no secret of my fondness for profile collections. I love to read about figures left out of my history education and the impact they made on the world. And this collection provides us with a wide variety of influences: athletes, scientists, philosophers artists, political activists and more. The early section has a special focus on mathematics and the sharing of information, the structures on which many of our educational systems were built that would not be possible without Muslim influence. Some of these figures will be quite familiar to all readers (Muhammad Ali, Malala, and such) while others will probably be new but no less inspiring as a result. These profiles have enough detail to feel informative but not so much as to be overwhelming. A solid read.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Thief

 

Title: Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Thief

Author: Maurice LeBlanc

Genre: mystery/humor

Similar books: Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C Bunce

                      The Baker Street Peculiars by Roger Langridge

Rating:

 

fun, if you sell it right

Summary (provided by publisher): In 1907, Author Maurice Leblanc released the first collection of stories recounting the adventures of Arsene Lupin, a charming thief and master of disguises. The character became quite popular, featured in 17 novels and 39 novellas, inspiring generations of charming anti-heroes to follow. This brand new edition of the first Arsene Lupin novel is beautifully illustrated by artist Vincent Mallie, capturing the joyful style of an animated feature as if created by renowned director Hayao Miyazaki (whose first directorial release was LUPIN THE 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro, which is filled with nods to Leblanc's classic character).
Collecting the first 9 novellas, this illustrated edition features dozens of black-and-white and full-color illustrations and plates including numerous two-page spreads that evoke the beauty and charm of a Studio Ghibli production.

My opinion: Convincing a young reader that an "old" book is worth their time can be a challenge. Kids don't necessarily want to fight against obscure vocabulary and long passages of flowery description. That may be less of a problem with this book. While it has a sort of old fashioned vibe, the language here was easy enough to follow while maintaining a sort of artfulness we don't always see in books for middle graders. The plots are a sort of cheeky nod at rascally behavior. Lupin is, after all, a thief. He steals from people who "deserve it" so we don't feel so bad at him tricking people all of the time. It fits a sort of intersection between Sherlock Holmes and the Scarlet Pimpernel - a character who gets away with daring crimes leaving behind tiny clues that only the sharpest investigator can puzzle out. If your young reader is a dedicated sort, this could be a fun selection.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Rat-tailed radishes - a tale of curiosity and caution

 Since I moved this spring, I can have a garden and I was very excited at the prospect. I spent the end of winter pouring over seed catalogs and deciding what I would plant. I went with a few things I enjoy eating - like beets and kale - but I also wanted to have fun with it so I picked a few random things that struck my fancy. This is how my garden now includes ground cherries and rat-tailed radishes. That last one I picked mostly because the name was funny. 

Once we were safe to plant I sowed my seeds and eagerly awaited the growing plants. As we began to harvest the first crops, I didn't think too much about my rat-tails other than to check the plants occasionally. Then they flowered. A little background here: rat-tailed radishes are a seed pod, unlike the radishes most of us know. I began to realize that each of my plants, over 3 feet tall, was covered in dozens of flowers. And if each flower produces a pod...

I wasn't wrong. We are in the midst of the radish harvest now and it's a lot. My crafting time has largely been spent trying to keep up with the radishes on top of kale and zucchini. As more and more radishes collect in my refrigerator, I've been trying to come up with uses for them.

 

I have 3 bags full right no

 

In addition to chopping them into salads and sauteeing them, this weekend I tried 2 experiments, both of which I'm happy to say turned out pretty well. On the left, we have refrigerator pickled radishes, and the right are radish crisps (made in the dehydrator). I even made a little rat label for the crisps.

 So that's my cautionary tale. Before you plant random vegetables, do a little research and so you know what to expect from you plants. And then maybe don't plant every seed in the packet.

Pick 6: murder mysteries

 The world of fiction is full of mysteries and when those books are aimed at teens, they take on a decidedly murderous bent. Murder mysteries are full of intrigue and danger, making them rather thrilling to read. And some ask us to consider our relationships with each other and with society, so they can also be great for discussion. Here are six murder mysteries for teens published in the last six months.

Six new murder mysteries:

1. Cold by Mariko Tamaki
   
2. All the Best Liars by Amelia Kahaney
   
3. The Summer We Forgot by Caroline Gorge
4. Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed
5. Killing Time by Brenna Ehrlich
6. Summer's Edge by Dana Mele
   

Book review - The Name She Gave Me

 

Title: The Name She Gave Me

Author: Betty Culley

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: See No Color by Shannon Gibney

                      The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert

Rating:

 

emotionally complex

Summary (provided by publisher): Rynn was born with a hole in her heart—literally. Although it was fixed long ago, she still feels an emptiness there when she wonders about her birth family.
As her relationship with her adoptive mother fractures, Rynn finally decides she needs to know more about the rest of her family. Her search starts with a name, the only thing she has from her birth mother, and she quickly learns that she has a younger sister living in foster care in a nearby town. But if Rynn reconnects with her biological sister, it may drive her adoptive family apart for good.
This powerful story uncovers both beautiful and heartbreaking truths and explores how challenging, yet healing, family can be.

My opinion: While we get a fair number of stories about adopted characters, it's not often that these stories explore the emotional turmoil that can come from being adopted - the conflict between loving the parents who chose them and the desire to know where they came from. Even rare is what Culley has given us here. Rynn's adoption is not ideal. Her relationship with her parents is tense at best. While she feels loved (at least by her father) she also feels inadequate. She can't live up to her mother's idea of what a child should be. Her journey is fraught and as much about self discovery and learning to rely on her own strength as it is about the love of a family. The driving force behind this story is almost entirely emotional and quite limited to Rynn's perspective, so it's not a story for everyone. But if you enjoy contemplation this may be a good choice for you.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Mini-cards

 Last year I bought some small pieces of brightly colored cardstock and decided to make some small format notecards out of them. I piloted just a few at a craft fair and was pleased enough with how they turned out that I thought I'd make some more. Here are three sets (I sell them in threes) that I made this weekend.

Book review - The Summer of June

 

Title: The Summer of June

Author: Jamie Sumner

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Living With Viola by Rosena Fung

                     Aster's Good, Right Things by Kate Gordon

Rating:

 

a sensitive, thoughtful read

Summary (provided by publisher): Twelve-year-old June Delancey is kicking summer off with a bang. She shaves her head and sets two goals: she will beat her anxiety and be the lion she knows she can be, instead of the mouse everyone sees. And she and her single mama will own their power as fierce, independent females.
With the help of Homer Juarez, the poetry-citing soccer star who believes in June even when she doesn’t believe in herself, she starts a secret library garden and hatches a plan to make her dreams come true. But when her anxiety becomes too much, everything begins to fall apart. It’s going to take more than a haircut and some flowers to set things right. It’s going to take courage and friends and watermelon pie. Forget second chances. This is the summer of new beginnings.

My opinion: Clinical anxiety is overwhelming, and nearly impossible for the outsider to understand. That's what makes books like this one so important. In June we have a protagonist who has fully come to terms with her anxiety. She accepts the need for her therapist and finding the right medication. And she is determined to "beat" her illness. She's determined and pushes back against things that are hard for her. But the narrative is also realistic. Sometimes she fails. Sometimes the fight is too hard, her anxiety too overpowering, and she shuts down. There is no miracle cure, no perfect ally who will help her overcome. It's a constant battle to win as many days as she can and find comfort in the days that she can't. The plot is fairly simple, giving Sumner plenty of space to develop the characters into fully fleshed people with quirks and failings. A charming read for the introspective sort.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley