Non-fiction book review - Let's Get Festive

 

Let's Get Festive by Joanna Konczak

If you were to judge this book solely by the cover you might expect a simple list of familiar holidays. Don't be fooled. Clocking in at nearly two hundred pages, we get a relatively comprehensive exploration of holidays and festivals. Broken up by intent, rather than calendar date, each celebration gets a full treatment. We learn about the culture it comes from, how it is celebrated, and approximately when it happens during the year. This is a book you can read all at once or revisit periodically as the festivals occur. As such it's a solid choice for a child or a strong resource for adults working with children.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

WWW Wednesday

 What are you currently reading?

The Hysterical Girls of St Bernadette's by Hanna Alkaf - St Bernadette's School for girls has a sterling reputation. But the girls have started screaming. Separately Khadijah and Rachel investigate the screaming and the secrets of the school

What did you recently finish reading?

Pick the Lock by A S King - Ever since the COVID lockdown Jane has not been allowed to leave the house. Her world has been narrowed to her father, brother, and household staff. Her mother is either on tour as a popular punk musician or locked into a series of pneumatic tubes in the house. Through the punk rock opera she is writing and secret access to the house security system, Jane attempts to understand the strange world of her family.

What do you think you'll read next?

Movies Showing Nowhere by Yorick Goldewijk

Book review - Ratty

 

Title: Ratty

Author: Suzanne Selfors

Genre: magical realism

Similar books: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

                      The Curse of Eelgrass Bog by Mary Averling

Rating: 

better than I expected

Summary (provided by publisher): Ratty Barclay wasn't supposed to be born a four-foot-tall, walking, talking rodent, but thanks to the Barclay family curse, he's had to live in hiding from the rest of the world. All he wants for his thirteenth birthday is to return to his family's abandoned estate on Fairweather Island to somehow break the curse. Then he'll finally get to live his life as a four-foot-tall, walking, talking, human boy.

Edweena Gup, the granddaughter of the Barclays' groundskeeper, has dedicated her life to being a Rat-Catcher Extraordinaire like her great-great-great grandmother before her. It doesn't matter that Fairweather Island has been rat-free for over a hundred years—she's determined to make sure everyone is prepared for their imminent return. And when she spots a human-sized rat lurking on the Barclay grounds, her worst fears are confirmed.

Though it seems like Ratty and Edweena are destined to be enemies, they have a lot in common—they're both lonely and misunderstood. But will they be able to overcome their fears of each other and maybe even become . . . friends?

My opinion: The concept here sounds a bit strange and we quickly develop expectations for the direction of the plot. In some ways it matches those expectations but there are enough variations to make it surprising and pleasant. The pacing is strong, moving the action rapidly while leaving just enough space for reflection to allow the characters to have some depth. Ultimately, this is a pleasant read with enough depth to satisfy a young reader.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Are You Nobody Too?

 

Title: Are You Nobody Too?

Author: Tina Cane

Genre: verse novel/realistic fiction

Similar books: With Just One Wing by Brenda Woods

                      Every Shiny Thing by Cordelia Jensen

Rating:

nicely introspective

Summary (provided by publisher): After a year of distance-learning, Emily Sofer finds her world turned upside down: she has to leave the only school she's ever known to attend a public school in Chinatown. For the first time, Emily isn't the only Chinese student around...but looking like everyone else doesn't mean that understanding them will be easy--especially with an intimidating group of cool girls Emily calls The Five.

When Emily discovers that her adoptive parents have been keeping a secret, she feels even more uncertain about who she is. A chance discovery of Emily Dickinson's poetry helps her finally feel seen. . . but can the words of a writer from 200 years ago help her open up again, and find common ground with the Five?

My opinion: There's a lot going on in this book. Emily feels undefined. She's changed schools and doesn't feel like she belongs. She's realizing how different she is from her parents and how her background marks here as different. And she hasn't felt "normal" since the lockdown for the pandemic. She's looking for belonging and doesn't know how to find it. Her sense of isolation rings through every word as she tries to find herself through poetry.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Picture books for everyone - Big Bertha

 

Big Bertha by Amanda Abler

If you are dealing with a kid who loves big machines, this is a unique story to read them. Instead of the standard dump trucks and excavators, this is the story of a boring machine. Presented in a narrative style we follow the impetus for the tunnel, the engineer behind the project, the problems that arose, and the public sentiment for the project. It's an easy to follow narrative that uses accessible vocabulary. Heavily illustrated it includes back matter for more in depth information and a few photos.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Not Another Banned Book

 

Title: Not Another Banned Book

Author: Dana Alison Levy

Genre: Realistic fiction

Similar books: Property of the Rebel Librarian by Allison Varnes

                      Ban This Book by Alan Gratz

Rating:

takes some interesting turns

Summary (provided by publisher): No matter what was going on in Molly's life at home, she always had book club at school. Whether she's dealing with a death in the family or her parent's breaking the news they want to move she is able to read a new book and escape life...even if it is just for a little bit. 

But when someone anonymously notifies school boards about a controversial book in the classroom, her favorite teacher Ms. Lewsiton is suspended...and book club is a banned for the immediate future. 

With weeks until graduation, Molly has never felt more lost. She knows she needs to do something--anything--to prove to everyone that the books they read with Ms. Lewsiton are more important than the adults may realize. 

With her group of friends, Molly will fight to save her book club from writing their favorite author to protests on the football field. Molly will discover that standing up for what you believe in is only half the battle...but will she find she is fully ready to make a change for readers just like her?

My opinion: My first reaction to the idea of this book amounted to "not another banned-books book." There are an awful lot of books out there about kids fighting book bans. And if that's all this was it would be worthy of a weary sigh. But Levy doesn't just give us kids protesting an unfair decision. This book looks at a lot of context, both within the school system and in the character's lives, for the situation. Really, it's less about the book ban and more about Molly's motivation for fighting the situation. It asks what things are worth fighting and when you look for alternatives. This is a more complex, introspective narrative and is well worth reading and discussing.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?

May the Best Player Win by Kyla Zhao - May loves playing chess. But when she's given a special award at a tournament her friend Ralph says something hurtful and the two find themselves in competition to prove which of them is best.

What did you recently finish reading?

Practical Rules for Cursed Witches by Kayla Cottingham - Delilah planned to use her Calling to break the curse on her family but her Calling is hijacked the curse on the Pelumbra twins. She dedicates herself to breaking their curse and saving her new friends. The rest of the Pelumbras, though, don't want the curse broken. And they'll stop at nothing to keep things the way they are.

What do you think you'll read next?

Danica dela Torre, Certified Sleuth by Mikaela Lucido