Graphic novel spotlight - The Secret Science Alliance

The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook by Eleanor Davis

The Secret Science Alliance starts out in pretty familiar territory: a kid, new to town, is looking for a way to fit in with his peers and trying to hide his true interests which have made him an outsider in the past. He's fascinated by science in general and invention in particular. When his efforts fail, he's resigned to loneliness. Then he happens upon two vastly different kids who share his interests. Together they work on inventions and discover a conspiracy of scientific theft. The plot moves in relatively expected directions, though the final act goes pretty far afield. The multiple messages of self-acceptance and expression are important once but the real appeal, so far as I'm concerned, is in the illustrations. There's a magnificent level of detail, lots of extras packed into most pages. And the splash pages - friends you could spend an hour exploring the details in a single spread.

Book review - Spell and Spindle

Title: Spell & Spindle
Author: Michelle Schusterman
Genre: fantasy
Similar books: Flower Moon by Gina Linko
                      Snow and Rose by Emily Winfield Martin
Rating:

not as creepy as I'd have liked, more complex than I'd hoped

Summary (provided by publisher): The Museum of Peculiar Arts holds many oddities--a mechanical heart, a diary bound in its owner's skin . . . and Penny, a child-size marionette who almost looks alive. Fog clouds Penny's memories from before the museum, but she catches glimpses here and there: a stage, deep red curtains, long-fingered hands gripping her strings.
One day, a boy named Chance touches Penny's strings and hears her voice in his head. Penny can listen, and watch, and think?
Now someone else is watching Penny and Chance--a man with a sharp face, a puppeteer who has the tools to change things. A string through a needle. A twist of a spindle. And suddenly Chance is trapped in Penny's marionette body, while Penny is free to run and dance. She knows that finding a way to switch back is the right thing to do. But this body feels so wonderful, so full of life! How can Penny ever return to her puppet shell?

My opinion: The strongest endorsement I can give of this novel is that Schusterman sets up clear rules for the magic of this world and sticks to them. Now, the details of those rules are parceled out throughout the plot, as Penny and Chance discover what is going on, but they remain consistent. She also uses her setting and it's social context to great affect. By setting her story in the 50's she can explore gender roles, race relations, the growth of the suburb, and the post war era all in the context of a mild horror plot. Personally, I'd loved to have seen the creep factor ramped up a couple of degrees but that's more a matter of personal preference than any real censure of the writing style.

More information: Spell and Spindle releases July 31.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Mini clipboard

I found a few of these little notepad clipboards in the dollar bin at Meijer a while back.

I liked the idea of them but not the design. Repainting them seemed simple enough. Here's the first one.

 

Pick 6: early chapter books

To my mind, choosing the right book for a child who is just beginning to read independently can be vital. Luckily, there is a wide range of choices available for such children. This list includes series and standalone books. Here are six books for kids just beginning to read chapter books published in the last six months.

6 new early chapter books

1. Wolfie and Fly: Band on the Run by Cary Fagan 
2. Ellie Engineered by Jackson Pearce
3. Good Night Sleep Tight by Kristina Andres
4. Gracie Laroo by Marsha Qualey
5. The Bolds on Vacation by Julian Clary
6. Superhero Harry by Rachel Ruiz

Book review - The Future Will Be BS Free

Title: The Future Will Be BS Free
Author: Will McIntosh
Genre: dystopia
Similar books: Data Runner by Sam Patel
                      The Silence of Six by EC Myers
Rating:

could have been better

Summary (provided by publisher): In this terrifyingly timely tale for fans of The Eye of Minds, a teen and his group of friends find themselves on the run after using a genius lie-detector contraption to expose their corrupt government.
In a Putin-esque near-future America, the gifted and talented high school has just been eliminated, and Sam and his friends have been using their unexpected free time to work on a tiny, undetectable, utterly reliable lie detector. They're all in it for the money--except Theo, their visionary. For Theo, it's about creating a better world. A BS-free world, where no one can lie, and the honest will thrive.
Just when they finish the prototype and turn down an offer to sell their brainchild to a huge corporation, Theo is found dead. Greedy companies, corrupt privatized police, and even the president herself will stop at nothing to steal the Truth App. Sam sets his sights on exposing all lies and holding everyone accountable.
But he and his friends quickly realize the costs of a BS-free world: the lives of loved ones, and political and economic stability. They now face a difficult question: Is the world capable of operating without lies, or are lies what hold it together?

My opinion: I wanted this book to be political intrigue and technological advancement and fighting against big shadow government. That seems to be what McIntosh wants as well, but it doesn't really get there. Theo's death, the inciting incident, doens't have much emotional impact. We're TOLD that the group is devastated but we don't really see it. We don't experience that devastation with them. Really, Theo existed only to die and fulfill a sort of "too good for this world" role. He never feels like a real person, but rather an ideal. The lack of connection is the basis of most of my complaints. We see events but they never really matter to the reader. 
McIntosh does raise some interesting ideas. We've got a severely economically depressed future, funding cuts to vital services laws governing who can work, totalitarian govenrment. All of this is fairly standard. The more interesting part is the exploration of truth and lies, of kindness and cruelty, of honesty and etiquette. The idea of radical cultural change and how something meant to help can cause immeasurable harm. These ideas make it worth reading, especially in a group setting.

More information: The Future Will Be BS Free releases July 24.

Don't make her angry

My quest to make super hero peg dolls has served to reintroduce me to some more obscure female superheroes. This week I rediscovered She-hulk. She makes a great peg.

 

Picture books for everyone

A Place for Pluto by Stef Wade
Pluto is Peeved by Jacqueline Jules

Picture books can be a great way to introduce social and scientific concepts to young readers. They allow kids to engage with the text and concepts at their own level. These two picture books address the same topic: Pluto's demotion from planetary status. Pluto is Peeved takes more of a social angle. Jules's Pluto goes through a museum, comparing itself to other planets and feeling as if it no longer matters. A Place for Pluto is more scientific, examining how we define a planet, the ways in which Pluto fails that definition, and the other space objects that have a similar status in our solar system. 
 
More information: A Place for Pluto releases July 1.
Advanced Reader Copies provided by NetGalley