Book review - No Fixed Address

Title: No Fixed Address
Author: Susin Nielsen
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones by Wendelin van Draanen
                      Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
Rating:

a solid read

Summary (provided by publisher): For fans of Wendelin van Draanen and Cynthia Lord, a touching and funny middle-grade story about family, friendship, and growing up when you're one step away from homelessness.
Twelve-and-three-quarter-year-old Felix Knutsson has a knack for trivia. His favorite game show is Who What Where When; he even named his gerbil after the host. Felix's mom, Astrid, is loving but can't seem to hold on to a job. So when they get evicted from their latest shabby apartment, they have to move into a van. Astrid swears him to secrecy; he can't tell anyone about their living arrangement, not even Dylan and Winnie, his best friends at his new school. If he does, she warns him, he'll be taken away from her and put in foster care.
As their circumstances go from bad to worse, Felix gets a chance to audition for a junior edition of Who What Where When, and he's determined to earn a spot on the show. Winning the cash prize could make everything okay again. But things don't turn out the way he expects. . . .
Susin Nielsen deftly combines humor, heartbreak, and hope in this moving story about people who slip through the cracks in society, and about the power of friendship and community to make all the difference.

My opinion: Nielsen's strength is in her characters, well developed and usually atypical. In this case we have a single mother and her quirky son. Topically, it deals with poverty, homelessness, and mental illness and the way these issues affect and compound one another. I like that we see living around the poverty line as normal. Felix admits to his friends that things are tough at home, that his mother sometimes loses her job, that money is tight. This is not seen as shameful but a fact of life. It's only the homelessness that he has to hide, between school rules and the looming threat of the foster system. Each complication to their situation makes the other elements harder to overcome and drives them deeper into poverty. It's a sympathetic, charming read. A few plot elements are a bit fantastic but not to an unforgivable degree.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Books on screen

The Musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow / Turkey Hollow

Originally conceived as a television special that was never produced, one would expect the movie version of this story to be much stronger than the graphic novel. Especially given the role that music plays in the original story. Really, though, Langridge's version feels closer to what Jim Henson intended to produce. 
The plot: With the help of mysterious monsters living in the woods near Turkey Hollow, Tim and Anna stop a scheming farmer from stealing their aunt's land. This is the base plot of both versions of the story. The book is a bit more light-hearted, focusing on music and playfulness. The movie version has a bleaker tone from the outset. It adds a recent divorce, an apparently life-threatening feather allergy, a terrifying local legend, and makes the aunt a fairly angry naturalist. 
The plot of the two versions differs on a lot of details. More importantly, the tone is vastly different. The book captures the innocence of early Muppets. The movie has the more cynical outlook of modern movies. If you love Jim Henson, buy the book.

Non-fiction book review - The True Tale of a Giantess

The True Tale of a Giantess by Anne Renaud

Society has an unfortunate habit of undervaluing or exploiting people with atypical bodies, leading to things like freak shows. Renaud's presentation somewhat whitewashes Barnum, giving us his curiosities as a family who were given amazing opportunities. While this is true, we aren't really shown much of the negatives of being a circus freak, none of the exploitation. I enjoyed reading bout what appeared to be a largely positive experience of this young woman getting to see the world and making a place to fit her since the world would not adapt to her. This could spark some interesting conversations with young readers.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - Kitten Construction Company

Title: Kitten Construction Company
Author: John Patrick Green
Genre: graphic novel
Similar books: Peter and Ernesto by Graham Annable
                      Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton
Rating:

certainly unique

Summary (provided by publisher): All Marmalade wants to do is build things.
She is, after all, a trained architect.
She’s also a distractingly adorable kitten.
Fed up with not being taken seriously because she's so cute,Marmalade bands together with a handful of other aspiring builders—all of them kittens. But in a world where humans call the shots, can the Kitten Construction Company prove their worth . . . without giving up the very things that make them kittens?
(Don't worry, dear reader, the answer is definitely"yes"!)
My Opinion: Kittens working in construction feels like a pretty niche intersection of interests. The appeal for older readers is certainly going to be in the tongue-in-cheek juxtaposition of these ideas. It's a ludicrous image, kittens building a high rise. Green presents us with a truly bizarre idea with zero explanation. How/why are kittens getting jobs? Green doesn't bother with the why, just the silliness inherent in the image. There is a lot of humor supporting a message about being true to yourself, even when all of society dismisses your dreams.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Non-fiction book review: Learn to Draw Mickey Mouse and Friends

Learn to Draw Mickey Mouse & Friends 

Personally, I find "how to draw" books a bit of a mixed bag. Too often, the focus is on presenting the subject in as few steps as possible. This can lead to a lot of frustration for a young artist as the change between the steps isn't always clear. That isn't the case here. Steps are fairly clear. More importantly, this is more than a simple how to. It's a short retrospective, an exploration of how characters change over time. We are shown how personality changes are reflected in drawing style and how changes in art styles can influence character. That makes this as much a coffee table book as a drawing book, so there's a little something for everyone. 
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - Snazzy Cat Capers

Title: Snazzy Cat Capers
Author: Deanna Kent
Genre: adventure
Similar books: Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires
                      Platypus Police Squad by Jarrett Krosoczka
Rating:

delicious fun

 Summary (provided by publisher): Ophelia von Hairball is on a mission to be the world’s most famous cat burglar. In order to win the prestigious Top Burglar Award from the Furry Feline Burglary Institute (FFBI), she must steal the giant Himalayan diamond. But her ne-fur-ious cousin Pierre will stop at nothing to thwart her plans. Determined to get her paws on the prize, Ophelia reluctantly enlists the help of Oscar F. Gold, a goldfish who invents nifty gadgets. Together, they embark on a globe-trotting mission to pull off Ophelia's most daring heist yet!

My opinion: A heist plot isn't the first thing you think of for a young audience. It's also somewhat counter-intuitive to have a career thief as your protagonist in children's fiction. Kent is aware of these potential concerns. Members of the FFBI steal jewels, but only to prove they can do it and then they return the loot to the owners. Their goals are more about being classy and smart than acquiring goods. Really, that's the central message of this book: the difference between doing things the right way, thinking through all the angles, and doing things the easy way. There are, of course, messages about being a team player and fighting fair, as is typical of kid's novels. This volume gives us a solid introduction to a few characters, aspects I'd expect to see built upon in future volumes. The print books is peppered with stylized, appealing illustrations. The audio book has a great sense of timing. It's not so slow as to become boring but not so fast that a young listener will have difficulty following. Eileen Stevens narrates with a variety of voices.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley, Audio provided by Macmillain Audio

When does Arthur show up?

Last week I posted about a plaque I repainted. It turned out okay so I thought I might paint some more and sell them, eventually. 

Eventually came sooner than I expected. As it turns out, my small town had an art show this weekend and I wanted to submit something. I wasn't happy with that river scene so I thought I'd try something new. The sword in the stone has been on my mind lately and seemed like a good subject for a painting. I'm MUCH happier with this one.

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. Here are six murder mysteries for teens published in the last six months.

6 new murder mysteries :

1. Black Chuck by Regan McDonell

2. White Rabbit by Caleb Roehrig

3. Dead Weight by Terry Blas

4. Spectacle by Megan Rose Gedris

5. Blood Will Out by Jo Treggiani

6. The Ruinous Sweep by Tim Wynne-Jones

Non fiction book review - Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa by Isabel Sanchez Vegara

Mother Teresa was one of those figures that I never really knew much about. I mean, I knew that she worked with the poor in India, that she lived among them and had close contact with lepers. But that was it. This is a very shallow, simple biography of course, simple explanations and a few logical holes. Sill, I like this use of a real life example to express moral lessons to small children. Generosity and compassion are great concepts to instill in the very young. This series has the potential to provide small children with real, admirable heroes to model themselves after.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - The Benefits of Being an Octopus

Title: The Benefits of Being an Octopus
Author: Ann Braden
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Just Under the Clouds by Melissa Sarno
                      Hold Fast by Blue Balliet
Rating:

important, though imperfect

Summary (provided by publisher): Seventh-grader Zoey has her hands full as she takes care of her much younger siblings after school every day while her mom works her shift at the pizza parlor. Not that her mom seems to appreciate it. At least there's Lenny, her mom's boyfriend—they all get to live in his nice, clean trailer.
At school, Zoey tries to stay under the radar. Her only friend Fuchsia has her own issues, and since they're in an entirely different world than the rich kids, it's best if no one notices them.
Zoey thinks how much easier everything would be if she were an octopus: eight arms to do eight things at once. Incredible camouflage ability and steady, unblinking vision. Powerful protective defenses.
Unfortunately, she's not totally invisible, and one of her teachers forces her to join the debate club. Even though Zoey resists participating, debate ultimately leads her to see things in a new way: her mom’s relationship with Lenny, Fuchsia's situation, and her own place in this town of people who think they're better than her. Can Zoey find the courage to speak up, even if it means risking the most stable home she's ever had?
This moving debut novel explores the cultural divides around class and the gun debate through the eyes of one girl, living on the edges of society, trying to find her way forward.

My Opinion: We need stories of poverty. More importantly, we need to see stories not of sudden poverty, but of long term struggles, of poverty as a general way of life. We need to see it as an ongoing reality rather than a quick loss and desperation to escape. We need to see it in degrees. And that's what Braden gives us here. This is a family that has been functionally homeless, jumping between housing situations. They stay in an emotionally unhealthy place because it is physically stable and finding anything else requires too much financial commitment. Braden explores the demands on caregiving children, the complexities of an abusive home, the gun debate, and, to a small degree, our cultural relationship with foster care. Some of these plot elements didn't entirely land. The opinions in the student gun debate are overly simplified and dismissive. Fuchsia's sub plot, too, is overly simplistic. With it's high concept ideas I would hesitate to spring it on unsuspecting young readers, but in the right environment it could inspire some wonderful and thought-provoking follow-up conversations.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

In which I channel Bob Ross

I've developed the habit of buying cheap plaques at dollar stores and the like with the purpose of repainting the. I have vague plans to try selling them at my craft fair this year.

This is my first attempt:

before...

...and after

 I may have actually used the term happy little tree while I was painting. It's a bit pedestrian but it gives me hope that future efforts may be more artistic.

Picture books for everyone

The Wild Beast by Eric Walters

Small children enjoy explanatory stories like this one. I clearly remember enjoying How the Camel Got His Hump and The Elephant Child when I was small, and this tale is right in line with those. Even a small child understands that the "just so" of a just so story is not truth but a source of humor. For an older child, this book could be the starting point for any number of lessons in creation stories, conservation, even an art project.

More information: The Wild Beast releases September 25.

Non-fiction book review - Death Eaters

Death Eaters by Kelly Milner Halls

This is a classic case of using the gross or grim to get children to engage with the educational. Decomposition is disgusting. It's also fascinating and absolutely necessary. I have to give Halls a lot of credit. The exploration is clinical and straightforward. She doesn't dwell on the grosser details. She uses technical terms and lays out the process scientifically. One might complain ti's a bit too clinical. The vocabulary could be a bit challenging.
We meet a wide variety of scavengers and the stages at which they are likely to feed on a corpse. Educational and engaging.

More information: Death Eaters releases October 1.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - Big Words Small Stories: The Missing Donut

Title: The Missing Donut
Author: Judith Henderson
Genre: early chapter book
Similar books: Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant
                      Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo
Rating:

mediocre plot, but unique format

Summary (provided by publisher): Here's a collection of short stories with a twist. The five stories all feature the misadventures of a boy named Cris, who “likes things all in a row,” and his cat, Crat, who “likes to mix things up.” Running within each of these lighthearted stories is another story, this one about the Sprinkle Fairy, owner of a word factory in Sicily, “where the best words in the world come from.” The Sprinkle Fairy has a team of helpers, called the Sprinklers, who have slipped one of her big words (like, discombobulated) into each of the small stories. Luckily, the Sprinklers provide warnings right before the big words appear (“Big word coming!”) and include their pronunciations and meanings afterward. Then, a bonus story at the end --- “A Small Play on Big Words” --- uses all the big words together. Judith Henderson has created an innovative approach to an early reader that involves children in simple, fun-to-read stories, while using a clever, playful device to enrich their vocabularies at the same time. The quirky stories are funny, with storylines that build on each other. The appealing blend of deadpan and slapstick humor in the text is paired with multiple spot illustrations by T. L. McBeth on every page. The tone and accessibility are pitch-perfect for emerging readers. This title is part of a three-book series --- each book with its own character duo, but all starring the Sprinkle Fairy and her Sprinklers.

My opinion:  I never have much in the way of expectations when it comes to easy readers because the focus is more on vocabulary than storytelling. This one is fairly standard for plot, in that there isn't much of one. The stories are very simple. The format is outstanding. Each story has a low level vocabulary with a single multiple syllable word. There is ample notice that the complex word is coming, a pronunciation guide, a simple definition, and a good amount of context to understand it's use. Each story's plot is essentially just prolonged context for the larger word. It's not much of a pleasure read but as an educational tool, it's spot on.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.