Non-fiction book review - The Screaming Hairy Armadillo

 

The Screaming Hairy Armadillo and 70 Other Animals with Wild, Wacky Names by Mathew Murrie and Steve Murrie

I've seen a number of different ways that authors have gone about grouping animals for a book: ugly animals, gross animals, extremes of all kinds. This may be the first I've seen that arranges them just by name. Obviously, the focus is on creatures with amusing names. But it's more than just curiosities. We learn some basics about the animals, of course. There's also a fair amount of information about how animals get named. We learn about historic misunderstandings and name based puns. Both amusing and informative. A book that can be enjoyed a little at a time or all at once.

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Book review - The Case of the Loathsome School Lunches

Title: The Case of the Loathsome School Lunches

Author: Angie Lake

Genre: mystery 

Similar books: The Case of the Maker Mischief by Liam O'Donnell

                     The Amazing Life of Azalea Lane by Nikki Shannon Smith 

Rating:

 

a pretty standard kid's mystery

Summary (provided by publisher): Introducing schoolgirl detective, Mina Mistry...
Being at school is boring. It’s really boring when you already know what you’re going to be. It’s really, really boring when you’re going to be something cool like a Private Investigator.
Until then, Mina’s going to practise for her future. By keeping notes on all her classmates, spying on suspicious teachers, noticing every little—
Wait ... 
Aren’t school lunches a bit strange? Chicken nuggets? Again? On Pizza? Covered in chocolate? Nobody wants to live on lettuce and broccoli, but children are losing teeth over this! This needs investigating. 
This looks like a case for Mina Mistry.

My opinion: Let's be frank. The plot of this book is a little bit nonsense. It takes the idea of a kid detective discovering a conspiracy to something of an extreme. Accepting this plot requires a fair amount of suspension of disbelief. I'd say it qualifies as wish fulfillment. Mina snoops around and uncovers a conspiracy perpetrated by supposedly responsible adults. She and her friends are deeply involved in organizing events for their school. The topics skew a bit older than the reading level. Interesting but not compelling in the long term.

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Custom masks

 I got a decent deal on a bulk pack of basic fabric masks. But not only were they plain, they were a bit thin.

With a little fabric from my scrap stash and using the masks as a pattern, I added another layer to each mask, providing both filtering and flair.

 

Book review - Alone in the Woods

Title: Alone in the Woods

Author: Rebecca Behrens

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Red Fox Road by Frances Greenslade

                     The Bigfoot Files by Lindsay Eager

Rating:

 

mostly what you'd expect

Summary (provided by publisher): Jocelyn and Alex have always been best friends...until they aren't. Jocelyn's not sure what happened, but she hopes the annual joint-family vacation in the isolated north woods will be the perfect spot to rekindle their friendship.
But Alex still isn't herself when they get to the cabin. And Jocelyn reaches a breaking point during a rafting trip that goes horribly wrong. When the girls' tube tears it leaves them stranded and alone. And before they know it, the two are hopelessly lost.
Wearing swimsuits and water shoes and with only the contents of their wet backpack, the girls face threats from the elements. And as they spend days and nights lost in the wilderness, they'll have to overcome their fractured friendship to make it out of the woods alive.

My opinion: There's a subset of authors that love survival scenarios as a catalyst for addressing emotional or interpersonal issues. It becomes apparent pretty early on that's where this book is headed. We have livelong friends in their middle school years finding that their paths are diverging in a big way. Their interests have become vastly different and the things that they once shared are no longer enough. Small hurts are quickly blown out of proportion. One has become interested in fashion and popularity, the other in ecology. The portrayal of their flaws is unbalanced, Jocelyn getting significantly more positive traits than Alex. We do see a fair amount of guilt on both sides and ways they both can make more of an effort. A decent read with enough action to keep the reader engaged.

More Information: Alone in the Woods releases October 1. 

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Pick 6: Ghosts

 Culturally, we have something of an obsession with ghosts. Sometimes it's a malicious haunting. Others, it's a spirit imparting wisdom to the living. These stories run the gamut from scary to funny and appeal to a wide ranging audience. Here are six books featuring ghosts published in the past six months.

Six new stories with ghosts:

1. Ghosted in LA by Sina Grace
2. Prelude for Lost Souls by Helene Dunbar
3. Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Key mejia
4. Beetle and the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne
5. Scritch Scratch by Lindsay Currie
6. Double the Danger and Zero Zucchini by Betsy Uhrig
   

Non-fiction book review - Black Heroes of the Wild West

Black Heroes of the Wild West by James Otis Smith

I'd had previous exposure to all three figures in this book but that doesn't make the reading any less cool. We need to learn more about important historical figures, people who stand out from the crowd. People with strong morals. And this scratched an old itch from my childhood obsession with cowboys. This book will make an excellent addition to any school or library collection.
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Book review - Dear Justyce

Title: Dear Justyce

Author: Nic Stone

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi

                      Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles

Rating:

 

compelling reading

Summary (provided by publisher): Vernell LaQuan Banks and Justyce McAllister grew up a block apart in the Southwest Atlanta neighborhood of Wynwood Heights. Years later, though, Justyce walks the illustrious halls of Yale University . . . and Quan sits behind bars at the Fulton Regional Youth Detention Center.
Through a series of flashbacks, vignettes, and letters to Justyce--the protagonist of Dear Martin--Quan's story takes form. Troubles at home and misunderstandings at school give rise to police encounters and tough decisions. But then there's a dead cop and a weapon with Quan's prints on it. What leads a bright kid down a road to a murder charge? Not even Quan is sure.

My opinion: Dear Justyce is the sequel to Dear Martin, but it's not really necessary to read that one to understand this one. While there are references to the events of the previous novel, this plot stand fairly well on it's own. Let's be clear: this is a novel with a pointed political agenda. It seeks to point out the failings of the prison industrial complex and the school to prison pipeline. How those born "disadvantaged" have little chance to make it out of that hole. None of these things are especially surprising. More compelling to me is the portrayal of Quan's involvement in a gang. We see not only how he got involved but his continued dedication to his crew. How they took care of him and his family, his reluctance to betray them even when he disagrees with their actions. It is not a perfect book and has some rather over the top plot elements. Even so, it's a valuable addition to the conversation about race, justice, and the prison system.
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Book review - Horace and Bunwinkle

Title: Horace and Bunwinkle

Author: PJ Gardner

Genre: mystery

Similar books: Bunnicula by James Howe

                     Claude in the Country by Alex T Smith

Rating:

 

kinda cute and layered

Summary (provided by publisher): Horace Homer Higgins III despises dirt. And the outdoors. And ducks. But when his person, Eleanor, moves to a farm called the Homestead, the anxious Boston Terrier is forced to adapt. As if that isn’t enough to strain his nerves, Ellie adopts a perpetually cheerful potbellied pig named Bunwinkle to be his baby sister.
Bunwinkle is delighted to be on the farm despite the stuffy demeanor of her new canine brother. She’s sure she’ll crack his shell eventually—no one can resist her cuteness for long—especially once they bond over watching a TV pet-tective show.
When the duo discovers that neighborhood animals have been disappearing, they decide to use their new detective skills to team up to solve this barnyard mystery. Is it a mountain lion? Or their suspiciously shot-loving veterinarians?
Only one thing seems certain: if they don’t figure it out soon, one of them might be next!

My opinion: Books about animals interacting with humans have to be carefully done. Otherwise the humor can rely too much on the animals not understanding human figures of speech. And that is a trap that this book falls into often. Horace and Bunwinkle misinterpret what their owner says and what they hear on television. They jump to conclusions and get into a lot of trouble. The animal interactions are strong, the mystery elements less so. The evidence is presented in an uneven manner, discovered largely by accident. The resolution is a bit over the top. A good idea with a lot of promise but somewhat lacking in the execution.

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Picture books for everyone

Princesses Versus Dinosaurs by Linda Bailey and Joy Ang

Could this book be more universally appealing? We have the sweet, bright appeal of princesses and the wild fun of dinosaurs. But it's more than just that simply dichotomy. Some of the princesses engage in flower-picking and tea parties. Others have sword fights and climb trees. Some dinosaurs stomp in the mud and break things. Others are engaged in more peaceful pursuits. The two groups are in conflict and share the blame for that conflict equally. Just as the blame is shared, so too is the resolution. Each becomes interested in the activities of the other group until they naturally tear down the barrier between them. It's silly fun with a message about conflict resolution, all tied together with cartoony illustrations. A little something for everyone.  

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Non-fiction book review - Who Gives a Poop?

Who Gives a Poop? by Heather L Montgomery

 Montgomery has not created the typical nonfiction book here. It reads like a series of essays, with a conversational tone. While each chapter has the same overall focus - something we can learn from or about feces - the topics jump around. They don't build on one another at all. This makes it easier to read in fits and starts rather than all in one sitting. There's a general tone of good humor and fascination, just as much about Montgomery's own reactions as about the things we can learn. It's quite well written and looks at a lot of topics that might otherwise be overlooked. Just not a book for the especially squeamish, given some fairly enthusiastic physical descriptions of assorted scat. 

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Book review - Don't Stand So Close to Me

Title: Don't Stand So Close to Me

Author: Eric Walters

Genre: realistic fiction

Rating:

 

 certainly of the moment

Summary (provided by publisher): Thirteen-year-old Quinn and her friends can't believe their luck when spring break is extended an extra two weeks—even if it's because of some virus. But when the impact of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic becomes apparent, everyone, not just the students, has to learn to adjust to their new reality. Quinn’s father is an ER doctor and has to self-isolate to protect his family from the virus. Isaac’s mother is the chief of police and now has to enforce new physical-distancing bylaws. Reese can’t visit her grandmother in her care home anymore. And their entire school has moved to online classes. Sacrifices have to be made to keep everyone safe, but there’s more to life than rules and scary news reports. In an effort to find some good in all this uncertainty, Quinn comes up with an idea that she hopes will bring the entire community together.

My opinion: Obviously, this is a book that is going to speak to young readers right now. It reflects what we've all been living through, the way that the world changed in the spring. It is that snapshot nature that is likely to be the book's downfall in the long term. Even in the past six weeks, the world has changed again and the adjustments Walters shows are out of date. And let's be honest: do kids who are living through COVID restrictions really want to relive it right now?

More information: Don't Stand So Close to Me releases September 22 

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Book review - Displaced

Title: Displaced

Author: Dean Hughes

Genre: realistic fiction:

Similar books: The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney

                      Everlasting Nora by Marie MIranda Cruz

Rating:

 

a little bit heartbreaking

Summary (provided by publisher): Thirteen-year-old Hadi Toma and his family are displaced. At least that’s what the Lebanese government calls them and the thousands of other Syrian refugees that have flooded into Beirut. But as Hadi tries to earn money to feed his family by selling gum on the street corner, he learns that many people who travel the city don’t think they’re displaced—they think that they don’t belong in this country either. Each day he hears insults, but each day he convinces himself they don’t matter, approaching the cars again and again. He hardly dares to dream anymore that this might change.
But then Hadi meets Malek, who has been instructed to work on the same corner. Malek, who talks about going to school and becoming an engineer. But Malek is new to the streets, and Kamal, the man who oversees many of the local street vendors, tells Malek he must work the corner…alone. And people who don’t follow Kamal’s orders don’t last long.
Now Hadi is forced to make a choice between engaging in illegal activities or letting his family starve. Can the boys find a way out of their impossible situation, or will the dream of something greater than their harsh realities remain stubbornly out of reach?

My opinion: It isn't often that we get a refugee story that doesn't end with the main character in a new home in the west, opportunity wide open in front of them. Hughes presents us instead with a family trapped by poverty, in a country already stretched thin for resources. This is a scenario where they were once helped by NGOs but that funding has dried up. The best Hadi can hope for is a slight improvement in circumstances, a situation where he may be able to go to school, where his family may have enough to eat without begging. The greatest value to a book like this one is putting a human face to a crisis.

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Listen with Me

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

This is more than just a story of guilt or innocence. It raises that question of course - Has Amal done a thing worthy of imprisonment? He was in a fight, but was it criminal? The central question of the plot is bigger than a single teenager's guilt, though. It's a question about the entire system. About presumptions based on race. About the school system and the boxes it puts kids into. About cultural failures and violence. We expect kids to be tough but punish them when they fight. And then treat them as if they're dangerous forever after. We expect only a single time of behavior from them from early childhood and punish them for things they don't understand. Zaboi and Salaam suggest that the school system prepares boys for prison, even small infractions taking power from them It's noteworthy that the end of the book does not have Amal in a clear place. He doesn't have answers about his future,He's just thinking, educating himself, an looking for options to make better choices going forward. With such big societal questions being raised, this is an excellent book for discussion. 

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Non-fiction book review - Kids Fight Plastic

Kids Fight Plastic by Martin Dorey

 It's no secret that single use plastic is bad. We hear all the time how damaging it is to the environment. What isn't always clear is why. That's one of the advantages of this book. It lays out in a clear and concise way the short and long term damage done by plastic. We also get clear steps that individuals can take to help. Some of these things can be difficult to achieve, but Dorey breaks it all down into small and achievable steps.It also doesn't ask the individual to fix the plastic problem. It just asks us to weigh our decisions and help to ease the plastic burden.

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Book review - Beauty Mark

Title: Beauty Mark

Author: Carole Boston Weatherford

Genre: verse novel

Similar books: Voices by David Elliott

                      Anastasia by Magadlena Lankosz

Rating:

 

far more compelling than I expected

Summary (provided by publisher): From the day she was born into a troubled home to her reigning days as a Hollywood icon, Marilyn Monroe (née Norma Jeane Mortenson) lived a life that was often defined by others. Here, in a luminous poetic narrative, acclaimed author Carole Boston Weatherford tells Marilyn’s story in a way that restores her voice to its rightful place: center stage. Revisiting Marilyn’s often traumatic early life—foster homes, loneliness, sexual abuse, teen marriage—through a hard-won, meteoric rise to stardom that brought with it exploitation, pill dependency, and depression, the lyrical narrative continues through Marilyn’s famous performance at JFK’s birthday party, three months before her death. In a story at once riveting, moving, and unflinching, Carole Boston Weatherford tells a tale of extraordinary pain and moments of unexpected grace, gumption, and perseverance, as well as the inexorable power of pursuing one’s dreams. A beautifully designed volume.

My opinion: I've never really found Marilyn Monroe to be an especially interesting figure. At least, not before I read this book. I had no idea how fascinating I was going to find her story. Poverty, mental illness, abuse, desperation for recognition and affection, and eventually fame. That fame is actually a very small part of this narrative. The larger focus is on obstacles and people wanting her to conform to societal expectations. Expectations that matched nothing that she saw growing up, that must have felt no more realistic than the ideals of fame to young Norma. While the story is told in Marilyn's voice, it is surprisingly dispassionate, relaying events without speculating much about her deeper feelings towards them. A bit of a niche read but well worth a look.

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Book review - Millionaires for the Month

Title: Millionaires for the Month

Author: Stacy McAnulty

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Effie Starr Zook Has One More Question by Martha Freeman

                      The Dollar Kids by Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Rating:

 

 a tough one to pull off

Summary (provided by publisher): Felix Rannells and Benji Porter were never supposed to be field-trip partners. Felix is a rule follower. Benji is a rule bender. They're not friends. And they don't have anything to talk about. Until . . .
They find a wallet. A wallet that belongs to tech billionaire Laura Friendly. They're totally going to return it-but not before Benji "borrows" twenty dollars to buy hot dogs. Because twenty dollars is like a penny to a billionaire, right?
But a penny has value. A penny doubled every day for thirty days is $5,368,709.12! So that's exactly how much money Laura Friendly challenges Felix and Benji to spend. They have thirty days. They can't tell anyone. And there are LOTS of other rules. But if they succeed, they each get ten million dollars to spend however they want.
Challenge accepted! They rent cool cars, go to Disney World, buy pizza for the whole school-and that's just the beginning! But money can't buy everything or fix every problem. And spending it isn't always as easy and fun as they thought it would be. . .

My opinion: The concept here is one many kids dream of: suddenly finding yourself able to spend indiscriminately, to buy or do anything that pops into your head. By putting limits (limits that will be familiar if you've ever seen Brewster's Millions) on how they can spend the money the plot is more interesting, especially as each of the boys ring different approaches to the endeavor. Benji is looking for fulfillment and recognition. Felix is extremely driven to win and help his mother but torn by his natural inclination to follow the rules. As expected, their relationships are tested. They have initial popularity at large but earn a lot of disapproval. And their more meaningful relationships are tested by the money and secrets. The ending is a bit rough. The final confrontation is awkward, not entirely satisfying, and leaves me with reservations. Entertaining and might serve as a good prompt for a writing project for young readers.

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Listen with me

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

With the state of the world right now, this book about a young Black man in prison and the biases in the justice system seems especially timely. And I'm especially interested to hear the verse novel approach to this narrative. I don't expect that this will be an especially relaxing or comfortable listen but certainly an eye-opening one.

Non-fiction book review - CRISPR

CRISPR by Yolanda Ridge

This is one of the most comprehensive explorations of gene editing that I personally have encountered. Complex but not excessively bogged down with technical jargon. A lay person can understand the content with a minimal amount of effort. We get first an explanation of DNA and genetic engineering, then the story of CRISPR and how scientist intend to use it. That's what we expect, of course, but Ridge doesn't stop there. There's a full exploration of the complications both scientific and moral. We look at how things might go wrong, how we might create new problems, and how gene editing might be misused. And it doesn't tell us what to think so much as it gives us questions to consider. A solid entry in the world of scientific texts.

More information: CRISPR releases September 8. 

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Book review - Teen Titans: Beast Boy

Title: Teen Titans Beast Boy

Author: Kami Garcia

Genre: superhero/graphic novel

Similar books: Ms Marvel: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson

                      Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Louise Simonson

Rating:

one I've been waiting for

Summary (provided by publisher): Garfield Logan has spent his entire life being overlooked. Even in a small town like Eden, Georgia, the seventeen-year-old with green streaks in his hair can't find a way to stand out--and the clock is ticking. Senior year is almost over. If Gar doesn't find a way to impress the social elite at Bull Creek High School, he will never know what it's like to matter. Gar's best friends, Stella and Tank, can't understand why he cares what other people think, and they miss their funny, pizza-loving, video game-obsessed best friend.
Then Gar accepts a wild dare out of the blue. It impresses the popular kids, and his social status soars. But other things are changing, too. Gar grows six inches overnight. His voice drops, and suddenly, he's stronger and faster. He's finally getting everything he wanted, but his newfound popularity comes at a price. Gar has to work harder to impress his new friends. The dares keep getting bigger, and the stakes keep getting higher.
When Gar realizes the extent of his physical changes, he has to dig deep and face the truth about himself--and the people who truly matter--before his life spirals out of control.

My opinion: The Teen Titans are an example of superheroes where we aren't overwhelmed with origin stories (with the exception of Robin). This is probably because we typically only see them in the context of their team while origin stories are the realm of solo books. So I was super excited to learn that DC was introducing this Teen Titans series, with books focused on the history of individual members. It began last year with Raven. Now we come to my personal favorite: Beast Boy. Garcia is digging into Gar's motivations. We see him as a jokster, with humor trying to cover up his feelings of inadequacy. Picolo's illustrations add a great deal of complexity to an otherwise simple story. This is really only an introductory volume but I look forward to seeing how the story develops.

More information: Check out the book trailer here.

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