Just a note

 Hi friends. Just a quick note to let you know that I'm taking a little time away. I plan to be back to my normal posting schedule in September. See you soon!

Picture books for everyone

 

Burt's Way Home by John Martz

This book isn't quite a picture book but not quite a graphic novel either. It's a short, easily understood narrative in two perspectives: Burt and his new foster mother Lydia. Burt believes himself to be an alien and is attempting to return to space. Lydia wants Burt to feel at ease with her and is giving him space to adjust. Reading this book with an older child allows the adult to discuss different perspectives and the nature of truth. It encourages the child to engage with the text and illustrations in a deeper way. Young children likely will not fully understand the book but may enjoy the dynamic illustrations. 

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Non-fiction book review - Super Animals: the Loudest

 

Super Animals: the Loudest by Reina Ollivier and Karel Claes

 When picking out a non-fiction book for young readers it's hard to go wrong with an animal book. And when it comes to animal books, I'm a fan of focusing on the superlatives. Most young readers are intrigued by extremes. And this book does more than tell us about how loud these creatures are. That is an element of course. So too is the function that being loud serves in the animals lives. We also get a fair amount of generalized info about the creatures and their role in the environment. The illustrations are stylized in a very artistic way. Appealing without having to be photo-realistic.

 Advance Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Fire on Headless Mountain

 

Title: Fire on Headless Mountain

Author: Iain Lawrence

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Red Fox Road by Frances Greenslade

                      The Disaster Days by Rebecca Behrens

Rating:

 

a solid example of the genre

Summary (provided by publisher): Virgil is making his older siblings trek to a mountain lake on a trip unlike any they’ve have taken before. They carry precious cargo: the ashes of their beloved mother, who asked that her remains be scattered at her favorite spot. But when a forest fire is sparked by a bolt of lightning at the exact moment when their van breaks down, the journey quickly turns to disaster.
While the oldest, Josh, is gone to find help, Virgil and his sister, Kaitlyn, spot fleeing animals and soon see flames flickering above the tree line. Once the sky begins to darken with the haze of burning timber, Virgil finds himself separated from his sister and left alone in the wilderness. He isn’t sure he can make it, but with the memory of his late mother, a science teacher, and all her lessons to guide him, he quickly learns that not everything has a perfect explanation and survival starts with letting go.

My opinion: This is the exact sort of survival story I'd have loved as a kid. It combines several compelling elements: siblings at odds, a string of bad luck, a natural disaster, a series of bad choices. The characters have some survival skills but are by no means experts so they have to rely upon determination and quick thinking with a healthy dose of good luck. The characters are distinct and flawed, both their strengths and weaknesses adding to the plot in meaningful ways. There are some plot elements that do more to detract from the development of the central conflicts, that add nothing to the way they are growing. And the plot in general doesn't take many risks. It largely treads the expected pathway. Even so, it's a pretty compelling read and one I would easily recommend to kids who enjoy survival novels.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Treasure box

 Some time ago I was gifted a large box of empty altoid tins and I've been crafting with them ever since, trying out a number of different uses. I'd seen a small jewelry box online with felt dividers and I wanted to try something similar. I made my dividers out of rolls of scrap quilt batting covered with knit fabric. To match the almost royal look of the lining, I painted the outside of the tin to look like a treasure chest.

Book review - I Rise

 

Title: I Rise

Author: Marie Arnold

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman by Kristen R Lee

                     Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro

Rating:

 

worth reading and reflecting upon

Summary (provided by publisher): A heartbreaking and powerful novel about racism and social justice as fourteen-year-old Ayo has to decide whether to take on her mother's activist role when her mom is shot by police. As she tries to find answers, Ayo looks to the wisdom of her ancestors and her Harlem community for guidance.
Ayo's mother founded the biggest civil rights movement to hit New York City in decades. It’s called ‘See Us’ and it tackles police brutality and racial profiling in Harlem. Ayo has spent her entire life being an activist and now, she wants out. She wants to get her first real kiss, have a boyfriend, and just be a normal teen.
When her mom is put into a coma after a riot breaks out between protesters and police, protestors want Ayo to become the face of See Us and fight for justice for her mother who can no longer fight for herself. While she deals with her grief and anger, Ayo must also discover if she has the strength to take over where her mother left off.

My opinion: These days we get a fair amount of books that present us with teen characters thrown into protest and social justice movements by tragic happenstance. In this novel, Arnold shows us instead a character who's whole life has been driven by the movement. Ayo is hoping to define herself outside of that world for the first time. Of course, circumstance forces her back into it but the set-up allows us to consider the question from a different angle - when we see something wrong, what is our obligation? When are we obligated to step-up and is there a fight too big? That's the other interesting element. We meet characters who can't handle the fight and that's okay. They recognize their limits and there's no shame in that. While the book has some elements that don't always ring true or that go too far, overall the discussion it introduces makes it well worth the read.

Advance Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Pick 6: survival

As a child I went through a period where I was obsessed with survival stories. My interest was piqued with My Side of the Mountain and absolutely cemented by Hatchet. For a solid year and a half I read every survival story I could get my hands on, mowing through Gary Paulsen, the I Survived series, and Will Hobbs. It was such a large part of my reading history that I still have affection for those books now and read new survival stories often. So here are six new survival stories published in the past six months.

6 new survival stories:

1. Green Arrow: Stranded by Brendan Deneen
2. Mountain Runaways by Pam Withers
3. Across the Desert by Dusti Bowling
4. Out of Range by Heidi Lang
5. The Hike to Home by Jess Rankin
6. Fire on Headless Mountain by Iaian Lawrence
   

Non-fiction book review - Africa is Not a Country

 

Africa is Not a Country by Margy Burns Knight and Mark Melnicove

This is a topic that we probably need to address for every continent but is especially true for Africa. We have a special cultural blindness for Africa in the West and tend to paint all people in the continent with a single brush. Knight and Melnicove set out to correct this misconception in a simple but clear way. We are introduced to children in a variety of African nations going about their day - doing chores, going to school, interacting with friends and family. We see the parallels in their lives, of course, but also the marked differences in their dress, religion, level of technology, privilege. This is easy enough for even young readers to understand and would make an excellent addition to most any social studies collection. 

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Big Rig

 

Title: Big Rig

Author: Louise Hawes

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: The Stars of Whistling Ridge by Cindy Baldwin

                     The Hike to Home by Jess RInker

Rating:

 

a unique premise

Summary (provided by publisher):Life on the road with Daddy is as good as gets for Hazmat. Together, they've been taking jobs and crisscrossing the US for years. Now Daddy's talking about putting down roots—somewhere Hazmat can go to a real school and make friends. Somewhere Daddy doesn't have to mail-order textbooks about "nature's promise to all women." Somewhere Mom's ashes can rest on a mantel and not on a dashboard.
While everything just keeps changing, sometimes in ways she can't control, Hazmat isn't ready to give up the freedom of long-distance hauling. Sure the road is filled with surprises, from plane crashes and robo trucks to runaway hitchhikers and abandoned babies, but that all makes for great stories! So Hazmat hatches a plan to make sure Daddy's dream never becomes a reality. Because there's only one place Hazmat belongs: in the navigator's seat, right next to Daddy, with the whole country flying by and each day different from the last.

My opinion: I can't say as I've ever encountered a book like this one before. It's more than just the trucker detail (though that's certainly a first). It's a child clinging to a way of life that the world tells them is dying, even as her father seems determined to move on in her best interest. Certainly we've seen child characters go to great lengths, hatch grand plans, to convince their parents that they are right. That small piece of this is familiar. But largely this is the grand story of people on the road: the characters that they meet and the chaos they encounter. The primary characters are strong and dynamic. The secondary characters are complex enough to be interesting. The plot takes some pretty wild turn but we can forgive that in the name of entertainment. A solid read.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Pocket gnomes

 Earlier this summer I was messing around in my yard and decided to whittle a chunk of stick that I found into a simple gnome. I was pretty happy with how he turned out and decided to make more to sell at craft fairs as pocket gnomes. Now, that first gnome (the red hat in the photo) was made of out pine. And pine is a hardwood, so it wasn't exactly easy to carve in the first place. So for the rest of the gnomes I'm working with basswood. It's much easier to cut though it lacks the rustic air of that first gnome.

Book review - Star Knights

 

Title: Star Knights

Author: Kay Davault

Genre: fantasy graphic novel 

Similar books:  Star Beasts by Stephanie Young

                      Cucumber Quest by Gigi D.G.

Rating:

 

good fun

Summary (provided by publisher): What makes a hero?
Brave Star Knights are heroes who go on adventures. But Tad is just a frog, and frogs can’t save the day. Can they? Determined to out-hop his mud-dweller fate and pursue his dream of being a knight, Tad finds himself on a quest with a surprise group of adventurers, including the Star King!
It’s a race against time as Tad searches for a way to take the Star King to the moon so that he can bring peace to the forest—and prove that anybody can be a hero.
Even a frog.

My opinion: I enjoyed this book far more than I expected. I'm not always a big fan of fantasy, especially when it involves witches and transformative magic, though I find it easy to digest in graphic novel form. This is built on a familiar premise - a team of highly magical heroes with unique abilities that they use to protect the innocent and make the world a better place. But Davault quickly moves us out of expected territory. We realize pretty early on that all is not as it seems with the Star Knights. We have a clear social hierarchy that is bound to be turned on it's ear by the story's resolution. While the ultimate reveals are fairly predictable, the characters are charming and the story is compelling. There is the perfect level of tension for middle grade readers. Just a touch of fear without ever becoming properly frightening and a fair dose of humor as well. This is a solid choice for most middle grade readers.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Listen with me

 

Twice as Perfect by Louisa Onome

Let's start by establishing something: I am an adult, white, woman living in the United States. So a book about the teen daughter of Nigerian immigrants living in Canada is pretty far from my lived experience. And my initial response to not understand parts of this book was "okay, so this book is not intended for me". But on further reflection I realize: that's exactly why it is intended for me. A major theme of this book is how these teens struggle to fit into different cultures, how they feel expected to speak for an entire culture. They are weighed down by expectations from their parents and the world around them and it's desperately unfair that they have to act as a bridge. So, no I'm not an immigrant. I don't know Nigerian immigrants. But reading books like this one, books that delve deep into character and ask us to connect with these worlds on a personal level, can help members of the dominant culture understand the unfair ways that they treat people and help us be more sensitive. They endeavor to answer the impertinent questions and maybe prevent us from asking them of real people. And that is valuable. That makes this book absolutely for everyone, both those who will see themselves in it and those who don't know this world at all.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Non-fiction book review - Why the People

 

Why the People by Beka Feathers

Government is complicated, probably far more complicated than most of us realize. Complicated enough that when we realize it is not as simple as we were taught in middle school most of us don't bother trying. That's certainly to our detriment and Feathers is certainly trying to correct that void in our understanding. This book systematically breaks down not only the different forms of government but different variations on those forms. We come to realize, through this book, that the "right" form of government can be dependent upon circumstance and culture, how even ideal forms can go horribly wrong if managed by the wrong people. It's dense and complicated information so it's certainly too much to absorb in a short period of time. But it would make an excellent supplement to government curriculum. 

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Spineless

 

Title: Spineless

Author: Samantha San Miguel

Genre: historical fiction/fantasy

Similar books: Otter Lagoon by Nancy Deas

                     Lemons by Melissa Savage

Rating:

 

interesting elements

Summary (provided by publisher): When his asthma lands him at a health resort in the wilds of Gilded Age South Florida, twelve-year-old Algie Emsworth is over the moon. The scientific treasure trove of unexplored swamps may launch his dream career as a naturalist. But even Algie is startled when he happens upon a brand-new species and her brood in the karst springs surrounding the resort. Algie quickly realizes he must keep his discovery a secret: a famous collector of exotic animals is also staying at the hotel, and the new species is threatened by his very presence. An apparent curse has also descended upon the hotel, bringing with it a deadly red tide. But when the pool starts filling with ink and guests start getting mysterious, sucker-shaped wounds, Algie must pluck up his courage to find the truth about the goings-on at the Grand Hotel—and save the new species from destruction.

My opinion: The strongest part of this book is it's focus on science and responsible exploration. Algie and his new friends want to make important discoveries. It's a vital part of their plans to become famous naturalists. At the same time they want to be sure of what they have found. Additionally, they decide to prioritize the safety of their discovery over their own desires. It's a book that values altruism and shames personal gain. The messaging is a bit blunt and heavy handed, the characters a bit thin in their exploration, especially the 'villain' types. Additionally there is more conflict than action, so it's not the most thrilling read. Still, a decent choice for kids who enjoy more of an historical setting.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Necklace organizer

 Some crafts are born of necessity.

I don't wear necklaces very often but I have a few that I enjoy. I'm always frustrated when I go to put one on and find the chains all tangled up. That's what happened to me this weekend. Now, I could buy an organizer but I am...let's say frugal. Instead, I decided to fashion one myself out of cardboard and paper clips. I cut two end flaps from a box (so they would be the same size) and partially unfolded some paper clips.

It was a simple matter to hot glue the paper clips along the bottom edge of one piece of cardboard and layer the other piece on top. With a hole punched into the cardboard it was ready to hang.

It's a little bland, hanging on the wall, so I'll add some interest with duct tape or paint in future but since I was short on time this weekend this is enough for now.

Update:

I have not found my duct tape but I did find these little color-your-own Marvel posters. A little work with some markers and they make my necklace hanger much more interesting on the wall.

Book review - The Last Beekeeper

 

Title: The Last Beekeeper

Author: Pablo Cartaya

Genre: dystopia

Similar books: D-39: A Robodog's Journey by Irene Latham

                      The Last Wild by Piers Torday

Rating:

 

solid concept, scattered execution

Summary (provided by publisher): In a future shaken by climate disasters, Yolanda Cicerón knows that nature is something to be feared. While life in the Valley is brutal and harsh, Yoly dreams of leaving her farm to live in Silo—the most advanced town for miles around. But first, Yoly will need to prove she belongs in a place where only the smartest and most useful are welcomed.
Between her razor-sharp smarts and sheer determination, Yoly is well on her way until she discovers her family can no longer afford her schooling. When forced to take matters into her own hands, the closer she gets to securing her future, the more she uncovers the dangers lying inside Silo’s walls—ones that threaten the entire Valley.
As she cracks long-guarded secrets, Yoly, along with those closest to her, is put in grave peril and the only chance of surviving may lie in the rediscovery of a long-extinct species—the honeybee. Can the last surviving beehive be the key to pulling the Valley out from under Silo’s thumb, or will they destroy what remains of Yoly’s future?

My opinion: The set up here is strong. We have a world where people are increasingly struggling to get by on their own. The environment is failing them and there is little hope that things will get better. Even in the early chapters we get hints of increasing governmental controls, little stories of people banished for shadowy reasons. And as the title suggests, we're exploring the impact of pollinators on an environment. The ecological messaging is pretty much what we'd expect from a middle grade novel. The political aspects might be a bit of a reach but not too much for an engaged reader. The writing itself is a bit chaotic. It doesn't give us enough background into relationships and characters. Only a few have any depth, so there isn't the emotional connection. We have no basis for understanding how they will act and why. The big ideas behind this book are certainly worth discussing and it was an easy enough read. Just not one that will top my list.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Graphic novel spotlight

 Cat's Cradle: The Golden Twine by Jo Rioux

Fantasy adventures are well suited to the graphic novel format and this one fits neatly into that niche. Rioux combines the wiley humor of Nimona with the contemplation of The Last Unicorn. Suri, our protagonist, is an independent girl determined to make her dreams come true regardless of what anyone else thinks. Through happenstance and a bit too much curiosity, she finds herself on a classic fantasy quest. She's a charming, likeable character and the plot has enough foreboding and promise of things to come to keep the reader engaged. It's not an especially deep read but is a solid example of graphic novel series well suited to the middle grade audience.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Non fiction book review - Alexander von Humbolt

 Alexander von Humboldt by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

von Humboldt is a figure most of us will find unfamiliar. He isn't often the subject of history lessons or children's books. We don't often dig into the world of naturalists or scientific expeditions. Given his focus on the natural world he will be a compelling figure for children. The book focuses on curiosity and the importance of discovery, necessarily avoiding discussion of the dark side of exploration and colonization but that can be corrected via careful conversation with your child. This book will be of particular interest to children interested in animals and scientific classification.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Sherlock Holmes

 

Title: The Blue Carbuncle The Dancing Men and The Empty House

Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Retold by Alex Woolf

Genre: classic mystery

Similar books:The Baker Street Peculiars by Roger Langridge

                     The Baker Street Four by Olivier Legrande

Rating:

 

accessible

Summary (provided by publisher): Join world-famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his ever-loyal sidekick Dr. Watson as they embark on a daring adventure.
When the Countess of Morcar's priceless blue jewel is stolen, a former thief is charged with the crime, but is he really guilty? Never fear: Sherlock Holmes is on the case, and the truth will out!
Hilton Cubitt is worried. Drawings of "dancing men" keep appearing around his house and they're frightening his wife, who seems to know what they mean. Can our brilliant hero solve the mystery of these drawings before disaster strikes?
The whole of London is shocked and baffled by the murder of Ronald Adair. It seems like an impossible crime! Can our sensational sleuth solve the mystery of how Adair was killed before the murderer strikes again?

My opinion: Sherlock Holmes can be compelling reading but the original text can be difficult to follow. For kids who are still working on reading comprehension the old fashioned highly descriptive language of Doyle's original work is too much and adaptations are often necessary. Woolf's version is quite simplified. The writing is stripped down to really only the basics needed to follow the mystery. There is little in the way of description or reflection. We get facts and some basic dialogue, no character development or exploration of motivation. For quite young readers this adaptation series is probably sufficient. For slightly older kids who are trying to puzzle through Doyle's original works, this series could work as a supportive text, helping them to understand the heart of what they have read.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Blueberry plaque

 I dug up my collection of plaques to paint again and selected this one. With the more elegant shape I wanted something natural and pleasing for a subject. After a failed attempt at some flowers I settled on blueberries.