Little Robot by Ben Hatke
This most recent effort from Hatke is probably closer to his Julia's House for Lost Creatures than his Zita the Spacegirl trilogy. This book has sparse dialogue and rather detailed, expansive illustrations. This lends it a deceptively simple air but leaves a great deal of room for interpretation. It is an imaginative tale that leaves us with just as many questions as answers. The illustrations have Hatke's signature appealing style.
Title: Smart and Spineless
Author: Ann Downer
Personally, I'd never really considered the intellectual capacity of most animals, not to mention invertebrates (apart from jellyfish - I'd wondered on more than one occasion how they can even live without brains and with so little body structure). This book was, therefore, pretty eyeopening. It really challenges our perceptions of what makes something intelligent. If worms, with only two brain cells, are capable of learning, we have no choice but to look at all life differently going forward. While the ideas in this book are surprisingly thought-provoking, the vocabulary and the sentence structure is rather easy to understand. Really, it's a good choice for upper elementary school and middle grade kids just looking to learn a few facts about some animals.
Title: Whippoorwill
Author: Joseph Monninger
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Stay With Me by Paul Griffin
Made of Stars by Kelly York
Rating:
 |
| Nice enough |
Summary: Clair has always tried to ignore her neighbors: their comings and goings, their loud arguments, and all of the junk in their yard. Then they chain up a dog in their yard, only paying him attention to occasionally mistreat him. Clair can't stand to see the dog so desperate for attention that he even loves this abuse. Her efforts to help Wally capture the attention Danny, the boy next door, and forges a connection between them that neither expected.
My opinion: This book makes a comparison between dogs and people, this idea that what we put into our pets and our children is largely what we get out of them. So, there are some interesting parallels between Danny and Wally. Meanwhile Monninger also paints a clear contrast between Danny's and Clair's fathers, who's situations are similar but their responses are far different. While the ideas explored in the novel are fascinating, the plot is relatively simple and the characters don't have a great deal of depth. Interesting but predictable.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
School is nearly back in session around here and that means it's time to prepare for our after-school programs. For me, that largely means planning our puppet program. I've been working on examples, making sure our planned puppets will work for our standard group. One I wanted to try this year is the Coaster Creature from the book Puppet Mania!, a simple puppet using basic craft foam shapes but with a lot of room for personalization. This is the puppet I came up with.
I'm pretty happy with my Harry Potter puppet and it lead me to two conclusions.
1. We will definitely be making Coaster Creatures. They're easy enough for little kids to make and operate but can be complicated if a kid is willing to put in the time.
2. I will definitely discourage the kids from making recognizable characters. It's very difficult to make a familiar face fit the necessary shape and the curve of the puppet makes a strange distortion in the face. I spent probably half an hour drawing and redrawing my pattern just to get it this recognizable and the features are still out of proportion.
Title: A 52-Hertz Whale
Author: Bill Sommer and Natalie Tilghman
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas
Rating:
 |
| Delightful |
Summary: James is a 14 year old with just two interests: whales (especially Salt, the juvenile humpback he sponsors) and trying to understand his peers without actually having to interact with them (Urban Dictionary helps). Darren is a 23 year old trying to get over/win back his ex-girlfriend and survive working on a sitcom in hopes that it will help him in his goal to become a film maker. When Salt seems to be separated from his pod and emails to whale groups aren't helping, James sends a message to Darren. The emails that follow set both on a course that they never expected.
My Opinion: Combine a quirky plot with a tone that is both playful and serious and you have this book. Written as a series of emails, mostly between James and Darren but sometimes including side characters, its a relatively quick read. The email style also means that while we get the complete story of James and Darren, we also get these quick glimpses into the lives of a number of other characters. We see the complications in their lives that affects their actions and how those actions then come into play in the main plot. Most fascinating for me is how this book ends not with solutions and answers but with realizations and a better understanding of the connections we share. That lack of definite answers will frustrate some, but I found it compelling.
More information: A 52-Hertz Whale releases September 1.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
When I introduced this feature last spring, early chapter books were one of the first lists I shared. At the time I focused on new series. Many of the books on this year's lists are part of ongoing series. Still, they are well worth reading. Here are six books for kids just beginning to read chapter books published in the last six months.
6 new early chapter books
1. Dino-Mike and the T-Rex Attack by Franco Aureliani
2. Frank Einstein and the Electro Finger by Jon Scieszka
3. The Ghost and Max Monroe: The Missing Zucchini by L.M. Falcone
4. Pop Goes the Circus by Kate Klise
5. Piper Green and the Fairy Tree by Ellen Potter
6. Francine Poulet Meets the Ghost Raccoon by Kate DiCamillo
Title: Scar Girl
Author: Len Vlahos
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: The Rise and Fall of the Gallivanters by MJ Beaufrand
Adios, Nirvana by Conrad Wesselhoeft
Rating:
 |
| A pretty nice sequel |
Summary: They called themselves The Scar Boys, mostly because of the burn scars that marred the face of their guitarist, Harry. After an accident took vocalist Johnny's leg, the name seemed especially apt. After their first taste of fame and success, their search for direction and purpose leads them to discover that there are many kinds of scars.
My opinion: The first book, The Scar Boys, focused on finding a sense of normalcy while also realizing that none of us are ever truly "normal". It was a fun, sometimes deep, book. This book takes those ideas and builds upon them. It unapologetically explores all of a person's scars. It can be rather rough, emotionally. None of the problems are easily resolved. It's not a perfect read. Some may find the interview style rather distancing, the decisions of some of the characters too simple. If you've read the first book, though, this one is a solid read.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
