Book review - Don't Go to Sleep

 

Title: Don't Go to Sleep

Author: Bryce Moore

Genre: historical mystery/horror

Similar books: Of Monsters and Madness by Jessica Verday

                     The Diviners by Libba Bra

Rating:

 

mostly compelling

Summary (provided by publisher): It's 1918, WW1 is in full swing, and a Spanish Influenza outbreak is on the horizon. In the midst of the chaos, families are being terrorized and people are being killed by a lone man with an axe. As Gianna and her friend Jake investigate the heinous crimes, she realizes she's connected to the killer in a way she could have never imagined.
Gianna is the average seventeen-year-old girl living in 1918 New Orleans. She worries about her family's store, the great war, and a mysterious illness that's about to take hold of the city she loves.
It doesn't help that there also appears to be a mad man on the loose in her neighborhood. The attacks started as burglaries but soon escalate to cold blooded murder. There's a killer out there, and the police can't seem to figure out how to stop him.
Gianna enlists the help of her friend Jake to investigate. And as they study the crimes, they see a common link between the victims, and Gianna can't help but wonder if it's the same man who attacked her family years before.
As Gianna gets closer to the killer, she discovers a connection between them that she never would have suspected.

My opinion: The New Orleans axe murderer is a subject most of us know next to nothing about. It makes for compelling reading, especially when you add in the war and the beginnings of a pandemic. Gianna is a solid character, determined and self-possessed. The secondary characters could use a bit more depth but they are enough for a straightforward tale. For the most part, this book is more entertaining than deep. The ending leaves us with nearly as many questions as answers. Even so, it's an atmospheric tale with some basis in history. The pacing is spot-on, drawing us along but still allowing space for reflection.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Banana hangers

 I saw a picture online of a banana hanger and was inspired to make a version of my own. The original image used cotton cord, a metal loop, and spherical wooden beads. I made mine out of t-shirt strips and some barrel beads salvaged from a worksite.

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.