Book Review: Book Scavenger

Book Scavenger
By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Henry Holt and Company, 2015
Reviewed from NetGalley
Audience: Grades 4 to 8
ISBN:  9781627791151
Publication Date:  June 2, 2015

Emily's family moves often, but her one constant is Book Scavenger, an online book hunting game that combines literature and treasure hunting.  Now that she is moving to San Francisco, she's excited to learn about the new game from Garrison Griswold, the founder of Book Scavenger.  While on his way to the game unveiling, he is mugged, and ends up in the hospital.  Emily, with her neighbor James, end up at the BART station where the crime occurred and find a book-a book that is part puzzle, part treasure, and part target.  Emily tries to play the new game and learn the ropes at a new school while also trying to dodge men that seem to be after the book.  A fantastic bookish adventure along the lines of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and The Westing Game.

If you know me, you know that I do not use the phrase "like The Westing Game" lightly, but I do feel that this is a fair comparison.  It has a similar feels to TWG due to the game aspect, which was by design.  Garrison Griswold does resemble a charitable Samuel Westing, although Emily is not as feisty as Turtle.  I would still say that Greenglass House has a little more magic, but Book Scavenger is a little more accessible, and more fast paced.

Ignoring the game for a moment, there is also a good friendship story at play here too.  Emily has never made friends before since she knows that she will be moving on.  This time, she does bond with James over his love of puzzles and she learns that it's nice to have a friend, but she doesn't know how to be a good friend when James needs her help on the cipher challenge.  This message isn't heavy-handed, even though as a secondary plot point it could have easily become so, and readers will likely understand the importance of this message.

Like so many adventure novels today, it strikes me as funny that authors have to always explain why the characters cannot use their cell phones to get out of trouble.  You can imagine that this book hunt does get Emily into trouble, and together with James and her brother, Matthew, they are on the run.  Of course Matthew's cell phone battery dies and they are left at the mercy of their enemies.  The message kids, never leave home without a fully charged cell phone!  This is an epidemic in children's literature, right up there with dead/missing parents!  Or, if you choose to write a book, you could set it in the 80's before cell phones were a thing, then you don't have to constantly explain why the characters can't just call the police.

Tangent aside, I would recommend Book Scavenger to readers that love a good puzzle or just love books in general.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Circus Mirandus

Circus Mirandus
By Cassie Beasley
Dial, 2015
Reviewed from NetGalley
Audience: Grades 3 to 7
ISBN:  9780525428435
Expected Publication Date:  June 2, 2015


Micah Tuttle is dismayed at his aunt's behavior.  Ever since she has come to live with him and his grandfather, she's been changing everything and she's nothing like them.  Micah and his grandfather Ephraim believe in magic.  Micah adores hearing his grandfather's stories about the magical Circus Mirandus, and as things are looking very bleak, Ephraim asks the circus' Lightbender for a miracle.  Micah, with the help of the very rational Jenny, must find the circus and try to find the miracle, whatever it may be.

Do you know how annoying it is to love a book, then have someone say "If you liked X, you'll love this book", then you don't love it?  Not here, folks!  If you were an adult that loved The Night Circus, then hand Circus Mirandus over to your children, but not before you read it first!

The circus itself is sufficiently magical.  I'm especially fond of the elephant that can do long division.  She's feisty.  And all of the tents are described in such stunning detail that you can't help but long to go.  The circus also brings up some wonderful questions about childhood.  It's long been believed that children can believe things that adults just can't, and no where is that shown more than the brief moment when the circus is discovered.  It's a sad fact, adults are too rational for our own good.

Micah's story was compelling enough, but the undercurrent of Victoria was heartbreaking.  Here is a woman with talent, but she's cruel and only seeks power.  What a villain!  This isn't really an adventure novel, but it could easily become one if her character was teased out a little bit more.  Instead, it's a quiet novel about family, belief and belonging.

And a giant gorilla balloon, but you should really read the book to find out why.

This was another home run for NetGalley.  I've been quite lucky with them lately, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

Happy Reading!

Historical Fiction for Boys

I have a weird relationship with Historical Fiction.  On one hand, it's not my thing.  I'm not a big history person for the most part, but I will become intrigued by random time periods or stories or people.  But on the other hand, I love period novels like Diamonds and Deceit, The Luxe, and The Diviners.  It also helps if there is something other than just history to get me hooked.

However, historical fiction has a big place in school curriculums.  My favorite reference question ever was a boy that called the library asking for an autobiography by Dracula.  After several questions, I learned that his assignment was to read a historical fiction.  He left with Blood on the River.  Good choice.

My sister contacted me with a librarian question, she needs "living books" for my nephew.  The example she gave were the Little House on the Prairie books.  Something that makes you feel like you are there.  Then, a friend at church was telling me that her son really like historical fiction too, and was blowing through books like crazy.  That was enough motivation for me to come up with a completely non-comprehensive list of historical fiction books.

Miss Tiff's Historical Fiction Picks:

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman.  Adventure, funny, historical-this book checks all the boxes, and it won a Newbery.  It's basically the perfect book.

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Lawson.  This is a book for a slightly older crowd than my target audience of 3-4 grade, but particular chapters would make a great read aloud.

Bud not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.  1936, Flint, Michigan, and jazz.

True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi.  It's about a girl, but this seafaring adventure defies gender.

Emily's Fortune by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.  Another girl, but she's got a great side-kick and they are all trying to outrun the orphan train.

One-handed Catch by Mary Jane Auch.  WWII and baseball, with a little meat grinder accident.  You want to know, don't you?

A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck.  Again, maybe a little old, but a must for any central Illinois kid, and Grandma Dowdel is perfection.

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick.  The Civil War and tall tales combine for what is ultimately an honest look at the difficulty of way.

And since truth is stranger than fiction check out these non-fiction titles:

The Giant and How He Humbugged America by Jim Murphy

Brothers at Bat:  The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick

The Camping Trip that Changed America by Barbara Rosenstock

I Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat by Carlyn Beccia

Now go out there and make some history!!

Happy Reading

Book Review: Flora and Ulysses

Flora and Ulysses:  The Illuminated Adventures
By Kate DiCamillo
Candlewick Press, 2013
Reviewed from paperback
Audience: Grades 4 to 8
ISBN:  9780763660406
Publication Date:  September 1, 2013


Holy Bagumba!  Comic-lover and cynic Flora sees a squirrel in danger of being sucked up by a runaway vacuum cleaner and steps in to save the day.  And because Flora reads comics, she's knows what to do in an emergency, but also knows that the smallest incident can cause a hero to be born, and such is the case with simple squirrel turned superhero, Ulysses.  Because of this squirrel, Flora gets to know her neighbor and her great-nephew William Spiver, learns her mother is a villain, but maybe rather misunderstood and sees her father smile again.  While not heavy-handed, this novel is beautiful, funny, and engaging, and the squirrel is perfection!  A wonderful Newbery selection that will be an easy sell to readers.

I love Scholastic Weekly Reader!  Ali gets it at school so that means I get books too!  This paperback was only $5, so while Ali won't be reading it for another year or two (because she is a genius baby-wink wink), I wanted to read it.  Happily, my copy does not have the double-edged Newbery Award sticker.  Double-edged because it can simultaneously attract and deflect readers.  Newbery-esque has become an adjective meaning "a weighty and heavy-handed novel in which the main character's mother, father, pet, sister, second cousin or mailman dies as a plot device serving only to make readers cry.  See also Bridge-to-Terabithia-ish".  But a Newbery sticker also serves as a quick and dirty reader's advisory tool for teachers, librarians and parents everywhere, meaning "here read this, the experts said it's good!".  

But let's all be honest, Kate DiCamillo doesn't need a sticker.  She doesn't need a Newbery, just like Mo Willems doesn't need another Geisel Award.  Kate DiCamillo is the Newbery Award, and justly.  Her books are lovely and heartfelt and perfect and funny and make me never want to write a word because I just can't measure up.  

Flora is a delight.  She's a cynic yes, but she starts to open her heart up to possibilities once she meets Ulysses.  It's like she suddenly discovers that the world she loves in her comic books is possible.  William Spiver makes an interesting side character because he is intensely annoying, but likable.  Flora's father (George Buckman, how do you do?) is quite lovable, and it's beautiful to see him open up to Flora after he discovers that Ulysses is a superhero squirrel.

Ulysses might be the best squirrel in children's literature today and this is coming from a big Scaredy Squirrel fan!  Ulysses eyes are opened to the world and his delight in it is so refreshing.  I love his squirrel poetry and I think that would be a wonderful writing exercise for a class.  

Honestly, I loved the whole book, once I had 30 solid minutes to sit down and read it.  At first I was reading in fits and starts and it just didn't work, but once I was able to carve out some time, it was perfect.  This would be my new go-to Newbery book.  And it's a bit easier of a read than my old favorite Holes.  

Five beautiful, perfect stars to Flora and Ulysses!  I may just leave it in Ali's crib for her to absorb as she sleeps, but I am sure that she would just gnaw on it.  

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Bridge to Terabithia

Bridge to Terabithia
By Katherine Paterson
HarperCollins, 1977
Reviewed from eBook
Audience: Grades 4-6
ISBN:  9780690013597
Publication Date:  October 21, 1977


Jess is a quiet kid in a family of loud girls and the boisterous boys at school are sometimes too much for him too.  He loves to draw, and loves music class every Friday with Miss Edmunds so he doesn't always fit in, but he tries not to stick out either.  Then Leslie moves in next door.  She's very different from the girls in his family and at his school.  Quickly she becomes the fastest runner in 5th grade, she only wears jeans, and her family doesn't have a TV.  She has a big imagination and quickly becomes friends with Jess.  The two build a fort in the woods known to them as Terabithia and there they imagine that they are a king and queen fighting off evil and protecting Terabithia, while still being perfectly normal kids at school and at home.  Their friendship grows, but is cut short by a terrible accident, and Jess must decide the fate of Terabithia. 

Spoilers ahead!

I never read this book as a child.  I think I was too busy reading Basil of Baker Street for the 9th time.    I think I missed out on most of the poignant books of my time, like Shiloh, Charlotte's Web, and Where the Red Fern Grows.  I just skipped them all.  What were they teaching me in school?  At least I remember Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, otherwise I would think my entire elementary education was a waste!

Moving right along.  Important items of note:  1.) This is not a fantasy.  Remember that terrible movie version of this a couple years ago?  No actual monsters were ever in this book.  It's about actual imagination.  Just going to a place and making up a story and living it out.  Which is something I entirely hope Ali can experience when she gets older.  2.) Leslie dies.  I knew this going in, so the whole time I'm trying to guess how.  Does she have some mysterious hiccuping disease?  Does she catch her death a cold because she was out in the rain?  (This seems to happen all the time in literature).  I didn't see it coming that she died on the rope swing.  That came out of left field for me.  

Overall impression:  good.  Paterson's writing is obviously beautiful, she's won numerous awards and her books are non overlong, but quite readable.  This plot was realistic for the time, although I wonder how many children will be able to relate to this type of rural environment, which was similar to how I felt about Shiloh.  Even though it's not, this book now strikes me as historic fiction because the time period and place are just so different from what children experience now.

The take away for me was the power of imagination and friendship.  Jess had a vivid imagination in his drawing, but he wasn't sure how to translate that to real like and that is what Leslie taught him.  That and how to be a good friend.  I hope this lesson is passed along to children today.  All it takes to have a wonderful time is a quiet place in the park and a bright imagination.  You can put yourself in a castle, a pirate ship, a space shuttle, anything just by pretending.

While I wasn't crying at the end of this book, I know that my 10 year old self would have been bawling.  That's a big bomb to drop on a child, but perhaps a necessary one.  Children are capable of understanding this type of occurrence and a book can help heal those wounds.

I'm glad I finally read Bridge to Terabithia.  Now I guess I need to read Charlotte's Web!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Inkspell

Inkspell
By Cornelia Funke
Scholastic, 2005
Reviewed e-Book
Audience: Grades 5 to 8
ISBN:  9781904442721
Publication Date:  October 5, 2005

Following the conclusion of Inkheart, all seems well for Meggie and her family.  Her mother is back, her family has found a home at Elinor's and everyone seems to be happy.  Except for their longing to visit the land in Inkheart.  Meggie constantly begs her mother for stories of this magical land and even Resa misses her former home.  Then, with the return of Farid telling an amazing story of a reader that read Dustfinger back into the book, Meggie tries it herself and finds her own way to Ombra.  Next Mortimer and Resa go back courtesy of Mortola and now people that were never meant to be in Ombra are affecting the story, a story that has gotten away from Fengolio.  

The Laughing Prince is now the Prince of Sighs, the Adderhead is in control, and the Black Prince quietly administers justice when he can.  It's a wonderful and dangerous world, made all the more so by the meddling of Fengolio and Meggie.  Supposed fix after fix only serve to further ruin the story and even once Meggie's family is reunited, it's under the threat of war, setting up an exciting finale.

I loved Inkheart, which I think I made pretty clear.  If Inkheart was a love letter to the written word, Inkspell is a warning that words can get away from you.  Fengolio has the best of intentions, but he never dreams that his story can take on a mind of its own.  He never imagines that his creation continued to evolve and grow, and trying to tame it again only leads to more pain.  

In some ways, isn't this fan fiction?  A series wraps up, but the story doesn't end as long as their are others that want to continue.  A story never truly dies as long as someone remembers it and adds to it.  Pretty heavy stuff.  What if there is a whole universe out there continuing the Sweet Valley High stories.  What are the Wakefield girls up to now that they are in their 40's?  I think I want to know!

Back to the point.  While I loved Inkheart, Inkspell read like any other fantasy novel to me and it honestly lost a little bit of the magic.  Plus I don't like Orpheus.  Just plain can't stand him.  I'm glad this is not an illustrated novel because I do not think I could look on his sneering, mousy face without vomiting.  Boo to his ending.  I hope he falls in a pit.

Now to Inkdeath.  Reading a series after it is finished is a double-edged sword.  On one hand, you can read it all at once, no waiting in suspense.  But on the other hand, you can read it all at once, and get a little burned out by it.  I'm feeling the burn quite frankly.  I'm not as engaged as I was with Inkheart, so don't expect my review of Inkdeath right away.  I'm going to give myself some time and read some other things first.  Mostly board books.  And occasional baby sleep guides.  That's my life now!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Inkheart

Inkheart
By Cornelia Funke
Scholastic, 2003
Reviewed e-Book
Audience: Grades 5 to 8
ISBN:  97800439852708
Publication Date:  September 23, 2003


Meggie enjoys the simple life that she leads with her father surrounded by books, although they do move rather suddenly on occasion.  She barely remembers a life with her mother, but never asks what happened to her.  Then a strange man baring a stranger name shows up at their door and tells her father, Mo that Capricorn is hunting them.  This begins a long tale of flight, fancy, and fairy tales.

Meggie, Mo, and the stranger Dustfinger flee to their bookish relative, Elinor.  But her high power security system does not keep them safe, and Capricorn's men capture them and take them to a remote village.  Once there, Meggie learns that Mo, or Silvertongue, has read Dustfinger, Capricorn, and heartless Basta out of a book called Inkheart, and accidentally read her mother into it.  Mo has a fascinating and terrible gift of being able to bring characters out of a book, but it is a gift that he can barely control.  After a harrowing escape from Capricorn's village, Meggie, Mo, and Elinor track down the author of the book Fengolio, but are once again captured and now Mo must use his gift to bring down Capricorn.

I was told to read this book by a student that I was interviewing at a scholarship weekend this winter.  We asked everyone for their favorite book and he went on so enthusiastically about Inkheart that I had to give it a try.  (But to be fair he was a very enthusiastic guy.  His energy was infectious, but just a tad exhausting).  However, after reading Inkheart, I think I'm a convert.  I adored it!  To me, it was a love letter to the written word and the power of books.  Every chapter begins with a book quote, books that are now on my mile-long to-read list.  So many of these quotes describe a love of books and reading.  

I knew of these books, naturally, while I was a librarian.  However, with all of the other series coming out at the same time, I didn't bother with this one that was already mostly underway when I started my job.  I regret that now.  Also, as an import, I wonder if Inkheart got the attention that it deserved, although the movie starring Brenden Fraiser hardly helped.  He should really stick to killing mummies.

The text was quite engaging, although it took me a great deal of time to get through the whole book.  I just can't stay up all night reading like I used to, but it was easy enough to read for a bit and come back later.  

This is entirely the type of book that I would love my little Ali Pie to stumble upon later.  It is full of magic, wonder, and heart.  

For all those fantasy fans, Inkheart is a natural choice.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Jennifer, Hecate, MacBeth, William McKinley and Me, Elizabeth

Jennifer, Hecate, MacBeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth
By E. L. Konigsburg
Anthenuem Books, 1967
Review from Audiobook
Audience: Grades 4 to 6
ISBN:  9780807280003
Publication Date: September 1, 1998 by Listening Library


Elizabeth moves around a lot, so she's a little shy and a little uneasy about making friends, especially when some girls her age are two-faced like Cynthia.  Then on Halloween Elizabeth meets Jennifer, a witch, a real witch, not just a Halloween witch.  Jennifer takes Elizabeth on as an apprentice witch and the two girls start and unusual friendship centered around their practice as witches.  While they attempt to make a flying potion, they accidentally become attached to one of the ingredients, a toad and when Elizabeth saves the toad, thus ruining the flying potion, it seems as though the friendship is over.  But there's more to being a friend than witchcraft.

I'm not sure how to organize my thoughts on this book, so I'm just going to give it some bullet points.

• I needed another audiobook for a long-solo commute.  This book was the perfect length, and despite the creepy cover, it was by E. L. Konigsburg.  Everyone loves E. L. Koningsburg so why not?
• Maybe because this was an audiobook, I found that I couldn't, or didn't care to, keep up with the story.  The tone was very dry, which rather makes sense because Jennifer is a strange kind of girl, but it was pretty monotone reading, together with a boring drive on a cloudy day, my attention wandered.
• This book has not aged well.  For 1967, this book rang true, but for 2015, it's very dated.  I can't exactly put my finger on it, but it had the right feel for 1967, not today.  
• How is this book not being banned everywhere?  I am not in favor of banning books, or warning labels, or age guidelines, but really.  It's a book about two girls pretending to be witches, and they are very thorough in their pretending.  I can't imagine that the overprotective parents that want to shield their babies from the evils of Harry Potter would look any more favorably on Jennifer.  Maybe it gets ignored because it's old, and likely out of print.  Maybe it was challenged frequently decades ago, but I just kept thinking over and over, how have I never seen this on a challenge list?
• That cover is terrible!  Jennifer looks far too sinister in it, in my opinion.

The curse of the audiobook strikes again, although I doubt I would have liked this book much if I'd read it.  Not every book can be From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  I think my other problem with audiobooks is that I'm only checking out e-audiobooks that I can download from my library, which means I have a very limited selection.  And I'd rather read a book than listen to it, so I also pass on books I want to read.  So that means I end up listening to books on the very fringe of my reading zone, and thus I'm less likely to enjoy them. 

My hubby and I are taking a road trip to Arizona this summer.  It would be great if I could find an audiobook that we might both enjoy, that is also rather appropriate for tiny ears because Alice will be 10 months by then.  What would you recommend for a family road trip?  But keep in mind that my hubby is not the children's lit fan that I am.  If it's too sweet, he might strand me in Oklahoma, and that would be terrible!

Happy Listening!

Book Review: When Audrey Met Alice

When Audrey Met Alice
By Rebecca Behrens
Soucebooks Jabberwocky, 2014
Review from NetGalley
Audience: Grades 5 to 8
ISBN:  9781402286421
Publication Date:  February 4, 2014


Audrey is the first kid, meaning her mom is president, her dad is a scientist, and there's very little time for her to be with her parents.  Being a first kid is hard-new school, new friends, new house (the White House), and it's not all as amazing as it seems.  Audrey wishes she had someone that understands, and then she finds the diary of Alice Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt's oldest daughter and natural-born troublemaker.  Audrey decides to "eat the world" like Alice and try to convince her parents that she's not a little girl anymore.  Some of Alice's experiences help, but most of them just get Audrey in trouble.  But in the end, Audrey and her parent's have a greater understanding of each other and Audrey does get a little more independence.

I downloaded this book from NetGalley ages ago and only recently found it lingering on my Kindle.  I was looking for something light and fun to read and this seemed perfect.  My little girl is name Alice, and her best baby friend (well, they don't know they're BBFs, but it's going to happen) is named Audrey.  My friend and I got a kick out of the book title and it did prove to be a nice light read.

Audrey finds Alice Roosevelt's diary, and excerpts from this fictional diary tell about Alice's life in the White House.  Audrey tells her own story and then the diary really fills in and gives advice.  Personally, I was more interested in Alice than Audrey, but I'm also an adult.  Audrey is facing an identity crisis since everyone thinks it's amazing to live at the White House, but really, it's lonely even though the country is watching you, waiting for you to make a mistake.  (This really is the case.  There was just a story about the first-daughters looking bored at a White House event or something. I would look bored too if I were a 14-year old at a state function.  I would look bored at the kind of event now!).  

Most readers will relate to Audrey's feelings of being a little lonely, and being treated like a child when she's really a teen.  Parent's don't want their babies to grow up-a fact I totally get now!  And it's even worse when the whole country would prefer that you stay a child.  But Audrey wants to dance, she wants to have a boyfriend, and she wants to live.

Now to Alice.  Oh Alice!  Theodore Roosevelt once said "I can either run the country or control Alice. I can't possibly do both".  (I feel you Theo and my Alice is only 6 months old).  Alice was an uncontrollable force of nature.  She danced, gambled, smoked, drove like bat out of hell, which was really hard back then because car's only went about 20 mph.  And she was the country's princess.  I think that the fictional diary did justice to the real Alice, but it made me want to know more.  And hopefully it will inspire readers to do a little more research too.

With another election coming up, this will be a great book to give to readers that are interested in the lives of first-kids.  Add this to your collection of presidential books.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Ghost Knight

Ghost Knight
By Cornelia Funke
Read by Elliot Hill
Listening Library, 2012
Audiobook borrowed from Library
Audience: Grades 4 to 8
ISBN:  9780307583345
Publication Date:  May 8, 2012


Jon is shipped off to boarding school, presumably so his mother can spend more time with her boyfriend.  This is insult enough, but it also seems that his school is cursed by a band of terrifying ghosts intent on killing Jon since he is of the Hartguild line.  With the help of an eccentric friend, Ella, Jon learns that the only way he might rid himself of these dastardly ghosts is with another ghost, Knight Longsbee, who took an oath to protect the downtrodden.  What follows is a tale of ghosts, knights, toads, choir boys, and learning that people are more than they appear.

Sidebar 1:  I first heard about this book at ALA two years ago.  I went to the Odyssey Awards ceremony and heard Elliot Hill read aloud from this book.  Along with the charming British accent, Elliot is rather dreamy looking, causing some of the librarians to swoon.  The Odyssey Awards ceremony is very cool, so go if you get the chance, plus you get to take the awarded audiobook of your choice.  I took The Fault in Our Stars-which was stupid since I'm officially banned from that book/movie/audiobook/future television or internet series, but there you have it.

Sidebar 2:  I borrowed this book from my library's online library.  Borrowing audiobooks and downloading them right to my phone is great and super easy.  If you are an audiobook person, I highly recommend it.  I am not an audiobook person though, so my actual experience was less than stellar.

The story itself is good.  To an adult, Jon's feeling about his mother's new boyfriend are largely unfounded and really quite whiny, but to put yourself in a child's position and you can see why he feels that way.  Jon's relationship with Ella was the high point for me.  Ella and her grandmother were the real stars in my mind.  I needed that humor more than the adventure story of deadly ghost knights.  

The action is well paced, until the very end, then I felt like it went off the rails a bit.  The main plot point is resolved, the secondary plot point is resolved, so why does the book go on for another four chapters?  I think that I was getting impatient with the story since I knew when the book ended, I would be home, but to me, it dragged on.

I would recommend The Ghost Knight for reading or listening.  But honestly, I'm not a great audiobook girl.  It's a big stumbling block for my reading, especially considering that I used to buy audiobooks.  Now, I sometimes enjoy listening to a favorite book that I've already read, The Westing Game comes to mind, but on most occasions, I'd rather listen to the radio.

All that said, I broke my rule and did listen to another audiobook last weekend on another long drive.  That review is coming up.

Happy Listening!

Book Review: Unleashed

Unleashed:  A Swindle Mystery
By Gordon Korman
Scholastic 2015
Reviewed from NetGalley
Audience: Grades 4 to 6
ISBN:  97800545709354
Publication Date: January 6, 2015


An invention contest, government conspiracies, and giant doberman make up the main plot points in this Swindle mystery.  Luthor the reformed guard dog has started hunting down the exterminator's van, so Melissa, the tech genius that she is, creates an invention to humanely, even by Savannah's strict standards, correct his behavior.  However, this invention is stolen before the contest, and now Melissa won't leave her home, and for that matter, Luthor can't either without terrorizing the neighborhood.  The gang sets their sights on their grumpy new neighbor, but there might be a bigger plot afoot.  Leave it to this band of misfits to figure it out!

I'm hard on the Swindle series sometimes, but I keep reading them.  It's a love-dislike thing.  The books are still quite entertaining, and I have to say that envisioning a middle-aged man strapped to a desk chair trying to escape a top secret government lab is quite funny.  (You'll understand when you read it).  There is a common narrative arc of problem arises, Griffin formulates a plan, Griffin formulates a new plan (because it never works the first time), hilarious chaos ensues, problem-solved, everyone grounded for a week or two, run credits.  

It's a formula that works.  Unleashed, like it's predecessors, is funny and readable.  It's a great book for a somewhat reluctant reader, and great for animal lovers.  It would also make a good classroom read aloud because of all the action and great cliff-hangers toward the end of each chapter.  

Keep 'em coming, Mr. Korman!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Ghosts of Tupelo Landing

The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing
By Shelia Turnage
Kathy Dawson Books, 2014
Reviewed from eBook
Audience: Grades 4 to 8
ISBN:  9780803736719
Publication Date:  February 4, 2014



Tupelo Landing is all abuzz about the big auction, but when Miss Lana makes a bid on the old inn, the town really gets to talking.  How with Miss Lana and Grandma Miss Lacy run an inn?  Is it really haunted?  But the kids at school are more concerned about the new kid in town, Harm, who just happens to be the grandson of mean old moonshiner, Red Crenshaw.  Mo and Dale have a lot to look after at the Desperado Detective Agency, what with the ghost being their only shot for a passing grade in history, and the success of the inn being the only shot for the town to stay afloat.  Just like before, you can expect beautiful language and colorful characters in this companion to Three Times Lucky.

Funny story about how I came to read this book.  When Alice was a newborn, she was a fuss face.  I was constantly singing and talking to her, and I found that she liked being read to.  Instead of reading her picture book after picture book, I just read to her from whatever I was reading.  She liked the constant tone of my voice, and it would usually put her to sleep.  However, I was reading Wild Things:  Acts of Mischief in Children's Literature (review to come, I promise!), and she didn't appreciate anecdotes about German stories involving crazy barbers and children burning to death.  Instead, I thought I would read her some beautifully written chapter books and get her started out right.  My first shot was The Westing Game, which opens with the murder of Sam Westing.  Strike One.  Then I turned to Three Times Lucky and it's lovely southern language.  Again, another murder book!  Strike Two.  I settled on The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing.  Same southern tone and pace, but no murder, just a ghost.  Not too scary for a newborn, right?  I'm questioning all of my parenting decisions right now.

Back to the story.  I would say that you could read this book on its own, although it would make more sense if you read Lucky, although I don't necessarily see this as a sequel.  There is something rather cheap about a sequel, or a series, it's likely my own bias, but a book of this caliber doesn't feel like a sequel.  It's too beautiful on its own.

I have to say that my favorite part was Dale.  He's just a great straight man.  Some of his one-liners were just too much.  I did a lot of highlighting in this book-one of the great positives about eBooks, I don't feel like I am defacing a book to mark in it.  

Take this passage for example:

Dale said. “Dogs don’t change their spots.” 
“Leopards,” Harm said, frowning. “Leopards don’t change their spots.” 
“The animal of the saying can be changed,” Dale said, very cool. “The spots cannot.”

Turnage, Sheila (2014-02-04). The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing (Kindle Locations 1503-1504). Penguin Group US. Kindle Edition. 

That is just typical Dale for you.  He does not exactly understand the world as everyone else does, but it makes for a very entertaining story.

I like revisiting Tupelo landing.  This is a great book to pick up at random, read a couple chapters, and set aside again.  It's a great book to read aloud, and I would recommend reading it to any child in your life, young or older.  I am curious to check out the audiobook because I bet it is just magical.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Thursdays with the Crown

Thursdays with the Crown
By Jessica Day George
Bloomsbury USA Children's, 2014
Reviewed from NetGalley
Audience: Grades 4 to 6
ISBN:  9781619632998
Expected Publication Date:  October 7, 2014


Celie and her friends have been transported to the original home of the Castle Glower, the Glorious Arkover, and have no way of getting back home.  This land is sparsely inhabited by people, but surprisingly inhabited by griffins, including Rufus' parents.  After splitting up, the gang finds an Arkish wizard, but they aren't sure if they can trust him, and it turns out they can't.  When Celie escapes his cave, she finds a Hathelocke wizard, who is just as shady.  Once the gang is reunited, they discover the Tomb of the Builder and bring back some relics that may help their father speak to the castle, that is if they can ever get home.  The plot continues to twist and turn and double back on itself until there is finally a conclusion and another hint at a following book.

Tuesdays at the Castle was excellent and inventive.  Wednesdays in the Tower was entertaining although involved.  Thursdays with the Crown is forced and confusing.  I sincerely hope that George lets the Castle Glower rest.

What bothered me most about this book was that it focused more on a centuries old rivalry between the Arkish and the Hathelockes that was never resolved, although it is implied that is might be roughly resolved by the marriage of Celie's parents.  So much of the book was just the children trying to figure out who built the castle and why, and who actually has rights to it.  I guess this is an important part of the castle's back story, but at the same time, it really slowed down the story.  What also bothered me was once they discovered the relics, they seemed to take a strange hold on Rolf which was never explained.  I felt like many things were written so that readers would just have to accept that it worked, rather than showing why this needed to happen.

Also the ending was unusually tidy in my opinion, although I guess in the other books that was also the case.  After pages and pages of complicated history and adventuring, the castle goes back, the plague is cured and everyone goes home happy with a griffin.  Sorry-spoilers.  

I should do a better job of hiding my displeasure with this book, but when the first book was so much fun, I'm very disappointed to see the following books cheapen that experience.  I would highly recommend Tuesdays at the Castle to readers, and then I would recommend that they stop.  The rest of the series just does not seem to live up to that first book, and if not for the fact that I continue to find copies on NetGalley, I would have given up by now too.

Happy Reading!