Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy
By Karen Foxlee
Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2014
Reviewed from NetGalley
Audience: Gr 3-5
ISBN:  9780385753548
Publication Date:  January 28, 2014


After her mother's death, Ophelia's father moves her family to a new city which is constantly blanketed in snow so he may work at the museum curating their sword collection.  Ophelia is a practical girl, despite her mother's fanciful imagination and writing career, so when she discovers a little known exhibit at the museum called The Marvelous Boy, she is surprised to find a boy trapped in a room and learn about his mission to stop the Snow Queen.  He must find the sword, find the Other Own, and help to defeat the queen before the clock chimes or the world will be permanently frozen.  Ophelia takes up the challenge, but as just one little girl against an ever changing museum of curiosities, she feels alone and helpless.  When all seems lost, Ophelia seems to hear her mother's voice and understands what she can do to help the boy and her family.  Much like Liesl and Po, this story shows that brightness can return after a very dark time. 

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy was just what I needed to get back on track with my reading.  I've been struggling to read for pleasure this winter, and it took a book about endless cold and snow to shake me out of that funk.  This truly is the same type of quietly magical book as Liesl and Po that tells readers the cold, darkness will end, and the sun will shine.  Now, I just have to find the sword and kill the Snow Queen and maybe we will have spring!

This is not just Ophelia's story, however.  The Marvelous Boy has a harrowing tale of wizards, magic, misery birds, sorrow owls, and great travels.  His story actually gives Ophelia hope and strengthens her for her own adventures.  This is exactly the type of interwoven tale that I love to read.

The ending leaves room for a sequel, but like Tuesdays in the Castle, I'm not sure that it exactly needs one.  The action is pretty well resolved but for one minor point.  If a sequel were to come out, I would read it, but I would hate to see this beautiful story become a tired series.  

For a book that is sure to warm your heart on a cold day, try Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy.

Happy Reading!

Well, that was a bad idea

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor will be released on April 8.  There are several wonderful and beautiful things about April 8.  One, Dreams of Gods and Monsters will be released that day (I can't say that often enough).  Two, with any luck, it will be spring-ish by that time and that will make me very happy.  Three, I will have been married for five years by then! (What?!  That's a post in the making.)  Finally, the previous week will have been crazy busy for me at work, so April 8 is my reward for all of the long hours, maybe I'll just take it off entirely.

But April 8 is still six weeks away.  Six Weeks!  Six weeks until it's properly spring (hopefully), I've hit a marriage milestone, my big work events are finished, and six weeks until Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor is released!

And just today I found out that you can read the first two chapters at Entertainment Weekly.  I check it out even though I knew I would regret reading those two chapters because I would still have six more weeks to wait until I could get the whole story.  It's like that rare 50 degree day you get before getting six more weeks of 20 degree temperatures.  (Can you tell my life is being ruined by weather right now?)

Here's what amazing about this book:  It doesn't open with Karou or Akiva or Zuzana or any seraphim or chimera.  It opens with Eliza.  Who's Eliza?  I don't know!  But she's important, or will be over the course of the story.  Those two chapters raise so many questions and don't do a thing to check in on the biggest characters in the series.  Well played, Laini.  

For anyone out there that is just a glutton for punishment, go read the first two chapters.  You'll regret it, but in a good way.  In a this-is-going-to-be-incredible-but-I'll-just-have-to-wait kind of way.  Or, if you're the kinda person that hates spoilers and just wants to devour the book all at once, then wait until April 8.  Either way, you'll love the newest Daughter of Smoke and Bone book.

Happy Reading!

Scribbles and Ink: Out of the Box

Scribbles and Ink: Out of the Box
By Ethan Long
Blue Apple Books, 2014
Reviewed from NetGalley
Audience: K to 3
ISBN:  9781609053666
Publication Date:  March 11, 2014

When Ink orders some cheese online, Scribbles becomes enchanted by the box and sets out to make something spectacular.  His creation works fine for him, but doesn't work for Ink, so Ink makes it over.  Then it's a fight to see who can make the best creation, when the box is finally torn up.  But Scribbles knows how to fix this situation and make them both very happy.  Another great easy reader from Ethan Long about friendship and working together.

There's so much to love about this adventure between Scribbles and Ink.  First of all, kids love playing with boxes.  In fact, I did a whole story time just on boxes and we played with a pile of them at the end.  It's completely relatable.

Also, friends know that feeling all too well when a playdate or project goes wrong and you both say something you wish you hadn't.  But there's always a way to overcome that, like Scribbles did.  And doing a massive amount of online shopping never hurts.

I've got a major thing for buddy books lately and that's got me thinking about the best buddy books for young readers.  I'll be back tomorrow with my picks.

But for right now, think outside the box with Scribbles and Ink.

Happy Reading!

Okay, Andy!

Okay, Andy!
By Maxwell Eaton III
Blue Apple Books, 2014
Reviewed from NetGalley
Audience:  Preschool to Grade 3
ISBN:  9781609053505
Publication Date:  February 11, 2014

Andy the alligator and Preston the rodent-like animal are unlikely friends.  First, Andy is trying to catch a rabbit and Preston is not exactly helping.  Then, Preston start picking up many different items in the forest and when Andy gets angry with him, they both exchange presents to make up.  Finally, Andy is just trying to get some sleep when Preston wants to play a guessing game.  Maybe this book is a little less about friendship and a little more about the parent child relationship sometimes as Preston can be a little too much to take.   Readers will love the simple drawings and action and find themselves laughing out loud more than once.  

I first discovered Maxwell Eaton III from The Adventures of Max and Pinky: Best Buds.  It's another great buddy book that features plenty of marshmallows.  This book follows the same simple style that will appeal to beginning readers.  I just love a simple, charming, entertaining easy reader in the land of formula fiction ickiness from TV and movies.  

Sit down with your best buddy, or pet, or toy, and share Okay, Andy! today. 

Happy Reading!

The Most Magnificent Thing

The Most Magnificent Thing
By Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press , 2014
Reviewed from NetGalley
Audience:  Preschool to Grade 3
ISBN:  9781554537044
Publication Date:  April 1, 2014


A girl and her very best friend, her dog, love to create things, and one day she sets out to create the most magnificent thing!  She sets to work interviewing an assistant, also her dog, and sets up shop in a little out of the way place, the city sidewalk.  But her thing isn't magnificent.  She fixes, and prods, and pulls, and works until she is furious, but her thing remains un-extraordinary.  Finally, she takes a walk with the dog and calms down.  When she comes back to her workshop, she sees that each prototype has a magnificent component, and when put together, makes a pretty magnificent thing.  

I'm a little head over heals for this book.  It had me from the dedication:  "For all the little perfectionists in the world".  This girl wants so badly to succeed, and without realizing it, she does.  All of her prototypes are the perfect thing for her friends and neighbors as they pick them up for their own needs.  Plus all those failures led her to her final creation, which is a great lesson for any reader, no matter the age.  

And the illustrations!  The dog is adorable in each spread has he "helps" her work, sometimes by chasing squirrels away from the work site.  Readers will also clearly see her frustration as the project fails, but joy as it comes back together.  

I'm a big fan of Ashley Spires Binky books because they are expressive and a little subversive.  They have something for kids and adults to chuckle about.  The Most Magnificent Thing is exactly like that, plus there is a great message about not giving up on your dream.  I want to buy so many copies of this book and distribute them at every baby shower I attend.  So much better than some sappy old copy of Love You Forever.  

For more fun with girl inventors, be sure to check out GoldieBlox, a whole toy line with the dream of inspiring girls to put down the dolls and pick up a socket wrench.  You might have seen their commercial during the SuperBowl and trust me, their product looks amazing.  And I love their tag line--"More than just a princess".  That is the perfect message to send to little girls everywhere!

I just can't say enough good things about this book.  Love, love, love it!  All aspiring inventors out there, or anyone with a dog, will absolutely adore this book.

Happy Reading!

100 Hungry Monkeys!

100 Hungry Monkeys!
By Masayuki Sebe
Kids Can Press, 2014
Reviewed from NetGalley
Audience:  Preschool to Grade 2
ISBN:  9781771380454
Publication Date:  March 1, 2014


It's lunchtime, but there's no food!  One hundred hungry monkeys set off to find something good to eat, but encounter a bigger adventure along the way.  The book ends happily enough with 100, or maybe 99, sleepy monkeys with a new friend, all dreaming of tomorrow.  This combination storybook and hidden picture book is sure to please individual readers.

I say that this is for individual readers, or a reader and parent, because there is just too much going on to share during a story time.  At first, I tried to read the "plot" and all the monkey's jibber-jabber, but it got to be too much.  On each spread, the reader is invited to find certain items, and particular monkeys, like the strongest monkey or sleeping monkey.  I would recommend that after reading the main story, go back and read all the monkey dialogue and look for the missing objects.  Just remember, no circling the answers if you are reading from a library book!  Maybe use sticky tabs instead.  

Any reader that is crazy about monkeys will love finding the hidden objects and seeing all the trouble these monkeys make.

Happy Reading!

There Was an Old Sailor

There Was an Old Sailor
By Claire Saxby
Illustrated by Cassandra Allen
Kids Can Press, 2014
Reviewed from NetGalley
Audience:  Preschool to Grade 2
ISBN:  9781771380225
Publication Date:  March 1, 2014

Out on the open sea, an old sailor is up to something.  First a krill, then a jellyfish, fish, ray, seal, shark and even a whale, down it all goes until, BURP!  Like all big fish stories (pun intended) this one is completely ridiculous and the illustrations will have readers laughing.  I even let out an involuntary "whoa!" when he swallowed the shark.  

I can imagine this being a big hit at story time, whether it's a full series of "There was an old (blank) who swallowed a (blank)" books, or a series of ocean/fishermen/sailing stories.  What I love most about this type of tale is how it plays to the audience.  It's a great opportunity to ask the children if the sailor should really be swallowing these things.  I also read that repetition faster and faster as it gets longer, only adding to the excitement.  There are some spots where the rhyme doesn't quite work for me, but that's where story teller's license comes into play-just change it to something that does flow.  

The illustrations completely make up for any hiccups in the text.  Seeing those end papers with the beautifully swirling water makes me want to design a sailing room in my house.  Or move to a quaint cottage on the coast, where it's always July.

This is a good addition to similar books with building rhymes, and the illustrations make it something really special.

Happy Reading!  

Cress

Cress
By Marissa Meyer
Feiwel and Friends, 2014
Reviewed from galley
Audience:  Ages 14 and up
ISBN:  9780312642976
Publication Date:  February 4, 2014


Cress has been locked away in a satellite running technological defense for the Lunar army for seven years.  She sees the feeds from Earth and honestly feels for the earthlings and their society as Queen Levana prepares to wed Emperor Kaito and take over the world.  So, instead of finding the fugitives Cinder and Thorne to turn them over to Luna, she wants to help them.  But a strange set of circumstances leads to an ambush that lands Cress stranded in the desert with Thorne, Scarlet abducted by Luna official Sybil Mira, and Cinder, Thorne, and Wolf with a Luna guard flying them to Africa.  Cinder must come up with a plan to stop the royal wedding and instate herself as the rightful queen of Luna if there is any chance of survival, but with this unusual group, is that even possible?

If you haven't read Cinder or Scarlet, then stop.  These books must be read in order and there will be spoilers for both previous books, and maybe for this one too.

Like the previous two books, Cress is based on a fairy tale, Rapunzel to be specific.  Cress was given up as a child, locked in the satellite and her hair has grown to cumbersome lengths.  She dreams of a prince, namely Thorne, taking her away, but when he does manage to rescue her, he's blinded in the process.  That's right, Rapunzel's prince is blinded--funny how Disney forgot about that plot point.  

And that's where the Rapunzel story ends and the rest picks up.  I'm personally amazed at how Meyer uses the fairy tale plot to get started, then just goes on from there, weaving these characters together in a way that makes you forget you ever started with a fairy tale retelling.  

Even though Cress was told from several different points of view (Cinder, Cress, Scarlet, Dr. Edelstein, Emperor Kai), the narrator's voice is always clear, so readers don't forget where they are. There are some shocking scenes in Cress, mostly to do with Scarlet's imprisonment on Luna, but also about Cinder's humanity, and Cress' parentage.  The whole package just begs to be read quickly, yet savored because the plot is full, but there are smaller events that deserve just as much attention.  

I received a galley of Cress at ALA and I waited until this winter to read it.  Then it took me weeks to really get into.  Not because it's bad, but because I didn't have the attention span to devote hours to reading it at a time.  This book is a major time suck because you become so involved in the plot that you forget about life in general.  

If you've read and loved Cinder and Scarlet, then you must already be dying to get your hands on Cress.  Now we'll have another long year until Winter is released.  But remember, Dreams of Gods and Monsters is out in April!  

Happy Reading!

Fortunately, the Milk

Fortunately, the Milk
By Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Skottie Young
HaperCollins, 2013
Borrowed from Library
Audience:  Grades 3 to 5
ISBN:  9780062224077
Publication Date:  September 17, 2013


Tall tales do not get much bigger than this.  Mother leaves for a conference and puts father in charge, which the reader understands is a disaster waiting to happen.  As she leaves, she reminds him to pick up milk.  The next morning the milk is gone, and while he contemplates just serving something non-milk related for breakfast, he realizes that he needs milk for tea, and heads to the corner store.  The children sit at home, looking longingly at their dry cereal hoping their father will return soon.  When he finally does, he tells a story of aliens, pirates, volcanoes, a stegosaurus in a hot-air balloon, and time travel.  The fortunately, the milk is safe!

At first I thought of bowing to instant gratification and just buying this book on the Kindle, but with pictures on nearly every page, that would have been a big mistake.  The illustrations are black and white sketches that are rather abstract, but add to the overall chaos of the book.  And it is chaotic with action popping in and out of the story, even the characters popping in and out of time.  It's all a little meta when you think about it, so just don't think about it, just read it.  

Of course, the children don't believe their father.  They look around the kitchen and see hints of his adventure, like a volcano drawing, dinosaur toys, a vampire book laying about.  But how does that explain the three dwarves with flowerpots on their heads dancing down the street?  You just can't explain away some of this craziness.

I would absolutely recommend this book to any reader that likes funny stories, or maybe the better term would be unbelievably ridiculous stories.  

Happy Reading!

Winter Blues

My central Illinois town is digging out from our fourth major snow storm this year.  Add to that sub-zero temperatures and you have some pretty miserable conditions.  And if school's call off anymore, I'm convinced they should just turn the kids loose and make them repeat a grade come August.  Let's just say that Illinois is lousy with snow right now.

Which got me thinking to one of my favorite Harry Bliss cartoons.  However, it's a little too much for this blog, so, if you're interested, click here to be redirected to his site and view it there.  But while I was searching for that cartoon, I came across another that is almost as good:

Click here to see this cartoon on Harry's website.  Yes, how does one look sexy in this weather without losing a limb to frostbite?  The world may never know.

If you're looking for something, anything, to brighten your ice cold day, check out the daily cartoon collection at Harry Bliss.  You'll be glad you did!

Happy Reading!