Friday Barnes Girl Detective

Book talk: Friday Barnes may be eleven, but she can solve mysteries that stump adult detectives. When she helps catch a bank robber, she uses the prize money to pay for tuition at an elite private school. The classes there aren't much of a challenge for her, but the students and even teachers provide her with plenty of mysteries to keep her busy. She'll go to any length to solve a crime--even performing an analysis on doggy poo.

Rave: This parody of detective novels had me laughing throughout. The characters are all satirizations of tropes. The principal is outrageously incompetent, her academic parents are too wrapped up in themselves to to notice her, and her fellow students obligingly supply mysteries which they are happy to let Friday investigate. It's full of a dry humor and all the hallmarks of the genre. I particularly enjoyed the gentle ribbing of Academics and Friday's partiality to her brown cardigan collection and green felt pork pie hat (because all detectives should have funny hats.)

Every book its reader: I'd give this to students 3rd and up looking for a funny mystery novel.

Topics and trends: humor, mystery, parody, boarding schools

Source: school library

Friday Barnes: Girl Detective by R.A. Spratt, illustrated by Phil Gosier: buy it or check it out today!

Tru & Nelle

Book talk: Nelle has lived in Monroeville, Alabama her whole life, so she knows how people there expect her to behave. But she's never felt comfortable in the frills and dresses other girls wear and would much rather climb trees or play with her slingshot than stay clean indoors. Tru is staying with relatives when he comes to town. With his fancy, big city fashions and high voice he is instantly marked as an outsider. The impeccably dressed boy and tom-boy find something in common in their love of Sherlock Holmes. Before long their pretend game of Sherlock and Watson turns into a real investigation when someone is falsely accused of a crime.

Rave: This book, based on the real-life friendship of Truman Capote and Harper Lee, contains so many gems that it's hard for a brief description to do it justice. Tru and Nelle (as they were called as children) instantly bond over their outsider status. They investigate cases while pretending to be Sherlock and Watson, hang out at the court house, write stories, and put on a memorable Halloween party. The book doesn't gloss over anything and racial prejudices, the Klan, depression, and abuse are all mentioned in a matter-of-fact way but they're not really focused on. I could see this confusing some kids but it would make an excellent read-aloud and discussion starter. These details help create an authentic sense of place. The book takes its structure from Capote and consists of a novel with a set of related short stories afterwards. Even those unfamiliar with Capote and Lee will be drawn into this story and find them easy to relate to as outsiders.

Every book its reader: I'd give this to fans of historical fiction and outsider tales 4th grade and up.

Topics and trends: biographies, historical fiction, mysteries, gender

Extras:


Source: school library

Tru & Nelle by G. Neri: buy it or check it out today!

Brief Reviews Spring 2016

I really enjoyed the setting of this novel in late 19th century Sweden. There were aspects of the plot that probably had more tension for me than intended because I have very little knowledge of Swedish history. The plot was intricate with plenty of political intrigue and many characters to follow. If you like plot-focused books I think this would appeal to you. Unfortunately I'm more of a character-focused reader and there weren't any characters that I felt particularly attached to. Still, it was a fun read and I found the tarot and fan aspects fascinating. I particularly appreciated the emphasis on women's roles behind the scenes during that era. The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Engelmann


This was a great countryside mystery. The detective is an academic from America who happens to be in Scotland doing some appraising work on an old estate when a murder is committed. The characters were all drawn very well and the setting was a lot of fun. I enjoyed traveling back to Scotland via book. The mystery itself was engaging to piece together (although I figured it out pretty early on). I really enjoyed spending time with the characters and I'll be interested in reading the rest of the series. A fun, light vacation read. Pride and Predator by Sally Wright




I'm not usually a big fan of memoir but I found this account of a resident surgeon's life fascinating. He focuses on different issues facing medicine and provides insight in an approachable way. Gawande's writing style is clear and eloquent and I learned a lot. Far from the stereotype of the arrogant surgeon he's surprisingly willing to admit both his own shortcomings and those of the profession in general. I'll be reading his other works and I'd recommend it to those interested in the subject. Complications by Atul Gawande




** spoiler alert ** I definitely enjoyed parts of this novel and it had me chuckling quite a bit. With its short chapters, lovely illustrations, and sense of humor I think it would be particularly good for struggling readers. I didn't personally enjoy the novel as a whole as much as I thought I would though. It starts as a humorous realistic story about a kid whose dad owns an amusement park. Then it flirts with the supernatural as there's a possible werewolf. Then it suddenly turns into a tear jerker as Augie's best friend unexpectedly dies. That is hardly dealt with before the supernatural angle comes back on strong. The werewolf plot is finally tied up when his friend comes back from the dead as a ghost and hijinks ensue. The whole book was scattered and I couldn't get settled into it. Very little time was spent on character development and I sometimes even had difficulty keeping all the characters straight because they blended together. I'm sure the way the plot jumps around will be engaging for some readers, but it wasn't my thing. Return to Auggie Hobble by Lane Smith

 I really enjoyed this book and I like the way it concluded the trilogy, which is important to me because I've become so invested in these characters over the course of the series. But I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first two. The plot wasn't as intricate and there weren't as many meaty moral conundrums. The first two books I read in a sitting staying up late because I simply couldn't put them down. This book I enjoyed but read it over the course of several days and didn't have trouble stopping when it grew late. Still, if you've read the first two books you'll definitely want to finish up the series with this installment. The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski



This is a fun fantasy series if you want some light reading but it doesn't really stand out from the pack and the plot doesn't stand up to much scrutiny. The writing is full of cliches and hard to pronounce made-up names for people and places. The world and the characters never felt authentic to me. First off, the whole premise of the book that the king would give that much power to a champion chosen from a group of people with such questionable backgrounds and loyalty is odd to me. Even the idea of the castle made of glass seems absurdly ill-advised. Secondly the characters don't seem to have authentic responses to their situations. The main character is a highly trained assassin who was orphaned at a young age, suffered abuse at the hands of her adopted father figure, and spent a year being brutalized in what is described in the book as a 'death camp.' And yet not long after being released from it her main concern is whether or not she can attend a ball? There are some references to the trauma she's suffered but overall she seems to have recovered incredibly quickly and well. Don't even get me started on the people telling her that she looks prettier when she smiles. (Because,you know, after all she's been through it's her responsibility to make the people at this corrupt court feel better when they look at her and as an assassin looking pretty should be her main priority.) In fact a large proportion of the narrative is devoted to her looks and how pretty she is and how handsome the prince and oh my goodness no one can resist them on account of their beauty! I'm also not sure how the captain of the guards for such a cruel king seems so inexperienced at killing people and just generally naive. How did he get that position? None of the characters are particularly nuanced. The main driving force of the plot is the love triangle and just as much time is spent on flirting as the tests for the champion. If you're looking for a light fantasy romance series, this will do the trick but if you're looking for an adventure about an assassin I'd look elsewhere. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass

This is a frothy, light-hearted historical romance with some shape shifters and a coup plot thrown in for good measure. The story revolves around two New York socialite cousins at the end of the 19th century. They're sent to Romania to meet their mothers' family. One is outgoing and leaves a series of scandals in her wake while the other is more reserved. When they finally make it to the old family estate they discover a secret that their proper upbringing in no way prepared them for. It's a bit predictable and some of the characters are pretty one-note but that's in fitting with the light tone of the novel. There's excerpts of the girls' diaries and letters woven throughout the text and the relationship between them is my favorite part of the book. They have romantic subplots but the most important relationship in the plot is the friendship between them, which is refreshing. I particularly enjoyed how they both handle the news of their family secret differently and the more reserved cousin gets a chance to find her inner strength and thrive. Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George

 This touching novel in verse is told from the perspective of conjoined twins. Grace and Tippi (named for Hitchcock actresses) have been sheltered and home-schooled their whole life, but a change in the family's fortune means that they have to attend school for the first time. They're understandably nervous about how the other kids will treat them, and are relieved to find two good friends. But just when they finally get settled into their new routine, things take a turn for the worse. This novel is a quick and emotional read and I loved getting to know Grace and Tippi. I wish the novel had a broader focus though. At the beginning it's revealed that their father is an alcoholic, their sister is anorexic, and Grace develops a crush on a boy at school. I thought the book would explore these sub-plots more but instead the second half focuses almost exclusively on medical issues around being conjoined. Especially considering how much Grace laments in the text of the novel how people see them as nothing more than conjoined twins I was disappointed at how much of the novel focused exclusively on this aspect of their lives. I wish the fact that they were conjoined was just one of many aspects about who they are that was explored in the novel instead of the main focus. All the other subplots I previously mentioned just get dropped once the medical issues arise and are never really resolved. I'd be interested to read a sequel that fleshes out the characters further. Still it is a moving novel with memorable characters and a very quick read if you'd like to try it.  One by Sarah Crossan

 This was mostly satisfying as a conclusion to the series, but I didn't like it as much as the other books. There were a lot of strange plot threads and characters to tie up. This meant that the focus was more on the plot than in the previous books where we got to spend a lot of time just getting to know the characters and exploring their relationships. One thing that was consistent across the books was the gorgeous language. There were so many striking passages that I gave up keeping track of them. There were a few things left vague at the end and I would have preferred more explanation, but overall I was happy with it. The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Detective Gordon

Book talk: Detective Gordon is getting on in years but he's still the best detective around. When he discovers a young mouse who steals a single nut out of hunger, he decides that instead of arresting her, he should take her on as an apprentice. A case is calling, but first they must take care of the terribly important business of tea and cakes!

Rave: This book is full of wry humor and witty observations. Detective Gordon has a good heart and shows mercy as he metes out justice to the woodland creatures. There's a lot of cute childhood touches like how particular Gordon is with his stamp. It reminds me of how serious the kids take it when I let them stamp their library books. It's all rounded out with simple but beautiful illustrations.

Every book its reader: I'd give this to early chapter book readers who enjoy animals and mystery. It would also make a great class read aloud.

Topics and trends: early chapter books, mysteries, animals,

Source: school library

The First Case by Ulf Nilsson: buy it or check it out today!

Brief Reviews Summer 2015 part 1

 
I appreciate the inherent humor of a wizard living in modern times and I always love a good detective story. The main appeal for me here though is that the audio books are narrated by James Marsters (who you may know as Spike from Buffy.) The plot was well-paced and the mystery intriguing, although I found the main character's attitude towards women concerning at times. I'm not sure that I'd continue reading them as regular books but I'll keep listening to the audiobooks as long as Marsters is narrating them! Storm Front by Jim Butcher: buy it or check it out today!

This book was just as delightful as the first. There was a bit more emphasis placed on romance than family this time around but it was still a pretty good balance of the two. Once again her family is fun to read about and the boys are endearing as they vie for her affections. I particularly enjoyed Lara Jean's volunteer work setting up dances for the retirement home and the game she revived with her former friends. My favorite aspect of the story was they way it explores bullying as rumors circle campus about the ski trip from the previous book and she's forced to confront the girl who started them and learn more about her perspective. Humor, heart, and fully realized characters make this a satisfying read on multiple levels. P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han: buy it or check it out today!

 I didn't always know what was happening in this book, but I did enjoy the ride. It's a very atmospheric novel and reminds me of gothic literature. The language is absolutely beautiful and I appreciated that it focused around a girl and her female ancestors. At times it felt like a regular contemporary novel with the protagonist worrying about her twin getting ahead of her in school and regular issues with friends and relationships. Then the novel would just go completely sideways as she talked about the strange house and spells and her compulsion to eat chalk. It was an occasionally bumpy ride but a fun one! White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi: buy it or check it out today!



This novel read a bit like a cross between a western and a hard-boiled detective novel. The setting was well depicted and the author's knowledge and love of the outdoors is clear. The characters were diverse and fascinating and the mystery took a lot of interesting turns. I haven't read the other books in the series, so I was at a bit of a disadvantage at times. I muddled through but I'd recommend reading them in order. The only part of the book that I didn't like was the way it enthusiastically embraced the kinky librarian stereotype. For obvious reasons that particular stereotype gets on my nerves and I'd like to see it put to rest. The subplot that revolved around that stereotype wasn't my favorite part of the novel, but the rest more than made up for it. Crazy Mountain Kiss by Keith McCafferty: buy it or check it out today!

 I like westerns and I was excited to read this gritty book with a female lead. I enjoy writing in dialect so I thought the narration was fun. I didn't mind the slow-burning romance either. The portrayal of native peoples left me uncomfortable though. It switched from the bloody warriors to the nobles savages stereotypes without much nuance. The book in general seemed to rely on tropes a bit too much and didn't have the depth I wanted it to have. I appreciated that Bowman included a native character in her main lineup, but I wish a bit more care and thought was put into her character and especially the overall portrayal of native cultures. Still, if you're just looking for a quick, gritty western this should satisfy you. Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman: buy it or check it out today!

The Art of Secrets Review

Book talk: Saba never imagined as she watched her apartment go up in flames that it would be the beginning of a grand mystery that would change her life for the better. Her school community rallies around her, led by two new kids who seem eager to make their mark. Saba's family moves into a luxurious apartment and an auction is organized to raise money for them. When the donation of a weird piece of art found in an alley turns out to be the work of a famous artist, tensions rise. Who should keep the money: Saba's family? The kids who found the art? The school? And just who set the fire in the first place? Read a series of notes, articles, and testimonies, put together the clues, and find out for yourself!

Rave: I am a complete sucker for epistolary novels, so I naturally loved the format of this book! I find it especially effective in mystery narratives where not all the characters can be trusted and you have to be on a sharp lookout for red herrings. The characters are wonderfully diverse and layered and even the teachers are portrayed like real people--shocking I know! A major subplot of the book involves outsider art, an area that I found fascinating and was compelled to further research on my own. The final conclusion was perfect and a completely satisfying ending to a compelling mystery.

Every book its reader: I'd give this to students 6th grade and up looking for a good mystery novel.

Topics and Trends: Chicago, outside artists, epistolary novels, mysteries, diversity

Extras: The author has his own website with more information about the book and links to websites about outsider and folk art.

Source: school library

The Art of Secrets  by James Klise: buy it or check it out today!

Brief Reviews Spring 2015 part 1

I loved everything about Farthing. It's well-written and takes so many different themes and genres and weaves them together into something incredible.  The plot is a mystery that follows inspector Carmichael as he investigates a murder at party for the high society set in the English countryside. The setting is an alternate history where England has made an alliance with Hitler. The characters all have incredible depth and struggle with issues from antisemitism and homophobia to family pressures and political intrigue. The second book continues to develop the world and the consesquences of Carmichael's actions in the first book while centering on a different crime, one revolving around a theatre. I cannot recommend them highly enough. Farthing and Ha'Penny by Jo Walton: buy them or check them out today!

 I read this as an audiobook. It was narrated by the author, who wasn't quite as dynamic a reader as I would have liked, but the content was so interesting I kept listening. It covers a range of subjects, not all of which I'd normally read about on their own, but in this context I found them fascinating. This quote from the book shows just how much happened that summer: "Babe Ruth hit sixty home runs. The Federal Reserve made the mistake that precipitated the stock market crash. Al Capone enjoyed his last summer of eminence. The Jazz Singer was filmed. Television was created. Radio came of age. Sacco and Vanzetti were executed. President Coolidge chose not to run. Work began on Mount Rushmore. The Mississippi flooded as it never had before. A madman in Michigan blew up a school and killed forty-four people in the worst slaughter of children in American history. Henry Ford stopped making the Model T and promised to stop insulting Jews. And a kid from Minnesota flew across an ocean and captivated the planet in a way it had never been captivated before.” Recommended for anyone looking for a narrative nonfiction history book. One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson: buy it or check it out today!

 Perhaps my expectations were too high because I loved Seraphina so much, but I was not as big a fan of Shadow Scale. This book was on a much grander scale with different parts of the world explored and many new characters introduced. It was interesting to see more world building but it felt like a bit much at times, especially when what I really wanted was to see Seraphina and Lucian and the plot kept them apart for most of the novel. I missed the smaller, more personal scale of the first book. I feel like Hartman was trying to cover too much and please too many people. Still there was plenty to love about this novel and I enjoyed reading it. Hartman's writing is beautiful and she does an excellent job fleshing out the world and her new characters. I was definitely not a fan of the ending though, which felt too abrupt and was completely unsatisfying to me---which is too bad because it's the last book in the series. Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman: buy it or check it out today!

Another fun, fantasy re-telling of a classic fairy tale. If you enjoyed Cruel Beauty, you'll like this novella as well. I gulped it down in a morning. The setting is the same as her previous novel and the characters are pretty well-rounded. The step sisters avoid the over-the-top caricature they're given in many Cinderella stories and I like the dark twist on the fairy god mother. My favorite part was the relationship between Maia and the prince which is allowed to grow over time instead of magically happening over the course of a dance number. I wish it was longer and I'm looking forward to the next book in this world! Gilded Ashes by Rosamund Hodge: buy it or check it out today!

Something about this series just sucks me in, chews me up, then spits me out at the end. The political intrigue, the lush world building, and most of all the moral dilemmas and forbidden love that drive the plot. I like that there's often no clearly right choice and the characters are all completely cloaked in shades of grey. I'm definitely going to have to clear my day for reading when the next book comes out! The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski: buy it or check it out today!





I really wanted to like this book, but sometimes I feel like I'm in a one-sided relationship with geek culture. I enjoy and respect it, but it often doesn't seem to value or respect me. For the record I have played both table top RPGs and MMORPGs (yes, despite my ovaries!) so I was excited to read this book, especially because it had a female DM. But then it gets everything about the female characters so wrong! Svetlana does not seem as fully fleshed and real as Lesh, and not just because his character puts her on a ridiculous pedestal. There's also a lot of aspects that are mentioned but never really explained or dealt with in a way that left a sour taste in my mouth. For example one character using 'homo' constantly or it never really being clear if Lesh wants to be Svetlana or date her.  Most unexcusable to me is the fact that Svetlana is stalked and assaulted and somehow the author makes that about Lesh. I mean really who cares how Svetlana copes with having her privacy violated and her life endangered what's really important is how that affected the guy who likes her. Ugh!  Guy in Real Life by Steve Brezenoff: buy it or check it out today!

 This book is a great introduction to writing and appreciating poetry and it's all narrated in the witty style of Stephen Fry. His humor turned what could have been dry discussions of the mechanics of meter into a delightful conversation. The poetry exercises were great as well and I enjoyed reading Fry's examples and trying them myself. I don't plan on becoming a poet, but it did help me appreciate the poetry of others better and it was fun to try. I'd highly recommend this to fans of either poetry or Stephen Fry. The Ode Less Travelled by Stephen Fry: buy it or check it out today!




 I greatly enjoyed my trip back into the world of Whistling Season in this companion novel set in Butte, Montana.  Once again Doig does a wonderful job evoking a certain time and place and populating it with a varied cast of characters that alternately tickled my funny bone and pulled my heartstrings. This book was particularly enjoyable for me because I was reading a copy my great uncle had annotated with notes involving the book's similarity to my great-grandfather's time spent in Butte around the same time period. Even without the personal connection I would have enjoyed this thoughtful and witty work of historical fiction. Work Song by Ivan Doig: buy it or check it out today!

Brief Reviews Winter 2014

This book consists of bursts of violent action interspersed with long existential discussions. It's an odd combination, but I like it! The titular brothers are hired hit men assigned to assassinate a man in the San Francisco gold country. Along the way the find and lose fortunes, have close calls with death and deal out some death of their own. This reminded me of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead in that the brothers are pieces in a game playing their part without understanding the bigger picture of why and because of the nature of their conversations as everything is going on around them.  If you're an adult looking for a Western and have a dark sense of humor then you'll enjoy this book.   The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt: buy it or check it out today!

 I'm a fan of Melissa Marr and the audiobook is narrated by James Marsters (aka Spike from Buffy) so I decided to listen to this while traveling.  I was not disappointed. Melissa Marr crafts a complex world full of compelling characters at cross-purposes. Marsters does an excellent job narrating it all. It was all terribly engrossing and distracted me admirably from the bus and plane rides necessary to get home for the holidays.  I would recommend it with the caveat that it ends on a major cliff hanger and the second book isn't slated to come out anytime soon. Carnival of Secrets by Melissa Marr: buy it or check it out today!



I wanted to like this collection of stories more than I did. I think the main problem was that I just wasn't its intended audience. I am a very character focused and a lot of these stories were focused more on plot twists and action than establishing layered characters. I suppose you can only do so much in a short story. I mostly picked it up because the stories were all set in Belfast and it succeeded in establishing a sense of place. In that sense I suppose it gave me what I was looking for. But while I liked the stories I didn't particularly love any of them and none of them really stayed with me. Belfast Noir edited by Adrian McKinty and Stuart Neville: buy it or check it out today!



I listened to this as an audiobook narrated by the author, which I suppose is appropriate considering I mostly know David Sedaris from podcasts he's appeared on. I started listening to it with my mom as we worked on a puzzle together and it cracked us up. It was a bit more awkward finishing it by myself on public transit because it kept surprising loud laughs out of me. The topics covered vary vastly but I would listen to David Sedaris talk about almost anything. I'm sure he could find a way to make a description of paint drying poignant and hilarious if he tried. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris: buy it or check it out today!



If you want an entertaining and insightful book about science, you can always count on Mary Roach to deliver. This particular book goes into many subjects from organ donation to embalming and it kept me fascinated as it presented me with a slew of facts while causing me to laugh along the way. Roach is particularly good at taking topics that leave many people squeamish and making them accessible with humor and that is precisely what she does in this wonderful book. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach: buy it or check it out today!

Greenglass House review

Book talk: "There was a city that could not be mapped, and inside it a house that could not be drawn."  Milo lives with his parents in a rambling old inn filled with as many secrets as the smugglers that come to stay there.  The inn sits high on a hill overlooking a harbor with two ways up: a steep path, or a cable railway.  Tourist season was long over and snows were arriving to leave them stranded from the main town.  Milo didn't mind--he was looking forward to the time alone with his parents--which is why he was surprised and upset when the cable railway's bell rang to notify them of a waiting passenger.  Soon Milo's quiet holiday has turned into a loud and chaotic mystery as eccentric guests fill the inn and begin to sabotage it in their hunt for hidden treasure.  Milo joins forces with a new friend to solve the mystery and find the treasure the guests are after but what starts as a game to pass the time soon turns into a dangerous adventure.

Rave:  The premise of the story is filled with intrigue and excitement and it only gets better from there!  An old inn in a smuggler's bay trapped by a winter storm--what more could you ask for from a mystery setting?  The characters are eccentric but instead of using these eccentricities as a cheap jokes they're another layer in these well-rounded characters. The story has a strong emotional core that holds all the adventure aspects together and makes them more resonant.  Milo is portrayed with all his flaws and frustrations and fears.  The way he works to get to know each guest and make their lives better despite the fact that he didn't want anyone to be there is touching.  Most touching is the way the book deals with Milo's feelings around his adoption and an author's note reveals that Milford wrote the book while going through the process of adopting a child herself.  Did I mention that Milo and his new friend  use the framework of a role playing game to provide a cover for and give them courage to investigate the inn's mysteries?  And in case I haven't made it clear yet the main plot revolves around a bunch of thieves competing to find a treasure hidden in an inn that used to be owned by an infamous smuggler.  So much to love about this book!

Every book its reader:  I'd give this to anyone looking for a good adventure or mystery especially those with an interest in role playing games.  I'd say it's fine for 4th grade and up.

Themes, Topics, and Trends: Adoption, Smugglers, Treasure Hunts, Mystery, Competent Adults, RPGs, Ghosts

Extras:  

Kate Milford has her own website

You can find a fake website for the Nagspeake Tourism Board (the city the book takes place in) to find out more about the setting of the novel.

Source: ebook from public library

Greenglass House by Kate Milford: buy it or check it out today!

The Ruby in the Smoke review

Book talk:  Have you ever asked a question and had someone warn you to leave it alone?  That's exactly what happens to Sally.  When she tries to uncover the mystery of what happened to her father she only encounters more death and danger and people telling her that a proper lady should just stay home.  But life with her aunt is insufferable and she can't rest until she knows why she became an orphan.  With a few trusty friends, she just might be able to discover what a cursed ruby from India has to do with her past--or she might just doom them all!

Rocks my socks:  This is a great mystery set in Victorian England. Sally and her friends from the young photographer to the enterprising urchin are all wonderful characters, the villains are positively Dickensian, and the mystery unraveled in a suspenseful way full of clues and puzzles to work out.

Rocks in my socks: zip

Every book its reader:  I'd give this to fans of mystery and historical fiction 6th & up.

Extras:

Apparently there's a BBC adaptation of the book starring Doctor Who actors Billie Piper and Matt Smith!


Source: The Ruby in the Smoke by Phillip Pullman: buy it or check it out today!

Brief Reviews: Winter 2013

I became interested in this book while reading Dan Simmons's Drood this summer.  Considering how much I grew to dislike the fictional version of Wilkie Collins that narrated Drood, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed The Woman in White.  I was also surprised by how modern the pacing of the novel felt considering that it was written over a hundred and fifty years ago.  This is an early work of detection fiction, and it is easy to see its influence in modern mystery novels.  The novel is told as a series of journal entries and testimonials from various people and Collins does a wonderful job of switching between them and capturing each character's voice.  My favorite was naturally Marian with her sparkling wit and surprising bravery.  She is a capable heroine and sets herself apart in many ways, including her apparent disinterest in finding romance for herself.  I'm glad that I was able to get to know her! The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins: buy it or check it out today!

 Miss Annie is a kitten who is ready for adventure, if only they'd open up a window to let her outside!  She's still young, but she knows the ways of her house pretty well by now.  There's the dad who is a writer "That means he gets back his own stories in the mail and yells, 'Oh no! They didn't want it!' What a funny job."  Then there's the mom who works for a literary journal and is gone during the day.  Finally there's Sarah who spends hours talking to her best friend Keshia.  Miss Annie knows just who to ask for food, how to use her cute looks to her advantage, and has befriended the mouse that lives with them.  But what more adventures will await her when she finally gets her freedom?  This is an adorable, light-hearted comic that is sure to appeal to children who love cats.  Miss Annie: Freedom! by Frank Le Gall, illus. by Flore Balthazar, color by Robin Doo: buy it or check it out today!

 When they heard that cousin Sophy was coming to stay everyone expected a pitiable creature.  The poor girl was raised without a mother and forced to travel all over the continent under the negligent eye of her diplomat father.  So when Sophy arrived with a menagerie in tow, dressed to the nines, and clearly capable to taking care of herself they were completely shocked.  It's hard to resist Sophy's charms for long, though and soon she would leave an indelible mark on the whole family.  My mother gave me this book to read, and it just shows how well she knows me.  This book has it all: Regency dresses, balls, witty repartee, a headstrong woman, even a monkey!  Sophy's quick rejoinders had me laughing and the light-hearted drama as everyone settled down into their proper matches kept me entertained.   This a perfect frothy read for when you just want something fun to distract you and pass the time.   The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer: buy it or check it out today!

Everyone I've talked to that has read this book absolutely loved it.  It's the story of two teens, Sam and Emily, who fall in love at first sight.  The only problem is that Sam has a tendency to leave town quickly.  He has an abusive and schizophrenic father who keeps them on the run and living in dismal circumstances. Sam's younger brother is intensely involved in his drawings, but is unhealthy and usually stays silent.  I can see why so many people like it.  It's fast-paced and knows how to pull on the heart-strings.  It reminds me of a  Lifetime movie.  I really wanted to like it too, but I didn't. I don't remember a single character showing any sign of having a sense of humor.  The only even vaguely humorous scene was the physical comedy that ensued when one of the book's antagonists was getting his just desserts.  But I couldn't share in the schadenfreude.  It felt almost cruel and I didn't like how two dimensional his character was.  In fact all of the characters felt flat to me.  The good characters were unfailingly good and practically perfect except for circumstances beyond their control.  The bad characters were bad all the way through and not portrayed with a hint of sympathy, even the father who was clearly suffering from serious mental illness. I like my characters to exist in shades of grey and my plots to have complexities that resist easy fixes.  The end of this book was full of circumstances that conveniently lined up to provide everyone with what they deserved in the last couple of chapters.  Even the plots of minor characters were wrapped up with a neat bow that almost always involved them finding love.  If you want a clear-cut, heartwarming story of good triumphing over evil then this is the book for you. But if you prefer stories with humor and moral ambiguity, then you can skip this one.  I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan: buy it or check it out today!

 When Jezebel first sees Tommy, she thinks he's a ghost.  When she finds out the truth, it's even stranger.  Tommy is a member of the Explorers' Society, a group that knows how to unlock hidden portals to other worlds.  But sometimes when they go to these other worlds, something dark follows them back to Earth.  The Dead Gentleman is building an army and preparing to take over.  After he attacks the headquarters of the Explorers' Society, Tommy and Jezebel are all that stand between humanity and the apocalypse.  This book was great fun with references to many of my favorite things: Tesla, Lemuria, H.G. Wells...the list goes on.  Despite being about a Dead Gentleman that destroys everything in his path, there aren't many gory details making it solid middle-grade fiction fare.  However the plot doesn't hold up to close scrutiny and there were many cliched elements that left me with a sense of déjà lu.  Many of the characters were two dimensional and the villains were evil incarnate putting considerable energy into destroying worlds for no discernible reason other than to cause suffering.  It was a quick and entertaining read though.  If you're looking for a fast-paced fantastical adventure, this is a solid choice.  The Dead Gentleman by Matthew Cody: buy it or check it out today!

 This is an excellent read for elementary school teachers and librarians.  Hobbs and Moore define media literacy, discuss why it is so important to teach it our students, and describe how they have gone about doing this.  There is a nice balance between philosophy and practical examples of lessons they have done with students.  My only quibble is that I wish the example lessons had listed which grades they had actually tried them with.  With the increase of digital tools in our classrooms and the ever-present influence of the media on our students it is imperative that we teach them how to become thoughtful media consumers, recognize how others use media to deliver messages, and learn how to use digital tools to make their voices heard.  I'll be attending a workshop on the topic this summer to better integrate media literacy with my students and I am looking forward to it!   Discovering Media Literacy: Teaching Digital Media and Popular Culture in Elementary School by Renee Hobbs and David Cooper Moore: buy it or check it out today!

Tokyo Heist Review

Book talk:  What would you do if you found yourself living the kind of adventure you normally only find in a book?  Violet loves reading manga and has been working hard on making her own.  She thought her biggest problem this summer would be the fight she got in with her best friend.  Then she goes to stay with her father, an artist, and ends up in the middle of a high-stakes art theft case in Japan.  At first the unexpected trip to somewhere she's always longed to go is exciting, but as the yakuza get involved and her friends and family are threatened she starts to wonder if she should have stuck to making up stories and not living them.

Rocks my socks:  I love the premise that an average geeky girl obsessed with a certain type of media ends up in a situation very much like the ones she's always read about.  Her obsession with manga is a key part of the narrative from the way that she analyzes real-life people by imagining how they'd be represented in a manga to her knowledge of Japanese culture and customs that comes from reading it.  I don't like manga as much as Violet, but I know enough about it that I was able to appreciate the references (I particularly enjoyed Violet's friend's apt description of her relationship with the main love interest: "the two of you are like in episode seventy-eight of a manga series with no climax.")  It makes sense to me that Violet would find it helpful to storyboard ideas in manga form to help organize her thoughts about who might have committed the actual art heist.  It was also pretty meta, which I always like.

Rocks in my socks:  The book doesn't feel like a very authentic representation of Japanese culture to me, but then again it's not really claiming to be.  It's clearly about a manga-obsessed foreigner's view of the culture.  There are plenty of aspects of the plot that strain credulity, but if you can put that aside it's good, clean fun.

Every book its reader:  Despite the action-packed cover image I'd be hesitant to give this to the average heist fan.  There's a lot of quieter moments and manga plays such a big role in the narrative that if you don't know anything about it, it might be hard to appreciate the novel.  I'd be more likely to recommend it to manga or anime fans looking for something in novel form.  There will be plenty here for them to enjoy.  The romance and violence are relatively minimal for a thriller.  I'd say it's fine for 6th grade and up.

Extras:

Diana Renn has a website with more information about her and her books.

There's an official book trailer:



Source:   school library

Tokyo Heist by Diana Renn: buy it or check it out today!

Brief reviews: Fall 2013 Part 1

(This is a review for the second Flavia de Luce book, if you haven't read the first you can find my review of it here)  You have to love an eleven year old who observes: "How exciting it was to reflect upon the fact that, within minutes of death, the organs of the body, lacking oxygen, begin to digest themselves!"  and who can then go on to describe the exact chemical processes at play.  Flavia is just as spunky and delightful as she was in the first mystery and this time there's the added excitement of puppets.  I loved the new character of the former German pilot obsessed with the Bronte sisters!  The way Flavia's sisters continue to taunt her by saying that she's adopted makes me uneasy though.  Still it was a great, quick mystery for a lazy afternoon.  The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley: buy it or check it out today!

 I have mixed feelings about this comic.  The art and the design are absolutely gorgeous.  From the endpapers to the title page to the art in the comic itself, there is a wonderful style that evokes old westerns.  The premise of a child cow boy rounding up his outlaw relatives for bounty is funny and they add little touches like a gun that looks like a hobby horse to take advantage of the absurdity of the situation.  I loved the brief interludes between chapters, particularly the one about the female cowboy and the penguin.  I'd love to read a full-length comic based on this premise (and based on my students' love of penguins stories, so would they!)  But despite everything in this comic's favor the pacing felt a bit off to me and the moral ambiguity of the tale left me thinking that it would be better for an older crowd than it's aimed at.   The interludes break up the flow of the story and the plot and motivations seem really bare-bones.  The idea of a boy that age hunting down his family and often threatening them with a gun or injuring them to bring them to justice isn't fully dealt with.  There's another scene where he stands up for a run-away slave only to have the slave say that he would have preferred to be beaten without intervention because now he'll have to run to avoid a lynching.  As an adult reading it, I can fill in the complexities of the situation myself but I think most children would have difficulty understanding what happened in that scene.  Especially because it's just something that happens in passing.  The ending is also troubling to me for something branded as all ages.  The moral of the story seems to be that you can't trust anyone, even your own family.  It's better to live a life alone even if it means you'll never be happy.  Perhaps if the story was better fleshed out, his actions would make more sense, but as it is the cow boy just seems oddly cold and jaded. Cow Boy by Nate Cosby and Chris Eliopoulos: buy it or check it out today!

  I love classic stories that are re-told from a non-traditional perspective, especially when it re-casts the villain in a new light.  In this version Goliath would rather do admin than patrol and is an all-around soft spoken, nice guy.  When an ambitious captain comes up with a plan to end the war with a battle of champions, he's banking on the fact that no one will take up the challenge once they see Goliath.  Goliath is quick to point out that he's much better at paper work and the fifth-worst swordsman in the platoon, but there is no reasoning with authority.  So he resigns himself to wait for a rival champion he hopes will never arrive.  It's a sparse but beautifully told tale that would work great in a unit about multiple perspectives.  There's a subtle humor and a strong sense of irony throughout as Goliath plays with pebbles and sympathizes with a fighting bear.  When the inevitable happens and David finally comes along the suddenness and pointlessness of it gave the story an existential feel. Goliath by Tom Gauld: buy it or check it out today!

This is a fantastic, imaginative story for children.  Hilda gains the ability to see a race of tiny people that have been living outside of her house for years and sets out to make peace between them and her family with the help of a giant.  The varying sizes of all the characters set up parallels in the plot and allow for the exploration of multiple perspectives.  The world created by Pearson is populated with wonderful creatures and the large physical size of the book allows for a close-up view of the many delightful details in the artwork.  There's some light satire of politics as Hilda tries to make peace with the little people, but a knowledge of politics isn't necessary to appreciate the humor and heart of this comic.  I'd recommend it to fantasy fans of all ages.  Hilda and the Midnight Giant by Luke Pearson: buy it or check it out today!

 I hated the beginning of this book.  It kept making vague references to what had happened and jumping around in time instead of clearly explaining what had lead to the current situation.  There didn't seem to be any reason for this other than creating cheap tension by alluding to awful things and then postponing the explanation.  The narrator seemed to revel in every gritty detail of the apocalypse and addressed the reader like some sage describing what happens when you face death, etc.  I imagined her talking in Batman voice the whole time.  Plus she uses 'decimate' incorrectly which is enough to set me off.  The book picks up a bit once other narrators are introduced, but it is still full of unanswered questions.  Why do the aliens use so many waves if their technology is so advanced and what exactly their endgame is to name a couple.  I can't get too much further into how little sense the book makes without revealing spoilers, but suffice it to say that the plot does not hold up to any kind of scrutiny.  On top of all that I have major issues with the romantic plot.  The male love interest stalks the female love interest, violates her privacy by reading her diary among other things, and worst of all their kisses often start with the girl actively resisting him and telling him no only to melt into the kiss and enjoy it.  Perpetuating the idea that a girl could say no and fight physical affection but secretly want it is unconscionable as far as I am concerned. I won't be reading the sequel. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey: buy it or check it out today!

The Diviners Review

Book talk:  'That awful O'Neill girl' is at it again.  Evie's got herself caught up in another scandal and she refuses to apologize.  So her parents have shipped her off to spend the summer with her uncle, who runs a museum of the supernatural in New York.  Evie doesn't mind one bit.  She is too much for her small Ohio town and eager to try life in the big city.  She finds all of the temptations she was looking forward to: speakeasies and hard dancing, short bobs and shorter skirts, sloe gin and fast jazz.  But she also finds dangers that she never expected.  A serial murderer with ties to the occult is terrorizing the city.  With her uncle's expertise and her secret talents they begin to track the killer down, but their efforts draw his attention and soon they become his next targets.

Rocks my socks:  This novel has all the excitement of a jazz-age adventure with the added thrill of murder investigation.  The vast cast of characters represents people from various walks of life to capture some of the complexity of the era: a socialite, a socialist, a Harlem numbers runner, and a Ziegfeld girl to name a few.  Reading the dialogue is like watching a fencing match as the characters swap witticisms and take jabs at each other.  I read it in my head in the fast, clipped accents of His Girl Friday.  The characters are well-drawn and engaging and I was easily swept away by their stories.  All the historical details were fascinating and I pos-i-tute-ly loved all the lingo used throughout.

Rocks in my socks:  The narrative felt overly ambitious.  There were a lot of characters and plot threads to follow.  Sprinkled among the chapters from all the varying characters' perspectives were chapters talking about the country and the decade in sweeping descriptions that felt a bit pretentious.  The supernatural aspects were my least favorite parts and there were so many supernatural threads on top of all the other plots: there's the occult killer and the special powers of certain characters emerging like a 1920's Heroes, not to mention Ouija boards and the whole museum of artifacts.  By the time Jericho's mysterious past was revealed I had had enough.

Every book its reader:  I'd give this to fans of mystery, supernatural, and historical fiction looking for a sweeping tale to take them away.  The length and the copious use of period slang may turn some off, but those willing to dive in and immerse themselves in an era and a story will be well rewarded.  The murders have some pretty gruesome details so I'd save it for at least 8th grade and up.

Extras:

There's a whole site devoted to the book with character bios, Diviners Radio, and more

Libba Bray has her own site with the usual fare as well as a media section 

There's great, chilling trailer for the book with a creepy song that will unfortunately probably be running through my head as I try to sleep tonight:


Source: ebook from public library

The Diviners by Libba Bray: buy it or check it out today!

Malcolm at Midnight Review

*****Disclaimer: I am writing this review based on an advance reading copy****

Book talk:  When I say 'rat' what words come to mind? Sneaky? Evil? Untrustworthy?  Well don't believe everything that you read in books.  Rats aren't all bad--and Malcolm is determined to prove that even though he is a rat he can still be have valor and merit like everyone else in Mr. Binney's classroom.  Of course, Mr. Binney wouldn't have bought Malcolm in the first place if he didn't think he was a mouse.  It's not Malcolm's fault he's so small though.  As if being mistaken for a mouse wasn't enough Mr. Binney started reading The Tale of Despereaux 'in his honor'-a story where the rats are horrible, scheming creatures.  Even the other class pets are prejudiced against rats.  It will be hard for Malcolm to prove his worth with everyone against him, but maybe if he can solve the mystery of the spy that's trying to bring down the school, he will finally be able to prove that rats can indeed be trusted.

Rocks my socks:  I love the premise and I have noticed the unfair portrayal of rats in children's literature before.  This is a fun, humorous story but it could easily lead to further discussions of prejudice and how people may be misjudged.  The idea that all the class pets meet after hours to keep the school safe has a lot of appeal.  They extend the theme of judging based on appearances in little ways throughout the novel such as having the bunny character speak with a deep voice and act like a tough guy.   Malcolm steals the show though, and it's easy to root for him as he struggles with problems big and small from trying to do the right thing to giving up chewing his whiskers.  The ample pictures provide great, engaging snapshots of the action and include wonderful detail in the very human expressions on the animals' faces.  The story is written as a long note to the teacher and my favorite part is the meta-humor contained in the footnotes.  The narrator tells extra tidbits about the students to Mr. Binney and notes when he uses vocabulary words and includes the definitions to show he was paying attention.  Of course, this also helps stretch and build the vocabulary of the reader.

Rocks in my socks:  Between all the pets and all the humans there's a lot of characters and not all of them get the chance to be fleshed out beyond two dimensions.  This is particularly true of the human characters.  The perfect little girl character is entirely too perfect for my tastes and the teachers seem to have literally no life outside of school--all their romances and even events of significance in the past (thanks to their attending the school as children) take place on campus.

Every book its reader: I'd give this to students looking for a mystery and pet-lovers 3rd grade and up.  Those who enjoyed The Tale of Despereaux should enjoy this rejoinder.

Extras:

There's an adorable trailer at HMH's YouTube page

The author has her own website with news, an amusing about the author section, and a blog for her job as a school librarian with book recommendations and more.

The illustrator has a website as well

Source: free advance reading copy at #ALA12

Malcolm at Midnight by W. H. Beck: Buy it or check it out today!

Colin Fisher Review

****Disclaimer: I am writing this review based on an advance reading copy****

Book talk: Some people believe that when sharks attack humans it is because they mistake them for seals.  This is not correct.  Scientists now know that when sharks bite humans it's usually with only a fraction of their jaw strength.  The sharks aren't attacking humans at all--they're investigating these strange creatures with test bites.  Luckily for the students of West Valley High, Colin Fischer's investigative techniques are closer those of Sherlock Holmes. It will take all of Colin's observational skills and ingenuity to get to the bottom of this case.  Someone has brought a gun to school and Colin knows that their main suspect is innocent. He's determined to find out who really did it--even if that means saving his bully.

Rocks my socks: I saw the duo that wrote this at ALA and it left me really excited to read it.  I was not let down.  Miller and Stentz are better known as screenwriters and co-wrote X-Men: First Class and Thor (which will certainly help me sell it to students).  You can see the influence of this in the fast pacing of the novel and the dialogue.  But the story is one that is clearly suited to novel form and Stentz and Miller took advantage of the more unique techniques this affords them, such as including what looks like pages torn from Colin's notebook and adding interesting and entertaining footnotes throughout (I'm such a sucker for footnotes!)  The mystery is engaging, but what really kept me turning the pages was Colin.  He has Asperger's syndrome so he's used to studying his peers and looking for clues just to read their emotions.  Colin has pictures of Sherlock Holmes, Spock and Data from Star Trek, and Grissom from CSI above his bed (clearly he has excellent taste.)  He tries to emulate these heroes and uses reason to discover the truth--even if it means clearing the name of his bully. On top of all that Stentz and Miller have a great sense of humor that left me cracking up throughout the novel.

Rocks in my socks: Due to the fast pacing of the story there were some aspects of the book that I would have liked to see explored further, although I can understand why they didn't want to slow down the narrative to do so.  For example, I was disappointed that they didn't explore the Moriarty-like character more.  I suppose this is actually in keeping with him being a Moriarty-like character, but it's so rare to see a teenage character who seems psychopathic in his lack of emotion and desire to create chaos that it felt odd to me that he was such a minor character.  I wanted to hear more to see if he really is a psychopath or if there's more to his motivations.  With the way the novel ended it appears that I may get my wish in future novels though.

Every book its reader:  I'd recommend this to people who enjoyed The London Eye Mystery or The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.  I think this is a great novel to get people who don't usually read for fun reading too though so I'd also recommend it to fans of Miller and Stentz's other work and to people who share Colin's interest in Star Trek, Sherlock, or CSI.  Of course those looking for a mystery set in a high school will also enjoy this novel.  Even though the mystery revolves around a gun being brought to school no one is actually shot so there's not that much violence beyond the bullying Colin experiences.  I'd say it's fine for students as young as 5th grade and up.

Extras:
Colin Fischer has his own Facebook page 

Source: Advance reading copy from #ALA12

Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz

Buy it or check it out today!