The Willoughbys

April 7, 2008 | Tasha

Leave everything you know about Lowry and her type of book behind. Now you are ready to enter the world of The Willoughbys. The four Willoughby children are not adored by their parents. In fact, their parents are desperate to escape. Luckily, the children felt exactly the same way. So when their parents head out on dangerous adventures, leaving them with a capable nanny, the children are overjoyed but worried that their parents may one day return. Add into the mix an abandoned infant, a desperately depressed millionaire, and long-lost children and you have this novel.

Lowry has captured with great zest, fun and life a vintage feel, tipping her hat to great works of children’s literature throughout. Her tone is spot-on and at first child readers may wonder if it’s OK to laugh, but it certainly is. The book is light, quick and a blast to read. Giggling is to be expected.

I am a huge fan of Lowry ever since The Giver and this is a new type of writing for her. What a risk to take, but what a winner of a novel resulted! This would make a great class read aloud for older elementary students or will happily be curled up with by anyone with a sense of humor. Fans of Lemony Snicket will enjoy it immensely.

The Willoughbys

April 7, 2008 | Tasha

The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry.

Big Bad Bunny

April 4, 2008 | Tasha

Big Bad Bunny by Franny Billingsley, illustrated by G. Brian Karas.

There are some picture books designed to be great fun to read aloud and this is definitely one of them. Mama Mouse is sweetly tucking her little baby mice into bed. Kisses and sweetness reign supreme. But turn the page and discover the horror of BIG BAD BUNNY stomping and rampaging no matter what is in her way. Mama Mouse discovers that Baby Boo Boo is missing! And then readers discover that Big Bad Bunny is what Baby Boo Boo turns into when she is angry, especially about being called a baby!

Moving between the loud anger of Big Bad Bunny and the tooth-achingly sweet mothering of Mama Mouse is great fun. And the text is written perfectly to move between them. Karas’ art is as vibrant as ever, skillfully telling more of the story than the words do alone.

Small children everywhere will love this story and will relate with relish to the anger of Baby Boo Boo. So here we have a picture book that parents will love to read, children will love to listen to, and which has a great message. What immense fun! Recommended for small children (not babies) everywhere, especially those ages 4-6.

Visit the Franny Billingsley’s homepage at http://www.frannybillingsley.com/, where you will discover her fantasy books for older children.

Visit G. Brian Karas’ page at http://www.gbriankaras.com/ and enjoy his other picture books which are some of my all-time favorites like Muncha, Muncha, Muncha!

Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach

April 4, 2008 | Tasha

Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach by Melanie Watt.

Scaredy returns in his third book that follows the same wonderful theme as the first two. Though Scaredy would love to go to the beach there are so many wrong crowds that he could be surrounded by that he doesn’t think it’s wise. So Scaredy creates a beach of his own using an inflatable pool and kitty litter. But something is missing – the sounds are all wrong. So Scaredy sets off to find a seashell at the beach to put to his ear. He plans carefully but somehow doesn’t factor in one little detail – people.

Watt’s art is as always very fresh and fun. The quirks of Scaredy’s logic and thoughts are again thoroughly entertaining. I love the touches of oven mitts, his middle name, and the care he puts into anything he does. Very funny, unique and above all child-friendly.

Highly recommended where the first two were popular. But if you don’t have the first two, make sure you get those as well. The cover art will get the books moving off of your shelves and the stories will keep them coming back for more. Recommended for ages 5-7.

Ink Exchange

April 2, 2008 | Tasha

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr.

The sequel to the amazing Wicked Lovely tells the story of one of Aislinn’s human friends who doesn’t know anything about the faeries living around them or that Aislinn is now Queen of the Summer Court. Leslie is a girl whose life has turned upside down, her mother left, her father turned inward, her brother deals drugs, and she was sold as a sexual favor to cover his debts. She is damaged but not broken as she turns to a tattoo to restart her life, declaring her body her own again. But it is not that simple, because Rabbit, her tattoo artist has ties to the Dark Court and Leslie finds herself slowly drawn into their fight for survival through the very tattoo she thought would mark a new beginning of freedom.

The world building here is exquisitely done. Marr takes the world she built in Wicked Lovely and makes it deeper, darker and more intense. Her writing is skillful, drawing you into the same web Leslie is trapped in. By the end there is such a sense of claustrophobia and control that it is almost hard to breathe, but equally hard to put down. Masterfully done.

I enjoyed Leslie as a heroine throughout the novel. She is tough but still somehow vulnerable, wise but naive, and these qualities make her all the more intriguing and human. Equally well portrayed are the two faeries Niall and Irial who struggle to not fall for Leslie but fail. The Dark Court could have been chillingly callous and cruel, but Marr has managed to make them multi-dimensional and even allows readers to have some understanding of their motives and emotions. It is a delicate balance that Marr achieves and that lies at the heart of the success of this novel.

Highly recommended for readers of the first novel, this book will fly off the shelves and into the hands of teens everywhere.