Check out the very cool music video for the forthcoming Artemis Fowl, the Atlantis Complex.
You should also visit the website for the book that carries that same style throughout. It’s a very vibe and also has even more songs for you to listen to plus some book trailers!
Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
DO Judge a Pyramid by It’s Color
Hi there. This is Rowan. (I’m Tasha’s son, if you didn’t know.) and this is the first of my Teen Book Reviews by a Teen. Well, without further distraction, let’s begin!
I liked the Percy Jackson series. It’s hilarious take on Greek Mythology was, well… hilarious. The humor is back in Rick Riordan’s new book (and possible series,) Red Pyramid. The switch from Greek Mythology to Egyptian provides a fresh experience with new characters and a new story. I don’t want to go much further, for the sake of the story, but I will say that if you liked Percy Jackson, you’ll LOVE this book.
Come to Me, My Chickadee! by Carol Thompson
A celebration of all of the pet names we use for our children, this book compiles names from around the world and from different cultures. Thompson melds these names into verses that have a lilting rhyme that is ideal for the youngest listeners. The end pages start the mood with the flowering and fruiting branches surrounded by endearments from around the world. Thompson’s friendly children of all different races make for inviting characters.
Thompson’s verse has a wonderful rhythm and rhyme that make reading it aloud great fun. There will be foreign words and endearments, but nicely Thompson uses most of them in rhymes so that readers can figure out how to pronounce them. Her illustrations are done in mixed media and capture the enthusiasm and energy of toddlers.
This one could become a favorite at bedtime and will lend itself to multiple readings. Appropriate for ages 1-3.
Reviewed from copy received from Child’s Play.
Hattie the Bad by Jane Devlin, illustrations by Joe Berger
Hattie was a very good little girl until she realized how dull it was. Then she became Hattie the Bad, doing naughty but very fun things. The other children loved her, but their parents stopped letting them play with Hattie. So Hattie decided to be good again, perfect even. The parents started pushing their children to be more like Hattie, but then the children stopped playing with her because she was so perfect. Hattie was so very good that she even got an award for being the Best-Behaved Child Ever! When in front of the cameras and asked to speak, Hattie stopped being good for good.
This book is all about being true to yourself and not trying to be what others expect you to be. Hattie strikes a nice balance at the end of the book, being quite naughty, with “just a teensy bit of good.” Devlin’s writing is over the top, adding to the fun and zinging energy of the book. Berger matches that with his great illustrations. Though the cover has a limited orangey palette, the book uses a more full spectrum of color. Nicely, the illustrations have a bit of seventies vibe in them. Readers should have fun watching for the frogs to appear and reappear throughout the book as well as laughing in glee when Hattie turns back into herself.
A naughty girl, perhaps, but a very nice read. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reviewed from copy received from Dial.
Also reviewed by:
Side by Side/Lado a lado : the story of Delores Huerta and Cesar Chavez by Monica Brown, illustrated by Joe Cepeda
Released September 1, 2010
Bright and vibrant, this book tells the true story of Delores Huerta and Cesar Chavez and their fight for the rights of migrant farm workers. The book begins with both of them as children and their early connections to the needs of farm workers. The real change started when the two of them met and began working together on the cause. They traveled from town to town talking from the beds of trucks in fields. They successfully fought to get the poisons used on California grapes stopped. They marched for 340 miles to demand that workers get living wages. Cesar went on a hunger strike to get people to listen. The two worked together for 30 years and were two of the most important voices for labor change in the United States.
A bilingual book, this is a heartfelt homage to two heroes of our time. The writing is simple and honest, reflecting the subject matter with a great respect. For young readers, the book is fairly free of dates, leaving the heart of the story uncluttered. In the author note, readers can learn more about the dates and associations that were created. The focus of the book is on advocacy, action and passion. Things we all hope children will learn. Cepeda’s illustrations are strong and bright. Filled with rich colors, the illustrations underscore the normalcy of both Huerta and Chavez while capturing their energy and dedication as well.
An empowering and inspiring read, this book is appropriate for ages 6-9.
Reviewed from ARC received from HarperCollins.
Richelle Mead, author of the Vampire Academy series, has sold the film options for the series. She met with producer Michael Preger of Preger Entertainment to develop the series for the big screen. They are hoping to create a series of films. Sounds like a Twilight idea to me!
Mead, who met with Preger and Murphy during the recent Comic-Con event in San Diego, says she’s not presuming anything yet.
"I’m hopeful. I’ve met the guys. They’re great. They love the books. But for me, it’s very easy to put this on the back burner. The options are sold, but it’s not something I’m thinking about most of the time. My focus is the books, because that’s what I do."
Read more at the Kansas City Star, including an interview with Mead. It gives fans something to do before the final book in the series is released in December!
Pigs to the Rescue by John Himmelman
I loved Chickens to the Rescue which was released in 2006 and this next book is just as winning and funny as the first! Each day of the week Farmer Greenstalk and his family need help. The tractor breaks down, the garden needs watering, a shoelace breaks and a kite gets stuck in the tree. In each case, the pigs launch in to help out, always leaving the situation a bit worse than when they “helped.” This zany book is sure to have guffaws galore as the illustrations are there to tell the rest of the story, especially the results of the pigs’ frenzied help. The book ends with a wonderful twist that will have readers laughing all over again.
Himmelman allows his illustrations to really tell the story here. The text is matter-of-fact, playing the straight man against the wild humor of the illustrations. The cartoon feel of the pictures works perfectly here with the larger-than-life humor that is mostly physical. Reluctant readers will enjoy the juxtaposition of the simple text against the vibrant background.
Sure to be a hit, this book will work best one-on-one because the illustrations should be enjoyed close up. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt.
How I Made It to Eighteen: a mostly true story by Tracy White
Based on the author’s experiences, this book takes a straight-on look at depression and self-destruction. Seventeen-year-old Stacy Black checked herself into a mental hospital to help deal with her anger and depression. She had just put her fist through a glass window. Stacy hated the hospital but knew that she had to be there to survive, so she stayed. As she spent time there, she developed new friends who helped her in her recovery and in being honest with herself. Told in graphic novel format that is more like a journal than manga, this book is honest, blunt and intelligent. Teen readers will easily see themselves in Stacy whether they are struggling with similar issues or not.
This book appears to be a regular novel until you open it and see all of the illustrations. Done in line drawings, the illustrations are quirky and have the unedited feel of a real journal. Readers get to know Stacy as well as her friends both in the hospital and from outside. This perspective shift, done at the end of each chapter is a welcome view of how outsiders view a teen who enters a hospital. While they express confusion and concern, all of them realize that it was a necessary step. It is a brilliant and subtle way to tell teens that they will not be vilified if they get the help they need.
Though heavily illustrated, White’s writing is also a large part of the story. Stacy is a sarcastic and caustic character. Readers will realize immediately that she is putting on a front, but it takes time for readers and Stacy to acknowledge what exactly has brought her to the hospital and to this place in her life. The slow unveiling of the basis of her problems mirrors the steps in her counseling. This makes the entire book feel organic and honest.
A book that teens will enjoy and relate to, this graphic novel will appeal to a much broader audience than graphic novel readers. Appropriate for ages 14-17.
Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.
Also reviewed by:
Pantaloon by Kathryn Jackson, illustrated by Steven Salerno
A re-illustrated classic Golden Book that was first published in 1951, this book gets a charming new look. Pantaloon is a dog that loves to eat baked goods. So when a job opens at his local bakery, Pantaloon thinks he will be perfect for it. But the baker doesn’t. He thinks that Pantaloon will eat more than he bakes. Pantaloon even tries a disguise to get the job, but he’s discovered. While Pantaloon is in the barber shop getting his hair cut and trying to come up with his next plan, the baker heads out for more sugar. Unfortunately, he trips over Pantaloon’s bicycle on the way and ends up in bed. Pantaloon eagerly steps in and ices the cakes and delivers all of the goodies to customers. What will the baker say when he returns?
Jackson’s text has an old-fashioned feel to it. It has very nice repeating lines that really tie the piece together. Pantaloon yearns for baked goods in a series of lines and the goodies at the bakery are listed in a winning way each time they are featured. Salerno’s illustrations have a retro feel to them, nicely complementing the feel of the text. His use of bright colors makes the book feel fresh and vibrant.
A very nice read aloud for food or dog story times, this is a retro sugar-rush of a book. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Reviewed from library copy.
Also reviewed by:
Also check out the images on Steven Salerno’s blog of the old and new versions.
Waking Brain Cells 