Book Reviews

Review: The Man with the Violin by Kathy Stinson

| Tasha

man with the violin

The Man with the Violin by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Dusan Petricic

Based on a true event, this book shows the innate connection of children and music.  When Dylan and his mother leave the house, Dylan is always noticing things.  His mother is not.  It was an ordinary day until he heard the music in the subway station.  The man with the violin played and the notes swept through the crowded area.  Dylan wants to stop and begs his mother to pause, but she won’t.  Dylan though is left with the music in his head and finally convinces his mother that evening to stop and hear the music too.

This book is based on the true story of when the renowned violinist Joshua Bell played in the Washington DC subway.  His story is captured in the notes at the end of the book, explaining that only seven people stopped to listen to him play and that many children paused but the adults with them hurried on.  Stinson writes with a playfulness that makes the book dance along.  She uses lots of rhythms and noises throughout, really bringing the world of the city and subway to life. 

Petricic’s art captures the wonder and brightness of music, the zigging noise of shouting and screeching subway.  Dylan is a bright spot of color, the music in the air sweeps and swirls with bright colors, and the violinist is also a bright spot, as you can see in the cover image.  The music is powerful enough to lift Dylan off his feet, swirl his hair like a breeze, and entirely transform is day.

Bravo for capturing this eloquent story about the power of music and its connection to children in particular.  Standing ovation!  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from digital galley received from Annick Press and NetGalley.

Review: Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

| Tasha

two boys kissing

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Released August 27, 2013.

Based on true events, this is the story of Henry and Craig, who attempt to set the World Record for kissing the longest.  That means they have to kiss for over 32 hours without a break, no pee breaks, no drink breaks, no sleep and no food.  They start it as a way to support their friend who had been attacked for being gay, but it quickly becomes so much more than that.  It is a kiss felt around the world.  It’s a kiss that speaks to other gay boys, boys who are in their own relationships, those just starting to meet one another, those born into the wrong bodies, those exploring the dark side of the Internet, and others who are just coming out.  The entire book is narrated by the voices of gay men who died in the AIDS epidemic, a generation of gay men who watch the violence, the continued anguish, but also the hope, the progress and the open joy of love.

This book is quite simply a masterpiece.  The pairing of the fresh young love of these gay teens against the wisdom of those who fault earlier battles is brilliant.  It places the entire book into a context that could otherwise be lost.  It is through those many narrators that the truth is laid bare in luminous poetic sentences like “He has no idea how beautiful he is as he walks up that path and rings that doorbell.  He has no idea how beautiful the ordinary becomes once it disappears.”  I highlighted so many sentences like that, bursts of beautiful insight scattered across the sky of the book.  Levithan is at his best here.

Levithan’s pairing of the modern with the perspective of those dead also makes sure that the book has a certain focus on death and dying.  He plays with both, contrasting it with the beauty of the every day, the wonder of perfect moments that are perfect only because they are momentary.  The book reads as one of those crystalline moments caught and tangible.  Levithan also offers gay characters who are in complicated relationships, adding to the depth of the narrative even further.  None of these teens are stereotypes, they are all deeply human, wonderfully so.

Beautifully written with strong characters and a brilliant concept, this book is breathtaking, just like a great kiss should be.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from e-galley courtesy of Knopf Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss.

Review: Crankenstein by Samantha Berger

| Tasha

crankenstein

Crankenstein by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Dan Santat

You should be very very scared of Crankenstein.  He appears when provoked, on rainy days, at bedtime, or when popsicles melt on hot days.  Nothing can fix Crankenstein, not a sunny morning, pancakes for breakfast or any amount of niceness.  But there is one thing that can fix a Crankenstein – another Crankenstein.  Sometimes that and only that can get the Crankensteins to both start giggling and then they both disappear and become normal kids again.  But beware, Crankenstein still lurks, hidden, and ready to appear at any moment.

Written in a firmly tongue-in-cheek tone, readers will quickly recognize their own Crankenstein moments in this book.  Berger keeps the details minimal and the situations universal in this book, adding to the humor.  Santat’s illustrations really bring the story to life.  Crankenstein is given the perfect death glare, those deadened eyes staring right at you.  Santat doesn’t hold back here, gleefully creating an over-the-top characterization of pure grumpiness.

This book reads aloud wonderfully and offers a gleeful glimpse at the grumps.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Bluffton by Matt Phelan

| Tasha

bluffton

Bluffton by Matt Phelan

Nothing ever happens in Muskegon, Michigan in 1908.  So when a troupe of visiting vaudeville performers sets up their summer camp in neighboring Bluffton, young Henry just has to take a peek.  There he meets Buster Keaton, a boy his age who performs on the vaudeville circuit with his parents.  His father tosses him around as part of their act, gaining him the nickname of The Human Mop.  Henry longs for Buster to teach him how to do tricks and falls, but Buster is much more interested in playing baseball and swimming in the lake.  The boys forge a summery friendship that is renewed as each year passes and summer returns.  It is the story of a young Buster Keaton who will soon take the world by storm when he starts making movies and also captures a time of perfect summers filled with baseball and elephants.

Phelan has returned with another amazing graphic novel.  He takes his own unique approach to them, using the classic framed structure but pairing it with paintings that are done in ink and watercolor.  The result is a gorgeous mix of modern and historical, matching the theme of the book nicely.

In this graphic novel, readers get to meet Buster Keaton through the eyes of another boy.  Those of us who grew up watching Keaton perform amazing stunts will recognize the amazing man in this young boy with no hesitation.  Fascinatingly, the book does not rely on his feats to tie the boy to the man, instead it is about attitude and a defiant fearlessness. 

Strong characterization, a glimpse of summers gone by, and one amazing true story create a graphic novel that is pure radiance.  Appropriate for ages 8-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

| Tasha

forgive me leonard peacock

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

No one remembers Leonard’s 18th birthday, not even his mother who is busy with her new French boyfriend in New York City.  Leonard has big birthday plans.  He has presents for four of his closest friends.  He also has a present for his ex best friend, a bullet.  Specifically, a bullet right in his face.  Then Leonard will finish his birthday night by killing himself too.  First though, Leonard has to hand out his presents.  There is one for Walt, his next-door neighbor with whom Walt watches Bogart movies.  One for Lauren, the Christian homeschooler who tried to convert Leonard but only got him to lust after her more.  One for Baback, the gifted violinist whose practice sessions Leonard finds solace in.  And finally, one for Herr Silverman, the only teacher Leonard finds inspiring at all.  The story takes place all in one day filled with tension, hope and honesty.

Quick has created such a great character in Leonard.  Leonard is often arrogant, violently depressed, isolated, completely lonely, and yet infinitely human as well.  While he looks down on his classmates and most of his teachers, as his motivation is slowly revealed to the reader, it all makes sense.  Leonard is a puzzle that the reader gets to solve, and yet he remains complicated still. 

A book like this can be so dark there is not even a glimmer of light, but Quick shines light throughout if you are watching for it.  By the end of the book, you know that Leonard can be alright, if he just allows himself to believe it.  Quick has also written a great character who is a testimony to the role of teachers in teens’ lives.  Herr Silverman puts his own career in jeopardy to help Leonard, making him a hero in every sense of the word.  He is selfless and courageous, and it is clear from the first time he enters the book that he will either save Leonard or Leonard is beyond saving entirely. 

Harrowing, frightening and astonishingly hopeful, this book is a strong and passionate look at a boy willing to destroy everything, especially himself.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from Little, Brown.

Review: If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan

| Tasha

Farizan_IfYouCouldBeMine_REV.indd

If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan

This debut novel from an Iranian-American author takes a look at what it is like to be a teen lesbian in Iran.  Sahar loves her friend Nasrin intensely.  They have been friends since childhood and Sahar has loved her since she was six.  They steal kisses when their parents are not around and long to be able to plan their lives together.  But in a country where women can be arrested and beaten for showing their elbows in public, their love is not allowed.  When Nasrin is betrothed to a young doctor, Sahar desperately looks for a solution that would allow them to be together.   She discovers that in Iran, you can have a sex change if you declare yourself to be transgendered and be considered fully the opposite sex.  So Sahar sets out to do just that, become a man so that she can marry Nasrin.  As Sahar’s plan develops, she has to make some serious choices, ones that will affect her for the rest of her life.

Farizan’s writing is clear and beautiful.  She adroitly shows the society of Iran, its treatment of women, the fear of the police, and the danger that the characters are living with.  The portrayal of their love is tender and exploratory, as it begins to crumble, one can see Sahar’s love for Nasrin remain even when their closeness begins to evaporate under the stress of the upcoming wedding and Sahar’s desperation to find a solution.

Throughout the book, there is a sense of longing, of yearning for freedom, for love, for one another.  It is a book filled with choices where nothing is right due to the society around them.  Yet through it all, Sahar shines.  She is a wonderful character who is strong, smart and unstoppable. 

This book depicts in life in Iran but also offers a diverse look at GLBTQ issues in the Middle East.  With a piercingly strong heroine, it is a powerful pick for public library collections.  Appropriate for ages 13-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from Algonquin Young Readers.

Review: Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea

| Tasha

unicorn thinks hes pretty great

Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea

Goat is disgruntled.  Everything was going just fine and then Unicorn came along.  Goat rides his bike proudly until Unicorn actually flies by.  Goat brought treats for the class and then Unicorn made it rain cupcakes.  Goat was doing great at the dance but Unicorn won first prize.  Goat does some simple magic coin tricks and Unicorn turns things to gold.  It just is not fair.  So Goat is not ready for Unicorn to come up to him when he’s having lunch and talk about how much he loves goat cheese, how he adores cloven hooves, and how jealous he is of Goat’s curved horns.  The book ends with the two deciding to be friends and imagining what they would look like as a superhero team. 

Shea always does comedic writing very nicely with a great sense of timing and books that are ideal for reading aloud thanks to the strong character voices.  Here Goat steals the show despite Unicorn’s more flashy attitude.  His dour attitude is nicely enlivened with humor and his own wry take on life. 

Shea’s art is done in his signature simple yet rather zany style.  Unicorn’s magical traits are portrayed in a flashy, wild way that makes them all the more funny and impressive.  With only a few lines, the mood of both Unicorn and Goat are clearly shown.

Funny and wild, this book proves that the cupcake is always fresher on the other side of the rainbow.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: The Lord of Opium by Nancy Farmer

| Tasha

lord of opium

The Lord of Opium by Nancy Farmer

Released September 3, 2013.

This is the sequel to the award-winning The House of the Scorpion, which came out in 2004.  Matt, clone of the dead drug lord El Patron, is now master of the Land of Opium, his own country.  All of the problems he saw as he grew up in Opium are still there.  The eejits, people who have been made into zombies by having computer chips placed in their brains, are still required for Opium to thrive.  Making opium and selling it is still the way that everything is funded.  And everyone expects Matt to step quickly into the same brutal ways as El Patron used.  Matt desperately wants to fix everything wrong with Opium, but he comes up against many obstacles.  Matt must quickly learn who to trust in the web of lies that El Patron created. 

I was thrilled to see a new book in this series, but concerned that I would have to re-read the first one because it has been nine years.  Somehow Farmer manages to place you right back into the world without rehashing the first book.  I found myself immediately recalling the first book, probably because of the strength of Farmer’s stories and world building.  It all came rushing back with no problems.  Now that is amazing writing!

Matt is such a complex character, just as he was in the first book.  He is both indebted to Opium and yet despises it.  He loves the land and the place itself but hates the reason it exists too.  He resents the money and wealth that surrounds him yet finds himself unable to not use it.  Matt is trapped in the most complicated of moral and ethical dilemmas and there is no clear way forward at any time.  The result is a novel that is riveting thanks to those deep questions.

The setting of lush Opium is written with care and detail.  Farmer lingers over descriptions of Opium as the last green place on earth and the fact that it is probably the only salvation for the rest of the world.  Her pacing is also nicely handled.  She slows it at times to allow relationships to build but the action keeps the pace fast and the book flies past.

A worthy successor to a great first novel, this book does not suffer from any sophomore slump.  Welcome back to the world of Opium!  Appropriate for ages 14-18.

Reviewed from digital galley received from Edelweiss and Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Review: Hank Finds an Egg by Rebecca Dudley

| Tasha

hank finds an egg

Hank Finds an Egg by Rebecca Dudley

This debut picture book started life as a self-published work.  As such, it was the cream of the crop, because it is also one of the best wordless picture books of the year, bar none.  Hank is a little bear, or some sort of bear-like creature, who happens upon an egg on the ground in the forest.  Looking around, he locates the nest that it must have fallen from, but even though he tries several different ways, is unable to reach the nest to return the egg to safety.  Night falls and Hank keeps the egg warm at his campsite all night long.  In the morning, he returns to the nest and finds the mother bird there.  An ingenious solution gets the egg up to the nest and before long, Hank is rewarded for his kindness. 

This wordless picture book has a charm that is hard to put into words.  Dudley has handcrafted all of the items on the page, from the brown leaves that blanket the floor of the forest to the unfurling green fronds of fern that add to the hopeful feeling of the book to Hank and the trees that surround him.  All are photographed with a great sense of detail and also a wonderful depth of field that make it all seem real and true. 

Beautiful and charming, this little book is sure to become a favorite.  Time to curl up with your own little bear and enjoy.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.