Book Reviews

Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

| Tasha

5W FINAL COVER.indd

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The author of the Monstrumologist series returns with this riveting story of alien invasion.  The planet knew that the aliens had arrived, but the silence for days left them feeling hopeful.  Then the 1st wave took away electricity and cars.  The 2nd wave took out the coasts.  The 3rd wave brought the Red Death.  The 4th wave took away trust.  Cassie is one of the survivors of all four waves and just may be the only remaining human on earth.  She has seen her family die, her mother from the Red Death and her father killed right in front of her, but her little brother may still be alive, since he was taken to safety on a school bus.  But Cassie also knows that it is death to trust anyone at all, so she is not sure whether where Sammy was taken is safe or not.  Now she is alone, just her and her M16, trying to reach him.  Then Evan Walker enters her life, saving her from a gunshot wound.  Cassie knows to trust no one.  So how does she deal with a situation where she was to trust to heal and maybe even to save her brother.

This is one incredible novel.  The pacing is what I have to talk about first.  There are moments where I could not turn the pages fast enough, then others where I had to walk away for a bit to deal with the latest heart-shattering reveal.  This book is a dance of hope and terror, trust and knowing better.  Yancey proves quickly that he is not afraid to shock, to kill, to maim.  This book is filled with death, filled with despair, yet it is also about strength, hope and humanity.  Yancey writes this perfectly, keeping readers on a razorblade of tension throughout. 

A large piece of the success of this book are the characters and the book tells their individual stories.  Cassie is one strong heroine, who is willing to go through hell to get her little brother back.  She is not fearless but is always courageous and willing to do what has to be done.  Readers find out before Cassie herself does what happened to her little brother.  This adds to that tension, especially since one doesn’t trust Yancey not to do horrific things even to the littlest of children.  There is Zombie, a boy that Cassie went to school with, who has been trained to be a child soldier since the aliens came.  And finally, there is Evan, the farmboy heartthrob who is dangerous but delicious too.

Expect this to be one of the big books this summer.  It would be a pleasure to booktalk, since the alien invasion in waves basically sells this.  Perhaps most telling of all is that this is now the only way that I see an alien invasion happening.  It is clever, chilling and deadly.  Appropriate for ages 15-17.

Reviewed from copy received from Putnam.

Big Pile of Board Books

| Tasha

Here we go!  I had been waiting with a couple of these to have enough to do a full post of board books and now I have far too many.  Here are six board books worth picking up for the little one in your life or library:

away we go

Away We Go! by Chieu Anh Urban

Filled with bright colored vehicles made out of all sorts of shapes, this die cut board book is engaging and great fun.  The words on the page ask you to find specific shapes, but there is no need to follow their lead.  This is a great pick for librarians looking for a book that will have parents talking to their children about what is on the page.  Perfect for little hands to explore too.

blue bus red balloon

Everything Goes: Blue Bus, Red Balloon: A Book of Colors by Brian Biggs

Another charmer in the Everything Goes series, this board book focuses on colors.  It follows all kinds of vehicles and the pictures tell a complete story while the text names vehicles and colors. 

hide and seek wiggle

Hide and Seek by Taro Gomi

Wiggle by Taro Gomi

Gomi returns with two picture books with very different feels.  Hide and Seek is a book that is clever and subtle, showing several very similar objects or creatures with one small difference.  The humor is clever and the art is sophisticated.  Wiggle is a book with a die cut hole for a small finger to fit through.  Children get to use their finger as an elephant trunk, robot nose, and much more.  This one is less clever and more physical.  The two books should appeal to different children, but both will be appreciated.

my mom is the best circus

My Mom Is the Best Circus by Luciana Navarro Powell

Light and filled with fun, this board book takes mom’s everyday duties and shows them as if she was performing in the circus.  She juggles breakfast, tames wild laundry, can make you laugh like a clown, or be amazed like a magician.  Cute and funny, this is a nice light board book sure to make moms nod along.

pinwheel

Pinwheel by Salina Yoon

Yoon has once again created a visually arresting board book for children.  This book has wheels to turn that set the designs in motion, creating art that moves and changes before your eyes.  It is almost kaleidoscopic at times.  Beautiful and nice for little hands to turn.

Review: Mouse Bird Snake Wolf by David Almond

| Tasha

mouse bird snake wolf

Mouse Bird Snake Wolf by David Almond, illustrated by Dave McKean

From the author and illustrator who brought us The Savage comes this new book.  Three children, Harry, Sue and Little Ben, live in a world that is calm and lovely, but also incomplete.  They look around and see gaps where objects or things could be, but are not.  Up above, the gods are sleeping.  They are quite proud of the world they have created and spend lots of time bragging about what they have already done.  None of them are interested in creating anything new or filling any of the empty spaces.  The children though do have the drive to do just that.  So they create creatures out of twigs and leaves and dirt.  Their ideas start small but quickly grow to a frightening level.  Can anything be done once a thing is created?

Almond is not afraid to head right to the strangeness that keeps others at bay.  In fact, that’s right where he takes readers: to those dark and dangerous spots that others steer from.  Here he comes at that place through a mythological tale of bored gods and sparklingly intense children.  From the title alone, you know there is danger ahead, but what a ride it is! 

McKean takes those dark ideas and makes them visible to all.  Lest we think that Almond is speaking in broad terms and using metaphors, McKean’s art makes it all completely real and tangible.  Done in sharp angles and lean faces, there is a marvelous hunger throughout these images that shows in the eyes and postures.  It’s such an ideal fit for the story. 

Dark and dangerous, this book is not for everyone.  Fans of Almond and McKean though should cheer this new book from the team.   And once you start, I dare you to be able to look away!  Appropriate for ages 8-12. 

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Brush of the Gods by Lenore Look

| Tasha

brush of the gods

Brush of the Gods by Lenore Look and Meilo So

This is a picture book biography of Wu Daozi from the T’ang Dynasty, who is considered China’s greatest painter.  As a child, Daozi is taught calligraphy, but his brush does not want to just create Chinese characters.  Instead, he creates the first stroke and then turns it into an animal like a fish or a horse.  Daozi began to paint on walls, painting so fast that his sleeves opened like wings, gaining him the nickname of Flying Sleeves.  He painted every day and people began to leave coins for him that he donated to feed the poor.  As time passed, his skills grew even greater until the creatures he drew and painted became alive and left the flat surface of the walls.  He was then commissioned to paint an entire wall for the emperor, a project that took him many years.  In the end though, he created an entire world on a wall, one that you could almost walk right into.

Beautifully told and illustrated, this picture book biography takes a playful tone right from the beginning.  The sense that Daozi was not in control of his own gift makes for a wonderful insight into the drive and talent of artists and the way their talents can control them.  It is also a tribute to the skills gained by doing what you love and practicing a tremendous amount.  Daozi’s work and its lifelike quality is captured through a magical transformation to life in the story, making this feel much more like folklore than a biography.

Look’s text will work best for elementary-aged children, as she tells the story of hard work and talent combined into something spectacular.  They will also be more likely to understand the juxtaposition of biography and magical realism that is in the book.  Her writing is clear and lingers in all of the right moments and moves quickly when those moments are right too.  So’s illustrations are a tribute to Chinese art.  Done with clear brushstrokes, they also have fine details and small touches that make them shine.

This is a very impressive biography of an incredible artist that few children will be aware of before reading this book, making it perfect to share with children in art classes.  Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Reviewed from digital galley received from Random House via Edelweiss.

Review: Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

| Tasha

openly straight

Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

Rafe is openly gay in his home town of Boulder, Colorado.  OK, he’s beyond out of the closet, he’s the guy that is asked to speak publicly about being gay, his mother is president of the local PFLAG chapter, and he speaks to high schools about tolerance.  So when he heads to a private all-boys school in New England, he decides to no longer be that out about being gay.  He just wants to be normal, be one of the guys, have guy friends and play soccer.  So he goes back into the closet.  He tells himself that it’s not a big deal, since sexuality is just one part of the whole person.  But things get complicated.  First, a boy on campus has a breakdown.  Then he has to start lying to people when they ask about his girlfriend or even when asked directly whether he is straight or gay.  And yeah, there’s this guy he likes, maybe even loves.  This smart, funny novel explores what happens when coming out at home was easy, but coming out a second time is beyond difficult.

Konigsberg writes such a wonderful character in Rafe.  Rafe is fairly confident on several levels but in so many other ways, he’s a complete mess.  I love that he is a boy who spoke out about tolerance, yet seems unable to tolerate the consequences of his being out and proud.  The idea of returning to the closet is one that adds a freshness to this story while the book still deals with all of the stereotypes and negativity that gay teens face.  I also appreciate the frankness with which this book handles gay teen sex, another refreshing aspect of the novel.

Throughout the book, the tension is created through Rafe’s lies and the growing relationship he finds himself in with his best friend.  Throughout one wonders if this is the moment he breaks his silence and frees himself, but Rafe continues to live in the cage he rebuilt for himself.  It’s a book that is funny yes, but equally tragic too. 

Beautifully written with wit and style, this book takes a new look at being gay and out.  Appropriate for ages 16-18.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

Review: The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

| Tasha

day the crayons quit

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

Published June 27, 2013

Duncan is all set to color, but when he opens his crayon box he finds all sorts of letters written to him by his crayons.  And they are all letters of complaint!  First, Red wants to complain about being overworked because of all of his work on apples and fire engines.  He even works holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day!  Other crayons like Beige are complaining about not being used enough.  Then there is the feud between Orange and Yellow about how is the real color of the sun, since Duncan uses them both.  Peach crayon is upset about having his wrapper peeled off leaving him naked and unable to come out of the crayon box.  Purple scolds Duncan for coloring outside the lines and Pink complains about not being used except by Duncan’s little sister.  Luckily, Duncan has a great solution to all of their complaints.

Daywalt has created a book that is such fun to read aloud.  Each crayon’s letter really has its own voice, making it a pleasure to give new voices for each crayon character.  This mix of tones and voices also results in a very robust story, much more than one might expect for such a simple concept.  The entire book is cheerful and has laugh-out-loud moments throughout.

Jeffers’ art is as always playful with his own particular whimsical touches.  His crayons come to life with just a few lines that convey emotion through eyes, mouth and arms.  Simple and completely convincing.

A colorful look at crayons, personalities and ultimately creativity, this picture book should be shared aloud with plenty of paper for coloring on.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Philomel.

Review: Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy

| Tasha

criminal

Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy

Nikki loves Dee but her friends warn her about him.  Her best friend Bird is particularly worried that Dee is dragging Nikki into dangerous situations.  Since Nikki lives with Bird, because her mother is too drug addled to take care of her or make a home for her, Bird’s opinion usually carries a lot of weight.  But not where Dee is concerned.  It’s not until Nikki finds herself in a very dangerous situation where someone is killed by Dee and Nikki drives the getaway car that Nikki discovers a lot of the truths the Dee has been hiding from her.  Now Nikki is in serious trouble and Bird may be drawn into the situation as well.  Nikki has to make some good decisions quickly before her bad decision changes her entire life.  Love is supposed to be what life is all about, so what happens when you can’t count on love after all?

McVoy pulls no punches in this gripping teen novel.  Nikki is a troubled protagonist whose perspective on what is happening is clearly skewed by the sexual attention that Dee pours on her and the warped way in which he treats her otherwise.  While that relationship is at the heart of Nikki’s troubles, McVoy does not shy away from making sure that Nikki and the reader understand that while it may be a factor, Nikki must still take responsibility for her own actions.  Nikki’s legal situation and the criminal process make for a taut read, as Nikki learns about herself and the TV version of jail is shattered into one that is transformational for those willing to change.

This book can be painful to read at times, since Nikki starts so deeply into Dee’s control and lies that she is starting to disappear herself.  By the time the crime is committed, readers will be almost screaming at Nikki for her poor choices.  It becomes almost too much when she continues to defend him, not recognizing the situation he has placed her in.  Throughout Nikki is not a character to be admired, but by the end, she has become strong, honest and has learned a lot.  This is a teen novel filled with character growth that is done gradually and realistically.

Brutally honest and filled with moments of dark and light, this book speaks to false love disguised as real love and the desperate lengths one might go to for it.  Appropriate for ages 16-18.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon Pulse.

Review: Pomelo’s Opposites by Ramona Badescu

| Tasha

pomelos opposites

Pomelo’s Opposites by Ramona Badescu, illustrated by Benjamin Chaud

Pairs of opposites are shown together, one on each page.  But this is no regular opposites book, instead it is filled with sly humor.  The first surprise is how think this small square book is with page after page of opposites, more than you would have thought possible.  And it’s those unusual opposites, the ones that you have to stretch to understand that make this such a winning little book.  There are the expected opposites like far and near, left and right, high and low.  Turn a few more pages though, and you will see dream and reality, handsome and weird.  Filled with surprise after surprise, this is an opposite book that children of all ages will enjoy.

Chaud’s illustrations are really the winners here.  The text is so simple, just word pairs that the illustrations have to carry the book.  In and out is shown as eat and poop, which is sure to delight children.  Others are completely strange like evident and unimaginable.  I’ll let you explore to find out the images for that. 

This is a book that gets you thinking about the nature of opposites.  Children can use it as a jumping off point for creating their own unusual opposites and illustrating them.  Or just read it and laugh out loud at the great surprises waiting for you.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Review: My Happy Life by Rose Lagercrantz

| Tasha

my happy life

My Happy Life by Rose Lagercrantz, illustrated by Eva Eriksson

Dani has a very happy life, something that she thinks about as she falls asleep every night.  She has a father who loves her very much and is about to start school for the first time.  At first Dani feels like she will never make any friends at school, but then she notices another little girl who is standing alone.  Soon Ella and Dani are best friends, inseparable.  That doesn’t mean that they don’t fight sometimes, but they never fought for long.  But all too soon, Dani discovers that Ella is moving away.  Now Dani has to figure out how to go on without her best friend and it’s not easy.  Dani ends up with a scraped knee and a bandaged head and even hurts a boy in her class by shoving him.  Yet, Dani is a naturally happy person and quickly apologizes for what she did.  It’s not easy, but she learns to move on from missing her friend to being happy once again.

Originally published in Sweden, this book has the feel of a European import.  It has a gentle feel to it but also a deep honesty that is wonderful to see.  Dani has had many challenges in her life, including losing her mother, but she is the epitome of a happy person who embraces joy in every way.  This is an uplifting book where there are challenges, lots of strong negative emotions, but in the end, happiness prevails in a very natural and unforced way.

The illustrations and text work together in harmony here.  I was actually surprised to see that they were done by two people rather than just one since they work so very well together.  The images of the two friends together are buoyant while those of Dani in more dark moods continue to shine with a subtle light even when sad or hurt.

Perfect for families who are trying to be more mindful and happy, this book is a joy to read and to share.  It would also make a great cuddling story for bedtime, leaving everyone smiling together.  Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from library copy.