Book Reviews

Review: The Other Normals by Ned Vizzini

| Tasha

other normals

The Other Normals by Ned Vizzini

Perry Eckert loves to play Creatures & Caverns in all of his spare time.  He doesn’t have any friends to play the game with, so he just creates characters.  When someone inspires him to create a character based on himself, he does.  Of course the character differs in some ways, like his red skin, yellow hair and tail, but he is also not that strong, not that fast, but full of honor.  Perry’s parents are worried about him being a social outcast, so they send him to summer camp.  There, Perry is swept into a world where Creatures & Caverns is real!  Even better, they need Perry to help them save their world.  All it will take is Perry kissing the most popular girl at camp.  No pressure.

Vizzini is a master of misfit characters.  He takes Perry and throughout the book reveals much more about him than just his geeky exterior.  Instead, we all discover that Perry is a true hero, filled with honor, who is intelligent and very brave.  Vizzini throws in realizations that Perry has about modern American life, about thinking too much and acting too little, that will resonate with readers. 

Vizzini does not shy away from swear words in critical places.  There is also some nudity (on the part of Perry) but I won’t ruin those parts for you.  Vizzini brings lots of humor to the story, enough to bring out big guffaws of laughter at times.  There is also plenty of adventure, some death, enormous monsters, and everything that D&D players would want in a book. 

Get this into the hands of kids you know who game.  They will enjoy not only the game brought to life idea, but also the winning hero at the heart of a great adventure.  Appropriate for ages 15-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from HarperCollins.

Review: The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau by Michelle Markel

| Tasha

fantastic jungles

The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Amanda Hall

This striking picture book is a biography of the artist, Henri Rousseau.  It tells the story of this man as he started to do art at forty years old. Rousseau dreamt of being an artist because he saw so much beauty and color everywhere. He couldn’t afford lessons, so he read many books to learn techniques and structure.  At age 41, Rousseau entered an art exhibition for the first time.  The art experts said mean things about his art, but Rousseau kept painting.  Inspired by the World’s Fair in Paris, he began to draw jungles.  Rousseau kept entering exhibitions and kept getting rude things written about his art.  He kept on painting, eventually getting accepted by the younger artists in Paris, like Pablo Picasso.  By the end of his life, no one was laughing or scorning his art.  Rousseau had not just proven himself to the critics, but to the entire world.

Markel has chosen to write this book in the present tense and also to call Rousseau by his first name throughout.  Both of these make the book feel welcoming and immediate.  The prose here is never dense and at times is almost playful as Rousseau (or Henri) starts to discover his talent and inspirations.  It is like you are discovering things alongside Rousseau.

Hall’s art pays beautiful homage to Rousseau’s own work.  Reading her Illustrator’s Note, one finds that she has changed her medium for this book, using watercolor and acrylics to achieve Rousseau’s characteristic look and feel.  She also used some of his original work as direct inspiration, adding his breaking of scale and perspective rules as well.

This is a superb picture book biography of an artist who came late to finding his passion in life.  Both his life and work are inspirations for children and adults to dream big and ignore the critics.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.

Review: The Shark King by R. Kikuo Johnson

| Tasha

shark king

The Shark King by R. Kikuo Johnson

Toon Books has mastered the art of graphic novels for early readers and this book adds to the depth of their offerings.  This story comes from Hawaii and this the tale of Nanaue.  He is the child of a normal mother and The Shark King.  His parents fell in love after his father rescued his mother from drowning.  When Nanaue was about to be born, his father left.  Nanaue was an unusual child, not only because he walked at such an early age, but because of a unique mark on his back that could open into a mouth and snap.  After meeting a boy and his father, a fisherman, Nanaue started to catch fish to eat.  He followed the fishermen to find food, eating so much that he drove them further away.  Nanaue was eventually discovered by the villagers and his mark was revealed.  They chased him all the way back home and even then he had to dive to safety in the sea.  The place that his father created just for him before he was born.

Johnson keeps this rather complicated story simple thanks to the use of the images to tell much of the story.  The snapping mouth on Nanaue’s back is shown rather than described, making it completely and immediately understandable.  The book moves quickly through the story, giving extra time to the beauty of the undersea world and the freedom that Nanaue finds there.

Done in panels that are ever changing in their design, the book has a sense of motion and speed.  Johnson manages to insert welcome humor into the dramatic tale without ever undermining the amazing tale he is telling.

A rich graphic novel for young readers, this book celebrates a little-known Hawaiian story.  Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Reviewed from copy received from Toon Books.

Review: A Gold Star for Zog by Julia Donaldson

| Tasha

gold star for zog

A Gold Star for Zog by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler

Zog is a young dragon who desperately wants to win a gold star in his dragon classes.  Unfortunately, he isn’t having much luck.  Flying classes ended with him crashing into a tree, though he was patched up with a band-aid from a young girl.  In Year Two, Zog learned how to roar.  The same girl, a little older now, offered him a peppermint for his scratchy throat after he tried too hard.  The next year, Zog learned how to breathe fire but set his own wing on fire.  Again, the girl was there to bandage his wing.  The final test was to capture a princess.  Zog tried and tried, but could not manage it.  The girl showed up and revealed herself as a princess and offered to be captured by Zog.  Zog got a gold star from his teacher, and the princess revealed herself to want to be a doctor instead.  To find out how it all works out, you will have to quest into the story for yourself.

Told in a rhyme that is great fun to read aloud, this book is fanciful and humorous.  Donaldson has nicely melded dragons and princesses with a classroom setting, achievement and aspiring to be something else.  The princess character is nicely integrated throughout the story, though at first readers are not sure she is anything other than a girl with a medical kit.  That reveal is done nicely and then her further dreams to be something else add a freshness to the tale.

Scheffler has created zingy art filled with bright colors, action and plenty of prat falls.  The class of dragons in a rainbow of colors alone is enough to brighten any book.  Scheffler’s style keeps the dragons friendly and cartoon-like, making the book particularly fun to read. 

A great pick for reading aloud to elementary and preschool classes, this book’s dragons and humor will have it soaring high.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Lulu and the Duck in the Park by Hilary McKay

| Tasha

Lulu and the Duck

Lulu and the Duck in the Park by Hilary McKay

Lulu loves animals, so she can’t understand it when people don’t love every animal, like her teacher Mrs. Holiday.  In fact, Mrs. Holiday has asked Lulu to never bring an animal to school again after an incident with her dog.  When their class is heading back through the park after swimming, something awful happens.  Two dogs run rampage through the ducks’ nests in the park, scaring the ducks, ruining their nests and smashing eggs.  So when Lulu sees the duck egg rolling down the hill, she just does what comes naturally and puts it into her pocket.  Once back at school though, it is hard to figure out how to hide an egg without smashing it.  It becomes even harder when the duckling decides to hatch!

McKay is one of my favorite British authors, capturing the unique qualities of her characters with a distinct merriment.  In this short novel perfect for beginning readers, she changes the perspective up sometimes by offering Mrs. Holiday’s point of view too.  It is done with a lot of humor and children will easily make the transition between Lulu and her teacher. 

The writing is simple but great fun to read.  There are plenty of jokes and moments of seriousness too that both help keep the book moving forward.  It is a trick to offer depth of story in such a brief book, but McKay manages it.

I look forward to the next Lulu book and the trouble that she gets into there.  Appropriate for ages 7-9.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds

| Tasha

sky color

Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds

This is another charmer of a picture book from Reynolds who wrote the popular Ish and The Dot.  Marisol considers herself an artist.  She paints lots of pictures, carries art supplies with her, and sees an artist in everyone.  So Marisol is thrilled when she learns that their next project will be a class mural.  Marisol wants to paint the sky.  The only problem is that there’s no blue paint.  How can she paint the sky without any blue?  Happily, the sky itself shows all of the colors possible to Marisol and she is inspired to paint the sky in many colors.

Reynolds uses simple text very successfully here, just as he has in his previous books.  This book is all about embracing the inner artist, expressing creativity, and finding inspiration in the world around you.  These are huge concepts that Reynolds makes tangible and possible even for young children to get inspired by.  A great idea would be to share the book with children and then have everyone paint the sky without using blue. 

Reynolds successfully turns just a few lines into great illustrations that capture emotions and full characters.  Many of the pages are black and white with bursts of color, but when artistic inspiration strikes, the colors bloom. 

Clever, colorful and filled with artistic inspiration for young readers.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz

| Tasha

in a glass grimmly

In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz

A companion novel to A Tale Dark & Grimm, this book continues to celebrate the darkness and horror that is part of real fairy tales.  This time the focus expands beyond The Brothers Grimm to also include Hans Christian Andersen and Christina Rossetti among others as inspiration.  This is the story of Jack and Jill and their adventures.  Yes, there is a broken crown and also a beanstalk to climb.  There is also a talking frog to be kissed, a goblin market to explore, and monsters to either battle or befriend.  There is plenty of blood, anger, misery, hunger and torment too.  Sound like the sort of book you’d enjoy?  I thought so!

Gidwitz has continued with his narrator who warns readers about what is about to happen, most of the time.  There is a wonderful playfulness in this approach that lightens the sometimes very grim storylines.  The interwoven tales, some of them original and all of them slightly twisted, make for a great read.  The writing is strong and vibrant and a joy to read.

The characters of Jack and Jill are both wrestling with different issues, but both come down to the same thing.  The two of them need to focus more on what they themselves think and not about what others think of them.  Jill struggles with her mother’s focus on beauty, resulting in her walking the street naked in a spin on The Emperor’s Clothes.  Jack wishes he was a leader rather than a follower, and is tormented by the other boys.  He’s even mocked with a version of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”  The two children start out very likeable and relatable but turn out to be true heroes in the end.

This engaging story and pair of books is one that will get reluctant readers reading with its promises of gore and disgusting content, but is will be most enjoyed by children familiar with the original tales.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC received from Dutton Children’s Books.

Review: Living with Mom and Living with Dad by Melanie Walsh

| Tasha

living with mom and living with dad

Living with Mom and Living with Dad by Melanie Walsh

This picture book takes a look at divorce in a way that is appropriate for very young children.  It focuses on living in two separate homes and what happens to the things a child holds dear and to their family.  Using flaps to invite young listeners to participate in the story, children will be able to explore the differences, including different nightlights, changes in how a child is picked up from school, and trips with each parent.  Nicely, the book also explores what happens for special events and birthdays and how the parents attend but separately.  There is no negative emotion here, just a matter-of-fact book that answers the questions that children will have about their every day life. 

Walsh has created a book that will be of particular help in both families going through a divorce and for children who have questions in general about divorce.  The lack of emotion gives the book some distance from the situation, yet it manages to answer all of the nuts and bolts details that children fret about. 

Walsh’s art is flat and friendly.  The book is populated by bright colors, cheery flaps and a friendly outlook.  All of this in a book about divorce.  And it manages to work and work well.

A good choice for the youngest of children who are thinking about divorce, this book is a welcome addition to library shelves.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead

| Tasha

liar and spy

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead

In the first book following her award-winning When You Reach Me, Stead again writes a clever book that slowly reveals its truths to the reader.  It is the story of Georges, named after Georges Seurat, whose family is forced to sell their home after his father loses his job.  Because of this, his mother is away all the time, picking up double shifts at the hospital to make ends meet.  It is at the new apartment that Georges meets Safer.  They first meet at a meeting of the Spy Club after Georges’ dad responds to a note in the laundry room.  As the boys become better and better friends, their spy games escalate too.  Soon the question becomes what it takes to be friends with a liar, and who that liar is.

Stead writes such layered books that they become almost more about exploring the layers than about the underlying story.  Here the story is Georges and his friendship, but it is also about denial, coping and fear.  Stead uses the pointillism of Seurat as a symbol that runs through the book.  Does one focus on one specific thing or on the larger picture or both at the same time.  Stead’s writing is careful and beautifully crafted.  Everything serves a purpose in the story, making it a delight to read.

Georges is a fascinating character.  Towards the beginning of the book, readers will understand that something else is happening with his mother other than double shifts.  Georges, though, is unwilling or unable to face whatever it is.  This gives the book a layer of doubt and even sadness that makes for an uncommon read.  This is magnified by his father’s absence as well and by the bullying he receives at school. 

A virtuoso novel for middle graders, this book is elegantly crafted, exceptionally written, and unforgettable.  Appropriate for ages 10-12.

Reviewed from digital galley received from NetGalley.