Book Reviews

Book Review: Crossing Lines by Paul Volponi

| Tasha

crossinglines

Crossing Lines by Paul Volponi

Released June 9, 2011.

Adonis plays on his high school football team and all of his best friends are football jocks.  He has just started dating Melody, one of the hottest girls at school.  Alan is the new person at school.  He is the only boy in the Fashion Club and a kid who refuses to conform.  Alan is openly mocked and ridiculed by Adonis’ friends.  Things take a turn for the worse when Alan begins openly wearing lipstick and dresses at school.  He even embraces the name the jocks have been calling him, Alana.  Adonis finds himself pressured by Melody and his younger sister to befriend Alan while all of his friends at school assume that Adonis detests Alan just as much as they do.  Adonis is trapped in the middle, never telling anyone exactly how he feels and where he stands.  But then a plan to bully Alan goes wrong and Adonis is forced to choose sides.

I have mixed feelings about this novel.  Part of me wishes that the subject matter had been handled more subtly.  At the same time, I understand the value in a very accessible book that teens who may feel mixed feelings about GLBTQ issues can relate to.  Volponi writes in a very concrete way here.  His prose is tight and very reality based.

Adonis is a character who will also be easily understood.  His own homophobic-at-worst and mixed-at-best attitudes are clear.  Readers will see themselves in him because we all hesitate at times to speak up, go against our peers, and side with the loner or different.  And here is where I wish that the book had been written with more internal dialogue and less concrete depictions.  Adonis does not ever reflect on why he is homophobic, why he reacts to Alan in the way he does, why he doesn’t leap to defend.  Instead the book stays above those questions, which does not add to its depth.

This lack of self-exploration also hurts the character development of the secondary characters in particular.  Alan is a very interesting character who offers glimpses of his strength but never really comes alive for the reader.  Unfortunately, he never becomes more than a stereotype. 

Volponi has again written a book that teens will relate to easily.  It is a book that asks for discussion, one that will have teens questioning what their reaction would have been in the same situation.   Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from author.

Also reviewed by:

Book Review: The Voyage of Turtle Rex by Kurt Cyrus

| Tasha

voyageturtlerex

The Voyage of Turtle Rex by Kurt Cyrus

Follow the story of a baby sea turtle starting with her hatching under the sand.  But there is something very special about this little turtle, she’s growing up surrounded by dinosaurs!  So what is a little turtle to do to survive?  She’s got to find safety and then grow, grow as big as she can.  She eventually grows into an enormous two-ton archelon.  Eventually something inside her calls her to return to the shore, so she leaves the safety of the silt at the bottom and heads back to land.  There she digs a nest for her eggs and buries them before returning to the sea.  The book then talks about modern shelled animals who are descendants of the great prehistoric sea turtles.

Cyrus, author of Tadpole Rex, has added another thrilling book that extends the landscape of the dinosaurs to include more creatures.  Here sea turtles are celebrated in rhymes that make the book very entertaining and fun to read.  Cyrus offers just the right mix of scientific fact and story line, keeping the book anchored in fascinating science but also fast-moving.

His illustrations are dramatic as the tiny turtle struggles to survive at sea after a harrowing crawl to the water near dinosaurs.  All of the many predators around her add to the interest and excitement both in the text and the illustrations.  Cyrus uses bold lines, effective textures and a surprisingly soft color palette to create the images. 

Perfect for both dinosaur and turtle fans, this book is sure to find an eager audience in elementary and public libraries.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Wrapped in Foil.

Book Review: Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

| Tasha

insideoutbackagain

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

Debut author Lai has created a verse novel of fleeing Saigon for the United States.  The narrator is ten-year-old Ha, who speaks of the beauty of Vietnam, its culture and their lives there.  Her father was captured years ago in the war, so she lives with her mother and three older brothers.  Her mother has a good job, but when the prices begin to rise because of the war, the family can barely survive.  They are given a chance to flee Saigon by ship though when they do, they almost starve because their rescue by the Americans is delayed.  Ha describes her culture shock when they do arrive in Alabama as a sponsored family.   All is different from the taste of the food to the quiet of the neighborhood to the language.   Many of her classmates are cruel to her, but she does meet nice Americans who help her learn the language and who are willing to learn about Vietnamese culture as well.

Lai’s verse is precision, written tightly and beautifully, it changes mood from one poem to the next.  Some are sliver thin and crack like a whip.  Others are sinewy and strong, ropes that bind and connect.  Still others are emotions that unite us all, tying us closely to the story.  Lai herself also immigrated from Vietnam at the end of the war to Alabama.  Her book speaks to the personal journey that she had in its depth of feeling.

Ha is a character whom readers will immediately connect with and understand.  She is written in a universal way, even as she describes her homeland and evokes scenes that many readers will not have seen or experienced.  In the descriptions of Ha’s family, Lai creates characters who are vivid and profound.  One of my favorite passages is early in the novel where the family is deciding to leave Saigon.  Ha’s mother is described on page 54:

Who can go against

a mother

who has become gaunt like bark

from raising four children alone.

This a book that is so beautifully written.  It captures the journey both physically and emotionally of refugees to our country.  It is breathtaking and strong.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by:

Book Review: Leap Back Home to Me by Lauren Thompson

| Tasha

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Leap Back Home to Me by Lauren Thompson, illustrated by Matthew Cordell

A little frog takes his first small leaps over a ladybug, over a bee, and over the clover before returning to his waiting mother.  His leaps get bigger and he leaps over the creek and over the beavers.  Then they get even bigger, leaping over trees and hills!  After every outing he returns to his mother who is waiting for him with either a book to share, food to eat or a hug.  Soon the little frog is leaping out into space and the stars, but no fear, his mother is still there for him.

Thompson has created a picture book that is very simple with just a few lines on each page and a gentle concept.  Her text has an infectious rhythm to it, adding to the jaunty tone of the book.  The humor of the book builds as the little frog leaps over larger and larger things.  Children will love the humor and will delight in the final pages as the little frog enters outer space. 

Cordell’s illustrations echo the jaunty tone of the text and add a friendliness, warmth and plenty of color to the story.  The little frog soars into the sky with a joyous freedom, his froggy legs and arms waving merrily. 

An ideal book for toddler story times featuring frogs, this is sure to become a favorite of young listeners.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Also reviewed by 100 Scope Notes.

Book Review: Kat Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis

| Tasha

katincorrigible

Kat Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis

Mix a Regency setting with plenty of magic and one smart, sassy heroine and you have this winning novel for children.  Kat never knew her mother, since she died when Kat was born.  She does have a stepmother who is far more interested in the wealth her stepdaughters will bring with strategic marriages than with their future happiness.  Kat is the youngest of the three sisters and she discovers early in the novel that she has inherited her mother’s magical talents.  One of her older sisters, Angeline, has also gotten magical talents of a different sort.  As the eldest sister, Elissa, is about to be betrothed to a grim fiancé, the younger two get deeper into trouble as they explore their magical gifts.  All too soon, Kat will be called upon to use her magic to save those she loves, while trying to act graceful and polite in society.

I’m a huge fan of mixing historical settings with fantasy, and this novel does it very well.  Readers never lose the fact that they are reading a Regency novel, thanks to the elements of society that are woven successfully throughout the novel.  At the same time, the fantasy elements are tantalizingly and beautifully done as well.

The characterization is superb, especially Kat, who is a Regency girl that modern children will relate to happily.  She is intelligent, irreverent and irresistible.  From the first glimpse readers get of Kat with her short-cut hair and her desire to save her family, Kat is an intriguing character.  Happily, Burgis has incorporated plenty of humor into the novel as well.  There are scenes that are filled with genteel sarcasm and bites but sometimes the story merrily heads closer to farce with delightful results.

Highly recommended, this is a book that children will adore with just the right mix of humor, fantasy and style.  Sounds like ideal summer reading to me!  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Check out the book trailer:

Reviewed from copy received from Atheneum Books.

Also reviewed by:

Book Review: Peaceful Pieces: Poems and Quilts about Peace by Anna Grossnickle Hines

| Tasha

peacefulpieces

Peaceful Pieces: Poems and Quilts about Peace by Anna Grossnickle Hines

Celebrate peace with this book pairing beautiful quilts with poems.  Short poems explore the nature of peace and the myriad of forms it takes.  There is the peace of quiet, of home, of nature.  Then there is the peace that is the opposite of weapons, anger and war.  There is the peace of acceptance, of moments, of prayer.  Then for readers, there is the peace of reading this book.

Each poem itself is a moment of peace, inviting the reader to linger, consider.  The author has created distinct poems that work both as individual poems and as a whole work together.  The flow from poem to poem is very successful, making it difficult to read just one or two poems from this book.

The quilts themselves are done in jewel tones.  They range from strong-lined images filled with words to natural scenes of quiet grace.  Turning the page from one to the next is a journey of color, expression and beauty.

Highly recommended, this book beautifully marries poetry and quilting, resulting in a book that is warm, cozy and lovely.  Appropriate for ages 7-10.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt & Co.

Also reviewed by:

Check out the book trailer to see some of the quilts and hear some of the poetry:

Book Review: Underground by Shane W. Evans

| Tasha

underground

Underground by Shane W. Evans

Using only the shortest of sentences, the smallest of words, Evans has created a picture book that captures the fear and hope of escaping slaves on the Underground Railroad.   The well-chosen words add to the tension, keeping it taut with danger.  It reads as if the author too is trying to be quiet, near silent and to escape notice. 

The palette is one of darkness with bright whites of eyes shining, the colors capturing the oppression of slavery.  As freedom nears, the colors change, almost glowing with the light and brightness of freedom.  The art here is what makes the book so special.  The images are collage mixed with the texture of brushstrokes, all evoking a rustic, roughness.  Yet in the faces there is a nobility, a grace, a hope that shines through.

A beautiful, evocative book that is haunting and ever so strong.  It will work beautifully for elementary aged children learning about the Civil War and slavery.   Appropriate for ages 7-10. 

Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.

Book Review: The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall

| Tasha

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The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall

In this third Penderwicks novel, the family is separating for the first time.  For two weeks in the summer, their father will be heading off and so will Rosalind.  The remaining Penderwicks are off to vacation in Maine.  This leaves Skye as the OAP (oldest available Penderwick) to take care of the others, along with Aunt Claire.  Skye is overwhelmed with the responsibility, particularly for Batty and even more so when a soggy note warns her vaguely about the potential that Batty could “blow up.”  Jane continues to write books, but this summer she has decided to write about romance and doesn’t know much about it, so she develops a Love Survey.  Batty and Hound continue to easily make friends, and this summer Batty discovers a hidden talent all her own.  Jeffrey escapes the binds of his mother and stepfather to join the others in Maine and he too makes a discovery with the help of Jane and Skye. 

So many series become rather drab and dull in their third book, but the Penderwicks seem to be growing ever better and stronger.  The characters here are funny, bright, and complete individuals.  Birdsall writes each character as if they were her favorite, making it nearly impossible for readers to figure out which sister they enjoy most.  It was a pleasure to have a book where Skye shines so much as she struggles with new responsibilities and not wanting to let anyone down. 

In such a character-driven work, it can be easy to not notice the skill with which Birdsall interweaves the setting of Maine into the story.  But it is there, filling in the spaces in the novel where the characters have a quiet moment.  As if it is waiting for them to stop being busy and to notice the beauty around them.  From the seals on the islands, the moose on the golf course, and the cold of the water, Maine is a spectacular setting for this third book.

A cozy, wonderful story that is filled with humor, these books have the feel of a classic but remain modern.  If you are looking for a series to start reading aloud with your children, this is a great one.  Appropriate for ages 8-12.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House Children’s Books.

Also reviewed by:

Book Review: Follow Me by Tricia Tusa

| Tasha

followme

Follow Me by Tricia Tusa

A girl swings on a swing, traveling from one color to another.  As the colors change, so does her swinging speed and style, until she flies free from the swim altogether.  She gets lost in green and travels down into the brown of the forest, and then out into the blue of the sky once again.  Until she drifts back down to green.  Finally, returning back home.

If that description of the book seems loose and floaty, that’s because the book is that way too.  While it does mention colors, this is not an introductory book about colors.  Rather it is about colors in a larger sense, an emotive way.  It is a poem that dances along, inviting us all to take to the air too. 

Tusa’s illustrations are filled with gentle colors that are airy and light.  They are colors that make you take deep breaths, as they seem to be filled with fresh air.  The girl who we follow through the book and the poem has a charming quirky quality to her.  The distinction between the clarity of the air and its emptiness vs. the clutter of the girl’s home is lovely.  Both have their own appeal.

This book captures the freedom and lightness of swinging through the air and combines it with childhood imagination.  Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Cracking the Cover.