Book Reviews

How to Ditch Your Fairy

| Tasha

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

This is a charmer of a novel by the author of the Magic and Madness trilogy.  In New Avalon, almost everyone has a fairy of their own.  The fairies are invisible and some people question whether they exist, but 14-year-old Charlie knows that hers does.  Since she was tiny, she has been able to find a perfect parking space for whatever vehicle she is riding in.  She hates it!  Not only is it awfully inconvenient to always be asked to find someone a parking space, but she smells faintly of gasoline too.  Why can’t she have a cool fairy like her friends?  A fashion fairy?  Or all-the-boys-like-you fairy?  Maybe she can…

The lightness and freshness of this novel make it read like a frothy teen novel with little substance, but that isn’t the case.  Underneath the humor there are more serious questions lingering about fairies, faith, and friendship for those who want a little more depth.  Teens can read it on several levels, which means that it will appeal to a wide range of readers.  The teen characters are interesting and always more than their fairies seem to be.  The obsessive nature of the New Avalon society is a great commentary on American culture.  A great part of the fun of the book is Larbalestier’s teen language that is unique to New Avalon but easily understood by all.  It just makes the reading all the more enjoyable.

Recommended for teens age 12-15.  Little handselling will be necessary for this one.  It will fly off the shelves on fairy wings.

Elissa's Odyssey

| Tasha

Elissa’s Odyssey by Erica Verrillo.

This is the second book in the Phoenix Rising trilogy, following Elissa’s Quest.  It continues the journey of Elissa after she and her friend Maya escape the evil Khan.  Elissa and Maya are set to travel via river after surviving the heat and dryness of the desert.  However, when Elissa heads to market for a gift to surprise her friend, she is drugged and robbed, missing the boat.  Luckily, a young sailor finds her and offers her a job as a ship’s cook aboard the cobbled-together Swamp Maiden.  So her adventures begin once again, this time surrounded by swamp, jungle and lots of insects.

In this second book, Elissa also discovers new powers.  She had always been able to speak with animals, but now it seems as though plants will listen to her as well.  Readers will continue to wonder as they did in the first book about who Elissa really is. Though they will be closer to the answer by the end of the book, the third book will be the one to tie up all of the loose ends.

Elissa is a strong girl heroine, who never sacrifices her girlhood to be a heroic figure.  Instead, she finds her own way to solve problems and survive.  She is always true to herself in every instance, which makes a refreshing change for a female character.  The writing is easy to enjoy, making reading a pleasure.  The pace on the Swamp Maiden may be unhurried, but the storytelling stays brisk and interesting. 

This magical series will be embraced by fans of Tamora Pierce, who may be looking for another trilogy to read.  Appropriate for ages 10-13.

Keep Your Eye on the Kid

| Tasha

Keep Your Eye on the Kid: the Early Years of Buster Keaton by Catherine Brighton.

A tantalizing look into the life of Buster Keaton and how he became a movie star in the 1920s.  This picture book biography briefly tells the reader about the childhood and eventual film success of Keaton from his own point of view.  From being sucked out of the window by a tornado to being tossed bodily across the stage by his father as part of the act, Keaton’s childhood leads him directly to his movie career.

Being written in the first person gives this book an immediacy and inherent ring of truth.  That is needed, because so much of his life is easy to disbelieve.  The illustrations are the true star of the book, using a style that evokes the feel of the 20s.  They offer unique vistas of not only the stage and movie sets but also the streets of the time.  Giving readers their own feeling of flying through the air at times, they are the perfect accompaniment to this true story.

Though I have watched most of Keaton’s films, I knew little of his childhood and his theater background.  It was  great to learn more and wonderful to see that Keaton is being presented to another generation of children who can watch in disbelief as he risks his life time after time on the set.  Recommended for ages 7-10.

Alfred's Nose

| Tasha

Alfred’s Nose by Vivienne Flesher.

I’ve always enjoyed picture books for small children that use photographs.  I know that that is why this one zoomed to the top of my toppling picture book piles.  Anyone else a sucker for photos?  Frankly, I’m not sure why I am…

Alfred is a French bulldog with a smooshed-looking nose.  Everyone loves him, but he hates the way he looks.  His tongue always sticks out, his nose won’t hold up glasses, and his head is as round as a pumpkin.  To fix this, Alfred looks for accessories that will help.  He finds a bin of animal noses that he can strap on his face, but only one of them will cover both his nose and tongue!  And then he can’t give his sloppy kisses!  What’s a dog to do?

Crisp, clear colored photographs make this book work.  As does the equally clear text that moves the story right along.  The selection of fake noses will have both you and the children you are sharing the book with laughing.  I am particularly partial to the elephant nose, myself. 

Not a revolutionary picture book, but one that will bring smiles to everyone who reads it.  Recommended for ages 4-6.

Zen and the Art of Faking It

| Tasha

Zen and the Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick.

San Lee has moved around a lot in his life, each move he has created a persona to help him blend in and fit in.  But San just can’t do that this time, not with the amazing Woody, a girl who sings Guthrie songs in the cafeteria looking at him.  So San becomes someone who doesn’t fit in, he becomes a Zen master.  Through research, a short introduction in a previous school, and sheer willpower, San fools everyone around him.  But as all things come full circle, especially for a Zen master, you know it can’t be that easy.

Sonnenblick has once again captured the confusing world of a middle schooler.  The broad humor of the book is a joy to read and will have readers laughing out loud.  But it is not simply a humorous book, this book like Sonnenblick’s previous one uses a light touch to examine deeper issues such as lying and identity.  Gracefully achieved, this book works on many levels.  A large part of its success is the character of San who is at the same time both complicated and simple as is his solution to school. 

This charmer of a novel would make a great classroom read, discussion book, or just a wonderful summer novel to enjoy.  Recommended for middle school and late elementary school readers.

Impossible

| Tasha

Impossible by Nancy Werlin.

Released September 2008.

Lucy is a normal teen, heading out to her prom, as long as she can ignore her mad birth mother, who is homeless and every so often returns to shout warnings at Lucy.  Lucy tries to protect her adoptive parents and her friends from her birth mother, but in doing so doesn’t hear the warnings in time.  Lucy comes from a long line of women, cursed for generations by an evil being.  At age 18, they are all pregnant with daughters and forced to try to undo the curse.  They have all tried alone until Lucy, who has a family who loves her and a boy who will fight along side her.

Werlin has crafted a novel filled with twists and turns, stomach wrenching surprises, and a timelessness but modern feel.  Lucy is a great female character who displays a winning innocence but amazing strength as well.  The adults in the story are also well portrayed with their own worries, lives and issues as they face the curse along with their daughter.  The book has deft pacing too, which works well along with the story, sometimes dashing headlong and alarmed and other times seeming as if there is all the time in the world. 

Werlin has created another book that teens will love to immerse themselves in.  Highly recommended for fans of fantasy, but it will also appeal to teens who don’t usually read that genre.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

The Hunger Games

| Tasha

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Released October 2008.

If there was one book I really wanted to get my hands on at ALA, this was it.  Scholastic was only giving them out for a limited time at their booth when Suzanne Collins was signing, which didn’t work with my schedule.  I left disheartened, but then my husband surprised me with a signed copy!  Definitely worth cutting his session short for!  And now, I will actually let him read it too.  Aren’t I sweet?

Anyway, back to the book. 

Katniss regularly escapes the Seam by going outside the fence and into the forest to hunt.  She is great at using a bow and at trapping.  Using this skill, she keeps her mother and younger sister fed.  Every year, two names are drawn from each region of the country to join the Hunger Games.  This isn’t an honor, it’s a death sentence, because the youth who are selected are forced to fight to the death in a unique arena run by the government.  At the selection, Katniss’ younger sister is selected and Katniss offers herself instead.  Now she must leave everything she knows behind and head to the Capitol, a place where people live in luxury and the Hunger Games are entertainment.  Katniss must package herself to be interesting and worthy of investment if she is to find sponsors who will help keep her alive.  So the games begin even before the arena.

I adored Collins’ Gregor series, and consider it one of the best fantasy series for preteens that is out there.  This new series is a natural extension of Gregor.  It is even darker, more political, and more haunting.  As in Gregor, Collins’ characters are filled with flaws, face impossible decisions, and remain true to themselves.  They are gutsy characters who rebel and refuse to be trodden upon.  In short, they are a joy to read. 

Collins’ world building here is very well done as well.  Dystopian societies in books for teens can be disappointing, but Collins knows just how much detail to offer to make it fascinating and leave you wanting to know just a little more.  Best of all, her details fit together like puzzle pieces as you discover them.  Perfection.

Highly recommended, this is a contender for the best science fiction for teens this year.  A perfect book for booktalking to middle school audiences. 

Jumpy Jack & Googily

| Tasha

Jumpy Jack & Googily by Meg Rosoff and Sophie Blackall.

Picture books can be so derivative that it gets dull to open them and read one more.  But the reason I keep on reading is that between all of the dull ones, there are gems.  This book is original and genuinely funny.

Jumpy Jack, the snail is very afraid of monsters.  Everywhere they go Googily has to check to make sure that monsters aren’t there.  Googily assures Jumpy Jack that it is silly to be so afraid and is amazed at his friends imagination.  It gets especially ridiculous when Jumpy Jack imagines a monster in his room who "might be wearing short trousers and a bowler hat." 

Children really get the humor here right from the first page.  Giggling is guaranteed.  Rosoff, who excels at writing humor for children, has outdone herself here.  The humor gets broader and broader as the pages go by, but her writing tone remains the same gentle, sensible one which of course just makes the whole thing even more amusing.  Blackall’s illustrations convey a simple, even barren landscape, and a world of normalcy with unusual touches.  Just perfect for the story.

Highly recommended to share with all children.  This book is appropriate for ages 4-7. 

Night of the Veggie Monster

| Tasha

Night of the Veggie Monster by George McClements.

A classic child reaction to vegetables is looked at with great detail and humor in the book.  The young boy at the center of the episode knows that horror lurks every Tuesday night in the form of peas.  And he is expected to eat THREE!  From the very touch of the pea on his tongue, his body goes into a series of rejections of the vegetable’s presence.  All ending with a gulp and a realization that peas aren’t so bad after all.  But still, there is the horror of Wednesday night’s broccoli to despair about.

There is so much to enjoy about this book.  The illustrations are an intriguing and fun mix of photographs, and brown paper.  The text is perfect for reading aloud and the humor is thick and laugh-out-loud funny for both adults and kids.  Adults will particularly enjoy the asides of the two parents who are not at all impressed with the boy’s display but not angry either.  A great tone to set in a picture book!

Recommended for both picky eaters and kids who will eat anything because of the great sense of humor.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.