Book Reviews

Flip, Float, Fly

| Tasha

Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move by JoAnn Early Macken, illustrated by Pam Paparone

This poetic book takes a look at the fascinating world of seeds that fly through the air.  I found this an especially appropriate book as my windows are filled with drifting cottonwood fluff, so thick it looks like a heavy snow in the air.  Children will enjoy finding seeds that they know, like dandelions and maple tree seeds.  Some of the seeds will be new, like the basswood or touch-me-nots which have interesting journeys they make. 

The marriage of poetry and science is such a winning one here.  Macken has created a book that doesn’t shy away from making nature whimsical and fascinating.  Paparone’s illustrations add to the whimsical nature of the book too.

Whether you have cottonwood fluff floating by or not, this is the perfect season to enter into a discussion of seeds and to try your hand at spinning maple seed propellers to the ground.  Recommended for ages 4-7.

Savvy

| Tasha

Savvy by Ingrid Law

In Mibs’ family, turning thirteen is the most special of birthdays.  And Mibs is days away from turning thirteen.  In her family, almost everyone gets their savvy on their thirteenth birthday, a special power that they then need to figure out how to harness and use.  One of her brothers, Fish, has the power to control wind, and on his thirteenth birthday he created a hurricane.  That’s why they now live far far from any water in Kansas.  As Mibs’ birthday approaches, her father is in a terrible accident that leaves him unconscious.  Mibs goes from hoping for a powerful savvy that rivals her brother’s to just hoping that her savvy can help her father recover.  On her birthday, she decides she has to help her father and hides aboard a bible-selling bus.  All is fine until the bus turns the wrong way, heading directly away from the hospital her father is in.

With her delicate touch on the fantasy elements, Law has created a world where anything seems possible, a world that invites readers of all genres to enter and stay awhile.  Her setting is vivid, the characters engaging (both those with powers and without), and her writing dances along with a freshness that is wonderful to experience.  My only complaint is that it had to end.

Readers will also be sad to leave the world of Savvy behind, but will be consoled with hints at the end of following books to come.  Highly recommended as a read-aloud book for classrooms, this book will generate wonderful discussions.  I’d also happily give it to almost any reader ages 9-12.  They will thank you and wait with you for the next one.

Professor Bumble and the Monster of the Deep

| Tasha

Professor Bumble and the Monster of the Deep by Daniel Napp.

Every Monday Professor Bumble headed to the lake to go swimming with his friend Beluga, a goldfish.  But one day, a grumpy Otter is already at the lake fishing and tells them that they can’t swim because they will scare away the fish.  When they insist on swimming anyway, the Otter tells them that they will be attacked by the Monster of the Deep!  Thinking of their safety, Professor Bumble stays on shore to watch for the monster while Beluga swims.  But when Beluga sinks below the surface, Bumble must rescue him despite the danger.

This book is pure fun.  Readers will recognize what is about to happen, but it is all the more delightful for that.  There are so many really nice touches throughout the book.  One of my favorites is that Beluga swims in the lake IN his bowl.  This book reads so well aloud, it will be perfect for ending a day at school, but I wouldn’t use it to quite down a class.  It’s just too much silly fun for that.

Recommended as a read aloud for preschoolers through second graders. 

Unwind

| Tasha

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Society has decided that while abortion is not moral, deciding to unwind a teen before their 18th birthday is.  Teens get nominated for a program in a variety of ways but the same thing happens to all of them, their body parts are taken and used as donor organs for other people.  This way they are not truly dead, but still in some way live on.  Connor discovers that his parents have decided to unwind him because of his rebellious nature.  Risa is a ward of the state and her piano playing is just not quite good enough to save her from being unwound.  Lev has known his entire life he is going to be unwound because of his family’s religion.  All three of their lives come crashing together on an interstate highway as they head off to their unwinding.

In this novel, Shusterman has created a science fiction world that examines the abortion debate in our own society, taking it to an extreme that sheds light on our own moral questioning and convictions.  His world is horrific in its logic, haunting in its simplicity, and amazingly gripping and terrifying. 

The writing is taut with tension most of the novel, making it almost impossible to put down.  Shusterman’s three main characters are as different as people can be, but all three are human and interesting.  Many of the characters in the novel are surprising and none of them are stereotypes.

Highly recommended for science fiction fans, particularly those who enjoy a good dystopian setting.  I would also recommend this to teens who enjoy books that ask ethical questions, it will open their eyes to the fact that science fiction can read this way without aliens or laser guns.  Appropriate for ages 13-16.

Princess Ben

| Tasha

Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Ben has been raised near the royal castle, but not as part of it, thanks to her mother.   When she is ill and unable to attend the ceremony by her grandfather’s tomb, she awakens to find her entire world changed.  Her mother’s body is brought back as is her uncle’s, the king.  And her father is missing along with the guard who had attended them.  Taken into the royal castle by her aunt, Queen Sophia, Ben is looked upon as a girl who needs to be taught how to be a princess from the ground up.  Her wardrobe is changed, her waistline scrutinized, her meals cut back, and her every move watched.  As Ben fights to not be broken by the Queen, her real adventure begins when she discovers a hidden passage in her room that works only for her.  It leads to a room where a magical book shows her the powers that are part of her royal lineage.  But what good are minor magical powers when Ben is about to be auctioned off as a bride to local princes? 

Murdock is the author of one of my favorite series that began with Dairy Queen.  She has an ear for dialogue, especially the internal dialogue of teen girls.  In Ben, she has created a princess worth cheering for, a young woman who is rarely daunted, unless it is by dieting.  Though this is a fantasy, Ben is a character who vibrates with truth, a remarkably strong female character.  Murdock has also masterfully moved to a new genre with this novel, which reads as though she has only ever written fantasy fiction.  Her pacing is well done, and her storytelling powerful and interesting.

Highly recommended for lovers of fantasy.   Murdock has created a readable fantasy that will appeal to readers of Tamora Pierce.  Appropriate for ages 10-14.

The Apple-Pip Princess

| Tasha

 

The Apple-Pip Princess by Jane Ray.

In a barren, ramshackle kingdom lives a king and his three daughters.  Their mother died years early and that is when the kingdom started to decline.  Before her death, the queen asked each of her daughters to select something of hers to keep.  The two older daughters selected shoes and a crown, but the youngest princess chose a very special box containing bottles and boxes filled with raindrops, rainbow, sunlight, spider web, a feather, nightingale song, and an apple seed.  The king sets a challenge for his three daughters.  The one who can make their mark and make him proud at the end of the next 7 days and nights will become the ruler of the kingdom.  The two older girls build enormous towers to reach the moon and stars, one of wood the other of metal.  The youngest princess plants seeds, cares for them, and works very hard using the gifts left by her mother.  By the end of the week, she and the many people of the kingdom who see what she is doing and help, have transformed the barren land into green grass and trees. 

This story of one person creating change and doing good is very powerful.  Encapsulated in a folktale structure, the moral is not overly stated but instead stands on its own.  The folktale structure is an important one, taking this modern tale and combining it firmly with tradition.  Ray’s language is a joy to read aloud, as it fairly dances off the tongue.  In fact, Ray has created a princess tale that will resonate with everyone who hears it.  Her artwork also lends another level to the story.  These princesses are not golden-haired and fair, but dark complexioned and more universal as characters.  The art too merges traditional feel with modern on each page.

Highly recommended as a read aloud for "green" days at school or for a princess book that will appeal to everyone.  It would also be a pleasure to add to apple story times for preschoolers who are ready for a longer book.  Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest

| Tasha

Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest by Matt Haig.

Samuel has lost his parents right before his eyes in a freak accident and he and his sister Martha have now been sent to live with their Aunt Eda in Norway.  Eda lives in a remote area near a large forest.  She has several rules, but the most important one is that the children must never enter the forest.  Years ago, her beloved husband had entered the forest and never returned.   Plus, there are odd goings-on in the forest.  Strange creatures like trolls have been seen near it and huldres, grey-colored beings riding horses are sometimes spotted too.  When Martha is drawn to the forest and enters, Samuel feels he has no choice but to enter the forest too to save her.  In doing so, both children are caught in the evil created by the Changemaker, who has taken the forest’s friendly beings and converted them into evil by controlling their shadows. 

A fast-paced romp of a read, this book gallops along at a great pace, barely stopping for rabbit casserole before running on again.  The characters are lovingly written, and the writer’s asides within the book are charming and great fun.  Haig even takes great joy in creating rather horrific deaths and harrowing situations, a skill that older child readers will greatly enjoy themselves.

Recommended as a perfect summer read for children ages 10-14.

I'm the Best Artist in the Ocean

| Tasha

I’m the Best Artist in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry.

All hail the triumphant return of the giant blue squid.  This time he is declaring his status as best artist and demonstrates his great skills over and over again.  The illustrations are as charming as the first book and the text is equally fun and silly.  Sherry continues with his large format, simplicity that manages to capture perfectly the hubris and zest of a toddler or preschooler.

Highly recommended as is the first book.  Perfect for ages 3-6, and a winner for beginning readers as well.

Newes from the Dead

| Tasha

Newes from the Dead by Mary Hooper.

Hooper has taken a true story of Anne Green, a girl hanged for killing her newborn infant in 1650, who survived the hanging.  Anne Green, guilty of nothing more than being seduced by the lord’s son and bearing his child, is caught in a world ruled by hierarchy and wealth.  Being a poor housemaid, there is little she can do in her own defense or to remedy the situation she originally found herself in.  Her survival is due to her body being donated to the scientists and physicians for dissection.  Just as the knife is about to be used on her, one of the students spots her eyelids fluttering. 

This book is a thriller made powerful by being a true story.  Hooper has written Anne’s voice with an unflinching honesty and clarity that never leaves the reader in doubt about the truth of the tale.  Written in chapters that move between Anne’s memories and the dissection room, readers will find themselves unable to put the book down.  To have a gripping read even when the audience knows the end of the story is testament to Hooper’s skill as a writer.

This is perfect teen fiction that will appeal to a wide range of readers.  Those interested in historical fiction will adore it and you can also recommend it to kids who read horror or thrillers.  Add to that the vivid cover with its staring blank eyes, and it just may check itself out of the library!