families

Review: Keeping Safe the Stars by Sheila O’Connor

| Tasha

keeping safe the stars

Keeping Safe the Stars by Sheila O’Connor

Pride and her two younger siblings, Nightingale and Baby, live with their grandfather, Old Finn.  They live on a remote property that Old Finn calls Eden.  But when Old Finn enters the hospital and is then transferred to Duluth for more serious treatment, it is left to Pride to care for her family.  She had been taught by Old Finn not to rely on charity from others, so she makes sure to not accept help that she can’t pay for.  She also knows that if anyone finds out that they are alone at Eden except for Miss Addie, an elderly woman who lives on the property but can’t care for them, they will be taken into foster care.  The three children had already been in care when their mother died, before Old Finn came and rescued them.  But even on their remote property, there are people who notice that something is wrong in Eden.  The question is whether Pride can keep her huge secret until Old Finn returns or not.

O’Connor is the author of Sparrow Road, which was one of my favorite middle school reads the year it came out.  She manages to write books that are ideal for tweens but read more like teen books, with pressing issues and serious consequences.  She populates her novels with remarkable characters, adult and child alike.  The three siblings here are all unique and read like human beings with their own points of view on everything that happens.  Seeing it all through Pride’s eyes is an important part of the story, offering her specific viewpoint and moxie about the entire situation.

Historical fiction, set during the Nixon resignation, this book is about the strength of family, resilience and the power of sheer determination.  At the same time, it is also about community and the importance of all of us being connected as neighbors and as a larger people.  O’Connor’s writing is beautifully done, gliding and light as life tumbles by unstoppable. 

A great pick for middle grade readers, this is the story of an unforgettable family.  Appropriate for ages 10-12.

Reviewed from copy received from G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Review: The Adventures of Little Nutbrown Hare by Sam McBratney

| Tasha

adventures of little nutbrown hare

The Adventures of Little Nutbrown Hare by Sam McBratney

In this follow-up to the classic Guess How Much I Love You, McBratney gives us four new stories about the beautiful relationship between Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare.  In the first story, the two wake up to discover that the Hiding Tree has fallen over during the night.  Big  immediately climbs the fallen tree, but Little is much more cautious until he’s playing hide-and-seek.  The second story has the two rabbits climbing Cloudy Mountain.  Little has a lot of fun finding dandelions and blowing them.  So when the clouds start coming and making it hard to see, he gets cross when Big insists that it’s time to go.  The third story has a lot of danger that Little seems to find and Big is always watching to keep him safe.  Soon though, Little’s own inner voice is showing him the right choice.  The final story returns the rabbits back home as they discuss Little’s favorite place.

All of the stories carry that same loving warmth as the original book.  There is the ever-present but not smothering parental character and the mischievous child character.  McBratney has managed to incorporate situations that human parents will face into a cloudy mountain and a large field.  Children will recognize their parents’ efforts to keep them safe, redirect them, and be forced to change plans sometimes and spoil the fun.

McBratney’s The art is a large part of the charm here, but so is his writing style.  He keeps it simple but sunny, always giving a cheery outlook in both images and text.  Perhaps my favorite image is when Little is caught thinking of going into a big hole.  His odd leap away from the hole when caught captures exactly the body-language of a child in the same situation.

This is bound to be embraced by parents who loved the first book.  They will find themselves happily right back in the same loving, warm place.  Expect plenty of bedtime repeat reads.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Black Dog by Levi Pinfold

| Tasha

black dog

Black Dog by Levi Pinfold

When the Hope family woke up one morning there was a great big black dog outside.  Mr. Hope thought it was the size of a tiger and called the police who advised him to just stay inside.  Mrs. Hope compared it to an elephant and the family shut the lights off so it wouldn’t know they were there.  Adeline woke up and saw a black dog the size of a T-Rex outside the window.  She closed the curtains.  Maurice woke up and thought it was the size of a Big Jeffy, deciding to stay under the covers.  But the littlest member of the family, Small, headed outside to meet the dog.  The dog was huge, the size of a house, and Small knew it could eat her up.  She ran off, telling the dog that it would just have to shrink to follow her.  As she ran, the dog got smaller and smaller, until it was able to fit into the house through the cat flap in the door.  That’s when the rest of the family realized that they had been very silly to be that worried about such a small black dog.

Pinfold manages to capture a certain quirkiness that creates a unique look and feel for this book.  His text builds the tension very high by the time that Small heads outside.  The frenzy of the other characters puts Small’s reaction in stark relief, making it all the more brave and amazing.  Her approach to the enormous dog is also wonderfully strange, running from it and having it shrink to follow her.  It makes a delicious sort of sense while you are wrapped in the spell that this book weaves.

The art is exceptional, filled with tiny details.  Pinfold has offered both smaller sepia toned illustrations that show the outside of the house and the continued reaction of the family, and also larger colorful images that add to the unusual feel of the book.  The size of the dog that Small confronts is astounding.  His eyes alone are her size, his nose the size of a car.  Breathtaking.

Highly recommended, this book is an unusual but very successful book.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters by K. G. Campbell

| Tasha

lesters dreadful sweaters

Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters by K. G. Campbell

When Cousin Clara’s cottage was eaten by a crocodile, she moved in with Lester and his family.  No one knows quite whether she is actually their relative, but she stayed with them anyway.  She brought her knitting along with her.  She just sat and knitted all the time, until one morning she announced that she had made Lester a sweater.  It was horrible, an ugly yellow with one arm far too long and purple pom-poms dotted all over it.  Lester was made to wear it to school where the others made fun of him, of course.  That sweater mysteriously shrunk in the laundry.  But the next morning, there was another sweater.  This one was pink with strange upside down pockets.  That one got caught in the mower.  Every time Lester did away with one awful sweater, another appeared to take its place, until one morning he awoke to a mountain of sweaters.  He did what anyone would do, and murdered them quietly with a scissors. But even then, there was one left intact.  There doesn’t seem to be anything Lester can do to end the parade of awful sweaters, but there just may be a solution in a most unlikely place!

This is a dynamite picture book that has a fabulous strangeness about it that works particularly well.  There is the oddness that Lester has already.  He keeps lists of dangerous things that start with the letter C and collects items for the Lost & Found he has.  He is particular about his socks being even and keeping his hair tidy.  He could be an unlikeable character, but those little oddities as set aside when the horrible sweaters start coming.  One immediately understands Lester’s desperation to get rid of the sweaters without confrontation and as the story unravels, it gets more and more fun to read.

Campbell’s art adds to the strangeness of the book.  She has strange objects set around the house: a pickaxe near the front door, a Viking helmet in the Lost & Found.  The pages are done in a matte finish that adds to the vintage feel, the Victorian feel of the book.  And yet, there is that unwavering sense of humor, that lifts everything to feel modern too.

For slightly older children than most picture books, this would make a great read aloud for elementary classrooms.  There is plenty of humor, moments of surprise, and a great ending that I refuse to even hint at.  Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick by Jennifer L. Holm

| Tasha

eighth grade is making me sick

Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick: Ginny Davis’s Year in Stuff by Jennifer L. Holm, illustrated by Elicia Castaldi

Ginny starts out 8th grade with big plans that she lists out.  They include trying out for cheer, being able to bike to school, sketching every day, and falling in love.  Ginny and her family have just moved to a newer, bigger house, but she’s able to stay at the same school.  Lots of things are going right for Ginny: she likes her science partner, she makes the cheer team, and she just might be falling in love too!  Unfortunately though, everything is not perfect.  Things get tough when Ginny’s mother gets pregnant and her step father loses his job.  As things start to cascade, Ginny starts to get sick.   Nothing is going like Ginny hoped it would.

This book is entirely told in objects like notes, texts, lists and letters.  Readers will love looking through the debris of Ginny’s life.  It’s almost like searching through someone’s stuff to find a storyline inside.  Castaldi’s art is a great mix of actual items and art, done in a popping mixed-media style.  The colors are pure teen-girl yet not stereotypical and I loved the inclusion of all of the books that Ginny was reading that readers can seek out too.

Holm has created a book that reads quickly and lightly, but also explores some of the deeper issues facing tweens today.  There is sickness, a blended family, and job loss to name a few.  Even friendships are explored in a deeper way than one would expect in a book this colorful and fun.

Reluctant readers and tweens who love to read will both enjoy this book which is honest and bright.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House.

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.

Review: One Year in Coal Harbor by Polly Horvath

| Tasha

one year in coal harbor

One Year in Coal Harbor by Polly Horvath

Return to the world of Horvath’s Newbery Honor winning Everything on a Waffle in this follow up.  Primrose Squarp is back living with her parents in Coal Harbor and everything should be just fine, but there’s more trouble brewing in town.  Primrose just knows that if people would listen to her, it would all work out fine.  Like Uncle Jack and Kate Bowzer: Primrose knows they are in love, but they just won’t admit it.  Then there’s the lack of a best friend, though the new foster kid might just be the right person.  And finally, there’s logging happening outside of town that’s bringing in protesters and developers, making for all sorts of excitement.  Horvath lives up to the first book here, giving readers another chance to spend time in Coal Harbor.

Horvath has created a beautiful setting for her book that is so much a part of the story that it could not have happened anywhere else.  She has then taken that setting and populated it with amazing characters.  There are snotty girls, loving friends, intriguing strangers, and at the heart an extended family that provides support through everything.  While the characters may be wild at times, there is such a network of community in the book that it all makes merry sense.

Though there is a sense of community and family throughout, Horvath also deals with some darker issues here.  There is the question of development of wilderness and the death of a pet.  While this darkness is there, it is not all encompassing.  The town continues to function and life goes on. 

Horvath’s writing is also exquisite.  I particularly enjoy the parts where Primrose (who is wise and interesting and exactly the sort of person any reader would want as a best friend) is thinking about life.  Here is one of my favorite passages from page 148:

…but it was as if he and I and the hills were all part of one thing, separate from other things on Earth. Just as my mother and father and I were part of one thing, separate from all else. And these small subsets within the universe, I decided, are maybe what people love best. Whether it is you and the ocean or you and your sisters or you and your B and B, your husband and children.

Fans of the first book should definitely read the second, and truly, who in could ever pass it up!  I envy new readers of the pair of books who can read them back to back and spend an extended time in Coal Harbor.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from digital galley from NetGalley.

Review: The Best Bike Ride Ever by James Proimos

| Tasha

best bike ride ever

The Best Bike Ride Ever by James Proimos and Johanna Wright

All Bonnie has said for seven days is “I want a bike” so when she finally gets a bike on the eighth day, she just can’t wait to try it out.  She can’t even wait to be shown how to use a bike, instead she just hops aboard and pedals off.  There’s only one problem – she doesn’t know how to stop.  She rode her bike over bridges and on top of elephants, between giraffe legs, to the top of the Statue of Liberty and the bottom of the Grand Canyon.  Unfortunately though, she did stop in the end, by falling over.  Happily, her parents were there not to scold her but to show her how to use her bike.  In fact, Bonnie had the adventure of a lifetime right in her own backyard as sharp eyed children will figure out.

This book is entirely playful from the over-the-top begging for a bike to the wild ride through the entire world to the final twist at the end.  Readers will experience their own adventurous ride as they read this book, never knowing quite where Bonnie and the book are heading next.  It’s a lot of fun to read! 

The illustrations are quirky and bright.  Filled with details but never fussy, they have a life to them that adds to the spunk of the book.  They are also filled with motion and movement, which makes them all the more enjoyable.

Great fun, this wild ride of a book will have children wishing for their own bike.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Dial Books for Young Readers.