reluctant readers

Review: The Tapper Twins Go to War by Geoff Rodkey

| Tasha

tapper twins go to war

The Tapper Twins Go to War by Geoff Rodkey

Released April 7, 2015.

When siblings go to war, they both end up hurt especially if they happen to be twins! Claudia and Reese are very different from one another, but they are also alike. They both love toaster pastries and that is how the entire war began, when one twin accused the other of stealing their pastry. That was bad enough, but then it escalated quickly at their school cafeteria where Claudia was accused of being the one who farted and got the nickname “Princess Farts-A-Lot.” That led to Claudia trying to get Reese to be called stinky by the others and she put a dead fish in his backpack, perhaps a bit too well hidden. From there though, the war gets really ugly and turns virtual with social media and video games as the battlefields. A modern look at being a sibling and having one enormous fight, online and off.

Rodkey has created a very smart book that captures the digital age and being a tween. The book is in a unique format where Claudia is documenting what had happened during the war with Reese and Reese regularly interjecting his own point of view. The book has photographs, cartoons, and texts between different family members too. The result is a book perfect for reluctant readers who will enjoy the short blocks of text broken regularly with images.

They will also enjoy the humor of the book, including a very nicely done interplay between the two siblings. Their anger at one another and their relationship really works in the book and is life like. The escalating war between the twins is made possible by parents who are tired, inattentive and also lifelike. Their exchanges with one another are equally humorous as the twins’ exchanges are.

Funny and very friendly, this is a book that middle school readers will love. Appropriate for ages 8-12.

Reviewed from digital galley received from Edelweiss and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Dragonbreath

| Tasha

Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon

Danny the dragon wants to please his father and breathe fire, but he just can’t seem to do it.  His father advises him to “think hot thoughts” but that doesn’t work.  Delayed by his father’s fire-breathing lesson, Danny has to write his report about the sea on the bus.  Though he comes up with a clever but imaginary sea creature, he ends up getting an F but has a chance to redo the assignment.  So he and his best friend Wendell, an iguana, head to the Sargasso Sea (which happens to be on the bus route) and meet up with Danny’s cousin Edward, a sea serpent, who takes them on a great tour of the sea complete with adventure, danger and laughs. 

This book is a great mix of comic and novel with panels inserted regularly that carry the story forward via cartoons.  The story is then picked up again in prose form interspersed with illustrations.  This makes it very child-friendly and welcoming for children who enjoy reading on their own but may not be ready for a picture-free book yet.  The style of the book also works well with the comics, filled with jokes, humor and lots of laughs.  There is a great sarcasm about the dialogue that makes this a book that children throughout elementary school will enjoy. 

Danny and Wendell are a great pair of friends.  Danny always upbeat and ready for anything (with the exception of breathing fire.)  Wendell rather morose and cautious, often the butt of the jokes, but also intelligent.  The characterization throughout is nice, never being lost at the expense of the humor or short length of the novel.

Appropriate for ages 7-10, this book makes a great read aloud too.  The voices are distinct and lots of fun to portray when reading aloud.  That said, this is also a good book to give to reluctant readers.   I’m looking forward to the next book in the series with its promise of ninja frogs!