Review of Redshirts, by John Scalzi

Fiction Review, Science Fiction 0

redshirts_largeRedshirts

by John Scalzi

Tom Doherty Associates Books (Tor), New York, 2012. 317 pages.

I got this book at ALA Annual Conference a couple years ago, and finally got to read it when on vacation. (That’s when I finally get my non-library books read.) The premise is delightful: You know how, in Star Trek, if a low-ranking officer in a red shirt goes on an Away Mission, he’s sure to die before the commercial break? What if the Redshirts on a ship noticed this trend and tried to fight it?

Mind you, the details of how this works are pretty sketchy. Something about parallel universes, and they end up knowing they’re fictional characters. But the physics in the fictional show being mocked are terribly sketchy, too, so it’s definitely fair, in a mixed-up sort of way.

I’m usually not crazy about meta-fiction. But this book reminds me of the movie Galaxy Quest — a vehicle for poking fun at some science fiction tropes, while telling a good story as well. And the author does add a human element to his story and adds some lovely codas to the main story.

tor-forge.com

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on my own copy, gotten at ALA Annual Conference.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Please use the comments if you’ve read the book and want to discuss spoilers!

Review of Brother Hugo and the Bear, by Katy Beebe and S. D. Schindler

Delightfully Silly, Historical, Picture Book Review 0

brother_hugo_and_the_bear_largeBrother Hugo and the Bear

by Katy Beebe
illustrated by S. D. Schindler

Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2014. 36 pages.

This lovely picture book, with elaborately illuminated capital letters and nice variety in the illustrations, is based on a detail in a letter written by a twelfth-century French Benedictine Monk.

He wanted to replace a manuscript that had been lost by brothers who had gone to a remote location to pray. Apparently, the perils of the soul were not the only dangers there. Peter wrote: “And send to us, if it please you, the great volume of letters by the holy father Augustine… For it happens that the greater part of our volume was eater by a bear.

The creators of this book play with that idea. Brother Hugo, the monk who lost a manuscript is assigned a penance of replacing the manuscript himself.

He sorely sighed and sorrowed in his heart, for he knew that once a bear has a taste of letters, his love of books grows much the more.

Brother Hugo must go to a distant monastery to get the book to copy, then prepare the parchment and supplies and get all ready before the work of copying begins. And then he must try to keep the borrowed manuscript from the hungry bear.

The author plays with language along the way, giving a taste of medieval without being incomprehensible to kids. Readers will understand that the author, like the illustrator, has embellished the tale, with a result that is a lot of fun.

And it makes the “My dog at my homework” excuse pale in comparison.

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Review of Shh! We Have a Plan! by Chris Haughton

Delightfully Silly, Picture Book Review, Readalouds, Starred Review 0

shh_largeShh!

We Have a Plan!

by Chris Haughton

Candlewick Press, 2014. 40 pages.
Starred Review

Chris Haughton’s books are tailor-made for storytime. His style is distinctive and unusual – but the bold and bright colors will show well in the front of the room. And the repetition will have kids quickly chanting along.

The situation is four friends going through a forest. The littlest one sees a lovely red bird. He says, “Hello, Birdie.” The others shush him with the words from the title.

Their plan?

tiptoe slowly
tiptoe slowly
now stop. SHH!

ready one
ready two
ready three . . .

GO!

The pictures show the three sneaking up on the bird with a net, and then landing in a confused heap while the bird flies serenely away.

The same pattern continues a total of three times, with results that will set kids laughing. Finally, the littlest one uses another approach, with very different results.

This is a book that children will quickly learn to “read” themselves. Definitely fun – and there’s also an opportunity for them to notice that bread works better than nets.

madebynode.com
candlewick.com
fsc.org

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Review of Struck by Genius, by Jason Padgett and Maureen Ann Seaberg

Biography, Nonfiction Review, True Stories 0

struck_by_genius_largeStruck by Genius

How a Brain Injury Made Me a Mathematical Marvel

by Jason Padgett and Maureen Ann Seaberg
performed by Jeff Cummings and Kate Rudd

Brilliance Audio, 2014. 7 hours, 29 minutes, on 8 compact discs, including one bonus disc with illustrations by the author.

The subtitle of this book explains what happened. Jason Padgett suffered traumatic brain injury in a mugging — and immediately started seeing the world differently. It turned out that he had Acquired Synesthesia and Acquired Savantism. And his life changed dramatically.

Before the attack, he was interested in nothing more than partying and having a good time. Afterward, he spent years inside his house, thinking about the nature of the cosmos. He had a sudden interest in math and the geometry underlying all things. He figured out how to draw what he saw naturally.

This book tells the story of his life and the dramatic changes. It tells about the process he went through to find out what had happened to him and trying to make sense of it all.

Jason’s case is unique. There aren’t many synesthetes who acquire it as an adult, and the same is true for savants. So his case gives fascinating insights into the brain and consciousness. As well, his visions of the geometry underlying the world may also bear fruit in math and physics.

Now, I have to say that the book felt repetitive, and I got tired of hearing about Jason’s excitement every step of the way. Some name-dropping went on, too. Mostly, he didn’t need to tell us every time he got super excited — we could figure it out from the extraordinary things that happened to him. I think the book could have been cut down to about a third of the length.

However, I was listening to it on my commute, and it was more interesting than just sitting in traffic. If it was repetitive? Well, I never felt like I’d forgotten what went before.

Above all, Jason’s story is fascinating. Do we all have those kinds of amazing abilities covered up by our other brain functions? How did a brain injury enable him to think more clearly on certain topics? Why did it change his whole personality? There’s plenty of food for thought in Jason’s story.

The audiobook included a CD with images Jason had drawn, and they are indeed amazing. The only catch to listening to the book was not having those images alongside, so I made sure to look at them afterward. There are even more images now available on fineartamerica, so you can take a look before reading the book. The crucial and amazing point you need to know is that all the images were drawn by hand.

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Nonfiction/struck_by_genius.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Review of The Gettysburg Address: A Graphic Adaptation, by Jonathan Hennessy

Children's Nonfiction Review, Graphic Novel, History, Starred Review 0

gettysburg_address_largeThe Gettysburg Address

A Graphic Adaptation

Using Lincoln’s Words to Tell the Whole Story of America’s Civil War, 1776 to the Present

written by Jonathan Hennessey
art by Aaron McConnell

William Morrow, 2013. 222 pages.
Starred Review

History in comic book form – I still say it’s an inspired idea if you want kids to pay attention.

You might wonder how anyone could put the Gettysburg Address into comic book form. Well, the subtitle explains what the author is trying to do: Not simply talk about the Gettysburg Address, but to use the Gettysburg Address to tell the whole story of America’s Civil War, 1776 to the present.

So the story goes back to the Declaration of Independence, which is referred to in the phrase “Fourscore and seven years ago.” Each section of the story is introduced by a phrase from the Gettysburg Address, with a picture of the words carved in stone on the walls of the Lincoln Memorial.

The story ends up being a sweeping one, with plenty of occasions for illustration. Even as an adult reading it, I gained a much deeper understanding of the Civil War by reading these pages. The author uses many quotations from speakers on opposites sides of the issues – and we see pictures of the people who spoke those words – far more memorable than ordinary quotes. And of course the battles have opportunity for even more “graphic” pictures.

This book is amazing in its scope and skillfully executed. It may create some young Civil War buffs. I certainly found it far more interesting than I expected it to be.

harpercollins.com

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Review of My Country ‘Tis of Thee, by Claire Rudolf Murphy and Bryan Collier

Children's Nonfiction Review, History, Picture Book Review 0

my_country_tis_of_thee_largeMy Country, ‘Tis of Thee

How One Song Reveals the History of Civil Rights

by Claire Rudolf Murphy
illustrated by Bryan Collier

Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2014. 46 pages.

Did you know that the patriotic song “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” has been used as a protest song down through all the years America has been a country?

This picture book – with evocative artwork by Bryan Collier – traces the history of the song, with each double-page spread giving us another verse that was sung to the tune.

The song as we know it wasn’t written until 1831. But before that, the tune was sung in England and its colonies as “God Save the King.” Already the song was used in protest, as Scottish followers of Bonnie Prince Charlie made a verse for him. In the Colonies, preacher George Whitfield wrote new verses to express that all men are equal. As the Revolution got underway, new verses were written declaring freedom.

The author goes through history, presenting new verses that were sung at different time periods, nearly always supporting a cause or another. The Abolitionists had a version; the Confederacy had a version; women’s suffragists sang for their cause, and even migrant workers.

The book culminates in Martin Luther King Jr’s quoting the song in his “I have a dream” speech, and then Aretha Franklin singing at Barack Obama’s inauguration.

I had no idea this song can be and has been such a feisty one! I especially like the way the author ends the book:

Now it’s your turn. Write a new verse for a cause you believe in. Help freedom ring.

clairerudolfmurphy.com
bryancollier.com
mackids.com

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Review of Ling & Ting: Twice as Silly, by Grace Lin

Beginning Chapter Books, Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Delightfully Silly, Picture Book Review 0

twice_as_silly_largeLing & Ting

Twice as Silly

by Grace Lin

Little, Brown and Company, New York, 2014. 44 pages.

This is a chapter book for beginning readers. It includes six stories with a surprise, silly payoff for readers who get to the end of each story.

Not to be spoilery, I’ll give an example of one story. Ling and Ting are playing on swings and Ling says she can swing higher than a tree. Ting challenges her, asking “A tree that is taller than a giraffe?” then a building, a mountain, and more. Ling says “Yes” to every challenge. Here’s the end page of that story:

“Okay,” Ting says. “Show me how you can swing higher than a tree.”

“I am doing it right now,” Ling says. “We both are.”

“We are?” Ting asks. “How?”

“It is easy to swing higher than a tree,” Ling says. “A tree cannot swing.”

Another fun thing is that the last story, “Not a Silly Story,” pulls in an element from each of the earlier stories.

This book uses simple words, repetition, and picture clues to help beginning readers. But it is not boring. The silliness and fun little twists at the end will leave readers smiling, over and above the sense of accomplishment they will gain from reading these on their own.

gracelin.com
hachettebookgroup.com/kids

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Please use the comments if you’ve read the book and want to discuss spoilers!

Review of The Mystery of the Screaming Clock, by Robert Arthur

Children's Fiction Review, Mystery, Old Favorites 0

screaming_clock_largeAlfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators in

The Mystery of the Screaming Clock

by Robert Arthur

Random House, New York, 1968. 184 pages.

This is Book 9 in The Three Investigators series. This may be about where my brother stopped letting me read his copy when I was a kid. This Interlibrary Loan process is great!

The Mystery of the Screaming Clock is another puzzle-based mystery. It starts with an alarm clock that, instead of a normal ringing alarm, gives off a piercing scream of a woman in mortal terror.

The clock turned up at the junkyard, and now Jupiter Jones wants to solve the mystery of who would create an alarm clock that screams. They discover a whole room full of screaming clocks made by a man who once did sound effects for an old radio mystery show.

Not surprisingly to the reader, this turns to a mystery involving art theft and an innocent person who needs his name cleared and another boy who gets to take part in the investigation.

The clock has a message glued to the bottom:

Dear Rex:
Ask Imogene.
Ask Gerald.
Ask Martha.
Then act! The result will surprise even you.

Clearly, The Three Investigators need to find Rex, Imogene, Gerald, and Martha. This leads them, eventually, to cryptic clues and a puzzle to solve. But they are not the only ones trying to solve this particular mystery. The story does include the usual mortal peril for some of our heroes. It doesn’t include the rival gang of bullies, and I thought it the better for that omission.

I enjoy the puzzle mysteries in this series, though this one had one part of the clues in a form readers couldn’t possibly figure out themselves. But the story of kids chasing down clues and cleverly solving a mystery with fast-moving action does hold up after almost 50 years.

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on an interlibrary loan via Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Please use the comments if you’ve read the book and want to discuss spoilers!

Review of The Mystery of the Fiery Eye, by Robert Arthur

Children's Fiction Review, Mystery, Old Favorites 0

fiery_eye_largeThe Mystery of the Fiery Eye

by Robert Arthur

Random House, New York, 1984. 164 pages.

This is Number Seven in the series of The Three Investigators. I was terribly disappointed when my interlibrary loan came in and apparently I hadn’t specified that I only wanted the original 1967 edition. However, I’m pretty sure the only change is that Alfred Hitchcock was changed to “Hector Sebastian,” a fictional “detective turned mystery writer” rather than a famous actual movie director.

This is another mystery, full of action and danger. As in many others, two of the Three Investigators get captured at some point in the story. A lot of luck is involved in the successful solution of the case, but there is also some deduction. And, as has become customary (I didn’t even notice this from when I read them as a kid), there is a boy from another country who is in on the investigation. In this case the other country is Great Britain, so at least there are few stereotypical elements in the boy’s personality and way of speaking.

This mystery includes some written clues – thus making it more of a puzzle than some, and also making it a type I particularly enjoy. Though the clues are not quite as clever as those in The Stuttering Parrot, and I thought the whole process of following red herrings had a few too many coincidences. But it’s still a fun puzzle to watch Jupiter Jones work on.

The Mystery of the Fiery Eye is notable in that it finally has a girl make an appearance! Not a very flattering example, but at least this book acknowledges that girls exist! The girl, Liz Logan, is talkative and eager.

“Look, don’t you ever need a girl operative?” Liz was asking eagerly. “I’m sure you must on some of your investigations. There are times when a girl would be a big help. You could call on me. I’m a terrific actress. I can use make-up to disguise myself, and I can change my voice and –“…

Bob took the card and climbed into the truck beside Hans, not even noticing the blue sedan that passed them. He was thinking that Liz seemed like a pretty nice sort, and maybe a girl could help them sometime. It was true Jupiter had little use for girls, but if the right occasion ever arose, he’d suggest they call Liz Logan.

I honestly don’t remember if Liz shows up later or not, but I think I vaguely remember some such thing.

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on an interlibrary loan via Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Please use the comments if you’ve read the book and want to discuss spoilers!

Review of The Secret of Skeleton Island, by Robert Arthur

Children's Fiction Review, Mystery, Old Favorites 0

skeleton_island_largeAlfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators in

The Secret of Skeleton Island

by Robert Arthur
illustrated by Harry Kane

Random House, New York, 1966. 158 pages.

This is Book Six of The Three Investigators series, and the fourth one I’ve read in my current rereading spree. Reading them out of order so far has not mattered a bit.

This one I actually remembered some crucial plot details because they are so cool, actually involving pirate treasure. I will say no more about that.

This book doesn’t have anything at all about the gold-plated Rolls-Royce and Worthington, the chauffeur, but it has plenty of adventure. Right at the start, Alfred Hitchcock sends them off to Skeleton Island, off the southeast coast of the United States, where a company is making a movie at the old amusement park on the island.

But the movie company is having trouble. Pieces of equipment have been stolen, and their boats have been tinkered with at night. What’s more, a legendary ghost has recently been seen riding the old merry-go-round. The girl died long ago when she vowed to finish her ride in a storm, but was then struck by lightning.

One thing I’d forgotten was how many of these books have a stereotypical ethnic character. In this case, it’s Chris Markos, from Greece, a diver who’s trying to find pirate treasure to help his injured father. The townspeople are stereotypical and superstitious as well, easily falling for the ghost story and gossiping intensely and mistrusting Chris, the foreigner.

But the overall story is fun and adventurous. Pirate treasure. Boats. Being marooned. Making a movie. Scuba diving. Lives in danger and a mystery to solve. This was a fun one to revisit.

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Childrens_Fiction/skeleton_island.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on an interlibrary loan via Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Please use the comments if you’ve read the book and want to discuss spoilers!