Review of Star Wars Jedi Academy, by Jeffrey Brown

Children's Fiction Review, Science Fiction 0

Star Wars Jedi Academy

by Jeffrey Brown

Scholastic, Sept 2013. 160 pages.

This is Diary of a Wimpy Kid crossed with Star Wars. It is going to be a huge hit with our library patrons. From the author of Darth Vader and Son and Vader’s Little Princess comes this graphic novel look at what middle school would be like – if you were training to be a Jedi.

Roan Novachez lives on Tattooine and he’s waiting eagerly for his acceptance to Pilot Academy, when, much to his disappointment, he gets selected by Master Yoda for Jedi Academy instead. Kids used to Star Wars will especially enjoy Roan’s impressions of the characters for the first time.

About Yoda, he says, “Everything up mixed says he, backwards he talks.” He includes translations of the beeps and boops from their droid, and what their Wookiee gym teacher has said this week. It’s all very funny in the context of Star Wars, but it all rings true as to things middle school kids have to deal with – tests, a science project, an election, competition, learning new skills, and navigating friendships. Oh, and making light sabers.

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Childrens_Fiction/jedi_academy.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 Advance Review Copy I got 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 Boxers & Saints, by Gene Luen Yang

Award Winners, Graphic Novel, Historical, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 2

Boxers & Saints

by Gene Luen Yang

First Second, New York, 2013. 2 volumes, 328 pages and 170 pages.
Starred Review
2013 National Book Award Shortlist

Boxers & Saints is a two-volume graphic novel about the Boxer Rebellion that took place in China in 1899-1900.

The first volume, Boxers, follows Bao, the third brother in his family and shows his encounter with “foreign devils” and how he becomes an enthusiastic leader of the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fist.

Bao receives training from a traveling kung fu master and learns a ritual which enables him and his brother-disciples to transform into the ancient gods of China when they fight. They travel to cleanse and heal China of the foreign devils and the secondary devils — Chinese who have converted to Christianity.

The second volume, Saints, looks at Four-Girl, a Chinese girl who does convert to Christianity, even though she barely understands it. She receives a name (which her family never gave her), Vibiana, when she is baptized.

Though Vibiana doesn’t really understand Christianity, she receives visions of Joan of Arc, and decides to become a maiden warrior, defending against the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fist.

The caption on the back reads, “Every war has two faces.” That is the strength of this work. It brings you into the emotions and passions of people on both sides of the conflict. The perspective, in both cases, is from the native Chinese people, and I enjoyed the way when English is spoken, foreign-looking characters are used, since our heroes don’t understand English.

This is a book about war. It is violent and brutal. Our heroes are training to fight and kill. There is much blood, and there are many senseless deaths. It’s not a very cheery book, and no, you can’t call the ending happy.

I like the way both stories had elements of magic realism. Bao had the visions of Chinese gods, and Vibiana the visions of Joan of Arc. The author walks a fine line of letting us see both sides without condemning either side. We see the wild tales each side told about the other — and we can see that, in both cases, they are extreme, designed to stir people up against an enemy. The two stories do intersect, and I don’t think you would ever want to read one without reading the other, which is why I’m reviewing the two together.

This is a powerful look at two sides of a war I knew nothing about.

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Teens/boxers_and_saints.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 library books 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 Vader’s Little Princess, by Jeffrey Brown

Humorous, Nonfiction Review 0

Vader’s Little Princess

by Jeffrey Brown

Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 2013. 64 pages.

This book, along with its companion, Darth Vader and Son will make anyone who’s ever seen Star Wars laugh out loud.

The assumption is what it would have been like if Darth Vader had been a real Dad to his kids. This one looks at life with Leia during the rebellious teenage years. The references to the films, twisting them slightly, are hilarious.

It’s all done as comic panels, so the references to the films are visual as well as quotations placed in a new context.

I like the one where Leia knits her dad a “Cozy” for his helmet. He wears it, looking ridiculous, and thinks, “Just tell her you like it.”

Or, referencing the film: Leia’s sitting down at a table with Darth Vader at the head. He says, “SO, WE MEET AT LAST.” She says to Han Solo, sitting next to her, “Behave yourself, or my Dad will totally kill you.”

On a related note, when Han is frozen in carbonite, Leia’s protesting, “You are so mean! All he did was kiss me!”

I love the way Star Wars is so ingrained in our culture, he can write these comics knowing full well that most readers will know exactly which scenes he’s referring to.

Too funny!

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Nonfiction/vaders_little_princess.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 How To, by Julie Morstad

Contemporary, Picture Book Review 0

How To

By Julie Morstad

Simply Read Books, 2013. 44 pages.

This picture book reminds me of the classic A Hole Is to Dig, by Ruth Krauss, and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Like A Hole Is to Dig, it looks at everyday things from a child’s perspective, thus making them exceptional.

The text alone doesn’t convey the magic of this book. Each page begins with the words “how to.” We have “how to go fast,” “how to go slow,” “how to see the wind,” “how to feel the breeze,” “how to be a mermaid,” “how to make new friends,” “how to stay close,” “how to disappear,” “how to wonder,” and so much more.

The illustrations are old-fashioned and simple, but so imaginative. On the “how to stay close” page, two girls have braided their hair together. On the “how to make a sandwich” page, kids are lying on top of each other, layered with comforters. On the “how to be faraway” page, a kid is up in a tree.

The book finishes up with exuberant “how to be happy” spreads of children dancing. They forget to mention another way: reading this book!

simplyreadbooks.com

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Picture_Books/how_to.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 Take Me Out to the Yakyu, by Aaron Meshon

Contemporary, Picture Book Review 0

Take Me Out to the Yakyu

by Aaron Meshon

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York, 2013. 40 pages.

This picture book shows a boy attending a baseball game in America with his pop pop and a baseball game (yakyu) in Japan with his ji ji. In parallel pages, you see how the game unfolds at the two different places – what’s alike and what’s different.

I thought this was fun, because my son got to attend a game in Japan when he was in middle school, and one of his comments was about all the noisemakers in Japan. Sure enough, in this book, the boy’s pop pop gets him a giant foam hand, but his ji ji gets him a giant plastic horn.

There’s a glossary in the back, in case you didn’t catch what all the Japanese words meant, as well as an author’s note explaining some of the differences.

I’ve always liked seeing what little everyday details are the same or different in different cultures, and this book is full of that in the context of a baseball game. Here in Fairfax County, several local elementary schools have Japanese immersion programs, and this book will be perfect for those kids.

KIDS.SimonandSchuster.com

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Picture_Books/take_me_out_to_the_yakyu.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 Bluffton, by Matt Phelan

Children's Fiction Review, Graphic Novel, Historical, Starred Review 0

Bluffton

by Matt Phelan

Candlewick Press, 2013. 223 pages.
Starred Review

Bluffton is a graphic novel about a fictional friend of Buster Keaton. When Buster Keaton was young, and already a vaudeville star, his family really did vacation at Bluffton, in Muskegon, Michigan, along with a whole group of vaudevillians, complete with an elephant and a zebra.

The book shows what it might have been like for an ordinary kid living in Muskegon, getting to play with Buster Keaton during the summers.

This graphic novel catches the lazy fun of summer, as well as Buster Keaton’s tendency to pranks and tricks. And it imagines what he would have been like to play with. Henry, the ordinary boy in the story, dreams of having an act like Buster.

This book has a lot of heart, and a nice factual foundation. Matt Phelan writes that he has been a Buster Keaton fan since he was a small boy, and his affection comes out in his work.

candlewick.com

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

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

Review of The Goat Lady, by Jane Bregoli

Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review 0

The Goat Lady

by Jane Bregoli

Tilbury House, Gardiner, Maine, 2004. 32 pages.

I’m reviewing this book in honor of my friend Kathe Barsotti. Kathe is working for zoning changes to let pygmy goats be allowed in the Town of Herndon, because their milk eases her arthritis. I mentioned that to my coworker Mary, after Kathe’s picture was in the local paper. Mary immediately said that I had to read The Goat Lady. In the past, Mary has booktalked this book in the schools.

Sure enough, the Goat Lady had started raising goats because their milk cured her arthritis. Though the Goat Lady of the book ended up with far more goats than my friend Kathe tends.

The story of the Goat Lady, Noelie Houle, is told from the perspective of neighbor children. When they moved to the neighborhood they were fascinated by a nearby rundown farmhouse with a yard full of white goats. They got to know the neighbor and her friendly goats, and learned to help care for them.

The children’s mother, who turns out to be the author of this book, was an artist. She painted many portraits of Noelie and her goats, which are used throughout the book.

Mom finished enough paintings of Noelie and her goats to fill the walls of the town hall for an art show. On opening night of the show, lots of people came: the “Meals on Wheels” drivers who brought Noelie’s lunch on weekdays; the young man who helped her feed the goats between his school bus runs; the church lady who helped her with grocery shopping; the men who delivered hay and dried corn; the nurse who changed the bandage on her sore leg; the nurse’s husband, who liked to talk in French with Noelie; and a young woman who had been able to drink only goat’s milk when she was a child.

My only complaint? There are many lovely pictures of Noelie in the book, but they chose one for the cover in which she looks rather dumpy.

A sad thing about this book is that it’s buried in the biography section. It is indeed a picture book biography about a remarkable person. She lived a quiet life, and children won’t think to look for her by name. But those who discover her story will be delighted.

I’m reviewing this book today in honor of Nonfiction Monday, hosted today at Wrapped in Foil.

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Childrens_Nonfiction/goat_lady.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 Grandma and the Great Gourd, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and Susy Pilgrim Waters

Animal Characters, Fantasy, Folk Tales, Picture Book Review, Readalouds 0

Grandma and the Great Gourd

A Bengali Folktale

retold by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
illustrated by Susy Pilgrim Waters

A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, New York, 2013. 32 pages.
Starred Review

Here’s a wonderful folktale, marvelously told. The pictures are exquisite, giving the flavor of India. The story is sprinkled with sound effects that aren’t ones native English speakers would naturally use. There’s the repetition of a folktale, and a lovely predictability — with a twist.

This is a book for school age kids, with the text on the long side for preschoolers. With that in mind, the telling is sure to engage their interest.

Here’s how it begins:

Once upon a time, in a little village in India, there lived an old woman whom everyone called Grandma. She loved gardening and had the best vegetable patch in the village.

Grandma lived by herself in a little hut at the edge of the village, next to a deep, dark jungle. At times she could hear herds of elephants lumbering on forest paths, thup-thup-thup, or giant lizards slithering over dry leaves, khash-khash.

She didn’t mind because she had two loyal dogs, Kalu and Bhulu, to protect her. They also helped her with garden chores.

When Grandma crosses the deep, dark forest to visit her daughter, she encounters three fierce animals who want to eat her up. But this is how that goes:

Grandma’s heart went dhip-dhip, but she didn’t let the fox see how scared she was.

“If you’re planning to have me for breakfast,” she said, “that’s a terrible idea. See how skinny I am? I’ll be a lot plumper on my way back from my daughter’s house because she’s such a good cook. You can eat me then, if you like.”

“That sounds good!” said the fox, and he let her go.

Of course, to get home after visiting her daughter, and indeed growing plump, Grandma must outwit the tiger, the bear, and the fox. Her plan works on the tiger and the bear, but the fox is more clever and confronts her. However, there’s a lovely satisfying ending, for which the groundwork was laid at the very start.

This has all that’s good about a folktale, including being one you’ll want to tell again and again.

mackids.com

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Picture_Books/grandma_and_the_great_gourd.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 Not Your Typical Dragon, by Dan Bar-el and Tim Bowers

Delightfully Silly, Fantasy, Picture Book Review 0

Not Your Typical Dragon

by Dan Bar-el
illustrated by Tim Bowers

Viking, 2013. 40 pages.

Big thanks to my co-worker, Kim, for booktalking this book at the elementary schools this year. Watching the Kindergarten and 1st grade classes roar with laughter just at the description, I had to take a closer look.

Crispin Blaze was born into a proud family of fire-breathing dragons.
“Every Blaze breathes fire,” explained his father. “I breathe fire. Your mother breathes fire. Tomorrow, when you turn seven, you’ll breathe fire, too.”

But when Crispin tries to light the birthday candles on his cake, he feels a tingling in his tummy, but fire does not come out. Instead, he breathes out whipped cream!

Crispin’s parents take him to the doctor, and there he breathes out band-aids. The doctor gives him medicine, but Crispin continues to breathe out silly (but oddly appropriate) things. As they seem more and more outrageous, each one is good for a laugh.

Crispin meets a knight who has been told he needs to fight a fire-breathing dragon. They work on the situation together. Things get a little hot, but there’s a lovely solution at the end, and Crispin and his family get to embrace the fact that he’s not your typical dragon.

The message of not necessarily meeting family expectations, but embracing who you are, is an old one. This book puts that message in a funny and fresh package.

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Picture_Books/not_your_typical_dragon.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 Dream Thieves, by Maggie Stiefvater

Paranormal, Teen Fiction Review 0

The Dream Thieves

Book II of the Raven Cycle

by Maggie Stiefvater

Scholastic Press, New York, Sept. 17, 2013. 438 pages.

This sequel to The Raven Boys takes the mysterious magical happenings in Henrietta, Virginia, to another level.

We still have Blue, the only non-psychic in a family of psychics, entangled with three Raven Boys, Gansey, Adam, and Ronan, from the private school Aglionby. The boys, led by Gansey, are looking for an ancient Welsh king that Gansey is certain is buried in the area. Whoever finds him will have a wish granted.

This volume focuses on Ronan and his ability to take objects out of dreams. We find out this ability is all wrapped up in family secrets. And there are others who want it. Dangerous others. And there are surprises and mysteries along the way.

I’m not quite sure why I don’t like this series more. It’s well-crafted and powerfully written. The plotting is intricate and keeps you intrigued. Each book has a doozy of an ending. I think the main problem is that I don’t particularly like the characters. There’s a new character we see more of in this book who is a drug addict and generally distasteful. We also follow the activities of a hit man. His addition to the book adds much to the story, and I like that we do get to see his side. But he’s a hit man! I can’t quite like him.

I will, however, definitely snap up the next book as soon as I get the chance. I don’t love these books, but I like them very much, and I am absolutely hooked. I should also say that Maggie Stiefvater, did, in fact, win me over to the heavily foreshadowed romance strongly hinted at in the first book. I had a feeling she would.

Here is how the Prologue begins:

A secret is a strange thing.

There are three kinds of secrets. One is the sort everyone knows about, the sort you need at least two people for. One to keep it. One to never know. The second is a harder kind of secret: one you keep from yourself. Every day, thousands of confessions are kept from their would-be confessors, none of these people knowing that their never-admitted secrets all boil down to the same three words: I am afraid.

And then there is the third kind of secret, the most hidden kind. A secret no one knows about. Perhaps it was known once, but was taken to the grave. Or maybe it is a useless mystery, arcane and lonely, unfound because no one ever looked for it.

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Teens/dream_thieves.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 Advance Reader Copy I got 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.