The Brixton Brothers: The Case of the Mistaken Identity

1 Comment

by Mac Barnett
First sentence: “Steve Brixton, a.k.a. Steve, was reading on his too-small bed.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There are some slight intense moments, offset by humor. It would probably be in the middle grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore, but I think it could be an upper beginning chapter: there are short chapters, big print, and lots of illustrations.

Steve Brixton has always wanted to be a detective like the ones he’s always reading about. But it isn’t until  his teacher gives him an impromptu research paper assignment about American Quilting, that Steve gets  to see some, well, detective action. He’s set upon by Librarians (the bad sort) and Goons and he and his friend have to figure out who has stolen the Top Secret Codes from this historic quilt (I think… the plot wasn’t really the point of this one).

Goodness this was funny. Especially if you’ve read a lot of Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew books. Steve and his friend, Dana, are always getting into scrapes they have to get out of, and somehow (even though neither are terribly bright) figure out the mystery in the end. (My favorite exchanges were of the Steve: “Hey, chum” and Dana: “Don’t call me chum” variety. Every. Single. Time.) It was kind of a lame mystery — the solution was pretty obvious — but I don’t think the mystery is the point of these.

Even so, it was a ton of fun.

Shine

Leave a comment

by Lauren Myracle
First sentence: “Patrick’s house was a ghost.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: This one has drug use and drinking by teenagers and a pretty graphic rape scene. It would be in the Teen (grades 9+) section of the bookstore if we had it.

Cat’s former best friend, Patrick, has been found at the local convenience mart beaten and tied up to a gas pump, left for dead. The local sheriff is calling it a hate crime, since Patrick is gay, and that it was probably some out of towners who did it. He was right about the hate crime part, but Cat’s convinced it’s someone in the small, southern town of Black Creek, North Carolina. So, she sets out to find out who, which means facing her brother’s friends and her past.

Oh, this was a hard book. It’s a mystery — sort of — but more, it’s a portrayal of what poverty and toxic masculinity can do to people. It turns them to meth, makes them suspicious of each other, makes them feel like they can just take things without any sort of consequences. There’s rape in this — and that was SUCH a difficult scene to get through — and just plain hopelessness. I think Myracle gave it a happy-ish ending in order to alleviate a lot of the general bleak feel of the novel (I certainly was expecting a different ending). I did figure out who committed the crime a little more than halfway through, and I even figured out why, but I kept reading because I wanted to see how it all would play out. Myracle did an excellent job with Cat’s character development — she went from a hurt, scared girl into a more confident one, facing down the boy who raped her and her brother’s friends for their various “boys will be boys” infractions.

It’s just a very hard read, emotionally.

Dreadful Young Ladies and Other Stories

Leave a comment

by Kelly Barnhill
First sentence: “The day she buried her husband — a good man, by all accounts, though shy, not given to drink or foolishness; not one for speeding tickets or illegal parking or cheating on his taxes; not one for carousing at the county fair, or tomcatting with the other men from the glass factory; which is to say, he was utterly unkonwn in town: a cipher; a cold, blank space — Agnes Sorensen arrived at the front steps of Our lady of the Snows.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There are more mature themes and some swearing (though I’m not remembering any f-bombs). It’s in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

I have a tortured history with short stories. I want to like them, but I find them much like poetry: I don’t get them. They’re words, and often pretty words, but I just don’t… well… understand them. (Even Neil Gaiman’s stories, which I seem to have a bit more affinity for.) And this collection was more of the same: I liked the stories, but I need someone else to read them and then explain them to me. (Especially the title story. I know it’s a metaphor, and I’m sure I’ll smack my head when someone tells me what it’s a metaphor for, but right now, I’m a bit lost.)

Barnhill is a gorgeous crafter of sentences, and this is no exception. She has a beautiful way with words, and it does pull you into the story. I especially liked the final story, which is more of a novella (which could be why), because the world that Barnhill built — a comet flies by once every 25 years and endows pre-born children with magical powers which a minister then harnesses for his own means — was so fascinating, but also because the writing was just so beautiful.

And maybe, someday, I’ll figure out how to read short stories and actually understand.

First Sunday(ish) Daughter Reviews: April 2018

Leave a comment

This didn’t get out last week because it was Easter and M was home and we were all busy talking and laughing and playing games… which is a valid excuse in my book!

C is studying Hamlet in school and was complaining about it one day, so I threw this at her: 

She loved it! It’s an excellent retelling of Hamlet from Ophelia’s point of view, and it helped C get a sense of the play, and put a feminist spin on it. So, yay for fiction!

A finally read this: It was her first foray into John Green and she enjoyed it quite a bit. I was a bit concerned that she’d have a negative reaction to it, since she suffers from anxiety, but the OCD and anxiety is of a different breed than A’s so she could appreciate the book without being triggered by it.

And K has moved on to this:

She was complaining that she hated the characters and was annoyed by the book, and I asked why she kept reading them. “Because I like the plot!” she said. Fair enough.

What are you reading now?

Module 11: Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX

Leave a comment

letmeplayBlumenthal, K. (2005). Let me play: The story of Title IX. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

Genre: Non-fiction, history.

Book Summary:  A history of how Title IX came to be passed as law, the reasons behind why it was proposed and the effects it had on girls’ education and sports, focusing mostly on sports equality.

Impressions: I loved this! Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, I vaguely knew about Title IX, but I didn’t really pay attention to the details. Going back and reading this made me realize just how much work not only had to be done but how much progress was made. I liked the insets featuring the people who were the primary movers and shakers behind the law. My only complaint was that it wasn’t terribly diverse, but maybe that was a side-effect of the times. The effect of Title IX on minority populations would be an interesting topic to explore, though.

Review: The reviewers called it a “thoughtful, enlightening and inspiring” look at Title IX and the effects it had at on womens’ education in America. They were really critical of the design of the book calling it an “absolutely criminal treatment from the designer”, which effected their overall view of the book.

Staff. (2006). Let me play: The story of Title IX: The law that changed the future of girls in America. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/karen-blumenthal/let-me-play/

Library Uses: This one would be good on a library display about sports, feminism or in a women’s history month display or programming.

Readalikes:

  • Undefeated by Steve Sheinkin –  The story of the Carlisle Indian School Football Team in 1907 and how they became the “team that invented football”. Written by one of the great non-fiction writers of our time, this is a remarkable story.
  • Women in Sports by  Rachel Ignotofsky –  A collection of one-page biographies of women in sports from the 1800s to today. It also includes interesting facts about muscle anatomy and statistics about pay.
  • Rising Above: Inspiring Women in Sports by Gregory Zuckerman – A series of short biographies of women who rose above challenges in their lives to compete at the top of the game in their various sports.

The Wild Robot Escapes

Leave a comment

by Peter Brown
First sentence: “Our story begins in a city, with buildings and streets and bridges and parks.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Others in the series: The Wild Robot
Content: Same as the first one: short chapters, large print, illustrations. It’s in the middle grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore. This one, like the first, would also make a good read-aloud.

Spoilers for the first one, obviously.

When we left our fair robot Roz, she was being airlifted off her beloved island and transported back to the city. She was reprogrammed, and then sent out to be a farm robot, helping a family. Except, she wasn’t reprogrammed enough: she remembered her life on the island and her son, Brightbill, and while she wasn’t entirely unhappy at the farm — cows are good conversationalists and Roz had a lot to do — she missed her, well, home. So, she sets out to escape, which leads her on a whole adventure trying to get back to her island.

It’s much of the same as the first book here: intrusive narrator (but again, not so much that it was bothersome) and Roz is a very sweet character to root for. I liked her adventure this time, and the different things she saw and how her story spread out and paved the way for her to get back. The ending was sweet and satisfying at the same time, which was nice.

It really is a delightful story.

The Book of Boy

Leave a comment

by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
First sentence: “This story, like another, begins with an apple.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the author.
Content: There is some challenging language, because it’s set in medieval times, but with the large print, short(ish) length, and illustrations, a younger kid/reluctant reader could enjoy it. It’s in the middle grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore.

Things that surprised me about The Book of Boy: How religious it was (though I don’t know why that did; it’s set in 1350 in Italy, and religion was a huge part of everyday life), how much I didn’t mind it’s religious nature, and how charmed I was by Boy and the pilgrim he went on a quest with.

Things I’m unsure about: the speculative(ish) element of it. See, Boy is a humpback child, and was told to keep his hump covered and hidden and never touch it. He’s shunned because of this — this felt “true”, even though I don’t know if people who didn’t look whole were shunned, but that’s what stories have always led me to believe — by everyone except a wayward pilgrim on a quest to collect the relics of St. Peter. But, once on the quest, Boy discovers that his hump is not an ordinary one, which is a blessing and a curse.

Things I really enjoyed: I loved the narrative style of the book. I think Murdock caught the inner voice of this naive character, who was doing what he was supposed to, and unsure about his own future and any changes. I loved that Boy could talk to animals, and that the animals helped him when he needed it. And I really enjoyed the whole quest: there were challenges along the way, and both Boy and the pilgrim needed each other. It was very sweet and charming.

Overall, a good book.

Audiobook: Granted

1 Comment

by John David Anderson
Read by Cassandra Morris
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Listen at Libro.fm
Content: I listened to it (it makes a great read aloud), but I’m guessing that it’s formatted pretty well for the younger readers. There are short chapters, a lot of action, and any big words are explained really well. It’s in the middle grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore.

Opheila Delphinium Fidgits is one of the few fairies in the Haven who has been tasked with the most special of jobs: that of being a Granter. Wishes from humans come in all the time, but the great tree only allows for a few to be granted, and Ophelia is one of those who gets to go out and make the wish come true. Except that she hasn’t… yet. Then her day comes and she sets out to fulfill what should be a routine wish: find the coin, grant the girl a bicycle. Except everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) goes wrong. And what happens changes, well, everything.

I loved listening to this one, though it took a bit to get into it. That’s partially the story’s fault: Anderson is very thorough in his world-building, and felt a need to take us all through the Haven and Ophelia’s world before sending her out into ours. But once she got into our world, the story picked up. The best character, though, was Sam the Dog. Probably mostly because of the way the narrator voiced him, but also because… well, who doesn’t love a wonderful, sweet, loveable, sometimes stupid dog character?

It really was a charming book, and a unique look at the fairy world. Quite good.

 

Monthly Round-Up: March 2018

Leave a comment

Wow, I read a lot! A lot of it is old, but not all of it. And not a single adult book in the mix. (Which is probably why I read a lot!) Even so, my favorite out of all of them is this:

The Parker Inheritance

Even more so, after hearing him talk about it at school visits. There’s so much to think about and talk about in this book, and it’s a great puzzle mystery as well!

As for the rest:

Middle Grade:

  

Gregor the Overlander
No More Dead Dogs
The Accidental Adventures of India McAllister
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key
Aru Shah and the End of Time
Capture the Flag
Ninth Ward
Hello, Universe
The War that Saved My Life

YA:

     

A Wizard of Earthsea
Ask the Passengers
Not if I Save You First
Does My Head Look Big in This?
The Drowned Cities
The Ship of the Dead

What was your favorite book you read this month?

Module 10: When Jessie Came Across the Sea

Leave a comment

Hest, L. (1997). When Jessie came across the sea. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Genre: Informational book, with fictional people in real situations.

Book Summary:  When the rabbi in Jessie’s town chooses 13-year-old Jessie to make the voyage to America, she is anxious, afraid, and unsure of what her future will be without the comfort of living with her grandmother and their village. But, she has some skill with a needle and making lace, and she has kind people to take her in once in New York. Jessie works hard for several years, sewing and making lace, developing a following for her bridal dresses, and is able to save up enough money to bring Grandmother to America to live with her.

Impressions: This was one of my favorites. I suppose I’m a sucker for 18th-century immigrant stories, but I ended up tearing up at the end when Jessie sends for her grandmother. I thought the art was gorgeous, and I appreciated that Lynch’s illustrations felt realistic and not clean it up. I also thought that the writing worked together to capture the European immigrant experience.

Review: The Publisher’s Weekly reviewers pointed out not only the simplicity of the tale as told by Hest, but also the gorgeous illustrations from Lynch. They wrote: ” The subtle, emotional exposition is enriched by Lynch’s dramatically charged watercolor and gouache illustrations. The candlelit and sunlit compositions express the yearnings of the immigrants; their faces form a study in hope, loss and dignity.”

Brown, J. M. &  Roback, D. (1997). When Jessie came across the sea. Publisher’s Weekly. 244 (44). Retrieved from: https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-7636-0094-5.

Library Uses: This one would be good on a library display or a storytime for older children about immigration and the different stories of immigrants.

Readalikes: I tried to pick more contemporary, diverse books, since that is the current state of immigration today.

  • Islandborn by Junot Díaz,  illustrated by Leo Espinosa  – The story of a second generation American, and her realization that her Cuban heritage and family heritage are as much a part of who she is as her American-ness is.
  • Mango, Abuela, and Me by Meg Medina, illustrated by Angela Dominguez – Mia’s grandmother comes to live with her family in America, and they discover they have a language barrier. The book explores communicating though language is different, and the common bonds — not just family — that we all share
  • Mama’s Nightingale by Edwidge Danticat, illustrated by Leslie Staub – The main character, Saya’s, mother is sent to an immigration detention center. Her mother takes to sending Saya Hatian tales through cassette tape from the detention center, and Saya is inspired to write her own story of hope.