A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

A Monster Calls
Patrick Ness
3/5 stars

A Monster Calls is the emotional story of Connor, as he comes to grips with his mother's impending death.  A Monster in the form of a giant yew tree begins to visit him (in reality or in his imagination is left to the reader to decide), telling Connor that he has come because Connor called him and is there to help.

Ness writes wonderfully, and is an excellent storyteller.  Even when I wasn't enjoying the story, I was captivated by both the tale and the prose.  The character of the Monster was fantastic, wild and gentle at the same time.  I also liked how Ness slowly revealed parts of Connor's life, giving hints for the reader along the way.

I had mixed feelings about this novel.  On the one hand, it is an excellent depiction of grief, and of the unraveling of reality and emotions during a time of extreme stress.  Furthermore, it encourages the reader that it is okay to be angry about situations like this, and shows that fairy tale happy endings don't come about when dealing with terminal illness.

On the other hand, I didn't feel that Connor or the Monster gave the best example or advice for dealing with grief.  The monster is encouraging Connor to act during two episodes when Connor has a mental breakdown and becomes violent.  Encouraging as in urging him on to more destructive actions.  In addition,  this extreme damage to both a person and some property is glossed over, never fully addressed.  "What good would it do?" is the reaction of the adults in his life.  I felt that this was an unhealthy message to present to the target reader.

Granted, this is just my opinion: Patrick Ness won the Carnegie Medal for A Monster Calls, so other responsible adults feel that the lessons being taught are appropriate.

Frogkisser! by Garth Nix

Frogkisser! 
Garth Nix
expected publication date: February 2017
5/5 stars

Princess Anya's stepstepfather is becoming an evil sorcerer, intent on taking over their small kingdom, transmogrifying people into animals right and left.  To return visiting Prince Denholm from his frog-form, Anya must make a Transmogrification Reversal Lip Balm.  Aided by one of the palace's talking dogs, and joined by a boy-turned-newt and an otter-turned-human, Anya goes on a Quest for the ingredients, while trying to avoid being captured by her stepstepfather.  Along the way, she learns about the All Encompassing Bill of Rights and Wrongs, the dangers of wielding power, and the importance of treating people fairly.

Anya is a wonderful heroine.  She is eager for knowledge, and is a believer that a princess should "rescue herself".   She was believable, especially as she was not fearless, but tried to be brave while frightened.  The other characters, while not all as fully fleshed out as Anya, were also a pleasure to know.

The plot was a delightful mix of fairy tale and fantasy, exciting and fun.  Nix writes well, and I was immersed in his world from the beginning.

Overall, Frogkisser! is a charming tale with lovable characters and an engaging plot. It is perfect for the recommended age group, but may also appeal to Young Adult readers.

The Classics Club: Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

(about the Classics Club)

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This classic has been on my to-read radar for many, many years.  I bought Everland, a steampunk retelling of Peter Pan, and felt that it would behoove me to read the original first.

Thinking and feeling went hand in hand for this book.  The only thing I thought or felt was: what am I missing?

This book has a such a loyal, devoted fanbase over the course of more than 100 years--so much so that there is a statue of Peter in Kensington Gardens.  And yet. . . and yet. . . I don't see the appeal.

It was an okay fairy story; were I to review it I'd probably give it three stars.  The plot wasn't as adventurous as I'd expected, nor as engaging or even interesting.  I certainly wasn't enamored of Peter, nor is he a hero to be emulated.  The other characters were okay, but not special in any way. Hook was the only one that seemed fleshed out.  Neverland--this fantasy island I'd heard so much about--wasn't very impressive.  Sure, there are "Redskins" and mermaids and pirates, but, the adventures were just not very exciting.

I fully realize that this was a play first, then it was made into a novel.  I expected that Barrie might not be as adept at description as conversation, but I can't even imagine how this would be enthralling as a play.  Is it because they fly on stage?

Truly, I'm flummoxed.  Fans of Peter Pan, shout me down and share all the magic that I am just not finding.

The Uncommoners: The Crooked Sixpence by Jennifer Bell

The Uncommoners: The Crooked Sixpence 
Jennifer Bell

• Age Range: 8 - 12 years
• Grade Level: 3 - 7

projected publication date: January 2017
4/5 stars

The Uncommoners: The Crooked Sixpence is a fantasy-adventure, the first in a projected series, intended for children 8-12 years-old.  In this story, Ivy Sparrow and her brother Seb find themselves in a strange adventure after their grandmother has an accident.  While she is in the hospital, her home is ransacked and two very odd policemen chase them with a horse-drawn hearse.  Soon they find themselves in an underground city, Lundinor, where ordinary objects do unusual things and the dead walk the streets with the living.  They become immersed in a life or death mystery as they try to unravel their grandmother's forgotten past.

This is an enjoyable book, with a feisty heroine and an interesting plot.  The plot is just convoluted enough to keep a middle grade reader engaged and guessing, without being difficult to follow  It is faced paced and should hold the attention of the appropriate aged group..  Bell's descriptions of Ludinor and the explanations of that world are well-written and, while the characters aren't fully fleshed out, they are appealing.

The plot of the Crooked Sixpence relies a great deal on coincidence, and was therefore not believable to this adult reader.  I don't know that it would be a problem for the intended audience, though.

There were also several things that were reminiscent of other popular fantasy series, but I can't really hold that against Bell.  The very nature of fantasy is full of common tropes; it's impossible for a fantasy writer to be completely original.

Despite it's length (over 300 pages), I think this book is quite suitable for--and should be enjoyable for--the older end of the intended audience.

(I was given this ARC by the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review.)

100 Dresses: If the Magic Fits by Susan Maupin Schmid

100 Dresses: If the Magic Fits
Susan Maupin Schmid

• Age Range: 8 - 12 years
• Grade Level: 3 - 7
• projected publication date: October 2016
• 5/5 stars

100 Dresses: If the Magic Fits is a delightful novel with a spunky 11-year old heroine, Darling.  Darling works in the castle kitchen and dreams of having just one adventure.  She discovers a room full of enchanted dresses and her dream of adventure comes true.

In this part-fantasy, part-mystery, Darling overhears a plot to release the stone dragons of the castle and take over the kingdom.  Using the magic of the dresses, she seeks a way of thwarting the villains.

This book is charming, funny and well written.  Despite being well over the intended audience age, I was captured from the first page and enjoyed reading all the way through.  Darling is well-rounded and believable--the kind of girl one would want for a friend and a heroine that any child could safely emulate.  

Schmid is an excellent writer, and used several fun descriptive passages, such as "The fabric slipped on like butter over toast. . . " and "(the word) hung in the air of the dressing room like a damp petticoat on a laundry line."

The only potential problem with this book is it's length.  At nearly 300 pages, it is, perhaps, too long of a novel for readers of the younger end of the suggested age-range.  Older pre-teens, though, would be a perfect audience.

This book was such a joy to read--enough so that I, as an adult, plan to watch out for the next installment of Darling's story.

(I was given this book to read by the Amazon Vine program in return for an honest review.)

Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web
E. B. White
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (October 2, 2001)
Winner: 1953 Newbery Honor Award
5/5 stars

(Yes, more from my Children's Lit class. . . )

Charlotte's Web is White's classic story about the friendship of a pig, a girl and a spider.  Fern saves Wilbur, the runt of the litter, from an untimely death, and hand raises him.  When he is too big to stay with Fern, her uncle buys him, with the intent of enjoying pork all winter.  Wilbur makes a friend in his new home, an intelligent and kind spider named Charlotte.  Charlotte makes it her life's goal to save Wilbur, regardless of the costs to herself.  It is a novel of friendship, of life and death, and of the power of the written word.

Though White's prose is perfect, it is sometimes clinical, lacking some of the more exciting literary devices that make prose pop and sparkle.  His understanding of ten year old girls seems a bit lacking, but his ability to detail farm life and spider behavior make the animal characters and background come alive.  I can't help but wish Fern's character had been more rounded out, and that she had played more a part later in the story, but White's focus was on the barnyard and not on the human players.

Rereading Charlotte's Web is like visiting an old friend: it stays the same but yet there is always something new as well.  This time was no different, and I was newly impressed with White's message on the importance of words and language.  As always, I found his depiction of true friendship to be beautiful and moving. 

Despite any minor complaints I may have, Charlotte's Web is a warm, funny, and real book and deservedly a classic.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Brian Selznick, author and illustrator
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 544 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press; First Edition edition (January 30, 2007)
winner: 2008 Caldecott Medal
4/5 stars

Hugo Cabret is an orphan, living in a Paris train station, and trying to keep from being discovered.  He has become obsessed with a broken clockwork figure, spending hours studying diagrams and other clockworks so that he can repair it.

Needing pieces, and having no money with which to purchase them, he steals small clockwork figures from a toy stall in the station.  When he is caught by the toymaker, his world takes a drastic turn, filling Hugo's life with mystery and adventure.

Selznick's novel is the first (and so far, only) novel to win a Caldecott award, an honor more usually given to picture books.  This is because The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a story told in pictures as well as words; the initial forty-five pages are illustrations, moving the story along breathlessly, before the first word is read.  These two-page illustrations are a hand-drawn visual delight.  In addition, as the story blends history with fiction beautifully, Selznick includes still photographs from the story's era, as well as frames from the silent movies that figure so prominently in the plot.

The prose does not equal the magnificence of the illustrations, sadly.  It is awkward at points, with sometimes stiff dialogue and a not-always-believable plot line.  That is overshadowed by the beauty of the art, though, and by the historical elements Selznick has woven into his fiction.

While certainly not a literary masterpiece, the visual experience of The Invention of Hugo Cabret   makes this a book well worth reading.

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach (Picture Book 6/6)

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach
Carmen Agra Deedy, author
Michael Austin, illustrator
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers (September 1, 2007)
Pura Belpre Award, Honor Book, 2008.
Category: Folk tale.
Style: Cartoon style/traditional style.
Media: Acrylic on illustration board. 
5/5 stars


Martina the Beautiful Cockroach  is a retelling of a traditional Cuban folk tale.  In this version, Martina (the beautiful cockroach) is beset with inappropriate suitors and, following her Grandmother's advice, pours coffee on each one's shoes to see how he would respond to her when angry.  Thanks to Abeula's test, Martina is able to dismiss the terrible suitors and find true love.  

Deedy often pairs important words with their Spanish counterparts in a casual and friendly way which teaches Spanish words without appearing to teach at all.  She makes great use of repetition in the song sung to Martina by the suitors.  She also uses humor and occasional puns.

Though cartoon-like, in that these are anthropomorphic animals and insects, Austin has carefully and delicately crafted both the characters and the scenes, so that it often appears as lovely as a traditional painting.  He has carried the humor of the story into the illustrations, especially in the objects used in the cockroach household: cigar boxes for the grand staircase, for example.  He uses rich, full colors but soft lines.   The perspective changes often, though not drastically. He makes use of a variety of techniques; the illustrations are at times in frames, occasionally they cross the gutter into both pages,  and sometimes they are straight-forward one page illustrations.  It is a pleasure to view.

This is a truly amusing book and sounds lovely when read aloud. This age group will have no connection with the idea of finding a proper husband, but should enjoy the humor.   It is most likely too hard for typical readers of this age group to read alone.  It could be used in the classroom when learning about Cuba, or about folktales.

Tuesday (Picture Book 5/6)

Tuesday
David Wiesner, author and illustrator
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Sandpiper (August 18, 1997)
Winner: Randolph Caldecott Medal, 1992.
Category: Picture Storybook/wordless/fantasy.
Style: Surrealism/realism/Impressionism
Media: Watercolor on Arches paper.
5/5 stars


In Tuesday, Wiesner tells the humorous story of a group of frogs on a Tuesday evening.  They are delighted when their lily pads suddenly begin to fly them around the countryside and nearby town.  The frogs are seen by shocked animals and people, and are quite disappointed when their new found magic stops and they return to sitting in the pond.  Wiesner uses very few words, and those only to tell the time of day, relying on his art to tell the story.

Wiesner’s painting style is dreamy and soft, incorporating elements of the  Impressionist style: soft lines, gentle colors, faded backgrounds.  His anatomy (animal and human, alike) is realistic, as is the architecture and flora.   Encompassing both those styles, however, is the surrealism of the story he is telling.  The expressions on the various frog faces are especially delightful.  The colors he uses clearly denote the time of day: blues and purples at night, with yellows and whites becoming more prominent as day breaks.   He uses a variety of layouts: panels inside full page illustrations,  double page illustrations that cross the gutter, and single page illustrations.

Tuesday  is certainly appropriate for the intended age group.  A preschooler would be able to “read” this story to herself, thanks to Wiesner’s explicit expressions and easy-to-follow sequence of events.  For any age group, this book could be used to start a conversation about fantasy and reality.  It could also be used to work on the skills of memory, sequencing and retelling. 

Shadow (Picture Book 4/6)

Shadow (From the French of Blaise Cendrars)
Marcia Brown, author and illustrator
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 40 pages
Publisher: Aladdin (November 1, 1995) 
Winner: Randolph Caldecott Medal, 1983.
Category: Myth/poetry
Style: Folk art
Media: Woodblock/papercraft/collage
Grades: preschool- 2^nd grade. (Ages 4-8)
4/5 stars


In Shadow, Brown translates Blaise Cendrars’ poem explaining various native African myths surrounding shadows.  She uses free verse, and it often has a flowing rhythm.  There is no plot, just a series of myths about “Shadow”, some contradictory, and all rather creepy.  She employs descriptive language to add to the eerie feeling.

The woodblock/paper collage illustrations are stunning in both their intricacy and their simplicity.  Simple, smooth lines belie the fact that they are meticulously crafted.  A use of bold colors for day time and rich dark tones for night invoke the time of day perfectly. Shadow itself is most often a faded, translucent gray, tissue paper in appearance, enhancing the mysteriousness of Shadow.  The texture of the paint in the background creates mountains and plains that one expects to be able to touch.  Brown uses the folk art style, imitating traditional African art in the illustrations.  The perspective is often stylized, as is often the case with folk art, and most all of the illustrations are two-page, unframed illustrations that cross the gutter.

Though visually stimulating, I can’t find that this is appropriate for the recommended age group.  It is, at times, a frightening book both in story and pictures.  The lack of plot and often contradictory nature of the myths could make it most confusing, even if it wasn’t scary.  It also depicts a stereotypical type of “noble savage” image for native Africans that is not considered appropriate now.   For older children (8-12, perhaps?), it could be used as a tool when discussing African history and myths, as long as it was balanced by other information.  It would make a good discussion tool for preteens when discussing how myths can have many explanations for one phenomenon.  I think it would be most enjoyed by (and appropriate for) adults, who can appreciate the free verse and the spectral nature of the topic.
 

Duke Ellington: the Piano Prince and His Orchestra (Picture Book 3/6)

Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra
Andrea Pinkney, author
Brian Pinkney, illustrator
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (December 12, 2006)
Coretta Scott King Book Award, Honor Book, 1999.
Randolph Caldecott Medal, Honor Book, 1999.
Category: Picture Biography.
Style: Expressionist
Media: Mixed: scratch-board renderings with luma dyes, gouache, and oil paint. 
5/5 stars

Duke Ellington: the Piano Prince and His Orchestra is a brief biography of Duke Ellington, the great jazz pianist and orchestra leader. It only mentions the happy, good events in Ellington's life and seems intended to spark an interest in jazz music in general, and Ellington in particular.

Mrs. Pinkey writes in vernacular, dropping the“-ing”, talking directly to the reader and using slang from the jazz era. This gives the book a quick rhythm, a jazzy feel, and makes it a joy to read aloud. Her metaphors for the music are colorful and descriptive, at times poetic.

Mr. Pinkney uses bright colors and bold lines to express the feeling of music being played. The colors add to the jazzy, joyful rhythm of the words. The texture from the scratch-board technique gives depth to the illustrations. The bold, curving lines propel the eye around the page, following the drawn music. Overall, the art gives the impression of movement, vitality and most of all, of music.

The intended audience is preschool age up to around age 8. This is too dense of a book, both in amount of words and amount of story covered, to be appropriate for a typical four year old. On the other hand, it is such a lively book to read out loud, it might hold a preschooler's attention despite a disinterest in and lack of understanding about the subject. For the school age child, I don't think it would be an appropriate read-alone book, for the reason mentioned above but also because many of the slang words will need an explanation.  It would be most effectively used as a read-aloud book to celebrate famous African Americans or to introduce jazz.

Baboushka and the Three Kings (Picture Books, 2/6)

Baboushka and the Three Kings
Ruth Robbins, author
Nicolas Sidjakov, illustrator
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Sandpiper (October 27, 1986)
 Winner: Randolph Caldecott Medal, 1961..
Category: Folk story.
Style: Folk art
Media: Tempera, felt tipped pen
4/5 stars


Robbins retells a Russian folk tale in Baboushka and the Three Kings, in which the three Wise Men from the Christmas story stop at Baboushka’s house and invite her to come with them. She says she is too busy, but after they leave is filled with a yearning to see the child of which they spoke. The next morning, she leaves to find them, asking everyone “Have you seen the Child”; not having found him, she still searches every Christmas season, leaving gifts for children on her way. Robbins tells the story in a very straight-forward way, using no rhyme or repetition, and the story has no particular rhythm to it. It is intentionally Christian in theme, as well as didactic. Regardless, it is a lovely story and well told.

Sidjakov is obviously influenced by Russian traditional art. Babouska is drawn to look like a Matryoshka doll, with the traditional red cheek circles, head scarf, and 19th century Russian clothing. The illustrations are simplistic and stylized and perspective is generally skewed. Once the medium is known, the use of felt tip pen is obvious in his heavy black lines. Blue, yellow and red are used to fill in some parts of the illustration, but he used the negative space to color others. This is especially effective in the snowy village scenes. The end result is rustic and charming, and yet reminiscent of a majestic Byzantine icon. All in all, the illustrations give the book a most distinct Eastern European feel, and accentuate Robbins’ story.

Robbins uses large words in her narrative, most likely too difficult for the intended audience; certainly too difficult for early reading alone, and most likely so for read aloud as well. It would not be appropriate as a classroom teaching book in most public school settings, given the overt Christian tone, though it could perhaps be used in classrooms of students older than the intended audience to discuss Russian folk stories.

Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions (Picture Books 1/6)

I've been a bit busy this summer, with the classes I've been taking.  One of which is a Literary Criticism course, focusing on Children's Lit.  So, I've still been reading, but it's been all juvenile lit instead of for pure pleasure, though I have to stay I'm loving it and the books.  I worked hard on these six "reading responses", so I thought I might as well share them; got a perfect score for them, by the way. :)

Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
Margaret Musgrove, author
Diane and Leo Dillon, illustrators
Reading level: Ages 4-8*
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Puffin; P edition (July 15, 1992)
Winner: Randolph Caldecott Medal, 1977.
Category: Non fiction concept book.
Style: Realism/traditional/folk art
Media: Pastel, watercolor, acrylic, ink
5/5 stars


Musgrove uses the alphabet book concept to showcase 26 traditional African cultures. For each one, she explains a custom about that culture in one paragraph. Each entry emphasize the variety in the cultures she has chosen. There is no particular rhythm to the prose, she does not use rhyme or repetition, and for that reason it is not an exciting book to read aloud.

For each culture represented, the Dillons illustrated a detailed, realistic family or community scene. Each scene is framed with the same knot design, and each contains a male, female, and child of that particular people, as well a depiction of their home and fauna native to their part of Africa. Despite this planned similarity, each scene is unique. The Dillons depict each tribe with varying skin tones and facial features, use a wide variety of colors and patterns and apparently did extensive research to make each scene accurate. Though they have attempted to be realistic, their style is also traditional, reminiscent of a fairy tale book, with soft lines, gentle shading and muted colors. In addition, the perspective is somewhat stylized, adding a folk art feel. Their illustrations combine well with Musgrove’s writing, as they both work together to bring out the beauty and mystique of a culture foreign to most readers.

It is intended for the standard picture book age*, and may not be appropriate. Preschoolers may not be mature enough to understand or be interested in other cultures yet, though these illustrations could be enticing enough to make them want the book read aloud. Many of the terms will be too advanced for early readers, making this one that will need to be read with an adult for the majority of those in the intended age range. A teacher could use this when discussing African history, and it could certainly spark discussion about the difference in cultures and traditions.

*note: I have since found out that Amazon has this rated for the wrong age group; according to the Children's Literature Comprehensive Database it is intended for grades 4-5.