Mini Reviews #1

This is the first time I've done a collection of short reviews (I've seen lots of folks do these and call them all kinds of cute things, so just be aware that I am not the originator of the idea, but I'm not sure who exactly inspired it).  It really is a hodge podge of books that I've just not got a lot to say about.  I've also taken Kristen's suggestion to write a five-word description instead of a summary.  But I bent it to a sentence, cause I'm not that amazing.  Hard, but rather freeing.  


Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee
Source: Library

Two best friends embark on adventures armed with imagination and roller skates.

My thoughts: Cute, love the illustrations, and it totally reminded me of myself and my best friend in grade school - she was more than a foot taller than me too.  Lots of fun for those just learning to read chapter books.
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The Tale of Despereaux by kate DiCamillo
Source: Audio from library

Unusually courageous mouse rescues soup-deprived princess.

My thoughts: This story never fails to entertain me.  My husband and I listened to it on a road trip and he loved it too (surprisingly).  It has quirky characters, a fun and unusual story, and lots of heart and soul.  Worth the read or the listen, especially for kids.
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City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
Source: Library

The aftermath of war can be just as treacherous with rocky relationships and unexpected enemies.

My thoughts: I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed the Mortal Instruments book, despite all of its flaws, but this just seemed superfluous.  I got tired of the stretching out of Jace and Clary's up and down relationship and the plot was just unbelievably all over the place.  The series was better without it.
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The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
Source: Audio from library

Seventh son of a seventh son seeks the signs that will aid in an ancient battle of good and evil.

My thoughts: This is an all-time fantasy favorite.  The story never fails to entertain me and listening to it on audio was just as good (again, my husband was really interested in it and he is hard to please).  I just love how complex the story is and how amazingly the fantasy details are woven with real life.  A classic tale.
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Cahoots by Karla Oceanak
Source: Review copy from publisher

Aldo attempts to survive his summer on a farm without electronic devices.

My thoughts: It's a fun romp filled with humor and kid-friendly drawings.  It will appeal to fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries, though Aldo is no Greg Huffley.  Still, his summer adventures will delight and hopefully educate tweens who can't seem to get enough drawing-filled diary books.

Any thoughts on these?

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Posted in award winners , childrens , Fantasy , graphic novel , middle grade , mini reviews , mortal instruments , paranormal , review copy , Young Adult

Book Review: Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry

Posted as part of Tween Tuesday, hosted by GreenBeanTeenQueen.

Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Publication date: March 2011
ISBN: 9780547390093
Source: e-copy from NetGalley

 

Hildegarde is the Mouse Mistress for her clan of church mice.  She must try to hold everything together through the good times and the bad.  What they fear most, in their church home, is another Great X - a frightening event from their past that wiped out many of the colony.  Between saving them from a Great X and the cats that visit during the feast of St. Francis, Hildegarde's hands are full.  Will she be able to save all her mice despite all the many dangers?

Things I Liked:
This was a sweet and fun quirky story.  I loved the feel of the writing - the voice of Hildegarde making commentary about her colony throughout.  She was a stern and yet understanding Mouse Mistress.  The story is adventurous with action and danger throughout.  The ending is just about as perfect as it could be.  I also really enjoyed the illustrations, even though I was reading the advanced version and they weren't final.  I flipped through a final version and they were even better!   

Things I Didn't Like:
I sure wish this book had been around when I was a kid, cause I would have loved it a lot more then.  It's definitely for a younger crowd, being both short and fairly simple.  Give this to your Charlotte's Web or other classic children's book fans.

Read-alikes:
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Stuart Little by E.B. White

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ****

What books do you wish were around when you were a kid?

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Posted in 4 stars , childrens , e-book , Fantasy , middle grade , review copy

Book Review: The Adventures of Ook and Gluk by Dav Pilkey

Posted as part of Tween Tuesday, hosted by GreenBeanTeenQueen.

The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future by Dav Pilkey
Publisher: Blue Sky Press (Scholastic)
Publication date: August 2010
ISBN: 9780545175302
Source: Review copy provided by publisher

Things I Liked:
This book is pure silliness.  The kung-fu cavemen are solely designed to bring out the laughs.  The illustrations match perfectly the style of the writing and story.  I loved the almost childlike drawings that tended to go along with the "caveman" talk.  I got the most entertainment out of the flip-o-rama action pages though.  It was loads of ridiculousness that will entertain all, reluctant readers especially.  I passed it right off to my 10-year old nephew who devoured it in a very short period of time.  Definitely a winner.  Here's a peak inside:

Things I Didn't Like:
While I tried to ignore the adult reader in me, I did find the spelling and grammar mistakes to be super annoying.  Yes, these are my own sensibilities projected onto the book.  Still, I must mention that I was bothered.  I don't think it will bother many kids, though.  It's sheer entertainment and silly humor and that's the way it should be.

Read-alikes:
Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
It will probably also appeal to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid crowd

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none
potty humor doesn't count, right?

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->
nothing but a bit of kung fu action 

Overall rating: ****

Don't forget to enter the Huge Scholastic Prize Pack giveaway to win a copy of Ook and Gluk, along with several other awesome books!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

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Posted in 4 stars , childrens , graphic novel , humorous , middle grade , review copy , tween tuesday

Book Review: Bogus by Karla Oceanak and Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures #5 by Jeff Brown

This is not exactly one of my double features, since I'm not comparing the books.  But I've got two shorter books and not much to say about them.  So, two for the price of one!

Bogus by Karla Oceanak
Publisher: Bailiwick Press
Publication date: October 2010
ISBN: 9781934649060
Source: review copy sent by publisher

Bogus continues the writing and drawing adventures of Aldo Zelnick, artist extraordinaire.  When his grandmother Goosy gave him another art book to fill, he decided to include lots of new b-words as well.  This book chronicles the adventures Aldo and his friends have when they discover a totally bogus diamond ring.  Or is it?

These are fun, simple, and easy to read graphic novels.  They are a great choice for reluctant readers who prefer a comic-book style read with plenty of pictures and not too many words.  They also manages to include some hopefully new vocabulary that will help kids learn a bit too.  Even the definitions of the words at the back are humorous enough that kids will probably want to read them.  The series doesn't quite have the kid-oriented feel the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books do - it feels too much like an adult writing stuff they think kids will enjoy.  I think kids will enjoy much of it, but it doesn't have quite the same appeal as those books.

Read-alikes:
Read Artsy-Fartsy first
Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney

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Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures #5: The Amazing Mexican Secret by Jeff Brown
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: September 2010
ISBN: 9780061429989
Source: Review copy sent by publisher

Flat Stanley is in an all-new adventure - this time traveling to Mexico to get a secret recipe.  He must defeat angry bulls and angry chefs in order to find the very old woman who keeps that secret.  But, no worries, he is Flat Stanley after all!
 
These are fun and short books that early readers will enjoy.  They have a nice mix of silliness, culture, and action to keep boys and girls interested enough to finish it.  Plus, there is a whole series of adventures Flat Stanley to entertain kids with.  While they seem like they will be formulaic (I actually haven't read any of the others), kids will enjoy following the adventures of a familiar friend.
 
Read-alikes:
Lots of other Flat Stanley books
Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne

Do your students or kids like these books?

Posted as part of Tween Tuesday, hosted by GreenBeanTeenQueen.

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Posted in childrens , graphic novel , middle grade , review copy

Library Loot and It's a Book!

 

(hosted by Marg of Adventures of an Intrepid Reader and Claire of The Captive Reader)

It's been two weeks since my last library loot post and I've actually managed to hit the shelves again (looking for specific books, of course, but still).  Here are some delights I picked up:

Everything is Fine by Ann Dee Ellis
The Way He Lived by Emily Wing Smith
Blubber by Judy Blume
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume (no, I've never read it!)

And I got a few books in the mail:
Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett
Boxed set of the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins (won from Scholastic!)

Now on to a little bitty, but full of fun review:

It's a Book by Lane Smith
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Publication date: August 2010
ISBN: 9781596436060
Source: review copy provided by publicist

This was a fun and silly picture book.  I liked the humor that comes from a juxtaposition of modern technology and the old-fashioned delights of a book.  In a series of questions, Monkey is asked what a book does - "How do you scroll down?" and "Can you blog with it?"  I also really enjoyed the clean and simplistic illustrations and text.  It is listed as for ages 4-8, though I'd go with school library journal's grades 3-5.  I thought that it was perhaps not quite for kids from 4-6 years, what with the jackass jokes and hopefull kids that young will not be quite as familiar with texting and some kinds of technology.  But, it is a fun book for kids a bit older and adults will also get a kick out of it.  Be sure to check out the fun book trailer that goes with it.

Anything good for you this week?

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Posted in acquisitions , childrens , library loot