BOOK REVIEWS BY KIDS
AUTHOR ARTICLES
ACTIVITIES INSIDE
Interview:
YA Author Jill Williamson
Article:
Why It’s Important For Teens to Read
Feature:
Auryn Inc., the premiere digital publisher creating award-winning children’s stories
Book Reviews: 97 of ‘em!
MARCH 2014
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Heidi Komlofske, President & CEO
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Welcome to our debut issue of Kids’ Book Review! We are so excited to be launching KBR as a stand-alone magazine now. We’ve actually been producing something like this, but in a much smaller scale, since 2009. We started out partnering with local school classrooms for Children’s Book Week every May. Well, that grew and grew until, in 2012, we decided — what the heck — let’s do this EVERY month! For the past (little more than a) year, KBR has been an insert inside of San Francisco Book Review. KBR has grown to more than 80 children reviewers, ranging in age from 2-18. “Our” kids have the pick of books from many of the adult genres, in addition to the obvious Children’s, Early Reader, Tweens, and Young Adult. Some of our teenagers are reviewing from the Cooking, Science Fiction & Fantasy, and even Self-Help categories. Inside each bi-monthly issue of KBR, you’ll find upward of 100 book reviews. Some will be our standard length reviews, while others will be Featured Reviews — longer and more indepth reviews of a book the reviewer felt was especially great or a real stinker. We have two reviewers who do their reviews in video — Christina and Super Book Boy. Watch those videos, and book trailers, right from the magazine page! In our March issue, we have a few articles for you, like Why It’s Important for Older Kids to Read, Too, the kids’ drawings from scenes in their favorite books, and and our first Indy Publishing Spotlight with ebook app publisher Auryn. We’re just getting started here, folks. Look for more fun things inside future issues, like crossword puzzles! If you’re a parent with a child who loves to read and write, get in touch with us HERE.
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K IDS
Children’s
Maps By Aleksandra Mizielinski Big Picture Books/Candlewick, $35.00, 112 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Maps is the name of this book. When I first saw it, I was like, whoa, this book is really big and the cover looks very antique and I couldn’t wait to open it up. Each page looks hand drawn and the maps spread across both pages. As you turn the pages depending on where in the world the map is showing, the colors change. Like in Iceland, they use grey and white colors, but in Romania the pages are colored with pinks and whites. What I found to be the coolest part of the book are each page is filled with places, people, and things from each country. There is so much it could almost be a search and find. Like in Croatia, they grow bur clover, the tie started there, and in Croatian, the country’s name is Hrvatska.
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“THE FIRST OLYMPIC GAMES WERE HELD IN ANCIENT GREECE, AT THE TOWN OF OLYMPUS.” I loved this book so much. Even when you get to the end, you know that you haven’t even seen everything inside. It is like reading a new book every time you open the page. This would be the best gift for any age person; I promise!
Reviewed by Avery, Age 9
The Otter, the Spotted Frog & the Great Flood: A Creek Indian Story By Gerald Hausman, Ramon Shiloh, Illustrator Wisdom Tales, $17.95, 36 pages, Format: Hard
Children’s
«««« Although I read many books about different cultures and beliefs, this book was like nothing else I’ve read before. This book is from a Native American story that was told by the Georgia Creek Indians. I thought the story felt a little scary and I really didn’t like when the buffalo kept throwing the frog into the fire and I found it confusing that the creatures never died and instead became other things instantly. I’ve read about how when something dies it can become a part of something else in nature, but these things became the other creature right away. I did like that the otter loved his wife even when she was a mosquito and that he didn’t care what she looked like, but I don’t know how he could love her when she kept biting him and made him sick. I think that it was good that otter did what he wanted even when the others didn’t believe him, but I don’t know why he trusted the frog. Reviewed by Hayden, Age 6
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the serious issue of bullying and you get a little history of Edvard Munch, though some of it is made up. I would recommend this book because it isn’t too long and has both writing and drawings. Reviewed by Avery, Age 9
Alaska’s Sleeping Beauty By Mindy Dwyer Little Bigfoot, $10.99, 32 pages, Format: Trade
Children’s
««««« Alaska’s Sleeping Beauty is a kind of sequel to The Salmon Princess--a Cinderella story also set in Alaska. Both stories have salmons help the girls get to their happily ever afters. There are all sorts of unrealistic features, like having a bone make an entire town fall asleep. And fish can’t talk. All in all, it is a really good story; it is a fairy tale, after all. And there are a lot of real things about Alaska here, too, like salmon and fireweed (a really pretty bright red flower) and panning for gold. The pictures fit perfectly with the story being told. It’s a wonderful, magical story and is very unique. Unlike most Sleeping Beauty stories, the curse is that she’ll choke on a salmon bone and not just prick her finger on a spinning wheel. Also, unlike most, it’s not a real prince that kisses her awake. It’s the King Crab Fishery heir. There are no fairies, either. Just a magic salmon. It’s always fun to see different versions of fairy tales that you like. With that being said, this one has a very interesting angle. I really liked it and you may, too. Reviewed by Linda, Age 10
Little Frog’s Tadpole Trouble By Tatyana Feeney Knopf BFYR, $16.99, 32 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Little Frog is a green frog. He lives with his mommy and daddy. He loved them. But he didn’t want any little brothers and little sisters. His mommy and daddy said he was going to be a big brother to nine baby tadpoles! He didn’t like the tadpoles because he thought they weren’t any fun. But they are fun! They are swimming around! They made him mad because his mommy and daddy were taking too much time with the nine baby tadpoles. His daddy told him to be nice. But when they grow bigger they are fun to play with. Little Frog likes to play with them. He loves to stack tall towers with them! So then he is happy. And he is glad he has little brothers and little sisters. The pictures are fun in this book. I like the frogs and the tadpoles too. Reviewed by Liesel, Age 2
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How to Be a Pirate By Sue Fliess, Nikki Dyson, illustrator Little Golden Books, $3.99, 24 pages, Format: Hard
Children’s
««««« There’s a pirate who is telling you how to be a pirate. But, the person who is telling you how to be a pirate doesn’t tell you anything about how to be a pirate! But it tells you what a pirate is like. Like, a pirate is someone who throws away all the rules and battles on the seas, and battles with other pirates. That’s the only battle that it showed in the book. And it is cartoon pictures that are funny. Pirates are people who don’t take baths and they don’t follow the rules. They don’t use toothpaste; they do nothing like I would do. They do everything that I wouldn’t do! It shows a child pirate swinging from a rope. First, the captain of the pirates asks the children to come aboard his ship. Then the children come up and the captain tells them to be like him. He talks about his ship, and how to dress and talk like a pirate, and everything like a pirate. But he only talks about how pirates live. I wouldn’t really like to be a pirate, but I did like the book, but I wish it had given me things to be a real pirate! Reviewed by Raif, Age 4
The Twelve Dancing Princesses By Jane Werner, Sheilah Beckett, illustrator Little Golden Books, $3.99, 24 pages, Format: Hard
««««« A soldier seeking his fortune heard about twelve princesses. Every night, they were locked in their room, but every morning their shoes were almost worn out to the bottom! Whoever could find out what happened was going to have the kingdom and one of the princesses for his wife. So the soldier said that would be just the thing he could find out. Luckily, he met an old woman who gave him an invisibility cape and some good advice. That very night, he followed the princesses down through a trapdoor. He found they were dancing all night at an underground secret castle. He brought back twigs from the trees, and the last night he brought back a golden cup from the castle itself. Then he showed the cup to the king, and he chose the oldest princess for his bride and he got to rule the kingdom. I liked this book because it has very cool pictures. I liked how in the picture when the princesses were walking down the stairs it made a rainbow, and I also like the pictures of the underground castle. I also like the story because it is very adventurous and these are very pretty pictures. It is a fun story to read and I think it is a very fun sto Reviewed by Rachel, Age 7
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9 e g a , a n i t s i r h C By
Meeting the Author
I was invited to California to meet the author of a book that I reviewed. Dr. Loriene Honda wrote a great children’s book called The Cat Who Chose to Dream that was about the WW2 Japanese-American internment camps. Me and my mom traveled from Texas to Sacramento, CA, and my mom set up many different activities so that I could learn about the camps. One of the highlights of my trip was my visit to the State Capitol where I met many special people, including Dr. Honda and her family, Assemblymember Mariko Yamada, and many more people. We saw Dr. Loriene Honda’s dad, Lawrence Honda, a former camp internee, get recognized by the State Assembly. I even had the opportunity to sit in Assemblymember Yamada’s chair on the Capitol’s Assembly Floor. At the Korematsu School in Davis, CA, Dr. Honda presented her book, and they showed my video book review. They gave me the opportunity to participate in a panel interview. What a treat this was for me! We also visited the California Museum in Sacramento, which had the Art of Gaman Special Exhibit and the Uprooted! Japanese-Americans During WW2 Exhibit. I saw amazing artwork from the WW2 internment camps and saw many photos from that time. I learned so much from this trip, met many people, and had a ton of fun. This was one of my best trips ever! Thanks to all who made this trip possible.
Children’s
Puckster Goes to the Olympics By Lorna Schultz Nicholson, Kelly Findley, illustrator FENN-TUNDRA, $6.99, 24 pages, Format: Trade ««««.5 I loved the book Puckster Goes to the Olympics. This book is about ice hockey and playing on a team and the Olympics. The main character is named Puckster and he gets to visit another country as a stick boy for his country’s ice hockey team. I live in the United States, but Puckster is from Canada. One of my favorite pages in the book shows flags from countries hanging on a building. I now know what the Canadian flag looks like. There’s a surprise mentioned by Puckster early in the book and you don’t find out what it is until the end of the book. Puckster works hard and practices ice hockey, and gives tips in the back of the book for you to play ice hockey, too. In addition to Puckster, the book includes the names of other hockey players, people who are real. I think kids who like playing and reading about sports will enjoy this book. Reviewed by Dax, Age 5
Deep in the Sahara By Kelly Cunnane, Hoda Hadadi, Illustrator Schwartz & Wade, $17.99, 40 pages, Format: Hard
««««« I enjoy reading lots of books on different cultures and religions. This book was about a young girl who watches the grown woman in her town and sees them all wearing a malafa. She thinks the malafas are beautiful, mysterious, grown up and make woman look like royalty and she really wants one of her own. Finally when she starts to understand that a malafa is about faith and religion. Then her mom gives her a malafa of her own to wear and she loves it. It’s a beautiful blue color and she is happy to have it. She goes with her mom to pray in her malafa facing east. I didn’t know why they faced east, but my mom helped me learn more about it. I love reading books like this because it’s interesting to see how kids in other places live and to find out about other religions. Reviewed by Hayden, Age 6
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Beauty and the Beast By H Chuku Lee Lothrop Lee & Shepard, $17.99, 32 pages, Format: Hard
Children’s
««««« Beauty asked her father to get her a rose, but he got lost, and saw a palace. Some invisible servants gave him whatever he wanted, but in the morning he went to the garden and picked a rose. A beast came up and angrily said, “Why did you pick my rose?” When the father came, he told Beauty that he would have to go stay with the Beast. Beauty said she would go because it was her rose. The Beast told Beauty she could have anything she wanted except to go home. One night the Beast asked her if she would marry him. She said no, but she wanted to go visit her family. The Beast said she could go for eight nights, but she stayed for ten, when she had a dream that the Beast was dying in the garden. The next day she went back and found the Beast was dying. Then she said she would marry him, and kissed him on the cheek, and the Beast turned into a prince, and they got married and lived happily ever after. I like this book; I like the pictures, and I also liked how they told the story. It looked like the pictures were in Africa. Some of the things in the pictures have faces, like the lamps or the chairs, like they are alive. Reviewed by Rachel, Age 7
Grandfather’s Journey 20th Anniversary Edition By Allen Say HMH Books for Young Readers, $17.99, 32 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Grandfather’s Journey is a sad and happy story. It’s happy because it is about the journey a young boy takes to America and it’s sad for a couple of reasons. It’s sad because the grandfather wants to be in California and in his home land of Japan at the same time. He loves both places and when he’s in one place, he misses the other. It’s like he can never really be happy. Also, it’s a sad book because the grandfather dies and never gets to see California one last time like he wanted to. I liked that the grandson travels to California when he grows up and that makes it seem like he did it instead of his grandfather since he didn’t get to go again. My favorite part of the book was when the boy gets to know his grandfather by doing the things he did and falling in love with the places he did. Reviewed by Hayden, Age 6
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. . . t a h t w o n k u o y d i D
Some of our KBR reviewers are published authors.
Meet The Independent Kid
This seven-year-old has been reviewing for KBR since November 2012. In addition to being an author himself, to-date, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reviewed 21 books for KBR. Visit his website
Publishing Spotlight
We’re always looking for fun and interesting ways to take advantage of technology when it comes to books. Last year, we received a few book apps for the iPad from Auryn that made us take notice. So many kids today have and iPad or Android tablet. Auryn is a premiere digital publisher focused on creating award-winning interactive children’s stories for the iPad and other tablet devices. We’d like to put the Indy Publishing Spotlight on Auryn. By Crystal Patriarche BookSparksPR
1 / 4
Indie Publishing Spotlight: Auryn Inc., is the most awardwinning publisher of children’s storybook apps. Crystal Patriarche sat down with them for a Q&A session to find out how Academy Award-winning visual effects experts are changing how kids experience books for generations to come. When did Auryn get started in children’s digital publishing of storybook apps and why? We started doing children’s apps upon the arrival of iPad as a platform in 2010. Auryn had created breakthrough rendering technology that made it possible to bring motion/animation to any illustrations of any media style without altering its original aesthetic. As children books allowed for the diversity of style that showcased our uniqueness, we were already making children book adaptions on video. Apps took it to the next level for us. It allowed us to showcase our other skills that are required to create a wholesome, interactive experience.
What has been the most challenging part of this indie children’s digital publishing startup business? Experiencing storybooks as apps is a new, exciting and powerful media opportunity that - like other such
emerging platforms - comes with its own set of issues. Our challenges are multifold, from acquiring/ licensing content to distribution and marketing. The biggest challenge though is to change the consumer behavior, which is getting parents to replace the book reading experience with a similar experience on a screen.
What’s been your proudest moment? It’s a toss up between having four of our apps taking the top four spots out of five on iTunes and a number of guys walking up to our booth in Bologna and telling us how we were setting and becoming the benchmark for quality in the industry.
Describe the Auryn culture in 5 words. Passionate Groundbreaking Caring Dedicated Proud
K IDS
Early Reader
Little Critter: Just a Little Love (My First I Can Read) By Mercer Mayer, Mercer Mayer, Illustrator HarperCollins, $16.99, 32 pages, Format: Hard
««««« It all begins with a phone call from grandma with the information she is not feeling well. The family pulls together to think of things that will make grandma feel better. While each of the family members are performing their projects, misfortunes happen, and the concept of family love and help is there to solve their problems. While mom spends her time making potato salad for grandma, the kitty and dog find their way to eat it in the meantime, and the mouse and spider are there to help too! In the end all problems are solved by the concept of just needing a little love from their family.
“ I JUST NEEDED A LITTLE LOVE. “ I SAY “ME, TOO GRANDMA!”
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On each page of this book Mercer Mayer cleverly places a spider and mouse in the illustrations that I enjoyed finding before moving on to the next page. Reviewed by Elijah, Age 6
Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker By Patricia Hruby Powell, Christian Robinson, illustrator Chronicle Books, $17.99, 104 pages, Format: Hard
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Early Reader
I haven’t ever heard of Josephine Baker before this book. I’m glad that I got to learn about her by reading about everything she did in her life to help others and how she never gave up on what she wanted. She brought people together and got people to like her when they first thought she was “a devil” just because she was different than them. Whenever something bad happened, she would dance & sing to help herself feel better. That is a lot like me, because I dance and sing too and it makes me feel happy.
“LIFE IS A SERIES OF SUMMITS AND BEHIND EACH CREST LOOMS ANOTHER PEAK TO BE SCALED...” I really like how Josephine was able to travel all over the world and especially to Paris. I want to go to Paris one day. I also liked how she adopted so many children from all over the world and raised each of them in their own religions. I think I would like to be a part of that “Rainbow Tribe.” Josephine would’ve made a fun friend to have. She liked to be silly and make people laugh. I wish Josephine was still alive today so that I could meet her. Reviewed by Sienna, Age 6
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Tweens
The Mesmer Menace: Gadgets and Gears, Book One By Kersten Hamilton, James Hamilton, Illustrator Clarion Books, $16.99, 144 pages, Format: Hard
«««« Wally Kennewickett is what I imagine Doctor Who was like as a kid: inventive, has great ideas, and has a sidekick. The Mesner Menace: Gadgets and Gears, Book One is about a kid and his wiener dog, Noodles, who is actually the one who tells the story. Wally is a Steampunk inventor, who lives with his inventor scientist parents in the Automated Inn. When the Mesmers start hypnotizing everybody, his parents are asked by the president to help, leaving Wally at the Inn with his mean cousins. But, before they know it, the Mesners are at the Inn and nothing seems safe. Can Wally and Noodles stop the Mesners before it is too late?
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“SOMEONE SHOULD TELL MELVIN THAT DASCHUNDS HAVE EXCELLENT EARS, AND A VERY GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF SLANG.” This book was just right, and the perfect chapter book for new readers and older readers. It has some cool art in it that help you visualize the story. There were words I didn’t know, but Noodles does a good job at explaining them so you end up learning something from this book. I am actually excited to read more books with Noodles and Wally and see what new mysteries and adventures they go on! All ages should read this book. It was definitely worth picking up! Reviewed by Avery, Age 10
Walking with Dinosaurs Handbook By Calliope Glass HarperFestival, $9.99, 112 pages, Format: Hard
Tweens
««««« I loved this book as soon as I picked it up. It is a hardcover, which makes it durable and and I can put it in my back and not worry about ripping it up. It is not only a book about the movie Walking With Dinosaurs but it is like a little guidebook on dinosaurs with pages that have a picture of a dinosaur and then gives an explanation about it like their size, what they look like, and other really cool facts that you might not have known. Your book guide is a bird-like Alexornis named Alex who is friends with Patchi the Pachyrhinosaurus, one of the main characters in the movie.
“I HAVE AN AMAZING STORY TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME FRIENDS OF MINE WHO LIVED HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO.” The book has full color pictures taken from the movie so they look real. You will see that the story is really cute and all while learning science so you could say that it is educational! I loved this book and think kids of all ages would also like this book even if they haven’t seen the movie! Reviewed by Avery, Age 9
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The Wavering Werewolf: A Monsterrific Tale By David Lubar Starscape, $15.99, 144 pages, Format: Hard
Tweens
««««
Reviewed by Super Book Boy, Age 7
Walking with Dinosaurs Encyclopedia (Walking With Dinosaurs the 3d Movie) By Steve Brusatte HarperFestival, $12.99, 96 pages, Format: Hard
«««
Reviewed by Christina, Age 9
Why It's Important For Older Kids to Read, Too
BY KIM HEIMBUCH
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K IDS
Young Adult
The Secret Side of Empty By Maria E. Andreu Running Press Kids, $16.95, 336 pages, Format: Hard
««««« What does it feel like to hold a secret so deep that it separates you from the world you live in? Knowing that, at any moment, your world could come crumbling down around you and you’ll be sent to a place you have never known and don’t really fit in? This is life for more than 1 million kids living in America as illegal immigrants. The Secret Side of Empty tells of M.T.’s life dealing with this very same struggle. As a high school student, when all of her peers are planning for college, getting their driver’s licenses, and looking for work, M.T. is at a loss as she can’t do any of them without official papers; papers she doesn’t have.
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“YOU NEED A COMPUTER? FOR WHAT? YOU CAN’T GET A REAL JOB HERE. YOU CAN’T GO TO COLLEGE. STOP FOOLING YOURSELF! AND IF YOU EVER SNEAK AROUND BEHIND MY BACK LIKE THAT AGAIN, YOU ARE GOING TO BE VERY SORRY.” As a teenager, I know how difficult keeping secrets are, dealing with high school, and life in general. But to know that in a few short years the same goals and dreams most teenagers have will probably continue to be just that, a dream, is something I think most of us take for granted. This book will grab at your emotions, show the struggle is real, and remind us we are all human and to stand up for another. This is definitely an eye-opening novel I highly suggest everybody read!
Young Adult
Reviewed by Janessa, Age 16
Real Mermaids Don’t Sell Seashells By Helene Boudreau Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, $6.99, 224 pages, Format: Trade
««««« A tropical island vacation sounds like the perfect way to spend fall break, even for an aqua phobic mer-girl like Jade. She can’t wait to enjoy the warm sunshine and all-you-can-eat buffet with her best friend Cori and boyfriend Luke. But when a body splashes into the water as a cruise ship enters the harbor, Jade realizes there might be trouble in paradise. The mysterious boy selling conch shells on the beach definitely knows more than he’s letting on. Jade promised herself no mer drama on vacation! But it couldn’t hurt to check things out, right? I absolutely loved Real Mermaids Don’t Sell Seashells! It was a hilarious book and it gave a modern twist to mermaids. Jade is an excellent role model for girls who like adventure and mystery. Now I really want to go back and read the other books in the series as well as any upcoming books! I loved how it was mystery and fantasy mixed together. I would recommend this book for girls who like mystery, fantasy, and mermaids. I think Helene Boudreau is a wonderful author and I feel like this book deserves five stars. Reviewed by Peyton, Age 10
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Science Fiction & Fantasy
Red Rising By Pierce Brown Del Rey, $25.00, 400 pages, Format: Hard
««««« The book takes place on a Mars colony in the future where a caste system sorted by colors has made many of the people slaves without them even knowing, and everything they have been working towards is based all upon a lie. Once the lie finally surfaces and the truth comes out, it will change everything and a leader will rise from the depths to save humanity. This is Darrow’s life on Mars at the age of 16, a Red, drilling the planet for what he hopes is the answer. Even though he is young, he is married to the love of his life, Eo, and it is all about to change when he learns the truth and loses the one he dearly loves. When you have already lost it all, what is there to lose, so let the battle begin!
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“DARROW! ARE YOU SO RED THAT YOU DON’T SEE WHAT THEY’VE DONE TO US?” Red Rising was incredibly mind spinning. Your emotions will spin out of control as you proceed through the chapters alongside Darrow, filled with sadness, grief, hate, pity, and all with little remorse as you attempt to bring down the Golds, restore the people from the lies and from the game. There is quite a bit of explicit detail in this book as far as fighting goes, and this helps feeds the emotions of the characters and put the story in line. I could definitely see this coming out as a movie in the future. If you are looking for your next edge of the seat book, look no further!
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Reviewed by Janessa, Age 16
The Forever Engine By Frank Chadwick Baen, $15.00, 352 pages, Format: Trade
«« Steampunk is too mainstream. So, too, is time travel. So, how about time traveling to a Steampunk era in an alternate universe? That ought to be original, right? Jack Fargo is completely awesome in every way: Military intelligence, SAS operative, revolutionary physicist, outstanding author, polyglot, handsome historian, unbelievably fit, witty beyond compare, and master of any conflict mental or physical. While helping out his poor stupid friends with their incredibly complicated problems only he can solve, he gets sent to an alternate dimension filled with every Steampunk element the author could dredge up. Jack goes on a quest to prove how utterly noble he is to the residents of the new world, while one-upping anyone who crosses him and effortlessly crushing all his foes, solving every problem and copulating with sociopaths at improbable times. There are only two problems with it. The first is the annoying accents that permeate most of the dialogue; the second is the main character. TV Tropes defines a “Mary Sue” as a character with an exponentially greater importance to the story than everyone else, who has perfect physical characteristics and an irrelevantly overskilled and idealized nature. Jack fits that definition to a ‘T’. Jack does everything perfectly, including everyone else’s jobs, and makes everyone else look like a buffoon in the process. I really dislike this book. Could you tell? Reviewed by Peterson, Age 15
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Sequential Art
Bad Machinery: The Case of the Good Boy By John Allison Oni Press, $19.99, 120 pages, Format: Trade
«««« If you are after a story to read that is full of crazy, then Bad Machinery: The Case Of The Good Boy is exactly what you are looking for. It is like Scooby-Doo meets the cartoon 6teen. The group of kids try to be detectives and are easy to relate to and like video games, gossiping, and have big imaginations. When Mildred wins a magic pencil from the carnival, babies start going missing and a weird dog shows up. Now they just have to figure out how they all relate and how to solve the mystery.
“THIS IS SERIOUS. I HAVE UNLEASHED A BLOODTHIRSTY CREATURE.”
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There is so much going on in the story that I had to read it twice. The story does jump around between the kids – that can a bit crazy at times. The pages are in full color and have a lot of detail, but not too much like you find in a lot of adult comics. Each of the characters have their own personality and their expressions are drawn to match exactly what is going on in the story and you get a feel for the story even without reading it. All of this makes it a really fun book I recommend for all ages. Reviewed by Avery, Age 9
Laddertop (Books 1-2) By Orson Scott Card, Emily Janice Card, Honoel A. Ibardolaza Seven Seas, $12.99, 384 pages, Format: Trade
Sequential Art
««« Once upon a time there was a little girl who was small and short. So she got to go to the magical Laddertop, a place which an alien race known as the Givers gave to the humans to power their structures. This girl, Robbi, starts having mysterious dreams which tell her to pull the lever everyone tells her not to touch. Then there are some conspiricists who think the Givers are actually bad. They recruit Robbi’s best friend to join them in their quest to expose the Givers as evil. In terms of illustration, the drawings in this graphic novel left room for improvement; all the characters had the exact same face, making it quite difficult to distinguish who was who. The book was also only black-and-white, which was slightly disappointing. The plot was okay and moved fairly quickly, although it lacked action. However, the swift pace combined with the plethora of characters left little room for character development, who came across as bland and stereotyped. I had expected a lot more from Orson Scott Card, given the high caliber of his other books; this format does not seem to be his forte. Reviewed by Peterson, Age 15
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Biographies & Memoirs A Day at the Beach (Vintage) By Geoffrey Wolff, Ann Patchett, Introduction Vintage, $15.95, 336 pages, Format: Trade
«««« A Day at the Beach in an unusual memoir-style book written in a collaboration of short essays on author Geoffrey Wolff’s far from normal life. While the introduction suggests this book as a writer’s tool, it also implies we should be living our lives to the fullest. Get out there and try new things, do things that scare us, take chances, and then write about them. Why else would you do any of these things if not a means to prompt writing?
“I’M SORRY I HAVE NO NEWS; I HAVE LITTLE TO TALK OF OTHER THAN MY WORK. THAT IS EVERYTHING.” Unlike most memoirs that typically give you a basic chronological layout of one’s life or of a certain event, Wolf has a way of writing about his life that almost appears fiction. It might be whimsical in one essay, reminiscent of a bohemian life in another, or even play out a little like Eat, Pray, Love, in another. Whether it is describing in miserable detail a bus ride from the east coast to San Diego or of the enjoyable times aboard the Blackwing, taking in the joys and wonders of the Bahamas, this book definitely is anything but boring and an inspiring and easy read to enjoy for sure! Reviewed by Janessa, Age 16
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Business & Investing Critical Thinking By Richard Paul, Linda Elder FT Press, $44.99, 480 pages, Format: Hard
«« Do you ever feel like you are not thinking very well? No, of course you don’t, because you are not a critical thinker. Did you know that your lack of critical thinking was causing you gallons of emotional distress? Well, now you do, and there is only one way to alleviate your pain. Did you know that your lack of critical thinking causes you to function as sub-human and be seduced by the wiles of the world? Well, it does. And you a bad person and you should feel bad and should read this book. But this book will not tell you how to become a critical thinker; it merely says that you are not a critical thinker, and that critical thinkers are better than you. It says you are bad for not thinking critically, but it does not tell you how to become less bad. You need to do better! But you will not learn to do better from this book. This book waxes eloquent about how your utter lack of critical thinking has destroyed your life. This book could be significantly improved if it actually told me how to think critically. This book is so lame. Reviewed by Peterson, Age 15
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Cooking & Food
Cooking Comically: Recipes So Easy You’ll Actually Make Them By Tyler Capps Perigee Trade, $18.95, 192 pages, Format: Trade
««««« If cooking is not your thing, but, like most of us, you still need to eat, and if, like most of us, you like to eat good food, and if you are no longer able to get your mother to make food for you (as some of us may be), this might be the book for you. In this book you will find stick figures; a healthy dose of humor; pop culture references; and tasty, easy recipes with detailed, color photos. Here are recipes for Two A.M. Chili, Sexy Pancakes, and the MacGuffin Muffin. Sections for Appetizers, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Desserts , and Sides give a variety of recipes for every eating occasion. Full shopping lists, necessary ingredients and step-by-step instructions are presented with an attitude, along with the relative difficulty level (although all
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History
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Special Operations During the American Revolution By Robert Tonsetic Casemate, $32.95, 288 pages, Format: Hard
««««« In the eighteenth century, European wars were generally civilized affairs. Two armies would line up facing each other, ready their muskets, then unload volley after volley of inaccurate fire into the massed ranks of their foes. General Washington, having learned according to the European school of thought, initially followed a similar strategy. However, he soon realized that his army’s numerical inferiority, America’s rugged frontier, and the availability of precise and fast-moving rifleman made a different approach much more feasible. He used small groups of hard-hitting, accurate troops to capture strategic points such as Ft. Ticonderoga and New Providence, and to harry the flanks and supply columns of the ponderous British army. This was an excellent book; it was well-researched, entertaining, and fun to read, and it provided a unique perspective on the methods used to win the War of Independence. The author described in great depth the events preceding the battles, and how these small special operations units were vital to the American cause. This is a great book for the neophyte historian or any casual reader. Reviewed by Peterson, Age 15
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Music & Movies
Daft Punk: A Trip Inside the Pyramid By Dina Santorelli St. Martin’s Press, $24.99, 176 pages, Format: Hard
««««« Often the lingo and the terms used in books about electronic music are indecipherable to those without extensive experience in the industry. However, in this book the author manages to clearly explain her point and still remain comprehensible to neophytes. Daft Punk is the greatest electronic music duo of all time, with dozens of concerts, tours, and best-sellers, as well as numerous labels and outlets operating in their name. Daft Punk: A Trip Inside the Pyramid charts the group’s influences, origin, and evolution into the wildly successful pair they are today. Numerous full-color photographs enliven the book, which is also full of fascinating information about the electronic music scene in general. The book tells about their collaborations with numerous artists, and describes each song in each album in detail. It tells about Daft Punk’s prominence in popular culture and the individual member’s adventures outside of Daft Punk. For die-hard fans or new initiates, this book is a treasure of facts and history, a visual encyclopedia that just adds more delicious levels of complexity to enjoyment of this amazing group. Reviewed by Peterson, Age 15
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