middle grade
Showing posts with label middle grade. Show all posts

Frankie Dupont and The Mystery Of Enderby Manor by Julie Anne Grasso


A mystery, some cupcakes, and an unexpected twist!

Synopsis of Frankie Dupont and The Mystery Of Enderby Manor by Julie Anne Grasso*: When his cousin Kat disappears from Enderby Manor, Frankie Dupont jumps on the case. Bumbling Inspector Cluesome is convinced that Kat is lost in Myrtle’s Mesmerising Maze, but Frankie isn’t buying it. He follows the evidence trail to a conniving concierge, a six fingered chef, a talking parrot, a mad maid and a shifty dwarf, and quickly finds himself in a desperate race to recover Kat before her time runs out… An exciting new illustrated middle grade mystery series for children aged 8-10.

My two cents

Frankie Dupont loves to investigate strange happenings. When his cousin Kat disappears when she and her family are on vacation at the nearby Enderby Manor, Frankie is on the case right away!

Despite Inspector Cluesome being already on the case, Frankie knows that he can help because he knows Kat so well. He hops over to Enderby Manor ... and wonders why he has never seen or heard of this place before? And why is the place so run down?

As he does his own investigating, going around the manor's grounds and rooms, getting more clues from the staff at the manor, he knows that Cluesome is on totally the wrong track! Frankie also realizes that Kat's disappearance isn't as simple as it seems. In this mystery begging to be solved, he must find her before it's too late ... for everyone!

What I liked

This is the second book that I've read that's authored by Julie Anne Grasso. And I have to say that she definitely knows her readers.

The storyline is really appealing. There's enough action, enough unpredictability, a twist, and enough of the cute factor to keep middle grade readers entertained. While it starts out as a simple case of someone missing, I loved how this story moved at a really good clip and incorporated some fantasy too -- I totally lapped it up!

I also loved the little "cute" touches. Like the idea of using cupcakes as a lure (c'mon, all kids love cupcakes!). Or the the incorporation of a pet into the storyline (who doesn't want a pet chameleon?).

The characters are memorable. While I found that some stereotypes are reinforced, I think middle-graders will love the familiarity of a detective character. Frankie fits right into the detective mold but he's also characterized as a smart kid making nerdy "cool." Of course the bad guy is also a detective -- but gone wrong -- in the the bumbling Inspector Cluesome and Frankie shows up Cluesome (adults can be pretty clueless sometimes ;)).

As we get to know the characters, the bottom line is that they are a strange lot and this makes for some very interesting reading. I don't want to spoil things for you as they make their appearance; I found them alternately funny, quirky, and even strangely tragic.

There's a lot to look forward to. There is the promise of more from Frankie Dupont. If this first book is any indication of what the series holds for readers, then I'm pretty pumped!

Verdict 

A cute, unpredicable and fantastical mystery at an old manor, solved by the dashing Frankie Dupont, promises to be a mystery series that middle-grade readers will love.

Thank you to Julie Anne Grasso for a review copy!
Book Depository*

Nick and Tesla's High Voltage Danger Lab by “Science Bob” Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith

Amazon.com 

Cool nerdiness!

 About Nick and Tesla's High Voltage Danger Lab: A Mystery with Electromagnets, Burglar Alarms, and Other Gadgets You Can Build Yourself*: Nick and Tesla are bright 11-year-old siblings with a knack for science, electronics, and getting into trouble. When their parents mysteriously vanish, they’re sent to live with their Uncle Newt, a brilliant inventor who engineers top-secret gadgets for a classified government agency. It’s not long before Nick and Tesla are embarking on adventures of their own—engineering all kinds of outrageous MacGyverish contraptions to save their skin: 9-volt burglar alarms, electromagnets, mobile tracking devices, and more. Readers are invited to join in the fun as each story contains instructions and blueprints for five different projects.

In Nick and Tesla’s High-Voltage Danger Lab, we meet the characters and learn how to make everything from rocket launchers to soda-powered vehicles. Learning about science has never been so dangerous—or so much fun!

My two cents

Nick and Tesla are super smart kids and they find themselves exiled to their absentminded yet brilliant inventor Uncle Newt. Bored out of their wits, they explore the neighbourhood and stumble upon a mysterious girl in a seemingly old abandoned house. Who is she? Why does she look so sad? Why is she in that old house? Spurred on by these questions they seek to learn more, aided with some gadgets they make themselves!

I certainly may not be the target audience for this book but I loved this! This is excellent reading for middle grade kids (or excellent reading to younger ones)—crammed with plenty of adventure, a mystery, and some real-deal gadgets/science experiments to make and try ... guaranteed to keep the kids occupied (under adult supervision, of course).

The book is a combination novel and how-to guide of science experiments, complete with very easy to follow diagrams. Let's call it a hands-on novel! 

What I liked:

  • The storyline lets the mystery unfold very nicely and the gadget-making is crucial to the storyline so it never feel like the how-to's interferes with the narrative. 
  • It's a simple story but it is a smart one ... everything is logical. 
  • Kids actually behave like kids. I think that children reading this will be able to relate to Nick and Tesla -- they certainly act like brother and sister with their constant ribbing of each other, and they may be brainy, but they're not annoyingly nerdy. The smarts they show make them "cool" and is something to aspire for. Science is also presented in a wonderfully fun way, a cool nerdy!
  • The gadgets to make and how it's presented with wonderfully detailed illustrations!   
If you're familiar with Science Bob then you may already appreciate the humour and fun he brings to learning about science. His team-up with Steve Hockensmith has produced this first book in a series that I feel is bound to be a hit among middle graders. 

Verdict

Make your kids' learning about science cool and fun with this mystery book! Lots of hand-on gadgets to make, a smart story injected with lots of clean humour. I highly recommend this book (and this series) for middle grade readers.

Don't forget to check out these links:




 I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks, Eric of Quirk Books!
Book Depository*

Return to Cardamom by Julie Anne Grasso (+ Giveaway!)

Return to Cardamom by Julie Anne Grasso

Think Star Wars gone cute! 

About Return to Cardamom (Caramel Cardamom Trilogy, Book #2) by Julie Anne Grasso*: Life is sweet for Caramel and things are finally getting back to normal. Well, as normal as it can be for a telepathic elf who can train trees and control computers, but she soon finds life on Cardamom is not all cupcakes and apple cider. A saboteur is hiding in the rainforest canopy, and the elves’ precious cardamom export has been wiped out. Caramel is certain it’s another trick of Alexander222 and her Aunt Isabel, but no one will believe her, and the clock is ticking. She must expose the saboteur in time to save the crop or the Elves of Cardamom will lose their livelihood. Caramel won’t rest until her theory is proven. While she is on the hunt, she makes a shocking discovery, one that will change everything.

My two cents

I enjoy a good read of a children's book every once in a while and when Mother and Daughter Reviews had this one up for review, I found the title cute enough to want to read it! Cardomom is a place? It must smell wonderful there!

Think Star Wars gone uber cute! This is a sci-fi story for children and it incorporates elements of sci-fi (intergalactic travel, computers, modes of transport, hints of genetic engineering), spice names and home cooking (cardamom, caramel) and also the traditional stuff of childhood (elves, kings and queens, crushes, do you dance the krump?) that will definitely appeal. I thought it was such an odd but interesting combination; I found it immensely fun, imaginative, and a wonderful to get kids interested in such a wide range of things! For example, elves are the stars and they sing to cardamom plants so they grow better. If that doesn't pique your interest, then let me go into the storyline.

This is about an elf called Caramel (yummy name!) who is extremely special in her family and her planet -- she is off to save the day again (as she did previously in book 1) based on her suspicions that someone is sabotaging their beloved cardamom crop, which is their planet's livelihood. So off she goes to unearth the truth ... which brings into the plot the role of family and family loyalties, trusting your gut instinct, and of having a sense of purpose and adventure.

The story may be a little complicated for very young kids but it is a perfect middle grades reader. It would be fun reading for bedtimes as the chapters are nice and substantial. There are enough twists and turns to make the kids hang on to the edge of their seats, enough laughable moments to keep them laughing, and extremely relatable characters.

This is a super cute and super positive read. In fact I found it unfailingly chipper ... kind of like the feeling you get when you smile so much that your cheeks start to hurt, in a good way. I highly recommend it!

Return to Cardamom by Julie Anne Grasso

Title: Return to Cardamom (Caramel Cardamom Trilogy, Book #2) 
Book Depository*

Author: Julie Anne Grasso 
Publisher: Independent 
Publication Date: July 17, 2013 

Pages: 136 (Paperback) 

Recommended Age: 9+



The Buzz about Book 1
Escape From the Forbidden Planet
Escape from the Forbidden Planet by Julie Anne GrassoBook Depository*

"Julie Anne Grasso has created an action-packed story featuring a range of interesting and imaginative characters (i.e., elves, the Alexanders, and other creatures), intergalactic travel, advanced medical and scientific technology, and complex environmental and conservation issues. Escape From the Forbidden Planet contains an intricate plot which slowly unfolds until you're hooked and you are left on the edge of your proverbial seat wondering what will happen next." - Mother Daughter Book Reviews, 5 Stars

"It's part geeky, part science, and part fun, all brought together to become this awesome book called Escape From The Forbidden Planet. I would recommend this book to reading age kids and adults who like sci-fi kids books. Definitely something different. I really enjoyed reading it!" - Michael S., Amazon, 5 Stars

"I loved this book. Super great series for middle graders. I loved Caramel. She has a great attitude and determination. I really admired how she was focused on getting home, saving her family but also made the best of being stuck on an alien planet. Definitely a book with great role models for kids. I really hope there is more to come where this came from. Kids need books like this with catchy stories, solid characters who have good values that they can relate to." - Unorthodox Mama, Goodreads, 5 Stars

About the Julie Anne Grasso

Julie Grasso - Author Julie Anne Grasso is an Australian author with a background in paediatric nursing. She spent many years literally wrapping children in cotton wool. Every day she witnessed great courage and resilience from the tiny people she cared for, which inspired her to write stories about a little girl elf just like them. Add in some very funky technology, her love of science fiction and desire to impart great values through her little girl elf named Caramel and there you have it, the Adventures of Caramel Cardamom Trilogy was the result. Julie lives in Melbourne with her husband Danny and their little elf Giselle. Most days she can be found sipping chai lattes, chasing a toddler, and dreaming up wonderful worlds that often involve consumption of cupcakes.  


 
Return to Cardamom Blog Tour

Return to Cardamom Blog Tour Schedule (2013)

July 17
Mother Daughter Book Reviews (Launch & Review)
The Wise Owl Factory Book a Day (Review)
Jemima Pett (Review)

July 18
July 19
July 20
July 21
July 22
July 23
July 24
July 25
July 26
July 27
July 28
July 29
July 30
July 31
 

Giveaway!

Prize: One winner will receive a copy (print in U.S./Canada & e-copy internationally)
+ a $50 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash 

 Contest runs: July 17th to August 7th, 11:59 pm, 2013 
 Open: WW 
 How to enter: Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. 

 Terms and Conditions: A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner.

I received an Advance Review Copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Captain Disaster by Del Shannon (The NEW! Kevin's Point of View)

Captain Disaster (Book One: The Influxitron) by Del Shannon
Amazon.com: Paperback | Kindle Edition

Website | Facebook

Imagination can move mountains ... and the things that matter.
Every once in a while, I get to review a book that moves on to bigger and better things. That's the case for Del Shannon's heartwarming middle-grade sci-fi adventure, originally titled Kevin's Point of View.

The cake now has a little more icing on it! While the story is unchanged, the book has been redesigned, re-illustrated and re-released as Captain Disaster.

Check out my repost of my book, and some comments on the redesign! {A bit of shameless promotion: If you happen to get a copy of this book, check out a snippet of my review in the beginning pages}

Congratulations to Del Shannon for taking the next step with his growing baby! I look forward to book two!

***
This section is a repost of my original review.

An adventure-science fiction book that will definitely appeal to middle school children! While I think it's perfectly written for its intended readers, I have to say right off that this would definitely appeal to a wider age group.

The premise of this book is bittersweet. To escape the pain of his father's death, Kevin Tobin switches from ordinary 12-year-old to a cool superhero to deal with his life, making for some alternately normal to hilarious and crazy antics. No, he's not schizophrenic, but I sure was feeling it after several chapters.


I got hooked in when the strange package mistakenly arrived on  Kevin's doorstep. Opening it up, he comes upon a strange device labelled "Influxitron." What follows is a rip-roaring adventure as Kevin and the Influxitron are pursued by the intended recipient of the package, a man bent on world domination!

An adventure lover's book through and through, the action is fast-paced, even exhausting, and at one point I was getting exasperated that the baddies just wouldn't die!

I hate to spoil this for anyone, so I won't go too much into the plot of this one. Let's just say that there is time travel involved and while the beginning revolved around the chase, you have a heartwarming surprise towards the end where you will understand Kevin, his family, and their family life so much better. This is what made the book extra-special in my mind - so be patient with the book, it will definitely deliver!

***

One thing I really liked about this book is the characters and how likeable and realistic they are. Kevin is so much fun and his resourcefulness, his spunk and his eccentric imagination pulls him through one danger after another. Tony, Kevin's best friend, is a sober sidekick in comparison, but his smart, easygoing dynamic and his conversations with Kevin will get you laughing and thinking "boys will be boys!" For example:
[...] "but at least we can control our own density down here."

"Density? That's like the weight of something, Kev. You know, like metal has a big density. Don't you mean dystrophy?" ... offered Tony.

"Dystrophy? That's a disease, Tony," scolded Kevin.

"A disease sounds pretty good right now, Kev. [...] and why don't you go ahead and pick a really nasty disease to, like that eboboli virus they get in Africa."

"Isn't that a frozen pizza?" Kevin asked.
Ok, parent, snicker away ... But I am betting that any 12-year-old will look up the words density, dystrophy and Google "eboboli virus" after reading that! Yes, the talk is child-like but there is no "talking down" to the kids or a dumbing down of their conversations -- Del Shannon knows the minds of young boys!

I also grew to love Pudge, bad guy turned good; Betsy, Kevin's older sister and Scratch, her rather crazed pizza delivery boyfriend. All characters are eccentric in their own way, which keeps them interesting to say the least. I think the secret to their likeability is that you know that they're good people deep down.

***
Some comments on the new illustrations. While I already loved the original illustrations (see my old post), the new ones are just as fun! The cover and illustrations will definitely appeal to an age group that adores comics and graphic novels.

Hey, it's Kevin popping out of the bathtub!
(based on the old cover concept!)

What!!! It's BROKEN!?!

Verdict: A smart, well-written sci-fi adventure that your 11- or 12 year-old (and you) will love! Captain Disaster will capture your imaginations ... and get you talking with your child about the value of family.



Captain Disaster (Book One: The Influxitron) by Del Shannon
Amazon.com: Paperback | Kindle Edition

Website | Facebook

I received a copy of Kevin's Point of View and an e-copy of the proof of Captain Disaster in exchange for an honest review. 

Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz

Book Depository | Amazon (hardcover) | Amazon (Kindle)

Logical and heartwarming. Investigate. 

 The book in one sentence: Colin Fischer investigates the case of the exploding birthday cake.

 Synopsis of Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz: Encyclopedia Brown from the screenwriting duo behind "X-Men: First Class" and "Thor"! Colin Fischer cannot stand to be touched. He does not like the color blue. He needs index cards to recognize facial expressions. But Colin is Wayne Connelly's best--and only--hope of proving his innocence after Wayne is accused of blowing up a birthday cake in the school cafeteria.

Colin and Wayne quickly set off on a journey to prove Wayne's innocence, but neither realizes just how far their investigation will take them or that it will force Colin to consider the greatest mystery of all: what other people are thinking and feeling. Colin Fischer is a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. He's a boy with Asperger's syndrome who sees clues in the unlikeliest of places, and whom readers will root for right up until the case is solved . . . and beyond.

My two cents

Who is Colin Fischer? Why does he hate being touched? Why does he like math? Investigate.

Why open about sharks
in the Galapagos?
This book is about Colin and I grew to love this smart and endearing young man. The book alternates between a few pages from Colin's diary entries and the mystery he must solve. As each chapter open with a diary entry, each page also gives us a glimpse into how Colin's mind works -- he is brilliant, caring, insightful -- just like his heroes Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Spock. This juxtaposes with his many many quirks -- he hates being touched, he can't express himself emotionally, he can't read into social cues. It is all this that makes for some unusual insights into other people.

I enjoyed seeing the humour behind some of Colin's predicaments. I enjoyed celebrating his small victories (what a great ball player he is!)

This is a seamless combination of middle grade mystery and a young boy's struggle to fit in at school. While Colin's world seemed quite black and white -- the good guys and the bad guys -- as Colin sets out to solve the mystery, these tags slowly melt away and he learns that people cannot be pigeonholed. Unwittingly he makes friends with the most unlikely of people, and there is also a smidgen of romance.

The mystery side makes this book a lot of fun, and it made me cheer Colin on to find out the truth, to clear the name of someone he knew as innocent.

Colin's thoughts about sharks!

This is extremely well written and overall I enjoyed the whole ride! I can certainly see this becoming a series of small mysteries that will be solved by Mr. Fischer himself, possibly with the help of his now-allies.

***
I can see a wide range of readers liking this book.

Middle grade readers will enjoy this for the mystery side, as well as being able to relate to someone who is different or doesn't quite fit into the complicated relationships and cliques that makes up any school.

Those who have children who have Asperger's or autism will appreciate this for the insight into this young boy's incisive mind.

Overall,  loved this book! It's touted to be like The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night Time, and while it did remind me of it, in my opinion, this has a much more personal touch.

***
Uh-ohs:
  • Despite the voice of the story being clearly Colin's, the narrator is not Colin. The diary entries are Colin's voice but the footnotes I was confused as to whose voice those were in.  
  • I found some characters and moments being cliche. How many times do the weird boys need to be dunked in the toilet bowl? Thank goodness there is no food fight in this one.

Verdict: Mystery solved. Get to know Colin Fischer; get to know this special young man with a passion for justice and a heart of gold. Highly recommended for middle age readers!


Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz

I received an Advance Reader Copy through Goodreads First Reads.

Close to the Heel by Norah McClintock

Close to the Heel (Seven the Series)

The book in one sentence: To fulfill his late grandfather's request, Rennie hies off to Iceland!

 Synopsis: No one is more surprised than Rennie to hear that his late grandfather, whom he hardly knew, has left a mission for him to fulfill. Rennie is to fly to Iceland and deliver a message from beyond the grave, but when he gets there, nothing is simple or straightforward. For one thing, Brynja, the teenage daughter of the family he's staying with, is downright hostile. Her father Einar, who is to be Rennie's guide in Iceland, is preoccupied with looking after his elderly father-in-law, an old friend of Rennie's grandfather. Bored and a little bit annoyed, Rennie explores the town and becomes aware that the family is dealing with more than their grief over Brynja's mother's death the year before. Before he realizes what is happening, his curiosity puts Rennie in grave danger, with no one to trust and no one to save him except himself.

My two cents

I really enjoyed this! Plus I like the concept of the series: a dying grandfather leaves a video detailing a mission for each of his seven grandsons to fulfill -- so they go off and gallivant in some exotic place to fulfill the mission. Does this sound familiar? Think The 39 Clues, which is pretty much based on the same premise; the only thing is doesn't have is the competitive side of The 39 Clues, although it has as much danger, action and adventure in it.

Although it is a series, the books can stand alone. So while I didn't feel the need to have read any other of books in the series to get a better understanding of the story, I now feel the need to get a hold of them to sate my curiosity about what type of people the six other grandsons are, and to better understand this mysterious grandfather's life.

This book zeroes in on Rennie, who grew up with his strict yet loving military dad, still reeling from the death of his mother. Characterised as a "bad boy," acting out his frustrations by slacking off in school,  and other tomfoolery that eventually lands him in juvenile detention.

Rennie never knew his maternal grandfather, save for occasional (and rather impersonal) phone calls and the one time that he runs away from home and ends up in his grandfather's home. This one instance allows Rennie to get a glimpse of what a wonderful man his grandfather is, and the adventurous life he led. Initially resistant to the mission, Rennie's father eventually gives in and Rennie is off to Iceland to leave a memento of his grandfather's past love and an old, old friendship!

Once in Iceland, the seemingly simple mission becomes fraught with complications, and Rennie becomes embroiled in a local mystery, gets mixed up with unsavoury characters, and lands himself in danger. This plays itself out ... to a rather surprising ending!

Throughout I enjoyed the small glimpses into Icelandic traditions, some tourist spots, and the landscape.  The banter and love-hate between Rennie and the young girl Brynja also added a bit of personality.

Overall, while the overall story is well done, I couldn't help noticing how complicated and confused the relationships (who is he again?) and the plot (errr, what just happened?) became towards the end, in the bid to wrap up everything nicely. Nonetheless, this is definitely a great read for middle-years kids and The 39 Clues fans.

Verdict: A quick middle-years read that will satisfy your inner child's need for mystery, action and adventure! Don't pick it apart because you'll find that it all doesn't add up as you first thought!

***

First line: I'm going to die. It's as simple as that. - p. 1

Random quote: I took a deep breath. "I thought he died." Tears welled in her eyes. Uh-oh.  - p. 56

I received an Advance Reader Copy through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers.


The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech

The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech

Open yourself up to the unexpected ... open yourself up to possibilities. 

The book in one sentence: An orphaned girl's luck changes on the day that a boy falls out of a tree.
Synopsis of The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech: In the little town of Blackbird Tree a series of curious events unfold when Naomi and Lizzie, two spirited orphan girls, meet the strangely charming new boy, Finn. Three locked trunks, the mysterious Dingle Dangle man, a pair of rooks, a crooked bridge, and that boy change their lives for ever. As the story alternates between their small town and across-the-ocean Ireland, two worlds are woven together, revealing that hearts can be mended and that there is indeed a gossamer thread that connects us all.
My two cents: It's been awhile since I've sunk my teeth into a good children's book ... and this was such a treat to read! Recommended for children aged 8-12 / grades 3-7, I could totally see a young adult reader liking this just as much. While I have also heard so many raves about the Newbery-winner author Sharon Creech. But this is my first read of any of her work.

Like the opening scene where a young boy falls from a tree right at the feet of orphan Naomi Dean, this book was a surprise for me. It is hopeful and magical, without being cheesy. It combines a poignant story (warm fuzzies!) with elements of magic and superstition (this may be a great introduction to magical realism for kids!). As a children's book, it teaches while still catering to a young imagination.

So, who is this boy - Finn - who falls out of the tree? For most of the book, he comes and goes and he is so mysterious and strange that I often wondered if he was real. And what of the strange coincidence that Naomi' guardian Nula knew of several Finns back in her day?

Two stories play out simultaneously: that of Naomi and her friend Lizzie Scatterding and Finn in Blackbird Tree; and a Mrs. Kavanagh and Pilpenny in Ireland. At first, I didn't know what to make of the storyline with Kavanagh and Pilpenny -- I kept wondering if it had any relevance to Naomi because it seemed to be taking too long to play itself out. But my patience paid off and the puzzle pieces fell into place.

It all involves a string of strange events - involving a Finn, some heartbreak, dogs, rooks (or crows) ... leading up to a happy ending, and a sense of hope that the world is one's oyster ... if one is willing to open oneself up to the possibilities.
"I had big thoughts to match the big wind. I wondered if we find the people we need when we need them. I wondered if we attract our future by some sort of invisible force, or if we are drawn to it by a similar force. I felt I was turning a corner and that change was afoot."
I loved:
  • Overall, this story has no shortage of memorable and rather eccentric characters! Be on the lookout for the witch, the Dingle Dangle man, and some of the "poor souls" of  Blackbird Tree!
  • Naomi and Lizzie are such wonderful characters! Both young and innocent, yet Naomi is wise beyond her years compared to the chatterbox, oh-so-sassy and totally oblivious Lizzie. Yet while their lives are difficult and they have had more than their share of sorrow, I never felt that they pitied themselves or their circumstances. They are memorable characters whose friendship played out in a  very enjoyable and realistic way in the story.
  • I also really enjoyed Joe's and Nula's backstories. Nula's past is the core of the book, and makes for some fun piecing together of her past hurts and relationships and her future with Naomi. Meanwhile, I loved we come to learn the extent of Joe's love for Naomi ... which explained some a very strange about why there are no dogs in the town. 
  • There are some really fun words in this book that I have never come across, and I am assuming that they Irish terms. Kids will have fun with the strange terms and rhymes -- Dingle Dangle anyone?  
  • The incorporation of the Finn McCoul legend. Fun!
  • Look at the cover illustration. I just love it!
< spoiler follows >
*
*
*
Uh-oh: 
All these connections ... a tad too many and maybe unrealistic?

The flipping back and forth between two stories was extremely disorienting for me in the beginning. I think I sort of tuned out of the Ireland story because I just didn't get the connection. But when the connection finally kicked it, I just loved it.

The end just became a bit too complicated for me -- there was a rush of too much good news and the Finn McCoul part of it had already played out. Plus I don't exactly understand why a fairy ring had to be brought into the story as it didn't really add anything relevant; it could have been removed totally and the story wouldn't suffer for it.
*
*
*
<end of spoiler>

 Verdict: A wonderful children's book about the six degrees of separation, and of hope and opening oneself up to the unexpected. A must-read for Creech fans!  

***
First lines: My name is Naomi Dean and I grew up in Blackbird tree, in the home of my guardians, Joe and Nula. Among the tales that Joe often told was that of a poor man who, while gambling, lost his house but won a donkey.

Last line: "Lar-de-dar-dar."

 I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher through Goodreads First Reads. 


The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick


Synopsis of The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznik: ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF, twelve-year-old Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric girl and her grandfather, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.

My thoughts

The book in once sentence: A 12-year-old Parisian orphan makes a startling discovery of a man's true - and astounding - identity.

This is one of the most amazing books I have ever read, and I really, really think you should read it. No, get your own copy!

The story alone will hook you. But add those mesmerizing images ... and they make this book a true gem. I guarantee that you have never seen a book like this, ever. This chunkster (526 pages!) is a story told in both words and pictures. Now the pictures aren't just pretty pictures - they are an essential part of how the story is told. The book alternates in being a flip book, to sections with text like a "typical" book, and strangely enough, somehow capturing the sense of a movie. This rather heady combination just kept me going, going ... and I really didn't want the book to end! To see the opening sequence: click here.

Convinced you yet? Read more after the jump. And a short video on how the book was made.

Our hero is an orphaned 12-year-old boy called Hugo Cabret. He is a shadow in the world, living a anonymous life: he secretly winds up the clocks in the train station, he secretly steals in order to survive, and he secretly loves movies. Until one day, he gets caught stealing toys in the toy booth, and here starts an unlikely friendship with the toy booth owner, a lonely old man and his niece, a young girl about Hugo's age called Isabelle.

Hugo's cloak of anonymity slowly lifts and what follows next is an unlikely mix of revelations. What are those strange drawings in Hugo's treasured notebook? What is this strange drawing of a moonface with a rocket in its eye? What will Hugo's mechanical man, saved from a fire and is Hugo's only link to his father, draw when it is finally fixed? What is Hugo Cabret's invention?

All these converges to the biggest revelation of all. And an unassuming man's identity is finally revealed for all the world to recognize and applaud. In the end, a young orphan boy's life is forever changed.

***

Spoiler here: What makes this book extra special is that there is so much back research done. Look up the various elements that make up the story, and many of them are rooted in reality. The story centres on Georges Méliès, maker of the first science fiction movie, a renowned filmmaker from the 1890s through the 1920s. That strange image on the left is from Méliès's movie A Trip to the Moon. The automaton that draws is not a figment of someone's imagination, it truly existed!

Watch this earlier video of Brian Selznick - both author and illustrator - explaining his book, how he created those beautiful images it, and the story that inspired it. Thank you, Brian, for bringing "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" into this world! This is truly one of my most treasured reads!



Verdict: Need I say it again: This is one of the most amazing books I have ever read, and I really, really think you should read it. No, get your own copy! (And I mean every single one of those words in italics and bold!)

Check out the website for more info, the back story, and more incredible images at the official website:

The Spiderwick Chronicles

The Spiderwick Chronicles (Boxed Set): The Field Guide; The Seeing Stone; Lucinda's Secret; The Ironwood Tree; The Wrath of MulgrathThe Spiderwick Chronicles

This is one of the instances where I would say: Watch the movie and don't bother with the books.

The movie had a tighter storyline while the book ... well, there wasn't near enough text in this little clunkster to give all the lovely back stories and build up the world of faerie.

The book's illustrations make it worth keeping. But the movie is pure magic.

The Borrowers by Mary Norton



Aha, so that's where my {fill in the blank} went!

About The Borrowers by Mary Norton: The Borrowers are tiny people hidden away in houses and safe places, living off what they borrow from human Beans. Pod and Homily want daughter Arriety to be safe, never seen, but she feels lonely and trapped. The Boy visiting Great Aunt Sophy brings doll furniture in exchange for Arriety reading, until mean housekeeper Mrs Driver calls the rat-catcher.

My thoughts

The book in one sentence: Our heroine borrower Arrietty Clock has befriended a human boy ... and nothing good ever comes out of befriending "human beans!"

***

I have always loved The Borrowers. I grew up with that sixth sense that they existed. (Well, I was pretty sure fairies were real too.) Unconvinced? The proof is obvious: everyone loses small things (pins, needles, scraps of paper and other whatnot), and if you are like me, you would swear that you knew exactly where you placed it, and yet ... it's missing. So where is it? It's probably made it's way into the hands of a Borrowers.

The Borrowers are teeny tiny people who inhabit small spaces in our homes and whose elusiveness make us "human beans" wonder if they even exist. They are called Borrowers because they "borrow" human things and make use of these things to survive.

This first book of the series introduces us to a Borrower family, the Clocks - Pod, his wife Homily and their spirited daughter Arrietty. They, along with many other Borrower families (the Overmantels, the Harpischords) have lived in the house for ages ... but their race seems to be dying out. Arrietty has been very much sheltered from the realities of the borrowing life.

Pod returns from one of his borrowing trips and shakily tells them that he has been seen by a "human bean." Arrietty then hears horror stories of how being "seen" by humans results cats being brought in, missing Borrowers, or Borrowers venturing out beyond the house to "immigrate" and yet never to be seen again. In the bid to train Arrietty to be more self-sufficient, Pod allows her to join him in next borrowing trip - to Arrietty's utter delight, as she is becoming more and more unhappy living under those floorboards with no light and little freedom.

Her adventure begins when she steps out of those floorboards. She revels in the sun, the garden, the hugeness of the world outside. She inadvertently runs into the young human boy from India who has been living in the house. And being the friendly and rather naive young Borrower she is, she befriends him. What develops is a lovely friendship, not without its own idiosyncrasies, yet putting the Borrowers into much danger.

Another world ...


What strikes me about The Borrowers is its imaginativeness. I accept the whole notion of the Borrowers because Mary Norton has so convincingly created and painted their world to me. From the description of Arrietty's cigar box room, to how Pod ingeniously uses hat pins for getting down curtains, to how Homily loves blotting paper for easier clean-ups, and how they stock up on sugar cubes ... it is these small details that makes this miniature world much more realistic.

But even better is the characters. I love the characters because although they are small, they are still very much human! I can relate to Arrietty's desire for freedom. I can relate to Homily's strong sense of protectiveness towards Arrietty. And I can relate to Pod's desire to keep his family safe. And I certainly admire their resourcefulness and ingenuity in surviving the human world.

The collision between their world and the human world is also highly credible. I often wonder how I would react if I were to meet a Borrower - would I freak out or not? And on the flip side, if I were a Borrower, what would I think of these giants - big and friendly, or potentially an enemy? The Borrowers explores both sides and there is no good or bad guy -- it just is.


Verdict: Highly imaginative and charming series for your youngsters! Be sure to have the next books on hand pretty soon! Enjoy!

The 39 Clues (Books 1, 2, 3)

Amazing race meets addictive Facebook game.

I was on my weekly hunt at the thrift store and found a brand new copy of The 39 Clues Book 3: The Sword Thief, with all cards intact! (The sticker holding them in was unbroken!) And of course, how could I let that beautiful copy go to waste? I bought all $99 cents of it and took it home to my daughter.

Now, the daughter is pretty busy rereading her Harry Potter books, in time for the next HP movie installment. But she dove right into this one and it didn't take her long to finish. Before I knew it, she was online and asking us permission to get into the online game and she soon after used up her one-hour quota for computer use!

The books in one sentence each:


My thoughts

I heard about this series quite a while back, when Blooey blogged about it. Then I started noticing it on the bookshelves. But I never realized how complex this entire series is, with its card collecting, and the online game. Wow, what an incredible way to hook kids on a book series! While the online game can get any parent tsk-tsking with the amount of time it eats up, it does egg the kids to read the books.

Yes, the concept for the whole series is a little fantastic, but remember that this is a children's series after all! Fourteen-year-old Amy and eleven-year-old Dan, recently orphaned, discover that they belong to a family from which sprung some of the world’s most prominent personalities. The Cahill family has four branches:
  • Lucian - legendary leaders and spies, such as Benjamin Franklin, Theodore Roosevelt and Napoleon Bonaparte
  • Ekaterina - scientists and inventors like Galileo Galilei, Thomas Edison,  Marie Curie and Bill Gates
  • Janus - cultural icons like Mozart, Picasso, Van Gogh and Steven Spielberg
  • Tomas - daring explorers, discoverers, and athletes like Annie Oakley, Neil Armstrong and Babe Ruth
At their much beloved grandmother's funeral, Amy and Dan are faced with the tough decision: $1 million each or the first clue of 39 that will reveal the Cahill legacy. They choose the clue, and they start a journey of adventure and danger, pitted against their rich and often ruthless relatives.

The stories are fast-paced but highly readable. The "hook" for each book consists of a nice mix of things. One, of course, is the Clue - what is it? and will the siblings solve it? Two, is that each book focuses on a specific popular figures, allowing readers to learn more about them. Three, there are many dangerous run-ins with competing families, upping the suspense. It's the perfect mix that will get your child turning those pages.

Unlike many other popular series out there, each book of The 39 Clues is written by a different author, which I found very unusual. However, the dissimilarities in the writing aren't that apparent. I had first read Book 3 and was quite impressed by it. I followed it by Books 1 and 2 and realized that Book 3 was among the better ones, probably because the story and the characters had become better developed.   

Verdict: The series for youngsters to read, especially with the upcoming movie by Spielberg!

The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois


About The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois: Professor William Waterman Sherman just wants to be alone. So he decides to take a year off and spend it crossing the Pacific Ocean in a hot-air balloon the likes of which no one has seen. But when he is found after just three weeks floating in the Atlantic among the wreckage of twenty hot-air balloons, the world is naturally eager to know what happened. How did he end up with so many balloons ... and in the wrong ocean?

My take

I got this for a steal at a recent book sale, still wrapped up in plastic. I was having second thoughts but realizing that it is a Newbery winner, I decided that it was a good buy not just for me but for D too (eventually).

***
I didn't regret this read. And at the risk of spoiling things for you, I come back with more questions ... questions one step ahead of those above:

If you were shipwrecked (ok, balloon-wrecked) on a supposedly uninhabited island, only to discover that on that island, you are probably among the richest people in the world with close to a billion dollars to spend a day. Everyday could be a vacation and there is no limit to what you occupy your time with. Would you want to stay or go? What if you were forced to stay as a perennial guest? What if you had to stay even in the light of dire circumstances?

This is what the Professor went through in his three-week disappearance.

It's a very tall tale. But its told with such an incredible amount of detail as well as plausible descriptions of inventions and the science behind them that you want to believe everything written down. Take note that this book won the Newbery in 1948, an era where great inventions were being made.

What makes the story even moreso charming is that Mr. Du Bois also happened to draw all the illustrations. One of my favorite inventions is the balloon merry-go-round.

Definitely a classic.

Skellig by David Almond


About Skellig by David Almond (from Commonsensemedia): Michael's family has just moved to an old fixer-upper. But his baby sister is in the hospital with a heart problem, and Michael feels devastated and helpless.

When he sneaks into the crumbling garage, Michael finds a stranger named Skellig living (or apparently dying) there, a man immobilized by arthritis, subsisting on insects and spiders, and surrounded by owl pellets. While helping him, Michael discovers that the man is oddly light and has strange growths on his back that maybe wings.

As Skellig begins to inhabit Michael's dreams, he and his new friend, Mina, help Skellig into an abandoned house. There Skellig seems to have an odd relationship with the owls, who bring him food. And as Michael's mother keeps vigil by the baby's hospital bed, Michael begins to feel his sister's heart beating within his own, and Skellig appears in his mother's dreams as well.

My thoughts

I really love this book. Any initial disgust one has about Skellig's outer ugliness is erased as his true character slowly reveals itself. It reminds me of the movie City of Angels because it seemed to me that Skellig was an angel ... but definitely not fitting into the image of stereotypical cherubs, but with a darker (though not necessarily sinister, maybe realistic?) side to it. But then the book never claims that Skellig, the creature languishing in Michael's garage, is an angel.

The writing is beautiful, interwoven with snatches of Blake's poetry. The imagery is also beautiful, as if one were half-awake, with a dreamlike quality. One scene I remember vividly is the description of how, in a moonlit room, Michael, Mina and Skellig join hands, slowly twirling ... and in a haze they realize they are slowly floating - no, flying - in the air on their newfound wings. It sounds corny when I write it like this, but Almond's imagery has a sense of grandeur and mystery.

The book takes us alternately through Michael's worry for his sick baby sister, his relationship to the smart-alecky home schooled Mina, and their deepening friendship with Skellig.

It is a simple yet profound story of the importance of friendship and family, and of the unknown ... and accepting that life will always have its unknowns. As Mina says: "Sometimes we just have to accept there are things we can't know."

There is a lot to talk about with kids ... drawing, birds (owls in particular), evolution, arthritis, poetry (William Blake), art. There is also the occasional funny line, such as references to Chinese food as food of the gods.

I urge you to read this strange book. It is good for kids and adults alike. Did I say ... I love this book?

(This book won the Carnegie Medal in 1998 and the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year Award. In 2007 it was selected by judges of the CILIP Carnegie Medal for children's literature as one of the ten most important children's novels of the past 70 years.)
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© guiltless readingMaira Gall