Book Review: The Terrible Two Gets Worse

Premise: Niles and Miles are back. This ranking team, known as The Terrible Two, are ready for another year of pranking their school, especially their power-loving principal, Principal Barkin. Unfortunately, one of their pranks leads Principal Barkin to losing his job, and now he's been replaced with a much more stern principal, who is out to shut down all pranking. 

Title: The Terrible Two Gets Worse
Author: Mac Barnett and Jory John
Length: 224 pages
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Book 2 of 2 so far
Content appropriate for: Grades 3-5
Format: Digital ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Three adjectives that describe this book: funny, easy-to-read, disappointing

I straight-up loved Book 1. It was so fun! I frequently recommend it to my 4th and 5th grade students who are looking for something funny to read, and so far they have all loved it. So, my students and I were super excited for Book 2. The first third or so totally lived up to my expectations. I Laughed Out Loud on almost every page. Unfortunately, I'll have to break the news to them that I didn't end up loving it, and that I'm not sure I'll get a copy for our classroom. Here's why -

The pranks in the first book were elaborate, creative, and harmless. There were awesome diagrams accompanying several, and they did a brilliant job of incorporating the cows of Yawnee Valley. The first book was outrageous, and that's why so many of us love it.

This second installment simply doesn't do the same things. The pranks are too typical, easy for kids to duplicate, and far from harmless. They put peppers in people's drinks, pull the fire alarm, and drop someone's pants. I've seen this book referred to as mean-spirited, and I totally agree. To make it worse, there are no cows! Where is the creativity? Where is the outrageousness? Where are the diagrams, a la Rube Goldberg???

Classics Review: The Watsons Go to Birmingham

Premise: Kenny's older brother, Byron, is getting into trouble. Whether it's picking on Kenny, or starting fires, his parents don't know what to do with him. So the Watsons decide a trip south from Flint, Michigan to Birmingham, Alabama is in order, so that Byron can spend the summer with his grandmother.

Title: The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963

Author: Christopher Paul Curtis

Length: 210 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Content appropriate for: Grades 4-6

Format: Audiobook narrated by LeVar Burton

Three adjectives that describe this book: amusing, engaging, memorable

I read this book as part of the Classics Club challenge to read 50 classics books in 5 years. My list is comprised entirely of children's books.

I first read The Watsons Go to Birmingham in 2001, just a year after its publication. At the time, I wasn't paying much attention to middle grade literature. *Hanging my head in shame*  Now, after inundating myself in middle grade and YA lit for the last 3 years, I see this book in a whole new way.

Let me first say that I listened to the audio version of The Watsons, narrated by the amazing LeVar Burton. I will always think of him first as Geordi (Star Trek) and next as the Reading Rainbow host. I wondered if this familiarity with Mr. Burton would interfere with my ability to believe in the character voices. But, LeVar Burton rocked this narration. His character voices are distinct, but they are also infused with the personality of each character. From lighthearted Dad, to cool-daddio Byron, and self-conscious Kenny, Mr. Burton gave us a real sense of who these people are.

Although the cover and premise may make you think, "Oh no! Not another serious book about Civil Rights," The Watsons Go to Birmingham is super fun. Curtis works in lots of funny moments. To get a good sense of the feel of the story, check out this book trailer, produced by the Lexington, KY library system:

I think what makes The Watsons so special is that it's NOT a book about the Civil Rights movement or about being black in America. 

So many books about this era put The Struggle front-and-center. And that's great. But it has led my rural, white students to think of black history only as either slavery or Civil Rights, without all of the other elements or seeing black people as simply people.

This book spends the first 150 pages or so establishing that this is just a normal family. They are regular people. We don't really discuss or experience racism until the last section of the book. This works because it eases us into the terror felt by regular Birmingham families around the church bombings. We care about these characters as people, and feel truly horrified that such violence could be visited upon them.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham is truly deserving of all its recognitions.

Side Note: I haven't seen the Hallmark movie version of this book (2013), but when I was searching for a video to include in this post, I was irritated at how they added in so many Civil Rights elements that weren't in the book - protests and sit-ins and so on. That really undermines my point, that a great book about the Civil Rights era doesn't actually have to be about the Civil Rights Movement.

Book Review: Ella Enchanted

Premise: As a newborn, Ella received a fairy's gift - to always be obedient. Ever since, she has to follow every command, from "sit down" to "run along." The obedience curse becomes even more troublesome when Ella's dad tries to find her a suitor. Now, Ella is desperate to find the fairy and reverse the curse. This quest leads to encounters with trolls, battles with ogres, and surprising discoveries.

Title: Ella Enchanted
Author: Gail Carson Levine
Length: 232 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Stand alone
Content Appropriate For: Grades 5-8
Format: Paperback from classroom library

Three adjectives that describe this book: fun, amusing, creative

Ella Enchanted is a re-imagined Cinderella. All the elements are there - a prince, a ball, a pumpkin coach, glass slippers, and mean step-sisters. But this version has an entirely different Cinderella. She's feisty and funny and a joy to spend time with. And the fantasy creatures are fascinating - especially the mind controlling ogres!

Ella Enchanted is a Newberry Honor book and was made into a fun movie starring Anne Hathaway:

The added premise of the obedience curse made for a brilliantly woven web of complexity. And I was totally caught off-guard by the level of intelligent-humor in the story. Ella is super-witty, making this book straight-up fun. Of course, by its nature, this story has a central romance and I'm not much for romance. Luckily, both protagonists were intelligent and no one moped around mooning.

Highly recommended for people who like feisty, witty, female-protagonists and creative creatures in a familiar-ish world.

Squirrels Are Fun in Nuts to You

Premise: The adventure begins when Jed the squirrel is captured by a hawk. Managing to escape from the in-flight hawk's talons, Jed fears that he will never see home again. Little does he know, that his friends are setting out to rescue him.

Title: Nuts to You
Author: Lynne Rae Perkins
Length: 272 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content appropriate for: Grades 5-8
Format: Digital ARC provided by Greenwillow Books via Edelweiss
Publication Date: August 26, 2014

Three adjectives that describe this book: adventurous, fanciful, interesting

A fun squirrel story with themes of friendship, adventure, acceptance, and protecting trees. I really enjoyed the relationships between the 4 squirrel friends, and the way they joked with one another was great fun. There were some great observations about life as a squirrel. I also enjoyed the straight-forward, tell-it-like-it-is authorial voice (up until the weird, lengthy sequence of author's notes and epilogues).

Unfortunately, a few bizarre choices made Nuts to You really difficult. It looks like a book that is aimed at grades 3-5, but quite a lot of it was too hard to read. For instance, two of the main characters are TsTs and Tchke. Really!?!? It makes no sense to put such a barrier in the way of  young readers. Even more challenging, was the crazy squirrel dialect:

"Wair y'fromm, then?.. Oim Chuck, roight?"

"Oim Tsam... En oo er yu?"

If you can pronounce these words easily, it certainly makes the character voices fun, but as a 5th grade teacher, I know that dialect is insanely hard for kids. That's why I can't suggest Nuts to You to most elementary readers.

Four Titles that are Better Than Operation Bunny

Premise: Emily Vole was joyfully adopted after she was discovered abandoned in a hat box. But now that her parents have triplets of their own, Emily is relegated to housekeeper and nanny. When a pair of keys, found at a neighbor's house, comes to life, Emily finds herself embroiled in a fairy tale detective's case like no other.

Title: Operation Bunny
Author: Sally Gardner
Length: 185 pages
Genre: Mystery
Series or Stand Alone: Book 1 of 3 (so far) in the Wings & Co series
Content appropriate for: Grades 3-5
Format: Digital ARC provided by Macmillan's Children's Publishing via netgalley.com

Three adjectives that describe this book: fun, amusing, surprising

What a fun story! It reminded me of Matilda in some ways - Emily's parents are much like the Wormwoods and Emily is a smart, go-getter much like Matilda. Of course, Matilda didn't rescue some interesting fairies from an evil witch who was turning people into bunnies.

To give you a better sense of this book, let's try on some different titles that are less ridiculous.

* Emily Vole and the Attic Treasure ~ A pair of keys is found in the attic... that's what starts all the craziness.
* Emily Vole and the Magic Lamp ~ A lamp has been killing fairies, and Emily has to find it.
* Harpella versus the Magic Keys ~ This one alludes to the adventure element. An enemy must be vanquished!
* Attack of the Pink Bunnies ~ Okay, this one is just as silly as the original and a bit like that Killer Tomatoes movie, but I still like it better.

Clearly I don't get paid to make up book titles, but I fear that Operation Bunny is a title that will turn older middle graders away from this excellent novel. Maybe my titles give you a better idea of how fun it is.

4 stars

Classics Review: The 13 Clocks

You probably skip the Premise section of my book reviews. That's okay most of the time... but not this time.The 13 Clocks better than anything I've seen or read. I didn't write it myself. I stole it from Goodreads. But it was just to perfect to ignore. So just this once, be sure to read the premise:

Premise:
How can anyone describe this book? It isn't a parable, a fairy story or a poem, but rather a mixture of all three. It is beautiful and it is comic. It is philosophical and it is cheery... There are only a few reasons why everybody has always wanted to read this kind of story, but they are basic:
* Everybody has always wanted to love a Princess.
* Everybody has always wanted to be a Prince.
* Everybody has always wanted the wicked Duke to be punished.
* Everybody has always wanted to live happily ever after.

Too little of this kind of thing is going on in the world today. But all of it is going on valorously in The 13 Clocks.

Title: The 13 Clocks
Author: James Thurber
Length: 128 pages
Genre: Fantasy / Classic
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content Appropriate For: Grades 3-5

Three adjectives that describe this book: whimsical, fanciful, amusing

This classic pseudo fairy tale was so much fun to read. The story centers on an evil duke who sets impossible tasks for princes who want took marry the Princess Saralinda. The language of this story is so fun. It begs to be read aloud. Slipping frequently into poetry and word play. There are lots of places where the text hides fun rhythms and terrific rhymes sneak up. As Neil Gaiman says in the introduction, it slips easily and frequently into poetry.

Furry and Fun with Real Heart - The Abominables by Iva Ibbotson

Premise: When a family of yetis, raised by an English girl, is nearly discovered by tourists in the Himalayas, they must move to safety all the way in England. But the journey through Europe isn't the only adventure in store for these yetis, who find that a hunting club is very interested in their arrival.

Title: The Abominables
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Length: 272 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content Appropriate For: Grades 3-6
Format: Digital ARC from the publisher via netgalley.com

Three adjectives that describe this book: amusing, intriguing, whimsical

Eva Ibbotson passed away in 2010, but this novel is being published posthumously by her estate. The Abominables is the first book of hers that I've ever read. And I didn't just read this novel, I became totally attached to the characters.

Ultimately, that's what this book is all about - a whole slew of deliciously quirky characters. Some of my favorites:
* Hubert - A yak obsessed with finding his mother
* Uncle Otto - A yeti who only really cares about reading, but has read nothing but the Bible for 100 years
* Clarence - A young yeti who hit his head while out exploring and hasn't been quite right since then
* Lucy - The sister yeti who loves to eat, but also sleep walks
and the star of the show-
* Ambrose the Abominable - The youngest yeti. Ambrose is the sensitive type who loves humans and is very curious.

Yes, this novel is all about fabulous characters. But here's the sneaky thing... The Abominables has a great plot, too. The plot kind of sneaks up on you without the reader even realizing it. As these quirky characters traipse across Eurasia, things start to happen... and then more things happen... and before you know it, you've reached a major conflict in the tale. So you cheer for the characters, and worry about them, as the climax approaches, and...

Yeah, well... it's like that. Eventually you end up standing in front of Buckingham Palace chanting with a crowd of demonstrators!

The only reason that I'm not giving The Abominables a full 5-star rating is because I thought the plot got to be a little transparent with it's animal rights messaging. I'm all for animal rights, but does the anti-hunting message have to be quite so obviously presented? It made an otherwise entertaining story into a bit of a morality tale.

Still, this book is highly recommended!

4 stars

Listen to the beginning of The Abominables, when young Agatha gets kidnapped by a yeti.

Classic Review: The Phantom Tollbooth

Premise: Milo is transported to a land where the king of Dictionopolis loves words and the king of Digitopia loves numbers. The only solution to this problem is for Milo and his two friends to rescue the princesses, Rhyme and Reason, from imprisonment.

Title: The Phantom Tollbooth
Author: Norton Juster
Length: 272 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content Appropriate For: Grades 3-8

Three adjectives that describe this book: complex, amusing, fanciful

So... I may take some heat for this review. The Phantom Tollbooth is well-loved by many a folk, but I just couldn't get into it. I mean - YES, it's quirky and fun. And YES, the constant word play is nerd-core goodness. And YES, there are some thoughtful take-aways about appreciating life and the world all around you. BUT...

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Premise: Liam is exceptionally tall and already growing facial hair. This allows him to pose as an adult even though he is only in 6th grade. Liam poses as a teacher, test drives a Porsche, and enters a contest for a dad and a kid. Of course, Liam poses as the dad. When he discovers that the contest's prize is a trip into space in a real rocket, his "adult" life becomes quite real.

Title: Cosmic
Author: Frank Cottrell Boyce
Length: 256 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Series or Stand-Alone: Stand-Alone
Content Appropriate for: Grades 5-7

3 stars

3 adjectives that describe this book: amusing, simple, interesting

I was really looking forward to reading Cosmic. The cover and blurb made me think that we'd be going on a fantastic space adventure. There aren't enough middle grades novels that are pure space adventures. Actually it mostly turned out to be the story of how a regular kid ended up in space. We endure training for space and trying on astronaut outfits. Boyce also spends a lot of time examining the fellow adults and kids on this space journey. This materials reminded me of the characters in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Unfortunately all of this training and character development takes up a full three-quarters of the book. They don't even make it to space until the last 50 pages or so! The segment where the characters were actually in space was wonderful! The characters experience weightlessness and space walks and moon landings. If only more of the book had been spent in space, Cosmic would have been a true adventure.