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: A Long Way from Chicago

Premise: Joey and Mary Alice spend one week each summer in a small town with their grandmother, a liar, shotgun shooter, and terrible influence. Set during the 1930s, and told in 9 short stories (one for each summer), this book is wildly unforgettable.

Title: A Long Way From Chicago
Author: Richard Peck
Length: 160 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Book 1 of 3
Content appropriate for: Grades 5-7

Three adjectives that describe this book: hilarious, unique, entertaining

I have been avoiding this book forever. Absolutely nothing about it appealed to me. Luckily I'm doing the Classics Club challenge, so I needed to read it. I read A Long Way From Chicago as an audiobook, and it's the perfect book for that format - the novel is really a collection of 7 stories, so the audiobook feels like having your own personal storyteller. The narrator, Ron McLarty, has great comedic timing and his voices for Grandma Dowdel and her neighbors were spot-on.

The situations in this book are over-the-top, in a similar style to adult Southern Fiction. It's full of fun caricatures like a shotgun-toting Grandma and an arrogant local sheriff. This book made me laugh out loud and holler, "Get it Grandma!" I also thought it painted a good picture of life in the 1930s.

This week I started it as a read aloud and my students are absolutely loving it. I'm trying to stick to that storyteller feel, and the classroom is full of laughter.

Sidenote: Parents, guardians, and teachers may want to know that this book contains several references to alcohol and one scene with drunk old men in their underwear.

Book Review: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Premise: Minli's family is poor, working in the fields all day for just enough food to eat. Enchanted by her father's folk tales, Minli sets off on a quest to find The Old Man of the Moon, who she believes can change her family's fortune.

Title: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Author: Grace Lin
Length: 278 pages
Genre: Fantasy / Folk Tale
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content appropriate for: Grades 3-5

Three adjectives that describe this book: easy to read, entertaining, mystical

In Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Grace Lin weaves together traditional Chinese folktales with her own twists and additions to create a beautiful story that captures the beauty of this ancient genre. In the wonderful Author's Note at the end of the book, Lin explains where some of her inspiration came from, noting that it's sometimes difficult to parse out exactly which pieces in the book are traditional Chinese tales, which are her own invention, and which elements are a mix of the two.

Although this book is nearly 300 pages long, it reads incredibly quickly. I finished it in about a day. I think this speed is a mix of both short-ish chapters, and a well-crafted story. The writing is complete, with detail to develop world and character, but nothing extraneous.

The novel is littered with separate tales, interrupting the flow of the story. I found this odd, until they all started to fit together. In the end, these tales turned out to be one of my favorite elements. Reading this book was kind of like examining a quilt, where all the parts fit perfectly.

And Grace Lin's illustrations!? Oh man - this whole book is beautiful! If you can, get the print edition because the colors and layout are SO worth it!

Overall, I absolutely adored this book. From the traditional Chinese feel, so carefully crafted by a talented, modern author, to the outstanding character development and pacing, to the beautiful presentation of the story. I can see why this book won a Newberry Honor and continues to be placed on all kinds of reading and honors lists. Outstanding!

4.5 stars

Mystery + Science + Humor = Nick and Tesla

Premise: This 4th installment of the series centers on a science museum that seems to be being sabotaged from within. Using science and invention, Nick and Tesla must find the culprit and save the museum.

Title: Nick and Tesla's Super-Cyborg Gadget Glove
Authors: Bob Pflugfelder & Steve Hockensmith
Length: 272 pages
Genre: Mystery
Stand Alone or Series: Book 4 of 4 (so far)
Content appropriate for: Grades 4-6
Format: Digital ARC provided by the Quirk Books via NetGalley

Three adjectives that describe this book: creative, fun, entertaining; 
Bonus adjective: nerdy

I just love these mysteries. All of the standards are there: central puzzle, clues, suspects, and daring attempts to get evidence. In addition, all the Nick and Tesla books add humor, science, and inventions you can build at home.

I really enjoyed this one because there was even more humor than in the other three. This time most of it was provided by Nick and Tesla's best friends and some of the museum staff like an owl mascot and an IT man obsessed with his rock band. In previous books, I didn't like that a lot of the humor came from their uncle's science mishaps and lack of social skills. However, the authors have Uncle Newt a more positive light, but still quirky. A terrific change!

I also like how the Nick and Tesla books emphasize that both being smart and doing science/engineering are cool. Preach!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. My only concern is how my students will handle so many references to historical figures and scientific history since they won't recognize much of it.

Creatures on a Quest: Broken Branch Falls Review

Premise: Gabe the goblin doesn't understand why he can't have friends from other species, like pixies and elves. Some day he would like to try a sport, but only ogres are allowed to play sports. After his goblin friends pull a prank on a group of dragons, they set off on a multi-species quest to save their entire town from dismantling.

Title: Broken Branch Falls
Author: Tara Tyler
Length: 238 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone (although there's room for a sequel)
Content appropriate for: Grades 4-6
Format: ebook provided by the author in exchange for an honest review


Three adjectives that describe this book: entertaining, fun, predictable

A fun quest novel with strong messages of accepting differences and avoiding stereotypes. I really enjoyed this world and its characters. Set at a time when humans are extinct and becoming mythological, and Earth is now populated by ogres, goblins, trolls, dragons, mermaids, vampires, etc... this book has a well-crafted, engaging world, even though the plot is a bit cliche.

 My only difficulty with Broken Branch Falls was the occasionally clunky writing.  Some things were just way too obvious. For instance, every time Rove the werewolf helped out, our narrator would say something terribly obvious like, "I'm so glad he came along." It was okay at first, but he kept saying every single time. It was exasperating. This is a complaint I have with some fiction for kids - young readers.are a lot savvier than we often give them credit for.

3.5 stars

How to Train Your Dragon ~ The Book

When the movie for How to Train Your Dragon came out, I didn't realize it was a book so I broke my rule and watched the movie first. I absolutely love love love the movie. At first I was mildly disappointed that the book is SO different from the movie. Had I read the book first, I probably would have been angered by the movie. The only real similarity is that some of the characters have the same names.

So - be warned - this book is it's own thing.

Title: How to Train Your Dragon
Author: Cressida Cowell
Length: 224 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Book 1 of 11
Content Appropriate For: Grades 3-5
Format: Paperback from the classroom library

Three adjectives that describe this book: fun, entertaining, simple

The best thing about the book being so completely different is that I quickly dropped all my expectations and was able to just judge the book on its own merits (I hope).

Pirates + Fairy Dust = Peter and the Starcatchers

J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan left a lot of unanswered questions such as: How did Peter and the boys get to the island? Where did the pirates come from? Why are there mermaids on the island? How did Peter and Tinkerbell meet? Why is Peter the only one who can fly without fairy dust? Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson took these questions and used them to write a Peter Pan origin story and I seeing how all the disparate parts fit together to make sense with the original Peter Pan.

Title: Peter and the Starcatchers
Author: Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Length: 451 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Book 1 of 4
Content appropriate for: Grades 4-7

Three adjectives that describe this book: adventurous, entertaining, uneven

I'm not a huge fan of Peter Pan, though, so I wasn't sure that I would enjoy it. But the audiobook is read by Jim Dale, and I could listen to him read an operation manual. The book starts off with a great deal of exciting pirate action, and ends with a massive run-around-the-island-while-being-chased sequence that lasts for about a quarter of the book. Everything in the middle, though, was really really blah.

The most blantantly awful part was the 50 minutes of expository writing, in which one character explained to Peter about magical dust and its powers. I'm not exaggerating. Jim Dale tried his best to make this terrible monologue of doom interesting, but it just wasn't. I almost abandoned the book halfway through those 50 minutes, but I decided to hold out until the plot made its triumphant return. I'm glad that I did because the ending was super fun.

I think this is a common mistake made when people who aren't used to writing for kids. They don't give them enough credit so instead of doling out the world-building in subtle ways, they hit the reader over the head. This is an extreme example, and those 50 minutes of explaining things really crippled this otherwise wonderful book.

3 stars

I read this book for the Read By Ear category of the Reading Outside the Box Challenge. It also qualifies for The 2014 Audiobook Challenge, The Official TBR Pile Challenge, and I Love Library Books.

Classics Review: My Father's Dragon

Premise: Young Elmer Elevator embarks on a quest to free a dragon who has been enslaved by the animals on Wild Island. No human has ever come back from Wild Island, but Elmer's not worried because he has lollipops, toothpaste, and ribbon in his backpack.

Title: My Father's Dragon
Author: Ruth Stiles Gannett
Length: 74 pages
Genre: Fantasy / Classic
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content Appropriate for: Grades PreK-6

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

I had been avoiding My Father's Dragon because of its terrible cover and title. It just looks old and dinky. I did a quick search to see if a new cover has been designed that will do a better job of enticing readers, but I wasn't impressed by what I found:

Complete trilogy cover. Are they hugging? Weird

Audiobook cover. Just silly.

VHS cover. I like this one best.

It's really unfortunate because this is a terrific story. Elmer's adventure is super fun. This story reads like a fairy tale, with repetition in the events. Each time Elmer meets a dangerous wild animal, he outsmarts the creature with a strange and wise every-day tool from his pack such as chewing gum or toothpaste.

Since this sequence happens several times, I thought it would become boring and predictable. But actually, I began to eagerly await Elmer's next run-in and enjoyed trying to figure out how he would outsmart the next animal.

The best praise for this book is that, when I told my fifth graders that I had read it, one of the boys said, "My dad used to read this book to me when I was little!" He was so excited to see it again, that he grabbed my copy and devoured it. A few days later, he promoted the book to his peers during our weekly Book Commercial time and they were clamoring to read it next.

Overall: This classic would be great to read aloud to your four or five year old. The chapters are short, the illustrations are terrific, and the story is straight-forward, fun, and a bit adventurous. I also appreciated the subtle humor when the 17 crocodiles got super excited about pink lollipops. A fun, quick read.

4 stars

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.

A Slightly Disturbing, but Totally Engaging Sci-Fi Future

Premise: In this future world, robots are ubiquitous. Even your house talks to you. Gavin and Fleur may come from a middle class family, but even they have a family robot. But Eager is not like any other robot - he can think for himself and even has feelings. As Eager tries to understand the human world around him, Gavin and Fleur notice that the new ultra high-tech BDC4 robots are acting suspiciously. Now Gavin, Fleur, and Eager are drawn into a menacing world where robots and humans may not be as compatible as they once believed.

Title: Eager
Author: Helen Fox
Length: 280 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content Appropriate For: Grades 4-8

Three Adjectives That Describe This Book: entertaining, futuristic, nerdy

There aren't many robot-based science fiction novels for middle grades readers, and this one sets a high standard for future entries. First published in 2003, this novel has one key element that you would expect (What if robots turned on humans?), but it is far from predictable. Helen Fox creates a world that is fully believable and lot of fun.

The Time Fetch by Amy Herrick

Premise: When Edward digs up a rock from his garden for science class, he has know idea the forces he's unleashed. This is no ordinary rock. It's a time fetch. And in the wrong hands, the tiny beings inside will be released to destroy the entire fabric of our world's space and time. Now Edward and his friends are the only ones left who can save time.

Title: The Time Fetch
Author: Amy Herrick
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series or Stand-Alone: Stand-alone
Content Appropriate For: Grades 6-9
Format: ARC from Algonquin Books via Netgalley.com

3 adjectives that describe this book: surprising, entertaining, mystical

The Time Fetch is a delightful adventure if you can get past a few things dragging the story down. Let's start with the great things -

In a world brimming with middle grades and young adult fantasy novels, this one manages to be different - a truly impressive feat. The focus of this book is on a world-ending crisis brought about by magical creatures who eat time. When time no longer exists the entire world begins to vanish, ceasing to exist altogether. I've never read a book that looked at time in this way and as someone who loves time travel paradoxes and the physics of the multiverse, I was hooked.

Zorgamazoo by Robert Paul Weston

Premise: This novel is told entirely in rhyming verse. It has a bit of a Dr. Seuss feel, but with actual and impressive vocabulary. The story is a classic fantasy quest in which a young girl, Katrina, teams up with a creature named Morty who is a Zorgle. They are sent on a quest to find and save the Zorgles from the town of Zorgamazoo who have mysteriously vanished.

 Title: Zorgamazoo
Author: Robert Paul Weston
Length: 283 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Novel in Verse
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content appropriate for: Grades 4-7

5 stars!

3 adjectives that describe this book: entertaining, whimsical, unexpected

I absolutely loved Zorgamazoo! Weston set out to write a novel completely in rhyming verse and boy does he succeed! It never once felt contrived. The lines flowed naturally and the story never felt forced. In it's own right, Zorgamazoo is a rip-roaring adventure full of scrapes and epic danger for our hero and heroine. The premise of a quest is very familiar for middle grades fantasy books, but this is a quest that is entirely unique. Wait till you meet the villain of the story!

As a fifth grade teacher I couldn't help thinking about the value of this book as a read aloud. It's no wonder that it was named an honor book for the E.B. White Read Aloud Award. Not only is this a fun story that will have my students laughing one minute, then listening anxiously then next, but it's got some great embedded teaching opportunities too. I plan to use it to look at rhythm and phrasing in poetry, as well as vocabulary and figurative language. There are some epic tier 3 words in this text, embedded in synonyms and context clues to support learning. I can already hear my students asking, "Is there another one? Where's book 2?"

I can't say enough about how this book was put together. The perfect illustrations from Victor Rivas Villa are captivating and engaging. The font often changes in size, style, and layout to compliment the action. This beautiful combination of words, sounds, and images really creates a complete story that is fun to read. I highly recommend this book.

Book trailer featuring text read by Allen Cumming

Read Chapter 1 in pdf at the Zorgamazoo website. Notice the great illustration and use of font.