Chasing Vermeer

Titles:  Chasing Vermeer; The Wright 3; The Calder Game; The Danger Box; Hold Fast; Pieces and
            Players

Author:  Blue Balliet

Rating:  *  (1 star out of 3 possible, "C")
              Recommended with Reservations

Audience:  4th grade and up

When my 10 year old discovered these books by Blue Balliet, it was as if a new world was opened up to her.  All of a sudden she was talking about pentominoes, architects, puzzles, artists and Calder sculptures.  (Did you know there's a "Calder" at the public art walk in Seattle?)  This was one of the series she begged me over and over to read for myself.  I finally got around to it when I heard Balliet had published a fourth:  Pieces and Players.

In the first book, Chasing Vermeer, Balliet introduces her nerdy, cross-cultural trio of friends:  Calder Pillay, Petra Andalee and Tommy Segovia from the Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago.  Actually, they're so busy being suspicious of each other, they aren't quite friends when the book starts.  As they overcome their prejudices they find they have plenty in common when it comes to solving puzzles and helping their favorite 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Hussey.

Calder particularly likes to trust his pentominoes for clues when solving mysteries.  For the uninitiated, pentominoes are 12 puzzle pieces in varying shapes, each made up of 5 squares.  The 12 different shapes represent 12 letters in the alphabet and can even be fitted together in one large rectangle.  When Calder pulls a "U" pentomino out of his pocket, he wonders if it stands for  "understand," or "under," or maybe "University School."  He tells Petra, "They help me figure things out....  ...it seems like the pentominoes kind of talk to me.  I'll get the feeling that they want to tell me something, and so I'll grab one, and a word will just pop into my head."

Tommy and Calder have also created a pentomino code for their correspondence, which is fun for readers to decipher.  Illustrator Brett Helquist has added a picture mystery for readers as well, so this book engages bright readers on multiple levels.  Kids who wish to make their own cardboard pentominoes will even find instructions in the afterword!

Under the Egg

Author:  Laura Marx Fitzgerald

Rating:  ** (2 stars out of 3 possible, "B")
              Recommended

Audience:  Middle School

My second WWII book in a row, Under the Egg plays out like a Monuments' Men for youth, although it is highly fictionalized.

13-year old Theodora (Theo) Tenpenny doesn't inherit much when her Grandpa Jack dies:  a few hundred dollars, a failing townhouse in Greenwich Village, and full-time care of her distracted, unstable mother.  There's also the unusual egg picture above the fireplace mantle and a few family chickens out back.

Grandpa Jack's final message to "look under the egg" finally begins to make sense when rubbing alcohol is spilled on a portion of the egg painting and a new image begins to appear.  Considering Jack's service in WWII, as well as his job as a security guard at the Metropolitan Art Museum, Theo is now faced with perplexing mysteries:  What is the painting?  And who was Uncle Jack?

With help from her friends (quirky, bold, new-agey Bodhi, Librarian Eddie and Episcopalian Reverend Cecily), Theo just might be able to solve these mysteries while preserving her family's way of life.

The book gives a nod to both Buddhist (Bodhi=Buddha's enlightenment) and Christian spirituality, but is primarily neutral in terms of moral instruction.  Fans of The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and Chasing Vermeer will definitely enjoy this eclectic take on art mysteries.

The War that Saved My Life

Author:  Kimberley Brubaker Bradley

Rating:  *** (3 stars out of 3 possible, "A")
              Highly Recommended

Audience:  Middle School

This is excellent historical/WWII fiction.  It's summer, 1939 and London is preparing for German bombardment by sending children off to country families.  Ada and her brother Jamie live in a shabby flat with "Mam," their impoverished and abusive mother.

Ada is 11 or 12 years old, crippled by a club foot and Mam's frequent reminders of her shameful condition.  Ada walks so poorly, she can barely drag herself to look out a window to the street scenes below.  She has never been outside.  Jamie, 6 or 7, has the run of the neighborhood although Ada has informed him he'll be forced into school soon.  Jamie is her eyes and ears, her link to the outside world.

When Ada realizes Mam plans to send only Jamie for country evacuation, she becomes determined to learn to walk so she can escape with her brother.  Upon reaching the Kent countryside, they are fostered by Miss Smith, the unlikely protagonist who provides the siblings with just the right blend of compassion and accountability.

Without revealing more of the unique plot structure, I assure you your family will not miss lessons of empathy, self-esteem, gratitude and forgiveness.  Ada and Jamie suffer many of the same stressors and emotions that foster and/or adoption families experience today, but these events are explored in a safe, positive environment, making this book an outstanding choice for middle schoolers adjusting to contemporary challenges.

The Family Romanov

The Family Romanov:  Murder, Rebellion and the Fall of Imperial Russia

Author:  Candace Fleming

Rating:  ** (2 stars out of 3 possible, "B")
              Recommended

Audience:  High School

While thoroughly enjoying a Russian fantasy/folklore (Egg and Spoon), I stumbled upon this new nonfiction book for teens covering the same turn-of-the-century time period:  The Family Romanov.

Winner of the Orbis Pictus Award (outstanding nonfiction for children) and the Sibert Honor Award (distinguished informational book), Candace Fleming's book satisfies all of one's curiosity about the tragic Romanov family, while providing plenty of 1905-1917 Russian history.

The reader feels both compassion and frustration with the oblivious Romanov family, Russian politics, class struggle, and the destiny of a continent.  The book is an enjoyable way for high school students to collect background knowledge in the perils of imperialism and the risks of revolution.

The book is sometimes advertised for middle school ages, but while the story is fascinating and compelling, it is equally dark and graphic for younger ages.  Few details are spared when the Romanov family is brutally gunned down in an Ekatarinaberg basement.  Their remains are carelessly disposed of by a regime based on secrecy and terror.  Final details are not brought to light until the Iron Curtain falls in the 1990s.  Now, even current events cause today's reader to wonder how Russia can mend the past and prepare a better future for all her peoples.

An Abundance of Katherines

Author:  John Green

Rating:  0 stars out of 3 possible  ("D/F")
             Not Recommended

Audience:  High School

John Green, author of The Fault In Our Stars, is the latest, greatest writer to reach our teens and relate to them in all their self-indulgent angst.

Now, my thirteen year old has plenty of unsupervised lunch time at the public middle school and she's plenty old enough to check out her own books and basically read whatever she wants.  But that doesn't mean she always should.  And, she's bright enough to make quality choices.  But that doesn't mean she always will.

So when she brought An Abundance of Katherines home from the county library, a quick perusal of the jacket flaps told me instantly this was probably not a book I could endorse in my home.  First of all, it was all about 18 year old boys on a "find ourselves" road trip.

Big Hero 6

Production Team:  Disney; Directed by Don Hall, Chris Williams
                              Screenplay:  Jordan Roberts, Daniel Gerson, Robert Baird

Rating:  ** (2 stars out of 3 possible, "B")
              Recommended

Audience:  Second grade and up  (PG)

If you're like me, this movie will take you by surprise.  Your kids will come home from school begging to see Big Hero 6 and Baymax because all their friends said how great it was.  You will not know what they are talking about.  You will be suspicious, first of all, because everyone likes it; second of all, because it's Disney; thirdly, because it is about foreign concepts like robots, high-tech science nerds and unbelievable super heroes.  Finally, who or what is Baymax, and what does "Big Hero 6" even mean?  What kind of title is that?  Just stay tuned....

For the most part, this movie is a home run hit.  The concepts are fresh and new; the characters are unique and appealing; the plot is creative and energetic; the futuristic setting, San Fransokyo, is clever and attractive; the robot sidekick, Baymax, is entertaining and poignant at the same time.

Ranger's Apprentice

Titles:  Ruins of Gorlan; Burning Bridge; Icebound Land; Battle for Skandia; Sorcerer of the North; Siege of Macindaw; Erak's Ransom; Kings of Clonmel; Halt's Peril; Emperor of Nihon-Ja; Lost Stories; Royal Ranger

Author:  John Flanagan

Rating:  * (1 stars out of 3 possible, "C")
              Recommended with Reservations

Audience:  Middleschoolers

If you've tired of darker fantasy steeped in sorcery and violence, John Flanagan's series will seem like a breath of fresh air.  I recommend it as "safe" fantasy, the downside being fairly simplistic plots and some tedious writing.

The first book, Ruins of Gorlan, basically offers the medieval time period of knights, craftsmen, apprentices, kings and lords with minimal focus on magic.  Think of LOTR-lite: an evil character  named Morgarath accompanied by wargals and Kalkara in the Kingdom of Araluen and the Mountains of Rain and Night.  If those don't seem familiar enough, take a mysterious, sullen protagonist and name him "Ranger."  (Viggo Mortensen, anyone?)

Originality aside, young fantasy adventure fans will love the story of 4 orphans receiving their apprenticeships on "choosing day":  Alyss to become a diplomat; Jenny, a chef; Horace, a knight; and Will to study under the curt tutelage of the legendary Ranger Halt.

Chocolate, Chocolate and More Chocolate

Titles Reviewed:

Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith

     *  (1 star out of 3 possible, "C")  Recommended with Reservations

     1st-3rd Grades

The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling

     *  (1 star out of 3 possible, "C")  Recommended with Reservations

     1st-3rd Grades

The Chocolate War and Beyond the Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

     *  (1 star out of 3 possible, "C")  Recommended with Reservations

     Junior and Senior Boys

The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull

     *  (1 star out of 3 possible, "C")  Recommended with Reservations

     4th Grade and up

As you can see, i spent a lot of my summer sampling chocolate!  It was important to me to straighten these titles out, because one doesn't want to confuse harmless first grade morality tales (Chocolate Fever and Chocolate Touch) with warnings of bullies and psychological abuse along the lines of Lord of the Flies (Chocolate War and Beyond the Chocolate War).

Chocolate Fever (1972) and The Chocolate Touch (1952) both deal with boys who love chocolate and candy and the consequences of their greedy habits.  The plots are humorous and the lessons clear:

"Although life is grand, and pleasure is everywhere, we can't have everything we want every time we want it!"

"You've been eating so much sweet stuff that there isn't room for eggs and meat and milk and bread and spinach and apple and fish and bananas and all the other things you're supposed to have to make you grow big and strong."

"Don't you think there's such a thing as enough?"

These books are doubly useful if you have a picky eater or a sugar hound in your family!  My own children have benefitted from this type of outsourced nagging.  There's absolutely nothing wrong and everything right with families using literature to instruct!

Far different messages for a far different audience come from Robert Cormier's The Chocolate War (1974) and it's sequel Beyond the Chocolate War (1984).

Counting by 7s

Author:  Holly Goldberg Sloan

Rating:  *  (1 star out of 3 possible, "C")
              Recommended with Reservations

Audience:  Middle School Girls

Counting by 7s is a paradoxical book.  Sometimes written in first person, sometimes third, it feels both quirky and edgy while it explores both despair and hopefulness.

I suppose that's how adolescence often feels, and this book would especially appeal to youngsters who don't fit into typical teen scenes and/or have been identified (for better or for worse) as "gifted."

Willow Chance is one such girl.  She thinks in patterns of sevens, researches science and medicine, studies words and pi, analyzes behaviors and gardens.  Wearing her gardening clothes to middle school, and toting wheeled luggage instead of a backpack, Willow doesn't stand much chance of peer acceptance.  But she really doesn't mind, if she can just find one person that interests her.

The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm

Author:  Nancy Farmer

Rating:  *  (1 star out of 3 possible, "C")
                  Recommended with Reservations

Audience:  Middleschoolers

Assigned for my 7th grader's Language Arts class, this 1995 Newbery Honor book is set in Zimbabwe in 2194.  Essentially science fiction, it offers a unique view of the future along with a backward glance to Zimbabwe's tribal culture.

Military General Amadeus Matsika and his wife have 3 children:  Tendai, a 13 year old boy; Rita, his capable 11 year old sister; and little brother Kuda, 4 years old.  When the three children are kidnapped by the evil Mask gang they must employ all their wits to escape several fantastic scenarios.  Meanwhile, Father and Mother hire 3 unusual detectives (the title characters) to search for the children.

With the book's background in Zimbabwean culture, the reader must become familiar with a number of animistic terms:

Mwari-the supreme god of Zimbabwe, valuing the traits of loyalty, bravery and courteousness.
Shona-the dominant tribe, to which the Matsika family belongs
mhondoro-the spirit of Mwari, and the spirit of the Zimbabwe land
vlei people-a ghost-like people that wander the outskirts of Harare, the capital city
Gondwanna-terrorist gang from northern Africa
shave-a wandering spirit who enters a person to teach a special skill
ndoro-talisman with a connection to the spirit world

Considering all this talk of the spirit world and spirit possession, one might ask if the book is even appropriate for young Christians.  That's why my review basically warns families to proceed with caution.  With a view towards animist tribes still in existence today, I believe the story provides an enlightening contrast to Christianity.

The True Meaning of Smekday

Author:  Adam Rex

Rating:  ***  (3 stars out of 3 possible, "A")
              Paige (age 12) Highly Recommends this book!

              0 stars out of 3 possible, "D+"
              Her mom (age 45) does not recommend this book!

Audience:  5th grade and up

Sometimes the best part of reading together as a family is coming to completely opposite conclusions about a book!

For instance, Paige has read this book at least five times!  She views it as "hilarious, the best book ever!"  She truly loves it.

I slogged through 425 pages,  hating almost every minute of it!  But then again, I can't really stand Star Trek or Mork & Mindy, either.

It really depends on your personal tastes when it comes to a book like Smekday.  Are you an old, stuck-in-the-mud traditionalist who's lost her sense of humor?  Or a young, creative genius who loves fantasy worlds?

Smekday takes place in a future America, where 12 year-old Gratuity Tucci (nicknamed "Tip") encounters the aliens who have invaded Earth.  Following a quest format (like Huckleberry Finn, or, more likely, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe), she befriends an alien Boov who's chosen to go by the American pseudonym, "J. Lo."

Poison Apple Books

10 Titles:  The Dead End; Curiosity Killed the Cat; The Ghost of Christmas Past; Green-Eyed Monster; This Totally Bites...; Miss Fortune; Now You See Me; Midnight Howl; Her Evil Twin; The Ghoul Next Door

Authors:  Various, published by Scholastic

Rating:  0 stars out of 3 possible, "D" / "F"
             Not Recommended

Audience:  Middle School

Well, there's no chance of misinterpreting the tone and plot of this tween series.  It's clearly capitalizing on our culture's current obsession with monster myths and horror stories.  (My question is:  What's it doing in my 3rd grader's classroom?!)

Her Evil Twin begins with a common 7th grade theme:  Anna and Dory have been friends, like, for forever.  But now that they're in middle school, Anna wonders if Dory is too boring and immature for her.  Could Anna fit in with the cooler girls in class:  Jessamyn, Kima and Lauren?

Dory's an honest, sensible friend and she's pretty sure JK & L (The Jackals) aren't to be trusted.  They really plan to tease and bully Anna.

JK & L trick Anna into calling up a mirror spirit in the darkened school bathroom.  Everyone gets scared and deserts Anna, except for Dory.

Following this disturbing incident, Anna meets a mysterious stranger named Emma.  Emma seems like a good friend at first, but increasingly odd things happen when Emma is around.  Also troubling, Emma seems to get more and more controlling, angry and...creepy.  Anna's getting blamed for things she didn't do; Emma's stunts are risky and dangerous; Anna's friendship with Dory is completely fractured; someone's going to get hurt!

History Year By Year

Title:  History Year By Year:  The History of the World, From the Stone Age to the Digital Age

Publishers:  Dorling-Kindersley and Smithsonian Enterprises

Rating:  **  (2 out of 3 stars)
              Recommended

Audience:  Elementary and Middle School Ages

If you're a history buff, or if your middle schooler needs to bone up for the National History Bee (www.nationalhistorybee.com), this is a must-have volume.

Both DK and Smithsonian know how to put out a quality product, and those of us familiar with The Eyewitness series know what to expect:  full-color spreads, bulleted details, informative inserts.  This publication delivers on all counts and doesn't disappoint.

I recently viewed a few different history volumes to supplement our home library and found this to be the most accessible and best format.  Only two initial pages are spent on the least significant (and least evidenced) topic of history:  the evolution of man (weakly evidenced by the inclusion of only three skull visuals, of which just one appears to be human).  With a secular publisher, this is about the best you can do.  In fact, it's rather extraordinary, compared to the other books I skimmed.

Andrew Clements

Titles:  The Report Card; Frindle; Extra Credit; No Talking; Lunch Money;
           Troublemaker; The Janitor's Boy; Lost and Found; Landry News;
           The Last Holiday Concert; About Average

Author:  Andrew Clements

Rating:  ***  (3 stars out of 3 possible, "A")
             Highly Recommended

It's not often I come across a series and writer who seem to fire on all cylinders:  smart, funny, important, creative, and unique are the adjectives I would use to describe Andrew Clements writing style and topics.  For this review I read Frindle, and the The Report Card.

Writers must write about what they know, and for Andrew Clements that includes teachers, schools and students.  He taught at elementary, junior and high school levels before writing full-time.  (For more information, see his website at www.andrewclements.com)

I read Frindle straight through in about 2 hours one Tuesday afternoon.  I wanted to immediately recommend it to my friends and their kids.  That's how good it was.  It mostly made me laugh and think, although I admit it made me a little teary-eyed as well.  If you never really cared for school, or even if you only had one really memorable teacher, you will find a lot to which you can relate in this book.

Big Nate

Titles:  Over 20 including In a Class by Himself; Strikes Again; On a Roll; and Friends
            as well as comic strip collections

Author:  Lincoln Peirce (pronounced "purse")

Rating:  *  (1 star out of 3 possible, "C")
             Recommended with Reservations

Audience:  5th grade and up

After lambasting the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, I thought I should check to if the Big Nate series was any better or worse.  I read books 1 and 2:  Big Nate in a Class by Himself and Big Nate Strikes Again.

I'm happy to confess this series is better: a reasonable substitute for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and not only because it's actually clever and funny.  What sets Big Nate apart from Greg Heffley is his sense of conscience and a certain amount of intellectual insight.

The Unknowns

Title:  The Unknowns  (A Mystery)

Author:  Benedict Carey

Rating:  **  (2 stars out of 3 possible, "B")
             Recommended

Audience:  7th grade and up

Here is another "You have to read this, Mom!" recommendation from my 11, soon-to-be-12 year old daughter.  I'm happy she still wants me to read her books.  She reads 10 books a week if we don't give her enough chores, so it seems I am never lacking for material.

The Unknowns is an edgy, contemporary math mystery starring a cast of misfit middle schoolers.  These outcasts live in the unfortunate settlement of Folsom Adjacent, next door to the Folsom Nuclear Site and across the bay from the cooler town of Crotona.

Anyone who has ever felt out of place in junior high, or lived 15 miles from a "real" city, or felt inadequate in math class may find their place in this clever story.  And that would be most of us, including Einstein.

Fortunately, the main protagonists Di and Tom have a caring neighbor lady to walk them through the pitfalls of homework and social ostracism.  The real problems begin when a few Adjacent residents, including their math mentor, Malba Clarke, go missing.

Can Di and Tom unravel the math clue Mrs. Clarke left for them?  Is something illegal going on at the power plant?  Will the bullies in Crotona pound Di and Tom before they can find out?  Will you remember enough math and geometry to follow the plot?  When does 3 + 4 = 5?

Presidential Movies

Titles:  Lincoln (Steven Spielberg, Director; Doris Kearns Goodwin/Tony Kushner, Writers)
           Hyde Park on Hudson (Roger Michell, Director; Richard Nelson, Writer)

Ratings:  ** (2 stars out of 3 possible, "B") for Lincoln
              Highly Recommended

              0 stars out of 3 possible, "D"/"F" for Hyde Park on Hudson
              Not Recommended

Audience:  Lincoln, PG-13
                 Hyde Park on Hudson, R

America loves its presidents, and sometimes loves to hate them.  I thought it interesting that two of our most polarizing presidents were both subjects of feature films in 2012.

I intended to review Lincoln much earlier.  By now, everyone is already aware of both the quality of the film itself, as well as the performances by most of the cast.  I was initially hesitant, given Tony Kushner as the screenwriter, that one might sense a hidden, liberal agenda.  Every political entity tries to claim some sort of kinship with our 16th president, but this film portrayed him genuinely:  principled, yet flawed; politically astute, yet homespun.

To truly enjoy the film, the audience member should not mind a slower-moving historical drama with significant portions of political discourse.  Recall the film only portrays the last 6 months or so of Lincoln's life.  Was Daniel Day-Lewis' portrayal of Lincoln Oscar-worthy?  Yes!

The Mousehunter

Titles:  #1 The Mousehunter; #2  The Curse of Mousebeard; #3  Mousebeard's Revenge

Author/Illustrator:  Alex Milway

Rating:  **  (2 stars out of 3 possible, "B")
             Recommended

Audience:  5th grade and up

My 11 year-old daughter rates this trilogy with an "A," Highly Recommended.  I would probably put a caution in for some families ("C," Recommended with Reservations).  So we compromised and gave it 2 stars out of 3 possible.

Alex Milway shows a lot of creativity and artistry in planning this medieval mankind/mouse kingdom adventure series.  Just when you think there is nothing new under the sun (so to speak), a talented, clever author/illustrator comes along and does something relatively unique.

After a somewhat grisly opening scene at Old Town harbor (Pirate's Wharf, to be exact), Milway introduces us to Emiline Orelia, 12 year-old mousekeeper.  In Emiline's world, mice and men live cooperatively.  Various sorts of mice are collected and employed in a number of tasks in this seafaring tale of ships' captains, merchants and pirates.  Mice species are as varied and valuable as our modern dog species and Milway has outdone himself, illustrating each chapter with a unique mouse entry from "The Mousehunter's Almanac."

The Cobble Street Cousins Series

Titles:  #1 In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen; #2 A Little Shopping; #3 Special Gifts; #4 Some Good News; #5 Summer Party; #6 Wedding Flowers

Author:  Cynthia Rylant

Rating:  **  (2 stars out of 3 possible, "B")
             "Recommended" by me and "Highly Recommended"
              by my 8 year-old!

Audience:  Ages 7-10  (girls)

Imagine how pleased I was when my 8 year-old daughter sat down with new markers over Spring Break and wrote out an impromptu review of The Cobble Street Cousins/Book #2 A Little Shopping!  Here's what she had to say:  (sic)

Jobs for the Cobble Street Cousins:  Tess=Brodway star.  Lilly=Poet.  Rosie=?

Chapters:  3

Chapter 1:  Lilly comes up with a craft witch is makeing a doll house witch is also a flower shop.

Chapter 2:  The cousins bought the supplies they needed and got ice-cream.

Chapter 3:  They make the dollhouse, gave it to their Aunt, and got ice-cream.

Rate:  Five Star Rating *****  (then she drew a big smiley face)

My take?  My daughter (also named Tess) is on the right track.  This series by Cynthia Rylant is just the right size and speed for readers who are ready for short chapter books.  Rylant provides a very nice step-up option with simple topics and gentle plots.

Lily, Tess and Rosie are three cousins who are also best of friends.  They enjoy each other's differences and encourage each other's plans and hobbies.  The series moves through a year in their life with Aunt Lucy whom they hope will soon be marrying neighbor Michael.  Some families may be disappointed that the "winter" book (Special Gifts) only offers a winter's solstice gift exchange, but when late summer rolls along, Lucy and Michael are at least married by a priest.  All-in-all, the books value family and the simple joys of childhood, so I am happy to recommend the series.

The Family Hitchcock

Author:  Mark Levin & Jennifer Flackett

Rating:  0 stars out of 3 possible, "D"/"F"
            Not Recommended

Audience:  5th Grade and Up

Here's another book I would really like to recommend.  Smart, contemporary plot, nice family, some challenging vocabulary.  But then I have to ask myself if it's right to compromise on my convictions just because part of the book is well-done.

Written by a Hollywood husband and wife team, the book reads like a fast-paced kid's techie movie (think Spy Kids).  In fact, it would translate well to film, and I'm sure that's exactly what the authors hoped.  The problem is, it's also exactly what Hollywood would like for your kids: