Review: Wombat Goes Walkabout

Wombat Goes Walkabout by Michael Morpurgo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is a "where is my mother" style book that highlights the abilities of various Australian animals, as well as the fire danger of the Australian bush. Cute, but more anthropomorphic than the Jackie French books.



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Review: Diary of a BABY Wombat

Diary of a BABY Wombat by Jackie French

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I have been on a wombat kick lately - reading several books about the adorable (but stinky) creatures. This book is every bit as cute as its predecessor, Diary of a Wombat. I may just have to go out an buy it.



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Review: Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick: Ginny Davis's Year In Stuff

Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick: Ginny Davis's Year In Stuff by Jennifer L. Holm

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Fluff - moderately interesting, but not compelling fluff. Girls who don't like to read much may enjoy this, but don't go looking for profound or something that you will remember a long time.



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Read Aloud with Document Camera

The other day, I was in a classroom where the teacher had left instructions to read aloud from any book I chose for 30 minutes (I am a substitute teacher). I usually carry with me a couple of books that I think might interest the age level that I am teaching for the day. I have found that Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka is generally a hit with 4th through 6th graders, so I read the first few chapters of that.

The teacher had a document camera right next to the place from which I was reading the book, so, rather than show the pictures around, where the students would see them for a very short time and not very well, I put the pictures under the document camera. That was nicer than I expected. Since this was a 6th grade class, and 6th graders hate to sit on the floor for read aloud, they were all at desks or tables and from wherever they were, they could just look up and see the pictures.

In the past, I have not been very fond of document cameras. They have been awkward replacements for white boards, but this was a better interaction with them for me. Next time I read a book with significant illustrations, I will look for a document camera.

Review: Don't Let the Republican Drive the Bus!: A Parody for Voters

Don't Let the Republican Drive the Bus!: A Parody for Voters by Erich Origen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I have never been a fan of the book this is based off of - I don't hate it, but it didn't appeal to me as much as it did many other readers of the book. This book is a direct take-off on that book and thus, some of the humor, though funny, didn't hit my "hilarious" meter. I am a "flaming liberal", so the political slant of the book was fine with me - and rings true. I doubt if it will convince many people, but it does bring some much needed comic relief.



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Review: The False Prince

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I read this book in one day and really enjoyed it. It isn't a book with great deeper significance or long lasting messages, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I went looking for it at my local B & N store, with only the remembrance of what the cover looked like. I couldn't find it in the kids' section, but eventually located it in the teens' section. I think it reads a bit young compared to most of what I seem to find in YA these days, but I really LIKED that. A lot of YA has gotten too violent, too sexualized, and too dark for me. Give me a book like this any day. There is violence in the book, but the book isn't centrally focused on the violence. For me, there is a difference.

I will look for the sequels.



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Not Just a Witch by Eva Ibbotson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wanted something a bit lighter, since my life right now has been "challenging", and this fit the bill for this, but the story didn't quite make it for me.

The characters are the main attraction, but somehow, I just didn't find out enough about them to make a real connection. For example, you don't really get to know Heckie and her friend Dora, before they have a big fight and stop talking to each other. You don't care enough about the friendship to feel its loss until much later in the book.

And some of the characters, especially the other witches and the children, seem uni-dimensional. One wizard wants to make cheese walk. This could be a great joke, but it isn't developed enough to help me understand him - to feel his quirks and sympathize with him. It is just a one-line joke, until it comes in handy later in the story. You do find out a lot about some of the villains, but what you find out is mostly there to convince you that Heckie's plan for them (turning them into animals) is justified.

I don't think children would mind these flaws, but for me, it keeps the book from being a classic. Enjoyable, but superficial.

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