Review: Wildlife

Wildlife by Fiona Wood

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Real, touching. This book is definitely about real life. There were places where it lagged for me a bit, so it probably should have only gotten 4 1/2 stars from me, but it was worth it.



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Review: The Jupiter Chronicles: The Secret of the Great Red Spot

The Jupiter Chronicles: The Secret of the Great Red Spot by Leonardo Ramirez

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This book was an odd mix for me. Most of it read like a book for middle grade kids, but then it would lose me with complicated descriptions of some things. Cute, in many ways, but a bit odd.



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Review: Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir

Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir by Liz Prince

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I enjoyed this book and, to some extent I saw myself in some of it. I prefer non-feminine clothes; I do not wear make-up; and I frequently wonder why men and women aren't better friends without any sexual overtones. But, I must admit, I got a bit tired of the "feeling out of place" by the end of the book. I was ready to just get on with life.



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Review: A Tale of Two Castles

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I am not terribly fond of the mystery genre for kids. Too often the mysteries seem to be more contrived than genuine - a large cast of suspicious characters, blatant clues, blatant red herrings, etc. This book had some of those characteristics, but not to excess and they were balanced, luckily, by some interesting characterizations. The dragon, IT, seemed especially interesting to me, but several other characters were also intriguing.

I found the use of the words mansioning and mansioner to be slightly distracting and I don't quite understand the impetus for their use. "Acting" and "actor" would have served just as well for me.

There were some slow spots in the narrative that didn't especially appeal to me - for example, the cavorting of the monkey and the long description of the play-acting with the guards. Those might appeal to kids, however, so I am discounting my impatience with them.

All in all a reasonably interesting book.




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Review: Always, Abigail

Always, Abigail by Nancy J. Cavanaugh

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



While I found this book predictable and even a bit clichéd, it still held my interest enough to finish the whole thing. The author is especially good at capturing the "mean girl" behaviors that seem to be endemic to the tween age group, roughly 10 through 13 year olds.



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Review: El Deafo

El Deafo by Cece Bell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Another good graphic novel. I wasn't terribly fond of the choice to illustrate the children as rabbits, but the rest of the book is really good. I admire the honest exposure of both the main character's feelings, but also the honest and varied reactions of other children (and some adults).

The only thing that puzzled me a bit was that the teacher didn't turn off the mike when she wasn't in the presence of the main character. I have worn mikes like this and even though I am a sub, I have been quickly instructed to turn it off when I wasn't talking about things that the student needed to hear, e.g., when I was directly helping another student.

I appreciate the discussion at the end of the book of deaf culture and the varied degree of acceptance of hearing aids and sign language.



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Review: Because They Marched: The People's Campaign for Voting Rights That Changed America

Because They Marched: The People's Campaign for Voting Rights That Changed America by Russell Freedman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This book is the way history should be presented - a compelling photo-narrative of the real events of the time. With the Supreme Court's gutting of key provisions of the Voting Rights Act that this book talks about, it is even more important for young people to understand how hard people had to fight to get the right to vote.

I lived through this era, but I wasn't aware of all of the things that were happening at the time. This should be required reading for American History classes. Too bad, in a way, that it is too long to be a read aloud for younger students - at least for me, as a substitute teacher who is only there for a day.



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