Review: Over the Moon: A Musical Play

Over the Moon: A Musical Play by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I really wanted to like this better than I actually ended up liking it. The reason I was so interested in it is that I am trying to write a musical for kids, too. I really wanted to see what the format was of such a venture. I wanted to see how much story there was and compare that to how much music there was. How are stage changes made? How many characters can be effectively used? Who writes the play part? Who writes the music? Who does the lyrics?

I am not at all sorry that I bought the book. It has helped me a lot with my ideas about my musical and has helped me figure out answers for my own efforts (I currently have too much story and once I flesh out the parts that I still MUST include in order for the story to make sense, I will also have too much music. That makes me a bit sad, but I think I am right in my assessment.)

Nevertheless, I must admit, I was disappointed in the story. It is clever and amusing and fun, but, for me, it lacks depth. It is mostly just clever, amusing, and fun. That is probably great for getting real students in real schools to perform it. Middle school crowds love humor and light drama. I am not sure why I am not quite satisfied with that.

My music teacher and I have played through some of the songs in the book and there are a couple that I really like. It could be that there is the depth I long for when I put the musical and the theatrical parts together.

For now, I like the story my musical is based on better (Patricia Wrede's Dealing with Dragons), but my music isn't nearly as competent as Ellen Wilber's and my lyrics also need polishing, compared to Jodi Picoult's. I guess that is about what I would expect. I still need to do a lot of work.



View all my reviews

Review: Oh, Sure! Blame It on the Dog!: A Pickles Collection

Oh, Sure! Blame It on the Dog!: A Pickles Collection by Brian Crane

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I collect cartoons and comic strip compilations, and this is one of the authors/illustrators that I buy more than the first book of. The art work is good, but the real strong point of the strip is that it pokes fun at things without being mean-spirited. You can see yourself in at least one of the characters in the strip and the situations are rife with personal recognition. I enjoy it.



View all my reviews

Review: The Very Inappropriate Word

The Very Inappropriate Word by Jim Tobin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The problem with this book is that you never find out what Michael's inappropriate word was, so you spend the whole time while reading the book, thinking about all of the inappropriate words you know and trying to decide which inappropriate word would be the best one for the story to be about.

Or maybe that is just me.



View all my reviews

Review: Little Girl With Seven Names

Little Girl With Seven Names by Mabel Leigh Hunt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This is a sweet book from a by-gone era, where pregnancy wasn't talked about and babies just appear under the covers, after the older child has been whisked off for the night to a friend's family. A mother who is pregnant with twins and is in her second pregnancy most certainly wouldn't have as slim of a waist as is depicted in one of the pictures.

Nevertheless, it is nice to see the sensitive manner in which the girl goes about thinking about her names. And gives me a feeling of nostalgia to read about young children working hard to be good.



View all my reviews

Review: The Queen's Progress: An Elizabethan Alphabet

The Queen's Progress: An Elizabethan Alphabet by Celeste Davidson Mannis

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This is a beautifully illustrated alphabet book about Queen Elizabeth. I am not a huge history buff, but this is actually quite interesting for someone who likes her history in small doses.



View all my reviews

Review: Counterfeit Son

Counterfeit Son by Elaine Marie Alphin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This is one of those books that I started reading and then just didn't put down until I finished it. It isn't classic literature, but it is one heckuv an exciting read. And, I will say, it seemed to get the mentality right for this kind of a victim. I can't be sure, since I have never had that experience, but it sounded authentic.



View all my reviews

Review: Counting by 7s

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I found this to be a very touching book. The main character is an extremely intelligent girl, probably in the profoundly gifted range. Because of her interests and oddities, she has never fit in, especially at school, but until her parents are both killed in a car crash, she was able to deal with the world on her own terms. After the accident, her world is completely destroyed. The odd assortment of characters that eventually come to her aid are fully realized and believable.

One of the most interesting of the lesser characters for me is the rather disgusting Del Duke. He is the ineffective counselor of both Willow and Guang Ha. (Since I only have the audio version, that is probably spelled wrong.) Del Duke's characterization is a fascinating depiction of failed mediocrity.

Willow herself seems to have some of the characteristics that I would associate with Asperger's syndrome. She is obsessed with certain things and has a very analytical way of dealing with other people. She is able to analyze everyone's behavior, but dealing with people doesn't come naturally to her. The book is a description of how she gradually comes back to a life with people who care for her - just as she is.

And a comment about the audio version of the book. I think the reader of the book, Robin Miles, does an excellent job with Willow's voice - probably a lot better than I could have done, if I had read it silently to myself. I wonder how much of my understanding of Willow (see previous paragraph) is colored by Ms. Miles' narration. I generally write my review of a book before I read other reviews (if possible) and will be interested to see what others thing about Willow.



View all my reviews