Operation Sisterhood - Middle Grade novel review

 From time to time I receive advance copies of new picture books and middle grade novels to review. I appreciate the publishers' trust in me! I read them all, but sometimes I don't post a review here. Why?

Well, my mom taught me that if you can't say something nice, don't say anything. And as a writer, I know how hard it is to put your work out into the world. So everyone who publishes a book deserves kudos! But sometimes I'm not the right cheerleader. Maybe I don't connect with the character(s) but other people would. Maybe I've read similar books I liked better, and I can't get that out of my head.

Sometimes, it's something specific I just can't get past. Earlier this year I received an early chapter book I was excited about. But the opening scene contained behavior that I couldn't condone. Maybe in an upper middle grade or YA, but not for the age reader I pictured. And I read the whole book, and really liked the rest. I returned to the book a few times, but decided there are plenty of other people who might be able to recommend the book without my reservations, so I moved on.

An early middle grade novel that I will recommend  (purchased myself) is Operation Sisterhood by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich (Crown Books, 2022).

Like the characters in the story, I grew up in a blended family. The fears and necessary adjustments that arise from moving into someone else's house that is now supposed to be your home were totally relatable.  Even the menagerie of animals was something I encountered too! The girls in the story are adventurous and fun to spend time with. The story takes place in Harlem, and I was a suburban/country girl so I enjoyed seeing this locale through the character's eyes. In the end I felt like I'd love to live on their block! The publisher's description is apt: a book "about the difficulties of change, the loyalty of sisters, and the love of family."

I have several great picture books that arrived while we were on vacation that I'll be reviewing soon!

Until then--happy reading, everyone!

New Books for Readers Ages 6-14 #kidlit #newreleases

In a break from Perfect Picture Book Friday tradition, I'm calling attention to three new releases that I would classify as late chapter books/early middle grade readers. I don't read as many of these, so rather than my usual formal "reviews" with associated activities, I'm just sharing a heads-up and my thoughts. The thread between these? HUMOR! Starting with a book for the youngest and working my way up through three--
 

 

Title: CatStronauts Mission Moon and Catstronauts Race to Mars
Author/Illustrator: Drew Brockington
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers, April 2017
Intended Ages: 6-10
Themes: Humor, Cooperation, Cats


Synopses (why plural? The book contains two stories bound back to back)
First, on a planet populated only by cats, the President needs to find an alternative energy source to avoid Powermageddon. The CatStronauts answer the call, rocketing to the Moon to set up a solar array that will beam energy back.
Second, With support for space travel resurging, different teams of cats try to be the first to land on Mars.

My thoughts: These stories are presented in graphic novel format. With sparse text, they are fun, fast reads filled with puns and acronym groaners. The illustrations provide a lot of the characterization for this good-hearted flawed crew. Look for the cat food pyramid and the launch codes. I received a black-and-white advance copy, but the final copy will be in full color. I look forward to seeing the final because I'm thinking it will be easier to keep track of all the cat characters when they are different colors. I like the message of cooperation and patience threading its way through both stories. I did wonder if kids would enjoy the second story as much if they didn't have prior knowledge of space race history and an appreciation for government inefficiency. The Russian cosmonauts are initially painted in a negative light, but misunderstandings are revealed in the end. This is the author's debut book.


Title: Mutant Mantis Lunch Ladies

Author/Illustrator: Bruce Hale
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion, March 2017
Intended Ages: 8-12 (reluctant readers)
Themes: Humor, Fantasy, Monsters



Synopsis: Carlos and Benny, two best friends, investigate strange goings-on in the school cafeteria. Different meals for girls and boys? Gigantic bug sightings? This book is part of the Monstertown Mystery series.

My thoughts: I didn't need to have read the first Monstertown book to enjoy this one (#2). It is stand alone. The press release states that the story is an "ode to Goosebumps" and "perfect for reluctant readers . . ." and I agree. Like Goosebumps, you have a lot of action with familiar characters. The language is funny, fresh and accessible with just a few illustrations sprinkled in. The lenticular cover (okay, I had to look up the word lenticular, too) switches back and forth between a praying mantis and an angry lunch lady's head. The adults who help Carlos and Benny are friendly folks I'd like to have around, even if the lengths they go to to help the kids push the limits of credibility. I did wonder why there is a prologue (the material is repeated in the book), and as someone with a science background, I wondered if the scientist had to be an evil villain. (I did love his name--Mr. Sincere) The author has published more than 40 books targeting reluctant readers. Note: The lunch ladies meet their demise.
In addition to Goosebumps, the school setting/characters-who-may-or-may-not-be-monsters  set-up took me back to the Bailey School Kids series. If your reader likes Monstertown, they might want to check those out.

Title: Benjamin Franklin You've Got Mail

Authors: Adam Mansbach and Alan Zweibel
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion, May 2017
Intended Ages: 10-14
 (In my uneducated opinion, this will appeal to reluctant readers)
Themes: Humor, Fantasy, Time-travel


Synopsis: A snarky thirteen-year old boy mails himself back in history to try to restore order and preserve history. In a prior book, he mailed an updated map to Benjamin Franklin during the American Revolution. The map showing the vast country that the United States is now was accidentally released to the public, causing an uproar. This is a sequel to Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in my . . . There were a few places where I wished I had read the first book for character dynamics and facts (for instance, how does Ike have enough antique stamps for he and his girlfriend to write back and forth as well as for him to mail himself? I'd think he'd need quite a few. Is there a deeper reason for him calling his stepfather "Dirk the Jerk").

My thoughts: Expect comedy, not history in reading this. Although Ike says he doesn't know much about Colonial America, the book is basic for the stated 10-14 year old audience. Readers will definitely get a feel for the time period in a humorous narrative that explores "a comically different path" for our country. The authors have backgrounds in comedy, including writing for SNL and Go the **** to Sleep and despite the historical setting, the text has a contemporary edgy feel. I laughed at Ike's moniker for Ben--B-Freezy--but this sequel doesn't share the origin. Some of the humor, such as dumping on New Jersey (full disclosure, my birthplace!) and a wink to In-N-Out Burger (Inn-n-Out) may be dampened for an east coast audience. Note: The language and plot feel organic to the age group, but do include name calling, theft and fraud.

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The Mark of the Dragonfly - Book Review

     First, my thanks to Delacorte Press (Random House) and Shelf Awareness for the Advance Reader's Copy of THE MARK OF THE DRAGONFLY by Jaleigh Johnson. This is an unbiased review.
    Note that the official publication date for this book is scheduled for March 25, 2014 and some details in the copy I read may have changed.

     Title: The Mark of the Dragonfly.
     Author: Jaleigh Johnson
     Publisher: Delacorte Press
     FICTION
     Intended Audience: Middle grade (8-12)


     Opening:   "Micah brought the music box to her on the night of the meteor shower. Piper never slept on these nights, when debris from other worlds fell from the sky."




     My overall takeaway impression of this book?
     There are so many questions left unresolved, it feels like the start of a series. And if it is, I wish the author and publisher said so up front. It would set different expectations for the book. Judging it as a stand-alone, it has fascinating parts and is a quick read. But why introduce cities and worlds that are never used in the story? What significance is the dragonfly? If the king lived in Squid City could it just have easily been the mark of the squid? We'll never know. Unless this isn't the whole story.

    The opening of the book had a distinctly dystopian tone. Set on the world of Solace, where there is a class structure of haves and have-nots, the main character, Piper, is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives in a city of have-nots. The citizens scavenge among the debris the plunges to the ground from other planets to find goods of value. Piper has been recently orphaned and has to rely on her own wits. Luckily, the town appears quite orderly despite the poverty and no one is preying on Piper. Reminiscent of the main character in Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicle series, Piper is a machinist of unparalled talent.

     About a quarter of the way through the book, the tone changes to a steampunky adventure. Piper boards the local steam train ( the 401) hoping that she can return a girl (Anna) she found in the debris field to the King in exchange for a reward, because Anna bears the King's mark- a tattoo of the dragonfly. From this point on, the story moves faster, but I kept wondering what happened to the best friend, Micah, Piper left behind? And the characters felt so naive and young that the small bit of romance that is hinted at between Piper and Gee, the boy/dragon creature known as a chamelin, was off-putting. Like if Harry Potter had suffered pangs of love and lust for Hermione in Book One.

     I'm also not keen on the back cover blurb. "One is smart. One is brave. And one is hiding a secret that could cost them their lives." If this refers to the three main characters, that means two of them aren't smart. Two of them aren't brave. And after reading it is clear that Anna isn't hiding her secret. She just doesn't remember her past or understand what has happened to her.

    I should note that Kirkus gave the book a glowing review. I would have to say-neither thumbs up or thumbs down. A 3 out of 5. It's a well-written book with an interesting premise that makes a lot of unfulfilled promises.  Maybe all the snow and cold has put me in a bad mood because I did enjoy reading this. The world-building is well done and the characters are interesting. If there is a book two and three that flesh out and give closure to the parts that were left in question--I'm on board!

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

While Perfect Picture Book Friday is on summer hiatus, I thought I might write some reviews of books in other book formats. I know, y’all thought I only read picture books! Well, I do read a LOT of them. But there are other books that find their way into my library tote.

One book that was on my list to read until recently is The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. With my background in the sciences, I’m surprised it took me so long to get to it.

This was a 2010 Newbery Honor book and I came to it with high expectations.

Most of my expectations for this middle grade novel were met. The author uses beautiful language to evoke the surroundings of a rich family’s post-civil war lifestyle. The only drawback to this is that in first person narration the eloquent phrases often gave the eleven-year-old main character/narrator a “voice” older than her grandfather's. Certainly, times have changed, but I wondered if today’s children would find the voice as distancing as I did. In contrast, when thinking about her older brother’s burgeoning interest in the opposite sex, Callie’s emotional response felt very young and I had difficulty reconciling the disparate tone.

Similarly, I admired Callie's spunk but found the home life versus science attitude somewhat off-putting. As an adult, looking back at life in 1899 (Callie's era) I understood the author's viewpoint but as someone who left a professional career to take care of my own children I didn't like the message I got that there are women of worth and women who stay home. Even at the end, Callie feels uni-dimensional in this regard. I recognize that different women are entitled to different choices. I think what stopped me is that Callie not only doesn’t want any part in what had historically been a woman's traditional role in the world, she doesn’t recognize any value in other women’s part in it. I couldn’t put my finger on the quote when I went back but either Callie or Grandfather opines that the women are at home because they don’t know any better. Yikes. These attitudes seemed stranger after I read the author bio and learned that the author, Jacqueline Kelly, had-- like myself--been in a field of science and then become a lawyer before turning to writing. Perhaps the book was written this way precisely to promote discussion.

The book does a marvelous job weaving scientific discoveries of the day in with the family’s life. Grandfather’s fascination with the automobile made me chuckle. Readers who are looking for plot though won’t find it here. I have to admit I found myself skimming and had to make myself go back over parts. It felt like assigned summer reading rather than something I would pick if I were a child again.

While it won’t make my list of favorites, this book is certainly worth a read.

Anyone else want to weigh in on it?