Book Review: The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fused by Kari Lee Townsend

Posted on by

The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fused by Kari Lee Townsend is part realistic fiction, part science fiction, and part superhero action novel. It’s also funny.

Samantha Granger could get lost in her own home—she has zero sense of direction. So it’s no surprise that she loses her way while returning home through the woods from her friend’s house. What is a surprise is the glowing green crystal she spots, and what happens to her when she touches it.

As Samantha slowly comes to realize she has special powers, she also has to figure out how to control them without everyone in school thinking she’s a freak. Particularly Trevor, who seems to like her as more than just a friend. She also has to solve the mystery of who is behind the string of crimes that have broken out in her small town, and figure out a way to get her parents back together after their separation. Along the way, she’s working on her superhero costume as well as a name for herself, and trying not to freak out that she’s going to die because she touched the crystal.

The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fused should be fun to read for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged nine to 12. Issues to discuss include the role of technology in our lives, confiding in parents, and having confidence in your abilities. This new series should be fun to follow. To learn more about this new series and the author, read Kari Lee Townsend’s blog post about how she came up with the idea for Fused and what you can expect in the next book, Fearless.

Book Review: More Bears! Written by Kenn Nesbitt and Illustrated by Troy Cummings

Posted on by

More Bears imageKenn Nesbitt is a master storyteller for kids. If you’re familiar with his silly rhymes and wacky poetry, and even if you’re not, you’ll want to check out his book for the youngest readers, More Bears!

The book opens with an author writing a children’s book when he hears children’s voices call out to him to add more bears to the story. Resisting at first, he soon gets into the mood of adding more bears. Pretty soon he’s got bears doing everything from strumming ukuleles and surfing the waves to riding ponies.

Before you know it there are too many bears, and the author wants to expel them from his story. More Bears! is full of repetition, counting, colors, rhymes and so many things children will love to have read to them over and over. The good news is, parents won’t get tired of obliging them. Illustrations, by Troy Cummings, are fun, and you and your child will enjoy matching each written-about bear to the drawing. The premise that children can influence what an author writes should be fun for kids to contemplate too. I highly recommend it for the littlest ones in your life and all the other little ones you know.

Save

Book Review: Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? by Pamela Keogh

Posted on by

Jackie or Marilyn image Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Marilyn Monroe are two of the most memorable female icons of the last century. In her own way, each embodied personal style and celebrity, and each held power over those around her.

Jacqueline came from a powerful and privileged family, while Marilyn rose above poverty to become a star, but each was also restricted by the expectations placed on them by others. Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn: Timeless Lessons on Love, Power, and Style by Pamela Keogh compares and contrasts these two women while also speculating as to how they fit into today’s world.

Each chapter highlights a quality Jackie and Marilyn were known for, such as beauty, style, mystery and diva behavior. Questions throughout let the reader ponder whether she is more like Jackie or more like Marilyn or a blend of both. You’ll also find advice on when it may be more advantageous to be more of one or the other. The tone ranges from serious when talking about the big issues Jackie and Marilyn faced, to lighthearted. Lots of sidebars keep this a fast-paced book to read. It’s a lot of fun.

Save

Book Review: The Heroine’s Bookshelf by Erin Blakemore

Posted on by

The Heroine's Bookshelf imageImagine pairing some of your favorite heroines in literary history with their female authors and analyzing both the similarities and differences in their lives. That’s what Erin Blakemore has done in The Heroine’s Bookshelf: Life Lessons, From Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder.

In her introduction, Blakemore talks abut the need to read and find inspiration, especially when times are difficult. She also mentions how she has turned to literary heroines throughout her own life in times of upheaval.

Each chapter highlights a quality, such as Faith, Dignity, and Indulgence, then talks about how a literary heroine displays this quality. Twelve authors and their heroines are covered, including some you may expect, such as Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, and others you may not, such as Scarlet O’Hara in Gone With the Wind.

I was fascinated by the barriers so many women had to bringing their stories to print, and how so many authors that we think of as successful struggled with poverty their entire lives. As such, The Heroine’s Bookshelf is fascinating both as a historical look at women writers as well as literary analysis of the characters they wrote.

It would take some work, but I can see a mother-daughter book club with girls aged 14 and up, or a women’s book club, choosing each of Blakemore’s titles and reading it as a group along with the chapter she writes about it. Even if you’re not in a book club with your daughter, you may find this is a great activity for just the two of you take on together.

Book Review: Ivy + Bean: What’s the Big Idea, Written by Annie Barrows, Illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Posted on by

Ivy and Bean imageIvy and Bean are friends even though they are opposite in many ways. Bean is loud and rambunctious and full of crazy ideas. Ivy is quiet and thoughtful and often willing to help Bean try out some of her wild plans.

When they come together to work on a science project in Ivy + Bean: What’s the Big Idea, they are determined to find a solution for global warming.

I loved how the two girls started coming up with ideas for how they could help global warming without asking adults first whether their solution was really workable or not. The things they and their classmates dreamed up seemed exactly like what second-graders would come up with. The kids in Ivy and Bean’s class had family members holding their breath to cut down on carbon dioxide, built robots that attacked litterbugs, and threw ice cubes in the air to cool down the atmosphere.

And as a parent veteran of quite a few science projects myself, I was interested to see that the projects were all child-conceived and child-driven. From my experience, that’s rarely the case in school science fairs. The drawings illustrate the action beautifully, and show some of Bean’s whimsical imaginings too. This is the seventh book in the popular Ivy + Bean series, which is written by Annie Barrows and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. It’s sure to please young readers just as much as the previous titles.

Save

Save

Book Review: If I Could Keep You Little by Marianne Richmond

Posted on by

If I Could Keep You Little imageIf I Could Keep You Little, written and illustrated by Marianne Richmond, is sure to resonate with both parents and growing children who are proud of their accomplishments.

Each page features a mom or dad talking about all the special moments they would hold onto if they could keep their little ones little. Moments like singing lullabies, holding your child’s hand, kissing cuts and scrapes and finger painting together plus more are featured.

Also highlighted is the flip side and everything parents would miss about their children’s growing accomplishments. For instance, one page says, “If I could keep you little, I’d decide on matching clothes. ”The facing page says, “But then I’d miss you choosing dots on top and stripes below.” What mom or dad hasn’t struggled with whether to let their children choose their own clothes or choose for them? This holding onto control vs. sharing it puts the struggle in perspective as part of a growing child’s need for expressing her own opinions and autonomy.

It’s a clever way of highlighting for parents all the things they love about their children as they grow. Kids should appreciate the colorful illustrations that do a great job of capturing all the moments and milestones written about in the text. This should be a great book for anyone you know with toddlers and young children.

Save

Book Review: The Perfect Love Song by Patti Callahan Henry

Posted on by

The Perfect Love Song imageIn Irish storytelling tradition, Patti Callahan Henry has a brought us a touching holiday tale about finding and holding onto the things you love in The Perfect Love Song.

The unnamed, omniscient storyteller weaves the tale of brothers Jack and Jimmy and their girlfriends, Kara and Charlotte. They’ve all experienced pain and loss while growing up, but they have found success as young adults making their way in the world. Even so, they also face challenges left over from events that shaped them in childhood.

The Perfect Love Song is a snapshot of a year in their lives, a year when one couple plans a marriage and the other struggles to hold onto their relationship. The story also asks readers to consider how they will identify the most important things in their lives and what they will sacrifice to hold onto them. The storyteller knows it all and hints at a little Celtic magic at work behind the scenes.

Dawn Little Talks About Building Literacy as a Family

Posted on by
Dawn Little photo

Dawn Little of Links to Literacy.com

Book Bundlz, one of my favorite sites talking about books, book clubs and literacy, features an article this month from Dawn Little, who founded the website, Links to Literacy.com.

The article includes tips on what you can do in your family to show how important you think literacy is. Little’s article includes ideas for things like playing literacy games and reading out loud. The whole article is worth checking out at Book Bundlz.com.

Save

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...