Book Review: A Little Women Christmas by Heather Vogel Frederick

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A Little Women Christmas cover imageIt’s Christmas Eve and although the March sisters and their mother have little money for presents, they gather to give simple gifts and be thankful for their health and their happy home. Their thoughts are with their father, away fighting in the war, and they hope for his safe return. Little do they know that the best surprise of all will be delivered before the evening ends.

Adapted from Little Women, Louisa May Alcott’s classic book, A Little Women Christmas by Heather Vogel Frederick is a book to read and treasure during the Christmas season. Bagram Ibatoulline’s beautiful illustrations glow with a warmth that reflects the tender thoughts of the family and their love towards one another.

For anyone who has read Little Women, the story is not a surprise, but by focusing on the Christmas Eve story in the novel, Frederick is able to shine a light on the message that resonates during this season: having family, friends and health is the most special gift of all.

A Little Women Christmas makes a great addition to any collection of Christmas books to read aloud during the holidays.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Fleabrain Loves Franny by Joanne Rocklin

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Fleabrain Loves Franny cover imageIt’s 1952 and Franny Katzenback is recovering from polio, undergoing painful physical therapy and wondering if she’ll ever walk again. During her illness she imagined she was being tended by angels, so when she starts to receive letters from a flea who lives on the tip of her dog’s tail, it seems like just another part of the strange, magical time in her life. Fleabrain comforts Franny as she frets over losing her fiends and her formerly active life. But eventually she finds that she must re-engage with the world despite her new circumstances.

Fleabrain Loves Franny by Joanne Rocklin portrays the unlikely friendship between a girl and a flea. It captures well the days before the polio vaccine, when those with the disease suffered because of their new disabilities and because they were ostracized by friends, who were afraid to catch it. Franny loves the story of Charlotte’s Web, and Fleabrain becomes her Charlotte, her personal champion.

Franny’s is a story of having courage in the face of adversity, finding friendship in surprising places, and learning when to speak up and act on injustice. Those are all interesting issues to discuss in a book club as well as the historical time frame. I highly recommend Fleabrain Loves Franny for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 9 to 12.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A. S. King

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Glory O'Brien's History of the Future cover imageOn the cusp of graduating from high school, Glory O’Brien is in the midst of a crisis that only she knows about. Her mother committed suicide when she was four, and Glory worries that even though she doesn’t feel depressed about her future, somehow she is destined to follow in her mom’s footsteps. She’s having a hard time communicating with her best friend, who mostly wants to talk about herself anyway. She’s frustrated that no one really talks about what happened with her mom, and everyone expects her to move on.

Then one day Glory can see the past and future of everyone she looks at. The future looks bleak, with a second Civil War started in the U.S., and the rights of women curtailed. As she searches for herself in those future visions, she finds a way to move forward in the present.

Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A.S. King explores the pressure teens feel to have things figured out for themselves by the time they finish high school. Glory’s situation is complicated by the tragedy in her family and the fact that she doesn’t feel like she can talk about it. The magical realism of Glory’s visions of the future add another layer to her confusion and the pressure to get things right in the present.

As in her other books, author A.S. King is not deterred from taking on big issues: how suicide affects family members, society’s expectations for women, and sexual activity among teens. Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future can inspire thoughtful conversations about those issues and more among book club members aged 16 and over.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: The Biggest Burp Ever: Funny Poems for Kids by Kenn Nesbitt

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The Biggest Burp Ever cover imageKenn Nesbitt firmly believes that reading funny poems helps kids learn to read by making them laugh and want to keep turning pages. If that’s the case, then his newest book, The Biggest Burp Ever: Funny Poems for Kids, should create new bookworms by the droves. Every poem delivers a chuckle, a giggle, or a guffaw, and kids (as well as a few parents) are likely to see a little bit of themselves in the poems too.

In a sign of the times, many of the poems are about kids and other family members using technology, like this poem:

im rlly gd @ txting

im rlly gd @ txting.

i do it all day lng.

im spedy on the keybrd

n my thms r supr strng.

Other poems are about kids trying to get out of homework and stay home from school, kids dealing with family members, and kids and pets. Illustrations by Rafael Domingos are simple and playful, like the one of a pirate in a tutu doing a pirouette with a raised sword to go with the poem, “I’m a Pirate Ballerina.”

The whole collection is fun and funny, and you and your kids will be inspired to read them again and again.

The author provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: The God of Sno Cone Blue by Marcia Coffey Turnquist

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The God of Sno Cone Blue cover imageWhen Grace thinks back on her childhood, she sees it split into two: the time before her mother got sick and died, and the time after, when the letters her mother wrote to her started to arrive. Before, even though she was the child of a preacher and felt the pressure of being considered a “goody two shoes,” Grace felt like she knew what to expect of the world. After, her mother’s letters reveal stories from her own teen years and the events that set her on a path to become a preacher’s wife. The letters reveal things Grace never expected to know about her mother, information that sends her on a journey of discovery that will change the rest of her life.

The God of Sno Cone Blue by Marcia Coffey Turnquist is a story of mothers and daughters and the profound impact they can have—both good and bad—on each other’s lives. Grace’s mother, Sharon, tells stories of her own mother, a woman with no tenderness to show her children. Astrid is a mother to be feared rather than loved, and Sharon vows to be different. Dying young, she wants her daughter to truly know her, so she writes the letters and directs that they be delivered over time, as Grace turns from a pre-teen to a teen.

The God of Sno Cone Blue brings up many issues to discuss in book clubs with teens aged older than 15 or those with adults only. Why does grief often make people question their religious faith? How does knowing someone with physical or mental challenges change peoples’ perspective of others who are challenged? How important is the image we create of ourselves and the person we believe ourselves to be? What defines a family?

I purchased my copy of this book from the author.

Book Review: Bright Coin Moon by Kirsten Lopresti

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Bright Coin Moon cover imageLindsey and her mother are barely eking by, telling fortunes in a small Oregon town. But Lindsey is unmoored when their home mysteriously burns down and her mom whisks them off to California so they can get rich telling fortunes for stars.

Lindsey desperately wants to pursue her dream of going to college and becoming an astronomer, but she’s not sure her mother will survive her leaving. Also, she finds herself attracted to the boy next door, but she’s not sure how much she can trust him to keep her secrets. Ultimately, Lindsey must decide how to transition from her current reality to the future she wants.

Bright Coin Moon by Kirsten Lopresti looks at the influence parents can have on helping their children develop a moral compass…or not. Lindsey knows that her mom runs scams to bilk people out of money, yet she feels it’s necessary for their survival. The web of lies they build around themselves is hard to maintain, Even the other people they collaborate with in their deceptions can’t be trusted.

While I would have liked to see Lindsey struggle more deeply with the ethical and moral issues raised in the book, Bright Coin Moon provides an interesting story for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 14 and up to have their own discussions about getting by regardless of who you hurt with your actions.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Interview with Liz Prince, Author of Tomboy

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Yesterday, I featured a book review along with a giveaway of Liz Prince’s Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir. Today, Prince is stopping by Mother Daughter Book Club. com to answer a few questions.

Here’s a little bit of information you may want to know about her before reading the interview:

Liz Prince is an autobiographical cartoonist who currently lives outside of Boston, Massachusetts, with her two cats, Wolfman and Dracula. Her first book, Will You Still Love Me If I Wet the Bed?, won the Ignatz Award for Outstanding Debut in 2005. She has since published the comic strip collections Delayed Replays and Alone Forever. She has drawn comics for the wildly popular Adventure Time comic series, is a regular contributor to Razorcake magazine, and self–publishes her own comics and zines. She is still a tomboy, and can frequently be found shopping in the boys’ section at thrift stores.

Now, on to the interview.

Liz Prince photos

Liz Prince…then and now.

What do you like most about telling a story with words and illustrations?

LP: I’m a very visual person, so the drawings tell as much for me as the words do.  I believe that the strength of the artwork in my comics is in the acting and emotion that I’m able to convey in my characters.  It’s very fulfilling to be able to use two narrative devices at once.

What do you find most challenging about it?

LP: I know that my art isn’t the most technically precise: I still have trouble with realistic perspective and rendering textures and backgrounds.  I’m still developing those skills, but I’ve hopefully created a style of drawing that fits really well with my narrative, and ultimately makes the stories so much more me.

When you were growing up, you were bullied for not fitting into expectations for how they felt girls should dress and act. Do you think things have changed at all for kids who don’t conform? What helped you get through those times?

LP: I think that there are a lot more resources for parents who have gender non-conforming children, and a lot more understanding that gender binaries shouldn’t be so strict.  I would hope that things have changed, but I can’t say for sure!

My parents, being as supportive as they were, really made me feel comfortable just being me.  My story would probably be a lot different if my mom was forcing me into party dresses and making me take ballet classes.

 How did you eventually find the right path for you?

LP: Honestly, it was probably half luck and half being stubborn.

What is the most important thing you would like readers to remember after reading your memoir?

LP: I would like the readers to remember the importance of being yourself; anything else is disingenuous.

Is there anything else you’d like to say to readers at Mother Daughter Book Club. com?

LP: I hope that folks will keep up with me and my comics at www.lizprincepower.com!  Thanks for the questions, Cindy!

Book Review & Giveaway: Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir by Liz Prince

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Today I’m taking part in the blog tour for Liz Prince and Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir. I highly recommend the book for two reasons: it’s an interesting story with great graphics to help tell it, and it can generate a discussion about the expectations others put on us to behave in certain ways. I have one copy to give away to a reader with a U.S. address. To be entered into the drawing, leave a comment below about why Liz’s story appeals to you. Just be sure to comment by midnight (PST), Tuesday, November 4.

Check back in tomorrow when author Liz Prince stops by for an interview. And if you’d like to see other stops on the tour, visit the blog tour page at Zest Books.

Here’s my review:

Tomboy cover imageGrowing up, Liz Prince was considered a tomboy. She liked to wear boys’ clothes, keep her hair short, and she was the only girl in her local Little League. Liz was just behaving in a way that felt right for her, but other kids didn’t like the fact that she didn’t fit into her expected gender role, which meant she was bullied. While she avoided doing “girly things,” she was also attracted to boys, a combination that didn’t often work out for her. With the support of a core group of friends, and her discovery of comics and zines that speak to her creativity, she forges a path of acceptance for herself.

Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir is Prince’s story about her experiences growing up. It shows that even with supportive parents and close friends, life can be difficult when you don’t conform to people’s expectations. Prince reveals her struggle with candor, and I expect that many readers who feel like they don’t “fit in” in some way will relate to her experiences. Her illustrations create scenes from playgrounds and in classrooms that do a great job of capturing how she thought and acted through the year.

Tomboy should be a great way to start a conversation about gender expectations, both for boys and girls (Prince’s younger brother was bullied for growing his hair long like a girl’s). I highly recommend it for book clubs with members aged 14 and up.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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