Title: Expert Assistance
Author: Robert Collins
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Asylett Press
Publisher Website: www.asylett.com
Pages: 173
ISBN: 9781934337080
Price: $8.75
Publishing Date: 2007
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4 hearts
This very funny space opera science fiction is also a brilliant social commentary, especially on the shallowness of pop culture. Spacer of fortune, Jake Bonner, finds himself short of funds; therefore, he takes on two jobs simultaneously: a controlling consultant to mine workers governed by an unethical tyrant who seek revolution and to chauffeur Evvie, a nineteen-year-old pop star who is on a performance tour. He is assisted by his ship’s artificial intelligence-driven spaceship, which was originally designed for wholesale espionage and over which he was able gain salvage rights. Things really get complex when Evvie discovers Jake’s revolutionary mission and wants to play in it to gain massive PR points.
In addition to being a humorous read, this story should be considered a classic in the field of social commentary. It ranks right up there with Animal Farm and 1984, but with a far less dire atmosphere. The author, an active historian, brings to bear an excellent knowledge of what comprises good music and theatre and how bad and shallow current and evolving pop culture is. It is a cleanly written story and is very appropriate for young, gifted readers. We rated this excellent social commentary novel four hearts.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
A Younger Series Similar to Artemis Fowl
Title: Quest for the Elfin Elixir: A Duncan Family Adventure (Book 2)
Author: Ami Blackford
Illustrator: Ami Blackford
Publisher and/or Distributor: Red Cygnet Press
Publisher Website: www.redcygnet.com
Pages: 80
ISBN: 978-1-60108-021-9
Price: $16.95
Publishing Date: Sept 2007
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5 hearts
If your children readers liked the Artemis Fowl, they’ll love this series. The author, a recent graduate of the Atlanta College of Art, combines the elements of modern day action with fairies and other such magical creatures. This particular episode has Ruth Duncan and older brother David traveling to the Caribbean with fairy Simone to find a magical elixir. The only problem is it is held by a group of elves who live in a cave under the ocean. Even with the best of diving equipment, how will Ruth find the courage to go diving under the surface of the sea when she’s terrified of diving? We rated the story and its attendant illustrations five hearts.
Author: Ami Blackford
Illustrator: Ami Blackford
Publisher and/or Distributor: Red Cygnet Press
Publisher Website: www.redcygnet.com
Pages: 80
ISBN: 978-1-60108-021-9
Price: $16.95
Publishing Date: Sept 2007
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5 hearts
If your children readers liked the Artemis Fowl, they’ll love this series. The author, a recent graduate of the Atlanta College of Art, combines the elements of modern day action with fairies and other such magical creatures. This particular episode has Ruth Duncan and older brother David traveling to the Caribbean with fairy Simone to find a magical elixir. The only problem is it is held by a group of elves who live in a cave under the ocean. Even with the best of diving equipment, how will Ruth find the courage to go diving under the surface of the sea when she’s terrified of diving? We rated the story and its attendant illustrations five hearts.
Red Cygnet Press: An Exciting Publisher Program
We have discovered an exciting program for children's literature that focuses on both text and illustrations. Red Cygnet Press, an imprint of Sound Prints, has a unique relationship with a number of major university fine arts programs. Red Cygnet works closely with universitys' faculty to find students who are especially talented as both writers and illustrators. The result is a line of children's books that is fresh and extremely well done by some of the top student talent in the country. They are producing books which are ideal for both gifted and reluctant readers. I will be writing a number of book reviews based on these excellent offerings so you will be aware of this wonderful resource.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
A Holocaust In China--Wonderful YA Fare
Title: Shanghai Shadows
Author: Lois Ruby
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Holiday House, Inc.
Publisher Website: www.holidayhouse.com
Pages: 284
ISBN: 0-8234-1960-6
Price: $16.95
Publishing Date: 2006
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5 hearts
This superb young adult book chronicles in a fictionalized form the escape of 20,000 Jews from Austria in 1939 when the Nazis take over that country to the only country that will accept them—China. They are gathered into the foreign compounds of Shanghai. They soon discover that the encroaching Japanese may be just as bad as the Nazis. The story centers on a family of four—father, mother, older brother, younger sister—who steadily find their quality of life declining, along with everyone else’s. The concert violinist father and the caring mother find very little work. The brother and sister find themselves involved in an underground spy group and risk their lives and freedom almost daily.
Beyond its historical significance, this is a revealing story about family relationships under extreme stress. Seen through the eyes of Ilse, the young daughter, we witness what it’s like to only be able to find a handful of hours of minimum wage work in a totally alien country. Just when the reader believes the plot has become totally predictable, the author throws an incredible relationship twist (ah, ah, no peeking) into the story that takes our breath away. Just when you think it cannot get worse, it does so in a huge way.
Lois Ruby has become the social conscience of a whole generation of uninformed children. Without the usual histrionics of many holocaust books, she builds plausible stories with relationships that can be understood by teens and tweens to illustrate how bad this timeframe was. She has also done the same for the Civil War timeframe (Steal Away Home). It is no wonder why this retired librarian continues to win accolades for all her books. We rated this book five hearts.
Author: Lois Ruby
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Holiday House, Inc.
Publisher Website: www.holidayhouse.com
Pages: 284
ISBN: 0-8234-1960-6
Price: $16.95
Publishing Date: 2006
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5 hearts
This superb young adult book chronicles in a fictionalized form the escape of 20,000 Jews from Austria in 1939 when the Nazis take over that country to the only country that will accept them—China. They are gathered into the foreign compounds of Shanghai. They soon discover that the encroaching Japanese may be just as bad as the Nazis. The story centers on a family of four—father, mother, older brother, younger sister—who steadily find their quality of life declining, along with everyone else’s. The concert violinist father and the caring mother find very little work. The brother and sister find themselves involved in an underground spy group and risk their lives and freedom almost daily.
Beyond its historical significance, this is a revealing story about family relationships under extreme stress. Seen through the eyes of Ilse, the young daughter, we witness what it’s like to only be able to find a handful of hours of minimum wage work in a totally alien country. Just when the reader believes the plot has become totally predictable, the author throws an incredible relationship twist (ah, ah, no peeking) into the story that takes our breath away. Just when you think it cannot get worse, it does so in a huge way.
Lois Ruby has become the social conscience of a whole generation of uninformed children. Without the usual histrionics of many holocaust books, she builds plausible stories with relationships that can be understood by teens and tweens to illustrate how bad this timeframe was. She has also done the same for the Civil War timeframe (Steal Away Home). It is no wonder why this retired librarian continues to win accolades for all her books. We rated this book five hearts.
Monday, November 5, 2007
An Aesop-Like Fable Teaches Balance in Life
Title: The Leaping Grasshopper
Author: Jeanne Archambault
Illustrator: Dwight Smith
Publisher and/or Distributor: Jitterbug Books
Publisher Website: www.jitterbugbooks.net
Pages: 32
ISBN: 978-0-9763031-2-1
Price: $15.95
Publishing Date: 2006
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4 hearts
This picture book tells a story in Aesop’s style about a grasshopper who is too busy jumping high, far, and often to take the time to make friends and play along the way. Toward the end of the day, he notices the only animal still left in his vicinity is a cat. Although he is frightened of the cat, he asks if she wants to play. She politely replies yes, and they play together. This raises grasshopper’s realizations that perhaps he should have taken the time to make more friends and will demonstrate his willingness to do so from now on.
The quality of this book’s poetry does a good job of teaching the need for friendliness. The story is similar enough to Aesop’s grasshopper to reinforce the need for more than single-mindedness, whether it be work or play. Balance in life is what is taught here. We rated this book four hearts.
Author: Jeanne Archambault
Illustrator: Dwight Smith
Publisher and/or Distributor: Jitterbug Books
Publisher Website: www.jitterbugbooks.net
Pages: 32
ISBN: 978-0-9763031-2-1
Price: $15.95
Publishing Date: 2006
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4 hearts
This picture book tells a story in Aesop’s style about a grasshopper who is too busy jumping high, far, and often to take the time to make friends and play along the way. Toward the end of the day, he notices the only animal still left in his vicinity is a cat. Although he is frightened of the cat, he asks if she wants to play. She politely replies yes, and they play together. This raises grasshopper’s realizations that perhaps he should have taken the time to make more friends and will demonstrate his willingness to do so from now on.
The quality of this book’s poetry does a good job of teaching the need for friendliness. The story is similar enough to Aesop’s grasshopper to reinforce the need for more than single-mindedness, whether it be work or play. Balance in life is what is taught here. We rated this book four hearts.
A Lesson in Self-Worth
Title: Larry the Lawnmower
Author: Jeanne Archambault
Illustrator: Victoria Corey
Publisher and/or Distributor: Jitterbug Books
Publisher Website: www.jitterbugbooks.net
Pages: 32
ISBN: 978-0-9763031-0-7
Price: $15.95
Publishing Date: 2007 (2nd Printing)
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4 hearts
Larry the Lawnmower is a lesson in self-worth picture book. Larry enjoys his assigned role as a grass cutting tool until his age causes his owner to replace him with a lawn tractor. Larry is sad until he is sold at a yard sale to a young boy who gives Larry a new coat of paint and fresh oil. Larry knows he will have more time to work for the boy so the boy can earn money for a new bike. Larry is happy with his station in life once again.
Although the illustrations are not of museum-level quality, they are cute and eye appealing. The story is logical and the rhymes flow. Larry becomes humanized and the child reader/listener learns we all age but we also have worth, even in our old age, as long as somebody cares. We rated this book four hearts.
Author: Jeanne Archambault
Illustrator: Victoria Corey
Publisher and/or Distributor: Jitterbug Books
Publisher Website: www.jitterbugbooks.net
Pages: 32
ISBN: 978-0-9763031-0-7
Price: $15.95
Publishing Date: 2007 (2nd Printing)
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4 hearts
Larry the Lawnmower is a lesson in self-worth picture book. Larry enjoys his assigned role as a grass cutting tool until his age causes his owner to replace him with a lawn tractor. Larry is sad until he is sold at a yard sale to a young boy who gives Larry a new coat of paint and fresh oil. Larry knows he will have more time to work for the boy so the boy can earn money for a new bike. Larry is happy with his station in life once again.
Although the illustrations are not of museum-level quality, they are cute and eye appealing. The story is logical and the rhymes flow. Larry becomes humanized and the child reader/listener learns we all age but we also have worth, even in our old age, as long as somebody cares. We rated this book four hearts.
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