Five New Board Books

My Lucky Little Dragon. Joyce Wan. 2014. Scholastic. 14 pages. [Source: Review copy]

You are my lucky little dragon
my clever little snake
my happy little horsey
my snuggly little sheep
my silly little monkey
my chatty little rooster...

You Are My Cupcake by Joyce Wan remains my favorite, favorite, favorite board book. It lends itself so well to singing, and as a song it is practically perfect in every way. I can't say that My Lucky Little Dragon works as a song; it may be possible with effort and imagination, but, as a read aloud, I think it works well enough. Everything about this one is super sweet. And it would probably make a great companion book for those families who loved Wan's previous board books.

My favorite pages? My silly little monkey; my trusty little puppy; my playful little pig.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

Giraffes Can't Dance Number Rumba Counting Book. Giles Andreae. Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. 2014. Scholastic. 12 pages. [Source: Review copy]

One wobbly Gerald tries to find his feet.
Two leaping leopards, skipping to the beat. 
Three high-kicking hyenas, springing through the air.

A fun counting-to-ten concept board book starring oh-so-playful animals with easy-to-turn pages. I liked the eight bold baboons getting in the groove. And I loved the nine cheerful chimps who waltz and jive and prance. The illustrations are just fun!

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

A Big Hug for Little Cub. Lorie Ann Grover. Rosalinda Kightley. 2014. Scholastic. 18 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Morning dawn, I stretch and yawn.
Momma's near, purrs in my ear.
Come, let's play this bright, hot day.
We run free. So much to see. 
Grasses sway. I lead the way.

I liked this sweet and gentle board book starring a lion and cub. It follows parent and child from morning to night. I liked the writing. My favorite bit:

Hear a sound, so we duck down. Momma, now, will show me how. Stalk and pounce. Tumble and trounce. 

It is a pleasant, very pleasant book for sharing with a little one.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

Tickety Toc Count Our Friends! 2014. Scholastic. 12 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I'm sharing another counting book with you today. This counting book only goes through five. It stars the characters from Tickety Toc: Tommy and Tallulah, Hopparoo, McCoggins, Madame Au Lait, Pufferty, and Chikidee. The writing, as you might expect, is not the best. The rhyming is serviceable at best. This board book exists solely because of the TV show.

The pages are easy to turn. And for little ones who do love the TV show, this is a perfectly fine book to put in their hands. But it's not a wonderful read!

Text: 2 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 5 out of 10

How Does Baby Feel? Karen Katz. 2013. Simon & Schuster. 14 pages. [Source: Library]

Baby wants milk and crackers. 
How does baby feel?
Hungry.
Baby gets a tummy tickle?
How does baby feel?
Happy.
Baby is yawning.
How does baby feel?
...

 If you and your little one loved What Does the Baby Say? there's a very good chance you'll both love How Does Baby Feel? Like What Does The Baby Say? (and so many other Karen Katz titles) this one is a lift-the-flap book. Readers are given clues about the text, the answers are revealed under the flaps. It is a simple book to be shared one-on-one at story time. It's a lovely board book.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10


© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Lego Phonics (2014)

Lego Super Heroes Phonics. Quinlan B. Lee. 2014. Scholastic. Includes 10 Books and 2 Workbooks. [Source: Review copy]

The Lego Super Heroes Phonics pack includes ten books: five books focusing on short vowel sounds, five books focusing on long vowel sounds. The books are all set in the DC Universe.

The writing. I won't lie. It's a phonics book. Even though the characters are super heroes, it feels like a phonics book. But. I suppose they have a purpose!

Book #1 Meet Batman (short a)

What is that in the sky?
It is a flash!
It is a bat!
We need the man in the mask.
We need Batman!
Batman jumps in the Batmobile. He needs a plan. He needs to get to his lab. Fast!

 Book #2 Get That Cat! (short e)

"Help!" a man yells. Catwoman has a gem. Quick! Get help!
"Meow! Come here, my pet," she says. Catwoman is set to get away.

Book #3 Come Quick (short i)

Superman hears Batman from far away. Batman says, "Come quick!" "Quick is what I do best!" the Flash says. "I will be there in a flash!" The Flash gets to the spot. There is just a big hill of bricks. "Why did Batman say to come quick?"

Book #4 Stop the Bot (short o)

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Lex has a big robot. The bot has got Wonder Woman.

Book #5 Up, Up, and Away (short u)

This is Superman. He can run fast! He can jump high! He can do much more than any man! The sun makes Superman strong. He can pick up a bus so it does not get crushed.

Book #6 Two-Face Chase (long a)

Batman races to the bank! There is a crane in the way. He hits the brakes! "I hate to be late!" Batman yells.

Book #7 Mr. Freeze (long e)

Batman and Robin are in the Batboat. "I feel the need! I feel the need for speed!" says Robin.

Book #8 Ride On! (long i)

"You cannot hide this time, Bane," says Batman. A bike rides by in the dark. Is it Bane? It is Catwoman! she smiles. "Are you looking for me?" she says. "I will not hide this time."

Book #9 No Joke (long o)

All of Gotham City is at home in bed. No one is out. Except one lone man...
The Joker! "This smoke will help you sleep...forever!" he yells. "And that is no joke."

Book #10 Get a Clue (long u)

Batman gets a note. It says: "I have the guy in blue. Do you want him back? You know what to do. Look for me and get my clues." 

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The Living (2013)

The Living. Matt de la Pena. 2013. Random House. 320 pages. [Source: Review copy]

The Living is a fast read. It's an interesting blend of genres: survival fiction (natural disaster), romance, mystery, horror, AND medical thriller (conspiracies, evil corporations, oh my!).

Shy, the book's hero, is working a summer job on a cruise ship. He's gotten close to a couple of guys and one girl in particular, Carmen. He's fallen hard for her. She's engaged to another guy, a law student. Shy is a mostly good guy who is not out to steal someone else's girlfriend. He's not out to get her to cheat on this guy. He just likes talking to her about anything and everything, no topics are off limits, really. She just really understands him in a way like no one else. On his latest trip, he has the feeling that someone is watching him, in a creepy not-normal way. He's right: someone wants to know EVERYTHING about a certain suicide that Shy witnessed on the last voyage.

Survival on the open sea. Something BIG and catastrophic happens. (A chain of somethings.) Shy is on board a small boat (life boat? raft? one of the two.) with only a very injured business man and a very young, very attractive young woman. Their days on the sea, their fight for survival, creates a bond, despite the fact that these two have zero in common with each other--and outside of this specific situation they'd never speak to one another. Will they survive? Will they reach land? Is help on the way? When does life return to normal again?

The Living is bleak, in a way. The novel is very up front about death. The first death (by suicide) opening in the prologue. The body count just increases from there. It's also extremely action-packed with just a few meaning-of-life conversations thrown in.

It is the first book in a series. I would say it doesn't have a proper end, and that it might best be saved for late summer (or early fall) 2014 so that you only have a few weeks to wait for the next book.

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Four 2014 Picture Books

The Runaway Hug. Nick Bland. Illustrated by Freya Blackwood. 2013 (Dec). Random House. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

"Mommy," said Lucy. "Can I have a hug before I go to bed?"
"Oh dear," said Mommy. "I only have one left. It's my very last hug."
"Can I borrow it?" said Lucy. "I promise I'll give it back."
It was long and soft, and Lucy thought it was very nice. 
"Thank you," said Lucy. "I'll bring it back as soon as I'm finished with it."

 I definitely enjoyed reading Nick Bland's The Runaway Hug. Lucy, our heroine, has taken the very last hug her mother had. She shares that "last hug" with every member of her family: her father, her twin brothers, her baby sister, her dog. All but one--reluctantly or not so reluctantly--give the hug back so that Lucy can still have it to return to her mother right before bed. But the dog?! Well, let's just say that Lucy has to chase him EVERYWHERE before she catches him and gets that "last hug" back. This is a sweet, non-typical bedtime read aloud. I really liked the playfulness of it. I think the illustrations work well. (Though I am curious why Lily--the baby--is unsupervised in the kitchen and eating peanut butter while her Dad watches TV and her mom does laundry.) From the end pages on, the reader is a part of the story. (The end paper shows Lucy doing the ever-familiar before bed routine.)

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10

A Book of Babies. Il Sung Na. 2014. (Jan). Random House. 24 pages. [Source: Review copy] 

When the flowers begin to bloom and the world starts turning green, animals everywhere are born...
...including the noisy ducklings. 
Some have lots of brothers and sisters. 
Some have none at all.
Some can walk right away, 
While others need a little help!

I liked A Book of Babies. The first time I read it, I wasn't sure I liked it. But. As soon as I started paying attention to the illustrations, as soon as I started noticing that one of the "noisy ducklings" could be found on every spread of this one, I began to like it more and more. It is typical in that there are plenty of other picture books out there celebrating spring and baby animals. But it's also charming. A wide variety of animals are included: fish, sea horses, polar bears, zebras, kangaroos, ducks, etc.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

Patti Cake And Her New Doll. Patricia Reilly Giff. Illustrated by Laura J. Bryant. 2014. (Jan) Scholastic. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

"I have my own new room," I told Bella the babysitter.
"A new bed, too. It's gigantic!" Bella jangled her bracelets. "Time for a new-room present, Patti Cake. I'll take you shopping tomorrow." I couldn't wait. That night, the room turned greatly dark. No one slept in that big bed but me. Even Tootsie slept in the hall. 

I liked quite a few things about Patti Cake and Her New Doll. Patti Cake, our heroine, has moved into a new room. (Is it a new room in her old house? Or a new room in a new house? The book doesn't say.) Her new room is "greatly dark." She's a bit scared, not absolutely terrified, but more nervous about bed than usual. Her babysitter takes her shopping. They pick out a doll. She names the doll, "On Sale." She has a very action-packed day with On Sale and Tootsie. Accidents and messes abound. Fun is had by all. By the end of the day, as she's in bed and falling asleep she realizes that her room is great.

One thing I noticed in Patti Cake and Her New Doll was the lack of adult attention and/or supervision. The parents are nowhere to be found. (Are they on vacation? Are they at the hospital because there is a new baby on the way? Is that why Patti Cake has a new room and a new bed?) The babysitter can be found on four pages. But she's definitely not "involved" enough to stop the chaos. For example: nail polish ALL over the floor. Though Patti Cake doesn't seem bothered by being so alone, so maybe I shouldn't think so much about it either.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

 Little Frog's Tadpole Trouble. Tatyana Feeney. 2014. (Jan) Random House. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Little Frog lived with his mommy and daddy. It was just the three of them. Two plus one. And Little Frog liked it that way. One day, Mommy and Daddy told Little Frog that he was going to be a big brother...to NINE baby tadpoles! Little Frog was not impressed. 

 Who wants to be a big brother? Not Little Frog. And not only is Little Frog going to have to be a big brother, he has to be a big brother to NINE little ones. Is that fair?! Not to Little Frog's way of thinking. It's decidedly unjust. This is  a very typical, very predictable book about adjusting to new family members. Little Frog will, of course, "grow" to like his bigger family by the time the last page is turned.

I would have liked this one a bit more if the book hadn't included the word stupid. Little Frog really really has strong feelings about those nine tadpoles. And he's not shy about calling them stupid tadpoles. Should a book for little ones--toddlers and preschoolers--model this attitude? Is it a behavior to be encouraged or discouraged? Some parents may be fine with this as a read aloud, other parents may want to know about it in advance so they can substitute another word.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 2 out of 5
Total: 5 out of 10

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Four 2014 Board Books

Small Bunny's Blue Blanket. Tatyana Feeney. 2014. Random House. 24 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Small Bunny loved Blue Blanket. Everything he did, Small Bunny did with Blue Blanket.

I really loved this board book. I love Small Bunny. I love Small Bunny's love for Blue Blanket. I love how Blue Blanket "helps" him with many, many things. I especially love how Small Bunny needs Blue Blanket to help him read the hardest words in his books! I also love how Small Bunny oh-so-faithfully stands by and watches Blue Blanket in the washer for every single minute it takes. "It actually took 107. And Small Bunny watched Blue Blanket for every single one."

I love this sweet, predictable story of an attachment object. I thought the illustrations were just right--very simple, very sweet.

This one might pair well with Blankie by Leslie Patricelli, Owen by Kevin Henkes, Bubba and Beau Best Friends by Kathi Appelt, and Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems.

Also available: e-book, picture book

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out 5
Total: 9 out of 10

All Fall Down. Mary Brigid Barrett. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2014. Candlewick Press. 16 pages. [Source: Review copy]

You might be expecting a board book telling of Ring Around the Rosie, I admit that I was based on the title, but instead All Fall Down is a book that celebrates things falling down--many, many things.

First the red block,
then the green.
Place the yellow one between.
Stack the blocks.
Build them high.
Make the tower reach the sky!
ALL FALL DOWN!

The book captures the simple every day things of life: a family playing together, eating together, just being together. I like board books that focus on ordinary, every day happenings. The moments that life are made of. The moments that you can almost forget to treasure if you're not careful. I also like the rhythm and rhyme of this one.

Spoon potatoes in a mound,
plopping green peas all around.
Plunk spoon and cup atop the plate..
Daddy reaches out--too late!
ALL FALL DOWN!

This board book is oh-so-easy to recommend!

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

Pat-a-Cake. Mary Brigid Barrett. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2014. Candlewick Press. 16 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake
Clap, clap, clap.
Pat a pudding, wibble wobble.
Pat a puddle, splat!

This book made me laugh within a page or two. (I love the pat-a-pudding bit. The splat just makes me smile!) This is a book that demands to be read aloud. Read it to yourself silently, and perhaps it falls short. Read it aloud, and it transforms into something fun. I still don't like it as much as I like All Fall Down. But it's certainly a fun book worth reading and perhaps reading again again.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

Ten Tiny Toes. Caroline Jayne Church. 2014. Scholastic. 22 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Mouth, ears, eyes nose, arms, belly, legs, and ten tiny toes!
Touch your ears, make them wiggle.
Touch your belly, laugh and giggle.
Touch your mouth, open wide.
Touch your arms, wave side to side.

I have liked some of Caroline Jayne Church's books in the past. This one, however, I just have a hard time liking. The pictures are over-the-top adorable as usual. And for parents who love, love, love her artwork, this one may prove quite satisfying. But for me, the text just does not work as it should. The rhythm feels forced and unnatural.

Text: 2 out of 5
Illustrations 4 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The Apprentices (2013)

The Apprentices. Maile Meloy. Illustrated by Ian Schoenherr. 2013. Penguin. 432 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

I still have mixed feelings on both books in this series. (The first book is The Apothecary). On the one hand, there are lovely little historical details in both books that make me want to love these books. (The books are set in the 1950s. The first book was mainly set in England. The second book is set in America and Asia. Multiple locations in Asia.) On the other hand, there is a fantasy element to be dealt with. A fantasy based on science, chemistry, and transformation. Main characters take potions to transform into birds in both books. Main characters take potions to be invisible, etc. In this one, there is a potion or recipe for long-distance telepathy. I found this strange to say the least. One can experience the world through-the-eyes-of-another. I had a hard time comprehending how this works, why this works; it was convenient to the story obviously. But my main issue was how romance factored into it. It just didn't work for me. For example, why does the hero send someone across the ocean to "protect" the heroine from a rival love-interest (a classmate, a waiter). It is like he's refusing to see the actual real threat right in front of his eyes; the truth is that she is in danger, in a dangerous position because she's blinded from real threats as well. But no one is really able to do anything right then and there to take her from the situation because the whole plot depends on her being the bait.

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Bluffton (2013)

Bluffton: My Summer with Buster Keaton. 2013. Candlewick Press. 240 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

Bluffton is a graphic novel with a historical setting (1908-1910?). The book focuses on the summer vacations of a young Buster Keaton. These special summer days are told not from his point of view, however, but from a local boy named Henry Harrison who absolutely idolizes the show people.

Henry Harrison is thrilled when a troupe of vaudeville performers settles down to summer near Muskegon, Michigan. There are boys his own age among the troupe. One of these boys is Buster Keaton. Henry had not heard of Buster before, but he becomes mesmerized by his new friend. Buster? Well, he enjoys clowning around and making the local folk laugh now and then, but, mainly he wants to play ball. He wants to play, have fun, relax. He's shown as wanting to pack a whole summer into each and every day. I got the impression that Henry didn't really see things clearly; he saw what he wanted to see: the glamor, the wow.

The story of several summers (and winters) are told through art and dialogue. An epilogue informs readers of Buster Keaton's transition from stage to film.


© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Lady of Quality (1972)

Lady of Quality. Georgette Heyer. 1972. Sourcebooks. 300 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

It is finished. My gloriously grand goal of reading all of Georgette Heyer's romance novels in one year, in order of publication! And it ended on a wonderful note as well. Lady of Quality is among the best of her romances. If you enjoy the friction of Much Ado About Nothing and Pride and Prejudice, you may just adore Lady of Quality. Oh how the sparks fly between the hero and heroine! These two who simply can't stand to be in the same room together, right?!

Miss Annis Wychwood is almost thirty years old. And in that time, the Regency period, thirty might as well have been sixty. Spinster is spinster no matter if you're thirty, blond, and witty or wrinkly, gray, and stubborn. But Annis is comfortable in her singleness. Or at least she prefers to see herself as comfortable. It helps that in Annis' situation, she's wealthy enough to have her own house and household. (By household I mean servants and such). If Annis had to live under her brother's roof, well, it would be a different story altogether. She does NOT get along with her brother, Geoffrey, though she does get along in a way with her sister-in-law. Yes, folks might think it a bit strange that she'd rather be independent and living on her own--and a good day's travel away from her brother and his wife--but they've become accustomed to it. But when our novel opens, Annis is about to do something a bit more unexpected, a bit more shocking.

Lucilla Carleton is just a young thing--not even eighteen--when she decides to run away from her aunt. (Her aunt is her primary guardian.) Her aunt wants her to marry the son of her father's best friend. A man, Ninian, that she's practically grown up with. It's not that she doesn't like him. But she doesn't like him like him. At least she says as much. As does he when given the opportunity. (The two like to bicker about how they don't want to be together.) Annis comes across this bickering pair on her way to Bath. Their carriage (or vehicle) has broken down--a problem with one of the wheels. Annis is too much of a lady to leave the poor girl in distress. She invites the young woman to come with her, to stay with her. Through their trip and the first day back at home, Annis hears all about Lucilla, her aunt, Ninian, and his over-bearing parents the Lord and Lady Iverley. Lucilla has runaway it's true but it's because her aunt is passive aggressive. She manipulates through tears and pleas and looks.

What is Annis to do? Welcome her home to this girl she barely knows yet instantly likes? Or send her packing with much tears of distress? She decides that the girl must write a letter to an aunt. She'll be allowed to stay with Miss Wychwood in Bath, it's true, but it's a temporary solution to the girl's problem. But this nice letter home has unattended results. Her aunt being of the nervous sort on the best of days writes a letter--a tear-soaked and illegible letter to the girl's legal guardian--Lucilla's Uncle Oliver. Oliver Carleton.

The last thing Annis expected was to be visited by Oliver Carleton. A man (from London) with the reputation of the worst sort. A truly grumpy, stubborn sort of man who speaks without thinking of the consequences, who enjoys speaking the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth come what may. Obey society's nicety-nice rules? Not a chance! A man with a sharp but witty tongue comes to Bath to get to the bottom of this mess. He doesn't want Lucilla. He's not there to take her away, he's there to investigate this woman, this stranger who has interfered and butted into his business, his family.

Let the fun begin.

Oliver and Annis. Oh the sparks will fly. Despite her claims of being ancient and spinsterly, Oliver can't help thinking that she's entirely unsuitable for chaperoning his niece. She should be the one being courted and pursued and wooed by men. She's beautiful. She's witty. She's intelligent. There's just a certain something about her that he can't ignore. Annis never in a million years thought she'd feel this way, this maddeningly confusingly wonderful feeling. She can't stand him; and yet, she keeps hoping she'll see him again.


© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Babies, Burglars, and Other Bumps in the Night (2013)

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Babies, Burglars, and Other Bumps in the Night. Lenore Look. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2013. Random House. 183 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

With each book in the series, I find myself liking the series less. In this fifth book in the series, Alvin Ho is dealing with something tragic: the pregnancy of his mother. I had never thought of Alvin Ho as being particularly stupid and/or hard of hearing, yet, when the book opens with his mother nearly nine months pregnant and him acting as if the news is brand new, I lost respect for Alvin. It is not as if this would be his first younger sibling. If that was the only slight issue I had with the book, I wouldn't have found it that bothersome. But what bothered me the most is the "sympathetic pregnancy" of Alvin, the fact that everyone: his mother, his older brother, ALL of his classmates, his teacher, his mom's doctor, everyone teases Alvin about his fat little belly that looks "eight months pregnant." Granted, not every one who mentions Alvin's pregnancy mentions an exact month. But this teasing about his belly, his weight, made me uncomfortable at best. Alvin and his classmates go to the library and read books on pregnancy; they look at pictures and decide amongst themselves how "far along" each boy is based on the size of his belly. It was just very strange. I could understand how children might get confused and misunderstand the language of adults, or the origin of babies in general. But, when Alvin openly walks around saying things like he's about to have a baby, that he obviously believes his "sympathetic pregnancy" is a real pregnancy and there are no adults in his life (or an older brother even) who tells him the truth, well, it just bothered me. Alvin's gullibility even makes him appear foolish ON television. I don't enjoy cringe-worthy books. The humor felt all wrong in this book. I don't really understand why there was a second story about burglary if there wasn't going to be much resolution to it. Alvin is afraid of enough without adding to it.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Book of Lost Things (2013)

The Book of Lost Things. (Mister Max #1). 2013. Random House. 400 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I definitely liked The Book of Lost Things. Perhaps I didn't LOVE it as much as The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates, but, it was still a very good read. Mister Max is set in England at the turn of the twentieth century.

Max's parents are famous actors in the theatre. The novel opens with his parents receiving an invitation to go on a special tour. It seems a luxurious offer. Max's grandmother, a librarian, feels the offer is too good to be true. Though she's not allowed to look at the actual invitation or the tickets it contained. Max was to be included in the trip, but, he was to meet his parents at the ship before it departed. When he arrives, quite on time, his parents are gone, the ship has gone too. Or so it appears. In truth, the invitation was a trap. The name of the ship was part of the deception, as was the destination. Max has no idea what happened to his parents. They were able to write a quick note to be given to the "boy on the bicycle" (Max), however, which has a message of sorts for him. So Max is partly on his own, partly under the supervision of his grandmother.

This is NOT a book about Max searching for clues as to what happened to his parents. Max is NOT involved in anyway with that search or research. Once his parents have vanished, well, Max's concerns are mainly economic. This is a book about a somewhat creative boy finding a way to make money while he waits for others to solve the BIG mystery of what happens to his parents. He has two or three little mysteries to solve. And at these little mysteries he excels. These little mysteries might be predictable to adult readers. But despite the fact that adult readers may see how the end will come together, the story itself is enjoyable enough. The book has a handful of interesting characters, Max included.

For readers looking for a quest, a desperate boy willing to risk it all and go on a fantastic journey to find and save his parents, you may be disappointed. But depending on your expectations, you might find yourself surprised by how entertaining it is. 

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Charity Girl (1970)

Charity Girl. Georgette Heyer. 1970/2008. Sourcebooks. 282 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Charity Girl is a pleasant but not outstanding historical romance. Viscount Desford (first name, Ashley) "rescues" a young "orphan" girl named Charity. Cherry has been staying with her aunt, but, she's had enough and is desperate enough to travel on her own to London in search of a grandfather she's never met. He takes her with him to London, drives straight to her grandfather's residence and discovers much too late that he has left town. He decides right then and there to take her to Henrietta's house and place her in her keeping. Henrietta is his good, good friend. The families, at one time at least, were hoping the two lifelong friends would make a match of it. He begins the search for the grandfather on his own. The whole book focuses in on his search to find her family, find someone who cares about her. Now and then readers learn of Henrietta and Cherry and what they've been doing, but, not that often. His adventures aren't packed with action and excitement so much as dialogue and travel updates. By the end, there is some life to be found in the novel. Cherry's father whom everyone believed to be dead returns and he's always a step or two before or a step or two behind Desford. I enjoyed this one well enough to keep reading. It wasn't a slow read for me. But it lacks some of the liveliness and fun of previous Heyer novels. It didn't WOW me.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures (2013)

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures. Kate DiCamillo. 2013. Candlewick Press. 240 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

What a quirky and lovely book by Kate DiCamillo. I loved the two points of view. I loved the little girl, Flora, and I loved the super-hero squirrel, Ulysses. The writing was just lovely; the story was quite fun and just as odd as I've come to expect from DiCamillo!

It has a great cast of minor characters, particularly both neighbors. Flora's parents are separated and most-probably getting a divorce. Her father's neighbor was great. Her mother's neighbor was great too. I had mixed feelings about Flora's parents. On the one hand, it was oh-so-easy to feel empathy for the father. I am not sure I could find sympathy for the mother. This is in part the fault of the squirrel! The mother is the nemesis of the squirrel. She's out to get him: out to kill him. But there is more to the mother than being a rodent-hater. She's also a writer, a writer of REALLY bad formulaic romances. Flora is at odds with her mother for almost the whole novel, so we see the mother mainly through the eyes of two characters that dislike her: the squirrel and the daughter. There is one confrontation scene that was heartbreaking for me. I felt for the daughter so, so, so much. I could identify with her in that moment. That last poem was oh-so-magical for me.

I would definitely recommend this one!

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Two Christmas Books

My Pen Pal, Santa. Melissa Stanton. Illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell. 2013. Random House. 32 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

January
Soon after Christmas, Ava wrote a thank-you note to Santa Claus.
Dear Santa,
Thank you for my Christmas presents. I really like them. But why didn't you eat the cookies I left you? Were you full from the cookies at our neighbors' houses? I'm six years old and I go to kindergarten, or did you already know that?
Love, 
your friend Ava

I really loved this picture book. Ava is a little girl that I just adored. She decides to write a thank-you note to Santa. When he replies, the correspondence continues through all twelve months. I loved this premise. Writing letters to Santa in November or December, very common indeed. But to write to him in April and July? It's one thing to write letters to Santa "asking" (or should I say begging?) for gifts. It's quite another to write chatty letters with Santa, to truly become friends.

Dear Ava,
Thank you for the great drawing. People usually don't think of me on Valentine's Day. Well, Mrs. Claus does, of course, and I think of her. I love giving gifts, but it's also nice to receive them. I say Merry Christmas all year long, so....
Merry Christmas!
Santa

It's a cute picture book. I thought Ava was sweet, and I liked reading Santa's replies. I also loved, loved, loved the illustrations.

The Smallest Gift of Christmas. Peter H. Reynolds. 2013. Candlewick. 40 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

Roland was eager for Christmas Day. He raced downstairs to see what was waiting for him. But when he saw his present, he was not impressed. It was the smallest gift he had ever seen. Had he waited the whole year for this tiny gift? Roland closed his eyes and hoped and wished as hard as he could for a bigger gift.

Peter H. Reynolds is the author of The Dot, Ish, and Sky Color. I have really loved some of his picture books in the past. They are certainly a little different and a bit unique. But that's a good thing.

The Smallest Gift of Christmas is a tale of greed and selfishness. It's a tale of what happens when wishes come true. The first clue that Roland is more than a little greedy comes early. The illustrations on the first page show that Roland's stocking is ten times the size of the other stockings. He must be expecting great things. So his fit when his gift is oh-so-small isn't that big of a surprise. As Roland learns that his wishes are being granted, his true heart is revealed. He is very greedy indeed!

It's a true tale in that I think Roland is a good example of the I-can-never-ever-get-enough-stuff mindset which is a big problem in society. More, more, more, bigger, better, always wanting, never satisfied.

Roland learns his lesson, as you might expect. As he's searching the universe for the biggest and best present ever, he realizes that earth--his home, his family--are very small, very tiny, and so far away as seen through his telescope. In that moment, he realizes that great things can be "small things." His desire for home is just as real as his prior greed.

I definitely liked this one.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The Long Way Home (2013)

The Long Way Home (Family Tree #2) Ann M. Martin. 2013. Scholastic. 240 pages. [Source: Review copy]

If you have to "like" a heroine to "like" a book, then this book may be in trouble!!! Dana, the heroine of Martin's second book in the Family Tree series, is many things but likeable doesn't come to mind. For better or worse, each chapter reveals Dana--or almost always reveals--in conflict with someone. And it may be unfair, but I always found myself identifying more with the other characters, able to connect with what they are feeling, how they are seeing the scene. Dana comes across as self-centered, inconsiderate, proud, and worst of all: whiny! Dana has a poor relationship with her mother. She has a better relationship with her father, but, perhaps that is because they are so much alike. Her father is, inconsiderate, proud, and selfish too. Her father has a drinking problem, a big problem. And Dana hates her mother for speaking up about it, for telling him NOT to drink, for telling him NOT to party, for being honest. For the record, she isn't talking about her husband negatively in front of her children, but Dana has a (bad) habit of eavesdropping. These are conversations spoken when Dana should be in bed asleep. Perhaps because I connected so much with Abby in the first book, I hated to see her in this bad marriage.

Like Better To Wish, The Long Way Home has its share of drama. Better to Wish is set in Maine; The Long Way Home is set in New York City and briefly in Maine.

I think the biggest problem I had with Dana is her general philosophy: because I am oh-so-talented, because I have THIS INCREDIBLE GIFT (she's an artist), I can treat people horribly and they just have to make allowances for me because that's just how I am.
© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Better To Wish (2013)

Better To Wish. (Family Tree #1) Ann M. Martin. 2013. Scholastic. 240 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I definitely enjoyed reading Ann M. Martin's Better To Wish. I connected with Abby almost from the start. I thought Abby was a very grounded character, there was depth and substance to her. I enjoyed reading her memories, the short vignettes of the moments through the years that changed or defined her. 

Some chapters were quite ordinary: the small moments, the ones that you almost never appreciate until much later. Some chapters were focused on holidays (or birthdays): Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween, Fourth of July, etc.

Other chapters were quite dramatic, the moments where you know that life will NEVER be the same again no matter how hard you wish or how big you dream. I liked the focus on family, friendship, and community. Readers meet Abby exactly as she is in her closest relationships. Loved seeing Abby's relationship with her sisters, her mother, and her best friend. All the characters felt authentic, felt human. Martin has done a great job in bringing this time period to life. I would definitely recommend this one. I look forward to the others in the series!

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Serafina's Promise (2013)

Serafina's Promise. Ann E. Burg. 2013. Scholastic. 304 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I loved, loved, loved Ann E. Burg's verse novel, All the Broken Pieces. I was equally impressed with her newest verse novel: Serafina's Promise. This novel wowed me. I enjoy verse novels, but they don't always work for me as verse. Often, I feel, they might as well be written in prose. But that is not the case in Serafina's Promise. There were so many beautiful sentences, so many poetic, just-right sentences. The story itself is so compelling. But the way it is told, well, it's beautiful and incredible. I would love to see this book win something!

Serafina's Promise is set in Haiti. Serafina, our heroine, is a young girl who works hard alongside her family. She does not have any brothers or sisters to help her with the chores that have to be done. She doesn't have time to play with some of the other children, but, Serafina doesn't whine or complain. She dreams. She holds onto the hope that one day she WILL be a doctor. One way or another, she will make a difference in the lives of those around her. She will be able to fight against hunger and poverty and disease. She will save lives. Serafina longs to go to school. Her family cannot afford school or uniforms. But Serafina is determined and diligent. She will work even harder, do even more, to help her family save money--coins in a jar--so that her dream will come true.

I loved this one so much. It is one of those books I just want to tell everyone: READ THIS BOOK!!! I loved Serafina. I loved her family. I loved her grandmother, her mother, her father. I loved seeing the family scenes. Loved seeing Serafina with her new baby brother. This was a story to be felt and experienced. I cared so much about all the characters. (Serafina has a best friend, Julie Marie). It is a compelling, beautiful story--rich in detail. It is one of my favorites of the year.

Quotes:

When Papa talks,
the anger in Manman's eyes
softens
like stingers soaked in honey (27)

I wonder what hunger is like
without a family
to fill the emptiness. (43)

A child who doesn't sleep at night
is a crocodile in the morning! (52)

Manman's worries
are like the mosquitoes
at the ravine, so many
you could never count them
or get rid of them all. (81)

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Various Star Wars Books

Vader's Little Princess. Jeffrey Brown. 2013. Chronicle Books. 64 pages. [Source: Library]

I read this one several times. Most pages stand alone; the book is more a collection of comic strips than a graphic novel telling one, big story. The premise behind this one and in Jeffrey Brown's previous book, Darth Vader and Son, is simple. Brown has reimagined the evil Darth Vader as a single dad raising two kids. He's still evil, but, he's actively involved with Luke and Leia's upbringing. Some pages are hilarious and just fun. Others not so much. I think there is something for everyone to enjoy, however!

 Darth Vader and Son. Jeffrey Brown. 2012. Chronicle Books. 64 pages. [Source: Library]

I read Darth Vader and Son after reading Vader's Little Princess. I really, really, really enjoyed both books very much. However, I must say that I laughed more with this first book. I liked the parenting advice. I liked how they used or nearly used, I should say, direct quotes from the trilogies and gave the words a whole new meaning! For example, "This is not the toy you are looking for..." instead of "This is not the droid you are looking for." (It was also fun seeing WHICH toy it was (Jar Jar). These comic strips are just fun. I'd recommend these easily!

Star Wars: Jedi Academy. Jeffrey Brown. 2013. Scholastic. 160 pages. [Source: Library]

Roan Novachez, our young hero, desperately wants to be accepted into the pilot academy. It is not to be. Just when Roan thinks he'll be stuck on Tatooine forever, he receives a letter he wasn't expecting. Been accepted into Jedi School, he has. A student of Master Yoda, he will be. He goes. He tries. He really tries. But the other younglings have been using the force for years, have grown up knowing or at least hoping to become Jedi. It is their first choice, not second choice or last choice for a vocation. The book is a blend of journal entries and comic strips. The book captures his awkwardness of growing up and adapting to new situations with a generous dose of humor.

I liked it. There were definitely some funny scenes in it. I'm not sure I LOVED it however.

Star Wars Science Fair Book. Samantha Margles. 2013. Scholastic. 128 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

This is an interesting book for upper elementary on up. (The recommended age is 10 and up.) The introduction reads:

Have you ever wondered how much of the science-fiction world of Star Wars is based on real-life science? Are some of the situations in the films possible or simply part of a fantastic story? Now you have a chance to find out. In this book we've pulled together an assortment of experiments and activities that examine the science of Star Wars. Some of the experiments are inspired by the planets, creatures, droids, and technology from the films, and some go a step further to answer related scientific questions you'll find exciting and fun. Perhaps one day you'll find yourself on a path toward becoming a scientist and explorer of galaxies far, far away! May the Force be with you!

The book is a step-by-step guide to experimenting. Sometimes they give clues about the results, other times not a bit. Here's an idea of the types of experiments to expect:

• creating a lava lamp
• making icicles
• water in the desert
• sound in space
• create lightning
• make your own clouds
• homemade periscope
• grow your own crystals
• your very own lie detector 

Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out. Based on the TV Special. 2013. Scholastic. 48 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

It is oh-so-easy to recommend the TV special, Empire Strikes Out. It has some great scenes in it! And the Darth Vader and Darth Maul scenes work so much better in the special than they do in the book! But the book is nice. It's a typical novelization. I do like seeing the mostly-Lego illustrations, however.
You might be able to catch part of it online. 

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. George Lucas, Alan Dean Foster. 1977. 247 pages. [Source: Own] 

I managed to read this one at last. I'd started it a few years ago, but I thought the writing was so poor in the opening chapter or two that I just wasn't motivated to continue on. As soon as the action really begins, once Luke Skywalker is introduced, this one gets much better! That is not to say that reading the story adds anything substantive and wonderful to the movie experience. I think an appreciation of the movie is a big help. It helps to make sense of the text of the book. There are some pages that are a bit messy--jumping back and forth between characters and locales. It makes complete sense if you are familiar with the movie, if you know the order of things. But transitions of points of views isn't all that well done.

Years ago, I read other Star Wars novels including a novelization of the second movie. That book added SO MUCH to the story, really filled in anything and everything I wanted in terms of characterization and motivation and intent. This one, not as much. Still, it was a fun read.

Star Wars: Episode V: Empire Strikes Back. Donald F. Glut. 1980. 214 pages.  [Source: Bought]

This one was good for the most part. I enjoyed reading it, noticing the tiny differences between the book and the movie. I was looking for any differences in dialogue between the two. I was in particular watching the developing romance between Han and Leia. Another relationship I was paying attention to is Yoda and Luke. I was looking for something more, little things, perhaps, that made the book add something to the overall Star Wars experience. I will say I liked this one. It had a few confusing moments now and then, again with the transitions, for the most part I liked it though.

Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. James Kahn, George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan. 1983. 181 pages. [Source: Bought]

The dialogue was truly awful in places in this one. Once I gave myself permission to skip entire sections of dialogue of certain characters, I began to enjoy it a little bit. There was much to suffer through in this one, but, it had a few scenes that made it all worth while! The writing I felt wasn't wonderful, if these books in the trilogy weren't movies, I'm not sure they'd be anything fantastic to recommend them, to make them classics. 

Star Wars: A Very Vader Valentine's Day. Scholastic. 2013. 16 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

What can you expect from this one? A silly introduction, a tribute to five friendships, two pages of awful jokes, four comic strips, two word search puzzles, a maze puzzle, a mad lib, two how-to-draw features, and thirty-six removable Valentine's Day cards. How bad are the jokes? Well, you be the judge: "Where does the Emperor go when he wants to buy something cheap? He looks for a sale at the Maul." There were several relatively cute cards. Like C-3PO's "I want to be the droid you're looking for" and Han Solo in carbonite: "Valentine, don't make me spend the day SOLO."

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Beholding Bee (2013)

Beholding Bee. Kimberly Newton Fusco. 2013. Random House. 336 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

I loved so many things about Beholding Bee. Beholding Bee has just a touch of fantasy to it, but, otherwise it has a very historical feel to it. The book is set during the early days of World War II. The heroine, Bee, is, in my opinion, quite unforgettable. She's eleven or so. She's an orphan. Her upbringing has been unusual to say the least. She travels with a carnival. She helps with the food stand: hotdogs, popcorn, honey buns, lemonade, etc. She has a close bond with Pauline, a woman with the carnival who has basically raised her since she was four. Bee has a birthmark. She does not necessarily like people staring at her, pointing at her, laughing at her, making rude comments. The owner of the carnival treats her like she's an attraction to the show itself, a freak on display. So, whenever possible, Bee tries to keep her birthmark covered with either her hair or her hand. She also likes to try to face a certain way so her birthmark isn't quite so obvious to strangers. But when Pauline falls in love (a bit too quickly), things change for Bee very quickly. Changes are coming quickly for many people. Men everywhere are joining up in the forces, and men who aren't army material, well, they still feel like they should be doing something more. Bobby, Bee's other best friend, has been rejected by the army, but, he's determined to get a factory job so he too can serve his country. One day life in the carnival becomes too much for her. Bee takes the dog (her forbidden pet) and runs away...what happens next is a bit fantastical. But it is wonderful too.

I loved every twist in this story. I loved seeing Bee live in that quaint house with her two aunts. I loved seeing Bee struggle to join the community and attend school. I loved meeting Bee's classmates. That 'educational' aspect of the novel was quite something! So many things we take for granted now, but, fairness has to be fought for sometimes.

I would definitely recommend Beholding Bee!
© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Dangerous (2014)

Dangerous. Shannon Hale. 2014. Bloomsbury. 400 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

Dangerous was definitely an entertaining read. Hale has given YA readers a science fiction book with a super-hero twist. I wasn't sure what to expect after reading the prologue. I didn't know what type of science fiction book to expect. Would it be like Hunger Games or The Testing? I suppose it could have gone that way based on the prologue. But what readers get is something very different: it is odd mostly in a good way, and more unique than you might at first expect.

Maisie Danger Brown is the heroine of Dangerous. She wins a contest to go to astronaut camp. The camp is where it all happens; what happens at camp, well, it changes not only Maisie's life, but her whole family's life, and her best friend's life, and that's just for starters.

Dangerous is very much one of those whole-world-in-danger-we-need-a-hero books.

I liked it mostly.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Heaven is Paved With Oreos (2013)

Heaven is Paved With Oreos. Catherine Gilbert Murdock. 2013. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 208 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

I wanted to love Heaven is Paved With Oreos. I really did love Catherine Gilbert Murdock's Dairy Queen trilogy. And Heaven is Paved With Oreos features D.J.'s younger brother, Curtis, as the love interest. So my expectations were high.

Sarah Zorn, our heroine, has a best friend, Curtis. The two are "going out." It was part of her clever plan. The two would pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend so the teasing would stop. The two share a deep interest in dead things. Yes, you read that right, the two love studying how dead bodies (a calf in this case) decompose. These two do seem made for each other. But Curtis is tired of lying. What he is not saying is significant. It takes "losing" Curtis for her to realize that she's been unhappy with the arrangement as well.

The most unsatisfying aspect of this one--in my opinion--was Sarah's trip with her Grandma Z to Rome. Sarah's parents are initially hesitant to let their daughter go on a trip with Z. But Z has concocted a persuasive story, and pleads I've already bought her plane ticket. The middle section of the novel is their vacation together in Rome.

The novel has a theme of lying: of examining why people lie, why it may be justifiable or understandable, why people may choose to lie to the people closest to them, etc. There is something human about this one, and I suppose that is always a good thing. Sarah has to decide if she will stay angry at a person who lied to her and used her.

I did not enjoy reading Heaven is Paved With Oreos. Sarah and Curtis may be made for each other, but, reading about a decomposing calf and all the talk about reconstructing the bones for a science fair was unpleasant. I am glad that Sarah and Curtis eventually communicated with one another. The ending with these two was super-sweet. Sarah's trip to Rome with Z left me unsatisfied.

S
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A
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I really hated Z's lies. I thought she used her granddaughter horribly. She was selfish and untrustworthy. She lied to Sarah's parents; she lied to Sarah. She had ulterior motives for wanting to go to Rome. And when her fantasy collapsed, she had a breakdown leaving Sarah to care for them both in a foreign country. And her excuses for the trip in the first place were WEIRD. Part of me was glad that they fell away as lies. She had Sarah convinced that visiting seven churches in Rome would assure her [Z] a place in heaven. "But thousands of pilgrims over hundreds of years have visited this church because they hoped it would help them with heaven, and Z needs to go!" (101) and "instead we did something that was a lot more fun, even if it won't get us into heaven..." (106)

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews