Review for Babymouse:
Queen of the World by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
*This review is coursework for LS 5603 at TWU
Holm, Jennifer L. and Matthew. Babymouse: Queen of the World! New York: Random House, 2005. ISBN
9780375932298.
Babymouse: Queen of the World, by
brother and sister pair Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, is the first in a
popular series of graphic novels. In this story, Babymouse desperately wants to
be invited to the party of the most popular girl in school, Felicia Furrypaws.
Babymouse, who has an active imagination, tries to come up with ways to
convince Felicia to invite her to the sleepover. But it isn’t until Babymouse
agrees to give Felicia her book report that she finally is invited. Babymouse
skips out on her plans with her longtime best friend, Wilson the weasel, in
order to go to the party. Once there, Babymouse struggles to fit in and figures
out what true friendship is all about.
Babymouse
is an engaging character whose daily drama will ring true with its elementary
and middle school audience. Her struggles with friends, school, activities, and
just staying focused definitely has a lot of appeal. The character is written
with a lot of spunk, spirit, and heart. The scenarios that Babymouse faces in
school, such as not being invited to a big party, may not be the most original
story ideas, but they are built on themes relatable to kids of all ages.
Babymouse’s depiction as an avid reader results in her vivid imagination, which
transports Babymouse within the story on all types of adventures throughout the
book. These ‘side trips’ of Babymouse’s imagination are her entertaining
excursions from the monotony of school, another theme sure to be relatable to
many readers.
The story is told in graphic novel
style, with a comic book feel. The color palette uses solely pink, black, and
white, which gives the novel a distinctive style. When Babymouse is lost in her
imagination, the artist uses mostly a pink palette, which helps differentiate
those scenarios from the regular day-to-day ones. There is a narrator who
interacts with Babymouse in the story, often making comments on her zany
adventures. Babymouse talks to the narrator, so it feels as if she is
addressing the reader directly, which helps draw them further into the story.
In its starred review, Horn Book
says, “Nobody puts Babymouse in the corner." The Children’s Bulletin calls Babymouse, “almost an
absurdly likeable heroine.” Babymouse:
Queen of the World won the 2006 Gryphon Award and New York Book Show Award.
It also was the first graphic novel to be named an ALA Notable Children’s Book.
Luckily for fans of Babymouse, the
18th graphic novel in the series, Happy Birthday Babymouse, was just released in April. The other books
in the series are all charming as well, including Babymouse #4 Rock Star, Babymouse #5 Heartbreaker, and Babymouse #7 Skater Girl. Jennifer L. Holm and her
brother Matthew also have another graphic novel series, Squish, starring an amoeba, which is geared toward Babymouse fans. Other
graphic novel series to recommend include the Lunch Lady series by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney, the Dork Diaries series by Rachel Renée
Russell, Zita the Spacegirl by Ben
Hatke, Big Nate by Nathan Peirce, and
Robot Dreams by Sara Varon. Older
readers who want to try Jennifer L. Holm’s novels may check out her three
Newbery honor books, Our Only May Amelia,
Penny from Heaven and Turtle in Paradise. Of course, for a fun
activity, have students design their own graphic novel. What would a day at
their school look like? Babymouse is definitely a springboard for imagination
and inspiration.
Quote from Jennifer L. Holm: “I wear slippers to work.”
References:
"Babymouse
#1: Queen of the World!” by Jennifer L. Holm and Matt Holm."
Randomhouse.com.
http://www.randomhouse.com/book/82051/babymouse-1-queen-of-the-world-by-jennifer-l-holm-and-matt-holm
(accessed April 30, 2014).
Holm, Jennifer L. and Matthew. Babymouse: Queen of the World! New York: Random House, 2005.
Jennifer, Holm.
"Jennifer L. Holm, Author: Babymouse." Jennifer L. Holm, Author.
http://www.jenniferholm.com (accessed April 30, 2014).
Review for The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
*This review is coursework for LS 5603 at TWU
Gaiman, Neil. The
Graveyard Book. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2008. ISBN
9780060530945.
The
Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is the story of a young boy, who escapes to a
nearby graveyard when his family is killed. Mrs. Owens, one of the graveyard’s
ghost residents, pleads to the other ghosts to allow the boy to stay and have
Freedom of the Graveyard. The residents of the graveyard reluctantly agree, and
the Owens adopt the boy, who they name Nobody Owens. ‘Bod’, as he
is called, grows up the only living among the dead. He has a guardian, a
supernatural creature named Silas, and many others from the graveyard who help
teach him about the ways of both the living and the dead. Bod’s curiosity and
youthful questions often get him in trouble, and his misadventures with live
humans (and even some dead ghouls) never seem to turn out very well. Even
though Bod lives hidden away in the graveyard, he is never safe. Silas
discovers that the man ‘Jack’ who killed Bod’s family is still searching for
him. Finally, Jack catches up with him, and Bod must use all the knowledge he’s
gained from the dead in the graveyard to preserve his chance for life amongst
the living.
Neil Gaiman has said the idea for The Graveyard Book came from watching
his young son pedal his bike comfortably around a graveyard, and thought he
“could write something a lot like The
Jungle Book, and set it in a graveyard.”
That seems an apt description for this tale. It has classic elements,
but seems original in almost every way. The chapters can be separated as short
stories, which is the style Rudyard Kipling set up The Jungle Book. The residents of the graveyard are lifelike in
their personalities and peculiarities, and Bod himself is an especially
endearing character. It is hard not to root for someone orphaned at such a
young age, in such a brutal manner. Which brings up a word of warning, although
on a whole the book is not violent; the opening scene where Jack murders Bod’s
family with a knife while they sleep is definitely one that could upset some
readers. Another topic that may cause concern is the issue of suicide as a
means of death for some of those in Potter’s Field, which may not be a subject that
some readers are familiar or comfortable with, and could prompt discussion. However, even with the macabre setting of the graveyard, Bod finds
a true and honorable family there and the story is filled with the themes of loyalty and
love.
The author himself, Neil Gaiman,
narrates the audiobook version of The
Graveyard Book, produced by Harper Audio. Gaiman does an excellent job in
drawing the listener into the world of the graveyard, setting just the right
tone for the novel.
The
Graveyard Book won the Newbery Medal and the Hugo Award for Best Novel in
2009. It 2010, it was awarded the Carnegie medal. It was also a #1 New York
Times Bestseller, spending 61 weeks in the top ten. The audio version was
awarded the Audio Publishers Association Audie Award and Audiobook of the Year
in 2009. The Washington Post says,
“Like a bite of dark Halloween chocolate, this novel proves rich, bittersweet,
and very satisfying.” The New York Times
Book Review states, “The Graveyard Book,
by turns exciting and witty, sinister and tender, shows Gaiman at the top of
his form.”
Those who enjoy The Graveyard Book may also want to check out Gaiman’s novels Fortunately, the Milk and Coraline. Coraline was also turned into an animated movie of the same name,
which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film of the
Year. Readers may also want to turn to the partial inspiration of the novel, The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, or
at least enjoy the Disney movie version of The
Jungle Book, which has retained its charm and popularity since its 1967
release. For readers who enjoy the spooky elements of the novel, try Doll Bones by Holly Black, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
by Ransom Riggs, Splendors and Glooms
by Laura Amy Schlitz, The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier or The Cavendish
Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand.
Quote from Neil
Gaiman: “Sometimes fiction is a way of coping with the poison of the world in a
way that lets us survive it.”
References:
Motoko, Rich. “The
Graveyard Book Wins Newbery Medal”. The
New York Times. 2009.
Gaiman, Neil. The
Graveyard Book. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2008.
Review for The
Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
*This review is
coursework for LS 5603 at TWU
Stiefvater,
Maggie. The Scorpio Races. New York: Scholastic Press, 2011. ISBN
9780545224918.
The
Scorpio Races is a tale of high adventure set on the mystical island of
Thisby. Each year on the island, a race is held, truly placing man vs. beast.
The waters around the island of Thisby are home of the legendary capaill uisce. The capaill uisce are flesh eating water horses; and during the Scorpio
Races, men trap and train them to race. It has always been men, and it has
always been water horses, until this year. This year, Kate Connolly (nicknamed
Puck) has decided to enter the race, riding her regular mare, Dove. She enters
the races to try and save her family’s home from bankruptcy, and to try and
keep her older brother, Gabe, from leaving the island. Things heat up on the
island when it becomes apparent that many residents aren’t too happy about Puck
entering the race. Sean Kendrick, multi-time winner of the races, takes up her
cause and they form a friendship, which hints at romance. Sean trains with Puck
to help her survive the race, but he has his eyes on the prize this year for a
different reason. For years, he has ridden the capaill uisce named Corr for Malvern stables. Now, Mr. Malvern has
finally agreed to let Sean buy Corr, but only if he wins the race. The island
of Thisby is flooded with visitors who come to watch the deadly races. When
race day finally arrives, it’s no longer each man for himself, as Puck, Dove,
Sean, and Corr battle their competitors for victory - but there can only be one
winner.
The Scorpio Races is a beautiful
lyrically written novel, with lush, detailed descriptions of both the coastline
and the local towns. The novel is written in alternating viewpoints - back and
forth between Puck and Sean. Stiefvater slowly builds up the race (sometimes
agonizingly so), which gives her time to truly delve into the personalities of
the people and even animals that inhabit Thisby. Themes of family and finding
one’s place are wound throughout the novel. With a vast cast of characters, the
story’s plot really focuses on Puck’s ambition to try and save her brothers and
her home, and Sean’s ambition of finally owning the only family he has left -
Corr. Stiefvater uses the ‘ticking clock’ plot device well in this story. The
pace may be slow, but the reader is always constantly aware that the
life-changing race is only steps ahead, and it helps keep the reader turning
the pages (or sitting in the car listening to the audio version even after
you’ve arrived at your destination!).
The
audio version of the book, produced by Scholastic Inc., is narrated by Steve
West and Fiona Hardingham. The narration is very well done, with both voice
actors having strong, engaging voices that sweep you into the story. In fact,
the characters are so distinct, that the format of staying in one character's
voice each chapter can be a little disconcerting. For example, when you are
listening to Puck, and she has a conversation with Sean, then the voice of Sean
sounds different than when you are listening to Sean’s narration. The same goes
for when Sean narrates Puck’s voice. However, much of the novel is based on the
character’s inner thoughts, so the voice discrepancies are more of a nuisance
than a real distraction. One interesting note about the audio version is the
music that accompanies the book was actually composed and performed by the
author herself, Maggie Stiefvater. Obviously, she is a multi-talented woman.
The
Scorpio Races won the Michael L. Printz Award Honor in 2012 and appeared on
numerous ‘Best of’ lists including The
Los Angeles Times, The New York Times,
The Chicago Public Library, the Children’s Book Committee, Amazon, ALA and
YALSA. The audio version also won the Odyssey Honor Award for 2012 Best Audio
Production and the YALSA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults 2012. The Scorpio Races received five starred
book awards, including one from Kirkus that says it is “Masterful. Like nothing
else out there now.” Horn Book states, “Stiefvater’s novel, inspired by Marx,
Irish, and Scottish legends of beautiful but deadly fairy horses that emerge
from the sea each autumn, begins rivetingly and gets better and better… all the
way, in fact, to best.”
Fans of The Scorpio Races may want to read Stiefvater’s other works,
including The Raven Cycle series (The
Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves,
and Blue Lily, Lily Blue - coming in
October 2014) and the Shiver series (Shiver,
Linger, and Forever). Readers who enjoy
the dangerous competitiveness of The
Scorpio Races could also try The Hunger Games series (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay) by Suzanne Collins or the Divergent series (Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant) by Veronica Roth. If the
readers are horse fans, try Catch Rider
by Jennifer H. Lyne, The Girl Who
Remembered Horses by Linda Benson,
Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry,
or even classics like The Black
Stallion by Walter Farley, Black
Beauty by Anna Sewell or National
Velvet by Enid Bagnold. Many consider the movies for The Black Stallion, Black
Beauty, and National Velvet
classics, and readers who enjoyed Puck may especially enjoy Elizabeth Taylor’s
performance in National Velvet. Teen
readers might enjoy checking out author Maggie Stiefvater’s website
(maggiestiefvater.com), which includes book trailers, cover art, tour
information, and links to her blog.
Quote from Maggie
Stiefvater: “It’s true that the characters are what I care about. I mean, I
care about the other things, but as a reader, the characters are what I
remember. Mostly, I just long to make my readers sick at heart that they will
never meet my characters in real life. That’s my goal. Does that sound
sinister? I mean it in the nicest possible way.”
References:
Bartel, Julie.
"One Thing Leads to Another: An Interview with Maggie Stiefvater."
The Hub RSS.
http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2014/01/09/one-thing-leads-to-another-an-interview-with-maggie-stiefvater/
(accessed April 20, 2014).
Stiefvater,
Maggie. "Maggie Stiefvater." Maggie Stiefvater Whats New Comments.
http://maggiestiefvater.com (accessed April 20, 2014).
Stiefvater,
Maggie. The Scorpio Races. New York: Scholastic Press, 2011.
Stiefvater,
Maggie. "The Scorpio Races | Maggie Stiefvater." Maggie Stiefvater
The Scorpio Races Comments. http://maggiestiefvater.com/the-scorpio-races/
(accessed April 20, 2014).
No comments:
Post a Comment