Month: August 2017

Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker – Shelley Johannes

Some girls are happy wearing pink dresses with ruffles. Others are ninjas who climb trees and are cofounders of top-secret organisations. Beatrice Zinker definitely isn’t a fan of pink dresses with ruffles.

Beatrice is a middle child. Her older sister, Kate, is just like her Mum. Her younger brother, Henry, is just like her Dad. Beatrice does all of her best thinking upside down and finds it difficult being the only upside down daughter in a right side up family. Even Oliver, the Zinker’s cat, is right side up!

Beatrice meets her friend Lenny on Halloween night in first grade. They were alike and enjoyed playing pirates, ninjas, zombies and knights. Beatrice is now starting third grade at William Charles Elementary and is ready to start Operation Upside with Lenny, a plan Beatrice has been working on all summer.

Everything changes for Beatrice when Lenny walks into the first day of third grade, not wearing her ninja suit, but pink! With sparkles, no less! And Lenny’s made a new friend! Is Operation Upside doomed for failure before it even begins?

This is such a heartwarming story. You feel better about yourself and the world after you finish reading it. Beatrice teaches us the importance of being yourself. She learns that you can turn a confusing day into a good one if you look at it the right way and that there are always things you can do to make a bad day better.

There are plenty of adorable illustrations that add to the story and bring Beatrice’s upside down thinking to life. The quirkiness of the illustrations remind me of Quentin Blake’s illustrations in Roald Dahl’s children’s books.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hachette Children’s Books, Australia for the opportunity to read this book. Beatrice is funny and spunky, and is soon to make friends with young girls all over the world. She will resonate with so many girls that feel different and she’ll teach them that their differences are special and deserve to be celebrated. I can’t wait until the second Beatrice Zinker book is released!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Beatrice does her best thinking upside down.

Hanging from trees by her knees, doing handstands . . . for Beatrice Zinker, upside down works every time. She was definitely upside down when she and her best friend, Lenny, agreed to wear matching ninja suits on the first day of third grade. But when Beatrice shows up at school dressed in black, Lenny arrives with a cool new outfit and a cool new friend. Even worse, she seems to have forgotten all about the top-secret operation they planned!

Can Beatrice use her topsy-turvy way of thinking to save the mission, mend their friendship, and flip things sunny-side up?

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Curious McCarthy’s Power of Observation – Torey Christie

Illustrations – Mina Price

I love Curious McCarthy, the book and the person! I adored Curious before I read a word of this book. From the first glance of her on the cover I knew she was going to be my kind of girl.

Curie (Curious) McCarthy was named after Marie Curie, a famous scientist. She is the middle child in a family with seven children! She has three older sisters (Charlotte, Emily and Anne) and three younger brothers (John Glenn, Benjamin and Edison). Her mother is a full time English professor and her father, a retired engineer, is now a stay at home Dad.

Curious just started fourth grade at a new school, not because her family moved, but because the school district decided to change the boundary lines. All of her friends still attend her previous school. Curious has been a scientist for 6 days, 19 hours and 13 minutes.

In this book we go to school with Curious, we visit the school library and the principal’s office, attend Secret Sister Society (SSS) meetings and sit in on some entertaining dinners. Along the way Curious is learning how to be a scientist by making hypotheses, conducting experiments, and coming to conclusions, while also learning about chain reactions and germs.

Other than Curious’ family we get to know her teacher (Mrs Stickler), her school librarian (Mr Grumpus), her school principal (Mr Cornforth), Aunt Dolly, a likely friend (Lin Tran), and an unlikely friend (Robin Finch).

The way this book was written it felt like Curious was sitting across from you telling you her story. I would have loved this book as a child and would have wanted to be Curious’ friend. I love it just as much as a grown up.

All of the McCarthy kids had distinct and interesting personalities, and from about the middle of the book I could tell which one was speaking just by what they said. Theirs is a lovely family that I want to know more about.

I loved the illustrations and found it particularly helpful to be introduced to all of the characters in this book through the two pages of pictures and descriptions before the story started. In the beginning of the book when I didn’t know who was who yet I could quickly flip back to these pages to remind myself which McCarthy we were hearing about.

I found the science in this book wonderful. It was explained in an age appropriate way and it all sounded like so much fun that I can imagine a whole pile of girls deciding they’re going to be scientists when they grow up after reading this book. I learned some fun facts myself from reading but because it was so much fun it didn’t feel like the drudgery that’s usually associated with learning.

I loved the coloured footnotes. In the back of the book there were some fun extras, including a glossary that explained what the more difficult words in the book meant and how to say them, and a recipe for Oobleck!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Capstone for the opportunity to read this book. Young girls are going to love this book and their parents are going to love reading this to their girls (or themselves). I enjoyed this book so much I’m going to be purchasing the other three books in the series.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Curious McCarthy, named after the famous scientist Marie Curie, has decided to become a scientist herself. Her first hypothesis: That her mischievous younger brother will get noticed before her proper oldest sister, Charlotte. Using footnotes filled with funny observations, Curious invites readers to read her observations about her first days at a new school with an old-fashioned teacher and her entertaining evenings at home with her six brothers and sisters. A fun experiment brings the science to life and a glossary and discussion and writing prompts provide reader support.

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Hedgehog Wisdom: Little Reasons to Smile – Carolyn Parker

This is an adorable gift book. Whether you’re buying it for yourself or someone else, you can’t help smiling at the innate cuteness of Huff and Puff, the two models in Hedgehog Wisdom. Accompanied by pick me ups to bring you out of a dark day or to remind you of the good in your life, you’ll fall in love with these spiky fluffballs.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Rock Point for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Smile

Let’s get quilly! Based on the popular Huffy Hedgehogs Instagram, Hedgehog Wisdom is filled with pictures of the most adorable prickly pets as they dress up, chow down, and make you laugh out loud, all while promoting positive thinking and good vibes. Though spiny, huffy, and timid, these little pincushion creatures are too sweet for words, and will win your heart in no time!

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Epic Fail – Cristy Watson

Spoilers Ahead!

Jared, Bree and Kenzie have been friends for a long time, until the events that took place at a party two years ago. Jared knew his brother planned this party with his Year 12 friends with the sole purpose of having sex with as many Year 9 girls as possible. Apparently these get togethers are a common occurrence. Jared fails to warn his friends and Kenzie is raped at the party. Jared’s guilt comes to a head when a photo of Kenzie from the night she was raped is posted on social media.

Before reading this book I’d never heard of a Hi-Lo book. For those as in the dark as I was, Hi-Lo are high-interest, low-readability books; basically books with more mature themes for reluctant readers if my understanding is correct. I love the concept. Anything that helps non-readers become readers is something to be applauded in my world.

I felt this book had potential as it addressed rape culture. It saddens and horrifies me that rape is so prevalent in society that it has its own culture. I’m not sure you can ever say that you enjoy a book where the central theme is sexual assault but in the context of a Hi-Lo book, I think the author did a good job.

I liked that this story is told from the point of view of a 16 year old boy. The majority of books I’ve read about sexual assault are told primarily from a female perspective. I like that at the end of the book the author listed some website resources. I didn’t really find a connection with any of the characters, although that may be in part because this was a quick read and as such there wasn’t the opportunity to get to know the characters as well as you do in longer novels.

I can understand Jared questioning why Kenzie never reported what happened to her. Until you’ve been there you don’t know what you’d do in that situation and there is no right or wrong answer. Some people report. Others don’t. I can understand both sides.

I appreciated the growth shown in Jared’s character throughout the book and how he kept trying to reach out to Kenzie. Jared talks about how useful the mediation training sessions he’s been attending have been but I would have liked to hear more about what he learned so readers could take something else away from the book.

I felt as though some of language attributed to the teens in the book didn’t work for the target audience or as examples of how young people speak. I’m not sure 15 and 16 year olds would be using terms like ‘young man’ used to describe a teenager in a video, or ‘compromising photos’ used to describe nude selfies or revenge porn. Also, some of the conversations read like they belonged in a pamphlet found in a counsellor’s office, not coming out of the mouths of teens.

It really frustrated me that while the author mentioned Kenzie was getting slut shamed on social media, the photograph in question constituted child pornography and no one did anything about it. While the focus is on Kenzie’s rape, there’s all of this blame from the characters towards Bree. Yes, Bree made really bad decisions, but… Maybe there are different laws where the author lives but where I come from a 14 year old girl is not old enough to legally be able to give consent so even if she was all for it, it’s still statutory rape.

I would have liked to have seen at least one person other than the victims experience consequences. Cam gets away with raping Kenzie. Seth gets away with physically abusing Jared, the statutory rape of Bree, and the production and distribution of child pornography. Who knows how many unnamed Year 12 boys raped how many unnamed Year 9 girls at their parties. Countless people in social media land do nothing when they see child pornography being distributed except shame the victim. Bree distributed child pornography and deserves to go down in history as being one of the worst friends ever. Jared’s father gets away with the blatant neglect of his son. No one at the school appears to even acknowledge the fact that Kenzie barely attends. I could probably go on, but that’s enough frustration at the lack of accountability.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Lorimer Children & Teens for the opportunity to read this book. I’d recommend watching Audrie & Daisy to anyone interested in a great documentary that complements the themes of this book quite well.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Epic Fail tells the story of Kenzie, a 16-year-old half Native American girl, and her two best friends, who have grown up in a multiracial, mixed-income suburb. Two years after a party where Kenzie was raped, she is still dealing with the trauma. When photos of the incident appear on social media there are serious consequences for everyone involved.

This book tells a tough but realistic story about teen relationships and sexual assault and how social media plays a role in magnifying its impact.

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There’s a Dog on the Dining Room Table – Elizabeth Maginnis

Illustrations – Annie Dwyer Internicola

There’s a Dog on the Dining Room Table is an adorable children’s book. I love dogs so requesting to read this book was a no brainer for me but I enjoyed it even more than I expected to. The rhymes flow really well and the illustrations complement the words. I loved seeing the dog transformed as each scenario for why the dog is on the dining room table is explored. I can imagine children giggling as they see the dog dressed up and engaged in different activities. The illustrations are lovely and imaginative.

If I was reading this book to a child I couldn’t simply read the book and be done. I’d have to make it into a game where the child and I come up with our own explanations for why the dog is on the dining room table. I loved the introduction of a new character at the end of the book and I’d definitely be asking the child I was reading with for other reasons why that character could be where it was.

I really enjoyed this book and appreciated that it encourages children to use their imaginations. Thank you very much to NetGalley and Xist Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

In this cute rhyming story about an unexpected visitor a little girl wonders why there is a dog on her dining room table. She imagines a world of funny scenarios for the new visitor, but not everyone is happy about his arrival.

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The Dream Dragon – Kathryn England

Illustrations – Valeria Issa

Spoilers Ahead!

This story shows how what we experience throughout our days can show up in our dreams at night, in particular what we’re thinking about as we fall asleep. At the beginning of this story, the boy has a book about dragons on his bedside table and while he sleeps he is protected by a dream dragon.

The dream dragon wanted to be the boy’s main dream so it would be remembered in the morning. The dream dragon chased good dreams away and breathed fire on the bad dreams, until the boy learns about dinosaurs at school. The boy then has dream protectors in the forms of a T-rex, followed by a super hero, then a pirate. The dream dragon is sad that the boy no longer dreams of it, but at the end of the book a girl has a book about dragons on her bedside table…

Bedtime stories are powerful and this one would be a great tool to help children who experience nightmares. I love the idea of teaching children that the characters in their bedtime stories can be their own dream protectors, doing battle on the child’s behalf while they’re sleeping to help keep away bad dreams.

I liked the illustrations, none of which looked scary. The dream dragon itself is quite quirky and kind of adorable in an ugly cute kind of way.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Xist Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

A dragon protects a child’s dreams from nightmares in this picture book perfect for bedtime. Bedtime stories inspires a series of dream protectors for a little boy. The dream dragon keeps the nightmares away and is joined by dinosaurs, pirates, super heroes and more in the quest to keep nighttime safe.

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Holo #1: Consider – Kristy Acevedo

I received a copy of Contribute (book 2 in the Holo series) from NetGalley but I was so interested in the story that I went right ahead and bought Consider so I could read them in order. I am not disappointed!

I was hooked from Alex’s first anxiety thought bubble on the first page. I find that anxious people tend to be quite creative and Alex certainly is with her disaster scenario thoughts, like this gem:

“What if it’s an alien-powered vacuum cleaner and we’re the dirt?”

I love the way Kristy Acevedo writes!!!

The characters were developed well and I loved that substantial backstories were provided for the supporting cast as well as our lead, Alex. I particularly loved the crazy lady without a name and looked out for her throughout the book. Always listen to the crazy people! What can sound crazy can become profound once you know the context of their words. I have my own theory about who crazy lady is and hope to find out for sure in Contribute.

The characters were forced to tackle all of the scenarios and more that I would’ve considered (see what I did there?) important during an apocalypse. I loved that Kristy Acevedo wasn’t afraid of arguing from multiple points of view as Consider explored the comet’s impending impact on such topics as politics, religion, freedom of choice, and what happens to society when there’s a visible clock counting down the time left to make the decision of your life … stay and wait for the comet to go boom or walk through a vertex into the unknown. An impossible choice.

On a lighter note, I would definitely grow my nails for the nail polishes mentioned in this book. Their names are so clever and cute that I want to buy them all sight unseen, although I know my favourite would have to be Blue My Mind.

I highlighted and then highlighted some more throughout this book; sometimes a few words, sometimes a few paragraphs at a time. There was so much to love and I’ve already read most of my highlighted passages to passers by, prefaced with, “Hey, listen to this sentence!” or “Don’t you just love the way this author thinks?”

I guessed the ending around the halfway point but I enjoyed the book so much that I didn’t care that the end wasn’t a surprise. Regardless, hello cliffhanger! I’ve read reviews of book 2 that say it’s even better than book 1. I’m not sure that’s possible but can’t wait to be proved wrong.

I just found another favourite author. Awesome job, Kristy! I’m starting Contribute immediately!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

As if Alexandra Lucas’ anxiety disorder isn’t enough, mysterious holograms suddenly appear from the sky, heralding the end of the world. They bring an ultimatum: heed the warning and step through a portal-like vertex to safety, or stay and be destroyed by a comet they say is on a collision course with earth. How’s that for senior year stress?

The holograms, claiming to be humans from the future, bring the promise of safety. But without the ability to verify their story, Alex is forced to consider what is best for her friends, her family, and herself.

To stay or to go. A decision must be made.

With the deadline of the holograms’ prophecy fast approaching, Alex feels as though she is living on a ticking time bomb, until she discovers it is much, much worse.

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Strange Alchemy – Gwenda Bond

Spoilers Ahead!

I admit it. I’m not a history buff. I first heard of the lost colony of Roanoke and the word ‘Croatoan’ while watching one of the later series of Haven, which is loosely based on Stephen King’s The Colorado Kid. I became fascinated by the mystery behind the disappearance of over 100 people. It was this fascination that led me to want to read Strange Alchemy. Before I started this novel I read some more about the history and the theories surrounding the lost colony.

I loved the first half of the book and enjoyed the alternating chapters showing Miranda and Grant’s points of view. Sometimes I find books with different points of view fragmented but felt the story flowed well from chapter to chapter. I liked both of the main characters who, for different reasons, long to be normal and not be defined by their reputations.

Almost exactly at the halfway mark the story seemed to fall apart for me. There was a lot happening to keep my attention and I still wanted to keep reading until the end but the explanations fell flat for me. I spent a lot of time questioning the characters’ choices and the series of events.

I don’t understand, if Grant hearing the voices of the spirits is supposed to be a gift, why he spends most of the book trying to push them into the background. I waited patiently for the author’s explanation of the word ‘Croatoan’ being carved on a post and it never came. I didn’t mind that some people had to die at the end but was it really necessary to hurt adorable Sidekick?

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Capstone for the opportunity to read this book. I think young teenagers who are interested in starting to get their teeth into books that have a supernatural element will enjoy this book.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Gwenda Bond’s first book Blackwood has been reimagined and brought back to life with new vision. On Roanoke Island, the legend of the Lost Colony — and the 114 colonists who vanished without a trace more than four hundred years ago — still haunts the town. But that’s just a story told for the tourists.

When 114 people suddenly disappear from the island in present day, it seems history is repeating itself — and an unlikely pair of seventeen-year-olds might be the only hope of bringing the missing back. Miranda Blackwood, a member of one of island’s most infamous families, and Grant Rawling, the sherrif’s son, who has demons and secrets of his own, find themselves at the center of the mystery.

As the unlikely pair works to uncover the secrets of the new Lost Colony, they must dodge everyone from the authorities to long-dead alchemists as they race against time to save their family and friends before they too are gone for good.

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