Mighty Miss Malone review

The Mighty Miss Malone

by Christopher Paul Curtis

Wendy Lamb Books

January 2012

First line: "Once upon a time... If I could get away with it that's how I'd begin every essay I write."

Tenacious 12 year old Deza Malone handles everything life throws at her with irrepressible spirit in this  companion novel to Bud, Not Buddy. Starved for work during the Great Depression, her father disappears and the family attempts to reunite with him by traveling across the country. They end up in a "Hoovertown" - an improvised tent city full of other folks down on their luck. This is the first book with a female protagonist that Curtis has written - I enjoyed his attempt, even if I thought he writes a male voice much better.

Deza's a promising student, but school becomes difficult if not impossible with all of the family's financial difficulties that drag them down. Her teeth are rotting so badly, that she nearly faints from the pain, and of course, paying a dentist is completely out of the question. This all sounds pretty grim, but luckily Deza and her brother Jimmy approach everything with such pluck and humor the book is actually a fairly amusing read. Deza makes everything sound like a grand adventure, even living out of a tent in a park.

This seems like a good introduction to the Depression era for children. Plenty of serious topics like racism, homelessness and poverty are explored but never at a level that children will find inaccessible or too overwhelming. Despite the blatant racism the Malone family has to face, there is an upbeat ending - things get wrapped up pretty neatly. 

Compare to:
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Mildred D. Taylor
My Name is Sally Little Song - Brenda Woods
Bud, Not Buddy - Christopher Paul Curtis

I borrowed this book from the library.

The List review

The List
by Siobhan Vivian
Push
April 2012

First line: "For as long as anyone can remember, the students of Mount Washington High have arrived at school on the last Monday in September to find a list naming the prettiest and the ugliest girl in each grade."

This is a pretty large ensemble cast - 8 girls, plus their friends and family. Each girl is so unique, with her own reactions to being forced into the spotlight.

Abby is delighted to be named prettiest freshman. Her older sister Fern, is a science nerd whose devotion to "The Blix Effect" fantasy novels knows no bounds. I loved these sisters so much. I loved how the girls speak two completely different languages - Abby is fluent in fashion and personal grooming but struggles with classwork. Fern is a serious student, and was formerly on "the list" as an ugly girl. My favorite quote from Abby was regarding the Blix Effect style hair that Fern wants help with. "Fern only ever wants Abby to give her two French braids, even though Abby can do a knot or an up-twist - hairstyles Abby feels are better, more sophisticated choices for her sixteen-year-old sister. But Abby never says no to Fern's requests, even though she finds it weird that Fern wants to dress in what is essentially a costume, because the braids do make Fern look better, or at least like she cares a little bit about how she looks."

Danielle, aka Dan, is a lady athlete. She's a powerful swimmer, and knows her way around a weight room, too. Her boyfriend Andrew is always worried about what other guys will think. The news that Danielle has been voted ugliest freshman is nearly enough to drive him away. As much as Danielle is embarrassed to be nicknamed "Dan the Man," in her own words, "She knows she is not a boy. But sometimes her boyfriend needs to be reminded." I felt like Dan was a teenage version of Glee's Coach Beiste.

Lauren is the unexpected pick for prettiest sophomore. Her family dynamic is cray-zee! She's been homeschooled her whole life, and while she's intimidated and overwhelmed to be attending high school, on the other hand, she is starting to enjoy herself and make friends. Her domineering mother needs to cut the cord!

Candace takes a lot of pride in her personal appearance and is shocked to make the ugly list. She's a queen bee, a mean girl, and her idea of having friends is so that when you say, "Jump!" they will all ask, "How high?" It would be satisfying to see her finally getting her comeuppance now, if she wasn't so heartrendingly pathetic. She really doesn't understand what she's done to drive people away.

I felt so bad for poor crazy Bridget. The other kids at school don't know that her new trimmed down look is only due to a summer spent battling anorexia. When she's named prettiest junior, it sends her into a tailspin. She decides to starve herself again, but the scenes where she sees her little sister who idolizes her start to copy her behavior broke my heart.

The scenes with Sarah, a punk-rock girl who is voted ugliest junior probably made the least sense to me. She's kind of unhinged after discovering a secret from her boyfriend Milo. She's embarrassed and regrets losing her virginity to him. I couldn't figure out what the secret was though! My mind wandered to the worst possible scenarios. I didn't feel like the secret was ever satisfactorily revealed. Was it just that he had an attractive ex-girlfriend? I didn't get it. The other part about Sarah's story that didn't totally make sense was her decision to stop bathing. She decides to punish the students at school by becoming as odoriferous as possible. The events of the book mostly happen over a four-day span though. I probably spend too much time with people who do not bathe, but I don't think only four days would be enough time for her to really work up the kind of horrific body stench that she describes.

Margo is delighted to be named prettiest senior, but horrified when her former best friend Jennifer is named the ugliest girl... for the fourth year in a row. Margo and her older sister, (also a former prettiest girl) who is now in college have a really interesting dynamic. Interestingly, Margo is mostly horrified that her carefully cultivated friend circle of popular girls take pity on Jennifer and start to include her. Which is not what Margo had envisioned at all.

And Jennifer! Where do I start? This girl is maybe the craziest of them all. She kind of seemed Single White Female - a little too stalker-y towards Margo.

I thought the mechanics of how the list is sealed with a stolen school stamp (to prevent impostor lists from cropping up) seemed a little overdone. But, I loved the way that Vivian skillfully interwove so many interconnecting threads. There is a great twist at the end. I kind of suspected it, maybe a little, but getting at all the details was fascinating.

Compare to:
The DUFF - Kody Keplinger
Boyproof - Cecil Castellucci
The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls - Julie Schumacher
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - Ann Brashares

I borrowed this book from the library.

Pulp-o-Mizer

Check out this cool website: PULP-O-MIZER: the custom pulp magazine cover generator.
Fun! Here's one I cooked up... 

There are lots of options to change the image, text, font, everything, and when you're done, you can purchase posters, mugs, iPad covers, you name it, with your image. Enjoy!

New Harry Potter covers

I'm so excited to hear that Kazu Kibuishi has been selected to create all new covers for the 15th anniversary of Harry Potter. I love seeing different artists interpret the series in different way. This new cover may even rival my favorite version so far, the Signature covers, featuring J.K. Rowling's signature and a simple image on a cream background. Seeing the 10th anniversary edition cover, with Harry gazing into the Mirror of Erised by Mary GrandPré, the same artist who did the covers for all the American editions, was also a special treat, but I have to say, I'm even more thrilled with the Kibuishi design. I like this moment - when Harry and Hagrid go shopping for school supplies on Diagon Alley. Hedwig's wings, spread behind Harry make him look particularly angelic. I'm glad they kept the iconic Harry Potter jagged lightning font. And those bored wizards milling around in the background totally complete the scene! I'm really looking forward to seeing the rest of the Kibuishi covers.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone review

Daughter of Smoke and Bone
by Laini Taylor
Little Brown and Company
September 2011

First line: "Once upon a time an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well."

It's hard to know where to start on this review. All I can say is, that like many readers, I was swept away with the amazing world-building and intrigue in this expansive and well-thought out fantasy.

This book was so suspenseful and mysterious. Here's Karou, this blue-haired teenage art student in Prague, who's secretly been raised by a family of teleporting magical chimera. How and why did they end up with a human child in their care? What on earth are they doing with all of the teeth that they ask her to acquire? Karou's childhood, growing up in New York and Hong Kong, and the jet-setting lifestyle that she leads, eventually landing in Prague, seemed exotic and amazing enough on its own. When you add in Issa, her half-snake, half-human surrogate mother, and Brimstone her half-ram, half-human stern father figure - it just takes everything to a new level.

The writing is incredibly lush and lyrical. It completely draws you in to the world. As details are slowly revealed, the love story is both beautiful and intense. I loved all the twists and turns to this story. There are a number of shocking revelations. I did not see the whole world behind the wardrobe door, so to speak. This book is everything one could hope for in an epic fantasy, so its popularity is not surprising. If you haven't picked up already, you definitely should!

Compare to:
Seraphina - Rachel Hartman
Chime - Franny Billingsly
Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Valentines Feltboard

Valentine's is over, but I just had to share this fun little feltboard I put together. I found this on Storytime ABC's, and if imitation is the highest form of flattery, I hope they are feeling very flattered, as I pretty much copied the pattern outright!

This was a real hit at storytime - a fun rhyme, and easy to remember.

Five little Valentine's were having a race.
The 1st Valentine was frilly with lace.
The 2nd Valentine had a very silly face.
The 3rd Valentine said, "I love you!"
The 4th Valentine said, "I do too!"
But, the 5th Valentine was sly as a fox!
'Cos he ran the fastest to your Valentine box."

Mothstorm review

Mothstorm: The Horror from Beyond Uranus Georgium Sidus!
by Philip Reeve
Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
October 2008

First line: "Dunderhead! Clodpole! Ninnyhammer! Booby! Nitwit! Gumph! Yes, 'twas the season of Peace and Goodwill at Larklight, and my sister Myrtle and I, snug in our fleece-lined, winter-weight spacesuits, were out upon the front porch, decorating our Christmas Tree."

The final installment in the Larklight trilogy provides more of the fantastic steampunk Victorian sensibility made familiar to us in Larklight and Starcross. While Mothstorm could easily stand on its own, reading the earlier books is highly recommended. Humorous footnotes accompany the text, and as usual, David Wyatt's intricate illustrations add much to the feel of the book. We are treated to a few of Myrtle's flowery diary pages, but Art is the main narrator.

It's Christmastime in the Year of Our Lord 1851 and Art Mumby and his fussy sister Myrtle  have settled in for the holiday at their home, Larklight, a mansion located on one of the most distant asteroids of the British Empire. They are interrupted by a space-faring pudding worm, which disguises itself as a raisin and eats Christmas puddings from the inside out. In the meantime, Georgium Sidus (aka Uranus) has sent a distress call, and the siblings head out with the crew of the spaceship Sophronia to investigate.

The omnipotence of Art's mother, in actuality a Shaper, or incorporeal alien being who created and continues to influence the solar system for the past several millennia, is neatly sidestepped. Encountering an alternate Shaper in another solar system, we see a glimpse of how the world would be if ruled by a despot, rather than a gentle being committed to letting her creations have free will.

Brave and intrepid Charity Cruet, an explorer in need of rescuing, provides a great counterpoint to the always proper young Victorian lady, Myrtle. Charity and Art seem well-suited to each other. Space-pirate Jack Havock and Myrtle's romance shows signs of not being over yet, as they find themselves thrown together again.

The mysteries of Ssilissa's origins are finally revealed. The quiet girl-lizard pilot on Jack Havock's ship turns out to be a member of the Snilth race, from far beyond our galaxy. The Snilth recognize in Ssilissa's knobby tail the former royal family of their people, and abandon their warlike ways to settle on Pluto with her as their queen.

I thought the attempt to rescue Jack's family from the Venusian tree virus could have taken up a whole book on its own, but everything is rather quickly taken care of in the final chapter. Fans of the series will either be happy to see every loose end so neatly wrapped up, or (like me) wish that there were more.

Compare to:

Girl Genius - Phil Foglio

Calamity Jack - Shannon, Dean and Nathan Hale

Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld