Month: April 2017

Book Review: The Wild Robot

~ Beth Mitchell ~ Leave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-04-12 at 1.48.19 PMThe Wild Robot is a charming tale of a robot who washes ashore on an island inhabited only by animals. Larrabee and I took turns reading it aloud to each other.

It’s an easy read with short chapters. It took us a little while to get into it, and Larrabee first pronounced it “a little weird.” But he chuckled when Roz the robot addressed the opossum politely as “Madam marsupial,” and he laughed out loud when she invited all the animals to leave their droppings in her garden. Brightbill the gosling and Chitchat the squirrel won him over. And by the time the RECOs arrived to retrieve Roz, he was riveted.

The Wild Robot is author and illustrator Peter Brown‘s first novel. It contains charming illustrations (like the one on the cover) throughout. Larrabee and I are fans of Brown’s picture books, especially My Teacher Is a Monster!

I recently wrote a craft review of this book for the Middle Grade Lunch Break blog. I hope you’ll check it out.

Book Review: Norse Mythology

~ Beth Mitchell ~ 2 Comments
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Inspired by Gaiman’s book, Larrabee made his own Mjollnir, the lightning-maker (hammer of Thor) out of cardboard.

In Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman retells the stories of Odin, Thor, Loki, and the other gods, goddesses, dwarves, and giants of the nine worlds. It’s fast-paced and funny–a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Larrabee read this book first and then lent it to me. He loved it, although he reported that “The Mead of Poets” was a little scarring for an eight year old. Especially one who’s written some bad haiku. You’ll have to read the book yourself to understand why.

I’m less familiar with the Norse myths than I am with Greek and Roman mythology, so many of these stories were new to me. I’ve encountered some of the characters in popular culture, though, including in Gaiman’s Odd and the Frost Giants, and Rick Riordan’s Magnus Chase series, and it was nice to get their full story.

Book Review: Pax

~ Beth Mitchell ~ Leave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-04-05 at 9.49.12 AMPax by Sara Pennypacker is the story of a twelve-year-old boy and his pet fox, separated by an impending war. Through the alternating viewpoints of Peter and Pax, we learn how they came to be inseparable and what they will do to be reunited.

Pax is a profound story and beautifully written. Although it has sad parts, it did not make me cry. Larrabee read it first and then lent it to me, but I wish we’d read it aloud together because it raises important issues about doing the right thing and discovering your own truth.

Sara Pennypacker was interviewed about Pax on NPR.

Thank you to Tom and Aymara for the excellent gift!