Reading

Book Review: The Toilet Paper Tigers

~ Beth Mitchell ~ Leave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-07-01 at 9.53.57 AMWe love baseball in our house, so we’re always on the lookout for a good baseball book. One our recent favorites is a used bookstore find: The Toilet Paper Tigers by Gordon Korman.

Corey Johnson’s Tigers might be the worst Little League team in Spooner, Texas. They have a picture of a toilet paper roll on their uniform, thanks to their sponsor, Feather-Soft Bathroom Tissue Inc. Their coach is an absent-minded physicist who knows nothing about baseball. Their catcher’s afraid of the ball, their right fielder falls asleep in the field, and their first baseman might have to go to summer school and miss the whole season. Worst of all, the coach’s granddaughter, a fast-talking girl from New York, thinks she’s in charge.

This book is sweet and funny — and it features the old hidden ball trick. Larrabee enjoyed it thoroughly. A good summer read.

Book Review: The Imaginary

~ Beth Mitchell ~ 1 Comment

Screen Shot 2017-06-06 at 9.53.18 PMYou won’t be surprised to learn that I liked The Imaginary by A.F. Harrold. It’s a book about imaginary friends, after all.

This book came highly recommended by Larrabee, and I agree that it’s a perfect summer vacation read (or read aloud). It’s a British book about an imaginative girl named Amanda Shuffleup, her best (and imaginary) friend Rudger, and the sinister Mr. Bunting, who eats imaginaries. I found it both entertaining and profound.

As you can see from the cover, the illustrations by Emily Gravett are amazing too.

Thank you to Aunt Kay and Uncle Christian who gave this book to Larrabee for his birthday.

And thank you to my own imaginary friends, Little Wolf and Annie, for joining me on many a childhood adventure. I still remember you.

Book Review: The Inquisitor’s Tale

~ Beth Mitchell ~ 1 Comment

Screen Shot 2017-05-23 at 12.11.00 PMThe Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz is a seriously cool book. One of the best I’ve read this year. It was deservedly a 2017 Newbery Honor book.

Don’t let your kids be put off by the book’s subtitle: “Or, Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog.” Yes, it’s set in medieval France. And yes, the main characters are an oblate of mixed race with superhuman strength, a peasant girl who sees visions of the future, a Jewish boy with the power to heal, and a greyhound who has been resurrected from the dead. And it also has dragons, demons, knights, monks, and royalty.

This book sounds strange, but, believe me, it’s a page-turner. It’s reminiscent of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales in that it’s told by a series of characters telling tales in a pub about the three children and their dog. The resulting story manages to be suspenseful, funny, and thought-provoking. And, as a bonus, it’s illustrated (or rather illuminated) by Hatem Aly.

Thank you to Larrabee, who read it first and recommended it to me, and to Grandma and Grandpa, who gave it to Larrabee for his birthday.

Book Review: Julius Zebra

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Screen Shot 2017-05-09 at 2.00.06 PMIf you’re looking for a zany adventure to add to your summer reading list, Larrabee recommends Julius Zebra: Rumble with the Romans! by Gary Northfield.

Julius is just trying to get away from the stinky watering hole and his annoying big brother when he’s captured by Roman soldiers. They take him, along with a warthog and a lion, all the way from Africa to Rome itself. Improbably, he ends up training as a gladiator to fight in the Colosseum on Emperor Hadrian’s birthday.

It’s not a short book — at CCLXVI pages. But it’s an easy read with lots of funny comic-style illustrations.

Along with the wacky cast of animal characters, the story contains nuggets of real historical information. Years later, when Larrabee studies Ancient Rome in school, he’ll probably find himself saying, “I learned that from Julius Zebra.”

P.S. Never call Julius a stripey horse. And check out his next adventure in Julius Zebra: Bundle with the Britons.

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!

Book Review: Most Dangerous

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Screen Shot 2017-03-26 at 8.27.56 PMMost Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War is another excellent history book for middle and high school readers by Steve Sheinkin, the author of Bomb. Blaine, Mark, and I all enjoyed it.

The book tells Ellsberg’s story from his first day of work at the Pentagon, coincidentally the day of the Tonkin Gulf incident, to his decision to leak the Pentagon Papers and his trial for violating the Espionage Act. At the same time, it recounts many events of the late 1960s and early 1970s: the U.S. military escalation in Vietnam, the anti-war protests at home, the Watergate break-in.

To an adult, this is recent history, but to a young person, it’s just history. Yet, it’s incredibly relevant to today’s news. For example, American military action overseas is often criticized as “another Vietnam.” Watergate spawned a long list of “-gate” scandals, including the recent “deflategate.” And in the epilogue, Sheinkin draws a parallel between Ellsberg and Edward Snowden.

Most Dangerous is a fast-paced, compelling read.

Book Review: One Crazy Summer

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screen-shot-2017-01-12-at-4-38-33-pmOne Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia is the story of three sisters who travel from their home in Brooklyn, New York to spend a month in Oakland, California with the mother who abandoned them seven years earlier. It’s set in the summer of 1968.

Blaine and I both enjoyed this book. It refers to some of the same historical events as The Rock and the River (such as the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the imprisonment of Huey Newton), which led to some interesting discussions.

Most of all, we found the characters and their personal relationships compelling. (For more on that, see the craft review that I wrote for the Middle Grade Lunch Break blog.)

If you want to read more about the Gaither sisters, Rita Williams-Garcia has also written two sequels: P.S. Be Eleven (set in Brooklyn) and Gone Crazy in Alabama (set in rural Alabama).

Book Review: Double Down

~ Beth Mitchell ~ 1 Comment

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When my kids rave about a book, I usually read it too. I’m curious to know what captures their imagination. But when my kids go on to devour a whole series, I usually don’t. After all, there are so many good books in the world (including books written for adults).

Except for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney. This series now has eleven (yes, eleven!) books, and I’ve read every single one. Double Down (#11) is not my favorite. That honor goes to either Diary of a Wimpy Kid (#1) or Dog Days (#4). Blaine is partial to Rodrick Rules (#2), while Larrabee thinks Double Down is the best book yet.

But I’ll agree that the latest book has its share of laugh-out-loud moments. Jeff Kinney has a talent for noticing the funny details of school and family life. For example, this book has an episode with a Halloween decoration, a witch that cackles when you make a noise–or even when you don’t–and sometimes even when you take its batteries out. It kind of reminded me of Blaine’s spooky electronic toothbrush. But that’s another story…

Socks and Books

~ Beth Mitchell ~ Leave a comment

“One can never have enough socks,” said Dumbledore. “Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn’t get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

img_0973Luckily for Blaine and Larrabee, they received both socks and books this Christmas. Lots of books! And they still have over a week of Winter Break left in which to read (with warm feet).

Blaine is reading a classic: Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Thank you, Grandpa! (And he is wearing Boba Fett socks.)

Larrabee started with the 11th book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Double Down by Jeff Kinney. He finished that one before I could get my blog posted and moved on to the 6th book in the Shark Wars series, The Last Emprex by A.J. Altbacker. (And he is wearing ninja socks.)

I hope you’re enjoying your new Christmas books!