I couldn't find a picture of the cover so I'll have to do without. I got this book from NetGalley. I forget to mention that a lot of times. I am able to get quite a few books from them which is nice.
Anyway I have been stewing about this review since I finished the book last night. On the one hand I love "fractured" fairy tales or fairy tales done in a different way. In this story Cassie (wearing a red raincoat) is picking up a meal for her and her grandmother to share. While she is waiting out a storm Caleb Woolf smells her delicious meal and approaches Cassie. When he finds out where she is going he races there ahead of her, gets into Grandma's apartment, and ties up Grandma. When Cassie arrives she ended up getting knocked out. Up to this point I was okay. Caleb almost got away with it but he left his hoodie behind and Cassie figured out it was him. This is where it gets sketchy. Cassie and Grandma decide to trap Caleb and get some revenge. They lure him back to the apartment with a promise of more food and when he gets there he finds himself locked in the apartment with the gas stove and oven on. Really??? I get that Little Red Riding Hood was violent but do we need to promote gassing and vigilante revenge. Maybe I am just being too old fashioned and a fuddy duddy but it didn't sit well with me. Sorry.
This graphic novel was based on a memoir by Joseph Joffo. It was about the experiences of Joseph and his brother during World War II. The brothers were able to stay ahead of the Germans by escaping into the free zone of France and staying on the run. In addition their older brothers and mother ran and hid during the war.
The book was okay. I am not huge fan of graphic novels and had a hard time following the action at times. I would probably like the original memoir better. There was some language and a bit of sexual innuendo that made the book inappropriate for my students.
I'm going to have to give it a croak...
I don't read a lot of early reading fiction so maybe that was why this book didn't really work for me. It was very short and just didn't seem developed enough. I was not able to really get to know any of the characters and the there just wasn't enough conflict. The family didn't get to the rainforest until at least halfway through the book and then the rescue was when Channing got lost. After traveling to the rainforest Channing went home and decided to take up the cause of fighting to save the rainforests but I didn't think there was enough in the story to really make anyone care.
Like I said if I was more in tune with early readers I may have liked this story more but I typically read novels for grades 4 and up and this just didn't seem to cut it for me.
Sorry...
Set during the Civil Rights Movement this book is about a young man who helps his father write letters for a civil rights group. During the story Mason and his brothers begin to attend a formerly all white school where they meet with opposition. Mason however continues to work hard and his writing leads him to learning how to type - first on a manual typewriter and then on an electric typewriter. Mason becomes so good at typing that he is selected to represent his school at a typing contest. Mason chooses to use a manual typewriter while everyone else uses an electric typewriter and he still wins the contest.
The story itself - historically is good. This could easily be used during a unit on Civil Rights. Due to the content it is more appropriate for grades 4 and up. The length of the text makes it tricky. The book will most likely be housed with picture books and could easily be overloooked. As far as the actual writing I didn't find it particularly stellar - solid yes, stellar no.
I can give it a ribbet for content and possible curricular ties.
This book was about a father and his daughter and toddler who go to the Guggenheim museum. While the dad is on the phone the girl lets go of her brother's stroller and off he goes down the spiral. A chase (reminiscent of the Gingerbread Man) ensues past artwork as everyone tries to stop the escaping stroller. It creeped me out a bit when the stroller flew across the spiral at one point. All ended well when the stroller crashed into a "humongous heap of black licorice candy". What I liked about the book was the references to artwork that is actually at the museum. Interestingly enough my fellow librarians and I just created a lesson about crediting works of art, etc properly and this book would tie in very well with the lesson. So while I though the story was a bit over the top I might actually get it to tie in with my lesson. I can give it a ribbet for that...
This was a fun book. M. Freeman has always been homeschooled. Then one day she interviews and is accepted to the Lawless School. What she doesn't know is that it is a school that trains criminals and her parents were both criminals. There are several great scenes where M has to steal things which are quite clever. It is a bit confusing at the end when we discover things are not as they seem. All in all it was fun and the potential is there for future installments.
Ribbet :)
Who really was Prince Charming? Did you know they actually had names - Liam, Frederic, Duncan, and Gustav? I didn't know they had names until I read this book. The poor princes were certainly not getting the credit they deserved. In this book the four end up banding together to defeat a witch - to say her name would give her the recognition she does not deserve. Cinderella or Ella as she likes to be called plays a vital role and Sleeping Beauty (Briar Rose), Snow White, and Rapunzel also make appearances. During the course of the story the princes also come up against a giant, trolls, a dragon, and bandits.
I thought the book was quite humorous but at 400+ pages it is long. I have had it in my library all year but only 5 people have checked it out. I am not sure if I will get the sequel or not.
I give it a ribbet because I enjoyed it and it was a clever twist on the princes and I love fairy tale spoofs, extensions, etc.
