Train, Train...

I was thinking about summer travel recently and all the places people go. I don't know about you, but my children enjoy new places, especially those with subways, light rails, or monorails. Families with children who are fascinated with trains and subways will enjoy this picture book and if you are traveling to a city with special transportation opportunities this book should prove fun for the car.

“Subway Ride”

By Heather Miller

Illustrated by Sue Rama

For Ages 4 - 8

Lively illustrations and fun facts factual about the ten subway systems around the world make "Subway Ride" a must for children fascinated by transportation. Rated 3.75 (fun facts, transportation, world travel)

Five children head into the subway system for a trip to the park. Once on the train, each stop brings them to a new city, including: Atlanta, Moscow, London, Chicago and New York. In all, the children travel to ten different cities before reaching their final destination. When the doors open they leave the station and head out for a fun-filled day in the park.

Miller utilizes minimal text and flowing rhymes in an effort to keep the pace lively. Unfortunately the text sometimes comes across stilted, acting like a hiccup in the story's momentum. Rama’s vibrant digital collage and watercolor illustrations are easy for young readers to follow and add a pleasant energy to the story. The use of blushed lines and bright colors bring a sense of action and depth to each subway station. Young fans of trains and public transportation will be enthralled with the easy-to-digest information about landmark subways around the world.

Where For Art Thou...

Summer is fast approaching so now is the time to begin a summer reading list. You can add the last title I reviewed, "The Brass Monkeys." Although the book I am reviewing tonight is not Shakespearean in nature, "Romeo and Juliet" does play a significant role and it would make a good summer read for a preteen girls. 

“The Romeo and Juliet Code”

By Phoebe Stone
For Ages 9 – 12
A coming-of-age story set during World War II, this tale combines mystery, romance and humor to create an compelling narrative of the era. Rated 4 (mystery, war, romance)

It’s 1941 and the Germans are bombing London. Eleven-year-old Felicity Bathburn Budwig is is secreted out of the city by her parents and taken to her father’s family home in Bottlebay, Maine. There, she is unceremoniously left with The Gram, Felicity’s grandmother; Aunt Miami; Uncle Gideon; and “Captain Derek,” a 12-year-old adopted orphan recovering from polio. Shortly after her parents leave Uncle Gideon begins receiving letters from Felicity’s father, who is now in Portugal. However, he won’t let Felicity see the letters. Why? She teams up with Derek to discover where the letters are and break the mysterious code in which they are written. Throughout the story Felicity uncovers secrets about her family and finds her own place in the world.

Although at times it can be tiring, Stone's lyrical prose is easy on the ears and does a fantastic job of describing America on the brink of World War II. Stone uses humor, romance and mystery well to break the stress of self discovery and war. The characters are well developed and, event though the novel feels a bit old fashioned, readers will identify with Felicity and her scheming ways.

Funky Monkeys

Time for me to make up for lost time and load you up with some reviews. Expect several over the next few days. Yay, book reviews!

“Brass Monkeys”

By Terry Caszatt
For Ages 9 – 12
Think Jake Ransom, Alice in Wonderland, and Phantom Tollbooth all rolled into one. This school fantasy, adventure is a fun and strange trip that makes a great summer read. Rated 4 (fantasy, evil teachers, mild peril)

After being forced to transfer schools; Eugene, an awkward, eighth-grade boy and his mom move to a northern Michigan town in the middle of winter. Strange things begin happening as soon as they arrive in town. Several local kids take Eugene into their ranks, especially after they discover his nickname is Billy Bumpus. Evidently they had been given a message that “B.B.” was coming to town to save the school and all the students. Weird, huh? And things got even weirder on the first day of school. Then he meets his English teacher, Ms. “Ming the Merciless” Mingley – that's right, even weirder. Using a favorite tool of children’s literature, things really get moving when Eugene enters another world; an underworld. He begins and epic journey to save his fellow students and find McGinty, a legendary teacher who can stop Ming in her tracks.

The action is non-stop, the characters are believable and Caszatt develops the underworld of literary allusions and unused school supplies without error. He subtly makes a comment about poor teachers and the misguided education system sucking the life out of students. But he also shows how a few inspired teachers can make all the difference in the world. This is a page turner of a book that even reluctant readers won’t want to put it down until the story is over.

I See Paris, I See France...

Now that spring break and Easter vacation are over it's time for me to get back to work on the book reviews. The good news is I read a lot. So I have plenty to review.

"The Underpants Zoo"

By Brian Sendelbach

For Ages 3 - 7

There's a new zoo in town and you've never seen anything like it. There are more than zany animals that keep this tale fun for all. Rated 3.5 (humor, rhyme, underwear)

It's ridiculous and absurd. All the animals are in underwear. Hippos have hearts on their underpants, zebras have stars. What kind of underwear does a lion wear? How about a penguin? Sendelbach keeps this silly story moving with easy to read rhymes and fun illustrations. Kids will giggle with delight as ants join the party. This one is easy to enjoy as a read-aloud, especially with emerging readers.

Going on a Treasure Hunt

I went to the flea market last weekend with my wife and kids. We went in search of tiny treasures. We were hoping to discover something my wife could use as a subject for her 21/365 painting project. Our search took us to many vendors - some friendly, others not. We searched high and low for just the right object. We never found it, but we did make a discovery. Beneath some old chapter books and sandwiched between a few mediocre pictures we found a real treasure. It was just sitting there waiting to be read, a first edition "Being an American Can Be Fun," by Munro Leaf.

For those of you unfamiliar with Leaf's many of his books have been reprinted and are well worth a read. We own "Reading Can Be Fun," "Manners Can Be Fun" and "How to Behave and Why." All of Leaf's books are written for children without speaking down to them. The illustrations are black and white line drawings with a healthy dose of humor. By today's standards the books are a little long and don't have any of the quick cuts in story lines that have become popular in many new books. So they are best read as short chapter books. 

"Being an American Can Be Fun" was written in 1964 and explores our "unalienable rights" of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Leaf defines what each right means to the individual. He then compares these rights as they are in the United States to communist countries around the world. Sure some of the information in out of date, but it honest and direct about how blessed we are in the United States.

This is a great book and I would love to see it reprinted. Unfortunately I think they would edit the copy too much to try and be politically correct and not offend communists. If you have not guessed by now, we did buy the book and proceeded to read it to our very appreciative children. It also prompted some great conversations about the greatness of America as compared to communist countries.

So don't forget about classic out of print books. You never know what you'll find.

A Little Magical Reading

Who could use a little magic in their lives? Who couldn't? Here are a couple magical tales to keep you thinking about possibilities and looking for adventures.

“Museum of Thieves”

By Lain Tanner

For Ages 9 - 12

Can we keep our children locked away form the dangers of the world forever? This is one of the main questions in "Museum of Thieves," a magical fantasy with a touch of the creeps. Rated: 3.75

In the city of Jewel children are chained to their parents until they are 16-years-old. They are kept completely away from danger, risk and life. Consequently the children of Jewel never have the opportunity to develop their strengths, their gifts or learn how to live. When Goldie has finally had enough she runs away. Looking for a place to hide she ends up in the Museum of Dunt. She soon discovers that the museum is a living, changing magical place with dark secrets as well as light. The darkness is rising as the Fugleman (sort of like a the mayor) tries to take over the city by force, spread fear and rule a fascist regime. Only Goldie and a band of misfits who live at the museum can save the world. It's a dark tale with a fantastic landscape, a depth of social discussions and a discovery of virtues. Unfortunately a few plot details are never ironed out. Luckily they aren't major plot points and the adventure is entertaining enough to help you forget about them.

“Bran Hambric: The Specter Key”

By Kaleb Nation

For Ages 9 - 12

Like Harry Potter, Bran Hambric is an orphaned boy with magical powers in a magical world. Bran is trying to discover his family, his family secrets and possibly save the world. Rated 3.75

In “The Specter Key” Bran discovers a mysterious box left for him by his mother. When his best friend appears to be killed in a brilliant flash of light, Bran sets out to discover the mystery of the box. In order to do that he must first find an object called the specter key and rescue his best friend. "The Spectre Key" is full of fast moving action and interesting characters. The inventive settings and unique story add to the magic and make this book a worthy compliment to your Harry Potter collection. But be aware that you may be lost of you haven't read the first book in the series.

The Return of Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss passed away in 1991. Who would have thought we'd be graced by his special writing talents nearly 20 years later. As it turns out that is exactly what is happening. Random House has collected stories that Dr. Seuss published in magazines in 1950 and 1951. They have sine not seen the light of day. Now Random House is set to release this new collection as a wonderful new picture book. Although the tales are not technically new, they will be new to most of us. Check out the Random House press release below for more information.



http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/46659-random-uncovers-new-seuss-stories.html