The previous nine book reviews are now archived and cross-linked on the main site.
Enjoy!
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Friday, January 29, 2016
Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (Stephan Pastis)
Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made
(The Timmy Failure series, Book 1)
Stephan Pastis
Candlewick Press
Fiction, YA Humor
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: Young Timmy Failure may look like any ordinary grade-schooler (albeit one with a distinctive scarf), but he's actually the greatest detective in the city, and possibly the world. With Total, a polar bear who came looking for food after his habitat melted and wound up becoming a junior partner, he runs his detective agency out of his mother's closet. Sure, his grades and social life suffer, but one cannot be bothered with minor annoyances like homework and schoolbooks and making friends when one has a multimillion-dollar business to build. Then the Failuremobile - better known as Mom's Segway - goes missing, leading to Timmy's biggest case as he discovers a dangerous rival stalking his every move.
REVIEW: With similar twisted humor to Pastis's Pearls Before Swine comic strip (including many illustrations by "Timmy"), this looked like a fun little adventure. Timmy's imagination inflates ordinary occurrences into conspiracies worthy of Fox Mulder and the X-Files, while completely ignoring more obvious (and sometimes troubling) problems. There's more going on than he's aware of, hints that the reader (especially the adult reader) picks up on. Mostly, the plot involves Timmy creating his own problems, then exacerbating them through repeated misunderstandings and blunders and grandiose would-be schemes... a formula that grows a little stale when it becomes clear that Timmy's talents are as imaginary as half (or significantly more) of his deductions. It has some fun moments and truly hilarious illustrations, with plenty of messed-up characters and downright bizarre situations. I don't see myself following the series further, though.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Chomp (Carl Hiaasen) - My Review
Pearls Before Swine: BLTs Taste So Darn Good... (Stephan Pastis) - My Review
A Christmas Story: The Book That Inspired The Hilarious Classic Film (Jean Shepherd) - My Review
(The Timmy Failure series, Book 1)
Stephan Pastis
Candlewick Press
Fiction, YA Humor
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: Young Timmy Failure may look like any ordinary grade-schooler (albeit one with a distinctive scarf), but he's actually the greatest detective in the city, and possibly the world. With Total, a polar bear who came looking for food after his habitat melted and wound up becoming a junior partner, he runs his detective agency out of his mother's closet. Sure, his grades and social life suffer, but one cannot be bothered with minor annoyances like homework and schoolbooks and making friends when one has a multimillion-dollar business to build. Then the Failuremobile - better known as Mom's Segway - goes missing, leading to Timmy's biggest case as he discovers a dangerous rival stalking his every move.
REVIEW: With similar twisted humor to Pastis's Pearls Before Swine comic strip (including many illustrations by "Timmy"), this looked like a fun little adventure. Timmy's imagination inflates ordinary occurrences into conspiracies worthy of Fox Mulder and the X-Files, while completely ignoring more obvious (and sometimes troubling) problems. There's more going on than he's aware of, hints that the reader (especially the adult reader) picks up on. Mostly, the plot involves Timmy creating his own problems, then exacerbating them through repeated misunderstandings and blunders and grandiose would-be schemes... a formula that grows a little stale when it becomes clear that Timmy's talents are as imaginary as half (or significantly more) of his deductions. It has some fun moments and truly hilarious illustrations, with plenty of messed-up characters and downright bizarre situations. I don't see myself following the series further, though.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Chomp (Carl Hiaasen) - My Review
Pearls Before Swine: BLTs Taste So Darn Good... (Stephan Pastis) - My Review
A Christmas Story: The Book That Inspired The Hilarious Classic Film (Jean Shepherd) - My Review
Thursday, January 28, 2016
The One And Only Ivan (Katherine Applegate)
The One And Only Ivan
Katherine Applegate
Harper
Fiction, YA General Fiction
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: For over two decades, Ivan the gorilla has lived at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. It's a peaceful life, if sometimes a dull one, but he has his tire swing, his TV, and his art, plus the steady stream of "slimy chimps" who visit daily. He also has his friends: Stella the elephant, veteran of a circus until an injury sidelined her, and Bob the stray dog who sneaks into his cage each night, not to mention the human girl Julia, the only one to see the images in his "scribbles." Then Mack, owner and ringmaster of the Big Top, brings in the baby elephant Ruby. For the first time, Ivan sees his domain for the cage it is... but what can one gorilla hope to do about it?
REVIEW: I remember the tale of the real Ivan, a gorilla kept in a local circus-themed shopping mall for decades until shifting public attitudes and outcry got him the "retirement" he desperately needed. Applegate necessarily fictionalizes some elements here, not simply by giving Ivan a "voice," creating a deceptively simple tale of good intentions gone awry and humanity's blindness to the needs of our fellow creatures. But, then, humans aren't the only ones blinded by willful ignorance over what seemingly can't be changed. It's only by witnessing tragedy in others that Ivan realizes his own sadness, and determines to change at least one thing about his life. The characters all have hidden facets, even Mack, making what could've been a flat story into something much more poignant and nuanced. It reads fast, but invites rereading. Touching, often sad and occasionally frustrating, it nevertheless shows what can happen when just one person - human or animal - stops giving in to despair and apathy and dares to hope for something better.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Jungle Book (Rudyard Kipling) - My Review
Animal Wise (Virginia Morell) - My Review
Katherine Applegate
Harper
Fiction, YA General Fiction
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: For over two decades, Ivan the gorilla has lived at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. It's a peaceful life, if sometimes a dull one, but he has his tire swing, his TV, and his art, plus the steady stream of "slimy chimps" who visit daily. He also has his friends: Stella the elephant, veteran of a circus until an injury sidelined her, and Bob the stray dog who sneaks into his cage each night, not to mention the human girl Julia, the only one to see the images in his "scribbles." Then Mack, owner and ringmaster of the Big Top, brings in the baby elephant Ruby. For the first time, Ivan sees his domain for the cage it is... but what can one gorilla hope to do about it?
REVIEW: I remember the tale of the real Ivan, a gorilla kept in a local circus-themed shopping mall for decades until shifting public attitudes and outcry got him the "retirement" he desperately needed. Applegate necessarily fictionalizes some elements here, not simply by giving Ivan a "voice," creating a deceptively simple tale of good intentions gone awry and humanity's blindness to the needs of our fellow creatures. But, then, humans aren't the only ones blinded by willful ignorance over what seemingly can't be changed. It's only by witnessing tragedy in others that Ivan realizes his own sadness, and determines to change at least one thing about his life. The characters all have hidden facets, even Mack, making what could've been a flat story into something much more poignant and nuanced. It reads fast, but invites rereading. Touching, often sad and occasionally frustrating, it nevertheless shows what can happen when just one person - human or animal - stops giving in to despair and apathy and dares to hope for something better.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Jungle Book (Rudyard Kipling) - My Review
Animal Wise (Virginia Morell) - My Review
Friday, January 22, 2016
Song of the Summer King (Jess E. Owen)
Song of the Summer King
(The Summer King Chronicles, Book 1)
Jess E. Owen
Five Elements Press
Fiction, YA Fantasy
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: In ages past, the Vanir gryphons of the Silver Isles lived in peace with the wolves and other animals... until the Aenir came. The invaders conquered the smaller Vanir, slaying and exiling their warriors and taking their gryphesses and nests. As for the kits of the pride, as per gryphon tradition, all were slaughtered - save one.
Shard knows nothing of the Vanir ways, and cares little to learn; after all, the Aenir look only forward to the future, not back to the dead and the lost. It's bad enough that he bears their drab feathers among the brighter Aenir, the unmistakable mark of a conquered, weak race. Even as wingbrother to Kjorn, son of the red king Sverin, he's always been seen as different. Shard almost expected Sverin to exile him rather then let him join in the initiation Hunt on the island of the wolves; given the chance to prove himself, he's especially eager to show his worth to the pride. But something unusual happens that day, an encounter with the island's wolves that wakes long-lost memories. His Vanir heritage calls to him, even as Sverin grows more restless and ruthless. Can he ever prove himself worthy of a place in the Silver Isles pride, or does he have a greater destiny - one that might restore peace, or destroy everything he's ever loved?
REVIEW: I'll be honest; but for the appeal of the gryphons, I might've passed this one by. Many of the elements looked tiresomely familiar: the last son of a noble race, the conquerors from across the seas, the riddles and secrets hidden in old songs, a prophecy in dire need of fulfillment, and so forth. But I was in the mood for a light fantasy, and there were gryphons. (The fact that the eBook was offered for a discount didn't hurt, either.) Somehow, all those familiar puzzle pieces click together into something surprisingly pleasant, if still occasionally predictable. I enjoyed the world Owen created, a world of Norse-influenced gryphon lore and talking wolves and other wonders and secrets that make the Silver Isles spring to life in the mind's eye. The gryphons act like gryphons, creatures of sky and land, and not just humans in suits. As for the characters, most of them aren't so shallow and predictable as they might seem at first blush. Shard struggles between his heritage as a Vanir and the secret strengths it might grant him and his upbringing in the Aenir pride, where he has family and friends and love. He clings a little long to his loyalty to the king, but he does learn, and isn't led around by the beak; his decisions, when he makes them, are his own, for better or worse. Characters around him go through transformations, too, for better or worse. Tensions build across the Silver Isles, many fueled by old rivalries and prejudices festering beneath the surface, until the great climax where Shard must decide who and what he is. Naturally, as the first book of a series, some elements are left dangling at the end, but the conclusion is fairly satisfying, even as it tempts one to look for the second book. In the end, I'm satisfied, and very glad I gave it a chance. Now I have to decide if my wallet and schedule can accommodate Book 2...
You Might Also Enjoy:
Warriors: Into the Wild (Erin Hunter) - My Review
Dark Lord of Derkholm (Diana Wynne Jones) - My Review
The Book of Gryphons (Joe Nigg) - My Review
(The Summer King Chronicles, Book 1)
Jess E. Owen
Five Elements Press
Fiction, YA Fantasy
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: In ages past, the Vanir gryphons of the Silver Isles lived in peace with the wolves and other animals... until the Aenir came. The invaders conquered the smaller Vanir, slaying and exiling their warriors and taking their gryphesses and nests. As for the kits of the pride, as per gryphon tradition, all were slaughtered - save one.
Shard knows nothing of the Vanir ways, and cares little to learn; after all, the Aenir look only forward to the future, not back to the dead and the lost. It's bad enough that he bears their drab feathers among the brighter Aenir, the unmistakable mark of a conquered, weak race. Even as wingbrother to Kjorn, son of the red king Sverin, he's always been seen as different. Shard almost expected Sverin to exile him rather then let him join in the initiation Hunt on the island of the wolves; given the chance to prove himself, he's especially eager to show his worth to the pride. But something unusual happens that day, an encounter with the island's wolves that wakes long-lost memories. His Vanir heritage calls to him, even as Sverin grows more restless and ruthless. Can he ever prove himself worthy of a place in the Silver Isles pride, or does he have a greater destiny - one that might restore peace, or destroy everything he's ever loved?
REVIEW: I'll be honest; but for the appeal of the gryphons, I might've passed this one by. Many of the elements looked tiresomely familiar: the last son of a noble race, the conquerors from across the seas, the riddles and secrets hidden in old songs, a prophecy in dire need of fulfillment, and so forth. But I was in the mood for a light fantasy, and there were gryphons. (The fact that the eBook was offered for a discount didn't hurt, either.) Somehow, all those familiar puzzle pieces click together into something surprisingly pleasant, if still occasionally predictable. I enjoyed the world Owen created, a world of Norse-influenced gryphon lore and talking wolves and other wonders and secrets that make the Silver Isles spring to life in the mind's eye. The gryphons act like gryphons, creatures of sky and land, and not just humans in suits. As for the characters, most of them aren't so shallow and predictable as they might seem at first blush. Shard struggles between his heritage as a Vanir and the secret strengths it might grant him and his upbringing in the Aenir pride, where he has family and friends and love. He clings a little long to his loyalty to the king, but he does learn, and isn't led around by the beak; his decisions, when he makes them, are his own, for better or worse. Characters around him go through transformations, too, for better or worse. Tensions build across the Silver Isles, many fueled by old rivalries and prejudices festering beneath the surface, until the great climax where Shard must decide who and what he is. Naturally, as the first book of a series, some elements are left dangling at the end, but the conclusion is fairly satisfying, even as it tempts one to look for the second book. In the end, I'm satisfied, and very glad I gave it a chance. Now I have to decide if my wallet and schedule can accommodate Book 2...
You Might Also Enjoy:
Warriors: Into the Wild (Erin Hunter) - My Review
Dark Lord of Derkholm (Diana Wynne Jones) - My Review
The Book of Gryphons (Joe Nigg) - My Review
Monday, January 18, 2016
Let Them Eat Shrimp (Kennedy Warne)
Let Them Eat Shrimp
Kennedy Warne
Island Press
Nonfiction, Nature
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: In 2004, a massive tsunami in the Indian Ocean devastated coastal cities and killed more than 200,000 people... deaths due in part to the stripping of coastal mangroves for shrimp farms and other developments. It highlighted the cost of an ongoing environmental disaster that only scientists and local communities seemed to know or care about, one that takes on new urgency as we reach a tipping point in climate shift. The author travels around the world to view firsthand the price of mangrove destruction to wildlife, local economies, and people - and finds a few small slivers of hope for the future.
REVIEW: Like any book about the environment these days, it can't help but be a downer. Warne's travels bring him into contact with the many people with a personal stake in mangrove preservation, from various scientists to native villagers, in areas trying (or not even trying) many different tactics with varying degrees of success. Despite the proven worth of mangroves - not just as nurseries to commercial fish and numerous birds, shoreline buffers for storm surges, and providers of nutrients to saltwater environments, but as incredibly efficient carbon sinks to offset industrial pollution - the world by and large still views them as it views all swampland: something to be destroyed, or at best exploited for a quick buck. There are also intangible benefits, the beauty and serenity and inspiration to be found among the life-filled mud and branches and tangled roots of the mangrove forests - inspiration drawn on by prominent writers and orators from John Steinbeck to Martin Luther King, Jr. Placing a monetary value on such things is impossible - but, as Warne points out in his final chapter, the idea that the only things of worth have a concrete cash value is part of what got us into this mess to begin with. He also explains the roots of the shrimp farming global juggernaut, an idea that began with good intentions (as so many disasters do) but which has created a monster... one that few people in industrialized nations seem to care about as they chow down on endless shrimp buffets at their favorite fast-food restaurants. (I distinctly remember watching this shift as I grew up; at one time, shrimp was a luxury food, and then suddenly I was seeing DQ selling them by the bucket.) Of course, it's not the fault of the shrimp industry alone; population growth in coastal cities, rising real estate values, pushes for new tourist resorts and golf courses, and more pressures are putting the squeeze on these brackish rainforests, not to mention poor public image; everyone can see the beautiful fish of a coral reef, or the tigers of a jungle, but mangroves lack a charismatic "face" for people to care about. A growing number of people and governments are coming to realize the cost of mangrove destruction, and the value of sustainability, but with a patchwork of imperfectly-enforced laws and conflicting interests and hard-learned distrust on all sides, it's hard to see much hope for long-term prospects... at least, not until humans are either forced to wake up or knocked off the top of the global totem pole by our own short-sighted land (mis)management. It's a good, eye-opening book, even if some of the names ran together by the end.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Ghosts of Evolution (Connie Barlow) - My Review
Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation (Bill Nye) - My Review
Swamplandia! (Karen Russell) - My Review
Kennedy Warne
Island Press
Nonfiction, Nature
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: In 2004, a massive tsunami in the Indian Ocean devastated coastal cities and killed more than 200,000 people... deaths due in part to the stripping of coastal mangroves for shrimp farms and other developments. It highlighted the cost of an ongoing environmental disaster that only scientists and local communities seemed to know or care about, one that takes on new urgency as we reach a tipping point in climate shift. The author travels around the world to view firsthand the price of mangrove destruction to wildlife, local economies, and people - and finds a few small slivers of hope for the future.
REVIEW: Like any book about the environment these days, it can't help but be a downer. Warne's travels bring him into contact with the many people with a personal stake in mangrove preservation, from various scientists to native villagers, in areas trying (or not even trying) many different tactics with varying degrees of success. Despite the proven worth of mangroves - not just as nurseries to commercial fish and numerous birds, shoreline buffers for storm surges, and providers of nutrients to saltwater environments, but as incredibly efficient carbon sinks to offset industrial pollution - the world by and large still views them as it views all swampland: something to be destroyed, or at best exploited for a quick buck. There are also intangible benefits, the beauty and serenity and inspiration to be found among the life-filled mud and branches and tangled roots of the mangrove forests - inspiration drawn on by prominent writers and orators from John Steinbeck to Martin Luther King, Jr. Placing a monetary value on such things is impossible - but, as Warne points out in his final chapter, the idea that the only things of worth have a concrete cash value is part of what got us into this mess to begin with. He also explains the roots of the shrimp farming global juggernaut, an idea that began with good intentions (as so many disasters do) but which has created a monster... one that few people in industrialized nations seem to care about as they chow down on endless shrimp buffets at their favorite fast-food restaurants. (I distinctly remember watching this shift as I grew up; at one time, shrimp was a luxury food, and then suddenly I was seeing DQ selling them by the bucket.) Of course, it's not the fault of the shrimp industry alone; population growth in coastal cities, rising real estate values, pushes for new tourist resorts and golf courses, and more pressures are putting the squeeze on these brackish rainforests, not to mention poor public image; everyone can see the beautiful fish of a coral reef, or the tigers of a jungle, but mangroves lack a charismatic "face" for people to care about. A growing number of people and governments are coming to realize the cost of mangrove destruction, and the value of sustainability, but with a patchwork of imperfectly-enforced laws and conflicting interests and hard-learned distrust on all sides, it's hard to see much hope for long-term prospects... at least, not until humans are either forced to wake up or knocked off the top of the global totem pole by our own short-sighted land (mis)management. It's a good, eye-opening book, even if some of the names ran together by the end.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Ghosts of Evolution (Connie Barlow) - My Review
Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation (Bill Nye) - My Review
Swamplandia! (Karen Russell) - My Review
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