Book Reviews and More

Wednesday, 21 July 2010

A Tale Of Two Tales - Hank Zipzer Book 15 - Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver

A Tale Of Two Tales
Hank Zipzer Book 15
Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Penguin Canada
ISBN 9780448443782

In the last year I have read or reread the 17 books in this series. These are wonderful books about a young boy learning to live with his learning difficulties. He has a form of dyslexia. They are written in part from the personal experience of Henry Winkler's own life. They are fun reads, light and easy. Each book in the series is enjoyable, and always entertaining.

In this book, Hank enters his dog Cheerio in the school mascot contest. He teams up with his best friends, Ashley and Frankie, to train the dog before the judging. As usual, Hank messes things up, but not only does he learn his lesson, he also discovers what good friends he has. This is another great book in an excellent series.

Books by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hank Zipzer Books:
1. Niagara Falls, or Does It?
2. I Got a "D" in Salami
3. Day of the Iguana
4. Zippety Zinger
5. The Night I Flunked My Field Trip
6. Holy Enchilada!
7. Help! Somebody Get me out of Fourth Grade!
8. Summer School? What Genius thought That Up?
9. My Secret Life as a Ping-Pong Wizard
10. My Dog's a Scaredy-Cat: A Halloween Tail
11. The Curtain Went Up, My Pants Went Down
12. Barfing in the Backseat: How I Survived My Family Road Trip
13. Who Ordered This Baby? Definitely Not Me!
14. Life of Me
15. A Tail of Two Tails
16. Dump Trucks and Dogsleds: I'm On My Way, Mom!
17. A Brand-New Me!

Ghost Buddy Books:
1. Zero to Hero
2. Mind If I Read Your Mind?
3. How to Scare the Pants off Your Pets

Tuesday, 20 July 2010

Copper - Kazu Kibuishi

Copper
Kazu Kibuishi
Graphix an imprint of
Scholastic
ISBN 9780545098939

This is the definitive collection of the webcomic Cooper by Kazu Kibuishi, creator of the amazing Amulet series of Graphic novels. This volume enclosed the archive of the webcomic, a few new comics, a special introduction by the artist on how the series came about, and a step by step guide to how Kazu creates a cooper comic.

Cooper is the story of a dog and his boy, just trying to make their way in the world and find their place. Cooper is curious, creative and adventurous, and Fred his dog is fearful and disillusioned. The stories grew out of some of the darkest days in Kazu's life, and yet the comics always seem to end on a note of hope and expectation.

The artwork is amazing. To me it reads like Calvin and Hobbs - a little older, more mature and more productive and helpful. The variety of layouts and designs is stunning. From single-page story lines to multipage pieces it is visually stunning, with a wide variety of pallets and feel, yet always remaining true to a form and style. This will be a book I go back to again and again, sometimes just for fun, sometimes, when life gets difficult, to remind me to hope and try again. It is inspiring, and I am terribly glad I read it.

Monday, 19 July 2010

The Dragon In The Garden - The Old Stories - N.D. Wilson and Peter Bentley

The Dragon In The GardenThe Old Stories
N.D. Wilson - blog (Author)
Peter Bentley (Illustrated)
Canon Press
ISBN 9781591280446

This series is incredibly well done. N.D. Wilson's skilled retelling of biblical tales, in a flowing and poetic style. There is a second book in the series In The Time Of Noah, was released, a third called The Sword of Abram is mentioned on the back of the books but I have been unable to track it down. The illustrations in this book are incredible. The artists representation of the fall if amazing, Peter Bentley these books are pleasant to read and read aloud. My daughter absolutely loves these books. She asks for them again and again. These books are very well done.

Books by N.D. Wilson
100 Cupboards:
The Door Before - 100 Cupboards Book 0.5
100 Cupboards - 100 Cupboards Book 1
Dandelion Fire - 100 Cupboards Book 2
The Chestnut King - 100 Cupboards Books 3

Ashton Burials:
The Dragon's Tooth
The Drowned Vault

Leepike Ridge

Parody:
Right Behind
Supergeddon

Picture Books:
The Dragon and the Garden - The Old Stories
In The Time of Noah - The Old Stories

Non-Fiction:
Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl
Death By Living

Author Profile Interview with N.D. Wilson

Sunday, 18 July 2010

Grandma's Gloves - Cecil Castellucci and Julia Denos

Grandma's Gloves
Cecil Castellucci (Author)
Julia Denos (Illustrator
Candlewick Press
ISBN 9780763631680

I admit I am a big fan of Cecil Castellucci's writings. I have read all of her novels and some of her short stories this year, and there is not one that I did not enjoy. Yet in this new picture book, there is a power to touch the reader's heart in a very deep and profound way. The first time I read this book it moved me to tears. It stirred memories of my own grandmothers who have been gone for many years. In this story a young girl loves spending time with her grandmother, and usually ends up in her garden, "talking to roses, scolding the succulents and laughing with the birds-of-paradise." But then grandma gets sick, and is in a home. Her grandmother starts thinking that the girl is one of her school friends from long ago. When grandma passes they have to clean out the house, and she wants grandma's gloves for her mother. This is a wonderful story. I have read it to my children a few times, and they talk about helping nana with her flowers. This book will be great for children of all ages, and especially those dealing with grandparents with illness or who have passed.

The artwork is incredible; it looks like a mix of water colors, pen and ink, and pencil. The tenderness between child and adult displayed with both words and pictures is enthralling. This will be a book we will treasure together for years to come and so will you.

Books by Cecil Castellucci:Boy Proof (2005)
The Queen of Cool (2006)
Beige (2007)
The P.L.A.I.N. Janes (2007)
Janes in Love (2008)
Geektastic (Editor & Contributor 2009)
Rose Sees Red (2010)
Grandma's Gloves (2010)
First Day On Earth (2011)
Odd Duck (2013)
Tin Star (2014)
Stone in the Sky (2015)
The Plain Janes 3 in 1 (2020)

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Music By Cecil Castellucci
Twist Her - Nerdy Girl (1996)
Whoever - Cecil Seaskull (1998)

A Visual Bibliography for Cecil Castellucci
Author profile interview with Cecil Castellucci

Saturday, 17 July 2010

Not That Kind Of Girl - Siobhan Vivan

Not That Kind Of Girl
Siobhan Vivian
PUSH an imprint of
Scholastic
ISBN 9780545169158

Some books when you read them have such an astounding impact upon the reader that you cannot stop thinking about them or talking about them. This book is one such book. I realized some things while reading this book - the curriculum I read in high school was dominated by male authors, even those I read as my picks were all male authors. I was about 25 before I read any female authors for leisure. At the time, my girlfriend and I each picked 5 books the other had to read. Since then, I have discovered a plethora of female authors that I appreciate and admire. Yet even at that, it was not until reading this book that I realized that I was learning a woman's perspective, and the impact of actions that, at the time, may seem inconsequential. This book will reveal to male readers the impact their actions can have, and for women it will show them some people they can relate to, and maybe help them understand themselves better.

The story takes place at Ross Academy, a private school. Natalie Sterling is a senior and prides herself on always making the right choices. She knows that bad choices can haunt you for years. Her best friend is an example of that. But Natalie has it all planned out - win the student Council election, be class president, write the SATs and go to a college far away. But somewhere along the way her plans start to go sideways, as with Spencer Biddle, a freshman Natalie tries to help. Natalie wants Spencer to start making better decisions, and mapping out her life. But Spencer's life is almost ruined when nude pictures of her circulate around the school.

The story follows the students at the Ross Academy through the first term of the school year. It is incredibly well-written. It will transport the reader to high school. You will encounter people like those you know or knew in school. The groups, clicks, pranks and jokes will all seem so familiar it is stunning. The characters are real and well portrayed. The impact of even the smallest actions or words can have long-lasting effects and like a rock once thrown in the pond cannot ever be taken back.

What I learned most from this book, was that if I had read books like this when I was younger, I would have had a greater sense of the impact of my actions. Therefore I would have hurt a lot fewer people in my life, especially the women I interacted with. In the book, Natalie Sterling learns to really understand who she is; she learns to be good at being. And in following her through her journey, we can learn to be better at those things also. It is a great novel and I highly recommend it.

(First published in Imprint 2010-07-16.)

Book by Siobhan Vivian:
A Little Friendly Advice
Same Difference
Not That King of Girl

For Children:
Vunce Upon A Time

Author Profile interview with Siobhvan Vivian.

Friday, 16 July 2010

Monsterology: Fabulous Lives of the Creepy, the Revolting, and the Undead - Arthur Slade and Derek Mah

Monsterology: Fabulous Lives of the Creepy, the Revolting, and the Undead
Arthur Slade (Author)
Derek Mah (Illustrator)
Thunda Books
ISBN 9780887767142

Arthur Slade is an amazing author. He is like a cross between Chuck Palahniuk, Christopher Moore, and Douglas Coupland but without the jaded cynicism, and with a great sense of humor. His books are also written for a younger audience, but can really be enjoyed by readers of any age who like a good story.

In this volume there are profiles of 15 monsters they are:
Dracula
Golem
Medusa
Loki
The Giant
Tera
Frankenstein's Monster
Sasquatch
Loch Ness Monster
Zack (Not the one from Saved by the Bell)
Baba Yaga
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Quasimodo
Loba
The Grim Reaper

In a very tongue-in-cheek fashion, Slade presents a short biography of each of these characters. Mixed and mingled with fact, lore, fictions and outright embellishments, the profiles will be fun for children of all ages. And of course if you read this book you will need to read the companion volume Villainology: Fabulous Lives of the Big, the Bad and the Wicked. Together they pack a better punch than Frankenstein's Monster and the Wolfman together. Derek Mah does an amazing job illustrating this book; the character portraits are some of what you would expect but with a new and unique interpretation on them, and the smaller illustrations that add to the profiles are wonderful. An excellent book and I highly recommend it.

Books by Arthur Slade:
The Dragonfly's Journey (1996)
John Diefenbaker: an Appointment with Destiny (2000)
Dust (2001)
Tribes (2002)
Monsterology (2005)
Villainology (2005)
Megiddo's Shadow (2006)
Jolted (2008)
Shades: 17 Startling Stories (2011)
Flickers (2016)
Crimson (2018)
Death by Airship (2019)
Mr. Universe (2021)

...

Hunchback Assignments Series:
aka Modo Mission Clockwork Series:
The Hunchback Assignments (2009)
The Dark Deeps (2010)
Empire of Ruins (2011)
Island of Doom (2012)
Modo Embers End - Graphic Novel (2014)

The Northern Frights Series
Draugr (1997)
The Haunting of Drang Island (1998)
The Loki Wolf (2000)

Northern Frights Reprint Editions:

Draugr (2020)

Drang (2020)

Loki Wolf (2020)

...

The Canadian Chills Series
Return of the Grudstone Ghosts (2002)
Ghost Hotel (2004)
Invasion of the IQ Snatchers (2007)

...

The Canadian Chills Reprint Editions:

Return of the Grudstone Ghosts (2024)

Ghost Hotel (2024)

Invasion of the IQ Snatchers (2024)

...

Librarian. Assassin. Vampire Series:
Amber Fang: The Hunted
Amber Fang: Betrayed
Amber Fang: Revenge
Amber Fang Box Set Books 1-3
...

Dragon Assassin Series:
Twin Fury
Shadow Hunter
Dark Wings
Bitterwaters
Elder Magic
Royal Blood
Hidden Powers
Burning Empire
Old Enemies

Downfall

The Golden Spear

Deathwings

...

Dragon Assassin Novels (Omnibus editions):

…

I, Brax Series:

A Battle Divine

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Books as Stephen Shea:
The Not So Simple Life
Damage
Viper - Short Story

...

Visual Bibliography for Arthur Slade
Author profile interview with Arthur Slade.
Author profile interview with Stephen Shea.

Thursday, 15 July 2010

Villainology: Fabulous Lives of the Big, the Bad and the Wicked - Arthur Slade and Derek Mah

Villainology: Fabulous Lives of the Big, the Bad and the Wicked.Arthur Slade (Author)
Derek Mah (Illustrator)
Thunda Books
ISBN 9780887768095

This book and its companion volume Monsterology: Fabulous Lives of the Creepy, the Revolting, and the Undead go side by side like a two pieces of toast. They are wonderful to read. After reading them through the first time, I pick them up and randomly flip through and read different profiles. Wonderfully illustrated with portraits of each villain and small embellishments through the book by Derek Mah, this book is fun and frivolous and just plain fantastic.

In this volume there are profiles of 15 villains are:
The Wicked Witch of The West
Atilla the Hun
The Wolf
Billy the Kid
The Headless Horseman
Morhan le Fay
Qin Hui
Shakespearian Cillians
The Invisible Monster
Emperor Nero
The Queen (from Little Snow White)
Scarface Capone
Scrooge
The Phantom of the Opera (Not the Webbrowser.)
Mephistopheles

Arthur Slade, in a very cheeky fashion, presents a short biography of each of these characters. He tells their story with a mix of the story they come from - myth, legends, and his own twisted take on their life and times. Each profile is an attempt to elicit a response and will probably cause many young readers to pursue some of the classics that they are drawn from. This book is very well done and was a great pleasure to read, and I am sure I will reread it again and again. Bravo.

Books by Arthur Slade:
The Dragonfly's Journey (1996)
John Diefenbaker: an Appointment with Destiny (2000)
Dust (2001)
Tribes (2002)
Monsterology (2005)
Villainology (2005)
Megiddo's Shadow (2006)
Jolted (2008)
Shades: 17 Startling Stories (2011)
Flickers (2016)
Crimson (2018)
Death by Airship (2019)
Mr. Universe (2021)

...