Quantcast

Pansy in Paris: A Mystery in the Museum by Cynthia Bardes, Illustrated by Virginia Best

May 15, 2014 by

Source: Octobre Press
Hardcover, 30 pages
I am an Amazon Affiliate

Pansy in Paris: A Mystery in the Museum by Cynthia Bardes, illustrated by Virginia Best, is the second book in which Pansy, a toy poodle, solves mysteries.  Pansy and Avery (the little girl who owns her) are high class with moral sensibilities about right and wrong.  When an inspector from Paris calls on Pansy to solve another museum mystery, Avery and Pansy have little choice but to get Avery’s mother to agree to a trip to Paris.  The illustrations are bright and resemble paintings, which is a testament to Best’s background as a painter.  The illustrations look like water color paintings, and go perfectly with the charming story of Pansy and her owner.

Pansy and Avery even have the time to take in the sights in Paris, while solving the mystery.  My daughter loves dogs, and we have a shelter dog of our own.  Pansy is intelligent and quick-witted.  My daughter loves animals and it was great seeing her react to the pictures and listening to the story.  There is conflict, an adorable dog, and tourist sights in the book, but there’s also a museum full of doggie portraits and famous doggie artists.   Pansy in Paris: A Mystery in the Museum by Cynthia Bardes, illustrated by Virginia Best, is adorable and fun, but there’s a little too much text for my little reader, but it does make a good book to read together.

About the Author:
Cynthia Bardes and her husband, David, spend each fall at a Beverly Hills hotel with their toy poodle, Pansy. Inspiration for this story was born out of random misfortune. One day, when crossing Wilshire Blvd., Cynthia was struck by a car. Her injuries required surgery and a lengthy recuperation at the hotel. While bedridden, Cynthia’s vivid imagination and Pansy’s popularity with employees and guests of the hotel made for a perfect story.

A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Cynthia is a former dress designer and interior decorator. When not in Los Angeles, Cynthia and her husband live with Pansy in Vero Beach, Florida.

 

25th book for 2014 New Author Challenge.

Filed Under: challenges, children's fiction, New Authors Challenge, Read in 2014, review copy, reviews Tagged With: , ,

Never Too Little to Love by Jeanne Willis, illustrated by Jan Fearnley

March 11, 2014 by

Source: Gift from Nana
Hardcover, 32 pages
I am an Amazon Affiliate

Never Too Little to Love by Jeanne Willis, illustrated by Jan Fearnley is the cutest little Valentine’s Day gift for a silly little toddler who loves books with peek-a-boos and flaps.  Tiny Too-Little is in love, but to reach his love, he must collect a bunch of things to reach new heights to profess his love.  As each page is flipped, he stands upon small items, taller items, and they stack up and up, until finally, he reaches his goal.  But on the way there, he meets with a big fall and mess, leaving him sad that he cannot give his love a kiss.  But Topsy Too-Tall has other ideas on how they can reach each other.  This cute little book provides a big lesson in love and how it knows no bounds.

Wiggles loves this book so much you can hear her reading it in her own way and she squeals when the mouse and the giraffe reach each other for a nice kiss.

About the Author:

Jeanne Willis was born in St Albans and trained as an advertising copywriter at Watford College. She worked for various agencies creating press adverts and TV, cinema and radio commercials. She is now a full-time writer and has published over 80 books. Her hobbies include gardening, reading (non-fiction), natural history and collecting caterpillars. Jeanne has also worked on scripts for TV, including POLLY POCKET and THE SLOW NORRIS, and a pilot TV series for DR XARGLE. She lives in North London with her husband and two children.

11th book for 2014 New Author Challenge.

Filed Under: challenges, children's fiction, New Authors Challenge, purchased, Read in 2014, reviews Tagged With: , , ,

Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers

March 4, 2014 by

Source: Purchased
Paperback, 282 pages
I am an Amazon Affiliate

Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers is for readers age 12 and up given the subject matter, though there is less gruesome violence in this book than in other war books.  Robin “Birdy” Perry is a new recruit to the Civilian Affairs Battalion from Harlem who finds himself confused as to who the enemy is in Operation Iraqi Freedom.  His division’s mission is to secure and stabilize the country, providing medical attention and supplies whenever they can.  The confusion begins when civilians begin shooting at them and planting IEDs that blow up their convoys and other Iraqis in the streets.

“I looked to where she was nodding and saw the sun on the horizon and above it a thin red line that stretched endlessly in the distance.  There was also sand, rising like a shadow with shifting shades of dark brown and orange, coming toward us.  Cameras were brought out and guys stepped away from the trucks to get clear pictures.” (page 45)

Birdy’s got a crush on Marla, and he’s fast friends with Jonesy, who wants to own a Blues club when he gets out of the military.  Told in first person point of view, readers are limited to what they know about the war until Birdy becomes aware.  Unlike hand-to-hand combat or even WWI and WWII, the war in Iraq is more impersonal, as the enemy is often obscured by the lack of knowledge Americans had about the factions in the country or the bombs they detonate without being in close proximity.

Myers’ characters are a bit stereotyped in this novel, with the macho tough girl, Marla, and the laid back Jonesy.  And there are moments when Birdy’s reading the newspapers to get information about the war, which seems incongruous with the availability of the Internet and television in the Green Zone, where he spends most of his time.  Much of the story centers on Birdy’s fears about being in combat and worrying whether he’s good enough to be a soldier.  Once he becomes a little more comfortable in his skin, he worries about whether he’s doing a good job or accomplishing the mission — but then the team is ambushed or bombed and the fear becomes real.

Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers is a good introduction for young readers to the realities of war without being overly gruesome.  Myers examines the camaraderie between soldiers, the mixed up feelings that war stirs up, and confusion of war in the modern world.

About the Author:

Walter Dean Myers is an African-American writer of children’s books best known for young adult literature. He has written over fifty books including picture books and nonfiction.

6th book (Gulf Wars — Operation Iraqi Freedom) for the 2014 War Challenge With a Twist.

 

 

 

5th book for 2014 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

Filed Under: 2014 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge, 2014 War Challenge With a Twist, challenges, children's fiction, Publishers/Publicists, purchased, Read in 2014, reviews, Scholastic Tagged With: ,

Brady Needs a Nightlight by Brian Barlics

January 6, 2014 by

Source: TLC Book Tours and Black Rose Writing
Paperback, 32 pages
I am an Amazon Affiliate

Brady Needs a Nightlight by Brian Barlics, illustrated by Gregor B. Jones, is a children’s book for ages three and up.  The cartoon-like illustrations by Gregory B. Jones are cute and the colors are vivid and bright.  They allow readers to get a complete picture of Brady’s world and what he dreams most about.  Barlics gets it right with the rhyming and the use of poetic stanzas as a way to capture young readers’ attentions.  The author clearly thinks with a youngster’s mind as they fear the unknown or things they don’t understand.  Things that make noise and shadows in the night can be frightening for children at any young age, which is why many request night lights and other comforts in bed.  Barlics has crafted a story to help kids understand that there’s nothing to fear and that it’s okay to go to sleep at night.

The story is creative and ironic at the same time, since the bat is clearly a creature that thrives in the night and he improvises by finding something that can light up his evening.  My daughter is just starting to be afraid of the dark as she gets closer to age three, but she has her star-light turtle and her glow worm to make her night better too.  Young kids can easily follow along in the story and even relate to Brady’s trials and fears.  Brady Needs a Nightlight by Brian Barlics is a cute story with a good message that can help parents appease the fears of their young readers in a fun and creative way.

About the Author:

Brian was born and raised in New Jersey and currently lives in Northern California. He is a Pediatrician with a strong love for children and is dedicated to their health and well-being. He believes not only in the physical health of children but also in the enrichment of their minds and building of their character. He is a strong advocate of the well-supported idea that reading to your child encourages a strong parent-child bond, promotes literacy, and helps them tap into their seemingly endless imaginations. He has recently started a new venture as an author of children’s books. His award-winning book “Brady Needs a Nightlight” is now available and might become your child’s favorite bedtime story!

Connect with Brian on Facebook.

Brady Needs a Nightlight is a Mom’s Choice Awards Silver Honoree!

If you want to win a copy of Brady Needs a Nightlight by Brian Barlics, please leave a comment below by Jan. 13, 2014, at 11:59 p.m.  U.S. and Canadian residential addresses only.

1st book for the 2014 New Authors Challenge.

Filed Under: challenges, children's fiction, giveaway, New Authors Challenge, Publishers/Publicists, Read in 2014, review copy, reviews, tlc book tours Tagged With: , ,

The Super Duper Princess Heroes: How It All Started by Sanjay Nambiar

November 7, 2013 by

Source: Umiya Publishing
Hardcover, 32 pages
I am an Amazon Affiliate

The Super Duper Princess Heroes: How It All Started by Sanjay Nambiar is the story of three ordinary girls — Oceana, Kinney, and Sammie — who stumble upon a silver bag one day in the forest.  Once they put on the magical tiaras, Oceana, Kinney, and Sammie garner some fantastic super powers and become the Super Duper Princess Heroes!  However, like anything, there’s a catch, and in this case, that catch is the magical powers come with responsibility.  The book is tailored to those in Kindergarten or perhaps even preschool with help from mom and dad.  The pictures are vibrant in color, though the book is clearly geared toward young girls, rather than boys.

Using nearly current vernacular, such as “awesomeness,” the author is sure to engage young readers in his fanciful princess world.  While the girls have less than ordinary names for the most part, the Fairy Teacher Mother Superstar Queen does — her name is Betty.  Some of these titles, however, can be a mouthful for youngsters, and readers may simply shorten them to Princess Heroes and Fairy Queen or Superstar Fairy.

Another unique feature in the book is when one of the princesses flies a prince across a river — the page shifts from left to right to top to bottom reading in the book.  This gives young readers a sense of the princess and prince flying upwards.  It would be interesting to see how the author may consider using a similar technique and perhaps other interactive features if the book were turned into a series.

The Super Duper Princess Heroes: How It All Started by Sanjay Nambiar hit the spot for my little one, who is not near kindergarten quite yet, because she’s in princess mode.  Everything is about princesses, including this year’s Halloween costume, unless it’s about fairies — in that case, Tinker Bell.

About the Author:

Sanjay Nambiar grew up in Carson, CA, where he overcame a gang- and drug-riddled environment with the help of a closely-knit family and a focus on education. He graduated with honors from U.C. Berkeley, with degrees in Economics and Neurobiology, and earned an M.B.A. from UCLA. He now is a freelance copywriter in Los Angeles, CA. Through his books, Sanjay hopes to inspire readers and convey positive messages to kids. He won a Mom’s Choice Awards Silver Medal and a Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Awards Gold Medal for his debut book, “Maybe (A Little Zen for Little Ones)”. He also is the author of the award-winning “Still There? (A Little Zen for Little Ones)” and “Remember the Stars (A Little Zen for Little Ones)”. In 2013, Sanjay published “The Super Duper Princess Heroes: How It All Started,” a picture book that subverts the princess paradigm and encourages girls to be empowered while retaining the cuteness of the princess aesthetic.

This is my 76th book for the 2013 New Authors Challenge.

Filed Under: challenges, children's fiction, New Authors Challenge, Read in 2013, review copy, reviews Tagged With: , ,

Halloween Sleepwalker by Thomas Freese, illustrated by Fran Riddell

October 30, 2013 by

Source: Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
Hardcover, 64 pages
I am an Amazon Affiliate

Halloween Sleepwalker by Thomas Freese, illustrated by Fran Riddell will be an instant hit with kids from the colorful images that are American Gothic with a pop culture twist in style to the story that will have their imaginations zooming. The images are crisp and at times resemble scrapbooked pages with cut out designs and stickers, but they’re so engaging, there’s never a wasted moment.  The illustrations match very well with the dialogue and the plot, and kids will be excited to see where Shelby Sanford’s adventures take him in the night.

Shelby Sanford has a family who fears things that go bump in the night, but he’s not afraid of anything, not even on Halloween.  He wants to roam the streets and greet the witches, beasts, and ghouls, but most of all its the stories his family tells that sets his wheels turning.  My daughter and I read this book together the day it came in — she could hardly wait to get the plastic wrapping off of it before we began.  She just loved the cover, and was delighted as we read the adventure together.  She pointed to the scary Halloween things she recognized and watched as Shelby met every test.

Halloween Sleepwalker by Thomas Freese, illustrated by Fran Riddell is so well done, I’m sure that this will become a traditional favorite in our house every Halloween — at least until our daughter is too old for trick-or-treating.  I know my daughter would recommend it, and I certainly do too.

About the Author:

Thomas Freese is an author, storyteller, and artist. He has written 10 books and performs over 20 educational and entertaining story programs.

About the Illustrator:

Fran Riddell is a teacher, artist, cartoonist, and illustrator living in Lexington, Kentucky.

This is my 73rd book for the 2013 New Authors Challenge.

Filed Under: challenges, children's fiction, New Authors Challenge, Read in 2013, review copy, reviews Tagged With: , ,

Half Popped by Jeff Feuerstein, illustrated by Dayna Brandoff and Alex Miller

October 28, 2013 by

Source: Burger Night Publishing Partners
Paperback, 44 pages
I am an Amazon Affiliate

Half Popped by Jeff Feuerstein, illustrated by Dayna Brandoff and Alex Miller is a cute little story about Kenny the Kernel who is not a fully popped piece of popcorn and feels alone.  He’s stuck at the bottom of a bowl of fully popped popcorn, and he feels as though he’s an outcast.  However, on his journey through the fridge and pantry, he comes to discover that those who are different have something to offer and that their uniqueness makes them just as desirable.  Kenny takes a long time to realize that he’s not alone and he’s not an outcast, and it doesn’t happen until he returns to the bowl to be eaten.

The story has a good message, but there are moments in the text, which tries to hard to rhyme at certain points, that lose the natural rhythm of the story, making readers stumble reading aloud to younger kids.  The combination of photography and illustration gave the impression of images with stick-figure faces stuck on like stickers.  My daughter didn’t find these images engaging enough to sit still to read the book, but she’s also more into books with flaps and hidden things for her to interact with than she is with books that are read to her.   She may not be the target audience for this book — perhaps someone who is age three and older.  Half Popped by Jeff Feuerstein, illustrated by Dayna Brandoff and Alex Miller has a great story about learning to see the good in yourself and the good in others who are different, but the images could have been better and the text tweaked a bit to make it less awkward in places for those reading aloud.

About the Author:

Jeff Feuerstein has been writing since he was strong enough to hold a pencil. However, none of it was legible until much later. A New York sports fanatic with an affinity for Chinese take out and vintage t-shirts, he fills the time between by walking, thinking and dreaming up new characters. Jeff has worked in the film business since graduating from the Syracuse University S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

About the Illustrators:

Dayna Brandoff just loves a good art project. As a mother, she was eager to create a children’s book that parents would actually want to read “again!” (and again. and again.) As an entrepreneur and all around “do-er,” she was thrilled to be able to help make it happen. Dayna is a Brooklyn-based professional organizer. She founded Chaos Theory Inc in 2007.

Alex Miller is an artist, imagineer, and creative individual that is passionate about what he does. When he is not elbow-deep in his sketchbook he is still thinking of fun and fantastic ideas for his next project. Inspired by everything around him, Alex is on a life long journey to inspire others with his art. With a line here, dash of color there, Alex just wants his work to bring a smile to anyone that views it.

This is my 71st book for the 2013 New Authors Challenge.

Filed Under: challenges, children's fiction, New Authors Challenge, Read in 2013, review copy, reviews Tagged With: , , ,

Polarity Bear Tours the Zoo: A Central Park Adventure by Sue de Cuevas, illustrated by Wendy Rasmussen

October 25, 2013 by

Source: STRATEGIES Literary Public Relations
Hardcover, 36 pages
I am an Amazon Affiliate

Polarity Bear Tours the Zoo: A Central Park Adventure by Sue de Cuevas, illustrated by Wendy Rasmussen has such realistic illustrations, the people and animals in the zoo pop out from the page.  Polarity is a polar bear who yearns for adventure, and she does have one in the Central Park Zoo after it closes and she finds her bars broken down.  The images are bright and the poem is well rhymed, which is tough to do well.  From visiting the sea lions to trying to dance with carousel horses and clock animals, Polarity finds that the adventure she’s on has its pros and cons.   She wanders about enjoying herself at first, but soon her bubble is burst…again and again.

The crux of the story resembles the grass is always greener on the other side mantra that things that we don’t have are always better than what we do have, but like Polarity bear, most of us find that what we have is just what we need and we should be happy and content.  It also seems like there could be a series of adventures in store for this bear in other books.  Polarity Bear Tours the Zoo: A Central Park Adventure by Sue de Cuevas, illustrated by Wendy Rasmussen, is well illustrated and written, though the verses are a bit long for my daughter (age 2) to sit through without much interaction.  However, crafty parents can find things for kids to locate in the pictures and name if their child’s mind starts to wander.

About the Author:

Sue de Cuevas has been telling children’s stories all her life, but this is the first one she wrote down. As Sue Lonoff, she spent thirty years as a teacher and administrator at Harvard University, retiring in 2011. She also writes scholarly books and articles and is a specialist on the Brontë sisters.

About the Illustrator:

Wendy Rasmussen developed a passion for drawing people and animals as a child growing up in rural New Jersey. After graduating from Drew University with a B.A. in biology and art, she worked as an art director in the advertising industry for 14 years. In 1989 she became a full-time freelance illustrator and established Mill Race Studio. She has illustrated over 25 books, most of which involve animals.

This is my 70th book for the 2013 New Authors Challenge.

Filed Under: challenges, children's fiction, New Authors Challenge, Read in 2013, review copy, reviews Tagged With: , ,

Short Reviews of 3 Children’s Books

October 17, 2013 by

Over Dewey’s 24-hour read-a-thon, my daughter and read three books she picked out of the library since I really didn’t have that much time to participate, but I did want to share our impressions of these books.

Freight Train by Donald Crews is a Caldecott Honor Book with few words and vibrant pictures written in 1978, it’s amazing that the book is still so relevant today.  The freight trains still run, and the parts of the train are still the same.  But this book strives not only to teach young children about the parts of a train and how it gets from one place to another, moving on through the day and night, but it also teaches colors with each part of the train a different color.  My daughter was engaged while I read and repeated each color with me, but she loved watching the train go as I flipped the pages.

Where’s Walrus? by Stephen Savage is similar to the Where’s Waldo? books I remember, but with a goofy looking Walrus.  The trick of this book is that many of the other images are gray, similar to the walrus, making it harder for kids to discern the walrus from his surroundings.  It’s a book about observation and recognition.  My daughter and I had fun with this book, as did her daddy.  We made it two games in one  — the first pass we found walrus and on the second pass we found the zoo keeper who was trying to get him back into the zoo.  She liked this one so much she wanted to keep playing it several more times in a row…and she’s almost got the word walrus enunciated correctly.

Halloween Forest by Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by John Shelley is a book of poetry, or at least that’s how it reads…like the children’s books of my childhood (i.e. Little Miss Muffet).  The illustrations are engaging and unique, and in many ways would seem scary to young kids, since it is a forest made of bones.  However, my daughter is fascinated by the pictures and not scared at all by the bone forest, which could be related to the empowering statements of the poem-like lines in which the child is not scared but demands her trick-or-treat dues.  The little one and I enjoy this one a lot, and it is perfect for the current season.  Our library actually has shelf sections based on holidays and seasons, which is where I found this one for her and I to read.  Really engaging visually and textually.

 

That’s it, what good children’s books have you shared with your kids that you both enjoyed?

These are my 65th, 66th, and 67th books for the 2013 New Authors Challenge.

Filed Under: borrowed copy, challenges, children's fiction, New Authors Challenge, Publishers/Publicists, Read in 2013, reviews, Scholastic

Pat the Beastie and Love the Beastie by Henrik Drescher

October 10, 2013 by

Source: Purchased
Board Book, 11 pages
I am an Amazon Affiliate

Pat the Beastie: A Pull-and-Poke Book by Henrik Drescher is perfect for parents with pre-school-age children just learning about the joys of books and reading.  Paul and Judy have a pet named Beastie, and young readers learn alongside these pint-sized protagonists that it’s not very nice to pull Beastie’s hair or poke his eyes.  There are consequences after these children torment Beastie, and my little one calls this the “boogie nose” book.  Each page is full of interactive fun and colorful pages that pop.  She’s had so much fun with this book, she reads it on the potty and wants it read on the couch before bed, at bedtime, and anytime she feels like it really.  The moral of this little story is to be kind to your pets, but the book is just good old fashioned fun for kids.

Source: Purchased
Board Book, 11 pages
I am an Amazon Affiliate

Love the Beastie: A Spin-and-Play Book by Henrik Drescher is the second of the books, but the first my little one picked out at a bookstore — and she chose it over a monkey puppet, which is rare for her.  Paul and Judy have been forgiven by Beastie and learned a lesson since the last book.  In this one, the siblings take Beastie on some adventures and play games with him.  The book pays homage to the power of forgiveness and the love that owners (especially kids) can share with pets.  The colors are vibrant in this book, and yes there are some funny bits, but the kids are not as nasty, which is a good way for parents to teach the same lessons to their own kids.

About the Author:

Henrik Drescher was born in Copenhagen and immigrated to the United States in 1967. He began a career in illustration as a young man and has been traveling throughout the United States, Mexico, Europe and China, creating massive journals of notes and drawings wherever he went.  Check out his Website.

This is my 62nd book for the 2013 New Authors Challenge.

Filed Under: challenges, children's fiction, New Authors Challenge, purchased, Read in 2013, reviews Tagged With: , ,

Lisa Loeb’s Songs for Movin’ and Shakin’: The Air Band Song and Other Toe-Tapping Tunes by Lisa Loeb and Ryan O’Rourke

April 2, 2013 by

Lisa Loeb’s Songs for Movin’ and Shakin’: The Air Band Song and Other Toe-Tapping Tunes by Lisa Loeb and Ryan O’Rourke comes out this month and is billed as a book and CD of songs to get kids off the couch and moving and grooving.  The book is for ages 4-7 and is an illustrated 24 pages long.

From the publisher:

This spectacularly fun songbook will get kids off the sofa—guaranteed! Singer Lisa Loeb will have kids movin’ and groovin’ with her sparkling second collection of songs and activities—plus a CD with five all-time children’s favorites and another five original tunes. It’s sure to stir up some fun, as budding musicians discover the joys of playing in an air band (“Turn it Down”); see how to face down scary creatures (“Monster Stomp”); and practice relaxing yoga poses (“Hello, Today”). Ryan O’Rourke’s whimsical illustrations light up Lisa’s lyrics—and will delight young readers, movers, and shakers.
Songs include: Turn it Down (The Air Band Song)* • Father Abraham • Miss Mary Mack • Monster Stomp* • Going Away* • Do Your Ears Hang Low? • Everybody Wake Up* • Hello, Today* • Peanut Butter and Jelly • Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. (*original song)

You might remember Lisa Loeb from her famous songStay:

The CD-single of “Monster Stomp” was a toe-tapping delight for both my young daughter and us as we road in the car to and from the store, and it includes kids that join in and roar for the monster calls. My daughter had fun roaring right along with the song, while my husband and I were making stomping noises and, in my case, waving my hands in the air as part of the monster dance. As we’ve only heard the one song, I really can’t say what the book is like or the other songs, but if this single is any indication of how fun and interactive they are, I think this would be a sure winner for this age group.

Monster Stomp2

Click on the National Poetry Month Blog Tour Button to see today’s post:

Filed Under: ARC, audiobooks, children's fiction, Read in 2013, reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli

December 26, 2012 by

Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli (published in January 2013) is a modern day fable in which the maxim “Kids live in their own little worlds” comes to life.  Bicycles become wild mustangs or horses in the plains to be captured by boys who are not just boys but cowboys with rope.  Girls hate boys and boys hate girls — taunting each other with harmless names and petty pranks.  In many ways, they relate to the opposite sex no differently than they relate to their own, though rather than offer advice or imparting skills and knowledge to their gender enemies, they stand apart from them and deride them as inferior.  Spinelli’s tale takes a few chapters to develop into a full blown world, but once it does, look out.  Readers will be wandering around and playing games.

There are four basic rules in this world of Hokey Pokey:  never leave a puddle unstomped; never go to sleep until the last possible minute; never kiss a girl; and never go near the Forbidden Hut.  With a male protagonist, Jack, Spinelli obviously is gearing the book more toward male readers, but female readers who can remember their childhoods and the games they played, may still find something to hold their attention here.  Jack is flanked by his amigos, Dusty and LaJo, and his enemy, Jubilee, has just stolen his mustang — Scramjet — the most famous bike in all of the land.  Jack is pissed, he’s vengeful, he’s sad, but more than anything, he’s noticed that something has changed since he woke up in the morning.

“The world looked exactly the same as always — the places, the kids — but this time there was a slippery sense, like an uncatchable moth, that he himself was no longer part of the picture, was on the outside looking in, that the world he was seeing was no longer his.  For a scary instant he thought his end of the seesaw was going to keep on rising and catapult him clear out of Hokey Pokey.”  (page 76 ARC)

Spinelli weaves a tale of growing up and leaving childhood behind and that sense of things being the same as they always were, but different somehow.  Highly inventive and at times surreal, Spinelli’s world can be a bit topsy turvy at first, but readers will soon wonder what is wrong with Jack and where he’s going if he is leaving Hokey Pokey when there is no train.  In a world absent of adults, kids run amok, taunt each other and take out their traumatic frustrations on one another in the form of games and the dangerous click, click, click of the exploder, which renders other kids “dead.”  In a land of make-believe and where anything is possible, Jack and his friends are free to think and feel how they wish without consequence.  But even in this world, there are boundaries to how others are treated.

Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli, which is my first experience with this author, is an adventure for young and old.  However, the age range is 10 and up, and readers on the younger end of that range may find the themes and some language challenging, especially as Spinelli often mashes words together or creates his own as part of Hokey Pokey’s world.

About the Author:

Jerry Spinelli is an American author of children’s novels on adolescence and early adulthood. He is best known for the novels Maniac Magee, for which he won the Newbury Medal, and Wringer.  After graduating from Gettysburg College with an English degree, Spinelli worked full time as a magazine editor.  Spinelli was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania and currently resides in Phoenixville, PA.

This is my 88th book for the New Authors Reading Challenge in 2012.

Filed Under: ARC, challenges, children's fiction, fiction, New Authors Challenge, Publishers/Publicists, random house, Read in 2012, reviews Tagged With: ,