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I Want to Eat Your Books by Karin Lefranc and Tyler Parker

Source: Sky Pony Press
Hardcover, 32 pgs.
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I Want to Eat Your Books by Karin Lefranc and Tyler Parker was a fun read to get us in the mood for Halloween.  Eric is followed by a zombie to school, but rather than a brain-sucking zombie, he’s chased by a book eating zombie.  Halloween allows the dark and scary to surface in town, and Eric is scared when the zombie approaches.  When the zombie eats his book, the kids and teachers are running scared and trying to save their books.  From fiction to nonfiction, this zombie does not discriminate.  However, teachers would prefer if this zombie kid would read the books, rather than eat them.

Once in the library, the zombie is enlightened to the power of reading.  Eric hands him a book that changes his outlook.  While he is a zombie, he has manners and asks that Eric read to him.  This change is magical, and soon he’s devouring books in a completely new way.  Someone on the paranormal wire must have heard about the goodies in the library and passed along the news, because soon the school library is attracting mummies and zombies.

I Want to Eat Your Books by Karin Lefranc and Tyler Parkeris a fun book about the power of reading, and the knowledge that books can provide.  My daughter and I took to shouting, “I want to eat your books!” as the zombie made his way through the school, and by the end we were giggling.  This book is sure to create bookaholics like me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mind Your Monsters by Catherine Bailey, illustrated by Oriol Vidal

Source: Sterling Children’s Books
Hardcover, 32 pgs.
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Mind Your Monsters by Catherine Bailey, illustrated by Oriol Vidal, has a modern style of illustration that brings neighborhoods to life, even as the monsters surface from behind buildings.  These monsters are wreaking havoc in town, terrorizing parents and children.  From zombies and vampire bats to one-eyed and furry monsters, people are unsure how to handle these monsters and their destruction.  Turned over cars, chewed up mailboxes, and more.  Parents are scared for themselves and their children, and without a solution in sight, they are prepared to leave town.

Wally decides that he’s going to take a different approach.  He’s going to talk to them.  When that doesn’t work, he throws his sister at the monsters because he considers her evil enough to fight them — or so it is implied.  He employs other tactics, using tricks and treats, lollipops, and more.  When the parents make the decision to leave, their escape is blocked by a giant ogre.  Everyone is fearful and wants to run, but there is no escape and no where to run to.  Wally, in a desperate plea, asks them to please stop terrorizing the town.  Through the use of his manners, he’s able to get through to the monsters.  The monsters stop making messes and begin to cleanup.

Mind Your Monsters by Catherine Bailey, illustrated by Oriol Vidal, is a colorful and fun way to introduce the idea of using manners to children.  There’s the promise of more fun when the monsters agree to return again.  Most little kids know that “Please” is considered the magic word, and this book plays with that knowledge.  It demonstrates that manners are important in communicating with adults, monsters, and others.  The one thing missing from this story is the use of “Thank You.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore

Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers
Hardcover, 352 pgs.
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Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore is a long-awaited follow-up to A Dirty Job, which I loved.  Readers should start with the first book before reading this one.

Charlie Asher, a death merchant, has taken on a new form, and his daughter is living with his sister even as his situation becomes more hopeless.  Minty Fresh reprises his role as comic relief, but there really is much more of that going around in this novel.  San Francisco is one again under threat from dark forces.  The Big Book of the Dead has sensed the change, and as things happen magically, the instructions in the book morph into dire warnings — most of which are ignored, at least until the banshee shows up.  Through a mix of characters from the previous book, Moore is at his best with these sarcastic, wise-cracking misfits who riff off one another like guitarists in a large band.  Their tune is haphazard but effective in this hunt for balance in the world of the dead.

“‘Sure, you could say talked. Ghosts mostly communicate by odor. Gotta tell you, you got a house that smells like farts, you got a haunted house.'” (pg. 75)

“With that, great clouds of fire burst out the twin tailpipes of the Buick and it lowered its stance like a crouching leopard before bolting out of the turnout.” (pg. 122)

Moore is a talented writer, who can write a funny quip and hilarious dialogue in one stroke and a gorgeous set of literary images in another. This duo of books combines the best of those talents, along with some great supernatural elements that are based not only on Egyptian mythology but also Buddhist teachings. This mash-up is unique and engaging, and his characters bring it to life easily. From Minty Fresh who wears all lime green clothes and owns a secondhand music store to Lemon who wears all yellow and has a calm demeanor that covers his dark motives, Moore’s characters will have readers laughing and questioning every turn of plot.

Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore is a wonderful follow-up that will have readers wondering about where their soul is headed, who will guide it where it needs to go, and whether they will one day find themselves with a super-ability they never wanted.  It’s another winner from this author.

About the Author:

Christopher Moore is an American writer of comic fantasy. He was born in Toledo, Ohio. He grew up in Mansfield, Ohio, and attended Ohio State University and Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Runaway Pumpkin: A Halloween Adventure Story by Anne Margaret Lewis, illustrated by Aaron Zenz

Source: Sky Pony Press
Hardcover, 40 pgs.
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The Runaway Pumpkin: A Halloween Adventure Story by Anne Margaret Lewis, illustrated by Aaron Zenz, features adorable pumpkins.  The single-toothed pumpkin boy is dreaming big in this story, and while he talks of running off to play mummy or fly on brooms with witches, his mother is supportive.  Although she wants to protect him from the things that go bump in the night, his mother is aware that kids want independence and want to grow up faster than their parents are ready for.  She knows that without his blanket he’ll be scared at night, so she offers to pack it for him.  Her support does not go unnoticed by the little pumpkin.

We’ve probably read this more than a few times since it’s come into the house, but she loves the adventures of the little pumpkin.  Her favorite parts are when we see his mother watching over him from under the straw on the hayride or in the distance behind some bushes.  It’s like a little game of hide-and-seek.  By the end of the book, we’re both ready to enjoy the adventures of both mother and son pumpkin.

The Runaway Pumpkin: A Halloween Adventure Story by Anne Margaret Lewis, illustrated by Aaron Zenz, is cute and has a great message about giving children some independence to think and do on their own, but it also cautions that parents need to be ready in the wings to step in when they are needed.  My daughter’s favorite parts are when the little pumpkin dresses like a pirate and wears a fake mustache.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill, illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez

Source: Public Library
Paperback, 168 pgs.
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Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill, illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez, is part one in a series of graphic novels about a mysterious house and its locked rooms.  Keyhouse is an unlikely mansion in the Massachusetts town of Lovecraft, and it sits on an island separate from the rest of the town.  It’s a clear set up for a horrifying tale.  The three Locke children are left with their barely functioning, alcoholic mother when their father is murdered at their summer cabin outside San Francisco.  The family starts over across the country, only to be caught in a web of darkness they can’t see until it’s too late.

Tyler is struggling because he blames himself for his father’s murder.  He never could please his father, and they often argued, but he did not really want his father to die.  Bode is the youngest, and he escapes the sorrow through his imagination, flying around the Keyhouse as a ghost, while his sister, Kinsey, struggles to remain unseen by everyone in their new school.  What these kids are unaware of are the childhood antics their father and uncle used to get up to as children in Keyhouse, and even their mother is only mildly aware of some stories.  Rodriguez’s artistry is gritty and the violent scenes are well rendered.  The ghost-like characters are gorgeous, swirling as they move from place to place.

Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill, illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez, is a great opener to this dark fantasy series, and the twists and turns are unraveled a little at a time to keep readers on their toes.  There are dark forces at work in this house, and they will stop at nothing to open all of the locked doors.

About the Author:

Joseph Hillstrom King is an American writer of fiction, writing under the pen name of Joe Hill.  Hill is the the second child of authors Stephen King and Tabitha King. His younger brother Owen King is also a writer. He has three children.

Hill’s first book, the limited edition collection 20th Century Ghosts published in 2005 by PS Publishing, showcases fourteen of his short stories and won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection, together with the British Fantasy Award for Best Collection and Best Short Story for “Best New Horror”. In October 2007, Hill’s mainstream US and UK publishers reprinted 20th Century Ghosts, without the extras published in the 2005 slipcased versions, but including one new story.

About the Illustrator:

Architect, artist and illustrator. He started his career with myth based illustrations for card games, and then jumped into the world of professional comics working with IDW Publishing. In addition to his current work in Locke & Key, his collaborations with IDW include Clive Barker’s The Great and Secret Show, Beowulf, George Romero’s Land Of The Dead, as well as several CSI comics and some covers for Angel and Transformers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poe’s Children: The New Horror edited by Peter Straub

Source: Public Library
Hardcover, 544 pgs.
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Poe’s Children: The New Horror edited by Peter Straub, which was our October book club selection, is billed as an anthology that includes horror stories that can be deemed literary, rather than “formulaic gore.”  Although some of these stories are by turns surreal and unsettling — some may even be literary — they are a far cry from the disturbing and nightmarish tales of Edgar Allan Poe.  Readers may appreciate the nods to Poe or even other authors, like Franz Kafka, but those nods to previous greats on their own do not make a story worthy of note.  “Cleopatra Brimstone” uses the idea of people turning to bugs found in Kafka and turns it into a story about strong female sexual identity, but at the same time, the story lacks verve.

“The Bees” and “The Man on the Ceiling” will leave readers wanting more, particularly in the development of the characters, while “The Great God Pan” offers an interesting premise and a shadow that lurks behind the lives of three friends who underwent a ritual together, but the story fizzles out by the end.  “In Praise of Folly” is a slow moving story in which Roland Turner seeks out the Jorgenson estate in his quest for a folly to be saved, and it’s a tale of watch what you ask for because you just might get it — and then some.  While the story itself is not particularly unique, the anxiety stems from what happens when Turner finally finds the estate and its “Little Italy.”  Although it is not horrifying in the gory sense, it does make readers gulp for air as they consider what happens to him.

Even the stories by Stephen King, Joe Hill, Peter Straub, and Neil Gaiman are lackluster, though Gaiman’s story is the most enjoyable and uses his writing style well.  King’s story was not what readers will expect, Hill’s is unimaginative, and Straub appears to be too bogged down in his own introductory statements about literary horror fiction.  Unfortunately, Poe’s Children: The New Horror edited by Peter Straub does not live up to expectations and is mediocre at best.

What the Book Club Thought:

Many of us were disappointed by the horror collection, with many of the stories only moderately creepy and others were just surreal or odd.  Some stories felt very unfinished, and others had endings that came out of left field.  A few felt that the introduction set us up for disappointment, as many of the stories were lacking in the horror or Poe quality we expected.  The cover of the hardcover edition seems to tell you what the book will not be — it is not about dead babies and other horrors traditionally found in the genre.  One member, however, thought that the introduction helped lower expectations and made the collection more enjoyable.  Overall, the discussion about each of the stories was animated, even though no one really LOVED this one.

About the Author:

Peter Straub was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1943, the first of three sons of a salesman and a nurse. The salesman wanted him to become an athlete, the nurse thought he would do well as either a doctor or a Lutheran minister, but all he wanted to do was to learn to read.

He went to the University of Wisconsin and, after opening his eyes to the various joys of Henry James, William Carlos Williams, and the Texas blues-rocker Steve Miller, a great & joyous character who lived across the street, passed through essentially unchanged to emerge in 1965 with an honors degree in English, then an MA at Columbia a year later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ava the Monster Slayer by Lisa Maggiore, illustrated by Ross Felten

Source: Sky Pony Press
Hardcover, 32 pgs.
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Ava the Monster Slayer by Lisa Maggiore, illustrated by Ross Felten, is another hit with my daughter with its comic book style illustrations.  It’s like a beginner’s comic book.  She is hooked.  Ava is a young girl with a favorite stuffed animal and an active imagination, which is fueled by the stories of her older brother.

When her mother tells her that her stuffed animal is in the dryer, she is determined to save him from the monsters in the basement.  She transforms herself into a monster slayer with a cape, a crown, and pink rain boots when she realizes that she’s on her own in her quest.  There are action sequences, moments of tension in which Ava’s confidence is shaken, and large old-school “Pow” and “Wham”-type exclamations.  She is on a mission to save her friend, Piggy, despite the dangers.

Ava the Monster Slayer by Lisa Maggiore, illustrated by Ross Felten, is an origin story, and it seems as though there are more adventures to come for Ava.  My daughter adores these adventure stories, and this one has great illustrations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson (audio)

Source: Public Library
Audiobook, 5 CDs
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Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, narrated by Mike Chamberlain, examines teenage life with an inside look through Tyler Miller’s eyes.  Miller was an average student and teen with a dysfunctional family, and he makes one mistake — paints graffiti on the school and lands on probation.  Miller’s life is further upended by the attention of popular girl, Bethany Milbury.  He has had a crush on this girl for a long time, and when she pays him attention he cannot believe his luck.  However, his one chivalrous decision ends up landing him in hot water with the school and the police.  Chamberlain’s voice is perfect for the voice of this teenage boy, who is by turns comic, tortured by bullies, and entertains thoughts of suicide.

Miller’s parents are consumed by their work and are barely home to care for their kids, and the father is clearly in need of anger management.  And Anderson raises questions about what it means to be a man in today’s society, how teen boys can face pressures that even their parents are unaware of, and what it means to be the subject of bullying.  Miller is a genuine teen boy, and readers will see why Anderson’s prose is so well praised in the young adult fiction community and beyond.  She is in tune with today’s teens and their struggles.

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, narrated by Mike Chamberlain, is tragic and real at the same time, and the Miller family is in dire need of therapy.  This book is funny, horrifying, and poignant given the two-income households that abound in modern society, the need of families to find balance between work and home life, and the bullying that happens in many high schools.

About the Author:

Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author who writes for kids of all ages. Known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity, her work has earned numerous ALA and state awards. Two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists.

Mother of four and wife of one, Laurie lives in Northern New York, where she likes to watch the snow fall as she writes. You can follow her adventures on Twitter and on her tumblr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monster Trouble! by Lane Fredrickson, illustrated by Michael Robertson

Source: Sterling Children’s Books
Hardcover, 26 pgs.
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Monster Trouble! by Lane Fredrickson, illustrated by Michael Robertson, was a big hit.  Winifred Schnitzel has an active imagination and is fearless, even when monsters arrive in her bedroom.  Like my daughter, she loves Halloween, monsters, and ghouls, but what she doesn’t like is interrupted sleep.  She tries to ignore their noises and their distractions, but it’s of no use.  The more the monsters come and visit, the sleepier she is during the day.  She can’t even have fun.

While the immediate subtext for adults is that this child who loves monsters is having dreams that keep her from achieving full rest — they might be nightmares.  Parents can use this story to teach little ones about being strong and taking care of their nightmares with their imaginations.  Winifred uses a Monsters Beware book to lay traps, use smelly cheeses, and more to get the monsters to leave.  But the biggest weapon she has is her love for all that’s ghoulish.

Monster Trouble! by Lane Fredrickson, illustrated by Michael Robertson, has been read more than once, and my daughter adores the colorful “scary” monsters and the traps Winifred sets for them.  We were giggling as the monsters get trapped and outwit her, until finally she turns on the love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Colorado Kid by Stephen King (audio)

Source: Public Library
Audiobook, 4 CDs
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The Colorado Kid by Stephen King, narrated by Jeffrey DeMunn, is one of those mysteries that King does from time to time, bringing his readers on a journey through evidence and oddities in a case.  King’s use of small town, older journalists in a Maine town gives the story a rather low key quality, as they talk about the 25-year-old mystery of an unidentified man found dead.  The dead man has no identification on his body, but as they unravel the mystery of his identity, the case gets stranger.

These characters are in a small town that crawls with tourists in the summer and sometimes big city journalists looking for their big break in the headlines about small town freakish accidents and murders.  Those who live in the town look suspiciously at those from out of town.  What’s important here is not solving the mystery of the man’s death but the journey of uncovering the truth, even if cases are not neatly tied up.  DeMunn does a fantastic job in his narration, providing a local-sound drawl for these Mainers.

The Colorado Kid by Stephen King, narrated by Jeffrey DeMunn, is a mystery that could leave some readers frustrated, either because of its conclusion or because the story is mainly two men recounting their efforts to solve a 25-year-old case in which an unidentified man is found dead.  However, like with many King novels, this one is more than its surface reading — it’s about the niggling feeling at the back of your mind to uncover the truth to find out why things happen they way they do, rather than make up a story that is plausible but not likely to be true.  Good journalists and detectives have this desire, this passion for uncovering facts.  King is paying homage to those who do their best to uncover the facts of unsolved murders and unexplained deaths.

About the Author:

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes Doctor Sleep and Under the Dome, now a major TV miniseries on CBS. His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller as well as the Best Hardcover Book Award from the International Thriller Writers Association. He is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (audio)

Source: Public library
Audiobook, 6 CDs
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Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, narrated by Jeannie Stith, is an extremely disturbing look at the mindset of a teenager caught in the grips of anorexia.  Cassie calls Lia a wintergirl, a girl living between life and death with a beating heart but not really living.  Lia and Cassie are no longer friends by the time we meet Lia, who is trapped in a world of counting and restraint.  Like her mother, Lia wants to be in control and she keeps her feelings bottled up inside.  Her parents are frustrated, and Lia’s frustrated with herself because she cannot be thin enough, she cannot escape Cassie’s taunting, and she cannot change.  Her parents are as trapped as she is, but Anderson has crafted a narrative that forces the reader to be trapped with them.

Lia’s plight will make readers uncomfortable, especially if they have ever thought they were too fat or unpopular.  Most teens have been bullied for one reason or another, but Lia’s problems go deeper than what her peers call her — the biggest problem is what she calls herself and how she hates herself when she eats, when she doesn’t act “normal,” and when she fails those around her and herself.  This is a harrowing tale and a nightmarish narrative that will shake readers from their complacent ideas about anorexia.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, narrated by Jeannie Stith, is disturbing and world-shaking.  Anderson is a powerful writer who understands teens very well, and her stories are relevant and worth reading for adults and teens.  While the subject matter may hit too close to home and concern parents that teens will take the narrative to heart and begin their own anorexia journeys, these are the books that are here to challenge our way of thinking, to make us reassess our perceptions of these disorders, and incite us into action.

I read this for Banned Books Week.

About the Author:

Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author who writes for kids of all ages. Known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity, her work has earned numerous ALA and state awards. Two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists.

Mother of four and wife of one, Laurie lives in Northern New York, where she likes to watch the snow fall as she writes. You can follow her adventures on Twitter and on her tumblr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Color Monster: A Pop-Up Book of Feelings by Anna Llenas

Source: Sterling Children’s Books
Hardcover, 20 pgs.
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The Color Monster: A Pop-Up Book of Feelings by Anna Llenas is a wonderful use of paper art and color.  Imagine a gray scale world in which the monster is the only one in color, and his rainbow of color signifies that his emotions are out of control.  This young lady has the patience of a saint as she kindly explains the situation to the monster and they set off together to sort out his emotions.

The young lady and her monster go through the book sorting out the emotions by color into jars from the sunshine of happiness to the blue rain clouds of sadness.  In addition to using paper art, these pop-out images also utilize other materials, including string.  And by the end, she and her monster uncover another emotion, one that they haven’t even labeled, which is accompanied by pink hearts.  The Color Monster: A Pop-Up Book of Feelings by Anna Llenas is delightful to look at and read, but it also is a great tool for helping young kids sort out their emotions.