A Whole Nother Story

This is a review of the audio book.

Author: Dr. Cuthbert Soup

Reader: Dick Hill

Producer: Brilliance Audio

Production Year: 2010

Most of the listeners will be: 3rd through 9th grade boys and girls.

Listener's Advisory: For another narrator with personality, listen to Simon Bloom: The Gravity Keeper by Michael Reisman.

Summary: 

Mr. Cheeseman and his three children are running from the "Coats," various government and private agents who are after Mr. Cheeseman's time machine. The LVR was built by Ethan Cheeseman and his wife Olivia, who created a code for the computer that would prevent the Coats from using it. Olivia has died and Ethan only has half the code. He and the children expect to use the LVR to reunite them with Olivia, but will they be able to outrun the Coats long enough to get the time machine up and running?

My favorite passage:

The narrator runs the National Center for Unsolicited Advice and occasionally breaks up the narrative with advice on one thing or another. During one of these digressions he talks about patents. He advises that if you invent something you ought to get a patent so that no one else can steal your idea. He says that back when the wheel was invented there were no patents yet because there were no lawyers, so the idea was promptly stolen. But there were lawyers soon after that when the first person was run over by a wheel. 

What I really think:

The story is hilarious, weird, and exciting. There were a few things I worried about - for example, I can be picky about time travel, but that ended up not being an issue. (They don't actually use the LVR during the book. Or at least, we don't see where or when they end up.) 

I also wondered about the children changing their names during every move. But what about documentation supporting these name changes? Why doesn't Ethan Cheeseman change his name? I was able to let go of these issues and just enjoy the story. 

My favorite bad guy is Pavel. He is kind of loveably bad with his monkey and the monkey's goldfish and his, "very good and also not bad."

The Cheesemans meet many interesting people in their travels, but all of them seem to have a purpose, or at least the story loops back around to them. The cowboy who writes poetry later wins a contest (because of their coaching). Captain Jibby and his crew make a second appearance. Even the ghost at the bed and breakfast turns out to be prophetic. This isn't one of those books where a bunch of weird things just happen. Those books can be fun, but I like a plot arc. And as an added bonus, most people seem to be better off after meeting the Cheesemans!

The reading is excellent. I enjoyed the variety of voices for the characters. My only criticism would be that Captain Jibby sounds like he is supposed to be Scottish, but the accent goes in and out. Then we find out that Jibby, is of Viking descent. He still could be Scottish, but why do Scottish when it is a challenge? Maybe he was just supposed to sound like a pirate...

I highly recommend the book and am delighted to see that it is the first in a series! 

Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities

Author: Mike Jung

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine

Publication Year: 2012

Most of the readers will be: 4th through 7th grade boys.

Reader's Advisory: Hero by Mike Lupica is a slightly more advanced book about a young super hero.

Summary:
Vincent, Max, and George are (the only) members of the Captain Stupendous Fan Club (not to be confused with the Official Captain Stupendous Fan Club). They actually know things about all of Captain Stupendous's past battles and signature moves, unlike the "Official" Fan Club, who are just a bunch of dumb fans. So, when Captain Stupendous starts acting strange, Vincent and his friends know that they have to get to the bottom of it, and help the super hero if they can. After all, if the Captain isn't himself, then who will protect the city from Professor Mayhem and his giant robot?

My favorite passage:

"Why do you know so much? he said, ignoring my question.
I'm a founding member of the Captain Stupendous Fan Club."
I puffed up my chest, which was a little hard since I'm not exactly Mr. Universe.
"You're one of those guys funded by the Corwin Foundation?"
Big sigh.
"No, that's the Official Captain Stupendous Fan Club," I said. "We're the Captain Stupendous Fan Club, period. Not official, not unofficial we're--"
"Okay, okay," Stupendous said. "How many members do you have?"
It always came down to membership. Oh, there are only three of you? And you hang out all the time even if you're not having club meetings? And your headquarters is in your mom's garage and you're really just a bunch of losers? Well, you're not a real club, are you? I guess it was predictable that the next person to shoot down our fan club would be the guy we formed the club to be fans of.
"Three."
I crossed my arms and waited for it--fake politeness, staring, or plain old laughter, I'd seen it all. But Stupendous didn't do any of that stuff. He rubbed his chin with one glove-covered hand. He stood up, and there must have been some nonfighting mojo in that superhero body, because he did it in one quick, slippery motion. It was like watching a dance move, only with more potential violence afterward. Then he said the last thing I expected him to say.
"Have you done...school reports about Captain Stupendous?"
I blinked. First of all, bizarre question. Second, Stupendous wasn't one of those heroes who liked to talk about himself in the third person.
"Yeah. About a hundred of 'em. How did you--"
He waved off my question. "What do you know about my secret identity?"
Aha, he was testing me. Bring it on, Captain Rubberpants.
"I don't know anything for sure, but all human superheroes get older and fatter and uglier, except you," I said.
"You look exactly the same as you did twenty-six years ago. I think this is your superhero form, but you also have a regular-person form when you're not saving the world."
DING! Oh. OH. Regular-person form.
"Something's happened to your regular body, hasn't it? It's like you forgot how to fight, or find out where you're needed, or use your powers. You don't brag and talk into the news cameras anymore."
I paused and sucked in a breath.
"What happened to you? I said "You're...different."
"Do you think?" he said with a sneer.
"What, do you have a new secret identity or something?" I was kind of joking when I said it, but I was actually on the right track!
"NO," Stupendous said, but he made it sound like "no" had three syllables, "Nuh-oh-wuh," and his voice got really high. It sounded like he was lying, in other words.
"Oh wow, you DO have a new secret identity, don't you?"
"Maybe."
Dude, something really crazy must have happened.
"There's this book, The Stupendous Paradigm," I said. "You should, you know, read it--it talks all about the popular theories about your secret identity."
Stupendous put his hands behind his head and walked in a circle, his cape swirling.
"Can I trust you?" he said.
My palms itched, and I felt something like an electrical shock start at my stomach and run up into my hair. Captain Stupendous was about to tell me his secret identity!
"Yes."
"This might be the stupidest thing I've ever done," he said. (pg 55-57)

What I really think:
This book is fun and definitely includes some unexpected twists, such as the secret identity of Captain Stupendous.

There are a couple things that seemed added to the novel, maybe because Jung thought he ought to include them, but something just wasn't seamless about them. For example, all three boys have gripes about their parents - divorce, parental dating, drinking, yelling... When this stuff comes up it seems kind of forced. I don't know exactly how to describe it, but only Vincent's relationship with his parents (well, and Polly's) is really important to the story. Max and George's issues with their parents are... I don't know. Something felt off when I was reading some of those parts.

Overall, I doubt most tweens will notice or care. Maybe they will even love that all the kids have parent issues and be all like, "Right on! That is so my life."

There is a little budding romance that I think is very well done. It is totally appropriate for this age group. Awkward, very innocent, and very sweet.

I would recommend this book to my students, but I am also looking for Jung to refine his style and write something even better in the future.

Simon Bloom, The Gravity Keeper

This is a review of the audio book.

Author: Michael Reisman

Reader: Nicholas Hormann

Producer: Listening Library

Production Year: 2008

Most of the listeners will be: Late elementary to early middle school boys and girls.

Listener's Advisory: I know these don't need any recommendation, but in case you've only read the book, give the Harry Potter audio books a listen.

Summary:

With a pop and the lingering smell of vacuum cleaner bags space-time rips open and drops the Teacher's Edition of Physics on Simon Bloom's head. But this is no ordinary book. Simon soon discovers that by speaking formulae he can control things like gravity and friction. He shares his secret with his best friend Owen, and later with Alysha who is suddenly more interested in what they are up to than hanging out with her "cool" friends. Soon the three learn that some very powerful people are after the book and are none too pleased that Simon has it. The book is supposed to be with the Keeper of the Order of Physics, but it (The Book) is acting like Simon is the Keeper even though he is an outsider to the Knowledge Union. Can Simon and his friends save The Book from the tattooed lady and convince the Order of Physics that they're on their side?

My favorite passage:

After meeting a spy from the Order of Biology, the kids find out that Owen and Alysha can each learn a formula if Simon writes it down on a piece of paper with their name on it. Alysha chooses a formula based on her knowledge of the enemy (the people trying to steal the book). But Owen chooses a formula based on his knowledge of himself. He bemoans the fact that when faced with danger he freezes. He learns a velocity formula so he can create motion where there is none. I like that he isn't just trying to make himself more powerful physically, but also emotionally.

What I really think:

Ever since Harry Potter became a sensation reviewers have been eager to say that this series or that series will be "the next Harry Potter." (There was a review along those lines on the copy of Theodosia and Staff of Osiris I read.) However many of these books do not possess some of the key qualities that make the Harry Potter books so appealing.

Simon Bloom does.

1) Camaraderie. Simon has friends who both support him and are awesome in their own right.

2) Contemporary setting. This story takes place now. The Knowledge Union goes to great lengths not to be noticed by "outsiders."

3) Magic, but not magic because we do actually want this to be different from Harry Potter. Simon makes miraculous things happen by using science. He manipulates physical properties and has to thoroughly understand them to get a good result.

In case you couldn't tell, I give this book my seal of approval.

The Ask and the Answer

Author: Patrick Ness

Publisher: Walker Books

Publication Year: 2009

Most of the readers will be: Late middle school and early high school boys and girls.

Reader's advisory: For another trilogy that challenges the way we think about the world try Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials.

Summary: (Caution! Spoilers for The Knife of Never Letting Go)
Todd and Viola have made it to Haven hoping it is the one place on New World where they will be safe only to discover that the citizens of Haven have already surrendered to Mayor (now President) Prentiss. Immediately the two are separated and for a while, Todd doesn't even know if Viola has survived the bullet she took as they entered town.
Todd is locked up in the top of a church tower with the old mayor of Haven (now called New Prentisstown). Every day he has to work with Davy Prentiss doing things that make his skin crawl. He watches as President Prentiss bends the men of New World to his will and turns the women into the enemy.
Viola is cured in a house of healing and ends up with a group called The Answer. The Answer intend to stop President Prentiss by any means necessary. Even force. Even if that force leads to civilian casualties.
Will Todd and Viola be reunited? Together could they have the strength to save New World from two violent dictators?

My favorite passage:

He gets to his feet.
He stands up tall-
And I shout his name again-
"TODD!"
Because it does something-
It does something to him-
It does something for him-
The Mayor's wrong-
He's wrong for ever and ever-
It's not that you should never love something so much it can control you.
It's that you need to love something that much so you can never be controlled.
It's not a weakness-
It's your best strength-
"TODD!" I shout again-
And he looks at me-
And I hear my name in his Noise-
And I know it-
I know it in my heart-
Right now-
Todd Hewitt-
There's nothing we can't do together-
And we're gonna win-
(pg 494)

What I really think:
Often when you have a series of novels the first one seems to be the best, and I think this is because the first book is when you learn all about the world where the story takes place. It is difficult for subsequent books to fill you with the same wonder you feel when you read the first because there aren't any more big surprises.
In The Knife of Never Letting Go, we learn a whole lot about New World. We learn what Todd has been told, and then we start to learn what is really going on. In The Ask and the Answer, Ness skillfully keeps us guessing whether we can believe everything we have read so far and even introduces some brand new twists.
He also introduces Viola as a narrator. She has a strong voice and her experiences provide a nice contrast with Todd's experiences. It is interesting to see how each of them handle being apart.
I will admit that I wasn't as engaged in some of the middle parts of this story as I was when reading The Knife of Never Letting Go, I think because I really like the interaction between Todd and Viola and they just aren't together throughout most of this book. However, the ending makes up for everything.

The Knife of Never Letting Go

Author: Patrick Ness

Publisher: Walker Books

Publication Year: 2008

Most of the readers will be: Late middle school and early high school boys and girls.

Reader's advisory: Try Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles for short stories that take place on a recently colonized Mars.

Summary:
Todd Hewitt has grown up in Prentisstown, the only surviving colony on New World. During a war with the local aliens, called Spackle, the aliens infected the animals with a germ that made them all start talking, and infected the humans with a germ that made all their thoughts heard. The Noise germ drove people crazy. It killed half the men and all the women.
In Prentisstown, a boy becomes a man at thirteen. Todd is the last boy in Prentisstown and he is one month away from his thirteenth birthday. His parents both died from the Noise germ and he lives with friends of theirs, Ben and Cillian.
When he and his dog Manchee go into the swamp one morning to gather apples Todd comes across something he has never experienced before. Quiet. There is a quiet spot in the swamp and it isn't natural. Todd tries to keep the quiet out of his Noise as he walks back through town, but somehow it escapes.
Now Todd is running. Because he and that quiet both mean something to Prentisstown, and the men don't want either of them to get away.

My favorite passage:

The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don't got nothing much to say.
About anything.
"Need a poo, Todd."
"Shut up, Manchee."
"Poo. Poo, Todd."
"I said shut it."
We're walking across the wild fields south-east of town, those ones that slope down to the river and head on towards the swamp. Ben's sent me to pick him some swamp apples and he's made me take Manchee with me, even tho we all know Cillian only bought him to stay on Mayor Prentiss's good side and so suddenly here's this brand new dog as a present for my birthday last year when I never said I wanted any dog, that what I said I wanted was for Cillian to finally fix the fissionbike so I wouldn't have to walk every forsaken place in this stupid town, but oh, no, happy birthday, Todd, here's a brand new puppy, Todd, and even tho you don't want him, even tho you never asked for him, guess who has to feed him and train him and wash him and take him for walks and listen to him jabber now that he's got old enough for the talking germ to set his mouth moving? Guess who?
"Poo," Manchee barks quietly to himself. "Poo, poo, poo."
"Just have yer stupid poo and quit yapping about it." (pg 3-4)

What I really think:
I'm kind of obsessed with this book. I'm kind of upset that the next Chaos Walking book isn't coming out until May. I don't want to say too much about it and I couldn't really share a passage except from the very beginning because it's full of questions and finding out the answers is part of the fun. I wish I could say you have all the answers by the end. But you don't. I suppose that's why book two is called The Ask and the Answer.
What can I tell you? This novel experiments with how different people, and different groups of people, handle situations they never imagined they would be in. How Right and Wrong get all mixed up and you can still do what's Right when everyone else is doing Wrong, but it is easy to see how so many people get involved in doing Wrong.
At one point, a character says that Noise is just information and too much information is a bad thing. I would never call this novel an allegory for our "information age," but it is not unlikely that Ness is making a passing comment on our current overabundance of information. Just remember that the cure for too much information is a good librarian to help you sort through it. ;)

The Roar

Author: Emma Clayton

Publisher: Chicken House

Publication Year: 2008

Most of the readers will be: Middle school and early high school girls and boys.

Reader's Advisory: Readers who are ready for a more advanced book might enjoy reading about Aldous Huxley's view of the future in Brave New World.

Summary:
Mika and Ellie are twins living in the London of the future. The animal plague that took place a generation ago has forced all of humanity to live behind The Wall. Families are crammed into dark, damp flats. Only the rich live in the shining upper layer.
Ellie has been kidnapped. She has been missing for two years and her family has been told that she is dead. But Mika knows she isn't. He has been looking for a way to get to Ellie, and the Youth Development Foundation may have given him the opportunity he needs.
The YDF is making all the children drink Fit Mix so that they'll grow big and strong. They have built arcades with a fun Pod Fighter game. And, they are having a Pod Fighter competition. Although Mika does not trust the Youth Development Foundation, he believes that winning the competition will somehow reunite him with Ellie. The problem is that the prizes are so irresistable, all the children are desperate to win.
He is playing a very dangerous game.

My favorite passage:

Mika took the lead and pushed forward with Audrey holding on to his coat. They hit solid knots in the crowd and had to work their way round them, and by the time they reached the edge of the platform, the overcrowding was so dangerous, Mika had to hang on to Audrey to stop her being pushed on to the track. A Silver Bullet hissed to a halt on the platform like a glass-eyed snake and the crowd surged forward, crushing them against the train. The doors opened and everyone pushed at once. Mika felt someone grab him from behind and yank him back and suddenly his grip on Audrey was gone and he was drowning in a sea of fists and elbows.
The others managed to force their way on to the train.
'Where's Mika?' Audrey shouted, looking back for him. 'Oh no! Look! He can't get on!'
Tom leaned out of the train and grabbed Mika's hand. He was hit hard in the face by someone's bag and the doors were trying to close on his arms. Mika heard a ripping sound as the sleeve on his coat tore, but still Tom didn't let go of his hand and with brute force he dragged Mika on board the train.
'Thanks,' Mika said, so grateful that the word sounded pathetically inadequate. 'That must have hurt.'
'Doesn't matter,' Tom replied. 'You almost got left behind.'
'I wish I'd stayed in bed,' Kobi said, inspecting a new rip in his black coat.
'That was scary,' Audrey said. 'I thought we'd lost you, and they almost pushed me off the platform.'
Mika put his arm behind her to stop a group of boys pushing into her, then he closed his eyes and sighed with relief.
'I hope the competition is easier than getting there,' Tom said, looking worried. 'That was awful.' (pg 156-157)

What I really think:
In my opinion, what makes a great anit-utopian novel is a believable demonstration of how a few people could control everyone else. In 1984, people are controlled by force; in Brave New World, they are controled by over-indulgance. And in The Roar, the masses are controled through the television. The people in charge create a lie and make everyone believe it by putting it on the news. I am satisfied that The Roar passes this test.
Clayton's book is fast paced and difficult to put down. She includes detailed descriptions of each stage of the Pod Fighter competition and leaves you wondering until the very end what the big secret is.

George's Secret Key to the Universe

Authors: Lucy and Stephen Hawking with Christophe Galfard

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Publication Year: 2007

Lexile: 1020L (This book is not in the Lexile Book Database. I used the Lexile Analyzer to get this value.)

Most of the readers will be: Advanced elementary and middle school readers who are interested in space.

Reader's Advisory: This book reminds me of Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World, which also uses the novel format to deliver factual information. Sophie's World is for an older audience than George's Secret Key to the Universe, but is not out of reach for a bright middle schooler.

Summary:
When George's pet pig Freddy wanders onto the forbidden lot next door, George meets his new neighbors, Eric and Annie. Eric is a scientist who uses his computer, Cosmos, to travel the universe searching for another planet like Earth. Annie is his daughter. George is in awe of Eric and his computer because his own parents are very distrusting of technology, growing their own food and preferring candles to electricity. Then disaster strikes when George's evil teacher, Dr. Reaper, tricks Eric into falling into a black hole and steals Cosmos. It is up to George and Annie to learn about Eric's recent discoveries about black holes and get Cosmos back to save him.

My favorite passage:

"Now," continued Eric, "the question we all came to answer is a question of fundamental interest for everyone who is involved in science. We all know far too well how it can be used for evil purposes, and that is why we have all taken the Oath of the Scientist, so that science is used only for the good of humanity. But we are now facing a dilemma. As you heard in the news and saw at the environmental march on Saturday, more and more people are concerned about the state of the Earth. So, the question we now have to answer is: Should we concentrate on finding ways to improve life on Earth and face its problems, or should we try to find another planet for humanity to inhabit?"
All the scientists in the room were silent and looked very serious. George watched them as they wrote an answer on a little piece of paper. Eric then collected the papers in a hat. In total, including Eric and the red-haired speaker, eight scientists had voted. Eric then started to open up the papers one by one.
"The Earth."
"The Earth."
"Another planet."
"Another planet."
"Another planet."
"The Earth."
"The Earth."
"Another planet."
"Well, well," said Eric. "It seems we have a split vote."
The red-haired Professor Crzkzak put up her hand. "May I make a suggestion?" she asked. Everyone else nodded. She got to her feet. "George," she said, addressing the boy directly, "we may lack a bit of perspective on this matter, because we are all specialists in our fields. So you could maybe tell us what you think about it."
All the scientists were looking at him now. George felt very shy and stayed silent for a few seconds.
"Say what you really think," whispered Professor Crzkzak.
Twisting his fingers in his lap, George thought about his parents and the green campaigners. He then thought about the excitement of traveling in space and trying to find another home out there. And then he heard himself say to the scientists, "Why can't you do both?" (pg 190-192)

What I really think:
This book can do two great things: It can teach young people about the benefits of scientific research, and it can also teach them that they are not too young to understand difficult scientific concepts. That said, I think Hawking is a little full of himself. The cover of the book proclaims, "Includes the Latest Ideas about Black Holes!" In the book we read that particles actually leak from black holes. These particles are called "Hawking Radiation." I commend the man for sharing this information with children, but perhaps he could be a little more modest about it.

Rules of the Universe by Austin W. Hale

Author: Robin Vaupel

Publisher: Holiday House

Publication Year: 2007

Lexile: 850L (This book is not in the Lexile Book Database. I used the Lexile Analyzer to get this value.)

Most of the readers will be: Boys in late elementary to middle school who like science fiction (and science fact!).

Reader's Advisory: For a science fiction book with a female protagonist try Madeline L'Engle's An Acceptable Time.

Summary:
Austin is a 13 year old boy who likes looking at microorganisms under his microscope. He has learned everything he knows about science from his grandfather Walter. Now Walter is coming to stay with Austin's family because he is dying of cancer. Austin is excited to see his grandfather, but having trouble coping with the fact that he is dying.
Walter brings Austin an exciting gift - a miniature star. This star starts making Austin's wishes come true! Even wishes he doesn't know he has.
The star transforms his two clownfish into lungfish, his lizard into a pterosaur, and his old dog into a puppy. But that is only the beginning of the "enhancements" Austin either purposely or accidentally performs using Spark (the star).
Austin gets into trouble when he starts enhancing humans. He causes both his friend Rey, and his angsty 14 year old sister, Garland, to regress to younger versions of themselves. After several close calls at Camp Quantum (a two week summer science camp), Austin is forced to be more careful when wielding his star power.
His greatest and last enhancement is supposed to be saving the life of his grandfather and he wants to get it just right.

My favorite passage:

"What's happened to you, child?" Walter asked, and reached out to a tendril of hair that protruded from her temple like an orange antenna.
Austin flinched. To comment, even offhandedly, about Garland's appearance was beyond insulting; it was to confess your own ignorance about art, culture, and creativity.
Garland sighed and gave her eyes a half roll. "Okay, so nothing has happened to me. It's called Tainted Sunset."
Walter was straining to see past the heavy eyeliner and mascara to find the granddaughter he remembered. He wasn't the only one who'd lost sight of her; Austin knew there had once been another Garland, before the transformation of her eighth-grade year, when she had disappeared under a shroud of black clothes, but the shadow of this present sister had eclipsed the memory of her.
"My hair color, Granddad, do you like it?"
"No," he said, "I don't. You look like something from a Parisian back alley."
She tossed her head back, smiling slightly, and Austin thought there was a terrible glory about Garland as the sun lit up her hair and glinted off her facial jewelry.
"That is so amazing you said that, Granddad, because I'm going to Paris someday."
"For college?"
"No!" she said disdainfully. "For something real. I'm going there to live and write poetry."(pg 11-12)

What I really think:
I like the way this book deals with death and dying. Austin can get almost anything he wants with his wish giving star, but he can't force a life upon his grandfather that his grandfather doesn't want. Vaupel also illustrates in many ways the hard lesson: be careful what you wish for. She skillfully delivers these points in the unusual context of a boy who has more unicellular friends than multicellular ones and reflects on the occurrences in his life using lab notes. I am a little disappointed that Garland isn't restored to her 14 year old self at the end. Older sisters should be accepted for who they are during all the difficult phases of their adolescence.