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.

The Neddiad

Author: Daniel Pinkwater

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Publication Year: 2007

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

Reader's Advisory: For another totally weird book in which a kid saves the world, please read The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. 

Summary: 

Neddie and his family move by train from Chicago to Los Angeles. On the way Neddie acquires a sacred turtle sculpture, gets separated from his family, meets a movie star and his son, meets a ghost, sees the Grand Canyon...and that's all before he even gets to LA. Soon he realizes there are people after his sacred turtle, and he must protect it. The fate of the world is in his hands. 

My favorite passage:

We also played Tarzan, Flash Gordon, and Superman, and Captain Midnight, which were movies and radio programs. The thing about all these games was that they were all about adventure. They were all about people going off away from their familiar homes to do important stuff. And in the world outside the backyards, it was like that. People were going off to war, and moving to different parts of the country to do different jobs. And people were arriving from places far away. Some of the kids were refugees - that is, kids whose families had escaped from Europe. There was Jan the Dutch kid, who always wore this brown overcoat, and Helmut the German kid, who refused to play Nazis in the battle games, and Luigi, whose salami sandwiches smelled better than ours.
I expected, we all expected, to do exciting things, and be a hero, like Dart-Onion, or Hopalong Cassidy, or the Count of Monte Cristo. This is why going away on a big adventure all the way across the country seemed normal to me. It is also why, when I was taken to the Louis B. Nettelhorst Elementary School to begin first grade, I said I wanted to major in literature. (pg 15-16)

What I really think:

This book is so delightfully strange. Neddie does a number of things that any kid would love to do and he has this great kid enthusiasm about it. He rides on a train across the country, he finds neat shops in LA - one that sells jokes and one that has taxidermied animals and artifacts called "Stuffed Stuff and Stuff," he swims in an abandoned pool, he visits a circus training facility, and he loves the La Brea Tar Pits. The book could have been all anecdotes of cool things Neddie did and I probably wouldn't have gotten tired of reading it. 

But then there is the weird stuff: Melvin the shaman who keeps popping up and giving Neddie, first the turtle, and then cryptic advice. The sacred turtle itself. Billy the Phantom Bellboy - yup, he's a ghost. Alien police. And the whole threat of the resurgence of the ice age.

I don't know how anyone would ever even think to write a story like this, but I'm so glad he did, because I loved every page of it. 

Football Genius

This is a review of the audio book.

Author: Tim Green

Reader: Tim Green along with the "Full Cast Family"

Producer: Full Cast Audio

Production Year: 2008

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

Listener's Advisory: If you like sports books, try Heat by Mike Lupica. 

Summary: 

Troy White is a football genius. He knows what plays a team is going to run before they happen. Troy would love to use his gift to help the Falcons get to the Super Bowl. When his mom, the Falcons' newest PR hire, gets him a field pass, Troy is tempted to approach one of the coaches with advice and he is removed from the game like a criminal. Is there any way for Troy to get these adults to give him a chance?

My favorite passage:

Troy and his friend Tate show up at the home of Seth Halloway, a Falcons player who knows what Troy can do. He had thought that Troy had cracked under the pressure when he had tried to show off Troy's skills to one of the coaches, but Troy thought it was something else and wanted another chance to talk to Seth. When they get to his house, Seth is reluctant to let them in, but Tate kicks him and then demands hospitality while they watch a game on TV with other players that are hanging out with Seth. She says that when you are a girl you have to stick up for yourself.

What I really think:

Good things about this book - Boys will love it, especially football players. There are a lot of details about how games are played and what happens behind the scenes at the Falcon's stadium. The relationships are pretty strong. Troy and his friends. Troy and his mom. Seth and Troy. Seth and Troy's mom. 

Not as good things - The storyline is kind of predictable and ties up too neatly at the end. You don't always end up getting everything you want. 

And there was one conversation between Troy and his mother near the end that especially bothered me. She was worried about going on a vacation with Seth because Troy is everything to her. Without him she has nothing. 

I think this was supposed to be sweet, the mom putting her son before her dating life. But, whoa. If your child is your "everything" that is robbing them of being something for themselves. Think about it. I'm not saying she should run off to Bermuda and leave her kid behind, but she should totally have a social life that does not revolve around her son. It is better for everyone. This is just a little nitpicky thing I noticed and probably wouldn't bother most other people. 

Overall, I have to admit that the only reason I listened to this book is because of one of the 5th grade book clubs that I lead. They chose it. And even though I am not so very interested in reading books about sports, I enjoyed it. If that isn't a good review, I don't know what is. 

The narration was fine. It took me a little while to get used to the full cast experience - a different reader for each character, but it certainly results in effective voice differentiation. I kind of questioned some of the accents. I mean, if you only have to do one voice you should be able to get it spot on. But since Atlanta has a lot of transplants, I'll hope the non-regional accents were intentional. (After all, I live here and I don't sound Southern.)

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963

This is a review of the audio book.

Author: Christopher Paul Curtis

Reader: Levar Burton

Producer: Listening Library

Production Year: 2005

Most of the listeners will be: 4th through 7th grade boys and girls.

Listener's Advisory: Another book I have loved recently that deals with race issues is The Aurora County All-Stars by Deborah Wiles.

Summary:

Kenny lives in Flint, Michigan with his parents, older (juvenile delinquent) brother Byron, and younger sister Joetta. Life in Flint seems hard sometimes. In the winter it is so cold his Momma believes folks could just suddenly freeze up, so she bundles Kenny and Joetta in multiple layers of clothes. Kenny gets teased for being smart and having a lazy eye. And Byron has been caught playing with matches so many times, Momma is threatening to burn him to teach him a lesson. Well, the lesson comes not in the form of burning, but in the form of a trip to Birmingham, Momma's hometown. She loves her home, but things are different for African Americans in the South in 1963. Byron and the whole family will learn that their lives in Flint are not so bad. 

My favorite passage:

Kenny remembers a time in second grade when his teacher would take him around to other classrooms to show off his reading skills. She would have him read poetry by Langston Hughes. The teacher told the other students they should be trying to make something of themselves, like Kenny. When he visited Byron's fifth grade class he was terrified that Byron was going to make him miserable. But, after school that day, all Byron said was, "They should at least pay you if they are going to parade you around like that." Byron was secretly proud of Kenny. 

What I really think:

This was exactly what I needed after the disappointment that was Swiss Family Robinson.  I have to admit that historical fiction tends to be the most difficult genera for me to get in to. That is probably the reason I haven't read this book before. But I'm so glad I picked it up. It is awesome. 

First of all, The Watsons go to Birmingham is very funny. The parents like to cut up and joke with the children. Byron's mischief is naughty, but hilarious - like burning Nazi parachutes (made of toilet paper) as they drop into the toilet, and telling his siblings a garbage truck picks up all the folks who freeze solid on the streets during the Michigan winter

This book is real. There are some criticisms on Amazon because of allusions to cursing and rude hand gestures and kids looking at nekkid lady pictures. Kids do those things. This book admits that. I am unmoved by any claims that this is inappropriate. (Especially in context. In the book it makes sense.)

This book is sweet. The whole family loves each other and you can really see it. You can see it in the way the parents talk to each other. You can see it in the small ways juvenile delinquent Byron sticks up for his siblings. You can see it in the way Joetta tries to protect Byron. You can see it in the way Kenny makes a new friend. 

Finally, this book deals with some serious race issues. There are small moments throughout the book that deal with race, but the church bombing at the end really drives it home. Race issues are complicated and unfair, but we all have to find a way to keep moving on. 

And then. AND THEN! As if all that wasn't enough. When I first started listening to the book I thought to myself, "That sounds like Levar Burton." It is! He is the reader. *Swoon*

He doesn't do drastically different voices for each character, but they are different enough so you can tell who is talking during any given conversation. I'm not sure I know what a Michigan accent sounds like, but the Watsons all sounded fine to me. His Southern accents are good.

I'm not sure I can put my finger on it exactly, but he is a pleasure to listen to. Loved this book. Loved the audio. Highly recommended. 

The Swiss Family Robinson

This is a review of the audio book.

(Not the Audible edition - although that is what is pictured)

Author: Johann Wyss

Reader: George Guidall

Producer: Recorded Books

Production Year: 1994

Most of the listeners will be: 5th-9th grade boys.

Listener's Advisory: For a more suspenseful book on wilderness survival try Gary Paulsen's Hatchet.

Summary:

The Robinson family, consisting of a father, mother, and four sons, ranging in age from 8 to 16 at the beginning of the book, are shipwrecked on their way to a New World colony. The rest of the crew abandons ship leaving the family without a lifeboat, but the wreckage is caught on rocks near an island. Once the weather improves, the family makes a raft from barrels and scrap wood and drifts to shore. 

With the help from supplies they slowly claim from the wreck, abundant naturalist knowledge possessed by the father an the older boys, and a can-do attitude, the family builds several dwellings within "their territory," which they name "New Switzerland." They grow crops and collect wild-growing edible plants and they also have both livestock and tamed native beasts. Their lives are good on the island, even luxurious considering their situation. If ever given the chance to return to civilization, will they take it?

My favorite passage:

The last time that the father and older sons go to the wreck to collect supplies, the father lights a fuse connected to two barrels of gun powder to blow up the ship. They watch it explode from shore, and the family is somewhat surprised because he hadn't warned them about his plan. I understood the father's thinking that if the wreck was gone they would not be tempted to visit it anymore. But I couldn't help but think that using up so much gunpowder was unwise, since for them it was a non-renewable resource (and they like their guns). I think what I do like about this passage is that blowing up a wrecked boat is a very "guy" thing to do. Boys must love this part of the book.

What I really think:

I listened to this book because Jon Scieszka mentions it in his autobiography Knucklehead. I almost turned it off. Probably this is a very good book and was even better during the time in which it was written. But as a woman of the 21st century, I had some issues. 

The gender roles are rigid and condescending. "The mother" is referred to by name maybe once. She almost never carries a weapon so at least one of the sons is always with her to protect her. She makes all their meals and washes, mends, and later makes all their clothes. 

Then there are the weapons. Although there is an abundance of food between everything they take off the ship, naturally growing edibles, and game, their approach to wildlife is "shoot first and ask questions later." They even kill penguins after they know that penguin meat doesn't taste good. And it is not that the wilderness is dangerous and they are shooting quickly to protect themselves. Sometimes they come upon a new thing slowly, identify it as best they can, and still decide to kill is, just because. 

Then there is all the wildlife itself. I am no naturalist, so perhaps an island like this exists. Or perhaps I was supposed to suspend my disbelief and accept this as a fanciful place. They meet a penguin early on, so I thought they were near South America. But then later in the book they encounter several African animals, including elephants and lions. Is there really a place where all of these things live together?

All that said, I can see why boys would probably like this book. They might not think twice about the gender roles and would love to run around with guns killing things. And they wouldn't be troubled with pesky questions about where in the ocean this island could be located. 

Gregor the Overlander

This is a review of the audio book.

Author: Suzanne Collins

Reader: Paul Boehmer

Producer: Listening Library

Production Year: 2005

Most of the listeners will be: 4th-7th grade boys and girls. 

Listener's Advisory: For another book involving a quest, a hidden fantasy world, and battle scenes, listen to Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising. 

Summary: 

Gregor (11) and his two-year-old sister Boots fall through a grate in their laundry room into the Underland. He discovers there not only giant bats, cockroaches, spiders, and rats, but a society of humans. His father, lost for almost three years may be in the Underland. But most interesting of all is the possibility that Gregor is the warrior promised in a cryptic prophesy. He doesn't feel like a warrior, but he could pretend to be one if the Underlanders will help him find his dad. 

My favorite passage:

When Gregor and Boots first land in the Underland they are discovered by giant cockroaches. Boots is immediately fascinated by them and calls out to them, "Big bugs!" The cockroaches also like Boots, asking "Smells what, so good, smells what?" The smell they like is emanating from Boots's diaper! The cockroaches soon decide that Boots is a princess and one carries her on his back as they travel to the human city. 

What I really think:

I have been trying to sell the Underland books to students who bemoan the fact our elementary library doesn't have The Hunger Games. Now I can report that the Underland is a difficult place to live and the first novel at least does contain some gruesome fights and death...if that's what young readers are after. However, it is tamer than The Hunger Games, so I still feel comfortable recommending it. 

I, personally, got so in to the beginning of the story that I forgot about my rule about sparing myself from books in which babies and toddlers suffer. I get very upset by this and it maybe isn't worth it. I was happily enjoying Princess Boots as a character and then Gregor takes her on a fast-moving, underground river in a boat made of skins with no life-jackets! And then they are attacked by rats! Fortunately, Boots survives this episode and isn't put in much danger during the rest of the book, so I was able to listen comfortably. 

Gregor is a very standard hero. Reluctant at first to step up to this role, but ultimately the master of his own fate. His willingness to sacrifice himself for the group in the end is an especially nice touch. 

The ending is a little unsatisfactory in that it isn't clear why no Overlander has returned to the surface before, but Gregor, Boots, and their father are flown there by bat without much trouble. Gregor begs to go home when he first arrives and it seems impossible. Maybe the currents weren't right at the time, but more explanation would have been better. 

I found Boehmer's voice for Gregor not 11-year-old-like enough. I'm not sure I can explain, but it just seemed too formal. My favorite was his voice for Rip Red, the rat that betrays his own people to help the humans on their quest. He sounds bored and sinister - love it!

It is certainly old news that Collins is a thrilling author, but I'm glad to see for myself that her early work is every bit as good as her recent hits. 

Because of Mr. Terupt

Author: Rob Buyea

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publication Year: 2010

Most of the readers will be: 4th-7th grade boys and girls.

Reader's Advisory: For another book told from multiple perspectives, read The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger. 

Summary:

Jessica, Alexia, Peter, Luke, Danielle, Anna, and Jeffrey tell the story of their fifth-grade school year with a brand-new teacher. Mr. Terupt is fun and cool. He helps new friends come together, and ends the girl wars. But some of the most important lessons he teaches his students are learned when he isn't in the classroom. 

My favorite passage:

Peter elbowed Alexia. Then I heard him whisper a word to her.
That's not even close to a dollar, I thought.
"Fifty-three," Alexia said. "No good. Try..."
Were they crazy? They were trying out rude words and giggling the whole time. I just knew they were going to get caught.
"That's no good, either," Peter said. "Maybe..."
What a butthead! As soon as I thought it, I knew it was a word worth calculating. Sure enough, butthead equaled 81. I tacked on the s. There wasn't just one butthead but two buttheads (dollar word). I was just about to call out that I had round one when Peter beat me to it.
"I've got a word!" he yelled. "Buttocks!" He strutted to the board like he was the coolest thing since sliced bread and wrote it for the class."Buttocks," he said again. "B-U-T-T-O-C-S." Peter went on to demonstrate how the word added up to a dollar. Mr. Terupt didn't interrupt. Just as I was about to, the new girl did.
"Buttocks is spelled with a k in it, Peter," Jessica said.
Peter looked to Mr. Terupt. "Sorry, Peter. She's right. Better try again. And maybe you should choose a different type of word than the ones you've been coming up with."
Peter slunk back to his seat. No surprise to me, Mr. Terupt knew what Peter was up to the whole time.
I raised my hand. "Mr. Terupt, I've got one." I walked up to the board and wrote butthead. That was followed by a chorus of laughs. "Butthead," I said. "B-U-T-T-H-E-A-D adds up to eighty-one cents, but if we have more than one, then we get buttheads. And buttheads is a dollar word. Just ask Peter and Alexia."
Mr. Terupt snickered. "That's enough, Luke. I must say, this isn't a word I was expecting, but nonetheless, it's our fist dollar word. Congratulations." (pg 9-10)

What I really think:

***SPOILERS***

I thought I knew what happened in this book before I started reading it, so when Jessica and Mr. Terupt talked about "happy endings" I thought, "Yeah, right!" But it does have a happy ending, and thank goodness! Many of the lessons the students learn would have stuck even if Mr. Terupt had died, but it is powerful and important that he has a chance to actually forgive Peter. 

I have observed that many of my students seek out novels with heavy themes. I'm glad to have a book I can recommend that should both satisfy them, and leave them feeling uplifted.