HOMESICK

By Kate Klise
Published by Feiwel & Friends
Copyright © 2012
Review by Anthony Kendrick

“I’ve told you, Nola. It’s coming. A giant
computer network that will link everyone in the whole wide world…” so says a prescient Calvin Summer in January of 1983. And boy he doesn’t know how right he is, but being right isn’t doing his son Benny much good.

Benny Summer lives with his mom and dad, Nola and Calvin, in a little nowhere town called Dennis Acres, Missouri. Of course more correctly Benny “lived” with his mom. She took off recently because she just couldn’t stand living with Calvin and his mess anymore. Nola plans on coming back for Benny in just a couple of weeks, but in the meantime his home is falling further into squalor and disrepair. Benny needs help if he is going to get his dad to straighten up the house and get his mom to come back, so he enlists the help of a couple friends. The process gets into full swing though when the town wins an award as America’s Most Charming Small Town and all its residents decide they need to help Benny get his house cleaned up. But can they do it before representatives of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce come to view their town in person?

“Homesick” is the interesting tale of good boy stuck in a bad situation. Benny’s parents have split because his dad is a hoarder, and his dad’s condition is getting progressively worse. No one really understand how bad the problem has gotten until a disaster strikes and Calvin remains more concerned about his junk than his, and his sons, life.

“Homesick” is filled with quirky characters in a quirky little town. Not every piece of the story seems to fit well together, but Benny is a kid that you can root for which saves the book.  Many students will be able to connect with this book on some level, especially if they have ever been a casualty of a divorce or separation, mental health issues, or natural disasters. While people in Benny’s situation don’t often have the type of happy ending he ended with, I can understand the author wanting to give young readers hope.

LAST LAUGHS: ANIMAL EPITAPHS

By J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen
Illustrated by Jeffrey Stewart Timmins
Published by Charlesbridge
Copyright © 2012
Review by Mr. Kendrick

With simple rhyme, smirking puns, and slightly sadistic illustrations “Last Laughs” will make you laugh, let’s just hope that it isn’t your last.

The epitaph poems in this darkly humorous
book are simple and pun-ny, and in general they were passable. Some were clever like Cooked Goose –

            

            “He was Canada born
              And Canada bred,
              And here he lies –
              Canada dead.” 

Others, like Swan Song on the very next page, were not very impressive. –

             “A simple song.
              It wasn’t long.”

What makes this book of childishly dark poems enjoyable is the even darker illustrations of Timmins. His grey/sepia toned pictures are sparingly splashed with bright color which often spell an animals end. The illustrations more than make up for some of the uninspired poetry, and I’m not ashamed to say that they made me giggle.

Assuming they don’t have delicate constitutions, this book should appeal to most boys and even girls with a morbid sense of humor. If you are an animal lover or a member of PETA this book might not be for you.

WONDERLAND

By Tommy Kovac
Illustrated by Sonny Liew
Published by Disney Press
Copyright © 2008
Review by Anthony Kendrick

“Why Mary Ann! What are you doing out here?...Don’t just do something, stand there... Uh... no no! Go go! Go get my gloves! I'm late!” The familiar cries of the White Rabbit, of course, but just who is this Mary Ann?

Wonderland is an unofficial offshoot of Disney’s original animated movie “Alice in Wonderland”. It isn’t the same old cutesy nonsense though. Wonderland takes us to the aftermath of Alice’s visit and show’s us Wonderland from the viewpoint of the White Rabbit’s clean freak maid, Mary Ann.

The White Rabbit is implicated in the events with the “Alice Monster” and he is soon being hunted by the Queen of Hearts with Mary Ann in tow. With the leading and misleading of the Cheshire Cat Mary Ann soon finds herself the object of the Queen’s ire and the focus of “The Curious” who view her as a savior. This chase is going to end with a battle for power between various members of Wonderland and a battle with power (or the idea of it) for Mary Ann.

This beautifully illustrated graphic novel is definitely Disney-esque but with a hint of Asian Manga influence. The story itself is edgy and funny, especially with Mary Ann’s obsessive cleaning and her over the top reactions to dirt. Who would think that such a character trait could get a person into so much trouble? There are moments when Mary Ann becomes very relatable, especially to teens, when she is contemplating her self-worth and what she wants to do with her life. I really appreciated what Mary Ann chose to do when presented with a decision to change her life. Would it be for the better? Was there anything wrong with her position as it was? Even though it is just a graphic novel, it makes a person think about what is really valuable and what it is that makes us important.

This is an enjoyable and colorful read that should keep most young adults attention, however it might help to be familiar with the original books by Lewis Carroll or with the 1951 Disney movie if you want to understand the story more fully.

JORDAN SONNENBLICK TALKS ABOUT HIS BOOK "CURVEBALL:..."

CURVEBALL: THE YEAR I LOST MY GRIP

By Jordan Sonnenblick
Published by Scholastic Press
Copyright © 2012
Review by Anthony Kendrick
Little known facts: Curveballs can ruin a young arm. Alzheimer’s disease can ruin a caregiver’s sanity. Dishonesty and poor communication can ruin a relationship.

Peter Friedman loves baseball more than anything else. Unfortunately baseball doesn’t come as easy to him as it does for his best friend AJ. Sure, Peter is an All-Star pitcher, but in order to get there he has waged a battle with his arm and his arm has won. Now heading into his freshman year, which he thought would be a breeze as a stud pitcher for the JV squad; Peter has learned that he will never play baseball again. In addition he is quickly realizing that his grandfather is falling victim to Alzheimer’s disease. If it weren’t for Angelika, Peter’s photography class partner that he really likes, Peter wouldn’t know who to talk to about his problems. Although it is nice to have someone to talk to, Peter can’t seem to bring himself to talk to the people who really need to hear what is going on, and this may ultimately drive Angelika away.

Sonnenblick has written an enjoyable middle school/high school novel replete with personal tragedy, family drama, sports, and love. I really appreciated how this story emphasizes what things define us. When we lose a dream (e.g. Peter and Baseball) we haven’t necessarily lost our identity. The old saying is that “when one door closes, another opens” and Peter finds that out. But his new activity isn’t what defines him either; it is the way he thinks, acts, and how he treats others that define what kind of person he is, and it is that which makes Angelika like him.

I thought that Sonnenblick did a good job highlighting the importance of honesty as well. Relationships of any kind are built on open and honest communication, which is something that Peter has a little trouble with. He also illustrates what the consequences of not communicating openly can be, especially when it comes to talking with his parents about his grandfather’s Alzheimers.

Overall I really liked this book. I love baseball and I love photography, neither of which am I good at myself. I also love realistic fiction that features young men who learn the importance of being good people who are open about their thoughts and feelings, and who learn that they don’t have to try to take care of everything themselves.  This book will definitely speak to teens who have had sports injuries and with those who are dealing with the tragedy of having a relative with Alzheimer’s.

THE FAIRY RING: OR ELSIE AND FRANCES FOOL THE WORLD

Non-Fiction
By Mary Losure
Published by Candlewick Press
Copyright © 2012
Review by Anthony Kendrick

 

I thought that Sherlock was the smartest detective ever, until he (his creator) was fooled by two young girls.

“The Fairy Ring” is the true story of how, in an attempt to get their fathers to stop picking on them, Elsie and Frances made the world think about fairies and made some very prominent people believe in them. Of course getting the world to believe in fairies was not part of the plan, but when Elsie’s mother attended a Theosophist Society meeting and told everyone her daughter had taken pictures of fairies everything began to snowball, until Elsie and Frances just couldn’t tell the truth. Regardless if the pictures were a farce, decades later Elsie and Frances still couldn’t agree on the truth about fairies.

The fairy ring is an intriguing book because it illustrates so deeply how much humans want to believe in the supernatural. We have an innate need to believe that there is more to life that we cannot see; that there are intelligent beings behind the scenes. This book shows this to be the case even with some very brilliant men. I really enjoyed seeing the pictures that the girls took as well. I thought that they showed how good an artist Elsie was, and to me it made the deception more understandable. Setting the farce aside, the images are quite charming.

Whether you believe, or want to believe, in fairies I am sure that you will enjoy this book. And I still think that Sherlock is brilliant!

TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR

By Ben Mikaelsen
Published by Harper Collins
Copyright ©2001
Review by Anthony Kendrick

“How would you feel if a Bear made its den beside a stream?”

      “I’d kill it.”

“Animals feel the same way. Don’t forget that.”

Cole Matthews will never be able to forget that, after his experience with a spirit bear.

Cole is an angry young man; he lashes out at whatever or whoever is around him when his anger bubbles over. This time Cole goes too far and beats a young man, Peter Driscoll, so badly that he may have permanent brain damage. Cole is in big trouble, a motion is being filed to try him as an adult. When he is offered “Circle Justice, a system based on Native American traditions that attempts to provide healing for the criminal offender, the victim, and the community,” Cole jumps at the chance to be bailed out of trouble one more time. As part of his circle justice sentence he is sent half way across the country to a remote Alaskan island where he will be tasked with coming to terms with his anger and making amends for his errors. Before he can do any of that he comes face to face with the Spirit Bear and his life will never be the same.

“Touching Spirit Bear” is a survival book, but it is also a book about redemption and responsibility. Cole certainly has reasons for all of his anger but instead of getting help to deal with his anger he lashes out, and then he blames everyone else. I really appreciated how the book shows that the long road to redemption and rehabilitation begins with you. The focus is what Cole did with is anger, not why he was angry. He could roll his anger down the hill or he could hold it in and feed on it.

Ben Mikaelson has written a fantastic book, and I understand now why our Language arts teachers use it in their curriculum. If you can’t wait till that class to read this book, then come to the library and check it out.