Bad Kitty vs. Uncle Murray: The Uproar at the Front Door

Bad Kitty vs Uncle Murray by Nick Bruel

I first met Bad Kitty when she was just a picture book wreaking alphabetical havoc on the household. But Bad Kitty has evolved into a my first graphic novel style enterprise.

This book rather awesomely depicts Uncle Murray’s turn at cat-sitting. Perfect for readers with short attention spans, Bruel switches between cartoon graphics with captions, fun facts, poor beleaguered Uncle Murray’s impressions and Bad Kitty’s diary and a side story involving a strange kitty who moonlights as “Fantastic Cat”, a type of cat superhero.  The first few pages show both goofy, friendly Uncle Murray’s actual words and actions and Bad Kitty’s paranoid, crazed interpretations.

This would also make a fun read aloud for kids at home, especially if you’re trying to entertain readers of various ages.  There is tons of onomatopoeia which often entertains little ones, and readers will also love noticing where kitty is hiding.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – None.
Profanity – “heck,” “jerk,” “lousy…rotten,” “stupid,” “what the…” “holy salami,”
Death, Violence and Gore – Kitty fears being eaten by a man.  Kitty posits that perhaps a monster (Uncle Murray) will eat the dog instead of him.  It is clear that there is absolutely no risk of this, Kitty is just nuts.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.

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Memorial Day

The original purpose of Memorial Day had nothing to do with burgers and hot dogs, grills, a cooler full of beer, breaking out white pants or opening the shore house.  It had to do with honoring those who have fallen while in service of our country.

This Memorial Day, check out my round-up of some of the best books for tweens and teens that I’ve reviewed about wars fought by US soldiers.

American Revolution:
Five 4ths of July by Pat Raccio Hughes

Full Blog Review: Five 4ths of July

Intended for teen audiences it has action, a bit of romance and plenty of honesty about the horrors of war. It’s quite a departure from the duller fare that has been on offer by English departments across the country for the past 30 years.

Civil War:
Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson

Full Blog Review: Chasing Lincoln’s Killer

I may have just reviewed it, but given that I’ve only reviewed two Civil War adjacent books for this blog, it’s the clear winner and I think it would take heavy competition to best it anyway! Exciting, non-fiction and yet not an oxymoron!  Teens with a mind for violent details and historic action should tear through this.

World War II
Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis

Full Blog Review: Mare’s War

If it stretches your thinking to imagine women serving in World War II, it will certainly challenge your expectations to read about an African-American woman serving in World War II.  Two girls learn all about their grandmother’s experiences during the war.

WW II Honorable Mention – Look, it would have had first but for the alarming dearth of Americans.
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Full blog review: Code Name Verity

Espionage, action, suspense, unreliable narrators, plot twists…what doesn’t Code Name Verity have?  Time for the reader to take a breath.  Think wars are for men?  Think again.

Korean War

Keeping Score by Linda Sue Park

Full Blog Review: Keeping Score

In an admittedly slim category, this book about baseball and friendship does a nice job of exploring the feelings of those left behind when others go to war.

 

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Chasing Lincoln’s Killer

Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson

This is the kind of non-fiction that kids actually want to read.  An exhilarating story, punctuated by photos and maps, Chasing Lincoln’s Killer is a page turner.  While nearly everyone is familiar with Lincoln’s assassination and can name the man who shot him, few know the details of the plot or the huge manhunt that transpired after his death.

Swanson covers every detail of the time leading up to, during and following the death of President Lincoln.  Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your tastes) Swanson covers every detail.  Like how Lincoln’s brain matter slid out of the hole in his head.  And how blood soaked the dress of Seward’s daughter.  It is graphic.  And in some ways, it’s slightly more horrible to me, knowing that it was true.  That this isn’t just someone indulging their imagination for the gory and obscene. That these events occurred and that that blood was spilt.  So it’s highly reader dependent.  Some will recoil in horror when they reach the actual photograph of the dead bodies of the conspirators, others will be thrilled.

I was far more interested in the historical details and could have skipped the vivid descriptions of gore.  Learning that at Ford’s theater, only one man rises to chase Booth was fascinating to me, as were the number of near misses Booth had before he was caught.

Great for: Lovers of bloodthirsty history.  I’d say very strong fourth grade readers could follow it, but whether or not they are prepared to handle the incredibly detailed carnage is another matter entirely.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – One of Booth’s passions is beautiful women.  He carries portraits of five of his favorite girlfriends. Lincoln and his wife hold hands.
Profanity – “damn,” “damned” is used, but not as a swear,
Death, Violence and Gore – A gun is pictured in the book (well, on the book even).  A brief synopsis of the civil war talks about the deaths due to battle and disease.  Booth speculates that he could have shot the president at the inauguration.  Lincoln is shot and dies not long after.  Lincoln has a bad dream regarding his son and a gun and sends his wife notice to put his son’s pistol away.  Booth has guns and ammunition.  There is some detail about the capabilities of various guns and ammunition.  Booth also has a large knife with him in case his misses his shot.  Alternate possibilities for how Booth could have attempted an assassination are posited. There are plans in place to kill both the Vice President and the Secretary of State.  Booth threatens to accuse a man of treason and see him hanged for it if he does not go along with the assassination plan.  Lincoln’s son Willie died at age 11.  The shot and its path is described in detail, from its entry point, its path through his “wet brain matter” to its resting place “in Lincoln’s brain, behind his right eye.”  Booth slices a man’s arm with his knife.  He intended to kill the man, but was blocked.  He waves his bloody knife about.  The Secretary of State was in a carriage accident so bad that he was unrecognizable to his children.  The blood that poured from his nose nearly suffocated him.  A man is instructed to kill Powell either with a gun or a knife.  Seward’s son is nearly shot in the face (a shot that would have “[burned] his flesh a hideous black”.  A man hits another man with a pistol.  The man who is hit is covered with blood.  A man is struck in the forehead with a knife.  A man’s cheek is cut open leaving the skin hanging from a flap and exposing his teeth and fractured jawbone.  A man chokes on his own blood.  A man is cut to the bone of his shoulder.  Men fight.  A woman slips in a puddle of blood.  There’s a lot of blood.  A man is cut deeply and can’t stop the flow of blood.   Threats are issued to kill, hang, shoot or cut someone’s heart out.  The president is examined for wounds.  His hair is matted with blood.  There is a plug of coagulated blood at the place the bullet entered, a doctor pulls the clot out to relieve pressure on the brain.  The president’s throat is opened with a man’s fingers and his heart is pumped by pushing on his ribs.  There is a plan to stab or shoot the vice president.   The presidents blood and brain matter ooze onto a woman’s skirt.  Another blood clot is removed from Lincoln’s head and more blood and brain matter ooze out onto a man’s fingers this time.  A man was stabbed another had a crushed skull and another endured multiple stab wounds.  A man arms himself with more guns.  The presidents eyelids appear bruised because they are filled with blood.  Doctors stick their unclean fingers into the hole in Lincoln’s head and into his brain.  A man breaks his ankle.  The men await Lincoln’s “death struggle”  A child dies of diphtheria. Lincoln’s body is subjected to an autopsy despite the fact that cause of death is known.  They cut open his brain with saws and knives. His body is drained of blood, which was then transferred to glass jars and preserved.  Union soldiers are armed with cavalry sabers. A man shoots his horses and sinks them in quicksand. A man is armed with a pickax and contemplates swinging it to protect himself. A man threatens violence against those who will not help him.  A gun is held to a man’s head.  Soldiers threaten to burn a man’s property, including a barn where two people are hiding.  A man has to choose between burning alive, blowing his brains out or giving himself up.  He fears hanging.  A man is shot; the bullet passed through his neck and spinal column paralyzing him.  A man’s lips turned purple and his throat swelled and then he died. A man’s wife died.  A woman dies of tuberculosis.  Four people are hung.  There is a photograph of their dead bodies hanging from the gallows.  A man murders his wife using a gun and a knife.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Booth was drinking in a saloon.  A woman has a country tavern.  Whiskey is left for Booth.  Booth has a drink immediately before the assassination.  A man drinks before he is supposed to assassinate the vice president.  A room smells of tobacco and whiskey. A man smokes a pipe.
Frightening or Intense Things –There’s an illustration showing the devil whispering in Booth’s ear.  Lincoln’s coffin is described.  A man went mad.

 

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Franny K. Stein Mad Scientist: Lunch Walks Among Us

Lunch Walks Among Us by Jim Benton

This is a Guided Reading Level P (seeing reports online of P-S).  It is a DRA 38.  It would be on level for middle to end of third grade.

Franny is not your stereotypical girl.  She is a mad scientist, and a pretty brilliant one too!  She like bats and creepy things and ooze and spookiness.  But being a mad scientist can make it hard to fit in.  Franny notices that the other kids at school don’t really share her interests and she’s having a hard time fitting in.  Her teacher challenges her to create an experiment and figure out how to make friends.  Because she’s so smart, it’s not long before Franny transforms herself into exactly the sweet, conforming little girl that everyone likes.  But as it turns out, her class doesn’t need one more person who fits in.  What they need is a mad scientist.  When an odd combination of items make their way into the trash, a dangerous, teacher-snatching monster is born!  Luckily, Franny channels her true self and saves the day, a feat that earns her the respect of her classmates and friendships based on who she really is.

I love Franny and I love that her transformation was short lived, that she ends up being able to have friends even when she’s acting like herself.  Because of Franny’s interests, this book has been appealing to students regardless of gender, but particularly with my third grade boys who love the monstery stuff and the frequent pictures.  It’s done well with kids who’d probably rather be reading Captain Underpants or Wimpy Kid, and I certainly feel better about offering it.  (In case you’re wondering, there is a little gross-out humor in the form of a kid who wets his pants, but that’s about the limit).

Sex, Nudity, Dating – A doll is wearing a dress that shows a bit of cleavage (this is an illustration, I promise the author isn’t writing about cleavage!)
Profanity – “darn,”
Death, Violence and Gore – Franny makes a doll with pointy teeth who chomps other dolls heads.  There are cartoon illustrations of skeletons.  There are illustrations of eyeballs.  There is a giant monstrous fiend who kidnaps the teacher.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – Franny is into lots of spooky stuff like bats (which are drawn to be pretty cute), skulls, eyeballs, etc.

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Cuckoo!


Cuckoo! by Fiona Roberton

When I saw this advertised in the “New to Your Library” of the online catalog, I could not resist. For whatever reason, my 10 month old adores the word cuckoo and will giggle and try to repeat it whenever he hears it. Plus, the cover art was cute!

This is a terrible book.

The cuckoo is hatched and speaks a different language from his bird family.  This causes him to leave home and seek out others who will understand him.  My kid sure as heck doesn’t speak the same language as the rest of us.  He communicates in a series of squeaks, squawks and babbles, but there’s no way I’m letting him set out into the world in search of his own people.  What kind of message does that send anyway?  If you are different from your family, leave them, because you don’t belong.

Anyway, the poor bird goes about, meeting other animals and trying to communicate with them, with no success.  He even goes to a school that will teach him to speak sheep.  He is a failure at this.  Evidently, the only failure because everyone else, ranging from a human to a giraffe are picking up sheep speak at a rapid rate.  Depressed (at least I assume he is at this point) and alone he continues until he finally hears a “cuckoo”.

A cuckoo that is (and I’m spoiling the ending for you right here) coming from a TOY bird.  A toy bird that dies immediately after the cuckoo locates the source of his own language.  Of course, the toy bird belonged to a boy child who loved to repeat the word cuckoo himself, so he is overjoyed to find a real live cuckoo which he will befriend (capture?) in its place.

To sum up what I have learned from this book:

Your family will not accept you if you are different.

Any attempts to reach out to others will also fail.

You will never find someone like yourself, so make do with whoever comes along even if that means being a pet or toy rather than part of a family.

Normally, I wouldn’t be reacting so strongly, but the art is ridiculously cute and the pages of animals trying to speak to each other despite a language barrier are adorable. I even love the little boy who tries so hard to say “cuckoo” because it is exactly what my own little boy does. Which is why it is so much more disappointing that the whole message of the story is awful.

But, my kid loves it. He’ll drag it off the table or shelf and whimper until I start reading. So, for now I’ll keep reading it to him, hopefully he’s too young to absorb the plot, but there is no way this would enter my house on a permanent basis.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – None.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – A toy bird breaks.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.

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The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Hidden Gallery

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book II: The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood

Ah, a terrible sin I have committed my dear friends; I am offering you a second in series post where I have never posted the first book of the series.  I’ve read it of course.  I’ve actually even written it up, all shined and polished and ready to go.  But I missed the window for posting it and it’s lurking, waiting for the next set of holiday whatzihoozits.  So, we are left with a sequel with no start, which is a right shame if you ask me, especially since I was so terribly eager to learn what became of the incorrigible children and their beloved governess, “Lumawoooooo”.

Necessary backstory:  Miss Lumley, a well-trained governess of 15, has grown up at the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females.  Equipped with innumerable pithy sayings (courtesy of Academy founder Agatha Swanburne) she heads to her very first position at Ashton place.  She soon learns her young charges have certain lupine tendencies and characteristics and that perhaps her courses on animal care will be the most useful of all her training.  Luckily, Miss Lumley is undeterred at having such pupils and commences to instruct them in Latin, Mathematics, Poetry and all the other important subjects, just as she makes efforts to convince them that cooked meat is tasty and words are more easily understood than howls.  There are quite a few mysterious goings-on and Miss Lumley has reason to fear for her charges’s safety.

This time, Miss Lumley and the Incorrigibles are off to London.  Obviously, the trip will be full of intrigue and mystery and edifying side trips. More questions are raised, “who are Miss Lumley’s parents?  What purpose does the Swanburne hair poultice serve? Why is Lord Ashton so dashedly attached to his almanac? (Hint: moon, moon, moon, moon)”  And very few answers are given.  And yet, I remain thoroughly charmed.

However, I found this will likely be tough going for many young readers and believe advanced readers in Grades 4 and up would be the best audience.  Fourth grade students will enjoy it more if they have diverse background knowledge.  The vocabulary is difficult and the writing often takes little side journeys into asides and small details before heading back to the main plot.  This will make it quite hard to follow for many, but will amuse those with enough understanding.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – The children were found naked in the forest. Miss Lumley does not know the sex of a squirrel nor is she inclined to investigate. Miss Lumley receives a letter from a gentleman.  Miss Lumley has met someone who might compliment her hair.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – A man’s ancestors died gruesome deaths.  A painting in the book is described as being of a wolf with fangs dripping with blood.  In a metaphor involving matadors and bulls, a matador delivers the final blow with a dagger.  A girl bites a man’s sleeve. The author describes a hypothetical situation in which you are to imagine you are choking and possibly turning blue. A man mentions dog fighting. A guard has a gun. The children pounce upon and bite a guard.  When Lord Ashton hears a noise he says “stop or I’ll shoot”.  He is not carrying a weapon.  There’s talk of hanging someone for theft.  The Peloponnesian War is mentioned multiple times.  Cassiopeia mimes someone dying a gruesome death from plague.  The children chase a parrot in hopes of eating it.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – A woman is compared to a tipsy ballerina.  A lady is offered schnapps. Lord Ashton’s club smells of cigars and pipe tobacco.  Mrs. Clarke believes a gentleman hasn’t come by because he had some “potent refreshment” that landed him in lockup.
Frightening or Intense Things – There’s talk of “a hunt” which may prove dangerous for the children.

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Dream of Night

Dream of Night by Heather Henson

Shiloh has had a rough time of it, bouncing from foster home to foster home, each one worse than the next. Night was once a racing stallion, a proud, strong, champion, but after being neglected and abused, he has little left but anger and fear.  Together on Jess’s farm, they will see if there’s anything left in the world for either of them.

Spoiler alert:  There is!  Horse and girl will help each other heal!  While the basic plot line is a bit trite, it’s pretty well executed and the multiple narrator style kept the pace up, even if the horse was one of the narrators.

I know little about foster care, certainly not enough to be able to tell you if Henson was relying on stereotypes or basic commonalities of the foster care system.  I will say that it did read as though all foster situations are horrible and share a desire to use the children as unpaid labor.  Which is certainly not the case, but it is possible that any one particular child could have encountered only this type of placement, I suppose.  Anyone experienced with foster care want to weigh in on Henson’s portrayal?

Concerns about that aside, I think this book will appeal to tween and teen readers, especially the ones who are beginning to like to explore issues novels.  There’s nothing in here truly graphic, but it does a good job of sharing the really hard and uncomfortable facts of Shiloh’s life.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – None.
Profanity – Shiloh writes bad words and bad names, but Henson feels no need to list them out for us. “idiot.”
Death, Violence and Gore – In a book about animal abuse and a child who left an abusive home for a series of terrible foster care placements, there’s going to be some violence.  Jess has also dealt with tragedy.  Throughout the book, more and more is revealed, so where the author is only implying certain things early on, she does state them more clearly later. I’ve spoilered the biggest “reveal” of the book at the end. Okay – back to the usual litany of issues. Jess’s mom died when she was little.  Horses are confiscated for malnutrition, abuse and neglect.  They are described as bags of bone and skin, one has scars like a noose and scars on his sides.  There is talk of killing horses to put them out of their misery.  A woman wonders if she’s died and “gone below.”   A girl remembers the sound of smoke and has heard gunfire.  A horse could squash a cat.  Jess carries a knife.  Shiloh says her dad was in the army and had guns and knives.  Shiloh is scalded by burning hot water.  Her arm is pulled.  Someone is beaten with a switch. A man strangles someone.  A horse kills a man.  A woman has been beaten.  A Shiloh is used to being hit. One man spanked her with a spoon. Someone hits the walls until that person’s hands hurt. She has multiple burn scars. Her mother was beaten repeated and she would check to see if her mom was breathing. Shiloh had to call 911 after her mother was beaten once and was bleeding heavily from the head. A horse bites and scratches people, it had to fight for food.

Spoiler Inside SelectShow

Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Horses were owned by a drunk. A man who was a drunk beat people.  A drunk driver causes a car accident.
Frightening or Intense Things – Shiloh has nightmares as a result of her experiences.

 

 

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Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot

Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

Kate and Cecelia must write each other as Kate has gone to London to make her debut, while Cecelia remains at home in the country. It is not long before Kate has found herself in the midst of a dangerous magical feud and she must apply to her cousin for advice.  Meanwhile, Cecelia has made a charming new friend and is increasingly curious about a male neighbor who seems to be keeping tabs on her friend, but not with romantic intentions.  As Kate becomes more embroiled in schemes, Cecelia soon finds that her own situation is far more exciting than it seemed.  As the two girls begin to fall in love, they also find themselves getting closer to danger.

Imagine a regency romance, plenty innocent for teen or pre-teen consumption, but with modern enough language that it is completely accessible.  Infuse it with magic and a bit of intrigue, and you have Sorcery and Cecelia. Written in the form of letters between two cousins, Kate and Cecelia, both of whom are smarter than they are pretty, this book was utterly charming.  I would happily recommend it to tweens and teens who like magic or historical fiction.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – Girls have admirers.  There’s a mention that barren women who want children might use charms (the magical kind) to try to achieve their goals.  A girl is worried she will have to marry someone other than the person she likes.  There is flirting.  There is an offer of marriage.  Men kiss ladies’ hands. Love spells are a major factor.  The word “hetaera” is used as a slur to a woman and since most people won’t stop to look it up, it’s probably harmless, but be forewarned that it means concubine or courtesan and some definitions explicitly refer to “sexual relations with clients”.  A character’s virginity is mentioned.  There is a marriage by special license and a comment that a girl is not likely a virgin anymore.  There is kissing.  There is a mention of someone being born on the “wrong side of the blanket” which is a euphemism for being born out of wedlock. A couple embraces.
Profanity – “damned,” “drat,” “damn,” “hellishly,”
Death, Violence and Gore – A poisoning is attempted.  There is talk of killing someone to gain property.  A spell nearly strangles someone. A character’s sibling died.  Characters lives are in danger, but it isn’t done in a scary way.  A woman’s husband was killed doing magic. An unsavory character dies.  A man hits another man.  A man threatens to kill another. A chair is smashed over someone’s head.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – A man takes snuff. People drink claret.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.

 

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Tippy-Tippy-Tippy, Splash!

Tippy-Tippy-Tippy, Splash! by Candace Fleming

The bunnies are back!!  I’ve spent the last month recommending this series to anyone in search of bunny books in time for spring or Easter, so I was delighted to see this on my library’s new books shelf.

Mr. McGreeley has had it up to his ears with bunnies.  What he really needs is a beach vacation.  Some sunbathing, kite-flying, sandcastle building and surfing should fix him up perfectly.  But poor Mr. McGreeley is a failure at nearly everything he tries, at least compared with those wily bunnies.  Luckily, in the end, they work together and everyone ends up happy.

I was a wee bit disappointed with this one.  The other books are structured so that the bunnies are actually interfering with McGreeley’s life, it’s just that his responses are out of proportion. In this book, the poor guy is just trying to have a vacation and they keep showing him up.  I love McGreeley as the determined curmudgeon.  I kind of pitied him here as he tried to have fun and kept having his nose rubbed into his failures.  Anyway, kids are unlikely to be bothered, in fact, they’ll probably like the teamwork and happy ending for all.  The book continues to be fun to read aloud with lots of great vocabulary.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – None.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – None.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.

 

 

 

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Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May, Old Time is Still A-flying

Friends, blog readers, random popper inners, time is very much a-flying. So much so, that keeping up with this blog is overwhelming me. But I still very much love childen’s books and YA lit and do not want to end this, not one bit. So this May will be our standard May miscellany, and then I’m going to take a summer vacation, just like school children everywhere. I will pop in intermittently, I’m sure with suggestions and the odd review, but I’ll be back full force in September (I hope).

If you haven’t already subscribed to this blog, in your reader of choice, now might be the best time. That way, you’ll know whenever a new post is up!

I very much appreciate your patience and hope to be back to my normal blogging self sooner rather than later.

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