Showing posts with label middle grarde. Show all posts
Showing posts with label middle grarde. Show all posts

Early Book Review: What Breathes Through Its Butt?: Mind-Blowing Science Questions Answered by Emily Grossman, Alice Bowsher

What Breathes Through Its Butt?: Mind-Blowing Science Questions Answered,
 written by Emily Grossman and illustrated by Alice Bowsher, is currently scheduled for release on November 10 2020. Why is your elbow called your funny bone? How could you escape the grip of a crocodile’s jaw? Which animal can breathe through its butt? This book uncovers the amazing scientific explanations behind all sorts of questions that can pop into our heads. Can an egg bounce? How can a giraffe’s ridiculously long neck contain the same number of bones as a human’s? How much does the Internet weigh? With delightful interactive features that invite readers to guess answers to questions and make links between different scientific concepts.

What Breathes Through Its Butt? is a book that answers a number of the wacky and interesting questions that wee might never have thought to ask. Some of the information was very interesting and I learned a bit about things I never thought to wonder about. I found that the writing and illustrations were well paired, and aimed at readers that like silly or gross humor, and those with fairly short attention spans. I think this might be a great book for getting reluctant readers to read, and maybe reread. I feel like the author and illustrator worked well together on this book and the final product will certainly interest and entertain a number of young readers- and I can picture it being a regular check out in an elementary school library. For my tastes it just catered a little too much to the goofy and not quite as much on the encouraging further research as I would have liked. 

Early Book Review: Switched (Fairy Tale Reform School) by Jen Calonita

Switched is the fourth book in the Fairy Tale Reform School series by Jen Calonita and is currently scheduled for release on March 6 2018. . It is helpful to read this series in order, although the action is reasonably self contained, the relationships and backstory add a great deal to the story as a whole.

Things at Fairy Tale Reform School are great. Rumpelstiltskin has been ousted, and everyone is buzzing about the fact that Beauty and Prince Sebastian (a.k.a. the Beast) have joined the teaching staff. Everyone, that is, except Gilly, who can’t seem to focus on anything but Anna. How is it that her beloved sister somehow went bad and joined up with Rump? And why doesn’t anyone seem to care? Sure, the Royal Court says they’re working on it, but they’ve got exactly nothing to show for it. But when new kid Jack joins FTRS with tales of his own family being snatched by Rump, Gilly knows she’s in good company. Jack wants answers, just like Gilly. And if the Royal Court can’t get the job done, then maybe it’s time to break some rules.

Switched is a lot of build up, for what I felt was very little action. New characters were introduced and lots of introspection, second guessing, and angst on Gilly's part were the main points of the book. I like that we got to meet AG (Allison Grace or daughter of Beauty and the Beast) and Jack of Beanstalk fame and I liked the way their characters fleshed out. I loved the magical library and Beast's character, but wanted more time with each. I felt like too much of this book was getting the new characters into place, and getting Gilly to where she needed to be (mentally, emotionally, and physically). Once the climax hit, I felt like it all happened way too quickly and easily. I just wanted more, but I am not sure what, so I cannot even point to the moment that let me down. I think I just had such high expectations that there was no way the reality of the book could match my anticipation.

Switched is a lot of what I expected, but a little less. It was still a fun read with a good deal of characters insight, but I felt like it was lacking the tension and compelling nature of the previous books.