Dear Book Diary

You Are Special

By Max Lucado

Illustrations by Sergio Martinez

As I was looking through the books in the library, this book’s cover jumped out at me. I vaguely remember reading this book as a child with my mother and brother, but I thought it would be nice to read it again. This book falls under the genre of Children’s Christian Fiction. It is a christian book written by a christian author that has a clear theme from the Bible, but it is not a Bible story directly from the Bible. Cindi Rose, a reviewer for examiner.com, wrote, “You Are Special is a story that will remind adults and children that other people's opinions are not what matter. The most important opinion is that of the creator, God.” I would agree whole-heartedly with this statement. Punchinello’s story of everyone looking down on him and putting his worth in what others think of him instead of his Creator thinks of him is a story that everyone needs to hear. This was clearly something that Max Lucado dealt with himself. While he was raised in a christian household, Lucado left the faith when he was a teenager and fell for the world’s pleasures. After questioning if there was more to life than just partying, he gave his life to the Lord. Every child should read this book or have it read to them. If you like beautiful and peaceful pictures with a great and meaningful story, this a book for you.

Sources:
Rose, Cindi. “You Are Special by Max Lucado; book review 9 of 365 Best Children's Books Ever” http://www.examiner.com/review/you-are-special-by-max-lucado-book-review-9-of-365-best-children-s-books-ever
https://maxlucado.com/about/max-lucado/

 

The Lightning Thief

By Rick Riordan

Every year when I was in elementary school during the Scholastic Book Fair, my mother would give my brother and I enough money to buy one or two books of our choice. When I was in fourth grade, I vividly remember picking up The Lightning Thief and falling in love with it from just reading the back page. This was a series that I followed all the way through middle school, high school, and college. When I passed it in the library, I couldn’t pass it without checking it out. The great thing about this book is that it is a reworked myth series book. The genre it fits in best with is myth because it focuses completely on Greek Mythology with the same gods and monsters, but in a new modern and humorous way. Francisca Goldsmith from the School Library Journal says, “Mythology fans will love this take and kids who haven't been inculcated with the Classical canon will learn aspects of it here while having no trouble following a rollicking good--and modern—adventure.” This book began my life long fascination with mythology and continues to make me smile and laugh out loud at Percy’s quips, Grover’s antics, and Annabeth’s smarts. These stories will hold your interest from the first page, and have you begging for more when you reach the last. Part of this may be because Riordan actually came up with the story by telling it to one of his sons as a bedtime story. If you need a new series with humor, adventure, and characters to make you fall in love with, The Lightning Thief is the book for you. (If you want to know more about The Lightning Thief, check out my paper "Disabilities become Superpowers.")
Sources:
Goldsmith, Francisca1, and Phyllis Levy Mandell. "The Lightning Thief." School Library Journal 51.10 (2005): 79. Education Source. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.
http://www.rickriordan.com/about/biography

 

The House of Scorpion
By Nancy Farmer

The first time I ever heard of The House of the Scorpion was in my Children’s Literature class in college. We had a choice of a few book to read and my professor recommended choosing this one because it had changed her life. I was very excited to read it, and after the first chapter, I couldn’t put the book down. I would say this book falls under the Science Fiction genre because it has lots of futuristic science discoveries as new realities. Barbara Scotto from Horn Book Magazine writes, “Farmer has shown great imagination in creating a unique and plausible view of the future with enough connections to current issues to make her vision particularly disquieting. Throughout the story, she has raised questions about the meaning of life and death and about the nature of one's responsibility for others, and in so doing, has created a thought-provoking piece of science fiction.” This book continuously made me think about what makes a person a human, when does morality trump science, and how hard do you fight for your rights when other tell you have none. I would definitely recommend waiting until at least sixth or seventh grades to read this book because it deals with tough subjects that can lead to deep conversations about society today. Farmer has won two different awards for this book (the National Book Award and the Honorary Newberry Medal), and in my opinion, each is deserved. One of my favorite things from the book are the incredibly descriptive settings. With a little research, I found out that quite a few of the places in the book are real from Nancy Farmer’s life! The mansion was a real house that she lived near when she was a child and the oasis is a real place with everything in it from the pond to the old cabin and grapevine. If you are looking for a thought provoking read with suspense around every corner, this is a great read for you.
Sources:
Scotto, B. (2002). The house of the scorpion (Book Review) (Undetermined). Horn Book Magazine, 78(6), 753-754.
http://www.nancyfarmerwebsite.com/q--a.html

 

My Freedom Trip: A Child's Escape from North Korea

By Frances Park and Ginger Park

Illustrated By Debra Reid Jenkins

When I was going through the aisles in the library at my college, I happened upon My Freedom Trip: A Child’s Escape from North Korea. Just from reading the inside flap and seeing the International Reading Association Award on the cover, I knew this would be a great book. Frances and Ginger Park are the children of the main character of the book, Soo. This adds a new level of authenticity to the biography because it is their mother’s story they are telling. Kirkus Reviews writes, “The phenomenal but often unnoticed heroism of many recent immigrants’ journeys to freedom is recorded in this remarkable tale of a young Korean girl’s escape.” It adds a great parallel to Underground Railroad stories. I love that it is told in the voice of Soo, a young girl with her noticing the big events happening, but only the details that would stand out to a young child. This would make it very relatable to a young child. While it does not have the happiest ending, the beautiful illustrations, relatable text, and realistic story make a great read for any child interested in what is happening in the world around them.
Source:
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/frances-park/my-freedom-trip/

 

Wolf! Wolf!

Written and Illustrated by John Rocco

As I walked down the aisle in the library, Wolf! Wolf! jumped out at me with its beautiful cover. Intrigued, I read the inside flap which described a new take on the old Fable, the Boy Who Cried Wolf. Much like The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, Wolf! Wolf! was told through the eyes of the wolf, who was very old. The genre that I would put this picture book in would be would be a fable. It is a clear reworking of Aesop’s well-known fable, but with a new lesson to learn at the end in addition to the old moral. Publisher’s Weekly writes, “Rocco substitutes a series of giggles for the traditional finger-pointing moral, a welcome development.” With the new spin on the classic fable, it adds humor and intrigue to a well-known story. One of the best parts of the book are the interesting setting choice and beautiful illustrations. Rocco adds a whole other development when he sets the book in ancient China, complete with the traditional clothing and hair, and cherry blossoms. He is well known for illustrating for many other famous book, some of them are the covers of Percy Jackson and the Olympians! His illustrations, as well as his new take on this classic, make for a great story time for every one of any age. I would recommend this book to any parent and child who are interested in surprise endings with funny plot twists along the way.
Sources:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4231-0012-6
http://roccoart.com/about/

 

A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel

Adapted and Illustrated by Hope Larson

I loved A Wrinkle in Time when I was a child. I read all of Madeline L’Engle’s other books with great enjoyment, but nothing compared to A Wrinkle in Time. Hope Larson, who adapted and illustrated this novel, loved the whole series as well and what first drew her to the book was how strange it was. When I had the option to read the graphic novel version for a class, I was excited to see what it would be like. I have never read anything in the Graphic Novel genre and was quite excited to see how Larson would keep the heart of the novel, but make it visual as well as keep the text. Steven Hadge from Library Media writes, “LEngle’s classic science fiction tale is brought to life for a new generation of readers in this graphic novel format.” I would agree with this. While this format is not my personal preference, a graphic novel of the same text helps make this amazing story more accessible to more people who may prefer to see what is going on as well as read what is happening.
Source:
Hadge, Steven1. "A Wrinkle In Time: The Graphic Novel." Library Media Connection 31.6 (2013): 81. Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson). Web. 11 Jan. 2016.

 

Flora and Ulysses

By Kate DiCamillo

Illustrated by K. G. Campbell

Flora and Ulysses was first introduces to me by my Children’s Literature professor. She recommended it for a modern fantasy genre (a book that is set in comtemporary time, but still has aspects of fantasy) to fill a requirement for the class. Although I did not end up using it for that assignment, I still read it for my diary. As I read it, I loved how it was a story mixed reality of modern families with the fantasy of a superhero squirrel who loves to write poetry. Elyse DeQuoy, a librarian, wrote, “Readers will be able to identify with Flora, especially when it comes to her divorced parents and her connection with Ulysses.” I loved that the story was told by both Flora and Ulysses. It was great to see what DiCamillo thought squirrels think of, food and only food. She writes in her biography section of her website that she love to eat as well. Seems that she has things in common with Ulysses like her love to eat and a superpower (to write amazing books). There is no doubt in my mind that Flora and Ulysses deserved the Newberry Medal it won. If you like books with sarcasm, cute animals, and characters that you will fall in love with them, Flora and Ulysses is the book for you.
Sources:
DeQuoy, Elyse1, and Shelley, sglantz@librarymediaconnection.com Glantz. "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures." Library Media Connection 32.5 (2014): 64. Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson). Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
http://www.katedicamillo.com/about.html

 

How to Train Your Dragon: Book 1

By Cressida Cowell

I had to option to read this book for a project in a class for college. While I did not end using it, I still wanted to read it because I loved the movies. If you are expecting the book to be like the movie, it’s not. The movie only uses the names and Hiccup is pretty similar in the book and the movie, but that is where the similarities end. That being said, I think this is a very good series book starter. While it is a fantasy book, I would also put this book in the series book genre. It is part of a longer series (about 12 books) and it has characters that you make connections to and keep you coming back for more. Eva Mibnick, a children’s librarian writes, “Sprinkled throughout with funny sketches, scribbles, and ink blots, this is a goofy and exciting tale of an underdog who proves that brains can be just as important as brawn. Kids will hoot at the ridiculous names and sympathize with Hiccup’s exasperation with his truly obstinate but strangely lovable dragon.” I loved the cute little illustrations. They really spiced up the story and helped the reader visualize the different characters and the setting. Cressida Cowell had a great deal of personal experience living on an island. When she was a small girl, she lived with her family on uninhabited island near Scotland. It had no roads, electricity, houses, or stores. It could have been very similar to what Hiccup and the rest of the inhabitants of Berk could have lived on. This helped make the island more realistic and vivid. If you are looking for the same story as the movies, this is not the book for you. But if you are looking for a great series to get into, this would be the book for you.
Sources:
http://www.cressidacowell.co.uk/about-cressida-cowell.asp
"{How To Train Your Dragon}." School Library Journal 50.7 (2004): 69. Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson). Web. 14 Jan. 2016

 

Number the Stars

By Lois Lowry

I vaguely remember reading Number the Stars when I was in elementary school. While in college, I took a Holocaust class. When I could read Number the Stars to fulfill the historical fiction genre I was very excited to read it with new eyes with all the information I knew from another class. I would say that this book is a very good historical fiction book. The actual characters are fictional, but time they lived in and the circumstances they found themselves in were not. The School Library Journal states, “Number the Stars brings the war to a child’s level of understanding, suggesting but not detailing its horrors. It is well plotted, and period and place are convincingly recreated.” One of the best parts of this book is you feel and see the danger of living in that time and place, but it is not too graphic for a child. It does deal with very hard topics like racism, relocation, and death of family members. Annemarie, the main character of the book, is the middle sister whose older sister died. This mirrors Lowry’s life in how she is middle sister whose eldest sister died. While this book deals with hard topics, it is a great picture of what happened in that time period, and well deserving of the Newberry Medal. If you want to know more about the Holocaust, Number the Stars is the book for you.
Sources:
Sherman, L. L. (1989). Number the stars (Book Review) (Undetermined). School Library Journal, 35177.  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lois_Lowry

 

Peter Pepper's Pet Spectacular

By Betty Paraskevas

Paintings by Michael Paraskevas

I found Peter Pepper’s Pet Spectacular while browsing the aisles in the library. It jumped out at me with the title. I was curious to see if it was tongue twisters, but it was in fact an anthology of poems. Each page has a title and a different poem. All the poems are about different children and their pet’s talent performance. It is an adorable book with enchanting illustrations. One of the things I love about this book is that it was written by a mother and illustrated by her son. It is a great book to encourage parents and children to create together. This book is definitely for young children. Jayne Damron, a librarian says, “Preschoolers will appreciate the silly rhymes and exuberant expressions even if adults are rolling their eyes by the third contestant.” All in all, it is a great book to introduce poetry to a preschooler. If you have a child who loves looking a colorful and humorous pictures, this is a great book to read with them.
Sources:
Damron, J. (2008). Peter Pepper's Pet Spectacular. School Library Journal, 54(1), 94.
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=betty+paraskevas