Review: Death Cloud

Death Cloud (Young Sherlock Holmes, book one)
By Andrew Lane, read by Dan Weyman
Published 2011 by Macmillan Young Listeners

How did Sherlock come to be the eccentric and brilliant detective we know him as? Well, maybe it begins here, the summer when he is fourteen and living with his estranged aunt and uncle. When two locals die with symptoms resembling the plague, Sherlock takes it upon himself to uncover the true cause of death, with help from his new American tutor, Amyus Crowe.

This series came recommended to me by a colleague and when I saw it available as a SYNC free download last summer, I took the plunge.

It's kind of an odd choice for me. I love historical fiction but I sometimes find mysteries a bit tedious. Additionally, I've never read an original Sherlock Holmes story, nor seen any of the film adaptations (aside from the one starring Robert Downey, Jr., and I hated that one) or the current BBC series that everyone I know is obsessed with. I remember vaguely hearing about these books when they first started coming out, but I didn't really have any interest in them.

That being said, I found it a rather enjoyable listen - more so than I expected it to be. Despite not being a particular Sherlock fan, I of course know something about him and I think Lane's fictional vision of him as a teenager is believable and in line with Sherlock as an adult. I think, perhaps, the thing I found most difficult to understand was the lack of parents. I think there was an explanation in the book (I listened quite a while ago), but it wasn't satisfactory for me.

I liked that this created an original mystery for Sherlock to solve but the bad guy felt a little mustache-twirly for me. I liked it well enough that I picked up the second a couple months later, but I'm not in any rush to finish the series.

Review: Panic

Panic
By Lauren Oliver
Expected publication March 4, 2014 by HarperCollins

Panic is a game - one played by seniors during the summer after they graduate. One that challenges them to do outrageous things, to prove themselves. One that has killed some of its players. This summer, Heather and Dodge will be playing - and it will change them forever.

I had really high hopes for this one. I've enjoyed Oliver's other books, though I still haven't read the final book in the Delirium series. This one also got plenty of early buzz, perhaps because it's her first YA since finishing the series. I saw a couple of people mentioning it on Twitter - that they'd read the ARC and really liked it. I was pleased to have access to the e-galley and read it eagerly. I was a bit disappointed.

What I like about this: contemporary realistic standalone. Yay! Not another fantasy/sci-fi/dystopian series. I am getting so worn out on series, y'all. In fact, I have started a spreadsheet to track the series in my library (since keeping current with them is a huge part of my job) and there are over 250 distinct series in the middle-grade section alone - that doesn't include early chapter books or teen series! That is a crazy high number! And there are new ones coming out everyday. So, I really liked the fact that this was a standalone title. I also appreciated that it's contemporary realistic fiction - yes, the idea of Panic might be a bit far-fetched, but it's not completely outside the realm of possibility. Just like the growth of series, there has also been an explosion of speculative fiction for young people, and it's nice to be reminded that there is more than that out there.

What else I liked: the alternating viewpoints, though, surprisingly, I found Heather the most interesting of the two main characters. I say surprisingly because, at first glance, it seems like Dodge has the more interesting story - in fact, Heather wasn't even planning on playing Panic when the book started. But I think this lead to more interesting character explorations throughout the course of the novel for Heather.

What I didn't like: predictable. Predictable. Predictable. I don't think anything about this really surprised me, except for maybe one aspect of the ending. Otherwise, everything that was supposed to be a major plot twist was, to me, incredibly obvious and unsurprising. Additionally, the writing felt a bit flat for me. I wanted it to be more suspenseful, more full of heightened emotions, than it actually felt to me.

All in all, an interesting read that I think will definitely appeal to teen readers, though perhaps a bit too predictable for discerning ones.

Thanks to the publisher for a digital advance readers copy, provided via Edelweiss.

Review: Fortunately, the Milk

Fortunately, the Milk
By Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Skottie Young
Published 2013 by HarperCollins

What happens when a father goes out to buy milk one morning? In the hands of Neil Gaiman, something extraordinary.

When I discovered this book was coming out, I basically had a heart attack. Well, that might be an exaggeration. But, I do adore Neil Gaiman and absolutely loved the sound of it. I ordered it for my library and had my name on the holds list for it months in advance. I could not wait for it to arrive.

This book is absolutely a delight. I loved everything about it. It took me less than an hour to read from start to finish and I regretted that as soon as I put it down. Because this book is just so darn charming. It is fun and funny, full of adventure and heart and unbelievable things and, most importantly, milk. It is what I expected from a genius like Gaiman and so much more. It is begging to have a permanent spot of my shelf and I can't wait to read it aloud to my children someday. I'm not sure how much more I can say about this book. It's a perfect read in every way. The illustrations suit they story wonderfully. I love everything about this. Just go read it for yourself.

Program: Daycare storytime

For my second daycare storytime, what better theme than monsters? It was the month of October, after all. Here's what we did!

Book: Mostly Monsterly by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Scott Magoon - this was a cute start to storytime. It tells of a little girl monster who doesn't quite fit in with the other monsters at her school. I'm not sure that the kids really got all the subtleties of it, but they loved the gross cards at the end.

Song: "Monster Boogie" by Laurie Berkner - I encouraged the kids to show me how they thought a monster would dance as we boogied around the room to this song.

Book: Creepy Carrots! By Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown - this is one of my favorite books, so I had to share it. It's great for being slightly scary but also a lot of fun. I love, love, love the illustrations in this book. The kids really liked this one.

Song: "Monster Mash" by Boris Pickett - what monster storytime would be complete without the "Monster Mash?" We did more dancing like monsters, and then I encouraged the kids to show me how they thought their parents or teachers would dance, which had some pretty hilarious results.

Book: Monster Needs a Costume by Paul Czajak, illustrated by Wendy Grieb - this is one of my new favorites because Monster is just so stinking cute! The kids and I talked about what costumes they would wear for Halloween and which costume they thought Monster should have chosen.

Craft: Monster masks - I used the craft I found from this blog to make monster masks with the kids. They loved putting lots of eyeballs on their monsters!

And that's what we did! What are your favorite monster books and activities?

Picture Book Saturday

Warning: Do Not Open This Book!
By Adam Lehrhaupt, illustrated by Matthew Forsythe
Published 2013 by Paula Wiseman Books
This is a fun, very interactive book that tells you right in the title that you should probably put the book down and slowly walk away. But, of course, the naturally curious child will find this impossible to do and will discover what's waiting inside the pages of this book. I liked it well enough, though not as much as other interactive picture books I've seen.



Little Cub
By Olivier Dunrea
Published 2012 by Philomel
I think I'd read anything by Dunrea, perhaps proven by the fact that I adore his series of books about adorable little birds (despite my fear of the flying creatures). So obviously, I was predisposed to enjoy this story, about an old bear who adopts a little cub and teaches him about the world. It's a very sweet parent-child story that I think would be great in a storytime about love and family. The illustrations are in Dunrea's classic style - they look like they walked straight out of a very elegant nursery.



The Pig on the Hill
By John Kelly
Published 2013 by Cameron + Company
Pig lives along on the top of the hill and he's quite happy with that. One morning, a very friendly duck moves in next door. After Duck hosts a loud party, Pig lets his displeasure be known and soon discovers Duck gone. It isn't long before Pig realizes he misses Duck. Will he ever come home? I know this story has been done about a million times before but I really liked this. It was fun and I think it used some interesting details that will appeal to kids. The illustrations are really vibrant and rewarding. I think it might be a little long for storytime, but maybe with a slightly older preschool or kindergarten crowd it would work.

Review: The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, book one)
By James Dashner, read by Mark Deakins
Published 2009 by Random House Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Thomas wakes up in a very strange place with no memories but his first name. Surrounded by kids he doesn't know in a place with horrors that don't seem real, Thomas and the Gladers must find a way to survive. But everything changes when a girl - the first ever - arrives. And escape becomes the only option.

I might be one of the last avid YA readers to this party. I actually read Dashner's newest novel (The Eye of Minds) before I finished listening to this one. And I didn't love that one. I also don't love this one, but I did enjoy it.

This is a book I find very frustrating, and I'm sure that will be true until I finish the series. There are so many questions and unexplained pieces of this book. Additionally, right now, it seems really out there - as in, I can't imagine what kind of world this takes place in and what it all means. That being said, though, it's certainly interesting. Dashner has created a very unique world, one populated with horrors straight out of classic science fiction. I think this is probably the book's strength, though there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the world that Thomas and the Gladers inhabit. However, I found the made-up language to be a bit bothersome. I understand what Dashner is trying to do here but it just seemed a bit excessive.

I would have liked more character development, though I guess it would have been difficult in a novel where the main character can't remember anything. I would like to know more about the other boys in the Glade - I imagine some of this is forthcoming in the other books in the series.

The Maze Runner was another book that was frustrating to listen to. Much like The Hunger Games, which I also listened to instead of read, I quite frequently felt like I could be reading the book much faster than listening to it, a criticism shared by my boyfriend (who listened along with me). I will pick up book two in print, as I'm sure I can zip through it much more quickly.

Ultimately, the book is intriguing enough for me to want to know more. However, I haven't heard great things about the rest of the series, so we'll see how it goes.

Series Review: Dork Diaries 1-6

Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life (Dork Diaries, book one)
By Rachel Renee Russell
Published 2009 by Aladdin

Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl (Dork Diaries, book two)
Published 2010 by Aladdin

Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star (Dork Diaries, book three)
Published 2011 by Aladdin

Tales from a Not-So-Graceful Ice Princess (Dork Diaries, book four)
Published 2012 by Aladdin

Tales from a Not-So-Smart Miss Know-It-All (Dork Diaries, book five)
Published 2012 by Aladdin

Tales from a Not-So-Happy Heartbreaker (Dork Diaries, book six)
Published 2013 by Aladdin

Dork Diaries tells the story of Nikki Maxwell, who is starting at a new school and worries that she won't fit in. Each book features a new major drama for Nikki to deal with, as she struggles to balance her dorkiness (self-proclaimed) with fitting in, making friends, and meeting boys.

In the fall, I signed up to host a Dork Do-Gooder event at my library (my write-up for that program is clearly long overdue). Since I think it helps to have at least some knowledge of the topic you're presenting and since I knew these would be fairly quick reads, I read all six of the books that had been published immediately prior to my program. I should have just given up after one.

I did not enjoy these books at all. My enjoyment of the equally popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has waned as the series has continued but these Dork Diaries? I hated them right from the beginning. They are patently ridiculous, full of melodrama, and a lot of very convenient misunderstandings that keep the plots moving along. I didn't enjoy any of the characters - in fact, I'm pretty sure I was rooting against Nikki most of the time, simply because she was so annoying. As I mentioned, nearly all the drama and plot developments hinge on coincidences and misunderstandings. I just found the whole thing to be an exercise in tedium and eye-rolling. But, they are insanely popular with kids, so I guess I just have to grin and bear it. I wouldn't recommend them, though.