The Governor's Dog is Missing (Slate Stephens Mysteries #1) by Sneed B. Collard III

Sneed Collard III is coming to our school in the fall so I am starting to read his fiction books. A prolific writer, he started his career in 1994 and now has published 40 nonfiction and 7 fiction books. This mystery involves the governor losing his famous dog while on his normal daily walk. Sixth grader Slate, along with his best friend, Daphne, decide to find the dog. Slate has known Daphne since first grade and what was once a platonic relationship has resulted in him having feelings for her. It is driving him crazy and makes for some funny and awkward situations. The two sleuths go to the Capitol to follow their suspicions of an opposing politician they feel might have kidnapped the dog to manipulate the media and influence the upcoming election. The results are unexpected and humorous. Interesting facts are interspersed regarding the government and its infrequent sessions explaining why the two detectives had free reign at the Capitol and why security was loosey-goosey. The descriptions of Montana and Glacier National Park brought back fond memories for me. As the two kids follow the clues, they adjust to their changing relationship and learn a bit about dogs used against aggressive wildlife.

Collard reminds me a bit of Deborah Hopkinson where they are short on character development but shine with interesting facts. It reads a bit like a nonfiction book and I wasn't vested in the character as much as expected. I enjoyed the book, but the protagonist has basically one emotional or internal struggle which simplifies the story. Slate is entertaining but his character arc is basically his crush on Daphne.The subplots could have been fleshed out a bit more. The two take initiative by seeking out state politicians and providing a civic duty, but I wasn't sure of their motivations to find the dog except he was famous and a dog. If Slate was portrayed as a dog crazy kid or if the author had played up the angle of Slate losing his dog and not wanting the governor to feel the same, then maybe I'd go for it. Slate does some funny and klutzy things that make him endearing. This is a good book for readers in middle school and grade five that are still reading for fluency. Literary strategies such as defining high vocabulary words as a tool to help with reading are used in this book, but the boy-girl interest makes it for older students. This is a good book for struggling readers in older grades.

The setting is well-defined and I had a clear sense of Montana. The mystery was too hard for me to figure out, but that made me vested in it. The clues are spaced well and kept the pace moving along. I wanted more description of Glacier National Park and loved the information on the dogs. I worked in Yellowstone National Park and came across wild elk, buffalo, and bears. Even after 22 years the terror of coming across a wild animal unsuspectingly came back to me after reading about Slate and Daphne's bear encounter. When I worked at Yellowstone there was some hysteria because 5 bear attacks occurred in the park. Glacier was having similar problems and park biologists had a theory that it was because of the previous harsh winter and the not enough food in the back country causing them to come to lower altitudes than normal. As we know, many animal conflicts are a result of human encroachment on habitat. Collard's subplot of Glacier Park touches a bit on bear management that adds an interesting twist to the main mystery. If you like nonfiction and mysteries then give this a go.

3 Smileys

Picture This: How Pictures Work by Molly Bang

I wished I had read this book back in journalism school. It explains basic composition in pictures that is easy to understand. I've heard much of it before but I like how Molly Bang puts it all together tying colors, shapes, space, and placement with emotions and word associations in a simplistic way. She uses the story, "Little Red Riding Hood," changing colors, shapes and placement to create the emotion of fear. The examples show the effects of size and color, as well as, what people associate the color with when looking at an image. I grabbed a picture book and tried to use the principles when looking at the pictures. Many of them applied to the pictures and if you want to review picture books this book would be helpful in breaking down components of good design and use of color.

The first part of the book describes building a picture through shapes and space to create a mood. Bang uses the scary part of the wolf in "Little Red Riding Hood" to create her pictures. The second part focuses on basic principles of emotional responses to placements of shapes on the page. A smooth surface with horizontal shapes gives stability; whereas, vertical shapes imply energy and diagonal is dynamic. The upper half of the picture implies lightness and floating; whereas, the bottom can crush. The center of the page has the greatest attention and when an object is moved to the side it adds tension and movement. White background implies safe while black is more ominous. Pointed shapes are scary and rounded are comforting. Large objects dominate pictures while small ones look vulnerable. Colors have a stronger influence on the viewer than the shape itself. Contrasts pull out patterns in pictures. These are the basics simplified even more than the author, but it gives you the idea. This is good for beginners or those that want a refresher on picture composition.

5 Smileys

Sasquatch in the Paint (Streetball Crew, #1) by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Raymond Obstfeld

Basketball does not dominate this plot but supports the themes of growing up, learning to manage time, and making friends. Good character development and a fast pace kept me engrossed in this story. Theo Rollins has grown six inches over the summer and is on the 8th grade basketball team. When Coach Mandrake decides to create an offense around Theo's height he feels pressure to improve his game. He's not an experienced, good player. In fact, the coach implies he might get kicked off the team if he doesn't improve. Theo decides to engage in some pickup games but the extra work hurts his other after school activity which is his science club's trivia competition. Unable to keep up with the two he must decide how he'll spend his time. When his cousin is the victim of a theft and Theo is accused of the crime, he finds that he's running out of time for everything.

The theme of managing time and learning to be responsible is one every coach watches young adults go through. Some can manage heavy loads and others can't. When Coach Mandrake threatens to kick Theo off the team if he doesn't perform, I didn't really think buy it. Coach knows Theo is inexperienced and it seemed that it was only the team's second game - I never did get a clear indication of how far into the season they were. Mandrake also spends time pointing out Theo's mistakes when he should have been pointing out the strengths he could build on. By the time he does it is on page 178, but then he implies that if the team loses on Friday, Theo would be off the team. I know the author was trying to up the tension for Theo, but it was contradictory. I don't coach basketball but what I've observed is that most basketball coaches will go out of their way to develop a kid that has height and potential.

A nice tie-in with teamwork was Theo's observation that his science club team didn't work as well together as his basketball team. They were too individualistic. The end shows how the basketball team worked together to try and overcome a taller, stronger team and how Theo realized that he could use his intelligence and creativity to try and break the opponents down. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. That was another reason the Coach threat didn't jive with me. Players take more risks when they know they are supported by the coach and they can be creative. Of course, I am a female and I only know girl sports which is quite different than boy sports. And I've never coached boys. I'm no expert so take my musings as is... just musings.

The characters are engaging from Theo's internal struggles with growing up and not wanting his dad to treat him as a kid to him grieving the death of his mom and his family trying to move on. Brian is Theo's sidekick and adds great humor. The girl, Rain, is strong-willed and not afraid to speak her mind or follow the crowd. She's unpredictable and interesting as a character. Gavin looks like a self-centered jerk, but he has an introspective side that actually helps Theo deal with his basketball woes. What begins as a one-dimensional, racist twit turns into someone that is insecure and bluffs his way with others to cover it up.

The plot maybe tries too hard to hit different ethnic backgrounds having minority characters dealing with racism. There was comments regarding the Asian boy, Jewish boy, Muslim family, and being a female. While I really liked the rapport between Brian and Theo and their discussions, I thought the Muslim boys were somewhat stereotypical with using violence against their cousin. I really liked the BIB  "Because I'm Black" jar that represented not making excuses for your skin color. When Theo talks to his dad about the game and blames the kids in the stands for his poor performance because they were calling him names such as monkey, his dad made him put a dollar in the BIB jar. Theo's mom started the jar as a way of not using racism as an excuse. She once blamed a high charge from a repairman on being female. Theo and his dad told her to put a dollar in the jar. The jar wasn't just for Theo but the adults as well. It is a good reminder to not be angry and point fingers at others but take responsibility for actions. Name-calling in sports is meant to rattle a person and Theo had to find a way to deal with his anger. Today, racism in European soccer exists with fans tossing banana peels at black players on opposing teams. One soccer player picked up the banana and ate it, using humor to try and make the tosser look foolish and show he didn't care. Racism is ugly. People have to find a way to deal with it in a healthy manner.

There are some funny lines in this book. When Theo has a confrontation with a kid in the cafeteria he observed that "Everyone returned to what they were doing as if nothing had happened. Theo thought everything in middle school was like that. Students went through the day like pets on a leash. When something shiny or loud caught their attention, they all looked and barked for a few seconds, then continued walking until they passed the next shiny or loud thing." I have some noisy middle schoolers stampeding by my library right now. This book is a "skyhook" winner shot.

4 Smileys

The Living by Matt de la Pena

This book has plenty of action, some romance, and is a mixed bag of genres that made it somewhat choppy. Toss in characters with not much depth and I just about abandoned it several times. Shy is working on a cruise for the summer making friends with other crew members his age. He is interested in Carmen but she is engaged to a guy back home. They both have relatives that died from a wicked disease that kills within 24 hours. When a man commits suicide, Shy finds himself being stalked by a guy in a black suit. When an earthquake strikes the West Coast causing tsunami's, the cruise ship is in danger and Shy must try to help save his friends and passengers. When he discovers the black suit guy's employers real intentions, he must help save the world.

The dialogue has the kids swearing all the time and tossing racist comments between the mixed race crew and rich white kids on the cruise. While it is nice to see a protagonist with mixed heritage, the stereotyped rich kid, poor kid never let the story rise above a contrived plot. There is too much name-calling and Shy seems to point fingers just as much as the white kids making for a shallow message.  When Shy begins to make friends with one of the prejudiced girls as a result of their traumatic escape from the ship, I kept waiting for some revelation regarding her racist comments but instead they seem to be interested in becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. She says she is sorry, but that's it.

If you want to compare survival in a raft, then read, "Unbroken," by Laura Hillenbrand that has a similar setup except Hillenbrand's story is based on a true story. Both author's seem to do a good job with the horrors, although Hillenbrand goes into more detail which you'd expect in an adult story. The plot dealing with Romero's disease was interesting but the shifts from romance to survival to mystery made it feel like separate stories. They come together at the end, but there are times when it seemed like a different story. It gets a bit unbelievable at the end but suspend your disbelief and just go with the flow. This is on the beach, fluff reading with a cliff hanger ending.

2 Smileys

Forge (Seeds of America #2) by Laurie Halse Anderson

Left hanging as to what happened to Isabel and Curzon in "Chains," book one of Seeds of America, the action continues to steamroll with Curzon finding himself in the middle of the British fighting the Patriots during the Revolutionary War. Isabel has run off tired of waiting for the two to go find Ruth after fleeing to freedom and Curzon is trying to find her. He gets lost and ends up saving the life of Eben a brawny boy his age with a big voice and big heart. A series of mishaps leads Curzon to enlisting and making friends with a troop of soldiers. Not everyone welcomes a black soldier, but throughout the course of trying to survive Valley Forge, they form a bond that goes beyond prejudices.

The author is fantastic with historical details making this better than your average historical novel. The character development of Curzon is terrific with Eben, but falls off some with Isabel. Her reaction to him was cooler than I expected and some of her actions didn't make sense. I kept waiting for more explanations regarding their fight but it never comes and as a result the romance seemed rushed. Eben and his fight with Curzon, for instance, was more interesting because it showed him having to face his prejudices and think about not going along with common opinion that was another human being owning a person based solely on the color of his or her skin.

When Curzon arrives at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777, the author captures the ill-prepared army and dire conditions the soldiers had to survive in during subzero temperatures. Lacking shoes, shelter and food, thousands of men died that winter. Curzon's descriptions of eating "firecakes" is unforgettable. Animals suffered as well. One chapter describes the supply wagon arriving and the horse dying shortly thereafter. And just like in "Chains," Halse Anderson captures the dilemma facing black soldiers such as Curzon who are lied to by masters or told they are free and then find they are not because the white man selfishly wants to enslave them for his own needs. Injustices abound and even moreso for Isabel that is forced to wear an iron collar.

The plot has some conveniences that seem contrived, but for the most part there is plenty of action and adventure. When Eben and Curzon fight, Curzon asks him if only white man can be free. Eben says of course not thinking of the free black men he grew up with at home. When Curzon asks if slaves can be free and Eben says of course not because they are owned by a master, Curzon says this is an unnatural law and compares it to the Patriots fighting against the British government and their unfair laws. Eben gets mad at him for the comparison and the two don't speak, but Curzon has planted the seed of equality in Eben who is a fair and just person. It is not surprising at the end when he has empathy for Curzon and changes his mind. Again this story ends on an exciting cliffhanger. Another winner by Hale Anderson.

4 Smileys

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd

Anyone who works with kids knows the power of words. Words can hurt or heal. Words can build up or break down. Words can inspire courage or fear. Words can dance on paper like wind chimes or remain silent. Felicity has a snicker of magic that allows her to see words on people and objects. The words might reveal a history, express feelings, or predict the future. Words materialize out of nowhere and bring her comfort or knowledge in situations. She jots her words in a blue book she carries everywhere, but words fail her when she has to speak in front of groups. The only good thing about moving all the time is she can leave behind her most recent public-speaking disasters. The bad thing is she has to introduce herself in every new school and new class. Her newest school results in her mispronouncing her name in front of the sixth grade class saying, "My name is Flea..." Hers is an unsettling lifestyle involving her mom's extreme wanderlust that uproots her and her younger sister every few months. Unhappy since her husband left her, Felicity's mom has been on the run, flitting like a sparrow from one city to the next. When the three settle with their Aunt Cleo, the two girls make friends and don't want to leave. Felicity can tell her mom wants to leave after 24 hours. When Felicity uncovers a curse in her family that she believes makes her mom wander, she's determined to break it. With the help of her best friend Jonah, she finds out what really matters in life and learns to believe in herself.

The plot is pretty straightforward. Felicity is able to get her mom to stay in town when she signs up for the school talent show called, "The Duel," named after two magical brothers in town that had the gift of music until they became jealous of each other. The loser of the duel was cursed to wander and leave town. The other brother's magic no longer worked with his brother gone. Now that the family was broken, he too, eventually left town. As a result, the town's magic disappeared except for a snicker of it and other family's left too leaving a sad, broken, and unhappy town. The story is a symbol of the adult characters and Felicity, the protagonist, who are leading unhappy, unfulfilled lives. They are broken and beat down by unrealized dreams and fears. Felicity is terrified of speaking and tired of moving. Her younger sister is tired of always trying to make friends at school. Cleo is a chain-smoking aunt that fell out of love over an argument. Uncle Boone is a washed up singer. Her mom can't stay in one place and is broken over her husband leaving her and their two daughters. Florentine carries a bag of burdens that she cannot put down. Jonah is scared his dad will die fighting in an overseas war. Much of this story swirls around hope, love, and belief or faith that all will work out if a person keeps on working at reaching his or her potential through positive words and support from those he or she loves.

Jonah is in a wheelchair and does kind things for others anonymously. He is a budding philanthropist that believes in Felicity and always says that something good is going to happen. His magic ability is his "know-how" that allows him to predict the future. However, he can't predict what will happen to his dad who is fighting in a war and he is afraid that he will get killed. Felicity uses magic, symbolized in a dove tattoo, to help Jonah deal with his fears, just like Jonah helps Felicity deal with stage fright. The author doesn't really incorporate Jonah's disability into the plot and I forgot he was even in a wheelchair for much of the time.

The end reminds me of the Romantic writings that would describe nature in so much glory it was like a religious experience. In this story, when the magic breaks loose and heals all the broken people it is a miracle that causes a revival of the townsfolk jumping and dancing in joy. It made me think of Colin in "The Secret Garden," who is so moved by nature he jumps up and recites the Doxology. Nature in that book so moves the characters that it is like a religious experience. Magic in this book so moves the characters that it is like a religious experience or rock concert. Felicity is not a flawed character, but is the magic weaver; she weaves words to mend and heal those around her as well as her own heart that is upset that her dad abandoned them. She doesn't understand how he could love them and leave them.  She makes peace with it at the end.

Felicity's magic at seeing words seemed like a metaphor for the author writing a book. Felicity is afraid of speaking and must learn to take the risk of speaking in public just like the author must take the risk of writing a book that can be rejected by the public. "No matter how many words I write, they're still just words. Words aren't the same as talent." Jonah tells her that "Your words are talent." Writing a book is like magic. All those words have to fall into place. It is difficult and requires the author to leave himself or herself vulnerable. When the words above Boone change because Felicity says something positive instead of negative, she realizes the power of words. "Maybe sometimes the words I say are as magical as the words I see." It would seem that the author's way of dealing with fears of rejection are to focus on the positive. When Boone talks about how it is harder to see colors as he ages, it suggests that adults don't believe as readily as kids in magic whether that is magic in a story or magic in changing the future or how a person sees himself or herself. This is a feel good story that looks at how the power of words can magically change people for the better.

4 Smileys

Better Nate Than Ever (Better Nate Than Ever #1) by Tim Federle

Yikes. Ning Chi chili sauce feels like swallowing a flaming sword... one small teaspoon in a pot of homemade soup and if there was an open fire hydrant nearby I would have had my mouth over the geyser. Instead I settled for the bathroom faucet guzzling water and letting it run down the side of my face and into my hair where the chicken noodle soup had matted it together. I needed a spoon the size of my head to keep the noodles from slithering off and splashing broth all over me and the book, "Better Nate Than Ever." If I was the protagonist, Nate Foster, two bullies from a school gang would have picked me up and dunked me head first in a toilet to quench my thirst. A few punches to the stomach would seal the deal before they'd leave off. Thirteen-year-old Nate's list of physical and verbal abuses at school and home (by his brother) include beatings and name-calling such as, "gay," "homo," "faggot," "Natey the Lady" to name a few. While he is uncertain about his sexuality, he has had it with life in Jankburg, Pennsylvania where he doesn't fit in. He hatches a plan with his best friend, Libby, and goes to New York to audition for "E.T. The Musical." While this novel is marketed as middle grade, Nate's attitude, humor, family addiction problems, and sexuality issues are going to attract more middle schoolers than elementary students - at least in my school.

The self-deprecating voice is humorous even if it sounds too old at times. I struggled with the parenthetical asides that Nate gives. You'll either like this stream-of-consciousness or be like me and feel that it slowed the pacing. In the Chapter, "Split Screen," every other sentence had parentheses and it was a confusing transition because he's in Heidi's apartment the chapter before. I ended up rereading and skipping the parentheses so I could figure out the action and how Nate ended up at the casting agency when in the previous chapter he was told he was cut from the play. The phone call explaining this comes at the end of the chapter versus the beginning which is why it was so confusing.

Just to be clear, this parentheses technique of revealing Nate's thoughts varies throughout the entire book and is critical to character development. It makes Nate accessible and creates a fully imagined, emotional character that drives the action. I only had problems at the beginning and that one chapter at the end where it felt like a downpour of parentheses confusing my already jumbled ADHD brain. The parentheses contain inner monologues that flesh out Nate and are funny, but it was too much for me at times, particularly in the beginning. It took me until page 50 to get into the story and character's voice. The beginning dialogue doesn't flow as well as later (when there are less parentheses) and the greyhound action scene has Nate talking in an awkward way to the ticket man. This is actually on purpose and while it is explained later some foreshadowing would have made it less of a "huh" moment and more of a file-that-information-away for later in the plot.  It makes sense at the end of the story when he is talking to Libby. The hilarity begins for me when Nate is at the audition. His descriptions of the over-the-top competitiveness are funnier-than-heck.

Sexuality is not an easy topic to write about and the author does a nice job showing Nate's passion for theater and how it appeals to his melodramatic character in this coming-of-age story. He relates incidents and people to different Broadway musicals, some obscure and others famous. His euphemisms related to theater such as "Holy cats!" substitute profanity throughout the story in an amusing way. The character arc has Nate working on his self-identity and learning to embrace his differences from others. Themes involve a best friend, bullies, his parent's marital problems, an estranged sister, addiction, cancer, intolerance in Christians, competitiveness of auditions, and more. I liked the theater audition best and thought the author really created a terrific dynamic between exaggerating the competitiveness and oddness of it all with Nate's insecurity and snarky observations. Nate's naiveness at reading a script and brilliance at making the performance memorable was a highlight. This is a strong debut novel.

4 Smileys