The Kite Fighters by Linda Sue Park

Like Seesaw Girl, this book deals with choices in life. Some choices we can choose: the choice of occupation, the choice of attitude, the choice of following traditions. Some choices we cannot choose: choice of being a boy or girl, the choice of siblings, or the choice of birth order. Young-sup is second to his brother, Kee-sup, where 15th century Korean traditions are such that their father treats the second son different than the first son. The firstborn is the only sibling that gets to go to the ancestors gravesite, study to become a scholar, and make decisions in the family. The unfairness of the treatment boils beneath the surface of Young-sup who wants his father to notice him the same as Kee-sup.

Kee-sup gets a kite for the New Year's celebration while the jealous Young-sup gets a board game. Young-sup begs to fly the kite with Kee-sup who says, no, at first only to relent as he tires of his limited success flying the kite. Unlike his brother, Young-sup is a natural as he launches the kite into the air almost immediately knowing instinctively when the wind is right and how much rope to reel in or let out. He teaches his brother how to fly and the two have great fun on the hillside each day with the new toy. When the kite gets damaged, Kee-sup rebuilds it and his skill in craftsmanship turns the tables where he teaches Young-sup how to make a kite.

The young king sees the boys kite flying and asks them to build him a kite to enter in the New Year's competition. The kite flying competition involves "fighting" where the kite flyers try to knock each others kites to the ground or cut the lines. The king wants Young-sup to fly it and Kee-sup to build it. Thrilled with the request, Kee-sup struggles over the construction of the kite while Young-sup and their father support him in his efforts. When the time comes for the competition, their father says that the oldest son should fly it causing Young-sup to angrily confront his brother about the unfairness of him being number one. He's really mad at the culture's traditional role of the firstborn son, but he can't discuss it with his parents and takes his frustration out on his brother. In an exciting climax the two figure out a way to use the traditions to their advantage, yet not be disrespectful toward their father.

The passion Young-sup has for kite flying is described in such vivid detail it made me think of those things I'm passionate about doing. The siblings show how they can have great fun together and great disagreements. Young-sup's anger is authentic afterwards he recognizes that he can't direct his fury at his father so instead he takes it out on his brother. Both boys are thoughtful, kind, selfish, and creative. Their well-rounded characters drive this story forward at a fast clip. Even the father and young king change in ways that made me vested in what happens to all of them.

The plot is wrapped up nicely. Park doesn't leave unresolved issues in her stories. Even the stall owner of the kites has a part I didn't expect. The brothers make many choices and while most are good there are other times they are selfish. This makes them all the more real to the reader and in the end, they show graciousness in winning, wisdom in dealing with their father, and courage to reach their goals. A terrific story that is going to appeal to all readers.

Reading Level 5.9

5 out of 5 Smileys

Seesaw Girl by Linda Sue Park

This debut novel in 1999 has all the elements that I've come to love when reading Linda Sue Park's books: engaging characters, well-crafted plot, and interesting subjects. This tale is set in ancient Korea during the 1600's where wealthy women and children were virtual prisoners of their home. They were not allowed to leave the Inner Court and spent much of their days doing laundry and embroidering. Plus, doing the laundry didn't mean just washing clothes and hanging them to dry. It meant ripping out pant seams and resewing the pants back together. This not only got the "dirt out of the pockets" but was a way of sanitizing them from harmful germs. For leisure, the women did embroidery on cloth, purses, and panels. Only men were educated and allowed to be artists or writers, while the women managed the households.

I would have died of boredom like 12-year-old Jade Blossom. Not to mention I can't sew. The only part I liked on the sewing machine was pushing the pedal to the floor. In boring home economics class I was making a book bag when I looked out the window and pushed my finger right under the needle. The sewing machine jammed, pinning my finger to the bottom metal plate. The janitor had to come and disassemble the machine while a classmate threw-up looking at it (she later became a nurse). It was pretty gross. Weird thing - it didn't hurt. AND AS USUAL, I digress with a story of mine. Sorry! Anyway, back to Jade. She tries to spice up her days by playing pranks on others with her best friend, Willow. When Willow gets married Jade not only loses a kindred spirit, she can never see her again. Jade makes a plan to see Willow with unexpected results.

Jade is a mischievous, good-hearted character who talks to her brother, Tiger Heart, to get information, since it is not respectful to ask parents questions. Tiger is being groomed by Jade's father to be a scholar like himself who will advise the King in the future. While Tiger can be annoyed with Jade he comes across as tolerant and kind. He brings her sweets from the market and shares news with her. Willow seems somewhat immature for a 27 year old but living in a court doing laundry and embroidering but it is understandable given her lack of education and contact with the outside world. I did wonder how the women were trained at managing households. There are glimpses of it with the mother but I would have liked to see some of Willow's training at household management. Jade mentions some of the things Willow did before leaving, but not many details are given.

To recreate 17th century Korea in a story would be difficult and Linda Sue Park's bibliography shows the extensive research she did. The story of the westerners who were shipwrecked and taken to the King is based on a true story and I liked how it was intertwined with Jade's family and her conversation with her dad. Jade's attempt to see Willow causes a loyal servant to lose his job and when she takes responsibility her father says, "...the path to wisdom lies not in certainty, but in trying to understand." He uses these same words in his speech to the King about a dispute the council is having as to whether the captured westerners should be killed or freed.

Jade's mother indulges her and I wondered if it was because she understood how smothered Jade felt by their way of life or if she wanted to enjoy Jade to the fullest since she wouldn't see her ever again after marriage. Perhaps it was both. When Jade switches to painting which is forbidden by girls, I wondered what path this new secret rebellion would lead to. The ending seemed abrupt because that question wasn't answered. I thought perhaps Tiger Heart was going to help Jade with her painting or give tips. Perhaps he'd like a piece of her work and pass it on as his own to the Schoolmaster. Wouldn't it be ironic if it was hailed as great work, put on display, and then Jade would have to keep secretly painting for Tiger? Then she'd be able to be creative in a very uncreative and stifling position. Of course, then she'd get married and that would be the end of that. Maybe the ending is just right. You decide.

Irony abounds that this girl who is so rich in material goods is so poor in freedoms with a yearning for adventure and education in politics, arts, and more. Add to that theme her curious, spunky, and courageous attitude and it is easy to root for this likable protagonist. I have read some adult books like this story that capture the unhappiness of women in this type of setting with a nasty pecking order, but this tale caters more to the young reader and is not ugly at all. Jade's mom is a good woman who is sad at times but makes the best out of each day and the house seems full of joy. Jade, while impetuous and ignorant of consequences, is willing to take responsibility when she causes harm to another person. I did find it sad how Jade invents a way to espy the mountains outside her court. While Jade doesn't feel sorry for herself, I felt downcast by her predictable future. For all she was missing. For not having the freedom to live like she wants. For not being able to get an education. For being an oppressed minority. A wonderful story.

Reading Level 5.0
3 out of 5 Smileys

The Prince Who Fell From the Sky by John Claude Bemis

A well-known fact in the Forest is that humans no longer exist because the wolves killed them off in the great Rising. When a starship crashes and a toddler gets off the plane no one can believe it and the coyotes who stumble first on the scene decide to kill the small boy. Mama bear, Casseomae, sees the altercation and protects the boy hatching a plan to adopt him for all her cubs have all died. She reasons that she can teach the boy the ways of the Forest; however, the presence of the boy upsets the fragile pact between the wolves and bears and she must flee from enemies who want to kill him. The journey to find a safe place for the boy is tough, but with the help of a rat, Dumpster, who carries knowledge of the humans; and Pang, a dog, who is a faithful companion to the human race, they give it a go.

Dumpster loves to use the word "scratch" or "scratchin'" in his sentences, "Scratch if I know old bear" or "Not a scratchin' word, Cass." Helpful and caring inspite of his ornery talk, he loves to call Casseomae a "mushroom-brained bear" and in one funny dialogue he's calling the dog and Cass "beetle brains," "pebble brains," and then "birdbrains" as the two ask him questions. Young readers will like the dumb questions dog and Cass ask as they learn about humankind such as, "What's an alley?" or "What's fern-of-chip?" to which Dumpster replies, "Furniture, idiot." Add to the silly dialogue romp Dumpster giving wrong answers such as how a fire escape works and you have a fun read. Other puzzles readers will like solving are the descriptions of different types of animals where no English words are used to describe it.

The creepiness factor amps up with the wolves and their Gateway of Bones and Field of Fallen. Add a great villain in Ogeema whose "...voice was not the gutteral snaps typical of a wolf. The words were whispered, but the power in that barely present voice unnerved Rend to her core" and you have a nice scary story. The pecking order of the coyotes and wolves increase the fear factor, since Rend knows that Ogeema kills randomly and cruelly regardless of whether or not he is getting assistance.


The limited point of view was fascinating and well-done but it also kept me removed from the story and didn't answer all my questions. The author has the animals and boy communicate without words but with touch and descriptions. The boy "chirps" at Cass so we know he's old enough to talk. The animals and child manage to communicate and the authenticity of this elevates the story. While the author does it admirably, I wanted to hear the boy's thoughts and wanted to get in his head. If the reader had the boy's thoughts then I could have found out more about his world and how he came to be on a ship that crashed in the Forest or what happened to humankind.

I was reading this eBook on a flight to Vietnam and maybe I wasn't getting enough oxygen because I struggled with the age of the boy and I kept mixing up the vora's and viand's - the names are too similar (of course, I've lived in Taipei 6 years and know about as much Chinese as an infant - memory is NOT my strength). It did make me wonder if kids would get confused with some of the world building like me. Probably not. I can hear Rat calling me names, "You scratchin' birdbrain, write it down." I liked the character so well he's talking to me now. A unique story. Enjoy

Reading level 5.7
3 Smileys

Freaky Fast Frankie Joe by Lutricia Clifton

Ever bike in 32 degree weather? I have. I thought I was shaking my fist at old man winter. Then I hit a patch of ice, found my body levitating from the ground before gravity took over and slammed me to the pavement. I should have cracked my head on the ice. Or at least knocked the wind out of my lungs, but the padding from my backpack stuffed with clothes, two hats, two scarves, two mittens, two pants, and thick insulated parka cushioned my landing like a mattress. Freaky fast Frankie Joe is much more coordinated and younger than me so when he bikes year round making money on a delivery service, he doesn't have to worry about snow and ice slowing him down. In fact, biking is the only good thing that has happened to Frankie Joe. His mom's in jail and he's been sent to live with his dad and four stepbrothers. He has missed so much school that he's a few years behind the other kids in his class. Being 5 feet 9 inches tall doesn't help. When he's put back from 8th to 5th grade, his alpha male 5th grade brother, Matt, is bent on humiliating him. Matt was number one before Frankie Joe bumped him down to number two and he has no qualms about letting Frankie Joe know he's mad, from stuffing his shorts down the toilet, to insulting him, and more.

The development of the characters is one of the strengths of this book and the fact that Matt is a well-rounded antagonist who changes and learns from his relationship with Frankie Joe makes this story interesting and full of tension.The dad's rules-oriented personality is annoying but loving toward his son that he's trying to get to know after being out of his life until now. The dad goes a bit far with the responsibility rules but it makes him more real. Mandy is very outgoing and at times insensitive which is typical of young kids and Elsie Peachcott is a no-nonsense old lady who is quite endearing and also learns from her relationship with Frankie Joe. Frankie Joe's mom is insensitive but in a self-centered, irresponsible way. She reminds me of the mom in Turtle in Paradise, by Jennifer Holm. The teachers at the school are insensitive and humiliate Frankie Joe. I hate this type of character, unless they are a buffoon. I know kids like teachers being dopes in books, but it hits too close to home for me as a librarian who teaches 42 classes every 10 days. Have I accidentally embarrassed a kid? Have I been unfair?

The only thing that made me scratch my head regarding the plot was that the librarian and Frankie Joe read, Kidnapped, together but according to the principal, Frankie Joe could only read at a 4th grade level after being tested. Kidnapped is not an easy read and Frankie Joe would have had a higher vocabulary than he displayed in the chapter where he read out loud in class. It doesn't take away from the story. I just wondered about it.

The emotional pull of this story, along with the humor to lighten it, will make it a winner with readers. The line where Frankie Joe says, "I cry because mom sold her remembrance of me" and the climax where Matt gets buffaloed by the fact that Frankie Joe doesn't want to be number one are touching. I even liked the information on farming - of course, the author weaves it in the dialogue and internal changes of the characters in a way that is very interesting. This is a well-written book and I will be looking to more tales from this author to stock our library shelves.

I did debate on getting studded tires on my bike, but decided I'd let old man winter get the last laugh. Except now I'm living in a subtropical climate so maybe I did get the last laugh.

Reading Level 3.9
4 out of 5 Stars

Pickle: The (Formerly) Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Point Middle School by Kim Baker

Pranksters at my high school made life exciting by doing stuff like plugging a stick up the ketchup dispenser so when the victim, such as myself, pushed down on the pump, the stick went sailing out like a blow dart spraying the victim with ketchup. First time it happened to me, I had to go home and change pants. When the ketchup dispenser was out for a lunch meal, I had to watch out for the blow dart prankster. When toilet paper draped the ten oak trees that sit in my parents' front yard, I thought it was pretty. My dad who is an architect was not happy, especially when an ice storm raged the next night freezing the toilet paper to the branches for 5 months as winter settled in the frigid northern city of Minneapolis. The flowing streamers from the first night looked like used toilet paper by then and it was definitely NOT pretty. But when does a prankster go too far? At our school it was when some students thought spraying the locker room with several fire extinguishers would be hilarious. Most pranks are funny and annoying but it seems that when damage is done to property or another person gets hurt by the caper the laughter stops.

This is just one of the many themes that Ben Diaz and his secret group of pranksters, The League of Pickle Makers, learn as they spice up school life with their shenanigans. On paper, the school club makes pickles which they plan to enter in the Pioneer Fair Days, but their true motive is to covertly pull pranks against everyone at school. The tomfoolery begins when Ben finds free goods online in the Classifieds. He can't resist filling his school classroom full of a bunch of stinky, used bouncy balls that the owner of the local Pizzeria wants to get rid of. Kids at school think this is so funny and exciting that Ben decides to form a club thats antics include dry ice in the bathrooms, Saran Wrap over the bathroom sinks, and more.  The pickle club is having a hey-ho time until one of the members goes rogue causing damage to school property.

Students will love this book with its silly pranks, goofy characters, and friendship conflicts. Ben's best friend, Hector, just can't stand up to his grandma, the principal of their school. He's so afraid of her that when she accuses him of something he didn't do, he admits not only to the crime, but worse, he tells her Ben did it with him. When Hector wants to join the club, Ben questions his trustworthiness along with other members, and Hector is refused admittance, causing hurt in their friendship.

Ben's heritage is interweaved nicely throughout the story, particularly when the club looks into the diet of Mexican pioneers when they first came to their city. It is terrific fun seeing how the author creatively ties pickles into the plot with the students and adult characters. And I had to laugh at the reference to "The Joy of Pickling." My parents generation did a ton of canning, with pickles being one of the mainstays, and my mom loved her "Joy of Cooking" book. I even got two of those cookbooks as wedding presents it is so beloved by the older folks. Kids won't get that joke but who doesn't love a mixture of adult and kid humor in a book?

While the pacing clips along through the middle and end of the book, the start has too many subject pronouns that begin with "I" effecting sentence cadence. The last paragraph in the first chapter has nine sentences starting with "I." This is a little nitpicky on my part and most readers are not going to notice it enjoying a very likable main character whose pranks are fairly harmless. The goofy supporting characters held my interest and after a couple of chapters the sentences started to vary in rhythm and more themes were introduced adding nice tension to the development of the story.

The plot becomes more complex as the story progresses and Ben excludes his best friend, Hector, who wonders if he wants to remain friends with him. The students stand up for their First Amendment rights and the adults act authoritarian about the whole incident. I wanted this more hashed out but most readers are not going to care. The first person point of view can be tricky because it limits the view of the protagonist and sometimes I wanted more information from Ben about the supporting characters. Angry Sienna is struggling with her parents divorce and while I like that she fesses up and takes responsibility for her actions, the situation is not resolved. Also, I expected Hector to stand up to his grandma after he stood up for Ben. I wanted Hector to confront her about her bullishness and address her interference with his friendships and interrogating him to the point where he was confessing to crimes he didn't commit. But he doesn't. I thought the story would have been stronger if Hector's grandma showed some willingness to change in how she treated Hector and that she would try to be a better parent and administrator. In the end, she remains more one-dimensional and less interesting to me as the antagonist.

If you are like my dad who saw absolutely no humor in toilet paper hanging from the trees, then I recommend passing on this book. As a kid, I loved books where anarchy prevailed, the adults were idiots, the characters were funny, and exciting adventures oozed from the pages. This book delivers all that and more. I also loved to act out books with my best friend. Good thing this book wasn't around! We'd be dreaming up all sorts of mischief!

A great addition to your library.

Reading level: 5.7
3 out of 5 stars

Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom by Leonard Marcus

For some reason, I didn't reign in my compulsive eating of enticing Christmas desserts this year. The cookie tray jump starts my pistons for shoveling sugar from hand-to-mouth in a blur. You'd think my pistons would have slowed down now that I'm old, but NOOOOOOOO. Now because of my lack of self-control, I'm an irritable, hamster-type pedal-pusher on an elliptical machine, who is horribly sick of salads and can't eat anything because she gained 10 freaking pounds in two weeks! I have since lost the 5 pounds, but I am still hungry and cranky most of the time! So what better way to deal with it then finish Ursula Nordstrom's funny letters where, she too, pokes fun at her weight, "Well, I was all alone in the office eating my low-fat meatloaf sandwich..." or "I am dieting madly so details of food are always welcome..." or her explanation of her dog's congenital malfunction of the pyloric valve that made the pooch skinny "Maybe I'll have a nifty operation to make my pyloric valve malfunction. Then I'd get skinny." She also uses humor to cajole writers such as Edward Gorey (they were particularly funny because he always missed deadlines). "Thanks for your card telling me you are having a nervous breakdown. Welcome to the club. I think you know that I have His and Her Straitjackets hanging in my office. Come down and slip into one and we can have a good talk." After getting my shot in the arm of Ursula humor and insights into the world of publishing, maybe I won't need a straitjacket.

So who is this woman, you ask? Harper's children's editor, Ursula Nordstrom, published some of the biggest authors in children's publishing: Margaret Wise Brown, Ruth Krauss, Russell Hoban, Maurice Sendak, Laura Ingalls Wilder, E.B White, Shel Silverstein to name a few. She changed the face of children's literature or at least influenced it more than any other editor in the field. If you want a glimpse into the workings of the publishing system and rapport an editor has with an author then I highly recommend this book. The turn of phrase, self-deprecating humor, candor, and risk-taking that Ursula shows make reading her tale delicious (gawl dang it, even my adjectives make me wanna eat.) Plus, she can't spell very well. How can you not love a brilliant editor who can't spell?

What becomes apparent in the overall effect of the letters is Ursula's ability to nurture author's talents and make suggestions without presenting ultimatums. She respected her authors' innate ability to create a work of genius and she seemed to know when to back off and when to assert herself. "I think it can be even funnier in the beginning but that may be because I read it with 1000 interruptions the other morning." Not all correspondence is rosy and misunderstandings are revealed. Sometimes the lack of background knowledge made it confusing and I would go off researching an author to discover more about him or her. For instance, Ursula is very concerned about John Steptoe and I wanted more background because the information was incomplete. Some readers might find this annoying, but I didn't. Sometimes I just wanted the flavor of her correspondence. Other times, I didn't care. Take the tale of Meindert deJong. The background information is sketchy but from the footnotes I gather he left her as an agent for a rival publishing house after many years of working together (10 folders of correspondence according to Marcus). She doesn't dwell on it in her letters and I admired her ability to move on and not be bitter.

A joy I got from reading Ursula's epistles are the humor and perspective she gives toward work and living each day. Her character and wit emerge through her correspondence of letters from 1937-1982. I was having a rough week at work and read her book that night finding a quote that put the uncontrollable happenings in life in perspective for me: "But enough of this sorry theme, lest I lose my reason in attempting to reason about anything that is so thoroughly unreasonable." Humor of course is the best medicine to combat negativity and there is plenty in this novel. "Dreary note but it is a dreary day and I'm the only one in the city who doesn't simply adore Blessed Noel. I hate it. Tomi Ungerer gave me a present, of a huge gorilla dragging a nekkid Barbie doll along by the hair. She only has one red high-heeled shoe on. Real Christmassy. You can see it the next time you come to the Tot Dept. Love to you and George, Ursula Scrooge." At one point I had to stop rewriting all of her great quotes because it felt like I was recopying the entire book. My writer's journal has 29 pages of musings and Ursula sayings.

I found the controversy surrounding some of the groundbreaking children's books she published interesting and the anguish some felt over the materials. One was a psychologist who criticized Maurice Sendak's, Where the Wild Things Are, for withholding food from a child. Another had New York Public Library's Superintendent, Frances Sayers, criticizing John Donovan's children's book about a thirteen-year-old boy who has feelings for another boy that leave him confused. Of course, the letter to John from Ursula is pretty funny: "Right after I sent you my illiterate wail about Mrs. Sayer's idiotic letter about your book, I have received a copy of your reasoned, well-mannered, well-written reply to her. Well you are just too great for me. I wish I could be like you, but can't be. ...Wait until Mrs. Sayers sees Sendak's new book. His young hero appears STAKE NARKID from the front. Like, wow!" Ursula was commenting on the controversy she knew would come with the publication Maurice Sendak's newest book, In the Night Kitchen.

I did find that when I tried to plow through this book from cover-to-cover I got fatigued with the writing. Small digestible snippets of humor read here and there worked better for me.  Of course, I've been so dang hungry I can't really think strait so snippets were about all I could handle after the holidays.Okay. Maybe I do need a straitjacket.

Adult

Runelight by Joanne Harris (book 2)

Yabba dabba doo! While there is no Fred Flintstone some of the Norse gods are painted in a cartoonish way. While I found the ravens with their Scottish accent enduring, the anachronistic wolfmen with their dude-speak was quite annoying. You'll have to read the book to decide for yourself who ye like and who ye dinnae like verra much (raven-speak). Actually you need to read the first book before this one because the author doesn't spend much time explaining the world she created in book 1. I had forgotten how the runes worked and who the Whisperer was before getting some glimpses on page 200 to jar my itty-bitty memory. But I like Norwegian mythology so inspite of the flaws, I did enjoy the tale and the author's twist on the creation story.

Maddy, the protagonist from book 1, Runemarks, is back and discovers that she has a sister, Maggie. The two have new runemarks that the gods want to use to build Asgard once again. As Maggie is used by one powerful god, Maddy is used by another. Neither blindly follow the gods and as they make friends they learn that trust can always be betrayed.

Maddy doesn't show up in the story until page 100 and like a dip I didn't figure out that Maggie was not Maddy until then. I have not read book one in a couple of years and had problems putting two and two together. Maggie's character is not as engaging as Maddy in book one and that was my biggest problem. I just couldn't buy Maggie and Adam as a couple. I kept thinking her strict upbringing would not have caused her to act as she did, although the author tries to show that it was loneliness that made her choose Adam. Perhaps if the Whisperer had revealed some flaw or some hint of a love in his past, then I think I would have enjoyed the character development more. The threesome was a bit flat and I never got sucked into their story like Maddy's tale in book 1.

Loki is the most interesting character for me and again I found him fascinating. The author does a great job making him a complex web of good decisions and bad decisions. I found his wife annoying at first but her unconditional love is used in an interesting twist at the end that I didn't see coming. The Loki/Maddy interest in each other is dropped completely in this book.

The prophecy was yabba dabba dumb. I'm not usually that harsh but it was a lazy Fred Flintstonish way to not foreshadow the plot and with the rock-a-bye baby nursery rhyme I found myself gritting my teeth and skimming it so I didn't have to read it. I realize mythology is full of oracles and prophecies, but I wish the author had handled it differently. The ending suggests a sequel but I'm not sure. It would be just another reworking of the same plot. Book 1 and book 2 are basically saving the world from destruction. Book 3 would be saving the world from  Maggie's Bamm-Bamm. Or would it?

Young Adult
3 out of 5 Smileys