Recent Read: The Fourteenth Goldfish

The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm

Ellie is struggling to adjust to the changes of a new school and getting older, when her mother brings home her grandfather in thirteen-year-old-form! After figuring out how to channel the regenerative properties of a jellyfish into a cure for aging, he tries out his fountain of youth on himself. Still the same crotchety old man he was, but in a thirteen-year-old’s body, he now seeks to publish his research so he can win a Nobel prize.

Even though the premise is an outlandish one (but also very fun), Holm tells a simple, uncomplicated story, one of family and identity, age and even ethical responsibility. Holm’s tone is light-hearted, and she sprinkles humor throughout. I loved Ellie. She’s sweet and introspective. Through her adventures with her grandfather, Ellie discovers an interest in science. She finds friends and a new found confidence in the face of the changes of middle school. The chapters are very short, and I was surprised to find that it was 100 pages because it went so quickly. Very good.

The Fourteenth Goldfish will be released on August 26.

Picture This: Extraordinary Jane

Extraordinary Jane by Hannah E. Harrison

Jane's family is filled with the extraordinary: a mother that rides horses, a father who lifts elephants with his bare hands, brothers that shoot out of cannons, and sisters that walk tightropes. Yet Jane is just ordinary. Can she find a place in the circus with the rest of her family?

If you're wondering who Jane is, she's the plain little white dog on the cover. She tries to find ways to be extraordinary, but each attempt ends in humorous disaster. The text Harrison has composed is simple and understated, letting the illustrations do more of the telling of the story (and jokes). Harrison makes wonderful use of perspective and negative space throughout. The white backgrounds focus our attention on the illustrations, pacing, and well-placed text. Her paintings are detailed and expressive. And the story is very nice one.

Hannah E. Harrison has won a number of awards for her artwork, and not surprisingly, she specializes in animal subjects. I looked through her online portfolio to find fanciful portraits of animals, often in costume of some sort. She captures so much expression in the eyes and faces. Her style is ideal for children's books, and I look forward to seeing more from her in the future.

Recent Read: The Truth About Alice

The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu 

Everyone’s heard that Alice slept with two guys in one night at Elaine’s party. And one of them, dreamy star quarterback Brandon, has just died in a car accident. And everyone knows it was Alice's fault.

The Truth About Alice is told from four perspectives—social queen bee Elaine, former best friend of Alice (and wannabe popular girl) Kelsie, the beloved quarterback’s best friend Josh, and nerdy social pariah Kurt. Through these lenses, we start to get a picture of what really happened, how various lies and rumors get started, and who each of these people are individually. They look like stereotypes or categories, but Mathieu does an excellent job of forming distinct, well-rounded characters. There’s something relatable and human in each character’s story.

This might seem like a weird thing to say, seeing as how some of these people make a girl’s life miserable by lying to cover their own asses, to get ahead socially, or just because. The narration from each character is unflinching in its honesty. But they’re all people, with emotions and desires that are human (and dare I say sympathetic?). They justify their actions in ways that are all too familiar.

I should note that this is not Some Girls Are. It’s not the story of a cruel, relentless attack on Alice. And in there, amongst the selfishness is a story of friendship that’s sweet and meaningful.This is a good one for fans of 13 Reasons Why and  Before I Fall.

Picture This: Weasels

Weasels by Elys Dolan

You might think that weasels busy themselves eating, fighting with squirrels, and hiding in their weasel holes, but you would be wrong. "What they really do is...plot world domination!"

Do you really need to know any more than that? This book by English author illustrator Elys Dolan is hilarious. From the main plot of world domination foiled by technical difficulties ("Machine status: It's broken"), to the running gag of weasels drinking coffee and one particular weasel and his attachment to his drill, this is one fun read. The pages are filled with humor and fun details. Their leader even has a monocle!

And when they figure out what went wrong, you can go back and see it as it happens. It was there all along, you just didn't notice. Do they succeed in their goal? One need only look at the fantastic endpages to find out. Loved this one.

Did you see it yet?

♥

Loved it. Satisfying. Very faithful, great casting, entertaining,

Rollin Meerkats

watch the others

Recent Read: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Each time Lara Jeans falls in love, she writes the boy a letter to say goodbye. Then she tucks it away in a hatbox, never to be sent. But then the boys start receiving their letters.

Great premise, but it wasn't really what I expected. This little description doesn’t really provide a picture of what the story actually is. Lara Jean’s older sister, Margot leaves for college in Scotland as the book begins. Before leaving she breaks up with her long-time boyfriend, Josh—a boy that Lara Jean loved (and realizes she still does). So when he gets his letter, Lara Jean makes up a boyfriend to save face. She no longer has any interest in the fake boyfriend, (Peter, who also got a letter she had written in middle school), but they decide to keep the charade going for the sake of Josh and Peter’s new ex.

So that’s the set up. And I loved it…until the end. One of the best teen romances I’ve read…until the end. When it comes to romance, YA has a lot of passion, drama, sensitivity, and physical intimacy of different kinds. Jenny Han brings something to this story that I rarely see: humor and playfulness. It was a joy to read this. I felt like I was giggling and blushing along with the protagonist. They tease each other and make each other laugh and enjoy spending time together. It’s a bunch of little things that collect over time. It was nice to read something that felt so natural and fun.

Unfortunately, it was not without its problems. The voice was the first thing I noticed. She sounded 13, but she’s 16. She wasn’t especially emotional, which I found strange.

(spoiler-ish things ahead)
Then there's the biggest problem of all: right at the end something sours things for Lara Jean and _____. And they don’t really get resolved. On the final page we see Lara Jean intending to resolve things. But we don’t really get to see them together as a happy couple. I wanted to see that! I don’t want to rely on my own imagination! The ending was focused more on the sisters than the couple. And truth be told, I was a little unsatisfied with what happens between the sisters, too. I can’t imagine letting go of the things they did to each other that quickly and did Margot ever really get what Lara Jean was going through? I dunno. I’ve never had a sister, so maybe I can’t understand. I kept trying to change the story or resolve it in my head after I finished the book. All this build up and then…blah. Not only did the book feel unsettled, it made me feel unsettled, which I did not appreciate. (Though obviously if I had this kind of reaction, she succeeded very much in getting me involved and caring about the characters.)