Let's Do Nothing! by Tony Fucile

Book Jacket

Meet Frankie and Sal, two boys who've done it all.  They've played every board game.  They've read every comic book.  They've painted a zillion pictures. 

What's left to do?

Just when it seems they will collapse from boredom, Sal gets a brilliant idea.  What about doing nothing?

But is it possible--can two boys do ten whole seconds of nothing?

Hold your breath and get ready for this laugh-out-loud romp created by feature film animator and debut picture-book artist Tony Fucile.

Review

I remember having the "What do you want to do?"  "I dunno, what do you want to do?" conversation many a time with friends, but I don't think we ever decided to do nothing.  Probably that would have cured our boredom, if Sal and Frankie are an example to go by.

I loved this book because it proved that the imagination cannot be stopped by something as simple as doing nothing.  It's when we try to shut our brains off that the best ideas come into being, whether it's realizing King Kong is climbing up our side or pigeons are roosting on our head.

But the my favorite part of Let's Do Nothing is the illustrations.  Tony Fucile worked as an animator for Lion King, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles, and his expertise shows.  The pictures are effortlessly emotive.  I would probably use some of the pages for wall art.  Okay, maybe not, but I did love them a lot.

Five out of five overactive imaginations.

Release Date:  May 2009
Reading Level:  Grade K+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection:  MONARCH

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Book Jacket

"The Trunchbull" is no match for Matilda!  Who put superglue in Dad's hat?  Was it really a ghost that made Mom tear out of the house?  Matilda is a genius with idiot parents--and she's having a great time driving them crazy.  But at school things are different.  At school there's Miss Trunchbull, two hundred menacing pouds of kid-hating headmistress.  Get rid of the Trunchbull and Matilda would be a hero.  But that would take a superhuman genius, wouldn't it?

Review

There is a reason Roald Dahl's books are kid's classics, and that reason is his combination of whimsy, dark humor, and kids being awesome (and awesomer than most of the adults).  Matilda is a fun read about a little girl and an older girl who grew up in horrible situations.  Through the littler one's genius and master pranks, they live together happily ever after. 

I have to admit I'm not fond of the magic eyeballs.  Despite Miss Honey's pat explanation (you weren't using your brain enough!), it seemed unnecessary.  I would have liked to see Matilda outsmart Miss Trunchbull on her own power, which I have no doubt she could have.

Still, the story is often hilarious, and library's come out on top, so I've got to be a fan of that.

Three out of five newts.

Release Date:  October 1988
Reading Level:  Grade 3+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection:  J DAH


Don't believe me?  Check out these reviews of Matilda:

Between the Covers
Friendly Book Nook

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

Book Jacket

Nya is going to the pond to fetch water for her family--there and back, twice.  She walks for eight hours every day.

Salva is walking away from his ruined village to find safety--if there is any safety in his war-torn homeland.  His journey across Africa to Ethiopia and then to Kenya and beyond will take many years.

Two young people...two stories.

One country: Sudan.

This mesmerizing dual narrative by Newbery medalist Linda Sue Park shows us that in a troubled country, determined survivors may find the future they are hoping for.

Review

A Long Walk to Water is deceptively simple.  It is short and its words are direct and elementary.  But the story told within its pages will grip your heart.  The complexity of many African country's problems is laid out plainly.  War and corrupt governments and disease all stem from a lack of basic necessities: namely, water. 

When your only water source is miles away, all children cannot attend school to get the education they deserve.  When your only water source is limited, feuds and deadly battles are fought for the right not to die of thirst.  When your only water source is muddy and contaminated, diseases run rampant.  And when your only medical source is hundreds of miles away, people die.

The dual stories complement each other wonderfully, and despite all the bleak and horrific events, this book manages to end with an optimistic view of the future.  A future that we, you and I, can be a part of.  Building wells will not solve all of Africa's problems.  But it can do a lot to freeing up people's time and energy that they normally exert on simply surviving.

If you are interested in donating money to organizations that drill wells in Africa, these are two that I have supported in the past (Blood Water Mission and WorldVision).

Five out of five cups of water.

Release Date:  November 2010
Reading Level:  Grade 6+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection: YPL PAR


Don't believe me?  Check out these reviews of A Long Walk to Water:

Murdoch's Musings
Bookish Blather

Storm Runners by Roland Smith

Book Jacket

Chase Masters and his father are storm runners racing across the country in pursuit of hurricans, tornadoes, and floods.  Anywhere bad weather strikes, they are not far behind.  Chase is learning more on the road than he ever would just sitting in a classroom.  But when the hurricane of the century hits, he will be tested in ways he never could have imagined.

Review

I was lent this book by a teacher friend, and after reading it, I want to both hug and slap her.  Hug because obviously, it was really good.  But I also want to slap her because, despite her warning, the cliffhanger was super annoying!  Why make a 150 page book into a trilogy?  Just make it longer!  I will not mind!

My annoyance is only proof that Storm Runners is really good.  The effects of lightning striking people (other than death, which is less interesting and more sad) is truly fascinating, and I liked seeing Chase's father's new quirks.  Similarly, people who run into storms instead of out of them are also fascinating.  They are crazy and probably a little suicidal, but they are not short on the interesting.

But this book doesn't just deal with weather catastrophes.  There are circus animals (pregnant elephants!  pet monkeys!  potentially dangerous leopards!) and family strains and a couple subtle potential romances.  People rise to the occasion as heroes and collapse in fear and grief. 

The story ends in the eye of the storm, and I cannot wait to see what happens when the second half crashes into Chase, his new friends, and his father.  Will they be reunited?  Will everyone survive?  Will the leopard eat them all, or will an alligator get in on the action too?  Inquiring minds are desperate to know!

Four out of five bus crashes.

Release Date:  March 2011
Reading Level:  Grade 3+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection:  YPL SMI

Don't believe me?  Check out these reviews of Storm Runners:

Readingjunky
Random Chalk Talk

Bridget's Beret by Tom Lichtenheld

Book Jacket

Bridget loves to draw, and she likes to wear a beret for inspiration.  So when her beloved hat blows away, Bridget searches for it high and low.  She files a Missing Beret Report.  She even considers other hats, but none of them feel quite right.  It's no use; without her beret, Bridget can't seem to draw.  How will she overcome her artist's block?

Review

I like to write/draw/paint as a hobby, so I can completely relate to Bridget's artist's block.  However, I am a little jealous that a lemonade stand was all it took to get her back to creating.  Of course I'm also jealous of her adorably clever lemonade posters, which are knockoffs of Van Gogh and Uncle Sam.  There are nods to art throughout the book.  My favorite was the reference to her "permanent exhibit" (the refrigerator) and her "limited viewing" (in sidewalk chalk). 

This is a great book for kids and adults, reminding us that creativity isn't bound to any special hat or place or object.  Art can happen anywhere with anything!

Four out of five paintbrushes.

Release Date:  April 2010
Reading Level:  Grade K+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection:  MONARCH

The Girl Who Was on Fire edited by Leah Wilson

Book Jacket

Burning for more of the Hunger Games?

Katniss Everdeen's adventures may have come to an end, but her story continues to blaze in the hearts of millions worldwide.

In The Girl Who Was on Fire, thirteen YA authors take you back to Panem with moving, dark, and funny pieces on Katniss, the Games, Gale and Peeta, reality TV, survival, and more.

-How does the way the Games affect the brain explain Haymitch's drinking, Annie's distraction, and Wiress' speech problems?
-What does the rebellion have in common with the War on Terror?
-Why isn't the answer to "Peeta or Gale?" as interesting as the question itself?
-What should Panem have learned from the fates of other hedonistic societies throughout history--and what can we?

Review

There's almost no point in me telling you how awesome this book is.  If you love the Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy and like to analyze and think about your favorite stories, then you will also adore The Girl Who Was on Fire.  If you like to leave stories as they are without deeper thinking, then you might as well leave this one alone.

But me?  I loved getting back into the world of Panem.  I loved hearing about other people's love for the story and for Katniss.  I loved understanding how Collins' post-apocalyptic world is far more similar to our own than is comfortable.  I loved sharing in the joy of talking books with other people, even if this was definitely one-sided.

My favorite essays:  "Team Katniss,"  "Crime of Fashion,"  "The Inevitable Decline of Decadence," and "Community in the Face of Tyranny."

Five out of five fan essays.

Release Date:  April 2011
Reading Level:  Grade 7+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection:  Not yet owned by the Dunlap Library.

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick

Book Jacket

In this award-winning page-turner, twelve-year-old orphan Homer runs away from Pine Swamp, Maine, to find his older brother who has been sold into the Union Army.  With laugh-out-loud humor, Homer outwits and outruns a colorful assortment of Civil War-era thieves, scallywags, and spies as he makes his way south, following clues that finally lead him to Gettysburg.  Even through a hail of gunfire, Homer never loses heart--but will he find his brother?  Or will it be too late?

Review

I've never been hugely interested in the Civil War, but Homer has changed my mind.  Seeing the war from a twelve-year-old's perspective (as well as from the abolitionists, the slave catchers, and the everyday people he runs into) made the war far more relatable and devastating than any textbook could.

Homer is a fascinating boy, best summed up by Mrs. Bean, "Never thought a boy could be good and a liar, too.  But you are."  His lies are hilarious, and seeing people either fall for them or call him out on them is equally funny.  His stories are tall tales, life made more interesting and more epic.  I would love to hang out with him and hear him recount our adventures with a little extra flair.

Because we would definitely have adventures.  This kid is kidnapped, mistaken for a pigboy, and escapes in a hot air balloon.  He even manages to participate in the harrowing battle of Gettysburg.

I can definitely understand why Philbrick's book has been nominated for the Caudill award.  It's fantastic.

Five out of five bonds of brothers.

Release Date:  January 2009
Reading Level:  Grade 5+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection:  CAUDILL


Don't believe me?  Check out these reviews of The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg:

Civil War Novels
Challenging the Bookworm