Author: HCNewton Page 271 of 636

Ban This Book (Audiobook) by Alan Gratz, Bahni Turpin (Narrator): A Young Reader is Pushed into Action

DETAILS:
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Publication Date: August 29, 2017
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 5 hrs., 17 min.
Read Date: February 1-2, 2022

What’s Ban This Book About?

Amy Anne is a big reader—to those who don’t know her that well, that’s all they know about her. She spends a lot of time every day in her school library—they appear to have set certain rules because of her (there’s a limit to how often she can check out certain books in a row). One day she goes to check out her favorite book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, yet again, but it’s not there. Not because someone checked it out, but because one mother of another fourth-grader has got the school board to remove it—and a few others—from the library.

Now, it’s been a few decades since I read From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, but I don’t remember it really being the kind of book that ends up on banned lists. But maybe I’m naive—is this really a challenged book? I can understand why some groups want other books removed from required reading lists, etc.–I almost never agree, but I can see where someone might get the idea.

Also, I should note that this really does seem to be set in/around 2017 from some of the other titles, even if the book that sets the whole thing off is from 1968.

Amy Anne is livid, she’s confused, she’s bewildered—why would someone do this? She sets out to go to the next school board meeting, gets her parents to rearrange their schedule to get her there, writes up a statement, and then…is far too timid to read it, leaving the school librarian, Mrs. Jones, as the only opposition. (I’m less than impressed with her father’s reaction to this, but I understand it)

Amy Anne is mad at herself, mad at the school board, mad at that mother—and sets out to read every book on the list (although she changes her mind when she sees that one of them is a non-fiction work about s-e-x). A friend has access to one of the books, and she spends her savings on a couple of others. Apparently, Public Libraries aren’t an option? Her friends want to read those, and soon most of that challenged list is circulating in her social circle. Then the same mother gets another batch of books pulled—and Amy adds more to her list.

Eventually, she’s running a small, independent—and covert—lending library from her locker. Naturally, that can only last so long, or the book would be missing some conflict…and well, enough said about that.

The Role of Parents

The presence and role of parents in MG novels (YA novels, too) is tricky—especially when it comes to the protagonists doing things that aren’t approved of—for good or ill. Do you write the parents off somehow, do you make them incredibly authoritarian so that part of what the protagonists are rebelling against is that authority, do you get them to buy into/cheer on the activities? Those are, by and large, the options that authors seem to have to choose from. Few do what Gratz accomplished—you make them human, with regular strengths and flaws, supportive, but exercising actual authority in responsible ways.

The other aspect of parental authority in this book revolves around the reading material of the students. Amy Anne and Mrs. Jones are constantly repeating that parents should decide if their kids should read something for recreation. But the decision of one parent shouldn’t dictate what other kids can read. That’s an important distinction—and one this parent can get behind.

That Reminds Me:

Actually, Mrs. Jones and the kids support the idea that the librarian/school board/administration can choose to pull a book from circulation or not even let it start in the first place—but there’s a process. It shouldn’t just be one/a few parents demanding a book be removed—there needs to be consideration, deliberation, and thought involved. And then a book can be pulled—one at a time, after a process.

Gratz and his characters never call for an “all books are appropriate” approach, they just want it to be a careful process with input from various parties. I think that’s important to remember (and practice).

How About the Narration?

Bahni Turpin rocked this narration. I totally believed I was listening to a 4th grader recount the events of her life. She did a good job with the supporting characters, too—but she shined when she was giving us things from Amy Anne’s perspective. She captured the frustration of someone who was always fighting against her impulses to say what she wanted to say rather than what she thought was the right thing to say, or didn’t feel brave enough to do the right thing publicly. Yes, that’s clear in the text, but Turpin delivers it so that you don’t just know that’s what Amy Anne’s going through—you feel it and you believe it.

There’s a joy to Amy Anne and a sadness to her, and Turpin delivered the goods on both aspects.

I admit to a little confusion

Early on, Amy Anne rationalizes that it’s not the school lending them—these books haven’t been banned from the premises, it’s just that the school can’t provide them. A lot of the books in her library are privately owned, I don’t see why she gets in trouble for having and circulating them.

There are other, clear legal infractions involved—and I agree with the administration for coming down on her for that. But the rest? That feels a little wrong, and Amy Anne’s parents should have fought that.

So, what did I think about Ban This Book?

Beyond the message about banning books, this book is a celebration of what books can do—how they can inspire as well as entertain, comfort those who need it, rattle the perspective when necessary—to affect the reader in ways they can’t fully articulate or understand. All of that and more. The core of this book comes from the love Amy Anne has for some books, and that love grows to more as soon as she’s exposed to it.

I loved that—as well as the message about not allowing the conscience of one parent dictate to them all. The solution that Amy Anne and her friends come up with for the final encounter with the school board was pretty clever, and I really liked the way that Gratz set up and resolved the major hurdle to their plan.

Yes, it’s a little simple. Yes, the solution is a little pat and easy. Yes, the whole thing comes across like an after-school special (or whatever the contemporary equivalent is—I’d say a Disney Channel movie, but I guess that’s not a thing. A made-for-Disney+ movie?). But it’s not trying to be careful and nuanced, it’s a story directed at 8-11 year-olds (my guess), trying to inspire them in a certain direction as well as entertain. I got a very strong Lemonade Mouth-feel from this (the movie, not the book—I never got around to reading that), I realize that’s a reference that only works for readers/parents of a certain age, but I don’t know anything more contemporary.

It’s a celebration of freedom, of literature, of learning from your mistakes and sticking up for what you believe (even if you do it poorly at first). It’s about finding the courage to do the right thing, even when not expedient.

I’m guessing it was the apparent upsurge in School Book Bans that led my library to getting this audiobook, and I’m glad they did. It’s something that people should be reading about/thinking about/talking about. Hopefully, this book kicks off some of that in our area.

I really enjoyed this and figure most book lovers will, too.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Reposting Just Cuz: In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel Centered Life by Sinclair B. Ferguson

By HCNewton

On February 6, 2022

In Theology/Christian Living

I’ve been thinking about this book lately, and last night, I was so knackered that I couldn’t writ anything, so, I figured that it’d be nice to revisit this. Maybe someone else might want to think about it a bit.

—–

In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel Centered Life by Sinclair B. Ferguson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There’s not a lot of in-depth theology here, you won’t come away from this with a deep understanding of any one subject, or a few related ones. This is a compilation of fifty articles, grouped together by topic, which will enable you to gain a refresher on a spectrum of topics, or an introduction to ideas, concepts and texts that you want to come back to and study in the future. As such, it’s a really strong compilation and one that I’m glad I spent an afternoon with.

Don’t get me wrong — it’s not that I didn’t learn anything, or gain a deeper understanding of anything. But compared, say, to his The Holy Spirit or Pundits Folly, it’s (by design) not as in-depth. I thought his framing the book of Romans as a series of exchanges (e.g., man exchanging the truth of God for a lie; the gospel exchange of righteousness and justification instead of unrighteousness and condemnation) was very handy and something I’m trying to internalize. The chapters that followed it were a series of glimpses at the letter to the Hebrews, and now I want an entire book on that epistle by Ferguson.

In the section on “The Spirit of Christ,” he has a chapter called “When the Spirit Comes,” which is an examination of John 16:8-11.

And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

His thesis is that while, yes, there is a continuing relevance of these verses,

we miss their rich significance of we interpret them in a way that bypasses their historical context. In their original setting, these words constitute a prophecy of the Spirit’s work on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1 ff).
When we recognize this, we are able to fill out the content of the promise. But when we fail to recognize it, we are in danger of interpreting (and thus remolding and distorting) Scripture in the light of our own experience.

I’ve got to say, I’ve been guilty of this remolding and distorting until today, and will have to set to work on correcting my thinking.

On the whole, the book doesn’t feel too much like a collection if unrelated articles, rather than a book he set forth to write; and as such it doesn’t really suffer from being a compilation — though Part IV, “The Privileges of Grace,” is the weakest and most scattered. That said, the chapters from Part IV, “The Life of Faith” (on “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”) and “‘The Greatest of All Protestant Heresies’?” (on the doctrine of assurance) were very helpful and thought-provoking. So even at its weakest, this book rewards the reader.

Part V, “A Life of Wisdom,” is really a section on sanctification. But instead of the approach that is usually employed here, Ferguson focuses on the more internal sanctification that needs to happen to result in the external fruit. All of which could use some extended treatment by this author. Particularly, I found the chapter on discernment rich and one that I need to return to for further meditation. His extended look at Psalm 131 to show how to cultivate contentment is, naturally, valuable — Ferguson’s always at his best when discussing the Psalter.

The final chapters center on the idea of spiritual warfare — not the flashy, type that characterize so much evangelical writing on the topic. But the quieter, more difficult, and (dare I say) more Biblical approach — focusing on our sin, our need for mortification, or own worldliness.

The closing chapter on Sabbath rest is far too brief, but excellent. He reminds us that the Sabbath in creation was a “time for Adam to listen to all the Father had to show and tell about the wonders of His creating work,” — a “Father’s Day” every week. Which, of course, was ruined by the Fall, redeemed by Christ and will be fully enjoyed every day in Glory. Practically,

this view of the Sabbath helps us regulate the whole week. Sunday is “Father’s Day,” and we have an appointment to meet Him. The child who asks, “How short can the meting be?” has a dysfunctional relationship problem — not an intellectual, theological problem. Something is amiss in his fellowship with God.

There’s a lot to be mined here for devotional use, as well as a spring-board for future study.

Saturday Miscellany—2/5/22

By HCNewton

On February 5, 2022

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

I watched the first two episodes of Reacher yesterday—they weren’t perfect, but they were fun. Also, they used a song by Naked Blue’s album in the second episode, which almost makes up for not using one of their songs as the theme. I probably would’ve inadvertently binged the whole thing, but I have things to do today.

But you didn’t come here for that (maybe in a week or two, I will talk at length about it), you came here for this:

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet Print Sales Likely to Fall in 2022—The reasoning behind the prediction makes it seem less glum than the headline, but still…
bullet The Inside Story of the Banning of “Maus.” It’s Dumber Than You Think.: I read the minutes of the McMinn County, Tennessee, school board so you don’t have to.—there’s nothing to make this less glum
bullet Or this: Book Bans Are Targeting the History of Oppression
bullet How To Get Teenagers To Read Important Books—Whatever issues I may have with the author (and there are plenty), this was a fun read. Probably optimistic, but I’ll take it.
bullet Growing Up Surrounded by Books Could Have Powerful, Lasting Effect on the Mind: A new study suggests that exposure to large home libraries may have a long-term impact on proficiency in three key areas—I keep telling my kids they were lucky to be raised by me…
bullet Synthetic Voices Want to Take Over Audiobooks—this could really be a dystopic list this week…
bullet Here’s something fun: Sleuth Youths: Enduring lessons from three great junior detectives of literature
bullet Fantasy Focus: Comedic Fantasy- Featuring Claire Buss—there was one in this series yet to post when I pointed to the rest last week, might as well get this one in, too
bullet Humor in Books, and Other Places, Too! An Interview With H.C. Newton—This will not be the best entry in this series on Lockhaven’s blog, but it’s near and dear to my heart.
bullet Alternatives to Goodreads: TheStoryGraph
bullet Reading Tastes Evolve
bullet Part of your evolution may be seen in your take on this: Books Set in the Pandemic- yay or nay?!—I’ve heard authors opine on writing one, but little about readers wanting them. What do you think?
bullet You Don’t Have To Finish That Book You Aren’t Enjoying
bullet Anatomy of a Reading Slump—been a while since I’ve been in one, but there’s little worse (for a reader, that is—there are plenty of things objectively worse)

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
bullet Fiction Fans The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams—Every time I’ve listened to a podcast episode about this book, I’ve been annoyed/irritated/cheesed off by some/much of the discussion (well, except the Waterstones episode about the making of it)—and I usually end up talking back to the episode, frequently quoting the book to refute it. I clearly need a different hobby. But Lilly and Sara avoided that, and provided an interesting take on the book.

Things I learned from reading this week (that I can’t imagine finding a use for):
bullet The world’s first ATM was installed in 1967 in London. The US would get one two years later. I was under the impression those came around 15 or so years later.
Source: Go Back to Where You Came From by Wajahat Ali (verified because it made me curious)

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet The Goodbye Coast by Joe Ide—Ide reimagines Philip Marlowe in a contemporary LA. Color me curious.
bullet Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano—Finlay has to keep her husband alive, keep her shenanigans out of sight from the hunky detective, and finish her next book. Should be fun.
bullet The Employees by Olga Ravn, translated by Martin Aitken—The novel “chronicles the fate of the Six-Thousand Ship. The human and humanoid crew members complain about their daily tasks in a series of staff reports and memos. When the ship takes on a number of strange objects from the planet New Discovery, the crew becomes strangely and deeply attached to them, even as tensions boil toward mutiny, especially among the humanoids.”

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to EmmabBooks.com, who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger!

The Friday 56 for 2/4/22: MASH by Richard Hooker

By HCNewton

On February 4, 2022

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

RULES:
The Friday 56 Grab a book, any book.
Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
Find a snippet, short and sweet.
Post it.

When I started doing these, I imposed a rule on myself that I would only use a book that I was reading that week, but between ARCs and page 56s that didn’t work without context, I didn’t have anything this week (or, likely, next), and I like doing these. Rules are meant to be broken, right? So I started grabbing random books off my shelf—it took me three tries, apparently, page 56 is a popular one to leave blank.

A blast from the past this week.
from Page 56 of:
MASH

MASH by Richard Hooker

Dear Hawkeye:

As Dean of the College, I naturally remember you very well. In my job one has to take the bitter as well as the sweet, and I’ve had my share of both.

My natural expectation is that, if I accede to your request, I will soon have on my hands some illiterate seventy-year-old refugee from a leper colony. Despite the possibility of your having matured slightly in the last nine years, that is really what I expect.

However, this sort of thing is popular these days. If you feel your boy can do college work and if you can get him over here and supply him with a thousand dollars a year, we will give him a chance. Enclosed is an application for Ho-Jon to complete.

Sincerely,
James Lodge
Dean, Androscoggin College

Revenge of the Beast by Jack Meggitt-Phillips, Isabelle Follath (Illustrator): A Tale of Vengeance and Do-Goodery

By HCNewton

On February 4, 2022

In Fantasy, Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Revenge of the Beast

by Jack Meggitt Phillips, Isabelle Follath (Illustrator)

DETAILS:
Series: The Beast and the Bethany, #2
Publisher: Aladdin (US); Farshore (UK)
Publication Date: March 22, 2022 (US); September 30, 2021 (UK)
Format: eARC
Length: 272 pg.
Read Date: February 1-2, 2022

What’s Revenge of the Beast About?

At the end of The Beast and The Bethany, Bethany, Ebenezer, and Claudette (the Wintlorian purple-breasted parrot) were sure that The Beast was vanquished and they could start living their lives in a new direction.

They’re de-Beasting their lives—getting rid of just about everything that The Beast magicked into existence for Ebenezer over the centuries—and they’re devoting their energies to do-gooding. Bethany needs to make up to people for all her pranks, and Ebenezer has a lot of karmic debt to pay off (and Bethany’s pushing him). He also is doing what he can to stay off the radar of the organization that’s been chasing the Beast for more centuries than Ebenezer’s been alive. That’ll be easier to do without magic items laying around.

But as the title of this book suggests, they were wrong. The Beast isn’t done yet, and he’s out to get back at those three—and anyone else who happens to be in the general vicinity while he’s at it.

Their do-gooding efforts stumble, the items they tried to divest themselves of start to behave strangely—and dangerously—for their new owners. No matter what they attempt to do, something goes wrong. It’s time for some drastic measures.

Comparatively Speaking, are We Sure The Beast is the Worst?

There are a handful of new characters introduced in this book, which helps in a few ways—it shows how much Bethany has changed Ebenezer’s life by expanding his social world, and it adds a little flavor to the series. But there are three new characters* in particular I want to single out: The Cussocks. Mr. and Mrs. Cussock run the theater that plays a significant role in the novel and their daughter, Gloria. Gloria reminds me of the TV version of Nellie Oleson, without the redeeming characteristics. Nellie knew how she should act and just didn’t care. I don’t think Gloria knows how she should act, she’s pure id. Once you get to know her parents, a bit, you start to see why. I’m not going to get into it, but just know that Gloria lives in the same orphanage that Bethany used to live in, because they just can’t stand her (and have no problem letting everyone—including her—know that).

* I’m pretty sure they’re new, they may have played minor roles in the first book. But I don’t think so, and I’m too lazy to check..

It’d be easy in a book like this to make The Beast the epitome of all evil, and every human and animal nothing more than a potential victim. Bethany and Ebenezer have some restitution to do and need to reform, but they’re trying. But as long as people like the Cussocks are around, the reader has to remember that people are capable of the same kind of evil as The Beast is. They don’t have magic to help, and they don’t get their sustenance from eating humans—which almost makes it worse, you could make a pragmatic argument for a lot of what The Beast does. But the Cussocks don’t have that going for them.

(but to be clear, all four of them are truly reprehensible characters)

True Horror: The Food

Sure, there’s a magic being eating people, producing magical items, and inflicting all sorts of psychological damage; a possibly sociopathic little girl inflicting pain on her peers; and a centuries-old man wandering around in this book. But the true horror? The food designed by Bethany and others.

Bethany considers herself a sandwich artist. No, she’d probably be inclined to add the “e,” she’s a sandwich artiste. Some of the flavor combinations she comes up with would make me run start swallowing Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans by the handful without wondering/caring what flavors they’d be. They’re fully at the intersection of incredibly imaginative and incredibly unappealing.

It’s the kind of humor that an MG reader is practically guaranteed to enjoy.

Illustrations

I’m pretty sure neither of these books would be as successful without the contributions of Isabelle Follath. Her illustrations—sort of a mash-up of Eugene Yelchin, Quentin Blake, and Jules Feiffer—are attractive, eye-catching, and augment the text without being a distraction. I made more notes than usual about liking the artwork in this novel. Rather than further demonstrate how poorly I describe art, I’ll just say that her stuff is great and leave it at that.

So, what did I think about Revenge of the Beast?

I know when I posted about The Beast and The Bethany, I was aware that it was the first of a series, but I have to tell you, I thought it made a great stand-alone book. So much so that I forgot there were more books to come, I got this one primarily out of curiosity about how Meggitt-Phillips would approach this, rather than a curiosity about the characters or story. I was satisfied with where the first book left things.

That said, if you’re going to write an unnecessary sequel, this is the way you want to do it. Give some good backstory about the antagonist and one of the protagonists, and help the reader understand how they got started five centuries ago. Then while you’re doing that, show how everything you thought happened at the end of the first book wasn’t at all what was going on—so we need to read the sequel. It was really well-conceived in that way. But given the two that exist, we definitely need a third (which is, thankfully, on the way)

I think it’s best if I think of this in two different ways, it’s a creative way to tell this story, the morals are there for those who want to see them (again), but are easily ignored if that’s what the reader prefers. The humor is a bit subtler this time out, but it’s just as funny if you’re looking for it. I was honestly surprised by a couple of plot developments, too. But…it just didn’t work as well for me as its predecessor. Like I said with And Your Enemies Closer, a lot of that is likely just the way second novels in a trilogy strike me. But I don’t think it’s all of the reason why. I think it’s probably a function of separating (for good and understandable reasons of plot) Ebenezer and Bethany for so much of the book. The series is stronger when they’re together.

On the other hand, if I got this book when I was in Fifth Grade? I’d really dig it, and it would earn a spot in my Roald Dahl-Daniel M. Pinkwater-Norton Juster re-read cycle, right alongside The Beast and The Bethany, and I’d get it read at least four more times before the third volume is released. Since that guy is the one that Meggitt-Phillips is writing for, not the guy with four adult children—I figure that’s good enough.

At least three of my four kids would’ve loved this when they were the right age (and it’s possible that the fourth one would’ve, too)—and I’m willing to bet that whatever parents are reading this would find similar results in their homes. They should pick this up and see.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided, via Netgalley and Farshore.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Revenge of the Beast by Jack Meggitt-Phillips, Isabelle Follath (Illustrator)

By HCNewton

On February 4, 2022

In Book Tour, Fantasy, Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

I’m very pleased and excited today to welcome The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour for Revenge of the Beast Jack Meggitt-Phillips and illustrated by Isabelle Follath. It’s the follow up to their delightful The Beast and The Bethany, which you really should read if you haven’t. I’ll be posting my take on the novel in a bit here, but for now, let’s learn a bit about it.

Book Details:

Book Title: Revenge of the Beast by Jack Meggitt-Phillips, Isabelle Follath (Illustrator)
Release date: March 22, 2022 (US); September 30, 2021 (UK)
Publisher: Aladdin (US); Farshore (UK)
Format: Hardcover/Paperback/Ebook/Audiobook
Length: 288 pages

Book Blurb:

Lemony Snicket meets Roald Dahl in this riotously funny, deliciously macabre, and highly illustrated sequel to The Beast and the Bethany in which Bethany and Ebenezer try to turn over a new leaf, only to have someone—or something—thwart them at every turn.

Once upon a very badly behaved time, 511-year-old Ebenezer kept a beast in his attic. He would feed the beast all manner of objects and creatures and in return the beast would vomit him up expensive presents. But then the Bethany arrived.

Now notorious prankster Bethany, along with her new feathery friend Claudette, is determined that she and Ebenezer are going to de-beast their lives and Do Good. But Bethany finds that being a former prankster makes it hard to get taken on for voluntary work. And Ebenezer secretly misses the beast’s vomity gifts. And neither of them are all that sure what “good people” do anyway.

Then there’s Claudette, who’s not been feeling herself recently. Has she eaten something that has disagreed with her?

Book Links:

Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Goodreads

About the Author:

Jack Meggitt-Phillips is an author, scriptwriter, and playwright whose work has been performed at The Roundhouse and featured on Radio 4. He is scriptwriter and presenter of The History of Advertising podcast. In his mind, Jack is an enormously talented ballroom dancer, however his enthusiasm far surpasses his actual talent. Jack lives in north London where he spends most of his time drinking peculiar teas and reading P.G. Wodehouse novels.

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

Mike Nero and the Superhero School by Natasha Carlow, Kyle Stephen (Illustrator): A First Day at a Great School

By HCNewton

On February 3, 2022

In YA/MG/Children's Books

Mike Nero and the Superhero School

by Natasha Carlow, Kyle Stephen (Illustrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: Kat Biggie Press
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
Format: eARC
Length:36 pg.
Read Date: February 2, 2022

What’s Mike Nero and the Superhero School About?

Mike Nero has had to leave his school, for reasons not explained—but we are told he’s worried his new school would be like it, and it’s suggested he didn’t have friends there. But hopefully, that’s going to change here.

His parents accompany him to the first day of school where he’s met by the principal, Mr. Joseph, and taken on a tour around the school and where he meets a handful of his new classmates and peers.

Mike meets one child with Autism, a blind boy, a few deaf kids—and so on. He asks some questions of them, and gets answered by them or Mr. Joseph. Mike takes all this in the way you hope someone would (and too rarely see)—he’s not just a good example, it turns out that Mike has challenges of his own to deal with.

The Illustrations

I was impressed by the illustrations—they’re the level of cute that you want in a Picture Book while the people look like people, not cartoons—and the illustrations are clear about the various challenges that these characters have. The colors are vibrant and realistic at the same time, too.

A couple of those sentences seem redundant, but I guess I’m trying to stress the nice combination and balance here.

I really appreciated when I went back through looking at the pictures how Stephen hinted at the reveal about Mike throughout but held off until the right moment to fully show it.

So, what did I think about Mike Nero and the Superhero School?

The twist that the book puts on the conditions and diagnoses the children have is that this equips them with superpowers—the students who use sign language are seen as having a special language, the blind boy has a “magic cane,” and so on. It helps Mike understand his new peers and frames the way Mr. Johnson wants him to think about his own challenges. The more I think about it, the more I like it.

I thought the moral was maybe laid on a little thick. But I’m not sure that’s true, I doubt the target audience would agree with me—in fact, they might need it that thick. So I guess this is a warning for parents, be ready for this, but the kid you read this with won’t mind.

This was a sweet read, I liked it and would encourage parents/teachers/etc. to grab this.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

My thanks to Love Books Group for the invitation to participate in this Blitz.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Mike Nero and the Superhero School by Natasha Carlow, Kyle Stephen (Illustrator)

By HCNewton

On February 3, 2022

In Book Tour, Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

This morning I’m pleased to welcome the Book Tour for Natasha Carlows’s Mike Nero and the Superhero School. In a little bit here, I’ll be posting my take on the book, but for now, let’s learn a little about the book.

Book Details:

Book Title: Mike Nero and the Superhero School by Natasha Carlow, Kyle Stephen (Illustrator)
Publisher: Kat Biggie Press ‎
Release date: February 1, 2022
Age: 5 – 8 years
Format: Ebook/Paperback
Length: 36 pages

Book Blurb:

“Can I tell you something about this school? You see this isn’t a regular school. This is a superhero school…”

First days can be tough, especially for someone as shy as Mikey but Mikey’s new school is a little different. On his first day, he meets his principal and some incredible children who help him discover his own superpower within and he learns that no matter what we may look like on the outside, everyone has something that makes them valuable.

Can Mikey learn to use his newfound superpower to make his school a better place for all students?

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK ~ Amazon US

About the Author:

Natasha is a wife and mother of two amazing rainbow babies. She resides in Trinidad and Tobago, where she works as an Itinerant Counsellor working in Youth and Guidance. She is the author of the award-winning Happy Tears and Rainbow Babies, which tells the story of how faith brought healing and hope to her family after the pain and loss of miscarriages. Her experience with grief and loss moved her to create avenues for other families in her country experiencing similar things. She is a contributing writer at pregnancyafterlosssupport.org and Her View from Home. Inspired by her son, Natasha wrote her newest book MIke Nero and the Superhero School which focuses on a young boy with special needs and how he comes to discover the superhero within himself. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking fancy restaurant meals at home and eating them in her pajamas.

www.natashacarlow.com

My thanks to Love Books Group for the invitation to participate in this Blitz.

WWW Wednesday, February 2, 2022

By HCNewton

On February 2, 2022

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

Yes, it’s the first WWW of that month where I have to look at the name at least three times after I spell it to be sure…(I don’t remember the last time I misspelled it, but it just never looks right).

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading the sequel to The Beast and the Bethany, Revenge of the Beast by Jack Meggitt-Phillips. I’m listening to the timely Ban This Book by Alan Gratz, Bahni Turpin (Narrator) on audiobook.

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What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Adam Shaw’s The Jackals and Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach (Narrator) on audio.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Up next are a couple of books that might be worth reading for the titles alone. My next book should be Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American by Wajahat Ali. My next audiobook should be A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher, Patricia Santomasso (Narrator).

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Hit me with your Three W’s in the comments! (no, really, do it!)

Catch-Up Quick Takes: I Don’t Have Much to Say About these Recent Books

By HCNewton

On February 2, 2022

In Audiobook, Chet and Bernie, Dogs, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Spencer Quinn, Urban Fantasy

The point of these quick takes posts is to catch up on my “To Write About” stack—emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness.

The Sentence is Death

by Anthony Horowitz, Rory Kinnear (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: A Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery, #2
Publisher: HarperAudio
Publication Date: May 27, 2019
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 8 hrs., 36 min.
Read Date: December 22-23, 2021

(the official blurb)
A notorious divorce lawyer is bludgeoned with an expensive bottle of wine and Horowitz finds himself dragged away from his day job by Hawthorne to chronicle the investigation.

Hawthorne seems to be more disagreeable this time out—almost like he was trying to be off-putting. Horowitz (the character) is a decent source of comic relief as he struggles to prove himself.

The mystery was pretty compelling—and while I think I got it before the duo (well, before Horowitz, anyway), it was a bit trickier than the first. All in all, it’s a fun listen.
3 Stars

The Iggy Chronicles, Volume One

by Spencer Quinn

DETAILS:
Series: Chet and Bernie
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: August 13, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition
Length: 49 pg.
Read Date: December 30, 2021

(the official blurb)
I’ve had this short Chet & Bernie story on my Kindle for ages, I think I started it a few times but got distracted quickly. Which makes no sense, because it’s not like it took too long to read.

It’s a fast read featuring Chet’s buddy, Iggy, and Bernie’s neighbor, Mr. Parsons. Bernie’s sharper than ever and he makes quick work of the mystery the duo literally stumbles into. It’s not a must-read, but it’s a fun one.
3 Stars

Zoth-Avarex’s Escape Plan: A Pick-Your-Own-Path Experience

by K.R.R. Lockhaven

DETAILS:
Series: Zoth-Avarex, #2
Publication Date: June 13, 2021
Format: Kindle Edition
Length: 43 pg.
Read Date: December 31, 2021

(the official blurb)
Not surprisingly, Zoth-Avarex, was not happy being thwarted The Conjuring of Zoth-Avarex, and he wants revenge. Lockhaven presents this quest in a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style. Without, it should be stressed, being so close to the style as to infringe on any trademarks or anything.

I laughed at this, it was truly ridiculous. I don’t know that this is the sequel I wanted/expected, but I’m glad we got it.
3 Stars

Dogtology: Live. Bark. Believe.

by Jeff Lazarus

DETAILS:
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
Publication Date: June 2, 2015
Format: Hardcover
Length: 189 pg.
Read Date: December 30-31, 2021

(the official blurb)
The central conceit here is that humans are so obsessed with their dogs, have devoted so much time, energy, and work that it’s become a religion, with humans worshipping canines. This book is a look at that devotion and the rituals and beliefs that accompany it.

When this book sticks to poking fun at the obsessive nature of dog owners, and having fun with the nature of dogs, it’s pretty amusing. But it treads a little too close to mocking actual religion for me to get excited about it.

I’m not sure I laughed at all, but it’s frequently funny.
3 Stars

Gone Missing

by Linda Castillo, Kathleen McInerney (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: Kate Burkholder, #4
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: June 18, 2012
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length:10 hrs., 8 min.
Read Date: January 3-5, 2022

(the official blurb)
Hey, Castillo found a way to get Kate out of town to investigate a crime involving the Amish. This has been my biggest (or one of my biggest) concerns with the series, that at the rate things were going, the Amish in her community would all die before we got to book 10.

There is a string of Amish youth going missing—enough that it’s got the attention of the state to assemble a Task Force—Kate Burkholder and John Tomasetti are recruited to be part of it.

What they end up finding is pretty disturbing, but a little less disturbing than the last couple. I like where the series is finding itself and can see me sticking around for a little longer than I feared I might have.
3 Stars

Two Witches and a Whiskey

by Annette Marie, Cris Dukehart (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound Series, #3
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Publication Date: February 27, 2019
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 8 hrs., 9 min.
Read Date: January 11-12, 2022

(the official blurb)
Okay, this is more like it, a very good way to bounce back from the last book which was a bit of a disappointment to me. I wasn’t terribly worried about the series—I have a friend who’s further ahead of me (I think she’s done), and I assume she wouldn’t have recommended it if there was a problem.

Tori and her friends get themselves tied up in a big ol’ mess that will result in Tori dying unless they can pull off the impossible, or at least the incredibly unlikely.

The police (both real and supernatural) are lurking around the edges, the druid she met last time is back, and we learn a bit about Kai’s past and background. A fun story and some good character growth.
3 Stars

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from any of them, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.