Graphic Novel Review: Giant Trouble (Hamster Princess #4) by Ursula Vernon

Giant Trouble (Hamster Princess #4) by  Ursula Vernon
Publisher:   Dial Books
Format:  Hardcover
Number of Pages: 250
Published:  May 9th, 2017  
Source:  Library

Opening Lines:  "Harriet Hamsterbone was dripping wet and shivering with cold, and she had never been happier."

Giant Trouble is a twist on the Jack and the Beanstalk tale with Harriet being approached by a chipmunk who's trying to trade three of his magical beans for Harriet's faithful battle quail and best friend, Mumfrey.  Now anyone who knows Princess Harriet could guess that she would never exchange Mumfrey for any price, but apparently, the chipmunk salesman thinks his offer is too good to pass up on.  He's also not very knowledgeable about quails either cause you really shouldn't be waving beans in front of Mumfrey because he'd surely eat one.  Which is of course exactly what happens.  Frustrated by the loss of one of his magical beans the chipmunk disappears in a puff of smoke leaving poor Mumfrey with some stomach troubles.  The next morning, Harriet awakens to find a huge beanstalk extending up into the clouds and the sounds of harp music being played.  Upon climbing up the beanstalk to investigate, she finds a Harpster (half hamster, and half harp) named Strings and a giant goose being held captive by a very large Giant Lop-eared rabbit.  Harriet even promises Strings that she will help them escape.  

I'm always excited when one of Ursula Vernon's books gets nominated for the Cybils, they're so much fun to read and I don't usually get around to reading many graphic novels so it's always a treat.  In addition to Giant Trouble,  Ratpunzel was also nominated, but there were too many holds on it at the library so it will be awhile before I get to it.  I guess that's an indication of how popular the book series is.  I love how Harriet isn't a typical princess, she's adventurous and daring climbing up the beanstalk, even when's she's facing down the Giant.  Vernon's stories are always filled with laughs and I especially enjoy how she twists these tales often in amusing ways.  Like Mumfrey eating the bean and then providing the fertilizer so it can grow into the giant beanstalk.  Such fun.  

*Giant Trouble  has been nominated for the Cybils award and my review reflects my personal opinion, not the opinion of the Cybils committee.*

MG Folktale Review: Tokoyo, The Samurai's Daughter by Faith L. Justice

Tokoyo, The Samurai's Daughter by Faith L. Justice
Illustrated by:  Kayla Gilliam
Publisher:   Raggedy Moon Books
Format:  Paperback
Number of Pages: 111
Published:  May 28th, 2017  
Source: In exchange for an honest review, a review copy was received from the publisher.
Opening Lines:  "I put the last oyster in the net bag attached to my belt and clasped my knife between my teeth. "



Tokoyo is the daughter of a samurai in medieval Japan during the fourteenth-century.  When her father is falsely accused of cursing the local Regent Hojo Takatoki and banished to the Oki Islands far away, Tokoyo is determined to find and clear his name. 


The story begins with Tokoyo coming up from a long dive of collecting oysters with the Ama, "women of the sea" or pearl divers.  Among her catch is a pearl of "great worth,"  which she gifts to the Ama to thank them for allowing her to dive and training her.   Later in the story, this generosity is repaid when the Ama take her in after her father is arrested and their home and wealth are seized.  In addition, a corrupt minister claims all of Tokoyo's belongings except for some clothing and a knife she was able to barter for by giving him some of her deceased mother's jewelry.  Several months go by as Tokoyo lives and works with the Ama collecting oysters,  her father always on her mind.  When her concerns about not receiving any word about his safety become too deep, Tokoyo sets out across the ocean traveling from village to village in the nearby islands searching for her beloved father.  Everyone she meets has either not seen him or is unwilling to risk angering the Regent by telling her his whereabouts.  While on one of the islands, Tokoyo comes across a priest about to sacrifice a young girl to appease the sea demons and she offers to take the girls place instead.  Tokoyo plans to dive into the ocean and kill the sea demon or die trying.  


According to the author's note, Tokoyo was inspired by a Japanese folktale called "The Tale of the Oki Islands" from the book,  Best-Loved Folktales of the World.  The story held a special meaning to the author so she was inspired to trace the origin of the original story, which it turns out was a collection of stories from Ancient Tales and Folk-lore from Japan written by Richard Gordon Smith.  Also according to the authors note, the original story featured Tokoyo's father as the "hero" of the story but the author instead wanted to write a story about an adventurous girl who battles a sea demon to save her father.  Tokoyo is both strong-willed and talented having learned how to dive and through her samurai training from her father.  Just by looking at the cover you can see the determination in her eyes.  She is also quite brave and a lovely heroine and the one who ultimately wields her dagger killing the sea demon.  Tokoyo also manages to free her father by finding the actual culprit that cursed the Regent, thus winning his freedom.  There are lovely black and white illustrations by Kayla Gilliam and I especially enjoyed the addition of the Cultural notes which provided the definition of the Japanese words used in the story as well as the Author's note at the end of the book.  While the story had the length and feel of a folktale, I did wish the ending wouldn't have been so sudden as I really liked Tokoyo's spirit and love for her father and would've enjoyed learning more about her.    

   *Tokoyo, The Samurai's Daughter  has been nominated for the Cybils award and my review reflects my personal opinion, not the opinion of the Cybils committee.*

MG Historical Fantasy Review: Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr

Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr
Publisher: Pajama Press
Format:  Hardcover
Number of Pages: 408
Publishing:  October 27th,   2017
Source: In exchange for an honest review, a review copy was received from the publisher.

Why I wanted to read this:  Wendy Orr is the author of Nim's Island, which I've read and enjoyed and once I read the premise of Dragonfly Song I was intrigued by how it is based on the legend of King Minos of Crete. and the Minoan civilization.  

    
 Aissa was born with an extra thumb on each wrist, which her mother the priestess claims makes her an "imperfect" child, not fit to follow in her footsteps of singing to the snakes.  When the chief takes it upon himself to remove the child's imperfections, he ends up dying the very next day.   The priestess sees this as a bad omen and summons her wise-woman to take the baby away and offer her to the God's.   Keyla instead takes Aissa to farmers, where she is happy living with Mama, Dada and her sister Zufi until raiders attack the farmhouse.  Sensing the danger, Mama hides Aissa, telling her to stay quiet, "don't make a sound."  Aissa is so very young and takes Mama's words literally and doesn't speak a word again.  Mute and alone,  Aissa is finally rescued and unfortunately given to an unsympathetic Aunt, who feels she's cursed, and abandon's her at the priestesses Great Hall.  Aissa is to become a servant in the Lady's kitchen.  Meanwhile, The Bull King has come to the island with an offer to the Lady and her new chief,  in return for supplies and one thirteen-year-old boy and girl as tributes in his bull dances each year, he will provide protection from the Raiders.  If the tributes can survive, they will be returned to the island and no further tributes will be selected.  At the age of twelve, Aissa is cast out of the kitchen by the other staff for being seen as bad luck.  Left all alone,  she see's her only means of survival to offer herself as the next tribute for the Bull King.    
   
 Dragonfly Song is written in two parts, Book One chronicles Aissa's early life and events leading to her decision to become a tribute to the Bull King.  Aissa deals with lots of loss at an early age, and even becomes a slave within the priestesses Hall where she is further bullied, spit on, teased and given the nickname of No Name.  When she somehow summons dragonflies around her, she is banished, left to starve and ends up hiding among the rocks surrounding the sanctuary.  She spends her days spying on the villagers, the priestess performing her snake singing and scavenging for food.   Aissa's one longing is to be free and I wanted this for her as well.  Dragonfly Song is written in both free verse and prose,  which I thought was an interesting choice at first,  yet Orr's transitions come together smoothly, developing Aissa's character and giving insights into her inner thoughts.  Aissa was so resilient and even a bit silently rebellious, which I really appreciated about her character.  My favorite moment occurred after she was bullied by two of the servants and her new outfit ruined, Aissa then snuck into the Lady's washroom where she took a long luxurious warm bath, despite what the consequences would be if she were caught.  Kindness was something Aissa never received in her first twelve years of life, and even when she does receive some from fellow tribute Luki or the goat herder's daughter,  it's foreign and something she shy's away from.  Yet, despite everything she grows into this strong girl determined to win her freedom and show everyone what she is capable of.    

The second part of the story begins with Aissa traveling to the Bull King's island and her training to become an acrobat in the bull-dancing games.  Things don't necessarily get easier for her there but she does make friendships and everyone shares in the desire to make it out of the games alive.  And oh how the games were dangerous.  Essentially, they grab this charging bull by the horns and try to flip over their back without getting impaled, all to honor the Bull King.  Thrilling to say the least.  The second part of the book went by very quickly, and before I knew it was over, but what a fascinating look at the Minoan civilization's culture, religious practices, with the priestess performing her snake singing, the ways that they celebrated the changing of seasons and the practice of offering tributes to King Minos.   This is a picture I found online to give you an idea of what the bull dancers looked like.  

By ChrisO at English Wikipedia, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7480255

Dragonfly Song Blog Tour: Guest Post with author Wendy Orr

I'm really excited today to be a part of the blog tour for Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr.    Be sure to check out all the other tour stops at the bottom of the post with links to author interviews, book playlists, guest posts and reviews.  I'll also be posting my review later in the day, so feel free to stop by and check it out.  

Hardcover, 408 pages

Expected Publication:  October 27th, 2017
by Pajama Press
Genre: Historical Fiction, 
In exchange for an honest review, 

a review copy was received from the publisher for free. 

Also by Wendy Orr:  Nim's Island, Nim at Sea
Find it:  Amazon, B&N, Goodreads

Publishers Description: 

The whispers say it’s not true that the Lady’s firstborn died at birth. They say it’s worse—the baby was born with an extra thumb dangling from each wrist. If she’s not perfect, she can never follow in her mother’s footsteps. Nobody but the old wise-woman knows what truly happened to Aissa, the firstborn daughter of the priestess. If they saw the half-moon scars on the servant girl’s wrists they would find it out, but who would look twice at lowly, mute No-Name? Then the soldiers of Crete come to the island, demanding children as a tribute for their god-king’s bull dances as they do every year. Aissa is determined to seize this chance to fight for her own worth and change her destiny once and for all.  Lyrically written and refreshingly unpredictable, Dragonfly Song is a compelling Bronze Age fantasy that suggests a fascinating origin for the legend of the Minotaur and his dark tribute.

The Weird Truth of Writing Dragonfly Song

Some stories start with neat, logical ideas. Others are born in such weird ways that you can only admit to your closest friends (and blog readers). For Dragonfly Song, the embarrassing truth is that nearly 30 years ago I dreamed about a white-robed priestess leading a torchlight parade up a mountain. I thought, ‘One day I’ll write a book set in Bronze Age Greece,’ because I’d decided that was where she was from.

Then about eight years ago I heard the Icelandic band Sigur Ros on the radio, and thought, ‘That’s the sound track for that story,’ – which was pretty weird since I didn’t know what the story was, and I never have any music on when I write. Anyway, I put it aside for a few more years – until I was doodling one day, and drew a sad faced girl with a twisted mouth and a mass of snarled curly hair.

I tried her story in a few different ways, until one night I was doing tai chi, and saw the shape of her story, enclosed in a blue bubble, which was so beautiful I cried. (I told you this was weird.) The next day I saw a dragonfly, exactly the same color as the bubble, and I thought, ‘Aha! Her name means dragonfly in her own language.’ (Because every once in a while I remembered that I was in charge of making up this story, and her name could mean whatever I wanted it to.)

I knew that she was the daughter of the priestess, but her sad face told me that she hadn’t had a good start. Of course I was also doing a huge amount of reading and research into Minoan Crete, and thinking about the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, so I decided that the only way for her to escape her sad fate was to become a bull leaper. Of course my Aissa is completely fictitious, but it is true that 4000 years ago, in the palace of Knossos in Crete, teams of teenaged gymnasts somersaulted over the backs of charging bulls. And these bulls, which are extinct now, were giant, with huge horns and hooves. So I’m sure that the bull dancers who survived must have been like rock stars – and also sure that not many survived for long.

The other weird thing for this story was that I always heard it in verse, but thought it was too long and complicated for that to work. Eventually I gave in; I wrote it mostly in verse and changed some sections into prose. And I had to write it by hand, listening to Sigur Ros.

The dragonflies kept on coming, right through the story, every time I decided something significant. When I finally sent the final draft, I went out to the backyard to lie down in the grass – and opened my eyes to a huge cloud of dragonflies hovering over me.

Visit all the Blog Tour Stops for Dragonfly Song: 

10/22    Unleashing Readers (Activity Guide and Discussion Questions) 

10/23     YA and Kids Book Central (Book Playlist)  

10/24     Log Cabin Library  (Guest Post)

10/25     The Children's Book Review  (Character Interview) 

10/26     Bluestocking Thinking (Review)

10/27     Charlotte's Library (Interview)

10/28     A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust (Interview)

10/29     Writer's Rumpus (Guest Post)

Wendy Orr’s Bio:

Wendy Orr was born in Edmonton, Canada, but grew up in various places across Canada, France, and the USA. She studied occupational therapy in the UK, married an Australian farmer, and moved to Australia. She’s the author of many award-winning books, including Nim’s Island, Nim at Sea, Rescue on Nim’s Island, Raven’s Mountain, and Peeling the Onion.

Website * Facebook * Twitter

MG Paranormal/Ghost Story Review: The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie

The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street
Author:  Lindsay Currie
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Aladdin
Number of Pages: 304
Published:  October 10th, 2017

Source:  Purchased

Tessa's dad just got a new job in Chicago with the symphony, so their family packs up and leaves sunny Florida.  For Tessa, this also means leaving her best friend Rachel behind and moving into a creepy house built in the late 1800's.   A house that as soon as she steps into sets her skin crawling.  Shortly after moving in Tessa's younger brother Jonah begins to have nightmares, and strange occurrences start to happen like lights flickering on and off, rooms getting icy cold and a drawing pad that was inside a dresser is suddenly sitting on her bed with a drawing on it that Tessa knows she didn't make.  To distract Tessa from the situation her dad sends her out to explore the area which is where she meets Andrew, a boy her age.  Andrew meets up with Tessa the next day and offers to show her around school, and despite a flop during her introduction to the class where she tells everyone she thinks her house is haunted, the two seem to hit it off.  Tessa starts to disclose the strange things that have been happening to her at home and Andrew enlists the help of Nina, a girl who is knowledgeable about paranormal investigations and the history of their neighboorhood, specifically that it was once a burial site.  After Tessa hears an ominous voice in the dark saying "Graceland", the trio plan a trip to the Graceland Cemetery and find the gravesite of a little girl named Inez.  It seems Inez has led them here to uncover the story of how she died and to free her spirit.     

 This was the Halloween story that I was looking for.  Currie developed a wonderfully creepy atmosphere not only with the house and forces inside but the surrounding area of Chicago.   It tugged at all the right elements about Halloween that I love, an old house, a legend,  seemingly malevolent forces, even a trip to a cemetery.  There are lightning storms followed by one of the kids going missing and there's even a really disturbing ventriloquist doll that starts to shed tears.  The pacing of this was wonderful and it's the perfect story to make you want to leave the lights on.  Just loved it.  I really identified with Tessa's sadness over having to move away from her best friend Rachel, it's never an easy situation but it did take me back to my own times of moving around with my family when my dad was in the Army.  You never really get over that feeling and unlike Tessa, I didn't make friends as easily, but the whole situation felt true to the emotions.  Even her reasoning that it wasn't her dad's fault, just that the circumstance stunk.  Another aspect that I really liked was Tessa's "tug-of-war between her imagination and common sense."  How some things may have a logical/scientific explanation, but there were still things that couldn't be explained.  Overall a fantastic creepy ghost story with just the right amount of mystery that I enjoyed very much, and like so many others I'm hoping there will be more stories with these lovely characters.   

*The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street  has been nominated for the Cybils award and my review reflects my personal opinion, not the opinion of the Cybils committee.*

MG Fantasy: The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy

The Worst Witch
Author:  Jill Murphy
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Candlewick
Number of Pages: 96
Published:  August 5th, 2014

Source:  Library

Opening Line:  "Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches stood at the top of a high mountain surrounded by a pine forest."

It's Mildred Hubble's first year at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches and trouble seems to find her wherever she goes.   The Academy is getting ready for one of its annual traditions, providing each young witch with a new kitten to train.  There's even going to be a special presentation, and Mildred is worried something will go horribly wrong, despite her having a way with animals.  Yet the only thing that happens is she receives a tabby kitten instead of the standard black kitten like the rest of the girls.  She does have some minor difficulty training her kitten to ride on a broomstick, but so does her friend Maud.  Then Mildred gets into an argument with mean bossy Ethel and out of desperation for being put on the spot when Ethel says she can't perform a spell, Mildred turns her into a pig.  Mildred receives a reprimand from Miss Hardbroom and Ethel promises to get even.  Mildred is also put on notice that there better not be any further mishaps, especially with their annual Halloween celebration approaching.  This year Millard's class has been selected to perform a broomstick formation routine and nothing can go wrong as they are representing the school in front of the witching community.  Unfortuanently, that's exactly what happens when Mildred is forced to use Ethel's spare broomstick, the one that Ethel hexes.  No one believes that it was actually Ethel's meddling with the broomstick that caused the crash and not Mildred's carelessness as usual.  That evening, Mildred decides to run away, which is how she ends up overhearing a plot of a bunch of witches in the forest to turn all the witches at Miss Cackle's Academy to frogs.   Mildred knows it is up to her to save the day.  

I really enjoy Halloween with the changing of the leaves to more rust and yellows, it's a time for spooky stories with ghosts or witches.  Anything that fits into the theme of Halloween.  My first pick was The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy, this is a series of books that I remember hearing about, but not one that I read growing up.  It was originally published in 1974.  How did I miss this book?  I'm sure that I would've enjoyed reading about a witch going to a witches school, learning potions, riding a broomstick and especially getting a kitten.  I also wasn't really into scary stories back then so this would've been perfect.  It was a fun early chapter book, not overly complicated with its plot, not creepy in the least, and there are lovely black and white illustrations.  Mildred was adorable with her fear of the dark, propensity to mishaps and I especially liked her kitten.  Although I was looking for something a bit longer, The Worst Witch would be lovely for a younger child who is just getting into wanting a Halloween story that isn't scary.  

MG Adventure/Survival Story Review: Falcon Wild by Terry Lynn Johnson

Falcon Wild
Author:  Terry Lynn Johnson
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Number of Pages: 197
Published:  September 19th, 2017

Source:   A copy of Falcon Wild was received from the author in exchange for an honest review. 
More books by Terry Lynn Johnson with links to my reviews:  Ice Dogs & Sled Dog School

Opening lines:  " Stark senses my fear and pulls at the jesses around her feet.  I stroke her breast feathers to calm us both."

Karma loves helping her dad at the sanctuary providing demonstrations of their birds of prey, one day she hopes to start an apprenticeship to be a Falconer.  Karma also loves Stark, a gyrfalcon which she has a special attachment with after finding her on the side of the road and helping nurse her back to health. During one of their demonstrations, Karma is inadvertently injured by Stark but blames herself for getting distracted.  Then Karma gets the shocking news that Stark's owner has been located in Canada and she has to be returned.  To try and make the terrible news easier, Karma's dad offers to drive Karma and her brother across Montana to Canada to return the bird.  Reluctantly, Karma agrees and they set out on their road trip, only stopping when Karma convinces her dad to offer a lift to a boy her age who's hitchhiking.  Cooper turns out to be elusive about his reasons for needing the ride and only stays until they reach their next turn off.  As the family continues on their way they notice their cell phone has mysteriously disappeared and then they suddenly blow a tire causing the vehicle to flip, trapping their dad and accidentally Stark is released from her cage.  Karma is devastated but realizes that without a cell phone, she has to go for help, so she starts walking down the path they were heading before the accident.  Unfortunately, she too gets trapped in a pit, until Cooper suddenly appears saying he saw Stark circling overhead and offers to help her out.  Karma reluctantly teams up with Cooper and they continue to try and locate the highway, encountering many obstacles along the way.  

Johnson is wonderful at writing riveting survival stories, the kind of stories that instantly grab your attention with characters that you can't help but root for.   I also love her settings with previous books being in Alaska and Falcon Wild set in the backcountry of Montana with all the hardships that nature can possibly throw in your way to overcome.  Everything from hunger, wild bears, harsh terrain and unpredictable weather to an infection that is getting steadily worse.  Always with this sense of urgency.  Johnson also brings her passion for animal conservation and personal knowledge to the story through the details Karma shares with Cooper about her work raising and caring for birds of prey, falconry and her love for Stark.  It's immensely interesting and educational, not overly done and highlights the sort of bond that can exist between humans and animals.  At first, I didn't like Cooper as he's the one suspected in stealing the cell phone, but as he gets to know Karma and starts to share his own backstory, he also started to grow on me and their budding friendship was pretty sweet.  Karma and Stark are definitely the stars and I'm happy they were able to stay together.   Overall, this is another excellent survival story from Terry Lynn Johnson and now I'm looking forward to checking out her Survivor Diaries series as well.