The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan is the fourth in the Percy Jackson books. It expands the famed labyrinth of Minos into a worldwide, undergThe Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan is the fourth in the Percy Jackson books. It expands the famed labyrinth of Minos into a worldwide, underground maze, death trap, and in the right hands, short cut between any two points in the world. It's also the way that Kronos's army plans to invade Camp Half Blood.
Here the quest is straight forward, find Daedalus, the creator of the labyrinth and learn how to navigate through the structure without falling prey to any of its traps or monsters. Along the way Grover gets a chance to find the long lost Pan and Percy has more adventures that parallel those of Odysseus.
My favorite part of the book was the labyrinth itself. I love how Riordan takes the old forgotten architecture of the world through out time to cobble together Daedalus's magical structure. I also like the way in which their mortal companion is able to spot the markings in every day locations that point to entryways to the labyrinth.
What I'm not fond of is excessive use of flashbacks done in the forms of dreamtime visions. I understand the need to include background of the original myth for readers who may not be familiar with the story but the dream sequences were too long and too much of a disruption from the action for me. Parallel chapters of flashbacks and present day or alternating points of view between Daedalus and Percy as Riordan used for Carter and Sadie in The Red Pyramid would would have worked better.
That said, it's still a fun and action packed installment in the series.
Merged review:
The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan is the fourth in the Percy Jackson books. It expands the famed labyrinth of Minos into a worldwide, underground maze, death trap, and in the right hands, short cut between any two points in the world. It's also the way that Kronos's army plans to invade Camp Half Blood.
Here the quest is straight forward, find Daedalus, the creator of the labyrinth and learn how to navigate through the structure without falling prey to any of its traps or monsters. Along the way Grover gets a chance to find the long lost Pan and Percy has more adventures that parallel those of Odysseus.
My favorite part of the book was the labyrinth itself. I love how Riordan takes the old forgotten architecture of the world through out time to cobble together Daedalus's magical structure. I also like the way in which their mortal companion is able to spot the markings in every day locations that point to entryways to the labyrinth.
What I'm not fond of is excessive use of flashbacks done in the forms of dreamtime visions. I understand the need to include background of the original myth for readers who may not be familiar with the story but the dream sequences were too long and too much of a disruption from the action for me. Parallel chapters of flashbacks and present day or alternating points of view between Daedalus and Percy as Riordan used for Carter and Sadie in The Red Pyramid would would have worked better.
That said, it's still a fun and action packed installment in the series....more
Silverlicious by Victoria Kann is the fourth of the Pinkalicious picture books. There is also a series of level one readers for children ready to moveSilverlicious by Victoria Kann is the fourth of the Pinkalicious picture books. There is also a series of level one readers for children ready to move on in their reading skills.
As the main character has gotten older, it's time for her to start losing her teeth. Unfortunately she loses her sweet tooth! With it gone, none of treats she's given taste like anything good. Feeling jilted, she also starts to lose her sweet personality.
The reason I don't count the level one readers in the same series is that they are far more grounded in reality than their picture book counterparts. Here, the Tooth Fairy is real and she works with other magical, holiday based creatures: Cupid and the Easter Bunny for example. They even fill in for her when she's too busy.
This magical element gives more room for elaborate and outlandish illustrations. In this book, we're shown the girl's room decorated for a variety of different holidays as she tries to get back her sweet tooth....more
A recent favorite book of my daughters is Waking Up Wendell by April Stevens. It has earned its way onto the multiple reads pile and was for about twoA recent favorite book of my daughters is Waking Up Wendell by April Stevens. It has earned its way onto the multiple reads pile and was for about two weeks the nightly bedtime story.
The story begins in a tree outside Number 1 Fish Street. The birds wake up the dog who in turn wakes up the owner who puts the dog outside where he can wake up the resident of Number 2. And so it goes through a chain of events through each house and each resident until at last Wendell is awoken.
The book's first winning detail is its attention to sound. Each home is associated with a sound, a disturbance, be it a bird, a dog, a sewing machine, or a hungry cat, for example. All these sounds are written out as onomatopoeias that are easy and fun for young readers (such as my daughter) to read and perform.
The second great aspect of the book are its characters. Although they are all drawn as swine, they stand in for the diversity people and families who might live on any street. There are so many different characters to relate too. Sometimes we just stop to make up stories for the different houses.
And finally there's the simple fact that it's a counting one to ten book. At one end of the street is Number 1 Fish Street and at the other end of the block is Wendell's home, Number 10 Fish Street. The counting aspect of the book gives children a way to predict what happens next....more
I find it hard to believe that my son only got interested in graphic novels in December 2010. It seems like we've been sharing books for ages. The booI find it hard to believe that my son only got interested in graphic novels in December 2010. It seems like we've been sharing books for ages. The book that first piqued his interest was Copper by Kazu Kibuishi.
Copper is really more of a comic book anthology than a graphic novel but there is some on going character development. Copper and Fred, a boy and a dog who share adventures that span the mundane to the fantastic.
Copper has dreams of things as well that sometimes bleed into reality and sometimes it's difficult to tell if he's awake or a sleep. Some stories are self contained and others span six or so pages.
For me, I wanted more cohesion and more plot. My son, though, who was new to the format loved having everything so short and straight forward....more
The Sign Painter by Allen Say is a semi-autobiographical picture book. When he was sixteen the author worked as a sign painter.
Here the story is aboutThe Sign Painter by Allen Say is a semi-autobiographical picture book. When he was sixteen the author worked as a sign painter.
Here the story is about a boy (presumably Say) and the man (presumably his teacher). They start in the city but get a contract to paint billboards along an American highway. From the picturesque mesa filled landscape, it's probably route 66 or similar.
The artwork sucked me. It's one of those books with a striking cover and equally striking artwork on the inside. The paintings are done in the style of Edward Hopper. On page 32 there's even a passing homage to Hopper's "Night Hawks."...more
So, What's It Like to Be a Cat? by Karla Kuskin and illustrated by Betsy Lewin is an interview between a child and cat. The child wants to know what iSo, What's It Like to Be a Cat? by Karla Kuskin and illustrated by Betsy Lewin is an interview between a child and cat. The child wants to know what it's like to be a cat and the cat gives detailed but somewhat snarky answers. It is a cat, after all.
Like Mo Willems's transitional reader books, this one uses textual clues to help young readers spot the difference between the two speaking characters. This book though is probably best used either during story time as a group read or a parent / child read along.
Lewin's playful illustrations capture the cat's attitude and emotions perfectly. Or maybe that's purrfectly....more
Every December the preschool does a holiday book swap. Each child brings in a wrapped book and then gets to pick a book from the pile to open and keepEvery December the preschool does a holiday book swap. Each child brings in a wrapped book and then gets to pick a book from the pile to open and keep. Night-Night Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton was the last book we will ever get from the exchange now that Harriet is in her final year at the school.
Sandra Boynton is a popular author in our house, although it's been ages since we've read any of her books. Night-Night Little Pookie was our first Pookie book but an instant hit with Harriet.
It's Pookie's bed time and his mother is trying to get him to bed. He's not exactly ready or willing to go quite yet and does everything he can think of to stall. Slowly but surely he is herded to bed.
While most of the book is told from the mother's point of view, some of the pages have responses from Pookie. Harriet can read the entire book by herself but she prefers it if I read the mother's parts and she reads Pookie's parts.
For Harriet's enthusiasm for the book and the way it encourages participation, we're giving it 5 out of 5 stars....more
Sean and I independently both picked The Z Was Zapped by Chris Van Allsburg for it's great title. I picked it because Z is my favorite letter of the aSean and I independently both picked The Z Was Zapped by Chris Van Allsburg for it's great title. I picked it because Z is my favorite letter of the alphabet. Sean picked it because he wanted to see something get zapped.
The Z Was Zapped is a black and white alphabet book. Although the title starts with Z the book actually begins at the conventional point with A. Each letter gives a stage performance, something related to its self.
While he and I liked the artwork it wasn't quite what we had hoped for. Some of the letter performances are very dark, like the D being drowned....more
Now that Harriet can read she is taking a more active role in choosing her library books. She is returning to old favorite authors, like Bill Martin JNow that Harriet can read she is taking a more active role in choosing her library books. She is returning to old favorite authors, like Bill Martin Jr. A recent find of his is Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Waking Up?
This book explores the morning routine of a young kitten as he gets ready for school. Parents and school aged children will recognize the speed bumps in the routine: it's hard to get up, it's hard to pick out the right outfit, food is more fun to play with than eat, and so forth.
Bill Martin Jr. has a knack with rhythms and making a short list of easy to read words fun to read. His poetry is also memorable. The combination of phonetically easy words and memorable lines made for a hit with Harriet. She read the book about a dozen times before we had to return it to the library. Weeks later she is still quoting from it....more
I've mentioned before how much I love Mark Teague's 1940s style of paintings. He's the sort of illustrator whose books I will read regardless of the sI've mentioned before how much I love Mark Teague's 1940s style of paintings. He's the sort of illustrator whose books I will read regardless of the subject or the author. I have also mentioned that my children love Halloween books. One Halloween Night by Mark Teague was a must read book when we saw it at the library.
The book takes the sort of what-if worries of Stinky Face in Happy Halloween Stinky Face and plays them straight. Wendell, Floyd and Leona all have costume problems. They also have to drag along Floyd's baby sister Alice. Then there's the bad or weird candy. To make matters even worse, they're spotted by the bullies! Sounds like a typical Halloween for me as a kid.
But this is a Mark Teague book. He tends to put magic in the least expected places, like the lost and found or in a short cut to school (review coming). Here, it being Halloween, the costumes give their wearers new powers: invisibility potions, swashbuckling, fairy magic. It's just what they need to defeat the bullies and save the night....more
My first introduction to The Odyssey by Homer was from excerpts we read in high school. I took a Greco-Roman classic literature course in college and My first introduction to The Odyssey by Homer was from excerpts we read in high school. I took a Greco-Roman classic literature course in college and got a chance to read the epic in its entirety. Thus began my love affair with Homer. I've lost track now of how many times I've re-read The Odyssey or how many retellings I've either seen or read.
I can of course name a few favorite retellings: The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson #2) by Rick Riordan, Ulysses by James Joyce and the Coen brothers' film Oh Brother Where Art Thou?
For the 2010 Cybils, there were two graphic novel versions of The Odyssey that made it to the long list. I chose to read Tim Mucci's adaptation for All-Action Classics because I liked the cover. I am still planning to read Gareth Hinds's adaptation.
For tweens looking to dip their toes into the classics, the All-Action Classics version is colorful and dynamic. The different characters with the potentially difficult names are drawn distinctly, often times with separate color themes to keep them apart.
Odysseus's long journey home with misadventures with monsters, gods, warriors and suitors lends itself to the graphic novel format. I hope it will get them interested in reading the original. At least it will help give them a foundation of some basic knowledge when reading or watching other adaptations....more
Kimchi & Calamari by Rose Kent was on display at the library. The usual title is what caught my attention. It sounded like a strange food combination Kimchi & Calamari by Rose Kent was on display at the library. The usual title is what caught my attention. It sounded like a strange food combination that my husband would like (Italian fried squid and Korean pickled cabbage). Turns out the book is about an adopted boy (of Korean heritage) growing up in an Italian-American family. Like Sunita Sen in Mitali Perkins's book(review coming), The Not-so-Star Spangled Life of Sunita Sen, Joseph Calderaro begins to question his place in the world when asked to do a report on his ancestors.
Instead of talking to his teacher to ask for clarification, Joseph over-reacts and decides he can't possibly write about his adopted families' history. He chooses to make up a fictional story for himself if he can't track down answers about his biological family.
While the details of adoptions of Korean children by Americans were interesting, as were the Italian superstitions, the different pieces didn't mesh for me. Throughout the book I thought about the many different adopted friends I have, many who are in situations like Joseph. Across the board, my friends, while interested in their biological roots, were just as proud of their adopted roots. They would have done reports on their adopted families. I can see the conflict, therefore, coming from a teacher not understanding their situation and making unreasonable demands. ...more
Pinkalicious: Tickled Pink by Victoria Kann was a fortuitous find. Ian had taken the kids book shopping while I was doing a presentation for school. SPinkalicious: Tickled Pink by Victoria Kann was a fortuitous find. Ian had taken the kids book shopping while I was doing a presentation for school. Sean chose a joke book and Harriet chose Pinkalicious: Tickled Pink, a story about Pinkalicious learning to tell jokes.
Pinkalicious ends up in a joke telling contest with one of the Goth girls from Purplicious. She goes home, much like Anne Shirley does in many of the Green Gables chapters, to panic over the contest and struggle to come up with the perfect joke. The book shows how one can be creative and true to one's self while still being entertaining. It's also nice to see the adversarial relationship between Pinkalicious and the Goth girls evolve into something more positive.
My children are Pinkalicious fans. We own the original three picture books and have read them more times than I can count. Now that my daughter is learning to read, the shorter early reader paperbacks are perfect for her and her brother to share. She can read most of the book with him helping on the words she doesn't know. It's great way for them to spend time together on a car trip. ...more
LMNO Peas by Keith Baker is a traditional alphabet book. It walks children through the alphabet with the aid some anthropomorphic peas who illustrate LMNO Peas by Keith Baker is a traditional alphabet book. It walks children through the alphabet with the aid some anthropomorphic peas who illustrate all sorts of different occupations and hobbies.
For children still learning the alphabet it would be a good re-along book. It can also be used with older classes to get children thinking about their hobbies and different occupations they might be interested in.
While the book isn't my favorite of the recent alphabet books I've read, my daughter has recently purchased a copy for her own bookshelf. She re-reads LMNO Peas every month or so. She likes all the different little peas doing things on each page.
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