|
|
|
Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos
by R.L. LaFevers
Reviewed by Cynthia Jaynes Omololu, CynJay
What do you get when you cross Indiana Jones with Hermione Granger and transport them to the early 20th century?
Theodosia Throckmorton, of course.
The new mid-grade novel Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos, by R.L. LaFevers, is an action-packed ride from the
Museum of Legends and Antiquities in London to the back alleys of Cairo. Eleven year-old Theodosia spends most of her time
at the museum that her father runs while her mother is in Egypt on archeological digs.
During the day, Theodosia studies ancient Egyptian texts and learns valuable information on removing curses. She is
adept at detecting different curses on the artifacts and sleeps in an empty sarcophagus for protection. Her parents are so
preoccupied that they don't notice that she's not in school—something that was probably not unusual for girls in 1906.
When her mother brings back the coveted Heart of Egypt, the amulet is so heavily cursed that it threatens to destroy the
entire British continent. Theodosia knows immediately that something is wrong.
Usually when I return to the museum after a long absence, it feels like I'm
being welcomed by an old friend. All the creaks and groans seem cheerful. As
if the wraiths and spirits are relieved to have me back, as if they liked having
someone around who was aware of their existence. But not today.
When the amulet is stolen by a mysterious organization, the chaos in the curse escalates. With help from her brother, a
street urchin named Sticky Will, and a secret society of Egyptian scholars, Theodosia manages to steal the Heart of Egypt
back and stow away to Cairo to return the amulet and try to save her country.
LaFevers vividly recreates turn-of-the-century London and has crafted a fearless, intelligent heroine. Along the way, the
reader is caught in the fever of Egyptology that gripped the world at the time.Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos is by turns funny, intelligent and
thrilling and is a quick read despite its almost 350 pages. Although the main character is a girl, there is enough action
to hold a boy's interest as well. How do I know? I had to climb up onto my 9-year-old son's loft bed in order to steal the
book back to write this review.
Magician in the Trunk
by Candice Ransom, illustrated by Greg Call and Jim Bernardin
Reviewed by Joyce Rice
Mattie, Alex and Sophie Chapman live in Virginia with their parents who run a small bed and breakfast called the
Grey Horse Inn. The children are adapting to their new environment and are particularly excited about the goings on in
the Jefferson Suite room. This room is located in the third floor tower and every time a guest stays in that room, the
children get to participate in a time-travel adventure. They always know that an adventure is about to start, but they
never know where they will be going or how long they will stay. When Ms. Pettibone-Shute, an antiques dealer, checks in
to the bed and breakfast and requests the Jefferson Suite, the kids are ready. Alex has
been filling his time by trying to learn magic tricks so he is particularly excited when their time travel adventure
lands them in the middle of the Chicago Exposition of 1893, where they meet the original Houdini brothers. Harry Houdini
and his brother, Theo, are presenting a less-than-spectacular show but the kids are able to help round up the crowd. When
Mattie steps in for Theo, she learns how some of the magic works. A surprising twist has the kids being chased by the
police while searching for a mystery thief. This series presents an exciting tale while learning about the history of
that time. There are currently five titles in the series.
Giant in the Garden
by Candice Ransom, illustrated by Greg Call and Jim Bernardin
Reviewed by Joyce Rice
The Chapman kids—Alex, Mattie and Sophie—are back with more time-traveling adventures. This time they are traveling to a
place where fairy tales come alive.
The Chapman family moved from Maryland to Virginia and bought a large house for their
family. Once settled in, they opened the large house as a bed and breakfast and rent out rooms to guests. The third floor
tower room, also known as the Jefferson suite, is almost never occupied. When it is, the guest is always there to offer
the kids a time-travel adventure. With the help of a magic spyglass that transports the three children from the Jefferson
suite to another location in time, the children travel to experience history and sometimes make-believe. In this tale,
Mattie, Alex and Sophie wind up in Sophie's favorite fairy tale, the story of Jack and the beanstalk. But in this
adventure, Jack is a slight girl named Jackie who is at the top of the beanstalk to try to help her poor mother. All
the elements of the familiar story are here, if somewhat twisted and turned topsy-turvy. Jackie almost gets captured by
the great big giant who can smell intruders. The hen who lays the golden eggs is here, as is the magic quilt and the
descent down the beanstalk. This is a great read-aloud for younger readers and will be enjoyed by the targeted age group
over and over. A great way to expand the comprehension of this story would be to read the original fairy tale before and
after reading Giant in the Garden, then discussing the differences and similarities. This is a great teaching tool as well as an
exciting story.
How To Save Your Tail: If You Are A Rat Nabbed By Cats Who Really Like Stories About Magic Spoons,
Wolves with Snout-Warts, Big, Hairy Chimney Trolls...and Cookies Too.
by Mary Hanson, illustrated by John Hendrix
Reviewed by Becky Laney, Becky's Book Reviews
Do you like fractured fairy tales? Do you love new
retellings of old favorites? Do you like Arnold Lobel's
Mouse Soup? Then How To Save Your Tail might be the
book for you.
How to Save Your Tail had me from the very beginning: "Once upon
a time, in a grand castle, there lived a rat named Bob, who
was fond of baking and wild about reading" (1). While
baking has obvious hazards, it is his love of books which
leads Bob into the most dangerous experience of his life.
While sunning himself on the kitchen porch—waiting for his
cookies to finish baking—he spots a book in the garden.
"Was it a new book? Or was it one of his favorites that he
had read a hundred times? Either way, Bob was happier than
a pig in a puddle. He had to have it. Quick as a wink, he
leapt from the porch to the path. He was so anxious to
devour the words that he never saw the Queen's cats in the
rosebushes, waiting to devour him" (3). Can this
cookie-loving, book-loving rat be saved? Full of
imaginative retellings of favorite children's stories, How to Save Your Tail is a fun book for young readers.
Stories include retellings of Jack and the Beanstalk, The Three
Little Pigs, Rumpelstiltskin, and Cinderella.
The Friskative Dog
by Susan Straight
Reviewed by Jill Chesler
Sharron lives with her mother and her best friend in an apartment near the grocery store where her mother is a checker.
Her best friend is a stuffed animal Sharron named "the Friskative Dog." Sharron is sad and isolated because her father, a
truck driver, left a year earlier to go on a trip and has not returned. She used to make up her own words ( "friskative "
came from when her grandmother called Sharron frisky and talkative). Sharron fantasizes that the dog is real, pretending
to feed him, keeping him on a leash, and bringing him to school. When she was in First Grade she brought him to school for
Show and Tell, and in second grade when it was her "Day as a Star" she presented him as if he were as real as Eboni's bunny and
Piper's golden retriever. In third grade she brought him to the Pet Parade, when her classmates brought their real
pets. The other children ask Sharron questions about TFD and author Susan Straight reveals their personalities through the
questions they ask, and by their reactions to TFD and how they treat Sharron. By the time the children are in third grade,
it's clear that Piper is a bully. She comes from a privileged family and believes that she is the arbiter of right and
wrong between her classmates because her family is wealthy. This sets up the major conflict in the narrative.
Fortunately for Sharron, the adults in the story are attentive and caring. Her teacher, Mrs. Monson, tells the children
they are to do a career report and Sharron spends a long time trying to decide what to write about. She knows she wants to
work with dogs and when she meets Mrs. Rumer, a customer at the market, it becomes clear to her that she wants to train
guide dogs for the blind, just like Mrs. Rumer. Sharron's mother, her grandmother, and Eboni's mother are all strong
sensitive women who say and do all the right things and help Sharron to come out of her shell and deal with the conflicts
that she can't handle alone.
Ms. Straight has written a sensitive story about a child who has to face the very sad situation of her beloved father's
desertion of the family, and the way her mother and her paternal grandmother handle it is realistic. They are "a pack" and
they work together well, loving and supporting each other appropriately. This is not a fairy tale or
The Velveteen Rabbit, Sharron's favorite book. The characters come across as real people who face challenges in life and
their problems are ones that fourth-grade readers can understand and relate to.
Junie B., First Grader: Dumb Bunny
by Barbara Park, illustrated by Denise Brunkus
Reviewed by Joyce Rice
Our favorite character, Junie B. Jones, is back to favor us with some adventures with the Easter Bunny.
Junie B. is a first
grader whose unique style and way of looking at things reminds us of Pippi Longstocking. Mr. Scary's first grade class
has all been invited to an Easter party, complete with an egg hunt, ice cream and a visit from the Easter bunny. Sheldon,
Junie B.'s friend, and ever-whining May are both here, as is the little miss perfect Lucille. The party is to be at
Lucille's house and everybody wants to be invited. In preparation for that, Mr. Scary teaches the kids about being
polite, dealing with name-calling and tattling on friends. Once the kids arrive at the party, they are all delighted with
the picnic outside and the chance to swim in the big pool. To win the chance to swim in the pool, they have to be the one
to find the golden egg during the egg hunt. However, some strange partnerships will be formed before the golden egg is
found, and the Easter bunny that visits the party is not the one everyone expected.
Barbara Park has once again given the
reader a character to identify with. Junie B. has all the mystery of a little kid, learning to explore the world and
explain it in her own terms. This is a great book to read aloud with a friend. Once your reader has met Junie B., there
will never be enough Junie B. books in the house.
Books Reviewed:
Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos, by R.L. LaFevers. Houghton Mifflin, 2007.
ISBN: 0-6187-5638-4.
Magician in the Trunk, by Candice Ransom, illustrated by Greg Call and Jim Bernardin.
Mirrorstone, 2007. ISBN: 0-7869-4070-7.
Giant in the Garden, by Candice Ransom, illustrated by Greg Call and Jim Bernardin.
Mirrorstone, 2007. ISBN: 0-7869-4074-5.
How to Save Your Tail, by Mary Hanson, illustrated by John Hendrix. Schwartz & Wade, 2007.
ISBN: 0-3758-3755-8.
The Friskative Dog, by Susan Straight. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2007. ISBN: 0-3758-3777-9.
Junie B., First Grader: Dumb Bunny, by Barbara Park, illustrated by Denise Brunkus.
Random House, 2007.
ISBN: 0-3758-3809-0.
|
| |
|
|