Heroes of the Surf

Dive! Dive!

Carbone, Elisa Lynn. Heroes of the Surf. New York : Viking, 2012.

Plot: Young Antonio, passenger of the steamship Pliny, enjoys playing throughout the boat with his friend Pedro. After a day of make-believe pirates, the boys settle in for the night. A storm brews and relentlessly drives the ship aground. Too far from any waterborne help, the ship's crew send out flares. Someone sees them. Actually, an entire group of people sees them. Thankfully, despite the boys' fears, they are not pirates. They are the Life-Saving Service, and they bring every soul to the safety of land before the ship sinks.

Genre: Historical Fiction, Picture Books

Reading Level: Grades 1-4

Similar Titles: Dreamstones, The Two Brothers

Personal Thoughts: The text is based on actual events. The Pliny did sink in 1882 off the coast of New Jersey, and every person on board was safely rescued by the Life-Saving Service. The men of the service provided safety and rescue procedures, while their wives and children provided clothing and food to the victims of the wreck. The Service no longer exists, though. It was absorbed by Revenue Cutter Guard and became the United States Coast Guard.  A short, but insightful, view of one of the Service's most remarkable rescues.

Lizard Music

Pinkwater, Daniel Manus. Lizard Music. New York : Dodd, Mead, 1976.

Dragon glares...

Plot: Without his parents or older sister to tell him otherwise, Victor can stay up late and watch television. After news programs and B movies, the lizards arrive. They play music in a strange band for several hours, but no one else seems to see or even know about them. Mystified, Victor slowly finds himself seeking the lizards. Under the guidance of the Chicken Man and Claudia (the chicken), Victor becomes embroiled in a quest to discover the lizards and stop the pod people.

Genre: Science Fiction

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: My Cousin the Alien, Super Sasquatch Showdown, Fortunately, the Milk

Personal Thoughts: The text blends positives and negatives. On the positive side, the novel includes deadpan humor (similar to Coraline), intriguing characters, over-the-top situations, and creative concepts. However, it also includes dated diction, irrelevant pop culture references, and possibly racist undertones. Whether the positives outweigh the negatives relies heavily on the reader.

One other interesting aspect of the plot was Victor's role. He provides narration for the story, but he is not the primary character. He is absent from the major events throughout the plot, but the reader still only has his perspective. It is a strange sort of reversal from most other tween titles, and the variety adds a subtle, but intriguing, aspect to the text.

Captain Raptor and the Moon Mystery

 

It's just silly

O'Malley, Kevin. Captain Raptor and the Moon Mystery. New York : Walker Pub. Co., 2005.

Plot: A strange object crashes into Eon, a moon near Jurassica. Desperate for answers, the dinosaur inhabitants call on the great hero, Captain Raptor, to find the UFO and discover its intentions. He rapidly arms the Megatooth and its crew for the unexpected, which inevitably happens. The mission, however, ends with strangely familiar beings on the moon.


Genre: Science Fiction, Picture Books

Reading Level: Grades 1-4

Similar Titles: Oh no! Not Again!, If I Had a Raptor

Personal Thoughts: A story about space-faring dinosaurs is pretty original, but the illustrations and lettering make the title memorable. The text uses an Indiana Jones-like style to add dramatic flair. By contrast, the illustrations use a more traditional style, reminiscent of oil paintings. The combination results in a title similar to old science fiction movie posters. 

America is Under Attack

Brown, Don. America is Under Attack. New York : Flash Point, 2011.

Plot: The title recounts the events surrounding the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, focusing on New York's response. For many Americans, the day started as normal. However, four planes were hijacked and used as weapons. Two crashed into the Twin Towers in New York. Another attacked the Pentagon. The last was stopped in route to its intended destination. The title describes the confusion surrounding rescue efforts, as well as the damage caused by the collapsing buildings. It ends with the cleanup and aftermath of the attacks, including the discovery of victims.

Genre: History

Reading Level: Grades 1-5

Similar Titles: September 11: Then and Now, I Survived: The Attacks of September 11

Personal Thoughts: This was hard to read. The language was accessible, the illustrations were appropriate, and the tone was appropriate. It was the memories that did me in.

Librarians, teachers, parents, and relatives need to start looking at titles like this, though. Today's tweens were not alive when the attacks happened. It is their elders' responsibility to teach them about the events surrounding the Twin Towers. Titles such as this can provide much-needed support in the process.

The Nazi Hunters

Bascomb, Neal. The Nazi Hunters. New York, NY : Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2013.

Plot: Adolf Eichmann, a prominent leader of the Final Solution, managed to escape the collapse of the Nazi Party. However, he was not forgotten. Through a series of surprising encounters, half-remembered facts, and unexpected contacts, he was discovered by the Israeli government. Spies, Holocaust survivors, government officials, and lawyers united across several countries to bring the man to justice.

Genre: History

Reading Level: Aimed at teens; some content, especially regarding the Holocaust and execution, may be intense for sensitive readers.

Similar Titles: Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, Lincoln's Grave Robbers

Personal Thoughts: The Holocaust has always scared me, so reading the title was difficult. However, it is also important.

Many of the Holocaust's facts are taken for granted. Modern readers know what happened. During the events of the title, though, few understood the disaster. Many of the victims refused to speak about them, both to spare others pain and move forward. Eichmann's trail drew the facts out before the world, giving victims permission to talk and acknowledge what happened. The title describes this change.

Bascomb's book also brings another fact forward: life does not behave like the movies. In most films about WWII, the villain suffers once the heroes find him. In the title, finding the criminal is only the first mission. Facts need to be found. Permission needs to be granted. International issues bleed into civilians, leading to riots. Legal issues limit and empower everyone involved. Each person participating in the capture, trial, and execution have to live with the consequences of what they and others did. While the trial ended in a victory, it did not end with fanfare, which is how real life works.

Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh

Silly old bear

Walker, Sally M. Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh. New York : Henry Holt and Company, 2015

Plot: Harry Colebourn, a veterinarian during World War I, found an orphaned black bear for sale during a train stop. He bought the bear, claiming she would be the mascot for the military training camp in Quebec. Winnipeg, eventually called Winnie, quickly endeared herself to the men on the camp. When they were called to the other side of the Atlantic, the cub went with them. However, due to the dangers of the war, Winnie was settled at the London Zoo. She remained friendly, often letting children feed or even ride her. One particular child could not stop talking about her, so his father began to write adventures about the little bear...

Genre: Animals, History, Picture Books

Reading Level: Grades 1-4

Similar Titles: Mr. Ferris and His Wheel, Winnie the Bear: The True Story Behind A. A. Milne's Famous Bear

Personal Thoughts: A short book on the real history of a fictional bear. The text uses illustrations to highlight the whimsey of the story, but provides photographs to remind readers of the actual events. Walker provides further information about Coleborn, Milne, and Winnie at the end of the story.

Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble

Bad Kitty

Good Mosasaur

Bruel, Nick. Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble. New York : Roaring Brook Press, 2014.

Plot: A self-proclaimed handsome and skilled author/illustrator discusses the creation of a book with his readers. The subject of the novel, Kitty, finds herself at the mercy of the author's descriptions. And ink. As he discusses the various aspects of story-telling, Kitty abruptly gains weight, eats turnips (sort of), faces Puppy, and earns a mcguffin.

Genre: Animals, Writing

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: Whales on Stilts!, Miss Suki is Kooky

Personal Thoughts: Some of my favorite moments were the explanations. While the humor was fast-paced and well-illustrated, Bruel did not rely only on it to create his story. He also introduced concepts such as themes, plots, and open endings. Additionally, he took several pages to describe the differences between copying a work and referencing a work. Such a distinction is very important for tweens to understand, especially as they approach high school research papers. While the novel is more information-based than some of the other Bad Kitty works, it still keeps the audience's attention through humor and an ultimately interesting story.