Pearls Before Swine

Patis, Stephan. Pearls Before Swine. Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Plot: The newspaper comic follows the cynical Rat, sweet Pig, psychotic Guard Duck, paranoid Zebra, stupid Crocs, and wise Goat in there atypical but comedic world.

Genre: Comics

Reading Level: Occasionally includes some curse words and sexual innuendo, so mind the little ones.

Similar Titles: Get Fuzzy, Lio

Personal Thoughts: Pearls Before Swine is a good example of the popular, "edgy" comic. Willing to tap into normally forbidden pop culture references and dark humor, the work represents a growing trend in the comics section. While some question the placement of such literature in the newspaper, Patis makes a solid point - he has to compete with Family Guy, The Simpsons, and Futurama to succeed. Pearls Before Swine successfully taps into the humor factor of the television shows while (mostly) conforming to the ridged standards of newspaper publishers.

Side note: Jerome was crushed by the books. He'll "un-die" sometime next week, so don't worry. If you do not get the joke, read some of the "Angry Bob" strips or the softball arc.

The Year of the Dog

Lin, Grace. The Year of the Dog. New York : Little, Brown, 2006.

Plot: Lissy, Grace's older sister, proclaims the year of the dog is excellent for making friends, since dogs are loyal. Grace's mother also claims dogs are sincere, so this will be a good year for finding oneself. Grace manages to accomplish both throughout the year, especially when Melody, another Taiwanese-American girl moves into town.

Genre: Asian-American, Fiction, Coming of Age

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Similar Titles: The Year of the Rat, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Personal Thoughts: I...actually read this and Year of the Rat out of order. While the second book has more polish and a less-standard story, I found myself relating a bit better to Grace in this novel, particularly when she encounters a group of other Asian-American girls. Like many Americans, I (and Grace) are of mixed cultures. Like Grace, I sometimes find I am too much of both cultures to really satisfy the standards of either. As a result, I occasionally wonder where I really fit in the scheme of things. That said, Lin manages to convey this feeling without swamping the book with a big black bush of emotion. Usually, books about "Insert minority here" - American books stress the differences to a point that the world becomes depressing, lonely, and miserable. Things usually aren't that way. True, there are moments when just being one or the other would be easier, but overall, mixed cultures are not bad. Just different. The novel portrays this and many of the other mixed-up experiences and emotions surrounding tweens quite well.

The Year of the Rat

Lin, Grace. The Year of the Rat. New York : Little, Brown, 2007.

Plot: The year of the rat promises to offer change. The changes, however, seem terrible. Grace's best friend, Melody, is moving from New York to California and a new family will live in her house. None of Grace's other friends seem to understand. If anything, they do not seem like friends anymore. Grace's talents seem like dead ends and school continues to get harder. Yet, perhaps the circumstances are not what the year needs to change. Grace may need to be the one that changes.

Genre: Asian-American, Coming of Age

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Similar Titles: Year of the Dog, Frindle

Personal Thoughts: I like the book, but I'm not entirely sure if I would have liked it as a tween. True, I could relate to missing friends, wondering about my talents, and noting my peers' sudden interest in boys. Yet, I am not sure if I would like it as a tween. Still, it offers a realistic view of a growing up from a Taiwanese-American girl's perspective. Also, the girl actually sounds like a girl, not just an adult in a girl's situations.  

The Black Cauldron

Alexander, Lloyd. The Black Cauldron. New York : Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1965.

Plot: The march of the cauldron-born, an army of undead warriors under the rule of Warlord Arawn, continues. To limit the spread of the army, a council under the guidance of a powerful wizard meet with a plan to seize and destroy the source of the army itself - the cauldron. Taran, an Assistant Pig-Keeper, is permitted to go, while a scullery-maid princess and a furry creature sneak along as well. Yet the price of the cauldron may prove great, especially for a young prince determined to make his name and his honor. The fact that three very, very strange enchantresses currently hold the cauldron do not make things any easier.

Genre: Fantasy

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Similar Titles: Book of Three,  The High King, The Blue Sword

Personal Thoughts: The book manages to examine, in detail, one of the least understood and most sought after concepts in human understanding - honor. Is honor receiving praise? Is anyone entitled to it by birth? By action? By circumstance? When hope is lost and other motivations fail, is honor enough? The book appears to argue it is not, since the hero actually gives up his honor. Yet, by giving it up, he actually gains it. Honor, much like courage, appears incomprehensible, yet undeniable.

The book received a Newbery Honor.

Disney made a movie based on the novel and The Book of Three. I have watched it. Sadly, I can never get that hour and a half of my life back. It was terribly done.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Plot: Tom is the town rascal in pre-Civil War Mississippi. His adventures focus on running away, evading the dangers of school, spending time with the son of the town drunk, removing boredom from church, and paying attention to the new blond girl. However, his activities eventually bring him to city-wide attention, particularly surrounding the events at a murder in a local graveyard and a picnic near a cave...

Genre: Historical Fiction

Reading Level: I recall reading it for class in Middle School, but classics are hard to rank.

Similar Titles: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Treasure Island, Jungle Book

Personal Thoughts: This was one of the few novels I enjoyed in the seventh grade. Tom is the eternal boy, fascinated with bugs, pirates, fighting, and blood. As a result he is believable, which means his over-the-top adventures are believable. The book tends to get a lot of controversy (although not as much as Huckleberry Finn) for its depiction of African-Americans, but it also reveals how things really were viewed back then. Sugar-coating or ignoring the ugliness of racism in pre-Civil War times does not change it. If anything, it limits modern capacities to prevent it.

As a side note, my attempt to make the blinds look like a whitewash fence failed miserably. Also, I forgot to take note of the bibliographic information from my book, but most libraries have a few versions floating around, so finding a good copy should not be difficult.

Prehistoric Park

Prehistoric Park. Freemantle Media Enterprises : Impossible Pictures, 2007.

Plot: "Something is missing from planet Earth; the animals time has left behind..." but what if extinction no longer lasted forever? The series follows Nigel Marven has he travels back in time to rescue vulnerable, ancient animals from becoming extinct. He and Prehistoric Park's staff discover the wonder, unexpected, and danger brought by bringing creatures from the past into the world of the present.

Genre: Mockumentry? Or just Unlabelable?

Reading Level: Unrated, but some action sequences and blood may cause adults to be caution around younger viewers.

Similar Titles: Walking with Dinosaurs, Primeval, Chased by Dinosaurs

Personal Thoughts: Another (and, in my opinion, one of the best) series produced by Impossible Pictures. In essence, the one-season series displays the possibilities of a successful Jurassic-Park like structure. While some of the show is a bit campy, the overall acting, storylines, and animal behavior is convincing enough for an hour-long show.

Side note: I never had any dinosaur figurines before I started this blog...

The Chinese Siamese Cat

Tan, Amy. The Chinese Siamese Cat. New York : Maxwell Macmillan International, 1994.

Plot: When a mischievous white kitten attempts to help her parents change an unjust law, her actions manage to transform the district, the magistrate, and the appearance of her descendants forever. 

Genre: Fiction, Picture Book

Reading Level: Ages 4-8, but the illustrations are attractive to all ages

Similar Titles: The Moon Lady, Tops and Bottoms, Just So Stories

Personal Thoughts: A clever and pretty book, the story manages to attract attention while reflecting on abilities, justice, kindness, and cleverness. The popularity of the book lead to an animated series based on the title. It ran on PBS for two seasons (2001-2002).

School Rumble

Kobayashi, Jin. School Rumble. New York : Ballantine Books.

Plot: The plot focuses on a classic, boy loves girl, girl loves other boy story. However, when the loving boy is a biker, the clueless girl is a klutz, and the loved boy is...hungry, things take a turn for the humorous. As the teens attempt to gain the attention of their attraction, the disaster stakes steadily rise to the braking point.

Genre: Manga

Reading Level: The books are rated T

Similar Titles: Azumanga Daioh, Spice and Wolf

Personal Thoughts: The first five books are so offer an extremely good reading experience. Around book six, though, subplots and side characters start to take over. An occasional additional story aspect adds to a graphic novel, but too many distracts from the characters. Yet, the first book in the series is one of my favorite mangas.

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (Prima Official Game Guide)

Stratton, Stephen. Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (Prima Official Game Guide). Roseville, CA : Prima Games, 2010.

Plot: A game guide for Golden Sun: Dark Dawn for the Nintendo DS. The book provides maps, insights, and tips for the widely-anticipated game (the previous incarnation was published about seven years ago).

Genre: Video Game Guides

Reading Level: The game is rated E10+

Similar Titles: The Prima game guide collection

Personal Thoughts: The guide is useful, but has room for improvements. The maps clearly note locations of important items and offer much-needed guidance through the complex dungeons of the game. However, the guide also consists of many spoilers (excessive notes about the plot) and notes on all encyclopedia entries. While the entries are useful, particularly to series newcomers, they do not assist with game completion. Notes on move availability or class statistics would be much more beneficial. So, while it provides useful guidance, it could offer more.

Life of Pi

Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. New York : Harcourt, 2001.

Plot: Pi, a bookish and religious boy, suddenly finds himself trapped in a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. While such a situation daunts everyone, he discovers he must adjust to an additional problem. He has a shipmate. Richard Parker, the only other survivor of the shipwreck, is a young adult Bengal tiger. Pi must survive the harshness of the ocean while keeping the wildcat at bay. Yet, strangely, Richard Parker, the greatest threat to his life, may prove to be the only thing saving him.

Genre: Fiction, Animals

Reading Level: Aimed at young adults; some of the religious arguments and gory scenes may be unsuitable for younger readers.

Similar Titles: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time; Beatrice and Virgil: A Novel 

Personal Thoughts: The book falls squarely in the trendy-dramatic category popular with book clubs, both in libraries and on talk shows. Still, it presents a good story, even if the religious arguments smack of political correctness.

As a side note, many schools now use this as required reading. I think this is a terrible thing to do with this type of novel. If a reader chooses to read it, it will be tolerable and even enjoyable (like I mentioned once, it is one of my favorite novels). However, its charm quickly disintegrates if forced on readers, particularly due to its complex and controversial side-topics (religion and animal-keeping).

Japanese Tales (Pantheon Fairy Tale & Folklore Library)

Tyler, Royall. Japanese Tales (Pantheon Fairy Tale & Folktale Library). New York : Pantheon Books, 1987.

Plot: With over 180 folk and fairy tales from early Japan, the book offers a good overview of Japanese monsters, heroes, proverbs, and fables. Some stories tap into popular concepts, such as dragons' gifts, tengu tricks, and heroic deeds. Others reflect lesser-known ideas, such as cleansing rituals and Shinto rites. To assist newcomers to Japanese concepts, Royall includes a introduction offering insight into ancient Japanese culture.

Genre: Folktales, Fairy Tales

Reading Level: Aimed at adults; many stories contain graphic or sexual descriptions, so be cautious about suggesting it to younger readers.

Similar Titles: Pandemonium and Parade: Japanese Monsters and the Culture of Yokai, Tales of Old Japan: Folklore, Fairy Tales, Ghost Stories and Legends of the Samurai

Personal Thoughts: Japanese folktales are intense. Then again, so are "un-Disneyed" European folktales. I do not know when people decided such stories are suitable for children, but a quick read of unedited folktales reveals stories with more gore, sexual innuendos, and tragedy than most R rated films. That said, I like the book. It does reveal common themes in Japanese stories and, for anime and manga fans, offers insight to some popular Japanese concepts. Just do not read it out loud at the next preschool story hour.

New Challenger!!!

Actually, it's a new plushie. His name is Jerome and he is a mosasaur. Not a crocodile. A mosasaur. I got his pattern from here. So go! Fill the world with extinct reptile toys!