Wreck-It Ralph

He's gonna wreck it

Wreck-It Ralph produced by Disney.

Plot: After thirty years of playing a villain for a popular video game, Ralph takes a bet to improve his miserable standing within the game world. He finds himself playing through several games to fulfill the bet, inadvertently ruining his own game while threatening several others. Ralph is not the only character stuck in a chronically poor situation, however. A little girl, Vanellope, desperately needs his help to change her status in her game. Ralph must assist her, but attempting to do so reveals a shocking, decades-old conspiracy within the arcade.

Genre: Movies, Computer Animation

Reading Level: Rated PG

Similar Titles: Toy Story, Bolt

Personal Thoughts: I feared the movie would act as little more than a video game cameo parade. Yet, the film offered a surprisingly appealing plot. Unlike the insistence of some reviewers, though, the film does not offer a Toy Story for video games. A critic better described the movie as Nightmare Before Christmas for video games. The film follows a misunderstood protagonist's ill-guided attempt to improve his situation and the consequences of the attempt. Unlike the popular Jack Skellington, though, Ralph must face his own faults without a brief song to fix things. He has to make his apology through action, admittance, and acceptance. As a result, he does change himself and his world positively, even if the changes do not align to his original goal.

The Barefoot Book of Stories from the Opera

Jerome's sorry attempt to look operatic

Husain, Shahrukh. The Barefoot Book of Stories from the Opera. New York : Barefoot Books, 1999.

Plot: Operas do not merely showcase singing. All operas, at their core, tell stories through song. The text reviews some of the more popular tales. Some emerged purely intended for the opera, such as The Magic Flute and The Little Sweep. Other operas, like Hansel and Gretel or Orpheus and Eurydice, re-imagine classic fairy tales and myths. Operas will often seek inspiration from traditional folklore, like Christmas Eve and The Flying Dutchman. Colorful illustrations enhance the theatrical background of the stories while helping readers keep track of key characters.

Genre: Picture Books

Similar Titles: Silver Moon: Stories from Antonin Dvorak's Most Enchanting Operas, The Love for Three Oranges

Reading Level: Grades 4-9


Personal Thoughts: I feel obligated to congratulate Husain for finding six operas with happy endings. All sarcasm aside, the book offers solid story-telling for an often vilified medium (consider how often opera is used to punish people in television shows).

Whittington

Charlotte's Web meets Al Capone Does My Shorts

Armstrong, Alan. Whittington. New York : Random House,  2005.

Plot: After fleeing his home, Whittington the tattered tomcat finds a ramshackle farm. The cat eventually befriends the barn dwellers under the guidance of the Lady, the duck leader of the animals. Eventually, even the farmer's two grandchildren also find him. However, Ben, the grandson, is struggling in school, especially reading. The last time Whittington saw such behavior, his family broke apart. Determined to save his new home from the fate Whittington left, Lady encourages Ben to study and take chances at school. Whittington helps the boy through the story of another child, who his ancestor met long before.

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Animals

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: Time Cat, Charlotte's Web

Personal Thoughts: The novel blends biology, historical fact, popular folktales, and modern remedies to create a memorable story. Animals display human characteristics, but also share information about their natural behaviors. Folktales become believable through accurate descriptions of popular society and everyday culture from the Age of Exploration. Even Ben's lessons rely on actual courses offed to dyslexic children.

Sensitive readers may need to be warned, since many characters, particularly Lady and Whittington, have tragic backstories.

Death Trap: The Story of the La Brea Tar Pits

Thompson, Sharon Elaine. Death Trap: The Story of the La Brea Tar Pits. Minneapolis, MN : Lerner Publications Co., 1995.

Plot: Rancho La Brea, better known as the La Brea Tar Pits, has a long history of providing fossils of ancient mammals, plants, birds, and insects to eager scientists. The text studies the history of digging at the site, as well as changing views of the location, ecology, and situations surrounding the fossils. For example, scientists now believe fairly few animals actually got caught in the tar consistently. Instead, a few, large-scale occurrences provided the bulk of the remains. However, some mysteries, such as the La Brea Woman, continue to intrigue scientists.

Genre: Science, Animals

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: When Mammoths Walked the Earth, The Tar Pit, National Geographic: Prehistoric Mammals

Personal Thoughts: Remember kids, no dinosaurs exist at the La Brea Tar Pits!

Side Note: Chillax, Jerome. I already said there were no dinosaurs (or extinct marine reptiles) at the tar pits.

Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang

Fleming, Ian. Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang. New York : Random House, 2003.

Plot: After making millions with through a musical candy invention, the Potter family decides to buy a special car. After looking throughout the town, they discover a broken-down green machine with a racing history. Through several months of work, the family makes the car into something truly remarkable. The car thinks for itself and can fly like an airplane or float like a boat. At the car's urging, the Potters travel to France for a holiday, but the discovery of a mobster's armory could put a damper on the trip.

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang Rides Again, Mary Poppins

Personal Thoughts: The title manages to create a fantasy story with a frank view of childhood and adulthood silliness. Parents and children accept the magical world the of the green car with little problem, allowing the adventure to continue for the adventure's sake.

Some readers, like me, probably saw the movie produced by Disney before reading the book. As such, I feel obligated to warn potential readers that no child-hating barons, castles, pompous grandfathers, or benign heiresses exist in the text. Instead, the Potter family consists of a man, a woman, and twins who use their fantastic car to fight mobsters and save a French candy maker.

Ian Fleming is actually best known for his books about a member of the British Secret Service, famously known as Agent 007. 

Hoaxed: Fakes & Mistakes in the World of Science

Isabella, Jude and Woo, Howie. Hoaxed: Fakes & Mistakes in the World of Science. Toronto : Kids Can Press, 2009.

Plot: Hoaxes, both accidentally and intentionally, spread throughout humanity's history. The text teaches readers to detect frauds through several historical examples, such as the Pitdown man fiasco. Other examples, such as a media frenzy surrounding a flawed experiment of cold fusion, began with genuine but misinformed belief in current times. A few hoaxes, such as a California film of Bigfoot, stem from intentional deception. A few chapters address hoaxes that persist through modern times, such as the belief in crop circles and aliens in Roswell. Additional texts address methods for avoiding hoaxes, as well as real, non-hoax events.

Genre: History, Science

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: Fantastic Feats and Failures, Science Detectives: How Scientists Solved Six Real-Life Mysteries

Personal Thoughts: The text nicely balances between historical presentation and scientific methods to show readers the impact of both on everyday life. Through the study of hoaxes, text encourages readers to be skeptical of news stories without dismissing the genuine facts. As a result, the trivia-heavy book allows readers to use science class lessons into a misinformation-laden world.

Side Note: It's the Loch Ness Monster!

Babymouse: Queen of the World

Holm, Jennifer L. and Holm, Matthew. Babymouse: Queen of the World. New York : Random House Children's Books, 2005.

Plot: The imaginative Babymouse longs for the life of a queen. However, she lives with chores, messy whiskers, math, and evil lockers. Felicia Furrypaws, the most popular girl in school, definitely enjoys the royal lifestyle, and her slumber party offers a peek into a regal world. Babymouse must convince the school queen to let her join the party. However, the high life may not offer the pleasures or acceptance she expects.

Genre: Graphic Novel, Comics, Coming of Age

Reading Level: Grades 1-6

Similar Titles: Junie B. Jones series, Babymouse: Rockstar

Personal Thoughts: The titular character presents an unusually balanced view of a junior higher. While Babymouse suffers from bullies, school, and failures, she also enjoys friends, hobbies, and successes through trial, error, and an overactive imagination. Many novels tend to portray the world of tweens as chronically terrible (the Star Wars prequel model) or constantly ending happily ever after (the Brady Bunch method). Babymouse offers a view of someone with creativity, sarcasm, and hopes. Sometimes she wins, sometimes she looses, but she always survives the situations. As a result, the series is positive without becoming preachy.

The series recently published its 17th book.
 

Darth Vader and Son

Brown, Jeff. Darth Vader and Son. San Francisco : Chronicle Books, 2012.

Plot: What if Darth Vader took an active role in raising Luke? The book offers answers through a series of colored comics. Many images reflect everyday situations, such as work, shopping, and naptime with the added complications of Wookies, emperors, bounty hunters, and Jar Jar Binks toys. Fans of the movies will recognize quotes, characters, and concepts from the films.

Genre: Comics, Science Fiction, Humor

Reading Level: All ages

Similar Titles: Star Wars Origami,  I Want to Be a Jedi

Personal Thoughts: A funny, easy to read book with strong and accurate references to the movie series.


Side Note: This book saved my sister from receiving nothing but gift cards from me for her birthday.

The Buccaneers

Lawrence, Ian. The Buccaneers. New York : Delacorte Press, 2001.

Plot: After a series of adventures, John Spencer and the Dragon find themselves in the pirate-free Indies. Much to the crew's surprise, they discover a lone shipman rowing a worn boat in the middle of the Atlantic. The rescued sailor, known as Mr. Horn, works hard, but says little. A series of questionable events forces Spencer and the captain to confront Horn. The seaman to reveals he was castaway after his captain went rogue. Instead of obeying original orders, former naval leader Captain Grace pursues piracy and brutally punishes all perceived resistance. John must protect Mr. Horn while avoiding the murderous crew's intentions.

Genre: Adventure, Historical Fiction

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: Treasure Island, The Smugglers

Personal Thoughts: While the book displays beautiful writing, it falls victim to its own set-up. Nautical terms cause readers to become lost in a series of naval jargon. Also, while the villain and heroes receive excellent backstories, the characters do not accomplish much during the actual story. For example, the story's climax takes less than one and a half pages. As a result, the text seems underwhelming.

The book is apparently the last in the High Seas trilogy.

Mummies and the Secrets of Ancient Egypt

Malam, John, and Fletcher, Joann. Mummies and the Secrets of Ancient Egypt. New York : DK Publishing, 2001.

Plot: A history book on Egyptian mummies. While other mummies, particularly those in Europe, find mention, the title focuses on the purpose and process of creating an Egyptian mummy. Other aspects of ancient Egyptian life, including agriculture, government, religion, and fashion find ample description as well. Colorful illustrations, additional facts, and relevant web addresses decorate the title.

Genre: History

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: Mummies, Tombs, and Treasure: Secrets of Ancient Egypt, Secrets of the Mummies: Picture Book, The Best Book of Mummies

Personal Thoughts: While the title contained reliable information and beautiful images, the facts about mummies lacked presence. Only the first two chapters and last two pages addressed mummies. Most of the title described on ancient Egyptian life. While the choice to focus on lifestyles is certainly not a bad thing, it makes the title seem deceptive.

Side Note: This review is dedicated to Jimmy the Paper Napkin, who gallantly sacrificed his life for the title image. 

Monsters and Mythical Creatures: Zombies

Woog, Adam. Monsters and Mythical Creatures: Zombies. San Diego, CA : ReferencePoint Press, 2011.

Plot: The title provides an illustrated guide to zombies. Supposed encounters, influential movies, and cultural effects find recording.

Genre: Horror

Reading Level: Grades 4-9; However, it is about zombies, so caution sensitive readers

Similar Titles: Monsters and Mythical Creatures: Aliens

Personal Thoughts: This title was not fun for me to read. I expected it to outline lore and traditions about the undead. Instead, the first several chapters consist of extremely poor summaries from The Zombie Survival Guide. The direction of the book also shows faults. The title bounces between dismissing stories of the undead as myth and confirming them as true. As a result, the reader does not know if they are reading fact or parody. To be fair, zombies are a fairly new monster. While stories of the undead reach back to prehistory, what most people accept as a "zombie" only appeared in the early 1900s. However, the lack of history does not excuse poor storytelling or mixed purposes. Better titles, such as Goosebumps, Tales from the Crypt, or The Zombie Chasers series, would provide a more satisfactory read.

Charlotte's Web

White, E. B. Charlotte's Web. New York : Harper, 1952.

Plot: The title reveals a classic story of growing up, friendship, and heroism through the tale of a spider and a pig. After leading a happy life with a farm girl named Fern, Wilbur the pig finds himself sold to a nearby farmer. Eventually,  a spider named Charlotte living in the barn discovers Wilbur, and comforts him when he misses his old life. The two become inseparable. However, Wilbur, as a barnyard pig, will eventually be slaughtered. Charlotte promises to save him, and accomplishes her mission through ingenuity and good writing. She engraves praises of Wilbur in her web, convincing the world he is a great as she thinks he is.

Genre: Animals, Growing Up, Fantasy

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: Whittington, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Stewart Little

Personal Thoughts: Many consider the story a classic for good reasons. The characters act in a natural, believable manner while the timing and diction allude to a long-gone era. However, the title contains a surprising amount of depth. Scientific and agricultural facts slip seamlessly into the story. The concepts of belief, miracles, wonder, friendship, and heroism find ample description within the title without becoming preachy or trite. The choice of main characters, a pig and a spider, also add to the tale's impact. Neither are considered very important, beautiful, or valuable in their own right, but their compassion for each other draws the reader in and makes them appreciate normally loathed creatures. Overall, the title provides a pleasant, if bittersweet, read.