Review: Glamourpuss

By Sarah Weeks
Illustrated by David Small
Available now from Scholastic Press
Review copy

Glamourpuss lives a live of luxury with her doting owners, Mr. and Mrs. Highhorsen.  But when a relative visits with her dog Bluebelle, a chihuahua who does tricks, Glamourpuss starts to doubt that she really knows what glamor is.  After all, the humans seem to like Bluebelle better.

David Small's art, with its stylized lines and watercolors, echoes old-fashioned illustrations that perfectly suit the glamorous feel.  Sarah Weeks' text contains fairly advanced vocabulary, such as devoted and unbridled and descended.  It was too difficult for my niece to read on her own (at least when it was bedtime and she was tired), but the illustrations help show what the words mean.  The book has a lovely rhythm, and I love that it uses a more sophisticated vocabulary.  I prefer that my niece and nephew ask me what words mean instead of not getting exposed to new ones.

The use of a picture of Theda Bara as Cleopatra on the Highhorsens' television works with Small's art to give the setting a vaguely historical feel.  Like Amelia-Bedelia era.

As for the story itself, GLAMOURPUSS has some nice messages about making friends and standing up for who you want to be.  As a Houstonite, I liked that there was a reference to Houston, Texas.  (Hilariously, my nephew asked me if that meant this was a true story.)  I am a bit concerned about the message it sends about class.  The Highhorsens are clearly rich, and Bluebelle is described as "tacky," which definitely has low class/common connotations.  Bluebelle only becomes acceptable once she adopts Glamourpuss's upper-class behavior.  I did emphasize to my niece and nephew that Bluebelle changed because she wanted to, not because Glamourpuss wanted her too.

GLAMOURPUSS is a pretty quick read.  It does have reread value.  There's lots of little details in the art, including Bluebelle joining Glamourpuss on the end papers at the back of the book.  It might be a hard sell to little boys given the pink and glittery cover, but my nephew liked it well enough.  You don't have to be a specific gender to like cats and dogs!

Review: Troubletwisters

By Garth Nix and Sean Williams
Available now from Scholastic Press
Review copy



I have always loved Garth Nix's books. SABRIEL and its sequels might be my favorites, but I was never disappointed. I continued to read The Keys to the Kingdom series even though I was rather old for it because I wanted to know how Arthur solved his problems. I've never read anything by Sean Williams before, but I haven't heard bad things and I've had excellent luck with Australian authors.

TROUBLETWISTERS, strangely, didn't quite work for me. It's the tale of twins Jaide and Jack, who go to live with their estranged Grandma X after their house blows up. They start seeing odd things and notice animals behaving oddly - but no one will explain what's up. It's familiar, but that doesn't mean it can't be done well. There are some wonderful action scenes and there's a magical antique shop that's quite enchanting. But there were too few rules for me. I like it to know the bounds of magic within a story.

But the troubletwisters can't be told too much about their power by a Warden or their power might go awry. The cats know, but they swore an oath as kittens not to reveal what they know. As Jaide tells her twin brother Jack at the climax, "Who knows what [troubletwisters] can do?"

(And I might be insane, but it really bothers me that Wardens are capital-W, the Evil is capital-E, but troubletwisters are lowercase-t. Why?)

Children who enjoy fantasy will probably enjoy TROUBLETWISTERS. But it fails to live up to Nix's previous children's book series. There's nothing to hate here, but there's nothing special either.

Review: The True Meaning of Smekday

By Adam Rex
Available now from Disney Hyperion
2011 Winner of the Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production


I have no idea how this book would work as an audiobook.  Some sections are done like a comic.  Others are illustrated by 'photos,' sketches, or other representations of things the characters come across.  The illustrations are well-done, offering information not available in the story. 

But any team that could adapt it well would deserve an award.

Gratuity Tucci (her friends call her Tip) is driving by herself to Florida.  Why?  Because that's where the aliens are relocating the humans and they've already taken her mother.  She doesn't trust their transportation so she's relying on her own.  But then her car breaks and she and her cat, Pig, are stranded at a gas station . . . until one of the aliens fixes their car.  Soon Tip, Pig, and J.Lo the Boov are on a cross-country trip to save the world from even worse aliens.

When I started the novel, I was underwhelmed.  Alien invasion as a satirical critique of Western imperialism has been done to death.  But things improve after the group reach Bland Name Disney World and the storyline becomes more complex.  Adam Rex does do one thing with the satire that I appreciated - an actual Native American shows up and some people are pretty cognizant of the comparisons between the Boov's actions and human action.

I liked Tip's personality from the beginning as well.  She doesn't trust easily, but she doesn't cut herself off from other people either.  She accepts genuine help.  She's also pretty savvy for an eleven-year-old.  But I'll take it because I love a book featuring a strong female character, especially ones aimed at children.  I enjoyed the way Rex portrayed her biracial heritage.  It's not an issue at all when she and J.Lo are alone, but it sometimes bothers the people they encounter. 
The plot peters out a bit at the end as well, when the way to defeat the aliens becomes clear yet takes forever for Tip to figure out.  Luckily, there's lots of great character interaction among her, J.Lo, and minor characters that fills up the space well.  Unluckily, adults tend to be all but useless.  In fact, I can only recall one useful adult.  It couldn't hurt to have more adults act a little intelligently, could it?

THE TRUE MEANING OF SMEKDAY is pretty firmly aimed at older children.  There's a bit of cussing and a lot of violence.  (Some violence which I find disturbing, even.)  At the same time, it's quite funny and charming.  I'd have loved it as a kid.  I still found it absorbing and worth recommending to others, but it does have flaws.  I'm probably passing this one onto my nieces anyway.

Review: The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams

Sometimes I complain about college. It can be a lot of work, no lie. But nothing makes it worth it like getting back a 14-page paper with a 3-page bibliography that you spent most of a semester on (and still need to revise and turn in again) that says: [A-] This is excellent . . . But basically this was a pleasure to read.



By Rhonda Hayter
Available now from Dial (Penguin); Review copy
Read my interview with Rhonda

I want to branch into middle grade fiction more often. Why? It's important, particularly to kids who enjoy reading. Chapter books don't have the complexity to hold their attention, but young adult and adult books contain inappropriate content. I knew I spent several enjoyable years with middle grade authors like Bruce Coville, Mary Downing Hahn, and Willo Davis Roberts. Plus, I have two cousins who are the perfect age for middle grade novels. I don't just want to hook them up with what I enjoyed as a kid; I want to shower them with the best new books too! (What, you don't periodically gift copy boxes full of books to your relatives?)

It's a little strange reading a book for younger readers again. On one hand, THE WITCHY WORRIES OF ABBIE ADAMS felt highly episodic to me. The different threads like Abbie's school play and trying to get Tom home, rarely intertwine. They're mostly explored on their own. On the other hand, it feels perfect for reading at night. I'd always want to finish "one more chapter!", and it's much easier to get to bed after reading one that comes to an actual conclusion.

Abbie herself seems like someone younger readers can identify with. She's always getting in trouble due to her younger brother and she has trouble focusing on schoolwork when there are other things to do. While Tom Edison figures into the story, Rhonda Hayter doesn't use him as a means to be didactic. She acknowledges his importance in American history and goes on with the story. Tom's work ethic, however, does provide a nice contrast to Abbie's. (And whether his slang is accurate or not, it's fun.)

Generally, THE WITCHY WORRIES OF ABBIE ADAMS is a fun novel with a little bit of mystery and a little bit of fantasy - both genres I've always enjoyed. While I'm still refamiliarizing myself with the middle grade world and where things fit within it, I can tell you there are no dead dogs.

Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: The New Girl

Wow, I have four followers! Thank ya'll. In addition, I have three links:

1) Radio Show: My newest is about study habits. Listen to my cold-stricken voice.

2) I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You: Most of my TGTBTU reviews don't fit on this blog, but this one is YA. Feel free to read the other reviews there as well - the duckies are a sharp bunch with good taste.

3) The Jewel of Medina: Watch me offer a personal opinion. This won't happen often.

By Meg Cabot



I thought this one was an October book for some reason. Imagine my suprise when I saw it in the bookstore yesterday! It all works for the best since I really needed to update this blog. (Hey, Deimyts . . . help me out or I won't give you your beautiful, personally signed copy of ANATHEM.) In the second Allie Finkle book, the title character and her two little brothers begin attending their new school and their grandmother comes for a visit. Allie also adopts a kitten that needs a great deal of care.

Those in the age range the book is aimed at (I'd say second to fourth grade) will probably enjoy the school storyline the most. Bully Rosemary threatens to beat Allie up, and Allie has no clue how to deal with the situation. She doesn't want to tattle to the teacher or scare her parents, but knows she is not likely to win a physical battle. Everything she does to appease Rosemary seems to make her more angry. (One question: What elementary nowadays lets the kids go home for lunch?)

On the other hand, I enjoyed the grandmother's visit the most. There's quite a bit of tension that might have gone over my head when I was younger. Now that I know just how badly my mom got along with her mother-in-law, I can really identify with the family dynamic Meg Cabot uses. It feels very real to me, with plenty of love and some unintentional hurt.

I'm not sure how much of a crossover audience the Allie Finkle books will draw from Cabot's teen readers. Cabot writes well for children, with a simpler sentence structure. She doesn't condescend to them - she uses some nice vocabulary words, multiple storylines, and THE NEW GIRL clocks in at over 200 pages. However, it's still a simpler read. It's not a series I would pick up for myself, but I plan to give my copy of THE NEW GIRL to my cousin when she enters the second grade next year.

I don't always agree with the moral lesson in Cabot's books, but I think all those present in THE NEW GIRL are ones I'd like the little ones in my family to abide by. Plus, Allie makes a rule against eating tomatoes. She's a girl after my own heart (although I do eat salsa).

THE NEW GIRL is the second in the Allie Finkle series; MOVING DAY is the first. The novel stood well on its own. You can find out more about the series on Cabot's website. The menu links to her very interesting "diary." Cabot is the author of the popular Princess Diaries novels (ya'll can't wait for the tenth either, can ya?), the Mediator series, 1-800-WHERE-R-U, and various others.