There is a difference between a mess and being messy. Likewise, something dreamy does not mandate that it is sleepy. Unless it’s meant to be read at bedtime, a sleepy illustrated book is not ideal for describing something you want kids to enjoy. Any child can make a mess, yet every child is not messy. What Can a Mess Make? is an illustrated book about a pair of sisters who make the most of their messes via creativity, sharing, forgiveness, patience and life.
If these walls could talk. The aspect of inanimate objects communicating or having personalities is a fun way to think isn’t it? The walls of a school would have a different story than that of a hospital and a home would be something much more personal. Olivetti is the story of a typewriter and how it came to communicate with the family where it’s lived for years. Kids, a typewriter is a manual device that would create documents when the keys are pressed down. The hammer would physically move the specific letter that you pressed before raising a thin film of ink that would allow the indention of said key to create the letter on the paper upon impact. It’s also a go-to for some creative types who like the tactile process of creating manuscripts and find the clacking sound of keys rapidly and correctly hitting their intended destination soothing, cathartic, and an enhancement to the process. As a novel, Olivetti is a charming throwback of an mglit book that asks you to suspend belief, and then effortlessly brings you along if you chose to believe that a typewriter has a personality all its own.
The trailer to a book or movie can be a great or horrible thing. If you give too much away then one might as well not see or read the project. The Midnight Children doesn’t have a trailer per se, but it’s a great example of not judging a book by its cover. If one were to do that then you might think that it’s about a teen who hangs out in the forest with lightning bugs while his reclusive friends hide behind the trees. What’s great about The Midnight Children is that even as readers get to the one-third mark of the book, they’re still discovering exactly who the characters are and what they’re trying to accomplish.
After reading The Book of Stolen Time, which is one of the best titles of a book in recent memory BTW, you’ll see many Easter eggs just by looking at its cover. At first glance, a leopard, a snake eating itself, a male teen with a fairy on his arm, a girl holding a goose, and the two of them walking through a lake that they’re parting its waters is the stuff of a middle Earth-esque fairy tale. The Book of Stolen Time is the second book in the Feylawn Chronicles series. The first entry was the equally awesome titled, The Book of Fatal Errors!, and its sequel continues the world that was established in that book. Not having read that book, but jumping into The Book of Stolen Time is OK.
A great heel makes the difference in stories that entertain, vs. those that flounder. It’s especially true in wrestling, as well as, literature. If the heel isn’t a strong one then the audience can be hopeful that it moves along quickly; with the vestiges of said plot point withering away due to its lack of spandex or words. The Monsters of Rookhaven is mglit that runs from the first page. It’s brilliantly weird, fun to read and feels familiar enough to bring in reluctant readers, while being different enough to satisfy those who need something new.
For us, Bad Kitty is the best kind of retiring cop buddy-movie. They always manage to pull us back in. Our 11-year-old went through a huge Bad Kitty phase when he was in third grade. He would howl with laughter when we’d leave him alone so that he could dig in with Uncle Murray, kitty, and the other animals that make up Nick Brule’s world. That was a couple of years ago. His brother was casually interested in Bad Kitty, and then not at all. However, now, just like the venerable Sergeant Murtaugh who’s about to retire, our nine-year-old has rediscovered a certain skittish black kitty.
The title and image on the cover of They Threw Us Away immediately activates the dark places that your imagination can wander. It inspires curiosity, thoughts of friendship, and an unknown hint of what could be malevolence or something more apocalyptic. We see four teddy bears, each with a distinct personality. One is protective, a pink one is dancing, one looks quite aloof, and one who’s a bit of a wildcard. On the back we see a quote from the first chapter of the book that ominously states, “Is anyone there? I think….I’m lost”. Forget any preconceptions you have about They Threw Us Away. This book could easily be more inspired by any number of characters, depending on what you identify with the most. However,in reality, it’s an original story that crackles like very few books you’ll read this year.
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