Killer Species #2: Feeding Frenzy

Killer Species #2: Feeding Frenzy by Michael P. Spradlin
(AKA "That Moray-Cuda Book")
Release Date: Oct. 29, 2013

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This review describes an uncorrected proof. The published version may be different, but maybe not different enough for my brother.

My brother read this book. Read these comments and share in his misery.

Once upon a time, there was a film company called AIP. When they made a movie, they started by picking a title that would get the kids excited. Next, the developed a flashy poster to sell tickets. Last, they came up with an actual movie to match the title and the cover-art that had already been chosen. This book was probably made the same way.


This feels like an artificial project for the purpose of taking money from anyone who's a sucker for a cool cover/title combo. The plot concerns a mad scientist who decides to restore ecological balance by unleashing custom-made genetic horrors. He is stopped by a group of meddling kids and their positive but oddly incompetent adult chaperones. It's like Scooby Doo, but they don't have a dog. Oh, wait, they do...

I think it's targeted at children who are just old enough to not demand pictures in their books. If I had read this book as a thirteen year old, I would have felt patronized. The book doesn't give the reader credit for any intelligence at all. The characterization and plot are strictly by-the-numbers. There wasn't much that was technically unsound, but it was very bland. The only bit of complexity that I can give it credit for is that while the book is mostly about mankind wrecking the planet, characters who go over to eco-terrorism look like jerks. At least they're introducing some political subtlety there.

Even though this is a tiny book, much of it is actually padding. The page count gets filled out by unnecessary recaps of the first book, "bonus" chapters of the next book, and artist's renderings of the Moray-Cuda.

This book is a placeholder. They needed a book with an evil fish on the cover. A certain number of kids will get conned into buying it based on appearance. Next month, they'll probably shovel on a different terrible book with an evil creature on the cover, and a new generation of wide-eyed youth will get bamboozled by a cynical publishing industry.

I would recommend this book for eco-fanatics who care more for brainwashing their children than quality reading. Really, though, I wouldn't suggest it to anyone.

Maybe you just don't care if it's cheesy. You can go get a copy at The Blue Manatee or your nearest independent bookseller.

Dog Songs by Mary Oliver
Release Date: October 8, 2013

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Goodreads entry 

This review describes an uncorrected proof. The published version may be different.

My student, Cam, read this book. Here's what he thought: 

Dog songs is a poem book about dogs. Dog songs was an amazing book. I read it because I love dogs and because I’ve never read a dog poem book. I recommend this book to anybody who loves dogs and likes poems. This is the first book I’ve ever read by Mary Oliver. In my opinion, I’d give this book a rating of 9. I really liked this book and I might read more books by Mary Oliver.

To see my review of this book, check out the first review in the history of this blog!

The Jupiter Pirates by Jason Fry

The Jupiter Pirates by Jason Fry
Release Date: December 23

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This review describes an uncorrected proof. The published version may be different.

Kylee detected clichés in this book. Read her comments and cringe:

Have you ever read a book about ships and aliens in space? Do you want to read another? The first 10-20 you have read before have been pretty okay, so this one should be just as good right? If you have been thinking yes to these questions, then forget this review and go get the book. You will love this “wholly original saga” about this “Galaxy on the brink of war” and this “one unforgettable family caught in the middle of it.”

First, I would like to point out I didn’t finish it. I got to page 31 and was just done with it. Is Harper-Collins the one lacking creativity, or is that you, Mr. Fry? Really, you think that we need ANOTHER humans, aliens, spaceship, Star wars, Independents day, one boy that can save them all book?

I do like the way you have the mom think they are more civilized and law abiding and then the dad knows they are bloody pirates and scoundrels. But the way you put it in there it just makes it contradicts itself. You don’t tell us a lot about what’s happening or who the main character is. I know sometimes it’s better to just put a character in a problem and see how they deal with it so the reader can learn about them. But after it was done, I didn’t really know anything more about the characters than when I started.

I don’t recommend this book to any one.

-Kylee

Goodbye Rebel Blue by Shelley Coriell

Goodbye Rebel Blue by Shelley Coriell
Release Date: October 1

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This review describes an uncorrected proof. The published version may be different.

My wife read this book. Here's what she said:

It's not every day that you hear about a teenager dying, and another girl choosing to complete her bucket list. Some teenagers just don't fit in with everyone else. This book is written for the ones who don't even want to fit in.

Shelley Coriell protrays the inner thoughts of the main character realistically. The main character begins her journey with as a selfish, self-centered teenager. She was really just mean and sarcastic, and it made me want to stop reading. Then, about 1/3 of the way through, I realized that Coriell set it up on purpose so that Rebel could redefine herself and learn more about herself as she fulfilled her classmate's bucket list.


I was especially put off that Rebel doesn't stop and think about death at the beginning of the book. She doesn't stop thinking about herself, even when she goes to the other girl's funeral. Most books have a flawed character with a few traits that are likeable, but in this book, there was nothing enjoyable about her until 1/3 of the way through the book. It felt like parts of the book dragged while I was waiting for Rebel to grow up.

I recommend this book to teenagers who want to see a character's inner thoughts and the changes they go through. There's also a heavy dose of romance that keeps the book interesting. Enjoy!

Get your copy from The Blue Manatee or your nearest independent bookseller!

"The President Has Been Shot!": The Assassination of John F. Kennedy by James L. Swanson

"The President Has Been Shot!": The Assassination of John F. Kennedy by James L. Swanson
Release Date: September 24, 2013

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This review describes an uncorrected proof. The published version may be different.

My dad read this book. Observe his judgment:

I was in high school during the assassination. My family were not Kennedy fans, so I didn't feel as bad as some people did, but everyone felt bad.

When I picked up this book, I was concerned that it would only be written for Kennedy fans who still dream about the "lost Camelot" of the era. On the contrary, Swanson wrote this book in a fair, objective way. He explained why a lot of people liked JFK without going overboard. I would have liked some comments on the 1960 voter fraud in Chicago, but I can't disagree with anything that Swanson included.

This book is fascinating. It walks you step-by-step through the assassination. There are lots of things you think you know, but you've never understood until Swanson explains them. The pacing is expertly done; it keeps moving crisply through all the key events of the shooting, but dives into details when something interesting is happening. Swanson chooses only the most interesting side stories about LBJ, Jackie Kennedy, the Secret Service, etc. The details were explained clearly and compellingly. For example the explanation of why Oswald shot from behind instead of from in front is meticulous and convincing.

This book doesn't waste any time on conspiracy theories. Oswald did it. He acted alone. I'm glad to see that Swanson goes after truth instead of hyping up stupid theories, but I wish he'd spent more time shooting down some of the bigger theories. I wish he'd torn apart that idiotic movie, for example. That would have been fun to read.

I recommend this book to people who like knowing how things happen. It's got politics, murder, and history wrapped together. I enjoyed it, and I learned a few new things from it.

Go find your copy at The Blue Manatee or your nearest independent bookseller! 

Rock & Hard Place by Angie Stanton

Rock and a Hard Place by Angie Stanton
Release Date: September 24, 2013

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 This review describes an uncorrected proof. The published version may differ.

My mom read this book! Check out her reaction:

Good vs. evil, cruel fate, a tragic accident, and a life out of control. It's Ivanhoe all over again!

This book is about a girl who is dating a pop singer against the background of her tragic personal life and his difficulty with navigating the path of success. It's not bad!

The theme of the book is making choices that will get you a positive outcome. The characters have a genuine feel, and they make you care about the theme.

The shortcoming of the book is a lack of realism. For example, the father character just kind of disappears. Where did he go? I think teenagers can handle something a little more grounded that this. On the other hand, it's refreshing to read a positive, upbeat romance novel that doesn't make you feel gross afterwards.

Young teens and people who enjoy realistic characters in an upbeat romance would appreciate this book.

Looking for a beach read in September? Go find your copy at The Blue Manatee or your nearest independent bookseller!

Chupacabra by Roland Smith

Chupacabra by Roland Smith
Release Date: September 24

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This review describes an uncorrected proof. The published version may be different.

Review by Casey:

Tonight is different, 'cause the Chupacabra is out for blood!

I thought that the author did really well with the story as well as a perfect idea to go along.

I wanted to know how Noah Blackwood found a way to create the Chupacabra.

I would recommend this book to people who like Action, Fantasy and people who believe in the paranormal.

-Casey

Invasion by Walter Dean Myers

Invasion by Walter Dean Myers
Release Date: September 24, 2013

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This review describes an uncorrected proof. The published version may differ.

My dad read this book. Here are his ideological comments:

Walter Dean Myers wrote this book because of his family's experiences in Vietnam and Iraq. He wanted readers to understand that war is hell, and that we need better ways to solve our problems.

It's fine to write a book about how war is hell, because war IS hell, but then you've got to get the other side to read the book, too. How do you write an antiwar book about WWII? How do you square that with the facts that we were attacked at Pearl Harbor, and that Germany declared war on us? It seems like Myers is trying to write a Vietnam book set in WWII, and it just doesn't make sense. Vietnam was a different war, and it was fought for different reasons. WWII was not a war of choice, and the comparison is inappropriate.

In this book, all attempts to encourage the soldiers are portrayed as superficial or manipulative, which is a very shallow, one-sided presentation of the motives behind the war. It's true that the soldier in the trenches probably wasn't thinking about freedom or justice while he was fighting- he was thinking about his comrades. Even here, though, Myers fails to present the friendship of comrades in arms. When you talk to people who actually fought in WWII, they'll tell you that the friendships they made there are one of the greatest points of their lives. Myers does not get that across in this book; he only shows the cynical side of the soldiers' motivations.

I understand that Myers has a commitment to show the African-American side of history, but he strains it to a contrived level in this book. It is believable that the protagonist would run into his Black friend once during the invasion- the chaos of battle always defeats segregation- but it is painfully unrealistic that they would have three chance encounters. The way that these accidental meetings keep happening in the midst of the hundreds of thousands of disorganized soldiers at D-Day undermines the realism of the book.

In its defense, this book credibly depicts the horrors of war. Myers did his research, and he accurately portrays D-Day and the campaign across Normandy to St. Lo. The only historical error is that the grunts somehow know that Patton is coming. That was a top-secret maneuver, and there is no way they would have known about it. Even if they had known about it, they would have no cause to believe that Patton could cancel out the dominance of the German tank technology.

This book is unbalanced. It does not show respect to the historical causes of WWII or the motives of the people who fought in it. I do not recommend it.

Looking for a more positive review? Check:
Maci and Zoe Read Books 

Interested in reading this book? Want to argue with my dad? (Good luck on that!) Buy this book from The Blue Manatee or your nearest independent bookseller!

Fortunately, the Milk

Fortunately, the Milk by Some Guy
Release Date: September 17, 2013

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This review describes an uncorrected proof. The published version is different, especially the illustrations. This review describes the illustrations of Skottie Young.

My brother read this book. Behold his wisdom!

The cover does not lie! This book is about a dad, dressed as Tom Baker and a dinosaur sidekick riding around and searching for a cup of milk. The book was written because Gaiman felt he owed dads a favor after negatively portraying fathers in another book. Gaiman succeeds in creating a heroic father figure and channeling the spirit of Roald Dahl all at the same time.

There's really not much I can say without spoilers. This book involves dinosaurs, time travel, sparkly ponies, and a heroic dad who just wants his kids to have milk in their cereal. It's fun, and it would make great bedtime reading. The book is very short, but it felt like it was exactly the right length for the story it was telling. The Skottie Young illustrations evoke the spirit of Quentin Blake while reinforcing and adding to the meaning of the text. I'd like to buy this book just to see the final version of the illustrations.

Warning: It looks like this book may be published with completely different illustrations! Why?

If you love dads, dinosaurs, sparkly ponies, and time travel, then go get this book at The Blue Manatee or your nearest independent bookseller!

The Screaming Staircase

Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Release Date: September 17, 2013

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This review describes an uncorrected proof. The published version may be different.

My brother read this. Behold his comments!

What if Harry Potter was actually spooky? What if Rooby Roo had a lot more action? Jonathan Stroud answers these humble questions with a fun, well-built adventure yarn about teenaged ghost hunters.

Stroud creates effective characters and guides them through suspenseful paranormal murder mysteries. The thrills are real, and the action is invigorating. The most obvious Potterism is the rival gang of ghost hunters, which is clearly lead by Draco Malfoy. The strongest parts are the hauntings and the "ghostology" (taxonomy of ghosts). Stroud's attention to detail and choice of ghosts creates an atmosphere of creepiness. These scenes were well written enough that I actually cared what happened next. The same cannot be said for the character interactions.

What's with the way Stroud writes the adults? Stroud acts like the adults are mean because they won't let a bunch of underprepared kids go fight ghosts. Then the kids totally bungle the ghost-hunting, which proves the adults right! Those adults weren't mean- they were smart! In spite of this, Stroud never lets up. In a classic YA writing misstep, he makes every single adult out to be mustache-twistingly mean and hopelessly stupid. This makes no sense in the setting, however. According to the rules of Stroud's world, only teenagers can hunt ghosts. That means that eventually ghost hunters outgrow hunting and turn into adults. Wouldn't at least some ex-ghost hunters have a sense of understanding for the teens? By pandering to teen angst, Stroud misses the opportunity to add an ex-ghost hunter mentor character. Furthermore, some of these nagging interpersonal scenes and the plot thread about the rival ghost hunters don't really make any plot difference in the long run. They just bog down the narrative and get in the way of the ghost-hunting.

I would like Jonathan Stroud to explain the setting of this book. Parts of it feel deliberately Dickensian, but then the characters use modern technology. It's like an old Universal horror film where some of the extras are dressed like medieval peasants, and other are dressed like '30s gangsters. Sooner or later, you just scream out, "What year is this supposed to be?"

Complaints notwithstanding, I recommend this to Harry Potter fans who want something a little more creepy. There are strong, believable male and female characters, so it should appeal to boys and girls equally.

 This book is the next big thing! Go buy a copy at The Blue Manatee or your nearest independent bookseller!

American Indian Stories

American Indian Stories by Zitkala-Sa
Release Date: 1921

Free ebook on Project Gutenberg
Free Librivox audiobook of a different Zitkala-Sa collection

This is not an upcoming release. This is a plea for more people to read an overlooked classic.

 This book should be required reading in middle-school and high-school American history classes. Using flawless prose, the author conveys her life, first as a young girl on a Sioux reservation, then as a teenager in an Indian school, and lastly as a teacher-cum-activist. The writing is immediate and speaks clearly across the decades. The subjects and descriptions emphasize the universality of childhood and coming of age. This book eloquently and accurately depicts the predicament of the Sioux (and of most American Indians) at the beginning of the 20th century.

I fail to understand why this book is not heralded and taught as a classic. I pulled a chapter out of it almost at random and used it as a mentor text in my 8th grade writing classes. It exemplified everything good writers do- clear, descriptive language, deft pacing, small details that speak to larger issues, masterful organization, etc. The only thing I can think of that holds this book back is an increasing hostility toward white men (or "palefaces" as she calls them in the early chapters) and the "white man's religion." It is possible that this makes some readers uncomfortable, but the way that it is presented makes her perspective easy to empathize with.

It should be added that this book is a hodge-podge. The essential portion of it is the autobiographical chapters right at the beginning. After that, Sa or her editors filled out the remainder of the pages with short fiction, essays, speeches, and a fan letter from Helen Keller!

Go read the autobiography. You won't regret it. I double-recommend this book to fans of House on Mango Street.

The Lord of Opium

The Lord of Opium by Nancy Farmer
Release Date: September 3, 2013

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This review describes an uncorrected proof. The published version may be different.

My sister in law read this book. Here are her impressions:

Everywhere you look today, you see The Hunger Games, Twilight, and Harry Potter, or their unwelcome imitators. Wouldn't it be nice to find an action/fantasy book that offers something different? Here's Nancy Farmer to the rescue!

Nancy Farmer returns us to the futuristic US/Mexico border conflicts that she introduced in The House of the Scorpion. We pick up where we left off with a plot which brews together the drug trade, cloning, and illegal immigration. Farmer delivers a book that contains science fiction without being limited by the Sci Fi label. This feels like a book about important issues that happens to take place in the future, rather than a more stereotypical book like Divergent, which is basically another, "What if an evil future government did x for no reason?"

Fans of the first book should be mostly satisfied. The story progresses logically, and is mostly unpredictable. The most disappointing aspect is the way a previously subtle, tastefully done romance angle devolves into something more cliché by the end of the book.

It also seems incongruous that a book about drug gangs has violence that is either strangely absent or awkwardly peppered in. Still, this book is so much better than any other YA sci fi titles out there that I would still recommend it.

This book would appeal to Hunger Games fans. It would cross over well to both male and female audiences. Anyone who enjoys a thrilling story about serious issues will enjoy it.

Everyone's excited about this book! Get your copy from The Blue Manatee or your nearest independent bookseller!

The Chaos of Stars

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White
Release Date: September 9, 2013

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This review describes an uncorrected proof. The published version may be different.

My mom read this book. Here are her unflattering remarks:

You know how The Flintstones came out because of The Honeymooners? Then The Jetsons happened because of the Flintstones? This book is like the Jetsons. It happened because somebody wrote a hit book about a kid who is actually a wizard,  then somebody else wrote a book about a kid who is actually a Greek God. Hoping for lightning to strike a third time, the publishing industry cranks out a book about a girl who is actually the child of Egyptian Gods.

[Editor's note: I actually enjoyed The Lightning Thief.]

Isadora's conflict in this book is mainly with her parents. They're immortal, she's not, and it's just not fair! (Slam!) Isadora is a stereotypical shallow, self-involved teen. Over the course of the book, she develops from being unlikeable to somewhat more likeable. She did become closer with her parents, but not in a way that involved outgrowing her abrasive immaturity.

I wish there was less Egyptian folklore stapled onto the story. The way it's integrated is jarring and contradictory. For example, her parents are millennia-old Gods with access to the internet, but they find San Diego baffling? More baffling, say, than the Book of the Dead?

I would reluctantly recommend this book to teenaged girls, but I would demand that they read something intelligent afterwards.

My mom was not the target audience for this novel. For a more positive review, see:
Proud Book Nerd 
 Dark Faerie Tales
The Nocturnal Library 

For a less negative, but not totally ebullient review, check out:
My Friends Are Fiction 
Sarah's YA Blog 
Bookworm 1858 
Punk's House of Books 

Or a negative review that's just less brutal:
Nawanda Files

If all this misanthropy hasn't scared you off, go pick up your copy at The Blue Manatee or your nearest independent bookseller.

The Nazi Hunters

The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the Worlds' Most Notorious Nazi by Neal Bascomb
Release Date: August 27

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The review describes an uncorrected proof. The published version may be different.

Mossad vs. Eichmann! Simon Wiesenthal! David Ben-Gurion! Isreal's toughest agents risk everything to bring down the greatest living war criminal! Finally! I've been waiting years for someone to tell this story in a teen-friendly format, and I'm grateful to Neal Bascomb for taking up the challenge.

The title of this book is truth in advertising. As a reader, you follow the effort to catch Eichmann step by step over the many years it took to bring him to face justice in Israel. You cheer when the agents get closer, grit your teeth every time Eichmann lives one more day of freedom, and recoil at the inner workings of Eichmann's mind.

Bascomb's greatest strength is his vivid snapshot characterizations. Each character is introduced carefully, with distinguishing attributes that make them stand out in the reader's mind. The frequency that the Holocaust enters into the characters' lives serves as a constant reminder of the mission's importance.

As much as I was prepared to love this book, I was still irritated by the organization and pacing of the narrative. The whole book kicks off with an intimidating character list, followed by a cryptic prologue. It's a shame that these two obstacles come first, because I can see many middle school readers giving up before they reach the first chapter. The first chapter is one of the strongest points of the whole book, so why not lead with that? Structurally, this is a cops-and-robbers story. Extra front matter just clouds the narrative.

If a character list is necessary, I would rather see it as an appendix or parsed out at the chapter heads as in Bomb. The prologue is more confusing than suspenseful and should just be deleted.

The stretch of narrative between the beginning of Chapter 2 and Harel's spine-tingling speech at the end of Chapter 7 is very frustrating. Anyone who's seen the front cover of the book knows that the Israelis will eventually go after Eichmann, but here they have to plow through chapter after chapter of indecision. There's so little tension that the book loses connection with the audience. I am especially frustrated, because I wanted to love this book so much, and the problem looks to be easily fixable.

I don't know how I'm supposed to feel during these meandering chapters. How about some chapter titles? You could go with picaresque (In which Bauer scours the world for a team to hunt down a war criminal) or noirish (TRAINING THE JUSTICE-HUNTERS). Either one would impart a sense of movement to the narrative.

More importantly, there is excellent material on the bad guys that Bascomb holds back for much too long. Details about the lies and manipulations within the Eichmann family would make him seem like more of a threat and less of an impotent old man. Description of ongoing sympathy for Nazis within the Argentine government would create more suspense over whether the spies will be caught. Linking international threats to Israeli identity to the Holocaust would give more urgency to the mission. Finally, details about Argentine Neonazi gangs and the Eichmann sons' potential for participation in them would greatly boost the atmosphere of threat and evil. Any of these elements, judiciously used, would compel readers more urgently through those early chapters.

The payoff begins at the end of Chapter 7. The mission to capture Eichmann is described with depth, precision, and energy. The portion on the safe house was especially shocking, and it gave the entire book additional weight and purpose. I hope that readers persevere through the early chapters to arrive at this, the meat of the book.

The portion about the airplane started off weak. Again, I couldn't see how the mission was threatened. It seemed like Mossad overpreparing for something that was not going to be that hard. Gradually, Bascomb introduces information about the Tacuara Neonazi gang and the Argentine police's inclination to help Eichmann. This, paired with the Holocaust stories of the flight crew, boosts the urgency effectively. I just wish these elements had been pushed right at the beginning of the plane portion, and not closer to the end.

The closing chapters of this book are resonant and powerful. As I have claimed throughout this review, the material of this book is top-notch and long overdue. I only wish it had been organized and presented in a manner that would be accessible to the greatest possible number of readers.


If you love justice, then go find this book at The Blue Manatee or your nearest independent bookseller!

Just Like Fate

Just Like Fate by Cat Partick & Suzanne Young
Release Date: August 27, 2013

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This review describes an uncorrected proof. The published version may be different.

My mom's comments:

What if you had to lose something, but you got to choose what it would be? What if you had to choose between family loyalty and new love? Many of us face these choices, but we never get to find out how it would have turned out if we'd chosen differently. In this novel, Caroline lives both outcomes of a vital choice, and the results reveal much about the importance of choosing well.

The authors of this book up the intellectual ante of the YA genre, with engrossing results. Caroline travels a more complex mental road than most protagonists of other teen novels. At the beginning, she must choose between staying at home with her dying grandmother and going to a party where she might find romance. The chapters alternate between parallel descriptions of these two outcomes. Although the outcomes are different, both paths lead Caroline to a deeper maturity and a broadened understanding of life.

Caroline's parents are especially notable characters. They present differently in the two plot lines, and the contrast reveals a complexity of character that most YA titles lack. Although, as a grandmother, I disliked the sexual situations and the plotline of high schoolers dating college boys, I appreciated the complex approach to character, the theme of reconciliation, and the discussion of choice vs. fate.

This book is targeted at teenaged girls, but I would also recommend it to parents who want to understand the issues their daughters grapple with. In fact, the themes are so universal that many people would enjoy the book.

My students and my mother agree on one thing: This book is solid! Go buy a copy at The Blue Manatee or your nearest independent bookseller!

The Dragon's Soul by Keagan Noll
Release Date: August 15, 2013

Amazon Listing

Battle to the death with an evil twin! Dragons reincarnated! Swords clash in the ultimate limit-breaking duel! Explosive excitement overflows in this short novel by a budding 9th grade writer. Enjoy!

Keagan was a student of mine last year. I enjoyed editing this story with him, and I hope that other readers will enjoy his story as well.

The Hypnotists Book 1: Hypnotize Me by Gordon Korman
Release Date: July 30, 2013

Amazon listing
Goodreads page

This review describes an uncorrected proof. The published version may be different.

Who hasn't wished that they could overpower the minds of lesser men by giving them a good hard stare? How many of us have actually tried it? (I have.) In Hypnotize Me, Jax Opus learns that this might not be as great a gift as it sounds. He discovers that he is the world's most powerful natural hypnotist, and then becomes enmeshed in the plots and counterplots of rival hypnotist societies. Danger escalates to the point that Jax has to psychically battle an evil mastermind for the future of America!!

Gordon Korman always delivers. Every book of his has interesting characters, an exciting plot, and buckets of cheesy joy. Korman's books are not trying to teach you life lessons or make you a better person; they just want to have a good time. My students have embraced this attitude. They can sense that Korman respects them as readers and won't patronize them. This author may be in no danger of winning a Newbery, but he deserves a medal for encouraging literacy among reluctant readers.

The plot of this book, which reads like a junior version of Scanners, is a slam-dunk for any tweens and teens who dream of limitless power. The clearly-drawn characters draw strong reactions and make the events more exciting. I have no doubt that this will be another popular addition to my Gordon Korman shelf. (The current king of that shelf is Born to Rock.)

Reading as an adult, I enjoyed the ride and finished it within twelve hours of getting my advance copy. There are also some parts of the book that bugged me, although most of them would go unnoticed by the target audience. For example, Korman uses the phrases "soldier on" and "sucked the air out of the room" a few too many times, and it makes the prose feel rushed. The editors might catch that before the final copy comes out, though.

Jax' naiveté got a little old. Korman lays on so much foreshadowing that the reader sees the next plot twist far before Jax does, which makes him come across as kind of dense.

The most significant gap concerns the supporting characters. After developing the other hypnotist characters at Sentia, Korman just abandons them two thirds of the way through the book. I was curious about Augie and Kyra, and I wanted to know which side they would choose in the final showdown. I was looking forward to it, but then they just didn't show up! It's not even clear whether they'll be in the sequel. It would be helpful if Scholastic put a tag on the end that said something like, "Find out what's next for Jax, his family, and the rest of the Sentia students in the Hypnotists, Book 2!"

I recommend this book to anyone who likes Korman's other books. The Korman fans at my school tend to be people who like laughing, don't take themselves too seriously, and enjoy reading a good yarn. More specifically, I would recommend this book to anyone who has wondered what it would be like to have a super power. Cheers!

Dog Songs by Mary Oliver
Release Date: October 2013


Amazon Page
Goodreads entry

If you've ever loved a dog, then Pulitzer-winning poet Mary Oliver knows how you feel. In this slim book, she assembles 35 poems and a short essay enumerating the many wonders and benefits of being friends with a dog. Common themes include living in the present, and feeling the simple joys of friendship. The book is filled with beautiful, lifelike pen-and-ink illustrations by John Burgoyne.

I grinned my way through this book, and reached out to pet my Westie every ten pages or so. As a dog owner, I recognized many of Oliver's feelings: the wonder at the simple happiness of dogs, and the gratitude for the constancy of a dog's affections. Oliver is especially passionate about her rescue dog experiences, and her most beautiful poems are about them.

This collection is not as challenging as I had expected it to be. When I hear "Pulitzer winning poet," I kind of expect mental gymnastics. I expect to be tired after a few pages. This book was not exhausting at all! I read it in three sittings, and I could have easily read it in one if there was no such thing as laundry. Although many of the poems have a subtext, Mary Oliver is not playing hide-and-seek with you. You can figure out what she means on both levels without straining yourself. This was a light, enjoyable read.

I would recommend this book to people who like dogs and are interested in pondering the human/canine relationship a bit. It might also interest people who just want to see one of America's preeminent poets write simply about something she loves.

This blog reveals secrets of upcoming YA releases, with reviews written by me, my friends, and my students!

-Phil J.