Score: 93/100 (9.3 out of 10)
An Enemy Like Me by Teri Brown joins Imelda's Secret & Long Way Home from Crete as one of our favorite World War II novels ever! An Enemy Like Me follows a compelling couple during the early 20th century into the 1940s, right on through the war years. Jacob and Bonnie are an odd couple. Bonnie is a studious, spoiled, white-collar girl. By comparison, Jacob is a raggedy, unkept (yet handsome) delivery boy who amazes Bonnie with his Puritan work ethic and loving/caring nature. Jacob is far and away the most interesting character in the book, especially given his background. Jacob is a first-generation American, but he is of German ancestry. This is significant because, as we all know, one of America's principal enemies in both world wars were the Germans. This conflict between Jacob's American and German identities is at the heart and center of the novel, giving it its title. It's rather powerful and beautiful. There are certain scenes in this book that glow with humanity, bridging the gaps and blurring the lines between enemies and allies, friends and foes. Perhaps our favorite scene in the entire book is when Jacob is able to stand near his ancestral home in Germany, encountering a German boy who understands him. Together they share chocolate. This is especially powerful because it shows that something as simple as chocolate (along with language and love of parents/family) are shared across cultures and nationalities. Something quite special about this book is that it doesn't really focus on the violence and trauma of war itself. Yes, there is death. Yes, there is fighting. However, the narration doesn't linger on combat. Instead, it focuses on the human element and what's happening in the hearts and minds of individuals at war or back at home. We were stunned by how methodical and patient the first half of this book was. It was so delicate and unassuming. We weren't even sure we were reading a war novel! It read a lot more like a historical fiction or period piece novel. Because it's a history-based novel, a lot of what happens is predicted. You already know the attack on Pearl Harbor will happen. You already know that the atomic bombs will fall. You already know that the Allies will win the war on both fronts in 1945. However, the book surprised us in just how some of these things are presented. For example, the attack on Pearl Harbor occurs during a time in the novel when Jacob, Bonnie, and William (their son) seemed to be living their best lives. You don't expect something dramatic to happen at all. In fact, you kinda expect they'll ride off into the sunset. Next, there's a huge tug-o-war for Jacob's heart between his love to his country, his desire to be accepted as American, and his love of his family. There are times when we 100% believed that there was no way he was going to go to war. On one hand, Jacob is a patriot who also wants to prove his American identity and patriotism(to those who doubt it), and on the other hand he believes that war may result in the end of his life or him returning “changed.” This is particularly interesting because there was a concept of PTSD that existed at that time, it just wasn't as well understood or acknowledged. What's also interesting about this book is the amount of tribalism that exists and is on full display. Many Americans distrusted Germans (and Japanese) and treated them differently. Many were treated like spies or “sympathizers.” On the other hand, it is clear that there is an underground movement of Nazi/German sympathizers that is trying to recruit people to their cause. We were also impressed by the author's use of “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” as a leitmotif that grows in importance and relevancy. Another impressive moment was when William, the young son of Jacob and Bonnie, tries to find things/words that start with W instead of “William” and “War.” William's experiences actually form a kind of frame around the main story. This book probably features some of the most epic and emotional moments we've ever read including perhaps the most dramatic and emotional announcement of Japan's surrender that we've ever read on paper. If you love historical fiction, check this out on Amazon!
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Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)
The Caring Crab is another outstanding children's book by Tuula Pere, highlighting the helpfulness, friendliness, and compassionate nature of the book's titular crab, Colin. It can also serve as a cautionary tale about not being taken advantage of and knowing one's limits. After all, you can't help and care for people if you can't first help and care for yourself. If you're sleep deprived, exhausted, weak, dehydrated, and/or hungry, you probably aren't going to be able to help others to the best of your abilities. This is also a tale about paying it forward to those who help our communities the most, even the humble janitor or plumber. After all, these people are the ones working behind the scenes to make everything else run smoothly. Could you imagine if the toilets in a building didn't work? Could you imagine if the pipes in a building were leaking? Could you imagine if no one restocked the soap or the toilet paper? Guys like Colin the Caring Crab are the ones who make that happen. Colin does what he can to help as many people in his riverbed neighborhood as possible. What a colorful and interesting cast of anthropomorphic animal characters! There's Ms. Catfish, Sam the Seashell, Sally the Starfish, Eddie the Eel, and Norma the Newt (along with all her baby newts). Ultimately, after presumably years of receiving help from Colin, they become concerned when he takes a day off, being so burned out that he even has dreams of not being able to be productive despite using “all his might.” This is a familiar feeling for many parents and teachers who give their all to their children and students. At the end of the day, you sometimes don't have much time and/or energy left for yourself. Colin is such a great and sympathetic character. He is representative of your typical workaholic—the one who always comes to work and always agrees to do extra. He is almost the antithesis to Francis the Fox, one of Pere's other great characters. He is almost completely selfless and self-sacrificing. What's beautiful about this book is that the other characters realize what life would be like without their neighborhood crab friend, and they bond together to cheer him up and thank him. Lastly, this book has some of the best illustrations in a Tuula Pere novel. Once again, the lighting effects the illustrator uses are outstanding. Did you know that this book actually takes place in a dark, dank, muddy river? We didn't! We thought it took place in a beautiful, well-lit ocean—a coral reef—because of how bright, lively, and colorful everything looks! The language used in the writing is actually quite eloquent! It was like reading a Victorian-era novel at times! Check this out on Amazon! Score: 88/100 (8.8 out of 100)
Meth Gator is another fun, quirky, and off-the-walls kaiju story by Ethan Richards! No, this isn't fine, first-class literature, but we have to give it to Richards. He's like a really good B-movie director. He knows how to make a premise so ridiculous and absurd actually engaging and entertaining. This book is arguably the most bonkers and random of all the Richards books we've read so far, and that's saying a lot. It goes from being a giant monster/kaiju story to becoming a kind of gangster/crime thriller with some secret society intrigue going on. There's something really silly, goofy, nonsensical, and comical about all of it, for better or for worse. So, what is this book about? Well, that's a loaded question. This book follows in the footsteps of Caw Lake, Richards's previous monster novel, which we actually really loved. We find ourselves again in Oklahoma as a series of mysterious deaths have occurred near a wildlife management area in McCurtain County. These deaths are reported to have been caused by a giant reptilian creature resembling a crocodile, alligator, or a prehistoric dinosaur creature called a Dimetrodon. If you read Caw Lake, you'd know that Replicants had taken the form of prehistoric creatures like dinosaurs and large sea predators. Well, this book deals with the aftermath as Brannigan Novak, the hero of the last book, finds himself struggling with a werewolf or Jekyll and Hyde-like situation in which he periodically turns into the feared gator-like creature. This is especially problematic because it puts his wife, Sheila, at risk. Now, Sheila was simultaneously one of our favorite characters while also being one of the most ridiculous and annoying characters in the book. Sheila seems to be the embodiment of over-the-top feminism, almost a caricature of it. She is a skilled MMA/bare-knuckle fighter akin to someone like Tifa from Final Fantasy VII. We are constantly reminded of how good a fighter she is. It is so excessive that it's almost as if the author is in on the joke. She even starts quoting Ken Shamrock regarding how bare-knuckle fighting is safer than gloved fighting. We just kept imagining this over-the-top female fighter like Rhonda Rousey or Holly Holmes or something. There's also a side-romance between Tommy and Maddalena which kinda seems like an unnecessary side-plot that doesn't seem to lead to anything, which is actually kinda funny. They almost serve as one of those random couples in a B-horror movie that are only there so everyone can have some screen time and make their $125 (minus tax + free snacks). There's a hokiness and campiness to Ethan Richards's books that's only rivaled by the works of authors like Glenn Stevens. Anyway, all the cool weapons from Caw Lake and Dark Elf/Dark Lord of Oklahoma are back. This includes the AA-12s, M16s, AK-47s, and handguns make a reappearance. This book puts special emphasis on the sub-machine guns this time around, namely the Uzis. Still, you just aren't going to top the awesomeness of the AA-12s. While the main personal crisis in this novel surrounds Brannigan and Sheila, the major over-arching conflict involves a secret society of neo-fascists who control the world from behind the scenes and are responsible for these monsters. We really wish the author would work a little bit on formatting these books. The double-spacing between paragraphs somewhat breaks the flow of the reading. There are also times when paragraphs lack indentations for no apparent reason. Also, it's literally impossible to take this plot seriously. Even when characters are at risk of being horribly mauled by monsters, it's more ridiculous and comedic than horrifying or terrible. This is really a popcorn flick in book form. Check it out on Amazon! Score: 90/100 (9.0 out of 10)
8 Steps to Becoming an Entrepreneur for Kids is a very ambitious and promising children's book by Darren Henry. The book follows a kind, wise, and inspiring 4th grade teacher named Mr. Bedell as he tries to shine a light in the lives of his students. These students include Paige, Nicole, Jonathan, and Robert, distinctly African-American students full of hope and curiosity. This hope and curiosity prompts the students to ask many questions of Mr. Bedell like about writing down goals, why being an entrepreneur is more mental than physical, and what kinds of businesses an entrepreneur can create. This book has so much heart, soul, and promise. The concept behind it is absolutely, positively beautiful and incredible. Another thing that's beautiful and incredible, to an extent, is the artwork by Mansurul Haque. These are some of the most realistic and appealing illustrations of people to come through our contest. Drawing humans is hard. We've definitely noticed that. Even great illustrators like the Richichi brothers seem to wrestle with it from time to time. However, the illustrations in this book are mostly good to great. The only negative thing we could think of regarding the illustrations was that the facial expressions of the characters are almost always the same with the exception of the cover. The main thing that really, really, really holds this book back from being top-tier is the writing. This book really should've been proofread, edited, and rewritten. The most glaring problem is with the presentation of dialogue. It doesn't seem like the author understands how to write dialogue properly. There is a sore lack of quotation marks helping to distinguish between when different lines of dialogue begin and end. However, there are spaces between lines and somewhat random uses of bold text to help sections of dialogue or key points to stand out. Also, actions are often presented in parenthesis similar to instructions in a stage play (i.e. a script). However... this isn't a stage play or a script. These actions could've just been described in a separate sentence or as part of a dialogue tag. Speaking of dialogue tags (like “said”), they are sometimes used incorrectly or inconsistently. The same can be said for some of the punctuation (or lack thereof) in this book. There are a lot of statements—some of them profound—that are either overly wordy or are run-on sentences. Here are some examples: * “An entrepreneur is a person who creates a business from their ideas and puts action behind their ideas to bring their business to life.” The above statement should probably be rewritten as separate sentences. * “AN IDEA PLUS ACTION BEHIND THAT IDEA WILL EQUAL SUCCESS.” *“The percentage you give everyday you wake up will determine the future of your life.” The above statement has a few problems with it. First of all, “percentage” is not a verb, so the question remains: the percentage of what? Effort? Money? Energy? Also, in this context, “everyday” should be “every day.” Lastly, and perhaps most noticeably, the phrase “you wake up” makes this statement overly wordy. * “ALWAYS ENJOY THIS STEP BECAUSE YOU ARE ONLY A KID ONCE YOU CAN ALWAYS CREATE MORE BUSINESSES FOLLOWING THESE STEPS” The above statement is extremely wordy and is a run-on sentence. * “Protect your energy at all times your vision not meant to be shared with everyone.” The above statement is missing the word “is” and should be two separate sentences or two sentence fragments separated by a comma. Here are a few of the other errors we found: On page 1, the words “asked” and “question” are capitalized for no reason. They shouldn't be. Furthermore, the sentence that reads “Good Question Paige said Mr. Bedell” should be “'Good question, Paige,' said Mr. Bedell.” Right after that, there should be a comma after the word “kids” to indicate that Mr. Bedell is addressing someone or a group of people (in this case). Also, what specific motivation do the kids/characters have to want to talk to Mr. Bedell about becoming an entrepreneur? Did they talk about it in a previous class? Did they watch a movie or documentary about starting a business? This is similar to a problem we noted in Michael Dow's book about growth and human growth hormone—why would the kids specifically want to ask about that, did one of them get into bodybuilding or something? Characters need reasons and motivations for doing, saying, and thinking things. It is implied that the children in Henry's book may come from a poorer inner-city community with low social economic status, but that's never really discussed. If it were discussed, then the students may have motivations for trying to make money and become more affluent. We've already covered the problems on page 2. On page 5, “How do we figure out what our goals are Mr. Bedell asked Nicole?” should be “'How do we figure out what our goals are, Mr. Bedell?' asked Nicole.” There is a question mark at the end of the dialogue tag that has no reason to be there or is misplaced. On page 7, the word “routine” in the second paragraph is capitalized, however, it isn't capitalized elsewhere on the page. This makes its usage inconsistent. Next, “Please understand kids creating a routine is super important...” should be “Please understand, kids, creating a routine is super important...” On page 10, the use of “said” is inconsistent and incorrect. It is capitalized in one instance yet is not capitalized in another. This page also demonstrates why the author should have used quotation marks to indicate dialogue or someone speaking. Because of the absence of quotation marks, you get the following: Happy Friday, kids, Said Mrs. Davis Thank you, Mrs. Davis said, Mr. Bedell Notice there's also a comma after said in the second line of dialogue (above) for some reason. It should not be there. It should come at the end of “Mrs. Davis.” On page 12, the word “Have” is capitalized for some reason. It shouldn't be. If the author wanted to emphasize it, he could've capitalized the whole word, made it bold, or underlined it. Also, “(As he looks at Robert and Robert puts his head down)” is a weakly written section and should be removed. On page 14, why is the word “Said” capitalized again? On page 16, a comma comes after the word “said” instead of before it. Also, “NO SIR” should be “NO, SIR.” “GOOD NOW LET'S EAT SOME PIZZA” is grammatically incorrect. It's missing a punctuation after “good.” We already went over the problems with the statement “Protect your energy at all times your vision not meant to be shared with everyone” on page 17. With all that said, we really jive with the spirit and soul of this book. It's so ambitious and full of promise. All it really needed was an editor or proofreader to correct the grammatical and structural errors. In concept, this is a brilliant book! Check it out on Amazon! Score: 91/100 (9.1 out of 10)
Las Crosses is an exciting and interesting travel memoir by Apple An, a Chinese-American immigrant who courageously came to the United States. Apple came armed with a limited grasp of the English language, a suitcase largely filled with a Goh board as a gift, tentative housing with a mentor, and the promise of a better life full of new opportunities and experiences. Despite these obstacles, she bravely confronted this new future in a foreign land that she'd previously only heard about and seen in movies. Interestingly, this is the second or third book we've read in the past year that concerns immigrating from China to the United States. So, because of that, we have a lot of content to cross-examine and compare with Apple's stated thoughts and experiences. With that said, this book still provided a very unique and enlightening reading experience. No two experiences are exactly alike. No two Chinese-Americans are going to feel the same way, believe the same things, and have the same goals. Individuals differ regardless of race or nationality. So, it was especially interesting to hear Apple compare and contrast her views on Chinese and American cultures. She immediately notices how strange it is that Americans hold pot lucks and how they sometimes don't serve the food to guests, allowing them to choose their own foods—a “buffet” style. She also notices that Americans and Americanized people (even former Chinese citizens) become accustomed to expecting reimbursement and payment for what she perceives as free favors. For example, a friend offers her the use of their room over the summer but expects to be paid a month's rent, something she finds strange, almost like Indian giving. The same occurs when she's given a $400 “loan” which she initially receives as a gift. Let's face it, this is a great, exciting country, but it can also be kinda weird. There's something uniquely personable and transparent with this book that we really appreciated. Apple shares her good experiences as well as her not so good (and even embarrassing ones). This is also not a Cinderella story with a picture-perfect ending. The narrative of this book can sometimes be harsh, and life itself can be harsh. There are several parts of this book that really stood out to us for various reasons:
Another thing that was really interesting thing about this book is that it subtly wove parts of Communist China's events into the narrative. For example, you learn that Den Xiaoping had begun allowing American movies like Rambo and Rocky to be shown in China following the Cultural Revolution and Mao's loss of influence. It is really interesting to see Chinese and American history play out side by side. Check this out on Amazon! Score: 92/100 (9.2 out of 10)
Endgame on Luna One is another ambitious and thrilling sci-fi novel by Isaac Petrov. It is full of political intrigue and some social commentary. It is also filled with historically-inspired events and speculation about future events. It's 100 years into the future (ok, more like 99 years). It's a new space age: an age of space colonization, primarily the Moon. An international initiative called the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space has been enacted, seemingly with benign, benevolent intentions. One of its lead advisors is the gung-ho, beautiful scientist, Dr. Mwara Muthoni, one of the book's central figures. As a 39 years old influential member of one of the world's leading bodies (the UN), Mwara may seem like someone who has it all together, yet she is actually a flawed and vulnerable character. We see this through her relationships with Liam, a soldier, and her mother, a woman of unrealistically high expectations. Her relationship with Liam, a soldier who is in the middle of living a "second life" (due to age-defying technology) is one of the most interesting and sweet of the novel. Liam is clearly also a damaged and touched person. It is strongly implied that his first life was full of tragedy, and his current life as a soldier is full of trauma as well. Despite this, Liam stands out as a very chivalrous and protective gentleman who looks after and protects Mwara when she arrives in the middle of a war zone as a representative of the UN. Anyway, back to the plot... 22th Century Earth might look peaceful on the surface, but it is a powder keg waiting to be lit. There are two large, rival governing bodies that seem to be attempting to coexist: the Western Alliance (pretty much NATO) and the Union of Free Peoples (pretty much the USSR and Communist China). Believe it or not, neither group is necessarily in “the right.” They're both flawed, selfish, and power hungry in one way or another. Similar to the scenario in the Cold War, these two rivals pretty much only coexist to prevent mutually assured destruction via nuclear weapons. Also similar to the Cold War, these two rivals compete for space technology, in this case for the purpose of colonization. An over-reliance on artificial intelligence and droid technology makes this situation even more dangerous as it essentially puts a lot of the decision making in the hands of non-humans. Helping to balance the two superpowers is the United Nations, which is struggling in this task as the pendulum of power swings dramatically throughout the novel. The analogies with the Cold War aren't subtle at all. The members of the Union of Free Peoples even often refer to each other as “comrades.” Their leadership is also referred to as the “politburo.” This is interesting at times, but sometimes a bit cliché. There are times when this book, despite being set in the 22th Century, just seems... behind the times. Yes, technology has advanced, but it doesn't seem to have advanced as much as we'd hoped or imagined. Also, the Cold War conflict between East and West also seems a bit outdated, although you could argue we're still seeing that conflict play out today with the Sino-Russian alliance still posing a threat to the west. Also, it's kinda funny that despite a century of technological advancements, the earthlings have barely colonized the Moon—literally the closest orbital body to us. Like, what about Mars? Is Elon Musk's brain still being kept in a jar somewhere, or is he rolling in his grave? Likewise, it's kinda weird that despite a century of technological advancements, nuclear weapons are still the most dangerous things that humanity has. Like, they didn't develop antimatter weapons or a Death Star yet? It just seems kinda backwards, and perhaps that's the point. It's also kinda funny that spacesuits still suck to move in, although to be fair, the people struggling to move in them are usually those who lack proper or adequate training (like Mwara). This does lead to one of the tensest moments in the book when she's in peril yet can't properly move in her suit. Now, this isn't to say that the new technology in this book isn't cool or interesting. There are mass catapults that help humanity to send materials to the Moon colony with more efficiency. It also seems like rocket and spacecraft technology have really improved since there are so many of them. They aren't quite as common as cars are now, but they're about as common as sailboats. Going back to the spacesuits, it's cool that people can use them to communicate with each other without having to type or do anything manually. There are also a lot of instances when holograms are used, and special glasses/goggles are worn which allow individuals to see and talk to people who are many miles away. Perhaps the most tantalizing and fascinating technology in this book is the age-defying technology that allows 50 years olds to look like they're in their prime and creates “immortals.” Imagine that! Imagine never aging and never dying! That's both awesome and terrifying! Another thing that's terrifying in this book are the politicians like “His Excellency” Chairman Pichai of the Union of Free Peoples and the ruthless, impulsive President Jameson of the Western Alliance. These guys just come across as Machiavellian tyrants who are as dangerous to their own people as they are to the other side. They almost come across as cult leaders, having an almost religious following that will follow them into war even if it means their own lives. One last terrifying bit of technology/alien concept is the technology/concept of “legal death.” This is literally what it sounds like: helping people to commit suicide quickly and efficiently. Yes, it's pretty much the same thing that was parodied in Futurama. Imagine that! Anyway, this book is imaginative and has a lot to say and offer. Follow the author for updates on the book's release. Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)
It doesn't get any cuter (or more handsome) than this! Finnegan is a handsome, cute, adorable, cuddly, observant, and highly opinionated dog who always loves to be the center of attention and the life of the party! Finn is such a chick magnet! Well, he's quite a man magnet too, let's be honest. No one will be able to resist Finn's charisma! This narration is presented journal/diary-style and entirely from the perspective of the esteemed pupper, Finnegan! The narration goes about from day to day in a very stream of conscious manner with Finn noticing, experiencing, and forming an opinion on different things. Gwen Romack, the story goes, is not only Finn's owner/mom but also his interpreter. So, Romack skillfully and ingeniously transcribes Finn's rather fun and fascinating thoughts. Futhermore, Romack does this in Finn's own dog language, a kind of doganese, if you will (the kind made viral on TikTok and Instagram). So, the word “bath” becomes “baff.” “Humans” becomes “hoomans.” “Seagulls” become “sky chickens” (likewise, Canadian geese become “street chickens”). It's also hilarious the other names/titles that Finn comes up for things and people. Undoubtedly our favorite of these names is “Devil Woman” for his trainer/nanny (we think). Devil Woman, the audience knows, cares about Finn and wants the best for him. Unfortunately, Finn views her as his disciplinarian: the one who withholds his treats and points out when he does something wrong. He also calls a pumpkin the “orange porch orb.” In one of our favorite moments in the book, he encounters a street cone for the first time and immediately identifies it as a threat. Even after having it explained to him, he views it with suspicion (though they eventually become “frens”). Likewise, the household Roomba worries him at first. He starts to call it the “danger robot” and is upset that it gets credit for eating things off the floor while he gets reprimanded. He's not... wrong. This gives way to one of our favorite reoccuring quotes/phrases from the book: “You fools!” In this case, he tells his owners in a hashtag #ThisisNOTFineYouFools It is endlessly entertaining to read about Finn overreacting to mundane things like that. Finn also gains a humorous reputation as “Sir Humpalot” which is exactly what it sounds like. This book is scoring so high for several reasons: the photographs are so numerous and great, and the writing for Finn is superb! On that first note, the author went above and beyond in compiling dozens upon dozens of cute, interesting, and fun Finn photos. Ten of these would've been sufficient, but there must be over a hundred great photos of this extremely photogenic pup! We were enamored by Finn's priceless facial reactions/expressions, his lovely smile, and the way all the people and animals around him react to him. Everyone loves Finn! Second, as we stated, an incredible amount of creativity and tact went into crafting Finn's narrations. Yes, having it be presented day-to-day and in-the-moment can lead to a bit of choppiness, but it's not enough to ruin the experience. This is such a fun book! Check this out on Amazon! Score: 9.3+/100 (9.3+ out of 10)
Haunted House Day & Night will go down as one of the biggest and best surprises of the season! We did not expect to enjoy and appreciate this book so much! Maybe it's because we're iching for Halloween on the verge of fall. Maybe it's because we empathize with Mandy (the young protagonist) and her fear of the dark and ghouls, particularly at night. Or maybe it's all of that and the fact that the author/illustrator ambitiously presented us with a well-rounded and engaging children's horror book that actually has a useful and practical message about dealing with irrational fears. This book introduces us to Mandy, a little girl who has trouble sleeping alone at night because she's afraid of the dark and ghosts. At night, her imagination runs amok, making her fear even worse. Mandy's brother, Kyle, comes up with a great plan to help Mandy to overcome her fears. He proposes going to a haunted house! So, that is the premise of the book, and it's actually phenomenal. The execution of the premise is even more phenomenal. The narrative takes Mandy behind the scenes of the haunted house during the day with the help of the haunted house's owner, Mr. Holder, who provides the tour. During the tour, Mandy takes note of a lot of the scary masks, makeup, the smoke & mirrors, fog, lighting (and other special effects), the animatronic dragon-like monster that is shown to breathe fire, and even some of the actors (including Mr. Holder himself). The concept of pealing back the curtains of a haunted house—something that is initially scary and full of mystery—is really fascinating. And it's actually a good lesson for children and adults alike. We all have fears, many of which are irrational. This book encourages the reader to put their fears into perspective, which is something we really appreciated. This book also does a lot of other cool things like uses neon text to add emphasis to parts of the reading. It's also very bright, colorful, and appealing. It can be a bit overwhelming at times, but it's not too bad. Seriously, we'd rather the book be full of content rather than be sparse and dry-looking. Now, there are a few things about the illustrations that hold it back a little bit. For example, there are certain things in this book that stylistically don't look anything like the other things on the page (or on other pages). For example, some of the mice in the haunted house look like they were from stock art while the rest looked hand-drawn. Another example are the zombies and Mr. Holder's werewolf costume, which look like stock art compared to the rest of the illustrations. The raccoon on page 40 is another example. There are also times when the human characters look like infographics like on pages 32 and 33, and other times when the human characters look detailed and awesome. Despite all this, this book is still outstanding, and we really loved and appreciated what the author was trying to do. Check it out on Amazon! Score: 9.4+/100 (94+/100)
We are so tempted to give Pearl, Our Butterfly our highest score for a children's book (9.5), and we may consider it further at the end of this competition. What a powerful, emotional roller-coaster wrapped into just 16 riveting pages! This is far and away one of the most emotional books we've ever read! Pearl, Our Butterfly is the finale in the Welcome Home, Pearl trilogy of children's books written by Tuula Pere, a children's author who continually dares to do the unthinkable: to explore deep, dark, and depressing themes that often go unexplored or unacknowledged in children's books. We caught ourselves crying or close to crying throughout the series, and this book is arguably the saddest and impactful of them all. It is no spoiler that Pearl was not expected to live very long, born premature with disabilities that seemed to impact her ability to breathe, move, and function. Throughout the series, we were bracing for the moment when we'd have to say goodbye to Pearl along with her brother and family, whom we grew so attached to. Jacob is such an amazing, loving, and endearing character. The way he goes out of his way to help and make Pearl's life as comfortable, happy, and meaningful as possible cannot be understated. Jacob is constantly looking for new ways to be a good big brother to Pearl. One of the most heartwarming and heartwrenching sequences in this book is when he sings to her while she's connected to her life support and breathing tubes. The illustrator captured the amazing moment when Pearl's eyes actually managed to look up to Jacob, and her eyes express gratitude and happiness at the sound of his singing and voice. This book also features a very powerful and beautiful analogy for Pearl's life, something which can possibly be a bit complicated and convoluted for kids, but that is no doubt heartfelt. Jacob compares Pearl to a butterfly, something he's learning about at school. He sees that Pearl being wrapped up in her blankets in hospice care resembles a caterpillar in its chrysalis. He then imagines her sprouting wings (like an angel or butterfly) and being free of her “chrysalis.” This is very powerful and beautiful, as we said, because it has another meaning. Pearl's life may have been short, but it still had meaning, she still experienced (and showed) love, life, comfort, and warmth—things that you can't put an expiration date or price tag on. She is also leaving her vulnerable human body behind and ascending to a higher plane of existence similar to a butterfly. You also see that Jacob learns a lot from this experience including the value of human life and to not take it for granted. He thanks the heavens that his grandma has lived long enough to comfort him in his moment of sadness. He comes to grips that the universe works in mysterious ways and that things just happen sometimes that we can't foresee, understand, or control. This is definitely one of the most emotional books we've ever read in any genre. Kids and parents who are experiencing the loss of a loved one may really be able to empathize with the characters in this book. Check it out on Amazon! Score: 94+/100 (9.4+ out of 10)
Pearl's Life is the second in a series of powerful, heartwreching, heartwarming children's books by Tuula Pere. This series follows Jacob, a young boy who has just become the big brother to a sister who was born severely disabled and with a low probability of survival. Despite this, Jacob takes this all in stride—he is proud and excited for the opportunity and privilege of being a big brother regardless of his sister's health or what she looks like. It's beautiful and powerful how deeply Jacob and his family care for Pearl, the newborn, and how they love and accept her no matter what. This is unconditional love! Jacob really is one of the best characters we've seen in a children's book. Yes, there's an aura of innocence and naivety to him, but he's such a loving, caring, compassionate, and understanding good boy. He is a terrific role model and example for kids to follow. One of the greatest things about this book in particular is the scene in which Jacob chooses to show off his little sister to his classmates at school, knowing that many of them will be ignorant of her condition, tease him (or her), and may treat them differently or poorly. Many people with disabilities face this kind of discrimination and maltreatment as we saw in Always Orchid by Carol Van Den Hende. Jacob doesn't allow this to dissuade him, and instead uses this as an opportunity to educate and enlighten his classmates. People fear what they don't know or understand. Disabilities are one of those things that, because they are more rare, are often viewed as strange or bizarre by the public. However, as we saw in Valiance by Vanessa Caraveo, people with disabilities can surprise us. Pearl, even as a newborn, is able to surprise Jacob and their families with her brief facial reactions/expressions. She is also able to share a little ice cream with Jacob in the middle of summer. Miraculously, Pearl is able to make it to her first birthday by the end of this book, a truly triumphant and spectacular moment. This series continues to charm and impress us with its heart and soul. Check it out on Amazon! |
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