Sarah Jamila Stevenson's Blog: Blog - Sarah Jamila Stevenson, page 37

Monday Review: SCIENCE COMICS: CORAL REEFS by Maris Wicks

Synopsis : First Second Books' new series Science Comics is no doubt something that I would have loved as a kid. There wasn't nearly the selection of graphic novels or educational comics in the 1980s, though. I had a pretty good collection of Charlie Brown's Super Book of Questions and Answers and a cartoon-illustrated book about science that I got at the Exploratorium, but that was about it for my collection of science comics. (At least, until I was a bit older and discovered Larry Gonick.) If I'd had Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean I would have been thrilled. It's part of a new-ish series of Science Comics on a range of topics by different comics artists.

Maris Wicks, who created the graphic novel Primates (reviewed here) for older audiences, is the artist and author of Coral Reefs, and her depiction of the fantastic forms of life under the sea and in coral beds is inviting, charming, colorful, and funny. And, of course, educational. The book is divided into chapters that cover everything from how coral reefs are formed, to which animals live there, to how coral reefs and oceans are an integral part of the planet.

Observations : I was impressed by the science part of the book. It's substantial—it doesn't talk down to kids or avoid presenting new vocabulary—and makes excellent use of illustrations and diagrams to keep it from ever feeling too heavy or dense (although very young readers might have to skim over the science-speak). Everything from water molecules to phytoplankton to fish is depicted with personality, telling its own story while also making the point that our planet is alive, filled with living things in a vast network that includes us.

Click to embiggen. Image courtesy of Macmillan.The narrator of the story is a little yellow prawn-goby, a tiny fish that lives in coral reefs. Unlike with Nemo, there's no need to resort to a family tragedy in order to feel sympathetic to this little guy. Our goby friend is ready with a smiling face and intellectual hipster glasses, well suited to the task of zipping here and there in the reef and doing the heavy lifting of breaking down the chemistry, biology, and ecology of ocean life. The artwork is simple when it needs to be, and more complex and scientifically accurate when called for, without losing a consistent colorful charm throughout.

The book also contains some supplemental educational material, giving it additional heft for classroom use: a glossary, of course; a bibliography and list of resources; and an in-depth diagram of a coral polyp.

Conclusion : Coral reefs and sea creatures are just plain cool. I personally learned a lot, was reminded of knowledge I hadn't thought about in a while, and enjoyed myself in the process. The smiles on the characters' cute little faces made me smile, too—I imagine it was very fun to draw all the different types of animals and organisms. Though written for kids and tweens, this would be an enjoyable read for anyone of any age who wants an introduction to the topic with both breadth and depth. BONUS: Tune in later this year for an interview with Maris Wicks—I can't wait to ask her more about Mr. Goby.

I received my copy of this book courtesy of the publisher, First Second/Macmillan. You can find CORAL REEFS: CITIES OF THE OCEAN by Maris Wicks at an online e-tailer, or at a real life, independent bookstore near you!

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Thursday Review: THE FOG DIVER by Joel Ross

Check it out--no whitewashing here! Synopsis : The Fog Diver was this year's Cybils Award winner for Elementary and Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction, and I've been intending to read it for several months now—so when it won the Cybils I made a particular point of getting to it. And I am so glad I did, because this one was yet another MG spec fic that I want to hug (like last year's finalist title The Greenglass House, which I also loved). Joel Ross's post-post-apocalyptic world, with humans relegated to living on mountaintops and hot-air-balloon platforms in order to stay off the earth's tainted surface, is vivid, creative, and really intriguing, but it's the characters—who can resist a plucky cast of young misfits?—that make this one sing.

Chess, the narrator, is a thirteen-year-old fog diver, and he's the best there is. Expert at descending via tether into the treacherous nanite Fog, he scavenges useful items from the time before the human-created microscopic nanobots went rogue all over the planet's surface. Successful scavenging means survival for Chess and his fellow balloon crew members Swedish, Bea, and Hazel, who live in the floating slums outside the mountaintop city of Rooftop. But now their search for loots is even more desperate: their caretaker, Mrs. E, has finally succumbed to fogsickness. Their only hope is to salvage something valuable enough that they can buy passage to the rebel city of Port Oro, hostile to the Rooftop's ruler Lord Kodoc but rumored to have a cure for the fogsick.

Observations : This was an exciting adventure that not only had excellent, creative world-building (super intriguing for me, because I’m also writing a post-post-apocalyptic story right now) but also characters I really cared about and wanted to see prevail. This is another story about the family you choose, or that chooses you: Mrs. E rescued all four of the crew as children and has been raising them and caring for them, and they have the love and loyalty of a family. Each one has his or her own special talent, bringing something unique to the group and making the whole greater than the sum of its parts. Hazel is a natural leader; Chess is their talented fog diver, the nanites trapped in his eye giving him special skills; Bea is a genius gearhead, keeping their balloon ship running through thick and thin; and Swedish is a crack pilot.

And of course they will all have to use their unique skills to their utmost in order to succeed in their quest to help their foster mother without even worse disasters befalling them: Lord Kodoc's evil eye has landed on them—specifically, on Chess—giving their mission an even more desperate edge as they battle mutineer pirates (airship pirates!!), relentless Rooftop guards, and Lord Kodoc himself.

Conclusion : This book was packed with fun details rendering our own world in slightly skewed fashion and reminding the reader that this world was once the one we live in: for instance, the ancient story of Skywalker Trek, a battle between the Klingons and the Jedi. And, of course, the sometimes-inexplicable items Chess finds during his forays down to the surface. Those are the kinds of details I love, and will surely appeal to fans of Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines (reviewed here) and other post-apocalyptic sci-fi that has a strong thread of the fantastical. I also couldn't help thinking it would make a GREAT Miyazaki movie (along the lines of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind)—hint hint! I look forward to the next book. Another not-so-subtle hint.

I received my copy of this book courtesy of my library's ebook collection. You can find THE FOG DIVER by Joel Ross at an online e-tailer, or at a real life, independent bookstore near you!

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Toon Thursday: LOOK IT'S A NEW CARTOON!

Hey kids! Are you writing a mystery or thriller but just can't seem to decide WHO, in fact, DUN IT? Well, fret no more, because Toon Thursday has a brand-new addition to the Writer's Toolkit JUST FOR YOU. Just spin the wheel, and you can blame it all on that seemingly harmless elderly citizen. Here you go. Thank me later.

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Monday Inspiration: The Wise Natalie Goldberg

Photo taken by me, this past fall, at West Head, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, near Sydney, Australia. Quotation is from the always inspirational book Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, a must-have for your bookshelf of writing inspiration. When you are feeling like what you have to say isn't important--remember that it is all our moments, all our details, all our selves that are, collectively, of critical importance. It's like one of those heinously complicated, thousand-piece jigsaw puzzles: even if it's just one single teeny piece of the sky missing, the whole scene will feel incomplete.

You are that piece. Go fill in the space with words!

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Thursday Review: MARTians by Blythe Woolston

It's hard to see, but that's a pattern of
little shopping carts in the background... Synopsis : So far, everything I've read by Blythe Woolston—that being The Freak Observer (reviewed here) and Catch and Release (reviewed here)—has been a tiny nugget of intensity like a knot in the gut. That's also how I would describe her latest book MARTians, which, though it's more dystopian than the other two, still packs that same emotional wallop. Oddly enough, though, it's the lack of emotion in this story that catches and holds you—because it is all too familiar and believable.

The world of the narrator, Zoe, is very much like ours, only everything has been consumerized. Big-box stores are everywhere, and they are everyTHING. Everything you could ever need or want or even think to want. And now, the last of the public schools have been privatized by the government, so Zoe's been graduated early and shuffled right on into the workforce. Unfortunately, her mom chooses this as the time she must leave the newly-minted adult Zoe and go look for work elsewhere.

Zoe may be home alone, but at AllMart, she's set on a path to productive citizenship. The problem is, this isn't how she wanted her life to be. The other problem is, she isn't even sure what she SHOULD want: Her AnnaMom? The perks that come with being a model worker? Then, when fellow employee Timmer comes into her life, his unexpected care and friendship throw her for a loop, and make her realize that maybe, just maybe, AllMart can't actually offer her absolutely everything…

Observations : This story is unique and quirky and yet terrifyingly recognizable in many ways—the details made me want to laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time. There are these fun/scary little asides, like news reports that provide a backdrop of current events (such as the turning of Zoe's old high school into a production facility for Bats of Happiness Guano Fertilizer), and the "Better Know a Product" feature (giving you all you need to know about said Bats of Happiness). These interrupted asides influence the feel, the structure of the story, with the interesting effect of immersing us even more in Zoe's world, punctuated by television bulletins and in-store announcements and advertising on her phone.

In a world where consumer culture is telling everyone what to think, how to feel, and what to buy to make that happen, Zoe is this little but shining bright light, a candle flame to be carefully nurtured. Her small individual journey is in fact incredibly important—in a way, it's a struggle for her soul, her very self.

Though I had a few questions—things I didn't quite understand about the way the society worked or why AnnaMom left—they ultimately didn't stand in the way of the book's effectiveness. It feels allegorical, this story, in a way similar to stories like Feed by MT Anderson, the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld, or, especially, Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake and the rest of the MaddAddam trilogy.

Conclusion : This is the type of dystopia where it isn't so much the trappings of our civilization that are disintegrating but our own morals. In a way that is much scarier, because it's far easier to believe—but we can hope that stories like these can keep us thinking and feeling and being human. For more from Blythe Woolston, you can visit her blog.

I received my copy of this book courtesy of the Stanislaus County Library. You can find MARTians by Blythe Woolston at an online e-tailer, or at a real life, independent bookstore near you!

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Quick Monday Reviews: THE SHEPHERD'S CROWN and THE DETOUR

Two very different titles (genre- and style-wise) to cross my desk this past week were Terry Pratchett's final Tiffany Aching book and S.A. Bodeen's latest action-packed suspense tale.

The Shepherd's Crown brings to a close that subset of the Discworld universe I like best: the world of Tiffany Aching, witch of the Chalk hills where she was raised by generations of shepherds. She's THEIR witch—their hag, as her tiny leprechaun-like protectors the Feegles call her—and in this final book before Sir Terry's death, Tiffany is called upon for a great many things, possibly more than she can handle on her own. With rather frightening synchronicity, one of the long-running and much-loved Discworld regular characters has died, leaving the barrier between their world and Fairyland unprotected. And the elves who have been kept out—they've got a serious vendetta. Can Tiffany enlist the help she needs to defend the Chalk and the entire kingdom? Can she put up with the insufferable Mrs. Earwig? Can a boy ever become a witch? Possibly, if he's got a smart enough goat… Fans of the Discworld and Tiffany will be touched by this novel and want to hug it, because for us, it feels like a goodbye.

I received my copy of this book courtesy of a friend who loaned it to me. You can find THE SHEPHERD'S CROWN by Terry Pratchett at an online e-tailer, or at a real life, independent bookstore near you!


I've read a couple other suspense novels by S.A. Bodeen--The Compound and The Raft (reviewed here). Her books tend to be quick, vivid, page-turning reads, great for a one-day reading binge and appealing for reluctant readers who want plenty of action. The Detour is no exception. Readers will start off with little sympathy for narrator Livvy Flynn—she's 17 years old and already a bestselling author, and she sounds like she feels pretty darn entitled. By the time she crashes her fancy red sports car on an Oregon back road, on the way to a writers' retreat, you'll find yourself thinking, well, perhaps it's no more than she deserves. But then things go from bad to worse. When she wakes up and finds out she's been locked in a basement, injuries and all…well, she's got a lot of time to think, and it's interesting to watch the backstory unfold and see how Livvy got to this point. Although there was one plot point that I guessed at early on (making it hard to wait for the final reveal), and although I ultimately still found myself annoyed at the narrator, this was a fast read that kept me turning the pages and needing to find out not only WHOdunit but also WHY.

I received my copy of this book courtesy of the Stanislaus County Library. You can find THE DETOUR by S.A. Bodeen at an online e-tailer, or at a real life, independent bookstore near you!

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

10 Years of Great Graphic Novels

Can you believe it's been TEN years since First Second Books began publishing high-quality graphic novels for kids, teens, and adults? It's incredible but true. And at Finding Wonderland we're proud to have done our part in supporting their efforts over the years. Now, they're at 157 books and counting, and we are thrilled to take part in their 10-year anniversary celebration.

This month is THE month, and so we're posting a special infographic provided straight from the publisher: a fantastic February reading list that focuses on great YA graphic novels--many of which have been reviewed right here. Below the infographic you'll find links to the reviews on our site. And, lastly, stay tuned for a special graphic novelist INTERVIEW (never say First Second didn't hook us up!) and more fun posts celebrating comics throughout their anniversary year. Congratulations to an imprint that has made it abundantly clear graphic novels can be great art and great literature!


Reviews:

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff
Foiled by Jane Yolen and Mike Cavallaro
Friends With Boys by Faith Erin Hicks
In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang
Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen and Faith Erin Hicks
This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki
The Wrenchies by Farel Dalrymple

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Monday Review: THE DARK DAYS CLUB by Alison Goodman

Summary : Calling all Regency period enthusiasts! Historical fantasy fans! Fans of books like A Dark and Terrible Beauty, the Stoker and Holmes books, anything by Robin LaFevers—I know those aren't Regency period, but you will definitely want to check out the latest novel by Alison Goodman, the author of Eon (reviewed here) and Eona (reviewed here). It's called The Dark Days Club (the title itself is pretty awesome, right?) and it pairs a lushly depicted 1812 London with a heroine coming into her own: as a Reclaimer, a person with the ability to see and fight dark beings hidden amongst the people, feeding off their energy. These Deceivers, as they are called, number in the thousands, but there are only a handful of Reclaimers in all of England.

And it turns out Lady Helen Wrexhall is one of them. A very powerful one, as it turns out.

Peaks : Part of the joy of this book is seeing the society and culture, so vividly portrayed, unfold before the reader's eyes. Admittedly, this is not necessarily to every reader's taste, but anyone with a passing acquaintance with historical fantasy will appreciate the level of detail the author included, while still writing a quite fast-paced plot that kept me turning the pages. I don't want to give too much away about this one because the intrigue and developing suspense are so good, but the revelation of the paranormal aspect—Helen's gradually appearing powers, the darkly enigmatic Lord Carlston, the ever-increasing danger to herself and her household—was deftly combined with the more down-to-earth elements of plot and setting, like Helen's presentation to the Queen and the expectation of impending marriage to a man of some quality.

Certainly Helen joining a secret society to fight evil does not fall into her Aunt and Uncle's plan for her, as her constantly hovering guardians; they are determined that she not follow in her mother's disgraceful footsteps, and rather be married quickly and settle down like a respectable young lady. Because of the nature of society at the time, there are some very intriguing, thought-provoking themes here having to do with women and empowerment, as Helen quite literally comes into her own powers and yet still must navigate the world she lives in, where young women are essentially property until they come of age, and then they tend to marry and become somebody else's property. The decisions she must make about who she is—those give this story quite a lot of depth.

Valleys : For those who want instant action, this might take a while to get moving. The paranormal element doesn't really kick in right away, and Helen's Regency world could seem tiresome if the historical aspect isn't your thing. But that's really a matter of taste.

Conclusion : I picked this one up kind of at random, in the sense that I didn't know the author had a new book out—and I'm so glad I did. Where I felt a little distance from the narrator in Eon and Eona, I did not feel that way with this book. I had trouble putting it down, which honestly made for a very enjoyable weekend. Except for the "to be continued" part—because, yes, dears, this is a Book 1. Yay, but also AARGGGHHH because waiting will be difficult.

I received my copy of this book courtesy of my library's ebook collection. You can find THE DARK DAYS CLUB by Alison Goodman at an online e-tailer, or at a real life, independent bookstore near you!

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Randomly, on a Thursday, She Caught Up. Sort of.

I am about a week and a half overdue in posting this, but better late than never: DID YOU KNOW TANITA'S NEW BOOK IS OUT? WOO HOO! Released on Feb. 9, it's about being a foster sister and finding a family in today's complex social and racial environment, which means families come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and combinations--and the one thing you can count on is that nobody will do exactly what you expect.

Find out whether Dess and Hope can learn to cross socioeconomic, racial, and plain old personality divides to become friends as well as foster sisters--You can buy Tanita's latest novel PEAS AND CARROTS at an online e-tailer, or at a real life, independent bookstore near you!

Go check out this wonderful post by Sharon Levin entitled Children's Books Make Me Smarter. I kind of thought I might be the only one who feels this way, but I'm glad I'm not! I am ALWAYS (and PROUDLY) learning from what I read, fiction and nonfiction alike; written for children, teens, or adults. This is yet another reason why we need lots and lots of stories, why diversity in children's literature is so incredibly important. As a child I learned about animals and people, about illness (You Can't Catch Diabetes from a Friend) and about Waltzing Matilda. As an adult I am still learning: pox parties, the Women's Army Corps, female aviators, neuromorphic circuitry, what it's like to live life as someone with a very different background. Let's not stop reading; let's not stop getting smarter.

Next Wednesday, February 24th, is World Read Aloud Day! Thanks to author and agent-sister Kate Messner, I was able to sign up to participate in Skype classroom visits in honor of World Read Aloud Day, and now I'm booked for four virtual middle school visits, two on Wednesday and two on Thursday. I am very excited and a bit daunted, but I think this is a wonderful opportunity to talk to students about writing and read a little of my work. Plus I get to talk to kids in Minnesota, Florida, and Maryland without leaving my office....now I just have to clean my desk so it doesn't look like I am a total slob....

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Happy Blogiversary Indeed!

It's been eleven years of blogging for Tanita and me. Can you believe it? I went diving into our archives and found a few fun tidbits from our blogging past, in honor of our Feb. 24th blogversary

Three years in, I posted a cartoon of THE TWO OF US in our imaginary writing spaces--Tanita was still in Scotland, as evidenced by the sheep and castle, and I apparently lived within sight of the Golden Gate Bridge (which is a wee 90-mile exaggeration):


And, exactly 10 years ago yesterday, we put up our 101st post! Tanita posted a quote from the wonderful Sid Fleischman, and it's the perfect inspiration for another blogging and writing year:


Now that Finding Wonderland is 11 years old and counting (puberty must be coming--uh oh), let's hope that any reliving of our awkward adolescence is limited to the books we read and write!

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.