This book reads like a daydream of adventure, dreamed by a happy child with an uneventful life. And that's a terrific thing.This book reads like a daydream of adventure, dreamed by a happy child with an uneventful life. And that's a terrific thing....more
We have revisited Knucklehead this summer, now that it is available on audio, read by Mr. Scieszka himself. I checked it out of the library specificalWe have revisited Knucklehead this summer, now that it is available on audio, read by Mr. Scieszka himself. I checked it out of the library specifically for the benefit of my husband and his multitude of siblings, many of whom were going to be in from out of town and spending copious hours in our minivan.
It's Halloween! Time for flesh-eating zombie stuffies to limp menacingly out from beneath your bed and into your dreams! Let Zhou tell you all about iIt's Halloween! Time for flesh-eating zombie stuffies to limp menacingly out from beneath your bed and into your dreams! Let Zhou tell you all about it:
"Boom! is a version of your old-style Something Is Very Strange About the Teachers at My School story. You know that story. They're aliens, or monster"Boom! is a version of your old-style Something Is Very Strange About the Teachers at My School story. You know that story. They're aliens, or monsters, or she collects the teeth of children for nefarious purposes. Love that storyline. Who hasn't thought it at one time or another? Even in college, I was pretty sure a respected art history professor of mine had probably wrested herself into life from the mud at the bottom of an archaeological dig in Sicily."
...The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is Tommy's casebook. He documents his own interactions with Origami Yoda and asks his friends to contribute theirs...The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is Tommy's casebook. He documents his own interactions with Origami Yoda and asks his friends to contribute theirs as well. This works really well on audio - a cast of five actors impersonate Tommy, Kellen, Quavondo, Sara, and resident skeptic Harvey with varying degrees of believable immaturity. Hearing the way each actor interprets each kid's Yoda imitation is particularly entertaining. The four boys I ferried to and from a field trip on Tuesday hung on every word, bemoaning Harvey's snide comments and trying to guess the impact of Yoda's cryptic utterings.
Not exactly the comedy I'd kind of been led to expect by the cover and by many reviews - which is neither the book's nor the author's fault. Instead, Not exactly the comedy I'd kind of been led to expect by the cover and by many reviews - which is neither the book's nor the author's fault. Instead, it is a clear-eyed Civil War picaresque told by an orphaned boy doggedly searching for his older brother, who has been illegally conscripted into the Union Army. Homer's journey starts at his home in Maine, where he runs into slave-catchers, and moves south, by rail and by steamship, by traveling show and by hot-air balloon, all the way to the battle of Gettysburg.
Most of the way, Homer's misfortunes are quickly recovered from - he is thrown in a pigpen, but then his furious reaction to the teasing he undergoes is noticed by the proprietor of a medicine show, who rescues him, cleans him up and gives him work impersonating a feral child in his show. It's a book that bounces from up to down and back again in a peppy, plotty way.
However, once Homer gets to Gettysburg, there's no up side. Philbrick describes the wailing of injured men, the misery of battle, and the terror that Homer experiences, which is intensified once he finds his brother Harold, and sees Harold rush into danger.
My kids were downright stunned by the sorrow and violence in the Gettysburg chapters. And still I don't call that a bad thing. War is sad and violent, and my kids are old enough to get that message. I will say that the contrast between the last quarter of the novel and the first three-quarters was maybe a little abrupt.
Bob the Builder reads the audio, and while adults may find his broad vocal characterizations a little TOO broad, it is definitely easier on kids when characters have their own distinct voice.
Imagine my pleasure, then, to discover this audio version. Alfred Molina, who made his film debut 27 years ago as the treacherous guide in the openingImagine my pleasure, then, to discover this audio version. Alfred Molina, who made his film debut 27 years ago as the treacherous guide in the opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark, reads this book as only an adult British male actor could. Smoothly sailing through narration larded with terms such as "mizzen" and "coracle," "jolly-boat" and "foc'sle," Molina's voice is neither too fast nor too slow, and while he spares no effort bringing his characters to life, he never injects corny suspense or surprise as he reads Jim's narration - he lets Stevenson's words convey the emotion.
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