adventure – One Chapter

Refugee: The Graphic Novel by Alan Gratz

3.5 Stars Graphic Novel

I usually love these adaptations to graphic novels but this one, I didn’t. I had a hard time following each of the individual stories at times even though the stories were so different. It also felt like the story was rushed, the story felt like it had some gaps and didn’t flow like I thought it should.

Each of these three children were experiencing turmoil, a need to flee from their home. I liked that almost everything about each of their escapes was unique.

From their reason for fleeing, their transportation, who they were traveling with, the difficulties they faced on their journey, and how their journeys began. None of their journeys were easy.

I’ve read the novel that this book was taken from, and I feel that this adaptation has suppressed the emotions, energy, and power that the book possessed. The illustrations are good and they help but they don’t make up for what I feel is missing. 3.5 stars

Hansel and Gretel by Stephen King

5 stars Children’s Fairy Tale

I liked this new interpretation by Stephen King of the old classic. Make sure you read the introduction at the beginning of the book as it sets the stage for this children’s picture book, and I felt it helped me appreciate the story more. Illustrated by Maurice Sendak, King took the illustrations and wrote this book based on the whimsical drawings contained inside the book. King used some of the original sentences from this classic fairy tale within the story, but King also added his own touch creating a story that is more elaborate than the original.

Hansel and Gretel lived with their father and their stepmother at the edge of the great dark forest. Their father is a poor broom maker, and the stepmother is a spoiled wicked woman. The family is running out of food so the wife convinces the husband that in order to survive, they must take the children out deep into the forest and leave them. She convinces him that God will care for them and they will be safe in the forest. Now, father was not convinced that leaving his children out in the wild forest but she kept at him, convincing him nonetheless.

Hansel had overheard the plans and started making a plan. Gretal was upset after learning what her parents were planning to do but Hansel convinced her that it would be okay. As they slept, they both had dreams. You can imagine how different their dreams were from one another. The next morning, father and mother walked off with their children into the forest. It was just like the parents had planned, only they didn’t know that Hansel had a plan of his own in the works. The personalities of both the parents were felt and seen as this scenario played out.

The parents returned home alone as the children found refuge with each other inside the dark forest. Imagine the stepmother’s surprise when the children knocked on their door the next day! Ha – surprise! Time passed and food was still scarce. The woman again convinced her husband that the children had to go. They had to leave them deeper into the dark forest this time! Oh, she was wicked!! Just like before, father needed to be convinced, Hansel heard the plan, he thought of a different plan, Gretal was scared, and the dreams came back. They journeyed into the dark forest. When the parents returned home, they were alone and the children had fallen asleep in the dark forest. Hansel had put his plan to work. When the children awoke, they were surprised to find that Hansel’s plan had failed. Stuck in the dark forest, would the children ever make their way home again?

I liked how King wrote the story to match the illustrations. These were definitely Maurice Sendek’s signature illustrations. From the candy cottage in the forest, to the twisted trees swallowing up the pages, and the children’s dreams materializing on the page, Sendek and King worked their magic on this classic. There’s harmony with the text and illustrations, each of them sharing the spotlight. What a great combination. 5 stars

Petrifying Playtime: Scary Amusement Parks and Playgrounds by Joyce Markovics

5 stars

When a place of fun and entertainment turns into something sinister, what happens to it? From Hawaii to Nebraska, from Massachusetts to Louisiana, this nonfiction book covers the United States. Each 2-page spread features a destination. Where once this destination was a fun way to spend some time, it has now turned into something dark and dreary.

It’s not all about ghost hauntings. There are some places that have been abandoned, rediscovered, or for some, they just shut the doors and never opened them back up. Some of these stories were very interesting and I would like to follow-up on them later. This book gave me the basic facts on specific destinations. I liked how the book provided how each of the destination sites came to be, what happened to cause it to fall from its days of glory and what the condition of the site ended up being. There wasn’t a lot of detail but just enough to provide the information and intrigue the reader or to make the reader aware that such a place exists. The pictures provided were historical and most of them were real photographs. I think the author choice of words in the title is misleading for some as not all the stories as “scary” per say. Sinister, creepy or disturbing would be a more accurate description, I think.

Krug Park in Omaha, Nebraska, the Big Dipper roller coaster brought in the crowds in the 1930’s. For 17 years, this park thrived and was loved by all. Then, unfortunately, things tumbled. An accident occurred on the Big Dipper, which marked the beginning of the end of Krug Park. What’s left of this park? Check out the book.

I really liked this book. It’s a children’s nonfiction book covering about 18 different destinations but it’s a great one in my opinion. This is one book in the series, which I grabbed the rest of the series the library had while I was there. The Index in the back of the book was very good and there is also a list of 4 other Read More books at the back which the author listed. There is a Learn More Online site which includes a QR code which I scanned. This scan led me to more resources which listed more destinations which I could read about. There was a www. Site for those who can’t or don’t want to scan the code and/or you can even scan the cover of the book to see other websites. Check out this book!! 5 stars

Deepwater Creek by Michael Regina

4 stars Graphic Novel Middle School

This looked like a creepy graphic novel, so I picked it up while I was cleaning this section at the library. It’s the end of summer vacation and the teens want one more fishing trip before school starts. There have been some stories around town about some strange happenings in the water since the last storm, but they’re bound and determined to fish, so they make it happen. One adult, two brothers and a few of their friends hop onto the boat and they set off.

Andrew hesitated when the others wanted to try a new fishing spot. He knew that part of the river had been closed off since the hurricane and he didn’t want to get into trouble. Andrew ends up caving in from all the pressure they put on him and the thought of all the fish they tell him are over there. The new fishing spot ends up being a jackpot as there are fishes everywhere! Are these fish acting strangely?

The kids become so focused on fishing that they don’t notice the fog in the distance. The weather has started to change, and the fishing boat is now in the middle of it. An incident leaves a few of the boys in the water and that’s when the book took some twists.

What just happened? Many unknowns as the crew head home. Their friendship becomes tighter as the questions about what they have survived mount. They can’t shake off what they experienced. The mystery of the fog and what they experienced in the water has changed them forever. Where scientists were stumped at an explanation, can these teens find the answer?

I thought there was a lot of text to read in this graphic novel. The timeline was easy to follow as the boys made their discovery and how they went about solving it. I thought the beginning of the book was easier to follow than the ending of the book. The ending of the book, even with the illustrations, felt jumbled and confusing. Towards the end, the illustrations were very dark and trying to compare the illustrations to see progress, it was very difficult to see any change. Four stars

Cat Nap by Brian Lies

5 stars Children’s Picture Book

I think this book is great for older elementary readers but for younger readers, I think it needs to be explained to them. My 3-year-old grandson picked it out as it had a cat on the cover and well, it was a bit slow for him. I added a few words here and there as we read, relying on the illustrations to tell the story, so he did enjoy the story by the time we got to the end of the book.

Mouse wants to remain undetected as he slips into the painting on the wall, but Cat sees him and follows. Yes, they both go into the painting.

Going into the painting, they come out on the other side of the wall, into another piece of art. This art is a limestone carving which they end up destroying. This artwork is supposed to be carved but somehow the cat, the mouse, and the rats which are in the carving have knocked the items in the carving down. The chase is on!

Cat continues to chase mouse everywhere! Cat ends up having a conversation with a clay dog, an ornamental mask, and multiple pictures.

Cat is on the prowl. Does he ever catch the mouse? Will he ever get back home?

I enjoyed the concept that the author had with this book. Altering items that the cat and mouse encountered in the book was very entertaining and creative. I appreciate the author’s notes at the end of the book as he shows the reader how he made the art to complete this book. Sure, he could have relied on AI or computer images but as the author notes, “where’s the satisfaction in that?” The author goes on to say that if you like to make things, keep practicing. Use your imagination to create an idea and then take the time developing the skills to create what you want. “You can make pretty much anything you want to, if you teach yourself how.” There’s also information on the actual art pieces that the author used in his book.

Interesting concepts and a book that should be appreciated for what it does.

The Wild Robot on the Island by Peter Brown

5 stars Children’s Picture Book

When I saw this book at the library, I was so excited! A picture book of the Wild Robot, yes!! Now, I can share the Wild Robot with my grandchildren! I hoped they loved it.

They absolutely loved this book and so did I. The illustrations are so frickin’ cute and perfect! Opening the book, we see a ship in a horrible storm. A wild, dark storm has caused a white crate from the ship’s deck to fall into the ocean. On the next page, the storm has ended, and the crate has floated close to an island. The land is lush with life and full of activity.

There are forest animals everywhere, birds are in sky, animals are swimming in the ocean, a waterfall curtain is in the distance and there are birds circling the white crate. Roz pops out of the box and well, this is where she belongs.

The island is dangerous and wild so Roz must learn to adapt to her new surroundings. Roz is a smart robot, so she studies everything around her and begins to fit right in.

She even discovers an orphaned goose egg which she decides to adopt and soon, she is a proud mother. Brightbill and Roz make a great pair, but Brightbill is a bird, and he must migrate with all the other birds.

Leaving Roz behind is a sad turn in this story. My grandkids had all kinds of questions about what Roz would do with Brightbill there and who would take care of Brightbill when he flew away.

As we continued with this story, they loved the ending and wanted to read it again. YES! I can’t wait till they get older and we can read the chapter books together.

We loved this book – from the illustrations to the condensed version of the story. Such a wonderful story and yes, I really want to get this one for myself. 5 stars for sure!!

Knight Owl and Early Bird by Christopher Denise

5 stars Children’s Picture Books

We loved Knight Owl and now, we get to experience Early Bird! Early Bird wants to be like Knight Owl but ……it’s complicated. No one can ever be like Knight Owl. Knight Owl is Captain of the Knight Night Watch. He has the night shift guarding the castle while others are sleeping plus he’s an owl. Early Bird is a bird; hence, he sleeps at night and he’s very noisy!

Knight Owl does teach Early Bird what he does during the Knight Night Watch in the afternoon but as the day turns to night, Early Bird falls asleep. When the sun rises, Early Bird arises and he’s ready for this new day, but Knight Owl is tired from working all night and he’s ready for bed.

After a few days of training and Early Bird’s overzealous behavior, Knight Owl can’t handle him any longer. He tells Early Bird that he has had enough, and he needs to “PLEASE, GO AWAY!” Broken hearted, Early Bird heads out into the forest outside the castle walls (sad picture). Knight Owl starts to have second thoughts and begins to worry about him. Knight Owl heads out to look for him. Now they are both outside the castle walls! Goodness!! They hear a sound and that’s not a good one!!

There’s an illustration of glowing eyes; owl is standing all alone with wolves starting to close in around him. What ?!?!

Yes, it’s that good! Check it out and the other books with Knight Owl.

The Monster in the Lake by Leo Timmers

5 stars Children’s Picture Book

Three ducks want to go to the lake but the mallard is worried about the monster. His friends say there is nothing to that story. When Mallard looks under the water at the lake he sees a huge monster fish. The monster fish smiles at him, and Mallard follows him under the water. Mallard finds at the bottom of the lake a huge party of monster fishes and Mallard has a good time down there. Mallards’ three friends are still swimming up above and don’t really notice that Mallard is gone until later. When they realize that Mallard is gone that are scared that he was taken by a monster until Mallard tells them that there’s no monster in the lake. Yet, as Mallard walks off on dry land, all the monsters from down below are making their way onland, happy smiling monsters.

Funny, cute story. The illustrations are amazing! It’s a simple story with few words but the story is good and has a good message. 5 stars

The Teacher of Nomad Land: A Story of World War II

5 stars Middle School

The apple never falls far from the tree. Another cover love title for me and I’m so glad I picked this book up. He was once a blackboard teacher with the nomads, and now, he is dead. An accident leaves Babak (age 13) and Sana (age 8) orphaned and the tribe without a teacher.

Its 1941 and we’re in Iran. Their father has just passed away, and the siblings are waiting for their aunt to pick them up. The children’s life is turned upside down when their aunt informs them of the new lifestyle that awaits them. I loved how Babak secretly kept an eye on his sister and how both of them tried to hide the reality of their lives from one another. They had dreams and even when other individuals were attempting to smash their dreams, they kept reaching for them.

Deciding to find the nomads, they set off, to make a life for themselves. They needed a safe haven, and they knew the nomads could provide that, but what could they offer in return? Their father had set the foundation and now, the siblings decided to follow in his footsteps. They would attempt to become the nomad’s teacher.

They hit a few snags along the way, including meeting Ben. The relationship with Ben provides the sibling strength and growth within themselves and strengthens the bond between them. I liked Ben as a character; he played his part well and was beneficial to the dynamics of the book.

A great book. The author’s notes at the end of the book are definitely worth reading as they’re informative, covering different topics addressed in the book: alliances, alphabet, territories, and language barriers.

“Never give up on your dreams, no matter how painful and difficult your journey is.” (Lisa).

How Will I Get To School This Year? by Jerry Pallotta

5 stars Children’s Picture book

My grandson is addicted to Who Will Win? Series so I found this book at the library which is also written by the same author. With a fun, lively storyline, the story is about a girl who doesn’t want to take the smelly school bus this year. She took it last year and she’s thinking she wants something different this year so….what about a giant mosquito, a bald eagle, a hammerhead shark, a pride of lions, or the list goes on with a wide variety of animals.

Each two-page spread tells what animal she would take and what that animal would do and has a bright, colorful illustration of her on that mode of transportation.

It’s a fun and entertaining book for all ages. What does she decide to ride this year to school?

Read the book and find out. My only clue is that she has more fun when travelling with her friends so she needs something her friends can ride on too. 5 stars