Danny's Doodles: The Jelly Bean Experiment

I read Danny's Doodles: The Jelly Bean Experiment by David Adler
I received a free ARC by Jabberwocky through NetGalley
5 stars

Danny has a new friend, Calvin Waffle. Danny likes baseball. Calvin likes science. Calvin's dad isn't around because he is a spy, or is he really? Calvin has an idea for an experiment that involves having Danny carry around Calvin's jelly beans but not eat them. What will happen with the Jelly Bean Experiment, will Calvin make more friends, and will the boys win the baseball game? All of these questions, and the one about Calvin's dad will be answered in this book

Danny's Doodles: The Jelly Bean Experiment is perfect for readers of beginner chapter books. It is a step up from easy reading books, being somewhat longer and having fewer pictures. It isn't too long to intimidate those just moving into chapter books. The story is safe to give to kids in first or second that are reading above grade level, something parents are always looking for when they come to the library. The pictures don't play too much of a role in this one, but they might be just enough to appeal to the young readers.

The author says he starts each fiction book with the main character and the story comes later. You can tell that in his writing. The characters are developed very well, something that is often lacking in young chapter books. You can also tell that he is a veteran writer, having many books under his belt, he still managed to write an original story with a great lesson in it. Be who you are. People will accept you eventually, and your natural talents will even have the opportunity to help others.

Sage's Song

I read Sage's Song of the Pumpkinheads series, written by Karen Kilpatrick
I received a free digital copy through NetGalley
4 stars

I have never heard of the Pumpkinheads before. I chose this book because I am always looking for great song picture books for my sing along story time. I am not sure if this one will work. It is a bit too young for the preschoolers but too long for the toddlers. My first thought was that I would be able to give each child a tambourine to play for the drum part. They would enjoy that, but I wouldn't be able to recreate the other sounds as well, and the kids might not stop playing the instruments while I read.

I think this one would work for older toddlers or a class of young preschoolers. They would be able to make the sounds with me, and that would be fun. The illustrations are simple and colorful. They fit the story well. This would also be a great book to read to your child, especially one that likes music or making sounds. What kid doesn't like those things? A good book.

Beep Beep Goes the Bus Driver

I read Beep Beep Goes the Bus Driver by Vincent Scala
I received a free ARC through NetGalley
2 stars

Take a ride on the bus to go pick up a variety of riders. From zoo animals, to bunnies, to the abominable snowman, kids will be kept wondering what animals will come next.

I was pretty disappointed in this book. I chose it because it sounded like something I might be able to read in my preschool story times or sing along. It definitely won't be added to my collection. The illustrations are interesting and colorful, resembling some television shows that kids might recognize. They are not necessarily my style, but they aren't bad.

It is the actual story itself that ruined it for me. Rhyming books need to flow. From the first page, I couldn't get into it. "He passes through the city, the mountains, and the zoo. Here comes the bus driver... I think he's beeping at you." Yes, the "..." is in there. That seems pointless. And then, this one could have been saved with changing the end to "He's beeping at you" instead of "I think he's beeping at you." That wasn't a deal breaker for me, but from that point on I wasn't impressed. Many of the rhymes don't rhyme. Go and Road. Stop and Off.

Then there is this one: "The driver pushes a special red button and up you go with a powerful blast. The bus soars like a rocket through the sky. Beep, beep goes the bus driver, "I don't think I've ever been this high."" What is the point of the first sentence?! It is like the author is having a hard time getting the story in like he wants it, so he just gives up caring if it flows at all.

"All of a sudden, like a dream you can't believe, floating onto the bus is the adventurous Spaceman Steve. "I've lost my rocket, but I've brought everyone cheese." So... is cheese supposed to rhyme with believe and Steve, or was this just another random sentence added even though it doesn't follow the rhyming pattern that happened for the first half of the book.

Is it only me, or does "as you wave everyone goodbye" make no sense?

The book is too long. The illustrations are just okay to me. The story itself has potential, but I focused too much on the issues I listed above to really care about it.

Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things

I read Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things by Cynthia Voigt
Free ARC provided through NetGalley
4 Stars

Max's theatrical parents rush out of the country to take a new acting job. Max is supposed to go with them. He misses the boat, because the supposed boat doesn't really exist. Thankfully his grandmother is still nearby to help him. With some odd jobs and his grandmother's help, he is able to somewhat thrive on his own, waiting to hear what has become of his parents.

I liked: The writing style, the time period, Max himself and his adventures.
I wasn't so sure about: The supposed mystery that took a huge back burner shortly into the story, the way that he seemed so immature yet people treated him like an adult (like they had no idea how old he was.)

Honestly, I am not sure how I feel about this book. It was fun to read about his adventures, but I didn't feel like there was really a point to them. There are more books to come, so I hope the story is developed further. The writing was fun, and the character building was great if not confusing (again, people treating Max like they don't realize he is only 12, going on 13) hopefully leading to more answers than questions in the next installment. I cannot think of a specific age or type of child to give this book to, but it was just delightful enough to earn 4 stars to me. I do have high hopes for a 5 star book to follow, but it isn't one I'm desperately waiting to read. I'm kind of worried I will have forgotten it by the time it comes out next year.

Adventures in Cartooning: Characters in Action

I read Adventures in Cartooning: Characters in Action by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost
I received a free ARC through NetGalley
5 stars

This is the first Adventures in Cartooning book I have read. I have seen them at the library where I work, and I know they are quite popular with the kids. One of them was a Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee, so I usually take it that it must be pretty good. When I saw this on NetGalley, I decided I would really like to read it. I only knew that it was a graphic book, really nothing else. Still, I wasn't disappointed in my decision to read it.

A simple knight on a simple horse is making his way home to the castle. He meets some random evil characters that are fighting over their roles, even another knight. He runs to the castle to warn the king that some evil characters are heading his way. Met by a mob at the castle, he and his horse, Edward, have to take a secret entrance in. Yes, the horse crawls underground. It's quite amusing. Once inside, he finds out the king is missing and they are filming a movie. Silly? Definitely. From there, random stuff happens, there is a happy ending, and then they go on to explain how to draw simple characters. The end.

I really liked this one. There is some amazing vocabulary for such a short graphic novel; words like alms and mangy. The illustrations are cute and reproducable (yes, I apparently just made that word up) for kids trying to learn to draw. Even the changing fonts are fun. My absolute favorite part is when the main knight mistakes a vacuum for a robot and says "Well that sucks." I've always loved the joke about a vacuum sucking. Don't worry parents; that is the worst thing in the book if you are a stickler for bad language.

The ending tips on drawing are very helpful. There are a lot of suggestions and examples for simple ways to make a wide variety of characters. Kids who love to draw cartoons will find a double win with this book.

Star Wars: Jedi Academy

I read Star Wars: Jedi Academy by Jeffrey Brown
I received a free ARC through NetGalley
4 Stars

Roan wants to go to Pilot Academy. He has dreamed of it his whole life. When he doesn't get in, he is sure he will be heading to Plant School. Then, unexpectedly, he gets accepted into the Jedi Academy. This is odd because he is much older than most kids that are first years there. The Force must be strong with that one! This is a fun tale of going off to a new (middle) school, making friends, dealing with not being exactly where you want to be, but learning to hopefully love it.

Fans of Star Wars will like this completely original story. There are many detailed drawings, one of the joys of this author/illustrator. There are fun extras throughout the book like letters from his brother and newsletters at school that will keep the kids reading it entertained. Thankfully there is plenty of Yoda, as observed from a middle school child. 8-year-olds might get a little bored with this one, but die-hard Star Wars fans well into middle school will breeze through it. Hopefully they will learn to be themselves and enjoy the life they have while they are at it.

The Alphabet Parade

I read The Alphabet Parade by Charles Ghigna, illustrated by Ag Jatkowska
I received a free ARC through NetGalley
4 Stars

This was a very cute book with colorful illustrations and great rhyming. There was a fun variety of different animals, from dogs and leopards to Kinkajou and unicorns. There were also acrobats and queens along the way. I absolutely love the illustrations. They look just like the ones on the cover. 

I don't normally read ABC books in story time, but this one would probably work well. The rhymes make it great for that purpose. I really wish it had an ending similar to the beginning. The beginning of the book says "The Alphabet Parade! Oh, what a sight to see! A big parade of letters all the way from A to Z." The book ends with the line about Z, and that's it. A simple last stanza would have made this book perfect.