Review: The Mess That We Made by Michelle Lord and Julia Blattman

THE MESS THAT WE MADE

by Michelle Lord

Illustrated by Julia Blattman

Flashlight Press

Picture Book

32 pages

ages 4 to 8

The Mess That We Made explores the environmental impact of trash and plastic on the ocean and marine life, and it inspires kids to do their part to combat pollution. Simple, rhythmic wording builds to a crescendo ("This is the mess that we made. These are the fish that swim in the mess that we made.") and the vibrant digital artwork captures the disaster that is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Children can imagine themselves as one of the four multi-ethnic occupants of the little boat surrounded by swirling plastic in the middle of the ocean, witnessing the cycle of destruction and the harm it causes to plants, animals, and humans. The first half of the book portrays the growing magnitude of the issue, and the second half rallies children and adults to make the necessary changes to save our oceans. Facts about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, ocean pollution, and how kids can help are included in the back matter.

 MY TIDBITS

Through rhyme and beautiful artwork of the sea, awareness of the problem trash has caused hits a clear note before gliding in with several solutions.

This is a book with a purpose: to raise awareness of the large trash problem currently ruining our oceans and seas. The author uses a repetitive (and very familiar) rhyming to bring the point home. It's not only easy and catchy for young listeners to join in on, but cleverly builds...much like the garbage situation. But simply showing a problem doesn't round things off. This book also ends with hope and offers solutions along the way.

The illustrations are beautiful...if not bitter-sweet, since they do clear drive the point of ocean pollution home. While the rhyme makes each moment clear, the illustrations really touch the heart. Especially the sea life is wonderfully depicted and invites for gazing, among the garbage, of course. It's a well-balanced mix, which makes sure the message hits with full strength.

Not only does do the last pages of the book show a light at the end of the tunnel and illustrate that it's not a lost situation, but there are extra pages at the end, which give more detail. Each scene (or poem line) is give more information on how it affects the environment. Then, a suggestion is offered as to how each specific problem can be helped. 

For anyone wanting to raise awareness concerning ocean pollution, this is a wonderful book to grab up and use. 

And here they are...

The Author...
Michelle Lord is the author of the Paterson Prize Honor Book A Song For Cambodia, as well as Nature Recycles and Animal School: What Class Are You? She lives with her family in New Braunsfels, Texas.

The Illustrator...

Julia Blattman works as a visual development artist for Paramount Animation, and has created art for Disney and for Dreamworks TV. Julia loves bringing stories to life with her art. She lives in Los Angeles, California, and this is her first picture book.

Review: The Silver Serpent by Roshani Chokshi

THE SILVERED SERPENTS

A Gilded Wolves Novel, #2

by Roshani Chokshi

Wednesday Books

YA Fantasy

416 pages

COMING...

SEPTEMBER 2020!!!!

They are each other’s fiercest love, greatest danger, and only hope.

Séverin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost ― one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumoured to grant its possessor the power of God.

Their hunt lures them far from Paris, and into icy heart of Russia where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets, and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew question whether an ancient myth is a myth after all.

As hidden secrets come to the light and the ghosts of the past catch up to them, the crew will discover new dimensions of themselves. But what they find out may lead them down paths they never imagined.

A tale of love and betrayal as the crew risks their lives for one last job.

MY TIDBITS

If you're a fan of magic, wonderfully deep characters, friendship, a touch of romance, mystery, intrigue and a tale which takes a darker note, this is one you'll gobble up and want more of.

Note: This is the second book in the series. I did not read the first one, which was a mistake. While it isn't too hard to settle into the second one without reading the rest of the series, it's clear that a lot of depth and richness is lost especially on the character end by not having the background information. So, I recommend starting with book one.

Severin is determined to find the one artifact that is said to enable mortals to turn into gods, especially now that his brother is dead and he'd like nothing more than to escape all emotions and the sense of helplessness. After a long and seemingly hopeless search, he happens across an unexpected clue and calls his group together. The friends all have been affected by the brother's death and let it hang over them like a dark shadow. Plus, each is battling demons of their own. Especially one of them has a heavy secret, which will only burden all five of them more. If they can find the artifact, there might be hope but there's more than a few secrets standing between them and that dream.

This is the first book I've read for 2020 and wow. The year definitely started off with a bang. To say that this one is well-written is an understatement. The author knows the craft and weaves the words into a very dark, emotional and well paced read. The scenes carry weight and come to life through details without ever nearing the brink of boredom. Emotions hit hard and are easy to identify with as each character sucks in with their own personality, fears and desires. It's definitely a read which grabs and draws in.

The book is written from the view of each of the friends. The author keeps this from growing confusing not only by labeling the person at the beginning of the chapter, but the writing and style for each one is fairly easy to identify right away. Kudos on this end, since that much head flipping isn't always easy. This, of course, allows the reader to sink into each character and gives the tale a lot of depth. Each character is amazing, each harbors horrible fears and secrets and each one has the reader feeling for them...even when some intentions aren't very pure and even, at times, slightly twisted.

The pacing is well done and holds steady the entire way through. On this end though, I did find that the constant head flipping took a toll. Although never slow, the main plot lost a tiny bit of steam sometimes as the characters were lost in their own thoughts and experiences. Also, some of the time jumps came a little sudden and I had to read back a paragraph to make sure the new paragraph was, in fact, a scene switch. A lot of this is due to the amount packed into the novel. There is a wonderful richness in character depth, and there are many secrets along with a large helping of intrigue. The story twists in dark ways and keeps emotions high. There's a lot to shoved into these pages, and the author does to a fantastic job of getting it all to settle in.

Also, this one is sold for the young adult audience, but I'd recommend it more for the higher end of this age bracket if not adults. The characters act very mature for their age and will settle in with older readers very easily, too. In any case, this is a wonderful read for darker fantasy friends.

Sneak Peek: Shadowed by Michelle Arezux

SHADOWED

The Shadow and Moon, #1
by Michelle Areaux
Kingston Publishing Company
January 2, 2020
YA Paranormal Romance

Sixteen-year-old Henley Abbott is just trying to make it through high school in the small town of Edison, Washington where she has lived her entire life. Constantly feeling alone, she’s surprised when she finds herself intrigued by the new boy in town, Cohen Davenport.

With the entire town talking about the new and secretive family, Henley refuses to join in on the rumors swirling about them and attempts to keep her distance.

However, as Cohen becomes intrigued by Henley, the pair seems to find a spark in a kindling friendship.

As the intensity of their relationship builds, Henley discovers a dark secret plaguing Cohen and his elusive family. He reveals a twisted past that has kept his family on the run…for decades.

Cohen should keep his distance. It is too dangerous to bring Henley into his life, but he can’t stay away from her.

And, Henley doesn’t want him to.

As Henley overcomes her own fears and trepidations, she finds herself engrossed in a battle that could destroy them both. Only their connection could help them all survive.

Intensely romantic and extremely thrilling, this novel will pull readers in from the very first page.

Fans of Twilight, The Guardian Series, and the Marked Saga will instantly fall in love with this new paranormal series.

Goodreads | Amazon 

SNEAK PEEK

As much as I liked to pretend, I wasn’t completely and totally intrigued by the thought of new people moving here; I couldn’t control myself. I tried to convince myself it was all because of my mom; but as I stood there, whispering the words, I knew there was no fooling myself. 

“Henley, don’t you know it’s not polite to stare?” she asked, but her own hypocritical words hung heavy in the air as she raced to join me in the living room again. 

Standing next to me, we watched intently as the driver’s side door opened. With large eyes, we strained to get a glimpse of who would be our new neighbor. To our surprise, the rest of the car doors opened and the family emerged. 

A tall man with dark hair closed the driver’s side door as a woman emerged from the passenger’s side. The back two doors opened and three teens, roughly around my age, tumbled out. A girl with short, dark hair and legs-for-days gave the house a disgusted look. A boy who seemed to be uninterested in it all, stared down into his phone, which he held tightly in his grip. Finally, a tall boy with the same dark hair stood behind the rest of his family. With his hands tucked deep into his jeans pockets, he seemed reluctant to move any closer to the house. 

“Well, they look like a nice family,” my mom said. I turned to look at her and I could see the eagerness twinkling in her baby blues to get to her phone and be the first one to spill the news that the new neighbors had arrived. 

It was almost like they had landed in a spaceship and were from outer space!

“Maybe,” I grumbled, still unsure about these people. 

Suddenly, the boy, standing alone behind his family, turned and caught me snooping on them. Our eyes connected for a brief moment before he gave me an angry snarl that had me stumbling backward. 

What was that? 

“I need to go call Susan,” my mom stated, as she rushed to the kitchen to retrieve her phone. 

I dared to look back out the window again; and when I did, the entire family was gone. 

Just disappeared, like they had never been standing there in the first place. 

I blinked, just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. When I looked again, the SUV was still parked along the curb, but the family was gone. 

Lights glowed from inside  the house. 

“That’s weird,” I said aloud to myself. How did they have time to get inside and turn on the lights? I literally just turned around for a second. 

I shook my head, unsure of what to think. Peeking out of the window again, something in the far, second-floor window caught my attention. As my gaze moved up, I felt my cheeks burn and nervous energy flow through me. As my gaze finally landed on the window, I caught a pair of red eyes staring back at me. It was the same boy who had given me the nasty stare just moments before. 

I closed the curtains and took a step back. My heart was racing so fast, I feared it might jump right out of my chest. With labored breathing, I slowly walked into the kitchen where my mom was blabbing the news to anyone who would listen. 

And here she is...

Janet is a Scot who moved to New Zealand fifteen years ago. Among other things, she’s been an artist, a teacher, a security guard at a castle, a magazine editor, and a cleaner in a drop in center for drug addicts (NOT the best job!). She now writes full-time and is working on her 19th book. Her books have won several awards, including the Daphne du Maurier award for excellence in mystery and suspense. When she isn’t living in her head, she raises two kids, one husband, and several random animals. She survives on chocolate and caffeine.

Goodreads | Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter | Book Bub

Review: beehive by Jorey Hurley

beehive

by Jorey Hurley

Simon & Schuster

Picture Book

40 pages

ages 3 to 7

COMING...

JANUARY 7th, 2020!!!

Acclaimed author Jorey Hurley shows us how bees make and store honey in this bold and graphic picture book that includes informative backmatter on the process.

With just one word on each page and the vivid illustrations Jorey Hurley is known for, Beehive showcases the cycle of bees making honey. Detailed backmatter further explains this fascinating natural process.

MY TIDBITS

The life of a bee and everything they do becomes clear in a simple, understandable way.

Young listeners will learn all about bees in this book and gain a greater appreciation for everything these little insects do. The text is kept to the bare minimum of a single word on each two-page spread, for example: collect or lay. From there, the illustrations take over. Each action unfolds and makes it clear exactly what a bee does. Sometimes, they collect pollen. Other times, they lay eggs. And still other moments, they can be found guarding the hive. To add to the fun, more information and details are offered at the end of the book, which older listeners can enjoy.

The illustrations are fairly simple and yet, allow the various activities to come across clearly. By placing a single word first, the listener has an idea of what to expect before grabbing the exact meaning in the illustration itself. Especially younger listeners aren't bogged down by lots of text, but still get the basics on what bees do and how the life of a bee is. Of course, there aren't many details, but rather, this approach opens up for questions and discussions. The information at the back holds more detailed facts, which allows readers (and listeners) who are more interested in bees to learn a bit more.

It's simple and does a great job a bringing across the activities of bees and beehives in a way which won't bore listeners and still teaches them something along the way.

2019 Wrap-Up

It's now officially 2020!!! (which means I'm going to spend the next two months writing the wrong year on everything). But it also means it's time for the 2019 wrap-up! I'm not a huge fan of statistics, counts and such, but once a year, I pull it off anyway. So, here's all the goodness 2019 brought to Bookworm for Kids.

BOOKS READ!

I only include those books reviewed here on Bookworm for Kids. 

Picture Books:  133 Picture Books/Board Books were read and reviewed

Middle Grade: 78 books read and reviewed

Young Adult: 61 books read and reviewed

That's makes a total of....oh.....hmmmm....      272 

GENRES!

Every year, this tends to be overwhelmed with Fantasy. So, I'm always curious in which direction this goes and by how much. Oh, and this includes Middle Grade and Young Adult.

Fantasy: 53

Science Fiction: 11

Contemporary: 14

Historical: 11

Mystery: 5

Dystopian: 4

Humor: 5

Romance: 2

Non-Fiction: 9

Thriller: 4

The rest hit everything from Urban Fantasy to Memoirs to Ghost Stories. I did see a huge increase in Graphic Novels this year, but simply divided those up into genres.

MY FAVORITES OF 2019!!!

This is always so hard for me to decide. But here are some of those ones I'd like to highlight. Now, you'll probably find some of these to be unexpected choices...but these are the ones both me and my kids voted on. Click on the image, and it will take you to the original post.

For picture books....

For Middle Grade...

Young Adult...

It was a great year for Bookworm for Kids. We received a few more prizes, ranked a little better in the blog rankings (thank you so much!), and had the chance to get to know many more wonderful people.

As to thoughts on the past year in the world of kidlit... I did notice (as already mentioned) an increase in graphic novels. My daughter was especially happy about that. There was also a nice move to build graphic novels into the non-fiction area, which I can only root for because it makes the reads so much more interesting for kids.

In general, I noticed that few (if any) novels stuck out much above the rest in the general kidlit arena. I have the feeling that lots of stuff is out there, but no one really found a hold above the rest. I received many more 'serious' novels this year, which were heavily leaned in the current political correctness direction...especially in the middle grade and picture book area. While this has its plus points, many seemed to not really have the intended age audience in mind but only their own, personal goals. I do hope 2020 brings a better trend as far as that goes.

There are lots of goodies already planned for 2020 in the kidlit book world, and I can't wait to introduce some of these to you, our amazing readers!