Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Battling Bots by Liam O'Donnell & Mike Deas

I was pleasantly surprised by this slightly wacko chapter book mystery. It's a combination of mystery, fantasy, and pure fun.

Tank and Fuzz are two fourth grade monsters who solve mysteries in their spare time. (Tank is a tech savvy troll & Fuzz is a goblin) In this case the two detectives are asked to investigate possible cheating in a student built battle bot competition. Some older students claim that Rizzo, a known bully, is using professional technology instead of doing the work himself. The detectives first attempt to prove that Rizzo is a cheater ends up with the two of them in the principal's office.

There are probably creepier things than having a spider for a principal of a school, but I can't imagine what.

Fizz and Tank bring in Aleetha, an elf training to be a wizard, to help them out. They discover that Rizzo is connected to the mysterious Codex, an expert hacker who is threatening to destroy the city if construction of a new stadium isn't halted.

I came to really like these plucky little characters. They are nearly genderless, although I think Tank is supposed to be a girl. The book starts out with a great lead that is sure to grab readers attention. The plot is melodramatic with evil villains, corrupt officials, and environmental degradation. It's loaded with humour, but also has some tense action packed moments.

The combination of graphic novel and straight text will make chapter book readers happy. Here is an example from CanLit for LittleCanadians. Go to their link if you want to know more about this book as their review is far more detailed than mine. 

I'm not the target audience for this book, but I was entertained. I'm pretty sure kids will like it too. I might have to find and read the first in the series.

Readers who are fans of Ursula Vernon's Dragonbreath series will most certainly enjoy the Tank and Fizz series.

Danny Blackgoat, Navajo Prisoner by Tim Tingle

This is not an easy book to read. By the end of chapter two I had to put the book down, not sure if I could continue. Unfortunately, Native American history is all too often dystopian. What Tingle does, is highlight particular aspects of it. In Tingle's How I Became a Ghost, readers are introduced to  the Choctow Trail of Tears. This novel reveals and highlights the brutal treatment of the Navajo at the hands of white people. 

In those first two chapters, soldiers arrive at a peaceful community, gather up the people, kill their animals, and burn their hogans, orchards and farms. Then they begin forcing the people to march 300 miles south to Fort Summer. 

Danny Blackgoat manages to escape once, but is recaptured. As a consequence, he is tied to the back of a horse and paraded up and down the march as a lesson to the rest of the people. Once they arrived at the Fort, the near dead boy is sent off to work in a prison camp where he is expected to die. Thankfully he makes some friends who protect him from one of the nastier guards.

Based on true details taken from Tingle's research into the Navajo March of 1864, this is not an easy read. Yet ultimately it's a story about the power and determination of one boy and the rest of the Navajo people. It's the kind of book I can see many readers enjoying. 

The Year of the Garden by Andrea Cheng

I've been meaning to read some of Andrea Cheng's work ever since I had two very excited grade three students argue over who would be first to read The Year of the Baby. They were shocked that I had not read The Year of the Book.

The Year of the Garden is a good one for me to start with since it is a prequel to the first in the series.

I now get their joy.

This story introduces us to a diverse group of characters who have positive relationships with each other. Anna, a young girl with at least some Chinese background, and her family have moved into a new neighbourhood. Anna's father doesn't speak Chinese, and her mother is learning English. Mrs. Cheng works as a housekeeper for an elderly couple, Mr and Mrs. Shepherd. She brings Anna and her brother, Ken, along with her. The relationship between the children and this aging couple is one of the things that I loved about this book. It's Mrs Shepherd giving Anna a copy of The Secret Garden along with a packet of seeds that gets Anna interested in gardening.

Laura is also new to the neighbourhood. The two meet and become friends the summer before starting grade three at their new school. Laura is crazy about soccer and anything to do with animals. Anna is more interested in her garden, reading and creating things. These differences come to a head and seem to create a rift between them when the two girls start school. At one point Anna thinks their friendship is over and her mother tries to comfort her. It seems like there might not be a solution until Anna finds a baby rabbit and goes to Laura for help to save it.

What I Appreciate about this book:

Cheng's authentic characters deal with realistic problems. Their diversity doesn't get in the way of solid friendships as they all learn to be better human beings. These children have loving parents and normal siblings who live within a supportive community. I welcomed the integration of what Anna and Laura are learning at school about caring for the environment into their own lives. 

Patrice Barton's line drawings capture the sweetness of the story. I confirm that this is a delightful series for readers ready to move beyond beginning chapter books. 

Fans will have to wait for its publication date on April 11th.

I should acknowledge a personal connection I made to this book that might make me biased. My son and his Korean partner are expecting a baby this June. I can imagine their daughter being a little Anna.

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Amanda on the Danube: The Sounds of Music by Darlene Foster

Darlene Foster writes middle grade novels about two plucky girls, Amanda Ross, and Leah Anderson, best friends from different continents. These intrepid travellers visit different places around the world and solve mysteries. Foster puts in considerable travelling and research to ensure that the details she writes about are authentic. Not only are readers entertained by great mysteries with a touch of suspense, they learn about different geography and history. If you haven't read one of these books yet, you should change that. 

In this book, Amanda convinces her parents to join Mr and Mrs Anderson on a cruise on the Danube river. The two girls end up sharing their own room on board the ship, which gives them more autonomy. It's a pretty exciting opportunity for two girls who are on the cusp of adolescence.

Before they are even settled in, Amanda and Leah track a trail of blood droplets into a storage room on the cruise ship. Amanda sees some feet, but they are interrupted by an employee before they can figure out what is going on.

While they are on an excursion in Nuremberg, a ragamuffin of a boy gives Amanda his special violin for safekeeping. After that, strange things begin to happen. Another boy on a skateboard tries to steal the violin before they are even back on board ship. Once there, a mysterious older couple introduce themselves. They seem nice enough, but are they? Then the two girls' room is ransacked. Luckily, the violin isn't taken.

At the next port of call, the two girls meet up with the owner of the violin and smuggle him onto the ship with them. They do their best to keep him hidden in their room, but he disappears. Before long Amanda gets a ransom note, telling her she has to trade the violin in for him if she wants to see him safe.

You better go read the book if you want to find out what happens. 

I enjoyed seeing the relationship between the two girls evolve as they mature. Leah begins by spending a lot of time texting on her new phone and doesn't seem committed to being with Amanda. It turns out that Leah is caught up in her first romance, and it's going badly. This creates some tension between the two of them, but they manage to resolve their differences.

There is a lot to like about these novels. The girls have strong parents who care about them, but also give them some autonomy. I appreciate learning about all the different places the girls visit and am impressed by how seamlessly the author educates and entertains me all at the same time. I like that the plot moves quickly and has enough action and suspense to keep readers thoroughly engaged. It's a perfect read for kids aged 8 - 12, and even older readers like myself.

I'm looking forward to the next book when the two girls travel to New Mexico! 

#IMWAYR March 5, 2017

#IMWAYR time again, when readers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to in the past week. The adult version of this meme is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. The kidlit rendition is hosted by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers. Whatever you are looking forward to in your next great read, these are fabulous places to start your search.

Whoopee! I finished sewing all the different parts of my quilt, and am now in the process of jointing them. It's very exciting to see it all come together. I'll post a picture to show off next week.

I didn't get enough Chocolate Lily reading accomplished this week. I've had a pile of library books that had to be read and returned by Saturday. Aside from all the sewing, I've spent a lot of time in the hospital visiting an elderly cousin who is waiting for a heart valve to be replaced. My siblings and cousins around here are doing our best to keep her and her husband company. It's been pretty stressful for them since they are not from a big city. It's true though, that every cloud has a silver lining, because we've gotten to know each other a whole lot better.

Unless I've been sewing, I've tried to focus on reading print. It hasn't been easy. I'm the woman walking on the busy downtown street with her nose in a book and crying her eyes out on the bus while reading.

BLOG POSTS THIS WEEK

Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks & Gita Varadarajan Narrated by Josh Hurley & Vikas Adam

The Mesmerist by Ronald L Smith

PICTURE BOOKS

Good Pirate by Kari-Lynn Winters & Dean Griffiths (Illustrations)

4 stars

I fell in love with the end papers in this book. They are a glossary of pirate and nautical talk.

Augusta Garrick is daughter to Barnacle Garrick, a ferocious pirate captain. Augusta likes to be clean and fancy, two traits her father despises. Everyone knows that pirates should be rotten, sneaky and brainy. It looks like Augusta might be a failure as a pirate. Yet when Captain Fishmonger boards their ship, it's up to Augusta to use her brains and save the day.

Dean Griffiths' illustrations are vibrant, fun and loaded with details that enhance the reader's experience. I'm not sure younger readers will appreciate the humour in showing these sea dogs as actual dogs, but I enjoyed it. Now I need to read Bad Pirate, the prequel to this.

When the Rain Comes by Alma Fullerton & Kim La Fave (Illustrations)

4 stars

This story, set in Sri Lanka, tells the story of a young girl, Malini, who has to save an ox, cart, and rice seedlings when a sudden monsoon rain strikes. Alma Fullerton's verse is beautifully dynamic. Kim La Fave's illustrations are gorgeous. The images and text coalesce so that the reader experiences the storm and danger Malini faces.

My only concern about this book is that while it is a book that shows life in another culture, it's neither written or illustrated by a member of it.

NOVELS

5 stars

Flying Lessons and Other Stories by Ellen Oh (Editor), Kwame Alexander, Kelly J. Baptist, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Pena, Tim Federle, Grace Lin, Meg Medina, Walter Dean Myers, Tim Tingle, Jacqueline Woodson

I started reading this book on a crowded bus. Before I realized it, I was weeping. Matt de la Pena's story isn't sad. It's just an beautifully written tale about a boy, basketball, and what he learns about his father. The rest of these short stories are equally compelling and fabulously unique. I've added some new authors to my list of people to read more of. I sure hope there will be a second volume.

4 stars

Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks & Gita Varadarajan, Narrated by Josh Hurley & Vikas Adam

This is an important book that shows us what it's like to be an new immigrant, as well as a student with some cognitive challenges. It wasn't easy to read all the bullying scenes, especially the ones in the classroom with the teacher right there. My teaching experience feels so different from this. I suspect this book would make a good classroom read aloud as it is filled with issues that many students will connect to.

3 stars

The Mesmerist by Ronald L. Smith (Netgalley)

I wish I enjoyed this book more than I did. It started out swell, but somewhere along the way, it lost me. Ok, it wasn't terrible, but I was confused without cause too often in this story of a girl who discovers she has mindreading as well as other fantastic powers. 

I really really despise this ending.

4 stars

A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen & Kate Simses (Narrator)

I enjoyed this historical novel about East Germany just after the building of the Berlin Wall. It would make a good companion piece for Cloud and Wallfish by Anne Nesbet. I ended up disenchanted with Nielsen after finding the last two books in her Ascendance Trilogy filled with gratuitous violence. I'm glad I took a chance on this one. While there is some violence and many tense moments, it feels appropriate for the context of the story. I couldn't help but care for these characters and worried about what would happen to them.

3 stars

History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

I'm not sure what exactly to say about this book, except that it was ok. It didn't knock my socks off in the way that More Happy Than Not did. I pushed myself to finish it because it is on my 2017 must read list this year. I'm glad that I persisted because I ended up appreciating the story and characters in this coming of age book more than I thought I would. I just couldn't connect to their emotional reality. And if I am being honest, I don't like books filled with teenage relationship angst. I suspect  I'm just too old and over that.

CURRENTLY

I'm still reading Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Battling Bots by Liam O'Donnell and Mike Deas. (well actually I didn't turn a page last week, but I did carry it around with me.) I'm listening to Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott a bit at a time, but I'm thinking I'll listen to it all, and then go back and read it a bit at a time.

UP NEXT

I absolutely have to read at least two novels from my Chocolate Lily box, so I just grabbed two that I will complete: A Rare Gift by G. Rosemary Ludlow and a day of signs and wonders by Kit Pearson. I've got The Boat Rocker by Ha Jin ready to go for my next audiobook. 

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MUSTREADIN2017 5/36

#MUSTREADNFIN2017 1/12, 1 in progress

50 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 10/50

Chocolate Lily (CL) 19/52

Goodreads Reading Challenge 80/333