Rutabaga's Reads 2022: Part 4

I haven’t designated any posts solely to chapter books in the most recent years, and this is already the second one (the first featuring the first five books in the Mindy Kim series). Remember that chapter books do contain occasional pictures through the story, though the story is told primarily through prose.

A Royal Rescue (May 8, 2018) by Helen Perelman.

   Olivia Chin Mueller, illustrator.

*This is the first book in a series.*

No one wants to be late to one’s first day at the Royal Fairy Academy. Certainly not Princess Mini, royal fairy princess of Candy Kingdom, but she notices someone in trouble and stops to help. Gobo, a troll, is stuck in a caramel thornbush. A sticky place to be stuck, to be sure, but nothing a drop of icing can’t fix. Will Princess Mini still make it to school on-time? Can she keep Gobo a secret from her less-than-sweet-and-more-like-sour twin cousins, Prince Frosting and Princess Cupcake?

            My impression in the QUIX Royal Sweets series is that this story is delightfully sweet and deliciously simple. With a straightforward, easy-to-follow plot, young readers new to chapter books will confidently follow the storyline and appreciate characters with familiar words-as-names like Lady Cherry (a teacher), Princess Taffy (Princess Mini’s best friend) and Butterscotch (Princess Mini’s royal flying unicorn). For young readers who like fairies and candy-coated kingdoms, sweet royals and sour, this little tale is as cute as a display of petit fours and as tasty as your favorite treat.

Athena & the Magic Land (May 14, 2019) by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams.

   Yuyi Chen, illustrator.

*This is the first book in a series.*

When one thinks of Athena, one thinks of the Greek goddess of wisdom. Well, this Athena isn’t her. At least, she isn’t yet, and has no idea why she’s traveled to a magic land (it’s Mount Olympus) via a strong, sparkly wind. It’s here that her dog, Oliver, from the Happy Perky Pets game is real, and she knows another young girl named Medusa. But how is she on Mount Olympus, and how does she have snakes for hair and the power to turn other people and creatures to stone? Athena meets Hestia and Persephone, the latter of whom is convinced that she only has bad luck, and is told by three colorful owls (the Owlies) that she will find Zeus in Sparkle City on the top of Mount Olympus if she follows the Hello Brick Road, but she must not stray off of it. With the help of new friends – and a pair of winged sandals – Athena must find Zeus if she wants to return home. She also needs to keep those sandals away from “meanie Medusa.”

            This QUIX Little Goddess Girls series starter is one part Greek mythology, one part The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and all parts cutesy. Unlike Athena, I wasn’t carried away to a magical land when I read this, but perhaps that is not fair, as I’m nowhere near 5-8 years old. While I think the blending of mythology and Oz is unique and certainly has its fun merits (e.g. Hello Brick Road instead of the familiar Yellow Brick Road), the plot likely won’t captivate older, more advanced chapter book readers. I do hope that it will win over readers who are new to chapter books who may be prompted to ask more questions about Greek mythology (or mythology in general, as the world is plentiful with world mythologies if only we seek them out). The lettering is large with black-and-white illustrations, and despite me not loving the tale, it radiates magical sunshine and puppy-dog-eyes cuteness.

The Lost Stone (Apr. 1, 2014) by Jordan Quinn.

   Robert McPhillips, illustrator.

*This is the first book in a series.*

Every child needs a friend. Prince Lucas, son of Queen Tasha and King Caleb of The Kingdom of Wrenly, has none. It’s lonely for eight-year-old Lucas. His father has forbidden him to play with the village children, because “a proper prince does not play with village children.” When his mother’s prized emerald goes missing, Lucas takes it upon himself to retrieve it. He’s allowed to re-befriend Clara Gills, daughter of Queen Tasha’s personal dressmaker, and together, the two of them re-trace the queen’s route to try to track the emerald. They visit Primlox (ruled by fairies) and talk to Queen Sophie, then sail to Burth (which belongs to the trolls). On their way to Hobsgrove (the island of wizards), they pass by Crestwood (where dragons roam). But the emerald is nowhere to be found on land. Might the mermaids know something?

            What a charming tale this is (The Kingdom of Wrenly series)! It’s filled with black-and-white illustrations against a medieval setting that has a sprinkling of fantasy. The typeface is large, the structure, including the plot, are simple, and the language is basic, which is to be expected for the target audience (ages 5-9). The story reads quickly thanks to the adventurous nature of the tale, which should be encouraging to emergent readers.

Mindy Kim and the Big Pizza Challenge (Sept. 14, 2021) by Lyla Lee.

   Dung Ho, illustrator.

*This is the sixth book in a series.*

Wishbone Elementary’s eighth annual PTA Trivia Night has almost arrived, and Mindy is excited to participate with her dad, Brian, his girlfriend, Julie, and her best friend, Sally Johnson, and her family. Mindy’s dad knows it’s important to have fun and do their best, but Mindy wants to win. The grand prize is a year of free pizza! (By free, it’s one free pizza per month for a year.) But, sadly, she also wants to “prove” that they’re as good as any two-parent families. The trivia questions are sometimes trickier than she expects. Will Mindy and her teammates on Team Flamingo out-trivia the other teams? Will she realize that her family is just as awesome as any other, two parents or one, immigrant parents or none?

            Having read the first five books in this series, I expected this one to be cute, and I wasn’t disappointed. I don’t want parents or young readers to think that cute means that it lacks substance, for that is not the case. Like any young person approaching a competition, the stakes feel high, and stress is real. It’s compounded for Mindy, as her concerns feel heightened when she compares herself to other students in her class who have two parents, and none of those parents are immigrants like her dad (he grew up in Korea). It’s a short tale, a quick read, but it’s so important. I grew up adopted in America with Caucasian parents and so have never had this specific struggle, yet it still resonates, because I can imagine the challenge and the feelings through Lee’s prose. Also, I plain love the representation of a Korean main character.

            Mindy Kim Books 1-5: A compilation post

Snow Place Like Home (July 30, 2019) by Christina Soontornvat.

   Barbara Szepesi Szucs, illustrator.

*This is the first book in a series.*

It’s gotta be pretty cool being a princess, with a sweet dog named Gusty, who’s the daughter of a Windtamer mother (she has power to control the wind and weather) and a Groundling father (that is, he’s a regular human) and the granddaughter of the North Wind. Yes, the North Wind. Also known as Boreas. You know, a wind god. The expectation is that Lina is a Windtamer, too, but the reality is that she struggles to control the wind. Her granddad wants her to live with him, but she wants to attend Groundling school. No amount of mango-and-whipped-cloud pudding is going to convince her to live at her granddad’s palace in the sky. She concocts a plan with her best friend, Claudia, who’s a Groundling. Too bad that when she’s nervous or scared or happy, things accidentally happen … like icicles on the classroom ceiling or the boys’ bathroom turning into an ice rink. She can figure out a way to control it, right? If she only thinks warm thoughts, that’ll do the trick?

            Right off, this chapter book in the Diary of an Ice Princess series made me think: Tell me your characters are diverse without actually telling me they’re diverse. Thanks to the pictures strewn through the story, the reader can see the diversity, even though there’s never mention of any specific ethnicity, and I love that. It makes racial diversity a common, everyday thing, like it is and should be. Written as a diary, Lina figures out what it means to be her based on her skills, and it’s cotton-candy sweet, though without the sticky mess at the end. The book’s illustrations are color-coordinated; they’re black, white, gray and pink. Lina’s world is cute and magical, but relatable to anyone who’s ever attended Groundling school.