Welcome to 2024’s “Happy Hodgepodge” post! What have you
read recently that stands out?
Junior graphic novel
fiction.
<This is the third graphic novel in a
series.>
There’s a new magical mystery in the Spirit World. The
Dragon Witch’s magical artifact collection is missing, and the entire region is
covered in pink slime. Cats Squash and Ginny are on the case. They are
determined to find the scoundrels who are wreaking devastation, and they’ll
vacuum up the slime while they’re at it. They encounter a bread mushroom that
leads to a secret tunnel and meet Magnus, king of the southern region of the
Spirit World. They had no idea there was such a king! There’s a slime snail
controlled by a conniving new foe. The foe is draining Spirit Magic from the
artifacts, which is hurting the Spirit World. Squash and Ginny need to recover
those missing artifacts, pronto. And if there happens to be a task force formed
with a steady supply of free snacks, then all the better!
Unibear
City is the hub of the Spirit Realm, but not much of it is seen. It would’ve
been fun to get a big-picture glimpse of the city. Fortunately, that lack
does not take away from the colorful, vibrant graphic novel that it is. The
text is uncomplicated and so will fit a variety of readers, including emergent
readers. The characters are sweet, even when trying to be fierce, and
helpfulness is a theme in each of the Cat & Cat Adventures. To date,
these are the only graphic novels that I’ve checked out from the library, and I’ve
never bought any, not even for gifts.
Book 1: The Quest for Snacks
Book 2: The Goblet of Infinity
Gorgeously ME! (June 4, 2024) by Jonathan Van Ness.
Kamala Nair, illustrator.
Children’s picture book.
“I’m perfectly, happily, gorgeously me” is the repeating
line of empowerment for the nameless kids throughout the story. With varying
skin tones, a girl with blue hair, a boy in a tutu and youth with their own
interests, abilities and skill sets, it shows that sharing individuality with
the world isn’t always easy. In fact, it can be downright scary. With
consistent, every day friendship, love and support, each of these kids can be
assured they’re wonderful just as they are. “Fill those around you with hope,
joy, and trust. / And turn gorgeously me into gorgeously US!”
JVN’s
rhyming text is lyrical, uplifting and energizing. It sparks joy and lets us
all know that we are and should be loved and cherished for being who we are and
not who naysayers assume we should be. It celebrates self-love and embraces
differences. Blended with Nair’s sunny, high-spirited illustrations, I rather
felt that bursts of sparkly confetti should’ve been raining down upon me and a
delightful dance number should’ve been included. I love this story and am so
pleased that it was available at my local library for checkout. Let’s all
prioritize compassion, tolerance and inclusion, not only as a teaching tool for
the young, but for all ages..jpg)
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The Sea of Terror
(May 9, 2023) by Stuart Gibbs.
Stacy Curtis, illustrator.
Middle-grade
illustrated fantasy fiction.
<This is the third novel in a series.>
Junior knights Tim and Belinda (a.k.a. Bull, since girls
aren’t allowed to be knights), Rover the fr-dog,
and Ferkle, a village idiot (even though he’s actually highly intelligent),
have twice foiled the villainous prince to help Princess Grace, but their
quests are not ended. The Queen of Merryland’s precious golden fleece and the
Mystical Protective Amulet of Merryland have gone missing. The Kingdom of
Dinkum’s queen accidentally took Queen Sunderfire’s fleece home with the amulet
in a pocket. This kingdom lies across the Sea of Terror, which is “filled with
dangerous beasts and a great number of other perils.” Tim, Belinda, Ferkle and
the knights, including their leader, Sir Vyval, must face whatever dreadful
perils the Sea of Terror houses, use every ounce of bravery and intellect they
possess, for they are members of the Knight Brigade of the Great and Glorious
Kingdom of Merryland. If they can face off against a bargleboar, they can defeat any other terror that finds them, thus
making a cliffhanger ending unnecessary, right? Right???
Like the
first two stories in this illustrated, middle-grade fantasy series, this one is
silly and ridiculous, which is the appeal of it. Gibbs’ story blithely takes
from ancient sources (think Scylla
and Charybdis and other nautical
hazards such as sirens), but works them inventively, twisting them into
something new and funny. For example, the sirens don’t lure sailors to their
deaths with their beautiful voices, but rather the most awful, dissonant
caterwauling with horrid lyrics, all singing these terrible songs simultaneously.
A power ballad about filthy armpit hair overlapping a gloomy tune about
maggots? Gross. Curtis’ black-and-white illustrations add pictorial comic
relief and complement Gibbs’ writing as any skilled illustrations should. IQ BOOSTERs are again present. The tale
is entertaining, the adventure both dangerous and hilarious. Remember that
bargleboars are allergic to paprika, but stand way, way back if it sneezes or
you will be covered in its snot. Ew!
Super-Duper Librarian (Jan. 1, 2021) by Fran
Manushkin.
Laura Zarrin, illustrator.
Early-Reader fiction chapter book.
<This is part of
an unnumbered series.>
It’s a rainy Saturday, so Katie Woo decides that she and her
parents should go to the library to check out books. As her friend Pedro says,
going to the library is “great on any day.” There are books about so
many things: dinosaurs, dragons … underwear! But is there a super-duper mystery
book for Katie? Where is Miss Bliss, the Children’s Librarian, to help her out?
While I
have checked out Early-Reader (E-R) books from the nonfiction section, this is
the first I’ve checked out from the E-R fiction section (likely to change as my
nephew’s been starting to read books from this section). Katie Woo is a
delight, and her love of books lends her an inquisitiveness that not everyone
has. The story is simple, an excellent book type for young people segueing from
being read to to reading on their own. The book includes a map of Katie’s
neighborhood, a glossary, questions for the reader and an interview with Miss
Bliss.
What Is the Story of Willy Wonka? (July 6, 2021)
by Steve Korté.
Jake Murray, illustrator.
Early-Reader nonfiction chapter book.
<This is an
official Who HQ book.>
What is the story of the most famous fictional chocolatier?
Willy Wonka first appears in Roald Dahl’s 1964 children’s novel Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory. For others, maybe they didn’t discover him until the
1971 film starring Gene Wilder or even the 2005 film starring Johnny Depp.
But most seem to know something about this zany factory owner, friend to
Oompa-Loompas and lover of chocolate. Willy Wonka is mysterious, whimsical, wacky
and wondrous. He’s utterly fantastic, if a bit chaotic, but how could you not
be, filled with pure imagination as he is? Not only featuring Willy Wonka, this
slim E-R book highlights Roald Dahl and mentions his other stories, amongst
other factual tidbits.
There are
over 250 titles in the WhoHQ series published by Penguin Random
House LLC, yet this is only the first one I’ve read! This chapter book is for
early readers and is broken down into 11 chapters, plus an introduction and a
bibliography. It gives many small facts, encouraging readers to explore the
broader range of information out there. For example, getting a reading taste of
Roald Dahl’s time in boarding schools, especially the one near the famous
Cadbury’s chocolate company, has me wanting to read Dahl’s Boy: Tales of
Childhood. It brings a compact trove of information. I will definitely be
reading more of these titles. For now, I will don a plum-colored tailcoat and a
fine top hat, so I can twirl into a world of pure imagination!
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