Mind vs. Machine, by Steve Sheinkin & Maurice Ashley w/artwork by Thien Pham

     I have read some newly released books in my dog days, but this may be the first time I am reviewing a book that isn't released yet (it comes out in September)! Pretty cool right? My copy of the graphic novel Mind vs. Machine is an Advanced Reader's Copy, or ARC, which means a book that is close to what the real book will look like, but not entirely, and sent to avid readers (like me!) who get to read and review it before everyone else...I feel so special!

    Regular readers of this blog know that Steve Sheinkin is one of my all-time favorite writers, and that he creates amazing stories in non-fiction that read like some of the best fiction I've ever read. Mind vs Machine is no exception! Maurice Ashley is a 3-time National Chess Champion, as well as an author. Thien Pham is an award-winning graphic novelist and educator. What a dream team to create a book about the year when the best chess player (Garry Kasparov) known in the world at that time (1979) played a 6-game tournament against a computer. Man vs. Machine!

    I can't tell you who wins, but I can tell you that the story is very "Steve Sheinkin", so be prepared to finish it in one or two sittings! It's a very cool story, even if you aren't an avid chess player (like me...I prefer corn hole, but hey, I'm a dog - corn (yum!) and holes (fun!)). Ashley adds a lot of background info that helps the story make more sense, and the artwork is solid. One disclaimer; since this is an ARC, the artwork isn't completely finished, and even some of the panels are off center. But when this book is released those flaws will have been corrected, and all you'll have is a very cool, interesting graphic novel to enjoy! If you are already a Sheinkin fan, read this! If you enjoy graphic novels and/or non-fiction stories, also read this! I read it one day - I couldn't put it down! I think you'll love it, too! 4 paws (this may change to 5 paws once I see the finished book)!

The Second Life of Snap, by Erin Entrada Kelly

     On the back flap of this newest release by author Erin Entrada Kelly is a list showing all of her other fiction book covers (she also wrote the non-fiction book At Last She Stood). It seems I've read 5 of the 7...and now I've read 6! I guess I can include Kelly on my list of favorite authors?

    The Second Life of Snap is Kelly's latest release, and like her other books there is a strong science element here, which I always enjoy. In this book, which takes place in the not-too-distant future, Snap is a robot that is discarded by its maker and claimed by Zuzu and her dad. Zuzu lives in a barren, dusty place with no trees or water, far from the "city" where Snap came from. Zuzu and her friends make fun as they can with very little in the way of toys or games while baking under the shade-less sky day after day. Even though she does not like the idea of having a robot at first, Zuzu and Snap become friends, as much as being friends with a machine can happen.

    Like all of Kelly's books, this is well written, and there are a lot of clever elements included in the story. As I read Snap I marked two passages that I especially loved:

            "It doesn't matter where you look. It matters what you see."

and

            "I don't think it's ever too late to change things."

    I love how the author inserts these messages into her stories! I find these to be gems in her writing, and they stay with me long after the details of the particular book do. That's not to say The Second Life of Snap won't stay with you, because I think it will. At the same time, it wasn't my favorite Kelly book - that would definitely be We Dream of Space. But this is another solid read by this talented writer, and I recommend it to you! It definitely falls into the science fiction genre, and seems written for older elementary or early middle grade readers, although I think avid readers above and below this range could also enjoy it. I'm looking forward to her future work, and giving this 4 paws!  

George Washington: A Revolutionary Life, by Tim Grove

     This new biography was released in coordination with the 250th birthday of the United States, which you've likely heard about by now! This book was published in partnership with The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, the private non-profit group founded in 1853 that oversees George Washington's Mount Vernon home. The Association works to preserve, restore, and educate the public about Washington's life in all of its aspects.

    The highlight of George Washington the book is the color photography throughout - of paintings, drawings, maps...every page is beautiful to look at. It took many pages before the issue of slavery became more part of the overall story, and I admit to being interested from the start about how author Tim Grove was going to address this (or not address it, as happens in some books about our nation's earliest founders). But by the end of the book I was satisfied with the coverage this difficult topic received - Grove did not hide the fact that Washington was a slave owner, which has to be included if we are to understand his life and its successes.

    In all, there is a lot to learn here about our first president, and much of it was new to me as well (and I'm a well-read pup!). Starting his young adult life as a surveyor, he would also be a soldier, a farmer (the area of his life where he spent the bulk of his years and creative thinking, it seemed), and, of course, become involved in politics. He certainly had his struggles along the way, but from this book it seems that Washington was a bright man interested in making the world a better place in many areas (owning slaves not being one of them). I don't come across many biographies for young readers about our nation's presidents, but I mostly enjoyed this one and recommend it to anyone curious about Washington and his contributions to our country. 4 paws!

Troublemaker, by John Cho (with Sarah Suk)

     The debut chapter book by actor John Cho is a fictional account of the riots in Los Angeles, CA following the Rodney King incident in 1992. Troublemaker is a good, pretty intense story told from the perspective of main character Jordan, a middle school Korean American student who is struggling with his choices in school and in life. Following the filmed footage of King being beaten by police officers, tensions run high throughout Los Angeles (and around the country), and several days and nights of riots ensue. Jordan's parents own a store in Koreatown, which they fear will become a target of the rioting. Jordan, in an effort to reconnect with his father, sneaks out of the house at night and tries to deliver his father's gun to his dad in an effort to help him protect the store from looters. The evening does not go entirely as Jordan had planned, and Troublemaker the story unfolds.

    I found this book to be a real page-turner, with themes I expect from someone like Jason Reynolds. But the publisher suggests this is a book for readers ages 8-14, which would include readers as young as 3rd grade. As much as I like the story, and you know I love historical fiction, the topics introduced here do not belong in the elementary school library. This is a solid read for 7th graders or older, but I strongly believe younger than that is inappropriate. 

    I liken this book to Attack of the Black Rectangles by A. S. King - another great topic and story, but not for younger readers. These topics, as important as they are, are too complicated for elementary readers. I don't say that lightly, as I'm all about reading what interests you! But really, save this for middle school, please. 4 paws for the topic and story, but minus 1 paw for the errant target readership.   3 paws.

Odder, by Katherine Applegate

    From prolific author Katherine Applegate (meaning she writes a lot of wonderful stories!) comes Odder - not her newest release, but only a couple of years old, and who could resist the otter on the cover, or a story told by Applegate? It turns out...not me! Odder is an otter, living in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. She loves loves loves to play, and with her friend Kairi they explore the ocean and all of its wonders. But Odder's mom told her to be careful of certain things - sharks, humans - but why worry about those creatures when you can dive! And spin! And somersault!

    Applegate has written another heart warming story about an otter named Odder, based on a true story of an otter who was rescued by the humans at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Like all of her other books - The One and Only Ivan being one of my favorites - Odder is not only hard to put down, but it also tugs at your heart the whole way. You will love love love Odder before you even finish this book, and be rooting for her and everyone in her life (well, maybe not the shark...) long after the story ends. 

    The author includes a link to the real Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sea Otter cam, so I'll include it here so you can get started falling in love even before you read the first page! 4 (otter) paws!

The Last Dragon on Mars, by Scott Reintgen

     I saw the second book in this series at the public library, and I decided that if I was going to try it (because the cover looked very cool!), I needed to read the first book first! The Last Dragon on Mars is the first book in this series, although not the first book for author Scott Reintgen. I have not read any of his other books before, but after finishing this one, I definitely want to read the second book in this dragon series!

    I admit up front that I am not normally much of a dragon dog, and I've mentioned before that I don't read a lot of fantasy, either (although I probably should - I almost always enjoy it!). The first two chapters of The Last Dragon on Mars made me want to go back and read my favorite dragon book ever - Dragon's Milk by Susan Fletcher, over again. However, after the second chapter of this book, I was hooked! Reintgen creates a universe where every planet, moon and star has a companion dragon, and these dragons, like their planets and moon and stars, are very unique characters and have history with each other. The Last Dragon on Mars is about Dread, the newest dragon in our solar system, and the 12-year-old boy Lunar Jones, who Dread is somehow connected with. I can't tell you much more without starting to give away details that you, dear reader, need to discover for yourself!

    This first book in the Dragonship Series is fun, creative, easy to follow, and a definite page-turner! I sent my human right to the library for the next book (although it was checked out...darn! Waiting patiently....). Even though I'm reading something else now, I'll come right back to the next book as soon as it gets returned! I don't think this will appeal to younger readers as much, as it is detailed and well over 300 pages long. But for you dragon-loving 4th and 5th graders? And especially middle grade readers? Go get this, put up your "do not disturb" sign, and enjoy! This is a treat! 5 paws!

Olivetti, by Allie Millington

     The cover of this book shows a drawing of a typewriter with flowers growing from within it. If you don't know what a typewriter is, imagine a keyboard and computer - but all together, like a laptop - although there are no lights, or screen, or the need for electricity of any kind to make it work. It doesn't need to charge up, and it won't quit if it isn't plugged in for a little while. No cords, but it does make noise when you use it. A cool, clicking noise, and each brand or style of typewriter has it's own unique sound as you type on it. After some time the electric typewriter came along, and that one did need a cord and electricity, and made a nice humming sound when it was turned on, but the buttons still clicked when you pressed them. Still no lighted screen - Oh, and all of this was before the Internet existed!

    Olivetti is the brand name of a typewriter, and the title of this book by Allie Millington. Olivetti is also a main character in the story, which tells you right away that there is some amount of fantasy built into the book. But it isn't a typical fantasy book, like a Harry Potter, with magic and wizards and such. In this book Olivetti is the typewriter used by Mrs. Brindle through the years as she writes and records stories from her life. Along with her husband, Felix, and their four very unique children, they live a wonderful life in the city of San Francisco. But there is something in the family's past that has changed Ernest, one of the children. With the help of Olivetti, he is destined to face this unknown past, and he seems to be on a difficult course to discover himself as well.

    I read a lot of books, as you know, and I really appreciate it when I come across one that is simply different from all the others! That is hard to do, and not required for me to give a book my highest rating. But when it does happen, like it did with Olivetti, it puts a little more joy in my wag! This book isn't perfect all the way through, but I loved it just the same! I love the unique choice of main character (a typewriter), and I quickly came to love Ernest, and kept turning pages to find out what happened next...would Ernest be okay? Realistic fiction meets a typewriter with feelings and a story of its own. Author Millington really makes it work - I hope it works for you, too! 5 paws!

The Mystery of the Stolen World Cup Trophy, by Angela Cervantes

     The newest book by award-winning author Angela Cervantes (Lety Out Loud). The Mystery of the Stolen World Cup Trophy is about...well, the stolen trophy from the world's most popular sporting event, futbol's World Cup! Cervantes introduces main character Diez Espada, an aspiring detective who takes after his late mother, also a huge mystery fan. Named after his dad's favorite soccer player's jersey number, #10 (Lionel Messi), Diez embarks on a wild adventure to try and discover who has stolen the beautiful World Cup trophy right out from under everyone's watchful eyes! He has help from his 8th grade crush, Rio, and a cast of other fun characters. 

    Cervantes provides plenty of references to real-life mystery author extraordinaire Agatha Christie, and the rest of the characters she collects in this story make it fun to read. For some reason Diez and Rio, and the way Cervantes wrote this particular story, reminded me of one of my favorite book series, Artemis Fowl, even though Artemis was a science fiction/fantasy series as well as a James Bond-type adventure. I wouldn't say this book was a real page-turner, but I did enjoy it overall. A couple of times I thought the author dropped information into the story to help move the plot along in a less-than-natural way, but being that this is written for kids like you and not dogs like me, I decided to keep rolling with it and not let it get in the way of my enjoyment! It was a fun read, and I hope you'll think so, too!          4 paws!

 

Fast Break, by Anjali Joshi

     Fast Break is one of the newest releases by Orca Publishing Company out of Canada. For as long as this pup has been reading, Orca has provided what I refer to as Hi-Lo books - high interest to teen readers of all ages, with a low time commitment needed to finish each book. In other words, Orca books are written for kids that want to read good stories at their age level but without having to finish a super long book, like a Harry Potter, for instance. The stories usually take on some sort of social issue which makes them interesting to readers like you, too! I find most of them to be really good, and the kids who I've known that read them usually have positive things to say!

    Fast Break is the story of Arjun, who has just started a new middle school as a 7th grader, and his friend Demar. The school has experienced an amazing upgrade over the summer, as a company called OmniBoost has poured several thousands of dollars into all aspects of the school - new cafeteria, new sports jerseys, high tech screens everywhere and more. In return, the company gets to exclusively determine the food and drinks served in the cafeteria and through all of the school's vending machines. The food and drinks are being sold as "healthy" and "energy boosting", but Arjun and Demar are discovering this might not be the whole story. Will they risk their place on the basketball team, and their enrollment at school, to uncover the truth?

    Unlike most chapter books you may read, this books comes in at slightly over 100 pages - low time commitment, right? The story flows pretty nicely, and if you are not used to Orca books, or others like them, you might notice the lack of deeper details throughout the story. But the story is interesting, even if the details are thin. The dilemma these two boys face is a timely one, perhaps even for you at your school, and it's fun to make decisions with them about what to do, if anything, about this OmniBoost "problem".

    Orca books probably are not going to get my 5 paw rating often, if ever, because of the lack of details I find in the really exceptional books I read. But they do serve a really nice purpose in a library. And they may be books you already look for and read? If not, give Fast Break a try, or another Orca hi-lo book. They are good reads, just a bit thinner on details than books many of you are used to reading. 4 paws!

The October Girl (Book One), by Matthew Dow Smith

     I had my human pick this up at the local public library because I was in the mood for a graphic novel, and he thought this one looked interesting. I have not read anything by author/illustrator Matthew Dow Smith before, but it seems he also does some DC Comics work, which makes some sense, as his artwork in The October Girl is really interesting and cool! 

    Main character Autumn is 18 years old, and although she used to believe in magic and fairy tales, now she is wondering if there is anything more to her boring life than school and her part time job. She misses her childhood imaginary friend, Barnaby...until Barnaby appears again! The story then dives into a fantasy world of magic and characters beyond belief...even her family is involved! Another world exists right around her, and has all this time...but what is her role in it?

    A short book, and some very clever lines in it. Definitely written for older middle and high school readers, although there isn't anything questionable in the story, just a healthy dose of teen angst that 8th graders and older will totally understand. There is a Book Two that was just released, although I have not seen it yet, but might check it out if I happened across it someday. A lot less dark feeling than Halfway There was, and I liked it a bit better because of that. Not a must read, but if angsty graphic novels and/or fantasy stories appeal to you, I think you'd like this. 4 paws!