Becoming Madeleine and A Wrinkle in Time - audiobook reviews

With the movie A Wrinkle in Time, set to release on March 9th, I thought it was a great time to revisit the book and highlight the new book, Becoming Madeleine: A Biography of the Author of A Wrinkle in Time by her Granddaughters.

I recently reviewed Becoming Madeleine written and narrated by Charlotte Jones Voiklis and Lena Roy (Listening Library, 2018)

At less than 3 hours, you can easily fit this in before the movie release.  Becoming Madeleine covers Madeleine L'Engle's early years up to the point when she sold the Wrinkle in Time manuscript for publication. (It originally had a different title!)  She had always planned to be a writer, and the book relies heavily on L'Engle's own words—in addition to books, she was a prolific writer of letters, journals, and postcards.  Well worth a listen!

You can read my full review at AudioFile Magazine. [https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/136192/]

And here's a re-posting of the A Wrinkle in Time audiobook review that I featured in 2011, on the eve of the book's 50th anniversary:

L'Engle, Madeleine. 1993. A Wrinkle in Time. Read by Madeleine L'Engle. New York: Listening Library.5 hours, 17 minutes.

It's been many, many years since I've read A Wrinkle in Time, and actually, I'm not sure that I liked it as a kid.  I was never much of a sci-fi fan.  In any case, after reading last year's, When You Reach Me, I was inspired to read it again, but forgot about it until recently, when I downloaded the audiobook version.

I remembered some of the story, but had forgotten much.  I didn't remember the religious overtones in the latter half of the book (or perhaps I never realized that Mrs. Who was quoting 1 Corinthians);  I certainly can't understand why this book has been challenged by various groups over the years.  I remember A Wrinkle in Time as a sci-fi, fantasy, time-traveling book, which, it is.  Although it was written in 1962, Madeleine L'Engle did not record the audiobook until the 1990s, when she was well into her seventies.  At first, I wasn't sure that I would like her narration - the voice perhaps too old, too flawed - but that initial perception quickly faded.  There is something special about hearing an author read her own book.  There is less room for personal interpretation, but the listener can be sure that she is understanding every nuance that the author wishes to convey.  Minor details cannot be misconstrued as important ones.  Ambiguity only exists if the author wishes it so.  It was great to revisit this old classic.


And finally, here's the movie trailer.  Enjoy!

The Time of the Fireflies - a review

I was actually searching for a fantasy book, but stumbled upon a good old-fashioned ghost story instead.

Little, Kimberly Griffiths. 2014. The Time of the Fireflies.  New York: Scholastic.

Larissa Renaud doesn't live in a regular house. As she tells it,

"My parents moved us into the Bayou Bridge Antique Store—a fact I do not brag about. It's embarrassing to admit I share the same space as musty, mothball-smelly furniture, dusty books, and teacups that dead people once drank from."

Sometimes she wishes they had never come back here from Baton Rouge, but her family has a long history in the bayou town, much of it is tragic.

When Larissa receives  a mysterious call on a broken antique phone, she's got a real mystery on her hands.

"Trust the fireflies," 

the ghostly girl tells her, setting Larissa on  a strange and eerie path of discovery. Can Larissa right the wrongs of the past to save her family's future?

Though it highlights rural poverty, bullying, and new sibling issues, The Time of the Fireflies is at heart, a ghost story with a remarkably likable and resourceful protagonist.

To avoid giving away too much, I'll merely mention that readers may see some similarities to Rebecca Stead's Newbery Medal-winning, When You Reach Me. The spunky Larissa and author Kimberly Griffiths Little will draw you into the rich world of the Louisiana bayou until you too, are carried away by the fireflies.

A link to The Time of the Fireflies trailer is here.  I'm not posting the trailer here because, honestly, I think the book is better than its trailer.

(My copy of the book was provided by the publisher as an Advance Reader Copy.)

Captain Underpants- the Eleventh Epic Novel!

Pilkey, Dav. 2014. Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000. New York: Scholastic.
(Advance Reader Copy)

Captain Underpants fans can rejoice.  The "Eleventh Epic Novel" is coming this summer with everything kids expect - time travel, fiendish villains, a plot with more twists than a bag of pretzels, and of course - Flip-O-Rama, "the world-famous cheesy animation."

In Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000, readers will be brought up to speed on past adventures, as George and Harold re-live (and change) a previous adventure involving the Turbo Toilet 2000.  Super Diaper Baby will make a cameo appearance in a comic by George and Harold, and readers will be introduced to Yesterday George and Yesterday Harold.  There's even a 3-panel Flip-O-Rama.

It's ridiculous, preposterous, and downright silly - kids will love it.


 

On shelves August 26, 2014.

What's next? Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-a-Lot.

The Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers - a review

Pilkey, Dav. 2013. Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers. New York: Scholastic.

Maybe you're not a fan of Captain Underpants, the superhero alter ego of mean, Jerome Horwitz Elementary School Principal, Mr. Krupp.  Maybe you're not a fan of the frequent misspellings of Mr. Krupp's troublesome 4th graders, George and Harold.  However, it's hard not to be a fan of one of the most wildly popular series for young and reluctant readers.  This goofy, irreverent series continues to gain new fans and flies off the shelf with as much regularity and enthusiasm as the flying Captain Underpants himself. "Tra la la!"

This latest adventure finds George and Harold travelling through time with pets Crackers and Sulu, to correct the events of an earlier time-travelling venture that had disastrous consequences for the future.  Pitted against Tippy Tinkletrousers, Tiny Tippy Tinkletrousers, and Slightly Younger Tiny Tippy Tinkletrousers and their Freezy-Beam 4000, George and Harold will have to use their wits if they are to save Captain Underpants and return to the future.  Six great Flip-O-Ramas are included (they make a fun art activity), as well as a 24-page wordless comic featuring Ook and Gluk.

Although the series is suggested for ages 7 and up, I find that much older kids will read Captain Underpants, too - and not just reluctant readers.  I know high-level readers that enjoy Dav Pilkey's Three Stooges brand of humor and art as well.  I'm not much for bathroom or pratfall humor, but Chapter 2, "Let's Get Serious, Folks," had me laughing out loud.   Explaining why we miserable, regretful and grumpy grownups discourage all kinds of fun, the narrator offers readers this bit of advice,

     Keeping this in mind, you might not want to smile or laugh while reading this book.  And when you get to the Flip-O-Rama parts, I suggest you flip with a bored, disinterested look on your face or some adult will probably take this book away from you and make you read Sarah, Plain and Tall instead.
     Don't say I didn't warn you.

When I checked today, Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers was ranked #213 on Amazon.com.  Not #213 in children's books, #213 in all books. Not too shabby.  And the reviews?  All 5 stars.



If you think kids are the only ones who follow the adventures of Captain Underpants, guess again. Captain Underpants was even featured on NPR's Morning Edition.  Read or listen to "Hold On To Your Tighty Whities, Captain Underpants is Back!" here.

DreamWorks Animation has the film rights to the Captain Underpants series, but no timeline for production has been announced yet.

Oh yes, and he's got an app, too. Preview the Adventures of Captain Underpants app here.

Update: Forgot to add that Advance Reader Copies were provided at my request by Scholastic and NetGalley.

A Wrinkle in Time - audiobook

L'Engle, Madeleine. 1993. A Wrinkle in Time. Read by Madeleine L'Engle. New York: Listening Library.

5 hours, 17 minutes.

It's been many, many years since I've read A Wrinkle in Time, and actually, I'm not sure that I liked it as a kid.  I was never much of a sci-fi fan.  In any case, after reading last year's, When You Reach Me, I was inspired to read it again, but forgot about it until recently, when I downloaded the audiobook version.

I remembered some of the story, but had forgotten much.  I didn't remember the religious overtones in the latter half of the book (or perhaps I never realized that Mrs. Who was quoting 1 Corinthians);  I certainly can't understand why this book has been challenged by various groups over the years.  I remember A Wrinkle in Time as a sci-fi, fantasy, time-traveling book, which, it is.  Although it was written in 1962, Madeleine L'Engle did not record the audiobook until the 1990s, when she was well into her seventies.  At first, I wasn't sure that I would like her narration - the voice perhaps too old, too flawed - but that initial perception quickly faded.  There is something special about hearing an author read her own book.  There is less room for personal interpretation, but the listener can be sure that she is understanding every nuance that the author wishes to convey.  Minor details cannot be misconstrued as important ones.  Ambiguity only exists if the author wishes it so.  It was great to revisit this old classic.  Expect to hear more about A Wrinkle in Time in the coming months.

Some Wrinkle facts and news:

• A Wrinkle in Time will turn 50 next year! Look for celebrations to come.
• This is the link for Madeleine L'Engle's official website, which is apparently undergoing reconstruction.
• A Wrinkle in Time was the 1963 Newbery Award winner.
• The American Library Association lists Wrinkle on its Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books 200-2009
• A Wrinkle in Time has its own Facebook page.
• A Glencoe study guide for A Wrinkle in Time.
• The 2010 Newbery Award winner, When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead, pays homage to L'Engle's book with many references.
• On April 19, 2010, Hope Larson announced on Twitter that she would be writing and illustrating a graphic novel edition of A Wrinkle it Time. Look for the book sometime next year. I think this may translate well into GN format.  We'll see.

Speling Mistayks

Pilkey, Dav. 2010. The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future. Scholastic.

Okay, so I wanted to like this book.  I really did.  I think Dav Pilkey is hilarious and love the fact that he has introduced countless boys into the world of reading with The Adventures of Captain Underpants.  I love Dav Pilkey’s “Extra Crunchy Website O’ Fun.” I love “flip-o-rama,” the world’s cheesiest animation.

So, why don’t I like his latest offering, The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future? It’s the spelling!

In the Captain Underpants series, George and Harold (who are, BTW, the “authors” of the new series) were notoriously bad spellers.  Their graphic interludes usually contained misspellings.  The actual story in text however, was always written with proper spelling and grammar.  In contrast, The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, contains only the graphic cartooning of George and Harold, and so is consistently misspelled.  How bad is it?

When Ooks sister, Gak, heard the comoshen, she pleeded with Chief Gobernopper.

Aack! It just grates against my brain, and I imagine thousands of kids reading it without an inkling that there might be an error.  Is it just me?

The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future - cartoons, flip-o-rama, cavemen, dinosaurs, robots, kung-fu, evil leaders.

Will kids (especially boys) love The Adventures of Ook and Gluk?  Probably.  Do I? Sadly, no.

(Still, I do love “flip-o-rama.”)


Now I’d better try to revive my spell-checker!

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A Whole Nother Story

Soup, Cuthbert Dr. 2009. A Whole Nother Story. New York: Bloomsbury.

How can one resist a book that sports a sock puppet named Steve on its cover?  A Whole Nother Story is a madcap chase involving the brilliant scientist, Mr. Cheeseman, his "three attractive, polite, relatively odor-free children," Pinky, their physic hairless dog, government agents (known only by their initials - Atich Dee and El Kyoo), international spies (including a chimpanzee with a fondness for pet fish), corporate villains, and of course, Steve.

The story is narrated by Dr. Cuthbert of the National Center for Unsolicited Advice, who, at various times, interrupts his narrative with unsolicited advice, such as his "generous advice on gift giving,"

All gifts are not created equal.  Historically speaking, there are good gifts and there are bad gifts.
Good gifts: A bottle of champagne, a box of fine Belgian chocolates, the Statue of Liberty.
Bad gifts: A bottle of shampoo, a box of fine Belgian matches, the Trojan Horse.
...
So, be it a new hat, a box of matches, or a giant wooden horse full of bloodthirsty Trojans, the thing you should remember above all else when giving someone a gift is to make certain that you are not giving him something that might provide nosy government agents with information as to your whereabouts.

Oops!

Ethan Cheeseman, his sons Jough Smythe and Gerard LaFontaine, his daughter, Magenta-Jean Jurgenson, their dog Pinky, and Steve, the "snarky" sock puppet, are the owners of a nearly-operational time machine - the LVR.  Can they keep it away from their pursuers, decipher the missing launch code, and travel back in time to save the children's mother?  Perhaps they can, with a little help from a traveling circus and a cowboy poet.

A Whole Nother Story is a slapstick, sci-fi adventure for readers who appreciate truly silly humor.
(264 pages)

Time traveling ...

In the last two weeks, I've read (or listened to) three time-traveling books, and they could not be more different from one another - a Newbery medal contender, a gripping historical fiction adventure series, and a funny bit of futurama for chapter book readers.

First, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (2009), published by Wendy Lamb Books. This book is hands-down, the best book that I have read this year! It deserves a more thorough review, but for now, take my word for it - read this book! (and don't read any reviews with spoilers - the book's unpredictability is one of its most dynamic features) I hope this one's on the Newbery Medal short list.

Next, Day of the Assassins by Johnny O'Brien - just released and reviewed here.

and finally, Herbert's Wormhole by Peter Nelson, illustrated by Rohitash Rao, and narrated by Jonathan Davis.

This is a silly bit of slapstick, alien slaying, time traveling adventure (complete with zero-gravity T-ball!) that, based on the audiobook, I thought would be a good choice for young chapter book readers. However, when searching for cover art to add to this post, I realized that Herbert's Wormhole is actually a "novel in cartoons," a la Diary of a Wimpy Kid. A better choice for reading than listening, I'm sure! Unfortunately, my library doesn't own a print copy yet, but the Amazon preview looks cute.

Bottom line? All three books are suitable for varying audiences and ages, and When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is dynamite! Read it today.

And now, my time traveling adventures are done for while.

Day of the Assassins

O’Brien, Johnny. 2009. Day of the Assassins. Somerville, MA: Templar.
Advance Reading Copy made available by LibraryThing

A dynamic mix of historical fiction, sci-fi, and adventure, Day of the Assassins is the first in a planned series of Jack Christie Novels, time-traveling adventures featuring teenager, Jack Christie, and his best friend, Angus.

Preparing for transfer . . .
14 . . . 13 . . . 12 . . .
Transfer initiating . . .

Suddenly the glass blast screen started to lower. Belstaff, no longer pinned to the ceiling, tumbled to the floor. He didn’t move. Jack stared numbly at the body of his teacher and felt bile rise in his throat again as a terrifying thought suddenly occurred to him – Belstaff might be dead.
Jack saw Johnstone look down at his injured colleague and then up at him inside the Taurus. When he saw his eyes, he knew that boarding the Taurus had been the right decision. All of those men had one thing on their mind as they rushed forward toward him.

3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .

With a story line that crosses time and space, Day of the Assassins thrusts Jack into a crucible of European history, Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary, on the eve of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s visit. If Jack can thwart the assassination of the Archduke, can he save the lives of millions destined to die in World War I? Or will meddling in history create greater problems unforeseen? Tangled in the midst of a deadly philosophical imperative, Jack and Angus must decide.

Johnny O’Brien adds a unique spin to historical fiction, moving seamlessly between the present and past, and successfully marrying video game action sequences with thrilling episodes in history. The modern British setting and European historical venues add spice to this action-packed series debut, and the cover art is a perfect complement

An author’s note, photo, and historical background completed this ARC. A timeline and map are planned for the final bound version. The website notes that this book is suitable for age 8 and up. I think 10 and up would be a better recommendation.

Stone Rabbit: BC Mambo

Craddock, Erik. 2009.BC Mambo (Stone Rabbit series). New York: Random House.

BC Mambo is the first in a graphic novel series (Stone Rabbit) by Erik Craddock. When this book arrived in my new book bag, it screamed out, "READ ME!" The bright colors, large-eyed creatures, and big-toothed hero are definite attention-getters, but there's more to Stone Rabbit than a flashy little cover.

The series begins in Happy Glades and our long-eared hero is bored to tears, when suddenly -

a portal opens up in his bathroom,

"Well, that's odd. You'd think I'd know if there was a bottomless pit of doom in the middle of my bathroom -- Besides the toilet ..."

Along with a bottle of barbecue sauce, he falls into the pit of doom and lands in the Neanderthal world where he finds himself to be its only possible savior,

as the evil Willie plans to take over the world ....

with barbecue sauce???

Unobtrusively moralistic (can you really rule the world with HAMBURGERS?!) and very funny, this series has great potential. It is short on dialogue and long on action. Most pages have only one or two frames, and several are double-spreads of prehistoric action.

According to Random House, this series is targeted at five to ten-year-olds. I think that the humor and dialogue,

"Behold! Willie's Big Burger Hut! My legacy! Bask in its majesty!"

will be above a five-year-old's level of understanding, but little readers may be drawn in to the book's small size, vivid colors and expressive characters, nonetheless. Eight to ten-year-olds should feel right at home traveling through time with Stone Rabbit.

I think this series will be a winner. I'm going to put this book on the shelf and see if I'm right.