The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel)

x-posted to YA-Bookaholic.

I feel like this is a book that is meant for children but can easily be enjoyed by YA/Adults as well, hence the cross-posting.

The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel)
written by Ellen Raskin



The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel) is an amazing book that can be equally enjoyed by adults and children alike. Adults reading the book see more layers to it than the kids, but the read is just as mysterious and enjoyable (although the idea of marriage at that young an age will be a squicky one). If you have read Ellen Raskin's Westing Game, and even if you haven't, this is a book you really need to get your hands on. I've read some of her other books, but absolutely nothing compares to these two classics. This one comes fully equipped with hysterical characters and plenty of footnotes. It's adorably quirky without trying too hard. Every thing, every hilarious incident, is narrated casually and in a way that just makes it all funnier. Everything is so tantalizingly cryptic, and at times, downright confusing, but it's a huge relief when everything really falls into place and you realize that every event that was narrated is somehow connected to the big picture scheme. Other than all that, it's a very readable book. The chapters are divided up into small sections and just style-wise, it's an easy but really worthwhile read. It really emphasizes the reason why we love Ellen Raskin so much--plot twists and surprises everywhere! The other really nice thing is that the mystery is not at all obvious. Nobody would ever suspect the outcome, but it's such a compelling one! It's got snark, puzzles, humor, definitely not just a kids' book. It is also really nice, at the end, to get closure from all of the characters, so I do appreciate it when authors like Raskin do things like that.

Rating: 5/5

A House Called Awful End

A House Called Awful End
written by Philip Ardagh



I was sorry to have wasted my time with this book. I thought it'd be a fun, whimsical book, something like a cross between Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket, both of whom I adore. Unfortunately, this one is just...too random, has no apparent plot, and is just ultimately dull. There are so many storylines, each one more absurd than the next, and everything's everywhere and disjointed and Ardagh just tried too hard to be funny and failed miserably. It was a pointless book, all 2D characters with nothing to keep them or their situations interesting. There was certainly potential for a plot, but nope, nothing. Just a frustratingly pointless, plotless read. Not a fan, not a fan at all.

Rating: 1/5

Dying To Meet You: 43 Old Cemetery Road

Dying to Meet You: 43 Old Cemetery Road
written by Kate Klise, illustrated by Sarah Klise



So the diehard Kate&Sarah Klise fan inside me has been sadly disappointed. These lovely ladies have written many a fantastic book, definitely my favorite ones out there, but this one just fell short. It seemed like a lot of it was aimed towards much younger kids than the other novels, and it just really seemed to lack a plot. It had all the elements of the other books, stylistically, but there were no secondary plots (and like I said, I had trouble locating a dominant plot, not just secondary), and no powerful plot twists, two things that made their other novels absolutely spectacular. Typically, their books involve lots of characters with brilliantly punny names, leading very separate lives and over the course of the book, the connections grow stronger and stronger, until you realize they are all involved in whatever the main dilemma may be. In this one, there's just one main dilemma, very minor secondary characters (by which I probably just mean his parents), and no clear hook. Everything was incredibly predictable. I'm not sure what the sequel will contain, and I'm also not sure if I really want to read it. I want more of the old Klise stuff, the spine-tingling, gut-busting mysteries that I immersed myself in, reread after reread. I just...I was disappointed. I expected much better from these two. Again, maybe it's been dumbed down so younger kids would understand what's going on, but it certainly doesn't make for an interesting story.

Rating: 3/5

Anything But Typical

Anything but Typical
written by Nora Raleigh Baskin



Now that I've read Anything but Typical and Googled Nora Raleigh Baskin, I have realized that I've read another book of hers, it seems like it was in another lifetime, really. This was back when I first got into YA, really got into reading frenzies, and picked up a promising book entitled What Every Girl (except me) Knows. This was when I was trying to figure out life and growing up and changing schools and your typical middle school crud. It's just really intriguing to me that she wrote that book, and then years later, I pick up another of her books without even realizing it. Anything but Typical is another story of a misfit, but this time, our main character is autistic. I almost feel like this book needs to come with a warning: you will absolutely love love love the main character and want to hug him as much as humanly possible, and then probably forget to realize that he's not actually real. I've never had any experience with autism, so this was not only a good read, but an enlightening one. It was really neat seeing just how brilliant this boy was, but how much trouble he had expressing himself. You'll relate, and very quickly forget that there's anything different about him, he'll just be an incredibly interesting kid you wish you knew. And that's the point. If more kids read about autistic children, they'd learn that they require a little more patience and understanding, but are just kids like them in the end. This book is a methodical lesson in writing, in autism, and in life. Absolutely wonderful!

Rating: 5/5

Stanley Yelnats' Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake

Stanley Yelnats' Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake
written by Louis Sachar



As much as I adore Louis Sachar, this book was pretty pathetic, and quite obviously a marketing ploy. While I was glad that there wasn't excessive recappage, mostly everything found in this book could have either been inferred from Holes, or was directly out of the book. There are some really neat extra tidbits that are worth reading, but it's not worth paying the $4.99 just for those, when I'm sure they could be found online. I just feel like this was written to ride the wave of Holes hysteria after the movie came out. No surprise, they were released the same year. It's like someone's saying, "hey, don't wanna read through the big thick book? Read this condensed version instead!", which is, quite frankly, frustrating. On the other hand, I would have loved to read Pendanski's book, much more so than Small Steps, which was what came after.

Rating: 1.5/5

Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective

Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective
written by Donald Sobol



Thanks to my awesome friend Talitha for making me revisit such an amazingly influential childhood book. I know this series inspired me to read many other mystery series, like Cam Jansen, Nancy Drew, and The Boxcar Children. It's probably why I still like suspenseful mystery novels today. I remember being frustrated over not knowing the solution--well, funnily enough, rereading the book, I still rarely ever knew what the solution to the case was until I read it! I love the do-it-yourself element to the mysteries, although all the page turning always got on my nerves. It gives kids this great feeling of, hey, look, Encyclopedia can be a detective and SO CAN I! This is definitely a favorite worth introducing to your kids, so both you and they can have fun trying to solve the mysteries! If you're not a kid, still worth the revisit, see how many of the old cases you can crack now.

Rating: 5/5

Gertrude the Albino Frog and her Friend Rupert the Turtle

Gertrude the Albino Frog and her Friend Rupert the Turtle
written by Marcia Silvermetz, illustrated by Ginger Doyel



While Gertrude was a really great read, I feel like the book should come with a warning label: Read Only To Children With Attention Spans. I made the mistake of reading it to a group of kids who were ages 3-6. The 3/4 year olds really couldn't care less and would not sit still long enough. Even some of the 5 year old kids got bored. The 6 year olds (and there were only two of those) were the only ones who really seemed interested. They did enjoy the story, though, as did I. Gertrude is a great story of acceptance and tolerance, and while that point may just fly over some kids' heads, it is one that will hopefully stick in some and make them realize that it's no good to be a "bully frog". Some of the rhyming got excessive (there is one section of rhyme that lasts a page, is very rambly, and lost everyone's attention, including my own) but overall, good book, if not too wordy. The illustrations are gorgeous as well!

Rating: 4/5

The Night the Scary Beasties Popped Out of My Head

The Night the Scary Beasties Popped out of My Head
written and illustrated by Daniel and David Kamish



I would absolutely love to start this blog off with some thoughts about my favorite children's book. Unfortunately, I didn't discover this book until about last year, so I never got to experience it as a child. However, at the children's museum, I've been pushing this book at random kids, making sure it's displayed in prominent places, offering to read it to them, etc. I think some of them really love it, but some of the older kids have been slightly indifferent. I still absolutely adore it. The story has the coolest illustrations ever. From what I've read, and I could be wrong, but I've heard that in this father-son duo, the child did the illustrations, but some of the more complicated backgrounds (e.g. one that looks like Van Gogh's Starry Night) were done by the father. They are astoundingly complex images, and grab the attention of both children and adults alike. The other thing is the subject matter itself, vanquishing nightmares. But it's done so atypically, telling the child that they can go out there and, well, basically imagine their nightmares away. You've got to love it, and I do personally know many children on whom this strategy would work, without a doubt. Just a fantastic read.

Rating: 5/5

Welcome!

What people sometimes fail to realize is that children's books can be just as amazing as any other books. So this is a blog dedicated to picture books, young readers, and easy chapter books. I do hope you enjoy reading my thoughts, and I look forward to hearing yours!