Month: May 2017

Sometimes I get two stories to read in one volume, which is the case with this entry. I liked the premise of the stories and I loved that the illustrations were black and white pen drawings, in the manner of Wind in the Willows. One of my all-time favorite stories.

Heartwood Hotel: A True Home

Kallie George

Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin

This volume is two stories in one. “A True Home,” introduces Mona, a young orphaned mouse, who is washed out of her house by the Autumn rains. She gets washed away from and eventually winds up at the Heartwood Hotel, run by Mr. Heartwood, the badger, who takes pity on her and allows her to stay if she agrees to help clean up after the party that’s going on. An overnight stay becomes a seasonal stay because of her good work ethic. This, of course, makes her instant enemies with Tilly, the orphaned red squirrel, who is sure Mona is going to take Tilly’s job. The squirrel does everything she can to make trouble for Mona, in hopes she’ll be fired. Time and again, Tilly tells the mouse that she’s going to be fired any day now and Mona believes her. But Mona soothes guests’ ruffled feathers or fur and becomes a valued addition to the staff. She encourages Cybele, the sparrow, to sing. She makes sure the skunks, who arrive early, are kept calm, so as not to spray. She even tries to soothe Tilly’s nerves. So sure she’s going to be fired, Mona runs away. But she overhears wolves plotting to raid Heartwood Hotel and eat all the guests. By the end of the book, Mona proves her worth, makes friends with Tilly, and discovers that her parents were an integral part in making the Heartwood Hotel the hotel it has become. A true home, indeed. The illustrations in these books will remind the reader of Wind in the Willows. After reading this one, flip the book over and read the second story.

BIBLIO: 2017, Disney/Hyperion/Disney Book Group, Ages 7 to 10, $14.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Chapter Book

ISBN: 978-1-4847-3161-1

ISBN: 978-1-4847-4638-7

ISBN: 978-1-4847-4736-0

Heartwood Hotel: The Greatest Gift

Kallie George

Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin

“The Greatest Gift,” tells of Mona’s adjustment to working with other creatures, and making the guests happy. A blizzard smothers the hotel during St. Slumber, the winter celebration party, and soon, the hotel is short of supplies, plus someone is plundering the stored supplies. In the meantime, Mona discovers that the hotel staff give each other a gift. Pleased as she is with her gifts, she is heartbroken that she hasn’t a single gift to give in return. She takes all the ribbon and twine from the gifts and secretly makes a heart-shaped rug for the foyer. In the end, she discovers the rat who is stealing the supplies, but only because he’s feeding more orphaned forest creatures, including Tilly’s brother, and she discovers the shipment of more supplies, broken down in the forest. She takes her rug apart to use as a safety rope when she and the rat go to rescue the lost supply sled. She learns she has given the best gift of all, love and friendship. The illustrations in these books will remind the reader of “Wind in the Willows.”

BIBLIO: 2017, Disney/Hyperion/Disney Book Group, Ages 7 to 10, $14.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Chapter Book

ISBN: 978-1-4847-3234-2

ISBN: 978-1-4847-4639-4

ISBN: 978-1-4847-4737-7

Some books really pull you in and keep you up past your bed time.  At least that what happens to me. This is one of those books. The issues of bullying, physical differences and not following other people’s leads are just some of the issues discussed in this book. This is a must read, in my view, of anybody interested in children—including teens—and their experiences. The reader will  gain much insight into human nature and how we handle our lives.

We all have what we consider to be faults.  It’s just a matter of learning what’s important and what’s trivial.

 

Holding Up the Universe

Jennifer Niven

This is a well written story of two damaged teenagers.  Libby Strout ate so much after her mother died, she had to be lifted out of her house through the roof by a crane, which, of course, destroys the house. After several years of therapy and homeschooling, she tells her father she’s ready to go back to school at the start of her junior year. She girds herself for the torment she knows will come.  Of course, the “in crowd” boys start a game of who can ride the fat girl longest with Libby and Iris Engelbrecht, a girl even fatter than Libby, as the targets. Iris ends up as the first target, but when she tells Libby what happened, Libby chases the culprit, who is only saved by a truck going by. Jack Masselin, the perpetrator’s friend watches the whole performance, cheering for the girls the whole time. Jack has a secret he doesn’t share with anyone.  A glitch in his brain denies him the ability to recognize faces.  He can’t even pick out his parents or siblings in a crowd or at home without recognizing one of their “tells.”  At school, he plays it cool and waits for someone to come to him.  Then he uses that person to let him know who others are. But after he and Libby get into a fight and have to serve detention together, their relationship changes. Jack learns that it’s what on inside of another person that really counts. Soon, they begin to see past their surfaces and become friends. Jack and Libby begin to hang out together, sharing secrets. After he tells her his secret about not recognizing anyone else, she encourages Jack to seek help.  She even goes with him to give him moral support and he encourages her to take the test that will see if she carries her mother’s cancer gene. Because he hasn’t ever told anyone about his problem, his parents put in embarrassing situations, like having to pick up his youngest brother from a birthday party.  His brother doesn’t want to leave the party, so he doesn’t respond when Jack calls for him to leave. Jack pulls the wrong kid out of the party, which scares the boy, horrifies the birthday boy’s mother and leaves Jack in a heap of trouble. You’ll end up rooting for both Jack and Libby, but wishing they would solve the problems whose answers are right in front of their noses. There’s a lot going on in this book that will engage the reader and teachers will have a field day orchestrating discussions around the issues.

BIBLIO: 2016, Alfred A. Knopf/Random House Children’s Books/Penguin Random House, LLC, Ages 14 +, $17.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Young Adult

ISBN: 978-0-385-75592-4

ISBN: 978-0-385-75593-1

ISBN: 978-0-385-75594-8