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Book Review: Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows

Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows by J.M. Bergen

Elandrian Press, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1732457805

ISBN-10: 1732457808

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

“Magic is real, Thomas”.  Those were the last words Thomas Wildus’ father said to him.  Thomas is a geeky, mischievous, bullied, preteen, whose father disappeared several years ago.  He loves to read books about magic, but doesn’t realize that real magic is in his DNA.

Then, mysterious strangers seek to develop his magical potential by giving him the Book of Sorrows.  The Book, written thousands of years ago, describes the existence of good and evil, light and dark forces.  Thomas is whisked far away from southern California to a stone fortress, where he is given a crash course in skills like summoning and teleportation.  He is the last defense against a dark sorcerer who seeks the power to control the world’s destiny.  Thomas and his friends face off against the sorcerer and his henchmen in a cave in the Amazonian jungle.

The author’s third-person narrative is direct and clear.  He skillfully captures a preteen’s corny sense of humor, shyness, sympathy for the underdog, loyalty to friends and insatiable appetite for food.  The book is appropriate for young readers and older readers who remember what it was like to be a preteen.  It is the first of a series of books about Thomas Wildus. Readers who enjoyed the Harry Potter series will enjoy Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows. Highly recommended

 

Contains: Not applicable

 

Reviewed by Robert D.  Yee

Posted on January 29, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: Favorite Scary Stories of American Children by Richard and Judy Dockrey Young

Favorite Scary Stories of American Children by Richard and Judy Dockrey Young

August House, 1999

ISBN: 0874835631

Availability: New and Used

Favorite Scary Stories of American Children is a collection of 23 short and scary stories told in the oral tradition, ranging from the truly creepy and frightening to pun-filled groaners. the authors, who are professional storytellers, chose the stories based on the enthusiastic demands of their young audiences. The age-appropriateness of each story is indicated using a code of pictorial symbols (for ages 5-6, 7-8, and 9-10), with the key to the code on the page opposite the title page. All the stories are intended to be readable by nine and ten year olds, but the authors note that stories aimed at younger children may not hold the interest of independent readers. Because of its attempt to cover a wide range of ages, cultures, and interest levels, the book is a mixed bag, including versions of classic scary stories like “The Red Velvet Ribbon” and folktales like “The Bloodsucker”, as well as some that feel like story flotsam, such as “Stop the Coffin.” This book would be a great resource for storytimes or for teaching storytelling to children, and has a variety of possible interdisciplinary connections for elementary classrooms.

An afterword for parents, librarians, and teachers addresses the value of scary stories for children as well as some of the concerns and issues that may come up in the telling and reading of scary stories. Origins of the stories and a pronunciation guide for regional terms are also included in the back of the book.

Favorite Scary Stories of American Children will appeal to children who have worn out Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories books, as well as to parents, teachers, and librarians looking for a way to give their kids the shivers. Recommended for elementary school libraries, public libraries, and families. Contains: violence

Posted on December 10, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: Cats vs. Robots: This Is War by Margaret Stohl and Lewis Peterson

Cats vs. Robots: This Is War by Margaret Stohl and Lewis Peterson, illustrated by Kay Peterson

HarperCollins, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-0062665706

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook, audio CD

 

Cats vs. Robots: This Is War is a rare treat at a time when things have gotten pretty serious and scary, and there is a lot of anger and misunderstanding out there. The technologically oriented Wengrod family gets caught in the middle of an intergalactic race between a robot empire and an empire of cats, to acquire the “Singularity Chip,” , which could lead to immortality. Twins Max and Min are nothing alike: Min loves school, order, and inventing robots, while Max hates school and loves videogames and the neighbors’ cat. Despite knowing his parents and sister hate cats, Max rescues two kittens and brings them home, only to discover that their inventor parents have taken off on a work trip to China, leaving them in the care of their cousin Javi, who is willing to give the kittens, a source of chaos, a tryout. Obi, the elderly neighborhood cat, is an agent of the cat empire, but it’s unclear if he’ll be able to survive long enough to thwart the robots and acquire the chip, so he sends the kittens on a mission, but being kittens they primarily create chaos, and they manage, unknowingly, to damage the robot Min has been building (it’s pretty awesome to see Min at work– there should be more science- and coding-loving girls in fiction). In the meantime, the robot empire has managed to subvert the electronic system that controls the house, which tries to convince the Wengrods’ early robot creations to stop the kittens and find and retrieve the Singularity Chip, invented by Max and Min’s parents and hidden from thieves. In the midst of all this, Max and Min have to make peace with each other, and both robots and cats have to accept that not all of them share all the same traits.

Javi, while not a main character, plays an important role in a couple of ways. First, they are the first nonbinary character I’ve seen in a middle grade book, and Stohl and Peterson take the time to explain it in a way kids should be able to understand (Stohl has a nonbinary child). Second, Javi, knowing what it is to not fit inside a single box, is both understanding and encouraging in trying to make peace between the robots and the cats. Stohl and Petersen do a nice job of making Javi a part of the story without making them the focus.

Stohl’s characterization of both cats and robots made me grin. She takes their most common traits and exaggerates them to the point that I had to laugh, but at the same time shows individuals who display differences. This is a funny book and a fast read with a serious theme and plenty of action and wackiness that is perfect for engaging readers of all kinds, in a time when it seems people can find nothing to bring them together.  Highly recommended.

Posted on October 29, 2018 by , Reply
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