'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' and the Politics of the Perpetually Aggrieved

I have not yet seen Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I have no opinion about it yet. There are people who I respect who love the movie, and there are people who I respect who hate the movie. So far, I've managed to keep my backside firmly planted on that fence in the middle - purely because I haven't seen the film yet. Though I will say that I haven't been quite so religious in avoiding spoilers. Still, without context or seeing it on the big screen, it doesn't really matter that I kinda, sorta know what happens.

But this post isn't entirely about Star Wars or any fandom in particular. This post is an observation about society in general and how it seems like everybody - and I do mean everybody - is always spoiling for a fight over the most idiotic stuff. Not only looking to fight, but to make these fights personal. Like, if you don't agree with someone on a particular topic, you are somehow morally obligated to insult them, their mother, their dog, their car, their ancestors all the way back to Adam, and the single-celled organisms from which their lineage spawned.

Really, people? Really?

I'm sure you've seen the posts about "How to Handle Your Crazy Uncle Who Voted For [Insert Political Candidate Here] At Thanksgiving." I mean, we're letting politics dictate how we associate with family members. Politics. Something run by people that are complete strangers, but for their presence in the daily news, and that demand our unswerving loyalty because... voting or something. Hell, I don't know. But politics makes people lose their freaking minds and I'm sick of it (I include myself in that assessment. I'm really trying my best to stay out of it these days).

Here's a newsflash - whether you love the person in charge or hate his stinking guts (and it doesn't matter which "he" I'm referring to - there have been 45 of them. Pick one. The ones from my lifetime have been kind of crappy, truth be told), the president is not God. No politician is. No politician has  have the power to completely ruin your life or give you the most perfect existence in this mortal coil. I would appreciate it if people on both sides would stop acting like it.

I know, I know. I'm asking for waaaaaaay too much. I'd have a better chance of Santa Claus bringing me a sparkly purple unicorn that farts $20 bills and vomits ice cream.

Somehow, all of these online political fistfights have taken over pop culture as well. Somewhere along the line, it became virtuous for celebrities to voice their political opinions and make their fans feel like crap if they disagreed. Same with directors, writers, etc. Then there were the big-name fans who like to rub it in because it inflates their egos and they're getting paid to props these other egos up as well. And some fans took it to heart. Maybe they boycotted the movies. Maybe they went into the movie expecting it to be horrible and then they'd be justified in their hatred of it. Maybe they went on to create stories that similarly shoved overly-preachy message fic in our faces, just in the other direction.

Personally, I hate that pop culture has to be saturated with politics. I go to movies and read books to get away from that insanity. Call me a wimp - but maybe I just don't have the mental fortitude for 24/7 outrage (probably why I lost my COTR job - I just couldn't fake being angry at everything in the whole freaking world like my co-workers always seemed to be). I do like to take a break once in a while (or permanently). Turning my brain off to watch two-and-a-half hours of space battles and lightsaber fights is infinitely more preferable to watch two pompous blowhards yell at each other on TV and pretend they're debating anything of value.

This is what I say to that (and anyone else telling me to pick one side or the other) -



I have come to hate the phrase "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention." Like paying attention to every little stupid thing that happens is what I should aspire to. Guess what? I don't want to pay attention. I want to ignore the news. Being "informed" has become a hindrance, rather than something useful. For all of Facebook's insistence on constantly changing their interface because they have nothing better to do, I wish they'd give us the option to turn off that idiotic "Trending News" box. I don't give a crap what news is "trendy." I never cared about trendy stuff when I was a kid, what makes you think I want to know about the trendy news now that I'm an adult?

Sigh... anyway... where was I with this? Oh yes - Star Wars.

Look, I know it's become cool to pick apart things that people like. Even "fans" of Star Wars pick it apart. First, it was that the prequel were bad - the original trilogy was the only thing worth watching. Well... except Return of the Jedi had those goofy Ewoks. And in A New Hope, Luke's super-whiny. But Empire - now THAT is Star Wars. That movie is PERFECT.

Wait... doesn't Leia kiss Luke in that one? They're siblings! HOW COULD THAT BE???

See? Picky, picky, picky. "Fans" seem to be more about picking things apart and hating on everything, rather than enjoying what you love.

It's fine to acknowledge flaws and missteps. It's even good to recognize that there's room to improve. But when you do that at that expense of also recognizing the good things they did, then you're just beating the dead horse alive (yes, that's what I meant). It's why I like this Nostalgia Critic video -



And the YouTube channel CinemaWins is a great one for this as well. Finding the mistakes in anything is easy. Finding things to praise and be complimentary about has become a lost art.

Which brings me around to that pesky political topic. Leave aside any political parties or even politicians (they're all scum anyway) - think about your friends and family. Are you going to throw away valuable relationships over a political disagreement? Unless your relationship is purely based on political views (and that is a pathetic thing to base any sort of personal relationship on at all), it's not worth alienating people you care about just because they voted for X and you voted for Y and someone else voted for Z.

For the record - I don't consider that I won or lost in the last election. I knew it was a losing prospect for me to try either way, so I took a third option. Both the main choices sucked and I was doing the best I could with what I was given. In my former day job, I wrote to represent my employers, since speaking my honest opinion wasn't something they seemed to be interested in (to put it mildly). Dishonest? Probably. I didn't enjoy it. The pay was good. There is good money to be made in feeding people's outrage. But clearly, my tactics didn't work. Judge me as you will - everyone else already has. I learned my lesson. I'm staying out of it. I'm just praying it sticks.

I'm not saying you have to give up your viewpoints if you don't want to. Just because I'm washing my hands of the whole mess doesn't mean you have to. But realize there are other things in life than politics. Same goes for pop culture. Not everything has to be dripping with political campaign messages. Luke Skywalker is not a stand-in for [Insert Favored Politician Here]. He wouldn't even know what Earth politics are like - he's never been to Earth! He's got bigger problems to worry about than who is running Washington DC, anyway (it's rough being the last Jedi in existence, I'm sure).

This plea is probably falling on deaf ears. Being angry and yelling on Twitter at people that you don't even know can be a lot of fun in the moment. It's even cathartic to vent on social media. You've probably heard some variation of the phrase "Anger is the devil's cocaine." It's addictive and it's easy to be mad all the time, even though it doesn't feel all that great. Being happy and positive feels better, but it's more work. A prominent leader in my church once gave a talk called "The Canker of Contention." I would highly recommend reading his talk, whether you're religious or not.

What I'm getting at is that I'm sick of all the fighting. Whether it's over politics or Star Wars or anything else. There's enough trouble in the world without going to look for it where there is functionally none. And honestly, whoever you're mad at probably didn't even mean to be insulting. What happened to giving people the benefit of the doubt? I worry that I give that benefit out too much, and when it comes time for me to be granted the same, I'll have to deal with somebody who refuses to cut me any sort of slack. Doesn't mean I won't stop.

There is contention in this world, true. But we don't have to participate in it. Instead of looking to famous people to be our role models, why not be the role model you'd want to see? That's so much easier to control.

And now it's late and I have things to do in the morning (and a baby that will probably be awake in a few hours). Sure wish my brain would stop having ideas so late at night...

The Great Review Roundup

As is probably very apparent, my blogging time has been next-to-nonexistent lately. Taking care of a new baby, going back to work, and having my husband finishing up his second-to-last semester of grad school has taken up most of my time, energy, and attention. All good things, of course. But I do miss writing (and this time, it's purely for myself. I don't have to pretend what my opinion is in order to make someone else look good. I can be completely honest in my thoughts again. I'd almost forgotten what that felt like).

What follows is a list of fandom-related things that I've read/seen/listened to/watched and want to comment on. They are in no particular order, just whatever order I remember them.

Once Upon a Time - Remember how I used to faithfully review each episode every week? Yeah... I've certainly fallen off the wagon there. And I can't fully blame my time constraints for this. There's just nothing about the show lately that makes me want to write about it. It's not fantastic, it's not a trainwreck. It's just kind of... meh. It's a retread of everything they did before - and better. This season has been one giant "We've gotta pull something together because, the network." There are some entertaining moments, but on the whole, it's nothing to write home about.

Sigh... so much potential wasted.

Honestly, this season has been an extended cut of Mean Girls with magic. Victoria Belfrey, Ivy, Mother Gothel - even Tiana and Jacinda to an extent. None of these characters resonate with me. Very few of them are even likable. Lucy's storyline was great, but they keep forgetting that she's around. Now they've knocked her out, as well as destroyed her belief in fairy tales and happy endings.

What the actual hell??

Oh, and Cinderella's evil stepmother is actually Rapunzel. Sigh... remember how I was pissed to the nth degree over "Peter Pan is Rumplestiltskin's father"? With this, I can barely muster up enough emotion to raise an eyebrow. I blame ABC for keeping this show running when the creators were happy to bow out gracefully last year.

Dune (1984) - Jared and I watched this last night. I've read the book, but not recently. And I must have seen the miniseries many years ago, because I did not remember anything from this movie. The movie looks beautiful. The sets, the costuming, the design, the art - even some of the effects look good. The first half of the movie is even plotted pretty well. But then the House of Scabby Gingers attacks and the storytelling kind of falls apart. I can't fault them too much for it, though. Adapting any book for a two-hour movie is a chore, and Dune is a complicated story even in book form. It strikes me as one that would be better served as a TV series. Watching this movie is like watching Harry Potter - you aren't there for the faithful adaptation or even the coherent storytelling. You're there for the pretty sets and costumes - the things you imagined when you were reading the book.

Still - there are worse ways to spend an evening.


Doctor Who - I have the most unpopularest opinions of unpopular opinions about the upcoming season: I'm not that excited for it. And it has nothing to do with the gender of the lead character (before any obnoxiously "woke" blowhard dipshit decides that's what my opinion is and rushes to close the clubhouse door on me. Like I need the internet to approve my fandom before I can watch this show. What are you going to do? Sneak into my house and steal my DVDs? Delete my Big Finish collection? Please).

The Christmas special? I'm here for it!

Chris Chibnall has not engendered much confidence as far as his Doctor Who writing has gone. The only episode of his that I really liked was "The Power of Three." The rest were forgettable. Not bad, necessarily. Just... forgettable. Yes, I liked the first season of Broadchurch, but I'm probably never going to rewatch it. And I couldn't get into the second season, or even Gracepoint, so that was a bust for me.

Now, that's not to say I'm not going to give him and Jodie Whittaker a chance. I wasn't all that impressed with Moffat's final season - though he did have a strong finish. Peter Capaldi has been a fantastic Doctor, but much of the writing in his era has not served him well. A change-up is what Doctor Who needs right now. I just hope that the changes that Chibnall brings are what's needed to keep the show fresh.

And I'll explain what I mean by "keeping the show fresh." Just last week, I had occasion to pick up DWM 518 (the December 2017 issue, if I'm remembering correctly) from the library. I kind of just skipped around the magazine, looking for interesting things to read (or passing on the things that didn't hold my attention). I wasn't going to read the comic, having been unimpressed with previous DWM comics. But this time, I read through it. The comic, titled "Matildus," was absolutely brilliant. And I am going to thoroughly spoil it for you, so deal with it -

The Twelfth Doctor and Bill land on a planet with a giant and ancient library (not that Library, completely different one). The library is kept by an old alien woman named Matildus. She's stern and kind of prickly, but she helps the Doctor with some questions he has. Though her prickly nature does cause Bill to leave the library and go out into the city. Bill is subsequently caught by a gang of street kids who tell her that Matildus used to be a kind (still stern) woman who let them hang out in the library (as long as they read the books she recommended - that made me laugh). But now she's chased them off and become a totally different person. The kids think there's something nefarious going on because nobody's gone in or out of the library in months - Bill's the first person they've seen come or go.

Meanwhile, Matildus's "granddaughter" who's been helping her maintain the library isn't her granddaughter at all. It's an evil alien entity that's trying to take control of the library with all its information and knowledge. The entity has been trying to convince Matildus that she's too old and senile to be the head librarian, so she should sign control of the library to her granddaughter - except she doesn't have a granddaughter. The Doctor and Bill reveal the entity's evil plan and the entity flees. But Matildus realizes that she's been too absorbed by her work that she doesn't have anyone close to her. No family, friends, or even colleagues. She's pushed everyone away (even before the alien entity was messing with her mind). But then the kids come rushing in and insist that she has them. It's happy endings all around - these street kids have someone who cares about them, and Matildus has an adopted family to share her life with.

I loved this story - not just because it takes place in a library and that hits all my warm-fuzzies in the right places, but that it's something that everyone can relate to. Wanting a family, wanting to share your life with somebody, not wanting to be alone forever. And it's the Scrooge trope - a mean-spirited and closed-off person learns to love and let people into their life. Maybe it's the Christmas season (though this wasn't a Christmas-themed story), but that made me feel good.

That's what I've been missing from Doctor Who - stories that make me feel good. I don't need overly-sweet and soppy storytelling, but something wholesome and heartwarming would be nice for once. Lately, Who has felt entirely too preachy and heavy-handed and I'm sick of that. Whatever you may think of the world at large (and there are a lot of crappy things going on in the world, I will not dispute that) - I think we need something positive and uplifting. Besides, if you really believe that world events are too much to overcome and nothing good is ever going to happen (I wouldn't go that far, but some people would), wouldn't you want to try to bring something good to people? Something that we can all agree with? I'm tired of all this divisiveness and arguing. I want something that most of us can agree on. Doctor Who is capable of such storytelling - it's why I fell in love with the show in the first place. More "Vincent and the Doctor" and "Closing Time", less "Oxygen" and... whatever the hell that monk three-parter was. Please and thank you.

I'll give the show a chance - I hope I will be proven wrong and that my concerns are unfounded. I would love to come out of Series 11 and say that it was the greatest thing since two-slotted toasters. But I'm not terribly confident right now.

Oh, and the 13th Doctor's costume looks like she's a five-year-old doesn't know how to dress herself. Speaking of unpopular opinions... (good grief, people - you made this big stink about casting a woman to play the Doctor and the first thing you do is dress her so she doesn't even look like a woman?? WTH is wrong with you???)

The coat is neat, though.

Okay, that's enough of that. On with my list!

Gate - Jared and I found this anime on Hulu and we enjoyed it immensely (seriously - if you want to find new anime to watch, Hulu is a good place to find it. And, yes, I know about Crunchyroll. They have great stuff too).

The premise goes thusly: A medieval fantasy empire tries to invade modern-day Japan during a comic convention. Horses, swords, magic, the whole shebang. A guy named Itami on his way to the convention, but he also happens to be a reservist in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. He helps get people out of harm's way and helps stop the invasion before it starts. It turns out there's a magical gate that's opened between these worlds and both the fantasy empire and modern governments want to establish diplomatic relations. The JSDF does send a team through the gate to establish an outpost in the "Special Region" - and because Itami was there during the initial attack, he get promoted to officer and he's one of the guys in charge (poor guy just wants to stay home and read comics). In the Special Region, Itami meets elves, wizards, princesses, even a demigoddess. Both cultures learn about each other and try to get along - though there are good guys and bad guys in both worlds.

The first half of this show was hilarious and charming. The second half is where most of the gritty conflict takes place, and it is no less entertaining. Definitely worth checking out.

The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter - This is the fourth book in the Riyria Chronicles by Michael J. Sullivan (I reviewed/gushed about his first series, the Riyria Revelations, here. The Riyria Chronicles is a prequel series dealing with Royce and Hadrian's earlier exploits). I'm currently listening to the audiobook and it is a treat - though I would expect no less from this series. There was a Kickstarter for it that just ended and I have to give the whole team big-time props for the way it was run. I haven't backed a whole lot of Kickstarters, so I don't know how this one compares with others. But every time there was a behind-the-scenes update, they made sure the backers knew what was going on. Even to the point of sending us relevant pieces of correspondence from Audible when it looked like the redeem codes for the audiobooks weren't going to work quite right (though I was able to get my audiobook from Audible without any problems, so I appreciate that even more).

I haven't gotten my limited edition hardcover copy of the book, but I don't think they've shipped yet. I'm sure once they do ship, I'll get it the way I expect to. This is a quality operation and, when you're running a business like this, a little praise is appreciated greatly. And they deserve it.

Oh, and the book is fantastic! Don't worry if you haven't read the first three yet, or even the first series - all of these are standalone enough that you can jump in wherever you like. But once you read one, you'll want to read them all. If you don't have time to read, the audiobooks are great too. The narrator does a lovely job.

Cozy Mysteries - Now that I'm back working at the library, I've been trying to expand my horizons (as it were) with different genres. Trying out things that I wouldn't normally read. And I think I've found something new that I love - cozy mysteries. I didn't think I would enjoy these, but here we are.

Cozy mysteries are light-hearted mysteries that usually deal with solving a murder, but I've run into a few that deal with theft and fraud. That juxtaposition shouldn't work, but it does. The stories usually revolve around a regular person - usually a woman - who gets thrust into an impossible situation and has to find out what's going on with her neighbor or co-worker or family member. A lot of cozies revolved around things like quilt shops, libraries, food, small boutiques. To start off with, I read Lemon Tart by Josi S. Kilpack - the first of the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mysteries (all of the books in this series have desserts in the titles, plus there are a bunch of recipes in the story). That one was a lot of fun, though her neighborhood is beyond dysfunctional. I also read And Only to Deceive, the first in the Lady Emily Mysteries series by Tasha Alexander. This one's a historical mystery where Lady Emily suspects her late husband was dealing in art fraud and she tries to find out the truth. All the while, her mother badgers her about getting remarried because how could a young, rich widow not get remarried (though I have been spoiled on the fact that she does remarry eventually).

Cozy mysteries - give 'em a try.

Music - As I've mentioned on Facebook, Alex loves to listen to Queen. He falls asleep listening to all the Queen music I have on repeat on an iPod playlist I created after we figured this out. Consequently, my knowledge of the band and their music has increased considerably since Alex was born. I think my favorite song of theirs that I've discovered (few things can beat out "Bohemian Rhapsody" or "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions" overall. Or "The Show Must Go On," for that matter) is "The Invisible Man." I'd never heard this song until I pulled up a YouTube playlist of Queen music and I thought the accompanying video was just a lot of fun -



Other notable tunes: Under Pressure, Radio Gaga, Innuendo, Somebody to Love, White Queen

I've tried slowly introducing Alex to other musical artists and while there are some that he seems to responds positively to ("Thunder Island" by Jay Ferguson caught his attention this morning), he always goes back to Queen.

Eh, there are worse things to have to listen to on infinite repeat. Especially where kids are concerned.

That's what I've got for now. I might think of other things later, but that's a good overview.

Jared's Book Reviews: Castles Old Stone Poems - Module 14 Poetry

Title: Castles Old Stone Poems Module 14 Poetry

Genre: Castles Old Stone Poems (Lewis, J. P. and Dotlich, R. K., 2006) i

Book Summary: Castles Old Stone Poems is a collection of poems about famous towers and castles, including The Castle in the Air from Viking legends, the Tower of London, and other famous castles and palaces.

Impressions: The poems are all nicely done, but some stand out a lot more than their fellows. The London Tower with its talks of executions, Bunratty Castle’s poem is more vivid in terms of the fights and blood spilt there, Himeji Castle’s walls built of Japanese ghost stories, images like that really set the best poems apart from the others.

Professional Review: From Booklist (2006)
Castles have a perennial allure for young people, and this illustrated poetry collection celebrates some of the most legendary, from England's Bodiam Castle and the Tower of London to Japan's Himeji Castle and California's Hearst Castle. Each spread focuses on a different location, and the words often reflect a contemporary viewer imagining long-ago life: "What splendor did the maid see / from that window long ago?" Lewis and Dotlich are frank about the bloodshed and terror that are part of the history, when "beheadings were as easy as breathing." Children may need help with some of the allusions ("Windows pierce the sky like hushed haiku," for example) and the historical context. Burr's paintings add immediacy and sense to the words in dramatic scenes of medieval courts and castles, and the extensive appended material includes a bibliography, time line, and background about each site. Suggest this for classroom exercises that show how poetry can help bring history into the present. Gillian Engberg

Library Uses: Some of the poems could be used in storytimes about knights and castles, or in programs to help kids or teens write their own poems. Given the more martial elements of the poems it could be a good way to make poems cool for boys too.

Readalikes: David Macauly’s Castle would be a great book to pair with this collection of poems, with its detailed and beautiful drawings adding context and life to the poems about castles. On a more poetic note, any of Shel Silverstein’s books of poems would be good books to recommend as well. It wouldn’t work for all readers, and some would need help from parents, but readers who enjoyed these poems could potentially highly enjoy Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s the Lady of Shalott.

References
Engberg, G. (2006). Castles: Old stone poems. The Booklist, 103(3), 51. Retrieved from https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=https://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2165/docview/235532088?accountid=7113
Lewis, J. P. and Dotlich, R. K. (2006). Castles Old Stone Poems. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong.

Jared's Book Reviews: "Pink and Say" by Patricia Polacco - Module 10 Historical Fiction

Genre: Pink and Say (Polacco, 1994) is a powerful historical book

Book Summary: Pink and Say is the story of a very young Union flag bearer, Say, injured and left for dead after battle, who is found and rescued by a Black teen, Pink, who had also been separated from his unit. They recuperate at Pink’s mothers hut, on the partially burned out remains of the plantation where they were held as slaves. Eventually marauders kill Pink’s mother, and the pair is captured trying to get back to the Union army. Say survives the prison camp and lives a long full live, while Pink is executed almost immediately on arrival at the camp because he is Black. The last bit of the book talks about how the story is true, as Say is the authors ancestor.

Impressions: This is one of the most powerful tales of the Civil War I have read in many a year. As simple and uncomplicated as the language and story are it is very profound and moving. That the protagonists themselves were quite young only adds to the tragedy and heroism of their actions.

Professional Review: From Kirkus Reviews (2017)
A white youth from Ohio, Sheldon Russell Curtis (Say), and a black youth from Georgia, Pinkus Aylee (Pink), meet as young soldiers with the Union army. Pink finds Say wounded in the leg after a battle and brings him home with him. Pink's mother, Moe Moe Bay, cares for the boys while Say recuperates, feeding and comforting them and banishing the war for a time. Whereas Pink is eager to go back and fight against "the sickness" that is slavery, Say is afraid to return to his unit. But when he sees Moe Moe Bay die at the hands of marauders, he understands the need to return. Pink and Say are captured by Confederate soldiers and brought to the notorious Andersonville prison camp. Say is released months later, ill and undernourished, but Pink is never released, and Polacco reports that he was hanged that very first day because he was black. Polacco (Babushka Baba Yaga, 1993, etc; My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother, above) tells this story, which was passed down for generations in her family (Say was her great-great-grandfather), carefully and without melodrama so that it speaks for itself. The stunning illustrations -- reminiscent of the German expressionist Egon Shiele in their use of color and form -- are completely heartbreaking. A spectacular achievement. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 4- 8)

Library Uses: A older storytime about the civil war would be a good use of this book, or during Black History Month. Honestly, despite being a picture book this book would be just as useful for a teen program, read aloud with the art up on a projector or big screen tv. The simple and direct narrative would make it even more powerful for teens.

Readalikes: Any number of books on the civil war could be recommended here, along with some other fine picture books about events in roughly the same time period, such Papa’s Mechanical Fish about an attempt at making a submarine in 1851, or Paper Son, Lee’s Journey to America, which talks about a twelve year old orphan emigrating from China to San Francisco.

References
Polacco, P. (1994). Pink and Say. New York, NY: Penguin Young Readers Group.
Kirkus Reviews. (2017). Pink and Say. [Review of the book Pink and Say]. Kirkus Media Reviews, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/patricia-polacco/pink-and-say/

Jared's Book Reviews: "Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein" by Don Brown - Module 12 Biographies

Genre: Odd Boy Out (Brown, 2004) is a simple biography of Albert Einstein, lingering more on his school years than after, fitting for a book intended for children still in school. It also does not delve deeply into his scientific discoveries, which would be too complicated for the intended reading level, nor does it touch on the issues of WWII and how and why Einstein moved to America nor his involvement in the development of atomic weapons.

Book Summary: Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein is a picture book biography of Albert, starting with his unusual size at birth, his moody and angry disposition as a child, and a lot on his schooling, including how he ignored his work and areas that he didn’t care about, with a very brief discussion of his work in the patent office, marriage, children, and a bit about his discoveries.
Impressions: I am somewhat dissatisfied with this book’s focus on his schooling and having so little on his scientific career and adult life. I do think the schooling is important for a book targeted as school age children, but leaving off almost entirely his marriage, children, and the things he studied does the reader a disservice.

Professional Review: From Publishers Weekly (2017)
Brown (Mack Made Movies) shapes an impressionistic portrait of Einstein in his early years, opening with comments of family members gazing upon the newborn (his grandmother says he is "much too fat" and "his mother fears his head is too big"). Writing in the present tense, the author shares anecdotes that reveal young Einstein's character: his temper tantrums scare away his tutor; he brings "a single-minded attention" to such pastimes as building elaborate houses of cards; his parents so encourage his independence that they allow him to wander the streets of Munich alone at the age of four; and the boy early on displays an extraordinary skill at and fascination with mathematics (though other schoolwork bores him). True to the book's title, Brown emphasizes ways in which Einstein fails to fit in with his peers. He dislikes sports, is disturbed rather than excited at the sight of soldiers parading in the street and, as the only Jewish student in school, is taunted by his classmates. The writing occasionally becomes muddy when discussing Einstein's scientific thinking and discoveries ("He says that everything is in motion and when something moves very fast, as fast as light, strange things happen, like clocks running slower and objects becoming shorter"), targeting the book more to kids who identify with the hero's personality traits than to those interested in the man's ideas. But Brown's narrative and appealingly quirky pen-and-ink and watercolor art effectively illuminate the eccentricities and intelligence of Einstein the boy and the man. Ages 4-8.

Library Uses: This book could be useful for any number of STEM programs, inspiration for the kids who might think they aren’t good enough for science fields, or a storytime about famous people.

Readalikes: Gene Barretta has a series of picture book biographies of other famous scientists, such as Neo Leo on da Vinci, and Now and Ben about Benjamin Franklin. Karl, Get Out of the Garden, about Carl Linnaeus would be another interesting kid appropriate biography, about the father of the modern classification system for plants and animals.

References
Brown, D. (2004). Odd Boy Out Young Albert Einstein. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Publishers Weekly. (2017). Odd Boy Out. [Review of the book Odd Boy Out]. PWxyz, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-618-49298-5

Jared's Book Reviews: "Hold Me Closer, Necromancer" by Lish McBride - Module 8 Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Genre: Hold Me Closer Necromancer (McBride, 2010) is a fine example of urban fantasy, that is, a fantasy book set in modern day, in a city where the city setting is an important part of the book. It follows the more common pattern of having the fantastical elements hidden from the world at large, rather than having some explanation for how the world knows about magic and the resulting ways it is different from the real world.

Book Summary: Hold Me Closer, Necromancer’s protagonist is something of a loser, a fry cook college dropout. A chance encounter gets him on the hit list of a powerful necromancer, Douglas, one who seeks to subvert or kill any other necromancers in his domain, usually stealing their powers. After having the still talking head of his friend Brooke dropped on his doorstep delivering an ultimatum from the necromancer Sam learns that at birth his mother had his powers hidden to keep him safe from Douglas.

Kidnapped and caged in the necromancer’s basement, Sam’s only help in trying to escape is Bridin, a lycanthrope teen who is the daughter of the werewolf alpha, and a ghost like Harbinger who looks like a catholic schoolgirl.

Eventually a full battle breaks out, not surprising given Bridin has some rather angry werewolf brothers, and Sam ends up killing Douglas and inheriting his place and power.

Impressions: I really liked this one. While it isn’t entirely unknown for a fantasy series to have a protagonist (or love interest) with ‘bad powers’ (see most paranormal romance ever) this book does it with a little more subtlety, and not to give the protagonist the ‘bad boy’ vibe most paranormal romances are going for.

Professional Review: From Publishers Weekly (2017)
A title this good has a lot to live up to, and debut author McBride proves she's largely up to the task in this scary and irreverent romp. College dropout Sam is underwhelmed by his life as a fast food fry cook, when a game of potato hockey behind the restaurant goes awry and throws him into the sights of an evil and powerful necromancer named Douglas Montgomery. Sam turns out to be a necromancer too, making him Douglas's target for either slavery or death. With help from Brid, a teenage werewolf/fey hybrid who is Douglas's prisoner, and a ghost named Ashley, Sam must figure out how to escape Douglas, keep his loved ones alive, and use his power while avoiding its more horrific aspects. McBride pulls no punches and hits where readers will least expect it; the story can be gory and violent, but isn't gratuitously graphic. A solid start that concludes with the promise of Sam's power growing greater and darker, secrets getting deeper, and more fun to follow. Ages 14–up. (Oct.) 

Library Uses: There is a lot of modern fantasy that is quite popular, this book would go well with a teen program discussing them, maybe titled “modern fantasy… besides Harry Potter,” or something like that.

Readalikes: There are a lot of other fantasy novels that could appeal to readers of this one, though urban fantasy doesn’t seem to be quite as common/popular in YA as opposed to adult fiction. Still, Artemis Fowl could be a good go to series, as well as the Alcatraz Vs. series which, while written for a bit younger audience, is enjoyable by reader of any age. Dan Wells's John Cleaver series would be another good one, with a protagonist with even darker tones than the necromancy of Sam.

References
McBride, L. (2010). Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, LLC.
Publishers Weekly. (2017). Hold Me Closer Necromancer. [Review of the book Hold Me Closer, Necromancer]. PWxyz, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8050-9098-7

Jared's Book Reviews: "The Ruby in the Smoke" by Philip Pullman - Module 9 Mysteries

Genre: The Ruby in the Smoke (Pullman, 1985) is, strictly speaking, closer to a thriller than a mystery, because while there is a mystery that is central to the plot there is not quite enough details in the clues for the reader to solve the mystery along-side the protagonist, and indeed the reader knows many details of the antagonists and plot that the protagonist does not know.

Book Summary: Ruby in the Smoke centers around a young lady, Sally Lockhart, whose father has died while on a trip to the East to investigate irregularities in his shipping business. Presented with a mysterious note warning of “the Seven Blessings,” the mere mention of which gives one of the other men involved with her father’s business a fatal heart attack, Sally struggles to fend for herself now that she is without father or mother, while trying to solve the mystery that got her father killed.

Slowly Sally learns that there are intertwining mysteries at play, one, the opium smuggling that was the cause of her father’s death, and a stolen ruby from India that is somehow hers, hidden by a friend of her father’s and pursued by an old criminal who will stop at nothing to have it.

Impressions: I really didn’t like this book, but if I am being honest a large part of that is I went in expecting a mystery – one I could solve if I was good enough and paid attention – and instead was handed the answers by a book that is more properly a thriller.

That aside, however, the book has some anachronisms in its presentation of Victorian England that were jarring, and even as a thriller the plot had some serious issues in places, with some dropped threads, plot holes, and an ending that was far too sudden and abrupt.

Given the amount of drug use in the book (and in fact instruction on how one smokes opium) I would contest that the reading level for this book is a bit higher than the 12 Publishers Weekly suggests.

Professional Review: From Publishers Weekly (2017)
Pullman's Victorian melodrama boasts a sufficiency of mystery, murder and hairbreadth escapes involving a big cast of honest and ignoble types. ""On a cold, fretful afternoon in early October 1872,'' the story begins, young Sally Lockhart is in London where she tries to find out the meaning of ``the Seven Blessings.'' The phrase appears in a message from her recently deceased father, drowned in the South China Sea. When a colleague of her father hears the words, he dies instantly of a heart attack. That event marks the start of crises that go on with no let-up in the colorful Dickensian tale. Sally's legacy, supposedly a fantastic ruby, is nowhere to be found. A gang of cutthroats pursue the girl and her loyal allies, as the story sweeps on to a resounding close. (12-up)

Library Uses: Anachronisms aside, the book could be useful as a more adventure packed look into Victorian England, as well as the trade with the east, including the unsavory aspects of opium smuggling. It could also be used in a program about drug use, the uncommon nature of the drug of choice (opium) would be unusual enough that it might impact the teens in attendance more than talk about drugs they already know about.

Readalikes: Given the feel of the book, and the strong female lead, I would lean more towards suggesting Steampunk and action/thriller novels over other historical fiction books, mystery or otherwise. Jon Del Arroz’s recent For Steam and Country is a fun adventure also with a female lead dealing with her father’s death, and The Legacy of Dragons series is another action/Steampunk series with a female lead by Jack Campbell. If it looked like the patron would enjoy it I probably would suggest Penny Dreadful and the Clockwork Copper, in shameless self-promotion, as it has a similar feel to the world and two teen female protagonists. (Well, one teen and one two-year-old robot girl, but mentally she’s young adult, more or less.)

References
Publishers Weekly. (2017). The Ruby in the Smoke. [Review of the book The Ruby in the Smoke]. PWxyz, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-394-88826-2
Pullman, P. (1985). The Ruby in the Smoke. New York, NY: Random House Inc.

Jared's Book Reviews: "A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl" by Tanya Lee Stone - Module 15 Often Challenged Books

Genre: A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl (Stone, 2006) is a book that is often challenged or banned, because of its nature as a frank and very open depiction of teen sexuality, indeed, that is the entire book, there is no other plot to it. The book gets more flak than it deserves – it does not, as some comments I saw argued – reveling or advocating for teen promiscuity, but is trying to realistically talk about what actually happens, and talk about the risks involved.

Book Summary: A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl is a simplistic but honest look at three girls experiences dating (though the term is used loosely) the same boy in high school. The first girl is able to resist giving in, the second doesn’t want to resist, but ends up hurt when she falls for the boy, and the third is similarly hurt when she falls in love much more than the boy does with her.

Impressions: I am obviously not in the target audience for this book. Not even remotely. That said, I think it has some merit as an honest (attempt) at looking at the real issues and risks of teens dating life. I think the book still underplays some of these risks, and the verse style of the book is not particularly well used, lacking in much else in the way of poetic stylings or imagery besides the verse format, but then again, more vivid and detailed imagery would not be a good addition to this book about teens, given the subject matter. I was also quite bored throughout most of the book, as there is no plot beyond the boy in question and his pursuit of the three point of view characters.

Professional Review: From School Library Journal (2006)
STONE, Tanya Lee. A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl. 223p. Random/Wendy Lamb Bks. Jan. 2006. Tr $14.95. ISBN 0-385-74702-0; PLB $16.99. ISBN 0-385-90946-2.1. LC number unavailable.
Gr 9 Up-Three girls succumb to the charms of one sexy high school senior and emerge wiser for the experience in this energetic novel in verse. Josie is a self-assured freshman who values her girlfriends over boys until a hot jock focuses his attention on her and her simmering hormones break into a full boil. Confused by her behavior, yet unable to control her desire, she acts out every romantic cliché she has ever disdained, until the boy drops her and she experiences the chill of rejection. It is Judy Blume's Forever that sparks Josie's fire again, and finding a few blank pages at the back of the library's copy, she sends a warning to the girls of her school. Next readers meet Nicolette, a junior who sees her sexuality as power. A loner, she's caught by surprise at her own reaction when this popular boy takes notice of her. Suddenly she thinks she sees the difference between sex and love, and then, just as suddenly, he's gone. Finally, Aviva, a pretty, smart, artsy, and funny senior, is stunned when the jock seems to want her. She gives up her virginity, only to be disappointed in both the sex and the boy. Furious, Aviva heads to the library to check out Forever, now crammed with the words of girls who suffered the same fate at the hands of the same boy. The free verse gives the stories a breathless, natural flow and changes tone with each narrator. The language is realistic and frank, and, while not graphic, it is filled with descriptions of the teens and their sexuality. This is not a book that will sit quietly on any shelf; it will be passed from girl to girl to girl.-Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, FL

Library Uses: Aside from potential discussions for banned book week, this could be useful for an older teen program about growing up and/or sexuality. It could also be useful for a teen girl program about some of the risks in dating and boys. Those uses could potentially run into problems of the sort that try to ban the book in the first place.
The best use for this book, I think, would be a program for parents, a discussion about what things are really like for teens and how they can help them navigate the ‘rapids’ of life.

Readalikes: Given that the book itself references the book many times, Forever by Judy Blume is an obvious suggestion for teens who read this book. Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before has a similar theme, and I actually would recommend Twilight as something of a counterpoint to the book, with a bit more old-fashioned idea of dating… sort of.

References
Stone, T. L. (2006). A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl. New York, NY: Random House Inc.
Oliver, S. (2006). A bad boy can be good for a girl. School Library Journal, 52(1), 144. Retrieved from https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=https://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2165/docview/211819297?accountid=7113

Jared's Book Reviews: "The Adventures of Captain Underpants" by Dav Pilkey - Module 13 Series Books

Genre: The Adventures of Captain Underpants (Pilkey, 1997) is an illustrated series book, very episodic in nature, with characters and general plots that don’t change much from book to book. Two prank prone boys, a mean principal who is hypnotized to think he is a superhero, and truly outlandish (and silly) plots to take over/destroy the planet by the even sillier super villains. So very predictable and relaxing/comfortable for readers.

Book Summary: The Adventures of Captain Underpants is a rather silly story of a pair of 4th graders who illustrate/write comics when they aren’t pulling pranks. Their principle hates them, and after recording them pranking almost the whole school at the big football game he blackmails them into being good and doing chores for him.
Their brilliant plan to get out of this is to buy a hypno-ring and get the video away from him. Only, in the process, they make him think he is their superhero creation Captain Underpants. Before they can undo the hypnosis he runs off to foil actual crimes, and the pair follow to try to keep themselves from getting into more trouble.

Impressions: I honestly don’t get why this book is so often challenged/banned. Sure the humor is juvenile… but it is a juvenile book. The most offensive thing in it is a bit of potty humor. Maybe an argument could be made that the prank prone duo are bad role models, but that is rather weak given it is supposed to be comedy not serious.

Professional Review: From Publishers Weekly (2017)
Few things command disrespect like the sight of a man wearing whitie-tighties. However, the bald and barefoot Captain Underpants happens to be a superhero. As one character notes, ""Most superheroes look like they're flying around in their underwear....Well, this guy actually is flying around in his underwear!"" The Captain, defender of ""Truth, Justice, and all that is Pre-Shrunk and Cottony,"" is the comic-book invention of two troublemaking fourth-graders, George and Harold. He comes to life after the boys use a mail-order device to hypnotize their diabolical school principal, who sheds his outergarments and battles crime in only a cape and Y-fronts. As his creators try to snap him out of the trance, Captain Underpants threatens bank robbers with ""Wedgie Power"" and foils the villainous Dr. Diaper ("" `You know,' said George, `up until now this story was almost believable' ""). Pilkey (Dog Breath) uses a sitcom-like formula to set up the rivalry between the boys and the principal, and to strip the authority figure of dignity. After a tepid exposition, he falls back on the notion that undies and mild bathroom humor are funny in themselves-- and, given his intended audience, he's probably right. Line drawings of the slapstick action appear on every page, and ""Flip-O-Rama"" climactic sequences create an agreeably corny ""motion-picture"" effect. But the lowbrow jokes (the Captain uses an elastic waistband to apprehend an evildoer) chiefly constitute this tale's harmless, non-gross appeal. Ages 8-12.

Library Uses: The obvious use here would be as part of a discussion about why books get banned, and how we as librarians react to attempts at censorship. It could actually also be used as in a program about bullying, with focus being on the other kids reactions to the string of pranks the kids pull in the first part of the book.

Readalikes: Some similar books are almost too obvious – the Fantastic Fart Brothers Save the World! Comes to mind, along with other intentionally gross-out funny books. Trapped in a Video Game could be a good choice as well, the humor is different but it fits in that same area of books that specifically appeal to boys. For some kids who like Captain Underpants I might recommend Axe Cop, which is a graphic novel series written by a (then) five-year old and drawn by his older brother. Despite being written by a very young boy the level of violence in the graphic novels could be too much for the youngest readers of Captain Underpants.

References
Pilkey, D. (1997). The Adventures of Captain Underpants. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Publishers Weekly. (2017). The Adventures of Captain Underpants. [Review of the book The Adventures of Captain Underpants]. PWxyz, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-590-84627-1

Jared's Book Reviews: "Hip-Pocket Papa" by Sandra Markle - Module 11 Informational Books

Genre: Hip-Pocket Papa (Markle, 2010) is an informational book about the life-cycle of Hip-Pocket Frogs, who life in the rainforests of Australia and have the interesting adaptation that the tadpoles are carried around by the father in the titular hip-pockets. As an informational book it presents information foremost, though the narrative is not that of a single real frog, but a compilation of normal and potential occurrences for an average member of the species.

Book Summary: Hip-Pocket Papa follows a single male frog from just after he has mated and the eggs are hidden beneath the leaves on the forest floor until the frog deposits the newly transformed froglets onto the damp banks of a stream where they can find prey. Encounters with predators are also included, and some issues with it being a particularly dry season.

Impressions: While I would have liked to have seen a bit more detail on how the hip-pockets actually work, the narrative is delightful and informative, with a look as a really unusual creature and how it raises offspring.

Professional Review: From Kirkus Reviews (2017)
Building on the appealing notion of nurturing fathers, Markle and Marks present this tiny Australian frog in the context of its natural environment. Both male and female hip-pocket frogs guard their developing eggs, but after they’ve hatched, the male keeps his tadpoles safe in hip pockets until they have used up their yolks and developed lungs. The poetic text follows one male journeying to a new and wetter home, describing the creatures he eats and those that want to eat him along the way. Without explicitly using the phrase, she even offers an example of the food chain: A quoll catches the dusky antechinus hunting the frog. These and other Australian animals from the story are further described in an animal glossary at the end. The detailed, realistic watercolor-and-pencil illustrations, mostly double-page spreads, provide a frog’s-eye view of the shadowy forest floor, pulling out to show predators overhead and, once, for a panorama of the temperate rainforest. This intriguing, informative introduction is a worthy successor to the team’s Finding Home (2008). (author’s note, facts, further sources) (Informational picture book. 5-8)

Library Uses: Any unit on frogs could benefit from this book, or a STEM program about unusual animals. (Or Australian animals, which has a lot of overlap) Spring programing could also be the setting for using this book, the circle of life/life-cycles, baby animals, etc.

Readalikes: For readers interested in informational books about animals, a good place to start is the Zoobooks magazines, while readers more after books about frogs – fictional or not – would appreciate the Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel, or even the Commander Toad series by Jane Yolen. Weird Frogs by Chris G. Early could also be a good pick, given that hip-pocket frogs are rather unusual, as frogs go.

References
Kirkus Reviews. (2017). Hip-Pocket Papa. [Review of the book Hip-Pocket Papa]. Kirkus Media, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sandra-markle/hip-pocket-papa/
Markle, S. (2010). Hip-Pocket Papa. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing.