Scott Pilgrim: Volume One and Two

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World by Bryan Lee O'Malley. Published 2004 and 2005, Oni Press.

I have to admit, I saw the movie first, and ever since then I've wanted to read the comics. The movie sticks closely to the humor and the style and even the story line. The comics add more as each volume is only about one fight or so. Manga-influenced, video game influenced, punk influenced, all those things rolled together.

The story is that Scott Pilgrim meets Ramona Flowers and finds that if he wants to continue to date her he has to battle the League of her Evil Ex-Boyfriends. But Scott's no angel either and his ex-girlfriends keep making appearances as well. Scott doesn't have a job, he lives in a one room apartment where he shares a bed with his gay roommate, he's in a band with one of his ex-girlfriends and the band's biggest fan is the high schooler he used to date. Throw in magical elements like travelling through sub-highways in people's brains and doors appearing out of nowhere and the fact that you can battle to the death for a small collection of coins and you get the Scott Pilgrim novels. Fun!

Intended reading level: YA (HS, some sexual situations)
First and second volumes in series of six.

Questions for readers: Do you think it's fair that Scott has to battle Ramona's exes? What would you do if you were Knives Chau? What do you think the phrase, "all's fair in love and war" means? Do you think this is an apt expression for these comics?

Read-alikes: shonen manga titles

Starring Jules: As Herself

Starring Jules: As Herself by Beth Ain. ARC. Published March 2013. Scholastic.

This beginning chapter book is for the readers who love quirky, fun characters. Jules lives in New York City with her artist mom and chef dad and little brother, Big Henry. The book opens with her being discovered at a diner by a casting agent when she writes and sings her own jingle. She is told she has pizzazz, her new favorite word. And that's just what Jules has. She's full of pep and humor but she also has real kid worries, like losing her best friend and wanting to find a new one, or being scared she'll throw up at her audition. The family feels very real and the relationships between the kids is fun and full of real changes and evolutions that happen as children age.

Intended reading level: Grades 1-3
First in series.

Questions for Readers:
Why do you think Jules doesn't want to be friends with Charlotte anymore? Do you think they will fix their friendship in the future? How would you have reacted if you were Elinor visiting Jules' house? Would you want to audition for a commercial? How do you think you would feel in front of the casting agents?

Read-alikes: Clementine, Judy Moody

The Notebook of Doom: Rise of the Balloon Goons

The Notebook of Doom: Rise of the Balloon Goons written and illustrated by Troy Cummings. ARC.

Release date July 2013.

I will definitely get this book for my kids. Who doesn't love a story about strange monsters especially when those monsters are Dancing Balloons? That makes me chuckle alone. It helps that the rest of the book is pretty funny too. For instance, one of the monsters in the Notebook of Doom is a Forkupine, which is a "small, metal rodent with a coat of tiny, sharp forks," with a warning that says, "Never pet a forkupine! Instead lure it near a plate of spaghetti." A fun fact is included that reads, "The forkupine is a distant cousin to the sporkupine, a creature which is less dangerous but also --let's face it-- less practical. "

Alexander is new to town and discovers a Notebook of Doom documenting different monsters when he accidentally goes to the school campus that is getting torn down. He starts spotting Dancing Balloons all over town while simultaneously discovering that the air is being let out of anything inflatable. Since his birthday is on Leap Year, his dad has decided to throw a birthday party for him. The guests are not what he expected...

Intended reading level: Grades 1-3
First in new series with 4 proposed titles.

Questions to the readers:
What monster would you add to the Notebook of Doom if you could make one up? What would its habitat be? What would it look like? What warnings would you give about it?

Read-alikes: Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies, Zombiekins, Pencil of Doom

Looniverse: Stranger Things

Looniverse: Stranger Things by David Lubar and illustrated by Matt Loveridge. ARC. Release date May 2013.

This is a beginning chapter book about a boy named Ed who finds a strange coin that somehow creates strange occurrences around him. If he doesn't want the universe to lose all its strangeness he has to find the Stranger that the coin belongs too. There are silly antics like a little brother being used as a floating tube in a pool by drinking excess amounts of soda. The print is large and easy to read and the pictures are just kooky enough to compliment the text well.

I liked the premise even though I was a little confused as to how the coin depleted strangeness when things got stranger around it. Seems like things should have become boring and mundane around the coin until all strangeness was gone but perhaps that would have been too difficult of a concept.

My students who like The Weird School books might really enjoy this series.

Intended reading level: Grades 1-3
First in series of four proposed titles.

Questions to readers:
What do you think would happen if all the strangeness left the planet? Is being strange good or bad, why? Would you want to have Ed's coin? What would you do with it if you did have it?

Read-alikes:
Weird School series, Pencil of Doom

Princess Knight

Princess Knight: Part One by Osamu Tezuka. Originally published 1953. Translated to English 1977.

Vertical, Inc. 2011

For my graphic novels for youth class, I had to choose a Manga to read this week. I went with Tezuka's Princess Knight because I was intrigued by the dueling gender relationships and the playing with stereotypes especially for a book published over 50 years ago in Japan. I had also heard that Tezuka is the father of Manga from Scott McCloud's work.

The premise of this book is that a mischievous angel named Tink places a boy heart in an unborn baby before God gives the baby a girl heart and sends he/she on his/her way. As punishment, Tink must go to earth and take the boy heart back before he can ever return to heaven. Unfortunately the baby becomes the Prince/Princess of the kingdom and it takes Tink 15 years before he can even speak to her. The story follows the adventures of Prince Sapphire as he/she deals with trying to hide his identity of a girl to be considered the heir and prince to the kingdom.

The book mainly played on gender stereotypes and had a lot of slapstick humor reminiscent of Bugs Bunny and other cartoons from that era. With the heavy religious overtones, I was worried that with the dated writing of this text that the book would try to make the character choose one gender or the other. While I've only read part one, I'm happy that Tezuka allowed him/her to remain ambiguous and has him/her gain identity from both hearts. She is neither fully princess or fully prince.

With action, adventure, knights, witches, pirates, kingdoms and assassins, this book would appeal to both girl and boy readers who love comics. The humor is kid friendly and as it was intended for a young female audience (shojo) it is not too violent or sexual.

Here's a bonus YouTube video from the opening of the Princess Knight anime:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb_8PJ4Wqjo

Intended reading level: Grades 3-5

Questions for the readers:
Do you think Prince Sapphire should keep both hearts? How does each heart help her in her adventures? What do you think of the choice Tink made towards the end that changed his fate? Do you think Sapphire will choose Captain Blood or Franz Charming? What fairy tales does Tezuka use to tell his story?

Read-alikes: Astro Boy, Bone series

The Cricket in Times Square

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden. Published 1960. Newbery Honor Medal.

Reading this book was like experiencing deja vu. I knew I had read it when I was little but I couldn't remember anything more than what the cover suggests. As I read it this time, glimpses of memory would come back to me as if in a foggy dream, but nothing specific or jogging that made me go, "Yes, I remember this scene." I can understand how it has lasted this long. The book is easy to read, has good details, the friendship between the animals is genuine and there are enough bits of excitement spread throughout to carry you along. Sai Fong and friend are stereotyped, but not negatively, just dated.

Synopsis: A cricket ends up in a subway station in Times Square and is soon collected as a pet for the newstand owner's son, Mario. The cricket, Chester, befriends Tucker the Mouse and Harry the Cat in the train station. They discover that the cricket's beautiful musical ability can be translated to a human audience so that they can earn money for the poor Bellini family whose newstand isn't doing so well. At the heart of the book, its a tale of friendship and coming together.

Interest level: Grades 3-6 Reading level: Grade 5
Genre: Friendship, Fiction
First in series.

Comparable Titles: Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little

Book Connections: Orchestra and Opera, Crickets, Subways, Times Square, Making a newstand or business-math

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater. Published 1938. Newbery Honor.

I was intrigued by this book because it is a classic and a Newbery Honor book, yet I hadn't heard about it until I saw a poster for the Jim Carrey movie. I thought it was cute and a good read for all those kids out there interested in penguins. It's like the novel version of 365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromenthal.

Mr. Popper has always wanted to travel, but never has. He's especially interested in Antartica and the explorations of Admiral Drake. Because of his fan mail, Admiral Drake sends Mr. Popper his very own penguin from the South Pole. After finding his penguin depressed, they get a lady penguin and soon they have 10 baby penguins to care for as well. Finding that they are easy to train, the Popper family soon hits the road with their traveling act, Popper's Performing Penguins. It is a sensation but traveling with penguins also has its drawbacks such as ruining other performers' acts and ending up in jail. With a visit from Admiral Drake, Mr. Popper's dream is fulfilled and the penguins won't stay in the entertainment business forever.

This book is obviously dated with things like the radio being the main form of entertainment in the home, the traveling act is a vaudeville-esque production and the language will be hard for younger readers because certain phrases or terms aren't used anymore. But it's also a light-hearted fun book and at the heart of it are the penguins getting in to trouble which any kid can understand.

Interest level: Grade 3-6 Reading level: Grade 5

Comparable title: 365 Penguins, 21 Balloons

Book Connections: study of penguins from around the world, how they eat and live, what's true or not true about their behavior from the book, Antartica, Explorers, Early performers in America

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Published 1964.

I launched a One School, One Book campaign at my school this last month and I chose this title for the kick-off campaign, knowing it was a classic and appropriate for most age groups. I wanted to re-read it since I hadn't read it since I was little.

Of course, Dahl never disappoints. What actually shocked me in re-reading it was how close the second movie adaptation was to the original. I think the first movie becomes so ingrained in our brains that we don't think to question it. In fact, I kept expecting Charlie to do something wrong because in the first movie he drinks the floating soda. It actually made me much happier that he doesn't because the fact that Charlie does something wrong, muddles the whole story line that an obedient, good child gets the factory. In fact, my favorite line from the Johnny Depp version is actually straight out of the book. I was so happy to discover this.

Anyway, this is the story of Charlie Bucket who gets a golden ticket to be one of five children to go inside Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. After a slew of horrible mishaps, the four other miserable children are slowly removed from the factory by no one's fault but their own. Full of humor and candy and strange magical constructions, fifty years later, this book is a classic for a reason.

Interest level: Grade 3-6 Reading level: Grade 5 (I can't say I trust these ratings as I think this is easier to read, language-wise, than Dagger Quick but it has 5.9 while that had 4.2...interesting.)

Comparable titles: The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull, The Candymakers by Wendy Mass

Book connections: squirrels, gum, chocolate, factories, writing songs

Dagger Quick

Dagger Quick by Brian Eames. Published 2011.

I had read a few favorable reviews of this book and the cover definitely drew me in, but I have to say, I was not impressed. This was the book equivalent to a blockbuster movie staring Vin Diesel, in that, the action never stopped and the ante kept being raised, but nothing really happened...if that makes sense. That is my positive assessment of the book. With some kids enjoying thrills over character development, I think students could like this selection, but I didn't.

Christopher Wheale, otherwise known as Kitto, ends up on board a pirate ship captained by his uncle in hunt of spices, treasure and the return of his younger brother and his stepmom. Kitto refuses to let his club foot stop him from rescuing his family or living the life of a pirate, but the privateer ship captained by a Black-Hearted Morris is in pursuit to catch up with Captain Quick and find the bounty first.

Sounds like good pirate fun, but it wasn't. I never felt invested in the characters. The point of view switches between characters but there is no clear shift until after the fact making it a confusing read. The action keeps rising but it doesn't feel warranted, just to rise for the sake of it. Because I never felt attached to the characters and the point of view changes, I felt like I never really understood what was going on or why they had to do whatever it is they had to do next. In the end, I just scanned the last few chapters...which leads us to the end.

Apparently, they're trying to get a series going, but if not, worst ending ever. One character is left on the pirate ship with no clue to his fate, we never really know whats up with the spices/treasures, we know they're on the right island but don't know how they're getting off it. I mean, obviously, there is going to be a follow up, but this just made me mad, cause I read as long as I did thinking there would be some resolution. Instead, they jumped the shark, literally.

Interest level: Grades 3-6 Reading level: Grade 4 (I also don't agree with this as the language is rather old school to sound like a real pirate book--Grade 6 would be a better assessment)

Comparable titles: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, Larklight

Book connections: Pirate lore and history, Geography lessons, information about Congenital TEV (club foot)

Powerless

Powerless by Matthew Cody. Published 2009.

In the town of Noble's Green, children are Super heroes or Supers for short, but on their 13th birthday they mystically lose all their powers and have no memories of ever having any. When Daniel moves to town, his "ordinary" self will be the only one to come to the Super's rescue.

This is a mystery more than an action superhero plot and its a story about friendship and even loss. I liked that about this book. It was about so much more than having super human powers and fighting crime, in fact, there was very little crime fighting at all, and much more emphasis on the friends in the gang and their fear of growing older and losing their exceptional powers. The mystery was not predictable and the struggle at the end between The Shroud and Daniel made you wonder in the long run what choice Daniel would make overall. Plus, the sub plot is that Daniel's grandmother is sick which is why his family moved to Noble's Green so the tale of how kids deal with grief is thread through it as well.  I feel as though it's left open for a second in the series, but I think this book is complete as a whole and I almost worry that it would lose some of what made it exceptional, drained if you will, of its powers, if it were to continue down a line of super hero stories.

Interest level: Grades 5-8 Intended reading level: Grade 5
Genre: action, mystery, friendship

Comparable titles: The Sherlock Holmes books as they are mentioned throughout, Watchmen (for an older audience)

Book connections: Sherlock Holmes, green rock to look like a meteorite, camping survival kit

Zombiekins

Zombiekins by Kevin Bolger and illustrated by Aaron Blecha. Published 2010.

Lets begin with the fact that Zombies are in--from tv, movies and even reviving the corpses of classics and turning them into pulp fictions, so why shouldn't kids fiction benefit from this surge. With zombies as a subject and fun illustrations coupled with potty humor, the kids will eat it up. That being said, wasn't my favorite. Like Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies, it took the idea of the zombie movies and made it kid friendly, but somehow the other title still had some substance and the ending wasn't predictable. Don't think you'll be free of a zombie filled playground though. There is no saccharine substitute to the fact that a bite of a zombie will turn you into one, just these un-dead may not stay un-dead for long.

Intended reading level: Grade 3-6 Interest level: Grade 5 (I ammend this to grade 3)
Genre: humor, fiction

Comparable titles: Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies, Captain Underpants

Book connections: taffy candy, stuffed animals

The Great Good Thing

The Great Good Thing by Roderick Townley. Published 2001.

I follow a blog by another librarian and she had her daughter blog about her favorite books. Using the Fahrenheit 451 premise, she considered remembering the text of The Great Good Thing if she had to. So...I had to check it out. It's an interesting story and not at all what I was expecting. The narrator breaks down the fourth wall, if that term can be used for writing, and identifies the book as what it is, a book, with characters in it who wait for readers to pick it up and read it. This device makes it difficult to read at first but sooner than later it breaks away from its own conventions and becomes a story about more than just storybook characters.

What it really deals with is death and dreams and how we pass things on to the ones we love. I found this to be a more interesting way to handle death with kids then in some of the other titles about this same subject. I also think this would be a great book to use in a creative writing unit about how we shape stories and what the role of the characters are. There is supposedly sequels, but I don't really know how they would connect.

Intended reading level: Grades 3-6 Interest level: Grade 4
Genre: fiction, fantasy (princess-storybook)

Comparable titles: The Tale of Desperaux

Book connections: dream journal

Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies

Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by Dan Santat. Published 2010.

I have to admit that the Monty Python fan in me couldn't help being pulled in to this title with the image of the fluffy white bunny attacking the neck of a Knight of the Round Table. While less Monty Python-esque, this book embraces the B movies from the 50s and the idea of aliens landing on our planet and attacking, but the premise is much more what a kid would dream up. The bunnies are man-eating but also candy eating and their devious plan involves turning children's brains to mush via the watching of Junior High School Musical.

While not the best of literature, this book will definitely be a fan of the 8 to 10 year old set. The illustrations are great, the kids attempt to save the day and, hey, there are giant attacking bunnies.

Intended reading level: Grades 3-6 Interest level: Grade 5
Genre: humor, fiction

Comparable titles: Zombiekins, How to Train your Dragon

Book connections: marshmallows, B Movies, lanyards and craft time

The 21 Balloons

The 21 Balloons by William Pene du Bois. Published 1947. Newbery medal winner.

This book is out-dated so there would need to be a discussion about the use of certain terms for minority populations. Nothing in the book is used in a derogatory manner, but the terms are outdated and need to be said as such.
I picked this book up from a library sale because I liked the old fashion look to it, only to find out that it is a Newbery medal winner and is still on a lot of must read lists. I think it could make a fun read aloud to older kids but there is a lot of scientific and math jargon that could get lost to the audience. In this way though, it might be a nice book for a science or math related theme.

Professor William Waterman Sherman decides to retire from teaching in San Francisco and travel the world in a balloon in 1883. Only due to a seagull attack, he ends up on the island of Krakatoa right before it explodes, but not before he's had time to learn about its strange inhabits.

I thought this book was fun because the main characters are from San Francisco, but also it has that voice of older classics like Gulliver's Travels, where the narrator is regaling his travels and telling a tale that none would have imagined for themselves. I had hoped he would have had more stops, but there is only the one and I think the novel would have benefited from stops at multiple strange locals. For those interested in the history and how to of Ballooning, this book would be a treat, though I don't know how strong that interest is in today's youths.

Intended reading level: Grades 3-6. Interest level: Grade 4
Genre: adventure, fiction

Comparable titles: Around the World in 80 Days, Gulliver's Travels, James and the Giant Peach

Book connections: math and science for ballooning, balloons, fake diamonds, international food day, volcano experiments

Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest

Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest by Matt Haig. Published 2007.

Similarly to Fablehaven, Matt Haig gives us a brother and sister team who go to stay with an aunt at an edge of a forbidden forest full of magical beings. Unlike Brandon Mull's book, this book is filled with more humor and yes, even though I didn't think it would be true at first, these kids are now orphans much like other books in the fantasy genre. The aunt is not really the protector of the forest, but by living at the edge of it and warning people not to go in because of the disappearance of her husband, she in a way fills that role. Using short chapters and  author interruptions similar to A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz, this one has a quick pace, dreaded consequences, but also a light-hearted tenderness about it that moves it beyond Fablehaven for me.

The main character is the boy, Samuel, while the sister, Martha, is the one he goes to save after she wanders into the Norwegian forest called Shadow Forest. There, Professor Tanglewood has made himself into the Changemaker and taken all that is good about the forest and turned it bad with the help of his servant the Shadow Witch. Samuel must fight against sun-hating Huldres, poisonous pixies and rabbit-eating trolls to save his sister and escape the forest. The voice of the narration is true to a young boy but also funny and the switching perspectives help gives us different versions of what has shaped and made the treacherous Shadow Forest and those who live within and around it.

Intended reading level: Grades 3-6 Interest level: Grade 4
Genre: fantasy, fiction, humor
First in series

Comparable titles: A Tale Dark and Grimm, Fablehaven

Book connections: black and white bracelets with silver circular name tags, bowl of soup, raven/bird and rabbit figurines, stuffed dog, javelin (or spear-fake of course)

Fablehaven

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. Published 2006.

What if fairies, witches and trolls existed in this world but we didn't know about them because they were protected and kept in safe havens in different locations around the globe? This is the premise of Fablehaven, in which, Kendra and her brother Seth are sent to live with their grandparents while their parents are on a cruise. Only the children aren't aware of the haven they live in until they discover the fairies and the milk that opens their eyes to the creatures around them. Through a magical mistake, Seth gets the fairies on his bad side which doesn't help on the night the spooks come out and their grandfather goes missing. Eventually the children must release an evil witch to help save their family, but its Kendra who must battle the magical beings to save Fablehaven and the world.

The stakes grow in this story and the fairies aren't twinkling do-gooders and the witches aren't going to school. I liked that there was a female lead and that the children weren't orphans (at least not in this book, who knows what happens in the future). I think this would be a good transitional fantasy for those who are maybe wanting to jump into Harry Potter but aren't quite ready for something as grim yet.
While I think the story had a slow beginning, it was needed so that it could match the end. The climax between the witch and Kendra could have been slowed down, but the addition of mythological creatures and the characterization of the children was better than in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.

Intended reading level: Grades 5-8 Interest level: Grade 5
Genre: fantasy, fiction
First in series.

Comparable titles: Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest, Aliens on Vacation

Book connections: bowls of milk, rope with knots, chocolate milk-hot chocolate, jack-o-lanterns

The Magic Thief

The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas. Published 2008.

A few years back I bought my 8 year old cousin, who was a reluctant reader, this book and he couldn't stop raving about it. It was actually one of my proud library moments that turned him from a kid who barely read to one that was excited about books and about talking about books with me. He told me the entire plot of the book in installments whenever I saw him, which I, of course, forgot entirely, so it was nice to read it for myself.

Connwaer, an orphan thief who lives on the Twilight (bad side) of Wellmet, pickpockets a wizard and accidentally steals his locus magicalicus, his locus or magic stone. When the wizard learns of the thievery, rather than punish the boy, he takes him on as his apprentice as he is impressed by the magic the boy could withstand when he stole the stone. The city of Wellmet has slowly been losing its magic supplies and the wizard has been brought back from exile to find out why. The boy's magical powers prove to be fruitful as he helps to solve the mystery and become a wizard of his own.

The book is told in first person from the perspective of the boy, but interspersing chapters are journal entries from the wizard, Nevery. I like that the voices are different and that we can see the difference between what Nevery says about the boy compared to his actions and feelings about the boy. On the bottom of the entries are runes that can be deciphered using the translator in the back of the book. This book is not going to be able to escape Harry Potter comparisons, but it is a much different premise as the whole world is a make-believe magical realm and magic is considered normal to everyone whether or not they are wizards. It is very fast paced and good for younger readers but not an Early Chapter book. I look forward to reading the rest in the series and being able to discuss them with my cousin.

Intended reading level: Grades 3-6 Interest level: Grade 4
Genre: fantasy, fiction
First in series.

Comparable titles: Harry Potter (books 1-3), Fablehaven

Book connections: black cats, semi-precious stones and rocks, insignia patches on sleeves, rune translator, costume jewelry, biscuits

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure by Multiple Authors compiled by NCBLA. Published 2011.

I bought this book more as a teaching tool than a read aloud. Last year the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance partnered with the Library of Congress for Read.gov to play a round of the Exquisite Corpse game with top children's authors and illustrators. You could follow each installment online last year. They have now compiled the whole story and published it as a book.

The purpose of the game is to start telling a story and end on a cliffhanger while passing it on to a new person to tell the next part. For this reason, its a quick read and while it can get confusing or even frustrating at parts, you continue to read because the cliffhangers are so good. That is why I bought this book as a teaching tool. I thought it would be fun to not only introduce the game of the Exquisite Corpse but to show such a well-done novel length version of it. You could take a section and see what the kids would write for the next installment and then compare that to what the authors wrote. Or use it in art and give each student a different chapter and have them illustrate it without knowing what came before or after as the illustrators did for this book.

The story basically follows twins, Joe and Nancy, who are trying to piece together a time traveling robot to save their parents, whom they have never met because they were living with a traveling circus to save them from aliens, from their time traveling other dimension. If you think that's confusing thats just the nutshell version.

Interest level: Grades 3-6 Intended reading level: Grade 5
Genre: all-over the place but I would say Adventure/Sci-fi

Comparable titles: Series of Unfortunate Events

Book Connections: robots, clowns, eggs, elephants, circus-themed events

The Last Unicorn: Graphic Novel

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle adapted by Peter B. Gillis. Art by Renae de Liz. Published 2011.

I have not read the original The Last Unicorn but I'd be interested to do so. I'd been hearing good things about this graphic adaptation and couldn't help purchasing it for my library after taking a look at the great artwork at my local bookstore. While the book is marketed as YA, I included it in Tweens because there isn't any graphic violence, sexuality or harsh language. I think older Tweens would still like it more than younger ones but younger ones may just enjoy the pictures. There are a few scantily clad pictures of women but nothing inappropriate is shown in the illustrations.

Being that this is an adaptation, my main problem with it is that it seems to graze over the plot and not explain some parts completely while jumping around more than I would assume the novel would. It seems to be more of a teaser for the novel than anything else. While it took me a while to piece some things together, everything made sense to me in the end and the climax was fulfilling and exciting. Honestly, the climax seemed to be the one place I fully understood what was going on.

As a summary, the Last Unicorn goes on a search for the rest of the unicorns and on her travels meets a magician who helps her escape from a crone. They eventually make their way to a dark castle where the unicorn is turned into a woman, Lady Althea, by the wizard to save her life. The prince of the castle falls in love with her while she is in human form, but to save the unicorn kind, she must turn back into a unicorn, forsaking her human love, and battle to the death a magical red bull under the power of the evil king. I thought this book would be great for both boys and girls but based on the title and cover I feel like girls will pick it up first and hopefully pass it on to the boys.

Intended reading level: YA Interest level: Grades 7 & 8
Genre: graphic novel, fiction, fantasy

Comparable Titles: Rapunzel's Revenge, Return to Labyrinth

Book connections: bull and unicorn figurines

How to Train your Dragon

How to Train your Dragon by Cressida Cowell. Published 2003.

If you've seen the movie and you're expecting the same plot, you would be sorely disappointed, so I advise reading the series first. On that count, you would be reading a humorous adventure story with quirky characters in the vein of Captain Underpants or Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Don't expect to get to emotional or the book to have any high reaching morals. This is what the movie adds, which I think makes it a better story than the book, but kids will love the books because they're simply funny.

In the first book, our intrepid young Viking, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, must retreive a young dragon to train. He claims a Common Brown dragon without teeth who becomes the stubborn, ill-behaved Toothless. (Sound anything like the movie so far? I didn't think so). Hiccup is the Chief's son and high-expectations have been placed on his shoulders, but his bumbling, weak ways don't seem to have anyone but is grandfather, Old Wrinkly, convinced he's capable of anything. After the village learns about Hiccup's Dragon Observations and being the only Viking to know how to speak Dragonese (yes, these dragons speak), he is able to save his village from the attack of the Green Death, a monstrous sea dragon that has washed up on their shores.

Had I not seen the movie, I would have really liked it. Quick read, funny pictures. Narration style similar to Tom Angleberger books, but I spent the whole time wondering why the other story wasn't told. Such a shame.

Intended reading level: Grades 3-6 Interest level: Grade 6 (but I find this odd, I would revise this to be 3rd Grade)
Genre: fiction, Humorous, fantasy, adventure
First in series.

Comparable titles: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, Witches, Captain Underpants series

Book connections: viking helmet, feathers to make fearther bombs, stuffed dragons in baskets