Book Review: Dog Tags, Prisoners of War (WW2 medic, Nazi dog, YA novel)

Dog Tags: Prisoners of War, by Alexander London (Scholastic, $5.99, 2012, 182 pp, book 3 of 4*) Review by Skye Anderson

Man's Best Friend Goes to War 

But the dog in this case is a Nazi. Can our young American serviceman turn the dog around, befriend him and use him to locate wounded American POWs during a forced relocation in Belgium during World War II**? Can a dog really change sides? Can he be trusted?

Here we have two enemy soldiers (one, a canine), and one uneasy alliance.

Our hero is a young US Army soldier from New Mexico who enlisted at age 17 and became a medic. On his first day in battle, he is separated from his unit during the Battle of the Bulge in Ardennes and sees plenty of action - and blood - and death - and fear. He believes he is a coward without a rifle (medics didn't carry weapons). He teams up with the dog but neither one truly trusts the other.

Luckily, our team also teams up with some Resistance fighters and plots to free the Americans but can our soldier find his courage at last?

Writing Style

Author Alexander London has penned an exciting (not too scary but a bit sad) fast-reading book with several gems like "It was like that whine said everything anyone needed to know about war." (p 33, when the Nazi dog realizes his SS handler is dead.)

Remember cliffhangers? Those single sentences at the end of a chapter that make you turn the page to the next chapter? Cliffhangers abound.

Next: Dog Tags - Strays

*Semper Fido and Divided We Fall

*This is WW2 which ended in 1945 regardless of the author extolling the virtues of the US Air Force and its role in this story, even though the Air Force was not created until 1947. Someone please tell London.

Book Review: AfterMath (middle school. dealing with grief) (OT)

AfterMath, by Emily Barth Isler (Carolrhoda Books, 2021, $17.99, 272 pp, grades 5-8, ages 11 and up)

A mass shooting incident in their classroom four years earlier. . . . 

The Perfect Title

AfterMath: What happens after Math class for Lucy? What does aftermath mean in this story - does it always mean that which happens after an unpleasant event? 

The Cover

Lucy is in a classroom with empty chairs in a hodge-podge circle, moving toward the reader. Above her we see a sphere, angles and triangles probably ascending, and the infinity symbol (a theme which plays a major role in the story). Bright sunlight is streaming into the classroom, creating shadows, and the colored triangles, although triangles, remind one of balloons or kites (round or angular or both at the same time).

The Flow

Author Emily Isler has that rare gift for a first-time author, for putting the reader smack dab into the midst of her story. She doesn't tell us what happens - she shows us what happens. We are there. We are the girl, and the mother, and the father. Being a story teller with a background in acting, Isler encompasses in AfterMath three to four months in the life of a seventh-grade girl, new to the town and her school, where, four years previously a shooting incident occurred and is still constantly on everyone's mind. Lucy herself experienced the death of her younger brother just a few months ago but there are more differences than similarities there. Or are there?

Isler's style is melodic, flowing, rhythmic yet reminiscent of under-the-surface tragedy and dealing with the grief that remains. How it can appeal to both the middle school set and to adults is something she must have worked hard and long to create.

We  would have read it in one sitting if night had not come too early, so we finished it the next day. Along the way, we found it a bit too drawn out and we wondered how it would end - would it tie all the loose threads together and would everyone live happily ever after? We simply could not imagine how. . . . 

It's Cool to Be Mathy!

Each chapter starts with a math problem (and solution) but some seem a bit difficult for a seventh-grader and we were amazed at the fact she loved all the subsets of math, even geometry where you  must prove things that seem obvious!

Not only is our Lucy 'mathy' but she is also a good, true friend and a normal middle-school girl with her first crush on a boy. She befriends a girl that others shun and also has a wise side - perhaps too wise to be believable for her age but we also see her foibles. Nevertheless, we all learn from Lucy as she learns from her math teacher, from her after-school mime class, and from her classmates.

It's hard to believe that 'mathy' people can be fun or even funny but Lucy receives math jokes from someone unknown. She writes math jokes in return and we are surprised to find out who it is and why he/she started the tradition. You may find it hard to believe there actually are math jokes but you will have fun with them! (What kind of meals do math teachers eat? Square ones!)

Comparing Math With Life?

Author Isler has penned a unique award-winning novel for middle-schoolers, telling them that "Math Can Be Cool" and that friends and family can help us get over a traumatic event, even a shared trauma if we give it enough time and space. Our Lucy is both a 'mathy' person and a liberal arts person who finds she is also good at mime but especially good at being kind and honest and a friend. She is not only one of us but she is all of us. I can't wait for Isler's next book.

And, did you know Emily Barth Isler was a speaker at Columbia, Maryland's 2023 Books in Bloom? She was born and raised here in the Village of Hickory Ridge - perhaps you even know her from school!

Book Review: I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980 (girl, twin boys, volcano)(OT)

I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980, by Lauren Tarshis (Scholastic Books, 2016, 112 pages, $4.99, ages 7-11, grades 2-5), book 14 of 23 historical disaster books for kids. Fiction books in non-fiction settings. Reviewed by Skye Anderson.

Make History Come Alive!

Author Lauren Tarshis literally does make history come alive for kids by placing a child (or two, or three) smack dab into the middle of a historical event where they just might become heroes.

Perhaps you do remember the eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington? Ash slowly moved across the country and 350 miles away in Spokane, my mother thought it was snowing in May! (I, however, was in South East Asia in 1980 and was weeks late to hear the news.)

The Plot

Jessie and the Rowan twin boys were best friends. Two years earlier when Jessie's dad died, the boys were there for her and they became like the Three Musketeers.

Here we have 11-year olds being caught in a volcanic eruption but Jessie saves the day and even gets to ride in a helicopter.

The kids go hiking and fishing on Mount St. Helens when the twins' dad can take them in his truck and drop them off. Jessie grabs her (deceased) dad's camera to take pictures of Skeleton Woman but leaves the camera behind in an old cabin they discover and is afraid to tell her mother. 

For about two months, the mountain spews forth steam along with numerous small earthquakes, then seems to settle down until one day it doesn't. What that day brings will make a memorable story - but true, at least the factual part of the book. Jessie and friends are fabricated, however, and their adventures are, as well.

Science Sneaks into the Story

Author Lauren Tarshis manages to sneak in a lot of facts about volcanoes that are part of the story so the young reader is not aware she (or he) is actually learning some science. And, as in all the Survived books, the author speaks in a few pages at the end of the book and also answers questions about volcanoes and gives some suggested resources.

The First Survived Book Starring a Girl!

Although girls are often in books 1-13, Mount St. Helens is the first book to feature a girl star and on the cover and it's about time. Author Tarshis explains that she has written the series for her own children, all boys, but finally succumbed to the pressure of her girl readers. And we are so glad she did!

Other Great Books in the Series

I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941

I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944

Book Review: I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 (a boy and his sister hide and fight in the forest)(OT)

I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944, by Lauren Tarshis (Scholastic Books, 2014, 112 pages, $4.99, ages 7-11, grades 2-5), one of 23 historical disaster books for kids, book nine in the series. Fiction books in non-fiction settings. Reviewed by Skye Anderson.

What can be more interesting, intriguing, spell-binding than history told through the eyes of the children who lived it? 

Max and his little sister Zena survive in a Jewish ghetto but manage to escape from the Nazis in 1944 and stay with partisans in the forest. They meet up with their beloved aunt and then. . . the bombs fall.

Author Lauren Tarshis has done it again: told a story set in true times, in a true place but with kids from her imagination. Feeling a bit scared, the reader is saved by the author telling only one small segment of the long war and ending in 1947. In some books, she will begin with the event but then spend a few chapters in the lead-up.

What Would I Change?

Like so many other books, this reviewer would prefer to have the chapter titles in words not merely numbers. For example, "Sabotage" or "Plotting with Maps" rather than just Chapter 7. This would make for a more memorable book but, nevertheless, all books in the series are simply exciting. (And, educational!)

Other Books

I Survived Mount St. Helens

I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor

Book Review: Laying Down the Paw (woman K-9 police dog handler, murder mystery with a bit of romance)

Laying Down the Paw: Paw Enforcement Series, Book 3* of 10, by Diane Kelly (Minotaur Books, 2015, 368 pp, $7.99) Review by Skye Anderson

Dog Knows it All

It took a few pages but then I couldn't "lay it down." Laying Down the Paw was an attention-grabber with a dog as a know-it-all and a human who has to be confronted with clue after clue - but then even this reviewer was surprised, pleasantly, by the ending which I didn't expect but came to realize was the only way this tale could end. All the loose ends were tied up quickly and to my satisfaction.

The Plot

Megan is a rookie police officer, in her first year on the Ft. Worth police force, and bucking for detective but currently a K-9 handler of Brigit, a German Shepherd Dog, who, being a dog, knows who the bad guys are right from the start but who wait patiently for the humans to catch on. (I know, usually rookie cops don't get K-9s and, to the picky reader, other discrepancies** abound but do not detract from this very good read).

Megan writes some chapters, dog Brigit writes others and Dub, a young teen in trouble writes yet others and how and when they all intersect make for one incredible yet credible tale.  Megan (and dog) survive a hailstorm that quickly morphs into a tornado and then looting which is how they meet Dub the first time. And how Megan gets out of a standoff with four bad guys (looters) with guns is told the only way it could have happened.

Toss in a Little Romance (and Drugs and Crime, of Course)

Enter Seth, also a first responder, but a firefighter, and his dog Blast. . . and two teens from different sides of the tracks. . . .

Too Much and Not Enough

The number of incidents and situations that are almost believable but not to the astute reader can be overlooked but the intricate plot which leaves the reader not only guessing but perhaps perplexed as to how it all will end - who will be killed, if anyone? Because that is the only way this reviewer could think of to end it all. But I was wrong! (I wonder, if I read more murder mysteries, if I will be able to foresee the endings eventually and, if I do, if it will spoil the read for me.)

There are subtleties that make one wonder if this is the first book in a series but hoping not. One clue is the numeral 3 on the cover. When I finally realized this is part of a series, I was of two minds: 1. ) I'd love to read the others, or even just one and 2.) I wonder if another Diane Kelly book could be as good as Laying Down the Paw. I didn't want to find out, in case I was disappointed.

------------

*Bending the Paw

Paw of the Jungle

The Long Paw of the Law

Enforcing the Paw

Above the Paw

Against the Paw

Upholding the Paw

Paw and Order

Paw Enforcement

**like being able to, in between patrol calls, be requested to help the female detective assigned to this major case

Book Review: Harmony Dances On (children's, loss)(OT)

Harmony Dances On: A Book about Grief, by Mandy Woolf (The Book Reality Experience, 2023, $12.41 Hardcover, 32 pp)

"When Harmony's mummy dies, the pain is worse than any Ouchy she has ever had and it won't go away. Then she stumbles on something special of mummy's, and its comfort helps her navigate the difficult journey through grief."

The beginning of the book starts with the end but quickly we move on to how Harmony handles her grief. She has her mother's scarf, and her father and grandmother to help her. They cannot substitute for the loss of a mother but they, with time, can help. A mother's love will stay with you. . . .if only in your heart, to remember any time you need to. In the meantime, it's OK to continue on with your life. Harmony learns "that wherever she is, Mummy is there, too."

With beautiful colors and amazing phrases you will not soon forget, this book will help both the grieving person of any age and the ones who help them heal. Pictures are real, emotions are real, and the timeline is real. This is a book to savor and to keep, to help all through life.

Our world also needs a Hispanic version and an Asian version and a version written for white kids, too. It is that important!

Book Review: Legend of the Fairy Stones (Children's, Corgi, Native American)

Legend of the Fairy Stones, by Janet Toonen (Stat Toon'd Publishing, 2023, ages 3-8, 76pp, $22.99 hardcover) Reviewed by Skye Anderson.

Written and illustrated by the prolific Janet Toonen (and published), Legend of the Fairy Stones takes place on the shores of Lake Michigan. The lovely front cover will pique your interest with a smiling dog and a firefly holding a lantern.

Hag Stones

Have you ever found a fairly flat stone on the shore that has a magic hole in it? Perhaps as rare as a four-leafed clover, these are called hag stones  - stories abound about their origins, including the one in this legend book. 

Did you know lake fairies like Teak collect lake treasures at night but use their hag stones to whirl their way back into the fairy world for the day, only to come out (and up) again once night falls? 

If you want to know what their underground haven looks like, just ask Jordi the Corgi dog who was lucky enough to spend a night with the fairies down there. Of course Jordi's human missed him so much that night that she smothered him with kisses on the last page. "The fairy world is an amazing place". . . "But getting hugged by your favorite human. . . is just as amazing."

The author brings yesterday and today together, along with an imaginative world and almost too-detailed illustrations. She has written many books for young readers to discover.

Book Review: Bondi and Poppy Help Heal the Planet (children's, bear and koala) (OT)

Bondi and Poppy Help Heal the Planet, by Judith Proffer (Juju Press, 2022, $18.59 hardcover, 32pp) Reviewed by Skye Anderson.

"Meet Bondi and Poppy, Each as cute as a bug. He likes to snuggle and she likes to hug." 

So begins the teaching adventure of two friends from two far parts of the world who meet in the middle to show us how to be mindful of our home, Planet Earth. Bondi is from Australia and Poppy is from California (an appropriate name since the poppy is the state flower of California). We also learn about Hawaii, the friends' meeting place.

We love this book with simply the most creative and comforting watercolor illustrations, like a people-tree made of handprints (but if you read too fast, you will miss this). The final two pages show maps of Australia and California with many of their special symbols: coral and kangaroo, the Golden Gate bridge, Yosemite, oranges and redwoods, grapes and cacti and palm trees, too. Perhaps the young reader has even been to California - or lives there.

Can you find the treehouse? Twice? We spied the recycle symbol in at least two different places which sparks family conversations and since every day is Earth Day, let's cuddle the planet, too!

Also by Judith, a story about the Pandemic and how kids helped: 

Book Review: Who's New at Lou's Zoo? (children's, animals)(OT)

Who's New at Lou's Zoo? by JoAnn Dickinson (Two Sweet Peas Publishing, 2022, 5-8 years, 43 pp, $18.49 hardcover) Reviewed by Skye Anderson.

Does that cover girl look like an alpaca to you? Do you even know what an alpaca looks like? Have you ever seen an alpaca? Or a mandrill?

Meet 15 zoo animals with appropriate names, like Peter Parrot, Gage Gorilla, Mickey Monkey, Wally Walrus, Alvin Alligator, Kimo Koala, Gina Giraffe, Henrietta Hippo, Zelda Zebra, Rip Rhino, Ellie Elephant, Callie and Cassie Chameleon, Martin Mandrill, Winston Owl. And can you guess who is chatty, glorious, meek, loyal, friendly, shy, gentle, happy, stylish, playful, black, colorful, wise? Some we could but some we  couldn't.

Take this book with you the next time you visit a zoo and see if you recognize the animals. Some you will and some you won't. Illustrator Lauren Sparks has taken poetic license to her drawings - our favorite page is the tails.

And can you guess who will be coming to Lou's zoo? We made a guess and we were wrong!

But, What's the Point?

So, the zoo will be getting a new animal, sort of like your class getting a new student. Do you  wonder what he or she will be like? Do you think you will like him/her? Will he or she like you? Will the new person be like me? Will the new person like me? Will I like them? How can we help everyone to like each other? Will having a party help? These are all the same questions the animals in Lou's zoo are asking and it's perfectly natural to wonder at new things. But Lou's animals (and the new one) have unique worries and, in the end, everything turns out very well indeed. This is a lesson for all of us.

Want to Meet These Animals?

Four pages in the back of the book tell you all about each of the animals in Lou's zoo.

Book Review: Talbot the Turtle - The Plastic Ocean (children's, pollution) (OT)

Talbot the Turtle: The Plastic Ocean, by Taylor Edwards (Coral Forest/Library and Archives Canada, 2023, $11.99 pb, 28 pp) Reviewed by Skye Anderson.

Before (above) and After (below)

With the cutest little turtle we have seen in a long time, Talbot the Turtle: The Plastic Ocean is both entertaining and educational for those who love nature. Corals and other underseas plants are colorful and realistic down to the smallest detail.

Title Tells All

Our oceans are filling with plastic which is not a good thing. Animals mistake plastic for food: see-through plastic bags resemble jellyfish and colored plastic look like food, too. Even small plastic pieces become smaller and smaller and are engulfed. Bottles, caps and fishing lines cannot be digested. And plastic doesn't decompose - it stays and stays around nearly forever. Whales, seals and birds, like Talbot, are fooled by man into eating his plastic.

Yet, all this can be turned around if we do as Talbot the turtle encourages us to, to reuse bags and water bottles. But that is just a start. We need to wake up.

We Too Need to Wake Up!

Talbot's tale is such a lovely little one that your youngster will keep it around for a long time and learn its lessons, even remind you! Told in rhyme, we learn about turtles' lives and learn what they have to teach us.

Hatchlings Head to the Sea

Book Review: Ready, Set, Frog! (children's book, practice or help friends?)(OT)

 Ready, Set, Frog! by Katharine Mitropoulos (Set Sail Press, 2023, $18.99, 43 pp) Review by Skye Anderson.

We all know we have to practice in order to be successful in anything but what if we want to practice and keep getting interrupted? That can be frustrating!

So thought Frog who was practicing for the obstacle course but was interrupted over and over again by friends who needed his help. Some people (or frogs) would be torn between the two opportunities, some would say no to his friends, some would help later, and some would drop what they are doing to help. 

What Would You Do?

What did Frog do? What did Mole do? And Kitten? And Giraffe?

What is more important - to be prepared for a competition or to help your friends when they need you, even at inopportune times?

But that is not the end of the story. Frog doesn't feel he is ready but Mom convinces him to enter the contest anyway. 

And with lots of colors in the busy illustrations, the young reader will spend a lot of time with this book and its lessons, its themes.

And the Ending is. . . .

Our guess was wrong, but "there is always next time, thought Frog, happily."

Book Review: Asha and Baz Meet Mary Sherman Morgan (YA, science sleuths)(OT)

Asha and Baz Meet Mary Sherman Morgan, by Caroline Fernandez (Common Deer Press, 2022, $7.99, 106 pp, ages 6-9, kindergarten - grade 3) Review by Skye Anderson

In the vein of The Magic Tree House series about history comes a series for budding scientists starring Asha and Baz - the amazing Asha and her friend, the brainy Baz. First in the series* (of two, so far) is Asha and Baz Meet Mary Sherman Morgan.

The friends are typical: Asha loves to talk and take over while Baz is quieter and likes to work behind the scenes.

Asha and Baz have a school assignment: to build and fly a rocket farther than any other pair of students in their class. But they are stuck: they have made the rocket but can't figure out how to make it fly. They really want to win in order to meet a real live astronaut, Chris Hadfield, who will be visiting their school!

To the Rescue!

The friends find a magic stick and draw a picture in the sand, say where they want to go and voila! They are transported back in time to 1957 to find someone named Mary Sherman Morgan. They find themselves in a large hangar with offices on the top floor but have trouble finding any women at all! 

Do they ever find Mary? And if they do, what other adventures will they have with real rockets?

Bonus

Books today tell a story as always but they often include a page or two of history and further explanation. Asha and Baz is no exception. A timeline of the space race between the Soviet Union and the US takes up a few pages in the back for those who are interested in either history or rocket science - or both! Also included is more information about Chris Hadfield, the Soviet Union and other sources to learn about space - plus the first chapter of the Hedy Lamarr book.

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*Second in the series is Asha and Baz Meet Hedy Lamarr in which the friends try to solve a coding problem and visit a movie star in 1941!