Mister Orange Review

Matti, Truss. Mister Orange.Enchanted Lion Books, New York. [159 p]. [$16.95]. 9781592701230

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"Winning the war," said Mr. Orange, "means making sure that the imagination remains free. And that's the most important thing of all." (pg 123).

Translated by Laura Watkinson, this novel by Dutch author Truus Matti tells the story of Linus, a young boy in New York City during Word War II. When his brother Albie goes off to war, Linus takes over the delivery route for the family grocery store. One of his deliveries is to Mr. Orange - a nickname Linus gives the man after not understanding his real name, and because he has a box of oranges delivered every two weeks. Mr. Orange is an artist, and teaches Linus about art, and dancing, and life - questioning the meaning art and imagination can seriously have when something as hard as war rages on. As Linus ponders this questions, along with ones such as the reason that smells do not have names, he learns that life does not always turn out the way he wants it to. Being a fan of comics, he soon discovers that not all can be saved by a superhero, and as much as he would like it to be true, his brother is not a superhero just because he went off to war. A quick, yet insightful read, Mister Orange, is a sweet coming of age tale.

Ms. Marvel Review

Wilson, G. W. Ms. Marvel: No Normal. Solisco Printers, Canada. 978-7851-9121

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The new Ms. Marvel series tells the story of Kamala Khan, an average girl living in Jersey City. Coming from a Muslim family, with a brother she sees as being overly religious, especially in the years post 9-11, Kamala does her best to fit in with both her family (and what she believes to be their strict rules) and at school. A superhero fan, she frequently visits fan sites and writes her own fan fiction. After disobeying her parents to sneak out and drink with kids from school, Kamala gets caught up in a mysterious fog covering the city, during which she believes she is speaking with Captain Marvel and wishes to be her. When she comes to, her wish has been granted and she realizes, with some difficulty that she has turned into Ms. Marvel. A girl that believed she was too brown to fit in at school, but too modern to fit in at home, and now she's a superhero? How is she supposed to handle all of this? By becoming the best superhero she can be of course! Often jumping in head first without thinking her actions through Kamala, (or should I say Ms. Marvel) does her best to protect her city, her family, and her identity - only allowing her best friend Bruno (who secretly harbors a crush on her) to know the truth. Ms. Marvel is a fun comic series. Teens can relate to her struggle to fit in. Add some hero antics to the mix and you've got a winning combination. To find out all of the adventures Kamala gets into follow the Ms. Marvel series...

1: No Normal
2: Generation Why
3: Crushed
4: Last Days

Ms. Marvel - Thoughts

Ms. Marvel is where I started reading comics. I began working as a YA Librarian and had read graphic novels previously (Sandman, Watchmen) but I had never opened a comic (and by comic I'm loosely referring to one with Marvel or DC characters). Upon some prompting from my boyfriend I figured I should at least read something since a lot of the teens that come in take out the graphic novels more than the books. So I started with Ms. Marvel. And from it I kept going (gradually, as I have way too much to read already).

The previous librarian had only ordered volumes 1 and 2. So I finished that up by ordering 3 and 4. After accidentally leaving Volume 1: No Normal on a chair in the department when putting something else away, a 6th grade girl I had seen often but not spoken too grabbed it. And read the entire thing before she left. Taking volume 2 home with her. And then she came in looking for 3. And then 4 (which at the time I had at home and promised to read that night so she could have it the next day).

Now this girl comes in every time I work to ask what book I think she should read next, or to return the last one she took so I can read it. She's also begun to come to all the programs and situate herself in the core group of kids that are usually there. For one program she brought five friends with her. All because of Ms. Marvel.

Intellectual Freedom Exercise

This week in class we had to either defend or challenge one of the books assigned for reading. My group opted to defend the book How it Went Down by Kekla Magoon. I enjoyed this book, though it would not be one I would have picked up to read on my own accord. From this exercise I have learned several things.

• The first thing I've learned is that there are those that will challenge materials for what seems to be the tiniest or silliest reason. These are the people that do not follow the concept of not reading something if they do not like what it says. 
• As much as I understand some people's want to censor books, I also don't completely get it. Growing up my mom definitely monitored what I watched and there were a number of tv shows and movies that were off limits. However, the one things she never monitored or said I couldn't do was read. I was given free reign to read anything I wanted. Any topic, any intended age range - it did not matter. I don't know if she never thought she needed to monitor what I was reading or if she thought seeing something on tv/in movies was worse than reading about it. 
• There are resources that are made to help deal with challenged materials. ALA has a variety of useful pages and links that should be utilized upon this type of situation. 
• No matter what I think of a book, even if I hate the story, it has a right to be on the library shelf. I wouldn't let my own judgement cloud the ordering or censoring of materials and thus I cannot let other's judgments change that materials that are available. A polite and professional manner must be maintained throughout the challenge process. 

How it Went Down Review

Magoon, Kekla. How it Went Down. Henry Holt and Company, New York. [325 p]. [$17.99]. 978085098693

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How it Went Down is a book that reflects events of recent years. A well thought out portrayal of what it is like to witness or be a part of a shooting, this book delves into the thought of those who saw how it went down. When events like this happen in real life we only know what the media tells us. And as we can see from reading this novel, the media is not always interested in telling the truth. Instead they are interested in telling a story. But these types of events, are not just stories, they are a compilation of stories, that work together to maybe tell one cohesive story. Every witness can think they saw something different, or wants to believe that things occurred a certain way. But by telling each individual's narrative, Magoon is able to show those who have not had an event such as this touch their life, that there is not simply one story. How it Went Down is an accurate and thoughtful portrayal of the horrible shooting events we have unfortunately had to witness in recent years. Readers will gain insight to what occurs behind the scenes so to speak, as we are usually only privy to the information that the media feels the need to provide. 

Book Review: Cinder

Meyer, Marissa. Cinder. Feiwel and Friends, New York. [387 p]. [$17.99]. 7890312641894

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My thoughts on Sci-Fi books are the same as my thoughts on fantasy books. The book I just cannot get into. A show or movie? I'm there. Firefly/Serenity? Love. Dollhouse? Love. Ok, so basicaly Joss Whedon = love. And Marissa Meyer declares her love for Firefly in her bio in the back of this book. So there was already a little love before I started this book.

I've seen this title, and the rest of the Lunar Chronicles at work. They circulate frequently. But the previous librarian put a sci-fi sticker on the spines so I read a summary and never thought to even attempt to read them. They are insanely popular in my library - I had to put a hold on it just to get it for class.

It's sci-fi. I don't read sci-fi. I don't like sci-fi books. And yet I am totally in love with Cnder. Cinderella is not even close to being one of my favorite fairytales and I think this is a great update on it.

Cinder is a cyborg tasked with fixing the prince's android which may or may not hold some secrets. She would like to attend the ball, but as a cyborg who would want to be seen with her? So she plays it cool and pretends she has no interest in balls and would rather be covered in grease fixing various things to pay for her step mother's lifestyle. Her step mother would never let her go anyway. But Cinder doesn't really know who she is or what purpose she could really have in this world. Is she even from this world? Cinder is enthralling and makes it hard for a reader to put it down.

I have a little over 100 pages to go, if I'm late for class tonight it's because I had to finish and coudn't put it down.

The Adequacy of Reviews of Teen Materials

 

In order to fully get a range of reviews both professional and nonprofessional I used one fiction title (Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda) and one nonfiction title (Most Dangerous). I wanted to know if reviews of nonfiction were taken more seriously than those for fiction. Professional reviews were found in Kirkus, School Library Journal, the New York Times, and the Guardian. Nonprofessional reviews were found on various blogs. 

• Reviews for Most Dangerous were slightly more serious in tone than those for Simon. All five reviews for Most Dangerous mentioned the author's past work. They all also stated that though the intended age range for this book is 12 and up, it may be a difficult read for a 12 year old, and that it may be a hard sell to teens in general unless they have a specific interest in the Vietnam War. Though they may be interested in Daniel Ellsberg if they have an interest in Edward Snowden, as all reviews connected the two. 
• The nonprofessional reviews found did not contain any fan-girling as was expected. All of the reviews from the blogs had a casual tone but were well written. 
• No single review contained all of the criteria the assignment asked us to look for. Several contained a few of the criteria, but most did not have these specific elements. The covers were not discussed. For the most part the audience that would enjoy the book was not mentioned. only two gave similar titles that one may enjoy. Being that they reviews were relatively short it was difficult to find a comprehensive review. 
• Multiple sources should be used if these elements are necessary in making a decision. While all of the reviews for each book all shared the same positive opinion, this will not always be the case and therefore having multiple opinions would be beneficial. 
• Nonprofessional reviews can be trustworthy. Just because they are not in a well known source such as Kirkus, does not mean they would be poorly written. Even if they have a casual tone, or some fan-girling that could be useful. If someone gets super excited about something it speaks volumes about how other may perceive it.