Books for Upper Elementary

I was struggling with how to write this review for King of the Mole People.   It’s a book I didn’t particularly enjoy reading but it has some redeeming qualities.   Knowing that didn’t make it any easier for me to figure out how to write it.  As I was taking a break, reading through the list of words for the Write 31 Days Challenge I saw the word Accept…and like a light bulb I knew how to write this review.  

A big part of King of the Mole People is Doug Underbelly needs to learn to accept himself for who he is. Many of the people in his life also need to learn this truth. You are who you are.  Do not pretend to be someone else.

What I am Reviewing

King of the Mole People (Book 1).
Paul Gilligan.
Christy Ottaviano Books. Henry Holt & Company.
272 pages, hardcover, 8-12 years.

Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Humour, Upper Elementary, Middle School

Doug Underbelly is doing his best to be normal. It’s not easy: he’s bad at jokes, he’s lousy at sports, and he lives in a creaky old mansion surrounded by gravestones. Also Magda, the weird girl at school, won’t leave him alone. And if that weren’t enough, he recently got crowned King of an underground race of Mole People.

Doug didn’t ask to be king – it’s a job he can’t really avoid, like the eel sandwiches his dad makes for him (with love). If he thought dealing with seventh grade was tricky, it’s nothing compared to navigating the feud between Mole People, Slug People, Mushroom Folk and Stone Goons, not to mention preventing giant worms from rising up and destroying everything. How will Doug restore order? It’s all a matter of diplomacy!

The Details for King of the Mole People

If you like Captain Underpants and books along that line (or have children who do) King of the Mole People will be highly entertaining for them.   Similar humour, images and writing style.

Doug Underbelly wants so desperately to fit in, to that end he gets into a whole lot of different situations.  In the midst of all that is Doug’s role as King of the Mole people. I know…go figure…. the mole people?  But they are a real part of this book along with many others who dwell below. 

Can Doug manage the pressures of life above and life below?  You’ll have to read the book to find out.

As Doug figures things you’ll meet all the characters in simple black/white drawings. I would have to say that 3/4’s of the pages have illustrations on them.  I love the illustrator portrayed Magda.  Such a quirky character.  I liked her from the start.   She was mostly comfortable in her own skin and just needed to learn a bit more.  🙂

Thoughts/Recommendations

Growth in characters across the board make King of the Mole People a winner. While I am not a fan of the genre, I am a fan of how it all comes together in the end.  One even learns some good science!

I loved how Doug learned to accept himself and work within his own abilities, even learning to use the skills he learned trying to be someone else. 

Time Travel with a twist, Time Sight is an interesting romp back through history using the Scottish gift of second sight.   In this review, I will tell you about a curious book by Lynne Jonell called Time Sight.   Mind, you don’t need to scared to read a time travel book!  🙂  Yes, scared is the word prompt for today’s Write 31 day challenge. 

What I am Reviewing

Raincoast BooksTime Sightn.
Lynne Jonell.
Christy Ottaviano Books.
Henry Holt & Company Books.
416 pages, 9-12 years, trade paperback
Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

Middle school, history, medieval, time travel, fiction, Europe, Scotland, mystery, upper elementary,

Will’s mother is in danger overseas, and his father must find her, so Will and his little brother are packed off to relatives in Scotland. Will feels useless. He can’t save his mother. He can’t help his father. And when he tries to amuse his brother on the plane ride, he can’t even locate the images in Jamie’s book – the hidden pictures that everyone else can see. Once at the family’s ancestral castle, though, Will tries again. And as he delicately adjusts his focus, suddenly his eyes tune in to a different visual frequency – the past.
Looking back five hundred years is interesting . . . at first. But when Jamie impulsively leaps through the opening in time, Will and his cousin Nan must follow, into a past so dangerous that Will isn’t sure how he will get everyone safely home.

The Details about Time Sight

You know those books where there is a picture hidden inside a picture?  Where to find the second picture you need to look into and yet beyond the existing picture?  Take that idea, add in the Scottish belief in second sight, and voila.. a story is born. 

You’ll find maps and other interesting line drawings.  They bring great definition to the story. Some were full page, others just partial, but they all fit the story perfectly. I really liked these drawings and found them so well done. Can’t you just see the fear in the lad running from the cook?  🙂

The characters are believable.  Real kids struggling to understand what is happening.  Real kids wanting to be helpful, making some mistakes, but managing to find their way through.   

Thoughts/Recommendations

Initially I was not particularly impressed with this middle school read.  It took until I was about 1/3 the way through before I was hooked. Suddenly the story took an interesting twist.  Could Will control his abilities?  Would he be able to save the day?  What about Nan…. could she help at all?

All these questions were answered as I quickly finished this book.  Would I recommend it?  For sure!  Mystery combined with time travel and a willingness to think outside the box… makes for a good read for most anyone. 

If you were doing a study on Scotland and learning about the belief in second sight, this book might make for a fun interpretation of that ability. 

Don’t be scared by unusual gifts.  Use them for good like Nan and Will did. 

I wasn’t expecting much when I opened this book.  The story initially struck me as odd, but the further I got into Stargazing by Jen Wang, the more interested I became.  Humour and friendship filled the pages. 

What I am Reviewing

Stargazing.
Jen Wang (author and illustrator)
First Second.
Graphic Novel.
Ages 8-12.
224 pages.
Reviewed for Raincoast Books.
Received Advanced Reader Copy.
Friendship, Asian, China, Children’s Illness, Asian American, Graphic Novel, Middle School,

Moon is everything Christine isn’t. She’s confident, impulsive, artistic . . . and though they both grew up in the same Chinese-American suburb, Moon is somehow unlike anyone Christine has ever known.
But after Moon moves in next door, these unlikely friends are soon best friends, sharing their favorite music videos and painting their toenails when Christine’s strict parents aren’t around. Moon even tells Christine her deepest secret: that she has visions, sometimes, of celestial beings who speak to her from the stars. Who reassure her that earth isn’t where she really belongs.
Moon’s visions have an all-too-earthly root, however, and soon Christine’s best friend is in the hospital, fighting for her life. Can Christine be the friend Moon needs, now, when the sky is falling?

The Details

Jen Wang brings to life of Chinese-American youth who, just like other youth, sometimes have strict parents, or more lenient ones. And so a friendship blooms between two unlikely girls. 

The first 10 pages in my copy were done in colour.  The pastel hues bring to life these two girls and their families.  Even without the colour though, the careful outlines told the story well.   We see the pain, the hurt, the hope, the laughter, and the full-on friendship between girls. 

My Thoughts

Pushing their own boundaries, learning to trust, and to become people they need to be. Protective and at times afraid, jealousy and anger raise their heads.  But in the end.. friendship holds true.   Stargazing by Jen Wang is a good story for upper elementary to middle school readers.   

If you enjoy graphic novels, this book might well appeal for itself humour and it’s friendship themes.  A good read, I would happily read more books by Jen Wang.  Stargazing is worth your youth’s time.