June 2010 Staff Book Reviews

Last Updated on Thursday, 03 June 2010 09:35

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The staff has been very busy preparing for the Summer Reading Programs, but they still found time to review some books and share them with you.  There are books about lovable and scary pets, an amazing paleontologist, an Irish town, and even a fantasy world.  These are all great books to read where ever you may find yourself this month:  in a car, at the pool, under a tent, or just your own backyard. 

My Father Knows the Names of Things by Jane Yolen; illustrated by Stephanie Jorisch
Staff Reviewer: Susan Lura, Norman Public Library

This is the story of all the things a father knows – from the names of fishes and cheeses to the seven words that all mean blue to the soap that makes you cleanest. And the best part is that he teaches all this amazing information to his child! That’s what a great dad does!

Written in verse by award-winning author Jane Yolen and illustrated with delightfully detailed pen and ink and watercolor drawings by Stephanie Jorisch, My Father Knows the Names of Things is the perfect book for every daddy and child to share on Father’s Day.

News for Dogs by Lois Duncan
Staff Reviewer: Mary Lea Wallace, Norman Public Library

In this adventure mystery sequel to Hotel for Dogs, Bruce and Andi Walker are back to rescue more dogs. This time Bruce's beloved "Red Rover" has been stolen, along with the dogs the kids featured in their Bow-Wow News, dog lovers' newspaper. The dog-nappers keep raising the price of the ransom and their threats if owners don't pay. Who would be evil and smart enough to steal pets in broad daylight and get by with it? Will Bruce and Andi find the pets in time? Who can help when they don't dare call police? Fans of award winning author Lois Duncan may enjoy the story even more when they learn that the author was just like Andi Walker at that age.

Remarkable Creatures by Chevalier, Tracy and Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World by Shelley Emling
Staff Reviewer: Cindy Stevens, Center for Readers Services

These two books are both about Mary Anning and the huge contribution she made to the world of paleontology.  Remarkable Creatures is the fictional work by Chevalier and Fossil Hunter by Shelley is nonfiction.  Remarkable Creatures is told in two voices; that of Elizabeth Philpot, a minor gentried spinster that moved to the southern coast of England and became a collector of fossils - majorly fossilized fish, and Mary Anning, the woman who grew up fossil hunting with her father and was the un-sung hero of the early age of paleontology and geology.  Chevalier writes in a spare, almost non-fiction style celebrating the remarkable women who found the fossils of remarkable creatures.  The Fossil Hunter by Shelley is a historical study of Mary Anning, her finds, contributions to the field and her relationships and interactions with her community and the scientific community that came to rely so heavily on her expertise. Shelley writes a meaty non-fiction that keeps the reader interested and turning the pages.

Mary Anning was born Mary 21, 1799, in the town of Lyme Regis on the southern coast of England (which was chartered a World Heritage Site, the Jurassic Coast, in 2001.)  Her father was a carpenter, but mostly supported his family by finding fossils which he sold to tourists.  Mary accompanied him on his fossil finding expeditions and was know the "have an eye" for finding "curries".  Lyme Regis had become a popular tourist destination and fossil hunting was in vogue.   Mary's finds include the first ichthyosarus, first  Plesiosaur, first Pterosaur and several other small invertebrates.  She assisted all of the major scientists of the day, actually finding the fossils that they later claimed and named, and by collaborating on observations such as the nature of Coprolites (which had been know as "bezoar stones".)

These were very interesting reads with compelling personalities and fascinating history and science.  It was extremely interesting to realize that the religious implications of finding fossils of animals that had not been accounted for in the bible was of huge consequence to both sciences, paleontology and geography.  Many of the early scientists were also clergy and both books highlight the tension between the religious and scientific.  Mary Anning is believed to be the inspiration for the old tongue twister "She sells seashells on the seashore".  Many of her finds are on display at the Natural History Museum, London.  There are also the Philpot Museum and the Lyme Regis Museum in Lyme Regis, England.

So if you like plucky women, science, dinosaurs, religion, history, and friendship I think these books will scratch your literary itch.

The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes
Staff Reviewer: Susan Gregory, Pioneer Library System

Sometimes you just want a happy ending.  When the evening news is too much to bear, it's fun to have a book on hand that will sweep you into someone else's world, a world that's fascinating in its problems but whose problems will be solved.  Marian Keyes, a gifted Irish writer, is able to spin stories of everyday people whose lives intersect and overlap with the same humor and compassion as Maeve Binchy.  Keyes is like Nora Roberts on a good day: she writes chick lit with an edge.

The residents of the townhouse on Star Street, Dublin, are about to be visited by a spirit. The spirit weaves in and out of the flats of Jemima, an elderly psychic; Kate, the overwhelmed babysitter of rock bands; Maeve and Matt, a young couple with a tragic secret; and Lydia, the caustic cabdriver whose sarcasm hides loneliness and a sad dilemma with her mum.  There are also colorful temporary residents, like the Polish roommate who alternately despises and lusts after Lydia, and the extraordinarily beautiful but narcissistic gardener, Fionn.

Using the spirit to follow the lives of each tenant, Keyes keeps the reader engaged until the end of her story, which is satisfying but hardly saccharine.  Keyes is known for addressing serious social topics in her books and this one is no exception.  In her afterword, she takes pains to thank the staff of the Dublin Rape Crisis Center.

This book is recommended for the reader who loves Irish wit, clever humor and isn't in the mood to solve the world's problems.

Ghost Cats of the South by Randy Russell
Staff Reviewer: Jenny Foster Stenis, Center for Children's Services

Here Kitty, Kitty . . . . AHHHH sweet and cuddly stories about cats . . . in your dreams!  "Ghostlorist" Randy Russell's book tells a few tall tales about ghost cats.  Some tales are sweet such as the one about the cat that smelled like chicken soup or horrifying like Bump Head's Cat - the witch's cat that steals people's eyes.

My favorite was Cat Shine.  Gedde Hahn hates everyone except his cat General Lee.  When Gedde gets into the moonshine business, Lee becomes the  guard of Gedde's still.  One night Lee falls into the moonshine - so able to make lemons out of lemonade, Gedde capitalizes on his "cat shine" and makes a set of special jugs with cat's whiskers on them and they sell like hotcakes.  Gedde sells everyone of the jugs with cat shine, for when you pull out the plug it says 'meow'!

Delightfully entertaining, you will be able to find a cat that you would like to haunt your house in Ghost Cats of the South.  There is also Ghost Dogs of the South, equally entertaining I'm sure.

The Naming: the first book of Pellinor by Alison Croggon
Staff Reviewer: Cindy Stevens, Center for Reader's Services

The first in the Pellinor saga, of which there are four books, Maerad is saved from her plight as a slave and thrown directly into a world of magic and a quest to save her world from the evil that is creeping closer and closer.  This young adult fantasy has all the makings of a great read: Maerad, a humble, orphaned heroine with impossibly potent powers, and Cadvan, the wise, yet enigmatic mentor, Pellinor, a land with a rich culture and vibrant personalities all of whom are in great peril from The Nameless One.

Written like a non-fiction epic history, the books come with appendices, pronunciation guides and an invented bibliography of her sources. At first I was confused and thought Pellinor was a "real" place.  It wasn't long before Pellinor became "real" to me!  Croggan crafts a wonderful quest that keeps the reader turning the pages.  Friendships are formed, friendships are betrayed and the reader is taken on a wild ride through dangers and delights.

I loved these books!  The best part of the read is that all four books are published!  You don't have to wait to continue the story, so check out The Naming, The Riddle, The Crow and The Singing by Allison Croggon.