Aquarium

Aquarium David Vann 5/5	Published 2015 First Sentence "It was a fish so ugly it didn't seem to be a fish at all."
Publisher's Description: Twelve-year-old Caitlin lives alone with her mother—a docker at the local container port—in subsidized housing next to an airport in Seattle. Each day, while she waits to be picked up after school, Caitlin visits the local aquarium to study the fish. Gazing at the creatures within the watery depths, Caitlin accesses a shimmering universe beyond her own. When she befriends an old man at the tanks one day, who seems as enamored of the fish as she, Caitlin cracks open a dark family secret and propels her once-blissful relationship with her mother toward a precipice of terrifying consequence.
Dear Reader, I was not expecting this one to be a favorite of mine for the year. I haven't heard of David Vann before but the cover leads me to believe he is someone to know with multiple blurbs of praise. I'll have to go back and check out some of his other work. Aquarium is beautiful and tragic, a combination that always interests me. Even though that might sound like an overused phrase, this book is very unique and I really would have trouble comparing it with anything else. The most unique part about it was the beautiful images of fish, each given at the perfect point in the story with the perfect description. You know how sometimes the pictures used in books match up only "slightly" to the text? This one is a perfect match, Vann selected these pictures and must have sat down and analyzed what he thought a 12 year old girl would say about them. The Aquarium is the backdrop for a story that goes relatively deep into family strife, vulnerability and trust. The daughter has this warm relationship with her mother, very trusting (mainly because she is the only family she has). When her life opens up to the possibility of more, things become strained. The one word that came to mind throughout this book was empathy... and fairness. Caitlin's mother wants her to empathize with her so badly that she pushes her daughter away, in the meantime... she can't seem to do the same for her father. There is a vicious cycle of wants/needs and you just want to shout at everyone to "wake the F up" and smell what the other is cooking. Vann says it best with this one quote, "One life can never know another's." As poetic and beautifully written as this book was, I had a hard time in certain parts of the book (which will be left unspoken), especially when I have dealt with similar situations growing up. I was able to sympathize with Caitlin so much that I ended up hating everyone else. I'm sure most readers will agree that the likability of everyone isn't the point. Don't let that sidetrack you from the real message here... one that you'll discover when you read it. Happy Reading, AmberBug

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Little Man

Little Man Elizabeth Mann 4 / 5	Published May 16, 2014 First Sentence "At first, the hollering seemed like part of his dream."
Publisher's Description: A light-hearted tale of a boy who gains self-confidence with the help of some timely mentoring. Albert is short -- very short -- and he hates it. His older brothers are tall like his father, but he takes after his petite mother. He wears too-large hand-me-down clothes from his bigger brothers. And worst of all, his very best friend moved away to Brooklyn during the school break. It was all so unfair. Albert is beginning Middle School on Little Scrub, the small Caribbean Island where he lives. As he steps on the bus, and sees the older kids, he feels smaller than ever. They take one look at him and howl with laughter, chanting "Little Man, Little Man, you so small, didn't hardly see you at all." Things go downhill from there, and would've stayed down if it wasn't for an encounter with Peachy, the leader of a troupe of stiltwalkers. The stiltwalkers do a lot more than walk: they dance and leap across the sand on spindly eight-foot high wooden stilts, their brilliantly colored costumes shimmering in the moonlight. Peachy invites Albert to join the high school students he teaches to stiltwalk. It's not an easy decision for Albert. Would they laugh at him even harder than the Middle School kids? And he is queasy about heights. The thought of wobbling around on those skinny wooden sticks makes him woozy with fear. But Albert is won over by the thought that one day he might actually be up there, tall as a palm tree, dancing around without fear or hesitation. Besides, desperate times call for desperate measures and nobody was more desperate than Albert. Slowly, as his stiltwalking improves, Albert finds his self-confidence grows. He becomes less of a target for teasing at school and he makes some new friends.
Dear Reader, We were lucky enough to briefly meet this author during the Blogger Conference this year in New York this past May.  She seemed really enthusiastic about her new book, and I can understand why: this is her first real "baby."  All of Mann's (don't you love her aptonym for this book?!) other works were non-fiction titles about various landmarks of history.  This is her first novel, and how much she cares about her characters - particularly Albert - really shines through. It's strange, though, because we received this is a bound galley (aka an ARC) and for some reason I had been under the impression that this book wouldn't be released until August 19.  However, it turns out that it went on sale May 16, so unfortunately this is not a "preview" review for y'all.  It's just a normal one. :) It was such a great pre-teen book, though.  I can't wait until my nephew is old enough to pass it along to him; I intend to hold onto it until then.  I think it was great in the way it could appeal to young boys: there wasn't a ton of romance in it (although there was a sidebar crush), and it was a wonderful story about family, friendship, and learning how to make the best of what you've been given.  Little Man, better known as Albert, is a young Caribbean boy whose friend recently moved to New York (his father went there to teach Caribbean Studies in the United States).  So he's lost his best friend at the same time that he is about to start middle school, and is unusually short for his grade (he's also skipped a grade, which is always difficult at that age and that point of development).  He feels puny and insignificant compared to his peers around him, and that translates into unhappiness as he begins (what I believe is the equivalent of) the seventh grade.  However, he soon meets this great group of high schoolers who perform as stiltwalkers, which helps Albert to both feel like part of a community and also earn some "stature" (in more ways than one), which he feels is vital to someone who feels as short as he always does. I loved this book because of the wonderful characters that Mann creates, as well as the vivid storytelling that goes along with them.  Albert's family is made up of a solid father character, a caring mother, and two older brothers who love him despite their teasing.  The stiltwalkers (known as Moko Jumbies) according to the book, are a tradition that stretches back centuries, through Trinidad and originally Africa.  So the tradition combined with the modern take in the book blend well together.  I especially like seeing everything through the eyes of a young boy who sees it all as very exciting and feels all the potential of learning something new.  This didn't feel contrived or as if it were trying too hard; it felt like a real, believable story of a young boy trying to figure out his place in the world.  While it's not a book I would have normally sought out, I enjoyed the storytelling and the setting, and I would certainly recommend it, especially to a young boy struggling to define himself. Yours, Arianna

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Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy Karen Foxlee 4/5	Published January 28th 2014 First Sentence "In the end the Queen was nothing like she was in the stories the Marvelous Boy has been told, first as a child beside the hearth and later by the wizards."
Publisher's Description: A modern-day fairy tale set in a mysterious museum that is perfect for readers of Roald Dahl and Blue Balliett.  Unlikely heroine Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard doesn't believe in anything that can't be proven by science. She and her sister Alice are still grieving for their dead mother when their father takes a job in a strange museum in a city where it always snows. On her very first day in the museum Ophelia discovers a boy locked away in a long forgotten room. He is a prisoner of Her Majesty the Snow Queen. And he has been waiting for Ophelia's help.  As Ophelia embarks on an incredible journey to rescue the boy everything that she believes will be tested. Along the way she learns more and more about the boy's own remarkable journey to reach her and save the world.  A story within a story, this a modern day fairytale is about the power of friendship, courage and love, and never ever giving up.
Dear Reader, This is a story of magic, set in a museum with an extremely logical girl as the heroine. I loved this, I just wish I experienced it when I was 10 years old. Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy is definitely a story for the kids but still holds the charm with solid writing for any adult to read. If I had any kids, this would be on the bedside table to read at night with them. Ophelia, the main character who has just recently lost her mother to a sickness, and her sister are stuck (maybe stuck is the wrong word) in a museum with their father during the winter break. The father is working on an exhibit due to open in a few days. I don't know about you, but this would be the perfect winter break in my eyes, and I think Ophelia feels the same way despite her recent loss. Ophelia finds a boy locked in a cage within the museum who sends her to gather some keys to free him AND save the world, of course. Thus the plot develops. The Author has done an excellent job with the characters, giving each one depth that becomes very relatable to different personalities the reader may have. Ophelia is the most adorable girl, with her practical mind and smudged glasses. What better setting to drop a practical/scientific girl than a museum filled with magical things. This create a wonderful contrast and will be very exciting for a child who might dream of something like that happening to them. This almost gives a child hope that is could happen to them! I love that. One of the other things that I loved about this book was the details. Foxlee was really able to call her inner child forth while writing this. She has a wonderful way with words that will relate to the young reader. For example, during the flashbacks of Ophelia interacting with her mother, the later always takes Ophelia's glasses and cleans them on the hem of her clothes. She does this with great detail though, "She would have taken Ophelia's glasses and cleaned the smudges off them with the hem of her skirt. Ophelia would have looked at her, all blurred at the edges, and it would have been a very soothing thing." I think this is something anybody with glasses can relate to, those blurry edges left behind after an improper wipe from clothing. This is a story meant for children/pre-teens but I think even adults can appreciate this. How often are we given a modern fairy tale? Not often, and when done right... it can be magical to read. Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy is just that, a charming modern day fairy tale chock full of the good stuff. I'd be looking forward to this Author doing a follow up with a picture book, something that "classifies" the magical creatures (the way that was mentioned by Ophelia in the book). I'll be looking out for it, Karen Foxlee! Happy Reading, AmberBug

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