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Famous for Thirty Seconds by P.G. Kain

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Twelve-year-old Brittany Rush is the toast of the commercial and print advertising scene. Ever since she was a gurgling baby and was discovered to become the face of Good Baby formula, she hasn’t known a life where her face hasn’t graced television screens, magazine pages, or massive displays in fast food restaurants. Other girls cower when she walks into auditions and her prestigious agent practically worships the ground she walks on. To Brittany, life is lights, makeup, and pretense. And she loves every minute of it. But when her mother, a journalist, is transferred to Hong Kong for a year, Brittany has no choice but to leave the world she loves. At least she’s content in the knowledge that it’s just a year. A year can’t change much, can’t alter her status and fame. Right? Wrong. Because when Brittany returns to New York, her agent tells her that everything has changed. Being thirteen is way different than being twelve, and Phoebe, a girl who previously couldn’t even remember her lines, is now booking jobs left and right. Brittany is left in the dust, relegated to “friend” status while Phoebe shines in the limelight. But Brittany soon has a plan to bring Phoebe down. But will her guilt–and a burgeoning interest in both Phoebe’s brother Liam and a new art class–get in the way of the career she yearns to regain?

Famous for Thirty Seconds, the first book in P.G. Kain’s new Commercial Breaks series, was a cute, fun, fast read that, while quite predictable, still managed to hold my attention. Brittany’s determined, bubbly personality will appeal to many readers. and I was quite surprised to discover that P.G. Kain is a male, as the female voice is quite realistic. The behind-the-scene details of the world of commercial and print casting were fascinating and detailed, and you can tell that the author has experience in the field. In fact, a lot of these inside details reminded me a lot of Jen Calonita’s Secrets of My Hollywood Life series, if with a younger tone here.
However, something about Brittany’s character rubbed me the wrong way. While her transformation from a determined career girl to a more well-adapted and well-rounded tween was the point of the story, this transformation almost seemed too rushed, the conclusion too sudden and pat. Similarly, her “before” side often seemed too ruthless and determined, almost to the detriment of the character’s likability.
Nevertheless, I definitely enjoyed this one, and my middle school self would have gobbled up the glamorous details of Brittany’s life. Hand this off to fans of Lauren Barnholdt’s middle grade books. I can also see fans of Lisa Yee and of Lauren Myracle’s middle grade books liking this one.
Disclosure: Copy received from the author for review.

Guest Review: Paul Stenis on The Fourth Stall, Part II

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Last year, Paul Stenis — a fellow Texas library school alum and kid lit writer — stopped by to write up a review of Chris Rylander’s middle grade novel The Fourth Stall. When we were asked if we’d be interested in reviewing the sequel, of course we had to go back to Paul and ask if he’d offer up his thoughts. He agreed! Without further ado, we welcome Paul back to talk about The Fourth Stall, Part II.

Chris Rylander’s sequel to The Fourth Stall, the aptly titled The Fourth Stall Part II, is a worthy successor to the original. Young readers again hang out in the head of Christian “Mac” Barrett, wily sixth grader, expert problem solver, and comic genius. This time Mac faces problems with more severe consequences, but the sense of humor is the same.

The novel opens when Trixie Von Parkway, a pretty, sharp-witted eighth-grade girl marches into Mac’s office in the fourth stall of the abandoned school bathroom. Not only is she demanding and kind of mean, she has a pretty big problem. One of the new teachers, Mr. Kjelson, always chews her out and gives her detention for no reason, and Trixie wants it to stop. Mac and Vince agree to take the case only to learn that 1) Mr. Kjelson is beloved to his students, 2) he loves their favorite baseball team, the Chicago Cubs, and 3) he coaches the school baseball team. The very same baseball team that Mac and Vince are trying out for.

If that weren’t enough, a new school administrator gets wind of Mac’s business and makes it his personal mission to take it down. Trixie’s stories no longer seem to add up, even as Mac and Vince find themselves competing for her attention. Could a dame like her come between our favorite pair of die- hard Cubs fans?

I found this review difficult to write because this book is so similar to its predecessor. Because of that, rather than in spite of it, I enjoyed this book just as much. I imagine that other readers will agree that the central joke—a sixth grader in a Godfather-type role, speaking with a Godfather-like voice doesn’t wear thin. Rather than returning to the well for the same jokes, Rylander grounds his humor in fresh situations, and that keeps both Mac and the reader on their toes.

If I have a complaint, it’s that Mac makes a poor decision in this book, a decision that leads to consequences that could have been more fully explored. I’m being vague to avoid spoilers, yes, but I think any discerning reader will do a double take and think, “Wait a minute. Mac wouldn’t do that.” It’s one of the only times in either book that Mac makes a mistake, so it feels like a missed opportunity when he’s let off the hook with only a few harsh words. On the other hand, maybe we’re seeing a new side to Mac’s personality—a side that Rylander can explore in a third installment. I hope so.

Review copy received from the publisher. The Fourth Stall: Part II is available now!

May B by Caroline Starr Rose

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It’s the late 1800s on the east Kansas prairie. Times are tough, and May B’s parents need money. Their plan is to send their daughter to work at a homestead 15 miles away. They’ll make a little money, and it’ll teach May B the value of hard work. She’s 12 and young to move away from home, but at this time and in this place, it wasn’t entirely uncommon for these things to happen. She packs a few pairs of clothes, along with her Reader, for the stay. She doesn’t need much else, since she’ll have a roof over her head and food in her stomach — food she’ll make.

May isn’t thrilled with the family she’s working for — Mrs. Oblinger is cold toward her, often giving her the side eye for choosing to work through her Reader rather than find some household task to complete, and Mr. Oblinger isn’t really around enough. Oh, and the house? It’s hardly a house. It needs a lot of work. To say the living conditions for May here are nothing like they were at home would be an understatement.

During one afternoon, Mrs. Oblinger confesses to May B that she hates her life here on the prairie. She left a bigger place to be with her husband, and she would like nothing more than to get away. It takes nearly no time for her to act upon this either, and it’s within pages that May went from being the help in the house to being the only person in the house. The Oblingers abandon her completely — and without giving her any idea of when or if they plan on coming back.

Now, she’s on her own, and home is a long 15 miles away.

May B is a fast-paced middle grade novel written in verse. The setting in this story plays as much a huge role as do the characters. This is partially because the only character we really get to know in the story is May. May’s a strong character, and she’s thrown into a crummy situation. She’s lonely when she begins her job with the Oblingers, but she becomes truly lonely when she’s abandoned at their home. She knows now she has to fend for herself and figure out how to live in this place alone. There’s not only the fact seasons are changing and winter’s knocking at the door, but she’s running out of food and there are the beasts of nature with which to contend. Before snow falls, May tries to make a run for it back home, knowing that while 15 miles is a long way, it’d be worth it. But she stops herself. She goes back to the Oblinger’s home and lets winter take over.

Something I didn’t mention is that May B’s real name is Mavis Elizabeth Betterly. And the reason she brings her Reader with her to the Oblinger house is because she wants to be a teacher. But to be a teacher, she has to overcome her learning disability: dyslexia. This isn’t something we know about her right away as readers. We know she wants to be a teacher and she wants to be a better reader. It’s not until the winter really descends and May is completely alone that she offers us the insight into her personal struggle with reading. We see it in spurts, but it’s when May owns it that we understand the full depths of her character. Her isolation is much greater than being at the Oblinger’s home on the prairie without her family.

Rose is very smart in the execution of May B because of this — it would be easy to build sympathy for May because of her learning disability. The thing is, we build that sympathy well before we’re in the know. We get it when we see her being shipped away from home for a few dollars, and we get it again when Mrs. Oblinger treats her poorly, and we get it again when she’s completely abandoned. She’s been given up over and over. Then we reach the moments of flashback when her teacher has given up on her, and when May hits her lowest point in the winter, she lets us in on this secret. We’re not sorry for her because of this; we want her to get better and fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher.

I’m a fan of verse novels, even though I usually find them problematic. Rose uses the format exceptionally well, though. The sparseness in the writing translates further into the sparseness of the Kansas landscape and into May herself. This is the way May thinks. Her language is rich and picturesque, as well, without diverging into the literary. It’s important to note that because it’s May’s voice, and it rings true to a 12-year-old, particularly one who struggles herself with reading.

Though I liked the novel, I wanted a little bit more. At times, it felt like May got through things a little bit too easily, particularly at the very end of the story. While this feels right for the middle grade readership, it could have been pushed even further. I also hoped to get a little bit more of Mr. Oblinger, since it’s ultimately his actions that leave May B alone in his house.

It’s worthwhile to read the author’s note at the end of the book, as Rose talks about her inspirations. In it, she discusses her love of Little House on the Prairie and I think that this book would appeal to that readership. Your middle grade historical fiction readers will eat this one up. I’d be comfortable handing this one off to the tween readers easily, as there’s nothing content wise to be worried about, and the strong female lead will strike the right notes with many readers. It’d be a nice stepping stone to books like The Year We Were Famous by Carole Estby Dagg and Kirby Larson’s Hattie Big Sky. This is an impressive debut and I’m eager to see where Rose goes next — my fingers are crossed for another historical novel, since she’s got a knack here.

Review copy received from the publisher. May B is available now.

The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan

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I realize I’m a bit late to the party with this one. I always intended to read it, and then oh look, it’s three years after it was published and I still hadn’t picked it up. I rectified that problem this evening, and I’m glad I did.
It’s Kansas during the dust bowl. Jack is eleven years old and lives on what used to be a prosperous farm. Since the rain stopped, though, the farm has stopped as well, and Jack feels useless. He’s also being bullied and his older sister is sick with pneumonia. One day, he spots a strange shape in an abandoned barn near his home. He initially ignores it, but he eventually investigates…and what he finds there has huge ramifications for the whole town and Jack’s own sense of self.
There’s a big emphasis on storytelling here, which I dig. At the local store, Ernie tells Jack stories about the King of the West Wind, the King of the Blizzards, the King of the Northeast Winds, and so on. These folktales are then reflected in Jack’s own adventures facing off against the being in the barn.
Part of the reason I never actually sat down to read the book is because the art did not speak to me initially. I’m not normally a fan of the kind of art found here: sketchy, with loose lines and washed out colors. For this story, though, it works. In Jack’s world, the dust and wind have invaded everything, so it’s fitting that even the people look a bit swept away. Phelan is also great at creating facial expressions with some very simple lines – with just a small curve, he can show frustration or happiness or anything else necessary to the story.
I think it’s important to note that The Storm in the Barn has more wordless frames than you normally find in a graphic novel. I struggle most with wordless panels, and at times I found it a little hard to follow. Due to the sketchiness of the art, a lot of the figures kind of melted together and it was difficult to tell what was really going on. This was particularly true during some of the scenes in the barn where Jack fights the being there.
The book hasn’t seen huge circulation at my library. I’m not really surprised. Most (note most, not all) kids that are drawn to graphic novels at my library like the ones that are cute or funny or exciting or gross (or all of the above). The Storm in the Barn isn’t any of those, but it will hold appeal for kids who like their stories a bit quieter. For fans of historical fiction, it’s dynamite. The historical setting doesn’t overwhelm the story. Instead, it enhances it, letting the plot and characters shine. Historical fiction is a big awards darling with less popular appeal, but there will always be the kids who dig it. (I was one.) Hand them this one.
Bonus: Jack’s older sister read Ozma of Oz while she’s sick in bed. She relates a lot of that story to what she sees going on around her, which is great, but what’s even better is that Phelan has brought some attention to a lesser-known Oz book.

Mini-Reviews: A few of my recent reads

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A few of my recent reads, mini-review style:

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan: No one can deny that Rick Riordan can write. His scenes are humorous, his characters are vivid and flawed, and his research is impeccable. This book even featured the return of Percy Jackson, who finds himself at Camp Jupiter, Camp Half-Blood’s Roman counterpart, strangely without his memory. However, this book just seemed a bit too slow and bloated for me–too long by about 100 pages.

Habibi by Craig Thompson: A gorgeous melding of illustration, story, history, religion, identity, guilt, repentance, and love. Two refugee slaves are separated, then find their way back together, navigating their unique relationship in a world of corruption, desperation, and poverty. Stunning illustrations and a multi-layered tale. I’m looking forward to picking up Thompson’s Blankets soon.

Circle of Fire by Michelle Zink: A lush, beautifully written conclusion to the Prophecy of the Sisters trilogy. Zink has the ability to make both the assumed villains and the supposed heroes multi-layered, and her depiction of the Lia/Alice relationship is brought to a satisfying close. Zink’s prose is gorgeous and her words truly evoke the novel’s Gothic setting.

White Cat by Holly Black (narrated by Jesse Eisenberg): I first picked this up in print last year and couldn’t get into it. Yet Jesse Eisenberg’s narration truly pulled me into this original story of Cassel Sharpe, teenage con-man and the only member of his family who isn’t a curseworker (persecuted and feared members of society who can alter your emotions, luck, or even form with a single touch). Yet he does suffer from the guilt of knowing that he killed his childhood best friend, Lila. He can’t remember anything about the murder, but just recalls looking down at her body, at the blood. But when a white cat shows up, Cassel starts to suspect that he is part of something bigger than himself—that he is the one being conned. Eisenberg’s voice is the perfect mixture of knowing, awkward, and sheepish, and Black’s plot is original and inventive, with plenty of memorable characters, twists, and turns.