Gorgonzola the triceratops is a real stinky-saurus! Apparently, as an orphan he has never been taught about good hygiene. So the book presents our hero.
This book gets a mixed review. My son is drawn to all things dinosaur right now and so that aspect of the book is compelling as are the vivid and interesting illustrations. I think this book would really work best, though, not for dinosaur lovers alone, but for dinosaur lovers who also never want to bathe or brush his or her teeth! Since Ty loves both tasks, the content of this book was lost as it wasn’t really a dinosaur book.
Gorgonzola learns to brush his teeth and scrub his body while his bird-friend shouts instructions like: “And don’t forget to floss”, “Don’t just splash. You gotta scrub, boy!” and my favorite, “Remember the tail, buddy” At the end when he is finally clean, he is also finally accepted by his dinosaur friends and is declared “Ex-Stink”!
My biggest complaint, actually, is Gorgonzola’s bird friend who calls our stinky hero names like “big baby” and “primo stinko”. He also cracks jokes that just are not funny and are at the expense of Gorgonzola, “You could petrify a rock with that prehistoric aroma of yours”. The bird is suppose to be helpful, but he doesn’t act compassionate or kind – that bugs me. The bird seems to use humiliation to motivate Gorgonzola and holds out the promise that only when he is clean will Gorgonzola be included in the bird’s group of friend.
Overall the book just didn’t feel that original or special to me. I actually had the thought as I was reading it that I should write a children’s book since the publishing standards were not too steep… ouch! But, I will say this. You may want to check it out if you have a kiddo that hates baths and maintaining his or her good hygiene – just keep the cheeky bird in mind.
Since my post at Me Ra Koh has been re-scheduled to Monday, I am tossing up this book review for today! Enjoy!
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Toby has found a lump in his side. But this time, he is not going to tell his parents. This time, he is going to be in charge…
not the cancer.
So, he goes out each day of his vacaton on his bike in spite of his parent’s protests and worries. One day on his ride, he sees a too-skinny cow and in concern for this cow’s well-being approaches the owner. This is when he meets 91-year-old Pearl, a poet and a farmer.
Toby is tired of fighting his parents and his cancer and retreats into his morning interludes with 91-year-old Pearl. Pearl is tired of fighting her daughters for her freedom. Together they rediscover their “warrior self” and make some needed changes. This is a quick read – only 116 pages – and errs on the side of simplicity as it revolves around the themes of “standing up” and “friendships” and “freedom”.
But the characters still ring true. A very quaint story that I recommend to anyone 10 years old and older. But, have one tissue ready, because you may need it.
In an instant everyone over the age of 14 disappears. Poof. Gone.
And there is a border… a wall… or maybe a dome that surrounds the town of Perdido Beach, CA. A barrier that no one can break through.
And (as if all of that wasn’t enough) the animals are morphing, evolving. And so are the kids. Developing supernatural powers.
In the vein of The Lord of the Flies the kids don’t all agree on how to survive, who should be in charge, and what they should do to keep order. The bully from the private school, Caine (aptly named, by the way), soon takes over and rules without mercy due to his developing powers. Sam also develops powers, but is reluctant to step up and lead — even though he is morally and ethically the “good” guy in the story. It really gets eerie when the local coyotes start organizing, talking, and then stalking the kids.
As a mom this book scared me to death. To think that 13 year olds would be in charge of everyone and everything was powerfully disturbing. And the author stays pretty authentic to how this might play out. Cars crash when the driver disappears, gas stoves ignite fires in homes, children cry for their parents. It takes the kids a long time to get organized, the candy is eaten first, and they forget to check on the babies…. with tragic results.
Because of the gruesome and also the very scary encounters in this book, I would recommend this for older teens or maybe younger teens who can handle Stephen King-esque storytelling. However, there is a bit of a disconnect because older teens may not be as interested in a book about 13 year olds, but I think the book will still hold their attention as the book is very gripping and hard to put down, if for no other reason than the original and terrifying paradigm of the story. I have heard some say that it slows down too much in parts. But as the first book in a trilogy, I am a bit forgiving as the author sets up the round characters and allows the story to pace itself. If you or your kids liked Hunger Games, you’ll probably like this one, too.
Maximum Ride, or Max, is the leader of her “flock.” A group of 6 genetically altered children who have avian DNA and can fly…with wings. They have escaped the school (the euphemism for the research lab they grew up in) and are out in the world on their own, trying to find their parents, stay alive, and avoid the Erasers (another set of genetically altered kids that resemble wolves) who are tracking them down.
I had no intention of liking these books. None. But because I like to keep up and read alongside what my kids are reading, I went ahead and dove into this one. And, frankly, it hooked me. So much so that I finished the whole series in a little less than two weeks.
I really had to get used to James Patterson’s way of writing. He rights in quick sentences, no fluff, not a lot of detail. And because this book is told in 1st person from the perspective of a 14 year old girl, he writes in the vernacular and jargon of a sassy teen. And Max often talks right to the reader. Sometimes I feel like Patterson nails the voice of a 14 year old girl — just gets right in that sweet spot with the cadence and the language. And at other times, the voice is painfully not the voice of a teenager; it almost yells to the reader “middle age white guy trying to sound like a teenage girl.” During these passages, well, lets just say some of them are cringe-worthy. Especially when Patterson — through the voice of Max — gets preachy about responsibility and global warming (yes, you read that correctly, there is a anti-global warming thread throughout this series…).
But if you can put all that aside and read on, you have yourself a solid story that winds up to be compelling, interesting, and a fun read. Teenagers will love it (mine sure did). I even think this one would grab the attention of teenage boys, even though it is told from the point of view of a female. The story spins from one intense moment to the next and the characters are easy to care about.
I recommend this book series for boys and girls age 11 and older.
