ISBN: 9781416928157
I purchased this book.
Howliday Inn is the second book in the Bunnicula series. Our favorite vampire bunny is missing in this one, as the Monroes are on vacation and four-legged detectives Harold and Chester are being boarded at Chateau Bow Wow, a facility that seems to be cursed or haunted as the occupants begin to disappear.
Not-terribly-bright, but lovable Harold suspects murder. Clever, but overly paranoid Chester suspects werewolves. Then tragedy strikes, leaving Harold alone to try to stop what’s going on (but he has to figure that out first).
The first book in series had a camp-horror feel, but this one is heavily mystery. The goofiness of Harold blunts any potential darkness in the book, but might be distracting for kids used to savvy, smart leads. With crazy characters, a twist ending and a real bad guy, Howliday Inn is good for budding mystery lovers and pet lovers.
ISBN: 9780375814242
I bought this book.
Dahl’s name on a book, to me, is synonymous with a wild ride. James and the Giant Peach is quite possibly his craziest book (that I’ve read) so far.
Dahl’s penchant for abused children facing down a cruel world sets the scene, with James Henry Trotter (whose parents were gobbled up by a rhinoceros) living a lonely, miserable life in the cruel care of his aunts Spiker and Sponge (who are, of course, truly horrible people, even for Dahl’s worlds). Then one day a strange man appears and gives James magical green things, telling him to brew them into a tea and drink them and marvelous things will happen.
Parents will be close to screaming at this point, both because of the blatant abuse of the lead character and the danger of eating things strangers (and this man is indeed VERY strange) offer. Consider it an opportunity to have a talk or two about the serious subjects with your kids.
James accidentally trips and loses the green magical things, which burrow into the ground and instead work their magic on the few occupants of the horrible aunts’ pitiful garden. The strange man was right, though, and the peach tree somehow surviving in such a horrible place, grows a gigantic peach that serves as boat, meal and almost a secondary character in James’ voyage to freedom.
James and the Giant Peach is quite “out there”. In fact between giant bugs, sheer strangeness and outlandish extremism (and cloud people) James and the Giant Peach could fit into the bizarro genre, if it was commonly aimed at children readers.
There is some issue with language (“ass” is used several times) and the level of abuse James suffers that makes this book not for all families. But the underlying theme is one of taking your life into your own hands and choosing your own actions rather than letting the actions of others force you into things.
Dahl’s books might be of particular value to families and children struggling to cope with real life abuse and pain, as every story I’ve read so far has pit a mostly helpless child against forces entirely out of their control, and yet through thoughtfulness and great-heartedness wonderful things come to those who choose to live beyond the harshness of the world. Like many children found solace in the Harry Potter series after the death of a parent, some might also find solace and aid in coping from Dahl’s dark, but triumphant tales of recovery.
2
Nov
ISBN: 0142402532
I purchased this book.
Matilda is the classic story of an incredible smart little girl who develops telekinesis and uses it, not to improve her own horrible home life, but to help others. Don’t know it? Perhaps you should.
The differences between the book and movie versions are minute, but present. The movie is more Americanized and the story is smoother, but it lacks one of the books very strong points—a higher level of vocabulary.
In Matilda Dahl (also the author of The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches and James and Giant Peach) presents his typical style, pitting a child against horrible adults who actively hate or seek to do the child harm. The title character lives in a home that not only doesn’t appreciate her high level of intelligence, but ridicules it because her family is intimidated and scared by it. Matilda’s family is emotionally abusive and neglectful, which some parents would seek to avoid, but I find an honest approach to life. Dahl’s books don’t treat children like they can’t handle the darker side of things. Dahl doesn’t ignore that there are some pretty crappy people out there, and sometimes they happen to have kids.
Dahl, unlike a lot of authors, presents childhood as a battlefield. However not all children are perfect angels (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is an example here), and not all adults are horrendous bullies. In Matilda her family may be part of the problem, but she finds an ally in her teacher, Miss Honey, who is a survivor of a bullied childhood.
Through the book we learn not about revenge on bad people, or being nice despite being bullied and neglected, Dahl teaches kids to recognize and treasure the good parts of life, without letting the bad parts define themselves, or their experience.
Also a smart part of this book is the accelerated vocabulary, which again, shows that Dahl distinctly decides not to treat children as incapable or juvenile. Because of the number of big words, all used in a context that makes them easy to understand, this book is best read as a collaborative effort between an adult and child, unless an child closer to teendom is the reader.
I highly recommend Matilda on every level, especially because in the realm of fiction girls are often sentenced to be side kicks and creatures of first crushes, but Matilda is a strong, independent, intelligent girl who solves problems on her own. Matilda is the precursor to the more recent Coraline, with less a less scary and a more over the top spin.
Reviewed for MonsterLibrarian.com
In the vein of “The Goonies” and There’s a Batwing in My Lunchbox by Ann Hodgeman comes Monster Moon: Curse at Zala Manor, the tale of AJ and Emily, two friends who get caught up in a centuries old pirate curse cast on AJ’s family line. This book has it all- secret tunnels and talking animals, mad science and real monsters. This is the perfect Halloween themed book for in class reading in elementary schools and early middle schools. Equal parts scary, mysterious, gross and silly, it’s pure fun. It’s definitely recommended for all collections aimed at fostering a love of reading.
8
Sep
ISBN: 9780061649691
Coraline Jones, ignored, unappreciated and outright bored, lives in a house with a crazy old man who trains rats in the flat above her, and a pair of retired actresses and their dog in the flat below her. In her flat there is a most wondrous door, which leads to nowhere, except at night, when it leads to a whole other world built just for her.
By now between the book and the movie, you’ve probably heard of it, if not seen or read it. But for those who haven’t met Coraline and her creepy, button-eyed other mother there’s a few things they should know.
Coraline isn’t Gaiman’s best work, or the prettiest as far as story or prose goes. What it is is incredibly imaginative and unlike any other scary kids book out there. The stand out element isn’t the true bizarreness, but Coraline herself, strong, courageous and most importantly a very smart little girl.
This book is as much about how a child deals with the bad things in life as it is about parental abandonment or the scary things that go bump in the night. Like the Harry Potter series faces themes of losing the people you love, Coraline contains a subtle, encouraging message about being strong, fierce and bringing your own bravery into all the challenges you face.
For this reason alone it’s a must-have addition to any child or child-oriented library. The other elements just add to the experience, making Coraline a potential children’s classic for years to come.
Click to buy
A lush, nearly decadent book, A Practical Guide to Faeries is exactly what it advertises, a guide to finding, dealing with and surviving faeries. With beautiful art on every page, along with textured spots and even recipes, it teases every sense, pulling children (and adults) into the world of the Feywild. This book is high fantasy, but doesn’t forget the darker side of fae…Full review at Monster Librarian.