|
August
2001 Vol.2 Issue 8
This
month's book reviews
A
book by a local author about a
legendary 16th century African heroine
Patricia McKissack
is a nationally renowned author of children's books. One of
her more recent publications is a title in a series of historical
books for children called the "The Royal Diaries,"
which feature fictional diaries based on events in famous
women's lives when these figures were teenagers. "Nzingha,
Warrior Queen of Matamba" tells the story of a young
girl who rose to become the Queen of those in her nation who
resisted the colonial invasion of Portugal in that southwest
African nation now called Angola.
Nzingha was unusual
in her time because she learned to use weapons like a man
and secretly learned Portuguese from a missionary priest.
As the assertive daughter of an African king, she became a
powerful political figure in her own right. Angola is directly
across the Atlantic Ocean from Brazil, which was also exploited
by Portugal. Portuguese slave traders engaged in capturing
Africans from the west coastal area and shipping them directly
to Brazil to work the fields in that country.
Nzingha resisted
Portuguese colonial expansion and fought the slave trade rather
than profit from it like some African leaders, who exploited
their own people. As a result, she became a legendary figure
in Africa, as well as among the slaves in both North and South
America. The story of her life is good reading for both boys
and girls, whatever their racial background.
- Buy this book
from
Can
a book supposedly written at a third grade reading level crack-up
an adult?
I've been doing
these kids' book reviews for over a year now. This little
paperback is the first one that had me laughing out loud repeatedly
while reading it. As a kid, I grew up reading Superman, Captain
Marvel, and Batman comic books. MAXimum boy, the hero of "The
Hijacking of Manhattan," is the most hilarious superhero
I've run across.
Among other things,
MAXimum Boy, as a superhero, gets to go to a meeting of the
League of Superheroes. He is disappointed to find out that
Spider Man has sticky hands, Superman has super bad breath,
and Captain Marvel smelled like he hadn't showered in over
a month. Wonder Woman was okay but she gossiped too much.
He really didn't think superheroes were supposed to brag like
these older guys did, so he quit going to the meetings.
When the President
of the United States noticed the spaghetti sauce stains on
Max's costume, the President suggested that he "shout
it out." Max asked if that meant that he should hang
it up and "scream at it."
Anyway, your kids
ought to appreciate the humor. There is plenty of opportunity
to talk about farce and satire. You might want to read it
yourself, just for fun. And remember, the publisher says it's
only third grade reading level. And that's not supposed to
be one of the jokes.
- Buy this book
from
A
kids' book with a fascinating gimmick
"River of
No Return" is just one title in a series of books called
the "Choose Your Own Adventure" series. The gimmick
involves the inserting of choice points in the plot as the
story unfolds. The young reader can pick from two or three
choices and be directed to pages in the book that are consistent
with the choice he or she picks. Each choice leads to a different
set of next steps in the plot. Naturally, the young reader
usually is confronted with choosing a resolution to some dangerous
dilemma. Often, it appears that a wrong choice could lead
to disaster.
"River of
No Return" involves river rafting on a white water river
in Montana. The main character is a youth who is embarking
on this trip with people who are older than he is. As is often
the case in kids' books, the young hero or heroine is called
on to make decisions when surrounding adults cannot or will
not make them.
The publisher
reports a fourth grade reading level. Note that there are
numerous books that have been published over recent years
in this same series. They all make use of the same choice-point
device.
- Buy this book
from
Another
wholesome series
for middle grade girls
The Magic Attic
series is one that has stood the test of time. "Trapped
Beyond the Magic Attic" is just one title in a series
that now has over two dozen titles in it. The popularity of
the books is related to the way time travel has appealed to
readers, kids and adults, for decades. In this story, the
time travel provides a core around which to deal with the
social relationships young girls can get involved in at school,
issues of ethnicity, the role that computer literacy can play
in today's world, and even some history background. There
is a somewhat mysterious adult mentor provided in the role
of the owner of the old Victorian House in which the girls
find the magic mirror.
The paperbacks
are easy to read and colorfully illustrated. This might offer
another way to get a daughter involved in recreational reading
- reading that has some redeeming social value.
- Buy this book
from
|
