Book review: Ms. Gloria Steinem: A Life, by Winifred Conkling

Conkling, Winifred. Ms. Gloria Steinem: A Life. Feiwel and Friends, 2020. 311p. $19.99. ISBN 978-1-250-24457-4. Ages 12+. P5Q9

And what a life it has been! From a life of childhood poverty and deprivation while caring for her mentally ill mother after her parents’ divorce, the jewel of American feminism, now 87 years old, went from a model and freelance writer through changing the lives of women in the United States, even earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The theme of marriage pervades this biography beginning in the first chapter when the 22-year-old contemplated marriage to a man seven years older. Her decision against it after long thought gave her the opportunity to form her own life as she wanted. Considering herself a “humanist” rather than a “feminist” until she was 34, she came to realize an oppression because of her gender, an understanding that led to her co-founding Ms. Magazine which has endured for almost 50 years.

Verdict: Complaints from Steinem aficionados might focus on the lack of depth, but those less familiar with Steinem will benefit from this overview of an icon in U.S. culture as well as gain an understanding of changes in social justice and intersectionality during her lifetime. Many of these shifts came from Steinem’s work. Back material includes a timeline of her life and the nation’s feminist events, a “Who’s Who,” source notes, bibliography, and an index. An excellent window for young people into the privileges they have compared to their mothers and grandmothers.

Informational books, 2020-2021, review by Nel Ward.

Book review: Mixed Me! by Taye Diggs, illustrated by Shane W. Evans

Diggs, Taye. Mixed Me! Illustrated by Shane W. Evans. Feiwel and Friends, 2015. Unpaged. $17.99. ISBN 978-1250-04719-9. Ages 4 and up. P8Q8

Mike has amazing hair. He is a part of each parent, but he finds he has to answer a lot of questions about being a product of two parents who don’t look the same. Mike leads us through his story with color and energy to show how he is just right the way he is.

VERDICT: This story is full of energy and colorful illustrations. It also, more importantly, handles an important issue with a great positive message. The author is a famous actor, and he has paired with a perfect illustrator for this lesson.

December 2021 review by Lynne Wright.

Book review: Tell Me How You Really Feel, by Aminah Mae Safi

Safi, Aminah Mae. Tell Me How You Really Feel. Feiwel & Friends, 2019. $17.99. 312p. ISBN 978-1-250-29948-2. Ages 13+. P8Q9

Cheerleader Sana’s first experience in asking a girl for a date was so disastrous that she never did it again—until the object of her affections needed help with her senior film project. Rachel had thought that Sana was pulling joke on her and sneered at her for three years, but Sana was perfect for the lead in the project. South Asian–Persian Muslim Sana is an advantaged out lesbian whose mother is a film producer, and Jewish-Mexican Rachel is a poor scholarship student who lives with her father after her mother deserts the family. Alternating viewpoints between two teenagers, show their frustrations in an unlikely romance as each girl tries to preserve her distance from the other despite their strong feelings.

Verdict: In a blend of humor and tension, Safi provides great tension between two highly nuanced and realistic characters.

May 2020 review by Nel Ward.

Book review: Tell Me How You Really Feel, by Aminah Mae Safi

Safi, Aminah Mae. Tell Me How You Really Feel. Feiwel & Friends, 2019. $17.99. 312p. ISBN 978-1-250-29948-2. Ages 13+. P8Q9

Cheerleader Sana’s first experience in asking a girl for a date was so disastrous that she never did it again—until the object of her affections needed help with her senior film project. Rachel had thought that Sana was pulling joke on her and sneered at her for three years, but Sana was perfect for the lead in the project. South Asian–Persian Muslim Sana is an advantaged out lesbian whose mother is a film producer, and Jewish-Mexican Rachel is a poor scholarship student who lives with her father after her mother deserts the family. Alternating viewpoints between two teenagers, show their frustrations in an unlikely romance as each girl tries to preserve her distance from the other despite their strong feelings.

Verdict: In a blend of humor and tension, Safi provides great tension between two highly nuanced and realistic characters.

May 2020 review by Nel Ward.

Book review: The Day the World Stopped Turning, by Michael Morpurgo

Morpurgo, Michael. The Day the World Stopped Turning. Feiwel & Friends, 2019. $16.99. 284p. ISBN 9781250107084.  Ages 11-14. P7Q9

Set in a framework of man remembering a story he heard when he was 18 and searching for his way on a visit from his English home to France, the novel is largely the story told by a woman about World War II in Camargue, in the salt flats of southeastern France south of Arles where Vincent van Gogh did much of his painting. The 18-year-old, also named Vincent, almost dies on his walking tour in the area before a native of the area, Lorenzo, rescues him. While healing, Vincent curiously listens to Kezia’s story, set into motion when a huge tree destroys the carousel used by her Roma (gypsy) parents for a living. Lorenzo’s farming parents take in the family, and they work to reconstruct the carousel before the French Nazi sympathizers take the adult gypsies to a concentration camp. Lorenzo had hidden Kezia, and she remains in secret at the farm until the end of the war. The two live as brother and sister for almost four decades when she tells Vincent the story.

Verdict: The sensitive depictions of strong characters carry the story: the two couples, who keep surviving although the gypsy woman was almost shattered by her prison experience; Lorenzo, whose autism may help him to heal living things; Kezia, the bond for all of them; and the “Caporal,” who tries to help the two families. The fast pacing is occasionally relieved by the return to exchanges between Kezia and Vincent, and the addition to the plot about rescuing the flamingos is a fascinating view of southern France. In this book with many nuances of character and layers of story, “It’s the people who don’t fit in who change the world.” A book about friendship, morality, culture, and history with many nuances of character and layers of story.  Originally published in the UK as Flamingo Boy.

May 2020 review by Nel Ward.

Book review: The 78-Story Treehouse: Moo-vie Madness, by Andy Griffiths, illustrated by Terry Denton

Griffiths, Andy. The 78-Story Treehouse: Moo-vie Madness. Illustrated by Terry Denton. (Treehouse series, #6). Feiwel and Friends, 2016. $18.50. ISBN 978-1-250-10485-4. 375 pages. Ages 8-12. P7Q5.

Andy and Terry are adding levels to their already impressive treehouse in this far-fetched story.  This installment follows the plot of a movie-making scheme gone udderly un-herd-able. Mr. Big Shot is the movie director of what Terry and Andy believe is their story. His connection with clandestine cows clouds Terry and Andy’s friendship and ultimately takes the plot in an unsuspected direction. There is no need to have read the previous books, this one will stand alone.

Verdict: The mysterious cows and ultimate denouement will engage readers and also pique the interest of young readers so that they will seek the other books in the series.

April 2020 review by Penny McDermott.

Book review: The 91-Story Treehouse: Babysitting Blunders!, by Andy Griffiths, illustrated by

Griffiths, Andy. The 91-Story Treehouse: Babysitting Blunders! Illustrated by Terry Denton, (Treehouse series, book 7).  Feiwel and Friends, 2017. $13.99. ISBN 978-1-250-10488-5. 376 pages. Ages 8-12. P7 Q7

Andy and Terry are adding levels to their already impressive treehouse in this far-fetched story.  Terry and Andy are babysitting Mr. Big Nose’s three grandchildren who venture 20,000 leagues under the sea, disappear into the wardrobe of BaNarnia, end up in a whirlpool, and work on writing this book with looming deadlines. The pictures and the text are busy yet engaging and won’t disappoint.

Verdict: The mysterious Madame Know-It-All and random silliness will engage readers and also pique their interest to seek the other books in the series.

April 2020 review by Penny McDermott.

 

Book review: Pearl the Flying Unicorn, by Sally Odgers, illustrated by Adele K. Thomas

Odgers, Sally. Pearl the Flying Unicorn. (Pearl the Unicorn series, book 2). Illustrated by Adele K. Thomas. Feiwel and Friends, 2020. $13.99. ISBN 9781250235527. 121 pages. Ages 6-8. P8 Q8

Pearl is at it again! This time her friend, Olive, has a hat with pink glittery feathers. Pearl tries the hat on, but her horn prevents the hat from sitting on her head. When she looks at her reflection in the pond, the wind catches the hat and whisks it away. Pearl tries her magic to bring the hat back, but it fizzles and the feathers come off the hat and blow away. When they chase after the feathers, Pearl discovers she can fly! However, the exhilaration is short lived when she can’t remember how to fly again. She finds herself stuck on a cliff, with Olive and Tweet in a boat heading towards an island, with the gobble-un pirates after them. Can she remember how to fly and save them? The expressive illustrations are in pink and grey on glossy paper. The text is medium sized and has spacing between the lines. The story is comprised of sight words and words that are easy to read. Some of words are pink. The cover of the book has the word Pearl in raised glitter letters. This sturdy hard back has seven chapters. This is the second book of a three book series, but it can easily stand-alone.

Verdict: In the first chapter, Pearl describes her friends and brings out their positive qualities. I think this starts the adventure in a positive way. It models thinking of the good in others and validating the positive qualities our friends have. The theme of friendship, growth mindset, grit, and perseverance run through this story and it is a tale that readers will want to read repeatedly.

March 2020 review by Tami Harris.

Book review: Pearl the Magical Unicorn, by Sally Odgers, illustrated by Adele K. Thomas

Odgers, Sally. Pearl The Magical Unicorn. (Pearl the Unicorn series, book 1). Illustrated by Adele K. Thomas. Feiwel and Friends, 2020. $13.99. ISBN 9781250235503. 121 pages. Ages 6-8. P8 Q8

Pearl the unicorn has the best idea ever; she is going to use her magic to make apples appear for her two friends. She tosses her head and wiggles and a teddy bear appears. Pearl is discouraged and she tries again, only to discover that her magic does not produce what she intends it to. Her two friends, Olivia, an ogre, and Tweet, a firebird, find positive qualities in her and help her discover her kind heart. When they encounter the gobble-uns in a cave, will she be able to use her magic to save them? The expressive illustrations are in pink and grey on glossy paper. The text is medium sized and has large spacing between the lines. The story is made up of sight words and words that are easy to read. Some of words are pink. The cover of the book has the word Pearl in raised glitter letters. This sturdy hard back has seven chapters. This is the first of a three book series.

Verdict: If your reader likes pink and unicorns, this adorable, humorous chapter book is the book for them. It is easy to read and shows the importance of teamwork and perseverance. When Pearl is not feeling good about herself, her friends do not give up and they help her discover her talents. The reader will learn that it is okay to make mistakes and not to take themselves too seriously. This is a chapter book that readers will want to read several times. I highly recommend it.

March 2020 review by Tami Harris.

Book review: Our World Is Relative, by Julia Sooy, illustrated by Molly Walsh

Sooy, Julia. Our World is Relative. Illustrated by Molly Walsh. Feiwel and Friends, 2019. $17.99. ISBN 9781250293688. Unpaged. Ages 4-8. P7 Q7

This is a very original idea in a picture book. It will be just right for some young readers. Our World is Relative, by Julia Sooy, gives children a very simple comprehension of Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity regarding the measurement of time and space. Sooy did a report on Einstein in third grade and has been hooked ever since.  The pictures by Molly Walsh match well with the simple words like “Something that seems big . . . can also seem small.” The artist brings visible white, chalk-like measurements into the illustrations throughout the book. The illustrations and words take the reader on a trip through a neighborhood to a train and to outer space.  It gets young brains thinking “What is big? What is small? What is moving? What is not?”  I find this book fascinating.  As a first science book, this puts some huge concepts into small bites.  Young scientists may well love it. It will be a unique addition to early classrooms and libraries, with a specific audience.

March 2020 review by Sharon McCrum.