The Do-Over V01 by Rodrigo Vargas.
When I have had a rough few days, and I need to read but thoughts are not sticking, I find that younger/middle reader graphic novels are perfect. I get a fun story, but I do not have to get serious. And with The Do-Over V01 we get a cute story about friends, family, and confidence that has a nice message, but is not “too deep.” Adults might have to suspend belief a tad when it comes to this graphic novel by Rodrigo Vargas. After all, […]
Dinner in Rome: A History of the World in One Meal by Andreas Viestad
I love Italian food (well, I am Italian). I love history. I loved visiting Rome. Put that all together and you get Dinner in Rome – A history of the world in one meal by Andreas Vestad. This book was originally published in Vestad’s native language, Norwegian, but I am glad somebody thought it worthy of releasing in English in the US. The premise is very simple. Vestad sits down to a meal at his favorite restaurant in Rome. As he eats, he explores the […]
Hanukkah Upside Down by Elissa Brent Weissman
CBR15Passport author The cover of Hanukkah Upside Down was what first caught my eye. The character at the top is upside down. Or is the one on the bottom? After all, she (the top of page) is right side up on her side of things. But then again, the boy at the bottom thinks things are right on his side, too. This clever book about two cousins in different countries (one New York, USA and the other in New Zealand) shows how “the better cousin” […]
Where Can We Go?: A Tale of Four Bears by Dai Yun
CBR15Passport country Some days you are the book and some days you are the fly that gets swatted by the book. Or in other words, this book was flat for me. Where Can We Go?: A Tale of Four Bears had such potential. I was hoping for a folktale, or something humorous, by Dai Yun (adapted by Helen Mixter). But instead, it is just about these bears who move into the human world (who seems to find them rude and more annoying than anything […]
The Princess and the Grill Cheese Sandwich. by Deya Muniz
CBR15Passport author Warning: Included are two plot point and image spoilers! We have the puns of the cheesiest kind (all cheese puns) and a modern love story within the pages of The Princess and the Grill Cheese Sandwich. While things are all “Kings and Queens and Dukes and Duchesses” we have handheld video games, cute t-shirt and short ensembles, and other modern conveniences. The mixture of the old and new theme styles allows for the best of both worlds. We get glamours gowns and […]
Harold the Iceberg Melts Down by Lisa Wyzlic
CBR15Passport genre (learning about environmental issues with humor and fiction) Harold is a head of iceberg lettuce, who worries a lot. And when he learns about icebergs and how they are melting, well, Harold the Iceberg Melts Down. In the first book in a Harold the Iceberg series, Lisa Wyzlic takes the “worrying character” and makes them a head of lettuce who is a bit neurotic and honestly, a bit vain. They go through the environmental aspects of what is happening, his friends try and […]
