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Rhapsody in Books Weblog - Books & Literature
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Kid Lit Review of “Stars of the Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport” by Caren B. Stelson | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
This book is narrated in the voice of the Jewish children of Czechoslovakia in 1938 who were rescued from the Nazi invasion intent on destroying them. Their parents sent them on trains called “Kindertransport” out of occupied areas and into England. Most of them would never see their parents again. “When we were seven or…
Kid Lit Review of “Chef Edna” by Melvina Noel | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
The author begins by informing readers that Edna Lewis (born in 1916) grew up on a farm in Freetown, in Orange County, Virginia - a community founded by her grandfather and other freed slaves. She loved cooking with her mother, Mama Daisy, and sharing homemade meals in large gatherings. She quickly learned how to bake…
Review of “My Murder: A Novel” by Katie Williams | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
For those who like books with clever twists and turns, this rather unique murder mystery will prove most entertaining. Taking place in the near future, it follows five women who were victims of a serial killer and whose cells were then cloned by a government “Replication Commission” from their dead bodies so they could live…
Kid Lit Review of “Hidden Hope: How a Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust” by Elisa Boxer | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
The book begins by setting the mood of fear and desperation experienced by Jews in Europe during World War II: “Hearts pounding, breath quickening, feet scrambling, Down into damp basements, up into old attics, crammed into dark closets. During the Second World War, the first priority for Jewish people was staying out of sight. Because…
Review of “When Among Crows” by Veronica Roth | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
This urban fantasy novella is set in modern-day Chicago, but is infused with Polish folklore and paranormal elements. There are three types of creatures haunting the streets of Chicago - the zmora (night creatures, connected to sleep disturbances), the strzyga (a vampire-like creature), and the llorona (or banshee) - that feed off of fear and…
Review of “The Education of Henry Adams: An Autobiography” by Henry Adams | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
Note: This review is by my husband Jim. The Education of Henry Adams is an autobiography by (you guessed it) Henry Adams (1838-1918), who was the great grandson of President John Adams, the grandson of John Quincy Adams, and the son of Charles Francis Adams, the American Ambassador to England during the American Civil War.…
Kid Lit Review of “Home” by Isabelle Simler | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
The author/illustrator begins by explaining she wanted to put herself in the place of animals that occupy homes so different from those of humans, yet fulfilling many of the same functions. She tells us: “To explore these unique places, I've had to bend, and shrink, and squeeze, and let myself be transformed in weird and …
Kid Lit Review of “This Book Will Make You an Artist” by Ruth Millington | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
This book draws upon the works of 25 of the world’s best-known artists, and for each one the author provides a little history, and a lot of explanation about how to employ their styles in creating a work of art. The suggestions are so imaginative and fun to do - parents and teachers will appreciate…
Review of “The Getaway List” by Emma Lord | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
As this story begins, Riley Larson is just graduating high school. Her BFF Tom no longer lives in the area, but he can watch the ceremony being live-streamed, so she does their secret handshake on the stage. We understand right away that Tom is still the most important person in Riley’s life, even though their…
Kid Lit Review of “How Do You Spell Unfair? MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee” by Carole Boston Weatherford | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
In a Foreword, Weatherford relates that spelling bees have not always been open to Blacks in segregated areas in the US. In 1908, a 14-year-old Black girl from Ohio led her team to victory in a nationwide spelling bee, and whites were angry. Thereafter, Blacks were barred from many local spelling bees, even in the…
Kid Lit Review of “The Tree and the River” by Aaron Becker | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
Aaron Becker is known for his work on films like "The Polar Express," and you can see the influence of his cinematic background in his books. His newest is a time-lapse wordless story about the evolution of a civilization that arises and metamorphoses around an enduring tree alongside a river. The imagined cityscapes are wondrous:…
Kid Lit Review of “Dasher Can’t Wait for Christmas” by Matt Tavares | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
In Dasher Can’t Wait for Christmas, Matt Tavares continues the endearing story line he began with Dasher, telling kids about Santa’s Christmas deliveries from the perspectives of Santa’s reindeer. Dasher is the youngest of the reindeer helping Santa, and shares the same impatience and excitement for the holidays that many young children feel. As Tavares…
Kid Lit Review of “The Hanukkah Magic of Nate Gadol” by Arthur A. Levine | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
Hanukkah, also called the Festival of Lights, is a Jewish holiday that celebrates a miracle from the second century BCE. King Antiochus, ruler of Judea (in present-day Israel) forbade the people there from practicing Judaism. He tried to force the Jews to follow Greek beliefs and to assimilate into Greek culture. When they resisted, he…
Review of “System Collapse” by Martha Wells | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
I’m not sure you’d want to read this 7th book in the series without having read the previous installments, but then, why would you want to *miss* the previous books? The protagonist, who is part robot with organic parts, calls itself Murderbot, because of an incident now somewhat far in its past for which it…
Review of “Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us” by Sam Kean | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
Sam Kean is a writer of books that discuss scientific discoveries in a relatable and entertaining style. Four of his books, The Violinist’s Thumb, The Disappearing Spoon, The Tale of The Dueling Neurosurgeons, and this one: Caesar’s Last Breath, were all named as Amazon's top science book of the year. Caesar’s Last Breath tackles the…
Kid Lit Review of “Goddess: 50 Goddesses, Spirits, Saints, and Other Female Figures Who Have Shaped Belief” by Dr. Janina Ramire | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
Cultural historian Dr. Janina Ramirez has put together a collection of stories about female goddesses, spirits, saints, and other female figures who have shaped belief over millennia, and whose stories, she avers, deserve to be told. She adds that these women were not perfect, but were complex: sometimes peaceful, sometimes loving, and sometimes vengeful, but…
Review of “Babel: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution” by R. F. Kuang | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
There are so many ways we are separated from others: class, race, gender, gender orientation, and expanding the lens yet wider, culture, history, and language. The poet Adrienne Rich, in her book The Dream of a Common Language, expressed frustration in her efforts to overcome the barriers just between two people in an intimate relationship.…
Review of “Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements, from Arsenic to Zinc” by Hugh Aldersey-Williams | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
Each distinct atom (differentiated by the number of protons in their nuclei) makes up an element, one of the “elemental” aspects of life on earth. Elements create bonds to form molecules, which in turn combine to form all matter. Atoms, or elements, were organized into a “periodic table” by Russian chemist Dmitrii Mendeleev in 1869.…
Review of “The Golden Gate” by Amy Chua | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
This historical crime novel is written in a “hard-boiled” noir style, and takes place in Berkeley, California in the 1930s and 1940s (it goes back and forth in time). The main story is set in 1944 and concerns homicide detective Al Sullivan. (His given name was Alejo Gutierrez, but he anglicized it when he became…
Review of “The Fragile Threads of Power” by V. E. Schwab | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
I loved the trilogy that preceded this book, which is apparently the first of a new continuation of the series. The plot will seem complicated from my summary (which I include to help me remember for the next book) but the main emphasis is on character development and interaction, and the characters are both memorable…
Kid Lit Review of “Wild Buildings and Bridges: Architecture Inspired by Nature” by Etta Kaner | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
Have you ever wondered what inspired some of the innovative architecture you see? As it turns out, the ideas for a number of buildings and bridges were influenced by a study of what works well in nature, as this fascinating book points out. The author observes: “Many architects look to nature to help them solve…
Kid Lit Review of “The Singer and the Scientist” by Lisa Rose | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
In 1937, the African American singer Marian Anderson sang at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey. By that year, she had international renown, but in America, she was still forced to ride in segregated train cars and stay in segregated housing. This book for kids is about that performance, the restrictions against her, and…
Kid Lit Review of “Seeking Freedom: The Untold Story of Fortress Monroe and the Ending of Slavery in America” by Selene Castrovilla | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
This is the true story of how, in 1861, Civil War Union Major General Benjamin Franklin Butler was influenced to take a stance on emancipation by the bravery of the escaped slave George Scott. Scott's example helped persuade Butler to set in motion a legal way to help enslaved people be free of their bonds…
Review of “Chance: Escape From the Holocaust” by Uri Shulevitz | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
This extraordinary memoir for readers in middle grade and up recounts events from the childhood of author and artist Uri Shulevitz, who survived the Holocaust with his father and mother. Documenting his Jewish family’s eight-year journey, he said in an interview about this book, “'It would be hard to invent this story,” says Shulevitz, who…
Kid Lit Review of “All Rise: The Story of Ketanji Brown Jackson” by Carole Boston Weatherford | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
The prolific award-winning author begins: “Whatever she did, wherever she was, Ketanji Brown Jackson rose to the top.” This theme, of Ketanji rising up, is carried throughout the book, and is used to give not only a history of her life but also of her times, with all the changes that enabled a Black woman…
Kid Lit Review of “A Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexihcah Word Painters” by Duncan Tonatiuh | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
This story begins with a little girl explaining to her (presumably younger) brother that theirs is a world of “amoxtlalpan,” which we learn from the glossary means “a land of books.” They are Mexhicah, an ancient Mesoamerican civilization that flourished between the fourteen and sixteenth centuries, and who are usually referred to in English as…
Kid Lit Review of “A Song for the Cosmos” by Jan Lower | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
Blind Willie Johnson (1897-1945) was an American blues singer, guitarist, and evangelist whose 30 songs influenced generations of musicians. He is considered the dominant player of “holy blues” music, which conveys religious themes through the medium of blues. [The Blues is a music genre, originating in the Deep South, that incorporated spirituals, work songs, field…
Kid Lit Review of “Pigskins to Paintbrushes: The Story of Football-Playing Artist Ernie Barnes” by Don Tate | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
Ernest Eugene Barnes Jr., born in 1938 in Durham, North Carolina, was an American artist as well as a professional football player. But none of that could be foreseen when he was a kid. As Tate writes: “Sports didn’t come easy for Ernest. He couldn’t run very fast. He couldn’t dribble a basketball to save…
Review of “The Unforgiven Dead” by Fulton Ross | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
Those readers with a fondness for Scottish settings in books featuring romance, mystery, or crime usually must suffice with references to the "dreich" weather and a lot of exclamations of “Och!” Not so with this author. Fulton Ross studied Scottish literature and history as well as Celtic beliefs, and he shares with readers a lot…
Kid Lit Review of “The Universe in You: A Microscopic Journey” by Jason Chin | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
This is an excellent non-fiction exploration of the constituents of life, narrated by a little girl visiting what looks very much like the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson. It begins with the largest object that will be described, an 8-centimeter long Calliope Hummingbird, the smallest bird in the US. (Guides in the lower right-hand corner…
Review of “Who Cries for the Lost” by C. S. Harris | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
Note: There are necessarily spoilers for previous books in this series. Although this is the 18th book in this series, C.S. Harris does an outstanding job of providing enough background in every book - without making it seem tedious or out of place - so that any of the books could be read as standalones,…
Kid Lit Review of “Flying Paintings: The Zhou Brothers: A Story of Revolution and Art by Amy Alznauer | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
The author tells the true story of the Zhou Brothers, who, as she relates in her Note, were born in the 1950s during the early days of the People’s Republic of China, and came of age during Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution was actually an “anti” culture movement that aimed to purge any…
Review of “Summer Skies” by Jenny Colgan | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
Morag McGinty is a third-generation pilot of a tiny plane-taxi service called MacIntyre Air that flies around the chain of islands off the north coast of Scotland. Morag loved the feeling of “bursting free the chains of gravity; soaring up through the clouds, bursting through, even on the grayest and dullest of days . .…
Review of “The Summer Skies” by Jenny Colgan | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
Morag McGinty is a third-generation pilot of a tiny plane-taxi service called MacIntyre Air that flies around the chain of islands off the north coast of Scotland. Morag loved the feeling of “bursting free the chains of gravity; soaring up through the clouds, bursting through, even on the grayest and dullest of days . .…
Kid Lit Review of “The Polio Pioneer: Dr. Jonas Salk and the Polio Vaccine” by Linda Elovitz Marshall | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
Jonas Salk, born in 1914, grew up wanting to help make the world a better place. The author writes that when Jonas attended college, he got interested in science, and decided to go to medical school to become a doctor and researcher. After he graduated, he worked with a fellow doctor seeking a medicine to…
Review of “Witch King” by Martha Wells | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
Martha Wells is a Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award winner, and her skill and appeal is evident in all of her work. This story - one hopes the first in a line of books - is more serious than her Murderbot series, which combined science fiction with a humorous protagonist that could have done stand-up…
Kid Lit Review of “Infinity and Me” by Kate Hosford | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
A little girl named Uma wonders how many stars there are in the sky and muses: “Maybe the number was as big as infinity. I started to feel very, very small. How could I even think about something as big as infinity?” She asks her friends, family, and teachers how big they think infinity is.…
Kid Lit Review of “Nonsense! The Curious Story of Edward Gorey” by Lori Mortensen | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
Edward Gorey, born in Chicago in 1925, and who died in 2000, was an author and illustrator known for his “strange combination of whimsy and gruesomeness,” and “with a hatful of nonsense thrown in.” His characteristic pen-and-ink drawings often depicted somewhat creepy Victorian and Edwardian settings. As this biography for kids recounts, Edward wrote stories…
Review of “Künstlers in Paradise” by Cathleen Schine | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
This charming and bittersweet work of historical fiction is couched in the guise of the memories of Mamie Künstler, a 93-year-old woman living in Venice, California. With her visiting 24-year-old grandson Julian stuck at her house during the COVID epidemic, she is regaling him with tales from her youth. Mamie was almost 12 years old…
Kid Lit Review of “Fighting for Yes! The Story of Disability Rights Activist Judith Heumann” by Maryann Cocca-Leffler | Rhapsody in Books Weblog
Judith “Judy” Heumann was born on December 18, 1947 and was struck by polio at age 18 months. As an adult she was widely regarded as “the mother” of the disability rights movement. Judy used a wheelchair for most of her life. She had to fight for the right to go to school. When she…