Short Story Sunday [14]

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Retold by Alvin Schwartz
Illustrated by Stephen Gammell

This week I'm doing a collection of short stories in one review.  Since each story is so short I'm not going to separate them out.













Section one of this collection is stories to tell to scare your friends.  I found these all to be pretty dumb.  Each one your supposed to start telling, then at the end just scream or shout something, or make a loud noise.   None of the stories has a resolution, just just to catch your listener off guard.

Section two of the collection is ghost stories.  These were actual ghost stories, they were creepy and exactly what should be in a children's book of scary stories.  My favorite of these was The White Wolf and The Guests.  But really, I loved all the stories in this section.

Section three of the collection is about everything that doesn't fit into a different category.  These were silly, but still very enjoyable.  I especially liked A New Horse and Room for One More.  The Dead Man's Brains game was fun too.

Section four is all recent scary stories. These were okay.  The White Satin Evening Gown bothered me, there's no way you can be poisoned to death by trace amounts of embalming fluid on a dress.  It just can't happen.  That story probably caused some poor girls to be traumatized about wearing second hand clothes.  Oh, and fun fact, a lot of fabric is treated with formaldehyde.

The fifth and final section of the collection are "scary" stories which are supposed to make you laugh.  I didn't find any of them overly funny, but The Slithery-Dee did get a chuckle out of me.  

Overall the way Schwartz wrote the stories was very matter of fact, none of them were told to be scary.  And for the first section, you don't need cheap tricks to scare your friends, there are plenty of scary stories with light-hearted endings so you can scare your friends, but not traumatize them.  For the artwork, Gammell's drawing are great! They're by far the scariest part of the book.  The drawings were so creepy they didn't really go with the stories, which all veered towards the side of silly.

I give this collection a 7/10.  It does it's job for little kids without scaring them, but it could have been done better with the same effect.

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween full of spooky happenings and lots of candy!

Crenshaw

by Katherine Applegate

Summary from GoodReads

In her first novel since winning the Newbery Medal, Katherine Applegate delivers an unforgettable and magical story about family, friendship, and resilience.

Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.

Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?

Beloved author Katherine Applegate proves in unexpected ways that friends matter, whether real or imaginary.

Thoughts on the Book

Growing up I was a huge Animorphs fan.  When I heard Katherine Applegate was going to be at BEA I was so excited, I had to get a copy of this book.  Unfortunately she was signing at the same time as another author I wanted to see meet even more.  I was super lucky though and I was able to get in line (they had a finite amount of books, way too few for the amount of people who wanted them) and get a copy.

My Review

Crenshaw is about a boy, Jackson, from a poor family who was about to evicted, again.  Crenshaw is Jackson's imaginary friend who made his original appearance the first time Jackson's family was homeless and who returned when Jackson started suspecting they were going be homeless again.

I loved this book, it was really cute and moving.  The family really cares about each other and his parents try their hardest for their kids.  It's a lesson on sticking together as a family and trying your best no matter what life throws at you.  

Jackson was such a cute kid.  He loves science and wants a logical explanation for everything and he loves sharing his random bits of animal knowledge with people.  Crenshaw is as absurd as Jackson is logical.  He's funny and nonchalant all while being extremely insightful.

I also loved how ambiguous Applegate was with if Crenshaw was real or not.  Obviously, he's not real, he's an imaginary friend.  But then, Aretha, the family dog sensed he was there, and Jackson's best friend made a comment alluding to him.  And Crenshaw knew all about Jackson's father's imaginary friend.

Overall I give this a 9/10.  It was a cute, fun read.

Goodbye Stranger

by Rebecca Stead

Summary from GoodReads

Bridge is an accident survivor who's wondering why she's still alive. Emily has new curves and an almost-boyfriend who wants a certain kind of picture. Tabitha sees through everybody's games--or so she tells the world. The three girls are best friends with one rule: No fighting. Can it get them through seventh grade? 
This year everything is different for Sherm Russo as he gets to know Bridge Barsamian. What does it mean to fall for a girl--as a friend? 
On Valentine's Day, an unnamed high school girl struggles with a betrayal. How long can she hide in plain sight?

Thoughts on the Book

Another BEA book.  When I opened it up I was surprised to see I had gotten this one signed, I completely don't remember doing that.  I also didn't realize that it is considered a children's book since it takes place in middle school.  I guess I should really pay more attention to the books I pick up...

My Review

This book is about a girl, Bridgette - aka Bridge -, who got hit by a car and should have died, it was through the efforts of the surgeons that she survived.  Goodbye Stranger takes place a few years later once Bridge is completely healed and fully reunited with her best friend Tabitha and new since the accident best friend Emily.  The book deals with the struggles of growing up and basic middle school awfulness.  

Reading this book made me miss my friends from middle school (and high school), the three of us were inseparable, and we can still be found together around town occasionally, although those sightings are become more and more rare the more life gets in the way.  (And, side note, it's super appropriate that this is the review being posted today because it's one of those two best friends' birthday today - Happy Birthday Jessi!)  So I related to Bridge, Tabitha, and Emily greatly.  Even the Sherm side of things I could relate to, although I wish my past matched their future.

I mostly loved this book.  I loved the story-line of what Emily was going through, how the three friends did their best to stick together through it all.  I also loved how welcoming Emily and Tabitha were of bringing Sherm into the group, they didn't force Bridge to choose new friends over old and Bridge never shunned her old friends to hang out with Sherm.  Even Emily did her best to not do that, despite not being around much because of soccer practice.

There were only three things I didn't like, two bugged me a little, and the third I would have hated the book if it went on for more than it did.  First, Sherm's grandfather.  I don't get it, what was the point?  It was such a random thing to have happened and it really didn't add anything to the story.  All it did was allow for Sherm to write letters to him. Second, all the nicknames, no one was called by their full name, it was all Bridge instead of Bridgette, Sherm instead of Sherman, Tab instead of Tabitha, and Em instead of Emily.  For all these characters I actually prefer their full name to their nickname. The third thing was the random chapters in second person.  Who writes in second person? Seriously, it's awful.  It added absolutely nothing to the main story.  It was an unnecessary "mystery" that the resolution of was stupid.  Moral of the story - we all have friends!  

Thankfully those chapters were very short and it was just a minor annoyance.  Bridge's story was so good that it made those chapters fade into the background.

Overall I give this book a 9.5/10.  It would have been a solid 10 if not for those second person chapters.  Seriously though, who writes in second person if you're not writing a choose your own adventure book?

The Thing About Jellyfish

by Ali Benjamin

Summary from GoodReads

A stunning debut about how grief can open the world in magical ways.

After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy was a rare jellyfish sting. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory--even if it means traveling the globe, alone. Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe...and the potential for love and hope right next door.

Thoughts on the book

While weaving through the booths at BEA I spotted a pile of these and pretty much went "Oooh! Pretty! Jellyfish!" before grabbing it and stuffing it in my bag.  I didn't think about it much again until after the weekend when I had all my books in front of me.  My thoughts were slightly more intelligent at that point with something like "what an awesome cover, I wonder if it's actually about flying jellyfish".  Then I got caught up in reading the books I was most excited about.  This one was sitting at the top of my unsigned books pile and every time I saw it I wanted to read it, but then decided against it since I had a feeling a wouldn't like it.  Finally, after I finished my last book I picked it up along with another that I planned on reading first, but the allure of a jellyfish made me open this one first.

My Review

This story is about a girl, Suzy, who's best friend drowns while on summer vacation a week before seventh grade starts.  The book jumps between the present, and the evolution of Suzy and Franny's friendship.  It addresses being able to process grief, and shows that things will get better, no matter how horrible the loss.

I was hooked on the first sentence: "A jellyfish, if you watch it long enough, begins to look like a heart beating."  I found it so beautiful, my first thought after reading this was more of an image.  The jellyfish tank at my local aquarium, full of moon jellies, just pulsing, in silence.  Still, every time I read this line that's what I picture.  The sentence seems to capture the serenity and beauty of the jellyfish.  You can't just glance at them quickly, you have to stop and watch, and once you do that you get caught up in the pulsing of the creatures, the silence of them, and while caught up with that you begin to become aware of so much more.  The entire book is littered with these beautiful lyrical, poetic lines and ideas.  I loved each and every moment of it.

I love Suzy.  She's the best main character I've had the delight of reading in a very long time.  I'm fairly positive that she's autistic, but not too severe.  It is never said outright, but she's very socially awkward, very intelligent and loves facts and math.  One night, during dinner with her dad, she decided that small talk was too difficult to attempt anymore, so she just stopped talking.  Once she stopped she lost the already difficult ability to find words to express herself, so she didn't, or if she did they came out wrong.

The entire cast of characters was amazing.  Mrs. Turton was the absolute best, she figured Suzy out after her presentation, and knew exactly what to do for her.  And once she did it, everything began to click in Suzy's life.  She was such an amazing teacher and mentor, I wish all troubled kids could have someone just like her to help them through it.  Justin was great too, and I firmly believe he "wasn't chosen" as a lab partner on purpose, and I love him for that.  I loved Aaron as well, even though he's much older than Suzy he still remembered his awful middle school days and tried to help her, as best he could.  Suzy's mom was pretty great too, as was her father.  At the end of the book I was amazed at how understanding they were of her, how helpful and encouraging.

Reading this I learned more than I ever thought there was to know about jellyfish.  They're really fascinating creatures.  I'm a firm believer that the best way to learn is through a story.  It makes learning much more fun, and the facts much easier to remember.  This book captured that perfectly.  I guess this book is technically considered middle-grade (I get why, but reading it as an adult without knowing who the intended audience was, it read like an adult book, people of all ages can thoroughly enjoy it, regardless of age) and I think that it's amazing how much science is in there to get children hooked in it.  Or at least teach them some awesome factoids that they can show off to their friends (unless their friends are plastics and think pee is gross).

I give this an 11/10.  I can't express how much I love this story.  It is most definitely my favorite of the year so far, and it will be difficult to top.

Mr. Puffball: Stunt Cat to the Stars

by Constance Lombardo

Summary From GoodReads

In this hilarious illustrated adventure meet Mr. Puffball, a medium-size feline with a big dream! With amazing humor that appeals to both kids and adults as well as funny illustrations throughout the story, Mr. Puffball: Stunt Cat to the Stars is perfect for dreamers, movie buffs, and fans of Timmy Failure and Stick Dog.

He's a hero for today. Or possibly tomorrow. He's a cat. He's awesome. And . . . wait for it . . . he's going to Hollywood to become a famous movie star! Follow Mr. Puffball on his trip cross-country. (Look at all the postcards to Mom!) See him stumble upon Hobowood! (Not as glamorous as Hollywood, but full of beans.) Watch him land at last in Hollywood, where he meets a cast of thousands (or at least half a dozen) and catapults himself into the next best thing to being a famous movie star: working as a stunt cat to his movie star hero, El Gato!

Thoughts on the Book

This is another ARC I had grabbed at BEA.  I had walked by the table and my friend showed me a different book she had grabbed from the table so I ran back to get that one and saw Mr. Puffball next to it and just couldn't resist grabbing a copy, so glad I did!

My Review

This story is about a kitten, Mr. Puffball, who dreams of being an actor.  At the age of 14 months (he's no longer a kitten and old enough to make his own decisions!) he leaves his New Jersey home travel to Hollywood.  The trip is detailed in postcards that he sends back to his mother.  Then once he arrives in Hollywood it's all about him trying to make it in the business and meeting his heroes.

This book was really cute, and I absolutely loved the illustrations.  The story itself was funny, but adding in the silly illustrations just made it that much better.  I loved the postcards that were sent to his mother, the address cracked me up, Little Yellow House, NJ, USA, it's amazing that his mother received the postcards.  How Mr. Puffball wrote her name changed with each postcard too, some were just My Mom, others were more along the lines of Mom of Mr. Puffball.

I also loved all the pop culture references turned cat, like Hairy Purrer, Catsablanca, The Sound of Meowsic, and Tabby Gaga to name a few. 

Despite all of the silliness of the book the story was told beautifully, the boring parts were cut from being in prose and a picture or two (or several) outlined what had happened.  Lessons in form of a game board, cross country travel in form of a few postcards, the course of filming detailed in brief  descriptions and illustrations of stunts.

The only thing I wasn't completely enamored with was how Mr. Puffball never realized how truly horrible El Gato was to him, his friends saw it, but Mr. Puffball never did, even after he realized that El Gato wasn't as nice and wonderful as he first thought.

The morals of the book were also really good, especially for the age group it's aimed for.  Mean people have a reason why they're mean, give them a chance before completely ruling them off.  Heroes don't always live up to the pedestal we put them on, but that doesn't mean that they're not worthy of being our hero.  Just because something is difficult, or seems impossible, or you fail after a brief success don't give up, keep trying and you just may make it.   

All in all I give this book a 9/10.  This book was great, everything you could want out of a kids book, humor, good lessons, and a lovable cast.  

The Boy on the Porch

by Sharon Creech

Summary from GoodReads

From Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech comes a singular story that reminds us of the surprising connections that bloom when unconditional love and generosity prevail. For when a young couple finds a boy asleep on their porch, their lives take an unexpectedly joyous turn.

When John and Marta found the boy on the porch, they were curious, naturally, as to why he was there-and they didn't expect him to stay, not at first, but he did stay, day after day, until it seemed as if he belonged, running and smiling and laughing his silent laugh, tapping and patting on every surface as he made his music, and painting-with water, with paint, with mud-those swirly swirls and swings and trees.

One day a young couple wakes to find a boy asleep on their porch. Unable to speak, the boy cannot explain his history. What kind of person would leave their child with strangers? All they know is that they have been chosen to care for this boy. And as their connection to him grows, they embrace his exuberant spirit and talents. The three of them blossom into an unlikely family, and John and Marta and the boy begin to see the world in brand-new ways. Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech delivers a poignant story of finding family when you least expect it. 

Thoughts on the Book

I absolutely love Sharon Creech.  I grew up with Walk Two Moons, it's one of my favorite books I quote it all the time - still!  The Wanderer is another one of my favorites, I memorized the entire NATO alphabet because the main character in it had to.  I can go on and on about her books, Chasing Redbird (when I learned what the whooping cough was), Bloomability, Absolutely Normal Chaos...  Sharon Creech is one of my all-time favorite authors, and definitely my favorite children's author.  I got this book at BEA last year, so I thought it was appropriate to post it from BEA this year! 

My Review

I was disappointed in this book.  I don't know if it's because I'm older or if I've put Creech so high up on a pedestal in the years since I last read her, but it just didn't sit right with me.  I thought it would turn out to be something mystical like The Odd Life of Timothy Green, but it was just parents abandoning their son with complete strangers.  The couple that took him in, John and Marta, seemed nice, but were not very smart, their conversations to each other didn't flow and weren't even remotely like anything people would actually say to each other.  I also kept getting stuck on what these people did.  They owned a house, I'm pretty sure they were a younger couple, they had a barn with some animals, and yet John had to keep trading items at the general store for jelly beans and other items for the boy.  Despite that they happened to have enough gas to drive all over the place for clothes (which they somehow paid for) or to try to figure out where the boy came from.  Neither of them seemed to work, or have any source of income, until the very end.  

The characters all seemed so flat, Marta was a dull woman who only seemed to be able to marvel at what Jacob (the boy) was doing.  John was a slight misogynist who both didn't like and liked the boy, he was very wishy-washy with it, especially at the beginning of the book.  The boy was the strangest character, he didn't speak, only tapped, and seemed to have a natural affinity for the arts.  Nothing about him made sense and there was no attempt to explain anything about him.  The Sheriff was the worst character in the entire book, he was out to arrest everyone, he thought he was the smartest man alive, his word was law, yet in reality he was a blundering opinionated idiot and no one did anything about it.

Another frustrating part of this story is the setting.  Where is this backwater place?  The midwest? The south?  It definitely can't be either of the coasts.  What time period is this supposed to be?  Contemporary?  If so then where the heck are they?  Some long-forgotten hick town?  The character's behavior would be more acceptable if the story took place in the early 20th century somewhere in the middle of the country.  

I think the point of this story was a feel-good book for foster kids or adopted kids.  Specifically for those kids with a very low reading level.  But who knows?  I'm going to attempt to disassociate this book from Creech, so as not to tarnish how awesome of a writer she was with her other books.  I have to give this book a 4/10.