Calvin and Hobbes

Watterson, Bill. Calvin and Hobbes. Andrews McNeel, 1987. Paperback $12.99, ISBN 978-0836220889.

What’s it about?

Calvin is a rowdy, wildly imaginative 6 year old boy who lives with his mother, father, and tiger Hobbes. To most people, Hobbes is a stuffed animal, but Calvin and Hobbes know better!

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Ever had an imaginary friend? Six-year-old Calvin does, but everyone only thinks he’s imaginary. Calvin’s best friend appears to be a large stuffed tiger, but Calvin knows he’s the real deal. Hobbes is the more practical and sage of the duo, although he’s prone to sass and sneak-pounce attacks on Calvin. Most strips focus on Calvin and Hobbes, although there are great secondary characters, like Calvin’s frazzled parents, Calvin’s goody-goody neighborhood nemesis Susie, and idiotic school bully Moe. In later collections, readers enjoy an increasing number of Calvin’s alter-egos. In this first collection, we’re introduced to Spaceman Spiff, whose life and death struggles parallel Calvin’s real-life adventures (such as tackling a playground slide).    

Calvin and Hobbes is the first collection of Watterson’s popular comic strip. The premise is simple and delightful.  Ordinary events are exaggerated and comedic through the eyes of Calvin and his incredibly over-active imagination.  In one Sunday strip (which contains twice as many panels as a daily strip) Calvin’s fear of baths makes perfect sense: when Calvin sits down in the tub, the bubbles form a large, monstrous fiend that tries to drown Calvin. His only recourse is to drain the tub. The last panel features Calvin’s cross mother: “don’t tell me he’s letting the water out already!” Behind her, the wet, naked, Calvin scowls “believe it, lady.” Just as the characters in the Peanuts strip evolved, Calvin and Hobbes look slightly different and more developed in Watterson’s later strips. Nevertheless, his artwork is expressive and masterful.  

Genre: Humor, satire

Reading level: 4^th grade

Interest level: Grades 4-Adult

Subjects: Imagination, Family, Misbehavior, Political & philosophical satire

Read-alikes:

Holm’s Babymouse

Spires’ Binky series

Shultz’s Peanuts

Ketcham’s Dennis the Menace

Awards:

2-time Reuben Award Winner “Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year” (1986 & 1988, nominated in 1992)

Series information:

Something Under the Bed is Drooling (1988)

The Essential Calvin and Hobbes (1988)

The Calvin and Hobbes Lazy Sunday Book (1989)

Yukon Ho! (1989)

The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes (1990)

Weirdoes From Another Planet (1990)

The Revenge of the Baby-Sat (1991)

Scientific Progress Goes “Boink” (1991)

Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons (1992)

The Indispensible Calvin and Hobbes (1992)

Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat (1994)

The Days are Just Packed (1993)

The Calvin and Hobbes 10^th Anniversary Book (1995)

There’s Treasure Everywhere (1996)

It’s a Magical World (1996)

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Selznick, Brian. The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Scholastic, 2007. Tr. $22.99, ISBN 978-0-439-81378-5.

 

What’s it about?

This gorgeous, cinematic cross between a picture and a novel, features the orphaned Hugo Cabret, who is a thief and a scavenger heavy with secrets. When the grand-daughter of a toy-maker befriends him, Hugo begins to unravel the mystery behind the automaton his father left him, and its creator.

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Twelve-year-old Parisian orphan Hugo Cabret’s father died in a fire at a museum and left his son with a damaged automaton. He went to live with his abusive uncle, who teaches him to steal. When his uncle disappears, Hugo doesn’t let on. Instead, he lives in the train station, becoming a thief and scavenger, and keeping up with his uncle’s job of keeping the city’s clocks running.  Then Hugo is caught stealing from a toy-maker, who is curious about the automaton pictured in Hugo’s notebook (which he initially thinks was also stolen).  Intrigued, he hires Hugo at his shop. The toy-maker’s grand-daughter Isabelle befriends Hugo. Together, the two eventually unravel the mystery of behind the automaton—and the real identity of Isabelle’s grandfather.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is such a unique book, it is tough to categorize. When it won the 2008 Caldecott Medal, it was the first novel to win, and surprised a lot of people because the Caldecott is awarded to picture book illustrators, not novel or graphic novel artists. It's tough to call a novel, though, when half the book is comprised of Selznick's detailed, breath-taking, cinematic pencil sketches. There are also reproductions of drawings as well as film still from the mind of innovative film-maker Georges Meilies, one of the first to employ special effects in his work. The text and pictures are integrated seamlessly. This is a page-turner with a well-paced storyline that is just as intricate as the illustrations, with each character and detail clicking together to form a complex, mind-boggling narrative. This book is so cinematic in feel that it was a question of when, not if the book would hit the big screen. Martin Scorsese directed the film, which is in theatres now.  

   

Genre label: Mystery/suspense, historical fiction

Reading level: 5^th grade

Interest level: Grades 4-9

Subjects: Orphans, film-makers, automatons, Georges Meilies

Read-alikes:

This book is so unique, there are no true read-alikes. Readers who enjoy this book, however, will probably also like Konigsberg’s From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

Awards:

Caldecott Medal (2008)

One Piece (Anime)

One Piece (TV series). Toei Entertainment, 1999-present. English version released by Funimation Entertainment, 2007.

What’s it about?

Monkey D. Luffy ate a gum-gum fruit when he was younger, which gave his body such extreme elasticity; he is a nearly unbeatable pirate. Will this be enough for him to become the King of the Pirates?

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Right before he is executed, the King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger, utters the location of the greatest treasure of all time.  The treasure is known as the “One Piece,” and it promises endless riches and success. Naturally, an arms race among pirates ensues, with an unlikely contender for the title of Pirate King--Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy, the hero of the show, doesn’t seem like a pirate at all. He’s not a villainous, ugly, lecherous, murderous thug, and looks like a lightweight. Despite his slight physique, however, he is a force to be reckoned with on the sea. This is because when he was a kid, he ate a gum- gum fruit, which transformed him into an elastic boy. His body is able to easily deflect (and inflict) harm. The first few episodes show him recruiting his oddball crew, dubbed the “Straw Hat Pirates.”

This anime is exciting and action packed. The humor is broad, and sometime slapstick. Some of the funniest aspects are due to character design and skilled animation. Monkey D. Luffy reminds me a bit of Peter Pan, with his bravado and exuberant personality and unexpected fighting abilities (and maybe also because there are pirates involved.) Like Peter Pan, he has a melancholy side when he remembers his childhood hero Shanks. His ubiquitous straw hat, in fact, belonged to Shanks, and when he nearly loses it, the viewer is drawn into a sometimes poignant flashback sequence that gives a lot of backstory information and adds complexity to Luffy’s character. This anime is a great one to recommend to tween boys; there is broad comedy, creative action sequences, likeable heroes, and despicable villains. Both the manga and anime can be appreciated by girls because of the quality and humor, but this is not an anime that will typically hook shojo fans.

Genre: Shonen, Action/adventure, Comedy

Interest level: Grades 5 - 9

Is there a manga?

Yes, the manga is currently has 64 volumes (in Japanese) and 59 volumes translated into English (volume 59 will be released in early December). And more One Piece is on the way!

Subjects: Pirates, Treasure, Exploration

Rating: TV-14 (this rating is unwarranted, from what I saw; there was very mild language and a scene where a character loses his arm. This scene wasn’t graphic, though).

Dub or Sub? The dub was pretty poor quality. During a recent anime club screening at my library, audience members were making fun of the dub, which featured some embarrassingly overacted scenes. Midway through the screening, I asked if the Japanese audio with subtitles would be preferred. Everyone voted yes! Please!! The subbed version was much better. Once the subs came on, the audience started laughing at the jokes, not the poor acting.

Series information:

If you’re a new fan, it’s going to take you awhile to catch up: there are over 500 episodes of One Piece to date.

Similar anime and manga titles:

Naruto

DragonBall Z

Bleach

Shaman King

Fruits Basket (Anime)

Fruits Basket. Studio DEEN production, 2001. English version released by Funimation Entertainment, 2002.

What’s it about?

Tohru Honda meets the Sohma family, and discovers their secret. The Sohmas are cursed, turning into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac when hugged by a member of the opposite sex.

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Tohru Honda has had it rough—she was recently orphaned and is living in a tent, which, unbeknownst to her, is on the property of the Sohma family. Although Tohru is still in high school, she has been supporting herself by working night janitorial jobs. When classmate Yuki (a handsome boy known as “Prince Yuki” to hordes of sighing teen girl groupies) and his older cousin 27-year-old Shigure Sohma discover her living situation, they invite her to stay in their large home. Tohru also meets their cousin Kyo, an irascible boy who sees himself as Yuki’s rival. Tohru discovers the Sohma secret: many Sohmas are cursed, turning into animals from the Chinese Zodiac whenever they are touched by a member of the opposite sex. When Tohru sees which animals Kyo (the cat) and Yuki (the rat) transform into, Kyo’s rage toward Yuki makes more sense. In Chinese zodiac legend, God invited all the animals to a banquet. Rat was a trickster, and told Cat the banquet was the next day. All the other animals made it to the banquet while Cat slumbered, and the first 12 animals to arrive became the animals of the zodiac.  As the story unfolds, Tohru realizes that this curse is no laughing matter—there is a darkness and cruelty to this family, one that affected Yuki and Kyo deeply. The specifics will be revealed later in the series, and are only hinted at in the first four episodes.

Although Fruits Basket is a popular anime, and one that is tween and teen friendly, it has a few flaws. The pacing is slow in the first episodes, which is unfortunate, because this sets the tone for viewer, who might not give the anime a chance after the first episode, which largely consists of Tohru’s backstory. It picks up when more characters are introduced, particularly Shigure, Kyo, and Kagura. When new Sohmas are introduced, the viewer is just as curious as Tohru—what zodiac animal are they? There is plenty of comedy, but this shojo anime is overall a supernatural romance, and appeals largely to girls. 

Genre: Supernatural romance, Fantasy, Comedy

Interest level:  Grades 5 and up

Rating:  TV-PG

Subjects: Chinese Zodiac, family relationships, high school, romance

Dub or Sub?

In this anime, the dub is weaker, although it is not terrible. There are decent English language voice actors (Laura Bailey does a great job), but some voice actors drove me nuts. If you don’t mind subtitles, watch this anime in Japanese.

Is it also a manga?

Fruits Basket is also a complete series of manga. There are 23 volumes, the last published in 2007. The manga is actually a bit better than the anime, which sometimes suffers pacing problems.  

Similar anime & manga titles:

Gakuen Alice

Vampire Knight

Fushigi Yugi

D.N. Angel

Ouran High School Host Club

Series information: 26 episodes in the anime 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Arthur A. Levine, 1997. Tr. $20.25, ISBN 978-0780797086

(Published in the U.K. as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)

What’s it about? (In case you’ve been stranded on a desert island or studying orangutans for the past 14 years)

Harry Potter is the boy who lived, having survived Voldemort’s attack, which orphaned him, and also made him a legend in the wizarding world. Reluctantly raised by his muggle (non-magic folk) relatives, Harry is surprised to meet a giant named Hagrid, who tells him that he is wizard and will study his craft at Hogworts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

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Harry Potter was orphaned as a baby and brought up by his loathsome aunt and uncle, the Durselys, who treat him as a sub-human. When he turns eleven, however, everything changes for Harry. A larger-than-life visitor, Hagrid, scares the daylights out of the Dursleys and tells Harry some exciting (and disturbing) news. Harry is a wizard, and mysteriously survived the attack that killed his parents and left him with a lightening-shaped scar on his forehead. The attack was at the hands (make that wand) of an evil, powerful wizard, He That Shall Not Be Named, aka Voldemort. Because he survived, Harry is a legend, and there are hints throughout this first book in the seven book saga that Harry is destined for great things. In the first book, he makes his mark in Quidditch (a game that seems like a cross between basketball and baseball, if either sport was played on broomsticks) and risks his life with his friends Ron and Hermione to prevent the powerful sorcerer’s stone from falling into the wrong hands.

Harry Potter deals with some heavy subjects, namely his mistreatment at the hands of the Dursleys (which was essentially child abuse), his parents’ deaths, and the sinister rumblings of Voldemort. This is not an overly serious book, though, because it is infused with humor and breathtaking world-building. Rowling does a fantastic job of creating the world of witches and wizards, which co-exists with the Muggle (non-wizard) world. Her descriptions of the Hogwarts are rich and detailed, and transport the reader into this magical world.  The characters, while not particularly layered, are enjoyable and relatable. The good characters have flaws enough to make them quirky, even the heroes, while the bad characters (with a key exception) are bad through and through.  

Critics of the Harry Potter books point to the “flat” characters and pedestrian writing as the reasons they dislike the books. I agree the writing of the first book wasn’t the best, and could have done with more editing. However, the plot and setting shine through anyhow. With the exception of most of the “bad guys,” I disagree that the characters are flat. Maybe a tad stereotypical, but each has very human vulnerabilities. Hermione seems insufferable at first, and never stops being overly concerned with her grades, but she also turns out to be someone who cares about what others think, puts her neck out for others, and ends up showing that she’s very brave, and can use her knowledge under pressure. Besides, the genre is fantasy, not realistic fiction. Fantasies are full of archetypes. Some say Rowling “ripped off” ideas from literary classics. But all literature references previous ideas to varying degrees. I don’t think she plagiarized or copied ideas; I think she paid homage to previous authors.

Genre: Fantasy

Reading level: 5^th-6^th grade

Interest level: All muggles, particularly those in grades 4-9

Subjects: Wizards, Magic, Boarding School, Good vs. Evil

Awards:

Winner of the United Kingdom’s National Book Award (1997)

ALA Notable Book

New York Public Library Best Book of the Year (1998)

Read-alikes:

For children: Collins’ Gregor the Overlander series

Dahl’s BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, & Matilda

Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series

For adults:

Grossman’s The Magicians

Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series

Many Harry Potter fans also enjoy the TV shows Dr. Who and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Series information:

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Companion books:

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Quidditch Throughout the Ages

Tales of Beedle the Bard

See my book trailer here!

Make it or Break it (TV Show)

Television series: Make It or Break It. Produced by ABC Family. 2009-present.  http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/make-it-break-it

A guilty-pleasure TV show on a book blog? 

I’m reviewing this show because tweens and teens enjoy it. It’s less raunchy and pandering than a lot of shows for this age group, and while far from perfect, does a good job of reaching this demographic. It’s even a little addicting. . . J

What’s it about?

Make it or Break it follows a group of young gymnasts, all Olympic hopefuls, as they struggle with new competition, coaching changes, injury, illness, and relationship problems.

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Make it or Break it, which has been renewed for its third season, is about four teenage gymnasts, all Olympic hopefuls. In the pilot, we meet three girls, Kaylie, Lauren and Payson, who are the top three at their prestigious gym at the Rocky Mountain Gymnastics Training Center (The Rock) in Colorado. When the series opens, they are preparing for the Nationals. The arrival of a raw talent, Emily Kmetcko, who shows up with no formal experience (she’d been training at the YMCA), threatens the girls, particularly Lauren, who fears that Emily will knock her out of the top three, jeopardizing her chance at her Olympic dream. In the next few episodes, there is a new shocker—the coach, Marty, has left. There is a juicy back-story behind his departure, but more importantly, the gym must now scramble to find a replacement—enter the controversial (but effective) coach Sasha Beloff.   

Some of the characters in this series start out as caricatures, and a few remain that way. The show’s writers, however, do a good job of creating conflict that allows different sides of characters to show, which is necessary because some characters are too one-dimensional to be believable. Lauren, for instance, is vicious, manipulative, and perhaps a sociopath. In later episodes, however, it becomes clear that she was traumatized by her addict mother’s abandonment.  This doesn’t excuse her actions, and she continues to do many morally bankrupt things. It’s good, however, to see a glimmer of insight into why the character acts the way she does. The rest of the characters are fairly archetypal as well. The character Emily Kmetcko is the classic rebellious underdog, with a frustrating knack for sabotaging herself. Kaylie is a spoiled-rotten rich princess whose perfect existence is shattered by a recent betrayal by her best friend and boyfriend, who were caught cheating, and her father, also caught cheating. Payson is the best gymnast at The Rock, and has a shot at Olympic gold. She is a stable girl, who is 100% dedicated to the sport, and a mentor to her other, less focused teammates.  

This drama series is older tween and teen friendly, although some of the subjects are a little iffy for younger tweens (for a show that brands itself as a “family” show, it does seem unnecessary to have promiscuity and unfaithfulness so prominently featured). To be fair, the sex is alluded to and never shown. There is also an episode where the girls go to a “kegger,” which may, unfortunately, be realistic, but doesn’t seem like a great idea for a “family” show. This show is tamer than other shows geared toward teens, and I don't think it glamorizes the bad decisions the girls make.  

I don’t see many (if any) boys tuning into this show unless forced by their sister, girlfriend or mother. At times it is so overwrought, it is more soap opera than straight drama. Most of the acting is pretty poor, although it’s hard to tell if the poor dialog is to blame. Some of the adult characters are decent, and the performances of Alya Kell who plays Payson, the most relatable character, Lauren’s oft moral- challenged father, and Steve Tanner, played by Anthony Starke are very believable. Sometimes this show is so bad it’s good, making viewers laugh when they aren’t supposed to. Despite this, the show does a great job of creating cliff-hangers and getting the audience interested (if not exactly invested) in what will happen next. This show is the definition of a “guilty pleasure” show, and probably a large portion of the audience tunes in because of their interest in gymnastics, either as a fan or an athlete. The show does a decent job of shooting the gymnastics skills and throwing in the sport’s terminology, but the show focuses on the athletes more than the sport.  

Genre: Drama

Interest level: Grades 6-12

Subjects: Gymnastics, Friendship, Athletes, Coaches, Family, Betrayal

Awards:

Nominated several times at the Teen Choice Awards

Similar shows/movies:

Stick it (2006)

Degrassi Junior High 

Watch the pilot here!

A Wrinkle in Time

L’Engle, Madeline. A Wrinkle in Time. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1962.  Tr. $17.00, ISBN-10  0-374-38613-7

What’s it about?

The stubborn secret math whiz Meg Murry, her extraordinary little brother Charles Wallace, and their neighbor, the kind, athletic and intelligent Calvin O’Keefe band together to time-travel with three other-worldly beings, Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which to  find Meg and Charles’ father Mr. Murray, a physicist who has been missing for nearly two years.  Will they find Mr. Murray, or will their dangerous journeys destroy them?

 Find out more:

Meg Murry is an underdog, ridiculed at school and dismissed by her teachers. She bitterly misses her father, a physicist, for almost two years, when he disappeared while working on a secret project. Her brother, Charles Wallace, is rumored to be sub-normal, since he didn’t begin to talk until he was four, but he is actually a genius with an uncanny ability to read people. The unusual boy has been making some unusual friends: mysterious old women (Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which) who have taken up in the haunted house in the woods. Charles takes Meg to meet them, and the siblings encounter a boy, Calvin O’Keefe, who felt inexplicably compelled to come to the haunted house.  Calvin instantly feels connected to the Murrays, and the three band together with the ancient (try billions of years old) Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which to find Mr. Murray. The travel, of course, involves a tesseract, a wrinkle in time. Their journeys lead them to fantastic and frightening planets and beings—some that threaten to destroy them.   

A Wrinkle in Time is an intense book you’ll read with bated breath—especially when the children arrive on the planet Camazotz.  The most significant theme of the book, and one that allows the book to have a happy ending, is the power of love to vanquish the destructive nature of evil.  In A Wrinkle in Time, even beings that we think of as frightening (such as Aunt Beast) show an astonishing capacity for love. Another theme young readers will enjoy is the power of intelligence and individuality to stand against the cloying pressure to conform. L’Engle tackles these themes with breath-taking world-building, beautiful turns of phrase, and lets the events unfold through the eyes of Meg, the most ordinary character in this book—and also the bravest.

Did you know?

A side-note about this book is the difficulty L’Engle had in getting it published. She had over two dozen rejections before Farrar, Straus and Giroux agreed to publish it. The main reasons it was rejected are, interestingly, its strengths: it’s a very unique story, a complex story, a tale of fighting evil. Publishers seemed confused about whether this was a children’s book or an adult book as well.

This book is intelligent and deep, so it isn’t surprising it is on the ALA’s list of Frequently Challenged Books. Many great books end up on this list. I’m fascinated that L’Engle, who is a Christian, has had trouble with critics who, despite the positive religious and scriptural allusions (which remind me very much of C.S. Lewis’ works), think that mentioning Jesus in the same context as great artists and scientists amounts to blasphemy (even though L’Engle had Charles Wallace shout out his name first). Another reason this book has been challenged is because of references to witchcraft! This book will turn children over to the powers of darkness, just like Harry Potter! This type of “logic” makes me wonder if the critics actually bothered to read A Wrinkle in Time.  What book were they reading? Witchcraft? Witches? Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Which aren’t witches. Oh wait, Mrs. Which=Mrs. Witch. I stand corrected.

Genre: Science Fiction

Reading level: 5^th grade

Interest level: Grades 5-9

Subjects: Time travel, Extraterrestrials, Conformity, Love, Family, Good vs. Evil

Awards:

Newbery Medal (1963)

Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (1964)

Read-alikes:

Stead’s When You Reach Me

Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia

Series information:

The Time Quintet

A Wind in the Door (1973)

A Swiftly Tilting Planet (1978)

Many Waters (1986)

An Acceptable Time (1989)