This book was recently on a list of books at Book Riot that would not be published today.  I can see why.  Right from the title the reader sees the word midget which is a derogatory term for a little person.  However, that is about the only thing wrong with the book.  The story is a mystery, the mystery of the cave if you will and the traveling circus with a legend about hidden treasure.  The book is short and everything about it screams “I was published in 1980” but the story was rather nice once the reader got past the words.  In a way it was a bit like the Scooby gang minus the dog. 

 What the heck did I just read!  This book is about the drug cocaine and how it destroys lives and neighborhoods.  It is written in the style of The Napping House, where one sentence builds on the next to create the story, and each is repeated when a new sentence is added.  There is NO WAY this book would be published today.  We would look at this book very differently today, and would find softer more fact driven ways to talk about drug abuse.  And oddest of all, this was written by a comedian.  It’s all just too weird.  I would say this is a book that should be purged from library selves.  

This book should still be published today.  Maybe be giving new illustrations as modern libraries would not a low a naked woman’s nipple to be on the cover of a book in the children’s department.  This is the true story of a little girl and her mother on the day of and days after the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima.  This story is bold, this story is powerful.  This story is heartbreaking, and should still be in libraries, so children can learn not to repeat the mistakes of the past. 

 

They say this book could never be published today.  And they are probably correct.  It is about a little boy Martin who is worried about the size of his penis.  He was seen naked in the changing room at the pool and the kids made fun of his small member and now he is worried that it will keep him from being liked and having kids when he gets older.  I think this book is very sincere.  I very much picture boys I know and knew growing up wondering these things.  Before someone gave them the “me and my body” books to help answer all these types of questions.  I loved this book, and found it adorable, but oh yeahhhhhhh would lots of parents complain if they found it on the shelf in a children’s room.  I loved this book, and I wish could see the questions of childhood that are asked in this books pages, rather than information that should be sacred and personal.  

 This book is complete and utter garbage!  Alfie was sexually abused by his uncle as a child, thinks he is gay, and a psychiatrist tells him he’s not gay, just missing his dads love.  This book is a bunch of bull shit written by a big time believer and leader in the ex-gay movement.  If this was my copy I would burn it.  Utter garbage!!!. 

 

I guess this book is supposed to be a memoire. The first thing I hate of the bat is all the name dropping.  You can’t look up anything about this book without seeing a list of his famous family.  At the same time, the author uses that to point out just how much of a black sheep he is.  Josh and I listened to this in the car, and when I got out I was done.  Bob just does stupid thing after stupid things.  It’s like watching Super Troopers from the criminal’s side.  I didn’t care and DNFed the title.  Josh however, wither the humor of the correctional officer that he is, was rolling in the isle.  He could not stop laughing.  So while this book was not for me, It was for someone. 

 

Need something for a reluctant reader? You may give this a try.  It would fit right in with Dog Man, Lunch lady, etc.  Mischief is the secret identity of Missy and her cat Mayhem.  They got kicked out of super hero school, and decide to become super villains instead.  This is very tongue in check.  It’s cutesy, and funny, but not super “girly”.  It’s geared towards early chapters and overall it works.  I didn’t care for it, but my nephew loved it! 

 

The description had me when it Said She-Ra meets Dog Man.  If only it had lived up to that. The art lives up to it, but the story line is just so-so. Barb is small.  She is constantly looked over by the other Berserkers who are big and full of muscle, and ready to fight.  During a fight with Witch Head most of her warrior friends are captured and she must defeat them on her own with her trusty Shadow Blade.  This is supposed to be a comedy, but it is too much comedy for the reader.  I found myself rolling my eyes and wondering when it was going to end.  No thank you. 

 

I wish I had liked this book more.  This story reads like a bunch of various books, were cut out and then rearranged to make a new title.  For example, the first part of the book could have easily been Harry Potter book 2 when the kids miss their bus to witch school.  No they don’t steal a car but instead of telling an adult or calling their parents, they decide to find someone else to teach them magic.  The first stop does not work out so well, and they go to another.  This is just a series of mishap after mishap that wouldn’t happen if the kids stopped to think and used their brains. Apparently their brains are missing.  I really had high hopes for this and wanted to like it, but my galley expired, and I don’t care enough to get a copy to finish the last 30 or so pages. 

 

Most people have some type of family legacy, even if it is just everyone’s an accountant.  For Ham, his family legacy is being vampire hunters, who die prematurely.  Before you double check if this is a kid’s book, yes it is.  Think of the deaths like Gen X roadrunner and Coyote hijinks.  Ham’s older brother Chad when off on his adventure and never returned. Ham has no desire to follow in the family footsteps, but he must and throughout his adventure he makes readers laugh, look at classic stories in a new and crazy ways, as well learning that people are not always what they seem.  This book was really funny.  It could be read at any time of the year, and the graphics match the tone and tell a great story.