The first half was promising but the latter moved at such a fast past that it was almost disorienting. I became confused as to what exactly was happening with character motivations and the unraveling of the mystery behind the harrowing. It didn't really devote the time to handle these aspects thoroughly so they got so muddled during the rush to the final page.

I really dig the art style. Really highlights the horror element.

While I knew a good slew about Mr. Rogers going in, having watched a few documentaries, I was glad to read about more of the special  interactions he had over the years, seeing his commitment to educating children and helping everyone to be a better neighbor. The "lessons" of Fred Rogers that the author wanted to impart seemed a bit of a stretch, at least in having them tie into a Rogers-related anecdote in some way. The book attempts to be a half biography, half self help book, but I never really felt guided in any way. It's just sort of "the best of Fred Rogers" and honestly, you can't even be too disappointed with that. 

One of the many many books that's been languishing on my shelf for over a decade. I was probably in the target audience when I first bought the book, but reading procrastination can really throw a wrench into things. Up until now my only familiarity with this series was its supposedly disastrous film adaptation that came out years ago. (Though I do have a soft spot for John C. Reilly acting goofy despite the miscasting.)

The book, while not too much happens, has a great pace to it. Middle graders will get swept up in the oddness and slight horror but older readers may become a bit bored after a while. The entire book could have been summed up in five or six chapters, leaving more room for development or even combining it with future books. 

Like so many books for younger readers, there are times when our teen(?)/middle school (?) characters resemble mini adults more than children. Truly I have no idea what age these characters are which only makes this nit pique a bit more frustrating. They dont' really speak like children, especially Steve. It really took me out some of the seriousness of some scenes when when he or Darren says something overly articulate or dramatic and I couldn't imagine someone below the age of 30 saying the words.

While extremely goofy at times, the end gets downright morbid and I like that for this series.

We have Darren literally listen to his own eulogy, watch people mourn him, think about what his death will mean to those that he loves. It's genuinely sad and really makes me want to continue with the series to see how emotional it will get once it gets time to breathe.

Will be moving with the series just because I'm interested in where the plot is going to go once I reach past the context of the movie.

The posh/cockney/British urchin slang was cute for a bit but boy does it get a tad grating over the course of four issues. 

Being a fan of Sherlock Holmes fan, I was interested in this story of a ragtag group of kids coming together to solve a curious mystery regarding statues coming to life and terrorizing the streets of London. The personalities of the group do round out, but they aren't exactly characters I could find myself really engaging with. 

Younger audiences will probably vibe with the art pretty well, though the mystery aspect doesn't really shine through when you're given all the answers without going through much effort for them. 

There could have been more here, but that's just coming from an adult reading a children's comic that's supposed to be a bit more fun than thrilling. 

This is probably the third book I've seen with a setup like this: an emboldened young female reader is spurred by book banning in her school that leads her to take up running a banned books library from her locker. The first two, being Ban This Book and Property of the Rebel Librarian, were middle grade reads and slightly a little more lighthearted than this teen read, naturally. They were generally more optimistic, whereas I think here there was a more realistic ending/take of things. 

The narrative flows well to the point that you could probably get through this book fairly quickly. It's a great way to introduce teen readers to activism as well as the basics of book censorship. I like the stance of "your activism must be fueled by something more than anger, it has to build towards something and not just tearing something down." I think a lot of activism prose gets so swept up in dismantling oppressive systems (as one should) that they forget that something must come after, something better. It's a good way to get readers thinking about these issues and discover further reading.

While I mentioned this book having a more realistic outcome

the books stay banned, fired teachers stayed fired, and the private school does whatever it can to keep to the status quo,

there are elements that do seem a little out there. All these teens start a reading habit once the library is closed down and write inspirational quotes on the covered covers of the banned books with nary a crude illustration in sight. A bit hopeful depiction of teens, but eh, I'll take it.

Though it's story I've seen before, I think any lover of books with find themselves in Clara. I think it was a bit out there when she started to question the validity of the books she was defending.

That whole couple of chapters where she was like "books HURT people" seemed a bit overboard but I'm glad it didn't stick around for too long.

But I think she was an effective lead nonetheless.

Of course, I have to end my review with a quote that stood out the most to me.

"The communal aspect of books. They became so close to you, so ingrained in your blood, that it was like they became unpublished....And somewhere between the covers you'd start to think you were the only one who'd ever set eyes on the words, that there couldn't possibly have been another person that book spoke to as much as you."

At its heart, Kenny and the Dragon is a simple tale of a rabbit befriending a dragon that isn't all fire breathing and town terrorizing. I think we've gotten so many stories of kindly beasts that they haven't been a novelty in some time, but I think young readers will enjoy Grahame's cuddly appearance and theatrics. 

I have a great nostalgia for DiTerlizzi's illustrations, being raised on the Spiderwick Chronicles which dominated my 10 year old brain. The creatures, when intended, have such a warm appearance. I definitely pick up a Brian Froud influence, as I could just imagine these characters popping up in a Henson company movie. 

I'm always a fan of children's books that offer non-violent solutions to problems and thinking creatively. Great for classroom reading or a family read. 

Read this for this Lincoln Award Nominee reading challenge.

I thought this was a pretty cute book as far as romances go. I can't attest to the authenticity of Muslim and Pakistani representation, which I have heard conflicting opinions on, so I'll leave the discussion to those who are qualified to do it.

As far as a read for teens, I'm glad that it addressed the ideas of revisionist history, colonialism, and examining the perspectives of the conquered and the conquerors. Danyal was an engaging protagonist, one that was relatable, humorous, and worth rooting for. I liked that, despite his faults, he had some strengths, particularly in cooking. He was cracking me up in some places and making me slap my head in others, which are natural reactions to teen boys. 

The flow was a bit off in places, with some events landing at odd times in the story when they probably would have been better occurring earlier or later. I would have like a bit more development between Danyal and Bisma, but I think it works for the most part here. 

I was really vibing for the sort of magical/historical slant the story was going for, but by the end I didn't know what to make of it. It felt like we were dropped into an entirely different story about 2/3s of the way in, with new characters, new motivations, and metaphors that sprung out of nowhere or got muddied. 

The Bird King and the mythical island aspect almost sprung out of nowhere. At the beginning, there was a mention of The Conference of the Birds, an unfinished poem about a group of birds setting out to meet the Bird King so that at least had some basis, but it wasn't until they were fleeing at sea that they picked out the mythical destination, as if it was a last minute decision by the writer. Once we got past the halfway mark, it feels almost like the story is grasping at straws for what could possibly happen next despite such a strong beginning.

And the ending? The message of "We are all the Bird King?" I mean, I get it, but with all the established metaphors and context that has been given to us thus far, what does that mean? Why should I feel attached to these characters that I just met and feel so thin compared to our protagonists? Why did Gwennec dying feel so unearned and underwhelming? Why is Fatima so possessive of Hassan knowing that they won't ever be together? And why does he kind of allow it in the end?

The Bird King had such a compelling first half but absolutely loses itself when it's literally adrift at sea.

Amidst the dogfighting, circa early 20th century racism, and indigenous stereotypes, White Fang is certainly one of the classics that may rub modern audiences the wrong way. Seriously...why does the dog believe in white supremacy the moment he first sees a white person? 

Otherwise, it's a fairly typical Jack London outing about the duality of the Wild and civilization, its harms and its beauty, and how our environments mold us over time. Honestly, I found it sad White Fang basically being pulled from the Wild, forced to domesticate to the point where he can't survive independently, and then shipped to a place that isn't the best climate for his breed. I know it's meant to be uplifting at some point where he escapes his abuse and ends up with an owner that loves him, but still. It feels like a life forced upon him that he has to make a best case scenario out of. 

The writing style isn't really to my taste, very repetitive, straight forward, and rife with long internal descriptions that seem to go nowhere. It never really felt like a continuous narrative, more like a patchwork of smaller stories that make up White Fang's life. It feels like we are giving scenes of a story rather than settling into a moment, if that makes any sense. 

I read this book solely to see if I could weed my collection a bit and I think I've found something that would probably see better use elsewhere.