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My son was interested in reading a particular book from the library. We were not familiar with the author nor the series, so I set out to learn something about it before giving our approval.

My normal source for age-appropriateness and objectionable-content reviews of books is Common Sense Media, but they did not have anything for this book. So I thought I would look up other reviews, such as at Goodreads or Amazon or other places that people review books.

One of the strengths of the internet is that anyone can join discussions and contribute things, i.e. crowdsourcing. Reviews should, and many times do, benefit from the myriad inputs.

But one of the weaknesses of the internet is that the quality of contributions vary wildly.

In this case, most of the reviews were worthless. Most of them were a star rating (mandatory), an expression of sorts (I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!), and then a plot summary (It was a very exciting book that starts with the such-and-such and then this happens and they have to figure out this thing, etc.) There were very few helpful reviews. The reviews that were helpful seemed to use the format of listing pros and cons.

An Open Letter to Book Reviewers

Transcript
Father: Are these your mobile devices?
Son: Look, dad, it’s not what you…
Father: And what is this? Minecraft??
Son: Dad, I …
Father: Answer me!
Father: Who taught you how to do this stuff?
Son: You, alright!
Son: I learned it by watching you.
Partnership for a Mobile Device-Free America

What are you teaching your kids?

My Christmas present this year was a dash cam. I was inspired by last year’s Russian meteor footage, captured by hundreds of dash cams.

After reading a few reviews, I settled on the G1W. I didn’t want the fanciest of cameras, and at around $50, the G1W offered the best compromise between features and price.

Photos

I ordered it off eBay, and it came shipped from China.

I was a little concerned that they called it a toy, but I chalked that up to translation nuances. Upon further inspection, I chalked it up to export duties.

Opening up the shipping envelope, I found this box:
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I don’t normally try to read a bunch of books anytime but during summer vacation, but for some reason I got on a roll during Christmas break and had time to read a few. Here are my thoughts on them.

Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury

I remember when my brother rented the movie Napoleon Dynamite for a few of us to watch, he warned me “don’t expect any plot in this movie, just enjoy each scene as its own.” And that is what this book is like.

It is the literary equivalent of Napoleon Dynamite.

Put another way: it is a collection of short stories related to human travels to Mars. Many of the stories are related or share certain characters, but others don’t.

It was a fairly quick read, or maybe it just seemed that way because I could stop reading and restart whenever I wanted because there is no flow to the whole book.

I didn’t get this book with my kids in mind; I just wanted to grab a book for myself. But, in case you are wondering about kid-appropriateness, I would certainly let a high-schooler read it, but not my elementary-schoolers.

And I don’t know that I would recommend the book to anyone. I’m not recommending against it, just that there are better books out there. Unless you’re a fan of short stories set on Mars.

Seven Wonders – The Colossus Rises, by Peter Lerangis

This book seems like it is trying to capitalize on the popularity of other books involving the historic supernatural (I’m looking at you, Percy Jackson).

The book was fine. If you want to know what the book is about, there are plenty of recaps available elsewhere. My review is going to stick to the reason I was reading the book – to see if my kids would like it.

They might.

The imagery and situations were less intense than the Percy Jackson series, plus there’s no romance, so it is appropriate for a younger audience than Percy Jackson is. I’d say 3rd grade and up for this series, but 6th grade and up for the Olympians. But I read only the first book of this series, so I can’t say for sure that all of them are like this.

Warriors – Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter

We were staying at a friend’s house, and they had this whole series, which they offered to let us borrow. We said yes, and then I read the first book (Into the Wild) after we got home.

The story was more compelling than I had expected. It is about life in a cat clan. There are descriptions of cats fighting, nothing graphic, but if your child doesn’t like animals being harmed or killed, then pass on this series. A 1st grader might enjoy these books, but I’ll go with a recommendation of 2nd grade on up.

Frazz, by Jef Mallet

Great book. A collection of Frazz comic strips. Fun for all ages – almost. There were a couple of instances of something you wouldn’t want your pre-schooler to say. The only one I can remember right now is one of the more famous quotes from Macbeth.

Fallout, by Todd Strasser

Interesting premise, but I stopped partway through. Once I discovered that the book was not appropriate for grade-schoolers, there was no need to keep reading.

The premise is there is only one family on the block who built a bomb shelter, and a nuclear bomb does go off. The book is centered around this Lifeboat scenario (Steve Taylor reference) as more people get into the shelter than it is meant to support, but the also delves into other lessons on racism and other social issues. My main objection has to do with some of the lessons that the neighbor boy teaches the main character, also a young boy. The protagonist is young and therefore naive, and he learns some things. The things he learns from the neighbor are not things I want other people putting into my child’s head.

Note: there are several books with the title of Fallout. If you are writing or thinking about a book, please choose a different title.

Iron Giant, by Ted Hughes

We watched this movie (animated, from the 1990s) for the first time last month. Everyone liked it so much, we thought we would read the book.

Don’t.

If you liked the movie, leave it at that. The book is nothing like the movie. The movie is exciting. The book is simple. It reads like a See Spot Run book.

I guess it hinges on your expectations. If you read the book to kids at a young enough age, they might enjoy it. If you see the movie first though, they probably won’t.

Rush Revere, by Rush Limbaugh

A stylized account of William Bradford’s settling of the Pilgrims in 1620. Alpha got this for Christmas from his grandparents. Since I trust his grandparents not to corrupt him with inappropriate media, I wasn’t going to check or read this book. But I noticed him laughing at a few parts of the book, so I got curious.

The book was both entertaining and informative. It is, at its heart, a history lesson, albeit enhanced with additional characters so that kids will want to read it.

Nothing objectionable.

Sidekicks, by Dan Santat

My 2nd grader picked this out of the library. I wasn’t planning on reading it, but one afternoon my pre-schooler picked it as the book he wanted me to read to him.

It’s a fun little comic book, or short graphic novel if you will, about an aging superhero and his pets. Those pets happen to be his sidekicks, hence the title.

I’d have no problem letting any of my kids read this one.

While it might be nice to live in someplace warm and sunny all year, there are some benefits to living in the north where we get a good winter.

Like this, for instance:

For at least a couple months each year, we don’t need to worry about how full our fridge or freezer are. Just toss the food into the garage and it stays good until April.

Many of you may be aware of the trichotomy of features, perhaps better known as “choose any 2 of these 3”.

I think I first heard it applied to dating, by some classmates in high school.

I next heard it applied at work:

The quickest, best quality bid will cost you extra money.
The cheapest, quickest bid will be of low quality.
And the best quality, cheapest bid won’t be done in time.

Then I got to thinking “what other areas present such a choice?” Here are some other things I thought up:
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This has been an odd year. No really, it’s 2013.

But it has been odd in other ways, particularly in that I am reading books throughout the year instead of just during summer vacation.

I thought I was done for the year, but no. We went as a family to the library, which is a common occurrence, but for some reason I felt like checking out a book for myself. I think the impulse was mostly due to Ricky Anderson’s excitement about Ender’s Game, what with the movie being released soon and all.

So I grabbed Ender’s Game, just to see what all the fuss was about. Then as long as I was going to be checking out a book, I might as well grab a couple of them – more bang for my buck. I had heard a few recommendations for Eragon, and I wanted to read it before Alpha asked to read it so I would know how appropriate it was. And then there was a book that has been mentioned a few times on various lists of best books – Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. It is supposed to be a great spy novel. And then my wife threw in a book – Out of my Mind – that Alpha was going to be reading in his class and she wanted to be familiar with it. And then she also grabbed Wonder, which Alpha’s class was already reading.

So that’s 5 books. I’ll review them here in the order I read them.

Ender’s Game

I had a deadline for this one, since the movie was pending. The book was captivating, and if you are not familiar with it then try not to read any descriptions of it because the story is much better if you don’t know what is coming. Don’t worry, no spoilers here.

I liked the book a lot better after I finished it, compared to while I was reading it. You need the whole story to appreciate the parts.

What I thought while I was reading it is that it was a bit too crude for my tastes. Not crude as in the writing is primitive or unscholarly, but crude as in crass. Not a lot of it, but enough. This is a book about kids, but it is not a book for kids.

I like to describe it as a cross between Lord of the Flies and White Fang but set in space. If you don’t like the premise of, and descriptions of violence in, Lord of the Flies, then you won’t like Ender’s Game.

I forget how I normally sum up a book in my review posts. Interesting story, well-written, but not for everyone. Right now, I would say if my kids ask to read this I will tell them to wait until they are in high school.

Wonder

While I was reading Ender’s Game, my wife was reading Wonder. She wanted to be familiar with the books Alpha’s class was reading.

I noticed she was moved (emotionally, not physically) while reading this book, so I figured it would be a heart-warming story of some sort.

It was.

(On a side note – it’s a shame there is not a city named Tears that is a home to many businesses. Then, if anyone was relocated there for his job, he could claim he was moved to Tears.)

I sensed a theme in the books that Alpha’s class was reading: anti-bullying. This book is done well; it is not a heavy-handed piece of anti-bullying propaganda. It is a story, a story of a boy whose disfigurement causes him to be a social outcast. The book tells his story through the eyes of different people – family and friends – and the reader comes to understand the effects of teasing or ignoring someone with abnormalities.

The book was good, but there were some side stories (the high-school sister and her boyfriend, for example) that made me think I wouldn’t have picked it for 4th graders. There was nothing objectionable, that I remember, but I think those parts of the story won’t be appreciated by kids younger than middle school. They won’t understand or empathize with the sister’s disagreements with the parents, or the other aspects of high school that are portrayed in this book.

But there is plenty about the school where the younger brother goes that they will understand, so I guess it’s okay.

Out of My Mind

I figured out Wonder had an anti-bullying message, but I didn’t figure the class had a theme of anti-bullying books until I read this next book, Out of My Mind.

Maybe “anti-bullying” is not the right term. The books are not anti-bullying, but the messages they promote should reduce bullying. Both books are saying “be nice to people, regardless of how they look”.

Out of My Mind is the story of a girl with cerebral palsy who can’t speak. But she can move her arms and thumbs. With the help of the right people, she starts achieving things.

What I liked about this book is that, unlike Wonder, not everything goes well. Not anything against Wonder, it is a compelling story, but it has a Hollywood ending. Out of My Mind does not have a typical Hollywood ending.

The main detraction in the book was that the author named technologies. She has characters mention putting things on MySpace and such. My suggestion for authors is to make your story more timeless by not mentioning specific brand names when a general term would do. The MySpace examples stands out because it is rapidly fading from society. If students a couple of years from now read the book, they might have to stop and ask what MySpace is. But if the author had used a general term, such as “class website”, it would have more staying power.

When my wife handed me the book, I thought I was previewing a book that Alpha would be reading. But when I started reading, the class was already halfway through. His teacher was reading the story aloud to the class, only a chapter or so a day, so I quickly passed them.

The book is fine for elementary schoolers.

Eragon

There is a lot of hullabaloo surrounding Eragon. When my son saw me reading the book, he pulled out his World Records book and showed my the picture of the Eragon author, winner of the category “Youngest Author of a Best-Selling Series”.

This one is pretty simple – if you like stories about dragons and magic and medieval-type fighting and battles, you’ll like this book.

It’s a long book, but compelling. What did it compel me to do, you may ask. It compelled me to keep reading, that’s what.

When I finished the book, I offered it to Alpha. He hemmed and hawed. I told him he didn’t have to read it, I’ll just give it back to the library if he’s not interested. He didn’t care, then I mentioned that it was like Septimus Heap. Then he jumped up and grabbed the book.

The book is fine, the story is fine. There are some descriptions of violence, and there is a chapter that involves torture (the concept of it, not depictions of it), so it is not for younger kids. The definition of “younger” is relative, depending on the child’s maturity and sensitivity.

We went back to the library this week, and Alpha eagerly picked out Eldest, the sequel to Eragon. I’m not going to keep up with him on these books – I’m going to trust Common Sense Media for the rest. They say that the second book is less violent than the first book, so Eldest is fine. But they warn that the third and fourth books are more violent. I’ll tell Alpha to wait on Brisngr and Inheritance.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

This book had all positive reviews, but I think only people who like spy novels actually read the book and left reviews. I read some Tom Clancy books in high school, and those were interesting. But I would not consider myself a fan of spy novels. Still, this book was so highly recommended that I figured I would try it.

Now I know – avoid spy novels. It was not that entertaining for me.

Sure, there was some suspense. And there were some characters. But overall, the book felt dreary. I think it was all the depressing depictions of the characters’ personal lives. People were having marriage problems, the business was having organizational and succession problems, kids at the school were having emotional problems, etc. I’m not saying that everything has to be happy all the time, but, to ruin a C.S. Lewis quote, the book was all winter with no hope of Christmas or spring.

I did not read this one with the intent of deciding if it was appropriate for Alpha to read. Not for kids. I picked it to be able to say I read it. And that’s about all I got out of it.