Candy and the Cankersaur - Review

 

Published:  June 17th, 2012

Candy and the Cankersaur

Story and Illustrations by: Jason Sandberg

Jason Sandberg eBooks

ASIN:  B008CG1S96

 

This is the sweet and funny tale of a young girl named Candy and a Cankersaurus Rex! Candy receives a dinosaur as a gift and is determined to train him to be a good pet.

 

Review

 

      Candace Courtney Wellesley Wellington, who everyone calls Candy, lives in a really big house with her Father.  He never has any time to play with her, so he always gets her the best, most unique presents.  This time he has gotten Candy the last known dinosaur, a cankersaur to be precise, as her playmate!  Now if only she could train Cank not to bite!  Candy's neighbor Chucky is very competitive though and when he can't get a dinosaur of his own, Chucky gives Cank to the circus.  When he sees how sad Candy is, can Chucky help her get Cank back home?

      Jason Sandberg e-mailed me himself, asking for a review.  And while picture books are really NOT my normal fare, I agreed due to how cute it sounded and the awesomeness of the illustrations.  It immediately reminded me of the Sid Hoff books I read as a kid (it turns out he was inspired by Hoff and this is an homage to him!) and I was excited.  It's just a short book about a lonely little girl, a dinosaur and a neighbor boy with a jealousy problem who becomes a friends.  Very well executed it will definitely hold the attention span of the age group it's meant for.  I spent the whole time I was reading it smiling at the story and the character's reactions.  Cank being unable to be trained not to bite comes into play near the end in a really logical way.  Good book to teach kids about sharing and being friends with others. 

     The one thing I would say is this could be read to younger ages, but only older kids (7-9ish) could probably read it to themselves and fully comprehend some of the larger words.  This is dependent on the child's reading level and comprehension skill though as well.  Overall, a cute book for young children (ages 5-9ish) and adults will enjoy it too.  The artwork is very well conceived.  Maybe a sequel is needed with Candy, Cank and Chucky's further adventures? :)

 

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

 

*I received an E-book Copy from the author.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book was published June 17th, 2012.*

Up In Lights

 

Published:  April 1st, 2013
That Time I Joined The Circus
By: J.J. Howard
Scholastic
ISBN-13:  9780545433815

Lexi Ryan just ran away to join the circus, but not on purpose.

A music-obsessed, slightly snarky New York City girl, Lexi is on her own. After making a huge mistake--and facing a terrible tragedy--Lexi has no choice but to track down her long-absent mother. Rumor has it that Lexi's mom is somewhere in Florida with a traveling circus.

When Lexi arrives at her new, three-ring reality, her mom isn't there . . . but her destiny might be. Surrounded by tigers, elephants, and trapeze artists, Lexi finds some surprising friends and an even more surprising chance at true love. She even lucks into a spot as the circus's fortune teller, reading tarot cards and making predictions.

But then Lexi's ex-best friend from home shows up, and suddenly it's Lexi's own future that's thrown into question.

With humor, wisdom, and a dazzlingly fresh voice, this debut reminds us of the magic of circus tents, city lights, first kisses, and the importance of an excellent playlist.

Review

 

     Self-proclaimed teenage music snob and outcast Lexi Ryan (formerly known as Xandra) is forced to leave behind her life in New York City to find her long estranged Mom, when her Dad dies in a tragic accident and she's left without money or options.  Due to a huge mistake Lexi made with her best friend Eli, she is more than happy to leave the city and start over again - even if it is with a broken heart.  Arriving at the circus where her Mom was supposed to be, Lexi finds out that she isn't there anymore and is left trying to scrounge a job and place to live from the ringmaster while she looks for her Mom.  Soon finding her niche as the resident fortune teller and friends in the ringmaster's teenage daughters, who are trapeze artists, Lexi is discovering who she is and what she wants to do with her life.  But it all might come crashing down when someone from her past finds her and she finally comes face to face with her Mom.  Can Lexi build a life for herself with the best parts of the new and the old? 

     Lexi as a character struck me as an odd mixture between self-hating, superior know-it-all and insecure outcast.   But surprisingly enough, she didn't get on my nerves as a main character.  Her snarky wit and jack-of-all-trades persona appealed to me and I enjoyed her voyage of self discovery throughout the novel.  Although I hated her romantic decisions and the guy she ends up with happens as an atrocious plot device/twist that really annoyed me as a reader.  Probably the worst thing in this entire book was the bouncy castle of romantic relationships and feelings!   Lexi's relationship with Eli really pissed me off.  He's supposedly her best friend, but as soon as he started dating Bailey he ignored and treated her like crap 99% of the time.  But because he still gave her little bits of his time, Lexi was convinced it was all 'evil' Bailey's fault as the shallow girlfriend.  It couldn't be because, I don't know, Eli is a complete douchebag???  The whole 'mistake' between them re-inforces this belief.  And the ending completely doesn't fit in with this obvious fact of his character.  Jamie, the guy on crew at the circus who shared a kiss with Lexi was described as a player, with a string of broken hearts behind him.  So color me confused when he immediately latches on to Lina (the girl who has been in love with him and he has ignored) and becomes a one-girl kind of guy!  Also the relationship with Nicolae was too similar to insta-love and never felt like it had any true depth.  It felt like the characters were going through the motions.

     If it feels like I'm mega focused on the romance, let me get to the actual plot and execution.  The book was very unbelievable in it's overall plot.  Yes, I can get behind a girl going to find her Mom at the circus.  It has awesome potential.  What made no sense was the complete lack of grief or any emotion resembling it from Lexi for her dead Dad.  Also, yeah right!  Like no social worker, school counselor or other officially inclined adult is gonna stop a 17 year old from dropping out of school, being evicted and traveling from New York to Florida by herself.  Can you say 'foster home'?  The resolution of the lifetime of pain, betrayal and anger sitting between Lexi and her Mom, along with the ease and quickness she accepts her Mom's version of the divorce/abandonment, pissed me off.  Plus, for a book supposedly about a girl trying to find her Mom it spends an awful lot of energy on a love triangle that is weak as a best case scenario.  I was more interested in the time Lexi spent and the circus and her friendships with the trapeze sisters Lina and Liska.  Both of those side characters intrigued me and they were fleshed out characters with dreams, disappointments and feelings of their own.  I felt like they were in and out of the plot, only there when it was convenient for Lexi to pay attention to them.  The lack of interest on Lexi's part towards finding her Mom after she gets to the circus, coupled with the fact that her Dad left all his money to his cheating ex-wife, with no provision for his supposedly beloved daughter, who he was a single parent to for over a decade, really took the cake and was almost more than I could take as a reader.  It just made no sense whatsoever.

     While I did feel the magic and mystery of the circus setting, I felt that the author didn't give enough details or descriptive scenes/moments about the circus to really connect or picture the setting other than in a vague sort of way.  It wasn't at all like other circus books I've read where you can picture everything that's happening in high definition and Technicolor.  I guess it was ideal for those who want to insert themselves into the book, but to me it was lacking something.  I just am disappointed that this book really waffled between what it was aiming for and what it actually achieved in terms of plot and character development especially.  I actually felt like Lexi's character had taken steps back by the ending, instead of forward.  This book was like cotton candy, nice and fluffy with some fun moments and some feel good ones.  But it had no lasting effect on me and too many inconsistencies to really make my day.  The alternating between present day and flashbacks before the tragedy and the 'mistake' do add some extra development to the story, but can be jarring.  Sometimes right when you immerse yourself into a certain setting or event, the time and place shifts abruptly to something very different.  The quotes from songs and the songs used for chapter titles were a fun touch though.  They represented Lexi in a fun (sometimes cheesy) was that I loved.  Overall a fun read, but if you have hang ups about cheating or are expecting something really deep it may not be for you. 

 

VERDICT:  2.75/5  Stars

 

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published April 1st, 2013.*

The Greatest of Ease

Published: December 10th, 2012
The Daring Young Man (Mumbo Jumbo Circus # 2)
By: Jane George
Paper Grove Publishing
ISBN-13: 9780985130701

Sixteen year-old Dante Delgado is staring down the barrel of a gangbanger's gun when he's surprised by the arrival of a clown on a unicycle.

Dante hates clowns. He hates everything to do with the circus. He once dreamed of being one of the few trapecistas able to do a quadruple somersault in the air. Then a tragic accident took his parents, their circus, and his ability to fly. But when faced with the choice between the circus or a bullet, he jumps on the clown's shoulders and rides off to an even more mysterious adventure involving Dia de los Muertos, two dangerous girls, and the nemesis of the tiny, magical Mumbo Jumbo Circus, the evil Las Vegas spectacular, Cirque Patron.

Review

 

     Dante Delgado has given up on circus life after the death of his parents, his brother's desertion, the ruin of his hand and the loss of their small family circus.  Now he works jobs only given to illegal immigrants and associates with lowlives.  Then a clown appears when he needs to be rescued and Dante is swept into the magical world (with it's very real problems) of the Mumbo Jumbo Circu, including all of its colorful members.  Dante is drawn in against his will when his dead Grandmother promises the Ringmaster their family's Big Top in exchange for making Dante whole again - but he only has a few days to do it!  Throw in romance, betrayal, and the possibility of a fresh start and you get the adventure of a lifetime.  Can Dante find himself again and save the Circus in the bargain?  Or will the evil Cirque Patron destroy Mumbo Jumbo once and for all?  Recently I read The Mumbo Jumbo Circus for the first time and really loved it.  I truly fell into the world of the circus and all the magic (and heartbreak) involved in it.  This book picks up where the first one leaves off, using a new main character to continue the story.  Dante was definitely a teenage boy, with his stubborn resistance to accepting his new situation and inability to see beyond a pretty face.  But he also had a heart bigger than Texas and a strong sense of loyalty, which endeared him to me enough to keep going.  My main disappointment was the way that the relationship between Wally and Evan fell apart.  I think that my favorite new character in this one was the mysterious water creature/girl, who shows Dante what's most important in life.  The conflict with Cirque Patron continued, throwing in an interesting twist of alternate dimensions (time travel?) through one of their tents.  Kind of unexpected to me, but cool all the same.  The interaction between Dante and the Pickled Punk (my fave character EVER) was hilarious and made me laugh.  I was slightly disappointed by the way he and the Ringmaster were out of commission for most of the book.  Overall, a good follow-up to the first book in the series.  I am really excited to read the third one and find out about Chandi, the tiger girl from Cirque Patron.  I would recommend it to fans of the first book and the young adult fantasy genre in general.

 

VERDICT: 4/5  Stars

 

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Wonderful Only In the Dark

 



Published:  March 20th, 2012
Wonder Show
By: Hannah Barnaby
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
ISBN-13: 9780547599809

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, step inside Mosco’s Traveling Wonder Show, a
menagerie of human curiosities and misfits guaranteed to astound and amaze!
But perhaps the strangest act of Mosco’s display is Portia Remini, a normal among
the freaks, on the run from McGreavy’s Home for Wayward Girls, where Mister
watches and waits. He said he would always find Portia, that she could never leave.
Free at last, Portia begins a new life on the bally, seeking answers about her father’s
disappearance. Will she find him before Mister finds her? It’s a story for the ages, and
like everyone who enters the Wonder Show, Portia will never be the same.

Review

 

     Portia Remini has always lived a life of uncertainty, with only one thing she knows to be true - even though her Father left her with Aunt Sophia, he will return for her someday.  So when Sophia sends her to live at McGreavy's Home for Wayward Girls because she can't deal with her wild spirit, Portia is angry and confused.  Add into the mix a sinister benefactor known only by the name "Mister" who might possibly be a Bluebeard-esque murderer and you have plenty of reasons for Portia to run away.   Joining together with Mosco's Traveling Wonder Show, Portia becomes an apprentice to the ballyhoo under the pretext of looking for her Father.  Along the way, Portia may just find something more important - who she is and what her place in the world happens to be.  But when Mister finally catches up to her, will Portia be able to make a stand for her future and set herself free once and for all?  I went into this book expecting a fun, thoughtful circus-oriented novel.  What I got was a book about a girl named Portia, the normal girl traveling with the freak show and on the run from a twisted benefactor she wants to escape from.  I liked the balance of vulnerability and snark in Portia and her familial issues made her very easy to relate to.  I wanted (alternately) to give her a hug and to smack her upside the head for making dumb decisions.  I think that her friend Caroline served as a portrayl of the road not taken in Portia's own life.  It felt like she was the contrasting side of Portia's personality.  The whole book gave off a dark, magical feeling like the world was trapped inside a snow globe with a dust storm raging around everything.  It was beautiful prose, that was on the verge of poetry.  Including narratives from so many characters was a bold choice for a debut author and even though I was disappointed that I couldn't get closer to Portia through perspective focusing, I did like the extra insights.  The ending was wonderful, and not overly cliched which made it all the better to me.  However, there was a very clunky plot twist explaining away Mister's 'graveyard' with the missing girls.  I felt that it came from nowhere and did not fit into the book, or his previous characterization at all.  My overall feeling is that this was an unusually haunting and strong debut novel and I am definitely putting this author on my watchlist; you should too!

 

VERDICT:  4.5/5  Stars

 

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**