Blog Tour - Little Fish

I am excited to be part of the LITTLE FISH blog tour today!  As some of you know, I've been trying to foray more into the world of graphic novels and this one sounded like one that I could get behind.  AND I WAS RIGHT! 

Ramsey Beyer was a teenager from a small town in Michigan, looking forward to her first year living in a city far away from home. She chronicled that year in a seres of zines featuring personalized lists (such as "things I can't wait for" and "top 10 worst sounds") alongside comic illustrations. Through her blog, Ramsey also reflected on her struggles with loneliness, friendship and potential romance. Her new book, Little Fish: A Memoir from A Different Kind of Year, weaves all of these materials into a poignant, beautifully illustrated, and deeply reflective graphic memory detailing her transformation to an eighteen-year-old city dwelling art student. Little Fish perfectly captures that time in a young person's life when the past feels abandoned, the future seems totally open, and every day is a revelation.

This book is perfect for whomever you may have in your life that is entering college for the first time or even just a going through a totally new phase in their life. It's easy to read, easy to relate to, and made me laugh out loud in spots.  Ramsey chronicles her first year in college through lists, journal entries, and zine articles.  Each page felt as new and different and exciting as Ramsey's foray into Baltimore...her very first city experience.  

As some one who occasionally has trouble following comics or graphic novels, I'm very pleased to report I had no trouble at all with this one.  Each character is distinguishable from the others and are introduced in ways that make them pretty easy to remember.  It's just like making new friends in real life. In fact, I found myself heartbroken to leave them all behind at the end of the year...and I'd actually love to read about Ramsey's sophomore year to catch up with them again!! 

As a book set in college, this is not a book for younger readers (there is some foul language and discussion about sexual activity) but I think that older high school readers, those already in college, and even full-blown adults will relate to and thoroughly enjoy this one! 

photo credit: Michael Cantor

Want to learn more about Ramsey Beyer and LITTLE FISH?

You can visit the following places:

Little Fish on Goodreads
Ramsey Beyer's blog: http://news.everydaypants.com
Ramsey Beyer's photoblog: http://www.everydaypants.com/photoblog/
Ramsey Beyer on Tumblr: http://everydaypants.tumblr.com/
Ramsey Beyer on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ramsey.beyer
Ramsey Beyer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/everydaypants
Zest Books website or facebook page

Lastly, don't forget to check out all the other stops on the LITTLE FISH blog tour and if you think you might be interested in purchasing LITTLE FISH you can get it from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Despository or IndieBound. 

Full disclosure: Book received from publisher for blog tour

Hokey Pokey

Hokey Pokey

by Jerry Spinelli

Welcome to Hokey Pokey. A place and a time, when childhood is at its best: games to play, bikes to ride, experiences to be had. There are no adults in Hokey Pokey, just kids, and the laws governing Hokey Pokey are simple and finite. But when one of the biggest kids, Jack, has his beloved bike stolen—and by a girl, no less—his entire world, and the world of Hokey Pokey, turns to chaos. Without his bike, Jack feels like everything has started to go wrong. He feels different, not like himself, and he knows something is about to change. And even more troubling he alone hears a faint train whistle. But that's impossible: every kid knows there no trains in Hokey Pokey, only tracks. (description from Amazon.com)

I had a really hard time with this book. When you start reading it, it's as if you are waking up and have entered a dream. Nothing is explained very well and Spinelli reveals the way things work veerrrryyyy slowly.

At first I really had no idea what Hokey Pokey was supposed to be - why were the kids there, what IS this place? I was SO confused. It took until more than halfway through the book for me to understand enough to realize that Hokey Pokey was a metaphor for the land of childhood!

 

I had an inkling, but it took a long time for that theme to really develop itself.  I found so many things confusing, and in the audio book version, there is no map of Hokey Pokey, so that was a little disorienting and the words "Hokey Pokey" are also used by Spinelli for four different things...not at all confusing to listen to!

 

Overall, I found that the concept of this book has been explored better in other books. I found the writing style (almost stream of consciousness) to be disorienting, and I just never really felt at all invested in the characters.  In fact, I found myself mostly pissed off at the author listening, because every time I tried to like a character, they did something stereotypical or gender specific that just made me aggravated all over again. 

 

I almost want to write to Spinelli and ask why he felt the need to have boys and girls feel they need to be at war with one another constantly? Why they can't like the same things?  Why they had separate sections of Hokey Pokey to enjoy?

Not the book for me. :/

 

Full disclosure: Audio book received to review for SLJ

Crunch

Crunch

by Leslie Connor

Dewey Marriss is stuck in the middle of a crunch.

He never guessed that the gas pumps would run dry the same week he promised to manage the family's bicycle-repair business. Suddenly everyone needs a bike. And nobody wants to wait.

Meanwhile, the crunch has stranded Dewey's parents far up north with an empty fuel tank and no way home. It's up to Dewey and his older sister, Lil, to look after their younger siblings and run the bike shop all on their own.

Each day Dewey and his siblings feel their parents' absence more and more. The Marriss Bike Barn is busier than ever. And just when he is starting to feel crunched himself, Dewey discovers that bike parts are missing from the shop. He's sure he knows who's responsible—or does he? Will exposing the thief only make more trouble for Dewey and his siblings? (description from Amazon.com)



I liked this book. It was good...*but* I kind of wish that I had read it before Waiting for Normal. While I liked the characters in this book and I thought the family dynamics were interesting, it just didn't spark for me.  I still have a warm, gooey place that melts in my heart when I think of Waiting for Normal. 

I had a hard time getting into this book. It was a little slow starting.  Once I got into the whole bike shop thing and realized that there was a thief in the mix and the kids don't know what to do, I found myself getting invested, but it took awhile.  I also could not for the life of me figure out when this book was supposed to be set.  It was really vague in that respect. 

Enjoyable, but perhaps not really memorable.

The Last Dragon

The Last Dragon
by Silvana De Mari

When the last dragon and the last elf break the circle, the past and the future will meet, and the sun of a new summer will shine in the sky.

In a world shrouded in darkness and continually lashed by rain, a young elf named Yorsh struggles to survive. His village has been destroyed by the torrential waters, leaving Yorsh suddenly orphaned and alone - the earth's last elf. But soon Yorsh discovers he is part of a powerful prophecy to save the world from the Dark Age that has begun. First, however, the young elf will have to find another orphaned creature - the world's last dragon.
(description from Amazon.com)

Originally, I tried to read this in print format since it is one of our Nutmeg (CT book award) nominees for grades 7 and 8. Somehow, I just couldn't get into it. I waited about a month and then got The Last Dragon on audio and...loved it!
For me, this was really a case of needing the storytelling format to get into the plot. The narrator, Trish Connelly, weaved the tale in a lyrical voice. I felt like someone was reading me to sleep at night. It was wonderful.
Once I got into the proper mood, I fell in love with Yorsh. He is a caring, sensitive, and somewhat naive character that is worthy to be the center of a prophecy about saving the world.
Yes, it was awesome to imagine riding on a dragon. Yes, the romantic element was fun. What really sold me all the way through, though, was Yorsh's voice. He was so...good. Without realizing it, he stands up against discrimination, spreads love and wonder wherever he goes, and makes others around him belief in the better things in life.
A good, solid fantasy, though a little slow to start.