TOON Books is a delightful line of comics for children. I’m an admitted fan, and I’ve read and reviewed several TOON Books here on The Bluestocking Society, including Jack and the Box, Stinky, Mo and Jo: Fighting Together Forever, Luke on the Loose, Benny and Penny in The Big No-No, Benny and Penny in The Toy Breaker, Zig and Wikki in Something Ate My Homework, Nina in That Makes Me Mad, and Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking. I enjoyed each of these books, and the two latest offerings from this line are just as delightful.

Zig and Wikki in The Cow, by Nadja Spiegelman & Trade Loeffler

I have to say that Zig and Wikki are two of my favorite TOON characters. Like the other book starring Zig and Wikki, this book has a great story enhanced by real scientific tidbits. Zig and Wikki land on earth to get Zig’s pet fly into an ecosystem. Along the way they learn about ecosystems, flies, dung beetles, cows, and more. It’s fun and it’s educational. And it’s in a graphic novel form. What more could a parent or kid want? Divided into three chapters, this one will leave your grade-schooler wanting more. Luckily, there is also Zig and Wikki in Something Ate My Homework waiting for them.

Chick and Chickie in Play All Day, by Claude Ponti

Chick and Chickie play in this first comic for early readers. The words and concepts are simple. The illustrations cute and minimalist. And there’s some humor over the letter “A” that new readers will surely appreciate. This little book would surely be a winner with most readers just starting out.

TOON Books are stories in comic book form for young readers. The series advisor is Art Spiegelman, author of the well-regarded Maus graphic novels. Each TOON Book has been vetted by educators and is recommended for elementary school-aged children. I love the idea of introducing children to the comic book/graphic novel form and highly recommend TOON Books to early readers.

Check out TOON-Books.com for a great interactive experience and more information about the line.

Title: Scarlet
Author: A.C. Gaughen
Pages: 304
Originally Published: 2012
Format I Read: Kindle (NetGalley)
Publisher: Walker & Company (Bloomsbury)
Rating:

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This is a retelling of the Robin Hood story – with a bit of a twist. Okay, lots of twists. But the major one is that one of the merry men is a woman. Scarlet. Don’t worry. That’s on page 1.

I raced through.
I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down. And it’s A.C. Gaughen‘s debut! The thing that struck me the most about this book was the pacing. Gaughen had me racing through to see what happened. And the writing was good too.

I just wanted to read one book.
This may be a reaction to the currently ubiquitous trilogy. But I hated the obvious set up for the sequel (or likely trilogy). Seriously, people, publishers, writers, can’t ANYTHING be stand-alone any more? To be fair, this story does mostly wrap up, but I was hoping for a more conclusive conclusion.

I loved the characters.
Scarlet was a well-drawn character. At first, I was annoyed and confused by some of her behaviors, but, little by little, more and more of her character is revealed. And then I just wanted her to live happily ever after. And the rest of the cast and crew performed well too. The well-known characters (Friar Tuck, Little John, etc.) are familiar but different. And I loved getting to know them. Besides Scarlet, Robin Hood was my favorite character. He’s a moodier Robin than, say, the Disney version, but I liked him.

There’s a plot too.
The romance story here was great. The tension builds and builds and builds. I think the romance plot required some suspension of disbelief with respect to some of the misunderstandings that occurred, but I usually most willingly suspended mine. And, of course, the Robin Hood story was well done. There are prison breaks, and the mean old Sheriff of Nottingham, and a wedding, and taxes, and thieving from the rich to feed the poor. Good (and bad) times were had.

In sum, this is an innovative retelling of a beloved story that I think will appeal to a wide array of readers. Look for its release on Valentine’s Day!

Scarlet, by A.C. Gaughen

Have you read or reviewed this book too? Feel free to jump in with your thoughts or leave a link to your review in the comments.

Title: River in the Sea
Author: Tina Boscha
Pages: 306
Originally Published: 2011
Format I Read: Kindle
Publisher: Self-Published
Rating:

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Tina Boscha contacted me a few weeks ago, asking me to read her self-published historical fiction novel. I was captivated by her email and her description of the book – which is based on her mother’s experiences during the German occupation of the Netherlands. So, I agreed to read River in the Sea. And I’m so glad I did.

I tend to particularly enjoy historical fiction set during World War II, especially books set in Nazi Germany. That sounds a little perverse now that I set it out like that. Think The Book Thief, The Devil’s Arithmetic, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Anyway, this book, River in the Sea, is a nice addition to the genre.

Leen De Graaf, our heroine, is a typical fifteen-year-old. Meaning, she wants to do everything she shouldn’t. But, in the context of the German occupation and a war, her attempts at teenage rebellion have dramatic consequences for her and her family.

She never should have come. She’d been taught this lesson from her earliest days: one sin begat another. A tiny snowball could grow so powerful you could not stop it.

I was riveted within a few dozen pages as one of the pivotal events of the book unfolded. Right riveted. The writing, while a little slow to start, ended up being expressive yet understated. And the pacing was so well done – I could not put it down. But my favorite thing about River in the Sea turned out to be the finely wrought characters. Leen is a lovely narrator, full of teenage insecurities, guilt, curiosity, recklessness, and dreams. She, at all times, felt authentic. And her family and friends and neighbors are drawn so well that they add a rich texture to the book. I love character-driven books, and this is one of them.

The only weakness I felt in the whole book was a slight lack of background information. It is set in Friesland, Netherlands, which is apparently the name of the place and a specific ethnic group. I craved more information about the ethnic group, the implications of the occupation, like the oft referenced raids for men and boys, and the general layout of the town and the family home. Still, I was able to piece all of the necessary information together.

River in the Sea is well-written, well-paced, and contains lovable and authentic characters. I’m rather shocked that this book has not found a publisher.

River in the Sea, by Tina Boscha

ALERT! River in the Sea is currently available for $0.99 on the Kindle and for $3.99 on the Nook.

Have you read or reviewed this book too? Feel free to jump in with your thoughts or leave a link to your review in the comments.

THE TINY BOOK OF TINY STORIES: VOLUME 1

By hitRECord and Joseph Gordon-Levitt

This little book is the result of a huge collaboration. Joseph Gordon-Levitt started hitRECord, which is an “open-collaborative production company.” Essentially, artists of all kinds are encouraged to join the community and submit their work. And then, the artists are encouraged to “remix” the work of others and create new art together. In this way, a community of artists collaborates via the internet. Magic. (And don’t worry; when any of the products make money, hitRECord splits the profits 50/50 with the artists.)

The tiny stories project is just one of the products of this unique community. The theme of the project is a modified quote: “The universe is not made of atoms; it is made of [tiny] stories.” Though tiny, these stories were a delight to delve into on a winter’s afternoon. Here is one of my favorite stories:

And here’s the text of another of my favorites:

His hands were weak and shaking from carrying far too many books from the bookshop. It was the best feeling. (68)

There is something about this tiny book that makes me want to write tiny stories. Or at least to watch for them as I go about my day. And perhaps to share those tiny stories with others. An inspiring tiny book it is. I think you’ll like it.

MENTAL_FLOSS: THE BOOK

Edited by Ethan Trex, Will Pearson, and Mangesh Hattikudur

I think there is something about human nature that loves lists of things. And I am no different. While the internet is a vast source of information, there is just something about a book of trivia. Something you can flip through at random to find interesting tidbits you never would have thought to Google. And Mental_Floss: The Book is one of those books.

There are 140 lists presented, themselves grouped into lists of tens: 10 Lists to Lighten the Mood at the E.R., 10 Pop Culture Lists to Breakk Out on the Red Carpet, 10 Lists for People Who Can’t Write Good, etc. There is something for everyone here, book lovers included:

Six Works of Literature That Were Really Hard to Write
What 10 Fictional Characters Were Almost Called
What Eight Classic Books Were Almost Called
Six Words Invented by Authors
The Little-Known Stories of Five Famous Authors
Nine Things Mark Twain Didn’t Say (And Nine He Did)

From these lists I learned that Scarlett O’Hara was named Pansy until just before Gone with the Wind went to print, that To Kill A Mockingbird was originally titled Atticus, and that J.R.R. Tolkien coined the term “tween.” My favorite list though, by far, is the one entitled “Seven Reasons Mr. Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever.” Did you know that some thieves once stole his car and later returned it with a note that said, “If we’d known it was yours, we never would have taken it”?

Anyway, this is a great little trove of trivia treasures. And check out Mental_Floss for more fascinating facts.

SCARLET

by A.C. Gaughen

Okay, my full review of this one is to come, but I wanted to put a teaser out there. I couldn’t put this one down. Watch for my forthcoming review and the release on February 14th!

TOON Books is a delightful line of comics for children. I’ve read and reviewed several TOON Books here on The Bluestocking Society, including Jack and the Box, Stinky, Mo and Jo: Fighting Together Forever, Luke on the Loose, Benny and Penny in The Big No-No, Benny and Penny in The Toy Breaker, and Zig and Wikki in Something Ate My Homework. I enjoyed each of these books, and the two latest offerings from this line are just as delightful.

Nina in That Makes Me Mad, by Hilary Knight

Nina is a lovable preschooler who expresses her frustration in a variety of scenarios common in younger children’s lives – getting blamed for a sibling making a mess, having to eat something for dinner that you don’t like, etc. Knight’s vignettes are true to life and sympathetic to the child’s plight. All preschoolers will relate to Nina’s frustrations and hopefully learn from the moral – that it’s okay to appropriately express your feelings. This book would be perfect for any early reader.

Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking, by Philippe Coudray

Benjamin Bear and his friends find humor and friendship in a variety of scenarios. This book is made up of one-page comic strip-style stories full of whimsy. Coudray is French, and I found that these do have a continental flavor. The stories are certainly age appropriate and strike me as the kind of humor I would have enjoyed as a young child. So while there isn’t a lot there for adults, I think this is another winner for the preschool set.

TOON Books are stories in comic book form for young readers. The series advisor is Art Spiegelman, author of the well-regarded Maus graphic novels. Each TOON Book has been vetted by educators and is recommended for elementary school-aged children. I love the idea of introducing children to the comic book/graphic novel form and highly recommend TOON Books to early readers.

Check out TOON-Books.com for a great interactive experience and more information about the line.