BACK TO THE STARS

Name: BACK TO THE STARS
Author: Chet Lam

by Chet Lam translated by Y.T. Mak illustrated by Chocolate Rain Design developed by Innopage ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 27, 2011

Readers who make it this far will find happy little e-postcards designed by Chocolate Rain Designs that they can send to...

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Despite its sketchy description in the app store, this is not the story, The Little Prince, but rather an interactive essay on the meaning of the Saint-Exupéry classic.

Perhaps much has been lost in translation, but this is clearly not meant for children. (Arguably, neither was the book, but it has so often been used with children that it has become part of the canon.) The first two pages ramble on with a seemingly personal overview of the main themes in the source story. This is followed by an interactive page on which readers can tap on each character to see a paragraph explaining its symbolism and function in the story; for instance, the snake is described as "carefree... Being a hedonist, he won't say no to anything or any of his lovers." A verse story of sorts follows, pondering love, loss, sadness and hope; it is rather too despairing (not to mention incoherent) for children to get much enjoyment from. It is juxtaposed to the whimsical signature illustrations of Chocolate Rain Design. The text is not narrated; instead, a melancholy folk song that riffs on some of the key lines plays throughout, and it all comes to a conclusion with a final page of essay in which readers are admonished that "the stories told during the Journey are messages."

Readers who make it this far will find happy little e-postcards designed by Chocolate Rain Designs that they can send to friends—but not, perhaps, with a recommendation to buy this app. (iPad storybook app. 14 & up)

Pub Date: June 27, 2011

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Innopage

Review Posted Online: Aug. 14, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011

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PAINT ME A MONSTER

by Janie Baskin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 2014

Readers will fall in love with Rinnie; Baskin has crafted a beautiful story about the complexities of family, self-respect...

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Baskin’s first novel spans 13 years in the life of an artistic girl torn between perfection and loving herself as she is.

Three-year-old Margo renames herself Rinnie after Rin Tin Tin, “the smartest, fastest, strongest dog in the world.” Rinnie’s family appears to be the perfect wealthy nuclear family of the 1950s, complete with housekeeper and cook, but life in the Gardener home—particularly Rinnie’s—is far from idyllic. Her younger brother is coddled and her older sister held up as an example, while Rinnie, the “monster,” struggles for their mother’s love and approval. After her parents divorce, her brother moves in with Dad, leaving Rinnie and her sister to stay behind to endure Mom’s abuse, often aimed at Rinnie. As Rinnie loses control, she restricts her food intake and keeps track of every bite, convincingly chronicled in her obsessive, present-tense narration. If she can be perfect, she’ll reclaim her parents’ love. The school counselor encourages 16-year-old Rinnie to trust herself to save herself, and with his help, Rinnie paints the monsters of her past to begin the journey toward a future of hope, trust and freedom. Rinnie’s voice is honest and unflinching, gradually maturing from a 3-year-old’s singsong to that of a well-spoken, intelligent teenager.

Readers will fall in love with Rinnie; Baskin has crafted a beautiful story about the complexities of family, self-respect and human connection. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-62324-018-9

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Scarlet Voyage/Enslow

Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2013

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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FAT & BONES

AND OTHER STORIES

by Larissa Theule ; illustrated by Adam S. Doyle ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2014

Strange and strangely compelling, this is one of those books that needs the right reader—who will eat it up.

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Short, peculiar, inexplicable: This won’t be for everyone.

When Bald the farmer dies, his miserable son, Bones, is determined to get rid of Fat the fairy, who lives on the farm, once and for all. Their rivalry sets off a series of interconnected tales, each one dark and surreal and imbued with a kind of meaning, although the meaning is not always immediately apparent—and there’s little to no morality on display, although there are glimmers of a very dark sense of absurdity. While there are occasional moments of kindness (a vindictive, nearly footless pig tries to ensure the prettiest pig’s trotter ends up in a stew but sacrifices herself instead at the last moment; a misfit spider finds love), most of the tales are dark indeed. A lovelorn mouse sets up his rival for defeat by cat; a tulip becomes an assassin of smaller flowers; and Fat and Bones both come to nasty ends. The tales link together across the space of a single day, at the end of which peace reigns on the farm. Tonally these read a bit like folk or fairy tales, but the edges are sharp; the dark, ink-blotted design and pen-and-ink art make this an object to admire as well as read.

Strange and strangely compelling, this is one of those books that needs the right reader—who will eat it up. (Short stories. 14 & up)