It is summer at last, and the Dunderheads are finally able to escape the classroom of the overbearing Miss Breakbone—forever! At least, that’s what they think. A few days later, Einstein spots an ad in the paper for extras in a movie starring Ashley Throbb-Hart. The Dunderheads try out, while Spider climbs a large object to view the long line. Unfortunately, the object is Miss Breakbone and as a result she threatens to have him arrested. (Her brother is chief of police.) A few days later, there is news of a ...]]> By Paul Fleischman, David Roberts (illustrator)
Candlewick Press, $16.99, 48 pages
ISBN 9780763645434

It is summer at last, and the Dunderheads are finally able to escape the classroom of the overbearing Miss Breakbone—forever! At least, that’s what they think. A few days later, Einstein spots an ad in the paper for extras in a movie starring Ashley Throbb-Hart. The Dunderheads try out, while Spider climbs a large object to view the long line. Unfortunately, the object is Miss Breakbone and as a result she threatens to have him arrested. (Her brother is chief of police.) A few days later, there is news of a cat burglar in town. Spider is arrested because, as the police chief says, he is a climber. Einstein finds out Spider is being kept in a cell with a guy who is probably a cannibal. The Dunderheads need to get to work, and they come up with a plan that is almost foolproof—almost being the operative word. They all end up arrested and in jail with Spider. Can they prove their innocence? Will the Dunderheads prevail?

“We visited Spider the next day. He had a twenty-pound weight on one leg to keep him from climbing out of jail.”

Writer Paul Fleischman and illustrator David Roberts have a great franchise going with the Dunderheads. Kids eight to ten will love this smart, funny picture book for a more sophisticated crowd than most picture books.

Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck

Creator of modern fairy tales Sisters Red and Sweetly, author Jackson Pearce missed the mark in the contemporary genre with Purity. Before Shelby’s mom passed away, Shelby promised three things: to listen to her father, to love as much as possible, and to live without restraint. Now Shelby lives with her dad who has volunteered to be an organizer for an upcoming Princess Ball that he expects Shelby to attend. At the Princess Ball, fathers and daughters make pledges to lead pure lives, which means no drinking, drugs, or sex before marriage.

Because ...]]> By Jackson Pearce
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $17.99, 224 pages
ISBN 9780316182461

Creator of modern fairy tales Sisters Red and Sweetly, author Jackson Pearce missed the mark in the contemporary genre with Purity. Before Shelby’s mom passed away, Shelby promised three things: to listen to her father, to love as much as possible, and to live without restraint. Now Shelby lives with her dad who has volunteered to be an organizer for an upcoming Princess Ball that he expects Shelby to attend. At the Princess Ball, fathers and daughters make pledges to lead pure lives, which means no drinking, drugs, or sex before marriage.

Because of the promises she made to her mom, Shelby feels the only way to get out of honoring the vows is if she breaks them before she says them; so she plots to lose her virginity before the ball. Readers will struggle to connect with Shelby as she attempts to complete this task. She never tries to speak with her father to express her concerns, and her views towards the boys she considers (or tries) having sex with are not admirable.

Another downfall of Purity is Shelby’s blatant attempt to discredit religion through one-sided questions. The lack of well-rounded exploration on this topic, especially when religion is not mentioned in the book’s synopsis, will leave readers lacking. An attempt to discuss a topic that could connect with teens, Purity falls flat through Shelby’s one-track attempts to solve a problem.

Reviewed by Shanyn Day

As the Bedlam Detective, Sebastian Becker assesses the mental fitness of the wealthy and powerful. His latest case brings him to Sir Owain Lancester, survivor of a failed Amazonian expedition which claimed the lives of his family, and quite possibly, Sir Owain’s sanity as well. But when two young girls are found dead on Sir Owain’s property, Sebastian must suss out the truth behind both the murders and the events in the Amazon, delving deep into a man’s troubled psyche and a small town’s dark mysteries.

The Bedlam Detective is a curious reading experience. The novel is ...]]> By Stephen Gallagher
Crown, $25.00, 306 pages
ISBN 9780307406644

As the Bedlam Detective, Sebastian Becker assesses the mental fitness of the wealthy and powerful. His latest case brings him to Sir Owain Lancester, survivor of a failed Amazonian expedition which claimed the lives of his family, and quite possibly, Sir Owain’s sanity as well. But when two young girls are found dead on Sir Owain’s property, Sebastian must suss out the truth behind both the murders and the events in the Amazon, delving deep into a man’s troubled psyche and a small town’s dark mysteries.

The Bedlam Detective is a curious reading experience. The novel is slow to start, taking time to introduce numerous disparate characters, the plot moving in fits and stops. But once all pieces are in play, things advance rapidly, and the book virtually steamrolls through the last thirty pages.

Both Sebastian and Sir Owain are engaging characters, heavily weighed down by responsibility and disappointment, and serving as fascinating mirrors for each other and their rigidly structured world. The murder of the young girls remains the weakest part of the story, sidelined as more interesting questions about the previous crimes emerge.

With all the back-story heavy lifting handled here, Sebastian would be well served in a sequel.

Reviewed by Glenn Dallas

A number of fairy tales have a Prince Charming; he is obviously not the same person in each story. The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom looks at how each of four Prince Charmings and how they stumble upon a threat to all of their respective kingdoms, and it requires their specific personalities in order to deal with the problem. By the end, all of the problems are solved and some in a very satisfying way.

However, there are some problems. The style becomes a little wearing in spots, as it relies on foreshadowing a ...]]> By Christopher Healy
Walden Pond Press, $16.99, 448 pages
ISBN 9780062117434

A number of fairy tales have a Prince Charming; he is obviously not the same person in each story. The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom looks at how each of four Prince Charmings and how they stumble upon a threat to all of their respective kingdoms, and it requires their specific personalities in order to deal with the problem. By the end, all of the problems are solved and some in a very satisfying way.

However, there are some problems. The style becomes a little wearing in spots, as it relies on foreshadowing a little too much, although it does have some good pay offs, and too many of the characters a little shallower than they absolutely need to be. Fortunately, the humor is generally well-done, and the pace picks up momentum as the book proceeds, making for some very nice moments in the latter half of the book; this is not a book you will be reading on the train if you are afraid of other commuters looking at you strangely while you laugh. Just keep in mind that it takes a while to get there.

Reviewed by Jamais Jochim

Randolph Applewhite returns home to North Carolina after directing a show in New York to announce to the family that all their money has been embezzled. The family is destitute and they will have to sell the  family homestead. The members of the extended family who live at Wit’s End are all artists of one kind or another and need their space and quiet to continue their creative endeavors. They finally come up with the idea of running a summer camp for creative prodigies. With all their diverse talents, they have no doubt they ...]]> By Stephanie S. Tolan
HarperCollins, $15.99, 272 pages
ISBN 9780060579388

Randolph Applewhite returns home to North Carolina after directing a show in New York to announce to the family that all their money has been embezzled. The family is destitute and they will have to sell the  family homestead. The members of the extended family who live at Wit’s End are all artists of one kind or another and need their space and quiet to continue their creative endeavors. They finally come up with the idea of running a summer camp for creative prodigies. With all their diverse talents, they have no doubt they can run workshops to keep a dozen young people busy for eight weeks and restore enough of the family fortune to keep Wit’s End. What could possibly go wrong? First, they only get six campers, not the twelve they need to make a good profit. Then they meet the campers.

“She smoothed out one and slipped it into her spiral notebook. The others she put back with the rest of the trash. Then she picked up one of the balled-up sheets of paper and carefully straightened it out. It had been printed on what looked like an ink-jet printer. There was not much on it, but what there was sent a shiver up her spine.”

This sequel to Surviving the Applewhites has the same cast of slightly crazy characters with the addition of six campers who fit right into the Wit’s End lunacy. It’s fun and silly and, other than the annoying baby-talk of young Destiny, this is a thoroughly enjoyable book for kids ten and up.

Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck

Deirdre Martin writes fabulous romance novels in which professional ice hockey plays a major part. I find this series to be totally engrossing. So why is the Breakaway set in Ireland? No hockey over there!

But wait! Rory Brady is the first Irishman to have succeeded in the game, having left behind his sweetheart, Erin O’Brien. So now, it’s two years later, and Rory returns to their hometown of Ballycraig (where the unmarried, unattached Erin still lives) to help a friend with his “football” summer camp. (That’s soccer to us Yanks!) He has hopes of rekindling ...]]> By Deirdre Martin
Berkley Sensation, $7.99, 320 pages
ISBN 9780425243688

Deirdre Martin writes fabulous romance novels in which professional ice hockey plays a major part. I find this series to be totally engrossing. So why is the Breakaway set in Ireland? No hockey over there!

But wait! Rory Brady is the first Irishman to have succeeded in the game, having left behind his sweetheart, Erin O’Brien. So now, it’s two years later, and Rory returns to their hometown of Ballycraig (where the unmarried, unattached Erin still lives) to help a friend with his “football” summer camp. (That’s soccer to us Yanks!) He has hopes of rekindling his romance with Erin.

This book is busy, busy – lots of people, lots of activity, but underneath, they’re all more-than-decent people, even if their language is a tad salty. The romance thrives then withers, while Erin and Rory try to help their friends and their problems. I was totally into this book until the last 50 or so pages when Erin went totally bonkers, automatically believing the worst of poor Rory, without giving him any chance to defend himself. Frankly, I don’t know why he persisted in wooing her, she was so obnoxious about everything!

But, romance novels must have a happy ending, so everything does work out in the end – including a lovely Christmas-time wedding in St. Columba’s — their home church in Ballycraig.

Reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz

In two of the most powerful novels I’ve read in a while, Leon Gildin explores the emotional consequences of surviving the Holocaust through the story of Rosa Feurmann and her family. We witness how the decisions she made under coercion during her captivity kept her (and her beloved friend/husband Chaim) alive until they were able to live free – but also destroy her decades later. Gildin’s novels are a wonderful example of the adage “we are as sick as our secrets” – and no one is haunted more than Rosa.

The Polski Affair tells Rosa’s ...]]> By Leon H. Gildin
Diamond River Books, $16.95, 226 pages
ISBN 9780986659829

In two of the most powerful novels I’ve read in a while, Leon Gildin explores the emotional consequences of surviving the Holocaust through the story of Rosa Feurmann and her family. We witness how the decisions she made under coercion during her captivity kept her (and her beloved friend/husband Chaim) alive until they were able to live free – but also destroy her decades later. Gildin’s novels are a wonderful example of the adage “we are as sick as our secrets” – and no one is haunted more than Rosa.

The Polski Affair tells Rosa’s story of captivity in the Nazi ghetto, her fateful meeting with her now-husband, Chaim, and most importantly, her time as a personal (and sexual) servant to a Nazi Commander at the Hotel Polski. The orders she followed during her time at the Polski allowed her and Chaim to finally find freedom; but keep her in bondage of regret until she is given the chance to return to the scene of the crime and participate in the War Crimes Trial by testifying against the very man who kept her captive, but who then also freed her and her husband. It is there that she begins to pick up the pieces of her soul and come to a place of acceptance of the past. That is, until her own son’s research into the hotel threatens to break open that door to the past in The Family Affair. Through his research, he discovers that his mother has been hiding the fact that his father is actually the Nazi Commander. He flies to meet the commander (who has been convicted of war crimes), stumbles across a half brother whom everyone thought was dead, and returns to push all the secrets into the open. The consequences of this create an ending that is bittersweet, but excellently executed, by the author.

These are two must-reads for anyone interested in historical fiction. I enjoyed them wholeheartedly.

Sponsored Review

Recipient of a Caldecott Medal, the 70th anniversary edition of The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton is inexplicably one of the greatest works of children’s literature. Burton’s The Little House tells the tale of a house built in the country and lived in by generation after generation. As the far away city comes closer and closer, the little house finds itself obscured by the big city. The little house in the country setting is soon lost to the hustle and bustle, the smoke and traffic of motor cars, trains, and the densely ...]]> By Virginia Lee Burton Houghton
Mifflin Books for Children, $16.99, 40 pages
ISBN 9780547790442

Recipient of a Caldecott Medal, the 70th anniversary edition of The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton is inexplicably one of the greatest works of children’s literature. Burton’s The Little House tells the tale of a house built in the country and lived in by generation after generation. As the far away city comes closer and closer, the little house finds itself obscured by the big city. The little house in the country setting is soon lost to the hustle and bustle, the smoke and traffic of motor cars, trains, and the densely populated city.

What makes this simple story so intriguing is the genuineness of the story-teller. Burton had in fact lived in a little house in the country and left seeking greater things in the city.  To Burton’s surprise, she missed the little house and subsequently returned to the country where she eventually raised her family, and where they remained for generations.

The illustrations are carefully made by Burton with the little house being central to each image. As everything changes around the little house, the house remains the same. The love Burton had for the country and the home she built with her loving family is heartwarming and felt as one reads the story of The Little House. With a moving introduction by her son, Aris Demetrios, this commemorative edition is perfect for children of all ages.

Reviewed by Jennifer Ochs

Couture Chocolate is a very unusual cookbook. The cookbook was prepared for the British market but, thankfully, the publisher added measurements, food and equipment terms U.S. bakers also understand. This is a large-format, lavishly produced book using a photographer whose food photography should be in art galleries; every photograph is stunning and beyond mouth-watering. This book will be the queen of your coffee table books.

This is not a book for the casual baker. Only highly experienced bakers and professionals will be able to reproduce the recipes and only those familiar with the finicky field using chocolate. ...]]> By William Curley
Aurum Press, $45.00, 224 pages
ISBN 9781906417598

Couture Chocolate is a very unusual cookbook. The cookbook was prepared for the British market but, thankfully, the publisher added measurements, food and equipment terms U.S. bakers also understand. This is a large-format, lavishly produced book using a photographer whose food photography should be in art galleries; every photograph is stunning and beyond mouth-watering. This book will be the queen of your coffee table books.

This is not a book for the casual baker. Only highly experienced bakers and professionals will be able to reproduce the recipes and only those familiar with the finicky field using chocolate. The 10-page introduction helps to familiarize you with the intricacies of working with chocolate. Even with experience, you will be spending hours in the kitchen. But the end result (if successful) will be spectacular. Many small photos help you go through the steps of the recipes. The layout of the book is excellent. Head notes, if they appear, are brief and instructive. Each recipe lists equipment needed. Many recipes require previous preparations. Ingredients are generally available but some will be hard to find (e.g. yuzu, matcha). A useful ingredient and equipment list appears before the index.

Reviewed by George Erdosh

As someone who has visited San Francisco and found it to be an enchanting city full of history and architectural interest, authors Dennis Evanosky and Eric J. Kos’s Lost San Francisco appealed to me from the book cover.

As much as today’s San Francisco holds landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, the TransAmerica building, and the Victorian “Painted Ladies,” Lost San Francisco reveals the architectural past and buildings, parks, stadiums, cemeteries, prisons and more that became a shadow, a memory of a time gone by.

Full of beautiful rich photographs in black and white, ...]]> By Dennis Evanovsky and Eric J. Kos
Pavilion, $18.95, 144 pages
ISBN 9781862059344

As someone who has visited San Francisco and found it to be an enchanting city full of history and architectural interest, authors Dennis Evanosky and Eric J. Kos’s Lost San Francisco appealed to me from the book cover.

As much as today’s San Francisco holds landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, the TransAmerica building, and the Victorian “Painted Ladies,” Lost San Francisco reveals the architectural past and buildings, parks, stadiums, cemeteries, prisons and more that became a shadow, a memory of a time gone by.

Full of beautiful rich photographs in black and white, one can visit these forgotten landmarks that were intrinsic to the future of San Francisco. Each landmark featured gives a detailed account of its history and its demise, organized chronologically from the date of loss. This book is rich in showcasing the architecture, venues and people that helped make San Francisco the one of a kind city of today.

As much as I love today’s San Francisco, this book makes me yearn for some of the “cutting edge” creations that were beyond the times in this city’s rich past.

Reviewed by Laura Friedkin