Donation Reviews, Round One

I should begin this by saying I personally have a low threshold for "hi-lo" books. Just because someone can't read well doesn't mean they don't deserve a good story. Green Eggs and Ham is the classic example of what you can do with limited vocabulary. However, Stone Arch press is targeted at reluctant readers, so I have to keep that in mind when I find them "too easy".

Airplane Adventure, by Cari Meister, illustrated by Marilyn Janovitz 978-1-4342-1618-2
From the My First Graphic Novel: Transportation series, this follows two kids who travel to visit their grandma in Mexico. There is no real plot. It might be useful for children taking their first trip on an airplane. It does show them going through modern levels of tightened security, but there is no sign of an escorting adult, which I find troublesome.

Zinc Alloy: Coldfinger by Donald Lemke, illustrated by Douglas Holgate 978-1-4342-1586-4
A boy has his own supersuit, and uses it to foil a villain. That's about the whole plot right there. This is part of a series. One-dimensional characters and clueless parents finish the book. It's only going in the collection because it's free.

Monster and Me by Robert Marsh, illustrated by Tom Percival 978-1-4342-1589-5
A girl tries to find a constructive outlet for the monster in her closet. I like this one much better than Coldfinger. There seemed to be slightly more plot, and the characters, though still shallow, had some signs of depth (the drama teacher wants just one good play production before he retires, Dad chronically misses Gabby's school events). The back of the book says Gabby is 12, but I thought she was slightly younger. Still, a cute book. If I had a much larger budget, I'd be tempted to get the other one in the series.

Float and Sting: One Round with Muhammad Ali by David Miller, illustrated by Andres Esparza 978-1-4342-1578-9
I think this landed on my desk because it's a mixed-media graphic novel. Some of the story is carried through panels of graphics, and some of it through traditional text. I've got to admit, I was disappointed when I first started reading. I though I was picking up a biography of Ali. I didn't notice the fine print on the cover that says "Historical Fiction". It's a story of one boy's encounter with Ali, who let people pay to spend one round in the ring trying to fight him. It's actually a nice little tale of determination as the bullied boy found a way to use Ali as an inspiration to improve himself. Definitely a keeper, though it's going in the regular hardcover fiction shelving. (One quibble: that boy does not look even close to 17 in the pictures. Again, the art looks too young.)

After the holiday I'll review the remaining graphic novels.