Donuthead and Donutheart by Sue Stauffacher

Synopsis: Franklin Delano Donuthead (yes, that really is his name) is afraid of everything. He doesn’t see it that way – he just sees it as avoiding unnecessary risk. Franklin could quote you risk factors for engaging in practically anything (painting outdoors on a metal ladder near the power lines: high risk of electrocution), but when he meets Sarah Kervick in 5th grade, his life begins to turn upside down. Sarah is far from Franklin’s high sanitary standards, and yet they end up friends. By the end of the first book, Donuthead, Franklin begins to suspect that maybe his way of living in fear of everything isn’t the best. By the end of the second book, Donutheart, Franklin finds himself doing things he never would have considered the year before.

Rating: Both excellent.

Opinion: Franklin is wonderful. He is so exact in his language (especially for a 5th and 6th grader), so fastidious, and yet very warm-hearted and loyal. He is hilarious, though he doesn’t realize it.

My story takes a decidedly dangerous turn on the morning of our
visit to Happy Cattle Dairy Farm. Needless to say, I always position
myself just in back of the bus driver to take advantage of the extra
protection offered by the plastic barrier located behind her head.
Originally intended to shield the bus driver from spitballs, it might
hold the weight of my body in a minor impact situation.
(Donuthead p. 9)

I loved the humor in the writing – I really did laugh out loud at some of the passages. I was also on the edge of my seat about Sarah. The real drama in the story is about Sarah and her home life. I liked the juxtaposition between Sarah’s real problems and Franklin’s self-perceived ones – we see everything through Franklin, since he is the narrator, but the reader can clearly see the difference between Sarah’s problems and Franklin’s. Both these books would be great for 4th or 5th graders of most reading levels – they’re easy enough to comprehend the basic story, but the story also has depth for more advanced readers. I hope that there are more Donuthead books to come!

Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella

Synopsis: Becky Brandon, née Bloomwood, is back and larger than life (literally! Her bump is is getting bigger by the month). At the end of the last book, she found out she’s pregnant, and at the start of this one, she’s super excited and buying five prams (all of them necessary, of course). When she finds out that there’s a celebrity obstetrician in London, she just has to switch baby doctors. She might meet Kate Winslet! However, Dr. Carter turns out to be an ex-girlfriend of Luke’s from Cambridge, and Becky starts to suspect something is going on. They even text in Latin! Does fac me laetam mean what she thinks it means?? Meanwhile, They’ve found the house of their dreams (it has the coveted Shoe Cupboard!), but the owners accepted another offer while they’re looking at it. Becky must have it – can her fashion connections give her an edge? On top of that, Becky works for The Look, which is a joke of a clothing store. The press are calling the store cursed for all of the misfortunes that have happened, and every day the store is deserted. Becky has the bright idea to bring her now-famous designer friend Danny in to do an exclusive, but, considering how flaky he is, is it really such a wonderful idea?

Rating: Laugh-out-loud funny!

Opinion: Kinsella really delivered another good one with the latest Shopaholic. I adore this series, and I was afraid that the later books in the series wouldn’t be as good, but my fears were unfounded. Becky’s shopping obsession has another outlet – baby supplies. It’s a whole untapped market for her! Jess is also back and encouraging Becky to make her own nappies from rags and rent her baby crib and pram, while Becky secretly orders a £1200 crib. The situations Becky gets herself into made me laugh out loud, literally. I hope the next one will be as good as the rest.

Bone volume 2: The Great Cow Race by Jeff Smith

Synopsis: The Bone brothers were reunited at the end of volume one, and at the beginning of this one, they are about to hit the road back to Boneville. However, Phoney Bone gets into trouble again by trying to scam the villagers in the Great Cow Race. Mixed up in all of this, of course, are the rat creatures, who are still looking for Phoney Bone. A few more mysteries are revealed about Rose and her granddaughter, Thorn, which make one suspect that there is more to Thorn than is immediately evident.

Rating: Pure genius. I nominate Jeff Smith for a Nobel.

Opinion: Jeff Smith is a genius of comedic timing; of mystery to keep the interest; and of – not to mention – the pure beauty and charm of the illustrations. When Fone Bone climbs the tree to get a honey comb for Thorn and discovers the giant bee guarding the bee hive, I laughed out loud (it doesn’t sound funny when I describe it, but trust me, it is!). The two rat creatures that keep arguing about quiches are back and just as hilarious. I adore this series so much that I think I may have to buy it.

Bone volume 1: Out from Boneville by Jeff Smith

Synopsis: The Bone brothers, Fone, Phoney, and Smiley, have been kicked out of Boneville for one of Phoney’s hairbrained schemes. They get lost in the desert, separated, and all end up in a strange valley inhabited with other animals, scary rat creatures, and a red dragon (in whom nobody believes). Fone is the main character, and most of the story follows him trying to find his two cousins with the help of a tiny green bug named Ted, a girl named Thorn and her cow-racing Gran’ma Ben.

Rating: Brilliant!

Opinion: Not only are the pictures beautifully drawn, the story is humorous, engaging, and endearing. The characters each have well-rounded personalities, and you care about what happens to them, even Phoney Bone (whose only endearing characteristic is the fact that Fone Bone cares about him). There’s a lot of humor to it, too – I laughed out loud during the scene where they are running through a cloud of locusts (“Whatever you do – don’t stick out your tongue! Pitt! Poo! Yuck!”). What really keeps the story going, though, are the little mysteries – why did the Bone cousins get thrown out of Boneville? Why does the red dragon keep rescuing Fone Bone from the rat creatures, and why does no one in the valley believe that the dragon exists? What are the rat creatures, anyway? Not all of these questions are answered in this volume, which is why I can’t wait to read volume 2. This book is brilliant. Go directly to the library, do not pass go, etc. Or the bookstore if your library doesn’t have it.

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

This series was recommended to me by several different people (patrons at my library), and so I thought I would give it a shot. It’s not my usual cup of tea (i.e. kid’s books), but it was pretty good just the same. It’s about Stephanie Plum, who, after being laid off as a lingerie buyer for a cheap store, ends up working for a cousin as a bounty hunter. In the process of trying to aprehend a cop-turned-bad guy (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend from high school), she manages to get on the bad side of a semi-famous boxer who also likes to beat and rape women on the side (pleasant, I know). Now, the women who recommended it to me said it was laugh-out-loud funny, but I did not find it quite that amusing. Amusing at points, and entertaining, but I never laughed out loud. The only thing I did not like (in a mild sort of way) was the violence. There aren’t a lot of actual violent scenes in the book, but there are descriptions of brutality towards women that made me wince. The story was well-paced and exciting, and it had me gripping the pages towards the end. Overall, a good book. I think I will start on the next one, Two for the Dough.