Picture Book Reviews: Night Flight, Pop!, and Pete the Cat

  Last year I picked up pictures books and I've gotten to appreciate them much more than I did as a child. I hope to continue read and review them in the future. If you have any recommendations for me, please list them in the comments and I'll check them out!

Description: An account of Amelia Earhart's dangerous 1932 flight across the Atlantic Ocean from Newfoundland to Ireland, in which she survived bad weather and a malfunctioning airplane. Includes a brief biography of the aviator.

Review: On a May evening in 1932, Amelia Earhart climbed into her single-engine, red Lockheed Vega and flew across the ocean, departing from Newfoundland and landing on a farm in Northern Ireland. Burleigh's suspenseful text and Minor's shifting perspectives work together to pull readers into the drama and action as they experience the anxiety and exhilaration that accompanied this historic flight. Earhart's skill, stamina, and courage are put to the test when a thunderstorm erupts, her altimeter breaks, and icy wings cause the plane to plummet. You could feel yourself become frighten for Amelia and for a brief moment wonder what terror she must have felt being in that plane alone. The third-person narrative is arranged in two-line stanzas of free verse; the language is fresh and evocative, morphing to match Amelia's tenacity. I loved the illustrations in this book which brings the text to life. You can picture yourself flying next to Amelia and have a panoramic view of the sea and sky. I think this book would incite curiosity about flying and all the various requirements that pilots have to go through in order to fly. The book also includes a technical note, bibliography, and inspirational quotes from Earhart's writings. This a great picture book biography that I think both girls and boys would enjoy.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 2-4.

If you like this book try: Talkin' About Bessie by Nikki Grimes, Bravest Woman in America by Marissa Moss


Description: Full of fun historical facts, this book is the true story of how bubble gum was invented.

Review: This was a fun nonfiction read. It's got some amusing illustrations, easy text to read, and fun history facts behind the invention of bubble gum. The story also touches briefly on the origin of gum, and the back matter a short biography of Diemer, a fact list about gum, and a bibliography to make this book a more thorough package. I wouldn't necessarily pick this one up from the shelves, but I think with a pitch about candy (always a kid's favorite) it might get its readership. Overall, a pretty entertaining story.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 2-4

If you like this book try: Apples by Gail Gibbons


Description: Pete the cat wears his school shoes when visiting the library, the lunchroom, the playground, and more while singing his special song.

Review: The first day of school can cause lots of anxiety for the little ones. Blue cat Pete is here to help make his readers a little less nervous with his proved his ability to roll with the punches when his white sneakers were accidentally stained red. Sporting the red treads for the first day of school, Pete is unflappable. He smoothly goes with the flow throughout the day. School setting is nicely drawn with appealing eye-catching colors. There's humor to be found in the deadpan expressions of Pete and his fellow cats as he sits with friends in the lunchroom, plays at recess, and solves math problems on the board. There is also a free song that you can listen to while you're reading the book that might increase the reader's enjoyment of the story.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades PreK-2

If you like this book try: Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel, Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton

Read More

Tasting the Sky: A Palestian Childhood

 I'm not a big biography or memoir reader, but I am attracted to stories that go beyond the every day occurences of ones life. Tasting the Sky by Ibtisam Barakat is an award winning and critically acclaim biography that takes place in the Middle East and is written for young adults. No matter how much I read about the Middle East, I always seem to learn more. The memoir is an enjoyable, insightful, and quick read that inspires hope. I think it should be read by young adults as well as adult readers.

Description: A memoir in which the author describes her childhood as a Palestinian refugee, discussing her family's experiences during and after the Six-Day War, and the freedom she felt at learning to read and write.

Review: With simple yet incredibly moving sentences, Barakat transports us from the comfort of our own homes to a hostile, foreign environment. It's the first night of the 1967 Six-Day War, which pitted Israel against the Arab nations of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. It ended with the Israeli occupation of the Sinai and Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, and the West Bank (Source: Six-Day War. (2012). In World History: The Modern Era. Retrieved September 12, 2012, from http://worldhistory.abc-clio.com/).
  Three-year-old Ibtisam and her family are uprooted from their home in the middle of the night, where the toddler hunts frantically for her lost shoe, loses her family as they join the throng of anxious Palestinians fleeing Ramallah into Jordan. Our hearts race and we become extremely anxious until the family is reunited after several desperate hours. With moments of harshness, stark reality comes this beautifully written memoir of the author's childhood on the Israeli-occupied West Bank. We learn first hand about what it's like to live in the backdrop of war and cultural displacement. The family endures poverty, separations and frequent relocation. Despite these hardships life seems to go on, by turns surprising, funny, heartbreaking and rich with possibility.
  In an overcrowded Jordanian school-room housing refugees, Ibtisam discovers Alef, the first letter of the Arab alphabet, and thus creates an intimate relationship between reading and writing, which allows her to spread her wings and imagination. Barakat and her brothers are Courageous and curious, but they are not perfect by any means. Like all children, they find themselves in troubles, have their mischief ways to assert their strong wills in defiance of the authorities that govern their lives. While reading Tasting the Sky, I never felt as if the book was politically motivated, but rather a coming of age autobiography that focuses on family, culture, and identity in the part of the world is almost always misunderstood.

Curriculum Connection: Social Studies

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There are some disturbing war images and allusion to attempted sexual assault. There is also a chapter that talks about male circumcision that is important to the culture. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: The Flag of Childhood: Poems From the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye, A Little Piece of Ground byElizabeth Laird, or Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples

Read More

Picture Book Reviews: Circus Ship, Ant and Grasshopper, and Clemente!

  All of the picture books that I have reviewed today are listed on the Monarch Book Award list, a list comprised of picture books that are selected by librarians, teachers, and readers themselves. If you would like to view the Monarch Book Award list, please go here.

Description: When a circus ship runs aground off the coast of Maine, the poor animals are left on their own to swim the chilly waters. Staggering onto a nearby island, they soon win over the wary townspeople with their kind, courageous ways. So well do the critters blend in that when the greedy circus owner returns to claim them, villagers of all species conspire to outsmart the bloated blowhard.

Review: With vibrant pictures and a rhyming text, Van Dusen brings a story based on true historical events to life. The first half of the book was surprisingly dark as it describes how the ship ran off course when an animal filled steamship en route to Boston is wrecked in a storm. The troupe of circus animals escapes bad treatment and disaster, finding its way to an island off the coast of Maine. The 1800s residents are surprised to find zebras eating their gardens and alligators lounging on woodpiles. Thankfully, the second half is much more optimistic when a tiger saves a toddler from a blazing shed and the animals and the humans work together to avoid the cruel circus owner who is on the hunt to reclaim his animals. It was also fun spotting the hiding animals on a few pages.

Rating: 4 stars


Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades K-1st grade.

If you like this book try: Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson, Sometimes I like to Curl up in A Ball by Vicki Churchill

Description: In this variation of the old tale of the ant who gathers food for winter, and the grasshopper who does not prepare, there is an unexpected ending.

Review: At first I was a bit confused with this retelling of the famous Ant and Grasshopper Aesopp tale. Everything was following the traditional fable with the ant working dutifully and saving up for the cold winter while the carefree and irresponsible grasshopper seemed more at easy planing his fiddle. Suddenly there's a new twist as the Ant feels bad for Grasshopper and offer his assistance. The author is able to add another layer displaying empathy and friendship in this version but I thought it comes across a bit clumsy. Personally, it's the Grasshopper's fault for being stupid and irresponsible so Ant's unnecessary guilt shouldn't be taken advantage of but I do see him taking the higher road.  The watercolor-and-colored-pencil scenes show the two creatures first in their opposite worlds and then standing off. The use of colors also play upon the emotions of the characters. Overall, I thought this one was an okay read but not really remarkable.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades K-2.

If you like this book try: Three Pebbles and a Song by Eileen Spinelli, Ant and Grasshopper by Graham Percy.

Description: A little boy named Clemente learns about his namesake, the great baseball player Roberto Clemente.

Review: Who says that biographies have to be boring? Perdomo's biographical account of the famous and well loved Puerto Rican baseball pioneer through witty text and illustrations that exude passion. The child narrator, whose father is president of the Roberto Clemente fan club, was named in honor of the great player, and little Clemente can tell you just about everything there is to know about the man, from his childhood to his staggering statistics. More important, the boy's mother reminds him, were Clemente's off-field heroics as a staunch family man, battler of racism, and humanitarian; he tragically died in a plane crash bringing relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Bits of Spanish are gracefully sprinkled into the narrative to give it a culture feel. Clemente! is more than your everyday biography and it might spark a new baseball fan in the little ones. I definitely learned a lot after reading this one.

Rating: 4 stars


Words of Caution: None. Recommended by Grades K and up.

If you like this book try: The Babe and I by David Adler or Me, Frida by Amy Novesky.

Read More

Bossypants

I avoid books written by celebrities for various reasons. Reading about their terrible childhood or vying with others about how many names they can drop in a sentence is not exactly how I want to spend my limited free time nowadays. I did make an exception to this unwritten rule with Tina Fey's Bossypants after several people told me that I had to read the book. After a long delay, I took a chance and actually really enjoyed it.

Description: From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon, comedian Tina Fey reveals all, and proves that you're no one until someone calls you bossy.

Review: Bossypants straddles the line between memoir and humorist essay. Fey, in her trademark self depreciating humor and astute observations, hilariously covers her childhood and coming-of-age; time at Chicago's Second City; years at Saturday Night Live (SNL) as a writer and performer; development of 30 Rock; and her ubiquitous role as Sarah Palin. She doesn't flinch nor cover up the less glamorous aspect of her life such as having a hard time finding a job just so she can have enough money to pay for improv classes. Along the way, she also demystifies the celebrity particularly the required photo shoot. My favorite part of the book, however, is Fey's input on women in the workforce and in comedy. Many people think that Fey's impression of Sarah Palin was funny because of the uncanny resemblance and her mannerisms, but few would realize how the sketches about feminism would go undetected.
 Sure Bossypants is a funny book, but I was surprised how much depth lied within the jokes. Fey's comedic timing is perfect. I laughed out loud constantly, but also paused to think too. I'd definitely recommend picking this one up if you're in a reading funk or in a mood for a smart, funny book where a celebrity can actually write and is articulate. 

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: Strong language and some crude humor throughout the book. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson, Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

Read More

Breaking Night

   As the end of the school year draws near, I'm getting a bit burnt out and frustrated. Projects pile up and deadlines loom over my head. I needed something to inspire me and put things into perspective. I got some clarity after finishing up Liz Murray's biography/memoir Breaking Night.

Description: The stunning memoir of a young woman who at age 15 was living on the streets but survived to make it to Harvard. Murray's story was featured in the Lifetime Original Movie "Homeless to Harvard."

Review: I have heard of Liz Murray briefly on the news many years ago, but I didn't really know the whole story. I knew she was homeless and then got admitted to Harvard, but I wasn't aware of her journey from A to B. Breaking Night is an admirable and inspirational story of hope, struggle, and of forgiveness.
  Murray had an unenviable childhood with drug addict parents living in the decaying Brox, where her parents were more concerned about their next 'hit' rather than putting food on the table or sheltering their children. While Murray's older sister was furious and distant regarding their family situation, the author craved her parents' acceptance that she rationalized their addictions and poverty, even though if that meant she would be grotesquely unkempt and ostracized at school. Much of the Murray's story focuses on her mother, who though loved her daughters couldn't overcome her drug use.  Murray's adolescence becomes increasingly traumatic, as her mother was diagnosed with AIDS and her scholarly yet seedy father becomes her guardian.
  While it is so easy for Murray to become part of her parent's world, she struggles not to and puts her emphasis on education not as a means for success initially but rather a exit out to her nightmarish reality and a step to taking charge of her life:

“Instead, what I was beginning to understand was that however things unfolded from here on, whatever the next chapter was, my life could never be the sum of one circumstance. It would be determined, as it had always been, by my willingness to put one foot in front of the other, moving forward, come what may.” 

 As she grows older, she confronts the reality of her parent's issues. Instead of sitting back and blaming them (which no one would argue that they don't deserve it), she tries to help them. Murray faces obstacles after obstacles, but she continues to fight and finds hope and support from friends. Murray ably captures the fearful, oppressive lifestyle of a homeless teen, constantly hustling for places to stay, and her tale is a disturbing reminder of lives lost to addiction and poverty. Though some of the dialogue can be of kilter, it doesn't diminish the powerful story of survival and hope. It is hard hitting yet uplifting at the same time, showing just want someone could achieve if they genuinely want it.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: Strong drug use, allusion to sexual abuse, some language, and few non-explicit sex scenes. Recommended for Grades 10 and up.

If you like this book try: Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs, The Kids Are Alright by Diana Welch, Glass Castle by Jeanette Wells, Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

Read More

Bad News for Outlaws: The remarkable life of Bass Reeves, deputy U.S. marshal

  I continue to discover new important figures of history as I read the Bluestem Awards. I never heard of Bass Reeves, the first African American Deputy U.S. Marshall before. His story from being a born slave to a deputy marshall is fascinating. Bass Reeves is truly an unsung hero.

Description: An illustrated biography of Bass Reeves, a former slave who was recruited as a deputy United States marshal, based on his ability to communicate with the Native Americans in what is now known as the state of Oklahoma.

Review: Bad News for Outlaws reads like a western. It opens with a showdown as readers first see outlaw Jim Webb bursting through a glass window and the lawman known as Bass Reeves looking down the barrel of his Winchester rifle. These opening pages will no doubt catch young reader's attention and the catchy narrative would make this a really fun read aloud. Bass Reeves was born a slave, but he became one of the most feared and respected Deputy U.S. Marshals to tame the West. Reeves was honorable and upheld the law, even arresting his own son when he committed a crime. Though including his background and chronological history, Bad News for Outlaws never reads like a dry textbook. The illustrations are colorful and reflect the narrative. At the end of the book, a timeline, glossary of words spoken in the Old West, recommended reading list, author notes, and a detailed bibliography are included at the end of the book. Bad News for Outlaws gives praise and appreciation to a much unknown hero.


Rating: 4 stars

Curriculum Connection: Social Studies

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 3-5.

If you like this book try: The Legend of Bass Reeves by Gary Paulsen

Read More

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty

  In September 1994, a story of gang violence on the South Side of Chicago rocked the U.S. and forced the nation to look closely at the rising gang violence across the country. Robert "Yummy" Sandifer at age 11 became the poster child of gang violence and was featured on several issues of Time Magazine.

Description: Robert Sandifer is known by his neighborhood as “Yummy” because he had a sweet tooth. He was born in 1984 and lived on the South Side of Chicago. He was only 11 years old when he became a gang member, a criminal, a corpse, and a poster child for gang violence. Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty is a fictionalized account that tries to make sense out of true and tragic events.

Review: I don't recall the Yummy headlines, however due to the continuing rise of gang violence in Chicago, his story is not unique nor forgotten. Like many gang stories we have heard before, Robert "Yummy" Sandifer came from a broken home and whose parents neglected and abused him to due to their own involvement with drugs and possible gang involvement. Yummy sought refuge with his grandmother, a woman overworked by taking care of other children just like Yummy. In 1994, Yummy became involved with Chicago's Black Disciples gang. Attempting to protect his gang's turf by shooting a rival gang member, Yummy instead killed an innocent teenaged girl. Yummy went on the run, only to meet his demise by those who he sought comfort, security, and support.
  Before the graphic novel opens, Neri informs us that he has blended fact and fiction in order to tell Yummy's story. Neri's well researched story gathers information from a variety of resources. His use of a fictional acquaintance and observer, Yummy's classmate Roger, whose older brother is also a member of the Disciples allows readers to get a personal yet distant account of their neighborhood and Yummy's personality. Like Roger, the reader can't help but ask his/herself whether or not Yummy is a victim of his own society or a cold blooded killer. There are no black and white answers given, however, the reader is forced to look at the clear evidence laid before them in order to come up with their own answers.
  Yummy is a gritty and unflinchingly realistic from its simple sentence structure to the rough black and white illustrations by Randy DuBurke. Yummy's famous mugshot, the daily activities of gang life and gang-ruled neighborhood are powerfully depicted. While some reviewers thought the graphic novel was too preachy, I thought it was all too real. It is meant to cause us discomfort and open our eyes at the horrible sociopolitical situations that are plaguing the streets of America. There would definitely be something wrong with us if this critically acclaimed graphic novel didn't touch us.

Rating: 4 stars


Words of Caution: There is gang violence, but nothing beyond what we see and hear on the news. Recommended to Grades 6 and up.


If you like this book try: Monster by Walter Dean Myers, There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz, Always Running by J. Luis Rodriguez

Read More

What was Abraham Lincoln like as a kid?

   I was feeling patriotic during the July 4th weekend and picked up a picture book biography on Abraham Lincoln called Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln. Unlike most biographies that focus on Lincoln's presidency and his policies, Stand Tall Abe Lincoln, centers on Abe's childhood. So what was our 16th president like as a kid?

Description: Abraham Lincoln grew up poor and without schooling in a Kentucky wilderness and lost his mother before he was ten. His stepmother, Sally Bush Johnston, brought a library of books to their log cabin home, ignited Abe's passion for learning, and believed in Abe from the beginning. She was an inspiring turning point for young Abe, who went on to become America’s sixteenth, most popular, and respected president.

Review: I really enjoyed this well written and illustrated picture book biography. The book portrays Abe as an ordinary people who goes to school, makes his friends, and does his chores around the house. Along side this light-hearted moments are hard obstacles such as losing a parent at a very young age and living in poverty. Of course the educator in me loves how young Abe discovers his passion for learning by reading books from his illiterate stepmother's library, which also gave him a way out of poverty. While some may think Faulkner's  illustrations are comical and exaggerated, I thought they were warm, intimate, and caught my attention. I saw a real person in those pictures not a cold portrait that is displayed in many biographies on Abraham Lincoln.  A biographical note on Lincoln's later life is also included and a bibliography is also appended. If you don't have this book in your collection, I highly recommend it that you add it.

Rating: 4 stars

Curriculum Connection: Social Studies

Words of Caution: None


If you like this book, try: Take the Lead, George Washington or Make your mark, Franklin Roosevelt by Judith St. George

Read More

Grab your magnifiying glasses! We got a mystery to solve!

   I was a reluctant reader until I reached about third grade. This statement may seem a bit of a shocker to you, considering I'm always reading now. Currently, my reading goal for this year is to read 200 books and I just finished my 106th book this afternoon. I'm a firm believer that no one hates reading, they just hate what they are reading. By my elementary school librarian's and my older sibling's persistence, I got out of my reading funk. I started reading the Ramona Quimby books and then slowly graduated up to new series.
    One of my favorite series until sixth grade was the Nancy Drew Mysteries by Carolyn Keene. I loved Nancy because not only was she smart, but she was also a leader, assertive, and a girl like me. I don't remember her being boy crazy (I vaguely remember her boyfriend, but can't remember his name or any specifics) or ditzy.  She made the impossible possible and all the while being graceful and respectful.
    I remember going to my local Chicago Public Library and come back with a bag full of Nancy Drew Mysteries. If the Hardy Boys were involved then that was a bonus since the book would be larger. Of course at that time, I didn't realize that: a) all the books were formulaic and b) Carolyn Keene was not a real person, but composed of ghost writers who wrote many other popular series. When I came across my next book, Girl Sleuth: Nancy and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak, I was immediately intrigued and wanted to rediscover my love for the character.

Description: Girl Sleuth takes a look at how the beloved female detective, Nancy Drew, was created from the imagination of Edward Stratemeyer in 1929 and raised after his death in 1930 by his daughter Harriet Stratemeyer Adams and Mildred Wirt Benson, a journalist who was the first to write the novels under the pen name Carolyn Keene. 

Review: I really enjoyed reading Girl Sleuth. Not only did I learn new facts such as Edward Stratemeyer was also the writer of the Bobbsey Twins and Hardy Boys, which were all written under different pseudonyms, but I also learned more about the children publishing industry. Nancy Drew is very much a creation of social history, particularly of the women's liberation movement, and of Adams's and Benson's own belief systems. I was very surprised to know that there were hardly any books written for young girls in the 1920s. Stratemeyer created Nancy Drew after observing his tomboyish daughter. He wanted to create a female character that other girls can look up to and aspire. The author does a great job in reflecting how Nancy Drew mirrors girls' lives and the ups and downs of the women's movement, but at times I was confused as to if I was reading a history book rather than a literary criticism. The background information of key moments in Women's History was a bit much and I felt like I was in a Feminist 101 course in college. Regardless, I thought the book was a fun read and think other Nancy Drew fans will appreciate the author's work.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and mention of sex in the book, but mostly in the social history context of the 1960s and beyond.

If you like this book, try: Nancy Drew's Guide to Life by Jennifer Worick

Read More

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!

   I was never a big fan of Superman. To be honest, I'm more of a Batman girl. Superman is just way too nice and proper. There is no edge or angst to him. I mean to have your alter ego be a meek, newspaper reporter who combs his hair differently and puts on a pair of glasses as your disguise, come on! I never understood how people in the comics and other adaptations didn't put things together. Needless to say, I do catch an episode here and there of Smallville, seen the Superman movies, and was avid watcher of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Can you really blame me when it's Dean Cain and Tom Welling playing the lead?  When I saw The Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman on the Bluestem reading list, I realized that I knew nothing about the history behind Superman and decided to read it.

Description: In this nonfiction picture book, the story of how two Cleveland teenagers, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, came up with the idea and created Superman.

Review: The Boys of Steel is a good introduction to the history of comic books to younger readers. The book begins with a cultural setting of The Great Depression as well as the personalities of Siegel and Shuster. Though I doubt children will completely understand how socially awkward the writer and illustrator were, but I think they would understand it through the illustrations. The illustrations are great: they are colorful and convey the message simply and directly. The only fault that I found with the picture book is that I found the afterward much more interesting than the main story as a whole. The picture book ends with a happy ending in which Siegel and Shuster find a publisher to publish the Superman comics. The afterward, however, details the legal and business struggle that Siegel and Shuster had in gaining the copyright and royalties of their creation. I can understand that explaining these technical terms to children in a picture book is hard to do, but I think it's wrong to give the children the impression that all is well when that's far from the truth. Overall though, I did enjoy the book and learned new information about the creators of Superman as well as new history of the comic book industry. 

Rating: 3 stars

Words of caution: None. I'd recommend it to Grades 1 to 3.

If you like this book, try:  The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau by Dan Yaccarino  

Read More

A True Story of Love, Murder, and the Invention of the Wireless Telegraph

  I first heard of the author Erik Larson when I read his phenomenal, page-turning, best selling book called The Devil in the White City. I loved his style of writing a history book with a dash of a true crime story. I couldn't stop reading it and came away with not only being informed about Chicago's World Fair, but also an obscure serial killer that committed crimes right under people's noses. In its essence, a novel-like nonfiction book that would not stay on the shelves at the high school and my local public libraries. Since I had a great time reading his previous book, I was looking forward to the same great read with Larson's other book called Thunderstruck.

Description:  Thunderstruck follows the same structural formula of The Devil in the White City by pairing a historical, progressive development which in this case the invention of the wireless telegraph with a notorious, famous murder case of Dr. H.H. Crippen.

Review: When I read this book, there were thunderstorms in the forecast and I had watched an episode of BBC's Coupling (think a British version of Friends, which is hiliarious by the way) where one of the main character, Steve, is trying to break up with his current girlfriend, Jane, who doesn't seem to get the hint that their relationship is over. Steve repeatedly tells Jane that he doesn't want to be the next Dr. Crippen. Is it a coincidence that these two things when I picked up Thunderstruck? I don't really know. I just happend to find the book at my public library and thought, "Oh, yeah, I wanted to read this book for a while. I think I'll check it out".

  Like Devil, Thunderstruck is very well written and full of historical facts. In fact, I had absolutely no idea of the wireless telegraph. I had thought the telegraph to do the same thing and was obviously mistaken. There are two plot threads, which read more like two biographies of Marconi, the inventor, and Crippen, the murderer. Both are woven seamlessly, but I couldn't help but wonder why these two stories were chosen until I was well in 3/4 of the book. Initally, I thought the invention was kind of boring and tedious. I wanted to know more of the murder case, but felt like that was more of an afterthought since its chapters were much shorter than the invention story. The book didn't take off for me until the crime was committed and the investigation began.

  I was appalled to know that I kind of felt sorry for Crippen. His wife was horrible and abusive, but I couldn't help but wonder why he resorted to murder instead of divorcing her? Perhaps divorce was a taboo at the time. There are some unclear facts as to how Crippen murdered his wife and there have been many theories as Larson tells the reader. Overall, I thought Thunderstruck was a decent read, but I did put it down several times while I read it.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of caution: The body of the dead Mrs. Crippen is graphic. Larson goes into detail of how it was discovered and the body's condition. For this reason, I would recommend this book to adults but I think high school students will also be interested.

If you like this book, try: The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson or In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Read More