Bergers Book Reviews

The Entirely True Story of the Unbelievable FIB

October 29, 2015 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Adam Shaughnessy
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Genre: Middle-grade / Fantasy
ISBN: 978-1-61620-498-3
Pages: 272
Price: $16.95

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Prudence Potts finds a mysterious note in her room one morning. The daughter of a deceased police detective, Prudence loves mysteries, and is curious about the message it contains. That same day, she meets a mysterious man named Mister Fox in the Winterhaven House Norse museum. And as punishment for various misdeeds against her dour teacher, she is assigned to read a Norse legend with her new classmate, ABE.

What could any of these events have to do with each other? Well, as it turns out, plenty! There are strange things happening in town, and Prudence, ABE, and Mister Fox find themselves right in the middle of them. Although Prudence and ABE don’t quite know what they’re dealing with, they will need to save everyone from an outside force that threatens them. But is Mister Fox friend or foe?

It’s impossible to say very much about this fantastical weaving of Norse mythology with the real world, without giving too much away. The Entirely True Story of the Unbelievable FIB is reminiscent of classics I enjoyed by Roald Dahl when I was a child. I highly recommend it, and look forward to reading more of this new series.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Mina’s White Canvas

October 27, 2015 Bergers Book Reviews

Author & Illustrator: Hyeon-Ju Lee
Publisher: Peter Pauper Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4413-1826-8
Pages: 38
Price: $17.99

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Mina thinks the gray winter day feels dull and gloomy, so she takes her crayon and draws snowflakes in the sky. Soon the landscape is covered in snow. Exploring outside in the forest, she discovers a woodpecker who can’t come down from the tree, so she draws him a ladder to climb. Soon a bear, a frog and a baby bunny appear, all with problems Mina’s crayon can easily fix.

Mina’s magical crayon, along with her imagination, transports her out of the house to a place where she can make new friends. But at the end of the day, her adventure must end, leaving behind warm and delightful memories.

Mina’s White Canvas will captivate and charm children with its simple wonders. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Christian

Help My Unbelief

October 26, 2015October 26, 2015 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Barnabas Piper
Publisher: David C. Cook
Genre: Christian
ISBN: 978-1-4347-0692-8
Pages: 176
Price: $14.99

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Jesus tells the father of a boy possessed by demons that “All things are possible to him who believes.” In distress, the father cries out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” While seemingly a paradox, this statement describes how many Christians feel about their own faith. We believe, but we know that we need help to overcome our unbelief.

Help My Unbelief meets Christians where we are today. It addresses all the places where our faith wavers and we’re not sure what we really believe. But the good news is that this is normal, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Recognizing our weak spots leads us to question and delve more deeply into scripture, and ultimately can bring us closer to God.

Our faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit. This side of Paradise, we simply won’t know all the answers. Help My Unbelief reassures us that we’re on the right path even when we doubt, and that others are struggling along with us. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

No Yeti Yet

October 21, 2015October 21, 2015 Bergers Book Reviews

Author & Illustrator: Mary Ann Fraser
Publisher: Peter Pauper Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4413-0855-9
Pages: 32
Price: $16.99

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An older brother convinces his younger brother that today is a perfect day for a yeti hunt. They quickly dress for the snowy weather, grabbing a camera just in case they spot one. As they walk, younger brother peppers older brother with questions about the yeti. How will they know when they see one? What will he sound like, or even smell like? Where does he live?

As they trudge through the winter landscape, a yeti appears in the distance, watching their actions. When they finally spot him, they panic and run. But the yeti is friendlier than they expect.

No Yeti Yet is a charming book that shows the joys of friendship, even when the other seems big and scary. Kids will have fun spotting the yeti hidden in the snowy background, as the brothers explore, and they will love the sweet ending. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Christian

A.D. 33

October 20, 2015 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Ted Dekker
Publisher: Center Street
Genre: Historical fiction / Christian
ISBN: 978-1-59995-417-2
Pages: 384
Price: $26.00

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Three years after A.D. 30, Queen Maviah has assembled the other outcasts of the desert, in an attempt to rescue her lover, Judah, and her father, the conquered king of Dumah. After Judah is restored to her, the outcasts are enraged by the capture of several of their children, including Maviah’s own adopted son, Talya. A failed battle forces Maviah to search for the prophet, Yeshua, as she hopes to learn what she should do next.

With Saba, her protector and confidante, she journeys to Bethany, where Maviah learns that Yeshua has just raised his friend, Lazarus, from the dead. As they visit with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, they witness Yeshua’s triumphant ride into Jerusalem on a donkey and his death on the cross. Defeated and crushed, they return back to the desert a day later, with no more answers than when they left. But what happens when they arrive home is so much more than they could ever expect.

Meanwhile, as Talya is imprisoned, he dreams a fantastic dream of Eden, and witnesses a serpent striking a pure lamb. There is a woman there, also, who takes the fruit offered by the serpent. Talya is convinced that the woman looks like his mother, Maviah, and that he, himself, is the lamb.

I really wanted to like A.D. 33. I wanted to experience Passion Week with Jesus, and glory in his resurrection with the others gathered in Jerusalem. But this book focuses almost exclusively on Maviah and Saba and their desert problems, and very little on Jesus himself. Even his messages are just recited as Saba either teaches them to Talya or speaks of them to Maviah. They are not brought up in any particular context, but rather as if he was simply reciting them from memory.

The Garden of Eden sequences were especially confusing to me. The Church Fathers taught that Mary is the new Eve, and Jesus, the lamb who crushes the head of the serpent. Implying that Maviah and Talya could take on those roles just felt wrong. And honestly, I would have preferred a more realistic ending, rather than a supernatural one.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Monster Trouble!

October 17, 2015 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Lane Fredrickson
Illustrator: Michael Robertson
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1345-0
Pages: 26
Price: $14.95

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Winifred Schnitzel isn’t afraid of anything. So when bedtime arrives, the monsters come out in force, attempting to frighten her. Though she tells them to go away, they simply won’t let her sleep.

Tired and worn out, Winifred realizes she needs a plan. So she sets up monster traps to finally get rid of these pesky nuisances. Nothing works. But drowsy from too many sleepless nights, she does something the monsters never expect, which finally chases them all away.

Told in rhyming verse, Monster Trouble! features a fearless African American girl standing up the monsters of the night. This cute book will bring a smile to any children plagued by unseen monsters lurking in own rooms.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Mind Your Monsters

October 9, 2015 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Catherine Bailey
Illustrator: Oriol Vidal
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1103-6
Pages: 32
Price: $14.95

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The monsters have invaded the little town, and they’ve created chaos everywhere. They’ve chased the mail carrier, scared kids at the park, and generally terrorized the people. The townsfolk tried to ignore the monsters but it finally got too hard, and one day they all decided to pack up and leave. But a giant ogre blocked the only road out and the other monsters destroyed boats and planes. The people were trapped with the monsters and there was no way out.

Wally suddenly had a bright idea. He asked the monsters to stop being destructive, and they finally listened. Soon every one of the monsters was friendly and well-behaved, and the townspeople grew to love them. Everyone wanted to know his secret in getting through to the monsters. Wally had remembered the magic word!

Remembering to say “please” and “thank you” is difficult for young children. Mind Your Monsters reminds them of the terrible consequences of forgetting this important concept in a fun and original way. The illustrations of these monsters are particularly cute, also, and make this story a really enjoyable, non-preachy read for kids. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

adventure, children, classics

The Wee Musketeers

October 7, 2015 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Robert Bresloff
Publisher: Pumpkinhead Productions
Genre: Children / Adventure / Classics
ISBN: 978-1482393514
Pages: 216
Price: $8.95

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Three boys pretend to be the Three Musketeers, but they’re missing the leader of the group. So when Bobby’s grandfather discovers a portal into the book, they can’t wait to join him in Paris in 1626. What they don’t realize is that by appearing and taking part in the adventure, they could possibly mess up the whole book.

D’Artagnan must make a secret journey while attempting to hide from Cardinal Richelieu’s men, and he has a few extra passengers along for the ride. Misadventures await them on their trip, and the story begins to unravel. But with Grandpa Max making sure they don’t stray too far from the text, they complete their mission without too much mishap.

Fans of The Three Musketeers will probably enjoy this book more than the casual reader, who might not always follow along with the action. The three boys are pretty much indistinguishable from each other, and it’s hard to keep track of who’s who. No character really jumps out as the hero, other than maybe Grandpa Max, and kids may find it hard to relate to anyone. The plot is relatively simple, following the original story with a few side trips along the way. Since I don’t know the original classic, I can’t say for certain where those deviations were, but it would have been nice to see more creative detours that brought out the characters’ personalities.

The text of The Wee Musketeers is free of grammatical errors and typos usually found in self-published works, and the author appears to know this classic well. But this book might be better suited as a companion work for studying the original, rather than as a stand-alone story.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

art, fashion

Fashion Rebel Outfit Maker

October 1, 2015October 1, 2015 Bergers Book Reviews

Created by: Louise Scott-Smith and Georgia Vaux
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Genre: Art / Fashion
ISBN: 978-0-500-65045-5
Pages: 100
Price: $17.95

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Fashion design begins with the sketch. Putting blouses, skirts, leggings and shoes together in various combinations is the art of creation. And for the serious fashion designer, Fashion Rebel Outfit Maker provides the necessary tools.

This unique kit contains a tracing paper sketchpad with the outline of a model on each page, along with glossy cardboard cards covered in drawings of outfit pieces. The young designer only needs to select the clothing item desired and place it under a sheet of sketch paper. Then it can be traced onto the model.

These template cards contain over 200 items to be sketched. Even shoes and hairstyles, as well as fabric patterns are included. Once the design is in place, it can be colored and given a name in the space at the bottom of the pages.

This kit is simply too cool for words. I would have had a blast with it when I was a teenager, and any young fashion designer will enjoy creating new and exciting outfits on paper. And if they’re handy with a sewing machine, they might even get the chance to turn them into outfits they can wear. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

GIVEAWAY: Let me know why you want this kit and I’ll send it to you. Email Alice at the email address shown on the right.

children

Ava the Monster Slayer

September 30, 2015 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Lisa Maggiore
Illustrator: Ross Felton
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-63450-151-4
Pages: 32
Price: $16.99

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As she’s geting ready for bed, Ava finds out that Piggy is in the dryer in the basement. Mom is on the phone, dad is in the garage, and big brother is too busy to get him for her. So Ava will need to brave the monsters in the basement and rescue Piggy all by herself.

Donning her superhero cape and sword, along with pink rain boots and a princess tiara, Ava marches down the basement stairs, smelling the stench of monsters hiding below. One monster has Piggy in his clutches, while another waits to devour her. Ava may be cute and wear glasses, but when Piggy needs her, she fiercely defends him. Soon those terrible monsters are running for their lives.

Presented in comic-book style, Ava the Monster Slayer is a great book for any kids who are afraid of monsters lurking in the dark. Ava is courageous and devoted to her beloved Piggy, and she won’t let anything stop her from saving him. She’s a great role model for girls in facing her fears head-on. I highly recommend this book, and hope to see more of Ava in the future.

Reviewer: Alice Berger