Review: Chum by Adam Glendon Sidwell

I'm pleased to share my review for Chum, a new middle-grade adventure that releases today...

Chum

by Adam Glendon Sidwell

10/22/14

Future House Publishing

Thirteen-year-old Levi Middleworth insists he's got a Destiny, even if half the internet's tried to bully it out of him with a viral video. When a Hollywood executive in a trim green suit invites Levi to star on a reality TV show aboard a hi-tech pirate ship, Levi thinks his Destiny's finally come a knockin' a bit of fame is exactly what he needs to finally make some friends his eighth grade year. But almost as soon as they set sail, the games aboard the ship turn savage, and he and his new bud Holly must do everything they can to find themselves some Chums little round-headed autonomous toys since failing to do so means getting thrown to the sharks. With the help of Levi's long-lost television hero and a tech-savvy pirate crew, Levi has to rethink his quest for fame in an attempt to save himself, his fellow contestants, and every human being on the beach from a feeding frenzy of grisly proportions.

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Last year, Adam Glendon Sidwell charmed me with his imaginative and superb middle-grade debut, Evertaster, so I was super excited to dive into his new middle-grade adventure, Chum. And, while I found Chum creative and entertaining, it didn’t wow me as much as I hoped it would.

Thirteen year old Levi believes he’s meant for stardom and greatness...but ends up the star of an unfortunate and embarrassing viral video. But when Levi is invited to participate in a new reality show aboard a pirate ship, he’s convinced his destiny is within reach. The contestants aboard the ship soon learn that they must find CHUMS, little autonomous toys, everyday in order to stay in the game. And the game is BRUTAL! Contestants quickly turn on one another and resort to violence and trickery to stay in the game.  Levi soon learns that nothing is as it seems aboard the ship and the truth could lead to a bloody frenzy of an end.

Adam Glendon Sidwell is definitely a creative and enthralling storyteller, who infuses a great deal of imagination and humor in his stories. And Chum is no exception. Chum’s premise is wildly original and innovative, both action-packed and funny. There’s a lot I enjoyed about this unique middle-grade adventure. The reality show theatrics are amusing, while the pirate-ship-in-the-middle-of-the-ocean makes for a thrilling setting. The idea of contestants competing to find Chums and having to do ANYTHING to do so, is really fun and makes for an entertaining time aboard the ship. However, the overall execution felt a bit jumbled and disjointed. There are many twists and turns and, while pretty cool, they often left the story feeling too rushed and busy and, perhaps even too unbelievable or outlandish for even middle-grade readers to believe.

Sidwell fills Chum with a quirky, eclectic cast of characters. Levi and his new friend Holly are relatable, endearing young characters, who make for a hero and heroine young readers will want to root for. The other contestants are just as amusingly over-the-top and larger than life you’d expect reality show contestants to be. I only wish more time was spent on character development and getting to know these intriguing people.

There is one thing in Chum that I personally found hard to swallow and that’s all the shark hate. In the story, sharks are made out to be these evil, killing machines and, while this makes sense within the story and makes for a pretty thrilling ending, as someone whose favorite animal is the Great White and who thinks sharks are the most amazing creatures alive, this made my shark loving heart hurt :( Of course, this is totally a personal thing and I can definitely see younger readers enjoying this aspect of Chum.

My Final Thoughts: Overall, Chum could use with some story tightening and more development, however I did find it to be greatly enjoyable and full of fantastic imagination. I think its target audience will be charmed by its quirky premise, laugh-out-loud moments, thrilling action, and likable hero.

MY RATING

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In between books, Adam Glendon Sidwell uses the power of computers to make monsters, robots and zombies come to life for blockbuster movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean, King Kong, Transformers and Tron. After spending countless hours in front of a keyboard meticulously adjusting tentacles, calibrating hydraulics, and brushing monkey fur, he is delighted at the prospect of modifying his creations with the flick of a few deftly placed adjectives. He's been eating food since age 7, so feels very qualified to write this book. He once showed a famous movie star where the bathroom was. Adam currently lives in Los Angeles, where he can't wait to fall into the sea.

Review: Welcome To The Dark House by Laurie Stolarz

Welcome To The Dark House

(Dark House #1)

by Laurie Stolarz

July 22, 2014

Disney-Hyperion

What’s your worst nightmare?

For Ivy Jensen, it’s the eyes of a killer that haunt her nights. For Parker Bradley, it’s bloodthirsty sea serpents that slither in his dreams.

And for seven essay contestants, it’s their worst nightmares that win them an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at director Justin Blake’s latest, confidential project. Ivy doesn’t even like scary movies, but she’s ready to face her real-world fears. Parker’s sympathetic words and perfect smile help keep her spirits up. . . at least for now.

Not everyone is so charming, though. Horror-film fanatic Garth Vader wants to stir up trouble. It’s bad enough he has to stay in the middle of nowhere with this group—the girl who locks herself in her room; the know-it-all roommate; “Mister Sensitive”; and the one who’s too cheery for her own good. Someone has to make things interesting.

Except, things are already a little weird. The hostess is a serial-killer look-alike, the dream-stealing Nightmare Elf is lurking about, and the seventh member of the group is missing.

By the time Ivy and Parker realize what’s really at stake, it’s too late to wake up and run.

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I love me a campy, scream-fest B horror movie, and that’ exactly what Laurie Faria Stolarz’s Welcome to the Dark House feels like, right down to the cliche, yet fun scare tactics; predictable, yet entertaining plot; and rigidly characterized, yet amusing cast.

Everyone has nightmares, some people are just more haunted by there’s than others. Seven essay contest winners are given the opportunity of a lifetime and win a trip to an exclusive, behind the scenes look at the new horror movie from famous Justin Blake. The seven strangers find themselves in a luxurious replica of the Dark House from one of Blake’s movies, but the thrills and frights suddenly feel too real. One of the seven is missing, one is talking to herself, three are caught up in a love triangle, and Ivy and Parker are enjoying getting to know each other...but when literally faced with their nightmares, things turn awesomely, creepily deadly!

Cinematic in scope, Welcome to the Dark House combines many horror movie elements, in both predictable and new ways, creating a genuinely fun and spooky reading experience. Yet, like many of those movies, Welcome to the Dark House suffers from a character overload, cheesy dialogue, and slow pacing.

What Welcome to the Dark House and Stolarz get right is the creepy, spine-tingling atmosphere. From the whole Justin Blake horror movie world the author has created, to the isolated Dark House and amusement park, this is an atmosphere and world that will keep readers fully engaged and on the edge of their seats. Blake’s Nightmare Elf and Hotel 9 movies and characters are creeptastic and over-the-top in the best ways possible. The frights and thrills are plentiful, at least in the last half of the book.  The first half is pretty slow as it is spent getting to know the characters and introducing us and them to the Dark House.

The story unfolds from six different perspectives (Ivy, Parker, Natalie, Frankie, Shayla, and Garth), but Ivy is the main character and focused on the most. We get a detailed glimpse into Ivy’s past, nightmare, and general personality, but the other characters not so much. All six essay winner’s each clearly have their role and trope to play (perky, hot girl; bad/tough boy, freak, All-American guy, goth chick, innocent/virginal girl) and are rigidly characterized as such, with little complexity (which may have been totally intentional!). But, that doesn’t mean these characters aren’t amusing and entertaining, because they are!

Once the characters find themselves in the amusement park and must face their nightmares, the real thrills and chills start! Stolarz offers an awesome mix of gory, heart-pounding, outrageous, psychological scare-tactics and frights. This part of the book is a lot fun, even if some of it is predictable and cheesy. However, I was disappointed by the rushed ending and the many questions left unanswered.

My Final Thoughts: Far from perfect, but entertaining nonetheless, Welcome To The Dark House is a fun story to escape into for a few hours. Campy horror fans, who don’t take their horror too seriously, will get a kick out of this book!

MY RATING

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Laurie Faria Stolarz grew up in Salem, MA, attended Merrimack College, and received an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College in Boston.

Review: Invisible by Marni Bates

Be sure to check out my review of Awkward, a companion book to Invisible.

Invisible

by Marni Bates

6/25/13

K-Teen

Format: eARC

Source: Netgalley

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Jane Smith has survived three years of high school without making a single enemy, all by keeping a low profile. Not even her three best friends, Kenzie, Corey and Isobel, can say the same. But with Corey dating the lead singer from ReadySet and Kenzie in a relationship too, being invisible tends to be lonely. But now she's written an article for her school newspaper that has accidentally snagged the attention of some celebrities. Turns out, people get really upset when their innermost secrets are splashed all over the front page. And new her well-ordered life is being blasted to hell, with results that are wildly unexpected.

I received an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review 

I really enjoyed Marni Bates' first book set at Smith High, Awkward, and was really excited to jump back into this world and hang with its characters in Invisible. And while Invisible didn't wow me as much as its companion, I found it an enjoyable and entertaining read.

Invisible focuses on Jane Smith, one of the BFF's of Awkward's heroine Mackenzie. Mackenzie, her new popular boyfriend Logan, and her and Jane's other BFF, Corey, all play important roles in Invisible, but this book is Jane's time to shine. Quite, reserved, studious Jane is tired of living in Kenzie and Corey's shadows as they remain famous (Kenzie) and date rock-stars (Corey), and after an altercation against a bully and the chance to write a front page story for the school newspaper, Jane just may get her chance to stand out. But writing that front page story means being stuck with photographer Scott. Cute, infuriating, smug Scott. And when a story never meant to be made public is “accidentally” published, Jane gets more recognition than she ever wanted.

What I loved about Marni Bates' writing and storytelling style in Awkward, was how authentic and relatable it was. Bates does a fantastic job of crafting a high school setting that feels incredibly real, which is carried over in Invisible. I really enjoyed immersing myself back into the world of Smith High and all its awkward, funny, cringe-worthy, and been-there-totally-know-how-that-feels moments. The teenage dialogue is often spot-on and rarely feels contrived or forced. Yet, Invisible lacked the fresh, smart humor that Awkward was dripping in. Invisible definitely has its funny moments, but its humor just didn't sparkle or captivate like I hoped it would.

Bates explores some serious topics, like bullying; homophobia; and self-esteem issues, throughout Invisible, but I was disappointed in how these things are, for the most part, glossed over and given very little attention. Bates definitely sends out a positive message about acceptance and tolerance, but I think, overall, the book lacked real depth and was overly cutesy.

I really loved Jane in Awkward and liked her a lot in Invisible. Her shy, logical, always aiming to please and avoid confrontation personality is relatable, and it was fun seeing her break out of her shell throughout Invisible and really come into her own. There were definitely times though when I wanted to reach through the pages, shake her and scream “Stop letting people walk all over you! Stand up for yourself woman!”. Jane's love interest, Scott, was disappointing. He had his sweet moments, but he was mostly an arrogant jerk. One of the characters that surprised me in a good way was mean girl Chelsea. Bates gave Chelsea a lot of depth and development for a mean girl. I loved that, even though she is often bitchy and snobby, I totally get why characters are enamored with her. She isn't just all pretty clothes and a pretty face, and people aren't simply scared of her; she has an addicting charismatic charm, without ever resorting to being cheesy or out of character. I look forward to discovering more about Chelsea in Notable.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Invisible is a cute, fun read with a likable heroine and hip story. I really enjoy Marni Bates' entertaining and fresh writing style and storytelling, and always look forward to her next book. Invisible and its companion, Awkward, would make great summer reads!

MY RATING

Marni Bates

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Marni Bates still can’t believe she falls in love with fictional characters for a living. Her career began during her freshman year at Lewis & Clark College, when she wrote her autobiography, Marni, for HCI’s Louder Than Words series. By the time she graduated, she was on the New York Public Library’s Stuff for the Teen Age 2010 List and had made her fiction debut with her young adult novel, Awkward.Marni is still adjusting to life in sunny Los Angeles, California. When not writing in front of her air conditioning unit, she can be found rollerblading, bargaining at garage sales, reading romance novels, and watching copious amounts of TV—strictly for artistic inspiration, of course. She loves hearing from readers and hopes that you will visit her at www.marnibates.com.

Review: One Plus One Equals Blue

I have a middle-grade review for y'all today...

One Plus One Equals Blue

by M.J. Auch

4/30/13

Macmillan
Format: ARC
Source: pub

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Twelve year-old Basil knows he’s special—he’s been associating numbers with colors since he was a kid. His gift (or curse) has turned him into somewhat of a loner, but his world begins to change when he meets Tenzie, the new girl in school who has similar freakisms. She, too, has synesthesia (a condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another). At first, Basil is somewhat annoyed with Tenzie’s pushiness, but after Basil’s estranged mother returns, his life is turned upside down . . . and Tenzie may be the only person to help him put it back together again.Once again, MJ Auch has written a thoughtful coming-of-age novel that explores friendship, family, and fitting in.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher inexchange for an honest review

As soon as a learned that MJ Auch's One Plus One Equals Blue explored synesthesia, I just knew I had to read it. Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another. I've been completely fascinated by this condition for years and was really looking forward to meeting Auch's two main characters, Basil and Tenzie, who have this gift. While I found One Plus One Equals Blue to be an enjoyable middle-grade read, it turned out to be quite different than I was expecting.

One Plus One Equals Blue focuses on 12 year old loner Basil. Basil has always associated numbers with colors and doesn't realize that most other people don't do the same until he starts public school (after being home-schooled). Basil doesn't tell anyone about what he calls his “freakisms”, but when the pushy new girl, Tenzie, befriends him, Basil learns that he's not alone; Basil and Tenzie share synesthesia characterizations. When Basil's absent mother shows up after many years away, Basil's life starts to crack and crumble, and when he and Tenzie get swept into his mother's complicated life, they must rely on each other to keep from falling a part.

One Plus One Equals Blue ended up being more than I expected. I went into this book expecting a heartwarming, cute middle-grade read, but instead got something a bit heavier and complex. MJ Auch has certainly written a thoughtful and entertaining story about friendship, family, and acceptance, yet it failed to wow and capture me the way I wanted it to.

Auch explores some heavy stuff in One Plus One Equals Blue, like bullying, absent parents, neglected children, and hints of mental illness, and while written in a way that is appropriate for its intended audience, I feel like something is missing in this exploration. The story touches upon some truly thought-provoking ideas, but I think they lack a certain depth. But I do really appreciate how real the situations and characters feel; the author creates a great atmosphere of authenticity.

Seeing synesthesia from the eyes of two young characters who have it, and have been created by an author who also has the gift, is a cool experience. I found Basil and Tenzie's descriptions and explanation of their condition, how it affects them, and how they deal with it, to be really interesting. Auch does a great job of showing both the positive and negative aspects of this complex condition. However, I do wish the characters' synesthesia actually played a bigger role in the story and was focused on more.

Basil and Tenzie are likable, realistic young characters, but not truly memorable. I like them far more as a pair than as individuals and find their friendship endearing. At times I found it hard to connect with these two, but I was emotionally invested in their story. I don't really care for any of the grown-up characters, which is a bummer.

The story itself took some unexpected and interesting and maybe a few unnecessary turns, but the ending is satisfying.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: This middle-grade contemporary lacks that super special spark that makes me LOVE a MG book, but I did like it. Thoughtfully and authentically created, One Plus One Equals Blue is a mostly enjoyable and good read.

MY RATING

M.J. Auch

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M.J. Auch is the award-winning author of Guitar Boy, One-Handed Catch,Ashes of Roses and numerous other books for young readers. Books were a part of M.J.’s life from an early age; her mother was a second grade teacher who always made sure there were plenty of books in the house. M.J. now lives on a small farm in upstate NY with her husband and co-illustrator, Herm, and their two dogs, Sophie and Zeke.