scholarly journals This Dark Endeavour: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein by K. Oppel

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Trish Chatterley
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
History Of Science ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Harry Potter ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
History Of ◽  
The University ◽  
Key Substances

Oppel, Kenneth. This Dark Endeavour: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein. Toronto: Harper Collins, 2011. Print. Victor has always felt less than worthy compared to his twin brother, Konrad, who is the better swordsman, the more gracious gentleman, and the beloved of their cousin Elizabeth, whom they both love dearly. Yet when Konrad falls mysteriously and deathly ill, Victor’s love for his brother encourages him to follow a dangerous quest. Victor is a passionate, if somewhat arrogant, protagonist, who is at times unlikeable, yet strangely alluring. Victor has recently stumbled upon the hidden Dark Library in the family’s chateau, a library filled with ancient scientific works by such legendary alchemists as Paracelsus and Agrippa. In direct violation of his father’s orders, Victor wishes to create the Elixir of Life that he believes will save his brother. He, Elizabeth, and their family friend, Henry, seek the help of local alchemist and outcast, Julius Polidori, whose apothecary shop is coincidentally located in Wollstonecraft Alley. Polidori promises to translate the ancient texts and instruct Victor on how to collect the three necessary ingredients for the elixir. The recovery of each of the key substances frequently puts the characters in life-threatening situations while testing their bravery and dedication to their quest. This dark tale ends in such a foreboding way, promising future adventures for Victor. This is an absorbing gothic tale that serves as a prequel to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Aimed at teens, it will hopefully serve as a unique way to get young adults interested in both classic literature and the history of science and magic. This book will likely appeal to those who enjoyed the later darker novels in the Harry Potter series, as it too explores the interconnections between faith, science, and magic. Paracelsus and Agrippa were mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, in which alchemy was also a prevalent theme. Readers will find the adventure captivating, and may want to watch for the movie version, which is expected to be released in 2013. Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Trish ChatterleyTrish is a Public Services Librarian for the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library at the University of Alberta. In her free time she enjoys dancing, gardening, and reading books of all types.  

scholarly journals The Great Sheep Shenanigans by P. Bently

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
School Libraries ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Harry Potter ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Intended Audience ◽  
Small Children ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Peter The Great ◽  
The University

Bently, Peter.  The Great Sheep Shenanigans.  Illus. M. Matsuoka. London:  Andersen Press, 2011. Print. In this tale, it is really the wolf, Lou Pine (hear the French loup and Lupin, the werewolf from Harry Potter), who gets up to shenanigans, rather than the sheep.  The text is a clever and funny rhyme that tells the story of the wolf trying to catch a lamb to eat.  Along the way, we hear sheep-related cultural and literary references from, “the wolf in sheep’s clothing,” to Red Riding Hood. “I’m just in the mood for a Gran-flavoured snack,” the wolf tells us. The wolf makes many attempts to catch a lamb, but is always thwarted, if not by his own silliness, then by the water-gun toting Ma Watson, by bees, by Red Riding Hood’s Granny, and finally, by Rambo the Ram, who butts him into “a big pile of poo!”  While the intended audience is pre-school, the author sprinkles in some big words, such as “derrière”, “kersplat”, “skedaddling” and “vindaloo”, that children will enjoy and repeat, but adults will need to explain and pronounce on the first reading. The text is often printed over the illustrations, sometimes in extra-large font to emphasize a point.  Sometimes it is part of the illustration.  When “Lou found a thicket of blossoming trees,” the words from the phrase “Down came the blossom” float down the page with the blossoms.  The illustrations are as much fun as the text. The sheep are most often depicted as balls of white with heads, ears and four small pegs for legs.  Lou Pine is a two-dimensional creature, while Rambo the Ram blows steam out his nose and wears boxing gloves. The sheep occasionally have glasses, bow-ties or hair-bows. Because the rhyme is jaunty and the illustrations are fun and inventive, this will be a book that small children will want to have read to them over and over.  Highly recommended for public and elementary school libraries. Recommendation:  4 stars out of 4Reviewer:  Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines.  Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

scholarly journals 50 Underwear Questions: a Bare-All History by T. L. Kyi

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Trish Chatterley
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
North America ◽  
Social History ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Parental Supervision ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
The University

Kyi, Tanya L. 50 Underwear Questions: a Bare-All History. Toronto: Annick Press, 2011. Have you ever wondered where long johns and jock straps got their names? Or where the phrase ‘going commando’ came from? Then this is the book for you! This book, framed as a series of 50 questions and responses, takes the reader through a social history of underwear from the ancient times of the Egyptian pharaohs through to the present day. While much of the focus is on Western Europe and North America, the reader also learns briefly about undergarments in India, Japan, and a few other regions. The book consists of seven chapters replete with fun-filled facts and humorous cartoon images. Throughout are so-called ‘private parts,’ which are quick trivia bits printed on underwear labels. There are also several recommended activities called ‘garment games’ for readers to pursue, such as how to tie your own subligaculum (i.e. gladiator underwear) or tie-dye a pair of boxer shorts (with parental supervision, of course). This well-researched book informs the reader not just about what was worn, but why. Fads and fashions of the various times were influenced by the need for protection from the elements, the wearer’s social class, the onset of war, or in more recent times, the apparel of models and actors in commercials and movies. This entertaining and educational read is intended for children ages nine and up, but is fun and fast for adults to read as well. There are two previous books in the 50 questions series which are about poisons and fire. If they are anything like the underwear book, they will be enjoyable books to read as well! Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Trish ChatterleyTrish is a Public Services Librarian for the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library at the University of Alberta. In her free time she enjoys dancing, gardening, and reading books of all types.  

scholarly journals A Bedtime Yarn by N. Winstanley

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice Kung
Keyword(s):  
Public Services ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
The Other ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
Good Book ◽  
Falling Asleep ◽  
Unique Experience ◽  
The University

Winstanley, Nicola. A Bedtime Yarn, illustrated by Olivia Chin Mueller, Tundra Books, 2017.This picture book explores the dreams of Frankie, a little bear who has trouble falling asleep at night. To help him sleep, his mother provides a ball of yarn for him to hold while she works on the other end, knitting a special surprise for Frankie. Each ball of yarn is a different colour with its own story that takes the young bear on incredible adventures. For instance, a sea-green yarn invokes a dream that takes him deep into underwater caverns and a brown yarn reminds him of cake as a result of his upcoming birthday celebrations. Every colour depicts a new dream and unique experience. The story concludes with Frankie’s mother surprising him with a multi-coloured blanket that was made from all the different colours of yarn that he held.   Beautiful artwork illustrated by Olivia Chin Mueller accompanies the story, including strands of coloured yarn that surround the images. The author creatively used colour as the starting off point for representing the wide variety of dreams that the little bear encounters. This children’s book teaches readers about different colours and the imaginative element of dreams. This book is suitable for children from Kindergarten to Grade 2.     Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Janice KungJanice Kung is a Public Services Librarian at the University of Alberta, John W. Scott Health Sciences Library. She obtained her undergraduate degree in commerce and completed her MLIS degree in 2013. She believes that the best thing to beat the winter blues is to cuddle up on a couch and lose oneself in a good book.

Ballerina Rosie by S. Ferguson

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Trish Chatterley
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Hard Work ◽  
Free Time ◽  
Dance Teacher ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Young Girls ◽  
The University ◽  
Age Range

Ferguson, Sarah. Ballerina Rosie. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2012. Print. The Duchess of York recounts the tale of Rosie Red Curls, a little girl who loves to dance and dreams of becoming a prima ballerina. When her mother takes her to her first ballet lesson, Rosie struggles with the steps and is the least graceful girl in class. Rosie becomes discouraged until one Saturday, she wakes to find a gift of red ballet slippers by her bed. She’s now able to dance beautifully. She thinks it is because of her shoes until her dance teacher tells her that she was always talented, she just needed to practice and build confidence. At some point, most little girls dream of becoming a famous ballerina and will be drawn to the book. Unfortunately, the story is uninspiring and a bit corny. The stated intended age range is 4 through 8 but the book is much too short and simplistic for most 7 and 8 year olds, though it may still appeal to younger girls. The moral about hard work paying off would likely not come through clearly for young girls. While the illustrations by Diane Goode are colourful and fun, they depict young girls en pointe performing steps that are much too advanced for their age. They are, however, typical ballet poses which is perhaps why they were used. Aspiring ballerinas would be better off reading tales of actual ballets, as Rosie does before bed, and viewing more realistic photographs of dancers. Not recommended: 1 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Trish ChatterleyTrish is a Public Services Librarian for the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library at the University of Alberta. In her free time she enjoys dancing, gardening, and reading books of all types.

Whatever After: Fairest of All by S. Mlynowski

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Trish Chatterley
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Fairy Tale ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Free Time ◽  
Female Character ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Know How ◽  
Snow White ◽  
The University

Mlynowski, Sarah. Whatever After: Fairest of All. New York: Scholastic Press, 2012. Print Ten-year-old Abby has just moved to Smithville with her parents and younger brother Jonah, and life just isn’t the same. One night, the two siblings knock on the creepy mirror in the basement and are instantly sucked into a fairytale land. They need to get home, but don’t know how to get there. They find themselves at the cottage where Snow White is living with the Seven Dwarfs, just as the evil stepmother in disguise is offering up a red apple to eat. They intervene and save Snow White from being poisoned! Initially they are pleased about this, but soon realize that they have interfered with Snow’s future and she won’t meet her Prince Charming. They decide to stay with Snow until they can set things right and ensure she lives happily ever after, enjoying many adventures along the way. This is the first story in a new series of modern fairy tale retellings (the second book will recount what happens to Cinderella when Abby shows up!). It’s an amusing and easy read with lots of action. Abby and Jonah have a pretty typical relationship, with a bossy older sister ordering around her rambunctious younger brother, and so they behave as you would expect. Abby is practical, but funny, and will always accomplish what she sets out to do. She therefore presents a strong female character with whom young girls can connect. The tale ends in such a way that the reader can be sure of more humorous exploits to come.Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Trish ChatterleyTrish is a Public Services Librarian for the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library at the University of Alberta. In her free time she enjoys dancing, gardening, and reading books of all types.

scholarly journals Mitchell's License by H. Durand

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale Storie
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
White Space ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Driver's License ◽  
The University ◽  
Over Time

Durand, Hallie. Mitchell's License. Illus. Tony Fucile. Somerville, Mass: Candlewick Press, 2011. Print. Three and a half year old Mitchell, who never wants to go to bed, receives his “remote-controlled dad driver’s license”, which allows him to drive his father around the house like a car.  This delightful picture book features plenty of visual sight gags as Mitchell puts the car into gear (by pulling on his father’s ears), checks the tires (feet), cleans the windshield (eyeglasses), and honks the horn (nose).  Although Mitchell initially drives his dad straight into a wall, over time he learns how to avoid collisions and make hairpin turns.  The book concludes with the son trying to feed his dad some gas (a cookie) before being driven off to bed. This is the first picture book by author Durand (also known for the Just Desserts books), whose husband invented the “remote-controlled dad” game for their children.  There isn’t much of a story, nor does there need to be; the pleasure in the book is the driving game and the interaction between Mitchell and his dad.  Fucile, who is well known from his career in animation, is a perfect illustrator for bringing this high-speed adventure to life, especially the overtly slapstick scenes where Dad collides into the wall or has “oil” poured into his mouth.  Many pages use a lot of white space, which when combined with Fucile’s graphic style; make the illustrations look as though they were taken directly from a sketchbook.  This effect gives the whole book a feeling of fluidity and improvisation that complements the driving game being enacted, while never coming off as blatantly cartoony. This book is highly recommended, especially for any child who loves cars and driving.  However, parents should probably expect children to demand their own driver’s licenses after reading this book! Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Dale StorieDale is Public Services Librarian at the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library at the University of Alberta. He has a BA in English, and has also worked in a public library as a children's programming coordinator, where he was involved with story times, puppet shows, and book talks. 

scholarly journals The White Ballets by R. Kupesic

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Trish Chatterley
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Gold Leaf ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Swan Lake ◽  
Simple Language ◽  
History Of ◽  
Personal Library ◽  
The University ◽  
Intended Effect

Kupesic, Rajka. The White Ballets. Toronto, ON: Tundra Books, 2011. PrintMany classical ballets choreographed in the 1800s are considered “white ballets,” since during at least one scene, the prima ballerina and the dancers in the corps de ballet are all costumed in traditional long white tutus. This work by former ballerina Rajka Kupesic retells the storylines for three of these ballets: Swan Lake, Giselle, and La Bayadère. Each story is illustrated with reproductions of four of Kupesic’s paintings. The book’s introduction explains a bit about this background and gives Kupesic’s reasons for choosing these ballets. It would have been helpful if she had mentioned other “ballets blancs” such as “Les Sylphides” so interested readers could seek information about them as well. Each story is followed by an “About the ballet” page. This page includes a brief history of the ballet’s early performances, identifies the choreographer and musical composer, and provides a commentary about each illustration and its meaning. The dust cover displays one of the images from “Swan Lake” while the image on the front cover depicts a scene from “Giselle.” The work is labeled as being for all ages and indeed there is something for everyone. The stories are told using simple language that young girls could read, while the commentaries would be appreciated by an older audience. Despite the explanations, young children may not understand the nuances of the artwork. The paintings are intended to portray the atmosphere of the performance, though younger readers may have preferred a more literal interpretation of the story. I fear the reprinting of the paintings may have led to some loss of their intended effect. I would not have noticed the application of gold leaf had it not been mentioned, and in the two page “Swan Lake” illustration, although the eye is supposed to be drawn to the image of Odette in the back window, the page fold interferes. Art is subjective, and many readers may find the illustrations breathtaking. While there are many beautiful elements to the illustrations such as the costuming and backgrounds, there are certain features that are not to my personal liking. Several dancers assume poses from the actual choreography, but in several cases the postures look awkward with overly inclined heads and weirdly proportioned and angled legs. One always thinks of ballerinas as beautiful young maidens but these dancers seem to have very prominent noses and oddly spaced eyes. The faces all seem to have the same emotionless expression, and the poses all seem quite static with little allusion to movement. Despite my comments about the illustrations, many people will appreciate the artwork. The “About” pages will be beneficial for aspiring ballerinas as they learn some dance history and something of the choreographers and composers of the major classical ballets. Because the stories themselves stay true to the ballets and can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, this work would make a nice addition to any ballet lover’s personal library. Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Trish ChatterleyTrish is a Public Services Librarian for the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library at the University of Alberta. In her free time she enjoys dancing, gardening, and reading books of all types.

Welcome and introduction

1989 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-96
Keyword(s):  
Advisory Committee ◽  
History Of Science ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Imperial College ◽  
Joint Meeting ◽  
Emeritus Professor ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Many ◽  
The University

It is my pleasant duty to welcome you all most warmly to this meeting, which is one of the many events stimulated by the advisory committee of the William and Mary Trust on Science and Technology and Medicine, under the Chairmanship of Sir Arnold Burgen, the immediate past Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society. This is a joint meeting of the Royal Society and the British Academy, whose President, Sir Randolph Quirk, will be Chairman this afternoon, and it covers Science and Civilization under William and Mary, presumably with the intention that the Society would cover Science if the Academy would cover Civilization. The meeting has been organized by Professor Rupert Hall, a Fellow of the Academy and also well known to the Society, who is now Emeritus Professor of the History of Science and Technology at Imperial College in the University of London; and Mr Norman Robinson, who retired in 1988 as Librarian to the Royal Society after 40 years service to the Society.

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