Seraphina by R. Hartman

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kymberly Sobchyshyn

Hartman, Rachel. Seraphina. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2012. Print.Rachel Hartman’s debut novel, Seraphina, is a fantastical journey into a world where humans and shape shifting dragons live among each other. The novel follows Seraphina, a strong and intelligent female character with a talent for music, as she is caught between two races. Hartman has masterfully created a new religion, culture, language, political system, and multiple species in order to fully immerse the reader in Seraphina’s world.Hartman’s dragons, a unique breed of cold, unemotional mathematicians, are mostly intrigued and confused by what they consider to be overly emotional and artistic humans. The strong differences between the two races are cause for tension, but Seraphina has a mysterious gift of being able to understand how dragons think and why they react to humans in such curious and sometimes dangerous ways.Seraphina is a story of political unrest and adventure, with a little romance added in for good measure. Not only is the book a quick and entertaining read, but the glossary is not to be missed. That’s right, the glossary! Hartman created much of the foreign vocabulary in the novel, and the glossary is the place where her sense of humour and criticism of the world she has created really shine through. Some of the more challenging vocabulary in the novel is defined in the glossary so readers who might feel discouraged by the language should know that the author has invented most of these words. For a good laugh and some added detail about Seraphina’s world, the glossary is a great way to finish. Seraphina is the first in what Hartman has planned to be a series.Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Kymberly SobchyshynKymberly is currently in her second year of schooling to obtain a Master’s in Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta. In her free time she enjoys traveling, ancient history, and reading of the fiction and non-fiction variety.

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Ferguson

Neri, Gregory. When Paul Met Artie: The Story of Simon and Garfunkel. Illustrated by David Litchfield, Candlewick Press, 2018. The legacy of folk-rock duo Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel lives on in When Paul Met Artie: The Story of Simon and Garfunkel, a non-fiction illustrated story/biography. It details the friendship and success shared by two boys from a Jewish neighbourhood in Queens through their passion for music. Opposites in height, confidence, and interests, Paul and Artie are drawn together by each other’s humour, talent, and shared dream of hearing their songs on the radio. This beautiful story celebrates the ups and downs the boys experience through the decades as they draw inspiration from rock legends like Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry, rockabilly pioneers like Gene Vincent and Jerry Lee Lewis, and folk activists like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. Written in free-form prose, each spread of this book features one large illustration, each titled with a Simon and Garfunkel song name. David Litchfield’s illustrations are almost animated in nature—they are imaginative, complex, and emotionally evocative in their use of perspective, shadow, and colour to convey a mood. Neri’s words are just as artistic, using adjectives such as “cascading,” “rapturous,” “blistering,” and “crooning” to describe the music experienced and created by Paul and Artie. The prose is rich and descriptive, though perhaps better suited to grade five and older due to the advanced vocabulary and the occasionally mature content. This story is one that can be shared between adults who grew up alongside Paul and Artie and children who have yet to hear this timeless story about two Jewish boys rising to stardom.  Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Emma Ferguson Emma Ferguson is a second-year Master of Library and Information Studies student at the University of Alberta. She is an avid reader when she is not working on school work, and her greatest joys in life include colourful yarn for knitting and weaving, kitschy mugs (preferably full of coffee), and melancholy folk songs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cori Sanderson

Bonita, P., & B. Silverman. Zen Studio Meditation for Kids. Edoki Academy, 2016. Vers 1.15. Apple App Store, https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zen-studio-meditation-for-kids/id1051358262?mt=8  Suggested age range: 4+ Cost: Free with in app purchases (complete version $3.99 USD) Edoki Academy has effectively created an app that allows children to appreciate music and art as relaxation aids. Their Zen Studio Meditation for Kids is a painting app that allows children to virtually finger paint by filling in a grid of triangles with colours as music notes simultaneously play. The free version of the app offers two blank canvases and two canvases with tutorials that they can follow. The app is designed well and is intuitive enough that is does not need the clutter of menus or instructional detours. The only instances where guidance is visible are when new spaces on the grid are exposed to guide users to the next colour, or when the congratulatory confetti explodes on the screen to signify that a tutorial is completed. It is important to note that once a tutorial is completed the music continues to play and children can continue painting over the triangles as they please without the pressure to move on to a new tutorial. There is no feedback or time limit given for the tutorials because the point is to relax and enjoy the process. What makes the app unique is the layering of music that happens when the background meditation music blends with the notes that play each time a triangle is filled in with colour. This allows children to relax to the background music and be encouraged to create their own melodies as they are painting. The graphic design elements are simple and clean and there are no words that prompt you to select a canvas or a tutorial. Instead of words, the app uses animation and magnification to show that a selection has been made. It is very clear when a choice has been made because it appears in colour and the universal “play” triangle symbol appears, leading the user to click there to begin the painting.  A handbook for parents and teachers is also included in the app. This additional document provides information on mindfulness and the intentions behind Edoki Academy’s Zen Studio Meditation for Kids. It also offers some learning exercises and questions that parents or teachers can supplement with the app. This app is recommended for creative children who enjoy music and painting, or those who would benefit from learning new ways to reduce stress or anxiety and practice mindfulness. Screenshot of the homepage showing the two blank canvases and two tutorial canvases.   An example of a tutorial of a firetruck almost at completion. Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Cori Sanderson Cori is in her second year of the Master of Library and Information Studies program at the University of Alberta. In her spare time, she listens to podcasts and volunteers at her local campus radio station where she participates in a monthly library-centric radio show.  


2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tami Oliphant

Nielsen, Susin. The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen. Toronto: Tundra Books, 2012. Print. Susin Nielsen is the acclaimed author of Word Nerd and Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mother. She has won several writing awards and has consistently created compelling, charismatic, and fully drawn characters. In her new novel, The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, Nielsen explores dark and uncomfortable themes such as mental illness, bullying, violence, tolerating differences, and the quiet desperation felt by those who must refashion their lives after a tragedy. For readers concerned that the novel will break their heart, it does. And then it fills that broken heart with joy. Through his affecting journal entries, readers come to know 13-year-old Henry K. Larsen. His therapist recommends that he write about his thoughts and feelings in the aftermath of “IT”—hence the ‘reluctant’ diary. However, Henry’s diary entries are laugh out loud funny on one page and provoke tears on the next. Henry has an extraordinary voice that is unlike any other narrator. He is angry, confused, saddened, shamed, and lost after “IT” happened. He has moved with his father to Vancouver to try to piece together a new life but in reality, his family barely manages to make it through the day. Henry is leery of other people, pushes them away, and he cannot find a place for himself or make sense of his emotions after “IT.” The last thing that Henry anticipates is that he will open up to anyone about “IT”—not to his wonderful new friends Farley and Alberta, to his therapist, or to his two new neighbours. However, incidents at school and at home force Henry to talk about Jesse and the “IT” that changed everyone’s lives forever. The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen is a quick and deeply satisfying read. This book is required reading. Despite the darker themes, the emotional payoff is not only gratifying, but inspiring. Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Tami OliphantTami Oliphant works as a research librarian at the University of Alberta Libraries and for the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta. She earned her Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of Alberta and her doctorate from the University of Western Ontario. She has worked in academic libraries, public libraries, communications and planning, and as a sessional lecturer and researcher at the University of Alberta and the University of Western Ontario.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tami Oliphant

Reinhardt, Dana. The Summer I Learned to Fly. New York: Ember, 2012. Print. The enthusiastic endorsement from Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, on the cover of The Summer I Learned to Fly was persuasive. I picked up this coming-of-age novel with high expectations and it did not disappoint. Reinhardt’s heroine, Drew Robin Solo, aka Birdie, doesn’t have many friends and spends most of her time hanging around her mother’s cheese shop. It is 1986, the summer before Birdie begins grade eight. One night after closing the cheese shop, Drew meets a mysterious young man named Emmett Crane who eats the day-old bread and leftover cheese that Drew puts in the garbage. Drew learns the true meaning of friendship as she finds out who Emmett is, why he is there, and the sacrifices she is willing to make on his behalf. Over the course of the summer, Drew’s friendship with Emmett and his eclectic group of friends develops and when tragedy strikes, Drew must also cope with changing relationships with her Mom and her co-worker and surfer dude, Nick. Reinhardt’s characters, both teen and adult, are flawed, fully drawn, and gloriously human. Drew’s emotional progression throughout the novel is encapsulated in a quiet and profound way: “I didn’t want to be the sort of friend who dashes dreams. Friends, I was pretty sure, lift their friends up; they don’t weigh them down like a sack full of stones.” The Summer I Learned to Fly is a heart-warming and worthy reminder of the choice we all have: to weigh each other down, or to lift each other up. It is highly recommended for a broad audience, but for young girls this book will particularly resonate. Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Tami Oliphant Tami Oliphant is an assistant professor at the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta.


2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Sivak

Goobie, Beth. Born Ugly. Markham, ON: Red Deer Press, 2011. Print. Beth Goobie writes unflinching books. Even so, Born Ugly may be the toughest of hers I’ve read yet. Narrated by Shir Rutz, a 15-year-old girl without friends or caring family, this novel is both a realistic portrayal of high school bullying and a thriller that plays with perceptions of “goodness” in people. Goobie spends most of the novel focusing on the story of Shir’s problems, however, ultimately to the detriment of the thriller plot, which subsequently blocked me from a full immersion into the latter section of the book. Goobie is at her best when she is staring directly into the tough situations in which Shir finds herself, primarily through her status as the ugliest girl at her school. Shir is relentlessly targeted every day by a group of popular boys who offer her quarters in exchange for kisses, with the punch line that it is worth paying to kiss someone as ugly as her. She is known around the school as “dog face,” and is forced to eat a sandwich of dog feces. Her home life is little better. Her mother clearly prefers her younger sister, who is prettier and better-behaved. Shir’s father has long since vanished, and Mrs. Rutz only mentions him when she is putting her daughter down, saying that Shir is an ugly drunk, just like her dad. Shir’s sister often knows about the pranks planned for Shir, and stands and watches from the sidelines without offering any help or comfort. While Shir drinks heavily to erase the pain of her days from her mind, she has two small lights of hope: her part time job for Mr. Anderson delivering groceries, as well as an unexpected friendship with a boy she meets at her favourite hiding place under a town bridge. However, the job is not all it seems; Mr. Anderson has started to ask her to deliver packages to people and places that seem shady, and acts nervous if she asks too many questions. About the last third of the book follows the mystery to its revelation and climax. Goobie’s descriptions of the dull inevitability of a bullied teenager’s life are extremely well-written, and painfully realistic. Shir is highly believable in her voice and actions, which gave me a real sense of the slow, awful path it can be through high school. It is also a relief to read the scenes between Shir and one of her delivery clients, an elderly woman who meets her with great kindness, and provides moving descriptions of how someone can respond to even the smallest bit of warmth. The slow pace of Shir’s daily life is the strongest story here, as compared to the mystery, which makes sense but is told far too quickly, and is wrapped up too neatly to seem authentic. Nonetheless, this is a book in which I think many teenagers will find some echo of their lives. Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Allison SivakAllison Sivak is the Assessment Librarian at the University of Alberta Libraries. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Library and Information Studies and Elementary Education, focusing on how the aesthetics of information design influence young people’s trust in the credibility of information content.


2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Sivak

Shaw, Liane. Fostergirls. Toronto: Second Story Press, 2011. Print. The first-person narrator of this novel, Sadie, tells the story of her placement in a group home for girls with few options left open to them. She has lived with several foster parents over the years, and knows nothing about her birth family, other than that she has a brother, and they were both abandoned by their mother. Now Sadie is 15, and due to problems with her latest “pseudofamily,” as she calls them, has been moved to a small town, living in a group home with two workers and five other girls. Sadie is cynical about the move, and cynical that the move will bring any positive changes to her life; she is biding time until her next birthday, when she can apply for emancipation. Sadie's voice reads as authentically adolescent in tone and language, with the exception of the lack of actual swearing, which I find always renders teenage characters as unrealistic.  There is a density to the writing as well, in which Sadie’s thoughts are immediately followed by her explanation of those thoughts. This serves to tell too much about Sadie’s feelings, rather than allowing space for readers to interpret Sadie’s reactions on their own. In this way, the novel at times can read didactically, directing readers towards understanding; it would have benefited from more space for the writing and the characters to emerge without being pushed by the text. Novels about marginalized characters require a more delicate touch, in order to avoid presenting as heavy-handed. Overall, the novel is an honest effort to shine a light on some of the difficulties and stigma that foster kids face, which will likely be interesting for readers who have not had these experiences, and may very well appeal to those who have. Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Allison SivakAllison is the Assessment Librarian at the University of Alberta Libraries. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Library and Information Studies and Elementary Education, focusing on how the aesthetics of information design influence young people’s trust in the credibility of information content. 


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Sivak

Seixas, Ana. Tinybop. Me: A Kid’s Diary. 2016. Apple App Store, https://itunes.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1126531257?mt=8.  Ages 3-7 (depending on parent assistance)Cost: $2.99 This app allows young children to create a digital diary filled with their own writings, photos, audio recordings, and drawings. The child creates an avatar from a varied array of options for skin colour, hair colour and style, facial features, and accessories. The app then encourages the child to respond to prompts, such as, “A song about me would be titled…,” “This is an interesting fact about my family,” and, “If I were an animal, I would look like this.” Some questions require a textual response, while others ask the child to draw, record, or take a snapshot of their response to the prompt, thereby taking advantage of the affordances offered by a tablet or phone. Other activities include the option to create a family tree, to create avatars of the child’s friends, and to answer all kinds of questions about the people in the child’s life. A child can draw, record, and photograph daily activities, such as their life at school. Children can use the app to explore their own ideas, experiences, and feelings through both serious and silly questions. A Kid’s Diary takes a simple process and makes it even more accessible to quite young children. Ana Seixas’ illustrations use eye-popping colours, with good use of contrast and negative space to make clicking easy. The language of the questions is simple and displayed in a large font. Younger children should be able to use this app with the help of caregivers reading the text for the children’s answers. Caregivers should know that the company foregrounds their privacy policy on the developer site, noting that the app does not collect information about the users through the application itself. It is highly recommended as a fun way for children and their caregivers to learn more about themselves and the world they observe around them. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Allison Sivak Allison Sivak is the Public Services Librarian at the University of Alberta Libraries. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Library and Information Studies and Elementary Education, focusing on how the aesthetics of information design influence young people’s trust in the credibility of information content.


2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tami Oliphant

Alter, Anna. A Photo for Greta. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2011.  Print. A Photo for Greta is a warm and appealing paean to paternal love. Alter’s personal memories of her father, a professional photographer, appear to be the source of inspiration for Greta’s story. Greta is a bunny whose father “travels all around the world taking pictures of very important people” which means he is away much of the time or he comes home from work after Greta has gone to bed. While her father is working, Greta often dresses up like the characters her father is photographing such as a ballet dancer or a circus performer. When her father decides to turn his lens on Greta, “It was the best day she could remember.” Two important themes are raised in the book:  how do kids cope when someone they love is away and they miss them? And, what makes parents, and particularly Dads, special? A list of activities found at the end of the book such as making a photo album of loved ones or interviewing parents about their lives can help children address these questions. Alter is both writer and illustrator. The soft-coloured and tender paintings are exquisite. Interspersed throughout the book are smaller illustrations and vignettes as well as arresting two-page spreads. Many of the illustrations are gently humorous such as the painting of Greta in full cowgirl regalia plucking a guitar and singing her solitary country song while her father is away photographing a country music band. The book is meant to be savoured and is aimed at readers between the ages of 4 to 7. The reassuring narrative, the exploration of a father and daughter relationship, and the sumptuous illustrations make A Photo for Greta a recommended purchase. Highly recommended: 4 of out 4 stars Reviewer: Tami OliphantTami works as a research librarian at the University of Alberta Libraries and for the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta. She earned her Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of Alberta and her doctorate from the University of Western Ontario. She has worked in academic libraries, public libraries, communications and planning, and as a sessional lecturer and researcher at the University of Alberta and the University of Western Ontario.


2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tami Oliphant

Shapiro, Sheryl, and Simon Shapiro. Better Together. Illus. Dušan Petričić. Toronto: Annick Press, 2011. Print. This concept book is infused with a cheerful, slightly mischievous spirit as the authors and illustrator explore a wide variety of, and a broad notion of, mixes. Kids might be familiar with many of the mixes—mixing cinnamon and sugar to spread on toast, mixing water and dirt to create mud, mixing blue and yellow to make green or mixing water and flour to create glue. Other mixes are more abstract—mixing up each team member’s different skills to make a great soccer team or mixing up musical instruments to make raucous music. Each mix is explained by a playful, rhyming poem that is easy-to-read and delightful to read aloud. The writers themselves decided to mix things up—the book is this husband-and-wife’s first collaborative effort and their obvious pleasure in wordplay is apparent. For example, the first poem, which explains what mixes are, contains the line “You stir and squoosh them, squish and moosh them” to create a brand new thing. The lively text is supported by the equally zippy illustrations. The first illustration is a highlight as Petričić shows how mixing the separate ingredients of ideas, paper, and drawings can produce a wonderful new thing: a picture book. The mix of vivid illustrations and energetic text has created a fun book that both kids and parents will enjoy. The book is recommended for children ages 4-7. Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Tami Oliphant Tami works as a research librarian at the University of Alberta Libraries and for the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta. She earned her Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of Alberta and her doctorate from the University of Western Ontario. She has worked in academic libraries, public libraries, communications and planning, and as a sessional lecturer and researcher at the University of Alberta and the University of Western Ontario. 


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Linville

NOVA. ‘Can This Dinosaur Glide?’ PBS.org, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/can-dinosaur-glide.html. Accessed 15 February 2017. In 2008 NOVA, the long-running science series produced by PBS, created an interactive wind tunnel test to explore the glide capabilities of the Microraptor, a small feathered dinosaur discovered in China in 2000. The premise for the test is certainly intriguing for both children and adults: site visitors are invited to take the dinosaur for ‘a spin in this virtual wind tunnel’ (NOVA, ‘Can This Dinosaur Glide?’). However, the actual interactivity is less exciting than suggested. Instead of trying to keep a Microraptor aloft in a wind tunnel, the visitor is directed to position the legs and angles of attack to try to optimise Microraptor’s glide path, and subsequently provided with feedback regarding each position’s effectiveness. While some users still may find this interesting and educational, NOVA spoils the discovery aspect of the activity by stating the optimum angle of attack before you even begin.The organisation of the activity is straightforward. There are only a few areas to explore so there is no confusion when navigating, and information appears in textboxes after selecting the appropriate command. Furthermore, the graphics are generally effective, and the colour scheme allows the site to be readable - a benefit, considering the amount of text. The Wind Tunnel Test has enough user engagement to qualify as interactive but it is very limited and rather uninspiring. Where it fails the most, however, is in the lack of enhancements. There is no video or audio, or even advanced graphics, to engage the user on multiple levels. NOVA has included a transcript from the original scientific tests on which this activity is based, but I feel it would not be very absorbing for children to read.   The premise of the activity is intriguing, and some older children might be interested enough in dinosaurs and physics to see past the basicness of the activity to the fascinating scientific discoveries it represents. I feel that younger children, however, will be bored and lose interest by its reliance on text, rather than action.Recommended with reservations: 2 out of 4 starsReviewer: Elizabeth Linville Elizabeth is a graduate student in the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta. When she was a child, she thought dinosaurs were terrifying until it was discovered they had feathers.


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