Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda Review

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Balzer + Bray, 2015. 978-0062348678

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met. – from Amazon.com

Why I picked it up: It was a selection for one of my book clubs that thought it prudent to read it before the movie hit theaters.

Why I finished it: The romance was definitely cute, but what really stuck with me was the underlying commentary about judging by appearances. Simon’s continual frustration (among other things) is regarding defaults, how we make assumptions based on a personal or societal norm and how the assumptions are not always true. To put this a little bit more in perspective, we do this as readers. We envision characters to be a certain way –  for example, white and straight – unless we are first given some sort of description or qualifier about the character. Simon and his classmates make default assumptions about each other as well, and the point Simon (and I) seems to be driving at is that we can’t judge people based on what feels comfortable to us. We should be able to embrace people for who they really are rather than what we want them to be. We can’t make assumptions based on appearances. Simon has chances to open up about his sexuality, but he’s constantly worried about how it will impact his relationships and whether or not the situation feels right. He has to play up the appearance his friends and classmates have of him, and yet, he knows that being out comes with its own problems with which he isn’t quite ready to deal. Albertalli is sending a message of cautious tolerance to her readers, something that is a big deal in today’s society. Think differently about people and be open to change, be open to being honest about yourself and your beliefs because things can get better.

Other related materials: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli; Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli; What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera; More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera; Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz; Every Day by David Levithan; Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan; Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan; Autoboyography by Christina Lauren; A Boy Worth Knowing by Jennifer Cosgrove; The Dangerous Art of Blending In  by Angelo Surmelis; Been Here All Along by Sandy Hall; Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg; Honestly Ben by Bill Konigsberg

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Feature Presentation: Love, Simon

Love, Simon starring Nick Robinson, Katherine Langford, Alexandra Shipp, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Logan Miller, Keiynan Lonsdale, Talitha Bateman, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel, Tony Hale, Natasha Rothwell, Miles Heizer, Joey Pollari, Clark Moore, and Drew Starkey

Fox 2000 Pictures/Temple Hill Entertainment, 2018. Rated PG-13

Synopsis: Simon Spier keeps a huge secret from his friends, family, and all of his classmates: he’s gay. When that secret is threatened, Simon must face everyone and come to terms with his identity. – from IMDB

As a book worm, I’m understandably skeptical when it comes to movie adaptations of novels, but I appreciated the depth of the plot and that it conveys the same main premise of the novel without diverging off in a completely different direction. I’ll refrain from waxing poetic about the differences between the book and the movie, but I will say that some of the truncated events made the story somewhat easier to follow. I liked that the movie shows how Simon and Blue’s email exchange begins and some of their earlier emails to each other, the latter of which isn’t included in the earlier editions of the book. I was a little disappointed that the talent show at the end of the book wasn’t included in the movie, but I appreciated the alternative ending since it takes you to the same climactic moment. I also had to have a little bit of a laugh at the fact that the high school musical was ‘Cabaret’ since the story deals with issues of racism and sexism and is really quite dark in contrast to Simon. I was a little confused by the addition of Mr. Worth (even though I love Tony Hale), but I suppose they needed another adult to fill out the screenplay. The cast themselves is nothing short of fun and I liked seeing the new faces of other up and coming thespians. Robinson is a delightful mix of confident and awkward as the titular Simon, and for me, perfectly conveyed the excitement of being in a new relationship and having an inner battle with who he really wants to be. The movie stand alone well on its own, so if you haven’t read the book before seeing the movie, you needn’t worry. It’s a high school drama love story about coming out that will be enjoyed by romantics and non-romantics alike.

Big Nate: What’s A Little Noogie Between Friends? Review

Big Nate: What’s a Little Noogie Between Friends? By Lincoln Peirce

Andrwes McMeel Publishing, 2017. 978-1-4494-6229-1

Synopsis: Lately it feels like Nate has been on a losing streak – literally. His soccer team loses to a team with a record of 0-60, the basketball team gets pounded by a future superstar, and his beloved Jenny is moving to Seattle. What is it going to take to make Nate feel like a winner again?

Why I picked it up: I wanted a quick read to take with me on a weekend trip.

Why I finished it:  At its heart, Big Nate is a much about friendship as it is about anything else, and in this volume of collected comics it looks like friends is what Nate needs most. Because, really, who else is going to make him feel better when it seems like the whole world is falling apart? While Teddy, Francis, and Chad don’t always share Nate’s world view, they are always there to put things in perspective – whether Nate will come around to their point is anyone’s guess. Like Nate, we have all experienced the frustration of having a losing season with our sport team or had a hard time transitioning when a friend moves away. But we can have confidence that there will still be friends and teachers there to pick us up when we are down and support us through the good and the bad and the things that we think are pretty much the end of the world but probably not really…maybe. What I liked about this collection was that it felt like it was growing up a little bit. Nate may be perpetually in middle school, but that doesn’t mean Peirce can’t grow him and the other characters as the comic goes on. The stasis is what makes the comic fun, but it is the little truths about life and growing up that help to make a connection with the reader. It’s another quick, humorous read that is guaranteed to help make the reader feel like a winner even when they are down in the dumps.

Other related materials: Big Nate: Revenge of the Cream Puffs by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate: I Can’t Take It! by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate’s Greatest Hits by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate: Welcome to My World by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate: Say Goodbye to Dork City by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate: The Crowd Goes Wild! by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate and Friends by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate: Game On! by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate Makes the Grade by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate: Great Minds Think Alike by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate Out Loud by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate: Thunka, Thunka, Thunka by Lincoln Peirce; My Weirdest School books by Dan Gutman, illustrated by Jim Paillot; Timmy Failure books by Stephan Pastis; Middle School books by James Patterson and Chris Tebbits, illustrated by Laura Park; Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney

Big Nate: Revenge of the Cream Puffs Review

Big Nate: Revenge of the Cream Puffs by Lincoln Peirce

Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2016. 978-1449462284

Synopsis: Here come the Cream Puffs!  Nate and his baseball team, saddled with the most embarrassing moniker in Little League history, want to show the world they’re not just a bunch of cupcakes. But it won’t be easy. Their opponents mock them. The local sports section misprints Nate’s name—THREE TIMES. And now, on the day of the big game, illness and injuries have the team facing a crushing defeat . . . unless the unlikeliest Cream Puff of all can come in from the bullpen and save the day. – from Amazon.com

Why I picked it up: I’m loving this comic so so much!

Why I finished it: Nate is still the man when it comes to everything – or so he would like to think. He’ll take on most any challenger in order to prove he’s the top dog. Except maybe Kim and her new cuddle bunny Chester. That’s just too much physical damage to even think about. Whether it’s kicking Gina’s butt at chess or trying to earn participation points by getting coffee for Mrs. Godfrey, Nate never fails to express his trademark charisma and charm that will keep readers endlessly entertained. We continue to identify with Nate’s struggles to get through middle school: dealing with over-exuberant teachers, trying to stay away from the bullies, trying to win the girl of your dreams back, pondering why he didn’t make the list of school hotties…. Peirce’s art is still just as lighthearted as his stories, using bright colors and thick lines to entice the reader into the book’s pages. It’s a perfect end-of-the-summer read as we start to head back to school.

Other related materials: Big Nate: What’s A Little Noogie Between Friends? By Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate: I Can’t Take It! by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate’s Greatest Hits by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate: Welcome to My World by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate: Say Goodbye to Dork City by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate: The Crowd Goes Wild! by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate and Friends by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate: Game On! by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate Makes the Grade by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate: Great Minds Think Alike by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate Out Loud by Lincoln Peirce; Big Nate: Thunka, Thunka, Thunka by Lincoln Peirce; My Weirdest School books by Dan Gutman, illustrated by Jim Paillot; Timmy Failure books by Stephan Pastis; Middle School books by James Patterson and Chris Tebbits, illustrated by Laura Park; Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney

The Hate U Give Review

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Balzer + Bray, 2017. 978-0062498533

Synopsis: Starr Carter and her childhood friend Khalil are on their way home from a party when the pair are pulled over by a police officer. The traffic stop takes a turn when Khalil is shot and Starr becomes the only witness in what rapidly escalates into a hate crime. In the aftermath of Khalil’s death, Starr must decide whether she will use her voice to speak out or to stay quiet and deny that she was even there.

Why I picked it up: It was a selection for my online book club.

Why I finished it: Given current events, this book and its subject matter hit me as a rather poignant commentary on how society treats each other. As a white girl that grew up in middle class neighborhoods, I didn’t relate to Starr, a 16-year-old black girl who lives in a neighborhood known for its crime and drug dealers. Yet, the differences in our races and backgrounds didn’t prevent me from understanding the struggle Starr is going through. Even before the shooting turns things upside down, she had to find a way to separate her home life and her school life – she lives in a questionable part of town but her parents have enrolled her and her siblings in an affluent high school whose primary population is rich white kids. Plus, her boyfriend is white, something she knows is not going to go over well with her father. The numerous cultural references to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Starr’s favorite show), Harry Potter, Friday, and a slew of (mostly) nineties rappers help ground the reader – Thomas is giving us something familiar to latch on to in order to better relate the circumstances in which Starr finds herself. I thought it was especially apropos that Thomas used Tupac lyrics to push the main theme of the story: “…The Hate U-the letter U-Give Little Infants F***s Everybody. T-H-U-G L-I-F-E. Meaning what society gives us as youth, it bites them in the [butt] when we wild out”  (Thomas, 17). Pretty mind-blowing. So, really, if we think about all the forms of hate in the world, I think that it’s definitely a combination of nature and nurture, because we learn from both our immediate family and from our neighbors and friends. It makes one think about what we ourselves are putting out into the world that could end up biting back at us later. Granted, we cannot always show the compassion and kindness that we would like, but I still feel it’s an important message in a world that seems to be turning on its head as of late. It’s a powerful story about bravery and our ability to cope with tragedies in our lives.

Other related materials: Want by Cindy Pon; Flame in the Mist by Renèe Ahdieh; The Inexplicable Logic of My LIfe by Benjamin Alire Sàenz; History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera; 27 Hours by Tristina Wright; Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson; When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon; Queens of Geek by Jen Wildle; Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert; American Street by Ibi Zoboi; Dear Martin by Nic Stone; March books by John Lewis; Monster by Walter Dean Myers; Slam! by Walter Dean Myers

Bad Machinery, Vol. 6: The Case of the Unwelcome Visitor Review

Bad Machinery, Volume 6: The Case of the Unwelcome Visitor by John Allison

Oni Press, 2016. 978-62010-351-7

Synopsis: With school out for summer holiday, Charlotte, Jack, and Linton are enjoying a long deserved rest from the rigors of academia and indulging in the delights of staying up late and getting up even later. But when a local celebrity ends up in the hospital after being found wandering around town (apparently out of his mind), the three young sleuths find that perhaps their holidays won’t be so lazy after all.

Why I picked it up: Because amazing-ness.

Why I finished it: This volume starts with a case already in progress, but due to “failed back-up procedures” the reader is only privy to the conclusion of the mystery. And I read through this entire volume not really giving much thought to the fact that Allison gave us only part of a mystery before delving into the main portion of the story…except that the end of the one story ends up being important for the other. But what really mystified me was that it wasn’t explained where Mildred and Sonny were spending their holiday until halfway through the volume when Mildred just sort of shows up at Lottie’s door. It was clear that there were members of the group that were out of town, but the only explanation given at the onset was where Shauna was spending her holiday. Or I missed something. Who knows. The reader gets to meet more of Linton’s family in this novel, and we learn where Linton may have gotten some of this appetite for solving mysteries and why he’s so desperate to find a mystery for he and Jack to work on during their summer break. It’s been interesting to see the group sectioned off a bit in the last couple of books so that we get some more in depth character development, which is one of the things I love about this series. Allison is growing his characters so that they are able to stand on their own and not just identify with being in a sextet. The ending gets a little bit MST3K, but even in its absurdity, it’s still 100% believable.

Other related materials: Bad Machinery, Volume 1: The Case of the Team Spirit by John Allison; Bad Machinery, Volume 2: The Case of the Good Boy by John Allison; Bad Machinery, Volume 3: The Case of the Simple Soul by John Allison; Bad Machinery, Volume 4: The Case of the Lonely One by John Allison; Bad Machinery, Volume 6: The Case of the Unwelcome Visitor by John Allison; Bad Machinery, Volume 7: The Case of the Forked Road by John Allison; Scott Pilgrim books by Bryan Lee O’Malley; The Adventures of Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks; The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky; Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen; Adventure Time comics by Ryan North, illustrated by Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb; Adventure Time Volume 1: Playing with Fire by Danielle Corsetto; Adventure Time: Marceline & The Scream Queens by Meredith Gran; A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle, illustrated by Hope Larson; Lumberjanes comics by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Brooke A. Allen, and Grace Ellis

Tucker Grizzwell’s Worst Week Ever Review

Tucker Grizzwell’s Worst Week Ever by Bill Schorr and Ralph Smith

Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2017. 978-1449469108

Synopsis: Tucker Grizzwell is having a bad day…times seven. The school bully is out to get him after Tucker accidentally flung a dead beetle at him across the room. He’s got detention for almost blowing up the school during chemistry class. He misses the class field trip to the Planetarium because a kid got sick ON HIM on the bus. And when he tries to confide in his friends about the Jaws and Claws weekend with his dad, they don’t really seem to get it. Plus, there’s this Jaws and Claws weekend with his dad where he’s supposed to learn the skills every grizzy needs to know, and Tucker is less than enthused about having to kill his own dinner.

Why I picked it up: I think everyone has their own worst week ever – maybe more often than not!

Why I finished it: Most readers will identify with Tucker’s family issues and middle school woes. Adult readers will get a kick out of the interactions between the parents than younger readers, but I think that is one of the things that I enjoyed about this comic/book. We’ve all had to endure the unexpected surprise of a pop quiz or running into our mom at the mall when we told her we were studying or doing something silly to impress someone you like or even dealing with the questionable content being passed off as food in the cafeteria. Readers identify with Tucker’s need to be his own bear, to forge his own path that perhaps doesn’t include raiding campsites or dumpster diving like his dad. It’s easy for us to see why Tucker and his sister Fauna are confused by the words of wisdom offered to them by their father, especially when he seems to talk in circles. What endeared me immediately to the story and the characters was that it reminded me of the comics I loved reading in the newspaper growing up. I always looked forward to Hagar the Horrible and For Better or Worse and Zits because even though I didn’t get all of the humor, I loved following the daily lives of these imaginary people that were almost sort of kind of going through the same things I was going through. It’s a comic that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, especially when we think things couldn’t possibly get worse.

Other related materials: Molly and the Bear by Bob Scott; AAAA!: A FoxTrot Kids Edition by Bill Amend; Big Nate books by Lincoln Peirce; Oh, Brother! Brat Attack! by Bob Weber, Jr. and Jay Stephens; Garfield comics by Jim Davis; Snoopy: Contact! (A Peanuts Collection) by Charles M. Schulz; Woodstock: Master of Disguise: A Peanuts Collection by Charles M. Schulz; Charlie Brown and Friends: A Peanuts Collection by Charles M. Schulz; Beginning Pearls: A Pearls Before Swine Collection by Stephan T. Pastis; The Croc Ate My Homework: A Pearls Before Swine Collection by Stephan T. Pastis; Skip School, Fly to Space: A Pearls Before Swine Collection by Stephan T. Pastis; When Crocs Fly: A Pearls Before Swine Collection by Stephan T. Pastis; The Mutts Diaries by Patrick McDonnell; The Mutts Winter Diaries by Patrick McDonnell