The Fairview Review

Saturday, July 2, 2022

Summer Reading 2022 The Perfect Rock and The Secret Life of the Sea Otter

Full of vibrant colors and adorable little otters, this picture book captures the watery world of sea otters and their habitat. Readers will see three young otters swimming, sliding, munching on shellfish, and searching for the perfect rock. As their parents explain, every otter needs a rock of their own to break open the shells and reach the food they enjoy. But when the perfect rock is found, there is only one and they don't want to share.

Author Sarah Noble adds a little ocean flair to some common phrases, helping to establish the setting and offering some humor for adults who are helping young readers with the book. For instance, the story begins with, "Every otter worth their sea salt knows the perfect rock is hard to find." And when the youngsters look for their own rocks, "They search high tide and low tide."

As illustrator, Noble also has some fun with the way the text and images work together. When the narrative mentions that they "venture through forests," it is actually kelp forests that they swim through rather than walkig through forests of trees. When they "glide through skies," they actually swim through reflections of clouds on the surface of the water. And when they "spy a funny-looking fish," readers will see it is a scuba diver who watches the otters swim by.

The colors capture beautiful blue waters; starfish, seaweed, and sea urchins appear in splashes of pinks and blues; and darker shades show the cool gray rocks, outlines of fish slipping past, and that curious scuba diver's wetsuit. Throughout the book, the warm, brown otters keep the attention of readers with their antics.

This book is due out August 2 and would be wonderful to pair with a nonfiction text like The Secret Life of the Sea Otter by Laurence Pringle.

Laurence Pringle has a series of books exploring the lives of various aniamls such as the sloth, the skunk, the little brown bat. The latest explores the habitat and habits of the sea otter, Enhydra lutris. Informative text combines with detailed illustrations to bring to life the young otter as she searches for food, hides from sharks, and cares for her pup. Readers will see the strong back legs and webbed feet, the whiskers that help locate food in the dark water, and how the otters cling to each other for safety during storms. Pringle strikes the perfect balance between providing scientific facts and making the otter an appealing character for readers to engage with.

Back matter includes two pages of more information about sea otter, a glossary, and a list of more books for the curious to read. An excellent addition to school library collections, helpful for those looking at the various types of wildlife in different ecosystems.

Friday, July 1, 2022

Summer Reading 2022 Drunk on All Your Strange New Words

I heard about this book in a webinar on mysteries and thrillers and the description really caught my attention. It is a locked room mystery. There are aliens (the Logi) in a near-future setting. Earth is a planet dealing with sea barriers around many coastal cities due to rising tides from global warming, a lack of jobs in many areas, and a desire to make the alliance with the Logi work out. But there are also those who protest the alien presence on Earth, even if there are a relatively small number of cultural attaches and their presence creates jobs.

Lydia is one of those fortunate enough to land a job as a translator. The Logi don't have an oral language and their translators must turn the Logi's thoughts into English, or vice versa. The process makes the human translator feel drunk - which adds some of the complications to the mystery. When Lydia's assigned Logi, Fitzwilliam, is murdered, she is asleep in her room trying to recover from a marathon evening of translating a Broadway play and then a reception afterward. The security system at the residence shows that no one came in or out - but she knows she didn't do it.

She tries to deal with the police, the personnel from the Logi embassy, the social media explosion either praising her for getting rid of one of the aliens or condemning her for betraying her client, and the fact that she is now out of the only job she was qualified for. In the midst of all this, Lydia receives communications offering to help her solve the case and clear her name. Can she trust this contact? And can she manage to find the truth when the entire police department of New York can't?

The increasing dependence on social media is one of the pieces that creates the setting. It is easy to imagine the world continuing to depend on posts by random influencers and commenters and for the average citizen to dial down the "Truthiness Rating" to let more stories through the filters, even though it makes it all highly unreliable. And the idea that someone in the background is trying to manipulate events by skewing those results is also very believable.

If you enjoy Sci-Fi with aliens who are interested in Earth culture, mysteries that seem impossible to unravel, and dealing with a possibly unreliable narrator (feels drunk from the translation process, remember), then you should pick up this title. Publication date was June 28.

Summer Reading 2022 Upgrade

With all the controversy around genetic manipulation, this book should have no problem finding a home with readers who enjoy thrillers of a medical or scientific nature. There are already consumers worried over eating foods that have been modified, debates over how far medical care should go in treating genetic diseases, and this summer we even have "Jurassic World: Dominion" showing the dangers of messing with Mother Nature (in a big way).

Author Blake Crouch has taken a what-if scenario and run with it. What if a geneticist found a way to protect crops, but something went horribly wrong? What if a worldwide food shortage was the result of those good intentions? What if countries were so scared that they created a policing agency to track down genetic labs and experts and keep them under control? And what if your mother was the scientist who started the whole avalanche of disasters and changes?

Logan Ramsay is that son with a dark family legacy he is trying to overcome. When he is exposed to an unknown contminant, everyone is worried about the consequences. And they should be - he begins to experience changes that can only mean his genetic code has been manipulated. But by whom? And why? And once the enhancements kick in, he sees that he may be the only one to save humanity from all its past mistakes.

There are a lot of scientific terms and concepts woven into the narrative, so readers should be prepared to encounter chemistry, biology, and other fields related to genetics. But the story does not take place isolated in a lab/clean room. Plenty of fights, stealthy manuevers, and trying to work out whom to trust are also a large part of the plot. And, as Logan changes, he does some soul-searching about his past, his colleagues, and what is the best way to protect his family and the human race in general.

If you enjoy your action and suspense mixed in with science, global effects, and personal sacrifice - then pick up a copy of Upgrade.

Sunday, June 26, 2022

The Sun Plays with the Moon Virtual Book Tour

GIVEAWAY

Enter for the chance to win a tote, a book bag, a book-marker, and a signed hardcover copy of The Sun Plays with the Moon. The bags are handmade in the USA.

One (1) grand prize winner receives:

- A tote (Handmade in USA)

- A book bag (Handmade in USA)

- A book-marker

-A signed hardcover copy of The Sun Plays with the Moon

Four (4) winners receive:

- A signed hardcover copy of The Sun Plays with the Moon

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Sun Plays with the Moon

Written by Alicia Mofford

Illustrated by Annie Wilkinson

Ages 3-10 | 24 Pages

Publisher: Green Emerald Publishing | ISBN-13: 9798985036619

The Sun and the Moon are best friends playing a never-ending game of tag in the sky. Many fascinating changes occur on Earth as they catch each other, hug each other, and give each other high-fives. What are those fascinating changes? Their playfulness creates eclipses, ocean tides, sunlight, and moonbeams that benefit us all.

“Award-winning finalist in the poetry-narrative category.”

The International Book Awards

MY REVIEW

Rhyming text shares facts about the sun and the moon in a kid-friendly approach. For instance, they are said to “play tag in the sky” and the illustration shows them grinning at each other from opposite sides of the world. Another spread shows the same town square by day and by night to contrast the differences. Partial eclipses are explained as the two giving each other “a high-five,” while total eclipses are caused when “they hug one another.” Tides, day and night, and the repetition that happens each morning and evening are all covered in this simple introduction. Images include children making sandcastles on the beach, eclipse viewers (with their safety glasses) gathered in the park, and sunflowers smiling by day and resting at night. Parents looking for a book to answer questions from curious youngsters about changes in the day and night sky may find this an easy introduction to the study of astronomy. The colorful illustrations and rhymes are a good fit for the preschool and early elementary crowd. Teachers in those grade levels may also wish to use it with units on the sky, space, or day and night.

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

Bookshop

Barnes and Noble

Author's Website for Signed Copies

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alicia Mofford is an international award-winning finalist author and native to the tropical island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Today, she calls Chicago her home. When she isn’t writing, Alicia is likely spending time with her family or playing with her dogs. Alicia works in the software industry and follows her muse after work. Whenever inspiration strikes, she is ready! The Sun Plays with the Moon was written in one day. It is safe to say that Alicia follows the mystery of her muse!

You can find her at https://aliciamofford.com/.

TOUR SCHEDULE

Monday, June 20, 2022

The Children’s Book Review