Book Review: Wild and Distant Seas by Tara Karr Roberts

Wild and Distant Seas
by Tara Karr Roberts (Roberts)

Call her Evangeline. Evangeline Hussey. In the mid 1800’s, a young woman on her own, Evangeline has come to Nantucket to find her fortune and start a new life. She marries an innkeeper, but when he disappears at sea, she is on her own again. Knowing that as a single woman, she would be ousted from the Try Pots Inn, she resorts to using her unique ability to cloud people’s memories to make the townsfolk believe her husband would be home soon.

 

Her inn becomes a gathering place for men who are headed to sea, including the young Ishmael and his companion Queequeg, who you might remember from their adventures in another book where they were chasing a certain whale…This story runs parallel to that one and the plots occasionally crisscross.

 

Evangeline’s descendants have their own quest, their own “white whale” that they are pursuing, and the women in her family each has a similar but different ability that they use in their pursuit of answers. I enjoyed this touch of magic surrealism, it felt authentic and possible.

 

Wild and Distant Seas is an interesting and pleasant read. There’s strife and troubles, no doubt, but they are handled in, I can’t help but say, in a way similar to books I really enjoyed when I was young, such as A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. There’s bad things that happen, but magical good things as well and you know everything is going to turn out well in the end. Sometimes, that’s exactly the kind of read you are looking for.

 

It’s a classic tale with women at the helm. And the cover is beautiful.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try A Clash of Steel by C.B. Lee, The Unbinding of Mary Reade by Miriam McNamara, or The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh.)

 

( official Tara Karr Roberts web site )

 

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

Book Review: A Grandmother Begins the Story by Michelle Porter

A Grandmother Begins the Story
by Michelle Porter (Porter)

Award winning Metis author Michelle Porter brings to life a brilliant ensemble of storytellers, which includes five generations of women, some buffalo, the earth itself, and a couple of yappy dogs. It starts in the middle, as all great stories do; telling of the past and future, rambling through the spirit world, the dance hall, and the grasslands. I found the way the stories were told, separately, but interlaced, distinct points of view describing shared histories, captivating. In the mixed up world of living, it makes sense to me. Mostly a telling of relationships between sisters and mothers and daughters, but you can’t have those without a few menfolk thrown in. Definitely one I I’d like to read again. (If only to decide if that one chapter was really necessary.)

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power, Two Old Women by Velma Wallis, The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson, or Probably Ruby by Lisa Bird-Wilson.)

 

( Wikipedia page for Michelle Porter )

 

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: The Princess Dolls by Ellen Schwartz

The Princess Dolls
by Ellen Schwartz (j Schwartz)

Esther and Michiko are best friends. They do everything together including pretending they’re Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. When the local toy shop displays doll versions of the British Princesses, of course Esther and Michiko dream of having them. Set in the early 1940’s in Canada, in an atmosphere which is increasingly hostile towards the Japanese community, the two young girls try to negotiate their friendship in the face of good fortune for one, and bad fortune for the other.

 

The illustrations are sweet and the Canadian vantage point adds interesting details to the story. It is both a good read for those interested in the history of the early forties and the treatment of Japanese in North America, but also it feels like an authentic representation of the interactions of little girls.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Write to Me by Cynthia Grady, Dust of Eden by Mariko Nakai, or They Called Us Enemy by George Takei.)

 

( official The Princess Dolls page on the official Ellen Schwartz web site )

 

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Music Book Review: Dolly Parton - Behind the Seams - My Life in Rhinestones by Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton: Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones
by Dolly Parton (Music 781.642 Parton)

I’m pretty sure Dolly doesn’t need my help with marketing, but I want to tell you about her amazing new book, Dolly Parton: Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, and give you a heads up that we have it available at Lincoln City Libraries.

 

Dolly is one of the best storytellers around, and in this book she tells the story(s) of how she came to develop her signature style, and the many people who helped her along the way. That’s the thing I love most about Dolly; she shares the credit. She names names of all the stylists, seamstresses, makeup artists and aunts, uncles and cousins who helped her along the way. She makes you feel like being a fan, you too have a big role in her success.

 

If you like the history of clothing, if you like independent women and success stories, you’re gonna love this.

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try How to Read a Dress: A Guide to Changing Fashion From the 16th to the 20th Century by Lydia Edwards (a.k.a. Lydia Jenny), Dolly Parton: Songteller, My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton, I’ve Had to Think Up a Way to Survive: On Trauma, Persistence, and Dolly Parton by Lynn Melnick, She Come By it Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs by Sarah Smarsh or The Faith of Dolly Parton: Lessons From her Life to Lift Your Heart by Dudley J. Delffs.)

 

( publisher’s official Dolly Parton: Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones web page ) | ( official Dolly Parton web site )

 

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Check out this, and all the other great music resources, at the Polley Music Library, located on the 2nd floor of the Bennett Martin Public Library at 14th & "N" St. in downtown Lincoln. You'll find biographies of musicians, books about music history, instructional books, sheet music, CDs, music-related magazines, and much more. Also check out Polley Music Library Picks, the Polley Music Library's e-mail newsletter, and follow them on Facebook!

DVD Review: Barbie the Movie

Barbie the Movie
(DVD Barbie)

I imagine you’ve heard that there’s a new movie about Barbie?

 

First, to clarify, this is not one more installment of the animated Barbie remakes of fairy tales. Back in the day when I was babysitting my niece, we would watch Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses nearly every day and I can assure you she loved it, and for me, it was a good nap. Too much sugar!

 

Barbie the Movie does have its fair share of sugar, but it also contains enough spice to make it enjoyable, especially to the over 12 crowd.

 

Imagine a world in which Barbie isn’t just a fashion queen, but instead, stands in for all of the things a female person could be.

 

This “Stereotypical Barbie” believes that Barbies have been teaching young women that they can be anything that they want to be. Doctors, gymnasts, teachers, vets, scientists, space explorers (“Yay, Space!”) — a girl just needs to choose her own path. She can have a job, a house, a car, and even a Ken, if she wants one.

Although I know many people loved the moment when America Ferraro gives a speech about how hard it is to be a woman in today’s world, my favorite moment was after the young Bratz girls knock Barbie down for being a role model for unattainable body shape. Barbie, in tears, says, “She thinks I’m a fascist?  I don’t control the railways or the flow of commerce.” “Stereotypical Barbie” isn’t the blonde ditz that these young women have assumed, even if she is naive in her belief that girls have been empowered by her existence.

 

I highly recommend taking this journey with Barbie. You’ll have amazing side trips like seeing Will Ferrell and his posse of corporate execs chasing Barbie on rollerblades, a mystical moment where Barbie gets to have tea with her creator, poor Ken’s whole story arc, and just enough “stiff like a plastic doll” moments to tickle your funny bone. And yeah, plenty of mother-daughter moments to play on the heartstrings of what I think is the movie’s target audience: Women from ages 35-70. (We can’t help it if we carry some latent Mickey Mouse Club feelings for Ryan Gosling.)

 

Unlike Sandy from Grease, Barbie is not going to re-invent herself to fit Ken’s ideal. Ken (Ryan Gosling) and Ken (Simu Liu) are just going to have to do their Danny Zuko dance battle by themselves. Grease isn’t the only movie that’s referenced. There’s a slough of “Easter Eggs” to spot, and, if you delve online, you can find lists of the movies Greta Gerwig (the director) took as inspiration, including The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Red Shoes, The Truman Show, and Splash. You will see nods to Grease, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Wizard of Oz, Singin’ in the Rain, Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus, The Matrix, Swann’s Way, Midnight Cowboy, Playtime, and many more.

 

Maybe Barbie’s mere existence doesn’t solve all women’s problems, but this movie may surprise you with the substance beneath its many layers of fluff. As the song playing as Barbie leaves Barbieland goes: “There’s more than one answer to these questions / pointing me in a crooked line / and the less I seek my source for some definitive / closer I am to fine.” For me, the major theme of the movie is how there aren’t any straightforward answers in life. Reflecting on Barbie’s journey can be as deep or as fluffy as you want it to be. Follow that Pink Brick Road to your own interpretation!

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Red Shoes or Amelie for their similar technicolor esthetic, or any of the referenced movies, like Splash or The Truman Show.)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film ) | ( official Barbie the Movie web site )

 

See Scott C.’s review of the Barbie the Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack in the September 2023 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!

 

(Carrie actually gives this a “9.9” but our graphics limit us to giving it a “10” rating)

 

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you watched this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power

A Council of Dolls
by Mona Susan Power (Power)

Sissie, Lillian, Cora…three generations of Native American girls…facing the trauma and fallout from Indian schools.

 

Ethel, Mae, Winona…three very special dolls…who give council and consolation as best they can.

 

This book is fiction, but the boarding school experiences described within were reality, as is the fallout that has affected generations of Native Americans. Some of the events are hard to read about, including: the loneliness of being separated from family (being isolated from family members and even those who spoke your language as soon as you boarded the train — having your personal items stolen and destroyed); the tragedy of having as guardians people who despised your culture (cutting your hair, being punished for any instance of using your language); the deprivation of being separated from the familiar (being fed gruel instead of nourishing familiar food); and the denial of your worth as a human (constantly being put down as savage). These hardships were balanced by moments of joy in friendships, love in family bonds, pride in education, and the triumph of finding and remaining true to soul mates.

 

A Council of Dolls serves as a witness to many strains of thought about growing up Indian in the United States. It is based on the stories of the author’s family and relatives, as well as her research. Generational trauma is addressed, but there’s also hope for the future. It’s a novel about “persistence and Love.” and how healing the generational wounds mends not only the future but also the past.

 

The concept of time going forward and back can be a bit confusing. The first tale is about Sissie who grew up in the 60s, then we go back to Lillian who came of age in the 30s, and then finally Cora from the 1900s. It’s like the wooden puzzle that Cora’s father carved for her: the smallest inner button was the beloved daughter, held in a band that represented her parents. Another circle represented their close relations. Another circle stood for their bands, the next the nation complete and the final circle represent the world and all of its beings. Cora’s father used it to show how the circle can never be complete without Cora, but Cora liked to take the smallest piece, her “lonesome self” and surround herself, layer by layer with protection. Time is not exactly linear in the world of dolls and young girls. There’s a web of connections between the generations, while the spirits come to guide them and at the same time, enlist their help. Love is a thread with no beginning or end, and we, as the dolls, owe our existence to Love.

 

“Love Love Love Love Love,” as the council would say.

 

Mona Susan Power, is the award-winning author of four books of fiction, and is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.

 

(If you enjoy this, you might also enjoy The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson, Five Little Indians by Michelle Good, Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Sa, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist by Gina Capaldi, or Buffalo Bird Girl: A Hidatsa Story by S.D. Nelson.)

 

( official A Council of Dolls page on the official Mona Susan Power web site )

 

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Red Bird Sings by Gina Capaldi and Q.L. Pierce

Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Sa, Native American Author, Musician and Activist
adapted by Gina Capaldi and Q.L. Pierce, with illustrations by Gina Capaldi (j Biography Zitkala-Sa)

When Zitkala-Sa was 8 years old, over her mother’s objections she left the Yankton reservation with a group of Quaker Missionaries who were recruiting students for the White’s Manual Labor Institute in Indiana. She loved learning how to read and write, she craved learning music and violin–she excelled at the opportunities available to her at the school. But she also saw that even though the Quakers were well-meaning, they were blind to the true needs of Indian children. They didn’t see the harm in taking the children’s language and traditions from them. After she spent three years with the Quakers, she came home to find she felt she no longer fit in with her family and neighbors. She was loyal to the Yankton ways yet felt she no longer belonged, so she returned to the Quaker school. After her years of being a student at White’s Manual Labor Institute and continuing at Earlham College, she went on to teach at Carlisle Indian Industrial School and also published articles in magazines and books. She became an accomplished musician and orator who spoke out for her people. Even though her “English” education made her feel separate from her traditions and culture and family, she made it her goal to use these skills to help enlighten Anglo society to the story of her people.

 

Red Bird Sings is a collection of essays previously written and published by Zitkala Sa, edited and illustrated by Gina Capaldi, an award winning illustrator and author of children’s non-fiction. Even though the essays are said to be “semi-autobiographical”, they are put together in such a way that one really feels the torment of the young Zitkala-Sa—how can she negotiate her interests in learning the Anglo ways even as she realizes that her talents are pulling her away from her family and her roots?

 

Awards for Red Bird Sings: Gold Medal- Carter G. Woodson Award, National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS); Gold Medal, Moon Beam Award-Independent Publisher; Eureka! Honor Book, California Reading Association (CRA); Amelia Bloomer Book List-American Library Association (ALA); California Reading Association Booklist (CRA); SCBWI 2011 RAM Grant; California Readers 2013 California Collections: Elementary and Middle Grade lists.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try American Indian Stories by Zitkala-Sa, Voices of the People by Joseph Bruchac, Finish the Fight: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote by Veronica Chambers or Stolen Words by Melanie Florence. Also, online: “Old Indian Legends” by Zitkala-Sa, Illustrated by Angel De Cora, a Winnebago painter, illustrator, Native American rights advocate, and teacher at Carlisle Indian School.)

 

( Wikipedia entry for Zitkala-Sa ) | ( official Gina Capaldi web site )

 

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: It's Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris and Michael Emberley

It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual Health
by Robie Harris and Michael Emberley (j612.6 Har (2009 edition) and/or j612.661 Har (2021 edition))

It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual Health is geared towards pre-adolescents who are eager to learn about their bodies, sexual activity, puberty, and the myriad other mysteries that they are facing as they are maturing. When I did a quick look at a review, written by someone who is opposed to the general concept of book banning, but still found themselves challenged by things in this book, I was provoked to take a look at it for myself. That review contained only a few pictures, and those were the little cartoons of couples engaging in sex. I couldn’t help but agree with the reviewer wondering, “Is this necessary?” But after looking at the whole book and seeing those images in context of other information; I feel this is a great book. The kind of book that it would be good to have on your shelf without a lot of fanfare, to just have for when the kids were ready to look at it.

 

The library owns two editions — the earlier, 2009 edition, has fewer pictures of same sex couples.

 

( official Michael Emberley feed on Instagram ) | ( official Robie Harris web site )

 

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Pokemon Primers: Shapes Book by Simcha Whitehill

Pokemon Primers: Shapes Book
by Simcha Whitehill (jPB Board Book Whitehill)

Dear Parents:

 

You might be pretty confident in your ability to identify shapes, but how good are you with Pokémon identification? Do you have someone in your household that’s been trying to catch them all and speaking to you in a language that seems familiar and yet you don’t quite understand?

 

This Pokémon Primer lift-the-flap book is ready to come to your rescue! You can impress your child by knowing the shapes, and if you are quick, you’ll be able to name the Pokémon as you flip through twelve plus adventures. (Pro tip: take advantage of the in-story pronunciation guides.)

 

Seriously, this book could be an awesome experience in cooperative learning. I’m sure I’m not the only one who spent time with a tiny expert on Pokémon, and would have enjoyed being the student to my Pokémon master. Or perhaps, YOU are the Pokémon master and you are ready to share your adventure with the next generation? Either way, this book catches all the fun.

 

Pokemon Primers: Shapes Book is a board book that has more than 100 flaps to open, spread through twelve scenes that are packed with information and topics to discuss as well as Pokemon to find and identify.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Pokemon primers : Colors book also by Simcha Whitehill.)

 

( official Pokemon Primers web page ) | ( publisher’s official Simcha Whitehill web page )

 

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Movie Review: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
(DVD Umbrellas)

Stunning and vivid and beautiful, and also kind of crazy, I can see why this movie, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) would be on Greta Gerwig’s “Required Reading List” for the actors in the upcoming (Summer 2023) Barbie movie.

 

The backgrounds of every scene are lush with color. There’s the vibrant pink striped walls and black cabinets of the umbrella shop, the bold pink roses on bright blue of Genevieve’s bedroom, brilliant blue and green stripe of Guy’s home, and the orange of the cafe/bar where they go to enjoy a drink. Each scene is punctuated by saturated color. Instead of washing out in the face of all the intensity, the actors shine in equally vibrant costuming and colors.

 

This movie, which stars the blonde and perfect Catherine Deneuve and the dark haired and handsome Nino Castelnuovo as young star-crossed lovers, is a feast for the senses. Genevieve, who works in her mother’s umbrella shop worries that her mother thinks she is too young for love so she sneaks out to see her beau, Guy, a talented mechanic.

 

Classic antics ensue, miscues and missed appointments, a mother with debt trouble, an aunt who is bedridden, somebody gets drafted, someone gets married . . .

 

Did I mention there’s singing? And it’s in French? <3 <3 <3

 

For those who like this kind of stuff, this is definitely the kind of stuff they’ll like.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try  La La Land (nods to the visuals of Jacques Demy), Swinging Mademoiselles: Groovy French sounds from the 60s or Dressing Barbie.)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film )

 

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you watched this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

Detransition, Baby
by Torrey Peters (Peters)

First of all, based on the title, I was initially reluctant to read Detransition, Baby. My concerns that the narrative would promote the idea that transgender individuals are destined to de-transition, was misplaced. Instead, it was a compelling tale of three women, one divorced and cisgender (her gender identity corresponds with the sex registered for her at birth), one trans (her gender identity does not correspond to that registered for her at her birth), and one detransitioned trans woman (she transitioned from male to female as a young person but later decided to reverse that transition) and how the three of them deal with an unexpected pregnancy. These three personal journeys are braided together, sharing their flaws, fears, and desires, as they each explore what it means to be female. The author asserts, that like trans women, divorced women understand what it is like to have to start from scratch, having to create a future that is not reliant upon their assumptions from the past, having to make up their own definition of where to go from here as a woman.

 

In interviews, the author Torrey Peters, who is trans herself, explains that she wrote the book for transgender friends, that they need books by and about them with true points of view. I think that’s what I loved most about the book; it was a window into a world that I’ve brushed up against, having a trans kid of my own, but I am still an outsider with much to learn. One thing I hadn’t understood before reading this book is how the AIDS epidemic has affected the trans community; I hadn’t realized how much higher the rate of AIDs is for trans women even when compared to homosexual men. It seems the epidemic created a motherless generation who are trying to figure out how to mother themselves and their little sisters, making the topic of motherhood, not just what it means to be female, of prime importance.

 

Like any story, each person’s narrative is both true and untrue. I’ve read many reviews that disagree with one character’s interpretation of feminine motivations; while I agree her particular extreme take on gender roles is challenging, I found it challenging in an interesting way. There were scenes that I found to be uncomfortable, but they also led me to think deeply about my own assumptions.

 

This is that kind of book. The author does not baby the reader; she assumes that you have a familiarity with the topic or that you are ready to put the work in to understand. It’s not for everyone, but those who make the effort will be rewarded with thought-provoking characters and situations.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs by Jennifer Finney Boylan.)

 

( official Detransition, Baby page on the official Torrey Peters web site )

 

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

DVD Review: Sing Street

Sing Street

by Lucy Boynton and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (DVD Sing)

 

1982. Dublin. Conor’s lame parental units are experiencing hard times and to save some dough, they transfer him to a new cut-rate, brutish school. Conor is determined to be chill with it, and rather than trying to fit in he’s trying to figure out who he is. Meanwhile, there’s a fly young woman (played by Lucy Boynton) he wants to get to know; how can he grab her attention?

 

He lives with his brawling folks, a super studious older sister, and an older brother, wise about music and yet suffering from his own stunted dreams, who still manages to impart some golden advice to his younger brother.

He decides to form a band and gathers around him an unlikely group of misfits who deal with bullies, priests, parents and first love along the way.

 

The mood of Sing Street reminds me a lot of 80’s teen films like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, or Sixteen Candles…a similarly predictable plot but it’s fleshed out with some fun original music reminiscent of Duran Duran, Adam Ant, Culture Club, a-ha…favorites from back in the day.

 

I kid you not, it’s a nice combination of a trip down memory lane and a little escapist fun. Personally, I was quite impressed by how many 80’s things this 2016 movie got right. I’ve also heard tell there’s a new Broadway show based on the movie. I just hope their star is as fine as the baby-faced Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, who looks like he could’ve just stepped right off the pages of Tiger Beat. Totally.

 

I’m looking forward to watching it again. So. Much. Fun. And sweetly inspirational.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try School of Rock, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Sixteen Candles or Nowhere Boy.)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film ) | ( official Sing Street Facebook page )

 

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you watched this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

The Magic Fish

by Trung Le Nguyen (YA PB (Graphic Novel) Trung)

 

A young queer boy uses fairy tales to connect with his Vietnamese-speaking mother. A language story. A gender story. A family love story. Threaded together with fairy tales. The boy speaks English as his first language, while his mother speaks Vietnamese. The boy is queer and he’s scared to tell his mother/parents. Mom uses a fairy tale to reassure him that they can write their own ending. Together.

 

( publisher’s official The Magic Fish web site ) | ( official Trung Le Nguyen web site )

 

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!