Review: The One and Only Bob (One and Only Ivan #2) by Katherine Applegate

Did Not Finish The One and Only Bob (One and Only Ivan book 2) by Katherine Applegate.

We come to know of Bob the dog through Ivan the gorilla in book 1, The One and Only Ivan. It has been over a year since Ivan the silverback and Ruby the baby elephant have moved from Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, Home of the One and Only Ivan, to the zoo where they are with others of their kind and well taken care of by zookeepers. Bob has also found a new home.

It makes for a welcome and refreshing change to hear Bob's side of the story (at first). Bob is, after all, a tiny stray dog with an attitude and his view is, well, quite different from that of Ivan's. Unfortunately, the novelty of seeing the world through the eyes of another non-human again wears off after a while. Even though Bob is wily, tough, blunt and very street smart, I find it hard to enjoy my time with him as his story gets stale pretty fast. I know I have tried my best by making it to the halfway mark before realising that is as far as I am willing to go.

I am sorry but not sorry for not reading this book to the end. I guess a dog with an attitude is just not my thing.

Review: The One and Only Ivan (One and Only Ivan #1) by Katherine Applegate

5 stars for The One and Only Ivan (One and Only Ivan book 1) by Katherine Applegate.

Welcome to the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, Home of the One and Only Ivan. Ivan is a gorilla who lives in a run-down circus-themed mall and has been there for the past 27 years. When a baby elephant Ruby is added to the odd collection of animals housed there, Ivan decides that he needs to do something to give her a better life.

There is always a first, in this case, a first time reading a novel that is narrated by a non-human - a gorilla. I have never, for the life of me, thought I will read such a book. But I did and it turns out well. I do admit it feels weird initially to see the world through the eyes of a gorilla, and not just any gorilla, a talking gorilla and one with a talent for painting. And after a while, it becomes second nature. I feel as if I am Ivan, the mighty silverback, telling the story of his life, where he comes from, his original gorilla family, his life as a temporary human and how he comes to be living in the cage that he refuses to acknowledge as a cage but a domain. It is also through Ivan that we learn more about some of the other animals such as Stella the old elephant, Ruby the baby elephant and Bob the stray dog.

The One and Only Ivan is a beautiful and touching story. It makes me think about the treatment of animals by humans, those in the wild, in captivity and in domestic homes. Is the zoo the ultimate ideal place for animals, even if they are kept safe and well cared for? Is that even natural in the grand scheme of things? Reading this book raises many questions but unfortunately, no answers.

I didn't know this work of fiction is based on a true story until I read the author's note at the end of the book. Ivan is a real gorilla, not some imaginery ape. He. Is. Real. And as in the book, Ivan did spend twenty-seven years of his life alone in a cage housed at a circus-themed mall in Washington state. I find it hard to believe that this mighty silverback actually spent close to three decades without seeing another of his own kind. I have no words for the extent of such human cruelty inflicted on this largest living primate. I go in search of Ivan's videos the moment I finish reading the author's note. The ones that show him in Zoo Atlanta make me smile and feel happy for him. But those that show the big gorilla held captive behind the walls of his tiny cage make my heart ache. Well, at least, the walls are a thing of the past. All's well that ends well.

Review: Front Desk (Front Desk #1) by Kelly Yang

4 stars for Front Desk (Front Desk book 1) by Kelly Yang.

This is a heartwarming and deeply moving story about a Chinese family that migrates from China to America in the early 1990s. Told from the perspective of the family's only child, 10-year old Mia Tang shares how the family of three come to live and work at a motel in California, and the difficulties and hardships faced as a Chinese immigrant growing up in America.

This is my first time reading an English novel penned by a Chinese author. Perhaps because I have no expectations prior to reading, the book surprises me in more ways than one. To say that this novel is good will be an understatement - it is fantastic. The story comes across real, the everyday kind of real. Take for example, the one-child policy in China. It was implemented nationwide by the Chinese government in 1980 in order to limit most Chinese families to one child each. The one-child policy ended after thirty-five years and was changed to a two-child limit in 2015. Reading about the one-child policy in this book drives home the reality of such a policy. Then, there is mention of the number eight which Chinese believes is an auspicious sign. To quote "Chinese people believe that if you receive eight dollars, it’s good luck. That’s because the word for the number eight, ba, rhymes with the word for “prosperity,” fa." These are but examples of how the author adds real-life flavour to her story.

The author also deals with real-world topics such as immigration, worker exploitation, racial discrimination, fraud, poverty and school bullying. These are tough topics but they do not feel heavy or pretentious, only that they serve to accentuate the unfair treatment and struggles and hardships faced by Chinese immigrants. To quote "we can’t judge someone based on their skin color. It isn’t right. This is America.” to which another character retorts with, to quote "“If you really believe that, you’re even dumber than I thought. Clearly you have no idea how this country really works.”

Besides cultural differences and real-world topics, what I like most in this story which is based to some extent on the author's personal experience as an immigrant growing up in America, is the strong family bond. Mia's little family is very united in their love for one another. No matter how bad the situation is, they try their very best to turn it into a family thing that they can do and resolve together. And then, no matter how black things look to be, there is always a silver lining. There are still nice, friendly and helpful people around, waiting to be found, to offer a listening ear or a helping hand or words of encouragement.

For a debut novel, Front Desk is amazingly well written. It tells the stories of not just Mia and her family but also that of other Chinese immigrants who visit them at the Calivista Motel. It has much to teach about racial prejudice and human kindness. There is loneliness, frustration, sadness, anger and helplessness. But there is also family warmth, compassion, courage, understanding, unity and aspiration. It is not only a heartwarming and deeply moving story, it is also an inspiring tale about hopes and dreams.

Below is a quote taken verbatim from the book and that is what I call turning a mistake into an opportunity. A nice one.

"..a mistake isn’t always a mistake. Sometimes a mistake is actually an opportunity, but we just can’t see it right then and there."

Review: The War that Saved My Life (War #1) by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

1 star for The War that Saved My Life (War book 1) by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

The story is about a girl who is born with a clubfoot. She and her brother are evacuated from London to the countryside during World War II. Away from their abusive mother, the two siblings start their lives anew, until..

This novel is totally not what I have expected. I will say it comes as a surprise and a bad one at that. The mother in this book is irredeemable to the point of absurd and the turnaround in the children's fortune is too good to be believable, even for a novel. In short, the story comes across as pretty far-fetched and makes for an amateurish work of fiction.

While I have no qualms about reading stories on single-parent families, this is one book that I am not comfortable with. It features a single mother with her two young children, 10-year old Ada and 6-year old Jamie. That is totally fine. What is not fine is the way the mother abuses her children, the older girl especially, physically, verbally, emotionally and mentally. The bad mother not only feels ashamed of her own child who is born with severe physical disability, she has no regard for her child's needs and well-being. Though the relationship between the disabled sister and brother is good, the abusive nature of their mother cast a dark cloud over the entire novel.

This is a children's book that does not promote family values. I find it hard to read and even harder to like. I do not recommend it to children.

Review: Old Yeller by Fred Gipson

5 stars for Old Yeller by Fred Gipson.

I have come to realise that there is always a dog in children's fiction. Well, maybe not all, but definitely for the children's books I have read so far this year. There is always the presence of one dog or two or more, the only difference is whether the dog plays a major part in the story or a minor role. But still, a dog is a dog and its presence makes a whole lot of difference to the story.

In Where the Red Fern Grows, there are the two Redbone Coonhound hunting dogs, brawny Old Dan and brainy Little Ann. In Bridge to Terabithia, the girl Leslie Burke gives Jesse Aarons a puppy as his Christmas present and together, they named it Prince Terrien and make him the guardian of Terabithia. In Short, there is Julia trying to find happiness after the death of her pet dog Ramon. Though the dog has ceased to exist, its presence is felt throughout the novel as Julia constantly thinks of him. In Rain Reign, Rose who is obsessed with homonyms named her dog Rain, and Rain has two homonyms - rein and reign. In Walk Two Moons, there is mention of three dogs, all beagles. Gramps has a beagle named Sadie when he first met Gram and the dog died at some point after their marriage. Sal talks about her beagle Moody Blue but does not say what happens to her dog, only that she refers to the dog in the past tense, implying that she has died. By the end of the story, Gramps has a new beagle puppy which he named Huzza Huzza. In Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal adopts a stray dog and named it Winn-Dixie after a supermarket. In Wolf Hollow, there are plenty of dogs on Annabelle's farm, always six or seven running around. Once in a while, one will disappear, but after some time, another will show up to take its place. In Number the Stars, Annemarie's mother recalls having a dog named Trofast (meaning Faithful) who will walk her to the end of the path each morning and wait for her return from school every afternoon around the bend. In The Thing About Jellyfish, Suzy's best friend Franny has a dog named Fluffernutter.

Having introduced all the dogs in above nine books that I have read recently, my point is, Old Yeller, before I read the book, seems to be simply another one of children's literature with a dog, and not just any dog, a big ugly slick-haired yeller dog. To start with, I am not keen on the book. Why? Because that ugly dog of a picture on the book cover all but put me off. But strangely, somehow or other, I manage to get past the cover and delve into the book. It makes me real glad because if I have not, I will have missed out on this deeply moving story about a dog and the family he stays with.

The story takes place in the late 1860s, right after the Civil War, in Texas hill country. The characters central to the story are 14-year old Travis, his five-year old brother Arliss and their parents. One day, an ugly stray dog visits the Coates family in their log cabin on Birdsong Creek. They decide to keep the dog and named him Old Yeller.

All thanks to Old Yeller the dog, this is a story that leaves a deep impression. He may be an ugly meat-stealing rascal, but Old Yeller is a clever dog that makes itself useful in helping the Coates family chase off coons, skunks, coyotes and even deer that go into their fields to eat corn, melons and peas. It even helps drive cattle and tame their wild cow for milking. It is a faithful dog that protects the family from just about anything that may bring harm their way. It is this loyalty right to the end that makes the story so very heartwarming.

The thing about this novel is, though the story revolves around the yeller dog, it is not just a story about the dog, it is also one about family, the bonds of brotherhood and motherly love. And that makes for a really nice family story.

To quote on brotherly love "Till Little Arliss got us mixed up in that bear fight, I guess I’d been looking on him about like most boys look on their little brothers. I liked him, all right, but I didn’t have a lot of use for him... But that day when I saw him in the spring, so helpless against the angry she bear, I learned different. I knew then that I loved him as much as I did Mama and Papa, maybe in some ways even a little bit more."

To quote on motherly love "When Mama wasn’t waiting on me, she was taking care of Old Yeller. She waited on him just like she did me. She was getting up all hours of the night to doctor our wounds, bathe us in cold water, and feed us when she could get us to eat. On top of that, there were the cows to milk, Little Arliss to look after, clothes to wash, wood to cut, and old Jumper to worry with."

Besides being a delightful family novel with the yeller dog, the story also feels practical and real. Because the author has excellent knowledge of the ways of Texas hill country living and of the wild animals which he demonstrates through his writing. If I didn't know better, I will say the author has firsthand experience; either that or he does a very thorough job with his research.

The author explains how dogs are used for catching hogs and driving cattle and fighting coons out of the cornfields. And settlers keep them as watchdogs against plundering by loafer wolves, bears, panthers, and raiding Indians.

He knows the ways of of wild hogs. To quote "any time you messed with a wild hog, you were asking for trouble." He describes how the old hogs fight bear and panther off from their young by forming a tight circle in which they face outward around the ring, their rumps to the center where all the squealing pigs are gathered. That way, they will be ready to battle anything that want to jump on them.

He gives details on the ways to mark hogs. He knows what it means to turn a boar hog into a bar hog and why it is a job that needs to be done, that is, if you want to eat hog meat. He tells us why the Coates family never butchers or sells a hog that does not belong to them or mark a pig following a sow that does not wear their mark.

He knows the usefulness of prickly-pear roots, why the roots of big tall prickly pear are no good for making poultice but those smaller sizes are, and how the poultice of mashed-up prickly-pear roots can be used to draw out poison.

Certainly, the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of country living that the author shares in Old Yeller makes the story exciting and a joy to read.

Of all the face-licking, tail-wagging dog tales I have come across, this is one which brings as much joy as it does tears. It makes me smile but it also breaks my heart and makes me cry. After I read the book, Old Yeller is no longer simply another one of children's literature with just about any dog. It is still a big ugly yeller dog, yes, but one with a big loving heart. A faithful dog through and through.

I can now understand why this book was published to instant acclaim and goes on to become one of the most beloved children's classics ever written. It is one unforgettable tale.

Review: The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

5 stars for The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin.

I have been thinking why I am attracted to children's literature so much lately. I mean besides the inner child in me, in each of us, there must be something more. Then it dawns on me that it has got to do with the story itself. The thing about reading children's fiction is, it is not just reading about some kids between the ages of 8 and 10, or 11 and 13, it is also about adventure and survival (Where the Red Fern Grows), fantasy and make-believe (Bridge to Terabithia), growing up (Short), psychology (Rain Reign), family (Walk Two Moons), being inspired (Because of Winn-Dixie), mystery and suspense (Wolf Hollow), history and war (Number the Stars). And with my latest read, I have one more to add - Science (The Thing about Jellyfish). The nine books I have listed are proof that children's books are not confined to any one subject matter, instead they are more; they can be so much more. And that is the wonder of children's literature which entices me so.

To be honest, at first, I am not sure if this is a book I should be reading. The title reminds me of junior picture books, those with drawings and illustrations, which I am not keen. But then, the jellyfish also bring to my mind the one rare trip I made some years ago to the SEA Aquarium at Sentosa Island, Singapore. The roomful of tanks with projected lights within which countless mesmerizing jellyfish float around gracefully took my breath away. They are beautiful yet mysterious to me with their deadly sting, some of them. It is then that I decide there is no harm in giving these fascinating sea creatures my reading time.

The story is about a girl who is obsessed with - what else but yea, you got it - jellyfish. 12-year old Suzy Swanson becomes subdued after the passing of her best friend, Franny. She is convinced that jellyfish is the reason for Franny's demise and goes on a jellyfish mission to substantiate her theory, hoping to rewrite a new ending, a better ending to the end of her friendship with Franny.

The Thing about Jellyfish is a heartbreaking story of the power of young friendship and the devastation of losing it. It is relatively easy to see where the story is headed, but it is the delivery of the plot, the development of the story and the execution of the mission that weigh down heavily on my heart.

The writing is remarkable; not many stories one reads can continue to convey so much emotional power. Each word, each sentence, all line up beautifully to draw out the pain and loss of losing someone dear to you.

To give an example, taken verbatim from the book "All this time, I’d thought that our story was just that: our story. But it turns out you had your own story, and I had mine. Our stories might have overlapped for a while — long enough that they even looked like the same story. But they were different. And that made me realize this: Everyone’s story is different, all the time. No one is ever really together, even if it looks for a while like they are."

Then there is the use of similes as a method of comparison, beautiful really but sad and wistful all the same.

To quote "Whenever I think about those two days — about the space between you ending and me knowing — I think about the stars. Did you know that the light from our nearest star takes four years to reach us? Which means when we see it — when we see any star — we are really seeing what it looked like in the past. All those twinkling lights, every star in the sky, could have burned out years ago — the entire night sky could be empty this very minute, and we wouldn’t even know it."

On the surface, it appears that the narrator Suzy is trying to cope with the death of a good friend and overcome the stages of grief (shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, testing, and acceptance), but in actual fact, it is more. Beneath the theme of grief and loss is that of dealing with changes and regrets. These - to me - are the real issues that Suzy is grappling with. She is not what I will say, a pleasant girl exactly. She is quiet at best and rude at worst. In fact, the way she behaves at times put me off. But I can totally understand where the author is coming from, by painting Suzy the way she is. It is all part of dealing with changes in family, struggling with changes in growing up and coping with changes in her friendship with the then-alive Franny and coming to grips with being sorry for what has been done and not-done.

I find this story sad and at times, even depressing. Maybe because it is hit too close to home. The need to find for ourselves the truth, to set us free, is always there, just like what Suzy does in her attempt to free herself through searching for truth about her friend. It is hard to make sense of unexpected death, especially when the victim is considered young - young being relative to the system of reference chosen - and even more so when it has not been long since one last seen that person, alive, healthy and all well. But sometimes things just happen, for no reason, except that time is up for that person.

Despite the solemn mood, I walk with Suzy right to the end and find that I actually enjoy her story more than I realise. Her story has much to teach the young. It is not only a lesson on life and death, but also one on Science, on jellyfish for that matter, and particularly on one species whose venom is among the most dangerous in the world - the Irukandji jellyfish. I certainly know more about jellyfish now, say their life cycle, how they start off almost like a plant in a phase called planula where they cling to the bottom of the sea. Then, as they grow in size, they break away from the seabed to pulse freely through the ocean. The adult jellyfish is known as medusa (not to be mistaken as Medusa with capital M which is the mythological creature with snakes for hair who could turn humans to stone with a glance).

Having come to the end of my journey with Suzy, I will say The Thing about Jellyfish is not at all what I have imagined right from the start. It is no junior picture book though there are some drawings of the sea jellies. Surprisingly, for a story born from failure as the author so put it, this novel is anything but a letdown. It is exquisitely written. It is a great work of fiction in all its originality. It is a striking debut novel.