Hope -- The Story of a Banana-Fish

Neumeier, D.A. (2015). Hope – The Story of a Banana-Fish. Self-published.

All Ages* / Fantasy / Adventure

I gave this book 5 of 5 Stars

In David A Neumeier’s Hope – The Story of a Banana-Fish, readers are taken on a wonderful underwater adventure seemingly inspired in part by Disney’s Finding Nemo but also by J.D. Salinger’s short “A Perfect Day for Bananafish.”  In Hope, the main character is a young female fish named Hope who, like Nemo, has physical characteristics that set her apart from the other fish in her community and cause her mockery and embarrassment.  Also, like Nemo, Hope gets separated from her school and her dad sets out to find her; however, the similarities end there.  As Hope finds strength in her differences and in her journey to reconnect with her parents and their school, she learns to trust her instincts and follow her heart – even when they are in opposition to the norm.   Neumeier has written a fast-paced, action packed story that will keep the youngest readers entertained and on the edge of their seats, while older readers reflect upon the deeper messages about society.

Neumeier’s writing is smooth and he has a real talent for storytelling, striking just the right balance between the dialogue and expository writing. The characters are rich and memorable, with enough details given for readers to connect. It is impressive that from a few lines in the tale by Salinger (that the bananafish will overfeed itself on bananas to the point it gets so fat it can’t escape from its hole and dies), Neumeier has created an entire underwater society and system which Hope turns upside down.  It’s an excellent illustration of how one person or event can be a huge catalyst for positive change.
  *While this book isn’t categorized for children, it absolutely is appropriate for kids and lends itself to many opportunities for teachable moments about tolerance, co-existence, fear, perseverance, safety, and so much more.   Hope – The Story of a Banana-Fish has all the right elements, including humor, heartache, and horror, to keep readers engaged to the final pages.

This book was reviewed for Readers' Favorite, which provided me an eBook copy in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give.  

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Edward Scissorhands Volume 1: Parts Unknown

Leth, K. and Rausch, D. (2015). Edward Scissorhands Volume 1: Parts Unknown. San Diego: IDW Publishing.

Graphic Novel / Fantasy / Sci-Fi

I gave this book 3 of 5 stars

(There are two covers I have seen for this book. The top one is the one that was with my ARC, but the bottom one better fits with the art in the book, I think.)

This story, in graphic novel format, picks-up many years after where the story in the movie ended. Kimberly has long since died, and her daughter and teenaged granddaughter, Megan, still live in the same town that's convinced that Edward was a monster murderer and Kimberly was insane.  Megan doesn't believe either of those things because her grandmother told her the stories about Edward and his gentle spirit and the truth about what happened all those years ago and snoops around to confirm it. Meanwhile, Edward lives, as the unfinished creation of his maker, a lonely existence in the castle where he remembers Kimberly and spends time searching through his maker's notebooks of abandoned experiments.  When he discovers and awakens another of his maker's creations, he soon realizes that the creature, whom he names Eli, is also incomplete, but Eli's thirst for finding his missing part is deadly which leads him to kidnap a boy from town.  The townspeople storm Edward's castle, sure that he is again up to his evil ways, and ignoring Megan who knows that it was Eli, not Edward who is to blame. As Edward realizes the error he made in not reading all the notes before awakening Eli, he and Megan cross paths and team-up to catch Eli before things get worse, but can they stop Eli in time or will the townspeople destroy Edward first?

Fans of the original will enjoy seeing more of Edward Scissorhands and a new storyline to follow. Kate Leth's story is creative and reasonable given where Edward lived, though there are some holes in explaining the intensity of emotions in Megan's mother; I felt like I had missed something. Equally confusing for me is Eli and his quest and actions, which are minimally explained in dialogue and hard to decipher in the illustrations.  Illustrator Drew Rausch manages to capture the expressiveness in Edward's eyes especially well, and the color scheme of blacks and purples is fitting. The cells are pretty dark and very busy, and at times I had a hard time understanding what is being shown -- especially at a critical moment between Eli and Edward.  There are completely different styles of drawings between Eli and Edward -- and even Megan -- and the other people in the story, who almost seem cartoon-ish (some of the expressions on Meg's mother's face reminded me of the Fairly Odd Parents). Perhaps this is intentional to represent the further division between the two groups? Maybe, but it detracted from the edginess readers will likely expect in this story.

Overall, it was fun to have a chance to revisit Edward Scissorhands, but I am on the fence as to whether or not this hooked me enough to read another installment. This book is probably okay for middle grade on up, but younger or sensitive readers may find Eli scary and be upset by the blood and/or the language (sacrilegious). 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an eBook copy in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give.

Remember this guy?

Quentin's Problem

Baker, M. (2014) Quentin's Problem. Self-Published.

Children's Picture Book 

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars

Quentin the Quick is a young pirate who must pass his Piratish Exam. He nails swashbuckling and is a natural with a peg leg and eye patch, but what's a young pirate student to do when he can't say, "Arrr?" He'd better figure it out because the stakes are high -- if Quentin fails the test, he walks the plank! 

Quentin's Problem is a delightful story set in the pirate world with its not so scary pirates and slightly scary sharks for children to enjoy. Despite being in a fantasy world, readers will identify with Quentin and his fears, and the story offers good lessons about honesty, bravery, and overcoming adversity.  The subject creates great talking points for kids and parents to share. What really brings the story together are the expressive and colorful illustrations by K.A. King. King brings a variety of textures to each page, which children will love to look at as they read along. 

I highly recommend this book for pre-K through 2nd grade, to be read independently, with an adult, or as a read aloud to groups. Thank you to the author who gave me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review -- the only kind I give.

Click here to buy this book on Amazon

About the Author

Misty Baker is an author, freelance editor, and shameless chocoholic. She writes romance under her pen name Mysti Parker. Her other writings have appeared in numerous anthologies, and she has two more children’s books in the works. Misty lives in Buckner, KY with her husband, three children and a great many pets.

Author links:  

Misty's Blog, Unwritten

Misty's Romance Website

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