A quick look at some Picture book fun

One of the best children's author/illustrators has a new book out this season. Graeme Base is well known for his Animal based books containing hidden images in the pictures. Enigma: A Magical Mystery is Base's newest book. The story revolves around Bertie Badgerstone and his Grandpa. Grandpa used to be Gadzooks the Great, a famous magician. Now retired he performs his tricks only for his grandson, until one day his magic hat, cape and wand go missing along with Enigma his magic rabbit.

The other residents of Grandpa's retirement home, all enchanting magicians and tricksters of their own sorts, also have each lost a magical item used in their acts. Bertie goes on a quest to find the thief, in the end discovering that the best magic is the kind you imagine for yourself. The book is full of hidden surprises, secret codes and 'I spy' games. It works well as a group reader, teachers may find it especially useful while teaching about codes and patterns, or it can be read by a single child, providing activities to ensure many nights of new discoveries.


Those who enjoy Graeme Base's works will also appreciate a piece by Wallace Edwards, titled Monkey Business. A beautifully illustrated book about idioms, this short book will fit well into the classroom and is sure to get older kids rolling in their seats laughing. For younger kids Monkey Business offers a similar 'I spy' aspect as Graeme Base's work. See if you can find the monkey in each picture, if you can stop from laughing long enough.

Curiousity can kill...

However the threat of danger just because of your knowledge of something only succeeds to make you more curious. This is the very danger which is promised in the title of If You’re Reading This, It’s too Late . Scheduled to arrive in book stores this October, it a fun new mystery novel for young adults. The sequel to The Name of This Book is Secret by Psuedonymous Bosch, If You're Reading This, It's Too Late is a wonderfully intriguing novel with a sense of humor. The book begins with a contract of secrecy for the reader to sign. From the very first pages the author captivates the reader with a perfectly balanced mix of humor, wit, and danger.

When I first picked up this book I was curious, would this be another Series of Unfortunate Events ? As I read through the first chapter I was lightly interested, but slightly apprehensive that because I had not read the first book in the series I would not get the full benefit of the story. However as the author pulled me in further and further, re-introducing his characters for those who had never met them and leaving little asterisked comments on references from the previous book I found no problem picking up on earlier events. The story was well written, weaving high level vocabulary in with suspense and curiosity. The overwhelming effect of the work is a feeling of curiosity. The more you read, the more you need to learn about the characters, the strange secret societies and artifacts. At times the reader will find themselves so swept away by the book they will nearly be able to hear the whispering of the Sound Prism. However interspersed within the book are comedic pauses by the author. Comments upon characters appearances from the narrator's point of view, claims of lost pages, and even a written argument with the reader that will make you roll out of your seat laughing.

This would be a wonderful book to introduce students to mystery fiction, as well as science fiction. With a slight ring of the Sherlock Holmes novels of old, If You're Reading This, It's Too Late is a fun and light-hearted book for middle-school students, and will bring out the child in any adult. The author obviously had great fun when writing this work, which shows in the story. It is a creative breath of fresh air which will catch students with the laid-back writing style, and challenge them subtly with the complex plot and higher vocabulary. A very good suggestion for any school library.