Island of the Blue Dolphins

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell Illustrated by Ted Lewin published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; February 8, 2010; 177 pages; Age range 8-12 years.

Summary: Left alone on a beautiful but isolated island off the coast of California, a young Indian girl spends 18 years, not only merely surviving through her enormous courage and self-reliance, but also finding a measure of happiness in her solitary life.

Recently while looking through the stacks at the local library I found this title and remembered how much I enjoyed reading it as a child.  I just had to check it out to re-read and to share with my children. 

The book is based on a true story of an Indian girl of the Ghalas-at community on the island, San Nicolas, off the coast of California. Like Scott Odell I knew of Karana, the "Lost Woman of San Nicolas", who lived alone there from 1835 to 1853. During the evacuation of Ghalas-at, the 12-year-old-girl jumped ship to stay with her young brother, who had been left on the island.

Island of the Blue Dolphins is an unusual and compelling survival story, simply told and given immediacy by the first person voice.  It is a story of courage and endurance and is remarkable in sustaining pace and suspense, but it is far more than a Robinson Crusoe Adventure.  Karana is also a channel for the author's anger at greedy hunters who exterminate wildlife, and the book was the first of many, that express O'dell's concern for fair treatment of, and respect for, all people. Karana is angry and fearful at first, filled with bitterness. Adjusting to her isolation, learning to care for the wild creatures who are her only companions, the vengeful child becomes serene, compassionate, and forgiving adult.  She has learned the healing power of love.

In 1961, Island of the Blue Dolphins won the John Newbery Medal, an award conferred each year on the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.  The book was later made into a successful motion picture starring Celia Kaye and directed by James B. Clark.

I give this book ★★★★☆

Darth Vader and Son

Darth Vader and Son by Jeffrey Brown published by Chronicle Books; April 18, 2012; 64 pages. 

What if  Darth Vader took an active role in raising his son?  What if  "Luke, I am your father" was just a stern admonishment from an annoyed dad?  In this hilarious and sweet comic re-imagining, Darth Vader is a dad like any other except with all the baggage of being the Dark Lord of the Sith.

Brown's illustrations not only reference movies but also hit on connections between and father and son.  Imagine how the staff on the Death Star might react to a bring-your-child-to-work day. Imagine Luke frustrating Vader in the way that four-year-olds generally frustrate fathers. We see Vader desperately trying to be a dad in a way that many men will recognize.

Some of my favorite scenes include Vader refusing to let Luke play with Han Solo and then later asking his son if he pushed Greedo first on the playground.

This book is short, sweet and hilarious. It appeals to both young and die-hard Star Wars fans. It will make a good father's day gift.  On the downside is that his twin Leia only appears once. Perhaps there will be a sequel Darth Vader and Daughter?

I give this book ★★★★★

The Hammer Of God

The Hammer Of God by Tom Avitabile published by Fiction Std; April 10, 2012; 404 pages.

I received the Advanced Reading Copy about a month ago. Originally I was intrigued by the premise and thought I would read this while I was recovering from surgery while I was in the hospital. Unfortunately the pain medication made me to groggy and I just couldn't concentrate and focus on anything.  I set the book aside for awhile and then returned to it later when I was coherent. I finished the book April 2nd but needed more time to finish processing what I read.

With America in the cross hairs of terrorists who don’t have to play by the rules, President James Mitchell needed an edge. That’s where Bill Hiccock’s Quarterback Ops Group, (QuOG) a top-secret operations cluster run out of the White House, comes in. They are the Commander-in-Chief’s personal “pointy end of the stick.” Given unprecedented power, these dedicated men and women cut through the cells and terror networks at home and abroad, unleashing the full force and determination of America across the world.

From psych-ops, where they terrorize the terrorists, to the pure brute force of going in hot, wet, and wild, QuOG uses innovative technology and on-the-spot improvisation to beat the bad guys before they know the game is on.

Hiccock fields his handpicked team of the “best of the best” in abilities and prowess: people like Brooke Burrell, who distinguished herself as an FBI agent, and now goes toe to toe with a terrorist mastermind; Bridgestone and Ross who cut through countries, culture, and killers like a laser through butter; former hacker for the mob, Kronos, an offbeat “techno-sapien” who practically mind-melds with any computer, network, or Internet backbone and manipulates it to do his bidding; Janice Hiccock, Bill’s brilliant wife, who provides insight into the human behavioral matrix; and Bill himself, whose keen analytical mind and propensity to somehow find himself in the line of fire befits an academic titan…who also happened to have won the Heisman Trophy.

Their current goal: find a loose suitcase nuke before it finds its way to a city near you and ends millions of lives.

It took some time but I was able to finish reading The Hammer Of God. I liked the idea, but felt that Mr. Avitabile could have done better by doing away with the first section titled Book I. All that section does is dwell on the back story of some minor characters. Personally I could have done with out that. I felt like I had to finish the book to give it a fair review. Book II started to get interesting and then all of a sudden I was thrown into a story about a previous war and some computer whiz kid working for NBC Studios as a copy boy and a stolen book that had been banned from print all copies destroyed. I couldn't figure out why that section was added to the story, I think it was to provide background information. All it did was add to my confusion. I'm sure some changes where made to the ARC before the final print, as to what they were I couldn't tell you. 

If you're big into thrillers the book may appeal to you.
I give this book ★★★☆☆