The Adventures of Ook and Gluk + Scholastic Giveaway

The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future by Dav Pilkey
published August 2010 by Scholastic
176 pages (hardcover), middle grade graphic novel
*copy received from publisher

Meet Ook and Gluk, best caveman friends who are always falling into adventures. They like playing the part of brave heroes, saving a dinosaur from sinking into quicksand, a cavewoman from an unappealing marriage to the Chief, and the whole of civilization from a man out to destroy the world to make a buck.

All I have to say is - kids are going to eat this book up. They'll rip it up, for sure. There are Flip-O-Rama pages in this book, which create seemingly animated scenes, that are destined to be torn to shreds. I'll be taping up those pages in advance.

As for the story, I have many mixed feelings. Obviously, the spelling irks me. Perhaps it's meant to be easy to read, to mimic kids' invented spellings, or whatever - I just don't think it has a place in published works. It gives students the idea that spelling really doesn't matter, and while I'd love to hop on that bandwagon, it's not exactly socially acceptable. But I digress.

What I absolutely loved about this book can be found in the following pages:

You see those arrows on page 9? I love them. Towards the beginning of the book, there were a few arrows to direct the reader to follow the story in the correct sequence. This is much appreciated because contrary to popular belief, not everyone just knows how to read comics.

I also liked the friendship between Ook and Gluk and their ease of making new friends. They had good hearts and wanted to help people, which is nice. But the violence! And the language! A bit too much name-calling for my taste - and I say this because I hear it every day in school, and I can't stand it. Another nasty habit I'd not like reinforced, thanks. The violence is minor, I suppose, but not really, because a kick or a punch is still violence, and again, I don't want to see it in school. But that's just my perspective. Maybe kids are just desensitized to it and won't even notice it the way I did (which I also think is sad, by the way), I don't know.

Anyhow, it seems like this book brought out a whole lot of social commentary in me, and I don't mean to sound so old and cranky. Know that kids will like it and will want more of it. And I do think there was a balance of what I liked and didn't like in it, so I'd certainly put it in one of my student's hands and hope for the best!

Three purple crayons from me - I suspect five from the kiddos. :)

SCHOLASTIC GIVEAWAY!
But that's not all! Along with sending me a shiny new copy of Ook & Gluk to review, they are also hosting a ginormous holiday giveaway. I'm sure you've seen these delectable prize packs among other kidlit blogs (I know I have!), so here I am offering you yet another chance to win this boatload of great holiday reads. Here's what Scholastic has to say about it:

Give the gift of reading to your child this holiday season! Scholastic books make the perfect stocking stuffer for any child on your list.

 

We have a HUGE prize pack filled with the most popular children’s books in the marketplace to offer one lucky reader! Titles include CAPTAIN SKY BLUE, IT’S CHRISTMAS DAVID, OOK and GLUK as well as TONY BALONEY, ODIOUS OGRE and I SPY CHRISTMAS A CHRISTMAS TREE!

 

Seriously, check out those books! To enter, you must have a U.S. mailing address. And that's about it. 

Fill out the form below for a chance to win! Contest ends Wednesday, December 8, 2010. 

My Weird School series

Being an elementary school librarian has its perks for a YA-minded person like me - it forces me to read children's books. And not just the highly literary, hey look I won an award-type books, but also the books that kids are actually reading and enjoying. Which brings me to the My Weird School series by Dan Gutman. Students gobble these books up - I don't how much of it comes from library promotion or peer pressure or comfort in a formulaic story; whatever the reason, they check them out repeatedly. I confess, until today, I had not read a single one. If you're unfamiliar with the series, the premise is fairly simple. A.J. is in second grade, and he's not shy to admit that he hates school. Each book introduces a teacher or administrator who acts as the catalyst for conflict and resolution in these humorous stories.

In Miss Daisy is Crazy, the first book in the series, Miss Daisy is the second grade homeroom teacher, but she doesn't know a thing. She can't read, write, add, subtract, know her history or social studies - she's pretty dumb. So, her second grade students have to teach her a thing or two, especially when she admits to hating school too. Told through the voice of A.J., who truly does hate school and can be a bit oblivious himself, this story sets the tone and introduces the characters for the rest of the series.

In Mrs. Roopy is Loopy, the third book in the series, we meet the new school librarian, Mrs. Roopy or George Washington or Johnny Appleseed or Little Miss Muffet or Humpty Dumpty or one of her other many aliases. Mrs. Roopy has a thing for bringing characters to life, quite literally. The students don't know what to think of her play-acting and some are genuinely confused if she's the one dressing up or if these people who visit the library and tell them their life stories are actually real. I never realized how fragile students' perceptions of fantasy versus reality were, but I definitely see it in my own school. I'm constantly asking students if what we just read was nonfiction or fiction and how they can tell the difference - not an easy task! So, this one resonated with me. And it made me want to dress up in character the next time I read a story. :)

I mentioned it before, but I'll say it again, these books are funny and formulaic. And they're what some kids need. Especially reluctant readers or kindred spirits who don't think there's anything worth reading in the library. The kids who constantly check out joke books should check these out too. As a librarian, I understand the place that these books have in the library and in kids' lives. They hook non-readers. They allow students who may not be strong readers to read for pleasure and humor, within the confines of a very structured story with familiar characters. And they're not for everyone. Obviously. No book is. But I say this because some people, parents especially, need to be reminded that books in the library are as varied and diverse as students themselves. The collection is for everyone, but not every book will be the book for every child. And so Dan Gutman says so himself in a School Library Journal article entitled "How I Corrupted America's Youth." Check out the article - it's why I blogged these books in the first place. :) Happy reading!