KidsBBookin: Jaden Toussaint, The Greatest Episode 3: Muffin Wars

Disclaimer: I am providing this review free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Jaden Toussaint, The Great Episode 3: Muffin Wars 

by Marti Dumas
Illustrated by Stephanie Parcus
64 pp. Plum Street Press
(Picture book; ages 5-9)
978-194316913-9
www.martidumasbooks.com

With trademark wit, spunk, and all around smartypants-ness, Jaden Toussaint is back with another hurdle his big-boy brain will find a way to get over.

Jaden is used to being good at everything: ninja dancing; being a smart guy; and being a good friend, brother, and son. He expects to be a good friend too when his cousin, Muffin, comes to visit. They haven't seen each other since they were babies. (Of course neither of them remembers because they were to little!) When Muffin has to stay with the Toussaint family while her parents hunt for an apartment, Jaden is set to teach her the ways of the five-year-old world. Well...that doesn't go as planned. Jaden finds that Muffin's just as smart and cultured as he is. Reeling from his own jealousy and anger, Jaden goes on a super-duper journey to understanding emotional intelligence, remaining humble, and learning that there's room in the world for one more ingenious genius.

Marti Dumas is back again tackling the complex emotions adults often overlook in children. With crisp text and humor, the Muffin Wars is the episode children's programming and education needs. Well-plotted with strong character development, this story charts Jaden's arc like a rainbow as he comes to terms with his own emotions and his decision to make room for another person's experience. Stephanie Parcus's illustrates with clean lines and a touch of haze that add texture to the narrative and acts like a camera filter bringing into focus the brilliant characterizations of the Toussaint world.

KidsBBookin: Jaden Toussaint, The Greatest Episode 2: The Ladek Invasion

Disclaimer: I am providing this review free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Jaden Toussaint, The Great Episode 2: The Ladek Invasion

by Marti Dumas
Illustrated by Marie Muravski
74 pp. Plum Street Press
(Picture book; ages 5-9)
www.martidumasbooks.com

Ingenious genuiousness. Check. Clever pets. Check. Super smart friends. Check. The courage to defeat anything that comes his way. Check. 

These are the tools in a well-stocked tool box of a precociousness black boy genius. Writer Marti Dumas and illustrator Marie Muravski spin this tale of Jaden Toussaint as he uses his five-year-old spunk take on one mystery at a time.

In the second installment of the Jaden Toussaint series, this smarty pants with a super brain sets off to conquer his fear of an alien race of creepy crawlies. In crisp black and white illustrations, the story begins with Toussaint itching to wear his new winter coat. But because it's spring (the worst season in the world by his standards), the winter coat isn't the coolest option. (Ha ha. Get it?) As he goes about his days, Toussaint happens upon his older sister's comic book series, Dr. Hoooo! The comic book boasts a scary story about an alien race of many-legged Ladeks with spikes all over their bodies! (His parents warned him.) Toussaint is so frightened, he can't finish the story, but his sister comes to his rescue to make him feel brave again. Even then, Toussaint keeps any eye out for the Ladeks. The next day, he finds what looks to be Ladeks invading his school's playground. (Or are they caterpillars?) With the help of his friends, family, and community, Toussaint researches to find out more about the creatures taking over his home turf! 

With great wit, succinct prose, and an arc full of wonder, teamwork, and respect for the environment, Jaden Toussaint, The Greatest Episode 2: The Ladek Invasion is a kid-friendly noir that will keep your children' eyes glued to the page (and not the television!). Muravski's black and white illustrations bolsters the narrative, allowing for the prose and the images to work together rather than clamor for attention. This installment is wonderful a testament to child-like imagination and the power of great storytelling.

Review: In the Thick of It

If There Be Thorns
Virginia Andrews
HarperCollins
2012 Edition
ISBN 9780-0792786-9

Two brothers. Two voices. Two lives converging.

Okay, so that was melodramatic, but in light of this series, I think it’s probably fitting. The Dollanganger family continues in their trademark dysfunction as the story shifts to the perspective of the two offspring bred from Cathy’s ill-fated relationships.

Cathy and Christopher and their two sons are leaving the past behind. (Or so they think). Jory, fourteen years old and following in his mother’s dancer footsteps, is an idealist who would never think the worst of his parents. Bart is an odd child tripping over his own feet, trying to figure out his place in his family, and loathing his adopted baby sister named Cindy for tipping the scales of affection and attention. All this is exasperated as a mysterious woman in black moves in next door and both boys’ interactions with her unlock long buried secrets. Foxworth family secrets. Each boy goes on his own journey to discovering what his family really is. Jory witnesses a few interesting interactions between his parents Cathy and Chris, leaving him uncomfortable with their relationship. Bart develops a deep bond with the woman next door and her butler and takes on the personality  of a long-dead relative with some serious psychosexual issues. And as you can guess, their parents’ past comes to haunt these young boys. From a few dead pets to whispered conversations to an old journal and secrets reveal, the Dollangangers are caught in the thicket of past decisions, leaving the next generation to hack their to the truth.

Honestly, I didn’t expect to like this installment. The crafting and structure of this novel was smooth and well-thought out. The voices of both Jory and Bart are so specific and clear that my fears of an indistinguishable voice were eased. Of course the over-drawn dialogue and some character interactions were unnecessary; however, the narrative ebbed and arched with such ease to make this an enjoyable read.

Come back on September 8 for my ruminations on the fourth installment in this twisted series!

Rumination: In the Thick of It

Disclaimer: I am not a parent, so the thoughts shared below come from a place of curiosity and genuine concern for the mental health and well-being of our youth. Plus, this is a blog about books, not my lack of parenting skills.

The Thicket. Courtesy of http://www.welloffman.com/TheThicket.jpg

Bad behavior. What really constitutes it? In reading the third installment of the Dollanganger series, If There Be Thorns, I got to thinking about how our childhood experiences create the summation of who we are as adults, as people. If you've followed the blog or ever read this series, then you know the dearth of family melodrama in all its disturbing glory from incest to revenge to marred relationships to confusion about person-hood. The story continues with Cathy's children, Jory, and more specifically Bart. He is a child coming undone. (You'll have to wait for the review to learn some of the details! If you've read the books, I'm sure you share the horrified look I have on my face right now.)

Bart is the youngest of the two and characterized as an insecure klutz. Who isn't awkward at the age of ten? But that all begins to change as he exhibits strange behavior and language after reading an old journey from a new neighbor. From crawling around and barking like a dog to engaging in mental jujitsu to garner simultaneous love and disgust at his actions, Bart digs a trench between himself and his family. They are in the thick of an added layer to the family dysfunction. This is quite complicated for one so young. Or is it? Children my not necessarily have the vocabulary to articulate complex emotions, but what does this say about who Bart is at his core? Is this just bad behavior or a sign of deeper psychological and/or spiritual issues?

Bart is impressionable as any pre-teen would be, but his layered emotions and even more tangled reasoning concerning his new friend and the journal is frightening, teetering on the verge of story lines like The Omen and The Childhood of a Leader. This leaves me to wonder not so much about how his family will protect Bart from an outsider, but how will they protect themselves from him.

We'll see what happens on Friday, August 28th with the review of If There Be Thorns. In the mean time, don't be too freaked out!