O'Connor, Barbara. Wish.

O'Connor, Barbara.  Wish. Macmillan/Farrar Strauss  2016    227p    $16.99  ISBN 978-0-374-30273-3     elem/ms  Realistic fiction  E-BN   

Charlemagne “Charlie” Reese is suddenly living in Colby, North Carolina, with Betha and Gus, an aunt and uncle she has never met before. Her dad, Scrappy, in in jail, and her mom won’t get off the couch. Charlie has her dad’s short temper and is not looking forward to living with a bunch of hillbillies in Colby. When Howard is made her “backpack buddy” at school and won’t leave her alone, she knows she is doomed. But Colby might not be as bad as she thinks. Charlie sees a stray dog she names Wishbone and decides she must catch him, saying she too knows what it’s like to be a stray. Charlie learns what love looks like in Colby: namely, Bertha and Gus, in their love for one another, and Howard’s way of seeing the best in people and helping Charlie catch Wishbone, even when her temper gets the best of her. Charlie makes the same wish every day and has been doing it for years, and even though it doesn’t come true the way she thought it would, in the end she gets her wish in a most unexpected place. This is a beautiful story for upper-elementary and middle-school students who want something realistic with a little drama but lots of love.              

Summary: Charlie’s dad is getting “corrected” and her mama won’t get off the couch, so she is forced to move to a hick town in North Carolina to live with an aunt and uncle she doesn’t even know. Can this be just what she needs for the wish she has been making every day since the fourth grade to come true?

Dysfunctional families-Fiction                                                                                   —Erin Daley

Olympians: Aphrodite, Goddess of Love.

O'Connor, George.  Olympians: Aphrodite, Goddess of Love.  Macmillan/ First Second  2014  76p.  $10.00      ISBN 978-1-5964-3739-5  all ages    series: Olympians  E-BN

In this volume the author introduces Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty, and power.  Aphrodite was born of the sea foam and the power of Eros, and was made in loveliness and given power, beauty and an abundance of love.

The reader meets Aphrodite and reads about how she became a part of the Olympian group of gods, although she is the only one not related except through marriage.  On one occasion there is a wedding celebration and all the gods are present except one, Eris.  Eris was the goddess of discord, so to keep the festivities peaceful she was not invited, but she came anyway, and of course it was she who threw out the golden apple, intended for the most beautiful goddess.  This brought three goddesses out to claim the apple; Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite.

This series of tales from mythology introduces the Olympian gods and their individual stories to beginning readers.  The pictures are very pleasing and bright, and will keep the reader going to the end and wanting more. This is the fifth volume in the series.  Other volumes cover Zeus, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon.

Each book in the series includes author's notes, facts about the gods, Greek notes, a “for discussion” section, and a bibliography.          

Greek mythology, Aphrodite                                  --Magna Diaz

Hades

O’Conner, George        Hades       

 Macmillan/ First Second 2012  76p   $9.99

978-1-59643-434-9       elm/ms  G    Olympians series  Graphic Novel    

In translating the mythological tale of Hades, the author of this graphic novel turns the story into an almost urban tale, using contemporary language and slang.  The story concerns Hades, but it really seems to be more about his wife Persephone and her mother Demeter.  The illustrations are well done. The story is interesting, but there are often places where the text seems disjointed and too simplistic.       The Olympians is a well-illustrated series that provides a contemporary slant on Greek mythological tales of the gods and goddesses.     

G          Lynn Fisher                Greek mythology, Graphic novels

 

O’Connor, George Hera: the Goddess and Her Glory

O’Connor, George  Hera: the Goddess and Her Glory     

 First Second (Macmillan)      2011  77p   9.99  978-1-59643-433-2       

ms/hs VG-BN Graphic-non-fiction     

  This is the story of Hera, the goddess of air, the sky, and the heavens. Her husband, Zeus, well and truly fears her wrath. The story is told in graphic format. This is a beautifully illustrated and written book on one of the Greek myths. The book effectively characterizes Hera as a vindictive goddess who wrecks havoc and gets her way in most things. However, Zeus was known for his philandering with human maidens. Hera then exacted vengeance. Hercules’ trials were featured in the graphic novel.
     The format of the book was balanced and well paced in it’s story line and panel placement. The subdued colors portray the seriousness of the trials Hercules had to undertake.
     In a school library the book had several additions that make it very useful for research.
The author notes contained the author’s thoughts and feelings about the goddess, Hera. The notes section effectively documented the research and creditability of the book’s information. The discussion’s page included several questions the teacher or individual reader could use to more effectively understand the information in the graphic novel.
The bibliography presents additional materials that could be obtained by the reader. Lastly, feature pages for Hera, Hercules, and the Hydra provide condensed information on the individuals.
Mythology   Linda McNeil

 

O'Connor, Barbara The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester

O'Connor, Barbara The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester
Farrar Strauss see macmillan children's pub group 2010 168p 15.99 978-0-374-36850-0 elem E-BN


After Owen captures a huge bullfrog, tries to tame it, then has to release it, he and his friends try to use a small submarine that fell from a passing train to observe the frog in the pond it came from, while avoiding nosy tag-along Viola. Owen Jester is thrilled when he finally captures the biggest, greenest, slimiest, most beautiful bullfrog in Carter, Georgia. He names the frog "Tooley Graham," and determines to keep the wild creature as a pet. With his best friends, Travis and Stumpy, Owen finds summer vacation a busy time. There are frog cages to build, females to avoid (notably Earlene, his family's disapproving housekeeper and nosy know-it-all next-door-neighbor, Viola), and...a submarine to launch!

Yes, Owen discovers a two-passenger submarine that has fallen from a train, when he follows up on a crashing noise that he heard in the middle of the night. Owen tries to keep this secret from everyone but his friends (i.e., excluding Viola and all adults). But Viola is persistent. To keep her from tattling to the grown-ups, the boys agree to let Viola help them with the sub, which they plan to move into a nearby pond. They reason that if Tooley is released in the pond they will be able to observe him in his natural habitat from the vehicle.

The spare plot is smooth and focused, complemented with well-drawn, believable characters. The boys╒ nemesis, Viola, is particularly memorable. Viola, an unwanted tag along, is allergic to pine and grass and dust and dogs and just about every good thing in life. Worse (from Owen╒s point of view) she is bossy and always right.

In the end, Viola becomes an ally rather than an archenemy in Owen's secret summertime adventure. Owen learns some important lessons about friendship and responsibility. And readers -- male and female -- enjoy a well-written adventure.

Well-crafted and appealing, this novel has already been included on School Library Journal Best Books 2010. Realistic Fiction, Friendship-Fiction; Frogs-Fiction; Submersibles-Fiction; Submarines-Fiction; Bullfrogs-Fiction; Georgia-Fiction; Family life-Fiction; Adventure and Adventurers - Fiction Welliver, Hilary