Children's Book Review: Far Out! by Anne Bustard

Far Out! by Anne Bustard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A fun and exciting children's chapter book that will entertain older readers, too!

Far Out! is the new children's historical mystery by author Anne Bustard that will also entertain and delight older readers. Just days before their hometown’s First Annual Come On Down Day, held to hopefully encourage the world’s first contact, Mimi Crook, the vice president of the Totter Unidentified Flying Object Organization, becomes the main suspect when a coveted space artifact disappears. However, her granddaughter is sure she’s innocent, no matter how suspicious her grandmother is acting. And with the main character, Magnolia Jean Crook, and her best guy pal, Nick Lawless, on the case of the missing meteorite, everything is sure to work out fine.

The story's setting is in the small town of Totter, Texas, in November 1964. LBJ is President, and America is smack in the middle of the space race. I loved the idea of the town capitalizing on the country's fascination with all things space and alien with not only the festival but the decorations around town, simple and spectacular (the spaced-out dolls on the square were a hoot and probably one of my favorite images of all time!)

MJ and Nick are sure to appeal to readers of all ages, and there are plenty of other named characters to get to know. I enjoyed the small-town vibe of everyone knowing everyone else. I was surprised by Mimi's official arrest even though I understood the reasoning behind it, trying to treat all suspects equally. A quibble, though, the Miranda Warning issued by the arresting deputy in the story was not in use until after 1966 and, frankly, not in wide or consistent practice at the local level well into the 70s.

I enjoyed the mystery the two new young sleuths pursue and how they worked their investigation into their daily activities. MJ's use of questions and comments she's heard used on TV detective shows was fun and made me laugh. The issue of dementia will resonate with many readers. Chapters are compact and of convenient lengths, perfectly sized for young readers.

With its pair of relatable young sleuths, nostalgic mid-60s timeframe, small-town Texas ambiance, and the unique and appealing underlying subject matter of visitors from outer space, I recommend FAR OUT! to readers of all ages but especially upper elementary school-aged readers looking for an exciting yet approachable chapter book.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Book Blog Tours.

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Children's Book Review: The Two Terrors of Tulelake by W.M. Gunn

The Two Terrors of Tulelake by W.M. Gunn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Eye-opening historical fiction novel for more mature middle-grade readers.

The Two Terrors of Tulelake by Texas author WM Gunn is an eye-opening and suspenseful historical fiction novel about the Japanese-American internment camps set up on the West Coast during World War II. Entire families, rather, entire communities of Americans with Japanese heritage, were forcibly removed to hastily constructed internment camps and detained after the attack on Pearl Harbor as fears of spies and Japanese operatives raced through cities and towns across the West. The horrific events, both before and after the internments occurred, are recounted from the point of view of 16-year-old Ichiro Hisakawa, whose family members were all born in the U.S., yet still eyed with suspicion and subjected to detention in the Tulelake, California, camp along with thousands of others. What makes this story unique is the presence of a modern-day boy whose psyche is thrust back in time to 1942 and co-exists in Ichiro’s mind.

Bobby King was a 16-year-old bully in 2017. The product of a broken home, with an absent mother and alcoholic father, Bobby has been dealt a horrible hand, and his goal is to take out all his rage, hurt, and disillusionment on anyone and everyone else. Knocked unconscious when an act of vandalism and revenge goes wrong, he awakens to find himself the second personality inside Ichiro’s mind.

The story is filled with characters, both fictional and historical, and the perspective sometimes shifts from Ichiro/Bobby to others to provide context to historical events or circumstances that neither boy is privy to. There are good guys, bad guys, and followers, but Bobby eventually sees how he, too, was a bad actor in his time, similar to the evil Sergeant Weston at the camp. Young readers will clearly get the messages the story conveys, as Bobby’s cruel behavior is often demonstrated, and Sgt. Weston voices his vitriol over and over, often with a compassionate adult present in such scenes to point out the obvious hate and wrongdoing. The Hisakawa family is strong in the face of danger in the camp, heroic considering the ample examples of what happens to those who don’t go along with the gangs. The story goes a little long in setting up Bobby’s situation and the years spent in the camp, and while the chapters are nice sized, the length may discourage young readers.

I recommend THE TWO TERRORS OF TULELAKE to readers of middle-grade historical and science fiction.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Book Blog Tours.

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