Review of "Bobbie Bubbles," by E. Hugh Sherwood and Maud Gridley Budlong

Review of

Bobbie Bubbles, by E. Hugh Sherwood and Maud Gridley Budlong

Five out of five stars

 Although there are many features of this book that are similar to other fantasy tales for children, this is a delightful book. One day Bobbie is out in the garden with Betty and Billy blowing soap bubbles and there is a contest to see who can create the biggest bubble. Bobbie blows one that is so large that it engulfs him and it sails away with him inside.

 It does not take long for him to realize that it is a magic bubble and it takes him up into the sky where he encounters flying geese and several different kingdoms populated by many different characters and creatures. There is a farm in the sky, a kingdom ruled by the warlike King of Mars with his soldiers, a beautiful queen of the fairies along with her flying girls, the four different Winds and lastly the Comet Express. Bobbie encounters difficulties, but until the end something always intervenes to keep him safe. It is the wicked Comet Express that bursts his bubble and brings him back to Earth, landing in the sea. Somehow, Bobbie is transported back to his garden where he is sitting in a puddle.

 While there are dangers in Bobbie’s adventure, none are even close to being the scary type, making this an excellent story for young children. The illustrations are mostly in color and are well done. Although published in 1916, this is a book that has retained its charm for over a century.

Review of "The Baseball Trick," by Scott Corbett

Review of

The Baseball Trick, by Scott Corbett

Five out of five stars

 While the title is accurate in that this is a book about baseball, it also includes an old woman that is capable of performing magic. Her name is Mrs. Graymalkin and her mode of operation is the magic potion. When Kerby Maxwell and his friends are preparing to have a game against his archrival Red Blake, they are taken advantage of. The unwritten rules are that the players on the teams have to be boys from their respective neighborhoods and below a certain age.

 However, Red brings in some bigger, more powerful boys from elsewhere as ringers and so Kerby’s team looks to be in danger of being blown out. Therefore, he asks Mrs. Graymalkin for help and she tells him to mix two chemicals in the chemistry set that she gave him and then pour a certain amount into the water that his team will drink.

 The potion works and the boys that consume it are suddenly capable of amazing feats on the baseball diamond. However, things do not go entirely the way that Kerby wanted it, even though everything works out in the end. Kerby’s dog Waldo also emerges as something of a hero when it faces down a large and very intimidating dog after drinking the potion.

 The combination of baseball and magic will delight young readers, even those that don’t really get excited about baseball.

Review of "Batman: A Death in the Family," by Jim Starlin, Marv Wolfman, Jim Aparo and George Perez

Review of

Batman: A Death in the Family, by Jim Starlin, Marv Wolfman, Jim Aparo and George Perez ISBN 9781401232740.

Five out of five stars

 This sequence of continuous stories is about Batman and his fundamental need for a close crime fighting companion, A.K.A. a Robin. There are three Robins in this sequence of stories, the original Dick Grayson that went on to become Nightwing, his replacement Jason Todd and the young and talented trainee, Tim Drake.

 There is a great deal of psychological undercurrent in this series of stories, the primary question is, “Does Batman need a young sidekick Robin in order to function effectively?” When the Jason Todd version of Robin is killed by the Joker with help from Jason’s mother, Batman grows hard and distant, taking risks far beyond those that he considered when working with the Grayson version of Robin.

 Through the psychoanalysis, there are battles to be fought with Two-Face and the Joker, both ruthless men that are psychotic, yet geniuses in their own right. As the stories unfold, there are some odd twists that are unexpected, the reader is forever uncertain regarding the fate of the main characters. After all, if you can kill off Robin, all others are at risk.