Review of "The Cat That Was Nothing But Trouble," by Anne Toole

 Review of

The Cat That Was Nothing But Trouble, by Anne Toole ISBN 9781478797432

Five out of five stars

How the old pet views the new one

 Lee is a small white puppy that is living an idyllic life. He has his toys, food and all the attention of the adults in the house. His world is uprooted when his Mom encountered what she thought was a stray cat while she was out walking. Feeling sorry for it, she brought it home and began feeding it. Intimidated by the new “beast,” Lee is uncertain as to what to do.

 When the cat engages in mischief and damages things, Lee is the one that gets the blame, which sends him into a depressive state. Things continue to go downhill until the joyous day when a man knocks on the door and tells Mom that he is looking for his cat named Sweetie Pie. He calls her the best cat in the world and wonders if she has seen it. When the cat hears the man’s voice it runs to him with joy and the last sight Lee has of the cat is when it is being carried away and out of his life.

 The story is expressed in rhyming form with the general pattern being the even lines rhyme with the line preceding it. The level of the prose is that of the middle of elementary school. It is a solid story that contains a valuable lesson to children regarding the acquisition of a second pet. While the children may be excited about getting the new pet, the one with seniority may have a contrary opinion.

Review of "Classics Illustrated: Twenty Years After," by Alexandre Dumas

 Review of

Classics Illustrated: Twenty Years After, by Alexandre Dumas

Five out of five stars

Synopsis of a novel not widely known

 Nearly everyone has heard of the novel, “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas, but few know that there were in fact six novels featuring the D'Artagnan character. They form a chronology and the second novel in the series after “The Three Musketeers” is “Twenty Years After.”

 Much has changed in the lives of D'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis in the twenty years since the events chronicled in the first novel. Athos has returned to his estate, Porthos has married the widow of a lawyer and Aramis is now a priest. When D'Artagnan becomes involved with political intrigue, he seeks the aid of his friends with the goal being to serve the queen currently acting as regent, Queen Anne of Austria.

 The plot is complex, with former friends and enemies joining forces and splitting. It is a great story of adventure and intrigue over the French throne. The four main characters are once again fighting on the same side and are honorable men that keep their word.

 This comic is a synopsis of the novel and covers the essentials of the story. It is a good introduction, complete enough that it could serve as a primer in a high school English or literature class. While some deride the use of comic books as educational tools, I am one that is in favor of any way that can possibly entice young people to study the classics. This comic is an excellent tool to be used in that endeavor.

Review of "True Tales of Animal Heroes," by Allan Zullo

 Review of

True Tales of Animal Heroes, by Allan Zullo, ISBN 9780439662130

Five out of five stars

Admittedly, embellished for drama, still great true stories

There are eight stories in this collection, and each deals with an animal that intervened to either warn or save a human from grave danger. The creatures are dogs, cats, a horse, dolphins and a talking parrot. My favorite is when dolphins intervene to save a girl from being attacked by a shark. There is mention of the famous dolphin known as Pelorus Jack. It was a Risso’s dolphin that roamed in the French Pass, a very dangerous stretch of water. Jack was known as an accurate guide for ships to traverse the pass, as it would swim with the ship and guide it through the pass. It was so well known that if a ship arrived to go through the pass and Jack was not there, the ship would stop and wait. No ship escorted by Jack was ever lost.

 Some of the stories are those that have been repeated, the animal that wakes humans when there is a fire, dogs that dive in water to save a drowning human and a cat that defended a fellow pet dog from the attack of a vicious dog. They are heartwarming stories that will release moisture from your tear ducts.

Review of "Miss Caroline," by Gerald Gardner

 Review of

Miss Caroline, by Gerald Gardner

Four out of five stars

Very dated humor, some history is needed to appreciate

 Caroline Kennedy was three years old when her father John F. Kennedy was elected president and was nearly six years old when he was assassinated. This book of cartoons depicts her dealing with situations concerning her father, his position and where he lived from the perspective of a young child. Since many of the references in the cartoon are to political figures and events of the time, a great deal of knowledge of history is required if the reader is to understand all the cartoons.

 For example, there is the one of Caroline walking into a room where a man has a smoking cigarette in his hand. If you know history, you will recognize famed journalist Edward R. Murrow. There is another where Caroline is asking a man, “Who lived in the nursery when you were here?” This will make sense only if you recognize the figure as that of former president Harry Truman. Finally, there is the one where Caroline looks up at a priest and says, “How do you feel about federal aid to parochial schools?”

 Although dated, these cartoons are an excellent look back to a time when the presidency of a young man was referred to as “Camelot.” While there were great tensions in the world, polite humor could still be generated featuring the child of a president.

Review of "A Power Boys Adventure: The Mystery of the Burning Ocean," by Mel Lyle

 Review of

A Power Boys Adventure: The Mystery of the Burning Ocean, by Mel Lyle

Four out of five stars

Solid adventure involving teenage boys

 Like all solid books written for the YA market that has teen boys as the central characters, the plot features the boys doing something that most want to do. In this case it is scuba diving. Jack and Chip Power are in the Caribbean with their widowed father. He is a photographer that travels around to the get the best shots. The boys were scheduled to go back to their home base of New York City, but when their father decides to pursue another option, he allows the boys to stay for some additional time. Their father admonishes them to be careful when diving before boarding his flight.

 The Power Boys adventure literally falls down in front of them when another teen boy that is heavily sunburned collapses in front of them. His name is Bob, and his goal is to recover a figurine that was sunk in his father’s yacht. In his will, Bob’s father had made the stipulation that Bob must recover the figurine before he could inherit from his father’s estate. When he learns that Jack and Chip know how to dive, Bob asks them to teach him so that he can recover the figurine.

The now allied trio knows that there is a protagonist, but there are two candidates for the opposition. Clues are put forward pointing towards two different men, but this is not resolved until the end. There is adventure with a hint of danger, both from the act of diving around a shipwreck to that from their opposition. None of it is extremely serious, mostly just threats.

 Since the story is based on two standard adventure concepts of diving and exploring sunken ships, this is a good one. It keeps the reader’s interest at a level that is high enough that you want to keep the pages turning.

Review of "Spock Must Die!," by James Blish

 Review of

Spock Must Die!, by James Blish

Four out of five stars

A significant first, although not great

 While this novel does not have a stellar plot, it occupies a significant role in the Star Trek saga. After the original series was over, Blish wrote a series of paperback adaptations of the episodes of the original series. This was the first original novel in what was to become a major series of books starring the characters of the original series. It was also the first step in several lines of original material in the Star Trek genre.

 The plot is based on a continuation of the original series episode, “Errand of Mercy.” It introduced the Organians, powerful creatures that put a stop to the war between the Klingon Empire and the Federation. It also was the first episode where the Klingons appeared.

 In this case, the Klingons have somehow managed to neutralize the Organians and launched a war against the Federation. It is a brutal conflict, so in an attempt to stop it quickly, the crew of the Enterprise tries to overcome that neutralization so that the Organians can out a stop to the war. There is an attempt to beam Spock through the interference to planet of Organia. What happens is that Spock is duplicated, but not a complete good twin/bad twin split like that in the original series episode “The Enemy Within.” The duplicate in this case retains Spock’s full intellect while plotting to do evil.

 Kirk and the other members of the crew must continue to press their attempt to defeat the Klingons while simultaneously relying on Spock for his aid while making sure that neither one is given the opportunity to commit malfeasance.

 The plot is weak, other than the first one (The Enemy Within), plots based on transporter accidents must be very good or they fail. It is hard to believe that such errors could take place in a device so heavily used. While this is not a great novel, the fact that it started something great will forever place it on the pedestal of breakthroughs.

Review of "Tom Corbett Space Cadet: On the Trail of the Space Pirates," by Carey Rockwell

Review of

Tom Corbett Space Cadet: On the Trail of the Space Pirates, by Carey Rockwell

Four out of five stars

Dated, but entertaining

 Published in 1953 before there was a detailed understanding of the environments of the other planets and satellites in the solar system, there are some major scientific holes in the plot. Venus is depicted as a habitable planet and there are rather Earthlike colonies on Mars and some of the satellites of Jupiter. Humans have extended their range of habitat all the way to Pluto.

 Yet, this is fundamentally an adventure written for the YA market and it is basically a good guy versus outlaw story. Tom Corbett is a cadet in the Solar Guard, the military/police force of the Solar Alliance. He is the command cadet of a three-member unit. They serve under Captain Steve Strong and they come into direct opposition with a powerful interplanetary pirate force led by the ruthless Bull Coxine.  

 The action is somewhat formulaic, their position relative to the pirates rises and falls until there is a tense moment in the end with a climactic battle. They battle with modern stun weapons and powerful laser cannons, but at times it comes down to a one-on-one battle with their fists.

 This book is very typical of YA science fiction of the fifties. Although it is scientifically very dated, it is still entertaining, replace the spaceships with sailing ships and the basic story is hundreds of years old.