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.

Review of "Childproof: Cartoons About Parents & Children," by Roz Chast

 Review of

Childproof: Cartoons About Parents & Children, by Roz Chast ISBN 9780786862443

Five out of five stars

The challenges of parenthood from both perspectives

 For nearly all adults, the most significant thing they will do in their life is to have children and raise them to adulthood. It is an extremely challenging profession, at time filling you with the greatest joy and at other times frustrating you to the point of literal madness. It takes the twisted mind of a genius to find humor in these situations, Roz Chast satisfies that job description.

 The cartoons depict common scenarios that take place between parents and children as well as between children. Sometimes they are siblings while at other times they are playmates or classmates. The cartoons are amusing because they are so true. Life’s challenges are hard, and parenting is a daily hard, balancing everything from earning a living to feeding them to simply sharing the same household.

 If you want to see truth expressed in the funny papers, this is the book for you.

Review of "Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City," by Janet Schulman

 Review of

Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City, by Janet Schulman ISBN 9780375945588

Five out of five stars

Great nature tale set in an urban setting

Pale Male was a male hawk that set up residence in New York City within sight of Central Park. With plenty of small game to feed on in the park, he became a major attraction to many New Yorkers and tourists. He soared with ease over the high buildings, making him easy to see from the ground. Taking a mate, the couple raised several broods of chicks, nesting near the top of a local building.

 When there were some major objections to the natural mess caused down below, there was a movement to remove their nesting habitat. However, there was significant opposition to this move, some of which was based on the endangered species act. As a consequence, it was decided that the hawks would be left alone to live out their lives in that area.

 This is a true story, which makes it all the more appealing. It demonstrates that there is popular interest and support for nature in urban areas. Pale Male became a significant attraction for the people of New York as they watched the hawks fly and followed the progress of their chicks. Written for children, this book is also a delight for adults.

Review of "Five-Minute Whodunits," by Stan Smith

 Review of

Five-Minute Whodunits, by Stan Smith, ISBN 0806994029

Five out of five stars

Basic logic puzzles or key fact lead to solution

 Approximately two pages of text and an illustration of one-half a page are all that the reader is given regarding a puzzling situation, almost always a crime. In some cases, the presentation is in the form of a logic puzzle, where there are a small number of people, and you are given specific characteristics about them. By applying that data, it is always possible to discern the answer, as is usually the case with such puzzles, the answer is obvious after the fact.

 Some of the mysteries are solved by recognizing the one key fact in the description. Since there are few facts in the description, this type is generally easier to solve than those where you must go through and eliminate scenarios.

 This is a book that will challenge your powers of logical deduction. Generally speaking, it is better to only read and solve a few at each setting. For me, after two or three, the urge to peek ahead at the solution became very strong.