Club-Read: The Baby-Sitters Club #17: Mary Anne's Bad Luck Mystery

After a really solid introduction to Jessi last book, it's Mary Anne's third turn as narrator. We've had two really solid books with her so far. Which is why I worry about this one, because this one feels more like a sitcom plot than a book. A story about chain letters and bad luck. I mean, it doesn't sound like the worst book ever, and more often than not these books have surprised me, but I'm not going into this one with the gust I probably should have. Prove me wrong book. It's time to find out about Mary Anne's Bad Luck Mystery.

NNtG: Graveyard School #04: Little Pet Werewolf

It's time for another trip to Graveyard School. We've still not found the book I can say is my favorite, but I've enjoyed this series so far. This book has werewolves, and our ratio of good to bad werewolf books have usually skewed good, so maybe this could be the one. Or, knowing how I always get disappointed when a book looks great, this could be on the bad end. Let's hope not as we talk about Little Pet Werewolf.

I like this cover. Very simple, but still does what it sets out to do. And that's give us a little pet werewolf. And he sure looks pretty adorable with his fury face and freaky fangs and claws. Also we have a school desk just to make sure that yes, this book is set in Graveyard School. Not the most dynamic cover in the series, but still really good. Let that not be a harbinger for the quality of the story.

Retromorphs: Animorphs #19: The Departure

So... that last book sure happened. By which I mean In the Time of Dinosaurs, not The Decision. A bloated book that ended with the Animorphs being cool with Tobias letting a genocide happen. It also was a book that definitely seemed to push Cassie's ethics button hard. The last few books have actually. So we're back with her as narrator with a book that puts this recent streak of hers to the forefront. Does it make for a good book? Dude, it could be mid as all hell and it would still be a step up from that last book. It's time for The Departure.

I will also note the cover is interesting for one real reason. It's the most accurate to what the books describe. Not so much the process of morphing butterfly and all, but the skin tight leotard worn by Cassie is actually accurate clothing to what they wear during morphs. Just a neat factoid to start us out on.

Retromorphs: Animorphs Megamorphs #02: In the Time of Dinosaurs

You ever have that one piece of media from one of your favorite things that you were super excited for when it's announced and yet when you experience it, you're incredibly underwhelmed? Well, with Animorphs that distinction goes to the TV show. But you ever have a second piece of media from one of your favorite things that you were super excited for when it's announced and yet when you experience it, you're incredibly underwhelmed? Call that a case of burying the lede here, but that's probably my easiest way to describe my history with the second Megamorphs book. 

Animorphs in dinosaur times, getting dino morphs, having an adventure, sounds awesome. Then you remember it's a Megamorphs and that these books aren't as important to the general plot of the series. Less deep insight on the universe, more amnesia subplots and the villain being a giant cloud. All wrapped in one big, clunky package. It's also a book that stands out to me for the big pivotal part of the story, which I know certain people really hate. So will I feel the same? Will a reread of this book change my perception? Probably not but hell with it. Let's find out as we journey In the Time of Dinosaurs.

I don't usually cover the covers of Animorphs since there isn't much to really say. Freaky image of a kid or hawk or Andalite being morphed into an animal. Pretty straightforward. This cover does require some mention as Scholastic went all out for this book, giving it about seven covers at least. All are the same front cover, but with different colors, each with an inside cover of a mid-morph Animorph, sans Tobias and Ax who just look normal, well normal in hawk mode I guess. A seventh edition features all of the inside cover arts. I think my original copy was the one with Cassie as the inside cover, don't fully recall, but the copy I currently own is the multi-character inside page. I do like the front cover art, a cool mix of the eyes of the main cast and the different animal patterns. Doesn't exactly scream "book about dinosaurs" but as a more experimental attempt by the brand, it does a great job.

Back to Ghoul: The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids #05: Ghosts Don't Eat Potato Chips

This is the first and probably only case with the Bailey School Kids where I instantly remember the title and the cover from when I was a kid. I don't recall if I read it or at least read it entirely, but it's the case where the title definitely rings a bell with me. So we've had maybe-vampires, maybe-werewolves, maybe-definitely-Santas and maybe-leprechauns. So maybe-ghosts shouldn't come to be that much of a shock. Does it mean good book, or are we doomed to be haunted by the spirit of mediocrity? We're about to see for ourselves as we learn why Ghosts Don't Eat Potato Chips. Maybe they prefer pretzels or, like Goldfish crackers. 

Like I said, I remember this cover. The brown-ness of the attic, the ghostly guy with his hat, sweater and really nice mustache. I even remember the floating chips. I remember all of that... except the Bailey School packaging. Because the version I remember seeing wasn't labeled under the Bailey School Kids copy. I think a couple books are like that, but this one I remember specifically having a copy without the label. Features the same art as well. So maybe that's why mentally I never consider this to be a Bailey School Kids book. But even with that said, this is a neat cover. Though the transparent nature of our maybe-ghost does make him seem more supernatural than any of the maybe-monsters so far. It's a warm cover and I really like it. Good stuff.

Gnome Cave: The AVGN Critiques Nostalgia

So this will be somewhat different than my normal blogs, just because I'm not sure how cool James Rolfe is with a full-on page for page recap, but will go over the plot regardless, so still a spoiler warning. This is more a general review of the book which will still go over the events of it.

James Rolfe has been a part of my life for 20 years. Which is depressing to think about when you consider it. But yeah, from the early days of Youtube, I've had James' AVGN character be a formative character in my twenties going into forties. I remember specifically that the first episode I watched was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles review, having grown up with that frustrating game. And I was still in the perfect age for immaturity. I mean I'm still immature as hell, but you get my drift. But loud, vulgar, angry man ranting on old video games was up my alley. Even if the man seemed a bit too interested in the scatological. I of course ended up being a fan of the likes of the Nostalgia Critic, and others of that ilk. But overtime I started to wind down my interest as I became more interested in pure reviews over skit-laden, shouty, "media bad" videos.

But I'm also now a book reviewer. One that mainly reviews old kids books, but I'm willing to make some exceptions. And, much like James Rolfe, I'm someone who surrounds themselves with nostalgia. And I get the very nature of how toxic that nostalgia is. Which is what interested me when I found out that James had written a book. A horror book called Gnome Cave. Of course I've covered first horror books before from the likes of R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike. So I was at least intrigued about what James of all people had to offer. Could James offer a solid horror story? Well, I bought the book and honestly... I admire the effort is the nicest way to put it. Because it's honestly a rough book. Not in an "emotionally rough to read" book, just very, very rough. 

Club-Read: The Baby-Sitters Club #16: Jessi's Secret Language

Jessi Ramsey made her debut in the fourteenth book in the series, Hello, Mallory. New best friend to Mallory, loves reading, ballet and telling jokes. Also Jessi and her family are a black family in the predominantly white town of Stoneybrook, Connecticut and her first appearance makes it abundantly clear that Stoneybrook kind of sucks and is filled with a lot of racists. So clearly her books have to focus on several aspects. Her role as a member of the club, her family fitting in and being more accepted by Stoneybrook, and her own motivations and dreams. So that's a lot of weight. Does that weight carry into Jessi being a strong book lead? Especially when her first book is focused on how to deal with a kid with a disability? Let's see if Jessi can start off strong with Jessi's Secret Language.

I'm putting all three covers together this time since all three essentially are the same concept, which is Jessi using sign language with Matt Braddock, the newest kid in Stoneybrook. And I like all three rather equally. On a design standpoint, my preference is the 2021 reprint's design as I like the art style overall, and the graphic novel's design is also quite good, but the classic does a good job in its own right.