Illustrated Versions of Beloved Classics

Emma: Illustrations by Marjolein Bastin (Marjolein Bastin Classics Series) Hardcover -- March 2, 2021
by Jane Austen (Author), Marjolein Bastin (Illustrator)
Hardcover : 360 pages
ISBN-10 : 1524863076
ISBN-13 : 978-1524863074
Reading age : 7 - 10 years
Lexile measure : 10L
Grade level : 4 - 6

Pride and Prejudice (Marjolein Bastin Classics Series) Hardcover – March 2, 2021

by Jane Austen (Author), Marjolein Bastin (Illustrator)
Hardcover : 288 pages
ISBN-10 : 1524861758
ISBN-13 : 978-1524861759
Reading age : 7 - 10 years
Hardcover : 288 pages
ISBN-10 : 1524861758
ISBN-13 : 978-1524861759
Reading age : 7 - 10 years 

Jane Eyre: Illustrations by Marjolein Bastin (Marjolein Bastin Classics Series) Hardcover – March 2, 2021

by Charlotte Brontë (Author), Marjolein Bastin (Illustrator)

Publisher : Andrews McMeel Publishing (March 2, 2021)

Hardcover : 408 pages

ISBN-10 : 1524861723

ISBN-13 : 978-1524861728

Reading age : 12 years and up

Publisher’s Blurb:

The Marjolein Bastin Classics Series is a chance to rediscover classic literature in collectible, luxuriously illustrated volumes. For the first time ever, the internationally celebrated artwork of Marjolein Bastin graces the pages of timeless classics. Beyond bringing these stories to life, Bastin’s series adds elaborately designed ephemera, such as letters, invitations, and more. Whether an ideal gift for an Austen or Brontë devotee or a treat for yourself, the Marjolein Bastin Classics Series, as a set or individually purchased, is perfect for anyone who feels a connection to these enduring literary gems.

My Thoughts:

Marjolein Bastin’s beautiful illustrations of botanicals and nature have long been a favorite. Combine them with some of my favorite literature? Yes, please!

That said…the illustrations are incidental to the story. They are not illustrations of scenes from the books. The publisher’s blurb says there are facsimiles of sheet music, family trees, etc., but the eARCs I was provided did not include these, so I cannot comment on them.

Story wise, these are as they have ever been. Pride and Prejudice is one of my “desert island” books; I can read it over and over, and not tire of it. Emma is still my least favorite of Austen’s works, and she still bugs me.

But there is a reason these classics have been made and remade as movies, whether set in their original timeframe or updated. They are charming and witty, and Austen’s observations on human nature, like Shakespeare’s, hold up to the test of time.

Bronte's work is a little moodier and a little more tragic, but, like Austen, her story has permeated film and literature in the decades and centuries since its publication.

I definitely disagree with the publisher’s details on the reading level of these books. They are not for 7-10-year-olds, or 4^th- to 6^th-graders. I was a pretty advanced reader and didn’t read P&P until my sophomore year in high school. My college prep reading class struggled with the language and long sentences of these books.

If you’re looking to collect beautiful copies of favorite books, these fill the bill. I couldn’t find specific information, but I imagine them in a larger trim size, on beautiful glossy 100 lb. paper, as with our fancy editions of Tolkein or Rowling. As they will not be released for three more months, this is only speculation. However, that would definitely do Bastein’s beautiful, delicate work justice!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARCs.

I Spy...Some Great Books for Tweens and Teens!

 

City Spies

By James Ponti

Publisher : Aladdin (March 10, 2020)

Hardcover : 384 pages

ISBN-10 : 1534414916

ISBN-13 : 978-1534414914

Reading level : 8 - 12 years

Lexile measure : 750L

Grade level : 3 - 7

Publisher’s Blurb:

Sara Martinez is a hacker. She recently broke into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers. However, instead of being hailed as a hero, Sara finds herself facing years in a juvenile detention facility and banned from using computers for the same stretch of time. Enter Mother, a British spy who not only gets Sara released from jail but also offers her a chance to make a home for herself within a secret MI6 agency.

Operating out of a base in Scotland, the City Spies are five kids from various parts of the world. When they’re not attending the local boarding school, they’re honing their unique skills, such as sleight of hand, breaking and entering, observation, and explosives. All of these allow them to go places in the world of espionage where adults can’t.

Before she knows what she’s doing, Sara is heading to Paris for an international youth summit, hacking into a rival school’s computer to prevent them from winning a million euros, dangling thirty feet off the side of a building, and trying to stop a villain…all while navigating the complex dynamics of her new team.

No one said saving the world was easy…

My Thoughts:

Short version: Get this book.

Longer version: I first became aware of Ponti through his TOAST series. My then-seventh-grader resists everything I suggest, but her love of John Grisham’s Theodore Boone books prompted me to nudge her a little. When the pandemic closed our schools, I got her a box set of the TOAST books and she loved them. So City Spies was a natural next step.

Reader, she has read the book at least 10 times. She loves it. This is an epic win.

Reader, I have read it too. I also love it.

Ponti has a great grasp of tween and tween behavior. The characters feel real, even if their situations (consultants to the FBI, MI6 agents) are a stretch for the imagination. The cover story for their presence in the organization is clever, and these characters function so well in their circumstances that it becomes easy to suspend your disbelief.

My daughter (and I) also enjoy Ponti’s sense of humor and sneaky allusions. We loved the Matilda references in Chapter 2.

The plot itself is fun, with teen themes of fitting in and adapting to new situations, as well as a fast-paced spy story.

Possible objectionable material:

Sara is a hacker and we meet her in juvie because of her illegal activities. Some violence. People have died, but offscreen. Perilous situations. Tweens and teens running around unsupervised. Deception.

Who might like this book:

People who love spy stories. People who enjoy humor. Those who like stories about teens. Either gender—both are well represented in this book. This book was very readable for me as an adult, with strong adult characters.

Thank you to Simon and Shuster and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

City Spies 2: Golden Gate

By James Ponti

Publisher : Aladdin (March 16, 2021)

Hardcover : 432 pages

ISBN-13 : 978-1534414945

ISBN-10 : 1534414940

Reading level : 8 - 12 years

Grade level : 3 - 7

 Publisher’s Blurb:

After thwarting a notorious villain at an eco-summit in Paris, the City Spies are gearing up for their next mission. Operating out of a base in Scotland, this secret team of young agents working for the British Secret Intelligence Service’s MI6 division have honed their unique skills, such as sleight of hand, breaking and entering, observation, and explosives. All of these allow them to go places in the world of espionage where adults can’t.

Fourteen-year-old Sydney is a surfer and a rebel from Bondi Beach, Australia. She’s also a field ops specialist for the City Spies. Sydney is excited to learn that she’ll be going undercover on the marine research vessel the Sylvia Earle. But things don’t go exactly as planned, and while Sydney does find herself in the spotlight, it’s not in the way she was hoping.

Meanwhile, there’s been some new intel regarding a potential mole within the organization, offering the spies a lead that takes them to San Francisco, California. But as they investigate a spy who died at the Botanical Gardens, they discover that they are also being investigated. And soon, they’re caught up in an exciting adventure filled with rogue missions and double agents!

This mission is hot! The City Spies are a go!

My Thoughts:

The characters we loved in City Spies are back, and Ponti wastes no time bringing us into the middle of an operation.

Where the first book focused most on Sara/Brooklyn, this one gives us more from Sydney, without neglecting the other characters. We get to know more backstories of the various City Spies, as well as of Mother and Monty. Clues also trickle in about the disappearance of Mother’s wife and children.

The mystery plot is just intricate enough, with some good surprises that I didn’t see coming. Ponti’s screenwriting past is apparent with the quick cuts in the climactic scenes.

Once again, my 13-year-old is raving about this book. She’s read it three times and it won’t even be released until March. It’s a good thing Ponti is working on the next one already!

From my...slightly older...perspective, Ponti is writing good spy fiction. Forget that the spies are kids and just enjoy it as a good read.

There’s also a surprise appearance by the “Prince of Wales”—not the one we know, but an imaginary one!

Go ahead. Preorder it now. And then start your countdown!

Possible Objectionable Material:

Perilous situations. Breaking and entering. Tweens unaccompanied in a big city. Some violence, but what is shown is minimal. Deception.

Who might like this book:

People who love spy stories. People who enjoy humor. Those who like stories about teens. Either gender—both are well represented in this book. This book was very readable for me as an adult, with strong adult characters.

Thank you to Simon and Shuster and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.