The Gaudí Tour, by Raul Fattore

Raul Fattore's "The Gaudí Tour" should be mandatory reading for any tourist who visits Barcelona. Published as part of Mr. Fattore's "Barcelona on a Budget" series, the book provides a "[s]elf-guided tour with clear turn-by-turn instructions to discover 15 Gaudí works in Barcelona, including all the tips and secrets to do it on a budget." For each of these works, the book provides a history and detailed description, information on any mass transportation to the building, street by street instructions on getting there via a YouTube linked-video guide, the hours the building is open, whether the admission is free or discounted, and a list of places to visit nearby. While the book is available in paperback, the ebook format, capable of being downloaded to a smart phone, is especially convenient for a visitor who wants to limit the amount or weight of cargo to carry while touring Barcelona.

This is a book that introduces the visitor to Barcelona and its important Gaudí buildings. While I would prefer to see more photos of the buildings in the guide, since it not a treatise on architecture or art, additional photos may not be necessary. "The Gaudí Tour" is a valuable, very helpful tool to be used when visiting Barcelona.

(In exchange for an honest review, I received a review copy of this book.)
Print Length: 138 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publication Date: October 31, 2016
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC

Roaming with Rudy, Washington DC! by Corinne Humphrey

This is a very cool book! Written for children, it also is a great beginner's guide to D.C. for adults, including those who live in the D.C. metropolitan area but still did not know a bunch of stuff in the book (like me). For example, I did not know that White House pets "have included cats, dogs, racoons, snakes, ponies and goats." Or that the Library of Congress was the first building in Washington, D.C. to have electricity, or that the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights "are lowered into a deep vault for safe-keeping" every night. I bet you did not know that the National Bureau of Engraving "prints about 1 BILLION dollars a day" or that "95% of the money replaces damaged bills" and "5% increases the current supply."

From the White House to the war memorials to the Martin Luther King Memorial to the Smithsonian museums, Humphrey knows D.C. and its history and she ably presents it with a kid's eye view. (Her co-author, Rudy, also has a lesson of his own to impart to children, rescue dogs are loving, wonderful companions!)

(In return for an honest review, I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.)
Age Range: 6 - 12 years
Grade Level: 1 - 7
Paperback: 64 pages
Publisher: Sage Press (October 1, 2016)

My Holiday in North Korea: The Funniest/Worst Place on Earth, by Wendy E. Simmons

I have read many books written by North Korean refugees or journalists visiting North Korea under cover or journalists captured and held by North Korea. Each book had something unique to offer, and each was an important book. "My Holiday in North Korea," however, may be the most unique of the unique because Wendy Simmons brings such a love of people and joyousness to this story about her short visit to North Korea. Throughout the book, we are treated to the best and worst of North Korea: the empty, "new," Women's Maternity Hospital filled with antiquated technology; the barely edible food that was luxurious under the standard of living that most North Koreans endure; the wedding where the bride did not welcome a western tourist; the lack of stores and traffic in Pyongyang; the multiple, "spontaneous" encounters with students in classrooms, factory workers and others- all staged and pre-choreographed; and the two minders and driver who were with Ms. Simmons every waking minute.

Three of her visits, however, stand out as the most poignant. While at the Women's Maternity Hospital, Simmons learns that twins and triplets are rare and they are raised in orphanages. We then meet these children at an orphanage. Simmons includes photos that show how beautiful they are. Although they appear healthy, my heart hurt at the idea of children taken from their family simply because they are twins or triplets. The second poignant visit involved a trip to a high school. While there, Simmons was impressed at how smart and accessible the students were, especially one young man who smiled at her and allowed her to take his picture. Looking at the photo and seeing the engaging smiles of the students, most caught off guard, it's hard to believe that they won't, somehow, change the direction of their country for the better. The third poignant visit involves the DMZ and the delight of the North Korean soldiers when they have their photos taken with Simmons's instant camera. Later that day, an older general takes Simmons to see (via binoculars) the wall built along the DMZ by South Korea. A gentle soul, he asks about her life, sings to her, and calls her a "brave girl" for visiting a dangerous place.

I have to admit that I was taken aback at first by Simmons's light hearted, and at times snarky, approach to her minders and North Korea. It is a dictatorship and the population lives in an isolated bubble. There is still famine in parts of the country, there are still brutal labor camps and gulags, and life spans are shorter than the west. Simmons reminds us, however, that the population of that brutal country is composed of humans. They laugh, they dream, they live their lives. While they may believe that America is the great enemy, most did not view Simmons as their enemy. She writes of crowds of school children at one stop who swarmed around her, so happy to see her, yelling "hello" and "good bye." Simmons's writing made me think and laugh and cry. The people she describes are the people we should think about when we think of North Korea, and these are the people who need us to work hard to make sure they have a future. I give this book four well-deserved stars.

(I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
Print Length: 312 pages
Publisher: RosettaBooks (May 3, 2016)
Publication Date: May 3, 2016
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC