365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne's Book of Precepts - R. J. Palacio

Title: 365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne's Book of Precepts (Companion book to Wonder)
Author: R.J. Palacio
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, 2014 (Hardcover)
Length: 432 pages
Genre: Children's/Young Adult; Realistic Fiction, Nonfiction
Started: August 26, 2014
Finished: August 27, 2014

Summary:
From the back cover:

Inspired by the unforgettable bestseller Wonder, here are 365 precepts - principles to live by - that will enlighten, engage, inspire, comfort, and challenge readers every day of the year. There's something for everyone here, with words of wisdom drawn from popular songs, great works of literature, inscriptions on Egyptian tombs fortune cookies, characters who appeared in Wonder, and over 100 readers, who sent author R.J. Palacio their own precepts.

This beautifully designed keepsake is a celebration of kindness, hopefulness, the goodness of human beings, the power of people's wills, and the strength of people's hearts.

Review:
As many of you know, I read Wonder last year and loved it to teeny tiny pieces. Since then I've talked to many local teachers who have read it to their classes, and have even read it to my own class of grade 5s, and every time the consensus is that the kids love it, they stare in rapt attention while you're reading it and complain when it's time to put the book down, it's a phenomenon. So when I heard the author was coming out with this book, I literally squealed as I was pre-ordering it.

This book is a companion to the original novel. The author writes as Mr. Thomas Browne, the English teacher Auggie and company had in Wonder who decides to compile a book of his famous precepts (principles to live by). There are 365 of them here: some from the book, most from history, literature, modern-day figures, etc.; and even some sent in from readers (including a few from Canada, yay!) There are also written pieces done in the voice of Mr. Browne in the beginning and in between each month where he contemplates ideas and gives updates on the kid characters from Wonder (Julian even apologizes to Auggie via letter).

My favourite "month" of quotes so to speak is October's. There are ones from Victor Hugo, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Hellen Keller, Carl Sagan, Voltaire, Dr. Seuss, it's a lovely modge-podge of goodness. My favourite essay from Mr. Browne is the one after November where he discusses the idea of the four virtues (Wisdom, Justice, Courage, Temperance) and has his class weigh in on which characters from literature best embody these ideals.

I used to collect famous quotes when I was a teenager and even compiled them in a book just like this one (not as nice as this one admittedly), and using quotes as writing prompts or for assignments is something many English teachers like myself tend to do. This book is perfect for teachers looking for assignment starters or prompts for bell work, and for readers who adored Wonder and the idea of Mr. Browne's precepts.

Recommendation:
Just read it, it's good, I promise. I could even see people buying these as gifts for the holidays, it's that type of book that has appeal.

Thoughts on the cover:
A different shade of blue than the Wonder cover, but includes Auggie's face. It's a very well put together book, very pretty.

Whisper - Chris Struyk-Bonn

Title: Whisper
Author: Chris Struyk-Bonn
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers, 2014 (Paperback)
Length: 338 pages
Genre: Young Adult; Dystopian Fiction
Started: August 16, 2014
Finished: August 23, 2014

Summary:
From the back cover:

In the not-too-distant future, in a society that kills or abandons anyone with a disability, Whisper has found a loving family far from the world's cruel gaze. When she is ripped from her forest home and forced to become her brutal father's house slave, her only solace is her music. Whisper has all but given up hope of ever feeling safe or loved. Then she is sent to the city, to Purgatory Palace, where other "rejects" gather. Could it be that home and love are closer than she thought?

Review:
This one had an interesting premise, so I picked it up. Although the story is not a typical dystopian that involves a group of revolutionaries overthrowing a corrupt government that oppresses the people, the story does involve a girl that manages to maintain her human dignity at the mercy of a society that considers her barely above dirt.

In a futuristic society that is seemingly on the outskirts of a first-world nation (distinguished university nearby, radio reports about the Dow Jones), increasing numbers of people are born with disabilities and deformities. Boys are kept more often because they are valued, while "reject" girls are either killed outright or abandoned. Whisper, born with a cleft palate, was lucky; she was raised by elderly Nathanael in a camp intended for children like her. After her mother stops her annual visit and later dies, Whisper is reclaimed by the same father who tried to murder her just after her birth. When her presence at her family's home proves more a nuisance than help, she is directed to beg on the streets by playing her violin. She is then discovered by a university music professor who recognizes her gift, giving her a place at the university to study. But will Whisper be accepted there?

There were several questions that weren't fully answered but more hinted at. Why are there more children born with disabilities and deformities? Why don't the families pursue surgery to correct their children's issues? Why was Whisper still ostracized amongst the educated populace of the university? There wasn't a lot of background information given here that would help answer those questions, so I would've appreciated more of that. The story is marketed as dystopian but it really could take place in  modern times or the recent past, I'm sure there are stories of girls like Whisper that come out of third world countries that wouldn't surprise me.

The story itself, despite the lack of background information and more typical dystopian elements, is amazing. Whisper's experiences show how children born with deformities in this world are viewed and treated, and even has an example of a young man with a developmental disability (cognitive delays) whose family manages to keep him home while not invoking the wrath of the village because his issues aren't immediately visible. Whisper is subjected to subhuman treatment, at one point forced to sleep in a doghouse, and barely escapes sexual slavery; and yet the educated populace living in the same city have no idea this is going on. The story comes as a punch to the gut purely because you know circumstances like these happen everyday, that people unfortunate enough to be born in a different country with a disability, into families without money to pay for surgery to correct it, are treated horribly. Whisper gives these experiences a very human story: readers feel her shame over being treated like a dog, her stress in trying to please her father to keep herself alive, her determination to make people see her real self without her veil.

Recommendation:
A very realistic and heart-breaking story about what happens when we view a specific part of our populace as subhuman.

Thoughts on the cover:
I like how they used a veil on the cover model just like Whisper herself uses, and including the little carved violin around her neck was a great touch.

Kids Are Weird: And Other Observations from Parenthood - Jeffrey Brown

Title: Kids Are Weird: And Other Observations from Parenthood
Author: Jeffrey Brown
Publisher: Chronicle Books, 2014 (Hardcover)
Length: 108 pages
Genre: Adult; Graphic Novel, Parenting
Started: August 20, 2014
Finished: August 20, 2014

Summary:
From the back cover:

Eisner Award-winning author of the bestselling Darth Vader and Son and Vader's Little Princess Jeffrey Brown brings his perceptive humour to everyday parenting, capturing the hilarious, sweetly weird moments parents everywhere experience in the adventures of raising a child.

Review:
The author's "Darth Vader and Kids" books as I call them are well-loved in this house, I've given them as presents to my husband for Father's Day for two years in a row (with the brand new Goodnight Darth Vader book going in his stocking for Christmas, shhhh!). So when I saw he was releasing a generic parenting graphic novel, I figured it was a no-brainer. Unfortunately this particular book didn't make as much of an impression on me as his Darth Vader books.

Perhaps I'm just a huge geek and parenting anecdotes just seem funnier when experienced by the Sith Lord, but while this particular book definitely had it's weird episodes, the weirdness seemed to cross the boundary from "quirky but totally cute" to "so weird and quirky it makes you give the kid the side-eye." Most of the anecdotes just weren't all that funny. I'm sure they're funny to the author in the same way everything my 3-year-old does is hilarious to me, but at least I can admit that not everyone is going to be enamoured with my kid's quirks the way I am.

The image above is one part I did giggle at though, because let's face it, kids embarrassing parents is always funny.

The art style is great just like his other books, I noticed he tends to put a lot of detail into his backgrounds.

Recommendation:
Didn't make as much of an impression as the author's Darth Vader books, which if you haven't read those or bought them for the dad in your life, you need to go do that now. I'll wait...

Thoughts on the cover:
Very bright colour scheme used here, if nothing else it's really eye-catching.

Girl in Reverse - Barbara Stuber

Title: Girl in Reverse
Author: Barbara Stuber
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster), 2014 (Hardcover)
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Young Adult; Historical Fiction
Started: August 14, 2014
Finished: August 14, 2014

Summary:
From the inside cover:

When Lily was three, her mother put her up for adoption, then disappeared without a trace.Or so Lily was told. Lily grew up in her new family and tried to forget her past. But with the Korean War raging and fear of "commies" everywhere, Lily's Asian heritage makes her a target. She is sick of the racism she faces, a fact her adoptive white parents won't take seriously. For Lily, war is everywhere - the dinner table, the halls at school, and especially within her own skin.

Then her brainy little brother, Ralph, finds a box hidden in the attic. In it is a baffling jumble of broken antiques - clues to her past left by her "Gone Mom." Lily and Ralph attempt to match these fragments with rare Chinese artifacts at the art museum. She encounters the artistic genius Elliot James, who attracts and infuriates Lily as he tries to draw out the beauty of her golden heritage. Will Lily summon the courage to confront her own remarkable creation story? The real story, and one she can know only by coming face-to-face with the truth long buried within the people she thought she knew best.

Review:
Between the time period of the early 50s during the Korean War, and the fact that the protagonist is of Asian descent (turns out later she's actually biracial), I knew I'd be picking this up.

It's 1951 in Kansas City, Missouri at the height of the Korean War. Lillian was born in 1934, then placed for adoption by her mother in 1937, shortly after which she was adopted by the Firestones. Lily is of Chinese background, a fact that her parents try to ignore rather than acknowledge, even when Lily becomes the victim of racist taunts as a child during the WWII years and then later as a teenager when the Korean War breaks out. When Lily's 11-year-old brother Ralph finds a box in their attic full of Lily's belongings from the orphanage before her adoption, it peaks both their interests in Lily's origin story. Through some interesting detective work and visits to the nearby art museum complete with an expert in Chinese art, Lily and Ralph piece together who Lily's birth mother is, why she came to the US, why she placed Lily for adoption, and even who her birth father is. As a side plot, Lily has encounters with Elliot, a boy with a talent for art, who asks her to pose for him. He ends up giving Lily a drawing that turns all the political cartoons her classmates have been using as their racist fodder back on the kids themselves (it's very clever, I'll let you read it).

The story starts out slow but quickly picks up once Lily and Ralph investigate the items in the box. I loved Ralph, he's a cute, smart little kid who steals every scene he's in. I was happy to see that the romance element was not the focus of the book, but what was there was very sweet. I think the overwhelming message of the book ends up being about the difficulties of adoption, especially trans-racial adoption during a less tolerant time (but it's still very relevant today since trans-racial adoptees still have lots of issues). The fact that Lily's parents do not acknowledge her Asian heritage and struggles with racism due to it are highlighted and shown as a negative thing for them to do as her parents, which was nice to see. There's even a heart-felt talk between Lily and her mom about why they adopted her if they were just going to ignore this huge part of her, it doesn't really resolve itself but there's the feeling that they're beginning to understand each other. I like that it didn't end happily right off the bat, because these issues are often ongoing in real life and sometimes aren't ever resolved.

Recommendation:
A coming of age story that's an interesting look back in time with a likeable protagonist. The themes of adoption and it's difficulties, particularly trans-racial adoption, really stand out and make the book relatable to modern times as well.

Thoughts on the cover:
The green-tray tinge to the cover is pleasing for some reason, and the ink outlines of the Chinese dragons along the bottom are a nice touch.

Think Like a Freak - Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

Title: Think Like a Freak
Author: Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2014 (Hardcover)
Length: 254 pages
Genre: Adult; Nonfiction
Started: August 8, 2014
Finished: August 12, 2014

Summary:
From the inside cover:

The New York Times bestselling Freakonomics changed the way we see the world, exposing the hidden side of just about everything. Then came SuperFreakonomics, a documentary film, an award-winning podcast, and more.

Now, with Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have written their most revolutionary book yet. With their trademark blend of captivating storytelling and unconventional analysis, they take us inside their thought process and teach us all to think a bit more productively, more creatively, more rationally - to think, that is, like a Freak.

Levitt and Dubner offer a blueprint for an entirely new way to solve problems, whether your interest lies in minor lifehacks or major global reforms. As always, no topic is off-limits. They range from business to philanthropy to sports to politics, all with the goal of retraining your brain. Along the way, you'll learn the secrets of a Japanese hot-dog-eating champion, the reason an Australian doctor swallowed a bunch of dangerous bacteria, and why Nigerian e-mail scammers make a point of saying they're from Nigeria.

Some of the steps toward thinking like a Freak:

• First, put away your moral compass - because it's hard to see a problem clearly if you've already decided what to do about it. 
• Learn to say "I don't know" - for until you can admit what you don't know, it's virtually impossible to learn what you need to.
• Think like a child - because you'll come up with better ideas and ask better questions.
• Take a master class in incentives - because for better or for worse, incentives rule our world.
• Learn to persuade people who don't want to be persuaded - because being right is rarely enough to carry the day. 
• Learn to appreciate the upside of quitting - because you can't solve tomorrow's problem if you aren't willing to abandon today's dud. 

Levitt and Dubner plainly see the world like no one else. Now you can too. Never before have such iconoclastic thinkers been so revealing - and so much fun to read. 

Review:

I read the first Freakonomics book (but not the second) years ago and loved it, so of course I picked up this for a fun read. The book is an ode to thinking outside the box, and some of the examples here will definitely have you giving the book the side-eye...not sure if anyone else does that to their books or if it's just me...

The one downside is that they do re-hash some concepts from previous books. I didn't read the second book so I'm not sure if they recycled more than what I recognized from the first book. That doesn't really detract from the overall enjoyment, but I thought I'd throw that out there. 

So in addition to the general Freakonomics ideas like incentives rule the world, and correlation does not equal causation, there are some really interesting concepts that the authors talk about in this instalment. One is the idea of weeding people out (getting people to reveal their guilt through their own behaviour, using strategies to prey upon the gullible etc.) The examples they give to illustrate this are of the Biblical King Solomon and the women's dispute over the baby, Van Halen specifically requesting no brown M&Ms while on tour, and Nigerian e-mail scammers.

I adore the part where they talk about the three hardest words in the English language are "I don't know", because it's so true, and the need to be able to admit when we don't have enough information to give a proper answer. I thought the idea behind Smile Train's "once and done" way of soliciting donations was groundbreaking, very simple yet so ingenious. And the section where a doctor proves how ulcers are really caused by swallowing a jar of bacteria was crazy yet correct. There are lots of side-stories and examples used to complement their main ideas, giving the book a nice quick pace. And as a bonus, I now have a soccer example from the book I can use to illustrate an existing idea I like to refer to as, "if you're going to fail, fail spectacularly". The authors use the soccer analogy to elaborate on why soccer players don't kick towards the dead centre of the net on a penalty kick even though statistically that's the best odds of making it.

Recommendation:

A quick, entertaining, and enlightening read; definitely worth a trip to the library. 

Thoughts on the cover:

The little Freakonomics apple-orange hybrid is up at the top, and the cover incorporates a mostly orange cover with green font at the bottom, so the Freakonomics trademarks are easily recognized here. 

Gaijin: American Prisoner of War - Matt Faulkner

Title: Gaijin: American Prisoner of War
Author: Matt Faulkner
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books, 2014 (Hardcover)
Length: 144 pages
Genre: Young Adult; Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction
Started: August 7, 2014
Finished: August 7, 2014

Summary:
From the inside cover:

San Francisco, 1941: America has just declared war on Japan.

With a white mother and a Japanese father, Koji Miyamoto quickly learns that his home is no longer a welcoming one. Streetcars won't stop for Koji, and his classmates accuse him of being an enemy spy. When a letter arrives from the government notifying him that he must go to a relocation centre for Japanese Americans, he and his mother are forced to leave everything they know behind. Once there, Koji soon discovers that being half white in the internment camp is just as difficult as being half Japanese in San Francisco.

Koji's story, based on true events, is brought to life by Matt Faulkner's cinematic illustrations, which reveal Koji struggling to find his place in a tumultuous world - one where he is a prisoner of war in his own country.

Review:
I love war narratives, and graphic novels are sometimes the best format for them because I feel some stories need to be visual to make an impact. This story is a unique one, it's about the internment of Japanese Americans in WWII, and while that idea itself has been done before, I don't think I've ever seen a graphic novel of it, let alone one from the point of view of a biracial Japanese American. Koji's situation is familiar: not fully accepted in San Francisco because his father is Japanese and has been away visiting Japan for the past year and that looks suspicious to the government, and not being accepted by the Japanese community either due to the fact that he's mixed.

Japan has complicated ideas about biracial children, any foreigner or part of a foreigner is labeled "gaijin" (literally "outside person"), and ostracized due to the combination of the Japanese group mentality and xenophobia. Such ideas about biracial individuals are thankfully less of an issue in this country, and are slowly being eradicated in Japan (though some people with biracial children report poor treatment while living in Japan).

Stories like this are important for kids to read, mainly because they explore cruel acts committed against innocent citizens by their own government (Canada interned it's Japanese Canadian citizens too, it's not something we're proud of. There's also the old saying that I very much believe in: those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. There were many atrocities that occurred in various countries in the WWII era, and learning about how those situations even grew to the point they did and how to combat those attitudes will ensure that future generations will not face the same conflicts again. There are comparisons you could make to the current conflicts in the Middle East to modernize the content for kids that claim that that kind of stuff couldn't possibly happen these days (and oh we've proven those kids wrong before).

Recommendation:
Eclectic artwork reminiscent of old-style comics that tells an important story. It adds credibility that the events in the book are based on the life of the author's great-aunt.

Thoughts on the cover:
I love the colour palette, and that the cover resembles one of Koji's dream sequences, complete with his dad flying the little plane.

We Were Liars - E. Lockhart

Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Publisher: Delacorte Press, 2014 (Hardcover)
Length: 225 pages
Genre: Young Adult; Realistic Fiction, Thriller
Started: August 4, 2014
Finished: August 7, 2014

Summary:
From the inside cover:

A beautiful and distinguished family.

A private island.

A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.

A group of four friends - the Liars - whose friendship turns destructive.

A revolution. An accident. A secret.

Lies upon lies.

True love.

The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Review:
I've read books from this author before and quite enjoyed them, so when I saw this new title pop up, I knew it would be good. But whoo boy, I didn't realize how good.

Cadence is the eldest grandchild of the wealthy Sinclair family. There's her grandfather Harris, her grandmother Tipper (who later dies), her mother Penny, her aunts Carrie and Bess, and all the cousins: the Liars, and the littles. Mirren, Johnny, and Gat, who are closest in age to Cadence, are known as the Liars; probably because it's easier to just lie to their mothers and grandfather and appease them rather than provoke an outburst of dysfunctional family goodness. All the branches of the family spend the summer together at Beechwood, their private island.

During the summer before the Liars turn sixteen (what Cady calls Summer Fifteen), something happens to Cadence. She endures a head injury and memory loss, presumably while swimming. She takes time to recuperate, returning to Beechwood two years later. She remembers next to nothing, and no one will talk about her accident or tell her what happened. Through resurfacing memories and writing everything down, Cadence begins to piece together what happened during Summer Fifteen.

I can't give much more away due to massive spoilers, but I will say that the ending was unexpected, at least for me. I had guesses as to what really happened to Cadence, but I was totally wrong in the end.

I love how Cadence talks about her family interactions through fairy tales she creates. I'm sure it's no coincidence that the author made three daughters in the Sinclair family, the number three being prominent in fairy tales. There are some great themes here about the price of power and wealth, relying on others for your survival instead of yourself, and about privilege in general.

Recommendations:
An excellent book that captures your attention right till the end due to the suspense of the plot. Wonderfully written with thought-provoking themes.

Thoughts on the cover:
I like the scene with the kids in the water, the image blurred enough that you can't make out anyone's specific features.

Always Abigail - Nancy J. Cavanaugh

Title: Always Abigail
Author: Nancy J. Cavanuagh
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, August 5, 2014 (Review copy is an ARC from the publisher)
Length: 311 pages
Genre: Children's Realistic Fiction
Started: July 26, 2014
Finished: August 3, 2014

Summary:
From the back cover:

Sixth grade to-do list:

• Make the pom pom squad!
• Get photo in the yearbook
• With Alli and Cami, become the three most popular girls at Crestdale Heights Middle School!

Abigail and her two best friends are poised for a life of pom-poms and popularity. But not only does Abigail end up in a different homeroom, she doesn't make the squad. Then everyone's least favourite teacher pairs Abigail up with the school's biggest outcast for a year-long "Friendly Letter" assignment. Abigail can hardly believe her bad luck! As her so-called best friends and dreams of pom pom fame start to slip away, Abigail has to choose between the little bit of popularity she has left or letting it go to be a true friend. 

Review:

Abigail is starting grade six. Like every middle schooler's nightmare, she doesn't end up in the same class as her friends, leaving her to the mercy of a teacher with high expectations, and group work assignments with Gabby, the girl everyone else picks on. When she doesn't make the cheerleading squad, she is further left out, with her friends slowly distancing themselves from her. But as she gets to know Gabby, Abigail not only feels guilty for not standing up for her, but she even starts to like hanging out with her. She struggles with whether to ignore Gabby and continue to be lonely, or be a real friend to her and be further ostracized by everyone else.

This book was incredibly realistic from the point of view of a tween, it was like reliving teaching grades 5, 6, or 7 at any given time: sooooo much drama over the smallest things, lots of nasty social exclusionary behaviour that makes you fear for the future of humanity, and the huge crises of conscience over what kind of person you want to be compared to the kind of people you see around you. 

I like how Abigail has a slight touch of anxiety and makes lists to help reassure her of what needs to be done and how she reflects on her day. You get so much insight into her character that way, so I appreciate the first-person narration. I like how Abigail is very much your average girl (while still being very likeable) and Gabby is the more geeky outlier, so you get both ends of the personality spectrum in one book. 

Recommendation:

If you have a tween girl in your life, you need to get her this book, it encapsulates so much of what they go through at that age and models the good decisions we really wish they'd make.

Thoughts on the cover:

I like the locker motif, and the cute little washi tape additions are oh so cute.

Heads Up Philosophy - Marcus Weeks

Title: Heads Up Philosophy
Author: Marcus Weeks
Publisher: DK Publishing, October 2014 (Review copy is an ARC from the publisher)
Length: 160 pages
Genre: Young Adult; Nonfiction
Started: July 25, 2014
Finished: August 1, 2014

Summary:
From the back cover:

Why is it wrong to lie or steal? Can we ever know what anyone else is thinking? Philosophy is full of big questions that apply to all parts of our lives, from the friends we make to the way we speak. Let Heads Up Philosophy be your perfect introduction, detailing the remarkable thinkers and amazing ideas that have changed philosophy over time. If you've ever stopped to wonder about life's big mysteries, this is the book for you.

Review:
I love DK books. I used to read the Eyewitness books as a kid (and we still use them in classrooms today), and the publishing line is known for highly visual nonfiction books that draw readers in, particularly kids that are turned off by walls of text. When I heard DK was getting into a line of nonfiction books geared towards slightly older readers, I jumped on it and was lucky enough to get a copy to review.

The book is divided into sections: What is Knowledge? What is Reality? What is the Mind? What is Reasoning? and What is Right and Wrong? Each section delves into questions and ideas such as "Believing is not the same as Knowing", "What is Time?", "Is there such a thing as an immortal soul?", "Are there different kinds of truth?", and "Right and Wrong: It's all relative..." and many many more. In addition to the ideas and questions posed in each section, there are also various biographies of famous philosophers like David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Plato, Thomas Aquinas, Rene Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, and more.

Every page is laid out in the style typical of this publisher: short columns and sections of text,  lots of images of various sizes, little factoid boxes, bold titles and subtitles, and different layouts on every page.

The Heads Up Philosophy book is coming out in October, and there is another book in the same line also coming out in October called The Fashion Book. There are two books in the line that are already out, Heads Up Psychology and Do You Know Who You Are? (a self-analysis journal for teens). I like philosophy but sometimes the concepts break my brain for lack of a better word, but psychology is right up my alley, so I'm going to have to pick up Heads Up Psychology for our library.

Recommendation:
A great offering from the DK line for young adult readers in subjects that are fascinating to them.

Thoughts on the cover:
I love the colour scheme used here, and combined with the placement of the images and the tag lines, the whole thing is really eye-catching and pleasing.