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Shame On You, Rhonda Smith
By Edward Niedermeyer on February 25, 2010
One of the most important lessons to come out of the last two days of congressional hearings on the Toyota recalls is that blaming individuals for unintended acceleration is too tough a task for our elected representatives. And yet the more we learn, the more necessary it seems to take human error into account when dealing with unintended acceleration. Nothing illustrates this quite like the case of the very first witness to give testimony before congress. Rhonda Smith of Sevierville, Tn told the House Energy Committee, under oath, that her Lexus ES350 became "possessed" and that its brakes and transmission failed to respond at precisely the moment that the car accelerated out of control. "Shame on you, Toyota, for being so greedy," she said, wiping tears from her eyes. But it turns out that the shame belongs almost entirely with Ms Smith.
The Wall Street Journal [sub] [via Jalopnik] reports that, despite her traumatic and inexplicable experience, Ms Smith sold her dangerous, out-of-control ES350 to another family, which has since put 27,000 trouble-free miles on the vehicle (according to just-auto [sub], Toyota has since taken possession of the vehicle). Which means she either lied under oath, or displayed a disregard for the safety of others that puts Toyota's missteps into stunning context. Or both. In any case, her behavior adds to our growing suspicion that the vacuous, disingenuous, and self-serving congressional hearings have been the best thing to happen to Toyota PR since the recalls began. Shame on you, Rhonda Smith, shame on you.
Posted in Media, News Blog, PR, Quality, Safety, Sign of the Times, Toyota, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Tagged as Hearings, Media, PR, Recall, Safety, Toyota
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88 Comments on "Shame On You, Rhonda Smith..."
Wow. Looks like this "investigation" has hit a snag. Does anyone interview these witnesses before they take the stand?
Steve Ruge
I remember hearing her "testimony" on TV and thinking something just didn't sound right about it. Interesting.
newfdawg
As I listened to Rhoda Smith's teary eyed testimony, the thought kept running through my head: Why didn't she just put the transmission in
neutral? As for selling the car to another family; did she tell them about that incident? If she did not inform them and they had suffered a similar problem, I'm sure lawyers would have happily picked her bones clean for having superior knowledge and failure to disclose the condition of the vehicle.
davejay
She claims she did put it in neutral, and then park, and then reverse, all to no effect.
If that particular model has shift-by-wire, then it may be true (assuming software prevents shifting out of gear at full throttle for misguided reasons.) If that particular model has shift-by-linkage or shift-by-cable, then it is most likely false. Anyone know?
Note that shift-by-wire in this case would include a shifter with a mechanical linkage, but the actual shifts controlled exclusively by computer.
L'avventura
In the testimony she said she tried to put it into neutral but it wouldn't go. I think I pointed out in the other thread that Dr. Gilbert, the other shock-and-awe technical witness, seemed to have contradicted her saying she should have been able to get to neutral, but the question was quickly changed to ask if she should have been able to get into reverse.
There are also several things fishy about her story, especially the story about the 'act of God' suddenly that stopped her car, and the 'possessed' car on the wrecker. Also, even Gilbert agreed that even with the kinetic energy and decreased efficacy of the brakes, she should have been able to reduce the speed of the car even with a longer stopping distance. He even briefly mentioned the C&D article.
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/feb2010/bw20100225_403524_page_3.htm
This is the problem with anecdotal testimony, there is no way to verify any of her claims, the car drove 27k trouble free miles, even if a technical inspection reveals nothing on the car, even if all logical facts proved she lied, she can always claim she experience this mysterious 'possessed' Lexus.
This is argumentum ad ignorantiam, a logical fallacy in which it is claimed a premise is true because it can't be proven false.
davejay – it has a mechanical linkage to the transmission. I'm fairly certain that you cannot even move the shifter to the R or P position when the vehicle is over 5mph due to a mechanical lockout of the shifter cable. I don't believe there is a lockout of the neutral position, at any speed, on this transmission (assuming this is the same as the toyota versions).
When she said she put it in park and reverse and nothing happened, I was suspect. When it came out that she sold it to another family, it confirmed my suspicions that this lady cannot be trusted to give an actual account of what happened. She is saying what she wants to think happened.
jimboy
As I said in the previous blog, no driver responsibility whatsoever! Take some advanced driver training Rhonda. Learn your vehicle, get off your cellphone, buy a bicycle! (with a helmet). This has become just another congressional witch hunt so representatives can watch themselves on TV.
Martin Schwoerer
Thanks for telling it like it is, Ed!
srogers
So this unfortunate victim of Toyota's greed and evil intent turned around and, in exchange for financial compensation, sold her known Demon Car to another human being.
Does she have some more tears for the buyer that she is potentially sending to the grave?
One funny thing is, I do not watch TV, but my family does, and my daughter later reported that something was wrong about that lady dialing her husband on the phone while car was speeding out of control (I hope I am not confusing this testimony with some other one, because like I said I did not watch it).
blue adidas
Man this Congress is stupid. I listened to about two hours of their prattle yesterday. What a bunch of grandstanding douchebags. Not one of them thought to ask "where is your car now?" I want to understand two things…
First – Who did she sell her car to? If she sold it to an individual, then she sucks big-time. And she's probably lying. If she sold it back to the dealer for a different car, that's a different story. I'd be more inclined to believe her.
Second – Can you, or can you not shift a Lexus ES into neutral when the car is in motion. In most cars you can, but I've heard that you can't in the current gen ES.
The one HUGE missing hole in her story is how the car eventually slowed down after she literally tried everything. She said that God intervened. I'd like to know what God did to make the car slow down, and whether Toyota engineers put divine intervention in their incident report.
As a computer programmer, her answer is simply not good enough for me. I've seen obscure bugs in my software that required at least six particular conditions to be just right to manifest itself. I don't blame a deity of my choice when something goes wrong, nor do I look to the holy spirit to fix my program's problems.
Can I get an "AMEN" brothers and sisters? Can you feel the power of the HOLY GHOST! Oh wait…
texlovera
She just hit CTRL-ALT-UP-LEFT-UP for God Mode. Works in Doom and all Toyotas…
Why the rush to judgement? What in the world would this woman have against Toyota? What's her motive? She's the social worker wife of a bank president, for heaven's sake. Do you guys seriously think she not only made the incident up, but then pursued a personal multi-year vendetta against a corporation based on a story she made up? That kind of thing would require a full blown personality disorder. I suppose anything is possible, but isn't it more likely that she's simply telling the truth?
MBella
She told what she perceived as the truth, but not necessarily what really happened.
Here is the most likely actual scenario to have occurred for her. Let's assume that it was the sticky gas pedal. Her car was speeding up. She hits the brakes, but not hard enough to overcome the engine. Now she calls her husband, who tells her to shift it into neutral, and turn off the ignition. She starts frantically hitting the start button, and shifting the lever all over the place. At over 100mph, even in neutral, it takes some time to slow down the car, especially with over heated brakes. She is only used to the quick deceleration she normally gets at 45mph, and thinks the car isn't slowing down. Remember, the time and force required to slow down the car goes up exponentially at speed. Finally the car gets to a point where the deceleration is more perceivable, and this is when she thinks god is saving her.
BuzzDog
Sorry to nitpick, but Eddie Smith is a senior vice president of a bank, not a president. Believe it or not, in most banks there's a significant difference responsibility, accountability and of course, income.
If it was a sticky pedal, it wouldn't be a Lexus. They are all made with Denso pedals.
TonyJZX
the whole thing stinks of joe mccarthy
horrible horrible witch hunt
crash sled
No, no, NO! You guys are completely off base here!
That vehicle's sale was completely on the up-and-up. I have it on very good authority that Rhonda Smith did NOT sell that vehicle, until a full and comprehensive exorcism was performed on it.
The evil has been cast out from the ES350. It may be driven safely, for it is chaste.
I may not be that she has something against Toyota. More likely it is an unwillingness to accept that she might have messed up the situation herself.
Maybe her throttle did open. But maybe when it, she could have taken measures to stop it in a less dramatic way and cannot accept this responsibility without denial and help from her god.
I think her story, at the core, is probably true (there was some unintended acceleration) but she's embellishing it quite a bit. I to rolled by eyes once she got to "and God intervened".
Either that or this is what psychologists call a "flash-bulb" memory–during a traumatic event you honestly remember things and details that just weren't there. That's why some of the witnesses of 9/11 swore they saw a missile hit the Pentagon, even though it was really a plane.
CamaroKid
It is also interesting that her testimony was refuted by Professor Gilbert who said that you could always shift ANY of these cars into Neutral at any speed, and that any, and all, SUA problems would leave the brakes in working order. (At least until you pump them three or four times eliminating all vacuum assist.)
So either the The Smiths are full of crap or the Professor (who admitted to have a conflict of interest in this case) is full of crap.
Either way, we are wading in crap.
If the Smith's car was possessed? How did they survive? Did they let go of the wheel and pray? Do we really want to leave everyone with that advice?
David Holzman
This, from MBella sounds like an excellent hypothesis to me:
The most important thing here though is that the car accelerated out of control. And the biggest question, to me, is whether she really shifted it into neutral (and other positions) and it still accelerated, or not. I mean, is it possible that shifting the car into neutral isn't going to help if your Toyota accelerates out of control?
I get the feeling, regarding the car's presence on the road after this incident, that too many people are making assumptions about her behavior without enough information, unless the WSJ made absoutely clear what happened. I don't have a sub, but for all I know she may have traded it back to the dealer.
The WSJ says only this:
The Lexus sedan driven by Rhonda Smith, who testified in Congress Tuesday about a harrowing incident of sudden acceleration, is still on the road, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In fact, the new owners of the luxury ES350 sedan have reported 27,000 miles trouble-free with the vehicle, according to a NHTSA spokeswoman. Mrs. Smith and her husband sold the vehicle after the incident, in which she thought she might die.
The federal safety agency followed up with the new owners last week. A NHTSA spokeswoman said "they have had no problems with the Lexus since they bought it with less than 3,000 miles on the car."
I agree that she probably thought her car was out of control, and believes she had no way of controlling it… but then why would she sell it? And the fact that she uses "to make a long story short" to gloss over the details of the actual UA event in her testimony doesn't exactly help her case.
Why the rush to judgment? It's irresponsible to scare children with ghost stories… especially when those children run the country. If the Kane-Gilbert effort is a trial lawyer scheme, they should definitely vet their witnesses a little better. Imagining what a well-paid Toyota defense lawyer would have done to Mrs Smith on a cross-examination if she had given that evidence in court makes even this rusher-to-judgement shudder a little.
Shifting into neutral will disengage the engine from driven wheels. At this point, the brakes will work normally.
MBella:
Shifting to neutral will disengage the engine from the wheels, but the brakes may not work normally for two likely reasons:
1) They've faded from being applied repeatedly at high speed, while the throttle was stuck, and/or
2) The throttle is still stuck, reducing the amount of power assist that is available.
Kendahl
I sure she is a fine social worker, wife and mother. She may even be qualified to push a shopping cart around a grocery store. But she is woefully ignorant of how her car works or how to control it in an emergency. Send her to Bondurant or Skip Barber to learn how to drive.
zerofoo
Getting a driver's license in the US is WAY to easy.
A 17 year old as bright as a box of hammers can answer a few questions, parallel park a car, smile for the camera, and then get handed a license to drive a 4,000 lb killing machine.
We need to make driving school mandatory for obtaining a license to drive.
Drivers must learn how to drive in adverse conditions, they must know the basics of HOW the car operates, and what to do in the event of an emergency. Learning to operate a manual transmission, changing a spare tire, pumping your own gas, and the ability to identify excessively worn safety items like wiper blades, brakes, suspension components and tires should also be minimum requirements to obtaining a license.
These skills should also be retested every time the license needs to be renewed.
There are too many idiots on the road that have no business operating a machine that could kill themselves and others.
-ted
ihatetrees
Not gonna happen. The tradition in the US is not that of Europe – the distances in North America, the transport network, and large parts of the economy depend on many clueless people driving. And until we JAIL people who drive unlicensed, standards would be ignored by the degenerate underclass.
I don't disagree that tougher standards would be a good idea. Many people – especially women – would be much better drivers with training and the confidence it inspires.
This is the ultimate problem. It would also be reasonable to say that the kind of person who needs to drive, and get's no excitement or fun out of their vehicle is the kind of person who is completely clueless t how a car works, or what to do in an emergency situation. It would also be reasonable to assume that this kind of person buys a Toyota product over other brands. This would also explain an elevated case of mysterious problems such as UA accruing more on Toyotas then other brands. Now add to that some sort of actual fault, like sticky pedals and we get stories of these possessed cars running out of control.
DweezilSFV
February 26th, 2010 at 6:03 am
Zerofoo: In CA they've dropped the requirement for parallel parking AND for entering a freeway. But they've increased the fines for driving violations.I wonder if there's a connection……
Bottom line: every day more incompetent drivers hit the streets in Kali……
If you look at the shifter pattern on an ES 350, to the left of the "D" position is the "manual-shift" detents (+/-) that allow you to sequentially shift the transmision. My guess is in her panic the shifter got pulled to the left, then when she pushed the lever forward into what she thought was neutral/reverse/park, she was actually upshifting the trans, which if anything would cause the car to continue accelerating faster and faster with the throttle open (either by sticking pedal, floormat, incorrect foot placement etc). It really isn't a great design in my opinion but if my hypothesis is correct, I think it's entirely Ms. Smith's fault for driving a car in which she didn't understand the controls. I didn't watch all the footage, but did any of our wonderful "representatives" ask her if she read the owner's manual before driving the car?
I'm not sure I'd hammer Rhonda for being incompetent behind the wheel – she did (alledgedly) put on the parking brake, shift into neutral, and try to turn off the engine,all before she called hubby according to her testimony. I'd be out of options at that point too
I do however question her credibility, particularly given statements such as "I push the car into NEUTAL and it makes a revving noise" but later, "the speedometer it read 100 mph … while frantically shifting between ALL the gears (besides park) but mainly had it in REVERSE and with the emergency brake on." The shifter works sometimes but not others, same with the gas pedal? Really? And then starts itself?
Why would she make this up? Anger about being called wrong, perceived mistreatment, spite, the appeal of TV and the US Senate, pick from a long list of human frailties. But then selling car after the crusade, wow that's low
The one HUGE missing hole in her story is how the car eventually slowed down after she literally tried everything. She said that God intervened.
As a practicing but very much non-evangelical Christian, this just pisses me right the f)ck off. I tend to think God works on the basis of "grace" rather than "karma", but even if I did, I would have issues with the virtue of someone who believes God saved them from their Japanese Christine and subsequently sells said Christine to some other family.
It's like asking God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit help you beat the rap. Somehow, I think you've missed the point.
– Mrs. Smith TRADED IN the car to Toyota of Kingston(TN). She did not sell the car to an individual.
– The vehicle she was driving cannot be shifted into neutral while going at a certain rate of speed. She did physically put it in neutral, but the transmission is electronic and as a safety precausion, the vehicle will not let itself change gears like that, eventhough the shift lever moves into position.
– The vehicle has a 'fob' for a key. After the incident, the vehicle was about to be pulled onto the rollback (wrecker) and the vehicle attempted to start itself. The wrecker had the fob and he was approximately 20-25 feet away. They have a notarized statement from the wrecker driver regarding this.
– The vehicle was paid in cash and the Smith's only attempted to get a refund on the car, which was denied. The car was less than 2 months old. Over the last 4 years, they never attempted to sue or gain anything other than recognition from Toyota that there is a problem and an apology.
CarPerson
Where is it documented that a Lexus cannont be shifted into neutral above a certain speed?
I'm aware of gear loading that may not readily let go under full power, keeping it in Drive but not any built-in provision preventing a shift of neutral at any speed.
You can shift these into N at ANY speed (so long as this is like the Toyota transmissions). The solenoids release piston pressure and the transmission planetary gears spin free. Reverse and park are mechanically locked out because the transmission will spit its guts all over the freeway if you go into those positions.
The vehicle she was driving cannot be shifted into neutral while going at a certain rate of speed. She did physically put it in neutral, but the transmission is electronic and as a safety precausion, the vehicle will not let itself change gears like that, eventhough the shift lever moves into position.
That is COMPLETELY false. PERIOD… Even Dr Gilbert said this wasn't the case. And yes I have driven a car EXACTLY like the one in question and YES I HAVE shifted into Neutral at triple digit speeds.
The car locks out REVERSE. It does NOT lock out Neutral.
Time to check some facts… factcheck.
"- The vehicle has a 'fob' for a key. After the incident, the vehicle was about to be pulled onto the rollback (wrecker) and the vehicle attempted to start itself. The wrecker had the fob and he was approximately 20-25 feet away. They have a notarized statement from the wrecker driver regarding this."
factcheck, I have a statement from the exorcist, who confirms that the self-starting demons have been expelled from the ES350, and the vampiric key fobs.
"The power of Inaba compels you!"
Ed, thanks. The WSJ account does seem to indicate she sold the thing rather than trading it. Although if she did, that is so egregious that it might bear checking. The WSJ is quite capable of making mistakes.
REgarding the acceleration, and her shifting, the shifter, presumably, is also fly by wire, so isn't it possible that the car was failing to respond to the shifter? I suppose it's equally possible that she didn't really know exactly where she was shifting. But I think it's easier to assume that she doesn't remember, or doesn't know exactly what she was doing, given the stress she would have been under at the time, than that she is deliberately fabricating.
97escort
Rhonda Smith did nothing wrong. If I know car dealers the car was towed to a Toyota dealership and nothing wrong was found. To me what happened is similar to my computer crashing. I unplug it, reboot and everything is fine.
The trouble with car computers crashing is that it happens at speed and lives are at stake. Toyota is at fault for designing a drive by wire system that fails in this manner.
She now knew what the car was capable of doing and sold a perfectly good car per the dealership evaluation of what happened and the new owner did not experience any problems. She is honest and behaved honestly.
I do not believe sellers have a responsibility to tell buyers of all the problems they have had with a car if they have been repaired/evaluated by qualified personel.
Toyota is at fault for designed a computer controlled device that has safety implications on failure. These kinds of failures have not been reported in other brands. She bought the Toyota in good faith and her experience was unsatisfactory. Then she sold the car which has performed well for the new owner. There is no shame on anybody but Toyota.
Always be wary of low mileage cars sitting on used car lots or at auctions. Why would anyone want to sell such a car unless their experience with it has been unsatisfactory?
The seller has no obligation to tell all the bad luck he has had with the car if the car is in the condition represented at sale. This car was in good operating condition and working satisfactorily and the new owner put 27,000 miles on it. Shame on TTAC for trying to make Rhonda Smith look bad.
michaelhagerty
97escort: If she really thought it was a "perfectly good car", what was she doing testifying on Capitol Hill?
gslippy
"Why would anyone want to sell such a car unless their experience with it has been unsatisfactory?"
I purchased my first minivan used with 4 months and 10k miles on the clock. We were told the car's first owner was too feeble to climb up into the driver's seat easily. We drove it an additional 9 years and 110k miles.
Some people trade cars early because they can't afford them.
I traded a lemon Odyssey after the lemon suit concluded, even though everything was fixed by then. I also couldn't afford the car. It had no safety-related issues, and the new owner could learn of the issues via Carfax, assuming they were reported.
joeveto3
Besides, had the buyer requested a CarFax, it would have clearly revealed any sort of demonic possession….
I think Carfax charges extra for the "demonic possession report"
JeremyR
As long as the vehicle is registered to the demon during the time of possession, it should show up on the report…
Mungooz
Many, if not most, of you are wrong. I, on the other hand, am right. Ms. Smith is a woman. Many, many women are terrified that their car might "go out of control" at any moment. I mean like when parking. When accelerating away from a stop. Even at 5mph! I've heard them ask: "What if the car goes out of control?" Ms. Smith was a woman who was terrified that her car might go out of control. Something went awry. Panic ensued. Nothing that she says happened actually happened. But just try to convince her of that.
cwmoo740
It pains me a little to do this, but +1.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g5xX6L6J2Q
Example #2 in that video is clearly related to the SUA that Toyota owners are experiencing =].
meefer
It doesn't matter whether she traded it in or not. The car is "possessed" and needs holy intervention to be stopped. It should have been destroyed, right? Maybe she should demand Toyota hire some priests to sprinkle holy water in the build process.
I'm not trying to pick on Mrs. Smith, but most of this grandstanding is just a spit and polish of the unintended acceleration/saddle gas tank debacles.
Oh and I have never heard of a neutral lockout on any Toyota vehicle. There is a reverse lockout and it is possible the entire tranny went nuts, but not being able to shift into neutral? I have shifted into neutral at 40 mph, how fast do I have to be going to activate this cutoff?
As I recall from the movie Christine, destroying the demon car didn't do any good…..
and I join the call for "Factchecker" to provide some type of documentation to back up his "fact" that this car has a lockout that keeps the car from being shifted to neutral above a certain speed…
Jerry Sutherland
A thought occurred to me after reading all these "piling on the witness" comments…would this witness be more credible had she been driving a Sebring?
I'm guessing that the lineup to post anti-Rhonda comments would have been shorter.
CarShark
I doubt it. The Sebring may not be a wonderful car, but it (and Chrysler) doesn't deserve to have its name dragged down by a bad witness. Posts like yours are tiresome, not just because they're horribly predictable, but because the intent isn't to further the conversation by providing a different perspective, but kill it by trying to shame everyone else into submission.
I am not the slightest fan of the Sebring. It is one of the most awful cars sold today. That being said, I focus on the cars actual issues, like interior bits that don't fit together, poor handling, ride, etc… That being said, If Mrs. Smith was testifying about a Sebring, I would be just as skeptical about here account.
fincar1
Another Sebring non-fan here. Why drag in the Sebring at all given the apparent lack of unintended-acceleration claims against it?
I picked the unloved Sebring as an illustration of an unloved domestic on this forum. Yes,I do defend Detroit more than most on this forum and I will take heat for my position. It may be redundant, but I will stay the course on my message. I would like to feel guilty for my position, but that would be a reach. I stand by my original point that a domestic manufacturer would have considerably fewer allies on this issue in this forum. Incidentally, I agree that the Toyota hearings sre an incredible waste of time and money.
littlehulkster
I think the moral of this story is: never buy an automatic.
Bingo!!!
leeharvey418
Why not? I'm sure if she had been driving a manual transmission vehicle, the demon would have fused the clutch plates together or disengaged the linkage between the pedal and the clutch.
forraymond
She probably brought her Bible to the meeting with the lawyers. You know she is a "good Christian." (lies and all)
It would be better to question her statement's credibility than to attack her religion, whichever that may be.
I think that David Holzman's story (above) is the best explanation of what happened.
OMG_Shoes
Sure, sure, she shifted to Neutral and nothing happened, her demonically-possessed hell-car tried to start all by itself and Jaybob from the towin' company swears she's a-truthin'. Riiiight.
Perhaps it took god six miles to intervene because he was busy checking to see if her car had any pre-existing conditions that would make it ineligible for godly intervention.
I would say anyone deluded enough to believe in an imaginary magical sky fairy who is omnipotent, omniscient, controls everything and yet nevertheless has time to listen to one pathetic woman's ignorant, blubbering prayer ought to be locked up in a padded cell, or at least denied a driver's license.
Why is everyone jumping on her case for selling the vehicle? Do you expect her to keep it? If she thinks it is a deathtrap, she probably doesn't want it around her at all, or her family. With Toyota founding nothing wrong with the car and wouldn't buy it back. What else do you expert her to do?
She has be put through the mud with many of the comments on this site. What is her motivation for lying? This incident happen a few years ago, so the recent events probably only vindicate her story from a few years ago. There are probably a few details that she has wrong. But it doesn't mean that this didn't happen in some way close to the story that she told.
Everybody's jumping on her case because she's an ignorant moron.
OMG_Shoes,
She probably has the knowledge of an average American driver.
dcardno
Why is everyone jumping on her case for selling the vehicle?
Gee… I dunno – maybe selling a known deathtrap to another family might be a bit of a moral conundrum. On the other hand, if she thought there was really nothing wrong with it, selling the car would be just fine – even if it is entirely inconsistent with her sworn testimony to Congress.
I'm curious – are you naturally thick as two short planks, or did you have to saw off your feet?
dcardno,
Taking personal shots on the internet is a wonderful thing. Perhaps I should ask you if you can read. And by that, I mean read the other comments on this post.
The car was traded in. Toyota was told about the problems with the car and did nothing at the time. What was she supposed to do with it? Toyota wouldn't do a refund. The dealer knew of the problem. I guess we just expect her to keep the car in her garage for the next few years because lots of people can just afford to pay for a car that they don't use.
Had this scenario happened to you, your family, or spouse. And the reaction was the same. Would you be holding on to that car?
criminalenterprise
Maybe Toyota will start installing clutch pedals on its automatics.
reclusive_in_nature
Whole lotta character assassination tonight. How dare she say something negative about the venerable Toyota! She should be ridiculed just like all the other people that's been investigated on this site for giving false testaments about Ford, GM, and Chrysler. Wait a sec…
Help Me Rhonda, Help Help Me Rhonda!
JSF22
We do not know anything after two days of Congressional posturing that we did not know before. But one thing of which we can be fairly certain is that if Rhonda Smith was at the wheel of an out-of-control Lexus going 100 mph, she didn't simultaneously figure out how to make a phone call.
Well, the phone probably behaved the way it was designed to.
ozibuns
What it comes down to is the seemingly innate stupidy of many citizens coupled with a God-given right to their 15 minutes of fame. Anybody heard of similar claims from Toyota or Lexus customers overseas or did these nasty software/hardware gremlins decide to solely focus on America? What a farce. Shame on you America.
It could be something specific to models built and/or in the United States.
It could be the fact that automatic transmissions are all but universal in the United States (which would make it much more common).
Or, as someone opined in another thread, it could be mass hysteria…our very own modern-day version of South Korea's fan death phenomenon, or reports in the 1950's of mysterious windshield pockmarks (probably the damn Ruskies were to blame for that last one)…
iNeon
This is unacceptable behaviour. Christendom is passed at birth, and as such, is a semi-uncontrollable facet of a human-being's identity– Christians are born of Christians as races are born of races, as boys are born of girls, and girls of boys. Some, through nature, choose to lighten/darken themselves– to change contouring of facial structures– to change gender or sex, or choose to take another religion. Some of these comments are attacks that need to be watched and edited.
Please note that I am aware there is no guarantee of inoffensiveness in life; but also note I'm aware that no Toyota has previously been allowed to be called a poorly-engineered, weak Bhuddamobile. Mrs. Smith deserves the same respect.
Editors: stop and remove these attacks now.
Buddhamobile? Your post is the best troll I have seen in a while. You earn a cookie.
Bertel Schmitt
iNeon:
1.) Your theory that Christendom is passed at birth is interesting. Please explain that to the missionaries who still try to convert every heathen they can get their hands on. Think about it: Any religion would be severely hampered if it could only be transmitted through birth.
2.) I could care less whether you call a car a Buddhamobile (and I am married to someone who believes in Shinto and Buddha, they don't need to sign a non-compete.) But some may take offense. I'd be as respectful of other religions as you expect others to be of yours.
3.) I don't understand most of your ramblings, but apparently, you are calling for deletion of comments. Be advised that what the editors do is the sole choice of the editors.
iNeon, thanks for drawing attention to the scarcity of mental health resources.
VerbalKint
Didn't she testify that while her car was careening out of control during what she felt was her last joy ride that she had time to phone her husband to say goodbye?
Emro
I love that she dropped the Bluetooth name in there… will she be in NASCAR next year?
I hope the people she sold the car to sue her. I mean, she admitted in Congress that because of some defect her life was critically endangered, yet she sold it anyway, presumably without disclosing her experience. If I didn't believe her story, I'd sue her anyway.
Sold it to a dealer who was aware of what happened. And that dealer probably didn't pass the story along.
Has anyone checked the prices of low mileage Toyo's or Lexi lately?
This isn't the first time I've been called crazy on a website– and it won't be the last. I was simply using strong language to get the point of the double-standard being practiced across. It isn't my fault you cannot understand abstract language.
Maybe needing things spelled-out for you is a sign of an even weaker mind.
There are numerous posts in this thread that step over boundaries and do nothing but disrespect Mrs. Smith for her status as a Christian woman. We are not allowed to do this with Mr. Toyoda in those threads, and I am simply calling for equality.
I hope this is more clear.
Runfromcheney
That is just the thing. None of us (at least not me) are jumping on Mrs. Smith because she is a Christian. We are jumping on her because she seems to be an ignorant moron who is riding an exaggerated sob story to her own fifteen minutes of fame. No disrespect, but "god intervened" is not a good way to explain how you managed to stop your out of control car when you are testifying in front of a major world government.
Moparman426W
I think maybe it's entirely possible that this lady's car got away from her, and of course she panicked. In an instance such as this many things can happen, and while maybe they did not happen in exactly the way she describes i'm sure that she see's things in the way that she is describing.
I'm sure that if the vehicle did speed out of control it did not take long for it to reach a high rate of speed. Like a lot of people maybe she did not react fast enough by shifting into neutral before the speed got excessive. Maybe she tried braking before trying to hit neutral, which would heat the brakes up excessively, making them less effective.
It's possible that by the time she hit neutral that the brakes were so hot that they would no longer work. She may have been so panic stricken that she might not even hit neutral, but thought she did, who knows?
It looks like she obviously had the car in neutral,but who knows after how long, because the car finally came to a stop. I think that maybe out of panic she overheated the brakes before finally taking the car out of gear, that would expalin the car not wanting to stop with the brakes.
Many things could have happened, and it's unfair to pick on this person without being there to witness what actually did happen.
bsgcic
I think it is premature to point blame at Ms. Smith and certainly to discredit her claim against Toyota. I suggest the following:
1. The fact that another family bought the vehicle indicates that either: a) She did not disclose the incidence of the unintended acceleration b) that she had the vehicle repaired prior to selling it and disclosed that fact or c) that she disclosed it and the new family bought it anyway perhaps at a heavily discounted price. My guess is that (a) is most likely because if she had it repaired, that would have served as evidence for congress. I would guess that (c) would be unlikely as I would hypothesize that the type of customer buying a Lexus for personal use would pay a premium for safety.
2. Just because the new family has not experienced a recurrence of the unintended acceleration does not mean that it did not happen for Ms. Smith. Many Lexus vehicles have been sold and the occurrence of the unintended acceleration appears to be a small fraction of those cases. It is likely that for the unintended acceleration to occur, a unique mix of independent circumstances must all happen which most likely contributes to the difficulty in identifying, verifying, and diagnosing the cause. This type of problem-solving challenge is not so uncommon when developing technology (including software development which I do myself).
My guess as to this is that: The incident did occur with Ms. Smith. However, Ms. Smith may have not disclosed that information to the new buyer which if true would be, among other things, reckless and unethical of Ms. Smith (if true!).
YZS
Why would you need to go to skip barber race driving school to learn what shifting into neutral does? Seriously, this is what's wrong with America today. It's basic knowledge that any driver should know, right up there with which pedal does what.
2018 Hyundai Kona Review – Double Take
Corey Lewis: I am a VERY careful eater in the car. Took my time, had all the time I needed to eat slowly and with no...
Corey Lewis: I believe so. I am sorta unsure with the engine being in the Camry and all.
Secret Hi5: Premium >91 octane is required, correct? i.e. Not just a recommendation, but a requirement.
MoparRocker74: McDonalds and Taco Bell seated in white leather on a 1000 mile roadtrip…we have ourselves a...
redgolf: so it's also a "smart" car too!


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


L3 defaults to a default value as it is not present in the string.
make this efficient and robust. I am not very good at C programming.
> L3 defaults to a default value as it is not present in the string.
> make this efficient and robust. I am not very good at C programming.
You forgot to include <stdlib.h>, for malloc's prototype.
int to pointer. This may result in a loss of information.
Also, sizeof(char) is guaranteed to be 1.
fgets() for this kind of input.
which makes your intention crystal-clear.
created a memory leak in your program.
>L3 defaults to a default value as it is not present in the string.
>make this efficient and robust. I am not very good at C programming.
Which compiler does so? I'm just curious.
> Which compiler does so? I'm just curious.
which should tell you <string.h> is missing.
Ask 8 slackers how to do something, get 10 answers.
option, if an applied function does not have a visible prototype.
>> Which compiler does so? I'm just curious.
> which should tell you <string.h> is missing.
stdlib.h because it cannot know what header you forgot, can it?
programmer has to realize from other warnings.
6. New to programming...advice needed!


text:
iPhone, vaccine chips and KC police
by Guy Speckman
in Ponder the Thought
Please say a prayer for me. Apple has figured out that my iPhone has not been upgraded in some time and "they" are slowing it down to a slow crawl to force me into a multi-year transaction for a new one. I'm overmatched in this battle. I'm not sure how much a new phone costs, but it seems like a new phone for yours truly is inevitable in the immediate future. Might see if I'm eligible for some Platte County CARES money.
This is a good time to remind everyone of my mother's financial advice. "Guy, they're going to $19.99 a month us to death." I think her concept was correct, she just didn't calculate inflation well enough. Probably going to $99.99 a month us to death, but you get the point.
Petty opinions, Savannah Bananas
Chiefs, Landmark Live, and wish lists
No Republicans, Daylight Saving Time
My favorite anti-vaccine people are the ones that claimed it will track you for the government. The same people that were texting this to you via their phone, that literally tracks them 24/7. The same people posting their opinions on Facebook somehow thought the government needed more access to them via a vaccine hoax. I'm pretty sure most of us can be tracked at this point, chip insertion or not.
I'm old enough that I'd go for a chip at this point. If I get lost, I'd just soon somebody be able to find me. Assuming anyone would want to find me if I was lost. Anyway, the point is that I don't do anything exciting or illegal enough that anyone in the government would care what I was up to. It's kind of sad, but accurate summary of my life.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas made big news when he sprung a surprise initiative to move police funding away from the state-appointed Kansas City Police Board control and to the City government. Members of the police board were said to be unaware the mayor was going to make the change and some council people appeared in the dark on the plan as well. Opponents quickly called it a "defunding" of the police, which is not accurate, but it appears unlikely to help matters in a city that needs help with crime.
Northlanders are quick to complain about the dollar drain of police resources for the south area of Kansas City and Lucas was quick to accuse the Northland complainers of a "cultural" attack. The moving of the money plan initiated by Lucas and a majority of the city council appears likely headed to a courtroom and to garner legislative response, which will help a lot of lawyers' Christmas accounts, but not really help solve crime.
Lucas likes to throw shade at former governor and current Senate candidate Eric Greitens on his social media but in the end, Lucas reminds me of Greitens, albeit a liberal version without the personal baggage to date. They both crave any photo op, and both are disruptors of the status quo but with no apparent end game for constituent success. The end game often appears more social media interaction, more news stories and more coverage of the politicians, but little in terms of outcome.
Kansas City violent crime is real, and we should commend Lucas for wanting to think outside the box and disrupt things that don't work. In that same context we should all be asking of if this disruption is helpful? It's likely not and that is the final measure of success or failure, not how many likes the process got.
(Guy Speckman can be reached at gspeckman@me.com or standing in line at the Apple store)
Tags: platte countyPublic Safety
Guy Speckman
Guy Speckman is a Landmark contributing columnist with his Ponder the Thought column. Speckman is the former owner of the Savannah Reporter, where the column appeared for nearly two decades. Speckman is a former city government manager, serving as city administrator in Maysville, Plattsburg and Savannah before entering business. He is a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University (1989). He is originally from Plattsburg, Missouri. He and his wife own and operate a real estate valuation firm and a daily legal newspaper and are the parents of two grown children.
Scraps of fabric

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


On this week's What the Hack Podcast we are talking heart health with Dr. Julie McLaughlin.
Who is Dr. Julie McLaughlin?
Dr. Julie McLaughlin has dedicated her careers to helping people achieve their optimal health potential thru wellness and nutrition.
Holding multiple degrees, she has practiced for the last 30+ years in private practice addition to her career of teaching and coaching other physicians in Functional Medicine and Advanced Labs.
Wellness is not just her career it is her passion and it can be witnessed through her constant pursuit of knowledge in the latest research to help her patients reach their full health potential, saving one heart at a time.


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When Sir Philip Harclay returns to England after a long absence, he finds that his childhood friend, Arthur, Lord Lovel, is no longer alive, and that the castle and estates of the Lovel family have twice changed hands. But a mysteriously abandoned set of rooms in the castle of Lovel promises to disclose the secrets of the past. After a series of frantic episodes and surprising revelations, culminating in a trial by combat, the crimes of the usurper and the legitimacy of the true heir are finally discovered. 'The literary offspring of the castle of Otranto', as Reeve described it, The Old English Baron provides an ambitious rewriting of Horace Walpole's groundbreaking work, transporting the trappings of the Gothic to medieval England. Innovative and original in its day, Reeve's historical romance is increasingly recognized as a major influence on the development of Gothic fiction.


text:
Q: What would happen if I changed my startup disk to a flash drive, then tried to turn on the computer without said flash drive plugged in? I'm experimenting with live USBs, and I'm curious what would happen. I mean setting this through System Preferences, not the Boot Manager.

A: The main reason for selecting a startup disk in System Preferences > Startup Disk is to let macOS know where it should boot from by default. This does not prevent macOS from booting off another drive in the event there is a problem with the default drive.
So, in the event that the default drive is not present or functioning correctly, and there is another bootable disk connected to the Mac (either internally or externally), it should eventually find it and boot off that.
When I say eventually I don't mean hours, it's usually no more than a couple of minutes.
If there is no other bootable drive, your Mac will display an error, usually in the form of a folder image with a question mark on it.
Firmware password
Note, if you have set a firmware password on your Mac, the behaviour will be different to what I've described above.
If you have a firmware password enabled and you try to start up from another drive (incl. from Recovery), your Mac will pause the startup sequence and present the user with a password field instead. In this case, before the Mac boots up from the other bootable drive it has located, the user will need to enter the firmware password.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Review: The House Of Madame M by Clothilde Perrin.
October 31, 2019 October 29, 2019 bookmurmurationLeave a comment
Are you lost? Come in!
Welcome to The House Of Madame M, where things slither and creak and nothing is as it seems. There are skeletons in the cupboards – real ones – and clawed things in the corners and the food in the kitchen would literally kill.
This pop-up book is a delight for the insatiably gothic. With doors to open and dials to turn, it is super hands-on. The illustrations are rich in detail. As well as playing with the interactive features, the reader is kept busy scanning over the page and taking in the surprises.
For surprises there are. It seems a shame to spoil any more, but I jumped once or twice as I came across things I hadn't seen at the first glance.
Four or five lines accompany each spread, giving the impression that someone – or some creeping, crawling thing – has been charged with giving the reader a guided tour. The implication is that, once a person enters the house, they can never ever leave.
My interest in this was particularly as a pop-up. There's something about pop-up books. Perhaps they remind us that storytelling can take so many different forms. They break the rules, almost, by giving the reader so much authority over what moves when and in what order things are explored. Anybody who had a pop-up book in childhood will gravitate towards them in a second-hand bookshop, even if they don't intend to buy. This format lends itself well to the gothic and unruly world of Madame M. There's something compelling about playing with the illustrations while being guided through the book by the unearthly narrator.
I love the use of dark and light. The eye is drawn to the patches of yellow and then to the details within them. The use of texture is also exciting, especially to bring the monsters to life.
Both trick and treat at the same time. With added surprise value. A lovely creation that will excite readers this Halloween.
The House Of Madame M is available now from Gecko Press. RRP £16.99
Thanks to Laura Smythe PR and Gecko Press for my copy.
Review: Moon And Me – The Little Seed by Andrew Davenport. Illustrated by Mariko Umeda.
It's time to go to sleep. Lie down, Pepi Nana. Close your eyes, don't you peep!
Andrew Davenport, creator of In The Night Garden and co-creator of Teletubbies is back with a new programme. Moon And Me follows Pepi Nana, who lives in the toy house, on a very special adventure with her new friend the Moon Baby. It brings the toy room stories of Enid Blyton into the modern day with the same balance of music, tea parties, friendships, adventures, and games.
This volume contains a mixture of stories and song words. As with Davenport's other creations, the adventure is very much rooted in the familiar. The character is woken up by a narrator and sent to bed with a special Goodnight, Everybody routine. This mirrors the day of a small child. The adventures happen while an adult narrator keeps everything scheduled and safe and familiar.
Characters include Pepi Nana the doll, a stuffed onion, a pretend Lily plant and the Moon Baby. You can bet they will soon become household names to anyone with small children.
Davenport fascinates me as a creator of stories and brands for children. He seems to have a deep understanding of what will click with the under-threes at any given moment. I also think his brands are a lesson in aspiring writers for children. I am of the right age to recall the Teletubbies craze of the 90s – at seven or so I was outside the target age but young enough to participate and be an observer. Everybody had a favourite character. The world drew children and held them fascinated, even when the stories were so basic. Several memorable details became part of our everyday language (the Noo-Noo, anybody? Tubby Custard? We weren't just watching it on Television. We were literally consuming the stuff from the supermarket).
Introducing the world of Moon & Me through a book seems like a lovely idea. Many bookworms turn their noses up at television tie-ins, but I challenge you to recall the books from your own childhood. There will be at least one TV book or annual which you read until the spine broke and the pages were tissue-paper thin just because you loved the character. And that kind of immersion in a story is priceless.
Thanks to Scholastic UK for my copy of Moon & Me. Opinions my own.
Non-Fiction · Picture Book Reviews · Picture Books
Review: Atlas Of Amazing Birds by Matt Sewell.
Our planet is home to some amazing birds. Open your eyes and meet the true wonders of the world. Knowing about the birds we share our planet with encourages us to care about their wellbeing.
This is divided into seven sections and introduces the birdlife of eight continents. Each section begins with a map, making this part Atlas, part guidebook. As a whole, with its jewel-bright illustrations and informative fact files, it is a book to marvel over.
It is the images that make the book. The full-colour images draw the eye as soon as the book is opened. The style is a play on scientific drawings – flat, and forward-facing, they are certainly there is no pretence at a story or pose. However, they are also filled with a certain character which makes it possible to imagine them coming to life and to picture how they might move. This one would glide, for example, and that one flutter.
Each entry includes the scientific name and the common one. The common one comes first which not only allows readers to spot the familiar but to marvel over a vocabulary which is in danger of becoming lost. Two or three paragraphs accompany the names. These are well-written and explain where the bird might be found and introducing some of its habits.
In organising the birds by continent, the book also introduces the idea that we adapt to our habitats. Flicking through, it is impossible not to notice similarities and differences between the birds, and discussing how all the small, bright birds live in warm places, for example, would open an interesting conversation with young readers.
A page at the back includes a glossary of bird-related terms and suggestions for songs featuring birds. This is such a lovely touch and would make a wonderful 'next activity' after reading.
This is the kind of book which helps a reader form a love with a new subject. After looking through the pages, it is impossible not to want to spot birds in the real world and to know more about the birds which live far away.
The perfect holiday gift for a young nature enthusiast or for readers who just love a beautiful book.
Thanks to Pavilion Children's Books for my copy of Atlas Of Amazing Birds. Opinions my own.
Review: Hansel And Gretel by Bethan Woollvin.
Once upon a time, there was a nice witch called Willow who lived in the forest. One day, two children dropped breadcrumbs everywhere, threatening the security of her gingerbread house. Wait a second – what? Is that how the story goes?
This Hanel & Gretel retelling is deliciously funny and works because it is understated. The narrator doesn' t sound like a smarty-pants who is proud to be subverting the story (which is, if you'll excuse me, a major put-off in retellings). Rather, this is a whole new story. The story of a witch who put up with gingerbread-stealing, rude little children for just a bit too long.
The ending is so fantastic that it made me squeal with delight. Partly because I love gingerbread and partly because it was so much better than the original ending. That's what happens when you hand the story to a witch with a sweet-tooth and strong magical powers.
There are a handful of tales I heard once too often in childhood, to the extent that I started to question what the big deal was. Hansel & Gretel is one of them. Everyone loves the gingerbread house and the breadcrumb trail through the forest and that climactic moment as the witch wobbles in front of the oven. I firmly believe that fairy tales are an important part of our lives and that every child deserves to be told them, but there is such a vast range of stories and so many ways of telling each one. Today's children are lucky to have books like this one.
The illustrations are impossibly cool, with their contrasting black, grey and orange palette and minimal shapes and in block colours. Hansel & Gretel's thoughtless, gleeful expressions are terrific. We know from their faces that there is no reasoning with them.
An old tale reworked into something equally timeless and memorable. This rebalances the story and the result is hugely fun.
Thanks to Two Hoots for my copy. Opinions my own.
fairytales · Feminist/Gender Equality
Review: Forgotten Fairy Tales Of Brave And Brilliant Girls (various authors and illustrators).
Fairy tales fire our imaginations and they shape our understanding and expectations for our lives. So says Kate Pankhurst in her introduction, which explains how some fairy tales were told less often than others, and so became lesser-known or forgotten. As stories die, Pankhurst says, so do their messages. And why should there only be one version of a tale, when braver, bolder characters can tell us the things which make sense in our lives?
It is a fantastic foreword to a book that aims to change the narrative on female heroines. Why should the princesses sit around waiting to be rescued when they could ride out into the night and take on the darkness themselves?
This image, incidentally, comes from my favourite fairy tale. In Tam Lin, included here as Fearless Fiona And The Spellbound Knight, the heroine rides out at midnight to confront an evil faerie queen and prevent a young man from being given as tribute to hell. I came to this story through folk music and something about it felt different from the same-old-same-old stories which I knew from repeated tellings. There was something about Tam Lin which, even in my teens, I was unable to explain.
And of course, that image says it all. The heroine was brave. Not the wimpy, waiting around without complaint brave, but the kind where she took things into her own hands, faced her fears and remained resolute in her position. She had guts. She had authority as a character.
Forgotten Fairy Tales Of Brave And Brilliant Girls offers young readers this very thing. Girls need to see themselves at the centre of the action from an early age to believe that their strength and intelligence is equal to that of a boy.
The stories are retold in a way that is suitable for younger readers. The writing is strong and rich in detail and the book could very definitely grow with the reader and remain a favourite. In fact, these would be lovely to read aloud as a group or to reenact together. Tales included are English, Scottish and European but vary from the best-known stories. This would be a lovely book to help readers think more broadly about fairy tales and folklore and to give them a hunger for more tales.
The illustrations are bold and colourful and bring the stories to life. I especially love the towering, waving nettles in the illustrations of The Nettle Princess, and the picture of Tam Lin with his armour wrapped in flowers.
It is always encouraging to see anthologies which aim to challenge outdated narratives. A lovely introduction to the diversity and richness which stories can offer.
Thanks to Usborne Publishing and Rontaler Events for my copy. Opinions my own.
Round-Up · Young Middle Grade
Younger Fiction round-up – October 2019.
October 25, 2019 October 24, 2019 bookmurmuration2 Comments
Kitty series by Paula Harrison and Jenny Løvlie.
Kitty wishes she could be a superhero just like her Mum, but she's not certain she is brave enough. Then she listens to the magic of a starry night and discovers that she has special powers all of her own. What's more, the cats in Hallam City need her help.
Kitty's very special powers make her the hero of the feline world. Together with the cats, she prowls the rooftops, ready to rescue those in need and to return priceless treasures to their rightful owners. This new series is exceptionally charming, with the action of any good superhero story but the friendship and security of a story for very young readers.
The illustrations are a perfect match for the story. They have a slight roundness to them, making them feel cute and friendly, but the action comes across too. The orange and black creates a world that is dark but magical. There is always something brighter to ensure it is only scary enough.
This is shorter than a young middle-grade story or early chapter book, but longer than a picture book. This format is growing in popularity, and for good reason – it allows less confident readers to feel like they have a 'real book' because it is divided into chapters and builds up a plot in the same way as a shorter novel.
Isadora Moon Makes Winter Magic by Harriet Muncaster.
Isadora is back – half fairy, half vampire, and happy to play in the snow.
Isadora is disappointed and lonely after she is the only person not invited to a party, but not for long. Aunt Crystal – whose specialty is snow magic – comes to play, and soon Isadora has made a snow boy and a snow bunny and brought them to life. They are brilliant friends, but when he starts dripping, Isadora realises that snow magic can't last forever.
Aunt Crystal makes a suggestion, but can Isadora come to the rescue?
A charming tale filled with sparkles and frost and the magic of friendship.
The Isadora Moon books are fabulous because they balance the pink and pretty with some dark and gothic. Children shouldn't feel pressured to fall into one camp or another, and this series demonstrates that just being yourself is the best way to be.
This would make a lovely gift for a stocking or a Christmas Eve bag. It is long enough to snuggle up with and listen to over hot chocolate, but short enough to wrap up in one session.
Kevin's Great Escape by Phillip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre.
Kevin the roly-poly flying pony is back for his next adventure. He's been very happy in his new home, with his friend Max, and Max's big sister Daisy, and a constant supply of biscuits. Especially custard creams.
There is huge excitement when Misty Twiglet announces that she is moving to Bumbleford. Everyone knows who Misty Twiglet is. She's the famous, all-singing, all-dancing pop star who has everything she needs. A car, a manager, and a ginormous house. Misty has everything – except a roly-poly flying pony.
Kevin isn't the only one in trouble. Misty and her manager have trapped lots of magical creatures. Luckily, Max is on the case, and he's not afraid to utilise his big sister …
A fantastic and funny tale from the amazing duo of Reeve and McIntyre.
Just picking this book up makes life feel instantly 325% better. It contains custard creams, guinea pigs, shiny-edged pages and a beautiful flying pony. Stories by Reeve and McIntyre seem to summon up all that is good and interesting and tie them together in a brilliant narrative. The illustrations are filled with such life and energy, too, that at times it feels as if they will burst off the page.
A must for readers who love whimsy and fun.
Speedy Monkey by Jeanne Willis. Illustrated by Chantelle and Burgen Thorne.
Deep in the rainforest, everything is peaceful and quiet until Speedy Monkey arrives. He is a bit different from the other animals. He is bouncy, and jumpy and loud and happy and his energy is endless. Day and night, he moves and makes noises. Eventually, the other animals get fed up of him and he leaves their company.
Then a storm comes. Suddenly Speedy's quickness and loud voice don't seem like such a bad thing after all.
This is a charming story about acceptance and being true to yourself. It could also be used to open conversations about neurodiversity, especially ADHD and hyperactivity generally. Knowing that everyone is a valuable member of society and that we don't all present in the same way is pivotal if the next generation is to change the narrative and welcome true diversity.
The illustrations beautifully capture emotion with use of colour – the sadness Speedy Monkey feels when he is all alone, and the joy when he is accepted and welcomed back by the other animals.
Another big hit from the Stripes colour illustration range.
A Sea Of Stories by Sylvia Bishop. Illustrated by Paddy Donnelly.
Grandpa's house is filled with objects, and every one of those objects has a story. When Roo goes to stay, she thinks at first that the whole world must be stuffed inside his cottage. Every night, Grandpa tells Roo a story. A memory from his life which is attached to a possession.
There is one place which crops up in his stories more often than anywhere else – the sea cove which his elderly legs will no longer carry him down to. As Roo realises that so many of his memories are associated with this special place, she formulates a plan.
Winner of the 'Not A Singe Eye Dry' award. This beautiful and gentle tale had me in tears because it captures how much we love the people we have lost, and how their stories remain a part of our lives. Objects and places and even special moments like a sunset can bring memories of them flooding back inside our hearts.
The illustrations by Paddy Donnelly give a sense of the sea cove waiting around the corner to be discovered. Of waves and sunsets and breezes creeping into our memories.
A beautiful story about the importance of memories and tales.
Jasper & Scruff – Hunt For The Golden Bone by Nicola Colton.
Jasper the cat likes the finer things in life. Scruff the dog prefers the simple. This doesn't stop them from being friends, and they happily run a bookshop together.
When a rare book about the pirate cat Black Whispers appears in the shop, the pair find a treasure map and set out on an adventure. However, as the trail runs cold, the pair realise that they have been tricked by the Sophisticats – the society who only accept cats like themselves. Will anyone come to the aid of the duo who dare to like each other regardless of difference?
Jasper & Scruff is one of my favourite series for younger readers. The stories are well written and the running theme of accepting each other as we are is woven into the tales. I also love the illustrations, which look effortless (but probably take ages to perfect) and make me itch to pick up a pencil or a crayon every time I see them.
Highly recommend this series.
Little Penguin Rescue by Rachel Delahaye.
Fliss travels magically on incredible adventures with animals.
A snow day lands her in the Antarctic, where she meets a colony of penguins with chicks who are ready to head North for the winter. Then a blizzard sweeps in and when it is over Fliss finds an injured mother with her chick, separated from the other birds. Fliss realises that it must be her mission to help them, but how will they ever catch up when the mother bird has an injured leg?
Luckily Fliss knows all about animals, and her respect and determination will see her through.
This series of beautifully written tales won me over from the first book. The stories show total understanding of the relationship between humans and other animals. How we can bond with our fellow creatures only if we fully respect them as intelligent beings. Fliss sets a great example to her young readers in how to treat other animals.
The third book in the series is perfect for wintertime as it takes us into a land of ice and snow.
Peanut Butter And Jelly by Ben Clanton.
The fabulous friends are back for a whole new underwater adventure. And this time they have peanut butter. Lots of it.
Narwhal is certain nothing can beat waffles. Then Jelly gives him some peanut butter cookies and a whole love affair begins. Everything in Narwhal's life is peanut butter.
Like the previous volumes in this series, this book contains three main stories, one fact-file and a side story that will have readers in stitches. This is cartooning at its best – whimsical and expressive and packed with fun and laughter. By the end of the volume, we feel as if we know the two friends like our own.
These books have been a big hit in book corners according to the educators I talk to during Twitter chats. I can see why they would appeal to a generation who speak Meme and GIF as fluently as they speak their first language. There are pages and spreads and individual boxes that could be copied into relatable and entertaining posters. The humour speaks directly to the social media generation.
Bright, bold and witty, these offer readers an alternative format to novels and stories.
Thanks to Egmont Publishing, Oxford University Press and Stripes Books for the titles in this feature. Opinions my own.
blog tour · Middle Grade Reviews · teen
Blog Tour: Invisible In A Bright Light by Sally Gardner.
Down she falls, through the dome of the opera house, down she falls, past the crystal galleon, and as she passes it she hears the sound of something coming adrift. Down, down she falls …
(Invisible In A Bright Light by Sally Gardener. P6.)
1870. It is opening night at the Royal Opera House and every one of the candles is lit in the huge chandelier shaped like a galleon which was mysteriously lost at sea. Orphaned and impoverished Celeste wakes from a strange dream to find that everyone thinks she is somebody else: a player in the forthcoming opera.
Then the chandelier falls and the hauntings begin.
Celeste is shadowed by a girl who claims to know her past. Together they must play a game called the Reckoning and save the lives of the loved ones Celeste can't remember before it is too late.
There is no storyteller quite like Sally Gardener. She reminds me of my younger self in a very good way, my childhood self at fourteen or fifteen just before I became afraid to run with ideas and see where they took me. When you open one of Gardener's books, there is no knowing where it will take you, except that the show will be spectacular and that it will be an experience to remember.
Which is why I was delighted to see that Gardener had written a book about the theatre. Her style matches the visual, multi-sensory splendour of a good show.
The strange events of Invisible In A Bright Light tie together a man in a green coat, a theatre, and a fantastic chandelier. Gardener weaves different layers together until we understand more about Celeste's life, and what it is she must do. Reading it is like being led through the darkness until the lights come on and everything starts to make sense. Gardener creates a world that is disorienting and beautiful in equal measures.
The relationship between Celeste and the girl whos shadows her, which begins after an accident involving the chandelier, reminds me of the best fairytales. It could be the thing to lift Celeste from her miserable life, or it could trap her in a nightmare forever. The balance of fear and hope kept me on tenterhooks as I invested all my hope for Celeste in this girl and her dangerous game.
It is fantastic to see Gardener writing for a middle-grade audience again. Her stories draw the reader in and keep them hooked until the very last pages. This would be a great book for readers who like something a bit spooky but tremendously beautiful.
Thanks to Head Of Zeus for my gifted copy of Invisible In A Bright Light. Opinions my own.