SOUNDTRACK: MATES OF STATE-“I am a Scientist” (2012).
This is a cover of Guided by Voices’ “I am a Scientist.” It appears on an all female 18-song charity compilation called Science Fair which is themed around and benefiting science and engineering education for girls.
The original is a wonderful, catchy low-tunes and lo fi sounding guitar track (that builds over the course of 2 minutes). The Mates of State version is brighter and louder. It also builds but they add kids singing along with them (it is a benefit album for kids after all).
It’s a wonderful introduction to this worthy CD. You can hear (and watch) it here.
[READ: December 4, 2011] Babymouse for President
So this is the first new Babymouse book that I’ve read that was actually new when it came out! And I’m reading it just in time for the election season. Amazingly, this book with its cartoon politics is far less cartoony than the real politics this election season–who’da thunk it.
Babymouse has a dream of being president–not because of what she could accomplish but because of the POWER! (Later, she is disturbed to realize that Felicia Furrypaws has the same feeling).
This story has fewer pink fantasy sequences than normal. Well, maybe that’s not true, there are plenty, but they are pretty short and self contained–sequences about George Washington playing dodgeball (ha) and Babymouse on Mount Rushmore. And there’s a pretty funny Declaration of Independence joke.
But the crux of the book is that Babymouse decides (or is cajoled by her narrator) into running for class president. Babymouse thinks of some campaign posters and slogans (and borrows liberally from the Obama campaign, tee hee), and then we see her on the campaign trail, shaking hands and schmoozing with the best of them.
The four five candidates are: Georgie the giraffe, Felicia Furrypaws, Sebastian the Seal (who I don’t recognize from other books), Babymouse and Babymouse’s locker! (which actually polls ahead of Babymouse at one point). In the beginning, Babymouse promises everything to get elected (even her soul!), but at the end she realizes that rather than making empty promises she can listen to what the classmates actually want and promises tobe their voice.
Will that be enough to defeat the locker of the popular Felicia Furrypaws? I’m not gonna call this election early…you’ll have to read it yourself.
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