Sky Jumpers

Sky Jumpers
Peggy Eddleman
Random House, 2013

Hot off the press, this debut novel plunges us into a technology-challenged post-WWIII landscape which includes the deadly "Bomb's Breath," a ring of pressurized air that will kill anything that breathes it in.

Hope, her friends Brock and Aaren, and Aaren's little sister Brenna are part of a fairly isolated community known as White Rock. White Rock is located in a crater that was formed by one of the deadly bombs of WWIII. Hope, Aaren, and Brock have figured out how to "sky jump" off a cliff through the Bomb's Breath (holding their breath) and land on the ground below the toxic air. While this would truly horrify their parents (all of whom have known people who died in the Bomb's Breath), it becomes the way these children will save their community with danger strikes.


Every year, White Rock sends a troop of volunteer guards down the road to the next settlement (Browning) because it's fairly protected by the snow and Bomb's Breath during winter. Bandits roam freely and often attack these small communities, and sometimes the volunteer guards don't return. This year, however, bandits figure out how to enter White Rock in the winter. They attack, hold the entire town hostage, and are demanding the town's full supply of their only antibiotic. Hope, Aaren, Brock, and little Brenna manage to escape the large community center and flee to Browning. They must jump through the Bomb's Breath and struggle against deadly cold, but they do make it. Are they in time to rouse the guards at Browning? The guards can't go back through the Bomb's Breath, so how will they rescue White Rock's citizens? Will Hope's father, whom the bandits shot, die before she returns?

This is a fun debut and is satisfyingly one novel rather than a giant series. Perhaps there will be more, but it doesn't need a sequel. Lots of action and bravery will hook young readers. Hope, Brock, Aaren, and Brenna are fairly stock character types for middle grade fiction, but they are unique in their sky jumping. The plot wraps up pretty neatly in the end, but the escaped bandit makes for a nice unresolved element. Tiny sparks of romance will please some middle grade readers, but there is not enough to turn away those who don't want romance. All in all, Sky Jumpers is a fun read and one I recommend!

Book in ARC form via netgalley and thanks to publisher; cover image from publisher's website

Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things

Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things (Mister Max, Book 1)
Cynthia Voigt
Iacopo Bruno, illustrator
Knopf, 2013

Voigt is a well known author, to be sure (especially for her Tillerman books--Dicey's Song was a Newbery winner from back in the day). She also won the Margaret A. Edwards award in 1995 (for lifetime achievement). And yet, we haven't heard much from her in recent years.

There's no question that Voigt can write, and write well at that. On the surface, her latest book seemed tailor made for me: I love a good mystery. I enjoy historic time periods and settings. I relish a good, open ending. Quirky characters, a dog, some art, the life of the theater--what's not to like?

When the book opens, Max's parents--both actors and owners of the Starling Theater Company--are planning a monumental trip to India. Max gets to go along. Until the day his parents board the boat and the boat leaves...without him. But, because Max is a quick thinker, he soon finds out that the boat they were supposed to board didn't exist. Therefore, did the whole trip exist? Are his parents in trouble? Did they know about this ahead of time? Is this an elaborate game or some nefarious plot? The reader doesn't know either, and we spend the next several hundred pages working on this mystery along with Max.

Thankfully, Max's grandmother lives close by, so he's not completely alone at the tender age of 12. He also has his painting instructor, a new tutor, and a new spunky girl to help him make sense of life and survive. And survive he does through his newly created "Mister Max" business: he solves minor mysteries for hire. Each time Max shows up for a new job, he's crafted a new disguise using his parents' many costumes. Thus, no one knows it's really a twelve year old boy underneath.

By the end of the book, we've learned a lot about Max and his parents (including where they are, although not how/why they got there), and Max has helped long lost lovers reunite, his painting instructor discover a new technique, and made some good friends. We're nicely set up, too, for the next book in the series.

And yet... Frankly, this book was too long. I finished it several weeks ago and am still mulling over just what didn't work. I enjoyed the characterization both of Max and the supporting cast. I enjoyed the overall dramatic framework of the book ("Act I"). But the length of the book draws out the mystery surrounding the parents' disappearance a little too long. We're bored with where his parents might be by the end and are much more invested in the here and now with Max and his new friends.

Age recommendation: 9-12/middle grades
Cover image from publisher
Thanks to publisher via netgalley for ARC!

Lulu and the Cat in the Bag

Lulu and the Cat in the Bag
Hilary McKay, author
Priscilla Lamont, illustrator
Albert Whitman and Co., 2013


First, let me indulge in some self-promotion: I, yes, I--or rather "LiterariTea"--am quoted along with the other professional reviews for Lulu and the Duck in the Park on the front pages of this latest Lulu book! (Our name also appears in the second book, Lulu and the Dog from the Sea.) Not only is it great fun to see our humble name in REAL print, but it's especially nice when it's for a series that has captured my heart.

So, let's discuss this latest Lulu book. It hits store shelves this September, so get ready. (In the meantime, your library probably has Lulu and the Dog from the Sea as well as Lulu and the Duck in the Park so you can get caught up. These make GREAT reading choices for newly independent readers.)

As you can tell, Lulu is a favorite of mine! She's a wonderful, childlike character who spends a lot of time with her cousin Mellie and--in this book--with her grandmother. As is typical of these charming books, there is a fun plot, great resolution, and great family dynamics (not to mention a quirky, flower-loving cat!). McKay is creative in her treatment of the animal characters in each book, and this one is no exception. 

Lulu and Mellie's grandmother (Nan) is staying with them while their parents are away, and the book opens with the three of them pondering what's in the large bag left on their doorstep. It is, of course, a big orange cat who happens to love flowers. As you may have guessed from the titles in this series, Lulu is a big animal lover and has lots of pets. Nan is NOT an animal lover. Lulu, of course, is delighted with a new animal; Nan is not.

Adventures ensue, secrets are kept and revealed, and all's well that ends well. I won't give away the ending, but all young cat lovers will enjoy it as well as anyone in the market for a terrific chapter book!

Recommended for kindergarten and up (reading level is 2nd-3rd grade)

Book in ARC form from publisher via netgalley; cover image from goodreads

 

10 Plants that Shook the World

10 Plants that Shook the World
Gillian Richardson, author
Kim Rosen, illus
Annick Press, 2013

It's easy to overlook the significance of all the plant life around us. Sure, we eat plants every day...but do you think about the plants you might be wearing, walking on, or even using as medicine? 10 Plants that Shook the World introduces us to ten plants that helped bring about world changes. They were intensely valuable for their properties, be they spice, textiles, medicine, or food. Their value drove world exploration and colonization, trade routes, economic situations--even causing dramatic changes in population growth.

Can you guess the 10 plants which might have made the list for this book? Most of them are incredibly ordinary...so ordinary, you might forget you're eating or using a plant form. And Richardson does a great job at helping the reader to see all the facets behind each of the plants' histories she writes: the good, the bad, the ugly. She walks a careful line between fact and judging, and I think she does it well.

In addition to the history of each plant's discovery, cultivation, and impact on world events, she offers a short grouping of basic plant facts for each plant, maps to highlight where plants were discovered, a fictional account of how a given plant might be being used or cultivated or worked on by young people in various cultures, and a terrific bibliography and "further reading" list. The illustrations aren't particularly my style, but they aren't offensive and I think kids will appreciate them.

Look for this book soon in libraries! You might also consider adding this to a school or public library if you're in the position to make those decisions. This is a great resource and interesting nonfiction. Recommended for upper elementary and middle grades.

If you like plants and gardening, be sure to check out my "Librarian's List" of 10 books on gardening today  on Redeemed Reader!

Mirage (Above World #2)

Mirage
Jenn Reese
Candlewick, 2013


Wow. This is one of those second-book-in-a-series that assumes you have read the first-in-the-series and can keep up! With very little preamble, we are immediately plunged back into the world of Aluna and her best friend Hoku, both Kampii, and their friends Calli (who has wings) and Dash, an Equian. If those descriptions means nothing to you, read no further. Just go read Above World quickly so you can catch up!

The four friends attempt again to thwart the nefarious Karl Strand and one of his clones in this fast-paced book. Trying desperately to arrive at Mirage (an aptly named desert city in the middle of Equian country), the friends find their plans constantly shifting and changing--much like the terrain they are crossing. As the book progresses with rapidly advancing plot, they meet new friends and form new alliances. We meet the Serpenti--a race of people adapted to live as snakes do. We understand more of Dash's personal history as well as that of another "failed" Equian, Tal. We watch Aluna struggle to admit her need for and dependence on her friends, and we watch a gripping showdown in which the ending is brilliantly done. I love it when an author doesn't give us the expected ending! Aluna "grows up" a bit in this book as she suffers the side effects of the pill she swallowed at the end of the last book--the pill the Kampii swallow to generate their trademark tale.

I'll confess that I didn't find the writing style as distinguished in this book as in Above World. Still, for fans of Above World, this is a fun sequel to be sure. Similar thought-provoking discussions will result, as well: what makes us human? When is too much tech, well, too much? What assumptions do we make about others based simply on appearances or quickly formed judgements from one action? When does our pride get in the way of a true friendship (either with people we already know or with those we've pre-maturely judged)? When is tradition important and when should it alter to fit the new times we're living in?

Clearly we are headed for more in this series; Karl Strand is still out there, and Aluna and her band are stronger than ever!

Recommended for middle grades, especially those who enjoy fantasy/sci-fi! Look for Mirage in book stores this week, and hopefully on library shelves soon, too!

Cover image from netgalley; ARC of book thanks to netgalley as well!

Hoop Genius and Trashket Ball

Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball
John Coy, author
Joe Morse, illustrator
Lerner Books, 2013

Teachers are under-rated. If you've never been in charge of the education of a group of squirrely youngsters during the month of February, then you have NO idea of the level of inventiveness going on in the classroom. I'm not surprised in the least that a gym teacher invented one of America's favorite sports! Nor that it was with his students' help and based on a childhood game he seemed to have invented with his neighbors.

Hoop Genius is a terrific read, especially if you have young basketball fans in your home (as I do!). What makes this a strong informational picture book?
*Vibrant, active illustrations--Morse packs this book with energy in art form
*An insight into the origins of sports: all sports we play today were invented at some point--and many are no doubt based on the games children invent and creative adults recreate
*Some things never change: a group of bored students is always a party waiting to happen (whether that party is on their terms or the teacher's!)
*the mash-up of text and pictures works quite well in this book

Look for Hoop Genius on shelves come March 1. In the meantime, you might consider playing "Trashket Ball" in your classroom or in your home as a review game. This is a game my students taught me when I taught high school English.

Group Play:
Two teams. Teacher asks a player on each team in turn a review question. If the student answers correctly, his or her team gets a point. If they answer correctly, they also get the chance to shoot the "ball" (a wadded up piece of paper) into the "basket" (trash can works nicely) for an extra point. I need hardly tell you the motivation this gave some of my students to work hard at the review game.

Small Group/Individual Play:
At home with just one or two students? Teams are not necessary. Score each child as an individual and ask whatever level questions each child needs (this allows you to mix and match grade/ability levels). A laundry basket and nerf ball work just as well as wadded up paper and a trash can!

Enjoy! And share with us some of YOUR favorite February games and activities!

Book from Lerner Press via Netgalley (thanks!); cover image from goodreads.

Hattie Ever After

Hattie Ever After
Kirby Larson
Delacorte Press, 2013

Truly noteworthy books aren't judged just as a successor to the previous book; they're judged on their "stand alone" merits. As in, could this book be a great book without its predecessor (Hattie Big Sky, a 2007 Newbery Honor). In Hattie's case, most definitely yes!

How do I know this? I read Hattie Ever After "cold" from netgalley in ARC form.  By "cold," I mean that I haven't read Hattie Big Sky. Now, however, Hattie Big Sky has just moved much higher in the TBR pile!

Hattie's character and voice are so genuine and warm; she's the kind of book character you are drawn to and feel sort of nostalgic on behalf of. Many people have this same sort of artificial nostalgia for Laura Ingalls and her time period. Hattie Ever After brings us to the early 20th century when women are struggling with the return to the domestic homefront after helping out professionally with the war effort. This tension is dealt with well in Hattie Ever After. The importance of human relationships--especially marriage--comes through alongside the understandable interest, for young women like Hattie, in pursuing a career dream (in her case, newspaper reporting).

I really enjoyed the setting, the characters, the pacing, the plot in this little gem. I really, really liked the ending--a very appropriate balance of authenticity for the time period with Hattie's career aspirations. Historical details were thrown in naturally (such as Hattie gazing up the at the "large" 10-story newspaper building), worked into letters, and communicated effortlessly in conversations. The ending was a bit predictable, but that didn't spoil the book for me. All in all, a great read and a sweet love story just in time for Valentine's Day!

Recommended for middle grades and up; look for this book in local bookstores in mid-February and in libraries shortly thereafter! (you can always request your local library to purchase a book!)

Cover image from goodreads; ARC/book thanks to Delacorte via netgalley

Rudyard Kipling's Just So Comics: Tales of the World's Wildest Beasts

Rudyard Kipling's Just So Comics: Tales of the World's Wildest Beasts
Rudyard Kipling
Pedro Rodriguez, illustrator
Capstone, 2013

I've tried valiantly to read a few more comic/cartoon/graphic novels recently because I know so many kids who enjoy them, and I still feel like I'm in unfamiliar territory. So I jumped at the chance to read this ARC since I'm a big fan of Kipling's Just So Stories. Phrases like the "great, gray green greasy Limpopo" jog along in my head, "o best beloved," whenever I think of them.

Some classics have been translated into graphic novel form quite successfully; this is not one of those instances. These are fun to read/look at, but the tone is all wrong--a bit more snarky and "hip" than Kipling's original voice. In addition, so many of those deliciously perfect read aloud phrases, such as the ones mentioned above, have been removed in order to make the text more sparse, no doubt. The art is fun and engaging, the stories chosen are good ones ("The Elephant's Child," "How the Leopard Got His Spots," "How the Camel Got His Hump," and "Why the Rhino Has Wrinkled Skin"). [those might not be the exact wording of the titles, but you'll recognize which ones they are if you've read the originals] There are some nice extras in terms of nonfiction information on the various animals, and the book is a quick read.

All in all, this is definitely no substitute for the original tales. It might work as a suitable introduction for children who are really into graphic novels and lead them then to the originals. It might also be a fun exercise for students to read these after having read one of the originals and then try their hand at creating a comic from one of their favorite stories.

Suitable for all ages; scheduled to be in stores this month!

Cover image from goodreads; thanks to Capstone via netgalley for the ARC

Home Front Girl

Home Front Girl
Joan Whelan Morrison
Chicago Review Press, 2012


Remember Anne of Green Gables' delightul, dramatic, so-very-intense-and-everything-is-so-of-the-moment-and... voice? That's what this collection of real diary entries reminds me of. Joan Whelan was a teenager in Chicago in the years leading up to WWII. Her daughter collected the entries, edited them down, and produced this book which is a fun peek into the world of teenaged girls in the late 30's. And you know what? Some things never change. Sure the culture has evolved. We have different national issues (actually, they're remarkably the same but the particular details are different). We have different pop culture icons. We have TV (!) and even post-TV entertainment (!!). But, as Joan shows us in the pages of her long ago diary, teenagers are much the same at heart.

Hokey Pokey

Hokey Pokey
Jerry Spinelli
Knopf (Random House)
2013

You put your right foot in
You put your right out out
You put your right foot in
And you shake it all about
You do the hokey pokey
And you turn yourself about
That's what it's all about...

And that sums up Hokey Pokey, Newbery Medalist (Maniac Magee) Spinelli's latest middle grades offering. It sums it up brilliantly, in fact.

For the second time this week, I'm reviewing a work by an author whose former work I wasn't so keen on. Although people really seemed to love Maniac Magee, I wasn't wowed. Maybe I need to give it another chance and read some of Spinelli's other works as well because I really enjoyed Hokey Pokey. And for the second time this week, I'm reviewing a book about a boy named Jack that involves a bit of magical realism. Funny how those things seem to be cyclical.

And yet Hokey Pokey is nothing like Navigating Early, despite their main character's names. Hokey Pokey takes us back to the world of childhood and shows us what the seemingly overnight transition to adulthood is like. And it does indeed happen overnight.

Spinelli's world of Hokey Pokey was terrific. I loved his new compound words ("bestfriendship," "dropflopping," "shadowblur"). I loved his place names ("Tantrums," "Thousand Puddles"). I loved the feel of Hokey Pokey: an iconic place of childhood activity where children drink Hokey Pokeys when the Hokey Pokey man comes (like the ice cream truck), play on the playground, and bike everywhere on their two-wheeled steeds. The only electronic device in the picture was the giant cartoons screen where the youngest children liked to gather. Even when we hit our present, real world at the end of the book, we still only read about one TV.

Jack's coming-of-age in this book is not because of some great event he lives through or some momentous decision he must make. Instead, it is simply time to grow up and involves much  more prosaic decisions like changing out his childish wallpaper to something more grown-up...or does it? Spinelli gives us a work in which the monumental shift from childhood to adulthood is seen for its significance, even if it's evidenced by a small decision to not leave dirty socks on the floor.

This is one of those books that is hard for me to peg in terms of its young audience. I wonder, in fact, if it's a book that grownups will enjoy more. Will a middle school student recognize the transformation as quickly? Will it resonate with him or her like it does for those of us who navigated the shift years ago? Will younger readers feel as nostalgic about such cartoons as Bugs Bunny and such games as jacks or simply riding bikes? I don't know. It's certainly worth finding out because Spinelli's Hokey Pokey is fantastic.

Things to Note/Discuss

• What does growing up mean? How do we help our children navigate that transition? 
• What does "faith like a child" mean? 
• Is there a true sense in which we need to grow up? How does our world encourage children to grow up in ways that aren't as positive?

Cover image from goodreads; ARC from netgalley

The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brockett

The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brockett
John Boyne, author
Oliver Jeffers, illustrator
Random House (Alfred A. Knopf BFYR)
2012

I was drawn to this book because I like quirky stories, and I'm a huge fan of Oliver Jeffers (the illustrator). And, this book comes out on my birthday! (at least in the U.S.)

This book started out great! Poor Barnaby Brockett, born to terrible parents, sibling to two very ordinary kids, and master to one devoted dog. The book reads much as a classic Roald Dahl book might (complete with TERRIBLE parents!), and Jeffers's illustrations add a similar touch as Quentin Blake's might.

Navigating Early

Navigating Early
Clare Vanderpool
Random House
2013

My birthday (Jan 8) this year is a popular release date for the first batch of middle grade novels--if the three I've read are any indication! And not just any ol' bunch of middle grade novels... these are by big time folks. Vanderpool's name might not mean much to our Literaritea readers, but her first middle grade novel won that little Newbery award a couple of years back (Moon Over Manifest). Yes, indeed. And any time a former Newbery winner releases another book, you better believe we jump on it. So I did. And Random House kindly let me read it in ARC form (thanks RH!).

When I read an Advanced Reader Copy, I frequently jump into the book "cold." That is, I know little to nothing of the plot, see no other praise/comments such as might appear on the book cover, and frequently don't see a cover (or a poor image of one). Thus, I enter the reading experience with no preconceptions except those based on my previous reading of the same author's works. Definitely true in the case of Navigating Early. I didn't even know how long it was because I was too lazy to scan the small font on the first ARC page that would have told me that info.

I wasn't wowed by Moon Over Manifest, I'll be honest. Navigating Early is a much stronger work in my opinion. Another historical fiction work, this time set just at the end of WWII in a boys' boarding school in Maine, Navigating Early follows one boy's journey to come to grips with his mother's death and his father's seeming unconcern for him. In the process, he meets the unique Early Auden, goes on a fantastical voyage that weaves in and out of the mythic story of Pi (including the discovery of further numbers), and helps bring closure to more than one person in Early's famous family.

If Early Auden were living today, we would diagnose him somewhere on the autism spectrum--probably Asberger's. I really like that he is NOT diagnosed in this book (he wouldn't have been labeled in the WWII time period either). I think this adds to his character significantly. We want to label people in so many ways; isn't it better to befriend them and learn from them regardless of what label they might carry? Jack learns that Early is a true friend. And Jack learns how to be a friend back.

Early teaches Jack many things on their voyage to find the giant bear, to follow Pi's journey, and to complete their quest. What Jack doesn't know is that Early's absolute conviction of his brother's survival from war (against ALL official evidence), his knowledge of the mathematical intricacies involved in the number Pi, and his childlike faith in the details he notices are all true--even though the casual observer would never believe it. Early notices myriad details that others miss, perhaps because he's not so caught up in the social issues that bog most folks down. Part magical realism, part quest, and all friendship, this story works for me better than Moon Over Manifest. It's a touch too long and struggles a bit with the voice--sounds more like an adult narrating than Jack many times. Still, it's worth reading, and I think many sensitive young readers will enjoy this one.

What Came From the Stars

What Came From the Stars
Gary D. Schmidt
Clarion
2012


I'm a huge fan of the books of Gary Schmidt's I've read to date (Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, Okay for Now, and The Wednesday Wars). So I was thrilled to win a goodreads "first reads" giveaway. I got an ARC for this book in the mail the week the hardcover hit bookstore shelves in September. I must confess that the first chapter really threw me--I knew this was a fantasy (a deviation from Schmidt's award-winning historical fiction novels), but it still threw me.

Summers of Gypsy Moths and Mariposas (Butterflies)

Two books from two well-recognized authors, both targeted to middle grades, both with fluttery creatures in their titles and throughout the book in metaphor, both dealing with renewed understandings of maternal relationships, both including grandmotherly figures who garden, both involving a corpse which the girls must disguise, and both taking place near bodies of water. Weird, huh?

Summer of the Mariposas
Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Lee & Low Books
2012

McCall won the Pura Belpre Award for her earlier verse novel, Under the Mesquite, a book I've been wanting to read (but our library doesn't have it!!??). So I jumped at the chance to read an ARC of her newest novel, Summer of the Mariposas.

As a fun adventure story of 5 Mexican American sisters living on the border between Mexico and the U.S., this book has definite merit. There is a lot of between-the-lines information about Mexican and Mexican American culture (including such events as quinceaneros parties), a nice glossary of the some of the Spanish terms used, and terrific little Spanish proverbs or sayings at the beginning of each chapter. McCall also uses as her foundational inspiration an old Aztec legend of a woman named Llorona. I learned a lot!

However, this novel feels a bit too long to me. Also, even though I thoroughly enjoy fantasy and magical realism, this felt a bit much. Perhaps it was too realistic in some parts while melding too many spiritual/supernatural elements on the other? I'm not Catholic, nor am I very mystical; perhaps readers from those traditions might enjoy this type of novel more. I think part of my reaction may stem from the simple fact that the traditions reflected in this book are not my own (which means that it's great I read it and learned about another culture!); my more conservative readers will need a heads up on the spirits from the past--both good and evil--that crop up in this story as well as the mystical element in general. [Look for this book in bookstores in the next week or so! If you're interested, you might also request your local library to acquire it as well ☺}


Summer of the Gypsy Moths
Sara Pennypacker
Balzar + Bray
2012

I'm a huge fan of Pennypacker's Clementine series, a modern day Ramona. If Summer of the Gypsy Moths is any indication, Pennypacker's talents are best reserved for the likes of Clementine. Don't get me wrong--this isn't a bad book. It just doesn't "shine" like it could. As with Mariposas, above, it's a touch too long. 

Pennypacker's strengths in this book are in the plot itself (which is far-fetched but funny), her characterization, and her general portrayal of relationships between folks . These are her strengths in the Clementine books as well. But Gypsy Moths is firmly in the middle grades camp, and, therefore, contains more introspection about life, about parents, about people as individuals, and about self than do the chapter books of which Clementine is an example. And the introspection in this book gets a touch too much for me--it slows down an otherwise hilarious plot (I'll just say that two foster kids end up having to bury a corpse under a pumpkin patch....).

All in all, both Summer of the Mariposas and Summer of the Gypsy Moths will find some definite fans. But they aren't books I'll end up recommending far and wide to any soul within hearing distance. Both feature broken families, estranged parents, siblings (and foster siblings) learning more about each other and how to cope/survive, and moderately resolved endings. But, sadly, those resolutions are for the plot; the families continue somewhat estranged and definitely broken.

Recommended ages: Summer of the Gypsy Moths for Middle Grades and Summer of the Mariposas for upper Middle Grades and Young Adult. 

Thanks to Lee & Low Books for the netgalley ARC of Summer of the Mariposas and to my local library for Summer of the Gypsy Moths! And thanks to goodreads for the cover images.

Bright Island (Retro Reads!)

Bright Island
Mabel Robinson
Random House
2012 (re-issue of 1937 copy)
Newbery Honor


I really appreciate it when publishers re-issue older books. The market isn't as wide, no doubt, for these old-fashioned favorites, but they're worth reading and keeping in print. Bright Island is a great example; the 75th anniversary edition hits stores this month.

One of my favorite books growing up was Ruth Sawyer's Roller Skates (another 1930's Newbery title); Bright Island reminds me of that same type of old-fashioned fiction. It's historical fiction now, but was written as a contemporary title. Thus, it's a great picture into another world. In Bright Island, our heroine, one Thankful Curtis, has grown up island bound and can sail as good as anyone. She can do just about anything she puts her mind to, and has no intention of putting her mind to going to school on the mainland. Homeschooled all her life by her capable mother (of Scots descent!), Thankful does indeed end up finishing school at an elite boarding school on the mainland despite her dread.

The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule

The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule
Kashmira Sheth
Carl Pearce, illustrator
Albert Whitman and Co.
2012


There are two main things about this title that piqued my interest (and, hence, my request for the advance reader copy from netgalley). 1) It's an early chapter book with a boy as the protagonist (and doesn't involve underwear or any other crudity). 2) It's an early chapter book with an Indian American (not Native American) family at the center.

Now that I've read this short little book (just over 100 pages), I'm glad it's going to grace the early chapter book scene! It's "diverse" without being "diverse-as-the-main-point." The main character is engaging and definitely relate-able to young boys (without being quite as over the top as someone like Joey Pigza). He's sort of a cross between a Ramona Quimby and a Clementine from the girls' lineup. His family is believable, and the information about Indian American families is a nice touch.

I wish he didn't call his mom the "alpha dog" in their family. No doubt, it is true in many families, but it saddens me a touch. It's so rare to find books for this age group that feature strong dads; don't get me wrong, though--this dad is certainly not uninvolved. He's just presented as a bit weaker than the mom in "law enforcement" on the home front.

I found the plot quite predictable, but there were some fun, unexpected diversions. This target audience, though, often enjoys a bit of predictability in their reading, especially if the journey there is pleasant and/or funny (or both, in this case).

The book is illustrated, but I was not able to view the final artwork. It's not my "style," but I think young kids will enjoy it. The impression I got was a comic-book style roughly similar to Japanese comic books.

All in all, an early chapter book to look for, especially if you have a boy and/or want to broaden your cultural horizons! In stores this month; hopefully it will soon be in local libraries, too.

ARC from netgalley; cover image from Albert Whitman

The Drowned Vault (Ashtown Burials, #2)

The Drowned Vault (Ashtown Burials, #2)
N. D. Wilson
Random House
2012

When I get approved for an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) by the publisher and via netgalley, I have precisely 55 days in which to read my electronic copy before the digital rights management stuff kicks in and the book "expires." When this one came through, I quickly had to read the first Ashtown Burials, The Dragon's Tooth. And then I waited until I had about 10 days left.... This book clocks in at about 450 pages. Was I nuts?



Not at all. You see, I read The Drowned Vault, all 450 pages of it, in less than 24 hours. Yes, yes I did. And my husband and kids survived, were fed, clothed, and the kitchen is reasonably clean. Did I do anything else? NO. MUST. KEEP. READING. I knew that would happen and therefore waited until I had a day in which I could safely turn into a reading zombie. ☺

That's the way Wilson's books are. Mesmerizing, gripping, heart-stopping action, delight at all the million literary and cultural allusions he manages to throw out, terrific sibling dynamics, families with rich histories, ... I jumped into all this knowing, knowing full well I tell you, that I would end this book and immediately "need" the third book. Which means I have to wait. (Sigh.) Precisely the reason I didn't read The Dragon's Tooth until I had The Drowned Vault in hand. There will be five in this series, and somehow Wilson manages to both wrap up the storyline from the current book and also leave you totally hanging....

It's Not All Black and White

It's Not All Black and White: 
Multiracial Youth Speak Out
St. Stephen's Community House
Annick Press
2012

This is a fascinating look into the world of those who aren't easily "labeled" as one race or ethnicity. I realized in reading it just how much I think in terms of racial or ethnic categories--not because I'm trying to ostracize one group or favor another, but because it seems easier to lump books and people into particular categories. Maybe it's the teacher and librarian in me who likes to know how to classify a book so that I could fit it into a lesson plan or match it up with a student. But this book shows readers that all is not black and white. There are many people in our country who don't easily fit into one ethnic or racial group.

Splendors and Glooms

Splendors and Glooms
Laura Amy Schlitz
Candlewick
2012
2013 Newbery Honor (updated 1/29/13)


In the hands of a talented story teller, a story becomes, well, "more." More what, you ask? Just more--more robust, more gripping, more poignant, more creepy, more beautiful, more evil. This can be good or it can be disturbing, depending on the tale being told. No doubt about it, Laura Amy Schlitz is a gifted story teller. That makes Splendors and Glooms both more splendid and more gloomy than it might have been in less capable hands.

Lulu: Lulu and the Duck in the Park

Lulu: Lulu and the Duck in the Park
Hilary McKay
Albert Whitman & Company
2012 (published 2011 in the UK)


This is what an early chapter book should be!! Cute story, funny scenes, terrific characters, endearing illustrations sprinkled throughout, and just the right early-elementary-but-not-too-specific-age to relate to lots of young elementary students. It's deceptively difficult to write good early chapter books; you need just the right amount of subtle repetition, just the right level of plot complexity, just the right ... so many things. And yet, it should sound (or read) like an older book in that it should flow, have good characterization, not be trite, etc. etc.

Thankfully, here is a new series from McKay that does all the right things right. Lulu, the title character, loves animals. The book reminds me a touch of Daisy Dawson, but I like this one even better. Lulu's best friend is also her cousin: Mellie. Mellie is terribly absent-minded. The two of them are students together in Class Three, run by the capable-but-not-animal-loving Mrs. Holiday (who is from Scotland--even better!). I'll just say that Lulu's animal love combined with Mellie's absent-mindedness and Mrs. Holiday's capability makes for one fun story. Lots of animals, lots of student antics, and one very cute duckling will make you eager to read the rest of the series (which, hopefully, Albert Whitman & Co. will bring to us soon!).

Truth/Story
Clearly, this book has "story" well in hand--McKay is a talented writer and hits perfect pitch for her young audience. The "truth" in this book is in the friendships portrayed and the gentle but accurate look at the foibles of humankind. A winning combination that crops up in so many books for the newly independent reader!

I'm writing this review well in advance of its publication since the ARC I received came in April, and the book won't be out in the US until September (sigh--I'll have to sit on my hands until then!). The good news: the book will be out just in time for me to scoop one up for my daughter's October birthday. It's also a fun back-to-school read.

**Updated 7/25/12 to note that this book also received a star from Horn Book Magazine!



Cover image from Albert Whitman; ARC from netgalley.

Recommended for kindergarten and up (reading level about mid-elementary)