Leaving Town

Yes, the shame of not having read anything lately is causing me to leave town. No, I'm running away from home. Going far away, taking only The Once and Future King and one backpack with me. It's a good book, but hard to get through, and being stuck on an airplane for 10 hours with nothing else but the emergency evacuation instructions to read is a good way to get through something like that. When I read The Three Musketeers and Mutiny on the Bounty, it was on a trip to visit family in Iowa.

I will be back and resume posting about July 27.

Mediums and Vampires

Read the third Elizabeth Cody Kimmel Suddenly Supernatural book, Unhappy Medium. I love Kimmel's work, especially Lily B. She has a knack with creating real, interesting characters with whom I want to spend a lot of time. Kat and her friend Jac are going to a summer music camp-- since in the last book, Jac was torturing her mother by wanting to give up playing cello, she swings a deal that allows Kat to come to camp with her. Of course, Kat sees a ghost as soon as she gets there-- and the problem is that the ghost thinks Kat is the one who's the spirit. Nicely tied together with information about historical interest in the supernatural, this also addressed Jac's interest in a violin player and well as the relationship between Jac and her mother. Don't be put off by the horrible binding and the slightly large print-- these are great books. I'll be recommending them to Picky Reader in the fall.

Also read the second Kevin Emerson book, The Sunlight Slayings. Oliver thinks he has killed his new human friend, Dean (although he really can't remember details of the night) and is somewhat relieved when Dean comes back as a zombie. Now they can hang out together. However, it seems like Emalie is trying to kill other vampire children using an old curse that makes sunlight come from inside of them and turn them to dust. Oliver's father is on the case, but obviously, Oliver is much more capable of solving the crime. I like the way that Emerson makes up whole vampire mythologies and explains them quite effortlessly. There are enough ooky, blood-based meals to entice the middle school boys. All in all, I like these MUCH better than Heather Brewer's books, which are wildly popular at my school. It's nice to see a vampire book in which the main characters are NOT named Vlad. I'm looking forward to reading books three through five.

Summer Ennui

It happens every summer. Nothing sounds good to read. I did finish another Clique book, Sealed with a Diss, but it was really, really awful. Unrealistic, whiny, and the designer clothes name dropping means it is already dated. Not that I got the references.

Started to read Inkdeath, but don't have the heart. Picky Reader has started in on the Chronicles of Narnia and is liking them, and since it's been 30 years since I've looked at them in earnest, perhaps that is what I will do next.

The Story of the Dictionary: Or, why it's good to do inventory.

Due to a new cataloging system, I had to do a complete inventory of my library. There are 200 books marked "lost", so I'll have to spend some time tracking them down. Many are here but weren't scanned. Many have been deaccessioned and not recorded. (That 1957 book entitled Techniques in Tumbling? Not here.)

I swear I have never seen Robert Kraske's The Story of the Dictionary (1975). The last time it was checked out was 1982. Still, something about the wonderfully dated cover made me want to take it home and read it, and I was very glad I did. Although dated (I'm thinking that makers of dictionaries no longer keep citation files on index cards, and I wouldn't know where to find the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature anymore, although it was a huge part of my middle school library education.), it is filled with lots of interesting facts about words and language. Did you know that "contact" is used improperly as a verb? That the first dictionary for children was published in 1935? That Noah Webster tried to standardize what he perceived as irregular spelling in his dictionary, but people wouldn't stand for it? I imagine that there are very few copies of this to be found anywhere, but I'm keeping it. I also wish I had a copy of this author's Silent Sentinels: The Story of Locks, Vaults and Burglar Alarms and Crystals of Life: The Story of Salt. This book will be my first recommendation of the school year!

However, I'm not as wild about the 1962 copy of A Book of Giants that I found in the folktale section. Again, don't remember ever seeing it. I know it's impossible to have memorized 13,000 books, but you'd think everything would look slightly familiar!

Some biographies

While doing inventory, I found Sean Piccoli's 1997 biography of the Grateful Dead, which had never been checked out. Since I knew nothing about that band, it was interesting reading, but the book is out of print. Also never checked out but tremendously informative was Beverly Gherman's 2000 Norman Rockwell: Storyteller with a Brush. Quick and well-illustrated, it would make a great basis for a biography report. I'll have to push it next year.

Picky Reader is a huge fan of Jacqueline Wilson, so whenever we find a book of hers we'll pick it up. How a British edition of Diamond Girls came to be at Half Price Books I'll never know, but I'm glad it was. Sad, sad, sad in the way that Wilson's books (like Cathy Cassidy's) tend to be, it was the story of a single mother of four girls, all of whom had different fathers. When the mother gets an opportunity to move from a council flat to a council house, she takes it, since she is due to have her fifth child, a boy, very soon. Moving into the decrepit house is a comedy of errors, and the family is helped greatly by Bruce, a friend of the youngest's father. There is a subplot of a neighbor girl in a privately owned house with a "perfect" mother (who is actually mentally unstable and abusive) that is a bit over the top, but the book is a riveting read. Great for girls who can't get enough problem novels, if you can locate a copy.

More Harrison; Colman

While Lisi Harrison's It's Not Easy Being Mean was easy to read, it wasn't very good. Claire has unrealistically become a sought after Hollywood starlet, and Massie is given a chance to find a key to a "secret" room at OCD where she and her friends will be able to hang out. I'm getting tired of these because they are mean and take odd liberties with reality. Picky Reader likes them.

Also picked up Hila Colman's 1977 Sometimes I Don't Love My Mother, which was not too bad, although the mother is portrayed in a way that I can't see an author using today. Basically, Dallas' father dies, her mother doesn't cope well and wants to hang out with Dallas and her 17 year old friends when she is not busy getting drunk and being dysfunctional. Dallas thinks it might be a good idea to marry her boyfriend in a year so she doesn't have to deal with her mother. I can see girls who like problem novels enjoying this one, and aside from a couple of pantsuits that sneak in, and a lengthy description of getting ears pierced (a big deal at this time-- that's exactly the year I got my ears pierced!), it's not that dated. I do love the rebound cover-- it's dark peach with turquoise and green designs. It will last forever, unlike the new books which fall apart when students look at them!

The September Sisters

We will not hold it against Jillian Kantor that she has an MFA, because The September Sisters was a good, if vaguely harrowing, read. Abby has never been overly fond of her younger sister, Becky, but she is devastated when her sister disappears. The effect on her family goes on for years-- her father becomes more brusque and detached, her mother finds comfort in unacceptable places, and Abby struggles through every day with a gnawing sense of absence. She is helped somewhat by her neighbor and her neighbor's grandson, Thomas, but not knowing what happened to her sister makes finally finding out a relief. This is a fairly long book, but it reads quickly, and yes, the prose is "lyrical". This works for this book, which will appeal to girls who want a sad read and aren't so much interested that "nothing happens". Will probably buy this one.

Also finished off Gregor and the Code of Claw. The appeal to students who want blood-and-gore fighting is indisputable-- Gregor has so many scars on him by the end of this that someone back in the Overland is sure to call Children's Services! In a final battle against the Bane and his forces, Gregor's sisters are both drawn in, trying to break the code. Gregor is more worried that usual-- one of the prophecies indicates that the warrior will die; isn't he the warrior? The romance with Luxa is a bit overplayed, and the ending is somehow very sad. Gregor hasn't had a good time in the Underland, but he's made a lot of good friends, and when the family moves to Virginia, he won't be able to go back. Sigh. Did like these much more than I thought I would, and will heartily recommend them to both fantasy and action fans.

Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of Pablo's Nose (#20)

After Carolyn Haywood's B is for Betsy books, the first books I remember reading are Encyclopedia Brown. My mother and I would sit in a rocking chair, take turns reading, and try to solve the mysteries. Of course, when I was reading these, there were only a handful published, and the illustrations were beautifully 1960s. Encyclopedia had a tendency to wear striped shirts. These are still popular with my students, which is why I was able to send a circulation card to Mr. Sobol. Imagine my excitement when I got a letter back from him, as well as a copy of book #20! What a nice man.

I was surprised that the mysteries were rather difficult to solve. It was necessary to read the stories very carefully and hang on to every clue. This is something students don't frequently need to do, so these are great books for them to read. They are not generally too long, and the reading level is low, but this does not mean that the mysteries are challenging. Definitely worth it to keep some of these in a middle school library!

In other news, there is a brand new blog that you might want to check out-- Picky Reader. After reading all the posts I made about her reading, my youngest daughter has decided to blog on her own. We'll see how she does!