Things I read half of...

Because it's been that kind of week/month/year. Life.

Frost, Helen. Hidden.
From the Publisher: "Years after Darra Monson's father stole a minivan with Wren Abbott hiding in the back, the girls come face to face at summer camp and together they try to work through what happened to them and the impact it had on their lives. "
Usually adores Frost's work even though I generally dislike novels in verse. Frost is a master of form and poetic device. Keesha's House and Spinning Through the Universe should be read by everyone attempting a novel in verse so they can see how it's done. However, the poetry in this one didn't blow me away. While the plot line is stronger than the other previously mentioned works, it was also creepy. Usually, I give creepy things to Picky Reader and she loves them, but there was just something about the story that didn't work for her, either.


Napoli, Donna Jo. Lights on the Nile.
From the Publisher: "Kepi, a young girl who was content staying at home helping her father who was wounded while building a pyramid for the pharaoh Khufu, is kidnapped along with her baboon, Babu, and taken to the capital city, where she is separated from Babu, sets out to find him and appeal to the pharaoh, and discovers she has powers she never knew about."

Again, an author I adore. Spinners, Zel, Stones in Water, The King of Mulberry Street-- all awesome. The 6th grade does a unit on Ancient Egypt, and this did have great descriptions of every day life (Napoli always does very thorough research). I also have more students who are interested in books about animals, but the pet baboon didn't do anything for me, and the veering into the fairy kingdom was a bit confusing. I already bought this-- we'll see how it circulates.


Jolley, Dan and O.T. Nelson. The Girl Who Owned the City.
Coming out in spring 2012 from Graphic Universe.
The reason I read half of this was because I had it on the Nook and the words were all in 8 point font! This 1975 post-apocalyptic novel still does very well in my library, and I was surprised to see this graphic treatment. Jolley did the Warriors manga adaptations, which are quite nice, and this seemed like a good reworking. I prefer to buy graphic novels that have regular novel tie ins as a sneaky way to entice children to read, so I'll buy this one if I can.

Cooper, Rose. Gossip From the Girls' Room, Rumors From the Boys' Room.

*Sigh*. Wimpy Kid. Dork Diaries. Big Nate. My Life as a Book. I get that the students like to... page through them. I just don't fully credit that they are reading them. This is another hand lettered look novel with pictures. I had trouble believing the premise from the first (From Booklist review) "Sophia becomes determined to use her anonymous school blog to post gossip about the popular kids in hopes that at least her blog will find popularity." Really? What school hosts anonymous blogs for their students? And the whole gossip and rumor spreading... sigh. These would circulate well. Just have to see.

Sidekicks

Ferraiolo, Jack. Sidekicks.

It's not easy to be Scott. While he has super strength and speed, he's being raised by Trent, aka Phantom Justice, and must perform super hero sidekick duties as Bright Boy. The yellow tights and red cape were cute when he was younger, but after a much televised wardrobe malfunction, he's ready to ditch the costume. At school, he's bullied by Jake and ignored by most of the other students. After being in prison for five years, Bright Boy's arch nemesis, Dr. Chaotic, is back, as is his screeching assistant, Monkeywrench. Since the superheroes all seem to be disappearing, it's up to Phantom Justice and Scott to dispatch the pair, but after one clash, Scott discovers that Monkeywrench is really a classmate of his, Allison. The two become friends, and then things REALLY become interesting. Let's just say that the super hero world is not always what it seems. The twists and turns in this are so delicious that I don't want to give them away.

Strengths: This was great! Not at all what I was expecting, and the interplay between good and evil, always a favorite theme of mine, was brilliant! Scott and Allison's relationship rings true, making this a good book to hand to boys who secretly want a romance book. The superhuman aspect is believable, and the inclusion of embarrassing incidents makes this funny as well. I did like this author's The Big Splash, but the film noir style isn't popular in my library.

Weaknesses: The cover is attractive, but a bit on the cartoonish side. I intend to hand this to a lot of 8th graders, and the cover will make some of them flinch.Also, after an uncomfortable conversation with my surly male resource, we concluded that some of Scott's wardrobe problems could perhaps have been averted with some standard athletic equipment that would probably have been useful when fighting supervillians anyway! Small points; I'm looking forward to having this in my library!

Meyer, Carolyn. Cleopatra Confesses.

It's not easy to be the young Cleopatra, either. From her final moments, she recounts her event filled childhood. Her older sisters resent their father and can't wait to rule the kingdom and enjoy all of the perks ruling offers. Cleopatra, however, is a little more attuned to the people, and knows that her father wants her to rule. Once she starts to share the rule with her father, she develops a crush on Marc Antony, but later, of course, has an affair with Caesar. This is not so much about romance as it is about politics, which have to consume most of Cleopatra's thoughts.

Strengths: The description of every day life make this a valuable book to have. The affairs are described delicately enough that the sixth graders can read this.

Weaknesses: I have to agree with Small Review , who liked this but thought it stopped when all of the real excitement began. I also agree that there were times when the plot didn't seem to go anywhere-- there wasn't much action, more thought. This is similar to the books about the young British queens that Meyer has done, and those are popular, so it may not matter.