The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule; Buddy

Sheth, Kashmira. The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule.
1 September 2012, Albert Whitman and Co.
E-ARC from Netgalley.com

Ishan Mehra desperately wants a dog, but his busy parents don't want to get one. His brother Sunil also wants a dog but is more responsible and less irksome to his parents. Ishan tries every trick under the sun, from trying to make his mother breakfast with disastrous results, pretending to be a dog, and plotting to mention dogs at every available opportunity. Ishan's exuberance gets him into a lot of trouble, and his chance at redemption comes when he finds a neighbor who has a stroke and had the opportunity to take care of the man's dog.

Strengths: This was a funny book that early elementary students will enjoy, and it is great that Ishan's life is filled with details revolving around his ethnic background, but the book is not about him being Indian, it's about him wanting a job.

Weaknesses: This is too young for middle school, and I would have loved to have one like this for a slightly older crowd, something like Paulsen's Liar, Liar series.

Herlong, M.H. Buddy.
13 September 2012 (ARC from Baker and Taylor)
Reviewed at Young Adult Books Central

Li'l T is happy with his life in New Orleans in 2005 except for one thing: he desperately wants a dog. When the family car hits a dog on the way to church, they rally support and take the dog to the vet, who has to amputate one of the dogs legs. Li'l T is happy that he finally has a pet, and assumes extra responsibilities, like mowing yards, in order to pay for Buddy's upkeep. Of course, in the late summer of 2005, Li'l T's family has bigger issues to worry about-- they have to leave their home because of Hurricane Katrina, and when they can't fit Buddy in the car, they leave him locked in an upstairs bathroom. Once the storm passes, they try to retrieve him and are devastated when he is not there, although relieved that he has been rescued. The pastor of the family's church tries to help locate the dog, and it turns our Buddy has been adopted by a family in California. When the adoptive family contacts Li'l T, money is raised to send him out to bring the dog back. Once there, he realizes how much the other family loves Buddy and has to make the decision as to what is best for the dog he adores.
Strengths: Strong sense of place and community, as well as another view of the events of Hurrican Katrina and the devastation that it brought to communities. I'm assuming that Li'l T is African American, which would be great, because there aren't as many multicultural dog books, but looking back, I have nothing concrete to indicate this; even the cover is ambiguous.
Weaknesses: The pacing on this is rather slow, and since my students were about 5 when Katrina hit, they don't know much about it.

Mason Dixon

This book was received from Young Adult Books Central and is reviewed there.

Mills, Claudia. Mason Dixon: Fourth Grade Disasters.

Mason is leery of starting fourth grade-- not only does it mean being away from Dog, whom he has come to love, it means that he will have to be in the Plainfield Platters singing group, since all fourth graders are. After a disastrous performance in kindergarten, he doesn't want to have anything to do with being on stage. His new teacher, Coach Joe, is pretty cool, and Mason starts working on a story about an inanimate object for class. He choses to write about a piano who doesn't want to play. His parents won't let him out of performing, and he thinks he can maybe get out of it, but things go awry. Dog eats the Puff the Plainfield dragon costume, and his very best friend Brody needs his help out of a tight spot-- can Mason overcome his fear and his dislike of everything in order to save him?
Strengths: This sequel to Mason Dixon: Pet Disasters is a good, quick read for reluctant elementary school students. My son would have loved these in first grade. I really liked the Guy Francis illustrations-- he would be great for even older middle grade covers.

Weaknesses: Again, I don't like Mason. He's neurotic, and it's probably his mother's fault. Maybe this is more intriguing to younger readers, but I like my characters to be likable!

Saturday Morning Cartoons

Kirby, Stan. Captain Awesome to the Rescue.
Eugene would be a better Captain Awesome would be a better superhero if his mother hadn't packed his cape when he moved to a new town. Never fear! Once he finds it, he is out to save the world from villians like his baby sister, Queen Stinkypants, just like his hero Super Dude does. When the class hamster goes missing, Eugene and his new friends manage to figure out who the culprit is.

This is book one in a new series coming out soon from Little Simon. The next books are Captain Awesome vs. Nacho Cheese Man, Captain Awesome and the New Kid and Captain Awesome Takes a Dive.

Coven, Wanda. Heidi Heckelbeck has a Secret.

Heidi has been home schooled, but when her brother Henry starts kindergarten, her mother sends her off to the wilds of second grade. Heidi is apprehensive that she won't be able to do the things she wants, and it doesn't help when another student, Melanie, is very bratty to her, telling her that she smells, suggesting to the drama teacher that Heidi should be an apple tree in the Wizard of Oz production, and eventually ruining Heidi's self portrait in art class. Heidi is consoled by the fact that the teachers and other students are supportive of her... and by the fact that she is actually a witch. This is also the beginning of a new series that continues with Heidi Heckelbeck Casts a Spell, Heidi Heckelbeck and the Cookie Contest and Heidi Heckelbeck in Disguise.
Strengths: I can see younger students enjoying both of these series. The books are a bit longer than I Can Read Books but still include pictures and large text.
Weaknesses: Both of these seemed very negative about school, and both main characters were rather unhappy. This was a bit off putting for someone who spent first grde reading about empowered children like Haywood's Betsy or Encyclopedia Brown. I don't think that either of these would speak to middle school students, even though some series for younger readers, like Captain Underpants or Babymouse, sometimes do.

Sunday Brunch

Diggs, Taye and Shane W. Evans. Chocolate Me.

Johnny, Timmy and Mark make fun of young Taye because he does not look like them, nor does he have a similar name. His hair is curly, his skin is dark, and his nose is wide. These comments make Taye doubt his own worth, but his supportive mother points out to him that he has many fine qualities, and is the same color as chocolate. She makes him cupcakes to share with his friends, who also agree that chocolate can be a good thing.

My favorite part of this book was the t shirts that Taye is wearing, all of which bear supportive messages like "Number 1 Son" and "Be Super". The pictures are colorful and appealing.

Pinkwater, Daniel. Mrs. Noodlekugel.

ARC from Netgalley.com

Nick and Maxine move into a tall apartment building and accidentally get a glimpse of a small house with a garden in the center of their block. They are told not to go there, but once they find that they can get to the area through the boiler room of their building, they go and meet Mrs. Noodlekugel, her talking cat, and her four nearsighted mice. It turns out that she will be their babysitter, but their parents told them not to visit her so that they would be more intrigued and get to meet her. (Is this a good lesson? Hmmm.) They bake some magical cookies with her, and get to find out a little about her world.

Strengths: The pictures are adorable, even in rough draft, and the premise is an intriguing ones.

Weaknesses: I was expecting something like Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, and while the set up is there, the follow through is not. In fact, when I got to the end of the book, I strongly suspected that half the pages were missing. Maybe this will be a series, so the book ended abruptly to entice children to pick up the next one, but I did have the distinct feeling that this was unfinished.