The Secrets of Tree Taylor

Mackall, Dandi Daley. The Secrets of Tree Taylor
May 13th 2014 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Tree's father is a doctor in their small 1960s Missouri town where everyone knows everyone else's business, so when their neighbor, Mr. Kinney, has an accident with a rifle, Dr. Taylor is the first one on the scene. Tree thinks that the shooting is suspicious and wants to find out what really happened, even though Mrs. Kinney seems quite happy that her husband isn't coming home. Tree wants to use her investigation as the basis for a story for her high school newspaper, so that she can beat out a classmate for a position on the Blue and Gold, since her fondest dream is to be a news reporter. Of course, her other fondest dream is to be kissed by Ray, a boy with beautiful blue eyes, and over the course of the summer, she at least gets to speak to him. She also spends time with her best friend, Jack, dances to rock and roll music, and gets involved a bit in the politics of the time.
Strengths: This describes the 1960s very well, and is worth buying for that alone. The feeling of change is palpable and sad, and there's a tiny bit of mystery to keep the reader turning the pages. The romance will be the draw for most readers, however. I liked how Tree got to know Mrs. Kinney and came to like her during the course of her investigation. Very sad at the end. For some reason, this put me in mind of Carson McCullers' The Member of the Wedding even though I don't think the two have any similarities at all!
Weaknesses: It's apparent from the very first that Mrs. Kinney shot her husband, and it's hard to believe that Tree is really SO naive that she thinks anything else at all.

McClure, Wendy. Wanderville.
January 23rd 2014 by Razorbill

Jack, whose brother dies in a garment factory fire in the early 1900s, and Frances and her brother Harold, who are living in abject poverty, are sent on the Orphan Train out to Kansas. On the way from New York City, they are ill treated by the organizers, and hear horrible stories of the families who take children in. The three decide to run away and manage to find a community of other children who band together and try to survive. Book two is coming out in the fall of 2014. 
Strengths: McClure, who wrote the delightful The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie has a strong appreciation for what makes historical adventures so appealing, and brings in a wide variety of historical details that would make a good introduction to the genre for younger students.
Weaknesses: There were some historical details that seemed vague to me and would have been more effective if explained more. Was Jack's brother involved in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire? Was there actually a city of children who managed to survive? And were the families who took in Orphan Train children really that evil. (Think the Joan Lowry Nixon series as well.) I have a friend whose great grandfather and his siblings were sent from Wisconsin to Iowa after the death of both parents to live with a family unrelated to them, and they were well treated and ended up marrying into the family in several cases.

Nonfiction Monday-- Pets

Miles, Ellen. The Puppy Place: Guide to Puppies
Miles, Ellen. The Kitty Corner: Guide to Kittens
1 April 2013, Scholastic
E ARC from Netgalley. com

These are both absolutely adorable books that offer quite useful information on picking out and caring for a new pet. They are only 80 pages long, well illustrated and beautifully arranged. I looked at these at school and my library helpers who were looking over my shoulder immediately wanted copies to check out! I didn't realize that there are series to go along with these, but they are those insidiously long series with 50 books that children find so addictive. Hmmm. I appreciated that these offered good information about care and also addressed the issue of pets dying in a delicate way.  Must have for elementary and middle school libraries.

 It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts. Both sites have lots of links to reviews about books that are great for the 4th through 8th grader. It's also Nonfiction Monday, hosted this week at Wendie's Wanderings.


Messner, Kate. Hide and Seek
1 April 2013, Scholastic Press
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Anna, Henry and Jose and their parents go to a reception at the White House to recognize them for saving the day in Capture the Flag. While there, they see an exhibit on Pre-Colombian god that includes an artifact from the Silver Jaguar Society-- a gold chalice used in ritual initiation that has been lost for 500 years. The only problem? It's a fake. The parents decide to take off for Costa Rica to investigate, and bring the kids with them. They stay at an eco lodge with another Jaguar Society person and meet the daughter, Sophie, as well as a teen raised by the society, Alejandro. The chalice was in Alejandro's possession when it was stolen, so while the parents are off in the city trying to solve the mystery, the children are working hard at the lodge. All of the tourists seem suspect, and Alejandro's slightly illegal tours make the children question his intentions as well. Gooshen of the Serpent Princes shows up, and things go from bad to worse. Can the kids keep the chalice safe?
Strengths: Messner is a great writer, and it's clear that she researched this very well. Lots of adventure, good gross middle school details like bat guano and bullet ants, and a range of interesting characters.
Weaknesses: I was coming down with a cold when I read this, and it made me super jealous of Messner(a former middle school teacher and now super successful writer!), so we will attribute all of my crankiness with this title to those things. Also, the two boy characters were slap worthy. Jose is agonizing over something he needs to tell his parents which turns out to be really inconsequential, and Henry needs to have the video game yanked out of his hands! Anna is okay, but I wish that more were done with her. Other than that, there is not concrete reason for me not to like this.

E Books do need to consider page decorations when formatting e books. A lot of times, these will slow down the page turns, and are really not worth it. In this case, there was just a line drawing of the chalice. There have been some e books where the page turns were slowed down all black pages, like Shadow on the Mountain. In that case, I couldn't even read the e book because the black pages crashed my Nook!

Mysteries--Summer at Forsaken Lake

Beil, Michael. Summer at Forsaken Lake.
12 June 2012, Random House Children's Books


Nicholas and his twin sisters Hayley and Hetty are sent to a small Ohio lake front town to stay with their great Uncle Nick while their father is off with Doctors Without Borders and their mother (from whom he is divorced) is busy with work in New York City. At first, Nicholas thinks that the summer will be completely boring... until he finds a movie his father made, meets Charlie (a really great baseball player and a girl), and learns to sail. His sisters are deep into Arthur Ransome's We Didn't Mean to Go To Sea and talking in British accents. It turns out that Charlie's mother Fran was a friend of their dad's, and was even interested in him romantically until the movie filming took a bad turn. A scripted boat crash went horribly wrong, and Fran was hit by the mast of the boat, broke her arm, and lost the movie camera. Nicholas and Charlie suspect foul play, so have Fran recreate the boat scene and tell them all the people who were involved in the filming. They then talk to them, look at the wreckage of the boat, and unearth the camera from an unusual source. Meanwhile, Hetty and Hayley plan a boat trip ala Ransome, but things go badly there, with a neighbor having an emergency on shore and a storm rolling in. Nicholas and the twins stay with the boat and rescue a man who has wrecked his boat... and who knows more about the film incident than anyone else they've talked to. Nicholas and Charlie work on completing the father's film, filling in some back story. What are the chances that the two parents, whose romance was so cruelly cut short, might get back together? And what are Nicholas' chances of having a romance of his own?
Strengths: *Sigh* It's not the plot on this one, it's the...summer. Okay, Penderwick's fans, go ahead and laugh, but I loved this book because it made an idyllic summer at the lake, complete with classic literature, mystery, romance and a ROOM IN A TOWER seem totally and completely plausible. Since I am probably exactly the age that the parents are in this book (and I was born on the coast of Lake Erie), it just spoke to me.
Weaknesses: The mystery aspect will draw students to this book, but I do worry a tiny bit about kid appeal. Mr. Beil's mystery series is very popular, so I think I can hand sell the heck out of this, which is something I have not been able to do with the Penderwicks no matter how I try.


Most importantly, Mr. Beil has posted a his own version of The Seaweed Strangler that he made as a child on YouTube. How awesome is that?

Smith, Alexander McCall. The Great Cake Mystery.
3 April 2012, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Precious lives in Botswana with her family, which includes her father Obed, who likes to tell her stories about life in Africa. She loves school, and everyone at her school is very nice and follows the rules, until someone steals a piece of cake that her friend Tapiwa had. Everyone in the school is upset and blames Poloko, who is an overweight boy who likes to eat. Using her powers of observation and a little bit of trickery, however, Precious determines that the thief is not Poloko, and solves the crime.
Strengths: The black and red  illustrations in this are beautiful and remind me of picture books from the 1930s and 40s. It's nice to see a multicultural book for emergent readers. I have not read The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, but readers who have would particularly enjoy this look into the main character's life as a child.
Weaknesses: The mystery was not very intriguing, and the language very simple. Sometimes things that didn't need to be explained were covered in great detail.

Tokyo Heist

Renn, Diana. Tokyo Heist. 
14 June 2012, Penguin Young Readers
Also reviewed at Young Adult Books Central

Violet loves reading and drawing manga, and is not happy that her mother is going away for the summer and dumping her on her father, whom she does not know well. When she finds that her father will be spending the summer in Japan working on a mural for the Yamada's corporation, she feels a little better, especially since her friend Reika is there for the summer as well. Things become complicated when the Yamadas have some sketches supposedly done by Van Gogh stolen from them, and are under pressure to find a painting that once accompanied them. The painting has not been seen since 1987, when the brother of Mr. Yamada bought the works and shortly thereafter committed suicide. There is a yakuza, or mafia, link to these pieces of art, and Violet is convinced that her father is in danger. Can she and Reika find the pieces and art and keep everyone safe? Like Violet's own manga character, Kimono Girl, they probably can, but not until after a lot of adventure in Japan.
Strengths: Very good use of setting and culture in the mystery. There are a lot of students interested in manga, and this would certainly appeal to them. Anyone who liked Carter's Heist Society of Runholdt's Mystery of the Third Lucretia will love this one.
Weaknesses: Violet didn't gel as much as a character for me. Perhaps there was just so much going on?

Mysteries

Battle, Craig and Ramon Perez. Max Finder Mystery Collected Casebook #6

10 April 2012; Reviewed for Young Adult Books Central

This book is a collection of ten mystery comic strips from Owl Magazine that involve Max Finder and his multicultural cast of friends and associates. There are also two short story mysteries. The comic strips are about four pages long, with a page at the end that describes how Max solves the mystery, reminiscent of Encyclopedia Brown. There is a section at the end on how to set up a mystery party, which is interesting! The mysteries are also similar to ones Encyclopedia might have solved; a toilet papering prank, a garden and a garage messed with, some stolen bikes.

Strengths: Anything in graphic novel format is a hot ticket in my library, and the mysteries in this series are short but interesting.

Weaknesses: This is another Canadian publication that makes me wonder if Canada is experiencing a paper shortage. The margins are tiny and the words are tiny, giving the format a very cramped feeling.

Harrington, Kim. Partners in Crime.

1 May 2012, Reviewed for Young Adult Books Central

This is the first in a new middle grade series by Kim Harrington, who did the extremely popular YA series Clarity and Perception. Best friends Darcy and Norah have a class project requiring them to set up a pretend business. They decide to create a web site for a detective business, since the dark, edgy side appeals to the borderline Goth Darcy and the good girl Norah who likes to help people. Even though their web site is available only on the school Intranet, they get an e mail from someone asking for help locating her lost twin sister. It turns out that the fashionable Fiona has found a birth certificate for a baby named Bailey born the same day, so the girls do some sleuthing and turn up a lot of irregularities. Someone doesn't want them involved in the mystery, but they continue on despite the threats. Sleepover Stakeout (1 June 2012) and Framed and Dangerous (1 July 2012) are forthcoming.

Strengths: Norah and Darcy have distinct personalities but get along well. Most of their detective activities are very realistic, but more involved than solving missing bikes, which is good for middle school. Also, there is a little romance, and the very nice touch of the girls thinking Fiona is stuck up but becoming friends once they get to know her.

Weaknesses: The girls uncover a very big and rather dangerous secret that should result in Fiona moving, but the parents trust the girls to keep the secret, which seemed slightly unrealistic. Small thing, and I am very much looking forward to this series. Just really bummed that it's a Scholastic paperback series, which means waiting for the prebinds.

Girls of Various Kinds

Morgan, Melissa J. Camp Confidential. (2005)

Natalie is not happy that she has to go to Camp Lakeview while her mother is out of the country-- she'd rather stay in New York City than to have to sleep on a thin mattress in a draft cabin, eat burnt French toast and shower in cold water every morning. There are some cute boys, and some of the girls in her cabin are okay, but basically the activities are all so juvenile, quaint and ... gross. Despite this, she has a decent time, getting into lots of scrapes with her new bunkmates. Natalie has a big secret about her father than she is trying hard to keep, but that proves impossible when he and his friend Josie show up to take Natalie away from camp is she is really miserable.

Strengths: This has the same "beach read" appeal as The Clique series. Natalie is spoiled and very rich, and there is a fair amount of girl drama. One of my students who really likes Ellen Conford loaned this to me, and likes the whole series, so I will definitely look into buying the first couple and see how they do.
Weaknesses: Like The Clique, this was a bit unbelievable and mean, but I think it will be popular. Also have a problem with a modern book having an eleven year old named Karen. When I was born, it was at #3, but in 2001 came in at #246. That said, my daughter's name doesn't even make the list for the year she was born!

Rosenthal, Betsy. Looking For Me.
17 April 2012

In Depression era Baltimore, Edith is part of a hard working Jewish family with twelve children. She is the "little mother" and often has to take care of her younger sisters and brothers. Her favorite brother is Melvin, but when he passes away, her mother decides she will no longer work at the family diner with her father, so Edith is sent to work there instead. Edith really wants to make a success of herself in school, because her teacher tells her that she is smart, but things do not look good for a child from a large family at this point in history.

Strengths: I enjoyed this because I liked All-of-a-Kind Family and other books about large Jewish families, and I learned several things about finances in the Depression. This is the story of the author's mother's life.

Weaknesses: Novel in verse. Some actually rhyme, but like the vast majority of this type of book, it reads more like prose broken up in arbitrary lines. Finding a middle grade audience for this will be tough.

Bell, Juliet. Kepler's Dream.

Publication date 10 May 2012, Putnam Juvenile. ARC from Baker and Taylor

Ella's mother is ill with cancer, so she is sent to the home of her quirky grandmother (known as GM), where she at least has the company of Rosie, the daughter of a man who works for GM. After a disturbance on the grounds one night (and there's a map at the beginning of the book), GM discovers that a valuable book has been stolen from their library; Kepler's Dream. Ella's grandfather, who was an astronomer and knew Michael Collins, valued the book, so Ella (who has nothing better to do with her time) decides that she will discover who the thief is. Her investigation involves research into a variety of books, and keeps her mind off her mother's sickness as well as the relative dysfunction of her relatives.

Strengths: Have a feeling that this will get a lot of buzz and may even win an award. It has all of the elements that adults tend to like in middle grade books; quirky characters, a bit of history, clue-oriented mystery, and family angst.

Weaknesses: I find that these elements make for a hard sell in my library, especially when the plot is rather slow paced.

Guy Friday-- Adventure!

Lane, Andrew. Rebel Fire.

Publication 24 April 2012; first published as Red Leech in 2010

Sherlock is enjoying a quiet life with his aunt and uncle when his brother Mycroft shows up. Mycroft doesn't really want to talk to Sherlock; he's more interested in discussing the possibility that John Wilkes Booth has gotten out of Japan and is now in England with Sherlock's American tutor, Amyus Crowe. In his typical fashion, Sherlock goes off to investigate the house where Booth supposedly is holed up, and ends up sending the group packing... with his friend Matty in tow. Mycroft decides that in order to catch Booth and his cronies, Sherlock, Amyus and his daughter, Virginia will go to the US. Off they go on a boat, but of course they are being watched. Sherlock manages to dispatch that spy, and the trio land in New York. There, they have a lot of luck and manage to find Matty, but eventually get captured by the crazed Duke Balthassar, who is using leeches to manage his rare blood disease. Balthassar is the one who is trying to use Booth to rally pockets of Confederate sympathizers, and has managed to rally an army in Canada. When the US government finds out about this, they are willing to use the new technology of balloon travel to bomb the troops, but Sherlock believes there has been enough death. Can he stop the destruction and save his friends? What will Mycroft think? And will Sherlock ever get to kiss Virginia? Perhaps we'll get to find out in the next book, Black Ice.

Strengths: Both this and Death Cloud were beautifully written and evocative of a period of English history that's easy to romanticize. Country manors. Traveling on magnificent cruise ships. Mmmmm. Oh, then there's the action and adventure, with plenty of chases and fighting, to keep the boys interested. Now I really want to read Horowitz's House of Silk. group packing... with his friend Matty in tow. Mycroft decides that in order to catch Booth and his cronies, Sherlock, Amyus and his daughter, Virginia will go to the US. Off they go on a boat, but of course they are being watched. Sherlock manages to dispatch that spy, and the trio land in New York. There, they have a lot of luck and manage to find Matty, but eventually get captured by the crazed Duke Balthassar, who is using leeches to manage his rare blood disease. Balthassar is the one who is trying to use Booth to rally pockets of Confederate sympathizers, and has managed to rally an army in Canada. When the US government finds out about this, they are willing to use the new technology of balloon travel to bomb the troops, but Sherlock believes there has been enough death. Can he stop the destruction and save his friends? What will Mycroft think? And will Sherlock ever get to kiss Virginia? Perhaps we'll get to find out in the next book, Black Ice.

Weaknesses: Sherlock's luck strains credulity, but that's what makes young adult literature so much fun. Even the realistic fiction is rather fantastic!

Horowitz, Anthony. The House of Silk.

After Sherlock Holmes' death, Dr. Watson recounts the most horrific tale of their investigating career, one which he wants sealed for 100 years after his death. Edmund Carstairs, an art dealer, seeks the help of the two because he believes he is being stalked by Keelan O'Donaghue, the head of the Flat Cap Gang, which was behind a train robbery that resulted in the loss of several very valuable paintings Carstairs' gallery was selling in the US. Back in London, Carstairs fears for his safety, and that of his new wife. When Sherlock investigate, he finds that seemingly unremarkable people in Carstairs' case seem also to be involved with an organization called the House of Silk, which is tied to horrific murders. Sherlock's brother Mycroft tells him to let it be, since his sources indicate that high level officials don't want this matter looked into, but of course this is not the case. Sherlock is framed in the death of a young girl and is in the most precarious position of his career. Plenty of twists and turns lead up to the conclusion of the mystery.

Strengths: This is definitely an adult novel, and it is a brilliant continuation of the Holmes chronicles, embracing Doyle's style in both style and theme. Horowitz has clearly read and researched in order to do justice to this character.

Weaknesses: The conclusion of the mystery precludes this from being included in a middle school collection, although high school could probably handle it. Nothing is described graphically, but the topic is still not really appropriate.

Eye of the Storm

Messner, Kate. Eye of the Storm.

Jaden loves living in Vermont with her mom, a scientist who studies frogs, but when her mother needs to spend the summer in Costa Rica, she's excited to spend the summer with her father, stepmother and baby half sister in Placid Meadows, Oklamhoma. This is a community that her father's company, StormSafe, has created in a world that is constantly rocked by tornadoes and hurricanes. At a vague point in the future, the weather has become so bad that children no longer are allowed to ride their bikes, all houses have safe areas, and crops are predominately "DN-ature"; hybrids produced to be grown more quickly and uniformly. Jaden gets accepted into a summer meteorological program that StormSafe runs for children, and meets Risha, Alex and Tomas, who are all interested in figuring out how storms work as well. For Alex, it's very personal, because his family runs a farm that is quite battered by the storms, but which they do not want to sell to StormSafe. When Jaden is trying to figure out how to run her storm simulations, she runs across information that leads her to believe her father might not have the best interests of everyone at heart. Can Jaden and her friends safe Alex's farm, or will the increasingly bad storms wipe out everything they love, even Placid Meadows?

Strengths: Wow. Of course, I loved The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. And Sugar and Ice was fantastic. So I thought "Hmmm. Can Messner really pull off science fiction?" Boy, howdy, can she ever. I don't want to give away the plot, so couldn't really describe the entire last half of the book, but the list of brilliant touches in this is lengthy. The exact date when this takes place is vague, although we do have Jaden's grandfather killed right after 9/11. The every day technology that Messner introduces is brilliant. Data Slates that everyone carries, the genetically modified food-- and every time I would come across one, I would think "Hmmm. This could happen, and soon!" The names aren't overly goofy-- brilliant. The fact that several important characters turn out to be rather evil was a marvelous touch, and there was even some light romance. The suspense and action at the end were fantastic. While the main character is a girl, I see this being equally popular with the boys. Ms. Messner, you have hit this one right out of the park! If you want to quit teaching now and devote yourself to writing full time, you have my full support!

Weaknesses: Messner deserves better covers. And I wasn't wild about the name Jaden for a girl, even though it has a good, futuristic quality to it.

Girl Sunday

Look at all the girls on the covers. *Weary Sigh* The following will be great for someone, just not for my library, where I haven't been moving much paranormal romance lately. Oddly, a lot of Ellen Conford and Beverly Cleary has been circulating, and girls have been wanting funny, realistic fiction about girls who play sports. Unfortunately, none of these fit that bill.

Shirvington, Jessica. Embrace (Violet Eden Chapters #1)

From Kirkus Reviews, 1/12: " Seventeen-year-old Violet Eden's mother died in childbirth, leaving her to be raised by her detached, workaholic father. If it weren't for her best friend Steph and her trainer (and secret love) Lincoln, Violet would be very much alone. But on her 17th birthday, everything changes. Though finally being kissed by Lincoln is a dream come true, Violet learns that their romantic involvement is forbidden because he and Violet are both Grigori--half angel and half human. They're destined to be eternal partners in the battle against exiled angels on Earth, and romance would make things far too complicated. "

Why This Didn't Work For Me: Just don't need any more paranormal romances.

Agresti, Aimee. Illuminate.

From the Publisher: "Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything begins to change when she turns sixteen. Along with her best friend Dante and their quiet and brilliant classmate Lance, she is awarded a prestigious internship in the big city- Chicago-and is sent to live and work at a swanky and stylish hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of gorgeous and shockingly young-looking strangers: powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; her second-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff of glamazons called The Outfit. As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people are not quite what they seem."

Why This Didn't Work For Me: Just don't need any more paranormal romances.

Gould, Sasha. Cross My Heart.

From the Publisher:" After her older sister, Beatrice, drowns in 1585 Venice, sixteen-year-old Laura is removed from the convent by the father who forced her to live there in order to for her to marry Beatrice's fiance, a repulsive old merchant named Vincenzo, but Laura has other plans and after she is accepted into a shadowy society of women known as the Segreta, Laura begins to question whether her sister's death was actually a tragic accident."

Why This Didn't Work For Me: Slightly paranormal and an odd historical period. Young Adult fiction is really much more introspective than middle grade fiction.

Coker, Rachel. Interrupted: A Life Beyond Words.

From the Publisher: "If Sam Carroll hadn't shown up, she might have been able to get to her mother in time. Instead, Allie Everly finds herself at a funeral, mourning the loss of her beloved mother. She is dealt another blow when, a few hours later, she is sent from Tennessee to Maine to become the daughter of Miss Beatrice Lovell, a prim woman with a faith Allie cannot accept.Poetry and letters written to her mother become the only things keeping Allie's heart from hardening completely. But then Sam arrives for the summer, and with him comes many confusing emotions, both toward him and the people around her. As World War II looms, Allie will be forced to decide whether hanging on to the past is worth losing her chance to be loved."

Why This Didn't Work For Me: This didn't seem at all historical, and was confusing and wordy in the way that the writing that my students hand me to read is. I finally looked at the back cover and discovered that the writer is 15. Hey, she's written an entire book and had it published and I haven't, but I think that her writing will improve with age and experience.

Child, Lauren. Ruby Redfort: Look into My Eyes.

From the Publisher: Crack open this new series starring Ruby Redfort - Clarice Bean's favorite all-action heroine - and you will literally be on the edge of your wits. Now in her own starring role, Ruby, a genius code-cracker and daring detective, along with her sidekick butler, Hitch, work for a secret crime-busting organization called Spectrum. Ruby gets into lots of scrapes with evil villains, but she's always ice-cool in a crisis.

Why It Didn't Work for Me: This reads like a Harriet the Spy for the new millenium. Only problem? No one is reading Harriet the Spy. I was also confused as to when this took place-- there was a mention about a house being built a few years previously in 1961, but it seemed very modern.

Eddie: The Lost Youth of Edgar Allen Poe

Gustafson, Cott. Eddie: The Lost Youth of Edgar Allen Poe.
Young Edgar Poe is sent to live with a foster family after the desertion of his alcoholic father and the death of his actress mother. They are kind enough, but Edgar spends most of his time in an attic filled with antique relics, talking to McCobber, the imp that his father left him. When a neighbor's cat and rooster are put in a bad and tied to the top of a building, Edgar is blamed. He asks for a day to clear himself, and begins his investigation. This brings him in contact with The Amazing Mephisto, who has a failing magic act. He witnesses the show and Mephisto shares some of the secrets with him. The two figure out who the real culprit is, but in doing so, manage to improve the magic act and give Edgar someone in his life who is sympathetic to his artistic side.
Strengths: The pictures in this are gorgeous-- this is very nearly like Selznick's work. The story is not advanced through the pictures as much, but certainly this has far more illustrations than other books. Students are perennially intrigued by Poe, so this slim volume will be popular.
Weaknesses: Bit of a slow start-- there was so much historical information that I thought it was a preface rather than the first chapter.

Mysteries!

Bond, Victoria and T.R.Simon. Zora and Me.
Zora and her friends Carrie and Teddy get into all sorts of trouble in their small Florida community in the early 1900s. Zora has a flair for the dramatic and is always making up one story or another. After a local man is mauled to death trying to wrestle an alligator, Zora comes up with two stories-- one about Mr. Pendir having the snout of an alligator, and one about what might have happened to a man found murdered beside the railroad tracks. Her stories make it hard for anyone to believe her, but Zora is convinced that she knows what happened to the murdered man, and tries to make her parents believe her to make sure that justice is done.
Strengths: Many students would not know who Zora Neale Hurston is, and this is a good introduction to the author combined with a mystery.
Weaknesses: This is a small book with a somewhat cartoonish cover, but the contents are not necessarily for very young children. There is a lot of heavy duty coverage of prejudice and discrimination, as well as romantic intrigue. The language is also very rich, especially when Zora is spinning her yarns.

Margolis, Leslie. Vanishing Acts. (Maggie Brooklyn #2)

Maggie is still walking dogs, and this time the problem is that someone is hiding in the park and throwing eggs at the dogs. Not only that, but when Maggie spends some time being an extra in a film, she meets the star, Seth Ryan. He then goes missing, and Maggie thinks she can find out what happened to him. Maggie's friends and neighbors play a big part in this plot, as does the neighborhood itself. Maggie learns that stardom isn't all it seems to be, and in the end, solves both mysteries.

Strengths: While light on plot, the characters in this series are so fun that the book is very engaging. The small size and appealing cover art by Tuesday Mourning (as well as the inclusion of dogs!) will make this a bit hit with girls in 3rd through 7th grade.

Weaknesses: Again, light on plot, and somewhat transparent mystery.

Thanks for Erik over at This Kid Reviews Books for awarding me a Liebster Award. If you want book reviews from an actual middle grade boy, head over and check out his great blog. Since I posted the answers to all the questions back in the fall, I won't bore people again-- instead, spend your time visiting Erik!

The One and Only Ivan

Applegate, K.A. The One and Only Ivan (link to the trailer on YouTube)
Ivan is a real gorilla who was captured from the wild in 1964 and lived in a Washington state shopping mall until the mid 1990s. He now lived in Zoo Atlanta. It’s good to know this information before reading the book, because Ivan’s life in the mall is a sad one. He has a grimy cage with a tire swing and a dirty wading pool, his diet is substandard, and he has to perform three shows a day. There is an elephant, Stella, at the mall who hates being there, especially when she becomes ill and does not get proper medical care. Ivan is treated well by the custodian’s daughter, who brings him crayons and paper so he can draw, and Bob, a stray dog, sneaks into his cage at night and sleep’s on Ivan’s stomach. When a new elephant, Ruby, is brought to the mall, Stella makes Ivan promise that he will do all he can to get her into a proper zoo. Using the one method of communication he has-- drawing-- Ivan managed to get all of the animals moved to a more suitable location.
Strengths: Really, we need to decide now which division this will be in when it is nominated for the Cybils! Realistic fiction or fantasy because the animals’ thoughts are presented? The style of this book-- short, simple sentences-- fits the subject matter perfectly. Ivan’s sad history is recounted without being maudlin. This manages to portray the triumph of the spirit in a way that is accessible to struggling readers, who make up the majority of my animal book readers, without in any way being simplistic. I’m not alone in loving this one-- Reading Rumpus does, too.
Weaknesses: I cried when Ivan went to the zoo, because I worried about Bob. Not to spoil things, but Bob is well taken care of!

I did not think that I would like this one, but since K.A. Applegate caused me to nearly faint by e mailing and asking me to read it, I felt I should. My children were HUGE Animorphs fans, and Ms. Applegate very kindly sent them autographed copies that they got for Christmas which thrilled them to pieces. But seriously, I don’t do animals that “talk” in any way, and this was a great book. I even liked the artwork!

Abrahams, Peter. Robbie Forester and the Outlaws of Sherwood St.
Expected publication 1/19. ARC received from Baker and Taylor.
Robbie lives with her writer father and lawyer mother in NYC. She has recently moved from public to private school, and while she is on the basketball team, she's not making a lot of other frien. When she finds that a client of her mother's is doubling the rent for the soup kitchen where she volunteers, she wants to help. Luckily, a charm bracelet she got from a homeless women makes odd things happen. She lucks into $3,100 in cash falling out of the evil Sheldon Gunn's pocket, is able to thwart bullies who try to steal her glasses. She and her friends Ashanti, Silas and Tut Tut start to realize that there is a bigger plot by the New Brooklyn Redevelopment Project to shut down their favorite places (like Mr. Nok's Thai restaurant) and put new buildings up instead. Can Robbie use her newfound powers to stop Sheldon Gunn and the even more evil Egil Borg?
Strengths: Fairly good mystery, with a nice message of underdog businesses bringing flavor to a community.
Weaknesses: The gimics detracted from a good mystery. Robbie didn't need the charm to accomplish what she did, and the Robin Hood connection is rather weak, except for the troubling incident where she takes the cash that Gunn dropped and gives it to the soup kitchen. Even though she meant well, that's not the moral lesson we hope kids learn!

Thanks to Kate Coombs over at The Book Aunt for The Versatile Blogger Award. These awards are a good way to highlight other bloggers that my readers might find useful as well. I really enjoy:

Heidi Grange over at GeoLibrarian
Karen and Nancy at Kidsmomo
Ms. O at Ms. O. Reads Books
Pam Torres at So I'm Fifty
Provo City Library Children’s Book Review

Here are the rules:
•Thank and link to the blogger who bestowed the award.
•Share seven random facts about yourself (see below).
•Spread the love by passing the award to five other bloggers--and be sure to let them know.


Seven random facts about me:
1. I worked as Doodles, the giant Chick-fil-A mascot, in high school.
2. I wear a lot of pleated skirts.
3. ...and cardigans. (Like to be true to my cultural heritage!)
4. I wrote the world's worst novel in the 8th grade
5. I hate to cook.
6. My dream job is teaching Latin at Eton College
7. I am currently knitting a sweater for my dog, Sylvie.

Paranormal Murders

Harrington, Kim. Clarity.
Clarity "Clare" Fern is able to hold an object and can sometimes retrieve memory of emotions or activity from it. Her brother can communicate with the dead, and her mother can read people's minds. They have a small business doing readings in their small tourist town on the East Coast, but when a girl is murdered after spending time with her brother, Clare agrees to help the police investigate. With the help of her former boyfriend, a budding news reporter, and Gabriel, the hot son of the new police detective, she tries to uncover the path of the killer, especially after two more people are killed. Things are complicated by a new psychic undermining the family business, as well as Clare's attraction to Gabriel, who may or may not be dangerous. Strengths: Really good murder mystery, which is what my students want! Lots of twists and turns. Really enjoyed the setting, and the psychic gifts were explained in a way that made sense. The sequel, Perception, comes out on March 12, 2012. Ms. Harrington also has a younger series, Sleuth or Dare, coming out in the spring.
Weaknesses: Borderline young adult. There is a lot of talk of the brother hooking up with tourist girls, as well as the former boyfriend having an affair. No details are given, no bad language used, so I will buy the series. (If there's any money!) Cover not very good, especially since Clare's hair is clearly defined as curly/frizzy. ( I see that there is now an alternate cover!)

Sampson, Jeff. Vesper (Deviants #1)
Emily Webb doesn't care what she wears-- or rather, she cares very much that she wears figure concealing clothing, unlike her older stepsister Dawn. When a classmate, Emily C., is found murdered miles from home in her pajamas, Emily W. starts to notice changes in her behavior. She starts to go to parties in skimpy clothes and drink, flirting with boys in ways that have never made her comfortable, and following them around because they smell good. What is causing her change? Can it have something to do with genetic experimentation at the company BioZenith? Since other kids at her school whose parents worked for the company are having similar problems, it's a good guess. The sequel, Havoc, comes out on January 24, 2012.
Strengths: Obviously paranormal from the cover, it was a little more original than most of the stories.
Weaknesses: Other reviewers seemed to like the girl power in this one, but I'm not quite seeing it. The whole "Wow, we didn't know you were hot until you took off your hoodie and glasses!" thing bothered me a bit. That's okay, with the amount of drinking and licking boys that goes on, this is more YA than middle school.

The Man From Pomegranate Street

Lawrence, Caroline. The Man From Pomegranate Street. Book 17 of the Roman Mysteries series.

Flavia and her friends, having been accused of treachery by the emperor Titus, make their way back to Rome to beg for amnesty. Unfortunately, Titus contracts a fatal fever, and Domitian takes control. There is still a price on their head, but if they can figure out who killed Titus, they might be spared. They never do find out what happens, but must remain in exile, where the friends all manage to make happy lives for themselves.

These are all fabulous books, and the detail given to Roman life is superb. While not huge circulators, I will get a die-hard fan or two every year, so I am glad to finally have the complete set. Companion volumes, as well as the DVD of the BBC television production of the first book, are available primarily in the UK, which is a real pity. If your 7th grade studies Rome in social studies, these books are a must have. This series was very wonderful, and I was sad to read about Flavia getting married, although the book hints that her crime fighting days might not be completely over.

Two somewhat disappointing books-- Howe's Angel in Vegas looked amusing, but had a frenetic tone that made the book confusing. Also, all things Elvis do not circulate well in my library.

I was angered by Ariela Anhalt's Freefall. It's a great book. Good mystery, some bullying issues, good length-- everything I look for. However, there are multiple, random, gratuitous uses of the f-bomb. Why? WHY? The author is 19, and since I ground my 16 year old for two weeks any time she utters the word, I was just incensed. No. It's not okay to use this word at school, so it should not appear in print in young adult literature. It just shouldn't. Is this censorship? Yes. Is this cramping intellectual freedom? Didn't our mothers always tell us that if we were using profanity, we must not be very creative? There are lots of other books that I can buy.

Question for the day: Did Ms. Anhalt think it was okay to use this sort of language because she read books that used it? Will we be seeing more of this? Where will the foul language end?