Middle Grade Monday-- Sk8er

Barwin, Steven. Sk8er.

Jordy Lee and his friends who live in Toronto near Kensington Market all love to skateboard, but Jordy's parents (who run a local fruit and vegetable market) don't like him skating because they think he is a public nuisance. Because they work long hours, they would rather he stay home and take care of his younger brother. When a new skatepark opens and a contest is announced, Jordy wants to compete, because his board is old and he could use the gift card to a skate shop to buy a new one. He meets Ali, a very talented skater who also happens to be distractingly cute, and works with her on his tricks and routine. He is afraid to practice at the skate park with her, however, lest his friends make fun of him. He also has to figure out how to get to the competition when his parents don't want him to go. After working hard and figuring out a lot of things, the competition goes worse than expected in some ways... and better in others.

Strengths: This was a really good skateboarding story. Jordy's relationship with Ali is real and sweet-- just what the boys want. Not mushy at all. The skate boarding details are good, and the contest is a much better plot line than "people don't want a skate park". Need more books like this!

Weaknesses: The Canadian setting might be hard for some of my students (a store for just fruit and vegetables? Slabs of meat hanging?), and the cover, like all of the ones in this Lorimer and Company series, is beyond awful.


Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is a recurring feature at Shannon Whitney Messenger's Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe blog. Hop over there to check out a list of great middle grade reviews. Visit some new blogs and get come recommendations today!

Pixie Apocalypse!

Jones, Carrie. Endure.
8 May 2012
Things are not going well for Zara. While her boyfriend Nick has been successfully rescued from Valhalla, he hates that she has turned pixie and resents her. Her grandmother Betty is missing, and the pixie attacks in her small town have
increases significantly. When she sees an ice giant fight a fire giant while she is out on patrol, she realizes that Ragnarok is on its way unless she and her friends can stop it. Astley is still around, and Zara is starting to develop much warmer feelings for him, even though he is very upset when she "outs" the pixies at a town meeting where she tells everyone what is behind all of the attacks on boys and instructs everyone how to fight pixies. Frank/Belial is still around being evil, but Zara is more interested in what the partially zombie Hel, the guardian of the Norse underworld has to say. Zara and her friends travel to Iceland (I'll have to tell our former exchange student from there!) to visit the mouth of Hel and try to find out what they need to do to save the world. Astley's mother Isla is fighting the group, poisoning her son and turning Zara human again, just when she is falling in love with Astley and embracing her pixie powers. Zara is not going to let a little thing like losing her powers drag her down or stop her from finally putting down the pixie threat, or from keeping the world from ending. Don't want to spoil it, but the conclusion of this great series (Need, Captivate, Entice)  involves a lot of fighting, suspense, and intriguing twists!
Strengths: Zara isn't as whiny and love struck in this book; she is much more in charge, and I liked that a lot. I also enjoyed the inclusion of Norse mythology, and how the group takes a commercial flight to Iceland but is able to teleport back. The character of Hel was intriguing. And, come on. Pixie Apocalypse? Great rock band name, and fun to say.
Weaknesses: There were times when I got into the middle of a scene and though "Why are they doing this?" I'd page back to see if I missed some explanation. To be honest, though, this is probably more the fault of my extreme lack of sleep from the DC trip! Others have complained about the short length, but I think it was perfect, and four books for a series is very nice as well.

Saturday Cartoons (and personality leakage)

Whew. Back from DC and getting  ready to wrap up things in the library. After arriving home late on Thursday evening, I went in at 5:00 a.m. Friday to help set up for Bulldog Breakfast, which honors students who make our day. My nominee was Katie, who is such a dedicated library helper that when she was voluntarily dusting the tops of the bookshelves the other day, she didn't think the duster was enough and wet wiped them! The substitutes who were in for me did an amazing job, although I had to laugh when both said how busy the library was, and when I checked the stats, they had checked out only a quarter of the books that normally go out! 

All books were due yesterday, so any check outs had to be accompanied by sad stories, preferably with puppy dog eyes. Had my regular classes in as well as students taking end of year assessments on the computers, and book fair was delivered, so I got that set up, and made a dent in my hundred e mails.

Must admit that I haven't read a book in a week, but my box from YA Books Central arrived, and I will spend the weekend getting my upcoming reading organized, just in time for Mother Reader's 48 Hour Reading Challenge on June 8-10. Oh, and Nonfiction Monday will be hosted here this week.

Roman, Dave and John Green. Teen Boat.

Teen Boat has more problems than the average high schoolers-- not only do bullies like Harry Cobbs bother him, they want him to host parties on himself when he is a boat-- parties that end up with gambling in international waters and running into ice bergs! Teen has a big crush on Nina Pinta Santa Maria, an exchange student, but no matter what he does, she doesn't like him... but his friend Joey (who is, of course, less hot because she wears overalls instead of midriff baring tops) does. The gang get into all sorts of improbable scrapes, travel to Italy, get involved with pirates, and use Teen's ability to turn into a boat at every available opportunity. As we are reminded frequently, it's all about "The angst of being a teen; the thrill of being a boat."

Strengths: This is certainly innovative and original. The artwork is well done and brightly colored, and the odd story line should appeal to high schoolers who were Pilkey aficionados when younger.

Weaknesses: Since someone gave us a Teen Boat t shirt, this was a family read. We were all amused by the book, but also a little confused as to what was really going on. I think this may have been the authors' point!

Guy Friday-- Blood Sun

Gilman, David. Blood Sun.
27 December 2011
When Max finds out that Danny Maguire from his school is found run dead in an underground station, and two "secret service" men show up at his school, he knows that something is wrong. With the help of his friend Sayid, he steals a passport, makes appointments with scholars of Mayan civilization to uncover the mystery of an artifact that Danny mailed to him, and makes his way to Central America. The British secret service is trying to find him, but so is the trained assassin Riga, who is working for Cazamind, who has a secret in the rain forest he doesn't want Max to uncover. Max manages to pick up a friend, Xavier, in a drug deal gone bad, and the two go from Miami to the rain forest to try to find out what happened to Max's mum, an environmental activist (his father is in a care facility, recuperating from his last adventure). While there, he encounters all sorts of danger, from poisonous plants to voracious crocodiles to people who want him dead. With the help of Flint, a "plant thief" whose business was ruined by Max's mother, he is able to find out what did happen to his mother and bring this series to a close.
Strengths: Wow. Don't think I want to go camping with Mr. Gilman! Every page is a breathless adventure where death is seconds away... but Max manages to avoid it. Max is a great loyal character with a very strong sense of what is right. The adventure and action in this series cannot be beat, and the sense of place in every scene is fabulous. I want to go back to the British Museum right now. And maybe have lunch with Mr. Gilman, far away from poison frogs! Don't tell Anthony Horowitz, but this may be stronger than Alex Rider. VERY curious to see what is next from this author.
Weaknesses: Had a hard time figuring out what Riga was doing, and the ending was a bit anticlimactic.

Excitement in D.C.!

So, I'm in the Dulles Air and Space Annex with 150 8th graders, and there is a woman setting up a book signing across from the gift shop, where I am making sure that students don't try to play with the toys. I look at her display of books and recognize Soar, Elinor from a variety of Nonfiction Monday posts. My sleep deprived brain makes a middle grade connection, and I say to her "Did you also write The Map of Me?" She smiled and says "Why, yes! Yes, I did."

Here's Tami Lewis Brown of From the Mixed-Up Files and yours truly. Ms. Brown was kind enough to sign a copy of Soar, Elinor to Picky Reader, who was dragged over to meet her. (I'm not supposed to talk to P.R. because I am her teacher, not her mother. Geez.)

And Ms. Brown was kind enough to tell my students that she knew who I was.

I love the Kidlitosphere. It's so cool to meet authors in completely random places. A review of Soar, Elinor will be posted when I regain some mental compacity that has been diminished by herding 8th graders in public places and saying repeatedly "To your right! Your other right! Observe American traffic laws!"

Young Adult titles

Davis, Tanita. Happy Families.

Publication date May 8
Ysabel and Justin both have their own interests, but enjoy hanging out with their supportive family. The book starts with them all at one of Ysabel’s art shows, but the next chapter is set much later. The twins’ father has moved out, their mother is stressed, and they don’t want anyone to know what has happened. However, their mother feels they must deal with it, and sends them to stay with their father for spring break so that they can be with him... and come to terms with the fact that there father is transgendered and is trying to decide if he will live his life as a woman. The family goes through counseling and also meets up with other families going through similar difficult times. Ysabel and Justin just want things to be the way they were-- they miss having their father around and are confused and more than a little embarrassed about this turn of events.

Strengths: This is incredibly sensitive and well-researched, and the guide to the preferred way of referring to situations and conditions is very helpful. I can’t think of another book on the topic of dealing with transgendered parents, and I have known students who struggled with this issue.
Weaknesses: This is more of a high school book, not because of the content, but because of the tone. So much of this is about longing for family unity, and middle school students are more concerned about breaking away from their families, hence the whole phenomenon of orphans in middle grade fiction. This is completely appropriate for middle school, just not a title that those students will seek out.

Banks, Anna. Of Poseidon.

Emma and her friend Chloe are vacationing at the seashore. Right after literally running into the handsome Galen, Emma's friend is killed by a shark. Galen and Emma tried to save her, and it turns out that Emma can talk to the shark, although it's too late to save Chloe. Galen has come searching for Emma at the behest of Dr. Milligan, a human whom Galen saved and who saw Emma at the Gulfarium he runs. Suspecting that she is also a Syrena (basically a mermaid), Dr. Milligan has Galen hunt her down. Galen's sister Rayna and his human assistant Rachel (who is pretending to be his mother) take up residence in Emma's community, get to know her, and try to figure out whether she is or isn't "of Poseidon".

Strengths: Mr. Buxton, our language arts teacher and a fellow blogger, told his students about the book Ripple, and they all wanted to read it, so mermaids hold some fascination. This is an interesting take on the legend, told from both Galen's and Emma's perspective.

Weaknesses: This was hard to follow, and a bit creepy. Emma's mother seemed to want Galen to sleep with her, and there is a lot of talk about the merfolk mating that was just... weird and creepy. This moves it firmly into the young adult category, although there isn't anything graphic.

John, Antony. Thou Shalt Not Road Trip.

Luke Dorsey was writing parables with his young group, and his were so good that the pastor managed to help him get a book published. Now, he is on the road doing book signings at a variety of Christian book stores. His agnostic brother Matt is driving, and is a little too excited about the unlimited expense account (they are in a Hummer but still staying at some dive hotels). Along the way, they pick up Matt's sometimes girlfriend Alex, and her sister Fran, in whom Luke was, although now Fran has taken up drinking in a big way. Each character discovers different things about themselves on the trip, although nothing really happens. (Like spies, explosions, car chases or other things that middle grade readers look for in "great literature".)

Strengths: Road trip books are always good. John's writing is quite nice, and his characters are well developed.

Weaknesses: This is just more of a young adult book, concerned with how people feel and grow as people. It was also, given the reason for the road trip, VERY Christian in aspect.

Stickman Odyssey: The Wrath of Zozimos

Ford, Christopher. The Wrath of Zozimos.
Philomel, 10 May 2012

Zozimos is back, and his Uncle Nestor is trying to get him back to Sticatha quickly so he can take over the kingdom from the evil witch Krata who killed his father and turned his sisters into crows. Nestor thinks that Zozimos has been dallying, helping his friends Atrukos and Praxis on their quests. He has also been distracted by Alexa, on whom he has a crush. When Nestor is killed, he helps his friends and then makes his way to Sticatha, where he finds that Krata is a beloved queen. Nestor has lied, and in order to get on Krata's good side and regain his rightful throne, Zozimos must travel to obtain a golden feather and bring it back. There are wrinkles in that journey, too. Will Zozimos make it back in time?
Strengths: My students love the first book in this series, and the books are a funny retelling of a new version of the Odyssey.
Weaknesses: My concern is that students will not be able to tell the Classical version of the Odyssey from this-- some things are changed, but others are not. I would have preferred, for the sake of clarity, that characters and timelines of the Homeric version were kept, with the addition of stick figure drawings and humor. Still, a must have for graphic collections in elementary and middle school.

Time Slip Tuesday

Time Slip Tuesday is a recurring feature at Charlotte's Library.

Ungar, Richard. Time Snatchers.

Caleb works for the evil Uncle, traveling through time and stealing famous objects for wealthy customers. Based in 2061 New York City (which is now called New Bejing because of a new friendship between the US and China), Uncle has a group of orphans he sends through time, using rather vague technology, (I do like the fingernail apps) but he is unusually cruel to them if they don't complete the tasks in a timely fashion. Caleb's life is made even more difficult by the bully Frank, who shows up at Caleb's assignments and takes the objects, getting Caleb in further trouble. He has an ally in Abby, but life is grim. When traveling back into the 1960s, Caleb meets the family of his dreams, but when their son, Zach is kidnapped as part of Uncle's master plan to expand the business with more children, Caleb knows that he must finally try to break free. Once Uncle punishes him by sending him to "the Barrens", will he be able to rescue Zach and get him back to his family?
Strengths: I liked the idea of children traveling through time to steal objects; there could hvae been a lot of interesting historical events that they attended. The one's Ungar picks are smaller, but still interesting (seeing the first photograph developed, etc.)
Weaknesses: This was really dark. Uncle abuses the children dreadfully, and there's no FUN in the time travel. This gives Caleb a reason to make the choices he does about Zach, but if time travel isn't fun, what's the point? Have to agree with Charlotte about this one-- there are a lot of logistical inconsistencies. Just didn't love this one, and as we know that as much as I love time travel my students don't, I don't think I will buy it. The cover is great, though!

Nothing Special

Herbach, Geoff. Nothing Special.
1 May 2012

After figuring out a few things about himself and his family in Stupid Fast, Felton Reinstein is back. This time, he is in pursuit of his brother Andrew, who is everything Felton is not-- small, musically inclined, and sensitive. Andrew has decided to fake going to band camp and run away to meet his estranged grandfather in Florida. Felton is concerned because he has blown off Andrew's concerts and knows that his reknown as a sports star has shoved Andrew further into the shadows. The book starts with Felton trying to fly to Florida and having difficulty making his connections, so he is writing a long and rambling letter to Aleah, his former girlfriend who is in Germany. It turns out that this is a return trip to Florida-- Felton and his friend Gus had driven down to find Andrew once, but after a disastrous meeting with his grandfather, Felton returned home so that his mother Jerri wouldn't worry too much. The two trips run parallel to each other in the book, and we find out more and more about Felton, Andrew and their complicated family relationship.
Strengths: For boys who liked An Abundance of Katherines, or just like the idea of being off on their own in a car, this is a great book. There are lots of funny moments, and a decent amount of grossness (sweat and manure smells play a large part in the book.)
Weaknesses: I found the descriptions of the two trips occurring at the same time to be somewhat confusing, and since I have little patience for travel that doesn't go as planned, Felton's flight delays made me kind of itchy. This is more of a young adult book in that there is more of a voyage of self discovery than most middle school boys have patience for. Nothing blows up.

There's supposed to be a blog tour with all sorts of fascinating questions and answers by Mr. Herbach, but this occurs during an insane time of year, so I don't have any more info here. Check out Emilie's Book World and A Good Addiction for interviews, I Like These Books for another review, and YA Books Central blog for a guest post!

Middle Grade Monday-- Crush

Paulsen, Gary. Crush.

Publication date 8 May 2012. E ARC from Netgalley.com

Kevin has decided that it's not enough to just have a crush on the beautiful Tina. He is going to do some serious research and figure out how he can ask her out and get her to say yes. He sets up a romantic dinner for his parents and observes them from a closet-- and sees the cat sit on the pasta and then set the table on fire. He asks his sister's friends to give him advice, and they tell him he dresses like he just came from the scene of a natural disaster. He successfully sets up his brother and his hockey team with girls who also ice skate. He "observes" his best friend JonPaul (who really deserves a book of his own; I love his laconic personality!) on a date with Sam and is befuddled by how boring it is. (After doing homework for 47 minutes and working on some beaded necklaces, they fall asleep. "JonPaul's idea of dating was a whole lot like Markie's preschool's idea of quite time, only without the duck mats and blankies." Page 60) Finally, at an anniversary party where Kevin sees all the people he has fixed up, he finally gets to talk to Tina, who has wondered why he has been so preoccupied and has been ignoring her!

Strengths: Ah, Mr. Paulsen. Please continue to write these charming books for a very long time, and keep the same small format and great covers. The two copies each of Liar, Liar and Flat Broke that I never make it back to the shelf. (And yes, if you haven't read them, you need to!) If I had to buy birthday presents for a 12 year old boy, I'd get the whole set in hardcover.

Weaknesses: Not quite as many nose snorting laughs as Mudshark, but still very funny.

Swan, William. Fast Finish.

Noah is excited when he is approached by the coach of the Viking Track Club. He loves to run, and it helps him deal with both the bullies at school and the still too recent death of his father. While he has the support of his hardworking mother and uncle, and enjoys being on Coach Judge's team, he still has trouble focusing on running sprints. When he runs a longer race and talks to Coach Buchan, who knew his dad, he starts to connect a bit more to the sport, but when Coach Buchan ends up having a very serious health issue, he is scared. Watching his father go downhill was bad enough, and Noah doesn't think he can deal with it again. How can he concentrate on running when so many things are going on in his life?
Strengths: Lots of good descriptions of running, and Noah's character is sympathetic and real.
Weaknesses: This started out with bullying, so I thought that would be this was the direction it would take. Also, Canadian running is set up differently, so US students might struggle with the idea of running clubs separate from schools.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday was started by Shannon Whitney Messenger, and is at her blog, Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe.

Nonfiction Monday-- Salem Witch Trials

Schanzer, Rosalyn. Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem.
Everyone thinks they know a little about the Salem Witch Trials that started in the 1690s, but there are so many details not covered in history class! This extremely well-designed book from National Geographic follows the events chronologically, and focuses on several of the accused and accusers to move the narrative along in a fashion that makes sense. While this reads almost like fiction (Schanzer does a great job at keeping things moving along by interspersing facts and anecdotes), it would also be a great resource for research, with extensive footnotes and a fine index. The author did the woodcut-like illustrations as well, and they contribute greatly to the fantastic design-- this is a small book with eye catching red and black color scheme, and even the font (Caslon Antique) adds to the period feel. It's wonderful to find nonfiction that is both informative enough for projects AND is something that students will pick up to read for fun!


Nonfiction Monday was started by Ana Suen and is hosted today by The Swimmer Writer.

I'll be hosting next week; first I have to survive the 8th grade trip to DC! I doubt I will be anywhere near a computer all week!

Ordinary Magic

Hawkins, Rachel. Spell Bound.

This much anticipated third book in the Hex Hall series started off by making me laugh, as usual. "Sure, it's awesome when you're using (magic) to change your hair color, or fly, or turn day into night. But for the most part, magic tends to end in explosions, or tears, or with you flat on your back in the middle of nowhere, feeling like a tiny dwarf is mining for diamonds inside your head. Okay, so maybe that last bit was just me." (page 3). Sophie is back, having lost her magical powers, but she is accompanied by the ghost of her friend Elodie. When she is attacked by members of the Brannicks, she ends up in their compound, where she finds her mother who is... a Brannick. This is a problem, since they hunt evil and consider Sophie's demon heritage a negative even though without her powers she is just human. This, too, is a problem because the Brannicks had hoped that Sophie would fight with they against the Prodigium and help them win. Sophie has some other problems as well-- how can she choose between her fiance, Cal, and her boyfriend, Archer? Hate to say too much and spoil this, but suffice it to say that there are a lot of good spells, political machinations, a fair amount of fighting, and a very sad romantic twist. I'll be very interested to see what Ms. Hawkins writes next!
Strengths: The snarky humor makes this stand out in the vast sea of paranormalish books, and I liked that Sophie was key to the epic battle. I'm very glad that they didn't decide to change the cover-- the series looks awesome together.
Weaknesses: I find that I forget a lot of the details between books, so it would have been good to have a little more recap. Now that the entire series is out, readers can finish them all together, and this will be less of a problem.

Rubino-Bradway, Caitlin. Ordinary Magic.
Bloomsbury USA, 8 May 2012

On the day of her Judging, twelve-year-old Abby is very excited. After all, her older brothers and sisters are all doing well in their careers in magic, so chances are good her level will be really high as well. Unfortunately, Abby is an "ord" and has no magic at all. This is dangerous in her society, where "normal" means magicking up breakfast and being able to fly carpets! It also means that ords are discriminated against; Abby can no longer go to her regular school, and is in danger of being taken by adventurers who need ords to circumvent spells and magic creatures. Luckily, Abby's older sister Alexa works at a school for ords that King Steve is backing, thanks to new legislation he has put in place to make selling ord children illegal. Abby is whisked off to the school, and the students are taught the topics presented in "normal" schools but also multiple languages (in case they get kidnapped!) and how to fight off red cap goblins who want to eat them! These skills are good to have when Barbarian Mike makes yet another attempt to kidnap Abby, and is finally successful. She manages to escape, and bring this adventurer to justice with the help of the king. There are still some adventures awaiting the ords, however, and I smell a sequel in the offing!
Strengths: This was oddly intriguing, and magical realism is something a lot of the girls have been asking for. Even though Abby and her friends are without magic themselves, they are certainly surrounded by it!
Weaknesses: As intrigued as I was, I was also somewhat confused by the setting. While there are magical creatures, mages, and some medieval elements, it also feels like the setting is modern, with a house and bedrooms and cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Reading an E-ARC of this and not seeing the cover didn't help, but I still am having trouble envisioning the world, and since I am not a fantasy aficionado, realizing the setting is very important to me.

Saturday Cartoons

Petrucha, Stefan. The Hunger Pains.

Middle Grade Librarians need to know that Papercutz Slices has an entire line of graphic novels that are parodies of popular fiction titles. Harry Potter and the Deathly Boring and Percy Jerkson and the Ovolactovegetarians (*snerk*) are just two of their offerings.

Think Mad Magazine retellings, right down to the illustration style.  That said, when I finally opened the E ARC of this at lunch, several students started to peer over my shoulder, and we all had quite the good, but rather inappropriate, laugh over this great literary work.

Highly recommended for tweens and teens to give to each other for birthdays; fine for public libraries; don't think I'll be buying them for school!

The Kooky 3D Kids' Baking Book. Hardie Grant Books, 2012.

This book comes under the "no, really, I was doing real work when I found it!" label. There is a need for cookbooks in my library, and baking is certainly the most popular cooking for students, but I am not sure this book is the one I need. It would make a fun gift, but it is spiral bound and comes with 3D glasses. I may have been the first person to check it out of the library, so it still HAD the glasses. The recipes are okay, but the book is Australian. There are not only odd ingredients with dubious translations (is caster sugar really powdered sugar? In parentheses, "superfine sugar" is listed), but the sorts of things made seem a tiny bit off. Cream horns? Pineapple and ham rolls? And only one sort of cookie? I understand the in the United States we make more cookies at home than they do in many other countries, but this seems a strange lack.

The pictures really are 3D, though, so there is that wow factor!

Man, now I want to go and read A Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down. I bought a copy in 2005 at Harrod's in London. *Sigh* I do love wholemeal digestive biscuits, but not enough to pay $5 for a sleeve of them at Meijers. Marias are just not the same.

Guy Friday-- Fantasy Guys (Plus Bonus Rant!)

Nielsen, Jennifer A. The False Prince.
In this first book in a purported trilogy, Sage is taken from an orphanage by the scheming Conner and taken to his luxurious mansion with fellow orphans Roden and Tobias. The reason? The entire royal family of Carthya has been murdered, with the exception of Prince Jaron, who was on a ship that was attacked by pirates when he was about ten, and has never been found. Conner wants to groom a boy to pretend to be the prince, ostensibly to prevent a war between Carthya and a neighboring kingdom. The boys have a variety of skill levels, education, and attitude problems, but Sage is the worst-- he is constantly fighting against Conner, running off, and being a brat about his new found fortune, mainly because all the boys know that whomever is not chosen will surely die. Despite his contrary personality, Sage develops some allies in the maid servant Imogen and the trainer Mott, who both try to help him, and manages to attract the positive attention of the princess Araminda, who is supposed to marry Jaron's brother, and since he is dead, will marry the boy Conner chooses to be prince. When Conner finally does make his choice, long forgotten secrets are revealed that change the entire game.
Strengths: Even though I didn't want to read yet another medieval fantasy, I was oddly drawn into this one. Great cover. The fact that it will be a trilogy and not something longer makes me somewhat inclined to purchase this.
Weaknesses: Sage is really bratty. The reasons for this are clear later in the book (which I don't want to spoil), but I wanted to slap him on multiple occasions, which is never good.

Dolamore, Jaclyn. Between the Sea and Sky.

Esmerine is thrilled to finally become a Siren, an honor that not many in her merfamily have had. Her sister, Dosia, is a Siren, but has recently run away, and the entire family is worried that she has married a human and is not doing well. Esmerine is the only one able to sustain walking on human legs long enough to go looking for her, and she also wants to go on land and try to find her childhood friend, Alander. Alender is a Fandarsee, or winged creature, who runs a book store and agrees to help Esmerine find her sister. The two take off across their Georgian era countryside to try to find her, and fall in love in the process.

Strengths: Hubbard's Ripple is wildly popular, so I picked this up at a Book Look to make my mermaid fans happy.
Weaknesses: No boy will ever pick up this book, even though Alander figures largely. I was disappointed in the lack of living underwater scenes, and somewhat confused by where there were "subtle echoes of Pride and Prejudice". The biggest weakness? See RANT...

Slight Rant:Why are there sooooooooo many fantasy books, when what I really need are funny, realistic fiction books? Wait, wait-- I know. Even though there is a very small percentage of students (especially boys) who read fantasy books, those readers tend to love to read and buy their own books, and tend to be higher acchievers academically, and therefore more likely to grow up and write books. I personally wrote seven chapters of a medievalish/time travel fantasy called Alexander's Avenger before realizing that there were very few readers for it.

Even Nancy Gilson of the Columbus Dispatch had this sentence in her review of The False Prince: "Just in case there's room for another medieval adventure trilogy for young-adult readers, Jennifer A. Nielsen is happy to fill the bill. "

Out of about 720 students at my school, I have maybe 50 who are AVID fantasy readers, and maybe another 50 who will read fantasy if it's new and interesting. About eighty percent of the ARCs I get seem to be fantasy. It seems off balance.

Apparently, few ball players (aside from Tim Green, Mike Lupica, and Rich Wallace) grow up to write books. Hardly any skateboarders do. If I am still buying copies of books by authors who are long dead (Thomas Dygard), something is wrong.

This is also why Jordan Sonnenblick is so brilliant. He writes what students want to read, but is talented enough to sneak in some Life Lessons that teachers will like, in a way that students don't mind them. Oooh! Mr. Sonnenblick! Write a book involving either football or skateboarding next! Just remember, no "we are building a skate park but having trouble with the community thinking we are all threats to society" theme. Overdone.

Just like the vast majority of medievalish fantasies.

Winter Pony

Lawrence, Iain. Winter Pony.

A white pony is taken from the wild and used in Robert Scott's 1910 expedition to reach the South Pole before his rival Amundsen. The conditions are brutal, but after several years with horse breakers who are very cruel, James Pigg, as the horse is called by the men on the expedition, is pleased to be treated kindly and ready to work hard for the men. In alternating sequences, the preparations and progress of the two explorers are detailed. The horses and men all battle the elements the best they are able, but the end result is grim and death-filled.

Strengths: The South Pole exploration is certainly a great story of survival and battling the elements, and I can't think of too many other stories on the subject. We live in a world where there are very few frontiers left to conquer, so reading a story of one such adventure from the point of view of a horse involved is innovative and interesting. I didn't think about this title originally for my survival readers, but it will be great for them.

Weaknesses: Hesitate to give this to horse-loving girls, since so many horses die! There's something about Lawrence's work that I have trouble connecting with. I can't promote his Wreckers books as much as one of our teachers does.

On a totally unrelated note, I am feeling rather pleased with myself. I've managed to have a post up on at least one book every single day since January 1!This is partly due to the fact that after six years I figured out how to schedule posts, which has been a tremedous help. This past weekened I really didn't read anything but a few short nonfiction books because I was too busy celebrating birthdays, working in the garden, and generally enjoying the decent weather. I don't find blogging stressful, and I certainly read enough to have new content most days, but it is nice to be able to take a day off now and then and still have something new for my loyal readers out there!

The Georges and the Jewels

I don't know how I missed this Jane Smiley horse series, but once I read True Blue, I knew that I would have to buy all of the books.


Smiley, Jane. The Georges and the Jewels. (#1)(2009)

Abby loves working on her family's horse farm in a small California town in the 1960s. She struggles with her father's insistence that she not become attached to the horses because the only way the family can survive is to train them and sell them. This explains the weird title-- all the male horses are called "George" and the females "Jewel". Abby's father is also extremely religious, to the extent that he has driven off Abby's older brother and is often at odds with what Abby is experiencing out in the wider world. Middle school is tough-- Abby must work very hard on the farm, and often goes to school smelling a bit of horses, so the snobs give her a hard time, and she has the typical middle school problems with her friends. When one of the horses she is working with is deemed untrainable by her father, Abby is afraid that the horse will be put down, so she overcomes her fear of him to make him into a horse her father can sell.
Strengths: LOTS of horse riding and ranch life details. THe horses mentioned all have distinct personality, which appeals to girls who love horses.
Weaknesses: Not much happens, and the descriptions of religion and religious life are a bit too strong and not really interesting.

Smiley, Jane. A Good Horse.(2010)
Abby is used to losing horses to new homes, but this time she may lose two. Black George is showing so well that he is sure to sell if Abby can continue to make him look good in the ring. Jack, a horse she rescued, is the foal of a stolen mare, and may be taken away from her as well. Abby continues to struggle with fitting in with her friends at school, although she enjoys being part of a play reading group, even though her mother is a bit disapproving of reading Shakespeare. When it looks like the man who owned the stolen mare is definitely going to take Jack back, Abby has to rely on her faith to get her through.

Strengths: Again, horse details can't be beat. Lots of information about equipment, training, showing, and qualities of horses.

Weaknesses: While these books are great for girls who are horse fanatics, I found them tough going as just stories. Abby's family was so strictly religious, and the events that do occur are very mundane.

While we're on the topic of animals, and have religious  characters in the books above,  I have to mention Rosoff's There is No Dog, mainly because it's gotten a lot of blog love, and people might buy it without reading it. If you are purchasing for a middle school library, I would read this before adding it to your collection. While I am all for being edgy and giving the Establishment philosophical wedgies, I don't think that young adult literature, and certainly not middle grade, is the proper forum. The reviews I have read think this is brilliant because it reimagines God as a teenage boy who is interested in a girl, and the problems that arise because of this. Okay, kind of clever. Still, I am the least religious person imaginable, and even I was vaguely offended by this: "God is dreaming of soapy sex with his fantasy girlfriend while the rest of the world drowns in the bathwater. His bathwater." (page 5). Use your own judgement.

Totally Random Tuesday

Kallen, Stuart. Time Travel (Mysterious Encounters)

After one of my students gave me a time travelers handbook, I thought "That's what I need! Instructions on how to build a time machine!!" Unfortunately, even though Chapter 4 is entitled "Building a Time Machine", there are no instructions. Dang! Just a lot of mumbo jumbo about whether Einstein and a bunch of physics people thought it was possible. So, back to square one. Perhaps my stamp pad needs to travel at the speed of light for the 1992-1997 date due stamp to take me anywhere. And the stamp existed in that time, so should be able to take me there. This book is of the opinion that travel to the past is especially unlikely-- who wants to travel to the future?

Did want to mention that there is a Time Travelers Convention being held on 7 May 2005. I didn't make it the first time, but I do have a stamp with that date on it, so when I figure out the stamp pad, I will be able to attend. This makes perfect sense! You only need to have ONE time travelers' convention!

Remember, Time Slip Tuesday is a recurring feature at Charlotte's Library that you should definitely visit!

Lorentz, Dayna. The Storm. (Dogs of the Downed City #1)

This book was received from Young Adults Book Central and is reviewed there.

Shep has been rescued from a life of dog fighting and enjoys life with his boy in their apartment in the city. When a giant storm comes, and the boy and his family leave Shep on his own, he doesn't know what to make of it. Another dog, Callie, barks at him from the fire escape, and he breaks a window, jumps out, and the two take off on their own. They soon realize that things are not right at all and end up in an apartment building, freeing the dogs that have been left. Many of these dogs are "yappers"-- small, pet dogs who are not ferocious enough to stand up to the wild dogs that constantly threaten the small pack that Shep manages to put together. The storm continues to rage, compromising the apartment building, and the group finds a veterinarians or boarding kennel to stay in. When the wild dogs come, will the "yappers" and the bigger dogs be able to fend them off and remain safe?

Strengths: Clearly, fans of the Warriors books will like this. Lots of action and fighting, even eating some squirrel (instead of vole). Shep has some philosophical issues about having been a fighter, and also about getting along with different types of creatures. I can easily gets behind a trilogy of these! The Pack (#2) came out in September, and The Return comes out 1 June 2012. Worth buying in PermaBound.

Weaknesses: Since it is from the dogs point of view, sometimes things are described as a dog sees them (elevators, refrigerators) which makes sense but nonetheless irks me a tiny bit.

Middle Grade Monday--Be Kind to Animals

Ibbotson, Eva. One Dog and His Boy.
Hal has always wanted a dog, but his spoiled, rich parents will give him anything but. When his father gets the idea to rent a dog from Easy Dogs, assuming that Hal will get tired of the animal by the time it has to go back, Hal ends up bonding with Fleck and being distraught when the dog is returned. He is so distraught, in fact, that he goes to the business with the idea of stealing the pet. Luckily, the kind assistant's sister, Pippa, is working that day, and not only frees Fleck, but lets several other dogs go as well. When they all follow Hal and he can't get on the train to his grandparents', he calls Pippa and the two of them take off across England with the dogs. They end up in all sorts of unusual places-- a traveling dog circus, and orphange, and a farm. The dogs, all of whom were traumatized both by being removed from families after a day or two AND by not being able to do their work as dogs, all find soul mates along the way, but continue with the group. Will Hal's grandparents take them in? What will happen to Easy Pets? And will Hal and Fleck get to stay together?
Strengths: This was surprisingly charming. Ibbotson's fantasy books were never my favorite, but this last effort of hers (she passed away at age 85 in 2010) is extremely touching and full of adventure. Definitely buying for my increasing number of students wanting dog stories.
Weaknesses: Hal's parents are over the top; I would have enjoyed the story if they hadn't been so cartoonlike.

Bauer, Marion Dane. Little Dog, Lost.
Atheneum, 1 May 2012
Mark has always wanted a dog, but his overworked, single mother has always said "NO!" very firmly. He decides that since he can't have a dog, he should get the town where he lives (and where his mother is mayor) to put in a dog park so that at least the dogs he knows are happy. At the same time, Buddy the dog is left with a woman in town by his loving boy who has to move to the city. While the woman takes care of his needs, she doesn't understand Buddy, who know that her boy is out there somewhere and so digs under the fence and escapes. Also in town is lonely Charles Larue, the caretaker of a big house on extensive grounds in the middle of town. Of course, the three manage to get together. Can Mark find a dog, Buddy a home, and Charles a reason to get out of bed in the morning?
Strengths: Very sad, but ultimately happy. The illustrations are very sweet, and Mark's longing for a dog and Buddy's longing for his boy are palpaple. My dog got lots of tummy rubs while I was reading this!
Weaknesses: Novel in verse, for no particularly good reason. Read aloud, you would not know it was verse. Since students (at least in my school!) literally shrink back from books with pages that look like poetry, I don't know why this was used. Perhaps this will go over better with younger students.

Reisfeld, Randi. What the Dog Said.

Grace is helping out her older sister with a college application project-- adopting a dog from a shelter and training it to be a service dog. Regan isn't very interested in the dog part, and since she is into fashion, is tending toward a cute little maltipoo. One of the dogs, however, TALKS to Grace and asks to be taken home. Grace is so taken aback that she agrees, and Rex goes home. Regan feels that Grace needs the distraction of the dog because while the family has suffered after the shooting death of their policeman father, Grace has taken it the hardest. Grace takes Rex to be trained and runs into JJ, who may know who was responsible for Grace's father's death. As Rex becomes trained, Grace tries to figure out how JJ was involved. Can she make peace with Rex, JJ, and the past, and move on with her life?

Strengths: This has a little of everything going on-- some good dog training, a little mystery, and a problem as well. I love the cover!

Weaknesses: Does the talking dog send this over to sci fi/fantasy? I imagine it does. Or does Grace just think that the dog is talking to her? Hmmm.

Harris, R.P. Tua and the Elephant.Chronicle Books, May 2012
Tua lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand, with her very busy single mother. Tua's favorite thing is to visit the market, and one day while there she finds a young elephant who is being abused. Of course, she takes the elephant with her, and goes to her Auntie Orchid's house, and the two decide to take the elephant, which Tua names Pohn-Pohn , to the religious order that Auntie's brother is joining, because it has more room. They manage to evade the elephant's irate owners, and are eventually put into contact with an elephant sanctuary, where Pohn-Pohn is welcome to stay. Will Tua get to be with her new found friend?
Strengths: This is a charming book and a nicely atmospheric story about an exotic (to us!) part of the world. The illustrations by Taeeun Yoo remind me of ones from my literature books in grade school-- very nice.
Weaknesses: This is also a bit young for my students but would be great for elementary libraries.

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, a feature started by Shannon Whitney Messenger. See the round-up over at her blog, Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe.

 

And here's a random question for the day: Which fictional pet would you like to have for your own? Even though I don't like rodents, I always wanted a white mouse like Miss Bianca from Margery Sharp's The Rescuers. (Still in print; just bought a beautiful hard cover copy.) We even named a hamster Miss Bianca. I think it was the Garth WIlliams' illustrations.

Nonfiction Monday-- Rescuing Rover

Bial, Raymond. Rescuing Rover: Saving America's Dogs.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011

 While 39% of the homes in the US have at least one dog, there are many more dogs that do not have homes. This book explains why there are too many pets, and what animal shelters, rescue groups, and individuals can do to help. Well-illustrated with heart breaking pictures of rescue dogs, this is a matter-of-fact description of a sad failing of our society. Different animal welfare groups and their work are profiled, and the adoption process is explained. Animal shelter policies, internet resources, and a bibliography are included. At 80 pages, this is just the right size for nonfiction. The downside-- it's hard to read this book without wanting to go to a shelter and bring home another dog, but I don't think that Sylvie would approve!

Crisp, Marty. Everything Dog: What Kids Really Want to Know About Dogs. (2002)

This was a title that I got from one of our elementary libraries that is being closed down. It is a short book with a variety of interesting facts about dogs, with plenty of appealing pictures. It addresses topics such as why dogs wag their tails, what color dogs' skin is under their fur, how long their memories are, and why do dogs lick people? (I did not know that the temple of Asklepios had dogs that would likc people to cure them of various ailments!) Of course, I probably already knew that dogs like us because we can scratch places on their backs that they can't reach. Sadly, this book appears to be out of print, but dust it oss to hand to a reluctant reader if it is in your library.

It's Nonfiction Monday! This week's Round-Up is at Gathering Books, where they have a great post on a lot of books about extraordinary women.

Mystery and Fantasy

Henry, April. The Night She Disappeared.(13 March 2012)
Gabie was supposed to be making deliveries for Pete's Pizza the night that Kayla too her shift and her car was found abandoned. Drew feels guilty because he took the call for the bogus order, but can't remember the voice. This story shifts point of view from these three characters (so we know what has happened to Kayla), as well as to various different people involved in the story, such as Cody, who is an addict questioned by police; Gavin, a search and rescue diver, and "John", the man who kidnapped Kayla. Because the readers have all of these view points, we know a little about what is going on, but Gabie and Drew try to find Kayla, and there is doubt about whether they will find her in time to save her. Like Teri Field's Holdup or Cadnum's Flash, this is an interesting take on a kidnapping mystery.
Strengths: Like this author's Shock Point (from 2006!), this story is not a pleasant one, but one which my students who like murder mysteries will pick up. Definitely buying this one.
Weaknesses: Not my cup of tea. When I read mysteries for pleasure, I always pick up the "cozies", so this was a bit much. Not anything overly violent, no language, brief kissing between Drew and Gabie.

Cashore, Kristin. Bitterblue.
1 May 2012, Dial
My fantasy amnesia makes it very hard to remember Graceling(2008) or Fire (2009), other than that I liked them and was excited to get Bitterblue. It took me the entire Easter weekend to read this, mainly because teenagers were having Disney song fest and it was hard to concentrate, but also because I got caught up in the characters and couldn't zip through it.

Bitterblue is now 18 and trying to reclaim the kingdom her father Leck destroyed. She wants to be a fair ruler, unlike her father, and understand the workings of her kingdom so that she can help the people. She starts to sneak out at night to see what is really going on, and meets Saf and Teddy, printers and outlaws who are bent on stealing back things that were taken under Leck's rule. Katso and Po are helping Bitterblue with her work, as are a variety of advisors, including Death (pronounced Deeth), the librarian who has the Grace of reading everything superfast and remembering it all. This comes in handy when he tries to recreate all of the books that Leck destroyed, and also when Bitterblue unearths her father's disturbing journals, that turn out to be not only in ciphers (like the embroidery that her beleaguered mother left) but in another language entirely. Through Saf, Bitterblue comes to understand how poorly her kingdom is run, but also runs into some danger. None of the people she knows seem to be who they say they are, and she uncovers secrets that make her allies her enemies and vice versa.

This book stood on its own as the story of Bitterblue and the kingdom of Monsea, and if I remembered more about the other two, I would have appreciated the inclusion of Katsa and Po, and well as Fire's appearance later in the book. These still remind me very strongly of Pierce's Alanna books.
Strengths: I was drawn to the character of Bitterblue. She had a horrible past to overcome and was trying to do so, even though she had few advisors that she could trust. Her relationship with Saf was understandable, as were his reactions to finding out who she was. The kingdom was fully developed.
Weaknesses: This is a very long and convoluted story; definitely high fantasy. It also seemed odd that the people of Monsea knew so little about the countries outside of their own. Like the other two books, there is mention of contraception and one scene where Saf and Bitterblue spend the night together, but drawn so vaguely that younger students will skim right by it and not know what happened.