Guy Friday-- The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher

Levy, Dana Alison. The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher

Delacorte Books for Young Readers (July 22, 2014)

E ARC from Netgalley.com

The new school year is starting, and the Fletcher boys are getting ready. Frog is in kindergarten, Jax is in 4^th grade, and Sam is in 6^th grade. Eli is the same age as Jax but not at Grove School with the rest of them—he has chosen to go to the Pinnacle school for gifted students. He isn’t settling into the new school all that well, and starts to regret his choice, especially when his family storm the school (a chapter title!) and he has to explain not only that Frog is from India, all the boys are adopted, and they have a Dad and a Papa. Once people at the school know the family, it’s easier, but the initial explanation to school mates is hard. The book follows the family through the trials and tribulations of the year, with anecdotes about Frog’s possibly imaginary friend, Ladybug Li (who has sisters and two moms), soccer, a school play, Halloween, visits with Aunt Luce, a cupcake baker, and a variety of run ins with the crabby Mr. Nelson, a new neighbor who thinks that the boys attempts at being friendly are met to harass him. Every chapter is headed with a note from one of the fathers or boys, and humor abounds in ordinary situations.

Strengths: This book is reminiscent of family novels from my childhood that go through the year and follow the exploits of the various members, but is updated in a new millennium way that showcases diversity with very little comment about it. The biggest mention is in Eli’s visit to his new school, and that certainly rings very true. This is sort of the whole point of #WeNeedDiverseBooks!

Weaknesses: This is rather young for middle school—perhaps if there are more adventures from this family, the boys will be older and the stories more interesting to the middle school crowd.

Eerie Elementary #1: The School is Alive

Chabert, Jack. Eerie Elementary #1: The School is Alive

June 24th 2014 by Scholastic Inc.

E ARC from Netgalley.com

Sam is not overly thrilled that he is chosen to be hall monitor, but his friends Antonio and Lucy are supportive and offer to help out. Things get even stranger when the school starts to attack Sam and no one seems to notice that the building is alive!  The janitor, Mr. Nekobi, tells Sam that he himself was the first hall monitor, and he’s kept the students safe for years, but since he is getting old, he has recruited Sam. He practices warding off the evil the school can throw, but starts to realize that the building is planning an attack on the night of the school production of Peter Pan, in which Antonio is starring! Can Sam be one of Captain Hook’s sidekick pirates AND save everyone from certain death by evil locker?

Strengths: At just 96 pages long, with plentiful illustrations, this installment from the Scholastic Branches series is great for readers in first grade who are hard to keep in books! They are not dumbed down, though, so I am even debating this for my struggling middle school readers. Bonus points: Antonio is a student of color, at least judging from the illustrations. Granted, he is a sidekick, but in the classroom, tends to eclipse Sam!

Weaknesses: Spoiler alert—Sam’s weapon of choice to defeat the school during the play is a giant drum of peanut butter, which then explodes over the audience. Anyone else alarmed at this?

Pick and Roll

Blair, Kelsey. Pick and Roll.

March 19th 2014 by James Lorimer & Company

E ARC from Netgalley.com

Jazz Smith-Mohapatra is in contention for the best basketball player on her team with her long time best friend, Cindy, but when Jazz is involved in a play on the court that ends with Catherine, from the other team, having a severe concussion. She has to appear in a hearing, but is absolved of blame, but still feels awful. Her friendship with Cindy also starts to fall apart, and Jazz doesn’t quite know why. Another teammate, Ella, befriends her, helps her with her math and supports her through the trauma of having injured another player, but does want a favor in return—she suspects that Cindy has stolen a pocket watch belonging to her friend Adam, who is geeky and often picked on. Jazz still struggles in school, is spooked on the court because she is afraid of causing injury to another player, and slowly begins to realize that her friendship with Cindy may be damaged beyond repair.

Strengths: Another good entry from Lorimer Sports, and I will definitely investigate the other titles in this series. Interesting, short and solid story of a girl playing basketball and dealing with life.

Weaknesses: The break up of the friendship would have been more poignant if Cindy hadn’t been quite so evil and mean to Adam.

The Eighth Day

Salerni, Diane E., The Eighth Day
April 22nd 2014 by HarperCollins 

Jax is not happy living with Riley after the death of his father, but he has been told that Riley has guardianship even though friends of the family were taking good care of him. Riley rarely has enough food in the house, and is too young to be really nuturing. When Jax wakes up one morning and finds no one around, even when he breaks into Walmart and carts supplies, he has visions of all sorts of post apocalyptic fates... until everything is normal the next day. It turns out that on his 13th birthday, Jax has developed powers. Riley also has these powers, which is why he is Jax's guardian, and Riley is also the protector of Evangeline, who lives next door in Mrs. Unger's house but only appears in Jax's world every 8th day. She is glad to finally have some human interaction after being alone for five years (35 in Jax's world), but Jax manages to set into play a series of events that will lead to the end of the world, since Riley, Evangeline, and all of the people involved are descendents of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Strengths: Charlotte at Charlotte's Library and Akossiwa at her blog both really, really liked this. It had a lot of action and adventure, and the eighth day is a fresh and innovative concept. Readers who like MacHale's Pendragon series or other mythologically based fantasies will enjoy this. There is a sequel in the works.
Weaknesses: Orphan who gets powers upon hitting puberty? Check. Ancient secret powers? Check. Imminent end of the world that can only be prevented by teen protagonist? Check. I was much more interested in the smaller picture, and thought this would have been more interesting if we delved into Evangeline's world, sort of like West's The Shadows, but this took a much more adventurous turn. If I need more fantasy books, I'll certainly order a copy, but right now I have a much bigger need for more football books. Luckily, we have an awesome public library where this is available.

MMGM- How to Outrun a Crocodile with Your Shoes Untied.

Keating, Jess. How to Outrun a Crocodile with Your Shoes Untied.

June 3rd 2014 by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Ana is looking forward to the end of the school year but struggling to deal with the departure of her best friend Liv to New Zealand. Her twin brother Daz is nothing but annoying, although his best friend Kevin has been oddly helpful lately, and Ana is not sure how she feels about that. Ana’s parents both work at the zoo, so Ana is used to hanging out there and enjoys it, but she doesn’t enjoy the fact that it makes her the butt of jokes that the popular girls, especially Ashley, tell. She has a bit of a crush on the very cute Zach, and is getting to know a girl in her art class. The big news is that Ana’s celebrity grandfather has come in to town and is going to food her mother’s carnivore project, so the family is moving into a research hut in the zoo. Ana turns out to have a talent for talking about the animals, and her grandfather wants her to give a presentation, but she’s nervous and doesn’t want people to be looking at her. Also, Liv is no longer reliable at answering e mail or being available for chats. Does that mean their friendship is over? What will summer look like if all these stresses (including not understanding the math for the final) get to be too much for Ana? Luckily, book two is in the works!

Strengths: For some reason, this was hard to pick up, but I was immediately drawn in by Ana’s voice when I did. There are a LOT of students in middle school interested in zoology (as well as marine biology, which is just weird here in central Ohio!), and Ana’s crush, fights with other girls, and embarrassment about her family are perfect depictions of how middle school feels. Very strong debut novel.

Weaknesses: Published in paperback. Boo! I almost though that Ana’s treatment of both Ashley and Zack at the end of the book was overly mean, and then I realized that 1.) they had it coming and 2.) it was satisfying even for ME to see karma bite them in their butts, so I decided it was perfect.

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday at Anastasia Suen's blog.

Gutknecht, Allison. A Cast is the Perfect Accessory

March 4th 2014 by Aladdin

Eight year old Mandy is going about her regularly scheduled life when classmate Natalie starts to get a lot of attention for her broken arm. Mandy’s friend Anya is made Natalie’s helper, so Mandy is bound and determined that she can solidify her relationship with Anya and her popularity in class by breaking her arm, which she attempts unsuccessfully to do.

Strengths: This has a lot of illustrations which are very attractive. Unfortunately, the cover made me think that this was a middle school book, and when the first chapter centered around Mandy eating the points off an entire pizza, I was confused! This would be a good series for elementary students, but is really more concerned with topics of first to fourth grade interest.

Weaknesses: What eight year old dresses this fashionably?

On the Road to Find Out/Subway Love

Toor, Rachel. On the Road to Find Out
June 10th 2014 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Alice is a pampered teen (both parents are high powered and wealthy; she describes her posh room in great detail) who does well in school but just can't be bothered to do extra curriculars. She does decide, rather randomly, to start running on New Year's Day, and keeps it up. After running for a while, she asks her mother to take her to get shoes that fit, and she ends up at a running store owned by Joan. Joan asks Alice to help out with a race, and while there, Alice meets the very cute Miles. Alice continues to run and hang out with her friend Jenni, whose mother died of cancer, and her pet rat, Walter, who is the most important "person" in her life. When Alice's dream school, Yale, rejects her, she spirals into depression. She and Miles meet up a time or two, and she keeps running and working at the store, where she gets in with a group of runners and is encouraged. When things go further south in her life, it's hard for her to run, but eventually she breaks out of her depression to notice that other people in her life are cutting her a lot of slack, and if she really wants to accomplish anything, she needs to get her act together.
Strengths: This had a lot of good information about running, and Alice's progress is enviable. Other reviewers asked if teens could really go from not running to a half marathon in the course of several months... unfortunately, I think they can! The college application experience is somewhat interesting, and the supporting characters are well developed. I liked Joan and Jenni a lot, and thought that Alice's mother was actually fairly awesome and supportive.
Weaknesses: Alice had a very high slappage factor. She was totally self absorbed and not likable. It was amazing to me that Jenni stuck with her and that Miles was interested at all. Her relationship with Walter the rat, as well as family friend Walter the Man, seemed a bit odd to me.

I'm debating whether this is more of a high school book, with the interest in college applications. Debating.

Baskin, Nora Raleigh. Subway Love.
13 May 2014, Candlewick Press

In 1973, Laura lives in Woodstock, NY with her hippy dippy mother, drug addled brother, and mother's boyfriend, Bruce. She frequently travels into New York City to visit her father, and wishes that she could live with him all the time. Jonas, on the other hand, is dealing with his parents' recent divorce, helping his younger sister Lily, and having to put up with his mother. He has taken a film camera that his father has left and starts to be interested in the graffiti art in the city. When he catches a glimpse of Laura on the subway and eventually talks to her, he becomes obsessed with finding her. The only problem? He lives in 2014, and the only time that their lives intersect is on the subway. Jonas still manages to help Laura with her difficult family situation, and in the process, learns some hard truths about love and loss.

This is definitely a Young Adult book, with at least five fairly gratuitous f-bombs as well as one sex scene.
Strengths: This was very evocative of 1973. I loved how Laura described being a "hippie" child in a school full of children who were solidly suburban, and how she compared many situations to The Brady Bunch. The portrayal of her brother is interesting-- one wonders what happened to the teenagers at the time who decided to tune in, turn on, and drop out, especially since they are in their 60s now! There's a nice twist, and this is a poignantly sad book. I personally enjoyed it very much.
Weaknesses: Time travel is a hard sell in middle school, and with the content of this I won't be buying it anyway. Curious as to how older readers would like it. Definitely encouraging my older daughter to pick this one up.

Younger Middle Grade Titles

 Harley, Bill. Charlie Bumpers vs. The Really Nice Gnome
April 1st 2014 by Peachtree Publishers
Copy from Young Adult Books Central and reviewed there.

Charlie is back, and this time his class is putting on a play. He is all set to be the evil main character, but his teacher assigns him a big part-- but that of a nice gnome. He doesn't want to disrespect his teacher, but clearly, he is not pleased. He tries rewriting the part, pretending he has forgotten his lines, and finally resigns himself to the part and manages to do a good job and save the play on the day of the performance. A sub plot involves his reluctance to take his dog out for walks because they interfere with his favorite television show.

Strengths: Charlie has a great family: an older brother who gives him a hard time but is ultimately helpful, a younger sister who is annoying but ultimately fun, and parents who don't put up with his nonsense. The concerns depicted are typical of elementary age students. I can remember vividly being very disappointed because in my second grade performance of The Wizard of Oz I was assigned the role of Toto and the dead witch's feet. Not a good use of my talents at all. Charlie's reactions are not mean spirited, just ill-advised, and readers will enjoy his antics.
Weaknesses: A bit young for my students, although I did end up putting the copy I got at a book look in my library, and its been a steady circulator among my 6th graders.


Schanen, Adriana Brad. Quinny and Hopper.
June 10th 2014 by Disney-Hyperion
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Like Charlie Bumpers, this was a good, realistic fiction story for first through fourth graders. It dealt with many of the concerns students this age face-- moving, dealing with younger siblings, being friends with children of the opposite gender, and classroom issues. I liked the illustrations, and this was another story that reminded me of Beverly Cleary or Carolyn Haywood. Just too young for my middle school students. 

From Goodreads.com
"Quinny and Hopper couldn't be more different. They are an unstoppable team.

But when summer ends, things suddenly aren't the same. Can Quinny and Hopper stick together in the face of stylish bullies, a killer chicken, and the brand-new Third Grade Rules-especially the one that says they aren't allowed to be friends anymore?"

 

Guy Friday-- Also Known as Elvis

Howe, James. Also Known as Elvis.
15 April 2014 by Atheneum Books 

Wise-cracking Skeezie is trying to play it light as his friends from The Misfits go off and have summer adventures, but while Bobbie, Joe and Addie are off camping and such, Skeezie is babysitting his younger sisters, working at the diner to try to earn money to help his mother with bills, and trying to figure out what his father is up to when he comes home to visit after being gone for two years. Skeezie also has to put up with obnoxious classmates who give him a hard time, and isn't quite sure where his relationship with the much older Steffi is going. When it turns out that his father is back home to get a divorce from his mother, Skeezie begins to wonder if life will ever improve. In an epilogue, we find out that it does.
Strengths: This has many components that make it a good book for boys-- it has its funny moments, a bit of romance, lots of responsibility for Skeezie, and a dog, too. While it helps to have read the other books, it's not completely necessary. Good cover.
Weaknesses: The notes from Skeezie as a 24-year-old awaiting the birth of his son and flashing back to when he was twelve are a bit confusing, and the epilogue... well, I hardly ever like epilogues that tell me what the characters do when they grow up, so it's not really fair to hold that against this book. I just got an overall feeling that this was close to what my readers wanted but not quite right. I will probably buy a copy and see how it does. I liked Skeezie's story, but it would have been better (less confusing) without the notes from his older self.

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.

Revolution/Most Valuable #WeNeedDiverseBooks Wednesday

Wiles, Deborah. Revolution
May 27th 2014 by Scholastic Press
E ARC from Netgalley.com

In a follow up to her book about the Cuban Missile Crisis, Countdown, Wiles uses the same mix of primary source documents and narrative to tell about the events in Greenwood, Mississippi in the summer of 1964 from the perspective of several characters. Sunny is a twelve year old girl who is dealing with a lot-- her mother left when she was very young, which catapulted her father into a lot of poor choices. He has reformed, and is now remarried to Annabelle, who left her abusive husband in Philadelphia, and who has two children of her own. Sunny likes her stepbrother Gillette, and the two get swept up in the arrival of the "Freedom Righters" who come to Greenwood to help African Americans register to vote. Raymond is the same age as these children, but he is black and therefore can't go to the pool, the library, or anywhere that is not specifically for black people. This changes with the Civil Rights Act, but as Raymond finds out, even if he can get into the movie theater, the law still doesn't cover the reaction of people in Greenwood. Sunny's family gets involved in the movement in a variety of levels, and this helps her to connect with her family on a variety of levels.
Strengths: Sunny is a good character, as are others in this book. The story has lots of details. This is very thoroughly researched, and the inclusion of primary source documents, photos, etc. lend an immediacy to this that I appreciated. I wish more books would include such information in them, like the Dear America series books do. Sure, it's great for Common Core, but also very useful to the reader to see what the world looked like in a historical book, or to have things explained. Would Will Hobbs' Leaving Protection be better if there were an appendix about salmon fishing in Alaska? Absolutely.
Weaknesses: Historical fiction is a hard, hard sell, and many times the only reason students are reading it is because they have to. At 544 pages, this was long even for me to read, and I love historical fiction. This could have had a good 200 pages edited out of it and been a much more interesting book. For example, we could do without the extended back story (for which I still felt like I was missing something) about the blended family wasn't necessary-- the real story was the members learning to be a family. Some of the additional information could have been trimmed as well. Instead of an 8 page mini bio on Lyndon Johnson, two would have sufficed.

This year I desperately needed fiction set in the 1960s, and this is brilliant, but I'm afraid only my most dedicated readers will be able to get through this. A shorter books would have been easy to give to all of my readers, some of whom have third grade reading levels and take two weeks to struggle through a 120 page book.

Stoudemire, Amar'e. Most Valuable. (S.T.A.T. #5)
January 7th 2014 by Scholastic Paperbacks

Amar'e and his friends are looking forward to the tournament that their mentor, Overtime Tanner, holds every year, but when Overtime hurts his leg, he doesn't feel that he can put the tournament together. In addition to trying to round up and train a team for the event, Amar'e manages to secure a venue and pull things together with a little help from his family, showing that perseverance can lead to success both on and off the basketball court.
Strengths: These books are SO popular in my library, but people keep losing them. Really, I just need to break down and get about four copies of each! There's enough description of basketball that I don't really follow them (Community basketball tournaments? Is this a thing?), but enough of a plot to move the book along quickly. Always a positive message. I read this after Revolution, and I wish I could reproduce some of the interior illustrations of Amar'e and his friends on the school bus-- we don't even blink at seeing black and white kids together in school, so we have made a little progress in Civil Rights!
Weaknesses:  This didn't seem as interesting as the other books, but I could have been burnt out from slogging through Revolution. My students will love it.

A Dark Inheritance

D'Lacey, Chris. A Dark Inheritance (Unicorne Files #1) 
27 May 2014, Scholastic
E Arc from Netgalley.com

Michael and his mother and sister are struggling to get by in the wake of Michael's father's disappearance.  When Michael exhibits superhuman powers while rescuing a dog that is about to jump over a windswept cliff, he comes to the attention of several different people. The most eerie are Amadeus Klimt and his French sidekick Chantelle. Also, by a weird coincidence, Freya, a girl from school is said to have been the owner of the dog, Trace, but she isn't. The dog has been following her and is disturbed in her presence, and Michael finds out that this is because she has a connection to the Nolans who own the dog. Klimt recruits Michael into the paranormal investigating group that Michael's father was in, Unicorne. The purpose of the group is a little vague, but in this case, Michael's job is to make peace between Freya and the Nolans. No doubt there will be more adventures in the next book.
Strengths: Even though I'm not a huge fan of D'Lacey's The Last Dragon series (books with dragons on the covers that are about squirrels. And polar bears. I just never could get past that), I was quickly drawn into this book, and it kept me turning the pages. I could even remember the plot, although there is a lot I don't want to spoil. There's a fair amount of action and adventure, every kind of fantasy element you can imagine, and of course, Michael is about the only one who can save the day. This will get checked out by my avid fantasy fans on the strength of the cover alone.
Weaknesses: This is long and rather confusing. So much is going on. There is a lot that doesn't quite make sense-- I do not buy cellular memory, and I didn't quite see that the newspaper photographer was so evil. There are several deaths in this one, but Michael's longing for his father is not overdone, at least.

Since I liked this one and could remember it, I think I will purchase. So much fantasy out there, though!

MMGM- Babe Conquers the World/Furious Jones

Wallace, Sandra Neil and Rich. Babe Conquers the World: The Legendary Life of Babe Didrickson Zaharias. 
Published March 1st 2014 by Calkins Creek Books
E ARC from Netgalley.com

When it comes to phenomenal athletes who defied the odds, Babe Didrickson is without compare. Driven to excel at anything she tried, and compelled by ambition as well as poverty to try everything, she was the best of the best in running, golf, basketball and even bowling! She was also outspoken and brash, which at the time she lived were considered unattractive and unfeminine qualities, which led to reporters to question her feminity and even her sexuality. The Wallaces set this book up brilliantly, with the chapter headings stating which battle Babe was fighting at the time: Babe vs. the Boys, Babe vs. the Girls, and finally, Babe vs. Cancer. A huge variety of period photos and passionate writing make Babe's struggle seem immediate and relevant to contemporary readers. I'm guessing that Neil Wallace is about my age, and her early career as a sports reporter was filled with the same kind of gender barriers that Babe faced, and this shared experience makes the writing all the more poignant.

There is a Lerner Biography (Wakeman, Nancy. Babe Didrikson Zaharias: Driven to Win (2000)) that is serviceable but pales in comparison to this one. Even if you have an older title, buy this for any middle school or high school library right away. The period photos alone are worth it, but the passion of the writing will make readers care about Babe and about the strides that women have made in sports.

 It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday at Anastasia Suen's blog.

There are two reasons that I am featuring what many will consider a more Young Adult book today: while this is gorier than I would like, it is EXACTLY what so many of my readers ask for, and while preparing this review I discovered that the author, Tim Kehoe, passed away in February. (The SLJ obituary is here.) This was an absolutely terrific book for teen readers, and I am sad for Mr. Kehoe's family and for readers everywhere who will be deprived of books by this promising author.

Kehoe, Tim. Furious Jones. 
April 8th 2014 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 

Furious, who is the son of a famous author of spy novels, has been living with his grandfather ever since the shooting death of his mother. His father is too busy launching a new book, so Furious sneaks into New York City to hopefully catch a glimpse of his father at a book signing. While there, his father is also shot to death. In shock, Furious makes his way home, only to talk to his grandfather and find out that both deaths have to do with a family secret. Shortly after, the two are attacked, and the grandfather is brutally murdered on the front lawn. Furious grabs some money and a bag and microwaves a can of Raid, causing the house to blow up! He takes a bus to Galena, where he thinks he can shed some light on his mother's death. He makes friends with a Chicago college student who wants to be an investigative reporter, Emma, who suggests he stay at a bed and breakfast run by a woman named Betty. Going by the name of Finbar Jennings, he tries to fit in with the local populace, enrolls in a local high school even though he is only a seventh grader (he's also 6'4", so looks much older), and proceeds to find out that his family was involved in issues on a national level, complete with crime syndicates and federal agencies. With Emma's help, he exposes many issues, but how long can he survive on his own?
Strengths: Like Alex Rider, Furious (a name which I could excuse with a generic last name like Jones), is young but talented and his adventures are made quite believable with Kehoe's effortless prose. Readers will love that Furious survives on his own. There are twists early on in the book that I didn't want to ruin because I did not see them coming at all, which is rare!
Weaknesses: High body count, and lots of blood and gore. Brains splatter, throats are cut, and staged farm accidents end with bloody bales of hay strewn with identifiable body parts.

That said, if I bought five copies, not a one would ever be on the shelf.

Finish Line

Got a nice early start to the day when Sylvie threw up on the floor at 4:00 a.m. We spent yesterday in the yard, and she was under the mistaken impression that if she ate grass, she would barf rainbows. Sigh.

But, that meant some quality reading time, if not, you know, personal hygiene! Managed to polish off:

Green, Tim. First Team (Appalachia, which in Ohio counts as an underserved diverse group)

Messner, Kate. Manhunt. (Latino character)

Schwartz, Ellen. Stealing Home (African American biracial character)

Scieszka, Jon. Guys Read: True Stories (includes one story in Sahara Desert and one about life in Vietnam)

Thompson, J.E. Disappearance at Hangman’s Bluff: A Felony Bay Mystery (African American character, issues of slavery)

That puts me at 38 hours and 34 books, which is a little short of my goal. I was hoping to get in 40 books.

It occurred to me that my goal should have been to read for 24 hours straight! Not quite the Ultra Marathon that David Carroll writes about it Ultra, but still a way to push myself!

Now, sadly, I must go and do real life things that I have been neglecting. I'll try to get around and visit everyone's blogs this week in between scheduling all my reviews.

Hope everyone had fun, and as always, thanks to Mother Reader for hosting a great event!

31 hours, 30 Books

Reading tons of books off the Nook in 9 point font was probably not the best idea! I did get a big box from Baker and Taylor, but most of those don't come out until August or later. My evil plan is to schedule all of my reviews throughout the summer, closer to publication dates. This allows me to follow certain themes. And what are those?
Monday-- Usually middle grade realistic fiction and nonfiction if I have one.
Tuesday-- Fantasy books, especially time travel
Wednesday-- Books with a cultural context
Thursday-- Mysteries
Friday-- Books that boys will like
Saturday-- Graphic novels or books for girl or younger readers
Sunday-- Same as Saturday. I assume people don't read as many blogs on weekends!

BUT, as far as the challenge goes, here we are:
Stroud, Jonathan. The Whispering Skull (SO good!)
Schroeder, Lisa. The Bridge From Me to You
Feinstein, John. Walk On (Triple Threat #1)
Korman, Gordon. Memory Maze (Hypnotists #2)

These were all digital copies, probably through Netgalley, but I have found that identifying myself as a librarian actually gets me more Edelweiss acceptances. Go figure. 

Definitely time for sleep!

Limping along, 25 and 1/2 hours in

No, really. Aside from brief forays into the kitchen to make a cup of tea while reading a book, I have not been taking any breaks. Been walking Sylvie when reading, believe I may have ingested a granola bar or two while reading, and had at least one phone conversation while deep in a book.

This should not surprise anyone else engaged in the 48HBC.

Haven't been making as much progress as I would like, though. I have ninja reading speed, where I can understand and review a book, and then I have pleasure reading speed where I go much more slowly. When I get a good book, or a fantasy, it just slows me right down.

So, since 10:30ish this morning, I have read
Lough, Amber. The Fire Wish (Ancient Iraq)
Little, Kimberly Griffiths. The Time of the Fireflies. 
Draper, Sharon. Sassy: The Silver Secret (African American)
McMullan, Kate. Get Lost Odysseus (Greek mythology)

Oh, and Micah Player's Lately Lily: Adventures of a Traveling Girl, which was a picture book but not as multicultural as I had hoped.The illustrator also does clothing, apparently.

So, counting Hungry, which I read last night, I'm up to 26 books. Off to read more!

Second Day!

Was up a bit before 5:00 after staying up a bit past midnight, and have gotten several things read at some point this morning. I tend to type up reviews after every five books or so, but I won't take the time to post them on Goodreads, Blog, Netgalley, Edelweiss and YABC until after my 48 hours are up.

Did try to get around and visit blogs last night and did meet a few friends. A little alarmed at the scarcity of people doing this-- maybe everyone is waking up late this morning and reading until Monday!

Might have trouble getting near the computer again today, but will be reading, which is what I love best anyway. Here was this morning's list (6 books/21 total)(I'll plan out reviews next week):

Codell, Esme Raji. Sahara Special (Girl of color on cover)
Rivers, Phoebe. The Perfect Storm (no diversity, but just couldn't wait any more!)
Gutknecht, Allison. A Cast if the Perfect Accessory (No diversity, needs to go back to library!)
Bowen, Fred. Double Reverse. (No diversity, but FAB football content)

Chabert, Jack. Eerie Elementary #1: The School is Alive (friend of indeterminate diversity)

Myers, Walter Dean. On a Clear Day

September 23rd 2014 by Crown Books for Young Readers

If you have access to Netgalley, take a look at this one. It certainly has the cover we want, and a huge range of diverse characters. It also really kerflummoxed me, and since it doesn't come out for a while, there aren't any reviews out yet. 

I just don't know if I'm lacking sleep or if this really was... not what I wanted. Warning: F-bombs and YA situations. 

Off to read some more! (14 hours so far!)

48HBC, 9 Hours In

Read pretty much solidly from noon until nine, but did have to have some phone conversations with various members of my family WHILE reading (don't ask), so sort of rounded off my times when finishing the books. Also threw in a couple shorter nonfiction books before reviewing guidelines, but think I did pretty well.

Also, did a decent job on diversity. That may change tomorrow, when I need to concentrate on when things are being published.

Failed miserably on the social media aspect. Just had too much of that during the last couple of weeks.

So! Here's what I read, according to roughly when I had it finished:

Friday:
1:00 p.m. Martinez, Pig Park (Hispanic), Bausum, Stubby the War Dog
2:00 p.m. Jones, Bridge (Hispanic) and Schultz, Hoop Dreams (African American YA)
3:00 p.m. Blair, Pick and Roll (Indian American)
4:00 p.m. Jeter, The Contract (African American, biracial), Kashyap, Tina's Mouth (Indian, YA)
5:00 p.m. Cerra, Just a Drop of Water (Muslim Amerians)
6:00 p.m. Nye, Turtle of Oman (Oman), Fleming, Lowji Discovers America (Indian)
7:00 p.m. Marsden, Gold-Threaded Dress (Thai), Smelcer, Lone Wolves (Native American)
8:00 p.m. Levy, The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher (Indian, African American, Nontraditional families), Shannon, Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar (picture book)
9:00 Benoit, Cold Calls (Muslim)

 I have to say that I was a bit disappointed in the Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar book-- it was more about the ingredients in cookies. I was hoping it would cover countries around the world and show different types of cookies for different countries. There's one that someone could write!

Fifteen books, only one of them not multicultural. At 10, I plan to read Swain's Hungry (with a Vietnamese/African American main character) until midnight or I fall asleep.

Until then, it's social hour!

Guy Friday-- Say it Ain't So

Berk, Josh. Say it Ain't So.
March 11th 2014 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Lenny and the Mikes are back in this sequel to Strike Three, You're Dead. This time, Mike is focusing all of his attention on becoming a good catcher, since his pitching arm is toast. This worries Lenny a bit, since he has made peace with the fact that his baseball career was just never a good idea. He does some announcing for the school team, but he doesn't get to give the commentary that he likes-- just the facts. Mike is glad to replace the bullyish Davis as catcher when Davis is kicked off the team for stealing, and works well with the pitcher, but Lenny starts to realize that someone is stealing Mike's signals, and begins to investigate. He brings in both librarian Mr. Bonzer as well as his niece, Maria, and uncovers not only a signal stealing plot but also information about Davis.
Strengths: Berk is at his best with throwaway funny lines and fun family situations-- Lenny's mother has decided to have "Discardia" instead of either Christmas or Hannukah, so no presents for Lenny! There's enough baseball that I had trouble understanding it, and good interactions with Lenny and the team.
Weaknesses: I thought that Other Mike was marginalized a bit. You can't have two friends named Mike and not give them equal play time! I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first, but it may have been my difficulty in following the details of the baseball.


Miller, Jeff. The Nerdy Dozen
June 10th 2014 by HarperCollins 
E ARC from Edelweiss.com

Neil is really fond of playing video games, especially a military/flying game called Chameleon. When he is supposed to go to his sister's martial arts competition, he instead gets dropped off at his archnemesis' house for the weekend, but when he can no longer stand the bullying, he starts for home, only to be intercepted by the Air Force! They take him and 11 other kids who all play this game and train them to fly the planes for real, because one has been stolen. Neil gets to meet several of the people he knows online, including the person he likes best, Sam... who turns out to be a girl. Soon, the kids find themselves on a remote island with Jones, an air force officer, in the middle of big trouble. A mad millionaire, Harris, has stolen the plane in an attempt to buy all of the video games in the world do that the ostrich based game he created, Feather Duster, will be the only one that people play. Helped out by quirky locals, Neil and his entourage try to use their video gaming skills to save the day.
Strengths: Video gaming AND military derring-do-- good stuff to start a book with. This is not very long, has a decent cover, and enough action and adventure to keep students reading.
Weaknesses: Not only is Neil bullied at home, there is also a bully in the Nerdy Dozen. That was a bit much. This also gets very, very quirky, which is too bad. The target demographic for this kind of book takes their gaming and military action very seriously, even in the 6th grade, so the quirkiness makes this seem like it is for younger students. I will still probably buy this for my library.

Starting Line: #48 HBC

Plan: Have some things to do this morning, and might not be near computer, so will post #48HBC Starting Line even though the reading won't actually begin until noon. This year, I can get the reading done, but the computerized socializing might be more sporadic.

Revelation: Twitter and Instagram would be so much easier with a smart phone instead of a laptop. Tumblr may be beyond my capabilities. But look! Got my #bookaday Pic Badge, even if I didn't post it quite right!

Confession: Sylvie got a treat for agreeing to sit on top of my TBR (Hope to make a big dent in that!), and she is, in fact, glued to my side most of the time. (She is even guarding me from the house in last year's photo shoot.)

But the dog at the left isn't Sylvie! It's Library Jim's dog! How weird is that?

Off to do, you know, real life things, then on to the FUN!