The G-Man Super Journal: Awesome Origins

Giarrusso, Chris. The G-Man Super Journal: Awesome Origins

February 17th 2015 by Andrews McMeel Publishing
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Michael's language arts teacher makes her students keep a journal, so he details the goings on in his family and school. The difference is that in his middle school, many of his classmates are starting to get super powers or are being recruited by the Sun Troopers to help fight super villains. Michael tends to get in trouble frequently, especially with his science teacher, who thinks that super powers are bogus and that the way to succeed is to get an education. Sometimes, it's not his fault-- his brother Dave, for instance, keeps claiming that Michael breaks the video game controllers, while in fact he never touches the games. When Thunderman, Michael's favorite super hero, has more frequent battles with Mister Mental, and the Sun Troopers start recruiting, Michael tries to gain his own super powers, and managed to fly with the aid of a cape made out of a magic blanket. Even then, however, he manages to get in trouble in school, especially with his rich and spoiled archnemesis.
Strengths: This is a notebook novel, and certainly fills a niche for books in this format that deal with super heroes. Reminiscent of Big Nate (nothing goes right for Michael) and based off comic books with the same characters, this will be immediately popular.
Weaknesses: I'm guessing a paper-over-board format, so the book will fall apart quickly as well. I was rather disturbed by the portrayal of Michael's father as "angry dad"-- he's a muscle bound character who seems to exist only to yell at Michael. And we wonder why his brother is equally abusive to him. Not a pleasant family dynamic, and it seems to have no real purpose.

This can be read and enjoyed without having read the comic books.

And it's day two of extreme cold here in Ohio. I fulfilled my bargain with the Snow Gods and read my eight books. Today, since the weather tomorrow is supposed to be 33 degrees and snow/rain, I may go to the grocery store even though we are off school. Growing up, we were NEVER allowed to go anywhere on a snow day-- if it's too bad for school, it's definitely too bad for anything else! Extreme cold is different from snow, and I need to get some things for my parents.

	Stick Dog Dreams of Ice Cream	read [edit]	Feb 19, 2015 [edit]	edit view »
	Petlandia	read [edit]	Feb 19, 2015 [edit]	edit view »
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	Platypus Police Squad: Last Panda Standing	read [edit]	Feb 19, 2015 [edit]	edit view »
	The Friendship Riddle	read [edit]	Feb 19, 2015 [edit]	edit view »
	If I Were You	read [edit]	Feb 19, 2015 [edit]	edit view »
	Return to Augie Hobble	read [edit]	Feb 19, 2015 [edit]	edit view »
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Snake Bite (Young Sherlock Holmes #5)

The earth has hurtled away from the sun and we find ourselves trapped in a frigid, joyless, devastated wasteland of snow and ice.

Oh, wait. No, it's just February in Ohio.

School was called off because the temperature at 7 a.m. was -3. Tomorrow it is supposed to be -10 at that time. I vastly prefer to be at school, but I was glad that school was canceled last night before I went to bed instead of at 6 a.m. AFTER I had walked to school.

Because I have such an enormous power over the universe that my actions (walking to school) can affect the weather (the temperatures dropping below the nose-hair-freezing point) as well as the decisions of the superintendent, I made a deal with the Snow Gods last night: If school is called off the night before instead of after I am already at the building in the morning, I will read eight books.

I didn't specify to the Snow Gods which books-- Stick Dog, Petlandia, and several other short and fun books are in my pile, and I will be reading them with the cute Sylvie all snuggled under my arm!



Lane, Andrew. Snake Bite (Young Sherlock Holmes #5)
October 21st 2014 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Sherlock has been drugged, kidnapped, and sent off to China on the Gloria Scott, most likely by the Paradol Chamber. Amyus Crowe and Mycroft Holmes are concerned, but since there is nothing they can do, they decide from the comfort of Mycroft's club that Sherlock will learn a lot and come back to them in about a year. To Sherlock's credit, that's pretty much what he does. He is considered a stowaway on the ship, and put to work. He has a friend in the ship's cook, Wu Cheng, and is a hard worker and a polite soul, so he gets along well. There are all sorts of perils on the high seas, from storms to pirates to the odd traveler Arrhenius, who has poisoned himself with silver to avoid diseases, but eventually, the ship does dock in Shanghai. There, Sherlock declines an invitation to Wu Cheng's house, but meets American Cameron Mackenzie, who is Sherlock's age and glad of some company. The two spend time hanging around, but then Wu Cheng becomes very ill. Sherlock investigates, and finds that Cheng has been bitten by a venomous snake with a broken fang. He is unable to save his friend, and later, Cameron's father is also bitten by a snake. Clearly, there is a plot afoot, and Sherlock is ready to put the clues together and foil a huge plot before getting ready to head back to England.

Other titles in this series include Death Cloud, Rebel Fire, Black Ice, and Fire Storm, and several other titles are planned. I just hope they make it to the US!

Strengths: Lots of action, good mystery, an engaging main character, and credible and interesting supporting characters make this a highly readable book. Due to the historical nature, I don't have as many readers for these, but all the books have engrossing, easy to follow plots, and a charming and resourceful character in Sherlock.
Weaknesses: The covers are all over the place, making the series look disorganized. Death Cloud has a horrible, Justin Bieber lookalike cover, so it takes some hand selling to get students to pick this up. I know that sounds strange, but it really is true!
What I really think: I would read these for pleasure even if I didn't have to read them for school. I love the various places that Sherlock travels, and how unflinching he is when he meets any difficulty. I did miss having Amyus and Virginia in this book and hope to see them return!

#WeNeedDiverseBooks Wednesday- Listen, Slowly

Lai, Thanhha. Listen, Slowly 
February 17th 2015 by HarperCollins
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Mai is NOT happy that she has to go to Vietnam for the summer, since she and her friend Montana have plans to hang out at the beach all summer near their homes in Laguna, California. Mai's grandmother (Ba)  wants to return to her native country because she thinks that her husband (Ong), missing in action in 1966, might still be alive, a belief reinforced by a Vietnamese detective. Mai's mother is a high powered lawyer with a case to argue, and her father spends time in the mountains of Vietnam, repairing cleft palates and performing other minor operations, so it is left to Mai to stay and help her grandmother. Visiting her grandmother's village, Mai meets a host of relatives, including a cousin her age, Ut. Mai gets to experience the hot, sticky climate of Vietnam, the endless food pressed on them by well-meaning relatives, and lots of village customs. Since she can understand the language better than she can speak it, and has some help translating from Minh, a boy her age who has gone to school in Texas, she is able to understand what is going on around her. Her grandmother is told that her husband left a message for her, but finding out where this is takes some detective work as well as a difficult journey for the two, but her grandmother is finally able to accept the passing of her much beloved husband.
Strengths: This was a quite fascinating look at what life is like in Vietnam, and the family's connection to the country is explored in interesting ways. I loved that Mai was irritated with her parents and grandmother even though she loves them dearly and knows they are good people-- that quality of being so irritated that one flops down on a bed and screams into a pillow is so uniquely middle grade, and made this story extremely relateable. Also adding to the appeal for middle grade readers was the small side story on Mai's relationship with her friend Montana, and her concern that Montana would gain the affection of a boy she liked.
Weaknesses: When Mai and Ut go to Saigon, the novel seemed to really drag. The scenes in the village, even when they are discussing lice treatments and Mai's sickness after ingesting river water, were somehow more interesting.
What I really think: I expected this to be a novel in verse that I would hate, but I enjoyed it so much that I am going to have to go back and reread Inside Out and Back Again. Definitely buying.

Buxton, Jamie. Temple Boys.
February 10th 2015 by Roaring Brook Press
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

This sounded SUPER interesting, but when I read it, even I found it confusing. The place and time were not clearly set out, and I think students, who assume that every book is set right here and right now, will be totally lost. The inclusion of all manner of historical details would have helped considerably. It wasn't bad, and maybe for more sophisticated readers this would work, but I don't see this being successful with my students. Too bad, because I could use some books set during this historical time period.

From Goodreads.com: 
Jerusalem: year zero. A gritty, vivid, startlingly original reimagining of the world's most famous story, told from a street kid's point of view.

Jerusalem, year zero. Flea belongs to a gang of teenage vagrants living in the shadow of the Temple, living on their wits and what they can beg or steal. When a man called the Magician arrives, bringing talk of miracles and revolution, Flea and his comrades latch onto the newcomer in the hope that he'll offer them a secure home. As events accumulate and powerful forces gather around the Magician, Flea notices rumblings of discontent among his followers. Is the Magician the savior he claims to be, or a fraud? Does Flea hold the fate of the Magician—and possibly the world—in his hands, as he begins to believe? Temple Boys vividly conjures up ancient Jerusalem and the Biblical era and boldly re-imagines the western world's most famous story from the point of view of a teenage boy.

Finding Serendipity

Banks, Angelica. Finding Serendipity
February 3rd 2015 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
ARC from Baker and Taylor

Tuesday McGillycuddy is glad to have an author for a mother, but she's even more glad when Serendipity Smith finishes her books and reverts to being her mother, Sarah, again. When Serendipity is supposed to finish her last book but runs late into the evening, Tuesday checks her top floor room... only to find out she is gone. Her father tells her not to worry, that her mother will be back in the morning, but Tuesday can't leave well enough alone. She looks on her mother's desk (where her mother works on an old fashioned typewriter) and finds an odd silver thread that spells out "the end". Before too long, Tuesday and her dog Baxterr are sucked into a land of stories. They meet author Blake Luckhurst who takes the to the Library where they get some provisions and some advice from the Librarian. Soon, Tuesday is off, writing her mother's story about a girl named Vivienne Small and trying to find out where her mother has gone. In the process, she manages to figure out not only her mother's story, but her own skills as a writer.
Strengths: My own favorite story-within-a-story is Roderick Townley' The Great Good Thing, and I could see this being popular with readers who like this sort of magical realism, and are fond of writing.
Weaknesses: Both a bit twee and disturbing for my taste; once I found out that the two authors were both writers of adult fiction AND Australian, this made much more sense to me. Don't know how this will fly with US tweens, at least in my school.

People who liked it more than I did:
Alexa Loves Books
Leaning Tower of Tomes
Mrs. Ripp Reads
yAdult Review

Belated Cybils!!!

Due to wonky internet, I'm a bit late to the party, but let's have a drumroll for the Cybils today...

Middle Grade Fiction Winner!

Nickel Bay Nickby Dean Pitchford
Putnam Juvenile
Nominated by: ALWAYS in the MIDDLE

Eleven-year-old Sam has had a tough life. He had a heart transplant when he was young and was further scarred by his mom leaving, several minor run-ins with the law, and a father who doesn’t understand him. One night he takes his anger out on an old deserted building and this time when he’s trying to get away, he climbs the tree of the biggest house in town and ends up accidentally destroying the extravagant Christmas decorations in the yard. The owner Mr. Wells insists that he repay him with his time. Mr. Wells knows everything about Sam’s past, and he thinks he can use some of Sam’s skills on a secret project to help the town of Nickel Bay. Sam takes his punishment, reluctantly at first, but it doesn’t take long until he is working hard to earn Mr. Wells’ trust.

Nickel Bay Nick will appeal to middle grade readers of all ages as they try to figure out the mysterious Mr. Wells and join in Sam’s secret adventure. Boys and girls will be able to relate to the difficult things Sam faces like his parent’s divorce and financial hard times, peer pressure, illness, the consequences of bad choices and the relief of second chances.

MMGM- Katie Friedman Gives Up Texting

Greenwald, Tommy. Katie Friedman Gives Up Texting
February 17th 2015 by Roaring Brook Press
Copy received from Lauren Burniac, MacMillan Publishing Group

Katie and her friends spend a lot of time on their phones, especially during lunch at school, the only time when they are allowed to use them. Of course, they also text each other on the bus, coordinate pick up times and math book deliveries with their parents, and play games and watch programs at home in the evening. Even when Nareem, Katie's boyfriend, takes her to a Plain Jane concert and Jane asks from the stage that people put their phones away and experience the concert in person, Katie has to take pictures and record songs so that she can upload them to Facebook when she gets home. It's not until Katie sends a text about not liking Nareem anymore to Nareem instead of Charlie that she realizes how much of her life is under the control of her phone. She does go to apologize to Nareem in person-- she'd been thinking about breaking up with him for days, not because he isn't wonderful but because she's in middle school. He is as gracious as he can be, and even facilitates communication between Katie and Jane. Jane is impressed after meeting Katie back stage at the concert, and challenges Katie to get ten of her friends to give up their cell phones for a week. If she can, Jane will sing Katie's song at her next concert. Katie manages to enlist the help of the pretty Eliza in a rather sneaky way, and ten people do give up their phones. They find other ways to pass the time, fight off some negatives "phonies" who refuse to part with their devices (including Charlie), and deal with parents who are less than happy about not being able to reach them. Will it be enough to impress Jane and get her to keep her end of the bargain?
Strengths: I've been a huge Charlie Joe Jackson fan for a long time, and this book is an excellent addition to the canon! There have been times when CJJ stretched my credulity a bit, but this was spot on, including having a teacher tell Katie that the parents would have to be notified if the school were taking their children's phones away. Katie's use of Eliza, and her later insight into parts of Eliza's personality of which she was unaware, was rather brilliant, the romances are age appropriate, and even the inclusion of a famous rock singer is realistic (she went to their middle school.) It is also a good way to have students question their own cell phone use. This can be enjoyed even if you haven't read CJJ, and I would bet that all of my boys will be eager readers of this one even though Katie is on the cover.
Weaknesses: This includes an overscheduled character, Jake, whose mother doesn't want him to give up the phone. At first, I thought this must be the title character in another CJJ book, but then I realized that character is Jack Strong Takes a Stand. It doesn't really matter, but it would have been nice if there were just one character with a J name who was overscheduled.

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.





Hunt, Linda Mullaly. Fish in a Tree.
February 5th 2015 by Nancy Paulsen Books
ARC from Penguin Young Readers

Ally struggles in school, often getting in trouble for flippant behavior that she uses to deflect the teacher's attention to the fact that she has trouble reading and writing. When she gives her teacher a sympathy card at a baby shower, she gets in even more trouble, but no one at school still pays attention. Her family has moved around quite a bit because her father is in the military, but her brother has had problems with reading as well. Luckily, the substitute for the pregnant teacher, Mr. Daniels, is a little more flexible in his assignments and eventually realizes that Ally is struggling with dyslexia. He also works to put an end to the mean girl tactics exhibited by Shay and her friends, who also target that oddly verbose but poorly dressed Albert, as well as Keisha, who is interested in baking.
Strengths: Even though I enjoyed this author's One for the Murphys, I had concerns about this one. There are particular flavors of problem novels that students like, and they tend to be domestic abuse, drugs, cutting or anorexia, and homelessness. (Hey, just reporting on a dozen years of conversations with students!) School problems generally appeal to younger students, but I found this book to be hopeful and engaging. There's some interesting diversity (economic instability, race, learning difficulties) and positive adult influence, which is rather rare in books these days. I think that students who enjoy Wonder will like this one. The cover is appealing, the message is good: I think I'll buy a copy.
Weaknesses: Albert seems a little over the top, but he never quite annoyed me. I also found it hard to believe that no one had realized Ally's reading difficulties-- sometimes it seems like every student in my school is on an IEP! When we have new students who are struggling, it's usually not more than two weeks before we all start to discuss what can be done to help bolster the child's academic success.

My Secret Guide to Paris

Schroeder, Lisa. My Secret Guide to Paris
February 24th 2015 by Scholastic Press
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

**SPOLER ALERT** Okay, it's something in the first chapter or two, but quit reading if you don't want to know. There's no way to avoid it.

Nora and her grandmother have always bonded over their plans to go to Paris someday together. Her grandmother works with a fashion designer and goes frequently herself, but finally realizes that as Nora approaches her 12th birthday, she's ready to make the trip herself. They plan on going in March and then Grandma is hit by a car and dies. Really. Fortunately, she was a very organized lady, and she had planned the trip already in a 13 Little Blue Envelopes fashion, leaving Nora clues for when she would be in Paris, ostensibly with her mother while Grandma was working. Nora pleads with her mother to take her; mother is feeling guilt because she was on the outs with her mother in the wake of her parents' divorce. Eventually, she gives in (since Nora tempts her with antique doll possibilities), and the two, along with Nora's brother, head off. Nora manages to be allowed to go off with her brother, meets a nice British girl her own age, and follows several of the clues, only to find that none of the people she is supposed to meet will give her the packages her grandmother has left with them unless her mother is also there. Nora asks her mother to go with her; mother agrees reluctantly-- there were other things she was planning on doing with her time. Eventually, they round up all of the packages, attend a fashion show, and make their tentative peace with the grandmother's death.
Strengths: Fantastic travel book. Lots and lots of appealing details about seeing Paris, which has never been a place I have EVER wanted to go. Almost made me want to visit! The addition of a British friend, as well as the mother-daughter bond added a bit more meat to the story, but the travel portions are the real selling point here.
Weaknesses: The cover seems wrong-- Nora is always portrayed as being in jeans and a t-shirt, although perhaps this is meant to be the outfit her grandmother gives her. The beret is right. Also not keen on the use of "secret" in the title; it's not a secret guide for very long.
What I really think: The grandmother did not have to die. She could have broken her leg, and there were unrefundable tickets. THEN, when they returned, Nora could have continued her close relationship and her mother could have mended her fences with the mother. Unnecessarily sad to just violently and randomly kill the grandmother. This loses the book a Sparkly Unicorn designation!

Happy Valentine's Day

Yeah, well, the closest I get to celebrating this is to have a large number of neighbors in to consume my traditional ten pound lasagna, but I'm pretty Grinch-like when it comes to romance, no matter what the sidebar of Yahoo Mail seems to think. (For the record, I DON'T want to meet men in my area, and I especially don't want to meet senior men! Every year after the Cybils chat, those ads start popping up. Argh!) But, in the interest of being festive, and because Rhonda Helms is AWESOME, here's a romantical type book for today.



Helms, Rhonda. Promposal.
February 10th 2015 by Simon Pulse
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Camilla has a huge crush on Ben, who has sat in front of her in class, silent, of course, for the entire year. She's a senior, and hopes that before the end of the year she can talk to him, but when Zach surprises her with an elaborate "promposal" with Ben watching, she is mortified and accepts Zach's offer. Later, she gets assigned to work with Ben on a school project, and the two hit it off, but he's reluctant to pursue her because of Zach's interest. In alternating chapters, we hear from Camilla's best friend, Joshua, who is really good friends with Ethan, and wants to ask him to prom. He's crushed when he finds out that Ethan is more interested in Noah, and wants Joshua's help in asking Noah out. There are any manner of other promposals in the air, some good, some bad, and Camilla and Joshua both need to figure out how to work through their love lives before they head off to college.
Strengths: This was significant in that it had gay characters who didn't drink excessively or participate in any physical activity that I would deem inappropriate and instructional! (No matter who was involved, some things are not right for middle school.) There really wasn't anything that would keep this out of a middle school library-- just a lot of sighing and longing and kissing. Apparently, promposals are a real, if ridiculous, thing.
Weaknesses: YA romances are more complex and ... whiny. Middle grade romances are a bit more fun to read. Less handwringing. But for high school, this is pitch perfect. It did seem a little odd that everyone in Joshua and Ethan's lives were completely accepting of their preferences; maybe that's the way it is in high school not, but it wasn't when I was in school, so it's hard for me to get my mind around.
What I really think: Enjoyed, but will probably not buy. I'd love to see this author do an upbeat middle grade book!

Lindner, April. Love, Lucy.
January 27th 2015 by Poppy

Lucy really wants to be an actress, but her father wants her to major in business at his alma mater. If she gives up her dreams, he will reward her with a trip to Italy with the slightly older friend of the family. She and Charlene get along pretty well, but Charlene is rather difficult in Florence because she has a romance in the previous town and had to leave. Fed up, Lucy is glad to spend time with a New Jersey native Jesse tooling around town. Eventually, the two hook up, but then Lucy has to go back and go to college. At her first college party, she meets the devastatingly handsome Shane, who is interested in her. Business is boring, but the college is putting on a production of Rent, and even though Lucy told her father that she wouldn't do plays because, you know, he sent her to Italy, she tries out and gets a good part. Between Shane and acting, life is great, although Lucy is feeling pressured to hook up with Shane, and she's ambivalent because she still has feelings for Jesse. When Jesse shows up, how will she deal with it?
How I Would Have Felt About This at 16: Ooooh. True love. In Italy! They ride on a Vespa! Jesse's so cute! It's so sad that they can't be together! Although why did he take her shirt off? And why was she so concerned about what he had in his pocket? Oh, well. Shane is cute, too! How will she decide! And Lucy should totally be an actress, just like I should be a college professor of Latin. Her father is such a tyrant!
How I Feel About this Now: Lucy is an idiot. He father should drag her out of the private college and make her go to the local community college, because CLEARLY she can't control her own life. Why not major in underwater basket weaving instead of drama? Just as many jobs. And talk about a loser-- Jesse is just hanging out in Italy, making barely enough money to survive by busking, for heaven's sake! He's a real keeper. Shane at least is doing well in school and has some propects, so why is she still hung up on Jesse?

Caution for middle grades: Lucy and Jesse have sex, although absolutely nothing but the shirt taking off and the veiled references to protection take place. She's also thinking about pursuing the same path with Shane. I appreciate the fact that this is so vaguely described. I think I'll buy a copy even though personally it made me want to throw up a little. It's hard to find good romance books for middle grades.

What students remember

I have my first evaluation today while I am collaborating on teaching research skills for National History Day. The good student in me wants to do a good job, but doing a good job teaching and doing a good job on the rubric are not exactly the same thing, which is frustrating.

This made me think of the teachers that I remember from my grade school days, which were a VERY long time ago. For anyone out there struggling with "doing a good job", think about this:

I remember my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Gladys Montgomery, because when I wanted to play pirates with the boys instead of being the baby while the girls were playing house, she let me. She did tell my parents that I was "bossy", though!

Mrs. Piper and Mrs. Gordon in first and second grade had open classrooms in Burtonsville, Maryland, so I would do my assigned packets and then read all day. Mike and Scott and I were all "gifted", so when the other groups were reading out loud, we got to sit in a huge cardboard box we had painted and work on other things, and occasionally got to be "human dictionaries".

In third grade, we read Trumpet of the Swan with Mr. Terry O'Halloran, and I wrote a story with all of the vocabulary words. Mine was the best, and I won a silver and red pen that I kept for years.

Miss Dixon let me use all of my spelling words to make a story instead of doing sentences. When I did the sentences, I used not only the spelling word in each one, but also the word "shoelaces". For weeks. And she never complained.

Mrs. Dunne let me stay in from recess and put her classroom library back in order when I was fighting with some of my friends in the fifth grade.

Mr. Wayne Morlock let me sit at the radiator by the window in 7th grade science class for the entire year because my assigned seat was next to an obnoxious boy.

Miss Olga Maruskin encouraged me to write essays for her class, and always had constructive criticism for me. When she really liked something, I felt accomplished. I still have several of the papers she gave back to me; I keep very few papers.

Mr. Bryan thought my 9th grade leaf project was so good that he asked me to hang it up in the third floor showcase of my high school .

Miss Carol Sue Clark trusted me as the orchestra treasurer to a ridiculous extent-- I remember having hundreds of dollars of  M&M money under my bed!

Miss Joan Ash thought my Latin was good enough that I should apply for the scholarship that she had gotten at the University of Cincinnati.

So as you go through your day of teaching today, remember these words of Maya Angelou: 
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Guy Friday- The Only Game

Lupica, Mike. The Only Game
February 17th 2015 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Jack loves to play baseball for his team, the Rays, especially since his best friend Gus is on the team, but after the death of his brother Brad in a dirt biking accident, he quits the team, much to the consternation of everyone around him. The only person who understands is Cassie, who plays softball, and Jack starts hanging out with her and helping with her team. Since he and Gus are at odds, he also starts hanging out with out of shape Teddy, and tries to get him to play baseball. About half way through the book, we find that Jack isn't playing ball because it is his self-inflicted punishment for feeling responsible for not stopping his brother from being an idiot, and he starts to play again, eventually getting Teddy on the team as a catcher and... surprise... helping the Rays make it all the way to the Little League World Series. This is the first in a series of four books, and I hope to heck that the rest aren't this depressing.
Strengths: Baseball is involved, the parents aren't dead, and Lupica writes great girl characters.
Weaknesses: This isn't an amusing book at all. It's just pages and pages of sheer depression. Jack needs some serious therapy. Why isn't he seeing someone? And really, to have grief be this much of your daily experience a year after losing the brother. Yes, life is sad. Yes, you think about it. But NO, you shouldn't be indulging in this much hand wringing.

Even if people do in real life, it's BORING to read about. Boring and depressing.

Okay. Yes. I know full well that my objection to this is based on my own recent experience, but come on. Who wants to read this much gloom and doom?

No. No. No.

Inherit Midnight

Myers, Kate Kae. Inherit Midnight.
February 10th 2015 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Avery VanDemere has been raised by her stern, unloving grandmother after the death of her mother and her father's descent into alcoholism. Most recently, she's been in a boarding school for wayward children after minor infractions, and has decided to escape. She does, only to run into Riley, the son of the family lawyer, who has come to take her home. Her grandmother has been ill, and has set up a family competition to see who has been paying attention and knows the most family history. That person will come into the VanDemere fortune, while the other members will receive smaller sums of money. The competition will challenge the qualities that the grandmother wants her descendants to have but which she feels may be sorely lacking. Incorporating the family history into the trips, the group is sent to diamond mines in South American, Plymouth, and Scotland, to complete various physically and mentally demanding tasks. Since Avery is a minor, the slightly older Riley accompanies her, and there is a sweet romance between the two. Other members include her half brother, two uncles, and some snotty cousins. Avery also finds out a family secret that directly impacts her, and is distracted by it. Still, she has learned well from her grandmother, and uses her knowledge of family events, as well as her good character, to do as well as she can in the competition.
Strengths: This was one of the better books I have read in a while. Lots of action and adventure, a nice touch of romance, fun family history, and traveling. Nothing was pat, and the ending had some very nice twists. Avery evolves from being a snotty character to one who is sympathetic, and the National Treasure type story line was fun. The supporting characters were fully developed as well, which I liked.
Weaknesses: I didn't think that Avery's longing for her mother added anything to the story. Yes, it was a clever way to point out that the grandmother's definition of family was lacking, but there was so much going on that it would have been a better story without this (slightly whiny) sub plot.

#WeNeedDiverseBooks Wednesday- The Saturday Cooking Club

Levine, Deborah A. and Riley, JillEllynn. The Saturday Cooking Club 
February 3rd 2015 by Aladdin
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Liza and Frankie have been friends forever, and always work together on their school projects. When they have a family history/immigration project that requires three people, Liza asks Lillian to partner with them. Lillian is new to the Brooklyn school and very quiet. Frankie is disappointed, because she wanted cute Evan to work with them. Three three decide that a good topic for the project would be food, and when they find a cooking class focusing on the melting pot of American food, led by Liza's favorite tv star, Chef Antonio, they decide to take it. The one catch? An adult has to take it with them. All of their mothers are too busy, but the girls rope them in, and all three mothers end up in the class. Lillian's mother is a master cook (and a very controlling one), but only in her native Chinese cooking; Liza's mother is a good cook but very distracted by the demands of being a high powered magazine editor and single mother; Frankie's mother is a disaster in the kitchen, burning everything in sight, and her father, a fireman, is the one who keeps the household in food. As the girls learn about different sorts of foods and how they came into the American mainstream, they have interpersonal problems with each other as well as their mothers, but they keep working on their project and persevering even when things don't go as planned on the day of their final presentation.
Strengths: Cooking is a good way to tie together a multicultural group of friends-- Lillian is Chinese, Frankie is Italian, and Liza is half Jewish and half African-American. Their differences come up in the project, but don't really affect their friendship or anything else, so the book is about differences in general rather than particular cultures. The problems were realistic, and the families were great and supportive, even when they weren't perfect.
Weaknesses: There isn't much about Lillian's family, and her mother is the most static character-- she does thaw a little at the very end, but spends most of the book being really controlling and rather nasty. Also, it's risky to assign any sort of family history/immigration project because so many students have NO idea what their family background is, often knowing nothing about their great-grandparents. Still, a better choice than yet another bully, school election, or school dance themed book!
What I really think: I love books like this that are just easy and enjoyable to read, don't have any horrible, sad problems, and are just well and solidly written. I'd take twenty of these over one horrible, angst-ridden tear-jerker about a child who is grieving a parent any day, and so would my students. Go, M!X books!

Sonnichsen, A.L. Red Butterfly
February 3rd 2015 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Kara lives in China with Mama, who is an elderly American woman. Kara has a deformed arm, and was abandoned as an infant; Mama takes her in, but fails to get proper documentation for her, so when her husband goes back to Montana, she stays illegally in the country, subsisting on very little money. Kara does not speak Chinese very well or go to school, but strikes up an uneasy friendship with a neighbor boy and teaches him English. This comes to an end after Mama's daughter comes to visit, and has a pulmonary embolism. She is in the hospital for quite some time, the police are involved, and Kara ends up in an orphanage after Mama is sent back to the US. There, she works with a physical therapist from New Zealand and gets to know some of the other children. She is placed fairly quickly with a family from the US who have two sons and two daughters, who were adopted from China. It takes Kara quite some time to feel comfortable with the family, and she longs for Mama, who was too old to be allowed to file for adopting Kara. Eventually, Kara learns to play the piano, and adjusts to life in the US.
Strengths: This gave an interesting perspective of Chinese orphanages and some of the children who end up there due to political policy and physical disabilities, as well as that of a young girl who is forced to move from China to the US.
Weaknesses: Novels in verse don't do well with my students, and this was a very sad book. It also could have had more information about what it is like to live in China. I would love to see a book about an average middle grade child in China-- Kara had too many US influences.
What I really think: I think the author really wanted to share her experiences in China, since she lived there and has a child who had a similar beginning to Kara's, but I don't know if this book will resonate with middle grade readers due to length, format, and content.

The Missing (Troubletwisters #4)

Well, okay. Apparently, I really didn't like the first two books in this series. (Troubletwisters, The Monster). I'm also not an enormous fan of Lisa McMann's Unwanteds series or Whitesides Janitors. I opine all the time that there are too many fantasy books out there. So why do I read these? Why do I buy them? My students. While it is true in my library that there are fewer students who read fantasy books, the fantasy readers are insatiable and often will ONLY read fantasy. I do try to keep all of my students happy. It was a great moment when I delivered books to classrooms on the last day of school before Christmas break-- out of 100 books, I had to get 12 checked out right away, and if it hadn't been past 2:00pm when the shipment came in, it might have been more!


Nix, Garth and Williams, Sean. The Missing (Troubletwisters #4)
April 29th 2014 by Scholastic Press

When Grandma X receives mail from her long long sister Lottie, who was lost to The Evil in some horrific accident with The Evil, she wants to rescue her, but it wo't be easy. It doesn't help that Jack and Jaide are about to undergo their Examination, and exchange student Stefano from Italy moves in with the family. The three do okay on the first couple of exams (the point of which I missed entirely), but The Evil starts talking to them and taunting them to come find Lottie. They eventually seek the help of Rodeo Dave and get more information. Meanwhile, Aleksandr is in charge of Project Thunderclap, which is supposed to defeat The Evil, which is targeting Portland, where the story takes place, specifically. Lottie appears, takes on Stefano and injures Grandma X, and Jack gets sucked into the Evil dimension with Kyle, Tara and Cornelius, where they fight bugs and other things. Stefano and Jaide volunteer to help with Project Thunderclap, which involves drawing power from storms into a lodestone. In the Evil dimension, Jack meets Lottie and makes some progress at getting to the portal, but then stalls. Luckily, Jaide makes it through to him and helps guide Jack's ship through the vortex, bringing The Evil into Portland with them. Will Grandma X be able to defeat The Evil?
Strengths: Lots of action and adventures, things blowing up, and running around. The characters are fairly distinct, and I was able to follow along by keeping notes.
Weaknesses: Still a little unsure about whole point, why and how they manage to defeat The Evil, what exactly that is, etc., but that might be because... I just don't care. Pretty sure this is the last book in the series. Hope so, but could be wrong.

Salerni, Dianne K. The Inquisitors Mark (Eighth Day #2)
January 27th 2015 by HarperCollins

Jax is hiding in the backwoods with Evangeline and the Crandalls after the huge explosion at the Mexican pyramids. They hope to find Evangeline's sister-- since she is the only other Emrys alive, it is important to keep her safe, but she has run away from the safe house where she has been for years.  Jax's friend Billy is kidnapped by Jax's uncle and his family and the group ends up in New York. Uncle Finn claims that Jax's father was deluded, and that really Grandma Ursula and everyone else is perfectly nice, and Jax should leave Riley's care and come to live with them. At least cousin Dorian is helpful, and Jax manages to find out all manner of information about his family, although none of it is very conclusive. Jax strongly suspects that Adeline is being hidden in the building, but there are a lot of things going on, and it's not easy to work through layers of magic to get to her. Brownies are also being kept prisoner, and Dorian is able to go through their tunnels, although his sister has no power and has been experimented on by her family. There's an epic struggle at the end, resulting in the death of some major characters, but Adeline once again slips through the group's grasp. Sure to be a book three to tidy up some ends.
Strengths: This series has a lot of readers in my library-- everyone from fans of The Lightning Thief and Gerald Morris (I sell it on the Arthurian connection) to the fans of Blue Bloods and City of Bones (sell it on the urban action/adventure and the slight romance between Jax and Evangeline). Solidly written, this has unexpected turns, and an interesting extended family dynamic. I have students eagerly awaiting our copy.
Weaknesses: A lot going on, so my fantasy amnesia quit a little. I also wanted to slap Adeline before I even met her, so am curious to see what her story is.

MMGM Giveaway- Convergence

 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.



You can all thank my student, Jaden, who is a HUGE Stan Lee fan and couldn't wait to get his hands on this book! I told him that I would host a GIVEAWAY just so we could get a copy for him to read! So, to enter to win a copy of this book from Disney, leave a comment below.

Lee, Stan. Moore, Stuart and Tong, Andie. Convergence (Zodiac Legacy #1)
January 27th 2015 by Disney Press
E ARC from Netgalley.com; samples and prizes provided by Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Steven Lee is on a class trip to China, feeling awkward yet again. His parents are always working, and he never feels quite American enough... and now doesn't feel Chinese enough. This changes when he seems the tour guide disappear and hears a scream. He follows it and gets sucked into a world of zodiac powers-- he gets hit by a beam and acquires the powers of the tiger. The evil Maxwell wants all of the power for himself and is angry at the tour guide, Jasmine, for messing up his plan. Jasmine hates Maxwell because he is a "war contractor" and ended up annihilating the city of Lysteria because of a mistake he made-- and annihilated her parents as well. The beams have gone out randomly, and Jasmine and Carlos, a tech geek, think that other kids absorbed them, so the group takes off to find the other zodiac members before Maxwell does. They find Roxanne in France, Liam in Northern Ireland, Duane, and Kim. None of them have any family ties that will hold them down, so before long, the group is at their facility in Greenland. It is, of course, attacked by Maxwell and the zodiac members who are evil, including Dog, Monkey and Horse. Maxwell's base is in Australia, but he is bound and determined to get everyone on his side because he thinks the world is beyond saving. Stan enjoys being in the group, but occasionally feels he doesn't belong, but he's not willing to go over to Maxwell's side. After lots of fighting, Maxwell is neutralized for the time being, but both groups will certainly be back.
Strengths: Stan Lee is 91 years old, and apparently made of awesome. He can do anything he wants, and people will want to check it out. This book incorporated a fair number of comic book style illustrations, had TONS of action, and was nicely multicultural to boot. Just buy it.
Weaknesses: 480 pages. Oof. Plus, it took about 200 pages until we had all of the main characters. It wasn't hard to keep them straight, but there were a lot of characters. I thought the length would be attributed to a Hugo Cabret number of illustrations, but it was just a really long book!

KEY LINKS

Learn More at DisneyZodiac.com

Watch the Book Trailer

Follow DisneyHyperion on Twitter

#ZodiacLegacy

Here's the trailer:

I wonder...

Am I imagining it, or does this Oreo commercial reference the 2012 Cybils Middle Grade Fiction winner, R. J. Palacio's Wonder?

And if it does reference it... Why? Any thoughts?

Old School Sunday-- Debuntante Hill

Old School Sunday is a feature by Katie over at Story Time Secrets. She featured this same book there on 7 December 2014!


Duncan, Lois. Debutante Hill
September 17th 2013 by Lizzie Skurnick Books (first published 1957)

Lynn Chambers is a bit excited that a debutante season has been arranged by the unfortunate Brenda's mother, especially since her beau, Paul Kingsley, is off to college. The parties will give her something to do during her senior year. Unfortunately, her father, who is a doctor who ministers to everyone in town, including the poor, tells her that she will NOT be going to the parties, because they will serve only to socially divide the town even further. This is a bummer, because all of her friends ARE going to the parties, and Brenda even gets Paul to take her to some. Understandably upset, Lynn manages to get herself invited out by the poor and dangerous Dirk, who takes her out to a road house and is generally a bit rude to her because she has money and he doesn't. Lynn does start to understand a bit what it is like to not have the advantages that she has had, and her sister Dodie, with whom she hasn't gotten along, shows her that just because people are Not Our Kind doesn't mean that they are  bad people. Except for maybe Dirk, who falls head over heels with Lynn, gives her his mother's jewelry, and then generally acts dysfunctional.

Strengths: This is a fascinating look at this time period. I bought a copy to go with The Outsiders unit, and I think it would be good to read in preparation for that book, since it predates it. It's by Lois Duncan-- her first work, in fact, and one for which she won the Maureen Daly Seventeenth Summer First Novel competition. It's forward thinking for the time (and I collect teen novels from this period, so have read a lot), and holds up well even today. The best part, however, is the level of detail about everyday life at the period that a modern book would never begin to match, from the father calling Lynn "Daughter" to the clothes for dates, lingo, etc. Very fun to read.
Weaknesses: Modern teens will find the writing a bit stilted, and might not believe that things were as portrayed in the book. I almost with Lizzie Skurnick books had gone with the original cover! (Although another blogger points out that this photo has a teenage Lois in it!(http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2013/10/debutante-hill-book-review.html)

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Double Trouble

Wells, Tina. Double Trouble (Mackenzie Blue #5)
June 24th 2014 by HarperCollins

Mackenzie is excited about the twins that her mother is going to have very soon, and wants to throw baby shower for her mother after she finds out that showers are usually not given for third and fourth babies. Her mother doesn't tell her not to, so Mackenzie decides it will be a Baby Bash and gets her musical group, The Beans, to play at it. She wants it to be different from other baby showers, but when her father lets her know that she is being considered for a part in a television show, her time gets taken up in photo shoots and acting lessons. This causes stress among the group for several reasons-- even though Zee was "discovered" with The Beans, they don't have an audition, they are working on special songs for the shower that Zee doesn't consider original, and there is a lot of middle school girl crush drama going on surrounding Landon and Jasper. Not only is Zee busy with the shower and auditions, but she has to work on science fair, too! Things go smoothly enough that the shower does take place, but Zee gets a call to go to an audition right then. She thinks about it, but then other, more pressing concerns arise, and she decides that her friends and family are more important than a television career.
Strengths: This is a good alternative read for fans of The Dork Diaries. There are enough pictures, a private school setting, and lots of middle school drama. Add to that every middle schoolers' dream of getting on a television show, and this will be a popular quick pick.
Weaknesses: There were a lot of improbably things in this. The school helps with a musical group of this type? Zee's busy father is able to do his work on the road and take her to auditions? Her mother lets her plan a baby shower? These books are mainly paper-over-board, although this latest one I bought is a Paw Prints prebind. They are not meant to last.
What I really think: I'm all for fun, fluffy stories, but this was too unrealistic and overprivileged for my tastes. Even the pictures were sort of annoying, since everyone was incredibly beautiful, well-dressed, and predominately white.

Gridiron Showdown (Jake Maddox JV)

Maddox, Jake. Gridiron Showdown (Jake Maddox JV)
July 1st 2014 by Stone Arch Books

Jasper quit the football team at the end of seventh grade because he made a mistake on the field, and has spent the time just getting in trouble with his friends Charlene and Anton. After he gets in trouble for setting fireworks off on the football field, the principal sentences him to after school detention for two weeks, but also strongly suggests that he rejoin the football team in order to keep out of trouble. He does, only to find that Kyle has his position and delights in making fun of him for quitting the team and being out of shape. Jasper's parents are supportive of his rejoining the team, and slowly but surely, Jasper overcomes his teammates' jeers, gets back into shape, and keeps out of trouble.
Strengths: There are four books so far in the JV series from Stone Arch Books, and they will be great for students who have found success reading the younger books. For high interest, low level books, these are well written, although the characters seem to have more of their share of emotional upheaval.
Weaknesses: While the content is slightly more mature, the reading level and word count is about the same as the younger books, although they seem slightly longer. I was hoping for something a tiny bit longer and more complex to use to challenge students a little more. The covers are a big improvement on the series for younger readers, and there are fewer interior illustrations.
What I really think: I love these and I hate them. I love that my struggling readers can find success with these, and I hate it when readers who are perfectly capable of reading quality literature won't read anything else. These take me between 10-15 minutes to read, and yet sometimes readers will RENEW these books after two weeks. That worries me.