The Fast and the Furriest

Behrens, Andy. The Fast and the Furriest.
Kevin's life is difficult because he prefes fantasy football to the real thing. The problem? His dad played for the Bears and is a local celebrity who expects Kevin to excel at sports. Kevin's "part beagle, part potato chip" dog, Cromwell is also lethargic and unmotivated-- until he sees a dog agility contest on television and starts begging to go on walks. Kevin's friend Zach thinks this idea is great and could ultimately lead to product endorsements and a lot of money, so he helps Kevin enroll Cromwell in a local agility training school. For the sake of appearances, Kevin tries (and fails miserably) at a football camp, and is far more successful in taking Cromwell for this training.

Why this is a great middle school novel-- even though Kevin is 12, he exhibits independence from his parents. He and his friend are involved in an unlikely but almost probably scheme. The characters are realistic, well written and highly amusing (the father's Bear decorated minivan embarasses Kevin; the owner of the agility school e mails Cromwell directly, etc.). There is action, a little adventure, and a lot of slapstick comedy with Cromwell bounding about. There is also a search for personal identity that is done very lightly-- Kevin breaks away from the influence of his father to find things that he enjoys, and ends up improving himself, which would of course be irrelevant if this weren't such a funny book. Boys will like it for the football and the humor, and I've had an odd number of students wanting books about dogs this year.

Andy Behrens is also the author of Beauty and the Bully, which is a great teen book, as well as the much older teen book, All the Way. Perhaps I shouldn't mention this. It looks like Mr. Behrens is starting afresh as a middle grade author and is denying his other works. As long as he writes some more funny books with sports for boys, I'm not complaining!

Birmingham Sunday

Brimner, Larry Dan. Birmingham Sunday.
37 years ago, a racially motivated bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama took the lives of four young women, and the resultant violence took the lives of two young men. Birmingham Sunday is an excellent recounting of the events of that day, and of the events that led up to this event.

This well-illustrated volume, which uses period photographs, covers a wide range of civil rights history, and would be an excellent resource for teachers to use along with Curtis' novel The Watsons Go To Birmingham, or with any unit on civil rights in the 1950s and 60s. It is a large format book, but the information is very well covered, and the short descriptions of various events and players (the Montgomery bus boycott, Martin Luther King, the Klu Klux Klan) would be well suited to sharing with classes. For students researching this time, this would also be excellent, because the main events are covered, and a bibliography points to other books that could be consulted. I learned a lot of different facts-- for example, the NAACP helped Autherine Lucy when she enrolled in the University of Alabama but was suspended and eventually expelled because she was black. Ms. Lucy was studying to be a librarian.

Spaceheadz, Middle School Fiction, and a Rant

Scieszka, Jon. Spaceheadz.
There is a fine line between fourth grade goofy books and sixth grade goofy books, and I was sad to see that the new Scieszka title to which I was so looking forward falls heavily on the fourth grade side. The first clue should have been the cartoony cover and the second should have been the description from the publisher: "Michael moves to a new school and learns that some of his friends are really aliens who have come to Earth in order to convince millions of kids to be Space Heads." The third was the three pages of text in hamster speak. ("Ee eee, ee eeek wee week.")

Scieszka's Knucklehead was brilliantly funny and middle schoolers love it. The difference between the two books? Knucklehead is real. Far fetched at times, but real. I think this is why even 8th graders love the Wimpy Kid books; Greg's travails are overblown, but still fall in the realm of the possible. Students can feel that their lives are not that terrible because what happens to Greg is so much worse than what happens to them, and they can laugh at the embarrassing and horrifying moments, much as they laugh at the cat puke episode in Knucklehead.

This will be popular in elementary schools, and comes with value added web sites, ala The 39 Clues. I will keep waiting and hope that Mr. Scieszka turns his considerable talents to a funny, realistic book for grades 6-8.

THE RANT: Read over the summer that middle school students frequently obsess about their clothing because it is one of the few things in their world that they can control. This holds true for adults, too, which is why, although it is not really relevant to this blog, I feel compelled to say "Tim Gunn must go down." I don't know where this man came from, but he shows up in the women's magazines that my friend Wendy so thoughtfully provides for me, and in the latest Redbook, the man is quoted as saying "Most women wear clothes that are too big-- that's the comfort trap. Women don't want to feel constrained, but I say, if you want to dress to feel as though you never got out of bed, then don't."

Mr. Gunn is shown wearing a suit and tie. No cleavage, no low rise pants, no thigh high, high heeled boots. Hmmm.

I desperately want to assemble an army of sensibly shod women to cram Mr. Gunn into a pencil skirt (they do not look good on everyone), clingy lycra sleeveless top, a statement belt, and heels, then make him spend 8 hours running around, hefting audio visual equipment and piles of books, coaching cross country, and running a bake sale until 9 pm at Curriculum Night. He can also be made to cook dinner and do some laundry in the get up if the women are feeling especially vindictive about low rise jeans.

"No woman needs to look dowdy or matronly-- ever," Mr. Gunn opines. Fine. But maybe some of us want to because we are busy making the world a smoothly running place.

Anyone with me? Cardigan sweaters and turtlenecks will be optional but not required.

The Prince of Mist

Zafon, Carlos Ruiz. The Prince of Mist.

Max's father, a watchmaker, is concerned for the safety of his family before the onset of World War II, so moves them to a small coastal town. The house they have bought is the scene of a tragedy-- a much loved young boy drowned while his family was living there. Max makes friends with a Roland, whose parents also have perished and who is being raised by the keeper of the local lighthouse. Years previously, the keeper was the only survivor of a shipwreck that still lies off the coast. Creepy things start happening-- Max's sister hears voices and throws herself down the stairs, a stray cat that adopts the family eats huge spiders, and an overgrown garden near the house is filled with statues of circus performers.... that seem to move.

Max soon meets Cain, aka the prince of mist, who grants wishes-- but at a price. Mysteries and tragedies swirl around this creepy character. Is it too late for Max to save his family and friends from Cain's sinister influence? Can he even save himself?

This was definitely creepy, and a bit scary, but it definitely had a mystery too it, and the historical setting works well. The translation creaks at many points; either that, or Zafon is given to writing in cliches. Still, it's a good lenghth, and I do need more mysteries.

Moral of story: even if a book looks like yet another ponderous fantasy, give it a close enough look to determine whether or not it really is.

Double Eagle

Collard, Sneed B. Double Eagle.
Mike has to spend the summer of 1973 with his father who is working at a marine biology lab on the coast of Florida. It's very different from his routine life in California, but he quickly settles in and makes friends with Kyle, whose father is also working at the remote location. Both boys have an interest in collecting coins, and are intrigued by the recent explorations of a nearby sunken ship. When they are poking around the old fort in the area, Mike turns up a gold double eagle coin, which would be worth a lot of money if it authentic. The boys research the matter (at a library and coin shop-- remember, this is 1973!) and are motivated to find out exactly what is on the sunken ship when an elderly resident gives them a journal that dates back to when the ship went down. A hurricane is on its way, however, and the boys must do some fast sleuthing before the storm hits.

I didn't think I would like this book at first, given the historical topics as well as the 1973 setting, but it was a breezy delight. Mike and Kyle's friendship rang true, their exploits kept the lot moving along, and the bits of intrigue that crop up left me wanting to know more. I also liked that Mike, who is 14, appreciated one of the young woman student's bikini wearing-- but also disapproved of two other young men who appreciated the same woman in an inappropriate way. After having read Only the Good Spy Young and Cammie's descriptions of Zach's attributes, it was great to read a similar experience from a boy's perspective, and one that was tastefully done. The 1973 setting was described well enough to place the story in that time, but not with too much detail to bog things down. Mysteries are certainly something my students have been craving, so I'll be adding this one.

And trying to read all of The Prince of Mist, since commenters mentioned it was super scary. (But I'll try to read it quickly, Wendy!)

Park, Linda Sue. Storm Warning (The 39 Clues, Book 9)
These books make me wish that I could follow clue oriented mysteries! I'm sure that students who have this ability have been checking out the web site and gathering more information. I am just happy to read the stories and marvel at how seamlessly the different authors work together.

Amy and Dan head off to the Bahamas with Nellie to find more clues, but start to get suspicious of their au pair. It turns out that she is telling all of their whereabouts to McIntyre in order to keep them safe. Amy and Dan aren't sure what to do-- they don't trust her as much, but need her help. After retrieving a clue in the Bahamas, they head off to Jamaica, where they meet a librarian who was educated by the beneficence of their grandmother. Lester also has a box that is essential to finding out more clues. The Kabras make a brief appearance, and more light is shed on the different branches of the family. One of my students has the 10th (and last) book, so maybe I'll be able to borrow it to see how everything ends! These are good action adventure books even for people like me who don't take the time to figure out the clues.

Picked up Darren Shan's Procession of the Dead, which was published in Europe in 1999-- it is in the adult collection of my public library and really is not meant for middle grades. I also took a look at Tara Kelly's Harmonic Feedback, about Drea, a girl who is interested in music and is trying to deal with her Asperger's Syndrome, but it also included details that made this more suitable to high school reading.

Only the Good Spy Young

Carter, Ally. Only the Good Spy Young. (Gallagher Girls #4)
I buy very few books for myself. The exceptions are anything by Rick Riordan or Adam Selzer, the Harry Potter books for my children, and this latest from Ally Carter. I was grocery shopping on Saturday on my way to spend several hours standing in a field and realized, to my horror, that I had brought nothing to read. I don't feel at all bad having spent my own money for this one-- it will be checked out the moment it's processed!

Cammie is enjoying a break in London when Joe Solomon shows up. Before Bex's parents and all of the security detail get to him, he tells Cammie to "follow the pigeons", then jumps into the Thames. Cammie is told that Mr. Solomon, her former CoveOps teacher and the best friend of her late father, is really a member of the evil Circle of Cavan. She doesn't quite believe this, and when Mr. Townsend, an English operative, comes to Gallagher Academy to teach and keep tabs on Cammie, she sets out to prove that Mr. Solomon is not evil. This involves breaking into levels of the academy that have been sealed off, and eventually breaking into Blackthorne, with the help of Zach, who shows up often enough to distract Cammie.

These are all delightful books, and Carter's spy knowledge makes it seem like if I took some classes, I, too could become an international spy. *Sigh*. There has got to be another book coming out, and it will probably involve Zach and Cammie running off on their own. I can't wait!



Schreiber, Ellen. Love Bites (Vampire Kisses #7)
Feel compelled to state that the first Vampire Kisses book came out in 2003 and that Twilight came out in 2005.

These have never been my favorite books. Raven's quest to become a vampire at the hands of her boyfriend Alexander makes me want to slap her. She is agressively Goth, and thinks it is original, and the amount of descriptions of her clothing makes me want to cry. Dullsville sounds like a very nice place to live, even though she constantly disparages it. Still, the series is wildly popular with girls and boys, and I don't mind reading the books because Schreiber's writing is so blissfully easy to read. Her stories move along beautifully. I just wish she would return to things like Comedy Girl.

In this installment, Alexander's best friend, Sebastian, shows up, and falls in love with Raven's best friend. Alexander's art career takes off and reporters come to the house to interview him. It doesn't really matter what these books are about-- the loyal readers want them, as well as the Blodd Relatives graphic novels. That I don't understand; they've already read the story. Doesn't keep them from checking out the graphic novels multiple times. Fortunately for the young fans, but unfortunately for me, Scrhieber's new series looks like werewolves are involved. (Once in a Full Moon, out December 28, and Cryptic Cravings.)

Since school has begun, most of the student requests have been for horror/murder mysteries, mythology, sprts and adventure books. I think, therefore, that I will pass on Zafon's The Prince of Mist (fantasy, translated from Spanish), Gephart's As if Being 12 and 3/4 isn't bad enough, my mother is running for president (realistic fiction for girls, but whiny), and Kelley's Nature Girl (quirky/dysfunctional girl book). Nothing wrong with them; just don't fit what I need right now.

More Vampire High!

Rees, Douglas. Vampire High: Sophomore Year.
Finally! With all of the craziness this summer, I did not get a copy of Vampire High: Sophomore Year right when it came out, which was horrible. I had students asking for it the first day of school.

If you haven't read the first book in the series, you should pick that up, since it sets up the story of Cody Elliot attending the Vlad Dracul Magnet School and learning about the existence of jenti is his new hometown. Not vampires, mind you-- that's a rude word to them, even though they do drink blood. They just are much more refined and don't attack people. Cody becomes a gadge (nonvampire) success at the school and even starts dating Ileana, a jenti princess.

Sophomore year starts a little differently for Cody, because his cousin Turk, who is at odds with her parents (and the world in general) shows up to live with Cody's family. Turk is an artist who locates a building in the forbidden town of Crossfield, which is abandoned because it was the site of jenti persecution. With the help of Cody's former nemesis, Gregor, the building is renovated and turned into an art center, but its success is impeded by the controversy surrounding its location. Secrets arise concerning the enmity between the Mercians (the family of Cody's best friend Justin) and the Burgundians (Ileana's family) which lead to a near war between the two factions.

This is definitely my favorite vampire series. It's witty, engaging, and Rees' plot development is fast-paced and well-developed, which makes it popular with the students. I have six copies of the first title and they are never on the shelf! Goth wannabes will adore the addition of Turk, and Cody's admirers will be glad to see him back. I'm just sorry that I waited as long as I did to read this. My daughter wants a copy of this for Christmas, and I should have bought it the minute it was released!

A Long Way Gone

Beah, Ismael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier(2007)
A student recommended that I read this book, which is shelved in the adult collection of my public library but is the personal account of a man who fought as a soldier in Sierra Leone when he was 13. There is a lot of violence depicted, but not in a sensational way. The tone is very detached and matter-of-fact, but it still may unnerve some people.

Still, this is an important memoir. After his village was attacked and mainly destroyed by rebels, Beah and a group of friends did their best to survive. They try to find their families, to no avail, and are eventually conscripted into the government army, where they are given the task of killing as many rebels as they can is extremely cold blooded fashion. This is made easier for them by the fact that the rebels are responsible for the death of many people they know, and by all of the drugs that the government provides for them. Eventually, UNICEF steps in and takes the boys to a school where they are weaned off the durgs and rehabilitated. Ishmael is given the opportunity to talk to the UN in New York, and is eventually brought to the US to go to high school, and then Oberlin College. Beah now is a crusader on behalf of children involved in wars.

We have had several students whose parents were from Sierra Leone, and have a vast number of Somali students. As with the books mentioned yesterday, these books are important for students who want to understand the plight of children in other parts of the world.

Ellis' No Safe Place

Ellis, Deborah. No Safe Place.
This author of The Breadwinner has no parallel when it comes to stories of children struggling in other countries. We bought some class sets of The Breadwinner to use as a class novel because it is such a powerful story about Afghanistan, and the children always want to read the two sequels on their own.

In No Safe Place, we follow three children who are trying to make their way from Calais to Great Britain by means of a smuggler. Abdul is a Kurd from Bagdad whose parents have both been killed; Cheslav is an orphan from Russia who has run away from a military school; Rosalia is a Roma who is sent to Germany by her uncle to "work", but she escapes when she realizes she will be forced into prostitution. When things go wrong on the channel crossing, their smuggler dies and Jonah, the smuggler's abused nephew joins their group.

The story alternates chapters between the children's trip to Great Britain and their arrival there and the background stories of each of the three. Like Michael's City Boy, Sheth's Boys Without Names, Bernard's Angel Boy, and D'Adamo's Iqbal, this is an important story that will enlighten students to the well-researched plight of immigrant children whose tales are enfolding TODAY, not fifty years ago. Sensitive readers might take offense at how Abdul carries his money (in a body cavity) and at the delicately phrased descriptions of Rosalie's abuse, but as always, Ellis tells such things in a way that makes them clear but not graphic.

Royalties from The Breadwinner have raised over a million dollars for Street Kids International and Women for Women in Afghanistan. Ellis' books will hopefully inspire students to care about children their own age who might not be as well off.

Adam Selzer Visits Blendon!!!!!!!

Note to authors everywhere: Are you feeling a little blah? Unloved? Finding it hard to get stuff written?

Visit a school. Adam Selzer did.

Just drop in, unannounced, to visit a librarian who has exchanged a few e mails with you. You will make her day, as well as the day of various teachers and students who are reading your books. Mr. Cattrell, here pictured, was at a loss for words as he tried to explain to Mr. Selzer that he was the subject of a propaganda poster for The Smart Aleck's Guide to American History web site.

Hopefully, the school will provide a brief rock star moment for you, so you can return home with the cockles of your heart warmed, and get back to work writing your next fabulous book for young adult readers.

Thank you, Adam AND Ronni, for dropping by. It was great to see you.

Super Human

Carroll, Michael. Super Human
Carroll's The Quantum Prophecy Series is hugely popular in my library, so I was looking forward to this book, which comes before the other series.

Adults are being stricken with a horrible flu. Super humans Roz and Max are captured and held hostage in a nuclear reactor, and Abby and Thunder, along with the human Lance (a con boy who is accidentally brought along by Paragon) attempt to free them. Soon they find that there is more trouble than they imagined-- a group called the Helotry, lead by a vicious killer named Slaughter, is trying to open a time portal and bring a super human named Krodin from ancient Assyria. The chapters devoted to Krodin show what a ruthless barbarian he is, but the Helotry somehow think he will form a new world order that will in some way benefit them.

It turns out that the plague was started by the Helotry as a way to weaken the population and make it easier for Krodin to take over. It's up to the group of kids to find a way to cure the plague as well as bring the Helotry under control. While the power of the kids is just about equal to the villians they are fighting, they lack guidance and experience. While I figured that they would eventually prevail, Carroll does an excellent job at keeping the reader on the edge and keeping the balance of power seesawing dangerously back and forth.

The action scenes are really the reason for picking this book up. This is an excellent title for the readers who claim that "nothing ever happens" in books. In the very first chapter, Krodin takes out most of the Egyptian army single handedly, then we go on a fast paced chase with Lance trying to escape mall cops and eventually being picked up by paragon; then we have Roz and Max invovled in a helicopter chase. For a man who claims he doesn't actually blow things up, Mr. Carroll writes a mean action scene. If I were his neighbor, I would probably cringe a little every time he fired up the lawn mower. This is a must have book for middle school libraries!

Carman, Patrick. Trackers.
Told in interview format, this story follows the exploits of Adam, who is the mastermind behind a group of Trackers who use their knowledge of gadgets to try to protect people from hackers. While a bit far fetched, Carman makes this seem possible by giving Adam a technologically oriented family, although the "virtual" dollars he uses to buy all of his equipment were still a stretch for me. Adam and his friends get dragged into a bigger mystery than they can really handle, but the point of this book seems to be more to have readers access the web sites than to care too deeply about the plot. I am rather ambivalent about having books with Internet links in the library-- something like The 39 Clues can be enjoyed without the web links, but Trackers puts the information and a password at the beginning of every chapter.

I read something from Scholastic about multiplatform literature, and while they made some good points (and certainly the tech savvy characters in Trackers are a good excuse to bring in a web site), I can't help thinking that the main reason to have a multiplatform "experience" boils down to selling more stuff to kids. It will be interesting to see how this one circulates, since a copy was donated to our library.

Stopped by the public library and picked up a stack of things from the teen section. I would have been in sad shape as a teen in my public library. While the children's section is often too young, the teen section often has books that would not have interested the middle school me. The stack I brought home had that problem.

Healey's Guardian of the Dead veered into Maori mythology that just wasn't that appealing; McBride's The Tension of Opposites dealt with the return of a kidnapped friend, but was too... pyschological for what my students usually ask for; and I will recommend Harrison's Once Dead, Twice Shy and the sequel Early to Death, Early to Rise to several of my students, but I just can't spend more money on paranormal romances.

Very excited to see what the delivery from the public library will have in it tomorrow!

Three Black Swans

Cooney, Caroline B. Three Black Swans.
***CAUTION*** REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!***

Missy's high school science class is discussing hoaxes, and she decides to bring her cousin, Claire, in to school and go on the school video announcements with the information that Claire is really her long lost twin sister. Missy thinks that people will believe it for a little while, but is surprised that everyone really does think that she and Claire look exactly alike. The video goes on You Tube and is viewed by a number of people, including the girls' parents, who become upset. The girls were both adopted, and there were irregularities in the procees that have long haunted the parents.

When a third girl, Genevieve, sees the video and realizes that the girls both look exactly like her, things get even stranger. After much hand-wringing on everyone's part, Missy and Claire decide to go meet Genevieve, who is not adopted. Here's the spoiler, so stop reading if you don't want to know-- Genevieve's mother did not want to have a baby, and when she found out she was pregnant with triplets, she hard heartedly gave two of them away. Her only concern now is that her boss will find out, think less of her, and she will lose her job. The other parents are more supportive, welcome Genevieve, and the girls find a way to stay in contact and remain sisters.

Normally, I love Cooney. While If the Witness Lied was iffy, They Never Came Back was quite good. This one... have to say I didn't like it. The tone was overly melodramatic, complete with short, choppy sentences, an overabundance of exclamation marks, and too much information about how all of the parents felt. If I didn't care, students might skip over these parts. At some points, I thought there might be some intriguing explanation about the girls, like cloning or genetic manipulation, so when it was just a mother who didn't want two extra babies, the story lost steam for me. Cooney's writing is usually smooth and facile; if you had handed this book to me without an author attached, I would have assumed it was a new writer's first novel.

Looked for reviews that were more positive, but this hasn't gotten a lot of blog attention. I'd love to hear from people who liked this more than I did.

A return to books and only books

My apologies. The goal of this blog is to deliver short reviews of as many middle grade books as possible and to shy away from personal issues, and even literacy, publishing and other issues. Lately, I have failed, and for that, I am sorry.

Now the library renovation is done, the school's two new administrators are in place, the schedule difficulties are ironed out, my home computer is back after a month in the shop, and I have books coming from the public library! I will be back to all books, all the time. I promise.

I'm ignoring my union; if they don't care if I read and blog, great. They might as well ask me to stop breathing.

Thanks to all of my readers who have stuck by me. I know that I never mind finding out more about the bloggers I read-- I hope that Jen Robinson and Baby Bookworm are thriving, that the guys who used to work with Boys Read, Boys Rule have found jobs, that Teacher Ninja continues to be awesome at his new job, and that the adoption of Bluestocking's baby boy goes well. The Kidlitosphere is a tremendous resource for new titles, but also a comfortable place for me to "hang out" with other librarians.

And look what is waiting for me, maybe TODAY, from the public library!!!!!!

Procession of the dead / Darren Shan.
Fern Verdant and the Silver Rose / Diana Leszczynski.
As if being 12 3/4 isn't bad enough, my mother is running for president! / Donna Gephart.
The hard kind of promise / by Gina Willner-Pardo.
Love bites / Ellen Schreiber.
The Prince of Mist / Carlos Ruiz Zafón ; translated by Lucia Graves.
Through thick and thin / Alison Pace.
Blade : out of the shadows / Tim Bowler.
No safe place / Deborah Ellis.
Harmonic feedback / Tara Kelly.
Shade / Jeri Smith-Ready.
Vampire High : sophomore year / Douglas Rees.
The shadow hunt / Katherine Langrish.

And sometimes, while I am looking for middle grade books, other things show up on the screen that I just have to read:
Home : a memoir of my early years / Julie Andrews.
This time together : laughter and reflection / by Carol Burnett.
Sweater quest : my year of knitting dangerously / Adrienne Martini.

Hey, Julie Andrews Edwards is a young adult author, right?

September is about new years and new beginnings. It'll be great.

And Both Were Young

L'Engle, Madeleine. And Both Were Young.
Pictures in the library yesterday made it impossible for me to see many students-- t hey literally could not get in! I read book reviews all day and reserved almost 50 items from my local library. I was very surprised to see that Farrar Straus and Giroux issued a new edition in 2010. The book was originally published in 1949, and L'Engle updated the story in 1983, which is the copy I was able to pull from my library shelves.

Flip's (Phillipa) father is a famous artist who travels the globe; her mother passed away in an auto accident a year ago. At the insistence of a female friend (who also jaunts around Europe regularly), Flip is sent to a boarding school in Switzerland. Always quiet and withdrawn, and now suffering from the separation from her family, Flip finds it hard to fit in with the girls, but meets Paul, who is staying with his father not far from the school, and the two have a tentative romance. Flip takes up skiing, finds a flair for drawing, and slowly comes to terms with the current state of her life.

This has to be pushed as historical fiction-- Paul has been adopted because he was found abandoned after "the war", and his parents have been killed in the concentration camps. One girl lost her front teeth in the Blitz. This is based on L'Engle's own experiences during this period of time. The note about the update mentions that the 1949 version was much tamer in regards to mentions of death and sex, but 1983 standards are still miles away from what is acceptable today, and students will not blink over the few chaste kisses or the mention that the father's girlfriends "lust" after the father, which seemed a strange interpolation.

I doubt I would buy a new copy of this, but I'll certainly hold on to my old copy, even though it doesn't see a lot of circulation.

Song for a Teenage Nomad

Culbertson, Kim. Songs for a Teenage Nomad.

Advanced Readers' Copy provided by Sourcebooks.

Calle has a difficult life. Her pretty but flighty mother keeps moving them from town to town, usually to follow a new boyfriend or husband. Calle has become adept at changing schools, but longs for stability as well as for her father, who left when she was a baby. To cope, she filters her experiences through a variety of music, which is described at the beginning of each chapter. When she ends up in Andreas Bay, she makes friends and begins to enjoy the community, but staying there is put into jeopardy when she finds that her father has located her, and his story differs from her mother's.

This novel deftly explores the search for identity that all teens experience, and adds the challenge of finding out who you are when there are obstacles in the way. Calle is sympathetically written, and her success in finding a peer group is realistically portrayed. The writing is descriptive and lyrical. This is more of a high school book, not because of any content, but because of the reflective tone and pace of the story. Readers who like problem novels or bildungsroman will find this an enjoyable addition to this genre.

The only thing that didn't resonate with me was the music. It was an odd pastiche of old and new songs, and most teenagers might not be familiar with many of them. On the plus side, it might encourage them to research the artists mentioned.

Limited blogging

The union to which I am required to belong is currently working without a contract. Because there are apparently difficulties in negotiations, the union is asking that we "work to the rule". For me, this means coming in two and a half hours later than usual, at 7:30, and leaving promptly at 3:10. We are also not supposed to work at home outside of these hours.

This is difficult for me. When I asked the union reps if they thought I could still read and blog, they said that I could.

At first I was relieved, but then it occurred to me that the union does not, therefore, consider the three or more hours I read young adult literature at home work. I do not grade, I don't have lesson plans, but this does not mean I go home at the end of the day with nothing to do.

There are a few ARCs that I need to review in a timely manner, but the additional wrinkle is that my home computer is still in the shop. I do not read or blog during contract time (this is a bit of my 30 minute lunch I was not able to take earlier) even though it is necessary to my job.

Please hope that this issue will resolve itself quickly.

Summer Intervention Books

I have a hard time critiquing books for younger students, so the books that are housed in my library for the reading help program don't thrill me. Some of them are so young that I think I will try to place them at an elementary school. It is interesting to see what is out there for beginning readers.


Krull, Kathleen. Houdini: The World's Greatest Mystery Man and Escape King.
This author has a variety of biographies, all of which are well-researched and compelling, but I always try to read them first, because some, like this one, are much too short for my students. This book would be a good way to get elementary students interested in biographies, and I learned a lot of interesting facts about Houdini's life and his act, which was even more interesting after having read Paul Adam's Max Cassidy: Escape From Shadow Island. I do like this author's Marie Curie biography.



Kennedy, Marge. See Inside the White House; Pets at the White House.
These are on a second grade reading level, and do not provide any more than an introduction to the white house. The pictures are good, and the text is clear, with pronunciation of key words, but as my 7th grader put it, "These look like Dora the Explorer."



Mochizuki, Ken. Be Water, My Friend: The Early Years of Bruce Lee.
I was a little confused as to why this was purchased-- Lee died almost 40 years ago and didn't have a huge body of work, especially one with which your average ten year old might be familiar. The text is fine; Lee's early difficulties with employment are covered, as is a lot of philosophy of martial arts. The pictures, all in sepia tones, seemed muddy to me.



Weeks, Jan. Let Toby Lane Play Goalie.
This is a "Read-It! Chapter Book" from Picture Window Books, a division of Capstone. I like some of their fiction, like the David Mortimore Baxter series, but the drawings in this one were... not attractive. Not only that, but they depicted teenagers, and the book is really not low level, high interest. The story, about a boy whose school is playing soccer, is a little odd-- after not meeting success as goalie, Toby meets a retired soccer star who moves to his town and gets some tips from him... and then the star abruptly dies. This was first published in Australia. Perhaps younger students will like this one, but it did not do much for me.

Mockingjay

Collins, Suzanne. Mockingjay.
It's official. My soul has died, my mojo is gone. I had a copy of Mockingjay that someone loaned to me, so I couldn't loan it to anyone else, and I actually fell asleep reading it. On the front porch. At 2 p.m. Sitting up.

The reviews I have seen of this book have all been positive; it has been hailed as the best book in the trilogy. The writing was fine, the story progressed well enough, and the ending, while a bit contrived, seemed to make sense. So why did I have such trouble finishing it? I stopped liking Katniss. Peeta appeared very seldom, and when he did, he was altered. Gale didn't fight hard enough for Katniss. The prep team, the Capitol, Alma Coin-- everyone seemed to become annoying to me. The rebellion stopped making sense, somehow.

Will work this week at finding mojo. It is no doubt in the same box with my rubber bands. Here are some people who did not have to fight unconsciousness to finish the book, and who provide much nicer reviews:

At Your Library
The Book Aunt
A Book Dork
Book Nut
Katie's Book Blog
Maw Book Blog
One Librarian's Book Reviews

Okay. Evil Giggle.

I have been thinking about getting an E Book reader for myself, but have hesitated because I never spend money on books for myself, so it's worthless until I can check E Books out of the library. So I was delighted by the Wall Street Journal article on e book readers.

Nevermind that fact that I have books on the shelf that were here when the building was built in 1969 (The Black Pearl by Scott O'Dell, most notably). Do we have any technology from 1969 that still works?

Actually, a record player and an opaque projector. Let me see if I can get a student to listen to the record version of Wrinkle in Time today.

Later: And I am NOT making this up. Would you believe that one of the 6th graders, without any help at all from me, found the VERY COPY that I referenced this morning and brought it up to the check out in all its rebound glory? I opened it to show her the accession date that was stamped on the title page-- August 1969. I know she didn't read my blog because we are still operating without computers!

A little comfort reading

Atwater, Richard and Florence. Mr. Popper's Penguins. (1938)
Mr. Popper is a house painter and decorator whose work is over for the summer. Since he doesn't have another job, he spends his time reading about his biggest interest, the South Pole. He has even written to Admiral Drake, who is conducting expeditions there. After receiving a letter about how much Mr. Popper admires the penguins native to the area, Drake sends one to Mr. Popper! Accommodations are made to keep the penguin happy and healthy, but they are not enough. A zoo sends another ailing penguin to the Popper menagerie, and both penguins perk up enough to have ten baby penguins. The cellar is converted to a snowy playground for them, and the dozen show uncanny abilities to perform, so Mr. Popper takes them on the road to tour a variety of Vaudeville theaters. Comical complications ensue, and in the end, Mr. Popper gets to realize his dream of traveling to the South Pole.

I picked this up because I read in the paper that it was being turned into a movie with Jim Carey, who will play a wealthy New York businessman who gets six penguins in the mail and has his life thrown into chaos. This spin on the book is disappointing, because the most charming thing, to me, was the way in which the Depression Era Mrs. Popper was inured to the lack of money Mr. Popper brought in. She's not even sad when he goes off to the South Pole, because they now have plenty of money and she won't have to sweep around him during the day. Given the economic climate, bringing in the detail of an out-of-work man scrimping so he can feed the penguins canned shrimp would have been a nice touch.

This book, like The Trolley Car Family (read a nice review at Sarah's Book Journal), Gates' Blue Willow, Sorensen's Miracles on Maple Hill or Robert McCloskey's Homer Price have always delighted me with their depictions of every day life as it was when the books were written. Iceboxes, going to town in a wagon drawn by a horse, and in the case of Mr. Popper's Penguins, the great illustrations of women carrying grocery bags while dressed in heels, hats, and impressive overcoats, are all details that children no longer know about. Actually, a movie SET during the Great Depression would be wonderful-- true to the book and would give students some historical reference, and perhaps some pointers for how to survive a difficult economic climate!

Caleb's Choice

Wisler, G. Clifton. Caleb's Choice (1996; available in paperback and prebind)
Caleb has a privileged life until his father's bad financial decisions cause his family to lose their home in Galveston, Texas in 1858. He and his mother first travel to stay with an aunt, but when Caleb's cousins give him a rough time and his aunt doesn't want him around, he is sent to his father's parents. While there, he is almost drowned on the river, but saved and nursed back to health by a black man. When he later finds out that his grandmother and cousins are helping fugitive slaves escape, he must decide whether or not he will help them, despite the danger.

This was a rather slow-paced book, and the 90's cover art has made it a hard sell. However, students who enjoy historical fiction (and I have a lot of new 6th graders who do), will enjoy the rich details of every day life during this time period.

This summer I spent a lot of time working in the library and doing library things at home, but I was a little surprised at how much time I spent when I went back through my date book.

Planning and putting the library back together: 50 hours
Interviews and meetings: 10 hours
Helping with cross country: 23 hours
Volunteer hours donated by members of the community, doing work that I would need to do: 30 hours
Reading,working on book orders, blogging: 250 hours

Would I spend the time reading if I weren't a middle school librarian? Probably, but I wouldn't read exclusively young adult and middle grade books. And if I didn't read so much, how would I do my job?

I also spent at least $200 on books and $100 on supplies for the library.

Brennan's The Demon's Covenant

Brennan, Sarah Rees. The Demon's Covenant.

I am just not going to do justice to the sequel to the fabulous The Demon's Lexicon. It continues the story of Mae and Jamie, a brother and sister with magical powers. Jamie is being pursued by the magician Gerald, who wants to recruit him for his magical circle. Brothers Alex and Nick have troubles of their own-- Nick is a demon who could destroy the whole world if he wanted, but his human brother keeps him in check. The thing that I liked best is that the characters are multifaceted, and good and evil are blurred. Hadn't thought to recommend this to the fans of Delaney's The Last Apprentice, but will do so today. The first book is very popular.

Again, the writing in this is clever and suspenseful, and I was confused only because it's the start of the school year and I can't find anything in my new library! This is perfectly appropriate for middle school students. It's the second book in a projected trilogy. I will eagerly await the third, and hope that Brennan continues to write!

Speaking of trilogies, I do NOT have a copy of Mockingjay. Sigh.

More pictures. New libraries are like new babies-- everyone thinks they are cute, but they keep you up and night and dramatically impact your day-to-day routine! Here's the circ desk, then a view of the fiction shelves from the circ desk. Need to fill up the rounder with recommendations! There are a few things that still need to be put in place, but it's about 90% finished. Well, and there are no computers! The students who have been in so far seem to be pleased with how it looks, and there have been no complaints yet about how far down the books are shelved.

I fear for the pale blue chairs, which will move where the rounder is after the inspection so that they will be in Nerf gun range of the circ desk. My biggest challenge today is to get all the wires under control at circ-- this is also where students need to check out, and I fear for the health of my scanner! It will also be interesting to see how well it works for me to sit down while I check out books.

Invisible Girl

Stone, Mary Hanlon. Invisible Girl.
Stephanie lives in Boston with her alcoholic, abusive mother and her passive, ineffective father. After a particularly brutal beating, Stephanie's mother leaves the family. It is decided that Stephanie should go live with family friends out in California. The difficult part? The family is very wealthy, and the daughter, Annie, who is Stephanie's age hangs out with a group of friends that are right out of The Clique. The arrival of the beautiful and exotic Amal threatens Annie-- the boys like her better, so Annie and her friends feel a need to torture her. Stephanie is also not treated well, so she and Amal become friends. There are some very nice multicultural moments (Amal's family is Egyptian and Muslim), and Stephanie takes great comfort in Amal's mother, who is so different from her own.

This was a very good twist on the novels lately that concentrate on privileged students in private schools, who wear designer clothes. Stephanie's difficulties in fitting in and dealing with her situation are achingly realistic. Picky Reader will love this one, as will many students who are torn between problem novels and books about wealthy families.

Sorry no cover-- I'm on a netbook again because the wiring for the computers in the library is not completely done. Carpet is also supposed to arrive today. Students arrive tomorrow, and I will see all 200 and some 6th graders!

Girl Power!

Cassidy, Kay. The Cinderella Society.

Picked up this title at an author signing earlier this summer and saved it for a treat. I was not disappointed. Jess is new to her school, and having some trouble fitting in. However, she is asked to join the Cinderella Society, a group of popular girls who use their powers for good, rather than evil, unlike the Wickeds, who are popular and torture "reggies", the regular students. It is soon discovered that the society is a worldwide group composed of very powerful women, including Jess's grandmother. While a little heavy on the makeover and clothing description, the girl power message is a good one, and the back of the book lists resources for girl empowerment. There is a sequel planned, and I hope to see Jess become even stronger. (She was just a little too dependent on her boyfriend, and the attention to appearance, as important as it is to middle school girls, could have been downplayed a bit. I live by the credo "Useful, not decorative." But then, I'm old.)

Kay Cassidy has a great website, and once the dust settles (literally!) in my library, I want to check out her Great Scavenger Hunt Contest. It looks intriguing.

  Tahmaseb, Charity and Vance, Darcy. The Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading.

Bethany is an even more intriguing strong girl than Jess. She is a self-proclaimed "geek" who is encouraged to try out for cheerleading with her friend Moni-- and both girl's make the squad. This angers former cheerleaders who were kicked off the squad after an alcohol-related accident, so all does not go smoothly. To complicate matters, Bethany's crush, the "girlproof" Jack, starts to pay attention to her. This was a wonderfully realistic depiction of high school life. The different social groups ring true, the geeks are empowered, and Bethany strikes a good balance between her cheerleading and her geekdom. The romance is very sweet. My teen daughter picked this one up and is loving it. Caution: Suitable for middle school (there is drinking, but Bethany doesn't partake), but there is in the back the first chapter of a book entitled Giving Up the V that is not.

Meminger, Neesha. Shine, Coconut Moon.

Samar and her mother have always downplayed their ethnicity-- Sam's mother felt stifled by the customs of her Sikh parents and rebelled, so Sam has never thought much of her East Asian roots. After 9/11, her estranged uncle shows up-- wearing a turban. For the first time, Sam begins to be curious about her grandparents and the traditions of a culture she has never investigated. This is difficult for her best friend and boyfriend, who have never thought of her as anything but American, and for her mother, who is still not comfortable with religion or Sam's grandparents. I really enjoyed this book, but it is more of a high school title, between the drinking and sexual content. It also is more introspective than middle schoolers, in general, tend to be. I would love to see a middle school title from this author.

Almost there!

Here is the new circulation desk! All in place except for internet access, but I have a netbook set up. The security gate is not in yet, but the reference materials are all ready to roll, and we'll be open for check out the first day (this Wednesday). All of the 6th graders are scheduled to come in (219?) and I'll try to get books to study hall students when possible.





Do like the 4' high shelves because I can see over the top! The books are a little low-- if you recall, when I polled students, they wanted one row of books all around the library at their eye level, which would have given us a very interesting looking library. We are working on reshelving books that were out to a summer program, and the shelves are not quite in the right order, but again; ready to roll.





The rest of the library... not so much. There was a problem obtaining all of the carpet, hence the temporary gray. I am hoping that will be installed today or tomorrow so that we can get the tables in place and the chairs brough in from the cafeteria. The nonfiction is along the walls (also to the left in the picture), and the fiction is all on finished carpet, so that is a big plus.

Computers may be awhile, which will make research projects a bit challenging, but I'm sure it won't be long.

Books are on the shelves!!!

Starting Monday, August 23rd, I hope to be back in full force, with pictures of my new library! I still don't have my home computer back, and yesterday was spent putting the library back in order, although the final carpet doesn't come until today.

I will see every student in the school in three days next week. Woo hoo! It's the most wonderful time of the year! I love getting books to students, especially since many of them didn't have much to read over the summer.

Moxie and Max

Kimmel, Elizabeth Cody. The Reinvention of Moxie Roosevelt.

A slam-dunk for Kimmel! What is the main concern of middle school students? Who ARE they. Moxie is given a chance to change her quiet, piano playing persona when she transfers to a boarding school because she would have to travel so far from her rural Maine home to attend high school. She has several ideas for the kind of person she wants to be-- unfortunately she doesn't settle on just one, leading to some confusion and bad feelings when her stories are brought to light. While the ending was a little pat, I loved all the characters, I loved Moxie's approach, and the comic timing and pacing was great. Fans of Kimmel's Lily B. will like this new character, and I hope we see more of her.

Adam, Paul. Max Cassidy: Escape From Shadow Island.
You think you have problems? Max's father, a famous escape artist, was killed in Santo Domingo after performing at a ritzy resort... and Max's mother was arrested and sentenced to jail for his murder. His father's assistant, Consuela, is raising him, and Max earns his living performing his own escape act. When a man comes and tells him that his father is still alive, and this man is later found murdered, Max and Consuela travel to Santo Domingo to try to solve the mystery and absolve Max's mother. Max's abilities to pick locks and free himself from handcuffs are underutilized, but he does manage to shed some light on the mystery and shut down the evil shadow island. More books are certainly on the way. The first chapter of this was fabulous; the rest of the book didn't quite live up to it, but is well worth reading for fans of adventure series.

Random Books

Computer at home still in the shop; no shelves in the library yet; school starts in a week. Whee! Excitement everywhere we look. Also exciting-- my budget is being "temporarily" cut 75%. Since most budget cuts tend to be permanent, I'm going to become extremely discerning.

Here's a brief take on a big pile of books I've been meaning to get to.

Holt, Kimberly Willis. The Water Seeker.
Historical books will be the first thing I stop buying. This book, set in 1859, didn't have anything to add to the curriculum.

Moriarty, Jaclyn. The Ghosts of Ashbury High.
This looked intriguing, but I found it oddly written and hard to follow. Could just be my problems with Australian books.

Kent, Rose. Rocky Road.
A little too quirky, a little too much dysfunctional mother, not as much happening. Any books with candy or ice cream on the cover should be happy.

Vail, Rachel. Brilliant.
The third book after Lucky and Gorgeous returned to reality (Gorgeous had a possessed cell phone that confused me); I liked this but it may be too high school.

Gherman, Beverly. Sparky: The Life and Art of Charles Schulz.
This was a very good biography of the author of the Peanuts comic strip. I will buy this for my biography section because is was well illustrated and hit the high points of his life and career. My only dislike was the white print on many colored pages. Kids will like that.

Cohagen, Carolyn. The Lost Children.
Waaaay too quirky for me, although Picky Reader wants to look at it. First sentence: "Josephine owned 387 pairs of gloves. She had them in wool and cotton and silk. She had them in plaid and paisley and print. She even had a pair that had been made from the fur of an albino sloth." Okay. It just got stranger. Maybe for 4th or 5th graders-- it has a Snicketesque ring.

Mitchard, Jacquelyn. The Midnight Twins, Watch for Me By Moonlight.
This usually adult author didn't seem to change her tone for YA. The books have a lot of detail that didn't advance the story. Maybe high school.

Mucci, Tim and Caldwell, Ben. Homer's Odyssey.
This Sterling Publications graphic novel adaptation is okay. Since many of my students who love graphic novels have problems with print, I would have liked to see some cleaner lines and easier to read font, but the treatment is good. Migh buy.

O'Connor, George. Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess.
Liked this one better. Easier to follow, still good treatment of the mythology, nice hard cover that will hold up better. The first book in this series is on Zeus.

Cushman, Karen. Alchemy and Meggy Swann.
Sometimes need books on this historical period, but the author's other books were more intriguing. May pass.

Jones, Marcia. Ratfink.
This was definitely for younger students. Logan is entering 5th grade, and many of his concerns are not reflective of 6th graders in middle school. Jones' coauthored The Bailey School Kids Books, which are oddly popular at my school, so I was disappointed.

Lipsyte, Robert. Center Field.
Read some negative reviews of this one, but I liked it. It was a bit more high school, but I admired the main character and if I hadn't bought a ton of baseball books in the last few years, I would have gotten it immediately. Love Lipsyte.

Gleitzman, Morris. Once.
This was an oddly intriguing Holocaust book, and I might consider buying it even though it does not end up in the camps, which my 8th grade teachers usually require. It follows an young boy as he manages to stay out of the camps.

Sylvester, Kevin. Neil Flambe and The Marco Polo Murders.
This looked intriguing, but it was goofy in an elementary way rather than a middle school way, and I think I will pass.

Traveling to different places and times.

Cowley, Marjorie. The Golden Bull.
Because of the severe drought and accompanying famine in Mesopotamia in 2600 BC, Jomar is sent to be apprenticed to a goldsmith. His sister Zefa, a talented singer and lyre player, is sent with him. The two run into numerous problems, especially finding a place for Zefa to stay. Jomar learns his trade and is involved in creating a special piece of artwork for the local temple, despite these problems. This book had many good depictions of every day life in ancient Mesopotamia, which is wonderful since this area is covered in our sixth grade curriculum, and there are very few books written about it. My only quibble is that the book tends toward being a bit dry. Still, a good book to have.


Perkins, Mitali. Bamboo People.
Add this book to the list containing Sheth's Boys without Names and D'Adamo's
Iqbal for students who need a dose of how lucky they are to live in the US! Studious Chiko responds to an advertisement for teachers in Burma, knowing that it might be a trap to get conscripts for the army. It is, and he is sent to train to fight for the Burmese army against the local tribes. The army is harsh, and Chiko survives the best he can, helping others when possible and taking advantage of his own abilities to read and write. When Chiko is injured, he is healed and taken in by a member of the Karenni tribe. Tu Reh doesn't want to help Chiko, but doesn't feel right letting him die. This is an excellent tale of people from different factions getting along in desperate circumstances, and paints a vivid picture of life in Burma that may be unfamiliar to the majority of people.

Delaney, Joseph. A Coven of Witches.
This is another collection of short stories, much like The Spook's Tale and Other Horrors. It's from the point of view of several witches that show up in the tales and was perfectly fine. I was just disappointed because I want to read the continuing story, but will have to wait for Rise of the Huntress (August 17th!) and Rage of the Fallen (April 19, 2011). Book six was so wonderful that waiting for the next book is just painful!

Update on library-- shelves go in on Monday the 16th. The circulation desk is getting electricity as I type. It's a harrowing process, the whole thing, and it is making me an unpleasant person. I'm just glad that there won't be an occasion to redo the library again before I retire in 2038! Whew!

Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising

Henderson, Jason. Vampire Rising.

Since I am weary of all things vampire, this book stayed on my shelf for quite some time. What a mistake! It is the perfect book for students who have read all of the Darren Shan Cirque du Freak books and are wanting something new.

Alex was kicked out of his boarding school for beating up a classmate, so is sent to Glenarvon Academy on the shores of Lake Geneva. He has a hard time fitting in and sleeping, and starts to take walks at night... and ends up fighting off vampires! When his language arts class starts studying Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, he finds out that her group of writers met very near to the school. When he's attacked again on a midnight outing and rescued by his language arts teacher, he finds out that he really is a descendant of the famous vampire hunter Van Helsing, a fact that his parents have hidden from him. One especially evil vampire, known as the Icemaker, is after Alex, and intent on grasping more power by raising a vampire bride. Only Alex has the ability, and the guts, to stop him.

Oh, what a difference between this and Theo Boone! Compare the first sentences for each:

"Alex Van Helsing ran. He ran instantly and without a second thought in the direction of the scream, bursting from the side of the road into the trees as fast as his legs could move, rubber soles churning against the soft earth and leaves slick with dew."

"Theodore Boone was an only child and for that reason usually had breakfast alone. His father, a busy lawyer, was in the habit of leaving early and meeting friends for coffee and gossip at the same down town diner every morning at seven."

Which one will make a student want to find out more?

This is Jason Henderson's first young adult novel, and I must say, it is the strongest entry I have seen in a long time. Alex has been trained to hunt vampires but doesn't know that is why his father has had him participate in all of these activities. There are great laugh-out-loud lines, like "pep rally for the damned". Alex evolves as a person, the supporting characters, both good and evil, are well-drawn and compelling. The action is nicely balanced with back story. Drawing in the story of the creation of Frankenstein is inspired.

Really. Wow! Definitely buying two copies of this title, and it will never be on the shelves. Make sure you visit Alex Van Helsing: The Blog for updates. I hope the sequel comes out soon, and I would LOVE to see Alex's sister brought into the picture.

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer

Grisham, John. Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer
Theo loves the law, but not necessarily the real estate or divorce law that his loving and involved parents practice. He loves trial law, and hangs out at the local courthouse as much as he can. Theo's town, Strattenburg, has its first murder trial going on, and Theo is enthralled. He manages to get his history class permission to watch the opening day. He thinks that the man is guilty, but knows that the state does not have enough evidence for a conviction. When a classmate's cousin comes forward to Theo with not only an eyewitness account of seeing the murderer, but also with physical evidence, it's up to Theo to get this evidence before the court without putting the witness, an illegal alien, in danger.

The more I thought about this one, the more disappointed I became. Grisham is a facile writer, and this wasn't a bad book, but I don't know that it will really speak to teenagers. There is an overabundance of description-- teens (and I!) don't really care about the 70-year-old secretary at his parents' office and her wacky clothes. A dysfunctional uncle plays a small role, but again, he didn't add much to the story. The biggest problem is that nothing happens, and that is the most frequent complaint that students have. The book starts with a lengthy depiction of Theo eating breakfast, and the witness does not come forward until halfway through the book. There are a lot of descriptions of legal problems (bankruptcy, drug busts, springing a dog from the pound), which are vaguely interesting but irrelevant to the story. The final nail in the coffin is the fact that Grisham doesn't seem to understand teens. A 13 year old boy not interested in girls, because no one in 8th grade really is? Not everyone has cell phones? And the greatest indignity-- Theo goes to his uncle, who takes him to his parents, who then take him to the judge so that Theo can present the information he has. Please. Any teen hero worth his salt would just go to the judge directly. Theo needs to take a lesson from Alex Rider and take matters into his own hands.

Bloggers who felt the same way I did:
The Book Aunt
Kim Werker
Nishita's Rants and Raves

Bloggers who liked it a little more:
Today's Adventure
Live Your Dream
With a Good Book

Forces of Nature Are Conspiring Against Me!

First, there was the storm that fried the motherboard and power supply on my home computer, even though I diligently had it plugged into a surge protector/uninterruptable power supply unit. Moral of story: If it storms, unplug everything.

Second, even though all of the books and things are back in the library, there is still temporary carpet in half of it, and no shelving anywhere. The circ desk is in place; it will just take some time to adjust to the new configuration.

I've read a few things, but since I just moved 11,000 books back into the library with on helper in four hours, I am a bit weary. Going to put the back room together and hope that shelves and computers arrive sooner rather than later.

Mermaids, Fairies, and Empaths... oh my!

Childs, Tera Lyn. Forgive My Fins.

Lily, a mermaid whose mother was human, is spending time on land, living with her aunt. She has a huge crush on swimmer Brody, and longs to tell him how she feels. She is constantly thwarted, however, by obnoxious neighbor Quince. Under the guise of helping her connect with Brody, Quince shows up in the library and kisses Lily. Lily is not only annoyed, she is now "bonded" to Quince, and must take him to visit her father, the king of Thalassinia, to have the bond revoked. Her father, however, likes Quince and refuses to do so until they go through a test. Of course, during this, Lily is able to see that she is enamored with the idea of Brody more than the actuality of him.

I'll probably buy this, but it rather annoyed me. Lily is weak in the "girl power" arts, and I wanted to slap her multiple times. Quince annoyed her so much that it was only a matter of time before they got together; does this ever end well in real life. This is one of those books, like Twilight, that points out how old and unromantic I am. The girls will probably enjoy this more than I did.


Balog, Cyn. Fairy Tale.

Morgan can tell the future, which makes her a popular person around school. Her sixteenth birthday is quickly approaching, and she's planning a big party with her boyfriend and best friend, Cam. There are complications; Cam is really a fairy child who was switched at birth and needs to return to the Otherworld on his sixteenth birthday. The human with whom he was switched, Pip, has returned from the Otherworld and is trying to make the switch easier for both his family and Morgan. This works pretty well. Cam starts to look more and more like a fairy, and Pip starts becoming more buff and attractive. It's inevitable that Cam returns to the fairy world, and it's interesting that while Cam sort of remembers their connection, fairy magic is employed and Cam is not much missed.

I thought that this was a good and realistic twist on the whole paranormal romance genre. That boyfriend of yours? Most likely gone in three months, sweetie. This is high school, and forever doesn't usually pan out the way you'd like. Morgan, however, was a little superficial, relying on Pip's looks more than his personality. This will get read; I don't think the girls will like it as much due to the lack of heart-stopping romance.

Shusterman, Neal. Bruiser.

Swimmer Bronte and her brother Tennyson have a lot going on at home; their college professor parents are too busy fighting to care about what their chidlren do. Bronte has decided to push the envelope by dating Brewster, a strange, antisocial hulk of a boy. Tennyson, much more clean cut and sporty, is concerned about his sister and checks out Brewster. He starts to understand that the boy is up against some bad odds-- he lives with a violent uncle in a run down house. What slowly comes to light is that when Brewster cares about people, such as his younger brother, Cody, he is able to absorb their injuries. This takes a huge toll on him, emotionally and physically, but he is drawn to the brother and sister despite this, which ends up having disastrous consequences.

The story is told from all three viewpoints, and Brewster's entries are done in poetry, ala Ginsberg's Howl. That I wasn't annoyed by this is a testament to how well these sections are done. This is a bit of a departure for Shusterman, veering toward the paranormal romance genre, but like all of Shusterman's work, was delightfully original. It was edgy without being inappropriate, and fans of this author will be pleased to have something to read while waiting for Everlost number 3.

Progress on the library? They are still putting on coats of paint and waiting for the carpet. I am hoping at this point to be able to get everything back IN the library by the first day of school.