Some history and some randomness

Bunting, Eve. The Pirate Captain's Daughter.
Nominated for the Cybils by Lois Hume, copy provided by Sleeping Bear Press
Catherine knows that her father is no longer a naval captain, but her ailing mother does not know that he is now a pirate. When her mother dies, 15-year-old Catherine convinces her father that she should sail with him instead of staying behind under the care of her music teacher. Cutting her hair and wearing a loose shirt, she is introduced to the pirate crew as Charlie and put to work playing flute with the rag tag crew band. William, a cabin boy, soon finds out her secret, which she does not hide well, and since women on ships spell disaster, he says he will not tell. Others find out, however, and things end badly, with her father's death and with William and Catherine being put off the ship onto a deserted island.
Strengths: Bunting is always a good story teller, and this is a decent tale of the high seas.
Weaknesses: This feels very derivative and lacking in the dash of so many other women-as-pirate adventures, of which there are so many! Catherine is rather wimpy, and not a good pirate at all.

Lynch, Chris. Vietnam: I Pledge Allegiance.
Morris and his friends Rudi, Ivan and Beck make a pact that if one of them must serve in Vietnam, they will all go. Morris is scared that they will all die, but when older Rudi is drafted, he signs up for the navy. All four boys are not overly keen on fighting, but up for the adventure and more supportive of their country's involvement in this conflict than many at the time were. Morris finds life in the Navy gritty, and finds a surprising affinity for shooting and killing. No information on the series, but I imagine that the other books will outline the other friends' experiences.
Strengths: Unlike most war books, that tell how horrible war is, this one seems to embrace it. From page 142: "The thing, finally, that makes shooting at a person feel right? It's shooting at them. Shooting a gun is the thing that convinces you of the rightness of shooting. Because it works. It solves problems, after all, right? I can feel it right this second, as the repeating action of the machine gun shakes my hands to a state of absolute numbness... I am not, for the moment, afraid."
Weaknesses: This is just what the war-mongering boys want, and exactly why I don't really want them to read it. I vastly prefer the "war is horrible" stance, but that's not really the value of our society as a whole, is it?

Barber, Ronde and Tiki, with Paul Mantell. Red Zone.
Ronde and Tiki are all set to play in the championships for their middle school team, but an epidemic of chicken pox is taking down most of the team. One after the other of the players comes down with it, including the Barber boys, who try to hide the fact and be allowed to play. In the end, a postponement makes it possible for the team to rally enough players to win. The fourth in the series. Goal Line, the fifth, is also out.
Strengths: The boys adore this series. Really, why is Paul Mantell not writing under his own name?
Weaknesses: I couldn't believe the chicken pox epidemic. It probably really happened, but in ten years, I don't think I've had a single student come down with chicken pox. If this is based on something that happened to the Barbers 20 years ago, okay, but I just couldn't get into the book because that distracted me.

Griffiths, Andy. Just Shocking and Just Stupid.
File these under things I don't understand, but The Day My Butt Went Psycho is one that the boys will check out if only for giggling over, so I got the prebinds of these. Just goofy stories and jokes, with margins cluttered with gofy illustrations. Right after I got the order in, students saw these on the catalog and wanted them. I may have to do a post on Wimpy Kid type books, even though the students who check out nine of these a day are slowly driving me mad.





Two titles that intrigued me but I just couldn't get into. Maybe they are what you need.

Towell, Katy. Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrow.
Thought this would be methadone for Snicket addicts, but I just could not get into this one. Maybe it was the misspelling in the title, or the illustrations, or the similarity to Potter's The Kneebone Boy which has not done well in my library. There are certainly others who like this.
Hippies, Beauty and Books. Oh, My!,
Rising Shadow,
Book Trends
My Book Journey



Halpern, Julie. Don't Stop Now.
From the publisher: "Recent high school graduates Lil and Josh leave Illinois for Oregon seeking Lil's sort-of friend Penny, who faked her own kidnapping to escape problems at home and an abusive boyfriend, but Lil also wants to find out if she and Josh are meant to be more than friends. "

Honestly, I think the big thing that made me stop reading were the repeated descriptions of Josh's poor hygiene and the overly morose demeanor of Penny. Middle schoolers who want romance want something a little lighter. People who liked this included:

Secrets and Sharing Soda, The Book Scoop, GreenBean TeenQueen, and Girls in the Stacks.

And I have to laugh. Inside Out and Back Again won the National Book Award. My comment was that since none of my students would ask for something like that, it would win the Newbery. There's still time. ***Sigh***

On Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street

Rocklin, Joanne. One Day and One Amazing Morning On Orange Street.

Nominated for the Cybils by Katie Ahearn

Orange Street was so named because years ago the site was an orange grove, but now it is a small housing development with a variety of people living there. Only one tree remains in a vacant lot, and it is in danger of being cut down. Mrs. Snoops (aka Ethel Finneymaker) is an older woman who has lived there since childhood but who is sinking into dementia. Ali is a young girl interested in the history of the neighborhood who is struggling with her brother Edgar's illness, which requires him to have Manny, a nanny. Leandra is upset that her parents are having another baby, even though it means that her grandparents have moved in with the family. Robert, a budding magician, likes Ali. Everyone in the neighborhood is upset when a mysterious stranger, who turns out to have grown up in the neighborhood and is behind the threats to the tree. The story takes place during a little over a day, and is told from alternating viewpoints of everyone in the neighborhood, including the tree, a dog, and a cat.
Strengths: I liked that the children all got to hang out and have adventures, digging things up in the vacant lot. Readers who enjoyed It Happened on Fox Street will enjoy another strong neighborhood.

Weaknesses: While this is very well written and intriguing, the plot is weak compared to the character development. Nothing major happens, which is always a big complaint in middle school. Adults will love this one.

Rud, Jeff. Paralyzed.

Reggie is hit by another player in a football game but manages to make his interception, but afterwards the player who hit him, Nate, does not get up off the field. He ends up in the hospital paralyzed because he hit Reggie with his helmet, not an approved move. Reggie feels bad and wonders if he did anything to contribute to the injury. When he goes to the hospital to check on Nate, Nate's mother screams at him that it is his fault and he shouldn't come back. Reggie starts to be overly cautious on the field, and the decision is made to have him go to counseling and sit out a few games, but this coincides with a newspaper report that he has been suspended, as well as a school hearing about the accident. Will Nate get better? Will Reggie be able to play again without fear of hurting someone.

Strengths: Rud does an excellent job with giving not only good play-by-plays but discussing sports psychology on a level that middle school students can understand. I have just the student waiting for this one!

Weaknesses: I wish that Rud would write longer books that are not hi/lo. The prose is overly simple in some instances, but the stories are so good!

Bossley, Michele Martin. Kicker.

Izzy and Julia spend a lot of time in the town park playing soccer, but after they receive threats and the park is closed due to vandalism and possible chemical contamination, the girls are suspicious. They start an investigation into the woman who donated the land to the park, as well as her descendants, one of who is trying to buy the land back. They uncover a link to a famous Canadian robbery, and start to think that there might be treasure buried at the park. This, however, does not solve the mystery of the threatening texts and notes that are undermining their playing, so they have to solve that as well.

Strengths: Another excellent Orca title, and I love how it also incorporates a mystery. I have had a lot of girls asking for soccer books, so I have been trying to add a number to the collection.

Weaknesses: Again, the more simple language occasionally sounds clunkier than I would like.

Happy Haulidays from Chronicle Books

Hop over to the Chronicle Books Web Site to check out their Happy Haulidays contest. The Charity I would choose would be the Blendon Middle School library; 90% of the books I buy end up there anyway!

Here are the books I would choose to donate. So let's see what fun stuff we'd add: When you comment, you have a chance to win if I do.

Timeslip Tuesday

This is an occasional feature at Charlotte's Library, where I also learned of Double Spell.

Lunn, Janet. Double Spell. (1968)
Twins Jane and Elizabeth get to move to a big, rambling house in Toronto when there great aunt falls and can no longer live there. When they happen into an antique store one day, they are both strangely drawn to an old doll, which the owner reluctantly sells to them for a very low price. The girls start having the same dreams about the doll, and research the doll and the house and people that appear in their dream. This leads them to a family connection, and the two manage to put a troubled spirit to rest.
Strengths: *Sigh* Very much enjoyed this. Modern literature is sorely lacking in children who move into big, Victorian houses for the summer and manage to have adventures because there's nothing else to do! (In fact, this would explain why I adored Frozen in Time so much!) I was pleased when a new copy of this wsa checked out right away.
Weaknesses: The cover, and the fact that there's little action, but since I just had yet another girl who adored Edwards' Mandy, I don't feel sorry about buying it!

Skye, Obert. Wonkenstein: The Creature From My Closet.
Robert has a very messy closet with a bizarre doorknob with a creepy man's face on it. When an odd, tiny man who talks a lot about candy comes out of the closet and starts to cause trouble, Robert and his friends (as well as his annoying little brother Tuffin) have to limit the damage and hide the man from his parents. Their adventures take them into the "creepy" house on their block where they witness their neighbor's toes grow, to the library where they try to do research on the man, and to a school poetry reading where Robert gets up the nerve (with the man in a backpack on his back) to read a poem and impress a girl. The adventures are not over... in the last chapter, we see that the closet has conjured up another creature, Potterwookie.
Strengths: This is a first for the Wimpy Kid type handlettered novel with plentiful drawings-- a fantasty. Fans of this author's Leven Thumps series will be pleased, and the cover alone will cause this to be picked up frequently.
Weaknesses: I didn't like Robert, or any of the characters in the book, and the suspension of disbelief necessary to believe that creatures came from Robert's closet was difficult. I felt as if I were missing an explanation somewhere.

Nonfiction Monday, etc.

Nonfiction Monday was started by Anastasia Suen, and the round up is at Playing by the Book. Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Shannon Whitney Messenger. Lots of links to sites can be found at those places.

Krull, Kathleen. Big Wig: A Little History of Hair.
Starting with prehistory in Africa, Krull follows key developments in hair through the ages. Wigs and ungents in Egypt, Mayan skull shaping, and weird Greek and Roman cures for baldness are all quickly covered. Coming up to the present, Madame C.J. Walker, the Beatles and Dorothy Hamill get brief mentions. More brief notes follow at the end.
Strengths: Can't think of any other books about hair.
Weaknesses: This is more of a picture book, and I was disappointed. Several of the illustrations have unexplained anachronisms in them (monkeys sitting under hair dryers?) and I just wanted MORE information. I would have preferred that the notes in the end be incorporated into the body of the book at the appropriate time. The book is fine for a picture book; I was just hoping for something a little more in depth.


Ditmars, Maribeth R. The Bald-headed Princess.
Eleven-year-old Izzy, who loves to play soccer, is blindsided by a diagnosis of leukemia after she passes out at a game. Very quickly, her world narrows to the hospital, where she is getting chemotherapy, and home, since going to school might compromise her weaknened immune system. Her best friend, Lizette, doesn't even know at first about her illness, and when she returns from camp doesn't quite know how to react. Details of being in the hospital and dealing with the effects of chemotherapy make up the bulk of this book, and Izzy's reactions to the other things going on in her life are portrayed in a straightforward manner.
Strengths: Anything I can remember reading about children with cancer (except Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie, as well as the works of Lurlene McDaniel) is at least 20 years old, so this does fill a gap.
Weaknesses: There are so many details about dealing with cancer that the book almost verges on the didactic, but that's a quibble.

Stiefvater, Maggie. Forever.
Must admit that I had a hard time getting into this one, but HAD to read it before I bought it. Whose bright idea was it to name a young adult novel Forever? Does Scholastic not realize that this title makes middle school librarians hyperventilate? (Think Judy Blume.) Since Shiver and Linger had touch and go moments of appropriateness, there was no way I was going to buy this without reading it. Verdict: okay for middle school consumption, as far as I can tell. Some kissing, some mention of being with boyfriend all night, but nothing instructional. As for the plot-- Grace is a wolf, so her parents think she is missing, but when it gets warmer she comes back to Sam only to find out that Isabel's father is trying to arrange a mass shooting of wolves. Cole is experimenting with chemicals to try to "cure" the group's condition. Very lyrical writing, very teen angsty; the girls will love it. The red ink... meh. My shriveled middle aged soul is no doubt the cause of my lukewarm feelings about this.

Cinderella Smith

Barden, Stephanie. Cinderella Smith.

Nominated for the Cybils by Catherine Nichols

Josephine-Kathryn Smith, otherwise known as Cinderella because of her bad habit of losing just one shoe, is having a hard time at the start of the school year. Her best friend suddenly won't talk to her and she has to explain her name to a MAN teacher. Luckily, she makes a new friend in Erin, who is new to the school. Erin thinks that Cinderella must be an expert on evil stepsisters because of her name, so she seeks advice: her mother is getting married, and she will be getting two new college-age stepsisters. Cinderella is glad to help Erin investigate the possibility that they are evil, but she has a problem, too. In her tap class, she is up for a starring role, but she has lost one of her shiny new red tap shoes. Her former friend offers to loan her a pair but doesn't come through. Will the step sisters be evil? Will Cinderella get to dance?

Strengths: This was far better than Junie B. Jones for the third grade crowd. While we never find out what grade Cinderella is in, this would be okay for K-5 because of this ambiguity and the nice depiction of friend drama.

Weaknesses: A little precious, with the Cinderella concept, and the inclusion of a neighbor boy named Charlie Prince. Cinderella's dialogue is a bit odd, as well. She uses "alas" a lot. If the writing were slightly different, and the pictures not so young, this could have succeeded for older students as well.

Guy Friday- Parkour

I learn a lot from reading. Parkour is something that has never come across my radar, mainly because if I did it, I would break a hip. Shuffling along the sidewalk pretending to run, sure. Jumping over park benches and scaling walls, we'll leave to the young folk. Oddly, two books I picked up yesterday both dealt with this sport.

Tashjian, Janet. My Life as a Stuntboy. Illustrations by Jake Tashjian.
This sequel to the well-recieved My Life as a Book finds Derek avoiding his reading by hopping around in parks with friends, but he is the one approached to be a stuntboy. His father does storyboards for movies (they live in California), so this makes sense. Even though Derek finds himself being the stunt double for a girl his age, he enjoys the work. His friend Mike, however, is jealous and finds many different ways to bedevil Derek. Also complicating matters-- Derek is being tutored because he is still having a lot of trouble with reading, and his foster monkey (the family is training it to be an aide animal) causes some problems as well.
Strengths: Again, this looks like a full-length book but is really short. The harder vocabulary has illustrations describing it at the side. Derek is a well-developed character, and the crush on the actress adds a nice touch.
Weaknesses: Not many, but since I'm reading a book about font that just trashed one of my favorites, Comic Sans, I felt conflicted about the similar font in this. (According to this book, I'm a horrible person with no taste because I like this!) Who knew?

Daher, Anita. Two Foot Punch.
Nikki and her brother Derek are reeling after the death of their parents in a house fire that was caused by one of Derek's friends. They have moved from Toronto to live with their aunt (who is a judge) in Winnpeg. Nikki takes a lot of comfort from running parkour, and makes sure to run at the safest times. (I also feel that by 5 am, the evil drug crazed criminals are probably asleep!) She meets Rain, who is a gymnast who wants to try the sport, but things soon become complicated. Derek is kidnapped by people who want their aunt to judge a case a certain way, and Rain and Nikki put themselves in danger to save him.
Strengths: These Orca Sports short books are incredibly well done. They cover such a wide variety of sports, and include high interest problems. I will have this in the hand of a student today who needs a mystery finished by Monday! Or Picky Reader. She might actually finish this before she gets tired of it.
Weaknesses: These are very small books, so there is very little margin on the pages. Why this bothers me, I'm not sure, but the readers who pick these up are overly affected by factors like white space on a page, so I wish they would be more of a standard US paperback size.

Short Rant:
Went to a book look last night and came home with 34 hardcovers. Now, I need to process them. This is what teachers do-- spend $50 of our own money to go to a book look, spend two hours madly scribbling reviews, and then trying to get the books processed during already crowded school days that start insanely early. But it's my own fault.

Sorry, our levy went down. I have absolutely no objection to taking a pay cut-- what hurts is people saying mean things about teachers. I'd work harder if I could, but it would require living at school, and then I would be a bad parent.

Apparently, orange covers!

Ada, Alma Flor. Dancing Home.
Nominated for the Cybils by Lalitha Nataraj
Margie has just managed to convince her classmates that she is NOT Mexican, even though her parents are from that country, when her cousin Lupe comes from Mexico to live with her family because Lupe's father has not been heard from. Lupe wears a fancy, homemade dress on the first day, doesn't look the teacher in the eye, and doesn't speak Spanish. Margie is supposed to help Lupe in class but claims that she doesn't know enough Spanish to do so because she is, after all, American. This doesn't stop boys in her class from making fun of her. Lupe has a hard time with her new home-- she misses her family and is overwhelmed by how much students in the US have and how ungrateful they are for their advantages. Margie makes friends with a new girl whose family is also of Hispanic descent, Lupe gets involved with a folk dancing group, and the two eventually make peace with the changes in their lives.

Strengths: An excellent description of how difficult it must be for immigrant children to adjust to life in the US, but has a nice twist of the second generation Margie wanting to put her heritage behind her.
Weaknesses: This looks much younger than it is: Lupe's family problems are made clear in the last part of the book, and involve a father who has forgotten his first family while in the US and started a second one, which might be harder for younger students.

Boelts, Maribeth. The PS Brothers.
Shawn and Russell don't have easy lives-- Russell lives with uncle after his mother's death and father's incarceration, and Shawn has a huge family. The two really want a dog, and try to figure out a way to earn $200 to buy a Rottweiler puppy. They come up with the idea of pooper scooping and set up a business (hence the title of the book). They slowly earn their money but start to realize that the man who is breeding the puppies is up to no good and involving dogs in illegal fighting rings. With the help of a supportive librarian, Russell and Shawn are able to bring the man to the attention of the police, and in doing so Russell's uncle realizes that he should take better care of the boy.
Strengths: Some fabulous lines ("The guy looked like he could be Jesus' evil twin.", page 16), an interesting premise (wanting dog and working toward it), some mystery, and well developed boys from a background not often depicted in children's literature. I will be looking for more from this author. Very good eye for what boys want!
Weaknesses: The cartoony cover might turn off 8th graders, who will really like this. Did see one with a photo cover of a dog, and wish I had that one instead.

Ford, Christopher. Stickman Odyssey: An Epic Doodle. Book I.
Must admit to being slightly confused. This is not a doodle/stick person version of the Odyssey; it is a retelling of an Odyssey type tale about an ancient Greek stick man, Zozimos, who is trying to get back to Stithica. Once I understood that, it was an interesting twist on the sorts of things that ancient epics liked to include: monsters (including golems), beautiful but wicked women, lots of travel. Students who have a basic understanding of the Odyssey or Greek history will have a deeper understanding of the humor; other students will just find the graphic novel format appealing. Homer himself would be pleased; this book does what the ancients did best, which was retelling others' tale to suit themselves!




Wood, Douglas. Franklin and Winston: A Christmas That Changed the World.
I don't often look at picture books, but this was so intriguing-- in December of 1941, Churchill came to spend time with Roosevelt while they discussed plans for how their two countries should proceed during the war. The two men apparently got along famously (there are whole adults books on their friendship!), and it was an interesting facet of history of which I was mostly unaware. I gave this to a history teacher to read during SSR, and he expressed a desire to some day have prints of the illustrations hanging in his den, since Barry Moser's illustrations (based on photos) are so appealing. Can't justify purchasing for middle school, but would be great to have for elementary.

Shorter Books

Rock, Nora. Fly Away.
Marnie is asked to be a flyer on her competitive cheerleading team after one of her teammates is injured. Matters become even more complicated when Marnie's boyfriend of two years is cold and distant, and the other girls on the team doubt Marnie's ability. Marnie's best friend (and team captain) Arielle is also acting strangely, and when the team travels to Toronto for a competition, Arielle disappears, leaving the team shaken and unable to compete effectively. Marnie knows something is up, so delves into Arielle's art interests and realizes that she has run away and is most likely with a creepy art "benefactor" who is passing Arielle's work off as his own. Can Marnie make things right for herself, her team and her friend?
Strengths: For a hi/lo book, this is very complex, and the writing is smooth. I will definitely be able to circulate this frequently. The cheerleading details are good as well.
Weaknesses: The book ended very abruptly, as if the author hit a page limit and just quit writing.


Robins, Eleanor. The Library Book Mystery.
Lin is working on a science project on an unusual topic. The public library doesn't have any books, and the teacher is not letting the students do internet research, so when she finds a book in the school library, she is very relieved. After working on the project in class, the book goes missing, and she suspects that Chandra has taken it. Her friend Willow, who volunteers in the public library, helps Lin locate the book-- Chandra has said that the book is somewhere they won't look for it, and (highlight to see text if you don't mind spoiling the surprise) the book has been put back on the shelf without having been checked in! Definitely has happened!

Strengths: This is part of the Carter High series by Saddleback and is a very low lever reader. This will be good for my struggling 8th graders who need a short mystery book.
Weaknesses: I don't remember the writing being so choppy in other books in this series, but this was painful. As if low level readers can't handle commas. For anything. Ever. (page 15: "Lin would have to find a book at the school library. Or she would have to write about something else. And she didn't want to do that." So many sentences started with "and" and clearly should have had commas. I'm sure there was some reason for doing this, but I don't think it was necessary.

Eddie's War

Saller, Carol Fisher. Eddie's War.
Nominated for the Cybils by Elizabeth Fama.

Eddie lives on a farm in a small midwestern town. He experiences life, some death, and meets a Gypsy gentleman from Poland at the library, where the two read newspapers. Jozef is trying to find mention of his town because of the approaching war. After Pearl Harbor, many local boys join up, including Eddie's brother Thomas, to whom Eddie writes. When a nearby farm burns, Jozef is arrested because one of his silver buttons is found at the site, but Eddie eventually finds out who the true culprit is. Eddie also has a budding romance with a girl from his school.

Strengths: This is a novel in verse, and at least it scans like poetry. While there is no rhyming, the lines all sound more like poetry than most novels in verse. This is a good depiction of home front life during WWII.
Weaknesses: Again, my students never want home front stories; they want the fighting. The style and subject matter struck me as something that would appeal more to people my father's age.

Words in the Dust

Reedy, Trent. Words in the Dust.
Nominated for the Cybils by Greg Leitich Smith

Zulaikha lives in a small town in Afghanistan and has many challenges-- she has a cleft lip, her mother has died and her stepmother makes her work very hard, and her father struggles to keep the family going. Her older sister Zeynab is about to be married to a much older man. Things improve when members of the American army offer to fix Zulaikha's lip, but it is difficult to arrange this with the wedding. When a teacher of her mother's starts to teach Zulaikha to read and appreciate poetry, she starts to realize that she may not have to stay in the narrow and difficult world of her family.

Strengths: The day-to-day details of life in Afghanistan are wonderful, and the interactions of the family realistically portrayed. Reedy's notes indicate that he did a lot of research and checking to make this as accurate as possible, and it shows. Inclusion of native terms and end notes about the plight of Afghan women add much to the story. This would be an excellent book to use along with Ellis' The Breadwinner, which students find fascinating.
Weaknesses: The fate of Zeynab seemed a bit overly dramatic; not that it wasn't realistic, but the rest of the book is so... NOT dramatic that it felt out of place. A very small complaint about an excellent book.

Nonfiction Monday

Nonfiction Monday is hosted by Charlotte at Charlotte's Library this week!

Kulling, Monica. In the Bag! Margaret Knight Wraps it Up!
Copy Received from Tundra Books
This picture book about a woman inventor from the 1800s was a disappointment only because it wasn't longer! Having read about Knight in Thimmesh's Girls Think of Everything, I wanted to know more about the woman who came up with the machine to mass produce paper bags, along with many other inventions. I liked that there was enough background information about conditions at the time (working in factories, having to sue over a patent), that readers will appreciate how hard it was for Knight to be an inventor. I'm not a picture book person, but the illustrations were very nice-- none of the cheesiness that we've been seeing on covers in middle grade fiction. This is the third book in the Great Ideas Series that also includes All Aboard!: Elijah McCoy's Steam Engine and It's a Snap!:George Eastman's First Photo. If I ran an elementary library, I would certainly invest in all of these.

Simon, Coco. Katie and the Cupcake Cure. (Cupcake Diaries #1)
Katie expects that middle school will be rough, but not as rough as her best friend Callie ignoring her and hanging with girls who have formed a Popular Girls Club. Luckily, Katie meets Mia on the bus, and they eat lunch with Emma and Alexis. While middle school is challenging, good friends make it better, especially when they form a Cupcake Club. Every Friday, someone brings in a treat, and they end up making cupcakes for a fundraiser at school, competing against the PGC.
Strengths: This was a fun, quick read that I would have ADORED in middle school. The fund raiser is believably done, and the strained friendship between Katie and Callie rings utterly true. I also liked how mean teachers, homework, and divorced parents present challenges that Katie is able to work through in a satisfactory way.
Weaknesses: Cover verging on cheesy, and I wonder if "Coco Simon" is a real person, since this is a Simon and Schuster title. I do wish I had bought the Emma and Alexis titles, and am looking forward to Katie: Batter Up! as well.

Simon, Coco. Mia in the Mix.
This book focuses on Mia, who has moved out from Manhattan with her divorced mother and has to deal with a new school as well as a new almost step-father and brother. Mia's mother worked for Flair fashion magazine and is now a consultant, so unlike Katie, Mia cares what she wears. This makes is easy for her to talk to the PGC members, but she feels very akward eating lunch with them when she knows how Katie feels about Callie. The girls get several cupcake baking jobs (one for a teacher and one for Mia's mother's fashion show) and have to learn how to budget.
Strengths: Again, the friendship problems are very helpful for middle school girls, and I loved the realistic business dealings.
Weaknesses: I have trouble believing that middle school girls care that much about fashion, but apparently some of them do!

Guy Friday-- Boys Camp

I am not sure how I feel about the announcement that Valerie Tripp has assembled a group of people (Ann Hendrix-Jenkins, Peggy Thomas and Sarah Smith) to write a Boys Camp series for boys. (Columbus Dispatch article here, describing it as "The “Boys Camp” series will recount the adventures of six fictional kids who meet at summer camp, overcome obstacles and share their stories in clean, middle-grade prose." )

On the one hand, there is a lot of research being put into this. These authors see a need. They have a vested interested in making them appealing so they sell a lot of books. Jon Sciezka is at least quoted in the Dispatch article.

On the other, from the Dispatch article: "To the argument that boys want boogers, not bonding, they say that they have sons at home who are already on board, who would love to read books with gentler humor, where the male protagonists occasionally cry — books with all of the heart of the ”American Girl” series. But, you know, for dudes. "

I'm no literature snob. Captain Underpants rocks. And Jeff Kinney, as much as I personally want to slap Greg Heffley, has a real passion for sharing his stories. The American Girl books are...meh. Formulaic, predictable, rather dry. What really sold those was the fact that they had highly desirable dolls connected with them.

If any of the guys in my Rock Star Guys post were to write these books, I'd be very excited about it. I will certainly read the books, but am, quite honestly, disturbed that all involved with writing these share the same fatal flaw: they are GIRLS.

Gentle Readers, what do you think?

Having just been to a memorial service for graduate student friend and fellow librarian David Ball, my random thought of the day is this: if someone had to write my eulogy based on my actions TODAY, could they speak as positively and as eloquently about me as David's friends spoke about him? The world would be a better place if we could predicate our actions on this thought every day, but as Horace says in ode XI from his Carminum Liber Primus:

"Dum loquimur, fugerit invida
aetas: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero."

(" While we're talking, jealous time is fleeing. Seize the day, (and) trust (in) tomorrow as little as possible.")

Nerd Camp

Weissman, Elissa Brent. Nerd Camp.
Nominated for the Cybils by Jennifer Donovan.

Gabe is excited about going to the Summer Center for Gifted Enrichment camp, and also about getting a new stepbrother. His father is getting married,, and his new stepmother has a son who is Gabe's age. Zach is much cooler than Gabe, however, and Gabe's started to be concerned about what Zach will think of him. Once at camp, Gabe throws himself into the geeky fun with his roommates Nikhil and Wesley. They memorize Pi, deal with gross camp food, and put together an algorithm to predict when the camp Color Wars will start. Gabe's tries to prove to himself that he is NOT a geek, and tries to push himself to try new things. He also takes a bit of a shine to fellow camper Amanda. Gabe might feel that he is breaking out of the nerd mold, but will Zack think the same?

Strengths: This was a much stronger book than this author's first two(Standing for Socks and The Trouble with Mark Hopper). Characters are well drawn, incidents are amusing, and the story progresses nicely. Gabe is said to be ten, but this reads a bit older to me.
Weaknesses: Gabe's seems much too concerned about what Zach will think of him. The exchange of letters seemed slightly odd; even when my children went to camp a decade ago, they printed off emails for the campers!

Mason Dixon: Pet Disasters

Mills, Claudia. Mason Dixon: Pet Disasters
Nominated for the Cybils by Kristy

Mason's indulgent and somewhat overinvolved parents have decided that summer art camp is not enough to keep him occupied; he needs a pet. He doesn't think so. After bad experiences with Fish (he overfeeds and kills it), Hamster (it runs away), and Cat (his best friend Brody is allergic to it), he ends up with a three legged dog that Brody desperately wanted. Brody spends a lot of time at Mason's house, so considers Dog to be his own. At first, Mason is disgusted by the dog's drool, poop, and general untidiness, but he eventually bonds with the dog and becomes jealous of Brody.

Strengths: Not every child likes pets, and this is a gentle read for elementary students. The illustrations are contemporary but not weird, which is somewhat hard to find. This author has a lot of series for this age group.
Weaknesses: I didn't like Mason. While he becomes less self-involved and spoiled in the course of the book, his fears were a bit weak (he doesn't want a pet messing up his room) and the disasters were not really disasters, in the way that Hank Zipzer or Big Nate have disasters!

Young, Janet Ruth. The Babysitter Murders.
Dani enjoys babysitting for young Alex, and even though she doesn't need the money, it helps out Alex's single mom. There's a fair amount going on in her life, such as her best friend finally acknowledging that she's gay, and everything is apparently stressing her out, because she starts to have really inappropriate thoughts about her choir director, hurting people around her, and most disturbing of all, killing Alex. She tries to explain this to her mother, who doesn't understand, and Alex's mother just doesn't want to let her stop babysitting, so she confesses her feelings. The mother, quite rightly alarmed, calls the police. Dani isn't charged, but she is sent into therapy, and the newspaper picks up the story. No names are mentioned, but Dani's identity is soon revealed. The community is appalled by her existence, adding massively to her stress.
Strengths: This isn't bad as a problem novel, but...
Weaknesses: I wanted a murder mystery. Well, I didn't, but my students do. I was thinking that this would turn into something different, that someone would try to murder Alex and Dani would be blamed, and an investigation would ensue... something else. Also, this was not really appropriate for middle school; definitely more of a high school book, mainly because of the episode involving the choir teacher.

Jeremy Bender vs. The Cupcake Cadets

Luper, Eric. Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets
Nominated for the Cybils by Marjorie Light.

Jeremy and his friend Slater are typical 6th graders. They have their likes (working with Jeremy's dad's vintage boat) and their dislikes (Paul, the school bully), and are trying to survive the best they can. When they accidentally damage the boat, they try to find a way to come up with the money for repairs. Happening upon a sign for a model boat race, they figure that they are sure to win the $500, but there is one catch-- they have to become Cupcake Cadets in order to do it. They come up with credible disguises as girls and find that being a cadet is a LOT harder than they thought. In order to even enter the boat competition, they have to earn three merit badges, sell a certain amount of cupcakes, and get along with the other cadets... none of which are as easy as they anticipate. They make an arch enemy whom they have to convince not to out them, and gain a new appreciation for girls, in more ways than one!

Strengths: In addition to being highly amusing (in the way that Project Sweet Life was), this was actually a very good book for both girls and boys about the different strengths and weaknesses of each sex. The incidental characters, such as the children's librarian and the scout leader (who is specifically described as keeping her maiden name! Whoo!) are engaging, and the incidents all fall within the realm of believability. Since personal identity is such a big concern for students this age, these gender "benders" will appeal to many students.

Weaknesses: Character development is there but could have been a bit stronger, and the ending is a little too easy. Also felt sorry for the villianized reference librarians and did not believe that the soccer coach would turn a blind eye to bullying.