The Real Boy

Ursu, Anne. The Real Boy.
24 September 2013, Walden Pond Press
Copy provided by the publisher

Oscar is the downtrodden assistant of the only magician left in the Barrow, the lower class but magical market town for the shining city of Asteri. He is abused by the apprentice, Wolf, until Wolf is brutally murdered in the forest. Caleb has magical business on the Continent, so leaves Oscar to run the shop, with few instructions. Since Oscar usually collects and processes the herbs used in the spells for sale, he doesn't do well dealing with customers. Luckily, the apprentice of the healer sees his plight and helps him out. Callie teaches him how to interact with others and is a great comfort when things slowly go more and more awry. Callie is desperately trying to cure the sick children in Asteri, to no avail, but worse problems are arising. The shops in the Barrow are all attacked, and many are destroyed. The destruction spreads as far as the green house were Caleb grows herbs, and the forest as well. With the number of sick children growing, Callie and Oscar try to figure out what has gone wrong in the Barrow and to fix it before it is too late.
Strengths: There are lots of twists in this, and I don't want to ruin them! The friendship between Callie and Oscar was my favorite part, and I also liked that he had support from his cats as well as the local baker (who was once a magician). Points also for having a semi Victorian setting rather than a medieval one. As always from this author, beautiful writing.
Weaknesses: I found the message of this one confusing. Is magic good? Evil? Good only if used appropriately? And was I missing Pinocchio references? They seemed to be there, but weren't carried through. There were parts of this that I adored, but also parts I did not. The buzz I've heard so far backs up my thought that this will be enjoyed more by teachers than students. Still adore The Chronus Chronicles!

The Wig in the Window

Kittscher, Kristen. The Wig in the Window.
18 June 2013, Harper Collins

Sophie and Grace are great friends, and spy on their neighbors to pass the time. All goes well until they spy on the guidance conselor at Sophie's school, Dr. Agford, and think they see her hacking a bloody body on the kitchen counter with a cleaver.  Of course, they phone the police with this information, and (of course) it turns out that Dr. Agford was really doing something benign instead. Sophie gets in big trouble with her parents as well as the school, and has to work in Agford's yard as well as undergo some counseling with her. Sophie makes friends with Trista, a heavy girl who doesn't take any ribbing from anyone, and tries to recuperate from her social downfall. She and Grace still suspect something is up, and when they are contacted with a woman who claims to be from the FBI, they continue their investigative efforts. Agford isn't the woman they think she is, or even the woman she tells them she is. Even though their relationship has its ups and downs, Grace and Sophie are friends who use their skills to uncover an even bigger mystery than they expected.
Strengths: This has some really great laugh-out-loud lines, and was a bit quirky without being annoying. The mystery grew naturally, and even though it seemed a bit far-fetched at the end, I believed it because of the build up. Realistic school relationships, well developed characters (Trista was awesome), and funny situations-- good stuff. I even could believe Agford's group of girls with -issa names, since my daughter was in a preschool class with Hannah, Savannah and Anna!
Weaknesses: This would have been a better story with some tighter editing. I found myself flipping pages a bit in the middle, wanting the pace to pick up.



And remember, middle school students have become BLOOD THIRSTY! They all want murder mysteries. Sic transit poor Encyclopedia Brown. (Who is now about 62 and looks more like the father than the boy in this picture.)

(Illustration by Leonard Shortall, I think.)

The Thing About Luck

And I read this weeks before the National Book Award lists came out. As usual, with these lists, I just shake my head a bit and wonder if my students are just completely unlike any other readers. I have 750 a year, and pay close attention to the books that they ask for, and use this information to form my opinions of what they will like and hence, what I should buy. Really, a good portion of my day is taken up with these conversations, helping students find just the right book. Reluctant readers especially can be very particular about what they will and will not read.

Choosing books that are both well written AND about things students what to read sounds like a successful strategy, but every time one of these awards lists comes out, I doubt myself. Or when I see other teachers and librarians raving about books that my students WILL. NOT. TOUCH.

Doubt makes us better at our jobs, right?


Kadohata, Cynthia. The Thing About Luck 
4 January 2013, Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Summer's family works with custom harvesters, and her parents normally travel around the west to run the combines, but this year they have both gone back to Japan to help with elderly relatives. That leaves Summer, her quirky younger brother, and her grandparents, Obaachan and Jiichan, to go with the Parkers and an Irish crew to harvest. Obaachan does the cooking, but her back has been very painful. Jiichan drives the big trucks, but the long hours involved in this work are hard on him. Summer had contracted malaria from a mosquito bite and was very ill, so now if frightened of mosquitoes-- a problem in the field. She takes a liking to the Parker's son even though Obaachan does not approve. When Jiichan becomes ill, Summer tries to help out by driving a combine, but is not skilled enough to do it well.
Strengths: There was clearly a lot of research into the details of this-- custom harvesting, malaria, Japanese culture. The brother might be on the autism spectrum, although he is never clearly identified as such. The touch of ill-fated romance is nice. Summer is a likable character, despite her worries.
Weaknesses: This might be a hard sell to students. There are so many off beat topics all together, and not very much action. Even though Summer is a 7th grader, most of this book might go over better with elementary school students, but the romance is something that older students would take to heart.

You Can't Have My Planet, But Take My Brother, Please!

Mihaley, James. You Can't Have My Planet, But Take My Brother, Please.
10 April  2012 by Feiwel & Friends

Giles is insecure, mainly due to his smart older brother and cute little sister. While he is hanging out in the woods near his family's summer retreat, he meets an alien real estate agent who is trying to sell Earth to King Mooby, since the residents of Earth have violated their lease and are going to all be shipped out to Desoleen. Giles ends up with a copy of the lease, a blue but very cute alien lawyer his age, and the responsibility of cleaning up Manhattan so that the aliens don't take over. He has a few other helpers-- three of his friends, as well as a parking meter named Stanley, a space ship named DubDub fueled by rhymes, and trash collectors who replicate themselves by turning the garbage they pick up into new collectors. There are obstacles, of course-- it's a rather unbelievable story, and he is up against the likes of Princess Petulance, but Giles is tremendously motivated by not having to relocate to Desoleen among the ferocious Kundabons,
Strengths: This was certainly a goofy, fast paced story, and I didn't feel like I needed to suspend disbelief too much because Giles' predicament sucked me right in. Lots of good gadgets and aliens.
Weaknesses: The preponderance of gadgets and aliens made this seem overly hectic to me. The print is very tiny, which makes it a hard sell to middle grade students. This would have been better with some editing, and the story line would have been cleaner.

2013 Middle Grade Fiction Cybils Judges

Whew! I hope that you have been over to the Cybils Web Site to see all of the judges. Apparently, Twitter has exploded with this topic; I've been at work and practice all day and finally realized *eep* -- didn't post my category.

Here are the long suffering people who will have to put up with me. Seven of the twelve are new to the Cybils. It's tough to get a balance of librarians, teachers, writers, new people, etc. etc., but I think this looks like an awesome group. I am hoping to run some biographies of them later if they approve; I like to be able to put a face and experience with a blog name!

First Round

Mark Buxton

http://buxtolicious.blogspot.com

Jennifer Donovan

@5M4B

http://books.5minutesformom.com

Heidi Grange

@GeoLibrarian

http://geolibrarian.blogspot.com

Deb Marshall

@debamarshall

http://mylibrarynotebook.blogspot.ca/

Jennifer Rumberger

@j_rumberger

www.jenniferrumberger.com

 

Julie Williams

@JulieWilliams89

http://readingbythepond.blogspot.com/

Karen Yingling

@msyingling

http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com

Second Round

Alex Baugh

@randomlyreading

http://randomlyreading.blogspot.com

Kathy Burnette

@ thebrainlair

http://www.thebrainlair.com

Melissa Gaynor

@sweetonbooks

http://sweetonbooks.com

Michael Gettel-Gilmartin

@MGMafioso

http://middlegrademafioso.blogspot.com

Kyle Kimmal

@theboyreader

http://theboyreader.blogspot.com

MMGM-- Jack Strong

Greenwald, Tommy. Jack Strong Takes a Stand
24 September 2013,  Roaring Brook Press

It's bad enough that Jack plays on a baseball team and plays cello. When junior EMT training, Chinese lessons, and tennis get added to the mix, he feels overscheduled and just wants to sit on the couch and watch programs with his grandmother. Since he is still in middle school, he thinks his father is ridiculous to be worried about his college applications. He's not the only one; Lucy, a girl who is in orchestra with him, also has an overbearing parent who signs her up for too many things. When he feels too tired to go to practice one day, and his father won't let him miss it, Jack decides to go on strike. He refuses to go to activities, to school, or even to get off the couch until his father lets him drop some activities. After a friend's brother writes him up for the school newspaper, Jack is interviewed by a local television personality who wants to make him the focus of the show and put him up against the opinions of Lucy's mom. Jack doesn't want to spend his life on the couch, but needs to work on a good compromise with the help of his friends and family.
Strengths: A fun, quick read for boys, and one of only two books I know that address the topic over overscheduling actitivites (Calli Be Gold is the other). Jack's relationship with the grandmother is nice, and enjoyed the fact that he goes to the same school as Charlie Joe Jackson. This is sure to be a hit with the fans of this author's other work.
Weaknesses: I think that getting in to college is a bigger concern on the East coast. Ohio schools don't seem to be so rigorous in their demands, so I always have trouble connecting with this idea!

Here's the TRAILER for the book.

Kenney, Sean. Cool Creations in 35 Pieces.
10 September 2013, Henry Holt BYR
 Copy received from Publisher.

This  is one in a series of Lego books on a variety of topics. I liked that there were so many things that could be made out of a small number of pieces-- Legos today seemed so different from the ones I had. I had a box of basic pieces, but all of his seemed to come in very specific, geek-oriented kits. The only problem with this would be finding the 35 specific pieces, but once those were put together, I think this would be a great guide to have.

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday, with the Round Up this week at Booktalking.

Picture Book Sunday

 Teal, Val and Lawson, Robert. The Little Woman Wanted Noise
24 September  2013 by NYR Children's Collection
(First published 1 January 1943)
Copy recieved from the publisher

The woman in the title has lived all of her life in the city and enjoys the vintage noises there, so when she inherits a farmhouse from a relative inexplicably moving to Australia, she tries to fill the farm with a variety of noisy animals. Even that is not enough, but she eventually decides that having boisterous boys around will make the farm loud enough and give her peace of mind.
Strengths: I'm a huge fan of Robert Lawson's illustrations, so this was a true gem in that regard. My teenage children were able to connect this with The Story of Ferdinand, one of our favorites, and read the book eagerly. I'd love to read Teal's 1940s memoir about motherhood, It Was Not What I Expected, if I could find a copy.
Weaknesses: Future Target Demographic, the six-year-old son of a former student, had absolutely no interest in this one. The illustrative style is much different than what is currently in fashion. This will add to the appeal for lovers of vintage picture books, but might not make these popular with the actual target demographic.

 The New York Reviews Children's Collection  has a number of titles available. I bought a copy of Sharp's The Rescuers, which is lovely. Some of the titles are a bit obscure (Junket is Nice would not fly with many three year olds), but it's nice to have them available.

Saturday Morning Cartoons-- Treasure Hunters

Grabenstein, Chris and Patterson, James. Treasure Hunters.
16 September 2013, Little, Brown and Company

The Kidd family has traveled all over the world hunting down treasures on their boat, The Lost. While still reeling from the disappearance of their mother in Egypt, the Kidd children (hunky Tommy, overweight and geeky Storm, and twins Bick and Beck) survive a storm at sea only to find their father has been washed ashore. Trying to follow their fathers clues as to how to proceed, they head off (with some help) to the Cayman Islands to trade with Louie, who is somewhat suspect. They pick up a Malia bee, and head off again.  Eventually, their father's friend, Uncle Timothy, catches up with them and wants to take care of them, but all of the children are determined to figure out what their father was up to, find their mother, and earn enough money that they can keep hunting treasure. Their searches take them all over and result in chases from surfer dudes, encounters with weird art gallery owners, and a stand off with criminal elements. All of this is illustrated by Juliana Neufeld.
Strengths: Patterson's other notebook novels are very popular, and it's possible that this will be advertised heavily. It is not without its charm.
Weaknesses: Most notebook novels are realistic and not quite this long. I'm just unsure about the audience for this one and may wait to purchase to see if any of the students ask for it.

Guy Friday--Other Worlds

This is the fourth book in the Guys Read series, which I am very glad I shelve under "F GUY". Just makes it easier for everyone to find! (And yes, The Thirty-Nine Clues series is under "F THI".)

Scieszka, Jon, ed. Other Worlds.
17 September 2013, Walden Pond Press

Short story collections are usually hard to get students to check out, but this series sells itself with the prominent "Guys Read" logo. The first three volumes are always checked out, but I do find these hard to review. I wish that the introduction to this had included the term "speculative fiction", since that's what we are using instead of "science fiction and fantasy" for the Cybils this year! Both types are represented here-- we have science fiction stories from D.J. MacHale, Eric Nylund, Rebecca Stead and Tom Angleberger, a medieval fantasy from Shannon Hale, and mythology in the form of a Percy Jackson story from Rick Riordan. Tom Angleberger contributes a funny sci fi piece, and Kenneth Oppel has quite a good ghost story. I wasn't quite sure what to make of Shaun Tan's illustrated offering. The inclusion of Bradbury's Frost and Fire was nice, but not the best fit with the other pieces. This was about the best story, but my feeling is that it might have been better placed in an anthology for older readers. The absolute stand out story, however, was Neal Shusterman's The Dirt on Our Shoes which sucked me right in and spun me around with its devastating twist. Wondered whether this had enough meat to be expanded into a novel length book but concluded it did not-- as a short story, it had enough merit to be included as a speculative fiction offering in text books. Very well done.

Fallout

Strasser, Todd. Fallout

10 September 2013, Candlewick Press

E ARC from Netgalley.com

It’s 1962, and Scott’s father has built an addition onto their house, and included a fallout shelter underneath it. In alternating chapters, we see what life is like for Scott during this time period—his friend Ronnie’s parents are much more progressive than his own, he and his friends hang out and steal a cheesecake from a neighbor’s garage freezer—and after a bomb is dropped and Scott’s family and several others make it into the shelter and have to stay there for a week. It is awfully grim in the shelter because Scott’s mother has been badly injured. There is little water, inadequate ventilation, and very little food. To make matters worse, Mr. McGovern is ready to send both Scott’s mother and Janet, a black woman, out into the post-apocalyptic landscape because there isn’t enough food. Eventually, supplies run low enough that the group decides they will try their luck out of the shelter—only to find that the trap door has been blocked and the group may be trapped.

Strengths: This is one of the better books about the Cuban Missile Crisis era that I have read. The group in the fallout shelter gave a weird immediacy and survival quality to the book, set against the every day life before the group goes into the shelter. Details are very vivid, and it’s obvious that Strasser lived through this time period. (In fact, there is a picture of the house where he grew up and a description of his visiting it and the fallout shelter recently!)

Weaknesses: There are some weird, uncomfortable and unnecessary descriptions of things of a sexual nature that may well cause me not to buy this—Ronnie is obsessed with women’s breasts, both boys are interested in Playboy (which Ronnie’s dad reads in front of Scott in the family room!), and there is a weird discussion of homosexuals. All ring true for the era, but seem especially awkward now.

The Monster in the Mudball

Gates, S.P. The Monster in the Mudball
September 2013, Tu Books
ARC received from the publisher

When Jin's elderly neighbor, Madalitso, falls and hurts herself, Jin is very concerned, but he is also very surprised when a mudball with feet runs away from Madalitso's house. He tries to follow it, and ends up at the river, where he sees the mudball strangle small animals with its feet! Luckily, an inspector from the Risk Assessment Agency for Ancient Artifacts (RAAAA), Mizz Z, shows up asking about the mudball. Mizz Z tells Jin that the creature is really Zilombo, a mixture of beasts from her village in Malawi. Many years ago, after Zilombo took Mizz Z's brother, her father managed to cut off the creature's nails, which made it go into dormancy in a mudball, which he mailed to England to Madalitso, who had kept the mudball safe and dry for 20 years. Now that Zilombo is free, she is gaining power and very interested in Smiler, whom she captures. Jin follows her through Oozeburn's sewers, and manages to get Smiler back when Mizz Z puts the creature to sleep with a lullaby. They repair to Jin's grandparent's apartment, but Zilombo wants Smiler back. Jin's older sister Frankie helps fight the monster, which has developed a power to shock people. After several attempts to try to disable Zilombo (Mizz Z doesn't want to kill her because "She is what she is. We must learn to live with such wild creatures, as we do with lions or snakes." [page 122 of ARC]), the group is convinced that she is gone, and Mizz Z moves on to her next assignment.
Strengths: I think it's great that Lee and Low has an imprint specifically for multicultural fantasy books. Not only is Jin half Chinese (his grandparents make dragons for dragon dances), but the creature is from Malawi, as well as Mizz Z. This gives a twist that most fantasy books lack. There are lots of good gross descriptions of Zilombo, a fair amount of action and suspense, and an opportunity for Jin to save the day.
Weaknesses: It would have been more interesting if they had dispatched Zilombo as just part of Mizz Z's inspections, so we could have met other creatures. Spending the entire book fighting one creature got a bit boring. There were also some interesting sub-stories that were mentioned and then ignored-- the grandparents are going to lose their apartment, Jin suffers from "clumsy child syndrome" which could have been used to good effect, and we don't really find out much about Madalitso. I'm not sure that my middle schoolers would be interested in this, but perhaps elementary school students would enjoy it. Middle school students might root for Zilombo to go ahead and eat a baby brother!

Substitute Creature

Gilman, Charles. Substitute Creature (Tales from Lovecraft Middle School #4)
4 September 2013, Quirk Books

Robert is concerned about giving Karina a Valentine, but bigger issues get in the way. He and Glenn get sucked through a gate and end up on the roof of the school building just as a horrible snowstorm is revving up. The snowstorm, which is localized around the school, starts dumping tons of snow, so the building is evacuated. Robert and his mother try to take rich, spoiled Lionel home, but their car is hit by Miss Carcasse, the substitute librarian, and they have to go back to the school after being rescued by the custodian, Mac. Back at the school, they find evil creatures waiting to eat them (think Tribbles with fangs!) and realize that Miss Carcasse is one of Tillinghast's minions. Once again, Robert and Karina need to keep the school safe, especially after they meet Tillinghast himself. The evil genius is impressed with Robert, and offers him something he would really like-- if Robert sacrifices Lionel, Karina could stop being a ghost. This complicates matters, as does Robert's mother getting in on the secret of the school.
Strengths: Have to admit that this series is growing on me. I liked that Robert is growing as a character, and that challenges other than simply fighting monsters are being put in his way. There's still plenty of gross, scary stuff, but the intrigue is growing. The books are holding up better than I thought they would, as well.
Weaknesses: A zombie librarian and this little character development? Shame. Evil librarians should be well and truly EVIL. We  They would never settle for being minions!

MMGM with Green Covers!

 It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday, with the Round Up this week at Wendie's Wanderings.


In Cybils news, the panelists should start to be announced next week! For me, choosing panelists is almost harder than choosing books, because there are so many great people, and I can only choose 11! (Okay, I could choose 12, but then I wouldn't get to be on a panel, which would seem weird.) All of the organizers (and head over to Cybils.com to meet them!) try to balance panels with new and past participants, a mix of teachers, librarians, writers, parents, etc., a cross section of locations, and many other factors. There are a lot of great bloggers who have applied in the past and not gotten chosen, and I know I looked at those people a bit more closely than people who were applying for the first time. I hope that if people are not chosen this year they understand and apply next year!


King, Wesley. The Feros (The Vindico #2)
27 June Putnam Juvenile
Copy received from the publisher.

After all of the adventure in The Vindico, James and his group are back. They now call themselves the Feros, and are still struggling to find their place within the League of Heroes. They are careful not to abuse their powers so that they can become full members in a few months, but problems arise. At a reunion hosted at Hayden and Emily's house, Flame causes an altercation and hauls the kids off. Since Thunderbolt is in hiding, they don't know what to do, especially once Emily and another hero, Blue, are kidnapped. To make matters even more complicated, Emily's kidnapper, Dolus and his sister Veridus are aligned neither with the Vindico or the League-- they are studying super powers and trying to learn how to transfer them, but he hopes to get the Feros to take down the League. When the Vindico get free of the Perch, they want to kill the Feros, so that makes deciding sides a bit easier, especially when the Vindico kidnaps some of the Feros families. There seems like there will be a sequel.
Strengths: Another great cover, and more super heroes who aren't completely black and white. I can't keep enough hero books in the library, and middle grade students appreciate shades of gray. Lots of action and adventure, great evil villains, and a convincing super hero back story.  
Weaknesses: Once again, there were too many characters for me to keep straight. I had to keep notes. The action could have started far earlier in the book; middle grade novels are better if they start with an explosion, and this had a lengthy lead in to the reunion. That said, I had a boy who came in every day to bug me for the book until I got it processed. He read the first one in less than a week!


DeWitt, Fowler. The Contagious Colors of Mumpley Middle School
3 September 2013,  Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Copy received from the publisher. 

Wilmer Dooley wants to follow in his father's footsteps and be a scientist. His father is the creator of SugarBUZZZZ, a snack lineof fluorescent treats that Wilmer doesn't like; he prefers spinach, especially over his mother's cooking, which often includes ingredients such as shoe polish. When the other children in his school become slightly ill with colds, Wilmer is alarmed that they are also changing colors, and sets out to figure out what is causing this contagion. This isn't made easier by his nemesis, Claudius Dill, who is fabricating fake cures that Wilmer suspects are making things worse, or by Mrs. Padgett, who supports Claudius and thinks that Wilmer is a trouble maker. Can Wilmer figure out the cause of the infection so that he can cure it, thereby impressing Roxie, the girl of his dreams?
Strengths: Fluorescent orange snot and children showing up with safety green polka dots-- fun stuff. There's also plenty of tension between Claudius and Wilmer, as well as trying to cure the infection before it spreads. The number of SugarBUZZZZ snacks described is impressive; I'm surprised there's not a product tie-in!
Weaknesses: The goofiness in this might go over better at the elementary school, although the romance is a nice touch for middle school. The names are rather silly, and the home situation and dealings with Mrs. Padgett are rather over the top.

Cheer!

Evans, Zoe. Confessions of a Wannabe Cheerleader. 
12 July 2011, Simon Spotlight

Madison has spent her whole life practicing to be a cheerleader and follow in her mother's footsteps, but her try out for the Titans' squad is disastrous, and she gets placed instead on the Grizzlies squad, where the people who should have gotten cut end up. The Grizzlies are a group of misfits who wear moth eaten uniforms and cheer on chess teams and math competitions. Madison tries not to let this get her down. She designs new uniforms and does fund raisers to pay for them, creates cheers for her squad, and is glad when Jacqui runs afoul of the Titan cheerleaders are joins the Grizzlies squad. Madison is willing to put up with a lot in order to cheer (and hopefull catch the eye of hot soccer player Bevan), including having her mother as coach and putting up with the snooty Titans.
Strengths: This is similar to other series books like The Cupcake Diaries, and since middle school girls are fascinated by cheerleading, I think this will be popular. While sometimes goofy, I thought the situations in general were very believable, and Madison is a likeable character to whom many girls will relate.
Weaknesses: The hand writing type font was hard to read, and these are fabulous literature, but I rather enjoyed them.

Saturday Morning Cartoons-- Little Fish

Beyer, Ramsey. Little Fish: A Memoir From a Different Kind of Year
3 September 2013, Zest Books
Copy provided by Zest Books-- no idea why, but thank you!

This autobiographical tale about a girl going from life in a small town to college in the big city would be good for a high school library where students are contemplating what life will be like when they throw off the shackles of home and high school and exchange them for the shackles of college. Ramsey's experiences won't be the same as many students-- I didn't understand the apartment-like housing, for example-- but there are some eternal truths that are touched upon.While I'm glad that Ms. Beyer has been able to make art her career, the larger part of me wanted her to switch her major to something employable. Remember, I have a major in Latin with a minor in Ancient Greek and suffered many years of underemployment, so this made me nervous. Still, manga and graphic novel readers with an abiding interest in art will find this interesting.

Have recent grads heading off to college soon? Perhaps Little Fish will encourage them to keep records of their experiences and feelings.

Guy Friday-- Baseball AND Zombies

Bacigalupi, Paolo. Zombie Baseball Beatdown.
10 September 2013, Little, Brown and Company
ARC from Young Adult Books Central and reviewed there.

Friends Rabi, Miguel, and Joe are on a Little League team with a coach, Corcoran, who doesn't understand baseball, and the annoying son, Sammy, of the Milrow Meat Solutions packing plant manager in their small Iowa town. Rabi's aunt is injured in India, and when his mother leaves him with Miguel's aunt and uncle because Rabi's father is working on an oil rig in North Dakota. Miguel's uncle works at the packing plant, and Miguel's parents were deported after his father posted a video of bad conditions at the plant. When Miguel's aunt and uncle are also rounded up by immigration, the boys take refuge at Rabi's house, but they have bigger problems. After playing ball in the nice and stinking park by the plant, they are attacked by a zombified Coach Corcoran! When the cops run the boys in, a shady lawyer gets them home and makes them sign nondisclosure agreements. They find out that workers are packing ZOMBIE cow meat, and try to get it out of the market and tell the police, bringing a zombie cow head with them for proof. When the meat is served at a ball game, the crowd turns into zombies, and the apocalypse begins!
Strengths: Baseball, a strong sense of place, a not one but two socially conscious agendas (immigration and food safety), multiethnic cast AND zombies. Wow. That took some thinking! I wasn't a huge fan of Ship Breaker, so my expectations for this were low, but I was really blown away by how serious issues were addressed in a way that will keep middle grade students reading. Rabi does address the challenges of being part Bengali in a rural, Midwest community, and there are lots of details about Mexican immigrants, but the main story is, of course, about the packing plant conditions that set off the zombie plague. I especially was glad that the boys, while adept at whacking zombies with baseball bats, tried very hard only to whack for self defense, and don't take any especial glee in the violence.
Weaknesses: We are not told how the zombie apocalypse if really dealt with-- yes, the boys kneecap a bunch, but do the people in the town all die? This would be good to know. We are told that Sammy's father will be in a cage moaning for brains, but if everyone affected ends up that way, and the plague affected six towns, that a lot of poor people who are affected with little explanation.


Last year, I had all kinds of trouble getting our five copies of our local paper delivered to the school through the Newspapers in Education program, but it was used constantly by teachers and students, so it was worth the effort. I was dismayed to find that this year, print subscriptions were being discontinued and that only digital copies would be provided. 

The problem? We don't have computers in study halls for students to use to read the "paper". Plus, I am not certain if the best part of the newspaper for twelve-year-olds (the comics) is even available on line. Haven't looked very hard, but they might be there with a subscription.

I wrote a weary letter e mail about this to the editor of the paper, Ben Marrison, last week. This morning at 4:30 a.m. when I got to work, there were five copies of the paper waiting in front of the school.

No idea. Could be the result of that letter. Could be a mistake. I've gotten no indication from The Dispatch about a print subscription, but I will investigate so I don't get billed $1,200 for the full cost of the subscriptions. That's about a quarter of my total library budget. The NIE subscription usually ran about $150, which was affordable.

Will keep you updated on breaking news!

The Odd Squad: Zero Tolerance

Fry, Michael. The Odd Squad: Zero Tolerance

3 September 2013,  Hyperion Books

E ARC from Netgalley.com

Nick, Molly, and Karl are back after they have stopped Ray, the bully from The Odd Job Squad, and are back in the safety patrol, although it’s boring now that Ray has reformed. Molly is glad when Simone, a new student from France, shows up and is glad to hang out with the misfit group. Nick is still attracted to Becky, but not when she plays with her gum; he is still dismayed that his mother is dating Phil; and he really wants to go on the class field trip to King Potatmus’ Egytopolis and Water Park. When he accidentally rolls himself down stairs in a garbage can and Phil assumes he was bullied, the school implements a strict Zero Tolerance policy against bullying. Students run bake sales and have all sorts of activities to stop bullying. Nick suspects that Simone is not the person she claims to be, but when he tries to investigate her activities, he is accused of bullying her. With the help of Karl and Molly, as well as Mr. Dupree and Meemaw, he tries to prove this during a wild day of antics at the Water Park. What will be the fate of bullies at Emily Dickinson Middle School?

Strengths: This notebook novel will be popular with younger students because it has pictures and is very goofy. Has some decent writing and some fun characters.

Weaknesses: Dangerously close to the elementary side of the Pilkey line, and the illustrations are so strongly reminiscent of Bloom County that I was distracted, although the target demographic will not be familiar with the work of Breathed.

World Wednesday-- Open Mic

Perkins, Mitali, ed. Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices
10 September 2013, Candlewick Press

This collection of ten stories from authors of various ethnicities was very interesting. I find it hard to review story collections without mentioning every single story, and some are always more interesting than others. David Yoo's Becoming Henry Lee was the stand out here, with descriptions of him first trying to be as non-Asian as possible, then deciding if he gave in to the stereotypes a little, he was freer to be himself. Perkins' own turn describing her experiences with multicultural dating was fun, although there was a decidedly more YA tone when she discusses sex with her older sisters. Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich's "Confessions of a Black Geek" was intriguing and especially poignant.

My only complaint about this anthology is that some of the stories seem to be first person memoirs (Gene Luen Yang's "Why I Won't Be Watching the Last Airbender Movie"), and others are fiction. It's hard to tell the two apart. If these were all nonfictional memoirs, it would be fantastic to use with fiction books about a variety of cultures, and use Open Mic to provide that all-important Common Core nonfiction piece!

Mitali Perkins blogged about her experience recording her story for the audiobook at her blog, Mitali's Fire Escape. I'm not a huge fan of audiobooks because I read so much faster than I listen, but I do think it is nice when authors read their own works.

From nbcnews.com

I have a new hero: Diana Nyad. Wow. Must say that swimming from Cuba to Key West is nothing I ever want to try, but Nyad apparently did, and even though it took her over 30 years from her first attempt to be successful at it, she never gave up. I particularly liked her quote:

“I have three messages: One is we should never, ever give up; two is you’re never too old to chase your dream; three is it looks like a solitary sport but it is a team."

Also, this is a great video. 

This is what awesome looks like.

The Unwanteds

McMann, Lisa. The Unwanteds.
30 August 2011, Aladdin

In the futuristic dystopian world of Quill, which is ruled by High Priest Justine, anyone who is artistically inclined is  Purged at the age of twelve and sent to the Death Farm. Alex Stowe is one of these children, even though his twin brother, Aaron, is Wanted and will therefore go to the university and take his place in the Quillitary. When Alex gets to the Death Farm, however, he finds that it is really a magical land called Artime, run by Mr. Today. Mr. Today has hidden this world from Quill for a very long time, and encouraged the inhabitants to learn art, magic, and military skills in case of attack. Alex is glad to be saved from certain death, but he misses his twin. When he finds that Will, an Unwanted, is trying to discover a way back into Quill so he can kill Aaron, Alex contacts his brother to try to save him. This doesn't work the way he has planned, and Artime's safety is compromised, but Mr. Today's emergency plans are helpful.
Strengths: A student whose fifth grade teacher was reading this series (in lieu of The Hunger Games) to the class insisted that I buy this series. It has its charm and is well constructed. It is rather tame for a dystopia, so it was a good choice for a younger group. The world building is fairly good, characters are multifacted, and the plot moves along in an understandable way, but...
Weaknesses: This was missing something for me. Perhaps it was the concept of "children's fates must be decided at 12", which shows up in a lot of fantasy books, or the whole idea that the "artsy" world is good and the other world is bad. Maybe Justine reminded me of the Snow Queen in Narnia. I think that this series would be a very good one for third graders who have already read the Entire Harry Potter series, and maybe that's why I didn't care for it as much. I'm just too old.

McMann, Lisa. Island of Silence.
4 September 2012, Aladdin

Now that the gates are open to Artime, many of the Necessaries flock there, leaving the Wanteds without their labor force. Alex is being groomed to be the successor to Mr. Today, but Aaron has fallen from grace. He starts to collect a group of Wanteds who are hungry and want things to go back the way they were under Justine. They are unhappy that High Priest Haluki is engaged in peace talks-- they don't want peace, they want food! A boy and girl wash up on the shore, and Alex and his friends determine that they must be from one of the islands outside of Quill, and island that they have heard is probably friendly. However, when Lani, Meghan and Samheed travel there right before Artime is attacked by Aaron's forces, they are attacked by the inhabitants. Alex manages to save Meghan, but as is he coming back to Artime, all the magic  drains away from the land. He is truly in charge now, and must start over to keep the Unwanteds from having to go back under the power of Quill.
Strengths: I liked that both sides resorted more to subterfuge to fight-- there was some action and adventure, and some battles, but I think that more battles are waged secretively, but that's not reflected much in books. Again, the world building is fairly convincing, and there is a student waiting for me to bring this in, so the series definitely has its fans.
Weaknesses: I find that I want some more back story to be convinced of some crucial plot elements. Why are Alex and Aaron so at odds? Why is Alex the chosen one? How did the founders of Quill decide to build their world, and why does no one remember their origins? Perhaps these questions will be answered in the next book...

Out today, book three, Island of Fire.

Nonfiction Marvelous Middle Grade Monday-- Animals

  Holt, Christopher. Vanising (The Last Dogs #1)
4 September 2012, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Max, a yellow lab, has been abandoned at the vet's and is about to give up hope when the vet's dachshund, Rocky, frees him. Rocky relates how the humans packed up and fled, and Max is bound and determined to go and find them. First, he and Rocky have to battle wolves who want the store of kibble, and who contribute to the vet's house burning down. On the way, the two meet Gizmo, a peppy Yorkshire Terrier. They run into several different groups of animals along the way; the Enclave, run by a controlling standard Poodle, a house filled with cats, and finally, the Corporation. This group has taken over an office building and tried to create an environment safe from wolves, but the leader, the Chairman, doesn't want the group to leave, and punishes anyone who does not do his bidding. One who has run afoul of him is an old friend of Max's, Madame Curie, who has been severely beaten. She manages to give Max vital information about where he might find his humans before she passes away.

Holt, Christopher. Dark Waters (The Last Dogs #2)
4 June 2013, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Having narrowly escaped the Corporation, Max, Gizmo and Rocky once again take to the river for traveling, and come across a riverboat and some helpful dalmations. The group's alpha, Boss, is far kinder than previous alphas they have met, and the community on the river boat a much more comfortable one. However, Max still wants to find his humans. When the group meets up with a hyena who tricks Rocky into getting onto a monorail train, they end up in a zoo. There, they meet an elephant who knew Madame Curie, and who tells them of strange experiments done on him and other animals that have caused the evacuation of the people. The story is reinforced by Gertrude, a pig who wants to get back to the lab where the experiments were done. These experiments involved infecting animals with a virus, then neutralizing the virus with electricity. The virus doesn't hurt animals, but is hazardous to humans, which is why people have evacuated and left pets behind. Not only does Gertrude turn on the group, but bad humans appear, and Max learns that his friends on the river boat are in danger.  They manage to save some, but not all of their friends, and must continue their journey to find their humans, as well as to understand the mystery of the experiments. The third book, The Long Road, comes out 5 November 2013.
Strengths: I liked this much better than several other "abandoned pets" books that have come out recently. The dog characters were more likeable and better developed, and their level of understanding was better-- they didn't have full human comprehension of events, but they didn't call cars "growl boxes". The virus experiments are a nice twist and I hope that the third book explains more about that.
Weaknesses: It seems unlikely that Max would be able to find his humans under the best of circumstances, and his journey seems to be somewhat unfocused. I also have to say that Sylvie, my Yorkie Poo, felt VERY affronted at the portrayal of Gizmo as hyperenergetic and rather flightly. She would like to know why Labradors always get to be the heroes and the little dogs are portrayed as helpless. She did like the evil standard poodle in the Enclave, though, as Sylvie has some thoughts of world domination herself.

Ottaviani, Jim and Wicks, Maris. Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas 
 11 June 2013, First Second

This graphic novel follows the careers of three women primatologists and chronicles the difficulties that they faced both in the wilderness and in the academic world. All three were proteges of Louis Leakey, and all three faced various set backs as far as education and personal relationships. I had never heard of Galdikas, so found this to being very interesting. My only complaints are that the text is very tiny, so struggling readers would have trouble with this, and while Leakey's tendencies toward dalliances are circumspectly handled, they will not be understood well by middle grade readers.

Jessica Darling's It List #1

McCafferty, Megan. Jessica Darling's It List #1: The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness and Perfection. 
3 September 2013, Poppy
Copy recieved from the publisher

Jessica is nervous about leaving elementary school and entering seventh grade, especially when her college aged sister Bethany presents her with her "sure-fire" notes to popularity. They include "wearing something different every day", which Jessica interprets as wearing something weird, which is a struggle since she is a jeans and t shirt kind of girl. She finds vintage rock t shirts in her sister's closet when she is supposed to find Bethany's fashion logs. She's supposed to become a cheerleader but bombs at tryouts, becoming the mascot instead. She steals the show as a mascot, but makes her friends angry-- but no one knows she's the mascot. In a shop class by mistake, she meets a boy she kind of likes, and there's a lot of jockeying over lunch tables and friends. In the end, Jessica realizes that Bethany's list didn't even make Bethany that successful, but since the activities encouraged Jessica to eventually become her true self, she's looking forward to the It List #2: The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Friends, Foes and Fau Friends. (Fall 2014)
Strengths: For readers who enjoy Harrison's Clique series, this will be a big hit. Friend drama, fashion drama, boy drama; it's all here. Jessica has her moments. I appreciated that she was a little quirky and unusual, and that the friend drama was realistic.
Weaknesses: This feels like giving children chocolate chip cookies for breakfast. Once in a while won't hurt them, but it wouldn't be good every day. I still don't think my students obsess so much over fashion, or even "fitting in" at middle school, so that part didn't seem realistic. Still, I would have probably loved this in seventh grade, and my students will, too.