Intriguing Books That Are Too Fond of the F-Bomb

You just never know when Young Adult books might work in the middle school. Only way is to read them, or find a good review from someone you trust. So, as much as these books intrigued me, they are not a good fit for my particular library. They were good, so take a look if you are looking for books for older readers.

Baker, Ken. How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love
April 22nd 2014 by Running Press Kids
E ARC from Netgalley.com

From Goodreads.com
"Emery is okay with how things are. That is, until her "momager" signs her up for Fifty Pounds to Freedom, a reality show in which Emery will have to lose fifty pounds in fifty days in order to win the million dollars that will solve her family's financial woes. Emery is skeptical of the process, but when the pounds start to come off and the ratings skyrocket, she finds it hard to resist the adoration of her new figure and the world of fame. Emery knows that things have changed. But is it for the better?"
What I Wanted: A book about weight issues, which are always popular with my students. I was also interested to see how a male writer would write about body image issues. Fairly convincingly, I thought. I liked the book and stayed up late reading it.
What Didn't Work for Me: Mainly the sex. Emery loses her virginity in an unfortunate way and is outspoken about the topic in general. Think there was language, too. Drat.

Plum, Amy. After the End. 
May 6th 2014 by Harper Children's
E ARC from Edelweiss.com

From Goodreads.com
"World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past."
What I Wanted: I adored this author's Revenants series, and the writing in this was very good. Post apocalyptic type setting, with a little supernatural stuff thrown in... sounded good.
What Didn't Work: A little bit of language, but just slightly odd. The issue with Juneau's community hiding out pretending that WWIII had destroyed the world was weird enough, but then there was Reading nature, connecting with the Yara, and communicating by crow, and Miles being able to find her after reading his father's e mails. Great for high school, but will pass.

Kantor, Melissa. Maybe One Day
February 18th 2014 by HarperTeen 
E ARC from Edelweiss.com

From Goodreads:
"In the tradition of The Fault in Our Stars, critically acclaimed author Melissa Kantor masterfully captures the joy of friendship, the agony of loss, and the unique experience of being a teenager in this poignant new novel about a girl grappling with her best friend's life-threatening illness.
A person's whole life, she's lucky to have one or two real friends. Friends who are like family . . . for Zoe that someone is Olivia. So when Olivia is diagnosed with leukemia Zoe is determined to put on a brave face and be positive for her best friend.
Even when she isn't sure what to say.
Even when Olivia misses months of school.
Even when Zoe starts falling for Calvin, Olivia's crush.
The one thing that keeps Zoe moving forward is knowing that Olivia will beat this, and everything will go back to the way it was before. It has to. Because the alternative is too terrifying for her to even imagine."
What I Wanted: I ADORE Kantor's books. Girlfriend Material is my number two favorite romance book ever, right after Cleary's Fifteen. This looked like a better version of Lurlene McDaniel (which tend to be somewhat formulaic), or like a non potty mouth version of John Green. The ballet was a nice touch.
What Didn't Work For Me: F-bombs EVERYWHERE! I was kind of shocked. Yes, Zoe is upset about Olivia's cancer, but the language was completely gratuitous. There was also a rather alarming scene where Zoe gets drunk and is highly inappropriate with Calvin. I very nearly ordered this without reading it, since the other books by Kantor have all been so good. Glad I didn't!
 
 

Half a Chance

Lord, Cynthia. Half a Chance
February 25th 2014 by Scholastic Press 
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Lucy's father is a photographer who suffers from Pa Ingalls Syndrome-- he doesn't like to stay in one place for very long, so he leaves Lucy and her mother in New Hampshire while he flies off to Arizona to shoot pictures of endangered bugs. Lucy manages missing her father by taking pictures of her own. When she meets Nate, she is glad to have a friend (the girls she meets are a little snotty), and is glad when his grandmother invites her to be on Loon Patrol and keep notes on the endangered loons indigenous to the area. The grandmother is having some memory issues that Nate's family is dealing with, the loons are not doing as well as hoped, and Lucy has decided to enter a photography contest her dad will be judging when he returns home. Lucy realizes that while this is not expressly against the rules, her father would be reluctant to choose her as the winner, so she sends the pictures off under Nate's name. Lucy and Nate want to win the contest because the prize is $500, and they want to take Nate's grandmother out on a pontoon boat for one last trip to see the loons. While she means well, some of Lucy's plans don't turn out as well as she would like, but others turn out fairly well.
Strengths: This had some good, bittersweet moments-- summer, friends, losing a grandparent slowly, missing a parent who is not at home. Also, a nice sense of place, and the issue with the loons was interesting. Even Lucy's obsession with photographing everything is done realistically, and in the end she does realize that she doesn't need to observe her entire life through a lens.
Weaknesses: This is very slow and very introspective, and seems like the sort of book that teachers and librarians will like way more than students will. The nice part about this is that if teachers read this book TO their classes enthusiastically, the students will catch the enthusiasm. This explains why books like Wonder and Hound Dog True occasionally get checked out even though they are not something students would actually ask for.

Guy Friday-- Michael Vey

Evans, Richard Paul. Battle of the Ampere (Michael Vey #3)
September 17th 2013 by Simon Pulse/Mercury Ink 

Michael and his friends are on the run after the events in book two, which blew up an Elgen Starxource plant and left most of Peru without power. It looks like he could be tried for treason or terrorism, even though he was just trying to rescue his mother. He has been injured, and recovers with the help of a tribe, and meets Tessa, who also is electric. Ostin and the others are trying to find him. In the meantime, Schema is trying to fend off a takeover by Dr. Hatch, who is turning out to be the more evil of the two. Eventually, after much running about, the Electroclan reunites, Michael and Taylor get to kiss, much food is eaten, and Hatch... will he be overthrown? Of course. But there is another threat to the safety of the Electroclan, so I'm sure that there will be a Michael Vey #4.
Strengths: This is a series that my students adore, and I don't quite know why. Mr. Buxton recommended it frequently, but even now that he is retired, the students are wild about it. Kids with powers, saving the world, running around, a little romance-- all good. There has also either been a lot of research into Peruvian culture, or Evans is making things up convincingly.
Weaknesses: One problem I had with this was too many characters, but other than that I can't put my finger on why this didn't thrill me. Perfectly good stuff, just not my cup of tea.

http://blog.cookingchanneltv.com

A whole bunch of food is described in the book, and now I really want to make causa. Basically, this seems to be a layered dish consisting of mashed yellow potatoes, tuna salad with onion, and chopped tomato and avocado. Roll it up, refrigerate, slice and serve. Perhaps this summer, when the tomatoes come on, I will try to make this.

And now I want to hunt down the first Cricket magazine and reread the wonderful Lloyd Alexander essay on books and eating!

Dog Diaries

Klimo, Kate. Buddy (Dog Diaries #2)
January 8th 2013 by Random House Books for Young Readers

In the 1920s, a woman named Dorothy Eustis set up a school to train Seeing Eye dogs, and a man named Morris Frank came and learned to use such a dog, with the understanding that he would then set up a school in the United States. Told from the point of view of the dog that was trained with Morris, this short book tells how Buddy was trained to work with the blind, and has excellent details about how Seeing Eye dogs operate, as well as good historical details.
Strengths: I was absolutely charmed by this book, even though I didn't think I would be (I have friends who always write their Christmas newsletter from the point of view of their cat...). This is a perfect book for a reluctant reader-- not that long, interesting, has a few pictures, moves quickly. While it was clearly historical, it didn't come right out and say that, so students who HAVE to read historical fiction but don't want to will take this well. I would think this series would be a must for elementary school libraries, and a good addition to middle school libraries with a population of reluctant or picky readers.
Weaknesses: The reason that this was particularly engaging was the historical aspect, and I suppose that Buddy knew a little bit more than most dogs could reliably relay. There was some suspension of disbelief required to make this work.

Klimo, Kate. Ginger (Dog Diaries #2)
January 8th 2013 by Random House Books for Young Readers

This is the first book in the series, and it was very different from the second. Ginger in born in a puppy mill, where the runt of the litter dies, and is then taken to a pet store where she is bought by a family with a two year old, as a Christmas present. She spends a lot of time peeing on the carpet and chewing shoes until she takes a nip at the child and ends up at the shelter. There, a man who likes to run adopts her, and all goes well until the man's mother is sick, he leaves her in the care of an incompetent dog walker, and Ginger jumps through a window and spends some time as a wild dog. Eventually, animal control gets her, and the shelter sends her out to the country to a place where they rehabilitate repeat offenders. There, Ginger is matched with her "furever" family and then enjoys life with a nine year old boy.
Strengths: Interesting information about puppy mills, pet shops, and matching dogs to the right owners.
Weaknesses: Enjoyed the second book, with its historical information, a lot more!


The next two books cover historical dogs again-- St. Bernards in the Alps and sled dogs during an influenza epidemic in the 1920s. Dash, which comes out in July 2014, is about dogs who are on the Mayflower! I think I will buy the first book so as not to irritate students who HAVE to read things in order, but I do prefer the historical ones.

These have the added advantage of being a series which does not have to be read in order to make sense, since all the books are about different dogs. 

World Wednesday-- The Blossoming of Violet Diamond

Woods, Brenda. The Blossoming of Violet Diamond. 
January 9th 2014 by Nancy Paulsen Books

Violet has a long summer ahead of her, and lots of thoughts in her head. Her friend Athena is heading off to Greece, she has a new cat named Hazel, and she still struggles with the fact that her mother and sister are white, while her father was black. She wants a family that all looks the same, and this longing is intensified because her father died right before she was born. Her father's mother is estranged from the family, and after doing some research, Violet confronts her mother and asks to go to an art exhibit that her grandmother is having in nearby Seattle. At first, her grandmother is a little standoffish, since she blames Violet's mother for the death of her son, but she eventually warms up and invites Violet to spend a week with her in Los Angeles. Violet is thrilled, and gets to meet her African American relatives and learn more about her "Bibi's" interest in the culture. A medical emergency brings Bibi to a reconciliation with Violet's mother, and Violet looks forward to spending more time with her "new" family.
Strengths: Great, appealing cover, and a fun story. Violet's trip to her grandmother's was enjoyable to read about, but then I am a sucker for a good grandparent story. Love that the girl on the cover looks like many of my students.
Weaknesses: I'm conflicted about Violet's preoccupation with her family "looking the same". I am not biracial (I couldn't be more Anglo-Germanic), but we have so many students who are that it seems to have become something of a non-issue. Granted, Violet is growing up in a predominately white community, where I am sure people think it is odd that she has a white mother, and the lack of her father is no doubt a factor.

I guess I still really want a book where the character is biracial but the story is not about that. The ethnicity is just one factor of the character. Books with white characters are not usually about them being white. If I were a child of color, I think I would want to see myself portrayed in literature, but I would get bored reading stories about cultural identity. I really don't mean to be offensive-- does this make sense?

Webb, Holly. Rose
September 3rd 2013 by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Shortlisted for Cybils Middle Grade Speculative Fiction 

Rose is slaving away at St. Bridget's Home for Abandoned Girls, trying to work her hardest and keep her friend Maisie from being too sad when a mysterious woman arrives looking for a maid. Rose is chosen quickly and whisked away to Mr. Fountain's. Mr. Fountain is a magician, and he has an apprentice, Freddie, who is not too happy that Rose seems to have some magical skills. Rose can converse with the cat, for one, and can make pictures appear when she tells stories. Working at Mr. Fountain's is better than being at the orphanage, but Rose finds herself in the middle of a mystery when several girls from St. Bridget's go missing, and other street children disappear as well. Could the suspicious Miss Sparrow be behind this, and can Rose stop her in time?
Strengths: It's set in Dickensian-ish London, has orphans, and involves magic. Since Rose gets to save the day, it doesn't get much better than that. This is the first book in a series; Rose and the Lost Princess, Rose and the Magician's Mask, and Rose and the Silver Ghost continue the story.
Weaknesses: Gets a tad more gruesome than the cover would indicate, and is also only available in paperback, which makes it something I won't buy for my library.

Defy

Larson, Sara B. Defy
7 January 2014, Scholastic Press
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Ever since the death of their parents at the hand of Blevonese sorcerers, Marcel and Alexa have been in the prince's guard. For three years, Alexa has been masquerading as Alex, since she is a fierce fighter, and the alternative to being in the guard is to be locked in a breeding facility. She is so well trusted and capable that she is soon chosen to stand guard outside Prince Damian's bedroom, because there is unrest in Antion. Damian's father has been at war with Blevon ever since a sorcerer there killed his wife, and things are heating up. Marcel is killed in an attack, and Tanoori, a girl that Alexa knew in her village, has broken into the palace and tried to kill Damian. Damian is kidnapped, and Alexa and Rylan are taken with him to Blevon, where the two guards find out about Damian's plot to overthrow his father, who is evil and in league with some black sorcerers. There is much fighting, intrigue, and a romantic tangle between Alexa and Damian, and Alexa and Rylan.
Strengths: This showed up as one of the most requested titles on Netgalley, and it sounded a bit like Pierce's Alanna books (or Cashore's Graceling), so I had to try it. It did have some nice touches, like a rainforest/jungle setting and main characters of color, and the plot was fairly easy to follow, which is not always the case with fantasy books with this much political intrigue.
Weaknesses: I had several issues with this that will put it firmly into the high school library realm. The breeding houses don't make a lot of sense, and aren't all that crucial to the plot, but the culture of rape is very violently described. Then, there is the issue with Alexa's inability to stop salivating over Damian and Rylan. Sure, Alanna had her difficult romantic choice as well, but I believed her as a fighter. We are told that Alexa is a good fighter, but I never quite believe it, since she spends most of the book recovering from one wound or another. This also felt like a standard medieval fantasy world, and the jungle setting was a surprise every time it was mentioned.

There are some people who liked it much more. I expect this to get a lot of love from the Young Adult crowd; I guess it's just not as good a fit for Middle Grade.

Literary Flaneur
Ms. Martin Teaches Media
Two Chicks on Books
Tynga's Reviews

MMGM-- The Winter of the Robots

Scaletta, Kurtis. The Winter of the Robots
October 8th 2013 by Knopf Books for Young Readers 

Jim and Oliver like to make robots for their school's science fair, and are debating what kind of robot and what the robot can destroy when Jim's neighbor, Rocky, asks him to help her with her project-- observing the otters near their homes, using security cameras "borrowed" from his father's business. Something odd keeps showing up on the security cameras, and when Dmitri, one of their classmates, goes missing and later shows up in the laundromat tased and frost bitten, they boys know that something is up. Making their plans at Pocket Burger, the group, along with Jim's sister, Penny, decide first to enter a robot demolition derby at the local mall-- with somewhat disastrous results. Then, they start to realize that things are VERY strange at the site of the destroyed Nomicon factory where Oliver's father worked... and was killed. Dinobots produced for military use are still working... and reprogramming themselves to build an even bigger and more deadly robot! Can the group stay out of trouble with parents and stop the Dinobots before they kill again?
Strengths: This was a very fun mystery, and I've had a lot of students ask for robot books. I love the Minnesota in winter setting, the older neighborhood near an industrial site, the Pocket Burger with its greasy warmth, the ensemble cast, and more robot details than I could possibly understand. Thoroughly enjoyed this and want to have a copy in my library right now. There is even a little bit of romance.
Weaknesses: Somehow, having the main character named Jim bothered me. Haven't had a Jim in school in ages, although currently have a Billy and a Bobby. Since I couldn't understand the robotics mentioned, I don't know if the programming, etc. is correct, but it did sound cool.

Kidd, Chip. Go: A Kidd's Guide to Graphic Design
Published October 8th 2013 by "Workman Publishing Company"

I am enthralled by the design of every day objects-- anything that makes today today and yesterday yesterday.  Clothing, packaging, furnishings, buildings, magazines-- I love thinking about what made things seem beautiful in 1978 but makes them so ugly now. Pantone colors of the year fascinate me. Graphic design is certainly something that children don't often think about, but they should, because they certainly react strongly to things like bad book covers. This book was a very fun overview of different elements of graphic design, and how design really changes the way we view things. I wish that everyone who ever had a hand in designing a book cover would read this! I don't know that this would get wide circulation in my library, but maybe the art teacher could use it, because I really want to buy it!

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday at Anastasia Suen's blog. Instead of having to visit lots of different blogs, all of the nonfiction posts will be at Nonfiction Monday!

Going Rogue

Benway, Robin. Going Rogue. 
January 14th 2014 by Walker Childrens 
E ARC from Netgalley.com

In this sequel to Also Known As, Maggie is thrilled that her parents are not going to take another assignment with the Collective so that she can finish up high school in New York City and stay with boyfriend Jesse and best friend Roux. This doesn't last long-- Dominic, who went to school with her parents, is now trying to get them kicked out of the Collective by saying that they stole valuable gold coins. Angelo knows that this isn't true, so tries to get Maggie to get the coins back from Dominic's place without letting her parents know she is doing so. This results in her getting stuck in a crawl space at Dominic's house and missing a dinner date with Jesse and his mother, but she eventually gets the coins. In retribution, Dominic attacks her family and friends at her home, setting it on fire. Everyone escapes, and Angelo whisks Maggie, Roux and Jesse off to France, where they seek a safe house and have a few people around to help them. It turns out that the Collective has bigger problems than just accusing Maggie's parents, and Dominic must be taken down. Of course, there's plenty of time to hang out in Paris, and Roux even finds a boyfriend in Australian spy Ames. How will Maggie manage to clear her parents' names and convince them that she should go right from high school into full time spying?
Strengths: There's a lot of romance in this one, what with Jesse and Maggie always canoodling and professing their love for one another, Roux and Ames, another spy couple, and even the parents being a bit googly eyed. Good descriptions of Paris, and a convincing spy plot.
Weaknesses: Rather slow. Much more romance than spying, which will work for some girls. The cover clearly indicates that the emphasis on girly stuff rather than spy stuff. Too bad-- the scene where she is trapped in the apartment is rather good. I hope the next book, when an alternative to the Collective is probably going to be set up, has more spies and less pitching woo.

Christopher, Lucy. The Killing Woods
January 7th 2014, Chicken House
E ARC from Netgalley.com

This is NOT a middle school book for a variety of reasons, mainly sex and language. Since I did not get this from the publisher's description, I thought I'd mention it. My students are always asking for murder mysteries, and this is why they have a very limited selection.

"Fatal attraction, primal fear, survival in the forest: From the author of the Printz Honor Book STOLEN, the highly anticipated thriller about deadly games played in the dark.

Ashlee Parker is dead, and Emily Shepherd's dad is accused of the crime. A former soldier suffering from PTSD, he emerges from the woods carrying the girl's broken body. "Gone," he says, then retreats into silence.

What really happened that wild night? Emily knows in her bones that her father is innocent -- isn't he? Before he's convicted, she's got to find out the truth. Does Damon Hilary, Ashlee's charismatic boyfriend, have the answers? Or is he only playing games with her -- the kinds of games that can kill?"

The Puppy Place

Miles, Ellen. Oscar (The Puppy Place #30)
April 30th 2013 by Scholastic Paperbacks 

Lizzie's aunt asks her to foster Oscar, a schnauzer who is aggressive to other dogs. She works hard to train him, and Oscar does start to get along well with Ginger, the elderly dog that Lizzie walks for Anjali. While Lizzie is preoccupied with Oscar's problems, as well as the fact that Ginger won't last too much longer, her dog walking business that she has with Maria falters, and Maria is forced to seek helped from other girls, including the obnoxious Daphne Drake. Oscar eventually finds his forever home with Anjali, and Lizzie manages to make up with her friend.
Strengths: After reading depressing science fiction, I'd be totally happy to sit down with the entire series of these and do nothing but read them. Great literature? No. But for avid readers in about the 2nd or 3rd grade, these make a great choice, and offer good information about dogs.
Weaknesses: Any series of more than seven books makes me cringe, and I don't know how many school libraries are willing to invest in so many of these. Even my public library has them only in paperback. I imagine they plan for them to have a limited life.

Guy Friday- Secrets of the Terra-Cotta Soldier

Compestine, Ying Chang and Vinson. Secrets of the Terra-Cotta Soldier.
7 January 2014, Amulet Books
E ARC from Netgalley. 

Ming's father is the local director of antiquities in Red Star for the Maoist government in the 1970s, but the department may soon be closed down. While his father is in the city dealing with this, Ming has villagers show up at his door with a "treasure", demanding payment. Used to their tactics, Ming issues a receipt but keeps the broken soldier figurine. To his surprise, the head starts to talk to him, telling him he is a soldier named Shi in Emperor Qin's army. Ming manages to restore the figurine, so Shi is able to walk around and help Ming when the local government demands the figure back, and the two discover a plot to take artifacts from the Emperor Qin's tomb and then blow it up, blaming Ming's father, who is looked down upon by the Communist villagers since he is an intellectual. Shi tells Min his story of fighting with the emperor's army and the events that led to both the building of the tomb and also Shi's death. Will Ming be able to hold off the villagers from pillaging the tomb until his father returns to assess the treasure?
Strengths: Chang Compestine brings her own experiences growing up in Communist China to make this a compelling tale of politics AND archaeology. Her Revolution is Not a Dinner Party was brilliant, but this has the added attractive of action and adventure. Ming's struggles are well-portrayed, and the accompanying illustrations of the terra cotta figurines, as well as of other facets of life in China at the time, add a lot to the story. I will definitely be purchasing a copy of this, especially since Shi's story has so much description of war in it.
Weaknesses: I was a bit leery of the fantasy element at first, since a straight historical novel about this time would be great, but Chang Compestine's writing is so good that this technique actually worked. We got to hear about the time of the Great Wall being built from Shi, an eye witness, and I was completely willing to suspend all disbelief. As is usual, the pictures loaded VERY slowly on the E ARC version, which is frustrating.

The Lost Planet

Searles, Rachel. The Lost Planet
January 28th 2014, Feiwel & Friends 

Chase wakes up with a wound on the back of his head and no memories, other than the phrase "guide the star". Luckily, he is found by Parker, who lives on the planet Trucon with his android nanny Mina, under the care of Dr. Sylvestri. The boys sneak off in a small space craft to have some fun, but Trucon blows up! Mina hunts them down, but is disabled, and the boys eventually land in the care of Maurus, whose life they have saved but who might have been responsible for blowing up Trucon under the direction of the evil Karsha Van. The boys feel their best bet in seeking help from the Fleet. They encounter a vast variety of aliens and see a good bit of the galaxy while trying to figure out who Chase is, especially after they meet his sister, who says that Chase is dead. This book is action packed, but some of the questions are answered near the end of the book.
Strengths: Lots and lots of action, running about, gadgetry and fighting. Most of the book, except for the last bit, is nonstop action. For readers who want "something to happen", this is great. I appreciated that this was a science fiction space adventure book and not yet another dystopia.
Weaknesses: I get very confused by sci fi and fantasy in general, and this had so much going on that I had a hard time following what was going on. Will students be confused? Hard to tell. I also thought the world building and character development were on the weak side. May have to test this out with my avid sci fi readers to see what they think.

Here is a very odd and random rant/blather about clothing. It occurred to me as I was making a desperate attempt to dress myself this morning (moss green skirt, medium blue sweater, giant dangly butterfly necklace-- why not?) that I needed light beige tights to wear to match my turtleneck. And then I had this horrible flashback to getting ready for school in the second grade.

See how short the skirt is on the girl at left? When I started kindergarten in 1970, I wore skirts that short every single day, even in January. Tights were necessary, and so hard to get into. I would sit at the edge of the bed, my mother would roll them onto my feet, and I'd have to jump up and down to get them on. I was pudgy.



 A mere five years later, we were allowed to wear PANTS in the winter.  Mind you, it was mainly pants suits(see the lovely mint green number in the catalog. I want it right now!) that my mother made from Stretch-n-Sew Patterns. I had one that was kelly green with hot pink, neon yellow and white Scotty dogs all over it. I could wear the jumper top separately, often with orange tights. The other was orange and black plaid. 1975. Not a pretty time. There is no photgraphic evidence of this, for which I am both grateful and saddened.

Point here? When I was in the 6th grade, in 1976, I was finally allowed to wear flesh colored tights with my white bow blouse with the puffy sleeved t shirt over it, a denim skirt, and denim colored lace up shoes. There is a picture of this somewhere, because I wore it for the class picture. Flesh colored tights meant I was GROWN UP.

This is why people born even five years later don't feel fondly about panty hose. They were not subjects to the horrible ritual of tights. I was never allowed to wear black tights (although I remember purple, acid green, several unfortunate pinks), so I can wear those now without flinching, but beige-- can't do.


 But at least I wasn't my brother. He had a plaid leisure suit what he wore white white patent leather shoes and matching belt. And for some reason, the boys I knew frequently wore plaid pants with striped t shirts, or plaid shirts with striped pants. Colors were completely random. Then there was the atrocity that was the shirt with the fake vest over it, sometimes belted in matching fabric. Snazzy.

Just wait, children. In 40 years, you will laugh at red skinny jeans. LAUGH, I tell you!

World Wednesday--Gold Medal Winter

Freitas, Donna. Gold Medal Winter
7 January 2014, Scholastic, Inc.
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Esperanza Flores has worked hard but also been lucky-- her single mother has a supportive community at the Italian restaurant where she works;  Esperanza's Coach Chen moved to her small town, coaches her for free AND has her own rink right next door to a small house the Flores family rents; and she gets on the Olympic team when the girl who scores right above her is injured. Espi's friends and family are supportive of her trip to the Olympics even though her Dominican national mother has some trouble getting a visa to travel to the Olympics. There is a lot of in-fighting on the ice skating team, and Espi is both angry and sad that the other figure skaters can't be nice to her. She is also distracted by two boy skaters, one of whom may just be toying with her emotions for the press's benefit and also on behalf of the injured skater whose place she took. Espi desperately wants to land a quadruple salchow jump, but also wants to make her mother proud AND get along with everyone on the Olympic team.
Strengths: Like Gold Medal Summer, this was a great book about sports, girl drama, AND romance. It's well written, I like the characters, and the plot moves right along. I would never have read a book about girls doing sports when I was in middle school, but I would have loved this one because of all of the great details about traveling, and all the drama. Awesome stuff!
Weaknesses: Hmmm. Nope. Even liked the drama with the two boys, the stuff with the mean skater girls-- can't think of anything I would change!

http://www.dogpacer.com/treadmill-blog/2013/winter-weather-and-your-dog/snow-dogs-at-dogpacer/

And we're finally back at school! It's been too long a break, and too much cold weather. Now I have to get books for all 750 students in two days! (We have a teacher work session on Friday-- Waiver Day, at which I normally love to present three packed sessions of 100 Great New Books, but since my mother is still in the hospital from her extensive back surgery, I'll be with her instead. I am hoping that they will release her to a rehabilitation center and we can spend the weekend getting her settled.)

Enders

Price, Lissa. Enders (Starters #2)
7 January 2014, Delacorte Books for Young Readers
E ARC from Netgalley. com

Callie is back, and things are greatly improved. She is living in Helena's house with her brother Tyler, and friend Michael is nearby, although he is still hurt by her relationship with Blake. While at the mall to buy Tyler new shoes, Callie sees Reece, another worker at Prime, but she looks a bit odd and then blows up! Callie knew that the chip installed in her when she was working at being a vehicle for "ender" tourists still gave her trouble, but since she is still hearing the Old Man in her head, she decides that something needs to be done. That something arrives in the guise of Hyden, who claims to be the Old Man's son, but also claims to be against all of the work that Prime did. He helps Callie gather as many "Metals" as he can, and they have a large community of them in a compound that is inaccessible to the tracking programs the Old Man has. Callie is attracted to Hyden, but because of a scientific accident, he can't touch anyone. When the compound is attacked and the Metals taken, Callie knows that she will never be safe until she can find the Old Man and neutralize him, but she has many surprises waiting for her.
Strengths: This had a lot of action, adventure, and some crazy good science fiction facets! The explanation for the death of all the parents (the Spore Wars) and the explanation of the social hierarchy still works. Callie's relationship with Helena (who is dead but still present in flashbacks) is interesting, and the twists are some that I didn't quite see coming.
Weaknesses: I am not fond of the new covers, because the original was SO super awesome. I didn't like this one quite as well as the first, but I'm not quite sure why.

MMGM- Crash

Monninger, Joseph. Crash (Stay Alive #1)
January 7th 2014 by Scholastic Paperbacks
E ARC from Netgalley.com

When a plane carrying the Team Jump reality show team crashes in the wilderness, the pilot and the twin sister of one of the girls dies. The other 8 people and a dog survive, and try to carve out a place to wait until help arrives. Suryadi is gravely injured and doesn't survive long.  The producer, Seldon, is not prepared to lead the group, but Paul's father, Walter, thinks that adults should take the lead. Titus, however, is an Eagle scout, and better at figuring out what to do next. Jill is missing her sister, but E tries her best to supply food for the group by fishing. Web isolates himself from the group, staying in the plane and hoarding food. Eventually, when no help comes, E, Titus, Paul and Walter prepare to set out to look for help, but at the last minute, Walter becomes ill, so Seldon goes instead. Back at Camp Lollipop (so named because the group keeps their morale up by eating lollipops that they found in the plane), the group is rescued, and search parties are sent to look for Team Four. Titus almost dies trying to cross a river, and Seldon's feet are a mess, but that group is eventually rescued as well.

More books in this series are expected, including Cave-in (#2) in March 2014, Breakdown (#3)in July 2014 and Flood (#4) .

Strengths: There are a lot of students who like survival books and who are looking for a book just like Hatchet. I liked that there were survival tips in the beginnings of chapters, and that the people all did the best they could to survive and followed proper protocols. I can see these being popular purchases at book fairs.
Weaknesses: The cast of characters was much too large, so there was very little character development. The plot, too, seemed weak and somewhat predictable. Still, given the popularity of survival tales, I will look at the next titles in this series and debate purchasing.


Doeden, Matt. Tools and Treasures of Ancient Egypt.
1 Feburary 2014, Lerner Publications
E ARC from Netgalley.com

This very brief book is better suited to elementary students wanting an overview of Egypt rather than to middle school students doing research projects. This is well illustrated, with a map, picture or illustrations on almost every page, but there are only about three or four sentences of information to accompany them. There are many books with brief overviews out there, but what I really need would be a book about this long JUST on the tools or JUST on the treasures of Ancient Egypt. It's hard to find books for students to use on research projects that are on their level but contain a good deal more information. I've been searching for years, so shall continue!

Norwich, Grace. I Am Cleopatra
7 January 2014, Scholastic Paperbacks
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Another entry from the Scholastic I Am series, this is actually a very helpful book because Cleopatra's life is so hard to follow. This does a lovely job at explaining things that don't quite make sense if students don't have a good understanding of Egyptian culture at the time, and addresses certain topics like the practice of marrying one's siblings, or the fact that Caesar and Marc Antony already had wives, briefly but without belaboring them. Since our 6th graders study Ancient Egypt, I may buy this one and see what kind of circulation it sees. I'd love for students to read more of these so they can have a better knowledge of people in history. 

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday at Anastasia Suen's blog. Instead of having to visit lots of different blogs, all of the nonfiction posts will be at Nonfiction Monday!

Happy New Year Blather-- A Bit Late!

Resolutions. Yes, I always make them, and do fairly well at implementing them. I know what I can and can't do. For example, I should resolve to spend more of 2014 on the computer. But I really don't think that will happen. Part of this is because I am old, and I'd much rather type on my Smith-Corona.

There really are no words to describe how much I HATE to work on the computer. While I will gladly sit for hours and hours reading books, when it comes to reviewing them, posting them on Goodreads and YABC and wherever else... no fun. Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter... I would rather clean out the linen closet than spend time gazing at a screen with anything on it! (Except a book... I'm cool with my Nook.)

This is a problem. This defeats the whole point of Twitter, for example, which is to scroll through endless feed to see what other people are saying. I do really try to read book reviews on blogs, and I spend the most screen time looking for new releases... so I can read them. It's rather amazing that most blogs, even book review blogs, don't have all that many book reviews.

Things that will happen.

I will read 720 books. It was touch and go for a while this year-- my goal was 700 books, and I didn't think I would make it because I did not read as much this summer.

Recently, on someone's blog, a teacher-libarian said she would be reading for quality, not quantity. I thought about that a lot, and decided that quantity works for my purposes most of the time. I need to know a little about a lot of books so that I can recommend them to students. For the Cybils awards, of course, I have to look at quality, but I think I can zip through Empire State of Slime or Stick Dog Wants a Hot Dog and not pay too much attention to detail.




 
I will run 700 miles.  Since I'll be coaching Cross Country again in the fall, I feel I really should, not that I can ever keep up with 8th graders.

Have sort of stalled at 5 and1/2 miles right now, because the temperatures got down to zero (I don't go out when it's under 15) and the treadmill stopped working. Did break down and buy a new treadmill, since that's the only way I can get Picky Reader to run at all, but it won't be here for a while. Picky Reader is thrilled that the new treadmill doesn't make weird noises or skip when the speeds go over 6 miles an hour. I never had a problem with that...




 I will do some more writing. Got about seven chapters of my middle grade novel done this summer, and it amused me, but at some point writing made me cranky. I'm turning a small bedroom into an office for myself, which will be nice for blogging and keeping multiple books and papers arranged anyway, but maybe that will be a good thing. You will all be relieved to know that I don't intend to talk about the writing process-- I like to believe that books arrive fully formed like Athena popping out of the head of Zeus. I find reading about the process about as interesting as Pinterest.


And, since I am going into my third straight year of blogging at least one book every day, I will continue to blog, and will try to keep the blathering to a minimum. Happy New Year!

Full Ride

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Full Ride
November 12th 2013, Simon & Schuster

When Becca Jones' father is sent to jail for running a variety of scams and embezzling a lot of money, she and her mother decide to move from Georgia to a small Ohio town where their generic last names insure that no one will connect them to the criminal father. It is tough to start over again, but Mr. Trumbull, their lawyer, has arranged it so that Becca can enter school with just home schooling test results, and her mother can get a job as a nurse. Things go swimmingly until Becca starts her senior year and starts to think about college. She would like to go to Vanderbilt, but realizes that she would need financial aid-- and her mother tells her that they can never fill out any forms because her father was in bigger trouble than they thought, and there are people who might come after them. Becca applies for a local full-ride scholarship in honor of a girl from her high school, and in doing so inadvertently spills all of her secrets. Not only is this bad, but she finds out from her mother that a large corporation, Excellerand, is involved and perhaps wanting to hurt them. Or is it others from their past who do?
Strengths: This reminded me of some of the Caroline Cooney thrillers and was a fast, interesting read. The details about starting over and hiding from authorities would appeal to my students. This would be a must purchase for high school libraries.
Weaknesses: I'm not sure that middle school students would be all that interested in the college application process/obsession. I could have done without the odd circumstances surrounding the full-ride scholarship for some reason. It was an odd note.

Saturday Morning Cartoons--Hard Luck

Kinney, Jeff. Hard Luck. (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #8)
November 5th 2013 by Amulet Books

Greg is upset that Rowley spends so much time with his girlfriend that he is not there to hang out with Greg. He's not there to warn Greg about dog poo on the walk to school, carry Greg's heavy backpack, or protect Greg from the kids who infest the woods. Not only that, but it's even hard to get him to do Greg's homework. Greg tries unsuccessfully to train other classmates to fill this position, but nothing works. Greg finds a Magic 8 Ball while snooping in his mother's closet, and for a while, uses it successfully to navigate his life, until it gets broken. Further complicating matters is a visit by his mother's extended family and a hunt for a missing diamond ring. Thankfully, Rowley breaks up with his girlfriend and can get back to helping Greg.
Strengths: Of course, students love the anecdotal format of these, along with the pictures. At this point, Kinney could publish a list of kinds of soup and kids would line up to prepurchase it. Has some funny moments.
Weaknesses: These could be decent books if more attention were given to plot arcs and character development. Wouldn't it be nice to have something kids wanted to read that was actually pretty good. I still vastly prefer Big Nate or Charlie Joe Jackson, because more attention is given to literary merit.


Tiwart, Vivek. The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story
(Philip Simon (Editor), Andrew C. Robins (Illustrations), Kyle Baker (Illustrations)
 November 19th 2013, Dark Horse

A graphic novel about the manager of the Beatles! What a great idea!

But sadly, not for middle school. Drat. At least we know right away, when the first page has a quote from John Lennon that includes the f-bomb.  Of course, there is also drug use, and a lot of exploration of Epstein's homosexuality.

It's a bit confusing, too. I'm glad I looked at it, but obviously won't be buying it. Important to note that it was, in fact, in the adult collection of my public library.

The Fallout

Bodeen, S.A. The Fallout
September 24th 2013, Feiwel & Friends 

This sequel to The Compound shows the Yanakakis family starting over in Seattle after escaping from the family patriarch. Eddy, who spent the last six years with his grandmother in Hawaii, feels somewhat guilty but is able to accept that his family is back. The mother is completely paranoid, not wanting the children to leave the house. Eli wants things to get back to "normal" but has no idea what that is. He decides to investigate the charitable side of the family business, which leads him to visit a Progeria research facility, where he meets Verity, who brother has the disorder. He likes her, but isn't quite sure how to go about dating her when his mother barely lets him out of the house. This is for a good reason-- Eli finds online that people are stalking them, especially doomsday preppers. In side stories, his older sister, who is adopted, wants to find her birth mother, and Eddy makes a friend in Tony, who helped find a lost younger brother when the group was out. It turns out that Tony is not who he says he is, and before long the three oldest children are kidnapped by the person whom they trust the least. Will Eli's life ever go smoothly?
Strengths: Like The Compound, this is a thriller, so I can't say a whole lot more or the mystery would be revealed. This was a convincing sequel to a gripping book, and I was surprised at how easy it was to read-- it's certainly a page turner. The emotions of the entire family after their ordeal in The Compound are very realistic, and the twists at the end... whew. Good stuff.
Weaknesses: The big problem when there are a lot of years between a first and second book is that the first book wears out! I may have to get another copy. I love that the covers are similar, though!

Perfect Season

Green, Tim. Perfect Season. (Football Genius #6)
October 1st 2013 by HarperCollins 

Troy has a job using his "football genius" to help the Jets, so he and his mother move to New Jersey. Because his father ran off with the $5 million he had been paid, Troy has to go to Summit and not the fancy private school that his cousin Ty is attending. Summit's football team is awful, and their stadium is falling to pieces, but Troy manages to talk Seth into interviewing for the coaching position, and he gets hired. Seth thinks it's a good idea for Troy and cocky new student Chuku to try out for the high school team, and they get on it. The high schoolers are less than pleased to have to play with 8th graders, and give them a hard time. Things aren't going well for Troy with the Jets, either-- he has lost his ability to predict plays, which means he could end up losing a lot of money. Add to this accusations that Seth has bribed students to play for Summit, and the "perfect season" of games might not turn out to be so perfect. Luckily, Tate uses her investigative skills to uncover what is really going on with Summit's football program, and things eventually end well.
Strengths: Lots of good football plays, interesting characters, and a mystery will make this popular with the readers who enjoy this series and author. The writing is easy to read and flows smoothly.
Weaknesses: Having just read an article about high school athletes transferring schools and having to sit out for a year, I wondered why this was not the case for Chuku and Troy. Also, while it was nice to see Tate back, the device of having her father in an accident seemed far fetched. I also didn't quite believe that Chuku and Troy would be encouraged to play for the high school. While all of these things didn't seem possible to me, I'm sure that they make the stories more appealing to students. What 8th grader doesn't want to make $5 million and play high school varsity football?

Who Stole New Year's Eve

 Happy New Year! To start off this year, here's the only other middle grade book about the holiday that I can think of besides Harrison's Charmed and Dangerous: The Pretty Committee Strikes Back. Anyone know of others?

Freeman, Martha. Who Stole New Year's Eve?
5 September 2013, Holiday House
ARC from Baker and Taylor

Alex's neighborhood is all set for the Ice Festival as well as their annual Twelve Days of Christmas decorating, but the arrival of new neighbors makes some of them  unhappy. Eve, who's father is working on a "grassoline" project at the university, moves in from California, and Alex's friend Yasmeen is NOT happy. It doesn't help when Eve laughs at her singing efforts. When first an ice statue of Eve (that was a present from her father) is stolen, and then the others that were done for the festival, Alex has to investigate. Yasmeen doesn't want to help, but Eve does, as well as past regulars Sofie, Bub and Alex's mother, Detective Parakeet manage to figure out the mystery. This is Book 5 in the Chickadee Court Mysteries.
Strengths: This book took QUITE the unexpected turn at the end, which I always appreciate, but which makes writing a synopsis difficult. I thought this was a light, fun mystery, but it got really serious at the end. I don't know how I missed these books; I will have to take a look at them, since I always need more mysteries. Added bonus: Yasemeen's family is from Trinidad! The only other MG fiction book I can think of with a character of that origin is Ganeshram's Stir It Up!
Weaknesses: A little on the goofy side, but not too bad. The thing I couldn't believe was that when Alex's clearly beloved cat, Luau, goes limp and is ill, he allows his father to take the cat to the vet without him while he goes off to investigate. And he forgets about the cat! Clearly, this is what needs to happen to sustain the plot, but when my dog Sylvie went limp at exactly this time last year, you can bet that my daughter and I both rushed her to the vet. But, clearly that's just my experience talking!