MMGM- Secrets of the Book

Fry, Erin. Secrets of the Book
4 February 2014, Two Lions
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Spencer's mother makes him volunteer at a rest home, and Ed, the man he is visiting, gives him a Pandora's Book, which has the ability to bring famous people from the past to life. This is a bit of a problem with Socrates appears to Spence and his friend Gregor. Gregor is on the autism spectrum, so doesn't do well with loud noises or change in routine, but does fairly well talking to one of his idols. Of course, nothing is ever that simple-- a man shows up with Pandora's Other Book, looking for Spencer's help right around the time that Ed goes missing from his rest home. Ed has told his granddaughter Mel where to find Spencer, and she helps the boys figure out how to work the book. It turns out that the "other book" has the bad guys, and while the man in charge of the book is no saint (he turns out to be Al Capone), he has kept things safe, but can only continue to do so with Spencer's help. With Ed missing, and Gregor's dog taken hostage, can the kids return things to the way they should be without giving away the secrets?
Strengths: I love how Ms. Fry works cross country running into the book! There are some especially nice touches with Mel and Gregor's motivations for running that I liked, and the tiny bit of romance is good, too. Gregor's situation is portrayed realistically; in fact, it's one of the better portrayals of a child on the autism spectrum that I've read, and there are so many right now. The plot moves along nicely, and the characters from history remind me a little of Lubar's Flip, but with better action.
Weaknesses: Fry's Losing It was such a good novel that I was hoping for another realistic fiction book from her, since there are already so many fantasy books. No majr problems with this, just some quibbles-- Spencer's degenerative eye disease is mentioned at the beginning of the book, but then not addressed much later. There is one mention of track practice being canceled because of DRIZZLE-- is that what they do in California? (Yes, apparently it is!) Since this is more action/adventure than fantasy, I'll buy a copy.

Plumeri, Arnauld and Bloz. In the Beginning: Dinosaurs #1
Papercutz, 7 January 2014
Review copy provided by publisher

This hardcover graphic novel introduces readers to lots of facts about dinosaurs. The information (strung together loosely by the narrator, cartoon archaeologist Indino Jones) has information on a variety of individual species, but also pages on eras, how fossiles are formed, dinosaur tracks and the disappearance of the dinosaurs, just to name a few.
Strengths: This is much better bound that other Papercutz books, so I will probably put this in my library. The information about dinosaurs is interspersed with funny anecdotes about them, so children interested in dinosaurs will not only get good information, but be amused as well.  I can see this being carried around constantly by some children who are really interested in dinosaurs, and would be a good gift for a first to third grader with those interests who is a strong reader.This is the first book in a series.
Weaknesses: I know that younger eyes don't have a problem, but the small dimension of the book ( 6.70 (w) x 9.10 (h) x 0.50 (d)) makes the font very small and hard to read. This is a translation of the French edition, and there are a few politically incorrect things that point to its European origins. (Fat, pushy wife, bullying dinosaurs.)

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.

One or Two Things I Learned About Love

Sheldon, Dyan. One or Two Things I Learned About Love.
December 10th 2013 by Candlewick Press
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Hildy's summer looks like it is going to be boring-- nothing but working at a farm stand with her friend Ely and putting up with her annoying younger sister Zelda and her serial dating older sister Gus. When she goes to the mall with her friends, she meets Connor, who is working at a coffee shop, and he asks for her phone number. They go out and click right away, which is a vast improvement on Hildy's previous two and a half dates. Soon the two are inseparable, texting all the time and hanging out. However, Connor becomes a bit over protective, and soon Hildy is wondering if she should wear her bikini in public, call Ely on the phone, or spend time with her girl friends. The course of first love never runs smoothly.
Strengths: Short, romantic book with lots of good first relationship details ("Isn't it so cute?"). Attractive cover, and no horrible problems. The diary format will appeal to reluctant readers. Will no doubt purchase.
Weaknesses: There are a lot of details skipped over-- this does read very much like a real diary. For example, Zelda is ten but has all kinds of melt downs, and is described as "having a syndrome", but this is never explained. Connor is a bit creepier towards the end than I would have liked, but Hildy realizes this before any major problems occur. Didn't like this quite as well as other books by the same author.

Pretty Blue Books

Behrens, Rebecca. When Audrey Met Alice
February 4th 2014 by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky 
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Audrey feels a bit hemmed in by her responsibilities as First Daughter now that her mother is president. She misses her friends back home, and is having trouble fitting in to her new school, although she has a crush on Quint. After her movie party for her class is canceled, she finds a diary and a pack of very old cigarettes under the floor boards in her room. These turn out to belong to Alice Roosevelt, who certainly was a celebrity figure in the early 1900s. Audrey finds herself taking a lot more chances when she reads about the sorts of derring-do that Alice got up to. She forgoes the little girl clothes her mother wants her to wear, attempts to sneak out to smoke the ancient cigarettes, and speaks out publicly in support of gay marriage after talking to her uncle about his disappointment in not being able to marry his partner. These actions get her mother in trouble, and Audrey has to find a balance between being her own person and being a person in the public eye.
Strengths: This is based on some good research, and even the voice of Alice's diaries seems rather authentic. Neither girl is badly behaved-- just frustrated with a situation that should be fun but can feel very narrow. The historical notes in the back are helpful.
Weaknesses: I had sort of hoped this involved time travel, but it didn't. That's okay, though, because it means that this would be a good way to get historical fiction to readers who might be against it. (But that's a strength and not a weakness.)

Hayles, Marsha. Breathing Room     
June 5th 2012 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

In 1940, Evvy is sent to the Loon Lake Sanitorium to try to be cured of her tuberculosis. The standard treatments of extreme rest (no talking, no coughing, certainly no getting up out of bed for a long time!) are covered, but Evvy does manage to make some friends with the other girls in her ward. There is some buzz about WWII and popular culture at the time, and some people get better and some don't. For a nonfiction title to go with this, try  Invincible Microbe.  Queenie is another book about this disease.
Strengths: I picked this up because I have a student doing a National History Day project on tuberculosis, and this certainly had a lot of information about treatment during this time and what it was like to be a patient.
Weaknesses:  Like all of the novels I have read set in tuberculosis sanitoriums (Martha Brooks' Queen of Hearts, Ellis' The Year of My Indian Prince, Degens' On the Third Ward, Hull's View from a Kite-- why do I know this?), this moves slowly because that's what it was like to be in a sanitorium. I can't say I get students who ask for this kind of book, and yet I keep reading them!

Guy Friday- The First Dragon

I merely pretend to be a Geek. Sure, I have some qualifications, but here are my shameful confessions: I don't like Monte Python and can't quote it. I didn't read all of Tolkien until I was 32, and I hated the Silmarillion. I don't play chess. Or Risk. I've never seen even the first Star Wars movie.

The shame.

Fantasy books are extremely hard for me to read. I have to take notes. When I'm reading for pleasure, it's usually some horrible, girly, realistic book. But I try.

I spent the evening of our snow day on Wednesday slowly reading James A. Owens' The First Dragon. It was gorgeous and multifaceted and complex and brilliant, and it completely transported me away from chilly Ohio. Though I took notes, there was so much that I wasn't able to comprehend that I don't think I can do justice to a review. I will try.

If you are a fan of high fantasy, or if you have readers who are, this series is a must. Sadly, my public library has only books two, three, four and six, a situation I intend to remedy right away.


Owen, James A. The First Dragon. (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica #7) 
November 12, 2013,Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 

The Keep of Time has been destroyed and the Imaginarium Geographica is lost in Deep Time. The Caretakers know they need to find the Architect and enlist his help. When the Black Dragon ship shows up, they go in search of Argus, the builder, in the hope that he can separate the dragon from the ship. Argus is able to do this, since he built the ship at the request of Mordred, to use in fighting the Erechthoi. It turns out that the dragon used was actually Madoc/Mordred, Rose Dyson's father, who joins the search for the Architect. Samaranth comes to help, Kipling finds Dr. Dee and attempts to neutralize him, and Poe arrives with a book that might help-- an older history that was never in the Repository because it never left his person. Using their final trips through the Zanzibar Gate to try to get to the Keep of Time, the group is finally given the secret to travel back. Can they figure out the rest of the puzzle and restore the Keep before it is too late?
Strengths: The layers of mythology and literally allusion are stacked so deeply and brilliantly that I can only shake my head in wonder. Utnapishtim is Deucalion is Ordo Maas is... well, I don't want to give it away. I felt like I should research about two things on every page. The outline for this must be astounding. If you have readers who know every elf and dwarf in The Hobbit, you NEED this.
Weaknesses:  This is a bit sophisticated for middle school, but every year I have a reader or two who makes it through the whole series. Also, this is the last book. Ah, but seven books is just about perfect.

Here are the books in the series:
Here There Be Dragons
The Search for the Red Dragon
The Indigo King
The Shadow Dragons
The Dragon's Apprentice
The Dragons of Winter

(I know I read these last two, but can't find my reviews!)

Codename Zero

Rylander, Chris. Codename Zero
4 February 2014, Walden Pond Press
E ARC from Abovethetreeline.com

Carson Fender likes to liven up life in his sleepy North Dakota town by staging elaborate pranks, like having a herd of fainting goats (this is a REAL THING!) invade the school yard so the school is evacuated and his friends Dillon and Danielle can glue all the doors shut. Carson is distracted when a mysterious man gives him a package, tells him not to open it, and to give it to Mr. Jensen. Carson gets detention from the long suffering principal who can never quite pin the crimes on him, and Carson has to debate whether or not he should open the package. Of course, he does, and it ends up being a computer saying that there is a certain amount of time before it self destructs. Carson doesn't know how to get the computer to shut up, and ends up trying to figure out which of the two Mr. Jensen's at his school should get it. It turns out that they are both secret agents, and there is a small agency headquarters at the school. It turns out that the new vaguely Slavic kid, Olek, is in the witness protection program because his parents need to testify against bad guys, and Carson is recruited to integrate Olek into the school so that the bad guys don't know which kid to nab. Of course, there's double agents and double crossing, and Carson (Agent Zero) is let go when Olek is kidnapped, but Carson is not willing to let his new friend suffer and comes to his aid.
Strengths: While the students adore The Fourth Stall series, I always found the series to be far fetched. Spy agencies in North Dakota are FAR more believable to me, and I loved this. There were tons of great funny lines, like the description of the super paranoid Dillon--"Dillon was convinced that his younger sister was really a demon and was trying to kill him in his sleep by cramming Lucky Charms marshmallows into his ears."-- and fun names like Agent Chum Bucket. This had a perfect balance of goofy and action, plus a fantastic cover. Can't wait to get a copy!
Weaknesses: This goes a tiny bit overboard on the importance of Olek's friendship to Carson, which I kind of liked but seems out of character for the target demographic.

World Wednesday--Dust of Eden

Nagai, Mariko. Dust of Eden
March 1st 2014 by Albert Whitman & Company

Mina lives in Seattle, and after Pearl Harbor is bombed, her father is imprisoned and then her family is sent to an internment camp in Idaho.  Her older brother, Nick, is bound and determined to join the US military and prove that he is an American citizen. Mina misses her best friend, her school, and her home. Her mother works very hard to make their lives bearable. Her grandfather misses his roses, and doesn't do very well in the poor conditions in which they are forced to live. Nick does join the military and is involved in some fighting, then interestingly, is sent to Japan after the war to help with things there. The family returns to their home.
Strengths: The cover photo by Dorothea Lange is a good choice, and there are several interesting ideas started in this. The supportive best friend and descriptions of life before the war are good. I would have loved to hear more from Nick, who was unable to go to college because of the internment, and his army service should have been a focus point of the book, since only Salisbury's Eyes of the Emperor covers this fascinating topic. Especially interesting would have been his time in Japan.
Weaknesses: This is a novel in verse, and like the vast majority of these, the form is not justified. At times, it is even a bit awkward and forced, splitting up phrases (Language/ Arts class) across lines. The characters are ones that I have seen in similar books (did any grandparents survive these camps?), and there's nothing terribly new. A much more interesting book could have been written, although this would still be a good addition to a collection on this topic.

Time Travel Tuesday

Time Travel Tuesday is an occasional feature at Charlotte's Library. While this is technically alternate realities, it had enough of a time travel feel to include today!

Bishara, Cristin. Relativity
September 10th 2013 by Walker Childrens

Ruby Wright loves science and is not happy that her father remarried and moved her from California and her friend George to Nowheresville, Ohio where she has to put up with stepmother Willow and her evil daughter Kandy. When Ruby investigates an interesting tree with a tragic past, she finds that it is actually a portal to alternate dimensions. Finding her own dimension less than pleasing, she investigates other ways that her life could have been. In several of the realities she meets an older brother, Nick; her mother who died in a car crash when she was four; and various versions of her father, Kandy and Willow. While Ruby would like to think that she could inhabit a different reality, her mother makes her see the error of her ways. But can she get back to her own existence in time?
Strengths: Like Michael Lawrence's A Crack in the Line, this had a convincing explanation for reality splitting. Ruby's confusion and longing are poignant and make choosing a reality heart rending. I know that this would not circulate hugely well in my library, but it may be one that I buy because I love it so. I allow myself one or two of those a year!
Weaknesses: The science got a bit much for me, but since it mentions string theory, maybe we could find a science nonfiction piece so that we could do a Common Core tie in. Understanding the science isn't as important as just believing it. Perhaps in my quest for time travel I need to become more aware of physics.


Lloyd, Natalie. A Snicker of Magic.
February 25th 2014 by Scholastic Press 
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Felicity's mother has a tendency to move every time there is a thunderstorm around a certain date of the month, but she has finally come back to stay with her sister in Midnight Gulch. Felicity and her sister Franny are crammed into the small apartment with Uncle Boone as well, and are apprehensive about starting school. Felicity can see words floating in the air, and has a talent for poetry, but not for talking in front of people. This changes when she becomes friends with Jonah, who works for local ice cream seller Oliver as "the Beedle", who does good deeds around town. Oliver encourages Felicity to sign up to participate in the "Duel", a talent show based on the premise that the founding fathers of the town, the Brothers Threadbare (who are ancestors of Felicity's), had a musical competition years ago. Felicity doesn't want to do the competition, but thinks that her doing so will somehow encourage her mother to stay in town, and will impress Jonah as well. There is a "snicker" (i.e. a little bit) of magic left in the town, most of which is magic-less because of a long ago curse. Felicity and an assortment of the town's residents work through a variety of issues, many time with the help of Blueberry Sunrise ice cream, which helps people remember things.
Strengths: The cover of this made me really want to read this book, and there has been much more call for magical realism in books lately.
Weaknesses: This was both quirky and Southern, two things which I never like, so I am not the best judge. Also, the introduction by the editor tried a little too hard to tell me that I would like this book. It had its moments, but was very slow paced and a bit short on plot. Most of the story was concerned with bringing in many town members and telling their stories. The final bit that made me cringe was the use of language: spindiddly, "what the hayseed", and then the poetic words that Felicity saw in the air. There will be a lot of readers who like this one (and who also like books like Tangle of Knots and Savvy), but I am not one of those readers.

MMGM--Ice Dogs

Johnson, Terry Lynn. Ice Dogs
February 4th 2014 by HMH Books for Young Readers
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Victoria loves to compete in dog sled races in Alaska with her great team of dogs, which includes Bean, her lead dog. After finding out that another man who races might be selling dogs, she takes off with her team to visit him, since her mother doesn't want to take her. She has trouble locating his house, and comes across a boy who has crashed his snowmobile into a tree and is injured. Chris has just moved to Alaska from Toronto, so knows nothing about surviving. Luckily,Victoria has learned from the best-- her supportive father, a trapper, who has passed away. She needs every bit of knowledge at her disposal to help her and Chris survive. They are lost, there is snow, and the supplies are running low. Every time they make some progress (finding a moose, happening upon a trapper's cabin), they have another set back. The two have an easy chemistry and various skills between them, but the wilderness is tough to fight, and they barely make it home alive.
Strengths: This was an absolutely riveting tale of survival in the cold, and one which my survival readers will pick up avidly. There are so many good things-- the writing is crisp and evocative of the place and the feeling of being in the frozen wilderness. Ms. Johnson's experiences with dog sledding are very apparent. The details of sledding and of being prepared in the wilderness are fantastic, and the fact that even though Victoria is relatively prepared and yet still has difficulties is a great one to emphasize. Chris is also a great character, and one who grows up a lot during the course of the book. Victoria, too, comes to terms with her father's death and also the relationship with her mother in a natural and not boring way. I loved that Victoria saved Chris but Chris was able to sew snow boots for the dogs! This book show a lot of work and craftsmanship-- I've read so many things that needed more editing to know that this book was revised many times.
Weaknesses: If anything, the start of the book and of Victoria's journey could have used a little more explanation, but that's a fine line-- it's also good to jump right into the survival part of the story so that readers don't get bored.

And don't forget Boys Read Pink Month! Ice Dogs has a girl as the main character, and I checked it out to one of our male teachers who loves outdoor survival books. Other outdoor survival books with girls as the main character include:
Bilk, Ilsa J. Ashes
Friedman, D. Dina. Escaping Into the Night
George, Jean Craighead. Julie of the Wolves
Mazer, Harry. Snow Bound
Nelson, O.T. The Girl Who Owned the City
O'Dell, Scott. Island of the Blue Dolphins; Sarah Bishop
Pfeffer, Susan Beth. Life as we Knew It


Goldsmith, Connie. Traumatic Brain Inury: From Concussion to Coma
February 1st 2014 by "21st Century"
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Like Fourth Down and Inches, this is a great book to have for many reasons. It's that Common Core nonfiction piece to go with just about any soccer or football book, plus it will be eagerly read by sports enthusiasts who are interested in the topic. This had a very nice mix of anecdotes and medical information, which really helps liven the book up. At just under 100 pages, it's not too long, and I especially liked how it included traumatic brain injury suffered by military personnel, bicyclists (I ALWAYS wear my helmet!) and people who are injured in falls. Illustrations, resources and notes at the back make this a book that could also be used for research projects. This will be worth the $26 it will cost.

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.

Fifth Annual Guys Read Pink Month!

I always feel ambivalent about concentrating on books for boys. I'm an ardent feminist, and it took a long time for women to get the tenuous quasi-parity we have. Studies have shown that there are far more books with boys as the main character.

But boys still struggle to find books they will read, and their reading scores are not as high. A significant number of the teachers and librarians they meet are women.

Girls will read books with boys as the main character without blinking, but boys are more reluctant to read books with girls as the main character. Interestingly enough, when I tell the boys that they are encouraged to do this, they have a look of relief on their faces, and check out all manner of books with great gusto.They are less likely in the future to turn down suggestions just because they don't have a boy and an explosion on the cover. So, while this may be a flawed plan, it seems to be working at my school.

Our celebrity sponsor for this month is Alexander Vance, who wrote the fabulous The Heartbreak Messenger.  Here's what he has to say to kick off this celebration of gender diversity!

Photo from http://www.alexandervance.com/

In my book, The Heartbreak Messenger, 13-year-old Quentin wishes for a Rosetta Stone for understanding girls. You know, something that would bridge the sociological gap between boys and girls and make it possible to translate from one language to another. It’s a nice idea, but it doesn’t exist—I’ve searched the Internet there and back again, but nothing. I did find one for $19.95 plus shipping and handling from this fellow in Namibia, but I’ve long since given up hope of it ever arriving.

Quentin’s not alone—every boy has wished for that kind of translator at some point. What did that girl really mean when she smiled at me in the hallway? Why did she walk away when I gave her a friendly slug in the shoulder? Why didn’t she laugh at my body humor joke when all the other guys did? Man…as if middle school wasn’t tough enough without those unreadable female creatures wandering around.

Well, as usual, the answer is found on the shelves of the library. Yes, I suppose you could point them to a few popular relationship books, but I don’t place much stock in those. (Come on, men aren’t really from Mars—there’s no oxygen there! Duh.) But even better is to introduce those confused young men to comparative literature: the idea that one of the best methods for learning about a foreign culture is to study its literature. You want to understand girls? Read what they read. Experience what they experience.

And it’s not just the humanities that support that idea. Science recently published a study  about how reading fiction can improve your social skills. Admittedly, it’s talking about literary fiction, but The Dork Diaries almost falls into that category.

So whether you believe that culture influences art or art influences culture, either way, reading “pink” books will provide boys with both conscious and unconscious insights into the girls that surround them. And, more importantly, it will nearly double the amount of good books they can pull off the library shelf. We all know that in the end, a good story is a good story, regardless of how the publisher colors the cover.

Next week, Ms. Yingling will post the list of “pink” books I read as a kid. In the meantime, get the word out to the boys in your life. Read pink this month. And I, the chest-thumping, testosteroney, Tarzan of a man that I am, will do the same.

A Young Adult Title

Schneider, Robyn. The Beginning of Everything
August 27th 2013, Katherine Tegen 

Ezra starts his senior year in high school having lost everything that makes him feel like himself. Right before the prom in the spring, he was in a bad car accident that shattered his knee, ended his tennis career, and effectually ended his relationship with Charlotte, which was over anyway. His old jock and student government friends don't talk to him, but old friend Toby, who is a social pariah after a freak accident years ago, invites Ezra into his world of debate team. There, Ezra meets Cassidy, who has transferred from a private school, where she was a stand out on the debate team. The group hangs out together, Ezra and Cassidy start dating, and Ezra has to figure out who he is now. When Cassidy doesn't show up for prom, Ezra finds out more about her past, and how it is entwined with his own, coming to the conclusion that is stated in the first lines of the book: "Sometimes I think everyone has a tragedy waiting for them, that people buying milk in their pajamas or picking their noses at stoplights could be only moments away from disaster."
Strengths: This was very Sonnenblick-esque, with tragic moments described in really cleverly funny ways. (Page 99: "Yes! And heavenly cherubs will play tiny ukeleles of joy and you will lay incesnse and confierous fruits at my altar." Don't know why that phrase made me snort so much.) I knew that this would not be a middle grade novel, but I was so taken by all the characters that I had to finish reading it. I think I had a bit of a book crush on Ezra, who goes on such a wonderful voyage of self discovery, and I kind of wanted to be Cassidy. If I had a high school library, I would definitely buy it.
Weaknesses: A couple of f-bombs, drinking, and way too much sex for middle grade. I also highly doubted that the faculty chaperone for the debate team would have allowed such carousing in the hotel, or that the students would have gotten a budget for eating out. MY time on the school speech team was that exciting!

Miles, Betty. The Real Me. 
 August 12th 1974 by Random House, Inc. 

Saw the review of this at Lost Classics of Teen Lit, 1939-1989 at a very fortuitous time-- I had a class of students reading historical fiction, and couldn't find anything that really reflected the 1970s the way I remembered it. Since I still own two of Miles' titles I bought in middle school, I knew this would be good. Believe it or not, I own very few books from my own middle grade years.

Barbara Fisher is a 6th grader who lives in a smallish Midwestern suburb with her basketball playing brother, elementary principal father, and a mother who has just gone back to work as a reporter for the local paper. School is going okay, but Barbara is dismayed over the choices available for girls when it comes to gym classes. She ends up in Slimnastics, even though she wants to play tennis; after all, as a teacher points out, she could benefit from Slimnastics because she has a "bit of a tummy" and could maybe become graceful enough to become a cheerleader for the tennis team, which only has boys on it. Add to the general discrimination of the era the fact that her brother wants to give up his paper route, and while Barbara has been successfully pitching in for several weeks, girls are NOT ALLOWED to do paper routes. No reason. Just the way it is.

Barbara is not going to give up, though, even when people in school think she is a nut for circulating a petition to change the way gym classes are set up. She tries to get people on her route to write her references, and while some offer glowing ones, others agree that girls would rather stay at home, gossip and do their nails rather than faithfully deliver the papers. Her mother also causes a splash by writing an article in the paper about how many fashion shows are given in the town when there is plenty of volunteer work to do. Of course, this results in letters to the editor about how Ms. Fisher should be at home instead of abandoning her family. Eventually, the state governor decides to allow girls to carry newspapers, and the school decides to keep up with the times and change the gym classes as well.

Strengths: Readers today are just not going to believe that this was real. "Go, You Chicken Fat Go" played in school? Girls not being allowed to do what they want? An 11 year old making chops, peas and a salad for dinner without a microwave, take out, or prepackaged food? And what's with the letter writing, newspaper, and telephones connected to the wall? Barbara's father's school has also been turned into a open classroom concept, which the Fishers think is great, but which is getting complaints from parents. This is really quite a brilliant book. Ms. Miles was considered rather forward thinking for her time, and I think this book holds up very well-- if as historical fiction. The Gibraltar Bound copy I purchased is slightly worse for the wear, but I'm putting it into the collection.

 
Weaknesses: While handled with grace and tact for the time period, it's awkward to read about Barbara's Black friend Angela now. Barbara truly likes Angela, who must be one of the few Black students in the school. It's addressed that Angela doesn't just want to be Barbara's "Black friend", but I think the situation would be approached differently today. 

Guy Friday-- From Norvelt to Nowhere

Gantos, Jack. From Norvelt to Nowhere.
September 24th 2013 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

This sequel to Dead End in Norvelt is just as quirky as the original:  Jack and Miss Volker are at it again. When Spizz, who killed all the old ladies in town so he could marry Miss Volker, apparently kills Mrs. Custard (who has just moved to town) as well, Jack knows he has to act. However, Miss Volker's sister dies in Florida, so the two take off on the train to attend the funeral, the thought being that Miss Volker can't travel on her own. They end up getting involved in a variety of schemes, and eventually figure out who the real murderer is.
Strengths: This has some really quirky moments, such as when Jack falls into a septic tank, when Miss Volker attempts to restore her hands in boiling hot split pea soup and then the "fountain of youth", and the plot moved quickly enough. If the first book is popular in your library, I would definitely buy.
Weaknesses: Not a personal favorite. I couldn't suspend disbelief long enough even to be convinced that Mrs. Custard would have been killed by a poisoned Thin Mint cookie.


Starting Sunday, It's Boys Read Pink Month! Author Alexander Vance will be our celebrity sponsor.  My students have already started to check out books for this event!

Manor of Secrets

Finally back at school, and let me tell you, it's a WHOLE lot easier to spend 20 minutes outside when it is 10 degrees than it is when it is -15! I got a ton of reading done over our two day "cold emergency" break, but I am glad to be able to be at school today!

Longshore, Katherine. Manor of Secrets
January 28th 2014 by Point 
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Lady Mary of Downton Abbey Lady Charlotte is unhappy with the constraints of her upper class life, especially the attentions of the handsome by snooty Lord Andrew Broadhurst, and wishes that she could be more adventuresome, like Janie, the kitchen maid at The Manor. Janie, of course, doesn't see things this way, because she is too busy scrubbing things and being yelled at by her mother, the cook. Charlotte wishes to flee, but Janie fears being made to leave. Charlotte needs a friend, and starts to confide in Janie, who gets in trouble for hiding writing that Charlotte has done. Both young ladies run into trouble with Lawrence, who doesn't seem to confine his adventures with women to below stairs. As it turns out, he is not the only one to have assignations on both sides of the social register, as Charlotte and Janie soon find out.
Strengths: Middle school girls who have been watching Downton with their mothers (and surely there are a few), will adore this period drama about changing times and changing roles. I wanted to slap Charlotte at first, but she does grow up a bit and starts to understand things a bit more. While relationships are hinted at, there is nothing graphic or instructional, so I will be ordering this for my library.
Weaknesses: Nothing earth shakingly new here, but then I've read and seen a lot of stuff from this period. My very favorite is the BBC's House of Eliot.

Rasheed, Leila. Diamonds and Deceit (At Somerton #2)
January 7th 2014 by Disney-Hyperion

And, look, a younger Lady Mary getting dressed! There was nothing I wanted to do more on the snow day on Tuesday than curl up and read this, but after finding Cinders and Sapphires (At Somerton #1) to be a bit more young adult because of a few themes, I will keep this one a bit until I get all of my "work" reading done. But it looks soooooo good!

From Goodreads:
"London is a whirl of balls and teas, alliances and rivalries. Rose has never felt more out of place. With the Season in full swing, she can't help but still feel a servant dressed up in diamonds and silk. Then Rose meets Alexander Ross, a young Scottish duke. Rose has heard the rumors about Ross's sordid past just like everyone else has. Yet he alone treats her as a friend. Rose knows better than to give her heart to an aristocrat with such a reputation, but it may be too late.

Ada should be happy. She is engaged to a handsome man who shares her political passions and has promised to support her education. So why does she feel hollow inside? Even if she hated Lord Fintan, she would have no choice but to go through with the marriage. Every day a new credit collector knocks on the door of their London flat, demanding payment for her cousin William's expenditures. Her father's heir seems determined to bring her family to ruin, and only a brilliant marriage can save Somerton Court and the Averleys' reputation.

Meanwhile, at Somerton, Sebastian is out of his mind with worry for his former valet Oliver, who refuses to plead innocent to the murder charges against him--for a death caused by Sebastian himself. Sebastian will do whatever he can to help the boy he loves, but his indiscretion is dangerous fodder for a reporter with sharp eyes and dishonorable intentions.

The colorful cast of the At Somerton series returns in this enthralling sequel about class and fortune, trust and betrayal, love and revenge."

Day of the Blizzard

Admittedly, I have not been very organized in my reviews this year. Been a bit hectic, so I've found it hard to focus. Plus, I've been doing some comfort reading, which tends to be things like Elizabeth Peters, Maud Hart Lovelace (thanks again, Charlotte!) and the occasional treat, like Day of the Blizzard. One of the few books I actually remember reading in middle school was I Am Rosemarie, which was a fictionalized account of Ms. Moskin's experiences during World War II. I went to great lengths to obtain two copies for my school library, but I had never seen anything else by this author until I happened upon this book. Many thanks to ILL and the Delaware County District Library for the opportunity to read this little gem.

And yes, more organization is forthcoming.


Moskin, Marietta. Day of the Blizzard
November 16th 1978 by Putnam Publishing Group 

In 1888, Katie is taking care of her ill mother and twin younger brothers when her father doesn't come home from his job as a train conductor. Mr Reilly, who also works for the railroad, says the weather is bad, and he must have been delayed. This would not be a problem, except that Katie's mother's prize broach has been pawned to pay for medicine for the twins, and the ticket comes due. The weather has taken a bad turn, but Katie heads out to the pawn shop. Along the way she gets stuck on the train but makes it to the pawn shop, where the kindly owner and his wife encourage her to stay out the storm, but she bravely heads home, almost falling asleep in a snow bank, and receiving help from several people before making it home safely.
Strengths: This is a great book for avid elementary school readers of history. I was always enthralled with snow tales, stories set in the city, and Girls Against the Odds. I can just see myself reading this as I waited for the school bus to come in the 4th grade. I would have adored it.
Weaknesses: Out of Print. Sigh.

Snow Rollers!

I have never seen a snow roller before, but they were in the park on my way home and in my back yard! They are caused by chunks of snow being blown across the snow and look a bit like rolls of paper towels or white jelly rolls.

It was so weird. Since we had no school in Westerville because of extreme temperatures, I did venture out, but my thermometer reads -15!


My house is to the right of the fence. Got my shadow and everything!


Part of our cross country course, when the weather isn't quite so bad. Highlands Park Pool to the left.


I love the trails that they leave behind. And the whole Swiss roll look. 

More of our cross country course. I adore my back yard, but there is certainly no running around the path right now!

Spell Robbers (The Quantum League #1)

Kirby, Matthew J. Spell Robbers (The Quantum League #1)
January 28th 2014 by Scholastic Press 

Ben's hardworking, graduate student single mother is glad to send him to an afternoon science camp at the university she is attending, but when Ben gets there, he realizes that it is really a super secret group run by Professor Hughes, who is working on a portable acuator. It turns out that Ben's new friend Peter can harness molecules with his mind and make rain, snow, or fire appear, and Ben has this ability, too. Things are going well until the lab is attacked and Professor Hughes is kidnapped by the Dread Cloaks, and Ben and Peter are taken away to join the Quantum League. Because of their abilities to make things manifest, they aren't given a choice, but are "detached" from their families and trained with the help of Sasha, who has a mysterious past. Peter is just as glad, because his father expects too much of him, but Ben is worried about his mother, who has some problems getting through life. When former Quantum League operative Ronin shows up as being in league with the Dread Cloaks, the League offers to reunite him with the daughter he has long thought dead if he acts as a double agent. He agrees-- if he can take Ben, too. The two try to fool the Dread Cloaks into thinking that they will help them, and hope to use them to retrieve Professor Hughes. Things work out fairly well, and Peter is glad to stay with the League, but nothing feels right to Ben. Will the shadowy Richter play a larger role in the second book?
Strengths: I really enjoyed the first part of the book. I was intrigued by Ben's family life, and thought the actuation at the campus lab was kind of fun. After the Dread Cloaks appeared, there was a lot more action, but what I really enjoyed was getting to know Ben. There's lots of intrigue, adventure, and magic/science fiction, so I can see this being popular with readers who like super hero novels, spy novels,  or books with magical realism.
Weaknesses: The whole detachment thing bothered me, since I was drawn into the story by Ben's family life. The double crossing got a bit wearying-- after a while, it was sort of like Artemis Fowl and I really couldn't tell who were the bad guys or the good guys. Still, I think I will buy this. There are so many fantasy books out there, and so few of them have anything fresh.

MMGM-- Multicultural Kidlit Day

In addition to the normal Marvelous Middle Grade Monday and It's Monday, What Are You Reading memes, we have an exciting day!  Mia Wenjen at Pragmatic Mom and Valarie Budayr at Jump Into a Book have put together Multicultural Book Day. Loyal readers know that even though almost 40% of young readers are people of color, only 10% of the books published for them include characters like themselves. I've tried to do a World Wednesday feature for the last year, highlighting books with cultural context, so it's great to see others interested in this topic as well. 

For more information about this event, please visit the official page.

Please take some time today to visit some old friends and meet new ones. All of these sites are participating and have some great books with cultural context reviewed.

And a couple of commenters have asked about age range on the following, and I would say ages 10 and up, but they'd have to be strong readers.

Mlawski, Shana. Hammer of Witches
9 April 2013, Tu Books
Review copy provided by publisher (Lee and Low Books)

Baltasar is having a difficult time in Palos de la Fronterra, Spain in 1492. His parents were killed by the Inquisition, and he lives with his aunt and uncle, who make books. The local children bully him because of his Jewish heritage, but that's not as bad as it gets. One night, he is attacked by a hameh, and things get worse from there. He finds out secrets about his family, including the fact that his real father is the Moorish warrior Amir al-Katib. This fact brings the organization Maleus Malificarum down on Baltasar's case, because it turns out that he has magical powers, and is actually a Storyteller. When the organization attacks his home, his uncle gives him a necklace and lets him escape, telling him to go far from Spain. When Baltasar investigates the necklace, he releases the Ifrit Jinniyah, who is supposed to help him find his father, and consults the Baba Yaga for advice.  Baltasar ends up getting hired as an interpreter by Cristobal Colon aboard the Santa Maria, with Jinniyah masquerading as Juan. His plan is to find Amir al-Katib, but there is danger everywhere he turns. His true nature as a Storyteller is known by all too many people, and this leads to him summoning magic that ends up getting him and a cabin boy, Pedro Terreros, washed overboard. Pedro turns out to be Catalina, and the two do their best to survive, and wash ashore, where they meet Arabuko, shaman of Marien, and the Taino people. Afraid that the great evil that the Baba Yaga foresaw will attack his new friends, Baltasar keeps looking for his father, who seems to keep sending monsters to kill him. But like with all magic, in the end, everything is not as it appears, and Baltasar has difficult choices to make.
Strengths: Tu Press specializes in fantasies with cultural contexts that are NOT medieval Europe (aren't 90% of fantasies that?), so it's nice to see such a rich diversity of cultures in this book. The Spanish, Moors, Jews, and the Taino all contribute a variety of magical elements to the story. The notes at the end explain a lot of the history and tales, which is an added bonus, since many of them were unfamiliar to me. 
Weaknesses:  This has some elements that edge it into Young Adult territory, and the cover is a bit murky.

Many thanks to Lee and Low Books for sending me this review copy. They've been very kind in the past about sending things as well, which can be very helpful when trying to get the word out about books with cultural contexts.  

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.

The Mandatory Links Post for Multicultural Children's Book Day

Mission: Despite census data that shows 37% of the US population consists of people of color, only 10% of children’s books published have diversity content. Using the Multicultural Children’s Book Day, Mia and Valarie are on a mission to change all of that. Their mission is to not only raise awareness for the kid’s books that celebrate diversity, but to get more of these types of books into classrooms and libraries. Another goal of this exciting event is create a compilation of books and favorite reads that will provide not only a new reading list for the winter, but also a way to expose brilliant books to families, teachers, and libraries.

The full name of this event is Multicultural Children’s Book Day: Celebrating Diversity in Children's Literature. The co-creators of this unique event are Mia Wenjen from Pragmatic Mom and Valarie Budayr from Jump Into a Book/Audrey Press. You can find a bio for Mia here and Valarie here.

Our sponsors for this event are Wisdom Tales Press, Lee & Low Books Chronicle Books, and Susan Daniel Fayad: Author of  My Grandfather’s Masbaha.  

@grandadmasbaha http://bit.ly/1crvOET #MCKlitDay

The MCCBD site is found here--head there for more details. 

Check out these bloggers who are participating.

2GirlsLostInaBook · 365 Days of Motherhood · A Bilingual Baby · A Simple Life, Really? · Africa to America · After School Smarty Pants · All Done Monkey · Andi’s Kids Books · Anita Brown Bag  · Austin Gilkeson · Barbara Ann Mojica ·  Books My Kids Read · Bottom Shelf Books · Cats Eat Dogs · Chasing The Donkey · Children's Book-a-Day Almanac · Children's Books Heal · Church o Books · CitizenBeta · Crafty Moms Share · Discovering The World Through My Son's Eyes · Early Words · Flowering Minds · Franticmommy · Gathering Books · GEO Librarian · Gladys Barbieri · Going in Circles · Growing Book by Book · iGame Mom · I’m Not The Nanny · InCulture Parent · Itsy Bitsy Mom ·Just Children’s Books- Kid World Citizen · Kristi’s Book Nook · Mama Lady Books · Mama Smiles · Mission Read · Mother Daughter Book Reviews · Mrs AOk · MrsTeeLoveLifeLaughter · Ms. Yingling Reads · Multicultural Kids Blog · One Sweet World · Open Wide The World · P is for Preschooler · Rapenzel Dreams · School4Boys · Sharon the Librarian · Spanish Playground · Sprout's Bookshelf · Squishable Baby · Stanley and Katrina · Teach Mama · The Art of Home Education · The Brain Lair · The Educators' Spin On It · The Family-Ship Experience · The Yellow Door Paperie · This Kid Reviews Books  · Trishap’s Books · Unconventional Librarian · Vicki Arnold · We3Three · World for Learning · Wrapped in Foil 

Winter Sky

Giff, Patricia Reilly. Winter Sky
January 7th 2014 by Wendy Lamb Books

Siria's mother died when she was very young, and her father is a firefighter. Siria is so concerned for his safety that whenever she hears the trucks in her urban neighborhood, she runs or bikes to the scene to make sure he stays safe. Her friend Douglas loves fires, and often comes with her, but her friend Laila is content to stay at the apartment building. In her roaming around, Siria finds a dog that is hungry and living in abandoned buildings, sometimes getting its chain caught. She tries to buy food and keep the dog safe, but she is alarmed at the amount of small fires that have been popping up and making it necessary for her father's unit to go on calls. When she finds a piece of Douglas' coat in a suspicious location, she thinks that he is setting the fires and fights with him about it. At one fire right before Christmas, Siria's father is injured and has to go to the hospital. Siria stays with Mimi, an older woman who lives in her building and babysits her. Izzy, who is on her father's crew, lets Siria know that she has been watching Siria show up at all of the fires. Izzy steps in to help take Siria Christmas shopping, and also encourages her to keep the dog, whom she has bathed and brought to her apartment. Siria solves the mystery of the fires, her father comes home, and she gets to keep the dog.
Strengths: The city setting is very vivid, and a nice change, since not as many books have children who live in apartments as main characters. Also interesting insights on what it would be like to have a parent who is a fire fighter.
Weaknesses: Mimi is not doing a good job of watching Siria! She's running after fires, hanging around in abandoned buildings AND fooling with a feral dog? The mystery of the fires being set was not solved in a satisfactory way for me, and some of the writing is not as well done as I would expect from Giff.

Tales from My Closet

Moses, Jennifer Anne. Tales from My Closet
January 28th 2014, Scholastic Press
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Five girls in New Jersey all care a lot about fashion and have different dramas going on in their lives. Becka has a distant father but a psychologist mother who writes books about dealing with teenagers; Becka also has spent the summer in Paris and has a much older boyfriend there. Justin and her mother move to town from San Francisco, and Justine has a hard time adjusting, thinking that everyone is making fun of her. Ann is bright and has a supportive family that wants her to go to college, but she just wants to go into art. Her grandmother gives her a wealth of 1960s fashions, and she starts a fashion blog. Polly is an avid swimmer who believes she is fat, has an elderly grandfather who passes away, and learns secrets about her absent father. She also has a crush on her swim coach. Robin has an alcoholic father and a shopping addiction which she tries to pay off by babysitting and trying to get fashion related jobs. All five girls intersect in a variety of ways throughout the book.
Strengths: The author does a good job of painting each character as an individual-- it's usually hard to keep this many characters straight, especially when they appear in alternating chapters. There is a lot of interesting fashion, some drama, and it's not entirely inappropriate for middle school. (There is some talk about "doing it", but nothing occurs. One girl does attempt suicide, but it ends okay.)
Weaknesses:There isn't much of a plot, and I still have a hard time believing that even high school girls care this much about fashion. I'll probably pass, but this would be good for a public library.

Guy Friday-- Jungle of Bones

Mikaelsen, Ben. Jungle of Bones. 
28 January 2014, Scholastic, Inc. 

Dylan is an idiot. He's mad that his reporter father was killed trying to make a difference in Darfur, so he's a jerk to his mother and everyone around him. After he steals a car and ruins a field joyriding in it, his mother packs him off to live with his Uncle Todd. Todd is planning a trip to Papua New Guinea to find the plane, Second Ace,  that his father was shot down in during World War II-- his father was the only survivor, and he has a journal to help his search. Dylan is still an idiot-- he doesn't take the pills for malaria his uncle gives him, and is rude about everything. He even lets his pants sag! Once the group gets to PNG, they meet up with their recon team, which includes the knowledgeable, nice and nerdy teen boy, Quentin. The group starts their journey, which is difficult and dangerous, so Dylan decides to be even more of an idiot and gets separated from the group. He ignores all of his training, runs in circles, rips off leeches, drinks out of coconuts, uses the wrong sort of leaves for toilet paper, and eventually passes out. He is saved by Kanzi, who is deep in the jungle but speaks English-- is she real? Eventually, he is rescued and taken to the hospital, where he almost loses his leg to gangrene. After his near death experience, he decides that he should be a better person, especially since so many soldiers give up so much for our country.
Strengths: Lots of good descriptions of survival in the jungle, and an interesting WWII connection that many of my boys will enjoy. Definitely ordering a copy. It will never be on the shelf.
Weaknesses: While my readers will like this, it left a bad taste in my mouth. Dylan is a completely unlikable character, and I was just waiting for some very large jungle animal to finish him off. I think I would have actually enjoyed that. About half way through, I realized that this was just Touching Spirit Bear in the jungle instead of Alaska. Add to this a rather intrusive and strident pro-military tone, and you have a book that made ME wrinkle my nose quite a bit.

Odd, Weird and Little

Here is a story about Picky Reader that is too funny. At fifteen, it's almost impossible to get my daughter to read, but since she always has liked sad books like Don't Hurt Laurie, I have long thought she would like the V.C.Andrews Flowers in the Attic series. She ignored me for years, but now that there is a movie coming out, she downloaded a PDF of the first book... and finished it in two days. She thought it was absolutely awesome, "a haunting page turner" were her exact words. Of course, she was horrified by what occurred and may never again eat a powdered sugar covered doughnut, but she read it and immediately searched for the sequel.

Again, kids frequently like books that are sad or horrific because then their own lives don't seem so bad, and anything that gets them reading is all good. Mostly!


Jennings, Patrick. Odd, Weird and Little
28 January 2014, Egmont USA
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Woodrow is taken aback when a new student, Toulouse, arrives in his classroom. Toulouse has a LOT of weird habits, including dressing like a little old man and hanging out in trees a lot. Still, Woodrow sees other classmates being mean to Toulouse, and knows what it is like to be on the receiving end of such treatment, so the two become friends.Eventually, Woodrow realizes something about Toulouse that no one else has managed to understand, but it doesn't affect their friendship.
Strengths: For elementary students, this might be a good book about accepting people who are different and standing up for who you are. A lot of Jennings' work seems to hit right at about the third grade demographic.
Weaknesses: This was... weird. I don't want to give anything away, but if you look closely at the title, you will have a pretty big clue as to what Toulouse's secret is. Strange, strange book.

World Wednesday-- Poland

Leyson, Leon. The Boy on the Wooden Box
August 27th 2013 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers 

Leon (born Lieb) had a good life in Poland. Once his father became trained in a glass factory, the family moved from a small village to Krakow, where young Leon was amazed at the electricity and indoor plumbing, as well as by the hustle and bustle of a big city. Jews and Gentiles got along well until the Nazis invaded. Things got worse and worse for the family, with various members being arrested or returning to the village to escape conscription. The family had to move into progressively poorer housing, but relied on the understanding and cooperation of others in similar predicaments. (Imagine someone today arriving at an apartment to find another couple there, and just stringing up a blanket in the middle of the room, making do, and eventually becoming friends!) Leon's father works for Oskar Schindler, who is just starting to set up his enamelworks factory to save as many Jews as possible. Leon and one brother also work there, and even though they end up at the Gross-Rosen camp, they continue to be under Schindler's supervision; the man even saved a train of women who were supposed to go to Gross-Rosen but who were transported to Auschwitz. Based on Mr. Leyson's experiences, this also follows his life after liberation and has family pictures at the back.
Strengths: Obviously, the details and emotions of this book are brilliant. Mr. Leyson went on to become a teacher, and didn't speak of his experiences until the 1990s, so this book shows a very well honed narrative with just enough of the horrors of the Holocaust without being so overwhelming that middle school students couldn't read it. Sadly, Mr. Leyson passed away in January 2013. This book is a must for any language arts unit on the Holocaust. Definitely buying two copies.
Weaknesses: The beginning of the book, while interesting and vital to the understanding of Mr. Leyson's experiences, might strike students as being a bit slow paced. I will just encourage students to persevere.

Joshua Dread

Bacon, Lee. Joshua Dread.
September 25th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Captain Justice and the Dread Duo are always at odds, and this time the Dread Duo are manipulating the weather and threatening to destroy the whoel world-- that's what they do. For Joshua, though, this is embarassing, because the Dread Duo are his parents. If that weren't bad enough, he seems to have acquired the ability to spontaneously combust things, which is handy when dealing with unpleasant people at school. When Sophie, a new girl,  shows up at school,  Joshua and his friend Milton befriend her, even when her father turns out to be Captain Justice. Joshua keeps his own parentage a secret for a while, but nanorobot insects are bedeviling the evil villain community, and eventually kidnap his parents. Where are the "Z" nanorobots coming from? The trio tracks them down and is led to the evil Phineas Vex, who has quite an evil plan, which is continued in Joshua Dread: The Nameless Hero.
Strengths: There is just some really funny writing going on here-- throwaway lines that just make me giggle. A nice, breezy read that makes sense and is fairly easy to follow. Having read horribly convoluted fantasies that have no humor about them at all, I can't tell you how nice it is to read something like this. I do think my students will enjoy this series tremendously.
Weaknesses: Bad, bad covers. Dark and muddy looking. I personally thought it was odd that Joshua didn't seem to be overly concerned about the safety of his parents, being more concerned about keeping his identity hidden, but I don't think students will pick up on that.

I'm currently reading book three-- just a little confused, since I read the other two out of order!


This is a much better cover. (The paperback?) At least the picture is clear and the colors are more appealing.

MMGM- THe Wavering Werewolf

Lubar, David. The Wavering Werewolf: A Monsterific Tale
(Accidental Monsters #3)
January 14th 2014 by Starscape (first published December 1997)
Review copy sent by publisher.

When Norman is attacked in the woods by a wolf and bitten lightly on the nose, his life starts to get weird. His palms itch all the time, he has a craving for meat, and on more than one occasion, he has wanted to go running after small animals. His best friend Sebastian understands, but no one else seems to. His mother wants him to use silver eating utensils, wolfsbane at the science fair makes him sick, and a creepy guy by the name of Teridakian keeps hunting him down and issuing vague threats. Norman meets Lew, who is in a similar predicament and sheds some light on the situation, which leads Norman to have to make a choice: does he want to stay a werewolf, or return to his humdrum human life?
Strengths: Having read a lot of really poorly written horror for younger children, I definitely appreciated Lubar's facility with words. This is a nice, short length for reluctant readers;I was just contemplating why so many zombie books are really long, when most of the students requesting zombie books want something more manageable! This has plenty of action, humor and a good ensemble cast of characters. Since this is book three, I need to look into getting the others in the series. Actually surprised this was not in my library when I got here in 2002; it might have been published originally in paperback.
Weaknesses: The circus/carnival of oddities seemed anachronistic to me. I can't see anyone today have displays of the Human Pincushion or Monkey Boy, with the people in cages. I know that such settings show up in fiction from time to time (Cirque du Freak), but this time, it struck me as wrong. Will students notice? No. They just wish they could find a creepy circus like that!