Wedding Belles: Ask Amy Green #6

Webb, Sarah. Wedding Belles: Ask Amy Green #6
November 11th 2014 by Candlewick
Copy received from Young Adult Books Central and reviewed there.

Amy returns for one final installment, which finds her mother still completely unprepared to marry Dave. Clover, Amy's aunt, has agreed to do all of the footwork for the wedding, but Amy's mother can't even manage to get her own wedding dress, and when she does, it is a disaster. Amy has problems enough of her own-- her boyfriend Seth's mother is ill with cancer that has returned, and he breaks up with Amy because he doesn't feel he has enough time to put toward their relationship. Of course, he breaks up with her right when she could use him for research most; Goss magazine wants her to write an article on "How to Kiss", which would be her first solo article! She's also trying to help out the school's cheerleading squad, since one of the members sprained an ankle, and dealing with all of the mean girls in her school, all while fearing that Clover is going to take a job in the United States. Will the wedding ever get off the ground, and give Amy a chance to get back to her regulary scheduled chaotic life?
Strengths: This is a fun series, especially since it is set in a suburb of Dublin, Ireland! It has all of the elements that my avid readers of romantic fiction like-- family problems, boy problems, and fun friends. Readers in this age group also like to think about planning weddings, so Clover's plans (as well as her wacky, fashion forward outfits) will delight them.
Weaknesses: I am not a fan of weddings, and this series seems borderline obsessed with them. There is also a fair amount of sad spread through these, and I worried about the mental health of Amy's mother. I think the woman needs some help and is not getting it!

Books for Younger Readers

McDonald, Megan. Amy Namey in Ace Reporter

(Judy Moody & Friends #3)
September 9th 2014 by Candlewick Press
Copy from Young Adult Books Central and reviewed there.

Amy wants to follow in her mother's footsteps and write insightful newspaper articles. To this end, she and Judy hold an archaeological dig in their back yard, hoping to find artifacts from King Tut and go monster hunting in Frog Neck Creek. Amy writes up her articles, and her mother is so impressed that she helps Amy set up a desk in her room so that she has a good place to work on her journalistic endeavors.
Strengths: Engaging characters and fun adventures make this early chapter book a fun choice for beginning readers. The fact that it is part of a series, and that the book is illustrated in full cover, will draw readers to it. Judy's friend Stink shows up briefly, and while older readers will know  that it is unlikely that Amy would find a sea serpent in a creek or ancient Egyptian artifacts in her backyard, younger readers will be greatly amused.
Weaknesses: Still don't understand why there are so many books encouraging young readers to become journalists. Bad idea, people. Bad idea.

Haas, Jessie. Bramble and Maggie: Spooky Season
August 12th 2014 by Candlewick Press
Copy from Young Adult Books Central and reviewed there.

Bramble is skittish going into the fall-- there are leaves whipping across her path, scarecrows in the field that look like suspicious people, and strange and sudden noises. Maggie takes a tumble from Bramble when the horse is spooked, and tries to help Bramble through her fears so that this doesn't happen again. Eventually, Bramble is able to go trick or treating dressed up as a scarecrow, with Maggie on her back as a crow. The two have lots of fun, and get lots of candy, much of which they eat while out.
Strengths: Halloween is a huge deal to readers in this age group, so it makes sense for a book in an early reader series to concentrate on this holiday. Horses are also undeniably attractive, so this is a great choice for elementary students. I remember reading books like Gus Was a Friendly Ghost and the Georgie series year round. The illustrations are attractive, and I liked that Maggie was always very responsible when it came to taking care of Bramble.
Weaknesses: I'm not used to reading books for this age level, so the books seem really short and therefore very expensive! I'm half tempted to keep this for my middle school library, since more and more of my readers struggle with longer books, but will probably send this on to an elementary school.

Greenhut, Josh. Escape to California:
Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures #12
15 August 2015, HarperCollins
Copy from Young Adult Books Central and reviewed there.

Flat Stanley and his father are riding a cable car in San Francisco when Stanley sees a girl racing down a hill in a wheelchair. Feeling that she is in danger, he tries to save her, and his father grabs on as well, which results in the two of them ending up in a van and driven to a redwood forest. There, they find out that Lily has purposefully sought Stanley out because she thinks that he will understand being different and having people apply preconceived notions to what he must be like. Lily wants to try an escape from Alcatraz island to prove that someone in a wheelchair could perform this impossible trick, and she wants Stanley to help her. Her family is involved in this, as is an entire corporation in Silicon Valley, and Stanley is soon kitted out in a fabulous flying suit. The two get locked into the prison when it closes and try to make their escape.
Strengths: Flat Stanley is a perennial favorite; the original book came out in 1964, and even twenty years ago when my children were in school, there was a Flat Stanley project where we mailed copies of Stanley to friends in other parts of the world and had them send back pictures of Stanley's adventures. If this book is any indication, this new series of adventures finds Stanley kicking it up a notch and getting involved in all sorts of daredevil escapades. At the end of the book, there are some fun facts about San Francisco.
Weaknesses: I was a little uncomfortable with Stanley and his father basically being kidnapped. I'm glad that Lily wants to prove herself, but doing so by slightly illegal activities doesn't seem wise.

Guy Friday- Murphyy: Gold Rush Dog

Hart, Alison. Murphy: Gold Rush Dog
October 2014 by Peachtree Publishers
Copy received from Young Adult Books Central and reviewed there.

Murphy is owned by the evil Carrick, who overworks the dog and doesn't feed him enough. When Carrick's group arrives in Nome, Murphy runs off and tries to survive on the beach. Eventually, he sees new people getting off a ship, and identifies a young girl, Sally, and her mother as likely candidates to take care of him. Since Sally and her mother are on their own, they soon find that having a large dog is good for their safety. The mother has a typewriter, and is planning on earning her living typing up accounts and letters for the people in Nome. She and Sally live in a tent and try to remain as respectable as they can. Sally is bound and determined not to return to her grandmother in San Francisco and hopes to find gold, but things are difficult, and her mother soon books passage back. Sally, with Murphy in tow, runs off to pan gold on her claim. Eventually, she finds a nugget and heads back to Nome, only to run into a snowstorm, as well as Carrick. Luckily, she receives help from other miners, and is saved by the appearance of her grandfather, who helps her work out the legal details of the ownership of Murphy as well as her claim.
Strengths: There is a lot of good information about the Gold Rush in Alaska in the early 1900s, including notes at the back and a small bibliography. Sally is a feisty young woman, and her determination to stay in Alaska is refreshing. The story is told from Murphy's point of view, but still includes much of what Sally is feeling. This is a good choice for readers who like adventure stories, or books like Klimo's Dog Diaries.
Weaknesses: While younger readers will think this a plausible adventure, I knew that Sally would be dead before she got more than five miles from the city, Murphy or no Murphy. In the pictures (which really don't add much to the story), she looks about ten. Still, a decent historical adventure.

The Watcher

Harlow, Joan Hiatt. The Watcher
November 4th 2014 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Copy received from Young Adult Books Central and reviewed there.

Wendy, a character from Shadows on the Sea (2003) is taken from her home in the US by Adrie, whom she thought was her aunt but who turns out to be her mother. The two go to Germany, where Adrie has a job with the Nazi regime. Wendy, who doesn't speak German, finds it hard to adjust to her new life, but takes comfort in a "defective" German shepherd puppy she saves from being euthanized by the Nazi soldiers. She meets Barret, a blind young man, in a park near her home, and finds out that Barret's grandfather knew her biological father and promised to take care of Wendy in case she ever came back to Germany. To pass time, Wendy volunteers at a Lebensborn home, taking care of babies and young children who have been taken by their parents because they are "perfect" examples of Aryan bloodlines, even if their parents are not. There, she befriends Johanna, who is working at the same children's home as part of an attempt to reeducate her, since she has refused to denounce her religion. Eventually, Johanna comes to further grief for her beliefs, and Wendy realizes that a secret in her family's past puts her at risk, and with the help of Barret, she plans her escape from Germany.
Strengths: This is certainly a good twist on World War II and Holocaust stories. There were many Germans who thought that what Hitler was doing was right, or things would not have become as dire as they did for the Jewish population. It's easy to paint all Nazis as pure evil, but this was an interestingly  nuanced treatment of a child having to deal with a relative who was working for a side with which she herself didn't agree. Having a dog, as well as a family mystery, is a nice touch. Wendy's escape scene reminded me of the one in Number the Stars. This would be a good book to pair with that, or to use in a study unit on World War II or the Holocaust.
Weaknesses: Wendy's relationship with Adrie made this book less successful for me. The mystery surrounding her birth was rather expected. I know that Harlow wanted to pull a character from another book, but I would have liked this better if Wendy would not have been American, would have really loved Adrie, and then came to the realization that what Adrie was doing wasn't right. Something just didn't click for me personally with this one, but I think students will enjoy it.

#WeNeedDiverseBooks Wednesday- Nickel Bay Nick

At Kidlitcon, one of the diversities that was mentioned as being underserved was children in poverty. We are seeing more and more books that include characters that are economically disadvantaged, but this book had an entire town on the rocks. Also, I can't think of other titles where the main character has had a heart transplant.

Pitchford, Dean. Nickel Bay Nick
October 17th 2013 by Putnam Juvenile
Nominated by Always in the Middle

Fifth grader Sam's life is hard and he's not making it any better. He lives in the economically disadvantaged town of Nickel Bay, his father's bakery may go under, his mother ran off when he was young to be a singer, and Sam himself had a heart transplant at four and is somewhat fragile. This doesn't stop him from being a complete idiot, though, hanging out with troublesome 8th graders who encourage him to shoplift and steal his father's car. He also deals with anger and disappointment at learning about his mother's remarriage by throwing roks at windows in a derelict building, and ends his evening by destroying the Christmas display at the home of wealthy neighbor Mr. Wells. It turns out that Mr.Wells worked in intelligence, and has done some investigation into Sam's long criminal record. Using this information, Mr. Wells demands that Sam help him; he's broken his leg, which has put an end to his activity as holiday philanthropist Nickel Bay Nick, who passes out $100 bills, to the delight of local and international media. Sam has a job working with Mr. Wells, ostensibly (for his father's benefit) filing papers, and does as much of the handing out of money as he can manage. There are hiccoughs, of course, but things go fairly well, and some holiday spirit is restored to Nickel Bay. Sam also finds out secrets about Mr. Wells, as well as his own family.
Strengths: There are very few Christmas stories out, and this one, centering as it does on philanthropy, has its moments. Fun, adventure, humor-- many things to recommend it.
Weaknesses: I hated Sam. He certainly improves throughout the course of the book, but he is one of the most unpleasant characters I've come across in a while. Certainly, life has not been kind to him, but he definitely makes a large part of his own problems. The ending of the book was a little too neat for my taste.

Note: Dean Pitchford wrote the music for Footloose! This book was the Cybils Awards Winner for 2014.

Pennyroyal Academy

Larson, M.L. Pennyroyal Academy
October 7th 2014 by Putnam Juvenile

A girl stumbles about in the forest, wrapped in spider webs, with just a note that she should go to Pennyroyal Academy, an institution that trains young women of royal blood to fight witches. Luckily, since there is a war on, they are taking girls even if they don't have a pedigree, so Cadet Eleven (or Evie, as her first friend decides she should be called) earns a place. She has been befriended by the handsome prince Remington, whom most of the students swoon over, but is given a hard time by another boy, Calhoun. Evie is glad to be training, but she finds out some disturbing news about her past, finding her birth mother and secrets about how she was separated from her and raised. Will this information prevent Evie from fighting in the war that is overtaking the kingdom?
Strengths: For readers who have read all of the Tamora Pierce books, this would be a good choice. The princesses are all strong and daring, and there's lots of action and adventure. Medievalish setting, a bit of romance, some mean girls, family drama.
Weaknesses: I don't know that we need more medieval fantasy books. With maps. This also had some moments of cognitive disconnect for me-- some of the chapter headings had a silhouette that looked just like Barbie, and the tailor, Rumpledshirtsleeves, was always proclaiming how fashion could harness the power of the princess and bring out her true power and self... just seemed a bit odd.

And LOOKEE!! I think I'm doing okay for this year. I have read a few short nonfiction and picture books, but the vast majority of what I read are middle grade novels!

You have read 732 of 710 books

103%

103%

53 books ahead of schedule

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MMGM- Biographies

Marrin, Albert. Thomas Paine: Crusader for Liberty
November 11th 2014 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

This book is more than a biography-- it concerns itself with how Paine was a part of the world around him. It talks about his life, certainly, but frames his actions within the larger picture of history, so doesn't come across as a straight biography. Well illustrated with period pictures as well as later photographs of historic places, this sheds light on how Paine came to think the things that he did, how he shared his opinions with the world, and how the world treated him because of this. Marrin clearly did his research, but I found Paine to be an unpleasant character, and as a result, couldn't really get into the book. Debating whether of not to buy this for the library; we often need books set during this time period, but I don't know if students are going to find this any more interesting than I did.

Latta, Sara L. Microwave Man: Percy Spencer and his Sizzling Invention
January 1st 2014 by Enslow Elementary

This slim biography covers the interesting life of Spencer, who was born in 1894 and left school after the 5th grade. Eventually joining the Navy as a radio operator, he was able to get a job at the fledging Raytheon company in the 1920s. He distinguished himself by, among other things, finding a way to vastly speed up production of radio tubes for use by pilots in WWII. Hoping to keep Raytheon viable after the war, he turned his knowledge of radar waves to the invention of a device used for food preparation... the microwave oven. Sadly, Spencer passed away in 1970 before his invention really took off.
Strengths: This Inventors at Work series covers some unsung heroes, including Ruth Wakefield, whose name SHOULD be immediately known to all and yet is not. I will be ordering this entire five book series. I especially liked how this had some science tie ins with brief explanations of how radio waves worked. Well illustrated and pleasantly formatted, this will be a big hit for readers who like the Abdo Food Dudes series.
Weaknesses: Some of the writing is a bit stiff; early on, the word "tot" is used, which seemed an odd choice!

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.




While I managed to get a lot done over the weekend, Monday  morning is off to a roaring start with all of the printers in the building not working again. Last week, I swear the 7th graders broke Google! If I were in the classroom, I would be very reluctant to plan any lesson around the computer. STAR testing?? Renaissance Place seems to be down. Web Quest? Network server on the fritz. Showing nonfiction video clip to class? LCD projector not working or teacher computer fried because of netweek server fritz. It makes the chalkboard and overhead projector seem like cutting edge technology.

But PARCC assessment on line? That will totally go through with no problems at all. 

Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky

Dallas, Sandra. Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky
September 1st 2014 by Sleeping Bear Press
Copy received from the publisher for Cybils award review

Tomi and her family rent a farm from Mr. Lawrence and grow strawberries. After the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, her father is arrested and taken away, and the rest of her family is taken to the Tallgrass relocation camp after selling their belongings. Tomi's older brother, Roy, has a jazz band, and they continue to make music, and her younger brother, Hiro, finds other children to play with, but Tomi and her mother struggle with their new living situation. Eventually, Tomi's mother finds her purpose in improving living conditions at the camp, and in getting together a group of women to make quilts to raffle off for the war effort. Tomi makes a few friends, attends a local high school, and hopes that things will improve soon. Her father returns, but is bitter and changed.
Strengths: This had the same feel as this author's The Quilt Walk: perfectly serviceable historical fiction. Dallas must like quilting, since sewing does figure in this one as well. This had a few things to distinguish it from other novels about relocation camps-- the mother comes into her own, and there is not a dying grandparents involved.
Weaknesses: The adult novel by this author, Tallgrass, sounds more interesting. This was all too similar to the other books on this topic that I have read.

The Lost Kingdom

Kirby, Matthew J. The Lost Kingdom
August 27th 2013 by Scholastic Press

Billy Bartram enjoys helping out his naturalist father in this alternate late 1700s United States. When his father is asked by Ben Franklin to go on a mission in an air ship to find the lost Welsh kingdom of Madoc and ask them to help fight against the French, Billy is allowed to go as well, since his father hopes to gather specimens when they are out west. A group of various people take off, and it is soon discovered that the daughter of the mission leader, Jane, has stowed away. This ends poorly when the airship lands and is in danger of being attacked, and Jane is nowhere to be found. While she makes it back, her father does not, and Mr. Bartram becomes the mission leader. The group also has to deal with vicious bear-wolves, technical difficulties, and a variety of threats. When they finally find the Welsh settlement (after losing the airship to an attack), they are disappointed that there are not more of them, but when the French find the mission at the Welsh settlement, the groups are able to band together and use technology to defeat the enemy.
Strengths: Bonus points for Kirby for attempting an American fantasy instead of a British one with dragons. Readers who enjoyed Gratz's The League of Seven or connoisseurs of Steampunk will like this one, and I can even see readers who normally like Revolutionary or Civil War stories enjoying this.
Weaknesses: Kirby is one of those authors who rarely speak to me. Icefall does okay in my library because it has shown up on the Battle of the Books list, but this sort of fantasy book just doesn't have many readers at my school. Whenever I read a book, my first thought is "To whom would I recommend this?" I have a couple of readers who could be coerced into reading this, but when no names jump into my brain, it's hard for me to invest in the book.

Guy Friday- The Troubles of Johnny Cannon

Campbell, Isaiah. The Troubles of Johnny Cannon 
October 14th 2014 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Johnny has a lot of challenges in his life in 1961 Alabama: his mother is dead, he struggles with injuries from the car crash that killed her, his father was injured in the war, and his brother is off to fight. When a shadowy man from his father's past comes to town, Johnny doesn't trust him, and when his father starts spending a lot more time with the amateur radio, ostensibly making phone calls for soldiers despite the fact that the family may lose their home to the bank, Johnny starts investigating. Add to this the fact that racial tensions are high in their community, and Johnny's budding friendship with Willie, the son of the local preacher and the woman who helps cook for Johnny and his father, draws him into the trouble. Things get really complicated when it turns out that the local barber ran a nightclub in Havana, the local wealthy man owes the barber money, Johnny's father's radio messages are frequently in Spanish, and the Bay of Pigs Invasion is making the headlines. Johnny finds himself drawn into Cuba-American affairs in ways that he never could have begun to imagine.
Strengths: There needs to be more middle grade historical fiction set during this time period, and this does a good job at explaining the events of the time and framing them in an interesting and action packed way. Johnny was a likable character, and even though this dealt with serious issues, it wasn't overly depressing. It was nice to see racially tolerant people depicted during this time period.
Weaknesses: There was a lot going on in the book. While it was nice to see both the Bay of Pigs situation and racial issues covered, it made the book confusing, especially since Johnny is made to play such a large role in historical events. Notes as to actual events, as opposed to the fictitious ones portrayed, would have been helpful. I am not a fan of dialect, so Johnny's speech patterns made the book harder to get through for me personally. I'm still conflicted about the use of "Tigger" to replace a more offensive term.

Nostalgia

Ever have the kind of day when you just wish you could travel back in time? I had seventh graders visit the library yesterday, and we talked about what our library would have looked like in 1969, as background information for The Outsiders. Think about it. If you are twelve, you might read this book and think "Well, when they are jumped at the fountain, why doesn't Ponyboy just take out his cell phone and call the police?"

They don't understand the concept of phones being ONLY attached to walls.

(This is the circulation desk that was original to the building. I still miss it.)


This would have been the most technologically advanced piece of equipment in the library. No phone, no television. Certainly no computers. Overdue books must have been a nightmare. The end of the year could come and a student might have 15 things out-- hard to catch using only cards.

Ordering only through paper catalogs and the recommendations of School Library Journal and Booklist. That would have been the hardest part of not having technology, I think. Keeping up with new books that were published. Wow.




Of course, if I could dress like this every day, I would be TOTALLY happy! Of course, I would prefer it in a rust or forest green for winter, but this is clearly a spring fashion. (And my hair looks pretty much like this, anyway! Get me some big ol' glasses with purple frames to match my polyester...)

Off to an all day meeting about policy and Gale resources and Chrome Books. Any day I don't spend with students is always hard, even in the summer.

My life has little meaning if I'm not recommending books! Sad but true!

Sammy Keyes and the Kiss Goodbye (#18)

Van Draanen, Wendelin. Sammy Keyes and the Kiss Goodbye (#18)
September 9th 2014 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central and reviewed there.

Sammy heads back to the Highrise for purposes known only to her, and is chased by an unknown figure and falls three floors. She is brought to the hospital, unconscious but not too badly injured otherwise. Her friends and family are all extremely upset, and rally around her. Her grandmother and her new husband, the policeman with whom she had worked, her friends from school, her movie star mother and rock star father, and just about everyone else Sammy's life touched shows up at the hospital. The case of the nightie-napper, which Sammy was presumed to be working on, manages to get solved over at the Highrise, and Sammy's life is in danger the whole time she is in the hospital. A scruffy and shady looking orderly is hanging around, and the motion detector on Sammy's bed keeps getting turned off, but there are so many people in and out of her room that the orderly is not able to harm her. Eventually, her friends figure out who this is and why he wants to hurt Sammy, but will the plucky girl detective regain consciousness?
Strengths: This is definitely a love note by Van Draanen to a character she has been working with since 1998, the year that I started volunteering at my library! All loose ends are tied up, and a satisfying conclusion pointing out just how Sammy has affected the lives of those around her is provided. Fans will be pleased. I especially like that the covers have remained similar in design over the last 16 years.
Weaknesses: Somewhere along the line, about 2006, I lost track of Sammy, and now only the last five books are available in hardcover. I think I'll order them, but I'm not trolling Half.com to find the others. Eighteen books is a bit too long for a series, and I don't think there is a single school in my entire district that has kept up with all the books. This will bug me a little, but I know that as soon as I would get the whole series, someone would lose book #5, and I would just cry!

Honestly, I adored this author's The Running Dream SOOOOO much that I am just waiting to see what she will write that is NOT Sammy related. It will be awesome, I'm sure!

#WeNeedDiverseBooks- A Bird on Water Street

Dulemba, Elizabeth O. A Bird on Water Street
May 7th 2014 by Little Pickle Pres
Nominated for the Cybils by Lynn Miller-Lachman

In the 1980s, Jack's family is dependent on the copper mines in their Appalachian town, even though they have caused the deaths of family members as well as environmental devastation. There are no trees and no birds in the town because of the acid rain caused by various processes involved, and Jack loves trees. When the mining company lays off a large number of workers, the remaining workers go on strike. With the mine shut down, the area around the town starts improving a bit, and Jack hopes that the mine never reopens. If that's the case, though, his family will have to leave, because there won't be any work for his father to do. It's bad enough that half the population of the town seems to have left to look for other jobs, which impacts remaining businesses and concerns, like the school and post office. Jack wishes that there could be some balance-- keep the town alive, but repair the environmental damage.
Strengths: There're not a lot of books written about Appalachia, and that's certainly a different kind of diversity. These areas are still struggling thirty years after this book is set. There are also not many books written about the labor issues that went on in the 1970s and 80s. Jack is an appealing character who is stuck in a conundrum, and the picture of the close knit town is interesting.
Weaknesses: There's some attempt at dialect, but it's very uneven. I'm not a fan of dialect, so I was fine with the infrequent use, but it was off when there were some phrases used. A rather philosophical book, there's not a lot of excitement, and it is definitely another sad book.

The Zoo at the Edge of the World

Gale, Eric Kahn. The Zoo at the Edge of the World.
August 26th 2014 by Balzer + Bray

Marlin lives with his father and older brother Tim in South American in a vaguely Victoria time period. The family (the mother is deceased) run a resort for wealthy British folk that features a zoo of exotic animals. The father, Ronan Rackham, is a noted explorer, and when he comes home from one expedition, he brings a jaguar back. The cat has eaten one of the staff, and can't be let loose since he has acquired the taste for people, so he is heavily caged. Marlin stutters terribly and is given a hard time by his brother and the staff, but he can speak perfectly well if he is alone with his pet monkey, Kenji. Once the jaguar arrives, Marlin finds that he can understand what the animals in the zoo are saying, and they can understand him! There is a wealthy family staying at the resort, and their young daughter, Olivia, befriends Marlin, and he realizes that the father is trying to buy up parts of the jungle for a sugar plantation, and that will damage the resort, which is already having financial trouble. When even more disturbing details emerge about the future of the zoo, how will Marlin safeguard the animals as well as himself?
Strengths: This is a decent reality based fantasy with a good dose of action and adventure. The book is a great length, and describes life in the jungle during this period of history well. Marlin's stuttering is dealt with sensitively, although his treatment by his brother and the staff is appalling.
Weaknesses: Got this at a book look, and it strikes me as one of those perfectly nice books that students will not frequently pick up. I don't know if it's the cover, the title, or what, but over the years I've gotten a fair number of books, mainly fantasies, at these book looks that just fall flat. (Jones' Enchanted Glass, Bracegirdle's Fiendish Deeds) We'll see.

MMGM- The Black Stars

Krokos, Dan. The Black Stars
October 14th 2014 by Starscape
Copy received from publisher.

After The Planet Thieves, Mason is off at school, getting into trouble with the evil Marcus, when he is summoned by Grand Admiral Shahbazian and told that he is being sent to Rhadgast school on Skars to try to find out if they are up to something. His friend Tom goes with him, and the first person they meet is Merrin, so Mason feels a bit relieved. Merrin is spending most of her time working for the Coalition for Life, so Mason and Tom get thrown right into life at school. They gets implants so they can speak the language, and befriend Po, who shows them around. The teachers are a little reluctant to train them, but the boys actually fare better than they were at human school! That is, until students start disappearing. Of course, the boys are suspect, but Mason has been honest with his teacher, Reckful, and told him that he is there to spy, as well as to learn about the fate of his parents. He's particularly successful with the last bit... his mother is not dead, but is working at the school because she is trying to find an antidote to Tremist venom. The Rhadgast's have better technology, and the mission is important to her because Mason's father has been turned by the Tremists, and with the school under attack, finding a cure is even more crucial. Mason is also on a quest to find Anamore's gloves, which are like the ones he was given in the first book but much more powerful. He alone is able to make it through the interview with a virtual Anamore, and is awarded the gloves.Will the antidote to Tremist poison be found in time? Or will the Tremists manage to make Earth collide with Skars? Most importantly, will Mason be able to harness the powers at his disposal in the next book, since a treaty will be broken?
Strengths: Extra bonus points for bringing a middle grade parent back from the dead and giving us hope that Mason't father can be saved as well! While the Tremists are a threat, Mason seems to have things well enough in hand that I don't find the story depressing. I like the trend toward space adventure science fiction rather than Dystopian science fiction. The first book is never on the shelf, so I am glad to have this one.
Weaknesses: If the plot with Marcus being a stupid bully would have continued, I would have been irritated. How sad is it that the Rhadgasts gave Mason fewer problems? I was also a little put off by Mason's misbehavior-- if you can save the world, you can learn how to behave and not get in trouble. What? That's a teacher perspective rather than one from the target demographic? Probably!

Mr. Krokos' publicist offered to have him answer questions, but I have gone completely blank. Anyone have anything they would like to ask?

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. 

The Boy Problem

Kinard, Kami. The Boy Problem.
April 29th 2014 by Scholastic Press

Tabbi is back (after The Boy Project), trying to use mathematical formulae and the process of elimination to determine which boy in her grade she should date. Her single mother is not helping, not letting her hang out at the skate park with Malcolm when Tabbi is ill, and embarrassingly flirting with one of Tabbi's teachers! When her class has a project on probability, Tabbi ends up working with the perky Priyanka, whose life seems to revolve around cupcakes. After a bad storm destroys Tabbi's cousin's school, the girls decide to bake cupcakes to try to raise money. They fill out all the school paperwork (this is a real thing!), but end up going head-to-head with the evil "Maybelline" who runs another cupcake fund raisers to get money for uniforms AND stocks other people's boyfriends! When new boy Andres shows up at school, Tabbi thinks that he is cute and might be a good choice to date, and tries to win his heart with gluten free cupcakes. There are a few problems with Tabbi's best friend Kara, and some social embarrassment (a huge zit, a funny video that gets posted on Faceplace, but nothing too dire.
Strengths: A lot of girls ask for books in diary form, and this works well. The doodles and math problems add a different spin. While the mean girls aren't nice, they aren't super mean, and Tabbi handles them well. There's even a little bit of cultural diversity with Pri's family.
Weaknesses: I found the math problems and graphs, etc. a little annoying, but then it occurred to me that it's probably a good example for middle school girls to show a girl who is interested in math AND boys. Again, as an adult it's hard to imagine anyone spending that much time thinking about boys... until I read my diary from that time period and want to set fire to it. Hard to complain when a book is too close to reality!

Saturday Morning Cartoons- Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood

Hale, Nathan. Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood
(Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #4)
May 13th 2014 by Harry N. Abrams (Amulet)

In this small format paper-over-board book, World War I gets a graphic novel treatment, narrated by Revolutionary war spy Nathan Hale (which is also the author's name, to be confusing) and the hangman and the provost. The snarky trio decide to depict all the players in the war as animals (Bulldog for the UK, eagle for Germany, a bunny for the US, since the eagle is already used), and describes the events that lead to the war, and then covers the majors developments year by year. Done in shades of reddish brown, there is a lot of information packed into a small book.
Strengths: Since I have a growing number of readers who will ONLY pick up graphic novel type books, this might be the only way I can get students to do research in five years. The information is quite complete, even if I struggled with the crowded pages and tiny font. I should probably buy the entire series.
Weaknesses: I picked this up at a book look, and after I read it, I noticed that the pages were not glued to the jacket along the spine at all. This does not bode well for the life of the book once actual students touch it. I will apply liberal amounts of glue to the cover and hope for the best, and also reinforce the spine and corners with tape. Judging from the poor state of Stickman Odyssey in my library after just three years, I don't think this title will have a lot of longevity.

This is part of why I am increasingly reluctant to buy graphic novels. I worry that students do no actually read the words, AND most of my collection is more glue and tape than paper.

Guy Friday- Squeeze Play

Cowherd, Kevin and Ripken, Cal. Squeeze Play
March 4th 2014 by Disney-Hyperion
Copy provided by publisher for Cybils consideration

Corey Maduro is anxious when his team gets to go to a Grand Slam Tournament. His playing is off, he's getting grief from one of the better players on his team, and his father can't behave himself at the games. Corey's mother helped keep his dad under control, but since this is a middle grade novel, she has passed away from cancer. Corey does better than he thinks he will in the Home Run Derby, even though he doesn't win, and is having fun with his teammates at the cool park that recreates famous baseball fields, but he lives in dread. Sure enough, at a pivotal moment, his father goes absolutely ballistic and is taken from the game by police officers. The coach has it all on videotape, and stages an intervention, and for the rest of the time, Corey's dad is able to keep his temper in check. Katelynn, the better player, continues to give him a hard time for most of the book, but the two come to an understanding.
Strengths: Corey is an appealing character, and the tournament sounds like it would be fun. Katelynn is an interesting character, and is handled well. Her mild abuse of Corey has an interesting twist, and I loved that Corey never stoops to disliking her because she is a girl-- it's mentioned briefly, but she is a really good player and the team knows it. I don't know how I missed this one, but I have Out at Home, which features the coach's son from this book, on my radar for March.
Weaknesses: These are always good, solid titles, but there are some things that would make them great. The covers have a 1980s feel to them, and it would help to add more humor and fewer problems.

Clark, R.M. The Secret at Haney Field
September 16th 2014 by MB Publishing
Nominated for the Cybils by the publisher; copy provided for review.

Description from Goodreads.com
"Twelve-year-old April O'Day's summer has gotten off to a flying start. As the new bat retriever for the Harpoons, her hometown's minor league team, she's fetching bats and doling out great advice to players and coaches alike. In a word, she's becoming indispensable. But mysterious things are happening at Haney Field, which April and her best friend - and fellow baseball enthusiast - Darren Plummer are determined to uncover. As they quickly learn, this is no ordinary season. In fact, it's a whole new ball game."

For that small intersection of readers who like ghosts with their baseball. Not bad, but I had to move it to the Middle Grade Speculative Fiction Category. Take a look if you have students interested in the Negro Leagues.

What have I been saying? Listen up, people!

Thanks to the ever wonderful Jen Robinson for sharing this on her blog yesterday, from Scholastic:



Or, in my words, UNICORNS POOPING RAINBOWS! Anything, anything but the six books full of gloom and doom that I read last night. Even Mike Lupica succumbed to the terrible plague of having a tween boy spend an entire book grieving for his deceased brother. Humor? No, it's not.

Here was the buttload of depression from last night:

• a boy grieving for his brother
• a boy with horrific bad luck who is struck by lightning
• a boy whose father is an injured and unemployed illegal immigrant AND his sister has cancer
• a family whose parents sell everything and make them live in a van because they believe a religious fanatic that the world will end
• an almost 600 page long fantasy book that... I don't even know. 

The one small, redeeming light was Veera Hiranandani's Lunch Will Never Be the Same, which was fun and delightful. I gave it five stars because ALL THE PARENTS WERE ALIVE.

Will Scholastic's offerings reflect their findings? Although this study is right, I'm rather disappointed in the small number of people they surveyed!

The Lovegrove Legacy

Harvey, Alyxandra. A Breath of Frost.
January 2nd 2014 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

In 1814 London, Emma isn't thrilled about "coming out", but at least she has her cousins Gretchen and Penelope to keep her company. When their first ball ends in a fire and the death of a girl, the three learn secrets about their family. Emma is a witch, and the scent bottle from her mother (who is kept at the country home because she is mad) which has gotten broken has released the Graymalkin sisters and opened a gate to the Underworld! Cormac, a Keeper with the Order of the Iron Nail, is assigned to watch Emma and keep her safe... and the rest of the world safe from her! Eventually, Emma is enrolled in Rowanstone Academy, a school to train young witches to fight that is masquerading as a finishing school. When Emma sprouts antlers, she learns even more secrets about her mother, her father, and her connection to the Graymalkin sisters, and works with Cormac and her cousins to try to figure out why so many young witches in London are being murdered.
Strengths: I liked Emma, Gretchen, and Penelope, and thought the romance with Cormac was a nice touch. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, since there are some nice twists, but this was a good paranormal story from Harvey, whose Hearts at Stake series and Haunting Violet do very well at my school. Pretty covers, too!
Weaknesses: Very long and rather convoluted. There was a lot of action that seemed to slow down the plot rather than advance it.

Harvey, Alyxandra. Whisper the Dead
October 7th 2014 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

This book focuses more on Gretchen and her Keeper, Tobias, and includes more information about Moira, a Madcap witch who lives on the streets and frequents the Goblin Market. Gretchen is very concerned about her twin brother, Godric, who deals with the fact that he can see ghosts by drinking too much. It doesn't help that it's hard enough for her to deal with being a Whisperer-- she can hear the voices of those who went before, and hear the spells that they cast, which helps her to formulate spells of her own. While the Graymalkin sisters have been bottled and the door to the underworld has been closed, there are indication that there are forces of evil leaking through. The person responsible for the murders in the previous book (and I don't want to ruin that!) is loose, and the graves of those girls are being robbed. Penelope is courted by Lord Lucius, who turns out to be more evil than she could suspect, and Gretch finds out some interesting information about Tobias' family, and it's a good thing she's okay with it, since the two have a romance going on. Before long, the Order has bound Emma's magic, which is not a good idea because the Graymalkin sisters are not going to stay bound for long!
Strengths: I liked that this book switched its focus to Gretchen, so we could see things from her perspective and investigate her own magical qualities. The romance with Tobias is a bit different as well, and I imagine the third book (whose title I can't find yet) will concern itself more with Penelope.
Weaknesses: Again, a lot going on, and a little hard to follow, no doubt because this is more Young Adult and I spend most of my time reading sports books meant for ten year old boys!