Mysteries

Battle, Craig and Ramon Perez. Max Finder Mystery Collected Casebook #6

10 April 2012; Reviewed for Young Adult Books Central

This book is a collection of ten mystery comic strips from Owl Magazine that involve Max Finder and his multicultural cast of friends and associates. There are also two short story mysteries. The comic strips are about four pages long, with a page at the end that describes how Max solves the mystery, reminiscent of Encyclopedia Brown. There is a section at the end on how to set up a mystery party, which is interesting! The mysteries are also similar to ones Encyclopedia might have solved; a toilet papering prank, a garden and a garage messed with, some stolen bikes.

Strengths: Anything in graphic novel format is a hot ticket in my library, and the mysteries in this series are short but interesting.

Weaknesses: This is another Canadian publication that makes me wonder if Canada is experiencing a paper shortage. The margins are tiny and the words are tiny, giving the format a very cramped feeling.

Harrington, Kim. Partners in Crime.

1 May 2012, Reviewed for Young Adult Books Central

This is the first in a new middle grade series by Kim Harrington, who did the extremely popular YA series Clarity and Perception. Best friends Darcy and Norah have a class project requiring them to set up a pretend business. They decide to create a web site for a detective business, since the dark, edgy side appeals to the borderline Goth Darcy and the good girl Norah who likes to help people. Even though their web site is available only on the school Intranet, they get an e mail from someone asking for help locating her lost twin sister. It turns out that the fashionable Fiona has found a birth certificate for a baby named Bailey born the same day, so the girls do some sleuthing and turn up a lot of irregularities. Someone doesn't want them involved in the mystery, but they continue on despite the threats. Sleepover Stakeout (1 June 2012) and Framed and Dangerous (1 July 2012) are forthcoming.

Strengths: Norah and Darcy have distinct personalities but get along well. Most of their detective activities are very realistic, but more involved than solving missing bikes, which is good for middle school. Also, there is a little romance, and the very nice touch of the girls thinking Fiona is stuck up but becoming friends once they get to know her.

Weaknesses: The girls uncover a very big and rather dangerous secret that should result in Fiona moving, but the parents trust the girls to keep the secret, which seemed slightly unrealistic. Small thing, and I am very much looking forward to this series. Just really bummed that it's a Scholastic paperback series, which means waiting for the prebinds.

Summer Reading Throwdown!

Darn you, Brain Lair! I have resisted tweeting until now, but in order to sign up, I had to have a Twitter account. I'm now #Msyingling, but don't expect constant updates on what I had for breakfast!

Heise Reads and Recommends and Wyz Reads have a little competition going on, and invite other teachers and librarians into the fray. Since I lost the last throwdown I was involved in (it was an Accelerated Reader one with a very motivated science teacher-- I racked up 500.5 points before I just gave up!), I am motivated!

The book keeping may be my downfall, but hopefully I can get a few points for my team.

As for Gauntlet Flinging, are you up for this challenge, Mr. Buxton?

Timeslip Tuesday-- The Obsidian Blade, The Master of Misrule

Hautman, Pete. The Obsidian Blade. (The Klaatu Diskos #1)
10 April 2012, Candlewick Press

Tucker's father is a minister in a small, midwestern town, his mother is the organist for the church, and Tucker just likes hanging out and getting into trouble with his friends. All of this changes after Tucker's father goes up on the roof (to repair damage done by Tucker catapulting a wooden gnome up there), disappears, and shows up later with a young, odd-looking girl named Lahlia and announces that he no longer believes in god. After this, his mother starts to see ghosts and act oddly. Doctors tell the family that the mother is autistic and displays all of the classic signs of the spectrum disorder. She gets worse and worse, until one day Tucker awakes to a note from his father saying that he is taking the mother for treatment. Tucker won't be able to come, but will stay with his uncle Curtis/Kosh, a loner who lives several hours away. Kosh and Tucker both have an odd experience with a shimmering disk of air similar to one that Tucker saw near his father before he disappeared-- they are transported to one of the Twin Towers right before it is hit by an airplane on September 11. Kosh lifts Tucker up to a disk so he goes back to the farm and survives, and Tucker in turn sends a ladder back so Kosh can get out of there. Neither understand what is going on, but Tucker has bigger problems when he is sucked into a disk the second time. The disks are an invention by the Klaatu, incorporeal beings, and are a way to travel to different points in place and time. Various peoples populate their otherworld, including Mendicants, who heal Tucker but keep him for years working in a factory to pay them back, and other strange creatures, including a giant maggot.
Strengths: Very nice cover, and the scenes set in the midwest are oddly compelling. I'll file this one under magical realism rather than time travel, and I think my hard core fantasy fans will enjoy the trilogy.
Weaknesses: Huh. This was one weird book. Charlotte does a much better job at telling the good and bad parts of this book in her review at Charlotte's Library.  I was put in mind of this author's Mr. Was (1996), which I also had a hard time understanding. 


Powell, Laura. The Master of Misrule.

12 June 2012, Random House Children's Books
Also reviewed at Young Adult Books Central.

In this sequel to The Game of Triumphs, we see again the four main characters. Blaine hopes that his prize in the game will help him find his violent step father and make him pay. Cat wants to find her parents' killer and bring him to justice. Flora wants to find her sister Grace and convince her to leave the game. Toby doesn't have anything to win-- he just likes wielding the power within the game. The only problem is that when these young people let the Fool rise to the position of the Master of Misrule, they unleashed the evil power of the game, and it's seeping from Arcanum into the real world. Scratch cards for the "Triumph Lottery" with either heads or tails are being found all over London, and those who reveal "Heads, you win" have good luck, while those who reveal the devil's tale have woe befall them. All four want to retrieve their prize from Arcanum, but when they go to Temple House, they find it trashed. They meet the High Priest, who tells them the current state of the game-- they have ruined it with their meddling, and the only way to save both worlds is for the four to take the place of the disabled kings and queens who are the game masters. Fighting both against the game, as well as to attain their original goals, the four struggle against all of the traps and deceits that Arcanum has to offer.
Strengths: This is a brilliant, evocative two book series, perfect for students who like role playing games, or any kind of game. There is a lush, Victorian air to much of the book, and the palpable struggle against evil has the personal aspect to it to make it almost painful. The inclusion of tarot elements makes this an innovative and original fantasy. Very nice.
Weaknesses: While I'm sure that students who read this will want to read it several times and memorize how the game is played, I found the plot and the game portions especially really confusing. My fantasy amnesia makes me think that I am probably missing half of the allusions. This is not the fault of the book so much as it is my fault, but bear this thought in mind if you try to hand it to someone who doesn't like high fantasy.

Middle Grade Monday

What exactly IS middle grade? Both of these books are, even though the represent the extremes. Squish is suitable for 8-11 year olds, although older students might be amused or seek it out as comfort reading, and Rush for the Gold is fine for any readers who can read well enough and have an interest in Olympic swimming, although would be most suitable for ages 12 and up. There is that one big kiss, and any one under the age of 12 would probably go "Ewwwww!" For more middle grade titles, head over to Shannon Whitney Messenger's Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe to see a list of bloggers with middle grade reviews.

Feinstein, John. Rush for the Gold.

Random House, 22 May 2012
Reviewed for Young Adult Books Central. 

Susan Carol and Stevie are back, and this time Susan Carol is very close to making the Olympic team. She is approached by all sorts of agents and sponsors because she is not only a fantastic swimmer; she is also pretty. Her father is bowing to the pressure for her to wear logos at every interview, which confuses and angers her. Stevie, writing for the Washington newspaper, manages to go to the Olympic trials to be with her (their long distance romance seems to be working better than most), and when she makes the Olympic team, he goes to London as well. While in London, the politics and agent anxiety increase-- Stevie is yelled at for talking to Susan Carol and not getting proper permission to speak to other swimmers. He has to struggle with balancing his reporting with wanting to be with his girlfriend all the time. Susan Carol has to struggle with an increasingly overbearing father who wants her to fire her long time coach because he isn't "big time" enough, and with the pressure to win a gold--so that she can earn the big bucks in sponsorships. When it is clear that another girl, Elizabeth, is a better swimmer but not as pretty and personable as Susan Carol, Susan Carol becomes angry that looks count for so much. Is someone sabotaging Elizabeth because she isn't as attractive? Stevie and Susan Carol are able to use their well-honed investigative skills to figure this out.

Strengths: Even though this book is about a girl, the guys will still pick it up. I was oddly intrigued by all the swimming descriptions as well as the machinations of the agents. Feinstein's background as a sports news writer is always apparent, and that's a good thing when trying to hook reluctant readers. I also liked Susan Carol's ambivalence about her newfound fame.

Weaknesses: While the inclusion of actual athletes as characters will add immediacy to the story now, it will also cause it to date, like Zan Hagen's Marathon. Also, because I am not at all familiar with swimming personalities, I wasn't sure which characters were based on real people and which were purely fictional.

Holm, Jennifer L. and Matthew. The Power of the Parasite.

While Pod and Peggy are off at ballet camp, Squish is stuck at summer swim camp. He doesn't want anything to do with the water after a previous terrible experience, but the conselour is annoyingly perky and keeps encouraging everyone to have "super awesome fun". Luckily, he meets a friend who also doesn't want to swim, Basil, and the two try to avoid swimming and read comic books instead. Squish is also reading about his favorite comic superhero who has taken on a sidekick who has some evil tendencies... just like Basil has a bad habit of using his stingers to inflict pain on unwary suspects. Can Squish survive swim camp? And will Pod manage to open a black hole... with a pirouette?

Strengths: *Snerk* When I took swimming lessons with my brother in 1974, he spent every lesson hiding out in the bathrooms because they were WAY warmer than the northeastern Ohio lake! Squish is a bit anxious (like Mason Dixon), but I find his defensiveness about his fear much more believable that elementary grade neuroses!

Weaknesses: Squish, as well as Dragonbreath, are a bit too young for middle school. They are funny enough, but the small size of the books and the aggressive cartoonishness make the students (even those who want nothing but notebook novels) not want to pick them up. Very sad.

Nonfiction Monday--Titanic: Voices from the Disaster

Hopkinson, Ellen. Titanic: Voices from the Disaster.
1 April 2012, Scholastic

Over the past year there has been a plethora of Titanic books, both fiction and nonfiction, so I wasn't quite in the mood for yet another one. If you feel the same way, please pick up this title even if you don't want to, because it is excellent.

So many of the books concern themselves with the minutiae of the disaster, as does this book, but what I enjoyed most were the Father Brown pictures of details of the ship and life on the ship before it sank. Pictures of the exercise room, descriptions of the care taken by the ship designer to make the cabins for the staff comfortable, menus that were going to be served... all of this made the eventual fate of the ship more poignant. A fair number of people on board the Titanic are followed, and their fates are helpfully listed at the back of the book. Hopkinson's inclusion of discussions of questions that often come up-- why so few life boats, comparisons of similar boats, how the ship really sank from water coming in the top of it-- are interesting sidebars. And, of course, the inclusion of primary source material lends immediacy to an event that captures the imagination even 100 years later. Two particularly effective elements in the book design are the fact that it is the size of a standard fiction book, making it more likely that students will pick it up rather than a picture book shaped tome, and the use of Avant Garde Gothic font (about 12 point) that was eminently readable and reminiscent of the sans serif font used in Jordan Sonnenblick's books. It is especially important in nonfiction books to have a readable type and good use of white space.

Nonfiction Monday was started by Anne Suen and the round up is hosted this week at Shelf-Employed. 

The Finish Line!!!

Saturday

11-- Cooner, Donna.Skinny.

Rivers, Karen. The Encyclopedia of Me

Sunday

5—McCormick, Templeman. The Little Woods

6—Green, Tim. Unstoppable

7-- Brodien-Jones, Christine. Scorpions of Zahir.  

8—Doeden, Matt. Can You Survive in the Special Forces?

8:30—Frolicking through ARCs that were not quite what I needed, including Devine’s Tap Out (bad language within first few lines), Colfer’s Land of Stories (Been done a lot, although not badly written), Mingle’s Kissing Shakespeare (time travel back to that time—also done to death), Fama’s Monstrous Beauty (have enough evil mermaid books), Acosta’s Dark Companion (more abusive foster care and paranormal boarding schools; just don’t have the need), Olsen’s Betrayal (too high school), and Burtenshaw’s Wintercraft series, book one and three, which were sent to me probably by the very kind Ben Willis of Headline UK but which I don’t think I can get in the US, which just makes me too sad to continue lest I adore the books and am frustrated.  Whew.

9:00—Moore, Wes. Discovering Wes Moore

10:00—Nash, Scott. The High-Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate.

10:30—Reviews and clean up

I will put my total at 36 hours and 40 books.  I have already donated $40 to Reading is Fundamental, which you can do online at their secure web site. 

Last year I had 33 hours and 35 books, in 2010 I didn't keep good statistics, in 2009 I read 34 1/2 hours and 30 books. This must just be my fourth year doing this. I was able to get through more books because I am reading more middle grade books and a few graphic novels. The average middle grade book takes me an hour. 

I only have two Netgalley or digital ARCs left, and two paper ones, although I should be getting a YABC box this week. I will finally be able to read the first two Flanagan Brotherband books, as well as Riordan's The Serpent's Shadow. Then, it's off to the library!

Hope everyone has a great challenge experience, and, as always, many, many thanks to Mother Reader for orchestrating this once a year opportunity to binge read and "hang with my peeps"!

Running Out of Steam!

At about 2:00 this afternoon, I got a tiny bit tired of reading! The tissue box on the counter magically disappeared, but I strongly suspect that my children have eaten nothing but bread and bananas. For those of you participants with small children, here is hope-- right now Picky Reader is off at a slumber party, , and Teen Girl is at a baseball game. It's amazing.

12:30- Corey, Shana. Here Come the Girl Scouts (technically a picture book, but I think I miscounted yesterday)
12:45-Preller, James. Before You Go.
1:30--Meaney, Flynn. The Boy Recession
2:30--Kimmel, Eric A. Hiss-s-s-s
3:00---Dashner, James. Mutiny in Time
4:00--Weiner, Ellis. The Templeton Twins
5:00- Schlitz, Amy Laura. Splendors and Glooms
6:30--Scieszka, Jon, ed. The Sports Pages
7:15-- Bourreau, Clara. On the Run
7:45--Buyea, Rob. Mr. Terupt Falls Again
8:45-- Lynch, Chris. Fire-Free Zone (Vietnam #3)
9:30--Holm, Jennifer and Matt. Squish, Captain of Disaster
9:45ish Reviews

29 hours, 34 books. Or something like that. One problem with focusing is that I look up, I have no more books left, and five hours have passed!

Two more hours left today, then six tomorrow, which will bring me in slighty under my goal of 38 hours.

The reading is easy; the math is hard!

Almost Lunch Time

Nook problems have subsided-- it just takes forever for some pages to load. Still hard on the eyes; after all, I'm at the age when the eye doctor is IMPRESSED when I can focus. Sigh.

6:45--Fleming, Candace. On the Day I Died.
7:30-- Reedy, Trent. Stealing Air.
8:45--Kimmel, Elizabeth Cody. The Legend of Ghost Dog.
9:45-- Stoudemire, A'Mare. Double Team
10:15--Grinti, Mike. Claws.
11:45--Maruno, Jennifer. Cherry Blossom Winter
12:30-- Review writing, blogging.

This puts me at 22 books and 19 hours of reading. I'm not sure that the breakdown is entirely accurate, but I do know that aside from filling up my tea cup, grabbing some fruit and making pit stops, I haven't stopped reading or writing for more than a minute at a time. Think children may possibly be getting annoyed at focus.

Good Morning, Merry Sunshine

Good morning! Hope everyone is ready to make more progress on their reading today! Managed to stay up until midnight, finishing both of Elizabeth Cody Kimmel's new Forever Four books and managed to get up at 5:00 to read Emmy Laybourne's Monument 14. Brief run while listening to Lerangis' The Dead of Night which I will not retain, and now on to the rest of my pile!

Not much devastation in the house, but children apparently only ate the loaf of Great Harvest bread, and I'm curious to see how long the empty tissue box stays on the kitchen counter.

Does reading the newspaper count? I forget.

Continuing On...

The E Reader is NOT helping. Between having to look at nonfiction ARCS in 6 point font and then not loading two books that I really wanted (even though I deleted and redownloaded), it's been irritating. May have to wait on Reedy's Stealing Air and Kimmel's Ghost Dog Secrets. Drat.

5:00-Hollihan, Kerrie Logan. Rightfully Ours: How Women Won the Vote
6:00--Walsh, Pat. The Crowfield Demon.
7:00-- Bonk, John J. The Madhattan Mystery.
7:40-- DeVillers, Julia. Cleared for Takeoff.
8:00--Vernon, Ursula. Dragonbreath: Lair of the Bat Monster.
8:15-- Vernon, Ursula. Dragonbreath: Revenge of the Horned Bunnies
8:30-- Stead, Rebecca. Liar and Spy.
9:45-- Blogging and fighting with E ARCs. (Not for long-- not sure if that counts!)

I have always read freakishly fast, and so can my children. My daughter once claimed, in the third grade, that she could read Where the Red Fern Grows in one evening and pass the Accelerated Reader test on it. I said she couldn't, and bet her that if she passed the test, I'd buy her a copy.

It's still one of her favorite books, and she got it in hard cover!

Behind Schedule (Sort of)

I have only gotten six books read! I put up reviews on Goodreads for now and will schedule them as blog posts later.

11:00-- Patron, Susan. Behind the Masks
12:00-- Wilson, John. Victorio's War
12:40--Bell, Braden. Kindling.
1:40--Jennings, Patrick. Invasion of the Dognappers.
2:00--Beil, Michael. Summer at Forsaken Lake (LOVED this one and read slowly!)
3:30-- The McKissacks. The Visitor (Clone Codes #3)
4:15-- Typing reviews and blogging stuff

Off to comment and see what people are up to!

The Starting Line

And we're off! (Go HERE to check in at the starting line!) Because we have been off school for two weeks, I can start earlier in the day. I am also glad to have Something To Do that is not a household chore. I really miss going to work every day!

My plan this year is to get about 5 hours of sleep a night, putting me at the 38 hour commitment level, and to try to read 35 books.  I am pledging $1 per hour to Reading is Fundamental. I have spent the past week reading 500 page fantasy books (as well as doing laundry, grocery shopping, and cleaning in advance!) and have kept the fun, light, 120 page realistic books just for this challenge. I have two audiobooks in case I want to walk the dog or run, and a supply of PG Tips for my tea requirements. Personal hygiene will suffer just a tiny bit, but the dog will get lots of tummy rubs!

I will be writing reviews and scheduling them ahead, since I have a lot of ARCs that don't come out until later this year. One of the really great things about this challenge is that I am motivated to really FOCUS and get lots more reading done than I normally do, which helps to whittle down the TBR pile! (And did I just panic and request a bunch of stuff from Netgalley.com because I thought I would run out of things to read? Yep.)

Of course, the BEST thing is getting to visit lots of other bloggers and see what they are reading. It's sort of like a slumber party! Thanks, Mother Reader! I promise that if you fall asleep I won't smear toothpaste on your forehead or put your hand in cold water!

Guy Friday-- Goofy Guys

Ah, armpit odor and flatulence. What 6th grade boy DOESN'T want to read about those things? To varying degrees, both of these books embrace these middle grade interests. Too bad I didn't include The Fourth Stall, so we could have had the great Boy Troika of Disgusting.

Rex, Michael. Fangbone: Third Grade Barbarian
5 January 2012, Putnam Juvenile
In order to keep the toe of the evil Drool safe from his followers, young Fangbone is transported from his medieval, Vikingesque world into modern times, where he is befriended by Bill and the other students in class 3G at Eastwood Elementary. At first, they think Fangbone is a bit strange, but soon even the principal is donning fur boots. Invaders from his world keep seeping in to try to harm Fangbone, but with the help of his classmates, he keeps them at bay. His classmates want Fangbone to help out in the bean ball tournament, which they always lose, but he does not want to needlessly endanger the Toe of Drool. Can Fangbone successfully save his world AND class 3G?
Strengths: This is a very funny graphic novel, and I liked how there were no excuses made for the time travel of a weird kid showing up at school. I think even middle school students would like this one.
Weaknesses: I wouldn't have specified a grade, in order to broaden the appeal.

Harkrader, Anne. The Adventures of Beanboy
14 February 2012, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Tucker loves reading and drawing comics, hanging out with his friend Noah, and his family. Unfortunately, things are very difficult right now, because his father has left and moved away, his mother is struggling to keep up with a full time job and college course work, and Tucker has to spend a lot of time taking care of his younger, developmentally delayed brother Beecher. To make matters worse, he has to put up with a variety of bullies at school. When he decides to enter a contest to create a super hero and wants to attend an after school art club, one of the bullies, a quirky girl named Sam, is hired to babysit Beecher. Tucker comes up with the idea for Bean Boy, who harnesses the powers of beans, including inducing flatulence! He works hard on the contest, hoping that by winning, he can ease his family's financial situation. He also begins to realize that Sam is struggling with her own issues, and tries to help her out as well. Can Tucker keep up with his drawing and help his family stay afloat?
Strengths: I think it's great that there are more books coming out about students with family financial problems. This happens a lot, and there haven't been many books covering this. I also liked that the author did the drawings (including lots of comic panels) herself. This can be sold to students as a notebook novel, but really is much deeper.
Weaknesses: Not quite as funny as the author's book Airball: My Life in Briefs, which I just adored. Also, there have been a lot of books lately about boys who hang out at comic book stores, and none of my students have mentioned this as an interest. Still will buy.

Fahrenheit 451

It is with deep sadness that I report the death of Mr. Ray Bradbury, 91, yesterday. An obituary is post at the LA Times web site.


I have always felt it to be cliche that the most influential book I have ever read was Fahrenheit 451, but it was. In a sophomore English class in 1980, under the tutelage of Mrs. Mary Smith, we studied this book. To say that it affected me profoundly is an understatement. To this day, I do not like to have the television on as background noise, and am uncomfortable with screens invading my life in general. When I think about dystopias, it seems to me that a society that limits what its people can read would be the worst possible kind.


Luckily, I got to share this with Mr. Bradbury several years ago when I sent him the filled up circulation card for my library's copy of this title. He wrote back, and I treasure his letter. He was a brilliant writer, a visionary, and a creative force whose passing will leave the world a less imaginative place.


Rule, Leslie. Kill Me Again.
1996, reissued by Andrews McMeel 3 April 2012


Alex and her younger sister True move to a small town in Washington state to live with her grandparents after her mother loses her job. Even though Alex was only there one time when she was a year old, she suffers from constant deja vu. Not only that, but she looks exactly like her aunt Nan, who ran away to marry her boyfriend after a fight with her father. When Alex finds out that on her last visit, she found the body of Judy Fitzwater drowned in a pond, she starts having even more memories-- but from the point of view of the girl who drowned. When she discovers new classmate of hers, Tawney, also drowned, Alex starts to question what happened to her aunt. Alex has always been afraid of the water, but starts to scuba dive with Josh, whom she likes. Part of the town had been flooded, and looking over the old movie theater and other remains is a popular pastime. As more and more of the past starts coming back to Alex, she is sure that Nan met a horrible end... and that whoever killed her is linked to the other deaths and may be around to cause more.
Strengths: This was a good murder mystery in the style of Richie Tankersley Cusick, Christopher Pike, or R.L. Stine. It would be popular in my library, and not overly gory or too old.
Weaknesses: *Sigh* I feel duped by NetGalley. This does not appear to be available in print format, only as a Nook book. I should have known that this was an older title when Alex walked into her TYPING class in high school. It did have an older feel to it, but if I could get a copy, I would. Drat.


Beaudoin, Sean. The Infects.
25 September 2012, Candlewick


From the Publisher: "Seventeen-year-old Nero is stuck in the wilderness with a bunch of other juvenile delinquents on an "Inward Trek." As if that weren’t bad enough, his counselors have turned into flesh-eating maniacs overnight and are now chowing down on his fellow miscreants. As in any classic monster flick worth its salted popcorn, plentiful carnage sends survivors rabbiting into the woods while the mindless horde of "infects" shambles, moans, and drools behind. Of course, these kids have seen zombie movies. They generate "Zombie Rules" almost as quickly as cheeky remarks, but attitude alone can’t keep the biters back. Serving up a cast of irreverent, slightly twisted characters, an unexpected villain, and an ending you won’t see coming, here is a savvy tale that that’s a delight to read — whether you’re a rabid zombie fan or freshly bitten — and an incisive commentary on the evil that lurks within each of us."


There is still time to read this on Netgalley.com. I'm still trying to decide on whether it's middle school appropriate or not. There's no doubt that Beaudoin is a brilliant writer, but he walks that fine line. Major points for use of language: "fuct", "texturbation" are both edgy but not quite as naughty as they could be. Still-- too naughty for middle school, I am thinking, when combined with a very large amount of graphic chicken slaughtering, even before we got to the actual zombie parts. Oh, and more extra points for a beginning that definitely dragged me right in, even though the scenes of destruction ended up being a video game instead of the main zombie story. Also, points for depicting a teen boy in difficult family circumstances without being sniffly and sentimental. Sigh. I just wish that Beaudoin wrote more book like Going Nowhere Faster. Definitely take a look at this for high school libraries. Fantastic cover!

The Transcontinental Railroad

Photo: Ellan Young Photography

I really don't know how I missed the news that Jean Craighead George passed away on 15 May. She was 92.

My Side on the Mountain remains one of my favorite books, and is one that still circulates frequently enough that I had to purchase a new copy because the old ones were in such tatters.

Most impressively, Ms. George was still writing and has two books that will be published posthumously.

She will be missed.


Wilson, Diane Lee. Tracks. 
3 April 2012, Margaret K. McElderry Books

Malachy, who is barely a teenager,  has left his Irish family in New York City and come west in the 1860s to work on the transcontinental railroad. The family is hurting for money after the death of the father and could use his contribution, but he keeps gambling it away. On his way west, he has picked up a dog, Brina, who seems to be his only friend. The work on the railroad is very hard, but even harder for the Chinese workers, who get the worst jobs (using explosives) and the least pay. One of these workers, Keung (whom Malachy calls Ducks because his name sounds like quacking),  is very outspoken about workers' rights, and also takes an especial interest in Malachy and his dog. Not only is the work physically dangerous, but the men working are often tempermental, and the prejudice against the Chinese workers leads to a variety of difficult situations. Malachy also feels this prejudice but slowly overcomes it, but not quickly enough to keep disaster from befalling some of the workers.
Strengths: Historical fiction can be a hard sell at the middle school level, but the danger of the working situation might intrigue some boys. There have been a few books on Chinese workers in the US during this time period, and this is one of the more accessible for students. I did like this author's I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade (1998)-- there aren't a lot of books set in Mongolia during the reign of Kublai Khan!
Weaknesses: Malachy was a difficult character to understand, and his lack of relationships with other white workers didn't make much sense, even though he was very young.

Rush Limbaugh Can (Insert Rude Phrase Here)

Mike Ullery, Piqua Daily Call

No. See, that is wrong. And I would hope that, in my capacity as a teacher and a coach, I would inspire my students to be kinder and more constructive to the misguided Mr. Limbaugh.

The real story here is Meghan Vogel, a runner from West-Liberty Salem High School who was competing in the Ohio state track meet. She won the Division III State Championship in the 1600 meters, with her first sub-5 minute time. Congratulations, Meghan! That is an awesome accomplishment.

As is frequently the case, Meghan had another race scheduled thirty minutes after the race she won. The 3200 meters. Sometimes this works well (think Babe Didrickson Zaharias); most often it does not. Meghan struggled through the whole race, and near the end, saw a girl in front of her fall several times. Knowing from her years of cross country experience that the girl's race would not count if an official helped her, Ms. Vogel hoisted the girl up, dragged her to the finish, and then pushed her across the line first, since the girl had been ahead of her most of the race.

This is exactly the sort of behavior we hope to instill in our athletes as good sportsmanship. As Ms. Vogel says, perhaps we are all making too much of this one act, however heart warming and inspiring it may be.

An extremely UNHELPFUL view of this act was delivered by Mr.Limbaugh and can be found here: Does Meghan Vogel Story, Who Stopped To Help A Fallen Runner, Suggest We Are In A Decline Of Hard Manliness?

Well. I think that running one mile in under five minutes, and then running most of two miles is pretty hard. "Manly" doesn't really strike me as a complimentary word. War is 'manly'. Not showing emotion is 'manly'. So is poor hygiene, shooting animals for sport, and apparently, liking Mr. Limbaugh's politics.

I can only hope that we are heading toward a culture that supports hard WOMANLINESS. 'Cause baby, that's a whole lot harder than hard manliness. You have to accomplish even more, but do it in a kindly and compassionate fashion. Plus, you probably have to clean up the mess afterwards, because it has to be done.

I'll be out running at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning, if Mr. Limbaugh wants to join me. And I'm sure that Ms. Vogel would welcome him to training with her team as well. Perhaps he could learn some valuable lessons about what makes winners.

Also Known as Rowan Pohi, Insurgent

Fletcher, Ralph. Also Known As Rowan Pohi.
14 November 2012
Bobby Steele is not keen on being himself. His father, who has the same name, runs a local auto repair store, and found himself on the front page of the newspaper after a nasty domestic battle that resulted in Bobby's mother leaving the family and his father having to serve jail time and attend AA meetings. Bobby's also not keen on going to Riverview High, which can't raise enough money to repave its parking lot while nearby private school Whitestone can put in a planetarium. While chilling at the local IHOP, Bobby and his friends make up an identity, Rowan Pohi, and apply for Whitestone. When Rowan is accepted, Bobby decides this is the new start that he needs. He tries out for the football team, wins a writing scholarship, and has the attention of Heather, a rather nice, rich and attractive Whitestone girl. This can't last long, and soon the gig is up. Will Bobby get in big trouble, or will he still have a big opportunity to better himself?
Strengths: This was a good, quick read that will be great for boys. It reminded me a lot of the fabulous The Mark of Conte (28 March 1976) by Sonia Levitin. I liked how Bobby's family was troubled but still functional-- he helps to take care of his five year old brother, cooks dinner, and works for his father. His father goes to bat for him when he gets in trouble. His friends are not sure how to handle him being at the fancy prep school, but stand by him. Good stuff.
Weaknesses: This came to a conclusion very quickly, which makes a bit of sense because it was so clear that Bobby would not get away with his plan. Being over quickly, while if felt a little choppy to me, will probably be a good thing to the boys who read it. I feel sort of bad that I deaccessioned this author's Flying Solo(2000), which was not flying, just sitting on the shelf!

Roth, Veronica. Insurgent.
1 May 2012, HarperTeen
This sequel to Divergent weighs in at 525 pages and was a book that really could have used a map, so you know my Fantasy Amnesia on this plot will be quite bad. I will do my best. Spoilers if you have not read Divergent.

Tris is dealing with the aftermath of the Erudite plot to kill all of Abnegation, and the guilt she feels from killing Will and seeing both of her parents die to save her. She is trying to get to Jeanine to retrieve data, but things are so fraught with danger in her entire world that just trying to survive and fend off whomever is attacking at the moment is about all that she can manage. Of course, Four/Tobias and the rest of the Divergent who escaped are trying to formulate a plan to somehow make things better, but it's tough. For a while, the group is taking refuge with Amity, but when they fight among themselves over the data disk that they saved, they are asked to leave. They also find out that Amity people get along so well because their bread is drugged! They then take refuge in a Candor/Dauntless enclosure, but even this is not safe. Tobias manages to meet up with his father and his mother at various times, and they aren't particularly helpful, nor is Tris' brother. The Erudite are bent on finding out why Divergent are immune to the simulations, adn at one point attack the compound and shoot everyone with discs that cause simulations; Tris removes her own in a painful manner. She is, in fact, usually suffering from one injury or another. Eventually, Tris turns herself over to the Erudite and the mad Jeanine, who experiments on her to find out more about the Divergent and plans to kill her. Tris is expecting that, but not expecting Tobias to show up with a plan. When Jeanine is not able to find out what makes Tris tick, she is so angry that she orders her to be killed ahead of scheduled. Not wanting Tobias to die, Tris helps him mount an attack on the Erudite they hope will stop their evil plans.
Strengths: Definitely a page turner, and a cool dystopian novel. I love the idea of a civilization based on personality types. Fans of Matched and The Hunger Games will clamor for this series.
Weaknesses: I had trouble remembering some of the important plot points of the first novel, so getting up to speed was difficult. The romance between Tris and Tobias was still there, but most of the time htey just spent their time putting their hands underneath the edges of each other's shirts, which got a bit tiresome. This was even MORE violent than the first book-- I just started to assume that every character I cam across would eventually die in a violent and gruesome way.

Nonfiction Monday-- Book Deconstruction

Ah, summer. The upsides are not waking up insanely early, and being able to drink as much tea as I like. The downsides include not being able to give books to students and having to actually physically go to the public library to get books. While I love going to the library, I tend to be unfocused and end up meandering about the adult nonfiction section, distracted by all manner of fun things that are totally useless for my job. (Train Like a Mother, anyone?) While this is great fun, it leaves me at loose ends for a middle grade nonfiction for today. I'm not sure giving students the following book would be wise!

Occhipinti, Lisa. The Repurposed Library.
1 May 2012

Yes, these thirty plus crafts are really cool, and yes, some of the ancient nonfiction that I pulled while weeding this year might be good to use for some of them. There were even some crafts that I thought were cool, like the clock made out of a book with "time" in the title or the old bridge book made into a container for a deck of cards. I had brief thoughts of making a lampshade out of paper or maybe a bracelet out of some decoupaged words.

But this makes me so, so sad. There were several books in this volume that I would have loved to read! That's the problem. Any time I get rid of a book, I have a feeling that someone, somewhere might like to read it, so I shouldn't destroy the book. Could I make a Kindle cover out of a Little Golden Book? Only if I had two copies, I suppose. There are a lot of cool old books used in this, and most of the old books that I get rid of would not make good art projects. Still, if you have a LOT of old paperbacks, you might take a look at this and make some of the vases.

I also can't look at end tables that are made out of butchered sewing machine cases. Or fruit bowls made out of old records that have been melted in the oven. Just can't. 

Nonfiction Monday--Parasites!

Nonfiction Monday was started by Anne Suen and the round up is hosted this week at True Tales and a Cherry on Top. I have to admit to really scrambling to find a new nonfiction book this week!

Marrin, Albert. Little Monsters: The Creatures that Live on Us and in Us.
8 December 2011, Dutton Juvenile

Many of my reluctant readers love to pick up books about snakes, dangerous water creatures, or spiders, so this lively green cover with icky parasites will be checked out frequently. While the lay out of the book was pleasing to me-- larger type, good use of white space, frequent pictures or diagrams-- the fact that the entire interior of the book is in black and white works to its detriment. This is a shame because the writing is quite interesting while never completely grossing me out; not an easy task after I spent a month this winter battling fleas on my beloved Sylvie! I especially enjoyed the history of how people knew about various parasites, some of the scientists involved, and some particularly interesting cases of infestation. Major parasites are covered-- fleas, live, worms, etc. A concluding chapter gives information about avoiding parasites, but if you need more information on ridding your home of fleas, e mail me! This would be an excellent volume to use in conjunction with Scott Westerfeld's Peeps, that wonderful vampire book that works on the premise that vampirism is caused by a parasite that can be passed to humans by cats!

I'm warming up for MotherReader's 48 Hour Book Challenge starting this Friday!!!! If you've never done this and your schedule permits, please consider joining the fun. I will be glad of a little break. Yes, I know it's summer, but the process of launching one student off to college and another to the Philippines is becoming a bit fraught. I bought two lap top computers, which caused severe heart palpitations, and had to spend two days at Kent State listening to multiple presentations about the college experience. My daughter actually met with an academic advisor to do her schedule of classes! I have vague memories of being herded into a huge biology lecture hall and having a newsprint schedule of classes thrust at me. Don't know how productive this summer will be!

Middle Grade Monday-- The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

Healy, Christopher. The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom.
1 May 2012, Walden Pond Press
The kingdom of Harmonia has Frederic, who was brought up to be fearful of everything, but a really snazzy dresser. He danced with Cinderella and she fell in love, but found life in the castle to be profoundly boring. Nearby, there's Gustav, who tried to rescue Rapunzel but is now the laughingstock of his kingdom. Liam woke Sleeping Beauty, but found that Briar Rose has a horrible personality and he really doesn't want to marry her. Duncan is married to Snow White, but they are both a little odd and having trouble adjusting to life together. What do all of these princes have in common? The Bards, who are lazy, refer to all of them as Prince Charming in their songs, which makes their lives more difficult. When Rapunzel's evil witch, Zaubera, kidnaps all of the bards, the princes band together to try to get them back. Ella may also be in danger, since the Bandit King and Ruffian the Blue are at large, but they do their best with their limited princely skills. With help from Liam's sister Lila, and various trolls and dragons, the princes manage to successfully complete their quest, figure out how they should polish their images in their kingdoms, and learn a lot about what it means to be Prince Charming.
Strengths: This was a funny, funny book, with lots of good, snarky twists on classic fairy tales. I especially liked the princesses in this. There have been books about brave princesses before, but I appreciated that this was told from the point of view of the princes who weren't quite sure how to deal with the new age princesses. I picked this up thinking "Great. ANOTHER medieval fantasy book," but was most pleasantly surprised. Fans of Gerald Morris' The Squires Tale or even of Flangan's The Ranger's Apprentice series  might find this amusing.
Weaknesses: Occasionally, I had trouble keeping all of the plot elements and characters straight.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday was started by Shannon Whitney Messenger. The lucky devil is at BEA this week (next year, next year!) but still put up a list of bloggers who frequently have MMGM posts.