Blather-- Personal life update!

Okay! Cross Country season is over and I have unearthed my dining room table from under a pile of... well, most of my wardrobe, plus mounds of papers that need to be dealt with. I made a To Do Novel yesterday, and so far this morning have worked down past the multiple sticky note level to the actual list. Whooo!

This is the To Be Read pile as it now stands. The order in which I am going to read the books is this: Library books on the Cybils list, books for the Scholastic book fair on October 23, books I said I would review, library books that are not on the Cybils list, digital ARCs before they expire, then advance readers copies for January on out.

Whew. There are times when I am struggling to find things to read, but this is not one of them. As much as I like coaching cross country, I will be glad for the extra hours to hunker down and read as the chill in the air grows.

The Extra

Lasky, Kathryn. The Extra. 
9 October 2013, Candlewick
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Lilo and her family live in Vienna, and her father is a respected jeweler. They are Sinti, however, and the Nazis have been rounding up both the Sinti and Roma Gypsies and sending them to concentration camps. For a while, the family is able  to stay together, but eventually the father is sent to another camp. Lilo is fiercely protective of her mother, especially when she is able to escape being sterilized but her mother is not. Lilo meets a boy who helps her survive the camp, Django, especially when Leni Riefenstahl, the movie director, commandeers a group of Gypsies to be extras in her movie, Tieflander, that she is filming. There are a few perks to being on the film, such as more food and a better place to sleep, but Leni is a cruel and demanding person who views the extras as completely expendable. This is especially cruel of Unku, a girl who has a flirtation with one of the actors to whom Leni is attracted. Unku disappears, and Leni realizes that she needs to keep her own mouth shut. She has the good role of being Leni's extra for horse riding scenes, and for a while keeps her mother with her by saying that her mother has a way with horses. After Leni's mother dies, Lilo manages to run away and is found by three German scientists who feel they must save her. One has a sister who works on puppet show, and agrees to hide Lilo. Lilo does not leave the apartment for a year, but then goes to work at the theatre, sewing costumes for the puppets. All is good for a while, but then she must run again and survive until the Allies come.
Strengths: Very interesting facet of WWII and the Holocaust. I had heard of Riefenstahl but didn't know details. This reminded me of Moskin's I am Rosemarie (1972) in it's scope of years and variety of experiences. Definitely ordering this one for our 8th grade unit on the Holocaust.
Weaknesses: This could have been trimmed down a bit; some of it rambled. I think that Lasky did a good job of portraying Riefenstahl, although in the afterword she does opine that she was very evil. I don't think that Riefenstahl was admirable in her treatment of Gypsies in the least, but do think that she was a product of her time, and that her motivations and character were probably very complex.

Timberlake, Amy. One Came Home
8 January 2013, Knopf
Nominated for the Cybils by LibrarianLove

In 1871, Georgie is devastated when the body of her  older sister Agatha is returned to the family, but she doesn't really believe her sister is dead. Since the only thing that was identifiable about the body was a blue green ball gown, Georgie decides to investigate and find out what really happened. She asks Billy, the one time love interest of her sister, to help her by renting her a horse, but he decides to come along with her, since she is only 11. Georgie is a smart girl, and a dead shot with a gun, which is handy when cougars and bad guys get in the way. Georgie finds out that her sister had taken up with some "pigeoners"; people who shoot and sell pigeons when the area is overrun with them, and comes across a wide variety of unsavory, Wild West characters while trying to track down her sister.
Strengths: Nice historical notes in the back tell more about the phenomenon of the pigeons, and this is a nice mystery, which Georgie solves in a realistic way. Billy is an interesting character as well.
Weaknesses: Georgie's attitudes toward her sister getting an education don't seem in keeping with the time. The ending would have made more sense if there had been more resistance by the whole family to the sister striking out on her own and going to the university.

World Wednesday-- Replay

Sandor, Steven. Replay
1 October 2013, Lorimer
E ARC from Netgalley.com 

Warren Chen wants to play football even though he is rather small, and he doesn't have a lot of time. His family runs the Jade Garden restaurant, and he is expected to work there after school. He works really hard to show the coach of the Sexsmith Shamrocks that he can be a good player, and he is helped by the understanding team captain, Brad. He is first made a kicker, but then allowed to play, and makes a fantastic touch down-- only, he doesn't. Warren is tackled just a foot from the goal line, but does a victory dance, and the referee believes that he made the touch down. Not only does Warren know the truth, but a girl he likes, Brigid, has a photo showing he didn't score, and blackmails him into doing her homework. Warren's father is proud of his son's playing ability, and even makes it to a game when the restaurant should be very busy, so Warren doesn't want to confess. He does tell Brad, and the two mull over whether helping the team is worth the guilt. Warren has to decide whether or not to come clean, and will have to deal with the consequences either way.
Strengths: This is a short book that packs a wallop with lots of football action, lots of details about Warren's family, and lots of psychological angst about being a good teammate and a good person. There is even a football glossary in the back that covers the differences between Canadian and US football. I am really impressed by this publisher (which has also had some skateboarding books) and their books, and am thrilled to have an Asian football player on the cover.

Weaknesses: Probably doesn't have an Accelerated Reader test, although I will definitely still buy it. It would have been nice if, in a middle grade book, the town hadn't been called Sexsmith, but I just won't mention that when recommending the book, and the boys can giggle over it in private.

A little bit of blather: our middle school cross country season ended last night with a meet for all the middle schools in our town, and my school "ruled the 'Ville", winning both the girls' and boy' races. I'm not a hugely competitive person (since there are no official competitions for reading!), but it was nice to see the students work so hard all season and be rewarded for their efforts. Cross Country is a great sport, and I'm glad to be part of it.

Now that it's over, however, I am looking forward to more sleep and more time for reading Cybils' nominations!

Unbreakable

Garcia, Kami. Unbreakable (Legion #1)
1 October 2013, Little, Brown
ARC from Baker and Taylor

Kennedy, who already is dealing with being abandoned by her father, is shocked by her mother's sudden death. She quickly finds out that her mother has been killed by a ghost who is working for a demon, and joins up with several other teenagers in order to try to keep herself safe. Jared and Lukas have lost their parents, too, and know a bit more about the Legion, an organization trying to fight the demon. Along with Priest and Alara, the group tries to collect lenses in a device that can be used to destroy the demon. Drawing on the memories of stories told to them by their parents or grandparents, they take off to fight ghosts in a variety of locations in order to reunite the pieces.
Strengths: This had a nice ensemble cast, lots of action and fighting of ghosts. Had a slight Dan Poblocki vibe to it, and will be great for students who want ghost murder mysteries. I was able to keep all five characters straight, which shows that the writing is really good!
Weaknesses:  It seemed a little far fetched that the group would be able to locate all of the disks with such relative ease. I did not care for the cover, and almost dismissed it as another YA paranormal book without much to offer middle school students. Definitely buying a copy.

 Ward, Matthew. The Fantastic Family Whipple.
Razorbill, 19 August 2013
Nominated by: Suzanne Santillan

Arthur Whipple is ruining his family's attempts at record breaking. He's born on February 29 instead of 1 March. He can't even stay awake for five days, and isn't helping his family to be the biggest and best at everything so that they can be listed in the Grazelby Guide. The family is so prolific at setting records that they have a full time staff member from the Guide attend to the family. Arthur suspects he might be a victim of the Lyon's Curse, and when things start to go wrong for the whole family, he becomes more and more concerned. A giant birthday cake is sabotaged, causing injuries. The family cook, Sammy, is accused of setting this up, and Arthur is determined to see that the man is freed. This is made more difficult by the appearance of another record setting family, and the involvement of the very touchy Global Guild of Dwarves and Giants. Arthur manages to prove his worth to his family, even if it is in ways that they don't particularly value. His adventures will continue in the fall of 2014 with a second book. Had to read this carefully, but decided it is realistic, if goofy.
Strengths: Tons of action, lots of humor, kids saving the situation-- this has it all. For some reason, it struck me that readers of The Mysterious Benedict Society would like this one.
Weaknesses: A little too frenetic for my taste. There were so many characters and so much going on that I had to really concentrate to keep the plot straight.

MMGM- Code Name 711

Don't forget to nominate books for the Cybils awards! There's only a week left, so think about the books that made you say "Wow" and made you want to hand them immediately to children to read. Then hop on over to the Cybils web site to nominate them.




Bradley, F.T. Double Vision: Code Name 711
HarperCollins, 15 October 2013
Copy received from the publisher.

After his exploits in Double Vision, Linc is content to hang out with his friends and play video games, but Agent Stark from Pandora interrupts his idyll with the news that he is needed as an agent because Ben Green, the actual agent to whom he bears a striking resemblance, is busy. He is whisked off to Washington, D.C., telling his parents he is to be part of the Junior Presidents Club. Once he gets there, he finds out that the president and her family have all been threatened, and that there is another Dangerous Double, this time a coat of invincibility worn by George Washington, tied to the threat. Linc's job is to find the double, but he soon realizes that Ben is working on this mission as well. The president's daughter manages to break away from her secret service escort to work with Linc, and they are soon traveling all over D.C. to follow clues left by the deep undercover operation, the Culper Ring. For years, they have guarded various artifacts by using agents who are so secret they don't even know the other agents' names. This makes it hard to track them down and ask them questions, even after Linc and Amy manage to break into CIA headquarters and steal a notebook with essential information, helped by Henry and his gadgets. Ben seems to be working at cross purposes, but the three kids manage to find enough information (including the identity of the high ranking turn coat!) to save the presidents' family ... for now!
Strengths: The pacing on this never drags, which is critically important. Tons of action and adventure combined with history and clues will make this appealing to students who like their mysteries a bit faster paced. The setting is vivid, and there are fun little bits like Linc being put up in a cut-rate motel. Loved that the president was a woman!
Weaknesses:Things worked out a bit too easily for Linc and his accomplices, and it strained my credulity a bit. The president's life is in danger, but they assign a kid agent to the case? They continue on with a party even though the threat is still present? Children break into the CIA? I either don't believe those things, or I am really concerned about national security. For students, however, these leaps will make the book all the more enjoyable. If there were a book about a middle aged librarian using her ninja skills to break into the CIA, I would totally believe THAT!

Note on genre: Since the Dangerous Doubles are portrayed as have real powers (in the first book, a painting can hypnotize people, and in this book a jacket makes people invincible, evidenced in a crucial culminating event), this book has to be considered fantasy.

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

The Two and Only Kelly Twins

Hurwitz, Johanna. The Two and Only Kelly Twins
24 September 2013, Candlewick Press
ARC from Netgalley.com

Second graders Ilene and Arlene get along well with each other and are proud to be identical twins. There are other sets of twins in their school, but none as special as they feel they are! They are a little put out when triplets arrive in their grade, especially since the two girls are also identical, but they quickly make friends after trying to fool the girls into thinking they have a triplet sister, Marlene. Other exploits including getting pet ferrets and going trick-or-treating as identical witches.
Strengths: This is a great addition to an elementary collection. Hurwitz writes very fun books, and the addition of illustrations by Tuesday Mourning makes this even more attractive. Young children especially are fascinated by twins.
Weaknesses: Too young for my students. Sigh. So cute!

Simon, Coco. Emma: Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice
20 August 2013, Simon Spotlight

In this 15th installment in the Cupcake Diaries series, Emma's demanding younger brother Jake has to has his tonsils out because he is always getting sick. He doesn't want to, throws multiple fits, and Emma tries her best to get him to see that he really needs to do this. It's hard for Emma, because she tends to faint at the sight of blood, as she did when she went on an interview to model for a hospital ad. Since her older brothers are too busy to help out with Jake, she manages to overcome her fear and go to the hospital to be with Jake when he has his surgery. The cupcake bakers appear as well, inventing a vampire cupcake for a bridal shower.
Strengths: I have liked the easy to read writing and creative ensemble cast in these books, and they have been popular with me readers.
Weaknesses: I was beginning to wonder when I could stop buying the installments in this series, and this is the one. I really wanted to slap Jake, as well as his parents, for being such a brat, and there was just too much discussion of Emma's aversion to blood for me. And am I the only one to think that vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting that spurt raspberry filling when you bite into them are inappropriate for a bridal shower?

Saturday Morning Cartoons-- Desmond Pucket

Tatulli, Mark. Desmond Pucket Makes Monster Magic
1 October 2013, Andrews McMeel Publishing
ARC from Baker and Taylor

Desmond LOVES to do special effects of anything having to do with grossness or monsters. Unfortunately, he and his friend Ricky have been doing this a little too often at school, and the school disciplinary officer, Mr. Needles, is bound and determined to kick him out. As a last ditch effort, Desmond's parents decide he will get into less trouble if he is in an extracurricular activity, so he joins the AV club, where he airs a prank on the morning announcements that gets him kicked out. His next attempt is the school newspaper, but his article on how the school janitor is the secret ingredient in the sloppy joes gets him kicked out of that. His last chance is the drama club, and since not only is his attendance at school at stake, his ability to go on the awesome field trip to Crab Shell Pier is as well, so he reforms. He ditches his all black wardrobe, combs his hair, and cuts ties with Ricky. Since the girl he likes, Tina, is in drama club, he really does make every effort to behave. When pranks in Desmond's style keep happening on the set of the school production, Desmond is blamed even though he asserts his innocence. Can he find out who is pulling the pranks so he can stay in school?
Strengths: This is a notebook novel, so will be immensely popular. It doesn't hurt, either, that there are lots of fart jokes, rubber goblins in the teacher's lounge toilet, etc.
Weaknesses: Mr. Needles is shown as definitely having as his agenda removing Desmond from the school. While I'm all for adults being shown as silly or humorous, I'm not a fan of them being purposefully mean to children. When children who have previously been in trouble at my school make attempts to improve themselves, everyone on the staff helps as much as they can. I do realize this is for comic effect, but it still bothers me. And the principal is Mrs. Badonkus. Um...

So torn! This looks like it will be a series, and it's so hard to keep Notebook Novels on the shelves. Not everyone can be Big Nate, but I would love it if the books kids really wanted to read would be... better somehow.

Weiner, Ellis. The Templeton Twins Make a Scene
8 October 2013, Chronicle Books.

From Goodreads.com
"With its kid-perfect humor and dynamic illustrations, Book 1 of the hilarious Templeton Twins series left young readers clamoring for more. This time, Abigail and John Templeton find themselves at TAPAS (the Thespian Academy of the Performing Arts and Sciences) where their father, the illustrious Professor Templeton, has been hired to invent a groundbreaking theatrical device. Once again, there is drama (of course!), silliness, and suspense, as the twins (and their ridiculous dog) must thwart the dastardly Dean brothers in order to save the invention as well as their father (and the dog)."

I powered my way through the first book because it was so pretty, and I thought that it would be like methadone for my Lemony Snicket addicts. Surprisingly, the first book sat on the shelf, front facing, without beguiling anyone. Therefore, I wanted to SLAP the narrator good and hard and could not get through this one. Ick, ick, ick! Since The Series of Unfortunate Events was innovative and singular in its annoying style, I could deal with it, but... no. Just no.

Guy Friday- Turn Left at the Cow

Bullard, Lisa. Turn Left at the Cow
8 October 2013,  HMH Books for Young Readers

When Travis' mother gets remarried, he decides to hop a bus and spend the summer with his deceased father's mother in Minnesota. He gets in trouble, of course, and his grandmother sets him to doing chores, which start with him cleaning out a deep freeze and finding a frozen head... a butter head, but still! With the help of neighbors Kenny and Iz, Travis investigates the long ago crime of which his father is accused-- robbing a local bank. It is especially timely since the money taken during that heist starts showing up at local businesses. While Travis and his friends manage to get themselves into some funny situations (and eat some hot dish along they way), when they come close to the truth, they get themselves into real danger.
Strengths: This is going on my order list right now! I really enjoyed all of the characters, especially the grandmother, who was dealing with the death of her son all over again as she had to explain it to Travis. The mystery was realistic, and reminded my strongly of John F. Carson's The Mystery of the Tarnished Trophy (1964), which is one of my favorite books. Plenty of action, a cool town dump, strong sense of place-- great stuff.
Weaknesses: I could have done without the drama with Travis' mother, (and possibly the parental issues with the children next door) since there was so much else going on, but it was kind of essential to his trip to Minnesota.

Creech, Sharon. The Boy on the Porch.
3 September 2013, HarperCollins

John and Marta find a young boy asleep on their front porch with a misspelled and cryptic note saying that someone will be back for him. The boy doesn't speak, but the note indicates his name is Jacob. He seems to have a way of communicating through tapping, but John and Marta don't understand. The two are leery of contacting the local law enforcement, because they are mean, so just get him clothes and try to do the best they can to raise him. Jacob shows an affinity for music, loves the dog, and seems frightened of his past. The law is eventually involved, the father shows up, and Jacob is wrenched from John and Marta, who are devastated but soon start to take in foster children.
Strengths: Creech writes beautifully, and this would be great for teachers who love her work or that of Patricia MacLachlan. The tie in with foster care could be used if a group were making blankets for My Very Own Blanket.
Weaknesses: This struck me more as a book mothers would read in a book discussion group. Jacob, since he is mute, is not very engaging, so most of the perspective is from John and Martha. It is very slow paced. I also wish that a clear date had been given for the setting, since I had concerns about Children's Services not being notified. It seems to take place in the 1930s or 1940s, but this is never delineated.

Secrets at the Chocolate Mansion

Margolis, Leslie. Secrets at the Chocolate Mansion

3 September 2013, Bloomsbury
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Maggie's friend Sonya and her mother have opened up a soda fountain in Brooklyn, but on opening day, there are lots of problems. Salt turns up in the pie, and a baseball goes through the window with a note stating "Take your cookies elsewhere!" Later, a critical shipment of chocolate chips goes missing. Maggie starts investigating, but there a lot of other things going on in her life. Her boyfriend Milo won't return her texts. She babysits the little boy who owns Nofarm, and thinks that he may be talking to the ghost who is supposed to inhabit his apartment building, which used to be the mansion of a chocolate entrepreneur. Is the mansion really haunted? And who is out to ruin Sonya's Sweets.
Strengths: I really enjoy Margolis' work, even though I'm not a fan of New York City or clue oriented mysteries! I love her characters, the age appropriate romances,the fun family interactions with Maggie's twin brother Finn. The dogs from her dog walking business are an added bonus!
Weaknesses: I read this just before Netgalley archived the title, so I couldn't remember any of the names! This is not a fault of the book-- it is a weakness in my comprehension. I tend not to remember the endings of books as well!

Henkes, Kevin. The Year of Billy Miller.
September 17th 2013, Greenwillow Books
Nominated for the Cybils by Danielle Smith

Billy is wary of starting second grade, especially since he suffered a fall over the summer and is worried about his hit to the head. This book encompasses the entire year, and is divided into four sections, each centering around another character: teacher, father, sister and mother. Ordinary, every day second grade things happen, and Billy's reactions to them are shown. He is frustrated with making a diorama with his stay-at-home artist father. He and his sister are watched by a babysitter, and his sister is somewhat annoying. He has a nightmare. He has to write a poem about his mother for school. Through it all, Billy tries to make sense of his world and figure out the best way to deal with all of these occurences.
Strengths: This put me strongly in mind of Carolyn Heywood's B is for Betsy books, but with more philosophy. I can see this being popular as a read aloud in the second grade.
Weaknesses: The audience for this one is tough, given that it is 229 pages (ARC) with relatively few illustrations, and is highly philosophical in tone. While there are mildly funny parts, it didn't seem to me that there was a lot to interested an actual 7 year old. I actually picked up B is for Betsy to compare-- Heywood's books have more happening and less thinking, which made them more enjoyable for me as a child.

Betsy Bird gushes about this one on Goodreads, and addresses the problems of the age of the character, the length of the book, and the intended audience. She compares it to Cleary's Ramona books. Perhaps this hits a younger demographic than I am accustomed to, so it's hard for me to gauge. Clearly a middle grade novel, however, and not an early chapter book.

World Wednesday-- My Basmati Bat Mitzvah

Freedman, Paula J. My Basmati Bat Mitzvah
1 October 2013, Amulet Books
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Tara Feinstein is in middle school, and experiencing all of the confusing changes that go along with this age. Her parents are embarassing, she's not sure she believes in God (which is a problem, since she is preparing for her Bat Mitzvah), her friend Ben-O is sending her confusing signals, and she's just not sure who she is. She misses her mother's father, and worries that embracing her Jewish side might mean forgetting her Indian side. This fear is compounded by girls in her school who tell her she's not Jewish because her mother isn't ethnically Jewish, and generally give her a hard time.Can Tara figure out who she is, and how she will incorporate parts of her culture into her Bat Mitzvah celebration?
Strengths: Like Garcia's I Wanna Be Your Shoebox, there is a great character who is multicultural. While this does take up a lot of the action in the book, there are other things as well. I especially liked how Tara's aunt got along well with her Jewish grandmother-- mainly because they both liked to fight with her mother. There were lots of good details about both cultures, and I thought it was great that Tara wanted to have Indian food and wear a sari for her Bat Mitzvah.
Weaknesses: There was a LOT going on in this book. I might have cut out some of the girl drama, and I thought that Tara was overly clueless about Ben-o's interest in her. Still, very interesting book!

British Books

I occasionally have my concerns about the British as a people. They are apparently obsessed by murder mysteries and horror books, if we can gauge this by what comes to our shores from theirs, and they have no compunction about killing off major characters in either with little warning. That said, they seem to have a really good knack for writing horror that translates well to middle grade students; I'm still bummed that Barry Hutchison's Invisible Fiends series was not selected for US distribution. This series by Andrew Hammond would be wildly popular in the US.

Hammond, Andrew. C.R.Y.P.T.: The Gallow's Curse
2011, London: Headline 
Copy received from the publisher

Jamie Goode did not murder his mother, but no one believes him that ghosts did. His father has the money and influence to get him off, and fund the Covert Response Youth Paranormal Team, a division of MI5. The purpose of this is twofold: to give Jamie a  new identity (Jud)and place to hide, as well as funding research to try to solve paranormal crimes. London is currently beset by an incredibly gorey and violent wave of these crimes-- an entire subway car is attacked by maggots and ghostly men with the mark of the gallows around their necks kill everyone in unimaginably bloody ways. When a woman is attacked and sucked into a wall at Greyfriars, C.R.Y.P.T. is brought in. When the minister at a local church is attacked, Jud, along with fellow investigator Bex, uncovers a clue to the rash of violence. They are able to determine a path as well as a cause, and tie it in with the multimillion dollar hotel that Mr. Zakias is building. Zakias is as crooked as they come, and has a politician and some of the police force on his side. His project, however, has released violent, vicious ghosts, and unless he can be stopped, all of London is in danger.
Strengths: The gore. Maggots erupting from the skeletal gaping maws of long-dead murders' ghosts. This is what many of my readers ask for. Luckily, all the gore is ghost induced. I have my standards. As long as it's not gore perpetrated by humans (And this is where Colfer crossed the line in The Reluctant Assassin), I'm better with it. I did like the MI5 division, and the historical tie in was awesome.
Weaknesses: The gore. Only available in paperback. I didn't particularly care for Jud; the character development across the board was lacking. That said, none of my students ever come and ask for books with excellent character development, although they frequently ask for gory books! This is probably difficult to obtain in the U.S.

Then there is British goofiness. My children, for reasons I will never understand, are completely fluent in Monty Python. I'm sure if we had reliable television service and cable, they would all be fans of Doctor Who.  So we get the Roald Dahl type of humor. There is some, however, that doesn't translate well in the US. (A Boy, A Bear and a Boat, anyone?)

Gaiman, Neil. Fortunately, the Milk
3 September 2013, HarperCollins

In this slim but nicely illustrated volume, we meet a family whose mother has gone on a business trip and whose father is trying mightily to feed everyone and get them to lessons on time. When they run out of milk in the morning, however, the father goes to the corner market to get some, but comes home with a tall tale of being abducted by aliens, confronting wumpires, and other things that seems highly unprobable but are amusing to the children. And, fortunately, the milk was saved.
Strengths: This would make a fun read aloud as an introduction to a tall tale unit.
Weaknesses: A bit too goofy and young for my students to pick up willingly on their own.

MMGM-- Starbounders

Epstein, Adam Jay and Jacobsen, Andrew. Starbounders.
24 June 2013, HarperCollins
Copy received from Regal Literary

Zachary is thrilled to finally be able to attend the Starbounders academy, and is quick to make friends, but also quick to get into trouble. When he, Kaylee, and alien Ryic run afoul of Loren, they find themselves on clean up duty while their classmates go on their first field trip. Things get worse when they are inadvertently kidnapped by Skold, an alien in a humanoid carapace who sells space ships, most of which he has stolen. Skold's not a completely bad guy, and helps the kids when they uncover a plot to destroy Indigo 8-- after all, that would negatively impact his business! It turns out that someone was assigned to kill the three friends, and also a hacker names Quee, whom the children locate in order to try to figure out why. They uncover a bigger plot than they could ever imagine, but do manage to save the day.
Strengths: This is the kind of science fiction I like. Space travel, evil aliens, and adventure, rather than futuristic dystopias. I especially liked that life on Earth was still like it is currently, and that most people didn't know about all the intergalactic intrigue. There were fun gadgets and tools, interesting alien life forms, and, of course, children saving the day. The writing was funny and clever as well. Good stuff, and I wouldn't be surprised if there is a series.
Weaknesses: I was leery of reading this, since I was not a fan of The Familiars by these authors. Of course, that had talking animals in it, which I hardly ever like! This was a huge improvement.

Kulling, Monica. Making Contact: Marconi Goes Wireless
24 September 2013, Tundra Books
Copy received from publisher.

Like the other books in this series, this is a picture book biography with just the right balance of information. It covers enough about Marconi's family and childhood that I was interested in seeing how he turned out as an adult, but didn't linger on it. The basics of the wireless telegraph are explained enough so that I could understand the innovation, and I especially liked the bit at the end about how wireless telegraph was the way that help was summoned to the Titanic. I loved biographies as a child, but never read any picture book ones. This would have been an enormous hit for me as a child! I will see if our science teachers can use this as a Common Core nonfiction piece for their sound waves unit. The only weakness if the pictures-- I preferred the David Parkins illustrations.

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



 Don't forget to nominate books for the Cybils awards starting 1 October! That's tomorrow!

Darling, Mercy Dog of World War I

Hart, Alison. Darling, Mercy Dog of World War I
1 October 2013, Peachtree Publishers
Copy received from publisher.

Robert and Katherine love their dog, Darling, even though she has a tendency to run away and get in trouble in the village. Their father is off fighting in the war, and signs the family up to donate Darling to the war effort. The children are devastated but brave, and leave a note on Darling's collar that she should be sent back to them. Darling ends up under the care of Sergeant Hanson, who has a soft spot for the vivacious but sometimes naughty dog. Darling doesn't do well at carrying messages but has a knack for locating wounded soldiers, so is sent to the front as a Mercy Dog. During a particularly heated battle, Darling manages to save many soldiers in her squad, but sustains grave injuries. Most injured dogs are put down, but Sergeant Hanson alerts a newspaper man who publishes a story about Darling's bravery and manages to get her sent back to England with Private Kent.
Strengths: Aside from the fairly new Soldier Dog, there is little about dogs during The Great War. This book is part of a series entitled Dog Chronicles, and would be especially interesting to elementary students who love to read about dogs. While Darling is injured, the book is not overly gory and ends on a hopeful note.
Weaknesses: This is a little young for my readers, especially with the illustrations. It is more concerned with Darling than with the war, although the stories are certainly intertwined. My readers who are interested in books about war tend to want books that are much more descriptive in regards to the fighting.There was just something young about the tone and overall feel of this one. I will still be interested to see the next one in the series, Murphy, Gold Rush Dog, 1896.

Myers, Walter Dean. Invasion.
24 September 2013, Scholastic.
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Boy, did I want to purchase this one in the worst way. Great cover, aweseom topic. However, f-bombs used liberally. Sometimes, war books have these, but this used one that word as a modifier for socks. Not okay. If you're okay with the vocabulary, definitely take a look, but I'm going to pass.

From Goodreads.com: 
Josiah Wedgewood and Marcus Perry are on their way to an uncertain future. Their whole lives are ahead of them, yet at the same time, death's whisper is everywhere.

One white, one black, these young men have nothing in common and everything in common as they approach an experience that will change them forever.

It's May 1944. World War II is ramping up, and so are these young recruits, ready and eager. In small towns and big cities all over the globe, people are filled with fear. When Josiah and Marcus come together in what will be the greatest test of their lives, they learn hard lessons about race, friendship, and what it really means to fight. Set on the front lines of the Normandy invasion, this novel, rendered with heart-in-the-throat precision, is a cinematic masterpiece. Here we see the bold terror of war, and also the nuanced havoc that affects a young person's psyche while living in a barrack, not knowing if today he will end up dead or alive

Books for Younger Girls

Mann, Jennifer Ann. Sunny Sweet is SO not sorry. 
1 October 2013, Bloomsbury USA
ARC from Baker and Taylor

When Masha wakes up with her head glued to her pillow, and flowers stuck in her hair, she knows that her annoyingly precocious sister, Sunny, is to blame. She decides to stay home from school, which her mother says is okay. It's a good thing she does, because she's there when her neighbor, Mrs. Song, falls off her bicycle. Masha is able to call 911 and is there when the ambulance comes, but things get complicated. Sunny has come home from school, and both girls go in the ambulance with Mrs. Song. They end up having a whole host of adventures in the hospital, including Masha's arm being put in a cast, and Sunny getting into all kinds of trouble. After meeting some of the children who are patients in the hospital, Masha has a new appreciation of how lucky she is, even if her younger sister is obnoxious.
Strengths: This was a very quick read, and I wouldn't mind seeing further adventures of these two if they were somewhat more realistic. While a little young for middle school students, I could see this being very popular with the elementary crowd.
Weaknesses: I had to suspend disbelief at the circumstances. Don't know that the ambulance crew would have taken the girls with Mrs. Song, and I also couldn't believe that the hospital would cast Masha's arm without a parent. Isn't that why I STILL send Emergency Medical Authorization cards with my minor children whenever they go anywhere for more than a day? Students won't be bothered by this, but it took some of the fun out of the story for me. I worry.

Cox, Judy. Ukulele Hayley.
5 September 2013, Holiday House
ARC from Baker and Taylor

Hayley wants to find something to do in the school talent show, so she's thrilled when she buys a vintage ukulele at a garage sale. She convinces her very busy music teacher to show her the basics, and ends up getting a large number of students to join her in forming a ukulele band, just like her great-aunt had. The economy is tight, though, and working against her-- not only is her father back in school after losing his job, but the school board is working on budget cuts--  which will include cutting music. Hayley and her band rally and manage to restore the program with some help from senior citizens at a nursing home the bad visited.
Strengths: This is a nice, realistic story. I especially enjoyed how Hayley's family was protrayed. In the picture of them heading off to garage sales, they are all on bikes, and ALL wearing helmets.
Weaknesses: Not that students would notice, but I thought the issue of the budget cuts was not done realistically. The school board member is shown as pompous and uncaring, and I doubt that even donated money would save the music program. (My district just went through this, and lots of cuts were made to music, despite the efforts of supporters.) My other slight beef is that Holiday House covers are routinely... meh. Not horrible, but not good, either. I had a whole box of ARCs from Baker and Taylor, and when I laid them all out of the table, I could tell which ones were from this publisher. I know it's expensive to do good covers, but it's more of a formatting issue, somehow. Can't quite put my finger on it.

Waiver Day!

Had a great teacher inservice today-- three sessions of 100 Great New Books!

If you missed it, here's the PowerPoint presentation.

Waiver day fall_2013 from Karen Yingling

And the annotated bibliography:
 

Fall 2013 annotated_bibliography from Karen Yingling

Guy Friday-- Sasquatch in the Paint

Abdul-Jabar, Kareem and Obstfeld, Raymond.  Sasquatch in the Paint (Streetjammers Book #1)

24 September 2013, Disney Hyperion

E ARC from Netgalley.com

Theo, who has gotten very tall over the summer and has been approached to be on the basketball team, is taunted with cries of “Bigfoot” and “Sasquatch” during one game, but it is the comment about his skin color that makes him pay attention. He is one of a few black kids at Orangetree Middle School in Palisades Park, and is sensitive about it. His best friend, Brian, is Jewish, and is on the Brain Train academic challenge team with him. Theo’s mother has passed away, and his father, a police officer, is very concerned about keeping Theo on the straight and narrow. Theo tries to improve his basketball skills by joining in pick up games of basketball, but because he is not very good, these do not go well. He meets “Crazy Girl”, Rain, and watches as she is accosting by a very violent cousin. Theo’s poser cousin, Gavin, who lives with his grandmother while his mother is providing wells in Africa, makes a demo CD of his music, which irritates Theo by being good. Theo struggles both with basketball, where his coach is trying to use his height as the center of the team’s strategy, and on the Brain Train, where his lack of preparation is letting his perfectly multicultural team down (other members are a white girl, a Vietnamese boy, and a Hispanic boy). Things become difficult when someone has stolen Gavin’s CD from Theo and sold the song to a band, whose performance of the song goes viral. Theo figures out this mystery, as well as a mystery involving Rain, and things go fairly well for him.

Strengths: I liked this one far more than I thought I would, because it involved a lot of good details that I have not found in middle grade literature. Theo talks about race with his father, and there is even a family “Because I’m Black” jar,  to which Theo must contribute if he uses his race as an excuse. Rain is a great spunky character. There are some great lines, like the one about the Brain Train coach, Mr. Jacobsen: “Rumor had it that he had taught at a famous university but he’d accidentally killed a student during a failed time-travel experiment.” (Page 93). Lots of good basketball details, of course!

Weaknesses: The multicultural aspect of the team seemed a little unrealistic, although Theo does describe his neighborhood as a multicultural paradise, so maybe it reflects reality. I also don’t believe that any 6^th graders read Dumas’ Three Musketeers—it took me two weeks to read that. Dense.

Jacqueline Wilson E Book Release!

One of the most enjoyable things this summer  was being contacted by Jacqueline Wilson's UK publisher and asked to be on the Blog Tour for her e book releases! Here's some more information-- We'll kick the tour off 13 October, but the books are available now! I don't usually purchase e books, but when Picky Reader was going through her Wilson phase, it would have been easier to buy them this was than travel to England and cart them home. Now if the rest of Michael Lawrence's Jiggy McCue books were available...

Children’s titles by bestselling British author, Dame Jacqueline Wilson now available in the US as Ebooks

“She’s so good it’s exhilarating” - The Guardian

“Jacqueline Wilson does so much to make reading relevant, fun and addictive” – Readplus.co.uk

“She should be prescribed for all cases of reading reluctance” – Independent on Sunday

 Jacqueline Wilson, known throughout Britain as the most popular writer for girls aged 7-15 has sold over 35 million copies of her books in the UK.  She was appointed as the Children’s Laureate from 2005-7 (a prestigious UK award which celebrates outstanding achievement in children’s books) and received an OBE from the Queen in 2002 for services to literacy in schools.   In 2008 she was further awarded a DBE in the Queen’s New Year Honour’s List, making her Dame Jacqueline Wilson.

Her books contain universal themes popular with children all over the world.  Family life, friendship and bullying are regularly featured and her characters often find themselves in difficult circumstances.  Her books have been praised for their unique blend of realism and humor, and she is loved by children and parents alike for her non-patronising approach to writing for children.

The book trailers which accompany Jacqueline Wilson’s releases have become a much-anticipated part of the build up to her new releases. Her YouTube channel has over 2,000 subscribers and the most popular trailer, “The Worst Thing About My Sister”, has received 335,000 views.

For the US ebook launch this year, new editions of her most recent 9 titles have been created with exclusive bold photographic covers, many of which use imagery from the book’s trailers.

Jacqueline Wilson’s ebooks are available through all major ebook retailers.

Please visit www.jacquelinewilson.us for more information about Jacqueline Wilson and the new collection, including book trailers.

For more information, and review copies, please contact

Christine Melanson - cmelanson@randomhouse.co.uk