Dystopian-ish YA Books

Linka, Catherine. A Girl Called Fearless
May 6th 2014 by St. Martin's Griffin 

Avie lives in the near future when most of the women of child bearing age (except for some vegetarians-- my daughters would be pleased) have been killed by ovarian cancer caused by a hormone used in beef. The Paternalists have risen up and want to "protect" the young girls who can now bear children, but what they really want to do is to control them. Avie's life becomes more an more circumscribed; she has a bodyguard, her school stops teaching certain things, and she is not allowed to hang out with her best friend, Yates. When her father contracts with  thirtyish business man and politician Jess Hawkins and expects her to marry him, she starts plotting her escape into Canada. When Jess gets creepier and creepier, she makes her break, even though it will mean the downfall of her father's company. She makes it to Las Vegas, and eventually ends up in a commune type community, which is attacked because of her presence. How can she manage to live her life free from government intervention, with Yates by her side? I think we'll find out in a sequel.
Strengths: Very good world building, with the whole growth hormone being the reason for the population devastation. Teenagers will love Avie's longing for freedom and to be with Yates, and any dystopian fiction still does well for now. (Vampire books, however, on definitely on the wane.
Weaknesses: Since I am not a teenager, Avie struck me as whiny, so the slappage factor was high. It was too easy to make Jess so evil and warped. It would have been a far more interesting story if he had been rather nice and she was attracted to him. Freedom is easy to seek from horrible oppression, but a lot harder to risk things for if it is benign oppression.
Deaths: 99% of the mothers; a friend who commits suicide after having a baby in a forced marriage; several minor characters in the attack on the town.

Cantor, Jillian. Searching for Sky
May 13th 2014 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Sky and River, two teens, are surviving alone on an island after the death of both of their parents. They continue to follow the rules-- no fires on the beach, and the like-- until food becomes scarce and River manages to attract a boat. Their rescuers are glad to see them, since they have been missing for a dozen years. They are taken to a military hospital and introduced to the modern world. River seems okay with being back, and doesn't want to hang out with Sky. Sky, who was formerly known as Megan, is introduced to her grandmother, who has put together a team of professionals, as well as teen neighbor Ben, to educate Sky so that she can rejoin society. Sky doesn't like living in a house and being away from River, so she is very resistant to her grandmother's efforts. To complicate matters, there is an awful reason why River and Sky were on the island to begin with, and this causes a media frenzy.
Strengths: Interesting twist-- our world being the "dystopia" and Sky not liking modern toilets, etc. Good cast of characters, and a really intriguing plot line. Don't want to give away too much.
Weaknesses: Really, really, really sad, from the reasons that Helmut took the children to the island, to Sky's inability to reacclimate, to the sad ending. May pass on purchasing due to sheer sadness.

Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend.

Finn, Katie. Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend.
May 13th 2014 by Feiwel and Friends 
ARC from Baker and Taylor.

Gemma was going to spend her summer with her boyfriend Teddy, volunteering in Colombia, but when he breaks up with her in Target while they are buying supplies for the trip, she finds herself at loose ends for the summer. Her mother is going to Scotland, so Gemma ends up taking the train to the Hamptons to stay with her father while he is working on a movie script. One her way, she meets a cute boy named Josh. The problem? He is the brother of Hallie, whose mother dated her father just as Gemma's parents were divorcing. Gemma was very mean to Hallie, but not to worry-- recent surgery for a broken nose and a post breakup makeover has rendered Gemma unrecognizable, and since Josh mistakenly thought her name was Sophie because she was carrying her best friend's mug, no one is the wiser. Gemma, Hallie, and Josh hang out, and have an interesting summer. At some point, we know, things will blow up, but exactly how will that happen? More complications will arise in book two, Revenge, Ice Cream, and Other Things Best Served Cold. (NO date available.)
Strengths: This was a great summer read, and I liked that it was a romance that was appropriately middle grade AND that it included girl drama. Definitely a good combination, so I will definitely buy a copy.
Weaknesses:  There were two fake names, one for Facebook, and one for Doctor Who (was it Professor Which?), and these were nails on a chalk board in an otherwise good book. I saw some of the plot twists coming, but I don't know that students will.

Guy Friday- Fat Boy vs. The Cheerleaders

Herbach, Geoff. Fat Boy vs. The Cheerleaders
May 6th 2014 by Sourcebooks Fire
ARC from Baker and Taylor

Gabe (aka "Chunk") is an overweight band geek who tries to deal with several factors in his life by ingesting vast quantities of Mountain Dew Code Red, which he purchases from the school vending machine at exorbitant prices. He doesn't mind as much, though, because the proceeds of the pop machine go to his school band, which he loves. When he finds out that not only have prices gone up, but that the money is benefiting a new cheer leading/dance team, he realizes that he must not only do something about the band funding issue, but about his own life. He enlists the aid of his former body builder grandfather, and starts exercising and cutting back on junk food, which is hard, since he works at a doughnut shop. This irritates his friend Justin, who stood by Chunk when his mother ran off with a Japanese architect, but endears him to coworkers Gore (so named because of her Goth appearance) and RCIII (a football player). When the band director, mourning the loss of the program funding, is arrested for drunken driving, Chunk realizes that he must do something to save band. He gathers a group and plans a protest/fundraiser, enlisting the help of a now famous alumnus to raise awareness. When this is not enough, he robs the pop machine of an insignificant amount of money, which is enough to get him arrested. The book is told from the point of view of the transcript of his post-arrest interview with the school principal.
Strengths: As with his author's Stupid Fast, the angst of a teen boy is shown in all its glory. Gabe has problems to deal with, and finally realizes there are better ways to do this. His friends come and go. There's romance, the best literary grandpa EVER, and a social agenda that many of us can get solidly behind. (I never said that cheerleaders are the anti-librarians. Never.) This is pitch perfect for the single mindedness that characterizes teens.. for thirty seconds, before they move on to the next thing. Or not.

I do VERY much appreciate that the language is cleaned up-- no f-bombs. That said, there are going to be some 6th graders who are scandalized by the frequent use of balls, shit, and other mild profanities. I can deal with that, and the 8th graders will love it. I also thought the supportive language arts teacher (who has excellent advice) was possibly a nice tribute to Mr. Herbach's mother. Will buy two copies right away!

Weaknesses: While the flashback/interview format works to a large extent, it is slightly awkward at times.

Breaking News!!!

Mother Reader's 48 Hour Book Challenge is ON for this. Last year Pam Coughlin, the organizer, had conflicts and we hosted it here.

It's a lot of work, but great fun. This year, the challenge will highlight We Need Diverse Books, which I absolutely support, but about which I have been dragging my feet. (The end of the year has been increasingly... more difficult than usual.)

So clear the calendar for June 6 through 8, assemble that pile of books, say to heck with the household chores, and get ready to READ!

Prisoner of Night and Fog

Blankman, Anne. Prisoner of Night and Fog.
April 22nd 2014 by Balzer + Bray

Gretchen lives a fairly decent life in WWII Germany; although her father was killed, he was a martyr for the Nazi cause, and Adolf Hitler is a personal family friend, referred to as "Uncle Dolf". Her mother runs a boarding house to make ends meet, and her brother Reinhard is very unreliable and  violent. Gretchen saves a Jewish man from being beat up by her brother and also searches his room, so in retribution, he strangles her beloved cat. Gretchen makes the acquaintance of Daniel Cohen, a Jewis news reporter, who promises to help her find out the truth about her father's death. Even though she has been raised to believe that Jews are horrible, she rather likes Daniel and would rather work with him than her brother. It turns out that her father may have been killed by someone in the National Socialism Party (the Nazis) instead of their enemies, and the clues lead to her father having classified information about Hitler's mental health and uncover unnerving information about her brother's mental health as well. Interestingly, this is labeled as Book #1. I'm not sure where this will go from here.
Strengths: A different twist on WWII, with emphasis on the inner circle of Hitler's group. Many of the characters are based on real ones, and this has good research and lots of details.
Weaknesses: A bit on the long side, and the mystery dragged on a good deal. It seemed like the same discussions were repeated several times, but I read it during testing, so I powered through it.


Blakemore, Megan Frazer. The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill
May 6th 2014 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens     
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Hazel has an interesting life in a small town in Vermont in 1954. Her parents run the local cemetery and are a bit lax about supervising her, so she is starting a bomb shelter in one of the mausoleums, stockpiling canned goods in case Joseph McCarthy's predictions of the Russians bombing or invading come true. She is also keenly interested in investigations into communist activity at a  local factory, and also suspects the cemetery's grave digger and handyman, Joe, of being a Communist spy. Her best friend has moved away, leaving her to fend off the mean treatment of Connie and Maryann on her own until Samuel arrives. Samuel may be smarter than Hazel, which is endlessly irritating, and has a shadowy past of his own. The two do their best to figure out what spy activity is going on in their town.
Strengths: Like The Water Castle, this had a classic feel to it that many teachers and librarians will enjoy. Hazel is the sort of smart, spunky and somewhat dysfunctional character that goes over well with this demographic. There is certainly a lack of historical fiction set during the 1950s, and I can't think of anything else that covers the concerns of the McCarthy era.
Weaknesses:  I'm afraid I am just not vibrating to this author. Hazel was an unlikable character for me, and she seemed mean spirited and without cause in going after the Communists. My students tend to dismiss this sort of manufactured mystery in favor of murder ones. While the historical setting had a lot of good details, there were several anachronisms that bothered me. Students certainly wouldn't pick them up, so it seems a petty thing to mention, but the discussion about the alternate orders of the C.S.Lewis Chronicles of Narnia seemed wrong. My paperback set from the 1970s clearly numbers The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe as number one, and I don't remember another order being mentioned until I the 1990s.        

The Bravest Princess

Baker, E.D. The Bravest Princess.
April 1st 2014 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
E ARC from Netgalley.com


In the third volume of the Wide-Awake Princess series, we follow the tale from the point of view of Gwendolyn's sister Annie. Her friend Snow White has asked for her help, so she sets off after Gwendolyn's wedding with Prince Liam and several other retainers to see Snow White and also put an evil witch who eats children in a tower in the forest. Along the way, she starts to realize that she is being targeted by another evil witch, who is sending angry crows to follow her. Snow White's problem, now that Marissa, her evil stepmother is gone, is that her father wants her to marry right away. While Maitland really likes her, he made some unfortunate remarks, so Snow White and Annie set up challenges for the variety of suitors who show up. Maitland does well, and Liam and Annie become even closer. However, a confluence of evil forces nearly destroys not only Annie but also Snow White's castle.
Strengths: I loved A Question of Magic, and Baker certainly does a great princess tale. These are becoming more popular in my library, probably due to the television show Once Upon a Time. The ending of this cleverly brought together a lot of elements in the tale.
Weaknesses: While Annie is still fairly fierce, this didn't have quite the twists or adventure that the other books have had.

I seem to have missed the second book, so will have to look up this one over the summer.


Baker, E.D. Unlocking the Spell (Wide-Awake Princess #2)
October 2nd 2012 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

From Goodreads.com
"Now that Annie has helped her sister Gwendolyn (a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty) wake up from the 100-year curse by finding her beloved prince, you would think that things would get back to normal. Think again! That beloved prince, Beldegard, is stuck in the body of a bear and the only way that Annie can be free of the two irritating lovebirds is to help-by finding the evil dwarf who cast the spell. Luckily, Annie has assistance from handsome prince Liam, and she has many tricks up her non-magical sleeve. "



And have to laugh: I've been having nice conversations with several authors (including Geoff Herbach and Kevin Waltman) about language in books, and had to suffer through meetings about students getting suspended for foul language (two days is standard in my building), and then I saw this in the newspaper:

Prince Swearing Off Swear Words

Prince is watching his language nowadays. The singer, 55, opened up to Essence for its “Prince After Dark” issue about why he has given up his use of foul language. Prince was once known for his explicit lyrics.

The 1984 song Erotic City, for example, is peppered with the F-word. “Did you ever hear Muhammad Ali curse?” he said in the interview.

“Would you curse in front of your kids? To your mother? Marsha (Ambrosius), Lianne (La Havas), Janelle (Monae) — they’re all my sisters.

We shouldn’t curse at them. We need to treat all of them, and all people, like royalty.”

It's about setting an example, whether it is in person or in the written word. If we could just get Meatloaf on board with a clean language initiative! (And yes, Prince and Meatloaf are both rock singers, youngsters!)

The Ostrich Conspiracy

Krosoczka, Jarrett J. The Ostrich Conspiracy (Platypus Police Squad #2)
6 May 2014, Walden Pond Press
ARC from Baker and Taylor; also reviewed at YABC.

Zengo is back, this time investigating  a malfunstion at a new amusement park, the Kalamazoo City Dome. His partner O'Malley's daughter was caught at the top of a Ferris wheel when the power went out in the entire park, and this outage spells disaster for the park, as well as the city. The park was a pet project of the Mayor Davis', but the detectives are suspicious as to why much of the work on the park was done by contractors from another city. As they investigate, they find a tangled web of deceit. At the same time, the entrepreneur Pandini is working to bring a film to the city, and has his own plans for investigating the park... and maybe taking over the city government. Ever resourceful, Zengo and O'Malley get to the bottom of the problem, but not without humorous derring-do first.
Strengths: This doesn't try so hard to have a film noir feel to it, and concentrates more on the detective work. The first book has done better than I hoped with my students, who love funny books that are on the shorter side and are also illustrated. They tend not to be picky about content. (See Stick Dog.)
Weaknesses: If the finished copy of this is like the first book, it will be paper-over-board, and those wear SO poorly. Couldn't there be a dust jacketed hardcover?

Wilson, N.D. Boys of Blur
April 8th 2014 by Random House Books for Young Readers
Copy from Young Adult Books Central and reviewed there.

This homage to Beowulf finds Charlie Reynolds traveling to a Southern town for the funeral of a football coach who influenced his stepfather, Prester Mack. Once there, Mack wants to stay to finish up the coaching season and wants Charlie to stay and get to know his cousin, Cotton. Charlie's mother wants to head back home because Charlie's father is in the area, and she left him because he was abusive. Charlie and Cotton soon find out that all sorts of bizarre things are going on in the town. The sugarcane fields might be good places to run to train for football, but they are also dangerous. Charlie and Cotton get deeply involved with the monsters in the fields and can only survive by figuring out what is going on.
Strengths: This is very lyrically written, and the details about Beowulf, Grendel, and Grendel's mother are kind of interesting. The Southern setting is unusual and adds a deeply creepy element to the story-- the smell of the cane burning, the clinging filth of the muck, and the small town culture are all vividly described. Charlie's longing for his father and his grateful acceptance of his step father are poignantly examined. Add a bit of football and some terrifying monsters, and this is a solid middle grade read. The racial elements (Charlie and his mother are white; Prester is black) are not overplayed but important to the story.
Weaknesses: I wouldn't buy this, but will put it in the collection since I got a free copy. I've not liked any of Wilson's books-- there are just some authors I don't understand. I'm not sure if it was all the muck or the Beowulf, but I just didn't enjoy this one. See below!

From my description of this author's The Dragon's Tooth:

Weaknesses: I had trouble with this because I was so repulsed by many of the settings. The old hotel was disgusting, and I think I stayed in its twin in Kalispell, Montana in 1977! Gave me the willies! I read somewhere that the Archer Motel was based on a real place.... echhhh! Cyrus moved from one dilapidated place to another-- the writing must be effective because I was seriously so creeped out by the settings that I had a hard time concentrating on the book. I had to get up and vacuum and scrub because I could feel the gnats living in the damp carpet. Students will not have this trouble!



Paige, Danielle. Dorothy Must Die
April 1st 2014 by HarperCollins

This looked awfully fun, but ended up being a tremendously depressing YA book. (F-bomb on page 42, from a Munchkin, no less!). Perhaps for high schools with a big following for Wicked, but I will pass, especially since it's 452 pages long.

From Goodreads.com: "I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.

What happened?
Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission:
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.
Take the Lion's courage.
Then and only then—Dorothy must die."

MMGM- Bears and Birds

Gebhart, Ryan. There Will Be Bears.
April 22nd 2014 by Candlewick Press
Copy from Young Adult Books Central and reviewed there.

Tyson has some trouble concentrating, but only on certain things, like school. His best friend Brighton prefers to hang out with his new football playing friends, so that's difficult as well. Playing video games is easy, as is hanging around with his grandpa Gene. Tyson and his grandfather are preparing a hunting trip for Tyson's 13th birthday. They intend to go out into the wilderness with a guide, shoot an elk, and have Tyson field dress it. When Gene goes into a nursing home that is a couple of hours away because he has a kidney condition and needs dialysis, Tyson is afraid the hunting trip will never happen. When his parents, who are leery of letting an almost 80 year old man with a medical condition traipse around the woods with a teenager, find out that there have been bear attacks in the area where the hunt was planned, Gene and Tyson have to come up with a really clever plan to hunt without letting them know. They manage, but along the way there are family secrets that surface, and the trip is not without problems, but Tyson and Gene manage to accomplish what they had long planned.
Strengths: Disclaimer: I hate hunting. But I really, really loved this book, so that says something about the quality of the writing! I am a sucker for a book with grandparents, but they can be hard to sell to students. This one won't be. Tyson was a believably drawn teenager-- I especially enjoyed his Taylor Swift obsession and his relationship with his younger sister. The parents' reactions are realistic, but Tyson and Gene's desire to take a first (and last) hunting trip makes sense, too. Even the hunting scenes are interesting and make sense. This was just the right length, too, and had fun details-- Tyson and his grandfather chugging prune juice was a great way to start the book.
Weaknesses: There is a rather graphic scene of field dressing the elk that isn't for the faint of heart. While the family secret was okay, it wasn't absolutely necessary.

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday at Anastasia Suen's blog.



Acampora, Paul. I Kill the Mockingbird
4 May 2014, Roaring Brook Press
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Lucy, whose mother is recuperating from a particularly tough battle with cancer, is leery of entering high school in the fall, but excited about the summer reading list she is given at the end of the year. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of her favorite books, and one that her former language arts teacher, "Fat Bob" Nowak, particularly loved. Mr. Nowak passed away due to a major heart attack, and Lucy is sad that To Kill the Mockingbird is one of the choices and not required by everyone. With her friends Elena, whose uncle runs a used book store, and Michael, on whom she has a crush, she sets out on a campaign to increase demand for the book by decreasing the supply. The friends sneak in to libraries and bookstores and hide copies of the books (they don't steal them, mind), leaving behind a flyer directing people to a web site. There is also a social media campaign, and before they know it, copies of the book are disappearing all over the US and the national media cover the event. Lucy knows that she and her friends have to come clean, but how much trouble will they get into on behalf of their favorite book?
Strengths: Avid readers will love the wealth of literary allusions in this one. The characters are all fun, the writing is clever and funny, and there are tons of very nice touches. Lucy's mother has an especially good scene where she tells Lucy to stop worrying so much. Lots to like about this, and Mr. Acampora mentions in his afterword several blogs I frequent as being the genesis for his idea.
Weaknesses: I'm not a To Kill a Mockingbird lover. Fahrenheit 451, absolutely.. Picky Reader, when questioned, admitted that everyone in her class last year was not very fond of the book. I'm not sure that there are many 8th graders who would feel a connection to the Harper Lee classic, which makes this book a bit harder to sell. I also have my doubts about books where children start internet sensations, but that's mainly because I would like to hire them to hype my blog.

In short, this will be mentioned for lots of awards, and teachers will adore it, but I'm a bit unsure how it will resonate with the target demographic. This is too bad, because Rachel Spinelli Punched Me in the Face is a big hit with my readers.

Lasky, Kathryn and Trueman, Matthew. One Beetle Too Many: The Extraordinary Adventures of Charles Darwin.
14 March 2014, Candlewick.
Copy from Young Adult Books Central and reviewed there. 

In the tradition of Childhood of Famous Americans, this biography of Darwin starts with an examination of his formative years, spent in a house with parents who encouraged him to explore the world around him. By turns focused on things that interested him, yet unable to stick with the career path suggested by his father, this book explores the ingredients that combined to make Darwin a driving force in new theories of animal adaptations. Accompanied by amusing illustrations, this biography gives a good overview of not only the individual, but his contributions to science.
Strengths: This explains an interesting scientist with complete information and amusing anecdotes. The illustrations give some levity to a biography that could be dry if treated differently.
Weaknesses: There is a cognitive disconnect between the information presented and the format in which it is presented. The reading level on this is listed at 6.8, which is a fair surmise, but the interest level is listed as k-3, based, I assume, on the illustrations. The font is very small, and considering the very short length of this (42 pages), could have been formatted so that the words were not crammed together on the page. I'm not really sure of the audience for this. If put together differently, this would be a great resource, but for older students I like to see the occasional photograph or period illustration instead of all cartoons.

The Chapel Wars/ What the Moon Said

Leavitt, Lindsey. The Chapel Wars.
May 6th 2014 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
E ARC from Netgalley.com

When Lucy's beloved grandfather dies, he leaves her the family business-- a wedding chapel on the brink of financial ruin. He also leaves her a letter to give to the son of his bitter rival at the chapel next door. Of course, Lucy thinks that Dax is cute, and the two start dating even though Lucy has her work cut out for her in saving the chapel. Known for it's taste and sophistication in a sea of tacky, Elvis-officiating chapels, Lucy's chapel isn't doing great business, and she realizes it's because she isn't meeting the needs of potential customers. When she starts having Elvis in and doing other fun weddings, business improves, but it still isn't enough. A developer is trying to take out her entire block, and Dax's grandfather is helping him.
Strengths: I liked Lucy's devotion to the chapel and to her hometown of Las Vegas. The romance between Lucy and Dax is sweet, well developed, and believable. The divorced parents are interestingly portrayed. Great cover. I can see this being very popular.
Weaknesses: Too much drinking for my taste, which isn't shown as a good idea, but there was also too much grief for my taste-- Lucy grieving for her grandfather, and Dax for his father. Still, students won't be as bothered by this, and it was a good romance with a fun hook.

Rosengren, Gayle. What the Moon Said.
February 20th 2014 by Putnam Juvenile 

Esther lives with her family in Chicago during the Great Depression, and things are going fairly well. Her Russian immigrant mother is very superstitious and not demonstrative, but her father has a job and the family is doing well. When the father loses his job, they decide to move to a farm in Wisconsin, leaving behind two older sisters. The farm is more run down than expected, and very hard work, but Esther and her younger sister make the most of their life in the country. They go to a small school and make friends, although Esther's new best friend Bethany is seen as cursed by the mother because of a mole on her face, and the two are not supposed to play together. There are several pivotal crises, and eventually Esther finds out why her mother is so protective. The family is not able to make a go of the farm and return to Chicago, which is okay because the older sisters, as well as a new grandchild, are there.
Strengths: My father's family moved from Akron to a farm near there in about 1938. They were able to grow their own food, but my grandfather drove in to Akron to work at Goodyear Rubber, so they had some income. The details of life during this time are excellent, the book is well-written, and I enjoyed it very much.
Weaknesses: Not a whole lot that was new, and few students ask for books on the Depression.

Instead of buying this one, maybe I'll just bring my 1961 copy of Jane Langton's The Majesty of Grace (later Her Majesty, Grace Jones). One of my favorites, but neither of my girls ever read it, so the copy should go somewhere other than my house!

If Only Romances

Rae, Kristin. Wish You Were Italian
May 6th 2014 by Bloomsbury 

Pippa is just so irritated with her parents for wanting to send her to Italy to study art. She doesn't want to follow in her mother's footsteps in the art gallery; she doesn't even life her mother. At least her father makes things a little better by giving her some mad money. Instead of getting on the train to the school, Pippa stays in a hotel and hangs out in Rome for a couple of days, eating gelato and stalking a cute archaeology student named Darren. When she meets Chiara, who works at a gelato shop, the two hang out, and before long, Chiara is offering Pippa a place to stay for the summer-- her aunt's hotel in Cinque Terre. Chiara has an amazingly hot cousin named Bruno, and there is a lot of mutual interest between him and Pippa, but when Darren shows up because his dig is nearby, Pippa is conflicted. She really wants to fall in love with an Italian, but she really, really likes Darren! She has let her best friend and her grandmother know that she has ditched the art program and is staying elsewhere, and Chiara's family is super nice, so she has a fantastic summer of playing in Italy with hot boys, suffering from teen angst, until her father suddenly arrives with horrible news: her grandmother has fallen and is in a coma. Pippa is whisked back home, unable to say a proper goodbye to Bruno or to Darren. Will she ever see them again? How will she decide?
Strengths: Need a teen romance? Look into this "If Only" series. Exactly the kind of swoony romance my girls want. Some kissing, but nothing too much. And the angst! Which hot guy do I like? Oh, my! Perfect. Details of Italy and lying to parents make this even better. Definitely buying.
Weaknesses: I'm both envious and irritated. Why didn't my time in Italy go like this? And why is Pippa so WHINY? Her parents are portrayed as hands off and distant, her grandmother is great but... so sad. As I said, the girls will love it. Younger adults seem to love it. I am old and jaded, and as my 20 year old daughter has pointed out, my soul has shriveled and shrunk in the Dryer of Life.
Deaths: Bruno's father, in a fishing accident; (highlight for spoiler) Pippa's grandmother, from a fall. So irritated. A coma would have been enough to bring Pippa back from Italy; killing the grandmother was unnecessary. 

Hubbard, Mandy. Fool Me Twice
May 6th 2014 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens  
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Mackenzie and Bailey are glad to have their summer jobs at  the Serenity Ranch and Spa, even though this means that Mack will have to deal with Landon. Last summer they were a thing, but he dumped her the first day back at school for his old girl friend. Bailey thinks that she should move on, but Mack still really likes him. She's working in the stables because she's dyed her hair weird colors and the management don't think she should be where the posh guests can see her, like Bailey. When Landon falls off a horse, he gets a concussion and thinks that it is summer a year ago... and he and Mack are still together. Bailey thinks it is a great idea for Mack to play along but subtly get back at him. Thus starts a series of pranks of various levels, but as time passes, Mack learns more about Landon and starts to feel bad about the pranks. 
Strengths: Very nice setting-- the ranch setting was fun and unusual, and the girls who like horses will be especially pleased. I will definitely be ordering the books in this series and am glad that they are available in hardcover.
Weaknesses: Sort of saw the end coming, and wasn't as fond of Mack as I wanted to be-- her "dressing weird" phase seemed forced, somehow. Small quibble for a good romance that involves just some kissing and drooling over shirtless boys.  

Guy Friday- Understanding Differences

Weissman, Elissa Brent. Nerd Camp 2.0
May 6th 2014 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
ARC from Blue Slip Media

Zack and Gabe have come to enjoy each others' company, and Gabe even helps Zack convince his mom that he should spend 6 weeks at camp. When wildfires in the area where both Camp Seneca and the Summer Center for Gifted Enrichment damage Camp Seneca, all of its campers are put up by SCGE. Gabe is a little leery-- he still thinks Zack is cool and wants to impress him, and worries that this will interfere with his nerdy fun. Zack is also leery, because he really likes his new stepbrother and is uncomfortable when his new camp mates make fun of the nerds. The more sporty Camp Seneca campers overrun the area, are mean to the SCGE kids, and even steal a large amount of element trading cards, so the SCGE kids decide to fight back. They are geeky and proud, encouraged by C2 to "Do the nerdiest things you can, and don't back down... This is our place, and this is our time. Let's use our brains!" (page 190). When Zack hears Gabe saving mean things about him, he's angry and sad, but Gabe is just reacting to some of the things Zack has done. Will the boys, and the two camps, be able to work out their differences?
Strengths: I really liked Zack and Gabe's relationship, and this was a fairly good camp story. There was a little bit of romance, and after the first book, it was good to see Zack and Gabe together. Nerd Camp was shortlisted for the 2012 Cybils Award.
Weaknesses: Weissman espouses a very different variety of nerdom than my children and I have experienced. I can't see Gabe being quite so stereotypically nerdy, and I can't see the two groups of students being so hostile to each other. I think social acceptance of nerds is quite different now-- being smart is kind of cool, and just another way that people are, which made this book seem a bit... 1984. (Think Revenge of the Nerds.)

Bradley, John Ed. Call Me By My Name
May 6th 2014 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
ARC from Baker and Taylor

Rodney plays just about every sport growing up in the south in the 1960s. He repeatedly comes across Tater Henry, a boy who tries to play baseball in the white park in 1965 and is chased off. The two are friendly enough, and when the black school is closed and all of the students sent to Rodney's high school, he's glad to finally be able to be on a team with Tater. Things don't go smoothly, even as the 1970s approach, and black players are given less prominent spots on the team, even though the coach isn't wild about the idea. Eventually, Tater becomes a quarterback and is even being considered by LSU. Rodney is trying to overcome the prejudice exhibited by his father, but it's hard even for him when Tater and Rodney's twin sister, Angie, are romantically linked.
Strengths: Since most of the Civil Rights books I've come across are from the point of view of white girls, this was refreshing. The nuances of the prejudice are fantastic. Rodney feels he shouldn't care about Angie and Tater, since Tater is his best friend, but he is still bothered by the racial issue. Rodney's mother protects Tater on a couple of occasions, and views him as another young boy who needs protection, but realizes that he can't really hang out at the house when Rodney's father is there. But even Rodney's father is trying to change, even though he's not entirely sure it's the right thing to do. The football details are good. Highly readable book. More adult sports writers need to turn their hand to middle grade books.
Weaknesses: A little too much detail about Angie's womanhood, and her relationship with Tater. Not anything instructive, but there is an uncomfortable scene where she and Tater have leeches on them, she has blood running down her thighs, and Rodney has his suspicions that something has happened. (Which later Angie says did not.) Also, the ending  and epilogue are super sad.
Deaths: Tater's father, by suicide; Tater's twin sister Rosalie, at birth; Rodney's mother, of old age in epilogue. *Spoiler alert* (highlight to read): Tater, of  hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, during pivotal football game. I knew the moment Tater was introduced at the first baseball tryouts that he would die. Just did. 
And anyone who would like to is welcome to use these in their own libraries!

You know it's going to be a long day when you paperclip two related pieces of paper and put them in your briefcase and FEEL ACCOMPLISHED. Seriously. I had both pieces of paper, I found a clip, and I put them in a noncluttered pocket of case.

We had testing this week, and I accomplished a lot, mostly thanks to the nightmares about inventory. Got textbook inventory as done as possible, and cleaned out the book room and the language arts/math office so that they are beautiful and even smell better. Also got library organized, did an E Book sheet for next week, added books to database. Ready to do library inventory starting, oh, 13 May.

Next week is the worst week of the year. All books are due on Friday, 9 May. This is how I will feel for the next three weeks.It gets progressively worse.

The Ride of Your Life (Creepovers)

Night, P.J. (Ann Hodgman) The Ride of Your Life (Creepover #18)
February 4th 2014 by Simon Spotlight 

Gabby is impetuous and always in trouble, and her friend Sydney is much more calm and placid. The two are close, so after Sydney's parents are both hired to teach at a small college in Trouble Slope, Iowa, Gabby flies in to visit from California. On the trip in, she sees an intriguing fairground, but once she asks around, people claim that it hasn't been opened in years. She and Sydney sneak out to explore it, and find a flyer advertising Kids' Week, with free admission and rides. They go back, and meet Austin and Tyler, as well as a group of other kids. They arrange to meet the boys at the mall the next day, but they don't show up. When the girls go back to the fair that night, they find out the big secret behind the fairground. Will they be caught in its evil clutches, or will they survive?
Strengths: This series, along with Scholastic's Poison Apple books, is a huge hit with my 6th grade girls who want scary books. I would rather have them reading these than, say, Stephen King. The writing is solid and blissfully easy to get through (no easy task to write like that!), and the chills are minor but fun. There's a little element of romance. If your collection of Goosebumps books are just a pile of paper shreds, definitely look into these.
Weaknesses: A bit cheesy, and the characters aren't tremendously well developed. The evil carnival has been done before, but the target demographic for this won't be ready for Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes or even Shusterman's Full Tilt, although this might be a good introduction to those works.

World Wednesday

Engle, Margarita. Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal
March 25th 2014 by HMH Books for Young Readers 

This novel in verse is in alternating viewpoints that include the howler monkeys and trees. The main narrators are Mateo, a Cuban boy who has pretended to be Spanish to get a job working on the Panama Canal so that he could escape his abusive father; Henry, a Jamaican who at first hates Mateo; Anita, a native girl who sells herbs; and Augusto, who has studied in New York and does drawings. We also hear from Theodore Roosevelt (the first US president to leave US soil while in office), and various members working on the canal. The story of prejudice against and mistreatment of the workers with darker skin is the main concern of this story; not only did they make less money, but it was thought that even giving them an extra blanket or clean shirt was a waste of resources. There is also a bit of romance, and the difficulty of the working conditions is contrasted well with the grandiose plans for the canal.
Strengths: I can't think of any other books set at this place and time, but now I want to know more! There is, of course, the wonderful The Secret of the Yellow Death  by Suzanne Jurmain, but that only addressed the medical side of this project. This is definitely an underexplored topic.
Weaknesses: While the verse is okay, there is a lot lost that would be great to read in prose. I would have loved more descriptions of the work, the living conditions, etc. so that I knew more about how they looked and worked and less about what they felt like, if that makes sense. Especially with Henry and Mateo fighting at the beginning, and Mateo's relationship with Anita-- there was so much more that could have been told to make this an exciting adventure book while still addressing the mistreatment.

Ryan, Pam Munoz. Becoming Naomi Leon
September 1st 2004 by Scholastic Press 

I can't imagine why I didn't have this in my library! I have one student who wants to read everything about any Hispanic character she can, so I ordered this one for her. I'm very glad I did.

Naomi and Owen have been left by their alcoholic mother, Skyla, with their great grandmother, who is trying very hard to raise them in a trailer park near an avocado orchard. Owen has many special needs, but is very bright. Their close knit community includes the grandmother's friend, Flora. When Skyla shows up with a boyfriend who has decided that they can provide a companion to his daughter and get money for raising the children, the three are afraid that she will carry through on this, especially since she does not feel capable of raising Owen and intends to split the children up. When this looks likely, the grandmother gets her friends to help take the trailer to Mexico to find the children's father and visit Flora's family. They look for the father at a Christmas radish carving festival in which Naomi participates, since she has long carved things out of soap. The grandmother gets a letter from the father stating his wishes that she raise the children, and when the group arrives back in the US, there is a hearing to determine custody.
Strengths: This has a lot of good cultural information, and has the best librarian ever! The real appeal of this, though, is the strong family and the grandmother's devotion to her grandchildren. This will be popular with girls who like problem novels. Very good sense of different places as well.
Weaknesses: Sign that it was written ten years ago-- Naomi is trying to find her father by calling his residence and runs up a large bill by making phone calls "out of the area". What does this mean?

The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw/ Pernicious Fantasy Amnesia!

At the best of times, I have trouble remembering the plots of fantasy books. During the last month, when I had a tendency to have trouble concentrating, to lose notes, and to touch my computer so infrequently that I had to dust it, the condition got even worse. I did enjoy all of these books and will be buying them. Hopefully, now that my Dental Iliad and Odyssey is over, I will be better at reporting details of fantasy from now on!

Healey, Christopher. The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw.
April 29th 2014 by Walden Pond Press

Hooray! I wish that books wouldn't come out in late April, when I am not able to get a copy or check it out because all books are due so soon, but I guess it's better than coming out August 29, when I can order them but they don't come by the time school opens. I have to get another copy of the first book, too.

That said, I was struck with horrible Fantasy Amnesia. Triggered by a large cast of characters, ever changing setting, and over 500 pages, I can't give a good synopsis. I read it; I loved it; I can't tell you what it's about. You need a copy right now because it's hysterically funny and full of swashbuckling adventure, but we'll go with the publisher's description today and look forward to the fourth book!

"The League of Princes returns in the hilariously epic conclusion to the hit series that began with Christopher Healy's The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, which the Los Angeles Times called "one of the more clever, hilariously successful incarnations of the current literary rage to rip apart and rewrite fairy tales."

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You think you know those guys pretty well by now, don't you? Well, think again. Posters plastered across the thirteen kingdoms are saying that Briar Rose has been murdered—and the four Princes Charming are the prime suspects. Now they're on the run in a desperate attempt to clear their names. Along the way, however, they discover that Briar's murder is just one part of a nefarious plot to take control of all thirteen kingdoms—a plot that will lead to the doorstep of an eerily familiar fortress for a final showdown with an eerily familiar enemy."

Delaney, Joseph. Fury of the Seventh Son
April 15th 2014 by Greenwillow Books

This was utterly fantastic, and the only disappointing thing about it isn't that disappointing-- it didn't really END. I can see more books in a second series, with Tom as the Spook. I still think that come December, this will be the really hot book we all need ten copies of, since the movie is out in February. 

From Goodreads.com:
"The thirteenth—and final—book in the internationally best-selling fantasy adventure series that inspired the forthcoming major motion picture Seventh Son. Finally, Tom Ward, the spook's last apprentice, will confront the Fiend for the last time. Tom Ward has battled boggarts, ghasts, witches, dark gods, and the most terrifying creatures to roam the earth. He's allied with the witch assassin Grimalkin, with a powerful boggart, and with Alice . . . the young witch who is also his true love. And he has kept one step ahead of the Fiend, the most evil being in the world. Now, he will vanquish the Fiend once and for all. But it will require a terrible sacrifice: not everyone Tom cares about will survive the final battle. " 

Wexler, Django. The Forbidden Library.
April 15th 2014 by Kathy Dawson Books  
E ARC from Netgalley.com

This book kept me turning the (digital) pages more than I expected that it would. Alice was intriguing, the library enthralling, and the twists and turns unexpected. My only complaint is that unlike Shulmann's The Grimm Legacy, this book didn't make me want to work in or visit the library. It seemed a bit dark and unpleasant, but my readers like darker and more unpleasant things than I like, so I can see this being a popular middle grade choice.

From Goodreads.com:
"Alice always thought fairy tales had happy endings. That--along with everything else--changed the day she met her first fairy

When Alice's father goes down in a shipwreck, she is sent to live with her uncle Geryon--an uncle she's never heard of and knows nothing about. He lives in an enormous manor with a massive library that is off-limits to Alice. But then she meets a talking cat. And even for a rule-follower, when a talking cat sneaks you into a forbidden library and introduces you to an arrogant boy who dares you to open a book, it's hard to resist. Especially if you're a reader to begin with. Soon Alice finds herself INSIDE the book, and the only way out is to defeat the creature imprisoned within.

It seems her uncle is more than he says he is. But then so is Alice."

Downey, Jen Swann. The Ninja Librarians and the Accidental Keyhand.
April 15th 2014 by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky  

Charlotte at Charlotte's Library called this "a zesty romp of a read that I thoroughly enjoyed; really truly thoroughly enjoyed." Believe her, and read her very thorough review. The library was certainly MUCH more pleasant than The Forbidden Library, but I just got bogged down by all of the descriptions that made this such a fascinating read for Charlotte. I strongly suspect that the pain medication caused me to vastly preferred the Sparkle Spa books by Jill Santopolo.

Just not myself quite yet.

Jones, Diana Wynne and Ursula. The Islands of Chaldea
April 22nd 2014 by Greenwillow Books 

I feel the worst about not comprehending this one. I've loved so many of Jones' books, and this is the last one we have from her. How lovely that her sister was able to finish it up. Maybe it was the cat; I'm not a cat person. Anyway, I'm sure that Charlotte, my go-to person for middle grade fantasy, will have a review posted of this very soon.

From Goodreads.com
"Aileen comes from a long line of magic makers, and her Aunt Beck is the most powerful magician on Skarr. But Aileen's magic has yet to reveal itself, even though she is old enough and it should have, by now. When Aileen is sent over the sea on a mission for the King, she worries that she'll be useless and in the way. A powerful (but mostly invisible) cat changes all of that-and with every obstacle Aileen faces, she becomes stronger and more confident, until her magic blooms. This stand-alone novel, by the beloved and acclaimed author of such classic fantasy novels as Howl's Moving Castle and the Chrestomanci books, will be welcomed by fans old and new."

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

If Facebook voting doesn't freak you out, please consider helping the Westerville ShareBacAPac program. They are trying to get votes in order to win a large grant. The organization provides school children with food to get through the weekend, and is helped by volunteers from the Westerville Kiwanis and Westerville Area Resource Ministry.

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Voting is free through State Farm's facebook app, and runs from 4/28 through 5/16/2014.  

Vote at the State Farm app at https://apps.facebook.com/sf_neighbor_assist/.

Lubar, David. Wipeout of the Wireless Weenies: And Other Warped and Creepy Tales
April 22nd 2014 by Starscape
E ARC from Netgalley.com

This seventh collection of tales from Lubar will delight elementary school students, so it is a must purchase for elementary libraries. These don't do quite as well in the middle school, which is a shame. In this collection, I thought that M.U.B. a story all in dialog about a monster under the bed, would be good to study in class. Lubar also includes a story in second person, set up sort of like a Choose Your Own Adventure Book, which is clever. There's always one point in the year when students come in asking for something for class written in second person, and since Bright Lights, Big City isn't really appropriate, I should buy this! I liked how Lubar adds notes at the end of the book addressing what inspired him to write the stories. This was especially helpful in the case of Being Green, which at first glance looks to be a polemic against reusable water bottles but wasn't meant that way.

I'm not a big fan of short stories, but I am a huge fan of Lubar's. I just wish he would write more upper middle grade books like Sleeping Freshman Never Lie. Maybe he and Jordan Sonnenblick should hang out together more, as long as it didn't end with Sonnenblick writing more Dodger and Me books!

Hurwitz, Michele Weber. The Summer I Saved the World... in 65 Days.
April 8th 2014 by Wendy Lamb Books
ARC from Baker and Taylor

Nina is not feeling particularly good about the summer. Her grandmother has been gone for a year, her parents are hardly ever home and working when they are, her brother is getting into trouble, and her best friend Jorie is changing. When Nina sees her neighbor Mrs. Chung upset because she can't plant flowers for the summer because of her cast, Nina gets up out of her hammock and decides to do a good deed every day for someone on her cul de sac. She cleans up the yard of the Cantaloni family, leaves backed goods for the lonely Mr. Dumbrowski, tries to be nice to the nosey and paranoid Mrs. Millman, and takes care of Eli's brother Thomas. Jorie also lives on the cul de sac and is bound and determined that Eli will ask her to Homecoming once they start high school in the fall, but Eli is an old friend of Nina's, and the two reconnect. Doing all of the nice things for people makes Nina feel closer to her grandmother, and makes her neighborhood a better place to be. It might even be the thing that brings her fractured family back together again.
Strengths: This author's Calli Be Gold got a lot of love in 2011, and this is another good, realistic novel about every day life. There's the touch of romance, some teen angsty problems, and is pitch perfect for girls on the cusp between middle school and high school. It also made me want to go do random acts of kindness. Definitely ordering.
Weaknesses:  The family dysfunction was a bit much. The brother didn't need to have gotten into trouble in high school; the parents failing to parent on top of the grandmother's death was more than enough. The grief felt slightly over done as well, but I suppose some people do take deaths harder than others.

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday at Anastasia Suen's blog.

Blonde Ops

Bennardo, Charlotte and  Zaman Natalie. Blonde Ops.
May 6th 2014 by St. Martin's Griffin Blonde Ops
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Bec is a hacker, and has been kicked out of yet another private boarding school for changing her grades, among other things. Her busy parents don't have time to deal with her, so she is shipped off to Rome to stay with Parker, a college friend of her mother's who is the editor of Edge magazine. To Bec's surprise, she is supposed to be an intern at the magazine, but things get complicated when Parker is badly injured in a car accident that may have something to do with the First Lady's visit to the magazine. Bec is put in the care of Charlotte, a reality show/model/highly driven business woman, and expected to keep working. Concerned for Parker's welfare and suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her accident, Bec starts to investigate. She is also a bit distracted by Taj, a fashion blogger who is working with Edge, and Dante, a local boy who makes deliveries to the magazine. Her investigations are interrupted by romantic dalliances around Rome, but when the first lady is kidnapped from a photo shoot, Bec's skills manage to save the day.
Strengths: Hard to go wrong with spies in Italy. The romance is light and fun, and appropriate for middle school. Good details about the fashion industry.
Weaknesses: Bec wasn't the most likeable character, and I didn't quite believe her skills. The whole set up strained credulity in a way that Carter's Gallagher Girls books don't, but I may still buy this for fans of that series.

Catch a Falling Star

Culbertson, Kim. Catch a Falling Star
April 29th 2014 by Scholastic Press 
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Carter Moon is having a pretty good life in Little, California. Her father runs a local diner, her mother travels sometimes to protest different causes, and her brother is usually in trouble because of a gambling addiction, but she has good friends Alien Drake (her best friend who shares her interest in astronomy) and Chloe (her other best friend who is dating Drake). When a movie comes in to town to film, she doesn't particularly care, although Chloe is star struck by the appearance of Adam Jakes. When Adam's people ask Carter to pretend to date him to polish his image, she agrees only because her family needs the money to clear up her brother's recent gambling debt. Adam is a child star trying to transition to older roles, and isn't very sociable. Carter thinks he's cute, but doesn't appreciate his attitude. As the two move through the "scripts" that are provided concerning their relationship, however, she comes to like him more than she wishes she would, and his presence in her life complicates any number of matters, including whether she should pick up dancing (which she had quit a year before) again, and her parents insistence that she leave Litte after high school graduation and broaden her horizons, something she doesn't care to do.
Strengths: This was a good, middle school appropriate romance for fans of Jennifer E. Smith and Sarah Dessen. It skews more to the Dessen-esque, with the problems about the brother, but is definitely wish fulfillment for young girls who think that if Hollywood would just make a film version of Anne of Green Gables in their hometown and have Lief Garrett play Gilbert... and if they would be somehow magically cast as Anne... I'm sorry. Bad flashbacks to my own youth. Good stuff. Definitely buying a copy.
Weaknesses: A little problem heavy for my taste, and not quite as swoony a romance as Smith's books are. Still, it's hard to find romance books that are appropriate.

Guy Friday- Cheesie Mack

Cotler, Steve. Cheesie Mack Is Not Exactly Famous
February 25th 2014 by Random House Books for Young Readers 
Copy from Young Adult Books Central and reviewed there.

Cheesie and Georgie are up to no good, as usual, and are hanging around the construction site at school, playing on the equipment.While doing things they ought not to be doing, they unearth an odd, old looking artifact that they end up taking to the historical society with Cheesie's grandfather. This gives them some exposure on the news, and is a welcome distraction from the wedding of Georgie's father and Ms. D. With Cheesie around, nothing goes smoothly, especially Georgie's handling of the ring for the wedding ceremony.
Strengths: We certainly need more funny books for boys, and it's even better when they are in a series. Add some pictures, and it's gold. The first book didn't circulate very well, but when there were three on the shelf, my reluctant readers started recommending them to each other, so they will be thrilled to get this fourth book. Others in the series are Cheesie Mack is Not a Genius or Anything, Cheesie Mack is Cool in a Duel(#2), and Cheesie Mack is Running Like Crazy (#3). There's not a huge amount that happens in this book, but it's a great description of middle school boys and their general lack of impulse control.
Weaknesses: Yep. I am officially irritated by Cheesie's repeated urgings for me to check his web site. I have; it's a very nice web site. I guess the archivist in my soul wants to scream "But what if the web site isn't there in 20 years?!" every time I come across one of them! The book would read more smoothly without these mentions.

Dragon on Trial (The Menagerie #2)

Sutherland, Tui and Kari. Dragon on Trial (The Menagerie #2)
March 11th 2014 by Harper  Collins

At the end of the first book, Pelly, the golden goose that keeps the Menagerie funded, has apparently been killed (judging from the feathers and blood strewn about), and  Scratch the dragon is blamed. Investigators from SNAPA plan a trial, and not only could Scratch be exterminated, but the menagerie could be shut down. Zoe decides that she has to investigate, and with the help partially human Keiko and Blue as well as new kid Logan, she makes some progress. The group also discovers that Marco, a boy from their class, is a wererooster, and there are several children in his family who are werecreatures, but all of them are undocumented. Marco is the one who figures out that the feathers are too old to belong to Pelly, and the group assembles clues to find out who has kidnapped Pelly and why that person is trying to shut down the menagerie. There is another mystery at the very end of this book, and I already have students asking when book three will be published.
Strengths: Like Brandon Mull's Fablehaven series, this is a fun romp with magic, a librarian that may or may not be evil, children taking matters into their own hands to solve a mystery, and (of course) some fun magical creatures. Fans of the Warriors series and the Wings of Fire series will demand these immediately.
Weaknesses: Not my favorite style of books. Too many characters, not to mention Dragon dialect. Map at the beginning of the book! Still, I can see why these are popular with my students.

World Wednesday-- The Art of Secrets

Klise, James. The Art of Secrets
April 22nd 2014 by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill 
E Arc from Netgalley.com

When Saba Khan's Pakistani family's house burns down, there is some suspicion that they might be somehow responsible, but Saba's private school, Highsmith, rallies around the family. They are given a place to live, and new students Kendra and Kevin Spoon decide to put together an auction to benefit the family. In the process, Kevin and Kendra uncover paintings by outsider artist Henry Darger in the trash, and even though the art might be worth millions of dollars, they still intend to give the money to the Khans. The story of the art's acquisition, subsequent disappearance, and relocation is told from a variety of view points, including members of Saba's family, the Spoons, a foreign exchange student, and the teachers and principal. Everyone has a different agenda, and many of the characters hope that the finding of the art will benefit them in some way. In the end, though, not everything is as it appears.
Strengths: I normally don't care for books told from a variety of perspectives, but this was somehow intriguing. The premise of the lost, valuable artwork is realistic, and the Spoon's altruism is nice to see. Saba's struggle to be a part of the school even though most of the students are wealthy and she is not is a nice touch. Fans of Blue Balliet's mysteries will enjoy this one.
Weaknesses: The ending was very abrupt and not very satisfying or clear, which was odd. There was so much ground work laid for a good ending, but it seemed rushed to me.