Oops-a-Daisy

Delgado, Melody. Oops-A-Daisy (The De La Cruz Diaries Book 1)
September 5th 2017 by Clean Reads
Copy received from the publisher for the Cybils Awards

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
"Who wants to be stuck wearing a shaggy dog outfit or a chicken suit on television? Twelve-year-old aspiring singer, actress, Daisy De la Cruz, that’s who. She’ll do and wear just about anything to get ahead in the entertainment industry. But will all her embarrassing moments pay off and land her a spot in her arts magnet school’s coveted master class where she’ll be rubbing shoulders with top professionals in the entertainment industry? Or will she be doomed to play the role of an animal, vegetable or mineral forever?"

Just about caught up with my reading and reviewing. Here's my short take on this books, which I would have bought for my school library if it were available in hard back. It reminded me a bit of the Veronica Chambers Amigas series, which was popular in my library until someone lost book one and I couldn't replace it.

Enjoyed this one, and it had a lot of interesting, diverse elements, but there was a bit of a disconnect between the age of the main character and the format and topic. Daisy is 12, but her career aspirations in acting play out more like an older character. Normally, this would be great for middle school readers, but the font is very small. I know this is a silly thing, but my students are especially sensitive to this. Since there are only 159 pages in the paperback I read, it would be easy enough to increase the font size and still bring the book in at under 200 pages.

Interestingly, the paperback is $13.99 on Amazon, but the Kindle edition is only $2.99. This would be a great choice for an avid middle grade reader who buys books for an e reader.

Slice of Life Tuesday- Old People and Technology

At Christmas in 1978, my father hooked our first Radio Shack TRS-80 computer up to our television. I vaguely remember there being a tape deck to run it, and I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to program it to play my band music.

In the fall of 1986, I took a computer programming course at the University of Cincinnati and got a B- without ever touching a computer, because all of our exams were hand written in blue books. We just had to successfully guess the results of BASIC programming.

In 1991, I took home an Apple MacIntosh Classic II from the school where I taught for the summer so I could write a text book for the 6th grade Latin class. I found my killer app in the spreadsheet that automatically alphabetized the glossary in English and then could alphabetize using the Latin words in seconds.

When I started my Master of Library and Information Science degree in 1995, we had to log onto the Internet. None of us knew what that was. I bought a MacIntosh Performa 5200, hooked up my modem, signed up for the Columbus Freenet, and opened the door to the world of NONGRAPHIC Internet.

We won't even talk about my success with HTML and JavaScript and the fact that I created the school web site and got mentioned in the newspaper before the district Harrison Bergeroned everything.

When the Freenet closed in 2005, we had moved beyond Apple computers because we had gotten a digital camera and my school used Microsoft products. We had dial up access until 2010. Currently, I have WiFi and a 2011 HP laptop. No smart phone, since I am funding both of my daughters'.

The point? It's not that old people don't GET technology, we've just seen so many versions of it. Do I save my data on punch cards, 5" floppies, 3.5" floppies, flash drives, or the cloud? A lot of us REALLY liked 3.5" floppies. They came in pretty colors.

When I had to take the Google Level 1 Certified Educator exam in order remain my building's tech person, I spent a lot of time studying for it. This, of course, was after months of poring over Schoology information only to find out the test consisted of a check box for "I read and understood this information". I must have gone through the 13 Google lessons about 7 times each. First, one a day, then a couple a day, then three days in a row leading up to the test doing all of the modules and taking all of the tests.

Then I couldn't log on to the site to take the test, dissolved in tears, and had to wait until our very lovely tech trainer could help me. At which point there were no problems with logging in. Ugh.

At no point in my studying did I manage to pick up that I would have to actually work with the products. How would they do that? That's just crazy talk. I might have seen some vague reference to that, but I thought it was for certified trainers. So, I'm chugging along with the test and suddenly I have to actually DO stuff with YouTube. And calendars in mail. And set up a Google classroom, which I had never, never done.

I still passed, thank goodness. So now I can get the little plastic widget for my Chrome Book, like all of the cool kids. I'm a good choice for building tech person because my schedule is flexible, children can come to me all day with problems, and I can fix most of them. And I'm kind about having to turn on the teachers' surge protectors, which is an enormous part of the job.

I can also, in case of an apocalypse, fill a fountain pen bladder with ink, use a manual typewriter, and dial a rotary phone. Old people got SKILLS. We just have so many that we occasionally get confused about them.

Max Tilt: Fire in the Depths

Lerangis, Peter. Max Tilt: Fire in the Depths
October 3rd 2017 by HarperCollins
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Max Tilt (short for Trujillo, as his father is Dominican. His mother is African American) is having a number of problems. He is "on the spectrum", and one of the ways this manifests itself is that he has synesthesia-- emotions have smells, and fear always smells like fish. This becomes worse when his parents want to talk to him. His mother has been ill with cancer, but it had been successfully treated. Now, his mother and father are going far away to seek more treatment, and leaving Max with Alex, a cousin he has never met who is not much older than his 14 years. When Alex arrives, she finds the house is a huge state of disarray-- a broken window has leaked rain water onto the carpet, there's little food, and the power is cut off. Not only that, but she goes through months' worth of mail to find that the family is being evicted from the house in three weeks. She uses her savings to pay the utility bills, and she and Max decide to sell items from the house to get money for everything else. One item that draws some interest is a chest supposedly owned by his great-great-great grandfather, Jules Verne. He and Alex take the clues to a treasure out of the chest, but a man named Niemand shows up and gives them a hard time. Realizing that the treasure is most likely real, the cousins embark on an adventure that takes them to far flung corners of the globe and gives them a taste of their forefather's adventures.

It's good to see a diverse cast of characters, with different ethnicities and Max's realistic struggles to navigate his world while managing his synesthesia and other challenges. Alex is very capable and understanding, but young enough to embrace the adventure.

Neimand is a formidable bad guy, and characters and settings brought in from Verne's work make this a fresh, new fantasy world.

Reminiscent of Nix's Troubletwisters, Salerni's The Eight Day or Korman's Masterminds, Max Tilt will please readers who like implausible adventures in amazing fantasy worlds. Lerangis delivers a solid action and adventure books that works in elements of Verne's works in a way that will entice avid readers of speculative fiction to pick up that author.

This wasn't my cup of tea, but will do fairly well with my fantasy adventure readers, so I will buy a copy. It is going to be a series, with the second book, 80 Days or Die, expected out in May 2018.

MMGM- Little Leaders, The Trials of Morrigan Crow

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and #IMWAYR day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday.

Harrison, Vashti. Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History.
December 5th 2017 by Little, Brown Young Readers
Copy received from publisher

Arranged in order of when the women were born, this book gives a good summary of forty women in a variety of fields, accompanied by an attractive illustration. I found it interesting that the project started with these illustrations being created for social media during Black History Month. It was nice that some of the women were ones that many students would have heard about, but others were more obscure. The summaries include just enough information to be read as a bedtime story or to a school class, and will pique readers' interest in finding out more information about these women of achievement. I enjoyed this a lot, and have only two minor quibbles-- the downcast eyes on the illustrations don't really say "bold" to me, and the bibliography is lacking. A list of sources consulted would have helped when readers wanted more information.


Townsend, Jessica. The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1)
October 31st 2017 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Copy provided by the publisher

Morrigan Crow has a miserable existence in Greater Jalfax, with a cold, uncaring politician father, a stepmother who ignores her, and a curse upon her head that not only makes her suspect when anything at all goes wrong in the town, but also will lead to her death before she turns 12. Her last public appearance with her father is odd. Other children get tapped for apprenticeships, but cursed children don't. The fact that she is given notes for several is just a cruel joke, so she brushes off the application From Jupiter North for the Wundrous Society. When Eventide comes, she and her family are preparing for her death when North appears and whisks her off to another world to reside in the Hotel Deucalion. The rules are different here, and in order to be accepted by the Wundrous Society, Morrigan must pass four trials. With the help of Jack, North's nephew, Morrigan does her best. Even if she is accepted with no knack whatsoever, what will the future hold for her? Is she really beyond the reach of the sinister forces of her world, and what is her role in the new one?
Strengths: The author has successfully parsed the attractive elements of Harry Potter. Maligned protagonist in search of welcoming community. Trials to undergo. Quirky fantasy world with interesting methods of transportation and novel foods. Morrigan is a bit unsure of herself and what her place in the world is, but is just relieved that she no longer lives under the stairs a horrible curse.
Weaknesses: This comes in at 640 pages, and is the start of a series. Oof. The cover could be a lot better. Also, I could have used more explanation of the two worlds and why they aren't well known to each other. Plus more information about why Morrigan was cursed and what Eventide really was.
What I really think: Not my cup of tea, but I can see this appealing to readers of weighty fantasy tomes like Bell's The Crooked Sixpence and Black's The Iron Trial. 

In the Country of Queens

Best, Cari. In the Country of Queens
November 28th 2017 by Farrar Straus Giroux

E ARC from Netgalley

In the early 1960s, Shirley lives in Queens with her Russian grandmother and her mother, Anna, who works in a retail store and is dating a man named Hal. Shirley vaguely remembers her father, but he hasn't visited in years. Her mother's sisters live nearby, and she spends a lot of time with her cousin Phillie. Shirley is used to adults not listening to her opinion, so when her teacher accuses her of plagiarizing an essay, she doesn't argue with him. She also doesn't argue when her mother makes her go to ballet, or won't let her go with her cousins to their summer cottage because she has to go to day camp. When Shirley opens a piece of mail and finds out that her father is actually dead and her mother has failed to tell her this, she decides that she will finally stand up for herself and get her way in some things. This takes a while, but eventually, Shirley is able to stand up to her mother and her teacher and let her opinions be known.
Strengths: There were some excellent period details that I really enjoyed. The details of hanging out laundry, having family dinners with cousins, living with a grandmother from the Old Country, and the general depiction of Shirley's neighborhood and school were wonderful. I strongly suspect the author drew on her own memory. There is enough plot to move the book forward, and I wanted to see if Shirley would end up going to the lake with her cousins!
Weaknesses: There were some rather odd things that made the book uncomfortable. The mother insisting that Shirley spend a half hour in the bathroom before ballet lessons was odd, and I half expected Hal to be a child molester. Shirley referring to the Palace of Light and setting toilet paper on fire in the sink caused great concern, and her insistence on keeping a dead mouse in the freezer did not lessen this. It was also very hard to believe that her mother would not have told her about her father's death.
What I really think: I am conflicted about this title. I need more books set in the 1960s, and the details were fantastic, but I'm not sure if my students will be as put off by some of the details as I was. Debating.

Kit Meets Covington

Weiss, Bobbi JG. Ride: Kit Meets Covington
September 12th 2017 by Candlewick Press
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Kit and her father Rudy are moving from Montana to the posh Covington Academy in England where her father is the new equestrian supervisor. Kit is excited to be in a new country where no one knows about her embarrassing fall from a horse that has left her reluctant to get back on, and it's also a new adventure that her deceased mother would have embraced. The downside? Everyone at Covington rides, and the headmistress is a stickler for rules, which Kit, being an American, doesn't care much for. Kit's roommate, Anya, is very nice, as are several of the cute boys, but the head prefect, Elaine, is not happy to have Kit and her headstrong ways in her house. When Headmistress Covington wants to remove an unteachable, headstrong horse, Kit throws a fit and the horse is allowed to stay as long as Kit can bring the animal up to the competition level the school needs to defeat their rival. This, of course, is a rocky process, but with the help of her father and her new friends, Kit tries to train the horse and settle into her new life in England.

Kit will amuse young readers who like to think that adults make silly rules. I personally think it would be fantastic to have a school uniform complete with blazer and pleated skirt with tights, but that's just me! Kit is irrepressible and tries to do what she thinks is right even if the adults in her life are not quite as sure about it.

Boarding school books are always fun, and Anya, who is hiding her background as a princess, is a character who could use more exploration. Nav and Josh are appealing boy characters who treat the girls as equals but are also willing to ask them to dances. Headmistress Covington is a rule follower, but is human enough to bend the rules when necessary. There is apparently a Nickelodeon television series called Ride, but the book can be enjoyed even by readers who are not familiar with it.

The details about horse riding are going to be the real pull. Horses who are  underdogs always figure largely in books about equestrian pursuits, and TK's relationship with Kit will have readers rooting for him to stay at Covington. Readers who enjoyed Hapka's Ponies of Chincoteague, Smiley's The Georges and the Jewels or Burkhart's Wild Hearts will find it easy to get back in the saddle with Kit Meets Covington.

Guy Friday- Tracker's Canyon

Withers, Pam. Tracker's Canyon
July 22nd 2017 by Dundurn
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Tristan's father taught him everything he near about tracking and canyoneering, but after his father disappears during a hike, Tristan doesn't often get a chance to roam outside. His mother won't get out of bed, his father's outdoor outfitting business is foundering, and his uncle can barely help his family buy food. When he meets Brigit and her young brother Dean, he is interested in going canyoneering with her. Brigit, just a few years older than Tristan, is raising Dean after the death of their mother, and working for Alex, who had a rival adventuring business. When Tristan is able to go on an adventure with Brigit and a Polish climber, Dominik, he realizes how much he misses the outdoors. When his mother's caretaker, Elspeth, suggest that his mother would handle the death of his father better if she has some artifact from his last hike, Tristan decides to go to the dangerous lower canyon to look for one. He does this with Alex's blessing, and Brigit goes along with him. It is soon apparent, however, that Brigit blames Tristan's father for her mother's disappearance and intends to make Tristan pay. Will Tristan find an clues of his father in the forest... or will he ever be able to get out alive?

Withers' has a knack for describing extreme sports, and her titles such as First Descent, Peak Survival and Vertical Limits all give lots of details about a variety of adventure pursuits. Not only is there a lot of technical discussion of ropes, packs, boots and bolted belay stations, but there are vivid scenes of flash floods, rappelling down rock faces, and hiding in mud pools.

While I could have done without the mother's protracted grief, it was interesting to see Tristan try to be the adult in the house. He helps out with the business, cooks and cleans, and still tries to do well in school and go through his own grieving process. He is a motivated and realistic characters who faces adversity with grit and determination. I'd love to see more teen characters with those qualities. Tristan has every reason in the world to give up and let others care for him, but instead he powers through and ultimately saves the day.

With the emotional depth of Alden Carter's Walkaway and the Lawrence's The Skeleton Tree, Tracker's Canyon is a great addition to the back pack of any reader who craves details about how to jump into freezing water or make coffee over an open fire.

Enhanced

Jones, Carrie. Enhanced. 
July 25th 2017 by Tor Teen
Copy provided by the Young Adult Books Central

After the events of Flying, Mana is back, and her situation hasn't improved. Her father is still deceased, her mother is in the hospital, China hasn't answered her texts for days, Seppie is going away to a summer program, Lyle breaks up with her, AND she gets attacked by an alien in the girls bathroom! She escapes with the help of another girl, who gives her a crystal before she dies and tells her to find the others like herself. When Seppie and Lyle are mind controlled by Pierce and come for Mana, China finally shows up and takes her to meet with government agents, where she finds out that the aliens really want to eat humans, and lied to the government in the 1950s about wanting to take humans to help repopulate their planet. Eventually, Seppie is taken, and Lyle comes back to help Mana locate her with the help of other Enhanced humans. This quest takes them to Maine where a trusted friend is found to be working against them. Will Mana be able to save her friend... and the world?

Flying was a very funny book, and Enhanced takes a little darker turn. Mana finds out a lot of information about the aliens, but doesn't get much opportunity to help her mother. Her real life issues are also sad, and ameliorated only by the fact that she is approached at the end of the book to join the government agency. Certainly, Mana's skills and grit would be an asset to any organization.

Jones' Need series is a popular one (evil pixies!), and she knows how to write fantastic chase scenes and fights with otherworldly creatures.

Reminiscent of Barnes' Tattoo and Fate, Pace's  Project X-Calibur and Patterson's Daniel X series, Enhanced lets Mana participate in the ultimate cheerleading-- saving the Earth from voracious aliens!

Mabel Opal Pear and the Rules for Spying

Hosch, Amanda. Mabel Opal Pear and the Rules for Spying
October 1st 2017 by Capstone Young Readers
Public Library Copy

Mabel and her parents live in a very small town that caters to tourists and hikers near Mount Rainier. Her aunt runs a bakery nearby, her mother runs the family's spoon museum, and her father repairs communications wiring. BUT... her parents are also spies who do "cleanup" in far flung countries, and as a side project also try to give back a lot of historical artifacts that Mabel's mother's parents stole back in the 1960s! When her parents are on their latest mission, her aunt is accused of theft, and her uncle and his family move in to Mabel's house to "take care of" her, although Mabel suspects that her uncle (who abandoned his sisters after the death of their parents, stealing their money besides!) is trying to find items her grandparents' stole and hid in her house. While the school principal tries to help Mabel out, and her cousin Victoria is a lot nicer than her parents, Mabel still worries about her aunt in jail and her parents, who seem to be taking too long on their mission. Mabel finds something that her uncle wants, but wants to make sure that the item stays safe. She also wants to make sure that her uncle doesn't start selling off spoons from the museum! Can Mabel hold everything together until her parents make it back?
Strengths: I loved the small town setting of this one, with the cafe and museum! I thought that the principal was a fantastic characters, and the girls in Mabel's class, who could have been very nasty, were actually very sympathetic and nice. The idea that Mabel's parents are spies and the small town is their cover was really quite brilliant, and the fact that the grandparents were part of a ring of thieves... fantastic. A lot of unexpected depth in this book. Quite well done.
Weaknesses: Horrible, horrible formatting. The cover does not do the content justice, the print is tiny, and the binding is paper over board. If this had been a regular sized, dust jacketed book, the print wouldn't have had to be so tiny.
What I really think: While I enjoyed the story, this book, as published, would just gather dust on the shelves. Kat Sinclair has similar issues, and I can't get anyone to check it out. Don't publishers have focus groups of tweens for these sorts of things? Give enough free books to a school or library, and I'm sure they'd get together children who would give opinions. Frustrating.

A Paean to Flanagan

I have to admit I was late to the Ranger's Apprentice party.

After seeing this 2005 title appear at book fairs, I thought "Meh. More medieval fantasy. " Students opined that it was really good, and the incomparable Mr. Buxton decided it was a great title, so I started buying the books.

Fast forward to February of 2010. Our district had implemented the new Destiny system and determined that it saved so much that my library got an extra $5,000 to spend. This was nearly the entire budget at the time, which had been cut in 2003 from $12,000 per annum. It is a little challenging to spend that much money in a short time period, so I made sure I had FOUR copies of each of the first six Ranger's Apprentice books and purchased four copies of the newest  Erak's Ransom (Jaunary 2010).

My daughter was in 8th grade, and was working in the library with her friend Caleb, who was a big fan. It was a chilly February day, the kind we get in Ohio where I am convinced that the sun has hurtled away from the earth and we will never see light again. The office called; the UPS man had arrived with a LOT of boxes; could he bring them directly to the library?

Well, we opened up every one of those boxes right there at the circulation desk. It was nearing the end of the period, so paper was everywhere, and the students were digging manically through the boxes. Caleb had Nell hold onto one of the Erak's Ransom copies while he went to get his friends out of class so they could check out the others. I didn't have the records downloaded or books stamped, but we have circulation cards, so a lot of those books left with students, still cold from being in the delivery truck.

I have gotten an Amazon gift card that I keep for titles that students must have immediately. Last Tuesday, I arrived home to find The Caldera in my mailbox. I knew that I would be spending the next several days driving to Cincinnati, cooking turkey, and doing holiday things, so I walked it right over to one of my runner's houses. Eli was a little shocked, I think, but glad to have it, and promised to bike it over to another classmate when he finished it. Gabe got it Wednesday afternoon, so I hope both he and his high school brother got to read it.

Why are these books so good? Why do they engender such a devoted following? I don't know, but I was glad that the library delivered a copy for me to read at the end of a busy Monday.

Flanagan, John. The Caldera (Brotherband Chronicles #7)
November 21st 2017 by Philomel Books
Public Library copy

Stig's errant father, Olaf, has returned to Hallashom ten years after abandoning his family to live in shame. He isn't repentant, but would like to hire the crew of the Heron to retrieve the emperor of Byzantos who was kidnapped by the pirate Myrgos while under Olaf's care. Since Constantus is just ten, and they are always up for adventure, Hal and Thorn agree. Olaf is a liability, so they sneak out of town on an unspecified mission and plan on stocking up more along the way. The crew, after all, needs its coffee! Along the way, the run across Maddoc and sail with his ships for a while, since pirates are always around, deal with toll takers, and eventually come across Myrgos. Constantus is being held on an island similar to Thira (Santorini) that is wild and treacherous, but the group mount a rescue, and find Constantus. Myrgos is dealt with brutally but fairly, and the group is able to return the emperor to his somewhat surprised mother, the regent Justinia. Stig is able to both make peace with the man his father is and exact some appropriate revenge. A short story about Maddie, Will's apprentice, is included at the end.
Strengths: This is perfect, from the wrestling competitions at the beginning, through the "potatoes and sweet potatoes, baked onions, green beans cooked with small chunks of bacon, and crusty loaves of fresh bread (page 123)", Kloof's near capture by Myrgos, storms and pirate fights, and Stig's sad and touching realization that his father will never be the man he wants him to be. Even Constantus amused me, with his demanding arrogance, and I wonder if they Heron crew will have to deal with his in the future.
Weaknesses: There's no concrete mention of a third Ranger's Apprentice: The Early Years yet.
What I really think: I always enjoy the time I spend reading these books. Do yourself a favor and pick up The Ruins of Gorlan if you have never read it.

Fantasy books everywhere!

A reminder: I am a school librarian, so everything that I do with books ultimately circles around to getting "The right book for the right child at the right time". I spend my days talking with students about what they want to read and how they liked the books they've read, and I spend my evenings reading and researching the books that have been published. No matter how good a book is, or how much I love it personally, if I can't think of students to whom I would have a book, it does not make sense to use my limited monetary resources to by it. Books collecting dust on the shelves is the saddest sight, as well as a waste.

There are a lot of fantasy books published. I don't know the percentage of all middle grade books published that are fantasy, but for last year's Cybils' award, 109 middle grade realistic fiction books were nominated to 115 speculative fiction ones. In addition, the librarian before me was very fond of fantasy, and my collection is rich with almost 50 years' worth of fantasy titles. Finally, I've had fewer readers requesting fantasy books in the last five years. Granted, fantasy readers are often insatiable, but they are often also very specific about what they want.

In short, I don't buy many fantasy books, although I do take a look at many of them, just in case. Here are some titles that I've read, but won't be buying. Unless, of course, this year's class of 6th graders burn through all of the fantasy titles I have!

Wilson, Amy. The Lost Frost Girl
November 7th 2017 by Katherine Tegen Books
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

From Goodreads.com
"From debut author Amy Wilson comes a story brimming with heart about a normal girl who discovers that she is really Jack Frost’s daughter—with winter powers of her very own. The Lost Frost Girl is an enchanting modern-day fairy tale about family, friendship, and the magic of embracing who you are meant to be.

Owl has the kind of mom who would name her Owl, a dad she’s never met, and a boy who gives her strange looks at school—but Owl has come to accept that this is as normal as her life is going to get.

Until Owl finds out that she is Jack Frost’s daughter. Determined to meet him, Owl delves into Jack’s wonderful world of winter and magic—the kind of place she thought only existed in fairy tales. And as she notices frost patterns appearing on her skin and her tears turning to ice, Owl starts to wonder if being Jack Frost’s daughter means that she has winter powers of her very own."

This is the strongest contender for one I might purchase. It starts in the "real" world, has a few friend and family problems, and has a fairy/folk tale connection. Still, the same can be said of Houts' Winterfrost, Prineas' Winterling, Constable's The Wolf Princess. or Rudnick's A Frozen Heart, none of which have been circulating very well.

Skye, Obert. Mutant Bunny Island

November 7th 2017 by HarperCollins
E ARC from Edelweiss

From Goodreads.com:
"Obert Skye, author of the bestselling Leven Thumps series, delivers a delightful mixture of offbeat mystery and laugh-out-loud humor in this thoroughly inventive adventure complete with comic-style illustrations, the first in a trilogy.

Ten-year-old Perry Owens has learned everything he needs to know from comic books. So when Perry receives a troubling message from his favorite uncle, Zeke, he knows exactly what’s wrong. Obviously, evil newts wearing trench coats must have kidnapped Zeke. Now they’re holding him hostage somewhere on Bunny Island, the remote vacation destination that Zeke calls home.

On his own, Perry travels to Bunny Island, where dozens of bunnies are running wild. One in particular doesn’t seem quite right. A creature this cute shouldn’t exist in nature. Are there truly evil newts on the loose, or something much stranger...and more disturbingly adorable?"

You'd think this would be a slam dunk, with the graphic novel style pages, and, you know, mutant bunnies, but my fantasy readers don't seem to like graphic novels, and my graphic novel readers don't like fantasy. (Hence, Faith Hicks' Nameless City collects dust, even though it's very well done.) This was also on the elementary side of the Pilkey line, and my readers tend to skew more toward YA when it comes to this genre. Luckily, the few ardent Skye fans I've had frequent the public library, so they can pick this up there if need be. 


Cyprus, Naomi. Sisters of Glass.
November 7th 2017 by HarperCollins
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

From Goodreads.com
"Two girls. Two worlds. Only magic can bring them together, in this fantastical middle grade adventure for fans of the Descendants and School for Good and Evil series.

Halan is a powerless princess. She is heir to the Magi Kingdom, a blazing desert land ruled by ancient magic. But unlike every royal before her, Halan has no magical powers of her own.

Nalah is a powerful pauper. The glassblower’s daughter, she lives in the land of New Hadar, where magic is strictly outlawed. But Nalah has a powerful force growing within her—one she can’t always control.

One girl fears magic, one worships it. But when a legendary mirror connects them, Nalah and Halan finally meet—and must work together to save their two worlds, before everything they know is shattered forever."

It is interesting that we're seeing a lot more girl power fantasy, and books that are set in vaguely middle eastern, medieval-ish worlds. I just wish I had readers asking for them. The number of girls requesting fantasies in my library has dropped even more than the number of boys, although fantasy readers are much more open minded than realistic fiction readers about reading books with main characters of any gender.  When I can get this list of books circulating, I'll contemplate buying Sisters of Glass: Dolamore's Magic Under Glass,  Riazi's The Gauntlet, Ott's The Rules for Thieves, Hale's Princess Academy, Levine's The Two Princesses of Bamarre,  Liddell's Cadet of Tildor, Lough's Fire Wish, Haskell's Handbook for Dragon Slayers, Crowl's Eden's Wish, Wrede's Dealing with Dragons, or Pierce's Alanna books. (Although Alanna always circulates well, especially since I bought fresh new copies!)

MMGM- Polaris

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and #IMWAYR day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday.

Northrop, Michael. Polaris
October 31st 2017 by Scholastic Press
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

When the crew of the Polaris, which is bringing botanical specimens back from the Amazon, realizes that many of the crew died in the jungle, they mutiny. The Cabin boy, Owen, along with the botanist's assistant, Henry, as well as four other young boys, are locked in the captain's cabin and survive, but are not sure they can sail the ship with no crew. They try, with Owen as the acting captain. Before long, we learn an interesting secret about two of the crew members, and the strange smell coming from the dank hold is found to be the zombiefied corpse of a the boy who took the trunk of specimens into the hold. A tropical fungus is turning him into a bug, and the crew thinks long and hard about how to dispatch him, especially when the spores start to spread to other creatures, like the rats in the hold. Of course, there are many other problems on the high seas as the group tries to sail to Florida, where they hope they can bring the ship in and not be sold into slavery. As they approach Cuba, however, all of the crew except for Owen would rather land, especially since they have lost one of their number, another is injured, and they are still fearful of what evils might lurk in the hold.
Strengths: This is historical science fiction. I wondered this, and Northrop addresses it in a note at the end. This was a strong adventure on the sea with some very fun and surprising characters! I would quote my favorite lines, but it would spoil some twists! This is a strong addition to books like Cadnum's Ship of Fire, Dowsell's Powder Monkey, and other seafaring adventures... with the addition of the fungus/zombie monster.
Weaknesses: I am super creeped out by books with descriptions of damp, and it didn't help that I read this on a day where it rained constantly. Had I been on the crew, I would have gone into the hold and dispatched the fungus monster forwith instead of dithering about it. If something smells that bad and damp and rotten... ick. Will students care? No. They'll probably like the gross monster.
What I really think: May put it in the collection because I adore Northrop's work, but feel that maybe it needs it's own shelf, just so the fungus doesn't spread...

Princess Hair

Miller, Sharee. Princess Hair.
October 31st 2017 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Copy provided by the publisher

This picture book celebrates that while "All princesses wear crowns", their hair is not the same. With simple, bright pcitures, a wide variety of African-American hair styles are discussed. Using a mix of consonance and assonance, there are descriptions of what different princesses with different styles do. "Princesses with PUFFS play pretend" and "Princesses with HEAD WRAPS take long naps". Styles from Frohawks to Bantu Knots are covered, concluding with the sentiment that not all hairstyles are the same, but princesses all love their princess hair.
Strengths: The pictures and text are exuberant and fun, and young readers will enjoy finding details in the pictures. There are many varieties of hair styles, so most young readers with textured hair will be able to find the style they sport.
Weaknesses: I would have preferred that this were just a book about hairstyles and didn't feature princesses. I would have liked to see a little girl in overalls and Afro puffs gardening, or one working on a computer and coding!
What I really think: It is very interesting to me that this was first published by CreateSpace in November of 2014, when the #WeNeedDiverseBooks movement was just getting started. This is a welcome addition to picture books featuring diverse characters. My daughters would have been glad to know that "princesses in braids throw parades" but might have made me attempt buns so they could run.

Abby in Wonderland (Whatever After #10.5)

Mlynowski, Sarah. Abby in Wonderland (Whatever After #10.5)
September 12th 2017 by Scholastic Press
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

In this "Special Edition", Abby has a somewhat new adventure; she's at a friend's house with a piece of Maryrose's mirror in her pocket, and falls down Alice's rabbit hole with three of her friends from school. Since she's never fallen into an actual author's story before (only folk or fairy tales), she's surprised to find herself in Lewis Carroll's tale! The friends she is with are Frankie, Robin, and Penny, whom is someone Abby isn't very fond of. Abby is worried that Penny is trying to steal Robin from her, and Penny is fairly mean to Abby, since she is probably worried about losing Robin to Abby. When Frankie is lost in Wonderland, the three remaining girls have to deal with the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter and other characters from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland while looking for her. They run afoul of the Queen of Hearts and have to escape her clutches as well. In the end, the girls do manage to get back, and even figure out a bit of a mystery for Maryrose.

This had several interesting twists for this series. I did enjoy the fact that the difference between a fairy tale and a literary tale was pointed out; it will be interesting to see if perhaps Abby and Jonah travel into some of Hans Christian Andersen's stories in later books! The fact that the Alice only has one path, as opposed to the different versions that fairy tales can have, made the girls pay close attention to what they remembered from both the book and the Disney movie version, and there were a lot more details from the story than there were in other volumes of this series.

I also liked the fact that Abby wasn't in the adventure with her brother and dog, but had three of her associates from school with her. The friendship triangle is a HUGE problem for late elementary and middle school students, and it is something many readers will have had personal experiences with. Penny, with her mansion, nanny, and absent parents, is a bit over the top, but who else could steal Robin away from Abby? Frankie is delighfully scatter brained, and Abby is tense not only becasue of Robin but also because she doesn't know how to explain the adventure to her friends!

Twisted fairy tale stories are always in demand, and this jaunt into literary fiction opens up the series to many other avenues. Will Abby visit the prairie with Laura? Go to Prince Edward Island with Anne? This would be a good way to introduce young readers to some classic books in a fairly painless way. Hand this to readers who like this series, Buckley's The Fairy Tale Detectives, or even Townley's The Great Good Thing, where a reader is able to enter a book.

Fly Guy Friday

Arnold, Tedd. Fly Guy's Big Family
September 12th 2017 by Cartwheel Books
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Buzz wants to play, but Fly Guy is downcast and drawing pictures of his family. Buzz decides to host a family reunion for his pet. He puts up signs around town, and soon the guests begin to arrive. Once they are assured there are no fly swatters, the flies come in to Buzz's house and wait to surprise Fly Guy. Not only is Fly Guy surprised, but Buzz is amazed at how many relatives flies have, and his parents are a little concerned about how to deal with the swarm of guests. Never fear! Buzz has arranged for a garbage truck to cater the event, and soon the flies are reveling in the tasty garbage. Fly Guy's parents even bring his baby pictures. After the party, Buzz cleans up and gives Fly Guy frames for some of the drawings of his family.

I can see why my students mention that this series was an enormous hit in their elementary schools. Buzz and Fly Guy seem to enjoy each other's company, and the two are thoughtful with each other's feelings. The plot is preposterous enough to be funny, but also somewhat realistic. What fly wouldn't miss his thousands of relatives if her were a house pet?

The pictures are vibrant and goofy, with fly guy's big eyes and enormous grin mirrored by Buzz and his family's Captain Crunch eyes (which go over their hair the way that Crunch's are somehow placed on his hat). A lot of emotion is conveyed by very simple lines, and the quality of the illustrations is much higher than on many early reader books.

Because this is an ongoing series, there is ample opportunity for character development. I'm half tempted to go pick up Fly Guy Meets Fly Girl and Fly Guy's Ninja Christmas just for fun! I can see fans of Arnie the Doughnut or Pete the Cat being very happy to get these books as gifts, because this strikes me as the kind of series that children want to collect, starting with Hi! Fly Guy (2005)

I've had a lot of struggling readers this year; Fly Guy would go over well with them, but I think the next too are strictly elementary. Also, I've never been a fan of the whole fairy/princess thing aimed at girls. Picky Reader was 4 when the tend started (2002), and although she got very into Malcolm's The Jewel Kingdom #1 series, there is only one picture of her in a princess costume!


Meister, Cari. Ruby and the Magic Garden (Fairy Hill #1)
31 October 2017, Scholastic
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Luna, Ruby and May are young fairies who live in Fairy Hill. They are learning magic and hope to get their fairy wings from the Fairy Queen by doing a brave, kind deed. When they go to play in the fairy garden, they realize that it is not doing well. They try several strategies to repair it, but nothing works. It is important that the garden be restored, because there is a lost baby deer who needs to eat the magic clover in order to find his way home. Eventually, Ruby figures out the problem, the garden comes back to life, the deer returns home, and Ruby is rewarded with her wings.

This level one reader is has simple vocabulary words (sparkle and blocking being the most difficult ones), and has 3-5 sentences on each page. Most of the space is taken up with pictures that support the text. This makes the book just challenging enough for readers but keeps the pages turning quickly.

The story is engaging, and the problem is simple and easily fixed. The fairies all work together and are supportive of Ruby when she is the one to identify and fix the problem. There is a nice lesson about helping others, and a reward for initiative and hard work.

The pictures are colorful and clear. The characters are easy to identify, and the backgrounds don't interfere with the text.

It is nice to see diverse characters in a beginning reader. I don't know that there were many books like that twenty years ago when my daughters were learning to read. Ruby appears to be African-American, Luna could be Latina or Indian, and May breaks the princess/fairy mold by having short hair, a leafy green outfit, and an androgynous appearance.

There are three books in this series so far, and considering that many early readers will go through lots of books, this will keep them reading for some time. It also provides ample inspiration to young imaginations and may inspire some magical role playing.

Meister, Cari. Luna and the Lost Shell (Fairy Hill #2)
31 October 2017, Scholastic
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Luna, Ruby and May are back, and this time the glow globes that are to be used to illuminate the Fairy Ball have gone dark. The trio investigates so that the party can continue and the Fairy Queen is not inconvenienced. When they realize that the magic shell that helps power the lights is missing, they track it down to the home of a chipmunk. He is using the shell as a lamp, so the fairies craft another lamp and offer it for trade. When the shell is put back in place, the lights come back on, and the party can continue. Since Luna found the shell and negotiated with the chipmunk, she is rewarded with her new wings.

The Scholastic Level 1 readers have "sight words, words to sound out, and simple sentences". There are 3-5 sentences on each page, and brightly colored pictures that support the text.

The story is a mix of the fairies having fun (they are preparing for the party, eating cupcakes, and are dancing at the ball after the problem is solved) and of the fairies solving a problem. Their investigative skills are used for a problem that is not too difficult to solve, and their empathy for the chipmunk helps them to quickly get the shell back.

The way the pages are arranged makes it easy to use this book for predicting what will happen next. I always enjoyed doing this when my daughters were learning to read. "Why do you think the power went out? How would you get the chipmunk to return the shell? Why do you think the Fairy Queen is visiting with the fairies?" are all questions that can be discussed, and help early readers learn how plots are developed.

The ball and the pretty dresses will appeal to young readers who are fond of princesses, and the message that kindness and hard work are rewarded is always a good one.

The Chocopocalypse

Callaghan, Chris. The Chocopocalypse
October 10th 2017 by Delacorte Press
Copy provided by the publisher

Jennifer Wellington, known as Jelly Welly, lives a pleasant but somewhat constrained life with her parents in Chompton-on-de-Lyte, a British town centered around the production and distribution of chocolate. When she hears on a television program that chocolate will disappear in a few days, following an ancient prophecy, she worries about how this will effect her and her family. Her grandmother, who lives in a dilapidated trailer in the driveway, helps her to investigate and to construct an experiment to determine if this is actually true. Of course, world wide panic ensues, chocolate becomes scarce, and Jelly starts to suspect that local chocolatier Garibaldi Chocolati (aka Choccy Cookie) might be somehow involved.
Strengths: Titles with food in them are always popular, and the idea of a world without chocolate is intriguing to say the least. There are a fair amount of illustrations along with the text, which my 6th graders are demanding this year, and this is a fast paced story that is a good length.
Weaknesses: This is VERY British, with vaguely distressed family, evil villains and nosy neighbors with odd names, and unlikely situations.
What I really think: Buy this if titles like Boyce's The Astounding Broccoli Boy, Walliams' The Demon Dentist or Ms. Rapscott's Girls are popular. I did manage to check out The Demon Dentist recently to a child who claimed his favorite book was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
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Vanessa's Design Dilemma

Whittemore, Jo. Vanessa's Design Dilemma (Confidentially Yours #6)
May 2nd 2017 by HarperCollins
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Katie and Vanessa are launching their KV fashion line at the school fashion show, and they are excited to find out that a buyer from the local boutique, Lazenby's, is going to be there. Vanessa thinks this might be their big chance, but when she investigates the sort of fashions the store carries, she wonders if her designs will make the cut. Heather frequently wears clothes from the boutique, and while Vanessa doesn't want to criticize them, she thinks they look like "grandma clothes"! This makes her want to rethink the whole line, but she has to convince Katie to do this. It doesn't help her stress level to find out that someone is taking the advice columns for the school paper and exposing the writers and their problems. Can the girls have a successful fashion show AND track down The Advice Column Killer (even if that name really alarms the adults involved)?

While some of this stretched my credulity (are their local clothing boutiques anywhere anymore? And would tweens actually shop at one if it existed?), I loved the details of Katie and Vanessa's business. The details about sewing and producing garments were very realistic, right down to the expense of the fabric and the time involved. The girls have to work together, and while they sometimes have creative differences, they manage to remain friends. Fashion can be a big interest for middle school girls, and I liked how Vanessa was able to think about what she and her friends thought was cool but balance it out with the fact that Lazenby's already had an established "look'.

Readers will also enjoy the mystery of the person who is revealing details about people who were seeking advice, and it leads to an interesting lesson about confidentiality and kindness.

Fans of DeVillers Lynn Visible or Chloe Taylor's Sew Zoey series will find the fashion details to be fun, and readers who like series about girls working together will also find this to be a good choice. Whittemore has some stand alone titles in addition to the Confidentially Yours series, and they are all nicely formatted, realistic tween tales.

Project Terra: Crash Course

Walker, Landry Q. Project Terra: Crash Course
September 19th 2017 by Penguin Workshop
ARC provided by publisher

Elara has always wanted to be a part of the Seven Systems School of Terraforming Sciences and Arts, and is thrilled to be traveling from her far flung farming planet to the well regarded school. While she does run into some snobby fellow students (like Suue, who was bioengineered to be a mathematical genius), she also makes the acquaintance of Knot, a kind Grix girl, and her roommate Beezle, who is an Arcturiaan and shares a hive mind. Of course, the three run into trouble with headmistress Nebulina early on, but their destructive energies are channeled into special projects. There are lots of adventures, some intrigue, and a mystery that has to be solved. Elara and her friends take on all of these challenges happily. The book is the start of a purported series.
Strengths: The Penguin Workshop books are great because they embrace popular STEM topics AND have a fair amount of pictures along with the text. Elara is a fun character, and her determination to succeed at terraforming is admirable. This was a perfect length, filled with action, and the book was nicely formatted.
Weaknesses: This could have used more information about what terraforming entails. Many students will never have heard of this. The plot, setting, and characters all felt very derivative to me, but 12-year-olds won't draw parallels between this, other books, and the original Star Trek series.
What I really think: I will purchase this series, and it will be great for readers who are just starting to be interested in science fiction but aren't ready for something as long as McDougall's Mars Evacuees or Emerson's Last Day on Mars.

MMGM- Pumpkin Spice Secrets

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and #IMWAYR day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday.

Homzie, Hillary. Pumpkin Spice Secrets
September 12th 2017 by Sky Pony Press
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Maddie is having coffee with her stressed out older sister at a local coffee shop when she spills her pumpkin spice latte all over the very cute Jacob. He's got a good sense of humor about it... and amazing blue eyes. When school starts and Maddie gets together with her best friends Jana, Torielle and Katie, she's about to confess her crush when Jana announces that SHE likes Jacob. Not only that, but one of their frenemies, Fiona, is Jacob's cousin. Jacob and Lukas start eating lunch with the girls, mainly because Jacob seems to like Maddie, but she sticks to the best friend code and doesn't encourage him. Well, not a lot. They end up working on a debate project at school, and are on the con side of the issue of video surveillance while Jana and Fiona are on the pro side. Maddie's grades slip, and she almost has to miss Jana's birthday party because her parents are so angry, but she does extra credit and manages to be allowed to go. She helps Jana decorate Jacob's locker for his birthday, which makes up for the fact that Maddie spends the afternoon at the library with Jacob on his birthday. Eventually, Jana finds out, and is so embarrassed that she refuses to talk to Maddie. Can the two friends patch things up, and what will happen with Maddie and Jacob?
Strengths: This. This is middle school. These are the concerns that many middle schoolers have. Boys. Friends. Failing pop quizzes. First crushes. Meeting a boy to study. The covers on this series are amazing. Middle school girls love to read romance books, but some of my 6th graders just don't need a lot of details that YA authors include. These are similar to the Darling Crush series, but with MUCH better covers.
Weaknesses: Realistically overly dramatic, which sort of annoyed me as an adult, but is absolutely true to life. The characters are very privileged, but are at least somewhat ethnically diverse. (Maddie is part Cuban, Jana is Indian, Torielle is African-American (and the brainy one of the group), and Katie is the token blonde. But if we want books that represent all of our students, we still need some books about middle class children, right? The biggest complaint my students have is that they want books about African American characters who don't live in the inner city.
What I really think:  I would have saved up my babysitting money and purchased these in middle school!Since Follett only has them in paperback or Follett Bound, I'm using an Amazon gift card a grandparent donated and ordering these in hard back. They will see a TON of wear!

Nielson, Laney. Peppermint Cocoa Crushes
October 24th 2017 by Sky Pony Press
Purchased copy

Sasha is hoping that her dance with friends (and twins) Kevin and Karly will win a local competition and earn them all a place in a summer dance institute. Otherwise, she won't be able to go, because her newly single mother is going back to school and doesn't have the money to send Sasha. Besides, her mother hopes that she will apply to the STEM academy like her sister, Claire, and get better college scholarships. While Kevin is willing to practice however much it takes, Karly is more interested in attending Quiz Bowl practice, especially since her crush, Ahmed, is also on the team. This gets Sasha thinking about her own lack of love life, so she decides it's time that Kevin likes her as more than a friend. She starts showing more interest in him, but he just doesn't seem to get it. Is it because her friends are trying to "ship" her with Pete Sugarman? Granted, Pete (who is living with his grandparents, who run the local grocery) is super sweet and seems to like Sasha, but she's determined to make things work with Kevin. Things eventually reach a crisis point, and Sasha learns that you have to be a good friend even when someone disappoints you.
Strengths: As an adult reader, I knew right away that Kevin was not interested in Sasha because he was interested in Ryan, but it takes Sasha until Kevin tells her he is gay to figure it out. Even then, she doesn't know what to do and leaves abruptly. Her older sister admonishes her that this wasn't being a good friend. We don't find out if Ryan likes Kevin, but there are indications throughout the story that this might be true. Like Dee's Star Crossed, this is a pitch perfect middle grade introduction of a gay character. I might be biased-- at least five of the boys in whom I was interested in middle school and high school later came out as gay, and it was pretty confusing stuff back in the late 70s! Nielsen manages to capture the overwhelming middle school desire to "have a boyfriend" and weaves in Kevin's story seamlessly. The friend drama, conflicts with parents, and social whirl of middle school are all nicely handled. Bonus points for having Pete handy as a back up after Sasha is disappointed!
Weaknesses: The mother eventually decides that Sasha's true passion is dance and doesn't insist she drop it to attend the STEM school. This is a fine plan if Sasha doesn't want to be gainfully employed, but as a Latin teacher who was unemployed for many years, I'm not a fan of "following one's passion"!
What I really think: I need at least a dozen of these titles, Sky Pony!

Green, Poppy. The Maple Festival (Sophie Mouse #5)
October 13th 2015 by Little Simon

Library copy

Don't get me wrong; these are adorable books with good  messages, They are well formatted, have large print, nice pictures, and are a nice small size. They are perfect... for FIRST GRADERS. And yet I'm buying the rest of the entire series, along with more Stink Moody, Ivy Bean, and a number of other early chapter books.

This has been a tough year. The 6th graders do NOT want to read. They only want to read a book they can finish in a day. Or has pictures. If they can't move past this by the time they get to high school, To Kill a Mockingbird is going to be a BIG shock!

I'm trying to make myself feel better by thinking this: if I buy some fun, very easy to read books, they won't get a ton of use, and I can have them for struggling students for a very long time. A generous donation from one of our wonderful volunteers will enable me to fund this purchase.

Is anyone else seeing this trend? Is it because smart phones have been around their whole lives? To me, books like Pumpkin Spice Secrets are absolutely perfect for this age group. Instead, I have 6th grader who won't read anything but Babymouse or who think they should read The Fault in Our Stars. Sigh.

The Dollmaker of Krakow

Romero, R.M. The Dollmaker of Krakow
September 12th 2017 by Delacorte Press
Copy provided by the publisher

Karolina is a doll that was made by WWI vet Cyryl Brzezick, whose family was German. She was modeled on a doll owned by the Dollmaker's mother, and he starts taking her around Krakow when he does his shopping. When he delivers a dollhouse to the Trzmiel family for daughter Rena's birthday, Karolina mistakenly lets the family know she is a sentient doll. Jozef, the father, is a musician who is not bothered by this, and soon the Dollmaker is spending a lot of time with the family, which also includes son Dawid. When the Germans invade, the Dollmaker gets more food because of his heritage, and he shares it with the family. Eventually, it is clear that many of the Jewish children will need to be saved, and along with Father Karol in the local church, Karolina and the Dollmaker come up with a plan. While the children can be saved, Jozef and the Dollmaker perish.
Strengths: This is definitely a different sort of Holocaust book. I did find the details about what happened in Poland during WWII to be interesting, and this might be a good choice for readers who can't handle graphic descriptions of the events of the time, or readers who love fantasy and don't want to have to read a historical fiction book for a Holocaust unit. The cover is lovely.
Weaknesses: For me, the fantasy elements (descriptions of a war the dolls had with rats) slowed down the story and took away from the historical value.
What I really think: I'm a HUGE Rumer Godden fan, so I love books where the dolls are sentient. I also find Holocaust books oddly compelling. Even so, this was a book that was very difficult for me to get into. It was well written, fairly interesting, and unique, but just wasn't my favorite.