Abby (the) Librarian

If You're Wearing Red Today

2008-07-25T07:11:00.000-05:00

Okay, you've pulled books for your storytime. Maybe you've got a felt story or some puppets or fingerplays, but you need just one more thing... I want to share one of my new favorite songs. This song has been a hit every time, it's super easy, and it's a great one to know in case of momentary lulls or a gap in your program. It's called If You're Wearing Red Today.

I've heard it used with two different tunes. I usually use the tune to Mary Had a Little Lamb, but you can also use Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.

If you're wearing red today, red today, red today
If you're wearing red today, please stand up!

That's it! Easy peasy, right?! Of course you repeat and replace the color red with whatever colors you see out there in the audience. And I usually do "please stand up" two or three times and then warn them that I'm going to mix it up, so they'd better listen. And then I do other actions. Please clap your hands, please touch your ears, please stand on one leg, please rub your tummy, etc. etc.

In my experience, the kids really respond to it and they like listening for the colors and the actions. When I think we've gotten everybody to do an action at least once, I'll ask if we missed any colors (and often they'll suggest doing the color I happen to be wearing..!).

So, keep this one in your bag of tricks and the next time you blaze through the stories you thought would take up 30 minutes, you can pull it out and have a good ol' time.

Book Review: Cicada Summer

2008-07-24T07:11:00.000-05:00

Cicada Summer by Andrea Beaty. (Grades 4-7.)

Lily has perfected the art of being invisible. For the past two years she hasn't spoken to anyone or looked anyone in the eyes. Everyone thinks she's brain damaged. But Lily has a secret. A secret she's never told anyone. One day a new girl, Tinny, shows up in town and discovers one of Lily's secrets: she's not brain damaged. And Lily knows right away that Tinny is trouble.

Lily has read every Nancy Drew book in her school's library and she considers herself to be a pretty good spy. Plus, since people tend to look right past her, she notices things that other people might miss. Lily decides to keep her eye on Tinny and find out what the deal is. Tinny is hiding something. Just like Lily's hiding something. And if they can find the courage to tell, they just might find forgiveness.

For me, this book had the perfect buildup of suspense. I was hooked right from the beginning when I found out that Lily was hiding something. It takes awhile to find out exactly what happened to Lily two years ago, but the climax was not disappointing. It was a little heartbreaking, actually.

I love the portrait of small-town Illinois. The quirky characters of Fern, Miss Pearl, and Miss Opal really gave the book flavor and even some comic relief. The book has a sort of timeless quality. It could be three years ago (at least that was when the cicadas swarmed southern Indiana) or it could be twenty years ago.

I guess my one quibble is that Tinny's story didn't quite sit right with me. I loved her and her trouble-making ways until we got to the end and learned what Tinny's secret was. I'm not sure why, but it didn't seem realistic. I loved Lily's story and the unfolding of her secret. And I get that Tinny's secret brings the girls together and instigates the action at the end of the book. But it just didn't ring true to me. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'm not giving specifics... Those of you who read it, what do you think?

I'm hearing Newbery buzz about this one and I think it makes a fine contender. See other reviews by Jen and Shelf Elf. It's been listed for the Anokaberry, ACPL's Mock Newbery, and one of Joanna's favorite books of 2008. Be sure and check out Andrea Beaty's website and Three Silly Chicks where she blogs about funny books for kids.

Art for Everyone

2008-07-22T07:11:00.000-05:00

Last year, I co-wrote a grant along with a librarian from Adult Services. We were fortunate enough to win an Emerging Grant Writers' Grant from LSTA and we used the grant funds this summer for our Art for Everyone series. The idea was to hire local artists and purchase all supplies so that patrons could come in and try their hand at an art form they might not otherwise have been able to try. It fits it nicely with our Master the Art of Reading summer reading club theme. We booked three adult programs and three children's programs and I'd like to talk about the children's programs for just a bit.

At the beginning of the summer we hired a lady to do a family workshop on face painting. She brought all the paint, mirrors, brushes, etc. and families had a great time painting themselves and each other.

In June, we brought in an art teacher from our local school district to do a program about Chinese ink painting for grade-school kids. Not only does this tie in with the upcoming summer Olympics, but my library currently has on loan a pair of Chinese lion statues. With the funds from the grant we were able to purchase ink sticks, bamboo brushes, ink stones, liquid watercolor paint, and more so that the kids could create a really unique project. It was tons of fun and the kids were really creative.

In July, we brought in an art teacher from a local art school and she did a program with acrylics for preschoolers. Each child got a square of stuff canvas and used these little metal tools to put paint on their canvas and spread it around. We got some really colorful masterpieces and the kids got to try a different art form that they may never have gotten to try otherwise.

It's been a great series and I've gotten some great experience writing the grant and the subsequent reports that go along with it. One big thing that I took away from this experience is to use your local resources. The art teachers we booked for the programs were great. They had experience working with kids and brought really fun projects for them to do. It's been a great addition to our summer programming!

Thinking about YA

2008-07-19T12:32:00.003-05:00

Liz just posted about Margo Rabb's essay in the New York Times: I'm Y.A., and I'm O.K. and it's perfect timing because YA is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. For me, YA tends to be "guilty pleasure" reading. Okay, I know, I know. Officially I don't believe in "guilty pleasure" reading. I'm a librarian. I respect everyone's right to read whatever they want to read.

But the fact of the matter is, my department serves kids up through 8th grade. So children's books and middle-grade novels can be considered helpful to my job. And when I read great adult books, I can recommend them to my mom or my aunts or my non-librarian friends*. And somehow YA gets left along the wayside, even though I love it so. I don't tend to make it a priority.

So what I've been planning is my Celebration of YA Literature, coming this fall. Since I'm taking time to read adult books this summer (due in no small part to my local library's Adult Summer Reading Club), this fall I'm taking time to read all the awesome YA books on my TBR list. I can read books for the SRC until August 31, so starting September 1 it's all about the YA.

It actually works out nicely since Teen Read Week is in October. I'm just kind of... expanding it for a month or so on each side. ;) And I'm working on a great TBR list. I've already got way, way more than I'll actually be able to read in a season and I'm so excited about digging in to all these great books!

It's funny because when I actually was a Young Adult, I definitely felt the stigma of YA lit and tended to avoid that section at the bookstore. Of course, once I started picking up some YA titles, I realized how great that "genre" is and now the YA shelves are often my first stop in the bookstore or library. It's a total shame that some adults feel like YA is beneath them and I suppose it's up to librarians, booksellers, and authors to show them how great books can be.

* And yes, I know I can and should recommend YA books to my friends... I know some of them will be more receptive than others. And I'm intrigued by Liz's idea of recommending YA books and not mentioning that they're YA... HMM.

Totally Off Topic

2008-07-18T07:45:00.002-05:00

This has nothing to do with librarianship or kidlit, but I really, really think you all should go over to www.drhorrible.com and check out Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. If you like Joss Whedon, musicals, evil geniuses, or things that are awesome, you will love it. It's up for free on the web until Sunday, so don't delay!

And now back to your regularly scheduled blog reading...

A Day in the Life of a Children's Librarian

2008-07-18T07:11:00.000-05:00

8:30a - Arrive at work, put lunch away, check email

8:40a - Make to-do list for the day, create budget sheet for my audio orders for this fiscal year

8:55a - Work on audiobooks order. I order all our children's audiobooks and audio book-and-CD kits. I recently finished weeding the audio cassettes and kits, so in addition to our regular standing orders I have a wish list I'm working on. It's quite fun and I've discovered a love for audiobooks since starting this job!

10:15a - Turn in my audio order for the month, get together with J in the story room to practice the storytelling program we're doing

11:00a - Finished going through our program, I head back to the office to plan our upcoming preschool educator night. Update my monthly report, chat with my boss about our new Flickr account

11:45a - Head outside to do our oral storytelling program (Garden Tales). J tells Beware the Bears and The Most Wonderful Egg in the World and I tell Epossumondas. We do rhymes and songs in between the stories. Families are invited to bring picnic lunches and eat while we entertain. We do this two or three times a summer and it's always well attended.

12:45p - Clean up Garden Tales and head inside (ahhh air-conditioning!)

1p-2p - Lunch time!

2:00p - Back in the office, go through PUBYAC emails, draft and send various communications about upcoming outreach programs

3:00-4:00p - On desk. In between signing up and checking in kids for the Summer Reading Club, here's what I am asked:

Do you have Twilight? (Yes, but there is a long holds list.)

Can I get the "real people" 101 Dalmatians? (By "real people" she meant the live-action version and we do not own it. I ILL it for her.)

Where are Judy Moody audiobooks? (I walk her over to the audiobooks and we find the one she wants.)

4:00p - Off desk, I head back to the office and work on my list for our storytime planning books. We do storytime sessions in the fall and spring and we plan them out ahead of time. It took some getting used to, but now I find it really convenient to have books and alternate formats already pulled. We're trying something a little different this fall, having drop-in programs instead of registered storytimes, so we'll see how it goes!

5:00p - Time to go home!

Audiobook Roundup: Time for a Road Trip!

2008-07-15T07:11:00.000-05:00

'Tis the season for car trips and I've taken a couple over the past weeks. I love having audiobooks in the car and I've listened to some great ones on my trips! I posted about some non-fiction titles yesterday and here are the novels I listened to:

Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver, read by Ian McKellen. I am a huge, huge fan of this series, but I had never heard the audio recordings. I'd heard that they were fabulous... and they totally are! All the action and drama in the story are unleashed by Ian McKellen's great reading. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was delighted by the way he creates different tones and voices for each character. This is a great listen and I highly recommend it for families with middle school or older kids (or just for adults!).

Crash by Jerry Spinelli, read by Jeff Woodman. John "Crash" Coogan has always crashed through life. He's a jock and a bit of a jerk, caring more about clothing labels and sports than anything else, but his favorite pastime is making fun of his dweeby neighbor Penn Webb. Penn is a vegetarian and a pacifist and always seems to go against the grain. While Crash plays football, Penn tries out for the cheerleading team. But as seventh grade goes on, Crash just might find that he and Penn have more in common than he ever thought. I hate to designate anything as being "for boys" or "for girls", but this would be a great book for your reluctant readers. I think it's something middle school boys would definitely identify with and there are lots of items for discussion. It'd be a great book to read or listen to with the whole family and then discuss afterwards. Plus, it's funny and there are lots of sports.

This is what I've been listening to recently... how about you?

Audiobook Roundup: Non-Fiction

2008-07-14T07:11:00.000-05:00

I've had the pleasure of listening to some great non-fiction audiobooks on a couple of road trips this summer. I think non-fiction is a great choice for family listening, especially with older kids, because you can find something that is interesting for everyone. Or you might find something you didn't know you were interested in... So here's what I've been listening to:

Marley: A Dog Like No Other by John Grogran, read by Neil Patrick Harris. This is an adaptation of the bestselling Marley and Me and it's expertly narrated by Harris. Y'all know the story... Marley is a goofy, naughty, but loveable lab who gets into scrapes, is filmed in a movie, and enriches the Grogan family's lives more than they ever thought possible. I loved listening to it, but I'm not sure who I would recommend it to because the ending is, well, quite sad. So, that's one red flag for listening on road trips... I was teary throughout the fourth disc...

The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman, read by Sharon Washington. Marian Anderson was an internationally acclaimed singer in the 1930s and '40s. Internationally acclaimed, and yet she still couldn't book some venues in the United States because she was black. In this fascinating biography, Freedman explores Anderson's life from her under-resourced roots in Philadelphia to her friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt to her success performing in countries around the world. I didn't know anything about Anderson before listening to this book, but I found her story absorbing and important. A great choice for families with upper elementary or middle school students.

Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, read by Kathrin Kana. This book tells the story of children and young adults growing up in Nazi Germany. The reparations from World War I had hit Germany hard and the Nazi party promised jobs and money. Children joined the Hitler Youth, not knowing that the Nazis were committing such atrocities. Bartoletti concentrates on a handful of German youth, each with a different and interesting story. I was especially interested by the kids who found out the Nazis were lying to them and participated in resistance movements. This is definitely a choice for older kids - middle school and high school.

I think all these books would make great family listens because they're interesting to a range of people and they provide material for lots of discussion. And happy Non-Fiction Monday! Check out the round-up at Picture Book of the Day!

A Non-Review: The Underneath

2008-07-12T07:11:00.001-05:00

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt with illustrations by David Small. (Grades... 4-7?)

I'm not going to review this one. Nope. Uh-uh. Pretty much everyone and their mother has already reviewed it, so I'm going to point you to their reviews and just tell you that I LOVED IT. It's sad and violent and lyrical and hopeful... Truly, I think it's the best book I've read in a long time.

If it's on your TBR list, bump it up.

Or if you'd like, y'know, more information than some random librarian in Illinois loved it, you could check out the following reviews:

A Fuse #8 Production
Sarah Miller: Reading, Writing, Musing
The Reading Zone
educating alice
A Year of Reading - Franki
AYear of Reading - Mary Lee
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Becky's Book Reviews
The Goddess of YA Literature

(Do you SEE why I cannot possibly review this book? What could I possibly say that is different from all these heavy-hitting reviewers?)

The Underneath is also in the running for the ACPL Mock Newbery (so if you've read it, feel free to add your comments).

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-07-11T07:11:00.001-05:00

Today's my birthday and in celebration, I thought I'd share some picture books for a birthday-themed storytime!

Otto has a Birthday Party by Todd Parr. I love the goofy humor and super bright illustrations in Todd Parr's books. In this one, Otto the dog throws a birthday party, but all the gifts he receives are not quite what he wants (underpants that are too small?! Yipes!). This is a silly book that will get the kids laughing!

The Cake that Mack Ate by Rose Robart. A cumulative story that's a variation of The House that Jack Built, this story starts with the egg that went into the cake that Mack ate and continues all the way to the farmer's wife who baked the cake that Mack ate. A cumulative story is a great way to get the kids chiming in and the unexpected ending is a sure crowd-pleaser.

Whopper Cake by Karma Wilson. I'm sure I've mentioned my undying love for Karma Wilson, right? Well, Whopper Cake is another favorite. Unlike one of my coworkers who is creeped out by larger-than-life food, I really enjoy this story of a doting husband creating the world's largest cake for his wife's birthday. It's so big, they can't mix it in a bowl, they have to mix it in the bed of a pickup truck! And the fun doesn't stop there. It may be a little long for younger audiences, but the bright pictures and rhyming text make it great for storytime.

I am Invited to a Party! by Mo Willems. Piggie is invited to a party, but she's never been to one before and she's not really sure what to expect. Luckily, Elephant knows parties and comes up with all kinds of outfits in case of any possibility. And when it might be a fancy party, a pool party, or a costume party, the outfits get pretty silly indeed!

A Birthday for Cow! by Jan Thomas. Thomas, creator of the hilarious What Will Fat Cat Sit On? brings us another book sure to have them giggling. (Have you noticed that I prefer silly/funny books for my storytimes?) The animals are making a birthday cake for cow and duck keeps trying to add a special ingredient... Will cow like his birthday cake? Bright pictures and simple text make this a new storytime favorite for me.

The Birthday Box by Leslie Patricelli. When he gets a present from Grandma, this young child eagerly unwraps it and finds the perfect present... a box! With a little dose of imagination this box can be anything! It's perfect for standing on or hugging... and eventually he might discover that what's inside is even better! (Or maybe he'll just keep playing with the box...)

So, there you have several of my favorite birthday picture books. What are your favorites??

Day in the Life of a Children's Librarian

2008-07-10T07:11:00.001-05:00

8:20am - Arrive at work, put lunch away, fill out review slips for employee summer reading club, return books

8:30am - Organize desk, check email, go over the storytime I'll be doing later, check with other staff members going on outreach this morning to make sure we're all on the same page

9:30-11:30 - Outreach program at local neighborhood. We bring books for families to check out, sign kids up and check them in for the summer reading club, have a storytime and do a craft. This week I read Minerva Louise, Tanka Tanka Skunk, Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, and Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? (and had them retell it with velcro pieces). We also sang a few songs and did a craft.

11:30 - Back at the library, I put together the narrative report for the grant I co-wrote and get that mailed off. Call the winner of our weekly prize drawing for the middle school SRC and leave a message telling him he's won.

12-1pm - Lunch time!

1-4pm - On the reference desk. In between signing kids up and checking kids in for the summer reading club, here's a sampling of questions I was asked:

Where are the shark books?

J597.3

Do you have any novels about gymnastics?

She was already looking at the American Gold Gymnasts series, so I gave her The Gymnastics Mystery and Megan's Balancing Act. She took both.

What are some good books for 4th- and 5th-grade boys?

I handed her the lists we update every year for summer reading. We keep spiral bound copies at the reference desk and the SRC table.

What programs do you have in July?

Gave her a copy of our calendar and let her know the schedule's on the website as well.

Can I sign up to put my collection in a display case?

Absolutely! Signed her up to bring in a collection next year.

Do you have any books about the Jonas Brothers or Hannah Montana?

No to the Jonas Brothers, but yes to Hannah Montana. Showed her the books and also pointed out the High School Musical books which were one shelf down.

4:00pm - Back in the office, go over Wednesday's storytime with J, we pick out books to read and songs to sing

4:15 - Work on planning a middle school craft program we've scheduled for August. We're doing back-to-school crafts inspired by a couple of posts I read on The YA YA YAs

4:35 - Am starving, so take quick break to grab a donut in the staff room. Our new director started today, so there were donuts! Yay!

4:50 - Tidy up desk and make to-do list for tomorrow

5:00 - Time to go home!

See Mom (and Dad!!) Read

2008-07-08T07:11:00.000-05:00

I'd like to take a few minutes here and post about a phenomenon that was not common where I grew up or where I went to school. That phenomenon? Adult Summer Reading Clubs. I love 'em!

Before moving here to the library-rich suburbs of Chicago, I'd never seen a library that held a Summer Reading Club for adults. The library I worked at while in grad school does have a winter reading program for adults, which is a great idea. Winter, summer, I'm totally in support of it.

In terms of developing literacy, one of the best things parents can do is read themselves. Seriously. It seems like such a simple thing, but I think it's a really potent thing. Kids watch their parents. They want to emulate them. If they see their grownups enjoying books and making time to read, they'll want to know what all the fuss is about. They'll be eager to learn how to read.

And is it easier to get a kid to do something they want to do or something they don't want to do? Exactly.

My library runs Summer Reading Clubs for every age (including a staff SRC). And I, of course, signed up for the Summer Reading Club at my home library. (Yes, Chicagoland is so library-rich that I live five miles down the road from the library at which I work and I actually live directly behind a different library in a different library district!) Not that anyone ever needs an excuse to read anything, but I feel like the SRC gives me an "excuse" to read grownup books. It's easy to get caught up in all the children's and YA literature that I love to read and need to read for my job. This summer I'm making sure to take time to read adult books.

So far this summer I've read the following adult books:

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
ridiculous/hilarious/terrible/cool: a year in an american high school by Elisha Cooper
Prey by Michael Crichton (which I reviewed since I read it for the 48 Hour Book Challenge)
State of Fear by Michael Crichton
I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Zlata's Diary by Zlata Filipovic (arguably 'tween or YA reading, but found in the adult section of my library, which means it counts!)
Naked by David Sedaris

I'm currently in the middle of The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger and I have a big stack of "grownup books" waiting for me.

So, I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here, but I think it's important for parents to read and to make time for it. And any way the library can promote that idea, well, I think it's awesome.

Book Review: George Washington Carver

2008-07-07T07:11:00.001-05:00

George Washington Carver by Tanya Bolden. (Grades 4-6.)

There was much more to George Washington Carver than peanuts (though I admit that prior to reading this book, I thought of him as the "Peanut Man", too).

George Carver was born in Missouri during the Civil War. When his mother, a slave, was kidnapped, George was raised by the family that owned him. Since he was a young child, George had a thirst for knowledge. He loved the outdoors and nature. Neighborhood folk came to him with their gardening questions and George was able to help them. They called him the "Plant Doctor". George was handy and crafty and he could fashion tools from things around the farm. He also painted, creating paintbrushes and paints from plants that he found.

Eventually George went to school and to college and graduate school. He studied and learned more and more about plants, believing that everything humans needed could be fashioned from growing things. He became a professor of agriculture and was recruited by Booker T. Washington to teach at the Tuskegee Institute, a school for African-Americans. The South during Reconstruction was a bleak place. The soil was exhausted from continuous cotton growing. The people were uneducated and under-resourced.

Carver taught classes in agriculture, encouraging people to respect nature and not just take from it. He spread his teachings to people he met every day, on the street, in church, etc. He prepared pamphlets with gardening tips and advice on how to use plants in many different ways. And yes, he developed many, many uses for plants such as peanuts, soybeans, and sweet potatoes.

Carver lived a life of study, finding practical applications for nature's bounty, and educating his fellow men. This biography tells his story in an interesting and accessible way. Tons of photographs accompany the text, bringing the man and his plants to life. I had no idea that there was so much more to the "Peanut Man" and that it would be such an interesting story. Weeks after reading it, Carver's story is still in my head! Hand this one to science buffs, ecologists, or anyone wanting a great biography.

Be sure and check out The Brown Bookshelf's interview with Tanya Bolden. I'll certainly be checking out more of her books. You can read more reviews at Fuse #8 and Check It Out.

Annnnd happy Non-Fiction Monday! Check out the other posts over at Picture Book of the Day.

Book Review: Debbie Harry Sings in French

2008-07-05T19:11:00.000-05:00

Debbie Harry Sings in French by Meagan Brothers. (Grades 9-12.)

Johnny has had a difficult life. His dad died when he was 12 and his mom collapsed inside herself, leaving Johnny to take care of the house and the bills and everything. To dull the stress, Johnny turned to alcohol and eventually found himself in rehab at the age of 16. When he gets out of rehab, his mom decides she can't deal with him and she sends him to South Carolina to live with his uncle. Johnny finds himself living with a new family, attending a private school where the jocks beat him up every day, and coping with his addiction by listening obsessively to Blondie. He first heard them in rehab and he immediately fell in love with Debbie Harry. But it's not so much that he wants to be with her... more like he wants to be her. She just seems so strong and sure of herself, like the person Johnny wants to be.

This is a great coming-of-age story. With music as an essential part of the plot and the main character's rather naive view of the world, it really reminded me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower (which was the book we all passed around obsessively at my high school). I love that Johnny finds a strong father figure in his uncle and that his uncle is so open-minded. Throughout the book, Johnny questions whether he might be gay. He doesn't think he is, but the thought of putting on a little white dress and lip syncing to Heart of Glass is actually quite appealing... I love that his questioning is a natural thing. Johnny's figuring out who he is and if being gay is part of that package, he's okay with it.

Read more reviews at Oops...Wrong Cookie, Reading Rants, and Worth the Trip.

Much thanks to the publisher Henry Holt for sending this book along with my copy of The Adoration of Jenna Fox! It was a very pleasant surprise!

Book Review: The Adoration of Jenna Fox

2008-07-02T19:02:00.004-05:00

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson. (Grades 7+)

In a future America where overuse of antibiotics has led to the existence of super-bacteria that cannot be cured and genetic engineering has wiped out some species of plants, Jenna Fox was in a car accident. She doesn't remember the accident. In fact, she doesn't remember much of anything. And her parents aren't providing the answers she needs.

Jenna knows that they recently moved across the country. She knows that she used to have two best friends, but they're not around anymore. She knows that her grandmother seems to hate her, but she doesn't know why. And she knows that something fishy is going on.

As Jenna starts to remember more about her life, she uncovers exactly what happened to her. And she finds out just how far her parents would go to keep her from dying.

I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book from Amanda's giveaway and I devoured it immediately. I've read bunches of great reviews of this title and I was eager to sink my teeth into it. Why was I intrigued?

First of all, it's sci-fi with a girl for a main character. It seems like our local schools always end up giving a science fiction reading assignment and it can be such a struggle to find sci-fi that appeals to girls (if they're not already fans of the genre, that is).

Secondly, it's set in a well-imagined future America with problems that could really conceivably happen. It's future, but it's a future that seems so real that one could imagine it might not be that far off.

Thirdly, I've really been into amnesia books this year and this definitely has some flavors of that as well.

The book is totally gripping. The reader finds out what's going on as Jenna begins to uncover what happened to her. For the first half of the book I couldn't put it down because I wanted to know What Happened to Jenna?! I had my theories and they were partly right. For me, it was the perfect building of suspense, the perfect amount of clues and uncovered information. The answer wasn't obvious, but by the time we got there, it wasn't totally out of left field either.

So the first half of the book is completely suspenseful. The second half of the book was really intriguing because we get to see how Jenna deals with the information she finds out. She realizes just how much her parents wanted to save her, but she also figures out that she can make some decisions on her own. Her whole life Jenna was this perfect little girl on her mommy and daddy's pedestal, but now she can essentially start over. Will she want her life to be the same as it was? Or might she want to change some things?

I really, really enjoyed this book and the more I think about it the more I really like it. I'd hand it to fans of The House of the Scorpion or anyone looking for a great sci-fi read.

Read more reviews at The Well-Read Child, Becky's Book Reviews, Jen Robinson's Book Page, Reading Rants!, The YA YA YAs, and oh so many more... Mary E. Pearson was interviewed for the Summer Blog Blast Tour and wrote a guest post over at Teen Book Review.

Many thanks again to Amanda for holding the drawing and to Henry Holt for giving away copies! This'll end up as a prize book in our teen silent auction at the end of the summer, so the love will be shared!

Book Review: Albino Animals

2008-06-30T07:11:00.001-05:00

Albino Animals by Kelly Milner Halls. (Grades 4-6.)

Albino animals are animals that have no pigment in their bodies. Their fur and skin appear white (or pink) and their eyes are bright red because without pigment you can see the blood vessels. This book by Kelly Milner Halls gives an interesting introduction to all kinds of albino animals.

Did you know that plants can be albino? (They don't survive past seedlings because they lack chlorophyll and can't make food.) Did you know that there have been albino penguins, buffaloes, bats, cats, dogs, and locusts? Find all of these animals and more in this photo-rich book.

Halls begins with a description of albinism and how it occurs genetically. It's very rare and albino animals often can't survive in the wild. Small animals are obvious to predators and even large animals are susceptible to the sun's rays. Without pigment their skin and eyes are sensitive to UV rays.

Photos accompany information about each of the albino animals presented in this book. Since they are so rare, most of the information is presented as case studies. Side boxes provide additional facts and answers about the animals. Halls has obviously done her research and she provides an extensive bibliography at the end of the book. It's no wonder that this book won a Benjamin Franklin Award in 2005.

This is a topic that will surely be of interest to kids and with the great photos and interesting facts, it practically booktalks itself.

Stiletto Storytime and Bibliotheque Air have more reviews and The Reading Zone listed Albino Animals as a hot book in her classroom this year.

Happy Nonfiction Monday, everybody! Anastasia's got the roundup.

Not going to Anaheim?

2008-06-28T23:03:00.002-05:00

Never fear... A Fuse #8 Production is covering the whole experience via video blog. Head on over there and check it out.

Around the interwebs

2008-06-27T16:01:00.000-05:00

Debbie Reese discusses Quileute werewolves in Twilight: post 1 and post 2.

(Thanks for Fuse #8 for the link.)

Speaking of Betsy, she reminds us that we're halfway through the year and has posted her list of Newbery and Caldecott likelies (so far). Got any you want to add? Head on over to her blog and add to the comments.

Walter over at The Monkey Speaks points us to two articles at Reading Rockets that give tips to get dads involved with their children's developing literacy skills.

You'll definitely want to head over to the Class of 2k8 and check out their Book Reviewer Hot Seat. They're interviewing the big names in kidlit blogging reviewers. They're all interesting and contain great tips whether you're a blogging reviewer yourself or an author interested in submitting a book for review. I know it's short notice, but head on over there and comment on the interviews by June 29 and you can be entered to win some great books by 2k8 members!

Book Review: Stuart Little

2008-06-27T07:11:00.001-05:00

Stuart Little by E.B. White. (Grades 3-6.)

Upon reading the book Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little, I realized that I had not actually read Stuart Little. Of course, I set out to rectify that situation.

When Mr. and Mrs. Little's second child turned out to be a mouse, they were certainly surprised, but they set about providing for him just as they would have if he were human. Mr. Little made him a tiny bed out of a cigarette box and four clothespins. Mrs. Little made him some smart mouse-sized clothes. And life went on. Stuart turned out to be a smart, kind, hard-working mouse who liked to sail boats and fell in love with a bird named Margalo.

Coming to it as an adult, I found the whole story to be a bit weird and definitely bittersweet.

First of all, there's the fact that no one is upset or perturbed that Stuart is a mouse. Everyone - the Littles, the doctor, shopkeepers, strangers in Central Park - just accepts that there is this talking mouse wearing clothes and going about his business. Of course, the family also talks with their cat Snowbell, so there's that.

Secondly, Stuart falls in love with a bird. When Margalo is scared off by threats from local cats, Stuart sets out to find her and along the way he is introduced to a tiny human who might be a perfect match for him. No one seems perturbed that there is a two-inch human in this little town. The girl doesn't seem to mind going on a date with a mouse. The whole thing is very weird.
Thirdly, there is an invisible car. I guess the thing is that this book feels so real, so down-to-earth, that when these little fantasy things come up it feels strange to me. Obviously, the whole book is fantasy. Mice don't talk or wear little suits or sail boats. But since Stuart is just accepted into a human world, it doesn't feel like the fantasy I'm used to reading.

The whole time I was reading, I couldn't stop thinking of Stuart as a symbol... Maybe for children who are sometimes too small for the world they are living in. Maybe for any number of under-resourced populations who go up against huge obstacles just to live their lives. Ultimately Stuart gets where he is going. But while he has lots of physical obstacles, he doesn't really meet anyone who tries to stop him. No one looks up and says "Hey, you're a mouse! You can't ride the bus!"

So, I dunno... Probably I am way overthinking it and I'm sure I wouldn't have thought about it that way if I was reading it as a nine-year-old.

Overall, I'm glad I read it. I found it to be a sweet story. I wanted it to go on and on and I was disappointed when it ended because I wanted to know more about Stuart's journey. And I haven't seen the movie of Stuart Little, but I can already tell you that the white CGI mouse was NOT AT ALL how I imagined Stuart Little.

By the way, E.B. White and I share the same birthday! (Not the year, obviously.)

Book Review: Greetings from Nowhere

2008-06-25T07:11:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Nowhere by Barbara O'Connor. (Grades 4-7.)

Book trailers work. At least, for me they work. Awhile back, Betsy posted the book trailer for Greetings from Nowhere over on A Fuse #8 Production. I didn't know anything about the book and I was immediately sucked in by the trailer. The music, the images... I wanted to read it.

Well. I read it. And I loved it.

Greetings from Nowhere is the story of four people. Aggie, Willow, Kirby, and Loretta are each missing something. Aggie is missing her husband Harold who has recently died and left the Sleepy Time Motel in her care. Without Harold, Aggie's not sure how she can take care of the place, even though she loves it so.

Enter Willow. Willow's mother has left the family and her parents are divorced. When Willow's dad Clyde sees a for-sale ad for the Sleepy Time Motel, he thinks he's found a way to start a completely new life. So he uproots Willow and takes her with him to buy a motel in the Smoky Mountains.

Enter Kirby and Loretta. Kirby and Loretta each come to stay at the Sleepy Time Motel for very different reasons. Kirby is on his way to a strict boarding school, a last-chance school since he caused so much trouble in his previous schools. He has anger bottled up inside of him because of a no-show father and an emotionally abusive mother and it makes him mean. Because no one's ever liked him, he sees no reason to be pleasant or to try and open up to people. They'll only disappoint him.

Loretta is pretty much the polar opposite of Kirby. She's upbeat, friendly, and talkative. She can see the silver lining to everything. She's at the Sleepy Time Motel because of a bracelet. Loretta was adopted as a baby and her birth mother has died. Loretta received a package with all her "other" mother's belongings, including a charm bracelet with charms from different places. Deciding to visit one of the places from the charm bracelet, Loretta's family ended up at the Smoky Mountains and Loretta begins searching for that nameless something she didn't know was missing in the first place.

All four of them come together at the Sleepy Time Motel and they'll all change each others' lives.

I found this book to be unspeakably sad, but also terrifically hopeful. Certain passages made me teary right from the beginning, like this one where Aggie has realized that she'll have to sell the motel:

"For Sale, she wrote, and felt a jab in her heart.

Sleepy Time Motel. Shawnee Gap, North Carolina.

Another jab.

Ten lovely rooms with mountain view. Swimming pool. Tomato garden.

Jab, jab.

For sale by owners, Harold and Agnes Duncan.

Then she felt a jab that nearly knocked her over. Her hand trembled so much she could hardly keep the pen on the paper as she scratched out Harold's name." (pg 8)

The book is totally focused on the characters and I loved each one of them. I only wish we could know more about the secondary characters, particularly Willow's dad and Kirby's mom who are both portrayed as kind of awful. I'd love to see the story from their points of view, too. I thought Ms. O'Connor did a great job of keeping each of their voices separate. Each chapter has an illustration of the mountains or motel with the character's name. I noticed that as the story moves along, Willow, Kirby, and Loretta all have the same picture throughout, but Aggie's changes. It's like she's such a part of this place, of the motel, of the mountains, that she embodies all of it. Every part of the setting is in her.

And the setting is another thing I loved about this book. I could see the mountains, the dried-up swimming pool, the weedy parking lot, the musty rooms, the tomato garden... it all really came alive for me.

I thought this book was excellent.

I poked around a bit and haven't come across much Newbery buzz, but I'd be happy to throw it out there for consideration. Becky gave it four stars, Karen read it out loud to her class (and posted about their reactions), Franki loved it, Megan loved it, and it's on the short list for the Anokaberry (so that's some Newbery buzz, at least!).

Book Review: Ain't Nothing But a Man

2008-06-23T07:11:00.000-05:00

Ain't Nothing But a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry by Scott Reynolds Nelson with Marc Aronson. (Grades 5-8.)

When John Henry was a little bitty baby
Sitting on his daddy's knee
Well, he picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel
He said this hammer's going to be the death of me

(pg 9)

John Henry is an American hero. Legend has it that he raced a steam-powered drill tunneling through a mountain to carve out a path for train tracks. Legend has it that he beat the drill and then he laid down and died.

Research tells us that John Henry was a real person. But who was he? Where did he come from? How did he come to work laying down railroad track? Did he really beat a steam-powered drill? And did he really die right after?

Scott Reynolds Nelson didn't initially set out to find the answers to these questions. He was first interested in the African American men who laid railroad track in the South. Some 40,000 men whose names were lost though their contribution to the railroad system was great. And Nelson's story isn't just a historical report about Reconstruction South and the building of the railroad. His story is a scavenger hunt, a detective story about how he tracked down the real John Henry.

This book is chock full of photos, maps, and paintings depicting the railroad workers and John Henry. That was one of the first things I found really appealing. This book is a visual treat.

I found the subject matter pretty appealing. The true story of an American legend. I didn't know anything about John Henry and I had no idea that he was a real person. But even more than the facts about John Henry, I enjoyed reading about Nelson's tricky path to research. He met dead ends more than once and it took some creative thinking to keep moving forward. Of course, the more you find out about history, the more questions come to mind. This is a must-read for young historians. I'd also recommend it to anyone interested in trains, American tall tales, or African-American history.

Appendices give further information on John Henry's origins, tips for budding historians, suggestions for further research, and an author's note about his sources.

Happy Nonfiction Monday! Be sure and check out the roundup over at Picture Book of the Day!

Book Review: Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little

2008-06-22T11:04:00.003-05:00

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford. (Grades 2-5.)

It's the day before the first day of fourth grade for Moxy Maxwell and Moxy has a problem. She's had all summer to read Stuart Little, but she somehow never found time to read it. It's not that she doesn't like to read. She does. She just doesn't like reading what other people tell her she has to read.

Here are some of the things Moxy finds more appealing than reading Stuart Little:

- Cleaning her room

- Planting a peach orchard

- Training her dog Mudd

- Inventing a word for "more extreme than extremely extreme"

But Moxy must read Stuart Little or there will be consequences. Will she read it? Or can she find another way to wiggle out of doing it?

I think one of the neatest things about this book are the illustrations. The book is illustrated with photographs, purportedly taken by Moxy's twin brother Mark to document her procrastination. I can't think of another fiction chapter book I've read with photo illustrations, so that certainly makes this book stand out.

Another thing I liked about the book is that it has extremely short chapters. There are 42 chapters in this 92-page book. The interesting illustrations and short chapters make it a perfect choice for reluctant readers, although I think this book will appeal to voracious readers as well. Fans of Clementine, Junie B., and Ramona are sure to giggle along as Moxy thinks up her next scheme to get out of reading Stuart Little. And kids will identify with not wanting to read a book just because someone says they have to.

I have to admit that I found myself getting stressed out as I read because I just wanted to march Moxy up to her room and force her to READ THE BOOK! I can identify much more with Moxy's brother Mark who read the book on the first day of summer and got it out of the way. So, as you can see, I was totally caught up in this book. It's a great choice for summer reading or for back to school.

Incidentally, there is a sequel coming out in August: Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank-You Notes. I am thoroughly looking forward to that one. You can find more reviews at Book Nut, Miss Erin, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, and Deliciously Clean Reads. Also, don't forget that it was nominated for a 2007 Cybil Award.

Incidentally, after reading this book I realized that I had somehow missed reading Stuart Little as a child. Of course, I immediately rectified that situation. Look for my thoughts on the mouse later this week.

RIP Tasha Tudor

2008-06-19T18:08:00.002-05:00

Tasha Tudor has died at the age of 92.

My family has a copy of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas that has her illustrations and we still read it together every year on Christmas Eve.

Around the interwebs

2008-06-18T07:11:00.001-05:00

The Crafty Crow pointed me to this blog post about journaling for pre-writers: What Color Was Your Day? I think it sounds like an excellent, easy idea for parents of young ones. When we have preschoolers signing up for the Summer Reading Club, I always ask them if they'd like to write their names on their folder. Even if it's completely illegible, it's still great practice for them and most of them love to do it!

Also, I almost hate to tell you think since it lessens MY chances of winning, but A Patchwork of Books and Jen Robinson's Book Page are BOTH giving away copies of The Adoration of Jenna Fox. To be entered in their drawings, just head over to their blogs and leave a comment on the giveaway posts.

What are you doing on June 28th? If you've got nothing planned, think about taking part in the 24-Hour Read-a-thon hosted by The Hidden Side of a Leaf. This year readers have the option of reading to benefit Reading is Fundamental by collecting pledges. It sounds like a great time! Alas, I will be out of town and I think I'm still worn out from MotherReader's 48-Hour Book Challenge.

Book Review: Suite Scarlett

2008-06-17T07:11:00.000-05:00

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson. (Grades 7+)

Scarlett Martin is pretty sure it's going to be a totally boring summer. All her best friends have left New York to do fun things because their families have lots of money. Scarlett is stuck in NYC working at her family's run-down hotel. But things start looking a little more interesting when a wealthy, eccentric actress moves into the hotel for the summer. And then Scarlett meets Eric, a hunky actor who's friends with her brother. Maybe this summer won't be so boring after all...

I first fell in love with Scarlett and her family. Spencer, Lola, Scarlett, and Marlene. They each have a really separate personality and they each seemed so real to me. I'm not a huge fan of the wacky family in books, but the Martins are quirky without being TOO quirky. The parents are around in the background, adding just enough supervision to make things seem real. I would love to step into this book and be a part of the Martin family. Likewise, I cared about each of the characters and I wish I could spend more time with them and get to know them more. (And I will get to do just that, apparently, because it appears that there is a sequel in the works... hooray!)

Secondly, I fell in love with the NYC setting of this novel. Maureen Johnson's descriptions are great and I felt like I was there, baking in the heat of a New York summer.

Great characters, a great setting, and a summer caper to rival all other summer capers. What else could you ask for to kick off your summer reading?

More reviews at bookshelves of doom, Miss Erin, and Little Willow (and Lisa's got some thoughts on the cover). And, of course, you'll want to check out Maureen Johnson's blog.