Abby (the) Librarian

Nonfiction Monday Round-Up!

2009-11-09T00:01:00.001-05:00

I am happy to host this week's Nonfiction Monday round-up! Please leave a comment with a link to your post and I'll compile and post throughout the day. I'm excited to see what nonfiction everyone's been reading this week!

In My Mailbox #11

2009-11-08T07:11:00.001-05:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. I'm not going to post about Cybils nominee review copies that I receive (but I will probably do a post about them at some point). So besides Cybils review copies, here's what was in my mailbox this week:

The Sky Always Hears Me And the Hills Don't Mind by Kirstin Cronn-Mills. Flux, September 2009. Here's the publisher's summary:

Sixteen-year-old Morgan lives in a hick town in the middle of Nebraska. College is two years away. Her mom was killed in a car accident when she was three, her dad drinks, and her stepmom is a non-entity. Her boyfriend Derek is boring and her coworker Rob has a very cute butt that she can't stop staring at. Then there's the kiss she shared with her classmate Tessa...
But when Morgan discovers that the one person in the world she trusted most has kept a devastating secret from her, Morgan must redefine her life and herself.

It sounds awesome and I love the cover and the title.

Annnnd... Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce. Little Brown, June 2010.

*squee!*
Y'all know that I loved Jackson Pearce's As You Wish (so much so that I nominated it for a Cybil!), so I was very excited to get my hands on this one (although the books sound very different).

Summary from ARC:

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris - the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax - but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they've worked for.

And this might have been this week or last week, but I was lucky enough to win a copy of Alfred Nobel: The Man Behind the Peace Prize by Kathy-Jo Wargin, illustrated by Zachary Pullen from a giveaway at A Patchwork of Books!

And those are the lovely books in my mailbox this week. What was in your mailbox?

Around the interwebs: video edition

2009-11-07T11:53:00.001-05:00

As you well know, it's National Novel Writing Month. My widget has finally started working, so check that out on the right-hand side of my blog (yes, you'll have to click through if you're using a reader). And ALSO check out John Green's video about NaNoWriMo. My favorite quote: "What NaNoWriMo does, for writers young and old, is give us permission to suck." It is so very true.

Jackson Pearce speaks out about language in teen books (specifically, The F-Bomb):

Over at Blue Rose Girls, Meghan McCarthy shares a book trailer for her upcoming non-fiction picture book Pop!: The Invention of Bubble Gum. I know I'm eagerly anticipating this title. Put it on your TBR list, y'all. It's due out in May.

In non-video news, you'll want to tune in over at 100 Scope Notes next week for Travis's Covers Week. He is promising a new Create Your Debut Cover meme and I am ridiculously excited about that since the last one was so much fun.

Exactly where is the line between Middle Grade and YA Fiction? MiG Writers try to answer that question. As a blogger who has served on the Cybils YA Fiction panel (last year) and the Middle Grade Fiction panel (this year), I can tell you that the line is often blurry. Thanks to Confessions of a Bibliovore for the link.

Best of 2009 lists! They are starting to come out of the woodwork. Check out Amazon's Best of 2009 list and PW's Best of 2009 list. Thanks to A Fuse #8 Production for the links.

Book Review: The Girl Who Threw Butterflies

2009-11-07T07:11:00.000-05:00

The Girl Who Threw Butterflies by Mick Cochrane. Grades 6-8. Knopf Books for Young Readers, February 2009. Copy obtained from library. Because libraries are awesome!

Ever since Molly's dad died, nothing has felt right. She misses him, obviously. He was there and then suddenly, inexplicably, he wasn't. Molly's mom is a shadow of her former self, leaving Molly on her own a lot. Molly turns to one of the things that reminds her most of her dad - baseball. She used to throw catch with her dad for hours. He taught her how to throw a knuckleball, that most elusive of pitches.

At school, most people are weird. They're too nice or they're afraid to talk to her. Softball tryouts are coming up, but Molly decides she wants something different. She wants to be on the baseball team. Yeah, as in the boys' baseball team.

I picked up this book thinking Ah, it's only 177 pages. I'll breeze through it and check another Cybils nominee off my list.

I wasn't expecting the magic of the writing. Yes, the book is slim, but the writing demands that you slow down and savor it. I was intrigued by the plot and interested in the characters, but it was the writing they kept surprising me (in a good way).

Parts of the book are achingly sad as Molly deals with the death of her father. She's in an interesting place. 8th grade. Almost in high school, almost starting to grow up. She's the prototypical tween - not a kid anymore, but not an adult either.

Take this passage which demonstrates the aching sadness and also the wonderful writing:

In the past six months, Molly had come to understand that the most important stuff, what was closest to the bone, was just what you never talked about. There were no words for it. A heartbreaking dream about toast. The trivial and silly is what you spend your day chattering about. You could ask your friends how they liked your hair, but you could never ask them what you really wanted to know: Is there hope for me, yes or no? (page 5)

Another thing I really enjoyed about this novel is that Mick Cochrane really got the setting across without beating us over the head with it. I've never been to Buffalo, NY, but I feel as if I could picture its dismal gray skies perfectly. From spending three winters outside Chicago, I know exactly that feeling in April when if it's not snowing, you consider it spring (even if it's still cold and cloudy).

As I was reading, the book reminded me of Norma Fox Mazer's After the Rain, which was a favorite of mine growing up. I can't tell you why it reminded me of that book, and it's been a long time since I read it, but that might make a good pairing. Of course, I might also try it on fans of the girls-playing-boys'-sports books since it has that aspect.

Read more reviews at Semicolon, Dog Ear, The Virtual Loft, and Books for Sale.

Also, this book really made me want to try to learn to throw a knuckleball. Hmmm.

Joey Fly Private Eye Blog Tour!

2009-11-06T07:11:00.001-05:00

Joey Fly Private Eye in Creepy Crawly Crime by Aaron Reynolds and Neil Numberman. Grades 3-6. Henry Holt, April 2009. Review copy provided by publisher for blog tour.

Got a case for Joey Fly, Private Eye? Well, get in line. Fly's working on finding a stolen diamond pencil case for a beautiful butterfly and something's fishy. The clues don't seem to add up... or could it be that his gumshoe assistant is goofing everything up again?

Confession: I was not at all sure I was going to like this book. I started it with some trepidation, but I soon realized that, well, Joey Fly is pretty awesome. I didn't expect it to be funny, but it was. Plays on words abound and I found myself chuckling out loud as Joey Fly and his bumbling assistant followed the clues to find Delilah's missing pencil box.

Plus, who knew bugs could be so expressive? I am generally not such a fan of things that buzz, but Neil Numberman's art could change my mind. Joey Fly's expressions were often hilarious and he's a fly. That is definitely awesome.

I'd hand this to fans of the detective story and, of course, comic book fans. What? I haven't convinced you? Check out the Joey Fly, Private Eye book trailer (that'll do the trick).

As an extra, super, bonus feature, I've got Aaron Reynolds and Neil Numberman stopping by the blog today to answer a few questions. AND they'll actually be stopping by today to chat with YOU, so leave any questions you have for them in the comments.

Aaron Reynolds is a human, not a bug, but he often writes about bugs. He is the author of Chicks and Salsa, Superhero School, Buffalo Wings, and, of course, the Joey Fly, Private Eye graphic novels. Visit him at his website at www.aaron-reynolds.com.

Neil Numberman is a termite currently residing in New York City. Joey Fly, Private Eye is his first graphic novel, but he is also the author/illustrator of the picture book Do NOT Build a Frankenstein. Stop by his website at www.neilnumberman.com.

Abby: I really enjoyed JOEY FLY, PRIVATE EYE. It's funny and just perfect for kids who like mysteries or kids who like comic books. How did the idea for this series come about and how did y'all end up working together?

Aaron: I love goofy mysteries (probably due to a steady diet of Scooby Doo during my formative years), and I love bugs, so a smash-up of the two seemed natural. One day the title popped into my head, and I went from there. At that time it was called Joey Off, Private Fly, and was just a grain of an idea, but it sprouted as I wrote and took off.

As far as working together goes…we never did. Most people are surprised to find that out, but it’s true. Neil and I never even spoke, via phone nor e-mail, until after the book was done. It was my wonderful editor, Reka Simonson, who put Neil with the project.

Abby: Can you tell me a little about the process of putting together a graphic novel?

Aaron: I start by writing a script, rather than a traditional manuscript. It has what the characters say, “stage directions” about the action, everything you would see in a script for a play. I come from a theatre background, so when I first started writing graphic novels a few years ago with Tiger Moth, Insect Ninja, I was delighted to find out that it was something I was intimately familiar with…a script! It is this final script that I hand over to my publisher, just like any other book. From there, she hands it off to Neil.

That’s your cue to take over, Neil…

Neil: Oh, hello there! Well, I’m given the final script, which I then break down into little drawings that are so poor only I can tell what’s going on. These drawings are called thumbnails, probably due to them being the size of a thumbnail! They’re artistic notes that help me decide how to pace the book, where each word balloon should end up, and a rough composition of each panel. From there I begin the sketching stage, which is the part with the most research. I like that I get to simultaneously look up ridiculous looking insects and film noir style compositions.

After the sketches are approved, I finally get to do the finishes, where I trace the sketches to get a much cleaner line, and color them in the computer.

Aaron: I’ve never told Neil this, but when I first saw the sketches of Joey…I did not like them at all! The guy didn’t have any pupils in his eyeballs!!! How do you have a main character with NO PUPILS IN HIS EYEBALLS! But my editor and Neil assured me that it would not limit his emotional range as a character at all. In fact, at my editor’s request, to soothe any doubts I had, Neil drew 20 versions of Joey Fly in various emotional states. I was sold. Anybody who could make a character so funny and full of possibilities with no pupils and NO MOUTH had my vote. In the end, they were right, of course. Neil’s take on the characters and the world of the book was wonderful, edgy, and exciting. Neil was the perfect choice for the book. It couldn’t have been better, and I was once again reminded that there’s a reason that editors choose the illustrators, not the author. There’s a reason the process works the way it does. I’m so proud of the way the book turned out, and I can’t imagine Joey any other way.

Neil: Do you remember the drawing I slipped in there of Joey with pupils? It didn’t look terrible, but he did lose a lot of his mysteriousness and personality.

Abby: I have to say that I love that Joey Fly doesn't have pupils. Awesome! You guys have both worked on picture books as well as graphic novels. How is the process different for each format?

Aaron: The writing is totally different. A graphic novel really gives you room to move and stretch out…you can develop a story, include stage directions about action, characters, descriptions that aren’t in the writing and that will never be read as part of the story…it really lets you create a VISION for the end product that the illustrator will then take and interpret. Picture books are a blast, but a much more constricting medium. You only have so many words to work with, and the story has to be lean and taut, funny and quirky, but still a story, all in those few words. You also are very limited as to how much you can show or express about the visuals, because the illustrations are totally the illustrator’s turf most of the time. That can be hard, but you learn to open your hands and let go. Even though Neil and I never spoke during the creation of Joey Fly, it felt like we were partners from the beginning, like I had an opportunity to cast a vision to him, to pitch the story to him through my script. You don’t always feel that way with a picture book. So much is up for interpretation.

Neil: Picture books, compared to graphic novels, are much less time-consuming. Not including the writing of my latest picture book, Do NOT Build a Frankenstein, it only took me about a month and a half to complete the artwork. In a picture book, the most art you can fit is usually 30-40 paintings, whereas in a graphic novel like Joey Fly, there’s six or seven pieces of art per page, and 90 pages, so around 600 different pieces of art that need composing, sketching, and coloring! It took me almost two years to complete the artwork for Joey Fly!

A lot more care must go into each page of a picture book, though, because often times you have to make one painting really speak for an entire chunk of the story.

Abby: Have you always wanted to be a writer (Aaron) or illustrator (Neil)? If not, what led you down that path?

Aaron: No way. Writer came into the picture much later. I was a theatre major, and then an actor in Chicago. During the day, I did any number of day jobs (waiter, carpenter, administrative assistant, the list goes on). But somewhere along the way in my theatre journey, I started writing scripts and short plays for kids. I fell in love with writing for kids. Even then, I loved kids books, having come to reading them late in my own childhood, and still read many of my favorites. After several years of writing plays for kids, I decided to take a stab at writing books for them. Five years later, after hundreds of rejections, much learning and practice, and a couple conferences, I finally sold my first book Chicks and Salsa.

Neil: I absolutely wanted to be an illustrator my whole life! From when I drew monsters that played sports at age 3, to unflattering portraits of my teachers in middle school, to my first children’s book submission to a publisher when I was 22. The only times when I doubted I would be an illustrator was when I though I might become an animator. Lo and behold, I can be both now!

Abby: Do you have any upcoming projects you'd like to tell us about? (Besides more Joey Fly, of course!)

Aaron: Well, there is more Joey on the way. Even now, Neil is illustrating the second book. I also have a new picture book in the works called Evil Carrots about a bunny that thinks he’s being stalked by sinister root vegetables.

Neil: Yep, I’m currently in the middle of working on Joey Fly 2! And it is, hands down, the most fun I’ve ever had being an artist. The script is solid gold!

Abby: Good to know that there is more Joey Fly in our future! And finally, this is a question I always love to ask authors and illustrators: what are some of your favorite children's books? In particular, what are some graphic novels that you like?

Aaron:

My favorite kids’ books:

Danny, Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip by George Saunders
The Stinky Cheese Man by John Sciezska and Lane Smith
King Dork by Frank Portman

My favorite graphic novels:

The Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi
Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale, illustrated by Nathan Hale (AtL review)
Babymouse by Jennifer Holm, illustrated by Matthew Holm (Abby: I LOVE Babymouse!)
Owly by Andy Runton

Neil:

My favorite kids’ books:

Where’s Waldo, the Fantastic Journey by Martin Handford
Any and all of Ed Emberly’s drawing books
The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle
Every Dr. Seuss book ever (Abby: I'm a particular fan of Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book)

My favorite graphic novels/comics:

Paul Moves Out by Michael Rabagliati
Any Calvin and Hobbes, of course! By Bill Watterson
Snake ‘n’ Bacon’s Cartoon Cabaret by Michael Kupperman
The Little Lit series compilations, edited by Art Spiegelman and Francois Mouly
Super Mario Adventures by Kentaro Takekuma and Charles Nozawa

Abby: Guys, thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! And readers, if you have questions or comments for Aaron or Neil, leave 'em in the comments because they'll be checking in!

My Time Machine

2009-11-05T07:11:00.001-05:00

I first saw Betsy at A Fuse #8 Production do it. (She was inspired by this post at Ten Block Walk.) Then Melissa at Book Nut chimed in. And I'm not to be outdone.

From Betsy's post:
The Premise: You have a time machine. In this time machine you may take seven books. Your mission is to visit yourself, in the past, and to give yourself the books you wish you would have read as a kid. They can be old books or new books, it doesn't matter. But they must be books you've run across as an adult, loved, and you know would have appealed to (or been good for) little you.

Ages 2-5

Ohhh, how I would have loved Chickens to the Rescue by John Himmelman. When we were wee, my brother and I had a thing about poring over illustrations looking at details. (Anyone else spend happy evenings looking for Lowly Worm and gold bug in the Richard Scarry books??) I would have loved searching for the egg on each page and noticing all the details of all the crazy chickens in each spread.

And I would have laughed my little head off at Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems. You know, the spread where Sam explains exactly why he's crying? Yeah. 'Nuf said.

Age 6-9

Of course, I loved the Ramona books. I have fond memories of reading them over and over. (Ramona and Her Father was my favorite, probably because I owned it and could read it over and over whenever I wanted!) I would have loved Clementine by Sara Pennypacker. She's funny and unique and I think I would have identified with her greatly.

Age 10-12

So, besides the massively popular R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike books I was reading at this age, in the fifth grade I discovered tear-jerkers. And in middle school it was all about the Lurlene MacDaniel. I'd hand 11-year-old me Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nichols in a heartbeat. And I would have eaten it up with a spoon.

Age 13-15 (Oh, the band blazer....)

I was all into horror and thrillers at this age. My favorite book when I was thirteen was Christopher Pike's adult novel The Season of Passage (I still have my mass market copy, spine taped together, signed by all my friends whom I made read it).

I would have been so into The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, I can't even tell you. What's more, I would have been convinced that Panem was going to happen to America and that Suzanne Collins was some sort of prophetic genius trying to warn us.

And I will be completely honest: I would have been so into Twilight, too. I probably would have been on Team Edward. I had a thing for vampires. *shudder*

Age 16-17

I kind of skipped over YA (not counting Christopher Pike and LJ Smith) and headed straight to adult books. When I was a senior in high school I got my first job at Barnes & Noble and considered myself too old for YA. But I am reasonably sure that I would have not only picked up but devoured Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd. It's a book that might not appeal to most teens, but after seeing the movie Some Mothers Sons at some point in high school, I had a fascination with The Troubles and Bog Child would have been right up my alley.

And that's what I'd give myself if only I had a time machine. What about you??

Book Review: Paris Pan Takes the Dare

2009-11-03T07:11:00.000-05:00

Paris Pan Takes the Dare by Cynthea Liu. Upper Elementary, Middle School. Putnam Juvenile, June 2009. Copy purchased.

Paris Pan knows her new Oklahoma town is small, but she's not expecting her seventh grade classroom to consist of ten kids. Total.

Since she's used to being the new kid, she's used to being the outcast and she's determined not to let that happen this time around. So when queen bee Mayo tells Paris that she has to take The Dare, Paris knows she has no choice. It's either take the dare or resign herself to a live of loserdom.

But the more Paris finds out about the dare, the less she wants to do it. Can Paris find the strength to stand up to Mayo and do the right thing?

This is a solid middle grade read with a bit of a mystery to it and I think kids that enjoy authors like Mary Downing Hahn will find a lot to like in this book. It's not a ghost story in the strictest sense, but as Paris and her friends investigate the supposed murder of a girl on the Pans's new property, the story has some of the same elements as those supernatural thrillers.

It's also a story of being the new girl, figuring out the social situation and dealing with family troubles. I loved that the Pans are Asian and that's not the main focus of the book. Paris deals with the same problems that many seventh grade girls face every day. She's the youngest kid, so her older brother ignores her and her older sister yells at her every time Paris wants to use the phone. At her school, kids are immediately branded and there are clear outcasts, even in a class of only ten kids.

I'll definitely be looking for more from Cynthea Liu!

Read more reviews at Shelf Elf and Charlotte's Library, and read an interview with Cynthea at Cynsations.

Book Review: Sacred Mountain Everest

2009-11-02T07:11:00.000-05:00

Sacred Mountain Everest by Christine Butler-Taylor. Grades 4-7. Lee & Low Books, April 2009. Copy provided by my local library.

On the border between Nepal and Tibet lies a mountain of unparalleled beauty and immense power. Shrouded in mystery, it stands highest among the Himalaya mountain peaks - the tallest mountain on earth...

To the south, the people of Nepal call this majestic mountain Sagarmatha, Goddess of the Sky. To the north, the people of Tibet and China call it Chomolumgma, Goddess Mother of the World. To the outside world, the mountain is known as Everest. (pg 5)

From the lives of the Sherpas who make their homes on the mountain to the brave or foolhardy people who have attempted to climb its summit, Christine Butler-Taylor paints a picture of our relationship with Mount Everest. She gives us a peak inside the towns of the Sherpas with information about their customs, schooling, and homes. She also details the various unsuccessful attempts by Westerners to climb the peak of the mountain until Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay made it to the top in 1953.

In addition to information about the people who have climbed this famous mountain, Butler-Taylor includes information about the area itself. She includes a spread on how the mountains were formed and the plants and animals that now live on the lower parts of the mountain. Sidebars tell readers about the homes and clothing of the Sherpas, the mystery of the Yeti, and religious ceremonies performed before each climbing attempt.

Stunning, colorful photos accompany the text. Taylor-Butler includes a time line of famous Everest firsts and information about current attempts to preserve the climate and ecology of the mountain. A glossary, a list of sources, and recommendations for further study are included at the end of the book.

This would be a great addition to a classroom unit on mountains and I'd pair it with Saving the Ghost of the Mountain by Sy Montgomery.

Happy Nonfiction Monday! Check out the round-up at Books Together Blog.

Day in the Life of a Children's Librarian

2009-10-30T11:07:00.000-04:00

8:30a - Arrive at work, talk with T about the Indiana Library Federation conference.

8:35a - Set up the Small Meeting Room for storytime and the craft. I move tables and chairs around, put plastic tablecloths on the tables, set out the craft supplies, etc.

8:50a - Turn on lights and computers in the department. Feed the fish and frog.

9:00a - On desk, I work on the holds pull list. We run a list every morning that tells us what books patrons have put on hold through the computer. We try to find all the books on the list (and mostly succeed).

9:35a - Get name tags ready for storytime. For our registered storytime sessions, we prepare a name tag for each child and set them out at the reference desk before their storytime. When they arrive, we have them practice picking out their name and each week they attend they get a small sticker to put on their name tag. After the last storytime, they may take their name tag home.

9:40a - Help kids find their name tags and check off storytime attendees.

10:10a - Take call from local preschool to schedule a visit.

10:10-1:00p - On desk. I work on some weeding in between questions.

1:00-2:00p - Lunch time!

2:00p - Talk with C about ILF conference.

2:30p - Get Small Meeting Room set up for After School Adventures, make a sample of the craft. This week is our last week and we're doing an Afternoon of the Paper Bag Monters.

3:15p - Work on weeding. My staff members have pulled hundreds of books based on circulation, publication dates, and condition. I'm going through them to make the ultimate decision whether we'll weed them.

4:00p - Get out name tags for After School Adventures, make sure the room is ready.

4:15p - Time for After School Adventures!

5:00p - The program is done. I clean up the room, put away the craft supplies, and record the statistics for the program.

5:15p - Time to go home!

Around the interwebs

2009-10-30T07:11:00.002-04:00

Yes, there are posts upon posts coming out of the woodwork about KidLitCon 09. It really was a splendid time. I'd like to direct you to MotherReader's extensive KidLitCon roundup and Greg's Twitter transcript of the conference [via Tea Cozy] (please ignore the fact that my tweets are so stupid...!). ALSO, in case you missed it, KidLitCon 10 will be in Minneapolis next fall!

At Chasing Ray, Colleen points out an alarming connection between three internet controversies this week. Said controversies include Betsy's views on the Amazon VINE program, the holiday book price war between Amazon, Walmart, etc., and Scholastic's censorship of Lauren Myracle's Luv Ya Bunches from the school book fairs. Do check out her post for an overview of these issues and how they all add up to big companies limiting consumers' choice of books. And if large companies are only promoting certain books, it's up to us book reviewers to step in. She says:

If we are all going to embrace the notion of "independent reviewing" then we have to step back and be independent. That means publishers do not choose, retailers do not choose and book fairs are not permitted to alter text to fit their vision of choice. It means we work harder at what we do so readers can choose from the largest possible selection of books.

I'll heartily second that emotion and add that while I enjoy browsing new books at bookstores, I've always preferred the comparatively vast selection at my local library. Just as independent reviewers are charged with promoting a diverse range of books, so should any librarian worth her salt! Thanks to @mawbooks for the link.

Did you hear that Norma Fox Mazer passed away? It's certainly sad. As a teen, I read and reread After the Rain. If you've got memories of Norma or her books, add them in the comments of PW's In Memory of Norma Fox Mazer post. Thanks to Liz at A Chair, A Fireplace, & A Tea Cozy for the link and the news.

Wondering what kids are reading these days? Well, Renaissance Learning has posted a report on the top books that kids in grades 1-12 are reading. This is certainly helpful for libraries serving schools that use the Accelerated Reading program and will make interesting reading for other libraries as well. Thanks to @thereadingzone for the link.

Will e-books solve the problem of Book Cover Shame? Lee Wind at I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell Do I Read? postulates that the rise of the e-book will level the playing field as far as "girl books" and "boy books" and even "gay books". Thanks to Betsy at Fuse #8 for the link.

While Sarah at GreenBeanTeenQueen was sick with a cold, she started thinking about her favorite Sick Day Reads. What are yours?

Grace Lin's excellent novel Where the Mountain Meets the Moon has been chosen for Al Roker's book club. She is understandably thrilled and her editor shares the reaction at the office on Blue Rose Girls.

Oh, and this is completely unrelated to kidlit, but Color Me Katie posts about Improv Everywhere's latest mission: a grocery store musical. This will brighten your day. I guarantee it. Take a gander:

Book Review: Candor

2009-10-29T07:11:00.000-04:00

Candor by Pam Bachorz. High School. EgmontUSA, September 2009. Copy purchased.

Candor is a perfect place to live. No one overeats. No one is late. Everyone is respectful to others. Everyone follows the rules.

Because the Messages tell them to.

Oscar, son of the creator of Candor, has figured out a way to block the Messages. He can get people out... for a price. But when Nia shows up, Oscar begins to care for her. He has to save her before the Messages erase her. That means getting her out... but what will Oscar do without her?

I'm a fan of dystopian lit and Candor did not disappoint. I was sucked in by the premise and by the two faces of Oscar. On the surface he's the perfect son, appearing to follow all of his dad's Messages to a tee. He knows he can never let that image slip, but underneath Oscar-Boy-Wonder, he's working against the establishment any way he can.

I won't spoil anything, but I think this book's got one of those perfect endings. It wraps things up sufficiently, but still leaves room for a sequel.

This is a fast-paced story and I'd hand it to fans of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series.

Read more reviews at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy, Jen Robinson's Book Page, Sharon Loves Books and Cats, and Reading Rocks.

Oh, and check out this awesome book trailer:

Two years of bloggity fun

2009-10-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

I had grand aspirations of writing an awesome post about my blog turning two. I was going to revisit my mission statement and do all that blogging homework that MotherReader was talking about.

However, it's 11:30pm and I have to work tomorrow morning.
So... all I'll say is Happy Blog-iversary to me!

And THANK YOU for reading. Thank you for commenting. Thank you for responding to my tweets and adding me as a friend on GoodReads. Thank you for creating this wonderful community and letting me be a part of it!

I never could have imagined that blogging would become as big a part of my life as it is now. And now I honestly can't imagine my life without it!

So, here's to many more bloggity years to come.

250-Word YA Novel Discovery Contest

2009-10-28T07:11:00.001-04:00

I'm a little bit excited about National Novel Writing Month. Okay, that's an understatement. I can't wait until Saturday night when I will start my novel at 12:01 on November 1! And now I've been alerted to a contest going on this November where you could win a one-on-one consultation with a leading literary agent by submitting the first 250 words of your YA novel. I can pretty much assure you that the first 250 words of my novel are going to be total crap, but I might enter it anyway just for kicks.

Press release time!

Have a young adult novel—or a YA novel idea—tucked away for a rainy day? Are you putting off pitching your idea simply because you’re not sure how to pitch an agent? No problem! All you have to do is submit the first 250 words of your novel and you can win both exposure to editors, and a one-on-one chat with one of New York’s TOP literary agents Regina Brooks.

Regina Brooks is the founder of Serendipity Literary Agency and the author of Writing Great Books for Young Adults. Brooks has been instrumental at establishing and building the careers of many YA writers, including three-time National Book Award Honoree and Michael Printz Honoree Marilyn Nelson, as well as Sundee Frazier—a Coretta Scott King Award winner, an Oprah Book Pick and an Al Roker book club selection. As an agent, she is known for her ability to turn raw talent into successful authors.

ADDITIONALLY: The top 20 submissions will all be read by a panel of five judges comprised of top YA editors at Random House, HarperCollins, Harlequin, Sourcebooks and Penguin. All 20 will receive free autographed copies of Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks. Of the 20, they will pick the top five submissions and provide each author with commentary and a one year subscription to The Writer magazine. ONE Grand Prize Winner will have the opportunity to get feedback on a full YA manuscript and win a free 10-week writing course courtesy of the Gotham Writer’s Workshop.

Please submit all entries via the contest website at http://www.writingclasses.com/ContestPages/YAPitch.php. One entry per person; anyone age 13+ can apply. Open to the U.S. & Canada (void where prohibited). Entries for the YA Novel Discovery Contest will be accepted from 12:01am (ET) November 1 until 11:59pm (ET) on November 30, 2009.

NOVEMBER IS NaNoWriMo

In honor of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.org)—an international event where aspiring novelists are encouraged to write an entire novel in 30 days—this contest is meant to encourage the aspiring YA author to get started on that novel by offering an incentive for completing the first 250 words.

So apply now! http://bit.ly/1PYGaN

JUDGING

YA literary agent Regina Brooks, along with editors at Sourcebooks, will read all of the entries and determine the top 20 submissions. These submissions will then be read by Dan Ehrenhaft, head Acquisitions Editor at Soucebooks Fire; Alisha Niehaus, Editor at Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin); David Linker, Executive Editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books; Michele Burke, Editor at Knopf Books for Young Readers (Random House); and Evette Porter, Editor at Harlequin. These judges will whittle the top 20 down to four winners and a grand prize winner—all five will be provided commentary on their submissions.

Book Review: Heart of a Shepherd

2009-10-27T07:11:00.000-04:00

Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry. Grades 4-8. Random House Books for Young Readers, January 2009. Copy from my local library.

Ignatius is known as Brother to everyone in his small Oregon ranching town because he has four boisterous older brothers. Though he's the youngest in the family, he's the only son left at home when his dad gets called from the army reserves to fight in Iraq. It's up to Brother and his grandparents to run the ranch until Dad comes back. If he comes back. The trouble is that Brother has never felt the same passion for ranching that his dad and grandpa have. He's sensitive to the death of animals, though he knows that's part of ranch life.

In a series of vignettes Rosanne Parry takes us through a year on this Oregon ranch as Brother tries to deal with the absence of his father and tries to find his way in the world.

It's a quietly powerful book. Though the kids play at war games and most of them assume that they'll enter a branch of the military eventually, Brother has never felt comfortable with that. He has no real concept of life outside ranching or the military, but he's still searching.

One thing I really liked about the book was its engrossing sense of place. Rosanne Parry paints a perfect picture of life on a rural Oregon ranch in all its harsh beauty. She also paints a picture of a family members scattered to the winds, but still caring about each other a great deal.

I'm sitting here trying to think of who I would hand this book to. I wouldn't say it's touchy-feely, but it's about a boy dealing with his emotions. I might try it on fans of Bridge to Terabithia, Bird Lake Moon, or When the Whistle Blows.

Read more reviews at Kids Lit, Semicolon, Jen Robinson's Book Page, and Shelf Elf. Read author interviews at Cynsations and Authors Unleashed.

Non-Fiction Picture Book Roundup

2009-10-26T07:11:00.001-04:00

I love me a good nonfiction picture book. Here are a few gems I've come across recently.

Tyra nnosaurus Math by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Doug Cushman. Tricycle Press, July 2009. Review copy provided by publisher.

The first thing he did out of the egg was add up his fingers and toes, so his mom named him Tyrannosaurus Math. From then on, T-Math was doing math constantly, from addition and subtraction to multiplication, estimation, and geometry. This lively story will add to any math unit and the bright acrylic illustrations demand to be pored over. A section in the back of the book explains the various mathematical skills that T-Math demonstrates. Young dinosaur fanatics who are learning these concepts will thrill at seeing T-Math use them in the story.

The Fabulous Feud of Gilbert & Sullivan by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Richard E giels ki. Arthur A. Levine Books, April 2009. Copy from my local library.

This book tells the story of Gilbert & Sullivan's big argument and how the friends made up with each other and went on to write one of the most famous operas, The Mikado. Bright, detailed illustrations bring the time period to life. The text is simple enough to read aloud and an author's note gives great background information about both men and their work together. I love picture book biographies and this did not disappoint!

World in Colors series, published by Capstone Press. 2009. Copies from my local library.

As someone who used to fill preschool loan requests, these books would have come in handy. There's not a lot of preschool-appropriate country books being published and these fit the bill nicely. Stunning, colorful photographs appear on each page with a short paragraph of information that ties a color in the photo into something about the country. For example: "A Kenyan farmer walks through a sea of green tea leaves. Tea pickers toss the leaves into large baskets. The tea is prepared in a factory. Kenya is one of the world's top tea growers." (pg 5) The text is simple enough to appeal to beginning readers and the books could easily be read with preschoolers (paraphrasing where necessary) or you could just use the books for their fabulous photos. These books could also add a multicultural element to your units on colors.

I feel like I've been absent from Nonfiction Monday for far too long, so I'm happy to be joining you again this week! Visit Wrapped in Foil for this week's round-up.

In My Mailbox #10

2009-10-25T07:11:00.000-04:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted at The Story Siren. Head on over there to see what's been in everyone's mailbox this week.

It's been a slow couple of weeks, mail-wise, which is absolutely fine. Soon those Cybils nominees will be coming in and I'm sure I'll be overwhelmed. This week I received the entire Blue Bloods series by Melissa De La Cruz. The latest one, The Van Alen Legacy, was recently released and I'm looking forward to giving them a try!

Blue Bloods (2007)
Maquerade (2007)
Revelations (2008)
The Van Alen Legacy (2009)

Review copies are from Hyperion Books.

Afternoon of the Paper Bag Monsters

2009-10-24T07:11:00.000-04:00

This week for After School Adventures, I planned an Afternoon of the Paper Bag Monsters. With the recent release of Where the Wild Things Are, I thought it'd be perfect timing. This program was for K-2nd graders and we shared books about monsters and then made paper bag monster puppets.

Here's what we read:

Leon ardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems. Of course we read this. It's only, like, my favorite readaloud ever...

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I can no longer read this book without thinking about President Obama reading it... which is not at all a bad thing...

Night of the Paper Bag Monsters by Helen Craig. Which, sadly, is out of print. If you can track it down, I recommend it - it was a favorite of mine when I was a wee one. And because some libraries tend to avoid holiday books for programs, I'll mention that this is a Halloween book.

There Was an Old Monster by Rebecca, Aidan, and Ed Emberly. This is a new one, out this summer, and it's silly and gross and has a surprise ending. Plus, it can be sung if you feel so inclined. Perfect!

After the stories, we made paper bag monster puppets out of brown paper lunch bags and all the odds and ends I could scare up from our program supplies (heh heh). I love this craft because it doesn't require a lot of prep and it does encourage a lot of creativity. We used crayons, feather, scrap paper, and google eyes.

Now, I have to be perfectly honest with you and tell you that only one kid showed up for this program. It was kind of a bummer, especially since it was the last in a series of six After School Adventures, but sometimes that happens. We still had a good time and I thought the books were too good not to share with y'all. It might have been better as a standalone program to go with the release of the movie, but we have been having low attendance at lots of our school age programs this fall, so I'm not sure what's up with that.

I Spy Board

2009-10-23T11:07:00.000-04:00

I'd like to you meet my I Spy Board:

Back story: I got a call from the YMCA asking if I'd like to set up a table at their Lights On Afterschool event. It would be for 200+ school-age students, so I pondered what to do.

We could do a craft, but for 200 kids that would be A LOT of supplies to cart around. After throwing ideas back and forth, my staff and I came up with the idea to create an I Spy Board.

I used some discarded books that we'd withdrawn from the collection and a bunch of product catalogs that we had in the recycling bin. I cut out pictures and collaged them on a piece of poster board. When I went to the event, I stapled the poster to a sturdy cardboard stand-up.

I created rhymes that tell the kids what to search for, like in the I Spy books. I discovered that I shouldn't have gone to the trouble because the kids were just interested in a list of what to search for.

It was a hit! I had kids stopping by my table, intrigued by the large picture of The Stinky Cheese Man that I had in the middle of the collage. Then they'd stay and search for a few minutes, often helping each other and working as a team. I had bookmarks and plastic spider rings (left over from a past Summer Reading Club) to hand out.

I love to be part of outreach events, but besides bringing crafts (which can be expensive and/or labor intensive for a large group of kids), I didn't know what else to bring with me. Now that we have our I Spy board, I'm sure we'll be bringing it on many events in the future! I love it because it's very portable, fun for the kids, and easy for one person to run.

I Dream of Bloggers

2009-10-23T07:18:00.003-04:00

Last night, I dreamed that I was in New York with Betsy of A Fuse #8 Production (whom I have never met) and she showed me the $200,000 advance she'd gotten for writing a children's novel. And I was asking her about the job opening at NYPL when she moves to LA and also asking her who's going to blog about the publishers' librarian previews after she moves.

Guess I have blogs on the brain. ;)

Bobby vs. Girls and Umbrella Summer

2009-10-23T07:11:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple of middle-grade Cybils nominees! (They're getting mini-reviews because I didn't sit down and review them right away and didn't take enough notes to have a whole lot to say about them. I enjoyed both books and think they'll both find a wide audience on elementary school and public library shelves.)

Bobby Versus Girls (Accidentally) by Lisa Yee, illustrated by Dan Santat. Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary. Arthur A. Levine Books, September 2009. Copy purchased.

Bobby Ellis-Chan and Holly Harper have been secret best friends since they were little kids. Why secret best friends? Because at their school, boys and girls do NOT hang out together. It's never been a problem for them, but lately Holly's been acting weird. She's been acting like... well, like a girl. And it's kind of driving Bobby crazy. Still, he never meant to start a battle of the sexes... it just kind of happened. And now Bobby's got to figure out how to make it right.

I really enjoyed this funny, realistic book. I think it'll appeal to fans of Andrew Clements and other school stories. I liked that supporting characters are diverse and well-developed. The writing was excellent in that it disappeared and I felt like I could see the story unfolding before my eyes. This'll definitely be popular on your middle grade shelves.

Read more reviews at The Reading Zone, Kids Lit, 100 Scope Notes, Fuse #8, and Shelf Elf.

Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff. Upper Elementary. HarperCollins, June 2009. Copy from the Louisville Free Public Library (because libraries are awesome).

Helmet? Check.

Knee pads? Check.

Elbow pads? Check.

Ace bandages (to prevent sprains)? Check.

Band-aids (covering scratches to prevent infection and eventual amputation)? Check.

Annie's ready to bike to the store. To buy some vitamins. Vitamins are very important to maintaining your health. And where last year she might have jumped on her bike and whizzed down the hill to the store, she decides she'd better walk her bike down the steep parts. It's better to be careful, right?

Ever since her brother Jared suddenly died, Annie's been living under a self-imposed protective umbrella. She constantly worries about potential threats to her health. After all, no one knew about Jared's rare heart problem before it killed him. But when a new neighbor moves in, Annie will begin to realize that if you live your life under an umbrella, you never get to feel the sun on your face.

Underneath her hypochondriac tendencies, Annie's just a girl on summer vacation. She's a girl struggling to deal with the unexpected death of her older brother. It's a loss that has thrown her entire family into turmoil. Author Lisa Graff deals with this turmoil realistically and with a lot of heart. The book reminded me most of the second Moxy Maxwell book - a spunky, likeable (and imperfect) protagonist and a plot that delves into the serious side of things.

Plus, what an incredibly cute book cover! I want an umbrella like that!

Read more reviews at Becky's Book Reviews, Literate Lives, and A Year of Reading.

Book Review: The Last Invisible Boy

2009-10-20T07:11:00.001-04:00

The Last Invisible Boy by Evan Kuhlman. Upper Elementary, Middle School. Ginee Seo Books, October 2008. Copy borrowed from my local library.

Twelve-year-old Finn is turning invisible, or that's what he believes anyway. It all started several months ago on The Terrible Day That Changed Everything. It was on that day that Finn's father died unexpectedly. Almost immediately after that, Finn's hair started to turn white and his skin began to pale. Every week it's gotten a little bit worse and Finn's convinced that he's slipping away into nothing, maybe so that he can join his dad and be happy again.

In a mix of cartoons and prose, Finn tells us the story of dealing with his grief.

What I liked about it was how immediate it felt. Kuhlman writes the story as if Finn is actually sitting there at that moment, writing down what's happening. Finn addresses the audience. He periodically calls for a break and tells the reader to stop reading for awhile and then come back to the book. He even turns it over to his younger brother for a chapter.

The format and the tone in the beginning of the book really reminded me of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. But this book never really took off for me the way Part-Time Indian did. It wasn't as funny as I wanted to be and it was way more sad and depressing than I had initially thought it would be.

Okay, okay, I know it's about a kid's father dying and dealing with grief, but I would have been more impressed if Kuhlman had been able to keep up the humor throughout the book. Also, the plot kind of meanders along without much happening. Finn warns us at the beginning of the book:

"This book. It's like I'm driving a school bus but my legs are too short to reach the brake. It's a runaway bus so anything can happen." (pg 1)

Well, the plot may be a runaway bus, but it's a bus that just keeps circling the block.

That said, it's a very real portrayal of a boy dealing with grief. I can see that it might resonate with kids, especially boys, who are dealing with loss or unexpected change. Finn cries. His mom cries. Finn is vehemently NOT okay for a long time. And it's important for kids to know that it's okay to not be okay. The book came to a satisfying (if predictable) conclusion.

Check out the book trailer:

Okay, so KidLitCon...

2009-10-19T18:20:00.000-04:00

First of all, it was awesome. I mean, I knew it would be fun. I did not know it would be so awesome. I'm so glad I went and I'll definitely be going next year if at all possible.

For me, there were two best things about this conference.

1. Meeting all the awesome bloggers. Everyone was seriously so nice. I was feeling a little nervous as I looked for the blogger group at the Library of Congress on Friday. I was wondering if maybe I should just turn tail when I found Pam and she immediately gave me a great big hug and said, "It's so nice to meet you!"

And, yeah. Meeting everyone was like that. Big hugs all around and if there was ever a lull in the conversation, one only needed to ask what people's favorite books are. Kidlit bloggers are very nice people. I feel so very privileged to count myself among them.

2. Hearing what people had to say at the conference and meeting so many of my fellow bloggers has really rekindled my passion for this blog. I came away with great ideas and a real sense of connection (right, Greg?). I know that there are only so many hours in the day and many of us have "real" jobs and families and other obligations in our lives. We can't always spend as much time as we'd like on our blogs. Attending the conference reminded me why I carve out time for this hobby.

I need to go through my cheat sheet and make sure I have everyone's blogs on my reader. I need to make sure I'm following everyone on Twitter. I need to take the time to leave comments and join in the discussion. And I'm so excited to do all of that!

I know this post isn't giving you a real sense of what went on at the conference. I took copious notes, but I'm sure other people are going to post about the panels and discussions and all of that stuff. I wanted to capture this feeling of possibility and connectedness before the mundane tasks of my life rub it away and I need to remind myself again.

On second thought, maybe this post gives a perfect sense of what went on at the conference...

Important things:

MotherReader is collecting KidLitCon posts as they come in, so head on over there to see what everybody's saying. Also, other people will post pictures. I will not post pictures since I was a Winner and left my camera in my bag at the hotel all weekend.

And this bears special mention: We were lucky enough to have a representative from the Federal Trade Commission speak to us about book bloggers' responsibilities under the updated endorsement guides. I'm going to point you to Michelle's post over at Galleysmith for a comprehensive summary and links.

Kidlitcon '09, post the first

2009-10-17T22:16:00.002-04:00

There will be a longer, comprehensive post about the conference, but I'm hijacking M's computer for a sec just to tell y'all that it was AWESOME. I had such a great time, met SO MANY great people, and came away with a to-do list that's gotten me fired up about blogging.

What a great event to connect and recharge each others' blogging batteries.

MAD PROPS to MotherReader for organizing a wonderful event.

Now, for DC weekend part deux. Expect a better wrap-up post Monday or Tuesday.

Totes

2009-10-16T12:30:00.001-04:00

I'm in DC right at this very moment, trying to figure out how to get from Union Station to the Library of Congress. Except a full report on KidLitCon '09 when I return! In the meantime...

Inspired by Travis's post about Things Librarians Fancy, I present to you my tote bag collection. These are all the bags I could rustle up in my apartment (I have at least two more at work):

On the left-hand side there are a couple from Anderson's Bookshop from the two YA Lit Conferences I've attended there.

Clockwise from the top, we have a Virginia Woolf bag from Barnes & Noble (I'm not a particular fan of Woolf, but at the time that I worked at B&N, she was the only woman featured on a tote bag. Not sure if that's still the case), a bag from the 2008 Illinois Library Association Conference, an Unshelved bag (which is my daily use bag), and a new addition - a Babymouse bag (!!!) from Bound to Stay Bound. Dead center is a lovely Egmont bag which I won as a door prize at this year's YA Lit Conference.

The bag from the ILA Conference is one of my favorites because it is nice and sturdy and has good straps. It's also a nice size, large enough to carry my whole library haul (usually). I also enjoy the bag from the 2007 ILA Conference (not pictured here) and often use it to take books and materials to outreach events at work (which is why it is not pictured here).

So, as you can see, I am never lacking when I need to transport books. Librarians can always use tote bags!

Oh, and FTC? I received all these bags for free except the Unshelved bag and the B&N bag, both of which I paid for. I endorse all of them because canvas bags are awesome.

Around the interwebs: I'm headed to DC version!

2009-10-15T09:45:00.003-04:00

Are you headed to DC? I am headed to DC! My plane takes off ridiculously early Friday morning and I'm so excited to meet everyone at KidLitCon '09!

If you're not headed to the conference (sad!), here are some things to occupy your time:

Run, do not walk, over to 100 Scope Notes and check out his hilarious Things Librarians Fancy. That kid cracks me up.

Did you love Leviathan? Larklight? Airborn? Then you, my friend, are a fan of steam punk. This isn't strictly kidlit related, but check out Cake Wrecks's collection of sweet steam punk cakes.

The nonfiction authors that blog at INK (Interesting Nonfiction for Kids) have launched a rather interesting database called INK Think Tank. After registering for a free account, you can log in and search a database of nonfiction titles linked to curriculum standards. Might come in handy for teachers and librarians looking to buff up collections in certain areas.

Liz has a couple of posts up at A Chair, A Fireplace, & a Tea Cozy that are perfect for new librarians or people new to the kidlit world. If you're looking for more reviews and discussion about children's and YA literature, you'll want to know which journals to seek out and read and which listservs to join. Excellent compilations, both.

The National Book Award finalists were announced this week and here are the finalists for Young People's Literature:

Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose
Stitches by David Small
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia

And on that note, folks, I'm off to put on my librarian cardigan and work the one remaining shift between me and DC! Have a great weekend!