Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Picture Book Tuesday


STARTED & FINISHED:

Lehman, Barbara. (2008). Trainstop. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.


[I normally love what this woman does, but this one just didn't hold much mysterious fun for me. The train stops in a land of little people?? It's great that they thank her by bringing a bit of the outdoors to the concrete city, but even that is pretty random.]



Frazee, Marla. (2008). A couple of boys have the best week ever. Orlando, FL: Harcourt.


[I'll use the word random here, too. These kids go away to camp, but I guess it's a camp that takes place only during the day and they need to be dropped off and picked up every day? The rest of the time is spent with one of the kid's grandparents - the grandfather is obsessed with penguins? Is there a lesson to be learned here or am I missing something (I'm willing to accept that I am wrong...)? Some folks at ACL have voted to include this one on the end of the year distinguished list, but I found it to be kind of rambling and pointless - one that a child probably wouldn't get invested in either.]



Brannen, Sarah S. (2008). Uncle Bobby's wedding. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons/Penguin.


[Sure to incite controversy (what is WRONG with people??), this one is about a little hamster who gets upset when her favorite uncle tells her he's going to marry his "friend" because she wants him all to herself. It's good in the fact that it handles the whole "gay angle" as though it is perfectly normal, but the fact that it is done with odd little animals is a bit silly.]

*

Sunday, September 28, 2008


FINISHED:

Birdsall, Jeanne. (2008). The Penderwicks on Gardam Street. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.


[.]

STARTED:
Hardinge, Frances. (2008). Well witched. New York: HarperCollins.

[I've been wanting to read her first book Fly By Night for quite awhile. Saw that this new one got a starred review.]

*

Wednesday, September 24, 2008


FINISHED:

Birdsall, Jeanne. (2005). The Penderwicks. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.


[LOVED this one SO much, and it's no wonder to me that it won such a prestigious award. The tone was really positive and sweet, lots of laughs, true dialogue, and an overall feel of a "classic" to me - like, it's one of those books of old that would make it on to a list that every kid should read. Each of the 4 Penderwick sisters has their own unique personality (oh, and Hound, the dog, does too!) and their adventures over the 3 weeks they spend at Arundel run the gamut from light suspense to wacky hilarity to poignant. Read it read it read it! It's one that I will definitely suggest to as many young people as it seems would enjoy it.]

STARTED:
Birdsall, Jeanne. (2008). The Penderwicks on Gardam Street. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

[Loved the first one so much that I decided to immediately read the follow-up.]

*

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Picture Book Tuesday: "Diary of a..." Edition





STARTED & FINISHED:

Cronin, Doreen. (2003). Diary of a worm. New York: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins.


Cronin, Doreen. (2005). Diary of a spider. New York: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins.

Cronin, Doreen. (2007). Diary of a fly. New York: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins.

[.]

*

Sunday, September 21, 2008


FINISHED:

Kinney, Jeff. (2007). Diary of a wimpy kid: Greg Heffley's journal. New York: Amulet.


[ZOO-WEE MAMA! So darned funny (the CHEESE TOUCH!!). Sure, there's not much of a "plot" here, it's more episodic, relating a few different events in Greg's life, but it works nonetheless. The lesson learned at the end seems a bit forced - like, it was put in so that the book would have "a point" - but the fact that Greg is one of the low ones on the popularity totem, and that his best friend is a complete goof, make this appropriate and immediate for a large number of young people. A GREAT one to recommend to boys - who are always spoken of as reluctant readers - and entirely approachable what with it being littered liberally with fun and surprisingly expressive stick figure drawings. Highly recommended - I've already put a hold on the sequel...]

STARTED:
Birdsall, Jeanne. (2005). The Penderwicks. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

[Award winner that has long been on my radar.]

*

Saturday, September 20, 2008


FINISHED:

Clements, Andrew. (2008). Things that are. New York: Philomel/Penguin.


[My ACL review will be posted below... when I've written it...]

STARTED:
Kinney, Jeff. (2007). Diary of a wimpy kid: Greg Heffley's journal. New York: Amulet.

[Saw it come back through the library and realized that I hadn't read it yet. We'll see if it lives up to the hype.]

*

Wednesday, September 17, 2008


FINISHED:

Piemme, Edizioni. (2008). Ulysses Moore: The isle of masks. New York: Scholastic.


[.]

STARTED:
Clements, Andrew. (2008). Things that are. New York: Philomel/Penguin.

[Have been wanting to read this one myself (I got an advanced reading copy from someone who went to ALA) and was assigned to review it for ACL.]

*

Saturday, September 13, 2008


FINISHED:

DuPrau, Jeanne. (2008). The diamond of Darkhold. New York: Random House.


[Had unrealistically high expectations for this one, and, as such, it didn't quite blow me off my feet. Lina and Doon are back, heading to the City of Ember in an effort to find left behind supplies as those in Sparks are dwindling. Once there they discover that a family of roamers has moved in and is ransacking the city and making sure that no one stands in their way. Doon is captured by them and finds out that the family is in possession of a strange and enormous diamond built into a cylinder that they said they found in a room off the entrance/exit in the mountain to the city. I liked that the diamond(s) will play a large role in the rebuilding of the human race, but it took a long time to get there. Not a whole lot happens, and the last couple of pages which serve to tell what happens next for everyone (this is the final book in the series) contain a specific element - the one that clears up the mystery behind a mobile light in the sky that a number of people notice - that TROUBLED me (think: Indiana Jones IV...), but I still respect DuPrau a WHOLE BUNCH and hope that this wonderful series stands the test of time. I know that I will suggest them as much as possible to as many young people as I can. Certainly, the upcoming City of Ember film will likely draw more interest to these books. GOOD!]

STARTED:
Piemme, Edizioni. (2008). Ulysses Moore: The isle of masks. New York: Scholastic.

[The fourth in this series. I, for some reason, can't stop reading these...]

*

Wednesday, September 10, 2008


FINISHED:

Harmon, Michael. (2008). The last exit to normal. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.


[ACL review to come...

Voila:

In an effort to escape the troubles he’s gotten into in Spokane, 17-year-old skater punk Ben, his father, and his father’s boyfriend, Edward, travel to tiny and backward Rough Butte, Montana, where they move in with Edward’s cantankerous mother. There, Ben learns the value of a hard day’s work, saves the life of an old man and then falls in love with the man’s niece, tries to befriend and help the young boy next door whose father is horribly abusive, and becomes the target of a psychopathic teen. With all he learns in this small town, Ben ends up toning down his impulsive, insufferably brash exterior and gains a new acceptance of his homosexual father whom he initially saw as a wimp who couldn’t face himself. While the gay angle is handled appropriately with a minimal amount of fanfare (thus normalizing the fact), some of the conversations between Ben and his father seem a bit forced and ones that they likely would’ve had a long time ago. Some teen readers may appreciate and identify with the fact that Ben is SO impudent, but because of this character trait, which he flexes quite often, others may find that he frequently comes across as just a thoughtless, disrespectful brat. By the end, Ben does seem to have made some strides, though the fact that SO much happens to him in such a short amount of time is unrealistic. This is, however, an enjoyable read with a good amount of humor and lessons of family, respect and understanding of others which are quite well handled. It should be noted that due to a significant amount of “objectionable” language, this is one that would best be put in the Teen section.]

STARTED:
DuPrau, Jeanne. (2008). The diamond of Darkhold. New York: Random House.

[WHOO-HOOO! Can't believe that we got it in at the library since it only came out a few weeks ago!! Hope it's good (I have high hopes), it's the last in the series.]

*

Sunday, September 7, 2008


FINISHED:

Jinks, Catherine. (2008). Genius squad. Orlando, FL: Harcourt.


[Will post ACL review when it appears.

And away we go:

Cadel, a teenage computer whiz, is moved from his current foster home to a group home that acts as a front for an organization of young hackers determined to bring down GenoME, a project believed to be led by Dr. Darkkon, an evil man bent on dominating the world. Even though he is under 24 hour police protection surveillance, Cadel is constantly worried that a man linked to Darkkon, and who may very well be his father, will stop at nothing to come and take him away. While having to keep up appearances as a group foster home so as not to be detected by the police, Cadel and the other odd assortment of hackers known as the Genius Squad tap into computers, spy on others by listening to keyboard key strokes, and travel around in disguises. This is a surprisingly compelling and fast-paced read despite what could be dry and technical subject matter, and Jinks has created a number of interesting characters who are co-hackers. One of the more memorable characters is Cadel’s best friend Sonia who has Cerebral Palsey and is confined to a wheelchair with her only means of communication being a touchpad with a computer voice. Jinks’ handling of Sonia is a masterstroke, bringing only as much attention to the character as she does any of the others, and a subplot involving Cadel’s social worker and the main detective inspector on Cadel’s case, while not surprising, is sweet. There is a lot going on here, including many names to keep track of, most of whom it seems figured into the first book in this series, Evil Genius (Harcourt, 2007), which, to some degree, ought to be read first in order to get up to speed. In addition, there is SO much computer jargon and many technical descriptions of situations where the hackers are doing their thing that this tome would be best enjoyed by those young people who have a good knowledge of the ins and outs of computers.]

STARTED:
Harmon, Michael. (2008). The last exit to normal. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

[For ACL review.]

*

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Picture Book Tuesday: Number Stories


STARTED & FINISHED:

Anderson, Lena. (2000). Tea for ten. Stockholm, Sweden: R&S Books.


[A rhyming tale about a hedgehog having a tea party and the friends who show up, one by one, to join her. Seems like it would work well for a storytime - the left hand side of each spread has the text in a LARGE font with the illustrations filling up the right side.]




Bajaj, Varsha. (2004). How many kisses do you want tonight? New York: Little, Brown and Company.


[A number of different animals/insects is presented, each asking their young one how many kisses they would like before going to sleep. The illustrations are fantastic - big and bold - and the rhyming text works well. The last two spreads are a father putting his daughter to sleep ("I want a HUNDRED") and a mother doing the same with her son ("I want a MILLION"), with the very last page containing the words, "How many kisses do YOU want tonight?"]




Reynolds, Peter H. (2006). So few of me. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.


[Leo realizes that he's got so many items on his To Do list that he could use many more of him in order to get it all done. In the end he realizes that he'd be better off just doing less but doing his best. Sweet.]

*