What We Are Reading at Our House - Award Winners

And now I present the Award Winner section of my post.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

AKA 2013 Newbery Award Winner
I'm not naturally drawn to talking animal books, but this one is really special. Coincidently, I'm located not too far from where this story's real life inspiration resided. This would make a terrific read aloud and I am pleased that the Newbery went to such an accessible and younger audience novel. As Patti said, she's come a long way from the Animorphs!

And I officially read all the Newbery award books! I'm rather amazed that this was the only one I had not read before the announcement. Unlike the Printz, where I only read Code Name Verity out of the five. Until..




Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
AKA 2013 Stonewall Book Award, 2013 Printz Honor, 2013 Pura Belpre Author Award

A fast read and deserving of its accolades. I loved Ari, his voice, and his family. I also checked out the winning Printz title, In Darkness, but I just never got around to reading it.





In addition to the YMA there were our two state awards this spring.

Florida Book Awards:

The children's winner this year was the excellent, wordless GN/picture book Unspoken: a Story from the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole. This got quite a bit of Newbery buzz so I'm glad to see it acknowledged here in Florida.






Bluebonnet Award:

The school children of Texas voted on their favorite Bluebonnet titles and chose Sim Taback's Postcards from Camp as the winner. It's hard to compete with a picture book about fun camp adventures that includes interactive letters in envelopes that kids can take out and read. Not much fun for libraries, but a terrific father/son story. Good choice! Runners up were Zita the Spacegirl (9 year old loves this series) and Being Audrey (which was nice, but rather surprising that it came in 3rd.)

What We Are Reading at Our House - Kid Edition

Friends, I have been reading and enjoying books (and so has my voracious reader 9 year old) but have neglected to muster the energy to write. Since there's so much to cover I'm breaking it up into 3 parts: Kid Edition, Awards, and YA/Adult.

The 9 Year Old:

Discovered and loved Dan Gutman's Genius Files and N.E.R.D.S.
Finally received The Familiars books 2 & 3 from the library holds. He loves this series of animal magic. If you are unfamiliar, check it out. It has been optioned for a movie.

For his historical fiction project I brought home a selection of titles and while he leaned towards Avi's True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, he went with The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg.
For his required non-fiction reading he read and loved Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini by Sid Fleischman. For his poetry requirement he read Love That Dog. Three of my all-time faaaaavorites.













The 4 Year Old:
"Does it have Batman? Or Superman? Or Wonder Woman or Super Friends or The Flash or Green Lantern or Legos? Or Kipper? Because that is all I like to get these days. I know exactly where these books are kept in all three of my storytime libraries so I will just go and help myself."


Children's Books I Picked Out:
3 terrific early chapter book series!
Lulu series by Hilary McKay, Penny series by Kevin Henkes, Bink and Gollie #2 by DiCamillo, McGhee, & Fucile









Picture Books:
Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Tom Lichtenheld.
Holy  moly, I love these two. AKR is back with another playful look at ordinary things. She is the master of quirk, pun, and double meaning. A must for classrooms! The 9 year old thought it was great.

Oliver by Birgitta Sif
I finally got this book in at my library and thought it was very charming. Oliver is an introvert. He's completely content to play make believe with his toys and shy of company. He accidently meets another child and realizes that playing with another child can be fun, too. Sharp readers will see that we have seen this new friend all along - on the street, in the library, at the pool. Very clever and very sweet. And Oliver wears glasses, another plus in my house. Both boys thought this was terrific.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

I would love to read this book with a group of kids and have a discussion. I imagine that anyone with a book club or reading group of 4th-7th graders added this to their list of titles. The author brings up so many adolescent topics and themes in the context of a boy who feels normal but physically is not. Most of the supporting characters mirrored this with deceiving appearances hiding something emotional or internal. I thought that was just terrific.

I also liked learning about the other characters through their own voices. I wasn't expecting to read Via, Justin, Will, and Summer's thoughts and I thought the author worked that in nicely. Sometimes their narrations would overlap what August just experienced, but often their sections advanced the story which takes place over his 5th grade year. (note: I kept thinking they were older than 5th grade, in part because in this book 5th grade is middle school.)

There are great pop culture references to Star Wars, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Tolkien. I was not as impressed with the song quotes.

All of this praise aside, I would be surprised if this took the Newbery. Yes, it earned loads of starred reviews and made many Newbery prediction lists. Yes, it is a terrific book that kids will also likely enjoy very much, which is not always the case with a Newbery Award winner. But for me, outside of the character of August I didn't find the writing exceptionally distinguished.

End of the Year Reading

Goodness, it's already the new year! Make that 28 days until the Youth Media Awards. While I am looking forward to the new year of reading (ahem Sarah Dessen and Melina Marchetta) I still have a small mountain of reading to finish for 2012. Here's a terribly thrifty review list of what I managed to read recently. Happy New Year, Oops Readers!

Every Day by David Levithan
He pulled off what could have been a disaster. A little sci-fi, a little mystery, and chapters of great characters. This one made Patti's Mock Printz list and I would love to hear the discussion. It's still a distance from Stars and Verity for me, but dang, David Levithan is amazing. How does it do it all?

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead
I loved this book. I didn't burst into tears like I did for When You Reach Me, but I was with Georges the whole book. Reading as an adult, there aren't too many mysteries in middle grade stories, but they're not written for me so I overlook it.  Knowing that things are never what they seem in a Rebecca Stead book I still fell for this one hook, line, and sinker. The one about his mother I didn't even see coming. And I thought I had the title all figured out. Silly me.

One Year in Coal Harbor by Polly Horvath
A second Polly Horvath novel this year! A cause for celebration. A companion to Everything on a Waffle? Deliciously wonderful. Twelve year old Primrose continues to delight and we also have a return of chapter-ending recipes complete with our heroine's comments. I submit the final line of "Tater Tot Casserole", which, by the way, is in Primrose's charity cookbook entitled Just Throw Some Melted Butter on It and Call It a Day. :

On a cold rainy night when people are not participating in the better plan you have for them, this can be a comfort. (p. 116) 

Polly Horvath books are refreshingly strange. She makes you think with vocab like ersatz and adjudicator and references to Mary Oliver essays and French recipes. She's left of center with a big heart. And really, really funny.

A Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
Rowling is a bad ass. Case closed. A total departure from HP while also being completely great in its own right amazes and thrills me. She didn't have to write anything else, ever!, but she did and it is really good. The best book of the year? Nah. The most surprising? Probably.

What We're Reading at Our House

The 9 year old discovered Bruce Coville.  Okay, not on his own. I picked out My Teacher Is an Alien to add a little funny sci-fi to his reading. I also wanted to introduce him to another series. He loves reading series books.

He really liked those books and started the Alien Adventures series. I never read Coville myself but so many of my students and librarian friends loved him.

Additionally, I started him on Rick Riordan's 39 Clues. This is his first exposure to Riordan and he devoured the books. He completed the first series and moved on to the Cahill vs. Vespers series. Rick Riordan is golden. Thank goodness he is a publishing machine.

The Almost-4-Year-Old and I discovered Tucker the dog. He's by Leslie McGuirk who wrote one of my favorite books last year: If Rocks Could Sing. We love that the Tucker books are small - 6"x6". It just adds to the cuteness.

 As a family we all enjoyed Dragons Love Tacos.  See that cover below? That sums up taco night at our house. Mmm. Tacoooos. Unlike dragons, we love spicy salsa.

The only thing dragons love more than parties or tacos, is taco parties (taco parties are parties with lots of tacos).
If you want to have some dragons over for a taco party, you'll need buckets of tacos. Pantloads of tacos.

Recently I read Summer at Forsaken Lake by Michael D Beil. Not as much fun as his Red Blazer Girls, but still a good mystery. Speaking of RBG, the new one just came out.

I also finished the excellent and award winning No Crystal Stair by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. The combination fact and fiction worked really well for me. It was serendipitous timing to read this right after The Mighty Miss Malone. Two perspectives on overlapping time periods. Two fascinating characters.

Lastly, a quick mention of adult books. I finally read Gone Girl. Great writing and a great example of disliking every single character in a book. I had to cleanse my brain afterwards with Next Best Thing.

Happy Reading!

The Adventures of Sir Balin the Ill-Fated by Gerald Morris

Oh yes, I snatched this book up as soon as I saw it on the library's new book display. The Knights Tales series reigns as a favorite for the 9 year old and for me and last year's title earned a prestigious spot in Heavy Medal's Mock Newbery shortlist.

What's that about the cover? No, not that Sir Balin has two swords, but that is a good story. The lady! She is Lady Annalise the Questing Lady. A Questing Lady "accompanies knights on quests" but dare not confuse them with Damsels ("simpering, moaning, pathetic") in Distress. More to the point, she is "a companion, not a personal maid." Let the adventure begin!

Shortly after his birth, Sir Balin's parents were visited by the Old Woman of the Mountain (Which Mountain? Some Mountain? A Mountain? - this is funny) who gives a bummer of prophesy. This news haunts our brave knight all his life and he and Annalise battle against his fate on his quests.

Once again we have a bit of a lesson. The prophesy tortures Sir Balin and in the end he learns that fate comes by with your own choices and actions, not by what someone says.

And once again we have great vocabulary for the middle grade reader: muddled, dolorous, marplot.

And still Gerald Morris achieves this with humor. Here is one aside about jousting.

(Really, people should have noticed early on how inefficient fighting with a lance actually is, but oddly enough, it never seemed to sink in. People kept pointing lances at each other, and mostly missing, for years and years.) p. 29

If I were an elementary school librarian I would book talk these constantly and suggest them to teachers for classroom read alouds.

Perfect illustrations by Aaron Renier.

Find this book at your library.

Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones

Diana Wynne Jones passed away last year. (Read Neil Gaiman's journal.) Earwig and the Witch , Greenwillow Books 2012, has the distinction of being her final book. It clocks in at a jaunty 128 pages, including full page illustrations by Paul O. Zelinsky, and is marketed for ages 8 and up. It really would make an excellent read aloud for even younger children.

There is so much to love:
Earwig, a feisty orphan with and a penchant for getting people to do what she wants,
A mean witch for a foster parent,
A demon for the other,
Thomas the talking cat,
A house with magic rooms,
Spells gone awry,
Revenge!
Worms,
and
Several references to (British) food.

As enjoyable as this story is on its own, readers will pick up on several loose ends like Earwig's witch parents who left a note about coming back for her, Earwig's BFF Custard who is still at the orphanage, and what will Earwig do now that she is also capable of magic. Perhaps Diana Wynne Jones planned a sequel. Maybe there's a manuscript somewhere out there. (Sing it with me Fievel .."beneath the pale moonlight. Some-one's thinking of me and loving me tonight." /silliness) Still, the story works on its own merits and kids can imagine all the future hijinks Earwig and her crew cook up.

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny - Detectives Extraordinaire! by Mrs. Bunny

Last week, Flavorwire published 10 of the Weirdest Children's Book Authors of All Time. It's a fun list and a nice reminder that there are some wickedly fun and interesting children's authors out there. I'd like to add to that list with the deliciously unusual Polly Horvath.

Her latest book is Mr and Mrs. Bunny-Detectives Extraordinaire! by Mrs. Bunny (translated from the Rabbit by Polly Horvath) and illustrated by Sophie Blackall.

Let's just take a moment and reflect on the wonderful genius of pairing Horvath with Blackall. Perfection.

Mysteries have been the buzz around our house lately. My husband and I shared Sherlock fever this past month.* It didn't escaped my 8 year old who read and loved this collection as well as this series which surprised me by being by Jennifer Holm! (thanks to our children's librarian Michelle for the recommendation on that series)

Like most of Horvath's novels, I know she isn't everyone's cup o tea. There's quite a bit of nonsense so readers without that sense of play and patience will likely not finish it. I easily put it down quite a bit myself. Examples? Okay, how about... Madeline's hippy irresponsible parents who insist on being called Mildred and Flo, Prince Charles coming to Madeline's school to present end-of-the-year awards, Craigslist, Google, Smart cars, The Olde Spaghetti Factory, knitting with used dental floss, Big Macs, Glade PlugIns, rabbits eating stir fry and mac & cheese, and a hundred other non sequiturs. Yes, yes, but get on with the mystery!

Like Madeline, I felt frustrated that she can't find her kidnapped parents. Stick with it, though, because it all turns out wonderful in the end.

Critics love this book. I would like to hear about children. My son  narrowed his eyes at it and passed. He was also reading Order of the Phoenix at this time so it's hard to compete with that. Perhaps as a read aloud? I wonder at the book's broader possibilities with a narrator to help with the humor. Hm...

*Watch all 3 episodes for free on PBS until 6/19!

How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston

If live with a tween or serve them in your library, maybe you have heard of the new Nick show "How to Rock".  Did you know that the show is based on a book? How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston came out last fall. But the best surprise? Meg Haston is from Jacksonville. Hooray for the home team!

Kacey Simon may only be in 7th grade, but she is the most popular girl in school. She even has her own broadcast on the school's TV channel called "Simon Says". Much like Dear Abby, she reads advice letters on air and offers her honest opinion. Unfortunately Kacey's enthusiasm for being a journalist and bringing the truth, no matter how brutal, generally makes her version of advice really mean. When another student confesses to Kacey that she's her biggest fan and asks for her autograph, Kacey signs and then says, "Simon Says: Try Smiling with your mouth closed. It will totally accentuate your pouty lips, instead of your metal mouth." Wasn't she helpful? Kacey's a real giver.

Karma strikes Kacey physically and emotionally. When she neglects to use eye drops for her new (unnecessary) violet contact lenses a double eye infection forces her to wear a pair of chunky glasses that magnify her eyes. It's only for a few weeks, but Kacey refuses to wear them and then suffers a spectacular accident (involving her super hot 8th grade crush, natch) that requires braces as a fix. Realistic treatment aside, it's great tween drama. Braces and glasses plus lots of lisping and spitting (uploaded to YouTube, obvs) on top of her mean girl status suddenly make Kacey an easy target to overturn as the #1 girl in school.

The unlikely ally in her quest to regain her throne is an old childhood friend whom she tossed aside in 5th grade as she sought popularity. Paige, perpetually running for class president, makes a deal to help Kacey get her friends back if Kacey will help her win the election. At first I thought it was far fetched, but Paige is a great character and she works well as a foil to Kacey's ego without being sappy. Oh yeah, and there's a cute, good guy guitarist to add to the swoon factor.

There are scenes at a cupcake cafe, lots of fashion talk, minimal adult intervention, and kids in a band. It is very easy to see why this was turned into a show.

This is the first in a series so many things are unresolved. Kacey doesn't fully atone for her awful behavior from earlier so I'm sure that will be part of the next novels. She also may not be wearing glasses after this book so the message of you can be cool while wearing glasses dissolves almost to the sentiment of "thank god that's over". Readers with glasses may feel jilted - an accessory to show just how bad it was for Kacey.

It's fine as a stand alone title but fans will look forward to the next installment later this year. I'm already crossing my fingers that we get another fantastic Carolyn Sewell cover.

Mo Wren, Lost and Found by Tricia Springstubb

If you are looking for a new series for your 7-10 year old reader, please check out (children's librarian) Tricia Springstubb's 2 books about the Wren family: What Happened on Fox Street (2010) and Mo Wren, Lost and Found (2011).

The stories wrap around themes of family - especially the ones you create, being a good friend, and growing up. Mo is the steady older sister trying to hold her father and sister together now that their mom has died. She's thoughtful, caring, and smart. The secondary characters are equally fascinating and real, although I wanted to give Mr. Wren a swift kick in the pants on more than one occasion (for instance, leaving his kids at a laundromat for a few hours.)

In the second book, the Wrens move to the other side of town (across the river) from the homey Fox Street to the anonymous 213th Street. Mo and Dottie meet new people, learn to navigate city streets, help their dad start a new restaurant business, and encounter a local curse. It's scary and different but our steadfast Mo keeps (mostly) calm and carries on. As their dear elderly friend Da says, "fortune favors the brave".

Feel good books that will be a pleasure to read and share. Check them out.

What We're Reading at Our House - 6

Other titles for this post could be A: The month-long cold that we've passed around is finally on its way out so I can finally get other things done. Or B: Oh alright, watching each episode of Downton Abbey 10 times didn't leave much time for reading, either.

Here's what we put in our library bag this past month. (I'm impatiently waiting for The Fault in Our Stars and There Is No Dog. C'mon library! Acquire these already!)

8 year old son has continued on his quest to read all Goosebumps books, zomibe doll nightmares and all. He knocked out Harry Potter #3 and we celebrated by watching the movie, which is probably my favorite of them all. He also plowed through the Spiderwick Chronicles and we have that movie on reserve at our library.

Other notables: Bad Island by Doug TenNapel. We both loved this GN. I was particularly fond of the strong parent-child relationships. Yesterday he checked out Ghostopolis and I know he read it once already. He has Mouse Guard vol 1 (which he read ages ago) and vol 2 on his night stand.

 






And me? 

The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce, a novel from an author I've been meaning to read. Say what you will about lucky coincidences, but I found this immigration story magical and beautiful. The characters are reunited at the end and while that is, I'll admit, a totally schmaltzy author trick, I found it heartwarming. My sap status is firmly established on this blog so this should be no surprise.

Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall earned the Pura Belpre Author Award this year. I love a good novel in verse and this is one of them. I read it right after The Unforgotten Coat which made fore back-to-back immigration tales. Under the Mesquite is a feel good, good girl triumphs over adversity immigration tale based on the author's life. Another warm fuzzy read.

And then there was Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler, a 2012 Printz Honor. It just didn't do it for me. I am apparently not a Handler fan. I never got past book 2 of Unfortunate Events. But I love Maira Kalman and admired each piece in this book. I trudged through this one, often tiring of Min's voice and her finger pointing accusatory "Ed you this", "Ed you that". Al, Al, Al. At the beginning I liked all the fake movie titles, actors, plots, but then it wore on me. It was too precious. Too cute. Trying so darn hard to be "artsy", which Min loathed. Some sections I thought were truly excellent and distinguished, but overall I was not captivated.


P.S. What is this pain in the neck registration with ALA to view award lists? Really? 

Summer at Forsaken Lake ... coming soon!

It's no secret here that I am a fan of Michael D. Beil and his Red Blazer Girls mystery series. Earlier today I read that he has a new book (separate from RBG) out this summer. The RBG Facebook page also mentioned it is geared a little more towards boys. Double hooray!

Summer at Forsaken Lake comes out in June by Knopf Books for Young Readers!

In anticipation, Mr. Beil has released his childhood 8mm film "The Seaweed Strangler" as a book trailer. Check it out below. It's pretty fun. I especially like the victory swing around the pier post after the Strangler finishes with a victim. C'mon summer!

2011 NBA Winner Announced

Congratulations to the 2011 NBA winner for Young People's Literature!

I loved this story and I'm pleased to see it acknowledged. Let the award season get under way!

What We're Reading at Our House - 5

I'm going to cram this post with our list of reads over the past month. Thanks to encouragement from his friends at school, my son discovered that he isn't afraid of Goosebumps after all and has embarked on a steady diet of RL Stine for 2 months. He has taken a few breaks.

Invisible Inkling by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by Harry Bliss
Thumbs up from 8 year old and there's more on the way.  Emily Jenkins (e. lockhart) is so reliable.  We ate a lot of ice cream while reading it. Hey, a mom has to do what a mom has to do to make it a complete reading experience.

Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Eric Wight
I picked this out for my son because it is part comic, part chapter book. He enthusiastically approved of my choice although the reading level falls a little below what he normally reads. Still, a fun book is a fun book! We'll get the next one at our next library visit.

Saxby Smart Private Detective in The Curse of the Ancient Mask and Other Case Files by Simon Cheshire and Pictures by RW Alley
My 3 year old picked this off of the JFic shelves at our library and said it was for his brother. He picked a good one! Mysteries are generally a sure-fire hit and this met with approval. There are 3 stories in this volume and the reader is given clues to figure out the mystery.

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Yes, it is good. So far I've seen it on both Caldecott and Newbery lists. 8 year old had no interest in reading it.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
I love a book that is a learning experience and offers another perspective on WW2, which are stories I generally avoid because the truth of the stories wrecks me. When her family is taken in the night and she is in her nightgown you know that it isn't going to be well and it's not a short trip. Take your boots! Your jackets! Omg there's a woman with a newborn?! Nooooo!!! I did find it very hard to believe that no one opened that suitcase earlier. Also, an epilogue. Another highly buzzed book by a first time author.

Junonia by Kevin Henkes
A sweet, simple story for the younger set. I loved Alice Rice, which rhymes with nice. Alice is a sensitive girl who feels change keenly and events leading up to her 10th birthday are not what she anticipated. The more I think about this one the more I like it. Younger books are overlooked by committees, but there is sophistication in this short story. (And it also takes place not far from where I grew up in Florida.)

Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan

I have to say that this book let me down. Such a great title, too! British rule of India and the rise of Gandhi are certainly interesting and exciting topics. My disinterest came when Rosy went back to England and met up with her Aunt Louise. I would have preferred more India, Isha, the ophanage, and the Club.

The Adventures of Sir Gawain the True by Gerald Morris

A few years ago I was looking for an early chapter book for my son. I read a review of the first book for the series (Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great) in Horn Book and checked it out at the library. The adventures of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table was a new subject for my son and one I thought would greatly appeal to his Star Wars/pirate obsession. My husband read him the first book that year and last year he read the second book himself (The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short).

This week I read Heavy Medal's post by Jonathan Hunt regarding the newest adventure, Sir Gawain the True, as a fine example of a distinguished early reader and a series book that stands alone.  As it happens my son just finished reading Sir Gawain and it is in our library bag waiting to be returned. Perfect timing.

These books are funny, the narrator occasionally speaks directly to the reader, and there's head chopping and jousting. Okay, Morris also uses these stories to highlight elementary age character building themes like being a good friend, using manners (!!), and keeping your word. These are good things and the author easily brings them up within the context of the story.  I enthusiastically recommend these books. They also make a fun family read aloud if the reading level is above your child's, .

P.S. Aaron Renier illustrates this series. You may know him from his 2010 graphic novel The Unsinkable Walker Bean.

The Red Blazer Girls: The Mistaken Masterpiece by Michael D. Beil

After 3 books, Sophie Jeanette St. Pierre still holds a place in my heart as one of my favorite 12-year-old narrators. Author Michael D. Beil's 3rd Red Blazer Girls novel brings back the New York girls for another adventure in after-school sleuthing. Previously they solved logic and math puzzles to find a missing ring and a twice-stolen violin.

Father Julian enlists the Red Blazer Girls Detective Agency (Sophie, Becca, Margaret & Leigh Ann) to help him determine the age of a painting. He asks the girls to sort through a box of old family photos to find images of the painting in hopes of being able to date it. See, if the picture is older than 1961 then it's an original Pommeroy. If it's later, it's a fake.

Add to this sub-plots about a couple of young movie stars and a dog with strange behavior, Sophie's rocky relationship with classmate Livvy, and Sophie's very own mystery of mysterious packages arriving at her house for her. A pot of dirt? Huh?

Beil returns with the clever chapter titles ("So, who wins in a fight between a crocodile and a unicorn?" and "In which I set loose an army of killer ants on Livvy. Okay, not really, but a girl can fantasize, can't she?"), vocabulary words, puns, and literature references. The girls are reading short stories about conflict and irony in their English class. One in particular is "The Interlopers" by Saki. How's that for light middle grade reading? And don't worry, he's also brought back the Charles Dickens references. Speaking of references, the movie filming is called "No Reflections" which is based on a best-selling teen paranormal romance. Ha! And the shady art dealers? The Svindahls. Double ha! Everything is a puzzle to figure out.

Sure there are many convenient plot developments and many times someone just happens to see someone or something, etc.  I also marvel at the girls schedules: homework, school, swim practice, band practice, solving mysteries. This book took a little bit more time to engross me, but once the mystery kicked into full gear it was another exciting ride to the finish. This time the reader is shown 4 photographs and the answer to the mystery is solved by figuring out the clues that link them together. I loved flipping back to those pictures each time an "Ah ha!" moment came up.

These are fun, fun books. I eagerly await the next one.

Red Blazer Girls on Facebook with links to articles about the author and series.

What We're Reading at Our House - 4

As summer vacation closes shop, my 8 year old also winds up his summer reading. His school sent home a goal of 30 books (at least 100 pages each or 2 books to combine for 100 pages) for incoming 3rd graders. My guy is almost there. School starts August 22.

Fred and Anthony's Horrible, Hideous Back-to-School Thriller
by Elise Arevamirp with Elise Primaver (Hyperion Paperbacks for Children 2008)
A new favorite. The title is irresistible this time of year and it has lots of fun illustrations. It seems like it is out of print so look for it at a library.

Max Disaster #3: Alien Eraser Reveals the Secrets of Evolution
by Marissa Moss (Candlewick Press, 2009)
Another comic-like story. I love all the Amelia books so I was happy to see that she has a series for boys. Two thumbs up for sticking science in there as well.

There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom
by Louis Sachar
Reaching back to old school. The outdated cover almost turned him off completely. My son loves Sideways Stories so I selected this one for him. He enjoyed it quite a bit. I heard lots of laughs and that's a solid seal of approval.

Star Wars Character Encyclopedia
DK Publishing, 2011
It's about Star Wars. Instant must-have in our house. We checked it out last week and he's probably read it 6 times already.

Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain
Dad is reading this aloud for the 2nd year in a row. They still laugh and laugh.

In Zanesville: a novel
by Jo Ann Beard (Little, Brown and Company 2011)
Yay! I liked this one very much. My friend Martha reviewed it on Goodreads and her good words were more than enough to get me to check it out. At times it was hard for me to keep track of the who's who of the teen girls, but I think that's supposed to happen. Our narrator takes us along with her for her 9th grade year in the 1970s and she doesn't explain much. I thought this storytelling fit really well with our teen protagonist because she is a teenager. I don't really want her to have deep thoughts and wisdom beyond her years. She and her BFF Felicia are figuring things out. They're definitely weird, but is that okay? She leaves quite a bit out so we have to do some work to piece together what is happening outside of what she is immediately doing and thinking. Another possible contender for the Alex Awards.

Just Kids
by Patti Smith (Ecco 2010)
On my to read list for ages. Once upon a time a woman at a work training I attended asked to take my picture because she thought I looked just like Patti Smith. I took it as a compliment. And maybe I should brush my hair. I haven't finished this book yet, but all I have to say is that I was a total sloth as a 21-22 year old. Holy cow. The people she met and worked with is pretty much EVERYONE. And she knew it then, too. She knew to learn from the people around her. Just really amazing. She wrote this book with a lot of love and you can feel it in every paragraph. (oh, and a sequel!)

What We're Reading at Our House - 3

I'm reading more than I have in ages, but nothing really to blog about yet. Patti and I both read Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Little, Brown 9/11) and will chat about it later...ONE HECK OF A CHAT.

So here's what we are reading at our house.

Almost-8-year-old:
Still on his Geronimo Stilton kick and added Thea Stilton to the mix. I also introduced him to Big Nate by Lincoln Peirce and he's a big fan. Also, before Big Nate Strikes Again (#2) came through on his library holds, he was reading Ramona and Beezus. I'll have to hide the 3rd Big Nate from him until he finishes that one. Girl books rarely make it into his hands.

Picture books:
Purple Little Bird by Greg Foley (Blazer+Bray, 2011)
Greg Foley's Bear books are some of my favorites. I saw this one on the shelf and did a happy dance. Purple Little Bird looks for a new place to live. Colors, animals, and gentle sweetness.

That's How! by Christoph Niemann (Greenwillow, 2011)
Fun for both my boys. I love its over-the-top silliness and imagination.

Let's Count Goats! by Mem Fox and illustrated by Jan Thomas (Beach Lane Books/S&S, 2010)
Saw this just hanging out on the library shelf and grabbed it immediately. Mem Fox AND Jan Thomas?! Yeah, it's hilarious. It is reminiscent of one of the greatest picture books of all time - Where is the Green Sheep? also by Fox.

If Rocks Could Sing : a discovered alphabet by Leslie McGuirk (Random House Kids, 2011)
We all love this one. Fascinating, whimsical, and funny. As if collecting rocks wasn't fun for my boys as is, now we can try and find some that look like letters. Thanks to Bookends Book Blog and Book Moot for the tip.

My books:
All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin (Macmillan 9/11)
We love GZ here at Oops. When I went to TLA I beelined for Macmillan only to be told they were out of ARCs but they would send me one. I declined thinking how much better it would be to wait for its release. Nice thought. When Patti went to ALA in June she snagged one for me. I'm not finished with it yet.

The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai (Viking, 2011)
Well looky here. An adult book. My cousin pointed this one out to me. It's about a children's librarian! I'm 1/2 way and so far I'm not sure what I think. Have any of you read it?

What We're Reading at Our House - 2

Today is the first day of summer vacation for my 2nd grader-now-3rd grader. Here's what we checked out at the library last week. (Part 1) What are you reading? Any suggestions for us?

Picture books:

• Where's Walrus? by Stephen Savage (Scholastic, 2011)
  2.5 year old really liked this and it later wooed 7 year old who initially turned his nose up at the wordless book where "it's soooo easy to find the walrus that you don't even have to try." But there is a story and he got it and liked it. Surprise! I love picture books. [see video!]
• Not Me! by Nicola Killen (Egmont, 2010)
  Little one enjoyed it, but didn't get that each child's name rhymed with his naughtiness (Paul painted the wall)
• Race You To Bed! by Bob Shea (Katherine Tegen Books, 2010)
  We love Bob Shea and yet I own none of his books. Hm. This one was enjoyed by both Little and Big Kid. The lamp is a carrot! I mean really. Shea is just too good.
• Simms Taback's City Animals (Blue Apple, 2009)
  Taback's Where is My Baby was both boys' #1 favorite board book. This one is "A Giant Fold-Out Book" that I never saw before our librarian used the jungle version for storytime. It's super cute as you fold out parts of the page to reveal which animal it is. The last one is a mouse, but I totally thought rat. Kind of gross if you think about it. 
• Blue Goose by Nancy Tafuri (S&S, 2008)
  Tafuri was a go-to author for my storytimes. I was not as familiar with this one as her others (my branch didn't own a copy) but she seriously is one of the best.
• Three By the Sea by Mini Gray (Knopf, 2010)
  LOVE Mini Gray at this house. This one was not quite so loved by Big kid, but there's so much to look at in her illustrations. Mouse's kitchen cookbooks are hilarious. 
• 2 Thomas the Tank books because we cannot leave the library with out something Thomas. I do think it's cute that he'll go up to the librarians (we have a children's and a teen librarian) and tell them he wants either Thomas books or Thomas movies. Then he goes back later and shows them what he picked out. They play along very nicely. (And he is stinkin' cute so he's hard to resist.)

Chapter Books & Comics

• Geronimo Stilton
  7 year old loves loves loves these. I like the inclusion of different fonts and colors used to help with word comprehension.
• Pirates of the Caribbean Jack Sparrow : The Pirate Chase by Rob Kidd (Disney)
  Big kid saw the new Pirates movie a couple weeks ago and he picked this book out but I don't think he's read it. All of a sudden it's not what he wants.
• Tin Tin, Uncle Scrooge, Donald Duck Adventures, Star Wars Clone Wars Adventures -
  annnd this may be why he's reluctant to read the Pirates book. Too many comics!
• Stone Rabbit: Superhero Stampede by Erik Craddock (Random House, 2010)
  Big kid loves this series.
• Bone, volume 3 by Jeff Smith
  He started reading Bone last year but never got past #1. I think he's a little young, but he really seems to be taking to it now.

ETC

• Museum of Accidents by Rachel Zucker (Wave Books, 2009)
  I forget how I learned about Rachel Zucker who writes, for lack of a better term, 21st century mama poetry. I'm making an effort to read more contemporary poetry and she has a style (both subject and format) that I like very much.
• When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago
  It's hard for me to not like a coming of age memoir. Prep for our trip to Puerto Rico. I also got some Rosario Ferré and Judith Ortiz Cofer is on hold.
• Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
  Haven't started this yet but will this week. 

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall

http://www.jeannebirdsall.com/about/point_mouette.html

During the ALA Media Awards earlier this year, Patti and I discussed our desire to read a book and review it together as a chat. We tossed around ideas and one of mine was The Penderwicks. I never read them and I knew a new book was due out later this year. I checked out the first book and finished it very quickly. My thoughts:  adorable.  It's also very retro in its design, its references to pop culture, and its genre. I'll explain this last one more below.) I also thought it wouldn't make quite the juicy conversation that Patti and I usually like to have so here I am on my own. Book 3 The Penderwicks at Point Mouette was released May 10, 2011.

Now just because I said it wasn't juicy doesn't mean I think less of them.*

EDITED IN LIGHT OF WSJ ARTICLE "DARKNESS TOO VISIBLE"

Okay, Friends. Are you going to tell me that none of the Penderwicks books were on those B&N shelves? Because it sounds like these are the books this mom might want. Shocker: these best-selling novels aren't books about cutting and sex abuse.  Heavens! The Penderwick Family Honor wouldn't stand for that nonesense. Penderwick stories are  about family. Funny stories about families. Interesting stories about families. No swearing, no meanness, just a pleasant view into the lives of 4 girls and a couple boys. They go to school. They read (other non-cutting/sex abuse books - all hard core classics that would please any parent who refuses to let their child read books post-1965). The girls like math (!) and science (!) and soccer (!). They have good friends. They are good friends. They are (rather) obedient children. They take care of and love each other.

Granted this series is geared a little bit younger than what the article chose to talk about, but 13 year olds would totally dig these stories. The oldest is 13 and there's kissing! And let's face it, 13 year old girls really really like kissing books no matter what their mothers might think otherwise. So let's hear it for the non-edgy-but-still-rockin' YA. It's a great big YA world out there. There's something for every one. Just because you haven't found it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. If you can't find it yourself, ask your teacher or librarian.

*Oh yeah, about the novel: there's a surprise for one of our friends that I totally didn't see coming. Rosalind is MIA except phone call snippets which allows more time for Skye, Jane & Batty to have their stories. Mr. P, Iantha and Ben are also out of the picture, but we do get Aunt Claire. My heart still belongs to Skye though Jane nearly stole the show this time. And I want to go to Maine for the summer. It's June and it's hot enough here in FL.  This is book 3 of what will be 5 books.