Summer Lull

We are in full summer lag here at our house. In the ultra hot mid-day you'll find us all inside reading, playing games, and just hanging out.  It's how summer should be.

There's less than one month before school starts and 2 weeks until the 8 year old becomes 9.  As summer '12 slips by I am happy to have days where we slow down and enjoy it.*

Here are my recent reads.

Drowned Cities - Finally finished this. I started before our vacation and had to turn it back in before we left. The story, while excellent, embraced so much sadness that it was almost a chore to read. I would see the book on the table and pass it by for later. What more could happen to Mahlia? Some pages I just didn't want to know. Tool also came off as too perfect. Yes, the ending amazed me and yes, I'll be waiting for book 3 where I will hope and pray that something decent happens to Mahlia or anyone. For once.

The Year of the Beasts - I'm not with Patti in the Printz Camp, but it is a unique and compelling read that I hope gets all kinds of attention. The graphic novel/text back and forth worked very well as did the mythology storyline. Cecil Castellucci always delivers wonderful storytelling.

Bon Appetit!: The Delicious Life of Julia Child by Jessie Hartland - Oh I liked this. Almost a graphic novel biography and it reminded me of Maira Kalman. I'm not sure the 2 page spread for galantine will resonate with young readers, but I do plan on making crêpes with my boys just like we made waffles for Everything On a Waffle earlier this year.

The Great Molasses Flood: Boston, 1919 by Deborah Kops - Molasses? The stuff used to make cookies?  Yes. Two million gallons of molasses unleashed on a neighborhood leaving utter devastation in its wake. Molasses was used to make rum and in the winter of 1919 alcohol suppliers were trying to make as much as they could before prohibition. Also, because of poor inspection standards so many buildings and structures collapsed or were destroyed in the molasses flood. Really rather interesting. Plus, the lawyers for the molasses company tried to pin the disaster on a little girl (who died in the event) who could have been a terrorist bomber for the Italian anarchists. Really! The book highlights other historical events like immigration, anarchists, and women's suffrage.

Currently reading: Home by Toni Morrison. And loving it. And it's only 144 pages! Genius.

------
*and then I have the Olympics! I love the Olympics. And this Voldemort vs. Poppinses business just increases my adoration. Please let it be true. Perhaps throw in a Tardis? Or Hobbitses?

Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol

My reader and Facebook list multiple postings about the passing of Donald J. Sobol, creator of the Encyclopedia Brown mysteries for kids. I read these as a kid and my son enjoys them as well. We took off on a 2.5 week cross-country family vacation last month and one of the books on CD my son picked out was a collection of Encyclopedia Brown mysteries. (the Cracks the Case pictured)

They were so. much. fun.

The stories pause at the end where you, the reader, are asked what you think happened. We all took turns guessing and some of them were not that straight forward.

It made for a fun day, driving through Kansas and solving mysteries with my son. Thanks, Mr. Sobol.

Movie Review: Moonrise Kingdom

I saw Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" on Thursday and fell in love. It wasn't too difficult as I am already a huge fan of his movies, but this one hit me square in the glittery pink YA book nerd part of my heart.

One of the main characters is a 12 year old girl named Suzy who is a reader (and school library thief!) of YA sci-fi/fantasy. The books are all made up for the movie and we get to see their covers and hear a few passages. Brilliant. Absolutely delightful. I didn't read reviews of the movie before seeing it because I didn't want to be spoiled and I had no idea this was part of the story.

Last week That Blog Belongs to Emily Brown! published a post about the movie and the books Suzy may have read in 1965. Please go check it out and then run out to the theater and go see the movie.

Also, Kara Hayward, the actress who plays Suzy, looks like the daughter of Kristen Stewart and Emma Watson. I mean this as a compliment. I couldn't stop thinking about it while watching her on screen.

Lunch Lady and the Mutant Mathletes by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

First of all, this is Oops post 666. On Friday the 13th! Muahahahahahhaaaa!

On to the review.

Lunch Lady! How do I love thee! The 8 year old in my house is a big fan so I asked him to do this review. I gave him a short list of questions.

#1 What is your favorite part?
A: The Mutants! [of course it was]

#2 Of all the Lunch Lady books you have read, which is your favorite?
A: The Author Visit Vendetta because it has a lot of trap doors and stuff.

#3 How would you describe this book to a friend?
A: Cool and Creepy

#4 Come up with your own title for a future Lunch Lady school case.
A: Lunch Lady and the Thompson-Brook Takedown [T-B is the name of the school in the book.]

100 Best Blogs for School Librarians

A lovely little email came to me this week noting that Oops is included in the 100 Best Blogs for School Librarians. Aw, shucks. We're number 66. Okay, so 100 blogs is a lot of blogs, but I'll take it.

Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton

Last year my youngest son and I loved Chris Haughton's Little Owl Lost. This year he is equally smitten with Oh No, George!

George is a tubby and loveable dog who really wants to be good for his owner Harry, but how can he when he loves to dig in the dirt and chase the cat?  What will George do? is the common refrain which begs kids to answer back. George is delightfully naughty and later repents, offering Harry his favorite toy as a peace offering. Harry takes George walking where he has a second chance to behave encountering more dirt and the cat. What will George do? Read along and have fun.

Also, there's a storytime waiting to happen if you can round up another dog-named-George-book.

Game of Thrones: Deep Thoughts

After waiting several months on the gigantic waiting list of doom for it to finally be my turn, I recently had the privilege of actually watching Game of Thrones. I had already read the first two books in the series so I was well aware of what I was in for. I am almost finished the third book and am still enjoying the series. Here are some of my thoughts:

The books have a lot of people in them. A lot. I couldn't keep up for the first two books so I just started ignoring people who didn't seem that important. You know what?  I think my strategy worked. The TV series wisely cuts down on them to the point where the show is as strong or maybe even stronger than the first book.


Peter Dinklage is awesome. He is everything Tyrion should be. And one of the most interesting characters both in the books and on the show. I am on tenterhooks in book three to see where his story goes.

What the eff is up with Daenerys hair!?! And her brothers hair? Holy mother of bad wigs. I was overjoyed when her brother finally died and I could stop looking at his hair. Daenerys has always been one of my least favorite characters. In the third book I can see she might have some potential, but not enough that I didn't wish she'd just go away.

Arya is going to be awesome in season two. She is one of my favorite characters. I love how tough she is even though she's just a young 'un. In the third book she starts spending time with the Hound and I CANNOT wait to find out where that goes. The Hound is so freakin' interesting. What is going on in that head of his? What are his motivations? You know, besides hating his brother for burning half his face off.

The Saturday Night Live skit with Andy Samberg was pretty on target.

The actor playing Jon Snow is dreamy.

I'm really happy that Martin kills off main characters. It is a pet peeve of mine where only secondary and unbeloved characters die. That being said, I'm awfully sad at some of the deaths. But then, by the end of the first book I wished some people dead and now in the third they've become some of the most interesting characters. Case in point: Jaimie Lannister.

Speaking of Jamie Lannister, the actor playing him looks exactly like Prince Charming in Shrek. It is uncanny.

Chris Van Dusen

I stumbled across this picture book author/illustrator when I picked up one of his newer books - Randy Riley's Really Big Hit. My son had just finished his first season of t-ball and so I was looking for baseball books to read with him. This one couldn't have fit the bill better. It is about a boy (Randy Riley, of course) who can't play baseball very well. He likes it. He has fun. But he just isn't all that good at it. Of course, when he spies a giant flaming meteor headed toward earth he has to combine his love of science, robots, and baseball to save the earth. This book is a blast. I loved reading it because it has a great rhythm and practically begs to be read aloud. And I loved that Randy Riley didn't let the fact that he wasn't good at something affect his enjoyment of it. He was good at other stuff, he didn't have to be good at everything. I really liked the illustrations too. Retro inspired robots, mid-century modern houses, it is quite a nice looking book. It is also obviously the author/illustrator's style because after reading this title we quickly moved on to the rest of them.

We particularly enjoyed Circus Ship. Once again, it is very fun to read aloud with a nice rhyming rhythm. And a very cute story where a big bad circus owner loses his circus animals in a storm. They wash up on the shore in a small sea-side town. At first the townspeople think the circus animals are pests, but they soon discover that they are actually pretty handy to have around. The image where the animals are hiding in plain site was a particular favorite with my son who poured over the pages and giggled when he discovered the camel hiding as as a heap of straw and the Tiger camouflaged with the hanging laundry.

The Mr. Magee books are also very cute. We particularly enjoyed Learning to Ski with Mr. Magee because of the huge ravine and danger. My son LOVED it when the moose was climbing over the "bridge" only to discover a very worried looking Magee directly underneath him. He was less thrilled with A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee, but I attribute that a bit to his lack of understanding of how camping works and so the hijinx didn't resonate with him as much as it could have. I'm looking forward to reading Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee next.




If the artwork on these covers looks familiar, it might be because Van Dusen illustrates the Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo!
================================
Book Source = Library Copies

Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham and illustrated by Paul O Zelinsky

Z is for Moose is a title that I keep running into. My Goodreads suggests it, Amazon suggests it, my kidlit blogs suggest it, and finally my children's librarian handed it to me knowing my son would like it.

It's a hilarious twist on alphabet books. Moose just wants to be in the stage production. He jumps ahead of line into D and is told by Zebra, the director, that he is on the wrong page. Anxious Moose sneaks into letters H-L ready for his big entrance for M... except M is for mouse. Oh no, poor Moose doesn't handle that well at all and Zebra's solution, way at the end of the alphabet, makes for a great story of friendship.

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.