Welcome to my Tweendom

On the Clipboard

2012-02-02T13:26:00.000-05:00

Hey there. I have been shelving and shelving! Here are some things that our tweens have been checking out on the clipboard!

We Are Not Eaten by Yaks, by C. Alexander London

Dragon in the Volcano, by Kate Klimo

A Long Way From Chicago, by Richard Peck

Hades, by George O'Connor

13 Gifts, by Wendy Mass

What have your tweens been reading lately?

Saying Goodbye To My Newbery Year

2012-01-25T09:21:00.000-05:00

Chances are, if you read this blog you know that the ALA announced the Youth Media Awards on Monday morning. It was a bitter sweet time, as it signaled the end of my Newbery tenure.

This past year (and a half) has been filled with more books than you can possibly imagine. I was reading with a critical eye, thinking and re-thinking, reading and re-reading.

I am particularly proud of our committee and our hard work. It does seem a little strange to be reading for the sake of it, but I am pleased that this blog will be going back to its old format. I will be keeping up with the tween interviews and the "on the clip-board" posts, but they will be interspersed with book recommendations!

ALA

2012-01-16T14:21:00.000-05:00

Like many of you all, I will be winging away to Dallas Texas to attend the ALA Midwinter Conference. I will be in meetings most of the time, but will hopefully get onto the floor to check out what's coming next in the world of tween literature!
If you see me out and about, please stop me and say "hi"!

Real Life Tween Reader

2012-01-09T20:36:00.000-05:00

"Mak" is a kid who defies categorization. He is a reader, an athlete, and a music fan among other things. He can be counted on to provide his peers with book-talks, especially when they show some interest in a series that he enjoys. He's a kid who is always on the go, and even though he has officially entered teendom, I took advantage of a quiet moment in the library today to get him to answer some of my questions!

Do you consider yourself a reader?
Yes, I enjoy reading.

What are your favorite genres to read?
Action, adventure and realistic fiction (books about high school life). I enjoy humor in books.

How do you select the books you want to read?
I am a fan of following a series! If not I usually hear about them from from my friends or librarians.

What is your favorite book so far?
The Ranger's Apprentice series [Flanagan] and the Harry Potter series [Rowling].

What is your favorite thing about reading?
I love that reading makes me feel like I am there in the moment.

Do you read on an e-reader/phone/computer?
No.

What kinds of books do you think are the most possible with kids your age?
It really depends on the person, but two very popular ones in my grade are Pretty Little Liars [Shepard](I don't read them), and Harry Potter.

What are you currently reading?
Ranger's Apprentice 10.

Holiday Break

2011-12-19T08:23:00.000-05:00

Source: fb, reddit, anthropolgie

Well, here we are at winter break once again. Most of my time will be spent traveling and reading. Since I am not posting a top list this year, I am more interested than ever in hearing about your top picks for tweens! Please use the comments to list your top 5 of the year!

Happy reading to all!

On The Clipboard

2011-12-10T11:03:00.000-05:00

Astronaut Academy, by Dave Roman

N.E.R.D.S. 3: The Cheerleaders of Doom, by Michael Buckley

Marzi, by Marzina Sowa and Sylvain Savoia

Wonderstruck, by Brian Selznick

On the Clipboard

2011-11-18T20:54:00.001-05:00

Holy cats! I am up to my eyeballs in reading, and have been neglecting this here blog. All apologies! Without further ado, here's what our tweens have been checking out this week!

The Apothecary, by Maile Meloy

Ranger's Apprentice 10: The Emperor of Nihon-Ja, by John Flanagan

Mercury, by Hope Larson

The Aviary, by Kathleen O'Dell

How to Train Your Dragon, by Cressida Crowell

So, what are your tweens reading these days?

Real Life Tween Reader

2011-10-18T11:10:00.000-04:00

Mizzy is a reader who is what I consider open. She is a passionate reader, and loves to tell you why she loved a particular story. She is another reader who is happy to give us the gift of a test-drive for something where we want the reaction of a tween reader. Here is what she has to say about her life as a reader!

Do you consider yourself a reader?
Yes, I consider myself a reader.

What are your favourite genres to read?
I think now, my favorite genres is like realistic fiction. I still like a few fantasy books now and then.

How do you select the books you want to read?
I get most of my books from recommendations from friends or my teachers.

What is your favourite book so far?
My favorite book so far is called Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher.

What is your favourite thing about reading?
My favorite thing about reading is probably just getting to sit down in a chair, opening up a novel and just passing the time with my nose in a book.

Do you read on an e-reader/phone/computer?
I personally don't really like e-readers because I just love being able to flip a page.

What kid of books do you think are the most popular with kids your age? Why?
I'm pretty sure kids my age are starting to read more young-adult books because we all know we are getting older by the minute and we have an advantage of reading those books.

What are you currently reading?
Currently, I am reading Sweetly, by Jackson Pearce.

On the Clipboard

2011-09-14T10:26:00.000-04:00

School is back and we are flying through September. Books are circulating like mad, and here are some of the titles that have been checked out in the past week or so.

If you are new to this blog, these clipboard posts tell you what some of the students at my school have been checking out on their own for fun!

Emmy and the Rats in the Belfry, by Jonell

A Whole Nother Story, by Soup

Between Two Ends, by Ward

NERDS 2, by Buckley

Pish Posh, by Potter

The Ghost of the Un-finished Reviews

2011-08-20T18:15:00.000-04:00

Let's face it. Our lives are busy. Many of us have families, we all have too much to read, plus the everyday business of life means that the best laid plans to blog, often do not come to fruition. It is with a bit of a wry smile that I go through my old word documents and find snippets that didn't get finished and didn't get onto the blog.

Here's a prime example of a bit that I wrote in November of 2010:

"Books like Moon Over Manifest are difficult to summarize since they are woven together so masterfully. Set in Manifest Kansas, Abilene Tucker comes to town by herself on the train because her Daddy Gideon has a job working for the railroad in Iowa, and he has declared that it’s not fit living for a 12 year-old-girl. Lots of folks who were in Manifest when Gideon was coming up still live there, and Abilene is to live with Shady…part-time preacher/ part-time saloon owner. But old habits die hard, and instead of waiting for the train to pull into the station like the rest of the paying customers, she takes a leap because folks know that “it’s best to get a look at a place before it gets a look at you”. (p. 3)

Abilene sees some sights on her walk into town, but they don’t much resemble the vibrant and bustling town that her Daddy recently told her stories about..."

I don't know what stopped me from finishing. Perhaps it was a hungry daughter, or some curriculum tweaking. Maybe I had to pick somebody up from a play-date or go grocery shopping.

What are some titles that you ended up not blogging that came back to haunt you?

Just Wondering....

2011-08-08T15:43:00.002-04:00

So, I have a question that I 've been wondering about for the past while. I've been thinking deeply about tween reads and what makes them great. I've also been thinking about the idea of tween / middle grade as a category. My question(s) to you are as follows...What is your favourite middle grade/tween read of the past 10 years (and why). What is your favourite middle grade/tween read of ALL time (and why)?

Thanks in advance! I can't wait to see which reads stuck with you!

Blast from the Past -- Water Street, by Patricia Reilly Giff

2011-07-25T22:06:00.000-04:00

Here is a book that I originally blurbed over at Booktopia. It's a go-to historical fiction and one of my favorite NYC stories.

Bird and Thomas are growing up in a Brooklyn apartment just as the bridge is rising. Over on Water Street, Bird is the youngest of 3 - daughter of a bridge worker and a healer. Thomas is pretty much on his own - Da being down at the pub all the time.

Thomas dreams of being a writer. He has fashioned himself a notebook and makes sure to write everything down. He has a shadowy memory of a woman in lace sleeves who told him that writing can change it all.

Bird has her own dreams of following in her mother's footsteps and becoming a healer herself. She has a notebook where she writes down remedies ... sliced onion for bee stings, coal from the turf fire held under the nose for sneezing.

Bird always needs to fix things. She needs to get her brother Hughie to stop fighting in the backs of pubs. She needs to get sister Annie out of the box factory. She needs to save all her money to help her mother buy a farm in New Jersey.

Thomas needs to find his past and try to fix his family.

This is immigrant Brooklyn in the 1870s. Patricia Reilly Giff has managed to bring in so many aspects of daily immigrant life without making it seem like school. The streets come alive (especially when Thomas and Bird venture into Manhattan) with sights and sounds and smells. It was a pleasure to read about Brooklyn instead of the Bowery.

This book is equally suited for older tweens and younger teens. There is a bit of detailed gore described in some healing scenes that may have queasy readers blanching. Told in alternating chapters, the stories of Bird and Thomas come to life and are a pleasure to read.

Blast from the Past -- The Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls

2011-07-11T10:46:00.000-04:00

This is one of those books I read years ago and blogged over at Booktopia. It's one of those books that went under the radar, but every time I hand it to a reader, they come back having loved it.

Poor Ivy. A Jinx has followed her since she broke a mirror almost seven years ago. No matter where she and her mother move, bad luck follows. In fact, getting to Gumm Street is the first good thing that has happened in a long time. Ivy and her mom have inherited Aunt V's old house.

Gumm Street happens to be the very street where Pru, Cat, and Franny live. You would think that 3 girls of the same age who live on the same street would be friends. Well, they used to be. Not any more. After all Pru is all stuck up with her nose perpetually in a book, Cat is a great big show off and queen of the cartwheels, and Franny has so many big ideas that she cannot possibly follow through with any of them!

When Ivy moves to the block, a piano is mysteriously delivered and the elusive Mr. Staccato - piano teacher extraordinaire - shows up to offer some lessons. Ivy's first lesson shows her that there is something else to Mr. Staccato besides piano! His dogs seem to talk, and he has a museum room filled with movie memorabilia from way before her time. The prize of which seems to be ruby slippers.

An adventure soon begins with the girls having to get together and work together to defeat the crazy Aunt Cha-Cha and her creepy nieces Bling-Bling and Coco. The girls travel to Spoz, then Spudz and each of them works to find their "unique talent" that Mr. Staccato has told them they possess.

I am not sure how to really describe the plot. Elise Primavera has written lots of plot! I think that kids who have read The Wizard of Oz series will get more out of this book than kids who have not read it. There is a large amount of magical realism, and necessary suspension of belief is required to get through. I did, however, really enjoy the book. I think that it is written on a couple of levels where older readers will get the wry writing style and younger readers will get an adventure story.

I had fun!

Summertime....

2011-07-01T17:52:00.000-04:00

....and the living is easy. At least easier than it is when we have to get out of bed at 4:45 a.m.

I had a wonderful time in steamy NOLA for ALA 2011. Our session on Embedded Librarianship was well attended, the food was delicious, and as always the company was fab. So onto summer I go.

I am so lucky to have an unplugged summertime retreat. After the family time is over and the kids are tucked in bed, the books get read! I am on the hunt for some more tweens to share their reading habits with me.

Happy Summer!

ALA in NOLA

2011-06-22T15:09:00.000-04:00

Like many of you, I will be soon taking to the sky and landing in New Orleans for ALA. I am quite excited, not only to see all of your smiling faces, but because one of my best friends in the world lives there and I will finally get a chance to hang out with him and his adorable family.

I will be co-presenting a session on Embedded Librarianship along with the rest of the superb team of librarians from LREI and superstar Buffy Hamilton. If you get a chance, you should swing on by!

I'm also on the outgoing side of the ALSC Library Service to Special Needs Children and their Caregivers Committee. The program being put together by committee members (and guest speakers) is Sensory Storytime: Preschool Programming that Makes Sense for Kids with Autism. This is a presentation that is bound to help libraries and patrons alike!

I will be out and about, so if you see me on the street or on the floor, please say hi!

Blast from the Past - Maya Running, by Anjali Banerjee

2011-06-17T03:33:00.000-04:00

Things around My Tweendom have been insanely busy lately, hence the blog pause that lasted much longer than anticipated. Our tweens have left the building, our inventory is complete and we are furiously planning for the upcoming ALA in NOLA, summer grants and next year's curriculum.

To keep your thirst for all things books quenched, here is a book blurb from 2005 and my first blog, Booktopia.

Be careful what you wish for!

How many times has that statement turned out to be true? For Maya Mukherjee, they should have been words to live by.

It's the mid 1970s in Manitoba, and Maya is not a happy girl. Her friends call her lunchtime dal "barf", her parents are making her hang out with the Ghose boys, she has a huge crush on Jamie, and Brian just called her the "N" word. The only bright spot is that Maya has convinced her parents to let her beautiful cousin Pinky come over from India for 3 weeks.

Pinky is beautiful and actually seems exotic to Maya, with her saris, kohl lined eyes and her Kathak dancing. Pinky has also brought along a golden statue of Ganesh. When Jamie's affections turn from Maya to Pinky, Maya turns to Ganesh for help. Little does she know that this sweet loving trickster god will turn her life upside down.

Even though Maya starts to live the life she thought she wanted, she is not feeling very good about it. Her parents are shadows of their former selves, and her friends just aren't themselves. And Jamie ... his adoration is becoming downright scary.

This is a tween read that would be great for anyone who feels like the odd one out. The story obviously relies heavily on the author Anjali Banerjee's own life, and though it is dated in the 1970s, the journey for self discovery is a timeless one.

On the Clip Board

2011-05-23T15:49:00.001-04:00

Frenzy. That is school right now. The kids are trying to check absolutely everything out that they possibly can before the last day! Here are a few selections that were on the clipboard in the past few days!

Modern Fairies, Dwarves, Goblins and Other Nasties: A Practical Guide, by Leslie M. M. Blume

The Romeo and Juliet Code, by Phoebe Stone

Swords: An Artist's Devotion, by Ben Boos

Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull

Airman, by Eoin Colfer

What are your tweens reading these days?

Trickster

2011-05-13T21:16:00.000-04:00

I am always on the look out for books that support the curriculum at my school. I am always on the look out for good books. So imagine my delight when I found the perfect combination of the two while browsing my local public library shelves.
First off, Trickster is gorgeous. It has shelf appeal and format appeal coming out the wazoo. And then comes the content, which does everything else all kinds of justice.

As you can imagine, what lies within is a collection of trickster tales that are haunting, beautiful, humorous and clever all at once. There are 20 tales in all, and readers will find some common threads between tales. Azban and the Crayfish (Bruchac, Bruchac, & Dembicki) tells the story of a clever raccoon and a lying crayfish, while How Wildcat Caught A Turkey (Stands With Many & Sperry) tells a similar tale about a tricky rabbit and some not-so-lucky turkeys. Not all of the stories feature animals alone as some may assume. The tall tale of Moshup's Bridge (Perry, Piers & White), and When Coyote Decided to Get Married (Thorsgard & Arrington) are just two of the stories that feature human characters along side a cast of animals.

Stylistically, the art runs the gamut from hauntingly realistic illustrations to cartoon, yet the collection never feels disjointed. Each story is like a fresh new breath, and the art simply compliments the feeling.

End-notes feature a statement from Matt Dembicki speaking of his inspiration to get this collection together. After reading American Indian Trickster Tales, by Ortiz and Erdoes he realized how little he knew of Native American culture and wanted to put together a collection of tales in sequential format. Dembicki wanted to make sure that the stories were all written by Native American storytellers and that he had the support of the community. The end product is this collection. There are also mini biographies of all of the storytellers and artists involved in the creation of Trickster, and these are sure to give inspiration to budding storytellers and artists alike.

While I will be returning this collection to the library, I will also be going out to purchase it to live on my book shelf at home.

Real Life Tween Reader

2011-05-03T20:06:00.000-04:00

"Lock" is a book-a-day-boy-reader. He is a shining example of why the idea of boys as non-readers is in the realm of stereotype (at least in my own work place). He keeps me on my toes, because not only does he read on average a book-a-day when he's on a roll, but he expects new and fresh recommendations each time! He's pretty amenable to listening to suggestions, but he has a definite idea of what it is that he likes.

Do you consider yourself a reader?
Yes, I consider myself a reader.

What are your favorite genres to read?
My favorite genres to read are fantasy fiction/ science fiction.

How do you select the books you want to read?
I select my books by having people recommend them to me: parents, teachers, etc.

What is your favorite book so far?
My favorite book of all time is probably Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

What is your favorite thing about reading?
My favorite thing about reading is that it is an easy way to pass the time and there are always a lot of good books just waiting to be read.

Do you read on an e-reader/phone/computer?
No I do not read on an electronic device.

What kinds of books do you think are most popular with kids your age? Why?
I think that the most popular books with boys my age are fantasy fiction/ sci-fi. I think for girls a popular genre is Realistic fiction/ gossip fiction. Because for girls they can connect to it. And for boys we can enjoy different parts of it.

What are you currently reading?
I am currently reading Airman by Eoin Colfer.

On the Clipboard

2011-04-22T09:37:00.001-04:00

It's been a while! While our schedule has been cuh-razy at school lately, the tweens are still reading up a storm. Here's a little sampling of what's been on the clipboard lately!

Behemoth, by Scott Westerfeld

If You're Reading This, It's Too Late, by Pseudonymous Bosch

The Schwa Was Here, by Neal Shusterman

The Hound of Rowan, by Henry H. Neff

Rebel, by Willo Davis Roberts

What have your tweens been reading lately?

Real Life Tween Reader

2011-04-09T08:12:00.001-04:00

Sparkle is another reader who has been wandering around this library since she was 4. She will generally give anything a test drive, which is an invaluable service! She's not shy about letting us know why a book works or why it doesn't! It's fabulous to see a tween reader who knows what she likes, but is willing to give new things a chance.

Do you consider yourself a reader?
Yes, I do consider myself a reader.

What are your favorite genres to read?
Murder mysteries, fantasy, and humorous gruesome books.

How do you select the books you want to read?
I mostly ask for recommendations from librarians, or friends.

What is your favorite book so far?
My favorite book so far is A Tale Dark and Grimm because it is funny *and* bloody.

What is your favorite thing about reading?
My favorite thing about reading is learning the incredible character's story.

Do you read on an e-reader/phone/computer?
Nope. Only the real kind of book.

What kinds of books do you think are the most popular with kids your age? Why?
I have no idea. I'm really not up to date on those things.

What are you currently reading?
I am reading The Romeo and Juliet Code.

The Eve of National Poetry Month

2011-03-31T10:49:00.000-04:00

I have always been someone who enjoys poetry. From the time I was young and obsessed with Dennis Lee and Shel Silverstein, to my gothy teen years with Edgar Allan Poe, into adulthood and loving found poetry, poems have always been part of my life.

Many tweens are fans of poetry and often write their own. Here are some links to use during National Poetry Month (and beyond!) to get poetry into the hands of tweens!

Online Magnetic Poetry
Tweens can drag words over to the "magnetic" board. They can either save their work or start over again!

Gotta Book's 30 Poets in 30 Days
Come back daily to find previously unpublished works from poets such as Calef Brown, Arthur A. Levine, and Eileen Spinelli!

Write A Poem with Jack Prelutsky
Click through and have Jack Prelutsky guide you through the poetry process!

Write an Autobiographical Poem
Use the template to craft your own poem, all about you!

Do you have some resources, or are you doing cool poetry activities with your tweens? Let me know, and I can add to the list!

On The Clip Board (Pre-Spring Break Edition)

2011-03-18T17:35:00.000-04:00

A Fairy's Guide to Understanding Humans, by Margaret Meacham

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - The Last Straw, by Jeff Kinney

The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet, by Eleanor Cameron

The Invisible Rules of the Zoe Lama, by Tish Cohen

The Popularity Papers, by Amy Ignatow

Tween Readers

2011-03-08T21:27:00.000-05:00

Star is what I like to call a "stealth" reader. She asks for recommendations occasionally, but more often than not, I'll just catch a glimpse of her legs heading up the stairs, or the door closing behind her. Her name will be on the clipboard with a barcode number right beside.

Do you consider yourself a reader? Why or why not?
Of course! I read almost all the time! Reading is one of my favorite things.

What are your favorite genres to read?
I love to read mystery books and historical fiction. I like mystery because sometimes I solve the mystery before the character (which is awesome)! I like historical fiction because I like to hear about mostly true past.

What is your favorite book so far?
That's a tough one. I love all the books I read but my favorites would have to be Mother Daughter Book Club because it is a very real book and you can relate to the characters, Harry Potter because of the fiction aspect and adventure, Gilda Joyce because of the mystery, and The Westing Game because of...well...EVERYTHING.

What is your favorite thing about reading?
My favorite thing about reading would have to be being able to get to know the character and how they deal with life's little issues from chocolate magical jumping frogs to crushes.

Do you read on an e-reader/phone/computer?
I sometimes read on my kindle, but only at home. I read a book on one once for a book club I was doing but I love the floppy pages of a book. Plus I truly highly dislike (notice I didn't say hate) back light when I'm reading.

What kinds of books do you think are the most popular with kids your age? Why?
I think kids love a graphic novel or a book about adventure (although graphic novels are often adventurey) but who wouldn't want to get lost in an adventure and pretend to do what the character is doing?

What are you currently reading?
Right now I am reading Much Ado About Anne the second book in the Mother Daughter Book Club , after that I will read Dear Pen Pal the third book in the series.

On the Clip Board

2011-03-01T09:54:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the books that our tweens are reading these days!

Weird Nature, by John Downer

The Tale of Emily Windsnap, by Liz Kessler

Nature Girl, by Jane Kelley

Operation Red Jericho, by Joshua Mowll

Tiger Moon, by Antonia Michaelis

Passion and Poison: Tales of Shape-Shifters, Ghosts, and Spirited Women

2011-02-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

I was browsing my local public library the other day looking for tween titles that i hadn't seen before, and Passion and Poison caught my eye with its' fetching cover and creepy title. Kids are always asking us for "scary" stories and it is sometimes difficult to find something scary that is still age appropriate at the same time. This collection of original takes on traditional folklore motifs is just the thing.

Author Janice M. Del Negro wrote these tales to be read aloud, but even someone reading to him/herself is bound to get the chills somewhere in this collection. There are 8 tales in all ranging from the more traditional ghost story "Skulls and Bones, Ghosts, and Gold", to the truly gory "The Severed Hand", with my favorite being the latter.

All of the stories are hauntingly illustrated by Vince Natale to great effect. Readers who have been fans of Gidwitz's recent Tale Dark and Grimm are certain to enjoy these dark and creepy tales.

Readers beware...not for the faint of heart!

On the Clip Board

2011-02-16T14:19:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the books that our tweens are reading this week.

Top Ten Deadliest Sharks, by Joe Brusha

A Whole Nother Story, by Dr. Cuthbert Soup

The Fantastic Secret of Owen Juster, by Barbara O'Connor

The Vanishing Violin, by Michael D. Bell

The Teacher's Funeral, by Richard Peck

Meanwhile: Pick any Path. 3,856 Story Possibilities, by Jason Shiga

2011-02-13T09:32:00.000-05:00

I have been getting quite a few requests in the library for Choose Your Own Adventures these days. The requests are coming from both the younger and the older set, which is pretty interesting to me. One of the bolder of these that I am giving to the older kids is Meanwhile, by Jason Shiga.

Chocolate or Vanilla? This choice will sets off an adventure involving quantum physics, inventions, and entropy among other things. Our young ice cream fan needs a bathroom, and finds one in a lab where he gets the privilege of testing out some inventions (which ones are entirely up to you!).

Differing from the typical Choose Your Own Adventure, this is in no way a linear journey. Readers get to the next segment of the story by following a series of pipes up, down, back and forth and occasionally through a tangled up maze to get to the next segment of the story.

Now, I in no way made it through all 3856 options, but you know what? I know *several* kids who will take the time and the renewals that it will take in order to do it! Shiga has a gift for making the uber scientific concepts accessible to kids (and adults) who may not know what things like entropy really mean coming into Meanwhile.

The format is great. Laminated pages will hold up to all of the back and forth that the pages need to have to make the story work, and the explanation of how the book works is very clear. This is a great book to gift to someone as they will return to it again and again, even if they only have "10 minutes" to get some reading in. Meanwhile was recently listed in YALSA's Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens, and I will extend the category to include the tweens as well!

Tween Readers

2011-02-08T09:57:00.000-05:00

One of the new things that is going to happen on this here blog, is that I will be interviewing tweens about their reading habits. The first reader to be interviewed on Tweendom is "Scout". She has been wandering around my library for years, and when I think of the term "reader" I think of her.

Do you consider yourself a reader?

Definitely! I love to read, and many of my friends complain that I "read too much." I read as often as I can.

What are your favorite genres to read?
I enjoy reading realistic fiction, because I can really relate to the characters, historical fiction, because I love hearing about history, and fantasy, because, I mean, who doesn't like to read about wizards and flying and magic talking dragons?

How do you select the books you want to read?
There are many other avid readers in my grade and in other grades, and I love hearing recommendations from them. If I see a friend reading a good book, I'll probably go to the library and try to find it. But sometimes I also just browse the library and look for good books. I have the unfortunate bad habit of starting at the middle of the book, reading to the end and then finishing the beginning.

What is your favorite book so far?
I have 3 favorite books, but I look for more favorites every day. Currently my favorites are Queens Own Fool, by Jane Yolen, because the writing style is rich and marvelous, Jacky Daydream, an autobiography of Jaqueline Wilson, because she has a way of making you get lost in the book and never want to come out, and Luv Ya Bunches by Lauren Myracle, because it is filled with real life problems but also real life happiness.

What is your favorite thing about reading?

My favorite thing about reading is when I'm reading a good book, I'm totally gone. Its like I'm traveling through a magical world instead of sitting on the couch, and I can't hear anybody (sometimes a problem around dinner time). If you are reading the right book, reading can be amazing, and you never want to leave that book until you're finished.

Do you read on an e-reader/phone/computer?

Never! I do acknowledge that Kindles are practical, but I am a very much old fashioned reader, and I prefer to stick with a normal book instead of a cold computer screen. Plus, how do you get lost in the story with a computer?

What kinds of books do you think are the most popular with kids your age? Why?

I think that adventure novels have been very popular with kids in my grade this year. I see many people reading books such as The Hunger Games and Alex Rider. I don't love adventure novels, but I can see how living a normal life in middle school can make you want some adventure.

What are you currently reading?

I've just finished To Kill A Mockingbird (everybody I asked loved it, so I had to find out whether it was good.) I have started Born On A Blue Day, which is a memoir of an autistic savant. It is an interesting perspective on life.

New Blog Alert

2011-02-05T12:34:00.001-05:00

You all know how much fun it is to find a new blog, right? Well this one is a little extra special since it is authored by a real life tween who I just happen to know.
"Scout" has been wandering around my library since she was about 3 and has just started her very own blog, which she has called "Blog 4 Book Lovers" . Her first review is for Lauren Myracle's Luv Ya Bunches, and if you head over to take a look, you can see what she thinks!

Welcome to the kidlitosphere, Scout!

On the Clip Board

2011-01-28T19:55:00.000-05:00

There are many familiar faces on the list this week. Word of mouth and peer recommendations go far in our school, and these are some of our students' favs!

The Name of This Book is Secret, by Psuedonymous Bosch

The Falcon's Malteser, by Anthony Horowitz

Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time, by Lisa Yee

Peter and the Shadow Thieves, by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson

TMBS and the Prisoner's Dilemma, by Trenton Lee Stewart

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - The Ugly Truth

2011-01-23T09:42:00.000-05:00

So, what was the release date of this book? November 9th or something? Well, it left our shelf on that day and didn't come back until Friday. I snagged it and used a couple of commutes to get it read so that I can put it on the shelf to disappear for the next 3 months!

Greg and Rowley are on the outs. Greg is considering his options for new friends, but he has to face the fact that they are few and far between. Christopher Brownfield is more of a summer friend (he's really great for keeping mosquitos away!) and Tyson Sanders has a bathroom habit that's hard overlook.

More is changing in Greg's life than just his body (a fact that he can't avoid thanks to his teacher insisting showers happen after PE and his mother giving him an embarrassing puberty book). His mother has decided to go back to school. Since she is not around so much, Greg, his brothers and father are left to fend for themselves for dinner, cleaning and getting ready for school often to disasterous results, as you can imagine.

One of the best segments in the book happens when the school has a lock-in sleep over. After all of the games and cellphones are confiscated, the fun begins with ice-breaker games, too many chaperones and an incident involving body parts and polaroid cameras!

There were fewer laugh-out-loud moments in this installment, and Greg isn't really growing too much as a character, however, tweens are still eating up the series. The vignette style means that readers generally will recognize their lives in the book somewhere, whether it's having to take care of an egg for health class, being locked in at school for a sleepover, or having a parent who goes back to work. The stories are solidly in tween territory now with issues of friendship, puberty, family and the search for self swirling through the pages.

On the Clip Board

2011-01-19T09:56:00.000-05:00

Here are some titles our tweens checked out this week!

Crash, by Spinelli

Liberty Porter First Daughter, by DeVillers

Shug, by Han

The Remarkable and Very True Story of Lucy and Snowcap, by Bouwman

The Green Lantern Chronicles, by Broome

What are your tweens reading?

ALA Midwinter

2011-01-13T09:17:00.000-05:00

I am back from sunny San Diego and the ALA Mid Winter meeting. This is a time of committee meeting on top of committee meeting, and the drama of the announcements of the Youth Media Awards.

Highlights of this trip for me, were catching up with old friends, meeting new friends, passing Neil Gaiman on the street, awarding a grant to a very deserving program, and dipping my toes in Newbery work.

As I've stated before, this year the blog will feature older titles, what the kids are reading, and some author highlights. I am thinking of profiling some tween readers as well.

I look forward to reading all of your blogs to see what is catching your eyes and hearts this year!

Violet in Bloom: A Flower Power Book

2011-01-02T08:12:00.000-05:00

The girls are back ready to start really using their website and to get past the FIST incident (Fake Incident of the Stolen Turtle) that ended up bringing them all together in the first place. After Katie-Rose posts a meet up on Luvyabunches.com, Yassaman wants to get the girls to start to honor their second promise after being FFFs, which is to use their flower power for good. She has an idea that she wants to share with the girls, but Katie-Rose's strong personality is making it hard to do. Yassaman takes to their website to tell the girls.

Yassaman wants to launch a snack attack! She has been doing some research and has discovered that the Cheezy Nips that their teachers hand out at snack are really bad for you and filled with the kind of ingredients that lead to being overweight and having heart problems. She just needs to girls to help her come up with some ideas as to how to make their school a Cheezy Nip free zone.

Each girl is looking at the problem from her own angle, but each girl has something else going on in her life as well! For Milla it's her crush on Max. She's even willing to overcome her fear of his hamster to spend some quality time with him. After all, he's smart and cool and nice...Milla figures that is worth holding Stewy (the hamster). She even starts to like Stewy, and everything is going great until he gogo boot and Stewy get a little too close for comfort. Now she's mortified, still crushing and she can't look Max in the eye. The snack attack seems like a good distraction from her worries, so Milla digs into some research and finds out some stuff about the company that makes Cheezy Nips that really makes the girls want to get them out of their school.

For Violet, it's her mom. Her mom is still in the hospital dealing with her issues, and Violet hasn't even been to see her, even though her dad has asked her to go. Violet's just not ready. But when she gets called down to the office one day for a phone call, and her mother's on the other end begging her to come visit, what can she do? To make matters worse, Cyril was resting on a mat in the office and he heard the whole thing. Sure Cyril doesn't talk much, but he is always writing in that notebook, and while Violet was on the phone he was scribbling away. Just how much did he hear? And what if he tells?

Katie-Rose is stressing because Natalia keeps shoving herself into the flower friends. She has jumped on Yassaman's snack attack idea with vigor, even making cute buttons for kids to wear. Katie-Rose does not like how Natalia is always with Yassaman and seems to be trying to push her out of the way. Katie-Rose decides that she will be the one to make the snack attack idea work, no matter how over-the-top her methods may be.

Can these four friends put their own issues aside and get the job done?

Once more Lauren Myracle has written a friendship story that rings true. There is so much going on in the middle school years, and 6th grade is definitely a time of transition. The girls are passionate, but still trying to find their voices and their way. It's easy to be mean without meaning to, especially with friends, and Myracle gets it just right. The worrying, the loving and the anger. I really like how each girl brings something to the story, and I really like how they genuinely care about one another.

If you have any doubts as to whether food ingredients or maltreatment of animals are issues that are on 6th graders' minds, let me tell you that they are. The school where I work had significant cafeteria changes after a group of middle schoolers looked into the treatment of animals by a certain company. The school no longer orders from that company...and it was all thanks to the students!

Fans of the first book will eat this one up, and new readers will not have a problem getting into this episode of the story. The cover appeal alone will take this off the shelves, but readers will hand it from tween to tween and it may not come back to the shelf for a while!

Closing Shop for the Holidays

2010-12-20T14:56:00.000-05:00

Hey all! I am closing up shop here for the holidays. I will see you back in 2011 (eeek!) for a banner year of book talking. I'm depending on you all for the 2011s, but I will have lots of reads from the past as well as those amazing books that didn't get the press that ( I thought) they deserved!

Happy Holidays!

The Top 5

2010-12-12T13:25:00.000-05:00

Well, it's that time of year again. The time of the lists. The time that I *love*! It's been a pretty stellar year in kidlit this year, and I found myself arranging and rearranging my Top 5 list. This year, unlike previous years, I am sticking to the tween titles. This list doesn't attempt to be balanced at all. And of course, there are only the titles that I read that I am considering. That said, the list is pretty sweet, if I do say so myself!

What Happened on Fox Street, by Tricia Springstubb

The Kneebone Boy, by Ellen Potter

One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger

Turtle in Paradise, by Jennifer L. Holm

So there you have it!

What are your favourite 2010 books for tweens?

On the Clip Board

2010-12-01T09:15:00.000-05:00

Apologies for the absence, but here are some of the titles that our tweens have been checking out!

The Misadventures of Maude March, by Coulumbis

The Candymakers, by Mass

The Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls, by Primavera

The Arrival, by Tan

We Are So Crashing Your Bar Mitzvah!!, by Rosenbloom

Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword, by Barry Deutsch

2010-11-14T14:02:00.000-05:00

Readers get a sense of who Mirka is from the very first panel in this charming graphic novel. While Mirka (who would rather be out fighting dragons) is knitting, her stepmother informs her that she dropped a stitch. Instead of pulling out her knitting to the dropped stitch and continuing, Mirka argues with Fruma that Hashem must have preordained the dropped stitch, so why should she fix it? That's Mirka; strong willed, a bit against the grain, and her own girl.

Mirka lives with her family in the Orthodox Jewish community of Hereville. Expectations are clear, and Mirka and her siblings know what is expected of them. What is unexpected is the tall, narrow house that Mirka finds in the woods one day. Mirka brings her brother and sisters back to the house to prove to them it's real, but instead of seeing the floating witch that Mirka insists she saw, all they see is a giant pig that appears when Mirka takes a grape off one of the vines by the house. Mirka has never seen a pig before, and this proves very scary indeed, especially when the pig decides to chase her!

Before she knows it, the pig is pretty much haunting Mirka. Even though her stepsister tells Mirka just what a pig is, Mirka is convinced that it's a monster and even searches through her forbidden Monster book to find information about it! Mirka becomes obsessed, insisting that the pig has stolen her homework and decides that she is going to catch it once and for all! She enlists little brother Zindel and they are soon hatching a plan to catch the pig and to rid Zindel of the bullies that have been tormenting him.

What follows is a wonderful blend of fantasy, quest and a window into the Orthodox Jewish world. Mirka manages to get what she wants without outright rejecting her culture and faith, but finding ways to work them into her desires. There is nothing that Mirka loves more than her family, and her quest to have a proper sword proves to be an awakening of sorts on this very topic. Deutsch's portrayal of the relationships between siblings as well as those between children and parents are completely realistic, and readers will be able to identify with the characters regardless of their faith or their cultural background.

Completely different and refreshing, Hereville will quickly rise to the top of the recommendations that kids give to other kids.

Scary Godmother, by Jill Thompson

2010-11-04T12:54:00.000-04:00

I have been a fan of the Scary Godmother for some time now. I loved the cartoons on television, and was bound a determined to find some of Jill Thompson's books of the same name. It was hard, however, as they seemed to be out of print. Thanks to Dark Horse Books' release of all of the stories bound together in one GORGeous hardcover edition, I was able to go to my local independent comic shop and pick up this coffee table worthy book.

Found inside are 5 quintessential Scary Godmother stories: "The Scary Godmother", "The Revenge of Jimmy", "The Mystery Date", "The Boo Flu", and "Tea for Orson". Readers will quickly get acquainted with life on the Fright Side as well as the main characters of The Scary Godmother, Hannah Marie, Jimmy, Skully Pettibone and the rest. Told with panels, but with straight lines of text as well, Scary Godmother truly blends the lines between graphic novel, illustrated novel and picture book.

The big sell of this collection is, of course, Thompson's art. She is an accomplished illustrator who has worked on everything from Sandman to Wonder Woman . Her spooky palette of orange, black, purple, and green will appeal not only to the youngest tweens, but to burgeoning goths as well. My personal favourite panels are in silhouette with orange background and show such scenes are Scary Godmother swooping down the stairs with Hannah Marie, or a macabre parade of monsters heading over to Scary Godmother's place to find out who she fancies.

Do yourself a favor and pick this one up!

Crunch, by Leslie Connor

2010-10-28T14:30:00.001-04:00

In North America we don't often consider what would happen if we couldn't get gas for our cars. Sure it happened in the 1970s, but it's not going to happen again...right?

Dewey Marriss and his 4 brothers and sisters are waiting on their parents who are on their annual anniversary drive. Dewey's dad is making deliveries on the east coast, and every July their mom travels with him for a bit of time away from the kids. All of the pumps are dry, however, and Dewey's folks are stuck up near the Canadian boarder for the duration meaning that Dewey and his big sister Lil are going to be in charge not only of the little kids, but of the family's other business the Bike Barn.

Since there is a fuel crunch, the bike business is booming, and bikes and bike parts are a bit hard to come by. Dewey and his brother Vince are doing the best they can to keep the business going, but the fun in fixing bikes is quickly disappearing!

And the fun is not all that is disappearing...Dewey is noticing some of their expensive and hard to come by bike parts are disappearing as well! But who to suspect? Could it be old Mr. Spivey who sometimes helps himself to the Marriss' stuff...be it a goat to munch his grass or some eggs for breakfast? Could it be one of their increasing number of disgruntled customers who cannot get their bikes back quickly enough? Could it be a friend of theirs?

Leslie Connor has written a mystery that has an interestingly timeless feel to it. Dewey and his brothers and sisters are all memorable characters, and having the parents stranded far away made for adventures with a more important feel. There is equal boy and girl appeal with mechanics of bicycles given as much room as character interactions. While the "who" in "who done it" comes across pretty quickly, instead of being disappointed, readers will be rooting for the Marriss kids to put the pieces together.

As the folks over at Bookends have stated, Dewey and his family are refreshingly normal even though they are situated in abnormal times.

A pleasure to read!

On the Clipboard

2010-10-19T13:13:00.000-04:00

Faith, Hope and Ivy June, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Dunk, by David Lubar

Dragons of Darkness, by Antonia Michaelis

N.E.R.D.S , by Michael Buckley

The Wee Free Men, by Terry Pratchett

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Gross Junior Edition, by David Borgenicht, Nathaniel Marunas and Robin Epstein (illustrated by Chuck Gonzales)

2010-10-09T09:44:00.000-04:00

I pride myself on having a pretty strong stomach…after all I am a mother, and I do work with other people’s children on a daily basis, but I do have to admit there were a couple of moments during reading that sent my stomach for a twirl.

Broken down into the chapters of “The Human Body”, “Home”, “School” and the “Wild Kingdom” readers are treated to fast paced facts and tips about all things gross and coping with those things. From boogers to farts (and laying the blame), from drinking fountains to finding the cleanest stall, readers will delight in the disgusting mix of facts (did you know we make and swallow 4 juice boxes worth of snot a day?), and techniques for fixing problems from bad breath, to lice, to getting rid of skunk smell.

The perfect ratio of illustrations to text rounds out this quick read that will easily have kids gathered around and exclaiming loudly as they share. Tweens tend to be on the cusp of being worried about cool and delighting in all things disgusting. Being in a classroom with these kids has taught me to expect a myriad of sights and smells from day to day, and The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Gross Junior Edition will bring some humor and levity to the horrors of everyday puberty and school life as well as bringing cool little known facts about wild animals, insects, and diseases to light. There are also some cool end papers with recipes for making face snot, fake puke, fake poop and fake blood.

Fun, fun, fun.

But be warned.You may not want to read this one on a full stomach!

On the Clipboard

2010-09-28T09:48:00.000-04:00

It has been a loooooooong time since my last clipboard post (or my last post for that matter!), but here we are again. For those of you who do not know, our library has an honour system for the times Jen, Jesse or myself are not at the reference desk. Students write down their name and the barcodes of the books that they are checking out. It's an interesting way to find out some of the"hot" titles, as well as those books that kids want to check out when the adults are not around!

The Unsinkable Walker Bean, by Renier

Jack Blank and the Imagination Nation, by Myklusch

President of the Whole Fifth Grade, by Winston

Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror, by Boylan

What are your tweens reading?

Pies & Prejudice, by Heather Vogel Frederick

2010-09-10T10:38:00.001-04:00

The girls are back, and this time they are tackling some Austen as well as a cultural exchange of sorts!

The girls are 15 now and everyone seems to know what they want to do with their lives except for Jess. She’s throwing herself into her life at the Academy, and things are better since she no longer has to room with snotty Savannah (who is turning out not to be so snotty after all). She’s singing in the MadriGals and now her mom has her enrolled in a cake decorating class. It’s not really her thing, but she feels like she has to do it since she doesn’t really get to see her family as much as she used to.

Cassidy is still into hockey but her nice surprise is that she’s bonding with Stanley more than ever. Who knew her dorky step-dad would be such a sports nut and go to bat for Cassidy with her mom so that she can play with the elite girl’s team in the area? He’s even getting up at the crack of dawn to drive her to practice.

Megan’s passion for fashion is going strong, and she’s adding an anonymous blog to her resume. “Fashionista Jane” is a helpful yet snarky commentator on the world of fashion at her school. Not only is she showing readers how to rework their wardrobes, she also has a fashion faux pas section which is super popular. Too bad it bruises a few egos along the way.

The biggest change is in store for Emma and her family who up and leave for England for a year. At first Emma and Darcy aren’t thrilled with their parents’ announcement. They only got 2 weeks notice! But the allure of England and Jane Austen territory in particular is thrilling for Emma. Yes, she’ll miss Stewart, but it is only for a year.

Vogel Frederick has written another installment that is fun filled yet more grown up than the previous titles. She has managed to keep the girls innocent yet believable, and bringing the Hawthornes to England was a great way to introduce new characters and switch the focus a bit. Romances abound and will keep readers titillated without resorting to choosing “teams”. I don’t want to give too many plot points away, but suffice it to say that the laughter that came with the reading was familiar, while the tears were not. Fans will be delighted, and new readers will be able to jump right in.

The Danger Box, by Blue Balliett

2010-09-05T17:56:00.000-04:00

Zoomy is a special little kid who lives with his grandparents Gam and Gumps in the same house where his dad was raised. Zoomy’s never met his dad, since he was left on the doorstep, but his grandparents knew without a doubt that Zoomy was theirs by the note taped to the cat carrier that held him: “Buckeye Chamberlain Is My Father My Name Is Zoomy Kep Me Please”. Even though Zoomy looks nothing like his grandparents they have raised him and try to help him manage.

Zoomy’s got a couple of issues. If he doesn’t keep his lists, his days fly apart and he can’t stop tap, tap, tapping at this chin. His eyesight is so bad that Gumps keeps a running commentary of bumps and curbs when they walk to their shop, "Chamberlain’s Antiques and What Nots" in the heart of their small town of Three Oaks Michigan.

Zoomy lives for his summertime routine involving laundry, the vegetable garden, trips to the public library and his grandparent’s shop, but now there is Lorrol – the firecracker girl who doesn’t live in town, but is in the library this summer trying to avoid going to camp. Zoomy has never been too comfortable with other kids, but Lorrol is different. She doesn’t think he’s weird, she actually thinks that he is smart!

Three Oaks isn’t the kind of town that is ripe for mysteries, but this summer isn’t a typical one. Lorrol isn’t the only person who comes to town unexpectedly. Buckeye comes back, driving a truck and bearing a box that he wants his parents to keep. Zoomy is terrified of his father, who seems random and unpredictable and not exactly loving. Shortly after Buckeye, another stranger shows up who is very interested in the box in Gam and Gumps’ shop. And there is also the journal that Zoomy found wrapped in the quilt that was in the box that his dad brought. It’s peaked his interest with the old dates and the strange words, and all of the lists within.

Blue Balliett has written an extraordinarily atmospheric story, with layers and layers to dig in to. It’s not just a mystery, or a story about a special boy. It’s has friendship and family, history and loss. Readers will not be overwhelmed with Zoomy’s unnamed special needs status (outside of the Pathological Myopa) which Balliett presents as a matter of fact. When I closed The Danger Box I was amazed at how Balliett could seamlessly weave all of the components into the story without it feeling disjointed. In lesser hands, the story could easily have fallen apart.

Nice and Mean, by Jessica Leader

2010-09-02T09:26:00.000-04:00

Whenever I am in the mood for some tween realistic fiction that is fun yet solidly written, I know that I can reach for a title from Aladdin Mix. I have yet to be disappointed. This time I read the title Nice and Mean by Jessica Leader, and I know I’ll have something to hand off to my tween girls this September.

Marina is mean. There’s no real getting around it. She’s not quite queen bee material, but at Jacobs Middle School she decides what category kids fall into, especially regarding their fashion choices. She does read Seventeen and watch all of the fashion shows on television after all!

Sachi, on the other hand, is a nice girl. So nice, in fact, that she got voted “Nicest Girl” in nasty Marina’s poll of kids in their school. By why do people think Sachi’s so nice? Sure she lends out enough pencils that she has to dip into her own allowance to replenish, but she doesn’t have too many friends who really know her. She’s all about school because that is how her parents want her to be. They moved from India and sacrifice to stay in Manhattan for Sachi and her two sisters, and they expect the best.

Ironically enough, Sachi did something not so nice in order to get into video class. Her folks want her in Test Prep to give her a leg up in a couple of years to get into Stuyvesant (Manhattan’s super competitive academic high school). Sachi forged her parents’ signatures and now finds herself paired of with Marina of all people for her video project. A video based on the fashion show Victim/Victorious was not was Sachi had in mind when she was going to all of the trouble of getting into the class.

Marina does have a knack of getting her way, but at the last minute Sachi lets her video teacher know that she is interested in another angle of the fashion question. Namely, why are some things in and some out? Who decides? In fact, why are some cultures considered cooler than others? Their teacher lets the girls work separately in the name of getting things done, but when Marina breaks some rules and brings a copy of her rough cut of video home to work on and some of her friends see the way that her fashion victim Rachel is treated, everything hits the fan.

Marina’s actions have lots more consequences than she ever could have foreseen. One being that she needs Sachi more than she ever could have imagined. Will Sachi be able to find her own voice and speak up for what she needs?

Jessica Leader has gotten the multiple worlds of the middle schooler down pat. Seventh grade tends to be a time of big changes…of kids figuring out who they want to be and where they are going to fit in. Marina and Sachi, while seemingly opposites, illustrate this beautifully. Round out the cast of their satellite friends and many types of kids are shown without seeming like Leader simply lined up types and put them in. Nice and Mean shows readers that most likely, the kids they think of as mean aren’t all mean, and the kids who seem nice definitely have some back story of their own!

The 2011s Are Coming! The 2011s Are Coming!

2010-08-22T09:11:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe, especially since there are plenty of exciting 2010s left to read, but it's true.

So what does that mean here at Welcome to My Tweendom?

Usually it would mean I start blurbing those books, but this year is a little different. I am very excited to be on the ALA 2012 Newbery Committee. This means that if it's a children's book, and comes out in 2011, chances are I will be reading it. In the name of staying as far away from a conflict of interest as possible the focus at Welcome to My Tweendom will shift for the year.

What you won't find here are reviews and blurbs of the 2011s. What you will find are reviews and blurbs of past Newbery winners, my still enormous pile of 2010 titles, and books that I feel have been overlooked in the past. Once school is in session there will be lists of what our tweens are checking out on the clipboard.

I am super excited about this next reading year, and I can't wait to troll the blogs and find out what you all are reading!

Karma Bites, by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas

2010-08-18T11:31:00.000-04:00

Franny Flanders isn’t exactly in love with her life. Her two best friends no longer speak to each other, her trippy grandmother has comes to stay since her parents split, and her mother is in meltdown mode.

In an effort to have more fun, Franny decides to dye her naturally red hair blond. Anyone who knows anything about hair dye knows that getting red to blond should be left to the professionals, and Franny in turn is left with neon orange locks. Not exactly the look she was going for. In an act of desperation, Franny goes to her grandmother for help. Her friend Joey reasons that since Gran is old, maybe she’s wise as well and can help with the hair situation!

Well, Granny does decide to help and frankly, Franny is a little embarrassed about the production that involves beakers, tinctures, olive oil, smoke, sparks and alchemy?! Somehow it works and Franny asks her Granny what the heck happened, but she refuses and simply warns Franny that there may be some side effects

What she doesn’t mention is that the side effects are of the social suicide variety! Franny’s middle school is completely divided by cliques and there is a set of unwritten laws about who to talk to, where to eat et cetera. Franny’s side effect has her talking to kids who shouldn’t be talked to and talking back to the Queen Bees!

When she finally gets her Granny to spill about her recipe for fixing her hair, Granny introduces Franny to the Hindi Help Box…a magical box that helps fix problems with different recipes. Franny can’t believe it. There are loads of problems in her life and her middle school that need fixing! She can’t understand why Granny won’t hand over the box and let Franny go to town.

But Granny is too trusting, and soon Franny is “fixing” the relationship between her two best friends Joey and Kate. She’s “fixing” boring teachers. And she’s “fixing” her dad’s girlfriend. But what Franny hasn’t counted on is the butterfly effect…the fact that all of this messing around she is doing affects everything else in her world. Can Franny fix all of the fixing that she has done? What are the outcomes of using magic to further her own ends?

Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas have written a breezy story that reads like a television sit-com with over-the-top characters and situations. But that’s not a bad thing! The underlying message of being careful what you wish for is loud and clear, but is presented in a thoroughly entertaining way. While Franny’s middle school has more cliques than I have personally ever encountered, the archetypes wear their characters well. The one pause I was given was with the character of the Lama who comes to Franny and Granny’s aid…he is given quite the Hollywood treatment and I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. But if readers take his character in the spirit with which he is given, I think that his character works for this book.Liz Burns over at A Chair A Fireplace and A Tea Cozy gets it right when she explains who this book is for.

Another fun piece of this title that needs to be mentioned are the recipes from the box that are provided ranging from the “Sensationally Sexy Smoothie” to the “Forget it Fudge”. Tweens looking for fun will eat this up!

Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror

2010-08-14T12:26:00.001-04:00

While I was at ALA in DC, I was fortunate enough to attend a breakfast hosted by the kind folks at HarperCollins. I was doubly fortunate to have the whirwind that is author Jennifer Finney Boylan sit down next to me, slap her hands on her copy of Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror and launch into an extraordinary book-talk. Falcon Quinn made it to the top of my pile, due in large part for her enthusiasm for the book.

Falcon is waiting for the bus as usual, accompanied by quiet Megan and not-so-quiet Max. As they board the bus, Falcon notices a new driver, but doesn’t think too much about it, as he is distracted by some creepiness in the graveyard across the street. Before they know it, the 3 are careening through the streets, skipping stops and are soon deposited through the Bermuda Triangle and into another world.

They find themselves in the quad of Castle Grisleigh, where they are met by Mrs. Redflint who tells them that they are actually monsters and that Castle Grisleigh is an academy for monsters…a place where they can learn how to suppress their true natures and live among humans. At the Castle, the monsters are divided up by types with the sasquatches staying with sasquatches, vampires with vampires et cetera. Mrs. Redflint isn’t exactly sure what kind of monster Falcon is yet and Falcon finds himself feeling just as out of place at the Academy as he had on the outside. He doesn’t know what kind of monster he is, and even if he did, he’s not sure he would want to suppress his monsterness anyway! Just look at Max…he is loving his life as a sasquatch, why should he pretend just to be a big, hairy boy?

Jennifer Finney Boylan has written a fun and funny story about the nature of fitting in and finding friends. While she has said that Falcon is not a metaphor, the message about categories and acceptance comes across loud and clear. I have found over time that most kids do not mind the apparent messages found in many books, and I doubt that they will have an issue this time, as they themselves are in the heart of trying to figure out who they are and how to treat other kids who don’t identify as they do. It is a big book at 486 pages, but it starts nice and quickly, and over-the-top characters like Perla (La Chupakabra), and Weems (the ghoul) will keep readers laughing out loud and wondering what will happen next.

The Kneebone Boy, by Ellen Potter

2010-08-10T09:03:00.000-04:00

As fellow readers, I am sure that some of you have experienced this. The siren song of a book simply from title and cover art alone. This was my initial experience with The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter. Now, I have enjoyed Potter’s work in the past, so I wasn’t worried at all about experiencing the dreaded feeling of, “but I wanted to like this book!” that happens when readers fall for covers and titles sometimes. From the creepy dark haired young children staring out with their older blond brother wrapped in a scarf and holding a cat, to the bare feet hanging from the tree, I was simply intrigued.

Upon opening the arc, I was greeted with Chapter 1 followed by a bit of foreshadowing of the upcoming chapter: “In which we meet the Hardscrabbles, unearth a triceratops bone, and begin to like Lucia even more.” The Hardscrabbles are siblings Otto, Lucia and Max, who all live in the town of Little Tunks with their artist father Casper. Their mum is simply gone. She had been there, then she wasn’t. As in most small towns, the rumours began to spread…especially when Otto gives up talking aloud (he has invented a sort of sign language that he and Lucia use) and takes to wearing his mum’s scarf everywhere.

Casper is a peculiar sort of artist in that he paints portraits of royalty…exclusively exiled royalty. Casper says, "...there is something extraordinary about the face of a person who has fallen from greatness. They remind me of angels tossed out of heaven who are now struggling to manage the coin-operated washing machine at the Scrubbly-Bubbly Laundromat" (arc p.23) As you can imagine, exiled royals are not big on settling up their bills, so the Hardscrabbles don't live a luxurious existence by any means, and it means that their father is often traveling to wherever it is that the exiles are.

Usually when their dad goes away, the children stay with kooky Mrs. Carnival from down the way, but this time Casper tells them that they are to stay with their cousin Angela in London. Lucia especially is quite excited about this turn of events, and some time in London would be great if cousin Angela were actually at home. Stuck on their own in London, the kids come up with a plan that doesn't involve staying back in Little Tunks with Mrs. Carnival. Instead of trying to head home, the kids go on another adventure to find their Great Aunt Haddie in Snoring-by-the-Sea.

It turns out that not-so-old Haddie is renting a castle folly that is chock-full of its own secrets, including the entrance (a Tyrolean traverse), a parent castle (named the Kneebone Castle), and some pretty interesting rats.

I don’t want to go too deeply into the plot and get all spoiler-y. Suffice it to say there are some twists and turns that will make readers want to start flipping back through the text looking for clues. From the beginning where readers are told that the narrator is one of the Hardscrabbles, but not which one, to the very big reveal, Potter has woven together a plot that flows pretty seamlessly. The characters are all well developed (I grew particularly fond of Otto) and their personalities will draw readers in. This is the kind of book that captures readers at the beginning and keeps them in its thrall all the way through. Emily Reads captures the essence in her haiku review found here.

I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson

2010-08-07T09:44:00.000-04:00

Emma Freke doesn’t have it easy.Why couldn’t her mother have at least said her name aloud before naming her: “am a freak”?That is exactly how Emma feels.She doesn’t fit in with her expressive Italian mom, Donatella, who likes to leave out the fact that she has a daughter while she is meeting potential suitors.Her Nonno, who lives with them above their bead shop, is either asleep in his chair or out walking the dog. And you can imagine what school can be like for a 5’ 10’’ tall 11-year-old with her name.

Donatella, in a rare instance of maternal action, gives Emma a thoughtful birthday gift this year. Home-schooling! Donatella says that Emma’s Nonno will help out with the teaching by bringing Emma to the library daily, as home-schooled kids generally do.Emma realizes that the materials her mom gave her to use are a bit dated, so she enlists the librarian Stevie, to suggest some more recent workbooks at a higher grade-level. Stevie makes a few phonecalls, and Emma isn’t really surprised to hear that Donatella didn’t exactly go through the proper channels to get Emma into home-schooling in the first place. This makes Emma think on something that her neighbor and best friend Penelope planted in her brain…maybe Emma, like Penelope, is actually adopted. It would explain a few things. She doesn’t look like her mom or her other relatives, and she certainly doesn’t act like them.

No such luck. In an unexpected turn of events, Emma is soon whisked off to the Freke family reunion. She knows that her own father who she has never met will not be there due to a rift in his own family relations, but maybe Emma will find some sense of place in her namesake family.

Elizabeth Atkinson has written a story about family and finding your place in it. What is a family, after all? Can you ever fight how you fit in yours? What traits do you pull from the folks who raise you, and what do you get from genetics? It’s also a story about finding your voice, your courage and your confidence. Diversity of all sorts is woven into the story, from Phoebe’s lesbian moms, and Phoebe’s own Liberian decent, to Emma’s own inter-generational family and her cousin Fred’s non-conformity. Feeling like the square peg is very understandable for tweens, and readers will be charmed by Emma’s journey.

Love and Pollywogs from Camp Calamity, by Mary Hershey

2010-07-31T10:03:00.002-04:00

Effie Maloney is dying to go to camp! Ever since her big sister Maxey had come home from her end of 4^th grade experience at Camp Wickitawa, Effie has been excited. She can’t imagine anything better than a week away from home, her sister and her family with her 2 best friends Nit (short for Trinity) and Aurora at camp! She is super happy that the Principal of her school is letting one of her bffs Aurora go to camp with them, since Aurora doesn’t even go to St. Dom’s anymore!

Effie has been planning and planning, but there are a couple of things that she definitely is not ready for. The first is that big sister Maxey will be at camp with her. Sure she will be working in the kitchen, but still…Effie really wanted this to be her year at camp. Secondly, she is stunned when she finds she doesn’t even want to get off the bus! All the planning, all of the reading of the camp handbook, all of the anticipation seems to have evaporated.

Effie is beside herself. Here she is at Camp Wickitawa with Aurora and Nit and Effie can tell that there is something terribly wrong. She feels like she can’t breathe and she’s cold all over. She is trying to be excited, but she’s finding it incredibly difficult. Add the fact that everyone else seems to be finding their place with ease, and Effie is feeling more like an outcast than ever! She’s not liking the food, she’s not connecting with her friends, she’s the only 4^th grader who can’t swim, and the only thing that she seems to be good at is walking her bunkmates to the biffy in the middle of the night.

Effie’s CIT Cricket says that soon she’ll be so busy that her mind will be off of feeling badly. Effie’s not sure she believes Cricket, but since her mom is away from home at a well deserved retreat, there’s not much she can do about it but try.

The funny thing is, things do get a bit better without Effie even noticing.First, there is Chica who lives at the camp and decides that Effie is going to be her friend. Next, there is the cute boy Swat who works in the kitchen and always remembers that she likes to drink iced tea. Then there is the fact that her friends are rallying behind her when they realize that she is uncomfortable. There is nothing like having 2 best friends!

This is the third book featuring Effie Maloney, but readers will have no problem picking it up if they have not read the first two (Effie Maloney: My Big Sister is So Bossy She Says You Can’t Read This Book and 10 Lucky Things That Have Happened to Me Since I Nearly Got Hit by Lightning). Effie is a super likable, if somewhat worry filled, character who readers will root for. This installment sees her getting a little deeper in her judging of other people as well as her understanding of herself.

Mary Hershey writes with a truly hilarious voice that had me laughing out loud several times during my read (starting with one of the funniest first lines I have come across in a long time)! Effie and her friends are heartfelt and believable, and most readers will see themselves somewhere in these pages.

Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze, by Alan Silberberg

2010-07-24T13:29:00.000-04:00

Milo and his family move around a lot. He is currently on House #5, which seems nice enough, but you never know. He has to change schools again and this time he’s headed to Junior High. With a name like Milo Cruikshank he knows he will never be part of the “Cool Name Club” like all of the Bobs, Ricks, Steves, Daves and Mikes, but nonetheless, he’s trying to look at all of these changes as opportunities.

For example, he’s already spied a super cute girl at the corner store, and it doesn’t matter too much that he was buying toilet paper when he saw her.

But there’s a heck of a lot more to Milo than the regular nerdy kid moving and going into middle school. See, house #4 was coined “the fog house” for a very good reason. That’s where Milo was living when his mom was sick and went into the hospital. Everything from that house is a bit blurry because really, who wants to remember that time?

Milo’s dad has even gone as far as trying to erase his mom. The clothes, the pictures, the jewelry boxes, even the pots and pans are gone. It just kind of happened. It was never discussed.

Meanwhile, Milo has managed to find himself some friends. He has Marsh (aka One Eyed Jack), and Hillary from next door. Milo’s not too sure about Hillary and her sticky notes at first, but Marsh doesn’t question Milo’s freak flag, and even seems to like the same stuff as he does. Things almost seem good.

But then there’s Sylvia…the lady across the street that seems to think that Milo should work on remembering his mom, instead of just letting his dad erase her. After all, Milo is feeling that not only his mom is gone; his dad has turned into someone that he doesn’t even recognize.

Alan Silberberg has written an astounding illustrated novel that deals with the loss of a parent. Milo’s feelings are real and raw, and he’s busy coping with trying to be in 7^th grade, while sorting out needing a parent who is no longer there. Alternately hilarious and heartbreaking, readers will effortlessly be drawn to Milo and his friends and family. This is not simply a book about losing a parent…it is a pitch perfect story of being in middle school, the push/pull of need and independence, and the story of a boy.

Outstanding.

Vordak The Incomprehensible: How To Grow Up and Rule The World

2010-07-17T09:43:00.001-04:00

I first saw this book at ALA in Washington DC. You’ve got to give it to the publisher who puts “Not for Wimpy Kids” directly on the cover. Not only will it attract the inevitable push backers for that phenomenon, it will likely peak the interest of Kinney’s faithful readers to find out what the heck that means!

Vordak the Incomprensible is a Super Villain who has decided to share the wealth with the rest of us mortals (“As Seen on TV" style), by giving readers, through the scribing of his minion Scott Seegert, a step-by-step guide towards world domination! For a guy who hasn’t actually defeated his own arch-nemesis (the superhero Commander Virtue), he has an awful lot of bravado as is evident in the prologue simply entitled “Glorious Me”.

Beginning with the idea of “Bringing out the EVIL”, to an absolutely hilarious acrostic definition of superhero (Stupid, Underwear munching, Pig kissing…), to amazing plans for “Diabolically Clever Yet Extremely Slow-Acting Death Traps”, Vordak will have readers laughing out loud. Every action movie/mystery cartoon stereotype gets the send up, and the delivery is spot on.

The visual appeal of this title cannot be easily matched. John Martin’s illustrations run the gambit from yearbook photos with barred out eyes to files on heroes and villains; from advertisements to quizzes. The text to illustration ratio is seemingly perfect, and will keep reluctant readers interested, and voracious ones zipping along.

While the cover does look young, and the age rating is the ever-popular 8 and up, I’d say that the perfect range for this one is 4^th-7^h grade. There is a media savvy that the reader needs to have to truly appreciate the Tick like humor in the pages. I have a feeling that the Punisher-esque pronged out logo will be gracing the margins of some notebooks in the days to come.

Fun!

What Happened on Fox Street by Tricia Springstubb

2010-07-13T16:18:00.000-04:00

Mo loves Fox Street but she especially loves it in the summertime.Sure she has to look after little sister Dottie, aka The Wild Child, but it was also the time of year that Mercedes comes to stay with her grandmother Da across the street.Mo cannot wait til Merce gets to Fox Street so they can hang out in “The Den” and drink Tahitian Treats together.

But this year, something has changed with Mercedes.She looks very grown up for one thing, what with her shaved head and her designer clothes. Mo knew that Mercedes had a new step father, but she didn’t know that they were “comfortable”. When Mercedes tells Mo that she’s starting to notice how run down Fox Street looks, and how even Da’s house isn’t what it used to be, Mo feels a distinct shift.And that is not a good thing.

Mo does not like change.

So when she takes a special delivery envelope for her Daddy one day, instead of passing it on like she promises she will, she opens it. It’s an offer on their house. Mo knows that her Daddy doesn’t like his city job, and she knows full well of his restaurant dream, and there’s no way she’s going to let him get this letter!

But no matter how much Mo wants things to stay the same, Fox Street is bound to change.Her Daddy’s dream is mighty big, neighbors may not be who Mo thinks they are, and her own sorrow about her mother is a shifting think in her chest.

Tricia Springstubb has written so much more than a simple story of growing up.She has written a whole neighbourhood full of folks so real readers will feel like they know them. Strong women like Da and Mrs. Steinbott bring the history of the street to life. The crazy Baggott boys bring vitality and movement. Mercedes brings progress and Mo herself is one of those kids that comes along every now and again who makes folks say, “she’s got an old soul”.

With hints of magical realism, and extraordinary turns of phrase that will give readers pause, What Happened on Fox Street is sure to generate buzz this year. There is something magical about this little book that will have readers looking for a flash of red in the ravines of their own lives.

Ivy's Ever After

2010-07-07T18:31:00.000-04:00

Ivy has never fit the mould of a typical princess. Since her mother passed away during Ivy’s birth, the King has not been much for putting on airs and standing by tradition. Ardendale was never a flashy kingdom anyway, made up mostly of peasants and farmers. The one standing tradition that is left is that of the tower.

Ivy learned about the tower by accident. A couple of her friends (the daughters of servants) told her that she was to be locked away in a tower at age 14 and guarded by a dragon. Whichever prince could slay the dragon would not only be Ivy’s betrothed, but also the new ruler of Ardendale.

Ivy cannot believe that her father, befuddled as he is, would keep this important information from her, but when she confronts him, she learns not only that it’s true, but that the King has every intention of standing by this tradition that is part of the Dragon Treaty.

Not long before Ivy’s 14th birthday, a strange ship made of bone with hide for sails, enters into the harbour, carrying Prince Romil of far off Galacia. The Prince claims that he is in Ardendale to slay the dragon that is to guard Ivy’s tower and then to take on leadership of the land. But Ivy thinks there is more to Romil than meets the eye. Why would someone who complains so bitterly about the backwater state of Ardendale want to rule here?

Just before Ivy is to enter the tower, she learns of Romil’s overarching plans, but due to her wild ways of the past, nobody believes her. There is no way she can stay in the tower until she must marry Romil. When Ivy unexpectedly is rescued by an unlikely source, she is in for the adventure of her life.

What follows is a quest that will keep readers on edge over mountain tops, through swamps, into the fairy realm and the dragon’s den. Ivy is filled with pluck, and is desperate to prove that while she may not be the most refined princess, she is indeed brave and true.

Dawn Lairamore has written a fun-filled fantasy for the younger end of the tween set. Filled with trappings of dragons, treasures, fairies and trolls, readers will delight in getting their feet wet in some wizard free fair for a change. At times light and and other times filled with peril, Ivy’s Ever After is a satisfying tale that honors family, friendship and the idea of the greater good.

Princess of Glass

2010-07-02T11:03:00.000-04:00

Poppy is just getting used to having her own room. She is staying with her late mother’s cousin Lady Margaret Seadown and her family in Breton. It has not been so long since Poppy and her 11 sisters were cursed to dance every night Under Stone, and Poppy is still suffering some lasting effects of that dark magic. The primary one being that under no circumstances does Poppy want to dance again. But family curses aren’t exactly the type of thing that people in Society talk about, and Lady Margaret wants Poppy to attend the upcoming ball hosted by the Thwaite family. After all, this shuffling around of princes and princess was meant to end with several marriages and thus the uniting of different areas, and the way to meet suitors is by attending party after party. As awkward as this would be (what with several princes having died trying to rescue Poppy and her sisters – including the sons of families who would be attending these parties), Poppy acquiesces to her hostesses wishes, and is soon attending the fete at the Thwaite’s mansion. Poppy creates much intrigue when she refuses to dance, but ends up doing quite well in the card salon of the gentlemen!

Christian is one of the princes who has been sent to Breton on a marriage mission. Unlike Poppy, however, he is welcomed into Tuckington Palace. After his host Prince George gives him a tedious tour of the palace, Christian is shown to his room just as a rather frazzled maid was trying to lay the fire. She is jumpy and covered in soot, and receives a scolding from Prince George for not laying the fire earlier. Christian feels a bit like a fish out of water here. His own court is much more casual, and they certainly treat their servants more kindly.

Ellen Parker, meanwhile, is not too happy with her existence as a maid. This isn’t her life…at least it shouldn’t be. She had once been Eleanora Park-Whittington, meant to be served, not a servant. But that was a long time ago, before her father had lost everything. The Seadowns are not the first family that Ellen has worked for, but they might be her last. She is abysmal as a maid; prone to dropping, spilling, smashing and messing things up with the soot that she seems to trail around.

These three didn’t end up together in Breton by accident. There is magic afoot, which becomes apparent when a spectacular stranger starts attending the balls of the season. This beautiful woman who arrives unescorted in an extraordinary carriage calling herself Lady Ella, seems to throw everyone into a thrall. She is dressed exquisitely right down to her astounding shoes that seem to be made of glass! All of the men in attendance are soon clamoring to dance with her, but she only has eyes for Prince Christian. Only Poppy, who has been so intimate with magic, seems to understand that something dark is at play.

Jessica Day George has written a beautiful blend of romance, mystery and re-imagined fairytale. Ellen Parker certainly gives a new twist to the Cinderella character, and will make readers think about wishes and entitlement. Princess of Glass is part of a series, but is easily read as a stand alone. I had not read Princess of the Midnight Ball that features Poppy and her sisters, and I had no trouble jumping right into this title. Filled with magic, both dark and light, as well as memorable settings and characters, Princess of Glass is sure to have readers up late into the night, turning pages to find out what happens!

One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia

2010-06-29T20:31:00.000-04:00

Last time I had a book in hand on the train to ALA, it was Grace Lin's Where The Mountain Meets the Moon. This time I took along One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, and was pleased as punch when I closed the book upon arriving at Union Station.

Delphine is trying to keep her younger sisters Vonetta and Fern calm as they jet through turbulence on the way to go meet their mother Cecile in California. Delphine has an inkling of the turbulence she and her sisters may be in for once they get to Oakland. She has vague memories of being with Cecile in their kitchen in Brooklyn while she wrote on the walls and muttered to herself. She also knows that Cecile left soon after Fern was born. After that, Big Ma moved from down South to Brooklyn and took up right where their mom left off.

Now the girls are about to spend their summer with Cecile, just because Daddy says it's time. Cecile didn't send for them, or ask about them, but they are coming anyway. When they finally land, the stewardess hands them off to Cecile -- a strange woman in a pair of man's pants, gigantic sunglasses and a scarf. Not one for affection, she tells them to follow her and strides off. After a commute that involves a particular taxi and a bus ride, the girls enter into Cecile's house. It's more than the girls thought it would be based on all of the talking that Big Ma had been doing.

But it's not quite homey. The girls are banished from the kitchen, and are told to head to the back bedroom that they would all be sharing. There's no food in the house, no television, and it becomes obvious quite quickly, that the girls won't be depending on Cecile for any entertainment this summer!

The morning after they arrive, Cecile directs Delphine and her sisters to the People's Center to get some breakfast. She tells them that it will be easy to find. After all it's "black folks in black clothes rapping revolution and a line of hungry black kids." (p. 57)

This sets the stage for the slow reveal. The story is one of family, of politics, of race and friendship. Williams-Garcia has seemingly effortlessly woven in the feel of the time period (1968), and allowed a window into Oakland and the reality of the Black Panther movement; whether it be senseless arrests or educating children. There are enough jumping off points to bring on a study of the time period, but the story never veers into message territory. Delphine is the epitome of the 11 year old. She's a responsible first born who is trying to figure her mother out, while finding her own self at the same time.

I was amazed upon finding the reality of Cecile's existence. All of the characters in this book are multifaceted, and remind the reader to look a little deeper.

A must read.

The Witch's Guide to Cooking With Children

2010-06-23T21:44:00.000-04:00

It’s not often I get to listen to an audio book. With my own young children around who aren’t quite ready for the books that I review, I end up listening catch as catch can. I was bound and determined to finish The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children, not just for the story itself, but for the excellent performance by Laural Merlington.

When brainy Sol and precocious Connie move with their “dad” and their stepmother to Grand Creek, Sol isn’t too broken up about it. He is hoping that the move can give him a fresh start far away from “the terrible day”. True to form, Sol is already in possession of bus maps and some knowledge of their new town.

When they meet neighbor Fay Holaderry and her dog Swift they have no real reason to think that she’s anybody other than the sweet old lady she first appears to be. But Fay Holaderry has a deep, dark secret. She’s been taking misbehaving children out of families at the request of their parents for generations and generations. Yes, the methods have changed (big donation boxes outside of movie theaters have replaced the dark, spooky woods), but Holaderry’s still on her game, and thanks to a call from Sol and Connie’s parents, they are next on her list.

But Holaderry’s not counting on Sol’s genius or Connie’s pluck. Once they realize that their folks have it out for them, the combination of their personalities seems unbeatable! But can they outsmart a witch who has magic on her side and who has been cooking up children since the days of Grimm?

Keith McGowan has written a clever twist on Hansel and Gretel that modern kids will eat up! Since I listened instead of read, I did not get to see the accompanying illustrations. But I did get to enjoy Laural Merlington’s masterful performance in the Brilliance Audio edition.

Radio Silence

2010-06-22T08:35:00.006-04:00

I have to apologize for the radio silence that seems to have taken over this blog! Not only am I scrambling around to get ready to attend ALA's Annual Conference in Washington DC, but the ending of this school year has been particularly busy! Sometimes wearing the hat of the commuting, working mother of two doesn't mesh schedule wise with the wearing of the volunteer blogger hat!

But I have been reading, rest assured.

In the near future you will be seeing posts about the following, fabulous books!

* The Kneebone Boy, by Ellen Potter
* Museum of Thieves, by Lian Tanner
* What Happened on Fox Street, by Tricia Springstubb
* The Summer of Moonlight Secrets, by Danette Haworth
* Princess of Glass, by Jessica Day George

All of these titles were a pleasure to read, and some were even outstanding!

What have you been reading lately?

Nola's Worlds #1

2010-06-06T12:22:00.009-04:00

This super cute pink haired girl just about jumped off the galley table at the Lerner Publishing preview during BEA. I wanted to read it, for no other reason than the super cute Nola and her friends on the cover. I wasn't disappointed. (note: the US cover is slightly different from this one...Nola's hair is longer, the title is different and there is a blue wash to the whole thing)

Nola lives home with her uber busy Mom and her cat in the town of Alta Donna. In Nola's words, "This is my hometown, my world, a peaceful and pleasant little paradise. In a word...absolutely boring." (p. 3) Her days are filled with trying to get to school on time, and trying not to be disappointed when her mom shows up late again. All of that is about to change thanks to classmate Damiano.

Nola helps him save face during math one day, and as they walk down the hall together they run into Damiano's sister Ines, who is being *incredibly* rude to a teacher. After Damiano excuses himself to talk to Ines, Nola does a bit of eavesdropping and shortly becomes obsessed with the sibs. Are they spies? Runaways? Witness Protection kids? Add to that the fact that the school librarian has just been attacked, and Nola has herself a full blown mystery to solve.

She starts trailing Damiano to see what she can find, and soon becomes enchanted with Ines' beguiling ways. Nola's bff Pumpkin is a bit worried, and hopes that her friend will be alright.

Just when Nola is starting to get the answers that she originally set out to find, the book comes to a crashing, cliff-hangering stop which may me cry, "Noooo! I need book 2!!!!"

Just the way I like it!

The art has a manga edge, but it's not too much. There is lots of movement in the panels as well, but what makes the book sing are the colours. Incredibly vibrant (in the Magic Trixie vein), just looking at the pages is bound to make readers happy.

Fun, fun, fun!

The Secret Lives of Princesses, by Philippe Lechermeier & illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer

2010-06-02T19:14:00.004-04:00

Okay. So I have to begin with an admission. I am not that into princesses. I was always more of a curled up in the corner with a mystery hanging out in the treehouse kind of gal. But here's the thing. You don't have to be into princesses to adore this absolutely stunning book by Lechermeier and Dautremer.

The Secret Lives of Princesses fits into that format of book that is set up as non-fiction, but is all fiction all the time. Topics are given their own pages, and are generally set up with one page of text paired with one exquisite illustration. Topics explored are familiar fairytale finds such as "The Cradle", "A Confidante", "The Garden", and "Royal Cuisine". Between the pages of topics are minibiographies of the princesses themselves. Will you find Cinderella here? Oh, no. But you will find such intriguing young women as Princess Anne Phibian, Princess Quartermoon, and this librarian's favourite, "Princess Paige".

Readers will delight in the fast facts that are provided in sidebars throughout the text. Did you know that the tears of a pricess are prized and "are used to compose the sweetest songs, the most beautiful poetry, and the most adoring love letters." (p.16) Did you also know that "the ruby heals dizziness, and the diamond helps avoid the brushing of teeth"? (p.30)

So what makes this a perfect picture book for tweens? First off, the gorgeous illustrations beg to be poured over. There is also an edge to the writing that may go unappreciated on the younger set. (The Practical Guide in the back of the book is a perfect example of this). These aren't your cookie cutter princesses, and readers are bound to find themselves in at least one of these fair ladies.

Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie: Dead Spy Guy-- by David Lubar

2010-05-27T19:57:00.003-04:00

Nathan and his pals are back. The good news is he’s still “alive”, the bad news is he’s still a zombie. But that may be about to change!

While Nathan and Mookie are walking to school one day, something odd happens. It seems that a bush is following the boys! When Nathan goes to check it out, a guy stumbles out of the bush and denies following the boys. They chalk it up to the weirdness of their town and head on to school. The weirdness doesn’t stop once they hit school, however, as Nathan spies a squirrel filming him with a nut-cam! Something is definitely up!

After discussing everything with Abigail and Mookie, it’s decided that someone is following Nathan and seems to be very interested in his new found zombie self. Nathan can’t imagine why anyone would want to follow him, but Abigail (who is seldom wrong) is convinced. What are they going to do about it?

The kids don't have much time to work on a plan, because ever since Nathan helped his school out with the track and field meet, the gym coach is on the muscle, and his new idea is to form the best middle school wrestling team ever! Mr. Lomux is looking to toughen them up, and Nathan is desperate to find a way to convince the other guys not to really wrestle him. It would be awkward if he lost a finger or an arm in gym class!

While Nathan is trying to avoid getting clobbered, the followers approach him, give him a bagel phone, tell him they know what he is and that they will be in touch. Before long, the phone rings and Nathan is sent on a wild goose chase to a meeting place where he is blown away by what they want him to do. And by the fact that the scientists who they are working with, can fix him so that he no longer falls apart. Seems too good to be true, right?

David Lubar keeps this series trucking along with fun characters, fast moving action, and the gross out moments that zombification naturally brings! Nathan struggles with his moral code in this installment and realizes that his actions have a larger effect. The gym scenes are hilarious, and all I can say is that I don’t want to be anywhere near the socks of Mookie and his pals!

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger

2010-05-23T16:43:00.004-04:00

Tommy is just trying to get through sixth grade. He’s not the most popular guy, but he’s not the biggest weirdo either. That particular title belongs to Dwight. Dwight is always doing odd things that aren’t helping his social status; stuff like “barfing in class because he ate thirteen servings of canned peaches as lunch” (p.4), or answering Tommy’s questions simply with the word “purple” over and over again.

Dwight’s latest thing is wearing a origami Yoda finger puppet and doling out advice. Tommy’s not sure what to make of this. On one hand, it’s the kind of odd Dwight behavior that fits Dwight’s profile, on the other hand, some of the advice that’s been handed out has been good advice. Tommy decides along with his buddies Harvey and Kellen to make a case file documenting origami Yoda’s successes and failures so that Tommy knows whether or not to trust origami Yoda with his own big question!

The “files” are all told by the people who asked Yoda for advice in the first place and each segment ends with Harvey’s two cents (he’s kind of like a control since he doesn’t believe in Yoda’s powers at all), and Tommy’s own opinion. Throughout the case file, readers are treated to a full serving of life in middle school, including embarrassing pant stains, pop quiz ethics, Shakespeare bust mysteries, and the ever nerve inducing school dance (renamed “Fun Night” to take the pressure off).

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is a laugh-out-loud funny read, and captures that same essence of The Diary Wimpy Kid books without trying to imitate them. Tommy is a quintessential middle school kid, and the push-pull of his relationships with Dwight and Harvey will feel familiar to many readers.
The book has equal girl and boy appeal, as the advice that is asked tends to be universally middle school in scope.

If some of you doubt the possibility of a kid pulling off a month of wearing an origami Yoda puppet, I say you just haven’t spent enough time in a middle school. This is exactly the kind of thing that goes on in the cafeteria and hallways.

Fun, fun, fun!

Goddess Girls : Athena the Brain

2010-05-18T10:56:00.004-04:00

In this kicky new series, authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams have taken the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus and given them the tween treatment by placing them at Mount Olympus Academy -- a private school located on the Mount.

In the first book, Athena is busily hanging around with her best-friend Pallas when a message scroll from Mount Olympus breezes through her bedroom window. When she opens it, she cannot believe what it says! The scroll is from Zeus himself, and it says that Athena is his daughter and that she is commanded to journey to Mount Olympus to attend the Academy with the other godboys and goddessgirls. She isn't a hundred percent sure that she wants to leave her best friend and the life that she knows, but she doesn't have much choice in the matter.

Before long, Athena is whisked by chariot up to Mount Olympus by Hermes himself, where she finds herself before a nine headed secretary (Ms. Hydra) who wants to know what classes she is taking. She chooses the first five that sound interesting, then is whisked into the hallway where she sees all kinds of intriguing folks including a trio of girls with shimmery skin.

These girls turn out to be none other than Artemis, Aphrodite, and Persephone and soon they and Athena are hanging around and trying to stay out of Medusa's way.

This is a fun, breezy series with the background of Greek Mythology that isn't too heavy, but is filled with the trappings that readers will recognize. Ambrosia, a teacher named Mr. Cyclops, a cute godboy name Poseidon and many more make multiple appearances in this installment. With its super cute cover and perfect drop of drama and romance, I predict this series will fly off the shelves and be passed hand to hand.

Copper, by Kazu Kibuishi

2010-05-11T09:48:00.007-04:00

I picked this graphic novel off the shelf at school not really knowing what to expect, and ended up with quite a bit to think about.

Copper and his dog Fred are living in a seemingly post apocalyptic reality. They are living on their own among various landscapes peppered with city-scapes, mountain ranges, giant mushroom fields, and where air travel (blimps, helicopters, and do-it-yourself planes) are mainstream forms of travel. Each single and dual page spread is titled and offers up a piece of Copper and Fred's life together.

Copper starts his journey expecting the worst, in part because of Fred's constant worry and fear. By the end of this volume, however, it is evident to readers that Copper's load has been lightened somehow.

This is a deep read that will give thoughtful readers pause. In turns heartbreaking and life affirming, Copper is the kind of book that readers will want to own, and return to time and time again.

On the clipboard this week...

2010-05-07T13:49:00.007-04:00

100 Percent Pure Fake, by Lyn Thomas

Thirteen Plus One, by Lauren Myracle

If You're Reading This It's Too Late by Pseudonymous Bosch

Ranger's Apprentice, by John Flanagan

Turtle in Paradise, by Jennifer Holm

2010-05-01T16:53:00.004-04:00

It's June 1935 and Turtle is headed down south to Key West. She's being driven by her mother's latest boyfriend's friend who owes him a favour. Her mother's latest housekeeping gig doesn't allow children, and since it's the heart of the Great Depression there is no choice in the matter, so Turtle is being sent off to live with the relatives that she's never met.

Turtle has heard her mother's stories about growing up in paradise, but it seems that she was a little shaky on the details. When they finally find Turtle's people, the house is so small "you could probably sneeze from one side to the other." (p. 15) There's a barefoot boy on the porch named Beans and when his Mama comes through the door, it's clear that Turtle's mama's letter letting folks know that she was coming never showed up. Turtle's aunt is all on her own with her husband being up in the Northern Keys finding work, and she's got her hands full with 3 kids and an angry aging mother to deal with. But family is family and soon Turtle is finding herself at home on an island where she seems to be related to just about everyone.

Soon Turtle, Beans, Kermit, Buddy and Pork Chop are busy getting into all sorts of adventures. Mean old grannies, pirate booty, rum-runners, and cranky babies are all in Turtle's future. Throw in a hurricane and an old fashioned adventure filled with unforgettable characters is born.

Jennifer Holm has written a character driven story that is ripe for reading aloud. Turtle is a spitfire, and her cousins aren't to be left out of the spotlight either. I would love to read some more adventures about these conch folks. Turtle is one of those characters that readers won't want to let go of, and they will find their hearts alternately soaring and breaking for her.

Simply wonderful.

Sports Camp, by Rich Wallace

2010-04-27T09:42:00.005-04:00

Eleven-year-old Riley Liston isn’t exactly a jock. Don’t get me wrong, he is good at some sports. Especially the kinds that involve distance and endurance like cross-country and swimming, but he’s not standard fare for sport’s camp.

Camp Olympia turns out not to be quite like the brochure. The “arena” was nothing more than an old barn with a cement floor and the “stadium” a plain old field with the chain link backstop. “The Camp Olympia Institute for Sports and Nutrition” was a smoky, greasy cafeteria that serves food that the kids don’t even want to eat! (They stock up on snacks at the Trading Post to survive.)

But Riley figures out a way to get by. Since all of the campers have to participate in the team sports, Riley simply tries not to screw up. All during the two weeks of camp the bunks are earning points to try to win the Big Joe Trophy, and Riley doesn’t want to be the camper who costs Cabin 3 the cup.

Rich Wallace has written a summer camp story that will snare sports enthusiasts and non-sports enthusiasts as well. The camp setting is familiar to many kids, and if not, readers will take their first journey along side of Riley. Since the sports in the camp are varied, readers will get a glimpse of softball, basket ball, water polo, cross country, and even hot dog eating contests. Readers get to see Riley’s confidence grow as the days go by. All of the trappings of summer camp are in the mix as well, including ghost stories, a famously huge and famously unseen resident snapping turtle, and cabin trashing shenanigans.

Pack this in the bag of a camp going guy you know this summer!

Nature Girl, by Jane Kelley

2010-04-22T08:58:00.004-04:00

Megan is not having a good summer. Instead of being at a house in Vermont with her best friend Lucy, she is at a house in Vermont with her art-loving parents and her boy crazy sister, while Lucy is in Maine with her mom and grandma. The cell phones have been taken away, the T.V. has rabbit ears, and there is mandatory art time every morning! If Lucy were here, everything would be so much better. Megan and Lucy would be laughing about all of this stuff and finding things to do. They certainly would have worked out the differences that they have been sorting through lately if they could just spend the summer together.

But Lucy is not here, and Megan is in full on mope mode. After a fight with her parents, Megan has taken to sighing loudly and staring at the blank screen of the T.V. A week into this behaviour, Megan’s parents decide that since she cannot figure out what to do, they will figure out activities for her, and today she must go hiking with her sister Ginia and local boy Sam through the woods. Her folks are going to Rutland, and Megan and Ginia will be sleeping over at Sam’s parent’s cider mill. The problem is, Megan doesn’t want to go. She knows that all Ginia and Sam want to do is slobber all over each other, and her instinct proves true when a few minutes into the hike, Sam and Ginia disappear. When Megan finally finds them, Ginia throws a hurtful insult at Megan, who promptly turns and runs to try to get rid of the bad feelings that are surging through her body.

When Megan pops out of the woods she looks for the farm house where her family is staying. It’s not there. A moment later her little dog Arp comes along, and Megan tries to figure out what to do. She has no map, no phone and no idea where she is.

Megan heads back into the woods, and finds a marked trail that is way bigger than the one that she was on with Ginia and Sam. She then overhears a couple of hikers arguing about their trek on the Appalachian Trail. Megan has heard of this trail! Now she knows where she is. She also overhears the hikers say that they had been through Mount Greylock! Megan has heard of Mount Greylock too – it’s right near where Lucy is staying with her family.

Megan hatches a plan to hike to Lucy. She knows that once she sees her friend, they can work everything out.

You can imagine what an unprepared girl hiking on a trail from Vermont to Maine could get into, and you’d be partially right! While Megan is pretty much unlikable at the outset of the book, her journey along the trail is more that geographical. With fun secondary characters like Trail Blaze Betty, and the unpredictable outdoors, Jane Kelley has written a book that has depth and fun intermixed. Readers will be hoping that Megan isn’t found along the trail, and that for once in her life she will finish what she starts. Filled with friendship, family and frustration Nature Girl is a perfect summer read.

Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes

2010-04-17T10:19:00.004-04:00

Ever since Lanesha’s mom died giving birth to her, she has lived with Mama Ya-Ya. Born inside a caul (a skin netting covering her face), with green eyes, Lanesha’s own uptown family is wary of her, and leaves her in the Ninth Ward in the care of Mama Ya-Ya. Mama Ya-Ya says, “Better you be an orphan, your family thinks. Better crazy Mama Ya-Ya raises you,” she says sucking air through her false teeth. “Fine. I’m old school. Don’t care nothin’ about folks who dishonor traditions as old as Africa. I’ll be your mother and grandmother both.” (pp. 2-3) Mama Ya-Ya has always made sure that Lanesha knows that she is loved.

Lanesha, like Mama Ya-Ya, has a gift of sight, and she’s been seeing ghosts since she was a baby. In fact, her own mother often sits with her big belly right on Mama Ya-Ya’s bed. But she never talks to Lanesha…not like Jermaine who ended up getting shot before middle school. Lanesha wonders why her mama doesn’t leave. What is she waiting for?

Mama Ya-Ya has also taught Lanesha to look for the signs that are all around her, and to use her senses to figure out what is coming. On Tuesday evening, Mama Ya-Ya says that she knows a storm is coming. Lanesha’s not too worried. They’ve had lots of storms before, and nobody is even talking about this one on TV.

By Wednesday, the news anchors are talking about the storm. Mama Ya-Ya tells Lanesha not to dawdle at school, and to get to the store to pick up the regular supplies: milk, bread, beans, water, and rice. At the breakfast table, Lanesha notices that Mama Ya-Ya doesn’t look herself. Her hair’s not combed, her teeth aren’t in, and she is obviously troubled. Turns out, she’s had a dream and she cannot figure out what it means.

By Saturday, the people of New Orleans are told to evacuate. But what are Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya to do? They have no car, no people to speak of, and at 82 years old, Mama Ya-Ya has seen her share of storms.

Reading Ninth Ward knowing about Katrina and everything that happened in the Ninth Ward filled me with dread. I knew what was coming and I wondered how Jewell Parker Rhodes was going to write it. It’s not candy coated, and it’s not pretty, but the one thing that does survive the storm is hope. Lanesha finds her incredible strength as a friend, a daughter and a girl. Jewell Parker Rhodes’ writing is poetic, and readers get a real sense of the community that Lanesha is a part of. Yes she lives in poverty, but she has the bright spots of Mama Ya-Ya, her teacher Miss Johnson, and her neighbor TaShon.

Lanesha is a character who readers will not forget.

Poop Happened! A History of the World From the Bottom Up

2010-04-13T09:41:00.002-04:00

With a title like this, you know that this book will have shelf appeal! But will the readers keep with it after it’s on the table? Did the Romans poop in public?!

In this fast and gross history, readers will learn all sorts of interesting bits about the history of our bathroom habits. The first two chapters “Poop Matters” and “Bad Plumbing, Bad News” set the scene giving readers a sense of the sociology of waste, and making them hone their minds on to the idea the how and the why of poop and fashion and poop and class. Set at a furious pace, author Sarah Albee then gets to the history starting with the Romans and ending with disposable diapers and fitting all sorts of fascinating facts in between.

For example, if someone asked you who invented the toilet, chances are you would say Thomas Crapper. Guess what? You’d be wrong. In fact, in 1596 Sir John Harington invented a flush toilet for himself and Queen Elizabeth (p.132). It’s just too bad there weren’t any sewers. Thomas Crapper doesn’t come along until 1884! But go back 5000 years further and it turns out that the Harrapan civilization (in what is now Pakistan) built sewers, and private bathhouses that drained into covered sewers.

It’s not all about toilets either. Albee explores the frightful diseases that caused havok among cities like London, New York and Paris. Cholera, dysentery, escherichia coli (E. coli), polio, schistosomiasis and typhoid are all waste related and all took out large portions of the human population (and unfortunately continue to do so in poorer and developing nations).

There are highlighted boxes throughout the book that outline topics such as waste related jobs (Fullers, Paleoscatologists, Tanners, Gongfermors, Barber Surgeons, Knight’s Squires, Delousers, Chair Men), “Hygiene Heroes” (Florence Nightengales, Ambroise Pavé, Leonardo da Vinci, Sir John Harington, Benjamin Franklin, Dr. John Snow) and “Too Much Information” (filled with some fun, gross-out facts that are somehow related to poop). There is also an interesting look at fashion and the bathroom (for example, how do you go while wearing a hoop skirt?).

Overall, this is a fun and gross book that has many points of entry. It would make a fabulous book-talk or browsing book and has enough information to help out on projects dealing with diseases, fashion, ancient civilizations, tenement life, royalty, and even colonial times.

Amelia Rules! -- The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular

2010-04-08T09:28:00.004-04:00

Amelia is in a pickle. Actually, she is up a tree. She's sitting there with Rhonda after an angry mob from Joe McCarthy Elementary chased them out of the hallways and into the streets.

What could Amelia have done that caused such a reaction?

Well, it all has to do with popularity...or unpopularity. When you run around with a bunch of kids who dress up as superheroes, have wonky hair, or wear PJs all the time, there are bound to be some bumps in the road to popularity. When Rhonda comes up with a plan to change their social status using a book called The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular, things get really hairy! Spouting advice such as, "Fate and genetics may have already decided that you will never be popular, but at least, with my help, you need no longer be UNpopular.", and "Makeovers are not about making you look good, they are about making you look trendy." TTGTNBU sends our kids for quite the loop. When Rhonda's efforts are spurned by Britney and her flunkies, Amelia can't take it anymore. Why do kids always seem to stand by and keep quiet when someone is being mean? Amelia opens her mouth this time, and boy oh boy does she open it wide!

Filled with smart humor as well as homages to cartoonists and comics of the past (love the Archie bit), Jimmy Gownley has penned another winner. With a universal theme of un/popularity, all kids regardless of clique can easily find someone to identify with. It could be Jenny Gray, who sealed her fate by simply wearing mismatched socks one day. It could be Britney who has something to overcompensate for after all. Perhaps Kyle who is pretty cool on his own. Or maybe Rhonda who desperately wants to be popular. Gownley simply gets kids and seems to be privy to their world. While there is the thread that adults enjoy as well, it never interferes with the story proper, and these books truly know their readers. Amelia Rules remains my favorite graphic novel series for kids!

poetry speaks who i am: poems of discovery, inspiration, independence, and everything else...

2010-04-01T07:01:00.004-04:00

I am a poetry girl. Ever since I was small, my dad used to get me at least one volume of poetry every year. It started with Dennis Lee's Garbage Delight, and ended with Barbara Bucknall's The Witch Poems. I've loved poetry all my life, but probably most ardently during my teen and tween years. And that is just where poetry speaks who i am is aimed.

In this eclectic mix, classic poets like Poe, Dickinson, Frost and Yeats meet up with contemporaries like Alexie, Alvarez, Giovanni and Koertge. The poetry itself mixes and mingles along topics like love, kisses, family, school, war, math and bra shopping! Yet it works. Editors Elise Paschen and series editor Dominique Raccah have managed to set every poem in the exact place where it needs to be, and there is a flow to this volume that gives a certain ease to reading.

The book also comes with a CD of several of the poems either read by the poet, or by a reader (as in the case of Yeats). The audio component is powerful, as the poems are heard as they were meant to be.

The end papers are filled with pages for readers to write there own poetry down. In the introduction, Dominique Raccah writes about the poetry books that she used to carry around that were filled with poetry by others and original works. poetry speaks who i am just might be that volume that inspires young poets to do the same!

Wonderful!

Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown

2010-03-30T08:51:00.006-04:00

School's out for Dee, Hector and Terrence and now they're off to summer camp. While they're sure that the ban on video games, computers and all things electronic will make for a boring summer, they couldn't be more wrong.

Our campers are super surprised to see Lunch Lady and Betty when they get to Camp Fun Times, but don't have any time to discuss it as the boys and girls are separated into gender based cabins. Quickly the talk in the girl's cabin turns to who is the cutest counselor and friendship bracelets, while the boy's cabin is trying to figure out who dealt it (if you know what I mean).

The first night is the time for the opening campfire, where counselor Scott tells the campers about the legend of the terrible swamp monster! After the ghost story, hunky Ben plays his guitar and has the girls swooning in no time! But the blissed out night is about to be ruined when Ben is attacked by the swamp monster and his guitar is broken!

What is going on? Is this a case of a jealous counselor? Is there a power struggle going on between the camp director and his assistant? Is there really a mutant swamp monster on the loose?

With Lunch Lady and Betty along with the kids on the case, it's sure to be cracked quickly. Resplendent with kitchen gadget spy tools, kids sneaking out after curfew, dizzy pottery teachers, and bug juice, this latest installment of Lunch Lady should be in every kid's suitcase as they head off to camp.

A fun addition to the series that will be on shelves May, 2010!

yours truly, Lucy B. Parker - girl vs. superstar

2010-03-24T10:48:00.005-04:00

Ahhhh, chicklit. Every now and again it's just what the doctor ordered, and yours truly, Lucy B. Parker - girl vs. superstar is pretty much all you could ask for!

It's the beginning of sixth grade, and Lucy is in a rut. She has just been friend-dumped by her BFFs Rachel and Missy, she barely survived the "hat incident", super annoying Marissa has decided to befriend Lucy now that Rachel and Missy are gone, and now Lucy's mother decides that now is the right time to tell her that she has been dating! And where does Lucy's mom decide to drop this bombshell? Only at Barbara's Bra World, which is pretty much Lucy's version of, well...you know.

So, who could this mystery man be? Is it the barista from the coffee place? One of Lucy's teachers? No. It's Alan Moses, the father of teen sensation Laurel Moses (who happens to be responsible for the hat incident). Laurel's in town shooting, and Lucy's mom has be tutoring her, and before she knew it, she was dating Alan.

Lucy cannot imagine anything worse. Not only is Laurel tall and beautiful, but all of the kids in Lucy's school are obsessed with her. Lucy sees a future of being seen as second best.

But, things are not always as they seem, and sometime perfection on the outside belies an imperfect inside.

Robin Palmer has written a delicious piece of chicklit that has a heart. Yes, there are mean girls (trust me...mean girls exist in real life too), but there is lots of charm as well. Lucy is a quirky girl (complete with a fascination with all things menstrual)and her parents are interesting and present. Sixth grade life is represented well complete with the emotional roller coaster climbing to fun loving and plummeting back down to despair in a real time tween fashion. This is the first in a series, and I am looking forward to watching Lucy grow!

The Grimm Legacy

2010-03-14T11:48:00.007-04:00

Every time I go to midwinter (ALA) there are one or two arcs that I pick up that quickly make it to the top of the pile. Being a fan of all things Grimm and most things NYC, The Grimm Legacy was an easy choice for first reading!

Elizabeth is none too thrilled when her social studies teacher Mr. Mauskopf assigns a research paper that needs to be completed over winter break. Elizabeth goes against her stepsister's advice and chooses the topic of the Brothers Grimm, mainly because the idea of fairy tales reminds her of her mom. Writing the paper ends up being a bit of a welcome distraction from a lonely winter break (Elizabeth's bf has moved to California, and her new school hasn't exactly been a bastion of welcome).

Once back from vacation, Mr. Mauskopf calls Elizabeth into his office to ask some questions about her paper. After asking a few questions, her teacher asks her an odd question -- he wants to know if Elizabeth wants a job at the New-York Circulating Material Respository.

Elizabeth decides to give it a go, and heads over for the strangest interview she's ever been a part of. After answering some odd questions, she is given the duty of sorting objects. She has no idea why she's doing this, and is just going with her instincts, yet at the end of it all she has the job.
The New-York Circulating Material Repository is an old fashioned kind of library, complete with pneumatic tubes, but there is a decided lack of books. This is a library that circulates things; instruments, sports equipment, cooking tools textiles, costumes, et cetera. And there is a very special collection in the basement: The Grimm Collection. And remember, since there are no books in the library, this collection (which is heavily locked away) is filled with all things fairy tales. From the seven league boots to the nasty and opinionated mirror from Snow White to slippers worn through from dancing, the magical objects are also available for lending.

But the magical objects are disappearing and being replaced with decidedly unmagical replicas. Will Elizabeth and her new friends be able to figure out what is going on, or will the Grimm collection be used against them?

This is an action-packed story that will have fairy tale lovers, book lovers and those who love a good story flying through the pages. Who do we trust? What does a black market that deals in magical things look like? Is there such a thing as stealing for the greater good? I picture this appealing equally to the guys and girls since there are characters of each who are quite fleshed out. Throw in a bit of romance (but not too much) and there is something for everyone.

Mary Mae and the Gospel Truth

2010-03-11T19:20:00.005-05:00

Mary Mae likes it at Remnant Church of God. She likes all of the Praise the Lords and the Amens, and the fact that folks can just get on up and tell everybody what it is they’re thankful for. Her pastor, Sister Coates, is preaching about how important it is to believe every word in the Bible, and how it’s the duty of all to spread the Word. She gives everyone a stack of John 3:16 stickers, and soon Mary Mae is in the car with her Mama and her Granny heading to the mall, hoping to save souls.

On the way back home, her Mama gets pulled over by the police. While they are stopped, Mary Mae notices the stripes in the rocks are just like the ones that they’ve been talking about at school. She tells her Granny about the different eras that they represent (just like she tells her Granny about everything that she learns in school), and Mama is none too pleased. She lets Mary Mae know that they don’t believe in different eras…they believe that the Earth is 6000 years old. Now, Mary Mae is a girl who likes her facts, so when she gets home she combs her Bible for where it says that the Earth is 6000 years old. When she doesn’t find the information she wants, she asks her Pastor about it. Sister Coates doesn’t seem too happy with the questions that Mary Mae is asking, and soon the Sunday school class is assigned to put on a puppet show all about Creation.

Meanwhile, at school Mrs. Sizemore is teaching Mary Mae’s class all about the Ordovician Age and trilobites. She lets them know that there are lots of fossils to be found in their own area, due to a warm shallow sea that used to cover their part of Ohio…and they are going to dig for some as a class! Mary Mae is super excited, and is very proud of her finds. She knows she should be sitting out with Shirley Whirly (who goes to Remnant Church of God), but she just can’t. Science seems to pull at her heart. She just can’t understand why her Mama and her Pastor seem so upset when she asks questions. Mama is so upset that she’s getting ready to yank her out of school and teach her at home.

Sandra Dutton has written a gem of a book that explores the faith/science divide. Mary Mae loves her church life, but loves her school life as well. Her Mama’s mind is completely closed, and new information seems to genuinely scare her. Granny is such a breath of fresh air and an amazing character that she quickly became a favourite of mine. She has a thirst for knowledge just like Mary Mae, and she makes Mary Mae feel safe in her explorations. Because of the questioning of faith this book not might find as wide of an audience as it should, but readers will truly enjoy Mary Mae’s journey and her bravery. Dutton has the voice of the family down pat, and I think this could be an important book for those on both sides of the evolution/intelligent design debate.

Tweeny Trailers

2010-03-06T12:43:00.006-05:00

There are some great tween books being turned into movies these days. Here are a couple that look like they will be winners!

Smile, by Raina Telgemeier

2010-02-26T17:18:00.003-05:00

I love working with colleagues who love books as much as I do! Without them, I might not have gotten my hands on a little gem of a autobiographical graphic novel like Smile, by Raina Telgemier. So thanks to Jesse and Jen!

Raina is coming home from Girl Scouts one night and is running to her front door with her friends Kelli and Melissa when she trips and goes down hard! She lands on her face, and when she comes up, her front two teeth are no longer where they should be. They find one on the sidewalk, but the other is not to be found (it will be discovered later jammed up into her gums). One emergency dentist office later, a tooth is replace, the other pulled back down, Raina has a cast on her teeth and is hoping for the best.

The treatment doesn’t work out quite as planned, and Raina is left with front teeth that don’t fit her mouth, and braces on top of that!

But this story isn’t all about Raina’s smile problems. Readers watch her go through growing pains including a first crush on a 6th grader when she’s in 7th grade, and all of the grief that her “friends” give her about it -- forays into the scary world of the school dance, and the realization that true friends accept a person for who she is.

Tweens will eat up this real life story of growing up. Readers will be able to relate to the aches and pains of middle school, even if they’ve never sat in an orthodontist’s chair. If Raina’s art seems familiar to readers it’s most likely because she is behind the graphic novel adaptations of The Babysitter’s Club. Smile will appeal to the reader’s of that series, but will be enjoyed by a whole new audience as well.

The Small Adventures of Popeye and Elvis

2010-02-20T14:10:00.003-05:00

Popeye is ready to spend yet another day in his regular life, with his bedroom ceiling dripping rusty water and listening to his grandmother Velma recite British royalty in order of reign to prevent herself from cracking up. It's been raining for a week, and Popeye feels like he is the one who is going to crack up!

Once the rain finally stops, Popeye takes the opportunity to get out of the house. He is walking down the road, pitching stones into the ditch when he sees it – a big motor home that is “tilted precariously to the side, one of its giant wheels sunk deep down into the gloppy red mud of the road”. (p.12)

Popeye’s summer, and his life, are about to change.

The owners of the motor home are a family with a passel of rag tag kids who quickly induct Popeye into their Spit and Swear club. The eldest, named Elvis, takes an interest in Popeye and soon the two are inseparable -- having small adventures for at least as long as the motor home is stuck in the mud. They spit and swear, discover Yoo-Hoo boats filled mysterious notes and soon Popeye has dreams of hopping on the motor-home and finding adventures that are even bigger. Each day Popeye hopes that his Uncle Dooley, who is supposed to dig the motor home out, will stay true to his nature and not get it done!

On the surface, this book penned by Barbara O'Connor seems to be simply about a summertime adventure that happens to blow into town, but dig a little deeper. Popeye, who has always listened to Velma before, tries on defiance for the first time, not just for the sake of making trouble either. In the name of adventure, he is willing to risk Velma’s wrath. After Popeye and Elvis meet Starletta (a girl who lives through the woods and down the creek) readers can feel Popeye’s inhibitions and apathy peeling away. Dreams start to seed, and readers will believe that Popeye will not end up like his Uncle Dooley…he’s made of bigger stuff.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place

2010-02-16T09:16:00.004-05:00

Penelope Lumley has just graduated from Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, where she was dropped off when she was four years old. At the Academy she was a bright student, fond of quoting the sayings of Miss Agatha Swanburne, and is now en route to interview for a job as a governess at Ashton Place. Her head mistress Miss Charlotte Mortimer penned Penny a glowing recommendation, and Penny is hoping for the best.

When she meets Lady Constance, Penny is a bit surprised when she ends up asking the lady of the house questions rather than the other way around. And for some reason Lady Constance really doesn’t want to talk about the children. In fact, she states that children are not very “interesting” to discuss.

But the real surprise comes when Penny does meet the children. Raggedy and kept wrapped in blankets in the barn, the three children howl away and act like animals. Penny soon learns that Lord Ashton found the children in his woods while out hunting, and instead of sending the children to a work house or an orphanage, he applied his “finders keepers” philosophy and decided to advertise for a governess instead.

Penny is soon knee deep in the task of re-education Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia (names chosen by the master of the house). She is sure that poetry, Latin and some etiquette will change their lives. The children and their governess are mostly left to themselves, until Lady Constance lets them know that she is planning her first Christmas fete as the lady of the house and that the children must be presentable by that time.

Penny is sure that she can have the children ready, but it seems that someone doesn’t want her to succeed. Who could it be?

Maryrose Wood has written an incredibly smart and engaging start to a series that has left me wanting more. The pacing is perfect, the voice of the narrator is polished and so much fun! All of the pearls of wisdom from Agatha Swanburne will have readers thinking, and no doubt quoting as well. My friends know that I usually bemoan the fact that so many titles develop into series…I hanker for the stand alone. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, however, does it right. The characters are interesting, the setting is clear and the writing is strong. Simply put, I cannot wait for the next installment!

...and the winner is...

2010-02-14T09:30:00.004-05:00

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson!

Follow this link to find out which books won in all categories!

Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean

2010-02-10T09:55:00.004-05:00

In this graphic novel style biographical look at Amelia Earhart, readers are treated to the marriage of fact and story. The story starts in a small Newfoundland town. Amelia Earhart, Bill Stultz, and Slim Gordon have arrived in the hopes to make Amelia the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air.

Grace, a girl in town who fancies herself a reporter and publishes her own paper, is shocked and intrigued by Amelia's goal. Grace takes to following Amelia around town, hoping for a scoop and some insight. Once attempt, after attempt to take off fail, many people lose interest in the flight...but not Grace! She actually gets a tête à tête with Earhart and has her questions answered - including why she wants to fly airplanes, how she was chosen for the Atlantic crossing, and what her husband thinks about her flying.

Readers see Grace grow up and follow her own dreams, apparently inspired by Amelia's successes.

The introduction by Eileen Collins (the first female pilot of a space shuttle) sets the tone. Readers are introduced to Earhart through the eyes of someone inspired by her, and Collins lays out the facts of Earhart's life. Ben Towle's illustrations are filled with emotion and give a real sense of time period. The tri-color panels (black, white and blue) instantly pull the reader in and are evocative not only of the triumph of the skies, but the tragedy of the seas. The panel discussions int he back matter deepen the factual content of Earhart's life through quotes, information on women pilots, as well as society in the 1920s and 30s.

Overall, this is a stunning and interesting look into the life and times of Amelia Earhart.

The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang

2010-02-05T18:01:00.005-05:00

Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang have been friends forever. They are in their last year before middle school, and they know it’s time to take action regarding their popularity. Better stated, their lack of popularity is the real problem. They have watched Lydia’s sister make the transition to middle school and somewhere along the lines she went from a tanned, cute, musical girl to a pale, black-haired, pierced being. To tell the truth, Lydia and Julie are a bit scared of her, and want to make sure that nothing like that happens to them along the way.

But how to get popular? They decide their best course of action is to do some good old-fashioned research by studying the girls who are now popular, and recording their findings in a journal. They divide the work up by having Julie do most of the writing and drawing (since she’s better at both), and having Lydia dictate.

They study the 4 main popular girls: Gretchen (who has the cool blonde streak in her hair), Lisa (who has the expensive cell phone), Jane (the fashionista, theater girl) and Sukie (who they can’t really figure out). Should they dye their hair like Gretchen? Learn to knit or play field hockey like Sukie? Start to like boys?

The girls end up trying various hobbies and interests of the other girls on for size. Is the result popularity? What do you think?

Amy Ignatow has created a super cute scrapbook-style book, that tween readers will eat up. Not only is the format fun, by Ignatow is able to go beyond the format to get at the meaty issues of girl-friendships. There are bossy moments, backstabbing moments and she brings the ebbs and flows of girl-friendship alive on the pages. And Julia's parents just happen to be two dads, which is always a good thing. Ignatow does this with panache, without Julie's family being a big deal, simply a fact.

I read this in arc format (due out 4/10) and I cannot wait to see the final copy. The details even in the arc are stupendous with scotch taped bits, school notes, and hilarious illustrations. I hand sold it to a big reader of mine, and it’s safe to say that The Popularity Papers won’t cross my desk again until every girl (and some of the boys) in her class have read it

Blogger Swap

2010-02-01T17:05:00.004-05:00

I have been totally remiss in letting everyone know about the wonderful holiday swap gift I got by taking part in this year's swap. My partner sent me this gem:

How GORG is this? I had it sent to my workplace, so it sat in my mailbox til school was back in. I have the perfect place for it in a little cabin by a lake!

Big thanks!

On the Clip Board this Week...

2010-01-29T09:25:00.008-05:00

Goose Girl, by Hale

Mortal Engines, by Reeve

101 Things You Wish You'd Invented, by Horne and Turner

Gods of Manhattan, by Mebus

Queen's Own Fool, by Yolen

ALA Youth Media Awards

2010-01-20T05:17:00.004-05:00

There is nothing quite as exciting as attending the ALA’s Youth Media Awards. When I woke up this morning, I considered staying in bed an hour longer, and then heading down to the hotel lobby to watch it on the webcast. Thankfully, my roommate Karyn rallied me, and we made our way across Boston to the BCEC and got in line to enter into the ballroom.

There’s always a buzz in the room, and I found myself getting nervous about the lists. I decided not to watch my twitter feed the whole time, but enough folks around me had their phones out that I could look over a shoulder and read the comments from around the country as the awards were announced.

In case you haven’t heard, you can follow this link and find the official press release from ALA.

On the tween-y front, this year’s Newbery lists does not disappoint. Personally, I was quite happy to see The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate on the Honor List, and while seeing When You Reach Me wasn’t too much of a surprise when announced, it’s a very fine winner.

So congratulations to Rebecca Stead, Philip Hoose, Jacqueline Kelly, Grace Lin, and Rodman Philbrick!

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

2010-01-17T15:38:00.003-05:00

Here is a title that has been sitting on my tbr pile for quite some time. After all of the Mock Newbery results started pouring in, it was obvious that it was time to move this to the top of the pile! On my way to Boston for ALA’s Midwinter Conference, I had just the time I needed to get reading.

Minli’s family is very poor. In fact, everyone in her village is very poor. They live in the shadow of the Fruitless Mountain, where crops do not grow, and the land is barren and tough. It is all her family can do to work daily on their land and try to harvest enough rice to eat that day. Minli’s parents have very different outlooks on the their existence with Ma spending her time sighing bitterly over their fortune while her Ba fills their empty hours with colourful stories filled with mythical creatures, magic and far off lands. Ma scoffs at the stories, but Minli simply comes alive and seems to glow while she listens.

One day a goldfish seller comes into their little village declaring that a goldfish in the house will bring fortune into one’s home. Minli, with her faith in story, believes the goldfish seller and rushes into her home to get the 2 coins that are hers alone from when she was born. The fish costs her one of her coins and even though others in the village warn her not to believe the man, she happily brings her new fish home.

When her parents return from the fields, her mother is shocked and disappointed that Minli wasted her coin. Ba, however, reminds her that the money is Minli’s to do with what she pleases. Ma only sees the fish as another mouth to feed…something that Minli had not thought about when she first spotted the fish.

Minli decides in the dark of night to free the fish, so that her parents will not have to worry about feeding it. When she releases it in the river, something amazing happens. The fish speaks to her, and tells her how she can change the fortune of her family.

Soon Minli is off on her own, chasing her dream of helping her parents change their fortune. What follows is an adventure of discovery involving a flightless dragon, a boy with one friend, and the Old Man of the Moon.

Grace Lin has written an enchanting story that mixes a rich cultural landscape with a magical quest. Minli has such a pure spirit, that readers can’t help but root for her to overcome all of the odds and help her family. Between the “outside” stories, the pacing is perfect, and while I wondered at first if I would be able to keep momentum during the telling of the “outside” stories, it is managed with ease. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon has all of the qualities of a book with staying power. It will be interesting to see if this appears on some of the lists this year!

Off to Boston!

2010-01-15T05:14:00.002-05:00

I am off to Boston to attend ALA's midwinter conference, where I am a member of 2 ALSC Grant Committees. I am looking forward to doing some good work, seeing some long lost colleagues, and checking out this fine city for the first time.

Hopefully there will be some intriguing ARCs to pick up along the way.

See you there?

My Self: A Guide to Me

2010-01-14T09:31:00.004-05:00

Advice guides for tweens are always tricky. They can't talk down to readers, and they can't sound too much like your mom. Every girl wants to see herself somewhere within the pages, and when she recognizes herself, she wants to feel good about the changes that she can make.

Marlene Wallach, the President of Wilhelmina Kids & Teens Modeling Agency, along with Grace Norwich, has put together a lifestyle guide that gets it right.

Using a magazine style format, girls can easily read through sections of advice about confidence, fitness and friendship. From the "Ten Commandments of a Better Body Image" (involving advice such as surrounding yourself with supportive friends, the importance of wearing clothes that are comfortable to you, and respecting your body) to fun activities for boosting self esteem (talking positively to yourself in the mirror, doing improv with your friends, and finding activities to do on your own), readers are bound to find something that speaks to them. Quizzes and lists round out the chapters, and I can picture friends breaking this book out during a sleepover and discussing their answers. There are also real girl stories, dealing with an assortment of topics such as being biracial, starting a business, and moving to a new country.

This spiral bound book mixes photographs of girls, with tween friendly cartoons and graphics. Inspiring quotes from famous people ranging from Oprah to Confucius pepper the text.

While the girls shown are of differing races and ethnic groups, it would be nice to see girls of varying body types and sizes in the pages. Since Wallach is the head of a modeling agency, I am assuming most girls featured are models. It is nice to see many smiling faces with braces, since so many tweens are going through the same thing, but a few more differences might be nice!

Overall, this is exactly the kind of book that I recommend to parents when they want to help their daughters out with self esteem and the tween/early teen years. There are 3 additional titles in the series: My Beauty: A Guide to Looking & Feeling Great, My Life: A Guide to Health and Fitness, and My Look: A Guide to Fashion & Style.

Comment Challenge

2010-01-11T05:35:00.003-05:00

Lee and Pam have organized another comment challenge, and for the first time I am taking part.

The idea behind this is to get all of us out from lurkdom and let folks know that we appreciate all of their hard work blogging. It also allows us to explore new blogs and get out of the same old reading habits.

I did miss one entire day due to birthday party madness, but am back on the wagon today finding some new (to me) blogs to check out!

Rhymes with Fresca!

2010-01-04T05:53:00.005-05:00

Today marks the end of Jon Scieska's two year term as the Ambassador of Children's Literature. I would like to offer up a big thanks to him, not only for his work as ambassador, but for providing so many fun books for us to read to kids!

Some folks might wonder why here at Tweendom, I would be taking time out since most of Mr. Scieszka's work (Knucklehead aside) is for the younger set. Well, because books like The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, are laugh-out-loud funny, and help get boys (and girls) to look at reading as fun, and not just something to sit still for!

His MC-ing skills are unparalleled, and he has made the National Book Award press conference for youth a fun and sly experience for the teens and the adults in the room.

So here's to you, Jon Scieszka!

Cybils Short List

2010-01-01T10:24:00.003-05:00

So the Cybils Short Lists have been posted! In the Middle Grade arena, the survivors are:

Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Captain Nobody, by Dean Pitchford

Anything but Typical, by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Heart of a Shepard, by Rosanne Parry

All the Broken Pieces, by Ann Burg

Operation Yes, by Sara Lewis Holmes

The Small Adventures of Popeye and Elvis, by Barbara O'Connor

I've read 4 of the 7, so I have to get on it! There are some titles that I thought were sure fired short list contenders that didn't make the cut. I am genuinely surprised. But this is the thing about the Cybils: you never know what is going to happen!

Do you have a favourite on this list?

See ya later!

2009-12-21T21:29:00.003-05:00

Hey there!

I am taking a bit of a family holiday break here! Come on back post January 1st.

Happy reading!

The Best of the Year

2009-12-14T19:53:00.005-05:00

Well, the best that I read this year, anyway! As you can tell from the last posts, I love the lists. Some readers may know that I used to hold down 2 blogs...this here Tweendom, and the now defunct Booktopia. Booktopia was the place that I discussed picture books, young adult books and the occasional adult title. Last year I decided to break down my favs of the year into several top 5s, and this year I am adding another category. So without further ado, here are my favorite 5 picture books, tween titles, young adult titles, and graphic novels of 2009!

Picture Books

The Lion and the Mouse, by Jerry Pinkney
Birdie's Big Girl Shoes, by Suejean Rim
Let's Do Nothing!, by Tony Fucile
Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem, by Mac Barnett, ill by Adam Rex
Yes Day!, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, ill by Tom Lichtenheld

Tween Titles

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly
Newsgirl, by Liza Ketchum
Al Capone Shines My Shoes, by Gennifer Choldenko
Peace Locomotion, by Jacqueline Woodson
11 Birthdays, by Wendy Mass

Graphic Novels

Secret Science Alliance and the Copy Cat Crook, by Eleanor Davis
The Storm in the Barn, by Matt Phelan
Stitches, by David Small
Lunch Lady, by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
(okay...so 4 of these!)

Young Adult Titles

Lips Touch, by Laini Taylor, ill by Jim DiBartolo
Going Bovine, by Libba Bray
We Were Here, by Matt de la Pena
The Silver Blade, by Sally Gardner
Peace, Love and Baby Ducks, by Lauren Myracle

So, there you have it. Of course these are my opinions of the best that I read this year. Best is an idea that is quite personal, and for my purposes here these are the ones that made me smile, flip pages desperately, and made me want to share the titles with the kids, tweens, and teens in my life.

What made your list?

More List-y Goodness

2009-12-11T13:50:00.003-05:00

I am constantly looking for LGBT books to share with our kids and families. I am very lucky to work in a school that celebrates all kinds of families. Generally speaking, picture books and young adult books dealing with LGBT themes are pretty easy to find. It's the middle grade area that gets sticky.

Luckily for us, Lee Wind over at I'm Here, I'm Queer. What The Hell Do I Read? has put together a Middle Grade Bookshelf featuring titles where the tweens/teens are LGBT or questioning, and another list that features titles with family members or people in a tween's/teen's life are LGBT.

Head on over to check it out!

Dear Pen Pal

2009-12-08T20:16:00.004-05:00

It's 8th grade year for the girls and changes are afoot. Jess is surprised to learn that she has just received a scholarship to snooty Colonial Academy. Jess could care less about the scholarship...she just wants to stay at Walden Middle School with her friends. Her parents, however, keep talking about opportunities, and college, and want to reach a compromise of having Jess board at the school during the week and come home to help at Half Moon farm on the weekends.

Without Jess at Walden, Emma is a bit sad. She misses Jess, and even though things are warming up with Stewart and she is editor of the paper, she still feels like something is missing. If only her parents would finally say yes to a dog...

Megan's grandmother has moved into the house and Megan finally feels like someone understands her. Gigi is totally into fashion and travel. She is an amazing cook who even uses meat (gasp!) in her dishes. But the closer Megan gets to Gigi, the more annoyed her own mother seems to get.

Among all of the changes, Becca and Cassidy actually have something common. Their mothers seem to be going a bit crazy. Mrs. Chadwick has discovered a whole new her, complete with outrageous outfits, spiky hair, and animal print glasses. Mrs. Sloane-Kincaid is always tired. She's nauseous and napping.

The book club is changing too. The club is reading Daddy-Long-Legs, by Jean Webster, but what is new to the club are the pen-pals. Mrs. Hawthorne has been in touch with her old college friend who has her own mother-daughter book club, and they thought it would be great for the girls to write to each other while reading the same book. Some of the girls aren't too pleased about this...after all, who even writes letters anymore. Texting or emailing would be so much easier. But the moms stand firm. Old fashioned letters with stamps will be sent!

What follows is a story complete with nasty room-mates, sleep-over pranks, road trips, first kisses and secrets kept from friends and mothers alike. Heather Vogel Frederick's latest installment in the series will not disappoint fans of the first two books. The girls are growing in real time, and their 8th grade problems are different form their 6th grade ones. Each character, though somewhat typed, brings something fresh to the table in Dear Pen Pal. Cassidy's growing away from her jock persona and Emma's geek is ascending the social ladder with the help of her girlfriend status. But the characters never lose their souls over it. The changes simply feel true to the tumultuous times of middle schoolers.

I can't wait to see what the book club reads next!

Lists

2009-12-03T19:37:00.002-05:00

I am a list girl. I love lists. This is one of the main reasons that I love this time of year. I get to reflect upon what I have read, and to figure out whether it has stuck with me, what I still like about it, or if it has faded away. I no longer mourn for those titles that I didn't get to. I have faith that the good ones will draw me in some day.

Before I go on to make my own top 5 lists, I like to browse the others that are floating around. Luckily, the talented Chicken Spaghetti has gone and pulled many of the lists together on her page. Head on over to check them out.

Are any of your favourites there?