It's Summer Throwdown Time!

It's year 3 of the #summerthrowdown, y'all!  What is the summer throwdown, you ask? Well, it started as a friendly competition between teachers and librarians to see who could get the most reading done in a month. Over the years it has morphed into a read-o-rama, where we all try to read as much as we can to inform our readers advisory skills.

When I do the #summerthrowdown I tend to read across age groups so that I can recommend books to all constituents in our school - from the 4 year olds to the 15 year olds to parents and care givers.  So while you will be hearing about the tween titles more fully here, I am going to give a couple brief synopses of some of the books I have read and enjoyed that fall out of the tween age group.

First off we have Noggin, by John Corey Whaley.  Travis Coates opted for a radical treatment to his cancer - having his head removed and placed in a cyrogenics lab to await a possible body donation sometime in the future.  But the future comes sooner than anyone can imagine.  After only 5 years, Travis is still 16 and his best friend and girlfriend seem to have moved on, his parents are off and he feels like a freak.  How will he make it through this transformation?

Next, we have Alex London's follow up to Proxy called Guardian.  The Rebooters have taken over and the Reconciliation has placed Syd (Yovel) at its head, given him a bodyguard and are trying to reform the world.  Power, however, is an interesting thing and perhaps the leanings of those in charge of the Reconciliation aren't where they should be.  Larger than life characters and constant action will keep fans of the first installment wanting more.

A Time to Dance, by Padma Venkatraman is a stunning account of dancer Veda's journey as a dancer.  She has always wanted to dance, has breathed rhythm and feels strongly enough to go against her mother's wishes for her education.  Where a terrible crash leaves her an amputee, Veda has to find a way to dance again. Beautifully written, this story is a must read.

And finally Toms River, by Dan Fagin.  I am still working on this one, but this account of small towns and industrial pollution has this former resident of Niagara captivated.  I keep having to read bits aloud, because I simply cannot believe what was going on unbeknownst to most residents of Toms River in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.  Fascinating and horrifying all at once.







So head on over to the Summer Throwdown and get reading!

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Summer Vacation, by Tommy Greenwald

I figured this was fitting to post today as I am sending my own 10 year old off to sleep away camp today!

Resident non-reader Charlie Joe may just have gotten himself in over his head this time.  In a moment of temporary craziness and trying to please his parents, Charlie Joe agreed to 3 weeks at a camp for smarty pants kids.  Camp Ritubukkee.  Pronounced Read-a-Bookie.  For real.  Now that the time has come, he is pretty much in shock about the whole thing.  At least his bud Katie Friedman will be there, and Nareem from school will be there too.

The camp schedule is filled with "workshops", which Charlie Joe knows is just code for classwork.  He cannot believe that kids actually acquiesce to go to what is essentially summer school.  Charlie Joe is also a bit bummed because he had just started hanging around with Zoe, and if he had the summer off like a normal kid, that might just have gone somewhere.

Charlie Joe doesn't exactly get off the a stellar start at camp.  At school kids know him and know that he wields his sense of humor like a finely sharpened sword.  Here, his anti-reading stance and his sarcasm aren't appreciated.  Charlie Joe decides that it's going to be in everybody's best interests for him to try to de-dorkify these kids...get them to relax a little bit and enjoy the summer.

What Charlie Joe doesn't expect is to get sucked into the world of reading (just a bit), to use his devious brain for the greater good, and to genuinely like some of these campers.

Tommy Greenwald has created a reluctant reader character who is incredibly authentic.  Charlie Joe doesn't have trouble reading, he just can't be bothered.  I know several kids like this.  By putting Charlie Joe in a camp with kids who pretty much adore learning, there is super wide appeal to this title.  The writing is tight, the voice is authentic and I love the fact that unlike other series that aim for this audience, Charlie Joe isn't mean.  I had the pleasure of meeting Tommy at ALA in Chicago this summer, and was super pleased to relate the story of my own real life reluctant reader really taking to this series.  When kids want a step up from the Wimpy Kid titles, send them over to Charlie Joe!

Summertime....

....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!

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little

I have been in love with this cover since I first laid eyes on it at a Random House preview so, so, so long ago. Now I am kicking myself for taking so darn long to read it!

Moxy Maxwell is a dreamer. Moxy Maxwell is a planner. Moxy Maxwell is a list maker. Moxy Maxwell is a book carrier. She has had Stuart Little with her all summer long. She has simply been waiting for some "in between" time. You know...that time after something ends and the next thing begins? The perfect time for reading. Moxy's mother points out that she has never seen Moxy with any in between time. She is a busy girl.

But time has run out.

With one day left to read Stuart Little under the threat of consequences (the word itself is terrifying to Moxy). The fact that her twin brother Mark had read the book on the first day of summer vacation is no help. Can Moxy with the help of her lists, plans and neighbor Sam, finally make it through the book in time to get to her water ballet recital?

Peggy Gifford has written a perfect book describing a certain type of reluctant reader. Moxy is perfectly capable of reading, she just has better things to do. Her character is aptly named, the short chapters have hilarious titles themselves, and before I knew it, Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little was shifted over to my read pile. The photos added the perfect touch to making the Maxwell family come alive. MMDNLSL will be hitting my Summer Reading List this year!