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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson!

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

Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean

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

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

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...

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

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

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!

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

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

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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?

Calamity Jack

So I was part of the judging panel that awarded Rapunzel's Revenge the Cybils Award. Imagine my pleasure when Calamity Jack showed up on my doorstep months ago. Imagine my excitement at reading it. Imagine my dismay at realizing the pub date of 01/10! But now, I feel like we're close enough to said date to blog it, so yay!

Jack has always been somewhat of a trickster, though often to unfortunate ends. He considers himself a criminal mastermind with a bit of bad luck. He is a born scammer, and he remembers all of his schemes fondly enough to have named them! "The Sugarbowl Gambit", "The Great Sandwich Caper", "The Grocery Job", "The Purloined Pig", "The Cane Mutiny", "The Ice Cream Con"...and the list goes on. Picking the right target and having the right partner are key elements of pulling off a scheme. Jack soon fancies himself a Robin Hood of sorts, when he sees his jobs as righting wrongs and helping less fortunate folks. But Jack doesn't always get away with it, and his mother is beside herself. Jack promises himself he won't make his mother cry again. It's time to go straight. After one last caper...

Jack is taking on the big boss Blunderboar this time. Jack should have known better, but his luck truly takes a turn for the worse and he soon high tails it out of town where he meets Rapunzel. They have their adventures and Jack decides it's safe to head home, and he takes Rapunzel along with him.

Of course the trip home is anything but dull and the wanted posters featuring Jack's mug complicate matters even more.

Chock filled with action, beasties, and steam punk sensibility Calamity Jack takes readers to a far flung world where fairy tales do come true in unexpected ways. Perfectly paced, fans of the first book will happily devour this installment, and first time readers will no doubt go back and read about Rapunzel after they finish Jack's story. The only time that Rapunzel's Revenge is in our library is for somebody to check it in so that a friend can check it out, and I am sure that Calamity Jack is in for the same fate. Appealing across genders and ages, this is no doubt a graphic novel series that will stand the test of time.

On the Clipboard This Week

Artemis Fowl, by Colfer





Redwall, by Jacques







The Lightning Thief, by Riordan








The Supernaturalist, by Colfer





Amelia Rules, by Gownley