September 2007 Archives

I am way, way behind, but here is the amazing MotherReader and her huge list of the compiled Best Books of 2007.  Get your scroll button warmed up and your fingers cracked, you are in for quite a list!

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems.

This is one of those books that got me all atwitter with anticipation.  Returning to the world of Knuffle Bunny (which by the way, I was pronouncing CORRECTLY!  With a hard K) was like seeing a beloved friend.

Trixie is older now and heading to school with Knuffle Bunny in hand.  But when she sees Sonya, Sonya is holding Knuffle Bunny!  Another Knuffle Bunny!  This doesn't make the girls friends at all, but rivals.  They argue over how to pronounce the name, glare and one another and generally get their feelings hurt.  Finally, the teacher steps in and takes the two Knuffle Bunnies away.  The happy girls get them back at the end of the day and it isn't until the very middle of the night that they both realize that the bunnies have been switched!  Now the crisis must be resolved!

This book has the same sense of fun as the first one.  Readers will spot a pigeon on Trixie's bedroom wall as well as quickly realize that the bunnies have been switched (one has a bow on its head).  The illustrations are just as fresh and amazing as the first, with the drawings superimposed on black and white photographs. 

A real treat, this book is best enjoyed by kids who have read the first one.  In fact, why not get them both in hand and read them back-to-back.  Any excuse to linger in the world of Knuffle Bunny!

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis

This book has gotten six starred reviews so far this year, making it one of the best reviewed children's books of the year, if not THE best reviewed.  And it deserves each and every star.

Sis takes readers on his own personal journey through the darkness, suspicion and horror of growing up in Czechoslovakia during the Cold War.   Readers will watch the word "compulsory" repeated again and again as people are no longer allowed to make their own decisions.  But in almost every picture there is one little bit of dissent that gives the reader hope.  Otherwise the oppressive nature of the book would be too much to bear.

Sis has excelled at making this complex subject one that is accessible to children.  His art, done primarily in black ink with touches of red, is the perfect conduit to understanding the situation.  The colorful pages filled with photographs, his art and quotes from his journals offer a touch of sunshine in the book, giving readers a chance for a breath before they have to return to the dreary and dangerous world of Communism.  There are illustrations here that had me in tears, particularly the one showing the division between the free world and the world behind the Iron Curtain.  What a powerful image!

I traveled to Prague in the mid-1980s for a brief trip.  What I saw and felt there is captured perfectly in the illustrations.  While the people were vibrant and amazing, the feeling of dread colored everything.  What a masterpiece of a book to find a way to express that so directly that I can feel it again, including the pressure in my gut and chest.

Highly recommended for ages 7-10.  This is not a picture book for bedtime, but for understanding.  For seeing the world as it was and is.  For truth. 

Ridin' Dinos with Buck Bronco by George McClements.

Take the popularity of dinosaurs and combine it with cowboys and you have this book!  After Buck Bronco found some strange eggs in his field, he became a dinosaur authority.  And he rides his dinos.  Readers get a quick lesson in selecting a mount, saddling them, and the various types of riding.  Buck also teaches about how to feed and care for your dinosaur. 

The text of this picture book is written all in western twang, so make sure to hitch up your britches and get your tongue loosened up and dancin'.  It is great fun to read aloud.  The illustrations are paper art that will have children clamoring to look at them.  The details are not tiny, so the book will work well with a group of children.

I'd highly recommend this for any dinosaur storytime or unit.  Some of the humor may be a little much for preschoolers, but 5 and 6 year olds should enjoy it immensely.  Yee haw!

The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney by Suzanne Harper.

Sparrow has a lot in her life that she doesn't want other people to know.  She just wants to be "normal".  But that's not so easy for a teen who sees and communicates with ghosts.  Sparrow's family are all mediums and they live in a small community called Lily Dale where everyone is a psychic.  But Sparrow rejects all of that and heads out to a different school to start afresh.  Even though she can communicate with the dead, she has never told anyone in her family about it.  Sparrow has been living a lie for her entire life, and now she has headed out of the small community and into a larger world where her life of lies will be tested.  On her very first day at the "normal" school, Sparrow meets a teenage ghost who will not accept her refusal to help.

What a fun romp of a book!  Combine ghosts, psychic ability and teen angst and how can you go wrong?  Harper writes the book with a light hand and lots of humor.  The pacing is pleasant with enough time to explore Sparrow's world but no dragging or plodding.  Sparrow is a great character filled with self doubt, cynicism and lots of sarcasm.   I particularly enjoy the universal message of self acceptance and learning to life your own life.  It is not an overbearing theme, rather it is inherent in the book. 

This book will fly off of shelves and offers a light read with a lot of fun and a some depth to it.  Highly recommended for tweens and teens alike.

On Meadowview Street by Henry Cole

Caroline just moved in on Meadowview Street and is hanging out in the back yard when she discovers a flower in the grass near where her father is mowing.  She dashes to create a string fence for it and finds another flower to protect, making her small protected area even larger.  As the grass grew longer, butterflies and flowers popped up all over.  Caroline's father gives up the mower and she creates a shady spot in the yard by planting a tree and she and her father build a pond to give the birds and insects a water source.  And then there was a real meadow on Meadowview.

What a wonderful book to share with children, who will immediately head home to preserve some of their trimmed yard for the animals and insects.  The illustrations vividly show the transformation of the yard from its dull green to dots of color, height and action.  It may be a little too simple for adults, who will wonder what community would allow this sort of unmown lawn, but the message is direct and perfect for children. 

Share this in an environment unit to show children that they too can make a difference.  Recommended as a read-aloud for ages 4-8.  It is sure to start discussion for older children who may also find inspiration.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, art by Ellen Forney.

Junior is a Native American who has always been the butt of many jokes.  He has only survived his many fights thanks to his best friend, Rowdy, who is a huge athletic kid.  Now Junior has decided to leave the reservation and head into a neighboring town to attend school.  He will be the only Indian in his classes.  Junior decides to go ahead with his plans though it means people on the reservation consider him a traitor, especially Rowdy.  Junior works through his nervousness, self-doubt and many obstacles through art.  He draws cartoons and comics that encapsulate what is happening to him.  Art appears throughout the book, often capturing what words could not. 

Let me just say that I don't think that any words I place together will ever convey the power of this novel.  The straight-forward honesty about Indian issues like alcoholism will leave readers breathless.   The raw truth of Junior's character is not only compelling but mesmerizing.  Junior's fights and battles become the reader's in a very immediate way.  His insights into racism, pain and being Indian offer readers a window into a life we would love to deny but are unable to.  There is such a truth here that it would be impossible to hear without Junior there as a conduit. 

The writing is profound and deep with sudden currents that sweep into unexpected places.  It is a book that is never dull, but doesn't read like a thriller or action movie.  Rather it is a quick-witted study of one teen who is not going to give in and just disappear into the reservation.   With the addition of the cartoons in the novel, readers are drawn deeper into the story and into Junior as a character.

This is my pick of the year for the Printz Award.  Due to its power, rawness and energy that is bound to draw in many different types of reader.  It is a true window into a person's life which is what reading is all about.  It is a book that will stay with me for some time and I will continue to wonder how that much intensity can be held in such a slim volume for teens.  A masterpiece. 

TeachingBooks.net has one of the handiest guides for us children's lit types.  Especially if you ever have to talk to people aloud about authors!  It is the Author Name Pronunciation Guide which has the authors saying their own names aloud. 

Here's the one I went to immediately:  Jon Scieszka.  Rhymes with Fresca! 

Bean Thirteen by Matthew McElligott.

Even though Ralph tells her not to pick the unlucky thirteenth bean, Flora goes ahead and picks it.  She figures that they can simply divide the thirteen beans between them and not have thirteen any more.  But math is not quite that simple, and they are forced to divide again and again until they finally reach a solution that doesn't divide evenly, but solves the problem.

The glory of this book is in its use of math as a real part of the storyline.  Add to that the humor of the text and you have one of those rare math books that can be enjoyed by an audience!  Even better, the vibrant illustrations feature luscious and bulging beans and pop-eyed insects.  The entire book is friendly, fun and filled with math. 

Recommended as a read-aloud for math classes in kindergarten and first grade, this could also be used in other classes or story times because the story is so good all on its own.  Be prepared to have some items around for children to practice dividing!

The Top Job by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel, illustrated by Robert Neubecker.

It's career day at school and one little girl hears about all of the amazing and fantastic jobs her classmates' parents have.  When she stands up to tell about her father's job and says he changes lightbulbs, the whole class mocks her.  But she keep right on telling her story about how her father took her with him one day.  She details the equipment he needs, and then readers get to travel to the top of the Empire State Building where her father changes the light way, way up on the tower at the tip of the building.  By the end of the story both the audience in the book and any reader will be cheering for her father and this book.

The illustrations by Neubecker are wonderfully detailed with deep colors and a real sense of action and space.  Wonderfully thick-lined and friendly, they add so much to this book.  Kimmel's words have little humorous touches and a very childlike quality that reads well as the words of a child.  There is a distinct voice to the narrator of the story, which I really love.  She is self-assured and poised, a nice strong female voice.

The text is the perfect length for young elementary children, ages 5-8.  This would work well as a read aloud in a classroom where you are going to discuss careers. 

Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen.

I should not get as giddy as I do when a new Mercy Watson book appears, but goodness they are fun!  Frankly, if Kate DiCamillo had only done Mercy Watson books, I would adore her just as much.  The fact that she also wrote such incredible books for older readers as Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux is amazing!  Alright enough gushing!

In this fourth Mercy Watson book, the Watsons decide that Mercy should celebrate Halloween.  They mention treats to Mercy and Mercy immediately agrees to join in the fun, picturing stacks of buttery toast as her treats.  Mrs. Watson creates a very pink, very flouncy princess dress for Mercy while Mr. Watson finds her a tiara.  Mercy has no interest in the costume itself, but the temptation of treats convince her to step into the dress.  But when Mercy finds that there is no toast involved in trick-or-treating she is quite disappointed, until she discovers a buttery candy and then there is no stopping the cavorting and rampaging that starts.  As always the book ends with a stack of buttery toast, but not until after quite a bit of wild romping.

If you haven't enjoyed any of the other Mercy Watson books, run right out and get the first three.  Van Dusen's art starts at the very cover and carries through with lush colors, a fifties feel, and great design down to the page numbers.  Take a few moments to admire the Halloween decor at the Watson's house.  The detail is flawlessly funny.  DiCamillo has managed to create a series that can be read aloud to the picture book crowd but is also welcoming for young readers to tackle.

Highly recommended to read aloud to ages 3-6 and as a solo read for slightly older children or precocious readers.  The content is very child-friendly and appropriate for all ages.

The Aurora County All-Stars by Deborah Wiles

House is a twelve-year-old boy who adores baseball, especially pitching.  But last summer he missed the only real game of baseball that their small town actually gets to participate in because someone broke his elbow.   While he was healing, he was asked to be a companion to a dying neighbor who was known throughout town as a baby eater.  The book opens with the death of that man whom House has become close to over their months together.  But none of his friends know what he has been doing with his spare time.   House's summer is also complicated by the return of the girl who broke his elbow the previous year.  She is back to run a pageant for the town which just happens to conflict in timing with the only real baseball game of the summer!

Golly, I loved this book.  The characters in it were astonishingly well-drawn in such a short book, but that is because Wiles has used each phrase and sentence to clarify and reveal the characters and the town.  It is a joy to read. 

The timelessness of the book was also appealing.  These children, parents and the entire town could have been any time in the last 50 years. 

Highly recommended as a classroom read for 3rd through 5th grades, this book should be put in the hands of any child who enjoyed The Penderwicks.  They offer similar styles and that wonderful timeless feeling where children can sink into the story and feel safe.  Rather like bottled childhood in the form of a book.

Having a pretty crazed start to the week around here!  So please understand that this is being posted in a rush before my next meeting.  :)  Tomorrow looks to be a little more calm and I plan to post reviews of some of my patiently-waiting pile.

Anyway, a quick link to fascinating news from Science Daily on the reading process which is entirely different than anyone ever thought!  Cool stuff!

The Guardian has an article that says a British study has shown that Roald Dahl is the most popular children's author among young adults.  Interestingly, Rowling is number 4! 

Here's the top 10:

1. Roald Dahl
2. CS Lewis
3. JM Barrie
4. JK Rowling
5. Anthony Horowitz
6. Jacqueline Wilson
7. Dr Seuss
8. Philip Pullman
9. Francesca Simon
10. Enid Blyton

I wonder what the results would be in the U.S.?

Madonna's new English Roses Book series launched yesterday.  The new series is aimed at an older age, tweens.  There is an elaborate website filled with the art of Jeffrey Fulvimari where you can scroll through the different English Rose girls and discover just how cardboard and stereotypical they are.

An article praising Jenna Bush's teen novel caught my eye.  I haven't had a chance to see the book yet, but I hope that it is as well done as this Associated Press article says.  Bush based the book on a real person whom she met in Latin America while working for UNICEF.  Ana's life of poverty has been further complicated by HIV, so this is a book with the potential to educate about not one but two of our world's epidemics.  Anyone gotten to actually read it yet?

Treasure by Suzanne Bloom.

With this book, readers happily return to the friendship of a goose and a polar bear first read about in A Splendid Friend, Indeed.  Goose spots Bear making an X on a piece of paper and immediately assumes that X Marks the Spot and there must be treasure involved.  So Goose takes over and leads Bear on a wild search for treasure whether it be buried or sunk.  It isn't until Goose gives up and despairs of finding any treasure at all that Bear points out the real treasure.

I just love Bloom's books.  But I have one caveat.  If you are a grown up without a handy crowd of children to read them aloud to, you may miss their real charm.  The books have gloriously large pictures that show well to a crowd, but it is the words that come to life when read aloud.  I find that Goose has a very distinct and rather silly voice when read aloud, but that may be just me.  :)  Children adore the quick pace and the animals, but they also love the situation that Goose puts Bear into. 

Another guaranteed giggle book, perfect for the final book of a story time on pirates.  Recommended for ages 3-6.

The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti.

Make room for another title on my best books of the year list! 

Jade, a senior in high school,  struggles with panic in her everyday life.  She is in therapy for it and has tools she uses to try to control it, including watching the zoo webcam that shows the elephants.  That is where she first sees the boy in the red jacket carrying the baby.  And that glimpse will be enough to send Jade out of her controlled world, allowing her to realize that even those things that seem simple in her life are more complicated and less absolute.  Jade learns to take risks, be true to herself, and find her own way with a little help from some very large friends and some human ones too.

The writing here is exquisite.  In the beginning and again at the very end, Jade is in a fragile state.  The writing is almost brittle, crumbling away with rushes of images rather like panic.  When Jade is content, the writing slows, meanders, but never wanders away.  The writing allows readers to share Jade's contentment and bask in it with her.  Somehow Caletti has managed to create prose that in its very pacing and tone allows us to feel Jade's mood.  It is a monumental accomplishment.

The characterizations are also masterfully done.  Jade herself is very complex and vivid.   And so are the many secondary characters, especially Jade's parents who start out as Jade sees them and slowly are revealed to the reader and Jade to be so much more.  Jade is a young woman on the cusp of leaving home, so seeing the humanity of her parents is very powerful and rings completely true. 

This is a must-read, a book to put in the hands of teen girls.  Any teen girl.  They will all respond to Jade and her life.  The book is a triumph, but retains ties to teen-girl books everywhere with its romance and issues.  It is an easy step for girls reading series novels to enter this world and discover great writing. 

The Apple Doll by Elisa Kleven.

Lizzy had a special relationship with her apple tree, so when school was starting and she was worried about making friends, she found the perfect apple in the tree.  She made the apple a twig body and it became her friend who came with her to school.  Her teacher made her put away the apple but at lunch time, Lizzy brings her apple doll out again and the other children chat with Lizzie about her doll.  But it wasn't that easy to make friends.  Lizzy continues to be lonely at school and her doll starts to look worse and worse.  Lizzy's mother suggests drying the doll, and so the apple doll is preserved and Lizzy finds a new way to connect with her classmates.

The story of this picture book has depth and interest.  The relationship between Lizzy and her older sister is complex and honest.  Lizzy's love for the apple is also complicated, and Kleven as an author allows it to be so, much to her credit.  Equally wonderful is the fact that Lizzy has to try several times to make connections with her classmates and still manages to connect in her own personal, introverted way.  Adding to the pleasure of this book are the illustrations, also by Kleven.  She has captured a vibrant world filled with deep, bright colors, activity and animals.  The pictures simply look like childhood with their bright and whimsical take on life. 

Recommended as a read-aloud for story times dealing with fall or returning to school.  Children ages 5-7 will enjoy it, especially if you have apples ready to be carved into apple dolls. 

The Guardian Prize for children's fiction has announced its shortlist:

Mr. Gum and the Biscuit Billionaire by Andy Stanton

The Truth Sayer by Sally Prue

The Falconer's Knot by Mary Hoffman

Finding Violet Park by Jenny Valentine

I haven't read a single one of them.  Anyone else have any reactions?

The award winner will be announced on October 5th.

Starring Miss Darlene by Amy Schwartz.

Darlene, a hippopotamus, wanted to be famous, so she signed up for theater classes.  SheUn auditioned and got the part of the Flood in the Noah's Ark performance.  Her part was so simple, she didn't need to be part of the rehearsals.  Unfortunately, it turns out it wasn't so easy after all.  But Darlene got rave reviews in spite of her mistake on stage.  In the next performance, Darlene got thirteen lines!  But she also got stage fright.  Messing up again in front of the audience, she again got rave reviews.  And finally, Darlene got the part of Sleeping Beauty.  She was a sleeping beauty who really slept.  Snored even.  And guess what, rave reviews.

This is a great book for all sorts of children.  Children interested in plays and acting will love it.  Children afraid of making mistakes will also relate happily to the story.  And also children who just love twists and turns in their books will appreciate this one.  Schwartz's writing is simple, clear and inviting.  Children are led up to the emotions but not told what to think, which is very refreshing in a picture book.  In fact, the children will fret much more than Miss Darlene ever does about her mistakes.   Expect a lot of laughter with the Sleeping Beauty ending.

Recommended reading for children ages 5-7.  This will work well as classroom reading before a school performance or concert. 

Shark and Lobster's Amazing Undersea Adventure by Viviane Schwarz, colored by Joel Stewart.

Huge and toothy Shark admits to his friend Lobster that he is terrified of tigers.  They decide to build a fortress to protect them from the striped threat of tigers.  As they build it, more and more sea creatures start helping and start fearing tigers.  Deciding that the fortress doesn't offer enough protection, they all dive deep down into the sea to find a sea monster to guard the fortress.  And in the process they find the courage to face their fear of tigers.

This is silly, silly fun.  The illustrations are done in a comic book style that is friendly and inviting, until the sea monster is introduced with its alarming strangeness is stark contrast to the friendly Shark and Lobster.  A wonderful contrast in style that makes the monster all the more effective and spectacular in its huge oddity.   There are very funny touches throughout the book, including the tiny cuttlefish who offers his help with building the fortress and is very effective much to Shark's and the readers' surprise. 

Children of all ages will immediately get the humor of a shark being scared of tigers and children all the way to age 8 will love the cartoon feel and silly spirit of the book.  Not recommended for reading at a story time, this book is much better suited to small groups or one-on-one sharing.  Good choice for guaranteed giggles.

The Bravest Knight by Mercer Mayer.

If you have any little knights at home, this is the book for you.  It begins with a small boy dreaming of being a knight, wishing that he had lived long ago.  He would be the squire for the bravest knight, polishing armor, searching for adventure, rescuing fair ladies, and much more.  Finally, the king and queen would send the brave knight and his squire off to fight the giant troll.  And from there, I will leave you to read the rest.  Let me just say that my little knights were shocked by the ending. 

This picture book has the trademark Mercer Mayer art that offers details worth seeking out and funny situations.  It is fresh, fun and also has a classic feel.  The text of the book is simple and friendly.  My only misgiving is that young female knights and princesses don't have any role at all.  The women in the book are helpless females who either need rescuing or sit mindlessly knitting in the face of danger.  Too bad because all it would have taken was to reverse the king and queen's facial expressions once in awhile or to have a gutsy damsel and it all would have felt much more modern.

Recommended with reservations.  I would pair this only with a strong female counterpart if I was going to read it aloud to a group. 

The Quill Winners have been announced. 



Children's Picture Book:  Flotsam by David Wiesner



Children's Chapter/Middle Grade:  The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick



Young Adult/Teen:  Sold by Patricia McCormick

Now it is your turn to vote for The Book of the Year. 

MotherReader has suggested we all post our Best Books of 2007 (So Far)

Here are mine:

Toddlers:

Fish, Swish! Splash, Dash! by Suse MacDonald
Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett

Preschool:

At Night by Jonathan Bean
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice N. Harrington
Edwardo: the horriblest boy in the whole wide world by John Burningham
The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers
Mary and the Mouse, the Mouse and Mary by Beverly Donofrio
The Pink Refrigerator by Tim Egan
A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston
What Happens on Wednesdays by Emily Jenkins

Elementary:

Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars by Douglas Florian
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
The Magic Horse of Han Gan by Jiang Hong Chen
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford
The Talented Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
The Navigator by Eoin McNamee

Tweens:

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis
Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

Teens:

Epic by Conor Kostick
The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci
A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

Looking forward to everyone's lists!

What Happens on Wednesdays by Emily Jenkins, pictures by Lauren Castillo.

I am a fan of Emily Jenkins' That New Animal, so I was glad to see a new picture book by her. 

The story of this picture book is told by a young girl who tells the readers about what happens in her family on a Wednesday.  Each detail is lovingly told with care and sometimes with a sense of glee.  The wonder of it is that very little actually happens on a Wednesday that is unusual, so it is really a normal day for this urban child.  She is surrounded by a loving family where both mother and father are equally involved in taking care of her.  Just wonderfully accepted as the norm.

Jenkin's prose is flawless.  It invites readers in with the down-to-earth tone and small touches that bring it all to life.  In particular, the "no-kissing day" theme captures this little girl perfectly.  Jenkins manages in a picture book to show and not tell, which is quite a trick.  Pair this masterful prose with Castillo's art and you have a complete treat.  This is Castillo's first picture book and her art is strong, comfortable and very warm.  For some reason this book bring to mind one of my favorite childhood books, Tell Me a Mitzi by Lore Groszmann Segal.  Perhaps it is the urban setting or the familial warmth, but that is certainly a book to find if you adore this one as much as I do. 

High recommended and one of my favorites of the year, this is a nice read aloud for four through seven year olds.

Leaves by David Ezra Stein.

There are so many lovely fall books, but this one should be added to your collection.  A bear is enjoying his first year.  He is loving everything until the leaves begin to fall.  He tries to put them back, but it isn't the same.  So he sits and watches the leaves fall until he grows sleepy and goes to hibernate in a hole filled with dry leaves.  When he comes back out in spring, he sees the buds of leaves on the trees and once again is filled with joy at the world.

The language here is so very simple but powerful.  Words are used in ways that allow you to feel their resonance, yet stay welcoming for children.  In fact, the language is so simple and brief that toddlers will enjoy the book, but I would also share it with four and five year olds.  The illustrations add to the power of the book with some illustrations left without words so that they stand on their own, underlining the silence of winter as well as the glory of the falling leaves.  I especially appreciate the use of color as the seasons change so that the oranges and yellows of autumn become the whiteness of winter and then the green of spring.  The illustrations echo the words because they too are simple but powerful.

If you are looking for a great fall book, try this one.  Perfect for days in October when the leaves are blowing around, children are treasuring the ones with bright colors, and the touch of winter is felt.

Our planet just tilted a little and hole has been left behind.

Madeleine L'Engle, author of so many incredible books, has died at the age of 89.  She is best known for my favorite of her books, A Wrinkle in Time, which won the Newbery Award in 1963. 

She introduced so many children in the 1960s and 1970s to the wonder of science fiction.  Wrinkle in Time forever colored the way I saw the universe and our world.   Her art was in the blending of scientific detail, great characters and wonderful prose.  If you haven't read Wrinkle in Time, take this time to read it in honor of its incredible author.

Avatars: So This Is How It Ends by Tui Sutherland.

School Library Journal sent me the second in this series to review this month, so of course I had to track down a copy of the first one.  I found it at only one of the smaller libraries in our public library system, leading me to wonder how good it could be.  Well, it is quite wonderful!

This science fiction/fantasy novel is the story of five teenagers who have always had strange powers, but suddenly awake to find themselves alone in the world.  The earth is now home to strange large birds, crystal monsters, pterodolphins, and many other frightening creatures.   A voice in each of their heads tells them to move closer together, and many of them journey across continents and oceans to converge.  It is not until then that they all hear why they are the final five humans alive and what they are expected to do.  The first novel leaves readers hanging, so be ready to find the second novel when you finish.

This book offers a rapid pace, the perspective of different unique teens, and a world turned upside down.  It will appeal to lovers of science fiction and fantasy.  The characters are all unique and complex, often struggling with their own powers and weaknesses.  The writing is taut and the pace is often thrilling with monsters attacking, the world collapsing, and the question of time hanging over the characters.  It is a unique science fiction take on the future that is a lot of fun to explore.

I only wish that the cover of the first novel reflected the darkness of the title rather than being pale blue with a large bird.  The cover will not appeal to the readers who will enjoy the book.  Don't you hate it when that happens?! 

Recommend this to readers of Scott Westerfeld who enjoy a dystopian look at the future.

The British Booktrust Teenage Prize has announced their 2007 Shortlist. 

The Medici Seal by Theresa Breslin

Leaving Poppy by Kate Cann

The Penalty by Mal Peet

Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve

Just in Case by Meg Rosoff

My Swordhand Is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick

Gator by Randy Cecil.

Gator loved being a carousel animal.  He loved the lights, the music and the wind, but most of all he liked the laughter.  But then times changed and children weren't as interested in riding the carousel.  Without the music, lights and laughter, Gator fell deeply asleep.  When he couldn't sleep any longer, he climbed off the carousel and went out into the world.  He ventures through a dark forest and across a bridge when he hears laughter coming from a zoo.  But he doesn't find anything there to make him feel welcome.  Just when he is about to despair, a man with a small boy recognizes him from the carousel.  As he leads the man and boy back to the forgotten amusement park, a crowd starts following them.  The laughter, light and music are back!

This is a lovely picture book that speaks to the fact that children still enjoy the old-fashioned pleasures of life.  Gator is a charming, whimsical figure with his wide eyes and hole in his heart.  This is especially true when he is contrasted with the real alligators at the zoo.  I also enjoy the rather strange looking humans in the story with their gangly arms and flattened heads.  The story itself shines here.  There is a sweet rhythm to the sentences where the wording reflects the mood of the storyline.  And the little button on the end of the book is simply lovely. 

Recommended as a lap book for children ages 4-7.  It will not project well to a group, but would work with a small class.  It is quietly amusing rather than rambunctious, so it would also make a perfect bedtime read.

Little Apple Goat by Carolyn Jayne Church.

Little Apple Goat is an ordinary goat except she likes eating apples and other fruit in the orchard much more than she likes nibbling on laundry or grass.  When a large storm blew in and ruined the orchard, Little Apple Goat was very sad.  She watched the logs from the trees being hauled away but then cheered up as she thought of the wood heating the farmer's house.  When spring came, Little Apple Goat notices some flowers over the hedge but doesn't pay much attention until the blossoms are replaced in the fall by fruit!  Her spitting of seeds over the hedge as she munched has grown the farm a new orchard.

OK, so I do have some issues with the speed of the growth of the orchard and the fact that the flowers on the other side of the hedge bear no resemblance to apple trees or trees at all.  But with those quibbles aside, the book is completely charming.  The text is simple and flows nicely.  It is the illustrations which really make this book worth reading.  They are big, colorful and will project well to a large group of children.  Little Apple Goat and her friends are placed on bright colored pages and when the storm blows in the wind and speed of it are captured perfectly. 

Recommended as a read aloud for toddlers and preschoolers, this book will work well in story times about autumn or apples.  A perfect fit for this time of year. 

Jennifer Dobbs, an assistant professor of developmental studies in Purdue's Department of Child Development and Family Studies, has an interesting perspective on bedtime reading:

"There's nothing wrong
with a bedtime story," Dobbs said. "Kids thrive on routines and
rituals, but it would be too bad if the only experience a child had of
being read to was when they're expected to drift off to sleep."

Instead, she advocates using dialogic reading techniques with children, interjecting questions and pointing out details in the pictures to start a conversation.  Well, perhaps I'm just strange but that is the way I always read aloud, even at bedtime.  :)   I've always felt that reading aloud is a place where we can talk and interact, sometimes to the point that as the minutes tick by I have to stop the conversation and get back to the story!  But then I do the full set of funny voices with stories as well...

Anyone else here read using dialogic techniques without even knowing it?

HarperCollins has announced that in conjunction with the Olympics in Beijing, they will be publishing a series by Yang Hongying, Chinese bestselling author of children's books.  I am always happy to see books from other countries being brought into the U.S.  I think that they serve as real windows into a culture, especially when they are contemporary stories.  So often we view other cultures through books set in the past.  This should be a refreshing change.

Barnes & Noble has a very active Kid Lit Book Club on their website.  It is done using a forum format that combines open conversations about broad topics with monthly focused book clubs on specific authors or titles.  If you take a look, each subject has thousands of views!  Whew!  Lots of recommended reading flying around.