Kids Lit
Books and More for Children and Teens

I meant to do a full review of all of these, and they do deserve it, but right now I am completely swamped and want to get these back to the library shelves so others can enjoy them.  So I'll do a brief (even briefer than normal) snapshot of each title.  I consider them all must-reads.

One Whole and Perfect Day by Judith Clarke.

I had heard wonderful things about this book for months and months, but no local library purchased it until it was a Printz Honor Book.  It is the intimate but inherently funny story of a family with all of their ups and downs, strained relationships, new-found friends and lovers, and the meeting of strangers who then become part of your life.  Written with grace and beauty by Clarke, the book dips and dives through lives, allowing us to laugh at our own and see beauty where we may not have seen it before.  It also demonstrates without preaching or bullying that we are all interconnected beyond our small lives.  Simply wonderful and definitely a book that is purely teen but is not bleak or dark.  Lovely.

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd.

Salim boards the London Eye and goes up but never comes down.  Now his cousins Ted and Kat must figure out how and why Salim never came back down to earth.  A great mystery for middle-graders, this book has what seems to be an impossible situation, a moment where all of the evidence clicks into place neatly, and two great detectives in the young siblings who each have their own strengths.  Great characterization is the real center of the book here, despite the wonderful mystery.  Ted is a unique boy who has features of autism but is highly functioning.  His quirks make him the detective he is and allow his brain to see things from a different perspective.  What is best about the book is that Ted is never pitied or looked down upon, rather he is seen as special and interesting.  What a treat of a character!  Highly recommended for pre-teens, this would make a stellar book talk.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin.

From the author of Elsewhere, comes another winning teen novel.  Naomi falls down a set of stairs and hits her head at the bottom, losing her memory.  As she wakes up into a life she no longer remembers, she has to piece together why she is dating a tennis jock, why she has the friends she does, and what she wants to do with her life now.  It is a wonderful journey of self-discovery encapsulated by her lost memory.  Beautifully written and effortlessly plotted, the book is fresh and fast.  Zevin manages with both of her novels to create complex situations that envelope a truth.  This book is one that teens will flock to read, enjoy entirely, and pass on to their friends.

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Well, I'm home after dragging back bags and bags of ARCs, pounds of candy and a boatload of pens and pencils from the exhibits.  PLA was wonderful with lots of sessions that really inspired me, but they weren't about children's librarianship or books.  I got to go to the great sessions on library management, and really they were great. 

But when I hit the exhibits, I was all about the children's and teen books.  The last time I went to a national conference it was ALA a few years ago.  At that time, if you mentioned you blogged it was met with confusion if not disdain by the people at the booths.   That has completely changed, and now if you say you are a blogger you get the ARCs from behind the curtains, the business cards to contact them further, and the small presses are thrilled to see you.  Of course there were a few publishers who still don't get it.  Harcourt is one of those, though it may have just been the person running the booth.  She informed me that they don't do ARCs though they had some at their table and I pointed out that I get ARCs and review copies from some of their subsidiaries already.  But she insisted that it was too expensive to send ARCs out to just anyone.  I have to admit I got steamed at that and started to cite my number of hits per day and such.  No effect.  She was done with me.  And frankly, I don't expect a copy of the one ARC I got her to write my name down for to appear anytime soon.

But I came away from the exhibits and from most booths with an incredible number of books.  Here are the ones I am looking forward to most:

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr (I've already started this and if the writing holds through the book this may be better than the amazing Wicked Lovely.)

Playing with Fire by Derek Landy (the sequel to Skulduggery Pleasant)

Looks by Madeleine George.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.

Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli

Lamplighter by D. M. Cornish

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

Peeled by Joan Bauer

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I am on vacation with my boys for the next couple of days and then will spend the bulk of next week at PLA in Minneapolis.  I'm looking forward to seeing some of the new children's books, begging for ARCs, and chatting with vendors and librarians alike. 

Hope you have a wonderful Easter and a great spring break!

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A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee.

James and Eamon head to Eamon's grandparents house at the beach to go to nature camp nearby during the day.  The book follows the boys not as they go to camp, but as they return to the house each evening.  They play video games, each lots of banana waffles, and spend most of their time indoors even though the beach is right at their doorstep.  It isn't until their final night there that they spend some time outside and discover that it is the best part of their week.

This book is such a treat.  Frazee has a great sense of humor that children will immediately appreciate.  Often the text says one thing while the pictures tell the truth of the situation, which is great fun.  But what makes this book so stellar is that it perfectly captures modern boys, video games, and friendship.  The tone is exactly right, the characterizations are spot on, and there is a joyous skip to the entire book.

Additionally, the grandparents are a welcome pair in children's books.  Not relegated to the background, these grandparents are unique individuals who simply allow the boys to have the week they want to have rather than pushing them to do more constructive things. 

Highly, highly recommended for boys, girls, parents and grandparents.  This goes in my top ten picture books of the year.  Recommended for a wide range of ages because of the humor: ages 6-10.  (Actually, my 11-year-old laughed even louder than the rest of us!)

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What's So Bad About Being an Only Child? by Cari Best, illustrated by Sophie Blackall.

Rosemary Emma Angela Lynette Isabelle Iris Malone knows what it feels like to be an only child.  And to her, it feels horrible!  Smothering and lonely at the same time.  She begs for a sibling, sulks for a sibling, but her parents don't understand what's wrong with being an only child.  Rosemary struggles with her lack of brother or sisterhood until she meets a turtle at the pond and brings it home.  Soon other animals follow as well and she has a menagerie at home who play with her, argue, share secrets and generally are the family she never had.

Rosemary is a character written and illustrated with such verve and vinegar.  She's a refreshing change from other little girls in picture books who can be a bit too pink and frilly to read as real.  Rosemary is a true child from her pigtails to her crooked teeth to the glint of frustration in her eye.  The illustrations and the text work well together, creating the pitch-perfect tone here.

While reading the book, I feared that this little girl was going to find a way to have a baby enter her family in one way or another.  So I was happily surprised when she started collecting animals to be her family. 

Immensely fun to read aloud and a joy to share, this book will be loved by children with many brothers and sisters or those with none.  Recommended for ages 5-7.

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Looking for Loons by Jennifer Lloyd, illustrated by Kirsti Anne Wakelin.

Woken by the first morning sun, Patrick heads to the porch to watch for loons on the lake.  One by one, his family members join him, each awoken by a sound or smell to the beauty of the fall day.  It takes patience and willpower (to not succumb to the smell of a pancake breakfast) to watch for the loons.  By the end of the book, Patrick's patience is rewarded.

The prose in this book is poetic and beautiful.  It perfectly captures the stillness of a morning broken only by the slightest of noises like slippers flopping, kettles whistling and skillets being placed on the stove.  The interludes where the text breaks away from the cabin and looks towards other creatures around the lake are wonderful as well, allowing readers to "see" birds, frogs, and beavers.

As you can see from the cover, the art of this book is done with realism and softness.  It dances between almost photographic realism and a blurriness of sunshine and dappling of leaves.  As the text moves to outside glimpses, so do the illustrations, revealing even more creatures than the text itself. 

Perfect reading for anyone who heads north to a cabin or wishes they could.  This book is not only about loons, but also about wilderness and patience and family.  It has a cozy warmth about it, perfectly capturing a sunny autumn morning.  Recommended for ages 5-8.

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MTV has an interview with Ashley Greene, star of the film version of Stephanie Meyer's popular vampire books.  She tells of her own love of the novels, and talks about fan concerns about her height and the length of her hair.

Stephanie Meyer has a whole page on her website dedicated to the movie.  You'll find more pictures of the cast there.

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The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart.

Released March 25th, 2008.

Frankie is a sophomore at a private boarding school, Alabaster.  As a freshman she was invisible to the popular crowd, although her older sister had introduced her to everyone multiple times.  But now with a fuller figure, she gains the attention of Matthew, a very cute senior.  Frankie starts going out with Matthew but becomes more and more worried about what exactly he sees in her beyond her body.  When she discovers that Matthew and his friends are part of a secret all-male society on campus, she waits and waits for him to tell her about it.  But when he doesn't, Frankie takes matters into her own hands and makes the Loyal Order her own with a blend of modern technology and classic pranks.

Lockhart pays homage to Wodehouse with her writing style and delivery, offering a classic feel to the prose but also a broad sweep of caustic humor.  It is this humor and the sharp tongues and wit of the characters that bring the book to life.  The cleverness of the dialogue is marvelous to see as is Frankie's pride in her own intelligence.  Frankie is one of the brightest and unexpected of heroines.  Her inability to play by the rules is refreshing as is her refusal to be simply a girlfriend while the boys have all of the intrigue and fun.

Recommended for other smart teens who will enjoy the wordplay, humor and wit of the book.  You may see a run on Wodehouse after they read this!

Visit E. Lockhart's website and blog for information on her books, appearances and more.

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A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton.

Bear never has visitors, in fact he even has a sign on his door that says "NO visitors allowed."  When a small determined Mouse comes to the door, Bear turns him away.  But Mouse appears all over inside Bear's house as he prepares for breakfast.  After trying and trying to keep Mouse out of his house, Bear gives up and allows him to stay for tea.  And with that one snack together, Bear discovers that maybe, just maybe, he doesn't hate having visitors so very much.

This book is simply charming.  The soft-hued illustrations don't shy away from some great slapstick comedy routines.  They will delight young readers.  The repetition and rhythm in text makes this a perfect read-aloud and children will enjoy chorusing some of the repetition along with the reader.  Under all of this runs a story that is warm and filled with friendliness. 

A great choice for reading aloud to preschoolers and Kindergarten classes. 

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Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis.

Portis returns with a second book following her winning Not a Box.  This time readers experience the joy and play that a stick can create.  A piglet finds a stick and begins to play with it.  The adult voice cautions throughout how a stick should be handled, but the pig is just happily caught up in imaginative play. 

The illustrations here are thick line drawings that echo childhood and the text is short and wonderfully supports the spirit of the illustrations.  The sense of freedom and play here is captured to perfection, just as it was with the first book. 

Very toddler friendly, this book can be shared with a wide range of children from ages 3-6.

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Won't You Be My Neighbor Days are being celebrated in Pittsburgh this week in honor of Mister Rogers.  You can participate too by wearing a sweater on March 20th in honor of Fred Rogers and his incandescent approach to children's television and children themselves. 

All together now:

So, let's make the most of this beautiful day
Since we're together we might as well say
Would you be mine, could you be mine
Won't you be my neighbor
Won't you please, won't you please
Please won't you be my neighbor

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Spatulatta is a cooking site for children that has recipes for foods that are real.  So the recipes are child-friendly and so is the food, but adults will want to eat it as well. 

They have a great cookbook out right now too:

Check out the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs recipe to get your kids loving turkey meatballs with their spaghetti.  Even better, they get to smush the mixture together with their hands, something my 6-year-old considers the essence of culinary skills.

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Red Truck by Kersten Hamilton, illustrated by Valeria Petrone.

Red Truck is a hard-working tow truck, especially on a rainy, slushy day when the school bus is stuck on a slippery hill.  Red Truck zooms, pulls, and roars its way through the puddles and ice to save the day.

A perfect book for toddlers and young preschoolers, this book reads aloud like a dream.  So many truck books for small children are just a list of parts and noises, but this book has a story, action and will be popular from the moment it gets into children's hands.  It is the red truck on the cover and the bright vehicles that pop on the grey background that will have small hands reaching for it.  The pictures are very child-friendly and marvelously bold and simple.  Perfection for reading to a large group.

Zooooom over and pick this one out.  It's a guaranteed hit with the preschool set.  Recommended for ages 2-4.

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A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce.

Drawn in immediately by the cover image, I found myself captured by the intricate world I entered and the strength of the characterizations.

Charlotte Miller's father has just died and she finds herself as a young woman with a younger sister caring for the family's woolen mill.  Without a male running the business, she fights for respect among the other millers and within the textile industry.  Threatened with ruin when a mortgage on the mill is discovered, she turns to a strange man who simply appears and offers to spin straw into golden thread in return for her deceased mother's ring.  Charlotte fights to ignore the strangeness of the mill, the string of deaths of boys in her family, and her own growing knowledge that something dark and horrible happened in her family's past. 

I am often not a fan of retellings of tales like Rumplestiltskin as teen novels, but this one really works, primarily because the setting of a woolen mill is so vibrant and moves the story along a different line.  Bunce has created not only one strong heroine, but the younger sister serves as a foil for Charlotte, allowing readers a second strong female character to enjoy.  But neither girl is a saint.  They both have their own problems, personality quirks, and their own responses to desperate times.  It is their humanity that breathes such life into them.

This book engulfs the reader, spinning such a tale of curses, death, courage, cunning and strength.  Bunce has created one of the best fantasies of the year with her first book.  I look forward to seeing what her next one will bring us.

Highly recommended for lovers of fantasy and dark tales.  Don't sell this as a retelling of Rumplestiltskin, rather let the cover speak for the treats that await inside.

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NPR has a fairly lengthy piece on the latest installment on the newest Dark Tower graphic novel The Long Road Home.  There are simply gorgeous images from the book on the NPR site, nice and large, bright but dark. 

If you are a King fan, you can also follow links to other conversations with King on NPR. 

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The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators have announced the winners of the 2007 Golden Kite Awards:

Fiction

Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate (on my to-be-read pile)

Nonfiction

Muckrakers by Ann Bausum

Picture Book Text

Pierre in Love by Sara Pennypacker

Picture Book Illustration

Little Night by Yuyi Morales

Honor Books:

Fiction

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauran Tarshis (Wonderful!  A great read.)

Nonfiction

1607: A New Look at Jamestown by Karen Lange

Picture Book Text

The End by David LaRochelle (Hurrah!  A wonderful book!)

Picture Book Illustration

Who Put the B in Ballyhoo? by Carlyn Beccia

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The Los Angeles Times reported yesterday that the final Harry Potter book will be made into two films.  The first half is due to be released in November 2010 and the second part in May 2011. 

I think this is a great decision and have long wondered why they haven't done this with other Harry Potter books.  They seem so very condensed in film form and a lot of the extra moments that make Harry Potter so popular are necessarily trimmed.

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Monarch and Milkweed by Helen Frost and Leonid Gore.

I know that you probably have read many books about monarchs and have plenty on your library shelves, but you must make room for this one. 

This book about the intertwined lives of monarch butterflies and the milkweed plant is simply marvelous.  It follows the growth of the milkweed plant in spring and the monarchs' flight northward through to the fall when the monarchs return south and the milkweed pods burst open and the flying seeds emerge.

Both the illustrations and text work in partnership here.  Frost's words are poetic and simply lovely.  Her vocabulary is very child-friendly, but the result will have children reaching higher to understand the way she frames her thoughts and creates images with words alone.  Adding to the grace and poetry of the book are the illustrations which are at the same time ethereal and yet realistic.  They shine with an inner light and the colors draw readers in.  This is a glorious marriage that creates a book far beyond what either could be alone.

Highly recommended for all libraries and for parents looking for a great nonfiction book that offers amazing writing.  For ages 6-9.

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And to Name But Just a Few: Red, Yellow, Green, Blue by Laurie Rosenwald

This book offers a vibrant and often silly romp through the colors.  Each page shouts with color, large images and huge fonts.  The artistry here is clear, filled with collages, found objects, drawing, paint and much more.  It invites young readers to head out into their worlds and create their own colorful spaces. 

The text here is filled with fonts, different sizes and colors.  It is as much part of the illustrations as the paint, collages and ink.  It dances, sings and laughs along with the colors and the readers. 

I can see this being very successful in art classes talking about colors.  The audience here is not really preschoolers.  I would use it with slightly older children, say ages 5-8.  They will enjoy the play of the words and the art and will find inspiration here.

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Little Boy with a Big Horn by Jack Bechdolt, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino.

Ollie was learning to play a enormous bass horn.  But no one wants to hear his playing of the only song he knew, "Asleep in the Deep" with its great deep notes.  He tries different places all over town to play, but every time he ends up bothering people.  Finally, he heads to the harbor to play in a little boat, and there he learns that all noises have their usefulness and place.

Yaccarino's art is wonderful here, vibrating with his signature style and bold colors.  Bechdolt's words are filled with sounds, music and also colors.  It is a very successful pairing.

Recommended for children age 5-7, this picture book is great fun.

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Peanut by Linas Alsenas.

Mildred is lonely until one day she finds a stray digging in the garbage.  She tries to give him bones, take him to the dog park, and other things you would do for a dog, but Peanut is different than other dogs.  But Mildred loves him anyway, despite his differences.  When a man from the circus comes to take his lost elephant back from Mildred, she is left alone again.  Until she finds a lost... kitten.

Alsenas' tone in the text is perfectly pitched, allowing readers and listeners simply ride the gag of the book along to the end.  The art is equally successful, not over-the-top funny but allowing the joke of the book to really shine through. 

Preschoolers adore books where they immediately get the joke and this is one of those.  Read it deadpan and sincerely and you will add to their glee.  Recommended to share with a group of preschoolers, age 4-6.

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Twilight Hunt by Narelle Oliver.

A screech owl heads out on a hunt to bring her babies food.  But every time she's about to catch something it manages to evade her by camouflaging itself in the environment.  Sharp eyes will see not only the one animal hiding but many animals in each image blending gracefully into the surroundings. 

The marriage of great language and wonderful images is perfection here.  The language contains those great words that will expand small readers' vocabulary without them even realizing it.  Lizards scuttle, moths skim and wingbeats are noiseless.  The brief but powerful text leads from one picture to the next where children will lean closer to see the hidden creatures and by the end they too will be noiseless and even breathless.

A powerful book about an intriguing subject, this book is better used with a very small group or one-on-one because of the delicacy and details of the illustrations.  Simply elegant and lovely.

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The Getaway by Ed Vere.

Looking for a breakneck-paced picture book that will immediately grab small boys and keep them enthralled?  Have I got a book for you!  Fingers McGraw is an infamous cheese thief and the reader is immediately enlisted to help him escape with his stolen cheeses.  Jumbo Wayne Jr. is hot on his trail and all the reader needs to do is keep their eyes open and whistle when they see an elephant approaching.  How hard could that be? 

Great dialogue for adults features classic movie quotes and lines that will have you putting on your wildest vintage PI voice ever.  The book is just plain wild fun to share with kids.  Vere's words make the book flow, but his art is just as wild and wonderful, helping to increase the pace of the text.  Fingers always has his ears blowing back in the breeze as he tears past a background of real photographs.  Yes, the art is evocative of Knuffle Bunny's style, but is done with more close up photos so it also has a feel all its own.

A sure-fire hit with kids, save this one for a short school day or a Friday afternoon when the wigglies set in.  Recommended for ages 4-7.

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Season of Ice by Diane Les Becquets.

Genesis' father is a logger and gets extra work repairing docks on the lake.  But one day he heads out to repair a dock and disappears.  His truck is left on the shore, his boat is found floating in the lake with the life preservers still inside, and all Genesis is left with is questions and no answers.  When the lake freezes over for the winter, the search is called off and answers are very hard to find.  There are rumors that her father faked his death to leave her stepmother behind so Genesis begins the process of tracking down the people in her father's life from the logging camp.   She will find answers on the way, but what answers will they be?

This gripping book of loss, grief, anger and confusion takes a very strong heroine and turns her world completely inside out.  She finds herself doubting everything her life before her father's disappearance had been based on.  Everything that she loves, enjoys and plans is now suspect.  There is such tension in this novel, such anguish and loss that is channeled into places beyond grief.

Les Becquets has a way with imagery that captures the setting within it:

My father was sitting on the sofa in front of the pellet stove, his body sunken into the cushions as if he was all banked in for the night.

And in this passage from later in the book, you can see her skill with powerful emotions:

Her hug wasn't tentative this time.  She grabbed me like she might have five years ago.  Grabbed me and held me to her like I was the best friend she'd always had, and in that embrace, I felt more than just the shoulders and back of my friend.  I felt everything -- past, present, future, all bundled up, concentrated into one small space.  I wasn't just holding on to Annie.  I was holding on to a desire for some sort of promise, for some piece of higher ground in my life, for a place I might imagine.

The lake itself, the cold, the winter, nature all become a large part of the story of the book.  Far beyond being a vivid setting, the Maine lake becomes the answer, the key.  It is a powerful contribution to the story's tension and depth.

Highly recommended for teen readers, this book will be popular for readers of general fiction as well as mystery readers.

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Miss Crandall's School for Young Ladies and Little Misses of Color by Elizabeth Alexander and Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Floyd Cooper.

Told in poems, this book chronicles the story of Miss Crandall and her students, many the daughters of freed Canterbury, Connecticut was the target of racist attacks.  Only open for less than two years during the 1830s, the girls and their teacher faced poisoned water, arson and general hatred from the white affluent community.  Miss Crandall went on to teach both white and black children in another community in New England.  But the wonder of her work as a teacher and the vehemence of the hatred they faced as a school is not to be forgotten.  Captured in poems, the book is a series of glimpses into the lives of the students and the conditions they faced. 

The poetry here is rich and beautifully restrained in its sonnet format.  Held in by the structure of the poetry, the emotions are raw and the situations daunting.  But equally held up by the structure is the faith, strength and unity of these young girls.

These poems sing and tell, reveal truths and speak volumes in a few words.  They capture the essence of learning, the pain of leaving home, and the horrors of hate.  They echo in our modern lives, allow us to realize that though much has changed, so much stays the same.

I must also mention the illustrations by Cooper.  They are soft and ethereal at exactly the right times and at others offer faces and captured moments that support the poems themselves.  The ebb and flow is done with such skill it seems effortless.

Highly recommended for classes learning about the history of this time.  The poems will be enjoyed by older elementary students, teens and adults who have some understanding of the struggle being described so vividly.

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Harriet the Spy was one of my favorite books as a child.  I actually owned a copy, my own dog-eared paperback that I lugged with me.  But best of all, I married a man who equally adores Harriet and all she stands for.  What children's book lover and Harriet-wanna-be could pass that up?!

NPR has a great piece on Harriet the Spy and what she meant to my generation of readers.  She was a strong, feisty heroine who was completely and utterly herself.  She is what I want all children of today to be.  And hopefully they will read Harriet, relate to her and love her as I did as a child.

Harriet Rules!

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Each year I sing the praises of the CCBC Choices list, but every year I am delighted at what makes their list and equally delighted to discover the titles that I missed. 

CCBC Choices 2008 is available in a preliminary pdf form.  The full list with annotations and recommended ages will be available after March 8th.  But now you can have a glimpse at some great books.

The Choices list is always strong in multiculturalism, nonfiction, poetry, and fiction for children and teens.  Many of my favorites of the year are on the list, far too many to list here, and there are so many treats in store to discover as well!  The covers above are ones I am particularly looking forward to reading.

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The amazing CCBC in Madison Wisconsin is now podcasting!  You can check out their first podcast here. 

It features Sweethearts by Sara Zarr, Jazz by Walter Dean Myers, and What Have You Lost by Naomi Shihab Nye.

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