Picture book of the month

I will try to post one outstanding picture book each month. So many are coming across my desk and many are extremely high quality.
This month it is The Prince's New Pet by Brian Anderson.
In this cleverly illustrated story, the prince lives in a kingdom without color. When he receives a colorful wooglefoof for his birthday, the royal color catcher is determined to catch the wooglefoof and wipe out any color that it brings to the kingdom. Of course there is a happy, and colorful ending. But, it is also a book that can be used to talk about sorrow, joy, discipline and so much more! I loved the literate language in the book as well as the cartoon-like illustrations.
Here is a link to Anderson's website. Enjoy!
http://www.dogeatdoug.com

Top Ten books of 2011

After looking through the books read in 2011, I have picked my top ten. These are books that stand out for me because the writing is exceptional and the book spoke to me in some way. While I read many enjoyable books in 2011, and some of my favorite go-to authors did not make the top books of 2011 list, these books are on the list because they were exceptional, not necessarily the most enjoyable, but definitely the most memorable books. Happy reading!
1) The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (December)
2) South of Superior by Ellen Airgood (July)
3) One of Us by Mark Osteen (April)
4) The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst (March)
5) Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones (June)
6) Middlemarch by George Elliot (July)
7) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (January)
8) Sweet Jiminy by Kristen Gore (October)
9) State of Wonder by Ann Pratchett (November)
10) Twelve Rooms with a View by Theresa Rebeck (May)

December Books

Books-December 2011
1. The boy in the suitcase by Lenexa Kaaberol and Agnette.Griis
2. The forgotten affairs of youth by Alexander McCall Smith
3. Grilling season by Diane Mott Davidson
4. The unbearable lightness of scones by Alexander McCall Smith
5. Charlie Joe Jackson's guide to not reading by Tommy Greenwald
6. A visit from the goon squad by Jennifer Egan
7. 13 1/2 by Nevada Barr
8. A fatal grace by Louise Penny
9. My nest isn't empty, it just has more closet space by Lisa Scottoline (audio book)
10. The elegance of the hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
11. All the pretty hearses by Mary Daheim
12. The distant hours by Kate Morton
13. The Neddiad by Daniel Pinkwater
14. The four Ms. Bradwells by Meg Waite Clayton
15. There goes the bride: Agatha Raisin by M. C. Beaton (audio book)

1. This has some elements of The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, but I did not like it as much. I think this is also a series, but will not plan to read any more.
2. I always love anything by McCall Smith. If you have not read the series with Isabelle Dalhousie, do. They are wonderful!
3. Another Goldie murder, I think I missed this one along the way as it is not a new book, but fun to read.
4. This is from the 44 Scotland Street series. Bertie has got to be my favorite character. Glad his father is getting some backbone.
5. Another book for kids about hating to read. Not compelling reading.
6. An interesting choice for the Pulitzer Prize in 2011. A series of short stories that are somewhat connected. Characters are not particularly likeable, but my interest was engaged in trying to ascertain the connections.
7. A stand alone novel by Nevada Barr. I have enjoyed her national parks mystery series, but this one was not as compelling. A little too creepy, but well written.
8. Second in the Three Pines mystery series. I like how she builds her regular characters, but leaves us some things we don’t know yet. Penny continues to win awards for these books.
9. Short, humorous essays read by the authors. I enjoyed listening to these and will look for the next essays by Scottolone.
10. Another top pick for 2011. An elegant novel with many layers of understanding.
11. Silly, mystery set in a bed and breakfast. Good reading for riding the bus.
12. This is the second book I have read by Morton. They are loooong, with multiple layers of mystery. Worth reading, but not every month.
13. Pinkwater writes a free-flowing fantasy for children that is a little hard to follow. Not my style.
14. A multi-layered novel largely about the women’s movement. Four young women meet at law school in the 80s and their lives intertwine for the next 25 years.
15. Agatha Raisin is a popular mystery series set in England. Raisin is a good detective, but desperate for male attention and the author writes tongue in cheek about her attempts to find a man.

November Books

Books-November 2011
1. Dead by midnight by Caroline Hart
2. Ellen's lion by Crockett Johnson
3. My life as a book by Janet Tashjian
4. Still life by Louise Penny
5. Just kids by Patti Smith
6. V is for vengeance by Sue Grafton
7. Super sad true love story by Gary Shteyngart
8. Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt
9. Al Capone shines my shoes by Gennifer Choldenko
10. I, Richard by Elizabeth George
11. State of wonder by Ann Pratchett
12. Flash and bones by Kathy Reichs
13. Look again by Lisa Scottoline (audio book)

1. I love the Death on Demand mysteries set on an island in South Carolina. The fact that they involve an improbable love story makes them cute and cuddly mysteries!
2. I can now get kindle books for free from the library. This was an old children’s book that I got and read on the ipad. Fun to see the pictures, but the book is a little weird.
3. A book for kids about a kid who hates reading. A little weird.
4. A new to me mystery series, set in Canada, just south of Montreal. Excellent writing and great characters. I will continue reading these books.
5. Read this for the feminist book club. Learned a lot about Patti Smith and her era. Not a fan of Robert Mapplethorpe, but Smith’s writing makes good reading.
6. What will Grafton do when she runs out of letters in the alphabet. I also wonder if Kinsey will ever get into the computer era. While Grafton’s books move more slowly through time, they are still moving forward.
7. A post-modern novel not for the feint of heart. I found this a little hard to read, but the futuristic predictions were interesting.
8. Roger Rosenblatt’s adult daughter dies suddenly of heart issues. He and his wife move in with their son-in-law and the three grandchildren. This is the story of the first year and how this extended family deals with their grief.
9. A sequel to Al Capone does my shirts. The characters are well-portrayed. The story gets a little fantastic, but is based on extensive research into the life of the families who lived at Alcatraz. Well-written children’s book.
10. A series of short stories almost all with an O’Henry twist at the end. Not as good as George’s novels.
11. One of the best books of 2011, and a surprise because it is realistic blended with fantasy, a genre I don’t generally like. Pratchett’s writing is superb!
12. The latest Bones book. Always fun to read. Maybe Tempe’s angst over not having a man in her life is getting a little old, but the stories are still interesting enough to read.
13. Scottolone is a great author to listen to. Not sure if she would read as well as she sounds. But, I have enjoyed her books on CD so far. This is a mystery/romance with some information on adopted children thrown in. Happy endings are not always realistic, but just what I like!

Max and Kate Banks

Max's Castle is the third book book about Max that Kate Banks has done, all are illustrated by Boris Kulikov. Once again, the word play is creative, and witty, written in a fashion to appeal to both the young reader and the adult who may be reading to a child.
Max's imagination takes over as soon as he has his brothers' interest and they build a castle with blocks. Some of the word plays: drawer turns into reward; sword becomes words and adder becomes ladder (borrowing an L from bugle) so the boys can escape from the snake in the basement. The bright pictures pull you in and the word play keeps your interest. I think i like Max's words the best of the three books, but this is a great addition to the collection.

Books about hating reading

Why are so many authors writing books for kids where the main character hates reading? In some cases, this may be done to pull kids in, to trick them and get them to like reading by reading about a character that resembles them. Janet Tashjian gives her character, Derek, life in My Life as a Book. But, Derek hates to read and will do just about anything to get out of it. Tommy Greenwald also does this with Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading. Greenwald also explains that Charlie Joe is named after his three sons, Charlie, Joe and Jack. Is this counter-intuitive that we are pushing not reading to get kids to read more?
I liked Tashjian's book better, there was more plot to sink my teeth into and the whole book was not just on how to avoid reading. I am about to share some of these books with middle schoolers that I know, so we'll see what they think.

October reads

Books-October 2011
1. Saxby Smart private detective by Simon Chester (intemediate book)
2. The accidental genius of Weasel high by Rick Detorie (graphic novel)
3. Rachel Spinelli punched me in the face by Paul Acampora (young adult)
4. Bad kitty meets the baby by Nick Bruel (graphic novel)
5. My diary the totally true story of me by Giles Tibo (picture book)
6. The gift of Grace by Grace Mary McClelland (picture book)
7. Limpopo lullaby by Jane Jolly and Dee Huxley (picture book)
8. Come on rain by Karen Hesse (picture book)
9. The Saturday big tent wedding party by Alexander McCall Smith
10. When good wishes go bad by Mindy Klasky
11. Sweet Jiminy by Kristen Gore
12. The monkey and the crocodile by Paul Galdone (picture book)
13. Chicken little by Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley (picture book)
14. The day Dirk Yeller came to town by Mary Casanova, pictures by Ard Hoyt (picture book)
15. Valiant friend: the life of Lucretia Mott by Margaret Hope Bacon
16. Baby proof by Emily Giffin
17. The last letter by Kathleen Shoop
18. The taste of salt by Martha Southgate
19. Shakespeare's secret by Elise Broach
20. Sing Me Home by Jodi Piccoult (audio book)
21. The Fadeaway Girl by Martha Grimes (audio book)
22. The Widower’s Tale by Julia Glass
23. Al Capone does my shoes by Gennifer Choldenko (intermediate book)


1. A cute, if somewhat formulaic detective series for third or fourth graders. Saxby is quite smart, but he has some issues with social skills. His best friend is a girl who often helps him out in solving his cases.
2. Written by the author of the cartoon, “One Big Happy.” In his first year of high school, Larkin Pace has to keep a journal for English class. He adds some line drawings and opines on topics of his sister, his girlfriend, his love of film and his parents. A great book for junior or senior high students.
3. I loved this book. One of the secondary characters is on the autism spectrum, but is treated, for the most part, as just another friend by the main character. Deals with family issues, disability, anger management and life in small towns.
4. A graphic novel for mid to late elementary school. Not the kind of book I would want my own kids to read, although some parts were pretty funny. A somewhat sarcastic way to look at the world.
5. A diary that is designed to teach young children about peace and self-awareness. Very poetic and nicely done.
6. Grace McClelland, a young girl with mal-formed fingers on one hand, has written this book to inform others about how to treat someone with an obvious deformity. Somewhat didactic, but written with grace and good will.
7. The rains come and a family in Africa must take to the tops of the trees to be safe from the flooding. While in the tree, the mother gives birth to a new baby; then the whole family is rescued by helicopter. The pictures are wonderful, but can a woman really give birth in a tree?
8. Another book about rain, but in this one, the little girls are hoping for rain. When, at last, the rain comes, they dance and rejoice with their mothers and neighbors.
9. Another in the series of the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency. I could read these as fast as Smith writes them. The characters are so sweetly flawed, but so caring of one another, especially, Mma Romotswe. Keep writing!
10. A genie in a magic lamp story where all goes wrong, but ends up coming right in the end. Easy to read, but wouldn’t waste my time with more by this author.
11. I have to admit I picked this up because it was written by Al Gore’s daughter. It was very well written, dealing with racial issues in the deep south. She tells a good story and involves the reader in her characters. I would read more by her.
12. Based on an old folktale, the monkey manages to outwit the crocodile and avoids being eaten.
13. Another retelling of the sky is falling. Pictures are very colorful and the language is somewhat sarcastic in places, an interesting choice for a book for young children.
14. Dirk Yeller is a mean outlaw and he yells at and threatens the townspeople. Until finally, he is taken to the library and taught how to read. Once he knows how to read, he is content and stops being so mean!
15. We read this for book club this month. It is an old book, but very much worth reading if you can find a copy. Lucretia Mott was an amazing woman who fought for the abolition of slavery and for women’s rights. She was a good friend to Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Very inspiring!
16. Giffin wrote Something Borrowed and Something Blue. Claudia does not want a baby and married Ben who does not want a baby. When Ben changes his mind, Claudia must give in or move on. While the story is told in an easy going voice, the subject matter is deeper and Giffin handles it without giving in to easy answers.
17. Set in the last years of the 19th century, this outlines the life of a family that moves from Des Moines to the Dakota plains. Fires, snow storms, locusts and a philandering husband. Can it get much worse? Family relationships are examined in great detail, but I never felt very close to any of the characters.
18. Very well written, the story of a young African American woman whose brother and father are fighting alcoholism. Told in multiple voices, this is a compelling read, even if you don’t agree with Josie’s choices.
19. Although this was published in 2005, it just came to my attention now, right on the heals of Anonymous, another story about the true identity of Shakespeare. Hero and her sister are both named for Shakespeare characters. Hero is intent on finding a pendant that may help to prove that the writer of Shakespeare’s play was the illegitimate son of Elizabeth I. A well-told story about a young girl figuring out how to negotiate being an individual in a world where conformity is key.
20. Multiple issues: fertility, frozen embryos, right wing Christians, lesbians, alcoholism, and fidelity within a marriage. Piccoult develops characters well and this time, I even liked her ending. While it came a little quickly, it made sense considering the rest of the story. I still think her books are better to listen to than to read.
21. I listened to this off and on for about 2 months. I couldn’t really get into it. This is told in first person in the voice of a 12 year old. Emma is an amateur detective, wise beyond her years, who manages to solve a 20 year old kidnapping and avoid getting killed herself.
22. Anything by Julia Glass would be a good read. Strong characters, interesting issues and a good deal of wit thrown in for good measure. I wish she had more books out.
23. I read Al Capone does my shirts a few years ago and this one was equally good, a strong, entertaining novel for upper elementary and middle school. My one complaint is why does Choldenko have to make the girls all have such negative characteristics? Even the women are portrayed with a somewhat negative stance. The boys and men, however, are portrayed more realistically. Some are negative and most are more positive.