Books April 2012

Books-April 2012
1. Sophie Hartley on Strike by Stephanie Greene (intermediate)
 2. With a name like Love by Tess Hilmo (middle school)
 3. Death in the city of light by David King
 4. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
 5. Extremely loud and incredibly close by Jonathan Safron Foer
 6. Our Eleanor: A scrapbook look at Eleanor Roosevelt’s remarkable life by Candace Fleming (Intermediate)
 7. Heart on my sleeve by Ellen Wittinger (Young adult)
 8. The Sunbird by Elizabeth Wein (Middle School)
 9. The other Felix by Keir Graff
 10. Wonkenstein: The creature in my closer by Obert Skye
 11. Just you average princess by Kristina Springer
 12. Letters for Rapunzel by Sara Lewis Holmes
 13. Beyond the beautiful forevers: Life, death and hope in a Mumbai undercity by Katherine Boo
 14. Inside out and back again by Thanhha Lai
 15. A rule against murder by Louise Penny
 1. Sophie is having a rough time being in the middle of a busy family, it seems that the older kids get out of doing chores because of band and jobs and the younger kids get out of doing chores because they are young. So, Sophie goes on strike. Pretty straightforward problem/solution.
 2. Ollie Love is the oldest of five daughters travelling with their mother and father, an itinerant preacher. Ollie wants nothing more than to settle down and gets her chance when they meet a boy whose mother is in jail for killing his father. Beautifully written, some heavy details about child abuse, but perfect for middle schoolers.
 3. Dr. Marcel Petiot, a horrific serial killer living in Paris during the Nazi invasion, is portrayed in a well-researched narrative. Reminded me of the Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.
 4. The true story of Louis Zamperini whose plane went down in the Pacific. He floated for several weeks, just barely surviving, only to be captured by the Japanese. He then endured almost 2 years in a Japanese POW camp. The torture and starvation killed many men, but Zamperini survived to return to the US and eventually come to know Jesus at a Billy Graham revival. What a story, definitely a must read!
 5. I saw the movie, then read the book. The movie was definitely better. Some characters were combined and the tale was shortened. Very touching, just a little long and sometimes too repetitive.
 6. One of the best books I have read all year. This is for the gender project and I would recommend this to children and adults alike.
 7. Chloe’s summer between high school and college is portrayed through emails and other correspondence. Another book for the gender project. Easy and somewhat entertaining.
 8. Telemakos is the child of an African princess and a British nobleman, named after Ulysses’ son. The story is set around 1300 and incorporates history, mythology and fantasy. I read it for the gender study; since it is the third of a series, it might have been an easier read if I had read the first two books in the series.
 9. A weird little fantasy about what happens when Felix is sleeping. First his nightmares wake him up, and then he inhabits his nightmares. (Where the wild things are, anybody?) In the meantime, he is being bullied at school. It is all wrapped up neatly in the end and he befriends his bully.
10. Another weird fantasy about a creature being created from discarded books and other sundry items flung into a closet. Maybe if you are a 12 year old boy with some knowledge of literature, this would interest you. Otherwise, not so much!
 11. Jamie’s family runs the pumpkin farm and all the attendant pumpkin festivities, including the Pumpkin Princess contest, which Jamie feels she has a shot at winning. Until her beautiful cousin, daughter of movie stars, comes to town. Overt lessons in self-centered behavior, along with a super happy ending, even if Jamie does not get to be the princess.
 12. How do children handle it when a parent suffers from depression. Cadence writes to a PO box and calls herself Rapunzel. A deep subject told entirely from letters Cadence writes.
 13. One of the hardest books to read, ever. While the book was good, I found myself wishing I had not read it. True stories from the slums of Mumbai; how can that world exist alongside the growing Indian economy? The answer is difficult to comprehend.
 14. A Newbery Honor book and certainly a wonderful book. I would have put it above Jack Gantos’ tale of Norvelt. A young girl writes in free verse poetry about the end of her life in Vietnam, her travels to a refugee camp in the US and ultimately, the first year of her life in rural Georgia. One that I will definitely re-read.
 15. Back to Louise Penny and Inspector Gamache. I am about halfway through her series now and still enjoy the characters. She has taken the murder off-site this time, but brought some of the characters to the murder site. Nicely done!

Picture Book of the Month (for April)

Sea of Dreams by Dennis Nolan A wordless picture book that can hardly be described in words. The book begins with a young girl building a sand castle. She leaves the castle on the edge of the sea, soon to be washed away, but she doesn't realize that a royal family is living inside. The rest of the book tells the story of what happens to the family living in the castle. The colors are gorgeous, the pictures are glorious and the story is well-told albeit without words. For those of you looking for images of African American children, the sand castle builder is black. Nolan is an imaginative illustrator and a consummate story teller.Definitely a great summer at the beach story book.

Picture book of the month (for March)

Orani, my father's village by Claire A. Nivola
The story of a young girl who goes back to an island off Italy's coast each year with her family to visit her father's relatives. This is a great story to share with immigrant children, as it addresses the need to stay connected with the home country and the home culture. I shared this with an Italian friend and found out the Italian words used were written in authentic dialect from that area of Italy. I loved the connection between generations in this story. Very nice!

Picture books from March

Some very good books on this list as well as a few "don't bothers." Next post: picture book of the month for March.
Picture book reviews March 2012
1. Princess of borscht by Leda Schubert illustrated by Bonnie Christensen
Great pictures, sweet story, but the dialogue was awkward.
2. Solomon crocodile by Catherine Rayner
Very good illustrations, good for teaching synonyms, cute story, the ending was a little off.
3. Baby come away by Victoria Adler, illustrated by David Walker
Good pictures, sweet baby following little animals to a nest, the barn, a pond/sea, but the language, sometimes rhyming and sometimes not does not flow
4. Ten little beasties by Rebecca Emberlry and Ed Emberley
Great song, graphics are too complex for the targeted audience, children may have problems separating the different beasties and finding them on consecutive pages. Singing and dancing the song would be fun and it is a better way to use this song than the racist precedent.
5. The babies on the bus by Karen Katz
The old song with some new verses, a little too long, pictures are cute, multi racial and represent both boys and girls
6. Orani, my father's village by Claire A. Nivola
Set on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean sea, the story of a young girl who goes with her American family to visit her father's family in Orani, pictures are very well done, good book to use with immigrant children or children of immigrants to contrast the two worlds they know, girl always wears the same distinctive dress so it is easy to pick her out of the crowd
7. Who has these feet by Laura Hulbert illustrated by Erik Brooks
Nice introduction to science with facts about different animals' feet and why they are the way they are, form and function
8. The twins' blanket by Hyewon Yum
Korean author tells about twins sharing a blanket and then each needing a blanket of their own, told in both twins' voices, the blanket is traditional Korean stripes and the mother incorporates the old blanket into the new ones
9. A is for autumn by Robert Maass
Photos rather than drawings, an alphabet book with autumnal words, okay but not outstanding
10. Dot by Patricia Intriago
Use with a small group to engage their thinking, could also be used to get kids to make their own dot pages, good book for discussion
11. Bandits by Johanna Wright
Poor use of language, choice of words was weird, policeman referred to as fuzz and shown as a dog, what child knows that? Poor construction of sentences, a bit of a whimsical look at raccoons, personifying them, favorite page, the raccoons in their tree trunk house reading to pass the day
12. Zoola palooza by Gene Barretta
A book of homographs, words like read and read, console and console are emphasized throughout a pun-y story about the animals' concert. Great graphics, good for English teachers far and wide.

Book list for March

Books-March 2012
1. A young wife by Pam Lewis
2. The invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (graphic novel)
3. The litigators by John Grisham
4. The golem's eye by Jonathan Stroud
5. The bully by Paul Langan (middle school book)
6. A truth universally acknowledged: 33 great writers on why we read Jane Austen edited by Susannah Carson
7. Save me by Lisa Scottolone (audio book)
8. God's jury by Cullen Murray
9. Out of my mind by Sharon Draper (intermediate book)
10. Cinder by Marissa Meyer (young adult)
11. The Birth house by Ami McKay
12. An elephant in the garden by Michael Morpurgo (middle school book)
13. 12 things to do before you crash and burn by James Proimos (young adult)
14. Bad Kitty for president by Nick Bruel
15. Good things by Mia King
16. Mama says: a book of love for mothers and sons (picture book) by Rob Walker, illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon
17. A month Of Sundays by Ruth White (middle school book)
18. Parrots and pirates by Elizabeth Levy (intermediate book)
19. Breaking Stalin’s nose by Eugene Yelchin (middle school book)
20. Ten Rules for Living with my sister by Ann M. Martin

1. We read this for the library book club. I liked the main character and her ability to take on her creep of a husband to protect her children. Good historical perspective on Argentina.
2. Caldecott winning book that was made into an award winning movie. The pictures are wonderful, but the story, not so much. Still worth reading.
3. As all of Grisham books are, a quick read, with a young, likeable protagonist. But, this has a few different plot twists and turns and some endearing, even if unlikeable characters.
4. This was for the gender study, been putting off reading it for a while, but finally had to. Super long fantasy with multiple character sets and an on-going saga, part two three books. It had some good parts, but not my genre.
5. Several of the middle school girls were reading books by Langan. This was pretty well done for middle school pulp fiction. Story line and characters well done.
6. Kind of long and some parts better than others, but good insights into Jane Austen.
7. I was so engrossed when listening to this, that I had to stop other activities and just listen. Well told story about the dilemma a mom faces when her two girls are in danger and one is her own daughter. Any mother’s worst nightmare!
8. I heard Cullen being interviewed on NPR. While the subject (the inquisition and the modern view on torture) is a little dry, the book is VERY well done and interesting to read.
9. Sharon Draper does a fantastic job of writing about a girl with CP who cannot talk or move herself, but is cognitively very bright. Many issues to discuss here.
10. Cinder is a futuristic retelling of Cinderella. Cinder is a cyborg and catches the eye of the prince, but many factors in her life keep her from being able to be his date to the ball. Mayer has three more books in this series. It will be interesting to see what she does with other popular fairy tales. She nailed this one!
11. The Feminist Book Club’s choice for this month. The story of a midwife in Nova Scotia at the turn of the 20th century. Issues of women’s health told in story form with many controversial issues addressed. We had groaning cake at the book club meeting. Yum! (recipe in the book)
12. I loved this book, with the main story being told as a flash back to the bombing of Dresden. Excellent story for any class studying WWII.
13. This was a short, but excellent novel for upper middle school and high school. Deals with grief over a father’s death as well as anger over a father who neglected his son.
14. Not sure why I read this whole thing. Was thinking of giving it to my middle school girls, but decided not to even though it was written on their level and did have several things they could learn about presidential elections. Bad Kitty is so bad, I just could not bear to give the book to them and recommend they read it.
15. Good easy read with a romance and a strong woman. Not great, but fun to read.
16. I read this for a children’s time at church. Well written, with pictures by Leo and Diane Dillon. Poetic and touching.
17. I love Ruth White and her stories. In Month of Sundays, Garnet and her mother have been abandoned by her father and when she is 14, her mother leaves her with her father’s sister while she (the mother) looks for work in another state. The characters’ interactions and individual development is well done and there are a few surprises along the way.
18. A good beginning chapter book, a little friendship issue, a little mystery and good, strong parents who love their children. Who could ask for anything more?
19. A Newbery Honor book this year. A super story told in the first person as a young boy unravels the lies told by the Stalin regime. How can Stalin be always right if he arrests the boy’s father and then does not let him go? Events cover two days with great drama. Opens good topics of conversation.
20. Perhaps my favorite book of the month. Pearl is such an engaging eight year old character and she has such great insights into herself and her family members.

When is a book not worth reading?

I have been reading The Edumacation of Jay Baker by Jay Clark over the last week or so and the blurb on the front (You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll feel awkward by association) is just not true! I didn't laugh or cry, but the book did make me feel awkward. While there is a plot, it is loose, and the dialogue is mostly one-liners strung together with the main character (Jay) swapping witticisms with his mom, his best friend, his teachers and sometimes his nemesis. Of course, Jay gets all the best lines, in case you did not guess that he is loosely based on the author. And BTW, why do male authors do this? Is it some kind of ego thing that they have to give the main character their own name? (See Jack Gantos latest Newbery winner!) While I slogged through to the end, it just did not seem worth it and several times I had the urge to put the book down and find another that would suit me better. So the question is: do you give a book 10 pages, 50 pages? When do you give it up and say, no, I can't read this! To give the author credit, I may just be out of my genre, but in spite of his clever use of words, this book just did not do it for me and I find myself wishing I had given it up and gone on to something better!

February Book list, two Caldecott Honors plus so much more!

Books-February 2012
1. Innocent by Scott Turow
2. Hera, the goddess and her glory by George O'Connor
3. Hades: Lord of the dead by George O'Connor
4. Lucky cap by Patrick Jennings (intermediate book)
5. Blackout by John Rocco (picture book)
6. Believing the lie by Elizabeth George
7. Friendship bread by Darien Gee (audio book)
8. Henry's heart by Cherise Mericle (picture book)
9. There but for the by Ali smith
10. Shopgirl by Steve Martin
11. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
12. The night strangers by Chris Bohjalian
13. Queen of hearts by Martha Brooks
14. All these things I've done by Gabrielle Zevin
15. Take control of dyslexia by Jennifer Engel Fisher and Janet Price
16. It's raining cats and dogs by Michael Barton
17. Temple Grandin by Sy Montgomery
18. Maggie and Oliver by Valerie Hobbs (intermediate book)
19. Grandpa Green by Lane Smith (picture book)
1. Interesting sequel to Presumed Innocent written about 20 years ago and made into a movie starring Harrison Ford. Once again, Rusty Sabich is framed by his wife for murder, all could be prevented if he could keep his pants on.
2. A graphic novel about Hera and her place in the Greek mythology of the god of Olympia.
3. A second graphic novel (several more in the series) this time focusing on Hades. Good story telling.
4. While Enzo learns many lessons in this book for middle schoolers, I was not impressed with the narrative voice.
5. A sweet story of what happens when the lights go out., won a Caldecott Honor this year.
6. While I love reading George’s books and am eager to see the characters develop and their lives unfold, I kept thinking as I was reading: why is this so long? Couldn’t she do this in 300 pages instead of 500?
7. I listened to this as an audio book. Even though I could tell what would happen next and who would hook up with whom, I still enjoyed the story and the writing.
8. Hmmm, a boy wants a dog so badly that he makes himself sick, then the doctor prescribes a dog for the boy and when he gets the dog all is well? Must have to be a dog lover to love this book.
9. Big thumbs down. I read this book because it was recommended by a blog I follow, but it was boring, the plot was not linear enough to follow and there really was not much of a story (in my opinion!).
10. Really more of a novella than a novel. Mirabelle works at the glove counter of a department store meets and falls in love with Ray; he wants the sex and her presence in his life, but he does not want a permanent relationship with her. All is well in the end. Very good writing and the story is well told.
11. One of the longest novels I have read. Originally published in Japan as three separate books. Again, I thought the story, which was a good one and one that held my interest, could have been told in a much shorter space. Good moral questions can be brought to mind here.
12. Hate would be a strong word to use here, but I did not like this book and probably would not have finished it if I was not reading it for a book club. Turns me off from Bohjalian, an author that I used to really like.
13. Set in early 20th century in Canada, a family is stricken with TB and all three children must enter the local Sanitarium. This is well told from the POV of the oldest daughter, just a little romance to keep the interest level high.
14. A new young adult novel set about 70 years in the future. I loved the main character and felt that she made hard choices to protect her family; would give a reading group many things to discuss.
15. A how to book for young people with dyslexia. Well written and containing good advice, I would like to see them re-organize this to put some of the more esoteric pieces in appendices.
16. A good book for those who have a hard time understanding idioms. Could be used in classrooms as a way to get kids to think about the way we talk and write.
17. A biography of Temple Grandin for middle school and high school students. What a great story and this was well told with plenty of pictures and other artifacts.
18. I enjoyed this somewhat unbelievable historical fiction about a young orphan who finds a dog and her grandmother (in that order) when she is forced to live on the streets of Boston in the early 20th century.
19. A Caldecott Honor book, tells of the relationship between a young boy and his grandfather, using only the color green in the illustrations. Another good pick by the Caldecott team.