Monster Stories and Other Scary Tales for Halloween

The Monsterator by Keith Graves Edgar, the poor little rich boy, is looking for spooky fun and adventure when he comes across a Monsterator Machine. For one thin dime, he can become a monster and what fun he has once he is transformed. Alas, when Halloween is over, the machine has disappeared and Edgar remains a monster for the rest of his life. The book includes a flip book a the end where they can make their own monstrous creatures, exchanging the heads, feet and mid-sections to make original hideous creations. The cover showing Edgar along with a monstrous shadow is appealing, especially at this time of year, and the book lives up to this initial attraction. I know two boys who would listen to this story every day if  they could!
Love Monster by Rachel Bright A classic love story; a classic tale of not fitting in; a scary hairy monster who just needs a friend or two. Bright uses a technique called solar etching to illustrate this story of love for the monster who is not cute, cuddly or fluffy. After hunting for someone to love him, Monster decides to go home and low and behold, there is a second monster there waiting just for him. Hmmm, is this telling us that we find what we are looking for if we will just return home? Or is it telling us that you have to be a monster to love a monster? Or is it telling us that everyone has a mate, if we look long and hard enough? Oh, well, maybe it is just saying that everyone needs someone to love him. Go out and find your monster!
Ninja! By Arree Chung Big brother sneaks around the house following Ninja rules to obtain his objective of stealing baby sister’s cookies. “A ninja sneaks, creeps, tumbles, hides, and is fast on his feet.” And he almost accomplishes his mission, but at the last minute, baby sister gives him away. In a brilliant move, big brother decides to indoctrinate baby sister into the way of the Ninja. Now, two ninjas sneak, creak, tumble and hide. Any big brother who has ever been thwarted in his attempts to steal a younger sibling’s cookies will enjoy this tale.
The Zoo Box by Ariel Cohn, illustrated by Aron Nels Steinke Written in comic book style, this tells the story of Erika and Patrick left on their own for the first time while Mom and Dad enjoy an evening out. What could go wrong? When they find a magic box in the attic, Patrick can’t resist opening it, releasing a hoard of animals who chase them right into the zoo. But, wait, this zoo is different, the “animals” in the cages are all human and there before them is their house, surrounded by a fence and camera-carrying animals waiting to see the human children. Magically, they are able to get the animals back in the box and when Mom and Dad return, both Patrick and Erika appear to be sleeping soundly in their beds. Slightly longer than most picture books, this will appeal to the just starting to read on their own set.
Julia’s House for Lost Creatures by Ben Hatke From the author of the Zita the spacegirl series comes his first picture book. Julia lives in a lonely house all by herself. She makes a sign and opens her home to a host of weird and sloppy creatures. Julia finds herself in the role of cook, maid and house-cleaner, so she makes another sign: a chore chart. Now, everyone has a job and life is more comfortable. One more problem arises and Julia also solves this with a sign. Resourceful, competent and caring, Julia embodies the character traits we want to see in books so both boys and girls can see that girls are active problem-solving people too! It doesn’t surprise me that Hatke has a houseful of daughters!

Books about War and Creepy Books for Teens

Books about War

Why do we keep writing about war and the after-effects of war? Two of the books I have read recently have touched me deeply, not only because of the writing and the story being told, but also because these books tell the story of children who are left behind because of war, and we are continuing this legacy, 100 years later. 

Stay Where You are and Then Leave by John Boyne (author The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) tells the story of Alfie Summerfield, his dad and Alfie’s quest to bring his father home from World War I, both literally and figuratively. Touching on shell-shock, conscientious objectors, families in crisis, and the treatment of foreigners in England during the war, Boyne’s story could be seen as contrived as it is based on a series of coincidences. Yet, the story-telling is convincing and even compelling, and very relatable for young children who must endure the absence of their father or mother during deployment over the last ten years that our country has been at war. Written on a middle school level, this will hold the attention of many who are older and lead to deep discussions of war and peace, activism and the consequences of war.

 

A Medal for Leroy by Michael Morpurgo (author of War Horse) tells the story of a young boy who lost his father in World War II. Michael’s father, Leroy, also lost his father in the First World War. Michael’s grandfather, also named Leroy, lost his life while saving others. He was one of the few Black servicemen from England during that war and Black men were not awarded medals; in spite of his bravery, he was overlooked. Morpurgo has based his story on a real-life Black man who was not awarded a posthumous medal because of his skin color. In addition to addressing the theme of historical discrimination, the story also relates a family secret that Michael discovers when he is about 13. As with Stay Where you are and Then Leave,  the reader realizes real consequences of war, and as portrayed here, these consequences fall most heavily on families with the fewest resources. While the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts are not as devastating as the two World Wars, there are still many children in our country who will never know their fathers (or mothers) because of these wars. And there are more children who will know a parent who is physically whole, but emotionally damaged because of the ravages of war. While A Medal for Leroy is primarily about discrimination and family secrets, and the consequences of war are a secondary consideration, there are still many deep questions that children, with their families or teachers, can explore.

Creepy Books

      

The Body in the Woods by April Henry

A team of youth volunteers work with Portland County’s Search and Rescue Team to find a young mentally challenged man who has wandered from his home. Nick never knew his father, who was killed in the first Iraq conflict (see Books about War) is always worried that he is not good enough, that he will not measure up. Ruby’s parents are both doctors; her family is very affluent, but all the money they have cannot make friends for their socially awkward daughter. Alexis lives with her single mom, who is mentally unstable. Alexis worries constantly that someone will find out her mom is not capable of taking care of her and she will be removed from her home. These three misfits join the Search and Rescue Team. This is their first search, all three hoping to be the ones who find the young man who is lost. Instead they find the body of a teen-aged girl.  Ruby is fascinated with the procedure and uses her super brain power to solve the crime, but no one except the other two misfits will believe her. Together the three put themselves in danger, but ultimately apprehend the killer. Billed as a “Point Last Seen Mystery” this seems to be set up as the first in a series. Henry writes a well-plotted narrative and the three protagonists are each likable in a somewhat curious way. For those older middle schoolers who enjoy a mystery, this might be just the ticket.

Unremembered by Jessica Brody

The first in a trilogy, this tells the story of Seraphina, a survivor of a plane crash who is suffering from amnesia. She is not sure who to trust, her foster parents, the boy who approaches her to tell her he knows her from before the crash, the strange man who protects her from afar when she leaves her temporary home? It turns out that in addition to her inexplicable survival of a plane crash that kills everyone else, Seraphina also has several super powers and she is being pursued by scientists from the future. This fast paced science fiction will leave the reader hoping for the next installment and rooting for Seraphina all the way.

The Riverman by Aaron Starmer

The weirdest of them all. Alistair is a normal kid with one older sister, understanding parents and a mundane life in a small town in upstate New York. Then, his former friend and neighbor Fiona chooses Alistair as her confidant as she relates a bizarre story of finding a conduit to another world where she has met The Riverman, a monster that kidnaps and kills children from all over the “solid” world. Alistair is the keeper of this story for Fiona, not believing her, but fascinated anyway. When Fiona identifies the Riverman as someone living in their small town, Alistair is resistant at first, but finally realizes that Fiona’s tale is not a fantasy, but a cruel reality. Not sure if Starmer makes this believable enough for me, but it is certainly a well-told tale with a fantastical twist!

The Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth George

George is famous for her adult detective procedurals about Inspector Lynley that have been made into a BBC Mystery series. In her foray into young adult land, George sets her novel on an island off the coast of Washington State. Becca King can hear what people are thinking. This bizarre ability came to her from her mother’s family and her grandmother and mother are always giving her advice on how to channel this ability for good. When Becca hears her stepfather’s thoughts on how he killed a man, she and her mother know they must get out of town quickly. Becca’s mother will run to Canada, but leaves Becca on a ferry to go to Whidby Island with instructions to go to the mother’s best friend who lives there. Unfortunately, the friend dies before Becca can reach her and Becca is not on her own, with very little money, no friends and the need to keep hidden so her stepfather will not be able to find her. The suspense part is well done, in typical George style, but the supernatural is not totally believable, nor is it necessary as a plot device. The story ends on cliffhanger, waiting for the next installment. Not sure that I would read the next one, but I do have some desire to find out what happens to Becca and her friends.

Books for September

School has started, hard as that is to believe. A few fall books, mixed in with some good books for those days when you just need to snuggle up with a good book. Enjoy!
 

The Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School by Deborah Diesen, Pictures by Dan Hanna

What a great book for anyone starting school, or any new endeavor. Pout Pout is discouraged by all the things he doesn’t know how to do, but his new Teacher Miss Hewitt convinces him he is smart and he can do it! Notice the rhyme! Told in a catchy rhythmic rhyme, the story is one that all children should hear and live during their time at school! This is a sequel to The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark. 

The Twins’ Little Sister by Hyewon Yum 

 

The twins from The Twins’ Blanket are back and now they are expecting a new baby sister. Yum’s characters with their round, red faces and messy black hair are drawn with great expressiveness, helping the reader to interpret the emotions of the story, both positive and negative. Adding a baby sister to the family first produces jealousy and sadness, but these emotions quickly turn to joy as the twins grow to love the new baby and vie for the ability to play with and comfort her.  You don’t have to be a twin to have uncertain feelings about a new baby. Any family getting ready to welcome a second or third child will love this book.

Little Boo by Stephen Wunderli, illustrated by Tim Zeltner

A great book for Halloween! Little Boo starts out as a seed and goes through fall, winter, spring and finally grows into a pumpkin a whole year later. All along, Little Boo wants to be scary, but there is nothing scary about a seed or a seedling, so he has to be patient. When the pumpkin is carved into a jack-o-lantern, Little Boo’s wish finally comes true. Great story for fall, cycle of life and growing up. We don’t remain little for long and when we grow up we can accomplish many new things!

The Orchestra Pit by Johanna Wright

The snake sneaks out of his pit and into the orchestra pit. Simple language identifies numerous instruments and gives a snake’s impression of the music they make. A quick and fun read for those in-between times when you just want to tell a story.

Tuck-In-Time by Carole Berber, Pictures by Tracey Campbell Person

A little one is getting ready for bed and shares a quick rhyme and playtime with his stuffed bunny and pet dog. This is one of those stories that will soon have the child filling in the end of the sentence. The illustrations cleverly show a young child with curly hair, it could be a boy or a girl, so all can relate and see themselves.

Tuesday Tucks Me In by Luis Carols Montalvan with Bret Witter, Photographs by DanDion

Tuesday is a service dog, trained to work with Luis who is a disabled veteran. The story is told through straight-forward text and photographs of Luis and Tuesday going through their day. End notes describe how Tuesday was trained and how Tuesday has saved the life of Luis, through his presence and his love. A good story to use with third graders and up when discussing topics of war and the longer-lasting effects of war.

Picture books for summer fun

Froodle by Antoinette Portis

A little brown bird decides that she does not want to just say “peep” anymore and so she breaks out into silly words. In spite of the neighboring birds’ attempts to repress her, she sticks to her silliness and recruits the cardinal and the dove to spout silly words. It takes some time, but eventually, even the grouchy black crow comes out with a loud “Wuppy!”

The beginning of this reminded me of Harry Chapin’s Flowers are Red, where the little boy is discouraged from painting flowers “any other way than the way they than they way they always have been seen.” But, it has a happier, more diversity based ending. Hooray for being different!

Emily’s Blue Period by Cathleen Daly, illustrations by Lisa Brown

 

Emily loves Picasso and when her parents separate, she particularly relates to his Blue Period. Emily is a believable young girl and Daly tells a story that is a clever mix of life in a newly split family and facts about Pablo Picasso. I enjoyed both of these story lines and felt that not only was Emily presented realistically, but her mother, father and brother also were presented as caring, genuine individuals.

Edda, a Little Valkyrie’s First Day of School by Adam Auerbach

A magical fantasy about a real world childhood dilemma: starting school. If you have any little ones getting ready to go to school this fall, you might want to check out Edda and her experience in a kindergarten class. While not everything is perfect, she is able to work things out, with a little help from her dragon friend.

Queen on Wednesday by Gabi Swiatkowska

 

When Thelma becomes bored, she decides to make something happen, and that something is to make herself queen. But, she quickly discovers there are more royal duties than she can possibly deal with, so she gives it up, only to become bored once more. A nice circular story with illustrations straight out of the early part of the 1900s. Thelma has a nice round face and ringlets and all the children are dressed in wonderfully old-fashioned clothes. Parents and children will have great fun with this book as they think about the absurdity of Thelma as queen!

Swim, Duck, Swim! By Susan Lurie, Photographs by Murray Head

 

Told with simple language and brilliant photographs, this is the story of a little duckling who does not want to get wet. As he goes through his early days, he refuses to get in the water, in spite of encouragement from mother, father and siblings. While the text exhibits quite a bit of anthropomorphism, the pictures tell the real story is a beautiful fashion. In the end, the duck does swim, perfect for those little ones who are not quite ready for new adventures!

A few non-fiction picture books for summer reading

The Food Parade by Elicia Castaldi

Information imparted in a colorful and interesting way! While not strictly non-fiction, the foods all have faces and march by in a semblance of a parade, the information is true and accurate. Five food groups are presented with a variety of foods representing each group. Each page features a few fun facts about nutrition and the end of the book is a note to parents and caregivers about healthy choices for four to eight year olds. If you are the type that eats nothing with a face, then stay away from this book. All the foods, even a slice of bread, have faces here.

Goal! By Sean Taylor, photographs by Caio Vilela

Just in time for the World Cup, this book works on a myriad of levels. It has photographs of people playing soccer all over the world. (Just wish more than two of the photos featured girls!) It has a large font, short soccer fact on each page, as well as a small font, more complicated fact about soccer in a particular country. For example on the first page, the large font text says, “Where there’s a ball, there will always be someone who wants to play soccer.” Simple text that even very young children could understand. The smaller text inset talks about soccer in Brazil and highlights Pele as one of the greatest soccer player of all time. This makes the book interesting for an intermediate reader, especially one who is interested in soccer.

Anna and Solomon by Elaine Snyder, pictures by Harry Bliss

Ann and Solomon live and marry in a small village in Russia. When the Czar makes life unbearable for the Jewish people, Solomon leaves for America where he works hard and sends money for Anna to join him. Being a kind hearted sister, Anna sends her younger brother instead. Next she sends her older brother and her mother. When, finally, Anna uses the money that Solomon sends for her own passage, he can hardly belief his eyes. A family memoir with simple pictures including several views of the statue of liberty, this would be a great introduction to family trees and interviewing grandparents. Not everyone will have a story of immigration, but all families will have some story worth telling!

Gravity by Jason Chin

Chin draws beautiful pictures of the world and simple pictures of people, combining these with very simple text to explain gravity to young children. For those who have more questions, there are some additional explanations in the back. For any teacher who has difficulty teaching the difference between mass and weight, here’s the book for you!

The Pilot and the Little Prince: The Life of Antoine de Saint-Exupery by Peter Sis

Peter Sis is one of the best children’s book illustrators working today. The drawings in this book could not convey Saint-Exupery’s love of flight any better than they do. The writing is also simple enough for young children to understand, while being sophisticated at the same time. This book is best suited for those children in grades 3-6 who have an interest in flight, or for anyone who has ever read and loved The Little Prince.

Five random picture books

Books May 2014

Dinner with the Highbrows by Kimberly Willis Holt, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker

 

Holt has written other picture books, but I know her better for her middle grade chapter books like Dancing in the Cadillac Light and When Zachary Beaver Came to Town. In this new picture book, Bernard Worrywart is invited to dinner at the home of Gilbert Highbrow. Expecting the Highbrows to live up to their name, Bernard’s mother primes him with table manners for the week prior to the dinner. Imagine Bernard’s surprise at the informal meal he partakes with the Highbrows at a classic Italian restaurant. Brooker’s illustrations do justice to the comical writing, with colorful backgrounds and superb facial expressions. Great light read for those days when you need a transition before lunch or closing of the day.

When the Wind Blew by Allison Jackson, illustrated by Doris Barrette

A cleverly constructed nursery rhyme with a lesson at the end. Using familiar rhyme patterns along with familiar nursery rhymes, Jackson lets the wind take us from rock a bye baby through the old woman in a shoe, Jack be nimble as well as several others. As the wind blows pieces of each nursery rhyme in and out of the story, the old woman follows trying to put all things to rights. Eventually she returns home and discovers that the most precious of all her “things,” her many children, are safe and that’s how she likes it. The penultimate verse expresses the moral of the story: “The woman and children returned to their shoe,/but discovered that they’d learned a lesson or two./From kitten to king, they examined the cost/Of constantly grasping for things that are lost.” So, no more chasing after the wind and the things that it blows. Great book for those children who know all the nursery rhymes. Those who aren’t familiar with these will still laugh at the antics and enjoy the colorful drawings.

Sophie Sleeps Over by Marisabina Russo

Sophie is an anthropomorphized bunny whose best bunny friend is Olive. For Olive’s birthday, she invites Sophie to sleep over and Sophie is “happy from the tops of her ears to the tips of her toes.” The picture that accompanies this line shows Sophie in her bright green dress and orange trim, dancing on one foot, carrying her sleepover pillow case in one hand and the purple paper wrapped gift in the other. Sophie’s face has the sublime smile of a child who knows she is in for a good time. Of course, there are a few predictable bumps in the road. But, all turns out well. Such a sweet story and the illustrations are inspirational. I love Sophie!

Tea with Grandpa by Barney Saltzberg

A little girl with beautiful curls celebrates tea with her grandpa. Told in short verse, with a few large-font words on each page, the reader is not aware that grandpa and his little sweetie are celebrating virtual tea via computer screens. A story for today when so many grandparents live far from the grandchildren. This one will be sent to Rayne, our own sweetie in California! She can read it to us at our next tea party!

What’s Your Favorite Animal by Eric Carle and Friends

Several well-known children’s authors and illustrators have answered this question, resulting in a picture book of multiple styles that includes animals for all tastes. Chris Raschka loves the snail, Nick Bruel does not choose the Kitty, which gets him in predictable trouble, and Lane Smith chooses a pachyderm, one with large tusks and a great smile. If you are helping children to recognize different illustrative styles and author voice, this would be a useful book. Otherwise, I would leave it on the shelf. Of course, the kids might say differently!

Newbery Winners 2014

Newbery Winners 2014

The 2014 Newbery winners were announced in January of this year. This award is given to the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children from the previous year. Since the end of January, I have been attempting to read this year’s winners. Each year, one book is honored as the Newbery book of the year and one or more books are given a Newbery Honor distinction. This year, there were four honor books, which has become a trend over the last several years. Here is my review of four of these five distinguished books.

Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

Flora is a young girl whose parents are separating. Flora is left to live with her mother, who is not the kindest mother on the planet. When Flora discovers a squirrel who can type and write poetry (who she names Ulysses), her father and her neighbors help her to make Ulysses into a superhero. While I love most of DiCamillo’s books (Because of Winn Dixie in particular), I am not a big fan of Flora and Ulysses. The parents are useless and the neighbor lady, while helpful to Flora, is somewhat of a dithering fool. Flora’s age-mate is William Spiver who has a case of hysterical blindness. No one in this story shows great affection for any other character, in fact there is a great deal of angst throughout, until the end, which is all neatly tied up in a bow. Flora’s mother has a change of heart and seems to appreciate Flora, William Spiver can see, and everyone agrees that Ulysses is a superhero.

Honor Books

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes

I loved this book and while it is a very simple story of a normal family, it is well-told, easy to read and deals well with sibling issues. Billy Miller is in second grade, feeling quite grown-up and while he is the main character of the story, this is told from four points of view. Billy gets the first section and his dad, mom and younger sister each get a section. Billy has a terrific teacher and understanding parents. His dad is a stay at home artist and his mom is a high school teacher. The only real problem in his life is his younger sister, but as Billy grows and becomes more understanding of her needs, she also grows and by the end of second grade, the problem is waning. Henkes gets the voice of a young boy perfectly, and he adds to the appeal of the book with simple line drawings. If your 7-9 year old cannot read this early chapter book on his/her own, consider it for a read aloud. Excellent choice!

Paperboy by Vince Vawter

Vawter has written a autobiographical story set in 1959 Alabama. The twelve-year-old boy, whose name is not revealed until nearly the last page, has a severe stutter, but this does not keep him from helping his friend Art with his paper route when Art is gone for the month of July. The summer before he enters Junior High is depicted with great story-telling skills. I hope Vawter plans to write more stories, as he pulled me into this one and made me feel sympathetic to almost all of the characters. As a substitute paperboy, Victor meets several new people, learns some surprising truths from those he already knows and grows into a healthy knowledge of himself. All this in a relatively short novel that is easy to read, but contains great wisdom.

One Came Home by Amy Timberlake

Set in the frontier of Wisconsin in 1871, this is a complex story of sibling relationships, passenger pigeons and a woman’s right to an education. Georgie, the thirteen year old younger sister, is the voice of the story about her search for her older sister who has run away from home and is presumed dead. Given that a body has been produced, dressed in Agatha’s best dress, sewn by her mother, there is little doubt for anyone else that Agatha is dead. But, Georgie must follow the trail, leading to an encounter with a cougar, a sharp-tongued store clerk who turns out to have a heart, and a gang of counterfeiters. While fast-paced and full of action/drama, this story also addresses issues of the day with a fresh look. Spoiler alert: it turns out Agatha has run off to attend college, since her grandfather will not condone an education for a mere girl. When she finally contacts her family, there is great rejoicing! I didn’t love this story at first, but it does grow on you and there is great depth to be plumbed here.

Doll Bones by Holly Black

As I was reading this, I kept thinking, this is one weird book! First there is Zach, a tween boy who likes playing imaginative games with his two best friends, both girls. Because these games involve action figures and dolls, Zach's father is worried and throws out his dolls. Then, Alice and Poppy convince Zach to go on an overnight adventure because the Queen doll, the one they are not allowed to play with at Poppy's house, has appeared to Poppy in a dream and needs the three children to bury her ashes. It gets deeper with some paranormal events, or are they just figments of Zach's imagination? And many psychological permutations: are Zach and Alice experiencing puppy love? Is Poppy jealous of her two best friends, or is she just perennially needy for attention which she does not get at home? Will Zach's father begin to understand Zach's needs as separate from his own? All of these combine to make a good story with a fast moving plot and one that opens many doors to discussion with tweens, including issues of familial love, gender, and how to deal with strangers on the bus!