Books May 2012

Books- May 2012

1. Red mist by Patricia Cornwell

2. The marriage plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

3. Other waters by Eleni N. Gage

4. Night train by Clyde Edgerton

5. My life as a stunt boy by Janet Tashjian

6. Lady killer by Lisa Scottolone (audio book)

7. Patron saint of liars by Anne Patchett

8. Chomp by Carl Hiasson

9. The sleepy hollow family almanac by Kris d'agostino (did not complete)

10. We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver

1.     Any book by Patricia Cornwell is bound to be good. I think I have missed a few along the way, but have read most of the Kay Scarpetta novels. I am not sure how much further she can go with these characters. Too bad she did not make Lucy a more likeable character from the beginning, because it might be possible to do a spin-off if that were the case.

2.     This was for the Hamilton Library book club. It took a long time to get into it and the characters were not very likable. No one else finished the book; I guess it was too literary for us.

3.     I thought I would love this book. It was written in the first person about a young Indian-American woman dealing with the pressures of her job, family and relationships. But, I never quite got into it. Maybe because the author was not Indian, something was a little off.

4.     Back in my North Carolina days, I read Clyde Edgerton with a wide smile on my face. And this did make me laugh. But, I had trouble following the multiple characters. Some subtle (and not so subtle) digs at racism and some tongue in cheek. Just not at the top of my list.

5.     A sequel to My Life as a Book. Still a cute concept, but this book was not as good as the first one.

6.     I love to listen to Scottolone’s books. Not sure if they would work as well for me in print form, but for now, I’ll keep a lookout for these audio books at the library.

7.     My sister recommended more Anne Patchett and I did enjoy this. Some questions for Katie: when she married for the second time, why did Rose go through with it since she said she was destined to be married to a man she did not love? Why not just go back to the first man she did not love, since he was at least the father of the baby? Let’s talk!

8.     A book for kids about wild animals, reality TV and parents who beat their children, all done with a touch of light humor and realistic narration. Quick read.

9.     Could not get into this one. I read about the first 70 pages or so and then had to give it up. Did not like the style, tone or the characters.

10. This was a hard read. A mother is writing letters to her husband after their child murdered 9 people in the school gymnasium. Should she blame herself as the community did? Deep and disturbing, but worth the read?

Picture books May 2012

Picture book reviews

I have listed these in the order of my preference. However, I know that others may be drawn to books that I did not particularly care for, so check them all out. 

 

Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Each two page spread is illustrated with a different shade of green, lime green, slow green, glow green, juxtaposed in a way to make a rhyme. The pictures are richly painted with deep textures, designed to hold the attention of even the youngest reader. In addition, each page has a small cutout, cleverly showing a color from the next or previous page. Thoughtful and evocative. This one goes on the grandson’s shelf.

Piggy Bunny by Rachel Vail, illustrated by Jeremy Tankard

Liam is a little piglet who wants to be an Easter Bunny. His siblings ridicule him and his parents do their best to discourage him. But, his grandparents get with the program and order him a bunny suit over the internet. Go grandparents! You rock!

Another Brother

by Matthew Cordell

Little Davy, a cartoonish sheep, gets to be an only child (lamb) for four years, then a succession of 12 brothers are born. The twelve younger brothers want nothing more than to imitate everything Davy does to his immense annoyance. Until they stop, and that is annoying, too. Davy is surprised in the end by a sister who continues the tradition of imitating her older brother. A nice book for siblings, even if you don’t have 14 children!

And then it’s spring by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead

A softly told and softly illustrated book about a little boy who plants seeds, and waits for them to sprout. The brown earth holds them in for several weeks and the wild animals do not heed the signs that say, “Do not stomp here.” But, in the end, spring prevails and green overtakes the brown.

Bird Talk: What Birds are Saying and Why by Lita Judge

A Beautifully illustrated book about bird songs, dances and mating behaviors. While not exactly the right book for story hour, this is a fascinating resource for children in the primary grades who want to know more about birds.

Kate and Pippin: An Unlikely Love Story by Martin Springett, Photographs by Isobel Springett

Pippin is a female fawn, found in the forest, by Isobel Springett. When Isobel puts Pippin next to Kate, a Great Dane, the two develop a special relationship. Although Pippin is fed and cared for on the farm, she does return to the wild. But, her friendship with Kate does not end and she periodically comes by to visit Kate, her surrogate mother.

Forever Young by Bob Dylan, illustrated by Paul Rogers

The classic Dylan song illustrated mostly with pictures of young men. Cleverly done and makes a good read, especially for those of us who grew up in the 60s. However, the illustrations may be too focused on males and not enough on females, who also can “build a ladder to the stars and climb every rung, … grow up to be righteous and grow up to be true.”

Leo Geo by Jon Chad

Leo Geo sets out to explore the inner workings of the earth, traveling from the surface in Argentina and ending on the other side of the earth in Taipei. While Leo spouts scientific facts throughout the cleverly designed, black and white cartoon style book, there are unacknowledged inconsistencies. Like, how can Leo survive the high temperature at the center of the earth, and why does he sometimes give the temperature in Celsius and sometimes in Fahrenheit? Unless you are a true science aficionado, you will find this book somewhat tedious.

Cool City by Sean Kenney

Sean Kenney is, according to the book flap, a “LEGO certified professional.” His city is pretty cool, and comes with some diagrams, building tips and a website where you can “order some extra LEGO pieces.”

Picture Book of the Month

Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Each two page spread is illustrated with a different shade of green, lime green, slow green, glow green, juxtaposed in a way to make a rhyme. The pictures are richly painted with deep textures, designed to hold the attention of even the youngest reader. In addition, each page has a small cutout, cleverly showing a color from the next or previous page. Thoughtful and evocative. This one goes on the grandson’s shelf.

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.