Picture Books for Halloween

978-006-211-3689

 

While I absolutely loved Grogan's original novel, I have felt so-so about the picture book series. The things that happen in the stories are just as funny as those in the novel, but they are just too wordy and stiff for preschoolers. In this one, Marley's family is trying to host a Halloween party, with Marley 'helping' along the way. I would use it as a one-on-one read-aloud, when you have plenty of time to just talk about the pictures and what Marley is doing, in between reading the text.

 

978-006-197-8630

 

Lift-the-flap books are usually popular with the younger set, but this was a bit disappointing. Rather than the inside of each flap answering a question or in some way relating to the outside, the publishers just seem to have taken a regular picture book and alternated the pages that way. I think it would have worked better as a plain old picture book, as the story is still cute. Seymour disappears into a haunted house, and Splat and Spike must go in and find him. Again, I think this would work best as a one-on-one.

 

978-006-223-7064

 

Here's one I can recommend! C., in second grade now, has recently discovered seek-and-find books, so this one was right up his alley. The second in a series by Bruce Hale and Dave Garbot, the illustrations are not quite as tiny and detailed as Where's Waldo or Marzollo's I Spy books, but still busy enough to keep him searching for a bit. In the Seek and Solve series, readers are given pictures of suspects for some sort of crime, and follow a detective-type character as he searched for clues. These are summed up on a final page before the answer is revealed. A great start for those who might be frustrated by the other series we mentioned.

 

978-006-135-1860

 

Saving the best for last, this title by Marjorie Daniels Murray will be working its way into our read-aloud list. Silly and just a little bit creepy, an easy cadence loosely following the pattern of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Brandon Dorman's illustrations are wonderful, managing to be both colorful and dark atthe same time. Kids will enjoy picking out all the gory details (my favorite is the happy little rat peeking out of the soup du jour.)

 

Thank-you to HarperCollins for these Halloween treats!

Teen Cafe: Cupcake Decorating Contest

Just a few pictures from last week's Teen Cafe. We've seen quite a population drop recently, just seven kids this week, but where there is food, there is fun! I made a few dozen chocolate and white cupcakes (making the library smell wonderful and driving everyone crazy in the process), and set them out with frosting, food coloring, and a bajillion possible candy/cookie toppings. Do not send the pregnant lady shopping for food. The only guidelines I gave were to share supplies, and this is what they came up with:

 

Love the owl! The red is spillover from the gummy child massacre.

 

Dr. Seuss meets Neil Gaiman. In a sea of sludge.

 

Another cute owl!

 

Bright colors!

 

 

The Art Deco collection.

 

A River Runs Through It (YOU try writing words with sprinkles!)

 

Eat a Rainbow

 

Pippi Longstocking...with fangs?

 

And, the winners (as judged by the group):

 

 

Cute and colorful!

 

With apologies to the parents of all those who ate their creations on the way home...



Review: The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech

978-006-189-2356

 

BWAAAAHHHHHHHH! Sniffle. Sob. Choke. Sniffle.

 

Okay, now that I (sniff) have that out of the way...

 

When a young couple finds a boy asleep on their porch, their lives take a surprising turn. Unable to speak, the boy Jacob can't explain his history. All John and Marta know is that they have been chosen to care for him.

And, as their connection and friendship with Jacob grow, they embrace his exuberant spirit and talents. The three of them blossom into an unlikely family and begin to see the world in brand-new ways.

 

I received a review copy of this book yesterday, said, "Ooh, Sharon Creech", and read the jacket cover. My next words were, "Okay, I'm gonna cry at this one." And I put it on the top of my TBR pile.

 

Then I read the publisher's insert, which gave away the ending (Really, people? Really???) But, this being Sharon Creech, it didn't matter that I knew exACTly what was coming, I still bawled at the end. In a good way, of course.

 

The fact that I was a foster parent for many years and still miss all my babies no doubt factored into a tear or two, but you would have to be pretty hard-hearted not to be warmed by this simple story of love and family and just being there for someone who needs you.

 

It's a quick read, with short chapters - if I was still teaching, I might choose to read to my class, bit by bit. Even at 3-4 pages apiece, I found statements or conversations in each chapter that I was reading aloud to someone near me, or which would have made great discussion/journal starters. This should have an appeal for a wide age range, both genders, any socioeconomic background. Just be warned, if you are an adult reading it, that you may want to have the number for the local CYFD on hand.

 

*Side note - I just went and looked at some other reviews, which I don't do until I have finished writing mine. I got a good chuckle out of School Library Journal "warning" readers that this book is a departure from Creech's usual themes, much like Unfinished Angel. Since I happen to think Unfinished Angel is her best book until now, I'm not sure that the word "warning" is apt. To each his own!

New Picture Books

I had to take a break from cataloging to bring attention to a few of our newer titles:

 

978-080-278-6913

 

The day after Friday is "Dadurday", when Mimi and her father do all sorts of fun things together. As I began reading, I thought about what a neat, special idea that is, but couldn't help also thinking it would be hard to keep up forever - life just has a tendency to get in the way. Well, lo and behold, a few pages in, that's exactly what happens to Mimi and her father. Mimi's feelings - as well as Dad's - when things fall through are addressed realistically, with a nice, happy conclusion.

 

978-006-220-3090

 

Illustrated in the style of an old silent movies, a wily fox talks a beautiful young duck into going for a walk in the woods with him. The little ones watching try to shout out warnings, but...expect a typical Mo Willems ending! (i.e. awesomely hysterical)

 

978-080-509-4749

 

Michael loves interesting words (hard words like ELASTIC, little words like VAST, and big words like SMITHEREENS) and is always on the lookout for words to collect. Then one day, he picks up a new word. A bad word. An inappropriate word. At least, that’s what his friend says. But Michael kind of likes the word. He thinks he might try it out.

At school.

Bad idea.

 

Do I really need to say more? Except, thank goodness for teachers with some common sense!

 

All three of these are available at the library - or in book stores - now.



Nonfiction Monday: Apache History and Culture, by Helen Dwyer and D.L. Birchfield

It is getting to be about that time when teachers start assigning reports/projects concerning Native Americans. I have been pleased to see the trend moving towards assigning individual nations and recognizing that they are all different, rather than the all-Indians-wear-feathers-in-their-hair-and-live-in-tipis lessons I had in school. Because they are all so different, however, it can be hard to find a series that does justice to each one.

So far, I have been happy with the quality and integrity of this series from Gareth Stevens:

978-143-396-6613

I usually jump right to the Apache edition of any series, because that is the nation I am most familiar with. I have not a speck of Native American ancestry myself, but I live close to the Mescalero reservation, have many friends there, and most importantly, C. is Mescalero - so, I take it a bit personally when people mess things up!

There are several different groups of Apaches, and most books make mention of each. This is the first, however, that I have seen make mention of the mescal plant, which is where the Mescalero name comes from. Automatic bonus points! It also mentions the Inn of the Mountain Gods, an important part of the Mescalero economy, although not by name.

In fact, each edition does a reasonably good job of bringing forth current issues, artists, etc., although they are still weighted towards the historical culture of each nation. One complaint I have, which seems to be true in other editions, is that even photographs of the people today tend to show them in ceremonial dress.

Reading level seems to be around 7th grade, but text is broken up nicely with sidebars and boxes, as well as some beautiful pictures. There are more details of each nation's history than I have seen elsewhere, but I didn't find it too 'wordy'. The Apache edition also included a traditional story, which I know I would have appreciated when I was teaching.

Based on what I have seen so far, I would highly recommend this series for upper elementary/middle school/high school libraries, especially if you can only afford one such set for your collection and are looking for something that can fit multiple needs.

 

 



Review: Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson

Well, now, this stinks.

 

978-006-219-4343

 

No, not the book. The book I loved! What stinks is that I just spent two weeks shifting and weeding the juvenile fiction, making a list of all the series we have (there are over 400), then making a spreadsheet for each one, including reading level for every single title, and making order cards for any we don't have. I just finished.

 

And now there's a new series, The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates, that we absolutely must have.

 

"Hilary Westfield has always dreamed of being a pirate. She can tread water for thirty-seven minutes. She can tie a knot faster than a fleet of sailors, and she already owns a rather pointy sword.

There's only one problem: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates refuses to let any girl join their ranks of scourges and scallywags.

But Hilary is not the kind of girl to take no for answer. To escape a life of petticoats and politeness at her stuffy finishing school, Hilary sets out in search of her own seaworthy adventure, where she gets swept up in a madcap quest involving a map without an X, a magical treasure that likely doesn't exist, a talking gargoyle, a crew of misfit scallywags, and the most treacherous—and unexpected—villain on the High Seas."

 

I knew I was going to love the book by page 3, when I read: "...her father would kiss her on the forehead and say, 'Run along and be a good little girl.' Hilary intended to be a great many things, and a good little girl was not one of them..."

 

Nobody in this book is exactly who they are supposed to be, but everyone is exactly who they need to be to make it a thoroughly enjoyable tale. Perfectly suitable for elementary school, an easy fit for middle school, and I predict secretly enjoyed by high schoolers. Pirate stories are always a hit, and after reading this I now think every good pirate ship should include a talking gargoyle and...a governess? Why not! A promising start to...sigh...another series I am about to become addicted to.



Review: It's About Stinkin' Time!

Have you ever noticed that it's when you are super busy and don't have much time to read, that long-awaited books finally come in? I have three I am dying to read, two of which are sitting on my desk right this second, and absolutely zero time to get to them.

 

The first is a long-awaited sequel to this book:

 

 

It came out FOUR YEARS AGO, and I read it and loved it and immediately wanted to know what happened to the survivors afterward. "Immediately" finally became this month:

 

978-031-265-0117

 

I won't include a description in case you haven't read the first (which you should go do right now), but the jacket and teasers I have seen definitely have my attention.

 

The next two I want to read because of the author:

 

978-037-586-3424

 

Avasthi's first book, Split, came out in 2010, when I happened to be a judge on the Young Adult Fiction panel for the Cybils Award. Out of all the books submitted, Split came out on top. It won numerous other accolades, and you would think the author would follow it up with something new within the next year...but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, she has to TEASE us for three years. This looks to be well worth the wait, including a great storyline AND parts in graphic novel form. I will probably forgive her:)

 

The last comes out tomorrow, so I don't have it in hand yet:

 

978-054-794-2087

 

Sixteen-year-old Sarah Meadows longs for "normal." Born with a port wine stain covering half her face, all her life she’s been plagued by stares, giggles, bullying, and disgust. But when she’s abducted on the way home from school, Sarah is forced to uncover the courage she never knew she had, become a hero rather than a victim, and learn to look beyond her face to find the beauty and strength she has inside. It’s that—or succumb to a killer.

 

I've read the first chapter online, just enough to whet the appetite. Rainfield is the author of Hunted, and Scars, which has been very popular here. She is also an absolute sweetheart! It has been ordered, so I will at least be able to stare longingly at it soon.

 

The first two are ready to be checked out here at the library - unless it is my lunch hour, and I am hidden in the back with one of them!