A week ago today, I joined Catherine Murdock and Rita Williams-Garcia at the Philadelphia Book Festival—sat in the cold air before these brave folks and talked books and book making while the wind blew. "Zumba for everyone," Rita signed my copy of
One Crazy Summer, as I headed home. A little joke that had crept up between us.
Today I read that signed book through, smiling bigly and longly, thinking with each page, and then with the next one,
I have another perfect book to recommend. I love when that happens. I love adding a new title to my short list of books that I think everyone should read. The books on my short list transcend categories because they are so well made, because they are wisdom and they are poetry and they are heart, because they are meaningful story. Tween novel? Teen novel? Adult novel? Does it matter? I don't think it does, when the writing is this good.
One Crazy Summer tells the tale of three sisters who visit their long-ago-left-them mother in Oakland, CA. Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern have made their trip from Brooklyn in a plane that does some wary warring with the clouds. They've arrived to find a woman who hardly makes a show of knowing them. They're sent to a camp sponsored by the Black Panthers. They watch their mother (who has changed her name to something nearly unspellable) ink a press and roll out poems in a kitchen never used for cooking. Delphine, only eleven, has to see her sisters through. She has to understand just what this Black Panther business is. She has to be older than she is, or does she? Can she hold onto eleven?
My friend Susan Straight named her daughter Delphine, and so I smiled extra wide when I read these words in
Summer. Delphine is our narrator. This is what she has to say about names:
A name is important. It isn't something you drop in the litter basket or on the ground. Your name is how people know you. The very mention of your name makes a picture spring to mind, whether it's a picture of clashing fists or a mighty mountain that can't be knocked down. Your name is who you are and how you're known even when you do something great or something dumb.
(Thank you, Kathye, for the photo.)
This blog has a singular purpose: To thank Kathye Fetsko Petrie, who is one of the greatest friends books (or a friend) could have, for taking my hot red Sony in the midst of this Philadelphia Book Festival moment and snapping this photo of Rita Williams-Garcia, yours truly, and Catherine Murdock. Kathye undertook the endeavor at physical risk to herself (I didn't realize the stage was quite so high or inconvenient when I asked her if she might do it) and, well, I don't know: I just wanted to say thank you.
Kathye, next photo's on me.
It's time again for my monthly Mini-Reviews feature. If you haven't checked out one of these posts before, my main reason for doing them is simply because I read too many books during the month to write out full, long reviews about each one of them. Mini-reviews consist of books that have already gotten a lot of press and don't necessarily need my thoughts to boost sales, books that I didn't really enjoy, or books that I just didn't have a whole lot to say about, whether good or bad.
Ok, that being said, on to the short-but-sweet thoughts on these titles:
The Off Season by Catherine Murdock is one I listened to via audiobook on my way to New York earlier in October. Loved Dairy Queen and I'm going to be reading the third in the series, Front and Center for the Cybils later this month.
The book was wonderful, read by Natalie Moore, who was just ok. She did a great job at getting the hint of a Wisconsin accent I expected from D.J., but she also made her sound about 12. Engaging story line and the awesome characterization Murdock has become known for.
Definitely recommended to those that read Dairy Queen (and if you haven't, go get it!).
The Off Season
Catherine Murdock
Audiobook read by Natalie Moore
Listening Library (book from Houghton Mifflin)
9780739350539
May 2007
Book provided by the local library :)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by the fabulous Jeff Kinney, was wonderful, as expected. Who couldn't love the Wimpy Kid books? Funny, crazy, and always delightful, with a main character you just want to squeeze (or sometimes smack).
In this one, it's summer-time and Greg is, once again, getting himself into lots of trouble. Not much different than the other books in the series, but Kinney's writing is anything but boring and repetive.
Hand this to a reluctant reader or to someone who things books with drawings are just for little kids. Loving these books :)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
Jeff Kinney
224 pages
Middle Grade Fiction
Amulet Books
9780810983915
October 2009
Review copy provided by publisher
Annie Glover is NOT a Tree Lover, written by Darlene Bai
I love New York City in small doses. 48 hours this weekend was just enough time for a taste of city before we headed home to Lake Champlain. I checked out the Museum of the American Indian to do some research for my new MG historical. It's a lovely museum, but I was disappointed that only a few galleries were open because of renovations.
We saw JERSEY BOYS (loved it) and XANADU (loved it in a different, fun, silly kind of way). The kids made pilgrimages to the American Girl and Toys R Us stores, and I made a small pilgrimage of my own:
This is the NY Public Library's Donnell Central Branch, home of Children's Literature Blogger-Goddess Elizabeth Bird, better known as Fuse #8. I read her blog religiously and wanted to stop by on the off-chance she might be working a Saturday. (Forgot about ALA, though!) That's okay, because we got a chance to visit some other important friends who live at the Donnell Central Children's Room...
These are the original stuffed animals that A.A. Milne gave Christopher Robin Milne -- the REAL Pooh, Eeyore, Kanga, Piglet, and Tigger. They look so loved, don't they?
It was a great city weekend, but with a high of 95 degrees today, I'm so happy to be back on the lake today. Heading off to the deck now with my raspberry-chocolate coffee and Catherine Murdock's DAIRY QUEEN. Life is good.
Yeah Kathye! She is a trooper - great photo too.
Wish I could have gotten to the book festival, from all reports it was a great day.
I need get my priorities in place -- I worked a bit on Sunday and we really should have gone to Philly.