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Greenberg, Jan and Sandra Jordan. 2013. The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius. New York: Roaring Brook.

This book, recognized as a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book, one of 2013's most distinguished informational books, is a photo-filled biography of George E. Ohr, a master of art pottery. A colorful character and far cry from the reticent or taciturn artist stereotype, Ohr was a self-proclaimed,
 "rankey krankey solid individualist," the "Greatest Art Potter on Earth," and "born free and patriotic, blowing my own bugle."

Sadly, his bravado did not serve him well in his lifetime, as one fan wrote,

"Mr. Ohr is by no means a crank, but is a naturally bright, even brilliant man, who has been led into the belief that the way for him to attain publicity is through the channel of preposterous advertising, and the signs which he placed round Biloxi do him more harm than good."

BOOK OF THE DAY-June

Plan in advance for father’s day! The month of June is dedicated to books for dads and boys…don’t worry, a few dads & daughter books thrown in too! Good list for reluctant readers as well as summer vacation. Enjoy!

BOOK OF THE DAY-February

No need to wait until the end of February for the complete list. Here it is–plan ahead! Click on the link above, and also follows us on Facebook at Litland Reviews http://facebook.com/Litlandreviews

BOOK OF THE DAY-January

Here it is! The book of the day challenge, to recommend a new book or related media every day in 2012. January is complete, and attached for handy download–just click on the above link. February is on the way! “Friend” Litland Reviews on Facebook to see daily recommendations as they post. http://facebook.com/Litlandreviews

Just how big is Rick Riordan in the publishing world?  Well, he doesn't have a mere web page, he has a world, The Online World of Rick Riordan.  And he needs an online world to contain all of his projects!

I've been meaning to share a few things about Rick Riordan since attending the American Library Association conference this summer. I am so impressed with Rick Riordan's commitment to his craft, his boundless imagination, his friendly personality, his circle of talented colleagues,  and most of all, his ever-increasing appeal to readers.  Like Midas, whatever he touches turns to gold.


Did you know that The Lightning Thief and subsequent books in the series are being released in graphic novel format?  I might have passed on this news, had I not attended a session in New Orleans that featured Rick Riordan in a panel discussion with his colleagues.  One of the panel members was Robert Venditti, who wrote the adaptation for the graphic novel.

Robert Venditti signing books @ ALA in NO

Don’t you dare come between this reader and his book.

Here’s Peter Lerangis, author of many fine books: Smiler’s Bones, wtf, Spy X: The Code, and two titles from the “39 Clues” series: The Sword Thief and The Viper’s Nest.

After something of a dry spell in October, I have reverted to my normal state of maniacal reading.


A THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE, by Marlena de Blasi. Adult memoir. Improbable romance: an Italian stranger asks an American woman to marry him, almost on sight, so she up and leaves St. Louis to go live in Venice.


THE GIRL OF HIS DREAMS, by Donna Leon. Adult mystery. Guido Brunetti at it again. A little disappointing this one, because the villain comes out of nowhere.


WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED, by Judy Blundell. YA, this year's National Book Award winner! Terrific depiction of setting (Florida post WWII) and wonderful characterization--every person in the story believable. If you like noir films...


THE 39 CLUES, by Rick Riordan. MG action/adventure. Siblings Dan and Amy race other teams in a hunt for clues per their beloved grandmother's will. The Amazing Race/Survivor meet The Westing Game/Benedict Society? Game cards and a website go with the book.


YOUNG CORNROWS CALLING OUT THE MOON, by Ruth Forman, illustrated by Cbabi Bayoc. Picture book. I heard the author read this text at the ALA Poetry Blast in Anaheim and was *blown away* by the vividness of the imagery--vivid but still gentle somehow--and her mesmerizing voice. The illustrations are interesting...'fun' rather than 'lyrical', not what I expected after hearing the text read. But I can't wait to read more by this author!


THE LAST ENEMY, by Grace Brophy. Adult mystery. A new series (yay!) with only two books so far (boo...). Commissario Alessandro Cenni in Assisi and Perugia, investigating the death of an American.




IMPOSSIBLE, by Nancy Werlin. YA. A contemporary fairy tale and faery tale. Lucy tries to break a generations-strong curse. WOW, what a read!


THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins. Upper MG/YA, dystopic. Survivor meets Gladiator? I found this book ingenious and utterly compelling, but at the same time, I was bothered by the violence: People die in this story as easily and thoughtlessly as they do in video games or action movies. Twenty of them, only one of whom is developed to the point where the reader cares about them (bad grammar to avoid spoiler). I did a quick perusal of other reviews and nobody else seems disturbed by this in the same way...so I guess it's one of those 'just me' thangs. Maybe this is the point? that a book can function like a video game, and that readers can respond likewise? I'm a dinosaur--I still have different expectations when I read than when I play video games (which I do, on occasion) or watch movies, but perhaps young readers these days respond differently?


FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES, by Donna Leon. Adult mystery. Guido Brunetti again. Liked this one better than GIRL (above), because at least you get a hint of the villain early on, but s/he still makes an entrance pretty late in the game. It's gotta be tough, plotting mysteries...I know, but I still feel a little cheated when I can't guess along with Brunetti.




TAMAR, by Mal Peet. YA. Parallel stories: the Dutch resistance fighters during WWII, and the granddaughter of one of them forty years later. The war story: passion, intrigue, and betrayal; the granddaughter's story, mystery and first love. Sound good? You betcha. Another WOW.


Favorite reads this month: IMPOSSIBLE and TAMAR.

I ought to write up a report on my visit to Mildred Strang Middle School in Yorktown Heights, which was terrific, and NCTE, fabulous, and Thanksgiving, also fabulous. A few of many highlights: all the sixth-graders I met at Strang; Rene Saldana, Terry Trueman, Margo Rabb, Ruth Forman, Susan Patron, tasting menu at Le Reve, Nancy Werlin, Betsy Partridge, Tanya Stone, Clarion's dinner at Biga on the Banks with professor Alexa Sandman, margaritas at Acenar, the NCTE Notables session; cornbread-sausage-jalapeno stuffing, pecan-chocolate chip pie, great gravy. :-)

Hope you all had a good holiday weekend! And by the way, Happy Birthday to my mom!

(Bill at LITERATE LIVES and I are doing SYNCHRONIZED POSTS--reviewing the 39 CLUES-so check out his review too!)

This week is our Scholastic Book Fair. The fair is filled with great books and I'll be sharing some of the ones I discover this week. One of the big new titles by Scholastic is THE MAZE OF BONES. This is the first in THE 39 Clues series which is an interesting series.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the book, it is not only a book. Scholastic seems to be trying something new. Readers can read the books, visit the website to play games and win real prizes, and collect trading cards with even more clues. This book is the first in a series of 10, each by a different well-known author. Each will continue with the story and a new book will be released every 3-5 months until the last one is released in 2010. Rick Riordan is the primary author--from what I've read, he authored the first book and then created the basics for the rest of the plot. I think the fact that there are great authors like Riordan involved, gives this series a great deal of credit in terms of quality.

I have admitted before and I'll admit again that I never read the Harry Potter series. I tried the first one several times and just never got into it. I know I am missing something good and I missed being part of all of the "stuff" around the books. I hated not being part of the "club" of people who had read Harry Potter. So, when I started to hear about The 39 Clues--which has a HUGE marketing agenda--I decided I wanted to at least be part of the conversations. I decided that, as a school librarian, this was a book I needed to read quickly and know about. So, I read it this week and I must say, I really liked it. I have no idea what the children's book reviewers are saying about it. But, I read it thinking through how it might be perceived by children. I don't know if it will meet the expectations that Scholastic has for it, but I definitely think it is worth buying for school libraries and upper elementary classrooms.

The story is set up early in the first book. Grace Cahill, grandmother to Dan and Amy Cahill dies and leaves a will. Relatives have a choice: Take one million dollars or receive the first clue in a mystery that could be important to the world. The race begins between Dan and Amy Cahill and the other relatives who decide to take the clue.

This is a fun mystery and it is being compared to lots of books. For me, it was part Series of Unfortunate Events (2 orphans always on the run from relatives they can't trust), Spy Kids (cool spy tools and lots of sibling fun), and From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, my favorite book from childhood. Amy and Dan Cahill reminded me a bit of Claudia and Jamie. Claudia--the smart, organized "big sister" and Jamie, the clever, "little brother" who has his own unique talents. Many people are also saying it is a kids' version of THE DAVINCI CODE minus the religion. I can see that comparison too.

Here is what I liked:
It has a great plot--easy to stick with
The characters are likable and believable
It is a true mystery--there are codes, tombstones, good guys and bad guys
There are lots of connections to history and lots of new facts about historical figures
There are codes and fun things to figure out throughout--if you read the book, you'll notice little things that don't seem right and you'll realize they probably serve as some clue that you'll learn about later.
The cards are quite fun--more codes and some "fictional primary source documents". For example, my stack of cards included a report card and a guest list with cabin numbers from the Titanic.

This book is made of all things kids love. I can see it as a huge hook for boys and girls alike. I am already looking forward to the next book, due out in December.

There is a lot of talk about what has happened to children's book publishing--that this series was planned by marketers rather than by authors. I am not sure how I feel about that. And I am not sure if it matters if the product works. I see what Scholastic is trying to do--hit kids where they are. Tie in trading cards, websites, games, and more with a book. Clearly, the books are key and Scholastic is getting great authors to write the series. I think that speaks volumes. I think the test will be whether kids like it or not. I am ready with ears open to hear what students at my school say about the book. My hunch is that it is going to be a big deal. I can see it hooking lots of readers. And chances are, if they fall in love with this series, they will read others by Riordan and others.


(It looks like Steven Spielberg is already working on the movie.)

Other reviews:
Bookgasm
Becky's Book Reviews
Nerd World
Boys Rule Boys Read!
SMS Guys Read

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