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THE BERLIN BOXING CLUB, by award-winning author Robert Sharenow (My Mother the Cheerleader), has been given THREE STARRED REVIEWS!  Here is what everyone is raving about:

“Sharenow delivers a masterful historical novel that examines racism through the eyes of both children and real historical figures.” ~ Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A story with well-drawn, complex characters, gripping history, and intense emotion.” ~ School Library Journal (starred review)

“Readers will be drawn by the sports detail and by the close-up narrative of the daily oppression.” ~ Kirkus (starred review)

Robert Sharenow’s editor, the fabulous Kristin Rens, recently shared with us what it is about the story and Robert’s writing that drew her to the story when she first read it:

It’s hard to talk about just one thing that struck me about BERLIN BOXING CLUB, because when I read the first draft I was struck by something new on almost every page: there’s Rob’s writing, which is eloquent and moving; there’s the way he beautifully marries the political and social upheaval happening around Karl with the life-altering events that take place in his own family; and there’s Karl’s quest to find his own unique talents through boxing and art—a quest to which any teen can relate. Most of all, though, I was struck by the fact that Rob was writing about this place and time from a point of view that I hadn’t seen before: that of a teen boy whose heritage is Jewish, but because his parents haven’t raised him in the Jewish faith, he doesn’t consider himself Jewish. In fact, at the beginning of the story he identifies more with boys in the Hitler Youth than he does with his Jewish classmates. And his struggle to understand why he’s being bullied for a faith that he doesn’t really embrace as his own is absolutely heartrending.

Pick up THE BERLIN BOXING CLUB to see what the buzz is all about!  And check out the following links for more info:

• Robert Sharenow’s website, which includes a discussion guide, tips for writing historical fiction, and more.
• Ms. Yingling Reads’ review
• A wonderful review from Huntington News
• THE BERLIN BOXING CLUB is a Junior Library Guild pick!

Bitter Waters: America's Forgotten Mission to the Dead Sea (starred review)
David Haward Bain (Author)
Booklist
Aug 2011. 384 p. Overlook, hardcover, $30.00. (9781590203521)

The 1840s were a decade of global exploration for the U.S. Navy, whose officers charted the seven seas, plus the Dead Sea. Strangely true, a naval expedition to the Holy Land in 1848 is the tale Bain tells. The idea for it germinated in the mind of Lieutenant William Lynch, who nurtured unrealized ambitions for command, a fascination with travel literature, and aspirations to the writing life. His mission approved, out he went, launching his crew in two rowboats onto the Sea of Galilee and thence down the River Jordan into the Dead Sea. Transported by Roman ruins, Crusader battlements, reputed sites of Jesus’ ministry, and remnants of God’s wrath against Sodom and Gomorrah, Lynch in his journals and published account exulted in the region’s religious nimbus as much as in applying his men to their ostensible cartographic
purpose.
Integrating those aspects of the adventure and Lynch’s wary relations with Bedouin tribes, Bain produces an engrossing narrative of the expedition that richly positions the mission’s incidents within Lynch’s Western perspective on the Near East. Wonderfully realized, Bain’s account will enthrall seekers of history off the beaten path.

Don’t listen to us gab about the newest picture book from Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace…check out the three starred reviews for THIS PLUS THAT!

“Teachers could use the book, perhaps paired with Betsy Franco’s picture book Mathematickles! (2003), to introduce math equations or to inspire students to create their own verbal equations. But first, just read this unusual book aloud and let it work its magic.” ~ Booklist (starred review)

“Clever premise + artful execution = sure winner.” ~ Kirkus (starred review)

“Corace’s tidy figures echo with prim grace the gentle theme of the book, that life can be parsed into the simplest terms that recombine to create something joyous.” ~ Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

Check out the adorable book trailer:

And check out these other great reviews:
A Year of Reading
Literacy and Laughter (look how she used it in the classroom!)
The BK Club (the Children’s Room at Memorial Hall Library)

Who knew that a perfect square could be transformed into so many things?  In his stunning follow-up to last year’s MY HEART IS LIKE A ZOO, Michael Hall creates rivers, mountains, and parks out of a single square of paper.  The storytime possibilities are limitless: give kids a square of paper and scissors and see what they can create.  So often as a librarian, I would create elaborate artwork for the kids to do during storytime but, sometimes, all you need is a single piece of paper.

What’s buzzy about PERFECT SQUARE?  It has received FOUR STARRED REVIEWS!  Here’s what they’re saying:

“A smart lesson in thinking outside the box (or the square).” ~ Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Memorable for reading aloud and terrific for inspiring creative play with the simplest materials.”  ~ Booklist (starred review)

“As its week progresses, the narrative turn of events in the square’s world encourages page-turning to discover the results. What will the square do next? This is a not-to-be-missed adventure for all young readers.” ~ School Library Journal (starred review)

“Young readers will absorb the visual lessons effortlessly and with delight.”  ~ Kirkus (starred review)

Here are some more wonderful links for you:

• Betsy Bird’s review of PERFECT SQUARE at Fuse #8
• Michael Hall visits the Greenwillow offices
• Michael Hall shares an amusing story about the creative process
• It was chosen as one of “Richie’s Picks“

PERFECT SQUARE (ISBN 9780061915130) is available now.

Next month, we're excited to introduce WHO SHOT THE WATER BUFFALO, the debut novel from Ken Babbs. Tom Wolfe is a fan, and so is Booklist--this week has been extra-exciting on the Water Buffalo front! Check out what they've got to say.

"Former U.S. Marine Captain Ken Babbs was a pilot who climbed from the SAMissile-killing skies over Vietnam to the LSDippy hippie highs of Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters ... and lived. I know, because I saw him afterward. This book is Babbs, Part One." -Tom Wolfe


BOOKLIST
Issue: March 15, 2011
Who Shot the Water Buffalo?
Babbs, Ken (Author)
Mar 2011. 320 p. Overlook, hardcover, $25.95. (9781590204443).

Babbs sings us an ode to a marine helicopter squadron serving in Vietnam prior to the outbreak of war, when the U.S. was acting as an “advisor.” With pop-cultural quotes and allusions liberally sprinkled amid staccato prose, this first novel may feel to some a cross between Joseph Heller and Hunter S. Thompson.

Part buddy movie, part simple observation, and part existential musing, the novel lets readers see and feel the world it creates as it follows Texan Tom Huckelbee and Ohioan Mike Cochran from flight school through their time in Vietnam. Huckelbee strives to remain sane through Cochran’s unpredictable actions, a grinding schedule of sorties, R and R breaks, base politics, and the loss of flight-school friends. The strain of their circumstances builds to the final, most dangerous mission they fly. Babbs, a U.S. Marine whose service included piloting helicopters in Vietnam, brings eyewitness truth to the table as he pays homage to his fellow marines while showing how valor and duty can be embodied quite differently among one company of men.
— Arlen Bensen

The school and library world is a-buzzing with accolades for Thanhha Lai’s debut novel INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN!  Check out these reviews…and the shiny stars that accompany them:

“In her not-too-be-missed debut, Lai evokes a distinct time and place and presents a complex, realistic heroine whom readers will recognize, even if they haven’t found themselves in a strange new country.” ~ Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“An incisive portrait of human resilience.” ~ Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Based on Lai’s personal experience, this first novel captures a child-refugee’s struggle with rare honesty.” ~ Booklist (starred review)

“[...] the immediacy of the narrative will appeal to those who do not usually enjoy historical fiction.” ~ School Library Journal (starred review)

“Lai’s spare language captures the sensory disorientation of changing cultures as well as a refugee’s complex emotions and kaleidoscopic loyalties.” ~ The Horn Book

And here is what our teacher and librarian friends are saying:

• Monica Edinger at Educating Alice called this “a very moving verse novel.”
• Jonathan Hunt suggested INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN as 2012 Newbery Reading at Heavy Medal!

INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN (ISBN 9780061962783) is on-sale now.

We just got in finished copies of Frances Hill's new novel of the Salem witch trials, DELIVERANCE FROM EVIL, and they look absolutely fantastic. Thrilled to see the book getting some pre-publication praise as well! Deliverance from Evil will be on sale March 3.

BOOKLIST
Issue: February 15, 2011
Deliverance from Evil.
Hill, Frances (Author)
Mar 2011. 320 p. Overlook, hardcover, $25.95. (9781590204702).
Historian Hill utilizes her extensive research on the Salem Witch Trials to bone-chilling effect in this riveting tale of a town spiraling out of control. Hill’s four previous nonfiction books documented the infamous witch hunt and its aftermath, enabling her to lend a sense of immediacy and authenticity to the gripping narrative by stocking it with characters ripped directly out of the pages of history. She knows enough about the real-life perpetrators and victims to build a convincing fictional scenario around them.
The tension ratchets up, and the hysteria mounts after what initially begins as an innocent game becomes something much more sinister. As the Salem community loses control of its collective senses, no one, not even innocent clergyman Reverend George Burroughs, is above suspicion. Astute readers will pick up on alarming parallels to be drawn between the past and the present day.

As promised, we are working our way through numerous "Rapunzel" picture books in preparation of the upcoming Disney Tangled movie release. Disney's Rapunzel, with her amazingly long hair (70 feet long according to Disney press), is the latest version based on the classic fairy tale.

Like all fairy tales, the story of Rapunzel has been re-told and adapted many times. Although most of us are familiar with the Grimms' Rapunzel, earlier versions of the tale exist, notably Basile's "Petrosinella," and a French variant, "Persinette." (For detailed historical account, reference the online article, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let Down Your Hair" by Terri Windling or read the author's note in Paul O. Zelinsky's Rapunzel.) In fact, in the early tales, the main character is named after parsley not rapunzel (a.k.a. rampion).

The story of Rapunzel is far more than a tale about a girl living in a tower with long golden hair who is rescued by a prince. Windling writes that, "at its root this is a story about puberty, sexual desire, and the evils of locking young women away from life and self–determination." Some parents find the text age-inappropriate for young children, as evidenced by a few shocked reactions in online reviews of Rapunzel books. In many versions, while locked in the tower, Rapunzel is secretly wed to her prince and becomes pregnant. In some stories, the sorceress learns of the lovers' secret meetings when Rapunzel remarks on her expanding waistline. In other toned-down versions, readers later learn of her pregnancy when she gives birth to twins while exiled. Some retellings leave out the pregnancy altogether.

The description of the villain also varies, but nearly always she is shown as a scary looking, extremely elderly woman (although not in the film Tangled). In some stories she is a sorceress or a witch and in others she's described as an evil fairy. I was surprised to find that in some stories, like in the Disney film, Rapunzel sometimes refers to her guardian as Mother Gothel, a German term for godmother. My daughter finds the beginning of the story upsetting because the sorceress takes the baby from her parents.

When looking for picture books about Rapunzel, I recommend using Rapunzel book gallery on SurLaLune Fairy Tales as a starting point and searching your library's holdings. Hopefully my brief descriptions below will help parents determine which stories they may want to read to their children. We will continue to update this list as we read more stories.

Classic retellings: