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Luke on the Loose. by Harry Bliss. 2009. Candlewick. 32 pages. ISBN: 9781935179009Luke on the Loose is a TOON Book - a story for new readers told in comic format by Harry Bliss. At the park, Luke gets tired of listening to his father’s boring adult conversation with a friend. Unable to take it any longer, he takes off after some pigeons, calling out “Yaaaaah!” as he goes. While his dad enlists the police to track him down, Luke knocks over a bicyclist, interrupts a marriage proposal, and finally climbs onto a roof to take a nap, creating a frenzy at every point on his journey.
Luke on the Loose is one of the best and funniest easy readers I have ever read. It captures not only the boredom of a child waiting for his parents to stop talking, but also the explosion of happiness associated with freedom from that boring situation. “Yaaah!” is the perfect sound for Luke to make - it tells us everything we need to know about his feelings, and it’s great fun to say out loud. All along the way, subtle comments from animals and people alike add to the humor of Luke’s wild run through the city. Pigeons call him “Coo Coo.” A cat peering out the window thinks to himself, “I’ll never let my kittens chase pigeons.” A mouse even suggests that Luke is just another city pest. These deadpan statements perfectly juxtapose the slapstick humor of the illustrations, making the laughs come that much faster.
Luke on the Loose reminds me a lot of
Nina in That Makes Me Mad. Both celebrate the individuality of children, and celebrate their independence and emotions. Just as kids relate to the things that make Nina mad, they will relate to the fun of Luke’s sprint through the city and they will be comforted by his safe return to his parents in the end as well. Recommend
Luke on the Loose to little ones with lots of energy, and laugh along with them!
I read the TOON Online Reader version of Luke on the Loose on the TOON Books website.
For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Also Known As by Robin Benway. February 26, 2013. Bloomsbury. 320 pages. ISBN: 9780802733900Also Known As is the story of sixteen-year-old safecracking spy, Maggie Silver. She and her family receive assignments from a secret organization called The Collective. This time around, the assignment is for Maggie to go to high school (a place she has never been before) in order to befriend and infiltrate the home of Jesse Oliver, whose journalist dad is about to publish an article blowing the cover of the Silver family and everyone they work with. Maggie is sure she is ready to take on this challenge, but what she doesn’t count on is that she will make a best friend, that she will fall in love, and that she might uncover corruption in the very organization responsible for her safety.
Though this book is similar in some ways to the Gallagher Girls books by Ally Carter, the story is less plot-driven and more character-driven. There is some action, but the true story occurs within Maggie as she struggles to prove herself while also remaining true to her new friends. Maggie has a strong, precocious voice that really drives the plot and keeps things interesting. The supporting characters, too, are memorable and well-described. For example, Angelo, Maggie’s family’s personal contact in The Collective, is “like if Tim Gunn and James Bond had a baby and that baby was Yoda.” I can’t remember the last time I read such a wonderfully funny description in a YA novel. Maggie’s new friend, Roux, who is lonely in the absence of her busy parents, is another great character whose over-the-top comic relationship with her bewildered doorman, Harold, also made me laugh out loud.
This story is less of a spy novel and more of a high school romance starring a heroine who happens to be a spy. Fans of Ally Carter might like it, but it’s more likely to appeal to fans of authors like Abby McDonald, Robin Mellom, and Melissa Kantor. Some Goodreads reviews have commented that the ending ties up too neatly, and I guess maybe that is true, but it didn’t bother me. All along, I assumed that things could end only one way - unhappily, with lots of trouble and tears. It was enough for me to be taken in an unexpected direction. The happy ending also solidifies my opinion that this is more of a romance novel than an action-adventure novel.
Also Known As is the kind of story that would make a great Disney channel original movie. Though there are a handful of references to sexting and drunkenness, it is mostly a pretty tame story that will work for younger teens as well as high school students. If nothing else, readers can enjoy laughing along with Maggie’s spunky and sarcastic outlook on life, and enjoying the ways she makes the best out of a seemingly impossible situation.
I received a digital ARC of Also Known As from Bloomsbury via NetGalley. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
The Candy Smash. by Jacqueline Davies. 2013. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. 240 pages. ISBN: 9780544022089The Candy Smash is the fourth book in the
Lemonade War series about Jessie and Evan Treski, siblings who are in the same fourth grade class. It is February and Valentine’s Day approaches. Inspired by his teacher’s presentation of a poem of the day, Evan starts writing love poems, first about his grandmother and later about Megan Moriarty, on whom he has a crush. In the meantime, Jessie works on her extra credit project, a class newspaper. She hopes to find out not only who is delivering secret forbidden candy to the whole class, but also who in her class has a crush on someone else and how her classmates think crushes should be revealed. As in the other books of the series, Jessie fails to understand basic social cues, while Evan loses patience with his sister when she violates his privacy.
So far, in this series, Jacqueline Davies has taught readers about economics, law, and maps. In
The Candy Smash, she focuses on journalism and poetry. Each chapter opens with the definition of a term associated with either newspapers or creative writing, and through Jessie and Evan’s experiences, the reader learns the proper use of these terms. The educational aspect of the story is certainly subtle and does not overpower the plot, but there are lots of great opportunities for classroom teachers to connect this book to their curricula.
This is a largely character driven story, which provides a lot of insight into the personalities of both Jessie and Evan. Only Evan’s character truly seems to develop, though; I keep wondering with each new book when Jessie is going to begin to mature a little bit as well. True, she is a year younger than her classmates, but even so, there should be some changes happening in her worldview and relationships that I haven’t really seen yet. Davies does a great job of depicting Jessie’s innocence and lack of experience, but it’s becoming less believable as she gets older. I was also surprised by how little their grandmother appears in this story. After the events of
The Bell Bandit, she has moved in with the Treskis, but we don’t see much of her, even though her presence looms large in Evan’s poetic mind. Also notable is Jessie and Evan’s teacher, who is invested in her students and dedicated to helping them improve as students and as possible. I love the way she uses her cat, Langston, as her class mascot and displays pictures of him around her classroom. I’d put her in the same category as Clementine’s wonderful teacher, Mr. D’Matz.
My favorite thing about this book, overall, is how well it handles the romance theme. Many books for younger middle grade readers introduce dating into their fourth grade characters’ lives as though it is a perfectly natural thing for nine-year-olds to pair off into couples. In my experiences with kids, they are not into dating at that young an age, and this book reflects reality much more closely than a lot of others of this same reading level and genre. Sure, the characters have crushes, but they are still figuring out what that means and how it will impact their friendships. I especially like the way Evan’s crush on Megan is resolved - sweetly, but without tons of adult commitments and middle school-esque drama.
The Candy Smash doesn’t really stand on its own, so I’d recommend starting with
The Lemonade War and reading the books in order. Parents should feel comfortable giving this series to their second- and third-graders who are strong readers, and I think even fifth graders can still enjoy the stories. Budding journalists and poets will love the back matter showing the class newspaper and some of the poems the students have written. Though Valentine’s Day has passed for this year, there is lots in this book that’s worth reading any time!
I borrowed The Candy Smash from my local public library. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Miracles on Maple Hill. by Virginia Sorenson. 1956. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 180 pages. ISBN: 9780152545581Miracles on Maple Hill was published in 1956, and it was the winner of the 1957 Newbery Medal. As the book opens, Marly and her family are headed to Maple Hill, a rural area of Pennsylvania where Marly’s mother spent her childhood summers. Though at first it appears to be a happy family vacation, the truth is that Marly’s father is suffering the psychological effects of the time he spent as a prisoner of war. At home in the city, he is angry and irritable, jumping at every little thing and sometimes even mistreating his children. The family is coming to Maple Hill in the hopes that the country lifestyle will help Marly’s dad start to heal. Over the next year, Marly gets to know wonderful people - Mr. and Mrs. Chris, Harry the Hermit, and Margie - and she experiences all the miracles Maple Hill can offer, from maple syrup and wildflowers to the slow recovery of her father’s mental strength.
In contemporary children’s books, there is a tendency to dwell more heavily on the darker side of life. Nowadays, for better or for worse, we trust kids to deal with the harsh truths of life - abuse, poverty, divorce, death - and many books describe these situations in detail, evoking empathy from readers and encouraging them to feel all the associated emotions, good and bad. This book handles the pain of Marly’s dad’s experiences in a more detached way, which I think is an interesting and effective approach.
Marly is about ten years old, and what we know of her dad’s condition is filtered through her point of view. It seems likely, given the personality of her mother, that Marly would be protected as much as possible from the darkness of her father’s experiences. Because of this, the reader is really only shown those few frightening moments of anger that Marly has actually witnessed. Throughout the book, both Marly and her brother react to their father nervously, with lots of concern over how he will respond to them, but the reader isn’t subjected to the experiences that made them feel that way. I can only assume this was a conscious decision on the part of the author, and my guess is that it was a decision made to protect young readers. Though some kids do certainly like to read the gory details, or maybe even need to read them to feel validated, other kids are more sheltered, like I was, and this book strikes a great compromise between perfect happiness and interesting storytelling.
The other remarkable thing about this book is its descriptions of country living. I borrowed this book from my urban library system, where kids don’t often run into wildflowers, wild mushrooms, or sap from maple trees. If they read this book, though, they will feel as though they have spent a year on Maple Hill right alongside Marly. The descriptions of everything Marly sees, feels, and tastes during her year of visits to Maple Hill are beautiful, and the author uses just the right details to transport the reader through the beauty of the different seasons. She ties all of this wonderful information about the natural world in with Marly’s relationship with her brother, Joe, and both kids’ relationships to their Maple Hill neighbors, and it is the combination of character and setting that drives the story forward.
This is very much of a book of the 1950s. There are lots of references to very rigidly defined gender roles, where Joe is permitted many freedoms, but Marly must stick close to home, and where it is surprising when Marly’s father learns to cook, or when her mother drives the family car. At one point, Marly’s mother actually apologizes to Marly’s teacher because Marly is more of a tomboy than the other girls at her one-room schoolhouse. These references are among the few moments in the story that make it seem more historical than contemporary. There are also a lot of references to Marly’s father’s time in World War II, which could date the book, but given that our country is also at war today, it is possible that contemporary kids could have a parent in a similar situation to Marly’s father and find some hope and meaning in his recovery.
I really enjoyed this book, though it’s probably best enjoyed when we think of it as “old” realistic fiction rather than historical fiction. The story reflects the values of the time, but they have not been filtered through contemporary thinking. Two very recent novels about similar subjects that might draw interesting comparisons are
The Second Life of Abigail Walker by Frances O’Roark Dowell and
The Bell Bandit by Jacqueline Davies.
I borrowed Miracles on Maple Hill from my local public library. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Lulu and the Dog from the Sea. by Hilary McKay. March 1, 2013. Albert Whitman & Company. 112 pages. ISBN: 9780807548202Lulu and the Dog from the Sea is Hilary McKay’s second adventure about a young animal lover whose compassion for animals in need often leads her into trouble. Set during the summer, this story takes place at the beach, where Lulu and her family take a vacation with Lulu’s best friend Mellie. On their first day in their vacation home, Lulu is warned not to befriend a stray dog who wreaks havoc on the neighborhood by digging through everyone’s garbage cans, but she just can’t help herself. The dog from the sea is obviously lonely - and hungry. Lulu is overwhelmed by the desire to save him, but to do so, she’ll have to protect him from the local dog catcher as well as from angry neighbors who would do him harm. A subplot involves Mellie’s difficulties with building a kite, the end result of which figures heavily into the fate of Lulu’s new canine friend.
For more than two thirds of the story, I liked this book better than last year's
Lulu and the Duck in the Park. Whereas the first story focuses mostly on Lulu and her class at school, this second one delves deeper into her family dynamics, and into the personalities of Lulu’s parents. Occasionally, it shifts points of view so we get to understand the thoughts of Lulu’s own dog as well as the so-called dog from the sea. Lulu’s empathy for animals gets transferred to the reader so that, dog lover or not, the reader becomes invested in the well being of this particular stray dog. The writing is strong and evocative, and at times, even funny. In particular, I enjoyed the moment in chapter three when Lulu’s dog Sam reflects on the ill behavior of other dogs, and the narrator tells us that Sam would be surprised to learn that he himself is a dog. I also loved McKay’s descriptions of the beach atmosphere. I felt as though I could practically breathe the sea air.
There is just one problem with this book, and for me, it was sort of a deal breaker. In the final moments of the story, when the tension mounts between the dog from the sea and his neighbors, the dog suddenly becomes Lassie. In episode after episode of
Lassie, the famous collie has a sixth sense about his master, Timmy, and she is always running off to wells and mines and various dangerous places to rescue him. Essentially the same thing happens near the end of this book. I saw it coming, hoped desperately that it wouldn’t happen, and then found myself rolling my eyes as the book jumped the shark in a way I could not really forgive. Will kids who love dogs find the ending believable? Perhaps. This series is very sweet and gentle, and readers who don’t mind a mushy ending might buy into the easy way things wrap up for Lulu and the dog from the sea. For me, though, having read many chapter books, I thought this was too simple an ending to an otherwise beautifully written book. I felt that the author owed the reader a more realistic and less cliched finale, and it dropped my Goodreads rating from five stars down to three.
Lulu and the Dog from the Sea is likely to appeal to fans of the first Lulu book, as well as to readers who like the Puppy Place, Vet Volunteers, and Critter Club series. It’s also a nice family-oriented alternative to some of the other girl-centric chapter book series where crushes and girl drama have taken center stage.
I received a digital ARC of Lulu and the Dog from the Sea from Albert Whitman & Company via NetGalley.For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
The Reece Malcolm List. by Amy Spalding. February 5, 2013. Entangled Publishing. 352 pages. ISBN: 9781620612408For sixteen years, Devan has been raised by her distant dad and disinterested stepmother. When her father dies, she is sent to Los Angeles to live with her mom, best-selling author Reece Malcolm. Though Devan is nervous because she knows so little about her mother, she is also intrigued by the woman who gave birth to her and then slipped off the radar. Living with her mom is scary for Devan, and complicated, but it’s also the source of lots of excitement. In L.A., Devan attends a performing arts school, makes a group of instant friends and catches the eye of two cute California boys. She also bonds with her mom’s best friend, who is a Broadway star, and her mom’s boyfriend, who keeps both Reece and Devan from losing their minds.
This contemporary young adult novel by debut author Amy Spalding portrays one of the most interesting and well-developed mother-daughter relationships I have ever read. Though the story is obviously about Devan, Reece is also a fully realized main character, and despite Devan’s reservations, the reader can’t help but love her. Spalding does a lovely job of peeling back Reece’s layers one at a time, revealing her personality, history, and feelings for Devan at a very realistic pace that helps the reader stay invested without becoming too overwhelmed with exposition. Spalding also strikes the perfect balance between Devan’s social life at school and her complicated home life. Neither storyline is ever neglected, and often, what happens at school will inform Devan’s actions at home, or vice versa. Also wonderful are all the musical theater references. Anyone who has ever wished to sing and dance on stage can live vicariously through Devan’s experiences at her performing arts high school.
The Reece Malcolm List reads like an updated and more realistic version of
The Gilmore Girls. Fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Melissa Kantor will love Spalding’s fresh, contemporary writing style, and the memorable cast of characters. Reece’s experiences especially reminded me of Kantor’s
Darlings series, where one of the girls is into drama,
Take a Bow, Elizabeth Eulberg’s novel about seniors at a performing arts high school, and of course, Raina Telgemier’s
Drama. The family dynamics also remind me of Courtney Sheinmel's
All the Things You Are, and Sonya Sones's novel in verse,
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies. This is a fantastic first novel. I look forward to seeing what else Amy Spalding will publish in the future!
I received a digital ARC of The Reece Malcolm List from Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
The Odd Squad: Bully Bait by Michael Fry. February 12, 2013. Disney-Hyperion. 224 pages. ISBN: 9781423169246Cartoonist Michael Fry, who is best known for his comic strips,
Committed and
Over the Hedge, enters the world of middle grade fiction with the first book in his new Odd Squad series, entitled
Bully Bait. Nick, the shortest kid in his seventh grade class, has gotten pretty used to being thrown into lockers, but he doesn’t like it, and he is definitely not interested in making himself a bigger target by joining a school club. Unfortunately, Nick’s guidance counselor thinks he needs a place to belong, so she signs him up to work with two other misfits, Molly and Karl, on safety patrol. Though they all agree that membership in this club is lame, they do become friends in spite of themselves. Suddenly, when it’s not one, but three against the world, it becomes much easier to face the bullies and attempt to bring them down.
Bully Bait is a fast-paced, funny novel with short chapters and lots of illustrations. Though the subject matter isn’t especially cheerful, the sarcasm and deadpan humor provide a lot of laughs. The characters are quirky in interesting ways. The janitor, Mr. Dupree, who looks out for Nick and provides him with cryptic advice about taking on bullies, is among my favorite adults in the book. Even the villain of the story, a boy named Roy, is a well-rounded character with his own softer side. The illustrations break up the text and also provide diagrams and other visual information that connect with what is happening in the story. Nick provides doodles showing such important skills as how to shrug, and various lists, including the 5 reasons he doesn’t like other kids. The cartoons are just as much a part of the story as the text, and they provide further insight into Nick’s character in a very accessible way.
Bully Bait is a much-needed funnier alternative to the
Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. Unlike Greg Heffley, Nick is a true “wimpy kid” - a middle school underdog who can’t seem to find his place - and though he makes mistakes in the story and sometimes underestimates his new friends, he always has good intentions at heart. Nick and the rest of the Odd Squad also remind me a lot of the girls in the
Nerd Girls and
Snob Squad books. While girls are probably the most likely readers of those series, Odd Squad looks like it will appeal to either gender. It’s also worth noting that this series is similar in style and substance to the middle grade novels of another well-known cartoonist,
Jim Benton. If only Fry’s Nick went to school with Benton’s Jamie - that would be a match made in middle school heaven!
The plot of
Bully Bait isn’t a new story, but it’s still a good one. Promote it to Wimpy Kid fans and I have no doubt that copies will fly off the shelves of your library or bookstore!
I received a digital ARC of Bully Bait from Disney-Hyperion via NetGalley. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Words of Stone. by Kevin Henkes. 1992. Greenwillow Books. 160 pages. ISBN: 9780688113568Every summer since his mother died of cancer, Blaze Werla has created an imaginary friend and subsequently buried him in the backyard. This summer, after the yearly burial, someone begins leaving messages made of stones on the hill behind Blaze's house. First, he sees his mother's name. Later, the messages become more personal. He suspects his father's new girlfriend, in whom he has confided, might be the one leaving the words of stone, but while he decides what to do about it, he surprises himself by making friends with Joselle Stark. Joselle herself is troubled by her own absent mother, and as she and Blaze grow closer, she realizes she must tell Blaze an important truth if they are to be true friends.
Like Henkes's more recent novels such as
Olive's Ocean and
Junonia,
Words of Stone is a quiet, introspective story. Blaze and Joselle are both sensitive kids who have endured their share of pain and confusion, and because of this, much of the story takes place inside their heads. (Though the narration is all in the third person, the chapters alternate between the two characters so we know both of their thoughts.) Outside events do influence their internal struggles and triumphs, but there is very little physical action. This is definitely a literary novel, where the language and word choice are the most prominent features. It reads like a lot of the serious fiction (
The Cay,
The Lottery Rose) I was assigned in late elementary school. The writing is lyrical and at times, almost eerie, as Blaze reflects on his mother's death and on the accident he had on a ferris wheel. His toy Noah's Ark and the graves of his imaginary friends are powerful images that represent his pain and his loss, and it is Henkes's use of these symbolic objects that makes the book stand out.
I would be surprised if this book had ever become super popular, because it dwells so much on the emotions of its main characters. There are readers, though, who are not satisfied by fast-paced action novels, like the Percy Jackson series, or by cruelty thinly veiled in humor, like the Wimpy Kid books, and I think it is those more serious readers who appreciate Henkes's style. Kids who mourned the loss of a parent, or who have trouble making and trusting new friends will empathize strongly with Blaze's loneliness. Those who have grown up reading Henkes's picture books will be pleased to see that his writing for older children continues to provide validation and support for the myriad challenges of growing up.
Words of Stone was published in 1992, and it is still in print. The cover of the most recent edition is much better suited to the story than the cover of the edition I read (shown at the top of this post), and I think kids would be interested in picking it up. It is a great read-alike for
As Simple As It Seems by Sarah Weeks,
Remembering Mrs. Rossi by Amy Hest, and
The Last Best Days of Summer by Valerie Hobbs.
I borrowed Words of Stone from my local public library.
For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Starring Jules As Herself. by Beth Ain. March 1, 2013. Scholastic. 160 pages. ISBN: 9780545443524
In the tradition of
Cinderella Smith,
Dessert Schneider, Allie Finkle, and
Stella Batts comes Jules Bloom, a spirited new chapter book heroine with a big personality. Most of the time, she is the big sister of four-year-old Big Henry, the sometimes best friend of Charlotte, a writer of lists (during freewriting) and a digger of worms (during recess.) One day, while she is out at a restaurant with her family Jules is discovered by a talent scout who wants her to audition for a commercial. She is very excited, until she learns the commercial is for an orange mouthwash. Jules can't eat or drink anything orange without gagging! It's a good thing Jules can always call on Grandma Gilda, who teaches her that sometimes the only thing you can do in a difficult situation is improvise.
This is an extremely well-written chapter book with a fresh style that sets it apart from others of its genre. Author Beth Ain has a wonderful ear for dialogue, and her characters come alive from the moment they begin to speak. From the first chapter where Jules sings her own made-up jingle for fizzy ice cream, she sounds just like a real seven-year-old girl, with all the energy and imagination kids have at that age. Her interactions with her classmates are perfectly child-like, as are her difficulties with Charlotte, who has recently started acting bossy and mean toward Jules and anyone Jules spends time with. I think it is easy to write a chapter book about what you think a second grader is like, but it is much more difficult to write one that so completely represents the second grade experience. Beth Ain has nailed it in her very first book.
Jules Bloom is the perfect combination of the sweetness of Stella Batts and Cinderella Smith, the stubbornness of Dessert and Clementine, and the high literary quality of
The Stories Julian Tells and the Ramona series. The lively writing absolutely sparkles and Jules all but dances off the page. I read a review
on another site that called the story "generically unmemorable" and I truly think nothing could be further from the truth. This book kept me entertained from beginning to end, and I think it would be even more likely to do so for a child in the target age group.
Starring Jules As Herself will hit shelves on March 1. The second book of the Starring Jules series,
Starring Jules in Drama-Rama comes out in September. Learn more about Beth Ain (
whose reading interests strongly mirror my own) on
her website.
I received a digital ARC of Starring Jules as Herself from Scholastic via NetGalley. This ARC did not include the final artwork.
A Song for Bijou. by Josh Farrar. February 12, 2013. Bloomsbury. 304 pages. ISBN: 9780802733948
Bijou Doucet, a survivor of the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, has just moved in with her aunt and uncle in Brooklyn, where she attends an all-girls school. Though Bijou is not permitted to date or even to socialize out of school, she manages to attract the attention of Alex Schrader, one of the students at the nearby all-boys school. Alex is pretty clueless about girls, but he is sweet, and before long, Bijou, too, wants to spend time with him, even if it is forbidden. Through their sweet and innocent first romance, Alex and Bijou overcome the pain of Bijou's past, the restrictive rules of her aunt and uncle, and the intolerance of their classmates.
I was drawn to this book on NetGalley for two superficial reasons: the poetic sounding title, and the cover illustration by Erin McGuire. I guessed instantly based on those two things that this would be a cute middle grade romance. What I didn't guess - and what truly makes this book special - is how many other story lines figure into that romance. This isn't just a love story, but a story about cultural differences, empathy, acceptance, and forgiveness. Because the narrative alternates between Bijou's voice and Alex's voice, the story is well-balanced and presents the challenges of both characters. Even when the characters misunderstand each other and fail to communicate, the reader remains sympathetic to both sides of the story and continues to root for the success of their relationship.
In addition to the well-realized main characters, this book is also populated by many wonderful supporting characters. Alex has two best friends, the actions of whom figure heavily into some of the mistakes he makes in trying to get to know Bijou. Bijou has an older brother who has moved out of his aunt and uncle's house and who teaches Alex to play Haitian rada music and conspires with Bijou to find ways for her to spend time with Alex. Alex and Bijou each also have a set of class bullies who tease them about their relationship and use cyber-bullying to intimidate them. The entire world of this story feels very contemporary, and I could imagine these same situations playing out in the schools in my neighborhood.
This is a great book for readers who enjoyed
Same Sun Here. Both books alternate between a boy's point of view and a girl's, and both deal with characters who expand their horizons by learning about each other's cultures. It is also a very boy-friendly romance. Though Bijou is a significant part of the story, most of the romance comes through in Alex's narration. I'm not 100% sure the cover will attract male readers, but Alex's voice is so authentic, middle school boys - especially those who are already fond of reading - would easily get hooked once they started reading.
A Song for Bijou is a beautifully written story of first love, and so much more. Issues of racism, bullying, and cultural differences make it a great read-aloud or book club choice for middle school students who love to discuss and debate serious issues. I look forward to reading more from Josh Farrar, and I plan to read his other middle grade novel,
Rules to Rock By, which was published in 2010.
A Song for Bijou will be on shelves tomorrow, February 12, 2013.
I received a digital ARC of A Song for Bijou from Bloomsbury via NetGalley.
Sidney and Sydney: Third Grade Mix-Up. by Michele Jakubowski. February 1, 2013. Capstone. 128 pages. ISBN: 9781404881044 When you’re a kid, there is nothing stranger than the first time you meet another kid with your same name. For third-grader Sidney Fletcher, it’s really weird because Sydney Greene, his classmate, is a girl who shares his name. After a mix-up with the seating arrangement on the first day of school, though, the two become friends, bonding over their mutual love of a game called Galaxy Conquest and working together to solve a problem preventing their friends from enjoying Halloween.
The premise for this book is perfect. Many kids - especially those with common and popular names - go to school with other kids with their same name, and they have to find unique ways to identify themselves on paper and in discussion to keep their classmates and teacher from getting confused. This is something kids can relate to, whether they share their name with someone they know or not. For third graders, the notion that someone could share her name with a boy would be mind-blowing, and this book uses that sense of surprise as a good starting point for the story.
Unfortunately, for a story entitled
Third Grade Mix-Up, it doesn’t deal very much with the mix-up at all. Yes, there is a brief moment early in the book on the first day of school, when there is some confusion about their names, but it’s all cleared up rather quickly, and the focus shifts instead to Halloween. The problem with Halloween is that Sydney’s best friend Harley can’t have candy because her family isn’t eating junk food and Sidney’s new friend Gomez can’t have candy because he’s diabetic. Sydney and Sidney don’t want their friends to be sad on Halloween, so they look for ways to celebrate that don’t involve sweets.
This storyline is interesting and probably should have been the central focus of the entire book, but instead, it doesn’t even start to unfold until the story is half over. I don’t feel like I ever had a true sense of what this book is about. Is it to show that a boy and a girl can be friends? There is no real, lasting conflict between Sidney and Sydney to begin with, so it’s not a big shock that they can get along as friends. The story just seems like a bunch of random events strung together to show how cute it is when two friends with the same name come together. And while the writing is good, and the reading level appropriate for new chapter book readers, there just isn’t enough substance to the story to keep a reader engaged.
For a story about similar subject matter with a more discernible plot, try the
Just Grace series by Charise Mericle Harper.
I received a digital ARC of Sidney and Sydney: Third Grade Mix-Up from Capstone via NetGalley. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
The Fourth Stall Part III. by Chris Rylander. February 5, 2013. Walden Pond Press. 320 pages. ISBN: 9780062120052Mac and Vince have had a successful business since kindergarten, but after getting busted by the school principal last year, they are finished with organized crime. Retired. Out of the game. In fact, they have handed over their business to newcomer Jimmy Two-Tone, who takes care of all the business operations and gives the founders a mere cut of his profits. The only problem is, Staples is back and he needs help getting custody of his little sister, and there is a criminal mastermind at nearby Thief Valley Elementary School threatening to destroy Mac and Vince’s school. Mac knows they can’t get caught by the Suits again, or they’ll be expelled for sure, but he also knows if he doesn’t solve these last two problems, the destruction of his school will be his fault, and he won’t be the only one going down.
This conclusion to the Fourth Stall series is a strongly plot-driven story with lots of suspense and surprises. Though Mac and Vince remain the same lovable characters who root for the Cubs and crack up over the crazy things Vince’s senile grandmother says, it is what happens to them rather than the characters themselves that keep the pages turning this time around. Rylander builds suspense by raising more and more questions. Can Staples really be trusted? Who is this crime boss at the other elementary school? Is Jimmy Two-Tone treating Mac’s former clients fairly? At every moment, I was questioning the motives of one character or another and looking for the connections that would lead me to the truth. There isn’t a lot of flowery, descriptive prose in this book, but it’s well written in a different way. The story is so well plotted, I was caught by surprise every time a new twist unsurfaced.
I also loved the allusions to the movie
Rookie of the Year and to Mr. Belding from
Saved the Bell.
Mr. Belding is basically the prototype my imagination uses for any fictitious principal, so Mac’s suspicion that all principals get together to cast spells and sacrifice goats to him made me laugh out loud. I’m not sure the target audience is old enough to get these references, but I am roughly the same age as the author (
it looks like he was born in 1983?) and these little bits of 90s nostalgia made me smile.
This third book is not quite as strong as the first two, but fans of the series will definitely want to know how it all turns out. Sticklers for realism will be pleased that not all bad behavior goes unpunished, and I think most readers will be satisfied with the ending, even if they will probably wish, as I do, that there were going to be more Fourth Stall stories.
If you’re not familiar with th
is series, check out my reviews of
The Fourth Stall and
The Fourth Stall Part II.
The Fourth Stall Part III will be on shelves tomorrow, February 5, 2013.
I received an ARC of The Fourth Stall Part III from the publisher.For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Dump Days. by Jerry Spinelli. 1988. Little, Brown and Company. 159 pages. ISBN: 9780316807067 Best friends JD and Duke spend their summer days digging in the dump for possible treasures, terrorizing rats and dodging bullies, interacting with various quirky neighbors, and wishing for enough money for a zeppoli, an Italian ice, or a comic book. One lazy afternoon, the boys map out a perfect day, filled with all the things they love. They’ll save every penny, look for ways to make extra cash, and by the end of the summer that perfect day will be theirs. With parents, bullies, siblings, and neighbors to contend with, however, their best laid plans go swiftly awry, making them question not just their plans but even their faith in each other.
Jerry Spinelli’s books are about very different subjects and use very different tones of voice, but they all have one thing in common: heart. Spinelli understands his characters and their relationships in such a fundamental way that these fictional kids seem very real, and they stick with the reader long after the story ends. In the case of JD and Duke, it is their friendship that comes so vividly to life. The two boys are different - one is Protestant, one is Catholic, one has a big family, one has a small one, one has more permissive parents, one’s parents have stricter rules - and yet what brings them together is a desire for simple things that are just out of a kid’s grasp - snacks, comics, and video games. Though the journey toward the perfect day is the focus of the plot, the real story is in the interactions between the two boys, and in how they relate to one another with regards to their goal.
Another strength of Spinelli’s writing is how he portrays setting. Not only could I imagine the dump and the neighborhood where JD and Duke spend their time, I could also picture and hear their neighbors and family members. In this book, as in
Jake and Lily and
Loser, Spinelli evokes a whole world of childhood that feels very real and believable. The boys’ issues with bullies and interactions with their own siblings are some of the most memorable portions of the book. I especially like the way Spinelli gives characters little quirks, like the toddler who likes to go outside without clothes and the bully who has to wear a special shoe because one leg is shorter than the other. These are the kinds of things notice about each other, and the tiny details that resonate with readers.
Dump Days is the rare book on the shelf at my library that looks old and outdated, but is checked out almost all the time, especially in the summer. Though it is out of print right now, I don’t see any reason why a contemporary reader couldn’t pick it up and enjoy it. Readers who loved
Maniac Magee will want to read this one, too, because it is set in the same town, and the legend of Maniac Magee is mentioned in passing by JD as he narrates the story. Like most Spinelli stories, this is also a great one for dealing with bullying and discriminations, as both issues become important to the story.
I borrowed Dump Days from my local public library.
For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Zeke Meeks Vs. the Big Blah-Rific Birthday. by D.L. Green. February 1, 2013. Picture Window Books. 128 pages. ISBN: 9781404881051Zeke’s birthday is coming up, and he wants to have a really exciting party. The problem is, if he wants to invite lots of people, his parents say he has to have his party at home, and not at the Thrillsville amusement park. This wouldn’t be so bad, except that two other kids in Zeke’s class are having parties the same weekend. Owen, the most popular boy, is taking the entire class to Thrillsville, and evil Grace Chang’s party will have a magician, games, and lots of great food. Defeated, Zeke decides to cancel his party, only to learn later on that sometimes a simple party is a lot more fun.
I really like the way author DL Green takes on realistic childhood problems in her Zeke Meeks books. Birthday parties, for example, are such a big deal in elementary school, and the worst thing that can happen to the birthday boy is that another child’s party steals his guests away. In this book, Green taps into the anxieties kids feel about that situation and weaves a believable and satisfying story surrounding them.
Zeke’s thoughts throughout the story really sound like those of a real eight-year-old. I love his exasperation with his little sister’s favorite TV character, Princess Sing-Along, who sings about everything from personal hygiene to flatulence. I’m sure Zeke’s feelings about Princess Sing-Along mirror many brothers’ real life objections to Dora the Explorer and Disney Princesses. I also like the way Zeke interacts with Grace Chang, worrying that she will scratch him to death with her fingernails. Good and evil are so black and white for third graders, and Green takes a comic approach to characterization that really drives that idea home.
In addition to great characterization, this book also has a strong, well-charted plot. Every detail in the first half of the story comes around again to tie up the ending, That’s not to say that things are wrapped up too neatly, but that there is a reason for many of the events of the story, and a satisfying culmination of those events. The message - that simple is sometimes better - is also handed down from a child’s point of view. Parents will have no problem getting behind that message, but it’s not preachy. Zeke comes to his realization on his own, based on his own experiences, and explains his new point of view on his own terms.
This chapter book provides plenty of support for newer readers. Each supporting character has a particular trait that is mentioned each time the character appears in a new scene. This helps readers keep track of the characters and remember who is who, especially if a character is not in every chapter. There is also a great glossary at the back of the book, which in a style similar to the Aldo Zelnick series, defines unfamiliar words in kid-friendly terms. And of course, the design of the book is very visually appealing, filled with cartoonish drawings, big, bold fonts, and representations of each of the characters.
I recommend
Zeke Meeks Vs. the Big Blah-Rific Birthday to third graders - both boys and girls, and both reluctant and enthusiastic readers. There are many other books about Zeke, including
Zeke Meeks Vs. the Putrid Puppet Pals,
which I have previously reviewed.
I received a digital ARC of Zeke Meeks Vs. the Big Blah-Rific Birthday from Capstone Young Readers via NetGalley.
One Tough Chick. by Leslie Margolis. January 22, 2013. Bloomsbury. 176 pages. ISBN: 9781599909615The Annabelle Unleashed series by Leslie Margolis began in 2008 with
Boys are Dogs. Annabelle, a seventh grader, who has previously attended an all-girls school finds herself in a new co-ed school, surrounded by obnoxious boys. As she trains her dog, she realizes that the same behavior modification techniques also work on the boys at her school, and she uses this fact to help her and her new female friends get used to middle school.
Girls Acting Catty (2009) and
Everybody Bugs Out (2011) continue Annabelle’s wholesome adventures navigating the halls of her middle school. By the time One Tough Chick begins, she has established a core group of friends, acquired a new stepdad and stepbrother, and started dating a cute boy named Oliver. The plot of this fourth book continues with many of the threads established by the previous titles, but it focuses chiefly on Annabelle’s role as a judge in the talent show and the dilemmas she faces when people assume she will vote based on her relationships with the performers, rather than from an objective point of view.
What is so nice about this series is that Annabelle is a true role model. In each book, she shows girls that it is possible to make it through the various challenges of middle school without compromising on what matters to them. There is bullying and teasing in these books, but time and again, Annabelle rises above it and helps her friends to do the same It’s not that Annabelle is perfect - she has her flaws - but that she doesn’t apologize for being herself and doesn’t bury her head in the sand and avoid intimidating situations.
This particular book is not the strongest of the series, but it takes on a very important topic for girls in their early teens - first boyfriends. The story provides a very sweet and realistic road map for that first dating relationship. Both Annabelle and Oliver are shy and awkward, but also kind and respectful to each other. Girls who follow Annabelle’s example will be in good shape when they start dating! It’s also nice that girls can grow up with Annabelle, the way they do with Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s Alice or with Lauren Myracle’s Winnie. Annabelle’s stories are somewhat tamer than Naylor’s, Myracle’s, or Judy Blume’s, but because of that they are probably more likely to reflect real life for many readers of the series. Annabelle’s positive attitude and the comforting atmosphere of each book might also appeal to girls who are hooked on the American Girl books, especially the contemporary stories about the Girls of the Year.
One Tough Chick was published on January 22, 2013.
I received a digital ARC of One Tough Chick from Bloomsbury via NetGalley.
For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat. I submitted this post to Marvelous Middle Grade Monday.
The Hundred Dresses. by Eleanor Estes. 1944. Harcourt Children's Books. 96 pages. ISBN: 9780152051709The Hundred Dresses is a short realistic fiction novella by Eleanor Estes that received a Newbery Honor in 1945. It is a story, based in part on the author’s childhood, about the impact of bullies. Wanda Petronski is a poor Polish-American immigrant, who comes to school each day in the same clean but shabby blue dress. One day, when her classmates tease her for her unusual last name and style of dress, Wanda claims to have one hundred dresses all hanging in her closet From then on, Peggy and her best friend, Maddie, ask Wanda every day how many dresses she has, punishing with their taunting her for what they know must be a lie. It is only when Wanda’s family leaves town to escape the cruelty of their neighbors that Maddie - who is the story’s main character - feels a sense of remorse for what she has done.
Though some things make it clear that this story is not set in the present day, for the most part, I was amazed at how well this book holds up 67 years after it was first published. Entire lifetimes have come and gone since the book was first written, and yet kids still need to learn the same hard lessons. The relationship between Maddie and her best friend, Peggy, who leads most of the teasing, reminds me of so many friendships I have read about in children’s fiction. Peggy can be likened to Wendy, who makes whale jokes about Linda in Judy Blume’s
Blubber, or even to Jennifer in E.L. Konigsburg’s
Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, who makes demands upon Elizabeth to prove their friendship. Today’s “mean girls,” who appear in practically every middle grade novel about female friendship, all seem to follow in the footsteps of Estes’s Peggy. I tend to think of bullying as a new phenomenon, because we talk about it more nowadays than ever before, but this book reminds everyone - kids and adults - that cruelty has been around for a long, long time.
Just after I finished reading
The Hundred Dresses, I read on School Library Journal that the Open Circle Program at the Wellesley Centers for Women has named it the number one
best book for Kids’ Social and Emotional Learning. I instantly understood why. Reading books helps kids become more empathetic - reading books about bullying helps kids step into the shoes of both bully and victim and hopefully gets them thinking about why they would not want to be cruel to a classmate. I certainly don’t think books alone will combat the problem of bullying, or provide a complete emotional and social education, but this book is a perfect choice for getting the conversation started and for getting kids to think critically about their behavior. By taking a kid’s eye view of a real-life bullying situation, it gets away from the preachy tone of well-meaning adults and instead give kids the power to make the right choices, and to make amends when they do the wrong thing.
I borrowed The Hundred Dresses from my local public library. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Messy Bessey. by Patricia and Frederick McKissack. 1987. Children's Press. 31 pages. ISBN: 9780516270036One of the most popular easy readers at my library is a Rookie Reader by Patricia and Frederick McKissack called
Messy Bessey. It is a rhyming story about the mess in a young girl’s bedroom, which she cleans up in order to make her room reflect her clean and beautiful self.
I think the subject matter in this book is appealing to both kids and adults, which might be one of the reasons this book is so frequently checked out from my branch library. Kids like to see just how messy one little girl can be, and parents like books that encourage good behavior and self-reliance. The illustrations are also endearing. Bessey is a cute little girl and her look of combined shame and surprise as she takes in each of her messes is subtle, but effective.
What puzzles me about the book, though, is the rhythm of the text. It starts out with a strong sense of rhyme and meter: “See colors on the wall, books on the chair, toys in the dresser drawer, and games everywhere.” A few pages later, though, it starts to unravel. There is a glaring omission of a comma on page 12 (“Bessey look at your room” instead of “Bessey, look at your room”), and the authors attempt to pass off “window” and “pillow” as rhyming words. The second half of the book is difficult to stumble through because the rhythm doesn’t match the pattern established in the first few pages. I also wonder why the book uses an alternative spelling of Bessey, when that extra E might throw off an uncertain or inexperienced reader.
Messy Bessey is a gentle story that preschoolers and emergent readers tend to love. Adults looking to branch out might try other tales of mess-making such as Karen Beaumont’s
I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More, which has a great sense of rhyme and rhythm, and
Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley. Though both are picture books, they have simple enough text for new readers to tackle, and the text in both stories is more precise and easier to read aloud.
I borrowed Messy Bessey from my local public library. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Ricky Vargas: Born to Be Funny. by Alan Katz. illustrated by Stacy Curtis. February 1, 2013. Scholastic. 80 pages. ISBN: 9780545313964Ricky Vargas is the funniest kid in the world. This book relates three episodes from his life. In “The Unfunny Day Story” Ricky must recover from a case of seriousness. In “The Talent Show Story” he learns an important lesson about saving his comedy material for the spotlight. In “The Substitute Teacher Story” he learns how to deal with a substitute teacher who never laughs, not even at the funniest kid in the world.
This early chapter book is a great stepping stone for kids who feel finished with easy readers, but aren’t quite ready for longer chapter books. There are very few words per page, so the reader isn’t intimidated by lots and lots of text, but the sentences vary in length and structure, providing a more sophisticated reading experience. Where the language in easy readers might seem stilted, this book sounds more natural, and the main character’s voice more authentic. The episodic chapters are more like short stories than pieces of a longer story, which is similar to the format of many easy readers. In that sense,
Born to be Funny reminds me a lot of the Horrid Henry books.
What impressed me so much about this book is the quality of the writing. The author clearly chooses his words carefully, and the ones selected are very evocative and powerful. For example, on page 36, he describes two of the performers in the talent show.
“Twins Lee and Paul Baron joined the contest, but didn’t really agree on what they would be singing.” There is a lot of information in this sentence - that the boys are twins, that they sing, and that they don’t communicate with one another about joint decisions - but it is delivered in the most economical and most interesting way. To add to the impact of this sentence, illustrator Stacy Curtis provides a drawing of the two boys with speech bubbles over their heads showing that one sings “Yesterday” while the other sings “Tomorrow.” (I laughed out loud when I saw that subtle joke, and I think parents reading this book with their kids - if not the kids themselves - will get a good chuckle out of it as well.)
Another favorite excerpt is on page 61, where Ricky reacts to the arrival of the substitute teacher, Mrs. Adams:
Ricky’s head went “Boing!”
Ricky’s heart went “Boing!”
And Ricky’s pencil box went “Boing!” - because he dropped it on the floor. There are only around a dozen unique words on this page, but again, they set a very specific scene and highlight Ricky’s shock and dismay at being without his beloved classroom teacher, Mrs. Wilder.
Ricky Vargas: Born to be Funny is a funny, boy-friendly early chapter book that favors silly situational humor over bathroom jokes. The story is heavily illustrated, and the pictures incorporate some elements of graphic novels, making it a good choice for visual learners and comics fans. Recommend Born to be Funny to readers of series like Bink & Gollie, Horrid Henry, Horrible Harry, Bad Kitty, Nate the Great, and Martin Bridge.
I received a digital ARC of Ricky Vargas: Born to be Funny from Scholastic via NetGalley. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat. I have submitted this post to the January 2013 Carnival of Children's Literature, which will be hosted by Melissa at Imagination Soup.
Amelia Bedelia Means Business. by Herman Parish. January 29, 2013. Greenwillow Books. 112 pages. ISBN: 9780062094988Following the example of popular picture book and easy reader character Fancy Nancy, young Amelia Bedelia is now also the star of her own chapter book series. In the first installment of the series,
Amelia Bedelia Means Business, the literal minded little girl finds herself in need of a new bike. Her parents, two very upbeat personalities who apparently don't know their kid very well, decide this will be a fun opportunity for their daughter to learn a little bit of business sense. They inform her that she can have the bike she wants when she earns half the cost. Undaunted, Amelia Bedelia heads out into her neighborhood hoping to find a job. Each time she is hired, though, she quickly loses her job because of her strange interpretations of the instructions she is given.
Up until now, I have generally held the opinion that the newer Amelia Bedelia stories, where she is a mixed-up child instead of a blundering adult, make more sense and are easier for kids to relate to. This chapter book adds a caveat to this statement; the new Amelia Bedelia should stick to the original easy reader format that made her parent series a success. What works so well in a brief story for beginning readers - plays on words and outright silliness - loses its magic in a longer deeper tale. Amelia Bedelia has always been the butt of the joke in her stories, but in a way kids really enjoy. In this book, the reader is asked to take her seriously and to believe that her parents, classmates and neighbors also take her seriously. This is too much to ask of readers who remember the original Amelia Bedelia's “date cake” from
Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia and the way she “called the roll” in
Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia. Even kids who don't know the classic stories will pick up on a sense of flatness in this book. The schtick that defines the essence of Amelia Bedelia only works if we don't try getting inside her head. This earnest treatment of her character ruins the joke and makes the reader feel oddly guilty for laughing at a character who views the world in a different way.
I think the audience most likely to enjoy this book are girls who are new to chapter books who haven’t necessarily developed an attachment to the old school Amelia Bedelia. When girls find
Amelia Bedelia Means Business shelved beside the Nancy Clancy, Rainbow Magic, and Magic Tree House series, they will be drawn to the cartoonish cover as well as the universally understood desire for a brand-new bike. Six and seven year olds who don't mind heavily suspending their disbelief will laugh when Amelia makes cringe-worthy mistake after cringe-worthy mistake. For everyone else, though, it might be a better idea to look back fondly on those early days of reading Amelia Bedelia easy readers and look for some better written and more engaging chapter books. After all, we don't have Frog and Toad or Elephant and Piggie chapter books - and I hope we never do. Some characters just don’t translate well to a longer format, and based on this book, I believe Amelia Bedelia is one of those.
I received a digital ARC of Amelia Bedelia Means Business from HarperCollins via Edelweiss.
For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Saige. by Jessie Haas. December 27, 2012. American Girl Publishing. 128 pages. ISBN: 9781609581664 The American Girl Doll of the Year 2013 is Saige Copeland, a horse-loving artist living in New Mexico. In her first book, written by
Bramble and Maggie author Jessie Haas, Saige is disappointed to find out that due to budget cuts, she won’t have art in school for a whole year. With the help of her grandmother, Mimi, who also paints and rides horses, Saige decides to organize a parade to raise money for after school art classes. But before she and Mimi can put their plans into action, Mimi gets hurt in an accident. Suddenly, it’s up to Saige to lead the parade and find ways to encourage donations.
Like all American Girl books,
Saige is a wholesome story about a girl taking charge and working to improve her community. Saige is a capable and upbeat girl who takes pride in her work and who doesn’t allow herself to succumb to setbacks or react to the typical girl drama engaged in by her best friend. She’s a good role model for tween girls, but I have to admit that her story didn’t really interest me that much. The last two American Girl Dolls of the Year - McKenna and Kanani - had exceptionally well-written and memorable books that I eagerly devoured.
Saige is a much slower book with a much more generic writing style, and finishing it was a challenge. There were some interesting details, mainly regarding animal training, that made the story a bit more entertaining, but for the most part, I was disappointed.
Saige fulfills a need at my library for middle grade contemporary novels involving horses, so I'm thankful to have it on the shelves even though it's not a personal favorite. I will be sharing it with fans of the American Girl series, and with girls who enjoyed
Fearless from the Summer Camp Secrets series, the Saddle Club books and stories by Marguerite Henry.
I borrowed Saige from my local public library. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
The Birds' Christmas Carol. by Kate Douglas Wiggin. 1886. Houghton Mifflin and Company. 69 pages. Born on Christmas Day, Carol is the youngest member of the Bird family and the only girl. At age ten, she is gravely ill and confined to her bed, expected not to live much longer. Rather than pitying herself, however, Carol is ever mindful of the needs of others, particularly her next door neighbors, the Ruggles family. On the day that turns out to be her last Christmas, Carol hosts a Christmas party for the Ruggles children, complete with dinner and gifts, which the Ruggleses could not have afforded to get for themselves.
This is a saccharine holiday story that would make a perfect Hallmark movie. Only two things prevent it from being unbearable - the language, which is beautiful, especially to read aloud, and the characterization of the Ruggles brood, which is both humorous and sweet. The story's message of love and giving is very transparent, and only a reader who has never read a book before would be able to read the first couple of chapters without guessing at the ending. Carol has absolutely no flaws outside of her health problems, and her acts of constant charity with no regard for personal gain are admirable, but not very believable. There is something irritating about a perfect fictional child, even one who is very sick, and I think most kids would find Carol pretty dull, even if they might like to attend her party.
The Ruggleses, though, are more down to earth. Like the Herdmans in
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, they lack many of the social graces and luxuries Carol has been given, and their reaction to a formal dinner is one of nervousness and confusion. Their mother warns them to use their best manners, but as most children do from time to time, they manage to forget much of what she told them when they're in the moment. Of everything in the story, kids will relate to these characters most closely, which might make them feel irritated, as I did, that Carol looks upon the Ruggleses with such pity. Their is a definite sense of condescension toward the "less fortunate" in this book that somewhat cheapens the holiday spirit of the story. I'm all for promoting selfless giving, but this book takes it to an extreme.
Christmas books are, by definition, somewhat hokey, and the strength of the author's writing abilities really makes this a story worth reading, even if the drama of it all is somewhat over the top. Keep tissues on hand, as even the most stoic reader is likely to be moved to tears, but also expect to groan in certain places at Carol's purely perfect behavior and personality. (And please note that for all my complaining, I did give this book five stars on Goodreads. It reads like a classic, and I can forgive it for a lot of its flaws because it's truly a story from another time period, and because it's just so well written.)
I own this book. It is also available online from Project Gutenberg.For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Nothing Special. by Geoff Herbach. May 1, 2013. Sourcebooks. 290 pages. ISBN: 9781402265075 Nothing Special is the sequel to
Stupid Fast. This second book about Felton Reinstein deals with the aftermath of the physical and emotional changes he undergoes in the first book, and delves into the effects of his behavior on those around him, especially his younger brother Andrew. Felton tells the story in the form of a letter to his girlfriend, Aleah, who has taken a break from their relationship. He writes the letter on a trip to Florida, the purpose of which becomes clearer as the story he tells progresses. What we do know early on is that Andrew has run away, linked up with his dead father’s family, and caused Felton to miss football camp so that he can sort the whole thing out.
Though the story is told in Felton’s voice, it belongs just as much to Andrew. I believe it is meant to be his photo we see on the cover of the book, and “Nothing Special” refers to the way he feels about himself compared to his older, bigger, more athletic brother. Because the story belongs to both boys, the story is structurally pretty sophisticated. I give Geoff Herbach a lot of credit for switching so effortlessly back and forth between Felton’s activities at the time he writes the story and the events in the past that he is writing about. Though we never enter Andrew’s mind, Felton’s secondhand knowledge of his brother’s feelings very effectively helps the reader understand his difficulties and motivations for running away.
I have to admit that for the first few chapters, I wondered whether this sequel was such a good idea. Felton was so hilarious and so much fun to read about in the first book, and when this book wasn’t instantly just as funny, I felt myself losing interest a little bit. Things do pick up, though, and the story turns away from the sarcastic humor a little bit to show us a softer, more emotional side to Felton. Not only do we get to know more about his dead father, but we also meet a cousin who is very much like him, and we see his friendship with Gus go through some challenges and come out that much stronger. Since Felton didn’t spend very much time considering other people’s feelings in the first book, it only makes sense that he would need to repent and think about the emotional side of things a bit more in his second book.
Stupid Fast is one of the best YA novels I have ever read, and for me, it would be impossible for this sequel to live up to it. That said,
Nothing Special is a strong follow-up, and readers who love Felton and the people in his life will enjoy finding out how things have turned out so far. I am looking forward to the third and final book about Felton,
I’m with Stupid, whose expected publication date is May 1, 2013.
I borrowed Nothing Special from my local public library. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Ballet Stars. by Joan Holub, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas. June 26, 2012. Random House. 24 pages. ISBN: 9780375869099Ballet Stars is a level one easy reader which is part of Random House’s Step into Reading series. In simple sentences author Joan Holub describes for the reader the process of presenting a ballet recital, from getting dressed and warming up to dancing on stage and taking final bows.
This is a book I think adults can easily dismiss because the front cover makes it out to be just another pink ballerina book. There are so many pink-covered books about ballerinas, and after awhile, it starts to feel like one is as good as another. I was pleasantly surprised, therefore, when the text of
Ballet Stars turned out to be nearly flawless.
There are sometimes as few as two words in a sentence, but Holub makes every word count. The story rhymes, which is normally a huge drawback for me, but Holub is skillful at matching up rhyming words that fit the story, rather than just throwing in random words because they happen to rhyme. When the ballet dancers get dressed, the text reads:
“Sparkly ribbons. Ballet shoes. Bright white tights. And new tutus.” When describing the dancers’ movements, Holub writes,
“Ballet arms. Ballet feet. Toes point out and fingers meet.” Both these excerpts show the strength of Holub’s writing abilities. The words she uses perfectly describe the clothing and motions associated with a ballet recital, and even without the support of the illustrations, these sentences would still evoke strong mental images. Holub even manages to work in some figurative language. There are two similes in the book, when the dancers
“Twirl like snowflakes” and
“sway like trees.”The illustrations by Shelagh McNicholas make the book visually appealing, and they give great context for Holub’s writing. I appreciate McNicholas’s decision to include a male ballet dancer in the class, as well as her inclusion of characters from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. I also love the way she drew the dancers’ families and even their piano accompanist on the page depicting the moment before the curtain goes up. It’s one of the few detailed drawings in the entire book, and it provides nice insights into characters who don’t really have individual personalities otherwise.
Kids who are into ballet books will probably take one home from the library with them whether it’s truly well-written or not. That’s just the nature of kids and their obsessions, whether it’s ballet, trains, dinosaurs, or something else. This book really raises the bar, though, and shows what a truly well-written book for beginning readers can accomplish. Girls, especially, will love
Ballet Stars, but parents and teachers will be just as thrilled by the learning opportunities it presents.
I borrowed Ballet Stars from my local public library. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
The Last Holiday Concert. by Andrew Clements. 2004. Simon & Schuster. 176 pages. ISBN: 9780689845253
The Last Holiday Concert is a heartwarming holiday tale by Andrew Clements. Like his other books, this is a school story, and the focus is on that yearly tradition well known to so many families with elementary school kids: the holiday concert. Mr. Meinert, the music teacher at Palmer Intermediate School has lost his job due to budget cuts. His students, including popular sixth grader, Hart Evans, aren't aware that they'll be losing their choral director, however, so for them it's business as usual. They don't take chorus - or their upcoming holiday concert - seriously at all. Hart even goes so far as to amuse himself during rehearsal by shooting a rubber band at the ceiling. When he hits Mr. Meinert, however, things take a surprising turn. Next thing he knows, Hart is in charge of the holiday concert, and it's up to him whether the sixth grade chorus will sink or swim in front of its audience.
Before this year, the only Andrew Clements book I had read was
Frindle. This year, I added
No Talking,
Troublemaker,
The Landry News, and
About Average to my list, and it has been a real pleasure getting to know an author who writes such wonderful realistic school stories. The Last Holiday Concert combines a lot of the signature elements I have come to associate with Clements's work. The story provides the point of view of the main child character as well as of some of the key adults in his life. Family scenes appear now and then, when necessary to the plot, but most of the action takes place within the school setting and focuses on Hart's relationship with Mr. Meinert. Though putting a student completely in charge of a holiday concert seems like an unlikely thing for a teacher to do, Clements makes it really plausible by putting so much realism into the book. Hart and his classmates behave as real kids do, and Mr. Meinert's thoughts and actions humanize him as something more than just that strict chorus teacher the kids don't really like. As in his other books, Clements promotes change in his main character by taking him out of his comfort zone and presenting him with a true challenge.
The ending of the story is definitely heartfelt, and the way Clements describes the kids' concert is dramatic enough to bring a few tears to the eyes of the reader, especially if that reader is an adult who works with kids. This is a bit of a spoiler, only in the sense that I'm telling you something that
doesn't happen, but I was pleased to see that the story's happy ending didn't tie up every loose end. Mr. Meinert never gets his job back. Hart makes a difference, for himself, and for Mr. Meinert, but Clements keeps us grounded in reality by avoiding that
It's a Wonderful Life - esque ending, and the book is stronger for it.
The Last Holiday Concert is not just a Christmas story, and the events of the story closely mirror holiday celebrations at many public elementary schools, so this would be a good non-denominational read-aloud for diverse elementary school classes. Those who have also read Clements's
The Landry News will note some parallels between Hart's experiences with Mr. Meinert and Cara's with Mr. Larson - it might be interesting to compare and contrast the two relationships to understand better how Clements builds his stories. Whatever the time of year, and whatever the subject matter, you truly can't wrong with a novel by Andrew Clements. I look forward to exploring more of his backlist in 2013, and I can't wait to read more of his future school stories as well.
I borrowed The Last Holiday Concert from my local public library.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. by Barbara Robinson. 1972. Harper Collins. 90 pages. ISBN: 9780060250430The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a book I always intended to read as a kid, but then never did. Like some of the characters in the story, I was intimidated by the bad behavior of the Herdmans. Me, read a book about kids who smoke cigars? I didn’t think I could do it. What I missed as a middle grade reader is that this book is the perfect embodiment of the true meaning of Christmas.
When the pageant director falls ill, the narrator’s mother steps in to take over. The Herdmans, who have typically been left out of Sunday school activities in the past, decide they want in on the pageant this year, and they sign up for all the major parts in the production, without even really knowing the story of Jesus’s birth. Though most people are horrified by the involvement of these badly behaved kids in an important religious event, the Herdmans surprise everyone by being so willing to engage with the Christmas story and its various significant figures.
I think kids and adults alike are equally guilty when it comes to passing judgment on others. My disapproval for the Herdmans kept me from even reading the book as a goody two shoes kid, and the main character and her friends worry about what will happen to their pageant if kids like the Herdmans get involved. What this story does for us is slowly peel away the layers of our disgust and concern and show us the good at the heart of the Herdman kids, and the way their sincere and honest way of interacting with the world actually makes them better suited to playing out the Christmas story than almost anyone else.
Like the Horrible Harry books, this story shows us the “bad” kids through the eyes of a “good” kid, but though the story focuses on the actions of the Herdmans, it’s the “good” narrator who is changed and enlightened by the story itself. Barbara Robinson’s writing style makes this type of storytelling look easy, and I was amazed by how easily and willingly I was carried along by the events of the story. The ending, where they finally perform the pageant all the way through from beginning to end, has some of the funniest and most poignant moments of any children’s novel. The Herdmans don’t know much about Christmas, but we all learn something from their learning process.
Though
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is now 40 years old, it still holds up really well, and it’s the perfect book to make a part of your family’s Christmas traditions.
I borrowed The Best Christmas Pageant Ever from my local public library. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
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I like the way you describe the handling of 'romance' in this one.
Thanks for sharing this review! I just read The Lemonade War with a group of my 5th grade students. I haven't read any of the other books- but they sound just as fun. A great springboard for talking about social cues with kids- as well as many other topics. Thanks!
Thanks, Barbara. It's always nice to see the subject of love handled in an age appropriate way!
I bet it's a huge hit with 5th graders! I'm reading No Talking by Andrew Clements to a group of fifth graders who visit my library weekly, and I actually thing the Lemonade War series is similar. Both have nice appeal for boys and girls and deal with realistic situations that happen to lots of kids.