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Oh joy, coming soon -- BABYMOUSE: THE MUSICAL

Curtain up, light the lights! Will the irresistible, irrepressible Babymouse win the lead in the school musical, or will Felicia Furrypaws steal the show?

Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff by Jennifer Holm, illustrated by Elicia Castaldi, 2007

So, the blasted drive-through shorted our dinner order, no coleslaw. As I scrabbled through my purse to find the receipt proving I had paid for it, the flotsam and jetsam of my life floated out too. There was a post-it note with a phone number I needed, a receipt for the dog's visit to the vet, fast-acting glucose tablets, my daughter's class schedule, a flash drive and various other artifacts and odd bits of life that really do tell the story of my daily existence.

As I picked up Jennifer Holm's book, Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff and began to read, my purse's contents flashed through my mind. Using notes, programs, hair salon receipts, report cards, post-it notes, greeting cards and newspaper clippings in a scrapbook format, Holm weaves the story of Ginny Davis. Ginny thinks the worst thing she is facing in seventh grade is the school meatloaf. Through IMs to her friend and in school papers we learn about her family. We learn that she loves ballet and hopes her mother will remarry. We understand that her older brother is a mess and makes his family's life difficult. When her mom remarries, Ginny could not be happier but a mistake puts her into a tail spin emotionally and academically as her family life gets crazier.

I do not want to give away too much of this story because the humor and emotion build with each item on the page and it would not be fair to the story to spoil the surprises.

I will confess that I was reading the book while I was fixing its MARC record. I became hopelessly involved in the story though and when I saw the image of the program for Ginny's ballet recital I gasped so loudly the library aide wondered what was wrong with me.

Jennifer Holm has a gift for creating characters that readers care deeply about. May Amelia, Penny, Babymouse and now Ginny are girls that stay with me even after I finish their stories.

Elicia Castaldi has created the look and feel of real items in an actual scrapbook. She has designed and positioned each item so the story flows naturally. Matt Holm has an illustrator-cameo, contributing some cartoon panels dealing with Ginny's brother.

This novel is very accessible for readers of all levels and strengths. I would start waving copies of this book ASAP at reading specialists and teachers. Since the story is told in mostly short bursts of information it would build reading confidence and help readers "see" the story in their imagination as it plays out.

This is a sweet story, cleverly told, that will find an eager audience. Get it on the shelf and stand back. This is going to be a hit.

I am a day late on this one but what a fantastic idea Emily at whimsy had.

In honor of Tell an Author You Care Day, Book Moot bows to:

Rockstar Rick Riordan -- He really is a rock star. Young men, who I worried would NEVER read for pleasure, have discovered what it is all about thanks to him. Reading the first chapter of The Lightning Thief has also provided me with some of my most meaningful and happy experiences as a librarian.

I also have to thank Gail Gauthier for Happy Kid and the most hilarious reading-aloud my daughter has ever entertained me with while I was driving a car. Also her heroine, Thérèse, from The Hero of Ticonderoga is a character I would like to hug.

Jack Gantos will always have my heart for getting this family through a very emotional time. I wish he still wrote an update to his website. Even once a year, he always made me laugh.

Jennifer Holm and Matt Holm are so gracious to kidlitosperians and have created the most imaginative young mouse in the world. I may have mentioned that I named my IPod, Babymouse?

Audrey Couloumbis has completely won me over with her books about two sisters on the run in the wild west. I find myself asking friends and relations and strangers in dentist office waiting rooms, have you read The Misadventures of Maude March yet?

Thank you, all!

Babymouse: Rock Star by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm, 2006

Oh Babymouse, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Well, I named my IPod Babymouse and I chose the color pink for my new cell phone.

There is no smarter or cannier look at school life than Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm's Babymouse series. The traumas that plague Babymouse and her classmates are universal. Gym uniforms ARE ugly, lockers DO attack, school meat loaf SHOULD be regarded with suspicion and riding the school bus is ONLY for the very VERY brave.

In Babymouse: Rock Star music is a solace and joy for our heroine but even there, chair tests create yet another pecking order, this time in Band. Hoping to work her way up from last chair for the school concert, Babymouse resolves that she will practice hard for the tryout. Alas, the results of her efforts are, "Screeech!" With the help of a friend, she learns that real music is something you feel in your heart. Band parents will completely identify with this story.

Babymouse's wonderful imagination (she is a reader) carries her daily struggles into the world of the Wizard of Oz and the Pied Piper of Hamelin and her musical dreams into the realm of American Idol-ness.

These graphic novels are rich in humor for young readers but junior highschoolers will also identify. If you have not added this series to your library collection yet then do so asap!

Brava Babymouse!

Miss Erin has an excellent interview with Her Graciousness Jennifer Holm who also just received a Newbery Honor for her book, Penny from Heaven.

Jennifer Holm's Website
A Day in the Life of Jennifer Holm