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Kelsey Green, Reading Queen. by Claudia Mills. June 4, 2013. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. 128 pages. ISBN: 9780374374884
Kelsey Green is great at reading. Her best friends are good at math and running. In this first of three books exploring each of the girls' special talents, Kelsey's class learns that they will be entering a school-wide reading competition, with prizes for the best readers in each class as well as the best class of readers in the entire school. Kelsey desperately wants to beat her class's other star reader, Simon, but she always seem to be a book or two behind, even when she reads the skinniest books she can find on her reading level. To make matters worse, the fifth grade's star readers are carrying their class ever-closer to first place. The only thing Kelsey can do now is try to motivate the reluctant readers in her class to read more books, even if it means being a little bit bossy in the process.
Claudia Mills consistently writes wonderfully relevant school stories at both the chapter book level and the middle grade level. In this story for the early elementary audience, she demonstrates her keen understanding of how children compete with one another, and how acutely aware kids are of reading levels, both their own and those of their classmates. Most elementary school students I know are at least slightly obsessed with reading levels, so for me, this book has its finger firmly on the pulse of what is happening right now. Since kids like to see themselves in the books they read, especially when they are just learning, this feeling that the story is happening right now is really important. I also think Mills does a nice job of creating a flawed character. Kelsey might be the reading queen, but she has a lot to learn about compassion, patience, and good sportsmanship, including how not to be a sore loser.
Interestingly, it's not completely clear from the story itself whether Kelsey herself learns a lesson, but I think the reader definitely does. Through Kelsey's behavior as she tries to teach her classmate, Cody, to love reading, kids learn how to be understanding of the differences between themselves and their classmates, and how to use their strengths to help others, not to show them up in front of everyone in order to be the best.
This book and its companions have a place in every elementary school classroom, and they might be especially useful in those where heavy competition among students of differing abilities has become a problem. Read-alikes for this series include the Polk Street School Kids books and the Clementine series. I borrowed Kelsey Green, Reading Queen from my local public library.
Princess Posey and the Tiny Treasure. by Stephanie Greene. February 21, 2013. Putnam Juvenile. 96 pages. ISBN: 9780399257117
There is a rule in Miss Lee’s classroom that students are not allowed to play with their treasures from home during class time. Toys are only permitted at recess, and the rest of the time, they need to stay in desks and backpacks. Posey knows this rule, and she wants to follow it, but when Grandpa buys her a tiny pink pig named Poinky, she just can’t keep him to herself. When Miss Lee sees Posey with Poinky, she takes him away and locks him up inside her desk, without even given Posey a warning like she is supposed to! It’s a good thing Posey’s tutu can help her turn into Princess Posey, so she will have the strength to ask for Poinky back.
Amazingly, this is already the fifth book about Princess Posey. Though the series has been around for a while now, the stories continue to feel fresh and true to life in the first grade. Stephanie Greene continually does a wonderful job of tackling those issues that, to first graders, feel like life and death situations. I can definitely remember having teachers in elementary school who would take things away from students when they became distractions, and reading Posey’s reaction when it happens to her took me right back to the feeling of powerlessness I had when a fellow classmate lost a prized possession to the teacher’s desk. I also remembered how scary it was to approach the teacher with a question, or with my side of the story when I hadn’t been treated fairly, and I was impressed that Posey handled the situation so well!
Learning to navigate the world on one’s own is part of life for every child who attends school outside of the home, and Stephanie Greene gives kids a great road map and a great role model to help them figure things out. This book reminds kids that there are consquences when rules are broken, but also that adults can be fair when mistakes are made and kids calmly explain their positions. I really loved this book, and I continue to believe that this is one of the best and most realistic early chapter book series out there.
Keep an eye out for yet another Princess Posey book, Princess Posey and the New First Grader, which came out on June 27th.
I borrowed from Princess Posey and the Tiny Treasure my local public library.
Where I Live. by Eileen Spinelli. 2007. Dial. 112 pages. ISBN: 9780803731226
Diana loves where she lives. A family of birds has a nest over the back door, and her best friend, Rose, lives close enough that they can wave to each other from their windows. When Diana's dad loses his job, and the family decides to move in with Diana's grandpa, Diana just can't imagine what it will be like to live somewhere else. It is only after she says goodbye to her old house and old friends that she realizes that change brings happy things along with the sad.
This short chapter book in verse covers very familiar ground. There are countless children's books about moving, and many of them repeat the same events and emotions over and over again. This story is different, though, because it's not just about the moving process. About half of the book actually occurs before the move, so the reader gets a sense of Diana's life in her old house. Because the reader is invested in her old life, he or she is able to sympathize that much more with Diana when she learns she is moving. This means that Diana's feelings about where she lives - not the move - become the central focus of the story. The book becomes less of a "moving" book and more of a presentation of how our lives are affected by where we live.
The unique language of Spinelli's verse is another notable feature of this book. I picked out several lines and phrases that struck me as particularly evocative and interesting. One such phrase was "purpy flopple," which is the nickname Rose has given to the floppy purple hat she allows Diana to keep as a going away present. This is such a small, silly phrase, yet it's one of the most memorable in the book. I also thought Spinelli did a lovely job writing the moment at which Diana and her family drive away from their old house and Diana watches as Rose gets further and further away.
I watch her from the back window until she is a tiny speck - the hardest goodbye of all. There is also a wonderful description of Diana's little sister, Twink, that sums up her personality perfectly.
Twink's tub water turn blue... dark... dreamy... like a lake after midnight. Twink is always making stuff like this happen. Accidentally.
I love these specific moments of insight into the characters. I also enjoyed the friendship between Diana and Rose, where they share each other's diaries and manage to get along despite their major differences of opinion about subjects like astronomy. I also like that, when Diana does make a friend at her new house who likes things that Rose does not like, she does not feel guilty or assume that she is replacing her best friend. This is yet another plot point that separates this book from others on the same subject. Where I Live is similar to Julie Sternberg's Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie, and its tone also reminds me of Lulu and the Duck in the Park and Lulu and the Dog from the Sea. Though it is written in verse, I think it will appeal mainly to girls in grades 2 to 4, especially those with little sisters and fun best friends of their own.
I borrowed Where I Live from my local public library.
Like Bug Juice on a Burger. by Julie Sternberg. April 2, 2013. Amulet Books. 176 pages. ISBN: 9781419701900
This short novel in verse is the sequel to Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie. Eleanor, now fully adjusted to life with a new babysitter, has been given an unexpected treat by her grandmother - the opportunity to go to sleep-away camp at Camp Wallamwahpuck, where her mother went as a little girl. Eleanor has heard from her friend Katie that camp is all about eating candy, riding horses, and jumping on a floating trampoline, so it comes as a bit of a shock when her camp experience is somewhat different. The food is gross, and candy is forbidden. There is a floating trampoline, but Eleanor has to wear a life jacket if she wants to go anywhere near it. Even nighttime sounds upset Eleanor. All she wants is to go home! But through her friendship with a girl named Joplin, and her connection to a goat she has secretly named Cornelius, Eleanor learns that though she might not love camp, maybe she can still make the best of it.
Like the first book about Eleanor, this story focuses on the complicated emotions kids sometimes experience in new situations. Though it might sound like Eleanor is a pessimist, the story is not a depressing meditation on the woes of going to camp. Rather, it is an exploration of healthy ways to handle unfamiliar and uncomfortable situations. Especially noteworthy is the way the adults in Eleanor's life take her feelings seriously, but also give her little boosts of encouragement to help her get through the difficulties she faces at camp. Kids are comforted when they know they have supportive adults to turn to, and this book is a great reminder that kids are never alone with their feelings of frustration or confusion, and that there is usually something to be gained from every new experience, no matter how unpleasant it seems.
Julie Sternberg does a nice job of getting inside the nine-year-old mind. The passages describing Eleanor's humiliation about being in the lowest swimming category of anyone in her cabin reminded me of similar experiences from my own summer as a nine-year-old camper who could not swim. Sternberg understands how little things can seem big to a child, and her story manages to validate the feelings of kids in those situations, and to provide advice on how best to survive them.
Though it is a sequel, Like Bug Juice on a Burger will stands on its own. Nervous new campers who sympathize with Eleanor might also enjoy Justin Case: Shells, Smells, and the Horrible Flip-Flops of Doomby Rachel Vail and Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look. Eleanor is also sure to become a new friend to readers who love Clementine. Like Bug Juice on a Burger is a great follow-up to Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie, and I hope we'll see Eleanor conquer more of her fears in future stories! I received a digital ARC of Like Bug Juice on a Burger from Amulet Books via NetGalley.
Mallory and Mary Ann Take New York. by Laurie Friedman. March 1, 2013. Darby Creek Publishing. 159 pages. ISBN: 9780761360742
In Honestly, Mallory, book eight of her series, Mallory got into big trouble when she lied to her classmates about winning Fashion Fran's design contest. In this latest book, the nineteenth of Mallory's adventures, she wins that same contest - for real this time. Her prize includes a trip for four to New York City, and the opportunity to model the outfit she created for the audience at Fashion Fran's show. There is just one problem. Before winning the contest, Mallory made a pinky-swear with Mary Ann that if one of them won the contest, the other would come up with a way for both girls to be on the show. Though Mallory manages to convince her mother to bring Mary Ann and her mom on the trip to New York, she has more trouble than she imagined keeping the rest of her promise. And Mary Ann is very upset. Will they still be friends if Mallory can't live up to her pinky swear?
The storyline in this book is a refreshing departure from the trends of the last few books of the series, where Mallory is boy-crazy and obsessed with her brother's private life. It also represents a turning of the tables in Mallory's friendship with Mary Ann. In most of the books, Mallory is pouty and petulant, but this time Mary Ann takes on that role, and Mallory must cope with it. I also think a lot of elementary school girls can relate to the problems that are created by making promises that are too big to keep. I do wish the story taught a clearer lesson about the consquences of making those promises (the girls basically get their way in the end), but kids who read the story will probably like the happy ending better than any life lesson that could have been offered.
According to a 2010 interview with Laurie Friedman at From the Mixed Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors, there will be 20 books in all in the Mallory series. That means there's only one more to go! I will be sad to see it end, since I've been reading them for so long, but I am curious to see how everything will be wrapped up. I also look forward to learning what Friedman might work on next!
Suggest Mallory McDonald to readers who are outgrowing chapter books and ready to start moving onto middle grade titles. Read all my reviews of books in this series by clicking here.
I received a digital ARC of Mallory and Mary Ann Take New York from NetGalley.
Escape from Silver Street Farm. by Nicola Davies. March 26, 2013. Candlewick. 80 pages. ISBN: 9780763661335
Karl, Gemma, and Meera are excited for the opening of the farm that has been their dream since kindergarten. There is just one problem - their sheep and turkeys have escaped! While Karl and the farm's new caretaker, Scottish farmer Flora McDonald, track the sheep to the nearby grocery store, Gemma and Meera must gather the clues that will piece together the unlikely events that happen to the missing turkeys.
This book has so many things in it that kids just naturally love: kids taking charge, animals in silly situations, a sense of suspense and mystery, and a happy ending. Though the characters are definitely older than the average age of the target audience, the tone and humor are spot-on for the early elementary reader. Animal lovers will be pleased by the occasional passages written from the point of view of the various animals, but even kids who are less thrilled with animal-centric stories will engage with the characters and their detective work instead.
The design of the book is also very appealing. The illustrations at the start of each chapter hint at events to follow, and they show the racial diversity of the characters that is not explicitly discussed in the text. Katherine McEwan's tiny lines and cartoonish faces remind me of drawings by illustrators like Matthew Cordell and Marla Frazee. I especially like the way McEwan shows the animals' personalities in their faces. Another appealing aspect of the design are the little footprints along the bottom of each page. In the chapters focusing on the search for the sheep, they are hoofprints, and in the turkey chapters, they are little turkey prints. This is a nice visual cue to help kids keep track of the switch from one part of the story to another. I also think those are nice touches to have on pages that are otherwise nothing but text.
There are so many books for kids about animals, but this series stands out for me because the author is an actual zoologist with firsthand knowledge of caring for animals. There are no talking animals in this book, but the animals have realistic personalities and minds of their own that give them a more active role in the story than in many books about kids and their animal obsessions. The Silver Street Farmseries is a perfect read-alike for the Lulu series by Hilary McKay, also imported from the UK by Candlewick Press. For more suggestions for readers who like animals, check out my lists about kids and their dogs and farm animals.
I received a digital ARC of Escape from Silver Street Farm from my local public library.
Lulu and the Dog from the Sea. by Hilary McKay. March 1, 2013. Albert Whitman & Company. 112 pages. ISBN: 9780807548202
Lulu 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.
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.
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.
Zeke Meeks Vs. the Big Blah-Rific Birthday. by D.L. Green. February 1, 2013. Picture Window Books. 128 pages. ISBN: 9781404881051
Zeke’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.
Ricky Vargas: Born to Be Funny. by Alan Katz. illustrated by Stacy Curtis. February 1, 2013. Scholastic. 80 pages. ISBN: 9780545313964 Ricky 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.
Amelia Bedelia Means Business. by Herman Parish. January 29, 2013. Greenwillow Books. 112 pages. ISBN: 9780062094988
Following 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.
Killer App. by Michael Dahl. 2012. Capstone. 63 pages. ISBN: 9781434232311
Killer App is very different from most early chapter books I have read, because although it is written at a first or second grade reading level, the intended audience is actually grades 4 to 8, and maybe even older. Stone Arch Books publishes a good number of series of Hi-Low novels like this one, which tell stories about high interest topics for older readers who read below grade level. Though I am not familiar with the Return to the Library of Doom series, of which this book is a part, Killer App really impressed me, and I enjoyed reading it.
The storyline centers on a Smartphone app that allows its user to download horror stories.The catch, though, is that this killer app also downloads whatever creepy creatures appear in the selected horror story. As Ivan and his best friend Mark drive along with their girlfriends, Mark’s girlfriend downloads The Raven, and almost instantly they find themselves running from a flock of angry birds. Their only hope of escape is to summon the Librarian from the Library of Doom, who will know how to counteract the birds’ attacks.
What I like most about the book is its design. The cover doesn’t really catch my eye, but the interior illustrations definitely grabbed my attention right away. Many pages have full-color illustrations which have a style similar to a lot of comic books, but even the pages that only have text on them have interesting notations and changes of font that enhance the appearance and meaning of particular words and phrases. When the phone sits gleaming on the asphalt, “gleams” is surrounded by simple images of stars, showing how the word shines. Words like “angry” and “scary” are written in large capital letters with little squiggles under and around them to help decode their meaning. When the boys laugh, the word “Ha!” appears several times around that sentence, visually representing the sound of laughter. These visual cues are so useful to new readers, and to readers who might be learning English for the first time as middle school or high school students.
The use of Smartphone technology adds to the high interest level of this book. Kids are practically addicted to their phones these days, so they will relate to characters who share that obsession, and by demonstrating that phones can be used to download books, the story subtly models print motivation. Kids who struggle with reading might have negative associations with it, but by tying their phones into the reading process, kids might start to see reading books as a more relevant activity. I also appreciate any book that shows librarians as something other than quiet ladies with buns who shush their patrons and punish them for losing their library books. The library in this book is basically a superhero, and he is literally the master of all books.
Though Killer App shares a Guided Reading Level with booksfrom serieslike Henry and Mudge and Frog and Toad, it is not a story for the typical early reader. Rather, Killer App is an adventure story for tweens and teens, written on a level more easily tackled by kids who don’t yet read proficiently. I think this is a great addition to any library serving ESL students, and for school libraries serving kids at a variety of levels. I don’t know enough Hi Low titles offhand to recommend read-alikes, but pairing this book with English lessons on the works of Edgar Allan Poe would be a great start.
I received a finished copy of Killer App from the publisher.
NOTE: This book was nominated by the publisher for the 2012 Cybils Awards in the Easy Reader/Early Chapter Book category. I am a first-round panelist in this category, but this review reflects my opinions only, not those of any other panelist, or the panel as a whole. Thanks!
0 Comments on Review: Killer App by Michael Dahl (Cybils Nominee) as of 12/26/2012 9:19:00 AM
Amy and the Missing Puppy. by Callie Barkley. January 1, 2013. Little Simon. 128 pages. ISBN: 9781442457706
In this first book in the new Critter Club series, Amy is on her own for the week, while her friends spend Spring Break out of town. Luckily, Amy is an animal lover and her mom is a vet, so there’s lots for her to do to the pass the time. In fact, after just a couple of days, Amy finds herself involved in a mystery. Local billionaire Marge Sullivan has lost her dog, and Amy starts tracking the clues to find him. When her friends return home, they, too, have a hand in solving the mystery - and all the girls come together to find a way to help all the local animals who need them.
There is no doubt that this new series is directed at little girls. All the kids in the story are girls, and they’re into horses, dogs, and playing MASH (the game that determines a girl’s future husband, house, etc.). The cover shows hints of purple. The illustrations inside have a clear heart motif. The entire layout of the books is very stereotypically girls, and visually, I already know it will appeal to girls who are reading Cupcake Diaries, Rainbow Magic, and other similarly packaged chapter books.
Despite the fluffy appearance, though, this is a book with substance. Amy is a well-rounded character whose personality comes through in details like her constant blushing when she’s embarrassed, and her love for Nancy Drew mysteries. The story is realistic enough that it actually does seem believable that Amy could solve a case like this on her own, and that makes trying to solve it alongside her that much more fun. Readers will be able to put the clues together on their own - the author doesn’t play any tricks or withhold any information.
Interestingly, though this first book is a mystery subsequent titles in the series are not, so adults will want to be aware of that when presenting this book to kids. This specific book might be a great read-alike for Nancy Drew and the Clue CrewandJudy Moody's Mini-Mysteries and Other Sneaky Stuff for Super Sleuths, but the series as a whole is more like the Cupcake Diaries, Welcome to Silver Street Farm, or The Sleepover Squad.
This is a solid start to a new series sure to win over 8-year-old animal lovers everywhere. Amy and the Missing Puppy will be published on January 1, 2013, along with the second book of the series, All About Ellie. In the meantime, check out the adorable trailer below, and take a look at this graphic excerpt on Simon & Schuster’s website.
I received a digital ARC of Amy and the Missing Puppy from Simon & Schuster via Edelweiss.
Fourth Grade Rats. by Jerry Spinelli. 1991. Scholastic. 86 pages. ISBN: 9780590442442
Though Fourth Grade Rats has recently received a makeover in time for the publication of its prequel, Third Grade Angels, it’s actually an older title, which was first published in 1991. While Third Grade Angels focuses on Suds’s attempt to be the most angelic member of his class, Fourth Grade Rats is about his quest to follow his friend Joey’s lead and become a rat. According to Joey, rats say no to their mothers, carry their lunches in bags, not lunchboxes, and they never cry or get scared. Suds tries to live up to all these rules, but he’s so used to being good, it’s hard to change his ways.
The first thing I noticed about this book, sadly, was an error in continuity. In the prequel, which I read just a few days before reading Fourth Grade Rats, Suds meets Joey on the first day of school. In Fourth Grade Rats, though, the boys reminisce about something that happened to them two summers ago on the Fourth of July. For them to have this shared memory, they would have had to meet prior to the first day of third grade. I read a paperback edition of Fourth Grade Rats, with a 1991 copyright date, so I guess it’s possible that the story line has been edited in the 2012 version so that the two books match, but even so, this error is going to be obvious to kids who are reading aged library copies of Fourth Grade Rats alongside their brand-new copies of Third Grade Angels.
Another thing I noticed quickly is that I didn’t like Fourth Grade Rats as much as Third Grade Angels. This surprised me, because I almost always think the original story is better, but in this case, I didn’t think the writing was quite as distinctive in this book as it is in the newer one. Though Suds takes baths in both stories, I thought the effects of the bath on his well-being were described much more effectively in Third Grade Angels. I also thought his crush on Judy, and Judy herself, were more interesting in Third Grade Angels.
All of this is making it sound like I didn’t enjoy Fourth Grade Rats, and that isn’t true. The story is quick, funny, and clever. Parents who worry about stories that glorify disobedience will love the moral, and kids will enjoy the silly things the boys do to prove they are rats. I also enjoyed the illustrations in the particular edition that I read, which were filled with great early 90s fashion and hairstyles like this:
And this:
I think it’s especially hilarious that there was a time in my childhood where we all dressed exactly like that! I also love these illustrations. Though they are apparently not done by the same illustrator, they really remind me of the drawings in the Baby-sitters Club Little Sister books.
Fourth Grade Rats has really stood the test of time, but I think it’s also interesting to note how much Jerry Spinelli has evolved as a writer in 20 years. Fourth Grade Rats was good, but Third Grade Angels is even better. I will definitely recommend both books to my library’s third- and fourth-grade chapter book readers.
I borrowed Fourth Grade Rats from my local public library.
It's so weird that I've never know of this Jerry Spinelli book because I Spinelli is one of the greats. Maybe he just wasn't as a great writer as he was now? Or because he had years to think of the original book so eventually he made an even greater prequel.
Third Grade Angels. by Jerry Spinelli. September 1, 2012. Arthur A. Levine Books. 112 pages. ISBN: 9780545387729
Third Grade Angels is a prequel to Fourth Grade Rats, a beloved Jerry Spinelli chapter book originally published in 1991. As of writing this review I have not yet read Fourth Grade Rats (though it is on my to-read list), so my evaluation of this book is based solely on the story itself, and not how well it does or does not complement the first one.
George, better known as “Suds” due to his love for taking long baths has always heard the rhyme that says first grade babies/second grade cats/third grade angels/fourth grade rats. This year, as he enters third grade, he learns that his teacher, Mrs. Simms, literally wants her students to be angels, and that she will award one student per month with a halo for their efforts. Suds, who never likes to come in second, decides that he must be the first one to receive a halo, and he immediately starts doing extra nice things with the sole intention of impressing his teacher. But it turns out that being an angel is a lot harder than it sounds, and it might involve more than simply being good when the adults are watching.
I have no doubt that the lesson of this story - that being good is less about ourselves and more about how we treat others - will be the delight of parents and teachers alike, especially those who believe the purpose of children’s literature is always to instruct and to educate children on how to be better citizens. I like it for that reason, too, because I’m an adult, and I like knowing there are books out there still protecting childhood innocence and promoting good morals. For kids, though, the moral will probably not be as appealing as the other positive qualities of this book - mainly its sense of humor, fast-paced dialogue, and memorable characters.
Suds is by far my favorite character of the story. He just comes across as so real, with all the innocence and mischief of a real eight-year-old boy. A great example of why I love Suds comes early in chapter three:
[Joey] held out his first. I stared at it. “Bump me, dude,” he said.
“Oh,” I said. I bumped him. I guess I did it right because he didn’t laugh or sneer. It my first-ever fist bump.
I love that he is the kind of kid who has never fist bumped, but who would take note of the first time he does so.
I also love the connection he was with his mom, and the discussions they have while he is in the bathtub, especially about Suds’s longtime crush on Judy Billings. These moments remind me quite a bit of the discussions between Clementine and her parents in the Clementine series. Another similarity to Clementine is that Suds call his little sister Zippernose in the same way that Clementine calls her brother different vegetable-related nicknames.
Third Grade Angels is the perfect early chapter book. Its sense of humor, characterization, and storytelling style are all spot-on, and there is never a dull moment in the entire story. This is definitely one of the best books I have read this year, and I’m eager to see how it compares to the first book, especially with 20 years between the two.
Third Grade Angels will be published on September 1, 2012.
I received a digital ARC of Third Grade Angels from Scholastic via NetGalley.
Stuey Lewis Against All Odds: Stories from the Third Grade. by Jane Schoenberg. May 22, 2012. Macmillan. 144 pages. ISBN: 9780374399016
Stuey Lewis Against All Odds: Stories from the Third Grade is the follow-up to 2011’s The One and Only Stuey Lewis: Stories from the Second Grade. The new book contains four stories, each about a different episode in Stuey’s third grade year. In "Give Me Space", Stuey and his class organize a virtual field trip to the space science center where his dad works. In "First-Time Fliers", Stuey and his brother Anthony fly to their father’s for Christmas. "Queen for a Day" is about Stuey and Anthony’s attempts to make their mother feel like a queen on mother’s day, and "Best in Show" focuses on the class pet show, for which Stuey does not have an animal to share.
The “against all odds” part of the title implies that this book will see Stuey overcoming a lot of adversity, but I don’t think that is a fair representation of what the stories actually talk about. While Stuey does sometimes have trouble with the challenges of having divorced parents, he is a pretty easygoing, upbeat character, and he never really describes his problems as overwhelming obstacles. “Against all Odds” has a nice ring to it, but I wish the book had a more engaging title, as the stories themselves do. The writing itself is solid, and heavy on the dialogue, which is nice for kids who are intimidated or simply bored by long, descriptive paragraphs. There are quite a few characters introduced across the four stories, but each one’s personality comes through clearly in just a few spoken words. The best example of this is Lilly Stanley, whose annoying personality is illustrated using statements such as this one, where she corrects the classroom teacher, Ginger.
“You said Friday night when you meant to say Friday morning, Ginger,” Lilly interrupts. “But don’t worry, I get confused sometimes when I’m excited, too.”
It’s not just what she says, but how she says it that really fleshes out her character, even without any description written into the story.
Dialogue also keeps the plot moving forward and provides exposition and context in a straightforward, but not boring, way. I especially like the interactions between Stuey and his friend, Will, and between Stuey and his brother, Anthony.
Stuey is an authentic representation of the mind of an eight-year-old boy. He falls somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, about halfway between troublemaker characters like Calvin Coconut and Horrid Henry and worrywarts like Alvin Ho and Justin Case. Stuey Lewis Against All Odds will appeal to fans of the Stink Books, Marty McGuire, and Freckle Juice.
I borrowed Stuey Lewis Against All Odds: Stories from the Third Grade from my local public library.
Stella Batts Needs a New Name. by Courtney Sheinmel. January 15, 2012. Sleeping Bear Press. 144 pages. ISBN: 9781585361854
Stella Batts Needs a New Name is the first book in a new chapter book series from one of my favorite YA authors, Courtney Sheinmel, some of whose books I reviewed last August. Stella is a third grader whose family owns a candy store in Somers, California. The story is written as her own autobiography, where she discusses one of her biggest problems - her name. After she accidentally steps in dog poop on a class trip, the other kids star calling her Smella, and Stella believes the solution is to simply change her name, preferably to something with a candy theme. Things get confusing, though, when her friends also want to change their names and suddenly no one can remember who is who.
Just like Sheinmel’s young adult novels, this chapter book focuses first and foremost on family. Stella’s parents and five-year-old sister are a very big part of her life, and of her story. I especially like the fact that Stella’s mom is expecting another baby right from the start of the series. It’s nice to see that storyline come into play without being used as a gimmick to keep a floundering series alive. I also really enjoyed reading dialogue between Stella and her dad. Those scenes reminded me a lot of similar tender moments in the Mallory and Clementine books. The most touching discussion they have is about how Stella was given her name.
I’m also impressed by the quality of writing in this book. The dialogue flows effortlessly and manages to sound like real conversation. Sheinmel also taps into the way kids look at the world, noting experiences like Stella’s first time going out at night with wet hair and pajamas, and the joy of being allowed to sit in the “way back” of a friend’s mom’s car. These subtle details make Stella a three-dimensional girl whose life kids recognize as similar to their own.
The design of the book, and the detailed black and white illustrations give it a fresh, contemporary feel. The pinkness of parts of the spine and cover do come together for kind of a girly look, but I think the focus on female friendship and candy-based names is likely to appeal more to eight-year-old girls than boys anyway. Recommend the Stella Batts series to girls who have enjoyed the Sophie books by Lara Bergen, the Clementine series by Sara Pennypacker, and the Cinderella Smith series by Stephanie Barden.
I borrowed Stella Batts Needs a New Name from my local public library.
Marty McGuire Digs Worms! by Kate Messner. February 1, 2012. Scholastic. 176 pages. ISBN: 9780545142458
Marty McGuire’s class has an assignment. Each team of students must come up with a plan to save the planet. With the help of her quirky and hip Grandma Barb, Marty puts together a great project where worms will turn leftover cafeteria food into fertilizer. Marty doesn’t realize how long this process will take, though, and she makes a bunch of promises to her classmates that she quickly realizes she cannot keep. When the class starts getting angry at Marty for the way things are going, she tries to speed things along, resulting in a worm escape! Marty must find a way to save the Earth and save her friendships with her classmates.
I thought Marty McGuire was a pretty solid chapter book despite its heavy-handed treatment of gender issues, but this sequel definitely impressed me more. Marty isn't like most other chapter book heroines, and this story does a wonderful job of highlighting that fact without actively reminding the reader of it all the time. Marty is science-minded and loves to get her hands dirty, which is great, and I think kids are certainly drawn to her impatience and her desire to do the right thing, even if she doesn’t always manage to do it. Kids will also love the interesting way that Marty and her friends recycle their cafeteria garbage, and the idea is simple enough that they might just be able to implement it in their own communities.
Veronica Grace continues to be a bit of a walking “mean girl” stereotype, which is too bad, since that stereotype seems inescapable in children’s books these days, but the other characters are pretty fairly balanced portraits of average kids. Aside from the characterization, there are also a lot of great details describing objects and situations in Marty’s day to day life. I loved the line about kids being “crocodile-snapped” in auditorium chairs, and I thought it was great when Marty speculates that her teacher might be looking forward to lunch just so she can feed her lettuce to the worms.
This series is a great alternative for girls who don’t relate to themes like fashion and boys, and who are interested in recycling, going green, and improving our planet. Marty McGuire Digs Worms is a great second installment to a well-written and entertaining series.
I borrowed Marty McGuire Digs Worms from my local public library.
The Stories Julian Tells. by Ann Cameron, illustrated by Ann Strugnell. 1981. Random House. 80 pages. ISBN: 9780394828923
Julian is a young African-American boy with a talent for spinning yarns. Whether he’s making excuses for eating his mother’s pudding or convincing his little brother, Huey, that cats come from catalogs, he always has a great story to tell, and a dad who appreciates and cultivates his big imagination.
I was surprised right away by how beautiful the writing is in this book. It’s simple enough to be read by a newly independent reader, but it doesn’t sacrifice art for the sake of simplicity. Author Ann Cameron weaves lovely figures of speech in and out of her sentences, and her words project strong, complete images into the reader’s mind. Here’s just one example:
My father is a big man with wild black hair. When he laughs, the sun laughs in the windowpanes. When he thinks, you can almost see his thoughts sitting on all the tables and chairs. When he is angry, me and my little brother, Huey, shiver to the bottom of our shoes.
There are a lot of ways to tell a reader that a character’s father has a strong influence on him, and a strong presence, but this is by far the most appealing way I can imagine. It’s also a very accessible description, even though it’s not completely straightforward. Kids can recognize all of those words, and if they pause to consider them, they can decode the meaning of Cameron’s metaphors.
Another great strength of this book is its dreamlike style of illustration. Julian’s imagination, and his dad’s, seem to consume each of the drawings, bringing elements of the adventures they invent right into their everyday lives. The visual cues provided by the illustrations also help kids to understand the more poetic tone of this book as compared with other early chapter books, which will give them a little more context for understanding Cameron’s style.
This book is so skinny it often gets lost on my library shelves. Now that I’ve read it, I can’t wait to recommend it to my early chapter book readers - especially the boys who need something beyond Magic Tree House and Star Wars.
I borrowed The Stories Julian Tells from my local public library.
Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm. by Megan McDonald. August 14, 2012. Candlewick Press. 176 pages. ISBN: 9780763634513
Judy Moody has a lucky penny. At first, it brings great luck - prizes from The Claw machine, a lucky number of marshmallows in her breakfast cereal, and ten dollars among her Crazy Strips collection. Unfortunately, though, her good luck runs out before the class spelling bee and she is not selected to represent the third grade in Washington, DC. Now her only chance to go on the trip is to accompany her classmate, Jessica, and babysit Jessica’s pet pig, Peegee Weegee. Will her luck hold out long enough to keep Peegee Weegee out of trouble, or will more bad luck follow her to Washington?
This book fits in nicely amongst the others of the series, but it did give me pause. Why would someone bring her pig all the way to Washington, DC for a spelling bee? And why hire a third grader to watch him? I haven’t read all of the previous Judy Moody titles, so maybe this is just par for the course, but this storyline seemed especially unrealistic to me. I also noticed that the characterization of the Moody family, and even of Judy herself, seemed stronger to me in the most recent Stink book than it does in this one. I found that surprising, since the Stink books are a spin-off from the Judy Moody series, but it might also be that the Judy series is just more well-established so readers need fewer reminders of who everyone is.
The idea of a good luck charm is a nice choice of topic for a chapter book, because I think a lot of kids wish for magical objects, or at least pretend everyday things like pennies and rocks can grant them wishes. I also like the fact that Judy ultimately learns that her good fortune comes from her own actions and not from magical outside sources. Finally, I think this book fills the need for more pig-related chapter books for Mercy Watson fans looking for what to read next.
Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm will be published along with Judy Moody's Mini-Mysteries and Other Sneaky Stuff for Super-Sleuths on August 14.
I received a digital ARC of Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm from Candlewick via NetGalley.
Lulu and the Duck in the Park. by Hilary McKay. September 1, 2012. Albert Whitman and Company. 104 pages. ISBN: 9780807548080
Lulu has many interesting and wonderful qualities, but what she’s known for is her love of animals and her huge collection of them. One day, while her elementary school class visits the park, she gets hold of a duck egg that needs protection. Despite her teacher’s blatant dislike of animals, Lulu takes the egg back to class with her. All is well, until... the egg suddenly starts to hatch!
This chapter book is by Hilary McKay, the author of the Casson family series, the first book of which I reviewed last year. Since it’s for a younger audience, this book deviates quite a bit from the style of the series books, but it’s every bit as well-written as McKay’s books for older readers. Lulu, whose personality reminds me a lot of Ramona Quimby and Clementine, is the kind of good-hearted, bold character kids really relate to and root for. Her predicament with the duck is just the kind of thing that makes five to seven year olds laugh, but it also appeals to that common interest in rescuing animals that leads so many kids to say they want to be veterinarians.
Though I was somewhat puzzled by the class trips to the park and a bit uncomfortable with how strict and mean Lulu’s teacher seemed to be, I don’t think these are true flaws in the story. Rather, I think they demonstrate how attuned McKay is the minds of kids. Children do often see strict adults as simply cruel, and I doubt kids will notice anything unusual about a few extra field trips. In fact, reading about walking through the park is probably more fun than reading about regular classroom activities.
An obvious companion for this book would be Duck for a Day by Australian author, Meg McKinlay, which was published by Candlewick in February. I also think it would be a nice tie-in for classrooms hatching chicks. Lulu and the Duck in the Park will be published in the U.S. on September 1, 2012.
I borrowed Lulu and the Duck in the Park from my local public library.
I loved this book, and, even more telling, my 6-year-old daughter read it delightedly. The first chapter book she read all by herself. I CANNOT wait for this series to come to the States (there are several already published in England). My review won't come out until closer to the U.S. pub date.
Judy Moody's Mini-Mysteries and Other Sneaky Stuff for Super Sleuths. by Megan McDonald. August 14, 2012. Candlewick Press. 96 pages. ISBN: 9780763659417
This summer, Candlewick will publish not one but two new Judy Moody titles. While Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm (which I will review next week) is a regular Judy Moody story which follows in succession after Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer, this book is something a little bit different. It’s Judy’s guide for detectives, complete with puzzles, activities, and a set of short Encyclopedia Brown-esque mysteries for readers to solve.
What makes Judy Moody's Mini-Mysteries and Other Sneaky Stuff for Super Sleuths stand out for me over other activity books of its kind is how much emphasis it places on reading. This isn’t just an opportunity for kids to fill in a few blanks and move on. Rather, readers have to read carefully to solve mysteries, answer simple logic puzzles, and learn Judy’s various detecting strategies. Just like the rest of the series, the book is heavily illustrated, so new chapter book readers can feel confident trying it out, and the various puzzles would be as much to do alone as with a group, whether that is a child’s family, scout troop, or class.
There are only two drawbacks to this book. One is that it relies on some of the earlier Judy Moody books for hints and clues to some of the puzzles. I can see kids being frustrated if they buy or borrow this book but don’t have the others on hand. Sure, the publisher wants to encourage kids to read the other books in the series, but I hadn’t read Judy Moody, Girl Detective, and it annoyed me that I couldn’t understand some references because of that. In the same way, the book also devotes a good number of pages to Nancy Drew. Nancy Drew is a great character, and kids should definitely discover her, but if they haven’t yet, a pretty sizeable chunk of this book is lost on them.
All in all, this is a book mainly geared toward fans of the series who have read the other books and will appreciate the tie-ins with various plot points. Kids who fancy themselves spies or detectives will love the tips they find here, and they’ll gain confidence from solving Judy’s mysteries right along with her.
I received a digital ARC of Judy Moody's Mini-Mysteries and Other Sneaky Stuff for Super Sleuths from Candlewick via NetGalley.
The Boxcar Children Beginning: The Aldens of Fair Meadow Farm. by Patricia MacLachlan. September 1, 2012. Albert Whitman & Company. 144 pages. ISBN: 9780807566169
Long before they become those well-loved orphans living secretly in a boxcar to escape their supposedly evil grandfather, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny live at Meadowview Farm with their parents. In the final year before their parents die, the four kids care for animals, open their home to strangers whose car breaks down during a bad snowstorm, and even put on a free circus for their neighbors to distract them from “hard times.” Above all, even when the inevitable sad ending arrives, they care for and love one another. This book is being published to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the publication of The Boxcar Children.
I had mixed feelings about reading this book, but my curiosity won out over my reservations. Having read many of the original titles as a kid, I found that I really wanted to know what life was like before that opening scene in The Boxcar Children where the four kids stand hungry before the bakery window. I was worried, though, that even the talents of Patricia MacLachlan could not preserve the charm and warmth of the original series. It turns out I was a little bit right about that, but I still wasn’t entirely disappointed.
The first thing I noticed, for better or for worse, is the fact that the writing style in this prequel is clearly that of Patricia MacLachlan. I guess I didn’t really expect her to try imitating Gertrude Chandler Warner, since that would feel even less authentic, but I found the change in voice from the original books to this one to be quite jarring. This is why I think this book should be seen as a tribute or homage to the original author and her narrative world rather than a true part of the series. If this were the first book a child read in the Boxcar Children series, I think that would be too bad and would somehow diminish the overall reading experience.
Once I settled into the story, I became further convinced that this is definitely a book to be read after becoming familiar with the Boxcar Children, not before. There are lots of hints throughout the text to the death of the Alden parents, which I suppose could be seen as foreshadowing, but really won’t have nearly as much meaning for anyone who doesn’t know already how things turn out. There are lots of details, too, that hint at the roles each of the children will play later on in the series, characterizations which on their own are easy to breeze by, but combined with knowledge from the series give the reader a bit of a knowing smile.
On its own, without considering the series as a whole, the book was just okay for me. I felt a strong sense of detachment from the characters, as though I could never really get close enough to them to feel what they were feeling, or worry about what worried them. The tone of the book is very upbeat and positive. Even when “hard times” strike, the Alden family seems to greet them with a smile, always ready for the next challenge. I know some parents will be pleased to have such a wholesome story to share with their kids, but I would argue that it’s even more wholesome than the already tame original series, and that it borders on painfully sweet. I also think the latter half of the book zips by far too quickly, with barely a climax before the denouement and conclusion. I felt like the parents’ death happened mainly because it was supposed to for the sake of continuity, and not because it made any logical se
1 Comments on Review: The Boxcar Children Beginning by Patricia MacLachlan (ARC), last added: 5/31/2012
I kind of like the "mystical" beginnings of the Boxcar Children series, with the four orphans emerging out of the night, nobody knowing where they had come from. This isn't a "magical" series by any standard, but the Alden children do seem to lead a charmed life. And there's something about juvenile series detectives (Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins, etc.) that seems deliberately two dimensional. For that reason, a prequel that both tries to flesh them out some more and fill in the "wherefores" of the story already seems like an awkward fit, however well it's written.
Having said that, I'm curious enough to give this a try as well.
PS -- Not that I'm picking on the cover or anything . . . but is Violet wearing violet? LOL!
Lawn Mower Magic. by Lynne Jonell. February 28, 2012. Random House. 112 pages. ISBN: 9780375966613
Derek Willow, one of four kids in the family at the center of this book, really wants to ask his parents for money for a train ticket to visit his friends in his old neighborhood, whom he has been missing since his family’s move to the country. Just when he gets ready to ask, though, the lawn mower dies, and Mr. Willow has no choice but to buy a new one. Before Mr. Willow has a chance to go shopping, though, Derek, his brother Abner, and their sisters, Tate and Celia discover an old lawn mower in the shed that all of them realize has some magical powers. They convince their father to pay them if they can mow the lawn using this old mower, and he agrees, figuring they’ll never be able to mow the huge lawn with such an old, weak tool. While the Willow parents are out looking for their new mower, the four kids take on the unknown magical mower in an effort to earn the cash Derek needs for his trip.
The title and cover of this book led me to believe it would be a gimmicky and hokey installment in a forthcoming long train of formulaic series books about magical household objects. I was truly surprised by the high quality of the writing and the characterizations of each of the kids, as well as the family unit as a whole. As in books like Half Magic and Bigger than a Breadbox, the story is essentially realistic fiction, with just one added magical element. The author does a great job of developing the very real financial issues the family faces right alongside the fantastical magical element. I also thought the lawn mower’s behavior was creative and fun. I especially loved the idea that the mower craves grass, and that it moves more quickly the more it consumes.
There are a few references in the story to the first book in the series, Hamster Magic, but only enough to make me interested in going back to read it, nothing so cryptic that I was confused or lost. The ending is certainly not given away, nor are the events of the first book necessary to the reader’s understanding of this book’s magic. In fact, that is probably the only complaint I have about the story - that I did not learn where the magic comes from. I suppose the reader doesn’t absolutely have to know that, but I feel like the story set me up so that I would want to know and then didn’t tell me. I suspect, though, that kids are more apt to just accept magic, and it might be that they won’t feel they need the explanation.
This quick, illustrated chapter book is great for new chapter book readers looking for magical stories beyond the Rainbow Magic and Magic Tree House series. The writing is stronger than in many series books being published right now, and I hope there will be more volumes to follow.
I borrowed Lawn Mower Magic from my local public library.
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It's so weird that I've never know of this Jerry Spinelli book because I Spinelli is one of the greats. Maybe he just wasn't as a great writer as he was now? Or because he had years to think of the original book so eventually he made an even greater prequel.