How to use this Page

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


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


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


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


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


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


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




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


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


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




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


Favorite reads this month: IMPOSSIBLE and TAMAR.

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

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

I seem to have a decent-sized list here...has it been that long since my last recent-reading post??


AFTER TUPAC AND D FOSTER, by Jacqueline Woodson. MG, contemporary realism, new in hardcover. Wow. I'm a Woodson fan already, and I'd have to say that this is probably my favorite of hers so far. The friendship of a trio of girls in the mid-nineties, against a backdrop of rapper Tupac Shakur's life and work, and the incarceration of one girl's brother.

Slight aside: In Neal Shusterman's fantasy EVERLOST, some characters can control others by inhabiting their bodies for short periods of time--getting inside their skins. In the EVERLOST world, this is called 'skinjacking.' Cool term, no?

Well, I got 'skinjacked' by the characters in TUPAC. Although I know from personal experience what it's like to be not-white, I could only make an educated guess about what it might be like to be black...until I read this book. When I was immersed in its world, I felt like I was black. I think this is testament to the author's ability to depict both the universality of being human and the specificity of being a young black girl in an urban neighborhood in the mid 1990s. Brava.


ELIJAH OF BUXTON, by Christopher Paul Curtis. MG historical, library. One of this year's Newbery Honor titles, about the first free child born of former slaves who escaped to Canada. (What a premise!) Wanna laugh OUT LOUD through three-quarters of a story, then cry at the end? If yes, this is your book. The funny parts are SO funny that I immediately wanted to read them aloud to whomever else was in the room. The sad part made me think of Toni Morrison's BELOVED. Recently I had a conversation with another (very astute) reader who was unconvinced by the first-person narrator's use of dialect--too modern, she thought. On the one hand, I agree. On the other, it enhances the story's accessibility. Which hand are you slapping?


SOMEDAY THIS PAIN WILL BE USEFUL TO YOU, by Peter Cameron. Contemporary YA, library. New York City teen drifting without an anchor, trying desperately to find one. I read this book in one sitting, meaning that I found the story compelling. The writing is very strong, indebted to / echoing CATCHER IN THE RYE and THE BELL JAR. All good, right?

A week later, when I went to make a few notes so I could blog about it, a weird thing happened: I couldn't remember a thing about it--except that it was YA. I mean nothing, nada, almost as if I hadn't read it! I literally had to scan the flap copy before I recalled anything about the book. I think maybe it's because I've read an awful lot of YAs lately that are 'teen-adrift-searching-for-anchor' and I'm sorry to say that many of them lack standout qualities, hence tending to blur into one another.

I don't know if this particular time, it's more of a comment on the book itself, or my (admittedly porous) memory. But there it is.


MAXIMUM RIDE, by James Patterson. Upper MG (maybe YA to some?) adventure-thriller, paperback airport bookstore purchase. I was skeptical, that's for sure. And I'm still not entirely convinced: For one thing, the story doesn't end: It just stops in its tracks, screaming 'sequel.' But...lots of action! and short chapters! about six kids who can fly! all of whom have distinct personalities! There's a lot to like here, and a big sigh of relief: Unlike many books aimed at so-called 'reluctant readers,' the writing in this one is decent--hurrah!

(Don't get me started...on my firmly-held assertion that books for reluctant readers need to be the BEST written of all. If they're only going to read a few books, those books need to be stellar examples of GREAT WRITING. I mean, sheesh, if you could feed a kid only half a dozen meals, would they all be canned spaghetti-o's and frozen pizza?! Me, I'd at least give them home-made fries, using the twice-fried method--fry once in medium-hot oil, remove from pan, let rest, finish in hot oil, serve piping hot with lots of salt and ketchup...ambrosia...--so they'd know what angels get to eat in heaven...but I digress.)


KEEPER, by Mal Peet. MG magical realism (or something like it), library. Now THIS is exactly what I'm talking about! When I went to the library, I was actually looking for Peet's TAMAR, which I've heard good things about. No TAMAR on the shelf, so I took KEEPER instead. An internationally-renowned soccer goalie recalls his boyhood years and his path to stardom.

Yeah, baby! A sports story and a ghost story: plenty of ferocious sports scenes and deliciously eerie ghosty bits, and the writing is better than decent or good--it's terrific. SEE?! DON'T TELL ME IT CAN'T BE DONE!

(I didn't say it's easy. Just that it's essential. And that I sometimes feel like I'm beating my head bloody against a brick wall comprising a whole bunch of folks--publishers, editors, educators, writers--who seem to think that it's okay to give a reluctant reader a less-than-well-written book so long as it's action-heavy and/or humorous.)

I have more titles on my list but if you've read this far, I am grateful and should give you a break. More anon.

If you’re a children’s author and/or illustrator who makes school visits, you might want to be listed in our School Visits Directory. This new ebook will be available in September for schools and other groups that look for authors and illustrators who make presentations.

directory-submission-formcwk-wp.pdf

Download our submission form and follow the directions to submit your personal information for this directory. It’s FREE.