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What Does Mrs. Claus Do? by Kate Wharton, illustrated by Christian Slade

Review by Shelly Burns (Write for a Reader)


Summary

Many stories are written about Santa Claus so we all know what he does on Christmas, but no one really knows about Mrs. Claus. Does she just sit around and wait until Santa returns? Is she hosting a party while he’s gone? Could she be a…whale rider, sushi chef, snowmobile chopper, heli-ski-jump-mountain-top hopper? After reading this book you’ll be asking yourself, what can’t Mrs. Claus do?

My Review

I really enjoyed this story. I love Christmas and try to read every Christmas picture book that I can. This one is going on my list of “must read to the students” list. I know that they will be laughing, as I was, when they read this. Not only does Kate Wharton put a comical spin on Mrs. Claus, she does it through rhyme which children will pick up on and enjoy the rhythmic quality of this story. I found myself wanting to read it again as soon as I was finished with it, and I imagine that is how a child would feel about it as well. The illustrations that Christian Slade did are just great! They add to the comedy of the entire thing.

According to the story, Mrs. Claus has her own things to do while Santa is gone. My favorite part is when Santa returns.

“When Santa comes home and hangs up his pack, Mrs. Claus has just secretly beaten him back. Are you thinking, ‘She can’t do that all in one night! There’s not enough time!’? And perhaps you are right. But then, if the stories of Santa are true, why couldn’t Mrs. Claus do it all too?”

The picture shows Mrs. Claus sitting in her rocker with a cup of cocoa, like she’s been there all night, just waiting on him to return.

As a teacher, I could see using this with the students to springboard some of their own writing and artwork about what Mrs. Claus does. I think that they could come up with some very creative ideas, maybe even some that Kate Wharton didn’t think of. I know it would be a hit in my classroom. I also think that young children will fall in love with this story.

It’s time for us to see Christmas from a different perspective, that of Mrs. Claus. Thank you, Kate Wharton, for allowing us to do that!


What Other Bloggers Are Saying:

A Patchwork of Books: "You just never know what that sneaky Mrs. Claus may be up to..." (read more...)

Simply Sensational Divas Review: "I love the rhythm and the rhyming; the words flow nicely and easily together. I love the educational opportunities the words provide." (read more...)

Rhyme of the Day: "It seems like something kids would like, whether they "believe in Santa" or not. " (read more...)




More Info:

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Tricycle Press (October 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582461643
• ISBN-13: 978-1582461649
• Source: Review copy from publisher
  

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Poison Ink by Christopher Golden
Review by Shelly Burns (Write for a Reader)

Summary
High School is a difficult time for many teens - peer pressure, fitting in, friends, first loves, and all that goes with being a teenager. For the girls in Poison Ink, it’s all of that…the whole high school experience. What do you do when you just don’t fit in? Sammi, T.Q., Caryn, Letty, and Katsuko knew all too well. When you are the loner, you hang with the other loners. None of these girls fit in with any of the other groups at Covington High, so they fit in with each other. They want a symbol of their bond, their friendship; what’s better than a tattoo? That’s exactly what they set out to do one night. They won’t get just any tattoo; they want one that will symbolize their friendship. They decide to go to an out of the way shop - one that won’t ask for parental permission for underage girls who want tattoos. All of the girls except for one, Sammi, go through with the tattoo. What would her parents say? The girls are furious, but before the night’s over, Sammi decides that she will return the next day, by herself to get the tattoo. Does she get it, or is it just airbrushed to appease the other girls?

Now she’s an outcast again, and her best friends turn into strangers. They are doing things they never would have done before: smoking, skipping school, fighting, taunting. During one of their brawls, Sammi tries to get in the middle and break it up only to have them turn and attack her. What does she spy on her friend’s back during the fight? The original tattoo has taken on a new form; it’s grown tendrils and it’s going over the girl’s body. What did the tattoo artist do to her friends and how can she stop it? Will Sammi be able to get her friends back?

My Review
Christopher Golden tells a great story. From the first page to the last, I was hooked! I loved Golden’s characters. The girls were so realistic, the storyline intriguing. You are drawn into the story from the prologue. Funny thing is I figured that the prologue would be an insight into the beginning of the story, but it’s actually taken from the end.

Golden paints such a vivid picture with his words:

“Pieces of her are broken. Every bump or crack in the road jostles her, shooting needles of pain into her skull and back and searing her side where some of her ribs have given away. She breathes through her teeth, and her pain turns into a strange whistling.

A paramedic floats into view above her. With a warm damp cloth, he wipes some of the blood from her face. Twenty-something, skin like mahogany wood, a ridiculously good-looking guy. She feels almost embarrassed to have him looking at her bloody, swollen face.

‘You’re going to be just fine, honey,’ he says.” (taken from the Prologue)

You feel bad for Sammi. She did what any high school girl would do when they know they are out defying their parents. She thought twice about her decision and it cost her the friends she loved.

“The rest of the day Sammi walked the halls of Covington High in a constant state of humiliation…Every glance or whisper troubled her. No matter how she told herself they weren’t talking about her, that a lot of people hadn’t even noticed the way her friends had abandoned her …still she felt exposed.” (p. 89)

When Sammi tries to fix things and the others realize what they had become and how they had acted, you almost feel sorry for them.

“Sammi’s heart broke for her, the horror of it coming to her all at once. What must it have been like to be a passenger in her own body, able to see out through her own eyes, aware of the things that her puppeteer had done to her body?” (p. 252)

Sammi is written as such a strong character, but there are times when I wished she would just “get over herself!” She is smart though. She figures things out and does her best to try to fix what she had a part in creating. She wanted the tattoo and pushed for them all to get them, but not so it would break up their friendship.

I just loved how real the story was. I could see a group of high school girls doing the things these girls do: plotting about getting tattoos behind their parents’ backs, fighting in school, etc. For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend this book for younger than high school students because of some of the actions that the girls take: drug use and foul language, for example. I think that high school students and young adults will enjoy this book. It was an easy and enjoyable read.


What Other Bloggers Are Saying:

Guys Lit Wire (reviewed by Book Chic): "I was seriously on the edge of my seat during the entire second half and couldn't stop reading until I got to the end. " (read more...)

Little Willow: "Poison Ink is one of my favorite books of 2008. I put this book into the hands of teens and adults alike. I feel as though I am introducing a new generation to Golden's works, and that feels great." (read more...)

Mrs. Magoo Reads: "Although there were a few brief disturbing parts (if you get queasy easily you'll probably just want to skip over a few paragraphs), I fully enjoyed the novel, and I really do hope it's made into a movie!"(read more...)


More Info:

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (July 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385734832
• ISBN-13: 978-0385734837
• Source: Review copy from publisher

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Twelve Terrible Things by Marty Kelley is a picture book told and illustrated from a child’s perspective.









It opens with a letter:


Of course, you are going to turn the page; who wouldn’t with an intro like that?

There is not a story line to this book. Each page is an illustration of what is happening, from the child’s perspective, and then a little blurb about the event. The events are numbered 1-12, hence the title, Twelve Terrible Things. #1 shows ice cream that has fallen off of the cone with the word, “Oooopsie!” on the page. It continues like that through the 12th thing. At the end, though, a good thing happens.

I think that this book would be appropriate for Pre-K – 2nd grade students. It lends itself to a lot of discussion, based on the illustrations themselves. Children deal with what they think are terrible things every day, and this book touches on some of them. Children will be able to relate to many of the events in this book and maybe even come up with some more of their own. I could see teachers using this as a kick-off for students to create their own terrible thing books either individually or as a class. Some kids may not think these are terrible things, so it opens up another discussion about point of view.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to parents and teachers based on all the discussion that you can have around the illustrations.

What Other Bloggers Are Saying:

Kiss the Book: "It makes a great tool for a teacher or parent to talk to kids about why some of these things are scary and diffuse some of the tension – others are just funny and sometimes none of us can escape those situations. A great piece of humor!" (read more...)

Markam Public Library: " In-your-face graphic paintings paired with droll text will have readers chuckling and sympathizing. " (read more...)


More Info:

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Tricycle Press (October 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582462291
• ISBN-13: 978-1582462295
• Source: Review copy from publisher
  

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