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Cover Shot! is a regular feature here at the Café. I love discovering new covers, and when I find them, I like to share. More than anything else, I am consumed with the mystery that each new discovery represents. There is an allure to a beautiful cover. Will the story contained under the pages live up to promise of the gorgeous cover art?

Supervillains.  I love them.  Especially when they are, deep in their heart, good guys.  Look at this guy.  Does he look like a devious doer of evil?  Nope!  I can hardly wait to get my hands on The Cloak Society by Jeramey Kraatz, to see just how bad Alex really is.  Or isn’t.  In stores October 2012

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Review:

I love books about different cultures or ways of life, and Inside Out & Back Again delivers up an emotionally enthralling account of a young Vietnamese girl’s flight from her home country to the US.  As I read Ha’s adventures, recounted in simple yet moving free verse, I wondered what it would be like to have everything familiar ripped away.  Before the fall of Saigon, life for Ha was happy and content, despite the growing hardships caused by the war.  Her father has been missing in action since she was an infant, but her family still holds out hope that he will return home one day.  She loves her family, she is doing well in school, and she is eager for her papaya tree to finally yield fruit.  Her three brothers are happy, as well, and they are excellent students with bright futures ahead of them.  Everything changes with the fall of Saigon.

Ha’s mother is trying valiantly to raise four children by herself, but life has gotten more difficult.  It’s harder to make ends meet, and the price of everything keeps climbing.  As the communists threaten Saigon, she has a family meeting and asks everyone what they should do.  Should they flee, and try to built a new life in a country without Ho Chi Min and the war?  Ha and her brother Thoi don’t want to go.  How can they leave Ha’s papaya tree and Thoi’s chicken?  The pain of leaving their most prized possessions was a bitter pill to swallow for a new life with no guarantees.  I don’t think I could have done it.  Photographs, clothing, memories; all were left behind in Vietnam.

I loved Ha and found her easy to relate to.  She has been thrust into a new life that she doesn’t want, and one that doesn’t seem to want her.  Her new neighbors in Alabama aren’t very neighborly, she can’t understand the confusing language she is immersed in, and her classmates mock and bully her.  Her teacher doesn’t understand her and doesn’t try to make her feel welcome.  Instead, Ha, a bright, curious girl, is left feeling stupid and ignorant.  As she begins to pick up the language, she wishes she did not understand the names she is called or the jokes that her peers make about her.  She is angry, justifiably, but there is no outlet for her rage.  Ha is the one who must make concessions to fit in with a group of kids who can only see

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Review:

I am having a fantastic winning streak of wonderful Middle-Grade novels so far in 2012.  Storybound turned out to be another winner.  The premise is fantastic, and I could not put the book down.  I was literally glued to my reading chair for an entire afternoon as I frantically turned pages, eager to see what kind of trouble Una would find herself in.

Like Harry Potter, Una has never known her parents.  She has been shuffled through the foster care system, and she currently lives with Ms. McDonough, an odd woman who speaks to her cats far more frequently than she speaks to Una.  Una is fine with that, because she finally has some time to herself after being fostered in big families where she never felt that she belonged.  She feels invisible, both at her foster home and at school.  One day when Una is reading in the library in the basement at school, she finds a mysterious book.  A book about her.  Before she even has a chance to catch her breath, she finds herself sucked into the book, trapped as a character in the story.  Now she must  find her way back out again, all without getting killed.  Whoa!

In the land of Story, Una finds must become a student at the school where the children of Story learn how to be characters in books.  All of the citizens of Story have roles in books, and they all have to behave in a manner consistent with the character they are playing.  I loved the concept of this world.  Una’s ally, Peter, is learning to be a Hero.  He takes his studies very seriously, and when Una is magically zapped into one of his practical exams, he is not very happy when she screws it up for him.  With Peter’s help, Una learns that she was Written In.  Peter is shocked, because no one has been Written In since the Tale Keepers overthrew the evil Muses and took control of Story.

I am going to gush about how much I adored Una.  She is resourceful, clever, and loyal, and she is my favorite kind of protagonist.  She meets setback after setback, but each one makes her more determined to figure out what is going on.  Something is stinky in the land of Story, and Una won’t rest until she discovers what it is.  There is something wrong with the Tale Keepers, and she doesn’t believe that the Muses were evil.  With the help of Peter and Sam, a talking cat, she  searches for the truth, even when it puts her in mortal danger.  And Una is in a lot of danger.  She doesn’t belong in Story, and she needs to get back home before someone fi

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Review:

When I saw the coal black horse with glaring red eyes on the cover of Winterling, I immediately wanted to know more about it.  It’s a Middle Grade fantasy, and as I have been having quite a bit of good luck finding satisfying stories with these books lately, I couldn’t wait to start reading it.  Once I picked it up, I could not put it down again.  This is an exciting, magical read with a strong and feisty heroine who is moved by her heart to do the right thing.  My favorite kind of character.

Fer feels that she doesn’t fit in her world.  She hates school and the hurtful taunts of her classmates, and worse, once she climbs aboard the bus and is taken to the city, she starts to feel ill and muddle-headed.  Her grandmother, Grand-Jane, doesn’t seem to understand how wrong Fer feels when she’s surrounded by the city and her schoolmates, and she keeps insisting she go to school.  She has no sympathy when Fer gets into trouble for fighting, and Grand-Jane expects Fer to stay out of mischief.  Miserable, the girl forces herself to suffer through one endless day after another.

One day on her way home from school one day, she witnesses three wolves attacking a dog.  Upset that they are ganging up on the smaller animal, Fer bravely scoops up a fallen branch and wades into the middle of the fight, fearlessly chasing the wolves away.  When she checks the dog for injuries, she discovers, much to her surprise, that the dog isn’t a dog at all; he is really a strange boy named Rook.  Rook tells Fer about the Way, a magical portal to his world, and suddenly, Fer’s life will never be the same again.

This book had me hooked when Fer, despite her fear, bravely defended Rook against the wolves.  She is a girl who doesn’t know how to back down.  There is no challenge too frightening for her to turn away from, and she constantly puts herself at risk to save those around her.  I loved her bravery, and more than that, I loved her selflessness.  Fer never wanted anything in return, and she readily gave of herself, in a lan

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Incarnate is one of the more hyped books for the winter, and I was very eager to dive into the narrative.  This is an interesting take on the dystopian genre, which is which is one of my favorites.  In Ana’s world, there are one million souls, and they have been re-incarnated for thousands of years.  When Ana is born, however, she is a new soul.  A nosoul.  Nobody knows where she came from.  People are a bit afraid of her.  In order for her to exist, another soul had to disappear, so people aren’t happy that she’s joined them.  Her life means someone else’s permanent death, and a shocking shake up of the status quo.

Ana is left in the care of her mother, Li, a fierce woman who wants nothing to do with her.  Unlike other children, Ana is a blank slate.  She has no memories of her previous lives, because she has none.  What a terrible disadvantage for her to have to deal with!  While her peers are heading off on their own to continue the lives that they had temporarily left, Ana has no skills, no prospects, no expectations of things getting better for her.  Li is a cruel and detached caregiver.  She doesn’t see the sense in putting any effort into her duty when Ana probably only has one life.  Why become invested in someone who will only be around for the blink of an eye.

This is the aspect that I found the most fascinating about the book.  Everyone is thousands of years old. Everyone has a history with everyone else.  Everyone but Ana.  She is truly an infant to these people; young, ignorant, a disturbance in their carefully ordered society.  She doesn’t fit anywhere, and people are not shy about letting her know that.  They are dismissive of her, because they don’t know if she will be reincarnated after she dies, and they don’t think it’s worth their time to get to know her for her blip of a life.  The concept of a life not being worth much because it will likely be only about 70 years is a little disturbing.  While I understand the point of view of the citizens of Heart, I ju

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Review:

I spent most of my holiday vacation reading.  I am amazed by all  of the great stories I was able to enjoy during my time away from work.  The Book of Wonders is one of the titles that I devoured, and I literally spent most of a day flipping the pages of this fun middle-grade adventure.  An exciting spin on the 1001 Nights, there is plenty of action, adventure, and death-defying feats to keep readers entertained.  I liked the characters, especially the spunky Scheherazade (nicknamed Zardi).  She managed to get herself into, and back out of, an alarming amount of trouble over the course of the book.  With her best friend’s help, she remained surprising unscathed even during the most trying of circumstances.

Zardi lives with her family and her best friend, Rhidan, in the city of Taraket.  Her country is ruled by the evil sultan, Shahryar, who has outlawed all magic from his kingdom.  He is a cruel and vicious ruler, and he delights in the discomfort and pain of others.  When Zardi’s older sister, Zubeyda, is chosen to be the sultan’s next praisemaker, Zardi knows only fear.  The career of each praisemaker is terrifyingly short, and each ends with a hunt.  Zubeyda will be tracked down and killed!  Zardi is determined save her gentle sister from this cruel fate, and she will risk her life to save her!

This is a fast-paced read, with one frantic adventure following another.  With the help of Rhidan, Zardi leaps into the adventure of a lifetime.  She thinks that the key to saving her sister is finding the Varish, a group of rebels threatening to overthrow the sultan and return Aladdin, the rightful ruler, to the throne.  Rhidan, who was abandoned by his family and raised  by Zardi’s family, believes that the sorcerers of the Black Isle will hold the key to his true identity, as well as help save Zubeyda.  And so the two sneak away in the middle of night, and soon find themselves working on Sinbad’s ship.

I thought Zardi was a fun character.  She refused to allow anything to get in the way of saving her sister.  Not even being a shipwreck,  the Cyclops, or the queen of snakes could deter her from her goal.  Each new challenge was met with the grim knowledge that she could not fail, or her sister would die

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Review:

The Detention Club is a fun book, but as I read along, I realized that I am not the target market.  This is a boy book that will actually appeal to boys, and because it’s written from such an authentic male perspective, I occasionally wanted to grab protagonist Peter and choke him.  Truthfully, it was more than occasionally, and I found his pre-teen personality grating.  He could be equal parts annoying, clueless, and selfish.  Then he’d have a rare moment of insight and realize that he’s being a twerp, so it’s hard to dislike him.  I could totally sympathize with his older sister, though – I wouldn’t have wanted him for a brother, either!

Peter is basking in the glory of his elementary school days, where he and his best buddy, Drew, were the cool kids in class.  Now that he’s in middle school, he has one awful realization – he’s not cool any more.  In fact, he’s a nerd.  His predilection for collecting things, any little thing, really, has branded him a loser.  He and Drew are standing on the outside of the popularity club, and it’s not a position that either one of them likes to be in.  Peter is determined to regain his social status, and he cooks up one scheme after another to get himself noticed and elevated back into the social circles he longs to be in.  Instead, the plans backfire, leaving him looking even nerdier than before.  While his old friends have reconnected in more mature relationships, he sits on the sidelines and longs to be invited to parties and to just hang out with them.  Poor Peter.  I felt sorry for him to a degree, but as he continues to dream up ways to make himself look cool, he just brought more isolation to himself. 

When he finally ends up in detention, the world of Peter Lee changes drastically.  He makes friends with the two bullies who were making his life miserable, and he suddenly sees an opportunity to use them as his ticket to the big time.  Until things don’t work out quite as he planned – again!

The Detention Club is a funny read.  It’s strength comes from Peter’s unwavering belief that he’s always doing the right thing – even when he knows that he’s not.  He manages to put a spin on everything so that he doesn’t have second thoughts about some of the stupid, and I mean stupid, things that he’s going.  He jeopardizes his friendship with Drew, his grades are awful to say the least, and his behavior puts him at odds with his teachers and his family.  Mixed into this mine field that he’s created is a mystery for him

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Review:

This book is adorable!  There is no other word for it!  From the cover, with a very excited Splat raising his hand to ask a question, to the inside of the back cover with the small illustration of a mouse hole, this book is full of personality.  It is visually appealing, with so many textures and dashes of color to engage the eye and keep you flipping back through the book. 

Splat is a cat, and he is about to head off to school for the very first time.  To say that he is a little apprehensive is the understatement of the year.  He isn’t the least bit excited to go to school, and he is worried about everything.  He sneaks his pet mouse, Seymour, into his lunch box, and is literally dragged to school by his mom.  What follows is a fun frolic through the classroom when the other cats see poor Seymour.

This is such a fun picture book, and it tackles a common childhood concern with humor and playfulness.  How many kids have been nervous about going to school for the first time?  Pretty much all of them!  This book has universal appeal, because we have all felt uncomfortable in new situations and surroundings.  When I showed the book to Dean, even he laughed at the cover.  I don’t think there is a kid out there who will be immune to the charming character designs and the bursts of energy that blast across the pages.  I don’t think there are many adults who wouldn’t as least smile when they read through this book.  Go on, I dare you to not like Splat the Cat!

Grade: A

Review copy obtained from my local library

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Review:

I originally read a digital galley of this back in October.  I loved the book, but decided to wait for a finished copy before I wrote up my thoughts on it.  The title was released at the beginning of the month, so I ordered my very own copy from Amazon.  This is such a fun book, and I enjoyed revisiting the story.  Doreen Cronin’s prose kept me engaged for the entire length of the re-read.

J. J. Tully is a retired search and rescue dog.  He’s been there, and he’s seen it all.  When a chicken disturbs his quiet life in the country, he just can’t say no to the distraught mama hen.  Well, the promised cheeseburger seals the deal, and Tully is on the hunt for Moosh’s missing chicks, Poppy and Sweetie.

I love Tully, and I am happy to see that more adventures are planned for him.  He is rough around the edges and tells it like it is, kind of like a canine Sam Spade.  He knows that life isn’t all candy and roses, and he knows that not all missions are of the rescue kind. Some are much more unpleasant.  He is hoping for a joyful reunion between Mooch and her chicks, but as he searches, he discovers that she, and her two other chicks, Sugar and Dirt, aren’t being completely upfront with him.  Dealing with the frantic mama hen, her too smart for their good chicks, and the devious inside dog, Vince, with equal aplomb, Tully  puts aside his personal feelings to ensure that the quest for Moosh’s missing chicks has a happy ending.

The illustrations sprinkled throughout the book are charming and fit the tone of the narrative perfectly.  The Trouble with Chickens is for the younger set, Grades 2 – 4, but there is so much to love for older readers, too. 

Grade: A-

Today we bring you another installment of Youth Media Movers and Shakers. We've culled through industry publications looking for the recent executive placements we think you should know about. If you have executive news that you want us to highlight... Read the rest of this post

About a month ago I got an email from Steve Brodner inviting me to a lecture he was organizing at SVA, where we both teach. He was asking me to participate by sending him images of alternative illustration jobs I’d done. I must confess I was a bit confused, although very flattered, because there was no mention of my actually being a speaker. Soon I found out, indeed I wasn’t a speaker, Steve had emailed me among many other established illustrators to put together a slide show that represented a strong reality of where illustration is going today. Moreover, this lecture, he explained, wasn’t going to be only about the speakers (painter and filmmaker James Blagen; comic artist and designer Mickey Duzyj; and illustrator Alex Juhasz), but also about having an active audience of both strong and new voices in the field.

A couple of days later I get an email from Heidi Younger at FIT inviting me to be a speaker on a panel with Yuko Shimizu, Marcos Chin, Zina Saunders and Fred Harper… the next day after Steve’s panel. Damn! I couldn’t turn down sharing a stage with Yuko and Marcos- I don’t know Zina and Fred- so I accepted. Our lecture is titled How I Got My First Job and focuses pretty much on exactly the same concept as Steve’s.

As excited as I was about going to Steve’s lecture, I’m not sure I can shorten my work hours at this huge restaurant project I just started in Long Island and make both lectures, though I certainly have to make mine, or course. What’s also slightly odd about it, for me at least, is that I have SVA written all over me ( I moved to NY to go to SVA, graduated from SVA, teach at SVA), so I almost feel obligated to be there. Oh well… I’m sure it will be packed anyway.

Steve Brodner’s Lecture: SVA, 209 East 23rd Street, 3rd FL, Amphitheater. Tuesday 3/23, 6.30-8 PM

https://www.artinfo.com/galleryguide/22184/8702/124419/school-of-visual-arts-sva-gallery/exhibition/illustration-next/

FIT: How I got My First Job, FIT, 27th St & 7th Ave, C Building, Robert Lagary Board Room, 9th FL.Wednesday 3/24, 6.30-8 PM. FLYER: http://www.fernandacohen.com/content/images/editorial_384.htm

- Fernanda

This one's going out to my sister, by request. She's probably the only person who can request specific poems, it occurs to me.


Backstage Duty at the Junior Civic

These desperate outlaws, these corrupt officials

are so young they take stairs two at a time

for fun. The Sheriff of Nottingham, a tall boy



with curly hair, not old enough to drive,

gives me a smile where I sit invisible, knitting.

He goes in to get his makeup done.



I know his mother's dying, her skin, her organs

slowly turning to stone. He told my daughter

she cries and he doesn't know what he should do.



The Makeup door's propped open by a box,

battered and strapped with duct tape. Someone wrote

"Crash Box" on the side in Magic Marker.



A kid is curious. The makeup man

picks it up and lofts it underhand.

Landing, it sounds like the Apocalypse.



It sounds like the wreck of a stagecoach carrying

a galloping cargo of anvils and chandeliers.

It's glorious. They nudge it back in place.



We're brought up to be brave, and brave is silent.

We strangle on silence, but what words could we use?

Here's noise commensurate with catastrophe.



I want one for myself, want one for Aaron,

for his mom, for everyone who knows

they're cast in the big fight scene at the end,



have read the script and know that they will lose.

So that, stripped of costumes, we can climb

those last steps panting, heave our box and howl.