Hereville: How Mirka Met a Meteorite review

Hereville: How Mirka Met a Meteorite

by Barry Deutsch

Abrams

2012

This wonderful middle-grade graphic novel continues the adventures of Mirka Herschberg,  an irrepressible 11-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl. Mirka, a bit of an imaginative tomboy, is frustrated with knitting and antsy for adventure and makes for the woods to meet up with a witch and a troll. The snarky arachnid troll nebbishly clutching a purse and umbrella, decides to summon a meteorite, which the witch promptly turns into a doppelganger of Mirka.

Mirka's double soon acquires the name Metty, and just as in any classic golem story, Mirka is dismayed when she finds herself an outsider in her own family as Metty takes over mealtimes, (leaving chores for Mirka) and even stealing her Sabbath. Challenging her to a duel, Mirka only wins via her siblings clever interpretation of the contract she and Metty had agreed to.

Peppered with Yiddishisms, and with lots of tiny, thoughtful details in the illustrations, this is a graphic novel that stands alone, or can be enjoyed as part of the series. Either way, you won't want to miss this one.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Eliza's Freedom Road review

Eliza's Freedom Road
by Jerdine Nolan
Simon & Schuster
January 2011

First line, "Dear Reader, I am Eliza. Not the girl, but the grown woman Eliza. It has been many years since I was called Eliza. I call myself Elizabeth now."

12 year-old Eliza lives as a slave in the 1850's in Alexandria, Virginia. As a house slave, she enjoys a comparative number of advantages but still must endure many injustices. She is friends with the house cook, and therefore eats well. Her half-blind mistress has taught her how to read (an unusual advantage for a slave) so that Eliza can read her letters and newspapers. Eliza even has a small diary that she is able to keep. Her mother has sewn her a beautiful quilt, with each quilt square representing a traditional folktale. But Eliza's mother has recently been sent away, and there is talk that Eliza may be sold next. She decides to make a break for it, and the bulk of the story, in diary format, is about her year-long journey northward to Canada by night. Alternating between stories of Eliza's escape and traditionally-inspired folktales, this book reminded me just a little bit of The Wanderer by Sharon Creech.

Eliza is an oddly formal little girl - her tone is a bit stilted, and she never uses contractions, but that may be a reflection of the proper speech of the 1850's. As a "house slave" with a bit of education, she doesn't employ colloquial slave speech. The book culminates in a meeting with the legendary leader of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman. True to history, Tubman is a gruff, no-nonsense figure.

An impressive amount of backmatter helps young readers put everything in perspective. There is an author's note, as well as some information about the background of the folktales within the tale. There's also a bibliography of other resources and a list of websites, which I always think will date a book quickly, but certainly have plenty of use at the moment.

The book wraps up very quickly, with a few amazing coincidences that leave our heroine safely reunited with her mother, who has also escaped by the story's end. I'll recommend this to anyone who has exhausted the Dear America series or for those readers who might appreciate the formal prose that takes you to another century.

Compare to:

The Wanderer - Sharon Creech

I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly - Joyce Hansen

A Picture of Freedom - Patricia C. McKissack

My Name is Sally Little Song - Brenda Woods

I borrowed this book from the library.

Great Wall of Lucy Wu review

The Great Wall of Lucy Wu
by Wendy Wan-Long Shang
Scholastic
January 2011 

First line: "When I think back on it, I'd have to say that it all started with the Golden Lotus."

Chinese-American middle-schooler, Lucy Wu, is conflicted when her old-fashioned relative moves in... right into her bedroom. There are plenty of books out there about a put-upon kid who has to cope with sharing a room but this book succeeds in making all of the involved parties sympathetic and well-realized. Even though she's extremely short, Lucy has a passion for basketball, something her traditional (read: scholastics obsessed) parents simply don't understand.

Lucy's beenliving under the oppressive perfection of her snotty older sister Regina for years and can't wait until Regina takes off for college so she can finally have her own room. Unfortunately, her plans are foiled when her parents inform her that her grandmother's long-lost sister from China will be coming to stay with them. Enraged, Lucy decides to erect a "wall" consisting of her bookcase, desk and bureau clearly demarking her space. As the year goes on, and her parents insist that she take Chinese language lessons (further cramping her schedule and endangering her ability to stay active on the basketball team.) Lucy really begins to grow frantic with the pressures that she's put under.

Lucy and her parents seem to be gearing up for an all out war. But, a sensitive, reasoned look at things eventually brings both sides closer together. I was heartened by Lucy's sincere concern about having her father leave on an extended business trip to China. She's quite ill at ease until he's safely home again. Lucy realizes that after school Chinese lessons turn out to be more fun than she thought. Lucy's mom comes to see that Regina has been far more insufferable than she had originally supposed, and sympathizes with how Lucy must feel about having her sixth grade school year turned topsy-turvy. And Lucy's great-aunt, although mostly silent throughout the book, also shows some spirit, not letting Lucy push her around, but realizing what a big adjustment this is for her, too. The Chinese phrases incorporated into the book add a lot, and this is a realistic middle-grade fiction with broad appeal - any kid who's ever felt academic pressure (and who hasn't these days?), sports fans, anyone who's ever had to measure up to an older sibling, or anyone who is interested in reading about how it feels to grow up in a multicultural environment will find that this book is a real winner.

Compare to:

Penny Dreadful - Laurel Snyder
The Whole Story of Half a Girl - Veera Hiranandani
The Star Maker - Laurence Yep
Happy Birthday, Sophie Hartley - Stephanie Greene

I borrowed this book from the library.

A Drowned Maiden's Hair review

A Drowned Maiden's Hair
by Laura Amy Schlitz
Candlewick Press
January 2006

It's the early 1900's and poor Maud Flynn believes it's her lucky day when she's finally rescued from the Barbary Asylum orphanage she's been living at by three spinster ladies. She quickly realizes, however, that the elderly Hawthorne sisters only wish to use her as a confederate in their fake seances to cheat wealthy bereaved patrons. Maud is desperately lonely and sad. Her only real friend is Anna, also known as "Muffet," the deaf kitchen help. 

The aunts are busy prepping Maud for their grandest heist yet, as well-to-do Mrs. Lambert will pay any price in her attempt to communicate with her drowned daughter Caroline. Maud's job is to hide inside a tiny cabinet and provide ghostly sound effects. Desperate for approval from anyone, love-starved Maud reluctantly goes along with the Hawthornes' scheme. The somber mood of the book is heavily influenced by the setting, a crumbling seaside resort. This story provides a fascinating look at spiritualism and charlatan mediums, a huge fad of the era. Luckily, there is a happy ending for Maud when Mrs. Lambert finally rescues her from the orphanage after her "aunts" abandon her in a fire. I highly recommend this riveting read.

Compare to:
Alchemy and Meggy Swann - Karen Cushman
Penny from Heaven - Jennifer L. Holm
Coraline - Neil Gaiman
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Joan Aiken

I borrowed this book from the library

Year of the Bomb review

The Year of the Bomb

by Ronald Kidd

Simon & Schuster

June 2009

First line: "There were Martians in the backyard."

In Sierra Madre, California, 1955, Paul and his three best friends Oz, Crank and Arnie are obsessed with monster movies. The War of the Worlds inspired opening, where Martians have seemingly landed, will not fail to draw readers in.  Paul and his friends are overjoyed to learn that Invasion of the Body Snatchers will be coming to film in their downtown.

It really is amazing to think that this juxtaposition of events: monster movies and world altering break-throughs in physics, including work on nuclear bombs, were all happening within a 15 mile radius. While Paul and his friends enjoy a lot of freedom - they ride their bikes, or bus around town, with no fear of crime, the negative sides to the 1950's are also highlighted. Hollywood Boulevard has yet to become a seedy (and later still, commercialized and gentrified) place.  The book touches lightly on the Hollywood blacklist as well as the pressures that families (especially fathers) felt at that time to financially keep up with the Joneses.  

There's a wonderful contrast in this novel between the (artificial) fear that Paul loves to inspire in himself watching monster movie matinees vs. the very real daily fears that he struggles with.  He genuinely fears nuclear attack, and family dynamics are tense as his father slogs away in a top-secret military job that he hates in order to pay the bills.  The other boys families have similar problems.  Paul is soon drawn into some FBI intrigue, as one of the female extras on the set (who Paul immediately develops an innocent crush on) starts spying on her fellow castmates, looking for signs of Communist sympathizers.

I thought it strained credulity that the four boys would gain such easy access to the movie set, as well as famed physicist Richard Feynman's office.  They literally show up and start grilling Feynman with questions.  Feynman answers them in full and pours his heart out to the boys.  Still, it's an enjoyable read and Kidd definitely manages to transport you to another time.

Compare to:
Rex Zero and the End of the World - Tim Wynne-Jones
Penny From Heaven - Jennifer L. Holm
Okay for Now - Gary D. Schmidt

I borrowed this book from the library.

Bookish Links du Jour 3/8/15

Oh no! There's much consternation on the internets, as author Shannon Hale talks about a sadly frequent phenomenon. Being invited as an author to school visits and finding that only the girls have been invited to her program.

Digital natives prefer reading in print! E-books are gaining in popularity, but the number of readers who read e-books exclusively is still actually very small. Many prefer to switch back and forth, and of course, there are a lot of die-hards who just always prefer paper.

Reading aloud to young children, especially before they start school is one of the best ways to increase reading readiness and future scholastic success. Here's a recent academic paper which breaks down just how much benefit there is to reading children's literature. They show that picture books use 50% more rare words and provide much richer vocabulary than your average children's television show. Also, reading 20 minutes a day will expose your child to over 1,800,000 vocabulary words over the course of a year!

Spaceheadz review

Spaceheadz
by Jon Scieszka and Francesco Sedita, illustrated by Shane Prigmore
Simon & Schuster
June 2010

First line: "Michael K. knew his first day in a new school in a new city was going to be weird."

Scieszka is in rare form, with this fast-paced, humorous, science-fiction, middle-grade adventure. Newbie fifth-grader Michael K. gets stuck with the task of showing two other new kids, Bob and Jennifer, the ropes in Mrs. Halley's classroom.  He quickly realizes that they are both out-of-this world... literally, from another planet.  The only information that Jennifer, Bob and their hamster leader, Major Fluffy, have about planet Earth is from television commercials, beamed into space.  Media-savvy readers will recognize many of the catchphrases and slogans that Bob and Jennifer employ in their conversation.

The kids manage to stay one step ahead of bumbling Agent Umber of the Anti-Alien Agency despite his phalanx of super-spy gadgets, including the Pickle Phone, a box of cereal that turns into a laptop computer and a giant taco disguise.

Some of the best story content is featured on accompanying websites, full of Easter eggs and additional jokes and information, including www.mrshalleyscomets.com. This website is a brilliant send-up of many teachers' poorly designed efforts, complete with plenty of clashing colors, busy patterns, flashing extras, Comic Sans font and cheery "inspirational" quotes.  Agent Umber's somewhat official looking "government" website www.antialienagency.com has most links leading to an ominous pop-up reading, "Access Denied. You do not have sufficient security clearance to view this page."  However, some careful poking around will lead to case file reports of The Fried Santa Incident, and a rather silly set of highly bureaucratic forms, including Shoe Replacement and Suit Pocket Addition Forms. Plenty of varying fonts throughout the book are sure to grab readers attention.

Compare to:
Fat Men from Space - Daniel Pinkwater
The Day my Butt Went Psycho - Andy Griffith
Dragonbreath - Ursula Vernon
Take the Mummy and Run: The Riot Brothers are on a Roll - Mary Amato

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Newbery and Caldecott Picks for 2015

The Newbery and Caldecott awards are going to be announced soon - all of the American Library Association youth media awards, actually, including the Alex, Printz, Morris, Coretta Scott King and Pura Belpre, Batchelder and Seuss Geisel awards. (along with a few more that I'm sure I'm forgetting!) But, the Caldecott and Newbery awards are the ones that get people really excited. I've put together a list of predictions - things that have been getting a lot of buzz. We'll see in a few days, if any of these end up as winners, or if the awards will go to some dark horse from a small press that none of us have heard of.

Caldecott Predictions

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole - Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen

     I loved this book. Will it strike gold?

Brother Hugo and the Bear - Katy Beebe & S.D. Schindler

Flashlight - Lizi Boyd

The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus - Jennifer Fisher Bryant & Michelle Sweet

     Super educational. Teachers and librarians will be so happy if this one wins. I like Michelle Sweet's illustrations a lot, even if they don't feel "strange" enough to win.

Draw! - Raul Colon

Firebird - Misty Copeland & Christopher Myers

Gaston - Kelly DiPuccio & Christian Robinson

Some Bugs -Angela DiTerlizzi & Brendan Wenzel

The Farmer and the Clown - Marla Frazee.

     Lots of good buzz on this nearly wordless picture book. I can see this one winning. I'm a longtime Frazee fan.

Grandfather Gandhi - Arun Ghandi & Bethany Hegedus & Evan Turk

     How great would it be if this was a winner? I love to think of generations of school children enjoying this title.

Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? - Rita Gray & Kenard Pak

Extraordinary Jane - Hannah E. Harrison

Firefly July - Paul B. Janeckzo & Melissa Sweet

Winter is Coming - Tony Johnston & Jim La Marche

Have You Seen My Dragon? - Steve Light 

The Iridescence of Birds: A Book About Henri Matisse - Patricia MacLachlan & Hadley Hooper

     Another wonderful biographical picture book. I'm rooting for it.

Viva Frida - Yuyi Morales & Tim O'Meara

     Really distinctive.

Hi, Koo! - Jon J. Muth

     This book is such a charmer!

Baby Bear - Kadir Nelson

The Book with No Pictures - B.J. Novak

     I'm including this book, just to be ornery! I think it would cause such a stir to nominate this book for an award that goes to the best pictures.

The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art - Barb Rosenstock & Mary GrandPre

     I think people will go wild, if the American illustrator for Harry Potter wins for this book.

Aviary Wonders, Inc.: Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual - Kate Samworth

     Such a strange and wonderful book. This could really be a winner.

The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Best Friend - Dan Santat

Henny - Elizabeth Rose Stanton

Bad Bye, Good Bye - Deborah Underwood & Jonathan Bean

Stella's Starliner - Rosemary Wells

Newbery Predictions

Crossover - Alexander Kwame

     I love narrative poetry.

The Madman of Piney Woods - Christopher Paul Curtis

     Lots of buzz for this one. Will multiple award winner Curtis snag the gold again?

Glass Sentence - S.E. Grove

     Fantasy doesn't usually stand a chance, but maybe this one will come up with an award.

The Secret Hum of a Daisy - Tracy Holczer

A Snicker of Magic - Natalie Lloyd

     This is the kind of thing that I'd love to see win. Magical and fun.

West of the Moon - Margi Preus

The Riverman - Aaron Starmer

Brown Girl Dreaming - Jacqueline Woodson

     Okay, you heard it here first. I think this book is going to sweep multiple categories. I'm hearing so many wonderful things about it.

Beast Keeper review

Beasts of Olympus: Beast Keeper
by Lucy Coats, illustrated by Brett Bean
Grosset & Dunlap
January 2015


The adventure begins when Pandemonius (called Demon for short,) the ten-year-old son of Greek God Pan, is unwillingly roped into a messy job as a stableboy caring for the mythical beasts of Olympus. While the story remains mostly true to the original mythology, plenty of humor and some modern slang is inserted, for example, when the hapless hero debates how to address his father Pan, “Your Godness? Your Holiness? Your Dadness?”


Scatalogical humor abounds as Demon copes with mountains of beast poo and flatulent Cattle of the Sun. Purposeful anachronisms such as robots and a computer-like machine made by Hephaestus, god of the forge, are presented as evidence of the Greek gods omniscient powers. Hercules is the villain in this tale as Demon works on doctoring up poor animals injured during Hercules Twelve Labors. Demon's magic ability to speak with animals comes in handy as he soothes cranky animals such as a bald Nemean lion, Stymphalian birds in need of new feathers and a Cretan bull that has lost his fire. Demon's biggest challenge is curing Hera's beheaded pet Hydra who requires some of Atalanta's magic apple. Energetic cartoon illustrations enhance the fast paced excitement. The book is appended with a glossary and pronunciation guide featuring all the major players in the Greek pantheon.



I received a free copy of this book.
This review originally appeared in School Library Journal.

Lucky Breaks review

Lucky Breaks
by Susan Patron
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
March 2009

First line: "Eleven, Lucky thought from her seat at the back of the school bus, eleven, eleven, eleven, and the idea of it, the sound of it, threw off sparks in her head."

In this wonderful sequel to The Higher Power of Lucky, we return to the dusty micro-town of Hard Pan, California. Lucky's meandering thoughts and careful appreciation of little details is explored in a quirky and whimsical fashion.  She sees eleven as being intrepid and cherishes the "secret 11" in the straps of her new training bra. At eleven years of age, she is clearly looking forward to growing up, wearing make-up and other such things that are just ahead of her... yet she is still happy to not-quite be there yet. Lucky reminded me of Fern from Charlotte's Web in many ways.

Lucky has settled into a much more comfortable relationship with her adoptive mother Brigitte, who has started a new business, a small cafe. Geologists are up to study the rocks in Hard Pan, which affords Lucky the rare opportunity to make friends with a visiting girl her own age, Paloma.  Again, Lucky stirs up trouble with her misunderstandings, and awkward, earnest overeagerness to reach out to new friends.


Birgitte's speech to Paloma's overprotective mother about how the world is full of danger, but full of adventure and wonderful things too, to let children experience things and try being brave seems like a rallying call against helicopter parenting.

Lucky's reverence for science, including her hero worship of Charles Darwin and, in general, her unique way of looking at the world will continue to charm those who enjoyed the finely-wrought world introduced in The Higher Power of Lucky.

Compare to:
Penny Dreadful - Laurel Snyder
The Great Wall of Lucy Wu - Wendy Wan-Long Shang
Because of Winn-Dixie - Kate DiCamillo


I borrowed this book from the library.

I Survived September 11 review

I Survived: The Attacks of September 11, 2001
by Lauren Tarshis
Scholastic
July 2012

I felt some trepidation reading this book, for exactly the same reasons the author stated that she was hesitant to write it. The memories of that day are still so raw - it was a very scary time. And yet, I see kids clamor for the other books in this series; The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 and The San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 are especially popular titles. For children who weren't even born when September 11th happened, it's just another historic event they are curious about.

Lucas is disappointed in being pulled from his middle school football team due to an injury. He decides to take the train into New York City to see if his beloved uncle Benny can talk his parents into changing their minds. Lucas soon finds himself in the midst of disaster, as the first plane hits the World Trade Center tower, and his uncle and dad, both firefighters, are called to help out. Most of the truly grim details of the terrorist attack are glossed over, but the sense of panic and alarm in those initial moments is handled in a very sensitive and age-appropriate way.

The afterward from the author goes into more detail, explaining the number of casualties, and the national and world-wide reaction after the attacks. I was glad that she decided not to kill off Uncle Benny - even though it might have made the story more dramatic, the series is called "I Survived," after all. Informative and fast-paced, this is a good choice for third-grade readers who want to know more about this day in history.

I borrowed this book from the library.

Small Medium at Large review

Small Medium at Large
by Joanne Levy
Bloomsbury
June 2012

First line: "Despite the suffocating mid-May heat and the nonbreathable fabric of my lavender polyester dress, it was shaping up to be a very good day."

Twelve year old Lilah is ready to relax and enjoy her upcoming summer vacation with her best friend Alex when suddenly everything changes. Lilah is literally hit by a bolt of lightning at her mother's wedding to new stepdad Stan and is mysteriously granted the ability to hear the spirits of those who have passed, including her Jewish grandmother. Lilah's grandmother Bubby Dora encourages her to play matchmaker to her father, who still hasn't gotten over the divorce. Bubby Dora is loveably bossy and is also more than happy to try and push Lilah together with her longtime crush, Andrew Finkel, much to Lilah's mortified disbelief.

Lilah's extended Jewish family seem healthy, balanced and loving, and the divorce of her parents is never really presented as a problem.

This was a fast-paced, light-hearted read. Middle-grade readers who enjoy a touch of magic with their realistic fiction will appreciate Lilah's sense of humor as she copes with all the joys and embarrassments of being a tween. I'll be recommending this for graduates of Megan McDonald's Judy Moody series or the Clementine books by Sarah Pennypacker.

Compare to:
Invisible Inkling - Emily Jenkins
Bigger Than a Breadbox - Laurel Snyder
The Accidental Adventures of India McAllister - Charlotte Agell


I borrowed this book from the library.

Stonewall Hinkleman review

Stonewall Hinkleman and the Battle of Bull Run
by Michael Hemphill and Sam Riddleburger
Dial Books
April 2009

First line: "All right, let's get the whole name thing out of the way quickly. My name is Stonewall Hinkleman."

Stonewall Hinkleman is tired of being dragged to his parent's Civil War re-enactments every weekend. He'd much rather be curled up at home, eating junk food, and playing with his Game Boy than sleeping in makeshift tents and roughing it without "farby" modern conveniences. His father has drilled into him the importance of respecting history, especially since Great-Great-Uncle Cyrus died in the Civil War. Stonewall sarcastically reminds his dad that Cyrus was shot in the butt and died of infection. Nothing heroic about that.

Stonewall's whining is a bit grating at first. Readers who stick it out for the first two chapters will be rewarded when Stonewall's bugle magically sends him back in time to the real Civil War. As far as time traveling goes, Stonewall says, "I've always hated it in movies when somebody goes back in time and it takes them half of the movie to stop saying, 'I must be dreaming.' No, you know right away. At least, I do."

Freshly arrived at the Battle of Bull Run, Stonewall runs into his ancestor, Cyrus, and soon realizes that staunch modern-day Confederate Mr. Dupree has traveled back as well, hoping to change the course of history. Dupree has carelessly brought his daughter Ashby along with him, whom Stonewall is nursing a small crush on. Cyrus turns out to be much more literate and recklessly brave than Stonewall could have imagined. I appreciated that the authors took care to point out negative aspects such as the scariness of battle, the racism of the day and the greediness of the sutlers without being too overwhelming. Stonewall Jackson's transformation to a modern-day hippie is a bit of a stretch, but anything's possible. This is a satisfyingly fun time-travel adventure. Readers will sense that Stonewall Hinkleman prevails at the end, but it certainly is fun seeing how he gets there.

Compare to:

Bull Run - Paul Fleischman

Charley Skedaddle - Patricia Beatty

With Every Drop of Blood - James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

Jefferson's Sons: A Founding Father's Secret Children - Kimberly B. Bradley

I borrowed this book from the library.

Fortunately, the Milk review

Fortunately, the Milk
by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Skottie Young
Harper Collins
September 2013

First line: "There was only orange juice in the fridge."

Fortunately, the Milk is a fast-paced, silly tale of a father determined to bring milk home to his family - despite alien attacks, time travel, super cute ponies, inept pirates, bloodthirsty piranhas and more. One random, unbelievable thing after another keeps happening, turning Dad's quick jaunt to the corner store for a bit of milk into a major ordeal. 

Gaiman deftly keeps the the story moving at a zany pace while managing to shoehorn in many highly wacky non-sequiturs, making each surprising new twist in the story look effortless. As the beleaguered father's story grows more and more unbelievable, his son and daughter begin to grow quite skeptical of his grandiose claims. Kudos to illustrator Skottie Young for subtly including all the (possibly inspirational?) elements from their father's crazy story into the family's typically British home. I'll recommend this to kids who want a fast, fun read.

Compare to:
Fake Mustache - Tom Angleberger
Jake Plank Tells Tales - Natalie Babbitt
Invisible Inkling - Emily Jenkins
Stardust - Neil Gaiman

I borrowed this book from the library.

Gravity Keeper review

Simon Bloom: The Gravity Keeper

by Michael Reisman

Puffin

February 2008

First line: "Look around you. What do you see? If you're inside, you might see walls, carpeting, furniture. If you're outside, you might see grass, buildings, sky. But the world is a lot more complicated than it seems."

Simon Bloom's life is turned upside-down when he discovers the "Teacher's Edition" of his classroom physics textbook, which magically gives him power over the laws of physics. He manipulates gravity and friction, allowing him to float, fly, zoom or slow down. After accidentally eavesdropping on a group of excessively silly senior wizards sporting wacky psuedo-medieval names, he finds himself unavoidably caught up in the action.

The evil Sirabetta is able to control several different branches of science (magically) with various tattoos that seem to writhe all over her body. Of course, she is hoping to add the book of physics to her collection. Simon's two best friends, Owen and Alysha join him in trying to keep the magic book out of the hands of villains.

Owen has a rather annoying habit of speaking-so-quickly-that-all-of-his-sentences-are-rendered-in-dashes, and Alysha is a bit of an outsider at school who joins them in their expeditions to Dunkerhook Woods. Only towards the very last third of the book do Owen and Alysha start to come in to their own, gaining the power of velocity and electricity, respectively. In a way, I was disappointed to see Owen and Alysha lose their powers so quickly.

Plenty of inside-jokes seemed geared towards Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fans, which might go over the heads of the intended audience. In many ways, Gravity Keeper reminded me of the Angie Sage's Septimus Heap books, but with a more scientific bent. An omniscient narrator, similar to one in A Series of Unfortunate Events provides comic relief. Fast-paced, inventive and fun, I'll recommend this new series to any budding science-fiction fan.

Compare to:
Magyk - Angie Sage
The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians - Brandon Sanderson


I borrowed this book from the library.

January 2014 Book Haul

I hit an amazing post-Christmas sale and picked up the following books:

Vampirates: Empire of Night - Justin Somper
Hemlock - Kathleen Peacock
As You Wish - Jackson Pearce
The Swan Thieves - Elizabeth Kostova
Starcrossed - Josephine Angelini
Grave Mercy - Robin LaFevers

Invisible Inkling: The Whoopie Pie War review

Invisible Inkling: The Whoopie Pie War

by Emily Jenkins, illustrations by Harry Bliss

Balzer + Bray

July 2013

Hapless fourth-grade Brooklynite Hank Wolowitz and his invisible pet bandapat named Inkling return in this gently humorous realistic fiction, with just a touch of fantasy elements. 

Although Inkling is an unreliable narrator with a sometimes distant relationship to the truth, readers will accept that he is invisible, not imaginary. In addition to managing the demands of his often cranky, but always funny invisible friend, Hank also navigates complicated school friendships, swimming lessons where he copes with the embarrassment of being ranked a "Neon" (the lowest level) and most importantly, dealing with the mean-tempered food truck lady whose cheap, non-organic treats threaten the success of his family's boutique ice cream shop. 

Pumpkin is one of Inkling’s favorite foods, yet Hank finds himself agreeing to "splat" his hard-won canned pumpkin out the window in order to impress popular kid Joe Patne. Hank also discovers that water renders Inkling visible and is finally able to focus on improving his swimming technique. A diverse cast of characters and believable middle-class urban setting make this tale of the value of true friendship very relatable without being didactic.


I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
This review originally appeared in School Library Journal.

A Hero for WondLA review

A Hero for WondLA
by Tony DiTerlizzi
Simon & Schuster Children's Books
May 2012

First line: "Eva Nine watched a turnwing flap its triple pair of wings to join its flock."

DiTerlizzi continues his sci-fi saga of Eva Nine in this gorgeously illustrated sequel to The Search for WondLA. There are several internet extras embedded in the illustrations, but readers don't need computer access to enjoy the story. DiTerlizzi's two-tone blue and black illustrations are reminiscent of W.W. Denslow's original illustrations for The Wizard of Oz.

Eva Nine has long believed herself to be the last surviving human on Orbana but now she joins a human colony for the first time, and after a lifetime of limited contact with other sentient beings, naturally she finds everything very overwhelming. Human pilot Hailey and Nine's older "sister" Eva Eight each have their own agendas and Eva Nine learns a lot about loyalty, friendship and xenophobia. I liked how Eva matures so much in this book. Eva is temporarily blinded by the comforts of her new home in New Attica amongst the human colonists, but after she realizes that she misses her alien friend Rovender, who has been barred from entering the human city, she leaves to continue her search for answers about how their world came to be in ruins.

With fantastic world-building, airships, chases, intrigue and mystery, this is a series that has a lot of appeal for older middle grade readers and young YA readers. I'm definitely looking forward to more in this complex and fascinating series.

Compare to:
The Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum
Zita the Spacegirl - Ben Hatke
The Ruby Key - Holly Lisle
Larklight - Philip Reeve, illustrated by David Wyatt

I borrowed this book from the library.

Abby and the Book Bunch review

Abby and the Book Bunch: Out to Lunch, The Mystery of the Golden Key & Claim to Fame
by Nancy K. Wallace
Calico Chapter Books
January 2013

The busy lives of Abby, her friends, family and neighbors in the idyllic suburban community of Evergreen are the focus in this series of early chapter books. 

In Out to Lunch, Abby, her best friend Sydney and neighborhood boys Zachary and Dakota team up for a medieval project at school, creating knight and princess costumes with the help of their glitter-addicted librarian Mrs. Mackenzie. In The Mystery of the Golden Key, Abby discovers a beautiful key buried in her backyard, and after doing some research at the library, befriends the original owner of the key, Abigail Flynn, a 100-year-old nursing home resident. In Claim to Fame, Sydney is mortified when the boys play a trick on her, turning her blonde hair pink by sprinkling strawberry Kool-Aid on her while she’s at the pool.  In the meantime, Abby’s nervousness over learning her lines for a play they are putting on at the library inspires her to change the show into a very successful puppet show. 

The series would benefit from clearer labeling as to the series order. Other titles in the series are listed alphabetically on the back cover and nothing on the spine or frontspiece indicates what order the books should be read in. Generously sized font, short chapters and a good number of greyscale digital cartoon illustrations make these a fast and fun read for young readers. Each book is appended with activity suggestions to extend some of the ideas presented in each title.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
This review originally appeared in School Library Journal.

The Silver Bowl review

The Silver Bowl
by Diane Stanley
Harper Collins
April 2011

First line: "I was sent away to work when I was very young."

Molly has been working as a scullery maid at Dethemere Castle since the tender age of seven. With a sickly mother and harsh, uncaring dad, she grows up like a wild urchin on the streets. It isn't until she has a disturbing vision of the future and arouses their neighbors' suspicions that her father finally remembers to send her off packing.

The hustle and bustle of a medieval city, including dirt and disease almost make this book feel like historical fiction. It's just a few touches of magic which carry the story into fantasy. While at the castle, she befriends Tobias, aka "Donkey Boy."

Molly gradually settles into a comfortable routine at the castle, but when she's promoted to help polish the silver, she finds one particularly grand silver bowl seems to act as a focus for her visions. Alaric, the spoiled prince, is caught up in a dangerous plot to remove his family from the throne and Molly and Tobias find themselves on a grand adventure to protect him. Molly is practical and smart - despite her poverty, the early death of her mother and the long hours of hard work she endures at such a young age, she never really complains. While marketed as YA this book has more of a middle-grade feel.

Compare to:
The Princess Curse - Merrie Haskell
The Thirteenth Princess - Diane Zahler
The Princess Academy - Shannon Hale
Ronia, the Robber's Daughter - Astrid Lindgren

I borrowed this book from the library.