Secondhand Charm review

Secondhand Charm

by Julie Berry

Bloomsbury USA Childrens

August 2010

First line: "'What will you do when school is over, Evie?"

Fifteen year old Evie is nervous and excited as the school year draws to a close in her tiny village of Maundley. The kingdom of Pylander seems to be generic stand-in for medieval Europe. More than anything, Evie wants to travel to the capital city of Chalcedon and study medicine. But now it seems that the capital is coming to her! Handsome young King Leopold III is coming to town on a sort of "king's progress" to check up on the far-flung corners of his kingdom. After using her amazing healing abilities to save the life of a member of the king's court, Evie's awarded a full scholarship at university. She and her best friend Priscilla (also a scholarship recipient) and sometime crush Aidan make a journey for the capital.

After running into every danger imaginable, Evie finds herself on a sea voyage, even after being warned to stay away from the ocean. And that's when things get really interesting. She soon makes the acquaintance of a giant sea serpent - essentially a sea dragon - whom she's unknowingly been bonded to her whole life. One shipwreck later, and now in the possession of a shrunken sea dragon, Evie finds herself swept up by Princess Annalise from the neighboring kingdom of Merlia. The Princess is also secretly a serpentina, with various magical powers that are feared and mistrusted by the religious Pylanders. Clair, Evie's sea serpent, was a real pleasure to read. He shifts from being childish and cranky to encouraging and wise. He sees most humans as food, but is fiercely loyal to Evie.

The book is a highly readable middle-grade adventure, as Evie makes her way across the country, meeting many new friends and enemies along the way. There's a possibility of romance, lightly hinted at, with her old family friend Aidan, who's been in Chalcedon studying masonry, but that's absolutely not the focus of the story. A few of the connections seemed like a bit of a stretch. Evie runs into the played-for-laughs flirty Commedia Dell'arte twin brothers Alfonso and Rudolpho multiple times. Things come very dramatically to a head when she and the twins finagle their way onto the king's honeymoon cruise in order to alert him of the danger he faces from his scheming new bride.

There's a real twist to the ending that I definitely didn't see coming. I'm a little disappointed that this book is a stand-alone; there's definitely room for more adventures to unfold in this world.

Compare to:

Wisdom's Kiss - Catherine Gilbert Murdock

A Kiss in Time - Alex Flinn

Goose Chase - Patrice Kindl

The False Princess - Eilis O'Neal

I borrowed this book from the library.

May B. review

May B.
by Caroline Starr Rose
Schwartz and Wade
January 2012

First line: "I won't go."

Twelve year old Mavis Elizabeth Betterly is sent by her parents to help out a new couple settling on the Kansas prairie in the 1870's. Spare narrative poetry immediately conveys the feel for the lives of hardship that May and her family lead. Descriptions of pioneer food are particularly striking: fresh meat, tinned fruit, plenty of coffee, maybe a biscuit. May struggles in school, but is fighting to be able to finish, because she really wants to become a teacher one day. The deck really seems stacked against her: few people in their community acquire more than an eighth-grade education, her parents need her to drop out to work for them, she's a girl and therefore seen as unworthy of much schooling anyway and worst of all, she's struggling with undiagnosed dyslexia. She's madly jealous of her older brother Hiram, who doesn't appreciate all the advantages he's been given.

Life on the Oblingers' settlement is no easier than at home. Their sod house is poorly made, dingier and dirtier than most. The new Mrs. Oblinger, only a few years older than May, suffers from crippling depression and May is quickly overwhelmed and lonely. 

Things come to a head when the Oblingers abandon May without warning, deciding that life on the prairie is too tough for them. May is forced to winter alone, until help will finally arrive. I found the ending a little over the top and unbelievable - May survives a fierce blizzard by the luckiest chance - but the target middle-grade audience probably won't mind.

Short chapters, and free verse make for a blazing fast read.

Compare to:
Hattie Big Sky - Kirby Larson
Out of the Dust - Karen Hesse
Little House on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder

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

Top Ten Books I Recommend the Most

As a librarian, I recommend a lot of books. When I sat down to think about it, I realized, that unlike my bookstore days, I can't just recommend the same book over and over again. And I can't just point people towards the pile of bestsellers. Those books don't really need my help - they're already flying off the shelves! Instead, I've got a wide range of books that are my "go-to" recommendations. I tried to narrow my list down to 10 - but instead, I've got a list of 15.

Here they are, 15 never-fail, love to recommend books:

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda - Tom Angleberger

A great recommendation for middle-school boys. Or Star Wars fans. Good realistic fiction, with a bit of fun doodles and drawings, it's also a nice go-to for the kid who's read all of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and is looking for more along the same vein.

Candor - Pam Bachorz

I recommend this one to teen boys a lot. The main character starts out so smarmy, but gradually, he wins you over. Plus the premise is so Twilight Zone - totally Stepford Teens.

The Folk Keeper - Franny Billingsly

I love all of Billingsly's books. I recommend this and her other middle-grade novel, Well-Wished, rather a lot. Kids gravitate to the idea that the main character's paid job is to wrangle magical folk.

Airhead - Meg Cabot

What a great book! I recommend this for teen girls who love girly stuff like Gossip Girls and the like. But, I also recommend this to girls who like science-fiction and fantasy, too. I like that this is a neat little trilogy, not a series that goes on forever. Who wouldn't love to be dumped into a supermodel's life, overnight?

The Ear, The Eye and The Arm - Nancy Farmer

I'm always amazed by how many people don't know this book. Futuristic Africa, people with superpowers, some kidnapped kids. This one's a pageturner for sure.

The Girl With 500 Middle Names - Margaret Peterson Haddix

This is a short, early chapter book. But I loved this one when I was a kid, and I love it still. Haddix really gets into the experience of what it's like to be in a family that is really struggling to get along. Forced by her mother's failed business venture into wearing personalized sweaters originally created for other girls, Janie puts on a brave face and pretends that all is well. In these tight economic times, plenty of kids can really relate to this book.

Wait Til Helen Comes - Mary Downing Hahn

I always ask kids, "Do you like ghost stories?" and if the answer is yes, this is the book I steer them to. Love this haunting tale! And, if readers like this one, there's always The Doll in the Garden also by Mary Downing Hahn to follow up with.

Night Road - A.M. Jenkins

I love to recommend this one to teen guys. It's a vampire road trip! I'll put this in the hands of the occasional Twi-hard as well.

Dark Lord of Derkholm - Dianna Wynne Jones

Dianna Wynne Jones is the perfect author for readers who love Harry Potter. What I love about this one is all the individual personalities and family dynamics in a big, crazy, loving magical family. Imagine if the Weasleys had adopted some griffins and a mermaid or two, and you basically get the picture.

The Host - Stephenie Meyer
Why don't more people go crazy over this book? It came out the same time as Breaking Dawn, but I think it's about a million times better. Once I saw the book was being made into a movie, I figured demand for this story would be sky-high, but that hasn't really happened. This story, about trying to hang onto one's humanity in the face of an all-out alien invasion, absolutely pulled me in from the first page!

The Adoration of Jenna Fox - Mary E. Pearson
Here's another book I love. There's a real mystery behind this one, as Jenna is recuperating from a horrible accident and her overprotective family are obviously keeping secrets from her. What's going on? There's a real surprise at the ending that I didn't see coming.

Larklight - Philip Reeve
I love this steampunk Jr. trilogy. Fun alternate history reading for middle-schoolers. Fancy Victorian manners, plus spaceships! It's just awesome.

Alcatraz Vs. the Evil Librarians - Brandon Sanderson
There's something so appealing about the idea that, yes, we DO live in a magical world. It's just those evil librarians, in the Hushlands (a.k.a. the USA) that have hidden all the magic away for their own nefarious purposes. Great sense of humor to this middle-grade series.

Penny Dreadful - Laurel Snyder
Penelope wishes for an "everything change" - a whole-life transformation. Well, be careful what you wish for! Before you know it, her father loses his job, and they move to a ramshackle home in the countryside where Penny has a whole new set of circumstances to adjust to.

The Amulet of Samarkand - Jonathan Stroud
I love footnotes, and I love this book about spoiled prat Nathaniel and the wisecracking centuries-old genie Bartimaeus. Perfect for readers who have graduated from Harry Potter.

Lulu reviews

Lulu and the Duck in the Park
by Hilary McKay, illustrated by Priscilla Lamont
Albert Whitman & Co.
March 2011

First line: "Lulu was famous for animals. Her famousness for animals was known throughout the neighborhood."

This delightful series about Lulu, a smart and imaginative little girl growing up in pleasant suburban surroundings is sure to be a hit with young readers looking for early chapter books with just a hint of tongue-in-cheek humor. Lulu loves animals, apples, and jumping off the swings at school. Lulu's teacher Mrs. Holiday isn't so sold on animals. After a field trip to the to the park, and a scary incident with a loose runaway dog, Lulu ends up in possession of a duck egg. She keeps the egg hidden with the help of her best friend Mellie. Of course, the egg hatches once she gets back to school. Happily, the baby duck is soon reunited with its mother.

None of the text ever explicitly identifies Lulu as African-American, but Lamont's illustrations show Lulu and Mellie with a darker complexion than the rest of their classmates. The appealing illustrations which decorate nearly every page and large type make for a comfortable read for readers new to chapter books. The reading level is just a skoche easier than Junie B. Jones and Magic Tree House, but a nice step up from Amelia Bedelia or Jean Van Leeuwen's Amanda Pig series.

Lulu and the Dog From the Sea

by Hilary McKay, illustrated by Priscilla Lamont

Albert Whitman & Co.

March 2013

First line: "Lulu and Mellie were seven years old. They were cousins and they were friends."

Lulu and Mellie aren't just friends, they are best friends. Lulu's love for her menagerie of just about a dozen pets is once again very evident in this story about her family's trip to the ocean. This book isn't just sweet, it's super sweet! Lulu is just as cute and funny as ever in this latest offering in the Lulu series. While Lulu's mother wants to get plenty of reading done during their vacation, and Mellie's big project is to finish a homemade kite, Lulu decides to tackle the challenge of taming a stray dog who has been wreaking havoc at the seaside resort. This book is unique in that large portions of the omniscient third-person narrative describe the thoughts and feelings of the dog from the sea. Large type and a generous amount of black and white illustrations make for a very easy, approachable read. There's a very dramatic ending too, sure to satisfy any dog-lover.

Compare to:
Cinderella Smith - Stephanie Barden
Anna Hibiscus - Atinuke
Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream - Jenny Han
The Great Wall of Lucy Wu - Wendy Wan-Long Shang

I received a free copy of these books for review.

My latest project: audiobook makeover

My latest project has been re-housing kids audiobooks.

Here's the before picture:

The main issue with these is that the plastic jewel cases crack easily. The discs fall out or get scratched. Also, most of our audiobooks are in larger cases, so these slim little numbers get lost or mis-shelved on our library shelves easily.

I re-housed all of these in larger, sturdier "clam cases."  This also puts the CD's in fabric and plastic pockets, instead of those snap-in plastic buttons. Much less chance of cracking or breaking this way. 

I designed this template myself. The other thing that's nice - for the staff I put a large reminder of how many discs to look for. When audiobooks get returned at the library, the first thing we have to do is quickly check and make sure all the discs are there - it's surprisingly common for people to leave the last CD in their car player!

Hurrah! I've been seeing these audiobooks circulate more already!

Top Ten Unread Books on My Shelf

Top Ten Tuesdays is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 

This week's topic is: Top Ten Books I HAD to Buy... But Are Still Sitting on My Shelf Unread.

I'm a little ashamed to admit, I actually have more than 10 here! So, this is my Top 12. I don't know what's wrong with me? I guess I feel like owning these books, somehow I'll absorb them by osmosis? C'mon! These books aren't going to read themselves! I've got to get off my duff, and read these.

Chains - Laurie Halse Anderson
Welcome Caller, This is Chloe - Shelley Coriell
Tempest - Julie Cross
The Hunt - Andrew Fukuda
Sapphire Blue -  Kerstin Gier
Luxe - Anne Godberson
Iron Witch - Karen Mahoney
The Apothecary - Maile Meloy
Heart of a Samurai - Margi Preus
Dark Mirron - Mary Jo Putney
The Dark and Hollow Places - Carrie Ryan
Any Which Wall - Laurel Snyder

The Host review

The Host
by Stephenie Meyer
Little, Brown and Company
January 2008

I highly recommend this amazing, fast paced, psychological sci-fi thriller from the very popular author of the Twilight series. This is true science-fiction, on par with Bradbury or Asimov. Meyer uses the concept of an alien and human forced to co-exist in the same body to pose questions about memory, personality and what it means to be human. 

The story begins as the conquest of Earth is nearly complete. The altruistic Souls have invaded and are using most humans as "hosts" for their small, parasitic bodies. 

Wanderer has taken over Melanie, her 8th host, and she finds the strong-willed personality of her host start to push through, as she starts to fall in love with the same humans her host cared about. In the meantime, a small band of humans have formed a top-secret resistance, and the society of the Souls may be changed by this particular invasion more than they ever could have anticipated. Riveting stuff, with a bit of a twist to the ending that will leave you wishing this wasn't a stand-alone book! Meyer has supposedly been working on a sequel for a while - let's hope some excitement about the upcoming movie finally spurs Meyer to complete it.

I purchased a copy of this book.