Henkes Garden Review

My Garden
by Kevin Henkes
Greenwillow Books
2010

Henkes' newest offering is in the same style as Old Bear and A Good Day, which in turn seemed to build on the black and white style of his Caldecott-winning Kitten's First Full Moon.  Lots of soft, sunny pastels of green, pink and purple, outlined in thick muted blue lines dominate this springtime story.  After spending the day in the garden with her mother, a little girl begins to imagine a fantasy garden.  In her ideal world, "flowers could change color just by thinking about it."  She also dreams of tomatoes as big as beach balls and flowers which grow back the instant you pick them.   This isn't explicitly an Easter story, but she does wish for chocolate rabbits (instead of the pesky nibblers of her real garden) and bushes of jellybeans.  When the girl gets ready to go inside for the night, she acknowledges that her dream garden probably couldn't really exist, but she does go ahead and plant a seashell... just in case.  The author's sly wink of an ending shows a cutaway view with the shell growing roots.
Henkes fans will not be disappointed with My Garden.  This book is sure to be a staple in children's book collections for many years to come.
I borrowed a copy of this book.

Flash mob reading

Wow!  Talk about excitement to read.  These kids in Ocoee, Florida put together a phenomenal video showcasing their love of books.

One Year Anniversary

A year ago today, I started this blog!

How tremendous! I've really enjoyed doing it, and have learned so much and improved a lot about myself while putting it together. It's given me the opportunity to review books that I might not otherwise gotten the chance to. I've met new friends and, of course, have been able to to discuss any and all matters kidlit.  Blogging has opened a number of professional doors for me too... I've been able to meet and interact with authors that I ordinarily wouldn't have met.  Amidst all the doom and gloom of the recent tight economy, this blog has been a bright spot for me.

Thanks for reading and commenting, everyone, I look forward to another great year!

Early BBYA YALSA Nominations

Whoo-hoo!  It's early yet, but the first set of YALSA nominations for Best Fiction are already up.  I've got to admit, I haven't read or even glanced at a single one of 'em, although I do see some familiar names amongst the list of authors: David Almond, Gary Paulsen.  Lots of folks I've never heard of.  I can attest that the buzz for Rachel Ward's Numbers is already quite something.

Wicked Lovely review

Wicked Lovely
by Melissa Marr
HarperCollins
2007

I devoured this book as quickly as if it were candy. I can't remember the last time I sat down and finished off a book in one gulp. From start to finish, Marr's urban faerie creation took me a little less than two hours to read. Riveting? You betcha.

Aislinn, raised by her grandmother outside Philadelphia, harbors a secret. She and her family have the ability to see faeries. Cruel, strange and ethereal, the faery folk drive Aislinn to the brink of insanity. Her only hope is to keep a low-profile and stony face so they don't realize she can see them. Aislinn's grandmother has provided her with a lifetime of training in how to ignore the casual violence and malicious trickery that Aislinn is witness to each day. Craving some small amount of normalcy, she convinces her grandmother to let her go to a Catholic high school. Because faeries are allergic to steel, Aislinn feels most comfortable spending time with her friend and sometime crush Seth, an artist who lives in a converted steel boxcar.

When Aislinn finds herself being stalked by two members of the faerie court whom she initially nicknames Faery Boy and Dead Girl, her panic-mode goes into high gear. Turns out that they are Keenan and Donia -- the Summer King and Winter Girl. The Winter Queen, Beria, has enchanted her son Keenan to be cursed until he finds his mate. Any girl who attempts to take up the staff of the long-lost Summer Queen and fails is doomed to become the Winter Girl, a personal servant of the Winter Queen's until the next girl takes her place. Aislinn soon finds herself torn between the impossibly-patient and sensitive human Seth and arrogantly confident yet bewitching Keenan.

Each chapter heading includes historical quotes about faeries. I also really liked the balance of perspectives, between Aislinn, Keenan and Donia. One thing that bothered me was the spelling of the main character's name. Aislinn goes by "Ash" with her friends... otherwise I never would have guessed that her name is pronounced "Ash-lynn" not "Ace-lynn" Also, early on, cities are mentioned as having less faeries, as faeries are attracted to places with a lot of living greenery. But considering the swarms of faeries Aislinn sees every day, it seems impossible that there could be more. There are times when she literally has trouble walking down the street, or pushing her way through a hallway past the crowds of faeries; she's living outside Philadelphia, home of the steel industry, where faeries are supposed to be scarce. Still, these are only minor quibbles. The book has a very satisfying ending and includes an interview with the author and other bonus material as an addendum. This novel will appeal to readers who are looking for something along the lines of Meyer's Twilight, Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell or Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series.  Otherworldly, with just a hint of romance.


I borrowed this book from the library.

Alice in Wonderland Read-a-likes

Tim Burton's cinematic version of Alice in Wonderland is coming to theatres March 5 (today!). Naturally, all my editions of the original classic by Carroll are checked out, so I'm recommending the following books, for the following reasons.

Are you looking for that classic feel?

Try these:


The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
A downed pilot in the Sahara encounters a young interstellar prince in this French fable about the important things in life.


The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster
Bored Milo takes a trip to the magical land of Dictionopolis where he attempts to rescue twin princesses Rhyme and Reason from the Mountains of Ignorance.


The Secret Garden - Frances Hodges Burnett
Ten-year-old orphan Mary Lennox, raised in India, returns to Northern England and discovers a secret garden hidden there.


A Little Princess - Frances Hodges Burnett
Young Sara Crewe survives her misfortunes in Victorian England by escaping to a world of her own imagination.


Pippi Longstocking (series) - Astrid Lindgren
High-spirited redhead Pippi lives a carefree existance with her pet monkey and horse in Villa Villekulla.


Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie
Three siblings are whisked away to a Never-Never Land of adventure when they cross paths with Peter Pan, the boy who refuses to grow up.

Do you enjoy the fact that Alice is transported to other worlds?
Try these:


Gregor the Overlander (series) - Suzanne Collins
Gregor and his baby sister are pulled down a strange rabbit-hole-esque underground where they battle giant talking bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest to save their father.


Peter and the Star Catchers (series) - Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Based on the classic novel by J.M. Barrie, Barry and Pearson continue the adventures of Peter, Tink and a crew of "Starcatchers" who struggle to keep magical stardust out of the hands of evil-doers.


Larklight (series) - Philip Reeve 

Steampunk for the younger set. Reeve's books follow the adventures of Art Mumby, his sister Myrtle and space pirate Jack Havock travel through the British Empire's outer colonies of the Moon, Mars, Jupiter and beyond. Check out my review of Mothstorm, the third and final installment in the series.

Need a story about brave, intrepid girls, calmly facing danger?
How about these:


Coraline - Neil Gaiman
Coraline must rescue her parents from the "Other Mother" in a mirror-world to our own. Adults will find the tale menacing, children see only the excitement and danger that Coraline faces. Check out the graphic novel, adapted by P. Craig Russell, as well.


Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism (series) - Georgia Byng
Orphaned Molly discovers a book on hypnotism and begins changing her life for the better. This book has an English feel with plenty of over-the-top baddies.

For a little bit of an older reader, I'd try these:


Looking Glass Wars (series) - Frank Beddor
Directly inspired by Carroll's classic, here Alice must fight to return to Wonderland and claim her rightful throne.


A Great and Terrible Beauty (series) - Libba Bray
Gemma Doyle resists her role as meek Victorian debutante by escaping to a magical world called The Realms with three of her friends. Teens will enjoy this richly imagined gothic fantasy.


Down the Rabbit Hole - Peter Abrahams
13-year-old Ingrid finds herself amidst a murder mystery set in a small town, when one of the actors from the local production of Alice in Wonderland is found dead.


Alice, I Have Been - Melanie Benjamin
Historical fiction based on the life of Alice Liddell the real-life inspiration for Charles Dodgson, a.k.a. Lewis Carroll.

Harriet the Spy Remake

I just heard about the new Harriet the Spy remake that Disney is releasing, Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars.  In this version, Harriet is a high-school student, competing with a popular girl for the spot of official school blogger.  I have to admit, I'm feeling pretty skeptical.  Part of Harriet's charm, at least for me, is she's part of that generation of urban independent girls with hands-off parents.  A bit geeky, and socially awkward, sure, but intrepid and loveable, just the same.


The upcoming film adaptation of Cleary's Beezus and Ramona also ages the characters by about five or six years, which, for some reason, doesn't bother me as much.  Even though Ramona is going from being a five year old, to a ten year old, she's still a kid.


Here's the Blog Wars trailer.