November Jacket Flap-a-thon

Ah, nearly the end of the year; sometimes I'm amazed at how fast time flies. I'm treating you to a non-Cybils rendition of the Jacket Flap-a-thon, out of the five non-Cybils books I read this month, here are the best three:

I Shall Wear Midnight (HarperCollins): "It starts with whispers. Then someone picks up a stone. Finally, the fires begin. When people turn on witches, the innocents suffer. . . . Tiffany Aching has spent years studying with senior witches, and now she is on her own. As the witch of the Chalk, she performs the bits of witchcraft that aren’t sparkly, aren’t fun, don’t involve any kind of wand, and that people seldom ever hear about: She does the unglamorous work of caring for the needy. But someone—or something—is igniting fear, inculcating dark thoughts and angry murmurs against witches. Aided by her tiny blue allies, the Wee Free Men, Tiffany must find the source of this unrest and defeat the evil at its root—before it takes her life. Because if Tiffany falls, the whole Chalk falls with her. Chilling drama combines with laugh out-loud humor and searing insight as beloved and bestselling author Terry Pratchett tells the high-stakes story of a young witch who stands in the gap between good and evil."
Maybe I'm biased because I love these books, but I love that the flap copy gives you a brief overview of the series and a hint of this book without giving much away at all.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk (Little, Brown and Company):
"If animals were more like us,
if mice kept pets and toads could cuss,
if dogs had wives and chipmunks dated,
sheep sat still and meditated,
then in the forest, field, and dairy
you might find this bestiary,
read by storks, by rats and kitties,
skimmed by cows with milk-stained titties.
"I found the book to be most droll,"
might quip the bear, the owl, the mole.
Others, though, would be more coarse.

"Bull," could say the pig and horse.
As to the scribe, they'd quote the hen,
"Trust me, he's no La Fontaine."

Absolutely pointless as flap copy. Seriously. But it's SO much fun, and horribly clever, which makes it perfect for this book.

Starcrossed (Arthur A. Levine Books): "In a glamorous castle full of Llyvraneth's elite, Celyn Contrare serves as a lady-in-waiting to shy young Merista Nemair. Her days are spent dressing in velvet, attending Lady Merista, navigating court gossip, and charming noblemen over lavish feasts. And at night, she picks locks, steals jewels, forges documents, and collects secrets. Because Celyn isn't really a lady-in-waiting; she's not even really Celyn Contrare. She's Digger, a sneak-thief on the run from the king's Inquisition, desperate to escape its cruel instruments and hatred of magic. If she's discovered, it will mean her certain death. But life as a lady-in-waiting isn't safe either. The devious Lord Daul knows her secret, and he's blackmailing her to serve as his personal spy in the castle. What she discovers-about Daul, about the Nemair, even about her own Lady Merista -- could signal civil war in Llyvraneth. And for a thief trained never to get involved, taking sides could be the most dangerous job yet."

It doesn't give the plot twists and turns away, and yet manages to be intriguing. What is going on in this book? I want to know.

Other books read this month:
Clementine, Friend of the Week
The Kneebone Boy
Linger
Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool
Bamboo People
Zora and Me
What Happened on Fox Street
The Lost Hero
How I, Nicky Flynn Got a Life and a Dog
Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze
Shooting Kabul
Out of My Mind
Belly Up
The Reinvention of Moxie Roosevelt

Running total: 163 books
Adult fiction: 24
YA: 58
MG: 56
Non-fiction: 15
Graphic Novel: 10
Didn't Finish: 7

The Reinvention of Moxie Roosevelt

by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
ages: 11+
First sentence: "What goes through people's heads when they come up with names for their kids?"
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Moxie Roosevelt Kipper has spent the first 13 years of her life regretting her name. It's such a big name to live up to, and she's not been exactly anything more than ordinary in her small town. Now, going in to eighth grade (her small town school doesn't go past seventh), she's been accepted into a boarding school on a music scholarship, and she has a chance to become different.

To reinvent herself.

She goes about this by deciding, in some hilarious turns, to put on different personalities depending on the situation she's in or person she's with. This, predictably, causes problems: can you be a Detached, Unique, Coolly Knowing Individual (code name: DUCKI) with your uber-hip roommate, and a Mother Earth Goddess (code name: MEG) with the Buddhist ashram-raised girl across the hall and make it all work? Well, of course not. And things get sticky for Moxie before she figures out what she really wants to be.

It's a cute book, if a bit precious with the whole boarding school setting. It taps into the insecurities of every tween/pre-teen/teen girl: how can I get people to like me? And what is my personality, really? And is it okay if I'm not just like everyone else? It's a bit over-the-top with the lying and experimenting, but mostly with humorous results.

And in the end, it gets its point across: being yourself is just fine.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

Belly Up

by Stuart Gibbs
ages: 10+
First sentence: "I'd just been busted for giving the chimpanzees water balloons when I first heard something was wrong at Hippo River."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Teddy Fitzroy has had a charmed life. The son of a gorilla researcher and a nature photographer, he's spent most of his life surrounded by animals in the Congo.

Now, at age 12, he's found himself smack in the middle of the Texas Hill Country, at FunJungle, the worlds biggest, best, and newest zoo. It's supposed to be state-of-the art, best researchers, finest environments for the animals, a whole safari experience without having to go to Africa. Except, Henry the Hippo -- the mascot, and a huge, ornery, animal -- has turned up (literally) dead. It looks like natural causes at first, but upon a closer look, it turns out that Henry was murdered. And it seems it's up to Teddy (and his new friend, Summer, who is also the daughter of the park owner) to figure out who did it and why.

There's adventure as Teddy and Summer try to unravel the mystery before them, with some close scrapes. It's not so hard of a mystery that the reader can't at least try to figure it out, but not so easy as to be predictable. It's entertaining, and yet with all the animals, it kind of feels (I'm hoping it is at least) a little educational. If anything, it has a fabulous balance to it: well-written and engaging plus entertaining and kid-friendly.

Quite enjoyable, in other words.


(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

Starcrossed

by Elizabeth C. Bunce
ages: 13+
First sentence: "I couldn't think."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

I adored Elizabeth Bunce's first novel, A Curse Dark as Gold, so when I found out that she had another (thanks, Leila), I knew I would read it. And I kind of had an inkling I would love it. Which, of course, I did.

Without giving too much away, sixteen-year-old Digger is a thief in the city of Gerse. She's made a living, ever since she ran away from the convent at age 11, stealing things for people. It's been a good way to survive, especially in the increasingly intolerant and restrictive atmosphere of the capital city. Except, this time, the job went horribly wrong. The authorities were waiting, and Digger just barely escaped with her life. Twenty-four hours later, disguised, she falls in with a bunch of nobles and ends up in a mountain retreat with them. Where she finds that nothing is quite as it seems, especially since she's being blackmailed to find out all the secrets.

It's a complex world Bunce has created, fascinating in its religion and politics. I would have been captivated if it had only been that. She reveals things slowly, peeling back layer by layer, to keep you guessing and wondering and hoping. But it's more than that: the characters, especially Digger, are fascinating. (Okay, it helps that I'm half in love with one of the men, yet again.) Like the religion and politics of the world, they are fairly complex; you can sense that even the stereotypical ones are hiding some sort of secret. Maybe it won't be revealed in this book, but it's there, lurking under the surface.

It's the first in a series (I hope; there's a sequel due out next year), something which I can't wait to sink my teeth into.

Out of My Mind

by Sharon M. Draper
ages: 10+
First sentence: "Words."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Melody is very, very smart. She's known words and ideas and concepts since she was very little. She loves music, and can see colors when it plays. But, she has no way to tell anyone any of this. Melody has cerebral palsey, and while she can hear and understand, she just can't communicate. Which is incredibly frustrating to her.

She's got her parents and her neighbor, Mrs. V, on her side: encouraging her, teaching her, trying to communicate with her. The book recounts the ups and downs she's experienced her whole life -- from birth to the fifth grade -- as she tries to figure out how to communicate. She can accept most of her limitations, but she needs a way to express the words in her head. It's an intriguing process, frustrating and hopeful, as she goes through it all, trying to figure out where she fits in this world.

If this is ever a treatise of the hopelessness of doctors and school teachers (even if there is occasionally one that "gets" it), then I don't know what is. But, it's also a treatise on the determination of one girl (and her family) and what that can do. It is, in many ways, a "message" book: disabled people are NOT different than the rest of us, and just because they look or act different doesn't mean they are not worth getting to know and understand.

But Draper presents this in such a way so that the book doesn't feel like a heavy-handed message book. It's heartfelt, and you end up both cheering for and crying with Melody as she recounts her experience. It's wonderfully written, and yet simple enough to be accessible to middle graders. It's a story worth telling, and definitely one worth reading.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I thought about putting up reviews today, but... it's Thanksgiving. And while I know not all of my readers are American, it's still a holiday.

One in which I attempt to cook a 25 pound turkey for 18 people by this afternoon...

At any rate (I just realized I missed my blogoversary; how did I manage that this year!), after six years of blogging, I'm still very thankful for my little corner of cyberspace (and that people visit), for the friends I've made and met, for the books you've all recommended, and for the way blogging has shaped my reading over the years.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Library Loot 2010-42

No pithy comments, today. Just the loot. :-D

Picture Books:
Aggie the Brave, by Lori Reis/Illus. by Frank W. Dormer
Bats at the Ballgame, by Brian Lies
I Really, Really Need Actual Ice Skates, by Lauren Child
Thank You, Miss Doover, by Robin Pulver/Illus. by Stephanie Roth Sisson
The Scarecrow's Dance, by Jane Yolen/Illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline

Middle Grade:
Julia Gillian And The Dream Of The Dog, by Alison McGhee
The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang, by Amy Ingatow
Heart of a Samurai, by Margi Preus

Adult Fiction:
The Importance Of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe: A Novel, by Fannie Flagg


The roundup is either at Adventures of an Intrepid Reader or The Captive Reader. Obligatory FTC note: the links are provided through my Amazon Associates account. If you click through and actually purchase one of these books, I'll get a teeny, tiny payment. But, since no one ever does, and it's SO much easier using the associates account to put up these links, I'm going to keep doing it.

Shooting Kabul

by N. H. Senzai
ages: 10+
First sentence: "It's a perfect night to run away, thought Fadi, casting a brooding look at the bright sheen of the moon through the cracked backseat window."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

The target age group for this book were barely born when 9/11 happened. They missed all the stress (though they live with the aftermath, not having any idea what it was all like before), the tension, the fear. I know C was barely 18 months when the Twin Towers went down, and was blissfully clueless about it all. Even M, who was five, only has a foggy memory of what it was like during those days.

Enter Shooting Kabul. Set in the time right around the attacks, it gives us a peek into what life was like in Afghanistan at that time. Fadi and his family are intellectuals; they had lived in the U.S. while his father got a PhD before returning to Kabul to help the Taliban (yes, you read that right) eradicate the poppy fields and convince farmers to actually plant food to feed the Afghani people. Unfortunately, as the Taliban became more and more extreme, Fadi's family's lives were in danger and they managed to escape. Except, in the desperate attempt to get out, somehow the Fadi's little sister, Miriam, gets separated from the family and lost.

Fadi blames himself (as does the rest of the family), and in San Francisco he keeps trying to concoct ways to get back to Afghanistan and find Miriam. It's heartbreaking to think about the weight this poor boy is carrying around. As weeks and months go by, it seems less and less likely that they will find her. Especially since his father hasn't been able to take a teaching job, and is forced to drive taxis, which barely covers rent and food. Things are tough, and get tougher with the racism and fear after 9/11. So, Fadi enters a photography contest with the hopes of winning the grand prize -- two tickets to India -- so he can do his part to find Miriam.

First off: it does have a happy ending. Miriam is found, and the way it happens is quite surprising and actually very realistic, which I found wonderfully satisfying. As was the rest of the book; I liked the use of photography, how Fadi stood up to the bullies without using violence, and the glimpse into what the lives of Afghanis are like, both in Agfhanistan and in the U.S. It's a good book to interest kids in the area, to give them a picture of what life was like nearly 10 years ago (and remind them that things aren't that different now), and give them a good, engaging story on top of all that.

Excellent.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze

by Alan Silberberg
ages: 10+
First sentence: "Summer Goodman never knew what hit her."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

This is not your average mom-is-dead book. Sure, Milo's mom is dead; she passed away from cancer a couple years ago. But, Milo, now eleven and in his fifth house starting another new school, is determined to push past the fog and make a halfway decent go this time.

It's not a deep book, plot-wise; it's basically the tale of Milo putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes he succeeds: he really likes his new best friend, Marshall; grateful for the fact that they can just hang out and drink Freezies, and that Marshall doesn't really push or demand much. Sometimes he fails: his other neighbor, Hillary, tries to befriend Milo, but he's so caught up in having a total and complete crush on Summer that he doesn't notice Hillary (not in a romantic way) until it's nearly too late. Underneath it all, though, is the pain of loss. He misses having his mother around, especially the little things.

Instead of just wallowing in the loss (well, they did that already; this book is about learning to move on), he not only figures out a way to mourn his mother, but to help his family understand and accept the loss that they all went through. And it's done with humor, love, and some good friends. (The ending even made me cry; not the sad kind of cry, either.)

Very touching and sweet.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

Sunday Salon: Finding an old Favorite

First, a little background:

For the last couple of months, I have been working one afternoon a week as a volunteer at the library. I have learned several things about libraries and myself, like while I can alphabetize quite nicely, the whole number thing with the Dewey decimal system kind of throws me. Why do we need a 100.1 and a 100.11 and a 100.01? So, while I shelve non-fiction once in a while, mostly I stick to fiction and mystery and science fiction/fantasy and romance (oh, I love reading the jacket flaps on those) because it's just ABC order and I can do that.

As I've mentioned before, I read a lot of (what I think of now as) crap when I was in high school. With M in high school, and making some of the same free-time reading choices, I think I can sense what drove it in me: a need for brain fluff, a need for release. For the longest time, though, while I could remember much of what I read, one series of books that I loved eluded me. I remembered that there were state names as the titles, that it was vaguely a historical romance, and that I read as many as I could. For years I looked off and on, just to satiate my curiosity with no luck.

Then, to my amazement, as I was shelving this past Thursday, I found them!

It's the Wagons West series by Dana Fuller Ross. I was so happy, I did a little dance. Seriously. Now, I need to decide if I want to go back and read them all, just so I can see if they are as wonderful/corny as I remember them being.



Maybe I'll make it a project for next year.

How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life (And a Dog)

by Art Corriveau
ages: 11+
First sentence: "We have this dog now."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Nicky Flynn is not a happy camper. He's not quite 12 years old, but his life the last few months has been turned completely and totally upside down. His parents split up, his mom dragged him away from his comfortable house, his good school, and landed in Charlestown, a not-so-prosperous area of Boston. She's unreliable, completely worn out from her job as a secretary, and Nicky suspects that she's not letting him see his dad. To top it off, on a whim she brought home this German Shepard, Reggie, who was a former seeing eye dog. Since his mother isn't showing any interest in taking care of the dog, it's just another thing Nicky has to do.

And yet, as Nicky starts walking Reggie around, he discovers that Reggie has a past, and that that past is as bit of a mystery, and through a lot of bumps and scrapes, figures out that maybe, just maybe, Reggie is the only living being he can count on in this life. Sometimes, really, the dog is your best friend. If you can only realize it in time.

It's one of those books where the majority of adults are complete basket cases. Nicky's not terribly sympathetic, either: he's angry and has a temper as well as a bit of a lying problem. And yet, because the adults are so much worse, it's quite easy to sympathize with Nicky: he is that way just because everything around him is falling apart. It's a therapeutic book, one that looks at the aftermath of a messy divorce and sees not the roses but the thorns for most of the story. And yet, it's depressing: there's a lot of hope in the book (Hooray for a dog book where the dog doesn't die!), and the relationship between Nicky and Reggie is quite wonderful (as far as dog-human relationships go).

In the end, in spite of the adults I wanted to scream at, an enjoyable book.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

What Happened on Fox Street

by Tricia Springstubb
ages: 10+
First sentence: "Fox Street was a dead end."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Mo Wren loves her street. She's lived there her whole life, and it's her whole world. She has everything she needs: people to cut hair, tutor, watch after her and her little sister Dottie, her best friend comes to visit there every summer, and even the boy down the street is beginning to look interesting. Except things are starting to change. And Mo doesn't like that.

First bad news is that her best friend, Mercedes, says that it might be her last summer on Fox Street since her mother's marriage to a man who's "comfortable" (ie, not rich, but much better off than they used to be) is changing things. They might also take Mercedes' grandmother, Da, to come live with them, too. And Mo's dad, who hates his job as a city water and sewer employee and has just been scraping by in the years since her mom's sudden death, is thinking about selling out to a developer to go after his dream of owning a sports bar/restaurant. Her little sister, Dottie, is a wild child without discipline, taken to wandering the neighborhood adding to her bottle collection; what else can you expect from a girl without a mother?

Somehow, though this quiet (though sometimes tumultuous), yet heartfelt story, Mo figures out that not all change is bad, that she is strong enough to make the changes necessary. And that it will probably all work out for the best. A very hopeful, charming little book.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

Library Loot 2010-41

Why, yes, I did put all of the middle grade books on hold. Why do you ask?

Picture Books:
How Santa Got His Job, by Stephen Krensky/Illus. by S. D. Schindler
Night City, by Monica Wellington
If You Take a Mouse to the Movies, by Laura Numeroff/Illus. by Felicia Bond
Maisie Moo and Invisible Lucy, by Christ McKimmie
Octopus Opposites, by Shelia Blackstone and Stephanie Bauer
Shape by Shape, by Suse Macdonald
Little Beauty, by Anthony Browne


Middle Grade:
The Seventh Level, by Jody Feldman
Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine
Twenty Gold Falcons, by Amy Gordon
The Case of the Crooked Carnival, by Michele Torrey/Illus. by Barabara Johansen Newman
RatfinkRatfink, by Marcia Thornton Jones
The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester, by Barbara O'Connor
It's Raining Cupcakes, by Lisa Schroeder
My Best Frenemy (Friends for Keeps), by Julie Bowe
Noonie's Masterpiece, by Lisa Railsback/art by Sarajo Frieden
Yours Truly, Lucy B. Parker: Girl vs. Superstar, by Robin Palmer
Mary Mae and the Gospel Truth, by Sandra Dutton
Finding Family, by Tonya Bolden
Crunch, by Leslie Connor
The Reinvention of Moxie Roosevelt, by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye: An Enola Holmes Mystery, by Nancy Springer
Tortilla Sun, by Jennifer Cervantes

Young Adult:
Bartimaeus: The Ring of Solomon, by Jonathan Stroud


The roundup is either at Adventures of an Intrepid Reader or The Captive Reader. Obligatory FTC note: the links are provided through my Amazon Associates account. If you click through and actually purchase one of these books, I'll get a teeny, tiny payment. But, since no one ever does, and it's SO much easier using the associates account to put up these links, I'm going to keep doing it.

The Lost Hero

by Rick Riordan
ages: 10+
First sentence: "Even before he got electrocuted, Jason was having a rotten day."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

I'm of two minds about this book. On the one hand, it's not Percy Jackson. It wasn't as funny (I missed the chapter titles!), it wasn't as tight (I kept wondering: was all 553 pages necessary), it wasn't as fun. I feel bad for Riordan, having everything being compared back to Percy. It's just that those books are so good, so clever, so well done, that it's hard to top them.

And yet.

We're given a new trio of heroes to root for: Jason, son of Jupiter (aka Zeus), who doesn't remember anything about where he came from or who he is, and why he ended up with these other guys; Leo, tinkerer, mechanic, builder, and fire-wielder, and he makes nice with a really cool mechanical dragon; and Piper, angst-ridden daughter of a movie star, who has a gift for convincing people to give her things. They're an unlikely trio, and when they set off to free Hera, of all gods, from an unseen rising force, you wonder how it's all going to turn out.

I don't really want to give away much more than that, because, in spite of its length, Riordan has the gift for making you turn pages. You want to know what's happening, you want to know how the puzzle pieces fit together, and yes, while he doesn't end with "to be continued" he does give us a nice lead-in to the next book in the series. He keeps you wondering what's going to happen next, and for that, we'll give him enormous credit. He's working his way through Greek mythology, weaving lesser-known stories (though there are a couple of well-known ones as well) through the book. It's not deep, and yes it's much of the same sort of clever that Riordan's known for.

But you know what? It's fun. And for this, that counts a whole lot.

Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool

by Odo Hirsch
ages: 10+
First sentence: "Darius Bell walked through the grass."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the publisher.

The Bell ancestors were showered with gifts for various heroic (and other) deeds. In return, once a generation they are required to present the town with a Gift. It doesn't have to be spectacular, but they always are: a statue, a fountain, stained glass. However, it's time again, and this time the Bells are broke. See, after all the inheritance, no one bothered to work. And while they have a situation with their land and mansion -- people who live there and agree to do some upkeep and housekeeping and cooking in exchange for room and board -- they have no money left for a gift.

Enter Darius. He's just a kid, and his parents and older brother seem to think that he really doesn't need to be a part of the whole gift thing. But after a random earthquake, he discovers something wonderful (not useful or even worth anything) that would be absolutely perfect for the gift. And all it takes is a little coordination to get it done.

It's a perfectly sweet little book. Nothing grand or great or horrid or earth shattering. It's a pleasant story, in a pleasant little town, and although there are worries, they are Overcome in a pleasant little way. It's a reminder to enjoy the simple things in life, and to look beyond the Grand and the Great. And that not-so-big people can do big things, too.

All served with a smile and a slice of cake.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

More Christmas Goodness

Coming on the heels of the Book Blogger Holiday Swap (last day to sign up!) is the Virtual Advent Tour. YAY!!!

From the blog:

Each day anyone who wants to participate takes turns sharing a treat with our friends here in blogland. For example it could be something about your family traditions, recipes, your country's holiday traditions, or a favourite Christmas memory, movie, book, song...anything you like. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas we would like to hear about what your family does during the holiday season, whether it be celebrating Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or whatever it is that you do during this time.

I've participated all four years (I think), and it's been a blast. The only trick is coming up with something new to talk about this year...

Bamboo People

by Mitali Perkins
ages: 12+
First sentence: "Teachers wanted."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

The senselessness of war. The brutality of commanders and oppressive governments. The lives of the soldiers -- willing or not -- that are caught up in political games. The propaganda that confuses and misleads. The families that are torn apart. It could be any war; in fact there are many books like this that exist about the Civil War, World War II, and Vietnam. But, it's almost too easy to dismiss those as history, as irrelevant. But, Mitali Perkins brings the same themes to the current day, with the conflict in Burma. This is not history, people.

We follow the story of Chiko, the son of a political prisoner, and someone whose only aspirations in life are to be a teacher. He's not cut out for being a soldier, and does what he can to avoid being captured and drafted. Unfortunately, that doesn't last; the government tricks him by advertising for teachers, and then pulls a bait-and-switch. The camp where he's being trained to be a soldier is not a pretty or nice place; the commander in charge is one of the worst kinds of despots: an insecure bully. It's only through the wits of a street boy, Tai, that Chiko befriends that Chiko is even able to survive. It's harsh and brutal to read about the inhumanities that men perform on boys; even as watered down as this is (it could have been much worse), it still makes one flinch. How can people treat others this way?

He does find uses for his talents, though: he becomes a scribe for one of the seconds in command, and teaches Tai and some of the other soldiers to read. He even secures a spot with the army back in the city where his mother is. However, once the commander finds out, he threatens to send Tai off on a dangerous mission as punishment. Chiko, noble person that he is, offers to trade spots with Tai; he'll go on the mission and Tai will go to the city. Your heart bleeds for Chiko; there's a definite sense of foreboding, and you know that the mission won't go well. It's war, after all, and there are casualties.

Enter Tu Reh, a Karenni refugee who cannot forgive the Burmese army for the way they've oppressed his people. He finds Chiko wounded in the jungle, and -- understandably -- wants to leave him to die. Or at least perform a mercy killing. And yet, something in him is moved by the Burmese boy, and he carries him to a nearby healers hut, and eventually to the refugee camp, saving Chiko's life. A friendship slowly develops, and perhaps even a little, perspectives are softened, and minds are changed.

It's difficult to juggle two perspectives, and give each their due, but Perkins balances this admirably. You understand and empathize with Chiko's position and you can feel Tu Reh's anger and uncertainty. It's a friendship that develops slowly, one that surpasses political borders and ideas, one that reminds us all that no matter what we are, where we sit, or even really what we believe, we are human beings and should be treated with respect. It's a book of hope: if only people could make such friendships then maybe, just maybe, the world could be at peace.

The only sad thing is that the people who really need to read this probably never will.

Zora and Me

by Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon
ages: 11+
First sentence: "It's funny how you can be in a story but not realize until the end you were in one."
Support your local independent bookstore, buy it there!
Review copy sent to me by the publisher

It's an interesting idea: take a famous, respected novelist -- in this case, Zora Neale Hurston -- who had a unique childhood -- in this case, living in the all-black town of Eatonville, Florida in the early 1900s -- and turn it into a middle grade mystery. The "me" part of the title, is one of Zora's fictional friends, Carrie (the other being Tom) and we see Zora and the adventures through her eyes.

It all begins one night when Carrie and Zora see a giant alligator maul a local man. The alligator disappears, and Zora -- who was always one to spin a story -- decides that another man, this one a bit of a recluse -- is actually the Gator King, half-man, half-alligator, and can morph between the two. It's a bit far-fetched, but in pursuit of the story, they inadvertently stumble upon something deeper and darker in their town.

It's a story about the power of stories, and belief in stories. But it's also a story of race, and acceptance, and -- to a much lesser extent -- justice. As far as historical fiction goes, the book captures you and sweeps you away to a town where, on the surface, it doesn't matter what color you are. But as the layers are peeled away, it's much less rosy. My only real quibble comes with the use of the n-word: on the one hand, that it's in the book at all speaks towards historical accuracy. It is the early 1900s, after all. But, the first time it was used, I did a double-take and chalked it up to historical fiction. The fourth and fifth times, however, I went searching for an authors note explaining the use. There was none. This really bothered me: I feel that that word, especially, should not be used lightly, or in passing, without some sort of explanation or disclaimer. I found it disturbing, and it took away from the enjoyment I had reading the book.

The mystery was interesting, the use of Zora Neale Hurston as a character was clever. The racial issues, however, overran the book, and while there was resolution at the end, there was a bitter taste left over. Perhaps this is what the authors intended when writing, or perhaps I'm overreacting. Either way, I was left torn: I liked the book, but I didn't feel I could recommend it.

It's amazing what one little word can do.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

Library Loot 2010-40

The number of books on hold for me today? Nine. I suppose it could be worse. But I'm sure the librarians are glad they have this new system where I have to get the holds off the shelf myself, instead of them hauling out the stack to me.

The question is: will any of them be good??

(Oh, and yes, there's Christmas books in the pile. Don't shoot me; I'm feeling Christmasy already.)

Picture Books:
The Little Drummer Boy, Illus. by Kristina Rodanas
It's Christmas, David!, by David Shannon
Boo Cow, by Patricia Baehr and Margot Apple
Too Busy Marco, by Roz Chast
Crash Bang Donkey!, by Jill Newton

Middle Grade:
Jellaby, Volume 1, by Kean Soo
Moon Over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool
Out of My Mind, by Sharon M. Draper
The Summer Before (Baby-Sitter's Club), by Ann M. Martin
What Happened on Fox Street, by Tricia Springstubb
How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life (and a Dog), by Art Corriveau
President of the Whole Fifth Grade, by Sherri Winston
Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze, by Alan Silberberg
Betti on the High Wire, by Lisa Railsback

The roundup is either at Adventures of an Intrepid Reader or The Captive Reader. Obligatory FTC note: the links are provided through my Amazon Associates account. If you click through and actually purchase one of these books, I'll get a teeny, tiny payment. But, since no one ever does, and it's SO much easier using the associates account to put up these links, I'm going to keep doing it.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk

A Modest Bestiary
by David Sedaris
ages: adult
First sentence: "The cat had a party to attend, and went to the baboon to get herself groomed."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

The number one rule in reviewing is never start a review saying you don't like the genre. You do that and people will discredit everything you say after. Except... it's really true in this case. Satire and I, we don't get along. I am not a fan of the literary technique, I usually don't "get it", and I rarely find it funny.

And yet. I "got" this book, or at least most of it. It helps that Sedaris -- again, whom I've had a bit of a rocky relationship with; I find him hilarious in person, but I don't think his humor translates in writing for me -- is poking fun at people we all know: hairdressers, complainers, obsessive parents, liberals, conservatives, intellectuals, vigilantes; no one is safe from the Sedaris's caricaturization.

That's not to say that every story works equally well, and truthfully, that may have been me. I really liked the ones I "got", especially "The Cat and the Baboon," "The Toad, the Turtle, and the Duck," "The Parenting Storks" (an excerpt of which I heard on NPR, which led me to pick up the book in the first place), and "The Grieving Owl". Each of these I found hilarious in their own way; possibly because the are the most accessible, and possibly because I found them funny, knowing people like that (though don't we all).

Sedaris also balances between humanizing these animals and keeping them in the animal world: nothing really has a happily ever after, and the viciousness is often due to the nature of the animal: a baby stork falls from its nest presumably to its death, a bear is captured and forced to be a part of a circus, the crow eats the baby lamb's eyeballs. It's a reminder that, no matter how pretty we try to make it, nature is a cruel, vicious place. And the moral? Nobody's exempt, no matter what you think.

It's a weird little collection of stories, and not for everyone. But as far as satire goes, it's quite good.

The Kneebone Boy

by Ellen Potter
ages: 10+
First sentence: "There were three of them."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

To say that the Hardscrabble children -- Otto, Lucia (Lu-CHEE-ah, thank you very much), and Max -- are a bit odd, is an understatement. Max is one of those brilliant know-it-alls who drive people nuts, Lucia is hopelessly, shamelessly candid, and Otto hasn't talked since their mom disappeared several years ago. They live in Little Tunks, which is about as exciting as its name, with their slightly absent-minded artist (he specializes in portraits of fallen royals) father.

Their existence is fairly boring, partially due to everyone in town avoiding them like the plague (and partially due to the fact that Little Trunks is just a boring place). And yet, one eventful afternoon, their father sends them down to London to stay with their aunt... who turns out isn't there. (Gone on holiday to Germany, it seems.) Thus begins their adventure. There's some mystery, a lot of close scrapes, some new friends, and a few new relations as well. At any rate, they become a lot less of whatever they were, and a lot more interesting.

The book reads much like a Lemony Snickett one — a comparison which is probably inevitable considering the cover — but without all the "oh, and what next?!?" feeling that went along with the adventures of the Baudelaire children. It helps that there's a meta element going on here: often our narrator (whose identity isn't revealed, but we are invited to guess at) pops out of the story to give us, as readers, asides about the action and plot, and pass along advice that their teacher, Mr. Dupuis, has give them in writing this. It's not that the plot wasn't enough to carry the book; the adventure of the Hardscrabble kids is actually quite interesting, especially with the mystery of their lost mother overshadowing it. But the asides add that little something that makes the book that much more fun.

It's a dark little story, but with the right balance of dark and funny to make it truly enjoyable, and it's fascinating how the mystery unravels at the end. Just about perfect, I would say. (But don't tell the Hardscrabble kids that. They might not like it.)

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

It's Holiday Time Again!

I've been musing lately about Christmas, what to get the girls, what to get the siblings we're giving to this year (any ideas?), and considering just bagging it all and saving for the trip to Hawaii in January. In the midst of all this musing, I did start to wonder: is the Book Blogger Holiday Swap going to happen this year??

Of course it is! (Thanks, Charlotte, for the heads up...)

I've always had a grand time with this (though I can't remember how many years I've signed up... three? four?), meeting new bloggers, the excitement of picking out something and the fun of seeing where and what I'm sent (mmm... chocolate...). It's part of what makes the whole book blogging thing so much fun. (And the holidays.)

The deadline for signing up is November 14th, so hurry.... (You know you want to.)

Linger

by Maggie Stiefvater
ages: 14+
First sentence: "This is the story of a boy who used to be a wolf and a girl who was becoming one."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Linger picks up where Shiver left off (so if you're one of the few people on this planet who've not read that, then be forewarned, there's no getting around spoilers): Sam and Grace are an item, since it seems Sam has been cured of werewolfism. Or so they think. As winter slowly turns into spring, Grace is sick for the first time in her life. Her parents have (finally, however unbelievably) decided to be parents, and are clamping down on their relationship. And, in order to complicate things, the new wolf that Beck turned last winter, Cole, is adding his own problems, especially considering that he used to be the famous, yet self-destructive, lead-singer of the hip band, NARKOTIKA.

Told in the same evocative prose as her first book, Steifvater takes us to some of the same places that Shiver did. But not always with the same results. Falling in love is always more interesting than being in love, and for that reason Sam and Grace felt stale, while Cole and the attraction he holds for Isabel took front-and-center in my book. It really didn't matter that both characters were very unlikable; their attraction was immediate and one of those destined to destruction. It was fascinating to watch. Granted, Cole is also brilliant, and may have figured out the trick with the whole werewolf thing. That always helps any relationship, I think.

I didn't find it as compelling as Shiver, but it was still good. Stiefvater knows how to turn a phrase, a way to evoke a setting that makes you believe you are there. (Someday, books will come with smells and tastes, too.) And for that (and because it's the next book in the trilogy), it's worth reading.

I Shall Wear Midnight

by Terry Pratchett
ages: 13+
First sentence: "Why was it, Tiffany Aching wondered, that people liked noise so much?"
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Tiffany Aching has discovered that she was a witch, gone through training, accidentally joined a dance she shouldn't have and had to kiss the winter as a result. Now, she's back at the Chalk, a sixteen-year-old girl, trying to manage her stead as a witch. It's not going too horribly: she's managing to get the things done that need doing. Until one day, things start to unravel. It began with a beating of a young girl by her father, and the rough music started. Then it morphed into something grander: Roland's engagement to Letitia, daughter of an uppity Duchess, the Baron's death, and a growing resentment and fear of witches. It turned out that Tiffany had accidentally let out something quite evil, something which, if left to roam, will result in the demise of all the witches. And it's up to her to make things right again.

I know it sounds dark, and there are some dark moments, but this book is so wonderfully affirming, so incredibly hopeful, that it isn't the dark bits that stand out. While it's not as hilarious as some of the other books in the series, it's still quite amusing. And Tiffany really, truly grows into her own. She has to give up some things, and learn some things, and make some difficult decisions, but she does it all. And she makes some new friends, looking past prejudice and bad first impressions to see that everyone is wonderfully more complicated and interesting that we give them credit for at first.

A perfect ending for an excellent series.

Library Loot 2010-39

I tell myself that I'm reading for the Cybils, and I need to put other books on hold. Then I actually do put them on hold, and then they come in, and then I need to read them. I am reading for the Cybils, I promise. I'm just squeezing in other books, too....

Picture Books:
The Wild Swans, by Susan Jeffers
Moon Dreams, by Ruth Martin/Illus. by Oliver Latyk
Lyle Walks the Dogs, by Bernard Waber/Illus. by Paulis Waber
The Day the Cow Sneezed, by James Flora
Corky Cub's Crazy Caps (Animal Antics a to Z), by Barbara deRubertis/Illus. by R.W. Alley

Middle Grade:
The Archaeolojesters, by Andreas Oertel
A Million Shades of Gray, by Cynthia Kadohata
Zora and Me, by Victoria Bond & T. R. Simon
Mallory Goes Green!, by Laurie Friedman (Illus. by Jennifer Kalis)

Adult Fiction:
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary, by David Sedaris (Illus. by Ian Falconer)

The roundup is either at Adventures of an Intrepid Reader or The Captive Reader. Obligatory FTC note: the links are provided through my Amazon Associates account. If you click through and actually purchase one of these books, I'll get a teeny, tiny payment. But, since no one ever does, and it's SO much easier using the associates account to put up these links, I'm going to keep doing it.

Clementine, Friend of the Week

by Sarah Pennypacker
ages: 8+
First sentence: "I couldn't wait for Margaret to get on the bus Monday afternoon."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Dear Clementine,

I will be very sad if you ever decide to grow up. You are what is most wonderful about kids: eager, curious, meaning well, and yet with a stubborn streak that makes me believe that you'll go places when you get older. I love that you call your brother by vegetable names, in protest for your name (which is quite cheery, by the way; I hope you like it when you get older). I think your boundless creativity -- Moisturizer for your cat's name; Flomax for your friend's iguana? Priceless! -- and energy is amazing. I admire your parents for being as patient and indulging at they are. (They are pretty cool, too.)

As for your adventure this time, I feel your pain. To lose your best friend, due to a fight that you have no idea what it's about, is a tough thing. And then to lose your cat, too? Ouch. But, you get through it, and I think you realize, at least a little bit, what a great girl -- and good friend -- you are.

Don't ever change.

Best,
Melissa

P.S. And Ms. Pennypacker? Keep the books coming! My girls love having someone like Clementine to read about!

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

(Not Quite) 10 Questions for Jackson Pearce

Jackson Pearce is one difficult woman to get a hold of. Seriously. It's because she has her fingers in so many pies, I think. There's her blog, and her presence on Twitter and Facebook. And don't forget her vlog, on which she recently tacked a 30 days of vlogging series. Oh, and she writes books. Her most recent one, Sisters Red, was a captivating take on Red Riding Hood, and the companion book, Sweetly, is out in June 2011. It's no wonder that I had to beg and plead (and become an annoying email/Twitter presence) to get her to answer a few questions. And it's a good thing she was gracious enough to squeeze me in.

MF: Which character of yours was easiest/most fun to write?

JP: I think, oddly enough, Scarlett was the most fun to write. She's so focused, so intense...it was like being on one of those haunted-house-carnival-rides that happened entirely inside her head. Even though it was super dark sometimes, it was always interesting. She was NOT easy, however. I think Jinn, in AS YOU WISH, was actually the easiest to write. He's so fun and wry and sarcastic, it was always a blast.

MF: How about the most difficult?

JP: The most difficult to write was Gretchen, in my upcoming book SWEETLY. I think I started the first draft of that book before her personality was fully formed in my head, and thus I had to write and rewrite and rewrite. I finally found her voice, but it took a while!

MF:You spend a lot of time with Twitter and Facebook, not to mention your blog and vlogging. How does social media affect your work? (or does it?)

JP: I love twitter/blogging/vlogging/facebook, and did it long before I sold my first book-- that said, I do think being able to so easily connect with readers is wonderful. It doesn't necessarily affect the writing directly, but it certainly affects the "author" side of the job in that I get to have fun, meaningful conversations with readers instead of wondering if anyone out there in the world is reading my work!

MF: Who or what inspires you to write?

JP: Nothing specific inspires me to write-- I write because if I don't write my stories down, no one else is going to! Writing is the only way I can get what's in my head out into the world.

MF: Since this was going around the interwebs recently, I'm curious: why do you write for a YA audience?

JP: I feel like this is similar to asking "Why do you like ice cream?" Because it's delicious, and well, I just...DO. It's simple. I write for YA because it's awesome and I just DO. It's not a conscious choice, it's just the stories in my head are YA. Equally simple.

MF: What are your top five books (at least right now)?

JP: This is always, always, always changing, but:

THE VESPERTINE by Saundra Mitchell

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN by Mark Twain (yep, I'm a nerd)

MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins

Hm, I can't think of a 5th! I've been doing a lot more writing than reading lately, it seems...

MF: Thank you for your time, Jackson!