tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027155478941266842024-02-20T14:07:31.944-08:00Rebecca's Recommended Reads<i>helping you find the really good stuff in fiction for young readers</i>Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-47593370867242825442012-07-07T22:22:00.002-07:002012-07-07T22:28:06.081-07:00The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom Christopher Healy<br />
2012 Walden Pond Press <br />
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When the pampered and perpetually protected Prince Frederick fails to keep Cinderella's interest after the ball is over, Cinderella takes off on a new adventure, leaving him behind. Can Frederic, who has never been outside the castle in his life, find the guts to go after her? And keep going after her, in spite of witches, giants, dragons, and three other princes with princess problems of their own?<br />
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This book reads like an animated film, and it's easy to visualize it that way with the help of all the whimsical illustrations. The story is chock full of fun and quirky characters, like vegetarian trolls and really grumpy dwarfs... I mean dwarves (they're sensitive about the spelling). A good read-aloud, laugh-aloud the whole family can enjoy.<br />
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My only worry is that Fox Animation has the movie option right now. Why not some studio with a more impressive track record? Come on, this one is totally worth it.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-32659328885168162482011-10-29T01:43:00.000-07:002011-10-29T01:45:39.625-07:00Open Mindsby Susan Kaye Quinn<br />
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Kira Moore lives in a world of eerie silence.<br />
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It's the twenty-second century, and everyone can read minds, except for Kira. Her inability to share thoughts with her classmates leaves her hopelessly at the bottom of the social ladder, and she even has to wear a special hearing aid so her teachers can whisper their lectures. Things most young teenage girls look forward to, like college and boyfriends, are completely out of the question for a zero like Kira.<br />
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The one bright spot in Kira's life is her friendship with Raf. He's the only person who seems to care about her in spite of her freakish inability to communicate. But everything changes when Kira accidentally knocks Raf out--<i>with her mind.</i><br />
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Terrified, Kira doesn't know what to do until Simon, a good-looking senior with a slightly dangerous reputation, reveals that he and Kira are both mindjackers, rare people who can <i>control</i> thoughts. He teaches her how to use her ability to fool everyone into thinking she's a normal mind-reader, and warns her that no one can ever find out what she really is. Tormented by the lies, Kira pushes her family and Raf away, spending time with Simon instead. After all, Simon is the only person who really understands her.<br />
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But Simon is about to pull Kira into a sinister clan of mindjackers who are being hunted by ruthless government agents. In this treacherous underworld, Kira discovers that her mindjacking abilities go way beyond what anyone has seen before, which puts her and everyone she loves, including Raf, in unspeakable danger.<br />
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I've seen stories about mind-reading before, but never one so thoroughly consistent and chillingly believable. Kira Moore rocks. Her quest to find her place in the world and to save the people she loves had me on the edge of my seat. I highly recommend this book for readers age twelve and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-73108121697928096562011-08-17T19:43:00.000-07:002011-08-17T19:44:22.800-07:00Heart of a SamuraiMargi Preus<br />
Amulet Books 2010<br />
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When a storm at sea takes Manjiro's fishing boat far from the coast of his beloved Japan, he fears he will never see his home again. After months on a desert island, he and his companions are rescued by terrifying barbarians who hunt the oceans for great whales. No foreigners are allowed to land on Japan's shores, so Manjiro has never seen men like these. At first frightened, then curious, Manjiro gradually befriends the captain of the ship, who offers to take him back to America, a land that no Japanese person has ever seen before.<br />
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In this story of courage and overcoming prejudice, Manjiro discovers a new life in America, but never loses his longing for his homeland. In the end, he becomes instrumental in forging the first friendship between the two nations he had called home.<br />
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This book is a fascinating fictionalized biography of a man who brought two cultures together for the first time. Recommended for readers 11 and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-2912813883465212262010-12-29T18:37:00.000-08:002011-06-08T19:18:35.753-07:00The Wednesday WarsGary D. Schmidt <br />
Clarion Books 2007<br />
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Holling Hoodhood is sure his seventh-grade English teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates his guts.<br />
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And that was before he accidentally wrecked the cream puffs, and before he accidentally let loose her pet rats, and before he started spouting curses from his Shakespeare reading (that was on purpose). <br />
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Repairing his relationship with Mrs. Baker is important. Mrs. Baker's family owns a sporting goods store, and Holling's father is hoping to get the architectural contract for their new building. As The Son Who Is Going to Inherit Hoodhood and Associates, Holling had better shape up and do whatever it takes to get on Mrs. Baker's good side, even if it means playing a dorky fairy in the community production of "The Tempest."<br />
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Set over forty years ago against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement, <i>The Wednesday Wars </i>is the hilarious story of a boy trying to navigate the rocky shoals of seventh grade. Holling's voice has an air of tall-tale telling that kept me laughing. But the book isn't all comedy. Holling's evolving relationships with the people around him reveal some poignant insights on friendship, on racism, and on what it means to be a hero.<br />
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One of the best books I've read in a long time. I recommend <i>The Wednesday Wars</i> for ages eleven and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-17536662064500574882010-09-21T20:59:00.000-07:002010-12-14T15:35:02.124-08:00The Wee Free MenTerry Pratchett<br />
Harper Trophy, 2004<br />
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Nine-year-old Tiffany doesn't care a fig for her baby brother. She resents the fact that he usurped her place as youngest child, resents having to watch over him all the time. So when she notices a strange creature lurking in the stream near her home, she doesn't hesitate to use her baby brother to lure the monster out so she can give it a good whack with a frying pan (before it gets anywhere near baby brother, of course).<br />
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Tiffany's bravado impresses a band of small, blue-skinned rouges that go by the name of Nac Mac Feegles, otherwise known as the Wee Free Men. When Tiffany's baby brother goes missing a few days later, they tip her off that he's been stolen by the queen of a nightmare fairyland that's invading Tiffany's world.<br />
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Armed with her frying pan and accompanied by a mob of tiny rebels, Tiffany marches into fairyland. It isn't so much that she cares about her baby brother. It's that the queen <i>stole</i> something from her, and Tiffany means to get it back. But in order to do so, she has to discover another weapon--the magic inside herself.<br />
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This book is Terry Pratchett at his best. Lively humor from the antics of the Feegles, cunning word play, delicious satire, deep beauty, and ancient wisdom all play together to create this delightful coming-of-age story about a young witch-in-training named Tiffany. Recommended for ages nine and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-51534547199043562452010-03-29T01:00:00.000-07:002010-03-29T01:00:00.746-07:00When You Reach MeRebecca Stead<br />
Wendy Lamb Books 2009<br />
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<br />
Book<br />
Bag<br />
Pocket<br />
Shoe<br />
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<i>When You Reach Me</i> is a book of stunning revelations. Of discovery.<br />
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Time travel. The book begins in 1978, and so as I first settle in to the story I feel like I'm time-traveling already. But soon I forget I'm in the past, because Miranda and her friends act like sixth graders act now, like they've always acted since the sixth grade was invented.<br />
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Stead's characters are so human, so immediate, so rich and surprising and fascinating. They pull me through the exposition until the mystery begins.<br />
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And then I can't put it down. My daughter needs a ride to the craft store to buy shells for her history project - traditional ceremonial mask from Bambara - and I say, "Okay, okay, but only if you'll read to me on the way."<br />
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Book, bag, pocket, shoe---in each place Miranda finds a clue, a hint that there's a deep tragedy looming, something that will kill one of her friends and destroy another. Miranda can stop it, but only if she believes that she can affect something after it's already happened.<br />
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This is one of the finest science fiction books I've ever read. Through the course of the story, Miranda makes deeply powerful discoveries about herself, about her friends and family, and about life. I loved the setting, learned things about growing up in New York City that I never would have guessed. Stead's insight into the nature of time made me want to joyfully embrace the universe. This is a great book, every bit deserving of the Newbery Award. <i>And it's science fiction!</i><br />
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Bravo! Author! Encore! Recommended for ages ten and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-75700062249630850972010-03-22T01:00:00.000-07:002010-03-22T20:53:05.060-07:00Troll FellKatherine Langrish<br />
HarperCollins 2004<br />
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This is the kind of book I like best.<br />
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Peer has no time to grieve over his father's sudden death. His cruel uncle shows up at the funeral, claims Peer and all his father's property, and drags the boy back to the dismal mill which he shares with Peer's other uncle, his equally nasty twin. Half-starved and forced to do all the work around the place, it doesn't seem it can get any worse for poor Peer.<br />
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Then Peer learns his uncles have plans for him. They've bargained with the Troll King to provide a human slave as a wedding present for an important royal match. Peer has to find a way to escape before the midwinter wedding, but where can he go that his uncles won't find him?<br />
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Katherine Langrish spins a delicious tale, with trolls and wicked uncles you love to hate, and a clever and kind-hearted hero you love to cheer on. Lush prose paints the Scandinavian setting in perfect detail, with lively descriptions that are a joy to read. The story rolls faster and faster to the climax, with one disaster piling on top of another, until I was just aching for the characters and couldn't see how they could possibly get out. And then it got even worse!<br />
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Fans of the folktale will adore this adventure in the lands of the far north. Recommended for ages ten and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-72173992807755235722010-03-15T01:00:00.000-07:002010-03-27T13:35:40.319-07:00The Graveyard BookNeil Gaiman<br />
HarperCollins Children's Books 2008<br />
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An orphan boy, adopted by ghosts on the night he was to be murdered, grows up in secret in an ancient graveyard. The ghosts name him Nobody, and give him the power to move in their world. The ghosts keep him hidden as long as they can, but in the end, Bod must confront the man who murdered his parents and wants to kill him too.<br />
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There's plenty of darkness in this story, but also plenty of light. I loved the ghosts, people from all centuries, who banded together to keep Bod safe from the murderer. Bod's adventures---being kidnapped by ghouls, braving the haunted barrow deep under the graveyard, and even attending the local public school---all prepare him for the final showdown with the man who has wanted him dead all his life.<br />
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Neil Gaiman shows off his mastery of language, of character, and of storytelling in this very engaging read. I loved how the intriguing world unfolded slowly, with dropped hints at the powers Bod has grown up with and so takes for granted.<br />
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A clever, spooky read for ages twelve and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-21997478618217387772010-03-08T01:00:00.000-08:002010-03-08T01:00:03.372-08:00The Little SecretKate Saunders<br />Feiwel and Friends 2006<br /><br />Something about those Brits---they sure can spin a fantastic tale! Kate Saunders is no exception. Her story has all the mystery, oddity, humor, and charm I've come to expect from that camp.<br /><br />Staffa, the new girl at Jane's school, may talk funny, sit and drink coffee at recess, and dress like a grandmother, but kind-hearted Jane sticks up for her anyways. Jane isn't exactly thrilled when Staffa immediately claims her as a best friend, at least not at first. It turns out that Staffa's mother is disgustingly rich, and Jane soon finds herself showered with presents and invited to posh afternoon teas. To top it all off, Jane is eventually invited to spend a few weeks of summer holiday at Staffa's country home, a real castle in northern England.<br /><br />It's a fairy-tale come true for Jane. And I mean that very literally. And not one of those nice little Disney fairy tales either.<br /><br />I loved this book from the beginning, knowing there's something odd about Staffa and her mother, and being drawn along by not knowing quite what it was. Kate Saunders handles Jane's reactions and decisions so well, I believed every bit of it. I had the chilling conviction that in Jane's shoes I would have put my foot right in the very same trap. A very fun read for ages ten and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-26454739911943470512010-03-01T01:00:00.000-08:002010-03-27T13:37:24.090-07:00Where the Mountain Meets the MoonGrace Lin<br />
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 2009<br />
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Yes, there is justice in this world. How do I know? Grace Lin's <span style="font-style: italic;">Where the Mountain Meets the Moon</span> won a Newbery Honor.<br />
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Minli lives with her mother and father in the shadow of fruitless mountain. Their home is small, their clothes are plain, and they can hardly grow enough rice for themselves. But Minli loves listening to her father tell stories at the end of each day, stories that eventually inspire her to leave home and seek to change her family's fortune.<br />
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It's a dangerous road, but Minli meets each obstacle with a clever mind and a kind heart. She gains friends, wisdom, and answers as she traverses a web of stories woven together into one exquisite tale. This book is a perfect little gem, a great read-aloud for children, and a treasure-trove of insight for young and old alike on the nature of true happiness. Rich color illustrations by the author in Chinese folk-art style illuminate the pages. Sweet as ripe peaches, precious as a pearl, this joyful book is for anyone old enough to read or be read to.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-59431990353435605902010-02-22T01:00:00.001-08:002010-02-22T01:00:00.200-08:00The Gate in the WallEllen Howard<br />Atheneum Books for Young Readers 1999<br /><br />Ever since she was seven, Emma has known nothing but long, grueling days at work in the silk factory. While her sister stays home with a sickly new baby and her sister's drunken, abusive husband looks for work, Emma's wages are the only thing keeping bread on the table. Battered, numb, and ragged, Emma never imagines that another world, another life, lies just on the other side of the wall.<br /><br />One day, late for work, shut out from the factory and terrified of the beating she'll get back home, Emma sees an open gate in the wall and steps through to find a shining canal and a long, painted boat full of potatoes. Half starved, Emma doesn't think the owner of the boat will miss just one. But when the surly old boatwoman comes back and finds out what Emma has done, she presses Emma into service to pay for the missing potato.<br /><br />At first Emma thinks she'll run away back to her sister's house at the first opportunity, but as the days go on Emma comes to love her new life on the canal. For the first time in years she's clean and well fed, and she enjoys walking all day alongside the horse that pulls the canal boat. Still, Emma can't help worrying about her sister, and about her little nephew. Emma struggles to choose between deserting her sister and deserting the boatwoman who has given her a new chance at life.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Gate in the Wall </span> reveals a world within a world, a colorful society of boatpeople with their own fascinating culture that flourished on the canals alongside and almost outside the grim, sooty reality of the industrial revolution. Throughout the book I enjoyed watching Emma bloom in their community, journey from abused factory waif to confident young woman. Recommended for ages nine and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-62391983851016989572010-02-15T01:00:00.000-08:002010-02-15T01:00:06.569-08:00The Dragon of TrelianMichelle Knudsen<br />Candlewick Press 2009<br /><br />An awkward mage's apprentice, a young princess with a secret, two enemy kingdoms making peace with a royal wedding, evil forces that will do anything to start the war anew...<br /><br />...and a dragon.<br /><br />You may have seen all these story elements before, but you've never seen them put together quite like this. Michelle Knudsen's first novel brings to life a fresh world of magic and danger. I thoroughly enjoyed this engaging and very fun read. The suspense at times was absolutely unbearable---I was squealing and stomping my feet, having to force myself to read line by line instead of skipping down the page to make sure everything turns out all right.<br /><br />I hope Michelle Knudsen writes more novels. I want to read them all.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-45832548639172684742010-02-08T01:00:00.000-08:002010-02-08T01:00:00.671-08:00All the WorldLiz Garton Scanlon<br />illustrated by Marla Frazee<br />Beach Lane Books 2009<br /><br />Lots of picture books have made me laugh.<br /><br />Very few have made me cry.<br /><br />All the wonder in the world seems to be captured in the quiet poetry of Liz Garton Scanlon's text. Lyrical, it throbs with the steady rhythm of life. I love Marla Frazee's lively illustrations, simple but just bursting with personality. This book made me glad to be alive, grateful to tears for trees and oceans and sunsets and people. What better feelings are there to share with a child?Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-6495183627781342482010-02-01T01:00:00.001-08:002010-02-01T01:00:02.097-08:00First LightRebecca Stead<br />Wendy Lamb Books, 2007<br /><br />In a colony carved out beneath an arctic glacier, Thea's people live a simple life, safe from the angry mobs that hunted their ancestors for witchcraft. But now their numbers have grown too large. They can barely sustain themselves. Thea wants to find a way to the surface, but her grandmother, the leader of their clan, has forbidden it.<br /><br />Peter has never been to Greenland before. His father, a glaciologist, has always gone by himself on research trips, but this time Peter and both his parents are going all together. Once there, Peter begins to suspect that his mother and father are looking for something, something they won't tell him about.<br /><br />Then Peter discovers a strange marking in the ice, Thea decodes an ancient map, and two worlds are about to collide.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">First Light</span> had me hooked in the first few pages with its exceptional prose and characters so alive I loved them at once. I had gone to the library looking for Rebecca Stead's Newbery winner, <span style="font-style: italic;">When You Reach Me</span>, but according to the library's computer catalog, six other people had the same idea before I did. I will have to wait. In the mean time, I simply adored her science fiction arctic adventure mystery of a first novel. Recommended for ages ten and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-89876076441194903462010-01-25T15:14:00.000-08:002010-01-25T15:24:04.500-08:00The Hunger GamesSuzanne Collins<br />Scholastic 2008<br /><br />As late as the fifth century of the Christian Era, Roman citizens gathered in great stadiums to watch criminals and slaves battle each other to the death. Some competitors were highly trained, with wealthy sponsors who provided weapons and armor. Others were simply societal rubbish thrown to the wild animals. These bloody entertainments might make us shudder now, we who are used to knowing that the people we see hacked up or shot to pieces on the movie screen will wipe off the makeup and go home after work in one piece.<br /><br />But what if the gladiatorial games were revived, and broadcast on national television?<br /><br />This is what makes Hunger Games so eerie. It isn't much of a stretch. Reality TV plus the Roman Area? It could happen.<br /><br />To punish their people for a rebellion nearly seventy-five years ago, the Capitol requires each District to sacrifice two of their children each year to the Hunger Games. When Katniss volunteers to take her sister's place as a contestant, she is thrust into a wilderness crawling with enemies where she must struggle not only for her life but to maintain her identity in spite of being on the cast of a deadly entertainment spectacular.<br /><br />It's a brilliant premise, and Suzanne Collins makes the most of it. She deals out edge-of-your seat adventure while laying on the full emotional impact of being in the Games. At the heart of this disturbing, haunting tale of survival is a battle between one girl's inner humanity and the tyranny of an inhumane society. This is real literature, AND a riveting read.<br /><br />It's violent, so violent I almost didn't review it. Still, it has my approval for dealing with the consequences of violence rather than merely mucking around in gratuitous gore. For ages 14 and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-76732896506029166862010-01-18T17:41:00.000-08:002010-01-18T19:09:52.085-08:00The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963Christopher Paul Curtis<br />Yearling, 1995<br /><br />Kenny's older brother Byron is big trouble. Hanging out with his delinquent friends, playing with matches in the bathroom, stealing cookies from the grocery store---Byron is not the kind of older brother a kid can look up to. When Byron dyes his hair his parents decide that's the last straw. His sentence - leave Flint, Michigan and spend a summer with Grandma Sands in Birmingham, Alabama. The whole family piles into the "Brown Bomber" and takes off on a marathon drive from the icy north down to to the deep south to drop of Byron at Grandma's Detention Center.<br /><br />Sure, there's been some trouble down there in Alabama, something about segregation, but that won't stop the Watsons from taking a trip to the old hometown.<br /><br />Byron's antics and Kenny's hilarious commentary create a heartwarming picture of a family just trying to do their best to get along in hard times. Quirky and human in a deeply believable way, by the end of the book the Watsons feel like part of <span style="font-style: italic;">your</span> family.<br /><br />Which makes the Sixteenth Avenue Baptist Church Bombing so much more than a historical event. It becomes a heart-stopping tragedy.<br /><br />A book that reminds us how precious life is, how ugly hate is, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Watsons Go to Birmingham</span> is a great piece of historical fiction. Mild language and vulgarity, some bullying situations. For readers 13 and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-73107796214166206452010-01-11T10:31:00.000-08:002010-01-11T11:14:19.088-08:00Petronella Saves Nearly EveryoneDene Low<br />Houghton Mifflin 2009<br /><br />The very title of this book made me want to pick it up and read it. <br /><br />Petronella Arbuthnot would like to be a very proper Victorian-era young lady, but never lets that aspiration get in the way of her adventurous spirit. When her coming-out party is overshadowed by a collapsed party-tent and a couple of political kidnappings, she puts on her sleuthing hat, and, in company with her dearest friend and dearest friend's bothersomely attractive older brother, scours the countryside and braves the foggy streets of London in search of clues. With a hilarious cavalcade of bossy aunts, irritating cousins, undesirable suitors, and helpful domestic servants in tow, Petronella carries the day with dash and style...<br /><br />...and saves nearly everyone!<br /><br />Packed with delightful period details, this book sparkles with personality as mischievous Petronella narrates her sometimes rather un-ladylike adventures. Best enjoyed by readers ages twelve and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-23008520994528797822009-11-09T16:17:00.000-08:002009-11-21T22:22:33.138-08:00Sun and Moon, Ice and SnowJessica Day George<br />Bloomsbury, 2008<br /><br />On the promise that her impoverished family will be blessed with riches, a young girl goes to live for a year in an enchanted palace with a mysterious white bear. Just as she begins to unravel the dark secrets of the curse on her host, her curiosity and fear drive her to betray the man she has come to love. To redeem him, she must journey beyond the edge of the world and face the Troll Princess herself.<br /><br />East o'the Sun, West o'the Moon, always one of my favorite folk-tales, finds new life in this charming adaptation. I loved how Jessica Day George followed the traditional storyline so faithfully, but added an intriguing new twist of her own. She floods the pages with details about Scandinavian culture and language. A good, solid performance, and a recommended read for ages 10 and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-79724767327904989172009-09-29T16:25:00.000-07:002009-11-21T22:19:41.683-08:00Ida BKatherine Hannigan<br />Greenwillow Books 2004<br /><br />Energetic, imaginative Ida B lives in Wisconsin, in a valley full of apple orchard with a stream running through it and a mountain behind it. Her loving parents are good, wise, and kind enough rescue her from the "Place of Slow but Sure Body-Cramping, Mind-Numbing, Fun-Killing Torture" more commonly known as public school. Ida is home-schooled, but she isn't lonely. As she roams the valley she talks to the apple trees and the brook and the rocks, and they talk back, just the way I remember trees and rocks talking when I was young. By the time I get through the first few chapters, I'm drooling just as much as Ida B's dog, Rufus. I wish I'd grown up in a place like that.<br /><br />But Ida B's idyllic life doesn't last forever. Hard times come, and Ida B has to go back to school. Her family even has to sell some of the orchard. Ida B's a plotter and a planner, she's not going to take this lying down, but will her schemes for fighting back make things better or worse?<br /><br />One thing very special about this book - Ida B's voice makes ordinary life feel as big and important as it really is. I loved it. Recommended for ages 10 and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-13072023172661866542009-09-25T19:46:00.001-07:002009-11-21T22:23:01.202-08:00The Anybodiesby N.E. Bode<br />HarperCollins 2004<br /><br />I wish <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span> had written this book.<br /><br />Once a week, I volunteer at a school library. They don't know I'm a writer. I haven't told them yet. When I go, I feel like I'm doing secret agent undercover work, spying out what kind of books the kids are reading, finding out what kind of books the publishers are publishing. So last week, as I was slicing alphabetical labels off the shelves with a razor blade (the labels were from an old, outdated shelving system, were all wrong, and were driving me crazy whenever I tried to re-shelve the books), the spine of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Anybodies</span> caught my eye.<br /><br />I can't say what about it attracted my attention. The title was hidden by a big sticker with the letters PB (for paperback) and then FIC (for fiction) and then BOD for Bode. Maybe it was the charming, powder-blue color peeking out from around the sticker. Anyways, I took the book off the shelf, opened it up and read the dedication:<br /><br />"THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED to you. <span style="font-style: italic;">Yes, you</span>. Don't be so shocked. Haven't you always secretly thought that you deserved a book dedicated to you and you only?"<br /><br />I smirked. I grinned. I stood up and asked the school librarian, "Excuse me, but are parents allowed to check out books too?"<br /><br />The truth is, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Anybodies </span>was written just for me, and for every other person who loves to read. This is a book for readers, and since most books are read by readers, I'd say it hits the market right on target. It is one of those books that just <span style="font-style: italic;">had</span> to be written by <span style="font-style: italic;">somebody</span>, and so it is only fitting that it should have been written by N.E. Bode. It's funny. Hilarious. I laughed out loud several times, once even punching my fist in the air in triumph. The book is also adventurous and heartwarming, for that's what readers want, isn't it? And there are plenty of other goodies, like children accidentally swapped at birth, retired circus performers, fairies that pop out of books, giant peaches, mysterious diaries written in code, a bitter love-triangle, grouchy henchmen, and a perfectly ordinary squirrel.<br /><br />I'd recommend this book to any child (or adult) who has read everything on the shelf and is hungry for a little something <span style="font-style: italic;">different</span>.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-75413048434781499372009-08-22T07:35:00.000-07:002009-10-20T12:39:50.924-07:00The Golden GobletEloise Jarvis McGraw<br />Puffin, 1961<br /><br />Time to introduce another one of my favorite authors, <a href="http://www.bookrags.com/biography/eloise-jarvis-mcgraw-aya/">Eloise Jarvis McGraw</a>. She wrote a stack of books in her lifetime, historical fiction, fantasy, and even added three volumes to the Oz franchise. My favorite thing about her writing is her minor characters. In most books, the minor characters are shallow, flat, uninteresting creatures. You never meet one of those in McGraw's books. Every last character who walks on the scene is a living, breathing, fascinating, complex human being. I wish I could have met her. From the way she writes her minor characters I'm guessing she had the gift to see everyone in the world as a real person.<br /><br />She also does her homework. Set in ancient Egypt, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Golden Goblet</span> rings with authentic details about Egyptian culture and life. But in addition to historical fiction, this book is a crime-solving mystery. Ranofer, who dreams of apprenticing to a goldsmith and becoming an artisan, is forced to work for his older brother instead. Then Ranofer discovers his brother has been grave-robbing, and Ranofer has unknowingly been helping to sell the goods. Can Ranofer expose his brother without being caught and punished himself?<br /><br />This book offers a compelling story of a boy who wants to be free to pursue his dream and find his place in the world, along with a lot of sneaking around night-time Egyptian streets, and a nail-biting action climax in a dark, Egyptian tomb. Recommended for readers ten and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-39061088497165827162009-08-14T17:18:00.000-07:002009-08-14T17:34:23.028-07:00 Black and Blue MagicZilpha Keatley Snyder<br />Aladdin, 1972<br /><br />Awkward, accident-prone Harry Houdini Marco has a long, boring San Francisco summer to look forward to. He can't go on vacation because his mother has to stay and take care of the boarding house, and there's no money to send him to camp with his friends. Then, one day, Harry notices a strange little man who loses his suitcase on the bus. When Harry returns the suitcase the grateful man gives him a magic potion, a potion that gives Harry his own pair of giant, white-feathered wings!<br /><br />It sounds like the ultimate wish fulfillment for a nearly twelve-year-old boy, but Harry gets bruises just trying to walk around. What's going to happen when he can fly?<br /><br />This is my very favorite book by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. She's got a way of describing people that makes them pop right off the page. This hilarious book has a bitter-sweet ending in which Harry discovers that what he's gained from his summer of flying will last long after the potion runs out.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-81050165114574872432009-07-28T17:53:00.000-07:002009-07-28T21:00:03.153-07:00The GameDiana Wynne Jones<br />Penguin, 2007<br /><br />I am ashamed to admit that this is my fiftieth review on this blog, and only my first review of a Diana Wynne Jones book!<br /><br />Time to set things right.<br /><br />Haley has never met her cousins before. Her strict and fussy grandmother has always kept her away from the rest of her unruly family. But Haley <span style="font-style: italic;">has</span> crept off to the forbidden mythosphere before, a place woven of colorful story threads, threads with ends that trail through the ordinary world. She's delighted to find that her cousins know about the mythosphere too, and joins them in their secret game, a sort of scavenger hunt where the players collect glass slippers, dragon scales, and golden apples.<br /><br />There's more than mythical baubles out in the mythosphere. Haley finds clues to the location of her missing parents, her true identity, and the reason her Uncle Jolyon banned the family from the mythosphere in the first place.<br /><br />Uncle isn't going to be happy.<br /><br />This book is Diana Wynne Jones at her best--full of wild, world-hopping magic, bubbling with jolly chaos, bristling with danger, and grounded in honest emotion. A little piece of perfection, "The Game" blends real mythology and real life in fantastic ways. For readers twelve and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-4144031948865224052009-07-18T07:26:00.000-07:002009-07-22T21:33:36.911-07:00Behind the Bedroom WallLaura E. Williams<br />Milkweed Editions, 1996<br /><br />Korinna thought she had nothing to fear.<br /><br />A loyal German, a staunch member of the Nazi Youth organization, Korinna dreams of the day when Hitler will restore her country to greatness. If some of her neighbors are arrested for treason, it is only for the good of the Fatherland. She jots in her small, black <span style="font-style: italic;">Jungmadel</span> notebook when she notices anyone showing less than fervent adoration for Hitler and his New Germany.<br /><br />Then she discovers the unthinkable. Her parents are hiding Jews behind her very own bedroom wall.<br /><br />It is her duty to report her parents as traitors, <span style="font-style: italic;">but traitors are shot!</span><br /><br />In this book, Laura Williams explores the emotions of a young girl caught in a world of hate and fear, where things are not what she's been told and there are few people to trust. Will she betray her parents and the fugitives they harbor, or pay the price of standing for freedom?Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802715547894126684.post-87656639053846870772009-07-13T11:26:00.000-07:002009-07-13T11:43:55.033-07:00Dogs Don't Tell JokesLouis Sachar<br />Alfred A. Knopf, 1991<br /><br />Gary Boone's classmates and teachers are tired of his constant jokes. He wants to be a stand-up comedian, but all he can get from his friends are groans. When Gary announces that he wants to tell jokes at the school talent show his parents issue him a difficult challenge - keep his humor to himself until the performance. Will giving up telling jokes for weeks result in a final, incredible explosion of talent, or will Gary just lose his touch? And is someone planning to sabotage his act?<br /><br />This is my favorite book by Louis Sachar. I like it even better than <span style="font-style: italic;">Holes</span>. It's a story about an artist coming to terms with his muse, about the fine line between a weakness and a gift, and about how every disaster is a triumph waiting to happen. Great reading for ages nine and up.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com1