by Greg Pincus. 226 p. Arthur A. Levine Books/ Scholastic Inc., September, 2013. 9780439912990. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for a review.)
Gregory K. is a poet lost in a family of math geniuses. Until now, amiable Gregory has kept his lack of math skills and fondness for the subject, a secret from his mathematically overachieving family. His cover is about to be blown because he's in danger of failing math. If he does, he knows he will find himself in math camp this summer instead of author camp with his best friend, Kelly. Author camp was always going to be a hard sell with his folks and now that Kelly's moving away, Gregory wants to attend more than anything. Can he risk telling his parents the truth? Remember I said that Gregory is amiable? In order to please everyone, he spins a series of lies. Of course, it collapses but Gregory gets help and support from an unexpected source and learns to see how his particular skill set can help him understand math.
This sweet and gentle middle grade novel about family, friendship, math and poetry is engaging and humorous. Warning: Do not read on an empty stomach. Kelly's mom owns a pie store named Slice, which Gregory visits daily and pie is described in glorious detail.
unpgd. Candlewick Press, August, 2013. 9780763660536. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for review.)
A lonely girl, ignored by family members involved with gadgets (nod to hello, hello by Matthew Cordell) finds a red crayon, and literally opens a door to a whole new world (Hello, Harold and the purple crayon.), which she floats through in a red row boat (shades of Tuesday by David Wiesner?).
Journey celebrates the power of the imagination in richly detailed art that begs long luxurious gazing. I love how the only color in the the girl's sepia-toned world were in her decidedly low-tech playthings, scooter, kite and ball. She also seems to have a true moral compass as she does not hesitate to rescue a caged purple bird heavily guarded by intimidating armored warriors. When the bird returns the favor, and the red crayon that was lost in the fray, the two plot escape on a red carpet. The bird shows the girl a purple door, through which she finds a boy with a purple crayon and a friendship is born.
Journey was named a NYT Best Illustrated Book of 2013; it has shown up on quite a few additional year-end "Best" lists and I expect to see it come awards season. It's a 2013 favorite of mine. Journey would be a great addition to the wordless book collection.
unpgd. Candlewick Press, December 10, 2013. 978-0-7636-6130-4. (Review copy courtesy of publisher)
My first thought upon viewing the luscious cover of this debut picture book by artist/ sculptor Rosy Lamb, was of Tadpole's Promise, Jeanne Willis' 2008 sly masterpiece about star-crossed, inter-species love.
Bear with me now. Yes, the cover colors are similar and we've got the main characters gazing longingly at each other, but, clearly, the styles are quite different. But that's what popped into my head. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
My next thought, after viewing the first few pages, was that this would be a rather typical story of friendship or love. You see, Paul's in a bit of a bowl-shaped rut. He spends his hours swimming in circles and the only variation on the routine seems to be the direction in which he is swimming.
The oil paintings are spare and creamy with simple lines and smudges that imply movement. The colors are calming. There's really not much going on in Paul's world. Then Bernadette drops in and she immediately rocks it. This upheaval is reflected in the colors of the fish bowl as well as its size. Two fish are sharing the same small bowl, but it now it suddenly seems bigger and brighter.
As Bernadette observes Paul's circular swimming, she asks, "Haven't you ever noticed that there's a whole world out there?" She points out a pair of bananas on a blue plate and asks what Paul thinks that yellow thing is. Paul mumbles non-commitally and Bernadette asserts that it is a boat. But she's not done. A vase of flowers is a forest, an alarm clock is a cactus and so on. Bernadette puts new meaning into the phrase, "Often wrong, but never in doubt." Even as she confidently corrects Paul when he identifies fried eggs. "Are you crazy?" says Bernadette..."That is the sun and the moon!"
That's it. Paul is smitten. "And you, Bernadette, are my star." A match made in heaven. I am smitten as well. This is a 2013 favorite. It's a book that makes me wish I had some younglings to read aloud to just to observe the expression on their faces as they get the jokes. It's a book that I'm buying for my own personal library. It's a book I'm buying as gifts for my teacher friends who teach lower elementary students.
PS: Be sure and take a look at the final painting on the back cover. I'm thinking that the art teacher at my school might have fun with this one too.
274 p. Viking/ Penguin Group (USA) Inc., September, 2013. 9780670786152.
The cover, while striking, promises something contemporary what with the hair and smokey eyes. The story however, is strictly historical, set in a fictional community in definitely Puritanical times.
Judith returns to her village maimed. Her tongue was mutilated. She had been missing for two years. Her best friend was murdered around the time Judith went missing. Instead of being welcomed back into the community, Judith finds herself a pariah. She's barely tolerated by her mother and brother. She slowly reveals her story in an internal monologue to her crush, who is engaged to someone else.
The writing is economical but lyrical. There is not a wasted word. Judith is a compelling character. The villagers and setting are quite vivid. The reader may be embarrassed to realize that she might have made the same assumptions that the villagers made about what might have happened to Judith during her abduction. The mystery unfolds slowly and all the pieces fit together in a satisfying conclusion. No spoilers here.
Don't miss this one. This was unlike anything I've ever read and has stuck with me weeks after finishing it.
258 p. Arthur A. Levine Books/ Scholastic Inc., July 30, 2013. 9780545417303. (Finished copy provided by publisher for review.)
Author Eric Gansworth takes us back to 1976 in his YA debut. Lewis Blake isn't expecting much in seventh grade. He is bright so he was accelerated in sixth grade, which meant that none of his friends were in his classes and, as the only "Reservation Kid," none of the white kids were interested in being his friend. It didn't help that he,
"didn't grasp that the way we talk to one another on the reservation was definitely not the way kids talked in this largely white junior high. On the rez, you start getting teased a little bit right after you learn to talk, and either you learn to tease back or you get eaten alive." (p. 6/7)
After realizing that the nicknames he chose for two likely candidates for friendship, Spacey and Blimp Head, weren't endearing himself to them, he resigned himself to being "Invisible Boy."
"They pretended I wasn't there as much as they possibly could. During lunch, we were required to sit with our class at tow long tables. In every other section, the Indians gravitated to one another like atoms in some science experiment, but I sank to the bottom of my particular beaker, alone." (p. 7/8)
Still, after having his friend Carson hack off his two-foot long braid he had to face his mother who said, "You look like a Welfare Indian."
"I am a Welfare Indian," I said.
"You don't need to look the part," she said. (p. 10)
So his mother buzzes the rest of the mess off his head with clippers, "that made more noise than it should have, grabbed your hair like it was mad at you, and sometimes gave off a burning odor," leaving his eyebrows as the longest hair on his head.
On the first day of seventh grade, most of the students are the same, but there is one new boy, a rather large boy named George who seems interested in getting to know Lewis despite being warned that he was "More trouble."
George is a military brat. He grew up mostly in Germany where his dad was stationed and met his mother, then lived in Guam before moving to upstate New York. He is very interested in meeting "a real live Indian." So when Lewis sardonically replies, "As opposed to a dead one?" George soldiers on. The two discover that they share interests and George soon invites Lewis to his home.
Lewis is reluctant since that would mean a reciprocal invitation to his home, which is never going to happen. Still, he does accept a dinner invitation and meets George's parents, learns that George and his dad is a major Beatles/ Paul McCartney and Wings fan. Lewis and his uncle, Albert (Really? Was this intentional? Great stuff!) are as well. When Christmas rolls around and Lewis brings home the new Wings album, Venus and Mars, Uncle Albert warns,
"The red planet is like the rez here. That other planet, Venus, I guess, that's the planet your buddy comes from. Now he might lend you albums and you'll have pizza nicey-nice every now and then, but these planets are still different. And we ain't got no rez rocket that's ever gonna get you that other one, even though I know that's where you want to be." (p. 98)
If you haven't already guessed by the length of this post already and the quantity of direct quotes, I loved this book. I could quote on and on and on. It's one of my most favorite YA titles so far this year. Of course, it begs comparison to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie, an all-time favorite book of mine. Yes, both books feature bright boys with promise who face the challenges of navigating a white world and the alienation that comes with it and both (writers and characters) use humor and sarcasm to cope. Both books reflect racism. Both made me laugh and broke my heart simultaneously.
This book deserves to stand on its own merit. It is a very different book but I can't quite explain how. Or, I could try but would just blather. It's really a book about friendship. Male friendship. Boy friendship. And boy emotions. There are a few authors who explore that territory and do it well. I'm thinking Matt de la Pena and Chris Crutcher and James Preller for the MG crowd.
George and Lewis are great characters. There isn't a lot of honesty or sharing between them, but they instinctively like each other. Their love of music is the glue that holds them together. Lewis' Indian best friend, Carson loves music as well and the two take guitar lessons from an older neighbor, but Carson lords his ability over Lewis.
His friendship with Carson is complicated. Carson makes fun of Lewis being in the brainiac class and questions his friendship with George, yet Carson can pass for white and is pursuing a friendship with the school bully, who is well-connected in the community and has set his sights on Lewis.
The secondary characters are richly developed as well. George's parents, Lewis' mom and Uncle Albert, all encircle the boys, loving them and doing the best they can by them. I loved Albert. He was wacky but he was wise. I also loved his mom and her fierceness. Oh how I ached for this family.
I enjoy picking up this book and opening it to a random page to read. Each time I do, it isn't long before I find a perfectly written passage. There isn't a wasted word and not a moment rings false. If I Ever Get Out of Here is definitely one for my reread pile. If there are plans to produce an audiobook, I'm in for an audio reread. For school librarians who find The Absolutely True Diary a bit edgy for their population, this one is more middle school friendly.
I hope the committees are paying attention to this one. I can't wait to booktalk when school resumes. It's going to be my "book aunt" gifts to my nephews come the holiday season. Do check this one out for yourself.
280 p. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, August 20, 2013. 9780316210584. (Review from arc obtained at ALA Annual)
As a first line, "You've never met anyone like me," is intriguing, but not one to pop in the "memorable first line" file. It's the second one that grabs you. "Unless, of course, you've met someone who survived her mother trying to drown her and now lives with an alcoholic father."
Whoa. Twelve-year-old Sarah Nelson keeps two diaries, one hidden in plain sight, which is reassuringly mundane to any prying adult eyes. The other is carefully hidden and contains her true hopes and fears, one of which is a fear of insanity. After all, her mother went insane. She is constantly checking herself for the crazy gene she is sure will manifest itself at any time. She also keeps a list of "trouble" words. "Crazy" is a trouble word and so is "love." Sarah learns which words are trouble words by the reading the hurt in her dad's eyes before he retreats to the sofa and his bottle.
Sarah may be your prototypical caregiver child, wise beyond her years and good in the kitchen, but she is lonely and so very needy as she ends her sixth grade year with little to look forward to come summer save an extended visit to her grandparents' house in Houston (not). She is definitely not looking forward to seventh grade and the mandatory Family Tree project. How is she going to explain her family? She and her dad move around a lot thanks to her mother's notoriety. She's kind of hoping they will move before she has to face this project.
She gets a little lift when her language arts teacher asks the class to write letters to a literary character. Sarah chooses Atticus Finch and derives almost as much comfort writing to him as talking to her best friend, Plant, as in house plant. To Kill a Mockingbird is her favorite book and Atticus Finch is the perfect father.
Things also start looking up when her father decides that she can stay home and spend her days with Charlotte, their twenty-year-old neighbor who is home from college. She feels a kinship with Charlotte and confides some of her secrets only to feel dismayed when Charlotte shares them. Still, it was nice to have Charlotte to turn to when she started her period. And then there's Finn, Charlotte's word-loving nineteen-year-old brother. Seven years is not an insurmountable age difference, is it?
Just when I think I've had enough of quirky characters along comes Sarah to melt, break, and warm my heart. Sure the subject matter is dark, dark, dark. Oh my goodness, so much grief in this tiny family! She's basically an orphan as she is also fatherless, since her father copes with his own grief by drowning it in alcohol. This causes Sarah to have additional worries - about the alcoholism gene. Somehow, Karen Harrington manages not to overwhelm the reader in sadness. Sarah is a survivor. She instinctively created the family she needed. While events beyond her control have forced her to grow up too soon, she's also facing all the fears large and small that girls face as they leave girlhood behind - her changing body, best friend worries, her first crush.
Still, the novel is solidly middle grade. There is much that will resonate with tween readers. They will love Sarah. Indeed, all of the characters, major and minor, are memorable. As I read, I thought of my cadre of rising sixth graders who just love sad books. The sadder the better. They are going to pass this one around come September.
Sure Signs of Crazy has already garnered two starred reviews: from Kirkus(!) and Booklist. I haven't seen an SLJ review, but suffice it to say, were I reviewing it for SLJ, I would've given it a star.
Not much out there in the blogs that I follow. Visit the author's website here. There's a nice interview of the author here.
Quick note about the cover: I love it. I liked the cover on the arc (see below) but the final cover pops.
Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. 32 p. Lee & Low Books, April 28, 2013. 9781600603488. (Finished copy provided by publisher)
Fourteen-year-old Mason Steele is just as dedicated to his father's civil rights group as he is to his homework. Mason is the unofficial secretary/ letter writer for his father and the group. He is able to parse his father's ramblings and turn them into beautifully handwritten business letters. His work for the group is so valued that they purchase a typewriter for Mason, who after typing out a thank you note, methodically teaches himself to type, even after working all day picking tobacco with his brothers.
The following fall, Mason started high school but three weeks into the term, he and his brothers learn from their father that a lawsuit was won and the schools in North Carolina now had to integrate. The three brothers would now attend the all-white high school closer to their home.
"P-P-Pa, you, you know them white folks ain't gonna like us going to their school not one bit," Willis Jr. stammered.
"Like it or not, y'all's going," Pa replied. "Somebody's got to make a change."
The boys stared at one another in disbelief. (~p. 10)
But they were at the bus stop the following Monday only to have the driver refuse to stop and pick them up. The same thing happened on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the bus stopped, but the angry driver yelled, "And get to the back!"
They arrived at the school and were met by the principal, who threw their schedules at them and refused to show them around. Despite being stuck in the back of classrooms and basically ignored, Mason did well in school. He applied for a job through the Neighborhood Youth Corps and received a job in the school library, where he was not welcomed warmly by a nasty librarian who barely took the time to teach him how to type a catalog card.
Yet Mason persisted.
I am sure that the Steele boys endured much more than just being ignored. They must have been made of steel indeed. This lovely, understated picture book is a work of fiction that is based on the "real-life experiences of my father, Moses Teel Jr., during the 1960s." (Author's Note)
"My father's fears of attending a formerly all-white school stemmed from a combination of the challenges of high school and the rejection he anticipated. Starting a new school meant more than leaving friends. It meant braking barriers and making history." (Author's Note)
Words fail me whenever I read about such bravery, especially when it is a child who stands up to evil. I have a particular interest in reading children's books about the Civil Rights Movement. There are many outstanding titles that have come out in the past few years, but those that focus on the youngest Civil Rights activists astound me. Where did they find the strength?
I knew that this beautiful debut would fit my middle school collection of picture books perfectly as soon as I finished the first reading. I grow more excited about the possibilities with each successive reading. I can imagine a middle school social studies teacher reading it aloud to introduce a Civil Rights unit. I can imagine a language arts teacher using it as a writing prompt, a class discussion or to introduce family stories. I can imagine an upper elementary teacher using it to encourage empathy. As Fast As Words Could Fly is a must-purchase. Pair it with other picture books depicting the Civil Rights Movement, such as We March by Shane Evans or with non-fiction titles such as Marching for Freedom: walk together children, and don't you grow weary by Elizabeth Partridge.
There is great power in the simplicity of this story and that power is reinforced by the art of Eric Velasquez. The oil on watercolor paper paintings absolutely glow. In painting after painting, the three brothers are depicted standing tall and together as they confront the angry bus driver, endure being ignored by two white boys who were previously friendly, and finally face down the angry principal. The strong bond between them leaps from the pages.
But then, it is the depiction of Mason's lonely journey that causes tears to threaten as he maintains a dignified presence each time he quietly stands for what is right. Oh, the anger I felt towards that librarian, the typing teacher and the school principal! There are lots of sideways glances aimed at Mason from all sides. While his triumph is undercut by the roaring silence and condescending compliments of his principal and typing teacher, the final portrait redirects the focus, the strength of Mason's family.
I also appreciated certain design aspects, namely the end-pages that feature old typewriter keyboard keys and the occasional use of a keyboard key as a capital letter. The choice of cover illustration will lure students who are most likely unfamiliar with a manual typewriter.
I was thrilled to learn that Pam was signing the book at ALA Annual and, rather than schlep my gifted copy of the book out there, I decided to buy a copy to give to the elementary school. But then I had Pam sign that copy for my students. The elementary school will get my review copy. (Teehee) Here's the photo that the rep took of us. I actually got the last copy of the book! Talk about nick of time!
One last injection of the personal into this very personal review: My husband is so supportive of all the reading and blogging that I do. I often find him nosing around the stacks of books that spring up around our house like mushrooms. He was hovering behind me this morning as I was trying to do justice to the book and asked to take a look. He took his time paging through and when he finished, quietly said, "Strangely moving for such a simply told story." Long pause, head bent. "I don't know whether to be angry or inspired," he said with a slight break in his voice. "Both, I think."
Visit Pamela M Tuck's website here.
Visit other stops on the blog tour here:
Shelf-employed for a beautiful interview.
Booktalking #kidlit for another lovely interview.
True Tales & a Cherry on Top.
Wrapped in Foil (tk)
Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. 120 p. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, March, 2013. 9780547829118. (Purchased)
Sam just loves to fish. He and his dad have a sacred fishing routine and he is so looking forward to going fishing the next day. Just Sam and Dad, Dad and Sam. Then, he discovers that his tackle box has been invaded by a princess doll, a throne, a clown and a bottle of perfume. Lucy!
Sam finds Lucy wearing his lucky fishing cap and riding a boat fashioned out of his fishing maps and steering with his compass. She was fair; she made a trade.
Sam is not amused.
Unfortunately, the next day, he finds that his dad is rather difficult to get out of bed, but Lucy is up and raring to go. Uh-oh.
This delightful story of fishing and sibling rivalry is told through a variety of poetic forms and link together in a blank verse novel sure to please the upper elementary crowd, and their language arts teachers as well. Matthew Cordell's whimsical black, white and grey line art perfectly captures Sam's growing dismay and Lucy's blissful exuberance.
But wait, there's more! Not only does the poet helpfully notate the type of poem under each title, but a "Poet's Tackle Box" is provided at the end in which, Ms. Will Wissinger helpfully explains poetic terms like rhyme and rhythm, and techniques like alliteration and assonance and imagery and simile, as well as poetic forms like ballad and cinquain. This is sure to thrill the LA teachers in my building as our school participates in an annual poetry festival and all students are expected to submit at least one poem for consideration to represent their grade level in a culminating, valley-wide celebration.
I was very sad not to be able to make Matthew Cordell's signing of this book at ALA Annual and not just because he promised to draw a quick sketch for everyone on line, but because I'm a fan of his work and wanted to meet him in person. On Monday, I happened by the Houghton Mifflin booth and spied a stack of the books for sale. Score! Then I learned that the author was there to sign! Double score! Then I discovered that the batch had also been signed by M.C. Yes!
I'm donating this to my school's library.
Do check this one out. I'm sure I will be purchasing a few more copies as the LA teachers discover it.
Click here for Tamera Will Wissinger's website and here for Matthew Cordell's website.
Other blog reviews:
GreenBeanTeenQueen
100 Scope Notes
Bookends
307 p. Sourcebooks/ Jabberwocky, April 2, 2013. 9781402281068. (Purchased)
Eleven-year-old Ratchet, decides to start a brand new notebook to start a new school year. Of homeschooling. She has never been to school and she kind of wonders what she's missing, especially in the friend department. It has just been Ratchet, well, Rachel and her dad since her mom died. Since her dad likes to move into junky houses and rehab them instead of paying rent, they move a lot. It's just easier to homeschool than to continually change schools.
And, yeah, even though Ratchet's dad supposedly checks her work, she's really on her own to do it and finds that she's interrupted most days when her dad needs help repairing cars anyway. She's his right-hand gal, hence the nickname.
Each journal entry is a writing response to an assignment in her homeschooling kit. There are quick-writes, poems, dialogues, essays, and life events journal entries, among other forms. Through these we get glimpses of Ratchet's lonely life and her attempts at making a friend.
Ratchet is the first to admit that her environmental-activist father is a bit of a nut-job. He's always embarrassing her by attending city council meetings to suggest ways of saving the environment. He insists on recycling everything, which means that Ratchet never has new clothes. She shops at thrift stores but would so love to have something new to wear. He also steadfastly refuses to discuss her mother with her. But, he's her "important person" and really, without a mother, where would she be without him?
Ratchet found a place in my heart pretty quickly. Her voice is engaging and sincere. She's bright and mechanically inclined, open-minded and observant. She just aches for a friend and to somehow fill the spot where her mother used to be. The structure of her journal is unique, allowing for the glimpses into her life to come together in a satisfying way. The cover is appealing. The notebook style will appeal to fans of that format, but though there is humor, they will find depth as Ratchet asserts herself.
This is a lovely debut.
Poems by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater. Illustrated by Robbin Gourley. 32 p. Clarion Books/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, March 26, 2013. 9780618843497. (Finished copy provided by publisher.)
Even though I live in northern Bergen County, in New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the Union, I am lucky in that I live in a town that abuts a reservoir and the watershed land is (a long) walking distance from my home. I don't get out there enough, but the option is always there. Happily, my sons regularly rode their bikes along the deer trails and also enjoy camping, hiking and being outdoors, in general.
There's a creek that runs along the field at my school. Fifth graders go on several nature walks down by the creek with the naturalist from the town's rather large nature center as part of the science curriculum. Sixth graders study earth science and attend a three day environmental field trip. There is also a thriving garden club. So the students at my school have regular access to nature should they choose to get outside.
Luckily for them that do and them that don't, this book will be available in our school library as soon as I finish reviewing it. These 26 poems are the perfect antidote for NDD, Nature Deficit Disorder or even poetry avoidance. This gorgeous collection quietly invites young readers to get outside, to observe, to listen and smell.
A young girl hears a pinecone fall and views that and the spicy breeze emanating from the forest as an invitation to visit in the first poem. We follow this girl and her dog through the seasons as she notes the delights that wait to be discovered. Some of my favorites are:
Forest News
I stop to read
the Forest News
in mud or fallen snow.
Articles are printed
by critters on the go.
Foxes pass.
Dear run through.
Turkeys scratch
fort hidden food.
Young raccoons
drink sips of creek.
Mouse and hawk
play hide-and-seek.
Here a possum
whiskery-wild
climbs a tree trunk
with her child.
And in this place
while people sleep
a rabbit hops.
A housecat creeps.
Scribble hints
in footprints
tell about the day.
I stop to read
the Forest News
before it's worn away.
I'm not sure what the rules are for sharing entire poems, so I will just share the titles of the others that tickled me - Fossil; Proposal; Lichens; Woodpecker; and Colorful Actor. But really, each poem offers unique moments to contemplate.
Teachers, looking for lovely examples to teach the concept of imagery? Did I mention poetry avoidance? Do you have students who hate poetry? This collection is an evocative mix of bite-sized and longer poems. Each poem is accompanied by lovely,watery illustrations that complement and don't distract from the verse.
Use of this book need not be limited to use by language arts teachers. Science teachers! Why not incorporate this book in your unit on biomes, or seasons? Why not incorporate poetry into the curriculum regularly? (Take a look at Joyce Sidman's work. I shared Ubiquitous with the seventh grade science teacher, who was delighted to incorporate it into one of her units. But why stop there?)
Bear with me.
Ms. Ludwig VanDerwater presents workshops and presented at a conference last summer that my superintendent happened to attend. She was so impressed by her ideas that she hired her to come to our district, one day at the elementary school and one day at the middle school.
What a day she had at our school! She started during morning meeting time with a presentation on using poetry across the curriculum. She managed to cram more ideas into 25 minutes than I've gotten from workshops of any length from an hour to a half-day to full-day. One idea that stayed with me since was the suggestion that teachers consider asking the student to compose a poem as an assessment tool. She pointed out that students who can successfully incorporate the learning objective into a poem have mastered the idea.
I found myself nodding.
She then visited class after class throughout the day and got students writing poetry! And they were excited by it! And their poems were good!
Was I predisposed to liking this debut because of my experience with the workshop and class observation? I won't deny that I was impressed. The poet is passionate and generous. (Visit her website.) Even I, with my tin ear, was able to appreciate the rhyme schemes she pointed out.
This collection is an impressive debut. One of my first thoughts after reading the book was that fifth graders could compose poems after one of their nature walks with Mr. Mark, or that the sixth graders could write poems when they return from their Greenkill trip (they're leaving early tomorrow morning). The teachers could bind them into an anthology or publish them on the school website. Asking students to write a poem is asking them to reflect; it's asking them to dig deep; and, it gives them the time to create and make meaningful connections.
Illustrated by Suzy Lee. 40 p. Chronicle Books, January, 2013. 9780811867832. (Purchased.)
I'm a little late to the party with this one. Lots of great things have been written already, and I'm not so sure I have anything to add. Except, grab this little cutie and a favorite cutie of the small person variety, cozy up on a couch and dive right in. Be prepared to do it again and again.
It's a concept book, a sort of book version of nesting dolls. Someone somewhere described it as a cumulative story. Ah... not quite, but I see it. It has also been described as meta-fiction, so do add it to your pile of examples if you're a teacher. Do add it to your collection if you are an elementary school or public librarian. Do add it to your collection if you have a youngster at home. Heck, add it anyway because it's fun.
View the book trailer here. Visit the author's website here. Visit the illustrator's website here.
Other blog reviews:
100 Scope Notes
Waking Brain Cells
296 p. Bloomsbury USA, September, 2012. 9781599907802. (Purchased)
Butter, is the morbidly obese, sixteen-year-old narrator of this painful, yet riveting debut novel. The reader not only learns quite quickly that he tips the scales at over 400 pounds, but also the humiliating way he earned his moniker. My heart broke for Butter as he matter-of-factly recounts his school day from parking his BMW in the Handicapped spot, through the special desks and the solitary bench seat in the cafeteria, through tension-fraught meals with an indulging mother and distant father.
Butter's voice is compelling - at turns desolate and snarky, brave and frightfully alone. He's not completely sympathetic, he lies to the people who reach out to him, a teacher, his diabetes doctor, his mother, his friend from fat camp. He's also lying to Anna, the hot, popular girl who has unwittingly befriended his online persona.
I picked this up on a date night at my local Barnes and Noble. On date nights, I head to the Children's/ YA section and the hub heads to the mystery section. We each grab a pile of books and head to the café where, the first one there snags a table, some lattés and a calor-ific snack to share while we sift through our pile to decide what will be bought. On this particular night, the café was quite crowded. I snagged the last table, which was around the corner and had only one chair. I sat down, texted the hub to say I had a table and to take his time, plucked Butter off the pile and started reading. It was so-o busy that I didn't get on line to grab a drink and snacks.
A while later, I realized that I hadn't heard from hub, checked my phone, texted him again, saw an empty chair, snagged it for him to sit in, and got back to my reading. Still later, tore myself away, looked around through the blur and realized that it was totally unlike him not to text a reply, so I called and got voice mail. Turns out, he left his phone at home. He had come to the café, bought two coffees, looked around, DIDN'T SEE ME and wandered around the store looking for me. This is the man who looks in the fridge and can't find the butter sitting right in front of him.
Anyway, had I not been totally sucked in, I would've realized much sooner that our wires were crossed. As it was, he returned to the mystery section and drank both coffees. Though I was grumbly over not having coffee and a snack, I do believe I was more grumbling over having to interrupt my reading to look for him. The following day, I had an all-day event to drive to and attend, so my reading was done with my ears to and fro in the car. When I finally returned to it a day later, it was with the rabid curiosity of one engaged in savage gossip. Really. I felt like a voyeur.
And I felt guilty about my interest. Was it prurient? Was he actually going to go through with it? Would everyone who viewed the web page actually watch on New Year's Eve? Would no one alert a responsible adult? No one comes off clean here, including the reader. This is raw and real. I would love to have a group of eighth graders (it's a bit mature for most middle school readers) read and discuss it.
Click here to view the trailer and stay to check out other pages on the author's web site.
Others have reviewed this more eloquently than I:
Stacked
Literary Meanderings
Novel Thoughts
The Write Path
377 p. Amulet Books/ Abrams, January 1, 2013. 9781419706271. (Review from arc supplied by the publisher)
Sixteen-year-old Alyssa Gardner's mother, Alison has spent many years locked up in a psychiatric facility after attacking her daughter with a pair of garden shears. Alyssa not only bears the physical scars of this attack, but fears for her own sanity as she hears bugs and flowers speak. She's also miserable because she's crushing on her best friend and next door neighbor, Jeb, who bears his own scars and secrets. But he's dating Taelor (sorry, hate the affected spelling), resident rich, queen bee.
Just before her mother descends deeper into madness, she hints that Wonderland is a real place and that clues are buried under the daisies. Between fear of losing her mother forever upon learning that her father has consented to allow electroshock therapy, and her own intensifying visions, Alyssa finds the clues, which in turn trigger memories of visiting Wonderland as a young child. She thought she would need to find a way to England, but through the looking glass she tumbles. Unfortunately, Jeb follows her. This is definitely not the Wonderland of Carroll's imagination. It's far more dangerous and grotesque. But Alyssa will do almost anything to break the family curse and save her mother.
This is an impressive debut - at once familiar and wholly original. Splintered was atmospheric and moody, hip and humorous, creepy and suspenseful. The requisite love triangle was intriguing in that I didn't gag too much. Alyssa did a fair amount of swooning, but she also kicked some serious ass so it all evened out for me.
The cover is seriously gorgeous, as is the book design. I will definitely be adding this one to my library's collection. Visit the author's website and check out the trailers.
