Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Hop on over there to ogle what other bloggers got this week.
For review:
WooHoo! This showed up in a sparkly bubble envelop on November 1!
Double Down by Jeff Kinney. Diary of a Wimpy Kid #11. 218 p. Amulet Books/ Abrams, November 1, 2016. 9781419723445.
Publisher synopsis: The pressure’s really piling up on Greg Heffley. The only thing he’s good at is playing video games, but his mother wants him to broaden his horizons by doing something—anything!—else.
When Greg finds an old video camera in his basement, he thinks he may have discovered just the thing to prove he’s got big-time talent. With the help of his best friend, Rowley, Greg hatches a plan to make a scary movie . . . and to become rich and famous in the process.
But is doubling down on moviemaking a smart plan? Or is it just a recipe for doubling Greg’s troubles?
Does Wimpy Kid need a publisher synopsis? Really. Not only is it an automatic purchase but I usually get one to review but need to order multiple copies of each book because they are loved and loved to death.
That's what's new with me, what's new with you?
Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.
Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan. 296 p. Dial Books for Young Readers/ penguin Young Readers Group, January 31, 2017. 9780399186219.
Publisher synopsis: Julia is very short for her age, but by the end of the summer run of The Wizard of Oz, she’ll realize how big she is inside, where it counts. She hasn’t ever thought of herself as a performer, but when the wonderful director of Oz casts her as a Munchkin, she begins to see herself in a new way. As Julia becomes friendly with the poised and wise Olive—one of the adults with dwarfism who’ve joined the production’s motley crew of Munchkins—and with her deeply artistic neighbor, Mrs. Chang, Julia’s own sense of self as an artist grows. Soon, she doesn’t want to fade into the background—and it’s a good thing, because her director has more big plans for Julia!
Bubbling over with humor and tenderness, this is an irresistible story of self-discovery and of the role models who forever change us.
First Line: I spend a lot of time looking up.
Page 56: Shawn Barr has explained hat artists are observers. i don't think I'm any kind of artist, but I do like to know what's going on around me. I also listen when people are talking privately, which according to our director means I'm not a snoop; I'm a careful observer. I used to think observers were people with binoculars.
I am beyond tickled to have this arc. The author's last book, Counting by 7s is one of my absolute faves.
Barnacle is Bored by Jonathan Fenske. unpgd. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., May, 2016. 9780545865043. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
Sometimes picture books can be sly. You think you have its number. You might even go into the book with a bit of an attitude, a kind of blasé,"Whatever, impress me." Then that book might just suck you in, turn on the charm and disarm you. Just as soon as you settle in, whoosh, out comes the chair you are sitting on or the rug you might be standing on. Tables are turned. Humor turns dark.
The first time that happened to me was in 2005. I came upon a book called Tadpole's Promise. Luckily, I pre-read the book. (I have been known to occasionally read aloud cold.) Warily, I decided to read the book aloud to my youngest students. With class after class, there was this beat of something after the "punchline," perhaps it was surprise, perhaps dismay, perhaps confusion, followed by a variety of laughter from hearty to not-so-sure. I decided to read it all the way up to my eighth graders, who were mostly delighted with a side of shock. They didn't think a picture book could do that!
My next encounter with dark humor came with Jon Klassen's brilliant, I Want My Hat Back in 2011. Truth be told, I didn't totally appreciate it the first run through but soon became a fan. I Want My Hat Back won a Geisel Honor, a NYT Best Book Award and was an ALA Notable Book. He followed with This is Not My Hat in 2012, and nabbed a Caldecott Medal for his efforts. 2016 brings this picture book trilogy to a close with We Found a Hat.
Back to our bored barnacle. Is he bored or having an existential crisis? Both maybe? Barnacle appears as a single, fleshy, tentacled blob hanging upside down under a dock. The pale blue water is calm and the dock is empty. Indeed, barnacle is quite alone as the tide comes in and makes him cold and wet; then the tide goes out and he's hot and dry. A simple change in eye-shape is oh-so expressive as insult is added to injury in the forms of rolling waves and errant seaweed. But wait, there's a new googly eye in the water along with a flash of yellow. A sunny yellow fish swims into view and barnacle is sure that guy is living the good life. He imagines all kinds of fun, diving, soaring, flipping and flopping until something dreadful happens.
Again, when I read this aloud to my fifth and sixth graders, there was that pause, that slight confusion as that sunny yellow fish disappears into the belly of an eel and barnacle decides he's not so bored after all. The rear end-pages reveal a twist in the story so don't skip them.
Kids today seem to be so easily bored. This playful book gently coaxes them to reflect. The cartoon style and colors are pleasing. The speech bubbles contain a single sentence and the large, bold, simple font is perfect for new readers. Barnacle is Bored is a fun read aloud and a great way to celebrate Picture Book Month!
Felix Yz by Lisa Bunker. 304 p. Penguin Young Readers Group, June 4, 2017. 978045288504.
Publisher synopsis: When Felix Yz was three years old, a hyperintelligent fourth-dimensional being became fused inside him after one of his father’s science experiments went terribly wrong. The creature is friendly, but Felix—now thirteen—won’t be able to grow to adulthood while they’re still melded together. So a risky Procedure is planned to separate them . . . but it may end up killing them both instead.
This book is Felix’s secret blog, a chronicle of the days leading up to the Procedure. Some days it’s business as usual—time with his close-knit family, run-ins with a bully at school, anxiety about his crush. But life becomes more out of the ordinary with the arrival of an Estonian chess Grandmaster, the revelation of family secrets, and a train-hopping journey. When it all might be over in a few days, what matters most?
Told in an unforgettable voice full of heart and humor, Felix Yz is a groundbreaking story about how we are all separate, but all connected too.
I learned about this last week when the author penned a guest post and cover reveal on The Nerdy Book Club. If this thoughtful, newsy blog about all things children's literature isn't in your feed, it should be.
I have always been interested in diversity in my school library collection, including books with lgbtq characters. I worked in a K-8 school my first ten years as a school librarian and a 5 - 8 grade middle school for the last nine. In the early days, the available titles seemed more geared to a high school audience. Thankfully, the last five or ten years have brought us some wonderful titles such as, The Misfits by James Howe; So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez, Five, Six, Seven, Nate! and its sequel, Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle; Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky; George by Alex Gino; Drama by Raina Telegemeier; and Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart. There's always room for more quality literature.
The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat. 64 p. Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! Series. Disney Press, September, 2016. 9781484726365. (Review from purchased copy.)
Elephant and Piggie are BACK! Sorta. Mo Willems and Disney have launched an early reader imprint and Dan Santat is the author of its inaugural title. And what fun it is.
We all know that Elephant & Piggie love to read. Here, the front end-pages feature E & P sharing the book,The Cookie Fiasco and an introductory letter to "Dear Reader" from Mo Willems. Gerald wants to read a funny book and so does Piggie. On the first four pages, Gerald worries about how 2 people can read 1 book but Piggie is pragmatic. It is not until then that the Title Page for The Cookie Fiasco appears!
Hippo bellows, "Hey guys! It's COOKIE TIME!" and the fun starts in earnest because there are 3 cookies and 4 friends. As Squirrel, Croc and Monkey discuss possible iterations of sharing out the 3 cookies, Hippo gets more and more nervous. When Hippo gets nervous, she(?) he(?) breaks things, in this case the cookies. The other friends freak out as the three friends worry the cookies will be reduced to crumbs.
The Cookie Fiasco is a recipe for rollicking read aloud fun. I had the privilege and pleasure of listening to Dan Santat and friends read this aloud in Orlando at ALA Annual.
My listeners anticipated the end-pages, where they used their eagle eyes to spot Pigeon in a trice! I look forward to reading more in this early reader series.
Did you know that November is Picture Book Month? This is an International Literacy Initiative and is meant to celebrate picture books for everyone. I am not sure how long this has been celebrated. I went back to 2011 on my live journal blog and I couldn't find the answer on the FAQ page.
One of my mantras is, "never too old for picture books" and I feature my favorites throughout the year every year. I always try to feature a picture book a day in November and usually end up failing. I failed miserably last year posting a measly four picture book posts. I will try harder this year.
Total posts this month: 18
Total books read this month: 26
Total books read this year: 314
Challenges:
Audio: 9/88
Debut: 0/11
The Good: Read a few more books than September.
The Bad: Reviewed only one of the books I read in a timely fashion.
The Books: *=favorite
October
289. Jackaby by William Ritter (10/2)*
290. The Oodlethunks: Oona Finds an Egg by Adele Griffin (10/3)
291. The Memory of Things by Gae Polisner (10/8)
292. Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older (10/8)*
293. The Bronze Key by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare (10/10)*
294. This is the House That Monsters Built by Steve Metzger (10/11)
295. Tony Baloney: Yo Ho Ho Halloween by Pam Muñoz Ryan (10/11)
296. Chee-Kee by Sujean Rim (10/12)
297. So Few of Me by Peter H. Reynolds (10/12)
298. The Best Man by Richard Peck (10/13)
299. Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to (Not) Growing Up by Tommy Greenwald (10/14)
300. The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork (10/16)
301. Bad Kitty Scaredy Cat by Nick Bruel (10/16)
302. King of the Bench: No Fear! by Steve Moore (10/17) (SLJ review)
303. Footloose by Kenny Loggins (10/19)
304. Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.k. Johnston (10/22)
305. Moo by Sharon Creech (10/23)*
306. Cloud and Wallfish by Anne Nesbet (10/23)
307. Steg-o-normous by Adele Griffin (10/26)
308. Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton (10/27)
309. What's Up, Chuck? by Leo Landry (10/28)
310. What Color is a Kiss? by (10/28)
311. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (10/29)*
312. Luther's Halloween by Cari Meister (10/31)
313. By the Light of a Halloween Moon (10/31)
314. The Water Princess by Susan Verde (10/31)*
