Blog Tour: Hissy Fitz by Patrick Jennings

Hissy Fitz by Patrick Jennings. Illustrated by Michael Allen Austin. 103 p. Egmont Publishing, January 6, 2015. 9781606845967. (Finished copy provided by publisher for review.)

The jacket flap of this hysterical early chapter book asks, "What does a cat need to do to take a cat nap?" 

The aptly named Hissy lives with the Fitz family a bit grudgingly. As humans go, they are okay, especially when they feed him but they just don't know how to treat a cat. Cats are singular, solitary creatures with particular tastes (freshly killed food) and desires (to be left alone) and this family just does not get it. It doesn't help that curmudgeonly Hissy is a bit of a diva. He's even hard on his cat friends. Mr. Fitz is a carpenter and spends his days banging and sawing - highly incompatible with Hissy's desired nap. Eight-year-old Georgie wants to pet him constantly in places Hissy definitely doesn't like. Out-of-control, rambunctious three-year-old Zeb terrorizes Hissy. Zeb's twin, Abe, on the other hand, shows promise as does Mrs. Fitz, who reliably feeds Hissy.

I just loved the voice. Sure it conjures up the Internet sensation Grumpy Cat, but I read the book with the voice of that cute Friskies commercial or the Sad Cat Diary - deep, long-suffering, cynical, sardonic and resigned. The spot art humorously reflect the goings on and who can resist that purr-fect cover? 

I happened to have the book on my desk at work when a fifth grader came into the library to check out some books. One of the titles she was interested in was Grumpy Cat. Unfortunately for her, it was checked out. I was putting it on hold for her when she spotted Hissy Fitz. "Ooh! Can I take this?" I told her to put her name on a post-it note and that as soon as I finished this post, I'd catalog, cover the book and check it out to her. She left the library very excited. She's a huge reader and very prone to dragging her friends in to check out her faves. I don't really expect to see much of it now as it gets passed around the fifth grade. (Sighs happily.)

While this is an early chapter book, it certainly has a place in classrooms and libraries up to fifth or sixth grade. Not only do we still have struggling readers in these grades, but cat humor can be enjoyed at any age. Even fluent and above grade readers deserve to kick back and read a fun and satisfying story.

There are links to blogs that are having giveaways on
Miss Yingling Reads.

You can also follow Hissy on Twitter @thehissyfitz.

Buried Sunlight: how fossil fuels have changed the Earth by Molly Bang & Penny Chisholm

Buried Sunlight: how fossil fuels have changed the Earth by Molly Bang & Penny Chisholm. unpgd. Blue Sky Press/ Scholastic Inc., September, 2014. 9780545577854. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for review)

Do you need help explaining what fossil fuels are formed and how human consumption is not only outstripping creation but burning a hole in the ozone layer? Look no further than this gorgeous picture book for older readers. It's absolutely gorgeous and absolutely understandable. I know I had to answer questions about photosynthesis on standardized tests way back when and, until my spectacular advanced biology teacher explained it in a way I could understand, I never got it. I wish this book was around then.

The sun is our narrator here. It took millions of years for the Earth to create the oxygen necessary for living things to survive. Tiny bacteria evolved into sea plants, plants that tiny sea animals could eat. Animals and plants eventually moved to land when there was enough oxygen in the air to support them. Over millions and millions of years, the dead plants and animals were buried deeper and deeper into the earth where, eventually, they changed into oil, coal and gas. In the two hundred years since humans have been industrialized, not only are fossil fuels being depleted, but the excess CO2 is burning a hole in the ozone layer and causing global temperatures to increase. 

The palette is dominated by rich greens and blues and the folk style make the illustrations accessible and pleasing. Six pages of notes conclude the book with further explanations of the science and energy alternatives, making this a perfect picture book for slightly older readers. Teachers will definitely want to consider using it (and its companions, Ocean Sunlight and Living Sunlight) to introduce a unit in science or the environment.

Waiting on Wednesday - The Black Reckoning by John Stephens

WoW is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine in which we share the titles of books we are eagerly anticipating.

The Black Reckoning by John Stephens. Books of Beginning trilogy #3. 432 p. Random House Children's Books, April 7, 2015. 

Publisher synopsis: The final book in the bestselling Books of Beginning trilogy that began with The Emerald Atlas, which the New York Times called “a new Narnia for the tween set.”

The adventures of siblings Kate, Michael, and Emma come to a stunning conclusion when they must find the last Book of Beginning—the Book of Death—before the Dire Magnus does, for when all three books are united, their combined power will be unstoppable.

Soon Emma is on a journey to places both worldly and otherworldly, confronting terrifying monsters and ghosts, and what is darkest within herself. As the fabric of time begins to fray, she becomes the final piece of an extraordinary puzzle. Only if she can master the powers of this most dangerous book will she, Kate, and Michael be able to save the world from the dramatic, deadly final confrontation between magical and ordinary people that the Dire Magnus has in store.

Hm,m. I echo much of the online sentiment, "finally!" This one's coming in more than 2 years after book 2. Now, I guess there's nothing that explicitly states that series must be released yearly, but that seems to be the general rule of thumb. It must be bittersweet to toil over a book for years only to have the thing read in six hours and hear, "Next!" I also understand that life sometimes gets in the way and schedules can't be kept. But the radio silence is a bit maddening. The trilogy fell off my radar until a student asked me about it. Frankly, I just lost track.

Cover Coincidence - Lime Green

Cover coincidence is an occasional post inspired by covers I note are similar.

I just found out about two books I'm excited to read in this coming year but couldn't help but notice that a certain shade of green predominates. I've scheduled each for Waiting on Wednesday posts for later this month.

Top Ten Tuesday - Most Anticipated 2015 Debuts

This week's TTT theme over at Broke and Bookish is Most Anticipated 2015 Debuts.

There are quite a number of promising looking debuts in the works for this year so I chose the ones whose covers speak to me. In no particular order:

MG:

I am Drums by Mike Grosso. 256 p. Egmont USA, September 22, 2015. 9781606846407.

Goodreads synopsis: While other kids dream about cars, sports, and fashion, all twelve-year-old Samantha Morris dreams about is playing the drums. But it’s hard to make her dreams come true when her parents are against it, she bangs on dictionaries because she can’t afford a real kit, and her school is about to cut its music program.

Sam’s only hope to accomplish her dream is to find a private music teacher and pay for lessons herself, no matter what it takes.

I Am Drums is a debut middle-grade novel by Mike Grosso. The novel was pitched as "an anthem for band kids everywhere," and tells of 12-year-old Samantha, whose dreams of playing the drums run up against the hard reality of school budget cuts, leading her to improvise.

The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart. 240 p. Scholastic Inc. January 27, 2015. 9780515665735.

Publisher synopsis: In all the ways that matter, Mark is a normal kid. He's got a dog named Beau and a best friend, Jessie. He likes to take photos and write haiku poems in his notebook. He dreams of climbing a mountain one day.

But in one important way, Mark is not like other kids at all. Mark is sick. The kind of sick that means hospitals. And treatments. The kind of sick some people never get better from.

So Mark runs away. He leaves home with his camera, his notebook, his dog, and a plan to reach the top of Mount Rainier--even if it's the last thing he ever does.

The Honest Truth is a rare and extraordinary novel about big questions, small moments, and the incredible journey of the human spirit.

I've read this one already actually, but it was on my list of debuts to watch. Click here for my thoughts.

Survival Strategies of the Almost Brave by Jen White. 320 p. Farrar, Straus, Giroux BYR, June 9, 2015. 9780374300845.

Goodreads synopsis: After their mother's recent death, twelve-year-old Liberty and her eight-year-old sister, Billie, are sent to live with their father, who they haven't seen since they were very young. Things are great at first; the girls are so excited to get to know their father – a traveling photographer who rides around in an RV. But soon, the pressure becomes too much for him, and he abandons them at the Jiffy Company Gas Station.

Instead of moping around and being scared, Liberty takes matters into her own hands. On their journey to get home, they encounter a shady, bald-headed gas station attendant, a full-body tattooed trucker, free Continental breakfast, a kid obsessed with Star Wars, a woman who lives with rats, and a host of other situations. 

When all seems lost, they get some help from an unlikely source, and end up learning that sometimes you have to get a little bit lost to be found.

Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly. 304 p. HarperCollins Publisher, March 24, 2015. 9780062238610.

Publisher Synopsis: Future rock star, or friendless misfit? That's no choice at all. Apple Yengko moved from the Philippines to Louisiana when she was little, and now that she is in middle school, she grapples with being different, with friends and backstabbers, and with following her dreams.

Apple has always felt a little different from her classmates. Her mother still cooks Filipino foods, speaks a mix of English and Cebuano, and chastises Apple for becoming "too American." It becomes unbearable in middle school, when the boys—the stupid, stupid boys—in Apple's class put her name on the Dog Log, the list of the most unpopular girls in school. When Apple's friends turn on her and everything about her life starts to seem weird and embarrassing, Apple turns to music. If she can just save enough to buy a guitar and learn to play, maybe she can change herself. It might be the music that saves her . . . or it might be her two new friends, who show how special she really is. Erin Entrada Kelly deftly brings Apple's conflicted emotions to the page in her debut novel about family, friendship, popularity, and going your own way.

YA:

None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio. 352 p. HarperCollins Publisher, April 7, 2015. 9780062335319.

Publisher synopsis: A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she's intersex . . . and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between.

What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She's a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she's madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she's decided that she's ready to take things to the next level with him.

But Kristin's first time isn't the perfect moment she's planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts."

Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera. 304 p. Soho Press Inc., June 16, 2015. 9781616955601.

Publisher synopsis: Part Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, part Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Adam Silvera's extraordinary debut confronts race, class, and sexuality during one charged near-future summer in the Bronx.

The Leteo Institute’s revolutionary memory-relief procedure seems too good to be true to Aaron Soto—miracle cure-alls don’t tend to pop up in the Bronx projects. Aaron could never forget how he’s grown up poor, how his friends aren’t there for him, or how his father committed suicide in their one bedroom apartment. Aaron has the support of his patient girlfriend, if not necessarily his distant brother and overworked mother, but it’s not enough.

Then Thomas shows up. He has a sweet movie-watching setup on his roof, and he doesn’t mind Aaron’s obsession with a popular fantasy series. There are nicknames, inside jokes. Most importantly, Thomas doesn’t mind talking about Aaron’s past. But Aaron’s newfound happiness isn’t welcome on his block. Since he can’t stay away from Thomas or suddenly stop being gay, the only answer may be to forget who he is. Forget Thomas. Leteo may be his only hope.

The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury. 320 p. Scholastic Inc., February 24, 2015. 9780545810623.

Publisher synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she's engaged to the prince, Twylla isn't exactly a member of the court.

She's the executioner.

As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month, she's taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla's fatal touch, avoids her company.

But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he's able to look past Twylla's executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla's been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the  queen.  

However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla's problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

An arc of this is already on my tbr.

The Cost of All Things by Maggie Lehrman. 416 p. HarperCollins Publishers, May 12, 2015. 9780062320742.

Publisher synopsis: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets We Were Liars in this thought-provoking and brilliantly written debut that is part love story, part mystery, part high-stakes drama.

What would you pay to cure your heartbreak? Banish your sadness? Transform your looks? The right spell can fix anything…. When Ari's boyfriend Win dies, she gets a spell to erase all memory of him. But spells come at a cost, and this one sets off a chain of events that reveal the hidden—and sometimes dangerous—connections between Ari, her friends, and the boyfriend she can no longer remember.

Told from four different points of view, this original and affecting novel weaves past and present in a suspenseful narrative that unveils the truth behind a terrible tragedy.

Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed. 304 p. Nancy Paulsen Books, March 24, 2015. 9780399171703.

Publisher synopsis: This heart-wrenching novel explores what it is like to be thrust into an unwanted marriage. Has Naila’s fate been written in the stars? Or can she still make her own destiny?
 
Naila’s conservative immigrant parents have always said the same thing: She may choose what to study, how to wear her hair, and what to be when she grows up—but they will choose her husband. Following their cultural tradition, they will plan an arranged marriage for her. And until then, dating—even friendship with a boy—is forbidden. When Naila breaks their rule by falling in love with Saif, her parents are livid. Convinced she has forgotten who she truly is, they travel to Pakistan to visit relatives and explore their roots. But Naila’s vacation turns into a nightmare when she learns that plans have changed—her parents have found her a husband and they want her to marry him, now! Despite her greatest efforts, Naila is aghast to find herself cut off from everything and everyone she once knew. Her only hope of escape is Saif . . . if he can find her before it’s too late.

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia. 448 p. HarperCollins Publishers, May 19, 2015. 9780062290106.

Publisher synopsis: Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. For fans of Silver Linings Playbook and Liar, this thought-provoking debut tells the story of Alex, a high school senior—and the ultimate unreliable narrator—unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion.

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out what is real and what is not. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8 Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She's pretty optimistic about her chances until she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She's not prepared for normal. Can she trust herself? Can we trust her?

Sentimental favorites revisited - Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

Every time I see a meme on social media with three owls (and you'd be surprised how many times I do), I always think of the book, Owl Babies by Martin Waddell. This precious picture book was a favorite of my sons when they were small.

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell. Unpgd. Candlewick Press, October, 1992. 9781564021014. (Purchased)

Sarah, Percy and Bill wake up one night to discover their mother is GONE! Sarah, the eldest, takes charge and immediately begins reassuring her younger siblings. Percy goes along a bit reluctantly but Bill just continually exclaims, "I want my mommy!" The text is reassuringly repetitive and reflects a common childhood fear, separation anxiety. 

Soothing and humorous as the text is, it's the illustrations that take center stage. The textured cross-hatching is quite lovely as the three little owlets cower on their branch in the dark of night. The owlets look real enough but also like they'd be having a conversation about their missing mama. 

I often include a either a board book or hard covered copy in baby gift book baskets I make for new parents. 

The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart

The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart. 240 p. Scholastic Inc., January 27, 2015. 9780545665735. (Review from arc provided by publisher)

Twelve-year-old Mark has spent most of his short life battling cancer and has just received word that it's back and it's bad. He's done now. All he wants to do is take his dog and climb Mount Rainier, a trip his grandpa promised him once he got better. But Grandpa died and Mark isn't getting better so he's going. Now. Despite the fact that it's winter. Despite the fact that he's never climbed a mountain. Despite the fact that his medicine makes him nauseous but if he doesn't take it he gets blinding headaches. 

Mark's quite the little schemer. He purchases a bogus bus ticket, ditches his clothes and takes the train wearing a backpack containing about a hundred dollars, his camera and trusty notebook into which he writes haiku. He carries Beau, his dog, in a duffle. He tells no one of his plans, not even his best friend, Jessie. But he does leave a message in their secret place. Once Jessie pieces the clues together, she's in a bit of a fix morally. While she wants to honor Mark's wishes, she aches for his heartbroken parents especially when a snowstorm bears down on the area.

Her POV is told in half-chapters. They are short and intense. His chapters are marked by miles from his destination. While his journey is not easy, suspension of belief is required especially if one is familiar with terminal illness, mountain climbing in general and Mount Rainier in particular. Gemeinhart was smart and kept details suitably vague. Young readers won't notice. The book will have wide appeal - from readers who love weepies to those who want adventure/ survival to those who want a story with a great dog. I must admit to feeling a tad angry at Mark, not for what he put his parents through (well, maybe a bit) but for what he put his dog through. That dog, man, what a great dog.

Confession time. I wasn't eager to read this book - yet another cancer book. This one being compared to TFIOS, a book I did not particularly care for, didn't make me want to read it either. In fact, the cover colors sort of evokes TFIOS. Add to that the knee-jerk reaction I get to HYPE and, well, I just was not rushing to read it. Perhaps my own recent pas de deux with the disease added to my disinclination. Also I think I'm a bit hard on cancer books going all the way back to me at 14 reading Love Story with rolling eyes instead of crying eyes. (Well, maybe a little.) Nursing school and my first career as a nurse added to my propensity to be hard on these books. Don't get me wrong. I love a good cry over a book but a cancer book has to be amazing for me to love it. 

Oh, I will cry. It doesn't take much to get me bawling. I just won't love the cancer book. It's too dang easy to write. Most adult readers have some experience with the disease and bring their own emotions that are all too easily tapped. Writing a good cancer book for kids, especially middle grade kids, which is where The Honest Truth is being marketed, is trickier. I can think of only three I would call amazing: Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie, (okay four, its companion, After Ever After) by Jordan Sonnenblick; Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nichols and Me, Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews. The first three told compelling stories while nailing the medicine and showing the disease in all its messy ugliness but staying solidly middle grade. Me, Earl and the Dying Girl, is solidly YA and is perhaps one of the bravest cancer books for its irreverence and rather unlikeable main character.

Oh, contemplating an unlikeable main character made me think of a fifth memorable cancer book - Jenny Downham's Before I Die. Oh! How I raged at Tessa! I read it with my ears while shoveling about seven inches of snow off my driveway. I was so involved in Tessa's story, the driveway was done and I didn't remember doing it. Of course, I got her motivation but she still wreaked havoc on her poor devoted dad. I didn't like her and felt guilty for not liking her because she was dying for crying out loud. And this is is a good time to circle back to Mark and The Honest Truth because this is a review of that book for crying out loud. 

While Mark did not reach the level of unlike-ability for me that Tessa did, I am clearly reacting to the choices of both teens as a parent. Actually, I didn't dislike Mark. I just found his decision incredibly selfish and impulsive and poorly planned. Kids won't. So add The Honest Truth to your school or public library collection and get out there booktalking it. I booktalked the book without reading it first (something I rarely do) back in early December. I had an extra arc so I gave it to the eighth grade LA teacher who brought her classes in for the booktalks. She reports it hasn't been back on her shelf since. Trust me, it'll be a go-to book. And do keep an eye out for this promising author's sophomore book. Not too much pressure, eh Mr. Gemeinhart?