How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You? by Jane Yolen

Pages: 29

Ages: 2+

Publication: Already Available

Illustrations by : Mark Teague

In this rhyming story, different dinosaurs behave badly for their human parents, but the humans love them despite their misbehavior.  The dinosaurs experience the same things a human child might, such as waking up grumpy and throwing sand at the playground.  The human parents are disappointed, but know that the rewards of a smile or a hug are just around the corner and misbehavior is not enough of a reason to leave/stop loving someone.

This story has a simpler and less diverse vocabulary than some of Yolen's other rhyming stories, but remains fitting for her intended younger audience.  The concept of this story is also a little simpler than Yolen's other works, again because of intended audience.

Yolen presents the concept of misbehavior and unconditional love with simple honesty.  I like that dinosaurs, not children, are the subjects of the book because Yolen takes the "blame" and guilt away from the child as a reader and projects it onto the dinosaurs--an important technique.  Instead of feeling accused, the child will feel empathy for both the dinosaur and the parent.  Also, in seeing the parents still love the dinosaurs after they are bad, young readers can relate the book-parent's unconditional love to their own parents. 

Teague helps the story with big, bright dinosaur pictures and wonderful background details. Since the book is aimed at younger audiences, Teague adds enough details to make the scene look real, but not overwhelm the eye of the younger reader.  Those readers interested in the illustrations will find the dinosaurs' bedrooms interesting and the playground details fun to decipher.  Teague focuses on the dinosaurs in each scene by placing them in the foreground, drawing the readers eye away from open spaces, and coloring the dinosaurs brightly.  The dinosaurs don't look scary, but aren't too "cartoony" either.  It is a perfect balance for the younger readers.

  

How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You? is a good lesson presented in a gently way--a must have for every loving household.

Rating: 4 and 1/2 Pages

Saved by the Music by Selene Castrovilla

Pages:280

Ages: 14+

Publication: Already Available

When Willow spends the summer helping her Aunt Agatha remodel an old barge into a floating chamber music concert hall, she runs into all kinds of trouble. First, there is sleazy and good-looking Craig, who looks at Willow like he could plunder and pillage right in front of her Aunt.  Then, there's the fact that the barge is still largely a metal box that doesn't have a shower, or a real place to sleep. Willow is away from her friends and her mother, dealing with the strangeness of her aunt (in a good weird aunt kind of way), a new place, new people, and her own distorted self and body image.  And there's Axel.

Castrovilla creates a compelling story in her debut teen novel.  I've praised her before for telling it like it is, and this story is no exception.  It is gritty, real, and unabashedly open.  At times, the emotions and events are so realistically portrayed that I felt a bit like a peeping tom. As Willow muddles her way through the hurdles of anorexia, rape, love that can't be requited, and trying to save the life of her friend, the story can seem to spiral downward quickly--just like Willow.   

However, even with all the dark and heavy issues this novel tackles, there are several lighter spots to break it up.  The more humorous moments come from Aunt Agatha, who sees the world as her playground, and seemingly is unfazed by the problems that come her way.  Agatha is so carefree that when her car looses a tire in traffic (TWICE!), she laughs it off and accepts s ride with a colleague until her car can be repaired.  There are other laughs too, but none so plenty as Agatha.

The characters of this novel are pretty stock: the hurting young girl/woman; the heroic crush with a sordid past; the overly sexual twenty-something male; the absent, but beautiful mother; the cooky aunt (or semi-supportive matriarch).  These characters only get short breaths of life as the story progresses.  Many of the conversations between characters seem to happen over and over on one subject or another, which stalls the plot of the book. 

I really bothers me that Willow truly believes that she is ugly and unlovable, even to someone as loathable as Craig (who takes advantage of her in the worst way).  After all the trauma and trouble Willow has been through she should have more growth and self realization, but she seems to believe that she is nothing without Axel.  She says that without Axel she is "pissed and lonely," but she eats because she "owed it him" to take care of herself.  I wonder why Willow can't see that she owes it to HERSELF to take care of herself.  It is only upon Axel's return, a year later, that she feels happy and worthy again.  Perhaps readers will see Willow's constant self deprecation and take something positive from it.  If readers can see that Willow is not worthless, maybe they can recognize their own self worth.

The novel is interesting and Willow's voice will rings true in many parts.  Castrovilla constructs a neatly laid story with the obligatory year later and looking up ending.  Her constant play of darkness and light pays off in the end.  This is an important read for anyone in the shadows.

Rating: 3 1/2 Pages 

 

Come to the Fairies' Ball by Jane Yolen

Pages: 29

Ages: 3-7

Publication: Already Available

Illustrated by: Gary Lippincott

In this rhyming story about a fairy whose dress isn't good enough to wear to the open-invitation ball, Yolen weaves a tale that echos many fairy tales.  The fairy, with a dress tattered from hanging too long on a thorny plant, is comforted by ants who encourage her to work diligently until her dress is repaired.  Meanwhile, a grouchy prince won't celebrate at the ball because nothing is good enough for him.  The prince most surely is looking for a beautiful fairy with whom to dance, but can the fairy repair the dress in time for the ball?  And is the late fairy the one who will make everything perfect for the prince?  

Come to the Fairies' Ball uses amazing onomatopoetic vocabulary and still manages to rhyme! This is one of the most interesting rhyming stories I have ever read because of the alliterative and creative words that Yolen uses to describe the action.  The author also sets the fairy kingdom in reality, but does not forget the magic.  Fairies ride to the ball on rabbits, turtles, and butterflies, but readers still sense a bit of magic (and maybe even a little love) in the air.  In keeping in the tradition of fairy tales the book is gently laced with lessons about punctuality, friendship, hard work, helping others, and true love.

As for the illustration, I like that Lippincott eschews the Disney version of fairies and uses earthy tones of browns, greens, pale yellows, and oranges.  Even inside the glowing hall where the ball takes place, the colors remain earthy.  The fairies themselves are not the usual fairies either.  Lippincott portrays the inhabitants of the kingdom as angular and as varied in looks as any group of humans might be.  Many fairies have pointed elf ears, large angular noses, and long thin bodies.  These fairies are far from the rounded, flushing, wand carrying, sparkling versions of fairies children often see in modern media.  There isn't a sparkle or a wand to be found.            

My absolute favorite illustration is that of the actual ball.  The hall is warmly glowing and the fairies are all cutting loose.  There is so much detail in this one picture that readers could quite possibly find a new something every time they open the book.  

In all this story is a fast, fun, rhyming love story that leaves readers believing (in fairies, love, fun, and friendship).  

Rating: 4 Pages 

Don't Know Where, Don't Know When by Annette Laing

Pages: 209
Ages: 9+Publication:
Already Available (2007)

When Hannah, Alex, and Brandon skip out on their summer extracurriculars to wander the campus of Snipesville State College, they wander into the college library. In the library, the children meet a mysterious professor and then find themselves magically transported to WWII England.

The children are asked to take on new names, participate in London evacuations, and solve the mystery of a missing child. Can three American children survive in WWII England? And more importantly, can the children solve the mystery in time?

In her debut novel, Annette Laing delivers. This novel is slow to start, but once the story gets going it is hard to put down the book. Part historical fiction, part mystery, part modern teen lit, and part sci-fi, Laing creates a unique storyline that has something for everyone.

With a wide geographical and temporal range, Laing gently compares and contrasts the lives of modern children in the U.S. with those of children from two different time periods in England. All three settings are during times of war, however the modern U.S. children seem blissfully unaware as to the goings on in the Eastern hemisphere whereas the children in England have bombs being dropped on their doorsteps. Astute readers will be able to draw meaning from Laing’s parallels and juxtapositions.

While the plot and action of the storyline were well developed, I feel like the characters were a little underdeveloped in places. The professor seemed more of a literary device than a person, especially after the forward takes the time to introduce her work to the audience. The professor appears and disappears at various times, but never seems to really give the children any help, or illuminate the story for readers.

Perhaps the main thing that bothers me is that I really don’t like Hannah. The character doesn’t seem to learn much from her hardships. I was actually happy when she was given an old fashioned spanking. On the other hand, Laing may be getting at something very real with Hannah. At her age, Hannah is beginning to form her own opinions and question authority. Regardless of her “issues,” Hannah is coming into her own—a transition that is hard to make no matter what time period one might be in.

What I liked about the book was all the things that the children do get to experience. It is a realistic look at the way things were in WWI and WWII England. I also appreciated the different takes on racism throughout the book. It startled me to hear that blacks were treated so badly in England, and I laughed out loud then the dentist put English superiority into stark perspective. I also like that the foods aren’t so delicious and that children were looked at in a different light during the wars.

In all, I really enjoyed reading this book and I look forward to more adventures with Hannah, Alex, and Brandon.

Rating: 4 Pages

Pumpkin Baby by Jane Yolen

Pages: 28

Ages: 3-6
Publication: Already Available
Illustrated by: Susan Mitchell

When a girl visits her aunt’s pumpkin patch as a three-year-old, her aunt and mother joke about a baby pumpkin. The girl wonders if it is possible to love a pumpkin baby. Later, the girl’s mother jokes with the mailman about a stork baby and the girl imagines a flying baby with long legs.

In this book, Yolen creates an imaginative and fun book about what it might be like to have a younger sibling. As the main character, a little girl, grows older, she finds that there are many different phases of babyhood. Eventually, the little girl gets an actual younger sibling of her own and sees her brother grow through the vegetable and animal stages described earlier in the book. In the end, the girl finds she loves her younger brother no matter what stage of life he is in.

The idea of family and siblings (younger and older) is explored with love within this book. I also like that Yolen hints at the different ways in which to answer the ever- haunting question: “where do babies come from?” Yolen explores and then gently debunks these myths while giving each myth a real life connection through metaphor.

Susan Mitchell illustrates the story in bright colors and big, geometric shapes. The pictures are simple, yet telling. My favorite pictures are the last two pages, where the girl and her little brother share a picnic and then a nap. These pictures illustrate the more quiet part of love that siblings share.

Yolen and Mitchell are a great pair for this story; it is beautifully told and beautifully illustrated.

Rating: 4 Pages

The Scarecrow's Dance by Jane Yolen

Pages: 29

Ages: 4-8

Publication: Already Available

Illustrated by: Bagram Ibatoulline

The Scarecrow's Dance is one of my favorite rhyming books. When an old scarecrow leaves his post in the corn field to dance the night away, he encounters something he never expected.  

The scarecrow gleefully twists and twirls after being relieved of his duty to keep the cornfield free of destructive crows, but quickly returns to his post when he hears a little boy's prayer.  The scarecrow realizes that even though dancing gives him joy, he is just as joyful in knowing that he is the best at keeping the fields crow-free.

Yolen touches on family, joy, and duty in this magical tale of a dancing scarecrow.  The scarecrow is an great example of how one can get restless doing what he/she is supposed to do.  The scarecrow has grown bored on his post and needs to get away for a while. He does so by dancing.  

When the scarecrow realizes that he is needed at his post for the sake of his family (a family that cares very much for him), he feels a renewed sense of joy and pride in a job that he earlier felt was less important that self-satisfaction (dancing).  Children will realize that helping family, or anyone else, might not be the most fun thing in the world, but it feels good to help someone who needs you.  

Ibatoulline beautifully illustrates the didactic story.  The dark colors of the first few pages accurately portray twilight and the coolness of nighttime, but leave enough color to make the reader feel joy when the scarecrow takes off dancing.  The contrast of the colors when the scarecrow looks in on the praying boy is amazing.  The boy's entire room is filled with warmth and love while the scarecrow stands cold, but illuminated.  

My absolute favorite illustration is the pages when the scarecrow is leaping into the sky to position himself back on his pole.  It is a bug's eye view of the scarecrow leaping into the air and the color, composition, and details are absolutely perfect.  I have a feeling that even careful attention was paid in placing the stars in the sky.  

I liked this book so much that I shared it with my nephews who are both under 3.  They loved the book.  The younger nephew repeated the rhyming words and the older nephew seemed to look at the barnyard illustration for hours.  When the nephews visited a few days ago their first request was to read the "ska-cow" book again.  And again we did.  And again.  And again.  And again...

Rating: 5 Pages 

  

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King

Pages: 48

Ages: 5-9

Publication: Already Available

Illustrated by: Gail De Marcken

E.T.A. Hoffman's classic story becomes highly visible when Gail DeMarcken illustrates it.  In the story an enchanted doll makes toys come to life after midnight and DeMarcken captures the adventures of one little girl in vivid snapshots of fantasy.

The illustrations in this book are yet another good example of how to bring to life such a fanciful story.  DeMarcken uses bright colors and the look of a snug, candlelit room to create a feeling of warmth and safety at the beginning of the book.  However, when the lights go out, the colors change to the vivid strangeness of dreams and fantasy.  Each picture is detailed and captures so much more of the imagination than just reading the story.  

This is what a picture book should be.

Rating: 5 Pages  

The Christmas Magic by Lauren Thompson

Pages: 34     

Ages: 3-6

Publication: Already Available

Illustrated by: Jon J Muth

The Christmas Magic is a fun book for younger children to read when Christmas gets close.  The book focuses on Santa Claus and how he knows when Christmas is near.  Thompson does a wonderful job of giving specific details as to what Santa's house looks like and how meticulously Santa works to ready himself for his biggest night of the year.  

So, how does Santa know what to bring all the children of the world?  How does he get the reindeer to fly?  How do all those toys fit on the sleigh?  And most importantly, how does he deliver all those toys in one night?  The answer is right on the cover of the book. Even adults might want to believe again after reading about how much love goes into everything Santa does.

Jon J Muth beautifully illustrates Thompson's story with bright colors and insightful paintings. Children who can't read yet, or just like to add to the story will be able to look at the illustrations and find new things each time.  I also like how Muth eschews the fat, jolly, and red Santa for a character more like the French Father Christmas.

In this book, the pictures and the story create a Santa full of love, magic, and giving, which might be just the right way to introduce a child to Christmas.

Rating: 5 Pages 

Giving Up the Ghost by Sheri Sinykin

Pages: 227

Ages: 12+

Publication: Already Available

When thirteen-year-old Davia goes with her parents to Louisiana to help care for dying Aunt Mari she discovers a world that her parents can't see.  In forming a tentative friendship with Aunt Mari, Davia learns about family history, life on a southern plantation, and that Aunt Mari can see ghosts.  Ghosts of her family members from generations ago, that is.  Mari has only one request for Davia--help her die in peace by helping the ghost of Emilie find her own peace.  

Davia begins a journey into a world that she isn't even sure she believes in, but she is determined to help her Aunt Mari.  When Emilie does finally appear, she and Davia don't get along so well.  As the two get to know each other and Davia finds out about the past (from Emilie and Mari), the two begin to work through their problems.  Through Emilie, Davia begins to see the "ghosts" which she's been holding on to and Emilie finally tells Davia the truth about her death and why she insists on haunting the plantation.  But will Davia and Emilie finally give up their ghosts in time to let Aunt Mari give up her own ghost?

This story is beautifully written and perpetuates the often-used older woman-younger woman friendship through storytelling.  While Sinykin sets her story in post-Katrina Louisiana, the plot does not revolve around disasters that happened during or after the storm.  In fact, the mention of Katrina serves as a metaphor for Davia's life in the past few years (her mother has cancer).  Just as Louisiana is slowly healing (with a few parts still in shambles), so is Davia and her family.

The characters in this story are archetypes at best.  For the most part, Davia, her mother, her father, and Emilie are just shells of real people.  Only Aunt Mari, the dying one, is full of life and personality.  However, in a literary kind of way the lack of "character" and the "shell-ness" of the other people in the story is a reflection of their hardships-they are simply going through the motions.  

The scenes in which Emilie and Davia converse seem strange and too young for the girls.  They seem to play a game of secrecy more like 10 year-olds than 13 year-olds, which makes for a frustrating and unproductive story line.  The girls fight like sisters (they are related!), but don't really seem to have a good enough relationship for what happens in their last encounter to be plausible.  

I applaud Sinykin for the scene in which Aunt Mari "gives up her ghost." It is beautifully written with a quiet calm that isn't often seen in books with death scenes.  Everyone should be so lucky as Aunt Mari.  The description of Davia's emotions in this scene is enough to make even the most sensitive of readers smile and the most calloused readers feel the warmth and freedom of letting go. Of the many death scenes that I've read, this will be one that stays with me for a long, long time.

This is a quick and heartfelt read that will have readers engrossed from the very beginning.

Rating 4 and a half pages

Death Mountaion by Sherry Shahan

Pages : 198

Ages: 12+

Publication: Already Available

When Erin skips out on her trip to see her estranged mother and opts to hitchhike, she comes across Mae and Levi (Mae's brother), who are going to hike up the mountains and swim. Erin quickly decides that Mae and Levi would make for a much better trip than the emotional reunion with her mother will bring.

As Erin, Mae, and Levi arrive at the mountain, they find that there are search parties for a missing ranger. Erin, ignoring the foreboding feeling she has, decides to go ahead and climb the mountain with Mae, Levi, and some people from a search party. However, when the mountain unleashes its fury in a lightning and thunderstorm, the girls are separated from the group and must survive in the wilderness of the mountain for days.

Shahan creates a survival story that will have readers feeling time creep, exhaustion set in, and cold night air blast into their bodies. The descriptions in this book are very realistic, especially when it comes to the terrifying and beautiful storms that the girls are forced to endure. Through her descriptions, Shahan creates a violent natural world, but one that is not overly "gory," even when the girls happen upon a dead body. I applaud the author for excellent use of description in that respect.

However, there are parts of the book that are so detailed and descriptive about things that seem somewhat unimportant that the movement of the story is dragged down. In a way, the slowness of the plot at these points echoes that of the creeping time the girls experience, but the reader might get a little bored with the floundering plot.

Along the same lines, the dialogue between Erin and Mae gets tedious and a little redundant while they are finding a way back to civilization. I'm wondering if this isn't a product of the slow moving plot during the "Wilderness Trek." What can two girls really talk about when survival is the utmost important thing on their minds? The dialogue lull I will dismiss as circumstantial, since dialogue before and after the girls are alone is spot-on with humor, story movement, and characterization.

While I have to admit this book was not really my pace (I was trying something new!), I did enjoy reading it. The suspense of the girls' journey and the contrast between home and wilderness proved to be a good combination. I also like that Shahan has the subplot of the estranged mother that is resolved, but leaves room for a sequel that further explores some of the ideas that are hinted toward and linger at the conclusion of the book. I would like to know what happens to Erin after she has been home for a while.

In all, I think this book will stand up to other survival stories out there. And props to Shahan for writing a wilderness survival book about two intelligent and strong young women!

Rating: 4 Pages

Secrets of Truth and Beauty

Pages: 352

Ages: 12+

Publication: July 2009

Megan Frazer's Secrets of Truth and Beauty has something for everyone.  The book has mystery, action, romance, and a healthy dose of dysfunctional family.  

In the book, it is no secret that Dara Cohen is fat (her word)--people can see that.  What people can't seem to see is what a great person she is, or that she has a sister whom she has never met. When Dara gets into trouble over a body image project for school, she decides to find and call her long-lost sister.  Rachel, Dara's sister, is surprised and pleased to her from her and invites Dara to meet her.  

Dara picked up the phone to call Rachel and spite her parents, but she never bargained her life would completely change.  Rachel is noting like Dara's parents said she was, and Dara begins to suspect her parents were lying about the past.  As Dara begins to unravel the mystery of her sister, she learns a great deal about herself as well.

Frazer weaves a wonderful tale in this book.  All the characters have depth and are full of life. Even secondary and tertiary characters are so vivid I felt as though I knew them.   The descriptions of people and places are worthy of awards.  I found myself sitting at the dinner table with the farm crew, waving from the float at the parade, and secretly reading the diary of the farm's owner when I thought no one was awake.  In short, I was pulled completely into Dara's world.  

While much of the focus of the book is on inside change, the author focuses some on the fact that Dara is overweight.  The book is filled with Dara backpedaling on her statements about being fat.  Sometimes Dara says her weight does not hold her back, but when she mets Owen, the H-O-T, hot farmhand, she decides he could NEVER like her because of her weight.  It almost seems like in the end, Frazer lets Dara base her worth more on a beauty pagent and her ability to attract boys.  Sure, the moral of the story is inner strength/beauty, change, and growth, but all that comes at the price of the typical, "I can't be beautiful outside because I'm fat" mantra.

In all, this book was a good read.  Dara exemplifies a strong (at the end) female lead character who knows what she wants/needs and stands up for it.  Readers will be pulled in by the mystery of the absentee sister, will stay to find out the story behind the farm, and will read to the end to find out what Dara decides really matters.  The book doesn't hold anything back and there are scenes that are so raw and real that readers might feel like they are spying (although I doubt any of the farm members would really care).  This story has the makings of a classic.  

Rating: 4 and 1/2 pages

  

  

Horrid Henry

Pages: 78-90

Ages: 7-10

Publication:  Already Available

Horrid Henry, an Atlantic crossover written by Francesca Simon, is Dennis the Menace for the contemporary crowd.  Horrid Henry's antics can be reminiscent of Disney Channel's Even Stevens Louis Stevens.

I read four Horrid Henry titles including: Horrid Henry, Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy, Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine, and Horrid Henry's Stink Bomb.  Each title has 4 stories in one book and several illustrations to go with each story.

Simon weaves didactic tales of bad behavior and possible consequences into funny and true-to- life tales of childhood antics.  The plot of each story moves quickly (it has to because of the length of the story), which means each tale is action packed from the very beginning.   Horrid Henry and alliterate friends (and enemies) find themselves in situations that I remember clearly from my own childhood. 

Whether Henry is tricking his younger brother, Perfect Peter, into thinking boys will wear dresses and lipstick in the future or plotting to trick the tooth fairy into giving him money for a tooth he didn't lose, the tales will make child and adult readers alike laugh at Henry's fervor.  

The only thing I don't really like is that it seems like Simon consciously changed some of the words from British vernacular to American English vernacular.  Henry says words like, "cookie," "candy," and, "dollar coin" instead of "biscuit," "sweets," and "pound coin."   The tooth fairy story seems a little off when Henry's parents promise to give him a dollar coin, which we have, but don't generally use.  Why not have Henry ask for a "Quid?"  Sure, some of the words don't "translate," but a glossary could be included.  I LOVED glossaries for "different languages" when I was a child.

In all, the series was enjoyable to read and will interest readers of a wide variety.  Horrid Henry was fun, fast, and easy to relate to.  

Rating: 4 Pages   

   

Emily the Strange: the Lost Days by Rob Reger and Jessica Gruner

I have to say, I’ve never been a big “counterculture” fan, but this newest installment of Emily the Strange is quite good. I like Emily, even if she is a little creepy.

In this new book, Emily has a tough case of memory loss. Now she’s on a mission to figure out why she has the memory loss, who did it to her, and what she needs to do in order to fulfill her duty. Emily awakes in a town where she’s never been (or so she thinks) and sets out on an adventure to solve the mystery of her amnesia. When clues lead to something bigger than herself, Emily must figure out how to defeat her enemy and save the day. Can she do it in time, or will the unnamed enemy win and send her packing without answers?

Emily is one of the strongest and best developed characters I have read lately. I imagine her slightly deadpan, but even that has a biting sense of humor to it. It is also to the writers’ credit that Emily is a strong, smart, independent, fearless girl who loves science, technology, and solving mysteries. It is rare that all those qualities can be found in the character of a young girl of today’s literature.

The plot of the book was interesting and gave enough clues to guessing, but not too many that the mystery was “easy” to solve. The missing pages of the diary are affixed at the end, so the readers can fill in the gaps that Emily can’t fill herself (or perhaps she can, since she reads them too). There were so may set-ups and pay-offs right at the end, that it seemed almost like the readers had amnesia right along with Emily. Who could have known that Raven was good at driving AND taking impossible dares? Readers find out what Emily knows when Emily knows, thus the genius of the book. However, readers are likely to see all the clues add up before the dénouement if they think of the book in retrospect: clever.

Emily the Strange: the Lost Days will keep readers interested with its mystery, oddball characters (and I don’t mean Emily!), strange science, and witty commentary done in diary style. This will be a must-read for fans and newcomers alike.

Rating 4 and a half pages

Confetti Girl by Diana Lopez

Publication Date: June 2009
Ages: 8-12
194 Pages

Newcomer Diana Lopez colors the tween scene with her debut novel about a normal Latina girl who loves socks, sports, and science. If only Lina’s life were actually that simple.

Apolonia “Lina” is a girl with a lot on her plate. Still smarting from her mother’s death a year ago, Lina and her father can’t seem to find a comfortable place in which to exist with one another. Lina thinks her father is too interested in stories and Lina’s father thinks she is too interested in anything but.

As an added bonus, Lina’s best friend, Vanessa, has begun using her to secretly date a new boyfriend and Lina’s current crush doesn’t seem to like her “that way.” Oh, and Lina’s English grade has dipped so low that she can’t play sports and her teacher has sent her to the school counselor.

Lopez does a smashing job of portraying an all-American character that doesn’t fit neatly into the all-American mold. Lina is Latina and lives in Texas, but she seems to easily transition between the two cultures in which she frequently finds herself. I really like that Lopez makes Lina’s dual world normal and does not focus too much on one culture or the other. In fact, there are dichos disguised as chapter headings in Spanish and English, as well as a healthy smattering of un-translated Spanish throughout the text.

I think this duality will ultimately be to the book’s advantage because both cultures are very real, but neither is shown to be better or dominate, they simply co-exist. The book does not become a culture “war,” but rather a story about a girl finding her place in a world where both cultures exist. Lina does not have to choose one over the other—she can have both. And so can readers.

The character of Lina is vivid and real. She is quirky, smart, tenacious, and unabashedly pursues her unique passions. However, other characters in the story seen a little flat. Vanessa seems to be the all too often used “flakey friend,” Lina’s dad is the clichéd unavailable brooding widower, and Vanessa’s mom is the very epitome of a man-hater. Bleah. While the story is largely about Lina and her struggles, the overall effect of the novel would have been greater if these characters were more developed and didn’t seem purely incidental to the plot.

For the most part, this bildungsroman unfolds as one might expect. However, it is to Lopez’s credit that the novel ends on a positive note, but does not have a syrupy sweet perfect ending. The sense at the end of the book is that things are looking up, but Lina still has some hardships to overcome. The ending is realistic, yet hopeful; but not overdone.

Lopez sends a clear (but subtle) message to her readers: listen to the wisdom of the ages; be who you are, not who you think you should be; and when life hits bottom, there is nowhere to go but up! Lopez reiterates a message that can’t seem to be delivered enough.

Rating: 3 and a half pages

Wake by Lisa McMann

Ages: 14+

Janie has the ability to see what others dream. The premise is intriguing and just a little bit unbelievable, but McMann seems to make it easy to believe—the dream hopping, at least.

Janie gets to know some of the secret inner thoughts of the students at her school, but is being present in their dreams everything it could be? Why does she get to see the star quarterback’s anxiety over the next football game? On one particular night Janie wrecks her car when she jumps into the dream a neighbor is having. The dream is scary, very scary, and it keeps Janie away from that house for quite some time.

Then, out of the blue, the sort-of creepy neighbor boy, Cable, shows up for the new year of school with a completely new look (read: he’s hot!). Since Janie wrecked her car near his house and she’s interacted with him before, she impresses her friends by chatting with Cable and the two quickly become friends. The rest of the book chronicles how Cable and Janie build a relationship and begin to trust one another as Cable learns Janie’s secrets and Janie learns Cable’s.

The actual layout of the text was what first caught my attention. It isn’t the average left justified, full sentence type of writing. No, the writing is fragmented, stop and start, even broken in a few places. Could I. Please. Read real sentences? And paragraphs? However annoying this style is to me, it must have been awful for Janie, because that’s how she lived her life—fragmented, stop and start, broken. I have to give props to McMann for the parallelism.

The relationship that Cable and Janie develop seems almost violent at times, even though there are never actually any blows made. The violence is all in their heads (and dreams), and is indicative of the suffering they have both endured, but no less bleak. The relationship seems to be quite unhealthy and based on intense bouts of infatuation some days and intense bouts of hate on others. Most of the drama happens as a pay off to a bigger plot point, but the lead up and outcome are weak.

The plot, while sometimes annoying and teetering on too unbelievable, kept me hooked well enough to keep reading and intrigued enough to continue on to the second book. McMann ingeniously weaves nightmares, love, hate, crime fighting, and high school into one big story about unintentional voyeurism and the consequences it may have.

Rating 4 Pages

Dork Diaries

Ages: 9-13
Tentative Publication Date: June, 2009

Rachel Renee Russell answers Jeff Kenny’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid with a girl-power punch in Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life. The book is written in diary fashion, complete with manga-esque illustrations and comic strips which tell a story within a story.

Nikki Maxwell, the diary’s author, seems like an ordinary girl trying to make a place for herself in her new private school. But when she is assigned a locker next to MacKenzie, the most popular girl in school, trouble ensues. Nikki has to endure the snide remarks of MacKenzie’s CCP (Cool, Cute&Popular) friends, fight the crowd around her locker, try to make friends, find ways to interact with her crush, and keep up with school all at the same time!

The story is filled with comical and realistic situations which Nikki negotiates to the best of her ability. From getting stuck with shelving dusty books during fifth period to listening to the Itsy Bitsy Spider (Rihanna style) courtesy of her little sister, Nikki’s life seems to be getting worse by the day. However, Nikki does manage to make a few friends and begins to see that maybe she doesn’t have it so bad after all.

Russell seems to fully understand and accurately portray the thoughts, feelings, and world of a 14-year-old girl. The imagery of the “love roller coaster” is funny and when Nikki describes the term "butterflies" as an inadequate description of love, I’m sure many readers will agree. There is even a bit of a “gross factor” left in the text to accommodate those readers who still find snot and other bodily secretions funny (but Nikki rewrites the scene with sanitation in mind).

At times it seems as though Russell tries a little too hard to insert pop culture and lingo into Nikki’s diary. Yet, others times the diary seems to be a little out of sync (Michael Jackson and Prince William are both mentioned, but the younger readers might fear Jackson and crush on Prince Harry). What seems like name-dropping to older readers might be a younger reader’s way of connecting to a larger world, but it still limits the time frame in which Dork Diaries can be considered current.


Readers will fall for this clumsy and sometimes socially awkward girl who just can’t seem to achieve her perfect life. The intended audience will laugh, feel embarrassed, think about crushes, and fight the evil forces of middle school right along with the characters as they recognize themselves in the pages of Nikki’s diary.

Rating: 4 Pages

Unwind

I have to admit, I’ve tried to blog about this book on three different days. Each time I sit down to write it up, I start typing and four hours later, I have my PhD. dissertation. No kidding! So, here’s how I’ve whittled it all down.

Shusterman does a wonderful job of creating a world that is not so far from our own. It is a near future that could also be the present, save for the mention of ANTIQUE i pods and such. It is impressive that the stories of Connor, Risa, and Lev don’t get lost in the high-tech future world, as in so many future books.

The book’s premise is that a compromise between the pro-life and pro-choice camps is reached by the instatement of the Bill of Life. The instatement means people can’t have abortions, but when a child is between the ages of 13 and 18, the parent can have the child “unwound” and the medical community will use the child’s organs to save others. The idea being that the child is not dead, but alive in the “divided state.”

The idea of a divided state seems outrageous (in the sense that one might wish to shake the lawmakers), but is even more outrageous when it is confided that the Bill of Life came from a sarcastic remark meant to make the sides see how ridiculous they were acting. I have to applaud the author for his irony here.

The plot of the story seems almost effortless as it ebbs and flows in just the right places, giving readers a breath before the next sprint for life. Shusterman often gives his readers the luxury of hope for the runaways, then pulls them back into a fight for their lives. There are also some very clever literary devices employed in the story, and the author executes them well.

Lev, the most interesting character, believes at the beginning of the book that he is better than the rest of the unwinds because he is a tithing (a religious gift of sorts) and has been slated to be unwound before birth. At the beginning of the book Lev wears all white, but as he is forced to do different things to survive, he sheds his white clothing and delves into the darkness of his brain. However, at the end, Lev finds himself suspended in the air on a cross and wrapped in layers of gauze—an amusing use of a literary device. Lev has come full circle.

I was engulfed in this novel and read it straight through. The only part that I found distracting was when Shusterman lost track of his own characters. When the Connor, Risa, and Lev are on the bus to school and meet the girl with the baby, she introduces the baby as Chase, and says Chase’s father, Chaz, is away at military school. Later, when Risa and Connor are fleeing the school they run into the girl again. Shusterman writes that CHAZ is chewing on the girl’s shoulder. This is impossible because Chaz is at military school, and I doubt the girl would be carrying her own boyfriend. Yes, I was THAT into the book!

Rating: 5 Pages

Deep and Dark and Dangerous

Grades: 4-7
Mark Twain Award Nominee 2009-2010

Mary Downing Hahn creates a solid ghost tale with Deep and Dark and Dangerous.

Thirteen year old Ali finds a mysterious picture in an old book and begins to wonder who has been torn out, so when her aunt gives her the opportunity to babysit at a cabin by Sycamore Lake (where the picture was taken), she jumps at the chance. Maybe she’ll solve the mystery!

Soon after arriving at the cabin by the lake, Ali begins to investigate further into the mystery of the picture. In the process of investigation and babysitting her niece, Emma, Ali meets Sissy; a girl who seems to cause trouble wherever she goes. As things begin to escalate, Sissy appears more often and Ali figures out who Sissy is. Could she really be the ghost of the girl from the torn picture?

Hahn weaves a tale of mystery and suspense that will have readers’ hearts pounding through the action scenes. The book has a little bit of a slow start, perhaps focusing too much on the frailty of Ali’s mother and not enough on the mystery itself.

However, once Ali gets to the cabin with her aunt and cousin, things pick up very quickly. The last half of the book is action-packed and offers few refuges from the action. Hahn did an incredible job of building suspense to the point of absolutely bursting before revealing who Sissy really is and winding down the action.

Aside from offering suspense in the plot, Hahn waxes philosophical with such topics of loneliness (how far will one go to have a friend?), spirituality (what happens after death?), guilt (how long does it take to heal childhood trauma?), and redemption (can you truly remedy a wrong by saying you’re sorry?).

Hahn seems to be a little disconnected from her characters, and the conversations surrounding the mystery of the picture get a little redundant and monotonous. Character development also seemed minimal during the book. Perhaps there is a little development on Ali’s part and Emma learns an important lesson about friendship, but Ali’s mother and aunt (those who should have changed the most from solving the mystery) stay static and secondary.

The book will hold the audience's interest and give just enough clues throughout to help astute readers guess the solution before the end of the book. The book might seem a bit scary as “A Ghost Story” is written on the front cover, but it’s the kind of ghost story that is creepy, not gory. The book does what it sets out to do—tell a ghost story that will keep readers guessing the answer to a mystery.

Rating: 4 Pages

Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters

Grades: 4-6
Mark Twain Award Nominee 2008-2009

Aside from having possibly the best title in a while, Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters, by Leslie M. M. Blume, has some really crafty storytelling to it as well.

When Cornelia meets eccentric neighbor, Virginia, the two become fast and very unlikely friends; unlikely because a ten-year-old and an old woman are rarely thought of as buddies. However, the friends share two passions: words and storytelling (Cornelia listens and Virginia tells).

The text of the book jumps in time from present to past to present, sometimes within Virginia’s story. While this technique is generally eschewed by children’s authors in favor of a more linear timeline, Blume manages to make the transitions seamless and easy to follow.

The character of Cornelia is well developed even in the beginning of the book as the audience is given clues as to why Cornelia would be such a fast friend of Virginia. Virginia, the source of most of the book's storytelling, shines as Blume’s biggest work of art. Virginia is just crazy enough to be fun and just grounded enough to be serous when the need arises.

With a fast, interlocking plot, Cornelia and Virginia seem to move through time and space experiencing hilarious mishaps while traveling the globe. Each of Virginia’s stories involves some kind of cultural misunderstanding, but ultimately serves as point of didacticism. Each story teaches something, but I really like that Blume lets the readers glean their own meaning instead of pushing one onto them.

Another credit to Blume is that while the ending is sweet, Cornelia does endure a pretty big tragedy: one that readers might suspect, but hope won’t happen. The tragedy ultimately proves to make Cornelia stronger. Cornelia is not left with memories only—a very special trinket reminds her of where she’s been and where she might go.

Blume’s ability to weave stories together -- and to tell good stories at that -- is what makes this book worth the read. The bittersweet novel about growing up and learning about life will keep readers interested and maybe even inspire them to tell tales of their own.


Rating: 4 and a half pages

Findle by Andrew Clements

This is a story for all the young linguists out there. Frindle explores how one person can change or impact the English language. Clements creates a realistic classroom within which a child with “plenty of ideas” decides to undermine his teacher’s love of the dictionary. And, really, what child hasn’t hated hearing these words from their teacher, “Look it up in the dictionary!”?

Nick Allen, the boy with all the ideas, is one part trouble maker, one part genius, and one part Jungian archetype. Nick is Jung’s child archetype (think ornery Peter Pan) in more ways than one, and his juxtaposition with Mrs. Granger as the (eventually) wise old “man” archetype makes the story more interesting. Mrs. Granger is more like the dragon from The Dragon’s Boy by Jane Yolen, than she is Hook from Peter Pan. The difference being that Hook just enjoys terrorizing Pan, while the dragon is trying to teach Artos some important lessons—like Mrs. Granger is for Nick.

When Mrs. Granger asks the children to do things they don’t particularly enjoy, one child, Nick, convinces the rest of the children to show their true selves. In the plot of the book, Mr. Granger and Nick butt heads several times over the simple change of the world "Pen" to the world "Frindle." Soon, an all-out battle takes place. Nick wants to prove that he can create a new word and that naming things is arbitrary. Mrs. Granger just wants the children to see that language has a long and rich history.

As the plot thickens, the children come up with more and more ways to defy Mrs. Granger’s rules and Nick becomes more and more set in his convictions of arbitration. Nick “wins” in the end only to find out years later that Mrs. Granger was on his side the whole time.

Clements creates a classroom with dialog so real, I felt like I was in 5th grade again (however, I still heard those kinds of comments throughout college). His characters are vivid and arc appropriately throughout the story line. The clever twist at the end will give mean, fifth grade, disciplinarian, teachers a better name. This is one of the few stories where the adults are not useless and only to be seen as opponents. Clements gives the adults realistic abilities and even lets the feared adult become the revered adult. In all, the action and timing were right on pace, the characters and plot were involving, and the ending ties everything into a neatly wrapped package. One must wonder… where has my Frindle, uh, pen, gone?

Rating: 4 pages