Posts tagged Random House

Book Review: Fitz

May 9, 2013 · Filed under Fiction, High School, Novels, Realistic · Tagged ,

fitzFitz by Mick Cochrane.  November 2012. 9780375956836. Gr. 9-12

Fitz by Mick Cochrane was one of many teen fiction ARCs stacked on my desk at the end of 2012 that I was wading through, and I might have passed it by if I hadn’t opened the book to the first sentence.  It said, “On a cool morning in late May, Fitz is standing in the alley behind his father’s apartment in St. Paul.”  Most readers probably wonder about Fitz’s relationship to his father when they read that, but my attention was drawn to the mention of St. Paul.  A quick scan down the page revealed—with mention of “Summit  Hill District” and “F. Scott Fitzgerald”–that it was, in fact, St. Paul, Minnesota, and I had to read the book.  After all, I lived in St. Paul for several years, and I love the Summit Hill District.  Though I had to laugh at Fitz’s opinion of the neighborhood: “It’s full of yuppies.”  I don’t know if I agree with that, but I can imagine a 15 year-old boy thinking that.

For those without a personal connection to the setting, it doesn’t take long before the big reveal that will have you on the edge of your seat for the duration of the novel. Fitz is waiting outside his father’s apartment with a gun.  “. . . he’s carrying a Smith & Wesson .38 revolver in the waistband of his jeans and a gutful of confusion, a lifetime’s resentment in his heart.  A gnawing hunger for a father he’s never known.”  This is in the first five pages of the book.  In the next hundred and seventy pages, we follow Fitz and his father all around the city as they spend a day getting to know each other with a gun between them.

It’s a fast moving story that will likely have appeal to some of your more reluctant readers. It is also a thoughtful look at a boy desperate enough for his father’s attention that he is willing to threaten him with a gun.  As Fitz’s father tells his story, we see that there are no easy answers.  This short novel is both suspenseful and poignant.  Highly recommended for a complex look at divorce and father-son relationships.

 

MindyBlogger: Mindy R.

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Book Review: The Tragedy Paper

February 21, 2013 · Filed under Fiction, High School, Novels, Realistic, Reviews · Tagged ,

tragedypaperThe Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth Laban. January 2013. 9780375970405. Gr. 7-12.

“As Duncan walked under the stone archway leading into the senior dorm, he had two things on his mind: what ‘treasure’ had been left behind for him and his Tragedy Paper. Well, maybe three things: he was also worried about which room he was going to get.”

The Irving School has many traditions, including the big assignment in Senior English: Tragedy Paper.  How do you define “tragedy” in the literary sense?  For years, seniors at the Irving School have been trying to answer that very question with mixed results. Now that Duncan is a senior, he is ready to be a part of it all—the treasure and the tragedy.

The problem is Duncan is trying to forget about a tragedy that happened last year.  He keeps telling himself that he is not going to repeat the same mistakes.  He’s going to move on.  Only, the treasure he finds in his room is hardly what he might have hoped.  He finds a stack of CD’s, and when he plays them, he hears the story of what happened last year from the perspective of the boy who had his room last year.  From there, the story splits into two narratives that seem to parallel each other.

Last year, Tim transferred to Irving to escape his old school and maybe have a better experience.  He just wants to blend in, but that isn’t easy for him.  Tim is albino, so his appearance tends to draw attention to him no matter what he does. At Irving, he has caught the attention of one of the most popular girls at school.  That might sound like a good thing, but not when she has a boyfriend.  Duncan listens to Tim’s story with dread because he knows how it ends, but readers are in the dark.  The details slowly come out, and the suspense builds as we delve deeper into Tim’s experience and insecurities.

This book is a compelling mix of mystery, suspense, and, yes, tragedy that will draw in readers with hints of secrets and keep them turning pages to the end.  It’s highly readable, and it will likely have broad teen appeal from readers who like psychological suspense to those who want to explore the layers of literary references to tragedy throughout the novel.

MindyBlogger: Mindy R.

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Social Problems in World Cultures

January 28, 2013 · Filed under Biography, High School, Mackin Picks, Nonfiction, Social Studies · Tagged , , ,

Social issues include such problems as poverty, gender issues, education, race, and crime.  Here are three adult cross-over titles that are appropriate—and interesting—for high school students.

King PeggyKing Peggy : An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village by Peggielene Bartels. 9780385534321. 2012. Gr 10-Adult.

Imagine you’re sitting at your desk one day, working as a secretary, never imagining that you are about to get a telephone call that will change your life.  No, you haven’t won the lottery.  You’ve just been declared king!

Peggielene Bartels was born in Ghana, and then came to the United States to study. After becoming a U.S. citizen, she began working as a secretary at the Ghanaian embassy.  After the death of her uncle, a village king, the council of elders decided that she should be his successor.  After much thought, she accepted…and has since travelled back and forth between Washington and Ghana.  This amazing woman has tackled traditions, poverty, illiteracy, and other problems to make many positive changes to her village of 7000 people…and to herself.  An excellent biography about a fascinating woman.

In My Father's CountryIn My Father’s Country : An Afghan Woman Defies Her Fate by Saima Wahab. 9780307884947. 2012. Gr 11-Adult.

Saima Wahab’s autobiography begins auspiciously: “I was welcomed into this world by gunshots.”  In Afghanistan, when a son is born, the father runs outside with a pistol and fires a few shots into the air.  Saima’s father had done so when his first child, a son, was born.  But he also did it after the birth of his daughter.  And he made Saima’s grandfather promise that his daughters would have a life different than the lives of other Afghan girls.  Her grandfather kept that promise.

When Saima was 15, an uncle living in America brought her to America, where she learned to speak English—and learned to stand up for herself.  She began to work as in interpreter for a defense contractor in Afghanistan—one of a few female interpreters that were native speakers of the Pashtun language.  But she was frustrated with how little the American soldiers knew about Afghan culture—especially what was acceptable in regard to the women—and how their ignorance exacerbated their relationships with the Afghan population.  Her goal became to educate the soldiers.  A meaningful look at communication issues between cultures.

Behind the Beautiful ForeversBehind the Beautiful Forevers : Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai UndercityMackin Picks by Katherine Boo. 9781400067558. 2012. Gr 10-Adult.

Next to the Mumbai International Airport and near its luxury hotels lies Annawadi, one of the city’s slums, a neighborhood of families whose situation is so dire that I almost had to stop reading about them.  Entire families live in one-room cardboard shacks with tin roofs.  During the rainy season, sewage-filled water runs down the street.  Some survive by sorting through garbage and selling it to recyclers.  Some eat scrub grass, rats, and frogs. Drug abuse, corruption, and disease run rampant throughout the slum.

Author Katherine Boo is not a native of India, but in 2001 she married an Indian citizen.  A journalist, she became interested in how the country’s global development had affected the lives of women.  She started spending time in Annawadi, just listening and taping and writing, and the residents slowly began to accept her presence there.  Katherine’s book is written so much like a story that, halfway through, I actually had to check to make sure that it really was nonfiction.  An excellent choice for students in Honors and AP classes and IB schools, and for those interested in current issues in other countries.

TraceyBlogger : Tracey L.

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A Few New Wintery Picture Books

January 10, 2013 · Filed under Picture Books, Primary (K-2) · Tagged , , , , ,

It is January in Minnesota, and that means it is cold and snowy.  Most of the time, I don’t mind the cold and snow very much, but sometimes I need to remind myself of the wonderful parts of winter.  That’s what’s great about picture books. Last winter, Kristin shared several wintery titles on the blog, and I have a few more to share from 2012.

perfectdayA Perfect Day by Carin Berger. November 2012. 9780062015808. Gr. PS-2

When you’re a grown-up, snowy weather means long commute times and shoveling sidewalks, but A Perfect Day takes readers back to the childhood pleasures of a snowy day.  Sledding, skating, and snowball fights have never seemed as magical as they do in this book.  The brief text takes a back seat to Berger’s cut-paper illustrations create a complex and wondrous view of a season that might seem like a simple blanket of white.  A truly lovely book that captures the magic of winter almost perfectly.

coldsnapCold Snap by Eileen Spinelli. October 2012. 9780375957000. Gr. K-3

One of the best things about winter is the way it brings people together.  In Cold Snap, the residents of the town of Toby Mills are no strangers to cold.  On the first cold day, they are all outside bearing the chill with cheer, but as the cold weather lingers day after day, the people begin to tire of looking for creative ways to stay warm.  The mayor’s wife has a plan to boost the town’s spirits, warm them up, and bring everyone together.  This old-fashioned story is a wonderful celebration of community.

lemonadeinwinterLemonade in Winter: A Book about Two Kids Counting Money by Emily Jenkins.  September 2012. 9780375958830. Gr. K-2

Pauline and John-John don’t let a little snow or cold stop them from setting up a lemonade stand on their street.  There aren’t many people out walking by, so the little entrepreneurs work hard to entice potential customers out of their warm homes or businesses for a cold drink.  This book’s main appeal is probably to teachers looking for a lesson in counting money, but I’m from Minnesota—where we have outdoor concerts, festivals, and parades in the winter—so I was quite tickled with the idea that two little kids could make $4 selling lemonade on a cold day.

For all my talk of cold and snow in this post, it’s actually relatively warm here in Minnesota this week with highs in the mid 30s!  It’s wonderful! :)

MindyBlogger: Mindy R.

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Tracey’s Favorite 2012 Fiction – A Baker’s Dozen

January 7, 2013 · Filed under Fiction, High School, Intermediate (3-5), Mackin Picks, Middle School (6-8), Novels · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I used to think it would be excellent to be on the Caldecott or Newbery or Printz committee.  Can you imagine getting to decide which book is the best of the year?  Now, after two years of creating a “10 (or so) Best Books of the Year” list, I will with no regrets admit that I’m not cut out for such a job.  I’d be the one wailing, “But they’re ALL the best!  They ALL have to win!”  (Has anyone ever been thrown off of an award committee?)

So here I will gladly share what are, in my opinion, the best fiction books of 2012—and they are ALL the very best.

One and Only IvanWonderGoblin Secrets

The One and Only IvanMackin Picks by Katherine Applegate.  9780061992254. 2012. Gr 3-6.

Ivan, a silverback gorilla, has lived most of his life in a cage at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, his only friends a captive elephant named Stella and a stray dog named Bob.  Ivan’s fame is his art; people come to watch him as he paints inside his cage.  He no longer thinks about his life before the mall…until Ruby joins Stella.  Ruby is a baby elephant, recently captured, and she remembers her life with her family.  Ivan determines to find a way to help this homesick baby.  This story is told through the voice of Ivan, a gentle, intelligent voice telling a heart-sick and heartfelt story.  I challenge you not to care.

WonderMackin Picks by R.J. Palacio. 9780375969027. 2012. Gr 3-6.

August Pullman considers the real him to be just like all the other fifth-grade boys—smart, funny, and brave.  But other people don’t see it that way—they have a difficult time looking beyond the extreme facial malformations that he was born with.  His parents have always homeschooled him; this year August is going to school for the first time, and hopes merely to be treated as a kid.  An excellent read-aloud to start discussions on compassion and empathy.

Goblin SecretsMackin Picks by William Alexander.  9781442427266. 2012. Gr 4-6.

Rownie lives with other stray children in the household of the witch Graba. His only relative is his brother, Rowan, who left Graba’s house to become an actor.  But acting is forbidden, and Rowan has disappeared—so Rownie escapes the witch and joins a troupe of goblins who put on plays despite the law.  But their masks and plays are not just for make-believe.  They believe that the town is about to be destroyed by a mighty flood—and that Rownie is the only one who can save it. (Goblin Secrets is also a 2012 National Book Award winner.)

Mighty Miss MaloneKeeping Safe the Stars

The Mighty Miss MaloneMackin Picks by Christopher Paul Curtis.  9780385904872. 2012. Gr 4-7.

Deza Malone would love to start everything she writes with “Once upon a time…” and end it with “…and they lived happily ever after.”  And when the book opens, Deza’s life with her brother and parents does seem to be rosy—even for a black girl living in Gary, Indiana. But she lives during the Great Depression; there are no jobs for black men in Gary, so one day her father leaves to try to find work in Flint, Michigan.  And when her mother loses her job as well, they end up in a Hooverville, fighting poverty and racism.  Curtis’s characters and setting are well done, and though the ending is a bit unrealistic, I don’t mind a happy ending for such an appealing individual.

Keeping Safe the StarsMackin Picks by Sheila O’Connor.  9780399254598. 2012. Gr 4-8.

Pride, Nightingale, and Baby Star are orphans and live with their grandfather, Old Finn, in rural Minnesota.  Old Finn is very independent and self-sufficient, and the girls have learned to be wary of outsiders.  But their self-reliance comes at a price, which they find out when Old Finn gets very sick—and is transported to a hospital way up in Duluth.  The girls try to fend for themselves, and Pride even finds a way for them to earn some money for bus tickets to Duluth.  But when they see Old Finn, they realize that there is no way that he will soon be able to care for them.  A lovely story about a close family and the friends that they must learn to rely on.

Obsidian BladeCode Name VerityFault in Our StarsSeraphina

The Obsidian BladeMackin Picks (Klaatu Diskos : 1) by Pete Hautman. 9780763654030. 2012. Gr 8-12.

When Tucker Frey sees his father vanish through a shimmering disk, he is shocked—but even more so when his father comes walking down the road an hour later, looking older and with a young girl he says is from Bulgaria.  A year later, both parents vanish, and  Tucker goes in search of them with the girl and his crazy uncle.  He finds out that these disks allow travel through time and space, and in his journey he travels into the past (9/11) and far into the future.  This is a great beginning to a fascinating science fiction trilogy.

Code Name VerityMackin Picks by Elizabeth Wein.  9781423152194. 2012. Gr 9-12.

Two young women become friends while working for the British war effort during the first days of World War II, one training to be a spy and the other a pilot.  When their spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France, the spy is captured—and she doesn’t know if anyone else survived.  In order to stop the torture, she promises to provide information.  In the meantime, the pilot has made contact with the French Resistance—but can they find her friend before it is too late?  A deeply intense historical fiction that I couldn’t stop thinking and talking about.

The Fault in Our StarsMackin Picks by John Green. 9780525478812. 2012. Gr 9-12.

Hazel is a terminal cancer patient, living on borrowed time.  At a group therapy session for teens with cancer, she meets Augustus, who is there with his friend. Gus knows first-hand about cancer as well—his leg was amputated before his own cancer could spread.  From their first conversation, Gus and Hazel have a connection, but Hazel wonders how she can let this boy fall in love with her when her prognosis is so grim.

SeraphinaMackin Picks by Rachel Hartman.  9780375966569. 2012. Gr 9-12.

In a land where the peace is held together by an uneasy truce between dragons and humans, dragons are able to hide what they are and take human shape.  On the day of Seraphina’s birth, her father found out that her mother was one of these dragons, a fact that Seraphina did not discover until scales started appearing on her arm and around her waist.  Now the Queen’s son has died—obviously murdered by a dragon.  Seraphina is drawn into the investigation and uncovers a plot to destroy the fragile peace in the land.  Click here to see my original post.

Froi of the ExilesNever Fall DownOctober MourningRaven Boys

Froi of the ExilesMackin Picks (Lumatere Chronicles : 2) by Melina Marchetta.  9780763647599. 2012. Gr 9-12.

Three years after the end of Finnikin of the Rock, Froi is sent on a mission to Charyn, the kingdom that was responsible for unleashing bloodshed and evil on Lumatere.  But when he arrives, he finds a curse…and a history.  This second of Marchetta’s epic Lumatere Chronicles is amazing, and ends with not just one cliffhanger, but four or even five.  I usually finish one book and immediately pick up another; but when I finished Froi, I was so swept up in it that I couldn’t get involved in another story for two days.  Quintana of Charyn, the final book in the trilogy, comes out in April, 2013.

Never Fall DownMackin Picks by Patricia McCormick. 9780061730948. 2012. Gr 9-12.

When Arn’s Cambodian village is invaded by the Khmer Rouge, everyone is marched into the countryside.  Arn is separated from his family and sent to a labor camp, where intense work, blazing sun, insufficient food, and disease cause the deaths of many children.  Prisoners are taken to a nearby mango grove and do not return.  Arn learns to be invisible to the Khmer Rouge, until the day the country is about to be liberated, and Arn is handed a weapon and forced to become a soldier.  He lives by one rule:  Never fall down.  This book, based on the true story of Arn Chorn-Pond, is heart-breaking…and uplifting.

October Mourning : A Song for Matthew ShepardMackin Picks by Leslea Newman.  9780763658076. 2012. Gr 9-12.

Twenty-one-year-old Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, died in October of 1998.  He was lured out of a bar on the night of October 6 by two men who drove him to a remote area, beat and tortured him, tied him to a fence, and left him to die.  Days later, Leslea Newman was the keynote speaker at the university’s Gay Awareness Week, and now has written this tribute to Matthew Shepard.  The book contains 68 poems from many perspectives, including the killers and even the fence itself.  It is a quick, but very moving, read; and it should be recommended to all high school readers, and especially for a unit on tolerance.

The Raven BoysMackin Picks by Maggie Stiefvater. 9780545424929. 2012. Gr 9-12.

Blue Sargent is from a family of clairvoyants, but she herself has no psychic gift—except maybe to strengthen the talents of others, which is why she stands with her mother every year in the churchyard on St. Mark’s Eve, the day that the soon-to-be dead walk past.  Other psychics have predicted that if Blue were to kiss her true love, he would die.  That’s OK, because she’s not interested right now…until the spirit of a boy walks up to her on St. Mark’s Eve and speaks to her.   And then she meets that boy, Gansey, a Raven boy from a local private academy, and he pulls her into a quest with him and his friends—a quest that could be dangerous for them all. The Raven Boys is the first of four books in the series.

Disclaimer:  I listed 173 books as “Read” on Goodreads last year, and these have been chosen only from those books that were published in 2012.  I didn’t get to all of the great books…and now 2013 is here already!

TraceyBlogger : Tracey L.

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A Dozen of Tracey’s Favorite 2012 Nonfiction

December 24, 2012 · Filed under High School, History, Intermediate (3-5), Language Arts, Mackin Picks, Middle School (6-8), Nonfiction, Science, Social Studies · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s time for that most strenuous time of year.  No, not the holidays—but the making of the top 10 lists.  Let me confess:  I just can’t do it.  I don’t think I have ever been able to cut a list of books down to ten titles.  You’ll notice that this list is a dozen, and for the life of me I can’t pick two titles to remove.  All of these books (and those in the runner-up list below) are excellent titles for Common Core use, as well as just plain interesting to read.

IslandSnakes Forgive Me Wild Horse Scientists

Island : A Story of the GalapagosMackin Picks by Jason Chin.  9781596437166. 2012. Gr 1-4.

In Chin’s earlier books, a child is drawn into a habitat by opening a book on redwoods or coral reefs.  But as the reader of Island, I felt like I was that child, being drawn into and observing the life cycle of the Galapagos Islands.  Beautiful art and engaging text give a clear explanation of the evolution of the islands and their inhabitants.

Snakes by Nic Bishop.  9780545206389. 2012. Gr 1-4.

One has only to look at the cover of Snakes to see that award-winning photographer Nic Bishop has done it again.  I’d like to say that even people who do not care for snakes (hate them?) will be able to see the beauty of these marvelous creatures—however, I have a few sisters that will disagree with me.  But Mr. Bishop can capture the diversity and nature of snakes—and provide fascinating information in a conversational tone.  In an afterword, he tells about the difficulties of photographing snakes.

Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It : False Apology Poems by Gail Carson Levine.  9780061787263. 2012. Gr 2-5.

Each of these hilarious poems is patterned after William Carlos Williams’ poem, “This Is Just to Say,” and contains a false apology—one in which the person apologizing is not really sorry.  Read more in my post about using poetry as writing examples.

Wild Horse Scientists (Scientists in the Field) by Kathryn Frydenborg.  9780547518312. 2012. Gr 4-8.

This book, as do the rest of the Scientists in the Field series, is a work of narrative nonfiction that focuses on the work of scientists.  These scientists, Ron Keiper and Jay Kirkpatrick, are studying the wild horses on Assateague Island near Maryland.  The scientists keep records and have developed a birth control vaccine so that the population of horses does not get out of control and disturb the ecosystem of the island.  (Find out more about this excellent series in this post.)

Invincible MicrobeTemple GrandinIceberg, Right AheadBeyond Courage

Invincible Microbe : Tuberculosis and the Never-Ending Search for a CureMackin Picks  by Jim Murphy.  9780618535743. 2012. Gr 5-8.

This biography is about a killer that has caused the death of over a trillion people throughout history.  This serial killer is the germ that causes tuberculosis.  Invincible Microbe describes the symptoms and history of treatment of the disease, and I learned that TB can attack many parts of the body, not just the lungs.  Murphy also explains how the discovery of antibiotics almost led to a cure, but drug-resistant varieties have appeared.  A clearly written and fascinating true tale, with a frightening ending.

Temple Grandin : How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced AutismMackin Picks by Sy Montgomery.  9780547443157. 2012. Gr 6-8.

When Temple was young, no one realized that she had autism.  Her doctor recommended that she be institutionalized, and her father agreed.  Her mother, however, insisted that she go to school.  She grew up to make changes to the livestock industry that took account of the feelings of animals.  This book describes Temple’s childhood, her education, and friendships, as well as how she came to realize that her autism helps her to understand animals.  (Books written by Temple are now on my bedside table.)

Iceberg, Right Ahead! : The Tragedy of the Titanic by Stephanie Sammartino McPherson.  9780761367567. 2012. Gr 6-9.

McPherson’s excellent narrative account of the voyage and sinking of the Titanic goes back to her construction.  Personal accounts, photographs, and diagrams help the reader to understand and experience the disaster.  See more posts about the Titanic here and here and here.

Beyond Courage : The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the HolocaustMackin Picks by Doreen Rappaport.  9780763629762. 2012. Gr 7-12.

Many Holocaust books describe the plight of European Jews in the ghettos and in the concentration—those Jews who did not understand or would not believe what the Nazis planned to do.  Rappaport’s book looks at those Jews who understood and took matters into their own hands, describing their courageous efforts to help Jews and their acts of resistance, many of which ended in tragedy.  Some of these stories have never been told, but all should be heard.

MoonbirdFaces from the PastGlobal WeirdnessBehind the Beautiful Forevers

Moonbird : A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95Mackin Picks by Phillip Hoose.  9780374304683. 2012. Gr 7-10.

B95, or Moonbird as he is also known, is a red knot shorebird that was caught and banded in 1995.  Red knots migrate each year from the southernmost tip of South America to the Canadian arctic and back—a round trip of over 18,000 miles.  B95 is famous because he has survived the destruction of his kind (over 80 percent of the population has disappeared due to human interference in their immigration patterns) and is still flying at the estimated age of 19.  Scientists call him Moonbird because he is thought to have flown over 350,000 miles—about the distance from the Earth to the moon.  A fascinating book with clear text and colorful pictures, giving the inside story of this remarkable bird and the people who watch for him.

Faces from the Past : Forgotten People on North America by James M. Deem.  9780547370248. 2012. Gr 7-12.

The skeletons and skulls of people from long ago have been found in forgotten burial sites, and little was known about who they were.  But scientists, including forensic anthropologists and bioarchaeologists, have developed processes to discover the identities of these people.  They can find out about the way these people lived, diseases they might have suffered, and how they died.  The book covers five such examples, including how artists using clay have been able to reconstruct the skulls to give a face to these unknown people.

Global Weirdness : Severe Storms, Deadly Heat Waves, Relentless Drought, Rising Seas and the Weather of the Future.  9780307907301. 2012. Gr 10-Adult.

Climate Central, a nonprofit news organization, provides clear analysis and reports about climate science, and has been featured in many respected news sources.  In this book, they provide easy-to read answers to 60 questions about climate change in these areas:  What the Science Says, What’s Actually Happening, What’s Likely to Happen in the Future, and Can We Avoid the Risks of Climate Change.  The short chapters provide facts in plain language, avoiding hysteria and partisan bias.

Behind the Beautiful Forevers : Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai UndercityMackin Picks by Katherine Boo. 9781400067558. 2012. Gr 10-Adult.

Katherine Boo has written a heartfelt account of what life is like in the slums of Mumbai in India, where people live in cardboard shacks near rivers of raw sewage; where suicide is a fact of daily life; where the kind of medical care and human rights you get depends on how many rupees you can pay to the doctors and the police; where families survive by digging through the garbage and recycling what they find.  This book reads so much like a novel that I thought it was fiction; sadly, it is not.  Pair it with Andy Mulligan’s Trash.

Here are some other nonfiction titles that Mackin’s librarians are raving about, but I haven’t had time to read.  Are there any others that you would like to add?

Bomb : The Race to Build – and Steal – the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin.  9781596434875. 2012.  Gr 7-10.

King Peggy : An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village by Peggielene Bartels and Eleanor Herman. 9780385534321. 2012. Gr 11-Adult.

Superman Versus the Ku Klux Klan : The True Story of How the Iconic Superhero Battled the Men of Hate by Rick Bowers.  9781426309168. 2012. Gr 6-9.

Their Skeletons Speak : Kennewick Man and the Paleoamerican World by Sally M. Walker. 9780761374572. 2012. Gr 7-12.

We’ve Got a Job : The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March by Cynthia Levinson.  9781561456277. 2012. Gr 5-8.

TraceyBlogger : Tracey L.

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Great Graphic Novels for Girls

December 17, 2012 · Filed under Fiction, Graphic Novel, High School, Intermediate (3-5), Middle School (6-8) · Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Graphic novels are not just for boys anymore (if they ever were).  We have heroes like Zita (from Zita the Spacegirl) and Mirka (from Hereville) who prove that girls don’t have to stand on the sidelines cheering on the guys. They can kick some serious butt on their own.  Not really into epic adventures?  We also have Babymouse, which is as pink and girly as you can get.

Here are just a few new titles your tween and teen girls will want to read from fantastic adventure to realistic fiction in graphic novel format.

Giants Beware! by Rafael Rosada and Jorge Aguirre. April 2012. 9781596435827. Gr. 2-5.

Turn the typical fairy tale on its head with Giants Beware! This graphic novel stars a little girl who dreams of slaying giants, her princess-wanna-be friend and a little boy whose talents aren’t traditionally male. The three of them set out to slay the legendary giant, and along the way they prove their bravery and ingenuity as they face the Apple Hag in the Forest of Death, the Water King in the Mad River, and finally the giant himself.  This is a great adventure with lots of heart.  It might not look like a “girl book” from the cover, but it’s a great girl power story that you will want to recommend to your tweens.

Drama by Raina Telgemeier. September 2012. 9780545326988. Gr. 6-8.

Middle school is full of drama, on-stage and off.  Callie knows she loves the theater, and she has found a place for herself behind the scenes as her school drama club’s set director.  Her off-stage life is much more confusing with boys who may or may not like her and new friends who may or may not be gay.   There is a lot to like in this sweet story, and tween girls will be rooting for Callie as she attempts to sort it all out. Our Graphic Novel reviewer, Tuan, shared his thoughts on Drama in this review.

Lou! : Secret Diary by Julien Neel. April 2012. 9780761387763. Gr. 6-8.

Secret Diary is the first book in an award-winning series from France about Lou, a twelve-year-old girl with a big personality.  Lou spends a lot of time thinking about the boy she has a crush on, clothes, and getting out of gym class.  She is close with her mom, an aspiring novelist who plays a lot of video games, and they are more alike than either of them realize. For one thing, both Lou and her mom have crushes on neighbors but they are both too shy to admit how they feel.  Lou does her best to get her mom and Richard together, but crushes are complicated.  Lou’s story is fun, and tween girls will relate to her as she figures out what it means to grow up.

Peanut by Ayun Halliday and Paul Hoppe. January 2013. 9780375965906 Gr. 7-10.

It’s hard to be the new girl at school.  Everyone knows everyone, and no one knows you or cares who you are.  But Sadie has come up with a way to stand out at her new school. She is going to tell everyone about her life threatening peanut allergy… that she doesn’t really have.  Soon Sadie has a dramatic story about a near-fatal encounter with a peanut circulating about her.  She has friends, and soon she has a boyfriend.  But her lie gets harder and harder to maintain.  A fake allergy is actually a lot more difficult than you might expect.  This story explores the very common fear of starting over and the idea that we can remake ourselves in a new place.

What are some of your favorite graphic novels for girls? 

Blogger: Mindy R.

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Use Your Imagination! Picture Books

December 3, 2012 · Filed under Picture Books, Primary (K-2), Reviews · Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Little kids don’t need to be told to pretend.   My son Alex was five years old when Nathan was born, and despite the difference in their ages, they played very well together for several years…until overnight Alex seemed to grow out of pretend.  Their play would start out peaceable, but when Nathan became too imaginative, Alex would get frustrated and say, “You can’t do that.  It’s not REAL!”

Here are some picture books for those kids who still find reality and pretend to be interchangeable.

Quiet PlaceThe Quiet Place by Sarah Stewart, ill. by David Small. 9780374325657. 2012. Gr K-3.

It is 1957, and Isabel and her family are moving from Mexico to Michigan.  Isabel is sad to leave behind her home and her Aunt Lupita and especially her language.  This story of immigration and assimilation is told through Isabel’s letters to Aunt Lupita.  Isabel is thrilled when they get a new refrigerator and her brother gives her the box.  She uses it as a quiet place, a safe place for herself and her books…until the box was ruined in a storm.  Isabel’s mother makes cakes for birthday parties, and at the parties Isabel watches for big boxes—and starts a new quiet place.  But will she be able to make new friends?  And will she ever get used to not hearing Spanish?

I Like Old ClothesI Like Old Clothes by Mary Ann Hoberman, ill. by Patrice Barton. 9780375969515. 2012. Gr PK-2.

Most little girls like playing dress-up, but the little red-haired girl narrating this book in rhyme just loves wearing old clothes.  She loves their mystery and wonders about their history. “I wonder who wore you before you were mine?…Did you make her look awful or make her look fine?”  She likes dressing up in old fancy clothes, “Once-for-good clothes, / Now-for-play clothes.” When she wears her old clothes, she tries to imagine “The places they’ve been / And the faces they’ve seen— / And whose clothes they’ll be / When they’ve finished with me.”  A great book for units on clothes, and a perfect read-aloud to help the imaginations run wild.

Pirates at the PlatePirates at the Plate by Aaron Frisch, ill. by Mark Summers. 9781568462103. 2012. Gr K-3.

The broadcaster announces, “Welcome to the ballyard, fans.  We’re in the bottom of the 22nd inning, score knotted at 47 runs apiece, Pirates at the plate.”  22 innings?  47 runs each?  These pirates aren’t from Pittsburgh!  No, this game pits real Pirates against real Cowboys, and it’s not like any baseball game you’ve ever seen.  Hopalong Cassidy warms up by a campfire in a pen full of bulls.  Long John Silver blasts the ball toward the fence with a cannon while the Cisco Kid races to catch it on his horse.  When the Pirates are caught stealing bases for real, both teams erupt from the dugouts, and it looks like the worst fight yet until—“Stewart!  It’s time for supper!”  And the game ends in a tie as Stewart packs up his little plastic cowboys and pirates.  Tomorrow’s game?  Vikings versus Tigers.

Sky ColorSky Color by Peter H. Reynolds. 9780763623456. 2012. Gr K-2.

Marisol is an artist, and a very creative one at that.  She is very excited when her teacher announces that their class will be painting a mural for the library and volunteers to paint the sky.  But the box of paints has no blue.  How can you make the sky without blue paint? On the way home and later in the evening, Marisol watches the sky and wonders how she will solve this problem.  The next morning, as Marisol waits in the rain under a gray sky for the bus, she understands what color the sky is…it is every color!

And the thing about kids growing out of pretend?  It doesn’t last.  When he was 17, Alex and his friends met  in the park one evening…to have a light-saber battle.

TraceyBlogger:  Tracey L.

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Book Review : Seraphina

August 9, 2012 · Filed under Fantasy, Fiction, High School, Mackin Picks, Novels, Reviews · Tagged , ,

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. 9780375866562. 2012. Gr 9-12.

The English journalist and bibliophile Holbrook Jackson said, “Books worth reading are worth re-reading.”

I am a steadfast re-reader.   I get as much pleasure reading my favorite books over again as I do reading a good book for the first time.  For example, every time I recommend Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens to someone, I end up pulling my own copy off the shelf and calling in sick to work.

Some books I re-read almost every year.  Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword, Clare Dunkle’s The Hollow Kingdom, and Elizabeth Marie Pope’s The Perilous Gard all have a similar feel to me, with their realistic fantasy settings, legendary characters, and strange powers.  And, best of all, totally un-sappy romance.

Seraphina has this same feel to it, and I’ve added it to my yearly re-reading list. Actually, I am already reading it for the second time (it went on sale less than a month ago).

For forty years, the treaty between humans and dragonkind in the kingdom of Goredd has kept the peace, though there is little friendship or understanding between them.  Humans think dragons are disgusting and inferior creatures, while dragons find humans to be…interesting.  Some dragons live among humans; they have the ability to fold themselves up and take human shape, but if they do, they must wear silver bells to warn humans of their presence.

Seraphina is the new assistant to the court composer at the king’s palace and is preparing for the festivities to celebrate the treaty anniversary.  The Queen’s son has just been brutally killed on a hunting trip—and it appears that a dragon might be the murderer.  Since her father is an expert on dragons and the law, Seraphina is familiar with dragon customs.  Drawn into the investigation with the perceptive captain of the guard—who also happens to be the fiancé of the Queen’s granddaughter—Seraphina discovers an evil plot that aims to destroy the fragile peace.

But Seraphina has more to worry about than preparing music and solving murders.  Before her birth, her father had unknowingly married a dragon in human form.  He didn’t learn the truth until his beloved wife died in childbirth.  Only when bands of scales started growing on her arm and around her waist did Seraphina find out that she was a half-dragon.

Seraphina has lived a desperately lonely and solitary life.  The very idea of a human mating with a dragon is an abomination.  If her secret is discovered, she knows she will, at best, become an object of scorn and disgust.  At worst, she and her father could be killed by angry mobs.

Hartman has created a fascinating, intricate world with detailed customs, religion, and social problems.  Most of her characters are interesting and believable within the world she has created.  Seraphina herself is intelligent, creative, and independent—definitely not a damsel in distress.  And the dragons are unlike any I’ve ever met.

So far, Seraphina has received five starred reviews and is definitely a Mackin Pick as well!

More quotes on re-reading:

To read a book for the first time is to make an acquaintance with a new friend; to read it for a second time is to meet an old one.  (Chinese Saying)

Rereading, we find a new book.  (Mason Cooley)

No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally—and often far more—worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond. (C.S. Lewis)

Blogger:  Tracey L.

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Rock & Roll Fiction

July 30, 2012 · Filed under Fiction, High School, Middle School (6-8), Novels, Realistic · Tagged , , , , ,

It’s come up a few times on this blog—in my reviews of Ten Miles Past Normal and Raggin’ Jazzin’ Rockin’ and in my Top 10 of 2011 post—that I’m a music person.  I’m not musical myself (I wish!), but I’m a strong appreciator.  And I always seem to find myself drawn to music-related fiction.

For Trip Broody, in Guitar Notes by Mary Amato, music is a matter of life and death.  That’s how it feels, anyway, when his mom takes his guitar away as a punishment.  That’s how he ends up using a loaner guitar in a school practice room on odd days.  Even days belong to Lyla Marks, a serious cellist.  The two strike up a friendship that begins with notes left in the room and solidifies as they challenge each other to write songs and connect with music in a way that they hadn’t before.  This is a sweet story of friendship that explores the pressures that teens are under without being dark and heavy.  (Really, don’t miss this book.  It is going to make my Top 10 of 2012 list, I promise.)

Matthew Meets the Man is another light read, but this one will have more appeal to boys.  Matt wants to play the drums in a band, but there’s always something that gets in his way.  First his parents make him get a job to pay for a drum set.  Then his job doesn’t work out so well, and he’s forced to mow lawns for money.   Then he gets a girlfriend, which makes it awfully hard to save up for his drum set.   Give it to your reluctant readers with the promise of a fast, fun read.

If you’ve ever dreamed of going on tour with an indie band, you can live vicariously through the experience in The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour.  It’s the summer between high school and college, and Colby has agreed to chauffeur his best friend Bev’s band up the California coast as they play a series of shows in some out-of-the-way clubs.  They meet some interesting people and find some surprises along the way in a novel that will have appeal to those who like indie music, road trip novels, and coming of age stories.

Bibliography:

The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour. February 2012. 9780525422198. Gr 9-12

Guitar Notes by Mary Amato. July 2012. 9781606841242. Gr 7-12

Matthew Meets the Man by Travis Nichols. February 2012. 9781596435452. Gr 6-9

Blogger: Mindy R.

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