Blog from the Windowsill

kindle users, act fast

2012-01-21T13:51:00.001-08:00

Falcon's Dragon by Luli Gray is free today for the Kindle but probably won't be for long. This is two books in one: I don't think I ever read book 2 and I can't seem to dig up my review for book 1, but I remember thinking highly of it. The blurbs from review journals would seem to support that opinion.

Merry Christmas to me!

2011-12-23T10:15:00.000-08:00

I just discovered that Sylvia Louise Engdahl's out of print YA books (and some new adult titles) are available as ebooks. They're at all the major sellers, but if you buy them from Smashwords they're DRM free, available in all formats, and reasonably priced.

Nonfiction Monday: Celebrate Hanukkah

2011-11-20T14:42:00.000-08:00

Celebrate Hanukkah by Deborah Heiligman. National Geographic, 2008 (1-4263-0293-0) $6.95 pb

Aside from a short mention of how astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman spun the dreidel in zero gravity -- "it spins forever!" -- the most notable feature of this nonfiction book is the color photographs, which show Jewish children and Hanukkah celebrations all over the world. How fascinating to see Jews celebrating in India, Uganda and Rome. The text is simple and a little dull; surprisingly, the most interesting sections are in the collected information at the end, which includes a map of where the photos were taken, a glossary of terms, insights into the holiday from a Rabbi, a bibliography for further reading and a photo of Hoffman with his space traveling dreidel. A good basic introduction. (3-6)

(© 2011 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if books are purchased from Powells Boks via this site.

Admittedly, I haven't read it in many years

2011-11-17T10:06:00.001-08:00

... but it is just me that finds it kind of odd that netGalley lists Phillip Hall Likes Me, I Reckon Maybe under "Romance"?

I confess -- I cried

2011-10-23T23:22:00.000-07:00

So my husband and I just happened to be in the New York Public Library (!) and were checking out their 100 year exhibit. I'd been looking at the few exhibits related to children's books, when my husband nudged me towards a case in the middle of the room I must have walked past without noticing three or four times.

And there they were. Scuffed, worn, dirty, grey... loved. Pooh, Tigger, Kanga. Truly tiny Piglet. Eeyore. (No Owl, Rabbit or Roo -- poor Kanga!) I'd known there were there, but I'd completely forgotten.

Museums and libraries are amazing things.

(This explains why no Roo, but did Owl and Rabbit never actually exist?)

best headline I've ever seen in my life

2011-08-24T12:13:00.001-07:00

Whiny Tea Partiers feel threatened by Jane Yolen

DIane Duane Classic -- get it while you can

2011-08-23T10:17:00.001-07:00

First the good news: a good deal on an ebook bundle of Diane Duane's "Young Wizards" series. See Books on the Knob for details.

Now the bad news: Duane will be updating the series. (The ebooks on sale are the originals.) I suppose there are some good arguments for doing this, but I hate it. Children who can only read the latest, most modern stories will have no problem at all finding what they like. Not all children need to be pandered to; some like to have their imaginations and outlook stretched. My life would have been much sadder without the "dated" books of E. Nesbit, Lousia May Alcott, Edward Eager, Frieda Friedman, Elizabeth Enright. My son is enjoying some of those books right now, 30+ years later.

a kid's opinion

2011-07-10T19:53:00.001-07:00

My husband was buying some books for a birthday present today (the Wayside stories, you know you want to know) and a certain picture book was prominently featured on the counter. After the purchases were concluded, he discovered our son had picked it up and was reading it. He asked what he thought, to which our son said, "I don't understand what kind of person would tell someone to go to sleep that way."

My husband explained that sometimes when kids won't go to sleep, parents get very frustrated and feel at the edge of their ropes, and told a few choice stories from the past.

To which our son replied, "Well now I feel guilty!"

So to everyone who worried about actual kids reading this book... it's a good thing!

Little Plum continued

2011-06-25T21:04:00.001-07:00

Belinda has just left the first nastygram for Gem and my son asked, "Shouldn't she have left a nicer note?"

I was so pleased to have him recognize that, and how fascinating to see him trying to navigate the world of interactions... I didn't think of that at all when I chose this book, but it's really quite emotionally complex. What better place to learn about people than children's books? It's where I learned.

plum season

2011-06-21T21:05:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking that I haven't been making the best choices for read-alouds; the books I loved to read to myself don't always translate. So tonight I put my mind to finding a book that would sound wonderful and came up with Little Plum by Rumer Godden. I remember how fond I was of the unique way Godden wrote sentences, blending narrative and dialog.

It's going great; my son is responding so well to the cadence and the language. At one point he said he could just tell he was going to like this book. Since he had me read for a solid hour, I'd say so.

For Those Who Don't Follow xkcd

2011-06-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

An unexpected journey for The Magic Schoolbus.

Review: I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President

2011-06-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb. Razorbill, (9781595143549) $8.99 pb

This is a hard book to critique, since I’m not the intended audience. It’s very creative, original and funny, which adults can appreciate, but also often gross and offensive, which not so much. Perhaps we're better off giving this to the kids and sticking to Evil Overmom. I did appreciate its cleverness, however.

Our narrator is Oliver, the school fat boy, whom everyone thinks is mentally slow. Little do they know that he’s really an evil genius putting on an amazing front, is fabulously wealthy and unbelievably powerful, and runs everything at their school. Anyone who tries to mess with him is rewarded with flatulence caused by a drug he invented, and he goes about his day enjoying the secret root beer/chocolate milk water fountain he had installed, and the toilet kept stocked with malted milk balls.

Although he admits to being fond of his "shapeless, witless mass of mousy hair, belly fat and boobs" mother ("Do I love her? Am I capable of love? A question even I can't answer) -- Oliver utterly despises his father. But the subtext tells a different story, of a boy desperate for his dad’s approval. When he decides to show up his father by winning the election for class president, he puts forth all his brilliance and tremendous power. But Oliver, being pure evil, doesn't realize how much "humans and their idiotic emotions" could foul up his plans. Emotions are the "only things in this world I can't control." Including, inevitably, his own.

The fantasy world -- or is it? -- is skillfully maintained, and anyone who’s ever been picked on in school will find it hard to resist the fantastical ways in which Oliver expresses his resentments and gets his revenge. I was very curious about how the story would resolve: would we ever find out if this is truth? Would Oliver ever admit to telling a story? I won't say how it ends, except that it was both consistent with the book's internal logic, and satisfying.

Photographs illustrate the story, but I didn’t feel they added much, and you won’t miss anything if you listen to the audio version (which is very well done, albeit tiresome at times. So much venom spewing can be painful to listen to.) I listened to audio for the first part of the book, then switched to an ebook. (Which I don't recommend, because there are numerous comic footnotes and those are a pain in eformat.) (Suggested age range: 13 & up)

© 2011 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Both review copies provided by the public library. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

Stats and Stories

2011-06-05T09:35:00.001-07:00

My finish line post.

Time spent reading or listening to audio book: 23 hours, 1 minute

Time spent blogging: 1 hour, 43 minutes

Time spent networking: 51 minutes

Total time: 25 hours and 35 minutes

Number of complete books read: 7
Number of books I decided not to finish: 3 (plus several I only read a very short amount of)
Books not completed during the challenge: 3, including the audio book

Number of books that made me laugh: 4
Number of books that made me cry: 2

Favorite book: oh, so hard to decide. But I think I'll go with Cosmic.

Total time reading was about the same as last year, but I spent much less time blogging than usual. Generally I write full reviews, this year I just wasn't that into it, despite how awesome the books were. I read fewer books than last year, but I think most of them were longer and/or denser.

I decided to keep things very simple this year, minimal recordkeeping and plenty of breaks. The reward was a very easy feeling challenge -- low stress, low eyestrain, and the only time I really felt tired was when I read til 2 a.m last night. On the plus side, I loved the books I was reading! Aside from my "If I read one more first person narrative my head will explode" breakdown, I don't think I've ever enjoyed the reading in a challenge more. On the minus side... well, it felt less like a real challenge somehow. What's a book challenge if it doesn't exhaust you out of your mind?

Anyway, it's been great fun, as always. I love being part of this wacky community every year.

Audiobook: I Am a Genuis of Unspeakable Evil

2011-06-05T01:06:00.000-07:00

I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb

I was attracted by the outrageous title and cover of this book, but at first it seemed like a terrible choice for audio: listening to someone who is sarcastic and angry nonstop, no matter how well the voice is done, is really tiresome and unpleasant. With more characters introduced, it's started to grow on me and is sometimes very funny. I still think I'd prefer to read the rest in print, however. Apparently there are comic illustrations, too.

It's about an evil genius who hides behind a pose of idiocy -- think baby Stewie from the show "Family Guy," which is pretty much how the audiobook narrator portrays him, sans the accent. The book is entirely from his point of view so it's impossible to know yet whether this reality is going to turn out to be true or a complete fantasy. But considering he has the power to make water fountains dispense both chocolate milk and root beer and plans to ban the song "Jingle Bell Rock," it might not be so bad if it were true.

listening: 2 hour, 12 m
blogging: 14 m

Book 8: The Panic Virus by Seth Minookin

2011-06-05T00:52:00.000-07:00

I'll add my stats later, because I probably won't finish this book tonight and -- I hope -- will sleep too late to do any more reading for the challenge tomorrow.

It's traditional for me to read an autism book during the challenge and a nonfiction break seemed like a good idea. This is very interesting, though I'm not sure I'm taking everything in. I was very struck by how vulnerable children who can't yet be immunized are when immunization rates fall. It's not just an individual risk we're taking for our own children.

183 out of 311

Reading: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Blogging: 8 minutes
Networking: 3 minutes

Book 7: Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

2011-06-04T22:19:00.001-07:00

And now this is why you don't finish books that are boring you. Because you could be reading Cosmic instead.

This was a recommendation from animouse to my husband, who tried it and didn't get into it. Which is a freakin' tragedy and I'm going to lean on him until he reads it. If the ending doesn't make him cry, nothing will. And if he doesn't laugh about a million times while reading it... well, I don't even know.

This is a love letter to dads, in the form of a story narrated by Liam, a 12 year old kid who's so big and scruffy, he's constantly mistaken for an adult. When he gets the chance to have an awesome adventure, for which he has to pretend to be a dad, it's too good to pass up. Liam is probably too young to have read Kurt Vonnegut, who warned us, "we are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be," but he learns the truth of those words. And he learns what it means to be a dad, which sometimes involves doing the hard thing.

It sounds like a book adults will love more than kids, but it's so incredibly funny, I can't imagine anyone not loving it. Except apparently my possibly certifiable husband. * (12 & up)

314 pages

Reading: 2 hours, 26 minutes
Blogging: 10 minutes
Networking: 3 minutes

Book 6.5 Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith

2011-06-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've ever had so many DNFs in a book challenge before, but I don't have the patience I once did. Too many books in this world I want to read to waste time on ones I'm not enjoying. This seemed derivative and the narrator's voice too bland.

pages: 60 out of 310

Reading: 35 minutes
Blogging: 5 minutes
Networking: 12 minutes

Book 6: Old Photographs by Sherie Posesorski

2011-06-04T17:09:00.001-07:00

Old Photographs by Sherie Posesorski. Second Story, 2010 (978-1-897187-78-4)

A book about a girl who loves Agatha Christie mysteries, how could I resist that? Sadly, the Christie theme turned out to be pretty light (though that's considerably better than getting it all wrong!) But it was an interesting story.

Phoebe is having a lonely summer. Her best friend Yuri is away, and her recently married mother expects--insists--that she live a fairy-tale life full of the "right kind" of friends. So Phoebe pretends to be off to pool parties, when really she's just biking around town and stalking the adorably nerdy Colin.

When Phoebe comes across an elderly woman having a garage sale, who seems bewildered and frightened, she feels a need to help her. Her unexpected friendship with Mrs. Tomblin will lead to a mystery to solve, a budding romance with Colin, and some important changes in her relationship with her mother, who has been trying to block all memories of her working-class past that might cast a blemish on her new wealthy life.

The mystery of who robbed Mrs. Tomblin is not particularly enthralling, but the family issues really made this book for me, as Phoebe struggles with how her mother tries to erase their past -- including Phoebe's much loved relatives. I liked the strong, athletic and warm-hearted Phoebe, who's a lot smarter than she thinks she is -- especially about what's really important to people. The mild romance and the friendship between Phoebe and Yuri are warmly drawn. Everything comes together a little too sweetly and perfectly at the end, but overall this was a pleasant book, and just a little unexpected. (12 & up)

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy.

215 pages

Reading: 1 hour, 41 minutes
Blogging: 16 minutes
Networking: 2 minutes

Book 5: White Cat by Holly Black

2011-06-04T11:20:00.001-07:00

White Cat by Holly Black. Simon & Schuster, 2010.

Another totally awesome book! Or perhaps, just because I don't read YA that often anymore, everything seems fresh and wonderful to me? And everyone else is going, oh not that same old tired story again.

Not that it's completely original. The plot is reminiscent of Diana Wynne Jones: an alternate universe very much like ours except for the existance of magic (feared and known as curse work,) with a protagnoist who's the one person in his family who isn't a curse "worker." In this world, laws against workers create organized crime, with curses as a metaphor for drugs, prostitution and so on. (Runaway workers kicked out by their families are preyed on the underworld; liberals are fighting against laws forcing people to take a test to reveal whether they're workers.)

I thought the world building was delightfully clever, with so many aspects of society and history shaped by curse work. Australia, for example, has no laws against curse working "because it was founded by curse workers [...] who'd been sent to a penal colony."

The narrator is seventeen-year-old Cassel, the non-worker from a family of workers, criminals and grifters. Cassel has conned his way into a prep school, where he desperately tries to pass for normal. (Not so desperately that he doesn't make book for all the other students, however.) But the painful secrets of his past and his family are about to catch up with him, in a big way.

Lies, betrayal, and a narrator constantly fighting his own nature make for a gut-wrenching read. I can't wait for the sequel. * (14 & up)

310 pages

Reading: 3 hours, 25 minutes
Blogging: 2 minutes
Networking: 12 minutes

Oh, for crying out loud....

2011-06-03T23:57:00.000-07:00

I tried an ebook freebie I had, a supposed sequel to Sense and Sensibilty called Eliza's Daughter... and guess what? Joan Aiken seems to have gotten Austen mixed up with Charlotte Bronte, because the beginning reads more like Jane Eyre or Vilette than anything Austen ever wrote.

Reading: 1 minute
Blogging: 2 minutes

ACK!

2011-06-03T23:43:00.001-07:00

Except for one graphic novel, every book in my pile is first person! I never plan this thoroughly enough. Quick, someone tell me something I might be able to download from the library onto my ereader!

Book 4.5 Everlost by Neal Schusterman

2011-06-03T23:17:00.000-07:00

It's hard to follow up a really great book. I picked up this one because it was the first on my pile that did not have a first person narrator. Counting Chime, the two in Will Grayson, Will Grayson and the five in The Last Days, I've read eleven first person narrations today!

Unfortunately, this third person narrative really didn't grab me. I've read so many brilliant writers today that this seemed pedestrian in comparison. Hope something else will turn up in the pile.

8 out of 313 pages

Reading: 9 minutes
Blogging: 3 minutes
Networking: 1 minute

Book 4: Will Grayson, Will Grayson

2011-06-03T22:53:00.001-07:00

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan. Penguin, 2010

Okay, this is going to be one close race for my favorite book of the challenge. On a strictly critical level, Dramarama is probably the better book -- curiously enough, they have a number of similarities -- but WG, WG had me laughing an average of once a page, and we're talking 310 pages here. I could name a number of things that I disliked about it, but why bother when I loved it so much? So, so much fun and really touching, too. I don't think I've ever read a better collaboration. * (14 & up)

Book from the public library

310 pages
Reading time: 3hours, 12 minutes
Blogging time: 7 minutes
Networking: 3 minutes

Random Observation

2011-06-03T19:37:00.001-07:00

My current book (Will Grayson, Will Grayson) and Chime both have what is presumably the same font, with very distinctive and distracting fat exclamation points. Punctuation should not make itself so obvious.

Book 3: The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld

2011-06-03T18:17:00.001-07:00

The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld. Razorbill, 2006

The sequel to Peeps, though could probably be read on its own; I didn't remember a whole lot about Peeps but everything got explained.

I had some trouble getting into this: the first half is primarily about five people forming a band and seemed to be written for an audience far, far crazier about music than I am. Once the intersection of the band plot and the science fiction elements became clearer, I enjoyed the book much more. Despite its depressing title and some very disturbing elements, it's got a positive side and was very funny in spots. Negatives are the constant catchphrases used by almost every character, and that quite a few of the characters are really unpleasant. (First person narratives by unpleasant characters are haunting me right now... I'm having very bad luck with my chosen audiobook. More later.)

Reading: 2 hours, 25 minutes
Blogging: 8 minutes
Networking: 7 minutes

Book 2.7: A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris

2011-06-03T14:45:00.000-07:00

I decided I needed a break from YA, so picked up the book I'd been in the middle of before the challenge started. This is the second in the "Aurora Teagarden" mysteries and I found it pretty disappointing. Blah mystery, blah personal stuff. Hope the next is better, or I might wash my hands of the series.

pages: 147-168 (21 pages)

Reading: 12 minutes
Blogging: 3 minutes
Networking: 2 minutes

Book 2.5: Chime by Franny Billingsley

2011-06-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

Chime by Franny Billingsley. Penguin, 2011

Well rats. Looks like a lot of interesting potential here, quite possibly themes I would really appreciate (does her sister has Autism?) and intriguingly reminscent of We Have Always Lived in the Castle, but somehow I just can't get into it. Briony's continued insistence on her guilt and horribleness makes me feel like I'm being hit on the head with a hammer and all the fantasy elements are too weird for me. Probably a great book, perhaps I'll try it again another time.

~40 out of 361 pages
Reading: 20 minutes
Blogging: 6 minutes

Book 2: Dramarama by E. Lockhart

2011-06-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

Dramarama by E. Lockhart. Hyperion, 2007

Every time I read one of Lockhart's books -- which is about once a year, around this same time -- I wonder why on earth I haven't read everything she's written. The desperately tired young-adult-fiction-book-with-snappy-first-person-narrator genre comes to life in her hands. (Though she's not so shabby with third person, either.) I'm so achingly grateful to read an original narrative voice that I'd probably have enjoyed this even if it wasn't filled with brilliant themes about friendship and reinventing identities and discovering ones place in the world, all in an exciting theatrical package. * (12 & up)

I'm two for two! How long can this wonderful streak last? I'm going to play it fairly safe with Franny Billingsley's Chime next.

311 pages

Reading: 2 hours, 18 minutes
Blogging: 8 minutes
Networking: 4 minutes

Book 1: Held by Edeet Ravel

2011-06-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

Held by Edeet Ravel. Annick Press, 2011

Wow, what a perfect book to start with. It was utterly riveting and got me right back into the non-stop reading swing of the book challenge. I feel too tired and stupid to write a real review at the moment, because of the challenge of avoiding spoilers, but will try to come back to it later and do it justice. My only complaint was an overly abrupt ending which left me with too many questions.

Thanks to the publishers for providing me with this book.

pages: 245
Reading time: 2 hours
Networking time: 5 minutes
Blogging time: 5 minutes

Ready... Set....

2011-06-03T08:01:00.000-07:00

Go!

Beginning the 6th annual 48 Hour Book Challenge!

Starting time, Friday 8 a.m.

I'm going high tech this year and using my son's timer. A word of caution -- I tested an online stopwatch and it did NOT keep the correct time.

I'm starting today with Held by Eddeet Ravel. It looks very heavy, and I know from experience that as time passes, I'll want lighter reads.

Good luck to everyone!

Blogging time: 3 minutes

Hmmm.

2011-05-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

Just went through my list of books saved for the 48 Hour Book Challenge -- Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, Shiver, White Cat, Jekyl Loves Hide, Chime, Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Everlost, Tantalize -- and realized that I have exactly ONE book that is not paranormal YA in that mix. Which is guaranteed to send me through the roof after about a book and a half. Will have to look for a few things to balance that out.

What's on your Book Challenge Reading List?

on your marks...

2011-05-04T11:16:00.001-07:00

The starting line is set for MotherReader's 6th Annual 48 hour book challenge! Hope that copy of Chime will get here in time. I plan to be prepared this year, with lots of juicy YA novels.

my son, on the introduction of Eilonwy

2011-05-03T20:53:00.001-07:00

"She sure does talk a lot, doesn't she."

spoiled for choice

2011-05-01T20:13:00.001-07:00

my husband, to my son: "Do you want to have Taran and Gwydion and Eilonwy, or Aslan and Peter and Susan and Edmund tonight?"

I'm a little sorry that Team Aslan won, because I'm the one reading The Book of Three aloud, but it's a happy night to be a mom.

one of my son's favorites is in here

2011-04-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

A mother posts some freaky images from her kid's bookshelves.

review: The Yankee at the Seder

2011-04-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

The Yankee at the Seder by Elka Weber. Illustrated by Adam Gustavson. Tricycle, 2009 (978-1-58246-431-2) $16.99

It’s the day before Passover, 1865, and ten-year-old Jacob is disappointed at the end of “the War of Northern Aggression”: “I was never going to be a Rebel general. I’d never capture a whole unit of Yankees single-handed.” He’s also scared at what the future holds: “No one knew whether the Union would treat us well, now that they’d beaten us.” So when he sees a real live Yankee soldier come walking down the street, his first reaction is not friendly. Then, much to Jacob’s amazement, he realizes the Yankee is a fellow Jew.

When he runs in to tell his mother, she invites “that Yankee” to their seder, telling Jacob: “Jacob, every year we being the seder the same way. We say, ‘All who are hungry, let them come and eat; all who are in need, let them join us for the Passover meal.’ A hungry man needing a seder has come to our home. Would you send him away for wearing a blue coat?”

“Maybe,” thinks Jacob.

The seder progresses as usual, with one little hiccup. Jacob’s father pointedly speaks up in favor of rebellion. The Yankee responds, “Sir, it is one thing to rebel against an unjust government. But Passover isn’t about people rebelling against a government, sir. It’s about how no man wants to be a slave and about how wonderful it is to be free.”

Although it seems to have a specific readership, this book has a surprisingly broad and pertinent message, at a time when so many people in the United States are very divided against one another. Corporal Levy doesn’t exactly convert Jacob to his way of thinking, but he does show him the value of finding common ground.

Warm paintings illustrate this unusual and thoughtful tale, based on a true story which is described in end notes. * (5 & up)

© 2011 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

review: Bugs By the Numbers

2011-04-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

Bugs By the Numbers written and illustrated by Sharon Werner and Sarah Forss. Green Apple, 2011 (978-60905-061-0) $19.99

You might guess from the cover image that this book is visually arresting and you'd be right. A follow-up to the award-winning Alphabeasties, it features bugs impressively created from numerals; the already large book has an even bigger impact with many cut pages that fold out. It's not actually a counting book, but each page gives numeric facts about a bug: "scorpions have 8 legs. They're arachnids, relatives of spiders. Scorpions are very adaptable. Many species are able to live for 1 year on 1 meal." For each of these factual snippets, the graphic designers had a field day; simpler uses of color and plenty of white space keep the pages from seeming impossibly busy. (5 & up)

© 2011 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

review: Moon Over the Mountain

2011-04-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

Moon Over the Mountain/Luna Sobre La Montana by Keith Polette. Illustrated by Michael Kress-Russick. Raven Tree, 2009 (978-1-932748-85-7) $16.95

A traditional Asian folk tale about a man who seeks greater and greater power is dressed up here with a southwestern setting, embedded Spanish, and some very eye-catching illustrations.

Agipito is a poor stonecutter who must work very hard cutting piedras. One day Agipito wishes he could be a rich merchant; the Spirit of the Desert grants his wish and he wakes up as a comerciante rico. Agipito is contento... until he notices how much stronger the sun is.

I appreciate multilingual books with embedded language and this one is well done, with the words always following an introduction of the English, for clarity. "Day after day, he cut out stones for large houses and churches. Many casas grandes and iglesias were built with these piedras. (The Spanish words are printed in red.) The book would be enjoyable just for the text, but it's the illustrations that really make it -- rich, bold, expressive depictions of Agipito as el sol, el viento and la gran montana.

I was bothered by the book's ending, which disrupts the obvious circular nature of the story for a puzzling happy ending that rings false. It's still a good choice for readers looking for this type of book.

© 2011 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

review: The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah

2011-04-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah by Leslie Kimmelman. Illustrated by Paul Meisel. Holiday House, 2010 (978-0-8234-1952-4) $16.95

Learning about Passover can be entertaining -- who knew? I smiled all the way through this story, in which the Little Red Hen, who sounds quite a bit like my Jewish grandmother, learns that she has to make all her matzoh preparations herself -- to say nothing of cleaning the house of bread and preparing the Seder dinner. Despite her friends' uncooperative -- even rude! -- attitude when she asks for help, at the end the Little Red Hen remembers the words of the Haggadah, "Let all who are hungry come and eat." Deciding that a good mensch forgives, she lets them join in the Seder -- but justice is satisfied, since she gives them a good scold first and makes them wash the dishes.

This reads aloud delightfully, and all the yiddishism give it even more of a lilt, as well as make it funnier. "Friends, schmends," the Little Red Hen mutters, and, "So I should starve?" The pen & ink and water color illustrations nicely capture the bustling hen's cozy home and the hangdog expressions of her friends when she scolds them. Plus, if you've ever wanted to see a horse wearing a yarmulke, here's your chance. * (3 & up)

© 2011 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Review copy from the public library. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

Rosemary Wells Johnson was right!

2011-04-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

Last week my son read The Runaway Robot, an old favorite of his father's. I've never read it, so now he's reading it to me.

what your favorite childhood books say about you

2011-04-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

Of this list, The Phantom Toolbooth... and I'd say, this is pretty accurate.

(I am also that lady who talks to her plants.)

Retro Review: Well Wished by Franny Billingsley

2011-04-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

I see in the blogs that Franny Billingsley has an interesting new book out, and The Folk Keeper is being reprinted. So I dug out this review of a book I remembered enjoying a lot. (Have also requested Chime from the library, and am rather hoping it will arrive just in time for this year's 48 hour book challenge.)

Well Wished by Franny Billingsley. Atheneum, 1997 (0-689-81210-8) $16.00; 2000 (978-0689832550) $9.95 pb

The village of Bishop Mayne isn’t quite like other places; it is blessed, or cursed, with a Wishing Well which actually does grant wishes. But the Well works by very specific rules, which are intoned by its Guardian: “One wish each lifetime. One cycle of the moon to repent and call it back. And for that cycle of the moon your lips are locked in this: To no one may you speak of your wish.” And as Nuria’s grandfather, The Avy, often tells her, wishing is dangerous: “The Well will make a wish go wrong if it can.”

Nuria has often promised to stay away from the well, but when she makes friends with Catty Winter, who can’t walk, she is tempted to help her. And when her new friendship begins to stir her insecure fears and jealousies, Nuria makes an impulsive wish that could change her life forever—unless she can find a way to take it back.

With its town-with-a-secret setting made even more disorienting through the use of unfamiliar names and ambiguous clues about time and place, Well Wished has an eerie, otherworldly atmosphere that adds an enjoyably mysterious tension to the story. The magical universe is wickedly twisted, in a way reminiscent of Diana Wynne Jones’ books—as is the way magic happenings are entwined with strong, believable emotions. But Billingsley gives Well Wished its own style, a fresh, crisp, wintry beauty of thought and phrase that never seems overdone. The emotions, particularly Nuria’s jealous love for the Avy, are subtly but surely drawn, making the combination of magic and realism touching and effective. (8 & up)

© 2011 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

Review: Better Together

2011-04-04T09:42:00.000-07:00

Better Together by Sheryl and Simon Shapiro. Illustrated by Dusan Petricic. Annick Press, 2011 (978-1-55451-278-2) $8.95 pb

This picture book about combining and mixing is aptly named. Most of the short verses aren't that interesting on their own, but add in the thoughtful or mischievous children in the pen & ink illustrations and they get some much needed verve. I particularly liked "Mud":

Sprayed out a rainbow,
water caused a flood.
Mixed with the dirt,
made slippery mud.

Slid in the puddle,
fell on my bum!
Got a little dirty --
don't tell mum!

The accompanying picture shows a completely mud-covered girl shushing us as she slips past her unsuspecting mother's back.

On a sweeter note, the illustration for "Team" shows three children, with their worst sports weaknesses depicted on the backs of their jerseys; when they come together as a team, we see the fronts display their greatest strengths.

Parents will most likely appreciate this book for the innovative concept and multicultural cast. (And for those who seek out depictions of biracial families or little kids using the toilet, put this on your list.) Kids may like it for the emphasis on the messy and the silly, and the heartfelt emotions we see in the pictures. (4-8)

© 2011 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

It Was Bound to Happen Someday

2011-04-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

Obviously, The Monster at the End of this Book should have been housed in the Unseen University library.

I never know what to say

2011-03-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

Luckily, someone else said it all for me.

R.I.P. Diana Wynne Jones.

My husband is currently reading Charmed Life to our son; how wonderful that books live on.

a wicked good deal, that's lovely

2011-03-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

Barnes and Noble is spotlighting Melissa Marr this month (March!) and has the Wicked Lovely ebook for $.99. The series has gone steadily downhill for me, but the first book is well worth a read. My review here

happy sigh

2011-02-28T20:45:00.001-08:00

Tonight I started reading Magic in the Alley to my son. Right after Cleery wished to find something enchanted in every alley, he burst out, "this is going to be a GOOD book!"

Review: Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow?

2011-02-28T09:22:00.000-08:00

Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? by Susan A. Shea. Illustrated by Tom Slaughter. Blue Apple Books, 2011 (978-1-60905-062-7)

What a fresh, fun idea for a picture book. We know that a duckling will grow to become a duck, but can a car grow to become... a truck? How about a stool and a chair? After several suggestions, the rhyming text gives us the answers: "YES to ducks, bears and owls, NO to trucks, chairs and towels. YES to cats. YES to goats. NO to hats. NO to coats." The change in rhythm keeps the rhyme scheme from getting dull, and paper flaps to lift add anticipation to the silly suggestions.

There's all sorts of easy learning in here, about the names of baby and adult animals, and about the concept of the difference between things that grow and things that are made. Matte paintings in mainly primary colors, white and black, are an age-appropriate, non-distracting backdrop to the text. (2-5)

© 2011 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

naw, it'll never happen

2010-12-13T22:22:00.000-08:00

"2011 Books

These exciting, long-awaited, brand-new mashups will be released to an eager public:

* Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea – with a giant killer squid!
* The Tell-Tale heart – with a still-alive zombie body part!
* The Turn of the Screw – with ghosts!
* Moby Dick – with a giant killer sperm whale!"

See more 2011 predictions by Carolyn Crane at The Book Smugglers

awwww....

2010-12-13T09:16:00.001-08:00

So darn cute I can't even stand it...

Do you like my blog post?

2010-11-29T18:07:00.000-08:00

Yes, I do! I like that blog post!

my son reviews the Big Nate books, in verse

2010-11-10T16:02:00.000-08:00

Big Nate is cool
and so are you-l.

Poetry Friday -- review: Falling Down the Page

2010-10-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

Falling Down the Page edited by Georgia Heard. Roaring Brook, 2009 (978-1-59643-220-8) $16.95

They say some people would be entertaining reading the phone book. Poems of lists don't sound very promising, but get the right poets and you have a wonderful concept and a wonderful collection. An excellent design doesn't hurt, either.

This is a smallish book--no illustrations, but it doesn't need them. Most of the poems run vertically/sideways, to feel more like reading a list; one is to be read bottom to top, one with four voices. The titles of the poems are all done in different styles, which adds some visual variety: for example, "What is Earth?" by J. Patrick Lewis and "Spinners" by Marilyn Singer are both appropriately round, while "In My Desk" by Jane Yolen is scattered down the side of the page in a a random feeling way and "Creativity" by Eileen Spinelli has leaning and upside down letters. The design adds to the poems without taking attention away from them.

I love how the poems takes a theme that may seem mundane--the contents of a desk, rocks, clay--and find... well, poetry, in them. Thought, sound, imagery, meaning. It's hard to pick one poem to showcase, because I liked each one better than the last. But since it's Poetry Friday, I'll go with this one:

Why Poetry by Lee Bennett Hopkins

Why poety?
Why?

Why sunsets?
Why trees?

Why birds?
Why seas?

Why you?
Why me?

Why friends?
Why families?

Why laugh?
Why cry?

Why hello?
Why good-bye?

Why poetry?

That's why!

If you love poetry, put checking out this book on your things to do list. * (6 & up)

© 2010 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

droooool...

2010-10-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

I need this!

awww!

2010-10-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

The title of the Spanish language version of Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! just kills me:

It was incredibly cute to begin with, but now!

Poetry Friday -- review: Scarum Fair

2010-10-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

Scarum Fair by Jessica Swaim. Illustrated by Carol Ashley. Wordsong, 2010 (978-1-59078-590-4) $17.95

Welcome NOT to Scarum Fair, where the devil's food cake is served by real devils, the Scary-Go-Round never lets you off and the Crocodile Slide will cost you an arm and a leg. This collection of verse is an entertaining parody of county fairs that will appeal to readers who enjoy puns: the sax player in the Sleeping Dead Band de-composes, competition is stiff in the coffin race, bad luck often strikes those who ride the Rattler Coaster. Dark illustrations, heavy on gruesome green, combine genuine creepiness with a touch of cute, to help keep the scariness on the silly side.

None of the poems really stood out for me, except the appealing randomness and hint of intrigue in "The Palm Reader":

"Your garden will die," Madame says with a frown,
You could have a green thumb if you'd just knuckle down."
She closes The Hand, and she gives it a squeeze.
"You owe me ten bucks and a slice of swiss cheese."

The Hand waves goodbye as it exists the booth
with a fistful of lies and a pinch of the truth.

Other than that, it's an easy read aloud with general kid appeal, though perhaps less accessible to those who aren't familiar with fairs. (6 & up)

© 2010 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

what it is to be me

2010-10-10T22:40:00.000-07:00

I started reading The Witch Family to my son today. I thought he would enjoy the part in which the little witches do everything backwards, including math: 1+1=0, 2+1=1, and so on. He did. So much, that he started calculating how it would work with negative numbers and fractions.

Review: What it is to be Me!

2010-10-06T10:33:00.001-07:00

What it is to be Me!: an Asperger Kid Book by Angela Wine. Illustrated by David Crary. Fairdale Books, 2005 (1-59352-199-5) $9.95 pb

I have the same problem with this book that I have with most children's books about understanding Aspergers: it's too specific. To quote a favorite phrase, if you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism--just a few added words to make it clear that some Aspies are very good with computers and some Aspies take things literally would have been great.

Other than that, this is probably the best book of its kind I've seen. The illustrations are simple but engaging, with the kind of exaggerated style my Aspie son finds very funny: Enormous ears to illustrate having "very strong senses", smiling faces on gears and computer terminals. The information is straightforward, focusing on strengths as well as challenges: "I am a friendly boy... but sometimes I stand too close." It's great to see the narrator portrayed as likable and happy, getting away from one of my least favorite stereotypes. With personal addendums to the text, this can be a good beginning for any child wanting to understand what Asperger's Syndrome is like. (3-12)

You can see the book's website here.

© 2010 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Review copy from my son's collection, originally purchased from Amazon.com. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

Review: Alien Invaders

2010-10-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

Alien Invaders by Lynn Huggins-Cooper. Illustrated by Bonnie Leick. Raven Tree Press, 2010 (978-1-934960-83-7) $16.95

(Also available in an English/Spanish bilingual edition.)

Think that aliens are little green men? Wrong! In fact, aliens are already here, setting up camp in our gardens, spinning dangerous traps, watching us with their camera-lens eyes. There are many more of them than us, so even though his mom says "they are just bugs," the young narrator of this book decides, "I am making friends with them, just in case."

I was tickled by this imaginative view of insects, which finds mystery in the most seemingly ordinary things. The narrator's awe-filled combination of fear and fascination is reflected in the illustrations, which have an appropriately unearthly glow and use size and shape distortions to emphasize the creepy "alien-ness" of the bugs. The last page is especially funny, as the boy tries to show his friendliness by dressing up with bug-eyed googles, wings, a colander hat for feelers and flowers sticking out of his clothes.

© 2010 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

hmmm....

2010-09-17T09:30:00.001-07:00

I have this idea I saw a mysterious third sequel to Eleanor Estes' The Alley and The Tunnel of Hugsy Good some years back. Can't find anything online. Did I dream it?

EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

2010-09-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

Juster and Feiffer team up again. I don't know whether to be thrilled or scared.

Nancy as we'd like to see her

2010-09-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

From Hank the Vagrant.

Oh dear

2010-09-02T14:53:00.001-07:00

It's a bad sign when you haven't blogged in so long, you've forgotten how to do the technical stuff.

review: Daddy, Papa, and Me

2010-09-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

Daddy, Papa, and Me by Leslea Newman. Illustrated by Carol Thompson. Tricycle, 2009 (978-1-58246-262-2) $7.99 board

This is advertised (along with its companion, Mommy, Mama, and Me, which I haven't seen) as being the first board book featuring gay parents; assuming that's true, I'm glad the first ones are so appropriately board-bookish, with a text in simple rhyme and mixed media illustrations that are bright and lively.

The story is about a (no specified gender) child playing with daddy and papa: daddy helps paint, papa helps bake; daddy strums on a guitar, papa drums; daddy shows how to sew, papa shows how to throw; "Daddy's plane goes zoom, zoom, zoom! Papa's car goes vroom vroom vroom!" Nothing all that special, but nothing that makes you feel like you're hit over the head with a hammer, either. (Except maybe the aprons. I'm all for the two dads modeling non-stereotypical behavior, but do we have to model 1950s t.v. mom?)

I'm hoping this won't stay a one-of-kind for long, but for now, it's the go-to book for those looking for an enjoyable board book in which gay parents are taken for granted. No trauma, no speeches, just a normal day in a normal life. (1-4)

© 2010 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Review copy borrowed from the public library. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

Starred review: Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes

2010-07-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin. Illustrated by James Dean. HarperCollins, 2010 (978-0-06-190622-0) $16.99

Pete the cat loves his new white shoes so much, he even sings about them: "I love my white shoes, I love my white shoes..." Then Pete steps into a large pile of strawberries, turning his white shoes--red! But the insouciant Pete just thinks, "everything is cool" and changes his song: "I love my red shoes, I love my red shoes..." The story ends after several colorful adventures, with the comment: "The moral of Pete's story is: no matter what you step in, keep walking along and singing your song... because it's all good."

A repetitive question/answer format is almost sure to grab little kids, but there's variety and humor here for older readers too. The pictures of mellow Pete have an offbeat zaniness; sometimes he's got sneakers on all four feet, sometimes he's playing guitar, sometimes he's just hanging out with a cup of coffee. Size and perspective constantly change, which adds to the visual impact--there's something very funny somehow about enormous sneakers, or sneakers on varied numbers of feet.

Although this is a book with a strong general appeal, it could also have been designed to steal its way into the hearts of parents of kids with autism. That cheerful flexibility... ah, it's like finding a golden ticket, for us.

The book includes a link to an mp3 of performer Litwin and kids reading and singing the story. This could be a boon to anyone feeling a little uncertain of their storytelling skills, since it demonstrates where to put emphasis and provides a tune for Pete's song. But it's not quite the same without Pete's little off-the cuff thoughts after each adventure: "everything is cool," "awesome," "groovy," and "rock and roll!" * (3 & up)

© 2010 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

Other blog reviews:

The Reading Tub
Brimful Curiosities -- includes a video and craft idea.

children's books live forever

2010-06-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

I was adding my comments on Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything In It to my bibliography of books featuring multiracial families and came across my review of In My Heart by Molly Bang. I donated my review copy of it to my son's preschool and I don't know if he actually remembers the book, but he still often tells us, "I carry you in my heart."

Nonfiction Monday - review: Dinosaurs?!

2010-06-07T15:28:00.000-07:00

Dinosaurs?! written and illustrated by Lila Prap. North-South, 2010 (978-0-7358-2284-9) $16.95

I was pretty turned off by nonfiction as a kid, so this book caught my eye as something that might appeal to the sort of kid I was. Incidentally, I didn't find any other blog reviews of this book, but I did find a mention of Lila Prap's Why at A Year of Reading, accompanying this comment: "I read aloud nonfiction that doesn't look or act like nonfiction to challenge my students' thinking about genre."

Dinosaurs?! may not be as challenging as Why?, but it's not your standard nonfiction. In addition to illustrations of dinosaurs that are a bit on the goofy side, the informative text is surrounded by a group of wisecracking chickens, who mock their enormous ancestors. (Hmm, a bit reminiscent of Robie Harris' facts of life books, come to think of it.) One little just-hatching chick always has a question or comment at the end of the page, and the next page answers it: "What strange ancestors. Did any others have unusual bumps on their head?" (Turn the page.) "Some of them had bony domes on their heads! Oviraptor, or Egg Seizer had an unusually shaped crest on its and two prongs on the upper palate of its beak, which it may have used to crush the shells of mollusks."

I didn't find this as funny as I'd hoped; the best part comes at the very end, when the chickens play a game of telephone: "Our ancestors were dinosaurs! Pass it on!" "Our aunt's stores were at the shore! Splash it on!" "The apple core went through the door! Mash it long!" The smart chick comments, "And so on... This is roughly how chickens evolved from dinosaurs." Other than that, the chicken remarks aren't that interesting, and the same few pictures of them are used over and over. But the dinosaurs themselves, thickly outlined against speckled backgrounds, occasionally sporting grins, are quite appealing.

I can see this book potentially working both ways, as a way to entice a fiction lover into enjoying a few facts, or a way to entice a nonfiction lover into enjoying a little whimsy. (4-8)

© 2010 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

you know the book challenge is really over...

2010-06-07T09:54:00.001-07:00

... when you have to reset your comment word verfications again. Sigh.

There were some last minute comments, so I'm upping my FotL donation to $25.

Finish Line Post

2010-06-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

My I start by saying that I vote we find some kind of magic math widgit to enter all our numbers into before next year? Because the bookkeeping for this is a pain.

So. My books:
Everything is Fine - intermediate
The Tear Collector - YA
My Double Life - YA
Breathe My Name - YA
Silent in the Grave - adult
Mozart and the Whale - adult nonfiction
Brandon Buckley's Universe and Everything in It - intermediate
thinandbeautiful.com - YA
The London Eye Mystery - intermediate
Get Real - intermediate

Plus started The Wizard of Karres and listened to a section of Downtown Owl

Total pages: 2575, not counting time listened to audio and books I chose not to continue
Total time reading: 21 hours, 21 minutes
Total time listened to audio book: 2 hours, 2 minutes
Total time blogging: 3 hours, 18 minutes
Total time networking: 1 hour

Grand total: 27 hours, 41 minutes!

Wow, that is way more than I expected to do! And I enjoyed almost all of it! I would call this my best book challenge ever; I didn't push myself to uncomfortable limits like last year, but I kept plugging and accomplished a lot. Being able to listen to an audio book for part of the time was a tremendous help -- I could get a few things done, but still feel like I was participating. The networking time was also a nice break. The challenge rules have evolved in really helpful ways since the first one.

I basically enjoyed everything I read, too. Breathe My Name has the odd distinction of being both the best and most memorable book I read, and the most disappointing.

I received 21 comments, which means I will donate $21 to the local Friends of the Library. Thanks to everyone who commented and made it more fun!

Book 11: The Wizard of Karres

2010-06-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

The Wizard of Karres by Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint and Dave Freer.

I was awakened earlier than I'd hoped by a force of nature, aka my darling child, so got a few last licks in after all. This is an other-authors sequel to one of my favorites, The Witches of Karres by James H. Schmitz. I haven't gotten far enough in to have a real opinion yet; they've certainly done a decent job of imitating the style and seem to have a handle on the characters, but I'm not sure the places they're taking the story feel right. But I may be impossible to please on this point.

Will do my finish line post in a while, there's lots of housecleaning (literally and figuratively) to take care of.

23 pages (out of 313)
Reading: 33 minutes
Blogging: on my own time

I am very done...

2010-06-06T00:28:00.000-07:00

Technically there are almost 9 hours left of my 48, but I will not be using them. Not for book challenge purposes, anyway. I will try, between catching up on Facebook and reminding my son he has a mother, to continue cheering on the folks who are still in their 48 hours. And will keep collecting comments here, with $1 per comment going to the local Friends of the Library.

Book 10: Get Real by Betty Hicks

2010-06-05T23:49:00.001-07:00

Get Real by Betty Hicks

I think I may be too tired to properly articulate what I thought of this one. I'm not sure I can even think it through.

I like the voice of the narrator, Dez; she's not always the most likable person in the world, but she seems very much herself. She's an unapologetic neatfreak living in a painfully disorganized world.

What bothered me was the plot; the way the author got from point A to point B was just... weird. Thought perhaps the 10+ books in 2 days factor is affecting my perspective. But the events Hicks chose to make her points were not convincing.

I also disliked Dez's best friend, Jil, who seems incredibly selfish and self-absorbed. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to feel about her, honestly, but she's a major character and presumably intended to be at least somewhat sympathetic.

So kind of divided on this one. I did enjoy reading it and might recommend it to someone looking for a friendship story with a touch of wacky suburban adventure.

184 pages
Reading: 1 hour, 8 minutes
Blogging: 14 minutes

more odd coincidences

2010-06-05T22:25:00.000-07:00

Of the last 6 books I've read, 5 of them were published in 2007.

I may have time for one more before I call it a night... don't know what to pick, but perhaps I should take it as a sign and find something else published in 2007.

Book 9: The London Eye Mystery

2010-06-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd.

This was recommended to me by my mother, and knowing her, I'm guessing she loved it for its Britishisms. Not just the setting with the London Eye, a sort of extra-big, extra-long ferris wheel, but all the phrases: "Bunk off." "Skivving." Shreddies for breakfast! This book can't possibly be as fun to read if you're actually from England.

I confess my first thought when she told me it was about a boy with Asperger's Syndrome who solves a mystery was "oh, not another one." But the story worked--I think because it's so much in the classic mode of a children's story. There genuinely is a mystery to solve, and our hero Ted does it with the help of his older sister, which has an impact on their difficult relationship reminiscent of the brother and sister in From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L Konigsburg. And he finds a way around the fact that no one will listen to him, as all misunderstood heroes must.

As a portrayal of someone with Asperger's (never labelled, but it's pretty obvious), I don't know if this was all that great. But it certainly was an interesting mystery and family story. (9 & up)

323 pages
Reading: 1 hour, 53 minutes
Blogging: 14 minutes

Book 8: thinandbeautiful.com

2010-06-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

thinandbeautiful.com by Liane Shaw. Second Story Press, 2009 (978-1-8971887-62-3) $11.95 trade

I'm not a fan of problem novels, but this one had a hook that grabbed me instantly: it's about a girl involved with a "pro-Ana" support group online. Maddie narrates her story from an eating disorders clinic where, in her mind, everyone is in a conspiracy to force her to be fat. Cut off from the Internet, she desperately misses the only support she had, the group of "Girls Without Shadows" who were the only ones who understood her need to do anything to be thin. But as Maddie describe the events that led her to the clinic, she starts to feel less sure of what she believes:

"I thought I had this all figured out. Looking back, I was sure I knew what I was doing. I have a right to do what I want with my own body, and so I did it. I wasn't hurting anyone, including myself. I knew this absolutely. I had it confirmed by my GWS and everything."

Confused and desperate for non-judgmental support, Maddie breaks the clinic rules to talk to her online friends one more time. What she discovers then will change her life forever.

The best thing about this story is the authenticity of the online culture depicted--and it's a sympathetic portrayal, as well. Though we know as readers that all of the GWS girls are deceiving themselves and each other, there is clearly no malice, just as great deal of pathetic self-delusion. Oddly, the "real" characters in the story don't come to life nearly as well, and a somewhat contrived bit of romance with a boy in the clinic falls flat. But though the writing may not rise much above "message novel" competence, it's a very engrossing, fast-paced story that stirs up a lot of feelings, and will likely have a strong appeal to teen readers. (12 & up)

Incidentally, the author has used the title of her book for an interesting website.

263 pages
Reading: 1 hour, 27 minutes
Blogging: 29 minutes

FTC disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

Book 7: Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything In It

2010-06-05T16:15:00.001-07:00

Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything In It by Sundee T. Frazier

I was happy to see that MotherReader fudged the age requirement a bit, because this is listed as grade 4.5 reading level, but it's the book from my pile that I most wanted to read. And if our Gracious Leader can do it, so can I!

Brendan Buckley, the child of a black father and a white mother, is an intensely curious, scientifically-minded ten-year-old boy, trying to answer two complicated questions. Why doesn't he know his mother's father? And why are white people sometimes mean to black people?

When he accidentally runs into his grandfather Ed at a minerals exhibit, Brendan discovers they have a lot in common. And he feels compelled to try to solve the mystery of his grandfather's absence from his life... but he may not like the answer he gets.

Frazier takes what I guess could be called a post-modern approach to biracial identity here, and expresses it with sincerity and conviction. Although Brendan's life is not free of racism, he's not caught up in a black identity or a white identity, but open to all aspects of himself. His energy, commitment and intelligence make him a very likable character and I was moved to tears by his final, triumphant self-acceptance. (9 & up)

198 pages
Reading: 1 hour, 18 minutes
Blogging: 25 minutes

Book 6: Mozart and the Whale

2010-06-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

Mozart and the Whale by Jerry and Mary Newport.

I think I read a non-fiction book about autism during every challenge. Not deliberately, there's just always at least one in my pile.

I didn't think much of the movie "Mozart and the Whale," but it did get me interested in reading the book, which is really not the same story. The real characters were much older when they met, for one thing, and already had a lot of life experiences behind them. This is not just their love story, but also their autobiographies.

I had some trouble getting into this book. One problem is that two different people are writing in turn and it's hard to tell when the points of view have changed (this was an ARC -- perhaps they made it clearer in the finished book.) The other problem was that the sections by Jerry Newport were so full of worn-out phrases. It was a nagging irritation.

But I persisted and wound up relating to a lot of what I read. And it was intriguing to read the points of view of two autistic adults, who share a lot in common yet also have many differences.

Like many autobiographies I read, this one sometimes felt too... elliptical, is the word that comes to mind. So much happened to them and they just drop little bits and pieces of it into the narrative, leaving me with tons of questions. How someone got from point A to point B is often a mystery. It reminds me of confusing autobiographies of children's book authors I read when I was younger.

Two bits of trivia

1)The "Mozart" of the title, Mary's costume at the Halloween party where they met, was not Wolfgang Amadeus -- it was his sister, the thwarted prodigy Nannerl. I find that very touching.

2) I can't find any verification of this, but I'm almost certain that the opening of the show "the Big Bang Theory" was inspired by a paragraph in this book. Or possibly, since both came out in 2007, the other way around?

261 pages
Reading: 129 minutes
Blogging: 31 minutes

Book 5: Silent in the Grave

2010-06-05T00:33:00.001-07:00

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourne

I am thoroughly YA'd out, so decided to finish this book, which I'd started before the challenge. Victorian historical mystery, a bit along the lines of the Amelia Peabody books, though without an archeological emphasis. It was fun, I'll probably read the rest of the series.

326 pages (out of 509)
Reading: 2 hours, 27 minutes
Blogging: 2 minutes

Book 4: Breathe My Name

2010-06-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

Breathe My Name by R. A. Nelson

Well, shoot. I was just loving this book, and really admiring how the author had managed to keep such a shocking story from seeming sensationalistic, when it suddenly turned into a lurid melodrama. It's so disappointing, because everything other than that is exquisitely crafted. There's a believable romance with a sweet, funny guy and an atmospheric road trip and a lot of thoughtfully expressed, complex emotions. After that, the intrusion of an implausible plot twist is almost painful to read.

Still the best book I've read today.

314 pages
Reading: 2 hours
Blogging: 22 minutes

back on that horse

2010-06-04T19:32:00.001-07:00

After four (4)! failed attempts, I'm now in the middle Breathe My Name, which is the best book so far.

I've noticed that groups of books I choose or read often have unintended similarities. Today's unplanned themes have been:

absent fathers, often the spouses of mentally ill mothers

tragic sibling issues

morally upright boyfriends

football

bogged down

2010-06-04T17:08:00.001-07:00

Have spent an average of 10 minutes each on three books I couldn't get into. Perhaps it's time for a break.

Book 3: My Double Life

2010-06-04T15:45:00.001-07:00

My Double Life by Janette Rallison.

Alexia is pretty, bilingual, and on the honor roll, but she's too poor to make much of a splash in high school; her main claim to fame is that she looks like pop star Kari Kingsley. When Kari approaches her about a doubling job, Alexia discovers their resemblance is no accident: Kari's famous singer father is also the father she never knew, who never knew about her--or did he? Against her mother's wishes, she decides to take the impersonation job--less for the money than for the chance of meeting her father and uncovering the truth about her childhood. But trying to fit into the world of celebrity, conspicuous consumption and paparazzi is complicated, especially when she gets to know Grant Delray, a charming young rock star that Kari dislikes but that she's always had a crush on.

Written with a light touch, this is very much a feel-good Cinderella story, yet it has a bit of an edge that kept it from feeling like meaningless fluff. Alexia is quite naturally envious and angry about the contrast between her life and Kari's, as well as troubled by Kari's emotional problems. Most of the characterizations are fairly shallow--Grant is pretty much all hair and cheekbones--but Kari, a dumb fake-blonde who is very serious about her work, is surprisingly interesting. I felt that everything wound up a little too clean and a little too perfect, but would recommend it to readers looking for a wholesome fantasy that doesn't insult their intelligence.

265 pages
Reading: 2 hours
Blogging: 39 minutes

it's a family affair...

2010-06-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

My son is reading too, timing himself with a stopwatch. He wants to know if you get extra credit for going all three days.

Book 2: The Tear Collector

2010-06-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

The Tear Collector by Patrick Jones.

Damn, this book challenge is not starting out with a bang. The Tear Collector has a fascinating premise--its teen-aged protagonist is an emotional vampire, who thrives off the tears of humans--and it's certainly engrossing. But throughout the first half, I felt continually teased by snippets of information and mystery, and the second half, though ambiguous, struck me as morally repugnant. Which is rather odd for a story about a non-human learning to feel emotion. I would recommend this for lovers of mild horror, but not that wholeheartedly.

263 pages
Reading: 1 hr, 47 m
Blogging: 5 m

Listening: Downtown Owl

2010-06-04T10:46:00.001-07:00

I've started listening to books on my mp3 player, which means I got to eat breakfast and do housework this morning. It feels like cheating.

I've been enjoying about 2/3rds of Downtown Owl. It's told from the perspective of three characters, each read by a different person. Two of the perspectives, Mitch and Julia, are wry and crisp and funny. The third, Horace, bores me almost to tears. (Although today's Horace section, about him being taken by a con man, was actually interesting for a change.) This is the problem with audio books: you can't skim.

Listened: 10:15-10:45
Blogged: 10:45-10:49

Book 1: Everything is Fine by Ann Dee Ellis

2010-06-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

Everything is Fine by Ann Dee Ellis

This was similar in style and theme to Ellis' first book, This is What I Did, and it might have had more of an impact on me if I hadn't read that one already. It felt like a retread. Not a bad book, but honestly, it didn't do much for me so I don't think I'll bother writing a lot but get on to the next book.

154 pages
Reading: 9:17-10:07 am
Blogging: 10:09 - 10:13

and we're off!

2010-06-04T09:14:00.001-07:00

I read This is What I Did for the book challege a few years ago and it was terrific, so I'm going to start with Everything is Fine. (I might as well start heavy, because based on previous experience, I will be begging for something light later.)

Just a reminder that every relevant comment will earn $1 for the local Friends of the Library.

booty to share

2010-06-03T23:09:00.001-07:00

Some years ago, a certain very thoughtful and patient person who will remain nameless committed a dastardly act of copyright infringement and photocopied, in its entirety, my favorite children's book, Magic in the Alley by Mary Calhoun. I have since then managed to obtain a legitimate used copy. Seeing as the book has never been reprinted and is going for $21 and up online, I wondered if anyone out there might want the photocopy? Drop me a comment. Unless that makes you an accessory.

almost to the starting line!

2010-06-03T10:12:00.001-07:00

I'll be doing my 48 hours Friday and Saturday. I'm not expecting to give it my all this year, for various reasons, but will give it my some.

The commenting was so much fun last year, I think I'll join in the giving action and give $1 per (legitimate, discussion related) comment to the local Friends of the Library. (I changed my mind on the charity because I decided it should be reading related.)

Not a clue what I'm going to read, but there's always something. I think I'll combine goals with my ongoing Get These Damn Books Out of My House goal and try to read mostly books I own.

the magic goes away

2010-05-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

I recently watched the end of an excellent t.v. series, which I won't name because of spoilers. The ending is a bit ambiguous, but what seems to be happening is that a character is deliberately choosing a world of fantasy that exists only in his or her head over the "real world." The implication is that the character will live there happily ever after.

It took me two watchings to process this ending, and the second time--seeing just that section, without any of the build-up to convince me of its rightness--I started to feel really uncomfortable about it. Then it hit me how subversive an ending it was for someone who grew up with traditional children's fantasy.

In the books I grew up with, you always had to go back to reality in the end. (The only exception I can think of is the "Oz" books, and the rules of that world were so wacky and inconsistent, it hardly counts.) Sometimes it's dramatic: you give up your magic for true love. Sometimes you get too old for magic kingdoms. Or the magic just runs out or gets used up. Maybe if you're really lucky you'll get a second adventure--but that one will end, too. The ending is often seen as not only inevitable, but in some ways desirable.

Here's a fairly typical ending, from Magic in the Alley by Mary Calhoun. This I think could count as a "give it up for love" story: Cleery has used up the very last of her found magic to make her friend Crow able to fly again:

As they stood in the alley, the wind passed away through the lane of trees, into the sky beyond. The leaves stilled on the trees. The window of sky belonged to Crow. They turned and walked back the way they came.

Knobs said, "Cleery, there are still good alleys to explore. Even though summer is done, there are still Saturdays and alleys."

She smiled at him. "I know." There were still alleys, still Knobs, she still liked being Cleery.

Cleery then discovers a note that her box of magic should be delivered to a shop in the "next town west." Like the amulet in Half-Magic, it will somehow regenerate its magic for a new person to find. The magic always--make that almost always--gets to go on, it's just the people who don't get to keep it.

It pisses some readers off. I wonder if one of the reasons the "Harry Potter" books took off so successfully was that they turned this idea around? The world of magic becomes the place where our hero is the most himself, the most happy, the most alive. YA paranormal stories often involves a normal person becoming part of a supernatural world--very rarely does the opposite happen.

I was never one of the pissed-off people. I tended to accept what I read. But thinking of the show ending as subverting the pro-reality message somehow made me like it a lot more.

for those who love to devour a good book

2010-05-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

Some very sweet reading over at Cake Wrecks.

where all the cool kids will be, June 4-6th

2010-05-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

Reading. Yes, it's time for MotherReaders's 48 Hour Book Challenge! Now in its fifth year! (Good grief, have I really been blogging for more than five years?)

Hoping my son never, ever finds this blog...

2010-04-19T18:18:00.001-07:00

... because he would be devastated to see this perspective on his favorite books.

J.K. Rowling gets political

2010-04-17T15:54:00.001-07:00

And does it very well, too.

review: Beastly by Alex Flinn

2010-04-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

Beastly by Alex Flinn. HarerTeen, 2007 (978-0-06-087416-2) $16.99; 2008 (978-0-06-087418-6) $6.99 trade pb

Kyle Kingsbury is the boy who (apparently) has everything. Looks, money, a famous (albeit distant and demanding) father. He's the prince of his high school and he sees no need at all to be nice to the littler guys--quite the opposite in fact. But when Kyle spews some mean boy malice in the wrong direction, he discovers he's made a huge mistake. As punishment for being ugly within, he's magically transformed into his "truer self," a hideous beast. Kyle has two years to break the curse, if he can find someone to fall in love with his grotesque self--and love her back. As the witch he cursed him bitingly points out, "that will be the hardest part for you."

This retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" has two novelty points: it's set in the modern world and it's from the Beast's point of view. Flinn uses both departures from the norm to create a unique story. A Beast in the computer age has special opportunities: he joins a chat room for victims of "Unexpected Changes" where he gets support from "SilentMaid," "Froggie" and "Grizzlyguy," and (in my favorite scene), he uses his magic mirror to discover who actually lives behind the cute nicknames at MySpace, where he had hoped to find true love online. "The next profiles I looked at turned out to be: A 40-something housewife who asked for naked pictures. An old guy. A 10-year-old girl. A police officer. All said they were my age and female. I hoped the cop was there trying to catch the other pervs. I typed a warning to the ten-year-old girl, and she messaged back, yelling that I wasn't her mother."

Since the story is narrated by the Beast, it also becomes focused on the transformative powers of being a lonely outsider, as well as that of love. This Beast is not tamed by love as much as by his need for it; he has already become a very different person from the spoiled boy he starts out as by the time "Beauty" enters his life. He's even changed his name, from Kyle, which means "handsome" to Adrian, "dark one."

I liked the more original elements of this retelling more than the attempts to squeeze all the traditional elements into it, which sometimes felt a bit strained. I also thought the story relied a little too heavily on the Disney movie version--though that may just be because I'm most familiar with that one myself. The chat room scenes with other fairy tale characters throughout the book are funny and a bit sad, but wind up feeling out of place because Adrian's regular narration never mentions them, except for one short section about noticing a website. Are they a real part of his life or not?

Those quibbles aside, this was a very satisfying story. It's a shame that the cover just screams "GIRL BOOK" because it has a general appeal. I hope that YA librarians are managing to get it in to the right hands. (14 & up)

© 2010 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Review copy provided by the public library. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

Other blog reviews:

Reading for Refuge
Reading Addict
Live. Laugh. Read.
Little Miss Reader

selected review round-up: Anything But Typical

2010-03-28T14:34:00.001-07:00

I don't even want to think about trying to review Anything But Typical. It hit me in such a personal way and I am so endlessly grateful to Baskin for writing it, I just want to kiss her feet. So instead, here are a few reviews I randomly found via Google blog search:

Here's an excellent review at Wrapped in Foil, which points out how interesting the story is for anyone interested in the art of writing.

A good review from a "tween" perspective at The Golden Bookmark.

An appreciation from someone who usually avoids books about autism at The Book Gargoyle.

Review by another mom of an Aspie at The Betty and Boo Chronicles.

Review by a mom of a child with developmental delays at The Simple Life

A questioning review at Semicolon

Strong personal impressions from Ultimate Teen Reviews

Karen at Literate Lives writes about reading it with her students.

currently reading: Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin

2010-03-28T12:44:00.000-07:00

A couple of my friends with Aspie sons recommended this and I can see why. This is the story about being autistic I was hoping someone would write.

review: Happy Easter, Mouse by Laura Numeroff

2010-03-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter, Mouse by Laura Numeroff. Illustrated by Felicia Bond. HarperCollins, 2010 (978-0-694-0142204) $6.99 board

After being happy to see the exuberant mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie again, it was a little disappointing to realize that this is not one of the sophisticated circular tales of that series, but a simple concept book about colors. But closer inspection showed plenty to appreciate on that simpler scale.

Mouse has been decorating eggs for Easter. He wakes up in the morning to find a yellow egg under his covers. And who put those red eggs on the counter? And balanced the purple eggs in the table? Careful watchers will spot clues sneaking around some of the pages.

The illustrations are the highlight of this book. Aimed at younger children, they're less elaborate than those of the rest of the series, with lots of white space. But the expressiveness and detail remain. Mouse's bedcover is a beautifully detailed bandana, over which he looks thrilled by the egg he finds. He dashes excitedly around the house, finding eggs in charming little vignettes. There are quite a few visual references to Mouse's first book here, so older fans could enjoying sharing this with younger children. (1-3)

© 2010 Wendy E. Betts

Other Blog Reviews:

What Adrienne Thinks About That

FTC disclaimer: Reviewed from a copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

review: Piece=Part=Portion

2010-03-20T14:49:00.000-07:00

Piece=Part=Portion by Scott Gifford. Photographs by Shmuel Thaler. Tricycle, 2003 (1-58246-102-3); 2008 (9781582462615) $7.95 trade pb

I was first attracted by the clean look and simplicity of this math book, but on further examination found it's also amusingly clever. The idea given in a short introduction is that "in the language of mathematics, fractions, decimals, and percents are three different, but connected, ways of describing the same thing." Fifteen examples of (unrelated) numbers are each expressed as a fraction, decimal and percentage and illustrated by a photograph. The photos are all of quite ordinary things, but find fractions where you might never have thought to see them: 1/5 is one stick of gum left in a package, 1/3 of a traffic light is lit up, 1/10 is two socked feet with one big toe peeping out.

A colorful, uncluttered design potentially makes this book accessible to younger children who enjoy numbers, and it may help children who are learning the concepts reinforce the information. Also, it's just fun to look at. (3-8)

© 2010 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclaimer: Reviewed from a copy from the public library. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

review: Demon Princess: Reign or Shine

2010-03-11T12:20:00.000-08:00

Demon Princess: Reign or Shine by Michelle Rowan. Walker, 2009 (978-8027-9534-2) $9.99 mmpb

Depite being the New Kid, things are going great for just-turned-16 Nikki. She's best friends with the Queen of the popular kids and the cutest boy in school just asked her to the Winter Formal. What more could she possibly want? Definitely not to learn, from a strange yet strangely attractive boy named Michael, that the father that abandoned her mother before she was born is a Demon King--and she is his only heir.

Everything about the look of this book proclaims it's a fun, frothy, conventional read... and it is. I found Reign or Shine thoroughly predictable, yet still engaging. Even expecting (and receiving) virtually no surprises, I was eager to read on. The competent first-person never dips much below the surface but I nonetheless liked the characters, especially when Nikki discovers and uses her demon strength; her romantic interests are no physical match for her at all, which is one nice twist (and in the case of a near date-rape, a very good thing.) There's an enjoyable forbidden love theme and some hints of intriguing future plotlines that make me curious to continue the series.

© 2010 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclaimer: Reviewed from a copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

Other Blog Reviews:

The Hiding Spot
Cornuopia of Reviews
So Many Books, So Little Time
My Favorite Books
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My Pile of Books