The Opposite of Invisible - Liz Gallagher

I didn't, at first, remember where I'd heard of this book, but when I was uploading the cover, I DID remember. Interesting that a picture stuck in my head. This is a book from one of the authors in the "Class of 2K8". I won some books from this great group of new authors recently, and they let me pick which of their books I wanted. I have to say, it was a very hard choice because so many of them looked interesting. I didn't ultimately choose this one for our library, but it sounded so good that I checked it out for myself. I did this one on audio, too, and I really enjoyed it.

Alice, the main character, is an artsy type girl who is not in with the popular crowd. She mostly just has one very best friend, Jewel (his real name i Julian but hardly anyone calls him that). Jewel is a very talented artist who looks down on the popular crowd with disdain. Alice, however, kind of wants to be part of the popular group. She's got a major crush on Simon, one of the popular football players, and she wants to know what it would be like to be the "opposite of invisible" which is how she feels now.

Suddenly, Simon starts paying attention to Alice. He even kisses her! But nearly the same day, Jewel kisses her as well. Now she's totally confused. She's never liked Jewel as a BOYfriend, just as a boy who's a friend. Has she? But then why did she kiss him back? And why does she still want to date Simon? Does she still want to date Simon? Will she lose Jewel completely if she does? This is a lot of questions, and her only "friend" she can talk to is a poster....not the most helpful confidante in this case.

Wound throughout the novel is a wide variety of typical high school characters, all of whom can be, and are, stereotyped by others, including Alice. Are the artsy types willing to accept that some jocks might have feelings? That some cheerleaders can be artsy? That beautiful people might also be insecure? Can they coexist peacefully?

I thought that while this novel is a bit predictable, there are enough twists and turns, enough thought-provoking scenarios, and enough fun Seattle references to make it a really good read for those who like the romance genre.

Available at the Multnomah County Library.

Peeling the Onion - Wendy Orr

HOW did I miss this book that's been out for ten years? AND how did I stumble across it now? Sometimes I know exactly how or why I'm reading a particular book. I remember that it's won an award or I remember who told me about it, but then there are other times when I just have no clue. Did it just strike my fancy as I walked past it in the library? Did I see it mentioned on someone's blog? Did a student tell me about it? I need to start keeping track of that I guess...Or at least paying better attention.

Anyway! This is a really powerful book which explores the feelings of a young woman who's been badly injured in a car accident. She has, in fact, broken her neck as well as her ankle, and, in many ways, even her spirit. In the morning she is a karate champion, by evening she is in the hospital trauma unit, no one knowing what her future holds. In fact, the accident has drastically altered both her present and her future.

The book delves deeply into Anna's thoughts and feelings as she struggles to find a way for herself in this "new" body of hers, one which works so poorly compared to her incredibly athletic pre-accident body. She fights constant pain, fear, anger, frustration, and personal relationship issues. Her family supports her but clearly they are all affected by her accident as well, and have their own issues to work through as well. Some of her friends stick by her, and some don't. Among those who do is the boy who was driving the car, her new boyfriend, Hayden. And yet this relationship somehow holds her, and him, back, stuck in a time before, one that no longer exists.

Whether Anna will be able to find a way to manage the pain and work through the suffering is at the crux of this novel. There are many days when she'd rather not see things through. Many times when she feels everyone would just be better off without her. A new friend, some counseling, and small victories along the way do give her some hope, but will hope be enough? Will she be able to peel away the layers of her self and find the brightness she needs to live in a meaningful way, so different from what she'd envisioned?

This was another book I listened to on my ipod and ended up in tears as I was driving.

I just learned that Australian Wendy Orr worked as an occupational therapist until a severe car accident changed her life. No wonder she had such great insight!

This book is available at the Multnomah County Library. There is a similar book in our library called Izzy, Willy Nilly that you might take a look at if this title sounded interesting but you can't get to the public library.

Poetry Friday - Numbers

This one is for my math teacher friends. I think they'll like it a lot! I know I do, and you know I'm no math wizard, although I am pretty good at mental math if I do say so myself. All that baking, sewing, shopping and eating out in restaurants really does pay off!

Numbers

Mary Cornish

I like the generosity of numbers.
The way, for example,
they are willing to count
anything or anyone:
two pickles, one door to the room,
eight dancers dressed as swans.

I like the domesticity of addition--
add two cups of milk and stir--
the sense of plenty: six plums
on the ground, three more
falling from the tree.

And multiplication's school
of fish times fish,
whose silver bodies breed
beneath the shadow
of a boat.

Even subtraction is never loss,
just addition somewhere else:
five sparrows take away two,
the two in someone else's
garden now.

There's an amplitude to long division,
as it opens Chinese take-out
box by paper box,
inside every folded cookie
a new fortune.

And I never fail to be surprised
by the gift of an odd remainder,
footloose at the end:
forty-seven divided by eleven equals four,
with three remaining.

Three boys beyond their mothers' call,
two Italians off to the sea,
one sock that isn't anywhere you look.

Attack of the Theater People - Marc Acito

A few years ago when my husband and I were in Costa Rica, we were looking on one of those "trade a paperback" bookshelves in a small hotel, and we found a hilarious book called How I Paid for College by Marc Acito. Turned out he was from Portland, of all things! And then one of my friends starred in a play written by him this winter. It really is a small world.

So when I saw he had a new book out, I really wanted to read it. Unfortunately, the first book was so great, this one just couldn't live up to expectations. I did enjoy this book. It has some very funny moments, and the characters are really vivid, but the plot moved too slowly for me this time, so I didn't enjoy it as much as his first book. I should not be surprised by this, though, because it is extremely rare for me to like the second book in a series as much as I like the first.

Adults looking for a laugh and especially those who have an interest in theater will enjoy Marc Acito's books. Available at the Multnomah County library.

Kirby Larson Blog Tour Stops by WOMS!

Well, I must say I was pretty excited to get an email from Kirby Larson's publicist asking me if I wanted to be part of Kirby Larson's blog tour, although admittedly I had NO idea what that even meant. When I asked what it meant, I got REALLY excited, because what you do in a blog tour is write up a bunch of questions for the author to answer, and then you email them to the author and the author writes answers and sends them to you. I mean, how cool is that? Kirby Larson, Newbery honor author, would be writing to ME (and to all the readers of my blog, of course). So much fun! so, without further ado, here's my first Blog Tour posting! Thanks so much to Kirby Larson for taking the time out of her busy schedule to respond to my questions.



When did you decide you wanted to become a writer?

I don't remember the exact day but I do remember the moment. I had just finished reading Arnold Lobel's picture book, Ming Lo Moves the Mountain, to my (then young) children. A switch went off inside me and I knew I'd finally found what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Were you surprised that you decided to write historical fiction since you didn't have a passion for history in the past?

No one could've been more surprised than me!! What was I thinking? Here, I'd never written a novel before and I decide to tackle a historical novel, complete with in-depth research? It was crazy. And wonderful.

Could you share a bit about the main character of your book and what makes her unique?

The main character of Hattie Big Sky is Hattie Inez Brooks and I think she connects with people because she is so far from perfect. She bites off more than she can chew and she makes huge mistakes and she has to work hard to figure out what matters in life. Maybe she's not so unique after all. . .she sounds a lot like me.

What do you hope readers will gain from reading Hattie Big Sky?

It's up to the reader to take away what she or he wants. That's the magic of reading and writing!

It would be great if you could please share your typical writing day schedule, and maybe you could describe the process sort of from start to finish - how long do you generally spend on your first drafting, how many times do you revise and edit? How long does it take once you've finished to get it published?

There is no typical day -- if there were, I'd have a lot more books finished, I'm sure. HBS took four years to research and write. I revised the book 13 times before it sold and two more times at my editor's request. And there are still things I'd like to revise! There is also no standard in terms of how long it takes to get something published. I have a picture book I've been working on for 25 years that still hasn't sold to a publisher! Typically, though, once a book sells, it takes a year or 2 before it comes out. Picture books can take longer.

What do you do if you get into a writing slump to get back in the groove?

I have been in a slump of sorts. I've dealt with it by reading a lot, writing bits and pieces and drinking lots of lattes. I also rely on my writing friends to snap me out of it.

How did get your first book published?

My first published book was a chapter book called Second Grade Pig Pals, which came out in 1994. It took me about 2 years to write and was sent to about 10 editors before it was accepted by Holiday House. But -- I had been writing for a long time before that and collecting hundreds and hundreds of rejection letters.

How did you find out that Hattie Big Sky won the Newbery Honor? What were your thoughts and feelings when you found out? Who was the first person you told?

It's a big secret -- no one knows which books are even in the running. I found out I'd won when I got a phone call at 6:30 in the morning on January 22, 2007. I groggily answered the phone and a lady asked, "Is this Kirby Larson?" I said yes, but wondered who in the heck was calling me so early. Then she said, "The Kirby Larson who wrote Hattie Big Sky?" And I said yes, again, now irritated that someone was calling so darned early to ask about a school visit or something. Then she said, "Well, I'm calling from the Newbery Committee to tell you that Hattie Big Sky has won the Newbery Honor." I couldn't speak. I couldn't even breathe! My husband was about ready to call 911. When I was finally able to speak again, I don't know what I said. But when I hung up the phone, I broke down and cried. It was the most magic moment in my entire life -- my favorite ever, aside from the day I got married and the day each of our children was born.

Do you have another project in the works? If so, please tell us about it.

I am working on another historical novel that is a big huge mess so would prefer not to talk about it. But I am so excited about my newest book, Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival, which I wrote with my dear, dear friend Mary Nethery. We loved collaborating so much we have just finished another book due out in fall 09 and we're looking into yet another project to do together.

To finish up, would you like to tell us the name of a young adult novel you highly recommend and why?

Just one??? You are a hard-hearted woman. ;-) I can highly recommend dozens. . .but will highlight just a few: Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson, Unwind, by Neal Shusterman, and Confessions of a Serial Kisser by Wendelin Van Draanen. Other authors to read: John Green, Dana Reinhardt and Jennifer Bradbury.


Thank you, Erin, for the great questions and for your interest in my work. This was great fun!

Best,

Kirby



Thanks again to Kirby Larson for appearing, courtesy of Provato Marketing. For other stops on the tour you can check this link.

Poetry Friday - The Rider

I really love Naomi Shihab Nye's lyrical, haunting poetry, so here's one of her poems for this week. You can check out more of her poems at the WOMS library!

The Rider

A boy told me
If he roller-skated fast enough
His loneliness couldn’t catch up to him,
The best reason I ever heard
For trying to be a champion.
What I wonder tonight
Pedaling hard down King William Street
It if it translates to bicycles.
A victory! To leave behind your loneliness
Panting behind you on some street corner
While you float free into a cloud of sudden azaleas,
No matter how slowly they fell.

Boston Jane: An Adventure - Jennifer Holm

Boston Jane is our GAB (Girls and Books Mother Daughter Book Club) choice for this month, so although I had read it a long, long time ago, I decided to re-read it for our discussion, and I remembered why I loved it so much the first time. The answer, in short: Jane. Mind you, Jane is no perfect girl, and she has some mighty mixed up ideas about boys and what's important, but she is a strong young woman and she's a great learner, which is something I very much value (duh!). As Jehu says, she's a gal "with grit and courage."

One thing I really enjoyed about this book were all the little blurbs that came from the etiquette book (The Young Lady's Confidante)used by Miss Heppelwhite with the girls. Things like,"a well ordered home is a miniature of heaven," and, "do not let little irritations sway your cheery nature." I am in deep trouble according to this book...

I also liked the themes of this book because they're important. The book addresses friendship, prejudice, greed, community - all things we need to pay attention to, either because they're things we all need or because they're things we might want to notice and try not to do.

This is a really fun, touching adventure book which has two more in the series. I definitely recommend the Boston Jane series and I'm glad the GAB group chose it. I'm eager to hear our discussion this afternoon!

Stubborn Twig - Lauren Kessler

Stubborn Twig is the Oregon Reads book for 2009, so my book club and another book club decided to read it and we got together for a discussion. It was exciting as a librarian to be part of this huge project. Here's what it says about Oregon Reads from their website:

About Oregon Reads

What if 50,000 Oregonians read the same book in our sesquicentennial year?

The Oregon Library Association wants to find out!

Oregon Reads 2009 is a community reads program that will take place in nearly every public library and in every county in Oregon during the state's sesquicentennial, January through April of 2009.

The selected book, Stubborn Twig by Eugene author Lauren Kessler is the true story of three generations of a Japanese-American family, spanning across the 20th century in Hood River, Portland and Eugene. Bat 6 by Virginia Euwer Wolff and Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson have also been selected as titles for younger readers for the Oregon Sesquicentennial.

All three titles are books with an uniquely Oregon focus: stories conveying an Oregon experience, approachable by readers throughout the state as well as by those with varying reading levels. All three titles are written by Oregon authors who will visit libraries throughout the state.

We invite Oregon libraries and the public to celebrate the 150th year of statehood by participating in this exciting program focusing on the Oregon experience.

I liked the book a lot, although it was a little slow in some parts and there was so much information that at times it was a little overwhelming. The book tells the story of a Japanese American family who came over from Japan to work and live in Oregon in the early 1900s. They settled in Hood River and ran a store as well as some orchards.

The Japanese in the US, including the Masuis, faced a lot of segregation and prejudice even before World War II, and then the attack on Pearl Harbor happened. When that happened, people in the US became very suspicious and fearful of Japanese people. They accused all people of Japanese descent, even those who were born here, of being spies for the Japanese government. So you can imagine how they were treated. NOT well. And the government took things a step further and put people of Japanese descent in internment camps. It was a terrible thing, and the Masui family, along with many, many others, was horribly impacted by it. It was a terrible time in our country's history, and a very important thing that many people know nothing about.

Our discussion for the book was fantastic! People had so many great insights and things to discuss. We talked about everything from parenting to education to journalism to reading. I, of course, love talking baout books, and the discussion about this book was particularly excellent. We also talked about this book as being the choice for Oregon Reads and whether we thought it was the best choice. for many reasons, we thought it was a good choice, but there were some things about it that might not make it the most accessible book for a wide range of readers. Do you have an idea of what might have been a good choice? Make a comment!

The Other Boleyn Girl - Philppa Gregory

Last summer I read The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory and I loved it, so I decided I wanted to read this one as well, although on the advice of several friends I am giving the movie a miss.

This book, which I actually listened to, was fantastic! I really love her style, and although I knew what was coming - it is, after all, the story of Anne Boleyn, and everyone knows what happened to her...Gulp.

This story is actually the continuation of The Constant Princess which is the story of Catherine, the queen who preceded Anne. There is so much rich detail and description of everything that these books come to life for me. Many of my blog readers know I was supposed to BE a princess, so I'm sort of fascinated with all things princess-y, and this book is no exception.
However, if I were going to be a princess, I'm not sure I would have wanted to do it in the 1500s. First of all there were the corsets. That right there is enough to stop me. But then there was the gossiping and the lack of freedom and the lack of privacy and the scheming. Not too nice. I actually felt sorry for Anne and her sister Mary, the other Boleyn girl, for many reasons, including these, but more because for the most part they really lacked love in their lives, and that's no way to live.

This book is super long and probably would not hold the attention of most middle schoolers, plus it has some grown-up themes in it, but mature high school and adult fans of historical fiction will enjoy these. Available at the Multnomah County Library.

Two Bobbies - Kirby Larson and Mary Methery

The subtitle of this book is A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival
and it is one of the sweetest picture books I have read in a long time. It's also a bit sad because when Hurricane Katrina happened so many people had to flee and left their pets behind. I cannot imagine leaving my cats behind, but when your life is in danger and you're trying to escape, your priorities are probably a bit shifted.

But the good news is, there's good news! These two pets find each other and become each other's savior. Well, some peopel also help out, but really, if they hadn't had each other, I don't think even the people could have helped. Hurray for realationships - between people, between animals, between people and animals.

I am telling you. This book is SWEET.

I picked this up after a blog interview I did with Kirby Larson who also wrote Hattie Big Sky (which I love, love, love), and I am so glad did. It's available at the Multnomah County Library.

Poetry Friday - Two love poems

This poetry Friday, since we're so close to Valentine's Day, I've picked two love poems, both short. See if you find a theme in the poems I chose (6th graders, do not let me down!).



A Statue of Eros
~Zenodotos

Who carved LOVE
and placed him by
this fountain,
thinking
he could control
such fire
with water?

transl. from the Greek by Peter Jay

(UNTITLED)
~Sappho

It's no use.

Mother dear, I
can't finish my
weaving
You may
blame Aphrodite

soft as she is

she has almost
killed me with
love for that boy

Trans. from the Greek by Mary Barnard

I found these poems in this fun book:

Two copies available in the WOMS library.

Shark Girl - Kelly Bingham

THIS was a really great book!!!! It was intense and powerful, funny and also quite poignant. I loved it.

The story is about Jane Arrowood, a fifteen year old girl who goes swimming in the ocean one day, like she's done hundreds of times before, only this time she's unfortunately attacked by a shark and loses her right arm. Readers travel with Jane as she journeys through the difficult territory of her recovery and re-entry into the regular world as someone who feels anything but normal.

What I really love about this story, though, is the way it's told. The author weaves together poetry, phone conversations, newspaper articles, and letters to tell Jane's story. I think all the different perspectives/methods make the story that much more powerful. There's so much punch packed into the spareness of it. Everything that's not said speaks as loudly as everything that is.

I really, really liked this book, but if you're someone who wants a straightforward narrative, you might not enjoy this as much. It would be an interesting pairing to read this together with Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton I think. She's the young surfer who lost her arm to a shark (for real) and then began surfing again.

Available at the WOMS library and Multnomah County.

Along for the Ride reading by Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen, my favorite YA author, has a new book coming out in June. Check out the video below to hear her read an excerpt.

How I Spent My Last Night on Earth - Todd Strasser

Unfrotunately, the two best things about this book were the cover, which is pretty fun, and the nickname of the main character Allegra. Want to guess what it is? Go ahead, I'll give you a minute...





If you guessed LEGS, you're right. I think that's pretty clever, but the rest of this book required too much suspension of disbelief even for me, and that's saying something! The premise of this book is that an asteroid is on target to possibly hit the Earth, and if it does, that's the end of the world as we know it an the story. Allegra, who's a very level-headed, not to be distracted by emotion kind of girl - of which I really don't think there are very many in high school - is now faced with the possibility that she will die tomorrow without really ever knowing love, and this is a bit of a fright for her.

Enter Andros, the hottie surfer dude who's really never spoken to her before. And yet, she goes off to the beach with him for the night to await the asteroid??? Whose parents would let a high schooler do that if they thought there was even the chance of the asteroid hitting? And it didn't even seem like she told them.

I don't know, it was too much for my grown up brain to wrap itself around. Usually my inner high school girl comes through and I can believe about anything, but this time I just wasn't buying it. If you're only going to read one Todd Strasser, make it Give a Boy a Gun, not this one.

Poetry Friday - This Is Just To Say

I recently read Sharon Creech's recently published Hate That Cat which is just as adorable as her book called Love That Dog. You can see a review of it from January. Anyway, Jack writes poems in both books inspired by this William Carlos Williams poem that I have always loved.

This Is Just To Say

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast.

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold.

-- William Carlos Williams

Bring Ally Carter to Oregon

Want author Ally Carter to come to Oregon on her book tour next year? Go to this link and request her!

View all Portland events at Eventful

Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress - Tina Ferraro

That is just a classic title isn't it? and how about the name Nicolette for the main character? Love it! This is the same author who wrote How to Hook a Hottie which I reviewed a while back. Nice easy to read little chick-lit romance that I read last night. This morning I was maybe re-thinking staying up until 11:00 to finish it, though...

Poor Nicolette. Ditched just before the prom by a boy she's been drooling over for months but who is, predictably, a slimeball. One question I have is, do we girls really choose so many lowlifes as our heart's desire (from afar, generally) as portrayed in books, or does it just make for better stories? I hope it's the latter, because if not, we need to be rethinking some of our choices. Anyway, also somewhat predictably, there's also another cute boy in the picture, one she's pretty much been oblivious to as a boy, really, because it's her best friend's brother.

There's lots of teenage drama and angst in this book, including BFF troubles, lying, divorced parents, a little half sister, and a photo of Nicolette holding a beer can (not hers, really). There's also some funny stuff, especially the list of the top ten uses for said unworn dress (yes, there is an actual wearing - yippee - but it's not one of the top ten list uses).

Finally, I liked how the author at the end of the story very smoothly brought in the idea of taking a used dress to a place where girls without too much money can buy gently used special occasion dresses for a fraction of the price. It's a great idea, because not too many people wear a dress like that more than once, but a lot of people could use a little help when it comes to paying for one. I think it's really cool how a lot of authors are bringing in social justice issues to their writing and helping to make more kids aware of things they can do to help out in their communities and the world at large. The Readergrlz do a great job of rounding a lot of these ideas up, so if you've got a moment, you might check out their blog or their website. I've got a posting about Justina Chen Headley's North of Beautiful contest here as well.

This book is available at the Multnomah County Library.

Coraline out in theaters this weekend!

In honor of Nail Gaiman's winning the Newbery last week AND in honor of the release of Corlaine which I can't WAIT to see - did you know the official premiere is happening here in Portland this week?? - I'm posting ths GREAT little teaser about the book/movie that I found on Neil's blog. Very fun and just a little bit spooky. Enjoy!

The House in the Night - Susan Swanson ; pictures by Beth Krommes.

It's official, I've now read another of this year's award winning titles. Woohoo! This book, The House in the Night, is the winner of this year's Caldecott medal, the award given for the best illustrated children's book, and this one's a beauty. It's all done in scratchboard which is where the artist begins with a piece of "board" (what kind, I'm not really sure) that's covered in black wax and then uncovers the color (white) by scratching the wax off as opposed to other art forms where the color is added TO the white. In this case some bright yellow was added to highlight particular elements in each picture. I saw an interview with this artist and she said doing the pictures for this book was easy because there were ONLY something like 17 of them. Ha! The art in this story has a very luminous quality to it.

The story itself is also lovely, inspired by a nursery rhyme that begins, “This is the key of the kingdom." The story is told in a circular, simple way, and another person whose comments I was reading noted that this allows the reader to really focus on the pictures in this book.

Overall, a wonderful picture book, and a fantastic choice for the Caldecott.

Violet in Private - Melissa Walker

Finally, one of the covers uploads. Blogger is just a little buggy sometimes!

I told you I'd read the third book in the series. I hate not finishing a series once I've started it, even if I don't love the series, which I still can't completely decide on where this one's concerned. That kind of makes me think I must have liked it or why would I be thinking about it so much?

Anyway, Violet is growing up and is a lot more like-able in this book than she was in the others. She's starting to get a handle on what she believes and wants and to think about how she can be part of the modeling world and still do the right thing. She's not around such a harsh environment, either, leaving her with less opportunities to make bad choices, and maybe as a reader I was more comfortable with that, too.

Whether I really liked these books and Violet or not, I know teen girls will enjoy them. Available at the Multnomah County Library.

Violet on the Runway & Violet by Design - Melissa Walker

"I can never see fashion models,
lean angular cheeks, strutting hips
and blooming hair, without thinking of
the skulls at the catacombs in Lima, Peru."
Naomi Shihab Nye (b. 1952), U.S. poet. "Morning Paper, Society Page," lines 1-4 (1994).

I just happened to see this quote from Naomi Shihab Nye this morning when I was looking for a poem by her, but it fits so beautifully with the novels I just read, I'm including it here. Plus there's the fact that I can't get the doggone book cover pictures to load, so this is going to be it for now.

Anyway, this is a very interesting series which I cannot decide if I like or I don't like. Well, actually, that's not true. I like the series, I'm not sure if I like Violet. I want to, I really do, but she just keeps making bad choice after bad choice and treating people in her life so poorly that I find it difficult to like her. Violet Greenfield, a high school senior when the stories begin, is 6'1" tall, and blessed with a high metabolism so she's quite thin. Needless to say, people notice her, but she tries her best to blend in, not believing she's special in any way. I kind of have a hard time with this. Everyone is special in some way. Granted, some people have more talent in some areas than others, no one can argue with that, but we all have something to offer. And if you don't believe that, I feel sorry for you, but I'm also kind of irritated if you don't try and figure out what that something is but are just content to wallow in a "poor me I'm so plain" pity party. ANNOYING! And guess what, that's kind of how Violet is. Except, she gets offered a modeling contract and goes off to New York.

In New York, Violet feels like she is someone worthy, and she gets WAY caught up in the whole party scene, which first of all is an unlikely scenario for too many people. But even considering that, it has TOO many people involved in it. And they're not really good people. They're conniving, anorexic, drug using, underage drinking, back-stabbing, not nice types for the most part. And Violet, who is smart, and beautiful and has some really great supportive friends at home, totally goes for all this. Did I say ANNOYING before? Yeah, well.

Of course, this kind of stuff does make for a pretty good story. And I read both books, didn't I? And I'm going to the library to get the third this afternoon, too, even though I already have THIRTY-SEVEN books checked out form the public library...I'm not sure what this says about me. I guess that I'm clinging to the hope that after the debacle that was Sao Paulo, Brazil, and the next debacle that was Madrid, Spain, and the further debacle that was Paris, France, maybe, just maybe Violet will have come to her senses and will actually stand up for the things she really does believe in without being sucked in to this nonsense of the modeling world. Please?

These books do have some mature themes in them. They are available at the Multnomah County Library.

Hate That Cat - Sharon Creech

This is a companion book to Sharon Creech's Love That Dog which even though I'm not the biggest dog fan, I did love. It's the sweetest story about little Jack in Miss Stretchberry's second grade class who learns to write poetry even though, according to Jack, "Boys don't write poetry. Girls do."

Now if you know me you know that I LOVE cats. In fact, I have two of the sweetest cats ever, Hummer and Bonkers, so you may think I'd be hesitant to read a book called Hate That Cat. But I know Sharon Creech never lets me down - she's one of the best YA authors ever - so I took the plunge. Excellent choice!

Jack is back and just as adorable as ever. Miss Stretchberry has moved grades along with Jack, and he's learning even more about writing. I love seeing his progress and his poetry. It's nice that Jack becomes more well rounded in this book, too.

This is a super quick read, told all in poetry form, and it is ac treat. I highly recommend it.

Available at the WOMS library courtesy of the GB Education Foundation.

Here's a picture of our cutest kittes, Hummer and Bonkers.

Notice they like to hang out by the books!

The Possibilities of Sainthood - Donna Freitas

Loved, loved, loved this book. Having gone to Catholic schools for 16 years, and having read more than one "Lives of the Saints" books myself (Saint Therese and the Roses by Homan, published in 1955 being my very favorite) this book resonated with me in many ways - not that I ever had a PRAYER of becoming a saint myself, mind you.

Antonia Labella, the main character in this novel is determined to become the first living Catholic saint. And she's not just pining away wishing for it, either. This girl's got a plan, including saints journals and a vigorous writing campaign with a new petition to the Vatican (perferably to the Pope himself if he's available) each month proposing a new idea and offering herself as the model candidate.

Antonia is a very funny young woman with so many great ideas and possibilities. What she doesn't have is the sense God gave her in the boy department. I mean, hello, Antonia. Open your eyes once, girl. Saints be praised, there's resolution in that department finally, too, but it's a long time coming.

This book, by ckass of 2K8 first time novelist Donna Freitas was a delightful read which I highly enjoyed.

Available at the Multnomah County Library.

The World to Come - Dara Horn

I read this book for my grown up book club, and although I enjoyed many things about it, I found it a bit too choppy for my liking. I mean, I don;t mind thinking when I'm reading a book, in fact I love that, but I do mind when so much of the thinking isn't because of a natural flow. I will look forward to reading this very young author's work in the future, because she has great things to say and I think she'll smooth out and be a great read in the future.

I did ADORE the fact that my friend who did our book club dinner made us an entire Jewish feast to go along with the book. Who knew kugel was so amazing?

Poetry Friday - Yes

This poem is a favorite of mine that my very good friend Suzanne gave me several years ago. It's good to remember!

Yes

It could happen any time, tornado,
earthquake, Armageddon. It could happen.
Or sunshine, love, salvation.

It could, you know. That's why we wake
and look out -- no guarantees
in this life.

But some bonuses, like morning,
like right now, like noon,
like evening.

~ William Stafford ~

The Find Beauty Challenge contest

Justina Chen Headley, author of Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies), Girl Overboard, and the about to be published North of Beautiful (Feb. 1) is sponsoring a community service contest. Here are the details:

You tell the world what's really beautiful to you.
In 90 seconds.
On YouTube.

You might win fabulous prizes...like an iTouch. AND you help a child in a third world country.
For every video about beauty that fans upload, author Justina Chen Headley will donate $10--up to $1,000--to help children in third-world countries born with cleft lips and palates.

Be sure to ask your parents if it's OK before you do this. To enter, create a YouTube account, upload your video, and send a link to north@marthabee.com. She'll add it to the North of Beautiful channel (http://www.youtube.com/northofbeautiful). Tell all your friends to vote for you!

ALA Awards - Today's the BIG day!!!!

You know I've been waiting for the awards to be announced, and today was the big day! Turns out I haven't read many of the winners, but we DO have some of them in our library, so woo-hoo for that. Here's a list of some of the winners. For all the award winners, go to this link at ALA.

HAPPY, HAPPY reading, and congratulations to all the winners of this year's awards!

Margaret A. Edwards Award
This award honors outstanding lifetime contribution to writing for teens.

The recipient of the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award is Laurie Halse Anderson, also the winner of this year's Scott O'Dell Award for historical fiction (see entry from a few days ago).

Newbery Medal

The Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

	Title	Author
	Newbery Medal and Honor Books and Poster 2009	-----------
	WINNER
	The Graveyard Book	Neil Gaiman
	HONORS
	The Underneath	Kathi Appelt
	The Surrender Tree	Margarita Engle
	Savvy	Ingrid Law
	After Tupac And D Foster	Jacqueline Woodson

Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal is presented to the most distinguished American picture book for children.

	Title	Author
	Caldecott Medal and Honor Books and Poster 2009	-----------
	WINNER
	The House in the Night	Susan Marie Swanson
	HONORS
	Couple Of Boys Have The Best Week Ever	Marla Frazee
	How I Learned Geography	Uri Shulevitz
	River Of Words: The Story Of William Carlos Williams	Jennifer Bryant

Coretta Scott King Awards

The Coretta Scott King Awards recognize an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults that demonstrate sensitivity to "the true worth and value of all beings". The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award is presented to a writer and/or illustrator at the beginning of their career as a published children's book creator.

WINNER
We Are The Ship	Kadir Nelson
HONORS
The Blacker the Berry	Joyce Carol Thomas
Keeping The Night Watch	Hope Anita Smith
Becoming Billie Holiday	Carole Boston Weatherford

Pura Belpré Award

The Pura Belpré Award is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

	WINNER AUTHOR AWARD
	The Surrender Tree	Margarita Engle
	HONORS
	Just In Case	Yuyi Morales
	Reaching Out	Francisco Jimenez
	The Storyteller's Candle = La Velita De Los Cuentos	Lucia M. Gonzalez

Robert F. Sibert Award

The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished informational book published in the English language during the preceding year.

Title	Author
Robert F. Sibert Award 2009	-----------
WINNER
We Are The Ship	Kadir Nelson
HONORS
Bodies From The Ice: Melting Glaciers And The Rediscovery Of The Past	James M. Deem
What To Do About Alice?	Barbara Kerley

Michael L. Printz Award

The Michael L. Printz Award is presented to a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.

WINNER
Jellicoe Road	Melina Marchetta
HONORS
Kingdom On The Waves	M. T. Anderson
Disreputable History Of Frankie Landau-Banks	E. Lockhart
Nation	Terry Pratchett
Tender Morsels	Margo Lanagan

In a Blue Room - Jim Averbeck, Ill. by Tricia Tusa

So I heard this might have a chance at the Caldecott, and since I never look at picture books, and I'd love to have read a winner in any medal category, I decided to check it out from the public library. I really have no clue about what's out there om picture book land, but I do know I liked this one.

It's a very sweet story about little Alice who's having hard time sleeping. Her mother tries everything she can think of, but Alice keeps saying she needs a blue room. In come lilacs and lilywhites, tea, a quilt, bells, everything a little girl could possibly want for sleeping, but none of it blue...until her mother gently turns off the light and the blue light of the moon streams in, bathing everything - lilacs and lilywhites, tea, a quilt, bells, even little Alice - in the perfect shade of blue for sleep.

A sweet and charming book which may very well win the Caldecott. I hope so, and then I'll add it to my list of already read winners! Let's cross our fingers. Now I'm off to sleep...

Poetry Friday - Praise Song for the Day

Well, I see these Poetry Friday posts on other people's blogs all the time, but I've never been organized enough to do it myself. Today (I'm writing this on Tuesday for posting on Friday - my friend Stacie showed me how you can schedule things to post later - way cool!) was all about change, and I'm motivated to make this change. To post a poem every Friday and become part of the community. Poetry Friday is becoming quite the event in the children's literature blogging community. Kelly Herold at Big A Little A is credited with generating the excitment for this often neglected area of literature. So here's the poem I'd like to post this first week. If you saw the Inauguration ceremony, you'll recognize it as the poem Elizabeth Alexander wrote for today's ceremony.


Praise song for the day.

Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.

Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son wait for the bus.

A farmer considers the changing sky; A teacher says, "Take out your pencils. Begin."

We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.

We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, "I need to see what's on the other side; I know there's something better down the road."

We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see.

Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.

Some live by "Love thy neighbor as thy self."

Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.

What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light.

I read a winner!!!!!

OK, the biggest of the bigs are being announced next week, but they made a pretty darn big announcement early and I actually read it and reviewed it just recently. I doubt I'm as excited as Laurie Halse Anderson herself, but I'm pretty excited. CHAINS is the winner of the 2009 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction!!!!

You can read Laurie's delighted reaction (doing the happy dance in her longjohns, no less)here!

Paper Towns - John Green

Remember I told you I was trying to read some of the books that might just win awards this year? Well, there's been quite a bit of buzz about this one - many people think John Green is going for the three-peat with this one - a third Printz win/honorable mention. And I wouldn't be surprised. It's fabulous.

I often laugh out loud when reading books, and I often cry when reading books, but I really don't remember a time when I was laughing so hard that I was crying for the entire first chapter of a book. My husband was looking at me like I'd gone off the deep end, and then even he started laughing, just watching me laughing. I tried reading some of it out loud to him, but I couldn't even get through two words at a time because I was just laughing hysterically. John Green is seriously funny. But he can also be seriously serious, and this book has its share of serious parts too, after Margo leaves town and no one knows where to find her. Quentin "Q" Jacobsen, her neighbor and classmates has some clues which he tries to follow but he doesn't get too far, and sometimes he's not even sure whether he should be trying to follow her. But he has to follow his heart.

I love that John Green has awesomely developed male main characters because there just aren't enough of those in YA literature still - even though more and more are coming. Yeah, authors! This book is another amazing piece from John Green and I'll wait anxiously to see if he wins another award with it!

Mitali Perkins' new book is out today!

Following my "I love everything from India" post of just a few days ago, you'll probably not be surprised to find out I really enjoy Mitali Perkins' work. She's the author of Monsoon Summer, The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen, First Daughter and others, and today her new book, Secret Keeper came out.

In keeping with my resolution to try and jazz up my blog a bit, let's see if I can embed the YouTube trailer I saw for it today on the Readergirlz blog. Wish me luck! Here goes...


Enjoy!

Author visit to our book club!

If you haven't yet head, there's a fun new mother-daughter book club at WOMS called GAB (Girls and Books). Our first book was The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick, and she was kind enough to come to our meeting last week and share about her writing. It was super fun to have her here, and I'd just like to give a shout out to Heather and to all authors who visit book clubs. An author visit to a book club is a pretty special event! Here's a photo from our visit.



If you haven't yet joined the GAB club but you're interested, feel free to contact Mrs. FB (leave a comment here or drop me an email) and I'll give you the details.

Chains - Laurie Halse Anderson

I'm hoping this year that I might have read at least one of the books that gets a Newbery Honor at least, since often I haven't read even one of those, let alone the winner before the announcement, and I heard some buzz about this one, so I checked it out from the public library. Newbery or not, this book is flat out amazing. I LOVED it. I am a big fan of Laurie Halse Anderson, especially Speak and Fever, 1793, and this one exceeded my expectations.

I read this book in nearly one day over the winter break because I simply could not put it down. The book is set in 1776 during the Revolutionary War. Isabel, the main character in this novel, is a young slave girl, who along with her sister was supposed to receive her freedom upon the death of her mistress. Enter the greedy, evil son of the mistress, and suddenly not only is Isabel not free, she's been sold to a pretty awful New York couple who are Tory Loyalists.

Desperate to find freedom for herself and her sister, Isabel uses her invisibility as a slave to eavesdrop on her master's conversations and then reports her findings to the Patriots. Unfortunately, her work does not lead to the conclusion she was hoping for, and Isabel finds herself facing difficult choices.

The characterization in this book is incredibly strong, and I found myself deeply attached to Isabel. The themes are also tremendously powerful, exploring freedom, power and humanity in complex and thoughtful ways. Clearly Ms. Halse Anderson did amazing research to create this vivid portrait of slave life and the Revolution, and readers will feel themselves being pulled into the time period as thought watching a movie.

Except for the ending, which left me extremely disappointed and frustrated - you'll see why when you read it - I'd say this was pretty nearly a perfect piece of historical fiction. I'd be interested to hear how others felt upon turning to the last page.

This book has not yet been ordered for the WOMS library, but its sure to be on the order list soon.

Now and Zen - Linda Gerber

This is another good installment in the Students Across the Seven Seas series (say that five times fast!). In this book Nori Tanaka travels from Ohio to Tokyo, Japan, where even though it looks like she belongs, really she's as foreign as all the rest of the kids. But don't tell the cute guy from Germany, OK, because maybe he'll like her if he thinks she's from Tokyo...

I enjoyed this book for what it was, a chick-lit light romance with a few lessons thrown in and some cultural information about Tokyo. It's not an all time classic, but it's entertaining. I'm quite curious as to whether the whole part about sumo wrestlers not washing that diaper thingy they wear because they're afraid their skills will be washed away, too, is true. That's nasty!

Thanks to Mrs. Yingling for a link to this author's blog.

Born Confused - Tanuja Desai Hidier

I think I must have been born in India sometime in a previous life, because for some reason I'm kind of obsessed with India. Give me a book about India, a movie about India, a Bollywood flick, anything. I love them all. So of course when I saw the cover of Born Confused, even though I already had a zillion books checked out from the library, I had to get it.

In many ways this is a typical coming of age novel, where the protagonist, Dimple Lala (and how great of a name is that??!!) is trying to figure out who she is, who she wants to be, and how to get there. But the cultural pulls, both from her Indian born parents and her American roots, make Dimple's coming of age a bit more challenging.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I think this book is more suitable for older readers for a couple of reasons. One is its complex and thought provoking themes such as arranged marriage, race, cultural identity and the power of art and creativity. I think older readers would appreciate these themes more and be able to think about them with more depth. The other reason is the writing itself. Not only does the author use a lot of Indian words without a glossary, the writing itself can be pretty complex, and less sophisticated readers might be lost. The writing is amazing and beautifully done, but it might overwhelm some readers.

This book is available at the Multnomah County Public Library, and if you are a lover of all things Indian like I am and are a mature reader, I'd highly recommend this excellent novel.

Want to be notified when I make a new post?

For the new year, I'm trying to learn some new tricks in the blogging world, and today I've learned two! Thanks to J. Kaye's Book Blog I learned how to link to a specific blog entry, which is a pretty spiffy little trick but not that intuitive if you ask me.

And now, all by myself, I figured out how to add an RSS feed of my blog. Now you can my site to your Google or My Yahoo or Netvibes or Newsgator or Bloglines page, and whenever I have a new post, it will pop up there. Kinda cool. Click on POSTS under the "Subscribe To Mrs. FB's Book Blog" for this option. It's on the right hand side of this page. There's a little orangey-yellow square with some white lines in it. See it?

You are also welcome to request email updates, which will send you an email whenever I make a new posting. Request an email update by posting in the comment section or by sending me an email at erin_fitzpatrick-bjorn@gbsd.gresham.k12.or.us

Now it's your turn to go out and learn something new!

It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health - Robie Harris

I received this book from the publisher via The Picnic Basket website, and I have been procrastinating on writing my review for this book because I am so conflicted.

I think this book is a fantastic resource and a great choice for kids age 10 and up IF they're reading it with an adult available to talk about it. The book is illustrated with cartoony pictures, and is quite frank about a wide variety of topics on sexuality and the changing bodies of adolescents. The "story" is narrated by a bird and a bee cartoon characters who are quite funny, but also very reflective of the nature of an adolescent. The book has great information, and plenty of it. All adolescents could learn things from this book, I am quite sure, and it addresses

That aside, I don't think I can put this on my middle school library shelves due to immaturity of user. It does have fantastic information that kids want, and NEED, but some kids would parade it around the playground pointing out the pictures, and then we'd have a passel of trouble.

I will probably keep it in the professional section for health teachers who may want to use some parts of it.

Any parents looking for a great book to use with their children to talk about sex, however, should look no further. This one is terrific.

WOMS Library wins!!

Wow! I'm so excited. I just found out that I was a winner in a contest for librarians! Way back in October I saw a posting on this blog called Class of 2K8, a group of YA authors whose first books were being published in 2008. Here was the contest information:

School librarians rock, and we know it! Help us spread the word about the Class of 2k8's new fall contest, just for some of our favorite people on Earth. It's easy to enter and fun!

School librarians can enter by sending us an anecdote about books, reading, or life in the school library, or a snappy quote about books and writing. We'll be posting our favorites on our Class blog during November, but winners will be chosen randomly from among all entries. In addition, if you pass this on to other school librarians and they mention the referral, you and your school will be entered in the drawing twice--double the chance to win!

Prizes include:
First Prize: Your choice of a full set of Class of 2k8 books OR a free author visit from a Class of 2k8 author in your region (if available)!

Two Second Prizes: A $50 gift certificate from Indie Bound (formerly BookSense) plus three books from the Class of 2k8 to add to your school library.

Three Third Prizes: Three books from the Class of 2k8 to add to your school library.

So I sent in a poem a student of mine had written about the library, and they posted it, which was pretty fun in itself. But then today they wrote and told me I was one of the third prize winners. So we'll be getting copies of three of the books people in this group published. Very exciting!!

Here's the official entry where you can see my name announced as a winner :) Look for new books soon!

The Best Girl - Emma Harrison

This was another "beach" book, but it takes place in the mountains of Colorado, so I felt right at home since I was surrounded by snow myself!

Farrah, who prefers to go by Jane (and can you blame her since she was actually named after a Charlie's Angel), has just finished her first semester of college, and is about to spend ten days trapped at a posh resort preparing to be the Best Girl (instead of Best Man) in her older brother's wedding. Perhaps the word trapped may have given away the fact that she's not too excited about it. Until she discovers that the boy she's been crushing on all semester, Cute Conner, is actually working at the resort. Even better, she discovers he likes her. What he has not yet discovered, and what she's trying desperately to keep him from discovering, is that she's actually part of the wedding party - the one that he constantly complains about because these rich people are always so demanding, like they own the planet. What can it hurt to tell him she's just hte family's nanny? He'll never find out, right? Riiiight!

Of course the plot becomes more and more complicated as she has to go to crazier and crazier lengths to keep the truth from Conner. And of course he finds out and of course it's not too pretty.

This is another quick read with a bit of romance and some great things to keep in mind about love and just life.

Available at the Multnomah County Library.

Secrets of the Savanna - Mark & Delia Owens

This is the third book written by scientists Mark and Delia Owens that I have read. I read the first when I went to Zambia, which is where they did a lot of their research and work with elephants to try and end the horrific poaching that was such a problem in Zambia. I really enjoyed this series, although I think those two did some incredibly crazy stuff that I could never have done because I am just not enough of a risk taker. The great thing is that their work really made a tremendous difference, both for animals and people in Zambia, and I was really impressed by the great lengths they went to to make such an important difference.

I am reminded of a quote from Margaret Mead that these two definitely practice:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

How I Created My Perfect Prom Date - Todd Strasser

So what do you think about dating your stepbrother? But what if you didn't know he WAS going to be your stepbrother when you started dating him? And besides, you only did it to get back at another boy and prove you could make him into someone everyone would be after. Kind of. Right?

This was another quick read, teen romance which I picked up over break. Beach books, I call them, although there was definitely no sign of the beach during this Arctic Blast winter vacation, was there?

I thought this book was funny and fun, and I liked how it had alternating chapters between the two main characters, a boy and a girl. If you're just looking for a light read, give this one a try.

P.S. this book is by the author of Give a Boy a Gun, and The Wave but it is WAY different than those books. I think it's pretty amazing how an author can write such divergent works, don't you?