Two mysteries

A Red Herring without Mustard, A Flavia DeLuce mystery and Elegy for Eddie, a Maisie Dobbs mystery.

These are both mysteries from series, and I have read several of the books in these series previously.  I listened to both of these and checked them out from the Multnomah County Public Library.

A Red Herring Without Mustard is by Alan Bradley and is a series about a young girl named Flavia deLuce who is a devilish young scientist who's always got her nose in other people's business and is, consequently, always getting herself into a jam.  This story involves murder, stealing, a fire, and a near kidnapping.  Flavia fancies herself somewhat of a detective and is always investigating things on her own, much to the chagrin of the local constables.  These are fairly slow moving mysteries, but I enjoy them quite a bit.

Elegy for Eddie is maybe the seventh Maisie Dobbs mystery I've read, and I love these books.  the main character in these stories is also a female detective, but she's a grown-up and really Is a detective; she doesn't just fancy herself as one.  This novel involves a supposed suicide, a gruesome death (or is it a murder?) in  a newspaper factory, and government officials acting suspiciously.  This story is set between World War I and World war II and is historical fiction as much as mystery.  I really enjoy how the author of this series continually infuses these stories with history.  Again, these are not the fastest moving mysteries, but they are very well told and have excellent character development.  It's so nice to come back to my friend Maisie Dobbs time and time again. 

I recommend these for middle school and up.

Poetry Saturday

Picked these plums from my parents' tree today, and all afternoon I've been thinking of this poem. It's one of my favorites.  I hope you enjoy it.  And I hope you get to eat some delicious plums, soon, too. This Is Just To Say
by William Carlos Williams
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

Escape from Fear, Gloria Skurzynski

We read Escape from Fear, a National Parks Mysteries novel, with our niece Rachel when we were down in the Virgin Islands.  The story is set there, so it was really fun to read.  The characters in this series are a family where the mother is a veterinarian who consults with the national parks and her husband and two children.  In this story she's been called to the National Park of the Virgin Islands where they are having turtle trouble.

The novels always give a lot of information about the park in addition to having an engaging storyline.  They usually require a little suspension of disbelief, and this one was no exception, but once you get past that, the suspense is high and are excellent reading.  I definitely recommend them as a family read-aloud, everyone is sure to enjoy the story.

I've written a couple of reviews for other books in the National Parks Mysteries series,  one here and one here.

Butterfly Mosque and Kitchen Confidential - adult titles

The Butterfly Mosque: A Young American Woman's Journey to Love and Islam is a book I heard about recently that sounded really interesting to me.  It's a memoir, my favorite genre of non fiction, and is the story of a young American woman who moved to Egypt, converted to Islam, and married an Egyptian man, all near the time of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.  I found it to be very interesting, but I wasn't as completely pulled in as I expected to be.  It was a book that would definitely provoke a lot of good conversation in a book group, because there was a lot of discussion about faith, acceptance, family, love and culture.

Kitchen Confidential is the book by Anthony Bourdain that my husband's reading group is reading next month and it's an expose of his life in the restaurant industry.  This book has a LOT of bad language in it, so it's definitely for adults, but it was really, really interesting.  He and his friends were pretty wild, and his chef experience sounds a bit harrowing at times. He wrote the book long before he had his TV show and everything, but he'd already been a chef for over 20 years.  There was a lot of background on the restaurant industry combined with a lot of personal anecdotes, written in a staccato style that's just like his personality.  We listened to the book on CD and it was read by the author, so that was a nice little bonus.  

Confessions of a Cake Addict and Always the Designer, Never the Bride

These are two adult beach books I recently read on my vacation to, not coincidentally, the beach.  They were light and fluffy (like the frosting in Confessions of a Cake Addict), and they fit their purpose perfectly.  I doubt either will go down in the annals of classic literature, but I enjoyed them.  I particularly liked the form of Confessions of a Cake Addict which is what is known as an epistolary novel.  That means it's written through letters, in this case letters and emails back and forth between two sisters, one living in London and one living in Sydney.  What I didn't like about this novel was that the lovelorn sister took too long to get herself together and made too many annoyingly obvious stupid mistakes.

Always the Designer was a more fun storyline, but it still had a lot of, "seriously?" moments in it.  In this story, Audrey Regan is a wedding dress designer, and I like to read stories that have to do with designing and sewing clothing.  Her business isn't going so well, though, and she's looking for a big break.  Will she find it out in Tanglewood or will she have to close up shop?  And will she ever find her Prince Charming?

This novel has some overt Christian moments in it, and normally I don't have a problem with that, but in this case, they seemed forced and contrived and they did not work well.  In this case, they weaken the story and should have either been re-worked or left out.

Monster Talk, Michael Jarmer

Monster Talk by Michael Jarmer is a treat to read.  Young Victor, the story's main character, is a direct descendant of Frankenstein, and is eager to share this fact with the world.  Most of the world, however, is unwilling to believe.

Those who are familiar with Shelley's Frankenstein will be delighted with the references to the text, but those not previously familiar with the original story will not feel lost even for a moment.  Those readers will discover the story with Victor and his young friend Michelle, who with the help of Victor's grandmother, Elizabeth, undertake the reading of the original novel.

The story is about more than just reading Frankenstein, though.  At its heart, Monster Talk is about relationships.  Relationships between friends, between boys and girls, between teachers and students, between parents and children, and, of course, relationships between monsters.  It's about growing up and discovering how relationships work, and how they don't. It's about figuring out which relationships you can live with, and which ones you can't live without.

This is a particularly strong debut novel. The character development in this novel is extremely powerful. I became quite attached to Victor, to the point of audible intakes of breath and laughing out loud, but I also found myself strongly attached to several other characters. Descriptions are detailed and clear but not overdone, giving the reader enough information to form his or her own vision of the characters and places.  While it is closely tied to Shelley's novel, the plot of this story stands firmly on its own.  The author weaves the story of Frankenstein into a contemporary setting seamlessly and skillfully, inviting the readers to believe.  

I highly recommend Monster Talk by Michael Jarmer for high school readers and up.  If you love a good story, strong writing, and excellent characters, you won't be disappointed.

Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It, Gail Carson Levine

This is a book of poetry modeled after William Carlos Williams' poem called "This Is Just to Say", which is one of my favorite poems.  This book is a hoot!  The subtitle is false apology poems, and I'm going to give you a teaser of just one.

This is Just to Say
I have shortened
my nose
with your saw

because
honestly
telling lies
is so much more fun

Forgive me
I don't care
about becoming
a real boy

Know what that's referring to?  If you guessed Pinocchio, you're right.  If you got it wrong, it's only because you didn't see the picture in the book.  If you saw the drawing accompanying the poem, surely you'd have gotten it right.   Matthew Cordell illustrates the poems, and the drawings are as fun and whimsical as the poems themselves.  Many of them refer to nursery rhymes or fairy tales, but others do not.  I especially loved the Little Red Riding Hood poem and the Humpty Dumpty one.

Gail Carson Levine gives a little lesson on how to write these formulaic poems about 1/3 of the way into the book, where she also "sneaks" her introduction poem.  This would be a fun, fun book to use with a class or on your own to practice writing some false apologies.  You never know, they might come in handy sometime!! 

It was an excellent book to snuggle up with on the couch today, this rainy, ugly, SO not summer day, but it will be just as fun in the bright sunshine.  You could sit outside and read it, then write some of your own while you soak up the Vitamin D. Enjoy!

Another summer reading program for kids!

Barnes and Noble is also having a summer reading program for kids.  You can win a free book!  And the best news is, you can use the reading you're doing for any other summer reading program (like GBSD Middle School Sizzling Summer Reading or Multnomah County Summer Reading) to count for the B&N program.  You could be double or even triple dipping!!!!

Rules for B&N summer reading are

Step 1:  Read any 8 books and record them on the B&N Reading Journal form
Step 2: Bring the completed form to your local B&N store
Step 3: Choose a FREE BOOK from their selection on the Reading Journal list!!!

Get all the details and the PDF form here.

Sounds like fun to me! Now why isn't there a grown-up summer reading program???

It's the day OF The Day Before

Very exciting news, people:  Lisa Schroeder's book The Day Before is out in paperback TODAY! This is a powerful novel in verse for older readers by Oregon author Lisa Schroeder.   I wonder if the cover will be the same?? The hardback version is an amazing photo!  Enjoy!

Why it's been forever since I posted

Wow! Seems like a long time since I posted here, and when I look, it really has been!  Why, you ask, has Mrs. FB stopped reading?  Well, I just want you to know that I haven't stopped reading, I've just not been finishing much because I'm trying to get through one of the longest, weirdest book I've read in some time. The book I'm reading, and have been for quite some long time, is 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami.  It's a magical realism book - meaning it has a bunch of realistic stuff in it, but it also has this element of magic - in this case, time travel.  It's fascinating and puzzling and wacky and so, so interesting.  There are really two stories which are tangentially related and I'm so curious to watch themas they're coming closer and closer together.

I really love this book, but it's around 900 pages, and it takes some slow reading and focus to get through it without being confused.  And I'm trying to read some other things other things at the same time.  Consequently, I'm not getting much finished at all.  But bring on vacation.  I'm gonna get a whole buncha books read!!  See you again soon!

There's a new blog in town!

Do you enjoy reading about book events and love seeing pictures taken at them?  Do you live in the Pacific NW, or even just love some authors that do?  Maybe you enjoy reading reviews/interviews/guest posts/giveaways and other goodies featuring authors from the Pacific NW?  And last of all, do you live in the Portland, Oregon or surrounding area and are looking for a YA book club? 
The gals at Novels, News and Notes from Your Northwest Neighbors are looking for readers!  You do not have to live in the area to read the blog featuring the fabulous authors that we have in this corner of the world, they do not discriminate!  And right now they are giving away 3 fabulous prize packs featuring two awesome Pacific NW authors.  Go here to find out what you can win.  
Some (this is NOT a full list yet!) of the fabulous authors that you will find featured on Novels, News and Notes are:

Holly Cupala, Joelle Anthony, Stasia Kehoe, Lisa Schroeder, Colleen Houck, Kimberly Derting, Lisa Burstein, Inara Scott, April Henry, Maureen McQuerry, Cat Patrick, Conrad Wesselhoeft and many, many more.

Take a look at what they've got to offer - lovers of YA are sure to find some gems (including a contest that ends tomorrow,5/23). Enjoy! 

Out of Sight, Out of Time, Ally Carter

Just so, so love the Cammie Morgan series by Ally Carter.  This is book five in the series, and if you have't read any of them yet, I'd highly recommend them for a great summer read.  They're perfect for summer.  Boys AND girls will appreciate this series because although the main characters are girls, they go to girl SPY school!  How cool is that?  I actually almost wrote how killer is that?  But then I thought better of it.  Or not.  Plus there's a boy spy school, too.

This book, book 5, is much darker than the other books in the series.  Ms. Darby-Lanker thinks so, too.  Just ask her.  For most of this book Cammie is befuddled and depressed, and she's not physically well, either. There's other depressing stuff going on around her, too.  Her friends are confused and unsure how to handle it, how to handle her.  Consequently,  they don't do it very well.  No surprise.  I doubt I'd know quite what to do or say myself.

Cammie's had people after her in the past, but she's always gotten away.  This time, though, she wakes up in a convent in the Alps not having any idea how she got there, where she is, or how long she's been there (four months!).   She doesn't remember anything, and it's driving her crazy.  Literally, a little bit.  Of course Cammie and her friends try to figure everything out, and this isn't the wisest decision, as there are definitely still people who do not want this information to come out.  It's another exciting adventure, but I'm hoping that the next book will lighen up a little bit.  Reminds me a little of Harry Potter book 5.  Just brought you down really low, right?  But did JK Rowling (and Harry Potter) bounce back? YES!  And I think Ally Carter and Cammie Morgan will snap back out of the doldrums in book six as well.  I'd stake my Cammie's life on it!

Highly recommended.  Enjoy!

Why We Broke Up, Daniel Handler, Maira Kalman, reivews

Fun fact:  Daniel Handler is better known to some as Lemony Snicket!!

I listened to this book on audio, and although the CD set included a pdf of the drawings, I didn't take the time to look at them.  I just downloaded the book then returned the CDs to the library. Now I'm disappointed that I didn't do that because I think it would have made a difference in my enjoyment of and engagement in the story.  As it was, I didn't really love the book.  In fact, the only part I really liked was actually the 20 minute interview at the end done by the narrator with Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman.  It was really the only part the grabbed me.

I think that were I a teenage girl or boy with a failed romance (and how many teenagers don't fit in that category??) this story would really have resonated with me.  And since that's the intended audience, it's a fie story. Middle aged me, however, just wasn't in the mood to appreciate the teenage angst and whininess of sixteen year old Min Green writing a letter to her ex-boyfriend about the box of "treasures" that are all that are left of their relationship.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find too much empathy for her.  I feel kind of bad about it still actually, even though she's not even real, because she clearly was deeply hurt by this charmer, but she was not dealing well, and I was over it.

This book is more appropriate for high school students due in part to some of the subject matter but also just because most middle schoolers haven't had such an intense relationship yet and so I don't think they'd appreciate it either.

Available at the Multnomah County Library.

Maurice Sendak has died :(

Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen, and many others, including his most recent work, Bumble-Ardy died on Tuesday.  Mr. Sendak has one final book coming out in February.  You can read a terrific article about him here.

The reading world is a better place for his work, for sure, and his amazing contributions will continue to provide joy to millions of children  every day.  Can't ask for much more of a legacy than that.

Restoring Harmony author visits M-D book club!

We were so lucky to have author Joëlle Anthony come to our Mother-Daughter book club last week at West Orient.  She is the author of <i>Restoring Harmony</i> (set in Gresham, OR!!) which we read for Mother-Daughter book club and the author of the recently published <i>The Right and the Real</i>.  Joëlle currently lives in Canada but was here for an author event at Powell's and agreed to come speak with us.  We were her very first book club event ever - very cool! Thanks to Cindy Hudson at the Mother Daughter Book club website for setting this up!


We all enjoyed <i>Restoring Harmony</i>, a dystopian book set in the year 2041 at a time when we've run out of oil and things are not going too well, so we were thrilled to get a chance to talk with her about it.  This book has adventure, suspense, danger, and a little romance.  Something for everyone!  Joëlle showed us her book trailers, read from each of her books, told us the story of how this book brought her a new best friend, and we talked a lot about how and why she wrote <i>Restoring Harmony</i>.  It is always so interesting to hear about the author's process and thinking.  The girls had great questions and, once they warmed up a little, were very engaged.  One thing I thought was really interesting was that Joëlle said she doesn't like dystopias.  Go figure!  Another VERY interesting thing to hear about was Joëlle treadmill desk.  I really need one of those!! You can see some photos of it <a href="http://joelleanthony.com/daily-writings/the-treadmill-desk/">here</a>.

Of course we also had fabulous treats (including apples in honor of the story) - thanks everyone who brought those!  And, we're super excited because Joëlle's publisher sent us all copies of a new book coming out called Keeping Safe the Stars which we'll read for next book club and hopefully Joëlle can Skype in with us!!

Joëlle's new book is for a bit of an older audience but sounds really great also.  I have put it on hold at the library already! If you're in middle school to adult, boy or girl, I think you'd enjoy <i>Restoring Harmony</i>.

Enjoy these photos from our meeting!

A Drowned Maiden's Hair, Laura Amy Schlitz

This lovely book was recommended to me by Portland author Laini Taylor, and I very much enjoyed it.  The book is subtitled "A Melodrama" which is completely perfect.  It's set in the early 20th century, and a young orphan girl named Maud really, really, really wants to be adopted.  But getting adopted turns out to be just a smidge different from what she was hoping or expecting, because she's been adopted by Miss Hyacinth and her sister.  Miss Hyacinth is, shall we say, a little bit INSANE!  She forces Maud to be ah hidden child (I wonder if she perchance read any Margaret Petereson Haddix...)

Anyway, poor Maud is basically a prisoner.  But poor Maud is also very fiesty and clever, and it's a joy (and sometimes a fright) to watch her figure out what to do.  For me the story went on just a teensy bit too long, but sometimes I attribute that to the audio version because I can't fast forward myself through any parts, and there's certainly enough action that I was not ever bored with the story.

I'd recommend this for middle school girls.

I've been Wimped!

OK, How hilarious is this? I just wimped myself on  http://www.wimpyourself.com/. What a crack-up.  You should go try it.  It's pretty fun.  I wish I really did have a polka dot backpack.  Alas, I only have plain black.  Still, fun stuf.

Three adult books

The Postmistress by  Sarah Blake is a World War II story read on the audio by one of my favorite audio recorders, Orlagh Cassidy.  She's so soothing.  I've listened to almost every audiobook by her in the MCL system, and I've just requested three more.  This story is of two women, both Americans, but one isreporting on the radio from Europe and one a postmistress in New England.  Both have information they're duty bound to share, but neither can bring herself to do it. It's a beautifully told story of love and heartbreak brought about by war.

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton is nearing the end of its life as a series, I fear, as we've gone now from A-V!!  Hard to believe I've read them all.  It seems like it's been a long time since one came out. It's typical Grafton with a detective we all know and are "friends" with, but I thought it was actually better written than some of the last few.  It may have been that I read a bunch at once and got tired of them, then came back to this fresh, or it may have been better.  Not sure.  In any case, although it was not heart stutteringly suspenseful, it was very good and I enjoyed reading a bit of a lighter mystery than some others I read, such as...

Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler Olsen. This is a murder mystery set in Stockholm.  Except for the murder and all, definitely want to go back to Stockholm.  Great story. Could just about piece it together, but was always missing something.  Listened to it on audio.  Still a little unsure of scary stories on audio - there's no skimming ahead if I get too scared! Will definitely check out another by this author.  Still bitter that Stieg Larsson is dead :(

Authors visiting Portland in May

Two authors, two visits! Saturday May 5 at 2pm Joëlle Anthony and Holly Cupala at Powell's! Powell's Books At Cedar Hills Crossing 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd, Beaverton, OR Joëlle will be launching her new YA, THE RIGHT AND THE REAL, and Holly will be in Portland for the first time signing DON'T BREATHE A WORD! They'll have readings, prizes, signings, and (rumor has it) chocolate! Saturday May 12 at 1pm DON'T BREATHE A WORD signing at A Children's Place! A Children's Place 4807 Northeast Fremont Street Portland, OR Join Holly Cupala for behind the scenes secrets, swag, and lots of fun in beautiful Portland, OR. She might even bring some DON'T BREATHE A WORD lemon cake (Joy's favorite). Bring your friends! Your neighbors! Your neighbors' friends! Your friends' neighbors! If nothing else go keep them company. :) Here's Holly's website and here's Jöelle's website.  Enjoy!

Jöelle Anthony (recognize that car from Restoring Harmony??)

Holly Cupala

SLJ Battle of the Kids' books - Okay for Now wins!

This year's Battle of the Kids' Books was chosen last week, and the winner is Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt. To read about all the head to head matches in this competition, click HERE. I picked Wonderstruck to win, but it didn't even go to the finals! This book is a fantastic choice, though.

Summary from Titlewave: Fourteen-year-old Doug Swieteck faces many challenges, including an abusive father, a brother traumatized by Vietnam, suspicious teachers and police officers, and isolation, but when he meets a girl known as Lil Spicer, he develops a close relationship with her and finds a safe place at the local library.

Main character Doug Swieteck doesn not have the greatest of lives, considering he had to move with his family to the tiny town of Marysville (reminds me of Stranded in Boringsville) where he doesn't have friends or a safe place he can go when all heck is breaking loose at home - and it often is. What I think the summary should have said, and doesn't, is this: A story of how one good friend, art and the library can save someone's life. I believe this is what happened to Doug, an it has happened in in real life to countless kids. Not all in the same way exactly, but all in the same way in that many, many kids find refuge in these three things- libraries, art and a friend.

The book sounds like it would be a downer from these descriptions, but I really found it to be much more uplifting than depressing. It has a lot of funny parts and so many great moments that it is sure to leave you feeling positive and thinking deeply about what's important in life.

I hope you'll have a chance to read this fantastic book, winner of this year's SLJ Battle of the Kids' Books.

Georgette Heyer my newest audio obsession

I think I read these books by Georgette Heyer are called Regency romances, but whatever they're called, I like them! They're historical fiction set in the late 1800s in England and they're fairly formulaic, but for audiobooks, I like that because then I don't have to think too much, and that's a good thing because I usually listen when I'm driving. So far I have listened to three of them and am on my fourth. They have fantastic character development and women characters who were quite spunky for their time because they always have their own ideas and aren't afraid to say them (or sometimes act on them without saying anything).

If you like historical fiction and enjoy stories treat move at a gentle pace, give Georgette Heyer a try!

Stranded in Boringsville, Catherine Bateson

This is a book by an Australian author with themes that are definitely cross continent ideas. Rain, the main character of the story is a 12 year old girl whose parents have gone through a divorce and she's having a difficult time coping. She does not like, particularly, her father's new girlfriend, although she has not given her much of a chance, either. She also really does not love the tiny town her mother has decided to move to called Clarkson, which she has re-christened Boringsville. It doesn't even have a pizza parlor, for crikey's sake.

Rain finds a friend in her new neighbor Daniel, who's a bit eccentric (called by other people perhaps strange) but very nice. Daniel, who is physically not well, alternates as narrator of the story with Rain, and we hear his worries as well as hers throughout the story, his main worry, of course, is Noe that he's found this new friend, she'll soon dump him. Not in a boy/girl crush kind of dump, just in an I don't want to be your friend any more kind of way. Which, frankly, seems a lot worse in the long run.

one element of this story I particularly enjoyed was a the magnetic fridge poetry shard by Rain and her mom. Although that is not the ideal parent/child communication method, I think it was a very safe thing, and that's something Rain needed. Probably her mom did, too.

The story is at times funny, at times sad, but definitely ends on a hopeful tone, although not a sticky, sappy sweet everything's okay now kind of thing. It's more of a hey, life is going to be ok, and that's a pretty good message most days.

Recommended, although I think the book is now out of print.

Home for the Holidays, Heather Vogel Frederick

I have read all of Heather Vogel Fredeick's books in this series, and I have enjoyed all of them. They focus on a group of girls and their mothers who are in a mother-daughter book club. I think this is the fifth in the series, but I might be wrong on that. The girls in these books are really nice girls, but they're not perfect girls, so they're fun to read about because they do seem real. They have real problems that they struggle with and their relationships with their mothers seem pretty realistic, too, although I'm thinking that maybe they don't roll their eyes quite a much ass I used to (sorry again, Mom!). One thing that makes these books a little challenging for me is that the chapters are alternating narrators, with the different girls telling different chapters. because I've read most of these as soon s they came out, and HVG can't seem to write s book a month -rather inconsiderate of her, don't you think? - I sometimes can't quite remember who's who. This is more the fault of the resider than the book, but it's worth mentioning if you are someone who has trouble keeping track of characters. You'll need to slow down and spy attention like I have to. One other thing I really appreciate about these books is that the characters are very different from one another, but they sly get along. Of course, some are better friends than others, but it shoes that you don't have to be best friends with everyone you do things with and also that there's value in multiple opinions and approaches to life. The moms aren't at all the same, either, most of them, but they make it work.

I really enjoy this series, and if you like books with strong female characters, I'd recommend this series to you.

Blackout - John Rocco

This was an award winning book this year and after I read it I surely know why. It is a beautiful picture book that really pulls at the heartstrings. it is the story of a hot summer day when there really wa a blackout. A family who was too busy to really connect, a whole city, perhaps, was forced to slow down and just be with one another. I know there are many times in my life when this feels Ike just such a good idea, but I, too, often just don't take the time to slow down. What a treasure that kind of time is, self imposed or not. LOVED this award winner by John Rocco.

Over and Under the Snow, Kate Messner

This is a delightful picture book that I picked up for some reason, but I can't remember what that reason was. I have GOT to start writing that down. I keep saying that, don't I? Anyway, this book was chosen as a top science picture book. It was inspired by a field trip that the teacher-author went on with her class one winter's day and it is such fun to read and look at as well as being informative. The characters in this story are cross country skiing through the woods and exploring. When they see something interesting above the snow, they also think about what it might mean about what is beneath the snow. And, wow, there's a lot going on beneath the snow that I never think about, that's for sure. Not that I get a chance to even be in the snow that much, which probably made it that much more fun for me to read, too.

At the end of the book is a section that is more clearly informational, so it's a nice mix of prose and informational text for those readers who might be more reluctant to read one kind of book or the other.

Recommended.

Book Week Online voting happening now!

Vote HERE!

Academy Award Winning short animated film

"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore"

Want to see an amazing little animated film that is all about books AND won an Academy Award this week? Click THIS link!

Inspired, in equal measures, by Hurricane Katrina, Buster Keaton, The Wizard of Oz, and a love for books, "Morris Lessmore" is a story of people who devote their lives to books and books who return the favor. Morris Lessmore is a poignant, humorous allegory about the curative powers of story. Using a variety of techniques (miniatures, computer animation, 2D animation) award winning author/ illustrator William Joyce and Co-director Brandon Oldenburg present a new narrative experience that harkens back to silent films and M-G-M Technicolor musicals. "Morris Lessmore" is old fashioned and cutting edge at the same time.

"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" is one of five animated short films that will be considered for outstanding film achievements of 2011 in the 84th Academy Awards ®.

Film Awards Won by "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore"
To date, "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" film has drummed up fans all over the world taking home the following awards:
· Cinequest Film Fest: Best Animated Short
· Palm Springs International ShortFest: Audience Favorite Award
· SIGGRAPH: Best in Show

Hunger Games hubub is ramping up

Here's a link to the official music video for the film by Taylor Swift and featuring The Civil Wars. Who even knew they did an "official" music video for films these days?


Swift, a self-described Hunger Games fangirl, told MTV that when she first received a call from the studio about writing a song, she "immediately read the book in, like, two days and fell in love with it. I fell in love with the characters, fell in love with the world that Suzanne Collins had created. I was just so immersed in it.... When I got the call, I thought from what I'd heard about the movie, 'It's an action movie, right? We're probably going to be writing a song that's like, "We're going to win!" ' And then I read the book, and I thought, 'No, we're going to have to write sort of a death lullaby, it's so different from what I thought.' See full video below for more.


For "Mockingjay-pin possessors," Entertainment Weekly showcased the songs and performers that will be on the soundtrack for The Hunger Games.


And here's the video of Taylor talking about being a fangirl on MTV.

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Stupid Fast

My librarian friend Ms. Yingling in Ohio recommended this book for a Cybils award, and by jove, it won. So of course I had to read it right away, And for once a book I want for my Kindle was available at the library WHEN I WANTED IT! It's a miracle. And now that I've read this book, I think it's even more of a miracle that it was available. Makes me think not as many boys as girls have Kindles.

Felton has pretty much been a nerd his whole life. He's had some bad stuff go down, too, like his father committing suicide and then him finding the body. But he's been getting by. As long as he keeps his head down. Suddenly, however, even with his head down he's bigger than most of the other kids his age, and it turns out he's fast on his feet. Stupid fast. This gets Felton noticed by the jocks, kids who'd mercilessly teased him previously.

At the same time Felton's school life is looking up, his home life is falling apart. His mother is spiraling down into mental illness and neglecting both him and his younger brother who is also, understandably, freaking out.

Luckily, there are people around who generally help Felton figure out how to move forward.

A beautiful character study and a good amount of tension will make this popular with girls and boys. Again, too much swearing, although also not beyond normal teenage swearing, for the MS library. An excellent choice for HS collections.

Where Things Come Back, John Corey Whaley - Printz winner

This is one of the last award winners I wanted to read this year, and it was quite excellent. This author reminds me a lot of John Green - super smart, in a way that doesn't hurt my feelings but makes me realize I'm just smart enough, but I'm nowhere near super smart. This book is also funny and sad and thought provoking and a little other-worldly almost Not in a sci-fi kind of way, but in an alternate way of thinking kind of way. Kind of. It's hard to explain. But I definitely see how it won both the debut author award and the Printz. Really great story. Would love to talk with others who've read it about the ending. Let me know if you've read it.

Too much swearing (although not really beyond average kid or gratuitous swearing) for the MS library, but great for HS libraries.

The Cybils Awards were announced today!

The Cybils awards are given each year by bloggers for the year's best children's and young adult titles.

Here's the whole list, including book apps this year!
enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens would be 200 years old today. Honestly, he's probably just as glad he's dead at this point. The great thing, however, is that even though he's not still around, his writings are! My favorites are A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations and A Christmas Carol. I loved the play I saw this winter that mixed up Sherlock Holmes and A Christmas Carol.

Do you have a favorite Dickens novel? Leave me a comment!

Read LOTS of Award winners this week

Well, I am going to have to do a mini post on the books I read this week, or blogging would be all I did all week. I read a BUNCH of the award winners. Mind you, nearly all of them were picture books, and that goes a lot faster.

Here, in no particular order, are the titles I read and a short blurb about each.

Balloons Over Broadway was my favorite picture book, even though it actually won for informational book. It has AMAZING art and interesting information. this book will be an easy sell. Even my husband was interested in it.

Breaking Stalin's Nose was a short novel with some drawings - not enough drawings to call it a graphic novel, though. Liked learning about Russian history. Wonder if kids will get into this or if there's too much backstory they don't know. Or will they care there is backstory or just like it for the story it IS?

I Broke My Trunk. Silly and cute and little ones will love it. Pretty minimal text. Good amount of repetition - not overwhelming.
The Elephant Scientist. Beautifully illustrated with photographs, this book tells both the story of a female elephant scientist and of elephants themselves. A reasonable amount of text, but nicely balanced by photos and captions.

A Ball for Daisy. This was the Caldecott winner this year, and I have to say, I didn't love the art in it nearly as much as some others. It is a wordless book which has advantages and disadvantages.

Tales for Very Picky Eaters. A beginning chapter book, it's clever and about a topic that I think many, many kids can relate to. Also many parents. I thought this one was quite fun.

Diego Rivera. Filled with drawings that mimic the artist's great murals but are not meant to represent them perfectly. I learned some things about Diego Rivera, but I wasn't wild about the book.

Underground. Thought the cover art was the best of the book. It's not that I didn't like the rest, but I really, really like the cover, and I was not as wow'ed by the rest.

World Book Night - a GREAT idea!

What is World Book Night?

World Book Night is an annual celebration designed to spread a love of reading and books to be held in the U.S. as well as the U.K. and Ireland on April 23, 2012. It will see tens of thousands of people go out into their communities to spread the joy and love of reading by giving out free World Book Night paperbacks.

Anyone age 16 or over can sign up! Be part of the fun and spread the word about how great reading is. Get all the details HERE!

Help donate books to kids!

Everybody Wins! in a non-profit dedicated to improving literacy levels by mentoring low-income youth. Their philosophy is one mentor, one child, one book at a time, and since it’s founding in 1991 Everybody Wins! has grown to include programs in 16 states reaching thousands of children.

You can help their cause simply by watching the book trailer for Rose’s Garden by Peter H. Reynolds. Dedicated to Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, Rose’s garden is about community, nature, beauty, and the power of faith. For every 10 people who watch the 60 second trailer, Fablevision, a media and interactive development studio, will donate one children’s book to Everybody Wins!

New Gallagher girls book coming March 13th

LOVE this series by Ally Carter - full of exciting spy high events and activities. So I was pretty excited to read that the newest book in the series is almost out. Want to read the first chapter? Go HERE!