Book Review: Charles and Emma

Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman. (Grades 8+)

In the summer of 1838, in his rented rooms on Great Marlborough Street, London, Charles Darwin drew a line down the middle of a piece of scrap paper... He was in his late twenties. It was time to decide. Across the top of the left-hand side, he wrote Marry. On the right he wrote Not Marry. And in the middle: This is the Question.

So begins Deborah Heiligman's portrait of Charles Darwin and his wife Emma. Charles did decide to marry, although he was afraid that it would take time away from his scientific work. In Emma he found a friend, a lover, a caretaker, and an editor. In quotes from the many letters the two wrote to each other, you can tell how much Charles and Emma meant to each other.

But there was one problem that plagued them throughout their marriage. Charles was working on the theory of evolution. Emma was devoutly religious. Charles doubted his faith. And Emma constantly worried that she would not meet up with her husband in the afterlife.

I had no idea Charles Darwin was so fascinating. He was a dedicated scientist as well as being a loving husband and father to ten children (seven of which survived to adulthood). He spent years researching and observing barnacles. He studied birds, orchids, and worms. He was driven to publish his work and start a dialogue on the theory of evolution, but he was wary of causing a firestorm of criticism from Christian believers.

This is a very readable biography that concentrates on a particular aspect of Charles Darwin's life - his relationship with his wife and family - and how it influenced him and his scientific work. Heiligman includes quote after quote from Charles's and Emma's letters to each other and to other friends and family members. The effect is that of postulated dialog, except that in this case it's their actual words.

Got kids coming in looking for narrative nonfiction? Hand them this book pronto. I'd also hand it to fans of Pride and Prejudice or other such classic lit. It's readable enough to be recreational, but it's factual and will work for research reports, too.

Pair it with a typical Darwin biography for those wanting to know more (might I suggest the DK biography?) and Peter Sis's intricate picture book biography The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin for a little something different. AND today happens to be the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birthday (not just Lincoln's!).

So, happy birthday, Mr. Darwin!

Be sure and check out the Bookslut column Celebrating Darwin and an SLJ interview with Deborah Heiligman: Meet the Darwins. Do check out Ms. Heiligman's fantastic website where you can learn more about her, check out what other books she's written, and see how she did her research (a lady after my own heart).

Now Available - Skeleton Creek

A few weeks ago I reviewed Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman and it is available today! So head on out to your favorite bookstore and look for this creepy book.

And if you like all things creepy, you won't want to miss the Skeleton Creek live webcast from 6:30 to 8:00pm (Pacific time) on Friday the 13th. Make sure you bookmark that site and head over there on Friday to chat and ask your questions!

Non-Fiction Roundup

Here's a round up of the nonfiction I've been reading lately:

Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney.

With a lyrical tone and words that beg to be read aloud, here is the story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott. Gorgeous, emotional illustrations cause every page to pop and passages like the one following had me hanging on every word:

"We said if you don't, we won't. If you don't let us ride in any seat we wish, we won't ride at all. If you don't treat us fairly, we won't pay the fare. If we don't pay the fare, you won't have a bus business. And we won't let Jim Crow smack us back with his bony wings. Or slow us up with his peck, peck, peck.

Uh-uh. We won't.
And we stood by our word. Yes we did.
Child, child. We did."

Afghan Dreams: Young Voices of Afghanistan by Tony O'Brien.

This book is a collection of photographs of and interviews with children and teens in Afghanistan. Their country has been war-torn for centuries and many children go without the basic necessities. They dream of having enough food to eat, of safety for themselves and their families, of getting the education they crave, of peace.

The photographs are beautiful - some joyful and some haunting. I think this is a book that could truly inspire kids to learn more about Afghanistan and to do what they can to help. It would have been useful to have included some resources for those wishing to learn more or to help in some way. I'd pair this one with other books about children across the world (maybe A Life Like Mine by DK Publishing) for a multicultural unit or display.

Duel!: Burr and Hamilton's Deadly War of Words by Dennis Brindell Fradin, illustrated by Larry Day.

This one is a Cybils finalist in the Non-Fiction Picture Book category. The book describes the fateful duel that resulted in Alexander Hamilton's death. The feud between them ran long and the book does a great job of explaining things clearly. Plus, the art is just great.

And I have to admit that I really can't think of Burr and Hamilton without recalling the first Got Milk? commercial:



This week's Nonfiction Monday roundup is at Charlotte's Library, so head on over there to see what nonfiction the Kidlitosphere is reading this week!

Congrats!

Congrats to the winners of my Ranger's Appentice giveaway! I've contacted them by email (so if you didn't get an email from me this morning, I'm sorry to say that your name wasn't randomly chosen). Thanks so much to everyone who entered the contest! And stay tuned because I'm planning another giveaway within the next couple of weeks. :)

And a HUGE THANK YOU to Jillian at Penguin Young Reader's Group who generously provided the ARCs for this contest! You rock!!

Waiting on

Waiting on Wednesday is a popular feature in the book-related blogosphere, but I am not nearly organized enough to collect my thoughts and post about the upcoming releases I'm looking forward to every Wednesday. So I offer you this Waiting on ________ (fill in the blank) post. Because there are a bunch of awesome books coming out that I can't wait to get my hands on. Here's what they are and why:

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. From the publisher description: "In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the multiple-award-winning Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery." I mean, come on. It's Laurie Halse Anderson! How could I not be looking forward to this book?? It's due out March 19.

Ditto Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen. I'm a big fan of her previous books, so of course I'm looking forward to her next one. From the pub description: "It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.
A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend." Due out June 16.
Do I even have to mention Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (due September 8) or Fire by Kristin Cashore (due October 6)? Probably not, but I just did anyway. I'll cross my fingers that I can find ARCs at ALA this summer...

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. This one got a lot of early buzz and to tell you the truth I'd almost forgotten about, but it's definitely on my TBR list when it comes out March 10. I mean, Scott Westerfeld says "A post- apocalypse romance of the first order, elegantly written from title to last line." And Sarah Miller says "I...found myself fascinated with the way Carrie Ryan created an entire society, plunged me into it, and parceled out its history and secrets bit by bit -- just enough to make me feel continually intrigued instead of lost or frustrated." Sounds like world-building at its finest. Sign me up!
While perusing the 2009 Debutantes site, I came across Breathing by Cheryl Renee Herbsman. This tiny blurb really intrigued me: "What if the guy who took your breath away was the only one who could help you breathe?" I checked out Cheryl's site where you can read an excerpt from the book and I was sold on Savannah's funny voice. It's due out April 16.
And last but not least (for today) is As You Wish by Jackson Pearce. I first heard of Jackson Pearce when somebody linked to her video about imagining the publishing process and I've been following her blog ever since. I mean, wouldn't you want to read a book written by this girl:

Blurb from the 2009 Debutantes: "High school student Viola Cohen inadvertently summons--then falls for--a young jinn after her boyfriend tells her a life-changing secret." And it's due out September 1.

Storytime Selections (for the older set)

Last week I did a storytime at a K-4th grade after school program. Here's what I did:

I started with If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen. This was last year's Monarch winner, so I was a little afraid that the kids would be sick of it. A couple of them knew it... and loved it! This one even coaxed one of the older boys down from his perch on the back of the risers (i.e. where the "cool kids" sit). After driving home in his dad's boring station wagon, a boy imagines the car he would build. It has a pool inside, an automatic snack machine, and it can go underwater and up in the sky. The rhyming text is fun to read and it's the perfect length.

Next, I read Alfred's Nose, a quirky little picture book. I wish that it was a larger size and that all of the pictures were nice and clear. The kids liked this one, but who doesn't like dogs? The story's a little strange, but it's the pictures that make it fun. Alfred is a dog with a round head, a flat nose, and a tongue that sticks out all the time. When he finds a box of costume animal noses, he tries them all on to find one he likes better than his own.

Then I read Ducky by Eve Bunting. The story's based on the true story of the shipment of bath toys that crashed in a storm and drifted up on beaches in Alaska and the Pacific northwest. The story itself is written from the perspective of one of the plastic ducks, alone and afraid as he bobs along in the ocean. The language is a little young for most of the kids in the group, but I read the author's note before I read the story and explained that it was based on a real event. That seemed to hold their interest pretty well.

Last, but certainly not least, I finally read Don't Take Your Snake For a Stroll by Karin Ireland. I've been wanting to try this in storytime for awhile now and it always seemed to be checked out or I forgot about it. I think maybe I found it a little funnier than the kids found it, but it's got silly rhymes and even sillier pictures. The reader is urged not to take their elephant to the beach, their pig to the mall, or their alligator on a late night walk. Each of these will surely result in dire consequences. David Catrow does the illustrations, so you know they're hilarious. My favorite is the elephant, so wide he nearly fills the page spread, wearing a yellow Speedo. This made for a good readaloud, but would also be great for individual reading because there are so many funny details in the pictures.

They all seemed to go over well, but the big surprise for me was that the kids requested that I bring Big Plans next time. I read it last month and I didn't get a big reaction from them, but it must have stuck in their minds! That was the first thing they asked me when I got there: "Did you bring Big Plans I Say?" And as I was leaving they asked me to bring it next time. As any librarian knows, it feels really good to introduce kids to books they like and remember!

Around the interwebs

I was alerted to the launch of a new website - GraphicNovelReporter.com - which includes lots of great resources about graphic novels. Looking for reviews? Author interviews? Best-of lists? This site's got a multitude of resources on graphic novels for all ages.

MotherReader's got some advice for authors starting blogs and commenters are chiming in, too. If you're a blogging author, definitely take a look, and if you're a different kind of kidlit blogger there just might be some tips for you, too. ;) (ETA Feb. 6 - Pam's gone and written up Blog Advice II which incorporates suggestions from the myriad of comments on her first post. Definitely worth checking out!! And I will be checking all my links this weekend... ;)

Uh, there's nothing like the last minute, so: JOHN GREEN WILL BE IN CHICAGO TOMORROW. Yes, Friday John Green will be at the Hideout bar (1354 W. Wabansia) from 6:30 to 8:00 on Mark Bazer's Interview Show. And it gets better: he's promised to buy one drink for any librarian who shows up! I haven't decided yet if I'm too shy to go... but if you're in Chicagoland and not shy, don't miss it! (And take pictures and tell me how it is!)

Steph's holding a contest you don't want to miss. Head on over there to see the MANY FANTASTIC prizes you can win and how to enter.

Speaking of contests, there's still time to enter to win an advance copy of the sixth Ranger's Apprentice book, The Siege of Macindaw. I know you know some kids dying to read this new book before all their friends (or maybe you want to read it yourself!). Five winners will be picked on Sunday, so head on over to that post and get your name in!

Rebecca Caudill 2010 Nominees

Woohoo! The 2010 Rebecca Caudill Master List has been posted!! (Link opens a PDF.) This looks to be another great list and I can't wait to dive in to the titles I haven't read.

Amato, Mary. Naked Mole-Rat Letters. (2005)
Applegate, Katherine. Home of the Brave. (2007)*
Bingham, Kelly L. Shark Girl. (2007)*
Dowell, Frances O'Roark. Shooting the Moon. (2008)*
Freedman, Russell. Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. (2006)
George, Jessica Day. Dragon Slippers. (2007)
Graff, Lisa. The Thing About Georgie. (2006)
Hahn, Mary Downing. All the Lovely Bad Ones. (2008)
Hobbs, Will. Crossing the Wire. (2006)
Kent, Rose. Kimchi & Calamari. (2007)*
Mass, Wendy. Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. (2006)
Morpurgo, Michael. The Mozart Question. (2006)
Nuzum, K.A. A Small White Scar. (2006)
Schmidt, Gary D. The Wednesday Wars. (2007)*
Smith, Roland. Elephant Run. (2007)
St. John, Lauren. The White Giraffe. (2006)
Stead, Rebecca. First Light. (2007)*
Tarshis, Lauren. Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree. (2007)*
Urban, Linda. A Crooked Kind of Perfect. (2007)*
Wolf, Joan M. Someone Named Eva. (2007)

Starred titles are the ones I've read prior to the list being announced. 8 out of 20 is not quite as good as last year, but I would like to point out that I predicted A Crooked Kind of Perfect, Home of the Brave, and Emma-Jean Lazarus last week. :)

I've linked to my reviews for those titles that I've reviewed. As I read & review them over the next couple of months, I'll change the links from Amazon to my reviews. For those books that I read before embarking on the magical journey that is blogging (or books I didn't review for whatever reason), I'll post a "mini-review" with my thoughts on the book at the time that I read it.

I'll also be adding discussion questions and maaaybe some video booktalks, so keep checking back! I'll link this post in the sidebar of my blog so it'll be easy to find.

ETA (April 15): Apologies, but it looks like I probably won't be getting around to adding discussion questions or other Caudill-related content this year!

Thanks to the Caudill committee for their hard work in coming up with this list!

Interview with Walter Dean Myers

The Learning First Alliance has posted a great interview with author Walter Dean Myers.

From the interview:

When I see that 50 percent of African-American kids don't finish high school, that's a crisis of tremendous weight to me. These kids are not finishing high school. They're not getting the core knowledge of how to conduct their lives and how to move on. As far as I'm concerned, from a national point of view as an American, we have to rescue these kids. We have to reverse this. We have to go into these communities and turn this around.

Mr. Myers has a new book Dope Sick coming out on February 10. Want a preview? The first three chapters are now available for download on AdLit.org. And wait, it gets even better! The entire book will be available online at harperteen.com from February 10-24.

Book Review: Knucklehead

Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Almost True Stories of Growing Up by Jon Scieszka. (Grades 4+)

Growing up as the second-oldest of six boys, Jon Scieszka had many an adventure as a child. His dad called them Knuckleheads since it was easier than saying "Jim, Jon, Tom, Gregg, Brian, and Jeff!". As in "Get out of the water now, you Knuckleheads!" was just so much easier, and much quicker than saying, "Jim, Jon, Tom, Gregg, Brian, Jeff, get out of the lake now because it is raining and lightning bolts are crashing in the trees all around you." (pg 106.)

In Knucklehead, Jon tells us about his life in elementary school. Grew up in Flint, Michigan where he attended Catholic school and spent summers at a cottage on the lake. He played pranks on his brothers and they played pranks on him.

This book is laugh-out-loud funny and its short chapters make it ideal for reluctant readers. It has a certain gross-out factor and one notable chapter about swearwords (but nothing worse than hell and damn), so be aware of those potential red flags.

To flag all the funny and interesting passages in the book, well, you'd practically mark the entire volume. This book will be an easy sell for booktalking by sharing a passage or two and I'd like to share a couple of my favorite teasers:

When talking about sharing a room with his brother in the cold basement and the space heater they used in the winter:

The twisty metal coils on the heater had a great orange glow when they got hot. Just like the fires we would build with Dad out at the lake.

I guess that's what made me and Jim think we could put out the heater the same way we put out the fires at the lake - by peeing on it. (pg. 16)

and

Watch your brothers. That's what my mom used to tell me and Jim - "Watch your brothers."

So we did.
We watched Jeff roll off the couch.
We watched Brian dig in the plants and eat the dirt.
We watched Gregg lift up the lid on the toilet and splash around in the water. (pg 35)

I was laughing the whole way through this book and I can't wait to booktalk it to some elementary- and middle-school kids. This will be a sure hit with the Diary of a Wimpy Kid crowd.

Read more reviews at Bookends, Fuse #8, A Year of Reading, Becky's Book Reviews, and 100 Scope Notes (among others). Also check out the book trailer, an interview, and Jon Scieszka Worldwide.

Happy Non-Fiction Monday! Anastasia's got the round-up at Picture Book of the Day!