Showing posts with label funny. Show all posts
Showing posts with label funny. Show all posts

Friday, December 18, 2020

The Alphabet's Alphabet

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The Alphabet's Alphabet by Chris Harris, illustrated by Dan Santat. Ages 5-8. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2020. Review copy provided by my local library. 

This is not your toddler's alphabet book. Designed for an older set who are already familiar and comfortable with letter shapes, this book plays with how letters can look like other letters, imagining creative ways to connect them. In rhyming text, the book goes through every letter of the alphabet, explaining how it's related to another letter. Dan Santat's bright, expressive artwork really brings this book to life and makes it so much fun. 

Most of these connections are super clever and readers could easily imagine them even without the illustrations to guide them "A B is a D with its belt on too tight" Some depend more heavily on the illustrations, like "An R is a K with a mask where its face is", which shows a K wrestler wearing a luchador mask that covers the top part of its "head". Overall, this book is really great fun and kids will enjoy puzzling out the shapes of each of the letters and then coming up with their own ideas for connecting different letters. While I think kids already comfortable with letters will get the most out of this book on their own, it might be fun to read it with younger children and help them see the different letter shapes in the illustrations.

I would hand this to elementary age picture book readers who enjoy other books that play around with letters like E-Mergency by Tom Lichtenheld, Al Pha's Bet by Amy Kraus Rosenthal or Every Little Letter by Deborah Underwood. 

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

12 Days of Giving: Laugh Out Loud Picture Books

 


Let's face it, after this year we could all use something (anything!) that gives us a laugh. If you're shopping for kids who are fans of Mo Willems or who love to laugh (don't we all?), these are wonderful choices for your holiday giving. All of these are from 2020, but if you want even more funny book suggestions, check out the Laugh Out Loud Picture Books list I posted a number of weeks ago; any of those would make great fun gifts, too! 

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Baloney and Friends by Greg Pizzoli (Little, Brown, 2020). Fans of Elephant and Piggie will love this brand new easy reader graphic novel with three standalone stories featuring the gentle exploits of Baloney the pig and his friends. 

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The Best Worst Poet Ever by Lauren Stohler (Atheneum, 2020). There once was a Pug and a Cat who engaged in a poetic spat... These two artists who share a work space don't get along at first, but as these competing poets duel with words, they realize that their feud is sparking some great work. Pug types a poem with his butt! Need I say more?! 

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Escargot by Dashka Slater, illustrated by Sydney Hanson (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 2017). Escargot just wants two things: 1) to be your favorite animal and 2) to get to the delicious salad at the end of the book. Buy this one if you have a bad French accent in your readaloud repertoire and you may want to get the sequel (which just came out this year), A Book for Escargot, too. 

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Happy Narwhalidays by Ben Clanton (Tundra Books, 2020). I'm a huge fan of the Narwhal and Jelly books; this is another series that Elephant and Piggie fans will enjoy. This is the fifth book of their gentle, funny adventures and it's particularly suited to holiday giving, given its theme. Don't worry, this book can stand alone, but a box set of the first three Narwhal and Jelly books would also make a super great gift for Mo Willems fans. 

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See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka (Candlewick, 2020).  See the cat. Wait a minute. Max is definitely NOT a cat. Max is definitely a DOG. How can he get the narrator of the story to get it right?! Young readers will delight in this silly book whose narrator and main character aren't seeing eye to eye. This is another great one for Elephant & Piggie fans.

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Smug Seagull by Maddie Frost (Little, Brown, 2020). Fans of Pigeon, take note! You'll want to get to know this arrogant seagull who prides himself on being the best lunch thief on the beach... until he meets a mischievous crab who seems to be his match... Read My Review

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Time for Bed's Story by Monica Arnoldo (Kids Can Press, 2020). In this hilarious story, Bed gets a chance to tell you their story. Because as much as you complain about bedtime, YOU are no picnic either. You kick, you drool, you put stickers (so many stickers) on everything. This wry picture book gives Bed a voice for once. The funny text paired with the hilariously expressive anthropomorphized bed makes for a really winning bedtime story, especially for kids who ask for five more minutes again and again.

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What About Worms?! by Ryan Higgins (Hyperion, 2020). This is a funny take on a facing-your-fears story as Tiger obsesses about his greatest fear: worms. And then worms discuss their greatest fear: tigers. If you've read all the Elephant & Piggie books, the Elephant & Piggie Love Reading spinoffs are a good bet and this is a great one to start with. 

For the first 12 days of November, I'll be posting a list of children's books perfect for gift giving this holiday season. Check out the full list of lists here to see what's coming. All the lists link to IndieBound to make it easy for you to find an independent bookstore to buy from (and as an IndieBound affiliate, shopping through those links supports me, too!). Independent bookstores need our support more than ever this year, so please shop local if you can or if you don't have a local independent bookstore, please consider ordering online from my local indie Carmichael's Bookstore

Thursday, October 22, 2020

Class Act

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Class Act by Jerry Craft. Grades 4-8. Quill Tree Books, 2020. 256 pages. Review copy provided by my local library. 

It's here! It's here! And it's sooooo good! The highly-anticipated sequel to 2020 Newbery Medal winner New Kid is out now and friends, it's so good. It's a standalone sequel that focuses on Jordan's friend Drew, an African American boy who attends Riverdale Academy Day School on scholarship. Like New Kid, this is an excellent blend of heart and humor while addressing serious issues like racism, classism, and microaggressions. You don't have to have read New Kid to understand and enjoy this book, although there are a few minor plot points that might mean more if you've read the first book. 

Drew's heard the saying that as an African American boy and a kid growing up poor that he'll have to work twice as hard to be just as good, but lately it feels like he's working way harder than that. As he begins his 8th grade year at RADS, he has to deal with a girl who has a crush on him and keeps filling his locker up with pies and cupcakes, an obnoxious classmate who gets a small taste of his own prejudice when he accidentally permanently dyes himself green for Halloween, and friends who seem to have everything Drew doesn't have (and why do they deserve swimming pools and housekeepers when Drew lives in a tiny apartment with his grandma?). But as he grows up, he's also starting to face some new realities, like the scary time a police officer pulls Jordan's dad over while he's driving the boys somewhere, and the comments his neighborhood friends make about his privileged friends from school. 

This is, of course, a must-buy for all library shelves. Definitely hand it to fans of New Kid (which I looooved, by the way, and you can read my 2019 review of it here). I'd also hand it to fans of Big Nate or Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It's written in a really approachable way, making it a wonderful suggestion for families who are having conversations with their kids about race for the first time. Both books would make a wonderful family read to start some great conversations. 

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Tuesday, October 13, 2020

See the Cat

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See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. Ages 4-7. Candlewick, 2020. 64 pages. Review copy provided by my local library. 

See the cat. Wait a minute. Is this a story about a cat? Our dog in the illustrations would disagree and he's understandably confused and indignant. This funny easy reader goes on from there with the narrator telling a story in very simple words (think Dick & Jane style writing) and the dog in the illustrations reacting and sometimes changing the text. Each story is funnier than the last as the dog (who is not a cat) deals with a surprise snake and protests the narrator demanding that he run and jump when he'd really rather just take a nap. 

I can tell you that funny easy readers are in high, high demand. I have filled dozens of Grab Bags over the past few months for fans of Mo Willems and Elephant and Piggie. I am always looking for more funny easy reader options and this one definitely fits the bill. With text simple enough for new readers and tons of comedy coming through in the illustrations and the speech bubbles from the dog, this is a surefire hit for fans of Elephant and Piggie or Chester by Melanie Watt. 

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Smug Seagull

Smug Seagull Bookcover Picture of cartoon Seagull Stealing a Sandwich

Smug Seagull by Maddie Frost. Ages 4-8. Little, Brown, 2020. 40 pages. Review copy provided by my local library. 

Seagull is an expert at swiping snacks on sunny days at the beach. He's the best - no one can beat him! Until a little crab shows up with a delectable french fry and, try as he might, the Smug Seagull is outsmarted at every turn. This delightful, laugh-out-loud picture book would make a really fun read for young beachgoers. The bright, cartoony illustrations make this a sure bet with young readers and they will delight in Seagull's mischievous escapades as he swipes all kinds of food from beachgoers young and old. 

Seagull gives me some serious Pigeon vibes. He's a bird that oozes personality and confidence, delighting in the fact that his "name is in lights" (there's a sign posted asking beachgoers not to feed the seagulls). I think young Mo Willems fans are really going to like meeting Seagull, too. And any family who's visited the beach can probably relate to swarms of seagulls hoping to sneak away with some of the picnic. 

Hand Smug Seagull to families about to head out on vacation or anyone who just needs a bit of a laugh. Although it's tailor-made for a beach or vacation themed display, kids love to giggle anytime. 

Monday, September 21, 2020

Laugh Out Loud Picture Books

 Holy cats, did I start a thread on Twitter the other week! In one of my Grab Bag requests I was working on, a patron asked for "any picture books that are hilarious and make you laugh out loud". I definitely have my own laugh out loud favorites, but I know that everyone has a different sense of humor, so I wondered what my Twitter friends would say. 151 replies later (!!!), I have quite a list and I was happily able to tell my patron to let me know anytime she wanted more funny books and I could keep her in good supply! 

It's waaaaay too many books to list all of them, but here are some of my favorites and some of the most-suggested. If you're looking for funny books, you can't go wrong here! Bonus: MANY of these authors have other books that are also hilarious and/or awesome, so definitely check them out!

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Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Judi Barrett, illustrated by Ron Barrett. Atheneum, 1988.

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The Book with No Pictures by BJ Novak. Dial, 2014. 

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Chicken Butt by Erica S. Perl, illustrated by Henry Cole. Abrams, 2009.

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Guess Again! by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Adam Rex. Simon & Schuster, 2009. 

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Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein. Candlewick, 2016. 

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The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Adam Rex. Balzer + Bray, 2017.

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Misunderstood Shark by Amy Dyckman, illustrated by Scott Magoon. Orchard Books, 2018. 

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Moo! by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. Bloomsbury, 2013. 

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Neck & Neck by Elise Parsley. Little, Brown, 2018. 

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Nothing Rhymes with Orange by Adam Rex. Chronicle Books, 2017. 

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Penguin Problems by Jory John, illustrated by Lane Smith. Random House, 2016. 

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Potato Pants by Laurie Keller. Henry Holt, 2018. 

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The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton. Arthur A. Levine, 2015. 

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Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas. Beach Lane Books, 2009. 

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Stuck by Oliver Jeffers. Philomel, 2011. 

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This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen. Candlewick, 2012. 

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We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan Higgins. Disney-Hyperion, 2018. 

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Who Wet My Pants? by Bob Shea. Little, Brown, 2019. 

Friday, September 11, 2020

Time for Bed's Story

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Time for Bed's Story by Monica Arnaldo. Ages 4-8. Kids Can Press, 2020. Digital review copy provided by publisher. 

The next time you push back when you hear the nightly announcement "It's time for bed!", maybe think again. Maybe take a minute to read bed's side of the story. You'll find it right here. Because as much as you don't want to go to bed.... you're no picnic either. And Bed's here to tell you that they don't appreciate the kicking, the drool all over their pillows, the mysterious smells in your room, or the stickers - endless stickers! - that are constantly stuck all over everything. 

This humorous take on a bedtime story is made super endearing by the expressive bed in the illustrations. Look at those indignant eyes! If you're looking for a book that will send little ones off to bed with a giggle, this is a rollicking good family readaloud. (If you're looking for a gentle bedtime story that might entice kids to actually sleep, you may want to look elsewhere.) This may be an especially appropriate read for families with kids who have trouble with the bedtime routine or who are growing up a little bit and would like to stay up later. Pair it with Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Kraus Rosenthal for another humorous, nighttime role-reversal. 

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

The Best Worst Poet Ever

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The Best Worst Poet Ever by Lauren Stohler. Grades 2-5. Atheneum, 2020. 48 pages. Review copy provided by my local library. 

Cat and Pug are both determined to become the best poet ever, but they each have very different approaches to their goals. These two artists who share a work space don't get along at first - Cat needs order and quiet; Pug needs snacks and the freedom to use his own process. But as these competing poets duel with words, they realize that their feud is sparking some great work. Imagine what a great poem they could write if they teamed up and worked together?! 

Brimming with humor, in both the poems and the illustrations, this is a really fun introduction to poetry and the creative process. Read this with any class who has reservations about your poetry unit being boring. Pug types a poem with his butt! And the text includes many different types of poems - haiku and a dual voice poem, making it a tool for introducing different styles of poems. Hand this to fans of funny verse like Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, or Alan Katz. 

Friday, August 14, 2020

You Should See Me in a Crown


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You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson. Grades 7+ 328 pages. Scholastic, 2020. Review copy provided publisher. 

Liz Lighty who would never have been caught dead in her school's cut-throat competition for prom queen. However, due to unfortunate circumstances, she finds that she needs the scholarship prize given to prom queen, so enter the race she does. Is her school ready for a queer, Black, poor, nerdy prom queen? Well, ready or not, here Liz comes!

I absolutely loved this book and I keep recommending it over and over again to anyone who will listen to me at my library. This is the gay prom story that you always wanted and it's an absolutely perfect summer read. There's plenty of humor as Liz feels her way through this prom competition with the help of her loyal best friends, but the book also touches on some serious subjects. Liz is intersectionally diverse and trying to figure out how much of herself she wants to show to the world. 

Author Leah Johnson is from Indiana and the book's set in a small Indiana town, making this an especially delightful read for those of us in Indiana. Hand this one to fans of The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding or Dumplin' by Julie Murphy. 



Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Fly on the Wall


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Fly on the Wall by Remy Lai. Grades 4-7. 336 pages. Henry Holt, September 2020. Review copy provided by publisher. 

Calling all Wimpy Kid fans! Remy Lai's latest highly illustrated novel is right up your alley! Henry is sick and tired of his family babying him. They are so overprotective that he can barely do anything without someone hovering over him. And this summer when his parents announce that the family has decided to forgo their annual visit to Henry's dad in Singapore, he takes matters into his own hands and concocts a plan to get to Singapore by himself.

Of course, plans do not always go... to plan... and Henry will learn a lot about himself on this journey. As readers follow Henry's hilarious misadventures, we also learn about his breakup with his best (and only) friend and about what led Henry to become The Fly on the Wall, an anonymous online troll who mocks the other kids and teachers at his school via a hurtful web comic.

I was a huge fan of Remy Lai's debut Pie in the Sky and it's a title that I press into the hands of all my Wimpy Kid fans who are looking for something else to read. When Fly on the Wall comes out, you can bet I will be pressing that one into hands, too. The book is written in journal format as Henry documents his journey in his trusty notebook. It's laugh-out-loud funny, but also a poignant story about a kid who feels out of place at school and struggles to make and keep friends. Hand this Australian import to fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Dork Diaries

Friday, July 31, 2020

Baloney and Friends


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Baloney and Friends by Greg Pizzoli. Preschool - 2nd grade. 96 pages. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2020. Review copy provided by my local library. 

This is the new book that I'm handing all my Elephant and Piggie fans. With the adorable cartoon illustrations and speech bubbles and the cast of silly characters, I think E&P readers will eat this one up. Put aside your reservations about an anthropomorphic pig named Baloney (scream emoji) and just enjoy the hijinks in the episodic chapters. In the three chapters and three mini comics, Baloney performs a magic show for his friends, braves the swimming pool, and more. Hand this one to newly independent readers who love to laugh; it's perfect for fans of Narwhal and Jelly, too. 

Monday, March 2, 2020

Stand Up, Yumi Chung


Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim. Grades 4-7. Kokila, March 2020. 320 pages. Review copy provided by publisher. 

Booktalk:

Yumi Chung's parents have some ideas about what a perfect Korean daughter should be like. Her hair should be permed (not cut in a sleek pixie cut like Yumi wanted to try). She should attend an elite private school like Winston (even if Yumi has no friends at school). And she should cheerfully go to summer school to prepare for the scholarship test since her parents' failing Korean restaurant means that they can no longer afford private school tuition (even though Yumi would much rather spend the summer working on her comedy routine and studying her favorite funny YouTubers and personal idols). 

But when Yumi stumbles across a stand-up comedy class for kids being taught by her YouTube idol Jasmine Jasper at the new comedy club in her neighborhood, she can't help but look in to see what it's all about. And when she's mistaken for an Asian girl who didn't show up for the first week of classes, Yumi kind of accidentally becomes "Kay Nakamura" and starts attending the class. She knows her parents would kill her if they found out. And she knows that it's wrong to take Kay's spot when she hasn't paid for the class. 

But Yumi also knows that she needs this. She needs this one thing to be hers, to really give comedy a try and see if she's got what it takes. To connect with a group of kids who are interested in the same things she is. Even if that means living a double life. 

Can Yumi keep her new stage presence a secret from her parents and her true identity a secret from Jasmine Jasper and her new comedy friends? And when her parents restaurant is really in trouble, can comedy save the day? 

My thoughts:

This is such a sweet, funny story with tons of kid appeal and a story about standing up for who you are, even if it's not what you're "supposed" to do. Yumi is a really likeable character; I was rooting for her from the start. I think middle grade kids who enjoy performing or comedy will find a lot to relate to in this book. Yumi's not awesome at stand-up right away. It takes her some time and practice to get it right and she works really hard at her art. Even though she's a shy girl, she takes to performing and she doesn't give up when she bombs. 

Readalikes:

Dorko the Magnificent by Andrea Beaty (Amulet, 2013). Although Robbie Darko is a magician and Yumi Chung is a comedian, both tweens long for life on the stage and work hard to achieve their performance dreams. Both stories are told with a lot of heart and humor and unforgettable characters. 

Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy (Harper, 2019). Readers fascinated by funny tweens leading double lives may enjoy both of these middle grade novels. Sweet Pea writes a secret advice column while Yumi attends comedy class while her parents think she is studying for summer school. 

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

#MiddleGradeMay: Pie in the Sky


Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai. Grades 3-7. Henry Holt, 2019. Digital galley provided by publisher.

Booktalk:

Jingwen feels like he's just landed on Mars when his plane touches down in Australia. There's only one English word he's really mastered - BOOGER - because his annoying little brother is a giant booger. School is a torture chamber where he's forced to repeat the fifth grade and still doesn't understand anything because everything is taught in English. He has no friends and he's afraid to try to talk to anyone since he probably won't be able to respond to them anyway.

The only thing that gets Jingwen through the day is what his brother calls CAKE TIME! Every afternoon after school when Jingwen's mother goes to work, Jingwen and Yanghao buy groceries and bake a cake from the menu of his father's dream bakery, Pie in the Sky. The bakery was his father's dream and he didn't live long enough to see it through, so Jingwen bakes the fancy cakes they would have had on the menu as a way to feel good about himself and feel connected to his father.

Of course the boys are NOT ALLOWED to use the oven when they're home alone and they could get into big trouble, so they have to keep their baking an absolute secret AND they must eat the entire cake every night. How long 'til Yanghao blows their secret? How long 'til eating all that cake makes one of them blow chunks? How long 'til Jingwen's longing to feel at home stops being just "pie in the sky" - an impossible dream?

My thoughts:

This is a pitch-perfect story that explores how tough moving to a new place and learning a new language can be. Jingwen spends hours and hours on his homework even though he's repeating the fifth grade. He knows the answers if he can understand the questions, but understanding the questions is the tough part. Throughout the book, Jingwen talks about seashells - seashells that he collected and asked his mother to hold for him, even though it weighed down her pockets. They come to represent Jingwen's feelings of guilt over his father's death.

The cartoon illustrations add so much to the book - Remy Lai uses gibberish symbols to show how English sounds like an alien language to Jingwen. His frustration is compounded by how easily his younger brother is picking up the language. As we read, we begin to learn that it's not just a lack of practice that holds Jingwen back, but a refusal to accept his life in Australia and the fact that his father passed away and his feelings of guilt about his father's death.

And it's a story about brotherhood - Jingwen is the oldest and has to take care of his little brother, but he carries a lot of resentment. Yanghao is picking up the language more quickly and seems fearless about speaking it, not caring if he makes mistakes. Because Yanghao's more willing to try, he makes friends and succeeds in school where Jingwen lets his fear and embarrassment hold him back. It's hard to be the big brother caring for a younger brother who sometimes translates for you and can talk to the librarians to book a computer.

This is a book that's both salty and sweet, like the perfect salted caramel sauce.

Readalikes:

The humor and graphic novel portions of this book make it a great read for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Big Nate, even though the subject matter carries more gravity than in those books.

New Kid by Jerry Craft is a full graphic novel and uses humor to explore a similar feeling of being a new kid and a kid who stands out from the other kids around you.

All Four Stars by Tara Dairman is another character-driven book for budding foodies about kids who love cooking but must keep their kitchen exploits a secret.


Friday, February 22, 2019

New Kid

Jordan Banks loves art, but his parents refuse to send him to the art school he wants to go to. Instead, they enroll him at the prestigious private school Riverdale Academy Day School where Jordan turns out to be one of the few kids of color in his grade. His parents keep telling him that this school will help him learn how to navigate the world at large, and he's smart and can excel in a rigorous academic environment. But at this school Jordan has to deal with things like students AND teachers mixing his name up with the names of other African American students, getting stared at whenever teachers mention students on financial aid, and the only books the school librarian recommending to him being gritty tales of African American kids dealing with gang life or prison. It's hard enough to be the new kid in school without having to deal with all the microaggressions he gets every day.

Jordan's parents say that if he still doesn't want to go there by ninth grade, they'll let him go to art school, but can he survive until then?

This book had so many moments that tell it like it is. It's probably the best middle grade book at dealing with microaggressions that I've seen. It does not stray away from how uncomfortable it makes Jordan, even when his white classmates and teachers don't realize what they're doing.

This is a book that kids of color will identify with and that white kids need to read and talk about. And it's written in a fun way. Full-color panels illustrate Jordan's day to day life in school split up by black and white spreads from Jordan's sketchbook as he reflects on stuff that's happening to him at school. Each chapter is named and illustrated for a spoof on the media (example: Chapter 3: The Hungry Games: Stop Mocking J). A blurb from Jeff Kinney on the front cover does not lead readers astray - this is a funny story talking about serious stuff. Jerry Craft really uses humor to delve into heavy topics in a way that makes them approachable.

This is a must-purchase for your library shelves, especially if you have readers of contemporary realistic graphic novels.

Readalikes: I feel like most contemporary realistic graphic novels get compared to the powerhouse Smile by Raina Telgemeier, but I think it really is an apt comparison here. They're both loosely plotted, taking place over the course of a year or years, and both feature protagonists that are navigating the tricky waters of middle school while feeling different from everyone around them.

The theme of being one of few kids of color at a prestigious private school and dealing with microaggression after microaggression makes this a great readalike for Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson.

And readers looking for more strong stories of middle school African American kids navigating things other than grit may enjoy Jason Reynolds's Track series.

Book Information:

New Kid by Jerry Craft. Grades 4-8. HarperCollins, February 2019. 250 pages. Review copy provided by my local library.

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Sunday, December 9, 2018

12 Days of Giving: Laugh Out Loud



I'll be posting themed book lists with book giving ideas for a variety of ages and interests every day Dec. 1 - 12. Check the label Twelve Days of Giving for all the lists. I'm an IndieBound affiliate, so if you buy books through the links on my site you're not only supporting an independent bookstore, you're supporting me, too!

When I was on the library front lines at the Children's and Teen desks, I can't tell you how many requests I got for funny books. Here are some of my favorites!



The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey (Scholastic, 2017). I'm cheating because I've already mentioned this series over in the Chapter Books list, but this series is funny enough that it deserves more than one mention. It's easy enough for young readers, but has broad appeal for a wide range of ages and it's laugh-out-loud funny. 



Harriet the Invincible (Hamster Princess) by Ursula Vernon (Dial, 2015). This series is a super funny, highly illustrated fantasy adventure starring a hamster princess who sets out to have adventures before facing the curse placed on her at her birth. Each volume in this fun series retells a different fairy tale, so these are great for readers who like fractured fairy tales. 



It Ain't So Awful Falafel by Firoozah Dumas (Clarion, 2016). Zomorod and her family immigrated to the US from Iran and all she wants is to fit in. So she gives herself a new American name (Cindy) and tries to explain trick-or-treating to her parents (they find it hard to believe that Halloween is about children begging throughout the neighborhood), but fitting in becomes even harder when Iran starts to make headlines for its protests, revolution, and taking of American hostages. This one is definitely a mix of funny and serious, a story with a lot of heart. 



Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton (Tundra Books, 2016). This is a super cute, short graphic novel that's a sure crowd pleaser. It's almost picture-book length, but the format is smaller and thicker than a typical picture book. Narwhal is happy-go-lucky and his friend Jellyfish is pretty serious. They might not have a lot in common, but they have lots of adventures together. This is a fun take on your friendship stories, perfect for fans of Bink & Golly or Frog & Toad. 



The Perilous Princess Plot by Sarah Courtald (Feiwel and Friends, 2015). This one's a laugh-out-loud funny book about a girl obsessed with becoming a princess and her practical sister who has to rescue her when plans go awry. It's a quick, easy read with lots of cartoony illustrations and wacky, witty humor that reminded me of Monty Python and/or Cressida Cowell's dragon books.



Skinnybones by Barbara Park (Yearling, 1982). So, first let me confess that this book had me laughing out loud when I WAS A KID. So, yes, IT'S OLD. But it's one of the best readalikes for Diary of a Wimpy Kid that I have read. And it was recently rebranded with a new, much more modern cover. Alex Frankovitch has one desire: not to win the Most Improved trophy on his baseball team this year. Because he keeps winning that one. And he has figured out that if you KEEP winning Most Improved every year, it just means you must have been pretty stinky to begin with. His big mouth keeps getting him into trouble, but he can talk himself out of anything... can't he? 



The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett and Jory John (Abrams, 2015). Miles Murphy was the prank king at his old school and he's eager to make a name for himself at his new school. Only trouble is, his new school already has a master prankster. And so begins an epic prank war. Hilarious. Highly illustrated, so you'll want the book, but I have to say that the audiobook is great on this one, too. 

I hope this lists brings you lots of giggles this holiday season!

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Pi in the Sky

Pi in the Sky by Wendy Mass. Grades 4-7. Little, Brown, June 2013. 244 pages. Reviewed from ARC provided by publisher.

Joss may be the seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe, but he'll be the first one to tell you that doesn't mean anything. Out of the seven siblings, Joss is the sixth smartest, and while his brothers have important jobs creating planets and species and designing sunrises, Joss's job? Is delivering pies. Yup, pies.

But when circumstances lead to the removal of Earth, everyone's favorite planet, from the time stream, Joss is charged with recreating the Earth. Recreating it exactly the way it was originally formed so that humans evolve in the exact same way.

This may be a heavy duty for a kid who got a C in his Planet Building class, but everyone's counting on Joss!

This book is middle-grade gold. Middle-grade science fiction stories that aren't dystopian are few and far between at the moment and this novel hits all the right notes. It's funny with Joss's self-deprecating voice and confusion between life in the Realms and life on Earth. And I love how Wendy Mass includes lots of factual information about the makeup of the universe without bogging down the story. That's something I loved about her contemporary novel Every Soul a Star, too.

The plot meandered a little for me in the beginning, but it really comes together about a third of the way through when Joss and his compatriots start earnestly trying to figure out what Earth is made of. Carl Sagan makes a guest appearance (and not just in the quotes from scientists which start each chapter).

This is a great choice for kids who like funny stories with heart and/or science fiction with a lighter tone.

Readalikes:

The light-hearted and humorous tone of the book combined with interplanetary issues brought to mind Larklight by Philip Reeve. The historical sci-fi setting of Larklight differentiates it somewhat, but I think the overall tone and voice of the books are similar. If kids are looking for another light-hearted interplanetary romp, Larklight is the way to go.

Readers may be familiar with Wendy Mass's other works, but if they haven't read Every Soul a Star, they should do so immediately. Mass employs the same skill at interweaving scientific facts in a solid friendship story as she does with Pi in the Sky.

And if readers are maybe a little bit curious about what dark matter (where the Realms are located), I'd direct them to The Mysterious Universe: Supernovae, Dark Energy, and Black Holes by Ellen Jackson. This book blew my mind a little with the concept that we don't know what 96% of the universe is made of. O_o

Pi in the Sky is on shelves now!