Call of the Klondike

This post is cross-posted at the Nonfiction Monday group blog. Please check it out to see what nonfiction bloggers are reading this week!

Call of the Klondike: A True Gold Rush Adventure by David Meissner and Kim Richardson. Grades 6 and up. Calkins Creek Books, October 2013. 167 pages. Review copy provided by my local library.

Looking for an adventure? Pack your bags, bundle up, say goodbye to your loved ones (just in case) and join Stanley Pearce and Marshall Bond on their journey to the Klondike region of Alaska in search of riches beyond your imagination.

In 1897, miners arrived back in Seattle with millions in gold, mined in the Klondike. Thousands of people then rushed to this remote area in hopes of making their fortune. It would NOT be easy. Using primary sources (letters, journals, and newspaper articles passed down within Stanley Pearce's family), David Meissner illuminates the hardships and risks of this fantastic adventure.  Pearce and Bond spent thousands outfitting themselves for their journey and it took them months to even reach the Klondike. Before planes, before train tracks reached the area, adventurers had to travel by steamship to Alaska, on foot up the hazardous mountain passes, and by boat down rocky rivers to reach Dawson City.

This is a fantastic adventure story and the author makes great use of the primary documents at his disposal. Excerpts from Marshall Bond's diary and letters from Stanley Pearce to his family give readers a play-by-play account of this dangerous adventure. Although Pearce and Bond are well-outfitted and maintain positive attitudes, many men and animals died in pursuit of Klondike gold. With temperatures dropping to 50 degrees below zero and food stores running low, not everyone who reached Dawson city returned. And less than one half of one percent of those who started the journey ever found enough gold to make them rich.

This nonfiction book reads like fiction, including plenty of archival photos to give faces to the many who ventured to the north. Back matter includes an author's note, source notes, and resources for further information. The excellent use of primary sources provides exciting material that fulfills Common Core requirements for analyzing primary sources. Although it definitely has classroom applications, there's plenty of appeal in this story for thrill seekers and history buffs.

Readalikes:

Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James Swanson. The action-packed style of James Swanson's writing will please readers who enjoy true adventure stories that read like fiction, even though the subject matter and time period are different.

The Call of the Wild by Jack London. Set in the wilds of the Klondike, Jack London's story is based on some of his experiences during the Klondike gold rush. In fact, Jack London met and spent time with Stanley Pearce and Marshall Bond and the fictional dog Buck was actually based on Pearce and Bond's dog Jack.

Golden Boy

Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan. Grades 7 and up. G.P. Putnam's Sons, June 2013. 354 pages. Review copy provided by my local library.

Booktalk:

When Habo's mother can't come up with the rent for their farm in a tiny Tanzanian village, Habo and his siblings are forced to make their way across the Serengeti Park to Mwanza where Habo's aunt and cousins live. It's a dangerous journey and it turns out to be a dangerous destination for Habo.

Habo is a zeruzeru, an albino, someone with no pigment in his skin. He doesn't have the "good" brown skin that his brothers and sister have, but white skin that burns easily in the sun and yellow hair and weak, blue eyes. And in Mwanza, where many believe in luck magic, Habo has a price on his head. The word zeruzeru literally translates to "zero zero", which shows you just what some Tanzanians think about albinos. They're worse than nothing. And just as some people poach elephants for their ivory and for their feet and tails, poachers target albinos because local folklore says their hands, hair, skin, and legs are lucky. Habo can't stay in Mwanza, but with no money, no skills, and a poacher on his tail, where is he to go?

My thoughts:

I was intrigued by the subject matter of this book when I heard publishers talking about it at ALA and I think it's an important story that deserves to be widely read. I think it deserves at least as much attention as last year's Wonder, although it is aimed at an older audience and the subject matter is definitely more intense. It actually wasn't as dark as I thought it would be, though. There's a lot of hope in this story.

This is Tara Sullivan's debut novel and she's done her homework. The book includes an author's note that discusses the real situations on which events in the book are based. The author also includes a list of resources for learning more and suggestions for what kids can do to help. I hope that nonfiction authors will take note that this would be a great topic for teen nonfiction!

This is an accessible novel with a compelling plot that will interest kids and may inspire them to learn more about the plight of albinos in Tanzania and what they can do to help.

Readalikes:

For more adventure stories based on real situations in Africa, I'd suggest A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park or Chanda's Secrets by Allan Stratton.

Golden Boy is on shelves now!

Barbed Wire Baseball

Barbed Wire Baseball by Marissa Moss, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu. Grades 2-5. Abrams, April 2013. 40 pages. Review copy provided by my local library.

Kenichi Zenimura (known as Zeni) loved baseball. Every since he was a little kid, he wanted nothing more than to play ball. And despite the fact that he grew up to be a small man (just five feet tall!), he did achieve his dream of becoming a professional ball player. When World War II started, Zeni and his family were forced into an internment camp for people of Japanese descent. But Zeni would not let that keep him from playing. With help from many people at the camp, Zeni built a ball field and brought baseball to the camp!

This is an inspiring story of one man's passion for sport and the things people will do to help each other. Zeni didn't build a ball field alone. Many people helped, from clearing the land to building grandstands to sewing uniforms. The reality of the internment camps isn't glossed over, but the story definitely concentrates on hope.

Yuko Shimuzi's illustrations help bring the desolate interment camp, located in the Arizona desert, to life. Colors are muted throughout the book, giving it an aged feel. Spreads set in the camp show how bleak and lifeless the land is until Zeni and his friends irrigate and grow grass for the field. The camp is portrayed with barbed wire fences to depict the fact that the camp was a prison, even though the barbed wire was eventually removed at that particular camp. This is addressed in the afterward, along with additional information about Zeni and baseball in the camp.

Back matter also includes an author's note and an artist's note, which talk about how Marissa Moss was inspired to write the story and how Yuko Shimuzi researched to make the illustrations as historically accurate as possible. An index and a bibliography (for both the author and artist) are provided. Yay for citing sources!!

This is a great book to add to lessons on World War II, particularly lessons about the Japanese internment or the home front. It would also work for lessons on immigration, BUT don't file this away as strictly a classroom book. It's a story that will have wide appeal with sports fans and kids interested in history.

Readalikes:

The same issue gets a fictional treatment in the picture book Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki, illustrated by Dom Lee. It might be interesting to compare a fiction and nonfiction book on the same subject.

For more on the Japanese internment camps, check out Dear Miss Breed: True Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration During World War II and a Librarian Who Made a Difference by Joanne F. Oppenheim. This book contains letters written by kids in the camps to their beloved librarian Miss Breed.

For more about baseball history, check out We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson or A Whole New Ball Game: The Story of the All-American Girls' Professional Baseball League by Sue Macy.

For more books about Asian-Americans breaking color barriers, check out Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story by Paula Yoo (about swimmer Sammy Lee) or Sky High: The True Story of Maggie Gee by Marissa Moss.

Barbed Wire Baseball is on shelves now!

Happy Nonfiction Monday! This week's roundup is at Wrapped in Foil, so make sure you check it out.

Fourmile by Watt Key

Fourmile by Watt Key. Grades 6-8. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2012. 228 pages. Review copy provided by publisher for Young Hoosier Book Award consideration. My review reflects only my own opinion, not necessarily the opinion of the committee. 

Things are a little rough for twelve-year-old Foster right now. Ever since his dad died, the farm he lives on has been slowly falling apart and now his mom says they have to sell it. Foster's not sure what kind of decisions his mom is capable of, though, since she's decided to date Dax, a bully of a man whom Foster instantly disliked. One day as Foster's painting the fence, Gary shows up and things start to change. Gary, a wandering ex-military man, offers to stay and help fix up the farm for minimum wage and a spot in the barn to sleep. Foster takes a shine to Gary who's calm and quiet and capable and seems to understand the pain Foster's still feeling over his dad's death. Though Foster keeps telling himself that Gary will have to move on, he starts to hope that Gary can stay. But Gary is not being completely upfront about his past and as the summer sizzles on, things will come to a blistering head.

Foster is a very realistic tween guy that kids will identify with. I completely believed in his confusion after his dad died, his frustration at his mom dating a jerk, and his instant attachment to Gary, a solid father figure. I loved Foster's devotion to his dog (who also doesn't like Dax) and the devotion he discovers he has to his farm. As Gary and Foster begin the process of fixing up the place together, Foster is able to let go of some of the pain he feels over his dad's absence and start to love Fourmile Farm for what it is.

Although this is a character-driven story about Foster coming to terms with his dad's death, the story also has a lot of action. Dax is a truly slimy guy and there is a lot of drama surrounding Dax and his mistrust of Gary and his mistreatment of both Foster and his mother. Although some of it felt a little over-the-top, the action blends nicely with the character development to make a story that will capture kids' interest.

The story also has a strong sense of setting. Watt Key brings Fourmile Farm to life with descriptions of the fields at different times of day, the rain coming down, the smells of the barn (and how they change as Foster and Gary start fixing things up). As much as this is a story about Foster and an action story, it's also a love letter to a Southern farm.

Readalikes: Readers looking for another story of a tween guy dealing with family issues in a rural setting might like Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Perry. In the story, Brother is searching for his place and trying to help take care of a ranch when his brothers are off at war.

Readers who like the blend of character development and action might like Bull Rider by Suzanne Morgan Williams. Between skateboarding, ranching, and bull riding, there's a lot of action in this book, but the protagonist Cam is also dealing with his brother coming home injured from war.

Fourmile was on the shortlist for the Middle Grade Cybils Award and it's also been reviewed by The Boy Reader and A Patchwork of Books. It's on shelves now.

Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different

Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal. Grades 6 and up. Feiwel & Friends, 2012. 310 pages. Review copy provided by publisher for Young Hoosier Book Award consideration. This review reflects only my own opinion, not necessarily the opinion of the committee!

Steve Jobs was one of the world's biggest technology innovators and this thoughtful and readable biography brings his story to dazzling life. Starting with his childhood growing up with his adoptive family and losing interest in school early on because he wasn't challenged, this biography illuminates Jobs's indomitable spirit throughout. It doesn't shy away from the rough bits, either. Jobs fathered a child he ignored for many years, at times refused to bathe, and was fired from the company he started because he sometimes had a hard time getting along with people. But there's no questioning that Jobs was able to sense future needs in a way that few have ever done and because of him humans made huge leaps in technology.

Ask a class of kids to raise their hand if they have used at least one Apple device in the past week. From computers in schools to iPods to iPhones, Apple is everywhere. Here's a chance for students to learn how it came about.

For me, personally, this was an interesting story because I remember so many of these technological milestones playing out as I was growing up. Our first family computer was an Apple II GS. I remember Apple's decline and playing on my friend's family's computer which had Windows 3.1, a distinct change from the floppy disks at my house. It was fascinating to me to read the stories behind these stories and hear about Steve Jobs's part in them. Of course, today's tweens and teens won't have this personal background, but Apple's products are so ubiquitous today that many of them will have some experience with them.

Steve Jobs's unconventional path to success will be an inspiration to some. He dropped out of college in his first semester, proving that one can be a success without a degree. The book also clearly shows how very hard he worked to bring about that success. The book is exquisitely researched and back matter contains a time line, an author's note, a bibliography, and source notes. Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different was shortlisted for the Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults award.

Since Steve Jobs's death in 2011, there have been an influx of biographies about him for young readers, but this one stands above the rest. Make sure you stock your shelves for the tweens who are starting to do reports about his life.

Readalikes: For the story of a hardworking man behind another fairly ubiquitous American brand, check out Mr. Sam: How Sam Walton Built WalMart and Became America's Richest Man by Karen Blumenthal. Sam Walton was not a technological innovator, but he was an innovator just the same and he built great success for himself.

Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different is on shelves now!

Happy Nonfiction Monday!! You can find this week's roundup at NC Teacher Stuff, so go check it out!

Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have

Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff. Grades 9+ Egmont USA, 2009. 311 pages. Reviewed from purchased copy.

Andy Zansky is fat. He's also super smart and funny and kind and caring, but the kids at his high school just see the fat. And Andy's not okay with that, exactly, but he knows that's the way things are... until he meets (and immediately falls in love with) new girl April. Something has to change because he can't let April be one of those people who only see his mass. After a chance encounter with the school's golden boy, quarterback O. Douglas, Andy decides to go out for football. And everything will change.

This book waited for WAY TOO LONG on my to-be-read shelf and once I started it I didn't really put it down until I was done with it. Short chapters and a funny, relateable main character kept me turning the pages and I think those are exactly what gives this book teen appeal.

Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have is a book about the way that people see you. Even though Andy has a lot of good qualities, a lot of the kids at his school can't see past the surface. I'd say that Andy can't really see through the surface either. He is what he's always been - a nerd, unpopular, nonathletic. That's what he sees reflected back at him from the kids at school and from his family, so Andy makes choices that don't rock the boat. He participates in Model UN. He doesn't really talk to girls. He puts up with the bullies as best he can.

When a chance encounter with one of the most popular guys in school leads to Andy trying out for football, everything begins to change. Andy begins to see himself differently and his choices reflect that. So, this is a story about the way the people might see you and how you let that affect your life.

It's also a great sports story. The sports and the humor are things that might appeal to you guy readers (and girl readers, too, of course). But really this is a story that a lot of kids can relate to and it deserves to find a wide audience.

Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have is on shelves now, so don't let it fly under your radar!

Audiobook Review: Dead End in Norvelt

Dead End in Norvelt, written and read by Jack Gantos. Grades 4-7. Macmillan Audio, 2011. 7 hours and 16 minutes. Review copy provided by my local library.

Norvelt is a dying town. Subsidized by Eleanor Roosevelt as part of the New Deal to help poor people get back on their feet, the original residents are reaching an age where it's not unusual to read their obituaries in the morning paper. And all those obituaries are written by the inimitable Mrs. Volkert, herself an original Norvelt resident. A sassy old lady with a penchant for history, the only thing slowing Mrs. Volkert down is the crippling arthritis in her hands. And that's where Jack comes in. In trouble for shooting one of his father's old guns from the army, Jack is grounded for the summer, except when Mrs. Volkert needs his help to type up obituaries. And when people start to get suspicious about the deaths of so many original Norvelt residents, Jack will have to help solve that mystery, too!

Blending fact and fiction into a semi-autobiographical novel about his own childhood (the town of Norvelt is real, Jack really suffered from terrible nosebleeds as a kid), Dead End in Norvelt, is a story about examining one's own past and learning from history and also figuring out how to embrace change. It's entirely fitting that a book with those themes would feature elements from Jack Gantos's own childhood, and I'd imagine that looking back at  his own past helped Gantos make the story even more meaningful.

Jack Gantos is a boy obsessed with story and with history. Part of the reason he bonds with Mrs. Volkert is that she insists on adding paragraphs to each obituary, loosely connecting some forgotten moment in history with the life of the person who has died. Another reason is that she lets him drive her car, but that's neither here nor there.

The town of Norvelt is so richly developed that it almost becomes another character in the novel. By the way, Norvelt is a real place and it really was built during the Depression to improve the lives of poor people. Norvelt, once a model community, is now a dead end. It's not growing and flourishing; the population dwindles as the residents die off one by one. But it's also a place with a rich history and that makes it valuable to those wise enough to know it.

I listened to the audio recording of this title and that was a great way to experience this book. Jack Gantos narrates, which fits the story perfectly since it's such a personal story. The reading is a little weird and quirky, but if you've ever heard Gantos speak, you know that's just how he is. The reading wasn't voiced, but it felt authentic. The audiobook includes an interview with Jack Gantos answering questions about the book and his writing.

Dead End in Norvelt was the winner of the 2012 Newbery Medal and the 2012 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. The story has a lot of humor and I think it will appeal to guy readers. I'd hand it to fans of the Grandma Dowdel books by Richard Peck because of this historical setting and the quirky old lady character. I'd also hand it to fans of Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt, which is another book set in a small town in the 1960s with a strong male character (although the tone of Schmidt's book is darker).

Check out more reviews at Reading Everywhere (audiobook review), Book Nut, GreenBean TeenQueen, and the Nerdy Book Club.

Dead End in Norvelt is on shelves now!

The Fourth Stall

The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander. Grades 4-7. Walden Pond Press, 2011. 314 pages. Review copy provided by my local library.

Christian "Mac" (short for MacGuyver) Barrett is the kid who can get you what you need. From his office in the East Wing boys' bathroom, he deals in favors and cold, hard cash, helping kids with their problems, even if it means violating the school's code of conduct. But everything changes when Fred shows up: a scared third grader who's gotten in way over his head with a high school bookie named Staples. As Mac tries to help Fred, he learns just how deeply Staples has infiltrated his school. He's gotta shut Staples down, but when you factor in snitches, hit men, and ultimate betrayal, things get complicated really fast.

This humorous mystery story has a lot of guy appeal and plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Mac and his best friend/right hand man Vince aren't sure who they can trust. And when Vince starts acting a little fishy about the money that they're saving up for tickets to a World Series game, Mac's not even sure he can trust his best friend.

One of my favorite things about this book was Mac and Vince's friendship. They've been best friends since living in the same trailer park in kindergarten. Since then, Mac's family has moved out of the trailer park, but Vince is still there. Mac trusts Vince implicitly and the business truly belongs to both of them. Yes, Mac's the one sitting in the big chair, but Vince keeps all the books and offers guidance when Mac's not sure what to do. With such close friends being in business together, you'd expect some tension and that's something that Chris Rylander gets exactly right. When Mac starts to doubt Vince's loyalty, you see all the conflict he's going through. It's all done in a guy-friendly way, though, among the baseball trivia and dodging hit men and hiring spies.

The writing is a little uneven. Sometimes it's spot-on and hilarious, but other times it's a little repetitive and I think the book would have been stronger if the writing had been a little tighter. The mystery is well-crafted and definitely kept me guessing. I liked that Rylander gives us some peeks into Staples's life; he's not a stock Bad Guy, and the reader gets some of the reasons behind his evil deeds.

Hand this to fans of Swindle by Gordon Korman, Adam Canfield of the Slash by Michael Winerip, or Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer.

Check out Sarah's review at GreenBean TeenQueen. And be aware that  a sequel is also on shelves: The Fourth Stall Part II (Walden Pond Press, February 2012).

Guest Post: Aaron Karo!

Ladies and gents, I'm so happy to announce that I'm today's stop on the Lexapros and Cons blog tour! This fabulously fresh and funny book hits shelves TODAY, so make sure to hit up your favorite bookstore to pick up a copy... after you read this guest post from author Aaron Karo, of course:

Funny Business
            I wasn’t always professionally funny. Growing up, I was quick to crack jokes and was something of the class cut-up, but I never had any aspirations of doing anything with it. I went to Penn to study business and got a job on Wall Street right after graduation. It wasn’t until 2002, when I was 23 years old, that I tried stand-up for the first time. I fell in love and have been writing and performing ever since.

            For me, it’s hard not to be funny. And I don’t mean to be cocky. I just mean that my default mode is to make light of a situation, no matter how grave it is. I just think I get my point across best with humor. Plus, no girl ever says, “I’m looking for a really serious guy.” They want someone who can make them laugh. That’s just added incentive.

            When I set out to write Lexapros and Cons, I didn’t intentionally try to write a “funny” book. But I did know that Chuck Taylor was going to get himself into some pretty sticky situations, and that it would be fun trying to extricate him from them. Chuck never says the right thing and very rarely even thinks the right thing, and that’s probably because he speaks and talks kinda like me. He’s not trying to be funny. He’s just sort of off. And that’s what ultimately endears him to Amy, which may be some measure of wish fulfillment on my part: that some beautiful girl is going to think I’m hilarious and fall for me. Hey, a guy can dream. 

            A lot of people have told me that many YA books are very dark or paranormal, or dark and paranormal and therefore it’s refreshing to read a more comedic story like Lexapros and Cons. The truth is, I actually think that the trials and tribulations that Chuck goes through in the course of dealing with his OCD are pretty dark. It’s just that Chuck’s reactions (and the reactions of his classmates) are so outrageous that it kind of took the edge away. I chalk that up to happy coincidence. 

            Being a comedian was tremendous training for writing Lexapros. It is much, much easier to make someone laugh when you’re telling them a story in person than it is to get them to laugh from reading something you’ve written. But I think all my experience on stage has translated to the page. The key is misdirection, which is basically making the audience think you’re going to say one thing, and then saying something else instead. In the conversations between Chuck and his best friend Steve in the book, there is a lot of misdirection. They go off on some unexpected and, hopefully, hilarious tangents. That tendency is right out of my stand-up act.

            The beauty of comedy is that it is often universal. I think that teens will enjoy Lexapros not simply because it’s targeted to them, but because it’s just funny in general. Teens have a pretty sophisticated sense of humor, probably more so than they are given credit for, but I imagine their parents will get just as much of kick out of the book as they do. At least I hope so, because I really don’t want to go back to getting paid not to be funny.

***

Many thanks to Aaron for stopping by today on his very release day! Be sure and check him out on Twitter @aaronkaro. And thanks, also, to the good folks at Farrar, Straus, and Giroux for offering up a copy of Lexapros and Cons for a giveaway! 

To enter, please fill out the form below. One entry per person, US addresses only. You must be at least 13 years old to enter. Entries will be accepted through Monday, April 16 and I'll draw one winner on Tuesday, April 17. I will share the winner's information with the publisher who will send the book. Otherwise, I promise your information will not be shared with anyone and will be deleted after the contest is over. 

The giveaway is now closed! Thanks to all who entered!

Lexapros and Cons

Lexapros and Cons by Aaron Karo. Grades 8+. Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, April 2012. 232 pages. Reviewed from ARC provided by publisher.

Chuck Taylor (yes, that's actually his name) knows that the little habits and routines he has aren't just habits and routines. He knows it's crazy to continually check the burners and oven knobs, to get up to pee fifteen times before going to bed, to keep a tally of how many times he masturbates (573 times last year). When Chuck's parents insist that he start seeing a psychiatrist, he's torn between freaking out about seeing a shrink and being grateful that he's finally getting some help. But when Chuck meets new girl Amy Huntington and - miracle of miracles - she actually kinda seems into him, he knows he's got to hide his crazy from her at all costs. It won't be easy, but if Chuck can do it, it just might change his life.

Comedian Aaron Karo brings us a fresh, funny male protagonist in a story with as much heart as humor.

I'm always looking for more funny teen books. Humor is something that a lot of my teens crave and it can be hard to find funny contemporary titles on the crowded-with-issues-and-paranormal YA shelves. I'm pleased to be able to hand this to teens (especially teen guys) who want a laugh. You can even find humor in the format of the book: chapters are numbered with post-it note tally marks, just like the post-its on which Chuck keeps his jerk-off tally.

Chuck Taylor has a great voice and his story is one that teens will identify with. OCD is obviously a major issue in the story, but really Chuck's coming of age and figuring out how to deal with his life. He has a crush on a girl, he has a best friend who's in love with his sister (awkward...), he has parents who are trying their hardest but are still relatively clueless.

There's some language and plenty of talk about masturbation, so you need to know your audience with this one. I'd hand it to fans of Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford for the humor and maybe It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini for the psychology aspect.

Be sure to read Sarah's review at YA Librarian Tales!

Lexapros and Cons comes out TOMORROW (April 10) and you'll definitely want to check back because I'll have Aaron Karo himself here tomorrow for a guest post you won't want to miss!

Race Day at the Library

I am always looking for more ideas for bringing boys into the library (aren't we all?). Last week was Spring Break for our kids and I hosted Race Day at the Library! This program was actually really simple and a lot of fun. We invited kids in K-5th grade to design their own race track at the library.

Of course, I stole the idea from another librarian! A librarian from the Parker Memorial Library (MA) posted this idea on the PUBYAC listserv and I've been saving it for just the right time.

The bulk of our program was making race tracks and I pulled a large selection of racing-related titles to display. Since I had a captive audience of (mostly) boys, I did a little book-talking, too. I kept it short since I had some little ones there and I booktalked: 

• Skinnybones by Barbara Park (honestly, one of my favorite Wimpy Kid readalikes)
• Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka (to booktalk this, I just read the passage where they pee on the space heater)
• 100 Most Dangerous Things on the Planet by Anna Claybourne (I keep pushing this one since it gets buried in our 600s. Everyone I tell about it wants to check it out!)
• The Day-Glo Brothers by Chris Barton (another of my favorites that tends to get buried!)

I checked after the program and every single book I talked about was checked out! Does anything feel better than that??

So, the craft! This is one of those crafts that I could set out all the supplies and just let families be creative and make whatever they wanted (i.e. my favorite kind!).

We made race tracks out of cardboard tubes (paper towel & toilet paper tubes). We had some volunteers cut many of the tubes lengthwise so that they would make troughs. We also kept some tubes uncut in case kids wanted to make tunnels or use the tubes to add height, etc. Kids could design their race track however they wanted. One of our local pizza restaurants actually donated some misprinted boxes that we used as the cardboard base. I put out construction paper, crayons, markers, stickers, scissors, glue, tape, and all kinds of scraps and let them go to town!

The kids and parents had a lot of fun getting creative and designing their race tracks. This is a great, cheap, easy craft that would work really well for family night programs. After each kid finished his or her race track, I let them pick out a handful of matchbox cars (purchased at Oriental Trading) to take home.

It was low-key, but tons of fun. I didn't have a huge crowd, but that wasn't too surprising since we had it in the evening. We tend to get low turnout for our evening programs. I put on some CDs (any excuse to listen to Ralph's World) and just generally chatted with the kids about their favorite books while they worked.

Most of all, I love how creative everyone was with their tracks! It was definitely a super fun night!

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews. Grades 9 and up. Abrams, March 2012. 288 pages. Reviewed from ARC provided by NetGalley.

High school senior Greg Gaines has perfected the art of invisibility. Although he could list all of the cliques and subcliques at his school, and although he's friendly with everyone, he's an actual friend to no one. Unless you count Earl, but Earl's more like a coworker, helping Greg create terrible amateur movies in their spare time. When Greg's mom forces him to call up Rachel, a friend from when they were kids in Hebrew school together (a girl who has just been diagnosed with leukemia), he resists at first. But as he gets to know Rachel again, he realizes that he likes spending time with her. Unfortunately, that time is running out...


This book had me literally laughing out loud. I'm always so pleased to find funny teen books because kids DIG humor and it can be so hard to find. Main character Greg has a very self-deprecating voice and uses humor at his own expense. There's a fair amount of gross-out humor, but those aren't the only laughs to be found. One of my favorite scenes was when Greg and Earl accidentally get high and then decide to make up a story to explain what happened. I was laughing so hard that I'm sure if my neighbors heard me, they thought I was insane.

Jesse Andrews built a perfect arc for Rachel and Greg's relationship with her. Their friendship starts slowly as Greg gets to know her again, and at its peak I found myself caring about Rachel quite a bit and hoping that maybe she wasn't actually dying. But this is a story about a dying girl (it says so right in the title). Mr. Andrews manages to distance the reader from Rachel just enough so that it's not crushing when things take a turn for the worse. It all happens very organically. The humor's toned down as we enter a serious period in Greg's life and then picks up again at the end.


Mr. Andrews throws in some different formats as we go, switching from straight prose to screenplay-like dialog that adds humor, keeps the pages turning quickly, and totally makes sense for Greg's character. Greg's a film buff and an amateur filmmaker and this bits show us how Greg sees the world. Greg wants to be neutral, just like the video cameras he uses - observing everybody impartially. But in order to make a good film, you have to decide where you stand and what you want to say.

Ultimately, it's a story about knowing people's stories, about deciding whether to play it safe or take some risks and let people in. This is a spectacular debut and I sincerely hope there's more coming from Jesse Andrews.

I would hand this immediately to teens looking for a funny story. Know your audience since there's a decent amount of profanity and crude humor. I'd try it on fans of Jordan Sonnenblick's Notes from the Midnight Driver or Brent Crawford's Carter Finally Gets It.

I found out about this book through Capillya's fantastic interview with Jesse Andrews on That Cover Girl, so make sure you head on over there. As a sidenote, the book's cover is amazingly fantastic and I, too, kinda want to rub it all over my face. Also: I get an inordinate amount of delight from the rhyming title.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl will be on shelves March 1!

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick. Grades 6-9. Scholastic, March 2012. 304 pages. Reviewed from ARC provided by publisher.

Freshman year is turning out to be a wild ride for Peter Friedman. After an injury takes him off the field permanently, he's not exactly sure who he is now that he's not a baseball star, and he doesn't know how to tell his best friend that he'll never play again. His photography class is awesome - in no small part because he's partnered with the cute, smart Angelika. But he's worried about his grandfather who's forgetting things more and more often. Life keeps throwing him curveballs and Pete's got to figure out a way to keep on swinging.

Once again, Jordan Sonnenblick approaches serious subject matter with his trademark humor and authentic characters. This is a must-read for fans of Sonnenblick's previous work.

I literally squealed when I saw this in a box of ARCs Scholastic sent me and I immediately went to Twitter to get the buzz started. I am a huge fan of Jordan Sonnenblick's previous middle-grade novels and Curveball stood up to my high expectations.

Curveball is all about the sudden, unexpected changes that happen in life. Starting high school is a big change for anyone, but Pete expected to be a big-time athlete and suddenly he's having to find a new identity. Grampa's sudden descent into Alzheimer's is another unexpected change in Pete's life, made even more stressful by the fact that he feels like he has to protect his grandfather and keep it a secret. The family unit that Pete should be able to steady himself against is suddenly full of pitfalls and uncertainties.

Jordan Sonnenblick writes with authenticity and Pete's voice rang true to me. The humor in the book keeps it light, even as Pete's dealing with serious situations. The pacing is steady and kept me turning the pages, wondering how everything would work out. There's some romance as Pete delves into his first relationship with Angelika, his photography partner, but it's not overdone and the relationship develops organically throughout the book. It's always nice to see some romance from a guy's perspective because that's something guys are dealing with, too.

This book will definitely appeal to Sonnenblick's already established audience and it's sure to garner him new fans, as well. Be sure to hand it to fans of Notes from the Midnight Driver. The story's got many of the same elements as L.K. Madigan's wonderful Flash Burnout, so I'd recommend it to fans of that book, as well. Curveball might also serve as a gateway drug of sorts for kids who will only touch sports stories. There's enough of a sports element to satisfy them, although I don't know that I'd call it a Sports Book.

Curveball will be on shelves March 1.

The Berlin Boxing Club

The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow. Grades 7 and up. HarperTeen, 2011. 405 pages. Reviewed from ARC snagged at ALA. 

Summary from publisher via GoodReads:

Fourteen-year-old Karl Stern has never thought of himself as a Jew. But to the bullies at his school in Nazi-era Berlin, it doesn't matter that Karl has never set foot in a synagogue or that his family doesn't practice religion. Demoralized by relentless attacks on a heritage he doesn't accept as his own, Karl longs to prove his worth to everyone around him.

So when Max Schmeling, champion boxer and German national hero, makes a deal with Karl's father to give Karl boxing lessons, Karl sees it as the perfect chance to reinvent himself. A skilled cartoonist, Karl has never had an interest in boxing, but as Max becomes the mentor Karl never had, Karl soon finds both his boxing skills and his art flourishing.

But when Nazi violence against Jews escalates, Karl must take on a new role: protector of his family. Karl longs to ask his new mentor for help, but with Max's fame growing, he is forced to associate with Hitler and other Nazi elites, leaving Karl to wonder where his hero's sympathies truly lie. Can Karl balance his dream of boxing greatness with his obligation to keep his family out of harm's way?

World War II is a hot topic among teens and The Berlin Boxing Club is a welcome addition to library shelves. As Germany barrels along towards World War II, propaganda against the Jews increases and new laws make life harder and harder for them. Robert Sharenow brings these injustices to life through his story. Karl has to switch schools when his school expels all Jews and he has to sneak around with the girl he's courting because she's Catholic. By creating a Jewish family that's not religious, Mr. Sharenow emphasizes that the crimes of the Nazis were aimed at people of the Jewish ethnicity, not necessarily an attack on religion. Since Karl does not look Jewish, he's able to "pass" some of the time, unlike his father and sister. Karl's a character that teens will identify with and this makes these injustices all the more sour. 

Besides being a fascinating historical story, this is also a strong sports story. As Karl starts his training and gets better at boxing, he discovers a deep love and talent for the sport. The juxtaposition of the "civilized" violence of boxing in the ring against the senseless street violence against the Jews is a powerful one. More than once, Karl wishes that he could face his oppressors in the ring where there are rules and honor. Karl's boxing instructor Max Schmeling was held up as a symbol of Aryan superiority, especially when he bested African-American fighter Joe Louis in 1936. This is a source of conflict for Karl who is never sure where his mentor's allegiances lie concerning the Nazis. Pair this book with the 2011 picture book A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis by Matt de la Pena, illustrated by Kadir Nelson for another perspective of Schemling and Louis's second fight in 1938. 

The book does have some pacing issues. The plot stops and starts a little instead of being a steady build. But for teens who have an interest in the time period, this won't be an issue. Karl's story will be enough to keep them turning the page. It's all the more heartbreaking since the reader knows what the characters don't: that the world is heading towards a terrible war. 

I'd hand this book to any teen who loves The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Annexed by Sharon Dogar, or Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. Check out more reviews at Stacked, Galleysmith and The Fourth Musketeer. You'll also want to catch Michelle's interview with Robert Sharenow and his guest post at Galleysmith. 

The Berlin Boxing Club is on shelves now!

Everybody Sees the Ants

Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King. Grades 7 and up. Little, Brown, October 2011. 282 pages. Reviewed from ARC snagged at ALA.

Every night, Lucky Linderman travels to the jungles of Vietnam where he tries, once again, to rescue his grandfather. Lucky's grandfather has been MIA since way before Lucky was born. But at least in his dreams, Lucky feels like he's doing something. Not like when he can't get his dad to talk to him or even stay home from his restaurant for one night to be with the family. Not like when Nader's beating him up and all the adults are too meek or too clueless to help. But after a particularly horrible incident, Lucky's mom takes him to visit her brother in Arizona and there Lucky will begin to take charge of his life and start to set things to rights.

There's this moment... I guess not everyone necessarily has A MOMENT, but I know for me there was a time in my life when I realized that life doesn't have to be something that happens TO you. When you're growing up, ever since you were a baby, people were doing things for you. They carried you around. They fed you. When you got older, they made you brush your teeth, they carted you off on family vacations. When you're a kid, a lot of stuff happens TO you. But when you start to grow up, you realize that you can take charge of your life. You can make things turn out the way you want them to (well, you can do your best, anyway).

This is one thing Lucky learns.

There's also some time in your life when you realize that everybody's got problems, no matter how perfect their hair or how much money they make. Not only that, but sometimes problems are a lot more complicated than you could ever imagine. And sometimes the problems you see are caused by underlying problems you don't see. But everybody's got 'em.

This is another thing Lucky learns.

Everybody Sees the Ants is a story for anyone who has ever felt helpless.

This is a story that I could just sink into. Lucky felt incredibly real to me and I truly enjoyed seeing him figure things out. He's faced with a lot of frustrations in his life... Of course, there's the bully making his life miserable, but there's also the fact that his dad is never around and that Lucky isn't able to get it across that he needs help dealing with it. He's screaming at the top of his lungs without making a sound.

Lucky isn't the only great character in this book. A fleshed-out cast of supporting characters add to the authenticity of the story. I particularly liked the story of Lucky's aunt and uncle. As Lucky gets to know them, his perception of both of them changes almost completely, reinforcing the idea that you may never know someone's full story.

Lucky's ants add humor to the story, keeping it from getting too heavy. This is a book about some serious issues, but the tone is not always serious.

Check out more reviews at Stacked, GreenBean TeenQueen, Presenting Lenore, The Book Smugglers, and YA Love.  

Everybody Sees the Ants is on shelves now!

America is Under Attack

America is Under Attack: September 11, 2001: The Day the Towers Fell by Don Brown. Grades 3-6. August 2011. Unpaged. Review copy provided by my local library.

We all know that life in America changed on September 11, but the fact is that many of the kids we're working with now weren't born or were too young to remember September 11. We just marked the 10-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks, so any kid under 10 years old wasn't around when it happened. They certainly have questions about it and America is Under Attack is going to provide many of the answers they're looking for.

It starts with a clear blue day in September and goes on to present the events of the day chronologically. The book concentrates on the World Trade Center attacks, but Don Brown also devotes spreads to the attack on the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93. He describes in detail the actions of people in and around the Twin Towers at the planes hit and the towers collapsed. His illustrations put the reader inside the buildings as the plane hits and on the ground with the firefighters as they run in on rescue missions. The text matches perfectly with the illustrations, connecting the events of the attacks with real stories of everyday heroes that flow together to create one organic picture of what happened. And the beauty is that this is all done on a child-friendly level.

Yes, many of the people we are introduced to did not survive (as we find out at the end), but the tragedy isn't emphasized in this tragic event. Instead, Mr. Brown emphasizes the heroic actions of regular people and how people came together to help one another that day.

The book deals squarely with the events on September 11, 2001 and only an afterword gives information on the aftermath of the attacks. Mr. Brown dedicates the book to the 15 people from his hometown of Merrick, NY who lost their lives that day and he lists them by name. The book also includes a bibliography and source notes.

This is an example of superb children's nonfiction and it's a great introduction for any child who's curious about what happened on that day.

Read more reviews at 100 Scope Notes, The Nonfiction Detectives, and Wizards Wireless (including her 7-year-old's reaction to the book).

America is Under Attack is on shelves now!

Happy Nonfiction Monday! This week's roundup is over at Charlotte's Library, so go check it out!

Audiobook Review: Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, written and read by Jack Gantos. Grades 3-6. Listening Library 1999, 2009. 3 hours 36 minutes. Review copy provided by my local library.

Joey Pigza was born wired. Some days, his meds work and he's able to calm down and concentrate. Other days...

Well, there was the day that Joey was sharpening pencils and decided to play vampire and sharpen his fingernail in the pencil sharpener. There was the day that Joey ate an entire molasses pie and ended up jumping off a roof. And there was the day that Joey swallowed his key, of course. But when Joey hurts a classmate, it's his last chance to get things under control.

If you haven't read Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, I must insist that you do so at your earliest convenience. This is a modern classic that every children's librarian and elementary teacher (and parent) should read. I read it first in grad school and recently revisited it on audiobook. Joey's story is reality for a LOT of kids. According to the Center for Disease Control, almost one in ten children between the ages of 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD at some point in their lives. In an author's note, Gantos mentions that he was inspired to write this book by a child he met at one of his school visits.

Joey is such a believable and likeable character that kids, ADHD or not, are sure to identify with him and sympathize with his struggles. Jack Gantos brings Joey to life with details about how he's feeling when his meds aren't working. He's a kid with a good heart, but his goodness is often hidden by his impulsive decisions and hyperactivity. Of course, the story is told with plenty of humor and even some gross-out moments, so kids are sure to appreciate that, as well.

Audiobook is a great format in which to experience this story, BUT I say that with the caveat that I've met Jack Gantos and heard him speak and I think he's totally awesome. I'm not sure his narration would have the same charm if I hadn't previously seen him in person. Y'all know that when an author reads his own work, it's not the same as an actor reading it. Gantos's reading isn't flashy and it's not voiced. But it's earnest. Jack Gantos reads the story as if it actually happened to him and until I heard the author's note at the end, I could have sworn that he was writing from his actual experience. He writes it and he reads it so that his listeners can experience ADHD, too, and so that they might understand. And so that kids with attention disorders will understand that they're not alone and that they're not bad kids.

For kids, this is a fun story and they'll be rooting for Joey all the way through. For adults, this may be a necessary story.

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key is on shelves now!

Hey, I'm an Audible affiliate, so if you purchase stuff after clicking the links on my site, I may get a small commission! 

Saint Louis Armstrong Beach

Saint Louis Armstrong Beach by Brenda Woods. Grades 4-6. Penguin, September 2011. 144 pages. Review copy provided by my local library.

Hurricane Katrina is coming and nothing will stop her. But Saint Louis Armstrong Beach doesn't really believe that it could be all that bad. After all, New Orleans has weathered many a hurricane in its day. So he keeps on playing music on the streets to raise money for Julliard someday and when his dog runs away, Saint goes back to find him... and finds himself in the middle of the worst storm of his life.

I've reviewed a few Hurricane Katrina novels that have come out for kids and teens over the past few years. There was Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi, which put teenage Miles in the middle of the Superdome. There was the superb Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes, which painted a sensory picture of 12-year-old Lanesha going through the storm. And this year, we have Saint Louis Armstrong Beach.

One definite strength of this book is that it's very kid-friendly. Yes, the storm's coming and yes it's seriously, but Brenda Woods focuses on Saint's life before and after the storm, rather than the horrors he's going through during the storm. This isn't to say that she brushes over everything, but there's a definite emphasis on living through it - that life was happening in New Orleans before the hurricane and that life went on in New Orleans afterwards. Having visited New Orleans this summer and having seen how the city is absolutely infused with music, I was very pleased to see that music is a big part of the story.

Another aspect of the story that I was pleased to see was Saint's relationship with his former best friend, an older girl who lives next door. They're reaching those tween years when so many boy-girl friendships get awkward as new feelings develop. I feel like we get this scenario all the time from the girl's perspective, so it was refreshing to see it from a boy's view, even though it wasn't entirely successful. There's a lot going on in the book - Saint's music, Saint's attempt to save his dog, the coming storm, the girl-next-door-best-friend, another girl who has a crush on Saint... Some of the plot elements didn't seem to go anywhere and there were spots where I definitely had to stretch my suspension of disbelief to buy everything that was going on.

That said, this is a nice addition to the Hurricane Katrina books available for kids. It will make the storm accessible to elementary school kids and is perfectly appropriate for the classroom or library.

Saint Louis Armstrong Beach is on shelves now!

Audiobook Review: The Spectacular Now

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp, read by MacLeod Andrews. Grades 9+ Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2008. Brilliance Audio 2009. 8 hours and 13 minutes.

Sutter Keely's got a big heart and big cup of 7-Up and whiskey. He prides himself on having a spectacular time always and he's not so much about planning for the future or concentrating on negative things like his beautiful fat girlfriend Cassidy breaking up with him or the fact  that his dad's not really around too much. On the night he drives his car into a front lawn, he meets Aimee, a hopelessly nerdy girl whom Sutter knows he can help. But is it possible that Sutter might need Aimee's help, too?

I picked up this audiobook after hearing MacLeod Andrews* at the ALA Odyssey Awards reception this summer and I was immediately sucked in by the humor and Andrews's believable Oklahoma drawl. This is a story that lends itself very well to the audio format and with Andrews at the helm, it's just like Sutter Keely himself is sitting across from you and telling you the story.

What's interesting is that Sutter's a little bit of an unreliable narrator. Sure, everything's fine and dandy, spectacular, even. But we know that a high school senior who steals alcohol from the grocery store, keeps a steady buzz going throughout the day, and gets blackout drunk every weekend is not fine and dandy. Sutter needs help and he doesn't even realize it. Enter Aimee. Because as much as Sutter wants to help Aimee (even if things sometimes go awry), he needs Aimee's help, too. And it's going to take a girl like Aimee, a girl who's not like other girls, to get Sutter to start to see things the way they are.

Don't get me wrong. Aimee's NOT a manic pixie dreamgirl. She's kind of the opposite, in fact. She's socially awkward. She's bossed around by her best friend. She loves science fiction novels (and I mean truly nerdy science fiction novels), wears t-shirts with horses painted on them, and dreams about working for NASA.

Just the same, I think this is a story that'll appeal to the Nerdfighting crowd and I'd recommend it to fans of John Green's Paper Towns. The Spectacular Now, 2008 National Book Award Honoree, is funny and serious at the same time. Sutter's heavy alcohol use is a great starting point for discussion.

I think audio's the way to go for this one, folks. MacLeod Andrews does a fantastic job narrating. He's got a nice Oklahoma drawl for Sutter and he voices the characters just enough that they're distinguishable without going over the top. Andrews simply becomes Sutter Keely and that lets the listener really sink into the audiobook and become immersed in the story. This audiobook had me looking forward to my commute and road trips so I could continue the story.

The Spectacular Now is available, well, now.

* Who, I have recently learned, hails from my own hometown of Louisville, KY! Also, whose name is pronounced "McLoud". 

Hey, I'm an Audible affiliate, so if you purchase stuff after clicking on the links here I may receive a small commission.

Happenstance Found

Happenstance Found (The Books of Umber #1) by P.W. Catanese. Grades 4-8. Aladdin (S&S), 2009. 342 pages. Review copy provided by my local library.

Happenstance has no memory of his life when he's found by Lord Umber in an underground chamber. He has mysterious powers and he knows he's to play some part in a series of important events, but he doesn't know his own real name or where his mother is or why he's deathly afraid of water. All he knows is that an evil man is after him. And if Hap can escape, it might mean saving the world.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I was all ready to write it off as Not My Thing, but then I opened it and started reading and... found myself devouring 100 pages in a single sitting. The action starts off right away with a giant killer worm attacking Hap and his new friends and it pretty much doesn't let up until the end. At first, it's a little disconcerting to be plunged into a story with no background (since Hap can't even remember what his real name is). But the reader's going through what Hap's going through - discovering new things about Hap as he himself is discovering them and Lord Umber is explaining the world to him.

I found Hap to be an intriguing character. I wanted to know more about him and his special powers and where he came from and what role he was to play. And then, as I got to know Lord Umber, I wanted to know more about Lord Umber and where he came from, as well. Because Lord Umber knows things... In this magical world, Lord Umber knows Beatles songs and pizza. What's that all about? It's intriguing, is what I'm saying.*

Also, it's obviously the first in a trilogy, but the story is resolved nicely while still nudging kids to look for the next book.

So:

Action that starts right away and ebbs & flows naturally throughout the book +
Intriguing characters that I loved getting to know =
A fantastic read in a genre that I didn't really think I liked (shows what I know)

I would hand this in a heartbeat to kids who loved fantasy-adventure series like Fablehaven or Pendragon. And I'm putting the entire series on my next order because I can already think of a handful of boys (and one staff member) who are going to eat these books up. It's a good, solid tween read. I'm ordering it for my Children's Department, but the Lord Umber character (who's older - an adult, but a young one) extends the appeal into the YA range, as well.

Happenstance Found is on shelves now, as are Dragon Games (Books of Umber #2) and The End of Time (Books of Umber #3/conclusion of the trilogy).

*Also, in my head, Lord Umber's a total hottie...