Book Review: Tennyson

Tennyson by Lesley M.M. Blume. (Grades 4-8)

Tennyson's mother Sadie is gone. Sadie's a high-strung artist, destined to be a famous author, and now she's run off, saying that her family is holding her back. Tennyson's father goes off in search of her and brings Tennyson and her sister Hattie to Aigredoux.

Aigredoux. The name means "bittersweet" in French. And Aigredoux is bittersweet. Once an imposing, glamorous mansion, Aigredoux is now falling apart at the seams. Marble once covered all the floors and stairs, but it's slowly being sold off to make ends meet. The house is being torn apart, crumbling before their very eyes.

But that won't stop Aunt Henrietta from trying to save it. Life under Aunt Henrietta's roof is much different from the life Tennyson and Hattie had at their old home. They sleep on a scratchy moss-filled bed underneath mosquito netting to prevent ceiling plaster from coating them as it falls during the night. They're expected to learn how to behave like ladies, how to interact with potential suitors... because Henrietta knows that Tennyson and Hattie are her last hopes. They're children now, but one day they might marry rich men who could save Aigredoux and the Fontaine family.

When Tennyson starts having dreams that tell her the true story of Aigredoux's past, she gets her own idea about what might help. She knows she has to bring her mother back, she has to get her family back together. But will her idea work? And what secrets about Aigredoux's tainted past will be revealed in her dreams?

This is an unusual story about an unusual family. It's very gothic and the house and characters are suitably creepy. The mechanism of Tennyson's dreaming about Aigredoux works for the story because Aigredoux is almost like another character. It makes sense that it would communicate with Tennyson about its history. The book is set in 1932 and Tennyson's dreams take her back to the Civil War, but the house seems almost frozen in time. People from the same family still live there, using many of the same objects.

My one criticism is that the ending really snuck up on me and I felt that it was very abrupt. Prepare yourself for that and I think you'll really enjoy this creepy, romantic tale of the American South.

You can find more reviews by Little Willow and Sarah Miller. And yes, Lesley M.M. Blume is the author of 2009 Caudill nominee Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters and The Rising Star of Rusty Nail (which I quite liked but didn't review for some reason...).

Book Review: Light Shining Through the Mist

Light Shining Through the Mist: A Photobiography of Dian Fossey by Tom L. Matthews. (Grades 4-8)

'Tis the season for biographies (at least in my library) and here's a great one on a subject that I'm betting most kids wouldn't know about.

I first heard of Dian Fossey in the book Gorilla Doctors. The book gave a brief history of the study of mountain gorillas and when I read that Fossey was murdered, possibly because of her anti-poaching activities, I was intrigued. I wanted to know more.

Ever since Fossey was a little girl, she always loved animals. In college she tried business but hated it. She tried veterinary medicine but couldn't pass the science classes she would need. Eventually she studied occupational therapy and got a job at a hospital (in Louisville, KY, which, incidentally, is where I grew up). She worked at her job, but she dreamed of going to Africa and studying animals.

Fossey saved and finally took out a loan to go to Africa where she happened to meet the anthropologist Louis Leakey. Eventually that connection led him to offer her a job studying mountain gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda. It wasn't an easy job. She was alone most of the time on a cold mountain, surrounded by mist. She didn't have the modern conveniences she was used to and the countries she worked it were constantly engaged in civil wars.

But Fossey loved her job. She learned tons about gorilla behavior and got close to the gorillas themselves. In fact, she was the first person to get really close to mountain gorillas. And she hated the poachers. Humans were encroaching on the gorillas' territory with farming and trapping. Poachers would sell the heads and hands of gorillas and people capturing infant gorillas for zoos often had to kill the entire gorilla family in order to take the infant. Fossey loved the gorillas and she was determined to fight back. She destroyed poachers' traps, shot at trespassing cattle, and spoke openly about the need to limit tourism.

No one knows who murdered Dian Fossey or why. She was a passionate woman who cared deeply about what she did. She was a great teacher and speaker. She might still be alive today if someone hadn't cut her life short.

The story of Fossey's life is an interesting and inspiring one. Here's another strong woman to add to your women's history booklists. I've found National Geographic's Photobiographies series to be a great series of biographies with pictures that really make the subject matter pop. An afterward includes information about the state of the mountain gorilla today. The book also includes a time line, index, and extensive bibliography. The next addition to my to-read list is the book that Fossey wrote (which was turned into a movie), Gorillas in the Mist.

I really enjoyed Light Shining Through the Mist and I might never have picked it up if it hadn't been for Gorilla Doctors. Amazing the connections you can make through literature.

Happy Nonfiction Monday! Go check out the roundup at Picture Book of the Day.

Mooooo

Mmmkay, you all know Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin. But what about all the other bemusing bovines hiding out on your library shelves? I want to share a couple of my favorite cow books with you.

Millie Waits for the Mail by Alexander Steffensmeier is one that you won't want to miss. Every day Millie the cow waits for the mail... because she loves to terrify the mailman. She waits in hiding and then jumps out to scare him and chase him off the farm. All of the farmer's packages arrive broken. The mailman is suffering from PTSD. This has to stop! Both the farmer and the mailman come up with a plan... and it works... kind of. The hilarious illustrations and surprises in the story make this a great choice for storytime, but it would also be great for one-on-one reading because there's lots of see and talk about in the pictures. This one's a winner all around and it's one of my new favorites.

Too Many Pears by Valerie French is about Pamela, a cow who loooooves to eat pears. Nothing can keep her from getting to those pears and she eats so many that there are none left for the family! Luckily, someone comes up with an idea... Is it possible to eat too many pears? This is a silly story that would fit in perfectly for a cow-themed or a food-themed storytime.

Of course, we can't forget Adventures of Cow and Adventures of Cow Too by Lori Korcheck. In both these incredibly silly books, Cow goes on an adventure and writes a book to tell his tale. The only problem is, well, he's getting everything wrong! Sharp-eyed preschoolers will love to correct each mistake. Although I've used them for storytimes, the small size of these books might make them a bit better for one-on-one reading. Plus, the silly mistakes Cow makes provide a great opportunity for talking about the things in the pictures.

I'm fairly convinced that Karma Wilson can do no wrong. So, of course, I have to include Sakes Alive! A Cattle Drive. The whole book is a play on the expression "cattle drive" because in this book, the cattle are driving. And everyone else better get out of their way! Anything in the road is liable to go flying, but the townspeople are thrilled when the mad chase turns into a rollicking parade. A silly hit for your storytime.

These are some of my favorite cow books... What are yours?

Book Review: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart. (Grades 7+)

When Frankie was a freshman at the prestigious Alabaster Preparatory Academy, she was as good as invisible. As a slightly geeky member of the Debate Club, her only tenuous link to the popular kids is her older sister Zada. When Fankie comes back for her sophomore year, some things have changed. Zada has graduated and Frankie's undergone a transformation. Over the summer, she's had a growth spurt and she's coming back tall and curvy. Suddenly boys are looking at her, including the object of her crush, the popular, funny senior Matthew Livingston. But Frankie's looks aren't the only thing that's changed about her. She's sick of being overlooked. She's sick of being underestimated. She's sick of being thought of as her parents' little Bunny Rabbit. And she's determined to make people stand up and take notice of her.

It's not quite as easy as she thought. She's ecstatic when Matthew notices her and she becomes his girlfriend, but she soon discovers that there's something more important in his life. And although Matthew doesn't know, Frankie finds out that he's an integral member in the school's all-male secret society, the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. Frankie could admit defeat and take the back seat to the Bassets (as the other girlfriends of the members seem to do), but that's not who she is anymore. So she does a little plotting and Frankie Landau-Banks takes over the Basset Hounds... without any of the guys realizing she's the one behind their pranks.

I loved this unusual book... I couldn't put it down. You find out at the beginning through a letter from Frankie to the headmaster of the school that Frankie was the one behind all the pranks the Basset Hounds pulled during the first semester... but it takes awhile for the action to unfold, to find out just what happened and how Frankie articulated her play for power.

Besides the great characters and intriguing plot, this book actually made me think a lot about power. Frankie's constantly questioning what it takes to be successful and the unspoken rules that we all follow. She wonders how far she can go to mix things up, break the rules. She wonders what it will take to get the boys to respect her as much as they respect each other. Do they respect each other because of the things they accomplish or because they're boys, buddies, connections? Frankie's dad (who also attended Alabaster) is always talking about the connections she's going to make that will help her be successful. Frankie wonders if she really needs to rely on these connections, if she needs to be tapped into the "Old Boys" network... what will it take for her to become successful on her own terms?

Frankie's definitely a kick-butt heroine and it's so great to see a girl find a boyfriend but refuse to let him push her around. Even though Frankie's not always the nicest person, I was rooting for her the whole way. If you like books with some intrigue and really interesting characters, pick up The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.

But don't take my word for it... read more reviews at The Reading Zone, Reading Rants!, The Book Muncher, Under the Covers, and Little Willow. Also, check out an interview with E. Lockhart over at YA Fresh.

The Scariest Creature in the World...

Susan over at Wizards Wireless has got people talking about the first book they remember reading on their own. People are sharing some great books that have created some great memories for them. What a special thing, to remember that first book you read all by yourself! I, unfortunately, do not remember the first book I read on my own. But that got me thinking about other special memories I have that are connected with books.

When I was little, we read Uncle Remus tales almost every night. We have (my parents still have it) a copy of Walt Disney's Uncle Remus Tales and my brother and I loved to hear about Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear, and Brer Fox. Night after night. We loved them. I remember that it was mostly my dad who read the stories to us and I cannot recall whether he attempted the dialect or not.

My favorite was the one about De Wuller De Wust.

I don't remember which tale it's in (I could tell you if I had the book, but it's at my parents' house in Kentucky), but there is one story about Brer Rabbit where he steals some honey. He eats that honey all up and when he's done, he's just covered in sticky honey. Then he hears someone coming and he decides to play a little prank. All sticky from the honey, he then rolls in some leaves and pretends to be the scariest creature in the world... De Wuller De Wust.

Well. For Halloween one year, I was De Wuller De Wust:










I'm sure none of the neighbors had any idea what I was dressed as. But I'm also sure it was quite fun to roll around in those leaves. And a Halloween costume based on a favorite book? I can't think of a happier book-related memory than that. :)

PS: The Disney version is long out of print, but if you want to check out some of the Uncle Remus tales, there's a retelling by Julius Lester (illustrated by Jerry Pinkney) that is still available. This "translates" the Southern African-American dialect into modern English (a sore point for some, but it may be easier to read). Or dive into the original stories with The Complete Tales of Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris.

Book Review: We Are the Ship

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson. (Grades 4+)

Kadir Nelson... how do we know this name? Ah, yes. He's won Caldecott honors for Moses and Henry's Freedom Box. And he's also written and illustrated a fantastic book about baseball.

We Are the Ship takes the reader right into the time of the Negro League. Before Jackie Robinson "crossed over" to the Major Leagues in 1945, African-American players had to play in their own leagues. It wasn't easy. Sometimes they had to sleep on busses or go all day without eating because the establishments in the area wouldn't serve Negroes. Sometimes they had to be sure not to beat the other team too badly because they might be run out of town (and have to go without pay).

Possibly worst of all, the great Negro players didn't get the recognition they deserved. Although there were Negro players who were as good or better than white players, many of their names have been lost over the course of history. Which is why this book is important.

And that's why it was so surprising to me that the three women who played in the Negro Leagues were not mentioned.

Okay, I concede that the bulk of the book wraps up around 1945 when Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Mamie Johnson, Toni Stone, and Connie Morgan didn't join the league until somewhere around 1953. But I can't help but think that Nelson is doing to the women players what so many people did to the African-American players... by neglecting to even mention them, he's effectively erasing them from history. The subtitle of this book proclaims it to be "the story of Negro League Baseball". Why aren't women a part of that story?

(And why don't any other reviews mention this omission?)

Book Review: Tracking Trash

Tracking Trash by Loree Griffin Burns. (Grades 4-8)

Confession: I expected to be totally bored by this book.

This was due to a number of factors:

1. It had gotten a fair amount of buzz on the blogosphere, which always makes me suspect that my expectations might be too high and I might be the ONE person who is completely underwhelmed.

2. The Scientists in the Field series is pretty hit-or-miss with me. Some I've loved and some I really haven't.

3. It's about ocean currents. And trash. I was not entirely convinced that I cared about either one of those things.

Confession #2: I was wrong! I loved this book! In fact, I think it's my favorite of the Scientists in the Field series so far.

Tracking Trash is about ocean currents, yes. But the cool thing is how these particular oceanographers study ocean currents. For Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer, his studies started with a sneaker. Well, a case of sneakers. A case of sneakers that fell off a ship during a storm and began washing up on beaches from Alaska to northern California. What currents brought those shoes to rest on shore? What paths did they take? Why did some of them go north and some go south?

By studying the effects of accidents like this one, scientists are learning more and more about the patterns of the ocean. Maybe someday this can help us clean up the sea. You see, some trash washes up on the shore. Other trash floats around in the middle of the ocean, sometimes creating giant islands of trash. Much of this trash is plastic and that's a big problem because plastic will break into smaller pieces, but it will never break down completely.

This plastic can be harmful to animals who eat it or who get stuck inside plastic pieces. One problem in the ocean is "ghost nets" or nets that have been cut or wrenched loose from ships and now float in the ocean. They still do their jobs - they still catch animals - but now they're killing animals for no reason. Animals also eat plastic pieces and can die from it.

It really made me think about how much plastic I use every day. I was reading the book in bed and I looked over on my nightstand and quickly counted the plastic things there.

My alarm clock, a Chapstick, a remote control, two water bottles, a lotion bottle, the cap to my nail polish, two loose buttons, and the pen I used to write my notes with (not to mention the Mylar cover on the very book I was reading). That's 10 pieces of plastic within two feet of me. I use so much plastic every day and I never really thought about where it ended up when I was done with it. It's certainly gotten me thinking about the three R's: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

This is another great book to use for Earth Day or any day. An interesting science book that will appeal to reluctant readers because it's so unusual. No wonder it was a finalist for a Cybil (read the review posted at the Cybils page). And you'll definitely want to check out Ms. Burns's blog.

Life-Sized Clue

On Saturday, my coworker S and I did a program for middle schoolers. We played life-sized Clue! It was an idea I got from the ILA conference last fall when they had a showcase for the state summer reading theme: Get in the Game - Read! When I found out that my library's programming theme for the spring was "Get Out and Play!", I immediately wanted to do this game at my library. We had a pretty good turnout (despite the fact that the weather was gorgeous for the first time since October or so) and I think all the kids that came had a good time.

This is a great program to put on, especially if you have teen volunteers who will help you with setup. We laid out the game board on the floor with masking tape. It was definitely labor intensive, but if you had a couple of young volunteers, it wouldn't take them too long. It took us a solid hour to get the board set up, but I was happy with it when we was done. I made a sketch of how I wanted to set up the board before I started putting down tape. I based it on the game board, but I made many fewer squares between the rooms. We have a pretty large meeting room, so I made the squares 2' by 2'. That was plenty of room, but you could also have 1' by 1' squares if you have a smaller space. We included all the rooms from the original game and the players' starting points were designated with colored electrical tape (red for Miss Scarlet, blue for Mrs. Peacock, etc.). For the doors into the rooms, we simply wrote "DOOR" on that strip of masking tape.

Of course, we had props. Most of this stuff can be found at your local dollar store. S brought the rope and a wrench from home. The "lead pipe" is a cardboard tube covered with aluminum foil (a paper towel tube would work perfectly for this). We used a water gun as a revolver, a plastic play knife, and a candlestick (all procured at the dollar store, although if you asked around it's quite possible your coworkers might have these items). And, of course, the piece de resistance... the giant die. They come in different sizes for different prices and many online novelty stores carry them. The one I bought is 17" by 17" and I got it at Kopes Great Gifts and Gadgets. The shipping was a little expensive, but they were very prompt and I was happy with the product. It's hard to blow up, but the kids got a kick out of "rolling" it and I really think it was my favorite part of the game.

We let the kids choose their characters and they could play alone or in teams. We ended up having two teams of three (Mrs. White and Mrs. Peacock) and three kids playing a character alone. Both ways worked fine, so you could do this game for as few as two kids or as many as 30-40 (although the game board would be quite crowded with 30 kids on it... I would suggest designating one person per team as the on-the-board player and having the rest hold cards, roll the dice, and keep track of their guesses). After the kids chose characters we went over the rules. I think everyone had played before, but sometimes people have slightly different rules, so it's good to be on the same page. Another note: if you're running the program with a coworker, make sure you figure out exactly what rules you're following before you start!

It took us a little over an hour to run one game (counting the time spent choosing characters and explaining the rules at the beginning). It was the perfect amount of time because by the end of that hour, everyone was tired of standing up. A few of the kids stayed to help me take the tape up when we were done (which is a lot easier than putting it down!).

Oh yeah, and it was Professor Plum with the candlestick in the kitchen. :)

48 Hour Book Challenge, etc.

How excited am I that MotherReader just announced the third annual 48 Hour Book Challenge? Um, very. The challenge is to read as much as possible during a 48-hour period in the weekend of June 6-8. I've always wanted to do it. The first year, I didn't find out about it until it was over. Last year I had to work at my second job the weekend of the challenge. I am determined to participate! Head on over to MotherReader's if you're interested in signing up or if you want to know more.

I also found out that the Chicago Tribune Printer's Row Book Fair is that same weekend... and guess who's going to be there??? Catherine Murdock, author of my beloved Dairy Queen and The Off Season (and Princess Ben which I am waiting for with bated breath)! Seriously, if you haven't read Dairy Queen, I really don't know what you're waiting for. (Oh, and by the way, there will be a third DJ book... apparently not until fall 2009, but it's coming eventually!)

Have you checked out the Children's Book Reviews wiki? It's a collection of book reviews by kidlit bloggers. Picture books, nonfiction, middle grade novels, YA... it's all there. This is definitely a resource to be aware of. I've started adding my reviews and if you're a blogger, I encourage you to participate. If you're a reader, it's a great place to find reviews and ideas of great books to read!

In case you haven't heard, Mo Willems's newest book is... The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! Mo had a contest going on to guess the name of the newest pigeon book. I can't wait to get it and read it.

Did you know they're making a movie of Larklight? Shekhar Kapur (director of Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age) apparently has been signed on to direct. (Thanks to Fuse#8 for the link!) I know several people in my department that will be extremely pleased about this. I haven't read it yet, but I'm certainly bumping it up in my list.

OH. And also, if you've ever wondered how to pronounce the publisher Houghton Mifflin, here is the answer. Honestly, I've always pronounced it wrong and the correct pronunciation is neither of the ways I thought it might be.

I think that's all the news I've got for you right now... Have a great Friday (and be sure to check out the Poetry Friday roundup, especially since it's National Poetry Month...!)

How are you celebrating National Poetry Month??

April is National Poetry Month, so today in After School Adventures, we celebrated poetry. We always pull books for the kids to browse while they wait for the program to start, so I pulled a bunch of poetry books. Two popular ones I noticed the kids poring over were Blackbeard the Pirate and Animal Snackers.

We started by reading the picture book I Know Two Who Said Moo by Judi Barrett. This is a nonsensical rhyming book that rhymes each number with a ridiculous number of words. Crazy pictures accompany and the kids loved picking out the details in the pictures. You can also challenge the kids to see how many words they can think of that rhyme with "two" or "seven".

We also shared some of our favorite poems. I read a few from the book Who Swallowed Harold by Susan Pearson. My favorite one is called "Do Goldfish Pee?" and I challenged them not to laugh (they couldn't do it). All the poems in this collection are about pets and although they asked for funny ones, I think they liked the not-funny ones, too. I also shared some poems from Douglas Florian's Mammalabilia because I love Douglas Florian.

B broke out the uke and we sang "Miss Mary Mack" with the kids joining in on the repeated parts. They like to be silly about it and I think they got really into it. We sang it normally twice and then we sang it superfast.

Then it was time for our craft. We have wonderful volunteers who cut out hundreds of typed words and we made a kind of "magnetic" poetry activity. Each kid had a piece of construction paper and could choose words to glue to their paper to make a nonsensical poem. We stressed that it didn't have to rhyme and it didn't have to make sense... in fact, the sillier the better! We realized that we didn't know if all the kids could read yet, so we also cut out pictures from discarded magazines so the kids could collage and decorate their poems.

The kids came up with great poems, very funny and silly, and they looked great all decorated with the magazine pictures. The kids at our program were grades K-2nd, but I think this craft would be great for older kids, too. Last year we hung a magnetic board in our Teen Zone and provided magnetic poetry for the middle schoolers to play with, which was also a big hit. We certainly had fun celebrating National Poetry Month and I hope you do, too!