Book Review: Raised by Wolves

Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Grades 7+. Egmont USA, June 2010. Reviewed from ARC provided by publisher.

Bryn has been raised by wolves. Werewolves, that is.

When Bryn was four years old, her parents were killed by a rogue rabid werewolf and Bryn was adopted by Callum, the leader of her local werewolf pack. The Weres have a strict code and they deal swiftly and harshly with any Were who attacks humans. Bryn has felt safe under their protection, though she has worked hard to close off the bond that comes with being a member of the pack. Bryn is fiercely independent and can't stomach the thought that, through the bond, members of the pack can know what she's feeling.

But when a new werewolf arrives, Bryn feels compelled to see him and what she learns from him will change everything.

Oh, Jennifer Lynn Barnes. You did good.

Werewolves may be the in thing right now, but not all supernatural teen novels are created equal. This is one of the good ones. (I made a terrible pun in my Good Reads review and I'm not going to repeat it here.)

I just really dig Jennifer Lynn Barnes's writing style. It's snappy and pithy. Bryn is so scrappy and snarky, I couldn't help but like her from the very beginning. It's the same dry wit that made me love The Squad: Perfect Cover so much.

Add to that, a different take on the werewolf lore. I know that some people get all indignant when authors reimagine mythical creatures, but I'm not one of those people. Here, the werewolves are divided into different territories with one Alpha per pack. Animal instincts dictate that the Weres obey their Alpha and the different packs have slipped into a rather uneasy democracy. I'm digging it.

There's a bit of a sizzling romance and, though I could have done with more of that aspect, it'll please members of Team Jacob. Hand this one to Twilighters and fans of supernatural stories like Shiver and Hush, Hush. They won't be disappointed.

Read more reviews at Persnickety Snark and Bookworming in the 21st Century.

Raised by Wolves hits shelves June 8!
And I found out through Jennifer's blog that there's gonna be a sequel! Yayayay!

Book Review: Leaving Gee's Bend

Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham. Grades 4-7. G.P. Putnam's Sons, January 2010. Reviewed from ARC provided by publisher.

It's 1932 and life isn't easy in the small town of Gee's Bend, Alabama, but Ludelphia gets by, stitching her quilts and helping her mother with the chores. Then Ludelphia's mama gets sick. Very sick. And since there's no doctor in Gee's Bend, Ludelphia only has one choice - to leave Gee's Bend and travel the 40 miles to Camden in search of help. It's no easy feat and what happens to Ludelphia on her journey will change her - and the town of Gee's Bend - forever. 

 Inspired by actual events, this is a story that will bring the Depression era South to life for young readers. Ludelphia is a character who is easy to like, she's high-spirited and imperfect. When she figures out that her Mama needs a doctor, she doesn't let anything stop her getting to Camden to fetch him. But it's not as easy to get to Camden as Ludelphia predicted. She's been sheltered in her African-American community of Gee's Bend and now she'll find out what the world beyond the river bend can be like. 


Throughout the book, as Ludelphia makes her way to Camden, she's stitching on a quilt. Quilting comes naturally to her and stitching helps calm her nerves. Ludelphia is always on the lookout for a bright scrap of fabric that will find a place in her quilt. This tribute to the quilting heritage of Gee's Bend (located in what is now Boykin, Alabama) weaves its way through the plot, adding nice cultural detail. Check out the Quilts of Gee's Bend for more information on that. 


I thought there were some problems with the pacing - the story takes awhile to get going and I felt the action dragged in some places. Also, Ari at Reading in Color points out that there's not any discussion about sharecropping and how the way the sharecropping system was set up kept people in debt. A little more historical detail and information would have gone a long way. Still, I think Irene Latham is definitely a debut author to watch and you may want to grab Leaving Gee's Bend to pair with Mildred D. Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry for your units on African-American history or The Depression.


Read more reviews at Maw Books Blog, Crazy Quilts (warning: spoilers), A Patchwork of Books, and Reading in Color.

Nonfiction Monday: Doyle and Fossey, Science Detectives

The Case of the Gasping Garbage (July, 2009)
The Case of the Mossy Lake Monster (July 2009)
The Case of the Graveyard Ghost (October 2009)
The Case of the Barfy Birthday (October 2009)... by Michele Torrey, illustrated by Barbara Johansen Newman. Grades 2-5. Sterling Children's Books. I received copies of the first two books in the series from the publisher for review.

Meet Drake Doyle and Nell Fossey, two of Mossy Lake's best science detectives. Have a problem? Got a mystery? Doyle and Fossey can help solve it with science!

Okay, okay, these books aren't strictly nonfiction, but I'm posting about them on Nonfiction Monday because these stories are a great way to interest kids in science and they include activities and experiments that kids can try. In each story, Doyle and Fossey solve a mystery or a problem by using the scientific method, research, and experiments. Each book contains four stories and then a section with science activities to go along with the problems Doyle and Fossey solved in the book.

For exmaple, in A Teeny-Tiny Case (in The Case of the Gasping Garbage), Doyle and Fossey test ink from different pens  to determine who in their fifth grade class wrote a love note. At the back of the book is the information needed to do the same experiment, using chromatography to match the ink from a note to the pen that was used to write it.

I mean, the stories are written for the purpose of including this scientific information, so take that as you will. I don't know that the stories on their own would be something that kids would necessarily enjoy. The strength of the series is in the information and experiments that are included along with the stories. These books are a great choice for budding scientists and fans of Encyclopedia Brown. They'd be great for classroom or homeschool use and are sure to spark interest from kid readers who will be itching to try out the experiments.

Happy Nonfiction Monday! You can find this week's roundup at Lost Between the Pages, so head on over there and see what the KidLitosphere has been learning about this week.

Around the interwebs: teeny weeny version

I tried to go to bed at a reasonable hour, even skipping the Oscars (who am I kidding? I really dislike award shows. It was not a sacrifice to skip the Oscars)... Alas, I am still awake, so I figured I'd share a couple of links:

This week is the Share a Story, Shape a Future Blog Tour! Sarah's got the schedule all laid out for you at The Reading Zone, so be sure and stop by.

And also make sure you stop by Jen Robinson's Book Page because Jen shared some big news over the weekend and you're not going to want to miss it. Congratulations, Jen! :D

Okay, seriously, that's it. Now I'm going to bed. Yes I am. Goodnight!

In My Mailbox #23

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren! Head on over there to see what goodies bloggers received in their mailboxes this week.

This week I got a copy of Rules of Attraction (Bloomsbury Teen, April 2010) by Simone Elkeles that I won in a contest at Stacked. Thanks, Kelly! Rules of Attraction is a sequel to Perfect Chemistry, which I really liked, so I've been looking forward to this one! Here's the summary from Good Reads:

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado. Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.

And I got a copy of The Wonder Book by Amy Rosenthal (HarperCollins, March 2010). After a quick glance through it, it looks like it'll please Shel Silverstein fans (of which there are many at my library).

And that was my mailbox this week! Did you get anything interesting in your mailbox this week?

Around the interwebs

Let's see... what's been going on around the interwebs this week?

SLJ's Battle of the Kids Books launched its new site this week and you can find the brackets there. If you're interested in keeping score, What We Read and What We Think is running a contest. The winner with the most correct predictions will, of course, get major bragging rights.

Did you check out our first AudioSynced Roundup????? Go check out the audiobook reviews and news Kelly collected for our first edition of AudioSynced. And never fear, I'll be hosting another roundup on April 1, so make sure you post about audiobooks this month! :)

Travis at 100 Scope Notes is compiling a gallery of book spine poems. Check out the one he made and then make your own to join in the fun!

Sarah, a YA author and blogger at Sarah's Scribbles, ran into a troubling policy when visiting the Orlando Public Library recently. She writes:

...imagine my surprise when I went to the main branch of the OCLS Library today ... and was told that I had to have a librarian escort to so much as *look* at the YA books there.

 She wrote and email and blogged about the response she received. While I can accept that this policy was developed with the safety of teens and children in mind, my professional librarian opinion is that restricting access to part of your collection is never a great idea. (And yes, I do think this policy restricts access - Sarah cared enough to continue on and find her books with someone staring over her shoulder. Imagine how many people don't bother. I probably wouldn't bother.) Furthermore, if teen safety is such a concern, I think there are better ways to ensure it (starting with hiring a YA librarian to staff the area). Thanks to @catagator for the link.

On a lighter note, check out My Favorite Book is Facebook: Kids' Classics Updated for the MySpace Generation. I have to say that my favorite is Wikipedia Brown. Thanks to 100 Scope Notes for the link.

Laurie Halse Anderson starts her foray into vlogging! (I agree with her - I'm not crazy about the term "vlog".) She is hilarious. And awesome. I hope she keeps it up.



Anna, a teen librarian and blogger at Y Shush?, shares a day in the life of a teen librarian. I love reading about people's days!

The new Alice in Wonderland movie is in theaters today! My library's hosting a Wonderland Tea Party tomorrow and if you're thinking of doing an Alice program, you'll want to check out The Imaginary Librarian's Mad Hatter hat craft.

Sophie Blackall, cover illustrator of the fabulous When You Reach Me, shared some of the alternative ideas for the cover. Yeah, that was awhile ago, but Fuse #8 pointed me to the link in the latest installment of her fabulous Top 100 Children's Novels poll (you are following that, right?). 

And one more video will round out this week's links. I love learning about process and Behind the Mic: Graceling is right up my alley.




Thanks to Reading with My Ears for the link.

And that's all I've got for you this week! Have a great weekend, everyone.

Book Review: The Body Finder

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting. Grades 9+. HarperTeen, March 2010. Reviewed from ARC provided by publisher.

Violet was eight when she found the first body, buried in the woods behind her house. That's when she discovered the power that she has - a sixth sense that alerts her to the presence of people (and animals) who have been murdered. Now Violet's in high school and the only imprints she senses are the occasional small animal. She's got other things to deal with. Namely, a gigantic crush on her best friend Jay. He's grown up recently and become sexy and Violet's not at all sure what to do about her new feelings for him.

But when bodies start popping up in her small town, Violet will rely on Jay as she tries to find the killer... before it's too late.

Here's what I love about The Body Finder:

1. It starts off so strongly with the tension! I didn't want to put it down at first. You get snippets of the serial killer's perspective, just enough to be really super creepy.

2. The sexual tension between Violet and Jay pretty much sizzles off the page. Remember that crush you had where every moment you spent with the other person was pure torture, but you couldn't get enough? Yeah. Kimberly Derting gets it right. Plus, it's hot without being graphic at all.

3. The whole concept is cool and I really like the way that Derting has developed Violet's sixth sense. She gets an "imprint" from a body and it can come in the form of a sound or a color or a taste or a feeling... something only she can sense. Each body's is different and the killer has a bit of the same imprint. The supernatural elements fit very organically into the story.

Now, there were some things I didn't like quite so much. The tension that starts off so strongly kind of evaporated after the first two-thirds or so of the book. No spoilers, but there is a twist that happens a little too early (with obviously too many pages to go, so you know something else is coming). And I thought that the writing could have been a little tighter in places.

That said, the book gets a big heart from me because I really enjoyed it, despite its shortcomings. I will definitely be looking for more from Kimberly Derting. I would try this on fans of Wake and Fade by Lisa McMann (of which I am a huge fan) because it's got a similar tone and a similar mix of crime investigation and romance.

Read more at That Teen Can Blog! and Simply Nerdy Book Reviews.

And check out this book trailer:



The Body Finder is due on shelves March 16!

PS: I read this one in 2009, so it doesn't count for me, but this is a debut if you're reading for the 2010 Debut Author Challenge!

The Dr. Seuss Books That Scared Me

Today is Dr. Seuss's birthday! Like you didn't already know that. Like every preschool in town isn't calling you up wanting you to come do a storytime as part of their Dr. Seuss celebration. Or maybe that's just me...

Now, I loved Dr. Seuss as much as the next kid. Particular favorites were Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book and Yertle the Turtle. But today, I want to talk about two of his books that scared the crap out of me when I was a kid. (I mean, c'mon, everyone is talking about the Seuss books they liked today!)

The first book really needs no explanation, I think. Bartholomew and the Oobleck.*shudders*

What? You want to know what scared me about this book? I think the better question is what DIDN'T scare me about this book!

Oh, the book starts out peacefully enough. The king's bored. He wants some new, interesting weather.

Enter the first scary thing about this book: the king's magicians. Tell me they're not creepy, marching around their cauldron in the bowels of some creepy dungeon place.

And then there's the oobleck itself! I understand that the king didn't mean to do so much harm, but it's so green! And sticky! And it starts off tiny and then grows and grows and GROWS. And pretty soon everyone's all stuck to everything else and no one can move. I'm feeling suffocated just thinking about it!

Now that I think about it, it reminds me of the purple smooze from the My Little Pony Movie. What do you think?


Scariest Dr. Seuss book ever. (This plot should be a post-apocalyptic YA novel. Seriously.)

The other book I want to talk about today is a little harder to explain. When I read it as a kid, the most distinct memory I have is a vague sense of unease, but when I picked it up to reread it, I couldn't pinpoint exactly what had made me so nervous about it.

There's a Wocket in My Pocket.

In Wocket, a boy goes about his house describing the fantastical, rhyming creatures that happen to live there. There's a Wocket in his pocket, a Gheir under his chair, etc. etc. Now that I've reread it, I realize that many of the creatures are friendly! He enjoys the company of some of them.

But I guess it's the other creatures that preoccupied me as a kid. I mean, imagine if your house was filled with various imaginary creatures. Just... watching you. It's a little creepy, you have to admit.

And there you have the Dr. Seuss books that scared me as a kid.

Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss!
(And did any Dr. Seuss books scare you?)

AudioSynced Roundup!

Don't forget to head over to Stacked today and submit your posts about audiobooks for this month's AudioSynced roundup! Or you can leave a link in the comments of this post and I'll make sure Kelly gets it. Kelly will have the roundup posted later today!

Book Review: Independent Dames

Independent Dames: What You Never Knew About the Women and Girls of the American Revolution by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Matt Faulkner. Grades 2-6. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, June 2008. Review copy provided by my local library.

You know about Paul Revere and his ride, right? Well, did you know that during the American Revolution, 16-year-old Sybil Ludington rode 40 miles through the night to warn American militia of a British attack? Yeah, Paul Revere's ride was 16 miles.

Or how about Prudence Wright and Sarah Shattuck who led a group of women that captured a British spy as they guarded their village after the men were called off to a battle? Ever heard of them?

No? Well, have you heard of Elizabeth Burgin who led 200 American prisoners of war to escape from a British ship by crossing the frozen New York Harbor? She had to flee when the British put a price on her head. Did you know?

If not, you should pick up Independent Dames  by Laurie Halse Anderson. In this book, Anderson provides brief facts about many, many of the women who spied, protested, collected goods, nursed, fed, donated, and fought during the American Revolution. Women wanted freedom, too! And women contributed to the Revolution in many different ways, documented in this book.

The text and illustrations have much for kids to pore over. In addition to the main text, there are sidebars highlighting the contributions of specific women and a time line runs on the bottom of the pages, chronicling the path of the Revolution. Little jokes are set into the illustrations with cartoon speech bubbles. I can certainly see kids coming back to this book again and again to glean facts about these extraordinary women.

Anderson rounds out the text with a large bit of information at the end of the book, including a discussion of some of the myths (or possible myths) of women in the revolution. For example, "Betsy [Ross] was an upholsterer who sewed tents and uniforms for the Continental army, but her involvement with the first flag is questionable." (pg 36) Brief sections at the end of the book also talk about Loyalists, African-Americans, and Native Americans. Anderson includes an author's note (and Faulkner includes an illustrator's note) as well as a substantial bibliography.

This book will add much to units on Women's History and the study of the Revolutionary War. It's a great one to have on your home or classroom shelves for kids to come back to again and again. Due to the sheer volume of facts, kids may not sit down and read this one cover to cover, but the format makes it easy for them to pick up and put down the book at will.

Read more reviews at The Reading Zone and The Imperfect Parent Bookshelf. And hey, happy Nonfiction Monday, all. Simply Science has the roundup this week.