Fractured Fairy Tales: Leah Wilcox

I don't know how these slipped under my radar before, but I've recently discovered the joy of Leah Wilcox's fractured fairy tales. First up is Falling for Rapunzel, which is one of the books we're using in our storytime sessions this fall.

The story starts out in the typical way... Rapunzel is up in the tower and a handsome prince comes to her rescue. Or, well, he tries to come to her rescue:

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, throw down your hair!"
She thought he said "Your underwear."
"No, Rapunzel. Your curly locks!"
Rapunzel threw down dirty socks.

The prince tries and tries to make Rapunzel understand, but every time he yells to her, she mishears him until finally he cries "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your BRAID!" and the mistaken girl throws down her maid. Once the prince and the maid spy each other, a true love connection is made and the two ride off into the sunset.

Silly rhymes and even sillier pictures (by the incomparable Lydia Monks who also did my favorite spider picture book: Aaaarrgghh! Spider!) will have the kids laughing throughout.

So, I had just read Falling for Rapunzel and what should show up on our new cart but Waking Beauty written and illustrated by the same pair! Serendipity doo dah! In this twist on Sleeping Beauty, a handsome prince stumbles across Sleeping Beauty, sound asleep, and three fairies guarding her. Although the fairies TRY to TELL HIM what will wake the princess, the prince keeps interrupting and trying his own solutions. None of which work.

They shook their head. "No, not like this,
you have to wake her with a -"

"Hey! I know!" He tapped his head
and started jumping on the bed.

Kids will be chiming in to finish the rhyming instructions, even as the prince tries shouting at her, throwing water in her face, and even shooting her out of a cannon. Again, the silly verses and pictures make this a surefire hit for storytime. I'd try 'em with older preschoolers on up through lower elementary.

Mini-break

As of Friday around noon-ish, I'm taking a little trip to visit some friends, watch some fireworks, eat Skyline chili dip, and generally relax. I'll have some posts a-posting, but I'll be AWOL until the middle of next week for email, comments, reading blogs etc.

Have a safe and happy Labor Day Weekend!

Book Review: Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank-You Notes

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank-You Notes by Peggy Gifford. (Grades 3-5.)

Moxy Maxwell had a great Christmas. She got lots of nice gifts and soon she and her brother Mark are going to Hollywood to spend a whole week with their dad! Moxy and Mark haven't seen him in three years, so Moxy is understandably looking forward to it. Not to mention her plans for being "discovered" and catapulting into superstardom while she's there.

There's only one problem with this plan. Mrs. Maxwell says that Moxy has to get her thank-you notes written before she leaves for California. Moxy has twelve thank-you notes to write. And it's not that she's not grateful. She is. It's just that it's so much work. Moxy has some ideas to make it easier. They include enlisting the help of her younger sister, using her step-dad's brand new copier (that no one is supposed to touch), and getting her hands on some gold spray paint (there are five reasons that Moxy is not allowed to touch a can of spray paint until she is twenty-one).

Will Moxy get her thank-you notes written?

This sequel to Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little goes a little deeper than the first book. We see more of Moxy and her family, including her unreliable father. As the book progresses we see that Moxy's dad has canceled on her Christmas visits the past two years. Mark is a little more realistic and tries to prepare himself for the disappointment that might come. But Moxy is totally counting on this visit, looking forward to it with all her might. And in the end we'll find that Moxy does have someone she can count on... but it might not be who she thinks.

A little longer than the first one and a little bit heavier in terms of content, Thank-You Notes really makes me want to see more of Moxy Maxwell. She's got an interesting family dynamic and a unique way of looking at the world. It's illustrated with photos purportedly taken by Moxy's twin brother Mark, just like the first book was, which is effective and makes the series a little different. (Can you call it a series with just two books? I suppose I am hoping for more...!)

(Ooh and it looks like there's going to be a third according to Peggy Gifford's website. Hooray!)

Also reviewed by Mary Lee over at A Year of Reading.

Back to School Crafts

Last week I hosted a Back to School Crafts program for our middle schoolers and a good time was had by all. First of all, I have to give props to The YA YA YAs because I totally got these ideas from them.

We started by making pencil holders out of CD jewel cases. I was supremely lucky in that one of our tech guys happened to have a whole HUGE box of jewel cases that he was looking to get rid of. Instructions for the craft are on Craft Chi. I made a couple on my own before I started and I've got a couple of recommendations.

When taping the bottom piece and the inside dividers, I found it easier to put strips of tape on first and then place the pieces where I wanted them and fold the tape over to tape in place. So, say for the bottom piece, I flipped it over and put tape on each side. Then I placed it on the square piece and folded the tape over (as opposed to holding it in place and putting each piece of tape on). Also, (maybe this is common sense) I found it much easier to cut strips of tape in advance rather than putting one piece on and holding it in place while I tried to cut more tape.

The kids completed this craft in about 20 minutes and what I liked best was that everyone's was different (different colors, different placement of the dividers, etc.).

When everyone was finished with their pencil holder, we moved on to creating locker magnets. These are super easy, super fun, and look super cool. I bought flat craft marbles at Hobby Lobby (after looking ALL OVER the store for them, I found them with the floral/wedding stuff). You can use any old magazines you want... we actually used a bunch of our old Midwest Tapes catalogs because they had tiny pictures of DVD covers that turned out really well. Just lay the marble down on the paper and trace around it. Cut out the picture and glue it to the flat side of the marble so that you can see the picture through the rounded side. It's much easier to put the glue on the marble than to put it on the paper. Then glue a magnet on the back.

The kids had a blast making magnets and they didn't want to stop. (We totally could have done that for the whole 45 minutes and they would have been fine with that.) I let them take some of the leftover supplies home and emphasized that they could get all this stuff at any craft store for cheap and the magnets would make great gifts!

Yay for a fun, CHEAP, easy craft program!

Cybils!

The Cybils! The Cybils! Things are starting to gear up, so head over there and check it out! The call for volunteers has been... called... and nominations for books will start October 1, so be thinking about your favorite books of 2008 (published between Jan. 1 and Oct. 15).

Also, today is Non-Fiction Monday, so be sure and check out the round-up over at Picture Book of the Day. I, again, have nothing to contribute, but I just checked out a stack of awesome-looking NF books, so I have high hopes for next week. ;)

Two from Lane Smith

With the presidential election coming closer and closer, one topic on this librarian's mind is presidential picture books. So I'm happy to point out that Lane Smith has a great, very timely, new picture book out: Madam President.

A little girl, freckles all across her nose, hair pulled back in a no-nonsense ponytail, imagines what it would be like to be president. Giving executive orders ("More waffles, please."), kissing babies, negotiating treaties (between a feuding dog and cat), and much more. Smith's signature illustrations are hilarious. I love that everywhere she goes, Madam President hands out tiny American flags. She's appointed her cabinet, including Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Pizza, and Secretary of Secretaries. Every time I look through this book, I find new details that make me love it even more. I was laughing the whole way through.

And speaking of books that make me laugh, I've also had the pleasure of reading Bob Shea's new book (also illustrated by Lane Smith): Big Plans. As a little boy sits in the corner of his classroom, he warns that "soon the entire world will know of my big plans". Because although he might be in a spot of trouble at the moment, this boy has BIG PLANS. BIG PLANS, I SAY!

Half the fun of this book is yelling out those words. The other half is laughing at the fantastic plans this boy is making and the silly illustrations that depict them. If you look carefully in the first spread, you can see the boy's inspiration for everything that will come. This is something to pay attention to because it will make all that is to follow significantly less weird. (I did not notice this until I'd read the book a few times and it makes sooo much more sense now.)

What are the big plans, you ask? Dressing for success and taking over a major corporation. Dropping in on the local sports team and saving them from certain defeat. Taking over the president's job (he's only too happy to bow out after learning that this boy has BIG PLANS!). And much more. The details in the illustration add so much to the story, right from the first page where we see a chalkboard filled with sentences the boy has purportedly written as punishment. One of the sentences is "I will not scheme in class." And the fun continues from there.

If you like Madam President, be sure to pick up Lane Smith's John, Paul, George, and Ben about our founding fathers. And if you like Big Plans, you'll certainly want to find Bob Shea's New Socks.

More reviews of Madam President are here, here, and here. Another review of Big Plans here. I'd recommend both of these for lower elementary kids (K-2 or so) and you'll want to make sure they have the opportunity to pore over the pictures and find all the details in the illustrations.

Book Review: Living Dead Girl

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott. (Grades 10+)

Whoa. This one is intense.

Alice was kidnapped at the age of 10 when she was on a class field trip to the aquarium. She's now lived with Ray for five years, enduring unspeakable things. Ray starves her in an attempt to keep her small and young-looking. He promises her that if she ever tries to run, he will kill her parents. And then he tells her to find him a new girl, a girl that Alice can teach to please him.

This book is not for everyone. The faint of heart should turn away now. But man did Elizabeth Scott have me on the edge of my seat.

I read this book in one sitting because I just couldn't put it down. It's disturbing, yes. Haunting... check. And also, it's beautifully written. Scott puts you there. I felt like I was watching it all happen (which was doubly disturbing, considering the subject matter).

And here's the thing... I had no idea what was going to happen. Right from the beginning, I knew that this was a no-holds-barred kind of book. Alice could be saved or save herself or she could die or (worse) she could not die. She has very little hope, tiny smidgens of opportunity, and I found myself rooting for her vehemently (out loud, alone in my apartment... I'm sure my cats judge me for that).

Although the writing is beautiful, the story is not beautiful. It is harsh and ugly and because of that it is utterly real.

I'm curious to know what teens will think of this book. Coming to it as an adult (and especially an adult who works with children), I found it profoundly disturbing. Will teens, who are much closer to the protagonist's age, find it as disturbing as I did? I'm thinking that those teens who gobble up those intense, issues books (like, say, maybe Boy Toy or Lucky) will devour this one, too.

Be sure and read Becky's review, check out Pam B. Cole's interview with Elizabeth Scott, and visit elizabethwrites.com for more info about the author.

Many thanks to Elizabeth and to Simon & Schuster for sending me an ARC of this title!

Book Review: Anatomy of a Boyfriend

Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky. (Grades 9+)

Dominique is a senior in high school and has never had a boyfriend when she meets Wes at a school sports event. It's pretty much lust at first sight and the two start emailing and IMing, eventually growing closer and falling in love. The reader accompanies Dom as she experiences her first love and everything that goes along with that. Think Forever but updated. We get all the gritty details as things heat up pretty quickly and before the end of senior year, they've lost their virginities to each other. Dom approaches sexuality with a scientific (as well as emotional) curiosity. Her dream is to be a doctor and Gray's Anatomy is a favorite book of hers.

The book has a very frank tone and Snadowsky doesn't leave anything out. I felt just like I was reading Dominique's diary and more than once I felt like I was reading about my own first relationship. I actually didn't read Forever until I was in grad school (how I missed it, I have no idea), but I wish I had had Anatomy of a Boyfriend when I was in high school.

Dom's experience felt really real to me. After she falls in love with Wes, her life starts to center around him. Her friends and family all start to take a backseat, which is especially problematic once Dom and Wes leave Florida to go to different colleges. I have to say that I didn't always believe Dom's voice... especially in the IM conversations with her best friend and Wes, it didn't sound natural to me. But that's a small problem and I found the plot very believable.

Anatomy of a Boyfriend is coming out in paperback on Sept. 23, so run out to your favorite bookstore and buy a copy. Thanks much to Daria Snadowsky for sending me a (signed!!) copy. Do be sure to check out her website and also stop over at Random House and build your own boyfriend!

Book Review: Alvin Ho

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look. (Grades 2-4.)

Alvin Ho is scared of many things. Thunder. Elevators. Shots. School. In fact, Alvin Ho is so afraid of school that he can't even talk at school. And therefore, he has no friends. Oh, his brother gives him advice on how to make friends. Alvin tries to win his classmates over at Show and Tell (but it doesn't work out for him because Alvin is all Show and no Tell). Alvin's parents even send him to therapy, which might not be particularly effective:

"A therapist is a smart person who wears glasses and can help you with your problems by asking a lot of questions instead of giving you shots, which is amazing. But a psycho, as everyone knows, is a crazy person in the movies that you never want to run into in real life. So a psychotherapist is a very smart crazy person that you should stay away from for your own good." (pp. 111-112)

Alvin Ho has many adventures including getting stuck in a tree, facing a substitute teacher, and getting the chicken pox. Through it all, he strives to be a gentleman and continues to try and make friends. After a brief dalliance with the class bully, he'll figure out how to make a true friend.

I loved Lenore Look's Ruby Lu books and I enjoyed this one as well. I was chuckling the whole way through and I love the illustrations done by LeUyen Pham. Alvin's a charming young man, despite his faults. He's not perfect. He messes up. He doesn't always make the right choices. But when he makes mistakes, he fesses up (with the appropriate amount of tears to soften the blow, of course).

And when he does mess up, his dad is there to support him. That's one of the things I loved about this book was the presence of a smart and involved father. When the Ho kids have chicken pox, Mr. Ho spends a couple of days at home so his wife can go in to work. He brings out his own beloved childhood toy and plays with Alvin. Alvin looks up to his dad, respects him, and strives to be like him.

I'd hand this one to fans of Clementine because of its humorous tone and slightly-mischievous-but-warm-hearted main character. I'd also hand it to fans of Donuthead by Sue Stauffacher, another chapter book about a paranoid grade-schooler.

Also reviewed by A Fuse #8 Production and appearing on the ACPL Mock Newbery list and the Anokaberry.

Book Review: Nick of Time

Nick of Time by Ted Bell. (Grades 4-7.)

Nick McIver is a resourceful 12-year-old boy living on the island of Greybeard in the English Channel which was "famous for having more cows than people". The year is 1939, the summer is stretching out before him and Nick has no greater concerns than sailing his boat around the island (without crashing!) and watching out for his little sister.

That is, until Nick finds out that his father's newly blossoming "bird watching" hobby is actually a spying mission for Winston Churchill. And pirates show up on the island. And Nick finds a strange sea chest with his name carved on it. And the more Nick learns about this sea chest, the wilder his adventures will become.

If you're looking for a rollicking adventure story, this will certainly fit the bill. It's written in an almost old-fashioned tone, reminiscent of classic adventure novels like The Swiss Family Robinson. The action starts from the first page and doesn't let up. There are daring near-wrecks at sea, pirates, spying, storms, a treasure chest, an eclectic recluse, submarines, underground armories, a kidnapping, sea battles... and, of course the time travel.

I have to say that I didn't fully buy into Nick's voice. To me, he sounded more like a modern-day American teen than a British boy from the 1930s. And I have to wonder if it wouldn't have been a beautiful, interesting historical fiction novel if Bell had left all the time travel out of it and concentrated on the political tensions of the coming war. However, I think it'll keep adventure fans turning the pages and looking for more. As follow-ups, I'd recommend Peter and the Starcatchers and Vampirates (if they don't mind the slightly scary).

Nick of Time is listed on both ACPL's Mock Newbery and the Anokaberry. And, of course, there was a bit of a kerfluffle about an interview with Ted Bell by Glenn Beck. It sparked a very interesting discussion over at Guys Lit Wire: "Do teenage boys need books with weak female characters?" At the very least, the post offers a bunch of great books with strong guys who save something other than wimpy girls.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for sending me a copy!