Almost Forever
By Maria Testa
Published 2007 by Candlewick Press
One day, a dad receives a letter. He must go to Vietnam. How long will he be gone? One year. But that year feels almost like forever to his young daughter...
This was a really quick read but it packs quite a punch. This tells the story of war from a young child's eyes, who can't understand why her dad has to go and why her mom worries so much. I found it very easy to fall into this story and the characters were easy to relate to. I think this is a great story for children of today's generation - another generation of children too young to understand war and why their parents had to leave. Testa's novel also speaks to the power of familial love and while it can feel like forever and maybe you start to forget a little, ultimately you can't forget your family. A very rich verse story.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Review: Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator
Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator!
By Mo Willems
Published 2011 by Balzer + Bray
A collection of six (and a half) short stories about two friends, this is the latest offering by Willems. I became a gigantic, huge, enormous fan of his after reading the Elephant and Piggie books. Then I learned that Willems is basically a superhero because he used to work on Sesame Street. He is pretty much one of my favorite children's book creators. This book was no exception - the stories are delightful and fun and highlight friendship in the best possible way. His illustrations are simple and pure but complement his stories so perfectly. I find everything he produces to just be an absolute delight and can't wait to share all of his work with anyone I ever meet. As a side note, I actually saw Willems walking around at the ALA conference in June (the only time I saw an author not at an event or signing) but didn't say anything as he was with his daughter (or it appeared that way).
By Mo Willems
Published 2011 by Balzer + Bray
A collection of six (and a half) short stories about two friends, this is the latest offering by Willems. I became a gigantic, huge, enormous fan of his after reading the Elephant and Piggie books. Then I learned that Willems is basically a superhero because he used to work on Sesame Street. He is pretty much one of my favorite children's book creators. This book was no exception - the stories are delightful and fun and highlight friendship in the best possible way. His illustrations are simple and pure but complement his stories so perfectly. I find everything he produces to just be an absolute delight and can't wait to share all of his work with anyone I ever meet. As a side note, I actually saw Willems walking around at the ALA conference in June (the only time I saw an author not at an event or signing) but didn't say anything as he was with his daughter (or it appeared that way).
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Review: The Day Before
The Day Before
By Lisa Schroeder
Published 2011 by Simon Pulse
Amber just wants one perfect day. By herself. But, when she sees a really cute boy her age admiring the jellyfish at the aquarium with the same intensity as her, she thinks that maybe the "by herself" part of the deal is flexible...
I'm pretty sure that I've read all of Schroeder's young adult work and found it enjoyable if somewhat repetitive. However, this, her newest, I liked best of all. This was less melodramatic than her previous titles and I found that a welcome change. I liked that the stories of Amber and Cade were revealed in bits and pieces throughout the novel and I thought their chemistry was realistic. This was a very quick and easy read and I think it will appeal greatly to fans of contemporary YA novels. There was enough of a touch of melodrama and romance and it all blended together well to make this a really well-told story. I really enjoyed this one and hope Schroeder continues in this vein in the future.
By Lisa Schroeder
Published 2011 by Simon Pulse
Amber just wants one perfect day. By herself. But, when she sees a really cute boy her age admiring the jellyfish at the aquarium with the same intensity as her, she thinks that maybe the "by herself" part of the deal is flexible...
I'm pretty sure that I've read all of Schroeder's young adult work and found it enjoyable if somewhat repetitive. However, this, her newest, I liked best of all. This was less melodramatic than her previous titles and I found that a welcome change. I liked that the stories of Amber and Cade were revealed in bits and pieces throughout the novel and I thought their chemistry was realistic. This was a very quick and easy read and I think it will appeal greatly to fans of contemporary YA novels. There was enough of a touch of melodrama and romance and it all blended together well to make this a really well-told story. I really enjoyed this one and hope Schroeder continues in this vein in the future.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Review: Man in the Moon
The Man in the Moon
By William Joyce
Published 2011 by Atheneum
We've all seen him and wondered about him - the Man in the Moon. But did you know he is one of the Guardians of Childhood? Acclaimed author/artist Joyce introduces an ambitious new project with this first title, to be followed by a variety of picture books and chapter books and ending with an animated feature film to be released in 2013, I believe. There was a lot of hype about this project at the ALA conference earlier this year in June and I had hoped to snag an ARC while I was there. Unfortunately, I missed out on it, instead picking up the finished book at the library recently. I pretty much loved everything about this book - the story is imaginative and sweet and I think it has great appeal to children of all ages. But even if the story wasn't so engaging and endearing, the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and could make up for pretty much any flaw. I want to hang them on my walls. They are lush and evocative - just beautiful. I'm pretty excited about this new project that Joyce is undertaking - it sounds like a really interesting idea. I'm very much looking forward to the next entry in the series.
By William Joyce
Published 2011 by Atheneum
We've all seen him and wondered about him - the Man in the Moon. But did you know he is one of the Guardians of Childhood? Acclaimed author/artist Joyce introduces an ambitious new project with this first title, to be followed by a variety of picture books and chapter books and ending with an animated feature film to be released in 2013, I believe. There was a lot of hype about this project at the ALA conference earlier this year in June and I had hoped to snag an ARC while I was there. Unfortunately, I missed out on it, instead picking up the finished book at the library recently. I pretty much loved everything about this book - the story is imaginative and sweet and I think it has great appeal to children of all ages. But even if the story wasn't so engaging and endearing, the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and could make up for pretty much any flaw. I want to hang them on my walls. They are lush and evocative - just beautiful. I'm pretty excited about this new project that Joyce is undertaking - it sounds like a really interesting idea. I'm very much looking forward to the next entry in the series.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Review: Pacy Lin series
The Year of the Dog
Published 2007
The Year of the Rat
Published 2008
Dumpling Days
By Grace Lin
Expected publication January 2, 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
I received an ARC of the third book in Grace Lin's debut series at ALA in June, so I picked up the first two and read all three in one weekend. I was looking forward to them because I had been enchanted by Lin's Newbery Honor book, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. I'm happy to say that this series did not disappoint, though it is very different from Lin's other title.
This series follows Grace/Pacy Lin (her American and Chinese name, respectively), a young Taiwanese-American middle child growing up in New York State. In the first book, Grace strives to find her talent and discover what she wants to be when she grows up. She is also thrilled by the arrival of another Chinese-American girl her age in her neighborhood (throughout the series, Grace tries to understand whether she is Taiwanese or Chinese - an issue fraught with very adult political implications). In the second book, Grace is devastated to discover that her best friend has to move to California. She must struggle with the inevitable changes we all face. In the upcoming third title, Grace and her family visit Taiwan for her grandmother's sixtieth birthday. Pacy discovers her heritage and the endless variety of dumplings she can enjoy. This series is really engaging and simple - it's really written in an easy way that I think is easy for children to comprehend and relate to. It's also pretty clear that this series is at least loosely autobiographical (Pacy, after all, decides she wants to be an author/illustrator when she grows up). Lin inserts family tales throughout the main action of the novel which usually serve to illustrate a value or proverb and which are generally quite effective. I think what I like most about this series is that it's pure - it's very realistic in its depiction of being a child of a minority ethnicity. I believe Lin wrote the series for children like she was, to fill a hole in the literature for kids. All kids need to read about people like themselves and Lin's simple yet illustrative and engrossing series is perfect for this. Very enjoyable.
Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy.
Published 2007
The Year of the Rat
Published 2008
Dumpling Days
By Grace Lin
Expected publication January 2, 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
I received an ARC of the third book in Grace Lin's debut series at ALA in June, so I picked up the first two and read all three in one weekend. I was looking forward to them because I had been enchanted by Lin's Newbery Honor book, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. I'm happy to say that this series did not disappoint, though it is very different from Lin's other title.
This series follows Grace/Pacy Lin (her American and Chinese name, respectively), a young Taiwanese-American middle child growing up in New York State. In the first book, Grace strives to find her talent and discover what she wants to be when she grows up. She is also thrilled by the arrival of another Chinese-American girl her age in her neighborhood (throughout the series, Grace tries to understand whether she is Taiwanese or Chinese - an issue fraught with very adult political implications). In the second book, Grace is devastated to discover that her best friend has to move to California. She must struggle with the inevitable changes we all face. In the upcoming third title, Grace and her family visit Taiwan for her grandmother's sixtieth birthday. Pacy discovers her heritage and the endless variety of dumplings she can enjoy. This series is really engaging and simple - it's really written in an easy way that I think is easy for children to comprehend and relate to. It's also pretty clear that this series is at least loosely autobiographical (Pacy, after all, decides she wants to be an author/illustrator when she grows up). Lin inserts family tales throughout the main action of the novel which usually serve to illustrate a value or proverb and which are generally quite effective. I think what I like most about this series is that it's pure - it's very realistic in its depiction of being a child of a minority ethnicity. I believe Lin wrote the series for children like she was, to fill a hole in the literature for kids. All kids need to read about people like themselves and Lin's simple yet illustrative and engrossing series is perfect for this. Very enjoyable.
Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Review: Before I Die
Before I Die
By Jenny Downham, read by Charlotte Parry
Published 2007 by Listening Library
Tessa has been battling cancer for years, but now, there doesn't seem to be much more the doctors can do. So, she creates a list - ten things to do before she dies. Number one is sex. And she wants to get started as soon as possible...
Despite the tawdry description of this book (which sort of makes it sound like some weird kind of porn), Tessa's exploits are, for the most part, rather tame (though, I will admit, the sex scenes later in the novel are quite steamy). This book sort of reminded me of a Lurlene McDaniel book with an R rating - someone has a horrible illness but they are inspired to live life to their fullest. Chances are, they're going to fall in love and, in the majority of McDaniel books, be miraculously cured before the novel's end. Downham's novel has the same sort of tone - Tessa doesn't spend a whole lot of time feeling sorry for herself; she's just trying to do what she can while she still can. It's pretty easy to see where the novel is going to go nearly from the beginning - even the bits about Zoe and Adam don't really come as any surprise. I was moved by the ending, but not as much as I might have expected to be (and certainly not as much as by other YA books). I thought the reader did quite a nice job, injecting the right amount of personality and emotion throughout the book.
By Jenny Downham, read by Charlotte Parry
Published 2007 by Listening Library
Tessa has been battling cancer for years, but now, there doesn't seem to be much more the doctors can do. So, she creates a list - ten things to do before she dies. Number one is sex. And she wants to get started as soon as possible...
Despite the tawdry description of this book (which sort of makes it sound like some weird kind of porn), Tessa's exploits are, for the most part, rather tame (though, I will admit, the sex scenes later in the novel are quite steamy). This book sort of reminded me of a Lurlene McDaniel book with an R rating - someone has a horrible illness but they are inspired to live life to their fullest. Chances are, they're going to fall in love and, in the majority of McDaniel books, be miraculously cured before the novel's end. Downham's novel has the same sort of tone - Tessa doesn't spend a whole lot of time feeling sorry for herself; she's just trying to do what she can while she still can. It's pretty easy to see where the novel is going to go nearly from the beginning - even the bits about Zoe and Adam don't really come as any surprise. I was moved by the ending, but not as much as I might have expected to be (and certainly not as much as by other YA books). I thought the reader did quite a nice job, injecting the right amount of personality and emotion throughout the book.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Review: 43 Old Cemetery Road
Dying to Meet You (Book 1)
Published 2009
Over My Dead Body (Book 2)
Published 2009
Till Death Do Us Bark (Book 3)
By Kate Klise, illustrated by M. Sarah Klise
Published 2011 by Harcourt
This review encompasses the first three books of the new series by the Klise sisters, authors of the beloved Regarding the... series. I know how popular their earlier series was, and I recently read the first one, but when I saw the new series, I thought it might be a bit more up my alley (because of the spooky/scary/ghost story aspect). The basic premise here is that 43 Old Cemetery Road is house haunted by its former owner, failed author Olive C. Spence. Young Seymour Hope now resides in the mansion, abandoned by his parents. Mr. Ignatius B. Grumply initially rents the house in order to complete work on a new book in his famed Ghost Tamer series. Each book features these three main characters while introducing a new evil plot for them to foil in each title. The books are funny and cute, quick to read and interesting to try to figure out along the way. They are not as spooky or scary as I had originally hoped, which is fine, but a bit of a disappointment to me. I enjoyed them and will continue to read the series as it's published, but I don't think I'll be chomping at the bit for the next. I didn't engage as much as I had hoped.
Published 2009
Over My Dead Body (Book 2)
Published 2009
Till Death Do Us Bark (Book 3)
By Kate Klise, illustrated by M. Sarah Klise
Published 2011 by Harcourt
This review encompasses the first three books of the new series by the Klise sisters, authors of the beloved Regarding the... series. I know how popular their earlier series was, and I recently read the first one, but when I saw the new series, I thought it might be a bit more up my alley (because of the spooky/scary/ghost story aspect). The basic premise here is that 43 Old Cemetery Road is house haunted by its former owner, failed author Olive C. Spence. Young Seymour Hope now resides in the mansion, abandoned by his parents. Mr. Ignatius B. Grumply initially rents the house in order to complete work on a new book in his famed Ghost Tamer series. Each book features these three main characters while introducing a new evil plot for them to foil in each title. The books are funny and cute, quick to read and interesting to try to figure out along the way. They are not as spooky or scary as I had originally hoped, which is fine, but a bit of a disappointment to me. I enjoyed them and will continue to read the series as it's published, but I don't think I'll be chomping at the bit for the next. I didn't engage as much as I had hoped.
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