JULY BOOKS READ

JULY BOOKS 2011

296. THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE
297. DEAD END IN NORVELT (audio)
298. ELEVENTH PLAGUE
299. WHAT CAN(T) WAIT
300. NAP TIME FOR KITTY
301. OTTO THE BOY WHO LOVED CARS
302. THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER (GN)
303. THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN
304. MARGO AND MARKY'S ADVENTURES IN READING
305. COLORES DE LA VIDA
306. A CAT LIKE THAT
307. ZOOLA PALOOZA
308. PRUDENCE WANTS A PET
309. GRAFICAS DE BARAS (Bar Graphs in Espanol)
310. GIRL MEETS BOY
311. BAD ISLAND GN
312. HORN BOOK JULY/AUGUST ISSUE
313. REAL REVISION
314. AMERICA IS UNDER ATTACK
315. MANGA MAN
316. GUYS READ THRILLER
317. SPAGHETTI DETECTIVES
318. WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU O.J.
319. A BIRD A BOY AND A DOG
320. JONATHAN AND THE BIG BLUE BOAT
321. THELONIOUS MOUSE
322. DINOSAURS DON'T AND DINOSAURS DO
323. STAR OF THE SEA
324. OH HARRY
325. THE LION AND THE MICE
326. STUBBORN AS A MULE
327. PRINCESS ZELDA AND THE FROG
328. THEN
329. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAMSTER
330. THE PIPER’S SON (AUDIO)
331. CHARLIE JOE JACKSON’S GUIDE TO NOT READING (audio)
332. WHERE THINGS COME BACK
333. BUGS AND THE WORLD’S CREEPIEST MICROBUGS 3 D
334. THE ABSOLUTE VALUE OF MIKE
335. PRETTY BAD THINGS
336. A DEAL'S A DEAL
337. ANIMAL NAPS
338. DOUBLE PLAY: MONKEYING AROUND WITH ADDITION
339. LITTLE BLACK BOOK
340. I'M A TYRRANOSAURUS
341. EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW BEFORE I'M FIVE
342. HEY, THAT'S NOT TRASH
343. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DUST BUNNIES
344. SISTER MISCHIEF
345. UNDER THE MESQUITE
346. THE HELP
347. PIE
348. SPIDERS ON THE CASE
349. CHARLIE AND KIWI
350. DINOSAUR DISCOVERY
351. DREAM AWAY
352. SAY WHAT
353. BOY WONDERS
354. TRAFFIC PUPS
355. GOOD NIGHT WORLD
356. LITTLE LITTLE GIRL WITH THE BIG BIG VOICE
357. WHAT IS YOUR DOG DOING
358. BIG BROTHERS DON'T TAKE NAPS
359. HOW DO YOU HUG A PORCUPINE
360. CATCH THAT BABY
361. ENTWINED
362. RED GLOVES
363. AMERICUS GN
364. BUNHEADS
365. KNIGHTS OF THE LUNCH TABLE: BATTLING BANDS
366. AU REVOIR, CRAZY EUROPEAN CHICK
367. ILLEGAL
368. TALL STORY

It was a great month for VOLUME for certain.

Spy Games

Hosting a foreign exchange student does not turn out quite the way Perry had envisioned. Gobi from Lithuania, is not interested in much having to do with the family. She is not the hot chick Perry anticipated either. All that changes when Perry's father persuades (forces) him to take Gobi to the prom on the same night his bad was to perform in New York. After a confrontation with some bullies, Gobi persuades (forces, at gunpoint) Perry to take her into the city. She has a score to settle, a score that involves murder and mayhem. <354>

Each chapter opens with a question ostensibly posed on a college admissions form. That question forms a frame of sorts for the events of the chapter. This is a darkly funny work that seems at times to be a fantasy and at other times is a chilling realistic story. Lots of chases, car thefts, violence, and a little romance, this book should appeal to readers who enjoy an action packed tale.

Knights of the Lunch Table, book 3

I like this middle grade GN series, KNIGHTS OF THE LUNCH TABLE, and here is book #3: THE BATTLING BANDS by Frank Cammuso (Scholastic/Graphix 2011). The three friends search Camelot Middle School for the singing sword, the only object that will prevent Principal Dagger from shutting down the annual Battle of the Bands program. Artie, Wayne, and Percy are determined to show Dagger and their arch nemesis--Joe--that they can play and win. <353>

Lots of broad humor, some slapstick, and some language play make this a GN that will appeal to a range of readers. Of course, the references to Arthur and the Round Table and Excalibur are all here as well. High school teachers might want to share this with students in advance of a discussion of the Arthurian legend.

Dancing Masters

BUNHEADS by Sophie Flack (Little Brown/Poppy, October 2011) follows the hopes and dreams of Hannah Ward, a member of the corps of ballet dancers at the Manhattan Ballet. Hannah has always dreamed of being a ballet dancer and has spent her last 5 years at the Manhattan Ballet, living on her own and working day in and day out to perfect her craft. She does not have time even to explore the city that houses the ballet company. She spends her days in exercise and rehearsals and her nights sleeping. If she wants to become a soloist and move up in the company, she must dedicate all her being to ballet. <352>

Sophie Flack danced with the New York City Ballet, and this is quite evident in the detailed descriptions of the routines, choreography, and especially in the day to day existence of these young women who aspire to be the best in their professions. Things such as eating disorders, injuries, and competition are treated as matter of fact: which they would be to the young women who will do whatever it takes to get ahead, to be featured, to please.

Great for the Middle

I try to read a wide range of books for children and young adults. In the past, that has meant I might have missed some good middle grade novels. All that ended when I decided to write NAKED READING about 5 years ago. Now, I scour the shelves, the listservs, Twitter and Facebook for good recommendations of books for tweens. Here are two great choices for intermediate readers. By the way, for those of you who do not follow my blog on LiveJournal, the number in parentheses after each book is how many books I have read thus far this year. The first year I set a goal, it was for 100 books. Last year I read over 500. I am simply trying to keep myself motivated to read even on those days I would rather veg out in front of the TV. And, I count picture books in this total as well.



I heard Sarah Weeks talk about PIE (Scholastic, October 2011) at the ALA Conference in New Orleans. The cover is right up my alley, the topic is one I can get into quite readily as well. PIE is the story of Alice and her Aunt Polly. Polly is a pie maker extraordinaire. Her store is always a popular place for the town residents to visit and, of course, walk away with pie. But Polly does not sell her pies; she gives them away. When Polly dies, Alice is disconsolate. Aunt Polly understood her better than her own parents (who could never understand how Polly could give away things she could make money with). Polly left her award winning (she won more Blueberry Awards than anyone else ever) to Lardo, her cat. Now, the rest of the townspeople feel compelled to try their hands at making pies with predictably disastrous results. There is also a mystery afoot when Lardo disappears and Aunt Polly's pie shop is ransacked. <350>

This quick reading, funny, and delicious novel is about more than pies obviously. There is some lovely tongue in cheek humor for the grown ups surrounding the Blueberry Award (too much fun). Tweens will find this novel tasty. Recipes included.



I loved the first book in The Deadlies series. Now Kathryn Lasky offers readers, SPIDERS ON THE CASE. A family of brown recluse spiders have taken up residence at the public library with the blessings of one of the librarians who encourages them to feed on the book lice and silverfish that destroy the books in his care. Jo Bell Deadly observes a patron using a razor blade to cut pages out of a rare book. How can she communicate this theft to the librarian? <351>

Not only are the books fun to read, there is a great deal of information to be had here, too. Jo Bell and her family love a variety of books and learn all manner of facts to share with one another and with readers.

AMERICUS

AMERICUS by M.K. Reed and Jonathan Hill (First Second Books, August 2011) is a graphic novel about censorship. Neil is a middle school student who somehow manages to tolerate the bullying and teasing. His friendship with Danny helps a lot. So does their mutual love of a series of fantasy novels they both have read over and over again. And then Danny is shipped off to military school when he announces to his fundamentalist parents that he is gay. Next, Danny's mother spearheads a campaign to rid the library of the series Danny and Neil love. <349>

If this were not happening all over the country, someone could rightly criticize books like this for being diatribes. However, just in the past week, the same three books that caused a stir in the fall are once again on the chopping block: SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE, SPEAK, and TWENTY BOY SUMMER. Two of the three board members voting against the books admitted they had not read them. So, how far away from the truth is this piece of fiction. Pair this with the GN version of Bradbury's FAHRENHEIT 451 for the beginning of a ladder on censorship. Add in THE SLEDDING HILL, MEMOIRS OF A BOOKBAT, and THE LAST SAFE PLACE ON EARTH for a start.

Picture Book Monday

It is a tradition for me (over at LiveJournal) to try to post some brief notes about a variety of picture books when I am at the office (which is mostly Mondays). Here is the most recent batch.

HOW DO YOU HUG A PORCUPINE? By Laurie Isop (Simon and Schuster 2011) is the winner of the Cheerios New Author Contest. Gentle rhyming text and comic illustrations (by Gwen Millward) show a young boy trying to decide how to go about petting a porcupine.






CATCH THAT BABY by Nancy Coffelt with illustrations by Scott Nash (Aladdin 2011) would be a terrific pairing with NO DAVID by David Shannon. A family pursues the naked baby all over the house to the chortling laughter of the escapee Nudie Rudy.




Marilyn Singer and illustrator Kathleen Habbles team up for WHAT IS YOUR DOG DOING? (Atheneum 2011). Some of the descriptions are simple, but much of the language is quite rich. For instance, famous dogs get chauffeured. There is even a dog with the President!





BIG BROTHERS DON’T TAKE NAPS by Louuise Borden and Emma Dodd (MCElderry Books 2011) is the story of a close sibling bond between Nicolas and his older brother James. Watch for the lovely surprise ending about big brothers as well.



THE LITTLE LITTLE GIRL WITH THE BIG BIG VOICE by Kristen Balouch (Little Simon) is the tale of a little girl who manages to frighten away animals with her loudness. Of course, there is one animal that will be able to match her in volume: the lion.




Willa Perlman and Carolyn Fisher team up for GOOD NIGHT, WORLD (Beach Lane Books 2011). A young child says good night to ice capped mountains and painted deserts and other locations across the planet and even into the heavens.



BOY WONDERS by Calef Brown (Atheneum 2011) is about a boy who wonders about all manner of things: are phones annoyed if no one calls? Do paper plates recall being trees? What about befuddled crabs and bepiddled pools? Language is at play here in this wondering tale.



CHARLIE AND KIWI by Peter Reynolds is subtitled AN EVOLUTIONARY ADVENTURE (Atheneum 2011). Cahrlie does a report on an unusual bird for his class: the kiwi. His classmates challenge him to prove that the kiwi is indeed a bird despite the fact that it does not fly and it has whiskers. Charlie travels back through time (think Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure) to discover the answers.



Everything you need to know to become a paleontologist can be found in DINOSAUR DISCOVERY (Simon and Schuster 2011) by Chris McGowan. Pages of information on the most important species of dinosaurs plus more than a dozen experiments that will delight all budding dino lovers are part of this large format nonfiction book.



DREAM AWAY by Julia Durango, Katie Belle Trupiano with illustrations by Robert Goldstrom ((Simon and Schuster 2011) is a lovely lullaby with two story lines. Dreams and real life adventures into the nighttime are lyrically described. The gentle illustrations in shades of blue and white are a perfect match for this dreamy book.



SAY WHAT? By Angela DiTerlizzi with illustrations by Joey Chou asks what animals are really saying. Could the duck’s quack mean it wants a snack? Is a meow a demand for something now? Simple rhyming text poses questions about the sounds animals produce.



Beware the TRAFFIC PUPS by Michelle Meadows and Dan Andreasen ((Simon and Schuster 2011)! Two erstwhile young pups manage to catch red light runners, speeders, and other miscreants while clearing traffic away from an accident.

Welcome

I domost of my blogging (and have for 9 years) at LiveJournal (http://professornana.livejournal.com). This space will be used primarily for postings relating to my YA literature class. I hope that my students will find the content useful.