Color-full

THE KNIGHT AT DAWN by Mary Pope Osborne with illustrations by Sal Murdocca. Scholastic, 2013.

Twenty years after its initial publication, THE KNIGHT AT DAWN has been reissued in full color.

The return of Moose

AL CAPONE DOES MY HOMEWORK by Gennifer Choldenko. August, 2013.

Moose and his mates are back in another adventure mystery set on Alcatraz in the 1930s, the days of Al Capone’s imprisonment there. When Moose’s dad is promoted, there are hard feelings among both the guards and the inmates. So, when the family’s apartment catches fire, Moose is certain it is the fault of someone upset with the promotion. Unfortunately, there are other residents of the Alcatraz employee housing that believe the fire is the fault of Moose’s sister, Natalie, a young woman who today would be diagnosed on the Autism spectrum, but then was just seen as someone dangerous. In order to clear his sister’s name, Moose must enlist the help of the other kids who live on Alcatraz. And a cryptic note, ostensibly from Al himself, might just be the pivotal clue in this mystery. Though the book is third in the series, it will stand alone. However, the reading is so much richer if you have read the other two titles. Choldenko combines mystery with a good helping of humor.

Bigger than a Bread Box

Laurel Snyder's BIGGER THAN A BREAD BOX (Random House 2011) is a skillful blend of realism and magic (magical realism) that centers on Rebecca, aged 12. Rebecca's parents are having issues and one morning Mom simply packs up suitcases and whisks Rebecca and her toddler brother off from Baltimore to Atlanta to stay with Rebecca's maternal grandmother. Rebecca is hurt, of course. She adores her father and did not have any hint that she was going to be separated from him. She did not even have a chance to say goodbye to her best friend. Full of resentment, Rebecca hides herself away in Gran's attic where she discovers a bread box, a magical bread box, that seems to grant her wishes. What Rebecca wishes for more than anything else, though, might just be ebyond the capabilities of the bread box. Rebecca wants something that will bring her parents back together. <534>

The magic of the bread box in no way detracts from the all-too-real situation in which Rebecca finds herself. Separating from a parent can leave a huge void in the life of a tween. Rebecca longs for something that might never be possible and acts in any way she thinks might further her cause. Snyder captures the petulance, the resentment, the anger, and the other emotions of a 12 year old perfectly.

Graphic Series

Jarrett Krosoczka gives us another episode of his Lunch Lady series in LUNCH LADY AND THE FIELD TRIP FIASCO (Knopf 2011). Lunch Lady joins the Breakfast Bunch on a field trip to an art museum. When the kids suspect that all is not right, they begin to investigate. Lunch Lady, of course, is on hand to help foil the plans of the art thieves aided by her assistant Betty. I am still flummoxed how Krosoczka is able to accomplish storytelling with few colors on the palette B&W with touches of yellow) but his characters and the details we come to know and love about each of them add depth to the story as well. <521>



Ah, A VERY BABYMOUSE CHRISTMAS by Jennifer and Matthew Holm (Random House 2011) is a perfect way to celebrate the holiday season to come (though Target and other stories think it nearer). Parodies of A NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS and A CHRISTMAS CAROL are just two of the humorous elements of the story as BabyMouse covets the newest electronic gadget for her Christmas gift. The Whizbang does it all including folding laundry and doing homework (if the ads are to be believed). What makes BabyMouse tick is that though rodent she reflects so much of the exuberant though misguided kids we all know and love. The best gift for Christmas? More BabyMouse. <522>

dog, or cat, days of summer

I am nearing 400 books read for 2011. At this pace, I will meet and, I hope, exceed last year's numbers. Not a contest (there are foks who read more, I know) but a way to keep pushing myself to read more and to read daily. Sunday, I managed to read this before we headed off to church. One of the nice things about short GNs, they read quite quickly.




THE MALTESE MUMMY by Trina Robbins and illustrated by Tyler Page (Lerner Graphic Universe 2011) is the second book in the Chicagoland Detective Agency series. Raf and Megan and Bradley (the taloking dog) set out in search of a missing mummy. It appears as though the new teenage heartthrob Sun D'Arc might be involved in some way. Plenty of humor, action, adventure, and a more than subtle nod toward the film (you know which one, right?), this is a quick read that will appeal to tweens and young teens, too. <371>

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.