Touch, Think, Learn

OPPOSITES by Xavier Deneux. Chronicle Books, 2013.

COLORS by Xavier Deneux. Chronicle Books, 2013.


These two board books explore some basic concepts for the very young reader. Die cuts and colorful objects will help kids to explore colors and opposites.

The Crane Wife

THE CRANE WIFE by Patrick Ness.  Penguin Press, January 2014.

George owns a copy shop.  He is divorced, amicably, and is the proud Grand-Pere of JP.  His life is rather routine,  George spends some of his time doing cuttings from old books. And then one night, a wounded crane appears in his backyard, an arrow through her wing.  Almost certain he is hallucinating, George nevertheless manages to free the arrow from the wing of the crane.  The next day, Kumiko walks through the door of his copy shop asking for his help with her own artwork.  Her pieces are finely wrought cuttings and weavings made of feathers.  They strike George at his core. Soon,the two are inseparable, their work blending into a single, incredible structure that brings them fame and fortune.  But it is not enough for George.  He wants to know Kumiko more intimately.  She seems just a little too elusive even though he knows she loves him and her loves her.  

Many of you know I do not read adult books very often.  How happy I am that I made an exception in this case, and that I had the foresight to pack this into the bag I took as I traveled from Stockholm to Jonkoping and back again, a long lovely train ride.  Somehow the exotic settings (for someone who has never been this far from home) made it possible for me to enter fully into the story of Kumiko and George and the volcano and the crane as well.  The stories glide in and out of each other with ease (and this in Ness' skill as an author of works for children, teens and adults); the magic simply is part of  the story, no questions asked, no eyebrows raised.  

The writing is spare and yet richly detailed (and do not ask me to explain how this is possible. It just is).  And here is the piece I will end with, the short excerpt that had me pause for a while to think about the incredible truth inside these few words:

"Stories do not end."

"Ah, you  are right, but you are also wrong.  They end and they begin every moment.  It is all about when you stop the telling."  p. 273

Order your copy now. 

Fallout

FALLOUT by Todd Strasser. Candlewick, September 2013.


Strasser opens his newest offering for teens with this question by asking (and answering) a what if question: what if Russia had dropped the bomb in the 60s? When Scott's father builds a bomb shelter, the rest of the neighbors think he is crazy. No one is going to drop the bomb; there is too much for both countries to lose after all. But the unthinkable happens and Scott, along with his parents and younger brother head into the shelter. Frantic neighbors begin to crowd in hoping to gain access. The shelter is built for 4 and only supplied with a minimum of food for the time they must stay inside to be safe from the fallout. But now there are 6. How will they all survive? Strasser maintains the suspense by switching back and forth between events in Scott's life before the attack and then scenes in the shelter itself. Kids today never experienced the duck and cover drills, never sat and saw the threats played out on television. To them, this is history, a history they should know.

If You Find Me

IF YOU FIND ME by Emily Murdoch. St. Martins Griffin, 2013.

Carey and Jenessa have only known the rusted camper as home for almost as long as either of them can recall. Carey knows that they ran away from their father a long time ago. Mom wanted to keep them off the grid for their own protection, and so they live in the woods without electricity or running water. Somehow they manage. But now Mom has been gone for an awfully long time, and the food is running short. Carey worries about Jenessa who rarely speaks, How will they survive?

Suddenly, there is a man approaching the camper accompanied by a woman from social services. Carey and Jenessa are to be handed over to Carey's father who has been searching for them ever since Carey's mother abducted her when she was little. Now, they have a father (one Carey is not sure she can trust) and a stepmother and stepsister, too. There will be many changes hurtling toward Carey as the truth is slowly revealed. Great pacing, realistic characters and emotions will draw readers in and hold them to the final page.

ZEBRA FOREST

ZEBRA FOREST by Adina Rishe Gewirtz. Candlewick Press, 2013.

Annie and her brother Rew live with their grandmother. Their mother left them years ago. They have been told that their father is dead. Gran has her good days when she cooks pancakes and tells stories to Rew and annie. But more and more, those good days as=re few and far between. When the social worker comes by, it is Annie who steers her back to the car with assurances that all is well (even when it is not). And then one night, a man enters the house, a man Annie knows to be her father, not dead, but in prison for a long time. He has escaped and plans to hold the family hostage until he can make his way further to freedom. The truths that Annie now has to face are almost unbearable, How can she come to terms with this man, long believed dead, whom Annie has made into some sort of hero? What of the mother who did not want her own children? How can Annie handle these harsh realities?

THE SONG OF THE QUARKBEAST

THE SONG OF THE QUARKBEAST by Jasper Fforde. Harcourt, September 2013.

This sequel to THE LAST DRAGONSLAYER is sure to be met with enthusiasm as the story returns to Kazam, the home of some of the world's few remaining magicians. Jennifer Strange is still doing her best to book work and keep the whole operation going. But times are still tough for magic in the land where King Snood reigns. The rival house of magic challenges the magicians of Kazam: winner will take over the control of all magic in the kingdom. Jennifer believes they can win easily, but she is not prepared for the underhandedness of Blix, now Blix the All Powerful. Humor (very tongue in cheek most of the time) abounds, and readers will learn a bit more about magic and what has happened to it in the past. Fforde's characters are idiosyncratic and richly detailed.

EXTREMITIES by David Lubar. Tor, 2013.

David Lubar can tell a story, and tell it FAST. These brief stories are sure to raise some gooseflesh for readers who have in the past enjoyed his collections of WEENIE tales. In this volume, for older readers, Lubar delights readers with tales of beautiful young women who feed on the fears of their boyfriends, criminals who have their comeuppance from someone with blood magic, and teens who dare to stay in a haunted house to earn some quick money. Blood, guts, shape shifters, ghosts, and more live between the covers of this riveting collection of stories. Tie this to SHORT CIRCUITS edited by Don Gallo.