Month: July 2008

Keep Your Eye on the Kid

| Tasha

Keep Your Eye on the Kid: the Early Years of Buster Keaton by Catherine Brighton.

A tantalizing look into the life of Buster Keaton and how he became a movie star in the 1920s.  This picture book biography briefly tells the reader about the childhood and eventual film success of Keaton from his own point of view.  From being sucked out of the window by a tornado to being tossed bodily across the stage by his father as part of the act, Keaton’s childhood leads him directly to his movie career.

Being written in the first person gives this book an immediacy and inherent ring of truth.  That is needed, because so much of his life is easy to disbelieve.  The illustrations are the true star of the book, using a style that evokes the feel of the 20s.  They offer unique vistas of not only the stage and movie sets but also the streets of the time.  Giving readers their own feeling of flying through the air at times, they are the perfect accompaniment to this true story.

Though I have watched most of Keaton’s films, I knew little of his childhood and his theater background.  It was  great to learn more and wonderful to see that Keaton is being presented to another generation of children who can watch in disbelief as he risks his life time after time on the set.  Recommended for ages 7-10.

Alfred's Nose

| Tasha

Alfred’s Nose by Vivienne Flesher.

I’ve always enjoyed picture books for small children that use photographs.  I know that that is why this one zoomed to the top of my toppling picture book piles.  Anyone else a sucker for photos?  Frankly, I’m not sure why I am…

Alfred is a French bulldog with a smooshed-looking nose.  Everyone loves him, but he hates the way he looks.  His tongue always sticks out, his nose won’t hold up glasses, and his head is as round as a pumpkin.  To fix this, Alfred looks for accessories that will help.  He finds a bin of animal noses that he can strap on his face, but only one of them will cover both his nose and tongue!  And then he can’t give his sloppy kisses!  What’s a dog to do?

Crisp, clear colored photographs make this book work.  As does the equally clear text that moves the story right along.  The selection of fake noses will have both you and the children you are sharing the book with laughing.  I am particularly partial to the elephant nose, myself. 

Not a revolutionary picture book, but one that will bring smiles to everyone who reads it.  Recommended for ages 4-6.

Zen and the Art of Faking It

| Tasha

Zen and the Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick.

San Lee has moved around a lot in his life, each move he has created a persona to help him blend in and fit in.  But San just can’t do that this time, not with the amazing Woody, a girl who sings Guthrie songs in the cafeteria looking at him.  So San becomes someone who doesn’t fit in, he becomes a Zen master.  Through research, a short introduction in a previous school, and sheer willpower, San fools everyone around him.  But as all things come full circle, especially for a Zen master, you know it can’t be that easy.

Sonnenblick has once again captured the confusing world of a middle schooler.  The broad humor of the book is a joy to read and will have readers laughing out loud.  But it is not simply a humorous book, this book like Sonnenblick’s previous one uses a light touch to examine deeper issues such as lying and identity.  Gracefully achieved, this book works on many levels.  A large part of its success is the character of San who is at the same time both complicated and simple as is his solution to school. 

This charmer of a novel would make a great classroom read, discussion book, or just a wonderful summer novel to enjoy.  Recommended for middle school and late elementary school readers.

Upcoming Movies Based on Kids/Teen Books

| Tasha

What a crop of children’s-book-based films are headed our way!

City of Ember – coming on October 10

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – coming on November 21

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist – coming on October 3

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 – coming on August 6

Tale of Despereaux – coming on December 19

Twilight – coming on December 12

 

I am most looking forward to seeing Tale of Despereaux (love the trailer) and City of Ember, which read like a movie in its book form.  Love that the Sisterhood actresses all returned for the second film.  And I look forward to hearing the Infinite Playlist.

Batman!

| Tasha

 

For a great list of Batman books that are must-reads, check out this list from io9.  Sure to fly off of your teen section shelves and into the hands of tweens, teens and adults alike. 

Make sure you read the comments posted below the main article for some more must-read Batman titles.  A great discussion!

Batman remains one of the favorites for graphic novel fans unlike many of the other classic superheroes.  Anyone else have favorite graphic novel titles that are must-reads or for libraries are must-owns?

Impossible

| Tasha

Impossible by Nancy Werlin.

Released September 2008.

Lucy is a normal teen, heading out to her prom, as long as she can ignore her mad birth mother, who is homeless and every so often returns to shout warnings at Lucy.  Lucy tries to protect her adoptive parents and her friends from her birth mother, but in doing so doesn’t hear the warnings in time.  Lucy comes from a long line of women, cursed for generations by an evil being.  At age 18, they are all pregnant with daughters and forced to try to undo the curse.  They have all tried alone until Lucy, who has a family who loves her and a boy who will fight along side her.

Werlin has crafted a novel filled with twists and turns, stomach wrenching surprises, and a timelessness but modern feel.  Lucy is a great female character who displays a winning innocence but amazing strength as well.  The adults in the story are also well portrayed with their own worries, lives and issues as they face the curse along with their daughter.  The book has deft pacing too, which works well along with the story, sometimes dashing headlong and alarmed and other times seeming as if there is all the time in the world. 

Werlin has created another book that teens will love to immerse themselves in.  Highly recommended for fans of fantasy, but it will also appeal to teens who don’t usually read that genre.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

The Hunger Games

| Tasha

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Released October 2008.

If there was one book I really wanted to get my hands on at ALA, this was it.  Scholastic was only giving them out for a limited time at their booth when Suzanne Collins was signing, which didn’t work with my schedule.  I left disheartened, but then my husband surprised me with a signed copy!  Definitely worth cutting his session short for!  And now, I will actually let him read it too.  Aren’t I sweet?

Anyway, back to the book. 

Katniss regularly escapes the Seam by going outside the fence and into the forest to hunt.  She is great at using a bow and at trapping.  Using this skill, she keeps her mother and younger sister fed.  Every year, two names are drawn from each region of the country to join the Hunger Games.  This isn’t an honor, it’s a death sentence, because the youth who are selected are forced to fight to the death in a unique arena run by the government.  At the selection, Katniss’ younger sister is selected and Katniss offers herself instead.  Now she must leave everything she knows behind and head to the Capitol, a place where people live in luxury and the Hunger Games are entertainment.  Katniss must package herself to be interesting and worthy of investment if she is to find sponsors who will help keep her alive.  So the games begin even before the arena.

I adored Collins’ Gregor series, and consider it one of the best fantasy series for preteens that is out there.  This new series is a natural extension of Gregor.  It is even darker, more political, and more haunting.  As in Gregor, Collins’ characters are filled with flaws, face impossible decisions, and remain true to themselves.  They are gutsy characters who rebel and refuse to be trodden upon.  In short, they are a joy to read. 

Collins’ world building here is very well done as well.  Dystopian societies in books for teens can be disappointing, but Collins knows just how much detail to offer to make it fascinating and leave you wanting to know just a little more.  Best of all, her details fit together like puzzle pieces as you discover them.  Perfection.

Highly recommended, this is a contender for the best science fiction for teens this year.  A perfect book for booktalking to middle school audiences. 

Jumpy Jack & Googily

| Tasha

Jumpy Jack & Googily by Meg Rosoff and Sophie Blackall.

Picture books can be so derivative that it gets dull to open them and read one more.  But the reason I keep on reading is that between all of the dull ones, there are gems.  This book is original and genuinely funny.

Jumpy Jack, the snail is very afraid of monsters.  Everywhere they go Googily has to check to make sure that monsters aren’t there.  Googily assures Jumpy Jack that it is silly to be so afraid and is amazed at his friends imagination.  It gets especially ridiculous when Jumpy Jack imagines a monster in his room who "might be wearing short trousers and a bowler hat." 

Children really get the humor here right from the first page.  Giggling is guaranteed.  Rosoff, who excels at writing humor for children, has outdone herself here.  The humor gets broader and broader as the pages go by, but her writing tone remains the same gentle, sensible one which of course just makes the whole thing even more amusing.  Blackall’s illustrations convey a simple, even barren landscape, and a world of normalcy with unusual touches.  Just perfect for the story.

Highly recommended to share with all children.  This book is appropriate for ages 4-7.