Month: September 2009

Sweet Valley High, the Movie?!

| Tasha

The author of the screenplay for Juno is set to adapt The Sweet Valley High series for the big screen.  And just after most libraries finally weeded the bulk of the very long series.

I remember the series being one of a group that in the nineties you absolutely did not weed.  They sat on the shelves until they were in tatters.  Other series that could not be weeded at the time were RL Stine and Christopher Pike.  No matter how old they got, they still checked out constantly.

I was so thrilled when I could finally get those old books off of the shelves as their use went down and get newer titles.  And now, now they are making a feature film?!  Why now?  It also looks like they have already been made into a TV series in 1994 when they were still hot.

So my big question for all of you practicing YA librarians is whether you still have Sweet Valley on your shelves and whether they still go out. 

My Parents Are Divorced, My Elbows Have Nicknames, and Other Facts about Me

| Tasha

My Parents are Divorced, My Elbows Have Nicknames, and Other Facts about Me by Bill Cochran, illustrated by Steve Bjorkman.

Ted’s parents are divorced, but that is just one aspect of this kid.  His parents may live separately, may not watch his games together, and he may still be sad whenever he thinks about the divorce, but that definitely doesn’t mean that Ted is weird.  What makes Ted weird are the other parts of his life:  eating cold spaghetti sauce out of the jar, naming his elbows, and wearing soap Mohawks.  When taken all together, Ted is the sum of many things and being the son of divorced parents is a big part but only a part of him.

This book takes divorce and makes it normal.  It talks about the feelings, the confusion, the pain of divorce but offsets it with the humor and silliness of Ted’s other interests.  In this way, Cochran makes it into more than a simple book on divorce.  It becomes a book that any child, from a divorced family or not, can see themselves in, and see themselves celebrated.  Yes, it is a book about divorce, but just like Ted, that is only a part of what it is.

Bjorkman’s illustrations gleefully add to the silliness of the story.  Nicely, the pages about the divorce are not darker or different.  They are just as bright and colorful as the rest.  In the most poignant illustration, Ted sits between his parents as they tell him about the divorce.  He is snug up against his mother with his hand and arm reaching toward his father on the other side of the couch.  A lovely illustration that encompasses the feel of divorce in a single image.

Highly recommended as a book on divorce that will not depress children but will encourage moving through it and beyond.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from copy received from publicist.

Also reviewed on Book Dads, Young Readers, and A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy.

Front and Center

| Tasha

Front and Center by Catherine Murdock

Released October 19, 2009.

In this third and final book in the Dairy Queen series, DJ has returned home after caring for her injured brother Will.  Now she is back in the high school mix of homework, basketball and plenty of pressure.  Pressure from her coach to turn into a better leader and start to speak out more on court.  Pressure from the bag of offers her father has kept, filled with coaches that she is going to have to call.  Pressure from a new boyfriend and lingering thoughts of Brian.  Pressure from her brother Will to do it all perfectly and to do it now.  Luckily DJ has basketball and workouts to keep her mind from spiraling completely out of control.  But she has some big decisions to make and soon.

DJ is such a wonderful character that I am sad to see this will be her final book.  She is genuine, funny and reminds me vividly of all of the Wisconsin farm girls I knew growing up.  Murdock has created a character who is above all real, filled with doubts, and exceptional.  Even reading this as an adult, it brought up all of the tough decisions I have had to make about school and work, along with their accompanying not-good-enough feelings.  Murdock has written a book about struggling with self-doubt and the future without becoming whiny in any way. 

Murdock also excels at the characters of DJ’s family, giving them each their own motivations, logical growth of their characters, and sudden understanding.  It is a pleasure to see a series where an entire family changes together, growing stronger and more important to one another.

Highly recommended for anyone who has read the first two.  This final book is just as good as the others in the series, if not better.  I’d recommend seeking this series out and enjoying all three books right in a row if you haven’t read them yet.  A great end to a marvelous series!  Appropriate for ages 13-16.

Reviewed from ARC provided by publisher.

Also reviewed at Librarilly Blonde, Abby (the) Librarian, Feed Your Imagination, and Jen Robinson’s Book Page.

Yellowstone Moran

| Tasha

Yellowstone Moran: Painting the American West by Lita Judge

Thomas Moran was a painter who lived in the city.  When he met Dr. Hayden, a geologist, who was heading into Yellowstone, he didn’t want to admit that he had never been on a horse, never shot a gun, and never slept outside.  Moran joined the expedition in the summer of 1871 and learned on the trail to ride a horse.  Tom befriended the team photographer on the difficult journey.  After weeks of travel, they entered Yellowstone: a place of sulfur smells, white rock, gorges, waterfalls, and wonder.  Tom painted everything he saw, recording in small paintings and sketches with notes.  When he returned home after a harrowing exit from Yellowstone, he painted large canvases capturing the grandeur of this new landscape.

A delightful mixture of adventure and art, this book will intrigue children interested in both subjects.  Judge uses humor, drama and a great sense of pacing to tell a story that will keep young reader riveted.  Just the idea that the United States had not been fully explored in 1817 will astound some children.  Judge’s paintings that accompany the story offer a sense of the place itself, without attempting to mimic Moran’s style.  The illustrations help create the sense of journey, danger and amazement.

Recommended for art classes, but also as a fascinating biography in picture book form.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy provided by publisher.

You can check out Lita Judge’s blog to see some of her illustrations in sketch form.

Shades of People

| Tasha

Shades of People by Shelley Rotner and Sheila M. Kelly

The beauty of different shades of skin is celebrated in this picture book.  One evocative word after another is used: coffee, cocoa, copper, ivory, bronze.  And more common words too like brown, pale, dark and light.  The book talks about different colors within families, and the problems with color choice when trying to paint skin.  It is a joyous celebration of diversity, ourselves, and humanity. 

Rotner’s photographs here are such a joy.  They have interesting composition, clarity, bright color, and of course a diverse group of subjects.  Each child is celebrated for their own unique beauty and the photographs capture that well.  The text is simple, but important, as it muses about the different colors we all come in.  Nicely done without rhyme, instead it allows readers to think, exploring the photographs and finding themselves on the page.

Highly recommended, this book belongs in every public library.  Every child you serve will see themselves on the pages, a very powerful message for children of all races and colors.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Booktrust Teenage Prize 2009 Shortlist

| Tasha

The UK Booktrust Teenage Prize was started in 2003 to recognize the best of contemporary fiction for teens.  Here is the shortlist:

Auslander by Paul Dowswell (released in US in January 2010)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (I admit I groaned when I saw this listed.  I love the book, but enough already!  Let’s give other books a chance to shine!)

Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray (released in US in March 2010)

The Ant Colony by Jenny Valentine (no US release date yet)

The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant (no US release date yet)

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

Raise a Wild Banner!

| Tasha

Warner Brothers has released eight new character banners for the film Where the Wild Things Are.  I am in love.  You can check them out at /Film here and here.

My two favorite Wild Things are:

and

How about you?

Little Dump Truck

| Tasha

The Little Dump Truck by Margery Cuyler, illustrated by Bob Kolar

This is a bouncy, cozy book about one small dump truck and the work he does every day.  Told in the voice of the truck, readers will get to see the truck drive along roads, dump its load, and get filled once more to do it all again.  Along the way, readers get to meet other hardworking machines and vehicles.  All of the vehicles and people have happy smiles that match the jolly rhymes.

Cuyler has written a rhyming book that has a great rhythm and wonderful sense of play.  Young readers will find themselves right at home in the bouncy world of big trucks.  Kolar’s art filled with big grins brings the rhyme to life.  The bright colored illustrations were done on computer but have none of the over-textured feel of some computer-generated art.  Instead Kolar has managed to create a rather vintage feel that mimics the style of children’s toys.

A great addition to the large collection of truck-themed picture books, this book will work best with toddlers.  It is printed on thicker paper, so it will stand up to small hands that may not be so gentle.  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by Becky at Young Readers.

Can You Make a Scary Face?

| Tasha

Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas

Got a room full of wiggly toddlers?  Have I got a book for you!

A ladybug gets children standing then sitting, then pretending to have a bug on their nose.  Then it flies in their mouth!  They have to blow it out.  Then it flies out onto their shirt, and the only way to get it off your shirt is to do the chicken dance!   The children then are told to pretend that there is a giant hungry frog coming to eat but off their shirts.  But what happens where there really is a giant hungry frog coming to eat the ladybug?!

First, kudos to Thomas for creating yet another book perfect for the toddler years.  She has created a ladybug that is silly, bright-colored and in no way glittery or dainty, much to her credit.  She uses her trademark thick black lines and cartoon style to great effect, resulting in a book that could be used with very large crowds because the illustrations project so well. 

The book inspires such movement and action and laughter!  A must-have for libraries, day cares and pre-K classrooms.  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by The Booknosher.