Shake, Rattle & Turn That Noise Down!

January 22, 2010 | Tasha

Shake, Rattle & Turn That Noise Down!: How Elvis Shook Up Music, Me & Mom by Mark Alan Stamaty

When Mark Alan Stamaty’s parents gave him his own radio at age eight, they thought he’d be listening to the gentle popular music of the time. But one evening, Elvis and “Hound Dog” blasted from the radio and everything changed with rock and roll. Mark’s mother was alarmed at this new music and forbade him from buying any of Elvis’ records. Mark was still able to read about Elvis in magazines, listen to him on the radio, and even see him on TV. Eventually, Mark’s mother gave up and gave in and he was able to buy Elvis records. Mark changed the way he did his hair into an Elvis pompadour, helped the other boys in his class get the same look, and when his school picture was taken everyone thought he looked just like Elvis. So it was natural when the Cub Scout talent show came along that Mark impersonate Elvis, but how would his mother react?

Stamaty is a cartoonist and that shows in this book. Filled with the frames of cartoons, speech bubbles and caption, the book has its own rocking and rolling feel. His illustrations show a delightful mix of vintage and modern that echoes the feel of Elvis too. This book will not work well as a read-aloud because of the graphic novel format, but individuals will enjoy it immensely. The final pages of the book are a real treat as readers get to see the famous Elvis school picture and a snapshot of Mark performing in the Cub Scout event. There is also information on Mark performing as Elvis for President Clinton.

A humorous look at a moment in history, this picture book will be most appreciated by slightly older children who can identify with growing up and having preferences of one’s own. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Check out Linda Davick’s interview with Mark Alan Stamaty as well as Stamaty’s own website.

2010 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers

January 21, 2010 | Tasha

The Quick Picks list is a great list for librarians and parents to know about. These are books for ages 12-18 that teens will pick up on their own and read for pleasure.

Here is the top ten list:

Street Art Book: 60 Artists in Their Own Words by Ric Blackshaw and Liz Farrelly

The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful and HIV Positive by Marvelyn Brown

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles

Dope Sick by Walter Dean Myers

The Vampire Book by Sally Regan

Lockdown: Escape from Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith

Show Me How: 500 Things You Should Know by Derek Fagerstrom and Lauren Smith

High Voltage Tattoo by Kat Von D

Paranormal Caught on Film by Melvyn Willin

I appreciate the strong presence of nonfiction here. It really speaks to what teens love to read. I don’t think any of these would linger long on library shelves.

2010 Best Books for Young Adults

January 21, 2010 | Tasha

YALSA has released their list of 90 best books for teens. You can see the entire list here. They also select a Top 10 list:

The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan (currently reading – it’s fab!)

The Orange Houses by Paul Griffin (Great pick! – my review)

The Great Wide Sea by M. H. Herlong

The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks

Alligator Bayou by Donna Jo Napoli

Stitches by David Small (another great pick)

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (my review)

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork (one of my favorites for the Printz – my review)

Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor (A great read – my review)

Written in Bone by Sally M. Walker

Some other great picks on the list include:

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Because I Am Furniture by Talia Chaltas

Solace of the Road by Siobhan Dowd

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Eon by Alison Goodman

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Tales of Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Back of the Bus

January 21, 2010 | Tasha

Back of the Bus by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

It is a winter afternoon in Montgomery, Alabama. A boy and his mother are riding the bus home after a long day. The boy is playing with a marble, letting it roll up the aisle. When a hand snatches the marble, the boy sees Ms. Parks smiling at him and she rolls the marble back. The bus gets more crowded and then there is a commotion. The bus remains stopped until the police arrive and take Ms. Parks away. There is something in her eyes and the way she holds her head though, that show the boy that something big is happening. And he can see the same spark in his mother’s eyes now.

Here we see a moment in history captured through a young boy’s perspective. Reynold’s poetry is languid with the warm afternoon and the bumps of the bus. His poetry allows us to see more deeply into the boy and his mother as he calls attention to small details:

Mama shakes “no” at me,

and I hold it snug in my hand.

She’s got them worked-all-day eyes,

but she’s got her strong chin on.

Very accessible to children, the poem is filled with an honesty and truth. Cooper’s illustrations are filled with afternoon sunshine that illuminates this moment in history. He has captured the small world of the bus, yet the poem and his illustrations reveal far more. Warmly lit, detailed and beautifully done, his illustrations are glowingly lovely.

Highly recommended, this book takes history and bring it to life through poetry, image and one boy. Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

New Board Books

January 21, 2010 | Tasha

Rosemary Wells continues her series of Baby Max and Ruby books with Counting Peas and Love. With just enough texture on the page to make them engaging without being intrusive, these books are clever, sweet and funny. In Counting Peas, Max sneezes peas all over. He puts them in his shoe, but eventually is distracted away from his peas by strawberries! In Love, readers see the family that surrounds and takes care of Max. But who does he love best of all?

Another pair of great board books come from Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin and feature the beloved characters from Click, Clack, Moo. In Click, Clack, 123, one farmer is fast asleep and so the animals get into all sorts of mischief which is counted along to. Nicely, the numbers support the story rather than getting in the way. In Click, Clack, ABC, the animals are heading off for some fun which isn’t revealed until the ending. The rhyming here is well done and adds to the speed and romping style of the book.

Reviewed from copies received from publishers.

2010 Edgar Nominees

January 21, 2010 | Tasha

The nominees for the 2010 Edgar Awards, given by the Mystery Writers of America, have been announced:

Best Young Adult

Reality Check by Peter Abrahams

If the Witness Lied by Caroline B. Cooney

The Morgue and Me by John C. Ford

Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone by Dene Low

Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell

Best Juvenile

The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett

The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour by Michael D. Beil

Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn

Creepy Crawly Crime by Aaron Reynolds

The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline by Nancy Springer

Thanks to Bookshelves of Doom for the link.

Twilight the Graphic Novel

January 20, 2010 | Tasha

Welcome to the next dimension of the Twilight juggernaut. Graphic novels.

Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive (including an inside spread so you can see Edward himself) of the new offering by Yen Press. The graphic novel will be released on March 16th with a large first printing of 350,000 copies.

Libraries need to stock up. The merger of the manga craze and the Twilight craze – this could be huge!

Camille McPhee Fell Under the Bus

January 20, 2010 | Tasha

Camille McPhee Fell Under the Bus by Kristen Tracy

Camille is having a rough time as a fourth grader. Her best friend has moved to Japan, and Camille has not gotten a letter from her yet. She has low blood sugar and has to carry extra food to school in a cooler which makes her stand out from the others. Her desk is right under a dangling hornet. And to top it all off, she fell under the bus when she was trying to get on. It’s enough to make someone give up entirely! But not Camille McPhee. Instead she is hopeful that things will get better. She even has a plan to avoid making new friends by acting like a lone dingo. And how could that fail?

Tracy has created a book that is modern and fresh. It speaks to everyone who has been accident prone, or a misfit, or just has days or years filled with things going wrong. In other words, it will speak to everyone. Camille is a great heroine with a spot-on voice that is wry, funny and entirely herself. Throughout the book, we can see Camille grow despite her own best efforts at staying the same. The secondary characters are equally interesting from her warring parents to the girls who just might become her friends if she lets them.

A funny book about self-esteem, friendship and life in general, this book is a winner of a novel. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Check out Kristen Tracy’s website.