Month: January 2011

The Firehouse Light: A Timeless True Tale

| Tasha

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The Firehouse Light by Janet Nolan, illustrated by Marie Lafrance

This is the story of the 100-year-old centennial bulb in Livermore, California.  The bulb was originally put into a wooden shack that contained fire fighting equipment for the city.  The bulb was moved from the shack to the firehouse and was never turned off.  It shined while horses were readied.  The lightbulb shined as cars replaced horses.  It shined as fire engines got bigger and better.  It shined as volunteers were replaced by paid fire fighters.  It shined on and on.  When a new firehouse was built in 1976, the bulb stopped shining as it was moved to the new firehouse.  There was a lot of tension about whether the bulb would light again after the move, but it lit and continues to shine. 

Nolan has structured the book in a winning way that allows young readers to understand the passing of time in tangible ways.  They will see the horses at first, then the cars, the record players and then the televisions.  Her prose appears lengthy on the page, but reads aloud readily.  The use of repetition to start each new decade helps reinforce that time is passing in decades.  Lafrance’s illustrations have a timeless feel to them that will take readers back to vintage picture books.  The style works well here with the emphasis on history and the amazing longevity of a small bulb.

A nonfiction picture book that celebrates history and a small, lovely accomplishment.  This book will work well in a unit on community helpers, offering a unique perspective on the history of firefighting.  Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Jake Goes Peanuts: Sticky Silliness

| Tasha

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Jake Goes Peanuts by Michael Wright

This third Jake book is a yummy choice.  Jake was a kid who didn’t like a lot of foods.  In fact, he only liked one.  Peanut butter.  It’s all he wanted to eat for any meal.  So his parents hatched a peanut-buttery plan to fix the situation.  For an entire week, everything that Jake ate would have peanut butter in it.  It sounded like a great plan to Jake!  There was peanut butter roast, peanut butter pancakes, peanut butter soda cooled by peanut butter ice, peanut butter turkey.  Even Jake’s dog got to try peanut butter dog food, but his bowl got stuck on his head.  But even peanut-butter loving Jake could not take one more bite by the end of the week.  Though he only ate one or two lima beans and his mother’s tuna casserole is still frightening.

Written with a big dose of humor, this book is jaunty and great fun.  Written in rhyme, the book bounces along without ever getting stuck in a peanut butter jam.  Wright’s illustrations are modern and add to the humor.  The expressions of the parents are priceless, often with eyes half-lidded and apparently stunned.  Wright is not afraid to take the scenario to an extreme, which will delight young children, especially the comment about peanut-butter poop. 

A very funny peanut butter romp, this book is appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Feiwel & Friends.

Also reviewed by Kiss the Book.

Dick King-Smith Dies

| Tasha

Author Dick King-Smith died January 4th at his home in England.  He was 88.  School Library Journal has a very nice piece on his legacy.  He wrote more than 130 books.  The Sheep Pig was made into the movie Babe. 

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Gumption!

| Tasha

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Gumption! by Elise Broach, illustrated by Richard Egielski

When Peter’s favorite uncles asks him to join him on an African safari, Peter is eager to accept.  Once in Africa, Uncle Nigel decides that they will search for the Zimbobo Mountain Gorilla.  Their trek takes them through a dense thicket.  When Peter has trouble, Uncle Nigel declares that all it takes is “a bit of gumption.”  While Uncle Nigel pulls out his knife, Peter is helped out of the thicket by a friendly snake.  Uncle Nigel then notices a snake skin on the ground and tells Peter to “look sharp” there are snakes about!  This pattern continues through the book as they reach one obstacle after another, gumption is needed, Peter is helped by another animal, and Uncle Nigel remains fairly oblivious to it all.  Children will delight in the clueless but brave adult and the hijinks he is missing out on. 

Broach has captured just the right feel with her text, hearkening back to the days of exploration with little phrases like “I say!” “That’s ace!” and “Are you zonked?”  Her prose has a nice bounce and style, demanding to be read aloud.  Egielski’s illustrations are bright colored and filled with action.  The places where the animals help Peter are done in almost wordless two-page spreads that have four picture panels to show the action.  Egielski has incorporated borders on the illustrations made from twining vines that bloom by the end of the book.

Add this one to your preschool storytime stack right away.  It’s a natural fit with any adventure story time, and can also be used for gorillas, elephants, crocodiles, and snakes!  Oh my!  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Atheneum.

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Season of Secrets: Poignant, Magical and Lovely

| Tasha

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Season of Secrets by Sally Nicholls

Originally published in the UK in 2009, this is the second book from the award-winning author of Ways to Live Forever.

After Molly’s mother died, she was sent to live with her grandparents along with her sister Hannah.  Her father’s job didn’t allow him to take care of them, so they went there while he figured things out.  So she has a new home to get used to, plus a new school filled with new children.  Her sister Hannah is just plain angry about everything, even at school so the others think she is mean.  Molly though is the one having real problems making friends and while she may not be showing it aloud, she is not coping with the loss of her mother.  That’s why she is out on a stormy dark night and sees the man for the first time, being hunted by others on horseback and dogs.  Molly continues to secretly visit her man, who has the ability to make flowers bloom in his hand and to make trees grow.  Could this magical man be the key to bringing back her mother?

Nicholls uses a lovely light touch with her story that very nicely shows the journey of one girl through grief as contrasted with the way her sister is coping.   At the same time, there is a richness to the writing, especially when nature is being described and the seasons changing.  This beautiful lingering on details makes for a very compelling read.

Molly is a character that young readers will relate to easily.  Her broken heart is evident from the beginning as is her tumultuous relationship with her sister and her confusing situation with her father.  Hannah’s angry response to their situation is vivid and loud, making Molly’s pain that much more silent and stirring.  The girls’ grandparents are equally well written with differing responses to their grandchildren moving into their lives.

This is a book that celebrates nature, life and embraces the turning of the seasons and of lives.  It’s a beautiful read about grief for children with a cover that does the book proud.  Appropriate for ages 8-11.

Reviewed from ARC received from Scholastic.

 

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2011 Scott O’Dell Award

| Tasha

The winner of the 2011 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction is

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia!  Hurrah! 

I’m hoping this is just the first award for this great book.

Thanks to Roger Sutton, chair of the O’Dell committee, for announcing this on his blog.

Beastly: The Movie

| Tasha

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Saw a trailer for this on TV.  I’ll embed it here, but be aware that it is basically the entire story played out in trailer form.  Man, I so prefer teaser trailers!  Based on the novel by Alex Flinn, this film version comes out in March of this year and stars Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer. 

So, fans of the novel, what do you think of this film version? 

The Big Crunch: Intelligent, Funny and Real

| Tasha

The Big Crunch

The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman

June is constantly moving because of her father’s job.  She has a system when she enters any new school. She wanted to join the kids who were cool, but not too cool.  Wes noticed June that first day, mentally dubbing her Aqua Girl because of her sea-green eyes and wide mouth.  The two of them are attracted to each other, but not in the way you read about in most teen novels.  There was no overwhelming burning desire, no sparkling in the sun.  Instead they noticed each other, orbited each other, dated other people, and eventually realized that they might have something special between them.   This is a book about how love really is, how strange, how dull, how powerful, how amazing, and how filled with anguish.  It is a book filled with humor, wit and a wonderful intelligence.

Hautman has managed to capture the reality of teen romance in a book.  Yes, there is natural attraction, but it is not a story of epic love.  Rather it is charming in its ordinariness.  By telling the story from both June and Wes’ perspectives, Hautman really allows readers to see that love stories are told in small moments of regular life rather than passionate embraces.  Both characters are people that are intriguing and funny.  They have distinct voices, attitudes and reasons for being with one another. 

Hautman’s writing lingers on those small and important moments, because so does the mind of the characters.  Wes thinks about June’s face again and again, the small things that make her unique and intriguing to him.  These are the pieces that fit together into love, that these characters build their realistic relationship from.  And that is not to slight their love and passion for one another, which are tangible and lovely throughout the story. 

A realistic book on teen love that is uplifting, funny and a delight.  I appreciate the cover being more than just a shot of two heads or worse two headless torsos together.  This reflects the book and the feel of it well.  Get this in the hands of kids looking for a romance with fewer teeth and more tenderness.  Appropriate for ages 13-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from Scholastic.

Cybils Finalists Announced!

| Tasha

The 2010 Finalists for the Cybils have been announced.  This is the fifth year of the Cybils and I am proud that I’ve been involved each year.  This year, I am on the judging panel for Young Adult Novels.  Usually, I have read more of the finalists, especially in my focus area, but not this year.  I’ve read only one of the finalists in YA!  But I loved that book.

Check out all of the finalists here, and let me know if there are any of the YA picks that you particularly loved.