The short list for the 2010 LA Times Book Prize has been announced. The five finalists in the Young Adult Literature category are:
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey
The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud
Sugar Changed the World: a Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos
Wicked Girls: a Novel of the Salem Witch Trials by Stephanie Hemphill
Nosh, Schlep, Schluff: BabYiddish by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke
Follow a busy toddler through his day and read rhymes that are sprinkled with Yiddish. From preschool to the playground and back home again, there is plenty to keep a little boy and his toy frog busy. Along the way, children and adults will realize how much of what they say is Yiddish. Snyder’s rhymes are clever and bouncy, perfect for a board book for the youngest listeners. Beeke’s illustrations are bright colored and always focused on the child.
This little gem of a board book will have universal appeal unless you are feeling particularly kvetchy. Appropriate for ages 2-3.
Reviewed from copy received from Random House.
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Grounded by Kate Klise
For a girl who never liked dolls, Daralynn sure had a lot of them. She had gotten over 200 dolls after her father, brother and sister were killed in a plane crash. She had also gotten her nickname, Dolly, because of them. Dolly lived with her mother and next door to her grandmother. After the funeral for her family, Dolly’s mother became the hairdresser for the local funeral home. Later, she branched out to owning her own salon and doing hair on the living. It was Dolly who had the big idea to start doing living funerals at the funeral home to make more money. But then a crematorium was built in town and started taking business from the funeral home, and even worse, started doing living funerals themselves! Dolly thought there was something strange about Clem, the man who owned the crematorium, and it was up to her to figure out what was really going on. A mystery with small-town charm, this book is about family, funerals and forgiveness.
Klise’s writing has a folksy cadence to it here that echoes the sounds and feeling of a small town. There are wonderful transcendent moments where the main character realizes something and Klise writes it with such clarity and perfect pitch. The conversations between characters feel real and true, giving the book a strong foundation to put a mystery upon. It is also a very funny book, thanks to Dolly’s wry humor.
Klise has created a small town in this novel that makes the perfect setting for a mystery. The town and the people who live there are more than a backdrop for the story, they are a real community. The most fascinating characters are those related to Dolly. Each of them shows how to deal with life and tragedy in a different way. They are subtle and tangible reminders of what grief can become.
Dolly is a marvelous character who strives to be good, but is still alive because she was grounded for going fishing without permission. She is a girl who fishes, does hair, hates dolls, and never quite manages to obey the rules. In other words, she’s a delight.
Highly recommended, this book would make a wonderful class read-a-loud. Where it sings is in the relationships it shows, the laughter it provides, and the recovery from loss it allows us to witness. Appropriate for ages 9-12.
Reviewed from copy received from Feiwel & Friends.
Also reviewed by Kids Reads.
The Secret River by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
Luminously illustrated by the Dillons, this new version of a classic children’s book truly shines. The only children’s book written by the author of The Yearling, this story is about Calpurnia, a young girl who is a poet. She woke up one gorgeous morning and found that she had a journey ahead of her. Her father told the family that he had no fish to sell in his fish market. So Calpurnia decided to catch some fish herself. She made roses out of crepe paper for bait and then headed to get advice from Mother Albirtha, the wisest person in the forest. When Calpurnia asked Mother Albirtha where she could catch big fish, Mother Albirtha told her of the secret river that was full of fish and advised Calpurnia to follow her nose. So off Calpurnia went with her dog at her side to find the river. Eventually, Calpurnia found the river and caught some large fish to help her father. But that was just the start of her adventures in the forest, because she had to get back home.
Rawlings’ writing is filled with such depth here. While the story is written for children, it will ask them to stretch, to imagine and to dream. The writing is filled with small touches, turns of phrase that add such beauty to the text. Rawlings also had a poet for a main character, so Calpurnia’s poems are throughout the book. One of my favorite passages happens early in the book where Calpurnia creates a poem and after her mother criticizes one of the phrases turns right around and creates a new poem that focuses on that phrase. Just that one piece is a testament to writing and creativity, as is the entire book.
Dillons’ illustrations take the book to an even higher level. They are illustrations that are celebrate the beauty of light on skin, the depth of dark in a forest, the shine of wisdom on a face, and the blackness of animal fur. The illustrations vary in size, ranging from full page images to smaller illustrations in the margins of the text. There are illustrations so lovely here that one lingers on the page long after the words have been read, just absorbing the image. It is simply beautiful.
This is a treat of a new version of a classic. It is a perfect marriage of illustration and writing that celebrates both. Appropriate for ages 6-8.
Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.
Family Pack by Sandra Markle, illustrated by Alan Marks
This book captures the real-life story of wolves being reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. The focus of the story is one young female wolf who finds herself suddenly separated from her pack and alone in a new place. Her tracks are the only wolf tracks she sees, she is the only wolf she smells. Without a pack, she cannot hunt the way she is used to, so she survives mostly on mice. As she becomes an adult, she discovers another wolf, a male. The two of them become a mated pair and eventually have a family in Yellowstone. One lone wolf has created her own pack.
Markle’s verse in the book really shines, illuminating the loneliness of this young wolf’s new life, her troubles with hunting larger game, and her growth into an adult wolf. The poetry is filled with imagery that enlivens the book, making the cold and loneliness tangible to readers.
Marks’ illustrations are equally successful. He captures the setting beautifully from the towering trees to the wide open spaces. In his illustrations, Yellowstone becomes just as real as the wolf herself, almost another character in the story. The vistas and close-ups he has created here give readers a very unique perspective on the life of this wolf.
Highly recommended, this book will work well for slightly older children because of the depth of the verse. It will work well in units about preservation and ecology. Appropriate for ages 6-8.
Reviewed from copy received from Charlesbridge.
Jam & Honey by Melita Morales, illustrated by Laura J. Bryant
This quiet, gentle book tells the story of a visit to an urban berry patch from two points of view, a girl and a bee. The girl is headed to the berry patch to pick berry to make into jam. Her big worry is running into bees, which she does. But she remembers what her mother told her about staying still and that the bee was interested in nectar not in her. The bee is heading to the berry patch for nectar to make into honey. He is worried about running into a human there, which he does. But he remembers that humans are interested in the berries, so he just flies past. This parallel story offers a glimpse of urban gardening and emphasizes the importance of our food and other creatures.
Morales has written the book in a verse format that has enough rhyme to make it friendly and bouncy. There is a rather jaunty tone to the book, making the encounter with the bee less scary than it could have been. The emphasis is on making food, whether it is by the girl or the bee. The two halves of the book are written in very similar verse, often repeating patterns from the earlier one. This ties the two stories together even more firmly.
Bryant’s art makes sure that the reader knows that the book is set in an urban setting without covering it in graffiti or garbage. Instead, we see a warm friendly neighborhood filled with flowers, pigeons, and bees. She imbues the illustrations with a natural feel, always having the reader look past greenery and through plants.
A great pick for insect units or story times or ones about food. It could also happily be used as a late summer story when the berries are plump and ripe. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Reviewed from copy received from Random House.
I’m Not by Pam Smallcomb, illustrated by Robert Weinstock
Evelyn is everything that the narrator is not. Evelyn is not ordinary. She is fast, jumping, fashionable, artistic, and imaginative. Our narrator is not. But when Evelyn slows down, our quiet narrator discovers that there are things that she herself is good at and Evelyn is not. Evelyn cannot spell well; she can’t do karate; she’s scared of the dark. And what Evelyn needs most is a best friend. Now that is something that our narrator definitely IS.
Smallcomb has captured the tension of friendship between an outgoing person and a quieter person. I appreciated that Evelyn is not a pushy person or a bully. Rather she is loud, gregarious and fun. Our narrator could be read as shy or as quiet, which many children will relate to. Smallcomb writes with a clever voice, allowing readers to really experience Evelyn with the wonder and thrill that our narrator feels. Readers will happily take away the lesson that we all have something to offer, whether we are in the spotlight or not.
Weinstock’s illustrations add to the humor of the book. His style is similar to the beloved James Marshall of George and Martha fame. Thanks to the illustrations and writing style, this book has a timeless feel that will welcome young readers.
Highly recommended, this is a perfect addition to friendship units or story times. It will read aloud well and young readers will connect with the characters easily. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reviewed from copy received from Schwartz & Wade Books.
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Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party by Melanie Watt
The fifth in the very popular Scaredy Squirrel series has Scaredy planning his own birthday party. He wants it to be quiet and private, because that’s how he can avoid any surprises. Surprises like Bigfoot, confetti and ponies must be avoided! He carefully plans his solo party with lists and charts, but even then he is surprised by what he finds in his mailbox. It’s a birthday card from Buddy. So Scaredy decides that he will invite just one guest in addition to himself. Now he has to rethink the entire party! There has to be a schedule, topics for small talk, and a list of dos and don’ts. But even with all of his planning and worrying, Scaredy is sure to be surprised at his birthday party!
This is a great addition to the series. I love how Watt takes events that can have children worried and allows Scaredy to worry for them. And Scaredy is so much better at worrying, that he’s sure to show how silly all that worry really is. Heck, some parents could take a lesson from Scaredy about birthday parties that are more about structure and less about fun.
Make your own plan to read this book! But don’t worry, you are sure to love it. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reviewed from copy received from Kids Can Press.
The tiny community of Cryer’s Cross has been witness to a tragedy when Tiffany disappears without a trace. Because the town is so small, 16-year-old Kendall knew Tiffany though she was several years younger. Returning to their one-room high school, Kendall needs to tidy the desks and room before a new school year begins thanks to her OCD. Kendall returns to her areas of comfort, playing soccer, dreaming about leaving Cryer’s Cross for Juilliard, and her boyfriend Nico. When Nico begins acting strange and then disappears, the community enforces a curfew. After Nico disappears and soccer is cancelled, Kendall’s OCD becomes much worse. She only finds relief when playing soccer with Jacian, a new boy in school who manages to both bother and intrigue Kendall. When Kendall starts hearing Nico’s voice when she sits at his desk and receiving messages through the graffiti scratched into its surface, she is drawn into the horror that lives in her small town.
This thriller has great teen appeal. It is creepy, frightening, but not fully horror. Just right for teens who want a little scare but not too much. The romance is nicely built in the book as well. I liked that it was not instantaneous but rather built as they got to know one another better.
The pacing is well done, drawing out the scary moments and allowing the story time to build. I found it nearly impossible to put down, my mind kept working on unraveling the mystery even when I was not reading. The conclusion was exciting, frightening and great fun to read. It was also nicely foreshadowed in the book, making it very satisfying.
A thrilling, fun read that is sure to appeal to McMann’s fans. The cover is eye-catching and will welcome additional readers too. Get this in the hands of teens who want a jolt of terror in their reads. Appropriate for ages 14-17.
Reviewed from copy received from Simon Pulse.
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Waking Brain Cells 