The second How to Train Your Dragon film will expand to a larger world, allowing this sequel to be the bridge to at least one more film after it. The book series has 8 volumes, so there is plenty in the stories to pull from. There are promises of new dragons, new characters, and yet a focus on the beloved Hiccup and Toothless.
Thanks to /Film for the news.
Brian Jacques has died on February 5th at age 71. His 21 book fantasy series, Redwall, is beloved by readers around the world. They have sold over 20 million copies in over 20 countries. His lengthy fantasy novels were unusual when he started the series in the 1980s.
The 22nd book in the series is scheduled for publication on May 3rd.
Tell Me the Day Backwards by Albert Lamb, illustrated by David McPhail
Released March 22, 2011
Timmy Bear and Mama play a game before he goes to sleep. They tell each other their day backwards. The story they tell one another is filled with special moments together like watching the sunset and having a picnic. Then there are moments of fear, and told backwards they make it even more of an event. The story builds nicely as readers discover exactly what led to Timmy Bear jumping from a high rock into the river. The story ends as it began, with Timmy Bear in bed and Mama at his side, creating a beautiful circle of a story.
Lamb’s writing here has such a gentle feel, it is perfect for a bedtime story. The adventure portion in the middle keeps this from being too soft and gentle, adding a great story arc to the book that is sure to have young readers listening intently. The exchanges between Mama and Timmy in the book have a touch of humor and a great deal of love.
McPhail’s art captures the story with his usual style. His illustrations are soft watercolors that work for both the active portions of the book and the slower parts. He manages to capture so much emotion, action and movement in only a few lines. The illustrations are simple and lovely.
This book belongs in every library and will make a wonderful gift book for toddlers who just may have similar adventures in a given day. After reading the book it is impossible not to want to tell your day backwards, so if sharing with a group, you may have to have an activity of writing or drawing their day backwards. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
Reviewed from ARC received from Candlewick.
Camo Girl by Kekla Magoon
The author of The Rock and the River returns with another amazing book. Ella is not part of the popular crowd at school. In fact, she is the lowest of the low. Teased by about her uneven skin coloring, some of her classmates call her Camo Face, Ella has trouble even looking at herself in the mirror. She has her best friend, Z, who has been her friend for many years, but Z is getting stranger and stranger, losing himself in stories and roles. Now there is a new boy at school, a boy who doesn’t seem to notice Ella’s skin at all. He brings her a way into the popular world, but how can she leave Z to fend for himself? This novel speaks to issues of race, bullying, friendship and differences, never shying away from asking very difficult questions.
Magoon’s writing here is superb. Her writing is at times filled with such longing and ache that it enters your bones. Other times it soars, lifting readers along with it, demonstrating that anything is possible. She illuminates the darkness of bullying, but this book is about so much more than that. It is about the tenderness of long friendship. It is about the hope of the new. It is about the beauty of difference. It is about the strength of self.
Ella is a great character who is gripped with such self-doubt that it is almost despair. Yet she continues on, watching out for Z, caring for her family, and even hoping that the new boy’s smile might be just for her. Beautifully, her transformation in the book is less about her changing and more about her perceptions changing about herself and those around her. It is a powerful and important distinction.
Highly recommended, this is an amazing book for tweens looking for a book that has depth, power and strength. Appropriate for ages 9-13.
Reviewed from copy received from Aladdin.
Also reviewed by TheHappyNappyBookseller and My Life in…
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Laurie by Elfi Nijssen & Eline van Lindenhuizen
Originally published in Belgium and Holland, this tremendously sweet book takes a straight-forward approach to the story of Laurie, a girl with hearing loss. Laurie has trouble hearing other children, so she usually plays alone. The others tease her about being deaf and refuse to play with a girl who can’t understand them. Laurie’s dog doesn’t mind that she’s different from the others. Finally one day, Laurie and her mother go to the ear doctor. He discovers she needs hearing aids, or “hearing computers” as Laurie calls them. Now Laurie can hear cars coming, plays happily with others, and pays better attention in class. Sometimes though, she still likes the quiet and turns her hearing aids off just to return to the silence.
Nijssen’s writes as an author who has experienced hearing loss herself. This makes the emotions and struggle of Laurie very real. The book doesn’t shy away from conflicted feelings and one of the nicest parts is when Laurie decides to turn her hearing aids off or down once in a while. It makes for a lovely moment that shows that being different was not the problem, being misunderstood was.
Lindenhuizen’s art is simple and friendly, depicting Laurie separated from the other children at first and later connected with others. She uses space on the pages very successfully, emphasizing the spirit of the text visually.
A great pick for units on differences and diversity, this book is friendly and straight forward. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reviewed from library copy.
Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke
This is a great graphic novel for elementary readers who will enjoy the action and the science fiction setting. Zita and her friend Joseph see a meteoroid fall to earth. When Zita looks closely, she sees that there is something embedded in the meteoroid. It looks like a red button and despite her friend’s protests, she presses it. Immediately, a rift opens and sucks Joseph through it. After some moments of panic, Zita presses the button again and heads through the rift to rescue her friend. On the other side of the rift, Joseph is being dragged away by a strange multi-armed alien who flies off with him in a space ship. Now Zita is left alone in a strange world filled with amazing creatures. Unfortunately, it’s a world about to be destroyed by a giant asteroid. How is Zita going to be able to save her friend before the planet is demolished?
Hatke is a great storyteller. Zita is a friendly, determined and strong girl character, who remains solidly the heroine of her story. Through his friendly illustrations Hatke has created a world that makes one feel at home despite its strangeness. The adventure here is thrilling, dangerous and great fun. As Zita adventures through the world, readers will enjoy the humor of different characters. Hatke embraces nuanced characters as well, which is a treat in a graphic novel for children.
The illustrations here have an anime appeal to them. Young fans of Pokemon will feel right at home with the variety of creatures that Zita meets.
This is one of those great graphic novels that belongs in every library collection. Sure to check out and be very popular, just face this one out and watch it check out of the library. Appropriate for ages 8-12.
To get a sense of the illustrations, you can view the video below:
Reviewed from copy received from First Second.
Also reviewed by:
Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin
This picture book is told in a series of haiku poems. The poems form the only text in the book, charmingly telling the tale of Won Ton, a cat saved from the animal shelter by a boy and his family. Once rescued, Won Ton demonstrates that he is pure cat. His aloof yet cozy manner is captured to perfection here in the poems. The book is in turns touching, beautiful, wistful and very funny.
Wardlaw’s haiku read as if they were effortlessly written. In a few words and syllables, he captures the life of a cat and the humor of life. It is a book that celebrates poetry, making it approachable and understandable for children. At the same time, he speaks to the power and connection in animal adoption.
Yelchin has illustrated the book with a playful flair. The graphite and gouache illustrations are bright and large, making them well suited to sharing with a group. Anyone with a cat in their lives will recognize the poses, the reactions and the attitude that Won Ton displays.
A perfect book to share in a poetry unit, this book is appropriate for ages 5-8.
Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt and Company.
Also reviewed by Fuse #8 and Wild Geese Guides.
Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John
Winner of the 2011 Schneider Family Teen Book Award
High-school senior, Piper has been invisible in her school for years. Until one day, she gets herself a lot of attention for cheering for a band. Not that unusual? Well it is for Piper, because she’s deaf. And now her mouth has gotten her involved with the band as its manager. Now the girl who can’t hear the music has to figure out how to get the band ironically named Dumb paying gigs. And she has to do it in a month. Piper is tired of being invisible to her classmates and her family, so being a band manager comes at exactly the right time for her. It will take her getting to know the members of the band, understanding a lot more about herself, and learning to feel the music before she can discover her inner rock and roll.
John has written a book with protagonist who has a disability but does not let it dictate her life. Piper is a great character who is filled with self-doubt but does not allow it to stop her from moving ahead. She is at times jealous, manipulative, pushy and self centered, and it all makes her that much more human and relatable. Throughout the book she is one amazing, powerful female character. Nicely, the book also has other great girl characters of different types.
This book just feels real. John uses music and humor in the book to create a beat that moves the story forward. Small touches make sure readers know they are in Seattle. Piper’s entire family is vividly dysfunctional but equally believable and filled with love for one another, though they have problems showing it. The growth of the characters, including Piper’s parents, has a natural feeling.
Highly recommended, this is a great teen book that is certainly not dumb. It just rocks. Appropriate for ages 14-17.
Reviewed from copy received from Dial Books.
The Ride: The Legend of Betsy Dowdy by Kitty Griffin, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
The story of Betsy Dowdy has been part of an oral tradition for over 200 years. While she may not have existed, this is a wonderful American story of bravery and determination. Betsy was 16 years old in 1775 when the news came of the redcoats marching to Great Bridge to take ponies and supplies. There was no hope that anyone could make it to General Skinner’s militia fifty miles away in time to bring aid. But Betsy could not help in other ways. She couldn’t fight. But she could ride. So despite the danger and the dark, she set off riding her trusty pony, Bess. The ride was not easy. They had to swim across a channel in December, and that was the start of the ride. Betsy had to endure packs of dogs, ice cold temperature, and falling from Bess several times. But in the end, she got to the general in time. The day was saved thanks to one brave girl and her tireless pony.
Betsy Dowdy is a girl version of Paul Revere. Griffin writes with great historical details, that bring the time period to life. But it is Betsy herself who is the focus of this book. Wonderfully, Betsy’s fear is allowed to show and her desperation and fatigue. She is a very human heroine and because of that she is all the more impressive.
Priceman’s illustrations are filled with deep colors from the purple of the frightening forest to the deep blue of the river. Done in gouache and ink, the illustrations are wonderfully dramatic, conveying motion forward in a variety of ways. One of my favorite images is Betsy riding into the dawn of the new day, the colors changing as she moves through the setting. One feels the sudden surge of hope that light brought.
A powerful story of girl power that should be used in American Revolution units with elementary children. Girls will enjoy a story that includes more action than sewing or rolling bandages. Appropriate for ages 4-7.
Reviewed from copy received from Atheneum.
Also reviewed by The Fourth Musketeer and Kiss the Book.
Waking Brain Cells 