Review: Prairie Fire by E.K. Johnston

February 23, 2015February 17, 2015 | Tasha

Released March 1, 2015.

This sequel to The Story of Owen continues the dragon-slaying adventures of Siobhan and Owen. Upon graduating from high school, Owen joins the Oil Watch, the international organization that trains dragon slayers and their support teams to fight a variety of different dragons. Despite the damage to her hands, Siobhan manages to qualify to join the Oil Watch too, the first bard in a long time to do so. They must first survive basic training, designed to get them working as a team and Siobhan has the added problem of figuring out a role for a bard in a situation where it is about killing dragons, putting out fires, and tending medical emergencies. As their basic training ends, the dragon slayers are sent all over the world to where they are needed most. But the Canadian government has not forgiven Owen for what happened and their posting is not one that will forge a new dragon slaying hero. That is unless Siobhan can create the songs and stories that tell a different story.

With writing just as fresh and engaging as the first book, this new novel is superb. It builds upon the first novel, returning us to that wonderful world of alternate history with a modern Canada and North America awash in dragon fire. Johnston continues to show her prowess is rewriting history and filling it with dragons as well as creating a new Canada and United States with boundaries that shift and politics that are complexly drawn.

At its heart always though is the intense friendship of Siobhan and Owen, a bard and her dragon slayer, a musician and her muse. Johnston continues as she did in the first book to create a story that is not about romance but instead two complicated people who care deeply for one another as friends. Again, there is no kissing between the two and no longing glances either. It makes for a refreshing change.

A riveting read with a powerful ending that I am working hard not to spoil in the least. This novel is beautifully written, bravely done and purely epic. Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from digital galley received from Netgalley and Carolrhoda Books.

Children’s Choice Book Award Finalists

February 23, 2015February 20, 2015 | Tasha

The Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader have announced the finalists for the 2015 Children’s Choice Book Awards. The awards are given in seven categories and youth across the nation vote on the winners. Finalists are chosen by votes from thousands of children and teens. The winners will be announced during Children’s Book Week, May 4-10.

Here are the finalists in each category:

KINDERGARTEN to 2ND GRADE

Duck, Duck, Moose! by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, illustrated by Noah Z. Jones

Eva and Sadie and the Worst Haircut EVER! by Jeff Cohen, illustrated by Ellana Allen

How to Babysit a Grandma by Jean Reagan, illustrated by Lee Wildish

A Pet for Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold

3RD to 4TH GRADE

Claude at the Beach by Alex T. Smith

The Glorkian Warrior Delivers a Pizza by James Kochalka

Happy Birthday, Babymouse by Jennifer L. Holm, illustrated by Matt Holm

Kali’s Story: An Orphaned Polar Bear Rescue by Jennifer Keats Curtis, illustrated by John Gomes

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier

5TH to 6TH GRADE

The Dumbest Idea Ever! by Jimmy Gownley

Ice Dogs by Terry Lynn Johnson

Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods by Rick Riordan, illustrated by John Rocco

The Return of Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

Temple Run: Race Through Time to Unlock Secrets of Ancient Worlds by Tracey West

TEEN BOOK OF THE YEAR

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Cress by Marissa Meyer

I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Malala Yousafzai, co-written by Patricia McCormick

The One by Kiera Cass

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

CHILDREN’S CHOICE DEBUT AUTHOR

Cece Bell for El Deafo

J.A. White for The Thickety: A Path Begins

Katherine Roy for Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California’s Farallon Islands

Natalie Lloyd for A Snicker of Magic

Piers Torday for The Last Wild

TEEN CHOICE DEBUT AUTHOR

Don Mitchell for The Freedom Summer Murders

Jason Reynolds for When I Was the Greatest

Jennifer Mathieu for The Truth About Alice

Leslye Walton for The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

Review: The Bus Ride by Marianne Dubuc

February 20, 2015February 6, 2015 | Tasha

The Bus Ride by Marianne Dubuc

Released March 1, 2015.

A little girl sets off on her first bus ride all by herself. Her mother packed her a snack and her sweater too. But this is not a normal bus, with its passengers of rabbits, a bear, a turtle, a mouse and a very sleepy sloth. Stop by stop, the bus picks up and drops off more and more animals. A family of wolves enters the bus at one point and the little girl shares her snack happily with the little wolf. The bus goes through a dark tunnel and everything gets mixed around in the dark, but things are quickly sorted back into some sort of normal. There is even a cunning fox thief that the little girl helps chase off the bus at the next stop. This is one wonderful adventure for a little girl all on her own who has an amazing ride.

First published in France, this picture book celebrates a child traveling on their own. Though the larger animals may seem threatening at first, those fears are quickly allayed by their actions. Even the wolf family acts very appropriately on the bus. There is the thief but again the little girl is empowered enough to put a stop to his shenanigans herself. Children in the U.S. will be astonished at the freedom of this little girl and the trust she is given. They will also love the Little Red Riding Hood ties that are evident in the story.

Dubuc’s illustrations are done in fine lines and subtle colors. That adds to the gentleness of the tale and the feeling that everything is nonthreatening and OK. Subtle things change on each page and children will want time to look closely at the pictures, particularly after the tunnel switches things around.

Warm and confident, this picture book is a friendly introduction to bus rides even though real life ones aren’t likely to have bears, wolves and sloths as part of the community. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from digital galley received from Netgalley and Kids Can Press.

This Week’s Tweets, Pins & Tumbls

February 20, 2015February 20, 2015 | Tasha

Here are the links I shared on my Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr accounts this week that I think are cool:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

The 2014 Cybils Awards | Cybils Awards http://buff.ly/1yRDYxi #kidlit #yalit

The Best Is Yet to Come: An Early 2015 Picture Book Preview| Minh Le | http://buff.ly/1zHzDwZ #kidlit

CCBC Stats Show Children’s Books Shifting Toward Diversity http://buff.ly/1DETe6S #kidlit

CCBlogC: Listen, Slowly to This Interview http://buff.ly/17280Ij #kidllit

Children’s author shares top 10 picture books for kids http://buff.ly/1CEysjX #kidlit

Children’s books are never just for children | Books | The Guardian http://buff.ly/1zL0wjF #kidlit

Children’s Books for Spring 2015: All Publisher’s Weekly Coverage http://buff.ly/1yNrK97 #kidlit

Ed Emberley Won Kids Books’ Highest Honor, Then He Taught Us All To Draw | ARTery http://buff.ly/1vJ0jm3 #kidlit

‘The End’ of the bedtime story? 1 in 3 parents never read to children before bed, says survey – Mirror Online http://buff.ly/1DNd40d #kidlit

Family reading time is important to many older kids, too http://buff.ly/1Mk1opf #kidlit #reading

Holly Smale: The children’s author on growing up with Keats, back-stabbing bullies, and the awkwardness of modelling http://buff.ly/1zl3MTK

How A Jilted Mom, A Former Nun And A Shattered Childhood Inspired ‘Madeline’ | ARTery http://buff.ly/1EYtnFE #kidlit

How to Get Kids to Read More http://buff.ly/1CIKuZs #reading

In Defense of Gentle Men – The Horn Book http://buff.ly/1FtjC5R #kidlit – A beautiful piece.

Mo Willems: ‘I Want My Books To Be Played’ : NPR http://buff.ly/1zBok9m #kidlit

New Dr. Seuss Book Coming in July! http://buff.ly/1vimleQ #kidlit

The Official SCBWI Blog: You’ve Got To Believe http://buff.ly/1Bj8iHZ #kidlit

Pharrell Williams to Write 4 Books, Will Reach Out to the Children With ‘Happy’ Picture Book : Latin Post http://buff.ly/17T6Qjl #kidlit

The Unlikable Female Character: Thoughts on Middle Grade Literature — @fuseeight – http://buff.ly/17T9aaf #kidlit

Steven Butler’s top 10 menaces | The Guardian http://buff.ly/1EXv0TX #kidlit

LIBRARIES

Bookish Britain: literary jobs are the most desirable http://buff.ly/1DlFdMV #librarians are No. 2!

Fayetteville Public Library to loan out mobile Wi-Fi devices | Fayetteville Flyer http://buff.ly/172HSgs #libraries

Ferguson Library Director Gets Standing Ovation at ALA 2015 Midwinter Meeting | Transforming Libraries http://buff.ly/1KTxgiP #libraries

Princeton University Bequeathed Rare Book Collection Worth $300 Million, Largest Gift in School’s History – http://buff.ly/1zKW8kD

SDPL Labs: A Third Place for Creative Expression | Library as Incubator Project http://buff.ly/1vbxaPX #libraries

TEEN READS

6 Awesome YA Books Coming In February| BookBub | http://buff.ly/1Copasd #yalit

Diversity in Reviewing YA – Malinda Lo Tackles How Diversity Is Treated (And Mis-Treated) http://buff.ly/180yefx #yalit

For Mardi Gras: YA Books Set in New Orleans | The Hub http://buff.ly/1Dm2Cxy #yalit

How CPS officials decided to pull Persepolis from the classroom | Ben Joravsky on Politics | Chicago Reader http://buff.ly/1BjZcL2 #yalit

Love against the odds in books, a Valentine’s Day special | Children’s books | The Guardian http://buff.ly/1E7tKNS #yalit

Scholastic Acquires Teen Author Aija Mayrock’s Self-Published Survival Guide to Bullying – MarketWatch http://buff.ly/1Foq4v1 #kidlit

Watch. Connect. Read.: Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki http://buff.ly/1Mj7hmP #yalit

Why I love AS King (and you should, too) – The Librarian Who Doesn’t Say Shhh! http://buff.ly/1zO78h7 #yalit

2015 Great Graphic Novels for Teens

February 19, 2015February 13, 2015 | Tasha

YALSA has selected the 2015 Great Graphic Novels for Teens. The list includes 79 titles that are recommended for ages 12-18 and that are both high quality and appealing to a teen audience. They also select a Top Ten which you see below:

47 Ronin. By Mike Richardson. Illus. by Stan Sakai

Afterlife with Archie: Escape from Riverdale. By Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Illus. by Francesco Francavilla

Bad Machinery V.3: The Case of the Simple Soul. By John Allison

In Real Life. By Cory Doctorow, illus.by Jen Wang

Ms. Marvel: V.1. No Normal. By G. Willow Wison. Illus. by Adrian Alphona

Seconds: a Graphic Novel. By Bryan Lee O’Malley

The Shadow Hero. By Gene Luen Yang. Illus. by Sonny Liew

Through The Woods. By Emily Carroll

Trillium. By Jeff Lemire

Wolf Children: Ame & Yuki. By Mamoru Hosoda

2015 Notable Social Studies Trade Books

February 19, 2015February 13, 2015 | Tasha

The preview of this year’s selected 2015 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People has been announced on the Children’s Book Council website. This is a list created annually of “exceptional books for use in social studies classrooms (grades K-12), selected by an NCSS-appointed committee of social studies educators.”

The books should focus on human relations, represent a variety of cultures and have an original theme or perspective. Books are selected in a variety of age categories: Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 3rd to 5th grade, 6th to 8th grade, and 9th to 12th grade. The books include both fiction and nonfiction titles.

Review: The Queen’s Shadow by Cybele Young

February 18, 2015February 6, 2015 | Tasha

The Queen’s Shadow by Cybele Young

Released March 1, 2015.

This fascinating and unique nonfiction picture book takes a mystery and turns it into information about how various animals see. At the Queen’s Ball, several different animals have gathered. Then there is a flash of lightning and a moment of darkness. When the lights come back on, the Queen’s shadow has been stolen! Who stole it and how can they prove it? One by one, each animal offers testimony to what they witnessed “colored” by the way they are able to see the world. There are the eyes of the chameleon who can look in two directions at once but only shoot out his tongue when both eyes are focused on the same thing. The shark excels at seeing contrast more than anything and notices patterns of light and dark. Pit viper sees in heat and cool. Dragonfly offers perspective from compound eyes. It will take each of their ways of seeing the world to solve this mystery.

Young creates an entirely abstract and amazing world here. There is a strong sense of decorum throughout the book, no animals attacking each other and the human queen unafraid of any of her more predatory guests. She combines information for the mystery about what was witnessed through that specific set of eyes and then shares strictly scientific information in offset text boxes too. The result is a book that keeps you turning pages not only to solve the mystery but to continue seeing the world in such unique ways and learning more.

The illustrations have a feel of vintage illustrations with finely detailed ink drawings washed with color. This style is reworked though when seeing through other animals’ eyes so that with each turn of the page, the art is ever-changing and fascinating.

Peculiar in a delightful way, this nonfiction picture book is one that will appeal to children wanting to “see” more of the natural world. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from digital galley received from Netgalley and Kids Can Press.

Review: Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai

February 18, 2015February 6, 2015 | Tasha

Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai

Born in California, Mai has grown up as a beach girl in Laguna. So she has big plans this summer to spend time at the beach and time with a boy she’s interested in. But her plans have to change when her parents force her to accompany her Vietnamese grandmother back to Vietnam to see if rumors of her grandfather still being alive after the War are true. Mai hates Vietnam immediately, while the food is good and there’s so much of it, it’s also hot, smelly and filled with mosquitoes who love to bite Mai more than anyone else. Mai hides the fact that she can understand the language even if she won’t try to speak it at all. Now she is stuck alone with her grandmother in a tiny village filled with her extended family, dial up Internet access, and a grumpy cousin who seems to only care for her pet frog. Yet as time passes, Mai discovers the beauty of Vietnam, of slowing down and of taking care of family.

Lai has created another wonderful read, this one almost a love letter to Vietnam. She takes readers into the country side and village life, showing first the oppressive heat and lack of modern conveniences, but then revealing in a beautifully natural way that there is much to value perhaps because the days are filled with extra time to be together. The changes in Mai happen organically as she slowly acclimates to her new surroundings and the new society. Nothing is rushed here, even the storytelling is gently done though never dull.

Mai makes a great lens to see Vietnam through, both outsider and relative. Her struggles with the language are cleverly portrayed along with some details about pronunciation in Vietnamese. When she begins to try speaking, the words move to broken English on the page, indicating her troubles speaking the language. At other times, it is Vietnamese on the page. Mai’s growing friendship with her cousin also happens at its own pace and with its own blend of English and Vietnamese.

Rich in details and completely immersive, this novel will inspire travel dreams in those who read it, perhaps to discover their own family roots. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from digital galley received from Edelweiss and HarperCollins.

2015 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize Shortlist

February 17, 2015February 12, 2015 | Tasha

The shortlist has been announced for the 2015 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. There are 18 books on the shortlist for this British children’s book prize and refreshingly 15 of them are by women. The winner in each category as well as the overall winner will be announced on March 26.

BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK