Month: October 2015

Review: A Nearer Moon by Melanie Crowder

| Tasha

Nearer Moon by Melanie Crowder

A Nearer Moon by Melanie Crowder (InfoSoup)

Luna lives in a swamp that was formed when a dam formed in the river by fallen trees. She lives with her mother, grandmother and little sister Willow in a village on stilts above the swamp water. Everyone in the village knows not to drink the swamp water, particularly the water near the slick. But when Luna has Willow out on her boat with her, water accidentally gets into her mouth. The water was helped by a creature who lives deep in the muck of the swamp. Now Willow only has a few weeks to live, since everyone exposed to the water dies at the exact same time after drinking it. Luna is desperate to find a way to save her sister, even going so far as to offer herself to the creature under the water. But that creature too has her own story that is wrapped around Luna and Willow’s. It too is a story of sisters and also a loss so deep that it poisons. In her desperation can Luna find a way to save her sister?

Crowder writes so beautifully. The setting of the swamp comes alive with her words, the creatures of the swamp, the trees, the colors, the smells and the subtle beauty. She takes what could have been a desolate poison swamp and instead wraps it in beauty and wonder. The magic that permeates the story is deep and dark, and keeps the humans trapped in the swamp with it. It’s lovely to see a fantasy book use magic in a way that is twisted and corrupted and yet entirely organic and realistic too.

The parallel stories of the two sets of sisters is delicately balanced. There is the main story of Luna and Willow, two human sisters who adore one another and the place they live. Then there are the water sprite sisters, Perdy and Gia. The sprites are trying to leave this world and build a door to another place that doesn’t have humans in it. Gia spends her time near the door, waiting for it to be complete while Perdy explores far and wide. But disaster happens once the door is completed and Gia is unable to call Perdy home fast enough.

Lushly written and filled with details that bring the swamp to life, this novel is a magnificent fantasy read. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Longlist

| Tasha

4948 Tuesday

The longlist for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award has been released. It is the world’s largest prize in children’s literature with a purse worth more than $600,000.

215 authors and illustrators have been nominated from 59 countries around the world for the 2016 award.

Looking at Lincoln Coraline The Giver (The Giver, #1) 

American nominees include Eric Carle, Neil Gaiman, Maira Kalman, Ursula Le Guin, Lois Lowry, Naomi Shihab Nye, Peter Sis and David Wiesner.

Dying to Know You Skellig (Skellig, #1) Once Upon an Alphabet: Short Stories for All the Letters

United Kingdom nominees include Allan Ahlberg, David Almond, Quentin Blake, Raymond Briggs, Aidan Chambers, Michael Foreman, Morris Gleitzman, Shirley Hughes, Oliver Jeffers, Michael Morpurgo, Patrick Ness, and Marcus Sedgwick.

This Week’s Tweets, Pins & Tumbls

| Tasha

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

I Am A Reader!:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

25 years of Amazing Grace – http://buff.ly/1LsUiiW #kidlit

Better Book Title for I Want My Hat Back – http://buff.ly/1GIJojB #kidlit

Dark Horse Comics to Publish ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Graphic Novel Series http://buff.ly/1joGCLA #kidlit

Five questions for Duncan Tonatiuh – The Horn Book http://buff.ly/1ZE9PlY #kidlit

Hervé Tullet announces next children’s book, ‘Let’s Play’ – http://buff.ly/1LsU9fe #kidlit

The Hidden Depths of Sandra Boynton’s Board Books – The New Yorker http://buff.ly/1LsZQoY #kidlit

Michael Ian Black on his surprising turn as a noted children’s book author – http://buff.ly/1X0L9lq #kidlit

We Need Diverse Books’ Author Visit: Rita Williams-Garcia – http://buff.ly/1ZkYKpO #kidlit #diversity

LIBRARIES

Bus service targets young riders with storytimes, songs – http://buff.ly/1joCxad #libraries

Library builder’s monument of books – BBC News – http://buff.ly/1Nd9MXv #libraries

Life, Library, and the Pursuit of Happiness http://buff.ly/1Zlqyui #libraries

TEEN READS

Beautiful Books That Are Beautifully Made by Donalyn Miller – http://buff.ly/1NbA3Fw #yalit

The Latest and Greatest Middle School Reads – http://buff.ly/1LtFiwI #yalit

Meg Rosoff makes major misstep in her uneducated response to books about diverse children – http://buff.ly/1LMg3w5 #yalit

New Zealand ban on Into the River lifted – http://buff.ly/1ZGiJ2k #yalit

Review: Little Big by Jonathan Bentley

| Tasha

Little Big by Jonathan Bentley

Little Big by Jonathan Bentley

A little boy thinks that it would be much better to be big than so little. After all, his older brother can reach the cookie jar and ride a bicycle. If the little boy had legs as long as a giraffe, he would be able to outrace his brother up the hill. On the other hand, he wouldn’t be able to ride in the wagon behind his brother’s bike anymore. If he had big hands like a gorilla, he would be able to open the cookie jar with no problems. But then, he wouldn’t be able to fit in his playhouse to eat them. If he had a mouth as big as a crocodile’s, he could tell his brother to go to bed early. But then, he would miss him too. Perhaps being little isn’t entirely bad after all.

Originally published in Australia, this picture book has a lot of playful appeal. The universal feeling of younger siblings is that they wish that they were bigger. Here, that yearning for being bigger is combined with some even larger animals. The book tells the story purely in the little boy’s voice, keeping the perspective clearly that of a small child. Yet the logic all works from that point of view too.

The illustrations are a mix of watercolors, pencil and scanned textures. They have a warmth and vibrancy to them which is very appealing. While the thought of a small child wanting to be bigger is not unique to this book, it is the illustrations which make this a book worth seeking out. The animals that the toddler dreams of being like are his toys that he carries around from one page to the next, making for a book that has a completeness and wholeness about it.

A delightful book that shows littler ones that they have advantages too, this picture book is ideal for sharing one-on-one so the details of the illustrations are not missed. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Finalists for National Book Award in Young People’s Literature

| Tasha

Yesterday, the National Book Foundation announced the finalists for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. The winner will be announced on November 18.

Here are the five finalists:

Bone Gap Challenger Deep

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War Nimona

Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

The Thing About Jellyfish

The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

Review: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

| Tasha

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (InfoSoup)

Simon has been exchanging emails with Blue for awhile. Simon doesn’t know who Blue is, just that he goes the same school. They have agreed not to try to find one another because they are both not out publicly yet. When Marty discovers Simon’s emails with Blue, he uses them to blackmail Simon by threatening to out not only him but Blue as well. Marty demands that Simon set him up with one of Simon’s best friends. Abby is a new part of Simon’s group of friends and the dynamics are getting more problematic as Leah seems to be more and more jealous of Abby, especially where Nick is concerned. Meanwhile Simon is starting to put together clues about whom Blue might be and keeps on dropping clues of his own accidentally about his own identity. But before Simon can fully figure it all out, Marty makes one final desperate move that outs Simon to the entire school in a very public way, one that might scare off Blue entirely.

I fell hard for this book. Simon is a delight of a character, a brilliant mix of teenage angst, intelligence, great taste in music, and a winning personality. Throughout the book, the writing is bright and sparkling with wit. Albertalli has worked with teens as a clinical psychologist, specifically those who are gender nonconforming and that expertise is reflected throughout this book. She understands teens at a deep psychological level that gives this book a solid foundation from which to build.

One element I have to mention is a spoiler, so look away if you need to. But this book allows two gay teens to actually fall in love, revel in their connection, flirt outrageously with one another, talk about sex, and yes eventually meet and be happy. There are kisses and making out, and both are happy and thrilled to be together. It’s pure bliss to find this in a novel for teens, since it is so affirming. All is not perfect in this world though, there is bullying from other kids at school, the blackmail over sexual identity and a parent who makes gay jokes. It’s complicated and that is the truth of life captured in this novel.

Funny, painful, and pure dynamite, this novel is one of the best teen reads of the year. Appropriate for ages 14-18.

Reviewed from library copy.

The Lollies Award

| Tasha

Laugh Out Loud Book Awards

Scholastic has stepped forward to offer a new series of awards for funny children’s books in the UK with the wonderful Michael Rosen acting as head judge. The Laugh Out Loud Book Prize will help fill the gap left by the end of the Roald Dahl Prize earlier in October.

The awards will cover the following categories:

  • Best Laugh Out Loud Picture Book
  • Best Laugh Out Loud Book for 6-8s
  • Best Laugh Out Loud Book for 9-13s

The shortlist will be chosen by judges and announced in March. Final winners will be voted on by children with the winners announced in September of next year.

Hat tip to The Bookseller for the news.

Review: The King and the Sea by Heinz Janisch

| Tasha

The King and the Sea by Heinz Janisch

The King and the Sea by Heinz Janisch, illustrated by Wolf Erlbruch

Told in 21 tiny stories, this is the life of a king as he moves through the world he rules and encounters the many ways in which a king is just as powerless as any human. The king declares again and again that he is king, but things like the ocean are not impressed and others like the queen bee assert their own authority over his. Other times, the king is reminded of more important things than power, like spending time in the sunshine, letting the rain wash over his face, and the importance of the stars in the sky.

This lovely picture book is stunningly effective. The short stories are wonderfully brief, all of them less than half a page of text. Each is profound in its own way, showing the importance of the here and now, the limitation of personal power over the universe, and a quiet acceptance of the way things simply are. Translated from the German, the short stories keep their quiet power and their truth.

Erlbruch’s illustrations are delightfully childlike and yet sophisticated too. The King is drawn as a cutout of construction paper drawn on with what looks like crayons. The background he is against in each dual page spread changes, sometimes with elegant vintage prints, other times with the blue of the sea and still others with the simplicity of white snow.

A completely surprising and amazing picture book, this one is perfect for sharing whether with one child or many and looking forward to the discussions it generates. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Two Mice by Sergio Ruzzier

| Tasha

Two Mice by Sergio Ruzzier

Two Mice by Sergio Ruzzier

Count from one to three and back down to one again in this funny picture book. Three cookies don’t split evenly between two mice, but then neither does only one pair of oars when they head out on the water. Three rocks in the water make two holes in their boat. Luckily there is one island with two trees, which actually are the feet of a giant bird. The two mice cry three tears as they are carried up to be food for three chicks. All it takes is one nest to make their one escape. Back home, the two mice make one soup out of the perfect number of ingredients.

Ruzzier’s counting book is a gem. He cleverly uses the counting as a solid foundation for this story, each moment led forward by the numbers. At the same time, this shows his immense skill as he is able to keep the book funny, warm and dynamic without it becoming too filled with sing-song or too weighted by the structure itself. The story is almost effortless as it reads aloud, each number leaping to the next with the story the focus too.

The art too is jaunty and fun. The bright colors are infused throughout the landscape with clouds and the water ranging from pinks to yellows to oranges. Everything is done in unusual colors except the two main characters who are distinct in their bright white.

A clever counting book, this will make a great pick for bedtime or beginning counters. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.