Month: July 2016

Flannery by Lisa Moore

| Tasha

Flannery by Lisa Moore

Flannery by Lisa Moore (InfoSoup)

At age 16, Flannery is dealing with huge issues. Her mother, an artist, is unable to pay for her biology book or heating bills. Her best friend, Amber, has a new boyfriend that Flannery does not trust because he is over-controlling and their friendship is falling apart. And now Flannery has been put into a Entrepreneurship class project with her long-term crush, a graffiti artist who seems to think he’s too cool for school. So she is left doing all of the work for their project herself. Flannery works to hold it all together, even managing to create a project that sells out: love potions. While Flannery may realize they are entirely pretend, everyone who drinks one seems to be finding love. As things start to shatter around her though, Flannery discovers who is there for her and who is not.

OK, everything I read about this book seems to focus on the love potion aspect. This book does have that, but oh my it is so much more. The writing here is strikingly unique. Moore does away with quotation marks, creating dialogue poetry on the page, the voices running together exquisitely and somehow becoming even more clear without the punctuation. That is great writing. She plays with the mysticism of love, the power of control, and the illusion of it as well.

Beyond the love potions, this is a book about a teenager finding her own strength, her own voice and her own way of living which is not about conforming at all. Flannery knows throughout the book that she is unique and in love and that everything is not what it should be. Still, there are revelations even as she lives her truth, ones that change her point of view and make her grow. That is done so naturally and organically. Beautiful.

A stunning teen read, pick this one up not for the love potions but for the deep story and strong unique heroine that you will want to meet. Appropriate for ages 14-18.

Reviewed from library copy.

The Moon’s Almost Here by Patricia MacLachlan

| Tasha

The Moons Almost Here by Patricia MacLachlan

The Moon’s Almost Here by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Tomie dePaola (InfoSoup)

A collaboration between a Newbery medalist and Caldecott Honor and Newbery Honor winner, this picture book is a dreamy bedtime read. As two people get ready for the moon to arrive, the animals around them are also preparing for bed. A hen gathers her chicks close and safe in their pen. The ducks head to the shore. Horses and cows head inside. Fireflies blink in the meadow. The dog and cat fall asleep. Then the moon has arrived, big and bright in the sky, just as the child falls asleep in the adult’s arms.

MacLachlan’s text is a poem that leads readers around the farm, from one animal to another as they prepare for bed. The animals are not anthropomorphic at all, but nicely realistic. She adds in touches of butterflies as well as the fireflies that echo the stars above. The entire effect is of tranquility and a slowing down as the evening arrives. It feels entirely natural and organic as it gets sleepier.

The illustrations by dePaola are filled with teals and blues, but also lit with moonlight. The adult character wears white with a white clown face as well that evokes Pierrot. It creates a surreal and dreamlike effect in the picture book, but is not frightening at all. The deep colors add to the nighttime quiet and sleepiness.

A superb bedtime picture book that works because of the virtuoso blend of poetry and illustration. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Margaret K. McElderry Books.

The Storm by Akiko Miyakoshi

| Tasha

The Storm by Akiko Miyakoshi

The Storm by Akiko Miyakoshi (InfoSoup)

A little boy heads home after school, excited about a trip to the beach the next day with his family. His teacher did warn that a storm was coming and as the evening goes by, the sky gets darker. His parents prepare for a storm and reassure him that even if they can’t go to the beach the next day, they will go another weekend. Soon rain starts to fall and then the wind picks up and blows hard. When it gets too loud, the boy jumps into his bed and pulls his covers over his head. Soon he is dreaming about being on a ship with big propellers that help to drive the storm away. Finally the storm moves off and his ship can sail higher into the sky. When the boy wakes up the next morning, he discovers a lovely day. Just right for a visit to the beach!

Miyakoshi’s picture book is filled with tension. Not only of the storm itself but of the waiting for the storm to arrive and then the concern about how it will impact their plans for the next day. It is a tension that children will understand, whether about weather and storms or about big plans being disrupted. It is also a picture book that speaks to the power of nature and the way that children can have plans with little control over them.

The illustrations in the book are black and white with small touches of color like the blue sky after the storm. The charcoal style has a lovely texture throughout. Light and dark play on the page with one storm page filled with rain showing the falling water as bright zings of light in the darkness. There is both a feeling of drama and also one of safety throughout, particularly during dinner and at bedtime.

This stormy picture book is one that children will relate to on a variety of levels. Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from e-galley received from Kids Can Press and Edelweiss.

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:

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CHILDREN’S BOOKS

13 Children’s Books That Break Racial Stereotypes

2016 Caldecott Medal Acceptance by Sophie Blackall — The Horn Book Gorgeous speech.

2016 Newbery Acceptance by Matt de la Peña — The Horn Book – A must-read speech for everyone.

The Audacious Choice of Sophie Blackall — The Horn Book

Bringing diversity and brown faces to children’s books

GeekDad Charts a Course With Hope Larson and ‘Compass South’ – GeekDad

Jerry Pinkney and the Power of Story: Profile of 2016 Wilder & CSK–Virginia Hamiliton Award Winner – The Horn Book

On the Importance of Creepy Kids’ Books  – https://t.co/TalwbiLOQC 

One Mom’s Fond Farewell to the Beloved Elephant & Piggie Series

Raquel D’Apice’s Open Letter To The Female Hat-Wearing Dog in “Go, Dog. Go!”

Silent and Strong: 14 Books for Introverted Kids and Teens | Brightly

‘Swallows and Amazons’ Forever: Why a now-obscure children’s novel is great summer reading

Tween Pride Reads – ALSC Blog

Which is why there ALWAYS have to be books in the playroom, between the toys ;-):

LIBRARIES

“An Evening to Paint” at North Carolina Wesleyan College’s Pearsall Library:

Libraries that Listen | American Libraries Magazine

Officials break ground on $115 million Enoch Pratt renovation

TEEN READS

Out of the Box – Transgender lives — The Horn Book

RT : From The Hub: Booklist: YA Alternate History

A Safe and Sacred Space – Guest Post by Benjamin Alire Saenz –