Author: Tasha

The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz

| Tasha

The Inquisitors Tale by Adam Gidwitz

The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz (InfoSoup)

Released September 27, 2016.

The author of the A Tale Dark and Grimm series returns with a medieval tale set in the year 1242. It is a tale told by an inn full of strangers, who each know a piece of the miraculous stories of these children. There is William, the huge boy who is an oblate in the monastery but doesn’t mind using his fists. There is Jacob, a Jewish boy who had to flee his village when it was set on fire by some Christian boys. There is Jeanne, a peasant girl who has fits and sees visions that come true. Finally, there is Gwenforte, Jeanne’s greyhound who died and then returned from the dead. These children and the dog traverse France looking for safety and along the way they change hearts, create miracles, heal the sick (even a farting dragon) and build faith.

Immediately upon opening the book, I tumbled headlong in love with it. After all, it has the format of Chaucer and his Canterbury Tales, though it is far less bawdy! I also enjoyed that all of the stories happen right in the inn rather than on a pilgrimage. Gidwitz notes with a wryness that some of the narration includes more details than any observer would have, but my goodness it makes for a better telling of the tale. The medieval setting is beautifully captured through the rich prose.

This is a book that tackles big issues with gusto. It is a book steeped in faith, one where children perform miracles and a dog returns from the dead. But this is a book that looks beyond Christianity as well to the Jewish faith and thus becomes more inclusive in the way it speaks about faith. Religion itself is at the heart of one of the largest moments in the book, protecting Jewish Talmuds from being burned. It’s a powerful moment, a statement about the importance of the written word, and a purely medieval view of the value of illuminated books.

Brilliant, medieval and funny at just the right moments, this book is a lush look at medieval times for young readers. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC received from Dutton.

National Book Award Long List

| Tasha

The long list for the National Book Award has been announced. The National Book Foundation will announce the five finalists from the list on October 13 and the winner will be presented on November 16.

Here are the nominees for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature:

Booked Burn Baby Burn

Booked by Kwame Alexander

Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina

Ghost March: Book Three (March, #3)

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

March: Book Three by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell

Pax Raymie Nightingale

Pax by Sara Pennypacker

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story The Sun Is Also a Star

Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story by Caren Stelson

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

When the Moon Was Ours When the Sea Turned to Silver

When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore

When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin

 

Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina

| Tasha

juana-and-lucas-by-juana-medina

Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina (InfoSoup)

Juana lives in Bogotá, Colombia with her family. She loves things like reading, drawing, Brussels sprouts, and Astroman. She also loves living in Bogotá and in particular having a best friend like Lucas, her dog. Still, there are some things she doesn’t like. She doesn’t like the school uniform she has to wear, doing classwork, and in particular she doesn’t like learning “the English.” When Juana complains about having to learn English and how hard it is, the adults around her encourage her to keep trying. She is also told about a special trip that her grandparents are planning to the United States and Juana will get to meet Astroman there! But in order to be allowed to go, Juana has to do better in her classes, particularly English.

Filled with lots of pictures and even some infographics, this book is particularly approachable for children. With the same humor and heart as series like Clementine, this picture book offers a glimpse into another culture as well as a smart and independent heroine. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the text, making it just challenging enough that readers will understand how hard it is to decode a different language and yet how rewarding it is too.

The illustrations are bright and cheery. The infographics, used to label different characters with their unique characteristics are funny and nicely designed for clarity. The city of Bogotá and the people in Juana’s life are shown in bright colors with lovely humorous touches.

The first book in a new series that offers diversity, Spanish and lots of heart. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle Books.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda – The Movie

| Tasha

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Fox acquired film rights for Becky Albertalli’s YA novel last October and will work with Temple Hill, a production company that has been involved in very successful adaptations of teen novels including “The Fault in Our Stars.”

There is now news from Variety that Greg Berlanti is being considered for director. He is known as both a showrunner and the director of “Life As We Know It.” He has also produced and written.

It’s beautiful to see an LGBT title being adapted into a film.

The Best Man by Richard Peck

| Tasha

The Best Man by Richard Peck

The Best Man by Richard Peck (InfoSoup)

Released September 20, 2016.

Archer recounts the two weddings that he has been in, one really bad and the other really good and all of the time in between. The first was a wedding where he was in first grade and the ring bearer. He tried hiding in the bushes and only managed to get his outfit full of mud and to rip a hole in the too-tight cloth. The best that can be said is that it made a popular YouTube clip. Archer also managed to make a new friend that day, a friendship that would carry through his grade school years. As grade school progresses, Archer tries to figure out what type of person he wants to be. He knows that he wants to be like his grandfather, his father and his uncle. He also wants to be like his fifth-grade student teacher too, a handsome veteran who turns school into a media frenzy. It is the wedding of his uncle to his teacher that is the best wedding ever. As Archer matures, he shows the men around him what means to be the best kind of man too.

Peck is a Newbery Medalist and this one of his best ever. Peck takes the hot topic of gay marriage and makes it immensely approachable and personal. Archer is a wonderfully naive narrator, someone who isn’t the first in the room to figure things out. That gives readers space to see things first and to come to their own opinions on things. Then the book offers insight into being human whether gay or straight. There is no pretense here, just a family living their lives together and inspiring one another to be better than they are.

Peck’s lightness throughout the book is to be applauded. This is not a “problem” novel that grapples with the idea of gay marriage and debates it at length. Instead it is a book filled with laugh-out-loud humor and lots of delight. Alongside that is a great deal of poignancy with aging grandparents, the ins and outs of love, and the growth of characters throughout.

Entirely engaging and immensely readable, this is one of the best of the year. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC received from Dial Books.

 

Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Awards 2016 Shortlist

| Tasha

In its third year, this British children’s book award has four categories that are age specific and the shortlist has three titles in each of those categories. Here are the shortlisted titles:

BABY & TODDLER

Never Touch a Monster, Board book Peekaboo Pals A to Z

My Enormous Book of Colours by Philip Dauncey, illustrated by The Boy Fitzhammond

Never Touch a Monster by Rosie Greening, illustrated by Stuart Lynch

Peekaboo A-Z by Becky Davies, illustrated by Gareth Lucas

 

PICTURE BOOKS

The Bumblebear Oi Dog!

The Bumblebear by Nadia Shireen

Oi Dog! by Kes and Clare Grey

You Must Bring a Hat

You Must Bring a Hat by Kate Hindley

 

FICTION AGES 5-9

Claude Going for Gold! Dave Pigeon (Dave Pigeon, #1)

Claude: Going for Gold by Alex T. Smith

Dave Pigeon by Swapna Haddow, illustrated by Sheena Dempsey

Violet and the Hidden Treasure (Violet #2)

Violet and the Hidden Treasure by Harriet Whitehorn, illustrated by Becka Moor

 

FICTION AGES 9+

The Bubble Boy The Crooked Sixpence (The Uncommoners #1)

The Bubble Boy by Stewart Foster

The Crooked Sixpence by Jennifer Bell

Time Travelling with a Hamster

Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford

This Weeks Tweets, Pins & Tumbls

| Tasha

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

This kid means business. Read 20 minutes, every day!:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

10 Middle Grade Fantasy Novels with Black Girl Leads

13 Children’s Books That Help Kids Understand Divorce

100 Great Translated Children’s Books from Around the World

Ann M. Martin on the Enduring Appeal of The Baby-Sitters Club and Rebooting Another Children’s Series

Beatrix Potter died 73 years ago. Now she has a new book. What to make of it?

A Child of Books: making its mark in children’s literature

Discovered Beatrix Potter tale releases

First Book, NEA Foundation to Bring Thousands of Diverse Books, Resources for Children in Need

Third of parents admit rushing or skipping pages in bedtime stories

This beloved children’s author didn’t want a funeral – she said read to a child instead

National Library Week #NLW:

LIBRARIES

5 Reasons You Should Have a Library Card – BookRiot –

The Case for Preserving the Pleasure of Deep Reading

How to Defend Your Right to Read (with memes) – Intellectual Freedom Blog

Mark the date! Watch as Carla Hayden is sworn in as our new Sep 14

Newspaper: Disappearing Archive Only Temporary for Milwaukee Library patrons –

Annie Dillard Quote Typed on Typewriter on Cardstock by farmnflea, $8.00:

TEEN READS

Funny Book Displays in a High School Library

Women in Comics: Comics For a New School Year – The Hub

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – The Trailers

| Tasha

First, here is the official trailer:

 

Then there is a new trailer focusing on the strength of the female characters:

Brian Wildsmith Dies

| Tasha

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The Bookseller has the news that Brian Wildsmith has died at the age of 86. He was the author and illustrator of more than 80 books.

Author Michael Rosen said of Wildsmith: “Floods of colour exploding across the pages with a name to match: Wildsmith. He was a wild smith. I remember feeling envious: why hadn’t I had books as wild and lush as these?”