The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor.

Sometimes fate (or School Library Journal) sends you just the right book to review.  I got the ARC for Seeing Redd, the second book in the Looking Glass Wars series and reluctantly picked up the first one.  Why reluctant?  Well, I love Alice in Wonderland, fondly remembered from having it read aloud to me as a child.  I just didn’t want to see it redone and perhaps diminished. 

My fears were set aside almost immediately upon opening this book.  It is a triumph of retelling where the original story still stands proudly, while this novel turns so far away from the original that it can be read entirely on its own.  This world is a very brutal Wonderland, still filled with large caterpillars, sentient cards, jabberwockies, and a Queen of Hearts, it really bears little resemblance to the world Lewis Carroll created. 

The story is that of Alyss, future queen of Wonderland who witnesses the murder of her mother at the hands of her Aunt Redd.  Redd takes over Wonderland while Alyss flees to safety through a pool that leads her to England.  There she becomes Alice and meets Lewis Carroll who writes a book about her “fantasies.”  Alyss is eventually rescued and returned to Wonderland to battle Redd for the throne.

There are so many wonderful characters here:  the rotund and double-crossing Jack of Diamonds, Bibwit the albino tutor with large ears, and Hatter Madigan who is a member of an elite fighting force.  They are the ones that carry the story and the book.  It is a delight to find characters loosely based on Carroll’s who are vividly drawn and alive. 

I had thought I could only recommend this to children who had read the original books (and how many children would that be?) But this book can be enjoyed by children who have no knowledge of Alice beyond the Disney film.  And that is a compliment.  Share with children ages 9-12 who enjoy fantasy with a little gore.

The End by David LaRochelle and Richard Egielski. 

How did I miss this one?  What a delightful book! 

This fairy tale starts with The End and works its way to the beginning.  First they all lived happily ever after.  “They lived happily ever after because…” and readers turn the page to find out what had happened to get the story to this point.  It is a backwards story with lots of repetition that small children will enjoy, but the twist of the picture book being backwards will also appeal to older elementary age children.  And how does the book end?  You wouldn’t want me to reveal the beginning would you?

The illustrations are charmingly irreverent takes on classic fairy tale and nursery rhyme pictures.  There are many very silly moments that will have kids asking to see what happens previously.  A wide range of ages will be entertained and intrigued by the story.

Share this with a class of older elementary children, use it to spark imaginative writing assignments, or share it with a class of kindergarteners or first graders for an enjoyable read aloud. 

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, illustrated by Carson Ellis.

This is one of those great books that you just want to last forever and not leave the characters behind.  Reynie Muldoon is a gifted child who lives in an orphanage.  He is not neglected, just lonely with only his wonderful tutor offering him conversation.  When the two of them discover an ad in a newspaper looking for gifted children, Reynie jumps at the chance to be tested.  This decision takes him away from the orphanage and into a world of spies, espionage, international danger and intrigue.  But this book is not your normal spy novel.  Take four gifted children, give them a vague mission, and turn them loose and you get this wonderful book where mysteries must be unraveled, brains must be used and there is no talk of sports or “normal” society.  It’s perfectly wonderful.

The novel combines fast action with thought-provoking puzzles and enough twists and turns to give you whiplash.  The storyline is compellingly parallel to today’s society with enough nuance to keep it fresh and fascinating.  The writing is friendly, warm and also fresh.  The author has taken traditional story features like orphanages, espionage and danger and whipped them together with modern touches to create quite a unique and interesting package.

Share this with children who enjoy mental puzzles and may even be gifted themselves.  But also give it to adults who are willing to try a children’s book once in awhile.   Recommended for grades 4-8.  Enjoy! 

The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers. 

Ah, the joy of a new Oliver Jeffers book where one is sure to venture into a strange, unknown world and return with a slightly different view of our own. 

This one is a winner from its title on through to the very end.  Henry is a boy who loves books, but not like we do.  Henry loves to eat books.  And as he eats them, they fill not only his stomach but his mind.  He decides that he has to eat more and more of them so he can become the smartest person in the world.  But eventually, the books start to upset his stomach and he can’t continue.  Or can he?

The illustrations are wonderful and complex.  They are done on a variety of book spines, book order cards, book pages, and much more.  This adds an entirely different dimension to the book and its illustrations.  On each page, there is an implied flavor and scent of old yellowed pages, wide and thin spines, and books in all of their varieties.  The text and illustrations are filled with sly humor which kids will love. 

So Jeffers does it again.  This is a great book to share with older elementary students who will get the jokes and the bizarre situation.  Preschoolers may not be sophisticated enough to truly get this story, so this would be a great one to share with elementary students learning about the library.  It would demonstrate how very cool librarians really are, just by reading this one aloud.

Who Likes Rain? by Wong Herbert Yee.

I enjoyed Yee’s Tracks in the Snow, and this one is another good one.  Published in the same half-size as his first book, this book takes a small child through a rainy day.  It pairs rhymes with a form of guessing game where sounds and rhyme give a hint to the type of animal that will fill in the blank.  The joy of a rainy day is captured as the little girl moves through her exploration of puddles, rain and wetness. 

The illustrations are charmingly done.  I appreciate the fact that the child could be of almost any race with her brown skin and dark hair.  Combine that with the great sound language where rain and water make a wide range of sounds from gurgle to rum-a-tum-tum to plip-plip-PLOP! 

It is a joy to read aloud and will have all children ready to get out their rain gear and jump into puddles.  Perfect for a spring storytime or to share with children who are learning to rhyme.  There is enough here to keep even antsy preschoolers happily listening.

My Cat Copies Me by Yoon-duck Kwon.

I just love what Kane/Miller does.  They bring picture books from across the world to children here so that we can all get a glimpse at another culture while remembering that we are all more alike than we are different.  This book by a Korean author follows a young girl and her relationship with her sweet-faced cat.  The girl and cat copy each other in the book:  crawling under newspapers, hiding, chasing flies, and facing the darkness of night without fear.  The language of the book is strong and simple, guiding children to see that there are lessons to be learned in even the most basic parts of our lives. 

This is a quiet story, perfect for a bedtime read or for children who enjoy books without a strong storyline.  The illustrations add to the softness of the book with pictures full of deep colors and pastels.

Recommended for cat storytimes or bedtime reading for preschoolers.

The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin.

This very popular author of fantasies for adults has written a story for children.  It is the story of Adara, a child born in the depth of one of the coldest winters ever.  The same winter that killed her mother.  Now at age seven she lives with her father, brother and sister as the springs continue to shorten due to the ferocious winters.  Adara is a cold child both in personality and in temperature.  She can hold the ice lizards because her bodyheat is so low and she can play out in the snow without much protection.  Each winter, Adara longs for her birthday to come so that she can see the ice dragon flying.  As she grew older, Adara grew more comfortable with the dragon and now flies on his back into the sky. 

But war is coming to Adara’s farm, and she will be tested along with the rest of her family.  When her father refuses to leave the farm until it is too late Adara must face her greatest fear and have her icy coldness truly tested.

The book is exactly the right level for third and fourth graders.  It has illustrations on some of the pages, fairly large text size, and nice short chapters.  Even better, it is a serious fantasy novel that will invite young readers into a world of danger and dragons.  There are some issues with tone at times, where there is a sense that the author is addressing child readers rather than writing for them.  But those areas are brief and do not interfere with the storyline.  Adara is a wonderful heroine who despite her chilly demeanor will have young readers enjoying her adventures. 

Recommended for children moving from readers to full chapter books, especially those who enjoy dragons, fantasy and fairy tales. 

Don’t Touch My Hat! by James Rumford.

Sheriff John keeps the town of Sunshine civilized in his ten-gallon hat.  He wouldn’t let anyone touch it, because he thought it was the key to keeping the peace.  But his wife begins to get jealous of the hat, even though she loves hats herself, especially ones with large colorful feathers.  She had just purchased a new one when Sheriff John faced a wild night in the town.  When he grabbed his hat in the dark, he grabbed his wife’s instead.  So he learns that it is him not his hat that keeps the town safe.

The fun of this book is reading it aloud.  The western drawl is written right into every page, so you will be sounding like an old cowhand in no time.  Children will adore the western theme as well as the spectacle of the sheriff in his wife’s very feathered and rainbow colored hat. 

A sure winner, share this with preschoolers and kindergarteners. 

New Clothes for New Year’s Day by Hyun-Joo Bae.

Entrancing illustrations and a poetic but accessible text make this one quite a gem.  A young Korean girl is celebrating the new year with new clothes.  Readers follow her excitement as she puts on each piece of the traditional dress.  This may sound like a slow-moving book, but the eagerness of the character and her struggles to dress herself make it very friendly.  It is a book that easily removes barriers and examines cultural dress. 

The illustrations are at once both traditional and modern.  The young girl is pictured in a fresh way as she struggles to dress, while traditional patterns make up the background of many of the illustrations.

A wonderful New Year’s read, this is a friendly and accessible book on Korean dress and culture.