Chapter Books

Luv Ya Bunches

| Tasha

Luv Ya Bunches by Lauren Myracle

Yes, this is the book that was not included in Scholastic Book Fairs because one of the characters has lesbian parents.  Sheesh!  That has since changed and they will be carrying the title. 

This book though is so much more than the subject of that controversy!  It’s funny, smart, and simply wonderful.

It all starts with a big gesture in the hallway made by Katie-Rose, who slams into Milla, sending her backpack and everything in it skittering across the floor.  Katie-Rose skulks away, so Yasaman is blamed for the event though she had nothing to do with it.  Violet, the new girl, saw it all and is the one who discovers a tiny toy turtle left behind on the floor.  The mean Modessa and her lackey Quin are a large part of the bad things that happen next, but you will have to read the book to find out what that is!  Let’s just say that friendship will triumph in the end.

The book is told from the point of view of all four girls and as in Myracle’s previous books incorporates online chatting.  It also has her trademark ease with dialogue as well as her deep understanding of tweens.  The four main characters are distinct, unique and interesting.  They all have their own insecurities, moments of bravery, and challenges.  Each girl approaches school and creating friendships differently.  All four girls are racially different and this book nicely avoids any stereotyping of them. 

And just for the record, the same-sex parents are seen in passing just like the rest of the parents in the story.  They drop off, pick up, make costumes, etc.  They are not the focus of the story at all.  Another thing that makes this book so refreshing and real.

This is a fun, candid book that will have late elementary school girls hooked before the first page ends.  The issues faced by the girls are real, tangible, and very intriguing.  It only gets better when readers learn at the end that there will be more in the series!  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC received from publisher.

Also reviewed by Welcome to My Tweendom and TheHappyNappyBookseller.

Clover Twig and the Magical Cottage

| Tasha

Clover Twig and the Magical Cottage by Kaye Umansky, illustrated by Johanna Wright

Clover is a sensible girl who isn’t bothered by being a housekeeper for a witch.  In fact, now Clover doesn’t have to tidy up after her many younger siblings at home and can have a bedroom all her own.  Tidying the witch’s cottage, cooking, cleaning and running errands is all very normal and domestic, but it can’t be that simple when magic is involved.  Clover meets Wilf, an exceedingly clumsy boy, who always seems to be in the middle of some sort of trouble.  But it takes a magic potion, a wicked witch, an invisible flying horse, and a lot more to really cause mischief and strife!

This book is funny and fast-paced.  The pace is a romp through a surprises, cunning plans, and twists.  Urmansky has written a book filled with magic that is not sentimental at all and happily pokes fun at the entire genre.  Clover is a wonderful and unexpected heroine in all of her quiet and clean glory.  Wilf is a great foil for her as he pratfalls around the book, causing confusion wherever he goes.  This book is not subtle.  It is vaudeville comedy wrapped in fairy tale paper. 

This would make a grand read-aloud for a 2nd or 3rd grade classroom where the broad comedy will play extremely well.  Appropriate for ages 7-11.

Reviewed from library copy.

The Day of the Pelican

| Tasha

 
The Day of the Pelican by Katherine Paterson

Meli and her family are Albanians living in Kosovo.  They are in grave danger.  Her older brother, Mehmet is detained after leaving school one day.  He is finally returned home to his family.  So many people are being killed by Serbs that they are forced to flee their home, leaving their store and almost everything else behind.  The family is forced first into tents in the mountains where they are safe for a short time, sleeping in a single shared tent and living without running water or electricity.  Mehmet expresses interest in joining the Kosovo Liberation Party and the family leaves the mountains to keep him safe.  They then live with their uncle in the family’s small farm with many people living under one roof.  They live in constant fear of being discovered and turned out of their home with the tiny babies, elderly grandmother, and small children.  Eventually they are forced to become refugees and the family is forced to separate with Meli and her immediate family going to the United States.

Paterson tells a gripping story of heroism, courage and family ties in this brief novel.  As readers experience the fear and uncertainty through Meli’s eyes they will be moved by her story.  This book captures the emotions of war without allowing them to overtake the storyline.  Instead the book is about everyday people becoming heroes, small choices that mean living one more day, and endurance in the face of such hatred.  Paterson rights with an honesty and a tautness that makes the book easy to read but difficult to digest. 

This is an important book that is not just about the Albanians in Kosovo, but about all wars, all displaced people, and their courage and strength.  Paterson takes a single incident among many and makes it universal and true.  Highly recommended, this is a great book for classroom exploration and discussion.   Appropriate for ages 11-13.

Reviewed from ARC received at the ALA Conference. 

Magical Ms. Plum

| Tasha

The Magical Ms. Plum by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Amy Portnoy

Third-grade teacher Ms. Plum is the most popular teacher in the school.  Everyone wants to be in her class.  Children who have had her speak of their love for her, but then stop talking and just smile mysteriously.  Ms. Plum has a wonderful secret: a magic supply closet.  It smells of something wonderful and has dark corners filled with wondrous things.  When a student is asked to get something from the closet, they return with an animal that perfectly matches what they need.  A shy girl is pampered by a group of little monkeys.  A loud child returns with a parrot who talks even more than he does.  And who knows what the smart boy who sees himself as not needing anything will get! 

This book is a delight.  Ms. Plum is a mix of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Ms. Frizzle.  She solves children’s problems with magic and a modern style.  Becker has just the right touch, nicely building from one story to the next in episodic chapters.  Ms. Plum’s teaching is evident, but the animals and children are the heart of the story, just as they should be.  Portnoy’s black-and-white illustrations are have a modern feel that is right at home here.  They nicely break up the text, making a book that reluctant readers will feel right at home reading.

Perfect for reading aloud to a class, this is also an ideal book to hand to young readers who can reach the end of a chapter and have some resolution and a sense of accomplishment.  This would also be a good pick for readers who are reading above their age group.  There is nothing scary here but plenty of interest.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Mercy Watson: Something Wonky This Way Comes

| Tasha

Mercy Watson: Something Wonky This Way Comes by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen.

Is that the scent of butter in the air?  No!  It must be a new Mercy Watson book!

Finding that there is a movie called When Pigs Fly playing at the Bijou, the Watsons set out to the movies.  Mercy is pleased to hear that they serve real butter at the Bijou!  On their way, they meet up with many familiar characters from the series who join them:  Eugenia and Baby Lincoln, Stella and Frank.  Once they reach the drive-in, readers will happily recognize more characters, all of whom enter the fray as Mercy disrupts the drive-in as only a butter-loving pig can.

If you are a Mercy Watson fan, you must pick up this latest one.  If you have not yet enjoyed the buttery wonder of Mercy, don’t start with this title.  Head to the first book and enjoy them one by one.  Note: it is impossible to not want to read them by the bucketful, but try to show some restraint and not pig out.  Van Dusen’s illustrations are colorful, lively and wonderfully manic when called for.  His tiny touches of buttery toast behind each page number make for a complete package of a book that one can simply sink into with a joyous sigh.  This world of pigs, butter and fun is one that is always a pleasure to return to and linger in. 

A great read-aloud series that is also great fun.  I highly recommend it for young readers who are heading for chapter books but still enjoy illustrations to break up the text a bit.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Strawberry Hill

| Tasha

 

Strawberry Hill by Mary Ann Hoberman

Allie and her family are going to be moving to a home all their own.   Her father would be able to be with them every day, not just on weekends because his job was far away due to the Depression.  And the neighborhood had a wonderful name, Strawberry Hill.  But when Allie gets to the new house, there are no strawberries in sight and she had to leave her best friend behind.  Allie discovers that there are two girls just her age right nearby, but deciding who is going to be her new best friend is complicated.  It doesn’t help that the two girls are so very different and Allie feels drawn to each of them for different reasons.  When Allie is called a “dirty Jew” by another girl, the novel takes on another dimension, dealing with racial issues. 

This novel for young readers has just the right amount of tension around friendships and race.  The girls are all complex and interesting characters as are the adults, which takes some finesse in a book for this age.  Allie is a charming character who worries about things like colors, tuna fish sandwiches, and making a good impression.  Her coming-of-age story is gentle and will find an audience with children who enjoy quiet moments, small details, and historical elements. 

Allie’s eagerness to find a new best friend translates into a character that any reader would love to befriend.  Recommended for ages 8-11.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Brimful Curiosities, A Patchwork of Books, and Abby (the) Librarian.

When the Whistle Blows

| Tasha

When the Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton

Every once in awhile a debut novel takes your breath away.  This is one of those novels.

Jimmy Cannon’s life is surrounded by trains.  His bedroom is right by the tracks, his father works for the railroad, and Jimmy plans to work the railroad himself as soon as he possibly can.  But Jimmy does not want to be like his father who focuses on rules.  Set in a West Virginia town during the era of steam trains in the 1940s, readers will happily follow Jimmy as he merrily breaks many of the rules.  From Halloween night to boyhood scrapes, this book has a timeless feel.

Slayton writes with a spirit and style that reads like a classic novel.  Offering a complex relationship of a boy and his father, she lightens the novel through the scenes that define Jimmy’s boyhood.  Every reader, boy or girl, will be able to relate to the escapades, enjoy laughing out loud about the close calls, and bite their nails when the tension gets thick.  This is a many layered book that teachers will look forward to reading in their classrooms.  There is so much here to discuss and yet it is so easy to read, understand and relate to.  It is frankly a masterpiece of ease and complexity not often seen in children’s books.

If there is one book you are going to read aloud to 4th and 5th graders this year, it should be this one.  Highly recommended, this should be a Newbery contender this year.  Appropriate for ages 10-14.

Reviewed from copy provided by publisher.

Check out Fran Cannon Slayton’s own blog.

Also reviewed by BookDads, Reviewed Here First, Reading, Writing, Ruminating, Susan VanHecke, WriterJenn, Charlotte’s Library, Confessions of a Bibliovore, Becky’s Book Reviews, Through the Wardrobe, The Reading Zone, Underage Reading, Sarah Miller, 100 Scope Notes, and Into the Wardrobe.

Museum of Mary Child

| Tasha

The Museum of Mary Child by Cassandra Golds

Heloise lives a lonely, subdued and severe life with her godmother.  She is not allowed to have toys, not allowed to play, and must spend her time being constructive.  Heloise yearns most of all for a doll and then she discovers a secret niche under a floorboard where a doll is hidden.  She succeeds for some time in hiding the doll from her godmother, but when her godmother discovers the doll, she flies into a rage.  Next door to their house is the Museum of Mary Child, a place where visitors come but Heloise has never been allowed to enter.  Her grandmother drags her there.  Stunned by the revelations of the museum, Heloise flees her godmother’s home with her doll in tow.  Ending up in the city, Heloise is taken in by a choir of orphans, where she begins to learn about what life is about and to feel like a real little girl.  But she cannot escape the mystery of her own upbringing for long.

This gothic tale owes a lot to folk tales with birds who guide humans, and a prince in prison.  These elements weave themselves into Heloise’s tale, offering glimpses of magic and wonder  against the darkness of madness and solitude.  Just as Heloise is a unique child, so this book is unique and fascinating.  It doesn’t fit into a genre niche neatly, offering so many different but well-worked elements.  Because of this, it is a very fun read.  Readers will be unable to figure out how the novel will end because they won’t be sure if they are reading fantasy, gothic, horror or fairy tale – perhaps it is all of them at once.

Heloise is a great character with her fierceness and inquisitiveness.  She carries this book forward, gradually learning along with the reader what her story is.  It is a delicately balanced story, never moving too far into horror, never too far from its fairy tale elements.  The setting is such a large part of the tale from the museum to the city itself and its madhouse and prison.  Golds does a great job creating and sustaining a mood though the entire book along with a tension that makes it difficult to put down and impossible not to puzzle about even when not reading.

Recommended for tweens who are a little too young for Twilight, this book has quality writing and an intriguing premise.  Children as young as ten who are looking for a little horror and creepiness will find a great read here.  Appropriate for ages 10-14.

Reviewed from copy provided by publisher.

The Doll Shop Downstairs

| Tasha

The Doll Shop Downstairs by Yona Zeldis McDonough, illustrated by Heather Majone.

Nine-year-old Anna is lucky enough to grow up living above her parent’s doll shop where they repair broken china and bisque dolls.  She is a middle child, feeling ordinary next to her smart older sister and her cute little sister.  Though the family doesn’t have enough money for dolls for the three girls, they are allowed to play with the dolls that have been in the shop for some time.  Each girl has a special doll that is “theirs.”  However, changes are coming with the beginning of World War I.  Doll parts become impossible to import from Germany because of the War.  So the family must become creative about how they will earn a living. 

I was a girl who played with dolls.  My favorite and one I still treasure is the rag doll my mother made for me.  She has yellow yarn hair, blue eyes, and a collection of clothes which include a velvet dress with a bustle!  It was a treat to read a book about little girls who love dolls, especially dolls which are not perfect. 

Anna is a great character.  Her perspective on her own ordinariness is shown to be incorrect by all of the clever and important things she invents and does.  I think there are many children who don’t see that they are special and its nice to have a book that explores that for younger children.

The world of pre-War New York City is vividly depicted and is as much a character as any of the human ones.  McDonough does a great job of showing glimpses of the city but not inundating young readers with facts.  I also appreciate the fact that the family is Jewish and that it is handled so matter-of-factly. 

Recommended for doll lovers and as a great example of historical fiction for young readers who are looking for something light but historical.  Appropriate for ages 7-10.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.