My favorite of the nominees for the Young People’s National Book Award was chosen as the winner!
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Review: Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon
Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon
Dory is the youngest in her family and her older siblings won’t play with her at all. So she is left to play on her own and thanks to her great imagination, Dory has a lot of fun. Dory has a best friend, Mary, a monster who sleeps under her bed and is always willing to play. There are also other monsters all over their house. When Dory continues to bother her brother and sister, they make up a story about Mrs. Gobble Gracker, a horrible woman who steals baby girls and is looking for Dory! So when the doorbell rings, Dory knows it is Mrs. Gobble Gracker coming for her. Hopefully the little man who says he’s her fairy godmother will be able to help defeat her. In the end though it is Dory’s own creativity and bravery that will save her and maybe even get her siblings to play too.
Hanlon brilliantly captures the wild imagination of a little girl who doesn’t slow down for a minute, zinging from one idea to the next even as those around her groan. Dory could have been a problematic character, but thanks to the book being told from her point of view, readers will get to see how strong a person she is long before she displays it to her family.
Hanlon’s art makes this a book that younger readers will happily pick up and read. Her black and white illustrations are more than paragraph breaks, they show the story of Dory and all of the characters she dreams up over the course of the day. On the page, we see what Dory sees, not what her family doesn’t see and it’s quite a world that she has created.
Fast moving, wild and full of laughs, this book is a dynamic introduction to a fresh new face that will appeal to fans of Junie B, Jones. Appropriate for ages 6-8.
Reviewed from copy received from Dial.
NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books
The National Science Teachers Association has announced their choices for Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 from books published in 2014. Here are the winning books:
Abayomi, the Brazillian Puma by Darcy Pattison
About Habitats: Forests by Cathryn Sill
About Parrots by Cathryn Sill
Animalium by Jenny Broom
Animals That Make Me Say OUCH! by Dawn Cusick
Animals That Make Me Say WOW! by Dawn Cusick
At Home in Her Tomb by Christine Liu-Perkins
A Baby Elephant in the Wild by Caitlin O’Connell
Batman Science by Tammy Enz and Agnieszka Biskup
Beetle Busters by Loree Griffin Burns
Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetle by Cheryl Bardoe
Beneath the Sun by Melissa Stewart
Bone Collection: Skulls by Rob Scott Colson
Chasing Cheetahs by Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop
Every Turtle Counts by Sara Hoagland Hunter
Extreme Laboratories by Ann O. Squire
Eye to Eye by Steve Jenkins
Eyes Wide Open by Paul Fleischman
Feathers: Not Just for Flying by Melissa Stewart
Full Speed Ahead! by Cruschiform
Get the Scoop on Animal Puke by Dawn Cusick
Handle with Care by Loree Griffin Burns
Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Neighborhood Sharks by Katherine Roy
Next Time You See a Maple Seed by Emily Morgan
Park Scientists by Mary Kay Carson
Polar Bears and Penguins by Katharine Hall
Sally Ride by Sue Macy
Secrets of the Sky Caves by Sandra K. Athans
Sniffer Dogs by Nancy F. Castaldo
Star Stuff by Stephanie Roth Sisson
Super Sniffers by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
The Griffin and the Dinosaur by Marc Aronson and Adrienne Mayor
The Next Wave by Elizabeth Rusch
Tiny Creatures by Nicola Davies
Tooling Around by Ellen Jackson
Ultimate Bodypedia by Patricia Daniels
Wild about Bears by Jeannie Brett
2014 Governor General’s Literary Award Winners
The 2014 Governor General’s Literary Awards have been announced by the Canada Council for the Arts. They honor the best in English and French language literature in seven categories. Here are the children’s winners, both of which are for teen audiences.
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE – TEXT
When Everything Feels Like the Movies by Raziel Reid
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE – ILLUSTRATION
This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki
Review: Here Comes Santa Cat by Deborah Underwood
Here Comes Santa Cat by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Claudia Rueda
Cat tries out a new disguise in this follow up to Here Comes the Easter Cat. Cat is worried that he has not been nice enough to get a present from Santa. So his solution is to become Santa so that he can give himself a present. Of course, he has to learn how to climb down chimneys, which doesn’t go well. He also has to figure out how to fly without Santa’s magic reindeer. Perhaps a jet pack? He tries giving gifts to children, but they don’t seem to appreciate the fish. He even tries to decorate a tree, but it too ends in disaster. What is one naughty cat to do?
Underwood has created a delightful sequel to her first Cat book. Once again Cat uses signs to communicate with the reader. The voice of the narrator is one of an adult, making this an ideal book to be read aloud by a teacher or parent. The rather disapproving but still encouraging tone of the narrator sets up the humor perfectly and with Underwood’s clear sense of comedic timing, the results are hilarious.
Rueda’s art adds to the zany humor, often serving as the final funny note to a gag. She uses gentle colors and delicate lines, supporting the storyline clearly. Her comedic timing too is wonderfully spot on.
A very funny addition to crowded Christmas picture book shelves, save this one to share aloud on Christmas Eve. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Reviewed from copy received from Dial.
Review: Sebastian and the Balloon by Philip C. Stead
Sebastian and the Balloon by Philip C. Stead
A little boy named Sebastian is having a very boring day even though he is up on the top of the roof where he’s never supposed to be. So he decides to head on a journey. First, he packs everything he needs, then he heads for the hot air balloon he made from his grandmother’s afghans and quilts. He sets off and meets a bear next to a leafless tree. He offers the bear a pickle sandwich and the bear joins him on his journey. Flying in the fog, they hear a loud pop and find that a bird has flown into the balloon. They land atop a a colorful worn house where three sisters help them knit their balloon together again. As the three elderly ladies work, they mention the time that they went over the mountain as children and found a rollercoaster. You can guess where they all headed next!
Stead has created a quiet and lovely book here. It is an adventure book, but somehow it is imbued with a gentleness and dreaminess. Perhaps it is the balloon flight, the drifting and silence and quiet of that mode of transportation. Or it could be the fog, the friendly bear, and the three grandmothers. It all adds up to a wonderfully whimsical book that dances along dreamily.
Stead’s illustrations are always a treat. I love that his protagonist is a little boy of color, someone who glows against the background, who is resourceful, smart and creative. The three grandmothers, each with their own color that is also represented in their home, are drawn with a humor that is gentle and gorgeous. The entire book sings of whimsy and imagination.
Ideal for bedtime reading, this book is sure to create dreams of hot air balloon rides and an array of friends. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.
Review: The Madman of Piney Woods by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Madman of Piney Woods by Christopher Paul Curtis
This companion novel to Elijah of Buxton continues the story of the town of Buxton and the people who live there. This book, which takes place forty years after the first book, is the story of two boys, Benji and Red. Benji, who lives in Buxton, dreams of becoming a newspaper reporter. He has two pesky younger siblings who also happen to be gifted builders with wood. That doesn’t mean though that Benji doesn’t try to put them in their place when they need it. Benji also has a way with the forest, spending hours walking the trails and exploring. He is one of the first to see the Madman of Piney Woods. Red is a scientist. He’s been raised by his father and maternal grandmother, who hates anyone who isn’t Irish like she is. She is strict with Red, smacking him regularly with her cane hard enough to raise a lump. When the two boys meet, they immediately become friends even though their backgrounds are so different. But can their friendship withstand the brimming hatred of some people in their communities?
I loved Elijah of Buxton so much and I started this book rather gingerly, hoping that it would be just as special as the original. Happily, it certainly is. It has a wonderful feeling to it, a rich storytelling that hearkens back to Mark Twain and other classic boyhood friendship books. Curtis makes sure that we know how different these two boys are: one with a large family, the other small, different races, different points of view. Yet it feels so right when the two boys are immediate friends, readers will have known all along that they suit one another.
Curtis explores deep themes in this novel, offering relief in the form of the exploits of the two boys as they figure out ways to mess with their siblings and escape domineering grandmothers. There are scenes that are laugh-out-loud funny. Other scenes though are gut-wrenching and powerful. They explore themes like the damage done to the psyche during wars, racism, ambition, responsibility and family ties. It is a testament to the writing of Curtis that both the humor and the drama come together into an exquisite mix of laughter and tears.
A great novel worthy of following the award-winning original, this book will be met with cheers by teachers and young readers alike. Appropriate for ages 9-12.
Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic Press.
This Week’s Tweets, Pins & Tumbls
Here are the links I shared on my Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr accounts this week that I think are cool:
CHILDREN’S BOOKS
12 Picture Books 4 to 8 Year Olds Should Read | Still Advocating http://buff.ly/1EpOL5e #kidlit
BBC News – Quentin Blake: We need more disabled children in picture books http://buff.ly/1GM3ifE #kidlit
Brian Selznick Inks Deal For ‘The Marvels’ – GalleyCat http://buff.ly/1wXZ8wT #kidlit
Five questions for Sharon G. Flake http://buff.ly/1xfVO1I #kidlit
Middle-grade mirth – The Horn Book http://buff.ly/1GPkMHV #kidlit
Native American Heritage Month: 10 Children’s Books By Native Writers « the open book http://buff.ly/1zk0PEe #kidlit
Who are the best quirky heroines in children’s books? | The Guardian http://buff.ly/1szsw7p #kidlit
Why Picture Books Are Important by Chris Barton http://buff.ly/10z7Gxc #kidlit
LIBRARIES
Libraries and Buy It Now: A Difficult Decision? | American Libraries Magazine http://buff.ly/1wQpPDJ #ebooks #libraries
One Man’s Diary of a Month-Long Library Closure – BOOK RIOT http://buff.ly/1B39M9A #libraries
READING
New study reveals why it’s impossible to put down a Harry Potter book – ScienceAlert http://buff.ly/1tU0xCa #reading
Reading children’s books has changed my life http://buff.ly/1ExzIbP #kidlit #reading
TECHNOLOGY
Comcast agrees with Obama on net neutrality, except for the legal bit – GigaOM http://buff.ly/1Eujw96 #internet #netneutrality
Dear Senator Ted Cruz, I’m going to explain to you how Net Neutrality ACTUALLY works – The Oatmeal http://buff.ly/1EC7D2V #internet
Present Shock | Dark Rye http://buff.ly/10GI7KN – Using technology to set ourselves free rather than it using us #socialmedia #technology
TEEN READS
Authors of young adult fiction say pitching the content right is a balancing act http://buff.ly/1yjraRG #yalit
Meg Wolitzer: Why are teenage girls drawn to books about mental instability? | The Guardian http://buff.ly/10E6BEs #yalit
YALLFest: Q&A with Rita Williams-Garcia | Charleston City Paper http://buff.ly/1osBfvz #kidlit
Review: Pack of Dorks by Beth Vrabel
Pack of Dorks by Beth Vrabel
Lucy just knows that this is the biggest recess of her life, because at recess she will kiss Tom and cement herself as a popular fourth grader along with her best friend Becky. But after the kiss happens, all she has is a ring that turns her finger green and a sinking feeling about what just happened. Soon after the kiss, Lucy’s baby sister is born. Her parents are shocked to have a baby with Downs Syndrome and are caught up in coping with the surprise. That leaves Lucy alone to cope with the sudden turn of events at school where over the course of a few days she goes from being cool and popular to being one of the lamest kids in the class. Becky calls Lucy at night to tell her all of the mean things that the other kids are saying about her, claiming that she is still Lucy’s friend but can’t be her friend at school anymore. In the meantime, Lucy starts to make friends with some of the other kids in her class. She does a project on wolves with Sam, a very quiet boy who is bullied by the same kids. Out of that project and her growing group of outcast friends, Lucy decides that the only solution for them is to become their own pack.
Vrabel captures elementary school perfectly with its confusing social pressures that keep people conforming to the norm. She manages to keep everything at just the right level, never becoming melodramatic about the situation. At the same time, it is clear how devastating the bullying is to Lucy. While she has a supportive family, they are distracted by the new baby and rightly so. Her new little sister helps be a guide for Lucy forward, and is a very smart addition to the story, allowing Lucy her growth and also serving as an example of someone who will also need their own pack to support her.
Lucy is a character who becomes more likeable as the book progresses. At first with her quests for popularity and kisses, Lucy is shallow but after she becomes shunned by the popular crowd she immediately reveals how smart and strong she actually is. Vrabel’s brilliant combination of wolf packs and middle school bullies adds strength to the entire novel.
A smart book on bullies, differences and disabilities, this novel is one that will make a great read aloud for elementary classes. Appropriate for ages 8-11.
Reviewed from library copy.
Waking Brain Cells 