summer

Review: This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki

| Tasha

this one summer

This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki

Rose goes to Awago Beach every summer with her parents, but this summer things don’t feel quite the same.  Rose’s friend Windy is also there and the two of them hang out together just like every other summer.  But Rose’s parents are always arguing and her mother won’t go swimming with them at all.  Rose and Windy find their own way to escape the fighting, they rent horror movies from the local shop.  While they are there picking out and returning their movies, they watch a summer of teenage drama unfold in front of them.  This is a summer unlike any others, one where secrets are hidden and revealed and where sorrow mixes with the summer sun.

Done by the pair that did Skim, this is an amazing graphic novel for teens.  It deals with that fragile moment in life where children are becoming teens and everything around them is changing.  These two girls are suspended in that time during the summer, learning about themselves, about their parents and witnessing events around them in a new way.  The use of a summer vacation to capture that moment in time is superb.  Yet this book is not a treatise on the wonder of childhood at all.  It deals with deeper issues, darker ones, ones that the two girls are not ready to handle yet.  And that’s what makes it all the more wondrous as a book.

The art in the book is phenomenal.  The two girls are different physically, one a little stouter than the other and both are real girls expressing real emotions.  And the larger of the two girls is not the shy, meek one.  She has a wonderful sassiness to her, an open grin, and rocks a bikini.  Hoorah!  The art captures summer days, the beach, what a face of sorrow looks like and how it tears into ones entire physique.  Done in blue and white, the images are detailed and realistic.

A glimpse of one summer and what happens during it, this book is about capturing a moment in time, one that is filled with depth, despair and desire.  Appropriate for ages 13-16.

Reviewed from digital copy received from

Review: Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan

| Tasha

rules of summer

Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan

Enter the surreal world of two brothers with a picture told in few words and many pictures.  The book takes place in the previous summer and explains what one of the brothers learned that summer.  The lessons are strange, but the images are even wilder.  The first lesson is “Never leave a red sock on the clothesline.”  It is accompanied by a wonderful and magnificently creepy image of a huge rabbit the size of a house with a red eye staring over the wall as the two brothers cower on the other side.  As the pages turn, the world gets odder and odder, forming a cohesive world but one that surprises, horrifies and delights.

As Tan blends humor with his frightening images, one starts to see a world that is beyond our own and yet strangely parallel.  These brothers live in a different world, one with its own rules and laws but one that is hauntingly familiar to our own.  Perhaps my favorite series of images is the series of pictures for “Never wait for an apology” where the younger brother is padlocked in a small steam engine with smoke pouring from the smokestack.  Black birds fly past.  Since all of the other images were done as single picture, I didn’t expect to turn the page and see the image continue from farther away.  It all evoked so brilliantly the loneliness, the trapped feeling, the isolation of waiting for an apology. 

Tan continues to surprise and delight in this new picture book.  While not for everyone, there are some children who will adore this skewed world that speaks to our own.  Appropriate for ages 6-10.

Reviewed from copy received from Arthur A. Levine Books.

Review: Homer by Elisha Cooper

| Tasha

homer

Homer by Elisha Cooper

Homer is out on the porch when the day starts.  Everyone seems to have something that they want to do that day.  The other dogs want to run around and play chase.  Homer doesn’t want to.  He doesn’t want to play in the field either, or walk to the beach, or swim, or go to the market.  He stays on the porch.  One-by-one the others return from their day and everyone tells Homer about it.  The dogs are tired from running. He gets to smell the flowers from the field and even wear one. There are shells to smell, wetness from the beach, and produce from the market.  People finish their days out on the porch with Homer.  At the end of the day, Homer heads inside, eats his dinner, and happily falls asleep in a chair.

Cooper does several things in this very simple picture book.  First, he pays homage to the relationships of dogs and humans, the sort of dog that is quiet, steady and always there.  Homer is the sort of dog everyone wants on their porch too.  Second, Cooper speaks to the importance of simplicity and a life well lived.  This is done quietly as one watches Homer’s day, realizing the bliss that it brings him. 

The setting of the seaside and the summer activities, make this a great book to share when you have sand between your toes.  Even better if a dog is thumping his tail nearby.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer by Jennifer Gennari

| Tasha

my mixed-up berry blue summer

My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer by Jennifer Gennari

June has lived on Lake Champlain with her mother forever.  They run the marina with its supplies and café.  That’s where June learned to make pies, and she is determined to enter the fair this summer to prove what a great baker she is.  But this summer is going to be very different from other summers.  First, her mother’s girlfriend has moved in with them.  Then there is the pressure from Vermont’s new civil union law that has their small town divided.  There are people who won’t shop at the marina anymore because June’s mother is gay.  It is a summer unlike any other, one where June will have to figure out how she feels about having two mothers, and then whether she has the courage to speak up. 

Gennari’s debut novel courageously takes on not only the issue of gay parents but also the political backlash that can occur to a family in modern America.  Through the eyes of June, we see a strong mother and daughter connection, an understanding that her mother is gay, but then the realization that that will be much more public with a girlfriend or spouse.  Gennari makes this a very human story that embraces the power of community and the complexities as well.  As a special aside, I will mention the great librarian character who shows a lot of support for June and her family.

This book is short and active.  It’s a perfect summer read with plenty of dips in the lake, boats on the water, bike rides in the heat, and ripening berries all around.  Nicely, it is about more relationships than the mother and her girlfriend.  June is faced with losing a friend because of their difference in opinion and then June’s changing feelings toward Luke, a boy who is her best friend. 

Perfect for a summer read while floating on a lake, this book is strong, courageous and radiant.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Brownie & Pearl Take a Dip by Cynthia Rylant

| Tasha

browniepearl

Brownie & Pearl Take a Dip by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Brian Biggs

It’s a very hot day.  After sitting in front of the fan with lemonade, Brownie and Pearl decide to head for the pool.  Time for swimsuits, a beach ball and sunglasses.  They head to their small pool that is just the right size for both of them.  It feels so nice, but then Pearl leans in a little too close and gets a lot wetter than she wanted to.  In the end, it still feels nice to have a dip, but also nice to spend time drying out in the sun.

Rylant has created a very cheery series for toddlers.  Brownie and her pet cat Pearl have small adventures that very young children will relate to and understand.  Rylant has an ear for simplicity in her writing, creating a book that is simple but tells a full story.

Biggs’ illustrations are equally warm and friendly.  They are large, bright and warm.  The colors are rich and vibrant, creating a book that would work well for a group of toddlers as well as one-on-one.

A great pick for a hot summer day, this book will be enjoyed by children ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Beach Lane Books.

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Book Review: Sparrow Road by Sheila O’Connor

| Tasha

sparrowroad

Sparrow Road by Sheila O’Connor

Raine’s mother suddenly drags her from their home in Milwaukee to a strange place called Sparrow Road far away.  Her mother has a job as a cook at Sparrow Road, making meals for the artists who call the place home for the summer.  Not only is Raine away from home and her beloved grandfather for the first time, but Sparrow Road has rules.  No one is allowed to speak all day long, until after dinner, she is not to bother the artists, and her mother won’t let her leave the grounds.  As the days pass, Raine discovers some of the secrets of Sparrow Road but answers will be harder to find.  The biggest secret of all is why Raine and her mother came to Sparrow Road in the first place.

A delight of a novel, this book is about family, connections, and friendships.  Readers may believe at first that it is going to be about Raine discovering how to be on her own and silent in the beauty of Sparrow Road’s natural setting, but that is not the case.  Instead it is about creating new friendships, finding unexpected connections, and discovering anew those closest. 

O’Connor’s writing creates a world within Sparrow Road.  She writes with great sensory detail of both the natural setting and the strangeness of the big house where orphans used to live.  She blends the past and the future with great results, allowing Raine to wonder about the past both her own and that of Sparrow Road.  It is a beautifully written book that has a strong sense of place.

Highly recommended, this book would make a great read aloud for a classroom as it explores families, forgiveness and friendship between generations.  It is also a great summer read for older elementary children who can head for their own green space to think and wonder.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy received from Penguin Group.

Also reviewed by:

Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown

| Tasha

Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

A fourth book in the spectacularly funny Lunch Lady series, this book returns with the same formula of humor and action.  In this book, Lunch Lady is working at a summer camp that the Breakfast Bunch kids just happen to be attending.  This is not going to be the relaxing summer they all expected!  A swamp monster is on the loose at camp, coming out only at night.  Now Lunch Lady and the kids have to once again join forces to find out who is behind the attacks.

The puns here are just as funny as in all of the previous books.  They are guaranteed to have readers groaning and then sharing them aloud with friends.  The art is just as simple and fun too, sticking to the limited color palette that marks this clearly as a Lunch Lady book. 

A winning addition to a very popular series, every library should have this series for young graphic novel fans.  Appropriate for ages 7-10.

Reviewed from copy received from Knopf.

Also reviewed by:

Mama Is It Summer Yet?

| Tasha

Mama, Is It Summer Yet? by Nikki McClure

This lovely, gentle book shows the slow approach of summer through the spring as buds appear on trees, seeds are planted in the garden, trees blossom, and baby ducks follow their mothers.  Focused on the natural world and the seasonal changes around us, this book has a wonderful connection to the earth.  McClure’s stunningly detailed cut-paper illustrations add to the appeal with subtle colors warming the black and white.  A great read aloud for a toddler story time on spring or summer, or a great book to snuggle together with on a wintry day and dream of the warm days to come.

This book features charming, brief writing that offers information on the seasons and ties directly in to what the illustrations are showing.  The relationship of the mother and child throughout the book is very organic and loving.  The illustrations are so deftly done that it is sometimes hard to even imagine that they are cut paper.  The detail would be impressive enough with pen and ink. 

A pleasure of a book, share this with children who are enjoying summer right now but make sure to pull it out to warm up cooler days as well.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by:

The Summer I Turned Pretty

| Tasha

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Han, author of Shug, a perfection of a tween novel, returns with a beauty of a summer read.  Belly has always summered at the beach house with her brother, her mother, her mother’s best friend, Susannah and her two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah.  She has also always had a crush on Conrad who is years older than she is.  Belly is the lone girl in the group, and the youngest, often left behind while the three boys head out to swim, go to parties, and ignore her in general.  But this summer the boys are reacting differently to Belly.  This is her summer, the summer where she can be the center of things, where they will notice her, and where she can feel she is really part of their group.  But things don’t always work out as planned, there are huge things happening in the family, that may just change things forever.

Han’s writing is so effortless that it is easy to read this book in a single sitting.  She captures the lightness of a summer read, but never loses depth and realism.  Her characterization is complex and often revealing far more than the characters would want.  It is a delicious read in this way.  There is also the sweetness of young love, the drama of a crush, and the sudden realization of how brief summers are.  All of this is done without losing pacing and interwoven into the very activities that make summers so special.

I grew up in a resort area where I was one of the few kids who lived there year round.  As someone who has deeply experienced the seasonal community, this book captures it down to its very core.  Belly’s realization that the family she stays with are wealthier than her own family was also one that struck me at about that age when I realized that the families who summered there were living in their second homes.  Seems obvious, but it really isn’t to children who have grown up with that as the norm.  The fact that Han used that little realization made this read so real.

The perfect beach read of the summer, take this one, dip your toes in the water and enjoy!  Appropriate for ages 13-17.