Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days November 9, 2009

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
Author: Jeff Kinney
ISBN: 9780810983915
Pages: 214 pages
Publisher/Date: Amulet Books, c2009.

For me, summer vacation is basically a three-month guilt trip.
Just because the weather’s nice, everyone expects you to be outside all day “frolicking” or whatever. And if you don’t spend every second outdoors, people think there’s something wrong with you. But the truth is, I’ve always been more of an indoor person.
The way I like to spend my summer vacation is in front of the TV, playing video games with the curtains closed and the lights turned off. (1)

The fourth installment of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney has arrived! In Dog Days, Greg is dealing with the effects of a bad economy. His family can’t afford the country club pool like Rowley’s dad, so he’s forced to endure the town pool. Heather the life guard makes it bearable, but Greg is forced to pay for all the smoothies that he and Rowley ordered. They start a lawn mowing company together even though neither one has access to a lawn mower, but Greg is NOT going to step over the dog turds that cover the yard. When Greg’s dad has to pick him up early from a not so fun camping trip with Rowley’s family, which included no television or video games, Greg gets worried that he’s going to be sold, and calls the cops. Greg’s story is anything but predictable.

Everyone can bemoan and send me letters all they want to, but this was my least favorite Wimpy Kid book. Kinney spent way too much time emphasizing Greg’s fear of the men’s shower, more than I think is appropriate for a book that third and fourth grade girls and boys are reading and which I think could have been left out of the book entirely. While nothing inappropriate is shown, it just seems unneccessary, with the four scenes showcasing almost identical pictures of naked men with their waists being blocked from view by a strategically placed bench. He also plays some mean pranks on his father and friend, such as calling the police and ripping dollar bills from kids. Some of the scrapes he gets himself into are still classic Wimpy Kid, like avoiding the dog poop while mowing a neighbor’s lawn and being forced to start a book club with his mother. But was I laughing out loud with this one? Not really. I think more than one person will be disappointed with this latest chapter in Greg’s life. I find it somewhat hard to believe that he has made it to almost eighth grade and he has somehow maintained his friendship with Rowley, especially with their “fight”. The series is waning, and Kinney needs to regroup and refocus if he’s going to keep his excited and loyal audience.

Wake and Fade November 9, 2009

WARNING: I’m blogging these books together because I read them back to back. Because of this, there will be some spoilers in the my analysis following the summary for Fade. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Title: Wake
Author: Lisa McMann
ISBN: 9781416953579
Pages: 210 pages
Publisher/Date: Simon Pulse, c2008.

She closes her eyes. Tries to think. Holds up a weak finger, letting him know she needs a moment. But she feels the next one coming already. She doesn’t have much time. And she has to prepare him. She doesn’t have a choice.
“Cabel. Do not freak if–when–I do that again, okay? Do NOT stop the bus. Do NOT tell a teacher, oh God, no. No matter what.” She grips the armrests and fights to keep her vision. “Can you trust me? Trust me and just let it happen?”
The pain of concentration is excruciating. She is cringing, holding her head. [...] Cabel is gawking at Janie. “Okay,” he says. “Okay.” (74)

In Lisa McMann’s first book Wake, seventeen year old Janie Hannangan is getting fed up with her special ability to jump uncontrolably into people’s dreams. It’s been happening ever since she was eight, with increasing frequency now that her classmates are falling asleep in school and on fieldtrips. She’s kept her curse a secret, until classmate Cabel starts trying to determine what’s different about Janie. Her ability reveals that Cabel also has his own secrets to hide, and they just might be more than she ever realized.

Title: Fade
Author: Lisa McMann
ISBN: 9781416953586
Pages: 248 pages
Publisher/Date: Simon Pulse, c2009.

“We’ve done complete background checks on all the teachers. Everyone comes up squeaky clean. And now we’re stuck. Cabe, Janie, this is why I had you at the all-nighter. I’m looking for any information you can give me about Fieldridge teachers who might be sexual predators in their spare time. Are you up for the challenge? This one could be a bit dangerous. Hannagan, chances are, the predator is male. If we can determine who we’re after, we may need to use you as bait so we can nail him. Think about it and get back to me on how you feel about it. If you don’t want to do this assignment, you’re off the hook. No pressure.” (14-15)

In Fade, the sequel to Lisa McMann’s Wake, Janie Hannagan is becoming decidedly more hands-on with her second police investigation. Rather than relying on her dreams, she puts herself in the thick of things trying to track a sexual predator. While she’s gaining more control over her dream powers, she’s also realizing that there might be consequences to them that she was never aware of originally. On top of that, she’s trying to keep her overly-protective boyfriend a secret from everyone and deal with senior year responsibilities. When she begins to get in over her head, who will help her distinguish what is real and what is the dream world?
—–
Just a warning: If I was providing a rating for these books, I would probably rate it PG-13, because it does contain swearing and scenes of nudity, sexuality, and violence. That being said, it’s a unique concept that was pulled off brillantly. The only complaint I have was the fact that there wasn’t one “good” parent in the entire book, with Janie’s mom being an alcoholic, Cabel’s parents are horrible (especially his dad, who burns him and is luckily sent to jail and dies there as a result–just desserts) and Janie’s friend Carrie’s parents seem out of sorts until you learn about their son’s drowning death. But Janie’s frustrations with her talent/disorder are relatable, and Cabel’s reactions are authentic. Their relationship is genuine, with both becoming jealous as a result of things the other has to do for their police work. The teens read like real teens, with swearing punctuated by bursts of anger, resentment, gossip, and joy. Cabel’s overprotectiveness of Janie is touching and I like him more then another overprotective boyfriend we’ve seen in a recent release. *cough*Twilight series*cough* He has good reason to be legitimately concerned, considering Janie’s struggles to control the situations she’s placed in. His reactions are pitch perfect, with the initial freak out and distancing once he discovers her ability, and then attachment to her. These two wounded loners want something good to happen in their lives and when it finally does, they don’t know how to handle it or how to not loose it. They’re a couple you cheer for.

A third book, Gone is planned for Feb. 2010, and I hope it is as well written, gripping and engaging as the first two. Find out more at her website: http://www.lisamcmann.com/

Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls November 7, 2009

Title: Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls
Author: Lynne Jonell
Illustrated: Jonathan Bean
ISBN: 9780805081510
Pages: 358 pages
Publisher/Date: Henry Holt and Company, c2008.

Emmy Addison was an ordinary girl–almost.
She had straight dark hair, skinny legs with a scrape on one knee, and no particular talent that she knew of. If you didn’t count the fact that her parents were rich (very), her best friend was a boy (and a soccer star), and she could talk to rodents (and they talked back), she was very ordinary indeed. (1)

For fans of the first book in the series, Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat, Lynne Jonell’s Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls starts off about a month later. Emmy is looking forward to being a normal girl this summer, now that things are back to normal. But no matter how much she tries to distance herself from the rodent community in an effort to make human friends, Miss Barmy is still on the loose, and five girls are still missing. In fact, Miss Barmy has convinced everyone that she has changed, and is planning a beauty paegant for the whole community. Emmy doesn’t believe it for one second, and sets off to discover the secret plan that involves stolen jewels by shrinking herself once again. When Sissy gets injured and Emmy blames herself, will Emmy and her friend Joe be stuck in the rat world forever?

This is a sequel, and maybe that’s why I’m liking the first book a little better than this one, because all the surprises are in the first one. In the second, readers know Miss Barmy is bad business, we know Emmy can speak to rodents, and readers know about the rats powers. While there are some new characters introduced, it seems like they are added to extend the story and not to adhance the plot. And while it’s a mystery what Miss Barmy is doing until the very end, the evil plan takes way too long to unfold. One thing that hasn’t changed from the original is the artwork, with the return of the flipbook style pictures just as delightful as the first. Instead of being excited about the possibility of a third book, the “and they all lived happily ever after” ending was a let-down, and leaves me frustrated and unsatisfied with the ultimate conclusion. Fans of the first will obviously clamor for the second, but I found it unsatisfying in the end, which lacked the clever and unpredictable plot of the first one.

Years of Dust November 7, 2009

Title: Years of Dust: The Story of the Dust Bowl
Author: Albert Marrin
ISBN: 9780525420774
Pages: 128 pages
Publisher: Dutton Children’s Books, c2009.

“At noon, darkness enveloped the earth. It seemed like an evil spirit had splashed an immense bucket of black paint across the sky. Within minutes, from horizon to horizon, the sun disappeared and noontime became “midnight.” But such a midnight! There was no moon, mo stars, no meteorites flashing across the heavens. Instead, billowing clouds of dust, some rising more than two miles into the air, whipped across the plains. Driven by howling winds, the clouds easily overtook speeding cars. As the dust fell back to earth, it drifted like dirty, crunchy snow, choking roads and bringing trains to a grinding halt. Worse, the dust buried crops and livestock, destroying farmers’ homes and livlihoods.” (2)

Award winning author Albert Marrin presents a comprehensive discussion of the Dust Bowl in his newest book Years of Dust. Marrin takes readers all the way back to the 1700s to explain how pioneers and westward expansion effected the economy and ecology of the plains and led to the dust storms. He also talks about the effects of the storm, which caused over 2 million people to leave the area in search of a better life. Finally, he talks about possible solutions to the problems, dust storms around the world, and how events around the world can effect our planet. Filled with black and white photos, drawings, and charts that tell the story, children and adults will be enthralled.

Albert Marrin’s book was a complete joy to read. The cover is compelling, and although the lack of color might not age nicely (we’ll have to see) it and the black and white graphics throughout fit with the bleak tone of dust. All of his graphics have captions, identifing place, year, and person when available. The only complaint is that a very large portion are taken by Dorothea Lange, who through the course of the book readers learn is not the most reliable of sources. Her pictures are compelling and well done though, so it makes sense that their used. A very detailed bibliography, index, and footnote citations make it great for classroom use for an example of quality research/reporting and also will provide extensive future reading for kids and adults. It includes multiple formats, including websites, making it current and relevant to kids of today. This book makes me want to find the rest of his books, and at less then 150 pages, it’s a great book for reports for those reluctant readers.

Making Mischief: A Maurice Sendak Appreciation November 4, 2009

Title: Making Mischief: A Maurice Sendak Appreciation
Author: Gregory Maguire
ISBN:9780061689161
Pages: 200 pages
Publisher/Date: William Morrow, c2009.

“I won’t attempt to name Sendak’s theme. I will look at the body of his work casually, colloquially, admiringly, from several different approaches in order to show you what I see, and why I think the word genius isn’t grade inflation.” (4)

If you’re looking for a comprehensive, unbiased review and critique of Sendak’s work, you won’t find it here. Author Gregory Maguire, of Wicked fame, sets out to show the world his long withheld appreciation of the work of Maurice Sendak. In Making Mischief, Maguire compares his art not only against other works of his own art, but also to such classics as William Blake and Chuck Jones and lesser known artists like Iona and Peter Opie and William Nicholson. While people familiar with art will probably get the most out of this book, the last chapters are the ones I found the most enjoyable. In chapter three, Maguire showcases the four popular categories (flying, reading, children, and monsters) that are noticably recurring in Maurice Sendak’s works. As an English major in college, I’m familiar with the idea of recuring motifs, and appreciated Maguire’s organization that made it easy to compare illustrations. In chapter four, Maguire picks his top ten pictures from Sendak’s body of work. With each picture, Maguire goes into more detail analyzing Sendak’s use of space, allignment, and color. Finally, and probably the most eye-opening, is chapter five, which collects a hodge podge of Sendak’s illustrations to retell the Caldecot winning story of Where the Wild Things Are. Fans of Sendak will be interested in the title, but references to other works of art are lost on the uninformed, even when the work in question is provided. Citations alongside the artwork would have helped the reader tremendously, especially for readers unfamiliar with Sendak’s complete body of work and the obscure artists used for comparison, although the accompanying credits are beneficial for those looking for other information.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane October 26, 2009

Title: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Illustrator: Bagram Ibatoulline
Narrator: Judith Ivey
ISBN: 0307245934 (for Audiobook)
Pages: 200 pages
Discs: 2 CDs/ 1 hour 56 minutes
Publisher: Candlewick Press, c2006.

Martin threw Edward.
And Edward sailed naked through the air. Only a moment ago, the rabbit had thought that being naked in front of a shipload of strangers was the worst thing that could happen to him. But he was wrong. It was much worse being tossed, in the same naked state, from the hands of one grubby, laughing boy to another.
Amos caught Edward and held him up, displaying him triumphantly.
“Throw him back,” called Martin.
Amos raised his arm, but just as he was getting ready to throw Edward, Abilene tackled him, shoving her head into his stomach, and upsetting the boy’s aim.
So it was that Edward did not go flying back into the dirty hands of Martin.
Instead, Edward Tulane went overboard. (44)

Edward Tulane is a tiny China rabbit. Do not under any circumstances, call him a doll. He belongs to Abilene and lives in a house on Egypt Street. Well, at least that was the case until he was thrown overboard while on a cruise. Now he’s on a marvelous adventure where is drowned, thrown, burried, and almost eaten by a dog. With pictures by Bagram Ibatoulline that remind me of The Runaway Bunny, fans of the Velveteen Rabbit who have grown up should read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.

I immediately drew the connection to the Velveteen Rabbit when listening to the book on CD. It’s a sweet, almost simple story of a rabbit who doesn’t realize what he had till it’s gone and spends the rest of the trip trying to regain it. I was pleasently surprised to find that the book is illustrated, and they really do remind me of the Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown. Pictures dividing the chapters are small, almost 1/9th of the page, centered, in tones of black, gray and white. Hidden inside the chapters are full page and full color illustrations, which I think readers will enjoy, flipping through and finding the pictures before finishing the book. While Judith Ivey has some great inflection for Edward, the cast of supporting characters start to sound the same by the end of the book. This would probably make an enjoyable read aloud for bedtimes, especially with a mixed age group.

Here, There Be Dragons October 21, 2009

Title: Here, There Be Dragons
Series: The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica
Author: James A. Owen
ISBN: 9781416912279
Pages: 326 pages
Publisher/Date: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2006.

The apparition grasped his hand in return, pumping it frenetically. “At last, at last!” he exclaimed. “So happy to make your acquaintance, John, my dear, dear boy. And what better place than here at Sir Arthur’s home-away-from, eh? So grand, so grand. Yes…”
Jack and Charles exchanged skeptical glances and Jack twirled a finger at his temple.
The little man continued undeterred. “I trust you can take it from her, correct?” he said, thrusting the oilskin-wrapped parcel in John’s direction. “You know what must be done. The professor would not have left you unprepared for this.”
John waved the parcel away. “I haven’t the slightest idea what you are talking about. We’ve only just ourselves come from the professor’s house, and I haven’t known of his death for but the last day.”(17)

John, Jack, and Charles all find themselves at the apartment of a recently murdered professor on a cold and stormy night. Although they’ve never met eachother before, they become entangled in an adventure when Bert presents them with the Imaginarium Geographica, an atlas of imaginary worlds. The Winter King however, is after the book, and all three are sent fleeing on one of seven Dragon ships. In a story that weaves mythology with recognizable classic fantasy, James Owen’s Here, There Be Dragons presents a journey to the ends of the world with the tales of King Arthur, elves, and Captain Nemo assisting the three unlikely heroes.

Fantasy nuts will recognize with great clarity the influences on this book. The Parliment aligns itself with the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, there is a ring of power that Tolkein fans will recognize from Lord of the Rings, and the humans being referred to as “Sons of Adam” traces back to Chronicles of Narnia. Literary figures are also apparent, from works like H. G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle and Jules Verne. But even without these little glimpses into the genre, readers are still transported back into time, not only to the era of World War I, which is where our story begins, but to the lands of the Archipelago. I loved the line towards the end of the novel, where Charles says “Here, There Be Dragons,” wasn’t a caution. It was a reassurance.” and John remarks “I think that would depend on your relationship with the dragons. (313) It just shows what the book is, which is an entirely new way of thinking of mythology, mystery, and fantasy. The black and white drawings done by the author add intrigue and detail to an already compelling read, which grabs readers and holds them tightly to the very end, where there is one last curveball for readers. Highly recommended to fantasy fans, especially middle schoolers who have already gobbled up the usual suspects.

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank-You Notes October 20, 2009

Title: Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank-You Notes
Author: Peggy Gifford
ISBN: 9780375842702
Pages: 160 pages
Publisher/Date: Schwartz & Wade Books, c2008.

Numbers 1 through 12 on Moxy’s List of 13 Things to Do Before Tomorrow were to write twelve thank-you notes. Last year she hadn’t finished writing the thank-you notes for her Christmas presents until the day before Easter. This year, she promised her mother, they’d all be finished by the day after Christmas. And today was the day after Christmas. (3)

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank-You Notes. Fans of Peggy Gifford’s first book starring the procrastinating 10-year-old will not be disappointed by this sequel. Moxy’s mom has said that if she doesn’t finish writing her thank you notes TODAY, she won’t be allowed to visit her father in fabulous Hollywood, who she hasn’t seen for almost three years. In an effort to speed things up, she decides to use her stepdad’s new copier. With her twin brother Mark documenting the procedure with his camera, nothing goes as planned. Especially when Moxy’s mom and stepdad arrive home.

While I’m still a little partial to the first book in the series, I think fans will still find plenty to laugh about. For instance, when Mark, Moxy, five year old sister Pansy, and six year old neighbor Sam try to work the copier.

Sam punched “12″ into the copier. But the number didn’t show up in the little box. So he pressed “12″ again. Nothing. Once more, he pressed “12,” and just as he did, he noticed he’d been loking for the “12″ in the wrong little box. The right little box said “121,212.”
At that exact moment, Pansy pushed the big red Start button.

Having read the previous book, the action was somewhat predictable, but the ending was not. The ending was what brought it back home, and allowed readers to sympathize with Moxy and Max. The handling of the split family situation is well-done and incorporated nicely. While not one of my top ten, some reluctant readers might enjoy the quick read.

Chasing the Bear October 20, 2009

Title: Chasing the Bear: A Young Spenser Novel
Author: Robert B. Parker
ISBN: 9780399247767
Pages: 169 pages
Publisher/Date: Philomel Books Penguin Young Readers Group, c2009.

I was hanging outside the variety store with Pearl and some guys when Luke Haden’s car pulled up at the stoplight, with Jeannie in the front seat. I had never seen her riding with her father before. She saw me through the rolled-up window and mouthed the word HELP at me. HELP. HELP. I started toward the car and the light changed and the car moved forward. (33)

Fans of Robert Parker can now have a glipse at the childhood of his well-known private-eye Spenser in Chasing the Bear. Spenser flashes back to when he was 14 years old, and his classmate Jeannie has been taken by her abusive father into the woods. Rather than go for help from his father and two uncles, Spenser sets off with his dog Pearl to rescue her. He also has to deal with a racial war brewing in his home town between the Mexican and American students.

Bouncing back and forth between Spenser and his wife and Spenser’s past, it’s an great introduction for people who have never read the Spenser series, like myself. However, I don’t think teens will pick this book up on their own. This seems to be written with the adult readers in mind, with banter from Spenser and his wife Susan cutting in and out of the narrative at sometimes odd points in the story. The stories don’t really work together without it, because it is Susan who draws the correlation between the relatively short vignette about hunting with his father, the lengthier rescue of Jeannie, and finally the involvement in community racial tensions. Susan being a psychiatrist, their conversations read as an intimate interview, which adults might get more out of. That being said, the action is there, if interupted, and teens might pick it up for the interesting cover. But I highly doubt that they’re going to be familiar with the character or the author.

Korgi Books One and Two October 20, 2009

Title: Korgi Book One: Sprouting Wings
ISBN: 9781891830907
Pages: 82 pages
Title: Korgi Book Two: The Cosmic Collector
ISBN: 9781603090100
Pages: 84 pages
Author/Illustrator: Christian Slade
Publisher/Date: Top Shelf Productions, c2007. c2008.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m blogging both of these books as one entry because they are so short, and yet so stylishly designed. Christian Slade’s pencil drawings are amazing, with close examination yielding the fact that his shading is done with closely drawn lines and cross-hatching. The girl Ivy and the dog Sprout are so expressive in their actions and faces, that it’s understandable why words aren’t necessary to convey their stories. Slade got his practice while being a Disney animator, and it shows to the full effect in the books. In the first book, subtitled Sprouting Wings in the interior pages, readers are introduced to the residents of Korgi Hollow, including Sprout the corgi dog and Ivy, who is a Mollie (a tiny person living in peaceful coexistence with the dogs). However, strange visitors appear and threaten their peaceful lives. Readers will be surprised and delighted by the outcome, as Sprout and Ivy fight the intruders in a most unexpected manner. In the second book, another otherworldly visitor is stealing valuables from the Mollies (I won’t say what because it’s part of the surprise in the first book). Ivy and Sprout get involved, and follow the thief to it’s lair, where they attempt to reclaim their stolen items. It ends with what I hope is an illusion to a third book, with questions about the ruins on the outskirts of town.

If you’re interested in watching a trailer, click here and you can see some of the first pages of book 1 pieced together into a short animation (it doesn’t give away the suprise ending).