Oh my gosh, this book is adorable. More than anything, Henry wants a dog. More than a trip to the moon, a cowboy costume, even world peace—Henry wants a dog. Not a frog, nope: frogs are boring. Now DOGS, they have personality. They can do tricks. So Henry places an ad in the newspaper: “Wanted: the Perfect Pet, aka A DOG.” But somewhere else there is also a duck who wants more than anything to have a friend. Ignore the boring cover and fall in love with the story about a duck, a boy, and the perfect pet.
Oh No!: Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World
by Mac Barnett Hyperion
Our Price: $16.99
Seriously one of the FUNNIEST picture books I have ever read. I love the expressions on the characters’ faces, and especially, the ROBOT DOGS. Perfectly reminiscent of old Godzilla and monster/destruction movies of the 50’s, but completely holds up to a child reader unfamiliar with the references. Riotously funny.
The Secrets of the Cicada Summer
by Andrea Beaty Amulet Books
Our Price: $6.95
What a perfect summer read. The language of this book is so beautiful. Lyrical and hauntingly unforgettable. I can’t believe this is the first novel for Andrea Beaty. This would be a great book for young girls looking for something in the mystery category, but want something a little more mature than Nancy Drew or Harriet the Spy. So very good.
Oh man oh man oh man- this is an incredibly exciting book. Yeah, it's creepy, but surprisingly not all that scary. My head's still reeling after reading it. I can't wait for part 2, Havoc, due out in May. This is clearly a book for fans of Hunger Games and The Lightning Thief. I'm talking to you buddy. Read this book.
Milo and his friends' adventures are always getting broken up for no good reason. Lunch! Dinner! and "Get out of the trash!" But bedtime is the worst. It's always ruining everything. So Milo comes up with a perfect plan, a Secret Plan.
At first, they try hiding to get out of bedtime, but that doesn't work. Going undercover? Nope. But Milo's friend Hildy comes up with the best idea -- "Do you still have those big, furry monster feet from Halloween?" she asks. Finally Milo and his friends have a plan that might just work.
When the friends discover their "perfect late-night no-bedtime-ever hideout," their Secret Plan works out perfectly. Well, almost. A new plan ensues, a sneaky, sleepy plan.
There were multiple times where I was laughing my head off with this book. I think my favorite part is where the cats are wearing a trench coat with the elephant hiding underneath - going undercover. A wonderful twist on the bedtime story.
Red Ted and the Lost Things
by Michael Rosen Candlewick Pr
Our Price: $8.99
When Red Ted is left behind on the train and taken to Lost and Found, he fears he will never see Stevie again. His newly-made friend Crocodile is no help; things look bleak. But Red Ted is brave and determined to get back to Stevie. So with the help of his friends and the use of a keen fondness for cheese, Ted finds his way back home.
One of the things I like about Rosen's work is the simple way he has of sharing raw, heartbreaking experiences. There's a familiarity here of loss that all children are bound to go through. The comfort is in the fierce loyalty and love Red Ted shows in his attempt to return to Stevie. And with the companionship of friends, even our most frightening of trials seem that much more possible.
Strength in What Remains
by Tracy Kidder Random House Inc
Our Price: $26.00
If there were a companion book to Tracy Kidder's Mountains Beyond Mountains, this is it. The story focuses this time on Deo, a survivor of the Burundi Genocide in the early 90's. Kidder mercifully does not go into too much gruesome detail on the Genocide itself, but still paints a picture clear enough to get a sense of the horror of the events. And there are some difficult scenes to read through. Terrifyingly so.
But the real takeaway for me is that despite what happened to Deo, he still went back. In a form of cathartic healing, and perhaps a sense of humanitarian rightness, Deo went back to Burundi and Rwanda in order to build clinics and hospitals for all the people in the two healing nations.
I was greatly moved and inspired by Strength in What Remains. I think this may have the guts to inspire generations to come.
Can You Make a Scary Face?
by Jan Thomas Beach Lane Books
Our Price: $12.99
Thomas is darn right funny. Hilarious, even. The hit-your-head-on-the-counter-because-you're-laughing-too-hard kind of funny. Her newest-to-date picture book, Can You Make a Scary Face?, furthers her career as one of the BEST read-aloud picture book author/illustrators out there. Remember Sesame Street's Grover in There's a Monster at the End of This Book -- this book reminds me of that.
One of my favorite aspects to Thomas' picture books are the character's facial expressions. You and your young one(s) will be dancing, wiggling, and screeching with joy as you both beg for one more read.
Weaving a mystery set in late 1970s New York with Wrinkle in Time, who would've thought?! I finished it a few weeks ago and my brain is still trying to put all the pieces together. About a third of the way into the book, I started flipping to the cover just to see what other surprises were around the corner. I love this book!
Alibi Junior High
by Greg Logsted Aladdin Paperbacks
Our Price: $15.99
Thirteen year old Cody and his father are partners in a secret CIA organization that works to dismantle organizations that threaten the security of the United States of America. When one of their missions gets too close for comfort, Cody's dad ships the youngster off to Connecticut to live with his Aunt. As tough as his world has been as an international spy and "boy" of mystery, junior high is even tougher. He has no idea how to talk with kids his own age or how to dress properly—nor does he know how to rid his mind of the images from a fatal car bombing that targeted both him and his father on their last mission.
The story here is extremely readable and from the get-go you care about Cody and want to follow along in his story. I see this as a book for fans of the Alex Rider series. Really what we have here is a story about fitting in.
The Knife of Never Letting Go
by Patrick Ness Candlewick Pr
Our Price: $9.99
Knife of Never Letting Go is seriously amazing! The book is crazy and it is dark. I love the world-building happening here. The story centers around Todd Hewitt, the last boy in Prentisstown. The last boy because there are no women left in Prentisstown—not since the war with the spackle (one of the native human-like inhabitants on this distant planet settlement). And if that weren't enough, everyone in Prentisstown can hear each other's thoughts. Even the animals. When Todd stumbles upon something he shouldn't, he's forced to flee the town in danger for his life. But how do you hide when everyone and everything can hear your thoughts? The suspense will have you on the edge of your seat and eagerly awaiting book 2 in this three part series.
It's Useful to Have a Duck
by Isol Groundwood Books
Our Price: $10.00
It is useful to have a duck. Put him on your head and use him as a hat, or on your nose and he becomes a gargoyle. Read the boy's story to the end, then flip over this accordion-style board book and you get the duck's story: It's Useful to Have a Boy. The same moments from the boy's perspective you now get from the duck's. Now the duck can see far when he's atop the boy's head, or as the gargoyle, the duck receives a kiss from the boy. This is a very charming story simply and creatively told.
The Last Invisible Boy
by Evan Kuhlman Ginee Seo Books
Our Price: $16.99
For fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. You’ll fall in love with the narrator and the illustrations. And, you might just fall on the floor laughing.
Vlautin's The Motel Life is a darkly hilarious, gritty, and honest novel about two brothers living in Nevada. Their lives are hard. They make mistakes, or as one of the brothers, Jerry Lee, says, they’re ‘fuck-ups.’ But they’re not bad people. Scattered throughout the novel are mini stories that Frank, the younger brother and main character, tells Jerry Lee. They sort of give you a deeper understanding of what the brothers are going through at the time, and they’re enjoyable to read.
It is 1967 and Holling Hoodhood has just started the seventh grade. He is convinced that his teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates him because as a Presbyterian, he ruins her Wednesday afternoons by staying behind when all the other students have gone to Catechism class or Hebrew school. So she has him read a number of Shakespeare's plays (which he really enjoys despite Mrs. Baker trying to bore him to death). All Holling has to do is get through the year alive. Never mind the yellow-toothed giant rats that are out to get him, or the costume he has to wear for the Shakespeare extravaganza (yellow tights and feathers covering his butt), or the fact that Vietnam is going on and Martin Luther King, Jr. is trying to make the world a better place. As the world seems to tumble down around him, Holling struggles to make his way through it, to find his own voice.
You can list some things that "The Wednesday Wars" seems to be about, but I think it's more than the list. It has that instant timeless/classic appeal. Or as Mrs. Baker says on Shakespeare, "'It is about the abundance of love. It is about the weakness of armies and battles and guns and.…' She stopped. Her mouth worked back and forth. 'It is about the endurance of love,' she whispered."
When eleven year-old Gregor follows his two year-old sister, Boots, down a storm drain in his New York City apartment, he enters a world deep, deep underground. There are giant spiders, cockroaches two feet tall, rats as tall as basketball players, bats large enough for humans to fly on... and they all talk. Almost right upon his arrival to this dangerous new world, Gregor is identified as the possible warrior foretold in a nearly 400 year-old prophecy. But none of this matters to Gregor. His only concern is to protect his sister, escape the Underworld, and rescue his father who's been missing for the past two years. But without the help of all the giant creepy crawlies, Gregor has little chance of survival. Thus begins the quest that intertwines the fate of the Underworld and the survival of Gregor and his sister and father.
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Gregor the Overlander is an easy recommendation. The book is well-written and the plot just sails you through to the end. And thankfully, all of the books in the Underlander Chronicles are available. Go get some.
It seems that there are a number of books that have been coming out lately where the male protagonist is brilliant, young, and unflappably brave in the face of danger: Evil Genius, Artemis Foul, and The Mysterious Benedict Society are just a few that come to mind. But what we have with Marcus is a reluctant hero who is at times brilliant and incredibly brave, but can be broken by stronger forces to the point of utter shame. I liked this about Marcus. He seemed more believable as a character.
Wrapped into the plot of the book is a sort of how-to at taking down those that try to control you through technology. There is also quite a bit of history as far as the protest movement of the 60's, specifically in the San Francisco area. Surprisingly, the informational sections of the book seemed to be a great addition to the book's overall story. I appreciated the (albeit one-sided) consideration of national security--does it really make us safer? This book has the potential of changing the way many young people look at the world.
There is a clear comparison to Orwell's 1984, but I also think fans of Fight Club and Scott Westerfeld's Uglies trilogy will also find a similar passion in Little Brother.
Mr. Carey should definitely be added to the best teachers in children’s literature.
The students of class 6C are starting a new year with a new teacher. Mr. Carey. He's different. He has a beard and a ponytail, he listens to Bob Dylan, and he reads the students poetry. He even laughs when one of the students makes a joke.
