Childrens Books

The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr Lucy Beck-Moreau was considered one of the top concert pianists.  Now at age 16, she has abruptly left the concert circuit and doesn’t play the piano at all.  Instead she is attending school just like any other teenager, doing homework, and listening to her younger brother Gus practice his piano pieces.  When Gus’ aging piano teacher dies, she is replaced by Will, a young teacher who was once himself a child pianist and recommends plenty of time away from the piano for Gus, including once forbidden video games and TV.  As Will balances out Gus’ life, Lucy is drawn to him.  Will is older and sophisticated and interested in Lucy herself as both a pianist and a person.  This is the story of Lucy’s triumph over grief and loss and her struggle to play music on her own terms and for her own reasons. Zarr has beautifully captured a family of wealth and talent without lingering overlong on those details.  It is Lucy who is the center of the novel, which is told in third person but specifically from Lucy’s view.  This gives the book a necessary distance so that readers can view Lucy from a small space and recognize the mistakes that she is making and repeating.  Lucy is a wonder of a flawed protagonist, filled with talent yet drawn into destructive situations of her own making, one feels an affinity to her and yet pushed away as well. It is this strength of the central character that lifts this novel above others covering similar subjects.  The writing here is strong and clear, and the story flows with a natural feel that allows Lucy to veer dangerously close to disasters that make the reading that much more exciting.  Along the way, a dysfunctional family is on display, showing readers how Lucy came to be the way that she is, and also showing hope for what is possible. A true mix of hope, music and tenacity, this book is beautifully composed and harmonious with lingering crescendos.  Appropriate for ages 14-17. Reviewed from library copy. Filed under: Book Reviews, Teen Tagged: families, music, pianists, self esteem

Peace, by artist Wendy Anderson Halperin is a visual and poetic meditation on the subject of peace. The book is dedicated to our senses, and that dedication sets the tone for the book – peace is real, and it can be sensed with our whole bodies and expressed with our words, actions, and thoughts. There is a very short text which can be read aloud, along with quotes from famous peacemakers spread throughout, and panels of illustrations depicting scenes of peace. Halperin chooses quotes from people like Mother Teresa, Albert Einstein, Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, and Anne Frank. I like that many of the quotes focused on the small ways we can work toward peace: “When people talk, listen completely” (Ernest Hemingway); and “Friendship is the only cure for hatred, the only guarantee of peace” (Buddha). The many illustrations, too, while wide in scope (they depict children and nature around the world), also depict small scenes of peace. Some of the images contrast to illustrate the concept. For example, one scene shows a grandmother washing dishes while her granddaughter lounges on the couch. A few pages later, we see the same grandmother washing the dishes with her granddaughter at her side helping her. Another scene depicts an elderly man boarding a bus as everyone continues to read their paper. Later on in the book, we see that a child has risen from his seat and offered it to the man. We also see children reading in tree houses, planting vegetables, sharing meals with their families, and quietly observing a heron. The book is one to read and look at over and over again. It may spark discussions about kindness, friendship, stewardship of the earth, and about standing against all those things that destroy peace – like anger, apathy, ignorance, and jealousy. I can see this making a soothing bedtime book for all ages, and while it would be difficult to read the book aloud to a classroom (too many small details), it would make a good book for small groups to read and discuss in the classroom. Posted by: Parry

Cindy: Did you know that craft books work for Mystery Month too? They do when they are Sneaky Art projects. Jocelyn’s creative ideas for creating and hiding mystery “sneaky” art in public spaces will leave the recipients wondering “whodunit?” Sneaky Art: Crafty Suprises to Hide in Plain Sight (Candlewick 2013) is full of fun ideas, many of which librarians or teachers can use for craft programs or classroom projects. Half the fun will be in placing them to delight unsuspecting people. You don’t have to be Christo and Jeanne-Claude to create temporary public art…these are projects everyone can do. After some initial instructions about found materials, sneaky lettering (think ransom note collage style), where to place your creations and cautions (sneaky art is NOT “mean, defacing, ugly, hurtful, messy, or permanent) the book launches into its simple projects. Facial features cut from magazines can be mixed and matched and posted with our without speech bubbles to surprise (on your fridge, on a parking meter…) Do you have a glove or mitten that is missing its mate? Leave the stray on a doorknob somewhere looking like it is ready to shake your hand. Put bright socks on the bottom on chair legs. Make fortune cookies out of cupcake papers and leave them in an open spot to be discovered. One of my favorites is the “Library Shouts.” Speech bubble signs that you can sneak into your favorite books at the library or bookstore. The “Painted Stones” section reminded me of all the rocks that I painted as a teen and sold at a craft booth. I painted lots of red lady bugs for the 70s terrarium craze. Last summer I started painting them again and hiding them in flower beds at my friends’ houses. Apparently I am a natural at the sneaky art craze. Last week I mentioned May Day flower baskets left as surprises on neighbors’ doors and no one knew what I was talking about. Apparently that tradition has gone the way of Maypoles. Perhaps Sneaky Art is a way to resurrect some of the joy of being surprised by a nice artistic treat. I hope it catches on. Lynn:  The focus group and I are already scheming.  We loved this book and the real mystery is which fun project to try first!  Most of these them look well within the artistic abilities of eight and nine-old-boys…and more importantly their fumble fingered grandmother!  This is a GREAT book for nervous artists.  Each idea features a wonderful color picture of the finished project facing a page of very clear directions.  Each set of directions include categories that describe Where, Materials, How to Make and How to Sneak.  Perfect!  The materials are inexpensive and easy to find which is a big bonus too. There are zillion great uses for this book besides entertaining grandchildren.  These are ideal projects for day cares, elementary classrooms, library story-time groups, birthday parties or summer day camps.  I love Jocelyn’s message of playing with art in a respectful responsible way as much as I love the idea of providing sweet surprises. If you are around West Michigan this summer, keep your eyes open for some sneaky art fun! Cindy: Our local paper yesterday had a timely feature on a Yarn Bombing event coming to Lowell, Michigan this summer. Sneaky art isn’t just for children. Nonfiction Monday blog posts are available at this week’s host, Perogies & Gyoza. Sneak on over…

So, for one thing, Ann Bausum's splendid post this past Friday, inspires me to show you all my 5th grade picture. It's inspired giggles from many an audience of tactless schoolchildren, bless their hearts. For another, I'm compelled to inform you that on this day in A.D. 526, a big whacking earthquake in Syria ended the lives of some 300,000 people, about 230K more than have died in the current troubles, since the Arab Spring arrived in that ancient land. Over how many borders the troubles will spill, how many more will suffer, have their lives extinguished, taciturn Heaven only knows. And on May 20, 1768, savvy, rosy Dolley Madison (far the better politician than her brilliant hubby), was born. Exactly 94 years later, President Lincoln found time away from the abysmal war that was consuming his administration in 1862, to sign the far-reaching Homestead Act into law. May 20, 1927? Charles Lindbergh took off from Long Island, bound for Paris. Now imagine the lives, the thoughts, the contexts, the actions, the rippling after-effects, the stories represented by each of those little factoids! Doesn't that just knock you out? The glorious lake formed by many a long-ago eruption of the Taal Volcano on the island of Luzon. And in the center of the lake? Vulcan Point, yet another island. For yet another thing, in my post last month, I confessed my dire misgivings and oogly-booglies about traveling to Manila. So I did and did not, after all, wind up lost and alone, thousands of miles away from what little savoire faire I possess. I lived to tell the tale of my adventure in the Philippines - but not here. This ain't no travelogue, after all. I'll confine myself to saying that what I saw was glorious (troubling too, of course, being that the divide there between those who have and those who don't is ever so much wider and deeper there than our American chasm between rich and poor) and being with the students at Brent Internat'l School was a tremendous joy. Unlike Ann B. and ever so many others, whose love of their children brought them to writing books for young readers, that bespectacled, introverted 5th grader you see above drew pictures and devoured children's books partly as a means of avoiding my parents' offsprings, i.e. my little brothers. As a grown up greeting card illustrator, I came to children's books because they were the ones that had the pictures! Imagine my surprise when I discovered that a big part of the business of children's books was visiting schools, universally infested (in the sense that P.G. Wodehouse used the term - if you guys only knew how many hours I've drawn and painted whilst listening to Right Ho, Jeeves, about hapless Bertie Wooster and his butler) with little people! Further imagine my surprise when I found out how much FUN it was, visiting with kids - what a big fat, life-affirming, profession-affirming bonus! What it would have meant to my dorky ten-year-old self if a living, breathing writer of books had come to Mrs. Fadler's classroom at Bryant Elementary School! Can you find me, roosting in the midst of a bunch of swell kids at Effingham, Kansas the other day? Of course it's a blast, answering their many questions. Drawing pictures for them. Assuring them that their teachers weren't merely persecuting them when they insisted that revision actually is a key part of the writing process. Repeat after me, I tell 'em, 'All REAL writers/ if they have any self-respect whatsoever/ work on their writing some more. / Oh, baby!' But beyond all of the theatrics (after all any REAL writer is an entertainer, too, and especially if you wish to get and keep the attention of a bunch of lively young squirts), what a large load of joy it has been all these years, talking with young Americans about the vivid, complex life behind each and every one of the famous names they're asked to remember, behind the multitudes whose names we'll never know. Asking them, wouldn't you g

The Incredible Charlotte Sycamore, by Kate Maddison (Holiday House, 2013, mg/ya) is a lightly romantic steampunk mystery for tweens (which is not something I get to type every day). And I love the cover. It's one I might well hand to the upper middle school girl (7th grade, or so), who isn't quite ready to plunge into the deeper waters of YA speculative fiction/romance, who wants something different and undemanding. That being said, I myself found it somewhat lacking. It ticked along nicely at a surface level, but never deeply engaged me. Charlotte Sycamore, narrator of the story, is certainly not your run-of-the mill alternate-Victorian teenager. For one thing, her father is Queen Victoria's own physician, elevating her to a social status that may be below that of the nobility but which is very comfortable indeed. For another, she likes to sneak out of Buckingham Palace at night and practice swordfighting with her friends, Peter and Jillian. They may be far, far below her socially, but she's happy to defy convention to enjoy their company.But one night, right as the story opens, the threesome are attacked by savage dogs who appear rabid. Though their skill at weapons saves their lives, all three are bitten, Jillian gravelly so. And to add to the horror, the dogs are not normal creatures--they are mechanical monsters.Charlotte makes it home after summoning help for her friends, but they are placed under guard, presumed victims of rabies. And indeed, Charlotte herself begins feeling ill. Snatched perusals of her father's mechanical tomes suggest the worse--that she's going to die. But even as her symptoms worsen, Charlotte cannot just let the mystery of the mechanical dogs lie. Then Jillian and Peter escape from their virtual prison, but are wanted by the law. Matters get progressively worse, as Jillian nears death, and Peter and Charlotte sicken further. The rabid mechanical dogs are joined by mechanical bats of death, and Queen Victoria herself is in grave danger....unless Charlotte and her friends can stop the power-hungry twisted genius behind the murderous mechanicals.So it's a fine story qua story, nicely paced and quite gripping. The alternate, steampunk Victorian setting was different enough to have zest, without being so different as to overwhelm the story. I especially like Queen Victoria's magical game pieces! The mystery, however, ends up solving itself--there isn't much actual detection being done by the characters.There is a romantic triangle, of a mild sort, that is not desperately necessary to the plot. As well as the handsome Peter, Charlotte is good friends with an equally attractive young groom Benjamin; both are attracted to her. To add to her romantic difficulties, she's been engaged to a naturalist she's never met--he's out of the picture, naturalizing. For the younger reader, the somewhat unsubtle romantic intrusions may well be appealing; for readers who prefer meaningful build-up to young love, they may not:"Take care of yourselves, Peter whispered, more to me than Benjamin. I thought I detected a look of longing in Peter's smoldering eyes, but then he turned away from me to bravely lead his sister out of danger, his shoulders squared and his long stride resolute" (pp 179-180).It was hard to see Peter as a real person. And indeed, the book never delivers any convincing depths for its central protagonist, let alone the supporting characters. Charlotte's interest in the mechanical and natural sciences, for instance, were all well and good--but this is presented at a surficial level, and not as a moving, intrinsically essential, part of her character (and she isn't at all convincing as a methodical, thoughtful, scientist). Charlotte makes friends with people well-below her social class, but this does not present more than an occasional awkwardness, and without contemplating any big, difficult questions, she's happy to help and be friends with poor people. For instance, she sen

So, as you’ve probably gathered by our photos from the last few weeks, Nancy and I visited London recently! Well, we’re still gossiping about the royals while wearing funny hats and eating fish and chips — in other words, it’s time for another London-based book review! This time, I’m recommending Freaks by Kieran Larwood. The book takes place in Victorian London and follows the adventures of Sheba, a wolf-girl who performs with a freak show. Between her oddball roommates and the stinky but fascinating setting, you’d probably find her story interesting on its own — but things get really exciting when poor kids start disappearing into the muddy banks of the River Thames. Sheba leads the investigation, along with Monkey Boy, a supernatural ninja girl, a strong man, a bunch of rats and their “mama,” and a cast of other freaks. What they discover is partly mechanical, absolutely evil, and definitely dangerous. Read Freaks if you like The Name of This Book Is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch, The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby, or anything else steampunk. Don’t read Freaks if you’re not into action-packed mystery, stories with historical elements, very real danger, or strange human/creature hybrids. Have you read Freaks? Leave a comment and let me know if you liked it as much as I did, or send in a full review of your own! — Karen Karen definitely would NOT want to live in Victorian England. The smell would do her in immediately! More about Karen »

Howdy, folks! I can’t take full credit for today’s post since it was my ineffable co-worker Alison Hendon who took the time to cull together all the stuff at this month’s upcoming Book Expo that is children and YA book related.  If you have any interest at all in attending but you’re not quite sure what there is to do, here’s a lovely schedule of events: BEA 2013 THURSDAY, MAY 30 Getting Kids Reading                               9:30-10:20   1E12/1E13 YA Editors Buzz                                       10-10:50        1E14/1E15 Library Family Feud                               10-11:50      1E11 Journey of a YA Book                               11-11:50         1E16 Future of Ebooks                                       2-2:50           1E07 SF/Fantasy                                                3-3:30          Uptown Stage Ebooks from Libraries                               3:30-4:20    1E10 The New Graphic Novel                            4-4:45           Uptown Stage FRIDAY MAY 31 YA Author Buzz                                        10-10:30       Uptown Stage Out of this World Pageturners                  11-11:30         Uptown Stage Middle Grade Editors Buzz                       11-11:50         1E12/1E13 Writing Genre for Boys                              12:12:30       Uptown Stage Middle Grade Authors Buzz                       1-1:30           Uptown Stage Picture Book Powerhouses                        2-2:30          Uptown Stage Betsy Bird signs Giant Dance Party      3:00              Table 8 Realistic Fiction YA                                    3:30             Uptown Stage Librarian Shout and Share                         3:30-5          1E11 Kate DiCamillo/Cynthia Voigt                    4-4:50          Uptown Stage SATURDAY JUNE 1 Adult Crossover/YA                                11-11:30         Midtown Stage Sci Fi / Fantasy Writers                          12-12:30        Midtown Stage Note that I have helpfully highlighted the most important events *cough cough* for your attending convenience.  One of those is the somewhat confusing “Family Feud”.  Essentially, if you’ve ever wanted to watch me trash talk John Rocco, now’s your chance.  The official description is below. Authors and Librarians, Get Ready for the Feud….Library Family Feud! ™ 10:00 am – 11:50 am Room 1E11 Start out your convention RIGHT with a little sparring of smart wits between a team of librarians and authors who go at it Family Feud ™ style. Featuring the nation’s smartest, toughest, and humor filled writers and librarians across the country! Hosted by AAP Library Committee Chair Chris Vaccari, Director, Sterling (aka…Quizmaster Chris…the industry’s own Richard Dawson). Speakers (er, game show contestants) revealed here: LIBRARIAN FAMILY: Christopher Platt, New York Public Library; Betsy Bird, New York Public Library; Erin Shea, Darien Library; Elissa Miller, DC Public Library and Jamie Watson, Baltimore County Public Library. AUTHOR FAMILY: Simon Doonan, author of The Asylum: A Collage of Couture Reminiscences (Penguin/Blue Rider Press); Stephanie Evanovich, author of Big Girl Panties (HarperCollins/William Morrow); John Rocco, author of Super Hair-O and the Barber of Doom (Disney-Hyperion); Jill Shalvis, author of It Had To Be You (Hachette/Grand Central); Obert Skye, author of Pinocula (Macmillan Children’s). A donation will be made to the winning (and losing) team’s charity of choice! Thems authors be going down!

Spring has finally sprung here in Michigan, and as the kids abandon their snow boots for flip-flops, these are the books they’re bringing with them to the beach. First grader Gabby recommends the Kylie Jean series by Marci Peschke and Tuesday Mourning. “Kylie Jean is always supportive and good with everything. She spends most of her time with her Grandma, who has a farm. She calls her dog Ugly Brother – it’s a funny series. Boys and girls will both like it.” Gavin, 7, suggests readers try Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot series. These graphic novels by Dav Pilkey and Martin Ontiveros are favorites because: “Dav Piley always writes funny books. There are crazy characters like mutant mosquitos and giant stink bugs. The flip-o-rama thing they do in every book is awesome.” Alexander, 11, recommends The Name of This Book is Secret By Pseudonymous Bosch and the series that follows. “It’s a great, hilarious book that talks to the readers. It’s a fun mystery/comedy series with insane twists that just gets funnier and funnier… even the titles are funny.” Thanks to Gabby, Gavin, and Alexander for sharing their go-to summer reads. Do you have a favorite book? Tell us about it in the comments below.

THIS IS MY CHICKEN. SHE'S CALLED LIZZIE. SHE SHOULD LAY EGGS, BUT SHE'S TOO BUSY. INSTEAD SHE'S DANCING IN THE AIR IN HER PURPLE UNDERWEAR.If you feel you've found the funny farm, you're right.All the critters here seem somewhat crazed. In addition to dizzy Lizzie, there's Daisy the cow, who's too lazy to graze, and Fancy Nancy the pig who spends her days gazing at herself in the mirror. Then there's sheepdog Frankie who's too cranky to round up a slew of silly sheep.Fortunately, there is one thing that these deranged domesticated goof-offs do well--sleep!And that's a good quality, at least for characters in a bedtime story , and Mary Ellen Jordan's Lazy Daisy, Cranky Frankie: Bedtime on the Farm (Albert Whitman, 2013) bring it home in a tickle box turnover tale that will encourage shut-eye in little listeners. Jordan's easy-reading rhyming text and artist Andrew Weldon's large cartoon animals, done up in black line and flat pastel watercolors against bright white pages, give kids scads of silliness, from Chicken Lizzie roosting in her purple tighties on the clothesline to a top-hatted, roller-skating sheep, as they work their way down to the right time to hit the hay on this hilarious funny farm.

999 Frogs Wake Up By Ken Kimura Illustrated by Yasunari Murakami North South Books ISBN: 9780735841086 $17.95 Grades PreK-1 In Stores Find it at: Schuler Books | Your Library Croooak! Creeeeck!! As I write this, there are two frogs ribbit-ing back and forth in my backyard. Every spring they arrive, every time with their bordering-on-oppressive volume level. Maybe it’s just me, but when I think frogs I think childhood. These amphibians figure big in the lives of a lot of kids. Even those who would never lay a hand on one often fall victim to their fascinating grossness. Originally published in Japan, 999 Frogs Wake Up continues the story begun in 999 Tadpoles. Similar to its predecessor, this is a simple tale, well-told. It’s spring and Mother Frog pops her head out of the mud. Time to awaken her brood. But when you have 999 kids, the accounting can be difficult. ‘One, two, three …,’ Mother Frog counted. But no matter how many times she counted, she could only find 998 froglets. The mystery is solved when sleepyheaded big brother finally emerges. But there are other slumbering creatures as well, and big brother and the rest of the family set out to rouse them. Turtle, lizard, ladybugs – everything’s a breeze until they come across a big snake, where some quick thinking by Mother Frog ensures the froglets will live to see more adventures. The illustrations are simple and bold. White space is a key element, making the froglets and the other creatures leap off the page. Although it’s fiction, I could see 999 Frogs Wake Up working well for introducing some nonfiction concepts. The story provides a number of jump off points for exploration on hibernation, habitats, ecosystems, life cycles, and more. It also ranks high the on the read aloud meter. An all-around good book to have on hand. Review copy from the publisher. New feature! Great Kid Books, The Nonfiction Detectives, Kid Lit Frenzy, and I are teaming up to review books on similar topics. We’re calling it Common Core IRL: In Real Libraries. Click here to get the full scoop at Great Kid Books.