The heck with July fourth. It's almost BAFAB week! What is BAFAB? It's Buy A Friend A Book week. Plus, BAFAB is a holiday all round the world, which American Independence Day isn't (although many Americans think so).
BAFAB today! Or next week. Or both.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Of Course She Does
Rowling plots to kill Potter characters
Okay, my bets are on Hagrid and . . . erm . . . let's see . . . at least one Weasley parent. I'll be really mad if she kills off Ron or Hermione after I've spent this long rooting for them.
Thanks to Blog of a Bookslut.
Okay, my bets are on Hagrid and . . . erm . . . let's see . . . at least one Weasley parent. I'll be really mad if she kills off Ron or Hermione after I've spent this long rooting for them.
Thanks to Blog of a Bookslut.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Millions
You may have noticed that I didn't post any bookish news last week. (Or maybe you didn't. Who knows.) Well, it's like this. I got a job (hooray!) but it's in another state (yargh). So all my time is now spent boxing up my approximately 10,000,000 books in order to flee across state lines. I may not be able to post with a book review next Monday, as I'll be wandering around trying to find apartments with sturdy enough floors that I and my entire collection of Madeleine L'engle novels won't fall through the ceiling into somebody else's living room.
However, when things settle down, it'll be back to worm-eating principals and book reviews every Monday like clockwork. Promise.
Book: Millions
Author: Frank Cottrell Bryce
Published: 2004
What would you do with a million? Damian would really like to know, because he’s all out of ideas. See, he’s got a million pounds. It came down from the sky in answer to his prayer. His materialistic brother Anthony is ecstatic, and they’ve suddenly become the stars of the school yard. But with only a few days left before Britain switches to the euro and all that money is rendered useless, (not the mention that the people who lost the money in the first place would really like it back) the brothers are finding out that even a million pounds is way more trouble than it’s worth.
The basic premise is simple enough, but in the end, Millions is not really about money. It’s about grief, about ethics, and about figuring out what’s right and then doing it. The two boys are reacting to and dealing with their mother’s death in drastically different ways: Damian by absorbing every iota of information he can about saints’ lives, Anthony by knowing the value of money really, really well. Perhaps the trickiest element of this story is Damian's conversations with saints like Claire of Assisi, St. Peter, and even St. Joseph. In the hands of many authors, maybe even most authors, this would have come out cloying, weird, stuff-it-down-your-throat religious, or just implying that Damian is really cracking up. But Bryce handles it lightly and deftly, bringing out the human side of the saints and making Damian's asking for their advice a normal child's desire for guidance by respected adults.
The story behind the story is almost as interesting. Bryce wrote Millions as a screenplay first, and then adapted it into a novel which came out simultaneously or just before the movie. The movie is as charming and possibly even more magical in tone than the book, although it did leave some important bits out.
However, when things settle down, it'll be back to worm-eating principals and book reviews every Monday like clockwork. Promise.
Book: Millions
Author: Frank Cottrell Bryce
Published: 2004
What would you do with a million? Damian would really like to know, because he’s all out of ideas. See, he’s got a million pounds. It came down from the sky in answer to his prayer. His materialistic brother Anthony is ecstatic, and they’ve suddenly become the stars of the school yard. But with only a few days left before Britain switches to the euro and all that money is rendered useless, (not the mention that the people who lost the money in the first place would really like it back) the brothers are finding out that even a million pounds is way more trouble than it’s worth.
The basic premise is simple enough, but in the end, Millions is not really about money. It’s about grief, about ethics, and about figuring out what’s right and then doing it. The two boys are reacting to and dealing with their mother’s death in drastically different ways: Damian by absorbing every iota of information he can about saints’ lives, Anthony by knowing the value of money really, really well. Perhaps the trickiest element of this story is Damian's conversations with saints like Claire of Assisi, St. Peter, and even St. Joseph. In the hands of many authors, maybe even most authors, this would have come out cloying, weird, stuff-it-down-your-throat religious, or just implying that Damian is really cracking up. But Bryce handles it lightly and deftly, bringing out the human side of the saints and making Damian's asking for their advice a normal child's desire for guidance by respected adults.
The story behind the story is almost as interesting. Bryce wrote Millions as a screenplay first, and then adapted it into a novel which came out simultaneously or just before the movie. The movie is as charming and possibly even more magical in tone than the book, although it did leave some important bits out.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Boy 2 Girl
Book: Boy 2 Girl
Author: Terence Blacker
Published: 2005
Meet Sam Lopez, the new girl, who’s just moved to England from America. She’s tough. She’s funny. She doesn’t take any guff from anybody. She’s the most popular girl at school--every boy wants her, every girl wants to be her.
If only they knew Sam isn’t Samantha, but Samuel.
Sam’s exasperated cousin, Matt, initially dared him to make the big switch, thinking it would be good for a laugh and teach his wild cousin a thing or two. But his brilliant idea snowballs until it’s bigger than anybody, even Sam, can control. From an obviously biased teacher to the reactions of the other students to the observations of secondary characters, Blacker writes a hilarious novel that examines the way that gender is defined by the outside world.
I really took to this book, which takes a premise right out of Monty Python and uses it as a framework to ask all sorts of questions about sex and gender. Blacker also uses the unusual narrative device of telling the story from a multiplicity of first-person POVs, from Matt to the girls at school to the little old lady walking by in the park. In fact, the only character who never does have his say is Sam himself, which further underscores the theme of one’s gender being defined and interpreted by others.
While much of the focus is on the humorous Victor/Victoria dichotomy of a boy posing as a girl, Blacker also weaves in a more serious and emotional story about Sam, his dead mother, and his absent father. My only quibble with this book is that, until close to the end, the subplot involving Sam’s biological father descends into stereotypical farce rather than the inspired and thoughtful hilarity of the rest of the book.
Author: Terence Blacker
Published: 2005
Meet Sam Lopez, the new girl, who’s just moved to England from America. She’s tough. She’s funny. She doesn’t take any guff from anybody. She’s the most popular girl at school--every boy wants her, every girl wants to be her.
If only they knew Sam isn’t Samantha, but Samuel.
Sam’s exasperated cousin, Matt, initially dared him to make the big switch, thinking it would be good for a laugh and teach his wild cousin a thing or two. But his brilliant idea snowballs until it’s bigger than anybody, even Sam, can control. From an obviously biased teacher to the reactions of the other students to the observations of secondary characters, Blacker writes a hilarious novel that examines the way that gender is defined by the outside world.
I really took to this book, which takes a premise right out of Monty Python and uses it as a framework to ask all sorts of questions about sex and gender. Blacker also uses the unusual narrative device of telling the story from a multiplicity of first-person POVs, from Matt to the girls at school to the little old lady walking by in the park. In fact, the only character who never does have his say is Sam himself, which further underscores the theme of one’s gender being defined and interpreted by others.
While much of the focus is on the humorous Victor/Victoria dichotomy of a boy posing as a girl, Blacker also weaves in a more serious and emotional story about Sam, his dead mother, and his absent father. My only quibble with this book is that, until close to the end, the subplot involving Sam’s biological father descends into stereotypical farce rather than the inspired and thoughtful hilarity of the rest of the book.
Friday, June 16, 2006
Holy Schnikes
Mother Reader has not only pledged to blog all she reads for the next 48 hrs, she's sucked others in with her. Dear god, will the world never be safe from voracious readers of children's lit who then blog to share the goodness with others? I hope not.
(But Bibliovore, why aren't you doing this?)
(I like sleep.)
(Wimp.)
(Yes.)
(But Bibliovore, why aren't you doing this?)
(I like sleep.)
(Wimp.)
(Yes.)
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Red Hot Diggity
Either I'm really bored right now, or there's a lot of cool book news. Given that there's almost always a lot of cool book news, I'm going with option number 1.
As if indexing the rest of the known world weren't enough, Google is introducing Searchable Shakespeare texts.
Okay, not technically kid's lit, but I did warn you I'm a recovering English major. See, it's right up there. There! In the title.
As if indexing the rest of the known world weren't enough, Google is introducing Searchable Shakespeare texts.
Okay, not technically kid's lit, but I did warn you I'm a recovering English major. See, it's right up there. There! In the title.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
A New Low in School Lunches
Conestoga Elementary School serves worms
Actually, this story is about a principal and a librarian who dared their students to read 100 million words over the course of the school year. If they succeeded, the principal would eat fried worms, in honor of the classic gross-out book by Thomas Rockwell.
Well, they did . . . and did he? Read it and find out.
Actually, this story is about a principal and a librarian who dared their students to read 100 million words over the course of the school year. If they succeeded, the principal would eat fried worms, in honor of the classic gross-out book by Thomas Rockwell.
Well, they did . . . and did he? Read it and find out.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
File This Under "Hmmm"
Hawking to Write Children's Book
Normally I would rail for awhile against those goonballs who think they can write a children's book in an evening. However, it appears he's writing nonfiction (or possibly fiction with lots of education) in his area of expertise, unlike, say, Madonna. Plus I liked A Brief History of Time, the parts that I understood, anyway.
But I still think I'll wait until it comes out to make any judgements.
Normally I would rail for awhile against those goonballs who think they can write a children's book in an evening. However, it appears he's writing nonfiction (or possibly fiction with lots of education) in his area of expertise, unlike, say, Madonna. Plus I liked A Brief History of Time, the parts that I understood, anyway.
But I still think I'll wait until it comes out to make any judgements.
The Dewey Donation System
The Dewey Donation System has this really cute logo of a little dot with a book on its head . . . oh, you want to hear what it does.
The DDS (way different from the DDC; and if you laughed at that joke, you're a librarian) calls attention to people or libraries in dire need of books. The libraries set up Amazon wish lists, nice people buy books, Amazon sends them and everyone's happy. The DDS has helped out Oakland Public Library after catastrophic budget cuts, San Diego Public Library after wildfires, Indian schoolchildren after the tsunami, and now have turned their formidable attention to Katrina-devastated libraries in the Gulf Coast.
Do it because you're a nice person. Or because you really, really need brownie points in heaven after that crazy weekend in Vegas when against all reason and laws of mathematics, you may have actually broken eleven commandments. Y'know. Either way.
The DDS (way different from the DDC; and if you laughed at that joke, you're a librarian) calls attention to people or libraries in dire need of books. The libraries set up Amazon wish lists, nice people buy books, Amazon sends them and everyone's happy. The DDS has helped out Oakland Public Library after catastrophic budget cuts, San Diego Public Library after wildfires, Indian schoolchildren after the tsunami, and now have turned their formidable attention to Katrina-devastated libraries in the Gulf Coast.
Do it because you're a nice person. Or because you really, really need brownie points in heaven after that crazy weekend in Vegas when against all reason and laws of mathematics, you may have actually broken eleven commandments. Y'know. Either way.
Monday, June 12, 2006
You Are *So* Cursed!
It's Monday! And what does that mean?
No, it does not mean that I need a caffeine IV. That's not exclusive to Monday. I need one of those every day.
Book: You Are So Cursed!
Author: Naomi Nash
Published: 2004
Vick's the school witch, and she makes sure everyone knows it. She's doing a good job--everyone but her tiny group of misfit friends is terrified of her. But she's got a big secret, and here it is: while she's got a real gift for magic, it's got more to do with Houdini than Hecate. When Gio, a popular and well-liked guy (in other words, Vick's perfect antithesis), realizes this and starts getting close, the first bricks in Vick's wall start to crumble. It gets worse when the friends that she's been protecting for so long suddenly seem to turn on her. In the end, Vick has no choice but to let someone in or be alone forever.
I picked this book up for the title--it made me laugh, especially with the cover photo of a sour-faced, sterotypical goth girl sneering out at you. I kept reading because it inverted and undid my expectations. Although some of the secondary characters suffer from 2D-itis, Vick leaps off the page in full and complex life. Vick's story is bitterly, caustically funny, heaping withering scorn on stratified high school society that never looks beyond the outside. Weaving in a real respect and affection for "street magic," the illusions and misdirection used by stage magicians, Nash tells the story of a tough girl who's a secret marshmallow, and how love and friendship are scarier than even black magic.
No, it does not mean that I need a caffeine IV. That's not exclusive to Monday. I need one of those every day.
Book: You Are So Cursed!
Author: Naomi Nash
Published: 2004
Vick's the school witch, and she makes sure everyone knows it. She's doing a good job--everyone but her tiny group of misfit friends is terrified of her. But she's got a big secret, and here it is: while she's got a real gift for magic, it's got more to do with Houdini than Hecate. When Gio, a popular and well-liked guy (in other words, Vick's perfect antithesis), realizes this and starts getting close, the first bricks in Vick's wall start to crumble. It gets worse when the friends that she's been protecting for so long suddenly seem to turn on her. In the end, Vick has no choice but to let someone in or be alone forever.
I picked this book up for the title--it made me laugh, especially with the cover photo of a sour-faced, sterotypical goth girl sneering out at you. I kept reading because it inverted and undid my expectations. Although some of the secondary characters suffer from 2D-itis, Vick leaps off the page in full and complex life. Vick's story is bitterly, caustically funny, heaping withering scorn on stratified high school society that never looks beyond the outside. Weaving in a real respect and affection for "street magic," the illusions and misdirection used by stage magicians, Nash tells the story of a tough girl who's a secret marshmallow, and how love and friendship are scarier than even black magic.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Heads up!
Like every other freakin' kidlit blog in the whole entire world, I am posting a link to the Guardian's interview with Daniel Handler, AKA Lemony Snicket. It's mostly about his recently published adult novel, but he does chat a little about the Lemony Snicket phenomenon, like he will have to do for the rest of his natural life. I imagine reporters will exhume him after his death to ask him about Lemony Snicket, and he will curse them eloquently.
Anyway . . . enjoy, y'all.
Anyway . . . enjoy, y'all.
Monday, June 05, 2006
The Penderwicks
Book: The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
Author: Jeanne Birdsall
Published: 2005
The four Penderwick sisters, Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty, with their enormous, galumphing dog, Hound, and their dreamy, permissive dad, are off to have a great summer in a rented cottage. When they arrive, they discover that the cottage is on the grounds of a massive estate, which comes complete with a cute gardener, a really scary owner, and the owner’s bored son, about to be sent off to military school completely against his will. The Penderwicks immediately decide it is their duty to make sure that Jeffrey gets a great summer, and if they can swing it, a way out of that stupid military school.
If anyone can do it, they can.
Much as I love them, the one thing that always grated on my nerves about classic children’s adventure stories (think Nesbit’s The Railway Children, Barrie’s Peter Pan, or Cooper’s Over Sea, Under Stone) was how annoying the girls were. They were always dragged along against their will, fussing that they’d get in trouble, or whipping out the spotlessly clean, perfectly pressed handkerchief and wiping smudges off their resisting brothers’ faces.
Well, no more. While Rosalind is plenty fussy and mothery, that seems to be more because she’s the oldest. The rest of the Penderwick girls (and even sometimes Rosalind) hurl themselves headlong into trouble, and for once, they’re dragging the boy along. The subtitle has it right: while there are problems and conflicts, this entire story seems to take place in a golden, innocent bubble of summer fun.
Author: Jeanne Birdsall
Published: 2005
The four Penderwick sisters, Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty, with their enormous, galumphing dog, Hound, and their dreamy, permissive dad, are off to have a great summer in a rented cottage. When they arrive, they discover that the cottage is on the grounds of a massive estate, which comes complete with a cute gardener, a really scary owner, and the owner’s bored son, about to be sent off to military school completely against his will. The Penderwicks immediately decide it is their duty to make sure that Jeffrey gets a great summer, and if they can swing it, a way out of that stupid military school.
If anyone can do it, they can.
Much as I love them, the one thing that always grated on my nerves about classic children’s adventure stories (think Nesbit’s The Railway Children, Barrie’s Peter Pan, or Cooper’s Over Sea, Under Stone) was how annoying the girls were. They were always dragged along against their will, fussing that they’d get in trouble, or whipping out the spotlessly clean, perfectly pressed handkerchief and wiping smudges off their resisting brothers’ faces.
Well, no more. While Rosalind is plenty fussy and mothery, that seems to be more because she’s the oldest. The rest of the Penderwick girls (and even sometimes Rosalind) hurl themselves headlong into trouble, and for once, they’re dragging the boy along. The subtitle has it right: while there are problems and conflicts, this entire story seems to take place in a golden, innocent bubble of summer fun.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
10 Ways Parents (inadvertantly) Discourage Their Kids From Being Readers
Ran across this thanks to another kidlit blog. Read! Now! Especially if you are a parent. #1 and the unnumbered reason are my biggest pet peeves, but all the rest are pretty high up there too.
Post tomorrow! Baking in the oven as we speak.
Post tomorrow! Baking in the oven as we speak.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Al Capone Does My Shirts
After looking at my list of recent posts (or more accurately, the dates attached), I realized it wasn't fair to blog so irregularly. From now on, I'll try to post every Monday(ish). Of course, more often if I get great new books. In the meantime, cross your fingers for me; I may have a line on a librarian job.
Book: Al Capone Does My Shirts
Author: Gennifer Choldenko
Published: 2004
Twelve-year-old Moose’s family moved for his dad’s job. Pretty run-of-the-mill, right? You read this story every day. Well, considering that his dad’s new job is on Alcatraz . . . not so much.
It’s 1935, and the country is hip-deep in the Great Depression. Meanwhile, Alcatraz is full to the gills with the very best celebrity criminals, but none is more famous than Al Capone. Moose would be more excited, if it weren’t for the crazy schemes of the warden’s manipulative daughter, fitting in at a new school, and most of all, taking care of his fifteen-year-old sister.
The family also moved so that Natalie can go to a special school, where she might actually be “cured” of the mysterious condition that manifests itself in obsessive-compulsive behaviors and an inability to connect to others. Moose has seen it all before, though, and he holds little hope that Nat will ever be normal. But when the school rejects her on the grounds that she is too old, Moose cooks up the craziest scheme of them all, just in case.
Choldenko’s writing evokes both the odd world of an everyday kid living on Alcatraz and the experience of a family so focused on one child that the other often falls by the wayside. The part of Moose, and this book, that I loved best was the realistic mix of feelings he has for Natalie. He loves her and is as ferociously protective as either of his parents, but tangled up with that is frustration that he has to sign away so much of his life to her needs, anger that she can’t just be like other girls, and a kind of helpless acceptance that she will never get better, no matter what his mother wants to think. Choldenko notes in an afterword that these days, Natalie would be diagnosed as autistic, a disorder unknown in the 30’s. Pick up this book and hand it to your favorite fan of historical fiction.
Book: Al Capone Does My Shirts
Author: Gennifer Choldenko
Published: 2004
Twelve-year-old Moose’s family moved for his dad’s job. Pretty run-of-the-mill, right? You read this story every day. Well, considering that his dad’s new job is on Alcatraz . . . not so much.
It’s 1935, and the country is hip-deep in the Great Depression. Meanwhile, Alcatraz is full to the gills with the very best celebrity criminals, but none is more famous than Al Capone. Moose would be more excited, if it weren’t for the crazy schemes of the warden’s manipulative daughter, fitting in at a new school, and most of all, taking care of his fifteen-year-old sister.
The family also moved so that Natalie can go to a special school, where she might actually be “cured” of the mysterious condition that manifests itself in obsessive-compulsive behaviors and an inability to connect to others. Moose has seen it all before, though, and he holds little hope that Nat will ever be normal. But when the school rejects her on the grounds that she is too old, Moose cooks up the craziest scheme of them all, just in case.
Choldenko’s writing evokes both the odd world of an everyday kid living on Alcatraz and the experience of a family so focused on one child that the other often falls by the wayside. The part of Moose, and this book, that I loved best was the realistic mix of feelings he has for Natalie. He loves her and is as ferociously protective as either of his parents, but tangled up with that is frustration that he has to sign away so much of his life to her needs, anger that she can’t just be like other girls, and a kind of helpless acceptance that she will never get better, no matter what his mother wants to think. Choldenko notes in an afterword that these days, Natalie would be diagnosed as autistic, a disorder unknown in the 30’s. Pick up this book and hand it to your favorite fan of historical fiction.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Bad Girls in Love
So I guess after that orgy of book posting last week, I got distracted again. I get distracted easi--ooh, shiny thing! Anyway, here's the tale of a chica with the focus of a buzzsaw.
Book: Bad Girls in Love
Author: Cynthia Voigt
Published: 2002
Best friends Mikey and Margalo are Bad Girls, and proud of it. Oh, they don’t drink, smoke, or engage in juvenile delinquency. God, no, that’s so predictable. No, they’re Bad Girls because they act, think, and dress exactly as they please, without bowing to the opinions or preferences of teachers, parents, or classmates.
But now there’s one person whose opinion matters very much to Mikey. That’s gorgeous Shawn Macavity, the communal eighth-grade crush. Margalo knows a bad idea when she sees it, but she also knows Mikey. She can either get in the way and be mown down, or stand back and pick up the pieces. Because there’s one thing that the Big L can’t do, and that’s make a Good Girl out of a Bad one.
Much like her characters, Voigt flatly refuses to bow to the cliches of your traditional middle-school first-crush book. Mikey remains fundamentally herself even when she’s chasing after Shawn. She goes at love the same way she attacks life--damn the torpedos and full speed ahead. No matter how many times the stunningly self-involved Shawn brushes her off, she’s ready to try again. Though Margalo doesn’t have much to do in this book except color commentating, Voight tells most of the story through her eyes. Without sentiment or sensation, Voight skillfully evokes the rarified world of middle school, with all its unwritten rules, and the experience of two highly singular girls in luuuuuuuurve.
Also definitely check out the rest of the Bad Girls series: Bad Girls; Bad, Badder, Baddest; and It's Not Easy Being Bad.
Book: Bad Girls in Love
Author: Cynthia Voigt
Published: 2002
Best friends Mikey and Margalo are Bad Girls, and proud of it. Oh, they don’t drink, smoke, or engage in juvenile delinquency. God, no, that’s so predictable. No, they’re Bad Girls because they act, think, and dress exactly as they please, without bowing to the opinions or preferences of teachers, parents, or classmates.
But now there’s one person whose opinion matters very much to Mikey. That’s gorgeous Shawn Macavity, the communal eighth-grade crush. Margalo knows a bad idea when she sees it, but she also knows Mikey. She can either get in the way and be mown down, or stand back and pick up the pieces. Because there’s one thing that the Big L can’t do, and that’s make a Good Girl out of a Bad one.
Much like her characters, Voigt flatly refuses to bow to the cliches of your traditional middle-school first-crush book. Mikey remains fundamentally herself even when she’s chasing after Shawn. She goes at love the same way she attacks life--damn the torpedos and full speed ahead. No matter how many times the stunningly self-involved Shawn brushes her off, she’s ready to try again. Though Margalo doesn’t have much to do in this book except color commentating, Voight tells most of the story through her eyes. Without sentiment or sensation, Voight skillfully evokes the rarified world of middle school, with all its unwritten rules, and the experience of two highly singular girls in luuuuuuuurve.
Also definitely check out the rest of the Bad Girls series: Bad Girls; Bad, Badder, Baddest; and It's Not Easy Being Bad.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Lisa Yee Doubleheader
I wavered between the two of these for awhile. Which one, which one, should I blog? I loved them both, for different reasons. Then . . . DUH . . . I realized I could blog them both! So here goes.
Book: Millicent Min, Girl Genius
Author: Lisa Yee
Published: 2003
High-schooler Millicent Min has never been off the honor roll. She’s been on Leno and Jeopardy. She knows Latin.
And, oh yeah. She’s eleven years old.
Millie’s looking forward to a great summer (even if only one person signed her yearbook), filled with the literature class she’s taking at the nearby university and hanging out with her fabulous grandma, Mimi. But then her evil parents sign her up for volleyball (eek!) and offer her as a tutor to annoying family friend Stanford Wong (ugh!). Millie’s sure this summer is going to suck. Then she meets Emily. Emily thinks she’s funny. Emily thinks she’s cool. And most of all, Emily thinks she’s a normal girl. And Millie will do anything to let her keep on thinking that.
I loved Millie from the first page. She’s utterly brilliant and charmingly clueless. Her literal-mindedness and sheer bafflement when confronted with unwritten rules remind me very much of Owl, the main character of Patrice Kindl’s Owl in Love. While the comedy is very broad in the first part, mostly pitting Millie against interpersonal subtleties that she doesn’t understand, she rounds out nicely when she meets Emily and ventures into the new discipline of getting, keeping, and being a friend.
Book: Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time
Author: Lisa Yee
Published: 2005
Stanford Wong has just committed The Cardinal Sin in the Wong family. He’s flunked English. His perfectionist dad doesn’t care that Stanford’s the star of the basketball team and one of the most popular guys in school. All he can see is that big red “F” on his son’s report card.
Before you can say “free throw contest,” Stanford’s out of basketball camp and into (ack!!) summer school. As if that weren’t bad enough, he’s getting tutored by that annoying Millicent Min, one of those Chinese geniuses who ruins everything for normal guys like him. He’s got to get to September without killing Millie, without letting any of the guys know that he flunked, and somehow getting the attention of Millie’s cute friend Emily. Good luck!
Stanford’s story is a little more serious than Millie’s, involving as it does subplots about his troubled relationship with his dad and the removal of his beloved grandma to a nursing home. To me, this was unexpected because Stanford comes across as the King of the Clueless Doofuses (Doofi?) in Millie’s book, but not unwelcome. This isn’t a sequel, at least not chronologically speaking, since it takes place in the same time frame as Millicent Min, Girl Genius.
NOTE: Fans of these two books will be delighted to know that Yee is writing a book about Emily, So Totally Emily Ebers. No news on whether it will take place during the same summer as Millie and Stanford’s books, or sometime afterward. Here’s hoping it’s the former, because I feel like there’s a story in Emily’s summer.
Book: Millicent Min, Girl Genius
Author: Lisa Yee
Published: 2003
High-schooler Millicent Min has never been off the honor roll. She’s been on Leno and Jeopardy. She knows Latin.
And, oh yeah. She’s eleven years old.
Millie’s looking forward to a great summer (even if only one person signed her yearbook), filled with the literature class she’s taking at the nearby university and hanging out with her fabulous grandma, Mimi. But then her evil parents sign her up for volleyball (eek!) and offer her as a tutor to annoying family friend Stanford Wong (ugh!). Millie’s sure this summer is going to suck. Then she meets Emily. Emily thinks she’s funny. Emily thinks she’s cool. And most of all, Emily thinks she’s a normal girl. And Millie will do anything to let her keep on thinking that.
I loved Millie from the first page. She’s utterly brilliant and charmingly clueless. Her literal-mindedness and sheer bafflement when confronted with unwritten rules remind me very much of Owl, the main character of Patrice Kindl’s Owl in Love. While the comedy is very broad in the first part, mostly pitting Millie against interpersonal subtleties that she doesn’t understand, she rounds out nicely when she meets Emily and ventures into the new discipline of getting, keeping, and being a friend.
Book: Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time
Author: Lisa Yee
Published: 2005
Stanford Wong has just committed The Cardinal Sin in the Wong family. He’s flunked English. His perfectionist dad doesn’t care that Stanford’s the star of the basketball team and one of the most popular guys in school. All he can see is that big red “F” on his son’s report card.
Before you can say “free throw contest,” Stanford’s out of basketball camp and into (ack!!) summer school. As if that weren’t bad enough, he’s getting tutored by that annoying Millicent Min, one of those Chinese geniuses who ruins everything for normal guys like him. He’s got to get to September without killing Millie, without letting any of the guys know that he flunked, and somehow getting the attention of Millie’s cute friend Emily. Good luck!
Stanford’s story is a little more serious than Millie’s, involving as it does subplots about his troubled relationship with his dad and the removal of his beloved grandma to a nursing home. To me, this was unexpected because Stanford comes across as the King of the Clueless Doofuses (Doofi?) in Millie’s book, but not unwelcome. This isn’t a sequel, at least not chronologically speaking, since it takes place in the same time frame as Millicent Min, Girl Genius.
NOTE: Fans of these two books will be delighted to know that Yee is writing a book about Emily, So Totally Emily Ebers. No news on whether it will take place during the same summer as Millie and Stanford’s books, or sometime afterward. Here’s hoping it’s the former, because I feel like there’s a story in Emily’s summer.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Ooo . . . pretty colors . . .
If you're looking at this online and not on an aggregator, you may have noticed that the background is less . . . how can I say this? Dull. I kind of liked the tranquil look before, but this whole dot thing seems funner, especially for a kidlit blog. And yes, I do have a degree in English, thank you very much. Hmf.
My fave links (plus new ones!) will probably be back tomorrow, when I'm not so tired. Also probably soon, more books!
My fave links (plus new ones!) will probably be back tomorrow, when I'm not so tired. Also probably soon, more books!
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Dorp Dead
I have lots of books to blog! So here's one more.
Book: Dorp Dead
Author: Julia Cunningham
Published: 1965
Eleven-year-old Gilly Ground hates the orphanage. He hates the loud gongs, he hates the food, and he hates being surrounded by other people all the time. So when he gets apprenticed to a ladder-maker, Gilly thinks he's got it made. In this new place, everything is quiet, peaceful, and in its place. A little too much in its place. Soon, Gilly discovers that Mr. Kobalt is so fixated on order that he will do anything--anything--to ensure that order. And the only way Gilly can free himself and Mr. Kobalt's oppressed dog, Mash, from this cage is by using his not-inconsiderable wits.
I gotta say it; this is a weird book. I don't normally pick up creepy novels, but this one grabbed me. (Okay, not literally.) It's a quick read (I probably finished it in an hour), but don't be fooled into thinking it's easy. Like the best of Alfred Hitchcock, Cunningham relies mainly on psychological horror instead of gore and violence. Even more, Gilly's tale forces you to think about the uses and abuses of order and stucture, and the nature of cages, both literal and self-imposed.
Book: Dorp Dead
Author: Julia Cunningham
Published: 1965
Eleven-year-old Gilly Ground hates the orphanage. He hates the loud gongs, he hates the food, and he hates being surrounded by other people all the time. So when he gets apprenticed to a ladder-maker, Gilly thinks he's got it made. In this new place, everything is quiet, peaceful, and in its place. A little too much in its place. Soon, Gilly discovers that Mr. Kobalt is so fixated on order that he will do anything--anything--to ensure that order. And the only way Gilly can free himself and Mr. Kobalt's oppressed dog, Mash, from this cage is by using his not-inconsiderable wits.
I gotta say it; this is a weird book. I don't normally pick up creepy novels, but this one grabbed me. (Okay, not literally.) It's a quick read (I probably finished it in an hour), but don't be fooled into thinking it's easy. Like the best of Alfred Hitchcock, Cunningham relies mainly on psychological horror instead of gore and violence. Even more, Gilly's tale forces you to think about the uses and abuses of order and stucture, and the nature of cages, both literal and self-imposed.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
The Keys to the Kingdom
I liiiiiiiiiiive!
On Saturday, I get my MLS (if all goes according to plan) and will sally forth into the world of unemployment and job hunting. However, from now on I will hopefully have more time to blog.
Series: The Keys to the Kingdom
Author: Garth Nix
Published: starting 2003
Arthur Penhaligon is having a really long week.
On Monday, he nearly died. On Tuesday, he became a slave. On Wednesday, he almost drowned. And now, on Thursday, he's been plunged into a war with the demonic Nithlings for dominion of the House.
Most of the Keys to the Kingdom series takes place in the intricately realized world of the House, a super-universe in which our universe exists. There's trouble in the House. Long ago, the Architect of the House made a Will so that everyone would know what to do with Her House. But the Will's been split up, and nothing can be done until it's whole. The seven Guardians have a vested interest in making sure that the Will stays split . . . but the Will itself has an even more vested interest in becoming whole again.
So it finds Arthur . . . and thus start his adventures, fighting the seven Guardians, hunting down the missing pieces of the Will, and figuring out what's really going on around here.
Yep, it's a long damn week. And it ain't over yet.
I don't normally go in for high fantasy, with the fate of the world in balance and stuff. Thinking about it, I'm not completely sure why I like these books. But The Keys to the Kingdom series is addictive. The world of the House is intricately realized, peopled with fascinating characters. Nix layers his story with symbolism, but lightly enough so it's more of an "oooo!" moment when you figure out the symbols than a "shoot, what is going on around here?" when you haven't.
Most of all, Arthur himself is a draw for me. Scrawny, asthmatic, and unassuming, he's the opposite of your traditional hero. He's just doing what he's gotta do, but somehow this make him completely heroic to me.
The books are all titled after the particular Guardian that Arthur faces in each, and so far they go: Mister Monday, Grim Tuesday, Drowned Wednesday, and Sir Thursday, with more to come. Word of advice: don't start this series in the middle. You'll only wind up confused and wishing that you'd just read Mister Monday first, like I told you to.
On Saturday, I get my MLS (if all goes according to plan) and will sally forth into the world of unemployment and job hunting. However, from now on I will hopefully have more time to blog.
Series: The Keys to the Kingdom
Author: Garth Nix
Published: starting 2003
Arthur Penhaligon is having a really long week.
On Monday, he nearly died. On Tuesday, he became a slave. On Wednesday, he almost drowned. And now, on Thursday, he's been plunged into a war with the demonic Nithlings for dominion of the House.
Most of the Keys to the Kingdom series takes place in the intricately realized world of the House, a super-universe in which our universe exists. There's trouble in the House. Long ago, the Architect of the House made a Will so that everyone would know what to do with Her House. But the Will's been split up, and nothing can be done until it's whole. The seven Guardians have a vested interest in making sure that the Will stays split . . . but the Will itself has an even more vested interest in becoming whole again.
So it finds Arthur . . . and thus start his adventures, fighting the seven Guardians, hunting down the missing pieces of the Will, and figuring out what's really going on around here.
Yep, it's a long damn week. And it ain't over yet.
I don't normally go in for high fantasy, with the fate of the world in balance and stuff. Thinking about it, I'm not completely sure why I like these books. But The Keys to the Kingdom series is addictive. The world of the House is intricately realized, peopled with fascinating characters. Nix layers his story with symbolism, but lightly enough so it's more of an "oooo!" moment when you figure out the symbols than a "shoot, what is going on around here?" when you haven't.
Most of all, Arthur himself is a draw for me. Scrawny, asthmatic, and unassuming, he's the opposite of your traditional hero. He's just doing what he's gotta do, but somehow this make him completely heroic to me.
The books are all titled after the particular Guardian that Arthur faces in each, and so far they go: Mister Monday, Grim Tuesday, Drowned Wednesday, and Sir Thursday, with more to come. Word of advice: don't start this series in the middle. You'll only wind up confused and wishing that you'd just read Mister Monday first, like I told you to.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Sam Llewellyn Update
Remember back when I blogged Little Darlings, I said I would pick up anything else by Sam Llewellyn that came my way? Well, something has: Bad, Bad Darlings. I snatched it up the second I saw it at the library, and it's in my to-be-read pile as we speak. What are you waiting for? Go! Run like bunny! Get the book!
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