Dream Girl by Lauren Mechling

Big thanks to Mary Rowe (The Library Queen) for writing the following review!

Dream Girl by Lauren Mechling

Some mysteries are much like a roller coaster; you get in and hang on while you are taken for a dangerous ride. You are thrown up-side down as you speed along in the dark and are totally terrified before you come to the end of the track. This mystery is not at all like that at all.

Dream Girl is more like a stroll with Robin Leach through the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Along the way pieces of the mystery become known at a leisurely pace. In-between the clues you are entertained by an introduction to lavish living with fascinating and eccentric characters. The mystery is slowly revealed to the heroine and the reader at the same time.

Claire has always thought her dreams were strange, but when her grandmother gives her a cameo necklace her dreams begin to change. As she pays attention to the dreams , they seem to lead only to embarrassment as her sleuthing uncovers nothing. Just as she is about to give up on following the leads in her dreams, Claire's grandmother gives her a few suggestions that help her have more confidence.

The characters in Dream Girl are a lively mix of likeable individuals, dramatic eccentrics and a few unpolished gems. For the most part the characters are fully developed and the relationships ring true.

Kiki, Claire's grandmother is very sophisticated. She lavishes money and clothes on her granddaughter but also seems to honestly enjoy spending time with Claire. Becca Shutterworth's character seems to be revealed gradually almost like a butterfly unfolding its wings for the first time. The reader gets glimpses of Becca that create uncertainty about her personality. When she is finally emerges I felt as if she had become my friend as well as Claire's.

Some characters lacked depth and don't seem to add much to the story line but hinted at having more important roles in possible sequels. Claire's parents (Mom's a writer and dad is a French professor) and their eccentric friends add color to the story but not much else. I wondered if Douglas (college professor friend of Claire's dad) was going to become a stronger character in the plot but all he does if have dinner with Claire and Becca and disappear from the book. In some ways the extra scenes like this added to the mystery because I found myself wondering if this was going to be important incident in the story just like Claire wondered if her dreams were significant.

Becca's brother Andy has a girlfriend named Rye. Rye seems to lack the most development. Readers just don't get enough information about her to make her more than a "stick figure" walking among the more central fleshed out characters. The catty schoolgirls aka "the beatles" didn't gain much affection from me or from Claire and Becca. They seemed to be placed in the story only to detract attention from the real mystery surrounding the Shutterworth family. I found myself wishing they had been given more personality. When they get their "just rewards" from Claire and her friends I felt sorry to see the friends behave unkindly and Claire seemed to have regretted it also.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and while I would not classify it as one of my favorites I did find the time reading Dream Girl enjoyable. I enjoyed the fashion name dropping along with the peek behind the dressing room doors of stores, which unfortunately, will never be graced with my real presence. (I never knew some customers were treated with finger sandwiches and other delicacies while shopping.)

Dream Girl was more of an intriguing situation than a fast paced mystery. But the stroll was lovely.


What Other Bloggers Are Saying:

Liv's Book Reviews: "The writing in Dream Girl might not have been all that wonderful or captivating but the whole mystery of the story and the fun romance between Claire and Andy kept it all moving and left me satisfied. I would recommend Dream Girl as a nice light read along the lines of The Gallagher Girls and The Queen Geek Books..." (read more...)


The Book Muncher: "Dream Girl was definitely a satisfying and thrilling read that I recommend to all readers. Fans of stories with high style, high school, and high mystery will enjoy this novel." (read more...)

YA Book Realm: "It’s a great book to pick up if your looking for action, mystery, and just a touch of romance." (read more...)

Harmony Book Reviews: "The plot of Dream Girl involves so many things that it’s hard to believe it all fits in between the few hundred pages it does. Lauren Mechling has a way with words and she makes that happen, keeping the plot fast-paced and never bogging the read down with details." (read more...)

Abby (the) Librarian: "I would hand this one to middle-school mystery fans who like a splash of the paranormal." (read more...)

In Bed With Books: "I enjoyed DREAM GIRL, but the A-plot doesn’t hold up to any of the subplots. The paranormal element feels extraneous and didn’t seem to add much to the book as a whole. I believe I prefer the 10th-Grade Social Climber books, which Lauren Mechling coauthored." (read more...)

More Info:

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (July 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385735219
• ISBN-13: 978-0385735216
• Source: Review copy from publisher
  

Meet Laura Koenig!

I'm happy to welcome Laura Koenig to The Well-Read Child reviewing team!

Growing up, Laura traveled the world as part of an embassy family, but today she's settled in beautiful Boston, Massachusetts. She is currently the Children's Librarian at a branch of the Boston Public Library, where she works with children and teens of all ages. When she's not reading every single children's literature blog on the internet, Laura enjoys baking, contra dancing, traveling, watching Cardinals baseball, and playing the banjo very poorly.

Laura blogs at Bib-Laura-graphy.

How Artists See Jr. series by Colleen Carroll

Ah...Nonfiction Monday is once again upon us, and boy do I have some great board books for your little art lovers. A few months ago, I reviewed Colleen Carroll's How Artists See series (see review here). As I mentioned in my review, How Artists See is a series of inquiry- based books that teach children about and help them develop an appreciation for art.

Now, Ms. Carroll has come out with a series of board books for the youngest of art lovers: How Artists See Jr. There are currently four books in the series, each with a particular theme that greatly appeals to young children: dogs, trains, babies, and horses.

How Artists See Jr. Trains

Trains Through the Ages, by Georges Spiro
Private collection / The Bridgeman Art Library
© 2008 Artists Rights Society, NY / ADAGP, Paris

Each book contains full-color spreads of works of art that feature the subject matter of the book. What's most impressive is that the works of art are very diverse: they're rendered in different mediums, come from different time periods, and show the subject matter in different settings.

As the introduction to each book says, "This diverse collection of images brings together a wide range of artists depicting a single theme, an approach that helps young children see how a favorite subject can look so different, yet so familiar."



This introduction at the beginning of the book also includes tips for using the book, including a list of age-appropriate questions adult readers can ask children about the book's subject matter.

For example, in How Artists See Jr. Dogs suggested questions include, "What is the puppy doing?," "Does she look happy or sad? How can you tell?," "How many dogs can you see," and more.

I love this feature because it encourages children to think about the book they're reading; it also shows them how they can relate what they see in books to the "real world." In addition, parents and other adults see how they can help children interact with books and help them build vocabulary skills, question/answer patterns, and more.

How Artists See Jr. Dogs

Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash, by Giacomo Balla
Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York
Bequest of A. Conger Goodyear and gift of George F. Goodyear, 1964
© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/SIAE, Rome

Another great thing about the books is that they're larger board books. The dimensions are 6" x 7" 3/4, giving children the ability to see the artwork in detail.


Take a look at the piece of art below from How Artists See Jr. Horses. It spans across two spaces, and you can see the eyes of the horses, their panting mouths, the reins, and the cracks in the ancient work of art.

Horses Galloping, Egyptian, c. 14th century B.C.
Image © Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY

So, let's talk about kid appeal. I have to admit that when I read about the premise of the book, I was a little uncertain that young children would be drawn to major works of art. After all, there are lots of adults who find it very very boring.

However, the format in which it's presented is very engaging. The combination of bright colors, thick pages, different mediums, and familiar objects draw my 19-month old to the books over and over again.

There are also no words in the book other than the introduction for parents and the name, artist, and date of the artwork. Children don't have to sit there and listen to someone read. They can explore at their own pace, name objects they see, and if they're a bit older, they can answer some of the suggested questions in the beginning.

The picture below from How Artists See Jr. Babies is one of my daughter's favorites. She points at and names the "baby, mama, eyes, nose, hat, and trees." It's fascinating to see her sit down with the books on her lap and start naming objects.

Bernadette and her Mother, by Maurice Denis
Bridgeman-Giraudon / Art Resource, NY
© 2008 Artists Rights Society, NY / ADAGP, Paris

I'm a fan of these books and think that they will appeal to both boys and girls, toddlers, pre-schoolers, and even older kids who love art. Highly recommended.

All images courtesy of Abbeville Press.


Head on over to Picture Book of the Day for more Nonfiction Monday selections! As always, a huge thanks to Anastasia Suen for hosting!

The Sunday Salon

I've been a lurker in The Sunday Salon world for quite a while and finally decided to participate. I love reading about what other people have been reading and what they plan to read, and I also love talking about what I've read.

For now, I think the Sunday Salon will be just that for me. A sort of a round-up of what I've read during the week, books I'm reading to my daughter, books that I'd like to read, and maybe even books I've received in the mail. To stay in the true spirit of The Sunday Salon, I'll be talking about one of my favorite things in the world: BOOKS!

This week, I read three middle grade fiction novels:

• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
• The Underneath by Kathi Applet
• Trouble by Gary Schmidt
  

All three of these books were very good in their own ways, so it's hard to pick a favorite of the three.



I loved The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian for its raw emotion, its humor, and its thought-provoking issues. I think it's a great choice for both boys and girls alike, but I think that boys especially will relate to Jr.'s struggles to fit in.





I liked The Underneath for its superb writing, its unique premise, and the seamless interweaving of characters, plots, and points of view. This book is a favored contender for this year's Newbery Medal, and I can see why. I do think, however, that some kids may be turned off knowing that the main characters in the book are animals.






Finally, I finished Gary Schmidt's Trouble late last night. I was hesitant to read this book because I tried to read The Wednesday Wars and just couldn't get into it. I didn't like the writing style of the book and didn't finish it even though TONS of people have loved the book. However, I've seen rave reviews of Trouble and decided to give it a chance. I'm so glad I did. Trouble is a book filled with intense emotion, racial tension, forgiveness, quest for self, and more. I think that a lot of readers, boys and girls alike will love this book. My only beef with the writing was that all of the book's "loose ends" seemed to be tied up nice and neatly by the end of the book in a way that almost seemed unrealistic. I don't want to go into details for the people who haven't read the book, but I guess I would have liked a little more originality.


Now for my ever-growing stack of books to read.

• I was so impressed with Elizabeth Scott's writing after reading Living Dead Girl (my review) that I requested some of her other books from the library. I don't have my library account number with me right now, and I can't remember which ones I requested, but they'll be first on my list to read when they arrive.
• This School Library Journal post has me anxiously awaiting the publication of George Schaller's Life in the Wild: George Schaller's Struggle to Save the Last Great Beasts.
  
• In The New York Times' Sunday Book Review, Germaine Greer reviewed THE ENEMY WITHIN: 2,000 Years of Witch-Hunting in the Western World by John Demos, and it sounds like a fascinating read.
  
• I heard about THE UNNAMEABLES by Ellen Booream via this review from The Goddess of YA Literature, and I'm eager to read this author's debut novel
• At A Patchwork of Books, Amanda convinced me to add The Last Wild Place by Rosa Jordan to my list

I also have a number of books in my "To-Read" stack at GoodReads. Today, I'm planning on visiting the library with my daughter and pick out some board books for her and pick up the other books from Elizabeth Scott. YAY BOOKS!

Hey Wait! Haven't I Read this Before?

Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors, so I was surprised when I saw that I had somehow missed Prodigal Summer. I saw it was available via audiobook at my library and checked it out to listen to during my daily commute to and from work. I was happy to hear Kingsolver herself narrate the book, and about 30 minutes into it, I realized...."HEY! This sounds familiar. I HAVE read this before."

It's obviously been a long long time, and little bits and pieces keep coming back to me as I listen to it. I remember the characters, but I don't quite remember how it ends. I don't often re-read books or re-watch movies even, but I've been enjoyed listening to this book and getting reacquainted with the plot and characters.

What about you? Do you re-read books? Have you ever starting reading a book and realized suddenly that you have read it before, and did you continue reading?

Cybils Nonfiction Middle Grade/ Young Adult Suggestions

Nominations for all Cybils categories close this Wednesday, October 15. I'm on the panel for the Nonfiction Middle Grade / Young Adult category and would LOVE to see more nominations in this category.

Here's the category description from the Cybils site:

"Facts First! Don't fall under the misconception that facts are boring. Facts can break boundaries. Facts can open eyes. Facts can inspire. Facts can do anything fiction can do. Maybe more. Not that we don't love fiction, but nonfiction has been a special focus of many bloggers in the kidlitosphere since the inception of Nonfiction Monday for good reason. We want to highlight the best of 2008 in informational books for kids and teens.--The Editors

We're also drawing the line between this category and the younger non-fiction titles by, well, looking at the drawings. If the book's more than 48 pages, has more text and seems geared for somewhat older kids, you're probably right. Put it here."

Have you read a great book published between January 1 and October 15 that fits within this category? If so, head on over and nominate it if it's not already there. Here are some books I've recently seen that haven't been nominated if you're looking for suggestions.

• Madam President: The Extraordinary, True (and Evolving) Story of Women in Politics by Catherine Thimmesh and Douglas Jones
• Why You Shouldn't Eat Your Boogers and Other Useless or Gross Information About Your Body: Information About Your Body by Francesca Gould
• One Million Things: A Visual Encyclopedia by DK Publishing
• Hocus Pocus by Paul Kieve
• Coyote Speaks: Wonders of the Native American World by Ari Berk, Carolyn Dunn
• X Doesn't Mark the Spot: Tales of Pirate Gold, Buried Treasure, and Lost Riches by Ed Butts
• Who's Haunting the White House?: The President's Mansion and the Ghosts Who Live There by Jeff Belanger, Rick Powell (ill)
  

Don't forget to nominate your favorite books in other categories if you haven't done so already! Time's going by quickly!

Born to Read by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Marc Brown

Here's the latest review from Mary Rowe a.k.a The Library Queen.

Born to Read by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Marc Brown

I was prepared to write my review for Born to Read and had all my
ideas ready to go. I planned to write the review while babysitting my
grandkids, so I brought the book along. My notes had several
comments I had taken as I read and reread the book:




1. Wonderful message to share - but seemed forced

• Reading will help you win - but it won't make you win every time as in the bike race
• Coaches frown on basketball playing and book reading at the same time
  

2. Story line seemed a bit contrived

• Putting the child in impossible situations which are made to seem realistic (correcting the doctor's diagnosis, competitions above child's ability)
• Reading in the tub (oh my what were they thinking? ) Water and books don't mix.
• Realistic examples and the fantasy giant fit together well to present the message
  

3. Illustrations were superb!

• Details- you can almost feel the texture of clothing
• The expressions on the faces of the characters are entertaining
  

But, then my three year old grandson saw the book. "Can I read it?" was his first question. "What is it called?" was the next. I watched while he took the book and began pointing to the letters on the inside of the cover. " I know that one. Here is a "b" Nana." When he finished with those he knew, he turned the page and began to read. He put his finger under each word and started making up a story to go with the illustrations. He paused before "reading" each page to look at the illustrations and point out what he liked or noticed that was interesting. He knew most of the books in the baby's crib and told me which ones he had in his room and which ones were in his sister's room. He "read" the whole book with great enjoyment. Later, when I tried to find the book during their naptime to write this review it was not where we had left it when Noah finished reading.

After my grandson's nap I asked him if he knew where the book was. "It is in my room Nana, I wanted to read it again at naptime, and will you read it to me now?" He and his five year old sister paid close attention to me as I read Born to Read. When I told them I had to take the book home to do my homework, Noah nodded seriously and asked, "Will you bring it back?"


So much for my notes, this book is a hit with the three-year-old reviewer! Maybe sometimes, we older reviewers would be better off letting the books speak to the children and judging their reactions as the true test of a worthwhile book.

What Other Bloggers Are Saying:

Kidazy! : "This wonderful book rhymes words with such enthusiasm that you can’t help but get in to the story yourself rooting for Sam!" (Read more...)

Jen Robinson's Book Page: "I think that this book is well-intentioned, sometimes fun, and gorgeously illustrated. I think that parents who want to encourage young readers will buy it and read it to their kids, and that they will enjoy it. But my personal recommendation, if you're looking to encourage a child to love books, is to not push this particular book too hard." (read more...)

Young Readers: "Great premise. Great start. Ultimately falls into mediocrity. Slightly disappointing." (read more...)


Cheryl Rainfield: "Born to Read celebrates reading and reinforces its importance. It’s got a wonderful message, though the message is laid on a bit too thick for me. Still, it’s got a message that both kids and parents really need to hear–that reading can help you." (read more...)


More Info:

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (August 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375846875
• ISBN-13: 978-0375846878
• Source: Review copy from publisher
  

The Blue Stone - A Journey Through Life by Jimmy Liao, translated by Sarah Thompson

Today, I'm presenting Mighty Mom's first review at The Well-Read Child.

The Blue Stone: A Journey Through Life by Jimmy Liao, translated by Sarah Thompson

An enormous blue stone lies peacefully in the forest until the day it is discovered by people. The people split the stone in two, leaving one half undisturbed while taking the other to a sculptor's workshop to be carved. There, the artist turns the stone into a massive grey elephant. The people delight in sculptor's creation, but the stone is not happy. It mourns for its forest home and crumbles. The largest remaining piece is delivered to a new artist. This time it is shaped into bird for an old lady's garden. The lady is quite happy with her bird, but the stone is not. Again, it falls to pieces. And so the pattern continues: the stone, transformed repeatedly by humans, crumbles each time it remembers its true home. Only when it finally turns to dust can a breath of wind bring it back to where it belongs. There, in the forest, the stone finds peace.

When I first read The Blue Stone to myself, I found it incredibly sad. Author-Illustrator Jimmy Liao and translator, Sarah L. Thomson create in both word and image a sense of inconsolable longing for a place remembered. Later, I read the book a second time with my children, ages 5 and 7. It was clear they appreciated a more positive, uplifting layer to the story. They were excited to see the stone reinvented again and again. The question, "What's it going to be next?" propelled them to the book's conclusion despite it's heavy-hearted narrative.

Living where we do, in Switzerland, most English-speaking children live quite far from the their cultural home, much like the blue stone during the bulk of this story. On the one hand, The Blue Stone might provoke interesting discussion on homesickness; on the other, the suggestion that such feelings can only be resolved by returning to one's place of origin is an unfortunate conclusion. That said, I would be unlikely to read this story in a classroom setting, particularly here. It would be better shared on an individual basis, ideally to initiate discussion with a child going through a painful transition. In truth, I would prefer a book that offered a balanced outlook change. Unfortunately, The Blue Stone – A Journey Through Life isn't it.

What Other Bloggers are Saying:

Mayra's Secret Bookcase: "The Blue Stone is a beautiful story book about hope and rebirth. The illustrations are evocative and mysterious, perfectly matching the eerie resonance of the prose. This is also a story about time and the effect it has on things. This unusual book will make a lovely gift for any child." (read more...)

Bloomabilities: "This is a story of the different possibilities of life, and finding home again." (read more...)

Pinot and Prose: "It really isn’t for the picture book crowd, though some kids may enjoy browsing the illustrations. It’s really ideal for older kids, and it’ll be a good graduation gift..." (read more...)


More info:

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316113832
• ISBN-13: 978-0316113830
• Source: Review copy from publisher
  

Meet Mighty Mom!

I'm happy to have Mighty Mom our first superhero, from The Adventures of Mighty Mom, join our growing team of contributors at The Well-Read Child.


Mighty Mom is a Canadian children's writer, primary school teaching assistant and mother living in Geneva, Switzerland.

Welcome Mighty Mom!

City of Time by Eoin McNamee

I'm excited to be presenting Sheila Jones' (Greenridge Chronicles) first review at The Well-Read Child.


City of Time by Eoin McNamee

A Navigator. A Watcher. Resisters. The Harsh.
This is the cast of Eoin McNamee’s City of Time, sequel to The Navigator.

City of Time is set in a seemingly ordinary harbor city. Owen is an only child who lives with his mother. She seems lost in a depression, which we are led to believe has been caused by the accidental death of Owen’s father, and thus hardly registers Owen’s presence. It would seem that Owen leads two very different lives: one as a boy who attends school, does his homework and watches his mother retreat further into her fog of sadness, and another, in an unseen world in which he is known as a Navigator. Owen isn’t sure what being a Navigator entails, and the only person he can ask about it - his father - is gone, but he knows it has something to do with assisting the Resisters in their battle with the Harsh. The Resisters, a motley assortment of medieval warriors, sci-fi women, and Dickensian children, lie sleeping in a derelict Workhouse on the river until called to battle against the Harsh. They are part of this unseen world. They are guarded by Owen’s trusted friend Cati, who has become Watcher since the disappearance of her own father, the previous Watcher (an event which took place in The Navigator). The Harsh, icy beings intent on amassing time, even if it means the end of both Owen and Cati’s worlds, are a terrifying and dangerous enemy, but as events unfold we see that if anyone can outmaneuver them, it’s Owen and Cati, young as they are.

The novel starts off fairly briskly, with Owen noticing almost immediately that something is off. A schoolmate’s face briefly turns to that of an old woman right before his eyes. Not only that, but strange things are happening in Cati’s world. She too sees things age mysteriously before her eyes, only in her case these things crumble into nothingness. Then there’s the Puissance, the whirlwind that sucks in time in disastrous ways, created by the Harsh, locked in a trunk in Owen’s bedroom. It’s being hunted by a Harsh collaborator, a man named Johnston, and he knows precisely where to find it: Right away we discover that he’s waiting outside Owen’s house, watching him unobserved. And it would seem that it’s only a matter of time before he gets it. In the meantime, the peculiar things happening to Owen and Cati begin to be amplified in the natural world around them: frequent earthquakes, planet shifts, and bizarre tidal occurrences are frightening the people in Owen’s town.

I had trouble with the start of this novel. McNamee uses awkward turns of phrases to describe Owen, and at times they are a little too Textbook Hero for my liking. Here is how Owen’s classmates see him:

“…he had grown up a lot during that time and his classmates sensed it. He was still a loner, but he was respected.”

And later:

“Now he had the quiet air of a boy who could solve problems, and the younger children in particular often came to him for help.”

Fortunately the book gains momentum once Owen and Cati, alarmed with the strange things they see happening, wake some of the Resisters, confer with Dr Diamond, the highly resourceful Professor first encountered in The Navigator, get a garbled message from Cati’s lost father entreating them to find a tempod, and, after some difficulty, open the sealed entrance to Hadima, the City of Time. Then it’s away to the races.

McNamee writes with a clear eye to detailing the lives of his characters. We read about their meals, their futuristic weaponry and tools, and the personality traits that bring some of the more peripheral figures very much alive. There are some great characters in this book: Cati is one, Rose is another, and the Dog children are yet another. The Dog children are ordinary children who have been infected, vampire-like, by the scratch of a Dog child, and McNamee does a clever job detailing their transformation. They run in packs, stealing and raiding and causing havoc on the roads. Rose, who enters the story in a typically Hollywoodish manner, all high-heeled sturm und drang and sharply drawn daggers, is easily one of the more witty - and intelligent - characters. And Cati, who could have become a pathetic pawn with her meek personality, becomes instead the sentimental core of the novel. She discovers exactly what happened to her father, runs with the free spirited Dogs, and along the way finds her own two feet.

McNamee is also very good at scene setting: we are told about the Moon drawing ever close, about the cold and heavily falling snow, and the smells of blood and fear in the air. And the action really whips along. Characters race through the story and I was never sure if they were going to return or not. I liked this aspect of the novel a lot, because in some respects McNamee’s characters are a bit conventional: good characters are unendingly proud, brave, and unusually resourceful, while the Harsh and their henchman Johnston are mocking, sneer a lot. and, ultimately, oddly short-sighted.

I don’t think it is necessary to have read The Navigator first - McNamee recaps enough of the first novel in order to understand the events of Owen and Cati’s past – but I think it would help to understand the characters more. There are a few characters brought into the story, I’m thinking of Wesley, one of the Raggies, Mary White, and Owen’s mother Martha, who demand more time from the novel without getting it, but it’s a minor quibble.

Interestingly, I read the first few chapters of this book to my kids, and the parts I had had trouble getting past on my own seemed better for having been read aloud. I’m reluctant to say I didn’t like this book, because I did, but I couldn’t help but feel as though McNamee had troubling hitting his stride in the writing, particularly at the start. And it would not surprise me in the least to see this series being made into a movie.

What Other Bloggers Are Saying:

The Merry Genre Go Round Reviews: "With a great climax, this middle book can stand alone though it remains consistent to its predecessor THE NAVIGATOR. It is also worth reading as a great tale and to better understand Owen and company." (read more...)




More Info:

• Age Level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books (June 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375839127
• ISBN-13: 978-0375839122
• Source: Review copy from publisher

Meet Sheila Jones

I'm excited to welcome Sheila Jones as the newest contributor at The Well-Read Child.

Sheila Jones is a homeschooler living on an island in the Pacific Northwest. She has three kids, a thriving garden, and never thought she'd find herself as a stay at home parent, let alone a homeschooler, at this point in her life. In snatched moments of time she reads, gardens, and writes a blog: Greenridge Chronicles.

Sheila started reading aloud to her kids last year, because a certain library book was due back at the library and she thought it would be the fastest way to get her oldest child to read the darn book. And what do you know - they all loved that book so much that she took out the entire series and read those to them as well (she even blogged about it here).

Now she reads aloud to them every morning. Reading is the best way to start the day with her kids, Sheila says, because it gives her kids another world to inhabit, ever so briefly, but long enough to forget that they MIGHT have woken up on the wrong side of the bed that morning.

Besides, it's fun.

Welcome Sheila!

M+O 4EVR by Tonya Hegamin

Today, I'm excited to present Barbara Shoup's first review at The Well-Read Child!



M+O 4EVR by Tonya Hegamin

Known as “M” and “O” to their families, Opal and Marianne have been best friends as long as they can remember. Their mothers are not the most reliable in the world; Opal’s dad is a long-haul trucker, and Marianne’s dad disappeared before she was born. Opal’s Gran has been the glue in their lives, taking Marianne in when she was a little girl and raising the two girls together. By the time they reach their senior year in high school, Opal is a serious student with college scholarships within her reach; Marianne is on the road to trouble, unhappy and reckless in her yearning to be popular.

This recklessness is depicted beautifully by Hegamin in the first chapter of the book, when Marianne appears drunk, her homecoming queen crown askew, and lures Opal away from her responsibilities to take a wild ride out into the country, where an encounter with a group of football players quickly turns ugly. It’s the last time Opal sees her friend.

Narrated by Opal, M+O 4EVR covers just a few days, but Hegamin so deftly weaves in memories of the girls’ complicated lives that at the end the reader fully understands what Opal has lost. My only quibble with the book is the undeveloped suggestion that Opal feels more than friendship for Marianne, which in my view confuses the story of their rich friendship.

The truth is, there aren’t enough good books about friendship, and M+O 4EVR’s insightful look at how childhood friendships evolve as young people enter their teen years was more than enough for me. Any girl who’s been left behind by a best friend will sympathize with Opal and learn something about how to move forward with her life.


More info:

• Age Range: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; 1 edition (April 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618495703
• ISBN-13: 978-0618495702
• Source: Review copy from publisher
  

The Case of the Missing Library Book

My dear librarian friends,

I was all prepared to hang my head in shame and tell you the story of how I lost a library book.

How I somehow lost Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of Part-Time Indian the minute I brought it home from the library.

How my attempt at being financially responsible by checking out a book from the library instead of buying it completely backfired on me.

How I was planning on swearing off libraries forever.

How I renewed it three times (yes, three times) hoping and praying to the library gods that I would find it before they told me that I must return it.

How I searched my house multiple times over and over again in vain.

How I tried to renew it online today and red words angrily told me that someone had requested it and that if I didn't return it by Thursday, there would be hell to pay.

How I went home and searched and searched and searched in all of the spots in which I had been searching for the last two months.

How I was prepared to go to the library tomorrow and confess that I had lost the book and offer my next child as a form of payment. Hey, I'm already attached to the firstborn, and the second one hasn't even been conceived... (Okay, not funny. Well, maybe just a little. No? Okay. Fine.)

But then suddenly, I eyed the coat closet in the hallway. The coat closet that has piles and piles of junk in it. The coat closet that I had searched twice that night.

I thought to myself, "Self, maybe you should actually move stuff out of the piles instead of pathetically searching on top."

So, I did. And I found:

• 6 rolls of toilet paper, which would have come in handy on Saturday night when there were only a few sheets left, and I was too lazy to go to the store and forbade my husband to go number two until the groceries were delivered the next morning between 7 and 10
  
• The pair of sandals that I bought at the beginning of the summer and immediately lost after the first time I wore them (notice a theme here???)
  
• Three 6-month onesies that I bought for my daughter twelve months ago with the tags still on them. Whoops.
  
• Two board books: Where is Baby's Belly Button and Good Night, Gorilla
• A pair of toenail clippers...gross
• Two chewed up rawhide chews (not sure if the canine or kid chewed them...gross either way)
  
• And then...no...seriously...it can't be....my eyes must be playing tricks on me...it's a mirage...an oasis...NO...really? It's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian!!!!!!!!!!!!
  

And then friends, I screamed so loud that the neighbors probably called the cops, and I raced upstairs and read the entire thing in one sitting.

And now I'm awake at 1:15 AM, deliriously typing this email wondering if I should write my review tonight while the emotions and details are swirling through my head or take a nice dose of Nyquil so I can get some sleep and actually function at work tomorrow. Because let me tell you, friends...this book is AMAZING. Powerful, funny, heartbreaking, hopeful, and there's no way I'm going to fall asleep on my own tonight. There's just way too much to think about.

Hmmm...maybe I will tell the library I lost it and offer up my next born child after all.

Naaah...the person who has requested it needs to get it and read it as soon as possible, so I'll return it tomorrow.

So, my librarian friends, there is a happy ending to this story. I will not hold my head in shame tomorrow but will instead proudly (and might I add, responsibly) slide The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian down the "returns" shoot and smile when I hear the satisfying thud of it hitting the pile of all of the other unlost, happily-returned books.


Now...how about some Nyquil?

How Many Ways Can You Catch a Fly? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you've probably picked up on the fact that I'm a fan of Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. Why? Because I think they do an amazing job of making nonfiction interesting and engaging and presenting fun and interesting facts. I also think they make an effort to keep their content fresh. I always know that when I pick up one of their books that I'm going to learn lots of new information about animals.

Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed with their newest book, published today, How Many Ways Can You Catch a Fly?.

This book presents a number of challenges animals face along with their unique methods for solving the problem. For example, one challenge is digging holes. Readers are presented with the question, "How many ways can you dig a hole?" When you turn the page, there is a two-page spread showing how different animals dig holes. There is an aardvark making burrows with his front legs and claws, a Mexican burrowing toad digging into mud with its feet, a red rock urchin wearing away rock or coral with its teeth, and more.

Other challenges presented in the book include catching flies, snaring fish, hatching eggs, using leaves, and eating clams. At the end of the book, readers can learn even more about each animal featured.

Accompanying the fact-filled text are Jenkins' customary colorful paper collage illustrations. I never fail to be amazed at how he captures so many details and facial expressions with the collages.


This is a book that I highly recommend to children who are interested in animals, and it would make an excellent cross-curricular resource for science, geography, social studies, and language arts lessons. It may also inspire young readers to come up with creative ways of solving their own problems after seeing how the animals in book do it.

Visit Steve Jenkins' website to learn more about his work and to learn how he makes his books.


More Information:

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; 1 edition (October 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 061896634X
• ISBN-13: 978-0618966349
• Source: Review copy from publisher
  

Visit Picture Book of the Day for more Nonfiction Monday selections.

Halloween Activities to use with Vunce Upon a Time!

Looking for some fun Halloween activities? Chronicle Books has put together a few inspired by the recently published book, Vunce Upon a Time by J. otto Seibold and Siobhan Vivian.

Follow this link to download PDFs of sticker sheets, recipes, a face painting template, a bat wing template, and more.

More about the book from Chronicle Book's site: "Vunce Upon a Time -- Dagmar is not like other vampires. He's shy, he's afraid of humans, and . . . he's a vegetarian! But even more than he likes vegetables, Dagmar loves candy. And when he hears about all the treats he can get on Halloween, he knows he has to be brave and venture out into the human world."

Meet Barbara Shoup!

Did I tell you that I had a superstar team of reviewers or what? I'm proud to introduce you to Barbara Shoup!

Barbara Shoup is the author of six novels and co-author of two books about the creative process. Her short fiction, poetry, essays, and interviews have appeared in numerous small magazines, as well as in The Writer and The New York Times Travel Section. Her young adult novels, Wish You Were Here and Stranded in Harmony were selected as American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults. Vermeer’s Daughter was a School Library Journal Best Adult Book for Young Adults. She is the recipient of numerous grants from the Indiana Arts Council, two creative renewal grants from the Arts Council of Indianapolis, and the 2006 PEN Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship. Currently, she is the program director for the Writers’ Center of Indiana, an associate faculty member at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, and an associate editor with OV Books. Her most recent novel, Everything You Want, was published in 2008.

Be sure to check out Barbara's website and blog. You'll see her first review here this coming Tuesday!

Welcome Barbara!

Tips for Reading to Babies

I was at a little park near our house today with my daughter when she asked for a book that I had in the back of her stroller. I gave it to her, and she sat down and started reading it out loud to herself. Now, of course she can't really read, but I could tell that she was imitating my own tone and word patterns that I use when I read that book to her.

Another mother asked me how long I'd been reading to her, and she seemed incredulous when I told her that I had started reading to her while she was still pregnant. She hadn't even started reading to her son who was close to my daughter's age and said, "I figured since he couldn't understand what I was saying, it was pointless to read to him." She then asked for some tips to start introducing books.

This isn't the first time I've heard parents say similar things about reading to their children.
I'm not going to into the benefits of reading to babies and toddlers since I've done that before and you can google the phrase and find tons of information, but I am going to share some of the tips I shared with the mother at the park today.

This is what I've done to help my daughter learn to love books and look forward to reading time.

• Include books as part of your child's regular routine.
  We nearly always read after bath time and before bed, and my daughter normally goes to the bookshelf and picks out her own books after bath time because she's so used to this routine.
  
  
• Choose sturdy board books for not-so-gentle hands.
  I learned this the hard way more than once when my daughter tore pages out of one book and nearly ripped the white rabbit's head off in our Alice in Wonderland pop up. Not only can most board books withstand a little "abuse," but the thick cardboard pages help kids turn pages more easily. Most of them are also fairly short and perfect for short attention spans.
  
  
• Don't stress about not finishing the book.
  When my daughter started getting mobile, I would seriously get stressed out when she only wanted to sit still for a few minutes. "Wait, I'm not finished," I'd say. I'd also get a little stressed when she wanted to turn the page before I was finished reading the text. Well, I soon learned that it just wasn't possible for her to sit still that long and it didn't mean that she was bored. She was just a curious baby who wanted to explore other things. Plus, when they're little, they can't understand the story. You don't even have to read the entire thing or even read the real words. You can talk about the pictures or make up your own story. The point is not to force your child to sit down and read. If it's an unpleasant experience, it's going to be difficult to get them to enjoy reading in the future.
  

• Keep books around the house.
  I have little canvas bins full of books in the rooms where we spend the most time: kitchen, living room, my daughter's room, and our bedroom. When I'm cooking dinner or when we're watching TV, my daughter will often pull out the bins and and flip through the books. I also make sure I keep some in the car and in her stroller.
  

• Use funny voices for different characters.
  Babies love to hear you talk, and they love funny sounds. Using funny voices makes the reading experience entertaining and enjoyable.

• Choose colorful and rhythmic books.
  Young children are especially attracted to bright colors, and they also love to hear repetitive and rhythmic text. Textured "Touch and Feel" books are also good choices. One of our favorite books to read is Dee Lillegard's Who Will Sing a Lullaby. (my review) My daughter also enjoys the soothing tone of Jim Averbeck's In a Blue Room. (my review)
  

• Choose books with pictures of things that interest your child.
  My daughter loves cats and trains, so I try to find books that have lots of pictures of cats and trains. When they get old enough to recognize and develop a liking for particular objects, it's nice to have books that also have these objects in them. They'll seem to naturally choose those and be interested in flipping through the pages.

• Let your child choose books.
  Even when they're really young, give them the freedom to choose the books they want you to read to them.
  
  
• Make use of your library.
  I found myself spending a small fortune on books before I discovered the children's section of my library. They have a huge variety of board books and picture books for young children. Reading doesn't have to be an expensive habit.
  
  
• Be flexible.
  Sometimes your child is not going to feel like reading or listening to you read, and that's okay. Again remember your goal is to help them develop an appreciation for books and learn to love reading. They may be having a bad day or just want to chill out with their toys, and that's fine. Just keep offering books as part of their routine. One day or even a week without reading won't turn them into "book-haters."
  
  
• Have fun.
  This is the most important tip I think I can offer. If it seems like work or a chore and if you're not enjoying it, your child will pick up on it. Use reading as a time to bond with and have fun with your child. I now find it to be the most relaxing part of my day.
  
  
  

What about you? Do you have any tips to offer?

High Dive by Tammar Stein

Yesterday you met Janssen, (who blogs at Everyday Reading), and today I'm happy to be presenting her first review for The Well-Read Child. Enjoy!



High Dive by Tammar Stein
Arden doesn't have a lot of roots. Her mom is an army nurse and has been stationed all over the world, meaning that Arden has moved every few years her entire life. The one place she's always been able to rely on, though, is the beach house in Sardinia, Italy that her parents bought on their honeymoon (her mother was already in the army, so they felt a beach house could give them some stability, since they'd never probably own a home). Arden and her parents have gone back every few years since.

But then Arden's dad is killed in an accident and her mom is deployed to Iraq to work in the hospital for eighteen months. Arden and her mom decide to sell the beach house, and Arden, who has just finished her freshman year at Vanderbilt, volunteers to go clean it out and lock up before the new owners take over. She's dreading the trip, though, and the idea of returning to the scene of so many happy childhood memories which now seem long gone.

On the flight over, Arden meets three girls from the University of Texas (coincidentally the same university I'm now attending) who are on their way to Paris. They invite her to skip her connecting flight and come to Paris with them instead. Surprising even herself, Arden agrees and finds herself in Paris. Of course, the cheap and clean hostel the three girls are staying at is full, and Arden finds herself sleeping alone at a dirty and overpriced hotel. Despite the friendliness of the girls, she feels incredibly alone and is constantly reminded of her nearly-debilitating fear that something will happen to her mother and she'll be left completely alone.

Added to her worries about her mother, is the situation with Peter. She and Peter went to elementary school together for a year or so while both of their families were stationed at a base in Kansas. They weren't exactly close friends, but they certainly knew each other and when, in high school in a new city, she discovers that Peter is there too, she is thrilled to know someone, anyone. Peter has grown up to be unbelievably handsome and the star of the swim team (with Olympic prospects); the girls at the high school worship him and Arden is afraid to confess how much she likes him too.

But then, when her dad dies, he writes her a sweet little letter about a funny incident he had with her dad, and they become real friends. On graduation night, he kisses her, but afraid of losing her one friend and hating herself for secretly feeling like something good might have come out of her dad's death, Arden pushes him away and they go back to being friends. Over the past two years, they've remained in contact via email and have gotten very close, but Arden is afraid to ever mention graduation night or her deeper feelings for him, fearing that she'll lose him too.

Compared with her own situation, the Texas girls seem to have an easy and fun life - plenty of money, life-long friends, and the ability to just relax and have a good time. The title, High Dive, comes from the feeling of being on the edge that Arden is constantly fighting. She knows she'll eventually have to deal with the beach house, and her fear of losing her mother, and her relationship with Peter, but she doesn't know if she'll jump or go back down the ladder.

I think this book could easily have slid into the melodramatic, unrealistic YA territory (my mom is in Iraq! My dad is dead! I have no friends!) but Stein handled the topic beautifully. Not only was the writing gorgeous, but the characters, especially Arden and her mother (represented mainly through emails), are real and well-developed. Although I'm older than Arden by a few years, I can certainly still identify with many of the worries she finds herself constantly returning to.

There's quite a lot of talk about religion in this book, but I wouldn't consider it a religious book. It's more focused on Arden's reflections of the deep religiousness of the people and churches that built cathedrals and other monuments of their faith all over Europe. Arden mentions at one point that she is Jewish (she's worried she won't be able to rent a room for the night at a Catholic convent with the other girls) and later she reflects that Jews don't have the sort of massive churches and temples that she's seeing all over Paris and Italy. Instead, they carry their highly portable Torah scrolls. "I understood such measures," she says "but still, sometimes it was nice to see proof of your faith larger than life and permanently on display. Somewhere, not far away in the soft Italian night, the great Duomo stood, a massive testament to the the belief that God existed, that He loved us, and that we were not alone." (Page 106).

This book had so many beautiful passages that I ended up with little Post-it tags all over the pages. I particularly appreciated that the lovely prose never slowed the story or weighed down the narrative flow. Here are a few I especially liked:

"When I first found out about the deployment, I'd tell people my mom was heading to Iraq. I expected them to be impressed. But instead, they'd give me the same look I might give someone if they told me they had been diagnosed with cancer. Concern, pity, and that slight hint of distaste. They looked at me like something awful had already happened." (Page 8)

"Reading [Peter's] answer and feeling my heart nearly ache with teh sweetness of it, I finally admitted to myself that what I felt for Peter was more than friendship and a lot closer to love. But I couldn't bring myself to tell him. I could bare my soul to him but not my heart." (Page 70)

"I wanted to believe that God or fate or whatever was up there deciding who lives wouldn't, couldn't take my mother. But I knew the futility of thinking like that. There wasn't anyone keeping score. No one with a clipboard making sure the outcome was fair." (Page 85).

"Most people, I gradually noticed, didn't spend that much time looking at [the statue] David. It seemed like all they wanted out of their trip was the ability to say to the folks back home that they saw David." (Page 111)

This is definitely a girl book, although I could see some boys dealing with a deployed parent identifying with it. It's geared more toward older girls, not because of mature content (there are only a few swear words in it and only passing mention is made of another girl who has had sex) but because it deals with the kinds of emotions that come as you prepare to leave high school and move on to college - what kind of relationships do I want? Who do I want to be? How do I mesh my childhood with my impending adulthood. What do I have faith in? When do I make the scary jump and when do I walk back down the ladder?

It's a book that deals with the difficult aspects in life in a gentler way than books like Speak or Story of a Girl. It's a book I wouldn't worry about recommending to someone else's teenager, but I also wouldn't fear that they thought was talking down to them. It's simply a thoughtful, interesting, and beautiful book that I feel most teenager girls could identify with, whether or not they had any military connections or a deceased parent. I highly recommend this book.


What Other Bloggers are Saying:

Becky's Book Reviews: "Rich in detail and featuring well-crafted characters, High Dive is a great book highlighting the nuances of life." (read more...)

Thanks to Becky for the other links:

Teenreads.com: "Tammar Stein’s descriptive imagery, the characters’ realistic conflicting emotions and dialogue, as well as the almost-subtle integration of current (sometimes hot-button) topics, drive the story along." (read more...)

YA Book Realm: "Each character's emotions and actions are portrayed realistically. The book is fast and fun book, yet still manages to capture the sacrifices the troops in Iraq and their families have to make." (read more...)

A Patchwork of Books: "Strong, yet vulnerable characters that come across as beautifully lost as Arden do not come along nearly as often as we would all like, but if you pick High Dive up for yourself or a teen, you will not be sorry." (read more...)





More info:

• Age Range: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (June 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375830243
• ISBN-13: 978-0375830242
• Source: Review copy from publisher
  

Meet Janssen

Today, I'm excited to introduce you to Janssen, a new contributor at The Well-Read Child!


As a child I dressed up for career day with glasses, a long skirt, a stack of books, and my hair in a prim bun. I knew from a young age that librarian would be the ideal career for me.

Now I'm living the dream at the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin with plans to graduate and join the working grown-ups of the world in May 2009. My goal, however, is to stick with non-grown-up types by working in the youth services department of a large public library (minus the bun). I love YA and children's literature, in particular: Beauty by Robin McKinley, Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

I also maintain my own blog, everydayreading.blogspot.com, which is part book reviews and part tales of my penny-pinching miserly ways. Besides harboring secret dreams of going to school forever, I also enjoy cooking and baking, riding my bike, and planting herb gardens, only to watch them wither and die.

The October Carnival of Children's Literature: Snuggle Up With a Good Children's Book

Happy October! I hope you're going over to the Cybils site and nominating your favorite children's and young adult books that have been published this year (between Jan 1 and Oct 15).

It's going to be a busy month, and I'm excited to be hosting the October Carnival of Children's Literature. What is the Carnival you ask? According to the description on the Carnival site, it's a "collection of posts about children's books: book reviews, interviews, stories from parents and teachers about their kids' adventures with books, peeks into the studio of children's book authors and illustrators, and more. " Each month bloggers submit their favorite posts of the month, and a Carnival host rounds them up.


In my part of the world, we're finally starting to experience the cool, crisp air of Fall - the kind of weather that makes me want to snuggle up with a good book and read all day.

So, this month's theme is "Snuggle Up With a Good Children's Book."

Submit your posts here by Friday, the 24th, and I'll post the Carnival on the 26th. Happy reading and snuggling!