Shelf Awareness--Vespertine

YA Review: Vespertine

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson (Margaret K. McElderry Books, $18.99 hardcover, 400p., ages 13-up, 9781534477117)

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson (An Enchantment of Ravens) is a splendidly dark story of a reclusive young woman struggling to control a powerful revenant.

Artemisia, like all Sighted people, is vulnerable to possession. As a child she was controlled by a spirit which left her so badly scarred--physically and emotionally--she wants only a cloistered life in the convent, "tending to the dead." There she and the other novices are tested for their ability to sense ghostly entities and Artemisia discovers she has "an extraordinary talent for wielding relics." When possessed soldiers attack, Artemisia is tasked with watching over the convent's "greatest weapon": the holy relic of Saint Eugenia, a finger joint from the Sister of the Gray Lady of Death who martyred herself to "bind a Fifth Order spirit to her bones." To save the Sisters now, Artemisia takes the bone's fettered revenant into her body. She is able to wield it successfully, despite its great power, and decides she must use it to learn why a rising number of Dead are attacking the living. Artemisia is forced to trust the revenant, a dangerous--and sarcastic--entity she has no idea how to control.

Rogerson's third YA novel contains a wonderfully ghastly mythology, and a plot that crackles with tension. Reluctant "Saint" Artemisia charges forth in her quest to solve the mystery and save humanity, even as her beloved solitary existence is wrenched from her grasp. At its heart, Vespertine is a satisfying friendship story about the ability to trust other people--and revenants--enough to share one's burdens. Vespertine is an excellent bet for fans of Robin LaFevers's Assassin Nuns and Garth Nix's Old Kingdom. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author.

Discover: Reclusive novice Artemisia struggles to control a spirit of great power to vanquish rising hordes of the Dead in this darkly splendid novel.

Interview with Nicole Magistro and Alice Feagan

Nicole Magistro and Alice Feagan are the author and illustrator, respectively, of READ ISLAND, a warm invitation for readers to journey to a story time taking place on a whimsical “island made of books.” All sorts of friends race to arrive “before the tale unfolds.” Readers, too, will find a “world of stories, safe and true,” along with these fine words to remember: “Books can take you anywhere.” The rhyming text is beautifully brought to life with mixed media collaged art.

Welcome, Nicole!

Congratulations on your lovely book! Where did you get the idea for it?

Books and nature are everything to me. When I set out to write a children’s book about the joy of reading, I knew it had to take place outdoors and not inside a classroom or a library. Books take us to amazing places, right? My lightbulb moment was connecting the real Read Island – our family’s favorite place to visit every summer – to that idea. Then, during the pandemic when we couldn’t travel to British Columbia, except in our imaginations, my 9-year-old son and I “visited” as often as we could through meditation. During one of these mental journeys, the symbolism of the place name became the story.

Why did you decide to self publish it?

After owning a bookstore for 15 years, I knew I wanted to spend more time on writing in the next phase of my career. But I also wanted to stay connected to the business of the book world, and I felt that I would learn an immense volume of things if I took the path to independent publishing. I’m ever an entrepreneur, and so I guess, rather than waiting for someone else to tell me that I could make a great book, I tried it myself.

Can you tell us about that process?

I believe there is a lot of opportunity for small presses to make books that matter and bring them to market more quickly than the traditional houses. Also, as a store buyer, I know that so many books get lost in big lists. To that point, I focus on making a book that is competitive on the shelf and in the category. Read Island had to stand up against picture books from Candlewick and Scholastic and Penguin Random House. And then when the reader opened it, the quality of the story and illustrations had to be excellent. Even better than excellent! I worked with an amazing group of experts along the way – Alice, of course, plus editors, designers, consultants, printers, publicists, and booksellers. Our team learns every day about the challenges of the supply chain and book marketing and kid lit. I’m really loving it.

Do you have any other books on the horizon?

Yes! But let’s not put the cart before the horse. I want to make sure this one is a success first.

And, welcome, Alice!

Why did you decide to illustrate this book?

Nicole was busy running her independent bookstore, The Bookworm, when I met her back in 2016. The Bookworm hosted a book launch event for a book I had recently illustrated and she and I casually talked about maybe someday down the road collaborating on something. Fast forward to 2020 and she approached me with this new manuscript. While I had not illustrated an independently published book before, I could immediately see some of the spreads and how my illustrative style could work well with her lyrical writing. We've worked very collaboratively together from start to finish and it's been a fun, exciting, and high educational experience!

Can you tell us how you made the art?

All of my books begin with hand drawn spreads which I then scan into the computer. I build the art in layers in Photoshop, first creating the shapes and then applying collage to them with clipping masks. The collage materials come from a large collection of papers, textures, and (in this case) many classic children's stories all of which I have amassed over the years. Sometimes I add depth and detail with paints, markers, crayons, etc. The approach and materials are slightly different for each project depending on the tone and content of the story.

Are you working on anything else?

I'm in the very early stages of editing a manuscript for a new picture book I'm pretty excited about. I'm also wrapping up some work for Boston Children's Hospital. Along with my projects, Nicole and I are always tossing around new ideas.

Thank you, Nicole and Alice!

For those in Colorado, here are a couple of scheduled story time events:

• Wandering Jellyfish, Niwot, CO – November 4
• Second Star to the Right, Denver, CO – November 8

Nicole Magistro is a professional reader and amateur mother who lives in the mountains of Colorado. She owned a bookstore for 15 years, wrote thousands of book reviews and memorized a few too many bedtime stories. Her favorite place in the world is the real Read Island, which inspired this story. Magistro is also a mentor, journalist, consultant, and community leader. She was the longtime proprietor of The Bookworm of Edwards, Colorado. During her tenure, she was the recipient of the ABA's Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, WNBA's Pannell Award and James Patterson indie bookseller grant. Magistro judged the Kirkus Prize for Fiction with Colson Whitehead and Megan Labrise, and has served various nonprofits including the American Booksellers Association, The Literacy Project, The Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association and Vail Mountain School. She received a Masters from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and has written for regional and national publications.

Alice Feagan is a children's book creator known for her distinct cut-paper collage style in The Collectors and School Days Around the World. Her lifelong love of storytelling and art making led her to the world of picture books where she creates playful illustrations for children's books, magazines, apps, educational products, and games. When she is not making picture books, Alice can be found reading them with her two young sons. She lives in Edwards, Colorado and is responsible for all of the art within these pages.

October's Book of the Month--The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess

October's Book of the Month is an extremely entertaining, original fairy tale, THE LITTLE WOODEN ROBOT AND THE LOG PRINCESS, written and illustrated by Tom Gauld.

A king and queen, the happy rulers of “a pleasant land,” can’t have children, so one night the king goes to the royal inventor, who builds him a “wonderful, intricate little wooden robot,” while at the same time the queen goes to a clever witch, who brings to life “a perfect little log princess.”

All is good, but the princess has a secret—when she falls asleep at night, she turns back into a log, only to awaken if the magic words are spoken. The robot says the magic words every day, until the morning a circus comes to town and, in his haste to see it, the robot forgets to wake his sister. A maid sees the “plain old log, lying in the princess’s bed” and tosses it out of the window! It promptly rolls down a hill to the village, gets picked up by a log-collecting goblin, and put on a barge. The robot searches for his log sister while the barge sails for the frozen North. Adventures of many kinds ensue, as the devoted robot tries to do the best that he can for the princess, who in turn does the same for him. With some help from a family of beetles, a mouse, a bird, a rabbit, a fox, and the clever old witch, they all mange to save the day.

This fairly tale feels both familiar and fresh at once. It’s got shades of William Steig’s Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, maybe crossed with The Toy Brother, but it should also appeal to fans of Barnett and Klassen’s are recent Extra Yarn. And anybody else who loves a good, earnest, creative picture book. The art certainly adds to the appeal. It feels like a graphic novel/picture book hybrid, with lots of fun details, fresh design, and very appealing soft-but-dynamic color palette.

Kids of all ages should love it!

--Lynn

Interview with Karen Jameson, and a GIVEAWAY!

My good friend, the multi-published lullaby—and non-fiction—picture book expert Karen Jameson has a new book coming out this month, and it’s a real beauty! I’m proud to present this interview with her as she prepares for the release of FARM LULLABY this month.

Karen, huge congratulations on your wonderful new picture book, FARM LULLABY, illustrated by the talented Wednesday Kirwan. Can you tell us a little bit about the book?

Thanks, Lynn! FARM LULLABY is a lyrical bedtime book just right for little ones. Listen in as the horse sings a neigh-a-bye, the sheep sings a baa-a-bye and the rest of the animals follow suit. Here’s what the jacket copy says:

"From the largest horse to the smallest mouse, every animal on the farm has a sweet, sleepy bedtime ritual. Curl up like a soft lamb, snuggle like a warm chick, and settle in like a cozy calf, letting this soothing farm lullaby lull even restless little dreamers into a deep and peaceful sleep."

FARM LULLABY is the second of three bedtime “lullaby” books you’re doing with Chronicle. Can you talk a little about how you met your editor, and knew she was the right fit for your work?

I met my editor, Naomi Kirsten of Chronicle Books, at the 2017 SCBWI Golden Gate Conference at Asilomar. Such a lovely wooded setting along the beach in Pacific Grove, California! I knew it was the perfect place to share WOODLAND DREAMS, my bedtime book featuring adorable woodland creatures. After hearing the story during an editor’s panel, Naomi’s excitement bubbled over. She loved the lyrical style and had a beautiful vision for the book. Such serendipity! It was acquired shortly afterward!

Did she agree to publish all three books at once, or was her acquisition of your work more gradual?

The process was more gradual. My agent, Kathleen Rushall, suggested waiting until WOODLAND DREAMS was underway before sharing my other two bedtime books. This proved wise, as FARM LULLABY was acquired the next year, in 2018, followed by WHERE THE WEE ONES GO, in 2019.

You also write non-fiction, and have a number of non-fiction picture books in the pipeline with other publishers. Can you tell us how the process of writing non-fiction is different from writing your bedtime books?

For both kinds of books, my prewriting process is much the same – brainstorming and more brainstorming! While I’m generating ideas, I consider potential hooks and play around with different angles or structures. Though I do a good amount of research for my nature themed bedtime stories, my non-fiction research is more rigorous and includes looking at how my subject fits into the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) curriculum for my intended age group. Adding in layers with informational sidebars and back matter is another piece of the non-fiction puzzle. Look for TIME TO SHINE: Celebrating the World’s Iridescent Animals (Groundwood Books) on April 5, 2022 and DOUBLE TAKES (Running Press Kids, Winter 2023).

I also want to mention that you have a fourth book coming out with Chronicle in Spring 2024, a companion to WOODLAND DREAMS, illustrated by Marc Boutavant.

Yes, I’m super excited about this one! Marc Boutavant is such a treasure and I’m thrilled at the opportunity to create a new picture book together. WAKE UP, WOODLANDS brings us back to the forest for a springtime celebration of animals waking to a glorious new season. I can’t wait!

I am so impressed with how beautifully and uniquely each of these books is illustrated, and how well they stand out on the shelves of bookstores and libraries everywhere! Congratulations on finding the right fit for your vision at Chronicle!

Thank you, Lynn! Naomi Kirsten did an amazing job of matching the perfect artist to each lyrical text. Wednesday Kirwan brings a beautiful vintage style to FARM LULLABY! The jewel toned colors in the art are so evocative of the farm setting. Marc’s painterly art in WOODLAND DREAMS is simply gorgeous. Next up, be sure to look for Zosienka’s dreamy style in WHERE THE WEE ONES GO (April 26, 2022).

Karen Jameson is the author of the lyrical picture books MOON BABIES, WOODLAND DREAMS and FARM LULLABY. More stories are in the works, including TIME TO SHINE (Groundwood 2022) and WHERE THE WEE ONES GO (Chronicle 2022). A retired teacher and active member of SCBWI, she holds a master’s degree in education. Lover of books, wildflowers, farmers’ markets and everything chocolate, Karen writes from sunny Southern California.

Wednesday Kirwan is an award- winning artist who has been illustrating and writing books for children for more than a decade. She lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains, in California, with her husband and daughter.

Karen has generously offered to give away a copy of FARM LULLABY to one person who leaves a comment below or on Twitter! Deadline is October 5.

And please join Karen and fellow author Dianne White in a virtual book launch through The Writing Barn in November. Details can be found here.

To order a copy:
Barnes and Noble
Indie Bound
Amazon
Website

September Recommendations

Novels:

In MIRROR’S EDGE, by Scott Westerfeld, Frey returns to Shreve to rescue her closest ally, Boss X, and to “shore up the alliance between the rebels and the free cities.” But, she’s also there to oust her father, who “rules with force and lies.” Book 3 of 4, with a great cliffhanger to set up the finale, is set in the same world as the fabulous Uglies series. (MG/YA)

Graphic Novels:

THE OKAY WITCH AND THE HUNGRY SHADOW, by Emma Steinkellner, is an excellent followup to the first Okay Witch book. Moth is still having trouble fitting in at school, so when she comes across a charm that “may transform its wearer into a bolder, more self-assured version of themself with increased powers of persuasion and magnetism,” she can't resist! It’s an engaging story illustrated with engaging art. (MG)

Picture Books:

In BRIGHT STAR, Yuyi Morales uses “the most beautiful things she can find,” including drawings, painted paper, hand-dyed wool yarn, and words—both English and Spanish—to depict her story of a desert borderland, tough yet teeming with life, and a migration stopped by a barbed wire fence. It is a story of love for a child who is learning to find their voice. It is exquisite.

MIMIC MAKERS: BIOMIMICRY INVENTORS INSPIRED BY NATURE, written by Kristin Bott Nordstrom and illustrated by Paul Boston, delivers a fascinating look at how human ingenuity can be inspired by the natural world. Among others, we see how Nakatsu Eiji redesigned Japan’s bullet train after watching kingfishers “plunge like an arrow into the water.” And Yueh-Lin Loo studied the wrinkles and folds of a maple leaf to create a better solar cell. Clear and colorful digital illustrations will help young readers make the connections.

In NORMAN DIDN’T DO IT! (YES, HE DID.), by Ryan T. Higgins, porcupine Norman and his best friend Mildred (a tree) do everything together. From baseball to birdwatching to checkers, it was always “just the two of them.” Until the day another tree shows up. Life isn’t the same, and something just has to be done… Bold, cartoony, digital art shows Norman humorously hitting rock bottom before he figures things out. Kids will love it.

ORIGINAL CAT, COPY CAT, by Sarah Kurpiel, is the appealing story of Pineapple, an only cat whose “sweet routine” is hijacked when Kiwi joins the family. Everywhere Pineapple goes, everything Pineapple does, and every spot Pineapple loves now include Kiwi, in “fast,” “loud,” and “exhausting” ways. But when Pineapple sets this little kitty straight, the quiet of his old routine now has him worried… An uncluttered text and fun, stylized digital illustrations help keep the topic fresh with their Cree translations. The delicate, pastel and pencil illustrations, composited digitally, are brimming with whimsy. It’s a lovely book.

--Lynn

Shelf Awareness--Take Me with You When You Go

YA Review: Take Me with You When You Go

Take Me with You When You Go by David Levithan and Jennifer Niven (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 336p., ages 12-up, 9780525580997)

The captivating Take Me with You When You Go deftly relates the difficult but ultimately uplifting story of a brother and sister who, although they don't have parents they can count on, do have each other--even when one of them unexpectedly runs off.

One morning, 15-year-old Ezra Ahern wakes up to find his sister, Beatrix, gone. She's made her bed ("an exquisite f*** you" to her mom and stepdad) and taken off with money Ezra hid in his room. She's left behind everything else, including Ezra, who must now singlehandedly deal with the rage and abuse from their mom and stepdad. But 18-year-old Bea felt she had to leave; even with high school graduation only two months away, the constant worrying about whether she's "smart enough, brave enough, nice enough, pretty enough, funny enough, enough-enough" became too much. Except now she's alone on the streets, messaging a Mystery Guy and pinning all her hopes on him for the new life she wants so badly.

Levithan (Every Day; The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S.) and Niven (All the Bright Places; Holding Up the Universe) have written a compelling, contemporary portrait of a brother and sister who rely on their love for each other to survive. The novel, told entirely through e-mails between Ezra and Bea, suspensefully and urgently delves into the nuances of parental abuse and the toll it takes on its victims. This novel about a supremely troubled family still somehow manages to remain almost unfailingly optimistic, as the two siblings never stop fighting for each other and for the life they truly deserve. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author

Discover: Younger brother Ezra is left behind to deal with his abusive parents after his 18-year-old sister Bea runs away from home in this compelling, captivating YA novel.

September's Book of the Month--Raybearer

September’s Book of the Month is RAYBEARER, by Jordan Ifueko.

Tarisai has been raised in isolation at Bhekina House. It’s the home of her mostly-absent mother (The Lady) in the realm of Swana, the second largest region of the vast Arit empire.

Tarisai learns early on that fairies exist and magic is “capricious.” Sneaking off to the savannah one night, she finds that her father is an “alagbato”—a fairy—ensnared so The Lady may have three wishes. First, The Lady demands a stronghold and, second, a child with the alagbato. This child will carry out her third and final wish: this child (Tarisai) will fall in love with the prince of Arit—and kill him.

But Tarisai is strong-willed like her mother, and determined to choose her own path. She has much to learn about her place in the world outside Bhekina House and the politics of a disharmonious empire, but she enjoys the love of good friends and a magical gift from her father. Intrigue, corruption, secrets—and magic—abound.

RAYBEARER is an exceptional fantasy and a pure pleasure to read. It features a strong voice, compelling characters, and intricate world-building. The best thing yet? The second book in the duology, REDEMPTOR, is already out, so no waiting!

--Lynn