May Recommendations

Read any great books lately? Here are a few of my recent finds:

Novels:

Continuing in my recent lucky trend of finding wonderfully written stories that go in unexpected directions is THE WALLS AROUND US, by Nova Ren Suma. This time, a superb literary text brings with it an eerie ghost story. Amber tells the moving story of life inside Aurora Hills juvenile detention center, and what happens when Orianna appears. Violet is a dancer on the outside, about to leave for her dream school (Juilliard) yet she’s got a rotten secret involving Ori. A rich, rewarding YA.

ALL RISE FOR THE HONORABLE PERRY T. COOK, by Leslie Connor is, coincidentally, also set in a prison, but this time we’ve got Perry, whose mom has been serving time at the Blue River Co-ed Correctional Facility for nonviolent offenders in Surprise, Nebraska, since before he was born. Though Perry goes to a regular school in town, the warden has always allowed him to make his home at Blue River. Along with his caring mom, many of the inmates are his friends and family, and things go well for all concerned until an ambitious DA decides that he knows what’s best for Perry. This is a warm, loving story with plenty of heart and kid-appeal. (MG)

REBEL OF THE SANDS, by Alwyn Hamilton, is an engaging fantasy, set in a fictional desert where magic still lives, though it’s mostly in hiding. Amani lives in Dustwalk, a town every bit as forlorn as it sounds. Her only hope is to pass for a boy and somehow escape to the city, where life must surely be better. When she meets Jin, they form an uneasy alliance, and her plans take a detour into forbidden magic and full-scale rebellion. (YA)

Picture Books:

WHEN SPRING COMES, by Kevin Henkes, illustrated by Laura Dronzek, is a lyrical homage to Spring. This is a text worth reading over and over, pitch-perfect in rhythm and repetition, with brightly-colored paintings that will make it truly accessible to kids. Pair it with the also-awesome And Then It’s Spring, by Julie Fogliano and Erin Stead, for two different approaches to a similar theme.

IN A VILLAGE BY THE SEA, by Muon Van, illustrated by April Chu, is a poetic, circular tale inspired by the author’s ancestral home in Vietnam. A warm tale, with a bit of humor, a touch of magic, and gorgeous paintings make this book really special.

ASK ME, by Bernard Waber, illustrated by Suzy Lee, takes readers through a day of questions and answers, as father and daughter spend some comfortable time together. Told all in dialog, the story and illustrations are tender and inspiring.

--Lynn

May's Book of the Month--Bone Gap

May’s Book of the Month is this year’s Printz Award winner, BONE GAP, by Laura Ruby.

When I first talked about this story, I called it both lyrical love story and chilling mystery. I’m going to add mythic retelling to the description. My second time through, the Persephone themes shone through much more strongly for me. This is a richly textured story with some really gorgeous prose.

To the people of Bone Gap, Finn always seems to have his head in the clouds. When beautiful Roza disappears, Finn has trouble identifying her kidnapper, even though he was with her when it happened. Without any clues, people stop believing him, including the police and his brother Sean, who has lost more than any brother deserves to lose. Just as Finn feels Sean slipping away, he begins to find himself with Petey. The town of Bone Gap is full of secrets and magic, including talking corn, a huge black horse that appears out of nowhere, and the terrifying man lurking at the fringes of Finn’s vision.

This highly original story is about love and beauty and seeing what no one else can. I think the author did a terrific job of weaving her ideas throughout the entire narrative, so that themes come and go and slowly build right up to the powerful conclusion.

Have you read BONE GAP? What did you think?

--Lynn

The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse--Shelf Awareness

New review in Shelf Awareness for Readers!

Middle-Grade Review: The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse

The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse by Brian Farrey (Algonquin Young Readers, $16.95 hardcover, 256p., ages 8-12, 9781616205058)

Brian Farrey's (The Vengekeep Prophecies series; With or Without You) haunting middle-grade fantasy explores a peaceful monarchy where all the subjects are perpetually happy. Yet, within its borders, there's a shadowy bog called Dreadwillow Carse, a nasty swampland that smells of "spoiled milk and olive juice" and feeds on sadness.

On the morning she is officially named Queen Ascendant by her dying mother, 12-year-old Princess Jeniah is warned never to enter Dreadwillow Carse, or the monarchy will fall. But Jeniah believes that to be a proper queen she must understand the threat posed by the Carse. Her mostly inscrutable tutor says she is "too strangely clever for her own good."

Nearby in Emberfell, a young girl named Aon Greenlaw, the only one among the ever-merry villagers who feels grief, finds herself drawn to the Carse's gloom. Her mother left long ago, and when her father disappears, too, Aon feels more broken than ever. When Aon and Jeniah meet by chance, they hit it off, "weaving a web of promises and whispers." They make a deal: Aon will explore the Carse in Jeniah's stead, if the princess will find her father. But when Aon doesn't return from her mission, Princess Jeniah must decide whether to go in after her, and risk the welfare of the monarchy.

Told in the alternating viewpoints of Jeniah and Aon, this vivid, philosophical tale investigates what part sadness plays in defining a person, the cost of happiness achieved at the expense of others, and the importance of finding enough courage to make wise choices. --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Discover: In this haunting middle-grade fantasy, Princess Jeniah puts the monarchy at risk when she enters the Dreadwillow Carse, a dark, mysterious swamp that blights the otherwise harmonious realm.

April Recommendations

Novels:

Ruta Sepetys (Between Shades of Gray, Out of the Easy) does it again, with SALT TO THE SEA, a beautifully realized portrait of WWII as seen through the eyes of Joanna, Florian, and Emilia, all with secrets, all trying to stay clear of two armies while not starving or freezing to death, and of Alfred, a rather despicable German soldier. All paths converge on the ill-fated Wilhelm Gustloff. Riveting. (YA)

JUST MY LUCK, by Cammie McGovern, is well told, well plotted middle grade fiction, with fun characters you can root for, and an overall sense of humanity-doing-its-best that is very uplifting. Fourth grader Benny is having a tough year, what with his dad's brain injury (not his fault), and having a challenging time in school. McGovern does an excellent job with Benny’s brother, George, who is autistic but not high-achieving. It’s good stuff. (MG)

ANNA AND THE SWALLOW MAN, by Gavriel Savit, is another WWII story. I loved the fairytale feel to this one, and the mythic, evocative writing. It started slowly for me but, as often happens, I’m so very glad that I stuck with it. Anna is just seven when the Germans kill her father, a Polish professor. Alone, Anna turns to the strange protector she dubs the Swallow Man, and they travel through war-torn Polish winters. (YA)

Picture Books:

THE NIGHT GARDENER, by Terry Fan and Eric Fan, is a visual treat. Overnight, a large owl topiary appears in a tree on the otherwise hum-drum Grimloch Lane. As more and more leafy creations appear, the town is transformed by the magic. Wonderful—wouldn’t be surprised if the Caldecott committee looks long and hard at this one.

THE PLAN, words by Alison Paul with pictures by Barbara Lehman, is an interesting conceit that's well-executed. By changing one letter each time, we get a complete story about a girl with a pal, a plan, and a plane. The spare story leaves plenty of room for pondering.

THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT, by Patrick McDonnell, is a charming bedtime story. With some winks and nods to Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon, we follow three animal friends at a pajama party, helped along by human Maggie. The text is sweet but the illustrations really make this affecting, done in watercolor, pencil, and ink on homemade paper with a simple but perfectly wonderful palette.

--Lynn

Recently, I was lucky enough to be in New York City, where I got to visit the Mo Willems exhibit at the NY Historical Society. It was fun, with a lot of insight into how he makes his art. He began in animation, and it's easy to see how that has informed his work. There were sketches and finished art to look at, plus lots of copies of published books to look at. And a bus big enough for anyone to play in!

April's Book of the Month--Last Stop on Market Street

April’s Book of the Month is the Newbery award-winning picture book, LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET, with words by Matt de la Peña and pictures by Christian Robinson. It’s almost unheard of for a picture book text to be awarded a Newbery or even an honor, with the award typically going to the novel that the ALA panel judges to be the most distinguished piece of writing for children in any given year. So what makes this picture book so special and worthy of this honor?

LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET is the story of CJ and his nana taking a bus ride through the city, on their way to serving a meal at their soup kitchen. CJ peppers his nana with questions—why do they wait for the bus when it's raining? why don’t they have a car? why do they always have to go here? and Nana answers by showing him the richness of life exactly as they are living it. The book portrays a diverse, urban, population.

The prose is lovely, with well-placed repetition and descriptive language. Although they are not considered for the Newbery, the illustrations help to elevate this book to the very highest level of art and craftsmanship.

Or so I think! What about you? Do you think that a picture book winning the Newbery might bring older kids, as well as new readers, to the genre?

--Lynn

March Recommendations

Novels:

AN EMBER IN THE ASHES, by Sabaa Tahir, is a terrific fantasy inspired by ancient Roman culture. Life in the Martial Empire is tough and uncompromising. Laia and her family subsist as they can, until her grandparents are killed and her brother gets arrested for treason. Laia seeks out the Resistance for help in setting him free. In return, she agrees to go undercover as a slave in the Empire’s brutal Military Academy. Told in the alternating points of view of Laia and Elias, an unwilling student at the Academy, this is top-notch, if rather violent, fantasy. (YA)

THE BEAST OF CRETACEA, by Todd Strasser, is an interplanetary adventure based on that classic story of revenge and madness, Moby Dick. Gone are descriptive passages about whale species and shades of white. Instead, Strasser focuses on the action. Ishmael wakes up aboard a rusty old ship called the Pequod, and he’s amazed by the clean, beautiful planet on which he now finds himself. The Earth he has left behind is a filthy, coal-burning, oxygen depleted mess with very little water. His job is to hunt sea creatures to send back to feed Earth, but the real quarry on this ship is the Great Terrafin. Aye, there be pirates, too! (YA)

ALL AMERICAN BOYS, by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, is a provocative look at race relations, specifically how one white policeman reacts when a woman trips over a black kid in a convenience store. It’s narrated alternately by the black kid, Rashad, along with a witness, Quinn, who is white, a close friend of the policeman, and a classmate of Rashad. Pair it with Kekla Magoon’s fascinating How it Went Down, and you will have plenty to think about, guaranteed. (YA)


Picture Books:

I love Jessixa Bagley's (Boats for Papa) new book, BEFORE I LEAVE, a tenderhearted look at moving away and leaving a best friend behind. From the opening endpapers to the closing ones, the delicate watercolor illustrations tell at least half of the story. It’s charming.

In THE RED HAT, written by David Teague and illustrated by Antoinette Portis, young Billy Hightower lives on top of the world’s tallest building. It’s only the wind and Billy Hightower, until one day there’s a new building across the way, and living on top is a girl with a red hat. The strong illustrations use only a limited palette of blue and black, white and red, to deliver a strong and unique tale.

And, finally, Laura Vaccaro Seeger tackles some common kid fears in I USED TO BE AFRAID. She cleverly uses dye cuts to make turning the pages fun, as readers see how being afraid of shadows cleverly turns into shadow play against the wall, how being afraid of the dark turns into sitting with a pet looking at the moon, etc. Her illustrations are always bright and engaging, too.

--Lynn