The Adventure of Nanny Piggins by R.A. Spratt

Title: The Adventures of Nanny Piggins
Author: R.A. Spratt
Copyright: 2010
ISBN:978-0-316-06819-2

I don't know how it has gotten to be 2012 and I have never written a review of Nanny Piggins by R.A. Spratt.  I admit to being a sucker for nanny stories.  I loved Mary Poppins, Nanny McPhee was simply superb, and don't even get me started on Amelia Bedilia (perhaps she wasn't quite a nanny but close and I love it anyway!)

While some bloggers have complained that Nanny Piggins doesn't teach children the best morale's this is precisly why her books will appeal to older children.  Nanny Piggins does everything that children wish they could do but are never allowed.  She feeds them chocolate for dinner, takes them to the amusement park, cons the school into giving her 500 dollars, plus she used to be in the circus!  This is quite simply a recipe for awesome storytelling!

If you know a child who likes to laugh give Nanny Piggins a try...  I mean just look at the illustrations what could be funnier?   Plus Nanny Piggins is Australian and in Australia there are already six stories!  The Australian versions were illustrated by R.A. Spratt, the American versions were done by Dan Santat. 

Wizards Hall by Jane Yolen

Warning this is not a review but Book Club ideas!

When I started to plan my Book Club for Wizards Hall I ran into a real problem, there was no information online about running a book club for Jane Yolens story!!!  I was shocked and appalled.  So in return I am putting up what I made so that hopefully someone else will have an easier time. 

I used this book with our 3rd and 4th grade book club.  It turned out to be way to hard for them, so if you are doing it I suggest 5th or 6th grade or a group of really strong readers!

Wizards Hall by Jane Yolen
Book Club Program November 7, 2012:

Summary from Scholastic.com:

Poor Henry. It's not enough that his mother has sent him away from home to learn magic. It's not enough that everyone at his new school calls him Thornmallow because he's "prickly on the outside, squishy within".

It' s not enough that the only talent he shows at Wizard's Hall is an ability to make messes of even the simplest spells. Now, when Wizard's Hall is threatened by a cruel sorcerer' s fearsome beast, it is up to Henry — er, Thornmallow — to figure out how to save not only his new friends but also the entire school for wizards. 

The Master, Nettle, rejected by the other wizards, has conjured a powerful Quilted Beast from the black side of their souls.  He is using the Beast to threaten the entire school with it on the next full moon (which happens to be in only a day)!  Thornmallow isn’t sure what he can do.  He’s tone deaf and can’t chant on the dominant.  He’s not very good at Elementry Spelling, Names, or Curses.  However, Thornmallow does know how to try. 

It is easy to sympathize with Henry, he has doubts about his abilities and is confused in the new magical setting. Yolen does not lay out the school environment in detail but deftly sketches delightful elements, like the portrait that shows Henry and his mother in motion or the ceiling star map that teaches as it puts him to sleep. She gives the reader Henry's perspective on the Hall and its inhabitants. The peril that they all face is real and frightening and its solution is just right.

Wizard's Hall is a charming tale. Though this story was written earlier than Harry Potter's adventures, they have much in common from the school itself to the names Harry/Henry and the winking portraits. The other story that comes to mind in reading this one is The Little Engine That Could. Like the engine, Thornmallow persists through self-doubt and danger and reaches his goal ... because "It only matters that you try."

Activity 1: The Name Game

There is more to a name then just letters strung together.  Page 93.

Thornmallow, Greybane, Beechvale, Briar Rose, Oakbend, Coachwillow, Stickybun, Broadleaf, Daffy-Down-Dilly, Tansy, Willoweed, Gorse, Hickory, Feverfew, Sax, Frafe, Pepperwort, Bucks Horne, Milkweed, Hyssop, Morning Glory, Nettle. 

Henry gets renamed Thornmallow when he enters Wizards Hall because he is prickly on the outside and squishy on the inside.  If you were to become a wizard what would you want your name to be?  Remember your name reflects both your personality as well as the skills and positive attributes that you will bring to the hall. 

Prep Work:

1.      Show them a marshmallow with toothpicks poking into it to demonstrate Thornmallow’s name.

a.       How would changing his name change his personality?  In the book no one can seem to remember his name he is called: Thornapple, Thornmarrow, Thornwillow, Thornmaple, Thornmellow, Thornswallow, Thornpower

b.      What are some cool attributes that a wizard might want to have?

2.      Print up possible words for the kids to look through and choose from if they need help. 

a.       Pull some plant and animal reference books for the kids to look at and a dictionary since most of the names in the book reflect aspects of nature. 

3.      Ask the kids to assign names to each other or their friends and family if that is easier. 

4.      Let’s look at some of the other Wizard Names in the book what do you think they might mean? 

Activity 2: Wizard Quilting

A quilt is a blanket made up of numerous pieces of fabric sewn together into shapes, patterns, and designs.  The warmth and durability of a quilt comes from the layering and stitching of fabrics.  The beast was made up of the people it ate quilted together.  What if you had to battle this monster as a quilted group, what individual powers would you want to combine? 

Page 82 and 83, background on Nettle and his beast.  “One of our original members was a wizard named Nettle from Overton-Across-the-Waters…”

Page 105 , the beast imagery as seen by Thornmallow.  “Something impossibly large stomped down the aisle…”

Directions:

1.      Give each participant a blank square of paper. 

2.      Ask them to think about some attributes that would tie in with their wizard name and aid in battling the Quilted Beast.

3.      Provide colored pencils

4.      Ask the participants to draw their name and how they could fight on the quilt square.

5.      As a group they need to stitch their quilt together in a manner that would make it strongest, perhaps defensive skills on the outer edges or corners?

6.      Print some premade images that might help spark their imagination. 

Activity 3: The Enhancer

           

            Why could Thornmallow save the day when he had no magical powers?

“Thornpower asks if he has a talent for magic.” She smiled slowly and shook her head. “He does not. At least, he does not have a talent for enchantment.  His talent is far greater.  He has a talent for enhancement.  He can make any spell someone else works even greater simply by trying.” Pg. 131

Is there such a thing as enhancement in real life?  Can you think of anyone or anything who might be an enhancer

Signed by Zelda

Title: Signed by Zelda
Author: Kate Feiffer
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-3331-1

A lot happens everyday in New York City.  In fact there is so much going on that this entire story takes place in just one apartment building!  Lucy, Nicky, Pigeon and Zelda all live in the same building on different floors.  Pigeon (who really is a bird) technically lives outside but he spends so much time on everyone's windowsills he is an honorary resident.

When Nicky's grandmother Zelda turns up missing he doesn't know what to do.  Even stranger, his father doesn't seem to care at all that Zelda is missing.  It takes a new girl from Savannah (Lucy) who has no friends and only one hobby (handwriting analysis) to crack the case. 

Read this book to see what really happened to Zelda, plus learn some interesting facts about decoding your friends handwriting to reveal their true intentions!  Plus Pigeon talks, what could be better than that.

Summer at Forsaken Lake

Title: Summer at Forsaken Lake
Author: Michael D. Beil
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-0-375-86742-2

I admit to knowing absolutely nothing about sailing.  In fact I never meant to pick up a book about sailing, it was a complete accident.  I saw that the library had a new book by Michael D. Beil author of "The Red Blazer Girls" and I decided that I had to read it. In reality the only thing that "Summer at Forsaken Lake" has in common with "The Red Blazer Girls" is that the main characters are both originally from New York City. 

When twelve year old Nicholas finds out that instead of spending the summer in New York City  that he is being sent to Ohio to stay with his dad's uncle he is devastated.  An entire summer with no TV, no computer, and no friends what could possibly be worse? 

Little did Nicholas know he would walk into a mystery that is over 30 years old and involves his father, a girl, a sailboat and some other local characters.  Nicholas also learns that there is more to life than the city and that there is a lot to learn about surviving in the country.  The story culminates with the surprise arrival of a very special person. 

No Ordinary Day

Title: No Ordinary Day
Author: Deborah Ellis
Copyright: 2011
ISBN: 978-0-55498-134-2

Life in Jharia, India is dirty.  Everything is covered in coal dust.  Valli's clothes are never clean, her family doesn't like her, and she never picks up as much coal as the other kids.  Valli is lucky (or so she thinks) she has magical feet that feel no pain.  Life is perfect until she discovers that it isn't

"I'm family too."
Elmma didn't say anything for a moment.
The she said, "No, you're not."
"My mother was the sister of your mother," I said.  "That makes us family."
"Your mother was a sickly woman who died bringing you into the world," she said. "Your grandparents gave my parents money to take you off their hands.  The were neighbors.  Even after they got rid of you they had to move away."
"Why?"
"Your mother shamed her family," Elamma said.  "You have no father."

That was the moment Valli's life became anything but ordinary, the day that she ran away to Kolkata.  There Valli meets a doctor who changes her life by treating her leprosy and curing her magical feet. 

Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School

Title: Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School: We the Children
Author: Andrew Clements
Copyright: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4169-3907-8

Have you ever wished that your school would be torn down and replaced by an amusement park?  If so you probably aren't alone.  In fact I am sure that thousands of kids would be absolutely giddy at the prospect.  

Benjamin Pratt is not one of them.  In fact he is devastated that his school is being torn down.  It doesn't help that the school janitor made him promise to fight to stop the construction on his dying breath. 

Can Ben fight Lyman the evil janitor, the school board, the town, and just about everyone else who stands in his way.  Can Ben save the school alone or will he need to enlist the help of a few other special kids?

Find out more by coming to our Novel Read Aloud program on Monday afternoons!

Bluefish

Title: Bluefish
Author: Pat Schmatz
Copyright: 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5334-7

Travis:
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.  Travis has always been the Bluefish, ever since first grade when all the students were assigned leveled reading groups.  While all the kids around him moved forward Travis remained the stupid Blue Fish. 

Velveeta:
When Calvin, the only person who ever helped Velveeta succeed, dies of a heart attack she is left alone with a drunk mother just trying to get by.  It's the first day of school and her mom forgot to buy her any school supplies. In fact her mother forgets everything except to buy more alcohol, she always remembers that. 

Then Velveeta meets Travis all because of a flying shoe, and their lives will never be the same.  Travis meets a teacher who doesn't make him feel stupid because he can't read, and Velveeta makes a friend who cares about her and doesn't say anything about her home situation.  Travis even shares half his dessert with her everyday what could be a better friend then that. 

Both Travis and Velveeta have a lot of pain and regret to work through, but maybe, just maybe together they'll make it alright. 

No Castles Here

Title: No Castles Here
Author: A.C.E. Bauer
Copyright: 2007
ISBN: 978-0-375-83921-4

This book is for all the kids who truly believe that their parents are trying to ruin their life.  Augie Boretski does not fit in.  He just happens to be a scrawny white kid living in Camden, New Jersey.  All Augie wants is to survive Camden so that he can go somewhere better. 

Everything starts to fall apart in Augie's life when he accidentally steals a magical fairy tale book.  Yes, he accidentally stole the book.  That's the sort of kid Augie is. He lies to his mother and the neighbor, takes the train from Camden to Philadelphia, hides out in a bookstore, then runs out still holding a book.  He doesn't even like books, Augie was only holding it as a prop so that no one would bug him. 

Just to make his life worse at the age of twelve Augies mother decides that he needs a "male role model" and signs him up to participate in the Big Brothers program.  Augie is getting beat up every day, having his lunch stolen, and hiding from drug dealers, an ice storm wrecks his school the only place he feels safe.

Augie decides that for the first time in his life he will stand up for something.  Now read the book to find out what he stands for. 

The Last Song

Title: The Last Song
Author: Eva Wiseman
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-0-88776-979-5

I am always on the lookout for accessible historical fiction that is written during a time period that children typically don't know much about.  When I picked up "The Last Song" I was deceived by the cover!  I was shocked when I started reading to discover that it was not a holocaust book like a expected by instead was set in Toledo, Spain during the Spanish Inquisition 1491! 

Well at that point I was committed, I had bought the book, I had started reading the book and I was hooked.  For the record I knew absolutely nothing about the Spanish Inquisition when I started reading.  In fact I couldn't even quite rationalize when 1491 would have been.  None of that stopped me, and in fact the story line is so compelling, none of my concerns even mattered. 

This is the story of Isabel an almost fifteen year old girl who discovers in chapter 1 that she must marry a boy she despises in order to keep her safe from the inquisition.  No matter how many questions she asks no one will tell Isabel why she would ever have to be kept safe her family is full of good Christians what could the problem be?

Isabel soon learns that her family is hiding a dark past and in her time of need people she thought she could trust will desert her.  However, when she meets a young Jewish boy named Yonah she also learns to accept her background and her family for what it is.  Follow the emotional journey of Isabel as she learns what it means to be Jewish during a time of persecution. 

Bake Mice Bake

Title: Bake Mice Bake
Author: Eric Seltzer
Illustrator: Natascha Rosenberg
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-0-448-45763-5

People who regularly read my book reviews know that I hate Easy Readers.  In fact, just about anyone who comes into the library knows about my dislike of Easy Readers.  Typically I won't even bother to review them since there are so many better books in the world.  However I do occasionally find a book that I think I can "use" in some way.

Bake, Mice, Bake is a new easy reader featuring four mice who own the Cakes and More bakery.  Since I used to work as a baker I am a softy for books that involve cooking and baking.  If you are looking for a way to get your child more involved in the kitchen this is the book you want.  It uses all the various action words that your child will need to help learn to cook.  The mice cut, chop, drop, mop, crack, whip, pour, drip etc.  Each short phrase features an adorable picture to illustrate the action. 

One of my favorite pages includes a picture of a mouse dropping an egg, and then grabbing a mop to clean up the mess!  What better skill could we teach children then cleaning up after themselves.  If you are looking for a new easy reader for your child, consider checking out Bake, Mice, Bake and then doing a little baking together!

Mooshka: A Quilt Story

Title: Mooshka: A Quilt Story
Author: Julie Paschkis
ISBN: 978-1-56145-620-8
Copyright 2012

Adopt-a-Book month is almost over and still we have books waiting for a loving family to claim them.  Mooshka: A Quilt Story would be the perfect book to adopt if you have a new baby, or a grandmother you would like to honor.

Mooshka was a quilt.  She was not just any quilt, she was a very unusual and special quilt that her grandmother had made her when she was young.  It was full of color and life and made her room glow at night.

"If there was something scary under the bed, it snuggled tight around her and made her feel safe.  But that wasn't why Karla's quilt was unusual."

What made Mooshka the most special quilt was that it talked to Karla every evening, and every morning, when she touched it, the quilt would tell her stories.  The different pieces of fabric that her grandmother called "schnitz" all told different stories about her family and what they have seen.

One day something changes in her life and Mooshka stops speaking to Karla. She doesn't know how to make Mooshka speak again but she does know how to make someone very very happy.

Adopt this book to find out how Mooshka is passed along.

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms

Title: Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms
Author: Lissa Evans
ISBN: 978-1-4027-9806-1
Copyright: 2012

Everything about Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms feels old.  Not old in a bad way, but in a classic and intriguing manner.  Lissa Evans wrote an intriguing plot full of quirky characters who interact, and don't interact in some surprising ways. 

Stuart Horten or S.Horten as people often refer to him is an unusually small ten year old boy.  In fact he comes from a family of unusually small, and unusually tall relatives.  When his parents decide to move back to his fathers home town of Beeton Stuart is faced with a profound problem, living in a new town at the beginning of summer vacation where he doesn't know a single soul.

His parents (being parents) don't see the problem.  His father makes crossword puzzles and speaks using rather large words.

"Ah, there you are.  I was just thinking of going for a brief perambulation.  Would you like to come too?" Stuart answered, "Oh all right, then"

By "brief perambulation," his father meant a short walk.  That was the way he talked all the time, and he always spoke in a  loud, clear voice, so that people in the street turned and stared at him."

 As the story progresses Stuart learns that he has a great-uncle who is missing (and a former magician) his house is about to be demolished (rather mysteriously), the neighbors are triplet girls who snoop about, and the telephone with the receiver that isn't even connected seems to always work when the library is calling. 

Check this brand new book out today in order to find out how Stuart's summer progresses and whether or not he is able to track down his missing great-uncle.

Laundry Day

Title: Laundry Day
Author: Maurie Manning
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 9-780-547-24196-8
Adopt-a-Book Price: $10.02

In Laundry Day by Maurie J. Manning a young shoe shine boy goes on an adventure to discover who a red piece of cloth belongs too after it comes loose from the clothes lines over his head.  This book is set up in the style of a graphic novel.  The different frames help move the story along even though there is very little text to read. 

In New York City the shoeshine boy really wants to return the cloth to it's owner as he climbs up stairs, drain pipes, and shimmies across clotheslines he encounters people of different ethnicity living in the same building.  The shoeshine boy goes from balcony to balcony learning a little bit about each of his neighbors what the do and who they are as people.

This is a great book to show children to explain about different cultures.  Plus it is also a great way to get kids used to reading the graphic novel format. 

To find out of the shoeshine boy ever found the owner of the mysterious red fabric you will have to adopt the book and read it. 

The Boy Who Cried Alien

Title: The Boy Who Cried Alien 
Author: Marilyn Singer
Illustrator: Brian Biggs
ISBN: 978-078683825-7
Copyright: 2012

There are so many things that I like about The Boy Who Cried Alien that perhaps I should have adopted it myself.  Alas I did not so someone else will have too.  Anyway, I cannot say enough about the beautiful illustrations down by Brian Biggs they are bright and detailed and really show off the beauty of green aliens and lying little boys!

The story is kept fresh and amusing by the need to translate the Aliens poetry (go ahead give it a try I promise it can be done).  As well as the fact that all the towns people speak in rhymes.  While some books that rhyme can seem painful this one is just plain funny.




"My dear prevaricating pal,
oh the tales that you created,
the events that you inflated!
Yes, your fibs were highly rated.
But, come on--aliens from space?
How corny, quaint, and uninspired.
I can't be fooled by stuff that tired.
Better whopper are required
or, my flimflam friend, your fired!"








Larry sets off to try to prove to the town that aliens exist and that they did in fact land in Lake Malarkey (ha!).  Just keep reading this book is sure to please even the most skeptical of picture book readers. 

The Train Man

Title: The Train Man
Author: Andrea Zimmerman
Illustrator: David Clemesha
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8050-7991-3
Adopt-a-Book Price: $11.62

It is still adopt-a-book month and that means that we still have more picture books looking for love.  In the words of the Train Man "All Aboard!"

Chugga, Chugga, Chugga, Chugga, Choo, Choo.  What little kid doesn't love trains?!  Train Main by Andrea Zimmerman is a beautiful beginning reader for the child who just can't get enough trains.  It tells the story of a young boy who just can't wait to grow up and become a train man.  There are so many things he will do, and so many places to see as he drives the train. 

Plus he knows that even though his brother is too young to say choo-choo now, that when he gets older he'll teach him to say that plus "All Aboard" and then his brother will be a train man too!

The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas

Title: The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas
Author: Tony Wilson
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-1-561-45-635-2
Adopt-a-Book Price: $13.14

Everyone knows the story of the Princess and the Pea.  But do you know the story of the boy who didn't want to marry a real princess?  Instead the prince wanted to marry the un-princess, the least princess-ly girl he could find. 

I have to say I like this story.  I like this story a lot.  Parents are always asking me for books with strong female characters who also happen to be princesses (because their daughters loooooove princesses).  It can be difficult to find books where the princess isn't a dainty fainting girl waiting to be married by the prince, but this is that book!

The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas is the story of Prince Henrik who loved hockey and camping.  All he wanted in a princess was a girl who would love outdoorsy things.  Prince Henrik came up with a plan to find the girl of his dreams.  If the perfect princess could feel a single pea under 20 mattresses then Prince Henrik wanted the girl who didn't notice an entire bag of frozen peas under a sleeping bag...

Many princesses tried but they all felt the peas and complained loudly about it:

"You won't believe this.  I found PEAS in my bed."
"I couldn't sleep at all! There was a massive lump under the mattress."
"What's the deal with the packet of FROZEN PEAS?"

Just as Prince Henrik is about to give up  hope his old friend Pippa comes for a visit... 

To find out more about Pippa please help the library by adopting this book and adding it to our collection!

Mrs. Harkness and the Panda

Title:  Mrs. Harkness and the Panda
Author: Alicia Potter
Illustrator: Melissa Sweet
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-0-375-84448-5
Adopt-a-Book Price: $9.46

One of the best ways to get children interested in new topics is through introducing them as picture books.  Picture Books are a fun non threatening way to teach children about math, science, and even people's lives.  Mrs. Harkness and the Panda is a sweet true story about how the first panda was brought to the United States, not by a man but a woman in 1936.

Mrs. Harkness had read about pandas, but in the 1900's no one in the United States had ever seen a panda before.  Panda's lived too far away in China and no one had ever tried to capture one and bring it home before.  Well, Mrs. Harkness may have been a bit eccentric, but she wanted a panda and knew just the explorer to bring her one, her husband.  In 1934 William Harvest Harkness Jr. left the united states to head to China and find a Panda.  Unfortunately, William died while in China. 

When news of Williams death got back to her Mrs. Harkness would not be deterred, she still wanted a Panda.  Mrs. Harkness refused to listen to her friends and neighbors when they told her that a woman could never be an explorer.  She took a steam ship to China, got her husbands clothes tailored to fit her and then hired a team of guides and porters to help her.  Off she went into the Chinese Mountains and... 

Cliffhanger!  To find out what happens in the mountains or if Mrs. Harkness ever finds her Panda come to the library and adopt this book.  I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed be the writing or artwork.  Melissa Sweet did an amazing job with the layout and design of each page. 

Otto the Book Bear

Title: Otto the Book Bear
Author: Katie Cleminson
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-142314562-2
Adopt-a-book price: $9.46

In honor of Children's Book Week, every year during the month of April the library runs it's "Adopt-a-Book" program.  This allows our patrons to help us increase the number of picture books we have by purchasing a book in honor of someone and then donating it to our collection.  This year we have 26 silly books that are all looking for a good home in our collection.  Each Tuesday I will review a different book that is available for adoption.  Remember, if you see a book you like act quickly since it might not be there for long!

Otto the Book Bear  by Katie Cleminson is the touching story of a very small bear who lives in a book.  "When no one was looking, he came to life!" and is able to leave his book and go exploring. He read other books on the shelf, practiced his writing on the type writer, and even climbed the stairs for exercise. 

Unfortunately, one day the family moved and both Otto and his book got left behind.  Well Otto isn't the sort of bear to sit around feeling bad for himself!  No Otto is an action sort of bear, so he grabbed his bag and started walking.  He walked and walked trying to find a new place to live but nothing was quite as cozy as his old book.  Until one day he stumbles upon a warm building and sees someone that he recognizes, another book bear!  This one's name is Ernest and he shows Otto all around his new home. 

Now I'm sure that you can guess where Otto ended up living but just in case you don't know I'm not going to say!  You will have to adopt this heart warming book and read it yourself to find out.

Mr. Benedicts Perplexing Puzzles

Title:  Mr. Benedict's Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums
Author: Trenton Lee Stewart
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-0316181938

Now that our Spy program has been completed I would be honored to tell you where some of the activities came from! As our participants know, each day had a different book that represented what we were doing.  On Monday we heard from Paul Janezcko and his book "Top Secret", on Tuesday it was "Harriet the Spy", Wednesday was "The Mysterious Benedict Society", Thursday "Spy School", and Friday "The Red Blazer Girls."

It is true that children who had read these books had a bit of an advantage when it came to solving each day's activities though I like to believe I adapted each scenario to make it sufficiently difficult. 

While earlier this week I reviewed The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict, I would also like to review a second new book in the series that was released this winter, "Mr. Benedict's Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums."  With a title like that you know the book is going to be good. 

It is filled with challenging puzzles, so challenging in fact that even using the hints provided at the end of the book I could still only solve about 1/2 of the puzzles in the book.  Not too many libraries own copies of this book since it would encourage children to write in the book.  However, if you have a child who loves the Mysterious Benedict Society or Puzzles and brain teasers I highly recommend purchasing this book for him.  It will provide hours (and probably even weeks and months) of excitement. 

Try this puzzle yourself and see if you can solve it!

The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict

Title: The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict
Author: Trenton Lee Stewart
ISBN: 978-0-316-17619-4
Copyright: 2012

I love the Mysterious Benedict Society.  Like many other readers I was heartbroken when the series "finished."  How could the third book possibly be the end,  I needed more, lots more.  As luck would have it as I began working on the program for our week-long "Spies, Codes, and Ciphers" program I became aware that their was a brand new book coming out!  The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict was released on April 10th.

This book while not quite as exciting as the original three is the perfect accompaniment to the series.  It explains Mr. Benedict's unusual childhood.  Not that all childhoods aren't unusual, but growing up as an orphan with an incredible mind and unfortunately narcolepsy can prove particularly tiring. 

At age nine Nicholas Benedict is far smarter then I will ever be.  He also needs to learn some typical things such as how to not get beaten up by bullies, how to make friends, and that there are good people in the world.  Plus since this is Nicholas Benedict he must solve the mystery of where the orphanage's fortune has gone.

Plus while he is at it, Nicholas will improve the efficiency of the orphanage and make sure that all his friends are safe and well taken care of!

Small as an Elephant

Title: Small as an Elephant
Author: Jennifer Jacobson
Copyright: 2011
ISBN: 978-0763641559

"Small as an Elephant" by Jennifer Jacobson is an unusual novel.  Librarians can't seem to decide where to shelve the book!  Typically where we put a book is pretty cut and dry, novels are either written for children, adults, or teens.  Right? Normally.  However, with "Small as an Elephant" there is no consensus.  I am reviewing it because the book is intended for children ages 9 and older, and it won the 2012 Lupine Award at Reading Round Up today in Augusta. 

At the Norway Memorial Library we shelve "Small as an Elephant" in the adult fiction section due to content.  Many parents might be unhappy if their child happened to stumble upon this book.  It deals with mental illness, bipolar disorder, and the strength of a child.  Lets be brutally honest for a moment, mental illness is everywhere.  As Jennifer Jacobson mentioned in her speech this afternoon, "there is no extended family that has not been affected by mental illness.  The question is not why did I write a book about mental illness, but instead why not?" 

There are not many children's books that deal with this topic yet the news is telling us that more and more children suffer from a variety of mental illnesses including depression, anxiety, bipolar, and schizophrenia disorders.  In "Small as an Elephant" a young boy wakes up in Acadia National Park realizing that his mother was gone, the car was gone, and she didn't bring him with.  However, Jack knows that his mother has always been unpredictable and he is sure that if he can only find his mother he can make everything right. 

This speaks to the intrinsic belief of children, everything is about them, and they can fix everything.  In order to protect the only family that he has (his mother).  Jack sets off to make his way home to Boston with only a small toy elephant in his pocket.  Jack might find the elephant, but he can't solve his mothers underlying problems. 

Don't be an adult who is afraid of reality.  I dare you to give this to any tween reader.  It is brutally honest, absolutely age appropriate, and a beautifully written story.  Plus it won an award, that must mean it is good right?

Top Secret by Paul Janeczko

Title: Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Ciphers, and Secret Writing
Author: Paul Janeczko
Copyright: 2006
ISBN: 978-0763629724

For anyone who might still not know, on Monday April 16th the "Spies, Codes, and Ciphers" program will begin at Norway.  In honor of that this month I am blogging about spies, mysteries, and other books that could be relevant!

I have absolutely fallen in love with Paul Janeczko and his books.  Before I started researching for our program I only knew Paul as a poet.  His poetry is excellent, don't get me wrong, but poetry just never seems very excited.  I don't get totally psyched to read poetry.  Even more so I find it VERY easy to put down books of poetry and well, never pick it up again.  That is never the case with Top Secret.

Top Secret is a non-fiction book that reads like a guide.  This is the sort of book that two best friends would love to receive copies of.  Paul explains step by step how different codes were formed and used historically as well as giving examples for children to try so that you can learn how to effectively encode, and decode your messages. 

Personally one of the my favorite chapters is the one on Ciphers which describes how codes differ from ciphers, how to tell them apart, and most importantly which is most secure!  Next week the kids will have a chance to try their hands at different ciphers.  However, if you aren't attending our program please pick up this book and explore all the different activities with your favorite child.  You definitely won't regret the time you spend working together!

(P.S. Have I ever mentioned how difficult it is to review books with a cat who insists on trying to help you type?)

Title: Spy School

Title: Spy School
Author: Stuart Gibbs
Copyright: 2012
ISBN:978-1-4424-2182-0

In honor of the Spies, Codes, and Ciphers program that will be running at the library on April16-20th I bring you a book review that is sure to get your blood pumping.  By the end of this book you will be dying to come to our Spy program and learn everything that you can about the CIA, FBI, and the NSA! On to the review.

Spy School is written by Stuart Gibbs (an author I had never heard of before).  It begins with a highly classified letter from the "Office of CIA Internal Investigations" and features many blacked out lines leave the reader wondering what really happened.  It explains that the creation of this book is part of a "continuing investigation into Operation Creeping Badger."  First of all, how cool is that name Operation Creeping Badger (which did end up going horribly, horribly wrong). 

Ben Ripley thinks that he is the luckiest kid in the world.  He came home from school on January 16th to find Alexander Hale (a world class spy) sitting in his living room.  Not only that but Ben learns that he has been accepted to the Academy of Espionage of the Central Intelligence Agency.  What could possibly be cooler then finding out that you have been admitted to a secret spy school for kids?  Well it would have gone a bit smoother if Ben hadn't failed his entrance exam and then had to fight off would be assassins his first night!  No one ever said that spy school would be easy.

As Ben works hard to not flunk out or be murdered at the Academy of Espionage he also learns a terrible secret that he has to solve!  Read this book you won't regret it.  The fast pace and exciting storyline will make you not want to put the book down.  Plus there are Ninjas in the book, and what could possibly be cooler then Ninjas

Mr. Putter and Tabby Clear the Decks

Title:  Mr. Putter and Tabby Clear the Decks
Author: Cynthia Rylant
Illustrator: Arthur Howard
Copyright: 2011
ISBN: 978-0-15-206715-1

If you think that all Cynthia Rylant writes is books about boys and dogs (Henry and Mudge) you couldn't be more wrong!  In fact she also writes about bunnies, cats, snow, and pigs.  Occasionally she even writes fiction books for older readers, and picture books for younger readers.  Though today none of that is important.  All that really matters is Mr. Putter and Tabby. 

Mr. Putter is a lovable old man, and Tabby is his equally lovable old cat.  Together they make quite the pair.  In Mr. Putter and Tabby Clear the Decks they are bored, and itchy, and not from fleas.  Plus they NEED orange creamsicles.  Anyone who has ever had an orange creamsicle will certainly understand the dilemma.  sometimes people (and cats) simply must have creamsicles, especially in the summer when it is so very hot!

Not knowing what else to do they go to Mrs. Teaberry's house.  Mrs. Teaberry and her dog Zeke always know what to do and today is no exception.  She has planned an adventure that everyone will enjoy on such a hot day.  Mr. Putter, Tabby, Mrs. Teaberry, and Zeke are all going sightseeing on a boat.  Perhaps they will even find an orange creamsicle to make the day complete.

Fly Guy vs. The Fly Swatter

Title:  Fly Guy vs. The Fly Swatter
Author: Tedd Arnold
Copyright: 2011
ISBN:978-0-545-31286-8

Fly Guy vs. The Fly Swatter follows in the long and buzzworthy Fly Guy series.  While I am not really a fan of books that have insects and bugs as the main character I make an exception for Fly Guy.  I admit that I was originally drawn to the series because of the very shiny covers (which can apparently be a great marketing technique).  Fly Guy is a slightly unusual Easy Reader series since it is composed of all dialogue and no rhyming!  So for parents who would rather die then read Fox in Socks one more time to your child, Fly Guy may be the perfect solution.  To truly appreciate the art (and absurdity) of Fly Guy you must read book one Hi Fly Guy, which was a Theodor Suess Geisel Honor Book. 

While Fly Guy does steal the show in every book, there is a second main character, his best friend Buzz.  Buzz has a habit of accidentally bringing Fly Guy with him places.  Today Fly Guy has been accidentally locked inside his backpack and ends up on an adventure to school and then a field trip.  Buzz and Fly Guy were both excited about the field trip until they get to their destination: the Fantastic Flyswatter Factory! 

Can the day possibly get any worse?  Well, when the factory decides to demonstrate their flyswatter of the future, the Super Swatter 6000 Fly Guy knows that things are really bad.  Can Fly Guy save the day or will the field trip and Buzz's best friend be ruined forever?  You will have to read Fly Guy vs. The Fly Swatter to find out.

Joe and Sparky Get New Wheels

Title: Joe and Sparky Get New Wheels
Author:  Jamie Michalak
Illustrator: Frank Remkiewicz
Copyright: 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3387-5

Typically I don't review easy readers because for the most part they are unimpressive.  However, for the month of March it is all about easy readers and today I am bringing you an excellent book called Joe and Sparky Get New Wheels.  Sparky is an adorable turtle who is a little bit shy, very safety conscious, and very green.  Joe is a giraffe who loves to explore the world around him, and he is always keen to leave the zoo in order to go on adventures.  Joe and Sparky is separated into four chapters which are capable to stand on their own as separate adventures. 

One day in Safari Land a bright yellow Super Flash 5000 arrives at the zoo.  Joe spots the car and knows for certain that today is his lucky day.  The contest he entered weeks ago, that he almost forgot about, well he won!  At least he thinks he won, why else would such a nice shiny car show up.  When Sparky and Joe get in the car they discover that Joe in fact won two prizes: the car and a beautiful hat all covered in fruit!  This book is filled with illustrations that will help show children parts of the story that aren't written about such as the woman who just got out of the car and left her hat on the seat. 

Regardless of who actually owns the car Joe and Sparky do just what any two zoo animals would do, they get in and drive away.

"Wheeee!" said Joe.
"SLOW DOWN! SAFETY FIRST!" Sparky shouted.
"Where do you want to go?"
Sparky though and thought.  "To my pond."
"You are always at your pond.  Let's go somewhere different.  How about that big building?  It looks busy.  It must be fun." 
"Sitting on a warm rock can be fun," Sparky Suggested.
"No," said Joe sadly.  "Warm rocks are not fun."

In this manner Joe and Sparky goes on to explore a mall, a hamburger joint, a car wash, and an amusement park.  Finally they end up back at the zoo to check out the pond.  It is the only place they haven't gone that day. 

So come to the library, check out Joe and Sparky, and let me know if you agree that it is in fact a superior easy reader!

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

Title:  The Lorax
Author:  Dr. Seuss
Copyright: 1971

In honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday on March 2nd, (he would be 108 if he wasn't dead) I will review a pile of Easy Readers as well as a few Dr. Seuss classics, and their movie counterparts. 

The Lorax was originally written in 1971 and teaches children a valuable lesson about protecting the environment.  I have always thought that The Lorax was a happy book since it has a happy ending.  Some children however don't like it because the book feels sad.  The book features the Lorax, a magical creature who speaks for the trees, the Once-ler who's greed leads to the destruction of the Truffala trees and forest, and a young boy (in the movie his name is Ted) who wants to know what happened to the trees.  The book is written in typical Seussical fashion using rhymes and a few made up words here and there. 


If you don't know, the movie version of The Lorax came out on March 2nd 2012.  It features Danny DeVito, Zach Efron, Taylor Swift and a few other big name actors.  The movie takes Dr. Seuss' original book and turns it into an hour and a half long feature film.  Judging by the response of the audience members the movie was a bit too long for children under five.  However, the animations are adorable, and the plot remains mostly the same.  Sadly, what the producers removed from the film was the traditional Seuss language.  I didn't notice any rhyming in the movie and it was severely lacking for that.  All in all though, it was a well done movie and I was very happy that it was animated and didn't feature Jim Carey!

Dave the Potter

Title: Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave
Author: Laban Carrick Hill
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
Copyright: 2010
ISBN: 978-0-316-10731-0

Dave the Potter is a hauntingly simple story written in verse and telling what little we know about a slave who lived in the 1800's named Dave.  "To us it is just dirt, the ground we walk on," but to the potter clay is everything that he lives for.

This week at the library we have been holding our Art Adventures program during Presidents week winter break.  Many of the artists that I have shared with the participants have been well known, Warhol, Picasso, O'Keeffe.  Nothing unusual or surprising, up until Thursday that is.  On Thursday we are celebrating the work of two very different Potters, Dave who lived in South Carolina as a slave, and George Ohr who lived in Biloxi,  The lives of these two men overlapped though they never met.

February is Black History month and today I highly recommend that everyone pick up a copy of Dave the Potter to share with your students, children, or friends.  It tells the remarkable story of a slave who still managed to leave his mark on the world through the poems he etched into his jars.  The illustrations by Bryan Collier show what Dave's studio and life might have looked like.  The details included in the illustrations of Dave throwing pots is mesmerizing and for anyone who has worked with clay will recognize the steps are just right.

"Dave belongs to Mr. Miles/

wher the oven bakes & the pot biles///

--July 31, 1840"

The last few pages contain historical information about Dave's life as a slave, his work as a potter, and his haunting pottery that has left it's mark on the world.  

Bird in a Box

Title: Bird in a Box
Author: Andrea Davis Pinkney
ISBN: 978-0-316-07403-2
Copyright: 2011

While everyone knows that Fantasy is the hot genre right now, what you might have missed is that historical fiction is working hard to make a comeback.  Most new historical fiction is set between the great depression and the 1980's.  I know most people wouldn't consider 1980 to be historical, but trust me it is! 

Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney, is one of my top picks for Black History Month.  This is a total "boy book" (forgive my stereotyping please!).  Joe Louis is absolutely famous during the Great Depression and in the small town of Elmira, New York Joe Louis is going to change the lives of three children: Hibernia, Willie, and Otis.  This is a story about the power of hope and the effect it can have on young children. 

Willie is living at the Mercy Home for Negro Orphans after his stepfather burned his hands so he couldn't box anymore and his mother gave him up.  Otis' parents are killed in a car accident leaving him no one to take care of him and all he has for memories is his dad's old radio and a handkerchief of his mothers.  Then there is Hibernia, the reverends daughter who dreams of following her mother who abandoned her to be a great singer in Harlem. 

Andrea Pinkney weaves a beautiful story that makes the reader feel as if he is taking a step back into the 1930's filled with all the good and bad that the era was filled with.  Plus she includes real live radio broadcast commentary of Joe Louis fights.  For those of us who weren't alive in the 1930's they are pretty amazing to read. 

Give this book to your favorite sports fan!

One Crazy Summer

Title: One Crazy Summer
Author: Rita Williams-Garcia
ISBN: 978-0-06-076088-5
Copyright: 2010

This book actually came out in 2010, the library didn't buy a copy until 2011 when it started getting nominated for numerous awards including:

2011 Coretta Scott King Award Winner

2011 Newbery Honor Book

2011 Scott O'Dell Prize for Historical Fiction

2010 National Book Award Finalist

Normally I don't push award winning books on this blog.  I assume that most people have heard of the books that have won awards.  Usually people who like books have already heard about the "good ones"  but occasionally we all need to make a change and this is mine.  I absolutely adore One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams- Garcia.  I was hooked by page two while describing an airplane ride eleven year old Delphine says "The last thing Pa and Big Ma wanted to hear was how we made a grand Negro spectacle of ourselves thirty thousand feet up in the air around all these white people."  With the words, "A grand Negro Spectacle" I knew that this was going to be a good book.  Vonetta, Fern, and Delphine get sent to live with their mother in Oakland, CA during the summer of 1968.

One Crazy Summer is for all the girls in the world who have a mother who doesn't love them.  Delphine and her sister aren't sure why Pa is making them stay in CA for the summer with their mother Cecile who abandoned the family.  Even more mysterious is what Cecile is doing in the kitchen with all the men with afros, and why suddenly the girls need to spend all their time at a summer camp run by the Black Panthers getting a "real education."

This is an elegantly written story which will leave readers wanting more.  More of Delphine, Vonette, and Fern, and occasionally even more of Cecile and the Panthers.  This book is an excellent introduction to the civil unrest that was taking place in California in the 1960's. 

Claudette Colvin Twice Toward Justice

Title: Claudette Colvin, Twice Toward Justice
Author: Phillip Hoose
ISBN: 978-0-374-31322-7
Copyright: 2009

Happy February and welcome to Black History Month.  Since I have really been enjoying the Children's Room biography collection I thought it would be worthwhile to include an excellent older book.

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice is one of the best stories about the Civil Rights Movement that most people have never heard before.  All children (and adults) have heard the story of Rosa Parks refusing to get off a city bus.  What if I told you that Claudette Colvin did the SAME thing 9 months before Rosa Parks?  Certainly makes the reader wonder why if Claudette refused to give up her seat on March 2, 1955 we have never heard of her.

In this biography written by Phillip Hoose readers will learn Claudette's story including how after her bus protest she was shunned by her classmates for causing trouble and deemed an unfit role model for the black community.  Phillip Hoose's book is based extensively on interviews with Claudette and other civil rights leaders.  4th-6th graders will love getting to learn more about the Montgomery bus protests as well as how Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks became the leaders that they became.

So there is your educational book for the month.  Check back over the rest of the month to see different chapter books and picture books for Black History Month

P.S.  I hate this book cover - it definitely doesn't make me want to read the book, but please trust me that the story is awesome, and don't judge a book by it's cover!

Queen of the Falls

Title: Queen of the Falls
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
ISBN: 978-0-547-31581-2
Copyright: 2011

Chris Van Allsburgs stunning monochromatic drawings bring to life the story of Annie Edison Taylor, a retired charm school teacher.  As less and less students begin signing up to attend classes at Mrs. Taylors Charm School in Bay City, Michigan, Annie decided that it was time for a change!  Since apparently no one cared about "the correct fork to use at dinner, the usefulness of handkerchiefs, and how to properly waltz," perhaps they would care about action, adventure, danger, and recklessness.

Suddenly an idea came to Annie; she would make a fortune as the first woman to ever go over Niagra Falls in a barrel!  For anyone who hasn't visited Niagra Falls, it is huge!  The falls itself is as tall as a 17 story building and the rushing water draws tourists all year round.

Annie Edison Taylor at sixty two years old is brought to life by Chris Van Allsburg.  Children will be enthralled to follow the story through the images.  As it comes closer to the appointed time for Annie to go over the falls readers will be amazed to discover the true grit and stubbornness that a former charm school teacher can contain.  As person after person tells Annie that she can't possibly survive a trip over the falls Annie grits her teeth, smiles and tells them all that she will see everyone shortly. 

To discover whether or not Annie survives the trip, and whether she manages to become rich off of her adventure you will need to check out Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg.  Plus while you are checking out this book make sure to grab a few other picture book biographies to read at home!