Review: The Mysterious Abductions

The Mysterious Abductions by Tracey Hecht
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The actual story was fine--nocturnal animals are being kidnapped by a mysterious creature, and a group of friends form to solve the mystery. There's a fun take on a human game that is also appealing. I did find the language to be a bit didactic (animals explaining what their features are.) What I really didn't enjoy was the overly flirty sugar glider. Is that something we really need in children's literature? Perhaps I'm being unduly influenced by the political sphere, but I was irritated that the character with the most "personality" basically spent most of his time trying to woo a creature much larger than himself.

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Review: One Half from the East

One Half from the East by Nadia Hashimi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book about one girl's experience as a bascha posh in Afghanistan. Obayda's father loses a leg while on a trip to a pharmacy with her to get her medicine. It results in them moving from Kabul to a more rural part of the country, one where a warlord watches everything. To increase their luck, Obayda's aunt suggests that they turn her into a bascha posh or a boy. During that time, Obayda discovers new freedoms and makes a new friend. What will happen when they want to change her back?

I thought the book got a little explain-y at times. Characters would talk about facts in a way that I'm not sure a real conversation would flow. Otherwise, for an initial look at gender differences and this specific aspect of Afghan culture, it is an excellent start.

Thank you, Rockland Public Library, for loaning me this book.

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Review: And I Darken

And I Darken by Kiersten White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Normally when a book takes me five days to read (in a time of MSBA reading) I don't rate it highly. I have a lot of books to get through! I loved this one though. This is a genderbent tale of Vlad the Impaler, which was interesting enough to grab me. Lada learns early on that being a woman will only get you ignored and thus she swears off all men and acting feminine. The story is told partly through her perspective and partly through her younger brother, Rada's, perspective. He is soft-hearted, which drives Lada nuts, yet she loves him. The two are shipped off from their native land of Wallachia to the Ottoman Empire in exchange for peace. What follows is a complicated story of love, betrayal, battle tactics and gender roles. I really enjoyed it, and I'm intrigued to see where the story goes.

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Review: Lowriders to the Center of the Earth

Lowriders to the Center of the Earth by Cathy Camper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first. This one I had to read a bit more slowly, because the Aztec names and stories were not familiar to me. I almost wish the glossary had been in the front of the book, but that would have spoiled some of the surprise. I do like that the translations of Spanish phrases continues at the bottom of the page. I also feel like I learned a bit about Aztec mythology, which was interesting. Maybe if the pronunciations had been in there as we were going along?

I will say that I still very much enjoy Raul the Third's pen illustrations. They are so unique and interesting. I'm glad I purchased it for my library.

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Review: babes in the woods and waters

babes in the woods and waters by Roger L. Stevens Jr.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Love the pictures and the basic facts! I think it's great for grades K-2 and anyone who loves wildlife photography.

Thank you to the author for graciously giving me a copy.

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Review: Dorothea's Eyes: Dorothea Lange Photographs the Truth

Dorothea's Eyes: Dorothea Lange Photographs the Truth by Barb Rosenstock
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I didn't know anything about Dorothea Lange beyond her famous photograph. I was surprised to learn that she had polio as a child and suffered from its aftereffects her whole life. I love that this biography used faces as a way to draw people into the story. It is a trademark of her work.

Thank you Calkins Creek for sending me a copy to review.

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Review: Crossing Niagara: The Death-Defying Tightrope Adventures of the Great Blondin

Crossing Niagara: The Death-Defying Tightrope Adventures of the Great Blondin by Matt Tavares
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I knew someone had crossed Niagara on a tightrope, I just didn't know anything about him or her. This is the story of the Great Blondin and his multiple crossings in 1859 and 1860. As usual, the illustrations are stunning. You won't find me on a tightrope any time soon!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me a copy to review.

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Review: Imprudence

Imprudence by Gail Carriger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another topping book from Carriger. I just love her style so much. She's one of two authors that I have to buy whatever comes out by her, and probably the only one whose entire published works I have read. Of course, gobbling them up as they come out can lead to forgetfulness between books, as I don't often have time to reread, but the story is still fun and understandable. If you're looking for action, romance, history, and steampunk, you really can't go wrong with one of her books.

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Review: The Passion of Dolssa

The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Who doesn't want to read about possible heretics in the 1240s? Well, I certainly didn't know that I did! Dolssa's life is thrown into chaos when the Catholic Church finds out about her Beloved and how she speaks about Him. They burn her mother at the stake and she is on the run. A young woman with two sisters, Botille, finds Dolssa and rescues her. They still are not safe, because Friar Lucien will not stop until she is brought to justice for her "heresy."

Berry chose to tell her story from many different perspectives. You hear from Botille and Dolssa most often, but you also hear from Lucien and different witnesses to Dolssa's life on the run and her actions. This gives us an all-around view of the story, which I appreciated. It also helped to humanize characters like Lucien a bit, who otherwise we would all rail on for stupidity (forgetting historical accuracy.) The book also describes a genocide I had never heard of (Albigensian), part of the Crusades of the Catholic Church. It brings the Crusades to horrifying life, where it's not just your life at stake, but your family and anyone who has ever helped you. These are themes we see repeated throughout history.

The other thing I really liked about this book were the female characters. When I think about this time period, I often think life was hard and boring for women. Botille, Sazia, and Plazensa, along with Astruga and Sapdalina and all these others, illuminated for me that yes, life was hard for peasants, but they also had fun and joy and love and their life was not that different from our own.

I also really loved the end matter. As a librarian on a book review committee, I very much appreciate glossaries, sources cited, bibliography, etc. Berry gives you an overview of the Crusades and Provensa, definitions of non-English words used, as well as where to look for continued reading. Excellent!

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Review: Ask Me How I Got Here

Ask Me How I Got Here by Christine Heppermann
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was drawn in by this story, but then, I was such a huge fan of Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty. I knew what to expect from Heppermann's poetic voice, and she did not disappoint. I liked the interplay of religion and choices, how to reconcile faith and the lived life when they disagree. I also liked that Addie had support from her parents and boyfriend about her abortion. This is not a tale of hardship to get one, or dealing with angry family members. There is one young woman who talks a lot about a charity for "repenting women", which I have mixed feelings about. It seems both helpful and also guilt-inducing.

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Review: Morning Star

Morning Star by Pierce Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fitting end to the trilogy. It was rapid-paced and fun and horrifying and everything a good book should be. I almost wish I had gone back and re-read the whole series before this one, as there was one scene at the end that caused me to go "WHAT???? I DON'T REMEMBER THAT HAPPENING!"

I hear Brown is writing a follow-up series, and I think that will be very interesting.

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Review: Fowl Language: Welcome to Parenting

Fowl Language: Welcome to Parenting by Brian Gordon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review! I very much enjoyed it, despite not having children. I have definitely seen this behavior, both as a librarian and with my friends who have children. I think most parents would enjoy reading it, as it would definitely help them feel less alone!

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Review: Pax

Pax by Sara Pennypacker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one that I'll be thinking about for a while. The writing of this story is beautiful. I love the general plot. I love the way Pennypacker chose to tell part of the story from Peter's point of view and part of the plot from Pax's. I love Vola so much, and she breaks my heart.

I need to sit with the ending however. It doesn't end the way I would like, which isn't really the problem. I had to read it three times, because I felt like I missed something. It was so sudden. I'm hoping it will rise in my esteem as time goes on.


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Review: I Am Coyote

I Am Coyote by Geri Vistein
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book definitely had a lot of good coyote information and made me feel more sympathetic to them. However, the choice of present tense didn't work for me, and it really just wasn't my cup of tea. I think I would have rather read the same sort of information in a nonfiction title.

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Review: The Girl Who Fell

The Girl Who Fell by Shannon M. Parker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It feels weird to say "it was amazing!" about a book that deals with an abusive relationship, but this one truly is. I was curious about how I would deal with this book knowing that it was about an abusive relationship from the start--would I still fall for Alec? Or would that ruin the book for me? The truth is, it adds an interesting layer. For me, I was constantly stating on Twitter about how I wanted Zephyr (the main character) to not be interested in Alec, and yet you can totally see how she falls for him. There is something dark and charming about him, even as you realize that he is bad news. And hopefully, you will realize it before Zephyr does. And hopefully that realization will help young women as they navigate relationships in their teen years and beyond. An essential for library and personal collections.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for review.

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Review: Randoms

Randoms by David Liss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this one. It took me longer than I expected to read. It is a bit of a tome--485 pages. The other reason is that so many science fiction references are scattered throughout, I wanted to go and research them all. I think knowing the basics of those references does increase your enjoyment of the book, but if you don't, perhaps it will inspire you to learn more. I know I asked a lot of questions about Martian Manhunter after reading it.

Zeke Reynolds has been invited to an intergalactic study-abroad type situation as the "random." The other delegates are all exceptional children. They also leave Zeke out, because statistically it is better for them to do so. Can Zeke still have a good year, despite being left out?

It's hard for me to give too much of a synopsis here, because I don't want to spoil anything. If you have readers who love science fiction that are in grades 4 and up, this book will be a winner.

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Review: The Wolf Wilder

The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another excellent choice from Rundell, about a girl and her mother who retrain wolves to live in the wild. When the wolves attack the wrong man, Feo's mother is arrested and taken to St. Petersburg. Feo must rely on her wits and some new friends to save her mother and the wolves.

I've never heard of wolf wilding before, and I was a little disappointed to see that it's not really a thing, although other animals are sometimes wilded--let out of zoos I suppose. Still, I enjoyed this story about a girl with companions that she respects but also understands they aren't pets.

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Review: How Machines Work: Zoo Break!

How Machines Work: Zoo Break! by DK Publishing
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I definitely needed to read this one twice. It wasn't the type of book that was meant for me to be reading when I'm tired, because it addresses a part of my brain that I'm not really used to using. I definitely asked for help on how the systems work, because I was trying to understand the book. I think kids might figure it out more readily than I would, and most likely they would be building models to figure it out, rather than trying to visualize in their head. The idea of a sloth escaping was continually funny to me (so much effort!).

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Lunar New Year Try-It Tuesday

This week's Try-It Tuesday event was to create your own dragon out of egg cartons, toilet paper tubes, and yarn. This is the idea I had in my head: http://www.pinkstripeysocks.com/2015/02/recycled-chinese-new-year-dragon-craft.html

 I put a tarp out on the floor, paint, paintbrushes, and let the kids go to town! I had Valentine supplies out as a way to pass the time while the paint was drying. Unfortunately, it took them an hour of my hour and a half program to paint. So I scrambled around to make kids for them to take home to complete their project with the addition of fasteners, straws and the directions. They had a grand time (well until Valentine making. That's when some kids decided computers were cooler.) I would do this craft again, but with way more time planned and activities to do while waiting.

Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day

Normally I don't combine these two holidays, but next week I have my monthly presenter coming, so I decided to whip something together that combined both.

I started with singing "Can't Wait to Celebrate" by Jim Gill.

Then I launched into New Clothes for New Year's Day by Hyan-Ju Bae. I personally really like this story, but the kids at my story time weren't so into it. The girls liked the clothes and talking about it, one boy ran out of the room. Oh well.

He came back in time for the next part, which was a flannel board about how the Chinese zodiac came to be. I adapted a story from Jean Warren's Preschool Express called "Little Mouse's Big Trick." The kids got to put the animals up on the flannel as I read the story and called out the names. Then we talked about which animals we were and whether we felt like we were similar to the characteristics. Most were pretty happy, although one ox worried that it meant she would never be an artist. It helped her to know that I am also an ox, and I'm not a surgeon or a hairstylist. For this part, I was using the descriptions in the book Moonbeams, Dumplings and Dragonboats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities and Recipes by Nina Simonds.

Next we read Froggy's First Kiss by Jonathan London, which continued the kiss conversation from last week. After that book we got out the scarves and danced to "Skidamarink", which I sang and one child suggested I not sing again.

Finally, we wrapped up by reading Happy Valentine's Day Mouse! by Laura Joffe Numeroff. I had three kids, so the board book format worked in this situation. We also did one last fingerplay, which I got from the Take Your Child to the Library Day handout  where we put a scarf in our pocket, said the fingerplay and blew the scarf out of our hand as a kiss. This was the best thing I did all day for those kids.

Our craft was from that same handout. We did a heart-y mouse and then I had some pre-printed Valentines from DLTK crafts for them to color.

Groundhogs and Weather

Every Tuesday after school I do a program called Try-It Tuesday. I have various things that I do--mostly crafts or science experiments.  On Groundhog Day, I decided we should concentrate on the topic at hand.

I started by reading Groundhog Weather School by Joan Holub. My program is aimed at grades 2-5, and I mostly get second graders, so this went over pretty well.

Next, we made homemade barometers similar to the one at this link. https://www.sercc.com/education_files/barometer.pdf

This went okay. The kids didn't really understand what I was doing, and they were more interested in squabbling with each other ("Girls rule!" "No, boys rule!")

After this, we played a game with beanbags that I called "Groundhog Toss" which got some of the energy out. I put a basket on the floor at various distances and they had to get as many bean bags in as they could. We played this for about 15 minutes, then we switched to groundhog Bingo for fifteen minutes.

I don't know that I would repeat this program again. I've had other programs with this same group of kids that held their interest more.

Dinosaur Story Time

So clearly, I'm doing a great job at blogging this year. Most of my posts are linked from Goodreads. Well, here I go starting again.  Here's my thoughts about last week's story time, which was about dinosaurs. This disappointed a few children, as they expected me to talk about groundhogs. I had to explain to them that groundhogs weren't really going to work for our story time, in which I have a majority of 2-3 year olds.

I used the basic outline of the storytime for Take Your Child to the Library Day. I made the dinosaur feet and encouraged kids to put them on (few of them did.) I guess they found them to be troublesome, or just weren't in the mood. I was happy wearing them!

I read the four books mentioned in the outline

• Dinosaurumpus by Tony Mitton
• Dinosaur Roar! by Paul and Henrietta Strickland
• Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp by Carol Diggory Shields
• How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen

Overall, these were good choices, although Dinosaur Roar! and How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? were the most popular. Yolen's book led to a long discussion about goodnight kisses, and which ones were okay and which ones weren't.

We did the "If You're a Dinosaur" song mentioned in the outline, and we also did "We Are the Dinosaurs" by the Laurie Berkner Band and "The Dinosaurs are Coming" by Mr. Harley. The kids liked marching around. 

Our craft was an allosaurus hand puppet which I found premade in the back of the library in my supply closet. It was created before I got here, so I don't have a credit for it. Some children made their dinosaurs as scary as they could, while others just really enjoyed the gluing. Overall, I would say this is one of my more successful story times!

Review: In a World Just Right

In a World Just Right by Jen Brooks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book creeped me out a lot at the beginning, to the point where I almost put it down. A boy creates a separate world just so a girl would love him? I found that creepy, although I think high school me would have not had as many concerns. Anyway, Johnathan Aubrey has been able to build worlds since he was in a plane crash when he was ten. However, recent events have caused his "Kylie-loves-me" world and the real world to start colliding. Can he put everything back to normal?

I sat down and read the book in one day, so it definitely has the plot to keep you reading. I'm not 100% sure I understand the whole world-building thing (to explain why risks spoilers) but it was an interesting concept I haven't read about a billion times before. I'm not sure it will end up high in my list of favorites, but I'm definitely intrigued enough to see what else Jen Brooks can come up with.

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