Ten Tips for Raising Readers

I was sent a copy of Fran Hawk's Ten Tips for Raising Readers and I was told by her publicist, "It is right up your alley." She was right and I totally agree! Any book that helps parents get their children hooked on reading is "right up my alley"! I love the simplicity of the book - short chapters, ten useful tips, LOTS of reading ideas for each age group. Hawk also has created appendices that are just FULL of reading lists and websites - another bonus to this wonderful resource. PERFECT - parents will love it and I plan to "sell it" often at our library!

Kitchen Chinese

Ann Mah's Kitchen Chinese was recommended to me. Having traveled to China twice, I was immediately drawn into the story - not only reminiscing over places I had seen but also over food in China. The main character, Isabelle Lee, is a young woman that chooses to go back to her homeland, China, after living in the U.S. for most of her life. When she gets to China, she can not find a job with her limited Mandarin, so she works for an ex-pat newspaper writing culinary reviews. The whole book was just so fun - the storyline is great with Isabelle being pestered by her mother constantly for her lack-of-dating and the attempts at dating that she encounters while in China. I also appreciated the whole sister-relationship as Isabelle lives with her sister, Claire, while in China. The relationship between the two sisters is interesting and keeps you guessing through the whole story why it is as strained as it is. I thoroughly enjoyed it - my only disclaimer is the occasional use of very vulgar language - totally unnecessary, but somehow it finds its way in!!

Toon Books

RAW Junior sent me two great books in their children's readers series. Zig and Wikki in Something Ate My Homework by Madja Speigelman and Trade Leoffler is a riot! Kids of all ages will relate to this hilarious story. I LOVE the whole concept of these books - not only are they funny and grab kids' attention, but they are also so readable - they are not page after page of text. The comic-book style is wonderful for beginning readers. I also appreciated in this book the little "snippets" of information that they added in so that readers learn more about some of the animals in the book.

The second book, Benny and Penny in the Toy Breaker by Geoffrey Hayes is another winner! Benny and Penny are such fun little mice - their adventures are hilarious and our readers DO want more. I am always excited to tell readers about these books - I just know they will be back for another in the Toon Books.

Thank you RAW for the whole concept - beginning readers in comic book format - I agree "Toon Books make Reading Fun!!"

Sylvan Dell New Books

I always look forward to this great set of new books!
Sylvan Dell has sent me these five new titles that will really "beef up" your science and math curriculum. In case you don't know - Sylvan Dell's website is just FULL of wonderful teaching activities, related websites, and "For Creative Minds" a wonderful educational section for each book.

Newton and Me by Lynne Mayer and illustrated by Sherry Rogers is a very fun book that will help kids explore Newton's Laws of Motion. I enjoyed this book - I mean really, how often can you find a fiction story on Newton's Laws of Motion!?!? This will be so great for our classrooms!

What's the Difference? An Endangered Animal Subtraction Story by Suzanne Slade and illustrated by Joan Waites is my second title in this set. This is a sequel to What's New at the Zoo - and is way to practice subtraction skills while learning about endangered animals. I think this is also a brilliant idea and will be great in classrooms.

Little Red Bat by Carole Gerber and illustrated by Christina Wald is a rare find. It is a book on red bats - and how they can hibernate or migrate - great information and such wonderful illustrations that enhance this story.

Felina's New Home: A Florida Panther Story by Loran Wlodarski and illustrated by Lew Clayton is another new title. This title is focused around the forests shrinking and what the animals have to do to survive when they are losing their homes. I liked this title as well - very informative - something that we need to be aware of!


Panda's Earthquake Escape by Phyllis Perry and illustrated by Susan Detwiler is a fictional story that is based on a real-life event. This is about a panda from the Wolong Panda Reserve in China and when an earthquake rocked that area this little guy escaped. What an interesting story - and learning from a natural disaster - great idea!!

Thanks, Sylvan Dell, for another set of wonderful books to use in our classrooms and homes - our library will be thrilled to share these with our community!

Horrid Henry's Joke Book

April 1 is the big day one year ago that Horrid Henry made his appearance in children's literature. Francesca Simon created a character for us that so many beginning chapter book readers can relate to. I enjoy Henry and was excited when I found out that his Joke Book was now making its appearance!!! It has been called, "Too rude for parents and for slimy toad little brothers!!" (In Henry's own words, of course!)

Horrid Henry is aimed at children ages 7 - 12 and are super for reluctant readers. Tony Ross has a wonderful sense of Henry with his adorable illustrations. This is a great series, not to be missed!

Thanks to Sourcebooks for providing me with a copy of the book to use in this review.

The Twilight Gospel

I was chosen to be part of the LitFuse Blog Tour for The Twilight Gospel by Dave Roberts. The book intrigued me from the moment I read about the tour and I am glad I was chosen. Roberts does a very good job of answering questions about Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series that parents may have if they have not read the books. AND, as a librarian, that has to be one of the most-asked questions of all time - "Should my teen be reading this book?" So, I could tell them that they needed to read it and see for themselves (which is often what I can be found saying) or I can refer them to this wonderful resource. Roberts is going to approach the book from a Christian viewpoint which I appreciate, but he does so with a very open minded approach. He does not just tell you what your teens may get from the books that might not be the best influence; he also tells you what the books have to offer that is positive in nature. I was impressed - it is a quick, easy read and gives you much to "mull over" - I love it as a way to talk to our teens about the books. Kregel also offers a fabulous discussion guide - I would definitely encourage you to check out these two resources if you have teens reading the Twilight series - they both will be great discussion starters! (I was provided a copy of this book for the blog tour by Kregel Publications.)

Young Samurai Series

I was sent both the first and second books in the Young Samurai series - The Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior and Young Samurai: The Way of the Sword by Chris Bradford for review on my blog. I have been swamped with books to read and review lately and saw these might not be "top of the list" in style for me, so I passed them onto my husband and son - whew, good thinking on my part because they both have EXCELLENT things to say about them. Here is what they said:

First I want to say that I think these were great reads. I am not typically a fan of Samurai stories but the author did a great job of weaving Japanese history, culture and tradition into a compelling storyline. It was difficult to put either of the two books down. I passed the first book on to one of my boys and he was finished with it before I was halfway through the second. His comment, "When will you be finished, that was a REALLY good book and I want to read the second," should tell you how good they are!

The story follows the life of an English boy who was sailing with his father in search of Japan. Jack soon finds himself orphaned due to an attack by ninja pirates. He is then quickly adopted by a Samurai and begins the arduous task of training to become a Samurai. His goal is to prevent a gift that his father gave him from falling into the wrong hands and to also hunt down and kill his father's assassin.

If you were or are a fan of the Harry Potter series these stories may be just for you. The author follows a similar plot line - orphaned child, raised by another family, sent to school for a year, meets a group of good friends, has a group of enemies, has to defeat the enemy who killed his father. What is differnet is the setting. This storyline is set in ancient Japan and does a great job of giving you an understanding of this rich culture.

Here is what others have had to say about the books as well:

Eoin Colfer praised The Way of the Warrior as "...a fantastic adventure that floors the reader on page one and keeps him there until the end." Publisher's Weekly gave the novel a starred review, noting "Debut author Bradford comes out swinging in this fast-paced adventure set in medieval Japan...an adventure novel to rank among the genre's best... This book earns the literary equivalent of a black belt."

I am glad I was included in this blog tour - great books - our junior high/high school readers will LOVE them!

Go HERE to see a great trailer for the books. Or visit their website - YoungSamurai.com - you will find teacher's guides, videos, reviews and more!

CONTEST!!!!

This is a fun one - you don't want to miss it!!!

The Winner of the 'NETFLIX® & Nostalgia' giveaway will receive a vintage prize package, including:

*A 6 month NETFLIX® subscription
*$25 Starbucks® gift card
*A box of See's Famous Old Time Chocolates®
*A jar of homemade strawberry jam
*A Big Band music CD
*A Mini B-17 Model airplane
*Vintage stationery and pen
*British specialty tea
*WWII style playing cards

Click on picture above to go enter!

Pete the Cat - I Love my White Shoes

Sometimes you read a book and you just can't get enough of it - that is where I am right now. Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes by Eric Litwin and illustrations by James Dean is AMAZING!!! I have read it now in two different story hours - the older kids and the toddlers - and BOTH times the kids have been mesmerized - I mean LOVE IT! BUT - disclaimer here - it DOES help if you give it all you've got and SING the refrain with a bit of "cool cat" style - I had them all singing along and, as we were coloring shoe pictures at the end of the story hour, we just HAD to sing "I love my _____ shoes, I love my ____ shoes, I love my _____ shoes!" (insert color of shoes) SO there you have it - I loved it SO much I had to share it so that you can enjoy it too..."because it's all good"! (Great for a colors theme, cats theme, walking theme - you name it!) Oh, and for more fun - visit Pete the Cat's website!

Secrets of Eden

Just finished up Chris Bohjalian's Secret of Eden - Bohjalian's books are always page turners -that is a certainty. This one is no exception - if you enjoy a suspenseful read that will keep you guessing to the very end - look no further. Tie together a murder, a pastor, a writer, some angels, and you will be as puzzled as I was to the very last section of the book. AND that has to be my favorite way to end a book - when I say - "I never saw it coming."

Graceling

I was one of those that STILL had not read Kristin Cashore's Graceling. So, when I went on a trip recently, I tucked it in and took it along - the only problem? I had to slow myself down - I didn't want to finish it and have nothing to read the rest of the trip! It was riveting - that is the only word I can think of to tell how good it was. TOTALLY had me on the edge of my seat - I am impatiently waiting to read the sequel, Fire - oh we have it here at our library - it just needs to come in!!! The story is of Katsa - a teen learning how to deal with the "Grace" she was born with. She meets up with Po, another teen born with a "Grace" of his own, and together they work to use their "graces" for good while helping others.
My only "disclaimer" on this novel is that there are sex scenes and they are more graphic in nature. I know that some read my reviews and then pass books onto their teens- this one is a bit more graphic so take that into consideration - while I loved the storyline - I do wish the sex would have been less.

Artsy-Fartsy

So I will admit it - I am NOT a graphic novel reader or comic book reader - but when I read books with these great line drawings in them - I think "I could get used to this!" Karla Oceanak's Artsy-Fartsy is one of those books! Aldo is the main character of this new series and "he's not athletic like his older brother, he's not a rock hound like his best friend, but he does like bacon." Cracks me up - just like so many other parts of this book - your younger set will LOVE it. Oh yes, and here's the best part - each book focuses on a letter of the alphabet, so in the back of each book is an illustrated glossary of "A" words or whichever letter that particular book is featuring. You just can't go wrong and I do think the kids that read Wimpy Kid will enjoy this new series.

The second book, Bogus, will be published in May. Go HERE to see Aldo on his own website!!

Big Nate in A Class by Himself

Lincoln Peirce has done it! I didn't know how anyone could come close to Wimpy Kid but I think he has done it with Big Nate! Even Jeff Kinney, author of Wimpy Kid says, "Big Nate is funny, big time." And I agree! Big Nate is laugh-out-loud funny. It is reminiscent of Wimpy Kid with the clever line drawings and humor. I have FINALLY found a book that I can say with assurity, "IF you like Wimpy Kid, you will like this one too!!" Don't miss Big Nate - or his secret code throughout the book!

Watch an interview with Lincoln Peirce here of visit the website HERE.

Breakthrough to Clarity Bible Contest and Giveaway

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Year of the Tiger

Year of the Tiger by Alison Lloyd is another book I dropped in my husband's lap. I wasn't sure it was one I would devour so I asked him to try it. He didn't think he'd enjoy it but once he started reading he said it really was a great read. He felt that boys, especially, would enjoy this read - which made me smile as I'm always looking to promote good boy-reads!! Here are his words:

The year of the Tiger is a fun and engaging read. Two boys at opposite ends of the social order who are thrust together for a common goal - winning an archery tournament. The setting is ancient China in a city positioned alongside The Great Wall.

One boy, Hu, is the son of peasant; the other boy, Ren, is the son of a military general. Each has a different motivation for winning the tournament. The story is engaging and captures your attention as you follow the lives of these two boys.

The author does a great job of introducing you to the culture of China. A strong, rich culture which has not changed much from the past.

Incarceron

I asked my AVID reader-husband to give me a synopsis of the book he last finished, Incarceron, by Catherine Fisher. He said he absolutely LOVED it and highly recommended it. Here are his words:

Incarceron is set in the distant future. A future where there are basically two worlds. The first is a world much like our own except for a decision to suspend development in all areas of society in preference to the idealized age of the Renaissance. Every decision, action, clothing style, building, food and social interaction is required to be era compliant. This is considered following protocol. The people in this world are restricted to the technology of that time. This includes lighting, transportation, industry and even health care.

The other world is that of Incarceron itself. Incarceron is a prison. The prison is ruled by the Warden who has the responsibility of insuring no one ever leaves. Incarceron was a grand social experiment. It was to be a utopia for criminals. It was intended to be a completely self sustaining environment where the prison itself would insure order and provide for the citizens.

There are two main characters. The first, is a girl named Claudia. Claudia is a member of the aristocracy and has been privileged in receiving the proper training to eventually become queen. Claudia is the daughter of the Warden and was betrothed to the prince but is very unhappy about the arrangements. The second character is, Finn, a boy who is in Incarceron. Finn is an orphan who cannot remember his past. Finn has a type of epileptic seizure and during these seizures he has visions of life outside of Incarceron.

The author takes you on a journey as Claudia and Finn become connected through a series of chance encounters. Along the way you challenged with issues on a variety of levels. The main idea is that of putting away the worlds undesirables in the self-sustaining prison. Another is that of maintaining the status quo, in all areas of society, rather than allowing advancement. A third is the idea of a man-made, man controlled utopia which in the end fails miserably.

One area of thought that stood out to me is that of protocol. Every society has what is considered to be proper protocol. There are always socially acceptable and unacceptable actions. There are always those who want to maintain the status quo and their are always those who are pushing the limits in order to achieve change. The book ends with the strong possibility of a sequel. I hope the author continues to explores the topic of maintaining protocol and the need for advancement and change in the next book.

So there you have it - much more philosophical and thought-provoking than any of my reviews - but that's what I love about him!!

Lerner Goodies

Another GREAT box was sent to me for review purposes from Lerner - I LOVE to see the new books and let you in on all the ones NOT TO MISS!!

Lisa Wheeler has done it again with Dino-Baseball - dinosaur and baseball lovers are SURE to enjoy this great read.  It rhymes - which kids love, and is a wonderful addition to Dino-Hockey and Dino-Soccer.

Noah's Bark by Stephen Krensky left me laughing - yes, that noise on the ark must have been something - but Noah, smart as he is, had a great idea in this book for how to solve the noise problem!  Very fun!

What is it about the "color" books that we just can not keep them on our library shelves??  This new series in Lightning Bolt Books will be no exception.  Red Everywhere is just one of the titles that will have teachers and kids alike "seeing red." 

The Elsewhere Chronicles continue with Book Four:  The Calling - I have to say, these books are pretty popular here.  This is a graphic novel series but even our younger readers are enjoying it - and they are clean graphic novels - you can recommend them without worrying!







A new series IS THAT A FACT?  takes a fun look at questions - it makes learning intriguing - I'm always on the lookout for that.  There are five books so far in this series - questions about animals, Earth, Health, Space and one last one - questions you've always wanted to ask.  This looks good - will appeal to our middle grade readers.

The Horrors of Andersonville: Life and Death Inside a Civil War Prison by Catherine Gourley is quite a read.  I KNOW I will be able to "sell" this one easily.  Civil War buffs (ok and even those that aren't) will find this title appealing.  I was immediately interested when I started looking through this book - it has actual photographs, letters, diary entries - very intriguing history.

Fallen

Always on the lookout for another Twilight-read alike so Fallen by Lauren Kate caught my eye.  This is an interesting read and VERY different from Twilight.  It took me MOST of the book before I began to figure out the identity of the main character's boyfriend.  It is an intriguing story, and it was a page turner for me.  It is the story of Luce - she is a teen girl that is being sent to Sword and Cross, a school for students that have gotten into a large amount of trouble.  She isn't even sure what she did - but she is being punished by being sent away.  Her first day at Sword and Cross, she meets Daniel - a boys she is SURE she knows from somewhere.  The story unfolds as Luce has this odd friendship/relationship with Daniel - one day he sits and talks with her, the next he is distant and even mean to her.  There are a lot of unexpected turns and the ending is surprising.  It truly leaves you anticipating the next book - which is scheduled to be released in September.  I will say that there is a lot of swearing in this book - very unlike the Twilight Series, so I will be a bit more cautious in who I recommend it to - but it is a good read and one that will keep readers excited for it's sequel.  If you are curious - check out the trailer HERE.

Thaw Blogsplash

Ruth's diary is the new novel by Fiona Robyn, called Thaw. She has decided to blog the novel in its entirety over the next few months, so you can read it for free.
Ruth's first entry is below, and you can continue reading tomorrow here.
*
These hands are ninety-three years old. They belong to Charlotte Marie Bradley Miller. She was so frail that her grand-daughter had to carry her onto the set to take this photo. It’s a close-up. Her emaciated arms emerge from the top corners of the photo and the background is black, maybe velvet, as if we’re being protected from seeing the strings. One wrist rests on the other, and her fingers hang loose, close together, a pair of folded wings. And you can see her insides.
The bones of her knuckles bulge out of the skin, which sags like plastic that has melted in the sun and is dripping off her, wrinkling and folding. Her veins look as though they’re stuck to the outside of her hands. They’re a colour that’s difficult to describe: blue, but also silver, green; her blood runs through them, close to the surface. The book says she died shortly after they took this picture. Did she even get to see it? Maybe it was the last beautiful thing she left in the world.
I’m trying to decide whether or not I want to carry on living. I’m giving myself three months of this journal to decide. You might think that sounds melodramatic, but I don’t think I’m alone in wondering whether it’s all worth it. I’ve seen the look in people’s eyes. Stiff suits travelling to work, morning after morning, on the cramped and humid tube. Tarted-up girls and gangs of boys reeking of aftershave, reeling on the pavements on a Friday night, trying to mop up the dreariness of their week with one desperate, fake-happy night. I’ve heard the weary grief in my dad’s voice.
So where do I start with all this? What do you want to know about me? I’m Ruth White, thirty-two years old, going on a hundred. I live alone with no boyfriend and no cat in a tiny flat in central London. In fact, I had a non-relationship with a man at work, Dan, for seven years. I’m sitting in my bedroom-cum-living room right now, looking up every so often at the thin rain slanting across a flat grey sky. I work in a city hospital lab as a microbiologist. My dad is an accountant and lives with his sensible second wife Julie, in a sensible second home. Mother finished dying when I was fourteen, three years after her first diagnosis. What else? What else is there?
Charlotte Marie Bradley Miller. I looked at her hands for twelve minutes. It was odd describing what I was seeing in words. Usually the picture just sits inside my head and I swish it around like tasting wine. I have huge books all over my flat; books you have to take in both hands to lift. I’ve had the photo habit for years. Mother bought me my first book, black and white landscapes by Ansel Adams. When she got really ill, I used to take it to bed with me and look at it for hours, concentrating on the huge trees, the still water, the never-ending skies. I suppose it helped me think about something other than what was happening. I learned to focus on one photo at a time rather than flicking from scene to scene in search of something to hold me. If I concentrate, then everything stands still. Although I use them to escape the world, I also think they bring me closer to it. I’ve still got that book. When I take it out, I handle the pages as though they might flake into dust.
Mother used to write a journal. When I was small, I sat by her bed in the early mornings on a hard chair and looked at her face as her pen spat out sentences in short bursts. I imagined what she might have been writing about; princesses dressed in star-patterned silk, talking horses, adventures with pirates. More likely she was writing about what she was going to cook for dinner and how irritating Dad’s snoring was.
I’ve always wanted to write my own journal, and this is my chance. Maybe my last chance. The idea is that every night for three months, I’ll take one of these heavy sheets of pure white paper, rough under my fingertips, and fill it up on both sides. If my suicide note is nearly a hundred pages long, then no-one can accuse me of not thinking it through. No-one can say; ‘It makes no sense; she was a polite, cheerful girl, had everything to live for’, before adding that I did keep myself to myself. It’ll all be here. I’m using a silver fountain pen with purple ink. A bit flamboyant for me, I know. I need these idiosyncratic rituals; they hold things in place. Like the way I make tea, squeezing the tea-bag three times, the exact amount of milk, seven stirs. My writing is small and neat; I’m striping the paper. I’m near the bottom of the page now. Only ninety-one more days to go before I’m allowed to make my decision. That’s it for today. It’s begun.
Continue reading tomorrow here...

Double Trouble Blog Tour

I am part of a blog tour for Susan May Warren's latest release Double Trouble - with her previous novel, Nothing But Trouble, thrown in for good measure!
I have to say - I may not normally pick this style of book up for a read, but I am glad I did.  Warren has come up with a character, PJ Sugar, that is an absolute riot!  She kept me laughing and yet compelled to finish to find out how she solves her mysteries.  What a great series - I am hoping there are more to come!  I know our library patrons will think this one is a hit so I will be waiting to share this hilarious series with them!!  (Thank you to the blog tour for sending me both copies to read and review.)