Two Audio Reviews that will make you think

Summer is a great time to listen to audio books, whether you’re driving back and forth to the beach, to camp or to visit relatives.  Audio books make the trip go faster and, if the whole car is listening, give you something to talk about along the way.

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Okay For Now
by Gary D. Schmidt, Read by Lincoln Hoppe
8 CDs, 9 hours, 18 minutes
Winner of an Odyssey Honor Award for Audiobooks

Doug Swieteck is not in the least bit happy when his father’s temper causes him to lose his job. Instead of just finding another one in the city, his father calls an old buddy, Ernie Echo, who gets him work at the papermill he works for in upstate New York. So Doug, his mother and his older brother have to give away everything that doesn’t fit in a pickup truck and move.  One of Doug’s classmates shows up as Doug’s mom is giving away her plants and gives Doug a jacket signed by his hero, Joe Pepitone.

But even Joe Pepitone’s jacket can’t save the day. Stupid Marysville is a small town, and The Dump, as he calls the family’s new home, is disgusting. Doug has to share a tiny room with his brother, the criminal mind. He has to hide Joe Pepitone’s jacket from him too, or the criminal mind would take it and trade it for something else.

On the first stupid Saturday in stupid Marysville, Doug ends up on the steps of the local library, where he meets Lil Spicer, who teaches him how to drink a really cold Coke. She also gets him a job with her father, delivering groceries for Spicer’s Deli. On his route, Doug meets some of the characters in Marysville, like  and Mrs. Windemere, an elderly playwright with a penchant for different ice cream flavors every week.

And in the library, Doug discovers a treasure–a book of John James Audubon’s Birds of America. The book is in a glass case, but Doug is fascinated by the Arctic Tern, whose eyes seem to see more of life than Doug could have imagined.

But life in Marysville is challenging with a family like Doug’s. His brother, the criminal mind, is suspected of robbing several local stores. His father is spending more time with Ernie Echo than with his family. And Doug’s mother is thinking of her oldest son, serving in Vietnam.  Doug’s life in Marysville is filled with ups and downs, love and loss, discoveries and and learning how to see what life is really all about.  His time there changes his life, but his presence in Marysville changes the lives of the residents just as much.

I loved Okay for Now, and I adored the audio recording. The book is set in 1967, and full of details about life in the 60s.  (For instance, Doug earns $5 for a full day of deliveries, and the library is only open on Saturdays.) This was the year of the Apollo Lunar Landing and of Vietnam war protests. It was a turning point year in many ways, and Doug manages to survive things that kids today would consider horrible treatment.

I do have to admit, it took me the full first disc to get into the story. I didn’t like Doug’s accent (he sounded like an imitation Vinnie Barbarino) and I was tired of listening to “So what?” and what Joe Pepitone would and wouldn’t do. But I stuck with it, and I’m extremely glad that I did.

This is a book that could lead to some great discussions for book groups or for families. I would recommend it to middle school and high school readers, but certainly a sophisticated fifth grader could read and enjoy it.  It is recommended for listeners ages 10 through 16, and would be a wonderful sound recording for a family trip, especially with middle school students.

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No Passengers Beyond This Point
By Gennifer Choldenko, Read by Becca Battoe, Jesse Bernstein and Tara Sands
5 CDs, 6 Hours, 6 Minutes

Finn Tompkins is the middle child (and only boy)  between two very different sisters. His older sister, India, is into fashion and gossip and dating–a typical 14 year old.  His younger sister, Mouse, is a genius who has a unique outlook on life and an interest in science and planets.  They live with their mother, who is a teacher. Their father died after a car accident on the way to the hospital before Mouse was born.

When a series of bad decisions leads to their mother losing their house to foreclosure, she decides that Finn, India and Mouse will go live with their Uncle Red. Although she’ll join them eventually, she will have to complete the school year and stay with their aunt in town. It’s evident to the entire family that four more people just couldn’t all fit into Uncle and Aunt’s tiny house.

No matter how hard India argues that she HAS to stay with her friend Maddie…no matter how much Finn wants to stay and play basketball with his team…no matter how much Mouse cries and begs to stay with their mother, she remains firm. The kids are put on the plane to Red Fort and Uncle .

But when they arrive at the airport, it’s not Red Fort.  It’s not even Denver, or Colorado.  The man waiting for them in the airport turns out to be a boy disguised with a mustache. He drives a pink feathered taxi.  The kids are delivered to Red Bird, where crowds of people cheer and celebrate their arrival. India, Finn and Mouse are each given a small wooden puzzle piece and told the only way to return home is for all of them to decide they want to go home, and to join their wooden pieces together. They’re also given a clock, and told that they have 13 hours to decide, but that time will go differently for each of them.  Then each one is brought to all their new house, designed specifically to their interests, with an adult parent-substitute who will provide for all their needs, sometimes even before they ask.

India loves it (she has a direct line via computer to Maddie), Mouse is happy (her new “mom” has all the time in the world for her, plus she loves science experiments), but Finn questions where they are and what’s going on. His questions lead to him being kicked out of his house and trading time for information.

The more Finn discovers, the more he realizes that he has to find his sisters and get home. Unfortunately, it won’t be as easy as Finn thinks, because there are a lot of obstacles in his way, and the biggest one might be India.  And the clocks are ticking down…

No Passengers Beyond This Point was a very interesting book to listen to. I wasn’t quite sure what was going on until halfway through the book, and without the actual print copy I couldn’t flip through to see if I was right! It wasn’t until the very last chapter that the full story is revealed in a very clever fashion.  This really IS one of those books where to say too much is to give away the story.  However, I am very curious to know what other readers or listeners think!

I loved that there were multiple narrators for this book–each chapter is from the viewpoint of India, Finn or Mouse, and each had a different narrator.  This was much more effective than a single narrator would be, and gave each of the siblings a unique voice.   The pacing was great.

No Passengers Beyond This Point is recommended for listeners ages 8 to 14. I’d say the book is accessible to kids in grades four through six.  If you like adventures and puzzles, try this book. It’s enjoyable both on tape and in print.  It would also be a great discussion book for a parent-child book group.

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Try either of these audio titles on your next trip, and see what you think!

::Kelly::

Old Favorites: The Avion My Uncle Flew

I’ve always enjoyed mysteries, as well as books that take place in a different country–especially if it was a place I’d like to visit.  But I think that when I originally picked up this book to read, way back in fifth grade, it was because of the funny word in the title. “Avion”?  What was that?  The plane on the cover did kind of hint at what it might be, but I wasn’t sure.

When I read the blurb on the back of the book to see what it might be about, it looked exciting–a boy building a plane, spies and France!  Even better, the last few pages (yes, I check the last few pages…mostly to see if the main character’s name is still there…it’s a thing) seemed to be in French.  I recognized the language from the books at my grandparents’ house.  That was that. I just had to read The Avion My Uncle Flew, by Cyrus Fisher.

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Johnny Littlehorn lives on a ranch in Wyoming with his mother and the ranch hands. His father would normally live there too, but he’s been away for over three years, fighting overseas.  While he was gone, Johnny tried to help out on the ranch. With so many men away, there are never enough ranch hands and so much work.  During a terrible snowstorm, Johnny had set out to help by rounding up cattle. Unfortunately, he was thrown from his pony and hurt his leg very badly.  Badly enough that he may never walk again. His mother brings him to all sorts of specialists, but Johnny ends up confined to the house in a wheelchair, waiting for his leg to heal, and for his father.

Johnny’s father had been wounded during the war, and ended up serving his remaining tour as a liaison in France. He had contacts that some of the soldiers didn’t, since Johnny’s mother had been born in France, and her brother Paul still lives there.  When he hears about how his son is dealing with the accident, Johnny’s father returns to Wyoming, but only to bring Johnny and his mother back to France for a year. The bonus is that there are excellent Army surgeons over there, and they think they can fix Johnny’s leg.

Once they get to France, the surgeons do fix Johnny’s leg, but he still has a long recovery ahead of him. And unfortunately, his father’s job with the Army is sending him to London for a few months. Johnny’s parents decide that dank and gloomy London wouldn’t be a good recovery spot, so they decide to send Johnny to stay with his Oncle Paul, in St. Chamant.

France isn’t exactly what Johnny would have thought. First of all, there’s the conversation he overhears in the park. Then Albert, the man who is helping his father is seen meeting with the mysterious Monsieur Simonis…who was also in the park. When Johnny confronts the men, they deny what they said and make him look foolish to his parents.  Afterward, they get Johnny alone and threaten him if he tells anyone.  Johnny is sure that the men are up to no good, but it seems to be related to the house his mother and uncle own, and the whole family thinks that the crisis is over.

When Johnny gets to St. Chamant and meets Oncle Paul, he immediately likes the man. Paul is young, in his early 20s, and is building an experimental plane…and he wants Johnny to help. Paul tells Johnny that by the time his parents return in two months, Johnny will be running to greet them.

Building a plane is hard work, as is recovering from surgery to his leg. Moving from a wheelchair to crutches isn’t easy, but Johnny has a goal in mind–riding a bicycle.  His plans are complicated though, by Albert and Msr. Simonis popping up again.  When some of his new friends tell him of the rumors of a Nazi spy still in the area, Johnny wonders if the spy and Msr. Simonis are the same person.

Danger threatens the small town just as Johnny starts to feel at home.  Can he and his new friends manage to figure out the danger and save themselves?

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The Avion My Uncle Flew takes place when in was written…in 1946, just after World War II ended.  It’s an interesting view of  France, since people are still affected by the events they’ve just lived through. It also means that the spy mystery has an immediacy that makes it imperative for Johnny and his friends to solve.

Best of all, throughout the book, Johnny learns French words from his uncle and friends, so that by the time you reach the end, Johnny writes an essay on his year in France–in French–and the reader can understand the whole thing!  As a kid, I found that extremely cool. As an adult, I’m amazed that Cyrus Fisher manages to make it work so well.

The Avion My Uncle Flew fits into a lot of different genres–it’s a mystery, historical fiction, a foreign language book and an adventure.  Johnny builds a plane and recovers from a serious injury.  He makes new friends in a new country.  It’s a reunion between a family who has been through several different traumas. And it’s a great story.  It won a Newbery Honor for one of the best books for children in 1946.

The Avion My Uncle Flew would be great for anyone interested in speaking or learning French, and boys especially should love the story of the airplane. The language is rich, and it is pretty long. I’d recommend it to fifth through seventh grade readers, although it could appeal to kids both older and younger.  I wish it was available as a sound recording, because it would make a great story for family car trips.

So, give it a try, and let me know what you think!

::Kelly::

Happy 2012!

It’s January, and for children’s librarians, that means one thing:  Book Awards!  Right now, librarians all over the country are pouring over their lists of best books of 2011.  We’re all trying to predict what books published in 2011 will win the 2012 awards for distinguished  literature for children and teens in a variety of fields.

Come in and see our Best Books of 2011 displays, and vote for your favorites for the Newbery and Caldecott Awards.  Will you be right?  Find out on January 23rd!  That’s when the American Library Association will announce the official winners!

For now, here are a list of our favorites:

Caldecott Possiblities:

 A Butterfly is Patient, By Dianna Aston, Illustrated by Sylvia Long

Naamah and the Ark at Night, By Susan Bartoletti, Illustrated by Holly Meade

The Adventures of Mark Twain, by Huckleberry Finn, By Robert Burleigh, Illustrated by Barry Blitt

Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic, By Robert Burleigh, Illustrated by Wendell Minor

The Money We’ll Save, Written and Illustrated by Brock Cole

A Dazzling Display of Dogs, By Besty Franco, Illustrated by Michael Wertz

Blue Chicken, Written and Illustrated by Deborah Freedman

Say Hello to Zorro, Written and Illustrated by Carter Goodrich

Perfect Square, Written and Illustrated by Michael Hall

Red Sled, Written and Illustrated by Lita Judge

Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the True Story of an American Feud, By Suzanne Tripp Jurmain, Illustrated by Larry Day

Neville, By Norton Juster, Illustrated by G. Brian Karas

I Want My Hat Back, Written and Illustrated by Jon Klassen

All the Water in the World, By George Ella Lyon, Illustrated by Katherine Tillotson

Me…Jane, Written and Illustrated by Patrick McDonnell

A Ball for Daisy, Written and Illustrated by Chris Raschka

Stars, Written by Mary Lynn Ray, Illustrated by Marla Frazee

Blackout, Written and Illustrated by John Rocco

Where’s Walrus?  Written and Illustrated by Stephen Savage

Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature, By Joyce Sidman, Illustrated by Beth Krommes

Grandpa Green, Written and Illustrated by Lane Smith

Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat, Written and Illustrated by Philip Stead

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of the Macy’s Parade, Written and Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

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Newbery Possibilities:

The Mostly True Story of Jack, By Kelly Barnhill

Chime, By Franny Billingsley

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette, By Jeanne Birdsall

Small Persons with Wings, By Ellen Booraem

Jefferson’s Sons, By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Dragon Castle, By Joseph Bruchac

The Cheshire Cheese Cat, By Carren Agra Deedy

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart, By Candace Fleming

Dead End in Norvelt, By Jack Gantos

Tuesdays at the Castle, By Jessica Day George

True (…sort of), By Katherine Hannigan

Small as an Elephant, By Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Inside Out & Back Again, By Thanhha Lai

The Friendship Doll, By Kirby Larson

A Monster Calls, By Patrick Ness

The Aviary, By Kathleen O’Dell

Words in the Dust, By Trent Reedy

Bluefish, By Pat Schmatz

Okay for Now, By Gary D. Schmidt

The Emerald Atlas, By John Stephens

Hound Dog True, By Linda Urban

Breadcrumbs, By Anne Ursu

Pie, By Sarah Weeks

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Remember, any new book published in 2011 in the US is eligible!  Please come by the library to vote, and feel free to add any suggestions you might have.  If you’d like to share here, just let us know which book YOU think might win an Award!

::Kelly::

 

Old Favorites: Gone-Away Lake

Have you ever had a vacation that you never wanted to end?  Days that went on forever,  full of exploration, excitement and friends? Real connections with brothers and sisters, cousins or new friends?

That’s the kind of summer that Portia, Julian and Foster experience in Gone-Away Lake, by Elizabeth Enright.

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Portia Blake and her younger brother Foster have always spent the summers with her cousin Julian, Uncle Jake and Aunt Hilda Jarman. Julian is an only child, and he looks forward to the summer months with other kids in the house.  This will be the first summer for Portia and Foster without their parents along though…they’re going to Europe from June until August.  Portia and Foster are even traveling by train alone. The story starts when the kids are on the train, visiting the dining car and anticipating the long summer months with all the freedom to spend doing whatever they want.

Things will be even more exciting this summer for all three kids, including Julian, because Uncle Jake and Aunt Hilda have just bought a new house, deep in the country, with woods out back, a brook running through the property, and even a tree swing for Foster. There are new puppies, a room for Portia with a canopy bed, bunk beds for Foster and a deck for everyone to share.  Portia falls asleep that night to the sounds of running water, owls and whippoorwills.

The next day, Julian and his cousins set out with a picnic lunch, determined to explore the woods. They’re having a great time finding insects, bird-watching and even spying a fox. The best thing, however, is when they’re eating their picnic lunch and they find the slightest hint of an inscription engraved on the old mossy rock they’re leaning against. Julian scrapes off the moss, and they find:

LAPIS PHILOSOPHORUM
TARQUIN ET PINDAR
15 JULY 1891

They have no idea what it means, but it certainly makes them curious! Julian, Portia and Foster move on, looking for something, anything that might explain what Lapis or Philosophorum, Tarquin or Pindar mean.  Trudging through tall grass and mud, with clouds of mosquitoes and gnats swarming around them isn’t easy, but a bit of further exploration leads to a swamp, then a ghost town of abandoned homes, which had to have been quite elegant  in their day. Exploring the abandoned cottages leads them to  a mysterious noise, which then brings them to an elderly couple living by themselves, in the middle of this abandoned resort, on the banks of a vanished lake.

Portia and Julian are suddenly in the middle of a mystery, a riddle and even some treasure hunting as they return time after time to the gone-away lake. Between their explorations and the stories from their new friends, this summer is shaping up to be one that neither of them (or Foster, who doesn’t share all their adventures)  will ever forget!

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Originally written in 1957, Portia and Julian are probably older than the parents (and maybe even the grandparents?) of today’s readers.  Minnie Cheever and Pin Payton (the elderly couple) are in their 70s/80s, and remember 1891…so it might be stretch for kids of today to understand some of their references to crank cars, petticoats, driving bonnets and buttonhooks. (They’re not referred to as historical, just something kind of old-fashioned.)   But  if you’re looking for a nostalgic read about kids having the best vacation ever, Gone-Away Lake (and the sequel, Return to Gone-Away) would be perfect.

I’ve heard people refer to these books as “that great story where nothing happens”. It’s true that there’s not a lot of action, but the descriptions and sense of place are wonderful, and the friendship that develops between the two sets of relatives, 70 or so years apart in age, is both eye-opening and intriguing.

Gone-Away Lake won a 1958 Newbery Honor Medal. It’s a great story to listen to on CD or read aloud, especially if you’re camping or in a vacation cottage by a lake with no electricity.

It’s a terrific book, full of surprises for  readers of all ages. Recommended for fourth through sixth grade. For listening to, you can go a little younger. The vocabulary is wonderful, so even older middle school readers might enjoy the rich language.

::Kelly::

Old Favorites: Deathwatch

Happy April Vacation! I don’t know why, but this week put my mind in “survival” mode.  Maybe it’s the rain?  Anyway, here’s a book that I’ve loved (if you can love a pretty frightening, tense book with a fairly horrific theme) since I first read it in seventh grade. Deathwatch, by Robb White.

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College student Ben lives in the Mojave Desert with his uncle. Ben is studying geology, but also doing odd jobs between semesters to help pay for his tuition. Because of all of his rock-hunting in the Mojave, he knows the desert very well.

When a big city lawyer named Madec gets a rarely-issued permit to hunt bighorn sheep, he offers Ben money to guide him. At first Ben really doesn’t want to do it, but the amount Madec is willing to spend will pay for most of Ben’s remaining tuition, so he finally agrees. He loads up his battered old jeep with a few supplies, and he and Madec head out into the desert.

Madec is an odd man though: he’s very cold, he always has to be right, and the only time he shows any signs of enjoyment is when he talks about either cheating people or killing animals.  Ben is already regretting bringing the man into the desert. When he sees Madec shoot at a bighorn and seemingly miss that sheep and hit something smaller behind it, he’s disgusted at the way the man lies about the shot even happening.  But when Ben goes to check on the wounded animal he thought he saw fall, he finds a man. An old prospector that Madec obviously shot and killed, and then lied about.

Was it on purpose, or was it an accident? Ben doesn’t get a chance to find out. Because when he tells Madec they’ll have to take the old man’s body into town and tell everyone what happened, Madec turns the gun on him. He gives Ben a choice: be killed where he stands, or let Madec hunt him. Ben decides that the hunt is his only chance. But the odds are even more stacked against him when Madec makes Ben strip, to make sure he has absolutely nothing to help him survive.

Suddenly, with only an hour’s head start, Ben is the prey being hunted through the desert. Ben knows the Mojave,  but he’s without supplies, equipment or even clothing. Can he outwit Madec and make the forty-five mile trip back to town, on bare feet, through some of the harshest conditions known to man?

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Deathwatch is a very tense and readable book.  First published in 1972, it won the Edgar Award that year for the best Juvenile Mystery. Ben’s story will keep you on the edge of your seat, trying to will him into succeeding against Madec.

Fans of Gary Paulsen will enjoy this slightly older survival story. Although Ben is a college student, this book is intended for upper middle school readers. If you’re a fifth or sixth grader who could take the tension and suspense (and the very creepy situation of being hunted) you should also enjoy (if that’s the right word)  Deathwatch.

And if you want any other book suggestions–for survival, mysteries or any other genre– during the vacation week, just ask our staff!

::Kelly::

A Trio of Books on CD

With April vacation coming up, it seemed like a great time to share three excellent books on CD. If you’re going on a long trip, these are a great way for families to pass the time.

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The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
By Rodman Philbrick, Read by William Dufris
4 CDs, 5 hours, 1 minute.

Homer P. Figg and his older  brother Howard live in Pine Swamp, Maine with their horrible uncle, Squinton Leach. Old Squint doesn’t feed them very well, makes them do all the work on his rundown farm, and doesn’t allow them in his house…they have to live in the barn with the animals. That’s not the worst of it though. One day, Homer is so hungry that he eats some of the hogs’ food, and  Squint becomes so enraged that he calls the sheriff. When Harold speaks up for his younger brother, Squint sells Harold to the Union Army. Harold is only 17, but it doesn’t matter that he’s too young to be a soldier, Squint lies about his age, and convinces the judge and the army recruiter to go along with it for a portion of the money he gets.

Homer is locked in the root cellar after he attacks Squint, trying to get his brother back. While Squint and his cronies drink their profits, Homer escapes and sets out to find his brother.  Homer is prone to exaggeration, but he humorously chronicles his (mostly) true adventures as he encounters runaway slaves, underground railway conductors, con men (and women), traveling medicine shows, and famous leaders of both the Union and the Confederacy. Homer is an observant (and funny) first-person narrator as he shares his experiences in the search for Harold.

As Homer makes his way from Maine to Virginia, he finds new friends (and makes some enemies) along the way. He’s a kid with no experience out in the world, but his determination to find his brother and free him from his illegal conscription gets him through all the disasters he encounters along the way.

This was an engaging story in both the print and the audio versions.  The CDs are narrated by Dufris, who was the original voice behind Bob the Builder.  His Homer sounds like a twelve-year-old boy, voice changing with the moods of the story. The rest of the characters all have very distinctive voices as well, from the villainous deep voice of Stink Mullins to the fussy tones of  the Reverend Webster B. Willow to everyone in between.

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg is probably best read by kids in fifth through seventh grade.  For listening, you probably don’t want to go much younger.  Although Homer’s adventures are often humorous, he does end up at the battle of Gettysburg, and spends some time with a surgeon in an army medic tent after a battle.  The descriptions aren’t horribly graphic, but they would be difficult for younger kids. The story does bring history to life, and if you’re planning a trip to Gettysburg or studying the Civil War, this book will help young listeners into perspective. The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg was a 2009 Newbery Honor Book.

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The True Meaning of Smekday
by Adam Rex, Read by Bahni Turpin
9 CDs, 10 hours, 38 minutes

It’s 2016, and eighth grade student Gratuity Tucci has been given a school assignment–to write about the true meaning of Smekday, and how it has changed in the year since the aliens departed. She can use her own experience of the alien invasion, and include pictures. The winning essay from her school will be entered into a contest for inclusion in a Smekday time capsule, to be buried and opened in a hundred years.

Gratuity (known at Tip to her friends) isn’t quite sure where to start her essay. Should she start on the day (Smekday) the alien Boov came to Earth four years ago, and everyone learned about them? Or maybe before that, when she realized her mother had a mysterious mole on her neck and was communicating with aliens?  Or should she start at the beginning of The Move, when the Boov renamed Earth “Smekland” and everyone in the US was sent to live in Florida?  But that would leave out the second invasion, her whole trip from Pennsylvania to Arizona, Roswell, and other parts of her incredible journey, like the Happy Mouse Kingdom.

So Gratuity decides to stop agonizing and just start the essay and see what comes out. She writes about deciding against taking the Boov transport ships and instead deciding to drive to Florida with her cat, Pig.  Partway there, Gratuity almost runs over an angry Boov. When the Boov shoots at her, she drives off the road, gets a flat tire and hides in a MoPo. There, she meets J.Lo the Boov.  After some misunderstandings (including laser-shooting eyeballs, exploding heads and a humansgirl-Boov fistfight) Gratuity and J.Lo end up on a road trip to Florida. The End.

Gratuity gets a C+ for her first try on the essay, but is encouraged to try again. She starts a second version, beginning several weeks earlier–before the Boov arrived on Christmas Eve (soon to be the first Smekday), when her mother was abducted by aliens.  Try number two is longer, and does win a chance to get into the time capsule, but also leaves many, many questions unanswered. So, at a suggestion from one of the judges, Gratuity adds a third version, to try to explain everything. This version, however, is not for the people of 2015, but instead for the capsule that’s not to be opened until 2116; Gratuity doesn’t want anyone to see it when she’s still alive.

With her own unique take on an extraordinary situation, Gratuity tells the story of her adventures with Pig and J.Lo the Boov. Although this novel starts off as sort of a reluctant buddy road trip, with a science fiction ‘escape the aliens’ side story,  in the end, it leaves the reader pondering some very deep questions about knowledge, and ownership, and race, and human (or alien) rights.  Both Gratuity and J.Lo are alternately funny, prickly, completely wrong and spectacularly right. The people they meet along the way can either help and hinder them, and there’s no way to guess which way they will go. Ultimately, this is a story of friendship and family.

The story is great, and reading it is fun. When you listen to it though, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable experience!  I just loved listening to The True Meaning of Smekday–I didn’t want it to end!  I kept coming in and sharing with other library staff my favorite parts, the voices and what a great time I was having listening to it.  Turpin’s voice fits Gratuity perfectly–she’s a wise-cracking kid with a vulnerable side who tries to sound tough.  What I loved best though, was her take on J.Lo. The Boov are described as having voices like sheep on helium, and their grammar is…well, think Junie B. Jones crossed with Yoda, and you’ll get an idea of how they talk. (I have to admit, it was a little disconcerting to read, but listening to it was perfect.)  Each character voice is clearly a different person (or alien) –so much so that you’ll forget you’re listening. I could picture the action taking place in my head.

Gratuity is writing the story in eighth grade, about something that happened when she was ten.  The book is good for readers in grades five through eight. For listening, it could go a little younger–maybe third grade–but some of the concepts near the end of the book might be tough for that young a listener. Adults will enjoy listening as much as middle school students, so for a family car trip, it would be perfect. The True Meaning of Smekday won the 2011 Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production for children and teens, and it was well-deserved.

One thing…if you do listen to the story instead of reading it,  look at the book too.  There are illustrations throughout; some “snapshots” by Gratuity, some comic strips/graphic novels by J.Lo that run for several pages. Adam Rex is an illustrator; this is his first book for older readers. I certainly hope we see more middle grade/teen books from him!

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The Books of Elsewhere: The Shadows
By Jacqueline West, Read by Lexy Fridell
5 Hours, 24 minutes. Downloaded from Overdrive Here

Mrs. McMartin had owned the old Victorian mansion on Linden Street for as long as anyone could remember. When she died, it took a few days and the wailing of her three cats to alert the neighbors that something was wrong. Eventually though, the house was put on the market, complete with everything inside.

Olive Dunwoody’s parents wanted a house. Both are mathematicians, and aren’t really used to making spur of the moment decisions, or of thinking outside the box. They leave that to Olive.  They’d always lived in small apartments, so furnishing a large house would take too much time and effort. Buying a house that’s already furnished fits right into their plans. Olive, however isn’t so sure.

Her new home is dark and gloomy, with old-fashioned furniture and funny wallpaper, but she does enjoy the paintings on the walls. They’re very unusual though, and when she discovers that the frames and the paintings inside are somehow attached to the walls of the house, with no way to remove them, she’s very puzzled.  She becomes even more curious when she thinks she sees something small moving through one of the paintings. That’s not even the most interesting thing in the house though… that distinction would belong to Horatio, one of Mrs. McMartin’s cats, who shows up in Olive’s bedroom one night.  How does she knows his name is Horatio?  Well…he told her.

Talking cats? Horatio is quite mysterious, full of warnings about the house and about Olive’s adventures within it. When Olive finds an old-fashioned pair of glasses hidden in a drawer and puts them on…everything changes. Olive discovers the paintings are real…and as long as she’s wearing the glasses, she can go in and out of them!  Some of the people in the paintings are quite nice, but others warn her about an evil that’s lurking in her new home.

Can Olive solve the mysteries of the house? Will Horatio help her, or is he more than what he seems?  Is Mrs. McMartin behind this, or is there someone even more powerful? Join Olive as she tries to save her new friends and  figure out what is happening in her new home.

This is a great mystery filled with creepy characters,  foreboding warnings, gloomy atmosphere and a likable young detective.  There’s also a touch of humor in the feline characters and Olive’s interaction with some of her new friends.  Are they real, or are they just paint? Only the shadow haunting her house knows for sure…

This audio recording of The Shadows was downloaded from the Library’s Overdrive service, and transferred onto my i-pod. I thought it might be problematic, listening to on the i-pod, but it wasn’t. A couple times I did lose track of what was going on, and I had to it the backward button to get to where I was distracted. It wasn’t as easy as a CD that skips ahead on a timed basis, but it wasn’t difficult either.

The narration of this is crisp and fun. Olive’s voice is very much that of an eleven-year-old girl, and is quite distinctive from the narration of the action.  Horatio and his two compatriots have wonderfully unique voices, as do most of the other characters. This is the first book of a projected series, and I’m definitely looking forward to the next one.  Again, if you listen to this rather than reading it, check out the book for illustrations.  They capture the mystery of the paintings and the gloominess of Olive’s new home perfectly.  This title is appropriate for fourth through sixth graders, and the listening audience could be slightly younger. The Shadows won a Cybil Award for best juvenile mystery book of 2010.

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So if you’re getting ready for a road trip, try one of these audio books, or ask any of our librarians for other suggestions. And check back here in a few weeks for another trilogy for your listening pleasure!

::Kelly::

Three Audio Book Reviews

I’ve been listening to a lot of recent books on CD in my car, and really enjoying them.  It’s a great way to be introduced to a new author, or to enjoy an old favorite!  Here are three audio CDs  enjoyed over  the last month.

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The Night Fairy, written by Laura Amy Schlitz, narrated by Michael Friedman.
2 CDs, 2 hours.
Flory is a Night Fairy, flitting from flower to flower by the light of the moon. Until one night, when she tangles with a bat who crunches her wings. Now Flory is stranded in a human garden, stuck on the ground until her wings heal…IF they heal.  With a lot of hard work and a little magic, she manages to turn a birdhouse her new home, and has to become, out of necessity,  a Day Fairy.

But there are many new dangers in the day. If Flory is to survive, she must be brave. Without wings, that’s not easy. But there’s a hummingbird in her new garden, and Flory is sure that the beautiful bird can help her.  But will she?  And what about all the other inhabitants of the garden who are watching the new Day Fairy? There are dangers everywhere, but  unexpected friends too. Will Flory regain her wings? Will she survive to live in the night again?

I loved the narration for this story.  Michael Friedman (who is a female narrator, despite her name) has a wonderful range of voices. Every character sounds completely different; from brash Flory to a boisterous squirrel to a creepy spider.  The language is rich, and it’s an altogether wonderful listening experience!  Recommended for ages 6 and up (although there is a slightly scary scene with the spider and Flory.)

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Turtle in Paradise, by Jennifer L. Holm. Read by Becca Battoe.
3 CDs, 3 Hours and 48 minutes.
Turtle is a girl with a problem, and it’s nothing like the things Shirley Temple or Little Orphan Annie have faced. Her mother, a housekeeper to a series of wealthy families in New Jersey, has been told that her daughter cannot live with her in her latest position. So Turtle and her cat are shipped off to live with her Aunt Minnie in Florida. Too bad Aunt Minnie had no idea they were coming.

Turtle’s arrival is a surprise for the whole family. Her cousins Bean, Kermit and Buddy (all boys!) aren’t very welcoming.  It’s 1935, and adding an extra mouth to feed isn’t all that easy. But Aunt Minnie manages to squeeze Turtle and Smokey into the tiny house.  As Turtle tries to figure out how to get along with her cousins, she learns that her mother hasn’t exactly been truthful about her past. The grandmother Turtle thought was dead lives right down the street. Once the meet, Turtle thinks she’s the meanest woman in the world, but they slowly start to develop a relationship.  The Diaper Gang (cousins Bean and Kermit, along with their friend Slow Poke) don’t want to let her help with their babysitting business, but they’re willing to go treasure hunting with her.

Turtle manages to navigate her way through the Conch neighborhood and relationships of Key West in the Depression with her own unique voice.

The narration of this story is wonderful.  It’s told in the first-person, by Turtle, and Becca Battoe manages to sound like a worldly, tired eleven year old. In fact, she reminded me quite a bit of Tatum O’Neal in Paper Moon (if anyone out there has ever seen that film.) I love her voice, and I really enjoyed feeling like I was in the middle of the hot, dusty world of Florida in 1935.

There is an author’s note at the end of the book, complete with pictures of the real people who inspired parts of the story. If you listen to the audio, be sure to at least look at the book, to see what things and people really looked like.  Recommended for all ages, although it will probably be enjoyed most by kids in grades four through seven.

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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin. Read by Janet Song.
4 CDs, 4 Hours, 57 minutes
Minli lives in a grey valley, in the shadow of Fruitless Mountain. She works hard beside her parents and all the other people in the Valley, because barely anything grows there. What makes this life bearable, in Minli’s eyes, are the stories her father Ba tells about the magical beings and life outside the Valley. Ma though, is less than impressed with the stories. She’d rather have some real fortune, rather than the nonsense of stories.

When Minli spends one of the only two coins she possesses on a goldfish, her mother despairs. What are they to do with a goldfish, when they can barely feed three people? Minli realizes she is right, and sets out to release the fish into a nearby river. But when the goldfish talks to her, and tells Minli of a way to get the blessings of fortune for her family, Minli sets out on the adventure of a lifetime. Meeting dragons and kings, poor peasants and brave children, will Minli find fortune? Will her parents ever see their daughter again? Will Minli ever return home?

I love this story, and so much of that love is in the visual aspects of the book. It has wonderful illustrations (also by Grace Lin), and Minli’s journey is intertwined with the stories of the characters she meets, some that they’ve experienced and tome that they tell. When they tell these characters tell their stories, the font in the book changes, and the stories are noticeably  different from Minli’s journey.

So although I very much enjoyed the narration, this book seems like one that needs to be experienced visually…at least when first encountered. So maybe read the book first, or listen to the audio with the book in hand. You really don’t want to miss the whole, perfect package! Recommended for families with children ages five and up.

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So there you go. Three audio books for all ages to enjoy.  Borrow one from the library today. And if you want more suggestions, you can always ask library staff!

::Kelly::

Old Favorites: Tom’s Midnight Garden

Ah, spring. Where the smell of green is in the air, where flowers are blooming everywhere, where…what? Spring is still at least five weeks away?

Oh.

Well, let’s pretend it’s spring…or better, yet, summer! Let’s visit an English garden in the summer!  Let’s just pick up a book and visit Tom’s Midnight Garden, by Philippa Pearce.

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Tom is really not happy.  It is the summer holidays, but he’s not at home. His brother, Peter, has measles, and Tom is being shipped off to stay with his aunt and uncle in the city. Instead of the tree house he  and Peter had been planning to build in the garden at home, he has an alley full of dustbins and trash outside his door.  His friends are all back at home, having a great time, while he’s cooped up in a little apartment, with an aunt who is overly concerned with everything he does, and an uncle who doesn’t seem to understand kids at all. There are a cranky neighbors who must not be annoyed, and an elderly landlady who apparently doesn’t like kids at all.

In Tom’s eyes, everything is completely horrible. There’s nothing to do, no one to play with, and his uncle insists he get ten hours of sleep every night. Although he’s bored, Tom has no reason to be tired and he  simply cannot sleep that much. It’s completely unreasonable that he should be stuck in his room for ten hours, every night. There’s too much noise in the house to sleep at all–even the grandfather clock downstairs, which keeps perfect time but chimes odd hours, is irritating. The ticking is loud.

But one night, Tom gets out of bed. With nothing to do all day, he’s not sleepy. All he can do is lie awake and compose letters to Peter in his head while he listens to the noises of the house and the city. Then the grandfather clock strikes thirteen. Tom knows there’s no such hour! That thirteenth chime contradicts everything he knows about time. He’s going to go downstairs and figure out what is going on with that stupid clock…and prove that there is no such thing as an extra hour in the day.

When he goes downstairs, everything is very dark; the only light seems to be coming from somewhere outside. Tom opens the door, expecting to see moonlight falling across the dustbin-filled alley out there…and instead finds a lush garden with the sun just rising.  He stands and stares, taking it all in. Green grass, yew trees, a housemaid in an old fashioned costume. And in the middle of it all, he catches a glimpse of a girl around his own age. It’s too much to take in, and Tom goes back into the house, only to find it strangely changed as well. Then, as he turns around slowly, everything disappears, and Tom is left standing in front of the open door to the moon-bright alley.

What happened? Was it ghosts? Was it a dream? Did he imagine it all? It didn’t seem imaginary…and the scent of fresh turned earth and flowers still lingers in the air.  Tom decides to investigate.

He questions his aunt and uncle, even the neighbor, to no avail. No one seems to understand what he’s talking about. He watches the elderly landlady wind the grandfather clock…and remembers it striking thirteen. He can hardly wait for bedtime to come that night.

Suddenly Tom’s summer is full of surprises and adventures, and even a new friend.  His friendship with Hatty is a complicated; for one thing Tom is never sure if she will remember him from night to night, and somehow, she seems different every time he sees her.  Will he solve the mystery of the garden before the summer ends? Does he even want the summer to end? Could he end up staying in the garden…forever?

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Tom’s Midnight Garden won the 1959 Carnagie Medal, awarded to an outstanding book for children and young adult readers, written in English and first published the previous year in the UK. (The UK Carnagie Medal is similar to the US Newbery Medal.) In 2007 it was selected by judges of the CILIP Carnegie Medal for children’s literature as one of the ten most important children’s novels of the past 70 years.  It’s been made into a movie and a play, and adapted by the BBC three different times for television. It’s also a great read-aloud, for anyone who might be looking for a book that’s longer and more substantial with plenty to discuss.

And yet, even though it’s considered a classic of children’s literature, I rarely see Tom’s Midnight Garden being read these days. And it should be read! It’s a wonderful book for anyone who likes fantasy or time travel stories…or even ghost stories. There’s even a mystery. It has everything!

Tom is a very likable character, and he has some very exciting adventures with Hatty…both in the garden and out of it.  Does Tom solve the mystery of the midnight garden?  At the end of the story, he does have an answer. But what is happening, and who is causing it is a question the reader will have to settle in his or her own mind.

Read this book! You’ll be very happy you did.

::Kelly::

More 2011 Awards!

The last post was getting a little long, so here are the last of the award winners for 2011!

Batchelder Award

The Batchelder Award is a citation awarded to an American publisher for a children’s book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States.

2011 Winner

A Time of Miracles written by Anne-Laure Bondoux, translated by Y. Maudet, published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

When Blaise turns seven years old, the Soviet Union collapses and Gloria decides that she and Blaise must flee the political troubles and civil unrest in Georgia. The two make their way westward on foot, heading toward France, where Gloria says they will find safe haven. But what exactly is the truth about Blaise’s past?
Bits and pieces are revealed as he and Gloria endure a five-year journey across the Caucasus and Europe, weathering hardships and welcoming unforgettable encounters with other refugees searching for a better life. During this time Blaise grows from a boy into an adolescent; but only later, as a young man, can he finally attempt to untangle his identity.

Batchelder Honor Books

Departure Time written by Truus Matti, translated by Nancy Forest-Flier, published by Namelos

Nothing written by Janne Teller, translated by Martin Aitken, published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

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Belpre Award

The Pura Belpré Award is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

2011 Illustrator Award Winner

Grandma’s Gift illustrated  and written by Eric Velasquez, published by Walker Publishing Company, Inc., a division of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc.

After they prepare their traditional Puerto Rican celebration, Eric and Grandma visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a school project, where he sees a painting by Diego Velasquez and realizes for the first time that he could be an artist when he grows up. Grandma witnesses his fascination, and presents Eric with the perfect Christmas gift—a sketchbook and colored pencils—to use in his first steps toward becoming an artist.

Honor Books

Fiesta Babies illustrated by Amy Córdova, written by Carmen Tafolla, published by Tricycle Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.

Me, Frida illustrated by David Diaz, written by Amy Novesky, published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Abrams

Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin illustrated  and written by Duncan Tonatiuh, published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Abrams

2011 Author Award Winner

The Dreamer written by Pam Munoz Ryan, illustrated by Peter Sis, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

Respinning the childhood of the widely beloved poet Pablo Neruda, Ryan and Sís collaborate to create a stirring, fictionalized portrait of a timid boy’s flowering artistry. Young Neftalí Reyes (Neruda’s real name) spends most of his time either dreamily pondering the world or cowering from his domineering father, who will brook no such idleness from his son. In early scenes, when the boy wanders rapt in a forest or spends a formative summer by the seashore, Ryan loads the narrative with vivid sensory details. And although it isn’t quite poetry, it eloquently evokes the sensation of experiencing the world as someone who savors the rhythms of words and gets lost in the intricate surprises of nature.

Honor Books

Ole! Flamenco written by George Ancona, photographs by George Ancona, published by Lee & Low Books Inc.

The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette’s Journey to Cuba written by Margarita Engle, published by Henry Holt and Company, LLC

90 Miles to Havana written by Enrique Flores-Galbis, published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing

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Coretta Scott King Awards

Designed to commemorate the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace, the Coretta Scott King Book Awards annually recognize outstanding books for young adults and children by African American authors and illustrators that reflect the African American experience.

Author Award

2011 Winner(s)

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

2011 Honor(s)

	Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers and published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
	Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
	Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty written by G. Neri, illustrated by Randy DuBurke and published by Lee & Low Books Inc.

Illustrator Award

2011 Winner(s)

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

2011 Honor(s)

Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix illustrated by Javaka Steptoe, written by Gary Golio and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

2011 Book Awards!

The Winners of the Best Books of 2011 were announced last Monday at the American Library Association Conference.   This year’s winners were (direct from the ALA website)…

…drumroll, please…

Newbery Medal

The Newbery Medal is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

2011 Winner

Moon Over Manifest written by Clare Vanderpool, published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works a railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions and her list of universals, Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was.
Having heard stories about Manifest, Abilene is disappointed to find that it’s just a dried-up, worn-out old town. But her disappointment quickly turns to excitement when she discovers a hidden cigar box full of mementos, including some old letters that mention a spy known as the Rattler. These mysterious letters send Abilene and her new friends, Lettie and Ruthanne, on an honest-to-goodness spy hunt, even though they are warned to “Leave Well Enough Alone.”
Abilene throws all caution aside when she heads down the mysterious Path to Perdition to pay a debt to the reclusive Miss Sadie, a diviner who only tells stories from the past. It seems that Manifest’s history is full of colorful and shadowy characters—and long-held secrets. The more Abilene hears, the more determined she is to learn just what role her father played in that history. And as Manifest’s secrets are laid bare one by one, Abilene begins to weave her own story into the fabric of the town.

Newbery Honor Books

Turtle in Paradise written by Jennifer L. Holm, published by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

Heart of a Samurai written by Margi Preus, published by Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams

Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen, published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

One Crazy Summer written by Rita Williams-Garcia, published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

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Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

2011 Winner

A Sick Day for Amos McGee illustrated by Erin E. Stead, written by Philip C. Stead, a Neal Porter Book, published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing

Friends come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. In Amos McGee’s case, all sorts of species, too! Every day he spends a little bit of time with each of his friends at the zoo, running races with the tortoise, keeping the shy penguin company, and even reading bedtime stories to the owl. But when Amos is too sick to make it to the zoo, his animal friends decide it’s time they returned the favor.

Caldecott Honor Books

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Interrupting Chicken illustrated and written by David Ezra Stein, published by Candlewick Press

 

 

 

 

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Geisel Award

The Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year.

2011 Winner

Bink and Gollie written by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile, published by Candlewick Press
Meet Bink and Gollie, two precocious little girls — one tiny, one tall, and both utterly irrepressible. Setting out from their super-deluxe tree house and powered by plenty of peanut butter (for Bink) and pancakes (for Gollie), they share three comical adventures involving painfully bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion. No matter where their roller skates take them, at the end of the day they will always be the very best of friends.

Geisel Honor Books

Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! written and illustrated by Grace Lin, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

We Are in a Book! written and illustrated by Mo Willems, published by Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group.

 

 

 

 

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Sibert Medal

The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in English during the preceding year.

2011 Winner

Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot written by Sy Montgomery, photographs by Nic Bishop, published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
On remote Codfish Island off the southern coast of New Zealand live the last ninety-one kakapo parrots on earth. These trusting, flightless, and beautiful birds—the largest and most unusual parrots on earth—have suffered devastating population loss.
Now, on an island refuge with the last of the species, New Zealand’s National Kakapo Recovery Team is working to restore the kakapo population. With the help of fourteen humans who share a single hut and a passion for saving these odd ground-dwelling birds, the kakapo are making a comeback in New Zealand.

Sibert Honor Books

Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring written by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, illustrated by Brian Floca. A Neal Porter Book., published by Flash Point, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing

Lafayette and the American Revolution, written by Russell Freedman, published by Holiday House

 

 

 

 

 

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Although there were many, many books published this year, these are the cream of the crop!  Check one out…you’ll sure to be  impressed.

::Kelly::