Too Many Books!

My library lets patrons have 50 items on request at a time, and I'm usually maxed out. It really only turns into a "problem" when I get a flood of books at once. Then, I play a juggling game, deciding what I have to read first, because I won't be able to renew it (others on the waiting list) and what I could possibly return without having read and then request it again.

Here's what I got the other day:

Through Her Eyes - Jennifer Archer - time-travel ghost story; I must have read a really great review of this somewhere. (young adult)
Sideways on a Scooter: Life and Love in India - Miranda Kennedy - travel narrative; I'm always drawn to tales of people packing up and moving off somewhere foreign. (adult)
State of Wonder - Ann Patchett - Bel Canto was amazing. I read and read and finishing was like coming up for air, in a good way. I read Run a little differently - one chapter each night, to really savor it. Have been anxiously awaiting this one. (adult)
Exposure: A Novel of Truth - Therese Fowler - has gotten mixed reviews, but I'm curious about this; drawn from real events, about sexting (adult)
Blink & Caution - Tim Wynne-Jones - 2011 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, Fiction winner (young adult)
Sweet Jiminy - Kristen Gore - Gore's Sammy's House was a light, enjoyable read. This is really different, but I'm intrigued. (adult)
Cloaked - Alex Flinn - the author Beastly and A Kiss in Time, who always writes enjoyable fairy tale re-imaginings. (young adult)

And here's what will probably arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday:

Bumped - Megan McCafferty - I loved the Jessica Darling series. This is so completely different, but I can't wait to read it. (young adult)
Divergent - Veronica Roth - getting LOTS of buzz (young adult)
Moonglass - Jessi Kirby - Sarah Dessen blurbed this. It's got to be great. (young adult)
Sweetest Thing - Christina Mandelski (young adult)
Summer of Firsts and Lasts - Terra Elan McVoy - All I needed to know about this book to make me put it on hold is that it's about summer camp. (young adult)
Dreamland Social Club - Tara Altebrando - saw an ARC of this at TLA (young adult)
Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake - Michael B. Kaplan - a picture book that looks and sounds adorable! She loves chocolate cake so much wants to marry it.

So many great books!

Books From My Childhood

• Any L.M. Montgomery fans? I thought I had read all of her books way back when, but I found one the other day that I haven't read - At the Altar: Matrimonial Tales. I'm guessing it's not as well known as some of her other books.
• I did read the Emily of New Moon books, and just discovered it was made into a television series; there are four seasons that aired in Canada from 1998-2000. I'm going to give it a try. It's been so long since I read the books, I figure I won't really notice any major differences between the two.
• I read on A Fuse #8 that Albert Whitman and Company are reprinting Flicka, Ricka, Dicka And Their New Skates by Maj Lindman, and, it will come with paper dolls! I read all of these books and the boy ones (Snipp, Snapp and Snurr), too. So, so excited! Watch for this in August and buy a copy for every little girl you know.

The Thingamabob

The Thingamabob by Il Sung Na

Alfred A Knopf, 2008

Awhile back, Il Sung Na's A Book of Sleep was getting lots of great reviews, so I put it on hold at my library. When it came in, I read it, really liked it, and wanted to see if Na had done any other books. I found this, and it is wonderful!

An elephant finds a thingamabob. (While he doesn't know what it is, kids will delight in immediately identifying it as an umbrella.) Sometimes the thingamabob doesn't do anything; sometimes it surprises him. His friends don't know what it is, and he wonders about the things he might be able to do with it. Can he fly with it? Can he swim with it? Can he hide behind it? As he discovers he can't do any of these things with it, he cries out in frustration, "What are you, then?!" As rain drops begin to fall, the elephant and his friends finally find a use for the thingamabob.

The illustrations are gorgeous, and have a beautiful, textured pattern to them. The bright red thingamabob always stands out, and the illustrations are big enough for a group, and yet invite a closer look for individual readers. Elephant is a lovable character with such expression!

If you're in need of another bedtime book, definitely check out A Book of Sleep. And, don't miss Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit: A Book of Changing Seasons. Both have the same delightful illustrations and perfectly composed prose.

Amelia Earhart

Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic
by Robert Burleigh, illus. by Wendell Minor
Simon & Schuster, 2011
grades 2-5

This beautifully illustrated book (gouache and watercolor) provides an account of Earhart's stormy 1932 flight across the Atlantic ocean. In the night pictures, you see a full moon and the gorgeous blues of the sky, and the vastness of crossing the ocean is very apparent. When the storm hits, lightning splits the sky, and then in the morning, as dawn breaks, "splinters of sunlight stab down through cloud slits and brace themselves on the vault of the open sea," and you see the golden hues of the rising sun. This is a perfect example of the text and pictures of this book melding completely and perfectly.

It's a shorter book, and, perhaps because of that, I'm even more appreciative of the afterword, bibliography, list of internet resources and quotes by Earhart included at the end. There is also a technical note by the illustrator, Wendell Minor, about the exhaust system on this plane of Earhart's. It was replaced when the little red plane was donated to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. (It was later gifted to the National Air & Space Museum.) Minor writes that on the sketch of the plane on the end papers, he included both exhaust systems, but that the replacement version was used in the paintings since that is what will be familiar to museum visitors. Would anyone have noticed this? I don't know, but the book scores huge points with me for mentioning this.

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
by Candace Fleming                                       Schwartz & Wade Books/Random House   2011                                                                          For older readers seeking more biographical information on Earhart, this is the book to choose. Fleming writes a chronological biography of Amelia Earhart, interspersed with the story of her disappearance. Written on gray pages to distinguish the story within a story, Fleming captures the fascination and mystery of Earhart's last flight.

The book begins with a chapter called "Navigating History." In it, Fleming writes, "Sometimes it's hard to tell fact from fiction," and that Amelia Earhart was a "celebrity with an image to maintain." The reader knows from the start that myths are going to be debunked - Fleming writes about just how carefully crafted Earhart's image was, and how she and her husband sought publicity and raised funds for Earhart's flights. Earhart endorsed various products, wrote a magazine column, and even had her own clothing line for a short period of time.

We see the training and preparation that went into Earhart's flights, as well as the times when she didn't seem to be as prepared as she could/should have been. Starting this book, I knew very little about Amelia Earhart, and I appreciate that with this, I had the chance to, as Fleming said, separate fact from fiction.

Also included in the book are sidebars, providing everything from a brief history of flight to an explanation of morse code, which serve to fully round out the story. There is a bibliography at the end, as well as websites for further information, source notes by chapter, picture credits and an index. These are great for readers wanting more information, but also give credit where it is due, and show just how much time and research Fleming invested.

For all of the information included, this book never overwhelms. It draws the reader in and provides a fascinating look at this pioneer of flight.

While very different from one another, both of these books are highly recommended.

Both titles reviewed from library copies

       



Dog in Boots by Greg Gormley

Dog in Boots by Greg Gormley

illus. by Roberta Angaramo

Holiday House, 2011

Dog is reading a book about a cat who wore "truly magnificent boots." (Puss in Boots, but you don't need any knowledge of that story to enjoy this one.) After finishing the book, he thinks for a bit, and then decides to make a visit to the shoe shop. (He's British, so it's a shop, not a store, which makes me love this book even more.) He shows the shopkeeper a picture in the book, and asks for something similiar. The shopkeeper has just the thing. Excited about his new boots, Dog heads home to dig up his very best bone, only to discover his boots are not that great for digging. And, not only are they not good for digging, they've gotten all muddy.

He takes them back to exchange them for something better for digging. His new rainboots turn out to be perfect for digging, and on top of that, the mud washes right off. But, they're not so great for swimming. Back to the shop he goes. Dog tries three more types of footwear, but there is a problem with each one. On his final trip to the shop, he asks for something good for digging and swimming and scratching and running and nice and furry. Dog leaves completely satisfied, and digs, swims, scratches and runs. Then, he begins a new book...about a girl with a red cape.

The illustrations are bright and colorful, and will work well with a group. The layout is perfect: on one page, you read what his footwear is good for, such as the rain boots being wonderful for digging, and then you turn the page and find out what they are not good for (swimming). Dog is adorable - he is always so excited when he gets each new set of shoes, and tackles each of his activities with lots of enthusiasm. Such fun!

Reviewed from library copy

Paisley's Pick - Dog Friday by Hilary McKay

Dog Friday by Hilary McKay
Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, 1994


Hi, it's me, Paisley! It has been awhile since I have had a book pick. Have you missed me? Are you ready for a good dog book? Amy really likes this book so I have been wanting her to share it with you.




Hilary McKay has become one of my favorite authors, but when I first picked this book up years ago, I hadn't read The Exiles, and Saffy's Angel, the first of the fabulous books about the Casson family, hadn't been written. And, I'm not sure why I picked this book up - it involves an abandoned dog, and a boy recovering from a dog attack, but I'm so glad I did.

It's really more than just a dog book, and the dog in question isn't really around for most of the book...we're calling it a Paisley's Pick anyway. :)

Ten-year-old Robin is recovering from a dog attack and in the process of making himself unafraid of dogs when a new family moves in next door. The Robinsons have four children - twins Ant and Perry, their younger brother Sun Dance (who marches to the beat of his own drum) and their younger sister Beany - as well as a dog named Old Blanket, who is probably the least threatening dog ever. He's so patient and good, the kids put socks on him and paint him to look like a tiger.

Robin befriends the kids, and whether creating Chop Bone Man, standing up to a bully or cooking for guests at the bed-and-breakfast Robin's mother runs, there is never a dull moment with his new neighbors.

One day, Robin finds a starving and abandoned dog on the beach. With the help of his friends, Robin takes the dog, now called Dog Friday,  home where his mother insists on notifying the police in case someone is missing him. The policy is that the dog will be kept at the shelter for a week, and if no one claims him by then, Robin can keep the dog. And of course, this leads to other adventures and mishaps.

This is really just madcap fun, and I feel like my review doesn't do it justice. There's lots going on in the hilarious book. It's British, slightly quirky and has an utterly delightful and charming cast of characters. If you've read McKay's other books, you're sure to like to this one as well. And if you haven't read anything by McKay yet, add some of her books to your summer reading list.
There are two more books in this series: The Amber Cat and Dolphin Luck (warning - Old Blanket dies in this one).

Reviewed from library copy

Summer Reading & A Confession

I still haven't read this book:

I know. Here's the thing - I was just getting started on the Lone Star Reading List committee when this book came out and I was busy reading other things. I could have fit this in, but I really wanted to go back and read book six before this one...and then I decided I should go back and re-read them all in a row before reading the last one...and then, I just never got around to it.

So, my goal for this summer is to read the entire series, and I'm really looking forward to it. What's on your summer reading list?