Reading Challenges

Everyone, I'm sure, has reading comfort zones. For some, it's mysteries. Others gravitate toward romance, science fiction, or historical fiction. As a youth services librarian, it's important for me to read outside of my reading comfort zones (historical fiction and realistic fiction) in order to best serve our patrons. However, sticking to that is not always easy.

When I read about the 10-10-10 Reading Challenge from School Library Journal, I was immediately drawn to the fact that the ultimate goal is not to race to the finish goal (10 books in 10 genres that you normally don't read by 10-10-10). Frankly, I'm not sure I'm going to meet that goal. I'll try (even one of the founders is unsure that she will meet her goal). The main goal is to read outside of your comfort zone as much as possible, and that's a goal to which I heartily aspire!

Participants can choose "established" genres or make up their own. Here's my list (10 books from each genre):

1. graphic novels
2. science fiction
3. fantasy
4. scary stories
5. current adult fiction/nonfiction
6. sports stories
7. 1st (if possible) book in a series that I haven't read
8. folktale collections
9. mysteries
10.horse stories

Wish me luck! I'll post my progress on this blog and on the Kiddosphere Twitter account. It looks like I need to read 2.7 books in this list a week to make this goal (keeping in mind that I do have other things to read). Hmmmm. Well, I'll give a shot!

She'll Probably Finish Before I Do

For a couple of years, I've been working my way through the Newbery books. That project has trailed off in recent months, but I'm planning to get back on track when my involvement with the Jefferson Cup is finished. I've "discovered" some wonderful reads (Strawberry Girl , which was displayed in our Newbery display and is now checked out...yay! and Thimble Summer) and some that I really struggled to finish (Secret of the Andes). I'm also including as many Honor books as I can (some of the earliest Honor books are difficult to find).

In the meantime, check out fourth grader Laura's blog, in which she chronicles her own Newbery project (she's sticking strictly to the medalists). Her goal is to finish the books before she goes to middle school (5th grade in her district). I'm impressed that she liked The White Stag (I didn't, but it was short)! Way to go, Laura!

Flying Off the Shelves

Let's take a look at what's currently popular in the children's section:



We get kids looking for spy/mystery stories. We get kids looking for funny stories. For the kid looking for a funny spy story, look no further than Cuthbert Soup's A Whole Nother Story.




I'm glad Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom is proving to be popular. Undoubtedly, it's due to the Indiana Jones influence. Plucky little girls are well-represented in beginning chapter books; I am so glad to see a new series featuring a boy.



Megan McDonald (author of the Judy Moody and Stink chapter books) continues her appealing Sisters Club with The Rule of Three (and just one of the several cupcake-themed covers released this year; how can you resist a book with cupcakes on the cover?).



I read The Roar last year for Capitol Choices. It didn't make the final list, but I thought it was a fun and exciting read. It's a true-blue page turner, and this is coming from someone who has to force herself to read children's and teen science fiction.




Awww, yes! The second book in the Sassy series is also popular. Love it.




Yesterday, a patron told me how much her daughter loved Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty. So much that she begged her mother to read it aloud again. Laugh-out loud funny, according to her daughter. We'll get the other Bad Kitty book soon.

That's just a sampling of our recent books. I'll tell you about our brand spanking-new books in my next post. Mmmmm. New book smell.

A New Book and a New Newbery Winner (and Caldecott too)

I have a handful of books that I widely recommended whenever I can. A Drowned Maiden's Hair is one of them (I recommended it the other day, and it is checked out. Whoo hoo!).



Victorian seances, two weird old ladies, and an orphan. Fabulous story.

Cool fact #1: Laura Amy Schlitz is a school librarian in Baltimore.

Cool fact #2: Laura Amy Schlitz is a Newbery medalist.




Cool fact #3: She has a new book coming out. You'll be drawn in by the lovely cover and the fact that it is about fairies (especially if you are a girl between the ages of 8-11). You'll stay for the exquisite writing. From her website:

"I work in a school library and little girls come to me every
week, asking, “Do you have a book about a fairy?” They don’t want a
fairy tale; they want a story with a fairy as the main character. They
want to gaze at fairy pictures and think themselves small, alive in a
dewy jungle of flowers.
I wrote The Night Fairy for these little girls. They are often quite
interesting little girls — animal lovers, adventure lovers, and future
wild women. I wanted to give them a fairy book that would combine
the minute prettiness of fairy life with excitement and suspense."

When the exhibit floors opened at 9 AM last Saturday morning, I made a beeline to the wonderful people at Candlewick, only to find that no copies of The Night Fairy were on display. I chatted up the friendly rep and was soon presented with an advance reader's copy (which is why it always pays to 1) engage in conversation with the folks at the table and 2) have an idea of who is publishing what when). It's diviiiiine, and I can't wait to recommend it.


While you're waiting for our copies, check out the website.

Speaking of Newberys, here is a nice piece from Publishers Weekly about the Newbery and Caldecott winners.

No love for Marcelo: The 2010 YALSA Awards

The YALSA book awards are not nearly as well known to the general public as are the Newbery and the Caldecott, but the Printz is still eagerly anticipated by YA literature fans. We have some new awards this year as well, which spreads the wealth even more.




I'm a yuuuuuge (as Donald Trump would say) fan of Libba Bray on a normal day. For some reason, the day I picked up Going Bovine was not that day. In its (and my) defense, I was juggling books for Capitol Choices and Jefferson Cup, so my attention was definitely elsewhere. I've heard people either really love it or really dislike it; not too many, apparently, are lukewarm.

Printz Honor Books:



I was surprised but pleased to see Charles and Emma on the Honor list. Printz usually goes for upper YA fiction, and this skewers near the middle school nonfiction mark. With 2009 being the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth, the requisite books and articles examining his life were published (but not to the extent of Lincoln's recent anniversary or the recent Apollo 11 anniversary). Charles and Emma is unique, for it centers on the Darwins' marriage. A most unusual marriage, for Emma Darwin was a devout Christian and Charles Darwin was an agnostic. I think it's a very special book; science and history fans will love it, and those with a romantic sensibility will enjoy it too. Since it was ignored by the Sibert, I'm happy that the Printz committee recognized it.

To the surprise of many, Marcelo in the Real World was completely shut out. It happens.

Finalists:




Almost Astronauts



Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice



The Great and Only Barnum

Awesome. This is a terrific book; it's joined my go-to biography recommendations.




Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland

I'm glad to see a Virginia-related book get recognized, but this one is a bit tough to get through.

Are there any more awards to go through? I'll check tomorrow. The 5:00 whistle is about to blow.

And the 2010 Newbery Goes To...

When You Reach Me

Although it wasn't my #1 favorite this year, I understand why it won. It's a cleverly crafted story and very deserving of the Newbery.

Although I usually have my favorites to win, my main concern about the winners is this: do we have copies in the library? When I went over the final list yesterday, I had a feeling that we did have most of them, but I did know that we were missing a Caldecott Honor book or two (we'll order them). I also usually order several books from the newer or more specialized awards.

Let's see what we have!

Newbery Honor books:



The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

Haven't read it, but have heard raves about it. It's supposed to be very funny, so I'm glad a funny book was recognized!



Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

On my TBR (To Be Read) list. I love Grace Lin's other books, so I'm looking forward to this one.




The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

WOOO HOOO! If you've been reading my blog for some time, you know that I adore this book. I first read it when School Library Journal assigned it to me for review, and I've admired it ever since. I'm excited to see what Jacqueline Kelly has in store for us. So very happy that this won.



Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature and was thought to be a front-runner for the Newbery. This is an exceptional book. Glad it won an Honor.

Caldecott Medal



The Lion and the Mouse

Not surprising at all; this was on most Mock Caldecott and predictions list. It's a stunning and gorgeous book; nearly wordless (although that wasn't Pinkney's original intention) and a work of art.

And the Caldecott Honor books? Ummmm....hey! What's that thing in the sky?

(Okay, okay. We don't have them. I admit it! It happens. But I will order them, I promise!)

In case you don't know, the Honor books are All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon and illustrated by Marla Freeze and Red Sings From Treetops by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. Congratulations to all.




I love the Theodore Seuss Geisel award for the most distinguished beginner/easy reader. While you're waiting for the other Geisel winners to arrive, check out Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day by Kate McMullan, one of the Honor recipients.



I can't think of one 2009 book that has lingered with me and aggravated me as much as has Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream. The fact that it won the Sibert Medal (for best information book) doesn't help.

I read this book in one night. That's not something I normally do, and I cannot think of any nonfiction book that I've read in one sitting (nonfiction picture books don't count). It's that compelling. It's that great of a story. It's a story that needed to be told, especially when this year brought a lot of new attention to the first moon landing. There's been quite a bit of controversy over it (people questioning the presentation of facts and the author's presumed agenda); if you're really interested, check out School Library Journal's Heavy Medal blog.

Not only does it tell us the story of those 13 outstanding women involved with the Mercury 13 program, it also tells (briefly) the story of women who followed in their footsteps, including Valentina Tereshkova and Sally Ride. It is a story of courage, bravery, determination, heartbreak, and sacrifice. Which is why I do not understand why there is no mention of the fact that four women (Christa McAuliffe and Judith Resnick on Challenger and Kalpana Chawla and Laurel Clark on Columbia) sacrificed the most in the name of space exploration, especially when Kalpana Chawla and Judith Resnick's previous accomplishments were mentioned. I don't have a problem with the author's tone, and I can't reasonably argue over the presentation of facts and how it fits in with an "agenda," but this does bother me.

The Sibert Committee also named several Honor books:



I haven't read The Day-Glo Brothers yet, but it looks like a lot of fun.



Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11

As a member of this year's Jefferson Cup committee (we honor children's/YA American history and historical fiction books), I think I've read every Apollo 11 book published this year. This is one of the best.



I'll jabber about the other awards later. Gotta move on.

The In Crowd

What's popular in our YA section? Let's take a look:



Book 7 of The Ranger's Apprentice, Erak's Ransom, is not even on the shelves yet, but already has two holds.



Fans of the House of Night series can't wait to get their hands on Tempted.



If the holds and checkouts for Fallen and Hush Hush are any indication, fallen angels are well on their way to being 2010's vampire phenomenon.



Lauren Baratz--Logsted's take on the Beauty and the Beast story, Crazy Beautiful, usually doesn't stay on the shelves very long.



If you want to read Deb Caletti's latest, The Secret Life of Prince Charming, you might want to place a hold on it.

Wondering what's popular in the children's section? Stay tuned!

Welcome 2010!

Hello 2010! Wow. When I was a kid, the 2000s seemed like such a science-fictiony time period. When are we going to get our flying cars?

(BTW-are you saying "two thousand ten" or "twenty ten"? WTOP discussed this on the air; their director is making the broadcasters say "twenty ten" until it looks like a general consensus has been made on the usage.)

So, what were the last books I read in 2009? Two excellent biographies and a terrific YA novel. As I do with the children's chapter books and nonfiction, I choose my biography readings by selecting one book per shelf (in reverse alphabetical order). This allows me to browse and examine the collection with a very narrow focus. I may not finish the book (I'm much more lenient with not finishing a chapter book than I am with a nonfiction, since I can at least skim a nonfiction book if it's not totally grabbing me), but at least I have a familiarity with it.



When I found myself in the "L" biographies, I picked a book that I had not yet read cover to cover and a book about someone I've been wanting to know more about: Candace Fleming's astounding The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary and James Robertson's Robert E. Lee: Virginian Soldier, American Citizen. I read them at the same time, which provided a really interesting reading experience. Although they are children's biographies, they are substantial biographies for serious reading.



(This is why children's biographies and nonfiction are terrific for adult readers who are intimidated by the increasingly overstuffed biographies and histories on the general biography/history market, but want to improve their general knowledge of history, or any other nonfiction topic.)



Over the break, I also read a terrific YA novel, Big Fat Manifesto, by Susan Vaught, and I can't wait to read more from this author. Books about overweight teens are not new to YA literature, but we're starting to see books that feature the reality of these teens, in that the characters are not uniformly depressed, angry, and unpopular, but have real lives, real friends, and even (gasp) love interests.

Readers are immediately drawn to Jamie Carcaterra; she's funny, opinionated, loves her boyfriend, and is gunning for a big national high school journalism award. Her "Fat Girl" column in her high school newspaper chronicles her everyday ups and downs, including getting the cold shoulder (and snippy comments) at a local clothing store, her clueless physician's comments, and her everyday life with friends, family, and boyfriend.

Her boyfriend's decision to undergo gastric bypass surgery becomes a main focus of the column, in which Jamie openly describes her apprehension over the surgery, her boyfriend's post-surgery complications, and the various changes in her boyfriend's behavior.

Without hitting the reader over the head with an obvious message and agenda, Susan Vaught winningly and movingly (with much humor) not only describes the hardships and heartache that Jamie faces because of her condition, but also gives Jamie a real and otherwise ordinary life with friends, boys, and aspirations. Ideal for teen readers who want substance in a teen "chick lit" story.