Something Old, Something New

New 2010 children's and YA books are coming in fast and furious; just when I think I have a handle on my to-be-read pile, more books come in! However, I'm still working my way through the older books in juvenile fiction, including the Newberys.



A Wrinkle in Time

This book is beloved by many (ended up as #2 on Betsy Bird's recent poll); unfortunately, not by me. I enjoyed it, but I just don't feel the love. Sorry....



The Firefly Letters

Margarita Engle returns with another fine verse novel set in Cuba. I usually don't care for stories with multiple narrators; I enjoy getting to know characters, which is difficult to do when several people are telling the story. Luckily, that's not a huge problem with Engle's books. There's so much more to Cuban history pre-1960s that we often don't read about in books, and Engle is brilliantly filling that gap. Major kudos.




Anastasia Krupnik

I loved the Anastasia Krupnik books in my childhood; when I got to the "L" section in juvenile fiction, I immediately grabbed the first book in the series (I'm reading selections from juvenile fiction in reverse alphabetical order). What a smart, realistic, and funny series! Some details (and the cover) date the stories, but they're just as fun as ever.



Smile

I adore this book. I just love it, and it may end up being one of my favorites for 2010. Any tween/teen girl going though the trauma of orthodontics will definitely relate to this terrific book. Raina Telgemeier went through extensive orthodontic treatment after she knocked out her front teeth; she chronicles the years of braces and headgear, along with crushes, friend problems, school dances, and just to make things even more interesting, an earthquake, in this witty and moving graphic novel. Those panels of the orthodontist tightening the braces sure brought back memories, as did the awful nighttime headgear. Ugh. It also ends with a *great* positive message that's not at all preachy, which I think is very cool.

More thoughts on 2010 books will come soon!

What I've Been Reading

No time today for a lengthy post, but I didn't want the week to go by without a post. In no particular order, here's a look at my recent reads.



Catwings

A *lovely* gem of a book. Don't know why I resisted reading this for so long. A story about cats with wings sounds weird, but it's a delightful story. This is the first in the series.



To Come and Go Like Magic (new book)

This is an excellent coming-of-age novel set in Appalachian Kentucky during the 1970s. Not quite YA, but in the older age range of our children's collection. Katie Pickard Fawcett is a northern Virginia author!



The Linden Tree

A quiet, sweet, and affecting story about moving on after a loss. The storyline with Katy Sue's aunt threw me for a loop, but that was probably not very uncommon back then.



After Ever After (new YA)

I'm a superfan of Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, so I was really excited when I learned about this sequel. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie looks at the effect of cancer on the (older) sibling, Stephen. After Ever After, on the other hand, is told from Jeff's point of view. Jeff is now in the eighth grade; the cancer treatments have left him with learning disabilities and some physical disabilities. Books about children and teens going through cancer treatments are nothing new; After Ever After is unique in that it, to paraphrase Jeff, tells what happens when the spaghetti dinner and car wash fundraisers are over. It's a remarkable, heartfelt, heartbreaking, and amazing read. I read it in one night.



Borrowed Names: Poems About Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madam C.J. Walker, Marie Curie, And Their Daughters (new YA)

Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madam C.J. Walker, and Marie Curie were all born in the same year. These extraordinary women had daughters who struggled to create their own identities separate from their mothers' extraordinary lives. I really enjoyed this one.

Won't Know Till I Get There

This is an older Walter Dean Myers story; although some minor details mark it as an early 80s book, it remains a great look at the changes a foster child can make to another child's life.



Gentle's Holler

Loved this book. It's an endearing and engrossing story about a North Carolinian family during the 1960s; not much action, but a very character-rich story.



Winnie-the-Pooh

Confession: I'd never read this until now. I think you really need to encounter this as a read-aloud; by the time you're old enough to read it, it seems too baby-ish. Winnie-the-Pooh is humorous and silly, somewhat twee, but a fun read.



A Faraway Island

A Faraway Island won the Batchelder Award last year (for the most distinguished translated children's book). First in a series hugely popular in its native Sweden, this is an intriguing story of two Jewish-German girls living in Sweden during World War II.



The Devil's Paintbox

This is a powerful and occasionally devastating story set during the western expansion of the 1860s. Dark and graphic at times (but not overly so), this is a memorable read.




Tantalize

I read this for my 10-10-10 reading challenge (scary book). I'm not sure if I would call it scary, but it's definitely an exciting read. I'm not much into the whole vampire craze, but I thought this was pretty cool (it also has a bit of humor, which helped).

I keep my online reading diary at Goodreads; this includes books I don't review on this blog. You can check it out here.

Woo hoo! New books for April!

The April children's/YA orders have been sent! Woo hoo! Here's a peek at some that have really caught my eye. I haven't seen them yet, and I want to include as many as possible, so I won't go into depth for each title:



4-H Guide to Raising Chickens

Books on animal care are consistently requested by our local children. Dog care, cat care, horse care....we've got that covered. However, child-friendly information on raising chickens is scarce, and I usually have to direct families to our adult nonfiction section. I won't have to do that anymore once we get this title in! School Library Journal gave it an excellent review and said that every library serving a rural population should own it. Cha-ching! The fact that it's a 4-H publication just adds to the appeal. This is a new series; titles on rabbit care, dog training, and vegetable gardening are forthcoming.



13 Treasures

Publishers Weekly recommends this for Spiderwick fans.



As Easy As Falling Off the Face of the Earth

Now, this sounds really cool: Ry takes a train trip to his summer camp, only to find out that the session has been cancelled. He's stranded in the wilderness; what can he do?



The Birthday Ball

Kirkus Reviews says that this is "[g]uaranteed to generate giggles and guffaws." Kirkus Reviews can be pretty grumpy when it comes to children's books, so this is high praise, indeed! Lois Lowry is one of my favorites, so I'm super excited about this book.



Chalk

Oooh, a wordless book. Those can be tricky to promote to parents; most prefer something that they can read. However, kids love them, and they are great for pre-readers, because they can look at the pictures and talk about what is going on. Three children draw with chalk on a rainy day. The pictures come to life, and it looks like a dinosaur is involved.



Crunch

Having reviewed Lesley Connor's Waiting for Normal for School Library Journal, I was so happy when I heard that she had a spring release. THEN, I read the plot of the story, and MAN! This sounds awesome! Dewey's family owns a bicycle repair shop, and he's agreed to run the store while his parents are away. Everything goes crazy when the gas pumps dry out. People rush to buy bikes and to get their bikes fixed, so you can imagine that the shop is absolutely swamped! And Dewey's parents are stuck without a way to get home! Things get desperate when Dewey finds bicycle parts missing from the shop. This is, on one hand, obviously a story about energy dependence, but with Connor's skillful writing, it's destined to be much more than just that.



Disney in Shadow

Arrgh! I still haven't gotten around to reading the first book in the Kingdom Keepers series, which is set in Disney World. This is the third in the series.



The Dreamer (some places are listing this as Neruda: The Novel)

I love Esperanza Rising and Becoming Naomi Leon, so the fact that Ryan has a new book makes me very happy. I don't know anything about Pablo Neruda, so this will be a special treat.



Foiled

A graphic novel by Jane Yolen? Sign me up! Really curious about this one.



Mockingbird

This was receiving 2011 Newbery buzz around the time the 2010 Newbery was announced. Which, frankly, is a bit too early for me, and I love reading Newbery buzz and predictions. Early Newbery buzz means that the backlash will start that much sooner. It sounds like a great story, but stay tuned. Stories about Aspergers and autism spectrum disorders are not that new, but the characters have been male (which reflects the population of autism spectrum disorders). Having a story from a girl's perspective is unique.



Pigs to the Rescue

Every time I want to use the Warrenton copy of Chickens to the Rescue for story time, I'm denied! It's always checked out, and no wonder, because it's such a delightfully funny story. Pigs to the Rescue sounds just as fun and funny.



Polly's Pink Pajamas

Parents of pink-obsessed girls, take notice!



The Popularity Papers

"This one's for the Wimpy Girls," says Publishers Weekly.



The Red Pyramid

Hey, gang! Rick Riordan's got a new series, and this one's on Egyptian mythology. If you want it, you should put a hold on it, as Beyonce would say.

Say Hello!



"A little girl greets people in her neighborhood in many different languages." Oh, yay, cute. Rachel Isadora's books work well as read alouds, so I'm hoping to use this in a story time. We sing a bilingual song ("Good Morning to You/Buenos Dias a Ti") as part of our opening, so this would work well.



Shark Vs. Train

A shark and a train compete in a variety of contests. Really cool concept, and sounds hilarious.



The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

OK, I'm really at a loss to describe the book, seeing as I haven't read it, but I first heard about it in a School Library Journal webcast and thought it sounded so unique. The reviews have been excellent. I can't wait to make an origami Yoda with our anime club this summer.



The Summer Before

I was a huge Babysitters Club fan back in the day; I kept up with the books for two years, I think, then moved on. Scholastic is reissuing the series with new covers and with some minor updated details to make the series current. I think that this reintroduction will win over new fans. Not only that, Martin has written a prequel to the series. I'm looking forward to rediscovering the series.



The Ugly Duckling

I love Hans Christian Andersen's tales, but they're usually too long for read alouds. School Library Journal singled this out as being an appealing read aloud. Apparently, this is the first in a series of "simplified fairy tales." We'll see how this goes!



We the Children

The king of school stories has created a new mystery series. SOLD!



What If?

I like this author very much, and this looks like a "Choose Your Own Adventure" type book for younger children (but I think you can only choose the ending). Cool. I'm seeing more of these books, all of a sudden. Just like 3-D is back, all of a sudden (you can watch the Masters tournament in 3-D? Does the golf ball go flying toward you? Are the 3-D TVs going to be that popular?). Everything old is new again.