Oh, wow, wow, wow

We *just* received a batch of books to put on the new shelf. I don't have a lot of time to post lengthy reviews, but I must tell you that:



The Red Hen




Tiny Little Fly




I Didn't Do It




My Friend Maya Loves to Dance






National Geographic Little Kids Big Book of Animals

....are AWESOME!

The picture books are terrific read alouds. The Red Hen is a *little* different from the traditional story, but only slight details (she's making a cake instead of bread, and the kind of animals used are different) have been changed. I looove the frog going "bribbit."

My Friend Maya Loves to Dance will be loved by dance-obsessed girls. The final illustration is absolutely lovely.

I Didn't Do It is a companion to Once I Ate A Pie. Still dog poetry, but all the poems are from puppies' perspectives. Gorgeous illustrations. My favorites (hard to choose-love them all!) are "No Name," "What I Don't Like," "Big," and "Puppy Dreams," which will absolutely slay you.

When I am grown
I will keep you safe the way you keep me safe now
I will keep you safe
from winds
and hail
and snow.

When I am grown
I will keep watch
Over you

Adorable. But not sickly sweet. I dare you to pick it up and try to not read it aloud. Good poetry begs to be read aloud, and these poems are no exception.

I'm very pleased with the National Geographic book. Perfect for young animal enthusiasts. There are more Little Kids Big Books coming out next year.

I also saw that Patricia Reilly Giff has a blurb on Moon Over Manifest's front cover: "The best book I've read in ages."

See?



That will have to wait...I have other books that have been patiently waiting in my to-be-read pile.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Kiddosphere is on break until next week!

New Books for November

Eventually, we'll get colder weather, perfect for staying indoors and catching up on new books. Keep these books in mind:



Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword

I am on pins and needles for this book. I am DYING to read this book. Have I exaggerated enough? I don't think so. Who is Mirka? As the cover reveals, she's "yet another troll-fighting 11 year old Orthodox Jewish girl." This is getting *fantastic* reviews. There's humor, adventure, and (Orthodox) Jewish culture and customs. Aaaaand....it's a graphic novel. Hello! Who's with me on this one?




Three Quarters Dead

Wooo! Richard Peck has a new ghost story/horror story. This one involves the popular girls' clique at school...uh oh.



Five Flavors of Dumb

Piper becomes the manager of her classmates' band, with all the headaches and drama that entail. According to the reviews, it's also an honest and engaging portrayal of a teen who happens to be deaf (rather than a story about a "teen deaf character"). Read what the reviews say about this and tell me if you're just as excited to read this as I am: Piper "learns important lessons about music and music hype, while growing closer to her family and friends in the process" (Publishers Weekly") and "[M]aking Piper the manager of a rock band never feels like a cheap trick (pardon the pun) because Piper is not a Great Deaf Character but a great character who is deaf(Kirkus Reviews)." And for those of you who came of age in the 90s and still harbor a deep down desire to chuck it all and move to Seattle, you'll want to check this out. Wow-sign me up for that!



Almost Zero

I am loving Nikki Grimes's Dyamonde Daniel series. She's such a fun character. In her latest saga, Nikki gets mad at her mother when she won't buy her expensive high-top sneakers. She NEEDS those sneakers. Her mother, in a "scary-soft" voice (love that), decides that Dyamonde needs to learn the difference between "wants" and "needs." Horn Book says that it's "an honest yet funny look at life in families where money is an ongoing issue." Boy, do we need this story now! Fantastic. This series gets better and better.



Brain Jack

Sam's a hacker who just may end up saving his country. Kirkus calls this "geektastic" and a "cyberthriller that reads like a video game."



The Candymakers

Any story involving kids, candy, and adventure will undoubtedly be compared to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But, as the success of The Candy Shop War and other stories show, children find candy-related stories irresistable. 4 children compete to make delectables for the Confectionery Association Conference. Mystery over a missing ingredient sets off the real hijinks. School Library Journal recommends this for The Mysterious Benedict Society fans, of which there are many.



Chick -n- Pug

A little chick, enamoured with the superhero in his favorite book, seeks adventures just like his favorite hero. Oh, CUTE.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

The publisher is out of stock on this title, but our copies are already here and waiting to be processed. Boo yah! Set in New York during Christmas-time, this involves a pair of teens dashing around Manhattan and tracking down clues. It seems to be in the same hipster mode as the authors' previous collaboration, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, but it doesn't seem as edgy or provocative as that one. I just know there's a late night Christmas/Hanukkah mosh pit. I'm really, really eager to read it.



Don't Want to Go

I adore Shirley Hughes's picture books. If you're not familiar with them, you are definitely missing out! The stories feature realistic and everyday emotions of children, and the illustrations are calm and warm pastels. Lily's mom is sick and dad can't take time off from work, so Lily must go to a family friend's house. Of course, Lily is not keen on this plan. Luckily, Melanie is a patient and child-friendly person. At the end of the day, Lily's father arrives to pick her up, but Lily, naturally, doesn't want to go!



Edison's Gold

Young Tom Edison is the "double great" grandson of the famous inventor. When he discovers a centuries-old family secret, he is thrown into a high-stakes mystery that just may prevent his family from moving. It's received excellent reviews and sounds like a fun adventure-mystery novel, with some biographical information about Thomas Edison thrown in.




The Fortune of Carmen Navarro

Another YA retelling of a classic story? Luckily, I'm loving the ones I've read so far, so keep bringing them on as long as they're well-written. Told from the perspectives of four teens, The Fortune of Carmen Navarro is the tragic (I'm taking a wild guess) story of musically inclined independent Carmen and besotted military cadet Ryan. The Fortune of Carmen Navarro is based on the opera, Carmen, and on the short story upon which the opera was based. Interestingly enough, Walter Dean Myers has also written a YA novel based on Carmen, out in Spring 2011.




Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing

I'm not sure how many teens even know who Janis Joplin was, but this has received so much attention that I felt like I should order it for the library and check out the response. It would definitely be a unique choice for a Women's History Month assignment, and young tragic rock and movie stars really never lose their aura. The author spoke and wrote extensively with Joplin's family and friends, which adds to the strength and appeal of the book. I know only a little bit about Joplin's sadly short life, so I will absolutely check this out when it's on the shelves.



King of Ithaka

Hey, hey, hey! School Library Journal just named this one of the best books of the year. Very cool. King of Ithaka tells the story of The Odyssey from Telemachos's, the son of Odysseus, point of view.




Neko Ramen 1: Hey! Order Up!

A YA graphic novel (from Japan) about a cat running a ramen restaurant. Yes, it may sound weird, but keep in mind that it's from Japan: they know how to do the trendy cute deal.




Pecan Pie Baby

Yes! A "new baby" story that happens to feature an African-American family. I am very happy. The author is fabulous, too.



Pegasus

Whoa! We already have three holds on this book. I'm not surprised. McKinley is famous for her gorgeous storytelling. Pegasus is the story of a young princess and her pegasus (winged horse). It's received superb reviews.




The Red Hen

I'm enjoying this father-daughter collaboration within the Emberley family. They've changed the Little Red Hen characters slightly, but the story ending is the same (hooray! I don't care for the "sanitized" versions of the fairy tales.). Can't wait to read this to my story time crowd.



Singing Away the Dark

I'm sure quite a few children in our county will relate to this story of walking to the bus stop on a dark winter morning (although perhaps not as long of a walk). The expansive dark of the rural countryside slowly awakening to the day has been illustrated to genius effect, according to the stellar reviews.



Sweet Treats and Secret Crushes

Sure, it's very early for Valentine's Day stories, but this sounded like such a winner that I couldn't resist. When seventh-grade friends are stuck in their Brooklyn apartment day during a Valentine's Day blizzard, they decide to make something out of the day by making fortune cookies and delivering them to their neighbors. There's the inevitable friendship and boy drama, of course, but nothing terribly shocking. These type of stories do well among our YA patrons, so I'm hoping that it's a success.



A Tale Dark and Grimm

Oh, hello. Adam Gidwitz has taken the lesser-known aspects (read: unsanitized) of the Grimm fairy tales and spun them into a novel. This debut novel has received outstanding reviews, but is not for the faint of heart, apparently!

Yikes! I better hurry up with the books I already have checked out before I start on these books! Hope you can find something here that you enjoy.

Christmas is Coming....

The geese are getting fat!

(Did anyone else learn that song from the Muppet Christmas record?)

Tons of winter holiday stories are published every year. Given the sheer number of Christmas books in our collection, I look at the new titles with a critical eye. I'm looking for Christmas/Hanukkah books that have something unique about them. I'm hoping that children and parents will find these books an enjoyable part of their holiday reading:



12 Days of Christmas

We have several book versions of this popular Christmas song, so buying yet another version requires that the book has a unique perspective. Fortunately, this version is by Rachel Isadora, well-known for bringing new perspectives to classics. The carol has an African setting (not changing the lyrics), which makes for a vivid presentation. The illustrations are bright, lively, and fun, in Isadora's typical style.



The 12 Days of Christmas in Virginia

Through a series of letters to his younger sister, William shares his knowledge about Virginia landmarks and facts while spending 12 days in Virginia.



Captain Sky Blue

Jack receives an awesome toy action figure, Captain Sky Blue, for Christmas. Unfortunately, a thunderstorm separates the two, causing Jack to go on a great adventure to rescue Captain Sky Blue.



Dewey's Christmas at the Library

Did you think I could pass this up?




The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories

I don't know a lot about this one; apparently, it's a collection of Christmas comics from "comic's golden age (which I'm guessing is 1930s-50s?)." Lots of comics about Santa, elves, Christmas trees, etc. Sounds pretty cool; I'm eager to see it.




It's Christmas, David!

A new David story, and a Christmas one at that!



Jackie's Gift: A True Story of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson's neighbor tells him that he doesn't have a Christmas tree. Being a warmhearted guy, he buys a tree for his neighbor, and then learns the real reason why Steve's family doesn't have a Christmas tree. Based on a true story and written by Sharon Robinson, Jackie's Robinson's daughter, this is a lovely story of cross-cultural understanding.



La Noche Buena

When Nina visits her Cuban-born grandmother in Florida, she learns about her father's favorite childhood Christmas traditions and food. Not only is this a darling multicultural book, it's one of the few Christmas books that isn't awash in a winter wonderland. As someone who grew up in southeastern Louisiana, this is something that I notice!




Llama Llama Holiday Drama

My sister asked me for a book gift recommendation for the toddler daughter of her high school friend (and my "big sister" in my freshman year of high school). I recommended Llama Llama Red Pajama, and thankfully, it was a huge hit, requiring several immediate rereads. And for good reason; it's just one of those books that toddlers *love* with crazy abandon. It's a fantastic read aloud, and the llama is a funny guy (plus, it's fun to say llama). Luckily, the little llama dude is back for some holiday fun.



Merry Christmas, Merry Crow

A crow gathers shiny discarded things for a Christmas tree. I haven't seen this one yet, but the reviews say that it's a beautiful story. Appelt is well-known for her evocative language, so that's no surprise.

If you're looking for Christmas gift book suggestions for children, teens, and adults, pick up our annual booklists for ideas when you're next in the library.

Time Marching On and the Jefferson Cup Award

When I'm at the reference desk, I can hear circulation staff tell patrons their due dates. Ordinarily, this is no big deal. Three weeks is three weeks, right? However, there are two dates that cause a "ohboyohboyohboy" flutter in my heart:

"Your books are due June 1."

(Start of summer reading program registration.)

Aaaaaand:

"Your books are due December 1."

Yikes! I know this is such a cliche, but where did the time go? Why does this surprise us every year? I was talking about this with a colleague the other day: the summer seems so endless (although, as public librarians, summer is our craziest time of the year), with only July 4th to serve as a reminder that time is passing. On the other hand, once September appears, we have numerous markers of important events: Labor Day in September, Halloween in October, and Veterans Day in November (and Election Day if it's an election year), which are little reminders that we're inching closer and closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas and Hanukkah in December. And then, time to close the curtain on one year and ponder the possibilities of a new one.

I love this time of year; fall is my favorite season. I love the leaves turning and the cooler weather (although it's felt more like spring sometimes than fall!). I love farmers' markets in the fall and seeing pop-up pumpkin patches along our beautiful rural roads here in Virginia.

Luckily, I was able to take Rte 17 from Warrenton to Portsmouth for Virginia Library Association's state conference. It only added about 45 minutes to the drive (versus taking the interstate), and it's a much more interesting and easy drive. You drive through some incredibly beautiful country in Caroline County and drive through little bitty towns that are still hanging on to their Main Street(s); I recommend it (I got off track in downtown Fredericksburg, but if you find Caroline Street, which is the main drag, you can get back on 17). For the first time, I wasn't there to attend sessions; I was there as a member of the 2010 Jefferson Cup committee!

After a year (more or less) of reading hundreds of historical fiction novels, biographies, history books, and history/biography series, we decided on a winner this past May: Ann Burg's All the Broken Pieces.



For our final voting meeting, we were charged to reread the top 10-15 choices (sorry, can't remember how many) and be ready to advocate for a title if we felt strongly about a particular one. At that point, I had several titles in mind, but none that I strongly felt had to win, or else I would be disappointed. I reread the titles with a much sharper and critical eye.

I am beyond thrilled that All the Broken Pieces won.

Writing about any war must be a difficult task, but writing about the Vietnam War must be a monumental challenge. The scars of that war are still seared into this country's psyche. Ann Burg brilliantly shines a light on the multifaceted pain felt in the immediate aftermath of the war, circa 1977, through Matt, a Vietnamese orphan adopted by a Caucasian American couple.

Through Matt, we see the bewilderment of the adopted orphan from a war-torn country and the grief of a child with remembrances of home and family. We witness Matt bullied by his baseball teammate, who is grieving the loss of a brother killed in action. And we watch a family deal with the demons of the past and adjust to their new normal.

When reading contemporary children's and young adult novels, it's not unusual to read stories that incorporate too many "issues" into a story, resulting in a juggling act that the author cannot sustain. Ann Burg masterfully weaves together several underlying issues beyond the immediate issue of the Vietnam War; I was immensely impressed with scenes involving Matt's Vietnamese culture classes, in which he encounters traditional Vietnamese myths and holidays for the first time, and no mention is made of the war, creating an artificial connection to Vietnam. She also skillfully incorporates the underlying guilt felt by Matt's father in not serving in the war. Scenes between Matt and a disabled Vietnam vet will undoubtedly bring tears to your eyes.

And...it's a verse novel. Verse novels don't always work, but it works *so well* here.

It is a magnificent novel, and it was such a pleasure to meet Ann Burg during the VLA conference. The committee was fortunate enough to have dinner with her at one of downtown Portsmouth's restaurants (the city has a neat little downtown area of shops and restaurants with outdoor seating, resulting in a fairly active Thursday night scene). We talked with her about her writing process, about the book and its themes, and more. Just a great time.

Friday was the big day; the luncheon and the Overfloweth presentation! Between driving all day Thursday, getting ready for dinner, having dinner, and returning to my hotel room to prepare for Friday's presentation, I had no time to attend sessions or workshops.

The luncheon was a splendid event, and Ann Burg gave a moving and delightful speech. I am so proud that the Jefferson Cup is her first award; I'm confident that it won't be the last.

Our Overfloweth presentation followed the luncheon, in which we presented our favorite reads from the year. I'll tell you about mine in next week's post.

Go read All the Broken Pieces!