Sue and I are often stumped when asked what book comes next in a series. I just came across a great website that will help us out: What's Next?
It includes lists for both adult and youth series.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Value of Friends
One of the things we talk about with the kids (and I apologize if I mentioned this before) is the value of recommendations. As I was reading The Help at the beach

And one more note from Caroline Robbins: Jane Green will be at Just Books in Old Greenwich on Tuesday, August 4th.
Janet Evanovich - Fluff at its best

I will admit there may be some who question why I'll take a Janet Evanovich mystery over a Jane Green novel but in my book you can't go wrong when there are ample opportunities to laugh at inappropriate topics. In Finger Lickin' Fifteen, Evanovich has once again placed Stephanie, Lula and Grandma Mazur into situations that are completely unbelievable but engaging in a summer beach chair kind of way. It's a quick, easy read that will have you smiling right up until the last page.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Chick Lit - Oh my goodness

Last summer I was introduced to the Chick Lit genre. I read some Jane Green stuff and a book by Elin Hilderbrand. It was good for passing an afternoon on the beach. Well I just finished Green's latest - Dune Road. Wow. I often suggest to the kids that every story starts with the question, "What if...." Suffice it to say, Jane Green asked a lot of what ifs (there is a bit of a spoiler ahead but what I give away is fairly predictable): What if the main character is recently divorced, has a distant mother who has rejected her from birth, falls in love with Steve who is actually Jed, her best friend's conniving ex-husband while finding out that she also has a half sister she never knew about who grew up in England. And that's only half of it. Jane Green lives in Westport and draws a fairly harsh picture of life on the Gold Coast. As most of you know, I am not an expert on family life in Fairfield County but allow me to say, if even just a little bit of the story has some truth there's some exciting stuff going on :-)
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Last Two Nutmegs
Just finished the last two Nutmeg nominees, Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan and Stumptown Kid by Carol Gorman. .
Horse stories are popular in the media center. We have a lot of kids who take riding lessons and they naturally gravitate towards the Marguerite Henry shelf. I am not an expert in this area but I think Ms. Ryan has put together a terrific story about a young girl who is desperate to find a connection with her horse loving parents who were killed in a car accident. Raised by her bitter and overprotective paternal grandmother in California, Maya is kept from her mother's Wyoming ranching family. When she is finally reunited with Moose (her grandfather), her Uncle Fig, Aunt Vi and cousin Payton will she fit in? Take a gallop through Paint the Wind and find out.
We are often asked what's next after Matt Christopher, the prolific author of sports stories. Mike Lupica and Dan Gutman have written a number of upper elementary sports themed novels that we recommend. Now we can add Stumptown Kid to our list. Kid takes place in Holden, Iowa, 1952. Baseball is king and the desire to make the Wildcats, a team of 11 and 12 year olds, far greater than anything Charlie has ever felt. Brad Lobo has no use for Charlie and provides enough distractions during tryouts that Charlie doesn't make the roster. Enter Luther Peale, a twenty something African American who has found his way to Holden to start a new life. Mr. Peale and Charlie strike up a friendship and Luther who has played some ball, starts coaching a rag-a-muffin team to take on the Wildcats. Unfortunately, being African American in Holden in 1952 is a big deal and racism is rampant. Ms. Gorman explores the topic with sensitivity and raises the bar when it comes to sports stories.


Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Two More Picture Books

In the spirit of summer vacation I offer you two picture books on the subject: Pictures from Our Vacation by Lynne Rae Perkins and A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee.

Picture Books
I am stuck at home today waiting for the invisible fence guy to come and repair a break in the line. What to do? Make my way through a stack of picture books, most with a dog theme. Here are some of my favorites.
Chowder by Peter Brown - back when Jenny Lawton owned Just Books Too we were lucky enough to have Peter visit our first grades twice. He is a young author with a great sense of humor. His two Chowder books and Flight of the Dodo get a lot of use in the Media Center. If you've never heard of Chowder or the Wubbingtons you're missing out (plus you have to like an author whose website is: www.somebrownstuff.com)
Dog Blue by Polly Dunbar - there's something to be said about having a dream come true.

The Bookshop Dog by Cynthia Rylant - truth be told, my dream has always been to own a bookstore, dog by my side. For now, I live vicariously through Cynthia Rylant.
Martha books by Susan Meddaugh - after reading a Martha book I'm always tempted to feed our dogs some alphabet soup.
Bad Dog School by Barbara M. Joosse - are perfectly behaved dogs fun to have around?

Smartypants (Pete in School) by Maira Klaman - Pete is my favorite naughty dog as he too is a wheaten like my Oscar and while he's never eaten the pants off a math teacher...
Houndsley and Catina and the Quiet Time by James Howe - a simple beginning chapter book about friendship. Were we all to have friends like Houndsley we'd be in good shape.
Dog Show by Elizabeth Winthrop - a perfect definition of what it means to be man's best friend.
Stella Unleashed: Notes from the Doghouse by Linda Ashman - Ashman captures a dog's life in poetry.

Dog Blue by Polly Dunbar - there's something to be said about having a dream come true.

The Bookshop Dog by Cynthia Rylant - truth be told, my dream has always been to own a bookstore, dog by my side. For now, I live vicariously through Cynthia Rylant.
Martha books by Susan Meddaugh - after reading a Martha book I'm always tempted to feed our dogs some alphabet soup.
Bad Dog School by Barbara M. Joosse - are perfectly behaved dogs fun to have around?

Smartypants (Pete in School) by Maira Klaman - Pete is my favorite naughty dog as he too is a wheaten like my Oscar and while he's never eaten the pants off a math teacher...
Houndsley and Catina and the Quiet Time by James Howe - a simple beginning chapter book about friendship. Were we all to have friends like Houndsley we'd be in good shape.
Dog Show by Elizabeth Winthrop - a perfect definition of what it means to be man's best friend.
Stella Unleashed: Notes from the Doghouse by Linda Ashman - Ashman captures a dog's life in poetry.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship by Jeffrey Zaslow

Grow: A Novel in Verse by Juanita Havill

The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin

Thursday, July 16, 2009
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Tuesday, July 14, 2009
More Nutmeg Books
I have been putting a dent in the Nutmegs. Here's what I've read - the quick overview is from nutmegaward.org and then I follow with my thoughts.
Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix
"What would you do if your parents dropped you off at an unknown aunt’s house in the middle of the night, in an unknown town, where everyone you met looked at you as if they just saw a ghost? This is Bethany’s living nightmare, and it takes all her courage to slowly unravel the truth.
I've never read a Haddix novel and am glad I finally did. Double Identity is fast-paced and has it's fair share of twists and turns. Some interesting questions arise about cloning so don't be afraid to discuss them with an adult.
Rules by Cynthia Lord
"If you have to tell your autistic brother “to keep his pants on in public,” how can you hope for a normal life? Catherine discovers that her own behavior with new neighbor Kristi and wheelchair-bound Jason make her look again at what “normal” really means."
Put simply, Rules is a delightful story about what it means to be a sister and discovering the gifts in the people around you - even if they are related.
Drita My Homegirl by Jenny Lombard
"Drita emigrates to New York City from Kosovo. During a social studies project, she meets Maxie, a native New Yorker who can’t seem to stay quiet in school. What can two girls from such different worlds possibly have in common? More than you think."
Told in the voices of Maxie and Drita, Jenny Lombard does a great job of exploring the ups and downs of being an outsider and what it takes to be a friend.

"What would you do if your parents dropped you off at an unknown aunt’s house in the middle of the night, in an unknown town, where everyone you met looked at you as if they just saw a ghost? This is Bethany’s living nightmare, and it takes all her courage to slowly unravel the truth.
I've never read a Haddix novel and am glad I finally did. Double Identity is fast-paced and has it's fair share of twists and turns. Some interesting questions arise about cloning so don't be afraid to discuss them with an adult.

"If you have to tell your autistic brother “to keep his pants on in public,” how can you hope for a normal life? Catherine discovers that her own behavior with new neighbor Kristi and wheelchair-bound Jason make her look again at what “normal” really means."
Put simply, Rules is a delightful story about what it means to be a sister and discovering the gifts in the people around you - even if they are related.

"Drita emigrates to New York City from Kosovo. During a social studies project, she meets Maxie, a native New Yorker who can’t seem to stay quiet in school. What can two girls from such different worlds possibly have in common? More than you think."
Told in the voices of Maxie and Drita, Jenny Lombard does a great job of exploring the ups and downs of being an outsider and what it takes to be a friend.
Friday, July 10, 2009
The Film Club by David Gilmour

Thursday, July 9, 2009
A Dog's Life: Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin

Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka
Do you have brothers? Did you ever wonder what it would be like to have brothers? Jon Scieszka (rhymes with Fresca), author of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, The Stinky Cheese Man, and Cowboy and Octopus was one of six boys. Knucklehead is a tribute to growing up Scieszka. Thirty-eight vignettes tell the family story (did you know seven pounds is enough to break a collarbone). Jon's mom was an RN, his dad, an elementary school principal. Instead of calling the boys by their names his parents would often call them knucklehead. As in, "Which knucklehead took a bite of the turkey last night and filled the hole in with stuffing?" Or, "Hey knuckleheads, get in the car, it's time for church."
Being the sixth of seven, I was often called KevindebbiebrendantimmydeirdreAMY. This memoir made me laugh...and laugh...and laugh. It is perfection - no matter what size your family is. How perfect? I'll be ordering two copies for my elementary age nephews (all the nieces are too old for it).
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The 50 Page Rule
There is a librarian out in Washington state who introduced me to the 50 page rule. Her theory is that giving a book 50 pages to reveal itself is plenty of time. If at 50 pages you are not engaged, don't care about the characters and dread the thought of finishing the book, put it down - there are too many good books out there to waste time with one that doesn't speak to you. (I wish I was aware of this rule back in 1984 when I was reading Stephen King's Christine.)
Monday, July 6, 2009
Archer's Quest by Linda Sue Park
Ice Bound by Dr. Jerri Nielson
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Attack of the Turtle by Drew Carlson
Olive Kitteridge and Other Books I Hope to Read
A few weeks ago I sat down with the NY Times Book Review, chatted with colleagues and created my own summer reading list. While I will be reading plenty of kids books I also need to feed my soul with the adult variety. For the record, I enjoy both the fluff and denser, character driven books. I'll read a memoir or two as well.
Yesterday I met Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge and was engaged by the second page. Set in a small coastal town in Maine where people are a bit more complex then one might think, Strout weaves 11 stories together in which Olive plays either a major or minor part. She is an incredibly flawed and engaging character who you want to alternately cheer for and yell at. Sometimes I judge a book by whether or not I'd like to be friends with the main character - I think Olive would have frustrated me but I could see having dinner with the Kitteridge family every so often.
The rest of my list:
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by MA Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Downhill Lie by Carl Hiaasen
The Film Club by David Gilmour
The Crowd Sounds Happy by Nicholas Dawidoff
The End of Overeating by David A. Kessler
The Help by Kathryn Stock
Ice Bound by Dr. Jerri Nielson
And if I can get my hands on the new Janet Evanovich, James Patterson and Jane Green books...

The rest of my list:
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by MA Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Downhill Lie by Carl Hiaasen
The Film Club by David Gilmour
The Crowd Sounds Happy by Nicholas Dawidoff
The End of Overeating by David A. Kessler
The Help by Kathryn Stock
Ice Bound by Dr. Jerri Nielson
And if I can get my hands on the new Janet Evanovich, James Patterson and Jane Green books...
Thursday, July 2, 2009
The Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Three Cups of Tea - A Family Affair
I may be a bit late to the "tea party" but I just finished this book and am in awe of Greg Mortenson. I fear that I will butcher his story so put simply, Greg has made it his mission to educate the children (in particular the girls) of Pakistan and Afghanistan. His journey is inspiring. The people he meets, the lives he changes, the difference he has made and continues to make gives one pause. The good news is the publishing world realized it was a great story and have produced three versions: one for adults, one for young adults and a picture book. I imagine dinner table conversation possibilities are endless.
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