I recently had a chance to browse the children's section of Barnes and Noble - I found a book that made me cry, a book that made me laugh, a book that left me in awe and a book that made me wish I had a five year old niece or nephew.
reader/observer so successfully that you are left with your mouth agape. The illustrations are vibrant, fill the page and express emotion while at the same time reminding us we are all capable of great things, no matter our size. Aesop would be proud.
Otis by Loren Long is the story of a reliable tractor who with his delightful personality manages to calm the animals around him, in particular a new calf. Despite his wonderful work ethic, the farmer eventually replaces Otis with something bigger and better and sends Otis out behind the barn where he is left unused and forgotten. Oh sure the yellow tractor is bigger but is it better? Does the new tractor know what to do when the calf flees into the muddy pond? Can the new tractor rescue the calf? Can Otis. A perfect read for kindergarten and first grade.
So in the Media Center Mrs. Belmonte and I have our favorite books - one of hers is Stranger in the Woods. Every time a student borrows it she gets excited. Me? I never understood why - the cover sort of creeped me out. Last week I decided to venture further than the cover. Stranger in the Woods and the two books that follow: Lost in the Woods and First Snow in the Woods are wonderful stories that combine beautiful language and incredible photography by Carl Sams and Jean Stoick. Check them - they'd make great holiday gifts.
For adults, A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve was a big disappointment for me. I have really enjoyed her work in the past so when I decided to devote all my spare time last weekend to starting and finishing a book, I chose Shreve's new release. For me it came down to not having anyone to root for. Because of my past history with the author, I did not apply the 50 page rule and kept hoping that things might get better. They didn't. The best part was learning a little about Kenya.
The Imposter's Daughter by Laurie Sandell is a graphic memoir. It seems Ms. Sandell's father isn't who she thought he was. The deception he wove and his wife enabled is impressive but this is also a story of how we view ourselves - should our lives be defined by our past? Where do we find the fortitude and inner resources to forgive and change. I picked this book up expecting something completely different than what I got. My guess is that Sandell set out to write a memoir about life with her dad and realized that she was as big a part of the story as he was.
Official Book Club Selection by Kathy Griffin is an engaging look at a performer who has truly worked her way to the top. Yes she can be crass; yes she can be incredibly indelicate but she is a gifted storyteller who has a tremendous amount of love for her parents and understands that fame is fleeting. This book had far more depth than I thought it would. Not Pulitzer Prize winning depth but a sweet, tender depth (along with some laugh out loud inappropriateness).
I love Sharon Creech and am incredibly comfortable with her style so it was a surprise to read The Unfinished Angel - a thoroughly delightful surprise. As a comparison, I am known for making a really good chocolate chip cookie so you might arch your eye brows were I to show up with meatballs. It might take a few bites but you would eventually realize I make a mean meatball too. In The Unfinished Angel Sharon Creech invites us to Switzerland where her unnamed angel is looking for a purpose. Enter Zola, a feisty and determined girl who helps the angel find her way. Subtle humor and well defined characters make this a lovely read.
Dan Gutman is back with the same cast of characters from The Homework Machine. A quick and fun read, the students once again tell their story through an interrogation by Police Chief Rebecca Fish. If you remember, Benton was receiving mysterious phone calls at the end of the original book - do they continue? Will the foursome try and make another machine (sixth grade is hard)? Will their new teacher, a former military man, rule the classroom with an iron fist? And where exactly did the machine land when they catapulted it into the Grand Canyon? Take a hike through Return of the Homework Machine - you won't be disappointed with the adventure.
Friday I stopped by the library and found James Patterson's Swimsuit on the shelf. Fluff for a Saturday at the beach. I read it and then wondered what exactly a shrink would say about Patterson and his collaborators - they weave these stories of evil and once you pick up the book you're engaged, whether you like it or not (which begs the question why do I keep going back for more).
One book I finished and highly recommend if you're looking to make a change in your life is Changing for Good: A Revolutionary Six-Stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward by James O. Prochaska, John Norcross, and Carlo DiClement. It's a fascinating look at how people change and reassuring in it's simplicity. Great food for thought (ie. change isn't linear), it offers simple suggestions on how to make meaningful change.
I was at Barnes and Noble on Friday night and I stopped by the New Biography section and found a memoir by David Small, a children's book illustrator. Why is this memoir different? He wrote it graphically. It is a very quick, heart wrenching read. The reason I mention it is because some scoff at whether or not graphic novels are "real" books. Can a graphic novel adequately tell a story? If you read Stitches there will be no doubt.
If you liked Rules by Cynthia Lord then do yourself a favor and pick up Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin. What Baskin has done is masterful. Written from the perspective of Jason, a twelve boy with autism, the reader experiences what life is 
like for him and how he negotiates a sometimes unfriendly world. The empathy Baskin has for her characters is awe-inspiring. And parents, if you're looking for an adult version of what it's like to be autistic, try reading Born on a Blue Day, a memoir by Daniel Tammet.
I'm always looking for a good mystery and The Red Blazer Girls not only filled that need but also brought me back to my days as a uniform wearing high school student (although our blazer was an ugly brown polyester not an engaging red). Four seventh grade friends, an old woman with a mysterious letter, her ex-husband and their estranged daughter, an eavesdropping maid and her creepy husband make for some interesting characters in Michael Biel's first book (and I didn't even mention the nice looking boy who not only helps but complicates things). Filled with puzzles both literary and mathematical, The Red Blazer Girls is a fun and innocent read for sixth graders and up.
of young girl who does battle with Ewing's sarcoma. Discovered quite by accident, the cancer, Lucy learns, has a five percent survival rate. Despite parents who don't quite get how to care for a sick child (be tough, show no fear, don't cry), Lucy perseveres through years of daily radiation treatments, weekly chemo appointments, endless teasing by boys and 30 operations in two different countries. Is she a hero? I would say she showed heroic qualities at different parts of her life. Conflicted, complicated may be more apt descriptions.
Ann Patchett, author of Bel Canto, wrote a memoir of her friendship with Lucy five years ago titled Truth and Beauty. Patchett and Grealy went to Sarah Lawrence together, though their knowledge of one another was minimal. It wasn't until the Iowa Writer's Workshop that they forged a bond. I read it when it came out simply because I love Patchett. If I remember correctly, Patchett paints a hard picture of what it's like to be Grealy's friend (though she knew Grealy was a gifted poet).
I made two stops on Thursday - one at school and another one at the Rowayton Library. At school I picked up some new books and at the Rowayton Library I left with five books, including a Playaway of The Time Travelers Wife (thanks for the suggestion Mrs. F). In addition, I've got a number of books downloaded to my Kindle. It's safe to say they'll be even more reading than normal going on. The question is, will it be at the beach under the sun or at home in the big red chair. Only the weather knows.
In Big on Plans, Lucy Rose tackles summer - all 92 days of it. Written in diary format we peak in on Lucy's life in Washington DC where she lives with her mom, her grandparents just a stone's throw away. It is a tough summer on so many different levels for Lucy Rose - she and her friends Jonique and Melonhead are put in charge of ridding an apricot tree of squirrels; her dad and mom are on the verge of getting a divorce and there's a new girl in town who just doesn't like her. But if Lucy Rose is one thing, she's plucky. And I find when one is plucky, life, no matter how hard it is, can be bearable and dare I say, enjoyable (especially when you're surrounded by people who love you).
I really enjoy Carl Hiaasen's adult books - they are funny and engaging. Scat is his third book for kids and while humor is in play, the books, written for upper elementary and middle school audience are more ecological mystery than anything else. In Scat the cast of characters ( Nick, Marta, Smoke, Twilly, and Mrs. Starch) do battle with the Red Diamond Energy Corporation as they fight for the survival of the Florida panther. Should you choose to read Scat be prepared to devote some time to the story; at 371 pages there's a lot to take in but it's well worth it.
