Audio: Alvin Ho #1 and #2 by Lenore Look

I was reading Heavy Medal back issues about last year's Mock Newbery, and I was captured by their review of Alvin Ho:

Funny. Multiculturalism/diversity doesn't stick out, it's just there. Funny. Episodic chapters--each one a complete narrative arc--serve a young audience that's still learning to read novels. Funny. Each chapter builds, realisitically if only slightly, on the theme of overcoming fears. Funny. Funny. Funny. Funny. Funny. Funny. 

These are books I've been pooh-poohing for months now, on the grounds that middle grade readers don't want to read about a kid who's 2-4 years younger than them.  Junie B. notwithstanding, this is something that is simply not done by 8-10 year olds.  And yet, here I sit reading review after review of how great these books are.  So I sigh, and put the audiobook on hold.  Maybe it'll be worth a look.

Good thing I wasn't taking any sips of water on my way to work this morning, or I suspect they would have been spewed all over my dashboard.  A students'-eye-view of me on my way into the building would have seen me literally falling all over myself laughing.  How often do I do this?  Hardly ever.  (For example, I was listening to Homer Price last night, and that merited scarcely a weak smile.)  Lenore Look presents Alvin's day at school and at home in these flighty little vignettes that left me shaking my head and giggling all morning.

I will admit that a good portion of my enjoyment came from the reader, eleven-year-old Everette Plen (what a great name).  He is funny funny funny.  And oh my gosh, doesn't he just look like his voice?  There is nothing like listening to young Mr. Plen cursing in Shakespearian English.

I don't think book two is quite as creative and wonderful as the first, but I'm kinda feeling it as a continuation of book one, so perhaps it doesn't matter.  I was definitely looking forward to more.

Lenore Look, you have another convert!  I will never again discount a book because of the age of its main character. 

Awesomeness: 8 - big kudos for a fabulous task accomplished - put on your to-read pile soon

Wordsmithing: 8 - quirky and funny

Personages: 8 - wow, a 2nd grader with a missing eye and a limp!  Awesome

Mesmerizitude: 8 - I could listen to Everette Plen chirp all day

Readathon check in, 4:50pm

My second check in. I've spent most of the day cooking and at meetings, but got a little reading in before 1pm with the kids and I've been filling in with audio. I have a bit of time now before Dex wakes up.

Reading: Fancy Nancy series
Next up: Wanda Gag bio

Thanks to all the cheerleaders! It's so fun!

Readathon check in, 8:22am

Dang and blast, my computer plug is at work. So I'm trying this nifty app to blog via iPhone.

Reading currently: 3-2-3 Detective Agency, with Ivy

Last read: Amulet #2

Next up: something nonfictiony

Total hours reading: .5

I'll check in after we set up for brunch.

The Adventures of Bert - Allan Ahlberg

I brought this one home as part of my new promise to Ivy that I will bring her a new book every day from school.  It's easy enough to grab one from the shelf on the way out the door.  This is one I've had my eye on for years, but never picked up until this year.  

With spare language, Ahlberg has created a book that could count as an early reader, but works just fine as a picture book.  There's plenty of fun detail (the little spiders, the cat hiding under the bed that you never quite get to see), but it's very simply done.  The end of each chapter reminded me of Kitten's First Full Moon ("Lucky Bert!").  I liked the way the story came full circle from morning to night.  Whimsical and short, this is a fun one to read twice in a row, which is what we did.

Ivy liked the part where the reader wakes the baby and makes her cry!

Awesomeness: 5 - just another nice picture book

Wordsmithing: 6 - quirky

Personages: 6 - I would have enjoyed hearing from Mrs. Bert?

Mesmerizitude: 7 - kept me reading to the end

Illustrations: 6 - sweet and colorful

Sea-Cat and Dragon King by Angela Carter

This one fell off the shelf while I was leveling our junior fiction section.  I thought, "Huh.  Looks interesting.  I should read this one aloud."  I tucked it in my bag and brought it home.  Ivy found it immediately and began looking through it.  I offered to read it to her and she said, "Just a minute."  When she'd finished turning every page, she smiled and said, "Read!"

It's a beautifully descriptive book, with lots of creative use of language and unusual phrases, I imagine because it was translated from another language.  It flowed effortlessly -- no need for chapters in this "chapter" book.  Ivy was captivated for the entire story.

What didn't work for me was the illustrations.  The story focused on the beauty of the sea-cat's suit, and how the dragon king wanted a beautiful suit like that for himself.  But the illustrations were so quirky, with no color, that I just couldn't believe the story.  I kept thinking how much more successful it would be if it had been published as a picture book, with lavish illustrations and rich hues -- Brandon Dorman, anyone?   I hope some publisher picks this one up and reillustrates it, because it could be a  real winner.  

Awesomeness: 6 - sweet and creative, but packaged too strangely to stand out

Wordsmithing: 8 - lyrical 

Personages: 6 - reasonably three-dimensional but not super surprising, this being an early chapter book

Mesmerizitude: 5 - eh

Illustrations: 3 - I actually liked them for what they were, but they didn't go with the story, and I really wanted to see some color to go with the lavish descriptions

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon! (Oct 24, 2009)

Whee!  I am excited about doing my first Read-A-Thon.  It happens to fall on a day when I'm head cook for brunch and signed up for a work day (can you say audiobook?), then a community meeting from 1-3, and finally have a commitment from 7pm-1am that night.  I'll definitely be taking a big break in the middle... but I can also imagine it will be a day of caffeine and curling up in my big comfy chair.  Ahhh.  Sounds excellent.

You would not believe my TBR shelf.  Er, three shelves.  It's all been languishing while I've focused on the first month of school and reading graphic novels for the Cybils.  I think I'll primarily attempt to wade through the large number of nonfiction books that I've been renewing and renewing and renewing.  I should read this review book, Planet of the Dogs.  Many of the picture books I've already read at least once, but I've been wanting to blog about them, so that will be a good opportunity.  Breakfast and work day = audiobook listening, and I've been cranking through those at a rapid rate on my commutes to and from work.  

That leaves my pile of middle grade novels:

Melonhead

Wild Girl

Also Known as Harper

Into the Wild

Out of the Wild

Whitefoot

Jimmy's Stars

Carolina Harmony

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had

Sassy

Emmaline and the Bunny

Amaranth Enchantment

The Borning Room

Lost and Found

The Devil's Storybook

The Gecko & Sticky #1

Love, Aubrey

The Meanwhile Adventures

Louisiana's Song

Who's Jim Hines?

The Year the Swallows Came Early

Zormagazoo

One Voice, Please

Little Leap Forward

Faith, Hope and Ivy June (may wait for the audiobook)

When the Whistle Blows

A Season of Gifts (ditto audiobook)

How Oliver Olson Changed the World

Heart of a Shepherd

Locomotion

Peace, Locomotion

I will leave my YA and adult novels for another time.  Sigh.  It's depressing to look at that list and know I have no time for any of them!

Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians

Hairnet donned and stainless steel spoon in hand, the lunch lady is an ageless icon of elementary schools everywhere, but seldom do they have an opportunity to kick some evil genius booty.  Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author of Max for President and the Punk Farm books (and forever esteemed in my school as the illustrator of Bubble Bath Pirates), has provided such an opportunity.  

This is the second in the Lunch Lady series, in which Lunch Lady, her trusty sidekick and three elementary school kids employ fabulous spy gear to catch the dastardly League of Librarians, who plan to steal a shipment of new game controllers (so the kids will read more?  It's hard to say).

Of the kids, Dee is the one who loves to read, and she also takes the lead when defending Lunch Lady against the eeeeevil librarians.  There's plenty of POW, SMACK and WHAMMO, but also some creative plotting and fun dialogue.  Lunch Lady's whimsical, food-inspired epithets add a dash of spice -- pun definitely intended.

Clever, for boys and girls of all ages, and full of "gifty nadgets," it's great to see the poor, ignored lunch ladies get a starring role at last.  

This book is a 2009 Cybils round 1 nomination.  

Awesomeness: 7  -- unique and funny make it a great package for the elementary crowd

Wordsmithing: 6 -- love the silly sayings

Personages: 5 -- cardboard characters with no development, but what would you expect from a superhero book

Mesmerizitude: 5 -- light and fun, but no real connection here

Illustrations: 7 -- just the right amount of detail

Cybils nominations are open!

Go forth and nominate thy favorite books of every genre!

I'm feeling very fortunate to be on the nominations committee for graphic novels this year, so I imagine I'll be posting lots of reviews of graphic novels in the next few months.