Review: Circle Series Visual Edition: Black, Red, and White Graphic Novels

Circle Series Visual Edition: Black, Red, and White Graphic Novels by Ted Dekker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I picked this up with some skepticism, as I've not been impressed with the quality of writing of most Christian fiction, but was drawn in despite myself. The story moved quickly (think "24") and was creative and multifaceted. I really enjoyed it. The graphic novel adaptation is well put-together and I thought the art was adequate if not distinguished. It reminded me a bit of last year's Cybils finalist The Dreamer.



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Review: Missile Mouse #1 The Star Crusher

Missile Mouse #1 The Star Crusher by Jake Parker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Full of space battles, clever escapes and nifty gadgets, this is surprisingly gritty science fiction in mouse's clothing. Great for kid fans of Star Wars or Indiana Jones and adult fans of Serenity/Firefly.



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Review: The Chronicles of Meap

The Chronicles of Meap by John Green

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This latest comic based on Disney's TV series Phineas and Ferb has some laugh-out-loud moments. I especially liked the evil static electricity weapon.



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Review: Superhero Stampede

Superhero Stampede by Erik Craddock

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Full of superhero tropes and obnoxious name-calling, this latest story about Stone Rabbit and his pals takes them into the plot of their friend's comic book. Though it has a meaningful subplot about respect among friends, the attitude was a bit much for me.



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Review: Tower of Treasure

Tower of Treasure by Scott Chantler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Light but satisfying, this is a fast-paced and funny fantasy-adventure graphic novel for kids. I'm looking forward to the next one. Appropriate for all ages.



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Review: Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites

Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites by Evan Dorkin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Dorkin presents an intense and compelling mashup of Lady and the Tramp and Dawn of the Dead. These dogs and cats are not always cute and cuddly; the good ones have joined forces to fight supernatural crime, and the bad ones are as bad as any bad guys can be. There is plenty of blood and gore to be found here, but also strength, loyalty and bravery. Fans of Jill Thompson's watercolors (Scary Godmother) will appreciate this more mature offering.



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Review: Copper

Copper by Kazu Kibuishi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Calvin and Hobbes for existentialists. Really, no, I'm not kidding. It's that cool. Go read it.



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Review: Gunnerkrigg Court, Volume 2: Research

Gunnerkrigg Court, Volume 2: Research by Tom Siddell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Quirky, creepy and absolutely addicting, this second volume of Tom Siddell's excellent webcomic continues to reveal the layers of secrets at the magical boarding school, Gunnerkrigg Court. From Antimony, to her mother, to the tricky Reynardine, to the ghosts, robots and other creatures who haunt the halls of the Court, nothing is quite as it seems. Siddell never takes himself too seriously, and we find ourself falling hard for his characters. A worthy heir to Buffy.



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Review: The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang

The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang by Amy Ignatow




This hybrid middle-grade novel tells the story of two friends who make a project of understanding popularity. I appreciated Julie's two dads, who were present in the story but didn't cause much of a stir. I thought all the characters were realistic and multi-dimensional, even the popular ones. The discussion of what's actually important about friendship and popularity seemed very true-to-life. Light and engaging.



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Review: Zeus

Zeus by George O'Connor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Fans of Percy Jackson will welcome this intense, satisfying tale of the battle between Zeus and the Titans. Muddy, brooding inks perfectly complement crisp outlines in O'Connor's drawings. He presents a nice combination of contemporary storyplot and original mythological source material. I read this out of order with Athena, the second in the series, but it didn't matter at all. Highly recommended, ages 10+.



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Review: The Drained Brains Caper

The Drained Brains Caper by Trina Robbins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This brief mystery graphic novel reminded me of a tamer, sillier version of Brain Camp. The faces are oddly Muppet-like and have the same expression on each panel. The dog is a high point - I look forward to seeing more of him in future volumes.



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Review: Mercury

Mercury by Hope Larson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It's hard to talk about this novel without giving things away. Suffice it to say Larson brings together aspects from multiple genre -- historical fiction, realistic fiction and fantasy -- to create a remarkable graphic novel. Not to be missed.



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Review: Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess

Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess by George O'Connor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Richly detailed and creatively structured, this compilation of tales about the goddess Pallas Athena evokes the grim violence and majesty of ancient Greece. George O'Connor's magnificent prose and dynamic illustrations are a winning combination. This is a shining star among dull third-person retellings of Greek myths. Ages 10+.



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Review: Zebrafish

Zebrafish by FableVision

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Vita wants to start a band, but she needs some friends to make it happen. This light friendship story deals with some serious issues, and manages to introduce some biochemistry along the way. Unfortunately, it feels disjointed and the characters lack depth, and they look a little too much alike for the reader to easily follow their relationships. Still, the art is pleasing and the dialogue is snappy. Worth a look.



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Review: City of Spies

City of Spies by Susan Kim

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Every kid wants to have superpowers, but Evelyn needs them more than most. Her father has dumped her on an aunt she barely knows while he goes honeymooning with his latest trophy wife. Evelyn draws superhero comics, portraying herself as Scooter, the sidekick of Zirconium Man, battling Nazi spies and diabolical baddies. But when it appears a real spy is in her midst, it's up to Evelyn and her friend Tony to muster some real courage and save the day. Funny and fast-paced, this mystery-thriller will appeal to a wide range of readers.



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Review: The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future

The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future by Dav Pilkey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Punching, kicking, name-calling, misspellings, jokes at other's expense, and puking. Lots of puking. All await you in this, the first adventure of best friends Ook and Gluk from a fictional caveman past. Lest you think this story is bereft of any redeeming qualities, I will say there is a whole section of rhyming and one chapter about the spiritual benefits of kung-fu. I can't imagine a kid who would not find something funny in this book. At the same time, there is plenty to offend, and parents who object to the grammatical incorrectness of Junie B. Jones will want to steer clear. Everyone else: enjoy!



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Review: The Cloud Searchers

The Cloud Searchers by Kazu Kibuishi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Kibuishi includes adventure, multidimensional characters and sweeping themes in this all-ages adventure-fantasy comic. This volume (#3) may stand on its own, but it is stronger if you have read the other two Amulet books. An excellent addition to a series with a lot going for it. I can't wait for the next one!



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Review: Brain Camp

Brain Camp by Susan Kim

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book is both scary and gross. That means it's exactly right for its genre. It is unpredictable enough to keep the reader guessing, but also includes a predictably satisfying coming-of-age subplot. If you can stomach it, this one is a winner.



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Review: Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Intense and brutally honest, this portrayal of an inner-city kid's involvement in a gang and subsequent run from the police is based on a true story. It may be a book every teen needs to read: kids in the suburbs because they won't likely have experienced it themselves, and kids in the city because they should see the real-life results of getting involved in a gang.



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Review: Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown

Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Spare and full of gadgets, this recent volume of the Lunch Lady superhero graphic novels started slow and dragged through the opening pages. Our child heroes were relegated to bland supporting roles as the camp counselors presented forced clue after clue about the true identity of the swamp monster. Still, the gadgets carried the day, including winners like the Underwater Bendy-Straw Breathing Apparatus (UBSBA?). One talk bubble per panel might seem ponderous to me, but could be just what a transitional reader needs.



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Review: Foiled

Foiled by Jane Yolen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Pros: fantastic art, interesting character. Cons: confusing at times, no clear resolution nor continuation to a sequel. I'd read the next one, if there were one.



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Review: Binky to the Rescue

Binky to the Rescue by Ashley Spires

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The second Binky graphic novel takes Binky into new territory -- literally! Clever and full of farts, this adventuresome story is sure to please animal lovers of all ages.



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Binky the Space Cat, Part Three

After devouring Ashley Spires' adorable and sting-tastic Binky to the Rescue, my daughter Ivy said, "I wonder what happens next in the story?"  Of course, I said, "You can write that part."  And she did!  With a little typing assistance from her old lady, she composed this rather violent tale (spoiler alert):

Binky, Part Three, by Ivy (age 4) and Mama (age 37)

The bees come and sting Ted and cut him open.  Binky fights back with his atomic flyswatter.  The bees sting Binky and cut him open too.  Binky says, “Shoo, go away, bees!”  Ted says, “Thanks, Binky, you saved my life!”  Then Binky and Ted share a victory pizza.

Then the bees cut their house open and put some sharp stings on there, so when Binky and Ted fall out of their house they will prick themselves.  Then they prick themselves and say, “Ouch, ooch, ouch owch!”  But Binky’s people from outer space come down in a bigger space ship, and rescue Ted and Binky!

Then they see this bright light and a monster eats them.  But they use a sword to cut the monster open and escape.  Another monster comes and eats them, but they escape from this one, too, by opening his mouth and cutting all his gums.  After that, Binky and Ted are so tired from all the fighting that they fall down asleep on the floor.

Next to come: illustrations in KidPix.

I wonder if 4-year-olds are eligible to nominate books in the Cybils?  She won't be awake tonight to get involved in the nom nom nom party, but I'll read through the rules and see if she can participate in the nominations. 

It's Cybils time!

 

I am so excited to be part of the Cybils again this year.  From the web site: "The Cybils awards are given each year by bloggers for the year's best children's and young adult titles. Nominations open to the public on October 1st."  Anyone can nominate books in all categories. 

For the second time I'm participating on the first round graphic novel panel.  That means I get to read lots and lots of graphic novels this fall!  I also get to give myself permission to read teen fiction, which most of the time is relegated to the summer when I'm not teaching.

I notice a lot of familiar faces among the panelists this year.  I'm looking forward to getting to know new folks in our discussions and decisions!  In the meantime, I'm putting books on hold at my public library (which, luckily, has a well-developed graphic novel collection) and starting my list of possible nominees over at Goodreads.

Review: What If? - Laura Vaccaro Seeger

What If?

written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Ages 4+

32 pages

Roaring Brook Press, April 2010

Happy Picture Book Saturday!

I have been especially fond of wordless books ever since I discovered Tuesday by David Wiesner (and yes, I know, it does have some words... but the point is, you can read the book without reading the words, and it doesn't significantly impact your experience of the book.  Such is the experience with What If?  The sum total words in this book are:

what
if
and
then
but
or

Seeger (niece by marriage of folk singer Pete Singer) tells, or rather shows, the story of three seals playing with a ball.  In the first two of three possible versions of the story, one seal is left out and feels sad.  In the third, they find an alternative that makes all three seals happy. 

My son, 2, is captivated by this book.  He can relate to playing on the beach with a ball, but I think more importantly he finds the feelings of the seals, so adorably presented on their little seal faces, accessible.  What child has not been left out, or left others out, intentionally or not?  Just as repetition is crucial to children learning to read, repetition of pictures is equally crucial to children learning to understand the importance of considering the feelings of others.  This would be a quick and easy springboard to a discussion of feelings without getting didactic. 

Laura Vaccaro Seeger's books have all been well regarded.  She received some recent acclaim when she received the Caldecott Honor, the NYT Best Illustrated Book of 2007 AND the Geisel Honor in one year (for First the Egg).  The following year, One Boy won a similar number of accolades.  But for sheer inventiveness, I especially love sharing Seeger's Walter Was Worried with children.  The book tells the story, in alliterative feeling statements, of children who are confounded by the weather, but the paintings show each feeling using the letters from the feeling word to create the child's face.  For example, if you look closely at the picture of Walter to the right, you can see each of the letters in WOrrIeD. 

It's really pretty amazing what Seeger can share in her seemingly simple illustrations.  I look forward to sharing them with my students this year, and listening to what they see.

Ratings

• Awesomeness: 7 - quiet and simple, but infinitely accessible to children of all ages
  
• Wordsmithing: 6 - almost no words, but the ones she chooses are just right
  
• Personages: 6 - sweet little seals!
  
• Mesmerizitude: 6 - I've read it several times now, and I see something new each time
  
• Illustrations: 7 - beautiful primary colors and sweeping sunsets
  

Other Reviews

• Preview it at Google Books
• at 100 Scope Notes
• at A Year of Reading

Check-in, long overdue

So if you were a faithful reader of my blog earlier this year, you might have noticed I started with a bang and ended with a whimper.  I have a few reasons for this.  (If you prefer to skip the excuses, jump down to "Now that it's summer...")

Last year, the job of media specialist continued to get more intense.  I had the same amount of teaching, administration and supervisory work as I'd had the year before, but 200 minutes less per week in which to do it.  I had trouble keeping up.  It took me a while to adjust, and by then, I'd lost most of the spring.

Mostly, though, I was feeling depressed about the future of my job.  To begin with, media specialists across the country are being cut from their schools. My state is in particularly dire straits; our district, along with many others around us, is facing huge budget cuts.  I think we still have a few years before our department is cut entirely, but many of my colleagues' positions will be reduced next year.

But that's not the reason for my personal concern.  Our union voted to make a change in the teacher's contract which specifies that media specialists must have a media endorsement on their teaching certification.  This is generally what I would consider to be a good thing, but unfortunately, I don't have one because I was a public librarian first.  So the district, in all its wisdom, has decided I'm not eligible to teach media anymore.  Instead, I'll be teaching first and second grade (which I've never taught before).  Thinking about how that is going to change the focus of my reading, and my purpose in having this blog, kind of got me stuck.

Now that it's summer, I'm sorting through my TBRs and trying to make some new goals:

• I'm reading a lot of professional books about teaching first and second grade, and blogging about them in another location.  If you want to read about my process of  becoming a classroom teacher, check out my other blog.  
• Thanks to the two readathons I participated in this spring (Clear Away the Clutter, which also encompassed the Dewey's 24 Hour Challenge, and the 48-Hour Book Challenge), I did get a good chunk of reading done, but I didn't write many reviews.  I do have some good notes from the CAtC challenge, so I plan to write up at least mini-reviews of those before the summer is done.
• I have been way behind on my two challenges involving books I own, because I've been trying to get through my stack of library books before Mock Caldecott season.  Specifically, I set some ambitious goals about historical teen fiction, and I'm not interested in quitting on that one because I lurve me some teen fiction.  So I've upped the ante to *gulp* one book a day throughout the summer.  We'll see how that goes!
• I still have a big pile of books, mostly picture books, but some graphic novels, middle grade and nonfiction, checked out from the public library.  I don't think that's likely to change much.  My goal is to keep it under 100 books for me and my two kids; I'm currently at 127.  My goal also is not to renew a book more than 6 times.  Currently I have several that have been renewed more than 10 times, so I've been reading those first and returning them.  
• I have continued to do Nonfiction Monday and Booking Through Thursday memes occasionally, and I'll continue those.  

Those are plenty of summer goals.  I hope to get caught up by fall (when I'll be overwhelmed all over again).

Booking Through Thursday: Reviewed

Today's meme at Booking Through Thursday asks:

Do you read book reviews? Do you let them change your mind about reading/not reading a particular book?

As a librarian, I've been trained to read reviews and to be discriminate about what to purchase for a collection.  I went through the "must buy every starred review!!" stage and emerged with a better understanding of what is appealing for my students and what is a good buy for my school, and what will just sit on the shelf.  Basically, my readers don't read reviews (though I am sharing blogs and websites with my olders).  They hand-sell books to each other.  If a book needs a review, it won't get read unless I put a lot of effort into it.  So I have to watch student interest and changes in grade level curriculum carefully, and select those just-in-time purchases that will appeal to them in the moment.  This is where reviews really come in handy, and concatenations of reviews like the ones on Titlewave are absolutely essential when I'm looking for just the right book.

As a lifetime reader, I read reviews with trepidation because I hate spoilers.   I typically read only as much as I have to to decide if I want to read it or not, and then quickly classify & stick it on my TBR list.  (This is currently on Goodreads and it's working well for me.)  You might notice my list is way, way too long.  I try to tag TBR books thoroughly to help me remember where I got a particular recommendation. This is the time of year when Newbery predictions really get going, so I pay close attention to those and develop a summer reading list of 2011 hopefuls.  Last night I added a 2010-stars-so-far tag to my books on Goodreads to reflect the new additions on Elizabeth Bluemle's fantastic list of this year's starred reviews.  Many of these books were already on my TBR list, but it's good to have one more reason to read a particular book.

So, knowing a book was reviewed positively is usually all I want before I read it myself. but if I'm buying for a collection, I'll read reviews in a completely different way.

Booking Through Thursday: Signature

This week's question on Booking Through Thursday:

Do signed copies excite you? Tempt you? Delight you? Or does it not matter to you?

 I'm starting to care, but mostly I think they're neat when I can get them, and not so important otherwise.  It's the experience of meeting the author that's meaningful to me.  I had a great conversation with Lauren Myracle the other day at my fabulous local bookstore, Nicola's Books.  She had Gary Paulsen visit a few weeks back, but even though it was cool to meet him and get a signature, I don't think I'll carry that memory very far.  Lauren Myracle, on the other hand, made an impression because she took time to talk with each of the people in line (mostly tween girls) and give them her sincere attention.  That's pretty impressive!

48-Hour Book Challenge - starting line... and I'm off!

I've officially started my 48 hours of reading for the 48 Hour Book Challenge, hosted by Mother Reader.  10pm - 10pm, Friday-Sunday.  I'll be Twittering my progress and checking in here periodically.  More later - I'm reading!  =)  First book: continuing I Capture the Castle.

Fri 10:10 pm - Sigh... false start.  Wouldn't you know it, my son woke up crying as SOON as I sat down to read??  So I'm really starting at 10:10.  Really.  Now.

Sat 4:20 am - 6 hours, three chocolate-covered espresso beans, four pieces of cold pizza and a cup of chai masala later, I'm thinking I should go to bed.  More in the later am.

Sat 7 am - Awake, one kid fed, ready to keep reading!

Sat 10:10 am - 12 hours after I've begun.  Total time reading/blogging: 9 hours.  1 book finished (how embarrassing!  Lots of kid interruptions - "Maaaammaaaa...."): I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.  I wanted to savor that one, and it felt decadent!  Now reading NERDS by Michael Buckley.  This one will go much more quickly.

Quote from Ivy (4-year-old co-blogger): "Mommy, will you read me some of your book so I can make a picture in my head?"

Sat 12:30 pm - 11 hours, 10 minutes of reading.  Listened to audiobook of The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch while doing laundry.  Must now stop for a brief time to give an info session about Little Lake Free School, which happens to be the charity I'm supporting.  Do you believe in alternative, democratic education?  Go to their web site and donate money!

Sat 2:10 pm - back earlier than anticipated.  Ready to continue!

Sat 5:30 pm - Done with book 2 (NERDS)!  Total reading thus far = almost exactly 14 hours.  Took a brief break to put son to sleep and nearly fell asleep myself... dangerous.  Luckily the chai masala is holding.  I'm going to Goodreads to write some short reviews of these two books.

Sat 7:15 pm - Cleaned the kitchen, folded laundry, made dinner for kids while listening to audiobook.  Moving on to Cosmic, the new book by Frank Cottrell Boyce (Millions).

Sat 10:50 pm - Just past 24 hours into the readathon; I've read for 19 of those hours.  I am starting to wonder when I will crash.  Kids asleep, eating ice cream and hanging out with my husband, who is watching Iron Man.  I nodded off once in the chair but that was before Iron Man came on.  Cosmic is fantastic, by the way.  I'm about 30 pages from the end.

Sun 1:20 am - I waffled between a new Robin McKinley or an old favorite Megan Whelan Turner... The Thief won.  It's been 21.5 hours of reading and I'm thinking I need some sleep.  Time for a nap -- back in a bit.

Sun 3:20 am - Dexter very obligingly woke me up by calling for Maaaaammaaaa, then promptly going back to sleep.  Couldn't ask for a better alarm clock.  Also, the last stitch came out of the corner of my eye where it's been bugging me for weeks.  Two yays.  I got in about a half hour of reading The Thief  before drifting back to sleep.

Sun 5:30 am - Woke again to do some more reading.  Trying to find a comfy spot that's not too comfy.  Munching on chocolate covered espresso beans and wishing we had enough milk left for me to make more chai masala... I should really save it for the baby.

Sun 7:20 am - I can hear the kids are awake now.  Total reading so far = 23 hours 30 min.  I'm well on my way to my goal of 30 hours!

Sun 9:40 am - walking over to the common house for brunch, about 25% remaining of Thief.  Total = 25 hrs 30 min.

Sun 11:50 am - brunch did not afford me as much time as I'd hoped... too much kid wrangling and cleaning up.  I'm at 26.5 hours.  Kids are now watching Toy Story.  Back to finish Thief and then hunt down our library copy of Bone.

Sun 2:50 pm - finished Thief, but no luck finding Bone, so I read the other graphic novel on my TBR pile: Jane Yolen's Foiled.  Quick and a bit disjointed, but great art.  Then listened to my audiobook while I cleaned the kitchen.  Total 29.5 hours!!  I am sad to stop but told my neighbor I would attend her blessingway this afternoon.  Back in 1.5 hours to continue reading.

4:50 pm - back now.  Tom found Bone for me!  I think I will read that next.  I had a nice talk with my Mom, and I'm ready to continue.

6:10 pm - read for a while, had a half hour nap, and read aloud to Ivy from Bone. Heading over for dinner now.  Total: 30.5 hours.  Yeah -- met my goal!!  =)

7:30 pm - back from dinner, ready to finish with a bang.

10:10 pm - FINISH LINE!  Broke for a half hour to help bathe and tuck in kids, but otherwise read Bone and Outlaws of Sherwood for last 2.5 hours.

Total hours reading: 32.5 hours

Total hours sleeping: 6 hours

Books read: 4 partial, 4 complete (one was an audiobook)

Pages read: 1622 (not including audiobook)

I had a great time doing this.  I was much more successful than I'd been in previous readathons, mostly because I enlisted the help of my husband in advance and set up other activities for kids to be doing during the day.  Also, having food ready and available throughout the day -- I cooked a big pan of mac & cheese in advance, had bagged salads ready, ate common meal and leftovers, etc.  Lastly, providing myself with a source of caffeine.   The chocolate covered espresso beans were not nearly as effective as the masala chai in keeping me energized.  I didn't need any caffeine for the last 12 hours, surprisingly.  I bet I will sleep well tonight, though!!

Can't wait to participate again.  It was a blast!

48-Hour Book Challenge - pledge for the Little Lake Free School!

Here's the letter I put together to send to the Little Lake Free School support community:

Hi there -- I'm Maggi, one of the folks hiding in the wings of the wonderful Little Lake Free School.  I'm sorry I haven't yet written an intro, but if you've been to any of the intro sessions, I'm the REALLY tall woman with red hair.  Can't miss me.

I'm an educator and librarian by day, a mommy and cohouser by night, but in my free time, I am a children's literature blogger at Mama Librarian (http://mamalibrarian.blogspot.com/). I love to read and write about kids' books.  

Coming up in two weeks is an event I'm really looking forward to: the annual 48-Hour Book Challenge, hosted by another kidlit blogger.  You can read more about it here: http://www.motherreader.com/2010/05/fifth-annual-48-hour-book-challenge.html

Many bloggers will be reading in support of their favorite charity, and I'm putting forth my hat to collect pledges for the Little Lake Free School.  My goal is to read as many hours as I can in the 48 hour slot allotted to me.  Of course, there will be some sleeping and childcare in there, but nearly all other moments of those two days will be spent reading and blogging about it.  

My goal is to read for 30 HOURS.   Do you think I can do it??  Your donations would go a long way toward encouraging me to really GO for it!

My suggested pledge is five cents per minute.  That would be a $3 donation per hour I read.  Boy, I haven't worked for $3/hour in a long time.  =)   If I reach my goal, that would be a donation of $90.  Sound like too much?  How about ONE CENT per minute?  I bet you have a big jar of pennies somewhere.  =)

I will provide incentives, too!!  I have a large (think over 1500 titles) library of books.  Many great picture books, children's novels, fantasy & SF, rare titles on midwifery, teaching, community and more!  For every $0.05 (five minute) per hour pledge you make, you can choose one book from my library.  I'll even mail it to you if you're not from Ann Arbor!  (You can peruse a catalog of my library at my librarything: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/nubianamy but I own many, many titles I haven't yet added!).  

I also have some great AUTOGRAPHED books!  Most recently I had four beautiful brand-new picture books signed by the fantastic author/illustrator Chris Van Allsburg, author of The Polar Express.  Other autographed copies I have include books by John Perry, Johnathan Rand, Gary Paulsen, Lauren Myracle, and lots more.  I will donate a SIGNED book to any donors willing to pledge $0.10 (ten cents) per minute I read in 48 hours.

Every penny donated to LLFS through this challenge will be fed through the Kickstarter program to help LLFS reach their goal there.  But, if the Kickstarter goal is not reached, I'll still be passing this money on to LLFS.  It's win-win!!

Please feel free to email (or comment here) with questions and pledges, and pass this on to friends of democratic schooling (or anyone who might want a great free book).  And thanks for all you do for LLFS!

48-Hour Book Challenge - oKAY, oKAY. I'm in.

I can't remember in whose blog I first noticed MotherReader's 48-Hour Book Challenge, but I do recall my response was, "Ohhh, good thing I really don't have time for that."

Then the second time I saw it, I thought, "Boy, that looks fun!  Still - absolutely no time."

Ten plus posts later... Sheesh.  Nothing like peer pressure to get me off my butt.  (Or, more precisely, onto my butt -- reading.)  So, yes, I'm in!

The rules are very precise, and they only allow chapter books at around a 5th grade level and up.  So I think I shall compile an alluring stack of novels to keep me reading.  Graphic novels ARE allowed, and I suspect I will mix quite a few of those into the stack, but I have read most of the ones I had checked out of the library.  Time to delve into the ol' Goodreads TBR pile, which, last I checked, has exceeded 500 titles.  Also, this is a perfect time to catch up on all the books I haven't read for various challenges, especially the YA books I've neglected throughout the school year.  The rules also say one audiobook is OK, so that will have to be a pretty hefty audiobook to keep me going through the more ambulatory portions of my scheduled 48 hours.

I will also be informing my husband that I will be busy reading for most of the weekend.  This should allow for more uninterrupted chunks of reading time.  Maybe.  However, my schedule also says I have a party to attend on Sunday afternoon, so that may preclude some reading.

My start time will be 10 pm on Friday (late enough I can be sure the kids will actually be sleeping, early enough I can still read quite a bit before falling asleep).  This puts my ending time at 10pm Sunday.  Perfect timing to crash into bed for work on Monday.

And this is also a perfect opportunity to support my favorite charity, the Little Lake Free School, the democratic school I'm helping get ready to open its big wide arms in September 2010!   If you would like to help support LLFS and are willing to donate a small amount for the time I read/blog -- say, $0.05 per minute read?  That would only be $3/hour!  You can afford that, right?? -- please email me or post a comment here.  I will put all the money I raise in this effort toward their Kickstarter, which will take them just that much closer to their goal.

Now I'm starting to get excited... and trying not to think about all the office-cleaning, packing and other tasks I have to do at work.

Booking Through Thursday: Useful

Booking Through Thursday is a question-of-the-week meme.  This week's question:

What’s the most useful book you’ve ever read? And, why?

I have not posted much about this part of my life here, but once upon a time, I was a doula.   I saw this as a step along the journey to becoming a midwife, which is something I may still want to do someday.  I was privileged to attend several births in different locations, some in hospital and some at home, the effect of which ten years later was to guide my own decision to have children at home.

I've read a lot -- more than, say, fifty -- books about childbirth.  Some were more technical and some were more spiritual.  But the most useful book by far was Henci Goer's landmark text, Obstetric Myths Vs. Research Realities.  Most midwives would point you to Goer's newer and more accessible book, The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth, but I preferred the earlier one.  It was denser and aimed more at care providers than at pregnant women themselves, but reading it empowered me enormously.

When I hear about women choosing to have babies in the hospital because they are afraid of what might happen at home, I give them this book.

You can read a good portion of it on Google Books here.

I am absolutely thrilled to discover that she is working on a second edition!

Review: When the Whistle Blows - Fran Slayton

When the Whistle Blows

by Fran Slayton

Ages 9-12

160 pages

Philomel, June 2009

Summary from Amazon:

Jimmy lives in Rowlesburg, West Virginia, during the 1940s. He does all the things boys do in the small mountain town: plays a mean game of football, pulls the unforgettable Halloween prank with his friends in “the Platoon,” and promises to head off into the woods on the first day of hunting season— no matter what. He also knows his father belongs to a secret society, and is determined to uncover the mysteries behind it! But it is a midnight encounter with a train that shows Jimmy the man his father really is.

I was captivated by these vignettes of a rural railroad community in the 1940s. Rowlesburg is a West Virginia steam train town on the cusp of the diesel revolution.  Jimmy is twelve in the first chapter, which takes place on one day -- All Hallows' Eve, to be precise. Each chapter carries the reader one year later in Jimmy's life, with its consummate trials, tests and triumphs.

This short middle-grade novel is a winner. The voice of a growing adolescent is authentic and the historic setting springs to life on every page. Think Stand By Me.

It's funny, too. Here's a taste: "I spit hard onto the ground. The spit is good quality -- heavy and thick with no lumps -- and it comes out in a perfect, spinning wad that slaps itself onto the ground just like the way I'd like to slap Stubby upside the head."

On the other hand, I'm not sure if this will appeal to my typical middle grade boy readers. The content is all boy -- football, trains, gross practical jokes, dead bodies -- but the actual story mostly takes place in Jimmy's head. Although the pacing is fairly quick and the stories are engaging, I'm not sure if it has enough dialogue or action to carry the day.

In addition, it's rife with emotion. Jimmy deals with some pretty intense feelings through the course of seven years. I would like to think this will not put boys off, but the sexist cynic in me wonders. It reminds me of the kind of "I love you, man" melodrama that women writers think men feel, but men themselves scoff at. I guess in the end, being a girl reader myself, I will have to try this out on some boys-who-only-read-boy-books and see what they think.

I would give this to readers of Richard Peck and kids who liked Heart of a Shepherd (another excellent book, by the way).

Ratings

• Awesomeness: 7 - quietly unassuming, but packs a punch
  
• Wordsmithing: 6 - vocabulary is straightforward and does not demand much of the reader
  
• Personages: 7 - memorable characters are familiar but still three dimensional
  
• Mesmerizitude: 6 - chapters were short, just right to consume in small bites

Other Reviews - and wow, there are a lot of them!  I am assuming this is because Fran is herself a blogger.

• at Books, Books Everywhere!
• at Bookends and again
• at 100 Scope Notes
• at Everyday Reading
• at The Reading Zone
• at Jen Robinson's Book Page
• at Beckwith's Book Blog
• at Donna St. Cyr
• at Not Acting My Age
• at Frenetic Reader
• at Iron Inklings
• at Galleysmith
• at Booking Mama (with an author video)
• at Capricious Reader
• at Carrie's YA Bookshelf
• Author interviews here and here and here

Booking Through Thursday: Half

Booking Through Thursday asks:

So … you’re halfway through a book and you’re hating it. It’s boring. It’s trite. It’s badly written. But … you’ve invested all this time to reading the first half.

What do you do? Read the second half? Just to finish out the story? Find out what happens?

Or, cut your losses and dump the second half?

Honestly, I don't tend to read books I don't like.  I'm very selective about my  books.  I read from recommended and award lists.  Mostly I love every book I read.  I certainly won't get through a half of a book before I decide I don't like it -- I'll just put it down and read something else.  Sometimes I get back to a book after some time and I do enjoy it. 

I'll say, there are two books I tried reading multiple times and never got past the first chapter.  One was The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkein.  The other was Dune by Frank Herbert.  I am a big science fiction and fantasy reader, so I'm sad I didn't get into these books.  It's been over 10 years now; maybe I'm due to give them another try.  

And the Blogmania winner is...

Suzie! (9oofus2)  Congratulations and thanks to all who entered.

Blogmania!!

WELCOME To BLOGMANIA !  My Blog is 68 of 123.

If you have no idea what this Blogmania business is, check out the main page here.

Basically, the way it works is:
1. visit lots of blogs
2. that are giving away lots of stuff
3. post replies
4. get cool stuff
5. and find cool blogs along the way

Pretty much.  There are some links below to give you a place to go.  This is TODAY only (April 30), though, so click away before midnight.  

MY GIVEAWAY and RULES: I will be giving away a signed copy of John Perry's fantastic Children's Choice Book Award-nominated book THE BOOK THAT EATS PEOPLE.  (Fun Fact: You can see John singing on YouTube!)  I can ship anywhere in the world.  To enter, leave a reply to this post.  You can get extra entries by Tweeting or posting on Facebook or on your blog about this Blogmania giveaway -- mention this in your reply.

Now, go visit these blogs and enter to win cool stuff!

(Blog- 1 – HOST OF BLOGMANIA) Between The Pages - http://betweenthelinesandmore.blogspot.com/

(Blog -2 – CO-HOST OF BLOGMANIA) The Black Sheep Dances - http://www.theblacksheepdances.blogspot.com

(Blog-43 - CO-HOST OF BLOGMANIA) Books, Books Everywhere - http://bookywooks.blogspot.com/

(Blog-117) Bibliobabe - http://www.bibliobabe.com

(Blog-107 Ellz Readz - http://ellzreadz.blogspot.com/

(Blog-94)  Romance Book Scene - http://www.romancebookscene.blogspot.com/

(Blog-20) Polka Spot Farm - www.polkaspotfarm.com

(Blog-40) She-Rain - http://she-rain.blogspot.com

(Blog-84) Shawn’s Sharings - http://shawnssharings.blogspot.com    

(Blog-71) Alison’s Book Marks - http://www.alisonsbookmarks.com

(Blog-77) Mommy’s Free Time - http://mommys-freetime.blogspot.com

Brief hiatus, hopefully coming to a close, and Animoto of 100 Best Children's Novels

I've been overwhelmed by events in my own life -- nothing too important, just the craziness of spring at school and the enjoyment of being outside with my kids -- so blogging has dropped on my importance list. I'm starting to miss it, though.  I've read some good books in the past few weeks -- finally finished the Inkheart trilogy, read The Rock and the River, made some headway in I Capture the Castle.  And, oh, yes, the amazing stack of notes I took during Blogathon week.  Looks like I'll have a busy weekend of writing coming up.

In the meantime, I've been happily immersing myself in Betsy Bird's 100 Best Children's Novels poll results.  One thing I did was to download a cover of each of the books and make an iPhoto slide show, which I immediately shared with my fifth grade class.  Even with very brief annotations, it was over 15 minutes long.  Luckily they are very patient with me.  But I thought it would be handy to have a quick version to share on my web site.  So... here it is!

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon End of Event

It's over!  I went to bed at 4am and woke up (was awoken) at 7:15 by my son so I could keep reading a bit more.  


Here's the pile of books I read!

Here are the notes I took for reviews.

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?  Probably the ones where I really wanted to be reading but was interrupted by responsibilities.  It happens.  =)
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?  I think that really depends on what you like to read, but I was enthralled by Marching For Freedom and Almost Astronauts.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  Fewer challenges... I was a bit overwhelmed.  Also I didn't have nearly as many cheerleaders this year, but it was OK.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?  Having a plan in advance, breaking things up into hour-long chunks.  
5. How many books did you read?  39
6. What were the names of the books you read? see below
7. Which book did you enjoy most? Almost Astronauts and Marching for Freedom
8. Which did you enjoy least? Do I Need It? Or Want It? 
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? n/a
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Absolutely yes, unless there is an unavoidable conflict, and even then I would do what I could.   I will stick with being a Reader for now.


Here's all 39 books!

Sweethearts of Rhythm	Nelson	48
Marching for Freedom	Partridge	72
Anne Frank Case	Rubin	40
Monarch's Progress	Harley	32
Stitchin' and Pullin'	McKissack	32
Jellaby	Soo	144
My Uncle Emily	Yolen	32
Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born	Curtis	32
Do I Need it? Or Want It?	Larson	30
Uncle Bobby's Wedding	Brannen	32
Home on the Range	Hopkinson	48
Minerva the Monster	Kirwin	32
Book of Beasts	Nesbit	64
Librarian of Basra	Winter	32
Back of the Bus	Reynolds	32
But who Will Bell the Cats?	von Buhler	32
Ashley Bryan's ABC of African-American Poetry	Bryan	32
Rabbits	Marsden	32
Odd Egg	Gravett	32
Boy Who Cried Fabulous	Newman	32
Crow Call	Lowry	32
Is There Really A Human Race?	Curtis	32
Molly's Family	Garden	32
I and I	Medina	32
Mermaids on Parads	Greenberg	32
Where Do Balloons Go?	Curtis	32
When I Was Little	Curtis	32
Today I Feel Silly	Curtis	32
Harry's Box	McAllister	32
White Swan Express	Okimoto	32
Silly Little Goose	Tafuri	32
King & King	de Haan	32
Tell Me A Dragon	Morris	32
Everywhere Babies	Meyers	32
Listeners	Whelan	40
Sisters	Caseley	32
Chair for Always	Williams	32
Yuki and the One Thousand Carriers	Whelan	32
Almost Astronauts	Stone	132
One Beetle Too Many	Lasky	48
	TOTAL pages	1626

I had so much fun.  Thanks to everyone who encouraged me and all the organizers for putting on a great event!