Wonderful Words!

Words have captivated me for as long as I can remember!  There are some authors who are marvelously talented wordsmiths.  Kate DiCamillo, Cythia Rylant, Shel Silverstein and J.K. Rowling are the first of these to come to mind.  But there are a few new books out by authors that should join the word sculptor's ranks:

The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby

A consuming historical fiction read of magical violins, hidden treasure, and intricate automatons, Kirby's debut novel does not disappoint!  The reader is drawn into the lives of Guiseppe, a young immigrant from italy who has a gift for music, Fredrick, an apprentice clockmaker who is working through his tragic past, and Hannah, a hardworking young maid who takes care of her family after her father suffers a stroke.  Their lives begin to intertwine and fit together like the gears of a clock as they find out how they can help each other.

Kirby's word craft is amazing!  Instead of saying the the sky was gray with coming storms, for example, he writes "there were lines of Kohl across the sky's face..."  or instead of he cried, "his tears fell like glass beads in the dust..."  Wonderful and addictive story!

Scumble by Ingrid Law

This is a companion books to one of my dear  "this belongs on my bookshelf at home" favorites, Savvy.   What if when you turn thirteen you inherit a special power called a Savvy?  Your grandfather can move mountains, grandmother can trap sound in mason jars, siblings and cousins have various amazing abilities.   Savvy was story of Mibs Beaumont and her savvy,   Scumble is the story of Ledger Kale and his.  Only, sadly, Ledge's savvy is one of complete destruction... he literally makes things explode.  Will Ledge learn how to harness his savvy?  Will nosey Sarah Jane Cabot expose the truth about Ledge and his extended family.  Read this great book and find out!

This book's descriptive and creative word choices and snappy pace make Scumble a fun new choice for boys and girls alike.

Happy reading!

Melissa

New picture book picks

        Last friday I had the treat of reading to students in an awesome tree house (after I was "auctioned off" in our school's festival)  I had a group of 4 boys and 1 girl and we had a blast with each and every book chosen:

         Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt-- though not new, these books are an absolute must for any book collection (and perfect to read in a tree!)  Scaredy is a borderline- agoraphobic squirrel who does not want to leave his nut tree.  He has a very regimented schedule (which I have kids help me act out) but we all know what happens with best-laid plans...  so much fun!  This is a series that flies off our
library shelves.

        Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein-- There are books where characters voices pop out to me the first time I read it.  This is one of those books!  Chicken needs her Papa to read her a bedtime story.  The two discuss how the reading will go, with no interruptions, but as the title belies... Chicken just cannot contain herself.  Great laughs are in store with this one!

        Oh No! (or How My Science Project Destroyed the World) by Mac Barnett-- I've highlighted his great book on ninja librarians (Brixton Brothers) before, but this picture book is fantastic.  A science whiz of a little girl creates a ribbon-winning robot for her school science fair, until "Oh no!"  There's no way to get rid of this disaster, until the frog!  Read this book and find out how things end, or not...

       Born to Read by Judy Sierra-- author of another great "huzzah for reading!!" book Wild about Books  is about a boy named Sam and how his love of reading saves the day.  Love the clever picture/ text references to other great kids classics.
      
        After reading to a group of boys, and hearing how its tough to get books that hold their interest sometimes, it reminds me of a couple of great websites:
      
        www.readkiddoread.com : a great resource developed by author James Patterson, and one of my favorite people, Children's Book Champion, Judy Freeman.  This website has tons of great book picks for all ages!
    
        www.guysread.com and guys listen are two websites developed by kids' lit funny man, Jon Sciezcka (author of stinky cheese man).  The two sites are full of book recommendations, related titles, author websites and more!


Happy Reading!

Melissa

    

Marvelous Mysteries!

Buttoned up in my trench coat, plastic pipe caught between my teeth, pink panther's theme song firmly embedded in my brain... :) 


This Library Detective is taking a break from a week of mystery read-alouds and Dewey Decimal Detective work to share a few of our Top Secret favorites:


Junior Detectives: (Pre K- 1st grade)

Olivia and the Missing Toy  by Ian Falconer

     I have discussed the wonders of this spunky pig before, and this story is no different.  Will Olivia discover the whereabouts of her beloved toy?  What does her baby brother William have to say about all of it?  Reading detectives, you must check this story out and find out for yourselves!

 

Miss Nelson is Missing By Harry Allard

     In the perfect pairing of text and pictures, this classic is a must for any classroom or home library!  The kids in room 207 are terrible troublemakers.  Spitballs, paper airplanes, headstands at story hour... you get the idea.  Sweet Miss Nelson is at her wits end, until with the help of an ugly black dress and evil Viola Swamp, those students learn a lesson they will never forget.  This book has been around since my childhood, but its still fantastic!

For Intermediate Inspectors: (Advanced 1st- 3rd graders)

High Rise Private Eyes series by Cynthia Rylant

      Cynthia Rylant, creator of Henry and Mudge has made another great transitional chapter series combining humor, strong characters and a bit of fun mystery.  The story pictured above is a Fairyland favorite, especially the line: "You slap jack?"   

The Web Files by Margie Palatini

   

      I've always been partial to word play, just because I'm a word nerd and my grandpa is the king of puns... however Palatini may have him beat in this glorious dragnet spinoff.  So much fun and begs to be read aloud or acted out!  The author has readers theaters available on her website:  http://margiepalatini.com/whats-l3-2/readers-theater/  

For Practiced Private Eyes: (Advanced 3-5th)

The Sisters Grimm series (currently 8 titles)

      In a unique mix of action, adventure, mystery and fairy tales come to life, Michael Buckley has crafted an addictive group of stories.  Case in point, I read 1-4 over my spring break a few years ago!  The characters, Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, two orphans from New York City, discover their long lost grandmother.  Granny Relda turns their world upside down when she reveals to them that as Grimms, great great great (on and on) grandchildren of the Brothers Grimm, they now have jobs as detectives, keeping the peace in Fairyport Landing.  And if you haven't guessed yet, Fairyport is inhabited by fairy tale characters.  Written with humor, a quick pace and wonderfully crafted characters (I love daphne!!!), each story will leave readers craving another.

  

The Brixton Brothers Series by Mac Barnett (second book coming out soon!)

        Move over Hardy Boys, Steve Brixton is on the case!  In a fast paced read full of humor, surprise, and kung fu librarian government agents :) (yes I did just write that) this book could pull in even the most reluctant of readers.

The Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups by David Wisniewski

    I would lose my Library Detective badge if I didn't close out with one of my favorite kids books since college.  All of those rules grown ups "make up" like don't jump on the bed, don't blow bubbles in your milk, eat your vegetables are brought into new alarming light with this expose.  For example: though parents make you think you shouldn't jump on the bed is because you might get hurt, the real reason to not jump on the bed is that you might wake up the mattress.  Really?  No.  Hilarious and full of fun absurd details?  Absolutely!

I know that's longer than my normal list, but I couldn't stop until I listed them all!  Mission accomplished.

Happy Reading!

"The Inspector"

Heroines of irrepressible spunk

        I love a story, whether truth or fiction, with a strong female character!  Here are a few we love in our library:

Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell

      This book is dearly wonderful on so many levels!  Though she is tiny, the world is a wide open place to her.  Though her two front teeth are umm... a little big and her voice is a little croaky, the world smiles and sings with her.  David Catrow perfectly captures sweet Molly Lou's indomitable spirit.  This book is not to miss!

What To Do About Alice by Barbara Kerley

"I can either run the country or I can attend to Alice, but I cannot possibly do both."

   -- Alice's father, Teddy Roosevelt

                 This is one of the most mesmerizing biographies I have ever read.  Alice Roosevelt had every intention of "eating up the world".   Sliding down the White House stairs on baking trays, introducing her father's guests to her pet snake, traveling the world and more, Alice certainly did just that!   It begs to be read aloud and leaves readers young and old wanting to know more about this fascinating woman from American history!

Clementine, Friend of the Week  by Sara Pennypacker

                   Oh my darling, darling Clementine!  In the 4th installment of a wonderful series, my favorite redhead is at it again with all new veggie names for her brother whose name we may never know (after all, she's named after a fruit), crazy antics at school, and strategies to become everyone's best friend of the week.  Though not as laugh out loud funny as the others in the series, the story line and its marvelous leading lady makes it definitely worth reading.

             Though there are many more, (Olivia, Alice the Fairy, Ramona Quimby, India Opal Buloni) these are a few your readers shouldn't be without! 

                                                                  Happy reading,

                                                                                                      Melissa          

Top ten lists (plus a few!)

To start off a new school year, I thought it would be great to post Top 10 lists of my favorite books of all time.  I make these lists in my head sometimes when I have a hard time falling asleep( yes, I am a book nerd).  However, I am asked often what my favorites are, and I think its time to get them onto paper.  Because its hard for me to have limits when it comes to books, there are a few "ties" :) and I have to put my top 10 in two separate lists, picture and chapter:

Picture:

1. Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg : Mesmerized by the book since receiving it as a child-- still have my old copy.  I adore Chris Van Allsburg!

2. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems:  People who know me, know I am a Mo Willems NUT!

3. There is a Bird on Your Head by Mo Willems: Funny, funny, funny stuff!

4. Round Trip by Ann Jonas: INCREDIBLE illustrations with a "twist"-- literally 

5. Cadillac by Charles Temple: Out of print, best book with a rhythm- kids love it!

6. Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner: Oh so fun!

7. Olivia by Ian Falconer: Her personality screams from every page-- love her dearly

8.  Where the Wild Things Are by the ever umm... "interesting" Maurice Sendak-- not a big fan of the recent movie

9. Kate Greenway's Mother Goose: had poems memorized by before the age of three, when my mom would turn the page-- and I would recite the old english poem word for word. This is why I was taught to read early and why we should have known then that I'd be a library girl!

10. Tie between One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (Dr. Seuss), Giraffe and a Half (Shel Silverstein) and Dog Food (by Saxton Freymann)

Chapter:

1. The BFG by Roald Dahl (macaroni and cheese of children's literature, my comfort book)

2. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

3. Walk two moons (lovely!!!) by Sharon Creech

4. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt:  Movie is great as well!

5. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo:  Her journals on www.katedicamillo.com  are absolutely profound and inspiring... makes me want to write!

6. Toys go out by Emily Jenkins

7. Savvy by Ingrid Law

8. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

9. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling: had to include a Harry! Numbers one, four and seven are my favorites.

10.Tie between Cornelia Funke's Thief Lord and Inkheart: Translated into english from german!  Wonderful books!

These books all line the shelves of my libraries at school and home and I have a hard time not compulsively picking them up when I see them at McKays.  In the future, I'll try to highlight a new picture, chapter and nonfiction pick regularly.

Happy Reading!

Melissa