Books take you to wonderful places...

    Battling the cold weather that keeps me indoors, an active imagination, and memories of a my most recent trip to the sunshiny glories of Bahamas and Key West, I'm put into a journeying state of mind.  I always try to take books with me to read that have the same setting as my trip. Here are a few fantastic reads with strong senses of setting, highlighting the places life has taken me lately (or that I would LIKE life to take me soon! ;) )

Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan

Set in the early 1900's, this story tells of the adventures of  Rachel Sheridan.  Her parents, missionary doctor/ teacher in the East African village of Tumaini, fall victim to a raging influenza, as does the daughter of the nearby family, the Pritchards.  The challenges do not stop there for orphaned Rachel.  She is quickly "taken in" by the Pritchards, who masquerade her as their own daughter, sending her off to England to befriend "her grandfather" and try and get the Pritchard family back into his good graces (and his will).  The intensity of the plot and the endurance of Rachel's character is set against the beautiful and expansive backdrop of the African countryside.  This book was a perfect traveling companion while in Kenya in June 2009 on a missions trip, especially on our overnight safari in Masai Mara:

Sunrise on Safari 

Lion cubs playing with their dad

Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters

Lesley M.M. Blume

Cornelia Street Englehart hides herself in a world of words.  Its easier to live within those safe walls of ink than deal with being the daughter of a world-famous pianist and artist.   Things stay the same for lonely Cornelia until she meets a mysterious dog named Mr. Kenyatta and his glamourous elderly owner, Virginia Somerset, Cornelia's new neighbor.  Virginia opens Cornelia's eyes to the wonders of the world through her stories, chronicling the adventures of her and her three sisters traveling around the world.  

A huge joy of this book came from the detailed setting descriptions from Greenwich Village and my trip to New York last march. After being entranced by the book, I decided to "track" it through The Village and I found several of Cornelia's favorite places:

  Magnolia Bakery-- smelled heavenly in there!

Westville: Home of the mother of all grilled cheese sandwiches!  :-)

Cornelia's favorite neighborhood bookstore: Instead of Biography, now called BookBook

Melissa's favorite bookstore, Books of Wonder.  Glorious Narnian window display... coming, Aslan!

 

Turtle in Paradise

By Jennifer L. Holm

One of this year's Newbery Honors, Turtle in Paradise is set primarily in the southernmost islands of Florida, Key West, during the Great Depression.  The spunk of eleven year old Turtle's character in this story is unique and wonderful.  When her mother is employed as a maid by someone who doesn't like children, Turtle is forced to leave her mother in New Jersey and live with cousins in Key West, where things are a little... different.  People hang fruit on trees, boys work for candy taking care of babies in an exclusive group called the Diaper Gang.  Filled with spirit and adventure, this book was a great short beach read... a witty joy, from beginning to end.  Here are a few pictures of my trip to Key West:

Posing with a dancing Santa in Kino's, a shop that makes great sandals

Southernmost tip of the U.S. and farthest south on Key West

Okay, not Key West, but the perfect sunrise on my last day in Miami... couldn't resist!

 

The Thief Lord

By Cornelia Funke

  

Ever since I fell into this magical story of Bo and Prosper, I have been drawn to Venice and wanted to go there.  Of course, seeing the movie The Tourist (highly recommended) and hearing a well-traveled lady on my flight back home from Florida say,  "Hurry, it will be underwater in ten years!" has made the desire to go to Italy even stronger!  Sigh... anyway... back to the story.  Orphaned Bo and Prosper run off to their mother's favorite city when their cruel aunt and uncle wish to split them up, adopting only the youngest of the two.  The boys' mean relations hire Victor Getz, a kindhearted detective who chases them around the city with the intentions of catching them.  Bo and Prosper are befriended by a young band of thieves, live with them in an abandoned theater and join their ranks, led by the mysterious masked Thief Lord.  Full of adventure, excitement, and just enough magic, Funke's wonderful book is not to be missed!

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

Power of printed words on a page

     Its funny to think about... how much of my life has centered around printed words on a page. My mom taught me to read before kindergarten.  I've been told it had something to do with me, at three years old, being so enchanted by a book of Kate Greenaway Mother Goose Rhymes, I had memorized it.  To this day, I still am drawn to anything illustrated by her!  Its fun working in a library with lots of older books, in that I can find her stuff... its great!

I remember my first happy encounters with Chris Van Allsburg's Polar Express and Jumanji, Shel Silverstein's poem "Sick", Roald Dahl's  The B.F.G.  and Matilda.   I still feel cozy and curled up in bed, listening to the sound of my mother's voice, whenever I see Beverly Cleary's Ramona books or James Howe's Howliday Inn series standing on the library shelves. 

      Even as an adult, the magical first encounters in literature are still coming.  I say all the time to people that you are never too old for a good kids book.  Though often recommended, I never read J.R.R Tolkein,  C.S. Lewis or J.K. Rowling until after college, but when I did... wow!   First meetings with a variety of incredible characters were in store over the thousands of pages to come!  I met a very unsafe but good Lion, a most beloved and fearless 1 foot tall talking mouse, a powerful wizard, a devoted hobbit who would walk with and even carry his burdened friend to the "end of all things", the Boy Who Lived and did remarkable things, and the very wise and wonderful man with half-moon spectacles who helped him along the way (whose first name, by the way, will be the name of a golden retriever I will get sometime in my life... yep, already decided :) ) .  Even writing about them all makes me smile and remember.  As Cornelia Funke often expresses in her Ink... books (which have been my audio reads, lately), its almost as if you leave a piece of yourself, a memory stuck between the pages of favorite stories.  It washes over you any time you see or think about the book.  This is so true for me!

      I never thought about a career as a librarian growing up... seems so obvious to me now, though!  When I'm moving, books are the last things to be packed, and the first boxes emptied-they are my anchor.  The job just makes sense for me!  Some people think being a librarian is a nerdy, glasses on a chain, finger shushing sort of job, but truly how could surrounding myself in a world of words and getting kids excited about doing the same be anything but great?

     I guess all my rhapsodizing about the wonderful power of words stems from my reading/ book discussing lately.  Cornelia Funke is a prolific writer in german and thanks to the efforts of a young bilingual fan, she translated some of her best work into english.  Though her others, Dragon Rider, Thief Lord, Ghosthunter series, and Igraine the Brave are wonderful, we have been discussing the Ink books this past week:  Inkheart, Inkspell, and just released Inkdeath.  A movie is being made of Inkheart that will be released in January and looks pretty promising!  I believe the website is www.inkheartmovie.com.  The whole plot of the story wraps around the power of words and reading them aloud.  What if someone read a story out loud with such skill that they could actually bring the characters to life?  Absolutely fascinating!  The audio recordings of Inkheart and Inkspell are also fabulous.   I recommend this series (and the movie, hopefully) highly to anyone who loves to read and loves a good adventure story!  Get lost in a great book today!