Thursday, August 05, 2010
Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Subsitute
by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Another one a coworker told me about - it's great having someone else in the children's department to share thoughts with! This short graphic novel/easy to read book uses a lot of the devices of plot and setting that are familiar to readers of this level, but melds them with comic book superheroes for a ridiculous but really fun take on an early graphic novel. Imagine if the cartoon-y sections of Captain Underpants took over the whole book... there you go. You've got it now. It is similarly funny and irreverent, though parents should like it better for the fact that its humour is very slightly more sophisticated and far less toilet-based!
I really liked the clever way the author inserted spy tools into the lunch lady's standard arsenal of tools like lunch trays that become laptop, hairnets that become net to bind bad guys, and so on. The plot is simplistic, but well-suited to ER readers, and the evil plot not so evil as to create nightmares, especially as the images are simply drawn and printed in black line and yellow colouring only.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and now obviously need to get my hands on the second installment, which involves evil librarians...
Labels: 2009, action/adventure, early chapters, graphic novel, humour
Friday, July 23, 2010
Maybelle - Cockroach With Ambition
Maybelle in the Soup
Maybelle Goes to Tea
by Katie Speck
Maybelle is a cockroach. She lives in the apartment of a couple who like everything Just So - no dust, no mess, and no bugs. There are rules that help keep a cockroach alive in this kind of situation, and she knows them, but, well, she really, really wants to taste food that isn't a leftover crumb, you see, and that ambition tempts her into some dangerous situations, along with her friend, the flea who occasionally hops onto the cat for his own snacks.
Whenever Maybelle's wishes overtake her good sense, the two find themselves off on an adventures of some sort, precipitated by an urgent need to flee (heh, heh) when they are noticed by a human and must hide in a hurry and find safe shelter while the humans try to make sure there can be no bugs left in their apartment.
These predicaments are fast-paced, funny, and easy to read, making these books a great pick for an early chapter reader.
Maybelle Goes to Tea
by Katie Speck
Maybelle is a cockroach. She lives in the apartment of a couple who like everything Just So - no dust, no mess, and no bugs. There are rules that help keep a cockroach alive in this kind of situation, and she knows them, but, well, she really, really wants to taste food that isn't a leftover crumb, you see, and that ambition tempts her into some dangerous situations, along with her friend, the flea who occasionally hops onto the cat for his own snacks.
Whenever Maybelle's wishes overtake her good sense, the two find themselves off on an adventures of some sort, precipitated by an urgent need to flee (heh, heh) when they are noticed by a human and must hide in a hurry and find safe shelter while the humans try to make sure there can be no bugs left in their apartment.
These predicaments are fast-paced, funny, and easy to read, making these books a great pick for an early chapter reader.
Labels: 2007, 2008, action/adventure, animal story, early chapters, friendship, good stuff, humour
Ottoline and the Yellow Cat
by Chris Riddell
Ottoline lives in an apartment on her own, except for her very odd little companion, Mr. Munroe, who is of unknown species, found in a bog in Norway. She has a cute, spunky little haircut, absent parents off hunting things down for collections, and several collections of her own, as well as several agencies who take care of everything in her apartment that might need taking care of, including the making of beds and plumping of pillows, the cleaning, the cooking of meals, and the shining of door handles.
She also has several costumes and a diploma from an academy of subterfuge, as well as a healthy curiosity that she isn't afraid to pursue. Which, of course, is how she gets herself and Mr. Munroe involved with the yellow cat.
You see, she had been noticing that several lapdogs were disappearing, and then an advertisement appeared offering help in finding lost lapdogs - isn't that odd? Ottoline thought so, too. And of course, she and Mr. Munroe sort things out with a little extra-special assistance from some of those many agencies and their specialties.
This book is an unusual little mystery, with a touch of the eccentric upbringing of Eloise thrown in for good measure. What pushed it past somewhat amusing and into the thoroughly charming, though, is the mix of story told in text and the many drawings that accompany it, making it one part graphic novel to two parts early chapter book.
It really is a fun, quirky little number for the child who likes something a little different.
Ottoline lives in an apartment on her own, except for her very odd little companion, Mr. Munroe, who is of unknown species, found in a bog in Norway. She has a cute, spunky little haircut, absent parents off hunting things down for collections, and several collections of her own, as well as several agencies who take care of everything in her apartment that might need taking care of, including the making of beds and plumping of pillows, the cleaning, the cooking of meals, and the shining of door handles.
She also has several costumes and a diploma from an academy of subterfuge, as well as a healthy curiosity that she isn't afraid to pursue. Which, of course, is how she gets herself and Mr. Munroe involved with the yellow cat.
You see, she had been noticing that several lapdogs were disappearing, and then an advertisement appeared offering help in finding lost lapdogs - isn't that odd? Ottoline thought so, too. And of course, she and Mr. Munroe sort things out with a little extra-special assistance from some of those many agencies and their specialties.
This book is an unusual little mystery, with a touch of the eccentric upbringing of Eloise thrown in for good measure. What pushed it past somewhat amusing and into the thoroughly charming, though, is the mix of story told in text and the many drawings that accompany it, making it one part graphic novel to two parts early chapter book.
It really is a fun, quirky little number for the child who likes something a little different.
Labels: 2007, early chapters, good stuff, graphic novel, suspense
The Voyages of Dodsworth
Dodsworth in New York
Dodsworth in Paris
by Tim Egan
This pair of cute, quirky books about Dodsworth and his friend's duck and their travels is a great addition to the Beginning to Read level of short, simpler books.
Start with New York - order matters here, as they set out on their adventures and we see that the duck is along for the trip because a) he stows away in Dodsworth's luggage and b) Dodsworth feels responsible for getting his friend's duck back home safely to him. Which means that his time in New York is mostly spent chasing the crazy fowl around the city and seeing sites incidentally along the way.
Which is also sort of how he gets to Paris - he and the duck were about to get on a train back home (having let his friend know they were okay), when he spots the duck boarding a boat, follows him, and finds the boat pulling away, Paris-bound.
In Paris, though, he and the duck make their peace, and manage to have a good trip together, even though the duck can't seem to help but get into trouble. By the end, all is right again, and they board a hot air balloon - which seems to be headed for England. I smell another installment!
These are great fun, a little offbeat, and especially suited for a kid who is curious about the world or likes a little adventure. They're going on the reading pile here, without question.
Labels: 2007, 2008, action/adventure, early chapters, friendship, good stuff, set abroad
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Moxy Maxwell, Procrastinator Extraordinaire
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank You Notes
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Practicing the Piano
by Peggy Gifford
A coworker recently introduced me to Moxy Maxwell, who falls into that class of precocious young girl for roughly grade 2-3 readers that have been so popular, spawning Junie B., Clementine, and Judy Moody, and following in the august footsteps of Ramona Quimby. Thankfully, she reminds me more of Clementine, with her big ideas, than of Junie B., who can be a little obnoxious for my tastes.
The hook in each of these novels is that Moxy has a deadline for some task she really does not want to complete - laid out in the very descriptive titles. Instead of getting to it, Moxy procrastinates. She thinks up "easier, faster" ways of doing it, involving many other things that backfire. Or she has some other brilliant plan that is way to fantastic to put off in favour of what she ought to be doing.
It is perhaps not truly helping her that she has a small friend who is willing to do her bidding, no matter how ludicrous, as well as a younger sister who has been known to get involved. Her older brother is wise enough to stay out of the action, though he doesn't seem able to resist hanging around to see what will happen - and records everything in photographs sprinkled throughout the books.
Moxy's long-suffering mother really makes these books for me, with her dry, seeming-calm inquiries about what exactly has happened to create the mayhem that she has just discovered. For example:
"Was there a fire in your room?" her mother asked.
"A fire in my room?"
Was a fire in her room a good thing? Was a fire better than not reading Stuart Little?
"Not that I know of," said Moxy.
...
"Are you aware that you are swinging in a hammock and eating peaches and petting Rosie?" her mother said.
Because yes, Moxy was doing all those things after having destroyed her mother's garden and having not read Stuart Little, in fact.
This is the way things seem to happen around Moxy. for some reason, her big ideas go awry in a pretty spectacular fashion. And yes, it's a wild ride, but awfully funny.
A couple of things that makes these books a little difference is the narrator, who is outside of the action, and the photographs of the action, which add a fun comic twist. (I can't help but think how much fun they must have had staging those!)
This trio shows signs of expanding, and I will be picking up the next one, because these are a good laugh. In fact, I think I'm going to start reading one to my own little girl soon.
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank You Notes
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Practicing the Piano
by Peggy Gifford
A coworker recently introduced me to Moxy Maxwell, who falls into that class of precocious young girl for roughly grade 2-3 readers that have been so popular, spawning Junie B., Clementine, and Judy Moody, and following in the august footsteps of Ramona Quimby. Thankfully, she reminds me more of Clementine, with her big ideas, than of Junie B., who can be a little obnoxious for my tastes.
The hook in each of these novels is that Moxy has a deadline for some task she really does not want to complete - laid out in the very descriptive titles. Instead of getting to it, Moxy procrastinates. She thinks up "easier, faster" ways of doing it, involving many other things that backfire. Or she has some other brilliant plan that is way to fantastic to put off in favour of what she ought to be doing.
It is perhaps not truly helping her that she has a small friend who is willing to do her bidding, no matter how ludicrous, as well as a younger sister who has been known to get involved. Her older brother is wise enough to stay out of the action, though he doesn't seem able to resist hanging around to see what will happen - and records everything in photographs sprinkled throughout the books.
Moxy's long-suffering mother really makes these books for me, with her dry, seeming-calm inquiries about what exactly has happened to create the mayhem that she has just discovered. For example:
"Was there a fire in your room?" her mother asked.
"A fire in my room?"
Was a fire in her room a good thing? Was a fire better than not reading Stuart Little?
"Not that I know of," said Moxy.
...
"Are you aware that you are swinging in a hammock and eating peaches and petting Rosie?" her mother said.
Because yes, Moxy was doing all those things after having destroyed her mother's garden and having not read Stuart Little, in fact.
This is the way things seem to happen around Moxy. for some reason, her big ideas go awry in a pretty spectacular fashion. And yes, it's a wild ride, but awfully funny.
A couple of things that makes these books a little difference is the narrator, who is outside of the action, and the photographs of the action, which add a fun comic twist. (I can't help but think how much fun they must have had staging those!)
This trio shows signs of expanding, and I will be picking up the next one, because these are a good laugh. In fact, I think I'm going to start reading one to my own little girl soon.
Labels: early chapters, girly, good stuff, growing up, humour
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Media Meltdown: A Graphic Guide Adventure
by Tim O'Donnell
ill. Mike Deas
Orca has started a new set of graphic novels that include a little teaching in an adventure format - and not just teaching on topics that we adults wish they knew more about. There is one about survival skills, and another about soccer which star the same kids, while this tale of media use and awareness is the second adventure for a group who first taught kids about skateboarding. Which I really have to get my hands on, because it sounds really cool, and I wouldn't mind learning myself!
What I'm loving, though, is even with a topic like this one, which is more fact-based and obviously less kinetic, the story has a base in action and fighting bad guys that would help it appeal to even the most learning-averse. The graphic format helps keep it light and lets labels with tiny blurbs do some of the talking where a traditional text would have to do more describing. It really works.
I think media literacy is more important for kids every day - it's something we really need to be teaching them so that they can start to navigate the millions of messages bombarding them every day, not to mention do their school work and research with a critical eye.
To be able to give them a good start on understanding, a place from which to start getting curious and asking questions, without boring them into avoidance is fantastic. I think every kid should read this or something like it, and explore the accompanying website for more information, and some fun games and free stuff.
If you know a kid in grades 3-6, make sure they get this, whether as a gift or a library pick.
ill. Mike Deas
Orca has started a new set of graphic novels that include a little teaching in an adventure format - and not just teaching on topics that we adults wish they knew more about. There is one about survival skills, and another about soccer which star the same kids, while this tale of media use and awareness is the second adventure for a group who first taught kids about skateboarding. Which I really have to get my hands on, because it sounds really cool, and I wouldn't mind learning myself!
What I'm loving, though, is even with a topic like this one, which is more fact-based and obviously less kinetic, the story has a base in action and fighting bad guys that would help it appeal to even the most learning-averse. The graphic format helps keep it light and lets labels with tiny blurbs do some of the talking where a traditional text would have to do more describing. It really works.
I think media literacy is more important for kids every day - it's something we really need to be teaching them so that they can start to navigate the millions of messages bombarding them every day, not to mention do their school work and research with a critical eye.
To be able to give them a good start on understanding, a place from which to start getting curious and asking questions, without boring them into avoidance is fantastic. I think every kid should read this or something like it, and explore the accompanying website for more information, and some fun games and free stuff.
If you know a kid in grades 3-6, make sure they get this, whether as a gift or a library pick.
Labels: 2009, action/adventure, Canadian, early chapters, good stuff, graphic novel, issues, middle grades
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Clementine's Letter
by Sara Pennypacker
ill. Marla Frazee
There are a certain group of young girls who star in early chapter books. Some of them, I find overly precocious, even obnoxious. Some I find not all that well-written. But when they are hit just right - think Ramona Quimby - they are fantastic. Clementine is like that.
Clementine is not precocious or convinced of her own specialness. The world does not need to revolve around her. She does not sound bratty. Rather, she is a girl who struggles a little to contain herself. In this third book in the series, she has started to find some strategies, and find out a little more about what she needs to succeed. She and her teacher have worked out a system, and she is doing better than ever in school.
And then... her teacher gets nominated for a year abroad, and she has to contend with a supply teacher while she also deals with her feelings about her teacher's possible departure. Part of this, too, is that the children are asked to write letters about why their teacher should be selected for the trip - the trip she really doesn't want him to go on.
So with a blend of humour and heart that is characteristic of her, Clementine muddles her way through, making mistakes, getting frustrated, but coming out on top in the end. I can't help but love this kid, and while I have to laugh at her escapades, I am always cheering for her and love seeing how her good intentions pull her through after all.
If you know a young girl, I highly recommend putting these books in her hands.
ill. Marla Frazee
There are a certain group of young girls who star in early chapter books. Some of them, I find overly precocious, even obnoxious. Some I find not all that well-written. But when they are hit just right - think Ramona Quimby - they are fantastic. Clementine is like that.
Clementine is not precocious or convinced of her own specialness. The world does not need to revolve around her. She does not sound bratty. Rather, she is a girl who struggles a little to contain herself. In this third book in the series, she has started to find some strategies, and find out a little more about what she needs to succeed. She and her teacher have worked out a system, and she is doing better than ever in school.
And then... her teacher gets nominated for a year abroad, and she has to contend with a supply teacher while she also deals with her feelings about her teacher's possible departure. Part of this, too, is that the children are asked to write letters about why their teacher should be selected for the trip - the trip she really doesn't want him to go on.
So with a blend of humour and heart that is characteristic of her, Clementine muddles her way through, making mistakes, getting frustrated, but coming out on top in the end. I can't help but love this kid, and while I have to laugh at her escapades, I am always cheering for her and love seeing how her good intentions pull her through after all.
If you know a young girl, I highly recommend putting these books in her hands.
Labels: 2008, early chapters, friendship, growing up, humour, loved it
Friday, September 18, 2009
The Dunderheads
By Paul Fleischman, ill. David Roberts
This new Easy Reading book draws on caper films like Ocean’s Eleven for its quirky cast of characters, each with their own highly specialized skill set. This is married with a tale of student revenge on a teacher who crosses the line to create a fun story illustrated to terrific effect without straying into Graphic Novel territory. The overall feeling is of something familiar and cinematic, yet original and refreshing in the category this book fits into. You’re definitely rooting for the underdog kids here, and kids in grades 2-4 are pretty certain to love it for the combination of kid superiority, suspense, and humour.
Labels: 2009, early chapters, good stuff, suspense
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The Talented Clementine
by Sarah Pennypacker. Sequel to Clementine.
I adored the first Clementine book, which really stands out from the pack of other early readers about the misadventuresof young, precocious girls for the fact that Clementine isn't bratty or snotty, just doesn't always get it right.
In this followup, she panics when her class starts organizing a talent show, and she can't think of an act. Avoiding it doesn't seem to be working, trying to learn a new talent is a bust, and by the time the show has snuck up on her, she is convinced she is bound to disappoint her parents, teachers, and classmates.
Some of her true talents shine as the show starts coming together, however, and while she doesn't notice them, others do. so she doesn't get on stage after all - but she does get her due recognition, just in a different way. And I love the way she describes the feeling when she does, as "the proud feeling: like the sun was rising inside my chest." Perfect.
I adored the first Clementine book, which really stands out from the pack of other early readers about the misadventuresof young, precocious girls for the fact that Clementine isn't bratty or snotty, just doesn't always get it right.
In this followup, she panics when her class starts organizing a talent show, and she can't think of an act. Avoiding it doesn't seem to be working, trying to learn a new talent is a bust, and by the time the show has snuck up on her, she is convinced she is bound to disappoint her parents, teachers, and classmates.
Some of her true talents shine as the show starts coming together, however, and while she doesn't notice them, others do. so she doesn't get on stage after all - but she does get her due recognition, just in a different way. And I love the way she describes the feeling when she does, as "the proud feeling: like the sun was rising inside my chest." Perfect.
Labels: 2007, early chapters, family, growing up, humour, loved it
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Jackson Jones and the Curse of the Outlaw Rose
by Mary Quattlebaum.
This is a short read, about the length of an early chapter book, but the language is higher-level. It might make a great one for a reluctant reader or someone intimidated by heftier volumes.
It's a nice early mystery, too, with a very relate-able young boy in an urban setting who loves basketball as the central character. It's not a whodunnit-style mystery, but rather a strange series of circumstances that lead his friend to believe that a rose cutting they snatched for a friend of the family might be cursed. Or perhaps, thinks Jackson, haunted. In the end, they return it to where it originated, only to discover a little extra background.
It's a nice light read with just a touch of spooky atmosphere, but not enough to give anyone any nightmares. I think it would make a great transition from Easy Readers into older fiction for a kid in in about grade 3 or 4, but as always, I suggest having the kid try reading a paragraph or two to see if it's a good reading level for them when you are looking at these kinds of steps up.
This is a short read, about the length of an early chapter book, but the language is higher-level. It might make a great one for a reluctant reader or someone intimidated by heftier volumes.
It's a nice early mystery, too, with a very relate-able young boy in an urban setting who loves basketball as the central character. It's not a whodunnit-style mystery, but rather a strange series of circumstances that lead his friend to believe that a rose cutting they snatched for a friend of the family might be cursed. Or perhaps, thinks Jackson, haunted. In the end, they return it to where it originated, only to discover a little extra background.
It's a nice light read with just a touch of spooky atmosphere, but not enough to give anyone any nightmares. I think it would make a great transition from Easy Readers into older fiction for a kid in in about grade 3 or 4, but as always, I suggest having the kid try reading a paragraph or two to see if it's a good reading level for them when you are looking at these kinds of steps up.
Labels: 2006, early chapters, good stuff, middle grades, suspense
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
The Clone Conspiracy
by Simon Rose
This mini-thriller is slightly more complicated reading than an Easy-to-Read book, but not by a lot. Its short length (88pp.) keeps it in range for kids who are not dedicated readers, while also keeping it moving, in order to fit a little thriller into its pages. It's written well enough, given the little space left over once plot is being driven, but is nothing special.
Still, a kid who likes the way TV shows move forward will find this similar. It begins with the disappearnace of Patrick, Luke's friend. After a few months, he sees him by chance, and is drawn into a strange mystery involving cloning and evil scientists. Not much time is spent on details, but essentially, they wanted Patrick in order to use his body to house another mind. And now Luke and Patrick's sister are in danger, too... Where does the conspiracy end?
Simple and fast-paced, it's what we call a hi-lo. High interest, low reading skill necessary.
This mini-thriller is slightly more complicated reading than an Easy-to-Read book, but not by a lot. Its short length (88pp.) keeps it in range for kids who are not dedicated readers, while also keeping it moving, in order to fit a little thriller into its pages. It's written well enough, given the little space left over once plot is being driven, but is nothing special.
Still, a kid who likes the way TV shows move forward will find this similar. It begins with the disappearnace of Patrick, Luke's friend. After a few months, he sees him by chance, and is drawn into a strange mystery involving cloning and evil scientists. Not much time is spent on details, but essentially, they wanted Patrick in order to use his body to house another mind. And now Luke and Patrick's sister are in danger, too... Where does the conspiracy end?
Simple and fast-paced, it's what we call a hi-lo. High interest, low reading skill necessary.
Labels: 2005, action/adventure, early chapters, middle grades, slightly weird stuff
Monday, October 15, 2007
Not-So-Weird Emma
by Sally Warner.
A book before Super Emma in the series. In this book, there is a rash of name-calling and hurt feelings in Emma's classroom, and she is the new kid, trying to make friends. Emma and her friend Annie Pat feel bad about their part in it, but don't know how to say so, as the whole thing seems to have taken on a life of its own. The teacher catches wind of what has been going on, and chews out the whole class, threatening to take away a treat she has planned for them. After a series of apologies, everyone feels better, and they enjoy playing with a parachute together, as one big group.
This book and Super Emma are simple enough, being early chapter books, but they take on some of the types of situations that arise in classroom dynamics, and the author really seems to get how it looks to a child, how difficult it is to know how to handle it when you're in the middle of it all. The voice is realistic, not one of those wacky girl books so popular right now, and I think these could be a nice read for a child having some trouble navigating the social jockeying of school. They don't offer up pat solutions, but not feeling alone can go a long way, and they might even try what works for Emma.
A book before Super Emma in the series. In this book, there is a rash of name-calling and hurt feelings in Emma's classroom, and she is the new kid, trying to make friends. Emma and her friend Annie Pat feel bad about their part in it, but don't know how to say so, as the whole thing seems to have taken on a life of its own. The teacher catches wind of what has been going on, and chews out the whole class, threatening to take away a treat she has planned for them. After a series of apologies, everyone feels better, and they enjoy playing with a parachute together, as one big group.
This book and Super Emma are simple enough, being early chapter books, but they take on some of the types of situations that arise in classroom dynamics, and the author really seems to get how it looks to a child, how difficult it is to know how to handle it when you're in the middle of it all. The voice is realistic, not one of those wacky girl books so popular right now, and I think these could be a nice read for a child having some trouble navigating the social jockeying of school. They don't offer up pat solutions, but not feeling alone can go a long way, and they might even try what works for Emma.
Labels: 2005, early chapters, enh, issues
Super Emma
by Sally Warner.
Yet another young reader featuring a spunky young girl, this little star is not the wild and wacky diva so many other strive to be. Rather, she is just a regular girl who in this short early reader, jumps into a situation without thinking, taking on a bully who is bothering a classmate. Bullying situiations are complicated, though, and she asks her mother not to get involved, while also finding herself on the receiving end of some hateful glares from the kid she tried to help. She draws the bully's ire, and the situation escalates into a full-scale schoolyard scrap. She and the bully's other victim get themselves in trouble, as does the bully, and the whole class endures an afternoon of lecturing and problem-solving talks. Her mom is proud of her standing up to the bully, though not thrilled with the fighting, and the lesson is passed on without preaching that the kid who told the teacher did the right thing. All in all, not a bad treatment of how a bullying situation can get out of hand, and how it could be better handled, without straying into Earnest territory.
Try also Andrew Clements' Jake Drake, Bully Buster, another early reader on the same theme.
Yet another young reader featuring a spunky young girl, this little star is not the wild and wacky diva so many other strive to be. Rather, she is just a regular girl who in this short early reader, jumps into a situation without thinking, taking on a bully who is bothering a classmate. Bullying situiations are complicated, though, and she asks her mother not to get involved, while also finding herself on the receiving end of some hateful glares from the kid she tried to help. She draws the bully's ire, and the situation escalates into a full-scale schoolyard scrap. She and the bully's other victim get themselves in trouble, as does the bully, and the whole class endures an afternoon of lecturing and problem-solving talks. Her mom is proud of her standing up to the bully, though not thrilled with the fighting, and the lesson is passed on without preaching that the kid who told the teacher did the right thing. All in all, not a bad treatment of how a bullying situation can get out of hand, and how it could be better handled, without straying into Earnest territory.
Try also Andrew Clements' Jake Drake, Bully Buster, another early reader on the same theme.
Labels: 2006, early chapters, good stuff, issues
Friday, September 14, 2007
Clementine
by Sarah Pennypacker, ill. Marla Frazee.
There are a few sets and series of early chapter books about slightly wild young girls - Judy Moody, Tilly Beanie, and of course, Junie B. Jones. These girls are meant to be fun and inspiring and remind us of the fun of not yet being quite bound by the rules of civilization. And some, like the Ramona books, I love, some I'm lukewarm on, and some I think just come off as brats. This one? I love.
Clementine has a heart of gold, a brain constantly popping with great ideas, and an itchy trigger finger. Some ideas get her in trouble or cause her principal to rub her forehead, but others work out just right, like the times she tries to help Margaret feel better about her hair being all gone, or when she helps her dad lick the pigeons problem. This kid comes by it honestly, with an artist mom and a head of wild red hair, and it just seems to all fit right. The voice is spot on, a real kid who doesn't always get it, but is trying hard, not the voice of the jaded or overly precocious or class-clown variety of kids that these books sometimes use. And while I normally wouldn't bother worrying about illustrations in a chapter book, Frazee's trademark line drawings capture Clementine's spirit and her mother's own laid-back ways perfectly, even adding to the comic effect of certain haircuts that happen along the way...
Love it.
There are a few sets and series of early chapter books about slightly wild young girls - Judy Moody, Tilly Beanie, and of course, Junie B. Jones. These girls are meant to be fun and inspiring and remind us of the fun of not yet being quite bound by the rules of civilization. And some, like the Ramona books, I love, some I'm lukewarm on, and some I think just come off as brats. This one? I love.
Clementine has a heart of gold, a brain constantly popping with great ideas, and an itchy trigger finger. Some ideas get her in trouble or cause her principal to rub her forehead, but others work out just right, like the times she tries to help Margaret feel better about her hair being all gone, or when she helps her dad lick the pigeons problem. This kid comes by it honestly, with an artist mom and a head of wild red hair, and it just seems to all fit right. The voice is spot on, a real kid who doesn't always get it, but is trying hard, not the voice of the jaded or overly precocious or class-clown variety of kids that these books sometimes use. And while I normally wouldn't bother worrying about illustrations in a chapter book, Frazee's trademark line drawings capture Clementine's spirit and her mother's own laid-back ways perfectly, even adding to the comic effect of certain haircuts that happen along the way...
Love it.
Labels: 2006, early chapters, loved it
Monday, August 06, 2007
Cassie Loves Beethoven
by Alan Arkin.
This book would make a wonderful read-aloud for a child maybe 5-10 years old. Why the wide range? Well, it's gentle enough for a younger child who can sit still long enough for a chapter or two a night but needs light themes, but is fun and has enough depth of feeling and discussable ideas to suit an older kid, too.
It is, in short, about a cow who discovers classical music and the awe of Beethoven. Well, I certainly can relate to that, because he is my favourite, too. She becomes determined to learn to play his music, to feel it deeply, to taste what it might have been like to be him, to have the soul she hears in the notes. The book writes beautifully about music and its power to move the spirit - you can really hear the author's own love for it. Cassie the cow does, in the end, learn a valuable lesson, too, but the lesson is not that harsh, and the book never takes on a lesson-giving tone. While not as funny as I had been led to expect, this was nonetheless a great read, and one that I will keep in mind for a couple of years from now.
This book would make a wonderful read-aloud for a child maybe 5-10 years old. Why the wide range? Well, it's gentle enough for a younger child who can sit still long enough for a chapter or two a night but needs light themes, but is fun and has enough depth of feeling and discussable ideas to suit an older kid, too.
It is, in short, about a cow who discovers classical music and the awe of Beethoven. Well, I certainly can relate to that, because he is my favourite, too. She becomes determined to learn to play his music, to feel it deeply, to taste what it might have been like to be him, to have the soul she hears in the notes. The book writes beautifully about music and its power to move the spirit - you can really hear the author's own love for it. Cassie the cow does, in the end, learn a valuable lesson, too, but the lesson is not that harsh, and the book never takes on a lesson-giving tone. While not as funny as I had been led to expect, this was nonetheless a great read, and one that I will keep in mind for a couple of years from now.
Labels: 2000, animal story, early chapters, good stuff, middle grades, music theme
Sunday, August 05, 2007
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
by Kate DiCamillo.
I am a big fan of DiCamillo, in general. I loved Winn-Dixie, and was wholly captivated by the magical Tale of Desperaux. I had, as such, high hopes for this, as it seemed to have that same fairy tale character about it. It was, though, not quite there. It was shorter, which is not always a problem, but I still felt like it was longer than it had to be, that it didn't really say anything the way her others did. It seemed like it might go on a real Velveteen Rabbit bent, but that wasn't it. It just didn't seem to have a point, though it does wrap back onto itself nicely at the end. And, of course, with DiCamillo, the ride is lovely anyhow, so it's not something I would avoid reading. I was just sort of lukewarm on it.
I am a big fan of DiCamillo, in general. I loved Winn-Dixie, and was wholly captivated by the magical Tale of Desperaux. I had, as such, high hopes for this, as it seemed to have that same fairy tale character about it. It was, though, not quite there. It was shorter, which is not always a problem, but I still felt like it was longer than it had to be, that it didn't really say anything the way her others did. It seemed like it might go on a real Velveteen Rabbit bent, but that wasn't it. It just didn't seem to have a point, though it does wrap back onto itself nicely at the end. And, of course, with DiCamillo, the ride is lovely anyhow, so it's not something I would avoid reading. I was just sort of lukewarm on it.
Labels: 2006, early chapters, enh, lukewarm, middle grades
Monday, March 26, 2007
Mr. Little
by Robert Newton Peck, author of the side-splitting Soup books.
This book treads territory familiar to any reader of Peck's Soup series. It is in a similarly rural setting, it also feels set in the 1930s or 1940s, and it features two boys pulling similar pranks, and getting into the same sorts of trouble with their parents and teachers. This time, however, these are different boys, and they have a new teacher. They are not thrilled, because he is replacing the sweet and pretty Miss Kellogg, and they try to pull some pranks on this new guy, hoping to see him crack. As it turns out, he's got a tougher shell than expected, and a trick or two of his own. By the end, the boys and the man have come to some respect and a bit of a friendship.
I quite liked this for putting a twist on the tale and making the teacher something other than the nemesis. It's also a short and fun book for a younger, less skilled, or more reluctant reader, with high boy appeal, though I loved these when I was a kid, too.
This book treads territory familiar to any reader of Peck's Soup series. It is in a similarly rural setting, it also feels set in the 1930s or 1940s, and it features two boys pulling similar pranks, and getting into the same sorts of trouble with their parents and teachers. This time, however, these are different boys, and they have a new teacher. They are not thrilled, because he is replacing the sweet and pretty Miss Kellogg, and they try to pull some pranks on this new guy, hoping to see him crack. As it turns out, he's got a tougher shell than expected, and a trick or two of his own. By the end, the boys and the man have come to some respect and a bit of a friendship.
I quite liked this for putting a twist on the tale and making the teacher something other than the nemesis. It's also a short and fun book for a younger, less skilled, or more reluctant reader, with high boy appeal, though I loved these when I was a kid, too.
Labels: early chapters, golden oldies, humour
Monday, February 05, 2007
Travels With My Family
by Marie-Louise Gay, a favourite picture book author and illustrator. Her work with Don Gilmor and her own Stella books are absolutely fantastic - funny, cute, with an underhanded humour and wide appeal from kids right up to the grownups who read them to the kids.
Loving her material as I do, I was really looking forward to this early chapter book. The premise (family keeps taking crazy vacations to out-of-the-way places, things go awry, hilarity ensues) had promise, she has a great sense of humour, it just had to be great. Right? Right? Um, well...
I think something is not translating on paper, to be honest. Something about the tone leads me to the suspicion that hearing her read this aloud would, indeed, be side-splitting. But it feels kind of flat in the reading. None of the mishaps are really played up for laughs, none of the reactions lingered over to comic effect. The family simply moves from one ill-fated voyage to the next, with each episode kept short. It's like it might just be too dry and deadpan and again, maybe with a facial expression or tone of voice, it would be terrific. I'm kind of hoping to find an audiobook or animated version of this to see if my theory is correct, because I really hate for her to produce something that so completely does not reflect the sense of humour her other work shows.
So yeah, with heavy heart, I will be shelving this one and not really recommending it around to the kids who are always asking me for funny books. Sigh.
Loving her material as I do, I was really looking forward to this early chapter book. The premise (family keeps taking crazy vacations to out-of-the-way places, things go awry, hilarity ensues) had promise, she has a great sense of humour, it just had to be great. Right? Right? Um, well...
I think something is not translating on paper, to be honest. Something about the tone leads me to the suspicion that hearing her read this aloud would, indeed, be side-splitting. But it feels kind of flat in the reading. None of the mishaps are really played up for laughs, none of the reactions lingered over to comic effect. The family simply moves from one ill-fated voyage to the next, with each episode kept short. It's like it might just be too dry and deadpan and again, maybe with a facial expression or tone of voice, it would be terrific. I'm kind of hoping to find an audiobook or animated version of this to see if my theory is correct, because I really hate for her to produce something that so completely does not reflect the sense of humour her other work shows.
So yeah, with heavy heart, I will be shelving this one and not really recommending it around to the kids who are always asking me for funny books. Sigh.
Labels: 2006, Canadian, early chapters, humour
