Talking About Egypt January 30, 2011

If you had the television or radio on this weekend, you heard about the political protests taking place in Egypt. Your kids may have too and could have questions about all of the attention being paid to a place they associate with mummies and pyramids. If you have an opportunity to talk about Egypt’s rich history, here is a list of the Inly Library’s most popular books for the 6-10 year-old budding Egyptologist:

Mummies: Made in Egypt by Aliki

Tut’s Mummy: Lost and Found by Judy Donnelly

Who Built the Pyramid? by Meredith Hooper

The 5,000 Year Old Puzzle: Solving a Mystery of Ancient Egypt by Claudia Logan

Pyramid by David Macaulay

Mummies and Pyramids by Mary Pope Osborne

Seeker of Knowledge: The Many Who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroglyphs by James Rumford

Egyptology by Emily Sands

Cleopatra by Diane Stanley

Pharaoh’s Boat by David Weitzman

Radioactive: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss January 28, 2011

If someone had told me a week ago that a book about Marie and Pierre Curie and their discovery of radium would take my breath away, I would have thought they were, to put it mildly, mistaken. While I’m interested in science in an NPR/Science Friday kind of way, a 200-page book about the Curies was not at the top of my to-read pile. But then I began reading reviews of Radioactive, and decided to take a look. An illustrated biography, Radioactive is the story of the Curies – their devotion to one another and their work, the ways in which their lives and deaths were impacted by their discovery, and the way in which, as Redniss writes: “Radioactivity had made the Curies immortal. Now it was killing them.”

The book is beautiful.  It does not belong on an e-reader. From the moment I touched its textured cover and flipped through the luminous pages, I knew I would walk straight to the check-out desk.  It is an art book and a biography. It’s a story of passion and commitment and the unanticipated consequences of any discovery.

The back cover of Radiation includes this quote from Malcolm Gladwell that sums it up perfectly.

“Radioactive is quite unlike any book I have ever read – part history, part love story, part artwork and all parts sheer imaginative genius.”  As usual, Gladwell is spot on.

Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James Swanson January 26, 2011

I admit that prior to reading Swanson’s book about the assassination of President Lincoln, I knew very little about the dramatic events that took place at Ford’s Theater in April 1865. That is precisely why I read Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James Swanson, a young reader’s adaptation of his adult bestseller, Manhunt.

What an exciting story!  This book is definitely being added to Inly’s 2011 summer reading list. I knew that John Wilkes Booth was a Confederate sympathizer, but had little understanding of the scope of the dramatic plot he organized to assassinate the President, the Vice President and the Secretary of State and the 12 day search for Booth and his co-conspirators.

It felt like every  page, I was saying to whomever was around, “Did you know that…” I was especially intrigued by what passed for presidential security in 1865. As the President was dying, an actress from the show he had gone to see was allowed to go up to his booth and put Lincoln’s head in her lap! There’s a lot more – don’t get me started.

Swanson focuses on one event, but successfully gives the reader a sense of the strong feelings and divisions that existed at the end of the Civil War. I’ve already ordered Swanson’s follow-up, Bloody Times: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Manhunt for Jefferson Davis.

Everything Old is New Again! January 25, 2011

A true story. Nothing was exagerated for the sake of the blog.  However….I admit that during the conversation I was thinking, “I have to write this down.”  This is a conversation I had with a third grade student this morning.  I’ll call him Mike.

Mike: “I’m looking for a rare book.”

Me: (thinking that this could be a true professional challenge.) “Okay. What is it?”

Mike: “It’s very rare. I don’t think you have it here.”

Me: “Go for it. Maybe you’ll be surprised.”

Mike: “Okay, but it’s really rare. It’s about a man named Wonka who has a chocolate factory.

Me: “Believe it or not, we have it!”

Another satisfied patron! I love my job.

Too Early to Look for Crocus? January 23, 2011

For a person who has spring fever by Thankgiving, these are hard days.  Today we’re expecting a high of about 15 degrees and it’s supposed to be colder tomorrow.  So, in the spirit of finding things (other than watching the NFL playoffs) that are fun to do indoors, here are four book-related websites for children.  They all suggest activities and, of course, have commercial elements, but these websites honor and celebrate the stories on which they are based.

www.peterrabbit.com (I just took the “Which Beatrix Potter Character Are You” quiz – and it turns out that I share some personality traits with Miss Tiggy-Winkle! )

www.seussville.com (Check out the Sam I Am video)

www.just-pooh.com  (My favorite part of this website is a short essay on the “Tao” of Pooh - children may prefer the coloring pages.)

www.maisyfunclub.com (This site includes a recipe for gingerbread cookies. Cold days are perfect for making – and eating – cookies!)

While my family watches the football games later this afternoon, I may read a book that takes place in a warm sunny place.  Maybe I should see if we own any books by Carl Hiassen…

The 50th Anniversary of President Kennedy’s Inauguration January 20, 2011

Appropriately, the first e-mail I read this morning was from a colleague who told me she remembers being at President Kennedy’s Inaugural – 50 years ago today. She remembers how cold it was, the fact that she was wearing red leather boots and, most importantly, how January 20, 1961 still stands out as one of the most memorable days of her life.  It was lovely to begin the day reading about hope, but it reminded me how much our political environment – and our rhetoric – have changed.

I admit to a bias on this subject. I had the honor of working at the John F. Kennedy Library for fifteen years before coming to Inly. Those were wonderful years, and I can’t help comparing what I hear today with the stories I used to hear from members of President Kennedy’s family, his former colleagues, and the countless people he inspired to enter public service. Like many people, I sometimes feel nostalgic for a time when I wasn’t even alive. Of course, things weren’t perfect then – or ever. But, what I came to respect most about President Kennedy was his appeal to people’s best selves.  He encouraged people to think and read and listen and to participate.

There are so many books written about President Kennedy that to recommend them is a risky venture.  However, there are a few that, in my opinion, convey his spirit and his optimism to young readers:

Jack’s Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy by Doreen Rappaport (for ages 7-10)

Jack: The Early Years of John F. Kennedy by Ilene Cooper (for ages 12 and over)

There is one more that I know very well because I wrote it, and President Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline, graciously contributed the introduction. It is called John F. Kennedy: His Life and Legacy.

I know this is a blog about books and reading, but on this anniversary, I also want to suggest a visit to a museum. The best place to learn about President Kennedy and to understand why his words continue to inspire people today, is the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston.  It is one of my favorite places, and being in its glass pavilion overlooking Boston Harbor always makes me feel more hopeful.

What Else Can He Do? January 18, 2011

I work for a demanding audience – elementary school children. Thanks to the internet, this generation has seen it all and they can be hard to impress.  Take this exchange I had today with John, a second grade boy:

John: I’d like to read a biography. Who do you think I would like?

Me: Well, what about Harry Houdini? He was a magician and an escape artist.

John: Okay, but could he also play the guitar?

Clearly, escaping from an underwater box just doesn’t impress like it used to!  Once I convinced John that Houdini might interest him (even without the guitar playing), we had a few books from which to choose.  John selected Houdini: World’s Greatest Mystery Man and Escape King by Kathleen Krull. A perfect choice, and I’m sure Krull’s wonderful book will have John looking for others.  Luckily, Houdini is a popular biography subject.  Because there are so many, I listed them in order of books for the youngest readers first.

A Picture Book of Harry Houdini by David Adler (an introduction for the youngest magicians)

Harry Houdini: Escape Artist by Patricia Lakin (Ready-to-Read, Level 2)

Who Was Harry Houdini? by Tui Sutherland (part of the Who Was series of short biographies – our students love them!)

Harry Houdini: World’s Greatest Mystery Man and Escape King by Kathleen Krull (a picture book biography)

The Houdini Box by Brian Selznick (a novel about a young boy who meets his hero, Houdini)

Houdini: The Handcuff King by Jason Lutes (a biography in graphic form)

Harry Houdini for Kids: His Life and Adventures with 21 Magic Tricks and Illusions by Laurie Carlson (More than a biography, this one includes card tricks!)

Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini by Sid Fleischman (Fleischman started as a magician himself, and this respected biography for older readers is “magical.”)

Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson January 17, 2011

I just finished Forge, the sequel to Laurie Halsen Anderson’s award winning-book, Chains, and I’ve already left a spot open on my shelves for Ashes, the final installment in Anderson’s Seeds of America trilogy. I may own a Nook, but this is a series I want to have lined up on my shelves so that I can be reminded of the power of good writing and the brilliance of Anderson’s accomplishment.

It occurred to me this morning that Martin Luther King Day is the perfect day to write about a series set during the American Revolution. Chains was told through the eyes of Isabel, a young black slave, and the action takes place in New York City. In Forge, her friend Curzon takes center stage and the reader follows his story as he moves between life as a Continental soldier and after he is captured, as a slave in a home for officers of the Continental Army.  At Valley Forge, Curzon argues with Eben, his white friend, about the purpose of the Revolution. Curzon tries to explain to his friend that personal liberty is as valuable as a country’s freedom.  Later, Eben says to him:  “I’ve been pondering the matter ever since we quarreled. You were right. If we’re gonna fight a war, it should make everybody free, not just some.” 

One of the accomplishments of these two novels is how well they weave historical information into the fictional story. I learned so much about Valley Forge in this book.  In fact, one of the new books in my “to read” pile is Russell Freedman’s book Washington at Valley Forge. It was Anderson’s story of Curzon and his fellow soldiers that gave me a new appreciation for the men who lived and died during that horrible winter.

And how cool is that title – Forge. Referring not only to Valley Forge, but to forging an identity and, by the end of the novel, Isabel and Curzon forging a relationship.  And, of course, since I finished reading Forge today, it makes me think of Martin Luther King and the bonds he forged between people.

The Village Garage by G. Brian Karas January 13, 2011

I don’t know what took me so long to read this new book by one of my favorite authors and illustrators, G. Brian Karas.  I look forward to every book Karas publishes and always feel a “here’s another one” anticipation when I see a new title.  As it turns out, my wait was perfectly timed. The Village Garage is about a group of workers at a town garage – the workers who clean up the leaves, fill the pot holes, mow the town’s grass and, of course, plow the snow.  Well – as luck would have it – I looked at this book during a big snowstorm so there were sound effects! 

“Chink Chink Chink, the chains rattle.

KKKKKKRRRRRRRRR, the plows scrape.

SWSSSSSHHHH! SWSSSSSHHHHH!

The sand and salt spray, and the trucks

rumble in the muffled night.”

And that’s exactly what I heard as I turned the pages of this wonderful book. One of the things I particularly like about The Village Garage is that it’s about a community, and especially the people who make a community work.  Everyone in this garage looks so friendly, and as you will see, commited to picking up every leaf!

A Surprise and a Front Runner! January 11, 2011

Forget the Academy Awards and the Grammys – the Newbery and Caldecott Awards were announced yesterday.  The January announcement by the American Library Association is, for me, the highlight of the award calendar. I’m not a betting person, but if I placed wagers on the award recipients, I would have won one and lost one…

The winner of the Caldecott Award is A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin Stead and written by Philip Stead. This was the winner of many “mock” Caldecotts for good reason – it received rave reviews and was included on the New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year list.  I reviewed it in July, and have listed it as a favorite several times since then.  A simple and gentle tale of kindness.

The surprise was the winner of the Newbery – Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool.  Reading the announcement was the first time I’d ever heard of this one, but I can’t wait to read it and have already bought a copy for Inly and downloaded it onto my Nook. I read many predictions for this year’s Newbery, but unless I missed it, I never saw this novel listed.  That makes it more fun. It’s like going into a book store where you think there will be nothing new to discover and finding a gem on display – as no doubt, Moon Over Manifest will now be.

Here’s the starred review of Vanderpool’s novel from Booklist: “After a life of riding the rails with her father, 12-year-old Abilene can’t understand why he has sent her away to stay with Pastor Shady Howard in Manifest, Missouri, a town he left years earlier; but over the summer she pieces together his story. In 1936, Manifest is a town worn down by sadness, drought, and the Depression, but it is more welcoming to newcomers than it was in 1918, when it was a conglomeration of coal-mining immigrants who were kept apart by habit, company practice, and prejudice. Abilene quickly finds friends and uncovers a local mystery. Their summerlong “spy hunt” reveals deep-seated secrets and helps restore residents’ faith in the bright future once promised on the town’s sign. Abilene’s first-person narrative is intertwined with newspaper columns from 1917 to 1918 and stories told by a diviner, Miss Sadie, while letters home from a soldier fighting in WWI add yet another narrative layer. Vanderpool weaves humor and sorrow into a complex tale involving murders, orphans, bootlegging, and a mother in hiding. With believable dialogue, vocabulary and imagery appropriate to time and place, and well-developed characters, this rich and rewarding first novel is “like sucking on a butterscotch. Smooth and sweet.”

We’re going to get a foot of snow tomorrow so Moon Over Manifest will be glowing from my Nook screen…