Christoph Niemann and Abstract Sunday June 30, 2011

Very cool blog to check out by one of the most innovative and talented illustrators, Christoph Niemann:

http://niemann.blogs.nytimes.com/

Niemann’s picture book, The Police Cloud, is one of the sweetest books in Inly’s Library. The opening lines are great: “There was once a cloud who lived in a big city.  Ever since he had been a small puff, he had dreamed of being a police officer.”  Looking at the cover illustration tells you that things work out for the little cloud, but of course, there are bumps (fluffy ones) along the way.

Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe June 30, 2011

Based on the title of this post, I may have lost you already. But wait. Give me a chance to explain. Rob Lowe’s memoir, Stories I Only Tell My Friends, is not the kind of book I normally read, but this one had a few things going for it. When it was published a few months ago, it caught my eye because of a statistically insignificant connection to Lowe.  We are about the same age and both grew up in Dayton, Ohio. My sister was at a party with him once when she was an usher at the Kenley Players summer stock theater where he was performing.  I was already a bit curious about the book when I read Janet Maslin’s positive review in the New York Times.  That was all I needed to push the download button on my Nook!

I finished it last night and already kind of miss him. Not that I ever knew him, but his book is, as the title says, like listening to a friend’s stories.  Lowe’s honest about his character flaws, missteps and challenges. There was one point in particular that really hit “home” for me. He writes: ”I’m from Ohio; if someone asks you nicely, you do it.” I get that in a way only a fellow-midwesterner would. He made some mistakes. Some were really big, and this book is not for young readers. Lowe had an active, to put it mildy, nightlife. He is also self deprecating in an endearing and insightful way. He knows where he messed up (he would use a different word) and he owns it.  On a purely gossipy level, Stories I Only Tell My Friends is an entertaining read. They’re all here: Tom Cruise, Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, Francis Ford Coppola, Princess Stephanie of Monaco, Sting and many others. But if that’s all there was, I wouldn’t recommend it. Lowe’s book is good because he is honest and observant. Not to mention the fact that he’s from Dayton!

Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg June 27, 2011

A new book by Chris Van Allsburg is always cause for celebration and Queen of the Falls is no exception. Aimed at a slightly older audience than The Polar Express, Queen of the Falls is a picture book based on the adventures of Annie Edison Taylor who was the first person to go – as you might guess – over the falls.

Here’s the funny thing about this blog post. Van Allsburg’s book has been sitting on my desk for a few weeks because I wanted to write about it.  By coincidence, and somewhat unplanned, yesterday was my first visit to Niagara Falls. The second I stepped up to the railing and looked over the side, Annie Edison Taylor was on my mind. I kept picturing that barrel going over the falls with the tiny 62-year-old Taylor inside. This was in 1901!  What could she have possibly been thinking?  The answer is fame. And that’s what makes this book more than an exciting adventure story. I can see two ways to use this book at school. For younger children, it doesn’t get much more exciting than a person putting themselves into a wood barrel and propelling themselves over the most powerful waterfall in North America. 

With older children, I plan to use the book to start a discussion about fame. Taylor went over the falls because she wanted to be famous – and more specifically to make money. I won’t give the story away, but things don’t go the way she planned. The possibilities for a conversation with middle school students about the lengths people go to for fame are endless.

Queen of the Falls is Van Allsburg’s first nonfiction title, but he brings the same imagination and suspense to this book as he does to his fiction.

About yesterday’s visit to Niagara Falls…the falls themselves do not disappoint. They are truly awe inspiring. However, I was hesitant to get on the Maid of the Mist, let alone be tempted by the fame of going over in a barrel!  The area outside the gates of Niagara Falls State Park was a different story. My family found the crowded casinos and Atlantic City-vibe to be at odds with the beauty of the falls and frankly, a bit depressing. We kept our eyes on the main attraction and moved on to Buffalo where we enjoyed a visit to the Anchor Bar, the home of the Buffalo Chicken Wing.  For my son, it was the highlight of our trip through western New York.

Shopping Day! June 25, 2011

There were six kids waiting for me at Barnes and Noble. Ranging in age from 4 to 17, they were there to select their summer reading and, after showing me how to play Angry Birds on the Nook, we went book shopping.  How fun is that! In the space of one hour, I went from looking at early readers featuring princesses to selecting a good novel for a young woman entering her senior year in high school. We didn’t shop in order of age, but here are a few titles that made it into our basket beginning with the youngest…

1. A princess early reader. I forget which one and admittedly, it was a story featuring a Disney princess. Obviously not my first choice, but we were at Barnes and Noble which is like the cereal aisle in the grocery store where all of the sugar-filled boxes with toys inside are right at a kid’s eye level. Low hanging fruit!  While Barnes and Noble was the perfect place to be for the older kids, the marketing-driven displays made it a bit harder to coax the younger two kids to consider a non-Disney book. The children’s mother and I exchanged looks to ackowledge our losing battle in this round. And you know what – it’s fine. The two younger children (who both bought movie-based early readers) were so excited. I know they have many wonderful books in their home and school, and it’s summer. Hard to argue with the pretty pink cover that sparkles!

2. The next shopper was a boy entering 7th grade who likes fantasy and enjoys a good series. He’s read all of Rick Riordan and a few other series that spring to mind, but he’s never read anything written by Jenny Nimmo.  We selected Midnight for Charlie Bone, the first entry in Nimmo’s The Children of the Red King series.

3. After making a pile of possibilities for the boy entering 9th grade, he chose Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork and Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements.

4. The two high school girls, both strong readers, have required summer reading to tackle this summer, but we added a few things to our increasingly heavy shopping basket. The oldest daughter read Lisa See’s novel Shanghai Girls last summer and she was very happy to learn about the sequel - Dreams of Joy.  

One more book made it into our final purchase.  I was looking at the featured biographies when this title jumped out at me: The Story of Charlotte’s Web: E.B. White’s Eccentric Life in Nature and the Birth of an American Classic. There has perhaps never been a more perfect book for me to read – other than the classic on which this one is based. An entire book about my favorite story in the whole world. It’s shaping up to be a good summer!

Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt June 22, 2011

While I was posting Inly’s summer reading list over the past couple of weeks, I was also reading. It seems that everywhere I go (brick and mortar or online bookstore), there is a boy wearing a brown bag over his head in a way that invites the potential reader to “uncover” him. I finally did. Gary Schmidt’s young adult novel, Okay for Now, is moving, engaging and optimistic.

Doug Swieteck, the protagonist of Okay for Now, does not have it easy – far from it. His father is emotionally abusive. He has one brother in Vietnam (it’s 1968) and another who seems to have a radar for trouble. His mother is sweet, but obviously has a number of issues competing for her attention. At the beginning of the novel, Doug and his family have moved to Marysville, New York, a move Doug is not happy about.  In fact, throughout much of the novel, Doug refers to his new town as “stupid Marysville.”  Things begin to change for Doug when he discovers a book of paintings by John James Audubon. Through the paintings and a job he takes as a grocery store delivery boy, Doug meets people who change his life.

One of the themes of Schmidt’s novel is the healing power of art. I loved how this played out. Schmidt clearly knows his Audubon and there are things he points out (through a wonderful character who works in the Marysville Library), that sent me rushing to Google images to study Audubon’s birds more closely.

This is the first book I’ve read this summer that is already tucked into my “back to school” bag for September.  Okay for Now is a wonderful book for middle school readers. Some parts, especially those about Doug’s father, are tough and complex.  In the meantime, if you have a 6th, 7th, or 8th grade student who says “I need something good to read,” hand them this book.

The 2011 Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards June 20, 2011

This year’s winners of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards are in…and it looks like I have some ordering to do!  I love that these books surprised me. They have all moved up on my list of summer reading.  Canadian author Tim Wynne-Jones is one of my favorite writers so Blink & Caution is loading onto my e-reader as I post this.

Here’s the link to learn about all of the winners:

http://www.hbook.com/bghb/current.asp

Discovering “Where the Sidewalk Ends” June 20, 2011

How did I miss Where the Sidewalk Ends (the store, not the book) in Chatham on Cape Cod!  It was a picture perfect day on the Cape so after we had a delighful “kick-off to summer” lunch on Main Street, we took a little walk. My son was gravitating toward the Chatham Candy Manor and after his mission was accomplished, we walked a bit further up the street. It’s been a few years since I’ve walked the length of Main Street because had I known about the treasure at the “end” of the street, it would have been on my itinerary. Great name for a bookstore, isn’t it? And it is kind of at the “end” of the Main Street shopping area. The space is wonderful – airy, bright and well designed. I know it’s hard to justify paying full price for books these days, but I was happy for their staff to swipe my debit card if it helps this wonderful store to stay in Chatham. After so many trips to Barnes and Noble where the books on display are selected by corporate HQ, I had almost forgotten how wonderful it is to browse.  Where the Sidewalk Ends clearly has book buyers who know what they are doing. Great selection. Helpful staff.  I’m going back this summer.

Celebrating Dad and the Stanley Cup! June 19, 2011

Over the last few weeks as I’ve been loading Inly’s Summer Reading list onto my blog, I’ve also been watching Bruins games (only the third periods) and buying Father’s Day gifts for my husband and my dad. I’m always with my dad on Father’s Day since he makes his annual two-week visit in June.  Of course, he gets books. He doesn’t even bother shaking the packages anymore. This year I bought him the new Jeff Shaara novel, The Final Storm. My dad has read all of Shaara’s WWII novels so I think he was expecting this one. My husband received The Ancient Guide to Modern Life by Natalie Haynes.  He is fascinated with the parallels between our 21st century lives and those of the ancient Romans and Greeks.

My husband and my father were watching lots of hockey last week and, although we didn’t go to the big parade in Boston, I noticed a few Bruins caps around the house over the weekend. I’m not a big hockey fan, but one of my favorite picture books is The Hockey Sweater by Roch Carrier.  Here’s how important The Hockey Sweater is to Canadiens: an excerpt of it appears on the back of the five dollar bill!  Really. I’m looking at it right now.  It’s a beautiful story about the importance of hockey to Canadians, but it’s bigger than that. I always use Carrier’s story when I’m teaching The Outsiders to middle school students. The themes are the same. 

The Hockey Sweater is about a boy who idolizes French-Canadian hockey star, Maurice Richard.  Just like his friends, he wants to wear a Montreal Canadiens jersey with the number 9 on the back.  When his mother orders it for him from the Eatons catalog, a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey arrives instead.  The story is about more than hockey. It’s about national identity and how we define ourselves by identifying with well known people. It’s a perfect book to start a conversation about belonging.

The Inly Summer Reading List – Part 10 June 17, 2011

This is as far as it goes – the reading list for Independent Readers.  This is always a tricky one in a school because not every student is an Independent Reader (as defined by the Bonnie Campbell Hill Reading Continuum) by the time they reach the 8th grade. Some students don’t become sophisticated readers until later, or for all sorts of of reasons, never experience this level of success.

But, there are Independent Readers in Middle School, and for them…this is their list. One other note: Students who select their reading from the Proficient and Connecting lists sometimes like to choose books from this one as well. That’s great. The only way to stretch is to pull a bit higher than we can reach.

The characterisitics of an Independent Reader are:

            -     all of the characteristics of a proficient and connecting reader, but issues may

                   be more controversial

-         text may have adults as central characters

-         text requires deeper levels of thinking

-         text may employ flashbacks or changes in sequence

Borrowed Names: Poems About Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madam C.J. Walker, Marie Curie and Their Daughters by Jeannine Atkins

In 1867, three women who achieved great success were born: writer Laura Ingalls Wilder, entrepreneur Madam C. J. Walker, and scientist Marie Curie. All three had complicated relationships with their daughters, relationships that Atkins explores in this unusual volume of poetry. Each section follows one daughter from young childhood to adulthood, sketching out the facts of her life, but creating impressions of the emotional lives beyond the facts. Rose Wilder Lanegrows up in rural poverty. Constricted by her mother’s expectations, she leaves the Wilder farm to work, marry, and travel, but returns and helps to shape her mother’s books. As a child, A’Lelia Walker watches her mother wash clothes for a meager living, but after her mother’s hair products make them wealthy, A’Lelia grows up to become a patron of the Harlem Renaissance. Curie’s elder daughter, Irène, knows early on that her mother’s focus is on her work with radium. As an adult, Irène continues that work, earning her own Nobel Prize. In vivid scenes written with keen insight and subtle imagery, the poems offer a strong sense of each daughter’s personality as well as the tensions and ties they shared with their notable mothers. Writing with understated drama and quiet power, Atkins enables readers to understand these six women and their mother-daughter relationships in a nuanced and memorable way.” (starred review, Booklist)

Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos

Code Orange by Caroline Cooney

War Games by Audrey Couloumbis

The Brooklyn Nine by Alex Gratz

“Gratz builds this novel upon a clever enough conceit—nine stories (or innings), each following the successive generations in a single family, linked by baseball and Brooklyn—and executes it with polish and precision. In the opening stories, there is something Scorsese-like (albeit with the focus on players, not gangsters)  in Gratz’s treatment of early New York: a fleet-footed German immigrant helps Alexander Cartwright (credited with creating modern baseball) during a massive 1845 factory fire; a young boy meets his hero, the great King Kelly, who by age 30 is a washed-up alcoholic scraping by as a vaudeville act. The pace lags a bit in the middle innings, where a talented young girl stars in the WW II–era All-American Girls Baseball League and a card-collecting boy lives in fear of the Russians, Sputnik, and the atomic bomb. But the final two stories provide a flurry of late-inning heroics: a Little League pitcher’s shot at a perfect game told with breathtaking verve; and a neat stitching-together effort to close the book. Each of the stories are outfitted with wide-ranging themes and characters that easily warrant more spacious confines, but taken together they present a sweeping diaspora of Americana, tracking the changes in a family through the generations, in society at large for more than a century and a half, and, not least, in that quintessential American pastime. (starred review, Booklist)

New Boy by Julian Houston

“Rob Garrett, 15, leaves Virginiafor a prestigious Connecticutboarding school. His dentist father and schoolteacher mother are proud of their sons academic record and potential but anxious because he is the first African American to attend Draper. Rob quickly learns that bigotry takes many forms. He befriends Vinnie, whose acne, New York-Italian background, and vulnerability make him a target among the elitist students. On a weekend visit to a cousin who lives in Harlem, Rob unwittingly encounters Malcolm X and his followers and discovers a hostile, separatist attitude that disparages association with whites and Jews. When Rob learns that a lunch counter sit-in is planned in his hometown, he joins the protest, but then returns to Draper to pursue his dream of success. Although he is not in the activist trenches of the Civil Rights movement, his story sheds light on the social dilemmas that confronted privileged African Americans at the time. Wary but remarkably focused, Rob espouses the need to represent his race well and to make a difference. He is a well-spoken, reflective observer who empathizes with the pain of others but remains relatively unscathed. While maintaining honor-roll status, he contemplates the rise and fall of Joe Louis, is intrigued by the Harlemculture, and ponders the explosive rage of Minister Malcolm. The strong cast of characters, steady progression of events, realistic dialogue, historical facts, touch of romance, and coming-of-age awareness and reflection will appeal to readers.”  (starred review, School Library Journal)

Journey into the Deep: Discovering New Ocean Creatures by Rebecca Johnson

Death Cloud: Young Sherlock Holmes byAndrew Lane

Black Duck by Janet Taylor Lisle

Funny Business: Conversations with Writers of Comedy edited by Leonard Marcus

Out of Bounds: Seven Stories of Conflict and Hope by Beverly Naidoo

“This powerful collection takes readers on a sometimes harrowing journey through the nightmare that was apartheid South Africa. The stories take place at various times between 1948, the year that marks the beginning of apartheid, through 2000. The main characters, who come from different ethnic and economic groups, are all children, and Naidoo’s reliance on a child’s perspective ensures that the material remains emotionally manageable. The author’s touch is deft and sure, as she captures the ordinary details of life, along with the racism displayed in the speech and attitudes of white South Africans. In one of the most wrenching stories, “The Noose,” a boy of mixed race relates how on his birthday his father was reclassified “African,” thus imperiling not only his job, but even his ability to live with his family. Other stories tell of the white daughter of politically progressive parents who is trying to negotiate the racist world of her friend’s parents, and a black African girl whose grandmother is drawn into helping her activist granddaughter during the Sowetouprising of 1976. The final story, about a middle-class boy of Indian descent who comes to feel a connection to a child living in a neighboring squatter settlement, leaves readers with the hope that human kindness will eventually triumph over the divisions among people. A time line of apartheid laws linked to the stories helps to establish the social and political context. As well as enriching any study of Southern Africa or human rights, Out of Bounds will be embraced by children seeking to expand their understanding of the world and other people.” (School Library Journal)

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson

The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

Trouble by Gary Schmidt

Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt 

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

The Good, the Bad and the Barbie: A Doll’s History and Her Impact on Us by Tanya Lee Stone  

“In the prologue, Meg Cabot describes her desire for a Barbie and her mother’s reluctance to purchase one, basically summing up the conflict surrounding the doll since its introduction in 1959. Readers learn about Mattel Toys and the background behind Barbie’s concept and development, how it was a solution for girls who wanted to imagine adult roles rather than just play mother, and details about inventor Ruth Handler. But more than that, Stone reveals the pathos behind so many relationships of girls with Barbie: those who cherished her and those who were negatively influenced. Was she a destructive role model or just a toy? Experts disagree. In this balanced overview, both sides of the quandary are addressed. Barbie’s different roles, graduating from nurse to surgeon, stewardess to pilot, and always a woman of her own means, reflect societal changes over the past 50 years as well. Numerous black-and-white photos feature the doll in her various incarnations, while eight center pages deliver color versions as well as images of Barbie-inspired art. Inset quotes appear on a Barbie handbag icon. The author maintains her signature research style and accessible informational voice and includes extensive source notes and bibliographical information.”(School Library Journal)

Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman

“In 1941, 15-year-old Vidya’s life in Bombay stands in direct contrast to that of her relatives in Madras for whom the traditional path of an arranged marriage, babies, and a life of serving a husband is not only expected but is also considered a girl’s only proper option. Alternately, the goal of attending college like her brother is encouraged by her physician father. Turmoil is raging within Colonial India’s borders as many view their British occupation negatively, holding protest rallies. Nonviolence, one of Vidya’s father’s principles, motivates him to secretly attend to the injured and beaten protestors. The teen’s idyllic life changes in an instant when he is beaten by the British police and suffers extensive brain damage. Unable to earn a living and lead a productive life, this highly respected man and his family move in with his relatives. Vidya’s dreams are shattered as her father’s stature is immediately lowered to that of “an idiot” and she is forced to withstand her aunt’s sharp-tongued, abusive taunts. Vidya’s bright, bold, independent character remains determined to achieve her goals with the help and support of her grandfather, who first allows her access to his private library and later agrees to her formal university education. This is a poignant look at a young woman’s vigilance to break from expectations and create her own destiny amid a country’s struggle for independence.” (School Library Journal)

Frozen Secrets: Antarctica Revealed by Sally Walker

“All of Walker’s impressive writing talents are on display in this book on the frozen continent. The author’s clear and lively narrative begins with a brief history of the first explorers, including some grisly deaths, and then describes in detail the work of current researchers. Walkerpaints a vivid picture of the hardships and special considerations required of those who work in Antarctica. Children will almost shiver as they read the description of the scuba diver’s preparations to enter an icy lake. Additionally, the author does a great job of explaining some really complex scientific activities, such as mapping the ground using ice-penetrating radar, so that readers without great knowledge of advanced science can grasp how this work is done. She also shows how Antarctic research can help them understand global climate change and other types of earth-science research. Nearly every page has sharp color photos of the continent and researchers in action or explanatory diagrams. With its superb design and Walker’s gripping prose, this book will draw readers in and keep them involved.” (School Library Journal)

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

“Tally Youngblood lives in a futuristic society that acculturates its citizens to believe that they are ugly until age 16 when they’ll undergo an operation that will change them into pleasure-seeking “pretties.” Anticipating this happy transformation, Tally meets Shay, another female ugly, who shares her enjoyment of hoverboarding and risky pranks. But Shay also disdains the false values and programmed conformity of the society and urges Tally to defect with her to the Smoke, a distant settlement of simple-living conscientious objectors. Tally declines, yet when Shay is found missing by the authorities, Tally is coerced by the cruel Dr. Cable to find her and her compatriots–or remain forever “ugly.” Tally’s adventuresome spirit helps her locate Shay and the Smoke. It also attracts the eye of David, the aptly named youthful rebel leader to whose attentions Tally warms. However, she knows she is living a lie, for she is a spy who wears an eye-activated locator pendant that threatens to blow the rebels’ cover. Ethical concerns will provide a good source of discussion as honesty, justice, and free will are all oppressed in this well-conceived dystopia. Characterization, which flirts so openly with the importance of teen self-concept, is strong, and although lengthy, the novel is highly readable with a convincing plot that incorporates futuristic technologies and a disturbing commentary on our current public policies.” (starred review, School Library Journal)

Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan

“While her British Army major father has been away in WWI, 15-year-old Rosalind has enjoyed freedom in her southeast Indian town, roaming the bazaar with her Indian friends rather than chatting with other Brits at the local club. Then her father returns, and she chafes against his strict colonial views. After she is caught listening to Gandhi at a rally, Rosalind’s furious father ships her off to her English aunts, where her free-thinking spirit once again shakes up the status quo. The historical and cultural details occasionally veer into docu-novel territory, but Whelan balances the facts with distinctive, sometimes comical characterizations and vibrant, original sensory descriptions, whether Rosalind is describing an aunt’s suit as the color of burnt bacon or the feeling, as ashes drift from the funeral pyres, that the dead had become part of me. Set during a pivotal moment in Indian history, Whelan’s vivid, episodic story explores the tension between doing what’s right, rather than what’s expected, and the infinite complexities of colonialism” (Booklist)

Into the Volcano by Don Wood

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

The Inly Summer Reading List – Part 9 June 15, 2011

Two categories remaining….today’s list is for the Connecting Reader. This list, and the one I will post tomorrow for Independent Readers, are the lists from which many 6th through 8th grade students choose their summer reading.  This is where it all starts to come together. All of the elements that combine to make a mature reader developed as a young person made their way through the first eight lists. Now, as they select books from the connecting and independent categories, the characters and the issues become more complex and the language more sophisticated. 

These are the books I recommended to our connecting readers this summer:

Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams

Sky Sailors: True Stories of the Balloon Era by David Bristow

“In the beginning of human flight, those daring young men—and women—of song and story were not to be found in flying machines but, instead, in baskets hanging beneath hot-air and helium-filled balloons. The results were sometimes heroic, sometimes comic, but always fraught with danger. Bristow gives readers the spirited stories of nine of these pioneers of flight. Together they trace the evolution of ballooning from pleasure craft to occasion for adventure to scientific observation to use in wartime. The period covered is 1783 to 1912, the end of the balloon era. This historical setting is enlivened through the use of period photographs, drawings, advertisements, and visual records presented here in full color. The result is a quick but never uninteresting journey through a little-covered subject that is sure to inspire readers to search for more stories like these.” (Booklist)

Mission Control, This is Apollo by Andrew Chaikin

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming

“Black-and-white photographs and elegant typography give this gorgeously produced book an appropriate period feel, while alternating ashes – one set following Earhart from childhood, the other tracking her final flight – provide historical context as well as vivid pacing. But though Fleming allows Earhart her glamorous due, she also strips her of myth, giving readers the accuracy they deseve.” (New York Times Book Review)

Homefront by Doris Gwaltney

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

“A charming and inventive story of a child struggling to find her identity at the turn of the 20th century. As the only girl in an uppercrust Texasfamily of seven children, Calpurnia, 11, is expected to enter young womanhood with all its trappings of tight corsets, cookery, and handiwork. Unlike other girls her age, Callie is most content when observing and collecting scientific specimens with her grandfather. Bemoaning her lack of formal knowledge, he surreptitiously gives her a copy of The Origin of Species and Callie begins her exploration of the scientific method and evolution, eventually happening upon the possible discovery of a new plant species. Callie’s mother, believing that a diet of Darwin, Dickens, and her grandfather’s influence will make Callie dissatisfied with life, sets her on a path of cooking lessons, handiwork improvement, and an eventual debut into society. Callie’s confusion and despair over her changing life will resonate with girls who feel different or are outsiders in their own society. Callie is a charming, inquisitive protagonist; a joyous, bright, and thoughtful creation. The conclusion encompasses bewilderment, excitement, and humor as the dawn of a new century approaches. Several scenes, including a younger brother’s despair over his turkeys intended for the Thanksgiving table and Callie’s heartache over receiving The Science of Housewifery as a Christmas gift, mix gentle humor and pathos to great effect. The book ends with uncertainty over Callie’s future, but there’s no uncertainty over the achievement of Kelly’s debut novel.” (starred review, School Library Journal)

The Clockwork Three by Matthew Kirby

“In his ambitious novel, Kirby weaves together a good amount of reliably alluring elements. Initially distinct plotlines follow three children in an unspecified Victorian-era-ish American city: Giuseppe plays the fiddle on street corners for spare change, hoping to have enough left over after paying his wicked padrone for a ticket back to Italy; Hannah works as a hotel maid where she learns of a hidden treasure that may save her ailing father; and Frederick, an apprentice clockmaker, figures that the automaton he is crafting in secret will allow him to become a journeyman. The trio of strands coheres nicely as Kirby twists wisps of mysticism into the clockwork elements, clear-eyed environmentalism into the dour urban grittiness, and a timeless sense of family and friendship into the bold, can-do adventuring. Though he sometimes spells things out a little too bluntly and can’t escape a bit of contrivance to wrap everything up in the end, this remains a strong debut effort with memorable characters, hearty action, and palpable atmospherics.” (Booklist)

Whaling Season: A Year in the Life of an Arctic Whale Scientist by Peter Lourie

Years of Dust: The Story of the Dust Bowl by Albert Marrin

Wolf Brother (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, Book One) by Michelle Paver

The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

“Steven Alper is a typical eighth-grader–smarter than some, a better drummer than most, but with the usual girl problems and family trials. Then, on October 7, his five-year-old brother, Jeffrey, falls, has a nosebleed that doesn’t stop, and is diagnosed with leukemia. All hell breaks loose. Mrs. Alper’s days and nights revolve around getting Jeffrey to his chemotherapy treatments, and Mr. Alper retreats into a shell, coming out only occasionally to weep over the mounting medical bills. Steven becomes the forgotten son, who throws himself into drumming, even as he quits doing his homework and tries to keep his friends from finding out about Jeffrey’s illness. A story that could have morphed into melodrama is saved by reality, rawness, and the wit Sonnenblick infuses into Steven’s first-person voice. The recriminations, cares, and nightmares that come with a cancer diagnosis are all here, underscored by vomiting, white blood cell counts, and chemotherapy ports. Yet, this is also about regrouping, solidarity, love, and hope. Most important for a middle-grade audience, Sonneblick shows that even in the midst of tragedy, life goes on, love can flower, and the one thing you can always change is yourself.”  (Booklist, starred review)

The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

“With a timeless writing style that invokes thoughts of children’s fantasy classics such as Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, author John Stephens weaves a gripping tale of mystery and magic into The Emerald Atlas. His enchanting prose and spot-on wit can only be described as both hip (Stephens was previously the executive producer of Gossip Girls) and Dickensian, a delightful combination that will both engage young readers with its relatable nature and fascinate them with its aberrant charm. If Stephens’s comic finesse and archetypal writing style aren’t enough to engage young readers, they will no doubt be captivated by the plot. Stephens’s complex formula for time travel and fascinating explanation for the disappearance of the magical realm is so convincing that readers might begin to believe that there is, in fact, far more to the world than meets the eye. Thought-provoking and enchanting, The Emerald Atlas has the makings of a children’s classic.” (Amazon)

The Romeo and Juliet Code by Phoebe Stone

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

“The dental case that Telgemeier documents in this graphic memoir was extreme: a random accident led to front tooth loss when she was 12, and over the next several years, she suffered through surgery, implants, headgear, false teeth, and a rearrangement of her remaining incisors. Accompanying the physical treatment came social rough spots with friends, while puberty delivered another set of curveballs with crushes, maturing bodies, and changing family expectations and judgments. Both adults and kids—including various dental professionals and younger siblings—are vividly and rapidly portrayed, giving quick access to the memoirist’s world. Telgemeier’s storytelling and full-color cartoony images form a story that will cheer and inspire any middle-schooler dealing with orthodontia. At the same time, she shows how her early career choice as an animator took root during this difficult period—offering yet another gentle reminder that things have turned out fine for the author and can for her reader as well.”(Booklist)

The Doom Machine by Mark Teague

A Faraway Island by Annika Thor

“In this gripping story, Stephie and Nellie, two Austrian Jewish sisters, are evacuated in 1938 from Vienna to a Swedish island and placed in separate foster homes. Twelve-year-old Stephie has promised her parents that she will try to ease her younger sister’s way, a burdensome promise to keep. Auntie Alma, Nellie’s Swedish mother, is warmer and more welcoming than Auntie Märta, Stephie’s more austere foster parent. At first it seems that Nellie will have a more difficult time adjusting, but the opposite happens. Loneliness and a sense of isolation engulf Stephie. The shunning and taunting of cliquish, bigoted girls intensify her longing for home and the familiar, but Stephie bravely perseveres, bolstered by the hope that she will only be separated from her parents for a short time. Unfortunately this does not happen, and the girls must remain on this faraway island. Children will readily empathize with Stephie’s courage. Both sisters are well-drawn, likable characters. This is the first of four books Thor has written about the two girls.” (School Library Journal)

Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones

“Fantasy is a field crowded with gifted newcomers. What happens when a veteran strides to the plate and takes another swing? If the veteran is Diana Wynne Jones, get your scorecards ready. She hits this irresistible new book out of the ballpark. Magician Jocelyn Brandon had always intended to pass his strange home, Melton House, and his trade secrets on to his grandson, Andrew. Unfortunately,Brandondied before he could complete his careful instructions, and Andrew, now grown, has forgotten much of what his grandfather tried to teach him as a child. The arrival of 12-year-old Aiden, who is seeking protection from dangerous magical beings, reawakens Andrew’s memories. Surrounded by a fabulous cast of eccentric allies, including a parsnip-loving giant, Andrew finds himself in the middle of a mystery surrounding an enchanted glass. With a gleeful nod to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jones hits all the bases, combining fluid storytelling, sly humor, and exquisitely drawn characters. The magical chaos culminates in a hilarious summer fete and a delightfully tidy resolution. This enthralling book proves that Jones is still at the top of her game.” (starred review, Booklist)