Tag Archives: beth

Jan17

Queen of the Toilet Bowl by Frieda Wishinsky

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Wishinsky, Frieda. Queen Of The Toilet Bowl (Orca Currents). Orca, 2005. ISBN‎ 978-1551433646 $9.95 

****

Renata’s family has moved from Sao Paolo to the United States in search of a better life. Her mother works hard cleaning houses for her “ladies,” some of whom are the mothers of Renata’s spoiled classmates. When Renata steals the spotlight from the school’s drama queen, Karin first tries to frame Renata for theft, then finds revenge by posting a picture online–of Renata’s mom cleaning a toilet. Will Renata choose cowardice and victimhood, or pride and survival?

The middle school drama rings true: adolescent girls in real life can be as mean and self-centered as portrayed here. They can also be as loyal and forgiving. The author captures the quicksilver pace of change and delivers an important lesson without making it feel like a preachy moral.

The junior version of Orca’s successful, high quality Soundings series, Currents also features strong storytelling and issues-driven plots. This title in particular focuses on bullying and ties immigration, racism, and self-esteem into a computer age tale that lends itself well to class discussion. Characters are mostly black and white, and the action is simple and fast to accommodate a reading level of 3.6 and a complete story in only 104 pages.

Tidier in subject matter, Currents is sure to fill the bill for teen reluctant readers ages 11-15.

Jan9

Pieces of Me by Charlotte Gingras and and Susan Ouriou

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Gingras, Charlotte and and Susan Ouriou. Pieces of Me. Kids Can Press, 2009. ISBN 978-1554532421 144 pp. $8.95

*****

The narrative of this lovely, lyrical novel unfolds in short vignettes, like a delicate bird skimming just over the water, dipping now and then to leave deepening ripples on the surface.

Fifteen-year-old Mirabelle is like a wounded young bird who can’t break loose from the nest. Abandoned by her father who couldn’t cope with her mentally ill mother, Mira’s loneliness and desire to escape are palpable from the opening pages, garnering immediate empathy from the reader, who will feel her anguish and silently cheer when Mira finally begins to test her wings. Her tentative friendship with Cath, the new girl in her art class, coaxes Mira from her shell. Wearing a color other than black, eating French fries after school in a café, and being acknowledged as a top student in art class are rich triumphs.

Just when things are looking up, Cath unwittingly betrays Mira. In quick succession, Mira is devastated by three males in her life. Her sensitive art teacher (nicknamed “the birdman” by Mira because he rehabilitates birds) is the one who sees how fragile Mira is and recommends counseling. Paule, the blind but insightful school therapist, helps Mira begin to fit together the shattered pieces of herself.

Literary allusions and symbolism abound. Librarians will love Mira, because she is a reader and library user. Teen girls will identify with Mira’s struggle to form her identity, conflicts with her mother, and her curiosity about her budding sexuality.

Originally published in French, there seems to be nothing lost in translation. The English translation is all sparse, elegant prose and a definite contender for the Batchelder Award.

Jan19

My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park by Steve Kluger

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My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park by Steve Kluger

Kluger, Steve. My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park. Dial/Penguin, New York: 2008 ISBN 978-0-8037-3227-8 $16.99 408 pp

****

Three juniors assigned to write about their “most excellent” year all choose the freshman year they became friends in this coming out/coming of age story that blends baseball, theatre, international politics, activism and Japanese internment. Told in a round robin style, motherless Anthony (a.k.a. Tick) is the lynchpin of the story – he and best friend Augie, a musical theatre fan, consider themselves to be non-biological brothers.  Augie directs the Freshman Follies and falls hard for a jock, who falls back while Tick crushes on Alejandra, who, ordained by her parents to attend Harvard and become an ambassador or diplomat, aspires to be a musical theatre star. The trio not only pull off a phenomenal stage shows, they also get a park at Manazanar dedicated to the teams that played there. Motherless Tick befriends a deaf orphan named Hucky who is convinced Mary Poppins is going to come and take care of him, and it is through the relationship he develops with Hucky that Ale sees him as something more than an impertinent Bostonian.

Kluger magnificently weaves together multiple storylines in this epistolary novel told in emails, instant messages, essays, conversations, and ephemera such as playbills, expertly revealing plot and character through these documents. It is evident that he has affection for his characters, as their personalities emerge strongly, revealing each teen in turn as clever, sensitive, introspective, passionate, confident, scared, and caring. Supporting adults are well-drawn–Pop doles out advice to his son that only backfires, but his own romance brewing with Tick’s school advisor is endearing and subtle.

The suburbs of Boston and streets of New York take on a life of their own, through dialect and landmarks, that culminates in Tick’s climatic trip to NYC to bring Hucky to meet his idol, Julie Andrews. Humor abounds, and balances out more serious issues. Augie’s homosexuality is refreshingly viewed with nothing but support–in fact, all the characters “know” long before he officially comes out–perhaps the obsession with divas of stage and screen gives it away.

A promotional website includes excerpts from the book and pages dedicated to clearing Buck Weaver’s name from the White Sox’s World Series fix, and bringing baseball back to Manzanar, two pet projects of Tick’s. Although it is far-fetched that plot events fall into place so perfectly, My Most Excellent Year is a story with so many moments of magic, it somehow works. My Most Excellent Year is sure to satisfy fans of Kluger’s most excellent novel, Last Days of Summer, and please new readers across many ages.

Aug19

Leonardo’s Shadow: Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci’s Servant by Christopher Grey

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Leonardo’s Shadow: Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci’s Servant by Christopher Grey

Grey, Christopher. Leonardo’s Shadow: Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci’s Servant. Atheneum, 2008. ISBN 978-1416905448 400 pp. $13.99

Inspired by Leonardo’s Notebooks, author Grey creates a portrait of the famous painter and inventor, imaginatively seen through the eyes of his faithful young servant Giacomo. Much of the plot concerns the completion of the painting of the Last Supper. The artist, two years past deadline, cannot pay his ever more impatient creditors, and shrouds himself and his motivations in mystery, while glib Giacomo is left to make excuses to merchants, to aristocrats, and to the clergy. Meanwhile, Giacomo is struggling to find answers to his own questions, too: why won’t da Vinci teach him how to paint? What is the real reason for the delay of the Last Supper? And, most importantly, what is Giacomo’s true parentage? 

Giacomo’s voice is the major strength of this first novel. He recounts his adventures in 15th century Milan in a conversational way that makes the city come alive with sights, smells, and sounds. Historical details like what clothing people wore are woven into to a trip to the tailor shop. Giacomo’s wide-eyed observation and participation on everything from the annual street fight between servants and apprentices to how paint is made draw the reader in.

Grey cleverly brings in details of da Vinci’s real life, naming the servant Caterina after his mother, making his medusa-esque portrait a commissioned work that outrages the duke’s mistress, and alluding to the legend that the same model was used for Jesus and Judas.

The book is aesthetically pleasing too. Sketches of da Vinci’s decorate the verso of the title page, the cover has the look of an aged painting and the rough cut edges give an antique feel that fits the setting. Slip off the dustcover to reveal a print of the Last Supper to refer to as the denoument blossoms.

Even years after Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code (Doubleday, 2003), interest in the topic remains high; references to the infidelities within the Italian court and da Vinci’s questioned sexuality may be too earthy for younger readers in spite of the accessibility of the story and engaging narrative. 

An author’s note lists several text and web resources, and an excellent short film to promote the book is hosted at http://www.youtube.com/user/LeonardosShadow.

Aug19

Fur-tastrophe Avoided: Southern Sea Otters by Jeanette Leardi

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Leardi, Jeanette. Southern Sea Otters: Fur-tastrophe Avoided. Bear Claw, 2021 (reprint). ISBN ‎ 978-1636910550. 24 pp. $10

***

Written in an engaging narrative, Leardi draws the reader in with a scientist’s account of discovering this thought-to-be-extinct species. She backtracks to provide a little history, discussing the hunting of otter for fur that made southern sea otters believed to be gone forever. An explanation of subsequent efforts to such up a refuge along the California coast and the passing of laws enacted to protect sea otters from hunting and fishing, follows. Leardi brings the reader up to present day, when the largest threat to marine life is pollution, especially oil contamination. The final pages include a fact sheet on southern sea otters, and a page or two on other endangered sea animals. The narrative is uncommonly well written for an animal nonfiction book designed for school reports, with appeal for browsing readers as well.

Full color photos–at least two in each two page spread–catch sea otters at play, researchers checking the animals, and images of beach cleanups and sea otter predators. An excellent map shows the habitat of the species in the past and present. 

Words that may be unfamiliar appear in boldface and are defined, with pronunciations, in a glossary. The index is complete in scope, photo credits are listed, and there is a  brief bibliography and list of further reading. Recommended for large collections, or where reports on endangered species are de rigueur.

Apr8

Fairie-ality: The Fashion Collection from the House of Ellwand by Eugenie Bird illustrated by David Dowton

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Bird, Eugenie, illus. by David Dowton. Fairie-ality: The Fashion Collection from the House of Ellwand. Candlewick, 2002. ISBN 978-0763614133. 130 pp. $40.00

*****

The fashion-magazine size and layout of this weighty volume is no mistake; Fairie-ality is an imaginative presentation of haute couture for fey folk. Based on the premise that faeries have a season, like the tony upper class, and thus require costumes for spring balls and summer swim parties, Bird and Dowton present a photo essay of tiny designer clothing concocted from natural objects: flowers, leaves, acorn caps, feathers and more.

Gowns take shape with peacock feathers, grass blades and petal skirts, paired with birchbark stilletos. Snakeskin adds pattern and texture to basic-cut undergarments. Seeds and shells add embellishment. Pheasant feathers reveal their glorious tones in a pullout section on cotillion collections. Not just for ladies, there are coordinating outfits for men as wel, including a sleek black crow feather jacket adorned with periwinkle shell buttons. There is even a ready to wear section, with pages cut into three horizontal strips for mixing and matching of tops, bottoms, and stylish caps. The pieces de resistance are outfits for a royal family, and the wedding party garments, including a mother of the bride gown augmented with fluffy feathers, a top hat and peacock lined coat for the groom, and a gossamer white lily and feather gown for the bride.

In addition to the crisp, closeup, full-color photography, designer’s sketches and watercolors accompanying many of the final products. The font matches each collection, by turns formal, hip or romantic. The textures are so clear the urge to run one’s fingers over the pages is irresistable. The accompanying text could be straight out of the pages of Vogue. The captions are lush and descriptive, and narrative accompanies each section, outlining the events appropriate for each collection, or whom each piece might be worn by. Readers will spend hours pouring over the pages and marveling at the tiny details. Although not a must have, the excellence in execution and high re-readability rate a high recommended for most browsing collections.

Review by Beth Gallaway

Apr5

Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! by Bob Barner

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Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! by Bob Barner

Barner, Bob. Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! Chronicle Books, 2010 (reprint). ISBN 978-0811877244. $6.99 24 pp.

*****

In January in libraries across America, the penguin storytime is obligatory; this week we are experience April snowstorms in New England, so it’s the perfect time to revisit those funny little tuxedoed birds. Penguins, Penguins Everywhere is a bright cut-paper collage picture book that delivers penguin facts in a rollicking rhyme. Both Arctic and Equator dwelling penguins are covered, and the vibrant blues of the North contrast appealingly with the yellow and orange heat of the South.

Regardless of locale, all penguins swim, eat fish and care for their young, and these feats are acrobatically and charmingly demonstrated. The sparse text concludes with a two page spread on penguin facts, and two more pages detailing all seventeen penguin species, with incredible attention to detail; each type is distinctively portrayed. Beautifully done, and sure to be popular on the heels of such films as Happy Feet and March of the Penguins.

Review by Beth Gallaway

Jan14

Chuck’s Truck by Peggy Perry Anderson

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Anderson, Peggy Perry. Chuck’s Truck. Clarion, 2017 (reissue). ISBN 978-0544926189 32 pp. $12.99

This rhyming book is a great transition for beginning readers. When Chuck’s truck breaks down after being piled with barnyard animals, Handyman Hugh and his whole delightfully diverse crew come to the rescue, and everyone pitches in to lend a hand in transitioning the pickup from old blue and rusty red to shining new blue.

The illustrations have a waxy, crayon feel to them. Colors are whimsical and child-like: a purple goat, a yellow horse, a red dog, a green cat, a blue goose. Dialogic reading of the book could encourage naming of colors and animals in conjunction with the story, or asking for other words that rhyme. 

Recommended for large collections, or one-on-one reading.

Review by Beth Gallaway

Jan14

Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen; illus. by Kevin Hawkes

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Knudsen, Michelle, illus. by Kevin Hawkes. Library Lion. Candlewick, 2006. ISBN  978-0763622626 32 pp. $15.99

****

This is a book that librarians will love because it is about libraries, and that kids will love because it’s about being loud in the library. When a lion walks into the library, no one says peep until he roars in disappointment at the end of storytime. Miss Merriweather insists that rule breaking is not allowed; chiefly, no roaring. The promise of more stories in return for good manners turns the lion into a stellar library volunteer. When the lion breaks rule number one, he self-imposes an exile, and the library is very, very quiet without him.

Hawkes muted illustrations are a throwback to classic libraries and children’s publishing. Soft blues, browns, reds and golds give a warm tone to this tale. The lion appears to be modelled after the New York Public Library’s twin guardians, and the dress of the staff and look of the stacks is decidedly old-fashioned, but  card catalogs and computers are featured. Michelle Knudsen’s straightforward story brings up an excellent point: that sometimes rules are meant to be broken, an attitude that we should be embracing in our “everything is in beta” culture.

Sweet but predictable, both the theme and names of the author/illustrator will make this one a popular purchase. 

Dec27

This Is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn by Aidan Chambers

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This Is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn by Aidan Chambers

Chambers, Aidan. This Is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn. Amulet, 2008. ISBN 978-0810995505 832 pp. $10.99

*****

The pillow book is actually more than one volume: journals of most intimate musings, modeled after a Japanese pillow book that Cordelia’s friend Izumi gives her. The premise is that motherless Cordy, nineteen and pregnant, is recording the trials and tribulations of her young adulthood, mostly concerning her first lover, Will, and plans to give the book to her daughter when she turns sixteen, so they can share them. The books are incredibly thoughtful; a poet wannabe, Cordy’s voice is that of a gifted writer and even her prose (or, Chambers’ prose) has rhythm and symbolism and entendres and cadence. The British setting doesn’t limit the audience; no glossary is needed. I never had any doubt of the character’s authenticity, and Chambers deserves a medal for poking around the territory of female puberty so believably and frankly as a male author.

Book one is mostly concerned with the chase after the boy, much of the rest of the book is how to keep him, and how to cope when he’s gone, but Cordelia addresses issues of family, other relationships, loss, and more. A dense 800 pages, there are only two troublesome spots: in one book, the story splits into two, and you have to read all of the odd pages, then all of the even pages in the section for the story to make sense, and in a later book, a kidnapping is a slightly outlandish plot device to bring the estranged star-crossed lovers back together. Still, the voice rings true, and the supporting characters are interesting and lushly drawn. It’s not for all readers, but I can think of many girls who will delight in the opportunity to wallow for a while in the depths of this tome.

Chambers has said he believes life imitates art–that young readers look to their literature to discover how to BE–and Cordy is a model for supportive adult role models and mentors, planning and decision making, even reading for pleasure (she loves Shakespeare, whom she affectionately calls Shakes). A very strong character driven novel, this is the best book I’ve read this year, and a fine contribution to the canon of YA literature for it’s style, content, and character study.

Review by Beth Gallaway