Library Loot 2010-01

A new year, a new bunch of loot. Same old story: I go, I see books, and I get them, even though my TBR pile by the side of my bed is already too big. Oh, well. Such is the life of a reader. Right?

Picture books:
Do Not Build a Frankenstein!, by Neil Numberman
Green Wilma, Frog in Space, by Tedd Arnold
Archie and the Pirates, by Marc Rosenthal
Not all Animals Are Blue, by Beatrice Boutignon
Superhero School, by Aaron Reynolds/Illus. by Andy Rash

Middle Grade books:
The Unfinished Angel, by Sharon Creech
Odd and the Frost Giants, by Neil Gaiman

YA books:
In The Forests Of Serre, by Patricia A. McKillip
Front and Center, by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park, by Steve Kluger


The roundup is either at Reading Adventures or A Striped Armchair. Obligatory FTC note: the links are provided through my Amazon Associates account. If you click through and actually purchase one of these books, I'll get a teeny, tiny payment. But, since no one ever does, and it's SO much easier using the associates account to put up these links, I'm going to keep doing it.

Dream Girl

by Lauren Mechling
ages: 12+
First sentence: "I was breezing down the airport corridor, minding my own business and thinking about the new look I'd have with the liquid eyeliner I'd picked up at the duty-free shop in Paris, when I saw it in the distance: the pink combination lock."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Claire Voyante has a problem (and it's not her name). She has these dreams. Vivid, detailed... and they seem to come true. Or, at the very least, have a basis in real life. And ever since her eccentric grandmother, Kiki, gave Claire a black-and-white cameo, they've been in black-and-white. They're also somehow connected to Claire's new friend, Becca, and her ketchup-magnate family. It's up to Claire to figure out how and why... if she can.

This book is a little bit of everything. A little bit of romance, a little bit of upper-New York fashion plate, a little bit of eccentric relatives (besides the grandma, Claire's dad is a French professor, and Claire's mom writes a astrology column). Stir all that together with a lot of mystery, and you pretty much have this book down. That's not to say it isn't a fun book; on the contrary, it is quite fun. There's a lot to balance in the book, but I think it all works towards a cohesive whole picture: I loved Claire's life, and I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of it. Sure, it was a bit predictable, and I guessed the ending long before Claire got there, but file it under "guilty pleasure": this one was the right book at the right time.

Which makes me quite interested in the sequel, Dream Life. Thankfully, I won't have to wait long!

Calamity Jack

by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale/Illustrated by Nathan Hale
ages: 9+
First sentence: "I think of myself as a criminal mastermind... with an unfortunate amount of bad luck."
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: January 5, 2010

Remember Jack from Rapunzel's Revenge? No? That's okay, because this is his story.

It seems that Jack has always had a knack for scheming. From the get-go, he's been trying to find ways to swindle people. Sometimes, they deserve it, sometimes they don't. Then... he decides to take on Blunderboar, the biggest (literally: he's a giant), meanest guy in Shyport. Jack breaks into the tower (with the help of some magic beans), makes off with Blunderboar's magic goose, and manages to accidentally kill a giant while chopping the beanstalk down. (Does all of this sound familiar? It should.)

Insert brief interlude, while Jack goes out west, meets Rapunzel and has adventures.

Then, Jack brings Rapunzel back to the city, where things have changed. Blunderboar has gotten more powerful, literally razing parts of the city as well as taking Jack's mother into captivity. Along with a couple of new sidekicks, it's up to Jack and Rapunzel to save the city.

I liked this graphic novel well enough -- it's the Hales, after all. But I really wanted to love it as much as I loved Rapunzel's Revenge, and honestly, well, it's not as good as that one. It wasn't as funny -- or, at the very least, the funny fell flat in my opinion. There was a wee bit of a love triangle, which also did nothing for me. And, while I thought it was a clever spin on the Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale and I liked the action and mystery in the plot, there just wasn't enough... oomph, I suppose, is the word I'm looking for.

But oomph or not, it's a decent sequel to Rapunzel's Revenge. And I can't argue with that.

Tis Cybils Time!

Happy New Year, everyone! And, since it's January 1st, that means the Cybils shortlists are up!! Click through to read the shortlists for everyone else. I'm going to sick my panel's -- Middle Grade fiction -- here. Enjoy. (Oh, and go read these books. They're wonderful!)

Captain Nobody

by Dean Pitchford

Putnam Juvenile

Nominated by: Dawn Mooney

Even though he's smart and capable, Newt is the neglected younger brother of a high school football star, mostly content with sliding through the cracks of life. Then a couple of events--his older brother ends up in a coma the night of the Big Game and Newt is forced to improvise a Halloween costume--coincide to spur the creation of a new superhero: Captain Nobody. Newt finds that he feels different when in his costume: stronger, more outgoing, more able to handle...well, everything (within reason, of course) that's thrown his way. Hilarious, fun, and completely charming, this is one superhero that the world can't do without.--Melissa Fox

Chains
by Laurie Halse Anderson

Simon & Schuster

Nominated by: melissa

Anderson has taken the historical facts of the American Revolution and given us a new perspective. Chains is told through the eyes of Isabel, a slave girl. Sold after her master dies, Isabel is thrust into the middle of the war where both sides claim they want what is best for her. She passes along messages to the Loyalists only to learn that the only one she can trust to help her gain her freedom is herself. Anderson has presented a story that with the proper foundation can be read, enjoyed and understood by the youngest to the oldest middle-grade student. War is always a tough topic but the details were intricately woven into Isabel's life. It can be read as a stand-alone book and yet Anderson has left it open enough for a sequel. --Sandra Stiles, Musings of a Book Addict

Anything But Typical

by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Simon & Schuster

Nominated by: Pam W Coughlan

There is much to love in Nora Raleigh Baskin's Anything But Typical. The writing--in particular the narrative voice--feels so genuine: vulnerable and heartfelt; simple yet beautiful. Almost poetic. The book stars Jason Blake, an autistic hero, who loves to write stories and participate in online forums. When his parents surprise him with a trip to the Storyboard writing convention, you might think he'd be happy instead of terrified. But for Jason the thought of meeting his online friend, PhoenixBird, in real life causes nothing but anxiety. Everyone has moments of insecurity and doubt, and to see these reflected so honestly in Jason feels more than right. --Becky Laney

Heart of a Shepherd

by Rosanne Parry

Random House Children's Books

Nominated by: jone

Twelve-year-old Ignatius Alderman discovers the "heart of a shepherd" as he helps his grandparents take care of the family ranch when his father is deployed to Iraq. Nicknamed "Brother," Ignatius is the youngest of five brothers, named for St. Ignatius, and searching for his own gifts, talents and career path. He's not sure that ranching or military service, the two traditions that dominate his family, are truly his gifts. And although he learns to live up to his responsibilities, it will take a major crisis for Brother to find his own right road to maturity.

The book is rather quiet, the pacing slow and deliberate, like Brother himself. Even when the crisis comes, it sneaks up on the reader rather than announcing itself with trumpets. In addition to its coming-of-age theme, Heart of a Shepherd also has lots of little details about ranching life and rural Oregon and the life of a soldier in Iraq and even about chess. These will capture the young reader who's interested in any of those subjects and make him pay attention to the larger themes in the book. This debut novel by author Roseanne Parry is a treat to be savored.--Sherry Early

All The Broken Pieces

by Ann Burg

Scholastic

Nominated by: Laurie Schneider

Matt Pin is haunted by his memories of Vietnam. He was born a bui doi, the dust of life -- son of an American GI and Vietnamese mother during the Vietnam War. He was airlifted out of Vietnam at ten years old, leaving behind his mother and brother. Through the course of this verse novel, Matt is forced to come to terms with his with his horrifying past and his American present.

The spare, poetic format of the story allows the reader to feel like they have entered Matt's head and heart. All the Broken Pieces is a gorgeous novel that captures the emotional and physical rubble left in the aftermath of a war. The free verse is incredibly well-written and not a single word is used when it isn't necessary. This powerful novel will satisfy even the most anti-poetry readers but many of the verses will remain in the heart and mind of the reader for days afterward. --Sarah Mulhern

Operation Yes

by Sara Lewis Holmes

Arthur A Levine
Nominated by: Laura Purdie Salas

Operation Yes is a story that revolves around cousins Bo and Gari. Bo's father is in charge of a military base in the south and Gari's mother is deployed to Afghanistan; so Gari must relocate from Seattle to live with her cousin. They are both in the same sixth grade class and their teacher teaches in a box about the importance of life outside the box. What makes this story a standout is how kids can overcome tough times and show adults what they are capable of when they work together. --Kyle Kimmal

The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis

by Barbara O'Connor

Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Nominated by: Augusta Scattergood

Popeye is dreading the boring summer that stretches out before him...until Elvis arrives in a broken-down motor home and the two boys start exploring the back woods, investigating the mysterious Yoo-Hoo boats that come floating down the creek. Barbara O'Connor's book manages to be laugh-out-loud funny and still deal with more serious subject matter without veering into Depressing. This is a rather quiet book for anyone who's been bored and dreams of having small adventures. --Abby Johnson

I should also say how much I loved working with my panel. They were awesome!! And now, to wait until February 14th to see which one the judges pick as a winner...

The Best of My 2009

You do it three times, and it's a tradition.

(I'm doing this early, though, because -- if all goes well -- we should be driving back from Texas today. So the numbers aren't quite exact. But that doesn't really matter, does it?)

Presenting my best of list for this year.

By the Numbers:
Middle Grade Fiction: 78
YA Fiction: 69
Graphic Novels: 11
Non-Fiction: 20
Fiction: 41
Grand Total: 219 (I made it past 200 this year! Woot!)

Challenges Completed: 9

Gotta do my awards...

Best Adult Fiction: People of the Book or Sweetness in the Belly. I couldn't decide.

Best YA book: Speak

Best Middle-grade book: Anything But Typical

Best Fantasy: Lips Touch Three Times and When You Reach Me

Best Sci-Fi/Distopian: The Stand (Hunger Games is a really, really close second.)

Best Graphic Novel: Tales from Outer Suburbia (with Babymouse: Dragonslayer coming in a close second.)

Best Non-Fiction: My Life in France

Best Romance: Poison Study (Valik still makes me swoon.)

Best Mysteries: Perhaps I should say best mystery writer? The Woman in White and The Moonstone.

Best Jacket Flap: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

And in other categories...

Books I should have read AGES ago: Tess of the D'Urbervilles, The Screwtape Letters, The Stand, The Wee Free Men, Fire and Hemlock, Speak, and My Life in France.

Favorite Reviews: Bee Season, The Darcys and the Bingleys, Devilish

Theme(s) that inadvertently manifested themselves: Women's bodies (Intuitive Eating; Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters; Artichoke's Heart; Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies); Baseball (The Brooklyn Nine, All the Broken Pieces, The Girl Who Threw Butterflies); Jane Austin (The Darcys and the Binglys; Pemberley by the Sea, Jane Austen Ruined My Life, Becoming Jane Austen); Darwin (The Adventures of Charley Darwin; The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate; Why Darwin Matters; I didn't get to Charles and Emma, but I wanted to...).

Writing Style/Genre I Discovered I liked: steampunk (Leviathan), zombie books (The Forest of Hands and Teeth)

Genre I'm getting tired of, finally: Vampires.

The Wink-Wink, Nudge-Nudge book: Pemberley by the Sea

Best Interviewee: Aaron Reynolds and Neil Numberman, followed closely by Shannon Hale.

Favorite Challenge (that wasn't hosted by Carl): End of the World II

Best main character: Katsa

Book for in-person book group I liked best: Garden Spells

Book for on-line book group I liked best: Fifth Business

Books I didn't feel the love for: Atonement, Chocolat, Bee Season, Fragile Eternity

Number of Shakespeare plays I read: 1 - The Tempest (and that was as a Manga Shakespeare; I totally cheated this year!), and I only saw 1 (Romeo and Juliet; the guy playing Romeo did him kind of Emo, and it totally worked.)

Number of Fantasy books I read: 57. Choosing the "best" was REALLY hard this year!

Books that Made me Laugh the most: The Tiffany Aching series, Order of the Odd-Fish, Whales on Stilts!, Leaving the Bellweathers

Authors everyone else loves that I discovered I liked: Terry Pratchett (fave: A Hat Full of Sky), Sarah Dessen (fave: Lock and Key), Elizabeth Scott (fave: Something, Maybe), Georgette Heyer (fave: The Talisman Ring).

Best Book from an author I previously didn't care for: The Trouble Begins at 8 (Sid Fleischman and I haven't gotten along in the past...)

First-time authors I'd love to see more from: Rosanne Parry (Heart of a Shepherd); Kathryn Fitzmore (The Year the Swallows Came Early); Ann Haywood Leal (Also Known as Harper)

Books I read the fastest: Hunger Games and Catching Fire

Favorite book from a series: The Last Olympian (Alas, what will I do without Percy Jackson? At least the movie is out in February!)

Newbery Books I read: The Graveyard Book. Pathetic. I need to get back to reading those again.

Books that made me want to go out and do something: Operation Yes (cheer!); My Life in France (cook! Visit the Smithsonian!); Sweetness in the Belly (read more about Africa!); Mission Control, This is Apollo (visit NASA in Houston!);

Books I abandoned: I finally became bold in my book abandoning: there too many this year to list! (25, half of which were Cybils reads.)

Here's to another great year! What were your favorites this year?