Smile

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Mrs.N

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

In sixth grade, Raina is not looking forward to getting braces. But then a freak accident turns what was going to be a routine procedure into an ongoing dental hell.  And so, Raina’s journey through middle school and into high school is marked by the progress of her smile.  It’s a fantastic, honest look into the lives of middle schoolers, especially the quite common phenomenon of being friends with people who aren’t really all that nice to you.

Raina struggles with her self-image throughout, something that is so common with kids that age.  Her difficulties are amplified by the fact that her friends are more likely to tease her or mock her than support her. As the book progresses Raina learns how to handle these situations with her peers.  It’s very well done and like Roller Girl, it features an ending that doesn’t show the mean kids suddenly having a change of heart and becoming trustworthy, kind people.  I have a huge appreciation for these books that show kids that often the people who hurt you the most aren’t random bullies, but the people you trust with your emotional well being.  It’s really, really important that kids read about these types of peer relationships because they are so common.  The only thing I didn’t love about the resolution was when it said “But the more I focused on my interests, the more it brought out things I liked about myself.  And that affected the way other people saw me.” It’s true!  I know it’s true!!  But I think if I’d read it when I was that age I would have rolled my eyes.  It has a faint undertone of blaming the person who is being bullied or who has less-than-stellar friends.  I swear, I know it’s important to learn, but the inner tween in me won’t stand for it.

While the heart of the book is Raina’s life and friendships and crushes, the medical aspects of this can’t be overlooked.  Because her dental issues are so severe, they take up quite a bit of the story.  And the details of her procedures are not for the squeamish (aka: ME!).  Definitely use caution when recommending this to kids with significant phobias around dental and orthodontic procedures.

Age Recommendation: This will resonate most with kids in Grades 4-10.  Readers may appreciate it more if they are of an age where they are starting to notice other people in a romantic way. It will also ring more true for kids who are experiencing the same things in their own lives: braces, transitions between schools, dealing with your peer group.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – A girl wants cute boys to like her. She develops a crush on a classmate. She develops a crush on a different classmate. There’s a lot of wondering if people are asking you out. There’s practice flirting. There’s wondering if you should change yourself for someone. Kids play spin the bottle at a party and kids are shown kissing each other with reactions usually along the lines of “ew”.
Profanity – “jerk”, “darn”,
Death, Violence and Gore – Raina falls and has an accident that requires her to have dental surgery. There’s quite a bit of blood shown prior to the surgery, but nothing during the actual surgery. There are multiple root canals and surgeries on her mouth. I will admit to repeating “ew ew ew ew” under my breath throughout this entire section. There’s an earthquake (an actual historical earthquake) that results in deaths and injuries. An image of the collapse bridge is shown, but it is shown empty of cars.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.

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Ms. Rapscott’s Girls

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Mrs.N

Ms. Rapscott’s Girls by Elise Primavera

It must be acknowledged that many parents are too busy to properly care for their children.  But Ms. Rapscott’s School is only for those children of the very busiest parents in the world. These parents receive a letter of acceptance along with an appropriately sized box for the easy packing and shipping of their daughters.

The girls arrive at the school run by Ms. Rapscott, herself a former neglected child, and her two highly resourceful and efficient Welsh Corgis, Lewis and Clark.  There they learn all sorts of things from How to Get Lost on Purpose to “the Difference Between Tall Kitchen Garbage Bags and Heavy Duty Trash Bags”. Luckily for the reader, the former is expounded upon while the latter takes place, quite mercifully, off page.  It’s this mix of fantasy and highly practical advice that gives the book much of its charm.

Fortunately, Primavera keeps the reasons for parents being busy in the strictly fantastical realm: extreme exercisers, chef/dancers, cinderblock manufacturing cosmetic surgeons, but I suspect many mothers will admit their favorite is the mother who is too busy writing a mommy blog to parent her own child.  Keeping this light should prevent this from hitting too close to home for children who are legitimately overlooked at home.

This would be a huge hit with third graders I’d expect, lots of my students would have just devoured this, and lucky for them, it has all the markings of being the first in a series.

One small complaint – Dahlia Thistle lisps and Ms. Rapscott tells her to enunciate. Children with speech problems cannot fix them simply by being ordered to pronounce things the proper way.  She later loses the lisp, implying that all that is needed to overcome it is a desire to be grown up and mature, which clearly is not an option in real life.

Age Recommendation: Grades 3-5 will get the most enjoyment out of this.  I expect that younger students might like it as a read aloud and there’s nothing worrying in the content should your first or second grader be reading above grade level.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – The girls make a joke about Ms. Rapscott having a boyfriend (at this juncture the only male characters are a pair of Welsh Corgis).
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – Fay was at risk of being squashed when she failed to open her parachute.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things –  Annabelle worries about getting eaten by sharks or being burnt to a crisp by UV rays or being stung by a jellyfish.  Annabelle speculates that a girl is probably mashed up under a rock.  There are some other random speculations about bad things that could befall someone, like falling down a well, but there is never any fear that any of these things will come to pass.

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Four Disgusting Creatures Non-Fiction Books from Elise Gravel

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Mrs.N

The Rat,  The Slug, The Fly, The Worm by Elise Gravel

Gravel’s non-fiction series is almost irresistibly cute.  I picked one up during my hunt for Level M books and my toddler, who is not yet two, insisted that I read it to him.  He wasn’t the least disappointed which speaks well for the versatility of the set.  They’ll work well for kids still in the picture book phase of life, but also for beginning readers.

These days, non-fiction books come in a wide variety of styles.  Lots of kids love to read non-fiction and if libraries have been keeping up their collections, they have great choices, including books with amazing photography and flashy text features, a far cry from the dull, dense options of my childhood.  Gravel’s books are ideal for the reader that is intensely attached to fiction.  With adorable illustrations and speech bubbles filled with humorous asides from the creatures themselves, they are sure to entertain.  Most of the time the facts are in the print, but the asides by the creatures are fiction.  There are a few exceptions to this which might confuse some readers – The worm book mentions that its muscle tube is “slimy and disgusting” which is not actually factual information so much as opinion.  But that seems minor compared to the overall appeal of the set. Go forth and discover disgusting creatures!

Age Recommendation: Grades 2-4.  Of course, there’s tough vocabulary specific to the topics and I would have liked to see a glossary at the end to help kids with that, but overall the brevity of the text will be great for younger readers.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – These books do often cover the reproduction of the disgusting creatures.  In The Worm: Therefore, we learn that worms are often hermaphrodites, with both male and female reproductive organs (this is also described as “in other words, an earthworm is boy and a girl at the same time”) but that they need a partner to reproduce.  In The Slug: The slug needs to find a partner to have babies and therefore follows another slug’s mucus trail. We learn that slugs are also male and female at the same time.  A slug is shown in a hospital bed while a doctor announces “It’s a boy-girl”.
Profanity – “Darn” is used in both The Fly and The Rat.
Death, Violence and Gore – None.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.

 

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The Humming Room

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Mrs.N

The Humming Room by Ellen Potter

Roo has always kept to herself.  Perhaps it was this tendency that kept her safe as her family was killed.  Once Roo is officially on her own, rather than just functionally on her own, she must be sent somewhere.  Somewhere is a foster home at first and then on to an uncle who lives on a remote island in a huge no-longer in use sanatorium.  Roo is furnished with a room, instructions to not to explore in the East Wing and then is again, mostly left to herself.

She soon adapts to island life, including the few people she meets there, but she can’t stop her investigation of the house, especially since she’s been hearing strange noises, ranging from hums to cries.  Roo soon discovers that the home and the island itself are harboring many secrets, but none so deep that they can’t be discovered.

This is a lovely and well-written take on The Secret Garden.  While borrowing the main points from Burnett’s classic, The Humming Room still feels fresh and original.  I won’t go into the parallels of plot and character, but if you’re a Secret Garden fan, you’ll note them yourself.

Age Recommendation: The Humming Room does have some harsh edges, particularly in regards to Roo’s past, so be forewarned about the content overall.  It’s really family dependent when you’re trying to decide what age of child would be okay with the story (parts are a bit sad or creepy even if you have no moral objection to the drug dealing being mentioned, or fear of exposing your children to the murder aspect).  But from a reading level perspective I would say advanced third graders might enjoy it, and certainly fourth grade and up.  I would definitely say it’s easier to read than The Secret Garden, so for anyone who’s managed that first, this is fair game.

Great for: Fans of The Secret Garden.  I can’t imagine liking the original and not liking this version.  This also might be sort of a backdoor to the classic, if a child has read and enjoyed this, The Secret Garden might be easier to follow.  Because of the parallels between the two any discussions of similarities and differences would certainly be rich so for teachers looking for text-to-text connections, this would be a good pair.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – Roo’s father lives with his girlfriend.  Her mother was another girlfriend who didn’t stick around.
Profanity – “jerk”  “shoot,” “hell-bent,” “shut up,”
Death, Violence and Gore – At the beginning of the book, although it’s rather veiled and cryptic, it seems a police officer has come to Roo’s home and her family is all dead.   When questioned later, Roo says it’s their own fault they’re dead.  Roo’s father’s girlfriend had a “violent temper”.  Once after being in jail, her father returned with a bruise on his face.  A girl grabs Roo and Roo struggles, kicking and hitting back.  A ghost has been seen.  When the house was a sanitarium, bodies of children who died were thrown down a chute and taken away to be buried. Roo has heard gunshots in her house.  Roo opens an envelope and finds a bone.  Her uncle’s wife died.  Her uncle’s cheek is bleeding from a bite. There’s a rumor that a woman was murdered.  A girl’s face is scratched and bleeding.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Supposedly Roo’s parents were drug dealers and other children tell her she’ll grow up to be one too.  A woman goes on a trip with a backpack full of beer.
Frightening or Intense Things – Roo’s father has been to jail. Roo has to spend time in a foster home before being sent to live with a relative.  She is told by other foster children that she is unwanted and no one will come for her.  When she is collected by her uncle’s assistant, she’s told that if she’s too much trouble she’ll be sent back to foster care.

 

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Let’s Go Geocaching

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Mrs.N

DK Readers: Boys’ Life Series: Let’s Go Geocaching by John McKinney

Ed Note:  This was originally scheduled to be posted during my Nov. treasure hunt month, but it got delayed.  Oops!

I would expect after reading a passel of scavenger hunt and treasure hunt themed book anyone would have a not-so-secret desire to have do a little hunting of their own.  This book is a very very simple guide to geocaching, a fantastic activity for kids who long to find their own treasure.

The reading level itself is probably fine for second graders, but I think the book has value even for kids older than that as it provides all sorts of helpful information for those just starting out.  It begins with a basic definition, explains a bit about how GPS devices work, offers some how-to information and gives a “creed” that teaches kids how to be safe, courteous and respectful of the environment.  It also offers some links to websites to help kids get started.

DK Readers is usually pretty decent with their non-fiction books and this is no exception. Teachers are always looking for books with lots of text features, those conventions which help students process the presented information.  This book has phonetic pronunciations where needed directly in the text as well as a glossary at the end.  It has lots of pictures, some with captions, and tons of call-out boxes (the small boxes of information that catch your eye).

The only thing I see to be a draw back here is that it is Boys’ Life series book, which means it’s affiliated somehow with The Boy Scouts of America.  I’m not sure whether the Boy Scouts profit at all from purchase of this book, but I do know many people are concerned with supporting an organization that believes in discrimination.  The other issue with it being a Boy Scouts publication is that despite the fact that the book has tons of photos, there is not a single photo of a female.  Truth:  Lots of girls and women also really enjoy geocaching!

Sex, Nudity, Dating – None.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – None.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.

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Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Mrs.N

Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters by Shannon Hale

If you forget your library card, my library makes you pay them a dollar to check out books.  I don’t usually forget my library card, because it’s kept on my phone by an app called KeyRing designed for people like me who forget things and lock themselves out of things.  But if I forget my phone, well, no card.  I found myself in exactly this predicament when I spotted The Forgotten Sisters on the New Books shelf.  I did not hesitate for even a moment.  I grabbed it and raced to the desk, willing to pay the forfeit just so that I could have the book.  Of course, chances are if I don’t have my phone, I also haven’t brought my wallet.  Luckily, the children’s librarian understood my plight and checked it out to me anyway.  The begging was worth it.  The book is terrific.

With Danland on the brink of war, Miri is sent to tutor some of the king’s nearest female relations.  In hopes of securing an alliance with their would-be aggressor, Danland plans on offering one of them as a bride for the king of Stora.  Nervous and insecure, Miri accepts her task, terrified that she is not imposing or regal enough to serve as a royal tutor.  When she arrives she finds the girls are not at all what she had expected and that she has nearly as much adapting to do as her pupils.

Miri remains the strong, warm girl that you remember, but Hale’s new characters positively crackle with energy.  It’s a great thing to look at the characters across the whole series and see the number of different ways that feminine strength is displayed. The variety of skills and talents and abilities will resonate with readers for certain.  There are a few twists and turns in this one that I would never dare spoil for you but will have you racing to the finish.

Age Recommendation: Grades 4 and up.  I think this book is less politically complex than its predecessor and therefore might be accessible to a slightly younger audience.  I would expect it to be best enjoyed from Grade 5 straight up through adult!

Sex, Nudity, Dating – Girls find boys handsome.  People become betrothed and seek parental permission for betrothals.  There is kissing and people say I love you.  Sailors tell tales of women that make Miri blush.  A girl must marry a foreign king she has never met.  People hold hands.  There’s talk of being allowed to choose your mate.  There’s a mention of a woman getting with child although she was unmarried.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – War arrives.  A soldier carries a pistol.  In the past there was a civil war where neighbor butchered neighbor.  A brother condemned his sister to death; she was beheaded.  There’s talk of mothers who died, bloodily killed.  A cayman attacks.  Muskets are mentioned.  There’s a joke about a mass public execution.  Girls mention they could cut someone up for meat.  A girl stabs a rat through the back of the head. Someone is bitten by a snake.  A king has lost 3 of his wives.  A child was born without feet and its grandfather tried to kill it.  A man is beheaded by a sword, another is shot.  There’s some concern that a character may no longer want to live (the implication is that suicide is a possibility).  There’s talk that the place may be blown up.  A girl is hit, her collarbone broken.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking –There is a type of alcohol called swill.
Frightening or Intense Things – There’s a lot in here about women being forced to give up their children.  For many this won’t be a huge deal, but it may be a sensitive topic for anyone who is adopted or has adopted family.

 

 

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May Miscellany

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Mrs.N

Every year when May comes around I do some spring cleaning of my unposted drafts and so certainly, I have some reviews that have been skulking about waiting for their time in the sun.  I also have a stack of books that I have been dying to read and hopefully review in glowing terms for you.   There’s plenty of Shannon Hale (I’ve got both Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters and The Princess in Black ready for you)! Another graphic novel because I didn’t have time for Smile in April. How could I skip Smile? I’ll mix in some non-fiction for a bit of variety.  Plus, Bone Gap which several of the people I follow on twitter have insisted that everyone must read.  And Grace Lin’s Starry River of the Sky because I love just about everything Grace Lin writes.  Basically, it’s going to be a great month so stick around.

P.S. If you haven’t put a hold on (or preordered) Sarah Dessen’s Saint Anything you might want to do that now.  It comes out May 5th!!  I put a hold on it and provided the library gods come through, I’ll review that for you this month too!

 

 

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Drama

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Mrs.N

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Drama is aptly named.  Perhaps, most obviously because the bulk of the book centers around a drama production and almost certainly because the love lives of tweens involved are filled with drama.  But the real drama is that this book has somehow found its way onto the ALA’s Frequently Challenged Books List.  Because of being sexually explicit.

So before we get to my actual personal feelings on the book, let’s discuss this “sexually explicit” content.  Because that is nothing if not misleading.  The most graphic sexuality in this book is a kiss.  So what has people so hot and bothered?  I am trying to work it out personally.  Is it that you can see the kiss in the illustrations?  That your eyes actually come in contact with pictures of people kissing?  Because I’m pretty sure that is not a new thing to the art world and would clear a “G” rating if this were the movies (Cinderella?  Disney?  1950? Ring any bells?) Probably that’s not the issue at hand. More likely the concern stems more from the fact that one of the illustrations shows two people of the same gender kissing.  Would you like to know the exact context of this kiss?  It occurs during a dramatic production, when one boy is dressed as a girl, playing a girl’s part. Nothing new, this has been occurring since the 1500s, so you know for around 500 years. I shouldn’t split hairs here, since the people doing all of this objecting and challenging certainly aren’t.  But as far as homosexual activity in a book goes, this is tame.  As far as sexual explicit activity in a book goes?  THIS DOESN’T EVEN REGISTER!

Basically, if you have a problem with homosexuality, you’re probably going to have a problem with this book.  Not because of the aforementioned kiss alone, which honestly shouldn’t even count because it wasn’t done in the context of people who have feelings for each other expressing them physically, but rather because there are homosexual characters in this book. Otherwise, you haven’t a thing to worry about.

My personal take on Drama was that the level of teenage crush-fueled angst was a bit high for my current tastes.  But that I can sheepishly admit that yes, my life as a teen and tween involved myself and my friends similarly falling for inappropriate guys based on little or no knowledge of them apart from “cute” or “nice” or “likes me”.  And most certainly back in those days crushes could be fleeting and our tastes fickle.  Where Telgemaier wins the day though is in her ending.  Rather than wrap Drama up with a happily ever after that stems from requited love, her happily ever after involves people figuring out who they really are and being recognized for their personal strengths.  And that my friends is something to cheer about.

Age Recommendation: Grades 5+.  I would say fourth graders who are on the verge of puberty and noticing others in a “crush” sort of way would enjoy this as well, but if they still react to kisses with a “blech” (even when no one is watching) it might be best held off.  I would have no issues with a fifth grader reading this and the interest would likely continue up through high school.

Sex, Nudity, Dating –A couple breaks up.  A boy and a girl kiss. Not all kisses take place in the context of relationships.  There’s a lot of mixed signals, unrequited feelings etc.   People definitely have crushes. A girl and a boy stand in “slow dance” position, with her arms around his neck and his hands at her waist. There’s a lot of speculation about whether something counts as a date or whether people will be asked to the formal.   Two boys kiss as part of a stage production where one is playing the female lead.
Profanity – “darn”,
Death, Violence and Gore – None.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.

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Owly, Vol. 1: The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Mrs.N

Owly, Vol. 1: The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer by Andy Runton

I’m smitten with Owly!  Themes of friendship and kindness, adorable illustrations and a unique use of text make this a winner.

Owly is incredibly interesting to me because it is nearly wordless.  Communication between the characters takes place in speech bubbles, but is done in pictograms rather than words.  The majority of text is either environmental print or onomatopoeia.  Environmental print is used to describe words found on labels, logos, signs; the print that surrounds us in our daily lives.  Onomatopoeia is a word that is meant to refer to a sound, such as buzz or smash or ding.  There is heavy use of both exclamation points and question marks to emphasize the thinking of the characters. The second story contains captions for a scrapbook Owly has made, as well as some factual information from a book Owly is reading providing the most challenging text of the book.   Despite its lack of typical writing, Owly isn’t babyish in the least.  The characters are adorable, the story lines are simple and will certainly appeal to young readers, but the books will interest to readers of many ages.

Owly’s unique format also makes it an excellent tool for working with readers.  Older readers who are struggling will be grateful for something that looks just like something any one in their class would like to read (because it is something anyone would like to read). Readers who are learning English will benefit from the pictures and context provided with the print.  An added bonus is that Owly’s stories have an identifiable beginning, middle and end, as well as a problem and solution.  These are very valuable when teaching readers about plots and the natural progression of a story.  They aren’t just skills children can use when reading graphic novels, they are skills that will transfer to any books they read.

Aside from all of that teacherly talk, Owly is just plain old adorable.  The illustrations will definitely appeal to kids.  The stories are sweet and show how you make and keep friends.  Stories about being kind and friendly?  Cuddly looking animals?  I am in.

Age Recommendation: I can’t actually put a lower limit on Owly.  I would say developmentally, probably 1st to 2nd graders would be able to sustain the attention necessary to understand what is going on in the pictures, because you really do have to pay attention.  But in terms of content, there’s nothing objectionable that would bother younger readers, so if you have a detail oriented kid who is taken with the idea of reading, even if your child isn’t quite up to decoding text, this might be worth a try.  Owly would interest students up to 3rd and 4th grade easily.  You may even have some luck with older readers.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – None.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – None.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – A worm is separated from his family and fears he has lost them forever (he hasn’t). A bird is captured.

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Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Mrs.N

Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust by Loic Dauvillier, Illustrations by Marc Lizano, Ink by Greg Salsedo

A little girl wakes in the night and finds her grandmother is still up.  She asks if her grandmother has had a nightmare.  Dounia shares the story of her real life nightmare with her granddaughter, a story she has never even told her son.

Dounia was living in Paris with her parents when the Nazis came.  She tells of the early days when Jews were made to wear stars and simply excluded and humiliated.  And then she tells of the awful night when they came for her parents and how she was hidden away and kept safe.  Her story is one of many children throughout the war.  Children who were kept safe by kind neighbors and allies.  Dounia’s story is not without heartbreak, which is only appropriate given the subject matter.

It’s hard to write a book about the Holocaust for children.  It’s hard to talk about the Holocaust with children, because it is so completely horrible and unthinkable. But there are ways to share the story without the graphic details. It is actually really important that children learn exactly how terrible the consequences of unchecked hatred, anti-Semitism, racism can be.  Hidden manages to introduce the subject matter in a very soft, age appropriate way.  It leaves much unsaid, allowing parents and teachers to offer as much information as they feel the reader can handle if follow up questions are asked.

Hidden a heartbreaking story presented in a sweet manner.  I am grateful that authors like Loic Dauvillier are able to handle such difficult subject matter so gracefully and deftly.  It makes things so much easier for the rest of us as we try to explain the unexplainable.

Age Recommendation: Grades 3-6.  I would say that Grade 3 readers should probably be reading it with some type of adult supervision and interaction, just so that they can talk through any upsetting parts.  By Grade 6, most students will be okay with this independently.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – Dounia says she and her friend were crazy about a handsome boy.  A boy is forced to pull down his pants in front of his class.  He teacher tells the class that “Jews had a piece of wee-wee missing.”  Adults are shown kissing.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – Armed men are shown wearing guns.  Men are shown striking someone. A man hits a woman across the face.  A woman is shown skinning a rabbit. Father dies in the camps.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – A child can tell that adults are upset. Dounia’s apartment is searched.  Her parents hide her away.  Her mother is saying “I love you” so much that it scares her.   A woman alerts the police that a girl has been found.  A man is missing possibly captured by police.  A picture shows a camp survivor.  It is not particularly scary, he is shown to be weak and ill however.

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