Top Ten Classics for Kids

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Katy K.

Top Ten Classics (for kids)

Top Ten Tuesday
Here’s another list idea from the good folks over at the Broke and Bookish. Making the classics for kids is my own spin, as is posting about Tuesday on Wednesday (though that part wasn’t really planned.)

anneofgreengablesAnne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Do I really need to say more? I read Anne and the Emily of New Moon series over and over again. Is it an introvert/extrovert thing? As a child, extremely introverted, I liked Emily better, but as an adult, I’ve come back to Anne more often. Like many on this list, it’s usually cited as a classic for girls, but I have imposed it on most of the boys in my life with good results as well. Imagination is for everyone, after all.

balletshoesBallet Shoes by Noel Streatfield
Orphan girls making a family and following their dreams in WWII London, including ballet, acting, and automotive engineering. Another classic with more boy appeal than you’d think on first glance – I think my son went for this on the wartime experience angle.

borrowersThe Borrowers by Mary Norton
Really, what child doesn’t find the idea of tiny people living secretly inside our houses intriguing? Did you leave small useful objects out in your house for the Borrowers, too?

hobbitThe Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
This is one that I loved as a child and my son also loves, even though there are neither children nor sympathetic girls in it at all.

lionThe Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The portal fantasy where kids from our world find out they are the foretold by prophecy storyline feels overdone these days, but this one still holds up amazingly well, especially as a read-aloud or audiobook.

LittleWomen7Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Is it the way that Alcott captured the realities of life with siblings and their various personalities that has helped this stay beloved for so long?

mistressmashamsMistress Masham’s Repose by T.H. White
This isn’t as well-known as White’s The Once and Future King, but it’s the one I went back to over and over again. Ill-treated orphan Maria finds a small population of Lilliputians, and must figure out a way to deal with them ethically. This looks like one I’ll have to read aloud to the boy, as it doesn’t look like it’s available on audiobook.

momoMomo by Michael Ende
I still need to read the most recent English translation of this yet – I first read it for a children’s literature class in Germany, where it quickly gained the special place in my heart that friends informed me it’s long held in Germany. It’s the story of an orphan girl who rescues a time-obsessed city from the truly frightening Gray Gentlemen, who smoke people’s saved time.

pippiPippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
Generations later, rule-breaking but kind-hearted Pippi is just as charming and revolutionary as she was when she was first published.

secretgardenThe Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The magical story of the healing power of friendship and nature, with at least two of the three child characters starting out quite unlikeable before their redemption. Another one my son loved on audiobook.

swallowsandamazonsSwallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
England’s Lake District in the 1930s, populated by self-reliant children in sailboats having all kinds of adventures.

wrinkle50thA Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
Smart, geeky kids risk everything to save their parents in this modern classic, one I was willing to bet my best friend was better than both the other books in the series (at the time) put together.

Even stretching my ten to a dozen, I haven’t had room for all the books I consider classic enough to impose on my children – but this will do for a start. What are your favorite classics from childhood and for children?

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June State of the Book Basket and Summer Reading

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Katy K.

youarebeautifultoteIt’s Summer Reading time. a time to encourage my son to expand his reading horizons and to make more time to sit down and read to my daughter. We have lots of books checked out for both of them! Continue reading →

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Mastiff

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Katy K.

MastiffMastiff. Beka Cooper: Book 3. by Tamora Pierce. Read by Susan Denaker. Listening Library, 2011.
Pierce ups the stakes for Beka on all levels in the last book of the Beka Cooper trilogy, following Terrier and Bloodhound. As the book opens, Beka is trying to deal with the death of her betrothed, a fellow Dog who turns out to have been abusive to her and whom she was planning on breaking up with anyway. As everyone else seems to think she should be heartbroken, things are very awkward and uncomfortable all around. It’s a distinct relief when the Lord Provost himself knocks on her door in the middle of the night, summoning her to a top secret hunt. It’s so secret that she and her team (her partner, along with Lady Sabine and a country mage named Farmer) aren’t told what the mission is until they are at their destination. Someone has kidnapped the young crown prince, and it’s up to Beka and her friends to find him, dodging all the traps set for them while keeping the kidnapping a secret from the rest of the kingdom. The journey ranges across Tortall, and puts them in contact with all kinds of new people.

This book again has sensitive-parent triggers, including the kidnapped prince being the same age as my youngest, child slaves, and a murdered child, just to warn any similarly sensitive readers. Oddly enough for me, these did not bother me nearly as much as the big twist in the book, which I’m not going to spoil here, but which I couldn’t really buy and which left a bitter taste in my mouth. I felt like Pierce was making everyone suffer too much to balance out the big happy moments at the end, and maybe I’m soft, but I wish she hadn’t. However, the hunt was very well done up until the end, with the biggest highs and lows, and close collaboration with all the members of the team. While I’m not sure it was my favorite book of the series, it still has all the great elements of the other books, and fans of the series will want to read it. If you’ve read it already, I’d love to hear your thoughts, too!

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The Return of Zita the Spacegirl

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Katy K.

We’ve been fans of Zita since the first one came out – I hopped right in line for this one as soon as I saw it in the library catalog.

The Return of Zita the SpacegirlThe Return of Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke. First Second, 2014.
This is the last Zita book, at least for now, following Zita the Spacegirl and Legends of Zita the Spacegirl. Zita is imprisoned on trumped-up charges – every good deed from her past adventures held up as a crime. Still, she’s got the charm and determination that have served her well in the past. She starts befriending her cell mates and trying to escape (again and again) right away. There’s a mysterious cloaked figure who might be trying to help her, and a whole mine full of prisoners for her to help as well. All her friends from previous adventures make an appearance, which was a little confusing as it had been a while since I read them, but cool all the same. The adventures are a little darker and more personal this time, what with the prisoners forced to work in mines and a bad guy who’s got it in for Zita especially. But Hatke’s illustrations, with Zita both adorable and determined, keep things feeling lighter. It has a great ending that makes it clear that Zita’s adventures aren’t over, even if the books may be.

This book was read through very quickly and with much enjoyment by all three independent readers in my house. I’m disappointed that despite all the diversity of species in Zita’s friends, all four of the humans have the same skin tone. That being said, this is a series that I recommend to library patrons on a regular basis, and that’s often not on the shelf when I try. It is a great one to give to boys who maybe think they don’t want books starring girls – I’ve yet to find a kid who doesn’t like Zita. It was also fun to get a little more of the history of the Zita stories, including Hatke’s wife in college in her own Zita costume. I was (again) sad that we didn’t get autographed copies of the first two books when Hatke was at Kids Read Comics last year, but these are definitely on our family wishlist. If you haven’t read Zita yet yourself, now is a perfect time to start! It also pairs wonderfully with Dave Roman’s Astronaut Academy.

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Zeus: King of the Gods

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Katy K.

Apologies for the day off yesterday – my daughter had her preschool graduation ceremony, which was both adorable and completely threw off normal routines. Much like young children in general, come to think of it.

It seems to be kids’ graphic novel week here at A Library Mama. I’d recommended this series to Percy Jackson fans a bit ago, and took it home to my son to try it out.

Zeus: King od the GodsZeus: King of the Gods. Olympians, book 1. by George O’Connor. First Second, 2010.
O’Connor retells the stories of the ancient Olympians, one god at a time, in graphic novel form. The thin ink and dark color washes give this a vintage comic book feel, complete with vintage-style action. In this story, we get the creation of the world, the Titans, and young Zeus’s struggles to free his siblings and overthrow their father. The story is very exciting, and the notes at the back make it clear that O’Connor did a lot of research, going back to multiple original sources and synthesizing them into a cohesive narrative. Really, what more could you want? Oh, maybe some less scholarly books for further reading for interested kids? He’s got a nice list of those, too, both in the book and on his web site, Olympiansrule.com Because we are talking about the ancient gods, expect violence and some sexual references – parents may want to read first if kids are young and/or sensitive to these things. In general, I’d say they are perfect for middle grade and teen readers. My son zipped through this and wanted more – it’s a good thing there are lots of them out!

Here are the others so far:
Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess
Hera: the Goddess and Her Glory
Hades: Lord of the Dead
Poseidon: Earth Shaker
Aphrodite: Goddess of Love

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Rapunzel’s Revenge

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Katy K.

I’m so glad my daughter’s recent Rapunzel kick pushed me to check this one out – I’d been meaning to read it since it first came out.

Speaking of graphic novels, my family all went out to the last day of Kids Read Comics at the Ann Arbor District Library. Such fun! We didn’t make it to any of the workshops this time, but my son had a lot of fun at one of the quick-draw sessions, and we went to the Kids Choice Comics Award ceremony, presided over by Kids Read Comic’s own Jerzy Drozd as well as Matt Holm of Babymouse and Squish fame. I love how the awards mix in more expected things like “best licensed property” and “best comic/novel hybrid” with wacky things like “best hair” and “grossest moment”, all with Lego minifig trophies. But you should totally go to the web site and look at all the awards! (As of right this minute, only the ballot with the shortlist are posted, but hopefully the results will be up soon, and shortlists are always well worth looking at!)

Rapunzel's RevengeRapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale. Illustrated by Nathan Hale. Bloomsbury, 2008.
Newbery-award winning author and personal favorite Shannon Hale paired with her husband Dean Hale and the unrelated graphic novel Nathan Hale (of the Hazardous Tales series) to write this action-packed Rapunzel set in the Old West. Rapunzel has grown up inside the lush walls of Dame Gothel’s compound, calling Gothel mother. Then she gets old enough to climb up the high walls, and sees the desolation outside, with starving mine workers lined up for small amounts of food and water. She realizes that her own real mother is one of them. Naturally, being 12, her first thought is to tell off Dame Gothel in person – which gets her trapped in a tree in a faraway swamp. Once she escapes, years later, her desire for revenge and a reunion with her mother is even greater. She teams up with a rascal named Jack (who looks to be of Latino heritage), spreading mayhem and accidentally getting outlawed (at least on Rapunzel’s part) on the way.

So! Much! Fun! Rapunzel uses her braids to good advantage, and she and Jack have lots of adventures on their way to the big confrontation with Dame Gothel. It’s filled both with realistic people of the old West from sheriffs and wealthy ranchers to the residents of small Native American villages struggling to make a living on the edges of land sucked dry by Mother Gothel’s magic, as well as mythological creatures like the jackalope. I started reading this aloud to both my kids. Nathan Hale’s straightforward illustration style does a great job of conveying action and expression, with plenty of pictures breaking out of the regular grid to add to the excitement. My four-year-old liked it, but doesn’t quite have the attention span for longer books yet – we got almost to the end in several reading sessions. My nine-year-old, on the other hand, took it away and read it straight through to himself. Which reminds me that I need to bring him the sequel, Calamity Jack.

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The Cracks in the Kingdom

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Katy K.

There was a big to-do around the book blogosphere when the first book in this series, A Corner of White, came out last year. They were giving away the book with a Moleskine journal and a mug in matching colors, with a different color combination on each blog doing the giveaway. I’m not quite sure why this captivated me so much – it’s not like I need more journals or mugs – but I did read the book, even though I didn’t win any of the giveaways.

A year later, I wondered, did I like the book so much because of the giveaways, or was it really so good? And after reading book two, with a lot more remove from that hype, I have to say, the books really are that good. But maybe don’t read this review if you haven’t read the first book, because spoilers are inevitable.

The Cracks in the KingdomThe Cracks in the Kingdom. The Colors of Madeleine Book 2. by Jaclyn Moriary. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2014.
At the end of the first book, our hero in the Kingdom of Cello, Elliott, had just been invited to be part of the Royal Youth Alliance. Its purpose was not to united the youth from different areas of the kingdom in the face of increasing factions and Color Attacks, but for the teens involved to help Princess Ko track down the rest of the Royal Family, all of whom are missing. She thinks that they have all fallen or been sent through cracks in the Kingdom into our world. We know from the introduction that they are scattered all over our world, and that none of them remembers their life in Cello. All of the teens she’s chosen have special skills to bring to this hunt. Keira from Jagged Edge can make new technology to help, Samuel from Old Quainte can research the history of contact between the worlds, and Princess Ko’s friend Sergio the stable boy must be there for some reason. Elliott, of course, has his highly forbidden letter-writing relationship with Madeleine, back in our world, but still cares more about finding his father than the royal family. Madeleine herself, having dealt with a lot of issues in the last book, is trying with some difficulty to establish some kind of normal with her new knowledge of the world. And though I very much liked that in the first book, Elliott and Madeleine had a strictly platonic relationship, I was very excited here when they started moving towards romance.

As with the previous book, there are a lot of different kinds of elements mixed up here. There are full casts of characters in both worlds, and philosophy, science, and people from history all play important roles both in the plot and character development. Even though there’s a lot going on, the character growth for both Madeleine and Elliott is essential to the puzzles being solved. All of this put together made a heady mix that I just couldn’t put down. It feels like there’s enough weirdness to it that it’s a book that will either not work for people or, like me, work really, really well. Though there’s nothing really inappropriate for younger kids, the complexity and themes make me feel that it’s best for teens and up. This ended with some problems solved and a whole lot more created – and I’m very much looking forward to the next book!

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The Princess and the Goblin

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Katy K.

One of the things I love about my son? When I say, “This is a book that kids have been enjoying for over a hundred years”, he gets excited about reading it. This is one that I read and reread as a child, and my first rereading as an adult.

The Princess and the GoblinThe Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald. Strahan & Co, 1872.
Once upon a time, a princess lived in an old country house on a mountain, cared for by her nurse and with only occasional visits from her King-Papa. But when she accidentally stays out after dark, she and her nurse see goblins for the first time. A brave and saucy miner boy named Curdie rescues them. Soon, the Princess Irene learns about her magical Great-Great-Grandmother, who lives in a high tower and can only be found and seen when she wishes it. Grandmother gives the Princess Irene a magical ball of thread which she can tie to ring, so that whenever she’s frightened, she can follow the thread to a safe place. Meanwhile, Curdie investigates the goblin realms close to his mine, and finds that they are planning Dastardly Deeds. He puts himself at great risk to find out exactly what those plans are and how to stop them. There’s a lot of silly poetry, too, as Curdie’s main defense against the goblins is to sing long insults in rhyme at them.

Well. The Princess Irene is the very ideal of a Victorian little girl. She is neat, pretty, obedient, and keeps her promises and her faith in her grandmother, even when no one else believes her. Though she’s described as brave, her bravery consists mostly of believing that she will get to safety eventually if she follows her grandmother’s thread, something that doesn’t quite feel as exciting today as it did when the book first came out. The grandmother (sometimes looking young and beautiful, sometimes old and frail, always kind and wise) is a more compelling character. My son was not bothered by Irene’s failings, he said, because he identified so strongly with Curdie. Curdie, as a twelve-year-old working overtime in the mines to try to earn enough money to buy his mother warm winter clothes, offends my motherly sensibilities, but this is a well-documented shift in values since that time. My own son just thought that Curdie was very cool, and listened raptly to the adventures that both children had with the magical grandmother and the grotesque goblins. He wanted to go right on to The Princess and Curdie, only we got sucked into reading Jinx first instead. The Princess and the Goblin is still quite accessible for a Victorian story, and a good choice for young advanced readers, as it has more advanced vocabulary without objectionable content.

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Starling

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Katy K.

StarlingStarling by Sage Stossel. InkLit, 2013.
Amy was recruited as an official superhero – Starling – shortly after she knocked out a would-be kidnapper with electricity from her fists. While it was a great ego boost, it’s still an unpaid position. Now an adult, Amy is trying desperately to hold on to her marketing career, despite frequent pages at inopportune moments that she tries to disguise as irritable bowel syndrome, and a colleague who’s all too willing to take advantage of her absences. Just to make her life even more out of control, her brother Noah has given up even trying for a job and is sleeping on her sofa. Also, the ex-boyfriend she broke up with after she accidentally knocked him out is flirting with her, even though his current girlfriend is really nice herself. In a soft-hearted moment, Amy as Starling redirects some criminals towards a better life instead of turning them in, and now all sorts of unsavory people are looking for her in the hopes of similar assistance. Is there such a thing as work-life balance when you’re trying to balance not just regular life and work, but also a superhero career?

Although Amy/Starling is a superhero, and we see some of her exploits, the focus is on her tangled real life. The simple ink and watercolor art and regular grid back this up. This didn’t grab me quite as much as I was hoping, but it still manages to be heartwarming and funny at the same time. I put it in the adult collection at the library, since it’s about an adult, but as there’s no Objectionable Content, it would be perfectly appropriate for teens as well.

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The True Blue Scouts of Sugarman Swamp

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Katy K.

This was the last of the Cybils Middle Grade Spec Fic finalists, which I’m just now getting around to reviewing. As a bonus, in the meantime, it was also named a National Book Award Finalist.

True Blue Scouts of Sugarman SwampThe True Blue Scouts of Sugarman Swamp by Kathi Appelt. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2013.

“Librarians often say that every book is not for every child, but The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp is” (The New York Times). Meet Bingo and J’miah, raccoon brothers on a mission to save Sugar Man Swamp in this rollicking tale and National Book Award Finalist from Newbery Honoree Kathi Appelt.

Raccoon brothers Bingo and J’miah are the newest recruits of the Official Sugar Man Swamp Scouts. The opportunity to serve the Sugar Man—the massive creature who delights in delicious sugar cane and magnanimously rules over the swamp—is an honor, and also a big responsibility, since the rest of the swamp critters rely heavily on the intel of these hardworking Scouts.

Twelve-year-old Chap Brayburn is not a member of any such organization. But he loves the swamp something fierce, and he’ll do anything to help protect it.

And help is surely needed, because world-class alligator wrestler Jaeger Stitch wants to turn Sugar Man swamp into an Alligator World Wrestling Arena and Theme Park, and the troubles don’t end there. There is also a gang of wild feral hogs on the march, headed straight toward them all.

The Scouts are ready. All they have to do is wake up the Sugar Man. Problem is, no one’s been able to wake that fellow up in a decade or four…

Animal fantasy is often not my thing – I probably wouldn’t have picked this up if it hadn’t been a Cybils finalist. But it was a whole lot of fun, with kid appeal coming from every angle. The story is told mostly from the points of view of the raccoon Scouts and the human boy Chap. The Scouts and Chap both know that the swamp is in trouble, but they know about different things, and they don’t know that the other species either knows or is trying to do anything about it. The Scouts are scrappy young things, full of mischief and dedication in equal measure, though with their own distinct personalities. Chap has recently lost his beloved grandfather, who had lived with him and his mother. Since his death, Chap has been feeling the burden of being the Man of the Family, while also trying to solve the mysteries that his grandfather left behind in stories and in scraps in his sketchbook: his lost DeSoto, and with it, the photos he took of the supposedly extinct Lord God Bird. Short asides into the history of the swamp and its flora and fauna bring it even more vividly to life.

It only takes the reader a little while to figure out that Chap’s grandfather’s lost DeSoto is the very same car that the Scouts use as their headquarters, keeping someone on watch in it because sometimes, it comes to life and a Voice speaks words of truth from it, which the Scouts need to be on hand to hear. This kind of dovetailing comes into play throughout the story, as characters, objects, and phrases from one part of the story connect with those in another. It’s told in short, exciting chapters and vibrant, colloquial but rich language. Paths converge, objects go flying into the air, and over all hangs the rich scent of the fried sugar pies that Chap’s mother makes for a living. This is the perfect blend of excitement and humor, with a nice dollop of environmentalism.

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