Red, White & True Blue Mallory, by Laurie Friedman, reviewed by Freaky

We have several of the Mallory books here at the library, and they have not been terribly popular. Of course, neither has the book we reviewed yesterday, which we loved, so number of check-outs is not necessarily an indicator of quality.

These have all the attributes of, say, Junie B. Jones or Amber Brown which should make them appeal to younger girls, so we are inclined to think it is just lack of name recognition. We are going to start pointing them out to kids who ask for similar books, and see if circulation increases.

For those who are new to the series or who have read every title (more than a dozen) so far: Red, White and True Blue Mallory is written in journal format, which is a very popular venue these days, particularly with reluctant readers. It has more pictures than many of its predecessors, so in those respects it might make a good introduction to the series for someone who needs a little pushing.

The story itself, however, reads like a guidebook, as Mallory's class visits Washington D.C. A very entertaining guidebook, mind you, with tidbits like, "It took almost 30 years to build the Washington Monument (which is even longer than it takes my brother, Max, to finish a book report)", or "There are some very big monkeys at the [National] zoo called orangutans who know how to use a computer. HOW TOTALLY COOL IS THAT?" Mallory's enjoyment of the trip is clouded by her best friend, Mary Ann, paying more attention to a boy than to Mallory. The problem is that the guidebook part takes over the story part - in other words, it reads more like a guidebook with a story included as a way to connect the museums and monuments.

And they visit a LOT of museums and monuments. I think that is the root of the problem: when I read the itinerary at the front of the book, the list of places the class was going in a few short days made me want to crawl into my shell and hide in the mud. (Okay, the idea of traveling anywhere for four days with a class of ten-year-olds does that, but you get the picture.) For a field trip or for a chapter book, that was just too much information to try to cram in. I also - minor quibble - have to question a ten-year-old getting so excited about a loose tooth. Six, yes, ten - not so much.

So, to recap: a good series in general. The format might make it a good first choice, the content might not. Give it to girls in the 8-11 range, or young fans of American history.

Retro Tuesday: Life as We Knew It (2006), by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Publisher's description:

Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when an asteroid knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove. In her journal, Miranda records the events of each desperate day, while she and her family struggle to hold on to their most priceless resource—hope.

This book came to our attention when we read reviews of the third in the series - somehow the first two escaped our notice. Apparently they escaped everyone's notice, because we are only the second checkout for each book - and they are GOOD! We are going to be hand-selling these to fans of Suzanne Collins and Scott Westerfeld.

On the surface, they aren't as dark as the Hunger Games or Uglies series. When we passed this one on to one of our favorite teens, however, she found it more disturbing than she did the others.

While any of these series could take place in the future, this one is more immediate - it could happen tomorrow. She found the characters easy to identify with, and the daily routines and plans were similar enough to be familiar - and thus all the more jarring when they changed so drastically. It was reassuring to her to realize that her family is more self-sufficient than some already, but many of today's teens are so used to relying on technology for everything, this book may hit them harder than adults might expect.

It was also somewhat reassuring for our teen to realize that, in this scenario, it's not that the world itself ended - just, to paraphrase the title, the world as we know it now. No civilization lasts forever, and for thousands of years people have learned to adapt to whatever new civilization has come along. This series might prompt both teens and adults alike to reflect on what they may have within them that would make them one of those who would adapt and survive.

Nonfiction Monday: S is for Smithsonian, by Marie and Roland Smith, Illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen

While we are probably all familiar with Sleeping Bear's alphabet books by now, this one bears a slightly closer look to find some hidden fun - not unlike the Smithsonian itself.

We can start with the authors and illustrator: while the name Roland Smith isn't usually associated with nonfiction (this is his third in the alphabet series), it is certainly a familiar one to librarians and adventure fans (Cryptid Hunters and Tentacles, the I,Q. series, etc.) While the illustrator's name is not as familiar, it will certainly give you pause - and we thought Jon Scieszka's was hard to pronounce! No wonder, as his bio says, kids call him "Mr. Nick". Right there you have the making of a mini-lesson on name origins, elementary linguistics, geography, etc. His family's 20 years of wildlife rehab make us wonder if he doesn't have a story or two to tell himself (surely he has had some heartwarming success stories involving turtles!)

On to the actual book. Of course we have Sleeping Bear's usual quality in binding and print, and the now-traditional short poems with information sidebars. The Smithsonian is such an eclectic and HUGE collection of items, we don't know how the Smiths were able to decide what to include - in fact, on several pages, we get two items for that letter. At any rate, just like in the museums, there should be plenty to interest any reader. And yes, we said museums, plural - we did not realize that the Smithsonian is actually made up of 19 museums, 156 affiliate museums, and 9 research centers.

Did you know that the Hope Diamond, one of the most visited museum items in the world, was sent to the Smithsonian through the mail? Would you like to see life-sized replicas of a right whale or a 24-foot giant squid? How about Dorothy's ruby slippers, or Mr. Rogers' red sweater? (We weren't sure who Mr. Rogers was, which apparently made Miss Ami feel old. Just humor her and say that's cool.)

Once again, another excellent book from Sleeping Bear, sure to be a hit with kids and adults alike. Click here for more great nonfiction book reviews.

Top 100 Children's Novels

Which of these Top 100 Children's Novels, as voted on by bloggers and librarians, have you read? Since there are four of us (counting Miss Ami), we did pretty well - but there are still some embarrassing holes to fill! (The ones we have read are in bold)

100. The Egypt Game - Snyder (1967)
99. The Indian in the Cupboard - Banks (1980)
98. Children of Green Knowe - Boston (1954)
97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - DiCamillo (2006)
96. The Witches - Dahl (1983)
95. Pippi Longstocking - Lindgren (1950
94. Swallows and Amazons - Ransome (1930)
93. Caddie Woodlawn - Brink (1935)
92. Ella Enchanted - Levine (1997)
91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School - Sachar (1978)
90. Sarah, Plain and Tall - MacLachlan (1985)
89. Ramona and Her Father - Cleary (1977)
88. The High King - Alexander (1968)
87. The View from Saturday - Konigsburg (1996)
86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Rowling (1999)
85. On the Banks of Plum Creek - Wilder (1937)
84. The Little White Horse - Goudge (1946)
83. The Thief - Turner (1997) (but we have it checked out!)
82. The Book of Three - Alexander (1964)
81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Lin (2009)
80. The Graveyard Book - Gaiman (2008)
79. All-of-a-Kind-Family - Taylor (1951)
78. Johnny Tremain - Forbes (1943)
77. The City of Ember - DuPrau (2003)
76. Out of the Dust - Hesse (1997)
75. Love That Dog - Creech (2001)
74. The Borrowers - Norton (1953)
73. My Side of the Mountain - George (1959)
72. My Father's Dragon - Gannett (1948)
71. The Bad Beginning - Snicket (1999)
70. Betsy-Tacy - Lovelae (1940)
69. The Mysterious Benedict Society - Stewart ( 2007)
68. Walk Two Moons - Creech (1994)
67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher - Coville (1991)
66. Henry Huggins - Cleary (1950)
65. Ballet Shoes - Stratfeild (1936)
64. A Long Way from Chicago - Peck (1998)
63. Gone-Away Lake - Enright (1957)
62. The Secret of the Old Clock - Keene (1959)
61. Stargirl - Spinelli (2000)
60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Avi (1990)
59. Inkheart - Funke (2003)
58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Aiken (1962)
57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 - Cleary (1981)
56. Number the Stars - Lowry (1989)
55. The Great Gilly Hopkins - Paterson (1978)
54. The BFG - Dahl (1982)
53. Wind in the Willows - Grahame (1908)
52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)
51. The Saturdays - Enright (1941)
50. Island of the Blue Dolphins - O'Dell (1960)
49. Frindle - Clements (1996)
48. The Penderwicks - Birdsall (2005)
47. Bud, Not Buddy - Curtis (1999)
46. Where the Red Fern Grows - Rawls (1961)
45. The Golden Compass - Pullman (1995)
44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing - Blume (1972)
43. Ramona the Pest - Cleary (1968)
42. Little House on the Prairie - Wilder (1935)
41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond - Speare (1958)
40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Baum (1900)
39. When You Reach Me - Stead (2009)
38. HP and the Order of the Phoenix - Rowling (2003)
37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Taylor (1976)
36. Are You there, God? It's Me, Margaret - Blume (1970)
35. HP and the Goblet of Fire - Rowling (2000)
34. The Watson's Go to Birmingham - Curtis (1995)
33. James and the Giant Peach - Dahl (1961)
32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - O'Brian (1971)
31. Half Magic - Eager (1954)
30. Winnie-the-Pooh - Milne (1926)
29. The Dark Is Rising - Cooper (1973)
28. A Little Princess - Burnett (1905)
27. Alice I and II - Carroll (1865/72)
26. Hatchet - Paulsen (1989)
25. Little Women - Alcott (1868/9)
24. HP and the Deathly Hallows - Rowling (2007)
23. Little House in the Big Woods - Wilder (1932)
22. The Tale of Despereaux - DiCamillo (2003)
21. The Lightening Thief - Riordan (2005)
20. Tuck Everlasting - Babbitt (1975)
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Dahl (1964)
18. Matilda - Dahl (1988)
17. Maniac Magee - Spinelli (1990)
16. Harriet the Spy - Fitzhugh (1964)
15. Because of Winn-Dixie - DiCamillo (2000)
14. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Rowling (1999)
13. Bridge to Terabithia - Paterson (1977)
12. The Hobbit - Tolkien (1938)
11. The Westing Game - Raskin (1978)
10. The Phantom Tollbooth - Juster (1961)
9. Anne of Green Gables - Montgomery (1908)
8. The Secret Garden - Burnett (1911)
7. The Giver -Lowry (1993)
6. Holes - Sachar (1998)
5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - Koningsburg (1967)
4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - Lewis (1950)
3. Harry Potter #1 - Rowling (1997)
2. A Wrinkle in Time - L'Engle (1962)
1. Charlotte's Web - White (1952)

When Lulu Went to the Zoo, by Andy Ellis

What child hasn't dreamed of letting all the animals at the zoo out of their cages? Or wished they could take the capybaras and giraffe home with them? In that light, this story will appeal to most youngsters. Lulu is a cutie, and the pictures are fun, although a bit odd in places (are those ears or horns on the monkeys?) If used for story time, the reader might want to practice a bit first, as the rhyming text changes rhythm frequently.

Sunrise Over Fallujah, by Walter Dean Myers

This is one of those sequels where we felt slightly guilty not having read the first book yet. Fortunately, it easily stands alone, and it wasn't until we read the description of its predecessor, Fallen Angels, that we even saw how they went together. And yes, now we have Fallen Angels on our TBR list - look for a review on a retro Tuesday soon!

Publisher description:

Robin "Birdy" Perry, a new army recruit from Harlem, isn't quite sure why he joined the army, but he's sure where he's headed: Iraq. Birdy and the others in the Civilian Affairs Battalion are supposed to help secure and stabilize the country and successfully interact with the Iraqi people. Officially, the code name for their maneuvers is Operation Iraqi Freedom. But the young men and women in the CA unit have a simpler name for it:

WAR

In this new novel, Walter Dean Myers looks at contemporary war with the same power and searing insight he brought to the Vietnam War in his classic, FALLEN ANGELS. He creates memorable characters, like the book's narrator, Birdy, a young recruit from Harlem who's questioning why he even enlisted; Marla, a tough-talking, wisecracking gunner; Jonesy, a guitar-playing bluesman who just wants to make it back to Georgia and open a club; and a whole unit of other young men and women, and drops them in Iraq, where they are supposed to help secure and stabilize Iraq and successfully interact with the Iraqi people. The young civil affairs soldiers soon find their definition of "winning" ever more elusive and their good intentions being replaced by terms like "survival" and "despair." Caught in the crossfire, Myers' richly rendered characters are just beginning to understand the meaning of war in this powerful, realistic novel of our times.

This is one of those novels that sucks you into its world, and intrudes on your thoughts throughout the day. The characters are very real, and it is shattering to be reminded of how young they are as they go through some horrible situations and have to make very adult decisions. There are also a very few fun times, some moments of humanity, and very wise perceptions from young men and women who should be attending their college orientations or having pizza with their friends. Highly recommended for anyone ready for mature novels, as is anything else by Myers.

April Fool's Day Giveaway and Review: A Nest for Celeste by Henry Cole

The giveaway is not an April Fool's joke, nor is our review of this sweet book:


Cole, the illustrator of books such as "Little Bo" by Julie Andrews, is now trying his hand at authorship. We would have to declare his attempt a success. Celeste is a sweet little mouse looking for a home. She becomes friends with a young man named Joseph, who is apprenticed to James Audubon. Along with the story of her search for a home, we have Joseph's growing reluctance to kill birds just to paint them. This is a quick read, interspersed with wonderful drawings of the characters. We would give this to fans of Charlotte's Web or Avi's Poppy and Rye books.

Harper Collins sent us two review copies, so we are offering the second as a giveaway - and here is where April Fool's Day comes in. To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment with your favorite April Fool's prank, either one you played yourself, one that was played on you, or just one you heard about. What does this have to do with the book? Nothing. We just like stealing ideas from others.

Miss Ami's brother takes the prize so far this year (although the day is still young!) He announced his engagement this morning on his Facebook page. Since he has been dating the same lovely young lady for approximately 87 years, everyone was thrilled...until they realized what day it is. Fortunately, the young lady was in on the joke, or he might be finding himself in a heap of trouble right now!

We will let the staff here vote on their favorite prank, and the winner will receive their own copy of the book. We will keep this contest open until midnight April 8, so you have a full week to poll your friends for good stories. Good luck!