Nonfiction Monday: Lerner's Food is CATegorical series by Brian P. Cleary

  Fun read-alouds about the food groups, who'd a'thunk it? Each of the books in this series is written in a snappy rhyme, imparting information about food group members, serving sizes and nutrients simply and memorably. Creative teachers (or their students) might even try memorizing the text as a rap, or setting it to music. (Note: teachers may, however, not want to encourage pantomiming, with lines such as : Milk strengthens your teeth, making two healthy rows. At times, when you laugh, it comes out of your nose!)

The illustrations, by Martin Goneau, are very cute and add to the energy of the text. We have to admit, until we looked at the series title, we didn't realize they were all cats, but that doesn't detract from the fun at all. Many of them just looked more like little gremliny creatures to us, biting an annoyed-looking cow on the butt, or sporting a hair net while preparing cheese.

These cute little cat/gremlins offer other salient facts efore and after the main text, including more concrete examples of what an actual serving of that food group is. A great series for any elementary school classroom or library! We give them a

5 out of 5.

For more great nonfiction reads, hop over to MotherReader.

The Summer I Got a Life by Mark Fink

The Summer I Got a Life
Mark Fink
WestSide Books
978-1-934813-12-6
Copy borrowed from the Library

Andy Crenshaw, 15, is about to have a summer he didn't expect. He lives in the shadow of his good-looking, athletic older brother, Brad, and they don't get along. Lately they only agree on their excitement over their upcoming trip to Hawaii. But the family's plans change at the last minute, packing the boys off to rural Wisconsin. They'll be stuck with their wacky, free-spirited aunt and uncle - on a farm with no cable TV and internet.

Things start looking up when Andy scores a date with Laura, a cute teenage local celebrity pianist, and even Brad's impressed. Laura's amazing: besides her late night jam sessions at a local jazz club, she's the funniest, little-bit-crazy girl Andy's ever met. He's shocked at first to see her in a wheelchair, but nothing stops Laura - her killer bowling skills leave Andy in the dust.

Meanwhile, Andy and Brad share a series of misadventures and narrow escapes that move their brotherhood to a whole different level. It all adds up to a summer no one will soon forget.

If you want a believable story, skip it. If, on the other hand, you want to have FUN, then by all means pick this up! Even while we were thinking "Yeah, right," we were snorting with laughter. In fact, Freaky snorted so hard he got water up his nose, and contrary to popular belief, water turtles are not built that way. It kind of reminded us of this scene:

Darryl was laughing so hard he started to cough. But then he started to choke, and he seemed to have trouble breathing.

"S**t. Maybe we should do CPR," I said.


"I'm not putting my lips on Snot."


"Fine, I'll do it. Is it four breaths and two compressions, or two breaths and four compressions?"


"You're asking me? You know I suck at math."


"Is he looking a little blue to you?" I asked.


"He always looks a little blue to me."

See? A little juvenile. Sometimes a little over the top. But very very funny. Or, maybe we are just juvenile and over the top. At any rate, we think it's a book both boys and girls will enjoy, and after some of the stinkers we have read (and declined to review) lately, it was a welcome change.

Two minor quibbles: One, the cover doesn't fit. It makes it look like a much more serious book than it is, and while the title is catchy, there is nothing about the picture that would grab a teenage boy's attention and say, "Hey, there's funny stuff involving chicken poop in here!"

Two, and this is a very MINOR quibble that most people wouldn't notice but a copy editor should have caught and we probably only did because Miss Ami was a copy editor at one point: page 104, it was 'specially' built for her, not 'especially' built for her. See, that is SO minor, we are embarrassed to even mention it, but it was bugging Miss Ami so much we have agreed to humor her.

Other than some very mild swearing, this is a refreshingly 'clean' book you can give to just about everyone. We give it a

4 out of 5.

You are the Best Medicine by Julie Aigner Clark

You Are the Best Medicine
Julie Aigner Clark
HarperCollins Childrens
978-0-06-195644-7
Review copy sent by publisher

This. book. is. beautiful.

There are a few picture books out there to help kids with sick parents (Hair for Mama, for example, is one of our favorites), but nothing we have seen comes close to this one. Mommy explains to her daughter that she has cancer, and what that will mean in the future - she may be tired, she may be scared or sad, her hair may fall out, etc.. These are things children need to know about ahead of time, because things can be much less scary when we know what to expect and why they are happening.

Clark is absolutely brilliant in pairing each of these things with a happy memory Mommy has of her child:

For a while I will have to take medicine that makes me feel bad, and this medicine will make all my hair fall out. I will look different.

But I will laugh when I remember your own sweet little baby head, how round and bald it was, and how warm it was on my lips when I kissed it every day.

The entire tone of this book is one of love and hope. Jana Christy's warm and cheery illustrations, any one of which could be a print on a nursery wall, are the perfect complement. The overall result is a book adults can use to share some potentially sad and scary information with their children in a way that ends with laughter and hugs rather than tears. If you are a librarian, you MUST have this on your shelves! Oh, and ALL of the author's portion of the proceeds go to Breast Cancer Research. We give it a definite

5 out of 5.

Heist Society by Ally Carter

Heist Society
Ally Carter
Hyperion Books
978-1423116394
Borrowed from Library.

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre...to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria...to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own--scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving "the life" for a normal life proves harder than she'd expected.


Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster's art collection has been stolen, and he wants it returned. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat’s father isn’t just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.



For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it’s a spectacularly impossible job? She’s got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family’s (very crooked) history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

Despite coming from the other side of the law, this new series by the author of the Gallagher Girls books has more in common with it than not. As such, it will appeal to most fans of the Gallagher Girls - those who enjoy quick reads with lots of action, humor, and a bit of romance, but who aren't overly burdened with the need for plausibility.

Kat is a very likeable character, but even with her background taken into consideration, she is a bit too poised and worldly to be a believable 15-year-old. Despite hearing her age early on, she was fixed firmly in our minds as at least 17. The story started slowly for us, and it wasn't until Kat walked into the bad guy's lair that we started becoming intrigued. There is some definite cleverness in the main heist at the end, and a history lesson concerning the Nazi theft of famous artwork added a bit of depth to the story.

It is unfortunate that there wasn't as much depth in the characters. We found them less three-dimensional than those in the Gallagher Girls books, and in fact saw a lot of crossover. Zach has a different name and background, for example, but he's still an obvious Zach.

There were other intriguing elements in the story that it appears will be built on in future titles, so that we look forward to. We hope we will also see the characters become a bit more real to the reader, and this series become more distinguishable from the other. A fun read with potential, we give it a

3 out of 5.

Carter's Big Break, by Brent Crawford

Carter's Big Break
Brent Crawford
Hyperion
978-142311243-3

This book was written for adolescent human boys.

We are not adolescent human boys.

We have, however, encountered enough adolescent human boys in our collective lifetimes to be able to say with conviction that Carter is, in fact, a very typical adolescent human boy. Is every male teenager exactly like Carter? No (they can't really all be that clueless, can they?), but we think every teenage boy we know would identify with Carter, recognize his thought processes, and enjoy his story. While we, not being adolescent human males, did not quite identify with said thought processes, we could recognize them (so that's what they're thinking about when they're obviously not listening!)

This, btw, as the parent of a teenage girl, concerns Miss Ami greatly. Said teenage girl will be allowed to date in T-minus 9 days, and already, in fact, has a date for that night. Dating, unfortunately, seems to involve typical teenage boys, a creature that scares many otherwise brave adults. (Public notice: Miss Ami has guns. Several of them. And lives on the National Forest, which has LOTS of places to bury a body. Just sayin'.)

This is the sequel to "Carter Finally Gets It," and as we follow Carter into the summer after his freshman year, we have to wonder how much he actually 'got'. From the first page:

I studied so hard last night, I thought my brain would fall out. But it didn't, and I aced that sucker with a D+!...(his teacher) gave me a nod and said, "Imagine if you'd applied yourself like this all year, Mr. Carter." I laughed at his joke, returned the nod, and replied, "Yeah!" as I headed for the door.

Erm...Carter...never mind.

In short time, Carter has managed to alienate his friends, get dumped by his girlfriend, hurt his father, and - oh, yes, score a starring role in a major Hollywood film. The latter should be the easy part, right? Okay, this is Carter we are talking about.

It is easy to get frustrated with Carter, but at the same time he remains a very likeable guy. He's not a bad sort at all, he just...doesn't always think. He chooses the wrong people to take advice from, doesn't always recognize what's going on around him, and can be a bit self-absorbed. He really does care a great deal about the people around him and how they are feeling, he just doesn't always see how his actions relate to that. In other words, he is...can we say it one more time? A typical adolescent human boy.

Put it on your shelves for the teenage boys, and steer the fussier mothers away from it. We give this one a

4 out of 5.

Random quote we would like to see on a bumper sticker: "ADD is easier to spot in other people...and much funnier."

Nonfiction Monday:Animal Adaptation series from Lerner, by Sheila Anderson

       

One of the most common questions you will hear from young children when you are reading something particularly interesting to them is, "Is it real?" Nonfiction is huge with the lower elementary set, especially (and please don't bash us for being sexist, because it's true) boys. Trucks, space, dinosaurs, and animals, animals, animals!

Unfortunately, there has been a trend for a long time to skip the science in younger grades - reading and math are SO much more important, we have too many phonics and flashcard drills to do to mess around with science and social studies, except for maybe half an hour on Fridays. By fifth grade, when standardized tests start counting those subjects and we start trying to make up for lost time, many of the kids have lost interest.

Fortunately (hmm, this is starting to read like a popular old story), publishers have started listening to the poor beleaguered teachers waving their hands and saying, "Can't we COMBINE reading and science? I mean, isn't that how we know kids learn best?"

Enter the nonfiction books we refer to at our library as "Junior Readers". These aren't new by any means, but the quality has improved SO much in the past 5 or 10 years - both in substance and in appeal. This is one such series. The pictures are clear and beautiful (we want a porcupine!), the text is just right for, say, a first grader, without sounding too choppy or dull. "Fun Facts" at the end provide just a little more trivia, and a short glossary and index offer an introduction to the parts of a nonfiction book.

Know what animal we would like to see in books of this type, though? People. Not just because many small children don't realize that people are mostly animals (we have known a few that more resembled vegetables), but because children who have grown up exclusively in one type of habitat sometimes don't realize people live amongst the scorpions and roadrunners, or the bighorn sheep. That's just personal commentary, not a negative reflection on this series.



We live in a somewhat unique area that includes all three of the above habitats - in a forest on a mountain range that surrounds a desert. In any given day Miss Ami may see a mountain lion, a skunk, and a deer on the way to work, where she may have to shoo a gecko away from the door. Our young patrons are sure to enjoy this series, and we will be ordering the rest of the titles (covering grasslands, lakes, and the ocean) shortly. We give them a

5 out of 5.

Don't forget to check out the other nonfiction Monday posts.

Chapter Book Mini-Reviews

Our "to-review" pile is beginning to take up way too much space on our desk and in our brains, so today we are offering several mini-reviews of YA and Middle Grade Fiction books. Some of these (not all) have been nominated for Cybils awards this year - have you nominated your favorites yet?

Change of Heart

Sheri Maurer

Westside Books

978-1934813362

Borrowed from the library

     Emmi, 16, is focused on soccer and a new crush, when she discovers a recent virus has affected her heart - to the point that she now needs a new one. We follow her through the wait for a transplant, medical procedures, her frustration at the limitations it has placed on her, and how it effects her relationships with those around her.

     We got to know Emmi's character well, and many of the feelings and experiences she had rang true. Having vicariously experienced a major organ transplant recently through some friends, and having had a terminally ill child, some parts of the story jarred. To a reader without similar experiences, however, those parts would probably not be noticeable.

     We loved Abe, and the scenes he was in were definitely the best. We have to ask publishers/editors/authors everywhere, however, WHY must there always be a love interest??? The character of Sam could have been left out entirely, and the story would have been all the better for it. There was a lot of character development that could have been much more interesting if it weren't constantly being sidetracked by the obligatory boy trouble. 3 out of 5.

Only the Good Spy Young

Ally Carter

Hyperion

978-1423128205

Borrowed from library

     See here for our earlier review of the Gallagher Girls series. The main theme of this one seems to be not knowing who you can trust. The usual fast pace and funny lines. Boy trouble. Good friends. Some surprising revelations at the end. (Note to self: when giving the book to your teenage daughter, be prepared for the "What??? No!!! squeals, or you will spill your coffee.) A fun way to spend an afternoon, and sure to please those who have been waiting for the next installment. If you provide books for teens and haven't purchased this series, you need to catch up quickly. 4 out of 5.

Noonie's Masterpiece

Lisa Railsback

Chronicle Books

978-0811866545

review copy provided by publisher

     Noonie, age 10, is a slightly eccentric, undiscovered artist. When an art contest is announced, she is thrilled, until she hears the topic: a family portrait. Since her mother's death she has lived with her aunt, uncle, and cousin ("Just because they're related doesn't make them family"), while her archaeologist father travels the world. Noonie misses her father terribly, and comes up with creative diseases (such as Purple Principal Pneumonia) to bring him rushing back to her side, but he never stays for long. Can she paint a family portrait of just herself? Her focus on what she doesn't have almost causes her to miss what she does.
     Noonie isn't always completely likeable, but that adds realism to a character who is going through a lot of personal growth. While some other characters are less three-dimensional, and we usually complain about that, it works here because Noonie is at an age where everything is all about how she is feeling.
     Noonie's constant companion is her copy of Masterpieces of Art, and information about various famous artists is sprinkled throughout the story. Complimenting the theme nicely are Sarajo Frieden's pen-and-ink drawings (very 1960's) and some font changes here and there. Might be a good read-aloud for an elementary school class, or a good gift for a misunderstood artist. 4 out of 5.

Tune in next week for more mini-reviews, and don't forget your Cybils nominations!