Anya’s Ghost

Anya’s Ghost
by Vera Brosgol

Anya is a teenage girl who is nothing what she wants to be.  Afraid of being seen as “fobby” (fresh off the boat), she tries to distance herself from anything that might connect her with her very Russian heritage.  One day, while thinking about all the things that make her furious, she missteps and falls down a tunnel.  In this tunnel is Emily, the ghost of a young woman who fell down that tunnel almost 100 years ago.  For some reason, Emily is very eager to help Anya.  First, she gets her out of the hole.  Then she starts helping her change her appearance, be noticed by the popular crowd, and even bring her grades up.  But as Anya changes, she wonders if maybe these changes aren’t for the best.  But how do you get rid of a determined ghost who wants to change you?

I wish I had a lot more to say about this book than “I really liked it.”  But I did, and I can’t really describe why.  The story was kind of eerie.  There was a little mystery, but not a lot and I like it that way.  And the illustrations gave it a Gothic-y noir tone which set the mood for the whole thing.  It’s not a scary story, but if you like books along the line of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, you’d probably really enjoy this, too.  It’s kind of like its older teenage sister.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Stupid Fast

Stupid Fast
by Geoff Herbach

Felton Reinstein has always been a bit off.  His little brother is crazy good at the piano.  His mom is a hippy.  And his dad committed suicide.  He’s either been ignored or bullied by almost everyone in the neighborhood until the summer he is 15.  That’s when he gets stupid fast.  Stupid fast, stupid strong, and stupid hairy.  He doesn’t understand it, but it makes him all of the sudden be noticed by the jocks and noticed by a particular new girl in town who is even crazy better at the piano than his brother.  This situation seems great, except that being stupid fast makes Felton’s mother stupid crazy.  While trying to maintain the cool image outside, his home life is falling to pieces.  None of it makes sense.

I don’t normally read sports stories.  I couldn’t care less about football.  But I’d heard good things about this book.  And here is what I agree with: it’s a great book for guys who don’t like to read.  It’s about a popular topic; and it’s not written in complicated language – it sounds like Felton has some kind of developmental disability and he’s not altogether there.  Or maybe he’s just socially awkward given his upbringing.  But he’s got a very relatable voice, one that I recognized in some young men I knew growing up.  This book definitely has a gender bias and I probably wouldn’t recommend it to too many girls.  But there’s enough adrenaline in this book to keep a guy powering through to the end.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

So B. It

So B. It
by Sarah Weeks

Heidi doesn’t know a whole lot about her family.  She has her mother, So B. It, who is mentally incapacitated and only knows 23 phrases.  And she has Bernadette, her agoraphobic neighbor who raises her and homeschools her and helps her with her mother.  She doesn’t know about her father or her grandparents or even where the name Heidi came from.  Her quest for this knowledge about her own life consumes her.  It stems from one of her mother’s words: soof.  She can’t figure out what it means or who it means.  When she finds a picture of her mother, pregnant, a woman who is possibly her grandmother, and an address that goes along with it, Heidi is determined to cross the country to figure out who her family is and who she is.

It’s really hard to describe this book in a short paragraph – it packs a lot between the covers.  This was recommended to me by one of my coworkers.  It is beautifully written with characters you want to get to know.  These are people I came to care about in the few pages I was with them.  Heidi is also inexplicably lucky, and it was interesting to see how her luck played out in the story.  Each chapter is one of So B. It’s 23 phrases.  I don’t know in what order Weeks picked them, if she wrote the story first and then picked the words or had the words in mind and then built a story from it, but either way, it’s enchanting.  If you’re not the fantasy fluff type, this book might just be the thought-provoking, heart-playing read for you.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Fins Are Forever

Fins Are Forever
by Tera Lynn Childs

Warning!!! Contains spoilers for Forgive My Fins!!!

Just a few short days after returning to land with her beloved Quince and every intention of renouncing her mer-crown, Lily’s world is rocked yet again.  Who should show up on her aunt’s doorstep but her annoying, malicious baby cousin, Dosinia?  This is bad news.  Doe hates humans and everything about them.  The truth is, she’s been exiled by Lily’s father from the ocean and cannot return until Lily says she has learned to appreciate humans.  This could not come at a worse time, as Lily has to study for the SATs now that she plans on staying on land.  For the cherry on top, Doe has gone and bonded herself to none other than Brody, Lily’s former long-term crush.  What’s a soon to be former mer princess to do?

As cheesy as it was, I really enjoyed the first Fins book.  I wish I could say the same about the sequel.  I found Lily to be obnoxious this time around.  I don’t get that Brody all of the sudden has a change of heart toward her (even before the bond), and Quince is also kind of too melodramatic.  Overall, not nearly as good as the first.  But still, there’s a lot of fun in imagining the world of Thalassinia, like how a mermaid’s ballgown would look.  If you liked the first, you don’t necessarily need to read the sequel.  You’ll probably be disappointed too.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Compilations of Animal, Bird, and Aquatic Animals Group Names

A Drove of Bullocks and A Filth of Starlings
by PatrickGeorge

Did you know that a group of zebra is called a “dazzle”?  Or that a group of gnus is called an “implausibility”?  Sure, you probably knew that a group of ravens was called a “storytelling,” but what about a “fever” of stingrays?  Both of these books contain interesting names of animal groups with even more interesting silhouetted interpretations.  You’ll never look at a “litter” of kittens or a “pod” of dolphins the same way ever again.

I think these books are fascinating!  With only a short paragraph of information about each animal group, the books are dominated by the artwork.  PatrickGeorge has taken liberties with the English language and had a lot of fun displaying these animal groups.  Whether it’s a hidden army of caterpillars in camouflage or an assemble-at-home kit of pigeons, kids will be entertained and educated in these two fabulous books.

Alpha Oops!: The Day Z Went First

Alpha Oops!: The Day Z Went First
by Alethea Kontis and Bob Kolar (illus.)

Z was tired of always going last.  So this time he jumps in front!  This gets the other letters thinking they want to mix things up a bit and try a different spot in the alphabet (except for H, who likes her spot).  Things get out of hand and letters start getting jealous of each other.  Z has to keep everyone under control if they’re ever going to get to the end… or the beginning.

First, a little aside as to how I heard about this book.  I was talking with a man from a local bank who was coming to do a program at the library.  While unfortunately no kids showed up, we ended up talking awhile about some really cool subjects, including his friends who have written New York Times Bestsellers.  Yeah, this would be one of them.  So I told him I’d check it out.

It’s a great book for early literacy, at least once kids already know their alphabets.  The author and illustrator graciously keep track of the letters who have already gone at the bottom of the page.  But the illustrations are full of objects that kids can pick out and name, whether or not the author has already done so.  A fun puzzle and game with 26 distinct characters to enjoy, I definitely recommend this picture book.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

This Plus That: Life’s Little Equations

This Plus That: Life’s Little Equations
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace (illus.)

Every day is made up of several combined moments – some are happy, some are sad, some are in between.  Every emotion is made up of combined experiences.  Rosenthal’s and Corace’s equations make up every day life for two friends.  For example chalk + sitting = school.  But chalk + jumping = hopscotch.  It’s all about how you look at things.

This is a cute little concept book.  It made me think of one of my very best friends (and she knows who she is ) from the very first page.  Some of the equations will make sense to little readers and listeners while some might be a stretch.  However, you could derive (pun intended) a really interesting activity from it for early elementary ages, asking them to come up with their own equations.  And while I didn’t care for all of the equations, I am 148% on board with Rosenthal’s theory that “anything + sprinkles = better.”

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Greek Myths

Greek Myths
by Ann Turnbull and Sarah Young (illus.)

In this collection of Greek myths, Turnbull assumes the reader already knows some Greek mythology.  While some of the myths are very well-known to most children (e.g. King Midas and the Golden Touch), many will probably be new.  She doesn’t get into the creation or origination of the Olympians a great deal.  Instead, she focuses on the interrelations between a lot of the myths concerning mortals and demigods.

The D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths was probably one of my favorite books as a child.  It’s well told, well illustrated, well laid-out, and doesn’t shy away from some of the more gruesome aspects of the mythology.  Turnbull and Young’s offering tries to follow in that vein, and that’s a good thing.  Upon opening the book, my first thoughts were along the lines of “This is a nice book.”  It’s just laid-out very nicely with the amount of text and the BEAUTIFUL artwork.  This book was as much a pleasure to look at as it was to read.  There were also some myths in here with which I was not familiar, which pleased me.  I love when I can learn something new.  The only criticism I have of this book is that the myths do not seem to be organized.  They sort of are in broad categories (e.g Monsters and Men), but there wasn’t an excellent structure to them, which keeps it from being a 5-star book.  I do, however, like how she ended it, with Pandora’s jar and Hope comforting humankind.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

My Mom Has X-Ray Vision

My Mom Has X-Ray Vision
by Angela McAllister and Alex T. Smith (illus.)

Matthew thought his mom was just like all the other moms.  Well, all except in one key area.  He was certain his mom had X-ray vision.  How else could she know what he was doing all the time?  So one day he puts his theory to the test.  If his mom can see him do this, than it’s certain she has super powers.

I thought this book was pretty cute.  There’s lots of opportunity for interactive reading, the storyline is funny, and the illustrations are bright.  While I didn’t find it wow-ing in any of these elements, it’s still a solid picture book that kids and parents can enjoy.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Mirror

Mirror
by Jeannie Baker

In this practically wordless picture book, a day in the lives of two boys are compared side-by-side.  One is growing up in a city in Australia, the other in a village in Morocco.  They are shown doing chores, running errands with their fathers, helping to make dinner, and relaxing.  The book is meant to be “read” both left-to-right (as in English) and right-to-left (as in Arabic).  As you open the book, you see both worlds side-by-side and how similar they are, even though they are worlds apart.

It’s really hard to describe this book without being able to show it to you.  This author spotlight on Baker shows what one of the pages looks like when it’s open.  It’s absolutely beautiful.  As I was going through this book, I was simply in awe over the all of the details and the concept of this book.  Being wordless (except for the introduction, both in English and Arabic), kids who speak any language can discover these boys’ stories.  The art is incredible.  You will be blown away by this book.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.