Hound Dog True

Hound Dog True
by Linda Urban
Harcourt Children's Books, 2011

Genre: Fiction

Honors:

• Booklist 09/01/11
• Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books starred 11/01/11
• Horn Book 09/01/11
• Horn Book 04/01/12
• Kirkus Reviews starred 04/15/11
• Publishers Weekly starred 07/25/11
• School Library Journal starred 10/01/11

Review: Having had a few bad experiences in her first year of public school, eleven-year-old Mattie is very introverted and shy. In the summer weeks before she starts school again, Mattie dreads her first day backas a fifth grader, and she begins following her uncle, the janitor at her school, around, trying to learn his trade in hopes of convincing him to let her be his apprentice during the school year: maybe that way, she can avoid other people. Then an older girl named Quincy shows up at her neighbor's house for a visit, and she seems to keep appearing in Mattie's life and may actually want to be her friend, despite Mattie's childishness. It turns out, Quincy may be older, but she may be just as unprepared for young adulthood as Mattie. Mattie keeps an honest account of her fears and her plans in her diary, and there, a remarkable story develops, one in which a frightened girl, afraid to grow up, finds a friend and faces the truth about herself.

Opinion: I really identified with the characters in Urban's story. It is hard being on the verge of teenhood when you are a very inward-facing person, and like Mattie, I was one of those awkward pre-teens who always thought I was going to say or do the wrong thing, and I wanted to grow up but I didn't know how to find myself and my voice under all of my bad experiences. Any young girl who reads this book will find a mirror of herself and, hopefully, a bit of comfort.

Ideas: I am inspired by this story, and it makes me think it might be nice to have a share-a-story event, in which participants can share an experience involving themselves or a friend, with someone who has had to face a difficult adjustment in life or overcome a trait like shyness.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (sound recording)
by J.K. Rowling; performed by Jim Dale
Listening Library, 2000

Genre: Fantasy, Book-on-CD

Honors:

• ALA Notable Children's Books 2001
• School Library Journal 09/01/00

Review: J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series is wonderful to read, even better to hear. Jim Dale lends his talent to this 20-hour, 17-disc audio book adaptation, providing unique voice characterizations and smooth narration to guide his listeners through the world of Harry Potter. In Goblet of Fire, the fourth chapter of the Harry Potter saga, the students at Hogwarts' are whispering about a secret event being organized by the Ministry of Magic. When it is revealed that several magic academies are participating in an international contest, to be hosted by Hogwarts', Harry's friends are excited and many of them want to compete; Harry, however, is distracted. His scar has recently been bothering him, and sometimes his dreams take him to nightmarish places, where he sees Voldemort and Wormtail, and he hears things he doesn't understand. Then the unexpected happens: despite a rigid rule forbidding students under seventeen from putting their name into the Goblet of Fire (the medium for entering the contest), somehow Harry's name ends up in the Goblet and is accepted as valid. What this turn of events will lead to, only time will reveal.

Opinion: Jim Dale is a very talented storyteller and performer. When I put the first disc in, I expected to hear a straightforward narrative with not a lot of variation. However, Dale does a remarkable job switching from voice to voice, from girls and boys at Hogwarts to men and women at the Ministry, to elves. And his dynamic voice is easy to follow. I listened to a lot of the book while doing other things, and I could follow along without much effort. I'm going to say that the same readers of the series would enjoy the audio book, but beyond that, readers who aren't into the series, or who may not like the books but who like the movie series, may appreciate hearing the book read aloud instead as it is an entirely different experience.

Ideas: You know how you hear music when you walk through a supermarket or department store? Why not audio books? I wonder about playing a book over speakers in a certain area of the library, or during library time at school--how would that go? Maybe older children would enjoy hearing a narrative in the background as they browse for books or other materials--especially one that is narrated by Jim Dale.

Remember the Bridge

Remember the Bridge: Poems of a People
by Carole Boston Weatherford
Philomel Books, 2002

Genre: Poetry, African American History


Honors:

• Book Links 01/01/07
• Book Report starred 09/01/02
• Booklist 02/15/02
• Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 05/01/02
• Kirkus Reviews starred 12/01/01
• New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age 2004
• Publishers Weekly 12/24/01
• School Library Journal 01/01/02
• Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) 08/01/02
• Wilson's Children 10/01/10
• Wilson's Junior High School 01/09/10

Review: "Remember the Bridge" is not only the title of this book, it is an appeal, a mantra, a lesson being passed on through a series of poems that are also historical accounts of the lives of skillful African hunters, unknowing that they themselves are being hunted, soon to be captured and sent to a new world to be slaves. There are stories of African American heroes such as Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and Bessie Smith, as well as the unnamed men and women who worked hard day and night for their masters, who dreamed of freedom, and who escaped. There are poems about quilters and laborers, soldiers, basket weavers, and storytellers, musicians and athletes. Carole Weatherford can hold her audience captive herself with the emotions, the feelings of strife and victory present in the stories her poems convey.

Opinion: There are some very vivid and passionate lyrics in Weatherford's poetry that really hooked me and pulled on my heart strings. The poem, "On the Auction Block," tells how a captured African woman who bears a child on board a slave ship is separated from her baby hours later when she, but not her child, is bought by a slave owner. It is a sad tale, mostly because I can easily imagine that she is real and that she was one of hundreds (if not thousands) of women who had this experience.

Ideas: I practiced reading these aloud to hear the words orally, and it has beautiful rhythm and flow. Would make a good addition to African American history narrative storytime.

Every Thing on It

Every Thing on It: Poems and Drawings
by Shel Silverstein
Harper, 2011

Genre: Poetry, Humor

Honors:

• Booklist 09/01/11
• Horn Book 11/01/11
• Horn Book 04/01/12
• Kirkus Reviews 08/01/11
• Publishers Weekly starred 07/25/11
• School Library Journal starred 09/01/11

Review: This recent collection of poems from the Silverstein archives is filled with absurdities and humorous complementary drawings. His poetry discusses the every day (such as moving, eating out, and playing games), the ponderings of children, creations of the imagination, situational comedy (how about a horse so hungry it could eat a child? or a monster that is afraid there is a child under its bed?), and so much more. There are over one hundred fascinating poems, from one paragraph to one-and-a-half pages in length, making for loads of laughs and endless Silverstein goodness.

Opinion: I remember reading a lot of Silverstein's poetry as a child, but for the life of me, I can't remember any specific poem that I had read. But this book and its drawings really took me back. I know that these poems click best with the younger folks, but the wonderful thing about Shel Silverstein is that children grow up remembering how much they enjoyed his poetry and they return to it again and again. I had several fourteen-year-olds requesting his books when I worked as a school librarian, and it seemed like I could not provide enough copies to satisfy.

Ideas: I would love to do a read-aloud of Silverstein's poetry, complete with audio and visual effects. It seems like a book that a storyteller could have a LOT of fun with!

Anansi Goes Fishing

Anansi Goes Fishing
retold y Eric A. Kimmel; illustrated by Janet Stevens
Holiday House, 1992

Genre: African Folklore

Honors:

• Book Links 03/01/96
• Booklist 03/01/96
• Child Study Children's Book Committee 1995
• Elementary School Library Collection 06/01/00
• Horn Book
• Kirkus Reviews
• School Library Journal
• Teacher Librarian
• Wilson's Children 10/01/10

Review: Anansi the trickster is at it again, and this time, he tries to fool Turtle out of an entire meal. Only Turtle is just a clever as his spider friend, if not more so, and he has seen through Anansi's scheme--not only that, but he comes up with a plan of his own, one that will convince Anansi to do all the work and give up all of the spoils. With the aid of Janet Stevens' beautiful full-page illustrations, Eric Kimmel retells a classic African folk tale that imparts a lesson about trying to trick a trickster. The story also alludes to the invention of the spider's web, Anansi's version of the fishing net Turtle taught him how to weave in order to catch food.

Opinion: It is hard for me to imagine anyone not appreciating folk stories that are well illustrated with fun pictures. This book is often recommended for children, but in another format, the same story could be just as interesting to young tween or even older. I got a kick out of Anansi and Turtle's constant trickery.

Ideas: Anansi is a wonderful character to include in a storytelling event. His adventures can be told with puppets, a story board, music, and traditional oral telling.

Avalon: The Warlock Diaries, Book 1

Avalon: The Warlock Diaries, Book 1
by Rachel Roberts
Seven Seas Entertainment, 2009

Genre: Fantasy, Graphic Novel

Honors: unknown

Review: This is Rachel Roberts' first comic book series and it center around three middle school girls who have unique magical gifts and each are protected by a "bonded," similar to the idea of a familiar. Like many other mages, Emily, Kara, and Adriane are on a mission to find a mythical city, Avalon. It is known as the source of all types of magic in the world, and it is only accessible through a particular sequence of portals. As the mages try to figure out the sequence, and unexpected visitor arrives, one who the girls and their familiars thought no longer existed. While the new warlock in town has magic and animals in tow, his quest to find Avalon has different motivations from Emily, Kara, and Adriane, and the actions of his servants are highly suspect. This action series comes complete with drama, cute boys, and lots of butt kicking.

Opinion: This series comes across as a sort of a tame version of Sailor Moon. It also reminds me of the W.I.T.C.H. series. Very girly and cute, so I'm doubting boys would be interested in it, but it may click with both younger and older tween girls.

Ideas: This one goes on the list of comic character heroes youth can dress up as for a super hero day at the library.

Daniel X: Alien Hunter

Daniel X: Alien Hunter
by James Patterson & Leopoldo Gout
Little, Brown, & Co., 2008

Genre: Action, Drama, Science Fiction, Graphic Novel

Honors:

• Booklist 10/01/08
• Kirkus Reviews 11/01/08
• School Library Journal 11/01/08
• Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) 06/01/08

Review: After his family is killed by criminal aliens, Daniel X, son of an alien race, assumes his father's place and takes on a list of baddies from across the universe. He faces evil alone, using the power of his mind to create his sidekicks and imagine whatever weapon he needs to get the job done. Daniel's most dangerous mission yet is to take on Number 7, one of the strongest aliens on his father's list--and also one of the least-known species, an alien poacher who is responsible for the extinction of several innocent races. But with the help of an unlikely ally, Daniel may just find a way to prevent Number 7 from carrying out his latest plan. With vividly colored drawings and corny jokes, this cartoon version of James Patterson's science fiction novel is exciting, almost impossible to put down from cover to cover.

Opinion: Some violence, though not graphic, and very mild language form the backbone of this novel. It has more mature character drawings than most mangas and cartoons, and the reading level may be on the higher side, but the overall feel of the novel is fun and little bit goofy. Vengeance and protecting others are overarching theme that many tweens can identify with.

Ideas: I'd put this one out on display during a graphic artists' workshop, or in a series of displays for novels and movies that have been adapted for graphic novels.