Contest Winner and a New Summer Read

Congratulations to Tabatha Yeatts-Lonske!

Tabatha's name was unscientifically but randomly chosen from among everyone who commented on my upcoming blog-lift. She gets a signed copy of my poetry chapbook, Mountain, Log, Salt and Stone.

I kicked off the summer with a visit to ALA, where I picked up more ARCs than I could carry.

One of my favorites was the middle grade novel The Kneebone Boy By Ellen Potter. It comes out next month from Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan).

Here is my review of The Kneebone Boy, recommended for ages 9-12.

What was your overall impression of the book?
The Kneebone Boy has Gothic elements (“orphaned” English children on the run, a family mystery), but the adventures of the Hardscrabble children never veer into fantasy or horror and the children are never really in danger. While the book’s cover art looks foreboding, the narrator’s voice is full of light ‘tween sarcasm that gives the novel humor and heart.

The story in one sentence?
When their father takes off unexpectedly, the three Hardscrabble children fend for themselves in London, track down a long-last aunt, and try to solve the mystery of the mysterious Kneebone Boy.

Who were your favorite characters and why?
My favorite characters were Lucia Hardscrabble and Great Aunt Haddie. One of the originalities of this book is that one siblings is acting as author/narrator on behalf of all three. The reader is invited to guess which one. My guess was Lucia (she’s the only girl in the family -- I could relate). Since I found her voice to be funny, sweet and a little cynical, I liked Lucia.

Great Aunt Haddie is a fun supporting character. You can feel this wild, careless and caring young woman growing on the Hardscrabble kids. Her American oddities – like eating PB&J sandwiches for dinner – are endearing to the kids. She is a complex, interesting character you’d want to know in real life. And hooray! she doesn’t step in and rescue the children, but lets them work things out for themselves.

What were your favorite parts of the story?
One of my favorite parts of the book is the setting of its second half. Great Aunt Haddie lives in a castle folly. I’d never heard of castle follies before. The castle folly takes a Gothic element that is normally sinister – a dark and dreary castle with a dungeon for the children to sleep in – and turns it on its head, making it fun. I could say that of most of the novel.

Here is a castle folly in England that you can rent for your next vacation:

What did you like about the graphics/cover?
Here’s the problem: the cover is gorgeous.

It made me want to pick up the book. There are three ominous, steely eyed children standing in front of a threatening forest. One (the eldest Hardscrabble) is holding a black cat. It reads Gothic, maybe fantasy. That's the problem.

The Kneebone Boy is closer in tone to Jeanne Birdsall's Penderwick novels. Even the dark school uniforms the children wear on the cover disappear before Chapter 3. Is this cover a fair representation of what you’re about to read? I’m not so sure.

Would you recommend to a friend? What would you say?
I've already handed the book to my 10-year-old. The Kneebone Boy is a fun book, with a family story both sad and heart-warming at its center. It straddles several genres and styles, most of the time successfully. Middle grade readers who haven’t yet encountered Gothic novels probably won’t be expecting to see Gothic tropes here, but I was. That's why it gets...

Three Scoops

Summer Reading  Score
Empty Cone – Didn’t like it.
One Scoop – It was okay.
Two Scoops – Pretty good.
Three Scoops – Great book.
Sundae – I want to read the whole series. Now.

Summer Reads: A Tale Dark & Grim

If it's made of paper and words, my ten-year-old will read it.

Mystery and fantasy are her favorite genres. She devoured the entire Sisters Grimm series, by Michael Buckley. So I was excited to pick up a book for her at ALA called, A Tale Dark & Grimm, by Adam Gidwitz.

It comes out from Dutton in November. The ARC I picked up is marked "Ages 10 up/ Grades 5 up," but my daughter found it way scary. I'll have to read the book myself to see what bugged her, but I'm guessing this one is more fantasy/horror than fantasy/adventure.

Here's my daughter's feedback:

What was your overall impression of the book?
It's a tie between likes and dislikes. It involved quite a bit of blood and some stuff that people would think very disgusting and horrifying. What I liked about it, though, was that in some parts it was very humorous.

The story in one sentence?
Hansel and Gretel's true creepy life, including adventures like getting their heads cut off and killing a dragon.


Who were your favorite characters and why?
The three ravens can tell the future and they're in a way like narrators. They were cool. I liked that they could tell the future. That was a really neat idea.

What was your favorite part of the story?
When they killed the dragon, I liked that part. I can't tell you about it, because it would ruin the whole book.

What did you like about the cover?
It looks interesting. It's not an every day thing to see two trees with ghoul faces and a girl holding a sword with blood on it.

Would you recommend to a friend? What would you say?
I wouldn't recommend this book to anybody unless they don't get scared by violence and blood and stuff like that. If they're okay with that stuff, I'd say this is a pretty good book for them.

Mom says: You may want to check out another review here, or read the book yourself before handing it to kids on the younger end of 5th grade. You know best what your individual child can handle.

Miss J's Score: Two scoops.

Summer Reading Score Cheat Sheet
Empty Cone – Didn’t like it.
One Scoop – It was okay.
Two Scoops – Pretty good.
Three Scoops – Great book.
Sundae – I want to read the whole series. Now.

Summer Reads: Single Voice Flip

I know for some people ALA is  all about free ARCs...

but one conference perk nobody talks about -- great eavesdropping!

I picked up a book published by Annick Press because I overheard one of the editors raving about it.

Annick has a five-book series called "Single Voice." It's a cool concept. Each book has two YA short stories (printed in super-huge font). The stories are back-to-back, so when you're done reading one, you flip the book over for the second story. The series seems like a good fit for reluctant teen readers.

I read "Nothing but Your Skin" by Cathy Ytak, with a B-side, "The Pool Was Empty," by Gilles Abier. Both stories are YA for sex, language and themes. Both were translated from French.

What was your overall impression of the book?

The two stories were quick reads (less than an hour each). Don't look for the depth of a novel here. They are definitely short stories where a teen tells the reader about one life-changing event.

The story in one sentence?

• "Nothing but Your Skin" -- a developmentally disabled girl, whose parents don't see her as a whole person, gets caught having sex.
• 
  
• "The Pool Was Empty" -- after being acquitted of her boyfriend's murder, shallow teen Celia examines their relationship.

Who were your favorite characters and why?

Lou, the narrator of "Nothing but Your Skin" is the most fully drawn character in both stories. I liked that she was an unreliable narrator, because of her disability (she doesn't share her specific diagnosis). Lou's understanding of her parents' limited and limiting view of her is heartbreaking.

What were your favorite parts of the story?

Both stories open with big drama ("Skin" -- the lovers getting caught, "Pool" -- the court room), then retrace how the teens ended up in trouble. That tactic worked well for both pieces. I also loved the setting of "Skin," especially the characters' sexual encounter on a frozen lake's surface -- beautiful.

What did you like about the cover?

The whole flip concept is appealing. Teens will feel they are getting two for the price of one. What they're actually getting is two strong short stories, padded by large font and clever marketing.

Would you recommend to a friend? What would you say?

This one is for upper high school. I have a young friend going into 9th grade. She'd love both stories, but I wouldn't want to be the one handing this book to her -- too racy, with f-bombs. Still, "Nothing but Your Skin" in particular offers a lot to think about. I'd like to see that one expanded into a novel.

SCORE
"Nothing but Your Skin" Three Scoops (expanded to novel length, it could be a Sundae), "The Pool Was Empty" One Scoop (with sprinkles).

Overall: Two and a half scoops.



Review Cheat Sheet
Empty Cone – Didn’t like it.
One Scoop – It was okay.
Two Scoops – Pretty good.
Three Scoops – Great book.
Sundae – I want to read the whole series. Now.

ALA & ARC Reviews: Amulet

Yesterday, my friend Jen (on extended maternity leave from Howard County library), her 13-year-old daughter and I headed to the American Librarians Association conference in Washington, DC.

In the name of literature, we braved crowds on the Metro headed for DC's Caribbean Festival. It was totally worth it.

For $25 we bought floor passes for the ALA exhibit hall. The publishers are incredibly generous -- giving out ARCs (Advanced Readers Copies), posters and other swag to librarians and attendees. The giveaways help build advance press and sales for soon-to-be-published books.

One editor staffing the Random House booth even took the time to explain my friend's daughter exactly what an ARC is. And many editors helped point out novels-in-verse (for me to share with schools I visit) or books they fell in love with themselves.

The kids and I have our summer reading cut out for us. But I'm making them (and me) earn these books. My 13-year-old son, 10-year-old daughter and I will be reviewing the ARCs I brought home.

Here's our Summer Reading scoring system:

Empty Cone – Didn’t like it.

One Scoop – It was okay.

Two Scoops – Pretty good.

Three Scoops – Great book.

Ice Cream Sundae – I want to read the whole series. Now.




My son, a rising 8th grader, is up first with his review of a graphic novel.

Amulet Book Three: The Cloud Searchers by Kazu Kibuishi.
(Uncorrected Proof provided by Graphix, Scholastic, pub date 9/2010)

Overall: Interesting, since it was the third book, I really had no clue what was going on, but as I kept reading I basically got the picture. I liked the magicky part of it and the whole future era/otherworld airship thing, with animals (pets in our world) that talk and help you along in the story or try to destroy you. The magic part makes it fun.

Story in one: This group --  a human family, a fox, a robot, two elves and two cats -- tries to get to a flying city, hoping to find people who can help them save their world from being destroyed by evil elves.

Fave characters: The human girl because I can relate to her most, because I have a younger sister (and she has a younger brother).

Fave part of story: I liked the part when the bad elves were chasing them out of the city because it was exciting. There was action and stuff.

Graphics: They looked real.

Recommend it to a friend?: The whole graphic novel thing is pretty cool and most of my friends like graphic novels.

SCORE: I call it a Sundae!

 More ARC reviews -- and hopefully, more sundaes -- to come.