Reading up a storm

Barry’s Best Buddy by Renée French

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Barry is a very “blue” bird. His house is grey and he is doesn’t seem to like much of anything, not hats and not ice cream. Polarhog, Barry’s friend comes to take Barry out for a surprise but Barry was enjoying a nap. Barry drags himself around with Polarhog. He doesn’t seem to enjoy his day much until he sees Polarhog’s sweet surprise for him at the end.

Barry is a cute round bluish-grey bird whose moping is cute and totally something a lot of kids will identify with. How many times have they been dragged to this store and that? This is a level one book for Toon Books and the story is easy to follow with words that most 1st graders will easily read. There were a few words that I know a some kids will struggle with, such as “tragedy.” I have loved nearly every Toon Book I’ve read and I’ve book-talked them to kids and adults. I think they are a great and fun way to help kids learn to read and follow a story.

Review copy of book provided by Toon Books.

Read March 11, 2013

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Out of The Easy by Ruta Sepetys

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.75 stars! Ruta Sepetys is quickly becoming one of my favorite YA authors. I loved Between Shades of Gray, as heartbreaking as it was, and I really loved Josie in this book. I literally didn’t want to put this book down and spent an entire weekend reading it (and no, I wasn’t sick).

Josie is trying to put her life together as the daughter of a prostitute and to better herself by wanting to go to college outside of New Orleans. She’s working at a bookstore in the French Quarter while also working as a maid at the brothel where her mother works. Josie is tough and quite headstrong. Her life is turned upside down after the murder of a man in the French Quarter.

Read March 8-10, 2013

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Odd Duck by Cecil Castellucci

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Reviewed for NetGalley

I have been a big fan of Sara Varon since Robot Dreams and I love her Chicken and Cat wordless picture books. And I loved The Plain Janes that Cecil Castellucci did several years ago. I was so excited to see this book and I was thrilled that I got to read an advanced reading copy.

Theodora is a duck who has original tastes and likes her routine. She enjoys drinking her rose hip tea, swimming in the pond just so, staring at the stars at night, and the quiet of her home. She’s a very content duck until Chad, the new duck next door moves in. Chad has very eclectic tastes in yard ornaments, style and has a unique personality. He really ruffles Theodora’s feathers. Then one evening he invites Theodora to look at the stars through his telescope and things change. They begin to talk and realize they have a lot more in common than they originally thought. Theodora and Chad become the best of friends until a duck with a loud mouth says, “Look at that odd duck.” Chad and Theodora assume that the duck with the loud mouth was talking about either of them, but certainly not themselves. They decide they can no long be friends. Theodora realizes that her life just isn’t the same without Chad and he realizes the same.

This is such a wonderful story of friendship especially about those friends who may be different and were made fun of, but they are a true friend despite what others say. Sara Varon’s artwork has the great quirky qualities that her other books have, including funny things she points out within the page. There is a reference to Robot Dreams hidden in one of the images that was so fun to notice.

I hope these two collaborate again because this is such a fun book!

First read December 3, 2012.

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The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Madness Underneath picks up a few weeks after The Name of the Star leaves Rory. Just as she recovering from her nearly dying at the Ripper’s hand. She is now a terminus and can elimate ghosts on contact. Rory is trying to put her life back together and soon finds out from her therapsit that she’ll be returning to Wexford. She moves back to Wexford and discovers that the Shades are responsible for her move back to London. They need her help in their ghost-fighting squad. There have been new murders that can’t be explained and Rory may have the answer to help solve these murders with a deadly twist.

The pacing of this book in the series wasn’t as fast-paced with spine-chilling ghosts as The Name of the Star. There is a lot of character development with Rory dealing with her new ability as a terminus. The historic elements of the Bethlam Royal Hospital added a creepy element to the story, especially since the hospital actually existed.

The ending was set up perfectly for the next book in the series. I hope there more ghost encounters in the next book. The ghosts in this book weren’t as threatening as othe Ripper in the previous book, though that definitely doesn’t mean they were any less destructive.



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The Artful Parent is about introducing more art into yours and your child’s life. As an arty children’s librarian and as someone with no children, I fully expected to have more art projects for younger children through older kids. There was more text about how to put more art in your life than there were projects to help your kids learn about the world through artwork. Many of the projects seemed a bit more involved than many kids I know have the attention span for.

I think there will be parents who will find something valuable in this book but many people I know who would pick this up are already doing artwork with their kids and would have appreciated more art projects.

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Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas by Jim Ottaviani

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

** Reviewed for Netgalley.com, Electronic Advanced Reader copy provided through NetGalley by the publisher **
I loved this book! (4.5 stars!) The three life stories of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas are told in one fascinating graphic novel. Each individual woman’s story is told, how they each became interested and came to work with their respective primates. One figure, Louis Leaky, seemed to have played a role in all of their lives, the passion for their interest and work was recognized by this one gentleman.

The artwork is beautifully done by Maris Wicks and having seen photos of the finished book on the First Second website, it’s going to be more beautiful in person. The colors are perfect for the setting that each scientist is working in and the chimps, gorillas and orangutans are all drawn and colored in such a way that you want to cuddle them but also see the dignity of the creatures.

A great continuation of the books about Jane Goodall that came out a few years ago, for example Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell, while also introducing other great women scientists to kids who may not know Dian Fossey and Biruté Galdikas. I had known about Dian Fossey from the movie, “Gorilla’s in the Mist” but had no idea Biruté Galdikas had studied orangutans. This could be a great biography and a bibliography is included to help kids, parents, teachers and librarians who to learn more about the individual women.

One thing I noticed was missing was Dian Fossey’s murder, it’s mentioned that her life was cut short. Her dear gorilla friend, Digit, was killed by poachers and her anti-poaching efforts earned her many enemies but murder is never mentioned. That may have been intentional considering the age group this book is written for but I think young teens could have handled it.

Read January 18-19, 2013

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Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! Laura Vaccaro Seeger really took the concept book to a whole new level with this book. Each page is about green, something green, a shade of green. I was so impressed with the first few illustrations with the forest and the sea. The texture of the paint on canvas was so striking, it wasn’t until I was a few pages in that I noticed there are cut-outs on each page that correspond to the page before it and the page after. The most stunning was the table of peas that becomes the tiger’s eyes on the next page.

I wish on the copyright page it indicated her technique or medium.

This is an amazing book and what a great way to show kids all of the different shades of green around them. I would love to see a Red book and a Blue book too.

Read January 10, 2013

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Bear Has a Story to Tell by Philip C. Stead

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A beautiful and simply sweet book. The story is so sweet about Bear who wants to share a story with all of his friends but they are preparing for winter. Finally when spring comes and all of his friends are gathered round he can’t remember his story but he has a new story to tell.

The illustrations are soft with some very broad brush stokes that make this a stunning book. I found myself reading the story and then looking at the illustrations a second time to see how they were done. I love the Stead’s books!

Read January 10, 2013

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Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There are books that are difficult to read because of violence, killing or something else but you can’t stop reading because you want to make sure someone is okay. I experienced it with A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah and I experienced it again with this book.

Arn’s family is torn apart when the Khmer Rouge soldiers arrive in his village. Sent to a work camp he does everything he can to keep himself and others alive. He is recruited to play in an instrument when he’s never played a note in his life. This may be the one act of the Khmer Rouge that saves him for a while. Later he is pulled into becoming a soldier to save his own life.

Patricia McCormick has written another powerful, gripping story that reads as if you are by Arn’s side experiencing the horrible destruction of his country and the brutal killings of its people. It’s a fictionalized version of Arn Chorn-Pond’s life told in a very authentic voice after many interviews with Arn. Definitely a book that will be with me for a long time. Highly recommend with the caveat that there is a lot of very realistic violence.

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Let’s Meet a Librarian by Gina Bellisario

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*Reviewed for NetGalley.com*
What is a librarian? Meet Mr. Field. He’s the school librarian. He can help find a book about almost anything you’ve ever wanted to learn about. As a librarian, he’s also a technology whiz.

A very simple book for preschool-age and early elementary students. This is a very simplified description of my job as a librarian but I think it’s a good introduction for kids. It shows them that we do more than just check out books.

Read December 3, 2012

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