Cybils Finalists!

Cybils finalists are up! And this is my last Cybils post for 2011...and my first post for 2012! Anne Levy mentioned the idea of a "personal shortlist" of books that didn't make the "real" shortlist, which I think is kind of interesting, but I have to say I'm completely satisfied with our Nonfiction Picture Book shortlist. Did I have favorites that didn't make the list? Yes. But everything on the list is completely deserving and I get behind it 100%!

So, here's my take on the finalists! I'm going to make an effort to buy as many as possible of the shortlists in February, so as to have a really good Cybils award display. So this reflects my personal opinion and what I plan to purchase for the library, not the particular merits of the books which excellent judges have debated before me (-:)

Easy Readers and Beginning Chapter Books
I have lots of love for this category. It was my first experience with Cybils and I loved it soooo much! Beginning Chapters and Easy Readers are two of the top-circ'ing items in my library and I feel that they are often overlooked. Over the past few years - ever since my first Cybils experience in fact, I have worked hard on adding new and interesting fiction and nonfiction in this category and patrons have responded with enthusiasm.

• Aggie Gets Lost by Lori Ries (I'm not a huge fan personally of the Aggie books; we only own a few and their circulation is not amazing, but decent. Still, this goes on the purchase list)
• Dodsworth in Rome by Tim Egan (Again, not a Dodsworth fan. I find them too....adult? I feel the humor isn't really for younger kids. A bit too sophisticated for my audience)
• Frog and Friends by Eve Bunting (Missed this one! Looks fun though...oh, it's a series! Will buy it!)
• I broke my trunk by Mo Willems (Own of course! Looking forward to our new Elephant and Piggie Kids' Club, which is going to focus on being friends and telling stories - folk tales and puppetry!)
• Clementine and the family meeting by Sarah Pennypacker (Already own! Love the beginning of this story)
• Have fun Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke (Already owned and reviewed! These don't circulate as much as I would like, but they're popular with those who have discovered them and I've gotten some teachers interested)
• Just Grace and the double surprise by Cherise Harper (Have to admit I have not bought any Harper chapter books b/c I don't like her art style. Will skip this one because I'd have to buy the whole series...)
• Like pickle juice on a cookie by Julie Sternberg (I just don't get the popularity of this one. I really don't. But...I have a sad feeling it's my own prejudices that are holding me back. So onto the order list it goes for February!)
• Trouble with chickens by Doreen Cronin (I didn't really "get" this one either, but tested it on some kids and it was a go, so I bought it!)

Fantasy and Science Fiction (Middle Grade)
I've been focusing on realistic fiction this last year, trying not to get too overwhelmed with thick fantasy sequels. Thanks to all the panelists who picked out the best for me as I add in just a couple more things...I can't buy EVERYTHING, sadly, but I've noted which things I think will circulate best in my library.

• A Monster calls by Siobhan Dowd and Patrick Ness (I wasn't sure about this one, but a patron asked for it last month and I just bought it. We'll see how it circs.)
• Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu (It's been on my to read list for a while, but I hadn't added it to the library yet. I was sort of waiting for it to win an award....Will now put it on the order list.)
• Dragon castle by Joseph Bruchac (Another one that's been waiting on my to read list! I've gotten really behind on my fantasy reading. My kids loooove their dragons, so this should be a hit when I purchase it)
• Icefall by Matthew Kirby (hmmm, not really sure about the appeal of this in my library. Seems too...historyish? But I will trust the Cybils judges and buy it!)
• Cheshire Cheese cat by Carmen Agra Deedy (I'm going to pass this one by. I just don't see it appealing in my library. The whole Victorian/Dickens thing...uh, no)
• Inquisitor's Apprentice by Chris Moriarty (If I'm going to buy a history-based fantasy, Icefall is it, so this one is a pass this time around)
• Tuesdays at the castle by Jessica Day George (Bought it! My kids love George's middle grade fantasies. I was so disappointed that I didn't manage to read the whole thing - had to return it for the kids waiting for it and life just took over me. It's still on my to read and review list. But I loved the first couple chapters!)

Fantasy and Science Fiction (Young Adult)
I'm never quite sure what to do with the young adult collection in the area of fantasy. YA is only 3% of my total circulation, but is read by adults as well as teens and tweens. I have readers who are fans of Twilighty romances, Hunger Games dystopias, Eragon-like epic fantasies, and some who will just read anything I hand them, while others will only touch those books with covers they like. With my new budget, I receive 4 books a month from Junior Library Guild, which I feel covers the more "literary" and older young adult section, leaving me free to purchase 10 books a month that are, well, FUN. So, what have I missed this year? Probably a lot, but Cybils will hopefully fill the gaps!

• Angelfall: Penryn and the end of days by Susan Ee (I'm guessing this is the self-published book Anne Levy hinted at. Sadly, it's not available through my vendor and I rarely buy books through Amazon, so I'm going to pass on it.)
• Anna dressed in blood by Kendare Blake (Hmm, horror and mystery. I'll buy it)
• Blood red road by Moira Young (I've bought several other dystopias - and received some war-torn fiction through JLG - and I think the language in this will be too much for most of my teens. Pass on this one)
• Misfit by Jon Skovron (I can hand this to my teen and adult fans of Cassandra Clare I think. I'll buy it)
• Red glove by Holly Black (I've been trying to steer away from series, buying only the first book. But Holly Black is quite popular - she gets stolen regularly. I'll put my faith in our soon-to-be-installed security cameras and buy this one)
• Girl of fire and thorns by Rae Carson (When I read the reviews of this, I recommended it to Sara The Librarian. She was SO ENTHUSIASTIC about it, that I just purchased it and it's on the new cart in my office right now!)
• Shattering by Karen Healey (Hmmm, I remember looking at Guardian of the Dead, but I don't think I bought it. I'll go ahead and buy this one, sounds intruiguing)

Fiction Picture Books
This was definitely the most time-intensive panel I've been on, when I was part of Round 1 Judging for this group last year in 2010. I've had to miss out on a lot of picture books this year because of budget concerns and the over-crowding of our picture book section, but now that I've finished weeding the picture books and have a budget increase, I plan to go nuts with picture books in 2012!

• Blackout by John Rocco (Beautiful. So glad I bought this one)
• Do you know which ones will grow? by Susan Shea (Finally got this one a few weeks ago - instant favorite! Only used it in storytime once, but already a hit!)
• I had a favorite dress by Boni Ashburn (Illustrated by Julia Denos, so OF COURSE I bought it. Lovely new look at the "Joseph had a little overcoat" story cycle)
• I want my hat back by Jon Klassen (Have to admit I wasn't one of the fans of this book. Will break down and buy it now)
• Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell (This was moved out of our nonfiction category. I've seen LOTS of buzz for it, but have always been doubtful about picture book bios for the very young  - well, for anyone, really, but we don't want to discuss that now - anyways. I will go with the masses and buy this one)
• Press here by Herve Tullet (Bought this one. Bought it again. Plan to buy a third copy soon)
• Princess and the pig by Jonathan Emmett (Oh, this one is FUN. Just discovered it and plan to buy it asap)

Graphic Novels (Elementary/Middle Grade)
I aspire to be on this panel. Yep, I'm a panel-hopper. I didn't really discover graphic novels and comics until I was in graduate school, having confined my interest to Asterix and Tintin before that time. However, a traumatic encounter with Neil Gaiman's Sandman inspired me to read more graphic novels - preferably NOT involving serial killers - and I've become a fascinated devotee of the form. Joining No Flying No Tights as a reviewer was one of my most exciting new things this year and I have plans to expand the juvenile graphic novel section in our library in the near future.

• Hereville: How Mirka got her sword by Barry Deutsch (I loved this one, but I just don't think it will circ well for us. Oh well)
• Nursery Rhyme Comics (Hmmm, I liked this, but wasn't sure about circulation. I will go with the majority here and add this one in)
• Sidekicks by Dan Santat (Loved it! Bought it!)
• Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (Bought it, of course.)
• Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke (Oh, I did love this one. So did all the kids I have handed it to.)

Graphic Novels (Young Adult)
I've focused on manga this past year for the young adults, as I've had trouble pushing graphic novels on the older kids. But there's some really good stuff this year which I think will circulate!

• Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol (Reviewed this for No Flying No Tights - it's definitely the successor to Telgemeier's Smile. On the order list!)
• Bad Island by Doug TenNapel (I found this fascinating, but wasn't sure if the kids would be interested. Will buy it and see)
• Feynman by Jim Ottaviani (I've found this author's nonfiction fascinating, but nonfiction graphic novels are really, really hard to push, especially in the teen section, so I'll give this a pass)
• Level up by Gene Luen Yang (Might see if my director wants to buy this for the adult collection. I don't think it's of interest to the younger teens in my teen section)
• Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge (Oh, I loved this one. Love, love, love! Bought it asap after ALA Midwinter last year)

Middle Grade Fiction
This is the category I've really focused on this past year in the juvenile fiction. I felt I was emphasizing fantasy too much and really needed more realistic, funny, contemporary fiction. Let's see what I missed...

• Darth Paper strikes back by Tom Angleberger (This is a great series, popular with kids, parents, and teachers. Easy to booktalk, fun to read, with plenty of points for discussion and deeper thought. Bought it, of course)
• Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri (It's on my To Read list, but I'm not sure it would circ. Pass on this one)
• Nerd Camp by Elissa Weissman (Totally missed this one! Looks hilarious! Will buy it!)
• Friendship doll by Kirby Larson (I've got an ARC of this somewhere...it's an intriguing concept, but would be a hard sell. Will pass)
• Great wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wang-Long Shan (Passed over this when I saw it before, but another look at the reviews...I'll buy it)
• Warp speed by Lisa Yee (Read it. Reviewed it. Loved it. Bought it.)
• Words in the dust by Trent Reedy (Put it on the order list, took it off, put it on, took it off...now I'm really going to buy it this time)

Nonfiction for Middle Grade and Young Adult
This is a hard age for nonfiction. I personally love historical and archaeological titles, but kids only seem to like factoid books and sports. Somehow, we manage to meet in the middle. Let's see what Cybils is presenting...

• Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming (The only Amelia Earhart biography you will need. I need to replace our entire biography section and this is one of the first steps)
• How they croaked: The awful ends of the awfully famous by Georgia Bragg (I was satisfied with Dreadful Fates, until I read this recently. Now we need both! Ordering now!)
• Into the unknown by Stewart Ross (On my to read list, but the flaps and loose bits aren't going to work well in my library. Have to pass.)
• Many faces of George Washington by Carla McClafferty (This is one I'd enjoy reading, but I don't think it will circ. enough. Have to pass.)
• The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin (Bought this - been meaning to move it from the 973s where it ended up to the biographies, where it will circ. more, I think.)
• Unraveling Freedom by Ann Bausum (I went back and forth on buying this - fairly local author, interesting topic, but I felt the presentation was a little disorganized and it would be a hard book to push. Hmmm....I'm going to buy it)

Nonfiction Picture Books
My category! We saw, as I had expected, a lot of picture book biographies but also many other amazing books (and some less than amazing, although nothing as truly hilariously awful as some of the picture book nominations last year...) I'm excited for more nonfiction read-alouds, as it's a major part of my Preschool Interactive program.

• All the water in the world by Kate Coombs (My review here. Bought this a while ago and it is already well-loved)
• Bring on the birds by Susan Stockdale (My review here. I expect this to be as popular as Fabulous Fishes. Added to the order list!)
• Can we save the tiger by Martin Jenkins (Bought this and was initially disappointed by circ. numbers, but it seems to be picking up. My review here.)
• I feel better with a frog in my throat by Carlyn Beccia (Very fun - and gross - looking forward to booktalking this one, as soon as I buy it. My review here.)
• Planting the wild garden by Kathryn Galbraith (I've loved this one since I saw the galley at ALA Midwinter last year. I've used it in many storytimes and it's always popular. My review here.)
• Case of the vanishing golden frogs by Sandra Markle (Scientists in the Field for younger children. 'Nuff said. Haven't bought it yet only b/c it's only available in library bound. Will now expend the needed cash. My review here.)
• Thunder birds by Jim Arnosky (Amazing. Just amazing. How did I miss this earlier this year? Buying it now. Review here.)

Poetry
I sometimes feel bad that I rarely buy poetry. Well, not very often, but occasionally. We have approximately four shelves of poetry books however, which is a HUGE collection for a library our size. I simply can't justify buying more books in this area without weeding a lot - and there are so many other things that need to be weeded. And so many other things that circulate more. However, I do buy a few every year - let's see if we need another book or two in this area.

• Cousins of Clouds by Tracy Zimmer (Nope.)
• Dear hot dog by Mordicai Gerstein (Nope.)
• Emma Dilemma by Kristine George (This one I've been planning to buy and will do so - putting it in picture books)
• Requiem by Paul Janeczko (Nope)
• Self-portrait with seven fingers by J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen (Nope)
• We are America by Walter Dean Myers (Nope)

Young Adult Fiction
See remarks above about young adult fantasy. In this category, I hover between "literature" and well-reviewed titles, and chick lit romances. And I never have enough mysteries or "guy books". I'm hoping my new orders from Junior Library Guild in 2012 will help even things out.

• Anna and the French kiss by Stephanie Perkins (couldn't make up my mind on this one - will go ahead and buy it now)
• Between shades of gray by Ruta Sepetys (ran out of money for this one, but plan to buy it...oh, someone bought it for adult. Well, that takes care of that)
• Bunheads by Sophie Flack (another one I meant to buy - will go ahead and do so now)
• Everybody sees the ants by A. S. King (I'm not convinced teens will check this out. Pass on this one)
• Frost by Marianna Baer (I actually checked this out but was disappointed - my teens prefer more action and resolution in their stories. Pass)
• Leverage by Joshua Cohen (Could have sword I ordered this! Will do so now)
• Stupid fast by Geoff Herback (Got this through Junior Library Guild)

And that's the list! Looking forward to wonderful award displays and books in February!

This week at the library; or, No post-holiday let-down here!

We were closed on Monday, and I utilized the time figuring out how to fit all my bookshelves into my new (smaller) apartment. Hmmm. Sometimes it just doesn't work. Fortunately, my upstairs neighbor, Sara The Librarian, needs bookshelves...

Tuesday - held off the post-holiday letdown (not that I actually celebrated the holiday, but whatever) by spending $2,000 on books. Yay! Sent my January order early, b/c I will need lots of new books for a program, and ordered lots of new nonfiction from Bearport! Also had a staff meeting and we decided, sadly, that middle schoolers not actually "using" the library will be asked to leave. No more hanging out at the library. Sigh.

Wednesday - suddenly realized exactly how I will run my new program, the Elephant and Piggie Club. Trying to plan programs in between end of year magazine weeding, new books, etc. etc.

Thursday - Finished cleaning my old apartment, still trying to get internet for my new apartment (insert shrieks of massive annoyance and much moaning and rage), got visited by a preview company (even when I reluctantly buy stuff, I really, really dislike these companies in general. A couple of the salesguys are ok, but in general - one of the things I hate about my job is dealing with this. Would like a large sign "I DO NOT BUY FROM PREVIEW COMPANIES" to hang over my desk)

Short week! I celebrated New Year's by continuing to unpack, going to Ikea, and starting work on cleaning up my blog and LibraryThing catalog, both much neglected since my loss of internet in November. I am cautiously optimistic about the internet I have gotten from US Cellular...beware company, if you fail me a children's librarian's curse will fall upon your head!

Kids Can Press Graphic Novel Sequels and New Series

 Today, we're going to see out the old year with both new additions to some favorite series and some brand new starts. Kids Can Press's venture into graphic novels has been extremely successful. Their well-written stories, great art, and superb bindings make their small but select offerings definite requirements for any librarian's order list. Let's see how their newest offerings stack up...

In Binky's first two adventures, he successfully built (sort of) a space rocket and then ventured into outer space itself to protect his best friend from space aliens. Now, in Binky Under Pressure, Ashley Spires delivers another uniquely delightful story of a cat unlike any other. Binky's life has become routine, his daily round monotonous. Then Gracie appears. At first Binky is suspicious and very, very unhappy about having another cat in the house. Until Gracie's secret identity is revealed! Now Binky will have to prove his worth as a space cat all over again, or be kicked out of F.U.R.S.T. Does he have what it takes? Will he and Gracie ever be friends?

Verdict: This series remains fresh and funny, with new twists and characters keeping the story alive throughout this third installment. If you already have the first two Binky books, you'll need to add this one. If you missed out, add all three!

ISBN: 9781554535040; Published September 2011 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab; Purchased for the library

The Sign of the Black Rock is the next installment in Scott Chantler's exciting Three Thieves series. The first book introduced us Dessa, a young down on her luck acrobat and her two friends, the massive Fisk and thievish but not too clever Fisk. They unsuccessfully tried to burgle the queen's tower and are now on the run, with mysterious and soldiers following them all the way.

I was disappointed in this book because none of the plot lines left dangling in the first episode were cleaned up, just made more mysterious. We're introduced to a whole new cast of characters, smugglers, an unpleasant innkeeper, his abused wife, and we see some of the earlier characters return, but we're no closer to finding out Dessa's secrets than she is.

The story is fast-paced and interesting and I like the colorful art, but this book's intended audience are likely to lose interest if the story doesn't give up some secrets soon.

Verdict: Great art, and possibly interesting plot, but insanely annoying cliffhangers. An adult might hang on for more sequels (well, maybe not this adult) but most tweens will lose interest in the series quickly. I recommend waiting until the whole series - or a more substantial number of titles - are available before buying or reading.


ISBN: 9781554534166; Published September 2011 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab; Purchased for the library

Now Bill Slavin's Big City Otto, first in the Elephants Never Forget graphic novel series, is a good example of leaving enough of the story for future volumes without confusing or exasperating readers.

Otto is miserable. He just can't forget his childhood friend, Georgie the monkey, although he's been missing for a long time. Crackers the parrot suggests that they try to find Georgie, and the two of them set off for America. But finding a small monkey in the big city isn't as simple as they had thought and soon they've been separated and Otto has gotten mixed up in a notorious gang of gators. Will Otto forget his old friends, or will he prove he's an elephant and remember they need him?

The quirky illustrations have a strong comic strip flavor and the plot dances through gators bedecked with bling, sneezing elephants, gypsies, zoos, escaped animals, and the mysterious villain, the man with the wooden nose. Although Otto doesn't find his friend Georgie, he and crackers break up a criminal gang and learn that there's a lot of world out there. They end the story with a new clue and the determination to keep searching for their friend, no matter what.

Verdict: This is an interesting new series; hand it to kids who like mysteries with some funny elements in it. The talking animals may be a problem for most mystery loving kids, who in my experience like their mysteries very realistic and conventional, but this would make a fun read-aloud for a younger child as well.

ISBN: 9781554534760; Published September 2011 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab

Luz sees the light by Claudia Davila is the first in a new series, The Future According to Luz. Luz begins the story as a typical suburban kid, saving up for the shoes she's sure will make her popular, playing videogames and begging her mom for rides to the mall.

But rising gas prices, blackouts, and new friends change Luz's life. Now her family is working on buying local food and goods - which means the European shoes she longs for are out of the question. There's no more driving to the mall; she'll have to take a bus. Luz is miserable until she has a vision of what could be...and she decides to try her own project, reclaiming a vacant lot as a community gardens with local art, a park, farmer's market, and communal organic gardens. Her new friend Robert gives her shoes he designed himself and their freaky weird survivalist neighbor turns out to know quite a bit about how to make the world a better place for everyone.

The book is drawn in black, white, and brown shades. The simple art shows the rapidly changing emotions of Luz and her friends and how the vacant lot grows into a wonderful gathering place for the community.

I didn't buy Luz's sudden transformation from oblivious consumer to activist and quite a bit of the dialogue comes off as preachy infodumps. I think it would have worked better to have the information put into side panels instead of having the characters deliver lengthy explanations of what they're doing to survive the energy crisis and create a healthier, sustainable world.

Verdict: Good art and it's great to see a cast of multicultural characters, but too much lesson and not enough plot make this a rather blah read without much kid appeal. School librarians may be interested in purchasing this if their school does projects on sustainable living and it might be a good purchase for your library is there's interest on this topic in the community, as this is a good introduction for kids.

ISBN: 9781554535811; Published August 2011 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab

December Carnival of Children's Literature

Welcome to the December 28, 2011 Carnival of Children's Literature

I've marked specific holiday-related links and done a little editorializing here and there. Enjoy all the great links, ideas, reviews, and projects here and don't forget to check out January 2012's carnival at Delightful Children's Books

Book Projects

• **Holiday** Carol Hampton Rasco presents Under the Tree... at Rasco from RIF showcasing a family tradition and lots of new holiday titles.
• Eric Van Raepenbusch presents Happy Birthday William Joyce - December 11, posted at Happy Birthday Author. He has instructions for making Cocoa Moon Craters to celebrate William Joyce's birthday and his new book, The Man in the Moon, first in the Guardians of Childhood series.
• GT Laden presents Harry Potter: Books cf Movies, posted at Greg Laden's Blog. Check out some Harry Potter stats!
• My own contribution to this month's carnival is some stats on this year's Cybils Nonfiction Picture Book Nominations, posted here at Jean Little Library.
• Lisa Ard presents Struggling with a book description, posted at Adventures in Writing and Publishing. This post discusses manuscript pitch, synopsis and description.

Early Literacy

• Zoe Toft presents a review of Atinuke's newest book, The No. 1 Car Spotter and the Firebird posted at Playing by the Book. (I'm excited! I just finished the first title in this series and didn't know the sequel was out yet!)
• Catherine Nichols presents Cybils Nominee: Toys Come Home, posted at The Cath in the Hat.

Fiction: Reviews and More!

• J McManus has offered her stories about Talee, Anyia, and Nola for free at Read My Books for Free, posted at Journey of a Storyteller. 
• Ali B says novels about Vikings seem to be popular at the moment with UK publishers, and she has a round-up of her favorites, Norse Code, posted at Fantastic Reads.
• **Holiday** Read Aloud Dad presents The Ultimate Christmas Read Aloud Collection, posted at Read Aloud Dad.
• Pamela Jorrick presents her 13 year old daughter's review of Midnight Blue, posted at Blah, Blah, Blog.
• **Holiday** Amy Broadmoore presents ten excellent snow-themed picture books - and some great snow activities - in 10 Children's Books About Snow, posted at Delightful Children's Books. (Thanks Amy! I never have enough snow books for my library displays!)
• Pat Zietlow Miller presents KID REVIEW: Sophie dives into Bluefish, posted at Read, Write Repeat. 11 year old Sophie gives the high points of Bluefish and Pat offers some additional thoughts and links.
• Jen Robinson presents All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin, posted at Jen Robinson's Book Page (Who wouldn't want to read about a dystopia where chocolate is illegal? I have to buy this for the teens!)
• Margo Tanenbaum presents a book review of Jefferson's Sons: A Founding Father's Secret Children by Kimberley Brubaker Bradley, posted at The Fourth Musketeer. Margo says this is one of her favorite historical fiction releases this year - check it out!
• **Holiday** Melissa Taylor presents an Educational Gift Guide for Kids: Books, posted at Imagination Soup. She says these are her favorite and what she thinks are the best books of 2011 - and I can tell you all, there's an amazing variety! Books for very young children, funny books, craft books, graphic novels, fiction, nonfiction, it's all there. Start making notes for next year!
• Keely Parrack presents A Monster of a Writer - Newbery Ponders, posted at Fragments. "A critical analysis of the writing in the first page of A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness as part of Newbery pondering." This would make an interesting resource for a book club - especially if you have an adult book club that's interested in reading some children's literature.
• Katie Sorene presents Top 10 Children's Tales set in Magical Lands, posted at Travel Blog - Tripbase. She says this is a selection of magical children's tales, 1865 - 2002 including timeless classics such as Peter Pan and the Wizard of Oz as well as more modern publications like Harry Potter and Coraline. (Very interesting list - I love Little Nemo the movie, but could never get into the comics. Hmm, I can see lots of discussion going on here! Hop over and comment!)
• **Holiday** Jama Rattigan presents Loving Lisa Schroeder's Sprinkles and Secrets posted at Jama's Alphabet Soup. Enjoy her review and then follow the recipe for yummy cookies!
• **Holiday** Erik Metz presents a review of Santa Claws, posted at Kid Book Ratings. He says, "Tis the season to be reviewing Christmas books..." (OK, this is NOT your usual Christmas book fare! Heh heh heh)
• Debra Black presents a review of The Manual of Detection, posted at Litland (Sounds fun! I think I'll check this one out myself...)
• **Holiday**  Kate Coombs presents a YA Holiday Extravaganza of book suggestions at Book Aunt. She says, "Take a look at 9 books for YA readers--adventure, paranormal, mystery, realistic fiction, dystopian, and fantasy! Eight are new and the 9th won this year's Schneider Family Teen Book Award."
• Brenda Kahn presents a review of Bluefish by Pat Schmatz, posted at Proseandkahn.
• **Holiday**   Janelle presents Children's Books that portray Nativity sets, posted at Brimful Curiosities (An interesting collection of holiday books - check it out!)
• Amy presents all the juvenile and ya fiction she read in 2011 - and picks her favorites! Posted at Hope is the Word 
• Myra has a great list of wordless books posted at Gathering Books

Illustration

• Toni presents Duck and Goose: How are you feeling? posted at Wifely Steps. She says, "A great children's book is one your toddler enjoys and one you enjoy reading with him too!" (That toddler is definitely enjoying!)

Interviews

• Katie Davis presents Best 20 Books of 2011 posted at Katie Davis, Author/Illustrator. This is a podcast interview with two amazing librarians, Travis Jonker and John Schumacher!
• Shirley Duke presents her latest book, Environmental Disasters, posted at SimplyScience Blog. The book explains and discusses past and recent disasters and their impact on the environment and Shirley also provides some related activities.

Nonfiction

• Corinne Robson, Associate Editor presents a Week-end Book Review: Drawing from Memory by Allen Say, posted at PaperTigers Blog.
• Roberta Gibson presents Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World, posted at Wrapped in Foil. She says, "Susan Hughes takes a peek into unusual classrooms in this testament to the amazing resiliency of both education and children around the globe. This book has been nominated for a Cybils award in the MG/YA nonfiction category. (This is a very cool book! I recommend it!)
• Jeff Barger presents a Nonfiction Monday post on Catherine Sill's About Hummingbirds, posted at NC Teacher Stuff. He says, "The artwork in About Hummingbirds is beautiful. It has a great mix of easy text in the narrative and detailed facts in the back matter."
• Sarah Albee presents You Give Me Fever, posted at Sarah Albee. She says this is a post from her history blog aimed at middle grade readers, exploring topics such as the effect of insects on human history, history of sanitation, and funky fashion through the ages. (I say, when are we getting another book Ms. Albee? My middle schoolers yearn for a sequel to Poop Happened!)
• Anastasia Suen presents another Nonfiction Monday post - Booktalking, featuring two books about the sea, one tropical and the other a 50 year exploration of the cold Arctic! posted at Booktalking 
• Sandra McLeod Humphrey presents Dare to Dream Big: from social nonconformist to world renowned philosopher and writer, posted at Dare to Dream Big. Her blog is part educational, part inspirational and each week she posts a new biography of someone who overcame great obstacles to attain their dream.

Poetry

• Kathy Stinson presents An Intimate Examination of Sock Fluff - Part 1, posted at Turning the Pages: Kathy Stinson's Blog.
• April Halprin Wayland shares an original poem, "First Book" and asks readers to share memories of their first book in What Was Your First Book? Comments will help provide books for needy children through FirstBook.org. Posted at Teaching Authors 

That concludes this edition of the Carnival of Children's Literature. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Children's Literature using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page. (Yes, we have been around since 2006!) For an email reminder of the location of the next carnival and announcement when it is posted, subscribe to Booktalking.

Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

After ten years in increasingly miserable orphanages, Kate, Michael, and Emma are given one last chance at a mysterious school in Cambridge Falls.

Kate is the only one who remembers their parents and she is determined never to forget their promise to return, and never to forget her promise to care for her younger siblings. Michael is obsessed with dwarves, a book of dwarf history his only link with his parents. Emma has no memories of her parents and learned that she must fight for everything - and she does.

Strange magic, startling discoveries, trips back into time, betrayals, magical creatures, etc. etc. and so on ensue.

I read this book with mild enjoyment, but I can't see much difference from the "children without parents go on a quest" themed fantasy that seems to get churned out every month. Every book is going to be the new Big Fantasy, every one is touted to the skies, and they all seem to fall short.

This was a good read, with plenty of adventure and mystery, and although the characters were somewhat stereotypical (Kate is the Responsible Oldest Sibling With Guilt, Michael is the Quiet Middle Boy Who Knows Things and Emma is the Tough Youngest Girl Who Wants To Be Treated With Respect) Stephens flips this in a few cases as their desperate desire to have their parents back leads them to actions that betray each other. The dwarves were a humorous addition, although adding them doubled the weight of the plot, and I'm still deciding about the Noble But Aloof Natives.

Thick middle grade fantasies, the thicker the better, seem to be the order of the day. However, in my circulation statistics and in what I have observed, the market for these is rapidly declining. A small number of tweens read voraciously and can't get enough of these doorstopper books. But an even larger percentage are discouraged by such thick tomes. For example, the circulation of my juvenile series section (all thin chapter books and taking up two ranges of shelves) is about 3,000 a year. The circulation of my juvenile graphic novels (less than one range of shelves) is about 3,000 a year. The circulation of our juvenile fiction (mixture of thick and thin chapters, heavy on the thick, and cover about 4 ranges of shelving) is about 3,000 a year.

Get my point? I would like to see fewer series, and more slim volumes, like Gordon Korman's excellent quartets and trilogies of adventure stories that are broken in manageable bites. With shrinking budgets and shelf space and waning interest in reading, I'm looking for fantasies that stand out - and this one just doesn't.

Verdict: I did actually buy this one, since it hit the bestseller list and was lauded on many blogs and in reviews. I wish I'd had the time to read it first, as I now rather regret that and would recommend only buying it if you have a large population of thick fantasy readers or a generous budget.

ISBN: 978-0-375-86870-2; Published April 2011 by Alfred Knopf; Reviewed from ARC picked up at ALA Midwinter 2011; Purchased for the library

Nonfiction Monday

Please leave your links in the comments and I will add them throughout the day. It may take a little while to get them up - I don't have internet in my new apartment yet, so have to keep running upstairs to borrow Sara The Librarian's internet...

As it seemed to work well last time, I've arranged the posts by Dewey number, more or less.

500s: Math and Science (Animals, Physics)

• The Nonfiction Detectives have a review of Just a Second by Steve Jenkins.
• MacLibrary has a post on the gorgeous A Butterfly is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston
• Shirley Duke has a post with activities on her new book, Forces and Motion at Work at SimplyScience Blog

600s: Applied Technology (Inventions)

• I'm in this category with my post on Dora Lee's Biomimicry: Inventions Inspired by Nature

700s: Arts and Entertainment (Artists, Art)

• Jeanne Walker Harvey has a post on The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle at True Tales and a Cherry On Top (most libraries put this in picture books, but it could also go in the 700s)
• Anastasia Suen at Booktalking has a picture book and chapter book of the day - Winter Colors by Brian Enslow and Van Gogh by David Spence

900s: History (Biography)

• The Swimmer Writer has a post on Sky High: The True Story of Maggie Gee

Nonfiction Monday: Biomimicry by Dora Lee, illustrated by Margot Thompson

As the cover shows, this book is all about inventions modeled on nature; biomimicry, the imitation of life.

The book begins with a discussion of how humans are destroying the planet, but learning from nature a more sustainable way of life could help save it. We see inventions from the past that are based on principles found in nature; camouflage, Velcro, and even the motor.

The bulk of the book is divided into sections examined different sciences where inventions are being modeled on natural organisms - or could be. "Shaped for survival" - how about a house air-conditioned like a termite mound? "Smart Structures" - or did you know Olympic swimmers wear swimsuits inspired by sharkskin? "Magic materials" - will scientists one day be able to recreate the amazing substance of nacre, produced by shells?

These and many move inventions, past, present, future, and theoretical are presented as well as problem-solving - like observing a kingfisher to improve bullet trains or copying natural spirals to make energy-efficient, quiet fan blades.

This is a fascinating topic and I like the overall design of the book, each spread having an introduction to the particular scientific area and then a 3 or 4 paragraphs on different inventions or possible solutions. I did think the book emphasized the "we're destroying the earth" theme a little too much; it wasn't really necessary and could have been briefly mentioned in the introduction.

However, the one thing that takes this book down from "amazing" to "ok" is the illustrations. I really wanted to see side-by-side comparisons of the some of the different organisms and man-made materials and structures, but the pictures almost exclusively show the natural part of the equation. The cover was the best of the illustrations and I was disappointed that the interior pictures didn't match it. The art is textured and grainy, acrylics on canvas, and doesn't give the detail and depth I needed to better understand what was being explained. The illustrations aren't "bad" just not, in my opinion, suited to the book.

Verdict: This is a cool topic and one kids will be interested in, but the unappealing illustrations and lack of detail will make it hard to hold kids' attention. This is a nonfiction title that would have benefited from photographs. An additional purchase.

ISBN: 978-1554534678; Published August 2011 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by the publisher through Raab Associates

This week at the library; or, Happy Holidays at the library!

Basically spent Monday through Thursday finishing weeding projects, shifting books, working on marketing and publicity, and packing up and cleaning my apartment.

Most exciting things that happened (or perhaps interesting would be a better word)

• Trying to explain to a patron that Facebook really isn't the ideal medium to look up deceased relatives and friends.
• Moving all our I Spy, Look and Find, and similar books into one section. Yay!
• Whilst weeding the picture books found a book talking about a kid "diddling" his cereal. Ah, the evolution of words.
• Also found a book featured Noah's Ark, only set in the 1960s and Noah takes all the animals into a big boat because no one will listen to him and stop pollution. When everyone finally cleans up the earth, he releases all the animals and they don't need zoos anymore, because when the big cats were fighting he told them to stop because they were behaving like people and now everybody loves each other! Oh, and they don't need clothes anymore - by the end of the book all the kids are naked.
• Realizing that I was supposed to be sending press releases to the local paper all last year - I thought someone else was doing it. Doesn't seem to have harmed our numbers, since we hit 8,800 in program attendance for the year!
• Warned middle schoolers about our new policy - if you get kicked out, your name gets written on THE NOTEPAD OF DOOM and your parents get called. Two boys told me "we're sixth graders. we don't do doom"
• This policy lasted two days, then we had ANOTHER meeting, realized it was completely useless (how do we get kids' names?) and it looks like we're just going to be turning away any large groups of kids that want to hang out at the library. There's an after school place staffed by church volunteers they can go a few days a week, otherwise they're just going to have to go...where? who knows? Somewhere else. I hate this, but there seems to be no other solution. I can't fix these kids' lives, I can't make their parents care enough to make after school care arrangements for them, so the best I can do is tell them they're welcome to study, read, and use the computers at the library, but otherwise they're not welcome. We don't have enough staff to offer free after school babysitting services.

Finally, on a lighter note, a few pictures of our new parenting and I spy collections and the reorganized shelves.

Concept books and new I Spy collection, with new titles displayed above, along with drying artwork and the Art Box

Close-up of the new I Spy/Where's Waldo/Look and Find collection

Board books - now putting new stickers on new board books and displaying them

Added more shelves so the board books extend all the way around (with  flu season decor above) don't look too closely - I just dumped all the extra board books on the shelf!

New Parenting Collection, with new titles displayed

[Friday - finally moved! This apartment is smaller, so....not much space to maneuver around books and stuff. Didn't hail, but that's about all that didn't happen. Note to self - 14 ft truck was not big enough, 3 guys I hired worked hard, but needed waaaay more than 3 hours, and I need more sleep.]

Tale of two castles by Gail Carson Levine

There's no future for Elodie on her small, isolated island and her parents have made the painful decision to send her to the mainland as apprentice to a weaver. But Elodie has her own plans. She's going to be a mansioner, an actor. She's going to apprentice herself to the  mansioners in the town of Two Castles and become famous.

But things don't work out the way she plans. Her naivety, inexperience, and poverty get her into endless problems and the homely wisdom from her parents is no help. Life in the town isn't at all what she expected and she sadly realizes that not only can she not apprentice to be a mansioner, she can't afford to apprentice to anyone.

Except the dragon. Elodie is frightened but intrigued by the eccentric dragon Meenore, who also dreams of something more interesting than her jobs as a street cook and fire starter. And then there's the ogre, Count Jonty Um, feared by all the townspeople.

Elodie will have to decide what she really wants out of life and who she can truly trust if she is going to make Two Castles her home and survive the intrigues and dangers in the city.

Elodie is a lively and interesting character and Two Castles is a well-drawn fairy tale town. But I didn't care for this story; probably because I read it immediately after reading a more conventional fantasy-adventure. It reads very much like a traditional folk or fairy tale, but it was hard for me to maintain interest in the odd characters throughout an entire novel. The royal family were especially unbelievable, as though they had stepped straight out of a fairy tale. It's been a while since I read Levine's other works, so I had forgotten what her style was like.

Verdict: While I didn't personally care for this story, kids who like characters they can relate to, like drama-loving Elodie who is constantly embarrassing herself, with a topping of fairy tale fantasy will love this. Levine's writing is funny and dramatic by turns, just like Elodie, and kids will like the unexpected turns of the plot and the odd characters. Try this one on kids who don't like conventional fantasy-adventures or are already fans of Levine.


ISBN: 9780061229657; Published May 2011 by HarperCollins; Reviewed from ARC provided by publisher; Purchased for the library

King Hugo's Huge Ego by Chris Van Dusen

King Hugo may be a diminutive monarch, but his ego is monstrous. He insists on giving lengthy and boring speeches about his grandeur to his annoyed subjects and constantly boasts. But he makes a mistake when he pushes a poor farm girl into the mud...because she's really a sorceress and she demonstrates to everyone just how much power has gone to Hugo's head.

There's not much plot or characterization in this cheerful rhyming story, but children will enjoy listening to the Seussish couplets and Chris Van Dusen's rich colors always make for delightful illustrations. If you're looking for a moralistic tale on the follies of pride, this isn't it, but as a fun diversion it's, well, fun.

Verdict: Not an essential purchase, but a fun addition to your picture book section, especially if you have fans of Van Dusen's other nonsense stories.

ISBN: 9780763650049; Published July 2011 by Candlewick; Review copy provided by publisher through LibraryThing Early Reviewers