Tales from Maple Ridge: Logan Pryce Makes a Mess by Grace Gilmore, illustrated by Petra Brown

I was really interested to try this out. Firstly, there aren't a lot of historical fiction beginning chapter books and secondly there aren't many historical fiction books that feature boys. Or are there? I feel like there aren't and that girls ask for historical fiction more than boys. Anyways.

Logan Pryce loves living on the family farm and working in his "Fix-It Shop." But then there's bad news. Like many other farmers, his father is having a hard time supporting the family and will have to get a job. Logan and his three siblings and worried and scared. Will they have to give up the farms? Should they quit school and look for jobs also? Pa finds a temporary job at the store and Logan comes along to help, but he makes a big mistake by not listening to his father. Will Pa lose his job?

There is no definite end or resolution of the family's problems at the end of the story. Logan's mistake is resolved and the book ends with the future uncertain but Logan and his siblings secure in their family's love and determination to make things work. Each sibling has a defined characteristic and Logan's is his inventions, fixing and recycling things in his Fix-It Shop.

The text is simple and in a large font, just right for beginning chapter readers. Brown's illustrations were just black and white sketches in this ARC, but they look friendly and well-suited to the historical setting.

There are no specific details given about the time period or geographic location, but I would guess late 1800s or the turn of the century, certainly not much later. Which is why several details struck me as jarring. The use of the word "recycled" felt out of place. From a brief search, it looks like that word was first used in manufacturing process in the early 1920s and wouldn't come into common speech until much later. The whole concept of the Fix-It shop struck me as off. At that time period and in a rural and poor area, wouldn't the whole family be fixing and "recycling" things? The concept of someone saving junk for inventions and fixing broken things rather than throwing them away is, I think, a modern one.

Verdict: This is a decent start to a series and a fairly unique premise. Kids are unlikely to notice or care about the historical anomalies. My main quibbles are that there's more talk than action in the story, although that could be due to the first book in a series setting the stage. The other reason I probably won't purchase this is that I simply have little to no call for historical fiction for beginning readers. The few people who ask for it are perfectly satisfied by the abridged Little House chapter books. If there's an audience for it in your library, it's an acceptable purchase, but not a necessary one.

ISBN: 97814814262449; Published April 2015 by Little Simon/Simon and Schuster; ARC provided by publisher at ALA midwinter 2015

Pip Bartlett's guide to magical creatures by Jackson Pearce and Maggie Stiefvater

I'm usually a little skeptical of authors stepping out from their own genre or audience, especially if they're going "down" on the audience scale. But this was really, really fun!

Most people think magical creatures are a nuisance. But not Pip. Pip loves to learn about them, especially because she can talk to them! But nobody believes in her special talent and after some rather....unfortunate troubles with snooty unicorns, she gets sent to stay with her aunt and annoying cousin for the summer. Pip hopes that she will be able to have some safe and fun interactions with magical creatures at her aunt's veterinary office but then the troubles begin...an infestation of Fuzzles! Fuzzles are cute and harmless, until they start bursting into flame. Can Pip save the day, make a friend, and keep the Fuzzles from being exterminated? Can you even exterminate them anyways?

Maggie Stiefvater did the illustrations for this fun and quirky book, primarily in the "encyclopedia entries" that Pip reads and corrects as she meets new creatures and learns new facts. I reviewed this from a galley, but the black and white illustrations remind me a little of Ursula Vernon's fun pictures and kids who like wacky creatures will definitely be drawn to them.

Things I loved about this book: Pip is a gender-neutral character. I didn't even register she was a girl until I was halfway through, since the emphasis is on the magical adventures and problems and not her friendships and feelings or lack thereof. Tomas, her new friend, is hyper-allergic and freaks out about stuff, but he's not like the anti-stereotype boy who's kind of wimpy. He's got actual reasons for being scared of stuff and Pip realizes that. There are lots of adventures, humor and excitement, but it's not a scary or overly dramatic magical adventure a la Harry Potter. Finally, at under 200 pages it's a really comfortable length.

Verdict: There is a small but vocal group of kids at an intermediate level who really like cozy magical stories like this. It's a great example of the genre and one that I highly recommend.

ISBN: 9780545709262; Published April 2015 by Scholastic; ARC provided by publisher at ALA Midwinter 2015; Purchased for the library

Read, Read, Read, said the Baby: Baby Penguins love their mama! by Melissa Guion

This is a board book version of the 2014 picture book. Unlike some board book versions of picture books, it's not changed in any way, just formatted into a smaller layout.

There are a lot of baby penguins and every day of the week Mama teaches them something new, from sqwacking to preening. But on Sunday, Mama finally gets a rest - and a present from her baby penguins.

The art work does not work as well in the smaller format of the board book as it does in the picture book, in my opinion. Babies and toddlers need bold, definitive lines and the soft watercolor sketches are sweet but indeterminate.

Verdict: This is one that mothers will enjoy and older toddlers will pick up on watching the baby penguins, although some of the humor will be over their heads. A good mother's day or baby shower present, an additional purchase for board book collection.

ISBN: 9780399175527; Published 2015 by Philomel/Penguin; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Read, Read, Read, said the Baby: What's That? by Cocorette

 I have some reservations about the sturdiness of the flaps, but this series is so fun it's worth it!

Choo! Choo! Guess the Vehicle! features a number of, you guessed it, vehicles. Each page shows the sound and the question "What's that noise?" on the right side of the page, and a colorful animal on the left. The entire left side opens out into a page-sized flap (the edge is curved for easy lifting) showing the whole vehicle. The train says "choo choo", the tractor says "chug chug", the digger says "dugga dugga", the motorbike says "vrooom vrooom", the fire engine says "wee-oo wee-oo".

You can't really guess most of the vehicles from the sounds or the clues in the pictures, but kids really won't care. Once you've read it, they'll adore going back through and finding their favorite vehicles.

Tap! Tap! Guess the Toy! follows the same format but includes more clues. "Ting a ling" signals a bell (on a tricycle), "tap" is a hammer for a pounding toy, "crash bang" is bricks (more familiar to US audiences as blocks), "quack" is a set of rubber duckies in the bathtub, and "beep" is the hooter on a riding toy.

This was too British for my audience I think. No toddler is going to guess the sounds as part of toys and we don't use some of the terms like "bricks" or "hooter". At least, we do but they don't mean the same thing (-:).

 Toot! Toot! Guess the Instrument! is a unique title - I don't think I've ever seen instruments for this age group. Most of them are much easier to guess - the clue for drums shows the elephant with drumsticks and part of a drum, the monkey has sticks in his hands that lead to the shaking maracas, the bear is blowing on what turns out to be a trumpet, you can see part of the guitar around the hippo playing it, and the beaver's playing sticks (what do you call those things?) and a corner of the xylophone are shown. Although I'm not sure "xylophone" is seen anywhere but in alphabet books!

This is very well-done and even if kids don't know all the instruments by name, they'll be able to guess most of them with a little help. The clues, showing parts of the instruments, make a big difference.

Snap! Snap! Guess the Animal is the easiest and most familiar. There are plenty of animal guessing books out there, but this one is cute and fun. You can see part of the crocodile's jaw and hear her "snap", see the dangling tail of the roaring leopard, the blue tail feathers of the squawking parrot, the bulging eyes of the croaking frog, and the red tail of the hissing snake.

This is the simplest and will probably work the best with the youngest children as the clues are very clear and most children are familiar with animals.

The art in all four books is bold and bright, with lots of simple shapes and colors. Children will enjoy the friendly animals that populate the pages and finding different colors and shapes in the pictures.

The physical format....I'm a bit torn. On the one hand, the books are a pretty sturdy cardboard and the flaps are a whole page, not little individual ones that will get torn off. On the other hand, I foresee a LOT of lifting and turning and I'm not sure the hinges will last. Child's Play titles generally run a little more expensive - in the $6-7 range and while I'd normally say it's absolutely worth it, on these I'm not so sure.

Verdict: I think I'd get the musical instruments and animal ones to start with, see how the flaps hold up, possibly see if they can be reinforced, before investing in the whole set. They're a nice additional purchase, but the toy one is too British for most of my audience and the vehicles doesn't have enough clues for the age of the audience.

Published 2015 by Child's Play; Review copies provided by the publisher; Donated to the library

Snap! Snap!
ISBN: 9781846437489

Toot! Toot!
ISBN: 9781846437496

Tap! Tap!
ISBN: 9781846437472

Choo! Choo!
ISBN: 9781846437465

Read, Read, Read, said the Baby: Time-Out for Sophie by Rosemary Wells

This is an example of a picture book adapted to a board book that works better in that format! A rare thing for me to say, but it's true in this case.

Sophie is an adorable baby mouse. Adorably naughty that is! Yummy dinner? Oops, it got thrown on the floor. Helping Daddy? Oops, all the laundry got UNfolded. Reading a book? Uh-oh, someone is taking Granny's glasses! Time-out for Sophie until she learns a lesson....for the moment anyways.

Wells' delicate but colorful illustrations show a mischievously naughty baby that parents will snicker over and babies themselves will happily gurgle and point to. The story has a gentle, appropriate plot - Sophie is naughty, gets a time-out, then is good.

The text is a little smaller than the usual board book font and a little longer, but this is perfectly suited for toddlers who can listen to a little bit of story and will recognize their own naughty behavior in the pictures. The book is a sturdy 4x6 with borders around the illustrations to make them pop.

Verdict: An excellent choice to add to your board book collection. Even if you already have the picture book, I'd go ahead and get this one and if you're deciding between the two (not likely since the picture book came out in 2013) I'd go for the board book first.

ISBN: 9780451477668; Published 2015 by Viking/Penguin; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Hoot Owl, master of disguise by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Jean Jullien

I could have sworn I had read and even reviewed this, but apparently not, as I am sure I couldn't have forgotten something so funny.

Beware night creatures! Hoot Owl is hungry and he is a master of disguise. Watch out small rabbit, here comes Hoot Owl disguised as a....carrot! Darn. Oh well, there are plenty of tasty creatures and plenty of excellent disguises. After all, Hoot Owl is a master! Maybe?

The silly twist at the end will make readers laugh out loud as Hoot Owl finally finds the perfect disguise and the perfect prey (SPOILER: It's a pizza). The big, bold illustrations, with Hoot Owl's staring eyes and very, very serious face add to the hilarity of the goofy story with just an edge of danger.

Verdict: A perfect read for a storytime, especially with a large group. This will touch off discussions of what owls eat as well as screams of laughter. Read it in a spooky, super-dramatic voice and it will make a mildly scary read for preschoolers as well. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780763675783; Published 2014 by Candlewick; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Nonfiction Monday: Bee Dance by Rick Chrustowski

There's so much great nonfiction for young listeners coming out now that I sometimes feel like just diving in and swimming around in all the glorious books!

"When sunlight warms your honeybee wings, off you go on flower patrol!" begins this story of a bee. The bee discovers flowers, communicates with a dance, and sends the forager bees out to collect pollen.

The illustrations are bold, bright, and geometrical, a perfect fit for the honeybees' venture out into the sunshine and flowers and their hive. The cut paper collages give a childlike feel to the story and additional pastel pencil details add a note of realism to the design.

A page at the end explains in more detail how the honeybee's dance works and there is a brief author note for older readers.

The bold, simple text would make both a wonderful read-aloud and a suitable easy reader for kids starting out on their own. This is a perfect book for the youngest listeners - pair it with some dancing and a honeybee song or two for best results! It's a good book for gateway learning for older readers as well - get them interested in the idea of dancing as communication and extend it from there.

Verdict: Great for storytimes, great for a school library, great all over. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9780805099195; Published 2015 by Henry Holt; Purchased for the library

Celebrating Cybils!

It's the tenth anniversary of the Cybils and we have our awesome shortlists out for your delectation!

Complete lists, with annotations, can be found at Cybils.com

My own rambling thoughts on the lists I use most are contained herein

Elementary and Middle Grade Nonfiction

  This is the category which I preside over as organizer. We had a really great group of panelists this year and I know the second round judges have a challenge ahead of them!

• Kid Presidents by David Stabler
• I have to admit this is one that I personally disliked. However, part of Cybils is taking another look at things - so I'll be taking another look at this one!
• Fatal Fever by Gail Jarrow
• I personally find Jarrow's books fascinating. I don't think the covers are as grabby as they could be, but I have high hopes for this one and purchased it for the library.
• Emmanuel's Dream by Lauren Thompson
• I enjoyed this one, even though I'm usually pretty meh about older elementary picture books. Thompson has a light touch though and keeps the story realistic and inspiring while still making it accessible to the younger audience.
• One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul
• The enthusiasm for this one got me to take a second look (no, I am not part of the judging process - at most, I moderate, so the panelists can definitely surprise me!)
• Untamed: The wild life of Jane Goodall by Anita Silvey
• We had some really great middle grade nonfiction this year and this is one that's been very popular in my library.
• I, Fly by Bridget Heos
• I'm looking forward to using this one in storytimes.
• Guts and Glory: The Vikings by Ben Thompson
• If I'd read this before nominations this would have been nominated by me! I am absolutely wowed by this new series and have been recommending it to all and sundry.

Easy Readers and Early Chapters

  I was a first round panelist in this category and it's one I always enjoy participating in.

--Easy Readers

• Slither Snake by Shelby Alinsky
• This was my nomination and I'm thrilled it made it to the shortlist! I hope this will inspire more libraries, especially in my consortium, to purchase National Geographic pre-readers so I can use them in my beginning reader book club...
• Ling and Ting: Twice as Silly by Grace Lin
• I rediscovered this series and remembered how much I loved it with this latest title
• Don't Throw it to Mo by David Adler
• I'm very pleased to see an easy reader featuring sports and a diverse protagonist make it to the shortlist!
• Rosa Parks by Kitson Jazynka
• This is the easy reader that made me rethink my entire stance on easy reader biographies. Stunning.
• In, Over, and On the Farm by Ethan Long
• I think Long is a worthy successor to Elephant and Piggie. My review of this hasn't posted yet, but rest assured, I loved it.
• A Pig, A Fox, and a Box by Jonathan Fenske
• I always enjoy Fenske's art.
• Sofia Martinez by Jaqueline Jules
• Love, love, love it. Can't wait to order this whole series for my library.

--Early Chapters

• Dory and the real true friend by Abby Hanlon
• I felt conflicted about the first book in the series, but this one really grabbed me. I have a review coming soon.
• My Pet Human by Yasmine Surovec
• I can't wait for there to be enough copies of this in the consortium that I can use it for my book club! Loved it.
• Magical Animal Adoption Agency: Clover's Luck by Kallie George
• All the feels for George's new book! One of the few times I wish I was a child again so I could discover this.
• Big Bad Detective Agency by Bruce Hale
• This didn't click with me, but kids do love mysteries and this will definitely have an audience.
• Ranger in time: Rescue on the Oregon Trail by Kate Messner
• This is possibly the most popular title I've had in book club all last year. It hits pretty much every point of what kids are looking to read right now.
• West Meadows Detectives: The Case of the Snack Snatcher by Liam O'Donnell
• I hadn't heard of this one at all and it really grabbed me. I can't wait to introduce this new mystery series to my library patrons! Review coming soon.
• Lulu and the Hamster in the Night by Hilary McKay
• Is this my favorite Lulu? It's so hard to decide. I love it lots though.

Graphic Novels

Another favorite category of mine, although I was not involved this year.

--Elementary/Middle Grade

• Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
• Oh yeah, this one ROCKS.
• Sunny Side Up by Jennifer Holm
• I haven't been able to read this because it's always checked out.
• Baba Yaga's Assistant by Marika McCoola
• I really enjoyed this one. Of course, I love Baba Yaga....I'll definitely be buying this, but it will probably go in teen in my library.
• Dragons Beware! by Jorge Aguirre
• I didn't get around to reading this sequel, but it's a popular title in the library.
• Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang
• I'm still not sure how I feel about this one, but I bought it and it's circulating briskly.
• The Marvels by Brian Selznick
• My only complaint is that this book does not display well at all.
• Courtney Crumin vol. 7: Tales of a Warlock by Ted Naifeh
• One last hurrah for Courtney Crumrin! I keep these in teen though.

--Teen

• Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
• I have to admit I couldn't get into this one, but I have ordered it for the library and I think it will be popular.
• Ms. Marvel vol. 1
• Ordered. Circulates briskly.
• Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash
• Still haven't decided if this will circulate or not.
• Terrorist: Gavrilo Princip the assassin who ignited World War I by Henrik Rehr
• Graphic nonfiction only circulates for my younger readers
• March Book Two by John Lewis
• Adult might have bought this - I know they have the first volume.
• Oyster War by Ben Towle
• Haven't heard of this one
• Lion of Rora by Christos Gage
• Or this one

Fiction Picture Books

I wasn't involved in this category either, but I love looking at the nominations and lists.

• Last stop on Market Street by Christian Robinson
• This had a wonderful rhythm to it.
• Blizzard by John Rocco
• I know I bought it...and I remember I liked it.
• Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson
• Lovely art
• Mango, Abuela and Me by Meg Medina
• Haven't read it because it's always checked out
• Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise by Sean Taylor
• Oh, I LOVED this one! Review coming soon.
• In a village by the sea by Muon Van
• Not owned in my consortium - shall probably change that.
• Bug in a vacuum by Melanie Watt
• This seems to be one you either get or you don't. It's....different.

Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction

I'm curious to see what came out on this list - I've bought a lot of juvenile fiction in the past year, but it was almost all filling in series.

• Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes
• I've been moving this on and off the order list for a while. Time to move it on permanently I think.
• Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge
• I enjoyed the one Hardinge book I read, but it didn't have an audience in my library.
• Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon
• MY NOMINATION ALL THE LOVE YAYYYYY!!
• Wings of Fire: Moon Rising by Tui Sutherland
• Very popular at the library. Just realized I missed the last release, darn it.
• Dungeoneers by John David Anderson
• I bought this because I liked the cover. Now you know.
• Fog Diver by Joel Ross
• Huh. Haven't heard of this at all.
• Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall
• Another one that's been on and off the list.

Middle Grade Fiction

I plan to use this to populate my lists for my high-level reading group.

• Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands
• We have this but somehow it ended up in teen. The cover definitely feels more middle grade. Maybe I should take it back...
• Listen, Slowly by Thanhai Lai
• Lai is one of the most popular new authors I've been promoting. Lovely covers, lovely books.
• Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly
• I bought this because I was intrigued by the description, but I'm skeptical that any of my library kids know who the Beatles are. Alas for the younger generation.
• Book Scavenger by Jennifer Bertram
• Haven't heard of this one at all!
• Footer Davis is probably crazy by Susan Vaught
• Or this one!

Young Adult Nonfiction

I'm really working on this collection and am eager to see what they selected.

• Symphony for the city of the dead by M. T. Anderson
• I haven't had time to read this and decide if it will circulate or not.
• Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsburg and the secret history of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin
• First Sheinkin book I haven't had time to read )-:) but I did purchase it and it's actually circulated.
• I will always write back by Patricia Tilton
• Haven't heard of this one
• Tommy: The gun that changed America by Karen Blumenthal
• This was fascinating.
• Courage and Defiance: Stories of Spies, Saboteurs and Survivors in World War II Denmark by Deborah Hopkinson
• Haven't had time to read it yet, but it's on order for the library
• Give me wings by Kathy Lowinger
• Not sure if it's memoir-ish enough to circulate.
• Bayard Rustin: The Invisible Activist by Jacqueline Houtman
• Haven't heard of this one

This week at the library; or, The last of 2015

new toys! these have been waiting for....a while

Only three days of work this week - and an amazing amount of work to pack into those days, since programs resume next week! We had a huge snowstorm on Monday and actually closed an HOUR EARLY! This is huge. My library never closes. I've been busy planning programs, ordering supplies, putting together end of year reports, cleaning out stuff, updating toy bags, etc.

Also, my New Year's resolution is to read more middle grade - I'm thinking about 2 a month. Note - this is not an invitation to all publishers to send me their entire frontlist for the year. I mean, you can if you want to, I won't say no to free books, but I am still cleaning out review copies from 2013 (I am determined to start the new year, or at least the new year on Monday with an empty to read shelf).

Puppy Pirates: Stowaway!, X Marks the Spot by Erin Soderberg, illustrated by Russ Cox

I'm always looking for new beginning chapter series. Sometimes I have specific things I'm looking for; more diverse characters, easier read-alikes for popular middle grade or teen series, or a specific request. Sometimes I'm just looking to see what's new and interesting, which is why I asked to preview this new series.

Farm puppy Wally is wandering around the docks, hoping to find a real home and adventure, when two pirate pugs sail through the air and land right in front of him! He immediately decides that being a puppy pirate is for him, but the other tough puppies just laugh. That night, he stows away on their ship and meets another stowaway; a scruffy boy named Henry who also wants to be a pirate. He was thinking more of people pirates, but puppies are good too. The puppy pirates are skeptical, but agree to give them a chance and they prove themselves during battle with the kitten pirates.

In their second adventure, the puppy pirates have gotten their paws on the treasure map of Growlin' Grace and they're off to search for treasure! It will take all of Henry's pirate knowledge and Wally's courage to save the day and find the treasure. SPOILER the treasure is, of course, the promise of more adventures.

The black and white illustrations sprinkled throughout the stories remind me of an 80s cartoon featuring anthropomorphic dogs. Not that it's a bad thing, and no I can't remember exactly what it was, but they do. The illustrations are cute enough, although they contradict the story (not that it's super logical anyways) as when Henry mentions that he'll be useful because he has thumbs, but the illustrations show anthropomorphic dogs swinging on vines, holding maps, etc. with thumbs.

Although Wally and Henry, the heroes of the stories, are of course boys, there is a fairly diverse cast of both male and female puppies. The series isn't as sententious as it could be, although it does get close sometimes with the wise advice of Old Salt and the "treasure" of the second book.

Verdict: Kids who like mild adventures and cute dogs will happily devour this series. It's certainly a unique premise, although the characters and plot aren't particularly unusual. If you have pirate fans in your community, this would definitely be a fun purchase.

Published 2015 by Stepping Stone/Random House: Review copies provided by publisher; Donated to the library for prizes

Stowaway!
ISBN: 9780553511673

X Marks the Spot
ISBN: 9780553511703