My favorite books of 2013

In previous years I have done top ten lists of my favorite books, but this year I had too many favorites so I'm just going to break them down by category. If there's a link it takes you to the review I wrote of the book here on the blog.

Picture Books:

Journey by Aaron Becker
In the year of the wordless picture book, this one stands out above the rest. If I were a betting woman, this is where my money would go for the Caldecott award. 

Tea Rex by Molly Idle
I love fish out of water stories. And you can't get more fish out of water than a tyrannosaurus rex at a tea party.

The Man with the Violin by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Dusan Petricic
Based on the true story of when world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell played 45 minutes in a DC metro station and virtually no one stopped to listen. Since music has such an emotional impact on me, this is one that made me cry.

Wilfred by Ryan Higgins
This one touched me more than I expected it to. In fact, it made me tear up at the end. A wonderful, heartfelt story about a boy who finds a friend in a big, hairy monster.

Red Hat by Lita Judge
When a few woodland creatures spot a red hat hanging up to dry, they can't resist taking it down and playing with it... only their good-natured mischief gets them into a pickle. I ADORED this nearly wordless picture book.

Bogart and Vinnie by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Henry Cole
I am utterly and completely biased since Audrey is my friend, but her books are just so darn clever. In fact, we became friends because I told her how over the moon I was over her books. I like to surround myself with brilliant people, what can I say?

Ball by Mary Sullivan
You will only find one word in this entire picture book but that one word communicates so much coming from a dog. Sullivan communicates everything I love about dogs in her word and pictures, like enthusiasm, hopefulness, and loyalty.

 
Battle Bunny by Mac Barnett and Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Matthew Myers
I'm a fan of subversion --in books and in the classroom-- and it doesn't get more subversive than Battle Bunny.


Middle Grade:
 
Hold Fast by Blue Balliett
I loved the characters and I loved how Balliett weaves the work of Langston Hughes into the story. If I were still in the classroom this year Hold Fast would have no doubt been a class read aloud. 

Every Day After by Laura Golden
A quiet little gem of a novel. But don't mistake quiet for weakness. Lizzie Hawkins is one fierce leading lady.


The Nazi Hunters by Neal Bascomb
A gripping nonfiction that doesn't read like a book, but rather makes you feel like you're watching a spy movie. 


Young Adult:

Level2/The Memory of After by Lenore Appelhans
In September the name of this novel changed from Level 2 to The Memory of After due to potential readers' confusion that the 2 in the title meant it was a sequel. Lenore is another author I consider a friend and so perhaps that makes me biased, but it also made me nervous to read this too. What if I didn't like it? Well I'm here to tell you I LOVED it. It's such a unique concept and I loved that she pulled in elements from both theology and mythology to support her world building of the hive-like place known as Level 2. 

 
Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis
Hatchet meets The Road. A completely gripping tale of post-apocalyptic survival with a fierce main character.

Smoke by Ellen Hopkins
A beautiful conclusion to Burned. I am both haunted and satisfied with how Pattyn's story ended.


Graphic Novels:

Bluffton by Matt Phelan
Beautiful graphic novel about Buster Keaton's summers in Bluffton, Michigan near Lake Michigan, told through the eyes of a fictional narrator, Henry. Definitely my favorite graphic novel of 2013, maybe of all time. I love how Phelan uses few words, choosing instead to let the pictures do most of the storytelling.

Relish by Lucy Knisley
A YA graphic memoir that celebrates food and travel? What's not to love? You have seen the title of my blog, right? ;)


Adult fiction:

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
I can't remember the last time I read an adult novel where I was so utterly spellbound. So many gorgeously written passages that I had to mark them as mentor texts.


Professional Books:

Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller
A brilliant follow-up to The Book Whisperer. An absolute must-read for anyone who is invested in good reading instruction. 

Fearless Writing: Multigenre to Motivate and Inspire by Tom Romano
A writing book that will compel you to change and action in your own teaching. Another must-read if you teach English.


Honorable mention:

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
This book was published in 2012 but I read it in 2013 and I couldn't let a favorites list go by without mentioning it. When I met Saenz at ALA in June I couldn't even tell him how much I loved the book because I got so choked up. 


What were your favorite books of 2013?

Every Day After by Laura Golden

Lizzie Hawkins has bigger problems to worry about than the school bully, Erin Sawyer. Like the fact that her daddy abandoned the family, her mama is paralyzed with sadness, the bank is about to take their house away, and Lizzie must now be the caregiver to her own mother. Soon, however, Erin's bullying goes beyond the schoolyard and doesn't mince words when she makes it known that she's determined to see Lizzie end up in the orphanage. But Lizzie already lost her daddy; she's not about to lose her mama too, and will do whatever it takes to keep them together.

Every Day After is a beautiful novel that is the very essence of what Laurie Halse Anderson calls resilience fiction. Lizzie is a fighter and is someone who will put you in mind of the great historical fiction characters of Jennifer Holm novels like Turtle from Turtle in Paradise or May Amelia in Our One and Only May Amelia.

While the novel started off a bit slow and I wondered where it was going, I'm so glad I stuck with it. I loved that the end didn't tie up all loose ends but left the readers feeling more than satisfied. I could see this one being a surprise Newbery winner next month. Newbery committees seem to gravitate towards this type of historical fiction novel with the message of resilience. And it just so happens that there's lots of room on the cover for an award sticker. In fact, I personally think it looks kind of bare without one if I do say so myself.

I'm so glad I met Laura at ALA this past summer because if I hadn't, I'm fairly certain that this little gem of a novel would have passed me by. Laura was so sweet and charming and just an all-around wonderful person that I couldn't let the opportunity pass me by to read her debut novel. Based on her ability to write such a fierce, determined female character, I hope she'll be writing many more books in the years to come. 


Every Day After by Laura Golden
Published: June 11, 2013
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 224
Genre: Historical Fiction
Audience: Middle Grade
Disclosure: Purchased Copy

Recipe for Adventure: Paris! by Giada De Laurentiis

Goodreads summary:
When Zia Donatella comes to live with the Bertolizzi family, little do Alfie and his older sister Emilia know what's in store for them. Zia Dontella is determined to show the kids how a home-cooked meal is better than even the best take-out pizza or burrito. And when Zia's plan actually transports Alfie and Emilia to famous food cities around the world, they learn first-hand how food can not only take you places but can also bring you back home. Alfie and Emilia are transported to Paris, where a case of mistaken identity finds them caught up in the behind the scenes drama at a traditional French cooking school. As they explore the beautiful city of light and try to figure out how to get back home, they meet an incredible cast of French characters, as well as sample some of the best pastries and real hot chocolate that Paris has to offer.


This is the second book in the Recipe for Adventure series, the first one being Naples! While I enjoyed the first book despite feeling that it lacked a clear writing voice, Paris! felt way too much like Laurentiis was trying to create a children's version of The Next Food Network Star with this story. I was especially irritated that the kids were at a cooking school in Paris and without any actual cooking instruction, were asked to create a meal for a famous chef. The kids then prepared and talked of their dishes like they had already received their culinary education. In addition, there was too much talking in platitudes that you often hear Laurentiis, Bobby Flay, and Alton Brown spouting on Food Network Star ("You should never tell your guests the hardships you have to endure to prepare their meals.") and it was written too much like an adult story with children as the characters.

As much as I love Giada and the message she wanted to get across with these books (introducing American children to REAL food rather than the processed crap they're most likely eating every day) the delivery felt heavy-handed and inexperienced. A story like this would have never been published without the celebrity name attached to it.

What I DO like about these books is communicating the idea that food can transport you to a place. I wish that had shone through in the story rather than the heavy-handed platitudes. As of now, I doubt I will be continuing with the series.


Paris! by Giada DeLaurentiis
Series: Recipe for Adventure #2
Published: September 3, 2013
Publisher: Grosset and Dunlap
Pages: 144
Genre: Magical Realism
Audience: Middle Grade
Disclosure: Library Copy

The Animal Book by Steve Jenkins

Every so often an informational book comes along that doesn't put me to sleep. The Animal Book by Steve Jenkins is one of those books.The information presented in The Animal Book is the type that you would find in a textbook, but somehow it manages to be engaging and accessible rather than dull and lifeless.

All I can say is what a beautiful work of art Steve Jenkins has created. As someone who is not usually a fan of books filled with nothing but facts rather than story, I couldn't help but find myself hypnotized by Jenkins's gorgeous paper collage art. Despite the fact that an informational book of this type would normally be filled with color photographs, it was a huge risk for Jenkins to create it using nothing but paper cutouts. And yet, it would not have had the same impact had the illustrations been real photographs, which is a testament to the artistry and diligence of Steve Jenkins. I look at the 200+ pages of this book with its multitude of illustrations on each page and think to myself: how did it not take him fifty years to put this book together? It is one of the most unique books I have had the pleasure of reading. If I were still in the classroom this year I'd be seeing this book passed around from hand to hand without ever making it to the bookshelf, I am sure of it. 


The Animal Book by Steve Jenkins 
Published: October 29, 2013
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pages: 208
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Middle Grade/Young Adult
Disclosure:  Library copy

ARC review: The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

Do I even need to review this book? Seriously. It's Laurie Halse Anderson. I mean, really. Who isn't just going to buy this book based on the name alone? Even the cover designers knew that when they made Anderson's name the most prominent feature of the cover. You know you've made it as an author with the name on the cover is more important than the title.

But just in case you need to be convinced to read The Impossible Knife of Memory, here is the lowdown:

Hayley Kincain has never been to high school before. For the past five years Hayley and her father Andy have been on the move, never settling down in one place for too long, almost as if they were on the run. In a way, they are on the run: from Andy's haunting memories of his time serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. But eventually Andy realizes the need for Hayley to have a normal life so he decides to move back to his hometown and put down roots so Hayley can attend school. Eventually, Andy's old habits get the best of him, turning to drinking and drugs to try to silence the demons that haunt both his dreams and his waking life.

Hayley, too,  is battling some demons of her own while trying to be strong for both herself and her father. Despite her failing grades and her "fish out of water" feeling at school, Hayley makes friends and even meets a boy who seems to be into her. But while Hayley continues to skip school and dig herself deeper into an academic hole, her father is digging himself deeper into a pit of despair and destructive behavior. Hayley thinks she can help her dad on her own, but it soon becomes clear that she needs some help. The problem is, Andy refuses to get help and his veterans benefits don't exactly make it an easy process even if he were a willing participant. But one thing is clear: if Hayley doesn't do something to change their circumstances, there isn't much hope for either her future or her father's.

The Impossible Knife of Memory gives a much-needed voice to teenagers living in families with a parent battling PTSD. Its inspiration stems from Anderson's own personal dealings of her father who returned home from World War II with deep-rooted emotional scars. As Anderson said in her keynote at the ALAN workshop in November, she doesn't write contemporary fiction, she writes resilience fiction, and Hayley's story is one that adds to Anderson's canon of beautiful and important resilience literature. It is her most personal work of fiction and one that she is quite open with her readers about how the story came to be. This is a book I see winning many awards and honors as 2014 comes to a close. I feel privileged to have had the chance to read it before its official publication date. And I am ridiculously excited that Anderson is coming to Michigan as part of her book tour. Big authors just don't come to Michigan in January. I don't blame them. Who wants to possibly get stuck in a snowstorm? So it seems an embarrassment of riches all the amazing authors that are coming to Michigan next month, with Anderson being at the top of my list to go see even though I just saw her at ALAN. It doesn't matter that I just saw her though. When you have an opportunity to see Laurie Halse Anderson, you take it.



The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
Expected Publication: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Viking
Pages: 371
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Young Adult
Disclosure: ARC acquired at the ALAN workshop at NCTE

Picture book review: Knock Knock by Daniel Beaty, illustrated by Bryan Collier

A few years ago I was looking for some spoken word poetry performances on YouTube in the hopes of motivating my students to put passion and expression in their own poetry performances. Every April I had my 6th graders memorize and recite a poem of their choosing. It was then that I came across the young Daniel Beaty's Def Poetry performance of "Knock Knock"

I was so moved by this performance that I just knew I had to show it to my students. I imagine if Langston Hughes lived in the 21st century, he'd sound a lot like Daniel Beaty. Out of all the spoken word poems I have shown my students, this one garners the most discussion and curiosity.

Some students ask, "Wait, so what happened to his dad?"
Others confidently respond, "He went to prison."
I push their thinking further by asking, "What does Beaty say in the poem to leads you to believe his dad is in prison?"

And soon students are asking me to show the performance again so they can pick up on the details they missed the first time. Last year my students were so moved by this performance that many of them felt genuine compassion for Beaty and wanted to know more of his story.

So when I discovered that Beaty had turned his spoken word poem into a picture book I was elated. And knowing the story of the poem, I was already deeply affected by the book just by the cover alone. Bryan Collier's illustrations add an extra layer of emotion to Beaty's words. I will say that as much as I loved this picture book rendering, Beaty's spoken word performance is still more powerful in my mind. Because of his need to tweak some of the point of view to make it more appropriate for a picture book telling, some of the impact of his original message is diminished. But for younger kids, it is still a powerful story. I will be absolutely shocked if this book doesn't receive a Coretta Scott King nod in January. The only reason it might not is because it will be published so late in the year (December 17th). But even still, you can't deny what a worthy award-winner it would (and should) make.

Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty, illustrated by Bryan Collier
Expected Publication: December 17, 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 40
Genre: Picture Book
Audience: Primary/Middle Grade/Young Adult
Disclosure: Copy acquired from publisher

Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller

Teaching is a career that can burn you out and drag you down. With so much political fervor in the education world today, not to mention faux research being purported as fact, it's hard to feel inspired anymore. That's where a book like Reading in the Wild stands out. Not only has Donalyn Miller done her research, but she has found a way for teachers and students to be inspired by learning again. And she doesn't just want it. She has found a way for you to do it in your own classrooms.

When I read The Book Whisperer almost four years ago, I felt inspired and empowered as a teacher. I knew the words I was reading about giving kids their reading lives back were important and just what educators needed to hear. I have never regretted a single day of completely changing the way I teach after reading Donalyn's first book.

But I, like Donalyn, initially lamented over the fact that once my students left my class, they stopped reading voraciously. Ever increasing homework demands coupled with lack of free reading time in their new classrooms left most former students barely reading five books a year, let alone the forty Donalyn invites her students to read under her tutelage. But Donalyn, being the ever reflective teacher that she is, recognized the need to pinpoint what behaviors lifelong readers possess and wanted to figure out a way to instill those behaviors in her students. How could she move her dependent readers to become independent readers. Thus Reading in the Wild was born.

I can't even begin to tell you what an important book this is. You just have to experience it for yourself. But I will say this: not only is Reading in the Wild inspiring, it is also practical. Donalyn shares her methods and her means of execution, sharing reproducible forms in the back of the book for you to use and implement in your reading workshop to help start you on the path to creating wild readers in your own classrooms.

If you teach reading in any capacity, please pick up this book. And when you're finished, give it to your administrators to borrow. The conversations about creating lifelong readers need to be happening among more people than just teachers. Administrators are the ones responsible for where the money goes and Donalyn has advice and recommendations for the people controlling the purse strings too.

It amazes me that when I first read The Book Whisperer, I didn't even know who Donalyn was, and now after following her on Twitter and meeting her at conferences, I can say that one of my teaching mentors has become a friend. That might make me biased about what an important book I think Reading in the Wild is, but I want to point out that it also shows how accessible Donalyn is to her readers and fellow teachers. I am grateful for The Book Whisperer and Reading in the Wild, but I am equally grateful for how available and amiable Donalyn is outside the pages of her books.

Follow Donalyn on Twitter: @donalynbooks

Review cross-posted to my teaching blog Use Your Outside Voice

Reading in the Wild: The Book Whisperer's Keys to Cultivating Lifelong Reading Habits by Donalyn Miller
Published: November 4, 2013
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
Pages: 273
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Teachers
Disclosure: Purchased copy

Audiobook review: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

They said I must die. They said that I stole the breath from men, and now they must steal mine. 

In 1828 Agnes Magnusdottir was charged with the murder of two men in Illugastadir, part of northern Iceland. Awaiting execution, the District Commissioner sends Agnes to a remote farm to live with the family of Jon Jonsson. The family is anything but happy to be housing a convicted murderer, but as her execution nears and Agnes slowly begins telling her side of the story to the priest she has chosen to be her confessor, the family realizes that perhaps Agnes isn't the monster they initially believed her to be. As the months go by and Agnes's death looms, Jon's wife and daughters wonder if there's anything they can do to save her before it's too late.

Burial Rites is Hannah Kent's debut novel, but she writes like a seasoned author. Her prose is dripping with vivid, haunting descriptions but not to the point where it seems overindulgent. Kent weaves seamlessly in and out of third person and first person narration, with the condemned prisoner of Anges taking on a first person narrative.

Agnes Magnusdottir was a real person convicted of murder and put to death in Iceland. She was in fact, the last person to be put to death there. Kent had a long fascination with Agnes Magnusdottir ever since she traveled to Iceland on a Rotary Exchange as a teenager. The author's note at the end of the book along with her acknowledgements show the vast depth of research she did to write this novel, but in reading the author's note, you get a sense that Kent's research began as something she was interested in learning and grew into an idea for a novel much later. Kent's use of language throughout the novel is both stark and poetic. I don't know if I would have enjoyed reading about Agnes Magnusdottir coming from any other writer. From the first few pages, you immediately get a sense that Kent was meant to tell this story.

It's not often that I read adult fiction anymore, finding YA and middle grade much more satisfying, but I was intrigued by the stark setting of 1800s Iceland. Having just returned from a trip to Iceland back in June and knowing what a bleak history the country has, I was curious to read a historical novel set there. Burial Rites did not disappoint. It is easily one of my favorite books of 2013. That is also in part because of the brilliant audio narration by Morven Christie. Her voice was like being cloaked in silk. She was both soothing and austere at the same time. While I initially began my journey with this book from the print galley I received ALA back in June, I soon decided that while I was enjoying reading with my eyes, reading with my ears might help me finish the book sooner. I'm glad I did because reading the book on my own didn't give me the same satisfaction as listening to the audio did. Christie's voice transported me to 1800s Iceland better than I think I could have done from just reading the words on the page.

I would highly recommend Burial Rites to anyone who loves historical fiction. However, don't let an aversion to the genre prevent you from picking this book up.  Just like Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, I think this book transcends genre preferences. Even readers who don't like historical fiction can find themselves swept away by the narrative Kent has created. 

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Audiobook narrator: Morven Christie
Published: September 10, 2013
Print Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Audio Publisher: Hachette Audio
Pages: 323
Audiobook Length: 11 hours, 59 minutes
Genre: Historical Fiction
Audience: Adults
Disclosure: Galley received at ALA/Audiobook purchased on Audible

Picture book review: The Beasties by Jenny Nimmo, illustrated by Gwen Millward

The Beasties came to Daisy's house
on a night when she couldn't sleep.

Her new room was too strange
and her new bed was too big. 

The Beasties is the story of a little girl named Daisy who is afraid of being alone in the dark in her new bedroom. But soon the Beasties come and tell her stories to soothe her fearful mind. 

A beautiful tale about the power of story, The Beasties is the perfect picture book to read to a fearful child who doesn't want to sleep in her own bed at night. The lovely text by Jenny Nimmo paired with the dreamy Van Gogh-like illustrations by Gwen Millward would make this an ideal gift for any new mama-to-be. The Beasties themselves (Weevil, Floot, and Ferdinand) are absolutely precious characters that can work wonders at putting a child's mind at ease about what's really lurking under their bed. You think there's monsters under there? Oh no, it's just these little Beasties that want to tell you stories.

The Beasties by Jenny Nimmo, illustrated by Gwen Millward
Published: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Egmont
Pages: 32
Genre: Picture Book
Audience: Primary
Disclosure: Library Copy

Augustus and His Smile by Catherine Rayner

Augustus the tiger was sad. He couldn't find his smile. So he set out to look for it. He searched high and low: in the mountains, ocean, and desert. He just knew it had to be hiding somewhere.

A simple yet beautiful story about finding something that was there all along. Catherine Rayner's music, cadence, and pacing are simply brilliant. Who knew a gentle tiger could teach us so much about happiness and being present in the moment. A book written for kids but certainly one adults can learn from too. 

I'd love to write more but sometimes the best book reviews are the shortest. I'm hoping this is one of them.


Augustus and His Smile by Catherine Rayner
Published: April 18, 2006
Publisher: Good Books
Pages: 28
Audience: Primary
Disclosure: Library Copy
 

Red Kite, Blue Kite by Ji-Li Jiang, illustrated by Greg Ruth

Tai Shan and his father, Baba, don't fly their kites on the ground. Instead, they go to the roof of their house, "above but still under, neither here nor there." To them, the kites represent freedom and their unbreakable bond as father and son, the red kite being "small and nimble," the blue kite "big and strong."

But then a dark time descends on Chinese history, something called the Cultural Revolution. This is a time when, in order to assure that citizens do not "stray from the Communist path," people are tortured, beaten, and put into prison camps for even the possibility that they might have differing views.

Baba is one of those people who is put into a labor camp, but before he leaves makes a pact with Tai Shan: every day at sunrise, he will fly his red kite so Baba can see it from camp, and in return, every day at sunset, Baba will fly his blue kite so Tai Shan can see it from Granny Wang's farm.

But one day, Baba stops flying his blue kite at sunset and Tai Shan is afraid for him. Where is Baba? Will Tai Shan ever see the blue kite or his Baba again?

Red Kite, Blue Kite is based on a true story: that of the author's family friend who is the little boy of Tai Shan. It is truly a testament to the beauty and resilience of the human spirit, especially when you realize that this really did happen. Greg Ruth's illustrations further add to the emotion of the story, picking up human expression and feeling where words fail. This could be the first step of a reading ladder toward books like Red Scarf Girl also by Ji-Li Liang and Revolution is Not a Dinner Party by Ying Chang Compestine. The author's note at the end of the book gives just enough information to fill in some knowledge gaps for young readers, but is also vague enough that will compel students to read further about this era in world history, which is when a teacher can swoop in and show them books like Red Scarf Girl.

In addition, Red Kite, Blue Kite could also be a mentor text to discuss symbolism with students since the red kite and blue kite clearly represent the relationship between the father and son. 

Overall, this is a beautiful story that can speak to a variety of age groups.


Red Kite, Blue Kite by Ji-Li Jiang, illustrated by Greg Ruth
Published: January 29, 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 32
Genre: Picture Book
Audience: Primary/Middle Grade/Young Adult
Disclosure: Library Copy

The Real Boy by Anne Ursu

Goodreads Summary:
On an island on the edge of an immense sea there is a city, a forest, and a boy. The city is called Asteri, a perfect city saved by the magic woven into its walls when a devastating plague swept through the world years before. The forest is called the Barrow, a vast wood of ancient trees that encircles the city and feeds the earth with magic. And the boy is called Oscar, a shop boy for the most powerful magician in the Barrow, who spends his days in the dark cellar of his master's shop grinding herbs and dreaming of the wizards who once lived on the island. Oscar's world is small, but he likes it that way. The real world is vast, strange, and unpredictable. And Oscar does not quite fit in it.

But it's been a long time since anyone who could call himself a wizard walked the world, and now that world is changing. Children in the city are falling ill; something sinister lurks in the forest. Oscar has long been content to stay in his small room, comforted in the knowledge that the magic that flows from the trees will keep his island safe. Now, even magic may not be enough to save it.

While fantasy is not my preferred genre, I can't deny the flow, beauty, and simplicity of Anne Ursu's writing. The symbolism of Oscar's journey in discovering his own humanness was very real despite the fantastical setting. While Ursu herself has said that the main character of Oscar is not her son, it is clear Oscar's struggles are inspired by the fact that her own son is living with Asperger's, which is made further evident when you notice that the book is dedicated to him.

And even though fantasy is not my preferred genre, I love that Ursu found a way to write a story about a boy with Asperger's and place him in a fantastical setting rather than a typical real-life one. This is not a straight-up "issue book", which is refreshing to see a boy with Asperger's portrayed as the hero of a fantasy world rather than just a boy in a realistic fiction novel who learns to live with his special need. Not that those stories aren't powerful in their own right, but seeing a special needs character move beyond a typical "issue book" is a giant step forward in children's literature. For that reason I hope this is a book that the Schneider Family Book Award committee will take into consideration. Obviously there is a lot of Newbery buzz surrounding The Real Boy, but Schneider Award recognition would be a lovely testament to the beauty of this story as well. 

If you liked, the following books, give The Real Boy a try:
Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
Navigating Early by Claire Vanderpool


The Real Boy by Anne Ursu
Published: September 24, 2013
Publisher: Walden Pond Press
Pages: 288
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Middle Grade
Disclosure: ARC received at ALA/audiobook received from the publisher 

Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing by Anya Von Bremzen

Goodreads summary:
Born in 1963 in a Kafkaesque communal apartment where eighteen families shared one kitchen, Anya grew up singing odes to Lenin, black-marketeering Juicy Fruit gum at her school, and, like most Soviet citizens, longing for a taste of the mythical West. It was a life by turns absurd, drab, naively joyous, melancholy-and, finally, intolerable to her anti-Soviet mother. When she was ten, the two of them fled the political repression of Brezhnev-era Russia, arriving in Philadelphia with no winter coats and no right of return.

These days Anya lives in two parallel food universes: one in which she writes about four-star restaurants, the other in which a simple banana-a once a year treat back in the USSR-still holds an almost talismanic sway over her psyche. To make sense of that past, she and her mother decided to eat and cook their way through seven decades of the Soviet experience. Through the meals she and her mother re-create, Anya tells the story of three generations-her grandparents', her mother's, and her own. Her family's stories are embedded in a larger historical epic: of Lenin's bloody grain requisitioning, World War II hunger and survival, Stalin's table manners, Khrushchev's kitchen debates, Gorbachev's anti-alcohol policies, and the ultimate collapse of the USSR. And all of it is bound together by Anya's sardonic wit, passionate nostalgia, and piercing observations.

I am absolutely fascinated with Russian culture and geography. While most people, when it comes to learning about history, seem to be fascinated with all things World War II, my preferred historical era of study is the Cold War. So pretty much anything with the word Soviet in the title perks up my ears. 

It was interesting to read about Von Bremzen's childhood in Moscow because, at the time, she didn't understand her mother's anti-Soviet sentiments and really had Romantic notions of the socialist lifestyle, even ruthless leaders such as Joseph Stalin. Von Bremzen  presents the reader with an interesting dichotomy of emotions because the longing she is talking about in the subtitle is a longing for the old Soviet way of life. The nostalgia is somehow both understandable and confusing at the same time. But it is one that I, as an American, was never fully able to wrap my brain around during my time with this book.

I enjoyed the parts of the book where Von Bremzen talks about her life, but I found the history parts to be a bit dry and difficult to trudge through, and I'm normally one that enjoys learning about Soviet history. Plus, I didn't entirely buy the whole food premise of the book. It seemed forced into the narrative - probably because she doesn't really talk much in this book about how food writing became her career - and also, I just really wanted to know about her life, not necessarily the history of Soviet cuisine. For that reason, what felt most natural and fascinating for me was when the author talks about her life in the Soviet Union and how she emigrated to America. Still, I would definitely consider this a worthwhile read, but it was one that took me many weeks to finish. This is by no means a book most people can breeze through in one sitting. 


Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing by Anya Von Bremzen
Published: September 17, 2013
Publisher: Crown
Pages: 352
Genre: Memoir
Audience: Adults
Disclosure: ARC received from publisher (I also listened to part of it on an audiobook I acquired at the library) 

Burned by Ellen Hopkins

Raised in a religious LDS home, Pattyn von Stratten doesn't know much more of life than helping raise her younger sisters, going to seminary every week, and helping her mom around the house with doing all the household chores for her lazy mother. At home, Pattyn fears the wrath of her father, especially when he's under the influence of his friend, Johnny Walker Black, which is pretty much every day.

When an incident at school forces Pattyn's parents to send her away to live with her Aunt J in the rural highlands of Nevada, Pattyn sees this as not only an opportunity to get to know a long estranged relative, but to also enjoy the freedom of being away from her demanding family, especially her father. What Pattyn wasn't expecting was to find love and acceptance in Ethan: the son of the man who caused Aunt J's long-time family estrangement in the first place. It is through Ethan that Pattyn learns of physical and emotional intimacy and from both Ethan and Aunt J, Pattyn finally discovers the meaning of unconditional love. But despite her contented life living with Aunt J, Pattyn still feels a sense of foreboding: wondering when her father will come and take it all away.

Oh I am feeling ALL THE THINGS! What an emotionally powerful novel! I really rooted for Pattyn all throughout this story and could feel the love and acceptance she found with Ethan. Despite the fact that novels with any kind of romance tend to make my eyes roll, I found the intimacy written in the pages of Pattyn and Ethan's love story necessary to rooting for them as a couple. The tenderness shared between the two of them juxtaposes the dysfunction and violence Pattyn experiences in her own home.  

After finishing Burned, I immediately started reading Smoke because I desperately wanted to know how Pattyn's story ends. I pray it's more hopeful than how this book ended, something Hopkins herself admitted the sequel will hopefully mollify for her beleaguered readers. 

Burned is my second Ellen Hopkins novel I've read, Crank being my first, and I have to say that I felt much more emotionally invested in this book than her first one. The verse format seemed more like a gimmick in the first book but felt more purposeful in Burned. Then again, maybe that's just because I have become more familiar with Hopkins's style of writing.

I would hand this book to readers who are fans of edgy YA fiction, but I might also suggest lovers of Eleanor and Park give this book a try since Eleanor and Pattyn's stories are quite similar. 


Burned by Ellen Hopkins
Series: Burned #1
Published: April 1, 2006
Publisher: McElderry Books
Pages: 532
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Verse Novel
Audience: Young Adult
Disclosure: Purchased Copy

The Man with the Violin by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Dusan Petricic

Earlier this week as I was walking back to my car through the student center at Eastern Michigan University, my ears immediately perked up as the faint echoes of a Chopin etude wafted down the hall. I was like a police dog picking up a scent trail. I had to go find the source of the music. And while the person playing the etude was only practicing and hit many wrong notes, to me it didn't matter. I was called to the music. To find the source of it. And to stop and listen for a while.

Music moves me like nothing else on this earth does. There is a physiological and emotional response I experience when I encounter a beautiful melody, whether for the first time, or in this case, when I'm not expecting it. So it shocks and saddens me when I hear stories like the one in which this book is inspired: famous violinist, Joshua Bell, performed an experiment, proposed to him by Washington Post writer Gene Weingarten: What would happen if Bell, armed with his multi-million-dollar Stradivarius violin, dressed in jeans and a baseball cap, played for 45 minutes during rush hour in a busy D.C. metro station? How many people would stop and listen? Would anyone recognize his talent as more than just a mere street musician?

This experiment occurred on January 12, 2007. During the 45 minute performance, Bell played a piece known as one of the most difficult ever written for the violin, "Chaconne" from Bach's Partita No. 2 in D Minor, as well as the emotionally stirring "Ave Maria" by Franz Schubert, and out of the 1,000 people who made their way through the metro station that morning, only seven people stopped to listen for more than a minute, Bell finding less than $40 in his violin case (when you discount the lady who dropped $20 in his case because she recognized him).

What was most notable about this little social experiment was how often children, being dragged through the station by their frazzled parents, wanted to stop and listen, and could often be seen, turning their heads toward the source of the music, digging in their heels to prevent the beautiful sounds from wafting away.

Kathy Stinson heard of this story and knew it was worth exploring in a picture book. So the setup for The Man with the Violin is in its very first lines:

Dylan was someone who noticed things.
 His mom was someone who didn't.

Dylan is a fictionalized boy, but he is based on truth given the number of children who wanted to stop and listen to the music that day in January 2007.

The writing and the illustrations in this book are all quite wonderful, but for me it's the story itself that is so remarkable. To think that one of the best musicians in the world was just passed by and disregarded by virtually every commuter in the L'Enfant Plaza metro station that day, and already being familiar with what spine-tingling music Bell was playing, I just can't fathom how he went practically unnoticed.

If I had been one of the D.C. commuters walking through the metro station on that January day back in 2007, I have absolutely no doubt I would have stopped to listen to the beautiful sounds of such a musical genius. No matter how much of a hurry I was in. But as I finished reading this book, I immediately released all of my emotions and began to cry because, even though I have no doubt I would have stopped to appreciate the brilliant music on that particular day or any day for that matter, I have to wonder what other life moments I am missing out on because I am too oblivious to notice. I know I am certainly guilty of commentating my way through life via the use of my smartphone that I very rarely just stop, put the phone down and allow myself to be present in the moment. It's stories like these that remind us all to stop and be present. Thank you Joshua Bell, Gene Wingarten, Kathy Stinson, and Dusan Petricic for helping to remind me.

Read the original Washington Post article that inspired The Man with the Violin:
Pearls Before Breakfast by Gene Weingarten

Watch an interview with the author and illustrator:


Listen to an NPR interview with Bell talking about that day in the subway station:
All Things Considered

Listen to the music Bell played that day in the subway station:




The Man with the Violin by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Dusan Petricic
Published: August 8, 2013
Publisher: Annick Press
Pages: 32
Genre: Picture Book
Audience: All Ages
Disclosure: Library Copy

Living with Jackie Chan by Jo Knowles

Living with Jackie Chan continues with Josh's story from Jumping off Swings. Jo Knowles said that the reason she wrote this sequel is because so many readers asked her what happened to Josh.

In Jumping off Swings, Josh abandons the girl he had his first sexual encounter with, and then a few months later discovers that he fathered a child with her. The emotional impact of his careless act, coupled with knowing he is now the father of a baby that has since been adopted to another family, sends him into a depression. As a result, Living with Jacking Chan provides the reader with a first-person view of Josh's senior year of high school when he decides he needs to get away from his life and move in with his dorky karate teacher, Jackie Chan movie-loving Uncle Larry.

As I was reading this book I couldn't help but marvel at the way in which Jo Knowles creates such heartfelt characters. Not only is Uncle Larry just overall one of the most stand-up characters ever created, but Knowles also manages to make our baby-mama-abandoning protagonist, Josh, a deeply empathetic character. Go figure.

And that's where Knowles's perspective is unique from a typical yet controversial "teen pregnancy novel." She chose to examine and dig deeper inside the perspective of the teen father.

Even though you can read Living with Jackie Chan without having read Jumping off Swings, I think it makes for a richer reading experience if you read JoS first. There were insights into characters I had from reading the first book that I wouldn't have known without having read them in order. But whatever you decide to do, whether it's to read LwJC first or second, it's worth your time if you're a fan of realistic fiction that tugs at your heartstrings and then tears at it a little.


Living with Jackie Chan by Jo Knowles
Published: September 17, 2013
Publisher: Candlewick
Pages: 384
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Young Adult
Disclosure: ARC received at ALA

Line 135 by Germano Zullo, illustrated by Albertine

A little girl gets on a train at her home in the city to travel to her grandmother's house in the country. During this journey, she ponders all of the things the adults in her life tell her are impossible, yet as she looks out the window of the train, she only sees what is possible. 

Despite questioning whether the adult themes of this book (travel, finding yourself in the world) and the philosophical nature of the text would work with reading to kids, I absolutely adored the story and illustrations of Line 135. At first our little protagonist looks out the window and sees normal "daily life" sorts of things, but as she begins dreaming and longing to see the world, suddenly what she sees out her window becomes much more fantastical.

Albertine's simple (yet complex) line illustrations with the train's pop of color on each page-spread are quite striking and lend themselves to several read-throughs to take in all of the detail. I'm not usually someone who likes to re-read books, but as soon as I finished the book the first time, I knew I'd have to read it again and again to really take in how the illustrations complement the story, which reads like a free verse poem. 

I'm going to guess this book probably isn't on anyone's Caldecott shortlist, but it's on mine. Heck, I don't even think Albertine lives in the U.S. (a requirement to be considered for a Caldecott) since there are some parts of the illustrations that are in French, but I just love the way the text and the illustrations complement each other and I love that despite the minimalist manner in which the drawings are rendered, they have such a complexity to them that several read-throughs are required to really take it all in.


Line 135 by Germano Zullo, illustrated by Albertine
Published: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Pages: 44
Genre: Picture Book
Audience: Children AND Adults
Disclosure: Library Copy

The Price of Freedom by Dennis and Judith Fradin, illustrated by Eric Velasquez

During the time preceding the Civil War, the town of Oberlin, Ohio was known for its abolitionist beliefs and was the busiest stop on the Underground Railroad, having sheltered 3,000 runaway slaves between the 1830s and 1850s. The Price of Freedom is the story of how the entire town of Oberlin rallied around John Price, an escaped slave who had been living in Oberlin when we was captured and was going to be sent back to his owner. Even though Ohio was in the North and outlawed slavery, the Fugitive Slave Act declared that even if a slave escapes to the North, his owners have the right to capture him and bring him back to the slave-owning South. Despite the fact that the men and women who stood up to Price's bounty hunters knew they were breaking the law, they felt they were answering to a "higher law" and doing what was morally right. 

The Price of Freedom is an incredibly inspiring story and moved me so much that I want to learn more about the history of Oberlin, Ohio. These are the types of books that will get students excited by and interested in history. I wish more teachers would abandon their textbooks and start searching for for better texts to use in their classrooms. I mean, I was so inspired by reading this book that I now want to take a trip to Oberlin, which is only a two-hour drive from where I live in Michigan. I doubt a textbook is going to ever inspire a student to say, "I want to visit that place!"


The Price of Freedom: How One Town Stood Up to Slavery by Dennis and Judith Fradin, illustrated by Eric Velasquez
Published: January 8, 2013
Publisher: Walker
Pages: 48
Genre: Nonfiction Picture Book
Audience: Middle Grade
Disclosure: Library Copy

ARC review: The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech

The young couple found the child asleep in an old cushioned chair on the front porch. He was curled against a worn pillow, his feet bare and dusty, his clothes fashioned from rough linen. They could not imagine where he had come from or how he had made his way to their small farmhouse on a dirt road far from town.

How is it possible to be both brokenhearted and overjoyed at the same time? That's what the ending of The Boy on the Porch, Sharon Creech's newest title, did to me. I don't want to say any more, lest I give anything away, but wow. It is both a frustrating ending and the perfect ending at the same time.

This slim volume is not only small in stature, but also word choice as well, Creech choosing to be quite sparse in the descriptions department. Much was left to the imagination here: the couple John and Marta's background, what they looked like, somewhat of the setting, and even the boy on the porch's backstory. Because of the scant descriptions, the book has an allegorical feel to it and could be paired perfectly with Nikolai, the Only Bear by Barbara Joose to talk about the many different manifestations of what it means to be a family. 

While the sparse descriptions took some getting used to, Creech really uses this book as a master class in writing with feeling. Writing doesn't need to be dripping with descriptors to convey emotion. And Creech proved that in spades with The Boy on the Porch, because despite its small stature, this book shows that love, even being such a grandiose emotion in all of literature, in real life, often speaks in whispers, or in the case of the boy on the porch, taps.


The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech
Publication Date: September 3, 2013
Publisher: Joanna Cotler Books
Pages: 161
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Middle Grade
Disclosure: ARC received at ALA

The Did Not Finish Chronicles: Rose by Holly Webb

From Goodreads:
Rose isn't like the other orphans at St Bridget's Home for Abandoned Girls. Instead of dreaming of getting adopted by loving, wealthy parents, Rose wants to get a job and be independent. She doesn't need anyone but herself. She finds her escape working as a maid for Mr. Fountain, an alchemist. Unable to ignore the magic that flows throughout the grand residence, Rose realizes that just maybe; she might have a little bit of magic in her too. This new series featuring magicians, witches, talking cats, mist-monsters, and friendships will have young readers in a trance.

If the road to hell is paved with adverbs as Stephen King says it is, then reading this book will send you to the fiery depths. I try really hard to avoid snark in my reviews because I know how hard writing is but I'm sorry, excessive use of adverbs is a literary crime I cannot forgive. This book could have been one that I would recommend to students in search of their next Harry Potter fix, but alas, I can't bring myself to recommend it to kids, especially given the fact that even my former sixth graders would not have committed such a writing faux pas as to favor adverbs over strong verbs, which negate the need for adverbs in the first place. Holly Webb did not learn this lesson, stringing endless sentences with adverb after adverb, often unnecessarily, as in this sentence:

"What are you doing in my room?" Rose hissed angrily.

The attribution hissed already demonstrates anger. There is zero need for the adverb angrily to be in that sentence. 

But there was also use of adverbs that, while technically words, just sounded wrong:

Rose peered out the corner of the window at the street below, watching interestedly as two little girls walked past with their nursemaid.

And that was the first sentence. It was at that moment I knew I probably wouldn't be finishing this novel. I mean, yes, interestedly is a word, but it completely halts the flow, something I think a writer would want to get right on her very first sentence of the book. And as I mentioned above, even my former sixth graders would have looked at that first sentence in a rough draft and said, "That just doesn't flow right. I think I need to reword this."

So after reading a little over 100 pages of nonstop adverbs, I decided I just couldn't take it anymore. My frustration and snarkiness was clouding my ability to even follow the plot. But if you're someone who doesn't get bogged down by a writer's craft choices, I imagine that this is a lovely little story; I just couldn't find it because I was too busy hunting for adverbs and trying to come up with ways the author could have reworded the sentence to make it stronger. 

Now some may read this review and say, "Who does she think she is? Her writing isn't exactly Pulitzer Prize worthy." And you're absolutely right. It's not. But as an educated reader, I know a thing or two about published writing, and to me, an editor should have picked up on those excessive adverbs and asked the author to revise for better flow. When I read a published work of fiction, whether it's for adults or children, I want it to read like a published work of fiction instead of something a fourth grader might have written.


Rose by Holly Webb
Expected Publication: September 3, 2013, originally published in the UK on August 6, 2009
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Pages: 240
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Middle Grade
Disclosure: ARC received for review from publisher