Maw Books » children’s literature book club selection

Charlotte’s Rose by A.E. Cannon

Natasha Maw — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 02:09:08 +0000

The year is 1856 and Charlotte is twelve-years-old. In Charlotte’s Rose by A.E. Cannon, Charlotte and her father, newly immigrated from Wales and newly converted to Mormonism, are among a group of pioneers pushing their own handcarts from Iowa City to Utah.

Tired of being treated like a child and eager to make a grandiose impression on the older woman, Charlotte volunteers to care for a baby whose mother died in childbirth and who’s depressed father is not up to the task. The baby reminds her of her own mother, who also died when giving birth, and while she comes to love little Rose very much, the task is not what she expected. Taking care of a newborn while pushing a handcart across the plains is certainly no picnic. Charlotte’s gotten in over her head and while she wants to prove her worth to the company, it may be an assignment that she can’t handle.

The historical background for the book is fascinating. It’s less about the doctrine of the Mormon faith and more about the need for a family to belong to something larger than they are. It’s great to see historical fiction books in the mainstream markets which tackle this subject . A subject which I would love to find more of, as the very premise of the idea lends itself to incredible stories.

The company has a great cast of characters and Charlotte is touched by each of them in different ways. She’s determined to prove that she has what it takes but discovers that nobody can no anything without a little help. I enjoyed this coming-of-age novel and am sad to see it out of print. If you come upon a copy of it, snatch it up!

Links of interest: Ann Cannon blog, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Historical fiction, approx ages 9-12.
Publisher: Yearling. 2002
Paperback, 256 pages. ISBN 0440418402
Source copy: Own
Charlotte’s Rose is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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The 2009 Book Club Report

Natasha Maw — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 09:34:49 +0000

I searched forever for a great book club graphic but we actually have a guy in one of my book clubs (who brings a much needed perspective to our meetings!) and all the graphics had women. Sigh . . .

So, I’m in THREE book clubs and I wanted to share with you what books we read and a bit about our meetings from 2009.

My Neighborhood Book Club

Our neighborhood book club has been meeting religiously for about three years. Our members are women who live in a three or four street radius from each other and we always have between 8-10 attend. We met every single month and rotate hosts who get control of what book we will read for that month. We had two awesome highlights this past year that I feel so bad I never blogged about.

Donna Woolfolk Cross, author of Pope Joan, joined our book club meeting on the telephone. It was crazy because we happened to have about half a dozen roaming preschoolers and toddlers with us that day but it was really cool to talk to her about the book and the upcoming movie. It was our first time we had done anything like that and it was awesome!!

AND THEN! As if we couldn’t be even more of an awesome book club, Katherine Center joined our book club on video via Skype when we discussed her book Everyone is Beautiful. We hooked up the laptop to the large screen TV and she was there in the living room! Katherine is simply an amazing person and SO personable in real life. Seriously, invite Katherine to your book club and you won’t regret it!

The books we discussed during 2009:

The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (did not finish)
The Next Thing On My List by Jill Smolinksi
Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center
Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
Searching for Eternity by Elizabeth Musser (not yet reviewed)
Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry by John J. Robinson (only 2 members read this one)

So hard to pick a favorite. The Help and Everyone is Beautiful top the lists as favorites for the year. The Hunger Games was a hit and everybody read my advanced copy of Catching Fire before it came out. Seriously, it was making the rounds big time. We had to draw names for the order that people read it. Looking back I don’t remember anything about Searching for Eternity and want to finish Frankenstein.

Skype Book Club

Not the most elegant name for a book club (I wonder if I missed the naming?) but it’s a book club that meets via Skype with a bunch of other bloggers. It’s been awesome and I’m kind of scared I’m going to get kicked out because I haven’t read the last three books and couldn’t find our book for January. (Please don’t kick me out!)

Skype is a great way to meet as a book club especially if you have webcams. I’d totally recommend getting a group together or even an extended family book club. I can’t survive without my Skype anymore.

Books we discussed:

The Magicians by Lev Grossman
31 Hours by Masha Hamilton
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie
Nothing but Ghosts by Beth Kephart (not yet reviewed)
Every Last Cuckoo by Kate Maloy (not yet reviewed)
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea (not yet reviewed)

My favorite was Nothing But Ghosts. And I’m going to be a better member in 2010!

Children’s Literature Book Club

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book club. Last year, I discovered that there was a book club of adults who read only children’s literature who met all over the Salt Lake valley. I couldn’t resist and basically emailed and asked if they were taking new members. I was so nervous my first meeting because I didn’t know anybody but I’ve been going now for over a year and am pleased to say that it’s one of the greatest things I ever did. So moral of the story: it never hurts to ask!

Each month we read books based around on a different theme and books are picture books, middle grade and young adult. We read a TON! I secretly love how hardcore it is.

One of the highlights of the year was having local author Ann Cannon attend our meeting when we read her books. It was awesome!

Books we discussed in 2009:

Books to Movies
- The Lightning Thief, Book One of Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan
- Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: A Novel in Cartoons by Jeff Kinney
- The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
Cybils Awards Finalists
- Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall Thin Tale by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by John Hendrix
- Big Bad Bunny by Franny Billingsley, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
- Chester’s Beck by Melanie Watt
- How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham
- Katie Loves the Kittens by John Himmelman
- The Sea Serpent and Me by Dashka Slater, illustrated by Catia Chien
- A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
- Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein, illustrated by Ed Young
- A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
- Astronaut Handbook by Meghan McCarthy
- Duel! Burr and Hamilton’s Deadly War of Words by Dennis Brindell Fradin, illustrated by Larry Day
- Fabulous Fishes by Susan Stockdale
- Frogs by Nic Bishop
- Wanda Gag: The Girl Who Loved to Draw by Deborah Kogan Ray
- Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa by Jeanette Winter
- Chiggers by Hope Larson
- Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki, Illustrated by Steve Rolston
- Into the Volcano by Don Wood
- Jellaby by Kean Soo
- Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale, Illustrated by Nathan Hale
- The Savage by David Almond, illustrated by Dave McKean
- There’s a Wolf at the Door: Five Classic Tales Retold by Zoe B. Alley, Illustrated by R.W. Alley
Newbery and Caldecott Awards
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
- The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
- Savvy by Ingrid Law
- The Surrender Tree: Poem’s of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
- After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
- The House in the Night illustrated by Beth Krommes, written by Susan Marie Swanson
- A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, written and illustrated by Marla Frazee
- How I Learned Geography, written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz
- A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, written by Jen Bryant
Fairy Tales
- The Sisters Grimm, The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
- The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison
- The Palace of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Historical Fiction – World War II
- Jimmy’s Stars by Mary Ann Rodman
- On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck
- Journey to Topaz by Yoshicko Uchida
- Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki, Illustrated by Dom Lee
- T4 by Ann Clare LeZotte
- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Ann Cannon Author Study
- Charlotte’s Rose by Ann Cannon (to be reviewed)
- A Loser’s Guide of Life and Love by Ann Cannon (to be reviewed)
- Pirate Pete and Pirate Joe easy-to-read series
Science Fiction
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
- Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves
- My Teacher is an Alien by Bruce Coville (to be reviewed)
Popular Books
- Gallop and/or Swing by Rufus Butler Seder
- Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
- The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems
- Goodnight Goon, A Petrifying Parody by Michael Rex
- Wings by Aprilynne Pike
- Gym Candy by Carl Deuker (did not finish)
- Chess Rumble by G. Neri, Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson
- Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
Beehive Nominees
- The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin and Rosana Faria
- Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf
- Frankenstein Takes the Cake by Adam Rex
- Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman
- Brothers & Sisters: Sibling relationships in the Animal World by Steven Jenkins & Robin Page
Mysteries
- When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
- The 39 Clues, Book One: Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
- Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman
Free Verse Novels
- Sold by Patricia McCormick
- Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
- Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli
- Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
Holiday
- A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck

So there you have it!! I’m a bit of a book club junkie!

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Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

Natasha Maw — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:11:09 +0000

So Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin is one of those books where perhaps not reviewing it in a timely manner ultimately creates the final judgment: it’s a pretty forgettable book. I hate to say that because I remember thinking that the book wasn’t that bad while I was reading it but when I picked it up again I almost convinced myself that I hadn’t read it before. I couldn’t remember a single thing about it. I had to go read some other reviews to refresh my memory and that’s not a good thing. It’s not the small details that I’m talking about but rather the basic premise.

Elsewhere is a story about the afterlife. Liz is almost sixteen when she’s hit by a car and killed. She awakens to find herself on a cruise ship, headed to Elsewhere. It’s there that she meets her grandmother and discovers that everybody ages backward until they are ready to be born again. How could I forget that? The premise certainly is unusual. I don’t remember ever wanting to put it down. It held my interest. I wouldn’t tell people not to read it because I think many teens will like it. But it’s not one that stuck with me for long. Oh, yeah. And there’s talking dogs. I don’t like talking dogs.

Links of interest: Gabrielle Zevin website, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction/Fantasy
Publisher: Square Fish, May 15, 2007. (original publication: August 11, 2005)
Paperback, 304 pages. ISBN: 0312367465
Copy source: Library
Elsewhere is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin and Rosana Faria

Natasha Maw — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:24:45 +0000

What is it like to experience colors if you are blind? This is the question that The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin and Rosana Faria asks and attempts to answer. This book of colors is lacking in the color department and that’s a good thing. Instead, it is completely black with white text and raised black line drawing which are meant to be deciphered by touch. The text is also translated into braille, so that the sighted reader can begin to imagine what it is like to read by touch.

From the criticisms that I’ve read of the book and a discussion that we had at book club is the fact that the braille text is virtually unreadable as braille. The raised dots simply are not raised high enough off of the paper. I’d be curious to know if a blind individual could actually read the book.

But the book isn’t intended for the blind but rather those with sight and it’s very cool. I enjoyed feeling the raised line art. I knew what I was feeling for as I could see the image that the line art created but I would often close my eyes to see if I could figure out what I was feeling.

Thomas thinks that without the sun, water, doesn’t amount to much.
It has no color, no taste, no smell.
He says that green tastes like lemon ice cream and smells like grass that’s just been cut.
But black is the king of all the colors. It is as soft as silk when his mother hugs him and her hair falls in his face.

How does one describe a color? A very creative book that would be a welcome addition and a different type of reading experience for any children’s library.

Links of interest: More book blogger reviews.
Genre: Picture Book, approx ages 4-8.
Publisher: Groundwood Books. June 28, 2008.
Hardcover, 24 pages. ISBN 0888998732
The Black Book of Colors is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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Goodnight Goon, A Petrifying Parody by Michael Rex

Natasha Maw — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:44:49 +0000

Goodnight Goon, A Petrifying Parody by Michael Rex is a parody off of Goodnight Moon which I must admit we don’t have in this household nor is it a book that my kids are familiar with. In fact, I think I’ve looked at Goodnight Moon only once. Really no reason to the indifference just not a book that we’ve gotten into yet.

Anyways, in Goodnight Goon a little werewolf is having a hard time going to sleep. He names the things in his room which includes pictures of martians taking over the moon, three little mummies rubbing their tummies, moans and groans, a skull, and a pot full of goo. After he names them he says goodnight one by one to each of them. He puts the monsters under the bed (so clever) and ends by saying goodnight monsters everywhere.

This has potential to be a really, really cute book but the illustrations were just not doing it for me. My kids weren’t crazy about it either but I only tried it once on them. And well, sometimes, especially my kids, need to be exposed to a book more than once. So, it doesn’t seem fair that I’m sharing their reaction after only one reading but to tell you the truth, they never picked it out of the pile on their own either. It just couldn’t compete with Where’s My Mummy or Leonardo the Terrible Monster this week.

But overall, I think it’s worth taking a look at this Halloween picture book to discover if it will be a new classic in your home. Because your kids just might love it.

Links of interest: Michael Rex website, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Picture Book, approx ages 4-8.
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile. August 14, 2008.
Hardcover, 32 pages. ISBN 0399245340
Goodnight Goon is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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Chess Rumble by G. Neri, Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson

Natasha Maw — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:07:51 +0000

Chess Rumble by G. Neri and illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson is one of those books that I hope people don’t judge based on the cover. I don’t think it’s the best representation of the book. It’s a book that I would have walked by without a second glance. But then of course, I’m a thirty-year-old middle class white mother of two living in the suburbs of Salt Lake City. Obviously, this cover is trying to catch the attention of inner-city young and teen boys. Do you think it works? Doesn’t work? Would love to know what you think.

Marcus is having a hard time both at home and in school. Since the death of his sister, his father has moved out of the house and his mother is having a hard time just keeping it together. Marcus has begun to fight at school and is headed down a road that will get him kicked out of school and his house and one that will be difficult to travel back from.

While at the park, he is challenged to a game of chess from C.M., a nickname that stands for Chess Man, Check Mate and Chess Master. It is through their games together that Marcus begins to learn how to keep his own emotions in check and to always be looking at least three moves ahead – both on the chess board and in real life.

The dust jacket says, “Inspired by inner-city school chess enrichment programs, Chess Rumble explores the ways this strategic game empowers young people with the skills they need to anticipate and calculate their moves through life.” This is a statement that I would completley agree with. I do also agree with Ms. Yingling’s statement that the size and format (including page stock) of the book borders too closely of a picture book. I just can’t see a teenage boy feeling cool touting this book around, if you know what I mean.

Chess Rumble is also told in verse, a format which I always enjoy. Overall, I liked Chess Rumble and found it well worth the read. I just wonder if the same could be said of its intended audience.

Book trailer:

Links of interest: G. Neri website, follow on Twitter, more book blogger reviews,
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, approx age 9-12.
Publisher: Lee and Low Books. November 8, 2007
Hardcover, 64 pages. ISBN 1584302798
Chess Rumble is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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There’s a Wolf at the Door: Five Classic Tales Retold by Zoe B. Alley, Illustrated by R.W. Alley

Natasha Maw — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:19:50 +0000

There’s a Wolf at the Door: Five Classic Tales Retold by Zoe B. Alley and illustrated by R.W. Alley is the cutest little graphic novel. Okay, I lie. The book is something like 12×18 inches. Huge. I call it little because it’s for little people, around ages four to eight. There’s a Wolf at the Door is the retelling of five classic tales: The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing and The Wolf and the Seven Little Goslings. As you probably noticed, the recurring theme in all of these tales is the wolf.

Each story is connected and flows together as the wolf is trying to desperately come up with his next meal. This impeccably dressed wolf, just can’t seem to catch a break when he’s outwitted by the pigs, attacked by the sheep, and declothed by little red riding hood (who’s better known as Rhonda). Kids who are familiar with the original stories will love the new story twists and those who aren’t will fall in love with the illustrations. In the chapter about the boy who cried wolf, I got a kick out of one of the townsfolk who came running each time the boy cried wolf in various states of getting dressed for the day. In a towel straight out of the shower and next with a blow dryer.

There’s a Wolf at the Door is a great book to introduce young readers to the graphic novel format, fables, and the classic stories that we grew up with. I haven’t tried reading it to my three year-old. It is quite long with a decent amount of text. I wouldn’t want to read the whole thing in one sitting as a bedtime story. You’ll probably be there for awhile. But the chapters make for good stopping points as long as you don’t wait to long to pick it back up again, or else children might not see how the stories are connected. Overall, I enjoyed this new take on these classic tales.

R.W Alley website.

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Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki, Illustrated by Steve Rolston

Natasha Maw — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:00:17 +0000

Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Rolston is this years Young Adult Graphic Novel Cybils winner. I’ll readily admit that I’m not well read in the graphic novel genre but I thought this book was really cute. I don’t think cute is exactly what Tamaki and Rolston were going after but I loved Emi’s character. She’s just so dang cute.

Emiko Superstar is all about coming of age and self-discovery. Emi just isn’t happy with herself. After being fired from her summer job working at a coffee shop, she’s now babysitting and in her words “What was about to be the crappiest summer – was flashing before my eyes.” So even though her summer was “sucking the big one right now” it was really hard to complain because she got paid a lot and the baby was pretty cute.

Everything changes when she discovers an underground scene of performance artists known as The Freak Show. She’s really hesitant to go and is so scared the first time she shows up that she literally runs away before she even reaches the door. Everybody, is well, so strange. So confident. Not afraid to be themselves. Total opposite of Emi. Can Emi break through her hesitations and transform herself into somebody else? And can she do it honestly and without hurting others along the way? And in the end will it be worth it?

So the last lines of the book (yes! I’m giving you the very last lines) says:

It’s, you know, your kind of atypical summer adventure story. It’s got a freak show, freaks performance art, a little larceny, a little family drama. I guess it’s a story about love, although it’s difficult to say what love is in this story. I guess it’s a story about how love isn’t always what it makes itself out to be, if that makes sense. It’s a story about how true love is hard to find. Mostly, it’s a story about me and how I became a Superstar, for a little while. About meeting other Superstars. Finding inspiration. When I finish the story, this is where I’ll tell you to press “play” on your favorite song. The song that makes you feel amazing and famous . . . even if you’re not.

If there is going to be more of Emi in any future books, I’ll definitely would love to hear the rest of her story. I thought the story was really great, characters were all really interesting, and the illustrations were just how I like them in a graphic novel. I’m surprised at how much I did enjoy this one. For some reason, I didn’t think I would. When I finished it, I don’t even think I would have said that. But the more I look back on it, the more I like it. And I say that probably because more than a month later, I can still remember most of Emiko Superstar pretty vividly.

Links of interest: Mariko Tamaki website, Steve Rolston website, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Young Adult Graphic Novel
Publisher: Minx. October 14, 2008.
Paperback, 176 pages. ISBN 140121536X
Source: Library
Emiko Superstar is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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Jellaby by Kean Soo

Natasha Maw — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 06:02:57 +0000

I read Jellaby, written and illustrated by Kean Soo, for my Children’s Literature Book Club in which we were reading titles for this past year’s Cybils; Jellaby was shortlisted in the elementary/middle grade fiction graphic novel category.

My three year old picked up this book a lot while I had it sitting around. He liked the purple dinosaur and I think he may have even called him Barney. But he’s not Barney, he’s Jellaby, a purple creature whom Portia has found out in the woods. He’s lost and Portia takes him in. It reminds me of Mary Had a Little Lamb because Jellaby follows Portia to school. And she has a friend Jason who always wears orange (the only other color besides purple in the book).

So yeah. It’s been at least a month since I read the book and to tell you the truth that’s about all I remember, so I’m not sure what that says. I think young readers will probably like it. My three year-old liked looking at the photos.

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Chiggers by Hope Larson

Natasha Maw — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 06:01:09 +0000

Chiggers by Hope Larson is a graphic novel geared for the young adult crowd and in all actuality, I don’t have much to say about it, so this will be a pretty short review.

Chiggers is about a group of girls who go to summer camp. It’s the same camp that Abby goes to every summer and she’s excited. But her excitement ends when her friend Rose is to busy being a cabin assistant to hang out with her, her friends talk behind her back and everybody thinks that the cabinmate she gets along best with is annoying. Throw in some lightening strikes, romantic love interest, and elfish daydreams and there you go.

Honestly, this graphic novel was confusing. I could not keep the characters straight and by the end of the book I still didn’t know who was talking (my children’s lit book club members all said the same thing). I really didn’t care for the illustrations. They would have been fine if only there wasn’t really ugly lines under all the characters eyes. Case in point: page 81 through 85. Yeah, I know they are supposed to be tired but still these panels ruined whatever redeeming qualities the other panels had.

I honestly don’t know what the appeal of Chiggers is to the actual intended audience, young adult girls, but this mama just didn’t get it. And I even went to girl’s camp four years in a row as a teen. What can I say, I just can’t like everything I read.

Links of interest: Hope Larson website, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Fiction, Graphic Novel. Approx ages 9-12
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing/Atheneum. June 17, 2008
Hardcover, 170 pages. ISBN 1416935843
Source: Library
Chiggers is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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