So I really don’t want to say to much about the book because I didn’t know a single thing about it when I read it, so the little twist at the end was a really nice surprise.  It’s also the type of book that as soon as you close the very last page, you want to open the first one again and start all over again.  I borrowed this one from the library but it’s a keeper that I’d like to add to my library and I think would also make a great read-a-loud as a family.

A perfect compain book to When You Reach Me is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (which by the way I hated! Previous link is my review).  Our main charater in When You Reach Me, Miranda, has this FAVORITE book which she reads over and over again.  When she first mentions the plot but without mentioning the title (not given till much later – so the comparison between the two books may go over some people’s heads), I thought to myself – ugh, that sounds like it’s SO not my type of book.  At the next book reference I realized that her favorite book was A Wrinkle in Time and yep – so not my type of book!

But When You Reach Me IS my type of book.  One that I would wholeheartedly recommend even if I didn’t tell you anything about it.

Links of interest: Rebecca Stead website and blog, more book blogger reviews.
Genre:  Middle Grade Fiction, approx ages 9-12.
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books.  July 14, 2009.
Hardcover, 208 pages. ISBN 0385737424
When You Reach Me is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Little Baby Mummy doesn’t want to go to sleep, so he plays a game of hide-and-shriek with his Big Mamma Mummy.  But Little Baby Mummy gets scared and can’t find Big Mamma Mummy.  There are a lot of scary noises in the night and Little Baby Mummy is apprehensive about what he may discover.  But when he realizes it just your run of the mill (scary to us but not scary to him) Halloween characters, he’s not scared until it’s a little thing that makes him wish he was back home with his Big Mamma Mummy and being tucked in bed.

The illustrations are wonderful!  They are cute and they are funny.  They make my boys laugh.  And with it’s fun, lyrical text and page turning adventure, it’s as much fun to read for the parent as it is for the child listening to it.  This one is going down as a classic Halloween picture book that I HAVE to own.  Definitely seek this one out and share it with the children in your life this Halloween week.

Links of interest:  Carolyn Crimi website, illustrator John Manders website,  more book blogger reviews,
Genre:  Fiction Picture Book, approx ages 4-8.
Publisher:  Candlewick.  July 3, 2008
Hardcover, 32 pages. ISBN 0763631965x
Where’s My Mummy? is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Ann has stayed at her friends house too long and now must walk home in the dark.  Using her wild imagination, all the odd shapes are very hairy scary animals and monsters.  The text rhymes and repeats so it’s easy for the boys to follow and to anticipate what’s next.   They loved to turn the page to see what was the very hairy scary thing on the next page.  I even heard my little four year old talking to himself in the bathroom mirror repeating the lines from this book.

It was a pleasure to read this book out loud because of the rhyming and repeating text.  We got pretty loud when we yelled out BAT, SPIDER, LION, SKUNK!  I personally, did not like the style of the illustrations at all.  I think the book could have gone up another notch with better illustrations and would have me wanting to add this to my permanent collection.  But as is, my boys enjoyed this one so much that we will continue to read it from the library until Halloween (although I wouldn’t consider this one strictly a Halloween book).

And as a side note, Rick Walton is prolific local Utah picture book writer.  We have his book Bullfrog Pops which is just adorable.

Links of interest:  Rick Walton’s website, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Fiction picture book, approx ages 4-8.
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile. August 19, 2004.
Hardcover, 32 pages. ISBN 0399238581
A Very Hairy Scary Story is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

I grew up with this book.  Who didn’t grow up with this book?  Seriously?  I naturally assume that EVERY single household has a copy (or two) of it.  That’s how huge in my head it is.  I remember this book somehow, magically, always within arms reach.  It’s one of the very first picture books that my husband and I purchased after we got married because it felt unnatural to set up our house without this book in it.

Who didn’t want to be Max?  What a lucky little boy.  Sent to bed without dinner.  But who cares?  Who needs dinner when a forest starts to grow in your room and an ocean tumbles by with a private boat to sail to where the wild things are.  And although the wild things roar their terrible roars and gnash their terrible teeth and roll their terrible eyes and show their terrible claws, it doesn’t matter because you easily tame them and become their king.  And then  you have a wild rumpus and swing from the trees and have a grand old time.  And the best part, when you sail back home you have your supper waiting for you anyways!  A nice warm supper after a grand adventure.  Yes.  Who doesn’t want to be Max?

A book that I will make sure my boys grow up just as I did.

Who’s excited for the movie?!  I am.  Maurice Sendak has worked closely in making sure the movie matched his vision and from what I understand is ecstatic with how it turned out.  The movie will be released on October 16th of this  year.  Two more weeks!  This is one that’s worth getting a babysitter for  – that’s how I determine how all movies are lately – are they worth the cost of a babysitter and the price of a ticket?

Where the Wild Things Are movie trailer:

So what are your thoughts about Where the Wild Things Are?

I read Where the Wild Things Are as part of  Banned Books Week. The book has been challenged because of its witchcraft and supernatural elements.  Witchcraft?  Because he tamed them?  I don’t get it.

Links of interest:  Maurice Sendak Wikipedia entry, more book blogger reviews, and the Terrible Yellow Eyes website which is a fantastic art site!
Genre: Picture Book
Publisher:  HarperCollins.  November, 1988.  (Originally published 1968).
Paperback, 48 pages. ISBN:  0064431789
Where the Wild Things Are is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Zlata’s diary begins as any other eleven-year-olds diary would:  talk of vacations, friends, school, teachers, MTV, pizza, Michael Jackson, and sleeping in on the weekends.  The first entry in fifth grade begins, “Behind me – a long, hot summer and the happy days of summer holidays; ahead of me – a new school year.”

It is just a short month and a half into her journal that the war enters her life:

There’s a real war going on in Dubrovnik.  It’s being badly shelled.  People are in shelters, they have no water, no electricity, the phone’s aren’t working.  We see horrible pictures on TV.  Mommy and Daddy are worried.  Is it possible that such a beautiful town is being destroyed?

Little does Zlata know but those words echo a prophecy that will soon come true in her own life.  It isn’t long before the war moves to Sarejevo.  She slowly watches the life that she knew crumble all around her.  She readily admits that she doesn’t understand the politics of the war nor why people have to be so cruel as to kill each other.

Zlata’s story is one that is difficult to summarize.  I’ve decided that I will randomly pick some passages from the book in a chronological order from beginning to near end.  No rhyme or reason to the passages picked.  Just opened the page and see where it took me.

I’m watching the American Top 20 on MTV.  I don’t remember a thing, who’s in what place.

I feel great because I’ve just eaten a “Four Seasons” Pizza with ham, cheese, ketchup and mushrooms.  It was yummy.  Daddy brought it for me at Galija’s (the pizzeria around the corner).  Maybe that’s why I didn’t remember who took what place – I was too busy enjoying my pizza.

I’m not going to school.  All the schools in Sarajevo are closed.  There’s danger hiding in these hills above Sarajevo.  But I think things are slowly calming down.  The heavy shelling and explosions have stopped. There’s occasional gunfire, but it quickly falls silent.  Mommy and Daddy aren’t going to work.  They’re buying food in huge quantities.  Just in case, I guess.  God forbid!

Two shells exploded in the street and one in the market.  Mommy was nearby at the time . . .  Daddy and I were besides ourselves because she hand’t come home  . . . We kept going to the window hoping to see Mommy, but she wasn’t back.  They released a list of the dead and wounded.  Daddy and I were tearing our hair out.  We didn’t know what had happened to her.  Was she alive? . . . I looked out the window one more time and  . . . I SAW MOMMY RUNNING ACROSS THE BRIDGE.  As she came into the house she started shaking and crying.  Through her tears she told us how she had seen dismembered bodies . . . Thank God, Mommy is with us.  Thank God.  A HORRIBLE DAY.  UNFORGETTABLE.  HORRIBLE! HORRIBLE!

I have another sad piece of news for you.  A boy from my drama club got KILLED!  A shell fell in fron the community center and a horrible piece of shrapnel killed him.

Today is Alma’s birthday . .  .  We had a super time, but . . . .I looked out the window and saw a flash. . . BOOM!!  Shattered glass, falling plaster . . . The birthday party wasn’t bad, but it would have been better if that shell hadn’t spoiled it.

. . . we are living in fear, we are suffering, we are not enjoying the sun and flowers, we are not enjoying our childhood.  WE ARE CRYING.

Well, I don’t want to write out the whole book for you but suffice it to say that this is a book that I will long remember.  And it’s one that I was constantly questioning what I was doing in my safe, sheltered life while Zlata was living a nightmare.  A nightmare of constant fear, hunger, coldness, hiding, and where getting water is a life or death feat.  I believe that I’m only a year older than Zlata so seeing the dates really put a perspective on the book.  She was even a huge New Kids on the Block fan!  Despite our shared commonality because Zlata lived in another part of the world her childhood was war torn while mine was much different.

Books like this are always worth reading.  Now I’m off to find out where she is now . . .

Genre:  Young Adult, Non-Fiction/Diary
Publisher:  Scholastic.  January 1994
Paperback, 200 pages.  ISBN:  0590487922
Zlata’s Diary, A Child’s Life in Sarajevo is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Wife of the Gods is a whodunit murder mystery and in full honesty if the book wasn’t set in Africa without its many African themes and traditions I doubt I would have even given the book a second glance.  But what sets this book apart is its Ghanan African setting as well as its memorable characters.

In a small village of Ketanu, Gladys, a young medical student, is murdered in the forest and Detective Darko Dawson is brought in from the large city (obviously much to the annoyance of the local police) to oversee the investigation.  For Darko, the village of Ketanu brings back vivid memories.  He often visited his aunt with his mother twenty-five years earlier as a boy.  But that all changed when his mother went for a visit and never returned.  The mystery of her disappearance was never solved.  Darko intends to not only investigate the murder to which he has been assigned but also to seek out new clues into his mother’s disappearance.

It’s not easy though.  Darko is a complex character who leaves behind a loving wife and a young son who needs a heart operation.  He also has an anger management problem, although sympathetically it comes out when he sees those less fortunate being abused.  And he can’t help but use his police power to procure marijuana.

Darko clashes with the local culture which is still held by the strong belief in witchcraft and age-old traditions, such as virgin girls being offered up to fetish priests as trokosi, or Wives of the Gods.  His investigation is slowed by such beliefs and even the local police are apprehensive to question certain individuals in fear of angering the Gods.

Darko uncovers a myriad of suspects, characters who are all memorable in their own right: Gladys herself, who was an AIDS worker and gave many a motive for her death; Samuel, a young man with a simple crush; Timothy who worked with Gladys in AIDS education;  Isaac Kutu, the local herbalist and healer; Togbe Adzima, the fetish priest and his several wives; Elizabeth, Gladys’s aunt and believed by many to be a witch; and even his own Auntie Osewa who has a background which she’d rather keep secret.

There was one thing that hindered my full enjoyment of the novel and that was that I couldn’t recall characters after they were previously introduced.  There were a couple of times that I thought I was reading about a new character and then had to stop and see if I already knew who they were, which I realized I did.  Rechecking previous passages of the book always takes me out of the story a bit.  Fault of the reader and not the author?  Maybe?  Fault of the author and not the reader?  Maybe?  To tell you the truth, I’m not really sure.

Wife of the Gods is recommended for those who like a good mystery and intriguing characters.  Not only is there a mysterious murder to solve but several ideas to think upon including that of new culture vs. new, African culture, traditional and advanced medicine, family relations, and more.  And man, Quartey has convinced me that I’d love to visit Ghana for the food alone.  So many wonderful descriptions of the food!

If there are to be more books about Inspector Darko Dawson then I will be sure to check them out.  A series worth following.

Book trailer for Wife of the Gods:

When you read mysteries how often do you guess who the murderer is correctly?  I don’t often read whodunit genre books but I must admit that Kwei Quartey kept me on my toes although I rightly suspected the murderer (but don’t until about 3/4 of the way through the book).

Links of interest: TLC Book Tour stops, Wife of the Gods website, Wife of the Gods excerpt, reading group discussion questions, more book bloggers book reviews, and a thoughtful interview with Kwei Quartey at Jen’s Book Thoughts.
Genre:  Literary Fiction, Mystery
Publisher:  Random House.  July 14, 2009
Hardcover, 336 pages.  ISBN:  1400067596
Wife of the Gods is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Being at school wasn’t any better, because as much as he wanted to just play football, the other kids only wanted to play one thing:  war.  The other kids were always the heroes and even brought their father’s medals to prove it.  As much as he wanted to play the hero as well, he was always relegated to one role, the enemy, simply because he was Asian, and therefore looked like the enemy.

Donnie always protested and tried to explain that both his father and Uncle had been in the army during the World War II.  “How could your dad and uncle be in our army?” they taunted.  “Yeah, there wasn’t anybody looking like you guys on our side.  If you can’t prove it, you better start hiding.”

Donnie could prove it.  He’d seen his father’s medals, cap, and uniform at home but always got into trouble when he looked at them.  Wanting to know why his father and uncle never spoke of the war at home, his Uncle replied, “Real heroes don’t brag.  They just do what they are supposed to do.”

It wasn’t until they saw Donnie being chased home from school under the taunts of “Rat-tat-tat-tat! Pow! Pow! Pow! You’re dead, Donnie!” that they realized how bad things were at school and that they had the power to prove to his friends that their family had as much American loyalty as anybody else.  They promised that they would fix everything for Donnie the next day after school.  Donnie hoped that they would come through in a big way and that he would no longer be the enemy, but rather a friend.

Heroes is recommended as a great teaching tool or introduction to the concept that about 50,000 Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander descent served in the armed forces during World War II.  According to the author’s note, most notably was the 442nd Regimental Combat team, an all Japanese American regiment that fought in Europe and became one of the most highly decorated units in U.S. Army history.

This is a book that I’ll be sharing with  my two boys.

Links of interest:  Ken is also the author of  Baseball Saved Us (reviewed here), Be Water, My Friend:  The Early Years of Bruce Lee (reviewed here)  and Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story (reviewed here), all of which are also illustrated by Dom Lee.  Also check out the Maw Books interview with Ken Mochizuki.
Genre:  Picture Book, Fiction.  Ages 4-8.
Publisher: Lee and Low Books.  March 1997
Paperback, 32 pages.
Heroes is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powells, and Amazon.

After the revolutionary war and America’s declaration of independence from England, thirteen states each governed themselves independently, similar to small countries.  Did you know that each state used it’s own currency?  Not I.  But I do now.  Soon realizing that a strong national government was needed the Constitutional Convention was called and for four hot months an in upmost secrecy, delegates from the thirteen states hammered out the foundation for the current model of government in the United States and on September 17th, 1787 the United States Constitution was signed.

The text from Unite or Die is concise and informative.  Jules explains the background of the United States, why a national government was needed, how and which issues the delegates debated and how the constitution was created as a living document, intended to be fluid and changing for a nation that was still growing with issues not yet discovered.

The rest of the story is told in the form of a school play, which stems from Jules own experience as a elementary school librarian who wrote such a skit for her own students to celebrate Constitution Day.  Thirteen child cast members each represent a state and they literally fight it out on stage in their homemade costumes in front of their adoring parents.  There is a lot of amusing and informative bubble text which fills in gaps from the text.  Jef Czekaj is a popular Nickelodeon illustrator and although as a parent, it’s not a style I particularly like, kids will enjoy the familiar style.

Jules also includes an afterword and notes about particular statements made throughout the book.  A bibliography is also included for further study on the Constitution.

So what fun facts did I come away with?  Benjamin Franklin traveled to Independence Hall in a sedan chair carried on poles by four men because at 81 he was to old to ride in a carriage.  The meeting was held in secrecy so the delegates could discuss issues freely without worrying about the press or public reactions.  It was Roger Sherman who saved the day and turned the meeting around when he presented the Great Compromise:  every state, regardless of size, would have two representatives in the Senate, and representation based on population in the House of Representatives.  And originally, the vice president would be the runner up in the election.  Can you imagine?

Unite or Die is the type of book that kids won’t even realize that they are learning.  I love sneaky books.

Happy Independence Day!

Links of interest:  Jacqueline Jules website, Jef Czekaj’s website, Unite or Die book trailer, read the constitution for yourself.
Genre:  Non-Fiction Picture Book, ages 9-12
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing.  February 1, 2009.
Paperback, 48 pages.  ISBN:  158089190X
Unite or Die, How Thirteen States Became a Nation is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

He takes a bite and the cheese strings like a suspension bridge from his mouth to his hand.  “Want some?”

One bite, please, and then another and another, crust and cheese sausage sauce another and another empty is strong and invincible.  “I already ate.”*

Well, as you can tell Wintergirls is about a girl who’s anorexic, Lia is literally dying to be thin.  The book opens just as she learns that her best friend with whom she has not spoken to for months has just died alone in a hotel room.  And it’s not a relationship between them that was healthy to begin with.  Both encouraged each other’s eating disorders.  After Lia comes out of rehab for the second time, she distances herself.  But the night that Cassie died, she called Lia 33 times from her cell phone.  And Lia ignored it.  Now she wonders if she could have done something to prevent Cassie’s death.

Lia tries to convince herself, her parents, her sister and her counselor that she’s okay with the death.  But she’s really spiralling out of control.  As a result, Lia has gone back to controlling her eating.  Although, I don’t think she was ever “over” it to begin with.  As soon as she hits a magic weight number, then she knows she can hit an even lower one.  She has become a master of disguise even though her eating habits are being watched carefully.  Cassie’s ghost haunts Lia and she must decide what is it she really wants:  to literally starve herself to death or rid herself of Cassie’s ghost for good by rising above her disorder.

Just like in Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson takes a very troubling subject and gives voice and awareness to it, without being preachy.  Wintergirls is a book that I think anybody who is trying to take control of their life, now matter the method, is going to relate to.  I could not put this book down.  It was simply amazing.

I couldn’t help but think of my college roommate of two years who was an anorexic.  It’s not anything that I or the other 4 roommates ever openly talked about with her.  If we did, I don’t remember.  She probably thought we were aware of her past struggles and that she was better.  But she wasn’t.  It’s really not hard to pick up on.  But to watch firsthand how this disease controlled every aspect of her life was really hard.  She tried to appear happy and in love.  She got married.  But the struggle was always there.  And as a roommate, I was clueless on how I could help.  Even if I were to go back, I still don’t know what I would do differently.  Perhaps love her even more.  And remember it’s not about the food.  It’s not really about the weight.  It’s about the control.

Edited to add the Wintergirls book trailer:

Laurie Halse Anderson on writing Wintergirls:

Wintergirls will be released on March 19th and you’ll want to read it as soon as it comes out.  AND Laurie Halse Anderson is on book tour and guess who gets to go hear her do a reading from Wintergirls?  Me!  I’m so excited!  I’ve only recently discovered Anderson this past year but quickly became a fan after reading Speak (my book review) and Chains (my book review).  I am hoping to read Twisted and Fever 1793 prior to meeting her.  Just because I feel like I should.  If you are local to the Salt Lake City area, Anderson will be signing at the Kings English Bookshop on Thursday, March 26th at 7 pm.  Of course, I’ll be taking photos and writing up a post afterwards so make sure you’re subscribed to receive updates so you don’t miss it.

*Quoted from an Advanced Readers Copy.  May be different in final version.

No one ever comes to Bear’s house.  And he quite likes it that way.  He doesn’t like visitors and to make sure that it stays that way he has a big “No Visitors Allowed” sign on his door.  One morning, he hears a tap on his front door.  When he opens the door there was a small, gray, bright-eyed mouse.  “Go away,” says the bear and goes back to making his breakfast.  But the mouse keeps popping up in the most unexpected places.  When he first finds the mouse in the cupboard, he asks for a spot of tea.  “Out” commands the bear and shows him the door.  And again and again and again.  The mouse finds his way back in the house and each time the bear shows him the door.  Bear boards up the windows, stops up the chimney and even plugs the drain in the bathtub.  But there’s the mouse!  Will he ever be able to get rid of him?  And will he regret it if he does?

So delightful.  A perfect book to read-a-loud.  Young ones will love to find the mouse as he manages his way back into the house.  A beautiful story about friendship.  And the illustrations.  The illustrations!  Kady MacDonald Denton has created the cutest book with soft colors done in watercolor, ink, and qouache.  There are several more Bear and Mouse books in the works and that’s a good thing because you won’t be able to get enough of them.  A Visitor for Bear was nominated for a Cybils award and at our recent Children’s Literature Book Club meeting where we discussed all the nominated books, this book was everybody’s clear favorite.

Loved it!  And guess what?  Tomorrow is an interview with Bonny Becker!  So excited!  This book is one of my favorite picture books this past year, so it’s fun to talk with Bonny.  I can’t wait to share it with you.

Bonny Becker website and Kady MacDonald Denton website.  Bonny is also the author of  The Christmas Crocodile (my book review), My Brother, The Robot (my book review), Holbrook: A Lizard’s Tale (my book review), Just a Minute, An Ant’s Day Off (my book review).

Seriously.  Somebody tell me that they don’t like this book.  Because I don’t think you would dare.