Abigail Iris The One and Only

Abigail Iris is NOT an only. This means that she shares a room, she can't get the Heelys that she wants, and her family exists on a budget. Her life is different than her 3 best friends who ALL happen to be onlies.

"The Onlies are the luckiest girls in all of the world in my opinion, because they are not on a budget. The Onlies have Heelys and beach cruisers and get to go to ballet camp..." p. 4 arc

Imagine how thrilled Abigail Iris is when one of her only friends, Genevieve, decides to take her on her family vacation for spring break. She is a bit worried that her parents might say no. Genevieve, who has lawyer parents, simply tells Abigail Iris to make her best case.

And that's exactly how Abigail Iris ends up riding in Genevieve's dad's SUV (aka the gas hog)all the way to San Francisco. All the way to a fancy hotel "sweet" with room service. Abigail Iris will have to miss her own family's annual camping trip, but all of these things that families with an Only get to do will be worth it, right?

Maybe.

In the spirit of Amber Brown and Clementine, Lisa Glatt an Suzanne Greenberg have created a fun and feisty character. Wanting what friends have is familiar to many a reader, and 3rd grader Abigail Iris has the perfect blend of pluck and wonder.

This is an illustrated novel and the drawings by Joy Allen add flavor to the story. There is, however, one illustration that doesn't fit the text. Abigail Iris is talking about making a phone call on an old fashioned dial phone. Unfortunately, the phone in the illustration has very obvious push buttons! If you work with kids you will know that this will not go unnoticed! Since this is the arc version, perhaps it will be changed in the final product.

That aside, this is a breezy read that will have younger realistic fiction fans passing it from hand to hand.

California Here I Come...

Well, like so many of you, I am off to sunny California! I am very excited about this conference because not only am I attending, but I will also be presenting and blogging.

I will be representing my school at the Pre-conference on Diversity. I will be exploring the ways that the library can support school wide diversity efforts, and even spear head some of those efforts!

I will be blogging this for ALSC as well. So if you do not have a chance to come to the pre-conference, head on over to the ALSC blog to read all about it.

I am looking forward to going on some school tours while in Anaheim as well. I love seeing how other folks set things up!

Happy travels!

The Luxe - Rumors

New York City Society (with the capital "S") is still reeling with shock over the disappearance and presumed death of Elizabeth Holland. On the cusp of being married to Henry Schoonmaker, she plunged into the river and was not seen again. Only Elizabeth's sister Diana, and Penelope Hayes know the truth, and neither one is talking.

Penelope is busy working her way into the sights of Henry's stepmother Isabelle in the hopes of finally making a match with Henry. Diana, on the other side of things, is desperately trying to avoid all of the matches her mother is trying to make for her in order to mend the family fortune. Diana is still a bit of a wild one and she cannot forget her night with Henry in the greenhouse, and though she suspects what Penelope is up to , she is certain that Henry's feelings for her mirror her own.

Nobody counts on Lina, the Holland's former maid, making her way into Society. But Lina has information, and in turn of the century New York, gossip is currency. Especially if it is about moneyed families taking a fall.

Lush descriptions, fascinating characters, and gossip to rival today's mongers all make for a compulsively readable and enjoyable ride. I am already waiting for the next book from Anna Godbersen, and I am sure those who read Rumors (especially the second last paragraph) will feel the same way!

Thou Shall Not Dump The Skater Dude and Other Commandments I Have Broken

Kelsey has to move to the west coast from Boston with two months notice, because her mom decides to pursue her dream of going to law school. Now that Kelsey's folk's divorce is final, her mom says it's time for her. Hence the move to Cali and in with the grandparents for the duration of law school.

As Kelsey says, the move would have been better timed either before or after middle school. Having to negotiate a whole new 8th grade at a private school (and one for girls, at that) is never easy. Kelsey would have no friends at all if it weren't for her grandmother's best friend's granddaughter Amy. Actually, straight-laced Kelsey probably wouldn't be friends at all with Amy (who is a self proclaimed Punky Retro Goth Vegan with Straight Edge tendencies), if it weren't forced at first. But Amy turns out to be okay, and she opens Kelsey's eyes to the world of public school versus privilege.

As the reader whips through 8th grade, Kelsey decides to campaign to her parents for the right to go to public school. When she gets her wish, she certainly isn't thinking about boyfriends, but when semi-pro skater C.J. Logan comes to her rescue while she is babysitting her little bro at the skate park one day, she can't stop thinking about him. Soon she goes from obscurity of the new girl at a public high school, to being C.J.'s girl.

But what does it mean to be C.J.'s girlfriend? How often does she have to go to the park, or a jam, or a party with C.J.? And what happened to all those extra curriculars that Kelsey used to campaign for attendance at East Bay High? And what happens to the reputation of a girl who dumps the un-dumpable guy ... the one who is used to being the dumper not the dumpee?

Rosemary Graham has written a super fast paced piece of chick lit with quite a bit of substance. We follow Kelsey over 3 years in a mere 281 pages, but the reader doesn't feel rushed. The writing style is breezy and you blink and a couple months go by, but somehow it works. Kelsey is naive, but likable and C.J. is your typical popular guy. I have to admit, that I have a soft spot for the skater dude ( I married one after all), but this title easily translates to those who don't know skating, but do know about trying to negotiate the world of school, popularity while trying to stay true to oneself!