Too tired...

...to blog. 15 hours (FIFTEEN HOURS) in a car will do that to ya!

I only got 2 books read. Which is either a good thing (gee, I was doing so much other stuff, I didn't have time), or a bad thing (lug, lug, lug the books across the borders!)

But I did manage to read A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl, and Peeps companion The Last Days. Woohoo!

Reviews to come!

"Vacation...all I ever wanted!"

...So, I am off! To Muskoka! Can't wait.

But I have to reiterate! I love the women I work with. Just got a bag full 'o' books. (Thanks Karyn! Thanks Jen!) Hopefully when I return, you can expect some reviews on some cool books.

Shug...

...by Jenny Han is over at Tweendom!

Academy X

Since I work in a private school, and a NYC private school at that, when I read a description of this title in the Times, I knew I had to pick it up. A Nanny Diaries, if you will, for the private school set.

John is an English teacher at the tony Academy X. He explains to the reader the difference between new and old money, between religious groups and their money, and the insane NYC experience of getting your child into the right nursery school, so the child can go to the right elementary school, then the right highschool, and into the Ivy League. We hear of baby yoga and testing as well as ridiculous amounts of extra curriculars.

We are introduced to John's Austen class, and two girls who make his teaching worthwhile. Caitlyn Brie has everything. She is the girl that buys all the designer clothes, has the most popular boyfriends, the penthouse on the park...everything. Laura Sturding is middle class and gets her fashions from the outlet malls in Jersey. She works hard for everything that she has.

Then there are the parents. The parents for whom money is no object and when tution is $27000 they expect a return on their investment. And generally speaking, their kids are not putting in the hard work for the return.

We follow John through the last couple months of the school year, when acceptances have already been given out, new chairs are being appointed in departments, and scandal is sure to hit the senior class.

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I found the beginning of this book very entertaining as it was structured somewhat as an expose of the Manhattan private school scene. I was reading the unspoken thoughts of many folks who work in NYC schools. Then Trees turned the story into John's story of unrequited love, a teacher's worst fear, and the politics behind the scenes at his school.

The degree to which the parents interfere and throw money around to "fix" problems is totally unbelievable and is nothing like I have ever encountered or heard about. It adds to the fun factor of the story, however. Just think, what would you do if a parent offered you six figures to make a problem disappear?

It was entertaining, but not as tightly written as I would have hoped. A first novel. A good summer read...especially if you work in an environment like Academy X!

100th Post! / Winter is the Warmest Season

Wow! Who would have ever thought that I would get to this point? Hurrah!

Now, I need to decided whether to post about a lovely picture book, or an adult book that makes me giggle because of the industry that I work in.

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Winter Is The Warmest Season is a comfy picture book that my daughter has really taken to. When I first told her the title, she laughed and said, "But Mummy, snow is cold NOT warm!"

But Winter IS the warmest season! It is when wool sweaters and hot chocolate appear! It is when we cozy up around the fireplace and snuggle with our kitties. Baths get hotter and PJs get warmer.

Lauren Singer's rich illustrations make the reader feel like s/he is sitting in a comfy chair with a duvet around the legs. I call them big fat illustrations because of the warmth and richness contained.

My daughter and I have already started playing the Summer is the Coolest Season game. Glasses of cold lemonade, cold sprinkler water and shady spots under willow trees have shown up in our version.

Lovely, lovely!

Lucy Rose: Here's the Thing About Me

So I decided to post this over here since I think it's too young to be a tween book.

Lucy Rose is the perfect character for those readers who are finished with Ramona and Judy Moody.

Lucy Rose has just made the move to Washington D.C. from Ann Arbor, MI. Her parents are separating and Lucy's mom's folks are in D.C. So this means a whole new school, trying to make new friends, and negotiate the move from suburbs to city.

Lucy Rose is what her Pop calls an original thinker. Outspoken, feisty and fun, she tells her story through journal entries with the boring days left out. Lucy Rose is in 3rd grade in Mr. Welsh's class, and her ambition for the year is to take care of the pet guinea pig, Jake. We follow her throughout the school year - finding friends, rethinking enemies and coming to accept her parent's separation.

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I came to this story through illustrator Adam Rex. Author Katy Kelly has written a fun character who is wonky enough to be interesting in a way that is not a copy of Ramona et al. Lucy Rose's friends Jonique and Adam Melon have interesting homes and families as well.

This book has a decidedly Southern feel to it eventhough it takes place in Washington. The rhythm of language is asking to be read aloud.

A fun read!

The Gold-Threaded Dress

The Gold-Threaded Dress, by Carolyn Marsden is over at Tweendom!

The Queen of Cool

Libby is the cool girl. She hangs with Perla, Kenji and the almost uncool Sid. Libby decides what happens at school (when she bothers to go). Stuff like "pencil day", or "pajama day". These are not school sanctioned events, rather just her cool clique showing up like everyone else missed the memo.

It feels to Libby like she's already done everything. She comes up with the days, goes to the parties, has her thing with Kenji, listens to Perla go on and on about becoming a reality star. There's nothing really original.

After a bizarre panic attack situation, Libby finds herself signing up for an internship at the zoo. Extra work! From the queen of the cut. The only other person who has signed up is that freak Tina.

Eventhough her friends think the whole situation is lame, Libby starts to see how shallow her previous life was. She starts to see who she may really be.

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Honestly, I didn't want to finish this book. There was nothing about Kenji, Perla and Libby that I even liked. Sid was okay in that Williamsburg indy boy kind of way. Still, I almost put the book away. I am glad that I finished, but still have a few reservations.

I love Perla's name. Did Castellucci name her after the ridiculously expensive underwear? I secretly hope that she did. I like the growth that happens to Libby and her family. And kudos for putting a little person in a YA book. (The only other one I know of is Funny Little Monkey).

But.

Uber self aware teens in a willing to leave the cool clique for the "loser" clique rarely rings true to me. Perhaps Tina and her friends were only seen as losers by Libby and her friends, but somehow I don't think so.

I'd recommend this to YAs who may have enjoyed Castellucci's Boy Proof, and fans of Hard Love.

Death Jr. #3

Here is a cutie patootie gn that I picked up when I was at the Wizard World show (I know, I know) in Phili.

Death Jr. has a hold of dad's (re the Grim Reaper) scythe. The problem is, he has yet to figure out how to release the souls. So as you can imagine, the dead are piling up. The even have to drag their own corpses around since they're still attached and all.

The Grim Reaper has been captured by his evil brother and is stored in a box in a museum. Jr. and his motely crew of friends (conjoined twins, a dead girl, a creepy baby in an aquarium thing, and a spooky little girl) have to go and rescue Grim while somehow avoiding the mean old Uncle.

Not unlike a Scooby Doo episode (I think the reference is even in there), this is a fun little romp to the dark side. Death Jr is really cute, and although I had not read #1 or #2, there's enough back story to get by without a problem.

Fun, fun for your spookier teens.

Good Girls

Audrey has always been a good girl. Not super prissy or nerdy. She's got friends, she's had boyfriends, she gets stellar marks. She's never had a "reputation". Not like that slutty Pam Markovitz. Everyone knows what she has done.

Luke DeSalvio and Audrey have been hooking up at parties since the end of the summer. The Luke DeSalvio. Audrey's best friend, Ash, has been telling her not to get too attached - that Luke's a player. Ash should know. She got burned by her ex. Ash is always saying that girls should be more like boys. Just hook up - no feelings.

It's Hallowe'en and Audrey has decided that she is not going to be with Luke anymore. He doesn't even talk to her in the halls at school. Just a cursory "hey". But Luke looks so good, and Audrey is not sure what comes over her when he is around. It's like her body has a mind of its own. So one last hook up. Who will know? Audrey's in charge. She decides what they will do.

Unfortunately, someone else does know. Someone takes a picture of Audrey and Luke. Audrey's signature waist length blonde hair at Luke's naked torso. Someone emails that picture all over school. Even to Audrey's dad's work.

Who would do this? And why? How will Audrey cope?

Laura Ruby has created characters with such authenticity, I feel as though I know them. My heart ached for Audrey, and I admired her strength. I was pissed off at Chilly, proud of Ash, and hoping that Luke wouldn't be an arse. I feel like I know these kids.

I like, too, that Audrey's family is "every family". Church going (but not fanatical), working parents of the middle class variety, a good kid with good grades. It doesn't take extraordinary circumstances for your kids to start having sex!

What an amazing time to have to grow up when you know that stuff like this happens. When I was a teen, it was just a matter of he said she said. Nobody was carrying around a Kodak 110 camera, running to a photomat to get them developed, paying for prints and distributing! Ruby gets the flavour of the technology, slang, blogginess, and double standard of teen life. There is sex, but there it is. It's not gratuitous...it simply is happening. It's what teens do. Not all teens, but some.


I LOVE this book.

The Astonishing Adventures of FanBoy and Goth Girl

How's that title grab ya?

Donnie is a comicbook geek. A fanboy. He goes to school in a sea of jocks and has 1 friend there - fellow comic book fan, Cal. Cal and Donnie, however, couldn't be more different. Cal is a jock and tends to dodge Donnie when he is in the halls at school, but manages to IM him at night about comics.

One day during gym class (the dreaded dodgeball), Donnie is waiting in the Dead Zone when this kid Frampton starts wailing on his arm. Teachers aren't paying attention. None of the other kids notice. Except for one girl who is up in the bleachers.

Donnie receives a mysterious IM from Promethea387 asking "Why do you let him hit you?". Is this another joke? Are the jocks setting him up?

Not this time. It was Kyra up in the bleachers. Kyra with her black hair, billowing black clothes, black lipstick and white skin. Could it be that Donnie just got another friend?

It could never be that simple. This is highschool. It's never easy...not for the fanboy, the goth girl, not even for senior goddess Dina.

I have to admit, I was worried at first where this book was going. As a former goth girl myself, I was hoping that Barry Lyga wasn't going to add the stereotypes to Kyra's character. I understand that all characterisation is somewhat built on stereotype, but when it hits close to home, it matters more. Thankfully, Lyga takes this book into a different place. It's simply the story of some highschool kids. With lots of fun comic book facts thrown in.

I will be interested to see the readership. Is this a boy book? What do you think?

Water Street

Bird and Thomas are growing up in a Brooklyn apartment just as the bridge is rising. Over on Water Street, Bird is the youngest of 3 - daughter of a bridge worker and a healer. Thomas is pretty much on his own - Da being down at the pub all the time.

Thomas dreams of being a writer. He has fashioned himself a notebook and makes sure to write everything down. He has a shadowy memory of a woman in lace sleeves who told him that writing can change it all.

Bird has her own dreams of following in her mother's footsteps and becoming a healer herself. She has a notebook where she writes down remedies ... sliced onion for bee stings, coal from the turf fire held under the nose for sneezing.

Bird always needs to fix things. She needs to get her brother Hughie to stop fighting in the backs of pubs. She needs to get sister Annie out of the box factory. She needs to save all her money to help her mother buy a farm in New Jersey.

Thomas needs to find his past and try to fix his family.

This is immigrant Brooklyn in the 1870s. Patricia Reilly Giff has managed to bring in so many aspects of daily immigrant life without making it seem like school. The streets come alive (especially when Thomas and Bird venture into Manhattan) with sights and sounds and smells. It was a pleasure to read about Brooklyn instead of the Bowery.

This book is equally suited for older tweens and younger teens. There is a bit of detailed gore described in some healing scenes that may have queasy readers blanching. Told in alternating chapters, the stories of Bird and Thomas come to life and are a pleasure to read.

The Magician's Boy

...by Susan Cooper is over at Tweendom!

You are SO not invited to my Bat Mitzvah

Find this title by Fiona Rosenbloom over at Tweendom!

Octavian Nothing

Wow.

M.T. Anderson has done it again. This book is so haunting and so horrifying to me that I am happy the ending of book one was a bit abrupt and cliff-hangery, because frankly I needed a break.

Octavian's mother was "brought" over to America at the age of 14 and big with child. She was a princess in her own land, and came to stay at the College of Lucidity -- a school of philosophy of sorts. Princess Cassiopeia and son Octavian are the only two there with names...everyone else is referred to by a system of enumeration. Mr. Gitney, the owner of the house, is 03-01. 03-01 is raising Octavian with a classical education of Greek, Latin, music, philosophy and poetry.

Octavian has many gifts, one being observation. He is indeed encouraged to be observant. It is through these observations that Octavian slowly begins to discover that all is not as it seems. The men of the house often conduct experiments on different animals in order to discover the science of the thing. Many times these experiments seem cruel. Indeed, there is one experimentation room that Octavian may not even enter...it has his likeness on the door drawn skull and crossbone style.

One day he gets the courage to pass through these doors, and his life will never be the same. Within those walls is the evidence that he and his mother are part of the experiment themselves. An opportunity for these "men of science" to study the differences between those of European descent and Africans.

The history within Octavian Nothing is somewhat shocking to me, because I am not American and have not studied much American history. The College of Lucidity is in Boston in the days leading up to the Revolution. M. T. Anderson has an author's note in the back that speaks to the history of the time.

The story is Octavian's, though some of it is told through brief articles and letters, and some through a revolutionary soldier. I don't want to give too much of the plot away since this is still an arc, but suffice it to say that this is a book that will remain in my thoughts for a long time. It made me uncomfortable and sad, shocked and hopeful all at the same time.

Julep O'Toole

Over at Tweendom I have posted a review of Julep O'Toole:Miss Independent, by Trudi Trueit.

What's New

You'll notice I haven't been posting as much lately.

This is because I have started a new venture in the blogosphere called "Welcome To My Tweendom"where I am posting book reviews that fall into the elusive tween category.

What is "tween", people ask.

For me, tween books are the ones that appeal to sophisticated 3rd graders all the way up to 6th graders. The books I would give to the 3rd graders are few and far between, but I am constantly on the search for books for the 4th and 5th graders in my life that are appropriate content wise, yet challenging and "not babyish".

Book marketing has exploded after the Harry Potter phenomenon, and not everything marketed young is suitable (in my humble opinion).

So, from now on, when I post over at Tweendom, I will post a line or two here, letting you all know.

Booktopia will remain it's ecclected mix of picture books, YA and Adult fiction and nonfiction!

Gilda Joyce Psychic Investigator

Eighth-grader Gilda lives in Michigan with her mom and brother Stephen. It is the end of the school year and everyone in her class is talking about the trips they are going on and camps they are going to over the summer. Gilda is not paying attention. Instead she is reading her favourite book : The Master Psychic's Handbook, by Balthazar Frobenius. When her teacher asks Gilda what she is going to do for the summer she blurts out that she is going to California to write a novel. This is not exactly the truth. But if Gilda is anything, she is relentless. And before you know it, Gilda gets herself invited to San Fran to stay with her mother's distant cousin Lester and his daughter Juliet.

The Splinter household is very different from Gilda's home. The huge museum-like house is devoid of anything personal, and Lester and Juliet keep to separate wings. The tower in the back is all boarded up. Gilda soon learns this is because Juliet's Aunt Melanie had committed suicide from the tower 10 years earlier.

Gilda is bound and determined to solve the mystery of the boarded up tower, and figure out why Lester refuses to talk about anything. With the help of Balthazar Frobenius, some disguises, and her cousin Juliet Gilda uses her talents as a psychic investigator to do more than just solve mysteries!

This book is appealing on so many levels, yet truly hard to describe. Gilda's character seems so young, but the topics of suicide and depression are sophisticated and give the story more of a YA feel. I really liked Gilda and admired her spunk, and Juliet is intriguing in her teen angst. Some plot points of the ghost story within are scary, then the reader finds herself laughing on the next page.

I think that Jennifer Allison has done an amazing job writing an entertaining and intriguing story. I would recommend this to readers from 7th - 9th grade.

How It Happend In Peach Hill

15-year-old Annie and her Mama have always moved around. Ever since Mama got thrown into jail in Carling, staying one step ahead has been a priority.

Mama is clairvoyant...or says she is, at least. Peach Hill is Mama and Annie's eighth town. They set up shop, but this time they have a new angle. Annie is pretending to be an idiot. She has perfected a crossed eye and slack jaw. Afterall, people will say anything in front of an idiot. This way, Annie can easily collect the information that her Mama needs for business. Information like the fact that Delia deGroot's Mama up and ran away with the fish man. Or that Mr. Poole's wife was sharp elbowed and sharp tongued.

Annie, however, hadn't counted getting feelings for local boy Sammy Sloane. There was no boy alive who would fall for a drooling idiot! So Annie hatches her own plan and has Mama unwittingly "heal" her in front of some other people. Annie has never defied her mother before, and honestly, she likes the feel of it.

Annie gets to discover Peach Hill and its residents out from Mama's watchful eye. Is Mr. Poole all that he seems? Is his interest in Mama genuine? Will Sammy Sloane notice Annie now that she's "normal"? And who is that bedraggled girl without shoes running around town?

As Annie learns to see using her own eyes, she will face some hard truths. About her Mama and their lifestyle, and about truth itself.

Marthe Jocelyn has written a solid character driven story that is filled with historical detail. While the cover looks young, the story itself deals with themes of first love, abuse, and finding one's path. Fans of Creech will approve.

This Jazz Man

I am always on the look out for good picture books. They're the heart of what I use at work, and it seems that so many are published, but few of them really speak to me. This Jazz Man, by Ehrhardt and Roth is one of the good ones!

This Jazz Man is a reworking of "This Old Man" ( come on...sing it! I know you know it!). Each of the numbers is represented by a real jazz man. Those included are Louis "Satcmo" Armstrong, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Luciano "Chano" Pozo y Gonzalez, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, Charlie "Bird" Parker, Art "Blu" Blakey, John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie, Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller, and Charles "Baron" Mingus.

Each is shown in turn singing, dancing or playing the instrument for which he is famous.

The illustrations mix mediums, and are colourful and accessible. They make me happy!

Then the gem of it all is the set of mini biographies of the jazz men in the back of the book. This makes This Jazz Man more than just a picture book to enjoy. I picture my second graders using this as a starting point for some projects, and I picture myself using it to illustrate just what it is that biographies do!

I am planning on purchasing a copy for my daughters when it is released this fall! What a great companion to Charlie Parker Played BeBop.