Category Archives: Children’s book reviews

Children's book reviews, Spare time - Culture, Young adult book review

Retirement

1 Comment

Though I was truly honored to be chosen as a reviewer for that publication I’ve mentioned in the past, I’ve officially submitted my resignation to them.  After writing 15 reviews on 27 books (if you count my audition reviews, it’s really 18 reviews for 30 books) in the last three months, it was time to retire.

If I had no other commitments in my life, I think I’d actually enjoy writing reviews.  But it was just plain TOO much to try to squeeze the reading of the books, the background research, and the writing of the reviews into my already jam-packed days.  With my library and tutoring schedule, I often leave home at 9 in the morning, not to return until 8 at night, hungry for dinner.  Once dinner is in my belly, that leaves an hour or so to read review books (with my exhausted eyes) before bedtime. 

Granted, my tutoring has ended for the summer, so there’s more free time in my schedule now.  But we ARE trying to finish the painting and siding of the house, as well as the installation of the new windows that arrived on Tuesday, and the gardens need some major weeding already.

So what this all comes down to is establishing priorities in one’s life.  Life is short, and I want mine to be about more than just how many hours I can work in a week.  For me, something had to give in order to remain sane, and I chose book reviewing. 

Book groups, Children's book reviews, Children's literature

Green Glass Sea

Yesterday was the last fifth grade book group of the school year (though we’ll have one meeting in July), and it was the best yet.  This group of kids has evolved so much over this year, and they are now the most thoughtful, well-spoken, intelligent, and respectful bunch of fifth graders that I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. 

Our book was The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages, a piece of historical fiction about the building of the atomic bomb in Los Alamos.  Dewey, the main character, is ten when the story starts in 1943; we begin with her being transported out to Los Alamos to join her scientist father who has been working there for a while.  The story continues up to the dropping of the first bomb on Hiroshima, and a sequel is in the works.

The kids loved the book.  And I mean LOVED the book.  This really surprised me, since I had kind of pulled a fast one on them to even get this book into the mix for a group discussion (they had summarily rejected this book in favor of a cowboy story, and I was regretfully going along with their choice until I figured out there weren’t enough copies of the cowboy story available, and I snuck The Green Glass Sea back in).  The group is half girls, half boys, and everyone really liked the misfit, nerdy character of Dewey.  The girls loved that Dewey is a pioneer, a girl who excels at science and experiments, and that she doesn’t care about what other people think of her.  The boys respected Dewey’s intelligence, and one commented extensively on how being a “nerd” isn’t necessarily a bad thing.   

Another member of the group, who I swear is better educated and more intelligent at the end of fifth grade than I am now, got us into a conversation about the differences between boys and girls.  The conversation arose because I mentioned the tension between the pair of married scientist characters in the book (the wife begins to have serious misgivings about using the bomb on civilians, while her husband is too wrapped up in the excitement of scientific success to see her point), and Aaron commented that boys grow up playing with soldiers and loving war, while girls are more peaceful.  There was some bristling of other group members as he said that, but eventually we were able to discuss that yes, there are some differences between men and women, and that we also need to be careful not to make blanket, stereotypical statements about any group.

Peter, another group member, then said: “It’s really not fair that men can get drafted to go to war, but women can’t.  Everyone’s equal, so drafting should be equal, too.”  A lot of eyes opened wide, as the truth of that statement hit home.  Then Peter started to talk about the cruelty of the atomic bomb, and how hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed.  Which started an excellent conversation about war and why the atomic bomb was created in the first place.

We covered so much ground in our conversation that it would be hard to remember all of the group’s insightful comments; and this post would become more than long.  So let me just finish with a comment from Jill:  she told us that her teacher had informed her that this book was too difficult for her, and that the fifth grade library book group shouldn’t be reading it because it would be too hard for fifth graders to understand.  Jill was incensed by her teacher’s comment, and so she finished the book that weekend and then wrote a voluntary two-page summary and critical analysis of the book, which she turned in to her teacher on Monday morning.

No word on the teacher’s reaction…

Children's book reviews, Young adult book review

Reading Update

This was a tough week – long exhausting days – and I didn’t get much reading done.  Though I had been excited about it, I finally gave up on Keturah and Lord Death midway into the book.  There is something about Leavitt’s use of language that annoyed and frustrated me: she was aiming to create an atmosphere of lords and ladies and Black Death and the poor farming folk in the village, but the atmosphere became too heavy-handed and self-conscious by about the fiftieth page, and I just had to stop reading.  Blech.  What a disappointment.  [It should be noted that I rarely give up on books; I’m more likely to keep with a bummer of a book through to the bitter end, complaining loudly the whole way about how much I dislike it.]

Tuesday was the fifth grade book group, and we discussed Larklight by Philip Reeve.  I thoroughly enjoyed Larklight, but wasn’t sure how the melding of Victorian England culture and space travel and colonization would sit with the kids.  For the most part, the kids enjoyed the book, but they did struggle with the idea that the British could have had colonies all over the galaxy if they had had the technology to travel through space back in the Victorian era.  We talked a lot about suspension of disbelief, about finding the bits in the plot that work to tie everything together, and about why the prissy, overly feminine character of Myrtle makes sense for the times.  We also discussed whether it’s necessary to always like the characters in a book, or if, in fact, things get more interesting if you don’t like some of the characters.

And surprisingly, the kids in the book group weren’t very impressed with the packet we received from Andrew Clements.  Back in October, each kid in the book group had written Clements a letter, which I packed up and mailed with a cover letter talking about the kids and their discussion of Room One: A Mystery or Two.  Clements very graciously answered back with a personalized form letter complimenting the kids on their letters, a signed and personalized bookmark for each child in the group, a bookmark for me, and even a note to me that says:  “To Abby Kingsbury, a librarian who loves good books almost as much as she loves the children she shares them with.”  I love what Clements sent, and plan on framing my portion of it to hang in my office; hopefully the kids were more excited about it than they let on.  At least they now want to write to some more authors!  (Suzanne Collins probably will be the first choice.)

And that’s the update for this week.  Next Tuesday is the 6th through 8th grade book group, and we’ll be discussing Jennifer Roy’s Yellow Star and Julius Lester’s Day of Tears.

Book groups, Children's book reviews

Peter Pan in Scarlet

2 Comments

Ok, I admit it, I haven’t finished the book for today’s fifth grade book group (I’ll have to speed read at lunch today), but I like what I’ve read so far.  Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean is very British, and I’m sure her use of words is one thing that’s caused confusion with the kids, but it’s a fun romp.  McCaughread does perpetuate stereotypes, though: there is much offensive mention of the “little redskins.”  I’ll be interested to hear whether the kids in the book group picked up on that particular phraseology.  And I’ll be interested to find out whether the kids enjoyed the book and understood the storyline.  Update tomorrow!

Countdown:  12 days!!!

Children's book reviews, Spare time - Culture, Young adult book review

Audition results

1 Comment

Heard from the publication with which I “auditioned” recently, and the news is great!  I’ve been selected as a temporary reviewer for this publication, which reviews children’s books, with the potential to become a permanent reviewer once they’ve detemined how well I fit in with their standards.  Needless to say, I’m pretty thrilled!  (Though one of my coworkers laughed when I told her the news, and said: “And just HOW are you going to fit this into your crazy schedule?”).

Children's book reviews, Spare time - Culture, Young adult book review

Assignment complete

1 Comment

It was tough, but I finished.  The assignment that was due on the 19th is complete, and the finished product has been emailed to the person in charge of making the decision.  Though I put a lot of time and thought into this assignment, it was a challenge to complete, mostly because of the doubting voices that nagged me:  “Maybe this isn’t your strength…”  “Perhaps you’re just not any good at this…”  “This is probably your one chance at this opportunity – don’t blow it by turning in inferior product…”  “No pressure, but if you fail, then your chances in this line are null and void for the rest of your life…”

Years ago on Northern Exposure, Ed envisioned these self-doubts as the “little green men” in his mind.  My little green men had a field day this weekend.  Hopefully they wore themselves out with the exertion and activity, and will take a loooong nap and leave me alone for a while.

Book groups, Children's book reviews

Book group update

Last Tuesday was the 4th grade Bagels n’ Books group, today was the 5th grade book group.  Our book was Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins, a book which I thoroughly enjoyed, despite the giant cockroaches and rats and bats.  This is the last time that the two groups will have read the same book, so the last time that I can compare them head-to-head, and it’s really fascinating to note the differences.

The 4th grade group has dwindled a bit in size from its overwhelming high of eleven participants, one of the unfortunate effects of being a library program, but we still have a good core group.  All great kids, all kids who I’ve gotten to know from their visits to the library on non-book group days, but somehow the group still isn’t quite gelling.  We try, but I have to constantly remind them about “book group etiquette,” such as not interrupting each other, valuing each other’s comments, and staying on topic.

In contrast, the fifth grade group, which has grown a bit in size over the months, has gelled quite nicely.  Like the fourth graders, the fifth graders are all great kids as individuals, but they’ve also reached the next level in their development and in their group dynamic.  At the start of today’s discussion, one of the kids said, “Can we be sure we raise our hands, and not interrupt each other?  I think it would be nice if we made sure we stayed on topic, too, so that we can really discuss the book and not be rude.”  And they were fabulous.  I was the adult in the room, but I didn’t need to prompt book discussion: these kids had really thought about the book and had excellent comments about it.  They had a great dialogue, without much help from me, and I enjoyed hearing their insights.  What a pleasure!

And do read the book, if you haven’t.  Good, original fantasy is hard to come by!

Children's book reviews, Children's literature

Books galore

Life is good – I’ve got a three-day weekend, and a huge pile of books waiting to be read.  Some of the books are a bit dry (asthma books aren’t exactly thrilling reading, but they are necessary reading), but most of them are pretty exciting to me.  I splurged just before leaving work on Friday, and checked out two new books in our advanced reader section.  These two books have received great reviews, and I’ve been anxious to read them, but wanted to give the library patrons first shot at taking them home.  But heck, they were fair game for me when they were still on the shelf at closing time!  So here is one of the books on my agenda for this weekend:

Larklight  by Philip Reeve

I first heard of this book through the Booksense flyer that I picked up at Nantucket Bookworks in September.  Since then, I’ve read many enthusiastic reviews of Larklight, and Philip Reeve is the featured author in the November issue of School Library Journal.  One of the reviews I read said that this book is difficult to place into any one genre (wish I’d realized that before I slapped the SciFi/Fantasy sticker on the spine), which I love.  I’m always intrigued by books that push conventional boundaries.

The book flap describes Larklight this way:

“Art Mumby and his irritating sister Myrtle live with their father in a huge and rambling house, Larklight, which is traveling through space on an orbit far beyond the moon.  When, during an ordinary sort of morning, they learn that a gentleman is on his way to visit, a frenzy of preparation ensues.  But it is entirely the wrong sort of preparation, and a dreadful, terrifying and marvelous adventure begins.  Art, Myrtle, and the extraordinary space pirates they encounter journey to the farthest reaches of known space, where they desperately attempt to save each other – and the universe.   Utterly unique and devilishly witty, Larklight is a fantastic Victorian space adventure with a gravitational pull all its own.”

Tomorrow:  the other book…

Children's book reviews

New J non-fiction

1 Comment

Hmmmm, not so long ago I was bemoaning the lack of good J non-fiction.  Methinks I spoke too soon, because there are so many fabulous – not good, but FABULOUS – J non-fiction books available right now that it can be hard to choose (oh, for a limitless budget!).  Here are some of my newest favorites:

The Cat in Numberland by Ivar Ekeland

For any of you who missed my post of a few weeks ago about this unique book, here’s another mention of it.  I LOVE this book!

Transformed: How Everyday Things are Made by Bill Slavin

Yup, I’ve mentioned this book in the past, too.  It’s now on the shelves in Harvard, ready to go; good for reports and for browsing.

Smart Feller, Fart Smeller by Jon Agee

This one is for my dear husband, who loves a certain joke: “One smart feller, he felt smart, two smart fellers, they felt smart, three smart fellers, they all felt smart.”  Try saying that several times fast, and see what happens.  Tee-hee.

Tomorrow:  some new early chapter books, the category known as “JE.”

Children's book reviews, Teaching

Writing

1 Comment

On Monday night, my student “John” and I used Gail Carson Levine’s new book Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly as the basis of his lesson.  John is a really really bright fifth grader with a strong vocabulary, excellent spelling skills, and the ability to clearly and concisely verbalize his thoughts.  John just doesn’t like to put those great thoughts down on paper, and this is the reason that I brought Levine’s book along for this week’s lesson.  According to the bio on the book flap, she has presented writing workshops for kids many times over the years, and this book was born out of her experience teaching.  The first chapter of the book is titled “A Running Start,” and after nine lines of introductory text, Levine throws out some great story starters and instructs her readers to write for at least twenty minutes.

Turned out this was a fabulous way to get John writing.  He and I each picked a story starter, and then silently wrote for twenty minutes.  I turned out two pages of an unfinished story, and he wrote a full page of a great, finished short story.  This lesson was all about flow, getting words on paper, and keeping in the writing groove, so after reading our stories aloud, we moved on to read a bit that Levine has written about shushing our inner critics, and then we used another of her story starters to write for another twenty minutes.  Once again, though his hand was tired, John turned out some great writing; those thoughts of his got down on paper, a real victory for him.

We’ll continue to use this book for our next couple of lessons, and I highly recommend it to anyone of any age who wants help getting started writing.  It’s fun and wise and witty; a pleasure to read and to use.