Book Review - Counting by 7s

Title: Counting by 7s

Author: Holly Goldberg Sloan

Publisher: Penguin Young Reader's Group

# of Pages: 384

Release Date: 29 August 2013

Publisher's Review: In the tradition of Out of My Mind, Wonder, and Mockingbird, this is an intensely moving middle grade novel about being an outsider, coping with loss, and discovering the true meaning of family.

Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life . . . until now.

Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read

Review: I have to admit that I was initially drawn to this book because of the cover.  It reminded me immediately of the cover of one of my favorite children's books, Leo Lionni's Swimmy.  After reading the book, I'm extremely happy to say that not only was the cover similar, so were the themes, the morals, and the overall good feeling that both books leave me with.  

I'm not generally a fan of realistic fiction about orphans.   I'm okay with fantasy novels with orphaned characters (fantasy is built around the sad tales of orphans, after all) but orphaned characters who are also realistic make me exceedingly sad.  I liked Willow's parents a whole lot even though we only knew them for a few chapters and I was very sad to see them leave the story.  Willow is spunky, which grated on me at first since spunky seems to be how many authors treat characters on the spectrum.  But there was also a lot of truth to Willow's character and the relationships she creates over the course of the book.  I especially liked the way that Sloan described Willow's emotions and allowed her to express them in unique, but realistic ways.  Too often characters with Autism or Asperger's Syndrome are depicted as having no emotion which is not always the case.

My one complaint (and the only reason this is a four star instead of a five star book) is that I greatly disliked the guidance counselor.  As a former teacher and current youth services professional, I despised him despite the fact that he did eventually redeem himself.  He was selfish and lazy, close-minded and generally uninteresting.  There is enough bad press out there about teachers, counselors, and coaches without adding to the fray by creating negative literary educators.  

But overall, I enjoyed the book greatly.  It's a quick read and one I would recommend to any Middle Reader.

Rating: four out of five stars

ARC Book Review - So, You Want to Be a Chef?: How to Get Started in the World of Culinary Arts

Title: So, You Want to Be a Chef?: How to Get Started in the World of Culinary Arts

Author: J.M. Bedell

Publisher: Aladdin/Beyond Words

# of Pages: 212 (in the digital, ebook ARC)

Release Date: 22 October 2013

Publisher's Summary: Become a full-time foodie with this step-by-step guide to entering the professional world of cooking, baking, and running a culinary business.Designed to inspire creative expression and help aspiring chefs achieve their dreams, So, You Want to Be a Chef?defines the pathways fine dining and cuisine professions, from being a sous chef, pastry chef, or chef de cuisine, to becoming a caterer or restaurateur and more.

In addition to tips from professionals in the industry, So, You Want to Be a Chef? includes inspiring stories from successful young cooks and a full list of resources to help you on your way to chefdom.

Review: One of the perks of being a teacher (and a teacher-librarian) was that I was frequently asked if I wanted to be a taste-tester for my school's culinary arts program.  I was privileged enough to attend a number of restaurant quality meals served to me by my students.  I loved it because the food was always good, but also because it was great to see them shine in an environment that wasn't my classroom.  Let's face it, high school doesn't always do the best thing for a young person's self esteem, but cooking, well, the culinary arts always seemed to bring out the best in my students.  They exuded confidence in ways that I didn't always get to see as their English teacher.  One of the best cultural changes I've seen is the elevation of chefs and cooks to celebrities because it's made the culinary arts a viable and enticing career for students who may not have previously considered it. 

So, You Want to Be a Chef? is a great book because it's the perfect balance of inspiration and hard facts.  Teens whose only exposure to culinary arts is Gordon Ramsey's reality shows may not realize just what's involved in becoming or working as a chef.  This book devotes a chapter to each of the chef positions found in a kitchen.  The chapters not only describe how the responsibilities differ among the positions, but also provide a timetable of what each chef does on a daily basis.  This may be eyeopening for some young chefs (it definitely was for me!) but it isn't in any way discouraging.   There are also chapters about culinary colleges, food in the media, jobs in restaurants, and food research and science.  

My favorite parts of the book, though, were the brief interviews with people who work in the industry.  Some of them were seasoned chefs and restaurateurs, others were food bloggers or magazine editors.   The interviews were honest and didn't stray from the long hours of backbreaking work, but they were also universally positive and inspirational.  And each person interviewed included a favorite recipe, many of which I can't wait to try myself!

This book would absolutely be a great resource for students interested in careers in the culinary arts as well as the teachers and instructors who will help to mold their futures.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

ARC Book Review: The Last Present

Title: The Last Present

Author: Wendy Mass

Publisher: Scholastic Press

# of Pages: 246 (in the digital, ebook ARC)

Release Date: 24 September 2013

Publisher's Summary: Amanda and Leo have a history with birthdays. Now their friend's little sister, Grace, has fallen into a strange frozen state on her birthday, and Amanda and Leo must travel in time in order to fix whatever's wrong. As they journey back to each of Grace's birthdays, they start seeing all sorts of patterns . . . which raise all sorts of questions.

Amanda and Leo are going to have to unravel the threads of the past and present - and travel much further than they ever imagined - if they're going to save Grace. Luckily, a little birthday magic always helps in the charming and funny Willow Falls series by Wendy Mass, where everything is possible and there are no coincidences.

Review: I have a little bit of a literary crush on Wendy Mass.  I constantly tell others (students, patrons, fellow teachers & librarians, moms, friends, strangers) who ask who my favorite author is that it's Wendy Mass.  When I grow up to become an author (which at this rate will be sometime in my 60s) I want to be just like her.  Mass' books are sweet and kind without being simple.  The characters are complicated without any cheap drama.  The Candymakers is on my list of top ten favorite Middle Grade books.  (I waxed poetic about it in my review of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library.)  She's one of those rare authors who is able to write tween dialogue that actually sounds like it comes from the mouths of tweens.

But, my love of her aside, I was disappointed in this book.  Maybe it was in part because I enjoyed all of the previous Willow Falls books so thoroughly or because I had such high expectations for the series finale.  But mostly I think I was disappointed because it ended so abruptly.  It started out like all of Mass' books - she built background for readers who hadn't previously read books in the series, reintroduced the characters, and set the conflict, all in a way that endears the reader to the story.  The plot revolves around a ten part mission and the first few parts were incredibly engrossing.  But just as the book really started to get going, Mass ended it by wrapping everything up in series of neat bows.  It was so sudden that it was jarring.  I realize that part of the beauty of this series is that it's magical realism for the tween set, but enough things happened that are out of character for Willow Falls and its residents that I expected someone to question or comment on it.  But that never happened.  Adult and child characters accept explanations and events that they normally wouldn't and Mass explains it all with a literary shrug of "It's magic." 

Maybe the sudden ending is due to the fact that the book is almost 250 pages long, which is lengthy for a middle grade book.   Or maybe Mass just wanted to be done with the series.  Either way, I just wish there had been a more satisfying ending to such a spectacular series.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

ARC Book Review: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Volume 2

Title: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Volume 2

Author: Heather Nuhfer
Illustrator: Amy Mebberson

Publisher: IDW Publishing

# of Pages: 90 (in the digital, ebook ARC)

Release Date: 24 September 2013

Publisher's Summary: Get ready for another unforgettable adventure in the land of Equestria! Twilight Sparkle and gang are confronted with a perilous new danger in the form of a long-unseen enemy!

Review: It's no secret that I'm overly fond of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.  The bulletin board in my office has a herd of twenty small plastic ponies marching across the top of the frame and I've been known to quote Twilight Sparkle in times of stress or when a book I'm particularly excited about comes into to the library.  (For example: "Get back! All of you! This is my book. And I'm going to READ IT!")  I mean, as a child born in the 80's who loves books more than most things, who wouldn't love MLP:FiM, especially since the protagonist is a unicorn librarian!

I was excited when Netgalley gave me an ARC of the MLP:FiM graphic novel and I devoured the book in one sitting.  I liked the graphic novel for all same reasons I like the show - it's witty, chock-full of inside jokes, and  the characters are independent girls (fillies?) who don't need to rely on anyone else to succeed.  And, of course, the moral lessons and underlying themes are all about the importance of friendship and being true to one's self.  All of this is achieved without relying on saccharine sweetness or outdated tropes.  There are some pretty blatant stereotypes (tomboys, girlie girls, know-it-alls, freaks & geeks) but these roles aren't rigid and each character is allowed to be more than her type.

Everything works really well as a graphic novel.  The animation translates well to book form and I love that the one-liners and asides to the audience get their own panels.  The plot is fast-paced and fun, with just enough drama to keep it exciting.  (Although there's never any doubt that there will be a happy ending!) I absolutely recommend this book to anyone, boy or girl, tween or adult, who enjoys the world of ponies and Equesteria. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
 

Book Review: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Title: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Author: Chris Grabenstein


Publisher: Random House

# of Pages: 304

Release Date: 25 June 2013

Publisher's Summary:  Kyle Keeley is the class clown, popular with most kids, (if not the teachers), and an ardent fan of all games: board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the building of the new town library.

Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of the first 12 kids in the library for an overnight of fun, food, and lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors remain locked. Kyle and the other winners must solve every clue and every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route. And the stakes are very high.

Review: I'm proud to say that this was the first book I checked out in my new role as YA librarian!  I had read early reviews of it while I was still working as an English teacher and was excited that it was coming out just as I transitioned to my new job.  I will shamelessly admit that I gave it five out of five stars in part because it's a love letter to libraries and librarians, but I'll do my best to not gush about it too much in my review!

I haven't read any of Chris Grabenstein's other works, although I was aware that he was the author of both YA and adult titles.  I wasn't sure what to expect from Mr. Lemoncello but I was intrigued by the premise of children solving riddles and puzzles while locked overnight in a futuristic library.  Many of the early reviews I read compared it to Roald Dahl's  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but I would argue that it's more like Wendy Mass' The Candymakers.  Both books, as well as Mr. Lemoncello, follow the classic formula of children thrown into an adult setting left to bond as a group or fall apart trying.  Dahl, master that he is, made Charlie his hero; a protagonist who was truly good while those around him suffered from the ugly flaws of youth and greed.  Mass and Grabenstein follow a more contemporary model, allowing their characters to shine because of their imperfections, not in spite of them.  There are multiple heroes and everyone is capable of redemption.  Which makes for a friendlier book and a more enjoyable story.  Part of the joy in reading Mr. Lemoncello is watching the characters learn to work together.  They solve problems as a team and share the rewards equally.  

Grabenstein, besides understanding the group dynamics of tweens, clearly loves libraries.  The book is filled with literary quotes and Dewey references.  I'm especially fond of Grabenstein's description of the giant dome covered in LCD screens that fills the ceiling of the main reading room of Mr. Lemoncello's library.  I love it because as magical as it seems, it's also plausible.  I'm already trying to convince my director that we need to install one in our library!

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library is a fast and highly enjoyable read.  I recommend it to tweens and librarians alike!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

ARC Book Review: Chitchat

Title: Chitchat: Celebrating the World's Languages

Author: Jude Isabella
Illustrator: Kathy Boake

Publisher: Kids Can Press

# of Pages: 44 ((in the digital, ebook ARC))

Release Date: 1 September 2013

Summary: This guide to language takes readers on a trip of the tongue, exploring how languages -- spoken, written and sign -- originate and change over time.

Review: I like languages a lot.  I speak two of them fluently and wrote one of my undergraduate theses on how language impacts learning.  But words (except for the memorization of vocabulary words) are being removed from curricula around the country.  There's no more phonics in elementary classrooms and grammar and usage rules are no longer a part of middle school language arts.  So I really loved the idea of this book because it presents information about language in a way that's incredibly interesting and accessible for tweens and teens. 

I was impressed by how much information was in this book.  It's incredibly comprehensive and covers how we learn to talk as infants as well as the development of languages around the world.  I especially loved the section on Cockney - it's the first explanation I've ever read that made sense during my first read and anyone who knows anything about how cockney is formed knows that's quite a feat! 

I also enjoyed the layout of the book - no section is overly long and the sidebars and boxes do a great job of keeping teens and tweens reading despite short attention spans.  My only criticism of the book is its illustrations.  They're creepy and they distract from the information in the book.  The eyes are especially disconcerting. 

This is definitely a book that I would purchase for my classroom if I still had one and, short of that, it's one that I'll be gifting to my English teacher friends!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

ARC Book Review: Believe

Title: Believe

Author: Sarah Aronson

Publisher: Carolrhoda Books

# of Pages: 300 (in the digital, ebook ARC)

Release Date: 1 September 2013

Publisher Summary: Janine Friedman is famous. She’s the miraculous ‘soul survivor’ of a suicide bombing in a Jerusalem synagogue ten years ago. The bombing killed both her parents and changed not only her life, but also that of Dave Armstrong, the tourist who dug her out of the rubble and ‘found God’ as a result. Most people can remember where they were when it happened – the image of that little girl with her bleeding, ruined hands being dragged into the light.

Ten years on, Janine just wants to forget the past, though the nightmares persist. Sure, she avoids cameras and journalists like the plague, and her hands will never be quite right, but she’s one leg of a ‘tripod’ of friends – Miriam and Abe are always there for her – and the most she’s worrying about is whether she should settle for boyfriend Dan or still go after gorgeous Tyler.

Janine always knew the tenth anniversary would be tough. But then Abe is nearly killed in a road accident and ‘miraculously’ survives. Another boy gets out of his wheelchair and starts to walk… And the common denominator is Janine, with her supposedly healing powers.

With Dave Armstrong back in town, Janine finds herself at the centre of a media storm. Forced to look more deeply into the past, she must finally seek the truth about her parents, her hands, and the terrible day that shaped her life. What does she really believe about all three – and about herself.

Review: The first memory I have of being aware of the world outside of my house and my family, is the memory of the Challenger disaster.   I remember it primarily because my friend Zach was home sick that day.  He came into Kindergarten the following morning and described the explosion to us in great detail.  I remember that vividly.  This is all to say that everyone has cultural memories - stories of where we were and what we were doing when something monumental happens.  The common experience of these common experiences intrigues me which is why I jumped at the chance to read this book.  Unfortunately the book is largely forgettable, unlike the plane crashes that inspired it.

I desperately wanted Janine to be a sympathetic character.  I appreciated the fact that she was a survivor who refused to capitalize on her tragedy.  I thought the way she struggled to reconcile her conflicted feelings towards her dead parents was realistic and well handled.  But none of the relationships she had with other, living characters felt developed enough to make me feel anything other than irritated at her when she complained about being unable to leave the house.  I think the biggest reason for this was that there were simply too many secondary characters and way, way too many subplots.  Each one of those subplots had an amazing amount of potential, but the book never settled on a single story line long enough to make me care.

I don't mean to say that it was all bad, because I wasn't.  I just wish Aronson had done her own, excellent ideas more justice by focusing on one instead of trying to give readers tiny tastes of each of them.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars