Doll Bones by Holly Black

Zach, Poppy and Alice know they are too big to play with action figures now that they are in middle school, but they have so much fun doing it, that it is hard to stop.  The whole story they have made up of pirates, thieves and mermaids revolving around the figure of the Queen, a doll made of bone china and kept locked in a cabinet in Poppy's house, is just irrestible.

All three players come from dysfunctional families so getting lost in the game has an added benefit.  It gets Poppy away from a messy, disorganized and undisciplined life at home, and it gets Alice away from an overbearing, overly protective grandmother and it gets Zach away from the home his father has recently returned to after a failure business venture.  Now that he is in middle school and on the basketball team, that is all his dad is interested in.

So when his dad throws away his action figures, including William the Blade, pirate and captain of the Neptune's Pearl, Zach is too ashamed to tell Poppy and Alice.  Instead, he tells them that he no longer has an interest in playing the game.  Both girls are baffled, but keep trying to get Zach back to the game to no avail.

Then late one night, Poppy and Alice convince Zach to go on a real quest.  The Queen has come to Poppy in dreams and told her that she was made from the bones and ashes of a dead girl named Eleanor Kerchner and that she would never reat until she was properly buried.

Carrying the Queen in Poppy's backpack, the friends decide to go on one last quest before they end their game forever.  And what a quest it is - a little fun, somewhat supernatural, a lot creepy, totally compelling.

I wasn't sure about reading this book.  In fact, I really didn't want to.  I just don't like creepy doll stories.  
But it really wasn't about the creepy doll as much as it was about the quest the kids undertake.  Thinking a short bus ride to another town will be easy enough, things don't work out quite a smoothly as they did in the planning stage.  First, they meet Tinshoe Joe on the bus who tells them that when the driver make a rest stop and gets off the bus, aliens abduct him and send back another bus driver.  Sufficiently creeped out by Tinshoe Joe, the kids get off the bus and run.  And then there is the baker who makes Pepto-Bismal favored donuts, and the librarian with the bubble gum pink hair.

Holly Black has done such a wonderful job of creating a game that felt as real and imaginative as any I ever played when my friends and I were young and recreating that wonderful feeling of being so swept up in the game, you forget about everything else around you.

Doll Bones is really a fun novel, but, actually, not far into the story, I realized that while the story has this totally eerie quality to it, what it really is about is the quest each of us must make as we leave childhood behind and come of age.  Well, with an exception.  Black has done something not many authors do - she has shown us that not all 12 year old mature at the same rate.  Poppy's desperateness about this last quest is really about her knowing that Zach and Alice are growing up and away from her, and she just isn't there yet.

Is Doll Bones scary?  Yes, it is, but so is growing up when you are 12.

This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
   

P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia

For all of you who became fans of the Gaither sisters - Delphine, Vonetta and Fern - in One Crazy Summer, the girls are back.  And for anyone who doesn't know the Gaither sisters - they are a delight to meet.

The girls have just returned to Herkimer Street in Brooklyn after spending the summer with the mother Cecile in Oakland, CA (see One Crazy Summer).  Gone for one short summer, when they get back home things are definitely different.  For one thing, their father is a changed man now that he has a girlfriend, Miss Marva Hendrix, and it looks like they are getting serious.  And they beloved Uncle Darnell is coming home from Vietnam.  Of course, the girls have also changed.  Now they know about the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Panthers and the new Feminist Movement.  But Delphine, Vonetta and Fern soon learn that sisterhood begins at home.

The Jackson Five have hit the pop charts hard and soon they will be coming to Madison Square Garden.  Papa isn't too crazy about the idea of the girls going to their concert, but Miss Marva Hendrix is all for it.  And so it is agreed: the girls will save their money and pay half the cost and Marva will pay the other half.  And she puts middle sister Vonetta in charge of the money usurping the power over her younger sisters older sister Delphine always had.  Now she has to trust Vonetta with all her hard gotten cash.

Things have changed at school, as well.  Delphine doesn't get the sixth grade teacher she was supposed to have and ends up with a strict exchange teacher from Africa, Mr. Mwila, who actually expects his students to do the work assigned and do it well.  And when Uncle Darnell comes home from Vietnam, its as if he is a completely changed person and not for the better.  All he does is sleep the days away and go out at night.  And then, the Jackson Five money gets stolen.  Meanwhile Delphine has started writing back to her mother Cecile.  Delphine pours out all her worries and concerns to Cecile and doesn't understand why her mother always ends her letters with the words P.S. Be eleven.

But her mother, even if she is a distant mother, knows that Delphine is taking life too seriously and taking too much responsibility on her shoulders for an 11 year old.

P.S. Be Eleven might sound like a coming of age novel, but it isn't.  Delphine is in the throes of growing pains, changing but still on the coming of age threshold.  And watching Delphine navigate her growing pains as she narrates them to the reader is what makes her such an endearing character and the novel so wonderful.

P.S. Be Eleven is a delight to read and a nice stand alone novel.  I haven't read One Crazy Summer, though I was inspired to go out and get a copy to read, but this works very well as a stand alone novel.  While I am sure that the Gaither sisters has lots of adventures in the first novel, enough is made clear in the second whenever something from it comes up.

Rita Williams-Garcia got so much so right in this novel.  Her depiction of Brooklyn in 1968 is perfection and she has really captured the mood of the times.  The late 1960s was an pivotal time in the history of this country and it effected everyone in one way or another and how it impacted one family in Bed-Sty Brooklyn is all detailed in P.S. Be Eleven.  Surely did!

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL

The Line by Paula Bossio

A little girl in an orange dress comes across a the beginning of a line.  She picks it up and gives it a shake and, just by doing that she seems to make all kinds of shapes - a slide, a hoop, a monkey on a tree branch, monsters, and even a little bear.  But in the end, it is a little boy in a blue shirt drawing the line with a lead pencil.

This is a wordless picture book, designed to get kids to use their imaginations by talking about the illustrations, which are simple line drawings.  The only color is the little girl's dress and the little boy's shirt.  And because the little boy is using a pencil, there is pencil smudge on the pages, which I automatically kept trying to brush off.

The Line was somewhat reminiscent of Harold and the Purple Crayon, but for a younger child.  And like Harold, the line drawing gives a sense of movement as well as conveying emotions - happiness, fear, love, sneakiness.

I think I would have like a little more color in the illustrations and, well, I am sorry to say that it really bothered me that the little girl was being led around by the little boy's line.  I would have preferred she create her own line.   That was the only thing that spoiled this otherwise delightful book for me.

This book is recommended for readers age 3+
This book was an E-ARC received from NetGalley

The Last Enchanter by Laurisa White Reyes

Welcome to the official blog tour for 

THE LAST ENCHANTER, 
Book II of The Celestine Chronicles, 

a fun-filled fantasy adventure series for middle grade readers!  
_______________________________________________________________

In Book I, THE ROCK OF IVANORE, enchanter's apprentice Marcus Frye and five other boys set out on a dangerous journey to locate the Rock of Ivanore and bring it back to their village.

In THE LAST ENCHANTER, months have passed since they succeeded in their quest. One of the boys, Kelvin, is living as royalty in Dokur, and Marcus is studying magic with Zyll. When Lord Fredric is murdered and Kelvin becomes king, the Enchanter Zyll and Marcus head for Dokur in hopes of protecting Kelvin from meeting the same fate, though it quickly becomes apparent that none of them are safe, and Marcus has had disturbing visions of Zyll's death. With the help of his old friends Clovis and Bryn, joined by new friend Lael, a feisty girl in search of her mother, Marcus uncovers a powerful secret that will change the course of his life forever.

In addition to THE LAST ENCHANTER being released on OCTOBER 15th in hardback, THE ROCK OF IVANORE is also now available in paperback! Both titles can be purchased at bookstores nationwide and online at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Indiebound. They are available as E-books, too.

To celebrate the release of her newest book, author Laurisa White Reyes is giving away a brand new 16 GB NOOK HD!!!  Details on how to enter the giveaway can be found at the end of this post. In the meantime, please enjoy this excerpt from THE LAST ENCHANTER followed by an interview with the author, Laurisa White Reyes.

Laurisa's Website

Laurisa's Blog

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EXCERPT from THE LAST ENCHANTER

Marcus waited until he heard Zyll turn the lock in his door before heading back down the corridor. Zyll had told him to do what he thought was best, and that’s exactly what he would do.

He passed several armed sentries, one at every door, as he made his way through the lower level of the Fortress. Kelvin was determined not to let the Agoran rebels get inside again. Maybe Marcus shouldn’t worry about his brother. With all these guards around, Kelvin was far safer than Fredric must have been. Still, he deserved to know how their grandfather died. Secrets had nearly destroyed Marcus and Kelvin’s relationship during their quest eight months ago. There would be no secrets between them ever again.

Marcus didn’t want to go back to the dining room. Kelvin and Jayson were probably still arguing over dinner, and what Marcus had to say was private anyway. He would go instead to Kelvin’s council chambers and wait for him there.

Other than the sentries, the interior of the Fortress was quiet. Most of the servants had already retired to their rooms for the night. Marcus hurried across the vast entry hall toward the east alcove where the offices were located. He had made it halfway when he suddenly had the feeling that he was not alone.  He turned and looked behind him, but there was no one beside the guard standing at the Fortress’s main door. The light from several oil lamps left the corners of the room hidden in darkness. Someone could easily conceal himself in one.

This is silly, Marcus thought. I’m letting my mind play tricks on me. Still, he walked the rest of the way as fast as he could without actually running.

The door to Kelvin’s council chambers stood just inside a narrow alcove. To Marcus’s surprise, the sconces on the wall were not lit. The alcove was dark except for a weak glow from the lanterns in the great hall.  He had expected to find a guard here, too, but the alcove was empty—or was it?

Near the door to Kelvin’s chambers Marcus saw a large, dark clump of something on the floor. He approached cautiously and touched it with his foot.  An arm fell forward, hitting the floor with a dull thump. Marcus stepped back, his breath quickening. The dark clump was a sentry. In the dim light, Marcus couldn’t tell if he was unconscious or dead.

Behind him, Marcus heard the sound of footsteps which stopped abruptly.

“Hello?” Marcus called out hoping it was one of the other guards. “There’s a man here,” he said. “I think he’s hurt!”

When no one replied, Marcus realized once again that his imagination was running away with him. But he did need to find help for the sentry. He was about to leave when he heard a new sound coming from inside the chambers: an unmistakable rattle as if something had fallen and rolled across the floor.

Marcus stepped over the guard’s body and took hold of the door handle. Slowly he turned it, pushing open the door just an inch. Candlelight spilled through the narrow crack into the alcove. Marcus saw now that the sentry’s eyes were open, staring dully up at nothing. He was most certainly dead. And Marcus suspected that whoever was inside the room had done it.

Pushing the door open a little further, Marcus stepped inside. Large tapestries hung floor to ceiling against the walls. Three stories above, the stained glass ceiling looked like a patchwork of black and gray. Charred remains of a log stood cold in the fireplace, though six candles burned in an ornate candelabra beside Kelvin’s desk. On the floor lay an ink bottle, dark liquid trailing from it like a tail. This must be what had made the noise. Marcus bent to pick it up. The glass bottle felt warm to the touch.

The air in the room was chill. So why would the bottle be so warm? Someone must have been holding it, Marcus thought, but who?

As he set the bottle back on the desk, he noticed movement from the corner of his eye. A tapestry fluttered ever so slightly. Marcus’s heart raced. He reached for his knife, but then remembered he had left it in his room for he had thought he was just going to talk to Kelvin. What would he have needed it for? He reached for the tapestry with trembling fingers and jerked it aside, but the only thing behind it was a bare wall.

All of sudden, something heavy hit him from behind. Sharp pain exploded across his shoulders, and Marcus’s face smashed into the wall. He felt drops of hot blood trickle onto his lips. Licking them, he tasted copper, and he wondered if the loud crack he’d heard had been his back breaking or something else. He turned and saw Kelvin’s chair in pieces behind him on the floor. Someone had thrown it at him! He had only a second to think before something else came flying at him, but this time it was a man.

The man yelled. Marcus caught the glint of a blade in his hand just before it came down on him. Marcus twisted away just in time, the blade grating instead against the stone wall. But the man did not stop. He sliced his dagger wildly in every direction. Marcus jumped and slid his way across the room, doing his best avoid the attacks. The man was slender, almost frail-looking, and yet was surprisingly fast and strong. He lunged at Marcus, not with the dagger, but with a set of blood-stained claws extended for the kill. It wasn’t a man at all, Marcus realized. It was an Agoran.

Marcus grabbed the candelabrum. As he swung it in an arc, the candles flew off. Two went out as they hit the floor, but the other four stilled burned, casting long, unnatural shadows onto the tapestries. One lit the corner of a tapestry on fire, the flames soon licking the woven patterns like a hungry snake. The candelabrum hit the attacker with a force that would have knocked most men to their knees, but this one didn’t even flinch. When the Agoran took hold of it, Marcus expected him to yank it out of his hands. Instead he thrust it forward, pushing Marcus off balance. He fell onto his back, sending a fresh tremor of pain through him. A second later, the attacker was on top of Marcus, holding the point of a blade to his throat. Damp tendrils of long, shaggy hair clung to his face. His pupils, narrow like a cat’s, peered at Marcus, recognition slowly dawning.  The Agoran and Marcus stared at each other, both remembering the day months earlier when they had first met.

Just then the door to the chamber flew open. A guard rushed in, his sword raised. Behind him came Kelvin and Jayson. The Agoran leapt off of Marcus and crossed the room in half a breath’s time. The guard ran after him, but the Agoran tore the burning tapestry free from the wall and flung it at him. The guard screamed in pain as fire engulfed his uniform. The tapestry dropped to the floor, the flames trapping the Agoran at the back of the room. Marcus managed to roll clear of it, though he felt his skin blistering with the heat and smelled the guard’s scorched flesh.

Jayson ripped the burning fabric from the guard’s body as Kelvin picked up his fallen sword. Kelvin slashed at the tapestry, trying to make a path through the fire. As he broke through, Marcus looked up to see what would happen next, but to his and everyone’s surprise, the Agoran was gone.

 INTERVIEW w/ LAURISA WHITE REYES

What books influenced you most when you were growing up?

My favorite series for years was the TRIXIE BELDEN MYSTERIES. I still have the entire set of books in a box in my garage. Some of my other favorites included ROBINSON CRUSOE, OF MICE AND MEN, GONE WITH THE WIND, WUTHERING HEIGHTS and ROOTS.  Heavy duty stuff for a kid, I know, but I loved them. Still do. As an adult I learned more about writing from Dan Brown (THE DAVINCI CODE, ANGELS & DEMONS) than anyone else. He is a master of suspense, every chapter a cliffhanger so that you just can’t put his books down. Period. And I love how he weaves multiple points of view together until they all collide at the end. I wish I could write like that.

What gave you the idea for your book series The Celestine Chronicles?

I’ve always enjoyed reading to my kids at night before they go to bed. When my oldest son was about 8 years old, he asked me to make up a story instead of read one. So I told him about an enchanter’s apprentice who botched his spells. Each night my son would tell me what he wanted to hear that night, whether it was dragons, or magic, or sword fighting, and I’d weave it into the story. Eventually I started writing it down. A year later I had a completed manuscript of THE ROCK OF IVANORE. I wrote THE LAST ENCHANTER two years later.

What is your writing day like?

I don't have a typical writing day. As a mom of five kids, I actually have very little time to write. Years ago I used to stay up late at night to write, but I now I try to wake up an hour before the kids do and get a little work done then. On a good day I might write 1,000 words -- the equivalent of about 5 printed pages.

Who are your favorite characters in THE LAST ENCHANTER?

That's a tough question. While I like all the characters (I wouldn't write a character I couldn't like) Lael is new to this book. She wasn't in Book I. Lael is Marcus's age but wasn't included in the original quest because she is a girl. She really proves herself, though. While the boys use swords and bows and arrows, Lael is adept with the sling. Also, Bryn (the Groc who parades around in the form of a little boy) is particularly fond of her. And any friend of Bryn is a friend of mine.

Will there be a book III in The Celestine Chronicles?

Yes. The Seer of the Guilde is tentatively slated for 2015. However, in the meantime, I am working on the parallel series called The Crystal Keeper, which chronicles Jayson's years in exile in Hestoria. Anyone interested in the story of Jayson and Ivanore will want to read it. In the meantime, I hope everyone will enjoy THE LAST ENCHANTER.

 

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Laurisa White Reyes, author of THE LAST ENCHANTER, 
is giving away a brand new 

16 GB NOOK HD!!!  

There are many ways to win:

1) Take a pic of you and your copy of THE LAST ENCHANTER - post it on the web (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, a website, etc.) and email the link to:  laurisawhitereyes(at)yahoo(dot)com

2)  Follow Laurisa's blog and/or Facebook page

3) Tweet about this giveaway

4) Leave a comment below

The winner will be chosen at random via Rafflecopter. 

To enter the giveaway, fill out the form below. 

U.S. residents only, please.  

This giveaway will end on November 6th. 
 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Operation Oleander by Valerie O. Patterson

Anyone living in an area where oleander grows knows that although its flower may be pretty, it is a highly poisonous plant.  And that makes it the perfect metaphor for Valerie O. Patterson's novel Operation Oleander.

Living in army base housing at Fort Spencer, Florida, and with her father deployed to Afghanistan along with the mother of her best friend, Meriwether Scott, ninth grader Jess Westmark came up with what should have been the perfect idea for staying close to her dad.  Along with Meriwether and their friend Sam Butler, son of the base commander, Jess has been faithfully setting up a table in the PX to collect school supplies to send to an orphanage for young Afghan girls.  Jess named the project Operation Oleander because she noticed that this plant, which is plentiful in Florida, was also growing right outside the orphanage.

Things went well with Operation Oleander and boxes full of school supplies had already been sent to Afghanistan, even if Meriwether and Sam were a little less enthusiastic that Jess was about the project.  Then came word one Saturday morning that there had been a bombing at an orphanage involving soldiers from Fort Spencer.  Suddenly life changes for everyone as news comes out that two soldiers had been killed and one of them was Meriwether's mother, while Jess's father had been gravely injured.

Now, Jess must deal with her worry about her dad, as well as her own guilt knowing that he and Mrs. Scott were unofficially at the orphanage delivering the school supplies collected by Operation Oleander.  And what about Meriwether, who now blames Jess for her mother's death and wants nothing more to do with her?

But Jess also wants the project to continue.  After all, wasn't it her father who taught her the meaning of Duty, Honor, Country?  For Jess, that means that now isn't the time to give up, because if she does, evil wins.

Operation Oleander is a nice book about families coping with a family member being deployed to Afghanistan and living on an army base.   I found the story to be very readable, and well written, though I was often very annoyed at Jess as a character.  Sometimes she behaved like a younger girl, other times she seemed insensitive to anyone else's feelings and her reactions felt off base.   If my dad were as gravely injured as her dad was, I think that would be the number one thing on my mind and I don't think I would have revisited the idea of Operation Oleander until sometime later.   On the other hand, I think Meriwether's reactions are spot on.

Jess was also an orphan, adopted by the Westmark's as a baby.  There are no issues about this in the book, which is nice because so often adoptee feelings of not belonging are the crux of a novel's storyline (which is a valid storyline, but would have really overloaded Operation Oleander if it had been included).  Still, I would like to have learned more about her adoption other than that her real name is Jess since she is always quick correct people who call her Jessica.  Why Jess?

I also think that if Patterson had stuck with the main storyline, this would have been a much better book, because by the end of the book, there was just too much going.  Introducing a religious protest at Mrs. Scott's funeral and Jess's reaction to it were just a little over the top for me.  Though now outlawed, I know these occurred in the past, it was just too much here.

Despite these things, I would still recommend Operation Oleander because it is a poignant story of kids coping with war and military life, and should have wide appeal and will certainly spark many conversations about whether or not the military should participate in humanitarian endeavors in a war zone.  To that end, I should say that when my Kiddo outgrew her beanie babies, I donated all the ones that had no religious significance to the army, who gave them out to the children in Afghanistan, so I guess I am on the pro-side of humanitarian endeavors by the military (for more information on that, click HERE

This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL

My Basmati Bat Mitzvah by Paula J. Freedman

When I was 12, I was signed up for religious instruction.  What this meant was the every Wednesday afternoon, all the NYC public school kids going to religious instruction would line up for early dismissal to go to their respective churches or synagogues.  Catholics and Protestants for confirmation classes, Jewish kids for Bar/Bat Mitzvah classes.  The best part of this was that it got me out of a double period of a much hated sewing class, so I was pretty certain that year that there was a God.

Unlike the main character in My Basmati Bat Mitzvah, middle schooler Tara Feldstein, 12, half Indian, half Jewish, and not sure if she wants to be Bat Mitzvahed or not, having some doubts about God and some reservations about committing to Judaism and what that might mean in terms of her bi-cultural identity.

Not only that, but now Tara's best friend, Ben-O seems to be sending mixed messages about how he feels towards her.  One day he seems to want to be more than just friends, next he seems attracted to another girl.  Then, along comes Miss Perfect, Sheila Rosenberg who tells Tara she really isn't Jewish anyway, because her mother is Jewish, not realizing that Mrs. Feldstein had converted long ago.  And now Tara notices that her other best friend Rebecca is hanging out with Sheila Rosenberg more and more.  Not sure of what going on, this all just adds to Tara's doubts and confusion.

Then Tara, in an attempt to bridge both cultures, decides she wants to wear her great grandmother's prized sari for her Bat Mitzvah, but when Rebecca accidentally burns it in a rollicking game of Bollywood the two girls were playing,  it seems to bring everything to a head for Tara.  Will she be able to reconcile her Indian self with her Jewish self in a way that works for her and both sides of her family?

My Basmati Bat Mitzvah is, for the most part, a charmingly fun coming of age novel that deals with the particular identity crisis that kids with diverse backgrounds have and the choices they must sometimes make because of it.  Told in the first person, Tara is an engaging, humorous character who likes to speak her mind.

Tara and her friends seem like typical NYC kids to me, but I did think that the Jewish grandmother and the Indian aunt were a bit too cliched, although they were pretty funny as well.  Interestingly, they are actually both much more of a presence in the novel that Tara's parents are.

Freedman touches upon a number of themes in this novel, such as bullying, identity, racism, religion - all typical tropes in middle grade fiction and she handles them quite well.  And I really liked the weaving together of both side of Tara's cultural heritage.  

Freedman does introduce the fact that not every kid navigated these tough early teen year easily, and while Tara's difficulties can be presented in a humorous/serious way, Freedman does touch on a more serious problem many teens have in the person of Sheila Rosenberg.  Sheila, for all she appears to be the perfect preteen, suffers from Trichotillomania - the compulsive urge to pull out one's hair.  Tara discovers this by accident and it helps her realize that things aren't always what they seem on the outside.

Lots of Yiddish and Punjabi words were used throughout My Basmati Bat Mitzvah and in to back of the book is nice Glossary of the words and their meaning.  Something to remember as you read.

All in all, I enjoyed My Basmati Bat Mitzvah very much and would certainly recommend it to MG readers, Jewish, Indian or not.  There is definitely something for everyone in Tara's story.

This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book is an ARC received at the 2013 BEA

Announcing A Kidlit Walking Tour in the Heart of Manhattan

Last month, I decided to join a 2 hour walking tour of Greenwich Village here in NYC.  What made this walking tour really enticing and special is that it was entirely focused on sites related to children's literature and publishing.

I learned a lot of new information.  For example, did you know that the well-loved Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey was really written in his shared Greenwich Village apartment and that  real ducks were used in the making of the book (they swam in the bathtub).

The tour was given by Leonard S. Marcus, a children's historian, author and critic and the man who just curated the children's book exhibit at the NYPL, The ABC of It: Why Children's Books Matter.   Which is a definite Must-See if you are lover of children's literature.

Now, on October 20, 2013, Leonard is offering another walking tour, one that begins outside the New York Public Library, which played a very important part in the development of children's literature in the country and beyond, and goes up to the Plaza Hotel (can you guess why there?) with stops along the way.

Sound good?   I think so.  So if you are within reach of midtown Manhattan and would like to take a walk, read on and then email Caron Cohen at caronleecohen@nyct.net

Hello Children's Book Enthusiasts,

You are invited to attend a Neighborhood Walking Tour led by Leonard S. Marcus, the acclaimed historian and curator of the current New York Public Library exhibit, The ABC of It: Why Children's Books Matter.

Marcus will lead a tour from the steps of the NYPL's Schwarzman Building (on Fifth Avenue between 41st and 42nd Streets) to Eloise's Plaza Hotel.  Along the way, he will share intriguing anecdotes about places, publishers, editors, authors, books and characters.

Sunday, October 20, 11 a.m., we'll meet at the steps between the library lions. The fee is $20.00.  Bring cash, or check made out to Leonard S. Marcus, on the day of the tour.

Rain date is Sunday, October 27. In case of inclement weather, you will be notified by e-mail, or phone the day before, or at at the latest, by 8 a.m. on October 20.

Space is limited, so please respond to Caron at caronleecohen@nyct.net without delay and be sure to provide a phone number where you can be reached.

CYBILS Nomination Countdown

There are just a few more days to nominate the books you think are great CYBILS contenders.  October 15, 2013 is the last day for nominations.

If you already have a book in mind, just head over to the CYBILS website, and click on the Nomination Form and add your choice.

Wondering if your favorite book has already been nominated or just curious to see what is there?  Here are the links to each of the 2013 Nominations by Genre

Book Apps

Easy Readers/Short Chapter Books

Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction

Young Adult Speculative Fiction

Fiction Picture Books

Graphics

Middle Grade Fiction

Elementary & Middle Grade Nonfiction

Young Adult Nonfiction

Poetry

Young Adult Fiction

Hurry up, because 'like sand through the hourglass' your chance to nominate your favorite books will soon run out of time.

Three Books that Introduce Kids to Nature

Nature holds all kinds of wondrous things for us to learn about.  But sometimes good books about nature written with younger readers in mind and that are also fun and informative are hard to find.  However, Sylvan Dell has risen to the task by producing a whole line of books to meet the challenge.  Below are just three examples:

On the Move: Mass Migrations 
written by Scotti Cohn
illustrated by Susan Detwiler

Introduces kids to how, when, why and where different animals sudden seem to be on the move, looking for a new place to live. Sometimes it is because of weather, sometimes to reproduce, sometimes they need a change of venue.  Realistic illustrations accompany the text and there are 4 pages of learning activities for kids to do to learn more.

Animal Helpers: Sanctuaries
written by Jennifer Keats Curtis

Sometimes wild animals that are kept as pets get too big to handle, or hurt or sick and need to find a safe place to call home.  Kids are introduced to the work of 6 different sanctuaries that care for these now unwanted animals.  The text is enhanced with photographs of each sanctuary and there are 4 pages of learning activities that kids can do learn more about these animals and the sanctuaries the provide them with a new forever home.

Nature Recycles: How About You?
written by Michelle Lord
illustrated by Cathy Morrison

It seems that Nature is a natural recycler/repurposer, and can teach humans a thing or two about following its lead.  Here, kids can see how a variety of animals recycle around the world and realistically illustrated examples of how they can do it, too. The book also includes 4 pages of activities to help teach how, why and the importance of recycling.



Each of these books is a wonderful read aloud that can be used in a classroom, home schooling situation or to read with a parent or sibling, after which they do the activities suggested or even come up with some of there own.  Luckily, there are lots more interesting titles in this series of fun, educational books for young readers, some are even available in Spanish, so you will most likely find someone that will appeal to everyone.

All these books are recommended for readers age 4+
These books were borrowed from a friend.

Nonfiction Monday is hosted this week by Shelf-employed

See What a Seal Can Do by Chris Butterworth, illustrated by Kate Nelms

Let's face it - the seal on the cover of this book is simply irresistible, isn't it?  Well, I couldn't resist it and I am glad that I couldn't.  I learned a lot about seals in See What a Seal Can Do.  First, in a note at the beginning of the book, I learned that the cute seals I used to watch swimming around at the Prospect Park Zoo weren't seals at all, they were sea lions. and now I know how to spot the difference.  Next, I learned that there are 18 different kinds of seals, but this is a picture book about one kind of seal - the gray seal.  I found out about these things even before I even began reading the book.  So you can imagine what I learned by the time I finished the book.

In See What a Seal Can Do, Chris Butterworth follows one seal as it makes its way from the beach to the sea to get a little something to eat.  As this adorable seal dives down into the sea, the reader gets of privileged look into his underwater life as it swims down as far as 300 feet, weaving its way through sea vegetation, looking for food.

As the gray seal swims, Butterworth describes, all in child-friendly language, just how the seal swims and survives in the ocean despite being a mammal.  For example, did you know that a seal's fur coat keeps him waterproof while swimming, and that a seal can slow its heartbeat to 4 beats a minute to conserve oxygen.  There is all kinds of information packed into this charming nonfiction picture book and is sure to delight any child interested in seal life.

Butterworth's interesting factual text about seal life is accompanied by wonderfully detailed mixed-media illustrations by Kate Nelms, a natural history artist.  See What a Seal Can Do may be her first children's book, but with illustrations of the caliber found here, it certainly won't be her last.  And be sure to look at the end papers in the front and back of the book.  Remember Butterworth said there are 18 different kinds of seals?  Well, they are all drawn there for you to see.

There was one thing that bothered me about this book.  On most of the pages, there is more information about seals written in smaller, lighter type that can sometimes be hard to read against the dark background where it was placed.  I have good eyesigh, but I had to hold the book under a light to see some of it.  Perhaps a bolder, more contrasting color would have worked better.

Other than that, I think this is a wonderful book for budding naturalists and anyone else who can't resist a cute face.

This book is recommended for readers aged 4+
This book was borrowed from a friend

This is book 11 of my 2013 Nonfiction Picture Book Reading Challenge hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy