Amanda in New Mexico: Ghosts in the Wind (Amanda Travels #6) by Darlene Foster

Sixth-grader Amanda Ross is a girl who loves to travel, so she’s pretty excited about her class trip from Calgary, Canada to Taos, New Mexico. But no sooner does their plane land in the Albuquerque airport than Amanda’s friend Cleo begins to tremble, wishing she were home, and asking if Amanda believes in ghosts. 

Staying at a famous Taos hotel, the Mable Dodge Luhan House, Amanda and Cleo share a room, but Cleo is still anxious. Even their room feels spooky to her, and she believes she saw someone when she opened the closet. Nevertheless, Amanda is determined to make the most of this trip and enjoy their short stay, learning as much about the history of the area as possible and recording her impressions and stories on the school's Kidblog. 

As the class visits sights such as the Governor Bent Museum, the Hacienda de los Martinez, the Taos Pueblo, where they also stopped to try some wonderful Fry Bread, the *Rio Grande Gorge and Bridge, the Ojo Caliente hot springs, Palisade Sills, the St. James Hotel, and the Enchanted Circle Pottery,  and ending with a Day of the Dead celebration, Amanda and Cleo hook up with another classmate to go exploring together. Cleo, however, is still anxious about ghosts, insisting she keeps seeing the ghost of young girl in a white dress, and it seems that everyplace they visit is haunted. After a while, even Amanda begins to feel unsettled and begins to question her own believes about ghosts and the supernatural.

Then, on a visit to the historic Ranchos de Taos Plaza and the church of Saint Francis of Assisi, Amanda, Caleb, and Cleo run into a very angry man named Jim, when Cleo gets injured in an empty building, where once again she thought she saw a ghost.

And indeed, strange things to seem to be happening to Cleo on this trip. It seems everywhere she goes, she sees the ghost of the same young girl who appears to be trying to tell her something. But who might this girl be? Is she really a ghost or just Cleo’s imagination playing tricks on her? And what does angry Jim, whom they run into more than once, have to do with it all? Can Amanda solve the mystery of Cleo’s ghostly companion.

Ghosts in the Wind is the second Amanda Travels book I've read, and I found it just as interesting as Amanda on the Danube: The Sounds of Music. Everywhere Amanda travels to seems to have a mystery just right for a curious 12 year-old to solve. And Ghosts in the Wind is no different. I lived in the southwest for four years and there is a certain kind of atmosphere there that does carry a bit of a supernatural feel to it, and Darlene Foster has captured that feeling and infused it throughout the places Amanda and her school mates visit. 

I have to admit that I did find Amanda a little annoying, going off and doing what she wants even when told by the adults around her not to. She's also a little impatient with Cleo, a relatively new girl in school and one that Amanda doesn't really know much about. She really upsets Cleo when she posts a story about Cleo's ghost in the closet for everyone to read on Kidblog. Cleo has her own backstory that eventually does help Amanda understand her better when she finally talks about her life. Cleo likes to draw and records everything she sees by illustrating it, including the ghost in one of her scenes. Caleb is very much fun character. He carries a camera everywhere he goes and records his adventures that way. He also provides some comic relief when things get serious and some help when Amanda needs it. 

The Amanda Travels series is a really nice way of introducing young readers to different places around the world through the eyes of girl around their age and it's perfect for kids who like a good mystery. Each mystery surrounding each story is build around the particular place that Amanda is visiting so readers learn about the history, the food, famous sights, celebrations, and the geography, including the landscape.

Amanda in New Mexico: Ghosts in the Wind has a lot of offer readers and just might wake up the wanderlust in some.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley

*Rio Grande Gorge is one of 10 National Parks the present administration has targeted for possible oil and gas exploration, mining, timber harvesting, and commercial fishing. This will ruin the natural beauty of these parks. You can find out more about the 10 parks on the NPCA (National Parks Conservation Association) website. 

It's Monday! What are you reading? We Read 12 Picture Books

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It’s Monday! What are you reading? - from Picture Books to YA is a kid lit focused meme just like the original and is hosted weekly by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. The purpose is the same: to recap what you have read and/or reviewed and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. Twitter: #IMWAYR 

Everyone is getting excited about the upcoming holidays and I'll be posting some book gift suggestions for young readers soon.  Meantime, since last week was a short school week and we didn't do much work but we did reread some of our favorite picture books. Here are my mini reviews of them: 

I Wrote You A Note written and illustrated by Lizi Boyd
Chronicle Books, 2017, 36 pages

A young girl lying in a meadow writes a note and leaves it to be found. And it is found by all kinds of small animals and birds who each use it according to their needs and then abandon it.  Eventually though, it is found by its intended recipient and the contents revealed. Boyd’s sparse stylized gouache illustrations done in a limited palette of green, blue, yellow and dusty pink on a beige background add a bit of whimsy to the note’s journey. The text, including the refrain of “I wrote you a note. Did you find it?” looks just like the block lettering of a young child. Readers will have fun spotting the different critters in the background, many of whom will find a use for the note.  A fun, thought-provoking story.

Say Zoop! written and illustrated by Hervé Tullet

Chronicle Books, 2017, 64 pages

Say Zoop! is the fourth simple interactive concept book by Hervé Tullet that includes Press Here!, Mix It Up!, and Let’s Play!. Even in the age of flashy, noisy games for kids on iPads and iPhones, Tullet makes simple red, blue, and yellow dots and simple sounds together with simple suggestions for amping up the action fun and appealing to young readers as they create and follow the dot adventures. And don’t be surprised at just what dots can lead to as the ideas get progressively more complex. 

Small written and illustrated by Gina Perry

Little Bee Books, 2017, 40 pages

When  you are young and must look up to see most things, the world can make you feel very small. And that is exactly why Gina Perry wrote this charming picture book. Told from the perspective of a little girl, readers spend a day in the city with her, where everything, from tall buildings, speeding bikes, noisy cars, to the long line at the hot dog stand, makes her feel small…Until she slides down the slide and feels big, or plays a fierce game of basketball. In fact, she discovers a whole host of reasons to feel big in the world. Perry’s playful illustrations and her serious message will help kids realize that they are really as big as their heart and dreams are.

Professional Crocodile by Giovanna Zoboli, illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio

Chronicle Books, 2017, 32 pages

I didn’t really get this book at first, but the surprise ending had me laughing out loud. A crocodile get up in the morning, does all the usual things one does to get ready for work, and leaves the house impeccably dressed for business. He commutes on public transportation, reading the morning paper, stopping to look at things that catch his attention, even getting splashed by a passing car, eventually arriving at his job. And what a job! The end may be unexpected, but this wordless picture book, with beautifully detailed illustrations, has lots to explore on each page before the crocodile gets to work.

The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas, illustrated by Erin E. Stead

Dial Books, 2016, 40 pages

The Uncorker of ocean bottles lives alone by the ocean, looking for bottles to open, so he can deliver the notes and letters inside them. Sadly, the Uncorker had no name himself, so he never received a note or letter, but wished he would. When he finds a seashore party invitation with no address, and tries to deliver it, no one can help him find out who it is for. The Uncorker, who never failed to deliver before, decides to go to the party an apologize to the writer of the note. But what a surprise he finds when he arrives at the party. This is a touching story that teaches us about the importance of friendship and connection, that no man is an island, and that everyone has value in this world. The illustrations, done in woodblock prints, oils and pastels, have a ethereal feeling to them, which perfectly suits this beautifully done picture book.

Under the Silver Moon: Lullabies, Night Songs & Poems illustrated by Pamela Dalton 

Chronicle Books, 2017, 48 pages

Using cut paper and watercolors give these old lullabies and poems new life. There is a wide range of poems, from traditional nursery rhymes like Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star to lesser known songs like Evening Prayer by Englebert Humperdinck (the German composer, not the pop singer). But the real standout in this collection are the incredibly detailed, brightly painted cut paper illustrations. Scherenschnitte (meaning scissor cuts) is a 16th century German art form, and Dalton has truly mastered it. Most of the illustrations are two page spreads, and each is placed against a black background, which simulates night, but which also really highlights the different subjects of Dalton’s cut papers. A lovely addition to any child’s bedtime bookshelf.

Little Elliot Fall Friends (Little Elliot #4) written and illustrated by Mike Curato
Henry Holt & Co BYR, 2017, 40 pages 

It’s fall and Little Elliot and his best friend Mouse decide they need a little time away from the big city and take a bus to the country. The country is big, beautiful in its fall colors, and there is lots to do. But when the friends play hide and seek, and Elliot hides among the corn stalks, he waits and waits, but Mouse doesn’t find him and it’s starting to get dark. Suddenly, Elliot notices an really yummy smell and follows his nose to a freshly baked pie. Sure enough, Mouse has found Elliot, but the fun doesn’t end here. This is the fourth Little Elliot and the pastel polka-dot elephant’s adventures are still fresh and fun. Curators mixed media illustrations detail the rich colors of autumn, but never over shadow the friendship between Little Elliot and Mouse. A gently quiet story that will surely please young readers.

Nothing Rhymes with Orange written and illustrated by Adam Rex

Chronicle Books, 2017, 48 pages

I never thought I would ever read a book about fruit that is so wildly funny and silly that I was laughing out loud from start to finish, and where, in the middle of a children’s book, German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and his work Thus Spoke Zarathustra would make an appearance, as well. Well, that all happens here, and apparently I found this book much more amusing that the poor orange that could find nothing to rhyme itself with. Apples, pears, grapes, peaches, cherries, even kiwi and quince are all included and seem to be able to be rhymed about how good they are. But poor orange is feeling really dejected and left out. But wait, it seems the other fruit have noticed orange. Will orange finally find a rhyme, too? This is an off the wall but powerful parable about difference and inclusion, with equally zany illustrations that still manage to convey orange’s feelings. I loved this book.

I Know Numbers! written and illustrated by Taro Gomi
Chronicle Books, 2017, 40 pages

Using vividly colored, simple illustrations that are Taro Gomi’s trademark, this concept book is not a counting book, as you might expect, so much as it is one that demonstrates for young readers just how useful numbers are in helping us navigate the world. After all, the world is full of things that rely on our understanding their use of numbers - clocks, calendars, prices, telephone numbers, the numbers on seats and sport jerseys, even the numbers on the pages of I Know Numbers!  But while it might not be a counting book per se, as you read it with your young readers, they can certainly practice lots of number recognition on each page. Numbers are really such an abstract concept that a book giving them real life context is truly welcomed.

The Curious Cares of Bears written by Douglas Florian, illustrated by Sonia Sanchez

Little Bee Books, 2017, 32 pages

Travel through the seasons with this energetic sleuth of bears as the play their way to their winter’s nap. In spring, there’s honey to find and enjoy, games to play with siblings. When summer comes, there’s swimming in the creek, feasting on berries with the relatives, and time to party. Fall brings its own fun, and then, winter rolls round again. Young readers will discover that the curious cares of bears are sometimes not so very different than their own, at least in terms of fun, friends, and family. The simple rhyming text moves the story along season by season enhanced the lively whimsical illustrations. This book is a great read aloud, and my young readers certainly loved reading it - over and over and over (I loved the expressions on the faces of the bears, but then again, I love a good bear book).

 Mighty, Mighty Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

Chronicle Books, 2017, 40 pages

Living in an area that always seems to have massive amounts of construction happening, it never ceases to amaze me how much people like to stop and watch it happening, adults as much as kids. And yes, there are all those construction vehicles. My kids are no different, I’ve read Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site so many times to them, I almost have it memorized. The same five vehicles as in the first book wake up to a day of work, and Rinker deftly shows how teamwork and cooperation among the different vehicles of the construction team can work together to make a job fun and get it done fast. The rhyming text is spot on, that reading this book aloud, the words just flow smoothly, even when there is lots of alliteration, and each page of the detailed colorful illustrations kept my young readers talking and exploring. Now we all know the names of this construction vehicles that we keep seeing. The last page of this book is almost exactly like the final page of the first book, so they together can be read in an endless loop, much to the delight of young fans.

Owl Bat Bat Owl written by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick

Candlewick Press, 2017, 32 pages
This wordless book is such a charming story about difference and acceptance. An owl family, a mom and three kids, are perched on a tree limb sleeping when along comes a bat family, also a mom and three kids, who decide to hang from the same tree limb. Owl mom moves her kids away from the new neighbors, but soon one of the kids gets curious, and decides to check out the bats, but is soon pulled away. Along comes a gust of wind that knocks everyone off the tree limb and there is a mad scramble to save bat and owl kids. And yes, soon owl is saving bat and bat is saving owl, and in the end, there is harmony and friendship. Kids exploring the pictures closely will notice what each of these nocturnal creatures are thinking through body language and facial expressions. The digitally created illustrations, done is shades of blue and green, with yellow owls and black bats, are cleverly done so the book can be read right side up or up side down, so young readers can see things from both perspectives. I gave this book to my kids so they could go through it without any input from me, and it was interesting how easily they picked up the idea of friendship and acceptance. 

What are you reading?

The Thanksgiving Day Parade, a poem by Jack Prelutsky

WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I was asked if I would watch Lilly, my neighbor's 6 year-old, for a little while the other day, and I brought over It's Thanksgiving! to read. We had a lot of fun going over all the poems but the hands down favorite was the poem about the Thanksgiving Day Parade, probably because of the TV hype.

The poem did generate some interesting conversation, especially about the balloons. Lilly and her mom were planning on going over to the Museum of Natural History where the balloons are inflated the day before Thanksgiving and it is almost as big a deal here in NYC as the parade is.

Some of the balloons mentioned weren't familiar to Lilly, but she didn't seem to mind and loved the poem anyway, so I thought I would share it with everyone today:

Luckily, no rain has been forecast the the parade this year. Wishing everyone a wonderful day of good food, good company, and good fun.

The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore

It’s Christmas Eve, and Wallace “Lolly” Rachpaul,12, is walking along 125th Street in Harlem, trying to get home as quickly as he can. Lolly has a new pair of sneakers from his mostly absent dad and he’s not about to let the two older boys following him snatch them off his feet. But when Lolly quickly turns the corner of 125th Street and 8th Avenue, the two boys abruptly stop, because Lolly lives in a world of imaginary protected borders, each border guarded by its own crew, and crews know better than to cross those lines.

Lolly, who is West Indian, lives in the St. Nicholas House, a public housing project on West 127th Street, with his mom and his mom’s girlfriend Yvonne, a security guard in a large toy store. His older brother, Jermaine had gotten involved with a drug dealing crew and was shot and killed outside a Bronx nightclub just a few months back and, while Lolly is still trying to come to terms with his loss, he is also trying to resist the pressure to join a crew.

One thing that Lolly does like is Legos, and he has painstaking put together all kinds of kits, following the instructions to the letter. But late Christmas Eve, he takes them all apart, suddenly wanting to built something else, something of his own. Later, when Yvonne comes home on Christmas morning, she has two garbage bags full of Legos for Lolly, and just in time. Pretty soon, Lolly has built a castle so big his mom is complaining about how much space it is taking up, so he is allowed to build in an empty storeroom in the after school program he goes to, run by Mr. Ali, an understanding, but underfunded social worker.

Soon, Lolly is joined by Big Alice, a special needs student suffering her own family loss, and who never speaks to anyone, but stays by herself reading. In the Lego room, she helps herself to Lolly’s Legos (Yvonne brings him more and more bags full) and begins building her own buildings, which resemble their neighborhood perfectly. At first, Lolly resents Big Alice, but soon the two are taking trips into midtown Manhattan, exploring the different buildings found in a architecture book Lolly was given for Christmas. Eventually, the two begin to build Harmonee, an enormous alien world, together.

All the while, Lolly, and his Dominican best friend, Vega are being harassed by the same two boys who followed Lolly on Christmas Eve. Part of a crew that wants Lolly and Vega to join them, they soon resort to violence as a means of persuasion. And it almost works…but then things in Lolly’s life take another totally unexpected turn.

The Stars Beneath Our Feet is a debut novel for David Barclay Moore. It is an all-to-realistic coming of age contemporary  novel, and Lolly is a wonderfully flawed character full of contradictions (like choosing Legos over video games). As Lolly tries to reassemble his life through the metaphor of Lego building blocks, life on the city streets is also becoming more and more complicated. Luckily, Moore has surrounded him with people who are caring and supportive - his gay mom, Yvonne, who is trying to help him through the grieving process by giving him Legos, the only thing she can do, Mr. Ali, who has recognized that Lolly needs to work through the trauma of losing his brother so violently, even his dad comes through, though not as much as Lolly would like. And their story threads together with those of Lolly, Big Alice, and Vega make this such a full-bodied novel.

Harlem is also as much a character in this novel as anyone, providing a living backdrop for Lolly’s important slice-of-life story. But, the danger those street hold for young men of color like Lolly isn’t something most people know or even think about and Moore has captured it with brutal honesty, compassion, and even humor. 

From the moment I started reading The Stars Beneath Our Feet, I could’t put it down. It may not be a book for everyone, but it is certainly a worthwhile read and, I think, a real eye-opener for many. Moore’s final message in this novel - it is not just family, but also community that can help change things for kids. 

This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was an ARC received from the publisher, Alfred A. Knopf

Sea Girl: Feminist Folktales from Around the World, edited by Ethel Johnston Phelps, illustrated by Suki Boynton

In his introduction to Sea Girl, author Daniel José Older writes that we need a new mythology, a new mythology that catches all the myths, folktales, and other narratives of women’s empowerment that have fallen through the cracks of history or just weren’t “marketable” enough for Disney. Older should know what he’s talking about. After all, he’s given us Sierra Santiago, hero of Older’s books Shadowshaper and Shadowhouse Fall. And now, the Feminist Press has reissued its series of feminist folktales from around the world in four volumes.

Edited by the late Ethel Johnston Phelps, who held a master’s degree in Medieval literature, Sea Girl is volume III in the series and it includes 10 fairy and folktales based on stories that have been handed down for generations. 

For instance, there is a changeling tale from Ireland about a single mother whose healthy child is taken by the fairy folk and replaced with a sickly child of theirs. Determined to get her own child back, she cares for the sickly child and brings it back to health and on May Eve, she confronts the Queen of the fairy folk, who had taken her son. The single mother is resourceful and brave in this tale, and confronting the fairy Queen takes a certain kind of courage, even the Queen admits that. But now that her own son is a healthy, robust little boy, will the fairy Queen be willing to exchange babies, so each goes with its own mother, or will be decide to keep both?

I’m a medievalist at heart, so naturally I found the English tale about Sir Gawain and the Lady Ragnell very appealing. Older that even Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (published in1476). In this story, Sir Gawain is given one year to answer a question posed by Sir Gromer, who is looking to avenge the loss of his lands to Arthur. The question: What is it that women most desire, above all else? The answer and end of the tale will really surprise you. 

In the Norwegian tale, “East of the Sun, West of the Moon,” a large white bear falls in love with a woodcutter’s daughter. Though the woodcutter refuses to let his daughter go live with the bear in his castle, the daughter isn’t afraid and agrees to go with him. She notices that night after night, someone comes into her room and lays down next to her. Curious, she discovers a handsome young man, who it turns out has been cursed by trolls. By day, he is a large bear, by night, a handsome man. The man and castle immediately disappear, and the lass finds herself sitting in the forest. Determined to break the enchantment, she decides to travel to the Land of the Trolls and find the young man. But first she must get to the castle that lay East of the Sun and West of the Moon with the help of the North Wind. But will she arrive in time to save him from his fate in the Land of the Trolls?

There are also tales from China (“Wild Goose Lake” - a wonderful tale about the titular Sea Girl), Finland (“The Maid of the North”), and a Punjabi tale (“he Tiger and the Jackal”), as well as an ancient Swahili fairy tale (“The Monkey’s Heart”), and one from Germany (“The Twelve Huntsmen”).  And though the tales vary greatly, they have one thing in common - here are women who, through their own wits and common sense, determine their own fate, one way or the other.

The beauty of folktales is that they root us not just in our own culture, but in the world at large, providing examples of women's courage and resourcefulness in the face of great odds. And they can be enjoyed again and again.

If Sea Girl sounds like a book you would like to read, you might want to check out the other three companion volumes of Feminist Folktales from Around the World:

Tatterhood - introduced by Gayle Forman

Kamala - introduced by Kate Schatz

The Hunter Maiden - introduced by Renée Watson

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was sent to me by the publisher, Feminist Press of the City University of New York

The Discovery of Ramen (The Asian Hall of Fame Series) by Phil Amara & Oliver Chin, illustrated by Juan Calle

When I was in college, I practically lived on ramen. I was paying my own way, including a small apartment in the East Village in NYC. I would walk down to Chinatown, where I bought stacks of dried ramen packages with various flavor packets and experimented with fresh vegetable, tofu, and even chicken for about 25¢ each. I always assumed ramen was just some conglomerate’s invention to make a fast, easy buck. How wrong I was!

In this debut story for Immedium’s new Asian Hall of Fame line of books, two American children, Emma and Ethan, are on a class trip exploring the downtown area where they live. Suddenly, a delicious aroma comes their way and following it, they discover a shop where everyone is eating noodle soup.

As they wonder what everyone is eating, a small red panda named Dao suddenly appears, and tells Emma and Ethan the people are eating ramen. Dao also tells them he is “…a guide to the many fabulous creators from Asia - inventions from food to fun.”

Ready to show them how ramen came to be, Dao whisks Emma and Ethan off to Yokohama, Japan in 1880 and begins to explain that it was the Chinese who brought ramen to Japan, where it was sold from pushcarts. 

Off to 1910, Dao tells them, a man named Momofuku Ando was born in Taiwan. Momofuku later moved to Japan. After WWII, when food was scarce and rationed, ramen was made from the wheat the Untied States shipped to Asia. Meanwhile Momofuku moved to the US, and began experimenting with ways to making a fast, easy, and inexpensive packaged ramen. Yes, Cup O’ Noodles (now called Cup Noodles) is a Momofuku invention, made by the company he founded - Nissan Foods.

Besides the history of ramen, Dao shows Emma and Ethan how the noodles are made, how to heat and eat Cup Noodles, and they even take a trip to several of the ramen museums located throughout Japan. So you can see, there is much to learn about ramen in this fun, colorfully illustrated picture book, including some fun facts, like how 100 billion instant noodles are sold annually, and how chefs all have secret ways of seasoning their ramen in different restaurants.

I really enjoyed reading about the history of ramen, and I suspect that whether your kids are already fans of these curly noodles in their various forms or not, this is a book that will definitely tempt their taste buds. I made them for my Kiddo when she was very young, and she’s been a ramen fan ever since.

The Discovery of Ramen is also a wonderful and tasty way to introduce young readers to Japanese history and culture. There is also a glossary at the back of the book, defining the many Japanese words used throughout the book. 

The Discovery of Ramen will be available November 14, 2017.

This book is recommended for readers age 4+
This book was sent to me by the publisher, Immedium Books

FYI: Momofuku Ando was honored on his 105th birthday with his own Google Doodle:

And, since I began this by saying that ramen was one of my main staples in college, here’s an interesting article about Momofuku and hungry college students from the Christian Science Monitor.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It’s Monday! What are you reading? - from Picture Books to YA is a kid lit focused meme just like the original and is hosted weekly by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. The purpose is the same: to recap what you have read and/or reviewed and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. Twitter: #IMWAYR 

I didn't get as much reading done as I usually do last week, but I have a good reason. I was in Hershey, Pa (aka The Sweetest Place on Earth), and had a wonderful time attending KidLitCon2017, where I saw some old friends and met some new ones. Charlotte at Charlotte's Library put together a really stellar program, and I was lucky enough to be on the Historical Fiction panel with fellow blogger Sondra Eklund (Sonder Books), and authors Alexandria LaFaye (Walking Home to Rosie Lee, Worth and more), Celeste Lim (The Crystal Ribbon), and Michael Spradlin (Prisoner of War, Young Templar series among others). 

You can find the complete program along with the names of all the wonderful authors who spoke or participated in panels, including Floyd Cooper, Rachel Renée Watson, and Pam Tuck, HERE. 

Funny Girl by Betsy Bird, ed.
Viking, 2017, 224 pages, age 8+

On the train to and from NYC and Hershey, I did get to read this new anthology of stories edited by Betsy Bird. You've no doubt heard of all the authors who contributed to this work, and they are pretty funny. Among my favorites were "Dear Grandpa: Give Me Money" by Alison DeCamp, "Swimming is for Other Kids" by Akitah Hughes (and a story I can personally relate to), and "Brown Girl Pop Quiz: All of the Above" by Mitali Perkins. There are a wide variety of story topics but they are all definitely related to growing up girl.
A word of warning: if you are reading this on Amtrak, do not sit in the quiet car - loud laughing annoys the other passengers and interrupts their frantic scrolling on their phones to find something interesting to read.  

Flowers for Sarajevo by John McCutcheon, illustrated by Kristy Caldwell
Peachtree Publishers, 2017, 32 pages, age 7+

During the Balkan War, on May27, 1992, a bomb killed 22 people in the last bakery in Sarajevo. Afterward, each day for 22 days at the exact time the people were killed, cellist Vedran Smailovic, a member of the Sarajevo Opera Orchestra, took his cello and played Albinoni's 
Adagio in G minor, both in remembrance of those killed by the bomb and in defiance the enemy. The story is told from the point of view of a young flower vendor named Drasko, who father had already been conscripted. This is a beautiful story, and a powerful reminder of the kind of destruction war brings with it. 

Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters by Michael James Mahin, illustrated by Evan Turk
Atheneum BFYR, 2017, 48 pages, 7+

I was always into jazz more than the blues until I was in college and used to go see Alberta Hunter at The Cookery, a now long gone jazz club on University Place and 8th Street. She often mentioned Muddy Waters, and when I finally heard him, I was hooked. Naturally, I couldn't wait to read this picture book for older readers about Muddy's life and music. This is wonderful introduction to this legendary musician and the illustrations are so perfectly reflective of his music, I can almost hear him playing the blues. He was raised by his grandmother, who is the one who started calling him Muddy, and who told him the blues didn't put food on the table, but he persevered anyway. And Mahin captures that spirit in his refrain "But Muddy was never good at doing what he was told." A beautiful tribute!

So, this is what I read last week, and I have decided what to read this coming week. But, what are you reading?

Blog Tour: Fairday Morrow and The Talking Library by Jessica Haight and Stephanie Robinson, illustrated by David Sanangelo

The first mystery of The Detective Mystery Squad (The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow) has been solved and now Fairway, and her best friends Lizzie and Marcus are looking forward to her first Halloween party at Begonia House, the old Victorian her parents are converting into a Bed and Breakfast.

Then, one night a week before Halloween, during a wild thunderstorm, a branch of the old oak tree is blown through the window of Fairday’s bedroom. Before her dad moves her out because of broken glass, Fairday discovers a note, in fact, the third one that week. Written in a rhyme, the note read

"The Librarian has been double-crossed. Many words will be lost. Lest the bookworm goes away, story ink is how books pay. We seek the one who wears the shoes - only they can hear the news."

What could it mean? Fairday can’t wait to talk it over with Lizzie and Marcus. But, just as they arrive so does a giant spider named Sanir, who can speak to Lizzie, and who leads them to a trap door in the closet under the stairs. Plunging into the darkness, the trio free fall through darkness, passing by three windows - one with curtains, a vase of red roses, and a silver spoon, a second with closed blinds and a ticking sound, and a third window with colored jars behind a broken window. What could that mean? 

Landing and finding more riddles which they are finally able to figure out, the friends meet Fas, the librarian for the Talking Library, a library where all the real first editions of all stories ever written are stored. It seems the Talking Library and Fas desperately need to get in touch with Eldrich, the Myxtress. It was she who tricked and cursed Ruby Begonia (see Book 1) so that when she was trapped in this part of Begonia House, she served as the Housekeeper for the Talking Library. Once the curse was broken and Ruby left, the stories in the Talking Library became vulnerable. Now, it seems the Library has a bookworm who is beginning to eat the words from the real first editions. The possibility that they could disappear forever looms unless this mystery is solved. In fact, Fairday had already noticed that in her prized copy of The Wizard of Oz, and in the copies of Charlotte’s Web in school, words were already missing and nobody noticed.

Finding the bookworm sounds like no easy task, but the DMS are on the job. Can they find Eldrich and rid the Talking Library of this evil bookworm before books vanish forever? 

Fairday Morrow and the Talking Library is really a fun mystery to read with shades of Alice in Wonderland (in fact a discombobulated Alice even makes an appearance. The Begonia House seems to have an abundance of mysterious secrets that it is releasing one at a time. Interestingly, Fairday’s parents are totally unaware of the magical side of the house, despite all the renovations going on. 

And it turns out those sparkly red high heeled sneakers that fit Lizzie at the end of The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow play a pretty important role in this novel, too. Not only that, Lizzie is in for some surprises about her family that explains a lot.

Besides an engrossing story with great plotting and interesting fleshed out characters, there are some fun full page black and white illustrations scattered throughout the story. Fairday Morrow and the Talking Library will surely appeal to readers who like mysteries, character friendships, and, especially, solving riddles - there are lots of them.

I can’t wait to read the third DMS mystery.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was sent to me by the authors, Jessica Haight and Stephanie Robinson