Gone With the Wand

I picked up Gone With The Wand from the recommended reading area of Thomas Hughes Children's Library. The cover art was cute and the title of the story is strange enough that I took a look through it. The opening sentence caught my attention and so I decided to check it out and review it.

The book seems to be an example of a picture book for a slightly older audience. Where many picture books are meant for young kids to help them learn to read, and eventually progress to Easy Readers and Chapter-books, this story is probably only viable as a level 3 Easy Reader, or a read-aloud story. The humor is more mature than most picture books and the story is certainly more complicated than a lot of picture books and many Easy Readers.

The tale begins with Tooth Fairy Second Class, Edith B. Cuspid telling the audience that Bernice Sparklestein, once the best Fairy Godmother in the entire universe and beyond, is having a bad wand day. All of Bernice's normal tricks are turning out terribly. She can't even magic up some tea and crumpets for herself and Edith to snack on. Now that it seems like Bernice's days as a Fairy Godmother are over, it becomes Edith's goal to find a new suitable job for her dear friend to take on that will put her considerable skills to good use.

While the book is filled with magical jargon and funny phrases, it is quite a charming read. The jokes involved are very cute and it is humorous to see Bernice going through all the costume changes as she tries out various fairy type jobs. The story also includes a decent amount of jokes and parenthetical remarks that are aimed at the adults reading the book. All of this is accentuated by the cartoon-ish art and crazy surroundings the two fairies find themselves in.

The book is a nice read aloud choice for a first grade story time or perhaps as a supplemental picture book to break the monotony of the Easy Reader grind. It would also fit in quite well with a fairy godmother display or reading program. All in all its a solid magic themed picture book to add to the collection.

The Busy Little Squirrel

Fall is my favorite season. I love the weather, the trees, and the way everything feels crisp and beautiful. The cover of The Busy Little Squirrel jumped out at me from the new books section of Thomas Hughes right away. The warm colors, the playful squirrel, and that it was obviously about Fall all worked together to make the book seem inviting and fun to read.

The story is simple: Winter is quickly approaching and the little squirrel has so much to do to get ready! All the while, his friends ask him if he wants to partake in their fall activities. No matter how much he might like to nibble pumpkins with the mice, hop rocks with the frogs, or watch the moon with the owls, he has way too much preparing to do so he can be safe and comfortable all Winter long.

This is a very nice book for introducing young children to the seasonal change of Summer to Winter. It gives beautiful insight into the behavior of animals and shows in brilliant colors the changes of nature in each of its pictures. The pictures look to be created with ink and colored pencils with touches of paint. The book is full of gorgeous browns, oranges, reds, blues, and greens. Overall it is a very comforting and cozy color palette which fits the theme of Fall perfectly.

The pictures are deep with detail and include interesting things to investigate in the foreground and background which makes this book ideal for story time and repeat readings. In each picture, the squirrel is collecting various goods to store for winter. The pictures all have a quality of motion to them as the squirrel is never still and always working hard to gather food. In the last pane, he is asleep in his tree hollow surrounded with all the goods he harvested in his preparations for hibernation which allows for a fun run down of all the places the squirrel ventured to in his busy time.

The Busy Little Squirrel is an easy inclusion in a fall reading program for younger children and could even work on a picture book list of stories about animal behavior. The book talks about mice, birds, toads, cats, dogs, and owls in addition to the squirrel which makes it a diverse addition that is sure to please young animal lovers. Because of the beautiful pictures and interactive aspects of the drawings and story, it is also a great choice for a read aloud book for early reader or preschool classrooms as well.

Wee Free Men

This book was kind of frustrating for me to read. It was published in 2003 and yet, somehow, I just read it a couple of weeks ago. Considering how awesome this book was and what a big fan of good fantasy literature I am, its annoying that I am just getting to it. Still, its obviously better than never reading it at all. I just wish I had listened to my friends who recommended it years ago.

Tiffany Aching is tired of the stereotypes that surround witches. She is sick of hearing about how some old woman who seemed just a little bit odd and lived in a shack in the woods gets run out of town or just plain ol' murdered. Her response to all of this is to do her best to become a witch and show everyone why they are wrong. Armed only with a sturdy frying pan, her wits, and a madly loyal army of insane blue six inch tall drunkards she seems to be the only thing standing between a powerful Queen of dreams and the world she lives in.

There are a few things about the novel that are surprising. One surprise is how original it is. The world, the characters, and the conflicts all feel understandable yet fresh. I realize its not the same as brand new, but it is exceedingly difficult to uncover new ideas in this genre. Pratchett covers several sub-genres of fantasy literature, but doesn't rely on any of them overmuch and his novel manages to include many archetypes without feeling cluttered or confusing.

Another surprise for me was how funny the book was. It is rare for me to laugh out loud while I am reading a book in public but I definitely let loose plenty of chuckles on the train as I read this on the way to work. The dialog of the Nac Mac Feegle as well as the stark observations from Tiffany were a great combination of humor that was legitimately funny.

The last great surprise was the main character of Tiffany Aching. She is a lead female character in a fantasy novel that does not rely on looks, charm or some dumb boy to get her out of conflict. She uses her smarts, common sense, and research instead! She is blessed with the ability to push aside assumptions and think critically about each situation she gets into. It is nice to keep a list of good literature for young girls where the lead character is a woman who is not solely concerned with what boy she wants to smooch next. Its even better that there are several sequels that chronicle Tiffany and her further adventures.

Other than young women looking for a good fantasy novel, this book appeals to many other grade school and middle school kids as well. It seems appropriate for 4th through 8th grade at least, and possibly even high school. It includes elements of adventure, travel, mystery, fantasy, humor, and action all while remaining easy to relate to for a large audience.

It would be easy to include in a reading program that focused on any of those elements and could be a fun book for a whole class to read together and discuss. It would also be a great read-aloud as long as you don't mind dusting off your Scottish brogue and really getting into the characters. Terry Pratchett definitely hit a home run with this one and I will be sure to check out the other books in the series as soon as I can.

Princess and the Frog (Movie Time!)

If you can believe it, I have never been much of a princess guy. I was, however, pressed into service as a babysitter for much of my youth and when you have a younger sister who loves Disney movies, you end up seeing your fair share. OK, I'll admit it: I could probably still sing most of the songs from Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin. There, you caught me.

Anyway, the Princess and the Frog did seem to be quite similar in formula to the 1990's Disney Princess era. The basic storyline is well known: a young woman finds a frog and is told that all she needs to do is kiss him, and he will turn into a prince and all of her dreams will come true. In this take on the classic, she instead turns into a frog herself and they must work together to overcome the evil spell Dr. Facilier, a voodoo shaman, has cast on them.

Tiana is the first African-American Princess which seems important, but considering she spends the vast majority of the film as a frog certainly blunts any importance. The overall theme of the film is: all your goals are achievable through hard work and persistence. Most of the songs were catchy and the animation was quite pleasant. Perhaps the most winsome aspect of the film was the characters. They were funny and interesting, and my two favorites were Louis and Ray; a jazz trumpet virtuoso who also happens to be an alligator and a love struck lightning bug. While the film certainly felt more contemporary than most of the other Disney Princess movies, it definitely fit in with the theme.

Princess and the Frog was slightly more scary than other Disney fare, but this movie is still aimed at the same audience that all of the Princess movies are aimed at: girls age 2-14. It seems like an incredibly broad audience, but Disney is a money making machine, and they know how to use their products to sell to the maximum audience possible. They currently have tens of thousands of products for their Disney Princess line, and Tiana is an addition that will help them market to an even more diverse audience.

It doesn't seem possible to run a children's library without including some Disney books and materials. And while it is a good idea to stay well informed on even the most popular products, it doesn't really seem like libraries need to push the Disney stuff. If I was especially hard up to find extra princess books and movies to supplement a Royal Reads week or a Princess reading program, I might include this movie in the list or display.

How to Train Your Dragon (Movie Time!)

Other than Kung Fu Panda, I have been quite unimpressed with DreamWorks as an animation studio. Most of their features have been forgettable and just seemed like projects that Pixar either would have done better or left on the cutting room floor. With that in mind I was extremely skeptical when I saw the preview for How to Train Your Dragon. After seeing the movie twice now, I have to say: I can't believe that DreamWorks made it.

It is so much better than the vast majority of their films I am astounded and frustrated all at the same time. Why haven't they been making movies like this since day one? Sure, Antz had its moments, and the first 15 Shrek movies were fine, but since Shrek 16 through 543 came and went, I have been tired of even the idea of DreamWorks making a new feature length film.

Now, obviously I am exaggerating here. I know there are only 4 Shrek movies (four is still a lot...), and Wallace and Grommit are hilarious (although much better in their 30 minute incarnations), and as I said, Kung Fu Panda was awesome. But How to Train Your Dragon was funny, exciting, and vicariously fulfilled my desire to own and possibly ride an awesome exotic pet. What more can you ask for?

To be specific, the characters were great, the dialog was witty, and the story had an interesting message. While much of what was good about the movie is owed to Cressida Cowell's excellent writing, the physical comedy of the animated characters paired with the hilarious voice work from the actors was all due to the motion picture. The scenes of Hiccup and Toothless soaring through the air and learning to appreciate each other's differences was exhilarating in the way that only good fantasy stories can be.

While the book and the movie have major differences, the film did an admirable job of creating a fun experience that contained a message of acceptance and a spirit of collaboration. This film could be used as transitional material into reading the books it is based on and books that are similar to it. Fortunately, there is a lot of good fantasy being published right now for younger readers. This movie is just one good example of what can be done with it. I hope that the ideas present in this movie will help its viewers to be open minded and willing to re-evaluate their assumptions.

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Movie Time!)

The Chronicles of Narnia were a staple of my youth and so it was with a great amount of trepidation that I went to see the movie versions of these classic books. There is a problem with fantasy literature being turned into movies. My imagination is pretty vivid and most of the time, there is no way that I will be satisfied with the director's interpretations of the scenes I have played out in my head. It is very rare that I can't find something that sticks out as a mistake or a cut or addition to the storyline that I hate.

I was the guy yelling after Two Towers: "Faramir would NEVER betray the hobbits! That's why his character is in the book in the first place!" or "What? It's over? But Roger is supposed to [SPOILER EDIT!] before the credits!" at the end of The Golden Compass. But despite my fairly critical approach to this type of media, I was very impressed by both of the Narnia movies so far.

It is interesting to note that my family owned the BBC versions of the stories when I was a kid, and although they were cheesy at times, they were quite good over all. I don't know if seeing those in conjunction with the books as a kid prepared me for the newer movie versions today, but its worth mentioning at the very least.

The movie did a great job of creating the talking animals and dancing forests of Narnia. Characters like Badger and Reepacheep were wonderful and the many Centaurs, Minotaurs, Fauns, and the other mythical beasts looked great. The fight scenes were awesome and the backdrops of New Zealand and Central Europe were perfect for recreating the wildness of the forest and the stony encroachment of the Telmarines. I was most specifically impressed with the caliber of actors that played Peter, Susan, Edmond and Lucy. Talented young actors are rare and Lucy was especially fantastic.

I realize that there are some departures from the book. Caspian and Peter don't argue nearly as much and there was no hint of a romantic relationship for Susan in the book, but those departures didn't bother me much. Even the added fight scene was exciting rather than frustrating. I thought that they were naturally done and made sense in conjunction with the rest of the story.

It would be fairly simple to create a reading list of good books that have been made into movies and use that in the library to help kids who like the films to transition into reading books. Also, this movie could be a nice addition to a fantasy display or reading program. I think these movies will appeal to both new and old fans of the books alike. Prince Caspian was an excellent example of what can be achieved through the combination of imagination and special effects. Perhaps more importantly, I hope the movies have the effect of helping to stoke the Chronicles of Narnia fan base and help introduce a whole new generation to the wonders of Lewis' magical world.

Home Now

I was initially drawn to this book because of the beautiful art on the cover. In gorgeous water-color, it depicts a young girl and an elephant, both happy in each other’s company. The publication page has a very nice dedication on it as well as a note about the location where the book takes place. All in all it seemed like a very pleasant book.

After reading the story through a couple times now, I am still at a loss as to who this book is meant for. The story is of a young girl named Sieta who moves to a village named Qolweni Township in South Africa after both her parents die of AIDS. She lives with her aunt and the first half of the book is dedicated to all of Sieta’s sad memories of her parents and their death. She cannot get comfortable in her new home and she seems to have lost the ability to be happy or friendly. Then one day she and her class visit a nearby elephant park where she meets a young elephant named Satara who is also an orphan. Through her interactions with this young elephant, she is able to see that she is not alone and it is alright to start creating new memories and happiness without her parents.

The story is touching and the sentiment is certainly well meant. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to go through what Sieta has gone through, and I am sure that kids have a terrible time learning to live again after the loss of both of their parents. However, I just don’t think this is the book I would read to a child after the loss of their parents. And I am also not sure if I would be that comfortable introducing a child to the ideas of AIDS, being an orphan, and life’s ability to turn your world upside down through this single picture book.

I know that there is a movement in children’s literature to avoid overly sheltering kids and not preparing them for the hard knocks that life can dish out. I am not, however, that excited to try to introduce them to ALL of the bad things that can happen in one fell swoop. It is important for kids to learn about tragedy but despite its happy ending, I think this book might include just a bit too much. If picture books are meant primarily for the Easy Reader Crowd and younger, I think that this book might be too ambitious in its scope. It is terribly hard to find the right balance of too much sadness and still getting across the ideas that you are aiming for.

If I was to use this book in a library setting, I would try to be very careful about who I gave it to. Perhaps if picture books started to be used more in middle schools and high schools as a multimedia source of education, then this book would find a home, but for now, I would not expect it to fly off the shelves.

When You Reach Me

When You Reach Me is a story about regret. It’s about time travel and love and dreams. It’s about friendship and growing up and making mistakes. And maybe more than all of that, it’s a story about doing everything you can to make things right. Well, anyway, it’s complicated…you know…in that way that makes books great.

Miranda is a sixth grader growing up in New York City. She seems to have things pretty sorted out. Her mom and dependable boyfriend Richard have a stable and loving relationship. She has a best friend named Sal that she has spent almost every day with since she was a toddler. She knows how to avoid the crazies on the streets, how to avoid getting mugged, and where to go and what to do in case of emergencies. Finally, she knows who her favorite author is, and she knows just about every line in A Wrinkle in Time.

However, she doesn’t know how to respond when Sal gets attacked for no reason on the street. She doesn’t know what to do when he doesn’t want to be friends anymore. And she certainly doesn’t know how to respond when she receives several notes from the future that request her to chronicle what’s going on in her life. So, at a loss for what to do, she decides to take the advice from the future notes, and start a letter to the mysterious person that seems to know so much about her life.

There are so many excellent things to talk about in this story that there is no way I could mention them all. Miranda is everything you could ask for in a narrator. She is inquisitive about the things you want to know more about. She is funny, truthful, and easy to follow. On top of that, Miranda is likeable, brave, and yet still fallible. She is smart, but not a genius; cute, but not too pretty; and good; but not a saint. She is relatable, has good taste in books, and, simply put, if I was in the 6^th grade, I would want to be friends with her.

Remember though, that is just ONE of the characters. In fact, as I read through this book for the second time, I realized that there is not a single character in the book that you can’t relate with and that does not possess a remarkable amount of depth. When You Reach Me is a book that seems to deal with crazy ideas like time travel, and somehow feel completely real. Because the book is so character driven, the pacing of the plot as it revolves around such interesting people is excellent. The story doesn’t bog down and despite bringing up the intricacies involved when talking about the past and future, the text never gets ponderous or overly technical.

When it comes to setting, I have trouble imagining a more fruitful place than New York City. The busy city allows for so many plot angles that kids from all over can relate with Miranda and her friends. While it might appeal more to urban young adults the most, the story has enough universal elements that rural kids can appreciate the story as well.

In the end, it’s tough to single out one audience for this book. While it is clearly meant for 4^th through 8^th grade kids, I have recommended this book to adults as well. It has that quality about it that makes it a good read for lots of people. Apparently the Newbery Award Committee agreed since it won the 2010 award. It could be used in a number of different programs, but it seems like an easy inclusion in a Fantasy or Sci-Fi reading program for middle schoolers. Thumbs up to Rebecca Stead, I will be looking for more of her work in the future!