Category: Fiction

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Ivy Pocket’s back in Somebody Stop Ivy Pocket

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

ivy pocketSomebody Stop Ivy Pocket, by Caleb Krisp, (May 2016, Greenwillow Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9780062364371

Recommended for ages 9-12

Ivy Pocket, the resourceful, sarcastic 12 year-old from Anyone But Ivy Pocket, is back for her second adventure. This time, she’s the adopted daughter of two economical coffin makers, and she’s still searching for the evil Miss Always, who’s still on the loose. She’s got the Clock Diamond, a gem with mysterious powers, and she’s trying to figure out how to use it to bring her dear friend Rebecca back from… wherever it is Rebecca’s gone. Plus, she’s found herself in the middle of a mystery, as an heiress wants Ivy to investigate her brother’s disappearance, which seems to be tied into her new family. Somehow. Ivy’s going to happily blunder into and out of the craziest circumstances… after all, she has all the instincts of a secret agent, a sedated cow, a writer of penny dreadfuls…

This was my first Ivy Pocket adventure, and while readers familiar with the first book will be more savvy when it comes to characters and previous events, new readers can enter the story here, with exposition providing important details throughout the book. Ivy is insanely funny, self-assured to the point of hilarity, and delightfully sarcastic to everyone around her. The Victorian London setting adds to the playfully macabre atmosphere, and Barbara Cantini’s black and white art throughout the book adds even more fun to the story.

This is the second in an Ivy Pocket trilogy. The publisher’s Ivy Pocket website sports a book trailer, interview with none other than Ivy Pocket herself, and web samplers of both Anyone But Ivy Pocket and Somebody Stop Ivy Pocket. Give these to your Lemony Snicket fans!

Posted in Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Humor, Intermediate, Middle Grade

Dav Pilkey collaborates with George and Harold to bring us Dog Man

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

dogmanDog Man (Dog Man #1), by Dav Pilkey, (Aug. 2016, Graphix/Scholastic), $9.99, ISBN: 9780545581608

Recommended for ages 7-10

Remember George and Harold, the dynamic duo who “write” Captain Underpants an Ook and Gluk? Well, get ready – the twosome rediscovered a comic they wrote back when they were in Kindergarten, spruced it up, and give us the story of a cop whose origins are slightly Robocop-like, with a little bit of K-9 thrown in for good measure. Dav Pilkey presents: Dog Man.

Officer Knight and his canine partner, Greg, were critically injured while defusing a bomb set by the evil feline mastermind, Petey. Officer Knight’s head was dying, and Greg’s body was dying; to save these two brave officers, doctors did what they had to do: sewed Greg’s head onto Officer Knight’s body, giving us the next name in law enforcement: Dog Man. This first volume contains four adventures, including Dog Man’s origin story.

If you love Captain Underpants, you’re going to love Dog Man. It’s a graphic novel with all the elements we’ve come to love in a Pilkey book: the flip-o-rama action, the drawing lessons, the bathroom humor, and the overall sense of fun and play. Pilkey is pure escapism, and I love him for it; he uses his childhood struggles with dyslexia to fuel his mission to create playful illustrated books for kids; he gives kids characters like George and Harold to empower kids to create their own comics; he makes his books read like they were created for kids, by kids.

When kids walk into my library – boys and girls alike – they overwhelmingly ask for Captain Underpants (and Wimpy Kid). I can’t wait to show them Dog Man and watch them go crazy.

Having Captain Underpants in your collections is a no-brainer. So is having Dog Man on your graphic novel shelf. Show kids how much fun reading is, and then print out some comic book templates to let them tell their own stories. Dav’s author website offers a downloadable PDF biography – that’s a great way to get kids telling their own stories!

Posted in Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Murder on The Transatlantic Express? The Transatlantic Conspiracy

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

transatlantic consThe Transatlantic Conspiracy, by G.D. Falksen (June 2016, Soho Press), $18.99, ISBN: 978-1616954178

Recommended for ages 12+

It’s 1908, and 17 year-old Rosalind Wallace, daughter of a self-made millionaire industrialist, is vacationing in England, spending time with her best friend, Cecily de Vere. Cecily’s family is high-society, old moneyed England, and treats Rosalind as more of a curiosity, even referring to her as “my peasant”. Where Cecily eschews intellectual pursuits and seeks a full dance card during party season, Rosalind is more adventurous; her father has used her to promote his inventions for years, and she’s quite brilliant. When her father calls for her to return back to the States by way of his newest venture, the Transatlantic Express – an underwater railway – Cecily and her handsome brother, Charles, offer to journey with Rosalind.

The problems begin almost immediately, when Charles goes missing while boarding the train; things take a turn for the worst when Cecily and her maid are discovered murdered in their room. Rosalind tries to deal with her grief while proving her innocence and conducting her own investigation into her friend’s murder.

There is so much rich material to draw on in The Transatlantic Conspiracy, but it never fully realized its potential. It’s promoted as a YA novel, but reads more like a middle grade book; the black and white illustrations throughout the book add to this overall look and feel. The characters are stiff, with little development; there are some interesting concepts glanced over, but we don’t get much in the way of development. The detective on the train is one-dimensional but borders on being so much more. Cecily is victimized by her lack of development; all we get is a vapid party girl who, it turns out, is more than she seems, but gets killed off so early on, that I guess we’ll eventually find out about her, posthumously, in subsequent adventures.

I was hoping for more from The Transatlantic Conspiracy. It may be a good introduction to readers who aren’t typical steampunk readers, but fans of the genre may be let down. I’m going to test this one out with the kids in my library and see how it goes; I’ll report back.

Posted in Fiction, Humor, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

Memoirs of a Sidekick – good guys don’t always finish last

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

memoirsMemoirs of a Sidekick, by David Skuy, (Oct. 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771385688

Recommended for ages 9-12

Boris Snodbuckle and his best friend, Adrian, are two students at Bendale Public School. They’re not exactly the most popular kids; Boris and his harebrained plans often put him at the mercy of school bullies and teachers alike, and Adrian’s parents aren’t exactly thrilled with Boris, either. But Boris – “the B-ster” – is endlessly optimistic and just happens to see things differently. He decides to run for student council president, because he wants to make positive changes happen for all the kids across every grade. But Robert, Boris’ chief tormentor, also decides to run, and sets about stealing Boris’ ideas, taking all the credit, and getting the student body to promise their votes to him! Can Boris’ latest wild scheme turn things around?

Memoirs of a Sidekick is built on good values: persistence, optimism, and loyalty, for starters; there’s a strong vein of altruism, with Boris’ desire to take a stand for others. The novel touches on bullying and school social groups, and being a good citizen in the world at large, and there’s a nice emphasis on honesty being the best policy. The book meanders a bit at points, and Boris’ adherence to the Rules he and Adrian live by is relatable, if at times frustrating. Readers will appreciate Boris’ unique way of looking at the world and Adrian’s unflinching loyalty to his best friend.

Memoirs of a Sidekick is a good additional purchase for realistic fiction collections.

Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

The Lost Twin: A boarding school whodunit

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

the lost twinScarlet & Ivy: The Lost Twin, by Sophie Cleverly, (May 2016, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $16.99, ISBN: 9781492633396

Recommended for ages 9-13

Ivy is still grieving the death of her twin sister, Scarlet, when the letter from the school comes: a spot has opened up, and she can expect to be picked up immediately. Ivy is indignant – how rude and cold, to be referring to her sister’s death as an “opening” – and it only gets worse once the imperious headmistress, Miss Fox, comes to collect her. Miss Fox tells her that Ivy’s expected to become Scarlet – a face-saving measure for the school. Once at the school, Ivy finds herself in the thick of a few mysteries, all having to do with Scarlet and her disappearance from the school. Can Ivy unravel all the mysteries surrounding the school and learn what really happened to her sister?

Scarlet and Ivy: The Lost Twin is a well-paced, consuming boarding school mystery, set in 1935 England. The characters are interesting and the intrigue keeps pages turning, while getting readers riled up at the injustices Ivy endures. There are so many little mysteries entwined with larger ones – once a thread gets pulled, you’ll be consumed with following it to see where it goes. Fox is an awful human being that loves corporal punishment a bit too much to be in charge of children; Ms. Cleverly has given us a truly hissable villain here (she and Professor Umbridge would get along swimmingly). You’ll root for Ivy and her friend, Ariadne, and the ending leaves you bouncing up and down with the knowledge that we’ll be getting more adventures in the future.

According to Sophie Cleverly’s Twitter, the third Scarlet & Ivy book is out – pretty sure it’s only out in the UK, but let’s be really, really nice to Sourcebooks Jabberwocky and Ms. Cleverly, so they’ll bring the further adventures of Ivy, Ariadne, & Co. to us here in the States.

The Lost Twin is a good summer reading choice for middle grade readers who enjoy a good mystery with a few well-placed plot twists. I’ve got a lot of kids asking me for good mysteries, so I’ll add this one to my booktalks, along with The Peculiar Haunting of Thelma Bee and Audacity Jones.

Posted in Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Intermediate, Middle Grade, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

A teaspoonful of drama queen: Dara Palmer’s Major Drama

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

dara palmerDara Palmer’s Major Drama, by Emma Shevah (July 2016, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $16.99, ISBN: 9781492631385

Recommended for ages 8-13

Dara Palmer was born to be a star: just ask her, she’ll tell you.  But when she’s passed over – once again – for a part in the school play, The Sound of Music, Dara wonders whether it’s because she looks different. Was she passed over to be Maria because she doesn’t look like a typical fraulein? It’s not, as she learns: she just can’t act. Or rather, she overacts. But this episode starts Dara thinking about her life: about being Cambodian, about being an adoptee, and about not seeing any actresses or models who look like her. And then, it hits her: she’s going to write a play about her own life. Because she has to be the star of that, right?

Emma Shevah nails it again. I loved her voice as Amber in Dream On, Amber; here, she captures another tween who’s facing some big issues: realizing the world doesn’t revolve around her, and feeling like one person “on the inside” while looking like a different person “on the outside”. As an adoptee, she wonders about her birth parents and the circumstances that led her to the Happy Family home where she ended up, ultimately being adopted by her British family. As she becomes more aware of who she is – beyond her daydreams of marrying her British actor crush – she notices that no one looks like her in Hollywood, or on the covers of magazines, and this motivates her to action. She also realizes what fair-weather friends are, and handles it with a minimum of angst, which is beautifully done.

Dara Palmer’s Major Drama has received a starred review from School Library Journal. Booktalk this with Shevah’s first book, Dream On, Amber, and  Nancy Cavanaugh’s Just Like Me.  A great add to reading lists and collections all around for its discussions about adoption, diversity, and ethnicity.

 

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Humor, Intermediate, Middle Grade

Hilo’s back to save the Whole Wide World!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

hilo_1Hilo Book 2: Saving the Whole Wide World, by Judd Winick (May 2016, Random House Books for  Young Readers), $13.99, ISBN: 9780385386234

Recommended for ages 7-12

The boy who crashed to Earth returns, one piece at a time – no, seriously, the book starts out with his friends DJ and Gina holding a toe – to save the world again! Hilo, the android boy who captured readers’ imaginations and hearts, returns to learn how to tell knock-knock jokes, gets excited about transportation, and discovers cool new things he can do. He thinks everything is outstanding, especially dogs and cereal with milk. Then, the portals start opening up all over the place, letting in freaky things like viking hippos, mutant chickens, and a very cool warrior cat. What the heck is going on? It sounds like Razorwark is back in town – or, at least, trying to get back to town. Hilo and his friends are charged with keeping the planet safe one more time, but Hilo doesn’t want to hurt anyone.

Hilo’s first adventure was a huge hit, receiving a 2016 Choice Book Award and multiple starred reviews. I haven’t seen it on my shelves since the day I put the first copy up, and I really need to order more for Summer Reading. I love Judd Winick’s fun art, and Hilo’s genuine love of life and discovery. He’s relentlessly optimistic, even when faced with monsters coming through portals.

Add the Hilo books to your graphic novel collection: there’s fun, friendship, diversity, and some great word definitions (another cool thing Hilo does). Booktalk it with one of my favorite series, the Zita the Spacegirl books by Ben Hatke, and Hatke’s Little Robot, and introduce kids to the joy that is science fiction.

Judd Winick has scripted issues of bestselling comic series, including Batman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Justice League, and Star Wars, and has been head writer on the Hulu network’s animated series, The Awesomes. Judd also appeared as a cast member of MTV’s The Real World: San Francisco and is the author of the highly acclaimed graphic novel Pedro and Me, about his Real World roommate and friend, AIDS activist Pedro Zamora. Check out his author website for more about his books and artwork, and take a look at more of Hilo: Saving the Whole Wide World right here.

hilo_2

 

Posted in Fiction, Humor, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

3-tissue reading: Ms. Bixby’s Last Day

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

bixbyMs. Bixby’s Last Day, by John David Anderson (June 2016, Walden Pond Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9780062338174

Recommended for ages 8-12

A beloved sixth grade teacher announces that she’s unable to finish the school year; she’s very sick and needs to be hospitalized. Topher, Steve, and Brand are three students who know just how special Ms. Bixby is come up with a plan to give her the best last day with her students. They cut school, make a specific list of supplies to acquire, and make their way to the hospital.

Each chapter is narrated by one of the boys, and switches between the boys’ journey to the hospital and the stories each boy has about Ms. Bixby and her impact on their lives.

I fell in love with this book. Impossible to put down, it’s honest, heart-breaking, and inspiring, all at once. Each boy’s story draws on experiences that many kids will recognize either in their own lives or a close friend or family member’s life. Knowing that there are teachers like Ms. Bixby out there may  help kids seek out an adult they can trust with their own personal challenges, even if it’s just another ear to listen.

Warning: this is quite possibly a three-tissue read. It’s an emotional and powerful read, but it is about grief and loss, so be prepared for that. This is an excellent choice for middle grade readers and collections. I’d put this on a booktalk list with reads like The Meaning of Maggie by Megan Jean Sovern and Donna Gephart’s Death by Toilet Paper.

Ms. Bixby’s Last Day has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. The author’s website offers more information about his books, school and virtual visits, and contact info.

Posted in Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Middle Grade, Middle School, Puberty, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

The Dorks are back! Pack of Dorks goes to Camp!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

camp dorkPack of Dorks: Camp Dork, by Beth Vrabel (May 2016, Sky Pony Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781634501811

Recommended for ages 8-12

Lucy and her friends are back in the sequel to Pack of Dorks! The school year is done, and Lucy and her pack are headed to camp: Camp Paleo, where the group gets to live like cavemen for the next week. Because Sheldon thought it would be a cool idea. Sam backs out at the last minute to go to a gymnastics training camp, but Lucy’s grandma comes along for the summer, working as a lunch lady at the techy camp next door. Camp Paleo is decidedly not techy. The campers dig for fossils, learn archery, and have really, really cold, showers with bugs for company. Mr. Bosserman, the camp leader, is a grumpy old man, and Lucy feels her pack falling apart as the week progresses. Lucy’s got to look at some of her own choices and own up to things she’s said and done before she finds herself on the outs for good.

Camp Dork is a solid sequel to Pack of Dorks, which was brilliant in its depiction of a group of tweens coming together to embrace the things that made them unique. They owned their Dork label at school, but sometimes, you don’t want to be a label: you want to be a person, and you don’t want to be fettered by a word that supposedly describes all that you are. It’s something Lucy has to learn, and it’s something that readers are learning, right along with her. Camp Dork explores how people – especially tweens, but even adults – are perceived by different people, at different times, in different situations.

Camp Dork is a great summer read for tweens who are at the same point in their lives: discovering who they are, cultivating different interests and new friends, and maybe, fighting a little bit of change in their lives. If you loved Pack of Dorks, don’t miss Camp Dork. If you didn’t read Pack of Dorks, no worries – there’s enough exposition in Camp Dork to catch you up without you feeling lost.

I love the way Beth Vrabel writes. The dialogue just flows, and it’s at once loaded with inner frustration, wit and sarcasm, and honesty. I just saw on her website that another of her books that I really enjoyed, Blind Guide to Stinkville, has a sequel coming out this Fall, so I’ll be all over it.

There’s a really good librarian-created discussion guide to Pack of Dorks on Beth Vrabel’s website, which makes me feel like I need to start coming up with these things for all the books I read.

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

“Weekend Person Needed” at The Ministry of Ghosts

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

ministry of ghostsThe Ministry of Ghosts, by Alex Shearer (May 2016, Sky Pony Press), $15.99, ISBN: 9781510704732

Recommended for ages 8-12

Minister Beeston, from the Department of Economies, is a superior bean counter. Nothing goes to waste under his watch, so when The Ministry of Ghosts comes to his attention, he is determined to shut them down: ghosts! Preposterous! The fact that they’ve been around for hundreds of years, with no proof that ghosts exist makes him even more flustered – think of all the taxpayer money that’s been wasted! He’s having no more of it. He gives the Ministry three months to prove the existence – or nonexistence – of ghosts, or he’s shutting them down, and reassigning some members to the Department of Sewage! The horror! The Ministry takes action, ultimately hiring help: a boy and a girl, Tim and Thruppence, after hearing that ghosts may be more likely to appear to kids. As the twosome commence investigating, they won’t believe what they learn, and neither will you.

I enjoyed Ministry of Ghosts. It took a bit to ramp up, but once the storyline kicked in, it was a fun read with likable characters and a good sense of humor. There are a few plot twists that are very satisfying. It’s not a scary story – kids looking for a scary book or some thrills and chills aren’t going to find it here, but readers will find a book with great dialogue between characters and a sweetly humorous story that will make you feel good at the close.

I’d booktalk this with Karen Foxlee’s Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy and Laurel Gale’s Dead Boy. YA Books Central has an excerpt if you want to read more.