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#ThankfulThursday: Showing Appreciation

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

What are you thankful for this week? Last week, it was Thanksgiving, and I was certainly thankful to be surrounded by my family, in a warm home. I’m grateful for a career I love – a second career, at that – and for the love of my friends and the families that come through my library doors.

Between now and the end of the year, I’m going to have a weekly #ThankfulThursday post inspired by author Marianne Richmond’s Simple Ways to Grow Gratitude. This week, I’m appreciating out loud. I have so much to be thankful for: my own little corner of the Internet here, where I get to meet new authors and books, and talk about them; I’m grateful that reading time is still cuddle time for my little one, and I’m thankful that my older kids will still sit down and watch TV and movies with me, engaging in our own amusing commentary. I’m thankful for hot coffee, comfy couches, and easy-to-understand knitting patterns.

There are so many things to be thankful for. How about you? Spread the word, let me know what you’re thankful for! Read on for more Simple Ways to Grow Gratitude, and enter a Rafflecopter contest to win your own bundle of Marianne Richmond’s books.

thankful

 

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Give me a Day or Two, please…

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I’m a little behind on posting, because I’ve been the lucky recipient of my preschooler’s cold and sore throat.

sick

I’ve also started a new position – same library system, same capacity, new neighborhood – so I went to work today, came home, and took NyQuil with a hot tea chaser. Give me a day or two to get my bearings again, please – I’ve got a stack of reviews to write, it’ll be worth the wait!

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dotwav – Are You Listening?

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

dotwavdotwav, by Mike A. Lancaster, (Sept. 2016, Sky Pony Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781510704046

Recommended for ages 12+

Ani Lee is a 15 year-old hacker who’s been given a file to keep safe. It’s no ordinary file, and people are after it – after Ani.

Joe is a 17 year-old American living in London, working for a top secret arm of British intelligence. He’s got a chip in his head that helps him control his violent temper, and it gives him some pretty incredible abilities. He’s checking out a new music craze among nerds – X-Core – and a possible link between this underground music scene and the disappearance of an old school friend.

Joe and Ani meet as their investigations converge, and they realize that the .wav file is no ordinary sound file. There’s something in that file that’s causing some pretty crazy reactions, and it’s directly linked to the X-Core movement. Conspiracy theorists, put on your tin foil hats, because the plot goes all the way up and involves some very important people. People who will kill to get what they want.

I do miss a good cyberpunk novel, and dove into dotwav, looking forward to a good technothriller. And dotwav is a good read, it just didn’t knock my socks off like I hoped it would. Something in the execution just fell a little flat for me. There were quite a few instances of over-explanation and soapboxing that dialed my interest down, for starters. I didn’t feel like I was invested enough in the characters to root for or against them. I did like where they went with the .wav file’s origin, but the conspiracy faltered a little. The ending left the possibility of a sequel open.

Add this to your shelves if you have techno-thriller, cyberpunk readers. I’d display it with some Cory Doctorow books, particularly Little Brother; for readers bridging the middle grade-YA gap, I’d also put out a copy of Dragons vs Drones. I know I’m dating myself, but I’d talk up Mr. Robot and the James Bond movies – and all the cool gadgets! – to flesh out Ani and Joe’s backgrounds and make them a little more tangible to my readers.

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CYBILS Judges Announced!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The CYBILS judges for the 2016 awards have been announced, and I made the cut! I’ll be a second round judge for the Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction category, and I’m thrilled! Go to the CYBILS main page for links to the judges in each category and discover some great blogs.

Your turn is coming! Nominations open on October 1, and we want to know what you think are the best children’s and YA books you’ve read this year! Rules for nominating are here.

cybils

2016 Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction Judges: 

First Round

Sherry Early
Semicolon http://www.semicolonblog.com

Kristen Harvey
The Book Monsters thebookmonsters.com

Brandy Painter
Random Musings of a Bibliophile http://randommusingsofabibliophile.blogspot.com/

Charlotte Taylor
Charlotte’s Library http://charlotteslibrary.blogspot.com

Brenda Tjaden
Log Cabin Library http://logcabinlibrary.blogspot.com
Second Round

Mark Buxton
Say What? http://buxfantasy.blogspot.com

Monica Edinger
Educating Alice http://medinger.wordpress.com

Heidi Grange
Geo Librarian http://geolibrarian.blogspot.com

Rosemary Kiladitis
MomReadIt https://momreadit.wordpress.com

Tasha Saecker
Waking Brain Cells wakingbraincells.com

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Benny and Penny Say Goodbye to a Friend

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

bennypenny1Benny and Penny in How to Say Goodbye, by Geoffrey Hayes (Sept. 2016, TOON Books), $12.95, ISBN: 978-1-935179-99-3  

Recommended for ages 4-8

While playing outside, Penny discovers Little Red, a salamander, has died. She’s upset, but her brother, Benny, seems more irritated by Little Red – and Penny’s grief – than anything else. Penny and her friend Melina bury Little Red and hold a little ceremony for him, which stirs up mixed feelings for Benny.

This latest book in the Benny and Penny early graphic novel series takes on the tumultuous emotions that death can stir up: grief being one, and guilt being another. These feelings are often overwhelming to adults; to children, they must feel like a tidal wave. Benny remembers times he was unkind to Little Red, which triggers his grief. Benny’s guilt motivates him to take part in Little Red’s memorial, and Mr. Hayes gives Benny, Penny, and readers a bright spot to end on.

There are some great books on dealing with grief and loss with children: most recently, Margaret Wise Brown’s The Dead Bird and Ida, Always, by Caron Levis. Each book speaks beautifully to children, and each handles grief differently – just like people do. How to Say Goodbye is a sensitive look at dealing with strong feelings in the wake of loss. An important addition to graphic novel collections and readers advisory lists.

There will be an educator’s guide closer to the book’s publication. Keep an eye on the Benny and Penny TOON Page for details.

Benny and Penny is an award-winning early graphic novel series. Benny and Penny in the Big No-No received the 2010 Theodore Geisel Award.

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Real or Fake? Wacky facts and far-out fib from NatGeo!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

real or fakeReal or Fake? Far-Out Fibs, Fishy Facts, and Phony Photos to Test for the Truth, by Emily Krieger, (May 2016, National Geographic Kids), $7.99, ISBN: 978-1426324055

Recommended for ages 7-12

What a fun way to get kids learning – give them the craziest stories, and show them that truth is truly stranger than fiction. Real or Fake? is loaded with news stories – some are real, some are made up, but can readers figure out which is which? Answers are explained on a following spread, and a meter icon shows readers whether the story is “Honest Abe”, “A Little White Lie”, or a “Big Ol’ Whopper”. Fun Facts are sprinkled throughout the book – did you know it’s illegal to throw away food in Seattle? – and Real or Fake flash challenges, where kids are presented with a handful of fast facts that they have to call real or bogus on, round out the book. Crazy, funny collage art punches up the fun factor in this little book that’s packed with information.

I’m going to use some of these in a trivia contest with the kids at my library. Takeaway fact from this book: The stinky smell of blue cheese and sweaty feet is caused by the same bacteria. You’ll never look at your socks the same way again, and I can’t wait to introduce that tidbit at my next Discovery Club. Unsee that, kiddos!

 

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Know Before You Grow: 100 Things to Know Before You Grow Up

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

100 things to know100 Things to Know Before You Grow Up, by Lisa M. Gerry, (March 2016, NatGeo Kids), $9.99, ISBN: 9781426323164

Recommended for ages 8-12

It’s a NatGeo week this week, because their publicists were kind enough to send me a bunch of books to check out for my blog (and, by extension, my library collection). Today, I’m looking at one of the latest in their 100 Things series, 100 Things to Know Before You Grow Up, by Lisa M. Gerry. Think of it as a life skills primer: there are icons coding each of the 100 things, related to attitude (curiosity, responsibility, empowerment), skills (observation, communication, collaboration, problem-solving), and knowledge (our human story, our living planet, critical species, and new frontiers). Together, all of these things help readers become well-rounded, responsible teens and, eventually, adults.

There are fun skills, like making snow ice cream, how to fold origami, and how to create papier mâché; practical skills, like pumping gas, doing laundry, and writing checks, personal growth explorations like being tolerant, resolving conflict peacefully, and apologizing. Whether you see this as a summer challenge for your kids or patrons (complete any five skills for a prize this summer!), a bucket list for your pre-adolescence, or just a good guide to being the best person you can be, there are some great tips in here, combined with beautiful photos and interesting facts.

100 Things to Know Before You Grow Up is a good grad gift for elementary and middle schoolers, and it’s a good add to tween collections.

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Just. One. Book.

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I”m giving this a boost and hoping anyone, everyone, can help this library out. One book at a time; that’s how libraries are built. Please help if you can.

Margaret Elysia Garcia's avatarThrowing Chanclas

Just. One. Book.

I live in a town of 1200 people in the Northern Sierra Nevada –where it meets the Cascade Range near Mt. Lassen National Park and about two hours drive northwest of Reno, NV.  Two hundred of that population is students. Over the years as the population dwindled after mines closed, then mills–nothing except tourism and retirement have emerged as ‘industries.’ Many businesses have closed down and with it many things we take for granted—like libraries.

The local junior/senior high school has not been able to purchase new books since the 90s. Some of the “check outs” for old books are in the 1980s. There are no books by people of color in the library. Hardly any books by women are in the few book cases except your standard Austen and Lee. It’s an uninviting place. There hasn’t been a librarian for nearly a decade. And volunteers weren’t allowed. The…

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