tween – Page 2 – Mom Read It

Myth-O-Mania’s newest, ‘Get Lost, Odysseus’ – The Odyssey, for Kids!

Posted on June 10, 2014June 10, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Myth-O-Mania: Get Lost, Odysseus! by Kate McMullan (Capstone, August 2014). $10.95, ISBN: 9781434291943

Recommended for ages 8-13

Kate McMullan’s got a great series going with her Myth-O-Mania series. Narrated by Hades, each Myth-O-Mania book offers up the God of the Underworld’s take on a Greek myth, with his hilarious commentary and points of view. This time out, McMullan/Hades offers up the tale of Odysseus, hero of the Trojan War, who angered Poseidon and ended up taking ten years to get home.

The book is great, in that it is The Odyssey, made accessible to middle-grade readers. Just about everything we grown-ups and teens read in high school and college is in here – the Cyclops, the Scylla and Charybdis, even his stints with Circe and Calypso are here, made readable for younger eyes. Odysseus’ bravado comes right through the pages here, and we see Hades losing patience with him. What’s even better, is that we get a glimpse of Hades’ home life, especially the relationship between Hades and his beloved, 3-headed dog, Cerberus, who howls whenever his poor master has to leave and check up on Odysseus one more time.

This is an action-adventure, packed with Greek mythology and humor. Kids who like Percy Jackson should pick the Myth-O-Mania series up, for sure. You don’t even need to start at the beginning – the beauty of this series is that each is a stand-alone adventure. These books are great to enhance any unit on myths and heroes. Ms. McMullan’s webpage offers some information about her books – including the Myth-O-Mania books – and links to social media.

Fiction, Tween Reads

Catwoman’s Nine Lives is great fun for intermediate readers!

Posted on June 4, 2014June 4, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Catwoman’s Nine Lives, by Matthew K. Manning (Capstone, August 2014). $5.95, ISBN: 9781434291363

Recommended for ages 7-12

Catwoman’s at it again. After giving Batman the slip during a chase, she comes home to find Penguin waiting for her, with a proposal – steal the Ventriloquist’s Dummy, Scarface. It will render him helpless and eliminate the competition he poses to Penguin. Never able to turn down the chance for a good score, Catwoman accepts, and touches off a war! The Ventriloquist wants revenge against Penguin, and Penguin has no intention of backing down. Will Catwoman turn to Batman for help, or will she allow a bloody crime war to rage unchecked?

This book is a fun read; a great combination of chapter book and graphic novel, it will hold readers’ interests with the fast-paced action and Luciano Vecchio’s intense art. Vecchio is well-versed in DC artwork, handling art duties on Beware the Batman, Young Justice, and the Green Lantern Animated Series. Matthew K. Manning, the Bat-scribe here, is a well-known comic writer whose work I really like; here, he doesn’t talk down or over his audience. He’s right where the kids need him to be, and, with Vecchio, creates a fun adventure.

Enhanced content, including comics terms and a glossary of words used in the story, and discussion questions, means this book will be one of the hottest book on the shelves at school libraries. The book can easily be applied to Common Core lessons, including discussions of sequences of events for younger readers and ambiguous morality for more intermediate audiences.

Capstone’s Capstone Kids website is a great resource, with activities and character bios for all their properties, including sections on the DC Superheroes and Super Pets.

The book will be published on August 1, but in the meantime, there are more Capstone DC titles – hit your libraries and bookstores to find some! They’re a great way to ease kids into summer reading!

Fiction, Middle School, Tween Reads

Dorothy’s Derby Chronicles: Roller Derby, Wacky Grandmas, and Possibly, a Haunted Roller Rink

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Dorothy’s Derby Chronicles: Rise of the Undead Redhead, by Meghan Dougherty (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2014). $6.99, ISBN: 9781402295355

Recommended for ages 10+

Dorothy and her younger sister, Sam, have been sent to live with their grandmother while her mother gets her life sorted out. The only thing is, Grandma isn’t your run-of-the-mill grandmother – she drives a hearse called Dead Betty, and wears distinctly un-grandmotherly clothes. All Dorothy wants to do is fade into the new school year, but Grandma – coupled with Dorothy’s clumsiness – make her a target for the local mean girl group, the Pom-Poms. Dorothy does make some new friends, though – she, Gigi, and Jade become a tight threesome, and somehow find themselves forming a roller derby team! Grandma – who used to be Shotgun Sally in her roller derby days – signs on as coach, and the girls have to recruit more team members before the big bout. And they also need to learn the rules of roller derby. And how to skate. The thing is, the rink they practice at may be haunted, and Dorothy is terrified that her mother – who’s forbidden roller skating – will somehow find out what’s going on. Can the girls pull it together and become a team?

Where was this series when I was a kid, watching late-night roller derby on off-network TV and hitting the roller rinks with my friends when I was in 8th grade? I love the fact that roller derby is starting to see a resurgence in media, and thrilled with this series, which is just too much fun. The author knows and loves her subject – Meghan Dougherty is a derby girl, and manages to give us a fun story about friendship and family, with a wonderfully unconventional and independent group of women, young and old. Alece Birnbach’s illustrations add to the fun, especially when Dougherty lets Birnbach’s pictures narrate the derby action! I really appreciated the nonfictional derby instruction in the book – there are rules and positions, folks! – and will work nicely with Common Core standards, so teachers, get this book on your reading lists for summer.

I can’t wait for the second book in the series, which I’ve already badgered the authors about on Twitter, and I’ll be making sure this book is on my library shelves when it publishes on July 1st. Get in on the action now, and check out the website, where kids can learn more about roller derby and the series’ characters.

Teen

Book Expo Approaches! What are you going to look for?

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

I love BEA. I’ve been lucky enough to go to a few, having worked in publishing before my new career as a librarian, and I never tire of it. The books, the people that are so excited about books – readers, publishers, sellers, librarians – we all love books, and BEA is one big book party, with lots of little book parties going on simultaneously.

This year, BEA is really special and exciting for me, because it’s my first year as a librarian, so I’ll be there looking for children’s and middle grade books that I can bring to my patrons – my “kids”, and some YA that I can recommend to my counterpart, the YA librarian at Pomonok. And I’m also excited, because I’m going on a press pass! How cool is that? So let’s start the reporting now!

I received an e-mail from Capstone with some signings, and I’m excited, because Isobel Harrop will be there signing copies of her book, The Isobel Journal. I’ve got this on NetGalley, and have been looking forward to reading it. It’s on the list of things to read before BookExpo! It’s a graphic novel-ish type book, so it technically comes under my purview, even though it’s YA.

Capstone is also having a book giveaway for their September book, Katie Woo’s Big Idea Journal: A place for your best stories, drawings, doodles and plans, which I absolutely need to get because the Katie Woo books do gangbusters at my library! I may even have a book giveaway for the kids. I also just learned that the Capstone website has Katie Woo printables, which is PERFECT – my kids love coloring in the library, and I think they’re getting tired of my usual printables.

Capstone is also announcing their new YA imprint, Switch Press, at BEA, so I want to see what that’s all about. I notice that they’re including graphic novels under the imprint, so I’m hoping I can bring back some news and maybe a couple of giveaways for our teens.

What’s everyone else doing at BookExpo? I have a planner to fill!

Fiction, Horror, Humor, Tween Reads

My Zombie Hamster – there’s nothing like a pet that wants to eat you.

Posted on April 7, 2014April 7, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

My Zombie Hamster, by Havelock McCreely. Egmont USA (2014), $17.99, ISBN: 9781606844915

Recommended for ages 8-12

Matt Hunter is psyched for Christmas. He wants the newest peripheral for his favorite sword and sorcery game, Runespell, and his friends are hoping to get the same gift so they can play online together. The only problem is, Matt rarely gets what he wants for Christmas, and this year’s no exception. His parents give him a hamster named Snuffles.

The thing is, Matt and his family and friends live in a post-zombie apocalypse society (that’s doing pretty darn well for themselves), where they live behind giant bug zapper-type walls and have Zombie Squads for zombie disposal. Citizens are life-chipped, so when they die, Zombie Squads can take care of corpse removal. So when Snuffles gets away from Matt, only to return home, die, and reanimate, Matt just figures the Squad will come. Until they don’t, and he realizes Snuffles – now known as Anti-Snuffles – came from a sketchy pet shop. To keep his father out of trouble for making such a purchase, he keeps Anti-Snuffles a secret, but Anti-Snuffles has plans for world domination on his mind. Matt also learns that he’s got even bigger things to worry about when a school survival expedition is attacked by zombies. Can Matt set everything right?

My Zombie Hamster is great reading for middle-grade students, particularly those students finding themselves bored by mainstream class reading. It’s got a lot of humor – Matt’s first-person voice is alternately sarcastic, funny, and sweet – and the story takes a surprising turn that gives it an added layer of depth. The book hits shelves on July 8th – libraries interested can stock up now and get ready for summer reading!

Non-Fiction, Tween Reads

Helaine Becker’s Zoobots – The Future is Now, and there are robot snakes!

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Zoobots: Wild Robots Inspired by Real Animals, by Helaine Becker/illustrated by Alex Ries. Kids Can Press (2014), $17.95, ISBN: 9781554539710

Recommended for ages 8-12

Robot Snakes. That’s the first thing that jumped out at me when I saw the cover of this book on NetGalley, and I knew that not only would my 10 year-old love this book, but so would every 10 year-old in the several library sites I oversee. That is the kind of book Zoobots is – it’s a win-win situation. You have robot animals, complete with facts about the functions and statistics on the robotic creatures, plus profiles on the animals influencing them; you also have the nonfiction aspect, which makes it compatible with Common Core focus on nonfiction texts, with the extra STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) appeal that will hopefully inspire a reader or 3 to become a scientist and actually work with these robots.

Helaine Becker’s text is chunked into a dossier-type format, complete with futuristic fonts. We get the name of the robot – some include the Shrewbot, the Octobot, the Ghostbot, and the Nanobot – and what class of animal its influence belongs to (i.e., mammalia, reptilia). There are skills, specifications, and applications: the growing number of robotics dedicated to the medical industry alone is amazing, as is the idea of using pill bug-inspired robots to help prevent raging forest fires. Special Ops describes special talents these robots can use while in the field; my favorite is the Uncle Sam snake robot, who can actually assemble itself!

There is no science fiction here – all of the 12 robot animals profiled are in some sort of prototype stage, whether being developed or in existence. A section on the future wonders what further robots future minds will create, which I hope spurs some readers to start sketching and joining robotics teams. There is a glossary of terms and a full index.

I loved this book, and think it belongs in libraries and science classes throughout elementary and middle schools. The illustrations, by concept artist and illustrator Alex Ries, give life to the robotics, spotlighting their flexibility and their features. The book is only 36 pages, but the number of lesson plans and ideas that can come out of this? Boundless.

Fiction, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

Minerva Mint: The Order of the Owls

Posted on March 20, 2014March 20, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Minerva Mint: The Order of the Owls, by Elisa Puricelli Guerra/illus. by Gabo Leon Bernstein, Capstone Young Readers Group (2014), $9.95, ISBN: 9781623700386

Recommended for ages 8-10

Minerva Mint: The Order of the Owls is the first book in a new middle-grade series about an eccentric young girl named Minerva Mint, her two friends, Thomasina Crowley and Ravi Kapoor, and the mysteries that the group solves together; the most important being to find Minerva’s parents.

Minerva was found, as an infant, in a bag in Victoria Station. She lives in Lizard Manor -a large, ramshackle mansion that has seen better days – with Mrs. Flopps, the station custodian who discovered Minerva. Minerva meets Ravi and Thomasina, and the three become fast friends. Thomasina shares Minerva’s adventurous spirit and Ravi, a bit more level-headed and fearful, comes along for the ride at first because of his crush on Thomasina. He grows into himself during the group’s first adventures, but I’m pretty sure we’ll still see him as the voice of reason in the group.

This first book establishes the characters and the underlying mystery that will permeate the series – who are Minerva’s parents, and why did they leave her as an infant? There are some clues in the bag Minerva was found in, and she tries to put the pieces together. Thomasina and Ravi are sworn to help her, but Minerva is no damsel in distress; she can handle after years of fending off various long lost “parents” who come to the home in search of the valuable real estate and imagined riches in Lizard Manor.

The story is fast-paced and light, perfect for a middle-grade read about friendship with some mystery thrown in. Minerva is a quirky, fun character that will appeal to girls who want to step outside the “girly” model. Thomasina – pretty, blonde, wealthy Thomasina – is an adventurous spirit and a friendly, outgoing girl, which is a relief if you’re tired of the seemingly obligatory mean girls popping up as dramatic foils. Ravi is a shy, fearful boy who allows himself to be drawn out by the two girls. The group’s valued friendship sends a good message to younger readers about sticking together.

Gabo Leon Bernstein’s black and white illustrations are adorable and add to the story, giving us characters to bond with and creepy, fun landscapes. His illustrations advance the plot and fire up the imagination.

I look forward to more Minerva Mint books, and luckily, there are a two in progress: Merlin’s Island and The Legend of Black Bart. The publishers website offers extras, including character profiles, a book trailer, and downloadable clues sheet and a secret club contract that readers can use for their own secret societies!

Fiction, Humor, Middle School, Science Fiction, Tween Reads

M.E. Castle’s The Clone Chronicles concludes with Game of Clones

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Game of Clones: The Clone Chronicles, #3, by M.E. Castle. Egmont USA (2014), $15.99, ISBN: 9781606842348

Recommended for ages 8-12

In M.E. Castle’s third installment of the Clone Chronicles, seventh grader Fisher Bas and his clone, Fisher-2, put aside their differences to team up and fight Three, the Fisher clone created by the evil Dr. X. Three’s gone rogue, with plans for world domination on his mind, and he’s on track to make it happen – will Dr. X make an appearance? Is the enemy of Fisher’s enemy a friend?

The book is a fast-moving action-adventure series that should appeal to both middle grade boys and girls. Fisher and Fisher-2 have allies in their classmates, Amanda and Veronica, both of whom serve as the boys’ crushes and as intelligent, strong females in the series. Fisher tends to be an overthinker, and Alex struggles to define his own personality despite being a Fisher clone. This struggle runs throughout the book, and mirrors many a tween’s burgeoning identity and personality clashes and crises; where Fisher-2 is a clone, a tween pushes back against being merely “the son” or “the daughter”. Three wreaks havoc in Fisher’s neighborhood and school, forcing him to think of creative solutions and seek help outside of his gadgets; he realizes the power of friendship and of reaching out to ask for help, and it makes him a better person.

Overall, it’s a fun book in a popular series that tweens will enjoy. Game of Clones is part of The Clone Chronicles series; the first two books are Popular Clone and Cloneward Bound.

Adventure, Fiction, Tween Reads

Book Review: The Mapmaker and the Ghost, by Sarvenaz Tash (Walker Books for Young Readers, 2012)

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 9-12

Goldenrod Moram wants to be an explorer and mapmaker like her hero, Meriweather Lewis (of Lewis & Clark fame). When she decides to spend her summer making a map of the forest behind her home, she stumbles into an adventure that has been over a hundred years in the making. Before her summer vacation is over, she will find herself in trouble with a local group of troublemakers, The Gross-Out Gang, and she will meet a strange old lady with an interesting family connection. She will also meet her idol face to ghostly face!

The Mapmaker and the Ghost gives readers a new heroine in Goldenrod Moram. She’s smart and gutsy, like many ‘tweenage characters these days, but she is not on the hunt for treasure – she just wants to make maps like her idol, Meriweather Lewis. And how often do you hear Lewis and Clark coming up as a literary and historical idol? Readers get a look at an important figure in American history and learn a little more about who he is.

Some of the characters are predictable. The Gross-Out Gang, for instance, is made up of kids who come from a multitude of mixed backgrounds: the rich parents who have no time for their children; the divorced father in a deep depression who cannot focus on his daughter; and the kid who’s been bounced around from foster home to foster home are all here. The ending is predictably light, but it gives the reader hope that every situation, when you use your brains and bring understanding and honesty to the situation, can work out for the best.

This is Ms. Tash’s first book. Her website offers information about the book and a link to her blog.

Humor, Middle School, Tween Reads

Book Review: Bindi Babes, by Narinder Dhami (Delacorte, 2004)

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 8-12

The Dhillon sisters – Amber, Jazz, and Geena – are perfect. They are perfect students, perfectly dressed, and perfectly popular. Their teachers always look to them for help with their classmates and for the right answers, and the girls never disappoint. The girls keep their act airtight so no one will sense the pain they are in from losing their mother the year before. The sisters will not even talk about her at home for fear of letting loose all the emotions they have bottled up.

Escaping his grief through work, their father is rarely home and when he is, rarely speaks to them other than to indulge them in nearly everything they ask. When he announces that their Auntie is coming from India to live with them and take care of the girls, they are furious – they certainly do not need anyone to babysit them! When Auntie arrives and starts interfering in their lives – especially when their father starts saying no to new clothes, sneakers and pierced ears – they decide she’s got to go. Marrying her off would be the best way to benefit everyone, but who to choose, and how to do it?

The book is ‘tween chick lit; it is an easy read with little emotional depth or character examination. The ending is predictable but satisfying, and leaves the family’s story open to a sequel. In fact, the book is the first in a 4-book series. Ms. Dhami provides a glimpse into Indian culture which has doubtlessly introduced many girls to a new culture in our increasingly diverse society.

Narinder Dhami has also written the popular film Bend it Like Beckham. Her website offers links to her books, author facts, and a link to Amber’s blog, where the Bindi Babes narrator keeps readers up on the latest gossip. Random House provides a teachers guide complete with discussion questions and links for further reading on diversity.