Laura's Life

Dead End in Norvelt

2012-02-07T11:57:00.001-05:00

I have read all of the Newberys, and I liked some more than others. This is one I did not like so much. I started reading this when I was doing Mock Newberys, but I absolutely hated it and stopped reading. When it won, I decided that it would be better to be able to say I read all of the Newbery winners instead of I read all but one. When I picked this book back up, I hoped I would like it more. No such luck. I kinda liked Miss Volker, but didn't think that she was that great, and her character did not make up for the fact that their was too much blood and gore in this book. I don't mind gore if the story needs it to be great, I don't think this book needed as much as it has. Over all I really hated the story, although there were some points that I enjoyed. This book wasn't quite as bad as The Dark Frigate, but it came close. I wouldn't recommend this book, but boys might enjoy it more than I did. I think this is evidence that a kid (ME) should be on the committee, to at least get to argue what is notable or not.

Rating: *** (because The Dark Frigate got two and this book is just a little bit better than that)

And the Winner Is...

2012-01-23T10:48:00.002-05:00

Yippee for the award announcements! I was happy with most of the books that won, but now I have to read the Newbery winner. I started reading it months ago and I didn't like it, so I put it back on the shelf and started a new book. Now I have to find it on my bookshelf again, which is not an easy task because it is most likely in one of the piles of books in my room that don't actually fit on the shelf (Mom, can I have another book shelf? Please?). I am not so excited to read it again, but maybe the rest of the story isn't like the first few chapters. If I made it through The Dark Frigate, I can make it through Dead End in Norvelt.

Other books I still need to read: Heart and Soul, Where Things Come Back, Balloons Over Broadway, Tales for Very Picky Eaters, A Ball for Daisy, Breaking Stallin's Nose and The Notorious Benedict Arnold. There are others that I haven't read yet, but those are the ones that caught my eye. Any others I should read?

I am going to say it one more time: I am SOOOOOOOOO excited!!!! This really is the best time of the year for me :)

My Newbery 2012 Pick!

2012-01-20T18:06:00.000-05:00

So, I have read every book that has every won the Newbery, and for the past 3 years I have joined the mock Newbery lovers of the world, reading the best books published and picking my winner. In 2010 I was right when I picked When You Reach Me. Last year I LOVED several books and was a little disappointed when One Crazy Summer was not the pick. But, it was really cool that the winner, Moon Over Manifest, was a dark horse and a first book from an author. This year honestly, I have been all over the place. I loved several books and some of my favorites didn't bubble to the top of other list, you all should really give the Romeo and Juliet Code a read, it is worth it! My love of The Floating Island, makes me wonder if everyone saw the same feminist theme I did, or if that is about what I was thinking as a reader. After much thinking I have one winner and 3 Honor book choices this year.
My winner is Okay For Now, a book I read early in the year that stayed with me. When thinking about Newbery criteria this book really is most Newberyish.

Honor book predictions:

Inside Out and Back Again, an extraordinary journey that is worth reading and remembering.
Amelia Lost, a bit of a surprise pick for me because I don't always LOVE non fiction.
I broke My Trunk,a light hearted book that told lots in a few words, a good change for Newbery! And I promise if it wins kids everywhere will pick it when they have to do their "Newbery" book report (my brother defiantly would.

So, now we wait for Monday morning, I will be watching live and tweeting and blogging about it all (yes, I am skipping school--don't worry I will make up the work!)

The Summer Before Boys

2012-01-19T20:27:00.000-05:00

I LOVE Nora Raleigh Baskin! Nora is the Schnieder Family Award winning author of Anything But Typical, and I was lucky enough to meet her at ALA 2010; she is as wonderful in person as you would think she is from reading her books! All of this is to say I was very excited to read her newest book. I saved the honor of my last Mock Newbery 2012 for her, it was worth the wait, I read the book in under a day and look forward to reading it again (maybe on a snow day). I liked the friendship dynamic between the "cousins" and the different way this book looks at the common theme of a growing up story. I'm a Middle School student, so the idea of diffrent views on boys and dating is something that is all around me. I wonder if the Newbery committee will think this book is limited by a small age audience, I don't find that to be a problem, but I am 11 (getting close to 12). I highly recommend this book and reading more from Nora.
Rating *****

Mock Newbery 2012 #2

2012-01-16T17:02:00.000-05:00

This is the second year that I have had a Mock Newbery at my local library. I really like this event because it allows met to talk to other kids about who's gonna be the winner. Today we talked about 14 books, including some of my favorites. We ended up picking our top 5 (in no particular order): In a week from today, we will all know what the real winner is. I will share my personal picks later this week.

Lost Voices
I Broke My Trunk
Breadcrumbs
The Emerald Atlas
Inside Out and Back Again

Hidden

2012-01-16T16:32:00.000-05:00

I really liked this book. I got so many recommendations for this book I lost count, and I wasn't allowed to leave the ACPL Mock Newbery without a copy of it. Everyone insisted that I could not decide on my final pick for Newbery without reading it, I am glad that I did! The storyline in this book was really really twisty- not twisted, twisty. The way the book was written really reflected the personalities of the characters. I loved how there was a second story hidden in Darra's chapters. I think that this book might be an Honor Book, but I don't think that it will win the Newbery.

Rating: *****

Wonderstruck

2012-01-15T14:04:00.000-05:00

I LOVED this book!!!!! The illustrations were amazing and the story was well written. I hardly put the book down (much to my teachers' dismay) and read it in half a day. I was wondering throughout the book how the stories were going to intertwine, but I never would have guessed about Rose and Ben's relationship. I loved how Jamie and Ben's friendship grew throughout the story and how Jamie was included at the end. I think this book has little to no chance of winning the Newbery, though, because it wouldn't work without the pictures.

Rating: *****

On the Road to the Newbery 2012

2012-01-09T17:37:00.000-05:00

I had an awesome Saturday! I got to go participate in the Mock Newbery discussion at the Allen County Public Library. I love this annual chance to talk about all the great books I have been reading. Saturday's discussion was for adults, but they let me participate, which I think is great training for being on the real Newbery Committee (come on ALA). You can read about the results of the Allen County Voting here.
I will be sharing my personal picks soon!

Breadcrumbs

2012-01-09T16:58:00.000-05:00

I had the unusual experience of disusing this book with others when I was only 1/2 done with it. Because this book is written in two parts it is actually possible to talk about it in two parts. I like the book as a whole, but if I had to pick my favorite is part 1. I felt like part one had a combination of reality and fantasy that was really great. Part 2 seemed to be more fantasy and I missed the reality. Hazel's adventures saving Jack were fun to hear about, but it seems like it could never happen. Also, there were some loose ends that were not tied up at the end. I would recommend this book to anyone, and I think that girls and boys could both enjoy it. I don't think it will be this year's Newbery, but I look forward to reading more from Anne Ursu

I Broke My Trunk!

2012-01-05T17:55:00.000-05:00

First, who doesn't LOVE Mo Willems? He is GREAT and he co-hosts the Book Cart Drilll Team contest at ALA with Jon Scieszka which is one of the best things I have ever seen. Early reader picture books don't often win the Newbery, but the award is for books of children 0-14 so, they are in contention. And don't forget that Frog and Toad was an Honor book. I was excited to see this short story on many lists, and I am spending more time with picture books lately because I have two young cousins. One challenge when thinking about this book in terms of character development is that it is part of a series, so most readers know Elephant Gerald and Piggy before they open the book. I like this circle story, it was good fun and kids can connect to many parts of it. I LOVE the illustrations,but there are all the challenges around the Newbery rules about illustrations and how they can be considered. I LOVE that the story continues in the illustrations on the end pages. I am not sure I would fight for this book to win the Newbery (you know they really should let me on the committee), but I do highly recommend it.

Rating: *****

Flesh & Blood So Cheap

2012-01-05T17:34:00.000-05:00

I was looking forward to reading this book because I really like history. My dad is a history teacher, and I sometimes read history text books for fun. I love historical fiction and I really like social justice. You would think this would mean that I would LOVE this book, and the fact that it had made it onto some folks Newbery short list made me even more interested. Despite all of this, I was not a big fan. It took a LONG time to get into, and you didn't get connected to the personal story of the people impacted. I am sure that I learned lots by reading it and I will connect parts of what I learned to other things, but I can't say this is anywhere close to my favorite. I like to read some nonfiction when thinking about the Newbery, but this would not be on my list of contenders this year. If a non fiction book should be considered I would pick Amelia Lost.

Rating: **

The Aviary

2012-01-02T14:53:00.001-05:00

Intriguing is the single best descriptive word for this novel. This spooky mystery set in the turn of the century kept my interest and I could hardly put it down. Clara discovered the mystery of the Glendoveer children when she was "trapped" in her own house, the Glendoveer mansion. Clara met Daphne, and their forbidden friendship was an interesting twist on the friendship theme in many children's books. I think that this book has a fair chance of being the Newbery or an honor book, but I still like The Romeo and Juliet Code, we will all find out the winner soon. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries or historical fiction because this is a little bit of both.

Rating: *****

Where the Red Fern Grows

2011-12-06T18:55:00.000-05:00

This book is one of the best I have ever read. It is also probably the best book with a main character that is a boy that I have read. Billy's story of his adventures with Little Ann and Old Dan was very exciting. I thought that the ending was majorly sad, but I knew it was coming because of the looking back that was in the first chapter.
SPOILER ALERT!!!

My favorite part was when Billy found the dogs tramping in a circle around the tree withe the coon it took to win the golden cup. I also really liked it when Little Ann won the beautiful dog contest

(You can look now) This was a really great book and I am super glad that my class red it!!!!!

The Emerald Atlas

2011-11-22T19:02:00.000-05:00

Kate, Michael and Emma are three of the most interesting book characters I have ever read about, and I have read about lots of characters! This is one of the reasons I couldn't put this book down. Another reason is that their adventures are so interesting and don't seem to repeat anything I have read before. Also, the different settings (especially the different times) give a unique and interesting twist to the plot line. The only thing I dislike about this book is that the other two books in the trilogy weren't released at the time this one was, meaning I REALLY want know what happens!!!!! I think anyone could fall in love with The Emerald Atlas, so you need to go read it right now!!!!!!!!!! I think the uniqueness of this story makes it a Newbery contender, I am not sure if it will seem like the level of literature that the committee will like. What do you think?

An Author Visit!

2011-11-16T18:54:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in my earlier Schooled post, Schooled by Gordon Korman is the "One Book, One School" book for my school this year. This means that everyone (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th graders and teachers) read the book. We also did several things that went with the Schooled theme, whole school learned Tai Chi and Tie-Dyed T-Shirts. Today Gordon Korman came to speak to all the kids in our school. Fifth and Sixth graders had a morning assembly and the Seventh and Eighth graders had one in the afternoon. I really enjoyed listening to him speak. He was full of energy and kept me interested in what he had to say. I was lucky enough to be one of twenty kids who got to be a part of a writers workshop he led. As, you know I LOVE authors and learning from them about writing, today's workshop was lots of fun and I learned a lot about writing an adventure scene. Over all, I really enjoyed Gordon Korman's visit to my school.

I am thinking about my dream list of ideas for next year's One Book One School, especially if it means that the author would come. I bet some of my regular reader know which authors I would MOST like to have come :)

Come and Talk About Great Books!

2011-11-01T07:50:00.000-04:00

Mayfield Picks” Nomination Party

Tues., Nov. 8
630-7:30 PM
Registration begins Oct. 18
At the Zionsville Library!
Grades 1 - 5

Join us as we discuss our nominations for Mayfield Picks and the Mock Newbery award. You will learn how a book qualifies for the 2012 Newbery Award from ZMS student and Newbery Award “Geek”, Laura Rodgers (me). Fellow students, parents, teachers and librarians will have an opportunity to promote their favorite book of 2011 during this fun evening discussing new children’s books. You may even win a free book. (if you would like to nominate a book talk to a librarian)

The Trouble with May Amelia

2011-10-27T13:16:00.000-04:00

Lots of people debate about sequels and the Newbery, because I am a giant fan of A Year Down Yonder, I am pretty open to the idea of a sequel winning. It just needs to stand on its own. I have not yet read, Our Only May Amelia, so i would say this book does stand on its own. May Amelia lives with her father, mother and many older brothers. May's father believes that girls are useful for nothing more than being wives and mothers. May Amelia is having none of it. She is determined to convince her father that girls are just as good as boys. She is a complete feminist!!!!! May struggles to gain her father's respect but eventually it tears the family apart. The story of May and her family is truly inspiring. I recommend this book to every girl, middle school and up.

Rating: *****

Spilling Ink

2011-10-16T14:26:00.000-04:00

In addition to being an avid reader I also love to write. one of my teachers recommended this book to me and I am glad that she did. I loved it!!!!!!!!!! My favorite section was Title Tattle, but I loved every single one of the sections because Anne and Ellen have such great advice. Another one of my favorites was Convincing Your Characters They are Alive, I actually used their advice when working on my character Lilly in the short story I am writing right now, The Whitemen Files. I recommend this book to all kids who are interested in writing because it is amazing.

Rating: *****

Junonia

2011-10-12T17:07:00.000-04:00

Which book will win the Newbery this year? Maybe, the one that is good enough to read in a hospital bed!

This book is really well written. It has loads of similes and metaphors, but not so many that they distract the reader from the story. This story was a great one, so I was doubly glad to not be distracted. Alice wants her tenth birthday to be perfect, and it seems like it could be until things start going terribly wrong. The worst thing is that Aunt Kate is coming, but she is bringing along her boyfriend and 6-year-old Mallory. Alice doesn't want to share Kate (or anyone else, for that matter) with Mallory. Things go terribly wrong with Mallory and Alice's birthday is nothing like what she had imagined, but can it all work out? I recommend this book to EVERYONE, especially 10-year-old girls.

Rating: *****

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette

2011-10-03T17:53:00.000-04:00

I said earlier that I would be reading another Penderwicks book, and here is the review. This book is on a lot of Mock Newbery lists and I think it has earned a spot on mine. I really liked hearing more about this interesting family. When I read that Skye was gonna be the OAP I knew something disastrous was bound to happen. I won't tell you what goes wrong, but it is almost everything. I think it is harder for books that are in the middle of a series to win the Newbery, but a few have. This book mentions things that could be better understood when you have read the first book, but it is possible to figure it out without reading the other two books. The one complaint I have about this book is that Rosalind isn't talked about much and she was my favorite of the sisters in the first book.

Rating: *****

Are You There God? Its Me, Margret.

2011-09-29T13:00:00.000-04:00

This is probably one of the most commonly banned books written for girls my age. It has been on my list for about a year now and finally made it to the top because Mrs. Sanders (the librarian at my school) suggested that I read it in honor of Banned Books Week. I am really glad that I did because it was wonderful. I was going to put my favorite part into the review, but I can't decide. They were all great!!! One of the ways I cøuld tell that that this book had been around for along time is that whenever I told an adult woman that I was reading it she would say that she had read and loved it when she was my age. The reason this book was banned so frequently is blatantly obvious when you read the back: because it deals with puberty and religion. I think that all girls my age should read this book (even though I have always said the best books can be read by girls or boys, I think this one is an exception).

Rating: *****

More Harry Potter Talk

2011-09-28T13:00:00.000-04:00

That Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets all made the FUSE Top 100 all made the FUSE Top 100 is no surprise to me. JK Rowling’s books have been some of the most popular children books in my lifetime and some people say in any time. I was at the “young” end of the original Potter craze; my parents talk about how often the books looked even bigger than me when I read them. Now I have read the series several times over and had the added bonus of listening to them being read by Jim Dale as audio books on family car trips. If you haven't heard these audio books yet, go RIGHT NOW and get them, they are amazing!

The Harry Potter books were banned because they talked about magic. That made them unchristian, so some people decided that people shouldn't be allowed to read them. Because a book talks about something you don't believe in doesn't mean you can take away other people's right to read it. That is just not fair to all of the people in the world who would have loved the Harry Potter series but didn't get to read it because it was banned.

The Dictionary!?!?!?!?!

2011-09-27T13:00:00.000-04:00

How on earth could someone justify banning the dictionary??? The dictionary is such a wonderful resource. When one editon has one or two words you don't think have appropriate definition, you cN't just ban that edition. What are the odds that that definition will even be looked at? If a dictionary has a word you don't approve of, it probably has 171,000 words that you are fine with your kids knowing. Everyone should have access to a resource like The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, which has been banned for it's definition of oral sex. It's a dictionary!!! Do you think it's fair to ban a dictionary?

Banned Books Week

2011-09-26T13:00:00.000-04:00

This week is Banned Books Week and I think that it is important to celebrate children's right to read. I think that kids have a right to read whatever they want to. If a parent doesn't want their child to read a book, they can discuss that with their child. Books written for children should be available to children. Reading is the way children learn many things. Authors have a reason for every word they put into a book and if they don't believe that children or adults will benefit from the words, they will leave them out. If a book is banned from one word that its author used, children will not benefit from any of the words used. Moving books to restricted shelves does the same thing. Not all children will have access to them and they deserve that access. All children should have access to any book they would like to read. I am glad that my parents let me read whatever I want. I feel if I hadn't been able to read challenged books I would not have been able to learn so much and excel in the world of children's literature. I believe that in order to excel in all fields children need to read. The library club at my school is celebrating banned books this week by putting all of the banned books in the library on display because if you tell a kid not to open a cabinet, all they are gonna do is open it. It is like that for books. I don't like to read banned books more than other books, but I love all books and I feel like if I hadn't been allowed to read them I wouldn't have learned so much about children's literature.
In the next week I will be posting new book reviews on banned books I have read and reposting a few of the reviews I have done on banned or challenged books. What is your favorite banned or challenged book?

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

2011-09-23T13:00:00.000-04:00

It is a little unusual to read a story about a kids being raised by their dad, and The Penderwicks was unusual in a very good way! I have had this on my to read list for a long time (I had planned on wearing it when I came back from ALA two years ago, but I obviously came home with lots more books) and finally had to put it on the top of list to read in before reading the new Penderwick book for Mock Newbery 2012 (stay tuned for a review of that). I loved getting into Batty, Jane, Skye and Rosalind's lives, each girl had such a unique personality and you really felt like they were each developed fully as characters. I am SO like Jane! Many people have compared this book to Little Women, and while I love both books, I think this book is different and should not be compared that way. I did love all the adventures and supporting characters, it makes you realize how many people are in the story of our lives!

Rating: *****

War and Watermelon

2011-09-21T13:00:00.000-04:00

You know I love historical fiction, which gave this book a head start for me liking it. The title also helped. I LOVE watermelon, so much so that I won a watermelon eating contest when I was five. This book combined a sports theme with a growing up story and set it all in the middle of giant historic events during a very interesting time in our history. Brody's love of football made it a little hard for me to totally connect, but it might draw boys or sports lovers who don't already love historical fiction aspect of the story. I did like has watermelon tied the story together.

Rating:
***

Two Minute Drill

2011-09-19T13:00:00.000-04:00

I'm not really one to read sports books at all, let alone football books, but I have read two this week. They are the only two football books I have every read, but it is a start. Two Minute Drill is a 2012 Young Hoosier Book Award nominee, which is how it made it on to my "to read list". Being a non sports obsessed 11-year-old girl I didn't understand a lot of the talk about the plays and other parts of the technical football stuff. I did, however, like the story because it is sort of related to reading. Jim and Chris's unlikely friendship and the experience of dealing with a learning disability make this book a enjoyable read. It is short and easy to read, like lots of books aimed at boys, and girls will like it.

Rating:
****

The Horn Book Magazine

2011-09-14T21:08:00.000-04:00

When I received the July/August issue of the Horn Book from 2011 Newbery committee member Sam B., I was really excited. I have always wanted to read an issue of this magazine, but this is pretty much the perfect one for me because it is all about book awards, something you all know I am crazy about. Probably the most exciting part of reading it was seeing my own name mentioned in Rita Williams-Garcia's acceptance speech. You might remember that Rita won my Mock Newbery last year, but in the real world she got a Newbery Honor and won the Coretta Scott King Award. Sam and I agree that the woman who wrote "Confessions of an Awards Committee Addict" is totally and completely me in 20 years. One of my other favorites was "What Makes a Good Newbery Novel?". I think that the aurora answer to that question is pretty much as good as it gets. I would add humanity as one of the top aspects, though, because one of the things that sets Newberys apart is the fact that they all have that tie to the main character's humanity. But what else do you think makes a Newbery a Newbery?

I really enjoyed reading this magazine, so thanks again Sam B.!!!

Small Acts of Amazing Courage

2011-09-12T13:00:00.001-04:00

I think that this book has a perfect title. India is fighting for it's freedom with lots of small acts of amazing courage, and so is Rosy's Aunt Louise. Rosalind gets into so much trouble along the way, but she was determined to help with her own small acts of amazing courage. My favorite small act of courage in this book was when Rosalind bought Nadi, but I also really liked when Aunt Louise got her own checkbook and started to think about what she really wanted for her life and how she would get there. The two characters I didn't like were Aunt Ethyl (she was so mean to Aunt Louise, like England was being to India) and Rosalind's mother. The reason I didn't like her was that she had absolutely no courage. She could have at least let Rosy stay in England after she had arrived, even if she wasn't courageous enough to send her there without Rosalind's father forcing her to. If so many people around you are showing so much courage, can't you show a little too? I really, really liked this book, and I recommend it to everyone. It is perfect way for each of us to think about the way we can act with amazing courage in our own lives.

Adventures In Cartooning

2011-09-08T09:22:00.000-04:00

This comic book is probably my favorite graphic novel, Although I really liked Countdown, too. I know you could argue that Countdown is not a graphic novel, but what is it?
In this case I loved the story about the story approach. How does a cartoon about cartooning make sense? I don't know, but these authors (who are really more illustrators) made it work. My favorite panel was the very last one, after the cartooning tricks and draw-your-own cartoon, when the dragon tells about his not-so-happy happily ever after. Reading this book inspired me to draw my own cartoon, but I didn't know what to make it about so it was remarkably similar to the one in the book. I think everyone should read this great book and maybe even draw a cartoon of your own!

Water Balloon

2011-09-06T13:55:00.000-04:00

Marley's life is turned completely upside down over the summer. Nothing seems to be going her way. Her friends are not her friends any more (unfriends), she is living with her dad, not in a place she is willing to call home. Her grandma is sick and her mom is traveling and nothing is the way it used to be and she falls in love for the first time. All of this makes for an interesting and engaging story, a perfect summer read, and I sqeezed it in right before Labor Day! Even though this was a good book, nothing took it to the next level for me. I'm glad I read it and would be happy to read more by Audrey Vernick , but I don't think this book is not going to win an award.
Rating:
****

Mudshark

2011-08-29T13:00:00.001-04:00

This is another really fun book from one great author. Gary Paulsen is one of my brother's favorite authors, and guys really like his books. That doesn't mean he is only for boys and I have really liked many of his books. Although I never let a book being for boys stop me from reading it, this is definitely one that Matthew will like way more than me. The two reasons I picked this up are that it is short and it is on this year's YHBA list, and I am trying to read all of those books by April. Mudshark's life is kind of interesting, but it didn't really thrill me. I do wish I had his memory, though!!!!! I wonder what the guys over at http://www.guysread.com/, think about this book?

Rating: ***

11 Birthdays

2011-08-26T13:00:00.000-04:00

Even though the events in this book seem totally impossible, the way the author writes makes it seem like everything that Amanda and Leo go through might just happen to you and me tomorrow. I found this storyline really interesting, and I don't think I would mind if it did (as long as we still remember how to get out of it:):):):) ). What the fight over is the same thing lots of middle schoolers fight over, and silence is the way arguments usually end, which I know from watching my friends. The really excitment is part of the title. But it took me a while to figure out how the title related in the 2nd way, so I won't say anymore.

My favorite of Amanda and Leo's birthdays was their last one, but I really liked #4 or 5 (I can't remenber which, but the one where they have the huge breakfast. If you read the book, which was your favorite? If you didn't, get it and read it NOW!

Rating: *****

Faith, Hope, and Ivy June

2011-08-24T13:00:00.000-04:00

This book is really complicated because it is about Ivy Junė and Catherine finding out how even though they live in completely different ways, they are the same in some ways. The7th grade exchange program between their schools really showed Catherine that not everyone is rich in the same way she is. She learned that people can be rich in traditions and in love. Ivy June realized that although she wanted her family to change and look better to Catherine, her family was content with their old ways. She learned that she wasn't and became determined to do more with her life. Ivy June and Catherine both grew during this book and they stuck together when hard times hit their families simultaneously. I think middle schoolers will really like this book because it lets you see the lives of other characters and lets you think about what you THINK anthers persons life it like. I wonder how different most of our classmates live are from how we THINK they are. If our school had a exchange program like this, I would totally apply.

Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream

2011-08-22T13:00:00.001-04:00

Clara Lee is a fairly basic little girl character with a fairly basic story: big dream, but she has to do something she doesn't like to have her dream come true, she does it, happily ever after, the end. This book did talk about culture and being an American, plus the relationship with the Grandpa was sweet, but neither of these things were dealt with in a powerful, new of amazingly interesting way. I liked this book, but it didn't wow me. It was just a book I read to pass time, not life changing. I am absolutely positive this book has no chance of winning the Newbery.

exley

2011-08-19T13:00:00.001-04:00

When I started reading this book last summer, it really confused me. After a few chapters, I put it down and told myself I would come back to it sometime soon. Last week I got around to reading it again. I started over and read for an hour, and after that things started to make sense. Another half hour and I was really into the book. After reading about M and his dad and their obsession with Exley's A Fans Notes, I really want to read the book. Although I am pretty sure that the book is really inappropriate, from what M's mom had to say about it. Has anyone read the book? If so, do you think I should? I think that Exley would be a great book for any kid or adult ages 12+. I wonder if the experience of reading it is different if you have read A Fans Notes first...

Bless This Mouse

2011-08-17T13:00:00.001-04:00

Lowis Lowry, 2 time Newbery winner, is an author who you always have to check on. This year's new book by her is very different from her past winners, Giver and Number the Starts, but worth reading. I read this book in just a few hours, but all of them were on airplanes. We had to switch planes in Philadelphia on our way from DC to Minneapolis, and one of the flight attendants on the 1st plane told me that I had to finish the book before I got off the plane. He was joking, but, coincidentally, I did finish it before we reached our destination for the day. I think this is the sweetest chapter book I've ever read. It was written in a way and about a topic that would suggest that it was a children's book (and could someone please explain to me why SO many children's books are mouse stories), but the length was that of a chapter book. It was a nice break to read a cute, sweet mouse story instead of sad and tragic stories like I have read recently. I don't think this will bring Ms Lowry a third Newbery winner, but it is worth reading and interesting to see how one author can write so many different kinds of books.

Rating:

****

Schooled

2011-08-15T13:00:00.001-04:00

Today is my 1st day of school, I am starting 6th grade at Zionsville Middle School West in Zionsville Indiana!!! When my brother and I went for registration last week, we were each given a copy of this book. Unfortunately, the teacher who gave us our schedules forgot to give us our books, so she sent another student to give them to us and we didn't know why we were getting them. It turns out every student in both of the middle schools in our district are reading the book. We did this last year with 3 Cups of Tea (before the whole controversy about if the author was truthful or not. Even without knowing that this was our one book one school book for the year I still read it in a day. I absolutely loved this book!!!!! The whole hippie plot kind of threw me off at first, but it all worked and I enjoyed it quite a lot. Our school has Student Council instead of 8th grade president, so we don't have to worry about the Zach of our school doing that to someone, but if we did I am pretty sure that would happen after everyone reads the book. I think that any middle-schooler would love this book, but high-schoolers and adults would like it too

Rating: *****

Hound Dog True

2011-07-29T16:48:00.000-04:00

Wow. This is a really interesting book. Custodial wisdom? Custodial apprentice? She really thinks she can do all the custodial things perfectly? Hound dog true?What does that even mean? By the time I read the first twenty pages I had all of these questions and many more. The plot was fairly basic: shy schoolgirl avoiding making friends, making a plan to do just that, the plan fails, she ends up making friends and it isn't so bad. But this book has a bit of a twist and I highly recommend it.

Rating: *****

What Momma Left Me

2011-07-20T15:23:00.001-04:00

What Momma Left Me is a really sad book. REALLY sad. I liked it a lot, but it was way too sad for me. The characters were well developed but I just can't get past how sad they were and how sad they made me feel. It took me a few weeks to read this book because I couldn't sit down and read it for a long time because it made me want to cry. If you can't handle sad stories, I recommend not reading this book. Otherwise, read it. What Momma Left Me is written very well and it has a great plot. Everything else about this book is wonderful, but I recommend it for older kids and adults because it is so sad. :`-(

Rating: ****

The Lemonade Crime

2011-07-20T14:54:00.001-04:00

My favorite part of this book was the last chapter, but I won't tell you about it because it is the end. I really liked the twins in this book. Jessie reminds me of myself in some ways. She really knows a lot about law, and when I go to college I want to study law because it seems interesting. The way Jessie sets up the court is really accurate and interesting. It would be nice if there were kids courts, but those courts would have to have some more order and a truth detector. Jessie and Evan's court was well planned but everything fell apart when it started. Maybe a grownup to keep things orderly is in order? Over all, I really like this book and I think that lots of kids grades 2-6 would enjoy it.

Rating: *****

Angel in my Pocket

2011-07-15T20:33:00.001-04:00

I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but when I picked up this book, I thought it would be all sweet and wonderful because the cover was all pretty and nice. I was looking forward to it as a break from books with sad pieces and couldn't wait to read it. When I finished the book, I realized that it hadn't given me the break I had expected, but I thought it was wonderful and it was comparatively sweet. My favorite part of this book was the way the stories followed the coin and we heard about the previous and future owners of the coin through the current owner's story. Everything seemed to come together at the end, whereas the other books like this that I have read haven't. I thought this was a really nice book and I loved the way all of the stories intertwined. I think anyone who reads this book will enjoy it.

Rating: *****

Another Interruption, Update on my Trip to the White House

2011-07-08T15:54:00.000-04:00

I wanted to share a little about my BIG day yesterday, I mean, how often does a girl get to go to the White House? It was very exciting and interesting. I went with my mom, Rylin Rodgers (she works for lots of places; FV Indiana and the Riley Child Development Center) and with Margaret Comeau (Catalyst Center), Brooke Lehmann (National Family Voices Policy Director) and Diane Malley (The Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN) of New Jersey)and her family including her daughter, Carissa Schlichting, who is going to be a Freshman in High School. For the first BIG meeting we meet with by Kareem Dale (special assistant to the President on disability issues), Jon Carson (director of the office of public engagement) and Nancy Anne DeParle (deputy chief of staff to the President), along with members of Kareem's staff. They asked each of the adults to share why Medicaid is important to families who have children with special health care needs. The thing about Medicaid is that it is COMPLICATED, there are lots of different types and states have different rules. The other families live in states where kids with serious health conditions have Medicaid coverage when they are born, in Indiana where I live there is a waiting list and I have only had Medicaid for a few years. This is was important because my mom could talk about what it happens to kids who don’t have access to Medicaid and why even really good health insurance is not enough to take care of kids like my brother and I. I got to talk about how Medicaid helps me and kids like me, I also got to talk a little bit about what would happen if I didn’t have Medicaid (very scary) and what did happen when I didn’t (very, very scary).

Kareem and Jon (do you think I can call them that?) talked about what was happening with the debt ceiling and how many people including those in Congress don’t know what cuts to Medicaid will mean to families. My family has told our story to our Representative and Senators and has asked everyone who knows us to call too; I want to make sure that the elected officials make decisions know about the kids and families this matters most to. I really don’t think it should matter if the officials are Republican (like my Dad), Democrat (like my Mom) or Independent, they need to know that disabilities and special health care needs can happen to any family and that families like mine are important parts of our county.

I think it is excellent the President Obama is asking real people like my family to talk about this issue, and I wanted to THANK him for working on this for me (and so many other kids).

I got to go to a 2nd meeting with Brooke, Margaret and my Mom to speak with Vice President Biden's staff about Medicaid. That was great too, and I just have to say the crown molding and ceiling in his offices were really cool. Getting to go into his office was pretty much the highlight of my day, maybe someday I will get to see the Oval Office!

I was excited to get to go to these meetings, I learned a lot and it was great to try to help other families. I am worried about what could happen to me and other kids like me if Medicaid is cut. You might know from reading my blog that I have BIG dreams and goals and that I need a little help to reach them (wheelchair, medicine and TONS of doctors). I hope you will call your Representative and Senators and tell them why Medicaid matter to your friend Laura and other kids like her.

THANKS!!!!

P.S. Back to books, I promise! I have 5 I need to post about from the past couple of weeks!

The Floating Islands

2011-07-04T12:59:00.000-04:00

When I was reading this book I was surprised to find that the setting was in a place where girls were useful for cooking and cleaning, but nothing else. I was even more surprised to find that one of the main characters was a girl who dressed up as a boy and wished to be treated like one. My mom called this book The Feminist Book while I was reading it, starting when I told her that. I loved the whole world that this book is set in. I found it interesting how gender and race made such a big difference in how their society worked. This book would be so different if the story was set in modern day in the US. Arei wouldn't ever exist, Araene would always be a girl. Or, would she? Is our society so much different? I found this book really interesting to think about, and I recommend it to everyone.

Rating:*****

Bluefish

2011-07-02T19:36:00.000-04:00

I really liked this book. At the beginning it seemed like it would turn out to be boring. It was your typical dead dog, dead parents, drunk gardian tear jerker set up, but Bluefish wasn't anything like I anticipated. It turned out to be a lovely and interesting story. Travis and Velveeta alternate telling their stories, which often intertwine. I thought that this setup worked well with the messages that this book sends. This is a really simple yet complicated book that everyone would enjoy.

Rating: *****

I Interrupt This Blog to Talk About Why Medicaid Matters

2011-06-30T14:21:00.003-04:00

I usually blog about books and things related to books. But, because some of you have sort of gotten to know me and care about what happens to my life, I decided to interrupt my blog and write about something really important going on in my life right now. Next Thursday, July 7th, I am going to the White House. My mom is meeting with the administration officials to talk about Medicaid and why it matters to us and our family. You might be surprised how much it matter to me. My parents have health insurance for our family from their jobs but it is not enough to cover the cost and needs that come with Mitochondrial Disease Without Medicaid I wouldn't have this blog because I wouldn't have a computer or books of my own. My family would have declared bankruptcy years ago. I wouldn't have my scooter to get around, I would have a cheap manual wheelchair, so I wouldn't be independent. My parents wouldn't be able to work as much or volunteer because we would lose access to the health aide that takes care of Matthew and me when my parents can't because we can't stay home alone with our medical issues like our peers do. My dad would have never gotten his government positions because we would need him to push wheel chairs so Matthew and I could do something. My life would be completely different. I can't believe some policy makers thought that they could do away with Medicaid Waivers and it would all be okay. All the different kinds of Medicaid that exist, exist for a reason. Doing away with any of them would significantly impact lives. And it is better for everyone that Medicaid exists because without my Medicaid Waiver, my parents wouldn't be able to do as much as they do for the community.
So, I am going with my mom, because this matters to me and kids like me. You can help too! Please call and email both of your Senators and your Representative; let them know how important Medicaid is, you can tell them how it matters to your friend Laura!

Missing ALA

2011-06-27T17:25:00.002-04:00

This is the time of the year when I am most envious of you lucky ducks who are members of the American Library Association. You are mostly all at ALA this week. Because I got to go last year I know how exciting and fun it can be. I had the best or second best week of my life last year at ALA (I can't decide if it beat my 6th birthday when I spent at week at Disney World and had lunch with Cinderella on my birthday. They were both amazing.). There is the one thing that is better about being at home: I slept until 11:00 this morning, and I'm not exaggerating at all. The reason I am thinking about this right now is that I did my 10 page 4-H scrapbook this afternoon alone and it was on my amazing experience at ALA last year. My favorite page title is Ace of Libraries (about the cake Charm City Cakes made last year) and my favorite picture is one of just me at the Newbery/Caldecott Gala. So my request to all of you lucky ducks that are at ALA right now is to post a comment about your favorite part and the things you are doing / did so that I can hear about ALA Annual 2011 while I remember ALA Annual 2010.

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

2011-06-24T13:00:00.003-04:00

My dad recommended this book to me and we listened to it in the car on our way to and from school the last couple of weeks. Dad is usually great at recommending books (he recommended I Know Why the Cadged Bird Sings), but they are all historical books because that is mostly what he reads. This book is the life story Frances Nolan, starting before her birth and ending when she is a teen. I would describe her life as complicated. It was filled with hardships: a constantly "sick" father, little food, little money, dropping out of school to work, not getting to go to high school, and other complications. Francie read a lot and read to escape from bad things and I can identify with that. One of the reasons my dad wanted me to read this book was that it talks about history: how immigrants were treated, the working class and other things in an interesting way. Another is that it is a classic growing up story. I think that everyone should read this book. Age, gender, reading level don't matter, just read it!!!

Rating: *****

Small Persons With Wings

2011-06-23T19:20:00.002-04:00

This was a really short and sweet book that I loved. It seemed like a little kid's book when I picked it up, and the theme was, but the words used were more advanced and the book was too long for a child's attention span. I thought this book was great because it was light and cheerful and made me smile. It even made me laugh out loud, more than once. And I don't really laugh while reading. I laugh maybe once a month while reading a book and that is saying a lot because the majority of that month, except when I'm asleep, is spent reading. I think this is a book that is wonderful for making readers smile and would be great for a reluctant reader. Even though this book has a little-kid theme I recommend if for those who need a smile ages 8-888.

Rating: :):):):):)
5/5 smiley faces:)

Camps, Camps and More Camps

2011-06-20T14:27:00.000-04:00

It seems like it has been years since I have posted. I got out of school on Friday, June 3rd. My classmates got out the Tuesday after, but many left early like I did because they had vacations planned before the snow days were added. Saturday the 4th I left for MDA camp at Bradford Woods, in southern Indiana. Matthew (my brother) went too. I had a wonderful time. Matthew's 14th birthday was the 7th, and although he didn't get to see his parents on his birthday he had a great time and some of the campers and counselors sent him birthday cards and a few presents they bought with fake money that they won on casino night. We got home on the 10th in the afternoon. Mom actually left for Virginia to attend two weddings that morning, so we didn't get to see her until she returned on the 14th. Starting on the 13th I was in knitting camp (during the day) at the Village Yarn Shop in Zionsville (where I go to school). It was lots of fun and a made a really cute purse using Fare Isle knitting. We also made a headband out of stretching yarn and a quilt square and died yarn w/ cool aid an's made a ball of miss-matched yarn by tying ends together as well as taking a feild trip to a local alpaca farm. Mom left for DC again yesterday. She'll be back Tuesday. This week, as my parents and I decided yesterday, I am going to theater camp at the old milk building (where I got my piano) to preform Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It is fun, but the version we are doing is written for 40-80 people to preform, preferably on the upper end. There are only 18 kids signed up for theater camp. I am Baby's Breath (the flower) but play the role of Gladiolas, Roses, Impatiens, Shrinking Violet and Pansies, as well as Baby's Breath. Kind of crazy, but we are short 62 actors and actresses. I don't have a camp next week, yet. I did only scedual this one yesterday. But I hope to get back into the habit of blogging as soon as I can find time to read more books.

The Romeo and Juliet Code

2011-06-01T13:00:00.001-04:00

Wow. That is what I have to say about this book. This is a great historical fiction book set in WWII that I think anyone would love. This is a mystery book of sorts, so if you plan on reading this book later on or you are reading it now, stop reading this post because I will most likely give something away that you don't want to know, plus the family roles will confuse you if you haven't read the book yet. Felicity and Derek are so adventurous and are determined to crack the code in which Felicity's mother and "father" are sending her "uncle" letters from Portugal/France. Felicity has moved from London to America and her "parents" have left her with relatives, supposedly going back to London to continue working. Her "uncle" is keeping secrets from Felicity and is trying to protect her, but things aren't going well in that department. Felicity and Derek finally figure out that Felicity's parents are working in France as British Intelligence Agents. Felicity's "uncle" finally stops hearing from her "parents" and Felicity is told the truth she already knows from her "uncle" as well as who her parents really are (her uncle has been acting like her father and her actual father is the brother of the man who she thought was her father and was acting as her uncle; her mother was the only one that stayed in the same role, although she was married to Felicity's father and Felicity's "father" at different times). This book was all very complicated but really outstandingly great. I think that this book could easily win the Newbery.

Rating: *****

Liar, Liar: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Deception

2011-05-30T13:00:00.000-04:00

Gary Paulsen has a reputation of being an author for boys. In fact, my brother is a big fan of Lawn Boy (even though he really doesn't like to read). But, I do not like being told what is a boy book and what is a girl book, I am a feminist, as you probably guessed already. The thing about Liar, Liar is that it is FUNNY, laugh out loud funny. It is also a short, fast book to read (I plowed through it in under 2 hours), which makes it a great summer reading book. Matthew (my brother, who is 13) is anxious to read this book because he heard me laughing last night when I was reading it (I will let him borrow it, after he returns the 3 other books of mine he is reading right now). Kevin has common problems for middle school boys, but he has lots of them: a first crush, family problems, arrogance, lying (hence the title Liar, Liar), friendship troubles and many more. His solution to these is automatically lying, but he finds that that is not the best strategy and has to work out how to apologize for his lies and make things right by telling the truth, something he doesn't know how to do. This is a really good book for reluctant boy readers, but anyone could get a laugh out of it and have a good time reading it.

Rating: *****

Amelia Lost

2011-05-29T20:13:00.000-04:00

This was the first nonfiction book I have read in a while, and I really enjoyed it. Although most Newbery books are fiction, I try to read nonfiction books because they are eligible for the award as well. I found the Navigating History section (basically preface) particularly interesting. The author of this book had to dig the truth about Amelia's life out from under tons of lies that she told about her past that couldn't possibly have been true. It was interesting thinking about the ways celebrities were thought about then and now and what it was deemed acceptable to know about a famous person's life. And I found it cool that no one looked up facts about things that celebrities told them to see if they were true because they didn't have a way to do it. It would be so much easier to have been famous then than it is now because people trusted you. One of my other favorite parts of this book was that there is a section about the week of her disappearance that is a page or two or three long and then a longer section about her life in chronological order, starting with her as an infant and toddler and ending at the point in time when the short disappearance sections began. I felt this was a great way to set up the book and looked forward to the short sections that broke up the facts. There wasn't a single thing that I disliked about this book and I think that lots of people would enjoy reading it.

Rating: *****

Another Book Road Trip

2011-05-21T20:37:00.000-04:00

Sorry it took so long to post this (Blogger crashed), but Friday, May 6, I left school early and Mom (she is so amazing to do this for me!) drove me to Blue Marble Children's Bookstore in Fort Thomas, Kentuky. The book store was AWESOME!!! Kathyrn Erskine was doing a book signing in an upstair's room (it was decorated like the board book Good Night Moon, see photos that are soooo AMAZING) and she had invited me to come and see her as well as stay for a dinner afterwards. The day before she had been in Indiana, but it was hard to get to because of traffic and it was my mom's birthday, so we decided to come Friday instead. Downstairs were all of the books (cool!) and I had a great time picking some that I had been looking for for a while (including Quaking) and buying them. Then we went up and I had a copy of Mockingbird signed for my school library club (I already have one signed to me). The conversations at dinner were about writing and school. I learned a lot about writing. It was kind of like going to a writing class because there was talk about going to them and what the message was in lots of different classes. I had a wonderful time and came home with more books to try and jam on my shelf.(Mom, if you read this, it DOES NOT mean that I need to get rid of my books. It means I need another bookshelf, but I already have too many in my room and other furniture items that have turned into bookshelves.) All in all, I had a magnificant time.

The Absolute Value of Mike

2011-05-11T13:00:00.001-04:00

I LOVED this ARC! The only thing I didn't like was the fact that every single character in the story, excluding no one, was dealing with the death of a loved one. It made the story sad and I don't usually like sad books. I actually got to talk to the author again when I was in the middle of the book (see my last post) and someone else pointed out this, but she said she didn't purposly do it, but looking back everyone did have a loved one die. I really liked how each chapter was titled (a math term and the definition) and how the cover was designed (256 pages + (y) + x squared = a novel). I enjoyed how Mike's dad was a engineer and math genius and wanted Mike to be to, but Mike did not want to. Mike was a different kind of engineer, and, as he figured out at the end of the book, he was alot better at engineering life instead of mathimatics. I found this story nice and enjoyed it thouroughly. Thank you, Kathy, for sending me the ARC!

Rating: *****

Small as an Elephant

2011-05-07T15:50:00.000-04:00

Another amazing Mock Newbery! How am I ever going to decide? Anyway, I loved this book. Even though Jack was the age of the kids Newberys are written for, I felt that this book was written for kids who are at least 12 (still eligible for the Newbery, I know) and might do better as a YA winner. I thought Jack's story was sad, but I felt like lots of kids who are going through similar things (not necessarily that a parent abandoned them, but that a parent is mentally ill) could really understand Jack and benifit from this story because they don't see their family represented in books very often. I really enjoyed reading this book and I think that everyone would, no matter what age + gender.

Rating: *****

Tuck Everlasting

2011-04-20T13:00:00.002-04:00

When I read this book I was amazed by the concept of immortality. At first I thought that the Tucks had the perfect life and envied them, but I, with Winnie, realized that their lives had a few drawbacks. No friends, no family, no real life, now growing, no changing, not very many of the things that we enjoy in life. Although they will live forever, they will never really live again. I found that Winnie had a huge adventure even though she only traveled about 20 miles. I feel as though any day with the Tucks would be an adventure, but Winnie's was the best. And to think that it only took a day, and then the bit at the end in the future.

Rating: *****

Messenger

2011-04-18T13:00:00.000-04:00

This book is a GREAT companian to The Giver and Gathering Blue. Throughout the whole book the first two books were tied up and I felt like the loose ends of the first books were tied up perfectly. I liked how Gabrial and Jonas/Leader were both mentioned in this book, I felt it brought in the fact that this book was a companion to The Giver, but I thought that because Kira and Matt (now Matty) were such main parts of the book and their names hadn't changed like Jonas's had that this book went better with Gathering Blue than The Giver. Also, until the very end of Gathering Blue, you don't get a possible reference at all to The Giver. I really liked these books and their plots individually, and the 3rd book did tie up loose ends from the 1st 2 books, but I think that The Giver really stands alone and Gathering Blue and Messenger are companian books. What do you think?

Rating: ****

Favorite Author Friday, Katy Kelly

2011-04-15T13:00:00.001-04:00

One of the super cool parts about having this blog is sometimes, authors read my reviews and contact me. Katy Kelly, the super funny author of great books including the Melon Head and Lucy Rose series did just that! And she was nice enough to answer questions for Favorite Author Friday. I hope that her next book tour will come close to me so, I can meet her, in the mean time I will enjoy her great books!
Why do you write for kids?

I love writing for kids. Mostly I like making them laugh. I also like it when kids tell me that one of my books helped them. I did not write the Lucy Rose books as a divorce guide but but loads of kids going through a separation tell me those books were comforting. I like knowing that.

You are known for writing funny books, have your ever tried to write a super serious book? How did that turn out?

Before I wrote my first published book, Lucy Rose: Here's the Thing About Me, I wrote a mystery for adults. I didn't know it at the time but what I was really doing was teaching myself to write a book. It is now in a rarely-opened drawer in my office. I'm grateful it's there and not in libraries. I would not want to be tied to writing mysteries.

Is it hard to write sequels or more books about the same characters without repeating yourself?

The hard part about writing sequels is remembering what you've written in previous books. I'm always having to go back and see if Melonhead is 9 or 10 years old and what grade Lucy Rose's dad teaches. It's tricky but interesting to figure out how to stuff all the facts in the sequel books. You have to introduce everybody quickly so you won't bore the people who read the original while also being thorough so a reader who starts mid-series isn't confused.

Is it hard to be funny? Are you as funny in real life as you are in your writing?

I think is one of the great compliment when people tell me I'm funny. When I write I tweak the humor as I edit and revise.

What kinds of jobs did you have before you “made it” as a writer?

The oddest job I ever had was being a detective for Lord and Taylor's department store. I was 17. They hired my friend, Julia, because in those days that particular Lord and Taylors had cabinets that hung down from the ceiling and Julia and I were too short to reach the upper shelves. They called us the knee-high spies. Even though our boss taught us many ways to spot shoplifters, we never caught anybody. Probably because we could not believe that people, much less adult people, would steal. After a while our boss said the store didn't need us anymore. It took me years to figure out that we'd been gently fired.

What is your current favorite book (can be a kid or adult book) and what was your favorite as a kid?

Such a hard question! I love P.G. Wodehouse's Bertie and Jeeves series. Lately, I've been reading the Adrian Mole series. Sue Townsend is brilliant at mixing the hilarious with the sad. And I have a long list of children's authors I love.

Do you have a favorite Newbery winner?

Katherine Patterson. She's extraordinary.

When and where do you write?

I don't write as often or as long as I should. I used to work in my office, which is pink and green, full of eccentric things and decorated with picture book art. But when I got a laptop I started working in the Politics & Prose bookstore cafe. A lot of writers work there and they have great sandwiches.

What are you working on now or having coming out soon we can look forward to?

I'm currently working on the 4th Melonhead book. It is due at the end of May so I forcing myself to stop procrastinating. The third MH, Melonhead and the Undercover Operation, comes out next September.

Have you ever gotten rejection letters?

I have gotten one rejection from an agent. The other four agents I submitted work to (in 1991) haven't gotten back to me yet. Now I'm grateful. I like speaking directly with my publisher.

Do you feel like a famous author? Has anything fun ever happened because you are famous?

Every so often kids spot me and introduce themselves and occasionally booksellers, librarians and other writers recognize me. That is my idea of perfect fame.

How many bookcases do you have?

We have lots of 5 bookcases, each of which covers a whole wall. In the paperless future I'll just call them shelves. Maybe I'll start a Pez dispenser collection.

Do you have any book tours coming up that will bring you to Indiana?

I won't know where I'm going on tour until August. But I'd love to go to Indiana. When I was a kid our family drove to Evansville from Washington, DC every few years, in a car without a radio. My youngest sister, Nell, was carsick most of the way. But when we got there we would stay in the convent attached to St Mary's Hospital, with my great aunts who were the kind of nuns who wore the Flying Nun habits. My brother and sisters and I loved going because 1. We could pick anything we wanted at the hospital cafeteria, which we thought was living large. 2. People send nuns an amazing amount of candy. They had an open box policy. 3. They had overly-waxed linoleum floors that were great for sock-sliding.

Okay For Now

2011-04-10T18:23:00.000-04:00

I really really liked this book as my 2nd Mock Newbery of the year. I read it on my Bluefire Reader app on my iPad2 (one of the best things about it is that it is compatible to all eBooks) as an ARC that I got via NetGalley (so convenient that the have e versions!). I really like how Doug liked Audubon and how he kind of changed Doug's life. Doug started out as a chump that didn't make me want to like him very much, but his experiences moving to and living in Marysville changed him and made him a better and more likable person. I fell in love with the story and spent hours thinking about it while at school and other places (I couldn't take it with me everywhere in case my iPad got stolen). I recommend this book to EVERYONE, but don't get discouraged if you don't like the beginning.

Rating: *****

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

2011-04-06T13:00:00.001-04:00

I almost always read books before watching movies based on the book. And I almost always like the book better than the movie. A few weeks ago my family and I watched the newish Alice and Wonderland movie (the one with Johny Depp) . When we were talking about the movie after it was over, it came up that I had not yet read the book and in fact I had seen two movies based on the Alice story without having read the book! Well now I have read the book and it turns out, I like the book better than the movies. The word play was so much more fun in the book than what you can hear in a movie. You can't hear the way words like weather and whether are spelled and sometimes they can be confused. I loves the puns and really wacky characters. I really liked singing along to the Mock Turtle song because I listened to this book as an audiobook on a family day trip to Cincinatti. Great fun!

Rating: *****

The Amber Spyglass

2011-04-02T13:00:00.001-04:00

Sometimes I put off finishing a book or a series because I don't want the world or story to end. Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is defiantly a world you want to be able to revisit again and again, it is wonderfully complicated, scary and even a little romantic. I wanted to know what would happen next to the characters. I found it hard not to finish the book right away. I didn't like the ending as much because I felt like there should be more to the story. Did Lyra and Will find a way to travel between worlds like the angles? Did they stay together? Did they marry? But, over all, I found the final book in this fantastic trilogy satisfying.

Rating: ****

Also, this is my first post from my iPad 2!!!!!

Inside Out and Back Again

2011-03-30T18:45:00.003-04:00

This is first book I read on my iPad 2. I really liked how this book was written as poetry. I found that this form of writing was just right for the story that was being told. This book took place in 1975 and 1976 in Saigon, at sea, in Guam and in Alabama. I thought that the way some Vietnamese words were used was a little confusing (some of them I had to look up, disrupting the flow of the poems), but most of the time I could get by without knowing their meanings and still get the concept of the story and enjoy it. Over all I really liked the experience of reading this book and I think Ha's story was a good one. I found the Author's Note interesting and the fact that most of these things really happened amazed me. This book is really good and I liked it lots, but I don't know if it is quite good enough to be a Newbery. We will have to wait and see. And, as an added bonus, I was reading it all on my new iPad 2!!!!!

Rating: *****

One of the Best Birthday Presents EVER!!!

2011-03-28T13:28:00.000-04:00

My iPad 2 came today!!!!! It worked out well that it arrived today because my birthday was spread out over a few days. Now I have plenty of time to figure out how it works because I am on Spring Break this week. It was supposed to come last week, but it was made and shipped from Japan and things haven't gone well there this month. On Friday, my birthday, it was in Alaska and I found it fun to track where it was as it made its journey here. My favorite place it stopped was Hong Kong.
The best part is that it has my real name and lauramitolife (my screen name for pretty much everything). How exciting!
Thanks again to my parents and grandparents for getting me such a GREAT present! I am so excited.
For those who have iPads and other EReaders: What is your favorite book to read on it? Are there any cool apps you recommend?

The Subtle Knife

2011-03-09T13:00:00.002-05:00

While reading this book, I was really confused about the title. In the second book of the His Dark Materials trilogy Will's subtle knife wasn't introduced for a long time and although I like the story I think that the title of this book could have been better. It kind of distracted from the story that during the beginning I was always wondering how a knife would play into the story. I also didn't think that the characters were really well developed. Mary Malone just walked through the tent in the middle of the story and that was it. We didn't know much about her and then she just walked away and that was it. And what happened to the other characters? I guess I will have to wait for the last book to get those questions answered. Other than those things, I thought that this was a great story and Lyra has really intrigued me to want to read more. The first two books in this trilogy had really suspenseful endings. It was as though the story stopped mid scene and I was left hanging, so I can't wait to get the next book!

Rating: *****

The Golden Compass

2011-03-07T13:00:00.002-05:00

This is book one of the fantastic His Dark Materials trilogy, I am just finishing now and it is wonderful. Philip Puleman's series is in the fantasy genre, but it has perks that might belong in science fiction if there were not talking bears and daemons in the story. I liked how he created a world so different from the one we live in and yet so similar. And I found the end of the book really intriguing, making me want to read on and learn what happens to Lyra. I think that this trilogy would be great for lovers of science fiction and anyone who wants to escape into a different world.
Stay tuned for my reviews of the rest of the trilogy.

Rating: *****

Mock Newbery 2012: Starting Soon

2011-03-06T14:39:00.002-05:00

So, I get an iPad 2 for my 11th birthday (on March 25) from my parents and grandparents. As soon as I learn how to download books I am going to start reading Mock Newberys on it. I have had a hard time getting the new books this year because none of them are at any of the libraries I go to (the one advantage of not having library service is you get to buy cards to lots of different libraries). This means I now need book suggestions. If you have heard of any new books that might be considered, please let me know. And I especially need suggestions for good books that are available on EReaders. I look forward to hearing the books you recommend!

Pippi Longstocking

2011-03-04T13:00:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I read this book and I remember above all how much I loved it. I especially liked Pipi's spunky personality and determination. I enjoyed how strong Pipi was and even though the book was written in 1945 it definently felt like Pipi wasn't limited to doing only things that were appropriate for girls to do. I found it funny how Pipi went on adventures, like the time Tommy and Annika, two of Pipi's friends, introduced Pipi to school and formal education. I was amazed how she didn't know about any of those things before. I think that kids, especially girls will continue to love this book and it definatly isn't outdated.

Rating: *****

Wishing for Tomorrow

2011-03-02T13:00:00.001-05:00

Wishing for Tomorrow is written as a sequel to A Little Princess, which I haven't actually read yet, and it reminded me that A Little Princess has been sitting on my shelf for a while, so now I am going to read it. This sweet and simple book still keeps Sarah Crew as a character but focuses on Ermengarde and the other characters that were there but not focused on in A Little Princess. I found this to be a fun read but not really substantial. It was nice but not really the kind of book that is interesting to read repeatedly. You wouldn't have anything more to get out of it after reading it the first time.

Rating: ****

Uses for Books in Medical Emergencies:

2011-02-28T13:00:00.001-05:00

I came up with these in the ER on Saturday (I was sick and got dehydrated). They worked and I got to come home!:

Making the person giving me the IV Nymphadora Tonks, meaning I got to change the color and style of her hair to distract me (green hair, rainbow eyelashes...).
Reading, after I had had the IV for about an hour I could sit up and asked for my book to read.
Being read to, my parents were willing to read to me when I couldn't bend my arm because of the IV enough to hold a book.

Over the years, I've used other strategies, too:

Just the right book, really funny books by Jon Scieszka and Richard Peck, and really really engaging stories that I could get lost in.
Audio books, when I was too sick to read audio books were the solution.
Realistic books, I found it helpful to read books similar to my experiences, like Schnieder Family Book Award books.

Being really sick is never fun and mostly stincks, but reading books can sometimes be really helpful and maybe the second best medicine (the real stuff usuallly works, too).

Sam B, The Interview Part 2

2011-02-19T12:34:00.001-05:00

Sam and I!

Here is Part 2 of my interview with Sam, I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed doing the interview! I hope to do other interviews in the future, dream interview subjects include all the authors I love.

An Interview with Sam B.

2011-02-17T21:29:00.000-05:00

The famous Sam B was nice enough to let me interview him about being on the Newbery Committee. This is the first Video interview I have done so I had to learn about making it into a video. To make it work I had to do it in two parts. So enjoy part one today and come back again for part two! And, THANKS SAM!!!

The Sea of Monsters

2011-02-17T17:36:00.001-05:00

I finally got around to reading the 2nd book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and loved it almost as much as the first one. The adventure was even more exciting and left me wanting to read more about Percy's adventures of being the son of a god. This series is one that really made learning Greek Mythology fun, something I had never even thought of before. I find it much easier to remember facts if they are presented in the format of a story (especially dates and names) because I get to have something to remember them by. As Percy journeyed into the Sea of Monsters I felt like I was right there with him on his quest for the golden fleece. I think that everyone should check out these books because they are always interesting and would be enjoyed by kids and adults of all ages.

Rating: *****

As Simple As It Seems

2011-02-07T13:00:00.019-05:00

After liking So B. It so much, I was excited when I was given an ARC of As Simple As It Seems. Although I didn't like this book quite as much as So B. It, I still thought it was good. Verbie's story was nice and it was realistic, if those things happened to a girl in real life, she would probably react in the same way that Verbeana did. The author's style made me feel as though I was right with Verbie throughout the story and I didn't want to put the book down. The ending did seem a little too sweet and abrupt, like there could be more. Maybe there will be a sequel...

Rating: ****

So B. It

2011-02-02T13:00:00.002-05:00

So B. It is the story of Heidi’s very complicated family and her journey to find out who she is and where she came from. So Be It (Heidi’s mom) has an intellectual disability and it adds to the interest of the story, but I was uncomfortable about some of the language used in this book to describe people with disabilities. I hate the term handicapped and in this book Bernadette, the responsible adult role model, used it. I liked that in this story the journey Heidi took to find out who she was really was a journey and the reader gets to go along. I am looking forward to reading As Simple as It Seems (I got the ARC today!).

Rating: *****

Rapunzel's Revenge

2011-01-31T13:00:00.002-05:00

This is the first comic book/grafic novel I have ever read or reviewed, so this is a little new for me. I liked the book, but it wasn’t really a kind of book I enjoy reading. One of my only issues is that Rapunzel’s hair, which is such a major part of the original story and this book, looked bright red in all of the drawlings. This book kind of left me lukewarm. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love either. I will likely have to check out other comic books to see where I stand on that format.

Rating: ***

Moon Over Manifest

2011-01-30T10:28:00.001-05:00

When this book was announced as the 2011 Newbery, I was surprised because I had never heard of it. I quickly ordered a copy and have a free one coming soon. When the first copy came, I immediately started reading and loved it!!! I like how some of Abilene’s story was told in 1918 and some of it was set in 1936. This was an interesting approach to historical fiction, and I have never read a book quite like it. Moon Over Manifest is Abilene Tucker’s story of finding out who she is and where she came from. I think it is very impressive that a first-time author won the Newbery and it means that LOTS of people will read her book. I think that this book is deserving of the award and can’t wait to start reading potintial picks for next year!

Rating: *****

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

2011-01-21T13:00:00.011-05:00

I think you could debate if this is or isn't a children's book; I bought my copy in the adult section of the book store. No matter how you define it, this is an amazing book. I loved reading the diary, it let you really experience Anne's life. I have read other books that address the Holocaust: Number the Stars and Boy in the Stripped Pajamas, but this book was different, way more personal, you felt the experience of being in hiding and her trying to grow up. I knew that Anne's life was going to end but as I read it I didn't want it to be true, I wanted the diary to go on and for Anne to go on. Reading Anne's diary now was very powerful because I am keeping a journal this year as my New Year's resolution. I hope the world I am writing about this year is better than the world Anne lived in, but, is it?

Rating:*****

The Phantom Tollbooth

2011-01-19T16:59:00.000-05:00

Several readers (Sam B.) have been urging me to read this book for a LONG time. My parents swear they read it to us once, but I don't remember that. I just read it as an assigned novel for my 5th grade class. And...I LOVED it, you all were right!!! This books is a dream come true for someone who loves words, reading it was like being submerged in a sea of words!! It was more fun than listening to an episode of A Way With Words. And, bonus, numbers and math were part of the fun. I am both a nerd and a geek and this book was great for all sides of me. I am sorry I waited so long, so, if you haven't read it don't wait! I'm sure you will join me in adding it to the list of books that you reread for fun.
Rating;*****

Louder Than Words: The First Collection

2011-01-13T13:00:00.000-05:00

For Christmas I got one book. It probably seems odd that I didn't get more, but I am kind of hard to buy books for because people don't know what books I have read (I did get $100 worth of book gift cards! Yay!). The book I did get was the first collection of Louder Than Words memoirs, consisting of Chelsey: My True Story of Murder, Loss and Starting Over by Chelsey Shannon, Emily: My True Story of Chronic Illness and Missing Out On Life by Emily Smucker, and Marni: My True Story of Stress, Hair-Pulling and Other Obsessions by Mari Bates. I really enjoyed this book because I felt like I could relate to these girls. I liked it so much that I ordered the next three books in the series and looked to see if there are any similar stories out there. It surprised me that Louder Than Words is the first series of teen-authored memoirs, because it is a really great idea and fascinating to read. This is a great series to read if you want to become a writer.

Rating: *****

2011 Notable Children's Books

2011-01-12T16:17:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite parts of going to the ALA conference last summer (which was ALL so GREAT) was getting to hear several of the discussion sessions of the 2011 Notable Children's Books committee. This committee of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC),

" identifies the best of the best in children's books. According to the Notables Criteria, "notable" is defined as: Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children's books, notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that reflect and encourage children's interests in exemplary ways."

It is the only award committee where anyone can go in a watch the discussion. You can't talk, which was really hard because I had lots to say about the books they were talking about. I was excited to see the list today of which books they ended up picking. Some of my favorites are on the list, The Dreamer, One Crazy Summer, Mockingbird and Countdown. If I runaway and hitchhike my way to New Orleans this summer I am defiantly going to watch the committee again! If you are going I would really recommend it!

The Hanging Hill

2011-01-11T13:11:00.000-05:00

After I read The Crossroads and loved it, I started looking for other books by the same author and came across The Hanging Hill by Chris Grabenstein, the sequel to The Crossroads. This suspenseful mystery/adventure book is a good companion to the original. Readers could enjoy this book with or without reading The Crossroads first, but I think the book would be enjoyed most if it was read after The Crossroads. I really liked how each chapter was told by someone else, even if all of these narrators didn't make sense early on in the story. Every narrator told bits and pieces of the story and they all came together at the end.

Rating: *****

And the Winner is.....

2011-01-10T18:41:00.000-05:00

...Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. There were 4 Honor books, Dark Emperor (I like this book, but the pictures were VERY important) , Heart of A Samurai (haven't read), One Crazy Summer (LOVE and Yippee about the Scott King Award) and Turtle in Paradise (liked but did not love).

From all the reading, talking, twittering and blogging I did I would say the winner was a surprise. I haven't read Moon Over Manifest yet. My mom tried to buy it for me today, but all the local bookstores didn't carry it. Barnes and Noble said they had just sent all their copies back, I guess they will be re-ordering now. I placed an online order and look forward to seeing what I think. I was a little disappointed that Keeper and Mockingbird didn't get any recognition today and that One Crazy Summer didn't take the TOP prize but, it doesn't change how much I LOVE those books. I got to see the awards live via Internet after my doctors appointment this morning (thanks Mom). The anticipation was really exciting, I can't even imagine what it is like for an author or to be at Midwinter. I have got to get a job where I can go to midwinter every year!

I was also a little bummed about Out of My Mind not being the Schneider pick but, that may be because that book meant SO much to me personally.

The Most Wonderful Time of Year....

2011-01-09T15:19:00.000-05:00

I have been singing that song around my house this week, I love "book award seasons"! This is because I LOVE book and I am super excited when great books get recognized and get awards. The other reason I love this time of year is that other people LOVE it too. I have been reading blogs of other Newbery guessers (big thanks to Heavy Medal for posting the results before bedtime)and seeing authors get excited about all the buzz. It is so exciting I can hardly stand it. Can you imagine what it would be like to get THE call tomorrow? Or to be the ones making the call (yes, I am still dreaming of being on the committee). To get to do something that fun in the world of books, too cool. So, tomorrow if you listen extra hard you will be able to hear me cheering from Indiana.

My Schneider Family Book Award Pick

2011-01-07T13:00:00.001-05:00

You know that I am NUTS for the Newbery, but I have another favorite book award that will be picked this week at Midwinter, The Schneider Family Book Award, honors an author or illustrator for the artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. I love this award because it highlights authors who are telling stories that reflect my experience. Last year Nora Raleigh Baskin was the winner of the middle-school award for Anything But Typical, which I LOVED.
This year I had an early favorite and, despite reading several other great books, it never changed. Out of My Mind, is simply amazing, powerful and true. I can't wait to start reading next year's contenders, and am so happy that kids who are growing up with disabilities have more and more great books to read where they can see themselves in the characters on the pages!

The Underneath

2011-01-05T13:00:00.015-05:00

Books that rely so much on animal characters are not usually my favorites, but this Newbery Honor book by Kathi Appelt is a wonderful exception. All of the characters in this book, Grandmother Moccasin, Mama, Ranger, Gar Face, Sabine, Puck, Hawk Man, Night Song, and many others, tell their own stories. This book is a lot like The Crossroads and The Hanging Hill because the narrators change from chapter to chapter. I love how this book looks at family and love and bonds and how we can all find families around us even if we are not related. I think that it is nice that the author trusts her readers enough to let them deal with the sad and scary parts of the story because real life is sometimes sad and scary. I can't wait to read another wonderful book by Kathi Appelt, and thanks to this supper nice author I have several more to choose from!

Rating: *****

My Newbery Pick

2011-01-03T13:00:00.003-05:00

I have been reading great books all year and blogging as I went. I have had the chance hear others talk about many of the books I loved both at ALA and by participating in Mock Newberys. I like talking about books so much that I even hosted one for kids near me. Now it is time to share my personal picks. Drum roll please.........One Crazy Summer is my winner this year. I LOVED this book when I read it, it challenged me to think about parents (especially mothers) in new ways, it helped me learn about important parts of American History, but beyond that I was captured by the characters and the story. I cared so much about these sisters and felt their experiences (kinda amazing because I am a 10 year old, white girl living in the middle of nowhere Indiana in 2010/11). And I LOVED how poetry was part of the story and part of the writing. I was right with my Newbery prediction last year and if I am right again I will be cheering for Rita on Monday January 10th.
As for Honor books my picks are:
Keeper
Mockingbird
Out of My Mind

If someone wanted to sneak this into the voting room at Midwinter I would not be mad :)

Just a Year Ago

2011-01-01T16:13:00.001-05:00

I find it amazing to think that just a year ago no one knew about my blog. I hadn't been to ALA or even read all of the Newbery books. In just a year I went from having 3 followers (my mom, my dad and my grandparents) to having 71. A year ago today, I had posted a mere 25 times. This is my 228th post! I've always loved reading all kinds of book but this year reading has become more than just reading. Through my passion of books I have discovered a whole different world full of the nicest people I know: book publishers, authors, editors and children's librarians. Many of them are going to be at Midwinter next week, of which I am extremely jealous. I'm also on the edge of my seat because they will pick and announce the awards I LOVE, Newbery and Schneider Family and loads of others! So, as I get ready to ring in the New Year I am super excited about a new year of books!

The Night Before Christmas

2010-12-24T13:00:00.002-05:00

At my house, we have over 30 Christmas stories and it is a tradition to try and read them all each December. Our favorite by far is Clement Moore's The Night Before Christmas, which we have about five copies of. And on Christmas Eve each year, we read the 1960 edition illustrated by Catherine Barnes. I love the way the words of the poem flow and the illustrations really capture the magic children feel around the holidays. Sometimes its important to read the same story each year just because it is a great tradition. Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Rating: *****

The Crossroads

2010-12-19T13:00:00.001-05:00

This is one of the creepiest books I have ever read. Zach and his stepmom, Judy, see ghosts, and they have to hunt off one who wants to kill them. The reader gets to hear from lots of different people, and the narrator changes from chapter to chapter. For example, the first chapter is about Billy O'Claire, Zach is in the second chapter and Judy is the main character in the third chapter. I thought it was amazing how the author told a different story in each chapter and they all fell together in the end. This is a great "can't put it down" book, that is worth reading even if you don't think you like spooky ghost stories.

Rating: *****

A Mock Newbery for Kids!

2010-12-13T16:45:00.000-05:00

As you know I am NUTS about the Newbery. I LOVE it so much that I wanted other kids to have a chance to learn about the award and get connected to it. Last year I wrote a proposal to a local library to host a Mock Newbery. They liked my proposal and agreed to give it a try. So, this year I have been busy reading lots of books to try to guess what might win the Newbery. Then I hosted two orientation meetings where kids came and learned about the Medal, the criteria, the history etc. In October I picked 5 great books from this year for kids to read. We then had book talks every other week to give kids a chance to discuss each book in depth. We were lucky enough to have the author of Keeper, Kathi Appelt, join us by Skype for the book talk about Keeper (thanks Kathi!). All of this lead up to the big day, Sunday, which was our first Mock Newbery.

I decorated each table with the book and something to remind you about the book. Then I reminded everyone about the criteria. We then talked about each book and made the "case" for our favorites. When it was time to vote, I was surprised by the results. Our winner was Out of My Mind. We picked One Crazy Summer, Keeper and Mockingbird.

So, now I am done with two Mock Newbery's, but I still am not happy with the picks so, before the real Newbery is chosen I will pick my own Mock Newbery! In the mean time I am going to be dreaming about Midwinter and all the LUCKY ALSC members who get to spend several days talking about books. Someday, I need to be on the REAL Newbery committee. Don't you think they should include a kid, for whom the books are written?

One Mock Newbery Down, One to Go

2010-12-11T19:00:00.001-05:00

Today I woke up REALLY early and my mom drove me up to the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I attended the adult Mock Newbery because tomorrow, when their kids Mock Newbery is, I will be at the Zionsville library hosting my own.

We spent 3 1/2 hours debating which book should win, and we finally chose Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes. I really liked how Ninth Ward really retold the story of Lanesha as she lives through Hurricane Katrina, but didn't feel as strongly about it as some of the other books. The author didn't make it brutally real like it would have been, but I still liked the story.

The four honor books were:
They Called Themselves the K.K.K. - The Birth of An American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

You can read more at their Mock Newbery blog.

Reaching for Sun

2010-12-01T13:00:00.001-05:00

On Thanksgiving, my family went to help out at a church that was serving meals to those who couldn't afford a turkey or didn't have anyone to share it with. Because I am not old enough to help in the kitchen, I spent part of the day reading Reaching for Sun. This book told the story of a seventh-grade girl with cerebral palsy who is making friends with her neighbor, Jordan, and struggleing to live with her disability. I really liked how Josie told her story through poems because it seemed like if this story was told through prose it would seem to skip around a lot and not make sense. The poetry was also perfect for a day when I couldn't just sit down and read but had to read a page or two, go do something else, and then come back to the book. I think that this book was truly poetic and deserving of the Schneider Family Book Award.

Rating: *****

Rules

2010-11-29T13:00:00.000-05:00

I've already posted about the book I read last Monday, so now it's time for the book I read Tuesday. I like how the author told Catherine's story in rules by having each chapter title be a rule that David, her brother, has to learn to follow. The chapters are about Catherine and her struggles that tie into the main rule. A chapter called "Don't run down the clinic hallway." tells about Catherine meeting Jason at the clinic with David and her mom. It makes her experiences as a twelve-year-old girl and those of being the sister of eight-year-old David, who has autism, seem really real and like she was sitting next to you telling you what happened. This book points out how people with autism aren't that different. Everyone has the same basic rules, but David just needs them pointed out and set in stone.

Rating: *****

A Friendship for Today

2010-11-26T13:00:00.000-05:00

I've been reading a lot this week, and all of the books I've read I loved. On Monday my class went to the library and had to pick out a Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee to read from the Middle Grade list. I chose A Friendship for Today and liked it so much that I didn't put it down until I had finished it. This is a historical fiction story about Rosemary, a twelve-year-old, African-American girl who is going into 6th grade at a new school - Robertson Elementary - because the public schools in Kirkland are being integrated. I liked reading about Rosemary's struggle to make friends and thought that it was really nice how some of the kids who were nice to her you would think would be mean and the mean kids you would think would be nice. I think it is neat that this story looked at the civil rights movement of the 1950's from the interesting point of view of a child.

Rating: *****

Favorite Author Friday: Tracy Richardson

2010-11-19T13:00:00.001-05:00

When you live in the middle of nowhere, like I do (okay, the gravel road I live on has a number instead of a name), it is a rare and fun treat to meet someone who lives nearby that is doing what you want to do. I was really excited when Tracy Richardson mailed me to books, Summer Sanctuary by Laurie Gray and Indian Summer by Tracy herself, that she had published. I was excited when she surprised me and came to listen to my Mock Newbery Orientation at Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library. And I loved it when she was kind enough to visit HMMPL again and talk about how young authors could bring characters to life. Thank you, Tracy for being a local favorite!

Why do you write for kids?

I started writing for kids when my own children began reading all the books I loved as a kid and story ideas begin forming in my head. I think adolescence and young adulthood are such exciting times in our lives and thus provide a great environment for exciting stories. We are discovering ourselves and the world and quite literally anything is possible. Also, I want to explore the world beyond what our five senses can perceive, a sort –of ‘magical realism’ and children are very receptive to that.

What advice do you have for kids who want to be writers?

I think the most important part of being a writer is using your imagination, so I encourage kids to ‘exercise’ the muscle of their imagination all the time. It doesn’t have to just be with creative writing. They should listen to music of all kinds, create art and go to art exhibits, do crafts and of course read, read, read! Reading good literature is important to train your ear to how truly good writing sounds, but popular fiction is important to get the voice of the characters as well. Practice your writing and enter writing contests for kids.

What is your current favorite book (can be a kid or adult book) and what was your favorite as a kid?

My favorite book of all time is “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, but my current favorite book is usually whatever I’m currently reading. I just finished “Artemis Fowl” in audiobook and I loved the “Hunger Games” series. My favorite book as a kid was “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle. She wrote with a type of ‘magical realism’ that I use as well.

Do you have a favorite Newbery winner?

“A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle is one of my favorite books of all time. I majored in Biology in college and I think I was influenced by the way she incorporated science into her writing. I realized something interested a few years ago. Meg’s parents in the book are named Kate and Alex and we named our twins Katie and Alex not realizing it. Kind-of a spooky coincidence! I also loved “Walk Two Moons” by Sharon Creech.

When and where do you write?

I write whenever and wherever I can. I am able to tune out background noise, so I can write in a coffee shop or at the airport. I don’t have writer’s block – I know basically how the story will go before I ever start writing and once I get going, the characters kind-of take over! I do have an office at home where I write in the evenings, but sometimes I write on the deck if it’s nice out or at the dining room table for a change of scenery.

What are you working on now or having coming out soon we can look forward to?

I am working on a story about Marcie’s older brother, Eric, who appears in Indian Summer. It is tentatively titled “The Field”. He’s a high school soccer goal keeper and it delves into the power of the mind to affect the world around us . My teenage reading group (my children and their friends) are helping me make sure I get the teen voice right.

Have you ever gotten rejection letters?

Yes, I’ve gotten rejection letters, but more often you get no response at all.

Do you feel like a famous author? Has anything fun ever happened because you are famous?

I don’t feel like a famous author (yet!). The most fun thing about being an author is going to schools and talking to kids. I am very excited as I am dong an author talk at the public library in the town where I grew up which is the inspiration for the town where Marcie lives in Indian Summer.

How many bookcases do you have?

I have seven bookshelves now and we are planning to build a wall of bookshelves in my office. Both my husband, writer Chris Katsaropoulos, and I love, love, love books.

What lake did you spend time at as a child?

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago on the shore of Lake Michigan. We went to the beach all summer long and one of my friends owned a catamaran (two hulled sailboat) that we sailed on the lake.

Did you ever race in the 4th of July regatta?

No, I haven’t raced in the regatta, but I do take the sunfish out on Lake Wawasee every now and then.

What fun things have come from having your book published?

It is fun to have people I don’t know read my book, love it and say nice things about it!

What are the challenges of running Luminis Books?

Mostly it’s a lot of fun because I get to read lots of great submissions and work with people who love books as much as I do. The biggest challenge is having so many different responsibilities. We work with the author, cover designer, marketing people, book distributor, and editors to get our books ready to publisher and out to readers. I enjoy it all.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

2010-11-15T13:00:00.001-05:00

Kids should not be intimidated by the size of this book. My copy is 511 pages long, but there were 284 pages of pictures. But you can't just skip the pictures, pay attention because they tell part of the story. This story takes you into the world of a boy, Hugo Cabret, who thinks that an automaton can save his live and makes you realize how easy your life must be if Hugo has to face so many challenges just to live in the world after the death of all his relatives. I liked everything about this turn-of-the-century novel, from the detailed characters, to Isabelle's love of Greek mythology (which really tied into the end of the story well). All of the details seemed to fit in just right. As the first novel ever to win the Caldecott medal, I recommend this book to kids and adults, to readers and lovers of illustrations.

Rating: *****
Check out the movie, coming out in December of 2011!

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

2010-11-13T13:00:00.002-05:00

I've been sick this week. Really, really sick, breathing issues, yucky sick (like I haven't really left the house since Sunday except to go to a doctor). What is the best medication? An audio book. So, I finally got around to listening to The Wonderful Wizzard of Oz, performed by pretty much everyone that came to ALA this summer (encluding ME!!!). I thought that the switching of narrators would detract from the story, but I think it enhanced it. I found myself recognizing the voices of authors I had met (Kathi Appelt, Rebecca Stead...) as well as my own (I was the 16th reader). You could download or just listen to the book at First Book.
Okay, back to the actual book. It was wonderful, just like I remembered it from reading the book as a young child. Dorothy and the other characters felt very real to me even though their adventures were as fanciful as can be. While I was listening to it today, it didn't even cross my mind that it was abnormal for animals and scarecrows to talk. One thing that made the story hard to listen to: the nararators pronounced things differently. Someone would say Dorothy like Dorothy, the next person would call her Darthy and then she would be Dorthy. My familiarity with the book made this not such a big deal, but I would definently not recommend this version for 1st time readers. I think that this book has held up so well is because the childish spirit doesn't change from year to year and this book really touches the child inside.

Rating: *****

The Secret of the Old Clock

2010-11-11T13:00:00.000-05:00

Nancy Drew is a timeless classic, my grandmother even read these books when she was my age. So when I had to read a mystery for a book report, it seemed natural that I would choose a Nancy Drew book. I did come across an issue: I had to check it out from a different library because someone had placed a hold on the copy I was reading and I couldn't renew it. But there were two totally different stories called The Secret of the Old Clock by Caroline Keene. I read them both, but I really only liked the first version. It was longer and had lots of details and the reading level was right for the mystery difficulty, while the reprint was short and didn't really have any detail at all. The reprint mystery was totally different and didn't really have a point. I think that Nancy from the Nancy Drew mystery series has been popular all of these years because she is a smart, feisty girl having fun adventures (which was unusual when the books were first published). I recommend that girls check out the Nancy Drew books, but I think they should be aware that there are multiple versions of these books and some are better than others, which is a great reason to explore your library shelves!

Older edition rating: *****
Newer edition rating: **

Gathering Blue

2010-11-09T09:52:00.000-05:00

Sometimes people like to compare books in series and focus on the one they like best, for me I like to look at each book on its own. It can help me be interested in a book if it is by an author I like, but some authors I love have written a book or two I don't like at all. I read Gather Blue, because it was a gift (from one of my dad's students), a recommendation and from an author I love, boy am I glad I did. I loved reading about Kira's futuristic world that could possibly existed at the same time as the world of Jonas (from the Giver). Gathering Blue worked really well as a companion to The Giver (SPOILER ALERT) and I liked how at the end there was a mention of a boy that could possibly be Jonas at the end (in the author interview in the back of my copy Lois Lowry noted that "there is a reference to a boy with light eyes at the end of Gathering Blue. He can be Jonas or not, as you wish."). Like The Giver this is a book that makes you think on many levels, I recommend it to older elementary and middle school readers and I really think you should read The Giver first.

Rating: *****