62. Shiver - Maggie Stievater

for: YA
Scholastic Press, August, 2009
HC $17.99
200 pgs.
Rating: 4.5

MOVIE - My One and Only

Very enjoyable!
Limited realease Aug. 21, 2009
PG-13
9/25 at El Con (alone)
RT: 70% cag: 71%
Director: Richard Loncraine

Renee Zellweger, Kevin Bacon

I hurried to the El Con to see Julie and Julia at 5:05, but I didn't make it there until almost 5:15. I would hate to miss the beginning (I still had to buy popcorn after all), so I went in to see this movie knowing only that it starred Renee Zellweger. I'm glad I didn't know any more than that to jade or shade (or whatever) my viewing. I liked this movie a lot, and I'm glad I didn't have any pre-supposed ideas about it when I sat down with my popcorn.

1953. Ann Devereaux comes home to her high-rise NYC apartment to find her husband, a band leader (like Ricky Ricardo), in an uncompromising position with the singer from his band. She takes her two teenage boys, buys a light blue Cadillac convertible with most of the the money she's taken from their safe deposit box, and leaves town.

Ann loves her boys, but doesn't really "know" them. She's beautiful, but the only life she's known is as the beautiful showpiece for a man who will take care of her, and that's what she goes after, whether it's intentional or not. But, oh, the men she chooses! There are four (I think) different suitors and situations that go from funny to sad to pathetic and even to silly. But, oh, what a ride! George, the younger son, watches what happens to his mother and longs for his old life in New York.

There was a surprise at the end which was delightful. It has been told in a few of the reviews I've skimmed, but it was most fun not to know while watching the movie. It would have definitely changed my "watching attitude".

PLAY - The Kite Runner

Wow. Three thumbs up.
Arizona Theatre Company
Temple of Music and Art
Sept. 23, 2009 with Sheila
My rating: R
Directed by David Ira Goldstein

I've read the book, written by Khaled Hosseini. Loved it. I've seen the movie. Wonderful. And now I've seen the play, screenwritten by Matthew Spangler. Powerful. Leaving the air snapping with electricity, this stage production was wonderfully crafted, gut-wrenching, and quite unforgettable. I felt sorry for the people who had no clue about the story and were unprepared for the enormity of what they were about to see. The two young men who portrayed the two boys, Amir and Hassan, were wonderful. Believable. And always present, narrating the entire play, was the grown-up Amir. I cannot imagine givening this performance each and every day. I was exhausted and wrung out just watching it!

I have a zillion positive things to say, and only two slightly negative. (1 - The two young men playing the leads should have had a curtain call just prior to the lead Amir, not so close to the beginning of the curtain calls. 2 - The scene with Amir praying for the first time in two decades was loud and jarring and too overdone for me. It seemed out of place somehow.)

Cowardice. Guilt. Redemption. Growing into yourself. Growing up. Thanks, Sheila, for a wonderful seat smack dab in the middle of the orchestra section, and a wonderful (if very late)evening.

So Many SERIES Out There!

I spent a large part of the summer checking out series books, especially the dearth that are now available for beginning chapter book kiddos. Here's a sampling of some that I've either discovered or rediscovered (and I'll be adding more as I get the chance):

Cam Jansen Series
by David Adler
Illustrated by Susanna Natti
(new cover art by Joy Allen)
For: 6-10 year olds
(Reading Levels 2.2-2.7, 480-500 Lexile, Level L, DRA 28)

Cam Jansen is a fifth grader with a photographic memory. She and her best friend Eric solve mystery after mystery using her talented mind.

1. Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds
2. Mystery of the U.F.O.
3. Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones
4. Mystery of the Television Dog
5. Mystery of the Gold Coins
6. Mystery of the Babe Ruth Baseball, 1982
7. Mystery of the Circul Clown
8. Mystery of the Monster Movie
9. Mystery of the Carnival Prize
10. Mysteryof teh Monkey House
11. Mystery of the Stolen Corn Popper
12. Mystery of Flight 54
13. Mystery of the Haunted House
14. The Chocolate Fudge Mystery
15. Triceratops Pops Mystery
16. The Ghostly Mystery
17. Scary Snake Mystery
18. Catnapping Mystery
19. Barking Treasure Mystery
20. Birthday Mystery
21. School Play Mystery
22. First Day of School Mystery
23. Tennis Trophy Mystery
24. Snowy Day Mystery
25. Valentine Day Mystery
26. Secret Service Mystery
27. Mystery Writer Mystery
28. The Green School Mystery
Specials: (3 Stories in One Book):
The Summer Camp Mysteries
Sports Day Mysteries

Ivy and Bean Series
by Annie Barrows
Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
For: 6-9 year olds
(Reading Levels 2.7 - 3.2, Lexiles 510-580, Levels M & N)

These books are about two 7 year-olds: Bean is messy and lively and loves playing tricks. Ivy looks neat and bookish and boring. W r o n g! In these fast-paced, humorous stories, Ivy and Bean, fast friends, get themselves into such situations! Laugh-out-loud funny, very clever, and very real. No a bit boring or simplistic, either in writing style or plot. It doesn't talk down to kids at all. Totally delightful.

1. Ivy + Bean
2. Ivy + Bean and the Ghost That Had to Go
3. Ivy + Bean Break the Fossil Record
4. Ivy + BeanTake Care of the Babysitter
5. Ivy + Bean: Bound to be Bad
6. Ivy + Bean: Doomed to Dance

Judy Moody Series
by Megan McDonald
Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Candlewick
Reading Levels Around 3rd for most

Judy Moody. Sure, I've heard of her for years. Many entering-fifth-grade-ers have been reading these books. I never had. No I have. JUDY MOODY IS A KICK! She is real, clever, imaginative, has lofty goals, smart, and is a fantastic friend (and sister!). She is also very, very funny. First class, top-notch writing, situations, artwork. Megan McDonald has a new fan. I want to read them all.
And, check out the Judy Moody website!!

1-Judy Moody (Was in a mood. Not a good mood. A bad mood.) 2000
2-Judy Moody Gets Famous, 2001
3-Judy Moody Saves the World, 2002
4-Judy Moody Predicts the Future, 2003
5-Judy Moody, M.D., The Doctor Is In, 2004
6-Judy Moody Declares Independence, 2005
7-Judy Moody Around the World in 8 1/2 Days, 2006

Judy Moody and Stink: The Holly Joliday
The Judy Moody Mood Journal
Judy Moody's Double-Rare Way-Not-Boring Book of Fun Stuff to Do

Junie B. Jones Series
by Barbara Park
Illustrated by Denise Brunkus
Stepping Stone Books, Random House
for: ages 6-9 (Junie is in K and 1, see below)

Holy Cow, there looks like a LOT of stories in this series. The edition I read for my first book (#1, read 17 years after they were firstr published) had a page of stickers in the back. And the story was very, very funny!

Kindergarten:
1. Junie B. Jones & the Stupid Smelly Bus, 1992
2. Junie B. Jones & a Little Monkey Business
3. Junie B. Jones & Her Big Fat Mouth
4. Junie B. Jones & Some Sneeky Peeky Spying
5. Junie B. Jones & the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake
6. Junie B. Jones & That Meanie Jim's Birthday
7. Junie B. Jones Loves Handsome Warrn
8. Junie B. Jones Has a Monster Under Her Bed
9. Junie B. Jones Is Not a Crook
10. Junie B. Jones Is a Party Animal
11. Junie B. Jones Is a Beauty Shop Guy
12. Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy
13. Junie B. Jones Is (almost) a Flower Girl
14. Junie B. Jones & the Mushy Gushy Valentine
15. Junie B. Jones Has a Peep in her Pocket
16. Junie B. Jones Is Captain Field Day
17. Junie B. Jones Is a Graduation Girl

First Grade
18. Junie B, First Grader (at last!)
19. Junie B, First Grader: Boss of Lunch
20. Junie B, First Grader: Toothless Wonder
21. Junie B, First Grader: Cheater Pants
22. Junie B, First Grader: One-Man Band
23. Junie B, First Grader: Shipwrecked
24. Junie B, First Grader: BOO...and I Mean It!
25. Junie B, First Grader: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! (Ps So Does May)
26. Junie B, First Grader: Aloha-ha-ha
27. Junie B, First Grader: Dumb Bunny

Mercy Watson Series
by Kate Di Camillo
Illustrated by Chris VanDusen
Candlewick
(Reading Levels 1.9 - 2.3, Lexiles 380-390 Levels K+)

Now here's a series where a clever, funny story and very clever, comical illustrations work together perfectly. Just perfectly. Such characters! Such humor. Great fun.Mercy Watson, a pig, a plain old non-talking, food-loving pig, lives with Mr. and Mrs. Watson in her own room with her own bed. She loves to eat and sleep and ... well, that's about it, I guess. But what an adventure she unwittingly gets herself into.

1. Mercy Watson to the Rescue (2005)
2. Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride (2006)
3. Mercy Watson Fights Crime (2006)
4. Mercy Watson, Princess in Disguise (2007)
5. Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig (2008)

My Weird School Series
by Dan Gutman
Illustrated aby Jim Paillot
Harper Trophy
Ages 7-10

A. J. hates school. He is in the second grade at Ella Mentry School. But he sure runs into some interesting people there! Funny and charming.

1-Miss Daisy is Crazy! (the teacher) 2004, 86 pgs.
2-Mr. Klutz in Nuts (the principal)
3-Mrs. Roopy is Loopy (librarian)
4-Ms. Hannah is Bananas! (art teacher)
5-Miss Small is Off the Wall! (gym teacher)
6-Mr. Hynde is Out of His Mind! (music teacher)
7- Mrs. Cooney is Loony! (school nurse)
8 - Ms. LaGrange is Strange! (lunch lady)
9-Miss Lazar is Bizarre (custodian)
10-Mr. Docker is off His Rocker! (science teacher)
11-Mrs. Kormel is Not Normal! (bus driver)
12-Ms. Todd is Odd! (substitute teacher)
13-Mrs. Patty is Batty! (Halloween)
14-Miss Holly is Too Jolly! (Christmas)
15-Mr. Macky is Wacky (social studies teacher?)
16-Ms. Coco is Loco (gifted & talented/poetry teacher) 2007, 102 pgs.
17-Miss Suki is Kooky! (famous author of endangered animals)
18-Mrs. Yonkers is Bonkers! (computer)
19-Dr. Carbles is Losing His Marbles! (president of the Board of Ed.)
20-Mrs. Louie is Screwy! (crossing guard)
21-Ms. Krup Cracks Me Up! (museum docent)

......and ON TO THIRD GRADE ! ! ..........

1-Mrs. Dole is Out of Control (PTA president)
2-Mrs. Sunny is Funny (summer lifeguard)
3-Mr. Granite is from Another Planet (3rd grade teacher)
4-Coach Hyatt is a Riot (female Pee Wee footbal coach
5-Officer Spense Makes No Sense! (security guard)
6-Mrs. Jafee is Daffy! (vice principal)
7-Dr. Brad Has Gone Mad!
8-Miss Laney is Zany! (to be realeased 1-26-10)

Stink Series
by Megan McDonald
Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Candlewick
(Reading Levels 2.5 - 3.0, Lexiles 480-580, Levels L, M, N)

These books have references to poetry, figurative language, research....and they're REALLY well written. James Moody ("Stink") is Judy Moody's younger brother. She figures prominently in the book. "You're only as short as you feel." How can you beat that? The illustrations are the same as Judy Moody. Black and white and fun.

1. Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid, 2005
2. Stink and the Incredible Super-Galactic Jawbreaker, 2006
3. Stink and the World's Worst Super-Stinky Sneakers, 2007
4. Stink and the Great Guinea Pig Express, 2008

"WHO WAS" Biography Series
Who Was Abraham Lincoln?
Who Was Albert Einstein? 2002 (Brallier/Parker)
Who Was Amelia Earhart?
Who Was Anne Frank?
Who Was Annie Oakley?
Who Is Barack Obama?
Who Were the Beatles?
Who Was Ben Franklin?
Who Was Charles Darwin?
Who Was Daniel Boone?
Who Was Eleanor Roosevelt?
Who Was Elvis Presley?
Who Was Ferdinand Magellan?
Who Was George Washington?
Who Was Harriet Tubman?
Who Was Harry Houdini?
Who Was Helen Keller?
Who Was John F. Kennedy?
Who Was Johnny Appleseed?
Who Was King Tut?
Who Was Leonardo daVinci?
Who Was Louis Armstrong?
Who Was Marco Polo?
Who Is Maria Tallchief?
Who Was Mark Twain?
Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Who is Neil Armstrong?
Who Was Queen Elizabeth?
Who Was Ronald Reagan?
Who Was Sacagawea?
Who Was Thomas Jefferson?
Who Was Walt Disney?
Who Was William Shakespeare?
Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?

Zigzag Kids Series
by Patricia Reilly Giff
Illustrated by Alasdair Bright
Wendy Lamb Books, Random House

This looks like Giff's trying to update the Polk Street Kids series with a group of young elementary students (K up) who go to an afternoon program at the Zelda A. Zigzag School in these more contemporary times. Barack Obama as our president is mentioned....

1 - Number One Kid
2 - Big Whopper (about Destiny) 2010

The Girl's Like Spaghetti - Lynne Truss

Why You Can't Manage without Apostrophes!
Illustrated by Bonnie Timmons
GP Putnams, 2007
$16.99
32 pgs.
Rating: 3 (I really dislike the title)

Lynn Truss says "Every time an apostrophe appears in the right place, the Good Punctuation Fairy is made very, very happy." I LOVE the idea of a GOOD PUNCTUATION FAIRY!

There's a huge difference between:
The dogs like my dad. AND The dog's like my dad.

or

See the boy bat. AND See the boy's bat. AND See the boys' bat. (Illustrations accompany to show the difference visually.)

Those smelly things are my brothers. AND Those smelly things are my brother's.

Illustrations are almost James Stevensons-y.

So many ways to use this in a classroom - make a big deal when an apostrophe is used correctly, create or find your own two "different" sentences, make a class book when there's enough - if brought up enough, kids will really learn!

(And how about pointing out some of the homonyms that kids mix up - from fourth grade all the way up the ladder - and reward them when used correctly. Yup, too/to/two and especially there/their/they're......)

The Day the Stones Walked - T. A. Barron

Illustrated by William Low
Philomel (Penguin), 2007
$16.99
32 pgs.
For: ages 7 - 10
Rating: 4
Endpapers: navy blue

Lots of times a book - an article - a paragraph - even a simple reference - sparks an interest that takes us researching farther. This book awakened such an interest in me.

Easter Island. "The world's most remote inhabited island. It lies over 2200 miles west of South America, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean." 30-foot tall hand carved "moai" guard the island's shores. Who carved them? And why?

This story takes us to Easter Island on a long ago day when a tsunami hits. Pico is sent by his mother, who senses danger by looking at the clouds, to warn his father, who is carving a moai. The immense wave is powerful and disatrous. The story is really more about the tsunami than the carvings, which is a bit disappointing - although it is a moai that saves Pico when he is pulled underneath the roaring water. More information to come after some research!

The illustrations fully cover the page, complimenting the story well. The 2-page author's note at the end is informative and has now set me on a quest to know more about Easter Island. Fascinating.

61. Gray Ghost - William G. Tapply

Stoney Calhoun #2
For: Adult
St. Martins Minotaur, March 2007
257 pgs.
Rating: 4

Set in the Maine woods and on Casco Bay (Portland), my second encounter with Stoney Calhoun was just as good as my first. With all memory wiped out by a lightning strike seven years before, Stoney has no desire to find out about his past. He's built a house in the woods on Bitch Creek, has his faithful dog, Ralph, and fishes whenever he wants. He's a fishing guide now. He has the knowledge he acquired previously, but nothing else. He's visited late at night by a nameless man who keeps asking him what he's remembered (nothing), but has no knowledge of his past life.

This mystery is about two murders. The first is a body burned beyond recognition on an abandoned island in Casco Bay. The second is a fishing client, whom he finds shot to death on his front porch when he arrives home one afternoon. His friend, Sheriff Dickman, insists that Stoney become his deputy because he appreciates Stoney's sixth sense, intuition, insight, into questionable matters. A fast moving story.

I went online to see if Tapply's written a third mystery with Stoney Calhoun as protagonist. To my great dismay, I discovered that Tapply died of leukemia on July 27th. He was 69. He's written a slew of Brady Coyne mysteries, and is quite well known as a fisherman and mystery writer in the New England area. I DID discover that his third Stoney Calhoun, Dark Tiger, will be published at the end of this month.

Tsunami - Kimiko Kajikawa

Illustrated by Ed Young
Philomel Books, 2009
(Ellsworth Library 8/3/09)
$16.99
32 pgs.
For: ages 6-10
rating: 3.5
Endpapers: orange

A "long ago in Japan" folktale, white font on black on bottom eighth of page, illustrations collaged on rest of double-page spreads.

Ojiisan - grandfather - lived high on a mountain overlooking the sea. One day, after what seemed like a minor earthquake, the sea receeded, making more and more and more beach. Ojiisan knew what would happen when the sea came back - and it would devour all 400 villagers. So he set fire to every bit of his valuable rice fields to beckon everyone up the mountan. He saved them all.

Good verbal description of a tsunami - the collages (purposely?) leave a great deal to the imagination.

Bedtime in the Southwest - Mona Hodgson

Illustrated by Renee Graef
Rising Moon, 2004
$14.95
32 pgs.
Rating: 4
Endpapers: Desert at night with saguaros

What does a southwest critter do when Papa says it's time for bed?

In this adorable book we see some different bedtime avoidance techniques - from many different Sonoran desert animals - hares and roadrunners and geckos and coyote, to name just a few. Hiding and begging for a drink, hopping on the bed - very cute and funny.

My almost-two-year-old granddaughter's been rearranging furniture, emptying bureaus, making nests after "lights out." This will make a perfect bedtime story from her Nan who lives in the desert!

60. How Oliver Olson Changed the World - Claudia Mills

Illustrator: Heather Maione
For: grades 3-4
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, March, 2009
HC, $15.95
104 pgs.
Rating: 5

Not only did Oliver Olson have a great teacher, Claudia Mills is right on about what goes on in a classroom when it has such a great teacher. All kids are great - and this story really shows it. With humor and a little tongue-in-cheek, we inhale the story of Oliver and his problems - parents who want to DO his homework for him, a mom who won't let him eat anything but healthy food and never lets him go to a sleepover, and get to witness firsthand his third grade classroom - talkative Crystal, the sage of poor Pluto who was kicked out of the planet brotherhood, and discusstions that create out-of-the box thinkers. While learning about the planets and planning for a grand-finale - a diorama, a sleepover, telescope, Star Wars movie, AND a visit from a state senator, this third grade classroom is one I'd love to have been a part of!

Wonderful story!

The Lion and the Mouse - Jerry Pinkney

Little Brown, 2009
For: everyone!
Rating: 5
Endpapers: African scene full of animals
2010 Caldecott WINNER

Wowee. Zowee.
I really enjoy retellings of Aesop's Fables.
I adore Jerry Pinkney's work.
I'm fond of wordless books. (Even the cover has no words - only a large painnting of the lion.)

Here, without words except for the SOUNDS of owl (who who, screech), lion (grrr, rroarr), mouse (scratch, squeak), and jeep (putt-putt) we watch this timeless story unfold. Mouse, while escaping from owl, gets caught by lion, who decides to let him go. Hunters snare the lion, hes roars are heard by jmouse, who chews him free.

It's absolutely marvelous!

Creaky Old House - Linda Ashman

A Topsy-Turvey Tale of a Real Fixer-Upper
Illustrated by Michael Chesworth
Sterling, 2009
32 pgs.
Rating: 4.5
Endpapers: Photos of the family members (9 + dog)

Linda Ashman's (Stella Unleashed, M is for Mischief) rhyme and rhythm within great storytelling continue to entertain me. This one is funny and clever...as usual.

"Our house is kind of old and creaky.
Porch is sloping, roof is leaky.
Windows drafty, shutters peeling.
There's a crack across the ceiling.
Paint's a little chipped and faded.
Might say it's dilapidated.
Still, each one of us --- all nine ---
thinks the house is fine, just fine."

Until a screw falls out of the front door dorrknob. And then a series of domino events take place that make the semingly tiny project escalate greatly. Fun, fun, fun.

Again - great storytelling, great rhyme and rhythm.

Dear Vampa - Ross Collins

Katherine Tegen Books/Harper Collins, 2009
For: Middle grades
Rating: 4.5
Endpapers: Bright Coral

The story is actually a letter than Bram, a young vampire from Pennsylvania, writes to his grandfather in Transylvania caomplaining about the new next-door nieghbors who love the sunshine, stay up all day long - and shoot them (in their bat-form) out of the sky in the evening!

With very little text and great accompanying illustrations -bright blue/yellow vs. black/red denoting the two families. who live side-by-side, this cute and clever story steers us right toward the end for a delicious twist.

There Was an Old Monster - Ed Emberley

Illustrated by Rebecca Emberley
Music by Adrian Emberley
Listen to the song at Scholastic.com/OldMonster
Orchard/Scholastic, 2009
For: young kids
Endpapers: Red

Cut paper collage on black. This time this New England Father-daughter team add another generation - granddaughter Adrian is a performing songwriter!

Based on - what else - the old lady who swallowed a fly - a monster begins his uncomfortable journey by swallowing a tick that makes him feel sick. He follows that with ants, a lizard, a bat, a jackal, a bear, and then he encounters a lion! Guess what happens next!

Too much fun! And perfect for Halloween.

59. Rough Weather - Robert B. Parker

Spenser Series No. 36

Audio read by Joe Mantegna

Random House audio, 2008

5 cd's, 5.5 hours

304 pgs.

Rating: 3

I used to really enjoy Spenser novels. Not only did they take place in familiar locales (the "Smithfield," Massachusetts, where Spenser used to frequent, is actually based on Lynnfield - where I lived until I was in junior high, where my grandparents always lived, and where my brother now lives), but the descriptions of the area were so familiar with reminders of my childhood. The mysteries were pretty darn good, too. I've read many, many of the series - and I truly cannot believe that there are now 36. Wow.

I enjoyed the way the story unfolded, I enjoyed the reparte between Spenser and his sidekick, Hawk. I'm getting really tired of Susan Silverman. Parker uses mostly dialogue to tell the story - and this is where my biggest complaint comes in. "Come in," he said. "Won't stay long," she said. The book is riddled with "saids." It's really apparent when read aloud. And it's really started to irritate me.

This time Spenser is hired by Heidi Bradshaw, a rich Boston socialite, to be available at her daughter's wedding on Tashtego Island, off the coast of Massachusetts somewhere. During a hurricane the bride is kidnapped and the new groom is gunned down. A previous nemesis, Rugar, aka The Gray Man, seems to be the culprit, and Spenser and Hawk begin their journey of philosophical sleuthing. It seems a bit unresolved in the end - so I'm guessing that Parker has saved wiggle room for another story.

MOVIE - Adam

Wonderful acting, moving story
Released July 29, 2009
PG-13 (1:37)
9/1 at El Con with Ronnie
RT: 64% cag: 90%
Director: Max Mayer


Hugh Dancy (of Jane Austen Book Club and Ella Enchanted), Rose Byrne


Adam is a 29 year old electrical engineer with Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism. His father has died and left Adam alone - for the first time in his life. He lives in a New York City apartment and meets his new upstairs neighbor, Beth. A primary school teacher, she is sensitive and inquisitive, studies up on Aspergers, and befriends Adam. It runs from a friendship to more. But it's a difficult road...and an interesting one. Amy Irving and Peter Gallagher play Beth's parents, a subplot that impacts the story.


I think that Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne, as the leads, do terrific acting jobs. Hugh Dancy is adorable. And he's convincing. He's British and seems to have the American accent down pat. I really enjoyed this film.