Jen Robinson's Book Page

Growing Bookworms Newsletter: July 31

Today I will be sending out the new issue of the Growing Bookworms email newsletter. (If you would like to subscribe, you can find a sign-up form here.) The Growing Bookworms newsletter contains content from my blog focused on children's and young adult books and raising readers. There are 1723 subscribers. Generally, I send out the newsletter once every two to three weeks. 

Newsletter Update: In this issue I have five book reviews (four picture books/board books and one middle grade novel. I also have a post about summer reading (with a graphic from Read Aloud), a quick link to an interview that I did for Education.com, and a post with links that I recently shared on Twitter. 

Reading Update: In the past 2 weeks, I finished 1 novel for young adults and 3 adult mysteries. I'm reading more books published for adults these days because I'm dealing with some health issues, and am only able to spend limited time on the computer. (I don't want to read books that I'll want to review, if I won't be able to write the review for a while). Reviews will thus be a bit less frequent on my blog in the coming weeks. (I'm near the end of a backlog of pre-scheduled reviews.) But I hope to be back up to speed soon. 

• Ashley Elston: Rules for Disappearing. Disney Hyperion. Young Adult. Completed July 27, 2013, on Kindle. A quick, escapist read about a teen whose family is in the Witness Protection program. 
• Robert Galbraith: The Cuckoo's Calling. Mulholland Books. Adult Mystery. Completed July 18, 2013, on Kindle. I enjoyed this book, written by J.K. Rowling under a pseudonym, and hope that many more titles are published in the private eye series. 
• Craig Johnson: A Serpent's Tooth. Viking. Adult Mystery. Completed July 22, 2013, on Kindle. This is the most recent book in the Walt Longmire series, which I love. 
• Zoe Sharp: Riot Act (Charlie Fox, Book 2). Murderati Ink. Adult Mystery. Completed July 25, 2013, on Kindle. I'm enjoying this series, too.

I'm currenting reading the third Charlie Fox book by Zoe Sharp, and still listening to The Expats by Chris Pavone. Baby Bookworm is still obsessed with Fancy Nancy and the Little Critter books. She also read I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black and Debbie Ridpath Ohi, but she pronounced it "boring". I THINK this is a sign of a developing sense of humor. 

How about you? What have you and your kids been reading and enjoying? Thanks for reading the newsletter, and for growing bookworms. 

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.  You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Have You Been Reading Aloud This Summer?

As I mentioned earlier this month, I've been supporting Read Aloud's campaign to "Seize the Summer" by reading aloud to kids for at least 15 minutes every day. Read Aloud has been sharing messages like the one shown here on Facebook and Twitter throughout the month. 

Today's message is:

When Reading Aloud, Don't Foget To Point Out the Interesting Stuff. 

I think that's good advice. Reading with kids is about much more than just following along with the words on the page. Reading together at its best is an active, shared experience. Picture books are full of amusing details that never make it into the text, and/or complement the text. Books for older kids may or may not have pictures, but they are usually chock full of connections to real life. If all you do is read the text printed on the page, you miss out on many opportunities for strengthening bonds and making connections. 

But the bottom line is that if you Seize the Summer and find time to read with your child you will be giving your child long-term literacy benefits. You'll also be giving your child and yourself wonderful experiences to enjoy now and remember later. Summer is fading fast, but it's not too late to find time to Read Aloud. 

This post © 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

The Wonderful World of Fancy Nancy: Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser

Book: The Wonderful World of Fancy Nancy (4 book set)
Author: Jane O'Connor
Illustrator: Robin Preiss Glasser
Pages: ~30 each
Age Range: 3 to 8

My 3 year old daughter just wandered by and saw that I was looking at the Fancy Nancy website. She pointed to a picture and said "Oh! That's from my favorite book." And that's why I feel the need to write about this particular set of Fancy Nancy books. Because they have appeal for both children (girls, anyway) and parents. 

The Wonderful World of Fancy Nancy is a four-book set, including:

• Fancy Nancy: Poet Extraordinaire (in which Nancy's class at school learns about poetry, and all of the students write their own poems to read at Family Day. Nancy and her best friend, Bree, turn their clubhouse into a Palace of Poetry)
• Fancy Nancy: Aspiring Artist (in which Nancy spends her school vacation creating an art studio from her clubhouse, and emulates a different artist's style each day)
• Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire (in which Nancy and Bree start a club for exploring the outdoors, and build their clubhouse)
• Fancy Nancy: Ooh La La! It's Beauty Day (in which Nancy turns her clubhouse into a super-deluxe spa to celebrate her mother's birthday - this one is my least favorite of the set)

Although there are a number of Fancy Nancy books published for different reading stages, these appear to fall into the text-heavy category of books that are still meant to be read to children, like picture books, but that feel like chapter books. Like the Berenstain Bears and Little Critter books, but with more panache. They don't use the limited vocabulary of easy readers (quite the contrary, in fact), but they have chapter-like divisions, lists, and callouts. They take longer to read than most picture books. I'm having success with them with a three year old, but I suspect that the real sweet spot is more like 4-6, with kids slightly older than that reading on their own. 

Each of the four titles was originally published between 2009 and 2011. They remain available in hardcover, but this new set includes slim paperback editions. This makes them wonderful travel books. They are light, but dense. We read Aspiring Artist frequently over the course of our recent vacation, and never tired of it. 

Here are the things that I like about this series (and the books published for this age level in particular):

• The books are full of glitter and fancy clothes and dolls, but Nancy is also energetic and brave. She's realistic in her treatment of her younger sister (sometimes irritated, sometimes tolerant). She is fun. 
• Jane O'Connor delights in the use of advanced vocabulary words, making these books great for real-aloud to word-thirsty preschoolers. I find it a tiny bit annoying that Nancy generally has to add "That's fancy for ..." after she uses a big word, but my daughter doesn't seem to mind it. And I can always leave those out, or explain a word myself, if I feel like it.
• This set of books, at least, introduces nonfiction elements, while fully retaining Nancy's spirit of fun. In Aspiring Artist, Nancy learns about, and practices, the illustration styles of Degas, Monet, and others. In Poet Extraordinaire she learns about styles of poetry. In Explorer Extraordinaire she learns about ants and birds, trees and butterflies. 
• Family and friends play a role, albeit a small role, with Nancy's younger sister tagging along from time to time, and her mother and neighbor rendering rare, but key, assistance. I especially like the non-fancy mother, who knows to buy glitter pens when her daughter is "glum." These books are part of a whole universe of books about Nancy and her friends and relations - offering me plenty of opportunities to keep my child entertained, and make connections between books. 

So there you have it. Books that my daughter loves, about a character she can encounter again and again in other books (including some designed for her to read to herself when she's a little bit older). Books that introduce tons of strong vocabulary words, as well as various facts and ideas, while somehow managing to never feel lesson-y. All in a portable, travel-friendly format. I think it's safe to say that we'll be traveling with Nancy again before the summer is over. Recommended!

Publisher: Harper (@HarperChildrens) 
Publication Date: August 28, 2012
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

The Museum: Susan Verde & Peter H. Reynolds

Book: The Museum
Author: Susan Verde (@SusanVerde)
Illustrator: Peter H. Reynolds (@PeterHReynolds)
Pages: 32
Age Range: 3-7

In The Museum a young girl tours a museum and reacts in active ways to the art that inspires her. A painting of a dancer makes her pirouette. A painting that resembles Starry Night makes her twirl. She imitates the posture of a thinking sculpture, and the expression of a screaming man. At the end of the book, a blank canvas, together with what she's seen, inspires the girl to imagine creating her own art. 

Susan Verde's text comes as a series of rhyming couplets, all of which celebrate art, movement, and/or emotion. Like this:

"This one makes me
want to post
and stand up on
my tippy-toes.

Now I'm all twirly-whirly,
twinkly, sparkly, super swirly.

Whew!
Exhausted.

I take a breath.
I can't wait to see
what's next." 

The above is across two page spreads showing three different works of art. As you can see, Verde varies line lengths, but keeps to an overall consistent rhythm. Some of the examples are obvious, like the girl making faces at a Cubist type painting, while others are more creative (Calder-esque art evoking a fit of giggles), but all are apt. 

By themselves, some of the rhymes in The Museum might come across as a bit trite. But Peter H. Reynolds' illustrations bring the book to glorious, colorful, active life. Reynolds in an end note refers to his ""ish-ful" nods to famous works of art", which are quite successfully mixed in with his own original pieces. The background of the book is kept spare and white, so that all of the reader's attention can focus on the art and on the reactions of the girl.

It's fun as an adult reader to note resemblances to famous works of art (though I'm sure in my college days I would have recognized more). I think that kids will appreciate following the graceful movements of the girl, who leaps, twirls, and spins across the pages of the book. 

I also like how the cover of The Museum looks like a painting (particularly against a white background, as above). And I love the upbeat nature of the end of the book, when the girl is "energized" by what she's seen (or more accurately experienced) at the art museum. 

The Museum is pretty much the perfect book to read with your kids before a trip to an art museum. I think this is true even for older kids. It's also a book that might inspire any young, budding artist. A must-have for libraries, The Museum would make a great add-on to an art-themed birthday gift for any child. 

Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers (@AbramsKids)
Publication Date: March 12, 2013
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Interview I Did at Education.com

An interview that I did with Katherine Shields is now up at Education.com. Katherine and I discuss proud literacy moments, tips for encouraging both avid and dormant readers, and "the importance of creating a home for your child in literature." I hope that you'll take a few minutes to check it out!

Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen: Donna Gephart

Book: Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen
Author: Donna Gephart
Pages: 288
Age Range: 8 and up 

Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen is a middle grade novel about divorce, family, and trivia. Olivia (aka Livi) is a middle schooler who is obsessed with the game show Jeopardy!. But while Livi knows a lot of facts, she's fairly clueless about the motivations of people, particularly her absent father, her mother's boyfriend, and the boy next door, Tucker. Throughout the book, as Livi pursues her life-long (all 12 years) dream of being on Jeopardy! Kids Week, she gradually learns who is, and who isn't, in her corner. 

I must first comment on a couple of plot points. I love that the mother's live-in boyfriend is a good parent. This book is miles away from all of the books that stereotype the deadbeat live-in boyfriend who the children hate. Oh, Livi still hates Neil. But it becomes gradually clear to the reader (and eventually to Livi) that she's wrong. Bonus points for Neil being a librarian. 

I also like that Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen takes a realistic, but not scary, look at parental job loss, and the ways that this creates stress and hardship in a family.  

I like Olivia, too. She's a smart kid who doesn't fit in very well with the other kids at school, and mostly takes that in stride. She is utterly consumed by her passion for trivia. But she does gain a bit of insight throughout the book regarding her own self-absorption, slowly and believably. Here are a couple of snippets, to give you a feel for her voice:

"Mom gives my shoulders another squeeze and tilts her head toward Neil, which probably means Forgive my daughter's rudeness. Mom makes that gesture a lot." (Page 15)

"I take a spoonful of warm brownie and smile at the memory of those big, moldy-smelling books from Mom and Dad's shelf in their bedroom. I loved looking at the pictures, and the way the entries were arranged from "A" to "Z." Those books had what seemed like an endless supply of facts about everything from aardvarks to zydeco music." (Page 18)

I also found the occasional interactions conveyed between Olivia's younger brother and mother to be quite accurate in regards to talking with a preschooler. Like this:

"You'll make it," Charlie shouts from his bedroom.

"Charlie!" Mom yells.

"I'm in bed,"

"And be quiet," Mom calls.

"I am being quiet!" he screams.

Mom sighs.

Neil shakes his head, but smiles.

Neil's beginning to grow on me, and not in the way mold grows on a shower curtain." (Page 146)

Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen feels a bit like Odessa Again by Dana Reinhardt, which I just reviewed. Both feature a girl dealing with her parents' divorce, and her pesky younger brother, against a backdrop of something else. Although Olivia's "something else" isn't technically a fantasy (like Odessa's time-jumping), there is an element of wish fulfillment to the whole attempt to get on Jeopardy!. Both books are quick, engaging reads, suitable for younger middle grade readers, but with some emotional depth to them. 

There's plenty to love in Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen for kids who enjoy trivia, boys and girls. Livi's younger brother favors "gross trivia", and is constantly spouting out disgusting facts like the number of pores in one's armpits. Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen could be a good bridge book to draw kids who like reading fact books into reading fiction.  

Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen is fun stuff with heart, and well worth a read. Recommended for boys or girls, age 8 and up. 

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (@RandomHouseKids) 
Publication Date: March 13, 2012
Source of Book: Bought it on Kindle

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Two Taro Gomi Board Books

Bookw: Hide and Seek and Wiggle! 
Author: Taro Gomi
Pages: 22 each
Age Range: 1 - 3

Chronicle sent me two great board books for toddlers by Taro Gomi. Both directly engage kids, making the reading an active experience. The first, Hide and Seek, has animals playing hide and seek with common household objects. The left-hand page shows a small picture of the object and asks:

"Which (animal) hides (the object)?"

For example: "Which rooster hides a glove?"

The facing page shows two or more animals (increasing throughout the book), ending up with kids instead of animals on the last page, and a hidden object. In all cases, the object blends in quite well with the animal in question. For example, for "Which turtle hides a scooter?", a scooter's wheels protrude from beneath the shell of one of the turtles, in place of feet. It's quite subtle - kids will have to look twice to find it. Other examples are easier to spot, probably to reduce frustration in young readers. But Gomi still displays quite a bit of creativity in his choices (finding object / animal pairings that work). 

Hide and Seek can also function as a counting book, with children counting the number of animals on each page. Gomi's animals are not precisely realistic, particularly in their coloring, but they are recognizable and kid-friendly. The kids shown on the last page are all brown-skinned, making this an especially good choice for parents and librarians seeking books about non-white characters for the youngest readers. 

Hide and Seek invites kids to engage with the book by pointing out the objects, and counting the animals. Wiggle! begs interaction even more directly. Each page spread features an animal doing something characteristic. "The elephant swings her trunk." "The penguin pecks with his beak." And so on. But there's a dime-sized hole through the entire book (right where the robot's nose would be on the cover), and the defining attribute is left blank. It's clear that a child's finger, or fingers, is meant to poke through the hole, and act out the text. So, a finger becomes a swinging elephant's trunk, or a penguin's pecking beak. It's very fun. Even as an adult reading this by myself, I was unable to resist poking my fingers through. 

Although the text is minimal, Gomi uses strong verbs when he can, like: "The crocodile flashes his fangs." As in Hide and Seek, the animals are recognizable without being quite realistic, and colored in unexpected ways (a blue crocodile, for instance). The minimal detail in the illustrations should work for the very youngest of readers. 

Funny, educational, visually pleasing, and begging active interaction. These are two excellent board book choices for one to three year olds. Recommended!

Publisher:  Chronicle Books (@ChronicleKids)
Publication Date: July 23, 2013
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Links I Shared on Twitter this Week: July 19

Here are highlights from the links that I shared on Twitter over the past couple of weeks @JensBookPage.

Book Lists and Awards

Get Genrefied: Historical Fiction #yalit roundup at Stacked http://ow.ly/mBeck

Nice list of books to read aloud for families just starting to read together from 1000 Acre Woods http://ow.ly/mV7Tt #literacy

There are some good books on the http://Amazon.com : Best Children's Books of 2013 So Far lists (by age range) http://ow.ly/mV7zg

The Top 10 #kidlit Crying Books | @NerdyBookClub http://ow.ly/mUrQH

RT @RandomHouse: 15 Series to Read If You Enjoyed The Hunger Games: http://bit.ly/17TpmGy @BuzzFeed

Fun booklist dedicated to Growing A Detective from One Thousand Acre Woods blog http://ow.ly/mDFzp #kidlit

Diversity (or Not)

Sigh! Children’s Picture Books Retain Stubborn Stereotypes reports@pacificstand http://ow.ly/n6ADo via @PWKidsBookshelf #kidlit

RT @tashrow Kids’ Books Stay Stubbornly White, Even as Demographics Shift – Atlanta Black Star http://buff.ly/1aeQsI9 #kidlit

I really like this graphic from @firstbook (as shared by @msyingling) about diversity in #kidlit http://ow.ly/1Z1XFv

New Disability in #Kidlit Blog launching this month — @lizbhttp://ow.ly/mZ3SC

Growing Bookworms (and Summer Reading)

Thoughts on Summer Reading from an English teacher from @thereadingzone @NerdyBookClub http://ow.ly/mHv8A #kidlit #literacy

Ideas for finding time and space to read in the busyness of summer from Amy @literacylaunch http://ow.ly/1Z1Z1h #literacy

How books can help kids find their inner nerd @nerdybookclub http://ow.ly/1Z1ZrC

How to Read Aloud to Your Child from @CoffeeandCrayon http://ow.ly/mUR4K #literacy #summerreading

Interesting! Vocabulary Learning (lessons from my 2 year-old) - Growing Book by Book http://ow.ly/mV8fT #literacy

Free resource: Raising a Reader! How Comics & Graphic Novels Can Help Your Kids Love To Read! http://ow.ly/n3S28 via @bkshelvesofdoom

More Read Aloud Please @StaceyLoscalzo on how hard it can be to keep reading aloud, even for a #literacy advocate http://ow.ly/n3R6M

RT @ShannonMiller: How to Get Kids Hooked on Nonfiction Books This Summer from @MindShift http://ow.ly/mUtvS #tlchat #iowatl #vanmeter

New blogger Ali Posner has 3 posts w/ #summerreading tips. Start here: http://ow.ly/mV8ti | Raising Great Readers w/ Great Books

Let’s avoid the #summerslide – Summer reading tip #7: Read Aloud | Raising Great Readers with Great Books http://ow.ly/mZ6Lo @aliposner

RT @ReadAloud_org: Studies have shown that low-income students are particularly vulnerable to the summer slide. #readaloud pic.twitter.com/KobaAVjGOA

RT @ReadAloud_org: "Summer Learning Loss Study: Can 'Summer Slide' Be Prevented?" YES! Keep reading aloud every day! http://fb.me/1KVorxFWA

Great ideas for @readaloud_org's Seize the Summer campaign from @BooksBabiesBows http://ow.ly/mV7He #literacy

Top 10 Ways to Turn Your Classroom into a Hotbed of Enthusiastic Readers @megangreads + @muellerholly @NerdyBookClub http://ow.ly/mV8Ag

Ideas for enriching the learning of gifted children from @trevorhcairney http://ow.ly/1Z1YwN #Literacy

On Reading and Books

Stacked: Five Essential Elements for Great Audiobook Narration, with examples http://ow.ly/mUs4W #yalit

What Are Grown-Ups Afraid of in YA Books? asks @catagator @bookriothttp://ow.ly/n6AUb via @PWKidsBookshelf #yalit

Fun Infographic by Laura E. Kelly: What Reader Species are You? http://ow.ly/n3QvN via @bkshelvesofdoom

Thoughts on authors as inspiration in Fangirl by @donalynbooks @nerdybookclub http://ow.ly/1ZfgeG #kidlit

RT @tashrow Does E-Reading Change the Way You Read? http://buff.ly/1dnPPsP #ebooks #reading

Entertaining: The Mom From 'The Cat in the Hat' Finally Speaks @NYTimes http://ow.ly/mUuXI via @PWKidsBookshelf #kidlit

Programs and Research

Sigh! Modern life means children miss out on pleasures of reading a good book http://ow.ly/mUuCK @Guardian via @PWKidsBookshelf

Pew Study: Technology Aids Students’ Writing Skills Though Challenges Remain - @ShiftTheDigital http://ow.ly/n249P via @PWKidsBookshelf

Impressive long-term results of a Jamaican program that taught parenting skills to low-income families http://ow.ly/n3PPS @freakonomics

Publishers and eBooks

So glad to hear that the @Scholastic Summer Challenge has reached 100 Million Minutes Read already http://ow.ly/1Z1X7h #literacy

NPR’s All Things Considered on @Scholastic #literacy mission http://ow.ly/n1s39 @NPRBooks #kidlit

Fun! Zoe @playbythebook says @MacKidsBooks looking for people in UK/Ireland to break longest paper doll chain record http://ow.ly/n1pt9

RT @tashrow Apple Violated Antitrust Law By Conspiring To Raise eBook Prices, Judge Rules http://buff.ly/12rjjQz #ebooks

Do ebooks spell the death of the print textbook—and the 50-pound bookbag http://ow.ly/mUum2 @usatoday via @PWKidsBookshelf

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook.

Creepy Carrots!: Aaron Reynolds & Peter Brown

Book: Creepy Carrots!
Author: Aaron Reynolds
Illustrator: Peter Brown
Pages: 40
Age Range: 4 - 8

Creepy Carrots!, written by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Peter Brown, is a quirky, original picture book. I read it after it was shortlisted for the Cybils in Fiction Picture Books. It was later named a Caldecott Honor Book. To me, what stands out most about Creepy Carrots! is that it is FUN.   

 The premise of Creepy Carrots! is that young Jasper Rabbit happily eats carrots from Crackenhopper Field every day. Right up until the day he starts to imagine that the carrots are following him. As time passes, the "soft ... sinister ... tunktunktunk of carrots creeping" makes Jasper go a little bit crazy. Although much of the book is rather creepy, the ending will make kids (and their parents) laugh out loud. 

Creepy Carrots! is actually just creepy enough that, although I love it, I'm not going to share it with my three year old daughter until she is older. The last thing is I need is her having nightmares about carrots following her home, or hiding in her bedroom. And I certainly don't want her getting scared off from eating carrots. But I will save it for when she's a tiny bit older. 

It is a great read-aloud, full of interesting sounds and dramatic pauses. Like this:

"That night, as he was brushing his teeth...
there they were!

Jasper whipped around ... but nothing. He
laughed at himself, picked his toothbrush off
the floor, and went to bed ... quickly.

"There they were" above is in larger font, giving the adult reader an extra cue to emphasize those words. There's a nice, dry humor, too. Like later on, when Jasper thinks he sees the creepy carrots in his room, his dad tells him to go back to sleep. The text reads: "That wasn't going to happen." 

Brown's illustrations stick to a gray, black, and orange palette. This would be a good Halloween book. Only the carrots, or things that could be mistaken for the carrots, are shown in color. Brown makes excellent use of shadows. For instance, in Jasper's room, a huge shadow on the wall lurks behind an otherwise small carrot. Jasper is shown wide-eyed and frightened throughout most of the book, but is gleeful near the end, when he comes up with a plan to fight back. The illustrations match the text well in tone.

Creepy Carrots! is a humorous, unusual picture book, one that lends itself well to read-aloud, and that kids will find deliciously creepy. Recommended for kids old enough to find the idea of walking, sneaking carrots funny, and who won't be frightened by the idea of things that go tunktunktunk in the night. Highly recommended. 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (@SimonKids)
Publication Date: August 21, 2012
Source of Book: Purchased for Round 2 in Fiction Picture Books for Cybils

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Growing Bookworms Newsletter: July 17

Today I will be sending out the new issue of the Growing Bookworms email newsletter. (If you would like to subscribe, you can find a sign-up form here.) The Growing Bookworms newsletter contains content from my blog focused on children's and young adult books and raising readers. There are 1714 subscribers. Generally, I send out the newsletter once every two weeks. 

Newsletter Update: In this issue I have six book reviews (four picture books, one middle grade novel, and one young adult novel). I also have a post about summer reading (with a graphic from Read Aloud), a quick post documenting one of Baby Bookworm's literacy milestones, and a link to a list of recommended middle grade books that I shared at GreenBeanTeenQueen blog. 

I haven't rounded up any of my Twitter links for the past couple of weeks, due to a combination of the July 4th holiday and illness, but I will be catching up on that this week. 

Reading Update: In the past 2 weeks, I finished 1 novel for middle grade readers, 2 novels for young adults, 1 adult mystery, and 2 adult nonfiction titles. Not bad, considering that there was a week in there that I couldn't read at all (hell for a bookworm, to be in bed but too sick to read). Anyway, I read: 

• J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1). Scholastic. Middle Grade. Completed July 11, 2013. This was obviously a re-read. It was all I had energy for when I was sick. 
• Dianne K. Salerni: The Caged Graves. Clarion. Young Adult. Completed July 2, 2013. Review to come.
• Cassandra Clare: Clockwork Princess (Infernal Devices). Margaret K. McElderry Books. Young Adult. Completed July 10, 2013, on MP3.
• Zoe Sharp: Killer Instinct (Charlie Fox, Book 1). Murderati Ink. Adult Mystery. Completed July 12, 2013, on Kindle. This is the first book that I've read in a new-to-me series, and definitely won't be the last.
• Lauren Sandler: One and Only: The Freedom of Having an Only Child, and the Joy of Being One. Simon & Schuster. Adult Nonfiction. Completed July 15, 2013.
• Peter Gray: Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. Basic Books. Adult Nonfiction. Completed July 16, 2013.

I'm currenting reading The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling, in case you haven't heard). I am enjoying it so far. It's a straight up private eye novel, a genre that I enjoy, with strong characterization and sense of place. I had to get it on Kindle, because it's out of stock. I'm listening to The Expats by Chris Pavone. It's interesting, but I'm finding the time jumps a bit hard to follow in the audio version - I think print would be easier. 

Baby Bookworm is still listening to a wide range of books, from board books to early readers. She's also started asking me what the books that I'm reading are about, which I take as a sign of her own literacy development. (Not to mention validation of my personal policy of reading in front of her whenever I can.) She can now spell three words: her own name, a close friend's name, and "Moo" (with thanks to Baby Says "Moo!" by JoAnn Early Macken & David Walker). We tried to extend from "Moo" to "Moon" but she wasn't quite ready for that :-). 

How about you? What have you and your kids been reading and enjoying? Thanks for reading the newsletter, and for growing bookworms. Wishing you lots of relaxing summer reading. 

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.  You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

My "So You Want to Read Middle Grade" Post Is Up at GreenBeanTeenQueen Blog

As I mentioned previously, the "So You Want to Read YA" series at Stacked inspired Sarah at GreenBeanTeenQueen blog to start a similar "So You Want to Read Middle Grade" series. Sarah kindly asked me to participate, and my post is up today. My baker's dozen of recommendations ranges from The Giver to The Penderwicks, with lots of great middle grade reads for kids and adults (male and female) in between. 

If you are interested in middle grade literature, I hope that you'll check out the post. You can also find other entries from Abby Johnson (Abby the Librarian), Jana from Milk and Cookies, and Holly Schindler, with lots more to come.

Happy reading!

North of Nowhere: Liz Kessler

Book: North of Nowhere
Author: Liz Kessler
Pages: 272
Age Range: 9 and up 

North of Nowhere is a new standalone middle grade novel by Liz Kessler, author of the Emily Windsnap series (which I've heard good things about, but never read). 13-year-old Mia's 8th grade spring break plans crash and burn when her grandfather disappears from his home. Mia has to accompany her worried mother to the tiny seaside town of Porthaven, where there's no cell phone service or Internet, to help Mia's grandmother.

Things get more interesting when Mia starts exchanging notes with a girl her own age in diary left in a boat regularly tied up at an old pier. Dee lives on an island two miles away in the harbor. Mia's plans to meet up with Dee never quite work out, however, and when a boy named Peter disappears, Mia realizes that something strange is going on. I won't say more, because the fun of North of Nowhere lies in figuring out what's happening. 

North of Nowhere is a nice mix of suspense and family relationships. The plot is complex, full of threads that don't all tie together until the very end of the book. It's a great book to read in sections before going to sleep at night, so that you can think about what might be going on. Letters exchanged between Dee and Mia (rendered even in the ARC in different fonts) serve to break up the text, and help make North of Nowhere a quick read. 

Mia (real name Amelia) has an authentic teen girl voice, a bit self-absorbed, but funny. Like this:

"Amelia, darling," she called from the kitchen. "Before you go out, I'd like to ruthlessly destroy your life by taking you to the middle of nowhere, where you'll die a slow death from boredom, loneliness, and a general lack of anything that makes life worth living."

OK, to be fair, those weren't her precise words. What she actually said was, "Amelia, pack a bag. We're going to your gran's."

Which amounted to the same thing."

Or this:

"For once, I was up and dressed before Mom called me. She knocked softly and poked her head around the door.

"Good grief," she said, looking at her watch. "Has my watch stopped? Or am I still asleep and dreaming?"

Yes, ha-ha, Mom. Very funny." (Chapter Four)

Though North of Nowhere is set in the UK, there's little to make it inaccessible to young readers in the US. Parents may need to explain that pubs in the UK are community meeting places, more so than here in the US, and that it's not weird for Mia to be helping out in the one that her grandparents own. But Mia's attachment to her phone and desire for Internet access are universal. 

I thought that another girl introduced mid-way through the book wasn't as well developed as Mia, but I quite liked Peter. I also enjoyed the small town, seaside setting - I could practically smell the fish market. But what I liked most about North of Nowhere was mulling over the plot. 

North of Nowhere is sure to please young readers who enjoy putting together the pieces of a mystery, boys or girls. The cover is gorgeous (and boy-friendly), too. Recommended!

Publisher: Candlewick (@Candlewick)
Publication Date: August 6, 2013
Source of Book: Advance review copy from the publisher

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© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook.