Jen Robinson's Book Page

Gumballs: A Mr. and Mrs. Green Adventure: Keith Baker

Book: Gumballs: A Mr. and Mrs. Green Adventure (Green Light Readers, Level 2)
Author: Keith Baker
Pages: 32
Age Range: 6-9 (early reader)

Gumballs: A Mr. and Mrs. Green Adventure, is an early reader that tells a story, while also illustrating the concept of estimation.  All in a six-year-old-friendly package. Mr. and Mrs. Green are an alligator couple (also featured in several other early readers), distinguishable from one another by their different neck-wear.

In Gumballs, Mr. and Mrs. Green come across a contest to guess the number of gumballs in a jar. Mrs. Green takes a guess. But Mr. Green estimates based on the number of gumballs that he thinks would be in a cup, and the apparent size of the gumball jar. Incidental concepts illustrated thus include conversion (number of cups to a gallon) and multiplication. But the math doesn't really get in the way of the story. Readers will share in Mr. Green's delight in the contest, and the appreciation that both Greens have for gumballs.

Gumballs uses short sentences and frequent colorful illustrations, to keep the text accessible to new readers. For example:

"At home, Mr. Green stretched out for a nap.

Mrs. Green began to paint--
she was inspired by all the gumball colors.
While she painted..."

Small pictures show Mr. Green napping and Mrs. Green painting. There are a few trickier words, like "inspired", but I think that kids will be able to figure them out from the context of the story. 

Now, as a person with a fairly extensive math background, I found it a bit implausible that Mr. Green's estimation method was able to come up with exactly the correct number of gumballs. I am unable to stop myself from sharing this gripe with my daughter when we read the book. But she doesn't care. And my pleasure in finding an early reader that is about numbers and estimation outweighs this minor criticism. 

Baker's acrylic paint illustrations are bright and energetic. The gumballs lend a particular joie de vivre to the book. Mr. Green's dream of a gumball galaxy is especially appealing. 

All in all, Gumballs is an early reader that I am more than happy to read with my child (no small statement - many of them are tedious for adults). I look forward to seeing other books in the series. Recommended for home, school, or library purchase. 

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers (@HMHBooks) 
Publication Date: August 5, 2014
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

© 2014 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. This site is an Amazon and iBooks affiliate, and purchases made through affiliate links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

Superfab Saves the Day: Jean Leroy & Berengere Delaporte

Book: Superfab Saves the Day
Author: Jean Leroy
Illustrator: Bérengère Delaporte
Pages: 40
Age Range: 4-8

Superfab Saves the Day by Jean Leroy and Bérengère Delaporte is a kind of spoof of a superhero story. Superfab is a superhero who is obsessed with costumes. He spends so much time selecting the correct superhero outfit for each occasion that by the time he arrives, someone else has already saved the day. Eventually, people stop calling him. One day, however, a monster comes whom the other superheroes cannot defeat. Superfab manages to save the day because of, rather than in spite of, his fashion sense. 

This is a classic trope, of course, in which the hero is able to triumph precisely because of what had hitherto been seen as a liability. And you, the reader, may one day find that the things that make you unique are valuable, even if they don't seem so on the surface.

What I like about Superfab Saves the Day is the way it makes this point while quietly defying gender expectations. Superfab, a male, is determined to be "the best-dressed superhero". He triumphs because the gloves that he made himself are so "SUPER" that a big ugly monster call the Destroyer covets them. How validating for the young boy who cares about his appearance more than society might deem acceptable. And yet, this is conveyed straight up as Superfab's story, without that off-putting feel of some adult writer attempting to wedge some particular message into a child's head. Well done!

 Here's a snippet, to give you a feel for Leroy's writing style:

"Everyone got tired of Superfab always being late.
They called him less and less, and then they stopped calling him at all.

Superfab became super-sad."

I kind of want to read this aloud in a "Valley Girl" voice. "Super-sad." Superfab also has a "SUPER cellphone." 

Delaporte's illustrations have a hand-drawn, youthful look, rather as though a kid was creating his or her own superhero story. Superfab, in orange slipper and undies with hearts on them, is shown against minimalist backgrounds - the characters being dominant. His cluttered, shopping-bag filled living room quietly fleshes out his priorities. 

There's a gently subversive feel to Superfab that I think will please adults, while probably going right over the heads of young readers. This is a book to appreciate more on subsequent reads, as the details that build up Superfab's personality are reiterated. Recommended for anyone who would like to be able to save the day precisely because of the things that make him or her unique. 

Publisher: Owlkids Books (@OwldKids) 
Publication Date: August 12, 2014
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

© 2014 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. This site is an Amazon and iBooks affiliate, and purchases made through affiliate links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

Mr. Putter & Tabby Turn the Page: Cynthia Rylant and Arthur Howard

Book: Mr. Putter & Tabby Turn the Page
Author: Cynthia Rylant
Illustrator: Arthur Howard
Pages: 40
Age Range: 6-9 (early reader)

Mr. Putter & Tabby Turn the Page is the latest title in Cynthia Rylant and Arthur Howard's extensive series of early readers. The first book in this series, Mr. Putter & Tabby Pour the Tea, was published in 1994. My daughter and I were introduced to the series by a friend whose children read them several years ago. My four year old and I both quite enjoy the Mr. Putter & Tabby books. We have a few, and frequently bring others home from the library. They are the sort of early readers that are perfectly pleasant to read aloud (unlike some which are just too tedious for parents to enjoy). This is no small thing in my household, where reading "chapter books" together makes my daughter, who can only read a very words, feel grown up. 

In Mr. Putter & Tabby Turn the Page, we learn that the elderly Mr. Putter enjoys reading aloud to his cat, Tabby. When he sees a sign at the library asking people to "Read aloud with your pet at Story Time", he is, while a bit nervous, unable to resist. He become a bit more nervous, however, when his best friend, Mrs. Teaberry, signs up, too. Mr. Putter fears that Mrs. Teaberry's dog, Zeke, may get carried away. Zeke does indeed wander off in search of food in the middle of the Story Time, but it all turns out ok in the end. 

Things I love about this book:

• It's about Story Time at the library.
• It celebrates the fact that Mr. Putter and Tabby enjoy their quiet time at home reading together.
• It reinforces the very different nature of Mr. Putter and Mrs. Teaberry's personalities.

Here's my favorite part (to that third point): 

"After he signed up, Mr. Putter made a mistake.
Mr. Putter told his friend and neighbor
Mrs. Teaberry about signing up.
He forgot that Mrs. Teaberry loved anything new.
Anything.

She learned new hobbies.
She made new friends.
She cooked new food.
Mrs. Teaberry liked new."

This is accompanied by a picture of Mrs. Teaberry singing happily in a band called "The Zeekers", as well as one of a plate of "Cauliflower Cookies." These details are sufficient to entertain any reader, I think, and exactly highlight Mrs. Teaberry's personality. Another wonderful illustration shows Mrs. Teaberry reading to the kids, wearing a flower-bedecked baseball cap that says "I (heart) My Library", while Zeke howls (making the sound effects for the book). 

But the real heart of this book is Mr. Putter, tucked up in bed in striped pajamas, with Tabby on his head, reading a book. The Mr. Putter & Tabby books are timeless early readers with real personality. That's why they are still being published today, 20 years after the first book. Mr. Putter & Tabby Turn the Page is a wonderful new installment to a fine series. A must-purchase for libraries, and a welcome addition to any new reader's bookshelf. 

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers (@HMHBooks) 
Publication Date: November 4, 2014
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

© 2014 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. This site is an Amazon and iBooks affiliate, and purchases made through affiliate links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

The Infinite Sea: The Second Book of the 5th Wave: Rick Yancey

Book: The Infinite Sea: The Second Book of the 5th Wave
Author: Rick Yancey
Pages: 320
Age Range: 12 and up

The Infinite Sea is the second book in Rick Yancey's Fifth Wave series. The Infinite Sea begins a few days after the events of The Fifth Wave (STOP here if you have not read The Fifth Wave), as Cassie, Ben, and the remaining survivors from Ben's unit wait in a crumbling hotel to see if Evan Walker (human/alien hybrid) has survived the destruction of Camp Haven. Tough girl Ringer sets out on her own to assess some caves, where the team hopes to be able to hide and stay warm for winter. Given the bleak world of the Fifth Wave, it should come as no surprise to readers when danger and destruction find both parties.

The Infinite Sea is fast-paced and action-packed, set against a cold midwestern winter. A shocking prologue gives new insight into the depths to which the enemy will go to destroy the remaining humans. Answers to some of the questions left dangling at the end of the first book are gradually revealed, while others surface. A dangerous new enemy appears, as well as a potential love interest for Ringer. There are deaths, and there is one sexual interlude (though the details are decidedly vague, in a good way). The deaths are not as painful for readers as they might be, because Yancey's characterization is the tiniest bit thin, particularly for non-viewpoint characters. 

The Infinite Sea does suffer a little bit from middle book syndrome (is that a formal thing?). The premise isn't as exciting as it was in the first book, yet things also are not fully wrapped up. This is, to some extent, inevitable. I think that Yancey managed the pitfalls pretty well, including dropping one significant bombshell near the end of the book. and leaving readers with one happy surprise. 

I don't tend to flag as many passages when I read on Kindle as when I read in print, but here are a couple of highlights:

"It was simple. It was complex. It was savage; it was elegant. It was a dance; it was a war. It was finite and eternal. It was life." (Chapter 8, Ringer musing on chess)

"It's all connected. The Others understood that, understood it better than most of us. No hope without faith, no faith without hope, no love without trust, no trust without love. Remove one and the entire human house of cards collapses." (Chapter 12, Cassie)

"He abandoned any attempt at stealth and hit the highway, loping down the center of the road, a solitary figure under the immensity of a leaden sky. A murder of crows a thousand strong whipped an wheeled over him, heading north." (Chapter 27)

As these passages show, The Infinite Sea isn't all action. It's also a book that asks (though it doesn't always answer) profound questions. The questions are why I have been eager for Book 2 ever since finishing Book 1. I was not disappointed. 

The Infinite Sea is a book that you shouldn't start unless you have a clear chunk of time in which to utterly immerse yourself. And you certainly shouldn't start it unless you have read The Fifth Wave first. In fact, I listened to The Fifth Wave immediately prior to reading The Infinite Sea, so that all of the details would be fresh for me. I have no doubt that this contributed to my enjoyment of The Infinite Sea. I look forward to the final book. 

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (@PenguinTeen) 
Publication Date: September 16, 2014
Source of Book: Bought it on Kindle

© 2014 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. This site is an Amazon and iBooks affiliate, and purchases made through affiliate links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

Links I Shared on Twitter this Week: November 7

Here are highlights from the links that I shared on Twitter this week @JensBookPage. Topics featured this week include book lists, Halloween, Day of the Dead, diversity, cybils, growing bookworms, reading, publishing, picture book month, literacy, schools, kidlitosphere, advent calendars, and Skype.

Book Lists

A valuable resource from @SunlitPages | 9 Simple Books for the Emerging Reader http://ow.ly/DKEQL #GrowingBookworms

Another wonderful Tuesday Ten from @TesseractViews : Speculative Residences http://ow.ly/DT7ak #kidlit

PW's Best Children's Books of 2014 from @PublishersWkly http://ow.ly/DPvIX #kidlit #YALit

10 Picture Books For Siblings of New Babies selected by @mrskatiefitz http://ow.ly/DP06l #kidlit #BookList

New @100scopenotes analysis: The NYT Best Illustrated/Caldecott Overlap http://ow.ly/DKHrL #kidlit #PictureBooks

The latest Stacked Get Genrefied list focuses on #YALit in Translation http://ow.ly/DKH8U

(Our) Best Children's Books of the Year (Part 2) from @momandkiddo http://ow.ly/DKFmN #kidlit #PictureBooks

Some Favorite Books for Kids Age 3-4 from @growingbbb http://ow.ly/DKFbP #kidlit #literacy

Fun #BookList from Jean Little Library: RA RA READ: Interactive Picture Books http://ow.ly/DHgtT #kidlit

5 Picture Books for Dia de Los Muertos selected by @rosemondcates http://ow.ly/DE4ya #kidlit

Book list: @Scholastic Highlights Books that Celebrate The Day of the Dead! @LatinosInKidLit http://ow.ly/DE3QJ

Not SCARY Scary stories for kids, recommended by @alscblog http://ow.ly/DE3cp via @CynLeitichSmith

Ten Children's Books for Halloween selected by @EmmaBarnesWrite @AwfullyBigBlog http://ow.ly/DE4jY #kidlit

Morning links: List of lists edition from @bkshelvesofdoom w/ links to lots of #kidlit + #YAlit book lists http://ow.ly/DE3DE

Votes for Women: Seven YA books featuring the suffrage movement. @bkshelvesofdoom http://ow.ly/DWfZM  #yalit

Cybils

Today's featured #Cybils Review: Girls Like Us by Gail Giles, reviewed by @LMillerLachmann from The Pirate Tree http://ow.ly/DT4Mm

Today's #Cybils Featured Review is The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming, reviewed by Margo from The Fourth Muskateer http://ow.ly/DKRxR

Today's #Cybils Featured Review is Strange Sweet Song by Adi Rule, reviewed by @kimberlymarief from Stacked http://ow.ly/DE1oK

Coming this Friday at http://www.Cybils.com : Exclusive cover reveal of new book by #Cybils founder Anne Levy @zaftigbabe

Diversity

Thoughts on Moving Beyond the Magically (Dis)abled in #kidlit from Cammie McGovern @HornBook http://ow.ly/DT85w #WeNeedDiverseBooks

Looking to Move Beyond the 11%, responses to a recent @PublishersWkly survey show 89% of respondents white #diversity http://ow.ly/DP2Ha

Coming Out and Coming of Age: YA LGBTQ Books, list compiled by Alison Peters @bookriot http://ow.ly/DKQse via @catagator

Robin Talley’s Top 7 LGBT Characters of Color from YA | @bookswithacuppa via @catagator http://ow.ly/DKPcR

In her discussion of Horizon by Jenn Reese @semicolonblog muses on where #diversity intersects w/ speculative fiction http://ow.ly/DHhlD

10 Favorite LGBT Characters in MG and YA Literature, selected by @Jenna_Goodall http://ow.ly/DE2FA via @tashrow

Events, Programs and Research

News release: @tidybooks kids' bookcase company partners with global #literacy non-profit organization @litworldsays http://ow.ly/DPaXD

Delightful! 50 Paddington Bear sculptures unveiled in London | @GuardianBooks via @bkshelvesofdoom http://ow.ly/DKEqL

November is #PictureBookMonth | See: Why Picture Books Are Important by Aaron Becker, first in a series of posts http://ow.ly/DKDTt

Mary kicks off 30 Days of #Diverse Picture Books @SproutsBkshelf with Little Humans by Brandon Stanton http://ow.ly/DHhe3

Neat! Container of Hope: International Book Bank Ships 86,000 Books to Liberia | Carolyn Sun in @sljournal http://ow.ly/DWQAU 

Growing Bookworms

Let Them Catch You Reading, 10 suggestions for modeling the love of books to kids | @michaeljpryor via @librareanne http://ow.ly/DKvOi

Diversify Your Child's Library: 15 Must-Have Types of Books (e.g. a book that makes you laugh) per @Everead http://ow.ly/DP1fz #kidlit

The Book Chook: Guest post by Catherine Ross: 5 Apps to Help you Raise a Reader http://ow.ly/DKOIr #literacy

Advent Calendars for Little Bookworms from @cjfriess http://ow.ly/DKGwx #literacy

Kidlitosphere

Morning Notes: Awkward Illustrator Nickname Edition @100scopenotes includes Tweet o' the Week from ME re @KateMessner http://ow.ly/DT5eR

At A Year of Reading: @MaryLeeHahn + @frankisibberson are celebrating author @barbaraoconnor http://ow.ly/DHh5X

On Reading, Writing, and Publishing

For the Love of Reading | @TesseractViews responds in defense of kids reading what they enjoy, w/ list of faves http://ow.ly/DP41i

In this month's @HornBook Editorial Roger Sutton talks about the value that 3rd party publishing adds to books http://ow.ly/DE2lv

Some reasonable points here: Save the Book Publisher by @guan in Bloomberg View http://ow.ly/DWgiS  via @FuseEight

Schools and Libraries

The Skyping Renaissance | The current state of practice for Skype author visits from @KateMessner @sljournal http://ow.ly/DP7gV

Could (restoring) Recess Cure Our ADHD Epidemic? asks @StaceyLoscalzo | Seems to me it couldn't hurt http://ow.ly/DKG5u

© 2014 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 Story Starts Here: Caroline Merola

Book: The Story Starts Here!
Author: Caroline Merola
Pages: 36
Age Range: 3-7

The Story Starts Here! by Caroline Merola is a picture book about breaking the rules. We learn this when we pick up the book the way one normally would (spine to the left) and see a back cover instead of a front cover. It says, in big letters, "The Story Ends Here!". Smaller letters encourage the reader to turn the book around. Sure enough, starting from the back of the book (turned so that the spine is to the right), we begin Little Wolf's story. 

Little Wolf is feeling contrary, and is annoyed with his parents, who expect him to do things the conventional way. Sent to his room, he runs away. In the woods, however, he encounters a creature that appears scary. At least until he turns the book the other way around, and finds a familiar figure.

In interacting directly with the reader ("You! Flip the book upside down and turn the page. That page."), The Story Starts Here! takes a page from Herve Tullet's Press Here, and other recent titles. However, apart from a couple of interactions, this book focuses mainly on Little Wolf's story. 

Merola's textured illustrations use slightly abstract backgrounds, and keep the primary emphasis on Little Wolf, the most crisply rendered figure in the story. He has a mischievous look about him that matches well with the story.  

The Story Starts Here! is a light, fun picture book that I think will appeal to any preschooler who has ever chafed against doing things the regular way. I'm guessing that would be ... nearly all of them. Little Wolf wants to play the piano with his toes, and start a new pants-on-head fashion. His cry of: "I can't do anything around here!" will surely resonate. The rule-breaking format of the book, while a bit of a gimmick, will also appeal to kids. The Story Starts Here! would be a particularly good addition for libraries or classrooms serving preschoolers. 

Publisher: Owlkids Books (@OwlKids)
Publication Date: September 15, 2014
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

© 2014 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. This site is an Amazon and iBooks affiliate, and purchases made through affiliate links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

Growing Bookworms Newsletter: November 5

Today I will be sending out a 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. I currently send the newsletter out every two weeks.

Newsletter Update: In this issue I have seven book reviews (picture book through young adult), two posts with links that I shared on Twitter recently, and one post outlining some recent articles about growing bookworms (and containing a miniature literacy milestone from my daughter). 

Reading Update: In the last two weeks I completed three illustrated chapter books, threee young adult novels, and two adult mysteries. I read/listened to:

• Kallie George (ill. Alexandra Boiger): The Magical Animal Adoption Agency: Book 1: Clover's Luck. Disney-Hyperion. Early Chapter Book. Completed October 27, 2014, ARC. Review to come.
• Mac Barnett and Jory John (ill. Kevin Cornell): The Terrible Two. Amulet Books. Middle Grade. Completed October 28, 2014, ARC. Review to come.
• Bill Harley (ill. Adam Gustavson): Charlies Bumpers vs. the Squeaking Skull. Peachtree. Early Middle Grade. Completed October 28, 2014. My review.
• Maggie Stiefvater: The Raven Cycle #3: Blue Lily, Lily Blue. Scholastic. Young Adult. Completed October 23, 2014. My review,
• Rick Yancey: The Infinite Sea. Putnam Juvenile. Young Adult. Completed October 26, 2014, on Kindle. Review to come.
• Robin LaFevers: Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassin, Book 3). HMH Books for Young Readers. Completed November 4, 2014. Review to come.
• Rhys Bowen: Her Royal Spyness. Berkley Press. Adult Mystery. Completed October 24, 2014, on MP3. I listened to the first two books in this series, about a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria attempting to eke out a living, and solve mysteries, in 1930s London. I found them fairly light, and requiring quite a bit of suspension of disbelief, but enjoyable nonetheless. 
• Rhys Bowen: Her Royal Spyness: A Royal Pain. Berkley Press. Adult Mystery. Completed October 31, 2014, on MP3.

I'm reading The Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth (adult nonfiction about the use of rhetoric techniques in writing) and listening to The Secret Place by Tana French. I had listened a while back to the first book in French's Dublin Murder Squad series, and found it a bit too depressing. But I have continued hearing people rave about the series ever since, and about this title in particular, so I decided to give it a try. I am enjoying it so far. 

As always, you can see the list of books that we've been reading to Baby Bookworm here. I have also just started reading her The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes, which she refers to as a "grown-up book" and seems to be enjoying. 

Picture book titles she has particularly liked lately include Ninja Red Riding Hood by Corey Rosen, Brimsby's Hats by Andrew Prahin, The Gingerbread Man Loose on the Fire Truck by Laura Murray, Here Comes the Easter Cat by Deborah Underwood, and Naked! by Michael Ian Black. Most of these are titles that I picked up for the Cybils in Fiction Picture Books, Round 1. We've also continued to purchase new Berenstain Bears books and Scholastic Reading Club books. For Halloween, one of her several costumes (for various occasions) was Pinkagirl, from the Pinkalicious books. 

What are you and your family reading these days? Thanks for reading the newsletter, and for growing bookworms. 

© 2014 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 Misadventures of Sweetie Pie: Chris Van Allsburg

Book: The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
Pages: 32
Age Range: 4-8

The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie is, like Chris Van Allsburg's well-known titles Jumanji and The Polar Express (and others), a text-heavy picture book. But unlike the aforementioned titles, The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie is a mostly realistic, small-scale story, told from the perspective of a slightly grouchy hamster.

Sweetie Pie (so named by his first owner) is passed from child owner to child owner as kids initially play with him, and then become bored. He suffers humiliation (as shown in the cover image) and (mostly benign) neglect. He is eventually lost and found, and becomes a classroom pet. But it is in Sweetie Pie's last adventure that Vaan Allsburg introduces a touch of magic (following a near-death experience that may be sad for the youngest of readers). 

The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie is told from the hamster's limited third person perspective. Like this:

"One afternoon Sweetie Pie awoke to find that his cage had been moved. Something else rested in its place. Pigtails sat in front of it for hours at a time.

The girl didn't ignore him completely, though. Each morning she dropped extra-lage handfuls of food into his bowl."

The illustrations reveal that the "something else" is a computer, and that Sweetie Pie becomes fat and lazy, eating all that extra food. 

I think that The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie will inspire kids (some of them, anyway) to actually think about things from the perspective of their pets, and perhaps be a bit kinder. It's not so much that anyone is ever mean to Sweetie Pie, but he is certainly bored and lonely. (Only until near the end of the book, not to worry.) 

Van Allsburg's watercolor, pen and ink, and colored pencil illustrations are delightful. We see Sweetie Pie's grumpiness in some situations, and feel his fear when a barking dog knocks his cage to the ground. His annoyance when dressed in a pink doll dress is priceless. Despite having a lot of text, The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie in no way skimps on the illustrations, with at least one full-page picture on every page spread. The scale of the illustrations, some from Sweetie Pie's perspective, give the book a larger-than-life feel. 

I can't wait to share The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie with my four-year-old, though I think that the real sweet spot for this book will be with first and second graders. This would make a fabulous classroom read-aloud for that age group, but would also, I'm sure, be a welcome holiday gift for home use. The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie is strong on story and on illustration - a wonderful contribution to the world of fiction picture books. 

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers (@HMHBooks) 
Publication Date: November 4, 2014
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

© 2014 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. This site is an Amazon and iBooks affiliate, and purchases made through affiliate links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

Blue Lily, Lily Blue: Maggie Stiefvater

Book: Blue Lily, Lily Blue
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Pages: 400
Age Range: 12 and up

Blue Lily, Lily Blue is the third book in Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Cycle Quartet. Although I am a huge fan of Stiefvater's novels, I had a bit of a mixed reaction to this book. I adore Stiefvater's writing - her ability to come up with just the right turn of phrase. I flagged many passages of Blue Lily, Lily Blue. 

And yet... It took me three weeks to read this book, which is a very long time for me. Part of this was because I didn't take it with me when I went away for KidLitCon. But most of this was because I would fall asleep every night after reading just a few pages. Blue Lily, Lily Blue is a lovely character study, but the plotting is a bit slow-paced. Usually when this happens - when I am falling asleep repeatedly over a book, and thus not getting any reading done - I will abandon the book. I never considered abandoning Blue Lily, Lily Blue, because I did enjoy the characters and the writing quality, but I was, at least in part, relieved when I finally finished it. 

Anyway, Blue Lily, Lily Blue is the latest installment of Stiefvater's Raven Cycle, after The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves. (Spoilers here for books 1 and 2.) School is about to begin for Blue Sargent as well as for her friends from the nearby Aglionby private school. Blue's mother is missing, her mother's hit man boyfriend Mr. Gray is under threat from his former employer, and the chemistry between Blue and Richard Gansey III (aka Gansey) is building. Their friends Adam, Ronan and (ghost) Noah are fighting their own demons, literal and metaphorical.

The teens, with some assistance from Blue's relatives, Mr. Gray, and a Welsh professor with anxiety issues, seek to find Blue's mother, now tied to their quest to find the Welsh King, Glendower (whom they believe has been sleeping somewhere nearby for 600 years). Adam is channeling Cabeswater (a magical forest), and Ronan is bringing things from Cabeswater to life via his dreams, and struggling to better understand his gift. Blue, Gansey, Adam, and Ronan are closer than they've ever been, despite some romantic and interpersonal conflicts. 

There is a lot going on in Blue Lily, Lily Blue. And yet, Stiefvater takes her time, delving in detail into actions and motivations. She has constructed a odd world, the mystical overlapping and intertwining with the real, peopled with characters who are each extraordinary. I flagged many passages - here are a couple of favorites:

"The students kept coming in. Adam kept watching. He was good at this part, the observing of others. It was himself that he couldn't seem to study or understand. How he despised them, how he wanted to be them. How pointless to summer in Maine, how much he wanted to do it. How affected he found their speech, how he coveted their lazy monotones. He couldn't tell how all of these things could be equally true." (Page 80)

"She tossed the knife into the sink, where it would remain until it died. Piper was not much for housework. She had a very narrow skill set. She drifted toward the bedroom, on her way to have a bath or take a nap or start a war." (Page 87)

"Then she smiled as if the woman had already helped her. If there was one thing Blue had learned while being a waitress and dog walker and Maura Sargent's daughter, it was that people generally became the kind of person you expected them to be." (Page 107)

Despite the pacing being, for me, a bit slow, I do think that fans of Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Cycle will enjoy Blue Lily, Lily Blue. There are some intriguing revelations as Blue and her raven boys continue their quest to find Glendower. Every character (including those not quite human for one reason or another) stands out, crisply drawn against a dream-filled world. If you haven't read any of the books in the series yet, my advice would be to wait until all four books are available, and immerse yourself in the world of Aglionby and Glendower. But if, like me, you can't resist pulling Blue Lily, Lily Blue onto your lap the moment it arrives, well, enjoy!

Publisher: Scholastic (@Scholastic) 
Publication Date: October 21, 2014
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

© 2014 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. This site is an Amazon and iBooks affiliate, and purchases made through affiliate links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).