Over at "From JA to YA............"

.........I'm taking at a look at The Dashwood Sisters' Secrets of Love by Rosie Rushton, the first book in her Jane Austen in the 21st Century series.

Celebrating Fenway Park: Ted and Me by Dan Gutman

2012 marks the 100th birthday of Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, and children's publishing is on the ball. There have been some lovely children's books published this year, focusing on the park and the team, and I plan to read and review them all!

I'm starting with Dan Gutman's Ted and Me, which is the eleventh volume in Gutman's Baseball Card Adventure series. The premise of the series is simple: Joe "Stosh" Stoshack is an every-boy with a remarkable gift; he can travel through time by touching old baseball cards. On his adventures he has met 10 famous ball players, including Honus Wagner, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and Satchel Paige. I have been campaigning for an adventure with Ted Williams almost since the day he died. And it seems that Mr. Gutman and I are of the same mind, because here, just in time for Fenway's 100th birthday, is the book. (Spoilers ahead!)

The best thing about the Baseball Card adventures is the spirit of fun in which they are written. The science involved is pretty vague, and the ease with which Stosh incorporates himself into the lives of the players he meets is suspect (I'm guessing we will never see "Ty and Me".) But who cares--it's a little boy meeting baseball legends! That's a formula that's hard to resist. However, the initial suspension of belief required at the start of Ted and Me is whopping. The FBI are aware of Stosh's ability, and they want him to travel back in time to warn FDR about the attack on Pearl Harbor. Stopping the attack on Pearl Harbor is a time-travel chestnut--one of the greatest "what-ifs" out there in speculative fiction, so it's not a bad starting point for a story about a boy meeting not just a great ballplayer, but a true American patriot as well (which, Williams, with his distinguished military career, was.) But the fact that the FBI don't want to commandeer Stosh and take him back to headquarters to run tests on him, or anything sinister like that, but instead simply send a polite agent to his house to talk with him and his mom about it--that's difficult to swallow.

But at this point, Gutman plays a great trick on the readers which derails the issue--he sends Stosh to the wrong Ted Williams. The FBI may have done their homework about Stosh's talent, but they don't know diddly about baseball cards. They give Stosh a Ted Williams card from 1952. Consequently, Stosh finds himself in the back of Williams' bomber as he's flying a mission over what is now North Korea.  Wrong war! Pearl Harbor is long gone, Roosevelt's been dead for 8 years, and--oh yeah--Williams' plane has been hit. Just before they crash land, Stosh gets himself back to his own time. It's a great scene, full of action and swears (which Gutman wisely replaces with "!@#$%") and a full-frontal, in your face introduction to Ted Williams and his larger than life personality.

When Stosh does connects with the correct Williams, the baseball finally takes over. It is September 27, 1941. Before Stosh can complete his Pearl Harbor mission there is the little matter of baseball history: the next day Ted Williams will go 6-8 in a double header against the Philadelphia Athletics. He will finish the year with a .406 batting average, a feat which has not been equaled to this day. Stosh is particularly careful not to interfere with that, especially since part two of his "warn about Pearl Harbor" plan is to convince Williams not to join the military so that he can reclaim the five years lost to active service and potentially improve his lifetime statistics.

I've said that Gutman never moralizes in these books, but that doesn't mean that he is not trying to reveal a greater point. When Stosh encounters these baseball greats, it's always the right person at the right time. He certainly learns lessons that he can apply to his current situation. In this case, Stosh and his little league team are fresh from defeat in the Little League World Series. Despite his thrill about being involved, the reader sees a hesitancy in Stosh. He feels that he has leveled off as a player, a .270 hitter with a decent arm. He's good enough, but will probably not get any better. He is so preoccupied with not messing up on TV, he turns down an offer to carry the team's American flag during the opening ceremony, and he is unhappy to be in the position to make the final out of the game. Rather than rising to any challenges, he settles back and accepts defeat. This is clearly the perfect time to meet Ted Williams, a man who never settled for being anything but the greatest at everything he put his hand to.

Ted Williams' number 9 was retired by the Red Sox

Ted Williams is not an easy character to recreate for children. For starters, there is the matter of his language. This is not a man who spoke in "gosh's" and "darn's." He swore. Prolifically. This points to the fact that if he is going to be central to one's book, he can't be watered down. Gutman rather humorously addresses this in his "Note to Readers", and then just gets on with it. Williams was a human of striking contradictions. For as gruff and brash as he was, he was also immensely generous with his money, his time, and his compassion. Gutman gets mega-kudos for mentioning Williams' work with the Jimmy Fund. But of course, how could he possibly write a book about Williams and not mention it? It is one of the many reasons he is legendary in the city of Boston.

All in all, as a reader and a Sox fan, I thoroughly enjoyed Ted and Me. I just have one complaint--Stosh never makes it to Fenway Park! History dictates that Williams set his record in Philly, so of course that it where Stosh lands. And then they head for Washington DC, to warn the president, a mission which is--obviously--not completed. I understand that the structure of the story sends them away from Boston instead of to it, but I was looking forward to Stosh checking out my ballpark. But, as Stosh himself admits, these trips through time never turn out as he plans, and for this reader, the same holds true.

Stosh started the story knowing very little about Ted Williams. But by the end, his understanding of the man's legacy is firm. Stosh has grown up during the steroid era, as have many of his readers. He sums everything up quite well as he is sitting in Shibe Park, watching what is a meaningless game of baseball, with no play-off implications--but huge historical ramifications.

"Over the next 70 years, I knew, Babe Ruth's home run records would fall. Lou Gehrig's consecutive game streak would be broken. Humans would go to the moon, invent rock and roll, and create the internet; and the world would change in so many ways.
But nobody would ever hit .400 again."

Reader, I despair: Jane Eyre as a board book?

After the glory yesterday of the ALA Youth Media Awards, in which we were reminded of all the quality that children's literature has to offer the world, it didn't take long to find a reminder that children's publishing at least really can be ridiculous. Last year I had a full-blown rant about plans to publish a series of board books based on great literary classics. Clearly my gnashing of teeth (and surely I wasn't the only one!) was not enough to put a stop to the plans; Little Miss Austen and Little Master Shakespeare have been joined by Little Master Carroll and Little Miss Bronte. Okay. Maybe....maybe....MAYBE....I could accept the idea of a board book version of Alice in Wonderland. In this case we are at least talking about a classic of children's literature. But a board book version of Jane Eyre? Really?! Here is the product description taken from the Baker and Taylor catalog I am currently staring at in amazement:

"Provides an introduction to a classic work of literature in a stylishly designed story for toddlers that also promotes early counting skills."

Do those early counting skills include Mr. Rochester counting his wives? How can a book with plot elements including bigamy, institutionalized child abuse, and locking the mentally ill in an attic EVER be considered suitable for toddlers? Even as an adaptation?! Clearly, it can't be. Which means that the board book really has no bearing on the original work and is not fit to carry the name "Jane Eyre". Stop the madness!

There are no words.

More Kiddielit love for Ted Williams

I've been obsessing about the amount of attention Ted Williams gets within the realm of children's literature. Must be all those pin-striped covers I've been forced to stock over the years. I was well pleased to read Fred Bowen's No Easy Way , and I thoroughly enjoyed The Unforgettable Season by Phil Bildner, even if Williams did have to share the book with Joe Dimaggio. Now, I can look forward to two more books recognizing the accomplishments of the Splendid Splinter, both as a ball player and as a man.

October sees the release of Soldier Athletes, the third installment in Glen Stout's highly readable "Good Sports" series (shameless plug--mine is the Booklist review beneath Baseball Heroes.) Four athletes are featured, so of course there is a profile about Ted Williams and his distinguished career as a pilot during both World War II and the Korean War.

Then there is There Goes Ted Williams: the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived by author and illustrator Matt Tavares. Tavares has already proven his Red Sox cred with Zachary's Ball, and his picture book biography Henry Aaron's Dream is not to be missed. There Goes Ted Williams looks to be really special. You can see get a peek at it here, but you'll have to wait until 2012 to get your hands on the book.

Last but not least, Dan Gutman is finally bringing Ted Williams into the Baseball Card Adventures fold with Ted and Me. And just in time for the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park. Now, I can't take credit for this, of course, but I did write that open letter to Dan Gutman all those years ago...... However it came about, Gutman's latest is a welcome addition.

SLJ's Battle of the Kids Books--place your bets now!

After weeks of guessing, and then watching favorites fall, the School Library Journal Battle of the Kids Books has its finalists. Kathi Appelt's Keeper, which has enjoyed a charmed journey through the rounds,  goes against the heavily favored Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud. Megan Whalen Turner's Conspiracy of Kings, back for a second chance as the Undead selection, is a fan favorite and could still run away with it all.

Is anyone else pleased to see two series books in the mix? Traditionally shunned at award time, (although, considering that The Hunger Games was the very first BoB champion in 2009, there is already precedent in this competition,) the inclusion of two series titles in this year's final is tres exciting and gratifying for fans of series fiction. I suppose RoS is technically a stand-alone with a connection to an established series, but that is a technicality I can over look for the purposes of my argument. Which is--two series books have made it to the end!

In an attempt to avoid a trifecta of failure (not having read any of the finalists for the third year running) I am currently reading Ring of Solomon. So when Richard Peck announces his winner in the Big Kahuna on Monday, I will at least have one horse in the mix.

My methodology is not very scientific, (since it is based entirely on my choosing to read one title over another,) but it stands: I'm betting on Bartimaeus.

Feline fun: Binky the Space Cat

For any cat lover who has suspected that their cat has a rich inner life--this is the series for you. Binky is a domestic shorthair who is a certified member of F.U.R.S.T. That's 'Felines of the Universe Ready for Space Travel' for the uninitiated--which is all of humanity, by the way. Living in his space station with Big Human, Little Human, and his mousie toy, Ted, Binky has a solemn duty to protect his humans from a constant onslaught of alien activity. Also known as too many insects in the house. But as a member of F.U.R.S.T, Binky also has an intense desire to travel the stars, despite the fact that he has never left the house. Can he possibly do both?

Okay. So this is a series written for children making the leap from early readers and early chapters to more advanced graphic novel storytelling. That being said, there is so much in these two books to delight, confound, and generally amuse, why restrict the fun to the 6-10 demographic?

It's not always clear if Binky is actually living these grand adventures or simply spicing up his day-to-day activities with a lively dose of imagination. For instance, Binky has a covered litter box which is clearly "bigger on the inside." And the ability of a cat to build a space ship is always up for debate. But younger readers won't sweat the details, and older readers will recognize how humorously odd cats can be in general, even if they are Earth bound. Binky's understated expressions and occasional bouts of gas (euphemistically referred to as "space gas") add much to the visual appeal of this book.

I wish I had read these books when I made my list of favorite kiddielit (should that be "kittylit"?) cat series. With a combination of silly humor, tender moments, and a hero that can not only travel through space but clean under his legs as well, this is a series to watch.

On my Reading Radar: Agent Q, or The Smell of Danger

I've made no secret of my fan girl admiration of M.T. Anderson, nor my love of the w00t!-worthy Pals in Peril series. So let's all give a big 'Huzzah!' for the return of Lily, Katie, and Jasper Dash in a brand new adventure, due for release in October. Now that the Enola Holmes series is finished, and Larklight seems content to remain a trilogy, "Pals in Peril" has sole possession of the top spot on my "Most Awesome Current Series" list.

Rave Review: The Case of the Gypsy Good-bye by Nancy Springer

With the popularity of series fiction at an all-time high for elementary and middle grade readers, I often will read the first title of any series that is popular or promising. Dipping my toe in this manner allows me the chance to booktalk the series with a reasonable amount of competency and enthusiasm. But  with some series, I'm in it for the long haul. The Enola Holmes Mysteries is one such series. Starting with The Case of the Missing Marquess, where we meet Enola for the first time, to this final volume (yes--final!) I have followed her attempts to stay two steps ahead of her older brothers (one of whom happens to be a guy named Sherlock) as well as discover any information about her mother, a free spirited Suffragette who vanished on Enola's fourteenth birthday and sporadically communicates through the personals of the London dailies.

Let's just start by saying that these mysteries are wildly unrealistic. However, I don't think they stretch belief any more than the original Sherlock Holmes mysteries, so it's a level playing field. The premise is fairly straightforward: Enola is the much younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes. When her mother disappears, the brothers decide that their sister--who has far too much of her mother's personality--needs to attend a proper finishing school to become a proper young lady. Unbeknownst to the brothers, their mother has left Enola a sizable amount of money, with which she scarpers off to London and sets herself up as the secretary of one Doctor Ragostin, a fictional Scientific Perditorain, who specializes in locating the lost. Working within these Remington Steele parameters, with a myriad of disguises, street-smarts, and wisdom beyind her years, Enola solves crimes and finds missing people, all the while waiting until she reaches the age of her majority and is legally free from the guardianship of her brothers.

For me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of these books has been their use of codes. Enola's name is itself a code--it is 'alone' spelled backwards, and it is a moniker which sometimes weighs heavy upon the girl. Flowers and fans were tools that Victorian women used to communicate, often beneath the radars of men. When Enola and her mother communicate through the papers they reference specific flowers to represent people and feelings. It is Sherlock's inability to grasp the nuance of this code which prevents him on at least one occasion of catching Enola, who easily spots his mistake.

The Case of the Gypsy Good-bye neatly pulls together all of the plot-lines which have been developed over the course of the books: Sherlock and Mycroft's attempts to locate Enola and send her to school, Enola's search for her mother and affirmation of whether her mother cared for her, Enola's quest for independence, and one final code to crack--the scytale which Lady Holmes has sent to her daughter. There is also a missing person to find: the unearthly beauty, Lady Blanchefleur del Campo has disappeared without a trace, and both Sherlock Holmes and "Doctor Ragostin" are trying to locate her. It is a mystery that requires a feminine touch, as Enola ably proves to her revered brother.

I am sorry to see the last of Enola Holmes. As Sherlock himself says, "I have become quite addicted to [her]." I have had great fun visiting her Victorian London, watching her outwit her brothers, and trying my hand at cracking the codes myself (always falling short, I might add.) This is a spin-off series that really worked.

On My Reading Radar--Alvin Ho: Allergic to Birthday Parties, Science Parties, and Other Man-Made Catastrophies

I know it's not even summer yet, but I'm already looking forward to the fall and the latest installment in the Alvin Ho series. Alvin in September is the best thing since back-to-school shopping. And not nearly as scary. (You can read more about this upcoming release here)

Blog Tour: Horrid Henry's Joke Book by Francesca Simon

This joke book, which proudly claims to be "too rude for parents," shows that Horrid Henry must, deep down, have the soul of an archivist. He has given his name--and a fair bit of dialogue--to a book of jokes which is not just gross and groan-worthy, but pretty well organized as well. These are not just random ha-ha's.

The reader is eased in with elementary school joke-telling staples of mummys, grubs, and underpants (Q: What do you get if you pull your underwear up to your neck? A: a chest of drawers,) before giving way to contributions from other characters in the series. Henry shows his--shall we say,--generous side, by allowing Dizzy Dave to include a section of completely tame dinosaur jokes (which only cost the hapless kid a dollar.) Next door neighbor Moody Margaret contributes Knock-knock jokes; Beefy Bert, who is characterized in the series by his trademark "I dunno" to every question posed to him, heads the section of how/what/why jokes. Aerobic Al's sports jokes offer a reprieve from the offense (ha-ha! Made that one up myself!) but then the attack on decency is back on with a chapter entitled, "Jokes not to tell Miss Battle-Axe". This section was my personal favorite, because it didn't so much contain jokes as a repertoire of smart-aleck remarks that any kid (except for Perfect Peter) would love to fling back at a teacher that was irritating them. Guaranteed to make the whole class laugh not at you, but with you, in admiration.

It wouldn't be a Horrid Henry book without Mum sticking her nose in and trying to force the inclusion of Perfect Peter. Despite Henry's best efforts and repeated threats that reading his little brother's jokes would be more vile than any joke already told, Peter gets in. As ever, though, Henry gets the last laugh. He has saved for the very end, "Jokes much too rude to tell Mom." And he's right! These jokes all of a scatalogical nature, are gross! They are his piece-de-resistance, and if it wasn't for the fact that Mom intervenes and whips the book away mid joke and sends Henry to his room, who knows what further horrors lay in store.

While I wouldn't say that Horrid Henry is anyone's national treasure, he continues to remain a breath of fresh air in children's literature, no matter how rancid his jokes are. Despite a few jokes early on that did not make a smooth translation from Britain to the United States, and might have readers scratching their heads and wondering when to laugh, this book has broad and obvious appeal. There are nods to the parent series here, but readers do not need to be familiar with Horrid Henry to enjoy the book. After all, it's full of jokes! And you can be sure that any readers who were not already aware of the Horrid Henry series will want to read it after their brief encounter with Henry here. Tony Ross' illustrations are scattered throughout, sometimes complementing a joke, sometimes showing Henry in action. They continue to bring to life this stinker of a child and the motley crew that makes up his circle of family and friends. Get this into the hands of any jokesters in your life. Then run for cover.

Note: This book was released in the US on April 1st--of course!--and reviewed from an Advanced Readers Copy sent to me by Sourcebooks Jaberwocky.

Scholastic goes goth

For tweenie readers who might be more inclined to combat boots than Uggs, Scholastic has introduced a new range of middle grade chicklit. We've seen the sparkly Candy Apple books. Now readers can sink their teeth into the Poison Apple books! I have to admit, my heart sang when I saw this in a recent publisher's catalog. I don't object to books like the Candy Apple books; they are popular for a reason. Their coloful covers, the ubiquitous subjects of boys and popularity and summer fun--and don't forget the glitter. What's not to love? They fly off our shelves. However......

Publishers feed girls a diet of princesses and pink from the moment they can reach for a book from their pushchairs. Maybe the Poison Apple series is just a cynical ploy to steer girls towards "alternative" books while still coralling them within the brand; Goosebumps meets the Beacon Street Girls. I don't know--I've yet to read one. Judging from the first title, this looks to be a series headed for horror. I suppose vampires are inevitable. But even if the Poison Apple books are just a waiting room for readers not yet ready for Lois Duncan or Caroline Cooney, I'm holding out the hope that it evolves into something slightly subversive and totally without glitter.

Horrid Henry Blog Tour

Following the success of this spring's initial Horrid Henry invasion (4 books, 16 stories of unrivaled mischief and bad behavior,) the elementary aged yobbo is back in Horrid Henry and the Scary Sitter and Horrid Henry's Underpants. Having already established that Horrid Henry is fairly irredeemable, author Francesca Simon and illustrator Tony Ross continue to play up Henry for all his comedic value. His parents continue to despair in the face of his behavior (although they get some sweet, if unintended, revenge in Horrid Henry Eats a Vegetable.) And little brother Perfect Peter is starting to develop as less perfect and more prim; he is not so perfect that he isn't above bickering with Horrid Henry and conniving to get his own way, as he does in Horrid Henry's Car Journey. But what readers want is Horrid Henry getting in and out of scrapes and providing a good laugh, and that is exactly what they get.

The stories fall into two categories: stories where Henry gets away with being just about the worst blighter imaginable, and stories where he gets his come-uppance. Kids will enjoy either variety. For me, the stand-out story from these two books is Horrid Henry's Thank You Letter. Nagged by his mother to write thank you letters for gifts he doesn't even like (as has already been witnessed in the underpants story,) Horrid Henry comes up with the brainstorm of starting a thank-you letter writing business. As has recently been seen in the "Wimpy Kid" books (remember the haunted house?), money making schemes in which the work ethic is less than ethical are doomed to failure. Not only are they doomed, but they are so spectacularly ill-advised that the reader has a hard time deciding what's funnier: watching the machinations as the plan is put into place, or awaiting the outcome. After a brisk uptake in customers, Henry's attempt to devise a suitable template for his "personal" thank you cards leads to:

"Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you/No Thank you for the

a) wonderful
b) horrible
c) disgusting

present. I really loved it/hated it. In fact, it is the best present/worst present I have ever received. I/ played with it/broke it/ate it/spent it/threw it in the garbage/ right away. Next time just send lots of money.

Best wishes/Worst wishes

You can imagine Henry's surprise and indignation when his unhappy customers are just about ready to tar and feather him after he's mailed out a bunch of those. And unfortunately for Henry, he sent the form letter as thanks for his own gifts, too.

Naughty children in literature, while perhaps a source of dismay for parents, have such obvious appeal for young readers. Like Rotten Ralph before him, who is endured--even adored--by the ever-patient Sara, there is never any threat that Horrid Henry's antics will lead to anything other than more opportunities to act out. And even when he comes up against someone as formidable as he is, such as Moody Margaret or Rabid Rebbecca, the scary sitter, the reader knows that Henry's vanquishing will be short lived and that he will soon be back in top, horrid form.

If you have want a chance to read a bit of Horrid Henry yourself, I have a copy of Horrid Henry and the Mummy's Curse (just in time for Halloween) to give away. This copy has been provided by Sourcebooks, the publishers of Horrid Henry in the United States. Just leave a comment and send an email to my profile, and you will be entered in the giveaway. The drawing will be held on 21 October 2009. Good luck!

So you've already read Wimpy Kid......

.....and it's still not October 12th, when Dog Days is due for release. While you're waiting for every one's favorite junior high diarist, let me introduce you to Julian Rodriguez. Julian is one seriously put-upon eight year old. In his first book, Trash Crisis on Earth, he not only has to take a test on an empty stomach, but then he is asked to take out the trash. Invasion of the Relatives involves enduring a Thanksgiving meal with the extended family: two nanas, two cousins, all revolting. Julian's trials and tribulations are dutifully reported to the Mother Ship (yes--did I mention that Julian survives his families demands by imagining he is an intergalactic First Officer?) from whence comes advice and encouragement and a semblance of reason, much like a digital Jimminy Cricket. The motif of Julian parading as an alien sleeper on Earth is played to the comic hilt with plenty of techno-babble tossed in to emphasize how the fantasy plays out in Julian's mind. For instance, his description of a ball, for the benefit of the Mother Ship, with which he must play catch with his cousins:

"...this ORB, how it tortures me! It is nothing but a cheap synthetic polymer formed in the shape of a sphere or a pointed egg, but the mini-brains worship it as though it had magical powers."

Or Julian's description of a Thanksgiving dinner:

"During this particular festival, the living quarters are festooned with natural debris. Groups of genetically linked mini-brains from different localities are invited to come and feast on hideous local specialties."

When you're eight, you can get away with that!

The book combines graphic elements with blocks of text and the impression that the reader is interacting directly with the Mother Ship through black pages representing a computer screen. There is a note at the back of the book describing the different types of fonts used; a lot of effort went into the visual effect of the book, and it shows. Stadler's angular style gives Julian an edgy appearance, while on his family it looks almost grotesque. Julian would not have it any other way!

It is easy to imagine that Julian Rodriguez might grow up to be Greg Heffley; his eye is as observant, his wit as razor-sharp, and his sense of taking-on-the-world just as finely honed. May they one day cross paths, if only on your To Be Read list.

Rave Review: Jasper Dash and the Flame Pits of Delaware

I've been waiting for this book to be published for what seems an awfully long time. As an enthusiastic fan of both Whales on Stilts and The Clue of the Linoleum Leiderhosen, knowing this book was in the works was sweet torture. Now that it's here, and I've read it, I sort of don't know what to make of it. For starters, what started as "M.T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales" has become "Pals in Perils," which to my way of reading consciously shifts the focus of the series away from Lily (the only one of the gang who is "ordinary",) to Jasper himself, the one old-fashioned enough to actually use the word "pal" in his day to day conversation.

But let me backtrack, for those who have not been following this series. Lily Gefelty, Katie Mulligan, and Jasper Dash are three friends who have shared an inordinate amount of crazy adventures. While Katie and Jasper are both stars of their own series of pulp adventure books (which allows author Anderson untold opportunity to lovingly poke fun at the genre,) Lily is just an ordinary girl distinguished mainly by floppy bangs and undying faith in her two friends. After fighting off an aquatic invasion in "Whales," and solving a mystery at a resort visited by other action series characters in "Leiderhosen," Lily, Katie, and Jasper investigate an art theft and the possible endangerment of a group of monks in "Flame Pits".

That's the straightforward plot summary. What it fails to relate is the sheer Sternsian ambition of this book. By focusing the story on Jasper Dash, star of a series that one suspects not many people are reading anymore, and the one character who even within this strange set-up has always seemed out of place, with his arcane expletives ("Saturn's rings!",) endorsement of a vile energy drink (Gargletine,) and technology worthy of Tom Swift, the absurdities to which Anderson can take this story are infinite. For starters, there is his description of Delaware as a mysterious land, which sounds more like Nepal than a Mid-Atlantic American state, although he manages to combine the two profiles with throw-away lines like:

"For one hundred years, Delaware has been cut off from the other states, isolated completely as a result of its overpriced and prohibitive interstate highway tolls. For one hundred years, almost no one has gone in or come out. Only the bravest of explorers have penetrated this exotic land."

Aside from playing with reality within the story--a reality which the characters themselves try to maintain (Katie is indignant at the suggestion of mountain ranges or dinosaurs in Delaware)--Anderson takes liberty with the format of the text, writing downwards to describe a great fall, or inserting pages from the seminal tourist book about Delaware: The There and Back Again Guide to Greater Delaware, which assures you, among other things, that any intrepid visitor will "catch very few of Delaware's disfiguring diseases." And always there is the narrator, who is not so much omniscient as chatty, sometimes diverting attention away from the action of the story with a self-conscious air of mischief and tongue so firmly lodged in cheek that it may never come out again. These playful stylistic touches made me think of experimental literature like Tristram Shandy or If on a Winter's Night a Traveller, where the act of reading the story is part of the story itself.

Allusions, of course, which will go flying straight over the heads of the 8 to 12 audience which this book is targeting. So where is the appeal? The appeal is in a mysterious original colony which is strangely lacking in vowels; or a vendor who chases our heroes for three days over a 15 cents debt; or a Stare-Eyes competition team with a coach who sounds like a sadistic hockey dad (or just the thought of a Stare-Eyes competition at all!) The appeal is in every crazy detail that Anderson crams into this smart, oh-so-clever book. While at times I thought the descriptions of the impossibly strange indigenous creatures of Delaware went on a bit too long, and the bickering between Jasper and Katie was sometimes more dull than droll, there is plenty of goofy fun and laugh-out loud moments (the face-off between the pacifist monks and the cliche-spouting Jersey gangsters is not to be missed) to carry the story. And the ending, where the ultra-square Jasper is heralded by Lily and Katie, is surprisingly touching. The moment doesn't last long, but it is a reminder that smart humor is never gratuitous. And M.T. Anderson has shown himself to be at his smartest when he is at his strangest.

An Open Letter to Dan Gutman

Dear Mr. Gutman,

As I sit here, with the sun setting on the 2009 baseball season, hanging around and waiting for the Red Sox to clinch a postseason berth (magic number currently stands at 6,) my mind is wandering (it's not a very interesting game.) I have been following the adventures of Joe Stoshack since Honus, straight through to Ray, with various degrees of interest. I keep coming back to the series because: 1) I love baseball and 2) I love time travel stories. So what I want to know is this--when will we be able to read Ted and Me?

Seriously, I think Stosh needs to have an adventure with The Splended Splinter, The Kid, The Greatest Hitter Ever (er....evah!) He needs to meet the player who holds one of the few untouchable records left standing in this post-steroid error. He needs to meet a man who was willing to interrupt his Hall of Fame career not once, but twice, in order to serve his country. More importantly Stosh needs to meet a Red Sox player! He needs to visit that lyric little bandbox known as Fenway Park and stand in the shadow of the Green Monster. He simply hasn't lived as a baseball fan otherwise.

One of the things I admire about your series is how you always attempt to represent the ballplayers honestly, warts and all. I challenge you to find a subject as marvelously flawed and complex as Ted Williams. (You could probably sneak in a fly-fishing scene too, if you were so inclined.) If you are looking for larger than life, they don't get much larger than Teddy Ballgame.

Fenway Park will be celebrating it's 100th birthday in 2012. If you start writing now, you could have Ted and Me ready in time!

I'm looking forward to Roberto.

Cheers,
Kara

New life for Finn Family Moomintroll?

According to a report in Publisher's Weekly, 2010 is the 65th anniversary of Tove Jansson's classic series about a family of sprites that look like adorable anime hippos, and there is a big marketing drive planned for the occassion. While Finn Family Moomintroll does not have the strong following in the States that it does in Europe and, particularly, Japan there is hope that the new campaign, which will introduce a line of adapted Moomin books for the pre-k set, will build a new generation of fans from the ground up.

I am usually skeptical about books of one reading level adapted for another. In fact, let's be honest--I generally hate them! I feel strongly that adapted books simply rob the reader of the full, satisfying experience of reading the book as it was written, when they are able to understand it. The seven year old who reads the "illustrated, adapted" version of Moby Dick will never take the time to sit down and read the proper version, because they will feel like they already know the book. And of course they don't. However......I love the Moomins. I want so much for the Moomins to find a following here (and I have tried like the dickens to get kids to read the books!) I first read them about a decade ago and was absolutely charmed. Since the Moomins have proven themselves adaptable-Tove Jansson herself wrote about their adventures both as a comic stip and then as a series of chapter books. So perhaps, in the right hands, with the original artwork intact, they can be made relevent to young listeners who will then want to revisit them when they can read the books themselves.

If you want to be one step ahead of this oncoming Finnish invasion, I suggest you go to your local library and check out the Moomintrolls for yourself. Then you'll be ready for any potential trips to Moomin World , the official Moomin theme park (should Disney World prove too cliche for a family vacation!)

Rave Review: Horrid Henry by Francisca Simon, illus. by Tony Ross

And you thought Junie B. Jones was naughty.....

"Henry was horrid. Everyone said so, even his mother."

So begins this new series by Francesca Simon. When I say "new" I mean new to the US; Henry has been a huge hit in the UK for many years. And after being subjected to the Rainbow Magic books--also from Britain--the playing field has been leveled with this series which will appeal to both boys and girls. Case in point: they have been flying off the shelf at work, and when my review copies arrived I pretty much had to wrestle my daughter for access to them.

The premise of the books is fairly straightforward; each volume contains four stories about Horrid Henry, his younger brother Perfect Peter, and their hand-wringing parents. The stories are funny, accessible and expertly illustrated by Tony Ross. Just in case Henry's actions weren't enough to convince a reader that he is indeed horrid, Ross has illustrated the point quite clearly, dressing Horrid Henry as a shaggy haired yobbo, while Perfect Peter seems to live in his school uniform. Just as it is nearly impossible to think of a Roald Dahl book without imagining a Quentin Blake illustration, so is Horrid Henry synonymous with the prolific Ross.

Author Francesca Simon has done an expert job of balancing within each book the moments when Henry truly is Horrid, with the times when he is simply a kid thwarted by adult expectations. This balancing act keeps Henry from becoming intolerable. A great example of this is in Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine. In the eponymous story Henry is playing imaginatively with a box and, for once, not causing any trouble. Things go awry when Peter, who has his own plans for the box, is able to win his mother's support by simply being the perfect child. Horrid Henry's revenge on his brother is creative, funny, and, in essence, harmless. But he wouldn't be Horrid Henry if his mom actually saw him as anything but horrid. And so the blame shifts to the mother, and Henry is free to be legitimately horrid in the follow-up story with the audience firmly on his side.

Perhaps the best thing about the Horrid Henry series is that it provides a subversive alternative to the goody-goody Magic Treehouse books, which have had a popularity stranglehold on this reading level for far too long. More Horrid Henry books are scheduled for release, just in time for summer reading.

Rave Review: Luke on the Loose by Harry Bliss

I have been a fan of the Toon Books from the very beginning. They have successfully tackled the formative but sometimes creatively-challenged Early Reader market-- with comics. And it makes such good sense! Favorites among their list so far have included Benny and Penny by Geoffrey Hayes and Stinky by Eleanor Davis. Now I must add Luke on the Loose by Harry Bliss. Young readers will recognize Bliss' from Diary of a Worm/Spider/Fly while parents will know him from The New Yorker. The story here is a simple one: little boy chases pigeons across NYC--madcap shenanigans ensue. But if you read the Author Bio at the end, you'll see that Harry Bliss himself, as a child, often considered life in New York as a comic panel. And that is what he has created for little Luke--one big comic in which he can run himself to exhaustion. Starting with the cover, in which Luke is looking at a comic book on the ground and wondering where the pigeons are, as if he can jump into those pages and look for them, this is a story meant to be told panel by panel.

But I have to confess, I love this book for the nerd factor--Captain Haddock is in it! And Olive Oyl! Even the Hulk manages to sneak in. At first I thought it was a coincidence--that Bliss' style suggested the similarity. But after a few more cameos, I knew he was purposely treating comic lovers. And it reinforced for me the idea that Luke was run amok in a comic world. Readers need not recognize the allusions to enjoy the visual humor; my daughter had no idea what I meant when I started yelling, "Olive Oyl! Olive Oyl!" but she embraced the pure thrill of the mayhem.

Librarians may fret about where to place Toon Books: is it an Early Reader? is it a Graphic Novel? But just so long as they are put somewhere visible so that kids can find them--you can't go wrong.

in favor of non-fiction

Because I tend to do most of my professional reading on-line--and more and more of it via Twitter, I might add--the corresponding print journals tend to pile up on my desk. So in an attempt to make some headway through those intimidating piles, I picked up a recent issue of Booklist (an April issue in fact, which is pretty good for me) and came across this article by Will Manley. First off, if you aren't a regular reader of Will Manley, you should make a point of becoming one--I liken him to Dave Barry for librarians. His connection with Booklist is only slightly longer than my library career, so I feel a kinship with him--that I have grown-up with him, if you......will (ha, ha.) But I digress.

Manley's article was about his recent discovery and joy in children's non-fiction. He goes on to highlight a particular series, but my main point is this--non-fiction needs more face time! As the mother of a reader who is partiularly keen on non-fiction, I get a sense of its worth on a regular basis. And, having recently reviewed a whole bunch of non-fiction series, I admittedly have NF on the brain. But one thing I have noticed is how audience savvy non-fiction books are becoming. They seem to understand that they can be beneficial not only for school reports, but also for hooking reluctant readers. You can do things in non-fiction books that you can't always do in fiction, like use exciting fonts and in-your-face photography, and cool layouts. And the best part is, it's all true stuff!

And while non-fiction has never gotten major literary props (although there is the Sibert Award) there are some real stars in the non-fiction world: Steve Jenkins, Gail Gibbons, Jim Arnosky, Seymour Simon, David Adler, Kathleen Krull, and many, many more. I also recommend checking out I.N.K. Interesting Non-Fiction for Kids, to read what some of these authors have to say for themselves.

Non-fiction--it's not just for homework!

Series Made Simple

School Library Journal has published it's second Series Made Simple Supplement. Aimed at facilitating the task of fording the streams of overwhelming series selections directed at Youth Services and School librarians everyday, the supplement is due to be released with the April issue of SLJ. But it is already on-line, and you can read it here. And in a blatant act of Shameless Self-Promotion (although, really, is it any more shameless than building an entire blog around my own opinion?) you can read my contribution to the supplement here.