RIP IX: Twelve Minutes to Midnight and Shadows of the Silver Screen

I'm not entirely sure where I first heard of Christopher Edge's Penelope Tredwell books but when I was making my RIP list, I remembered them and decided to get the first two books from the library.

Twelve Minutes to Midnight introduces us to Penelope Tredwell, a young orphan who has inherited the running of a literary magazine, the Penny Dreadful, from her father. What was once a barely successful business has become an immensely popular publication due to the macabre stories written by Montgomery Flinch -- who is secretly Penelope herself. However, in the Victorian society she lives in, it would never be acceptable for a girl to be the author of these stories so she has created the Flinch persona, even going as far as hiring an actor to portray the author in public. When the Penny Dreadful and Flinch are contacted by the head of the Bedlam Asylum and asked to help solve a mystery, Penelope is the one secretly tasked with unmasking the villain.

In Shadows of the Silver Screen, Penelope has the chance to see one of Montgomery Flinch's (her) stories, The Daughter of Darkness, brought to life by a man who claims to have created the first motion picture camera to capture both color and sound. But what this camera actually captures is what Penelope must find out -- before it's too late.

I read these two books with just one other in between. I was excited to embark on another adventure with Penelope Tredwell so soon because these stories are truly terrifying. I thought they would be typical middle grade fantasy mysteries but they're really horror stories. Penelope's life is seriously in jeopardy more than once and the villains are terrible people, but not in a cartoony, Count Olaf sort of way. Luckily, Penelope is a strong character who is able to defeat these villains and the writing is such that you really feel her angst at being marginalized and ignored. I found myself rooting for her to get her due, even when I knew it wasn't likely.

The third book in the series, The Black Crow Conspiracy, has recently come out and I'm just waiting for my library system to get it (presumably after it is released in the U.S.).

Caught up by the dreadful,
K

The Dark is Rising Read-a-Thon

#ReadTDiR

Yesterday was the kick-off day for the The Dark is Rising 40th Anniversary Readathon run by Danny Whittaker to celebrate Susan Cooper's award-winning children's fantasy series. Details are on the blog and the Twitter account. There are over 100 people signed up to participate so far and it's not too late to join!

I'll be starting by reading The Grey King today since I'm still working my way through the sequence for the first time. I read the first two books (Over Sea, Under Stone and The Dark is Rising) in October 2012 for my 100 Chapter Books Project over at The Estella Society and I read the third book, Greenwitch, as an RIP read in October of this year. I can't wait to finish up the series now (this book and Silver on the Tree) to see where it all goes. It's a really smart and fun series with great protagonists and some seriously scary villains. If you're interested, now would be a good time to try it out!

Trusting in the Old Ones to prevail,
K

RIP Reads 2,3,4,5,6: Spooky Chapter Books Galore

I couldn't tell you why we so enjoy reading perilous chapter books during this season but it's definitely a pleasure that we find no guilt in. There's something about a spooky chapter book that is simple and frightening at the same time and these tales sometimes inspire more emotion than some of their complex adult counterparts.

Since this is our third year of reading an Eva Ibbotson ghost story during the RIP season, I think Z and I have firmly established a fall bedtime reading tradition. This time is was The Beasts of Clawstone Castle, a relatively recent book from 2006. It's the story of an elderly brother and sister who are trying to keep their family home (castle, really) from being bulldozed, their unique herd of white cattle from being displaced from their safe grazing grounds and the entire beautiful property from becoming a large tract of low-cost homes. Their young niece and nephew come to stay and come up with the idea that the only way to save the castle is to get a few terrible ghosts to come and turn the quiet home into a haunted abode to attract more tourist dollars. The plan seems to be working properly until some government-types come and tell them that the herd of cattle is infected with a highly contagious disease.

While full of ghosts and dastardly neighbors and castles, the most frightening and grotesque thing in this story was definitely the animal abuse. It is obvious what Ibbotson's feelings were about the handling of the British "mad cow" outbreak of 1996. But, while I think it's important to bring attention to the wanton disposal of living creatures, I'm not sure that an actual description of killing cattle with a bolt gun was necessarily a good choice for a children's book. Still, we really enjoyed this story and were once again enchanted by Ibbotson and her weaving of the modern world and all of its amenities with the ghosts of prior generations and a thread of social conscience.

On my own, I read another Ibbotson book, Which Witch?, during the read-a-thon. I decided that Z might not be completely interested in a marriage contest between witches, vying for the hand of a dark wizard. But after reading it, I can't see any reason why he wouldn't like it. It's an amusing story with lots of bizarre characters and some fun creatures.

In this book, Ibbotson has a lot of fun and doesn't really tackle any heavy issues (though there are a couple of dark magic scenes). I do wish that, as this book was published in 1979, I had found a copy of it in my childhood library. Unfortunately, my library was lacking when it came to British children's fiction (not surprising in a Los Angeles suburb in the 1980s). I do think I will try and get Z to read it sometime or maybe we can use it as our Ibbotson read next year. There are no ghosts in it but I'm sure I can get his attention with a baby kraken.

I finally picked up Greenwitch, the third book in Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series. By bringing together Simon, Jane and Barney from the first book and Will Stanton from the second, along with Uncle Merry and a trip back to the fishing town of Trewissick, this was a quick and exciting read about the fight between the forces of good and evil. I think I will read the final two books this winter.

I enjoyed a reread of Coraline during the read-a-thon as well. I had only read the story once before, slightly before the movie version was released in 2009. It was also my first Gaiman novel, read after working through the Fragile Things short story collection but before I was completely familiar and comfortable with Gaiman's prose. Reading this book again as a true fan was a much more meaningful and enjoyable experience. I adore this story. I love the movie as well but I still do wish it had been more faithful to the original.

Finally, Z and I read Roald Dahl's The Witches together but you're going to have to wait until Halloween to read our thoughts on it over at The Estella Society as it was also a Top 100 Chapter Books selection.

Enjoying another spook-filled season,
K and Z

RIP Read #14: The Dark is Rising (Book v. Movie)

Today is the Top 100 Chapter Books discussion for The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper over at The Estella Society so head on over there if you have read this book or any of the series. I would love to hear your thoughts on it!

Without any reservations, I thought this book (and the one before it in the series, Under Sea, Over Stone) were awesome. They're exciting adventures with real heft, history and consequence. So, I also decided to watch the recent film version of this, The Seeker: The Dark is Rising (2007), even though it had terrible reviews and fans of the book universally despised it.

I have to say, that as a film on its own, it wasn't awful. It was your standard Hollywood kid adventure film with a bit of goofiness (kind of like the recent Disney Jules Verne-based films) where the kid hero's hormones usually get the best of him. But as an interpretation of the book, it was absolutely dreadful. One critical blog post was called The Dark is Sinking. Here is a bit from it --

During filming in Bucharest, Romania there was a joke on The Dark is Rising set that only three things have been changed from the original 1973 novel: the nationality of lead character Will Stanton, changed from English to American; his age changed from 11 to 13; and everything else that happens in the story. A solo quest by an 11-year-old is no longer solo; family values have been deemed out of date — the happy, loving Stanton family rewritten dysfunctional; a series of five books bereft of a single love interest has been re-imagined with the lead character chasing the fairer sex, pleading in the trailer “I can't save the world! I don't even know how to talk to a girl!” Angered, disgusted fans are reporting little interest in their hero’s new, most ordinary of plights.

The title of the article in The Guardian was The Dark is Rising, so avoid it if you can where they complain about the removal of most of the pagan lore with no added explanation of why any of these mysterious things would then be happening in the world. And Susan Cooper's own interview with NPR (Author 'Uncertain' About 'Dark' Leap to Big Screen) is quite depressing when she attempts to defend Will's age and circumstances from the book against the screenwriter's complaints.

After watching the film, I have to completely agree with critics and book fans alike. Even from the very first moments of this film, you know it is not what it should/could have been. With cheesy effects, a total miscasting of most of the characters (except for Chris Eccleston as the super baddie who is creepy and intimidating but still, sadly, out of place) and a complete change of Will's temperament, this film lost the soul of Cooper's story. It also didn't make much sense to still have a villain on horseback when the setting was brought forward to modern times. And it was a WHITE horse! How can the villain be on a white horse? Not to mention that by stripping out the pagan signs and lore and turning Will into a savior completely undermined the point of the story. The fight between Light and Dark on earth is older than Christianity. That was one of Cooper's main themes.

Verdict: Blech. There's nothing really wrong with the film as a film so I don't want to say avoid it but the book is SO much better. It has meaning and integrity and depth. The film has none of those things. Eh, I'm going to say it. Read the book, avoid the film.

Depressed by Hollywood's lack of soul,
K

More Bedtime Tales With Z

I am amazed that Z and I are still reading together at bedtime! In fact, we read every single night or else he whines and complains, even after I've left the room. And, to be honest, I am loving almost every minute of it. Sometimes he's a bit squirrely and obviously still wound up from the day but he still doesn't want me to stop. Here are the last three books we read at bedtime --

I'm taking my time with this series because I think that some of the scenes are still a bit intense for Z (he's eight in just under a month). So, we finally picked up Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and he seemed to really like all of it except for the actual basilisk fight scene. I think there was a bit too much blood for him. And yet, when we finished, he immediately asked if we had Prisoner of Azkaban. I showed him that we did but told him that we might read a few other books first. I hope that the voices that I worked so hard to make consistent come back to me when we pick it up!

As I promised, I read Earwig and the Witch with Z as his first DWJ read and he really liked it! I'm itching to read another one of her books with him. I just have to decide which one would be best -- maybe Enchanted Glass or Castle in the Air. And, on second read, I felt even more that this was going to be the start of a series. If I was a writer, I might try my hand at the further adventures of Earwig!

The last book we finished was Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes. I had never read this one before so it was fun for me too. It's a collection of classic fairy tales--Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, etc.--told in verse form and with slight twists that make them have less-than-happy endings. I don't know that any of them were revolting per se but some of them were kind of funny. Others were just strange. Z and I both seemed to find it to be a hit-or-miss volume. But, we liked it enough to continue on with Roald Dahl and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as our next bedtime read.

Having a new adventure every night,
K and Z

DWJ March: Aunt Maria

Aunt Maria, from what I can figure, was the thirteenth Diana Wynne Jones books I read. I don't know why I didn't blog about it in 2009 but I did mention it in my Journey post during DWJ Week in 2010. Back then I said --

It was incredibly different in tone from any of the others I had read so far. At first, I wasn't sure if I liked it but over time the ideas have grown on me and I hope to read it again soon.

Well, it's been three years since I first read about the powerful and wily Aunt Maria (pronounced Ma-rye-ah) and the ideas have grown on me even more and I really enjoyed it this time through!

Mig (Naomi Margaret) and her brother Chris (Christian) Laker have gone with their mom to visit Aunt Maria in Cranbury-on-Sea. Maria is not actually related to them but rather is related to their father by marriage. But their father's car went over a cliff on his way to Cranbury and so now they feel obliged to pay a visit even though they always have a miserable time there. But will Aunt Maria's wheedling and "managing" drive them all crazy? And was that Mig and Chris' old car that they just saw in town -- the one that supposedly went off a cliff with their dad inside? And why are there twelve creepy old ladies that all flock around Aunt Maria and seem to know what is happening in the house without being told? This is a story of magic and the complicated relationships between men and women, adults and children.

What I liked most about this story was Mig -- a strong but cautious girl who is entirely believable. The family dynamics between the two siblings and their mother was familiar and really well written. I also liked the dysfunctional relationship between their parents. Mom and dad were in the process of getting a divorce when he died and so we don't see a grieving mother. We see a woman who doesn't know quite how to feel and who still holds some anger that her husband left her for another. I guess that's something that I like about Diana Wynne Jones in general. She wasn't afraid to put realistic relationships into her books and I think it's evidence that she held the intelligence of young readers in high regard.

I do wish that the magic of Cranbury had been explained and expanded a bit more. I'm still not entirely sure how it works and wouldn't have minded this book being about 20 pages longer. But I still really enjoyed this story on second read and will pick it up again sometime -- even though Maria's machinations give me goose flesh!

In the UK, the book is called Black Maria, a card game that most of us probably know as Hearts, where you try and avoid getting stuck with the costly queen of spades. And I included this cover art because, well, doesn't Mig look an awful lot like our own blogging friend Amanda? Well?

Chasing a wolf,
K

DWJ March: New Release: Earwig and the Witch

Earwig and the Witch is Diana Wynne Jones' last published book, released here in the US only a month ago. It's the story of Earwig, an orphan girl with a special power -- the power of persuasion. She always gets her way and is quite precocious because of it. But one day, a strange woman and man-looking-thing come and, despite her best (or worst) efforts, adopt her and she suddenly finds herself as a servant to a witch! With the help of Thomas, the witch's familiar, can Earwig learn magic and change her oppressive situation?

I was very surprised when I finally saw Earwig and the Witch on the bookstore shelf because it's such a short little story. It's possibly Diana Wynne Jones' youngest audience book and it's only 117 highly-illustrated pages long. I think it would certainly be appropriate for 7 or 8 year olds -- which I wouldn't say about many of her books! In fact, I think Z will love it and I hope to read it with him later this month.

I'm not sure if Diana meant for this to become a series, but it seems as if she did because there are a lot of hints and loose ends and mysterious revelations that aren't resolved. Still, this is a charming story and, for all of its brevity, Diana's writing really shines through. All of the characters practically come off the page. This is certainly helped by the illustrations from Caldecott winner Paul O. Zelinsky. They are all fun and perfectly placed. His drawings of the witch's workroom are especially disgusting and amusing!

And yet, I think I will also buy a copy of the UK version illustrated by Marion Lindsay (shown below) as it's in a completely different, but cute, style. I just can't resist the cute little spiders on the cover!

Hopefully persuading you to go buy this book,
K

Bedtime Stories: Movies, Milo and Magic

All of my best laid plans for spectacular posts about the books Z and I have been reading at bedtime have been put off too long and I have a large stack of review books here that just need to be gotten through. So, in lieu of something truly fun, you get this -- ::wink::

Three years ago, when Z was in preschool, I happened to read The Invention of Hugo Cabret and I loved it. Brian Selznick found a way to take something that many kids might find boring, the story of Georges Méliès, an automaton and the beginning of motion pictures, and make it truly fascinating and wonderful through words and drawings. Now, with the release of the film Hugo, I decided that it was time for Z and I to read the book together. He doesn't want to see any more movies in 3D so we'll be waiting for the dvd before we see the film -- but, we will definitely be waiting with anticipation because Z loved the book! Right after we finished reading it together, it happened to be Georges Méliès' 150th birthday (December 8) and Z was really excited to celebrate it. Recently, we enjoyed watching a small part of the newly colorized and scored A Trip to the Moon (Le voyage dans la lune), with a soundtrack by French electronic band Air. Not only is he interested in these original films but he is also enjoying learning a bit of French!

The next book we read was one that I loved when I first read it in the sixth grade -- The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. With this being the 50th anniversary of this amazing book, I was excited to experience it again through a fresh perspective. This was a fantastic choice and Z and I both loved reading it together! Between the word play and the adventures, I think we've found a book we can enjoy over and over through the years.

Finally, we chose a book that was new to both of us -- Half Magic by Edward Eager. Written in 1954, this is the first in a series of the adventures of children who come into contact with various magical items. Again, we had a fun time with this book and will look for more of Edward Eager's books. He has a certain way of writing that treats kids honestly and with faith in their abilities to take care of themselves. They aren't perfect and they make mistakes but they are also able to learn and have a bit of fun along the way.

So now we're keeping our perfect record intact by reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, another guaranteed good read.

Spending every night in the best places possible,
K and Z

New Release: Can You Survive?: Sherlock Holmes

You probably remember in November when I reviewed another book in the Can You Survive? series -- Jack London's The Call of the Wild. Well, now Ryan Jacobson and co-author Deb Mercier have tackled the world's greatest detective in Can You Survive?: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I liked this one just as much but for different reasons. I think it's a great vehicle for kids to learn about Victorian times and a fun intro to the methods and madness of Sherlock Holmes. Based off of a couple of classic Holmes tales, the young protagonist takes on the role of Holmes himself as he decides whether to take cases and what course of action to follow. It is through these choices that kids will unwittingly be learning about things like transportation and employment in Victorian times. So sneaky! Parents will want to choose the right time for their child to read this book, though, as one of the regular choices is which weapon one will take on a case. If you aren't ready for your little one to contemplate the pros and cons of knives versus guns versus clubs, you may want to hold this back for a couple of years. There's no real violence in the book though -- just the weaponry. Overall, this is shaping up to be a really fun and unique series!

Keeping one finger in the pages in case I make a bad choice,
K

New Release: The Orphan of Awkward Falls

If you remember, I was really amused by the title of Keith Graves' middle school novel, The Orphan of Awkward Falls, and I put it on my Chronicle Books "Happy Haulidays" list last month. Well, it was sitting right there on the "featured books" shelf of the library so I grabbed it. And while it has a fun idea and some interesting characters, overall I just didn't love it like I thought I would.

Situated in remotest Canada, Awkward Falls is a college/criminal asylum town just like any other. But when twelve year old Josephine and her parents arrive, they step right into a snowy hotbed of escaped lunatics, robot butlers, Frankenstein cats and so much more.

There were certainly elements of this book that I enjoyed. The relationship between Josephine and Thaddeus, the abandoned boy next door, was really interesting and sweet. The whole mad scientist plot was fun too. But overall, the writing was uneven and the dark, sketchy illustrations, though good on their own, were badly placed throughout the book and seemed like a badly-executed imitation of Brian Selznick. I don't know if my hopes were too high for this book or what but I found myself nitpicking as I was reading -- which is never a good sign.

Looking for a bit more,
K

Catching Up on Bedtime Reads

Things are a little crazy around here right now (as I'm sure they are for many of you)! I've started to feel a bit stressed about the growing pile of books that we haven't reviewed yet. Two of them are ones that Z and I enjoyed together at bedtime so I will quickly mention those today.

Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah and James Howe was one of my childhood favorites and I couldn't wait to share it with Z! The book was written in 1979 so it wasn't very old when I read it but luckily it has held up well and, not only did I have a great time reading it again but Z thought it was fun too. I loved the different cat and dog points of view and Z really liked the mystery surrounding the little bunny. I read the next two books in the series when I was a kid but I think there are four or five sequels now so we will have to work our way through them all. Luckily this isn't just a fall/Halloween series!

Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Eric Wight is one that we picked up at last year's book fair. I know Z looked at it a bunch but I wasn't sure that he had ever read the entire thing. This book is about 2/3 chapter book, 1/3 comic. When Frankie starts imagining an adventure, it comes to life in graphic detail. This was a really fun story with a nice "clean your room or else" message. We will definitely get the next two books in the series when they are available in paperback. And isn't Frankie just adorable?!

Right now we are finishing up The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I can't wait to share our thoughts with you on that one!

Looking toward our next reading adventure,
K and Z

Z Reviews: My Father's Dragon

Z and I read My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett together as a bedtime story a month or so ago. Here are his (brief) thoughts on the book!

---

The book is about a boy named Elmer Elevator. One rainy day, Elmer meets a cat that tells him about Wild Island. Elmer decides to go there so that he can rescue an abandoned baby dragon. Will Elmer get past the wild animals and rescue the dragon in time?

The Wild Island mouse messes up his quotes all the time! I thought it was funny. I enjoyed the book. There are other books: Elmer and the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland. I still don't have My Father's Dragon #2 yet.

---

This was a really fun book to read together. I personally liked doing voices for all of the different animals on the island. The plot moves along at a quick pace and I was impressed by how the story didn't seem very dated even though it's from 1948. It was a Newbery Honor Book in 1949. The original illustrations by Ruth Chrisman Gannet are beautiful and quite unique. I'm glad they haven't updated them at all! There was a 1997 anime film made from this story (Elmer no boken) but I don't think it's available in the States. Bummer.

Finding friends in unusual places,
K and Z

All Scholastic, All of the Time

Since I'm spending the next five days surrounded by Scholastic Books, I thought I would share this release with you. Maybe you have a book fair coming up soon and need to decide what to buy or maybe you are just starting to think about holiday gifts. This is a great starter list!

Making my book fair shopping list,
K

SCHOLASTIC PREDICTS THE HOTTEST NEW CHILDREN’S BOOKS OF THE 2011 HOLIDAY SEASON

Children’s Literacy Experts at Scholastic Book Clubs and Book Fairs Offer Recommendations to Help Holiday Shoppers

November 7, 2011 – Get ready for holiday shopping. The children’s book experts from Scholastic Book Clubs and Scholastic Book Fairs have just revealed their picks for what will be the most popular new children’s books for the 2011 holiday season. This go-to list features books for all ages from a variety of authors and publishers to help gift-givers pick the right books for the kids in their lives.

Some of the book picks include new releases and sequels for popular series, such as The Heroes of Olympus, Book Two: The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney, and The 39 Clues®: Cahills vs. Vespers Book 2: A King's Ransom by Jude Watson; others are tied to highly anticipated film releases such as War Horse, Hugo, and The Hunger Games, all of which are based on books.

“Parents, grandparents and educators all know the value of giving the gift of reading to kids, but we know they also struggle to compete with the hot new toy, electronic device or video on the market,” stated Francie Alexander, Chief Academic Officer at Scholastic. “This list was curated by the experts at Scholastic Book Clubs and Book Fairs to help shoppers identify the books that will be sure to delight a child as much as any other favorite gift.”

Scholastic’s Holiday Gift List for Kids:

Picture Books
10 Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin Jr., illustrated by Lois Ehlert (Simon & Schuster)
Can You See What I See? Toyland Express written and illustrated by Walter Wick (Scholastic)
If You Give a Dog a Donut by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond (HarperCollins)
The Man in the Moon written and illustrated by William Joyce (Simon & Schuster)
Pinkalicious: The Princess of Pink Treasury written and illustrated by Victoria Kann (HarperCollins)

Click here for full list

Transitional Readers and Chapter Books
Clementine and The Family Meeting by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Frazee (Disney Hyperion Books)
Fly Guy: Fly Guy vs. The Flyswatter! by Tedd Arnold (Scholastic)
Magic Tree House: Dogs in the Dead of Night by Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Salvatore Murdocca (Random House)
Rainbow Magic: Magical Holiday Boxed Set by Daisy Meadows (Scholastic)
Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers by Dav Pilkey, George Beard, and Harold Hutchins (Scholastic)

Click here for full list

Middle Grade Fiction
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney (Abrams)
The Heroes of Olympus, Book Two: The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion Books)
The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers Book 2: A King's Ransom by Jude Watson (Scholastic)
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo (Scholastic)
Wonderstruck written and illustrated by Brian Selznick (Scholastic)

Click here for full list

Young Adult Fiction
Crossed by Ally Condie (Penguin)
Inheritance by Christopher Paolini (Random House)
Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt (Clarion Books)
The Hunger Games Trilogy Boxed Set by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic)

Click here for full list

Nonfiction
How Cool Is This: An Up-close, Inside Look at How Things Work (DK Publishing)
The Hugo Movie Companion: A Behind the Scenes Look at How a Beloved Book Became a Major Motion Picture by Brian Selznick (Scholastic)
Lego Harry Potter: Building The Magical World (DK Publishing)
Lego Star Wars Character Encyclopedia (DK Publishing)
Ripley's Believe It or Not!: Special Edition 2012 (Scholastic)

Click here for full list

These books are available through Scholastic Book Clubs and Scholastic Book Fairs in schools and online at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs. When you purchase these or any other books through Book Clubs and Book Fairs you are helping out your child’s school. Teachers are awarded bonus points through Scholastic Book Clubs to purchase books and materials for their classrooms, and schools raise money through their Book Fairs to support the school community. If a title from Scholastic’s holiday gift list is not available through your child’s Scholastic Book Club or Scholastic Book Fair, check with your child’s teacher or visit a book retailer or library.

For the full list please visit http://oomscholasticblog.com/2011/11/we_predict.html.
For more information on Scholastic (SCHL), visit us at mediaroom.scholastic.com.

Last RIP Post: The Great Ghost Rescue

Z and I were reading The Great Ghost Rescue together at bedtime and we ended up finishing a day or two after Halloween. It was our first time reading Eva Ibbotson (and coincidentally, her first book, written in 1975). She was recommended to me because of my love of Diana Wynne Jones and I have to say that I found the same sort of intelligent fantasy that I hoped I would, though for a slightly younger reader.

One thing that I really like about Z is that he's not afraid to explore books from another country. This is a very British book and he had to frequently ask about things like kippers and kilts, Prime Ministers and MPs, and even Henry the Eighth. But, then again, it's quite a universal book about helping those less fortunate than you -- even if "those" happen to be ghosts!

Rick is a young boy at a boarding school who wakes up early one morning to find he is sharing his bed with a ghost. It's Humphrey, the youngest in a family of ghosts that have been driven from their home by developers who have turned it into a vacation resort. There are no longer damp cellars or broken windows or boggy marshes to haunt -- only modern plumbing and a game room. Rick decides that what the ghosts need is a sanctuary and his friend Barbara thinks that the only man who can help is the Prime Minister. So Rick sets off to London, picking up a few others along the way who are also seeking sanctuary. Rick can only hope that he's successful before the British Isles lose all of their fantastic ghosts (and other creepy creatures).

Z and I both loved this story. It was a bit scary and sad at times but that is to be expected in a ghost story. The plot was more complex than I expected with a seemingly pleasant resolution about two-thirds of the the way through the book that, alas, wasn't permanent. The characters were quite amazing too. Z's favorite was Humphrey's older brother, George the Screaming Skull. I rather liked Aunt Hortensia who had been beheaded by Henry VIII and whose head regularly travelled separately from her body.

We can't wait to read our next Ibbotson book together! We actually have a few here to choose from -- Which Witch?, The Secret of Platform 13, Dial-a-Ghost, Island of the Aunts and The Beasts of Clawstone Castle. We will have to savor each one as Ibbotson passed away just a year ago at the age of 85.

Setting out with a new friend,
K and Z

New Release: Can You Survive? Jack London's Call of the Wild

You might remember that I recently inherited a second edition copy of Jack London's Call of the Wild from my grandma. It wasn't a book I had ever read but it was a beautiful volume and I promised myself I would read it this year. When I was asked if I wanted to review this new book from Ryan Jacobson, I thought it was the perfect opportunity.

I grabbed my copy of Call and flipped through it and decided that it was a little loose in the binding and I was afraid of damaging it. So then I checked one of my many book apps on my iPhone and found a copy of it and started reading (my first full e-book read, by the way). I have never been so devastated, so heartbroken by a book and also loved it at the same time. Jack London's writing is nothing short of magical. Following Buck, the St. Bernard/retriever mix, through his abduction from California and delivery to Alaska to become a sled dog during the Gold Rush was a harrowing and awe-inspiring journey. I didn't expect to have such a meaningful reading experience with this book but I did.

Almost as soon as I put down the device at the end of the story, I picked up Can You Survive? Jack London's Call of the Wild: A Choose Your Path Book and I found myself nodding as I read because I thought that it really brought what made Buck special to light. As the reader (in the guise of a boy who is miraculously swept into the story as Buck) makes each choice in the story, it showcases what an amazing creature Buck was -- how he knew when to stand his ground, when to turn and run, and when he applied a lesson learned (always hard ones) in a way that made his life easier. Jacobson uses much of London's original text and I thought that it was edited together in a clear way -- providing the reader with a similar experience but having the necessary changes that come with this Choose Your Path format. The paths that are best not chosen (those that lead to The End sooner than later) have a melancholy feeling to them that I thought fit well with the tone of the original.

I think that the execution of this book was spot on and now I'm very curious about some of Jacobson's other Choose Your Path titles like Can You Survive? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I can only hope he's already thought of Poe or Jules Verne for his next one!

Hearing the call of the wild,
K

RIP Reads 7 & 8: Spellbinder and Midnight Gate

Helen Stringer's Spellbinder was an RIP read for me in 2009. I loved the middle grade novel of magic and suspense (read my review) and, though it was a fairly self-contained story, there were enough loose ends to suggest that Stringer hoped to make it a series. This year, the second book to feature Belladonna Johnson, The Midnight Gate, was published. Because I enjoyed the first book so much, I decided to re-read it before starting the second book. I even bought a hardcover copy of the book (my original copy was an ARC) to have in my permanent library. I chose the books for the read-a-thon and ended up spending an enjoyable (but suspense-filled) day with this amazingly resilient young lady.

Belladonna is anything but a typical twelve-year-old -- not because she is an orphan (sadly, that happens regularly to children) but because she still lives with her parents though they are now ghosts. She had started to see ghosts even before her parents died but it became an unexpected blessing when she faced the prospect of living without them. But along with this ability come other responsibilities that Belladonna soon realizes are hers as all of the ghosts of the world start disappearing. With the unexpected help of a classmate and a single remaining ghost girl, Belladonna must restore order to both the worlds of the living and the dead.

The Midnight Gate picks up two months later. Everything seems to be back to normal but soon the mean girl in school seeks revenge on Belladonna by exposing the fact that she appears to be living alone (as her parents are not visible to anyone else). Her new foster parents are suspiciously mild-mannered and it is soon obvious that they aren't all they seem. Again, Belladonna must take a break from her school work to save the world.

Though I spent almost an entire day in these stories, I didn't tire of them at all. In fact, I was sad again when the story ended. The characters are interesting and believable (even the ghostly ones), the villains are terrifying and the worlds are vivid and well-written. There is real peril in the story and true bravery and self-sacrifice.

I can only hope again that Feiwel and Friends continue to support Helen Stringer and the story of Belladonna Johnson! It probably won't hurt that MTV bought the rights to a pilot script for Spellbinder earlier this month (though right now I can only think of all of the ways that they could possibly ruin this empowering and ultimately positive story).

Under the spell,
K

RIP Read 4: Sally's Bones

Sally Simplesmith is a kid who just doesn't fit in. Her mom is dead, her dad is an absent-minded professor and she's the only one in the 6th grade that is into "death rock". She doesn't fit in and she's pretty much accepted it until a new girl comes to town and decides that Sally doesn't belong anywhere near her -- or any of the other kids at school. Sally is so distraught that she throws herself on her mother's grave and wishes for death. Her wish isn't interpreted quite the way she expects, though, and what she receives instead is a skeletal pup who loves her from almost the first moment they meet. Should Sally keep him secret? What does a dead dog eat? Is Bones the key to Sally's fitting in at school? Sally's Bones is written by MacKenzie Cadenhead and illustrated by the aptly-named T.S. Spookytooth.

Z and I started this book together as an RIP read but, after a few chapters, I ended up making a parental decision to choose something else for him and just finish reading this one on my own. The book is full of mellifluous alliterations and Sally and Bones' friendship is truly heartwarming. Cadenhead has also discovered a way to write different dog barks so that they come out perfectly believable when reading aloud! But there are also some rather bleak and disturbing descriptions of Sally's mother dying in a hospital bed after a lingering illness. There are some shockingly mean girls and Sally's depression is, well, depressing. This wasn't the book for my little second grader but I can absolutely see it being the right book for an older child (middle grade) who is dealing with some of the issues that Sally is. For a kid who has lost a parent, is a victim of bullies at school or maybe just feels like they don't fit in for whatever reason, Sally's story will be familiar and, hopefully, a ray of hope as it does have a happy ending. I'll be donating the book we received for review to Z's school in the hope that the right kid will pick it up at the right time.

Looking for friends in unexpected places,
K and Z

RIP Read 2: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Z and I have started bedtime reading together in earnest again after a few off-and-on episodes and we finished our third book on Wednesday night -- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. He had seen the movie a few times but I didn't feel like he ever really paid attention. He certainly wasn't very interested in the story or the characters. But, after our first two reads (book one and two of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series), I needed something that I would also enjoy reading and that had a good message and a strong story. I asked Z if we could read HP and he said sure.

He was excited about the book every night. We read about half a chapter at a time so we always had a bit of a cliffhanger or something to look forward to because of the chapter title. Every time I mentioned Harry's scar, Z leaned over and traced a lightning bolt on my forehead. When I said "muggle" he smiled and said "muggle, muggle, muggle". Once I had mentioned Nicholas Flamel, he asked me every night when we sat down "who is Nicholas Flamel anyway?" and I had to remind him again that we wouldn't find out until later. When the chapter called "Nicholas Flamel" finally arrived, he was ecstatic! He also thought Neville's toad, Trevor, was a hoot. Although, he won't believe me that Rubeus is Hagrid's first name. Z wants him to just be Hagrid. And Z also insists that Voldemort is a professor -- I think because he was attached to Professor Quirrell.

So, now we are sitting together, watching the film together again (along with the necessities, namely popcorn and gummy worms) and he is loving it. He remembers the book quite well and is noticing things that have been changed, like when McGonagall is calling names for the sorting hat. In the film, she calls them first name first. But in the book, they are called last name first. So when she says "Susan Bones", Z is over here saying "Bones, Susan". It's cute! He knows all the characters and even waits for certain things to happen -- like Harry seeing Quirrell in the Leaky Cauldron for the first time.

This was an awesome RIP read for both of us. I was a bit worried about spooky things like Nearly Headless Nick, Voldemort and the Forbidden Forest and scenes like the unicorn hunt and Harry finding out about his parents' death but Z did alright with them. His favorite holiday is Halloween after all! We'll definitely be reading more RIP-eligible books together through October. I pulled out our Halloween picture books but I really think he's craving something more substantial now so I bought a copy of Bunnicula and have some other choices from Eva Ibbotson and others to get us through.

Sharing the peril,
K and Z

New Release: The Flint Heart

The Flint Heart is a unique release because it's not actually Katherine Paterson (our current National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and author of the sob-inducing Bridge to Terabithia) & John Paterson's story. The original author was Eden Phillpotts, an early-20th century writer and poet who loved setting his stories in his home region of Dartmoor and who happened to be friends with Agatha Christie. This is an abridged version of his 1910 story, paired with the fantastic illustrations of John Rocco (illustrator for the Percy Jackson series and some beautiful picture books).

The titular "Flint Heart" is exactly what it sounds like -- a stone talisman that hardens the heart of the wearer. It was created in the Stone Age to help a soft-hearted man become chief of his tribe but, as is usually the case, it held more power than he bargained for and the man became a violent tyrant. The charm was buried with him, only to be dug out of a cairn by a kindly Victorian farmer. Soon after, the farmer, Billy Jago, also becomes an insufferable boor who mistreats his wife, children and neighbors. Billy's children, especially his son Charles, believe that their only chance of receiving help is from the local fairies and it is to them that they turn. And so, we follow the Flint Heart through many sets of hands (and paws) as it creates mischief in Dartmoor.

This was a fabulously Victorian tale. There are moors and fairies and all sorts of wonderful and fantastical details. One might balk a bit at the part where the children must impart their knowledge on another creature and, of course, the boy teaches math and history and the girl teaches needlework and poetry but, again, it's a late Victorian tale! The illustrations really enhance the book and I wish that my review copy had them in color like the gorgeous one here of a belligerent badger --

I would love to see more Victorian tales come back into fashion in such a brilliant way as this. This story was honest and heartwarming and I really just enjoyed reading it. I'm sure that Z will enjoy it as well (he already thumbed through it and was really into it) and it will definitely make a good bedtime story. There is also supposedly a film version in the works, produced by the Paterson's son. And, if you're interested, you can read the original tale online (which from a brief browse also seems utterly charming).

Remembering to have a good Point of View,

K

I'm Starting a Book Club! (But Not For You)

For the last couple of years, I've volunteered at the library at Z's school. It's a great way for me to spend time with the kids, help the incredibly overworked librarian and to hopefully steer a few students toward books they might love. It's even helping me decide whether to head back to school to get my MLIS or not. But this year, I have decided to step up and do more to promote reading at the school -- I'm reviving the PTA-sponsored Book Club!

My first decision was to make it available to students of all grades so, instead of choosing single books to read together, I've decided that we will read on a topic each time. I will publicize the topic and post a list of book suggestions and kids can choose their books on- or off-list. The younger kids can also be read to if they aren't ready for chapter books yet.

I've decided to start slowly and see how things go with just three meetings throughout the year. So, the next thing for me to do is something I'm hoping you want to help me with. I have decided the three topics -TIME -TRAVEL, ANIMALS and FOREIGN LANDS (anything with a mostly non-U.S. setting, real or imaginary)-- and need to start some book lists! I'm looking for books that span a range of genres and will appeal to both boys and girls (obviously). This will be a K-6 group but we also have an Elementary Advanced program at the school so the lists could include anything through younger-level YA books.

Can you help me out? Please leave a comment with a couple of book suggestions that fit under any of the three topics. I'll start the lists here with some of my favorites and update them with your suggestions. I would also appreciate any input if you have run an elementary school book club before.

Sharing the list making fun,
K


TIME TRAVEL
The Time Quake Trilogy by Linda Buckley-Archer (The Time Travelers, The Time Thief, The Time Quake)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Time at the Top by Edward Ormondroyd

ANIMALS
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Bunnicula by James Howe
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell
The Giraffe and The Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl
Flight of the Phoenix (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book 1) by R.L. LaFevers

FOREIGN LANDS
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The BFG by Roald Dahl
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Bloomability by Sharon Creech