We all know how much Leah loves Diary of a Wimpy Kid. She has now decided that she is Rodrick and we are to call her Rodrick. Every time she sees a white van, she says "A LODED DIPER VAN!"
We even had to make her this shirt:
July 4, 2011
Book Talk Tuesday Summer Tour
This is the last week of The Book Talk Tuesday Summer Tour! Next week, it will be coming home to me. This week, Sarah over at PageinTraining is so kindly hosting Book Talk Tuesday- even though it is The Fourth of July here in the US. Thank you, Sarah for finding time in your day to get this post up! Please stop by her fantastic blog and take a look around- and be sure to post a review!
Kelly
July 3, 2011
Book Talk: Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
(August 2011).
Picture if you will a newborn baby boy placed in a basket and left to sail the ocean alone. When he is finally rescued by sailors his eyes have been pecked out by a raven. The sailors kill the raven and turn the baby over to the local authorities. The baby is given a name- Peter Nimble-and nothing else, and sent into the world to fend for himself. He lives for a time with a mama cat and her kittens, until they are discovered and thrown into the ocean in a burlap bag to drown. Peter manages to untie the bag and make it to safety. Having nobody to care for him, Peter learns to survive on his own. Although he is an infant- and a blind infant at that- he starts his career as a thief. By the age of 3, Peter had become a true menace to society. His talents were discovered by Mr. Seamus- a beggarmonger (a man who trains orphans to beg and steal and turn their booty over to him in exchange for "food" and "shelter"). Mr. Seamus always wanted to become a thief- but he was too clumsy to follow his dream. When he met Peter, he decided to sell off his other beggars and train Peter to become an expert thief. In fact, Peter became an expert at picking locks because Mr. Seamus locked all of Peter's meals inside an old sea chest- if he wanted to eat, he had to pick the lock.
When a mysterious haberdasher (a man who sells men's hats and ties and such) comes to town, Peter's skills as a thief are put to the test. The boy steals a box of magical eyes from the haberdasher. The first time he touches the eyes, he knows that he must try them. He puts in the eyes and is instantly transported to a mysterious land. As it turns out, Peter had been summoned to help save The Vanished Kingdom. Using the fantastic eyes, he must set out on a fantastical quest where he befriends a part man, part kitten part horse creature, meets a dogfish bigger than a whale and gets stranded in the desert. I can't give away much more, because it will ruin the story for you- and you know I won't do that! But, I will tell you that you will read about swashbuckling, sword fighting, evil Kings, talking ravens and killer apes!
I can tell you that this is a quest that reminded me of so many great quests I have read- including The Wizard of Oz. Peter is a little bit like Dorothy who gets whisked away to a magical land where he must go on a journey to find the answers to his questions and to discover who he truly is and where he truly belongs. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy meets many memorable characters that help her along the way. Peter meets characters that help him on his quest as well (instead of The Cowardly Lion, we have Sir Tode)- and some that try to stop him from completing his quest (Instead of The Wicked Witch of the West, we have King Incarnadine). And like Dorothy, what Peter was looking for might have been with him all along. (Instead of ruby slippers we have... um, can't tell you!)
This a fast paced adventure that will appeal to kids grades 4-8 (boys will devour this books, but girls will love it as well). I love a good adventure story, but what made me fall in love with this book was the storytelling that took place in it. Yes, all authors have a story to tell, but not all authors weave a story in the magical way that Mr. Auxier did here. As I read, I was transported to my favorite books- The Princess Bride, Peter Pan, The Hobbit, The Tale of Desperaux... The language in Peter Nimble is delicate and would roll off your tongue if you read it aloud to your child (which you should!). The narrator coaxes us through the story, and respects us enough as readers to not interrupt the flow of the story or condescend us the way some narrators can. In fact, I missed the narrator when he wasn't speaking directly to me!
When the book ended, I was not only left with the satisfaction a great story brings, but with the idea that each one of us is important and can make a difference in the world. The idea that we need to embrace our talents and be who we are- not what people want us to be. The idea that we can learn from our past. but our past doesn't define us in the present. And the idea that people need people to love and to love them- that family is a bigger treasure than anything you will find in a sea chest. Indeed, this is a book that could quite possibly steal The Newbery right out from under all of the other books I have read so far this year.
*The book includes art done by the author.
See also this great review of Peter Nimble by Betsy Bird (of Fuse8)
July 2, 2011
2012 Newbery Watchlist: Updated!
Only 6 months until ALA awards another Newbery Medal. With my 0 for 1 record in predicting the winners, I am on a quest to get it right this year- or at least award my Bizzaro Newbery correctly! Here are some titles that I want to read ASAP! If I had a time machine, I would use it to go into the future and buy these books. Does anyone have one I can borrow? (A time machine that is). Now, my opinion of these books being contenders may change after I read them! I will keep you posted!
In no particular order:
1. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (Sept 13, 2011): Relates the stories of twelve-year-old Ben, who loses his mother and his hearing in a short time frame and decides to leave his Minnesota home in 1977 to seek the father he has never known in New York City; and Rose, who lives with her father but feels compelled to search for what is missing in her life. Ben's story is told in words; Rose's in pictures.(Follett)
2, No Ordinary Day by Deborah Ellis (Sept 13, 2011): Valli has always been afraid of the lepers living on the other side of the train tracks in the coal town of Jharia, India, so when a chance encounter with a doctor reveals she also has leprosy, Valli rejects help and begins an uncertain life on the streets.(Follett)
3. Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu (Sept 27, 2011): Hazel and Jack are best friends until an accident with a magical mirror and a run-in with a villainous queen find Hazel on her own, entering an enchanted wood in the hopes of saving Jack's life. (Follett)
4. City of Orphans by Avi (Aug 15, 2011): In 1893 New York, thirteen-year-old Maks, a newsboy, teams up with Willa, a homeless girl, to clear his older sister, Emma, from charges that she stole from the brand new Waldorf Hotel, where she works. (Follett)
5. The Only Ones by Aaron Starmer (Sept 13, 2011): After leading a solitary existence on an island, thirteen-year-old Martin discovers a village filled with children who live without adults after their families and friends disappeared one afternoon, but after meeting a mysterious boy who can talk to animals Martin thinks he can find a way to reunite the children with their families. (Follett)
6. Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (Sept 13, 2011): In the historic town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Jack Gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, Girl Scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, typewriting, and countless bloody noses. (Follett)
7. The Boy at the End of The World by Greg Van Eekhout (out now): Born half-grown in a world that is being destroyed, Fisher has instinctive knowledge of many things, including that he must avoid the robot that knows his name.(Follett)
8. Hidden by Helen Frost (out now): Years after Darra Monson's father stole a minivan with Wren Abbott hiding in the back, the girls come face to face at summer camp and together they try to work through what happened to them and the impact it had on their lives.(Follett)
Books I HAVE read that are contenders:
1. Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry
2. Horton Halfpott: Or, The Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor; or, The Loosening of M'Lady Luggertuck's Corset by Tom Angleberger
3. Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
4. Saving Zasha by Randi Barrow5. Sparrow Road by Sheila O'Connor
6. The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson
7. Warp Speed by Lisa Yee
8. Words in the Dust by Trent Berry *This one may be on the mature end for a Newbery
9. Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by John Auxier (Aug 1, 2011) Review to Come!!
What do you think of my list? Would you add any? Take any away? Let me know!
June 30, 2011
BookMarks 2
The last time we looked for books in Iowa City was the day that my husband, Greg, broke his leg. Today, the 3 Butcher ladies went out and managed to find 2 more!
June 27, 2011
Book Talk Tuesday Summer Tour
Book Talk Tuesday is on the road for the rest of the month! My husband had surgery to reconstruct his ankle and shin... so I have asked some of my favorite bloggers to step in and give Book Talk Tuesday a home while I play nurse... and maid... and chef... and psychologist. So- PLEASE head over to LitLad and post your book talk!
June 25, 2011
Kirby 1 Tom 0
This is what I imagine is going on at ALA right now...
Kirby Larson and Tom Angleberger competing in a lightsaber duel. Wish I were there!
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