Book Review: Aliens Ate My Homework, by Bruce Coville (Aladdin, 1993)

Recommended for ages 9-12


Sixth-grader Rod Albright, better known as Rod the Clod among his classmates, is a target for the two bullies at school and the go-to babysitter for his toddler twin brother and sister at home. One day, while working on a science project for school, a miniature alien spaceship crashes into his window, and Rod is commandeered into helping the alien crew in their search for BKR, an intergalactic criminal infamous for his cruelty - and who just happens to be hiding out in Rod's neighborhood. Can Rod, who is incapable of lying, keep his alien visitors a secret and help them succeed in their mission while getting his science project done on time?

Told from Rod's point of view, Aliens Ate My Homework is a fun read for kids ages 9-12. As the first book in a four-book series, Coville sets up the story line and introduces the reader to a full cast of characters: Rod, Thing One and Thing Two, the toddler twins, their mother, the crew of the Ferkel, and BKR, the intergalactic villian. The crew of the Ferkel is a diverse group of aliens, illustrating that diversity is welcome in all parts of the universe; Grakker, the Ferkel's captain, is a borderline hostile military man, but the crew and Rod all learn how to work with him - and vice versa. BKR, the criminal wanted across the galaxy, is guilty of cruelty. As Madame Pong, the ambassador on the Ferkel, says, "Millions have wept." There are lessons to be learned within Coville's bright narrative - different personalities and people and capable of working together; cruelty is wrong; and every being, no matter how powerful or how small, needs help.

Aliens Ate My Homework is the first in Bruce Coville's 4-book series, Rod Albright's Alien Adventures; the other books in the series are I Left My Sneakers in Dimension X; The Search for Snout; and Aliens Stole My Body. The author's webpage has a section devoted to the series at http://www.brucecoville.com/books.asp?gid=6. Coville's website also offers printable door hangers and bookmarks, crossword puzzles, and information about all of Coville's books.

Book Review: Fred & Anthony Escape from the Netherworld and Fred & Anthony Meet the Heine Goblins from the Black Lagoon, by Elise Primavera (Hyperion, 2007 & 2008)

Recommended for ages 9-12

I'm combining these two into one book review because they are from the same series by the same author.

Fred and Anthony are two kids whose only wish is to find someone to make money for them so that they can relax, eat Chex Mix and Pez, and watch horror movies. In their first adventure, Escape from the Netherworld, they decide to make some money so that they can afford to pay someone to do their schoolwork; because they already have a reputation for botched and unfinished jobs in their own neighborhood, they strike out for a new neighborhood, and end up falling through to the Netherworld by way of a bathroom. Luckily, Fred has the foresight to grab a Guide to the Netherworld, which helps them navigate their way past evil dentists, deceptively dressed werewolves, and Count Dracula himself. They make their way back home only to discover that a ghost has followed them - so they hire him as a ghost writer (get it?) to write about their adventures. Their get rich quick plan is under way!

Their third adventure, Fred & Anthony Meet the Heinie Goblins from the Black Lagoon, catches readers up on the first two books, so it is not detrimental to readers if they skip any in the series. In Heinie Goblins, Fred and Anthony go to summer camp, sent by grandmothers and parents who have the best of intentions for their summer. Naturally, it's all a ruse, and the camp, run by two Wise Guy types named Carmine and Vinnie, is a dump serving cold Hot Pockets with warm water, forcing them to have recreation time in leaky canoes on the questionable Lake Gitchie Lagoonie, and haunting them by dressing up as The Burnt Marshmallow Mummy and The Lone Short-Sheeting Stranger. While out on Lake Gitchie Lagoonie, the boys' canoe capsizes and they end up back in The Netherworld for a brief time, until their escape from the Creature from the Black Lagoon leads them back up to the Camp.

The boys decide that they can make money by charging kids for trips to The Netherworld, and start running tours. Once back in The Netherworld, they meet the Heinie Goblins - cute little batlike creatures with bare backsides. Despite the Guide to the Netherworld's warning about the goblins being "a pain in the butt", the boys allow a goblin to accompany them back to the camp. Naturally, the goblin brings friends along, who start menacing all the kids in the camp. When Carmine and Vinnie show up to terrorize the campers as the Lone Short-Sheeting Stranger and the Burnt Marshmallow Mummy, the goblins become jealous of losing the audience's attention - the book is, after all, named for them - and attack, leaving the boys to figure out a way to make things right.

The books are written with the lower end of the age range or the reluctant reader in mind, with black and white illustrations on every page and a mixture of graphic novel/chapter book format. Gross humor will appeal to boys (or girls!) who giggle at a good bathroom joke. The books are slightly more than 100 pages in length, making them easy and quick reads for younger children.

The author and illustrator, Elise Primavera, "ghost wrote" these books under the name Esile Arevamirp. There are four Fred & Anthony titles, but was surprised that the author's website had no mention of them; I even attempted to find a website for her alter ego but found nothing. Turning to YouTube, discovered Rat Chat Reviews, an animated video review site for children's books; the rats posted an interview with Fred and Anthony on the cancellation of their series. Regardless of whether or not there are any more Fred & Anthony books in the future, the series is still a fun set of books for a younger or reluctant reader.

Book Review: A Boy and His Bot, by Daniel H.Wilson (Bloomsbury, 2011)

Recommended for ages 9-12

On a class trip to a Mek Mound, an ancient Oklahoman Indian mound of land that resembles the Egyptian pyramids, sixth grader Code Lightfall discovers Mekhos, a manufactured, experimental world inhabited by robots and long forgotten by humans. The world is under the grip of the evil tyrant Immortalis, bent on the world's destruction; it falls to Code and Gary, an atomic slaughterbot brought to life by Code's imagination and Mekhos technology, to find the Robonomicon and save the day.

I notice that the heroes in books geared toward boys more often than not come from dysfunctional families, and Code is no exception. A shy boy, picked on by some classmates, ignored by others, Code is grieving the disappearance of his grandfather John a year prior. His parents are not in the picture. The only positive female force in the book is Peep, the little robotic probe that befriends him and leads him to the world of Mekhos. Gary the Slaughterbot plays the part of the big, dumb protector with the heart of gold. It's a journey to Oz tale of sorts for a more modern age, complete with beautiful but deadly surroundings like the Toparian Wyldes, kept beautiful by a race of robots whose job it is to trim and sculpt everything in front of them. Instead of the benevolent and powerful Oz, Boy and His Bot has Immortalis, the evil overlord who pushes all robots to the day of The Great Disassembly, when all of Mekhos will be undone. Code's main objective is to stop The Great Disassembly and get home.

I wonder why it is that young male characters' families are so flawed in YA literature. Is this an accurate reflection of the state of families today, or is this the newest hook to keep young boys reading? Is it a way to reach out to young boys that may be in crisis and refuse to speak?

Daniel H. Wilson, Ph.D. is the author of How to Survive a Robot Uprising, Where's My Jetpack, and How to Build a Robot Army. A Boy and His Bot is his first YA novel, but he has also written Bro-Jitsu: The Martial Art of Sibling Smackdown, and his Robot books are popular with older tweens and teens. He maintains a blog and Twitter feed.

Book Review: Middle School - The Worst Years of My Life, by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts (Little, Brown, 2011)

Recommended for ages 10-14

Rafe Katchadorian is having a tough year: his mom is working double shifts at her diner job in order to support him, his sister, and her lazy, unemployed fiance, and he's already attracted the attention of the school bully during his first week of middle school. What's a kid to do? Make a name for himself, of course!

With some prodding by his best friend, Leonardo the Silent, Rafe decides that he's going to break every single rule in the middle school code of conduct. There are guidelines to follow, though - he's got to have witnesses every time he breaks a rule; he's got three "lives" - he loses one if he passes up an opportunity to break a rule - and finally, he can't hurt anyone in his quest to break the rules. How bad can a good kid get, and how far is Rafe willing to go to break all the rules? Will he end up breaking his own rules in the end?

I started this book expecting a light, humorous story, and was amazed at the punch Patterson and Tibbett packed into this middle school story. Rafe's family issues aside, there are a multitude of issues going on in his life - he is a truly at-risk tween, and as I read the story, I saw a need for this boy to have a more supportive group of adults in his life. There are two major plot developments that will take readers by surprise, but it is good for tweens and young teens to have this kind of storyteller bringing these stories to light - children with similar life stories will likely be grateful to have a literary figure they can relate to, and other readers will have a glimpse into another kid's world - and maybe start a dialogue among themselves, or even develop a sensitivity that may not have previously been there.

Chris Tebbetts is a YA author whose love of books and libraries began as a child. His website suggests links for writerw and readers, and provides a list of Good Reads for young readers and teens.

James Patterson is best known for his Alex Cross mystery series, but he is a Children's Choice Award-winning author, receiving the award in 2010 for his book Max, one of the books in his popular Maximum Ride series. His Daniel X series has been praised by Good Morning America as being some of the best books for boys, and the first book in his Witch & Wizard series spent five weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Patterson's website, ReadKiddoRead, is dedicated to getting kids reading and suggests titles for all ages and interests.

The Young Person's Guide to Grown-Ups, by Monte Montgomery, illustrated by Patricia Storms (Bloomsbury, 2012)

Recommended for ages 9-12

Being a kid is tough. What if there were some sort of guide to figuring out the grown-ups in their lives? Monte Montgomery and Patricia Storms have created a field guide to the average grown-up to help children navigate these strange people who seem to hold so much sway over them.

The book examines grown-ups from a basic description of similarities and differences between adults and kids. Adults have stopped growing taller but may still be growing wider, for instance, but have never stopped feeling like the kid they used to be, providing kids with an entry point to relate.

Set up like a Grown-Ups for Dummies book, complete with "Tactics" call-out boxes and line drawings throughout, Young Person's Guide takes kids through everything they need to know about grown-ups at home, at school, and "in the wild". There are descriptions of various adults in each of these settings and an FAQs at the end of each chapter. Montgomery imparts three Universal Truths that adults and kids alike need to know, and provides an in-depth, illustrated guide on various classes of adults, like atheletes, dentists, police officers and millionaires (complete with illustrated Donald Trump caricature).

Young Person's Guide is a fun book that will help younger children feel like they have some handle on why grown-ups say and do the things they do, while helping them understand that adults and kids have much more in common than they may think. It is a fun book that can start conversations both at home and in the classroom.

Monte Montgomery's webpage and Patricia Storms' webpage are as fun as their books. Infused with bright graphics and personal information, the reader can see that the author and illustrator take the message of Young Person's Guide to heart and keep in touch with the kid that used to look back at them in the mirror. Montgomery and his wife Claire have a section on "wheels", with pictures of giant unicycles, paddle boat wheels, and other wheels they have seen on their travels. Both author and illustrator have links to information about school visits.

Book Review: Villain School: Good Curses Evil, by Stephanie Sanders (Bloomsbury, 2011)

Recommended for ages 9-12

What do you do when your parents are some of the baddest bad guys in history, and you just don't match up? You get sent to Master Dreadthorn's School for Wayward Villains. Dracula's daughter, Jezebel, is there - she prefers hot chocolate to blood. The Big Bad Wolf's son, Wolf, is in there, too - he saved a human child from drowning. The Green Giant's son was expelled when they realized that his dad was just some green guy trying to get kids to eat their vegetables.

Rune Drexler, Master Dreadthorn's son, is at villain school, too, but he's not getting any preferred treatment - quite the opposite; he can't seem to do anything right in his father's eyes. When his father calls him to his office and gives him a Plot - a dangerous and evil test to achieve his next EVil (Educational Villain Levels) level, Rune sees his chance to be the villain his father wants him to be. But can he and his two friends carry out the Plot without ending up being heroes?

The story takes a little bit of time to get started; Sanders concentrates on exposition early on in the story. Once the Plot is under way, though, the story becomes a fun read with just enough of a twist to take the reader by surprise. I did not feel cheated by the book's end - I wanted to know what Rune was going to do next. Middle grade readers will enjoy the good-natured jabs that the characters throw at one another, and the idea of being good while you're trying to be evil will show younger readers that there is something good in even the baddest of villains.

There is a Villain School website where readers can read the first two chapters of Villain School and play a trivia game; there are author events and information available, along with a link to Sanders' home page and Villain School's Facebook page.

How They Croaked: The Awful Deaths of the Awfully Famous, by Georgia Bragg; illustrated by Kevin O'Malley (Walker Books for Young Readers, 2011)

Recommended for ages 10-13

Most school-aged kids know who King Tut, George Washington, and Napoleon were, but what they may not know is how they died. How They Croaked delivers the full-on details of how these historic figures and 16 others met their makers in gloriously gory detail.

Along the way, Bragg dispels famous myths - Cleopatra did not meet her doom at the fangs of an asp - and provides insight on how modern medicine may have saved a few of these famous lives. George Washington, for instance, could have survived if only he had access to antibiotics.

Bragg provides morality in her profiles. We learn that Pocahontas was exploited from the minute she saved Captain John Smith from the axe, and that Robert Carter, the "explorer" who discovered King Tut's tomb, wasn't much more than a grave robber on a grander scale. We also learn some amusing details along the way, including famous last words, what cupping was all about, and some gross information about Marie Antoinette's three-foot hairdo.

Kevin O'Malley, writer and illustrator of children's books such as Animal Crackers Fly the Coop! and Mount Olympus Basketball, gives the reader his macabre best while still keeping it on a level that younger readers won't shy away from, including a a distended Henry VIII and a shrieking Julius Caesar.

For reluctant readers and kids (or grownups!) who just want a fun read that makes you squeal with squeamish delight, How They Croaked is a perfect addition to your history library.

Book Review: Ellie McDoodle: New Kid in School by Ruth McNally Barshaw (Bloomsbury, 2008)

Recommended for ages 8-12

Ellie McDoodle is the nickname for Eleanor McDougal, a sixth grader who doodles in her sketch journals. She draws the people around her, her family, and journals her own daily happenings.

When Ellie's parents announce that they're moving, Ellie is crushed. She will be leaving her friends, her school, and her home. She creates a journal to document the move, insisting that "there won't be much to keep track of... because this is the END of everything good."

Or is it? Despite some rough patches, like discovering the "New Kid Bingo" card some of her classmates are circulating at school, and the teachers not remembering her name, Ellie learns that being the new kid may not be so bad after all. She makes friends, manages to get her own room in the attic, and organizes a protest against long lunch lines in the cafeteria. Being the new kid may end up being sort of fun after all.

Ruth McNally Barshaw's Ellie McDoodle has been described by Student Library Journal as "reminiscent of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid", and it is, in that both stories have a vibrant narrator who tells his and her tale in the first person, accompanied by line drawings. To think of the Ellie McDoodle books only in terms of a feminine Wimpy Kid is selling the book short, however. Ellie McDoodle is not a Wimpy Kid clone; it is a smart, sensitive book with a character that both boys and girls can relate to: she has a crabby older sister, a clown for an older brother, and a toddler brother that gets into everything.

Ellie's family is as realistic and provides a role model for families: they eat their meals together at the same table; her older brother Josh makes punny jokes; and they play pranks on one another, like hiding a spooky-looking Mrs. Santa Claus figure all around the house to take family members off guard.

Readers will enjoy the first-person narrative and line drawings and see Ellie as a positive role model. Rather than succumb to her sadness, Ellie seeks ways to make the best of her situation. She heads to the local library and befriends a librarian. She meets neighborhood children and goes out to play with them, and makes friends; this helps her cope with the insensitive schoolmates who find "New Kid Bingo" more fun than reaching out to make a new friend. She uses her talent in art to help make a difference in her school, and organizes a peaceful protest that gets the principal's notice, and the notice of a local television station.

Ruth McNally Barshaw's website offers information on all of the Ellie McDoodle books and links to more of McNally Barshaw's art. Readers can find out where she'll be appearing and read her blog, and create Ellie mini-books and stationery. She offers teens advice on writing their own graphic novels, and has teaching guides available for educators.

The Ilsley Public Library in Vermont created a book trailer for New Kid in School, viewable below.

Book Review: Cal and the Amazing Anti-Gravity Machine, by Richard Hamilton (illustrated by Sam Hearn) (Bloomsbury, 2006)

Recommended for ages 9-12

Cal lives with his family, including Frankie, a talking dog that only he can understand, next door to a very loud neighbor. Mr. Frout regularly wakes the neighborhood with clanging and banging in the early hours of the morning. He's not a very friendly neighbor, so curious Cal decides to spy on him to see what all the commotion is about and discovers Mr. Frout, in a suit of armor, hovering in the air. His experiment goes awry and Cal rescues him, which makes Mr. Frout a little more friendly and Cal learns that Mr. Frout is making an anti-gravity machine. Inevitably, things get out of hand and it's left to Cal to save the day.

The book skews toward the younger end of the reading range, as it is a chapter book with lots of black and white line drawings that will keep younger readers interested. The characters are well-described, and have just enough reality to them that kids can identify with them, while being fantastic enough to make the story fun. I appreciated that the parents weren't drawn as hopeless dimbulbs, as often happens in children's books - I particularly liked a section of the book where Cal's mother gets angry at him for befriending a stranger (Mr. Frout), despite Cal's assertions that he is friendly. It was a smart way to take advantage of a teachable moment on stranger danger.

Richard Hamilton and Sam Hearn are an British writer-illustrator team who have worked on four books together. Their website offers information on these books, biographies on the author and illustrator, and coloring sheets and printable posters on their books.

Book Review: The Guardians of Ga'Hoole Book One: The Capture by Kathryn Lasky (Scholastic, 2003)

Recommended for ages 9-12

Newbery Award winning author Kathryn Lasky's Guardians of Ga'Hoole series has been hugely popular since the publication of the first book in the series, The Capture. In 2010, Warner Brothers released a movie based on the first three books in the series and its companion website offers quizzes, games and book facts. A Guardians of Ga'Hoole wiki offers exhaustive information about characters and storylines. Scholastic's Guardian's website offers additional content, including printables and information about owls (the main characters in the series), as well as a discussion guide and biography on Lasky. The series has taken on a life of its own in many ways, similar to such literary touchstones as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings.

The book begins with Soren, a young barn owl born into a loving family in the forest of Tyto. He has a cruel older brother, Kludd, a sweet younger sister, Eglantine, and a beloved snake nursemaid, Mrs. Plithiver. One day, Soren falls out of his nest and is kidnapped, taken to the St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls, where he meets Gylfie, a small Elf Owlet.

St. Aggie's, as the Academy is referred to, is a thinly veiled deprogramming center/work camp for owls where they are subjected to sleep deprivation and corporal punishment in order to break them down and create a blank slate upon which the St. Aggie's owls can build and create an army for owl domination. By sticking together and focusing on their families, each other, and the mythical stories of the Ga'Hoole, the guardians of owlkind, Soren and Gylfie defy the odds and retain their individuality. They ultimately escape St. Aggie's with some help on the inside and head out in search of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, where they hope to find help to save the owls from the St. Aggie's army. They meet two other escapees, Digger and Twilight, who join them in their search.

I found myself having trouble enjoying The Capture. I vacillated between being taken aback at the brutality of a book written for a relatively young audience and just not connecting with the story. The book is graphic in its depiction of the punishment heaped on the younger owls and Lasky does not shy away from writing about murder and cruelty. The terror of losing one's own identity, coupled with cold-blooded murder, make for a potentially terrifying read to some readers on the younger half of the age range, and I'd recommend parents reading the book with their children to address any fears that may come up. The book speaks to the fear of being taken, the terror of not knowing how to get back to one's family, and the sense of hopelessness that can overpower someone in that situation.

Other times, I was frustrated with the use of owl jargon - the owls have their own phrases and terms, and it appeared haphazard in its usage - and bored with some of the more plodding scenes at St. Aggie's. I wanted more from the book than it was ready to give me - perhaps reading further into the series will help me connect at a later point.

Kathryn Lasky has written over 100 books for children and has a great website that offers video messages for her fans, a section detailing her awards and information about her upcoming books. Naturally, there is a section devoted to the Guardians series, and she even features fan art dedicated to the series. I really liked that Lasky, who exhaustively researches both her fiction and nonfiction writing, shares her research and links for books she's working on.

Book Review: Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George (Bloomsbury, 2008)

Recommended for ages 10-14

I am not a princess type of girl (Princess Leia notwithstanding). I'm just not a fan of the saccharine and goo that goes with princess books. Having said that, I noticed that my book list was overwhelmingly boy-focused, having two boys of my own, and I really needed a few girly-type books to spice it up.

I am so glad I picked this book up. No, Creel, the main character, is not a princess. Yes, she is the independent, smart, rags-to-riches character we've often come to expect from our fantasy heroines. But it doesn't feel tired, and there is a humor to her that I truly appreciated.

Orphans Creel and her brother live with their poor aunt and uncle, who have enough children of their own. Creel's aunt decides to leave Creel to the local dragon, in the hope that either a rich noble or prince will save her and marry her - and share the wealth with the rest of the family, or that the dragon will eat her, giving the family one less mouth to feed. Luckily for Creel, Theoradus the Dragon doesn't want to eat anyone; he just wants to be left alone to enjoy his hoard of shoes (each dragon has his or her own preferred hoard).

Creel strikes out for the king's city, Feravel, to find her fortune as a seamstress, taking a pair of slippers given to her by Theoradus. She befriends two more dragons, Shardas and Feniul, along the way. When she arrives at the king's city, she finds work as a seamstress where her embroidery designs gain her notice - as do her shoes. The awful princess Amalia, engaged as a peacekeeping move to crown prince Milun, tries to force Creel to surrender the slippers and ultimately takes Larkin, a seamstress who works with Creel, as her servant in exchange for getting the slippers.

Amalia's desire for the shoes has nothing to do with being fashionable, and her engagement to prince Milun is a sham - her father's kingdom wants to take over the kingdom of Feravel, and the slippers give her the power to control the dragons. Creel must join forces with the king's younger son, Luka, to find a way to break through to the dragons and bring peace to the land.

I enjoyed this book because it was unexpected. The heroine was intelligent, self-sufficient, and funny - a wry sense of humor comes through in many of the characters without feeling forced or contrived. The story is carefully built up without becoming a bore, and Ms. George tightly weaves the various characters, plots, and subplots together to keep her readers on their toes. Just when I thought I had reached the climax of the book, I realized there was more - and I liked it. It is a feel good book that makes you work to get there; intelligently written and does not take its young audience for granted.

Dragon Slippers is the first book in Jessica Day George's Dragon trilogy. I think I may visit with Creel, Prince Luka, and Shardas the dragon again in the future and pick up Dragon Flight and Dragon Spear. Ms. Day George has written other fairy tales with smart heroines, including Princess of the Midnight Ball, which just won the Children' Literature Association of Utah's 2011 Beehive Award and its sequel, Princess of Glass. She keeps in touch with her fans through her blog and her website, which links to more information about the author, her books, and social media. She is also featured on the Mormon Arts wiki.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick Press, 2009)

Recommended for ages 9-12

I normally try to stay away from reading multiple books by the same author in a row, but after coming off of The Tale of Desperaux, I really wanted more, so I picked up The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

Edward Tulane is a stunning china rabbit with real fur ears and wires enabling movement in his arms and legs, and a fashionable silk wardrobe. He is the apple of his owner, a 10-year old girl named Abilene. She changes his outfits annd dotes on him. He lives a comfortable life and knows it, but he's cold and holds Abilene at a distance. Her purpose in his life is to take care of him and coddle him.

When Abilene and her family go on a cruise, Edward finds himself tossed overboard as a prank by two cruel boys on the ship; this starts him on a journey where he finds himself in the company of an old woman, a homeless man, and a dying little girl and her older brother. Each of these people teaches Edward a little more about love, loss and longing.

The reader experiences his growth and aches along with him with each subsequent companion's story. Despite the affection - even love - he feels with each new owner, his thoughts always stray back to Abilene, and he understands what she felt for him and regrets not returning her love. I also enjoyed the theme of second chances that runs through the book; I was left with the message that there's always a chance for redemption - it just make take some time.

Book Review: The Tale of Desperaux, by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick, 2008)

Recommended for ages 9-12

I picked this book up post-hype and after not really watching more than about 10 minutes of the movie (there really is something to be said for the movie-going experience over the at-home one). My expectations were tempered with the worry that comes when a book has been so talked about and featured in the media as Desperaux, but I needn't have worried.

Desperaux is a book with a lot of layers. It's a cute animal fable with an adorable hero. It's a love story between our hero and a princess. It's a story that addresses hate and it addresses the darker side of nature, and how even the darkest creatures can crave the light. I wasn't expecting the depth of character that DiCamillo invested in her characters, and I wanted to keep reading.

Desperaux is the only surviving mouse in his mother's final litter. Born small and with his eyes open, his mother and father both write him off, but he survives. He's tinier than his siblings and is different from the start, preferring to read books rather than eat them. He falls in love with the Princess Pea. She is enchanted with the tiny mouse, but her father, who hates rats - and equates all rodents with them - chases him away. For allowing himself to be seen by and talk to humans, the mouse council - members of whom include Desperaux's own father and brother - decide to punish him with a death sentence, and they send him to the dungeon, ruled in darkness by the rats.

In the basement, we meet Chiaroscuro, a rat who loves the light but is forced to live in the darkness after a brief trip up to the castle living area ended with a terrible accident. He seethes and plans his revenge in the darkness, using a slow-witted servant girl with her own tragic past as a pawn in his game.

The characters' backgrounds are incredible in their detail, especially in a children's book. I was amazed at DiCamillo's ability to create characters with such depth and yet still make them accessible to children. The story moved along at a pace that kept me turning pages; I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Timothy Basil Ering's illustrations were stark and beautiful, adding more depth to the story by adding to the vision the author's words painted in my imagination.

There are some very good teaching guides for Desperaux available. Candlewick Press offers a discussion guide where children and teachers can talk about what makes a hero or a heroine, if characters remind children of people they know, and rules and laws. Scholastic's guide takes the movie into consideration and features illustrations from the animated feature. Multnomah County Library in Oregon also has a book group discussion guide available.

Book Review: Amelia Rules! The Whole World's Crazy, by Jimmy Gownley (Renaissance Press, 2006)

Recommended for ages 9-12

Jimmy Gownley's graphic novels about Amelia McBride and her group of friends remind me of Bugs Bunny cartoons - when you're a child, they entertain you; when you're a little older, you get the jokes.

In this first volume, we meet Amelia, age nine. Her parents have just divorced and she and her mom have moved from Manhattan to "the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania". They're living with her Aunt Tanner, a retired pop rock star who also acts as Amelia's ear and shoulder when she needs to vent.

Amelia's a wise-cracking tomboy, but she isn't skin deep. We see how her parents' divorce has affected her, whether it's the frustration and anger at her father canceling plans with her because of last-minute work travel or her discomfort in overhearing her mother berating her dad on the phone. She shakes it off, adapts her hard-as-nails persona, and moves on. We all know kids like Amelia, and that's what makes her so accessible to kids and grownups alike.

Speaking of grown-ups, there are plenty of in-jokes for mom and dad to catch. Amelia and her friends go to Joseph McCarthy Middle School (motto: "Weeding out the wrong element since 1952"). Ann Coulter garners a mention on one of Santa's lists (hint: it ain't the "nice" list). There are pop culture references aplenty. The dialogue is funny and smart; Gownley doesn't talk down to his audience, nor does he shy away from sensitive topics.

Amelia's friends are a mixed bag of personalities. Amelia's friend Reggie is obsessed with being a superhero, to the point of starting his own league of heroes called GASP (Gathering of Awesome Super Pals). Pajamaman is the most popular kid in school, but never speaks, wears footie pajamas, and comes from a poor family. Rhonda, Amelia's nemesis (and grudgingly, good friend), has a crush on Reggie and puts herself in competition with Amelia for his attention. The group deals with bullies and crazy teachers, unrequited love and poverty. It's a group of kids that readers will see themselves reflected in.

The Amelia Rules! website offers even more to Amelia fans. There are book trailers, podcasts, a blog, and links to fan art and fan fiction. Visitors can listen to music in Tanner's Garage and play games in the Ninja Lair.

Book Review: Larklight: A Rousing Tale of Dauntless Pluck in the Farthest Reaches of Space, by Philip Reeve (Bloomsbury, 2007)

Recommended for ages 9-12

Larklight is the first in a 'tween steampunk trilogy by Philip Reeve, and I was really looking forward to sinking my teeth into this book. Steampunk? Pirates? Pass that book over!

I was not disappointed. A great read for both boys and girls interested in science fiction and fantasy, Larklight offers a little something for everyone. The main character, Art Mumby, is a boy of about 11 or 12 who lives with his 14-year old sister, Myrtle (who is a very big part of the storyline - no wallflower female characters in this book!) and their widowed father upon Larklight, a floating home in space. The story takes place during the Victorian era, and the British Empire has colonized space. Aetherships cruise the skies much as Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge hunted ships in the waters on earth.

Mr. Mumby, a xenobiologist, agrees to a meeting with a correspondent who refers to himself as "Mr. Webster" - when he arrives, the family learns too late that Mr. Webster is an evil space spider bent on taking the family hostage. He and his spider army trap Larklight and Mr. Mumby in their webs, but Art and Myrtle escape, ultimately ending up with a band of space pirates led by a Jack Havoc, a teenager with his own troubled past, and a band of aliens that have thrown their lot in with Jack. Running from the Empire, Jack ultimately joins Art and Myrtle on their quest to save their father and find out what made them the target for Mr. Webster in the first place.

Aside from the constant action and wonderfully Victorian narrative, there is mech and steam aplenty for steampunk fans. Giant, mechanized spiders, steam-driven aetherships with alchemic reactions to propel them into space (called "the chemical wedding"), and an assault on Queen Victoria - what more could a kid possibly ask for?

I appreciated Reeve's creating strong female characters to balance out the strong male characters. At first, Myrtle appears to be written solely as an antagonist for Art, but she emerges as a strong, clever character on her own - it's interesting to see her character evolve within the course of the story. Ssil, one of Jack Havoc's alien crew, is a female who has no idea where her origins lie, giving mystery to the character, but at the same time, communicating a sense of loss to the reader. She has only the family she creates around her, but longs to know who she is. While scientific men are assumed to be the only ones capable of performing the "chemical wedding" that propels aetherships into space, Ssil performs it with ease - indeed, she is the only member of Jack's crew who can do it.

There are two sequels to Larklight, also by Reeve: Starcross and Mothstorm, that I expect I shall be picking up shortly. The film rights for Larklight have been bought and a film is due out in 2013.

Philip Reeve's website is pretty straightforward - the usual links to an author blog, the author's books, and more information on his newer series, Mortal Engines.

Book Review: Kenny and the Dragon, by Tony DiTerlizzi (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2008)


Recommended for ages 9-12


This adorable book teaches children the power of not judging someone (or something) on gossip, and illustrates the potentially destructive power that gossip can have.


Kenny is a young, bookish rabbit. His parents are farmers, but he's always got his nose in a book. His only real friend at the book's beginning is the old badger, George, who runs the bookshop in the nearby village. Kenny visits George to play chess and read in the bookshop, and George often lets Kenny borrow books to take home and read.


One day, Kenny's father comes home and tells him that there is a dragon in his meadow. Kenny runs to his bookshelf and grabs his bestiary, on loan from George, and learns that dragons are vicious, fire-breathing, maiden-devouring beasts. Arming him with with armor, made up of pots and pans from his mother's kitchen, he sets out to take a look at the dragon - who introduces himself as Grahame ("like the cracker, but with an e on the end") and quickly dispels all myths set forth in the bestiary - in fact, he asks Kenny if he can borrow it, because he loves reading good fiction. Grahame enjoys poetry, music, and good food. He spent years trapped in the earth after falling through a fault line, but he never saw the point in chasing maidens and killing knights - his fellow dragons died out because of their taste for terror, and he just wants to enjoy life.

Kenny introduces Grahame to his mother and father, who quickly befriend the dragon as well, having picnic dinners and cooking delicious meals for him. Kenny and Grahame become fast friends, but it's all put at risk when other villagers hear that there's a dragon in the land and panic. Word gets to the king, who calls his retired dragonslayer into service - Kenny's friend, George Badger. Kenny's two best friends may have to do combat because no one bothers to learn the truth about dragons - what can Kenny do to save the day?

Tony DiTerlizzi is one half of the duo behind The Spiderwick Chronicles, so the man knows how to write for children. Kenny and the Dragon, based on the 1898 story The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame, introduces readers to a new group of memorable characters as he peppers tributes to the original story throughout the book. Aside from the obvious tribute to Kenneth Grahame, he names George the bookstore owner/dragonslayer after St. George, who features in the Grahame story; other characters mentioned in the original find their place in DiTerlizzi's world as well.

Placing the story in a fantastic, anthropomorphic world is a wonderful way of not only bringing this story to a new audience, he expands on the original tale as a way of getting big ideas across to little people - the town mob, pitchforks and all, is riled up by the mere presence of a dragon, but no one bothers to try and get to know him - all they have is rumor to go on, and that's good enough for them.

DiTerlizzi also illustrates Kenny and the Dragon in the same line sketch format as Spiderwick, bringing Grahame, Kenny, and the rest of their world to life. The sketches brought to mind my old fairy tale books, with line drawn and watercolored princesses and princes.

DiTerlizzi's website, Never Abandon Imagination, provides more information about his books and includes links to his artwork, blog and social media connections (YouTube, Wikipedia, Facebook).

Book Review: The Boy at the End of the World, by Greg Van Eekhout (Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2011)

Recommended for ages 9-12

Yes, it's another boy book - I have two of them, naturally my reading will be influenced by them. But I've got more girl books on the horizon, even princessy stuff. Honest.

I was hoping to like this one more. It took me longer to like it than I expected, especially since I'd been excited about reading this book for a while. I can't yet put my finger on what it was that didn't tune me in right away, because it's an interesting enough book.

Fisher, a preteen boy from what we are led to guess, wakes up in a pod in a shelter. There is destruction all around him, and he sees other beings like him lying dead in similar pods. The only other living being is a robot, from whom he runs. The robot catches up with him and tells the boy that his name is Fisher and he's the only survivor of the human race.

It's the usual post-apocalyptic story. Humans went and ruined the earth and nature's taken her planet back. This time, humans genetically engineered humans and animals and put them in gel-filled pods, with robots to oversee their care, until such tiime came that they could all be reawakened and recreate society. The humans were programmed with specific survival skills that would help them create a community. Fisher, he learns, has been programmed to be a fisherman. Click, the name he gives his robot companion, tells Fisher that he has been tasked with helping Fisher "continue existing".

Fisher heads off to find another Ark - the name of the facilities where the humans and animals were kept in hibernation - with Click and a pygmy mammoth they meet on their travels (and who Fisher names Protein, because his first thought was to eat the mammoth). They also meet up with a group of genetically engineered, intelligent prairie dogs who hate humans because of what they did to the planet and to the prairie dogs.

It's a survivalist tale, and that is where the interest lies. Fisher, created with one set of skills, learns and adapts as the book progresses. He is born little more than a blank slate and we see not only an intelligence develop, but an emotional intellect. The characters they meet aren't cute and cuddly (even Protein is a fan of dropping dung right and left throughout the book), and sometimes, they're downright chilling.

I think where the book stumbles lies in its background story. It is difficult to write a postapocalyptic tale without sounding like hundreds of other books on the market, and the "humans and technology bad, nature good" call to action beats the reader over the head throughout the book. Humans bring the planet to the brink of environmental collapse, so they leave the rest of the planet to deal with it while they go into hiding until the coast is clear. The technology that humans created to save them ultimately turns on them and brings the race to the point of near-extinction, further painting us as hapless ne'er do wells.

Maybe a younger, less jaded audience won't read it through the same eyes as I will - but then again, this is a generation that has been fed this storyline since they were babies. Think Happy Feet, a movie that deceptively sold us a cute story about a penguin who didn't fit in, and gave us a Greenpeace horror movie halfway through the picture. Think of Wall-E, where we were drowning our society in junk, so we had to go into space to get away from it.

I don't want it to sound like I didn't like this book, because I did. I think older middle grade readers, around the 9- and 10-year old mark, will grab onto Fisher as a hero they can identify with as a young boy who needs to learn to survive, and who has a robot companion. And a mammoth. Fisher's society is a society that kids today can understand and relate to, with a marriage of technology and environmental awareness.

Greg Van Eekhout knows how to write for kids - he has a Masters in Education and spent ten years developing online curricula for K-12 and college students. He is kid- and teacher-accessible, offering teachers tips on having author events at schools (and libraries), and providing his e-mail address to be contacted about school visits. He offers two presentations that he follows in his appearances. His website is geared toward grownups who are interested in reading his reviews, about his books, and where he'll be next.

Full disclosure: This is a Bloomsbury book; I got it from work and I am not promoting the book for work. This is solely my opinion.

Book Review: The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt & Julie Graham-Chang, by Amy Ignatow (Amulet Books, 2010)

Recommended for ages 9-13

I finished this book in a day. It's that good. I also giggled out loud while reading this on the subway - it's that funny.

The Popularity Papers is the project ("Learn/Improve") undertaken by fifth graders that want to be popular by the time they reach middle school. They decide that they will observe the most popular girls in the school to figure out what makes them popular, imitate them and perhaps even infiltrate the group. They record their notes, observations, conversations with family and friends, and drawings to tell the story of their social climb. On the way up, they learn that being popular isn't always what it's cracked up to be, that being popular means different thing to different people - including who you like and who you're not supposed to like - and Lydia discovers what can happen when the quest for popularity goes to your head.

The characters aren't your staid, Gossip Girl-type mean girls. One popular girl plays field hockey and knits; Lydia lives with her divorced mom and sister, who made the transition from pretty, tan girl to dark-haired, pale goth; and Julie lives with her two dads, Daddy and Papa Dad. It's a book that addresses different people and different family structures but it's not cliche and it doesn't come across as being portrayed for the sake of being edgy or different. It's an honest storytelling.

The girls' notes to one another are as hilarious as the situations they find themselves in, and Lydia's journaling when she finds herself in sole possession of the notebook after she and Julie stop speaking is heartfelt and real. Readers will easily be able to see themselves and their friends in these characters and can hopefully laugh at themselves a little more easily.

Amy Ignatow's Amulet web page offers an author blog and links to author appearances, press and a gallery of some more images from the book. It looks like another Popularity Papers book has come out - I need to get myself a copy.

Book Review: Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie, by Julie Sternberg (illustrations by Matthew Cordell) (Amulet Books, 2011)

Recommended for ages 8-10


"I had a bad August. A very bad August. As bad as pickle juice on a cookie. I hope your August was better. I really do."


Thus begins Eleanor's story. Eight-year old Eleanor learns that her beloved babysitter, Bibi, will be leaving her family's employ and their Brooklyn home to move to Florida in order to care for her sick father. To make things worse, her best friend, Pearl, is away on vacation with her family. Heartbroken, she doesn't want to do anything that will remind her of Bibi and she certainly doesn't want another babysitter. But her parents have to work, and a new babysitter shows up. Eleanor learns that it's okay to miss Bibi and still make space in her heart for Natalie.

Pickle Juice teaches kids about loss and how to work through it. Told in free verse and accompanied by line drawings, it presents an easy transition for middle graders ready to move on from beginner chapter books. The story presents many areas for discussion for both parents and teachers having read-alouds with their children.

Julie Sternberg's blog features a curriculum guide for Pickle Juice, as well as an interesting author biography told through her favorite books. Readers can click through to her blog and contact her regarding author visits.

Book Review: Dragonbreath, by Ursula Vernon (Dial Books, 2009)

Recommended for ages 8-12

Ursula Vernon's first book in her Dragonbreath series introduces readers to Danny Dragonbreath, a young dragon who happens to be the only mythical creature in a school filled with reptiles and amphibians. He's a little rebellious, not a fan of schoolwork, and really wants to be able to breathe fire (if for no other reason, than to stop hearing his father's motivational speeches). His best friend, Wendell, is an iguana who finds himself sucked into Danny's crazy schemes when he'd rather be doing something safer, like getting Danny to do his homework.

In Dragonbreath, Danny flunks his paper on the ocean after writing it the morning it's due and making it up from his own imagination. Luckily for him, he's got a sea monster cousin named Edward, who he can visit and from whom he can get an ocean tour, so off he goes, dragging Wendell along with him. Can they survive the deep ocean, where giant squids are known to show up without notice? Will Danny pass his Science paper?

Dragonbreath is a great book for younger readers that are still getting used to chapter books; the book is written in a half-chapter, half-graphic novel format that readers will find user-friendly, and Vernon provides a copious amount of nonfiction information about ocean life through Danny's and Wendell's eyes that will show the kids that learning can be fun.

Vernon's website provides summaries of all the Dragonbreath novels as well as her other titles, as well as updates on author appearances and her artwork.