Book Review: Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, by Jack Gantos (HarperCollins, 2000)

Recommended for ages 9-12

Told through the eyes of a boy with ADD, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key moves at an almost frantic pace. Joey is "wired". He can't sit still, even when he knows that acting up in class is wrong. Abandoned by both his parents, lives with his abusive grandmother who is also "wired". When Joey's mom returns, she struggles to keep him medicated and on track, but she works long hours and she drinks out of frustration.

Joey's behaviors become self-destructive - he swallows his house key; he sticks his finger in a pencil sharpener; he separates from his class on a school trip and finds himself sitting on a rafter in a barn. The school is trying to be understanding and has him spending part of his day in the Special Education class, but when Joey decides to run with a pair of scissors and injures a classmate, he is suspended and sent to the district's special ed program for six weeks. There, he meets with a social worker who helps him get his medications adjusted and works to get him - and his mom - back on track.

The frenetic pace of the storytelling gives the reader a glimpse into what goes on in the mind of a child with ADD, and Joey's explanations help readers figure out what motivates him to do what he does - regardless of it being right or wrong, Joey does have reasons. It is an important read for understanding kids that are sharing classrooms with one another, and gives both adults and children a starting point for discussions on what ADD is and how it affects people.

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key has won numerous awards including the Newbery Medal. It was a National Book Award Finalist, one of School Library Journal's Best Books of the Year, and it is an American Library Association Notable Children's Book. It is the first in a series of Joey Pigza books including Joey Pigza Loses Control, What Would Joey Do?, and I Am Not Joey Pigza.

The Macmillan website for the book offers award information, critical praise, a biography on Jack Gantos, and links to Mr. Gantos' website, Facebook page, Goodreads page, and Wikipedia page. The Multnomah County Library system offers a discussion guide and related book suggestions. 

Book Review: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E.L. Konigsberg (Athenum Press, 1967)

Recommended for ages 9-12

Another one of my favorite childhood books, this Newbery Medal Award winner gave me dreams of running away to live in the American Museum of Natural History when I was younger. I know that the characters in the book run away to the Met, but I wanted to be around the dinosaurs.

Claudia is a precocious 11-year old living in Connecticut. She's bored. She feels unappreciated by her family. She decides to teach everyone a lesson by running away, but she does not do things on the spur of the moment. She plans it out - it's her favorite part of the whole process. She invites her 9-year old brother, Jamie, to come along, because he's the money man. He saves his money and he gambles (and cheats) to make more.

The two run away and spend a week living in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Here, the novel details their complex hiding arrangements and their food budgeting. They bathe in the fountain and pick up some extra money while doing so (from the coins thrown in during the day) and do their laundry at a local laundromat.

Claudia also decides that she and Jamie will learn something every day they are there, and eventually happen upon a new exhibit of a statue, Angel, that may or may not be one of Michelangelo's earlier pieces. Claudia becomes focused on solving the mystery of Angel's origin, saying she cannot go home until she has figured it out. She does not want to be the same girl that left.

Their search for information takes them all the way to the statue's previous owner, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, a wealthy widow living in Connecticut. She manages to get the children to tell her where they have been for the past week, and offers them, in return for their story, an hour in her file room where the secret to the statue lives; they are then driven home by her chauffer.

This story does not age. Parts of it may - maybe an 11- and 9-year old wandering the streets of New York City sounds riskier in this day and age - but it is, at heart, a child's fantasy. What preteen hasn't felt unappreciated by his or her family and dreamed of running away? This is a New York adventure that boys and girls alike should read and enjoy. Konigsburg does not speak down to her audience; rather, she illustrates how mature these children are in the decisions they make: they have a budget to stick to; they take care of themselves by bathing and doing their laundry; they strive to learn something new despite not being in school.

E.L. Konigsburg received Newbery Medals for From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and The View from Saturday; she also received Newbery Honors for Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth. There is a wealth of information about the book online, including discussion guides through Scholastic and the Wake County Library system.

The Sisters Grimm: The Fairytale Detectives, Book 1, by Michael Buckley (Amulet, 2007)

Recommended for ages 9-12

Sisters Daphne and Sabrina have been shuttled from foster home to foster home since their parents disappeared, so when a woman claiming to be their grandmother contacts the orphanage to claim them, Sabrina is suspicious; their parents told the girls that their grandmother was dead.

Not only is their grandmother very much alive, the girls learn that they are descended from the famous Grimm brothers and that their "fairy tales" were actually case studies - magical creatures are very real, and they're stuck in Ferryport Landing, New York, with a Grimm to act as the guardian.

As Grandma Relda and her friend Mr. Canis are investigating a  mystery involving a giant, Mayor Charming and a house crushed flat, they are kidnapped by a giant and Sabrina and Daphne must find a way to rescue them. But can they trust Jack the Giant Killer, who offers to help them? What magical creatures are there to help them or hurt them - and how can they tell the difference?

This first adventure in the 7-book series is great fun for kids and adults alike - it's a great bridge between a fun, action-adventure story and the fairy tales we all grew up with. The dialogue is well-paced and smartly written, never talking down to its audience, and the characters are likable and provide a good mix of fantasy and reality. These are children who miss their parents and who fell into the cracks of a child protective system that fails to do its job. Even when they find their fantasy grandmother to love them and connect them back to their family, they face surreal dangers and have to figure out who they can trust. This is a great book for a family book group discussion, providing many ideas to talk about and delve deeper into between parents and kids. The publisher's website provides a readers' guide for this purpose (geared at librarians and teachers, but parents can build on this). The site also offers a fairy tale "regurgitator" that helps visitors create their own fairy tales.

Book Review: Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume (Yearling, 1970)

Recommended for ages 9-12

This Judy Blume classic follows sixth grader Margaret Simon, whose parents move her from their home in New York to the suburbs of New Jersey, and her search for an identity as she goes through puberty. The book has received numerous awards, including the New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year (1970). In 2005, the book made Time Magazine's All-Time 100 Novels List.

Margaret meets new friends and they quickly form a secret club called the PTS's - Pre-Teen Sensations. They have to wear bras to their meetings and they talk about boys, school, and most importantly, when they're getting their periods. Nancy, the ringleader, makes Margaret uncomfortable with her superior attitude and concern over these things; she's afraid she'll be the last to get her period and be made fun of.

Raised without organized religion, Margaret has a very personal relationsihp with God and talks to him whenever she needs a comforting ear. She tells him her insecurities about puberty and her frustration with her family. With the other kids in her neighborhood identifying as either Christian or Jewish, Margaret struggles to know God in one of these faiths, but comes up empty; she asks him, after visiting both a synagogue and a church why she can't "feel him" the way she does when she talks to him.

I loved this book when I was in sixth grade and re-reading it now, it holds up, mainly because the heart of the story still exists. Mean girls may appear bigger than life now, but Nancy was definitely a pioneering mean girl; Margaret is the Everygirl that we all identified with - insecure about ourselves, insecure about our place in school and our families, and just trying to figure it all out. Blume weaves all of Margaret's insecurities together to create a solid, realistic character that girls can all identify with. Nobody does puberty like Judy Blume.

Judy Blume's website features the usual author fare; there is a bio, interview questions, even autobiographical essays. She offers advice on writing and has a section on censorship - she is a very well-known advocate for the freedom to read - and her "Reference Desk" section provides interviews and an index of articles and information about Blume.

Book Review; Secrets, Lies, Gizmos and Spies, by Janet Wyman Coleman with The International Spy Museum (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2006)

Recommended for ages 9-12

Kids like spies. Spies are cool, after all. James Bond is suave and rocks the coolest gadgets in the world, and Chuck is a computer store geek turned international man of mystery. There was Agent Cody Banks, and there are the Spy Kids movies. Fast food restaurants have give spy toys away as prizes in their kids' meals. The romantic mystique of the spy appeals to all ages.

Secrets, Lies, Gizmos and Spies, written in conjunction with the International Spy Museum, is a visual history of spying. There are photos and artifacts, with the stories of real-life spies from all over the world and throughout recorded history. The book provides key terms and timelines and even an imagined interview with George Washington using actual quotes from the first President with regard to his spying operations during the Revolutionary War. The book has beautiful color and black and white photos on every page, and will interest both boys and girls interested in adventure or history.

The International Spy Museum's website offers the usual museum fare including membership and ticket information. They also have a podcast (with new episodes roughly every two weeks) and a blog, both with RSS feed capability. They offer birthday parties, school field trips, and Spy City Tours where visitors will be briefed by former intelligence officers and learn how to be a master of disguise.

Book Review: How to Rock Braces and Glasses, by Meg Haston (Poppy, 2011)

Recommended for ages 10-13

Eighth grader Kacey Simon doesn't think she's a mean girl, she's just brutally honest like a good journalist should be. Life is pretty good for Kacey until the tables are turned when a series of accidents leave her stuck with glasses and braces. Within a day, she goes from A-list to D-list as her cool girl friends pretend she doesn't exist, she's dropped from her school news segment and the lead in the school play. Her best friend seizes the opportunity to wrest the cool reins and goes on the attack, and a cruel YouTube video makes the rounds in school.

Alone for the first time, Kacey ends up teaming up with a former friend, Paige and emo musician Zander (aka Skinny Jeans) to get her popularity back. Along the way, Kacey learns that she may have been a mean girl after all - or just misunderstood.

The book is shallow, with an unlikeable heroine written to be likeable. Haston's message of being real gets garbled; it's as if the author herself is unsure of whether Kacey's behavior pre-braces is reprehensible or defensible. I did not come away with the true feeling that she learned her lesson at the end of the day; rather, she just learned to find loopholes and how to use people to get her way. It sends out mixed messages.

Tween marketing powerhouse Alloy Entertainment packaged this title and the book has already been optioned to be a new Nickelodeon show, How to Rock, to air in 2012. Author Meg Haston's website links to her blog and information about the book; she also has a Twitter feed. There is also an iTunes app that lets users take photos of themselves or friends and try on different braces and glasses combinations.

Book Review: I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be Your Class President, by Josh Lieb (Razorbill, 2009)

Recommended for ages 10-12

Twelve year-old Oliver only pretends to be "slow". He wants to keep his genius - and the fact that he is already a multi-millionaire and international villian - a secret from his family and the kids at school. Oliver spends his day blundering along in school, having his secret henchmen shoot darts at bullies (that cause some unpleasant gastrointestinal distress), drinking soda and root bear out of his secretly rigged water fountains, and tormenting his English teacher from a distance. At home, he maintains his secret evil empire.

Until Oliver is nominated for Class President by a classmate as a cruel prank. Initially, Oliver declines the nomination, but his anger toward his father, who Oliver perceives as being perpetually disappointed with him, drives him to get back into the election and play as dirty as possible to win it - even if he has to rig his running mates.

This book is hilarious. Written by the executive producer of The Daily Show, there is plenty of wit and a breakdown of politics on a middle school level that shows the reader how juvenile the entire political process can be. While at a times a bit heavy-handed, it still gets its point across, and in Oliver, Lieb has created a narrator that is like a young Dr. Evil meets Gru from Despicable Me. Middle schoolers will love the idea of a kid running an international evil empire from his underground lair and who has his school rigged for his personal comfort, all while tormenting teachers and bullies anonymously. The frustration of wanting to be loved by one's parents while being aware of their flaws is a strong theme that will resonate with many readers.

There is a limited website for the book at Sheldrake Industries (Oliver's cover company in the book) that offers some information about the book, a video with Josh Lieb, and a quiz where readers can figure out how evil they are.

Book Review: Rapunzel's Revenge, by Shannon and Dean Hale (Illustrated by Nathan Hale), (Bloomsbury 2008)

Recommended for ages 9-12


In YA and kids’ lit powerhouse couple Shannon and Dean Hale’s retelling of the Rapunzel tale, “Punzie”, as her friend Calamity Jack calls her, isn’t sitting around waiting for some prince to rescue her – she’s taking the matter into her own… hair.

Rapunzel grows up in the care of Mother Gothel, an evil woman with growth magic that she wields to keep the people of the surrounding lands under her control and to bleed them for all of their money. If they cannot pay her taxes, she dries up their land. She enslaves citizens to work in her mines. Rapunzel believes Mother Gothel is her own mother until one day, she ventures outside to the palace wall and meets her real mother. Furious with Gothel’s lies and cruelty, she demands answers from Gothel; Gothel responds by having Rapunzel taken to a forest and enclosed in a tree for four years. Her growth magic assures that Rapunzel has food to eat and small creature comforts; the growth magic also extends to Rapunzel’s famous hair, which grows and grows. Gothel visits Rapunzel every year to see if she will agree to live by Gothel’s ways as her daughter, but when Rapunzel refuses for the last time, she uses her growth magic to seal Rapunzel up in the tree for good. Luckily for Rapunzel, one of the palace guards taught her how to tie a good lasso. She manages to escape and meets Jack, a young man on the run whose only possessions are the clothes on his back, a goose named Goldy, and a magic bean… who could Jack be running from in this fractured fairy tale? Will Jack be able to help Rapunzel brave the arid lands and get her back to Gothel’s palace so she can free her mother and end Gothel’s reign of terror?

This book is great fun for boys and girls alike. It is a graphic novel that draws on two favorite fairy tales – Rapunzel and Jack and the Beanstalk – with a modern twist that will appeal to kids who are on that cusp of being teenagers, but still appreciate the comfort of a good fairy tale. Rapunzel is a strong female character who ends up saving her friend Jack as often as he saves her, and Jack is a funny charmer who finds himself feeling very awkward around the beautiful Rapunzel. It’s a classic good versus evil tale with action and snappy banter, magic and a strong sense of right, wrong, and justice.

Shannon Hale is the Newbery Award-winning author (for Princess Academy) who writes for ‘tweens, teens, and adults. Dean Hale, her husband, writes children’s books and has written both Rapunzel’s Revenge and its sequel, Calamity Jack, with Ms. Hale. Her blog offers links to information about her books, events and games. She also offers a list of favorite books for both children and adults, including some recommendations by her husband.

Game Review: Minecraft

Recommended for ages 9+

Minecraft is a sandbox game - a game with no objective other than to have fun (and survive) - where players create their own worlds by mining and digging resources for themselves. With both multiplayer and single player options, Minecrafters can play with others or on their own.

Players have limited time to get their resources and shelters initially built; monsters called Creepers (right) come out at "night" and damage property and individuals alike. There are other monsters, including spiders, skeletons and zombies that cause varying degrees of damage to property, players or both.

Once initial shelters are built, players can modify their game by downloading modifications (mods for short) that provide them with extra weapons, unlimited resources, and additional characters. Some mods are not comptabile with others, but there are lists letting players know which mods clash with others.

Minecraft is a great game for kids. It affords them the creativity to create their own worlds to their liking and gives them the tools to continue creating and modifying these worlds. By playing alone, they can interact with other Minecrafters, or by playing by themselves, they can avoid any potential problems with "friends" who think destroying other people's worlds is fun. It is a game of imagination and creation with no goal other than to enjoy.

There is a wealth of information available for anyone interested in learning Minecraft, including the Minecraft Wiki, which is available in ten different languages including Spanish, French, Russian and Korean. Billing itself as "the ultimate resource" , the wiki offers help on gameplay, crafting, modifications and more. WikiMinecraft is a fan-based site that offers video tutorials and screen shots to guide new crafters.

One family creates their own Minecraft video podcast, Minecraft Family Adventures, available on YouTube.

Book Review: Helen Keller: Her Life in Pictures, by George Sullivan (Scholastic, 2007)

Recommended for ages 8-12

As a little girl, I was captivated by Helen Keller's life story. Losing her sight and hearing as a baby, and growing up in darkness and silence? I couldn't even imagine. And having a teacher brave enough to reach in and pull me into the light? One can only imagine Helen Keller's struggles, but what is even more amazing and inspirational are her triumphs: graduating college with honors at a time when women were still fighting for the right to vote. Learning to lip read while being blind and deaf, relying only on touch to communicate with the outside world. Becoming a political and social activist at a time when women were supposed to be seen and not heard. She was an amazing woman who was surrounded by amazing women; first, her beloved teacher Annie Sullivan and later Polly Thomson, and when I saw this book in my local library, I snatched it up.

I was not disappointed. Helen Keller: Her Life in Pictures is a gorgeous book filled with photos of Helen throughout her life. There are childhood pictures of her and pictures of her with Annie Sullivan; we see pictures throughout her college career at Radcliffe, and we see pictures of her with the many public officials she met throughout her life. Always mindful of her appearance so people would not look at her and see her handicap first, she is always dressed beautifully and perpetually smiling. There are some candid photos, including shots of her with her pets and even a shot of Helen, Annie, and Annie's husband, John Macy.

Keller's great-grandniece Keller Johnson-Thompson writes the foreward where she discusses asking her grandmother questions about her famous relative. Notes at the end of the book provide further reading on Helen Keller, including a link to Ms. Johnson-Thompson's biography on the American Foundation for the Blind's home page, where she serves as an Ambassador; there are many links to Helen Keller photographs and artifacts on this page. There is also a link to the Helen Keller birthplace museum.

Book Review: Out from Boneville, by Jeff Smith (Scholastic edition, 2005)

Recommended for ages 11-13

Jeff Smith's Bone was a popular comic book title in the '90s, winning four Eisner Awards, and three Harvey Awards in 1994. Later on, the book caught on with kids as graphic novels gained more acceptance among educators. Scholastic has taken the 55-issue comic book series and repackaged them into a series of graphic novels. Out from Boneville is the first volume of this series, which follows the adventures of three cousins as they blunder into a fantasy world after being run out of their home, Boneville.

Phoncibile (Phoney for short) Bone is greedy and arrogant, which we are led to believe caused his ouster; Smiley Bone is the laid back one, and Fone Bone, our protagonist, is high-strung but an overall nice guy. Drawn as white humanoid shapes, the Bones resemble Casper with legs. The art is cartoon-like, very tween-friendly, and the banter is light and fun. Even the rat monsters who spend much of the novel trying to eat Fone Bone and seek out Phoney Bone for some dark reason are bumbling and goofy.

Out from Boneville sets up the entire Bone series, so  the storyline leaves a lot of questions unanswered by the end, but they are questions I am willing to pick up another volume to continue the journey.

 For teachers interested in working with graphic novels, Scholastic offers a guide for teachers and librarians (with mentions of Bone). Jeff Smith also maintains a Boneville web page with his touring schedule, his blog, and a section devoted to Bone.

Book Review: I'll Pass for Your Comrade, by Anita Silvey (Clarion Books, 2008)

Recommended for ages 9-12

I'll Pass for Your Comrade is a line taken from a Civil War Ballad, "The Cruel War"; a woman is saying goodbye to her love, leaving to fight, and begs to join him in combat. She offers to "pass for his comrade" - something that, according to the National Archives, at least 250 women did during the Civil War. Many women fought to be with their husbands and fiances. Some women fought for revenge. Some women fought for the thrill of battle. Unfortunately, because they had to keep their stories silent, most of these stories have been lost. I'll Pass for Your Comrade tells the stories of some of the women who donned men's uniforms, cut their hair, and went to war.

We hear the words of the women who fought, like Loreta Janeta Velazquez, who wrote about her participation in the Battle of Bull Run as Lieutenant Harry T. Buford. We see photographs of women like Frances Clayton, featured in the book both dressed in her uniform and her dress. We learn about their lives after the War, and how some of them took their secrets to the grave, their families only discovering their truth after death.

The book has black and white photographs and primary documents reprinted throughout, offering students the chance to see history as they read about these women. The author also provides a bibliography for further reading. This would be a strong selection to use during Women's History Month or during a Civil War unit.

Book Review: Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer (Hyperion, 2002)

Recommended for ages 9-12

When Artemis Fowl was published almost ten years ago, it was hailed as the next Harry Potter type series in terms of kids' blockbusters. There have been seven novels, plus graphic novels, since, and while it hasn't reached the Harry Potter level of mania with readers young and old, it is a strong series that has managed to remain on the shelves over the past decade - not something many books can claim these days.

Artemis Fowl the Second is a boy genius and the son of a missing crime lord. To find his father restore his family's reputation, he needs some help. In this case, "help" means getting a copy of the Rule Book from the Fairy World - because in this world, they are real and they don't want us to know it - and finding out their secrets to use against them. But now he's got the attention of the LEPrecon (the Lower Elements Police), and dealing with magic is never predictable.

It took a while for me to warm up to this book. I did not like Artemis, for starters. He is supposed to be an anti-hero, but there was not enough of him to give me a connection; I only thought of him as an annoying kid too smart for his own good for about 3/4 of the book. The LEP characters were somewhat more engaging but they needed some time to hit their stride; when they first appear on the scene, they almost seemed like caricatures in the exaggerated speech and description.

There is a prevalent subplot about how we humans, the Mud People, are destroying the planet. Colfer makes it abundantly clear that The People find humans beneath them and hold them in contempt.

There are plenty of Artemis Fowl websites, incluiding the US and UK websites that provide information about the books, book trailers, and games for visitors. Author Eoin Colfer's website offers links to author information, information about all of his books, and a message board.

Book Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney (Amulet, 2007)

Recommended for ages 9-12

I am an unabashed fan of the Wimpy Kid series - I've read all but the last one, and am right there with my kids in the wait for Cabin Fever, the next book in the series (39 days from today!). Dude had the pleasure of meeting Jeff Kinney at ComicCon a few years ago and he could not have been a nicer guy, autographing his book and mentioning that he had a son with the same name (I don't know if he calls his kid Dude, though). 

Greg Heffley is a middle school ne'er do well - he's lazy, he's selfish, and he can't figure out what everyone else's problem is. Despite these qualities, he's wildly funny, and he does try to do the right thing (he just tends to get a little lost on the way to doing it). He's a middle schooler, he's just trying to navigate life and make things easier on himself. Can you blame him?

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a good book for several reasons, aside from it's compulsive readability: the characters are well-written and funny, Greg has a clear voice, and this book shows boys and girls alike that keeping a diary - or a journal, whatever you choose to call it - is a good thing. Writing, even to a slacker kid like Greg, can be something fun to do. The book even resembles a diary on the inside and out, with lined pages, handwriting font, and hand-drawn pictures that look like Greg had drawn them filling the book.

Jeff Kinney's Wimpy Kid series is one of the most popular middle-grade series out today, with five book currently out and the sixth coming in November. The Wimpy Kid website offers information about all of the books (and a countdown clock for Cabin Fever)  and offers news and information about the author, a link to "Wimp Yourself" where kids can create their own Wimpy Kid using preselected templates, links to merchandise.

Book Revew: Wonkenstein: The Creature from my Closet, by Obert Skye (Henry Holt, 2011)

Recommended for ages 9-12

Rob is a 12-year old boy whose main use for books is to throw them into his closet. He has better things to do, after all, than read. Plus, Rob's closet is just strange. It's not because it's got a second-hand door with a pony sticker on it that says, "Smile". For starters, the doorknob is big, gold, and has a bearded man's face engraved on it - and his expression seems to change. For another, the closet is where Wonkenstein - a creature that seems to be a mashup of Willy Wonka and Frankenstein - comes from one day, and now Rob's closet will not open so he can send him back.

Rob tries to keep Wonkenstein a secret while trying to get him back to his world, but he ends up getting into more trouble, whether at home or school, the harder he tries. Poor Rob just wants life to go back to normal, but at the same time, he finds himself getting attached to the little guy.

Wonkenstein is a cute book for younger readers and older readers that may have drifted from reading and just need something fun and familiar to pull them back. The book has fun black and white illustrations that look like a child's drawings and helps, along with the first-person voice of the book, add to the fantasy that Rob is narrating his own true story.

Obert Skye's website has information about all of his books, plus author and tour information, and the publisher's website has a book detail page with much of the same information, plus links to the book's pages on social networking sites incluing Shelfari and LibraryThing.

Book Review: The Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire of 1911, by Gina De Angelis (Chelsea House, 2001)

Recommended for ages 10+

The shirtwaist was a high-necked, long-sleeved blouse design popular in the early 1900s - the iconic Gibson Girl image produces a clear picture of fashion at the time. During this period, New York boasted about 450 shirtwaist factories, but building codes and labor laws left a lot of room for interpretation. As a result, on March 25, 1911, a fire broke out in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in the Asch Building in downtown Manhattan. Multiple factors - locked doors to prevent workers from leaving early or stealing materials; ineffective and too few fire escapes and elevators, and crowded office conditions being just a few - led to the deaths of 146 workers, many of whom were Eastern European immigrant women new to the United States. The fire and the ensuing trial - which exonerated the company's owners - gave rise to movements pushing for stronger building safety standards and unionization of garment workers, which would help them lobby for better working conditions and better pay.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire of 1911 tells the story of the fire and the aftermath. Black and white photos taken at the scene of the fire and the makeshift morgue bring home the pain of the event and drive home the magnitude of the fire. Readers will learn that not only were the owners cleared of any wrong doing, because the building was legally sound, but they actually made money after the insurance settlement, causing an outcry among family members of the deceased. They will read survivor's stories and learn that the owners, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, went on to continue business and continue the business violations that caused so many deaths at the Asch Building. The book also details the story of the garment workers labor movement and takes the reader into present-day sweatshop conditions and the continued fight for safe working conditions and a living wage.

There are many online resources dedicated to the Triangle Fire. Cornell University's Kheel Center for Labor Documentation has a web exhibit with primary and secondary sources housed in their archives and offers a bibliography for further reading and research. Cornell also offers a link to a transcript of the trial against Blanck and Harris. Nonprofit organization Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition, seeking to establish a permanent memorial to the victims, offers an open archive where contributors add their own modern-day remembrances and information and a names map which lists the name, country of origin, New York address, and final resting place of the identified victims. Below is a PBS video that some teachers have shown in class.

Book Review: Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder (HarperCollins, 1971)

Recommended for ages 8+

I'm a child of the 1970s. I played with a Holly Hobbie doll and I watched Little House on the Prairie faithfully. I wanted a pretty, big sister like Mary and I wanted, alternately, to have a best friend like Laura or to be Laura. Now that I think of it, the 1970s had a lot of pioneer-retro fare available for young girls. And now they have Bratz and Wizards of Waverly Place. To each generation her own, I guess, but I can't help but think that these generations are missing out on something. But that's another blog post.

Most people know Laura Ingalls Wilder's stories, if not through her books, then through long-running television series based on them, Little House on the Prairie. Ms. Wilder was a pioneer child who wrote down all of her experiences and later had them published. There are nine books in the Little House series, which was first published between 1932 and 1943. The series resonated with girls and young women and is popular to this day.

Little House in the Big Woods is the first book in the Little House series, and introduces the reader to the Ingalls family: Laura (writing in the third person), her older sister, Mary, younger sister, Carrie, and her parents, Ma and Pa (Caroline and Charles). The family lives in the Big Woods in Wisconsin in the later part of the 19th Century, shortly after the Civil War. (Laura even mentions a family member who is "wild since he came back from the army".)

We go through each of the seasons with the Ingalls family and learn how these families lived, how they ate, and how much fun they managed to find time for. There are family dances, family visits, and hours spent playing in the fields together. There is always time for work, though, and this is where the book acts as a primer for living in the woods. Laura talks extensively about the process of preserving meats and vegetables to keep the family fed through the lean winter months; how Pa prepares an animal skin to be used as leather goods; how to get sap from a tree, and how to smoke bees out of a hive to be able to get to the honey. It's a fascinating look at a different time, and while it is written with a girl's voice, this is should not be considered a "girl's book": boys and girls alike can learn much about the wildnerness life.

There is a wealth of information about Laura Ingalls Wilder online. Wilder's home in Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, Missouri, where she wrote the Little House books, is now the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum and word finds, quizzes and coloring pages. The Little House Books website features a family tree tracking the girls of the Little House series from Laura's great-grandmother to her daughter, Rose. The site also offers games and craft ideas, as well as information for teachers interested in teaching the book. There are many teaching plans for the series available online, this interesting one from BookPunch. The History Chicks podcast also has an interesting episode dedicated to Wilder.

Book Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl (Bantam, 1977)

Recommended for ages 8-12 (but I think it's ageless)

This was one of my favorite books growing up, and reading it again all these years later, I find my love has not diminished in the slightest. In fact, there were so many things I "misremembered", due to multiple viewings of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Gene Wilder is Willy Wonka). While the movie retained much of Roald Dahl's dark comic humor, nothing beats the book, and Dahl's wry observations on bratty children and the parents who indulge them, and how the meek inherit... well, if not the earth, at least a lifetime's supply of chocolate.

Charlie Bucket is starving - no, really, he is. He lives with his mother, father, and four sickly grandparents, who are so old and sick that they never get out of bed. Father has a menial job screwing the caps onto toothpaste tubes, and they family is very poor. They are so poor, all they can eat is cabbage soup, and Charlie refuses to take more than his share. Every day he walks past the famous chocolatier Willy Wonka's chocolate factory and lifts his nose, inhaling the delicious smells; the only time he gets to enjoy a Wonka bar is on his birthday.

It all changes when Willy Wonka announces a contest where five winners will be allowed to tour the chocolate factory - and Charlie is holding one of the Golden Tickets. Grandpa Joe, his elderly grandfather who retains the joy and wonder of youth, jumps out of bed and insists that he go with him, and they're off. Charlie meets the four other winners - the gluttonous Augustus Gloop, spoiled brat Veruca Salt, TV addict Mike Teavee, and boorish Violet Beauregarde - and their overly indulgent parents at the gates of the factory, and when Willy Wonka's gates open for the first time in years, the fun really begins. Who will make it through the factory tour?

Dahl's writing weaves words into pictures that are enhanced by Joseph Schindelman's black and white illustrations. From Willy Wonka's mysterious origins to the Oompa Loompa's cautionary songs, this book is Mr. Dahl's morality play. It's a great reminder of the golden rules as children enter into the middle grades: be polite. Don't be a bully. Share. Don't be a glutton or have bad manners. Modesty and a humble demeanor reap their own rewards. Reading Dahl is like Emily Post for kids, but with chocolate rivers and candy flowers.

Roald Dahl is a well-known classic children's author. There is an inactive wiki that appeared to be the start of a comprehensive body of work  with 106 articles; there is a call to revive it on the home page. There is also a wonderful Roald Dahl website that is animated and features links to the Roald Dahl store, museum, and his children's charity. The site features a "book chooser" that will match kids with a "splendiferous read" of his, a biography on the author, and a "Wonkalator" - a calculator game that asks kids to help Wonka with his latest magical formula.

Book Review: Wiley & Grampa's Creature Features, by Kirk Scroggs (Little, Brown, 2006)

 Recommended for ages 8-12

The Wiley & Grampa books take the sting out of scary books for kids by making them hilarious and gross. They got in early on the 'potty humor makes boys read' trend that I have seen time and again, but author Kirk Scroggs gets it, and he writes well.


The stories revolve around young Wiley, a boy who lives with his grandmother and grandfather, in what appears to be "good ole boy country". Wiley and his grandfather loves Pork Cracklins and monster trucks, and his grandmother is always after them to finish chores. Somehow, Wiley and Grampa always end up in trouble with the supernatural.


In the first book, Dracula vs. Grampa at the Monster Truck Spectacular, Wiley and Grampa sneak out to go to a monster truck show, despite Gramma's telling them that with the storm coming, no one is going any where. They meet Dracula himself, and get the sneaking suspicion that Dracula's very interested in Gramma, who just happens to resemble Drac's dead wife. If that isn't enough to entice readers, there are monster trucks. That run on blood.

In Grampa's Zombie BBQ, Wiley, Grampa and Gramma are having barbecue and Gramma's making her famous honey paprika barbecue sauce. When a horde of zombies shows up and shows an appetite for Gramma's food, all is fine - until the food runs out, leaving Wiley and his grandparents to fend for themselves. But can the lunch lady and her toxic beet borscht save the day?

The books are great for younger readers who are still getting into the swing of chapter books, for readers who want a good laugh, or readers who want their monsters a little less threatening. Wiley and his family are funny, and they are never really in any danger, giving more skittish readers reassurance. The books are illustrated with blackand white sketches on every page and the characters are drawn as exaggerated, caricature-like people.

There are ten Wiley & Grampa books available, the last of which came out in 2009. Kirk Scroggs' website does not shy away from this series at all; rather, they are front and center on the page. Mr. Scroggs has links to each of the books and features a sneak peak of each of them, and he also links to his Picasa album so visitors can view pictures from his author appearances. A Fun & Games area of the website offers games, printables (including "Crackpot Snapshot", also featured at the end of each book, where the reader has to find the differences between two versions of the same picture), and wallpaper.  

Book Review: Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So Popular Party Girl by Rachel Renee Russell (Aladdin, 2010)

Recommended for ages 9-12

Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl has been hailed as "Wimpy Kid for girls", and I'm inclined to agree. The book is writtten in similar format - a middle-schooler's journal - and is complete with illustrations and "OMG!" moments in a pre-teen's life. Nikki, the protagonist, is not the slacker that Wimpy Kid Greg is, but is definitely not in the cool crowd. She and her friends Chloe and Zoey wish they could be in the CCP (Cute, Cool and Popular) crowd, but Nikki's nemesis, Mackenzie - a spoiled, rich, mean girl - will do anything and everything to ruin Nikki's life - including canceling the school Halloween dance just to make Nikki look bad. Nikki and her friends need to pull together to make it happen, and Nikki hopes to get the attention of her crush, Brandon Roberts. The only trouble is, Mackenzie has her sights set on Brandon, too.

The book is fun. Nikki is a vibrant narrator, who speaks fluent middle-school - girls will love her. She writes from a very female point of view, as opposed to the more gender-friendly Wimpy Kid, so I don't know if boys will get on board with the series (especially as this book has a purple cover). The black and white drawings make you believe you are looking at a 'tween girl's diary, as do the script and handwriting fonts. All around, a fun book with a spunky heroine that girls will enjoy - and grown-up girls will laugh along with the more cringe-worthy memories of their own middle school years.

The Dork Diaries website features information on the Dork Diaries books and has a countdown clock for the next book's release. There is a link to the music inspired by the book, and the Nikki has a blog where she recaps memories (from the books), links fan videos, and features fun contests and printables. There is additional content if you link through to Nikki's Facebook page.

Book Review: The Time Warp Trio: Knights of the Kitchen Table, by Jon Scieszka (illustrated by Lane Smith) (Viking Penguin, 1991)

Recommended for ages 8-12

Knights of the Round Table is the first book in the hugely popular Time Warp Trio series, by Caldecott award-winning author Jon Scieszka. Knights introduces us to Joe Arthur and his friends Sam and Fred. Joe, an amateur magician, receives a magical book (later known as The Book), from his magician uncle, Joe the Magnificent, for his ninth birthday. The Book has magical powers that Joe the Magnificent was unable to unlock, but Joe and his friends manage to transport through time, ending up in King Arthur's Camelot, where they save the land from a fire-breathing dragon and a damsel-eating giant.

The successful author-illustrator teamwork between Scieszka and Lane Smith is here, and Smith's black and white drawings bring the characters hilarioiusly alive throughout the book. Jon Scieszka's fast-paced dialogue will keep the attention of boys and girls alike. Scieszka's Time Warp Trio books inspired the animated series on Discovery Kids Network and has spawned an additional book series based on the show. His initiative, Guys Read, is committed to increasing literacy and the love of books in boys. There are 16 books in the original Time Warp Trio series, all running between 50-75 pages - a great length for a resistant reader or a reader interested in a fun, short story.

Book Review: Among the Hidden, by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Simon & Schuster, 2000)

Recommended for ages 9-14

Luke has never had a friend from school come to visit - he has never been to school. He has never had a birthday party. He is a Shadow Child, an illegal third child in a society that allows families to have only two children. If the Population Police discover him, they will arrest his parents and kill him.

When the government seizes part of his father's farmland for a housing development for the wealthy Barons, Luke loses what little freedom he had. Completely relegated to the indoors, Luke is unable to even eat at the same table with his family, for fear of someone seeing him at the table. He spends his days in his hidden attic room, daring to look out the window every now and then, and one day, discovers that he is not the only Shadow Child in the area. Luke befriends Jen, a Shadow Child of a government official, who uses the Web to connect with other Shadow Children; together, they are planning to rally in front of the President's house and demand to be taken out of the shadows. When she invites Luke to come, he finds himself faced with a choice: continue living in the shadows or risk his life to be free?

Among the Hidden is the first in the seven-book Shadow Children series and has one numerous awards, including selection as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, and ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. It is a strong piece of post-apocalyptic fiction that will keep young teens riveted. I was amazed at where Haddix went in places - the people living in this world have a difficult life and she never shies away from it and yet, makes this universe a little too uncomfortably real. She speaks to her readers like they are young adults, never pandering to them and illustrating that life is rife with tough choices.

There is a discussion guide for Among the Hidden featured on the author's website at http://www.haddixbooks.com/books/hidden_guide.html. Visitors to the site can also find out more about the author and her appearances, and for anyone interested in writing a report about her, she offers a "report help" section where she also takes the time to thank her readers for the honor.

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 Scavenging.

I realized last night, after working on blog entries for school, that my nonfiction 'tween reading is sorely lacking. So I hit Dude's bookshelves, asking him to pull any historical fiction and history-related books he had for me. He's recently become very interested in World War II, after a strong unit on the topic this past school year, and he handed me I Am David by Anne Holm, insisting that I read this before anything else. He also insisted that I find a copy of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne.

I also want to read some nonfiction from periods other than WWII, so I took to one of my fellow SLIS students' blogs, The Fourth Musketeer, who never disappoints (she reviews nonfiction and historical fiction for children and teens). So now, I've got Bootleg by Karen Blumenthal, Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey (yes, it's historical fiction, but like Margo, I'm a bit obsessed with Antoinette), Titanic, Book One: Unsinkable by Gordon Korman, the too-much-fun-titled Big Wig: A Little History of Hair by Kathleen Krull, and I'll Pass for Your Comrade: Women Soldiers in the Civil War by Anita Silvey.

I can already feel my library card heating up.