Hubert Invents the Wheel by Claire and Monte Montgomery

For some reason, this book was shelved in the Young Adult section of my local library. Huh?

Hubert is an Ancient Sumerian teenager who likes to invent things, just like his mother, who disappeared after an unfortunate umbrella incident. His father, Gorp, is less than thrilled with Hubert's inventive nature. When Hubert invents the wheel, all is well until the Assyrians steal the idea and suddenly life as the Sumerians know it is threatened.

This was a very cute book. And besides just a good story, it has educational value, too. Besides learning about an ancient culture (however comedically portrayed), you (or at least kids) will learn new vocabulary words, a bit about technology, and even some math concepts. This would be a great cross-curriculum book for teachers to use, probably 4th or 5th grade level (although some of the math concepts may be more advanced - maybe that's why it was considered YA?).

That said, when I wasn't reading it, it didn't call my name, and I had a hard time picking it up again. When I would pick it up, I would enjoy it, but I was often reluctant to pick it back up. Not sure what that was about.

I can best describe the style of this book as being like an animated Disney movie - I kept picturing The Emperor's New Groove as I was reading. Interestingly, I noted that the illustrator, Jeff Shelly, used to work for Disney. It was silly in the same ways, and the cartoon style of the drawings just magnified the similarities. This isn't a bad thing, just an observation.

The Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret

I give this book a good, solid "meh."

Twelve-year-old Josh finds himself spending the summer with his great aunt (by marriage) Ethel instead of playing on an all-star baseball team, and he's none too happy about it. However, his summer starts to perk up when he 1) meets the ghost of a coal miner who died more than 100 years before and 2) he finds a stray mama cat and her kittens. After agreeing to help the ghost reunite his amputated leg bones with the rest of his body, things get exciting.

To be fair, I would have loved this book when I was a child. This is exactly the type of book I was drawn to. But I think the problem is that I've read too many mysteries now. I found the book terribly predictable, and, thus, disappointing.

The Ghost's Grave was a quick read - I think I read it in 4 sittings and could have easily finished it in a day or two if I didn't have other things going on. But it wasn't one I couldn't wait to pick back up. So, I give it a solid 3 stars out of 5.

Texas Bluebonnet Award revisited

I posted earlier about how I think the voting for the Texas Bluebonnet Award (TBA) is flawed. I still think so to some extent, but mainly only because I think kids will read several short books at the last minute in order to get to go to the special voting breakfast, assuming something like that is a standard at other schools besides my daughter's. Actually, it just occurred to me that, as far as I know, my son's school doesn't participate in the Bluebonnet program at all (how sad).

While I was looking for TBA graphics on the Texas Library Association page today, I came across the FAQ for the program. I've never really understood that the point of the program isn't about choosing the award winner, but more about learning to choose books that appeal to you in a no-pressure situation. The list, as I mentioned previously, has a wide variety of books that naturally don't all appeal to every child. Each child is encouraged to pick at least 5 of their own choosing, and the goal is most definitely not to read the whole list (I knew this). Puts it all in a different perspective for me.

On the Road (Down Girl and Sit) by Lucy Nolan

Well, that was anticlimactic.

On the Road (Down Girl and Sit) is this year's winner of the Texas Bluebonnet Award. I've now read all but 4 of the books, and this definitely wasn't my favorite. That said, I do see why it would be the popular choice.

The book is very silly, told from the viewpoint of a dog, aka Down Girl. (Sit is her neighbor.) The book did have me chuckling often, and I think young readers would really appreciate the humor. But to me, there's a difference between a "fun" book and a "good" book. Then again, that's why the Bluebonnet Award is kids' choice award and not an adult's choice award!

The audience for this book is early readers, 2nd grade-ish. Not my favorite level.

My daughter and I had an interesting conversation about the Bluebonnet Award over breakfast on Saturday. I told her which book won, and she was a bit incredulous. As we talked, I realized a flaw in the voting system. At least at my daughter's school, in order to vote, kids only have to have read 5 books on the list of 20 books. The voting is done at a special breakfast, where the kids get donuts, etc. The Bluebonnet list is typically a mixture of picture books, early readers, and longer novels. If you only have to have read 5 books to get to go to this special breakfast, and you're not much of a reader, which 5 books are you going to have read? The shorter ones! So the voting is automatically skewed towards the shorter, easier books. My personal opinion is that the kids should have to read books from the list that are in their reading level. For those with lower levels, reading only the easy books would be fine, but the older/better readers should be required to read at least a couple of books more appropriate to their level. That would at least increase the chances of the lengthier novels have of winning. Thoughts?

Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata

Weedflower begins the first week of December, 1941. Sumiko and her family are flower farmers in California when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. Naturally, their world is turned upside down. Suddenly her uncle and grandfather are arrested and held in camps run by the Department of Justice. The rest of Sumiko's family is moved to a local interment camp and then to a camp in Poston, Arizona, run by the Office of Indian Affairs. Here Sumiko is befriended by an older Japanese man (I say Japanese instead of Japanese American, because I believe he was not born in America) who helps her start a garden. She also encounters a Mohave Indian boy and faces her own prejudices towards his people, as well as his towards hers. This is a very touching story and one I highly recommend!

Weedflower is another of the Texas Bluebonnet nominees for this year, and of all the ones I've read so far (I've read 15 of the 20), this one would have gotten my vote. I know it's not the winner, though - I still haven't read the winner. I'm interested to read the winner to see what ids liked better about it!

This book fufills another of my requirements for the What's in a Name? Challenge.

Roxie and the Hooligans by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Roxie and the Hooligans is a book that just begs to be read aloud.

Take, for example, this description of Roxie's ears (the source of all her problems):

"It was her ears, of course. They were round ears, pink ears, ears of the normal variety, and Roxie scrubbed them daily inside and behind. But they stuck straight out from her head like the handles of a sugar bowl, the ears on an elephant, the wings on a bat."

And this passage, that actually managed to rouse my half-asleep boy and even evoke a giggle:

"Helvetia brayed like a donkey: 'Hee-yah, hee-yah!'

Simon howled like a hyena: 'Hoo-hoo ha-ha, hoo-hoo ha-ha!'

Freddy cawed like a crow: 'Ca-haw! Ca-haw!'

And Smoky Jo squeaked like a mouse: 'Eeeka. Eeeka. Eeeka.'"

Roxie Hooligan is an average fourth grader, who is tormented by a group of bullies, Helvetia's Hooligans. She also happens to be the niece of Uncle Dangerfoot who has traveled the world with Lord Thistlebottom, the author of Lord Thistlebottom's Book of Pitfalls and How to Survive Them. Roxie has nearly memorized Lord Thistlebottom's book of survival tips, even though she is sure she will never need to use them. But of course, we can all guess that Lord Thistlebottom's wisdom will, indeed, come in handy.

I wasn't really expecting much of this book. It's one of the 2007-2008 Texas Bluebonnet Award nominees, which is why I picked it up. I'm so glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed this little book!

Pompeii: Lost and Found by Mary Pope Osborne

My only previous experience with Mary Pope Osborne's books was through her Magic Tree House series that my daughter enjoyed when she was an early reader. As those books, especially for early reader books, were well-researched, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed with this book about Pompeii.

When I added it as a selection for the What's in a Name? challenge, I expected the book to be longer, more like Osborne's Magic Tree House research guides (the companion nonfiction books), so I was surprised to find that it is instead a picture book. But I wasn't disappointed! The illustrations by Bonnie Christensen, which mimic the frescoes of ancient Pompeii are absolutely gorgeous! Each page has a short paragraph about an aspect of life in Pompeii, and the adjacent page has a beautiful fresco reflecting this aspect. It's truly a beautiful little book.

I appreciated reading about the way of life in Pompeii prior to its destruction. There was a hint of sadness at the complete and sudden destruction of this community. I was reminded of Life As We Knew It, which I reviewed last month.

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo by Obert Skye

It's hard not to like a book in which one of the main characters is a talking toothpick!

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo is the first in the Leven Thumps series, of which there are now 3 books + a companion (as is oh-so-trendy these days). This is a typical fantasy book, with classic elements: an orphaned boy living a miserable life who suddenly finds he has to save the world; magical sidekicks; a villain to defeat; and, yes, a talking toothpick.

Leven Thumps is exciting from the get-go, and it never really lags. I would have loved this book as a child, but as an adult I kept having to tell myself to quit being so analytical. There were scenes that seemed to have been added purely for comedic value that I started to find distracting by the end.

Any fans of Harry Potter will likely enjoy Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo. I've read a couple of chapters to my kids at bedtime and they both seemed to enjoy them. We'll probably read the entire book for bedtime once we finish the Spiderwick Chronicles (which I'll write about after we've finished all 5 books).

Chicken Boy by Frances O'Roark Dowell

I first started this book before Christmas, but I couldn't get into it. I returned it to the library when one of my holds came in. It was the only Bluebonnet nominee on the shelf that I hadn't read this week, though, so I picked it up again. I read the entire (well, remaining) book yesterday.

Tobin doesn't start the 7th grade on a good note - his grandmother is arrested for wreckless driving when she drops him off at school. This is par for the course for Tobin, the youngest in a set of siblings known throughout the school system for their disorderly behavior. But Tobin is different, if a bit rough around the edges.

Tobin unexpectedly makes friends with Henry, when Henry comes to his rescue during a fight, and is suddenly knee deep in chickens. This a story of family and friends and trying to please everyone and hurt no one, and you will find yourself really rooting for Tobin and his dysfunctional family.

Weekend update and a review

My son has the flu, poor thing. While I feel bad for him (luckily Tamiflu really seems to have eased the symptoms), I'm grateful for the forced downtime. I actually have time to post! (Though my cat has other ideas - he's laying across my arms and threatening to drool on the keyboard.)

I found Firegirl by Tony Abbott all in all to be a very sad book. Tom's 7th grade class is like any normal classroom until a new girl joins the class. Jessica is placed in the class while she is receiving treatments at a nearby hospital for burns that have horribly disfigured her. As is often the case when children are faced with such a student, no one in Tom's class (including Tom) knows how to react to Jessica and basically just ignore her (or shun her). Tom is the only kid to in any way accept Jessica.

This is a great book for helping kids learn how to treat a fellow student with disabilities, but it is not at all a light read.

Outside and Inside Mummies by Sandra Markle

This book is my latest read from the Texas Bluebonnet Nomination list. I have always loved informational books like this, so it was a fun read. Even more fun for me was that the first 1/3 or so dealt with radiology of mummies. Being a librarian in a hospital imaging department, I am inundated with this stuff on a daily basis, and, in fact, one of the faculty members I help out on a regular basis is researching paleo-radiology. I recently was able to borrow a book for him of original x-rays of mummies from the 1850s! My first thought as I was reading this book was that I should buy a copy for Dr. M for Christmas. I actually may buy a copy for my library, even though it would really be a novelty item.

The other 2/3 of the book dealt with other biological investigations of mummies, such as looking at samples under the microscope of parasites found in the intestines. Fascinating!

The Blue Ghost by Marion Dane Bauer

I wasn't very impressed with this Bluebonnet nominee. It was a sweet story, but I think this level books are just lacking. I can see how it would be an enticing choice for someone at that level, though.

Liz is the 5th Elizabeth in a long line of women family members. While staying at her grandmother's cabin, she encounters the ghost of the first Elizabeth and her children. Liz's encounter makes a lasting impression on Elizabeth's daughter (the 2nd Elizabeth), as you discover at the end of the story.