Glory Be

 Glory Be

Augusta Scattergood* (2012)

Racial unrest during the summer of 1964 threatens the birthday plans of a girl in Mississippi. A small town deals with segregation, the Freedom Summer volunteers, and getting ready for the 4th of July celebrations. Similar to ...Gabriel King, but not as deep or dramatic; some of the storylines feel undone. Best parts were the sister relationship, Elvis vs Beatles, and the brave Librarian standing up to the town's racist bullies. Enjoyable story, likable main character.


*Gotta be one of the best author names ever!

Hereville

... How Mirka Got Her Sword

Barry Deutsch (2010)

Entertaining and Educational! Learn numerous Yiddish phrases and all about the Sabbath while enjoying a cute story of a rebel girl and a magic pig.  And a troll. Who knits.

The website has interesting looks at the creative process as Deutsch readies the next book of Minka's adventures, including sketches and rough drafts.

Nicholas St. North

... and the Battle of the Nightmare King

William Joyce and Laura Geringer (2011)

Very cool, on so many levels. Not the least of which is the author is the guy who created Rolie Polie Olie.  The illustrations are cool, the chapter titles are cool ("In Which a Twist of Fate Begets a Knot in the Plan"), the setting is cool, and the posters for the upcoming movie are cool.

Too much with the "cool"?

Good story, lots of familiar yet altered characters (Santa Claus, before he became a claymation TV star, was a thief and weapons expert?), orphans, magic, and of course the battle between good and evil. Characters grow and change, the mind is valued over muscle, and people/creatures look out for each other.  Very imaginative, visual, and has a lot of good vocabulary words, which is why I think it's going to beat out The Hobbit for my end of year read aloud.

update: Finished the sequel last night, E. Aster Bunnymund... (2012).  Not as action-filled as the first book, but more illustrations (love the wry captions), more playful interaction between characters, and more humor -- including the dreaded puns on "egg" -- would have been a good book to read before the spring break. Pitch, the bad guy, is back, and the search continues for the means to stop him.  

One more cool: the website for the books, especially where Mr. Joyce visits the moon.

The Santa Club

The Santa Club

by Kelly Moss (2011)

Just in time for the holiday, and the mystery of Santa Claus, comes complete with membership certificate and website with countdown to Christmas Day (thesantaclub.net). First up, Elf #3's review:

"It's a good book for preschool teachers. I didn't really like the St. Nicholas illustrations. It's also a very good Christmas book."

Ok, so he's not my most verbose son, but he did give it two thumbs up. I give it thumbs up as well, although it's not a book for the classroom library, seeing as it not only spills the secret of Santa but preaches the Gospel. Detailed, colorful art and bright graphics, but it's not really a story to read but more like an introduction to a Sunday School lesson. I cracked up on all the "don't tell any other children our secret" warnings.

The Wednesday Wars

The Wednesday Wars

by Gary D. Schmidt (2007)

Newbery Honor Book

Very good book, with a lot going on: religion, politics, Viet Nam, sibling rivalry, jerk of a father, hippies, cream puffs, Shakespeare, rats, bullies, heroes, baseball, track, and even a little romance... whew! 

There's a lot going on but a lot to grab on to, and different readers will like/focus on different elements.  Well worth it for higher readers, and a great introduction/companion to U.S. history (late 60's) and The Bard.  Probably good too for a class that thinks they have a mean teacher who doesn't like them...


I wonder if Son #2 realizes that when he's finished reading this one I'm going to start him on Shakespeare -- Macbeth?  Midsummer's Night?

Ramona and Her Father

Ramona and Her Father

by Beverly Clearly (1975)

A little more serious than the other Cleary books I picked up -- unemployment, nicotine addiction, abandonment issues, engine trouble... but still sweet, still humorous.  The focus is on Ramona and daily life dealing with her father losing his job and trying to quit smoking, with the strong family bond and balance of relationships throughout.