The Mad Potter - a review

Greenberg, Jan and Sandra Jordan. 2013. The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius. New York: Roaring Brook.

This book, recognized as a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book, one of 2013's most distinguished informational books, is a photo-filled biography of George E. Ohr, a master of art pottery. A colorful character and far cry from the reticent or taciturn artist stereotype, Ohr was a self-proclaimed,
 "rankey krankey solid individualist," the "Greatest Art Potter on Earth," and "born free and patriotic, blowing my own bugle."

Sadly, his bravado did not serve him well in his lifetime, as one fan wrote,

"Mr. Ohr is by no means a crank, but is a naturally bright, even brilliant man, who has been led into the belief that the way for him to attain publicity is through the channel of preposterous advertising, and the signs which he placed round Biloxi do him more harm than good."

Still, he was confident in his own mastery of his craft, and future generations came to recognize that he was indeed brilliant.  The Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art was built in his honor, and houses a permanent exhibition of his work.

The Mad Potter is a narrative chronology and includes a history of the museum, instructions on how to create a clay pot, extensive Notes, Bibliography and Picture Credits, and my favorite - "How to Look at a Pot," a useful interpretation of the language and method used in describing and evaluating pottery.

A fascinating glimpse into an artist's life, the art of pottery, and the nature and mindset of the art-collecting world.

Note:
Want to see the works of George Ohr?  There is a Pinterest board titled, "George Ohr & His Biloxi Pottery," dedicated to displaying photos of George Ohr and his creations.  Be sure to take a gander.


Today is Nonfiction Monday, and also the final day of our KidLit Celebrates Women's History Month celebration.  Please be sure to catch up on all of the wonderful posts!

The 39 Clues: Vespers Rising - a review

Riordan, Rick and Gordon Korman, Peter Lerangis, Jude Watson. The 39 Clues: Vespers Rising. (Book #11) 2011. Read by David Pittu. Scholastic Audio.  (6 hrs 18 min)

Can a book be both a prequel and a sequel?  Yes, if it's Vespers Rising.

In four separate books (hence the four authors), Vespers Rising offers a view to the past and the origins of the Cahill Family secret in Gideon Cahill (early 1500s) , a look at the activities of Madeleine Cahill and the formation of the family's secretive fifth branch, a glimpse of young Grace Cahill, patriarch of the modern Cahill Family, and finally, back to Dan and Amy Cahill, their cat Saladdin, and au pair, Nellie.  Dan and Amy have completed the clue hunt and are safely back in Boston, but their adventures are far from over!


David Pittu continues as the narrator for the series, and as usual, does a stellar job in portraying a wide variety of characters with varying accents.  His voice will be as connected with The 39 Clues brand as Jim Dale's is to Harry Potter.
Listen to a sample here.

This book will answer many of the questions readers may have about the origin of the clue hunt, but its main purpose is to set the stage for the new series, Cahills vs. Vespers.  The first book in the series is The Medusa Plot, and is available now. Read an excerpt here.

Fans of the series will be thrilled with the new offerings.

The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel and other Olympian news

Just how big is Rick Riordan in the publishing world?  Well, he doesn't have a mere web page, he has a world, The Online World of Rick Riordan.  And he needs an online world to contain all of his projects!

I've been meaning to share a few things about Rick Riordan since attending the American Library Association conference this summer. I am so impressed with Rick Riordan's commitment to his craft, his boundless imagination, his friendly personality, his circle of talented colleagues,  and most of all, his ever-increasing appeal to readers.  Like Midas, whatever he touches turns to gold.


Did you know that The Lightning Thief and subsequent books in the series are being released in graphic novel format?  I might have passed on this news, had I not attended a session in New Orleans that featured Rick Riordan in a panel discussion with his colleagues.  One of the panel members was Robert Venditti, who wrote the adaptation for the graphic novel.

Robert Venditti signing books @ ALA in NO

 Venditti explained both the challenges, and his method of condensing a beloved book into GN format. It was not a task that he undertook lightly, and it was clear to everyone in attendance that he put a great deal of effort into maintaining the spirit and content of the original book.  My co-worker and I spoke with him later about the process of working with Attila Futaki (artist) and Jose Villarrubia (colorist) in creating the adaptation to ensure that readers of the original book would not be disappointed. There is much more to the process than you might think.

The resulting book is a new way to experience the Percy Jackson saga (the rest of the series will follow!) and adheres to the story much better than the movie. And yes, Annabeth is blond, as she should be.  My only complaint with The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel (2010 Disney Hyperion) is  the font color for otherworldly messages.  I found it difficult to read, but perhaps I'm just getting old!

The Lost Hero, the first book in the Heroes of Olympus series, flew off the shelf all summer! Can't wait for the second installment, Son of Neptune?  Well, here's a teaser for you -

Read the first chapter here or
you can download an mp3 file of the first audiobook chapter here!

(It will be interesting to see how the issue of narration is reconciled.  So many listeners loved Jesse Bernstein, the narrator of the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.  Joshua Swanson narrated The Lost Hero, which is told in first person narration from varying points of view. Swanson portrayed all of the characters. When Percy re-enters the story in Son of Neptune, will listeners pine for the voice of Jesse Bernstein?  We'll find out next month.)

And did you know that October 4-11 is Olympian Week? Rick Riordan will be touring the country in support of his upcoming book. The first printing of The Son of Neptune will be three million copies!  Click the link to see if he'll be in a city near you!

And then, there's the Kane Chronicles - the series based on Egyptian mythology. It's no wonder that Rick Riordan needs an "online world!"  According to Rick Riordan, this popular series should wrap up after three books.  We'll see what happens next.

The 39 Clues, originally planned to end with book ten, finished up with book 11, Vespers Rising, written in part by Rick Riordan and detailing the origin of the clue hunt. I'm almost finished with this one in audiobook format (my new commute is too short for quality listening), but it sets the stage for the new Cahill vs. Vespers series. The Medusa Plot (book 1) by Gordon Korman was released last month. And the Cahill clan lived on!

And finally, in New Orleans, Riordan mentioned that he is not ruling out a foray into Norse mythology.  Let's keep our fingers crossed!

39 Clues - the end?

A quick wrap up of the final two audiobooks in the 39 Clues series - as with all the other titles, David Pittu narrates -

Park, Linda Sue. 2010. The 39 Clues: Storm Warning (Book 9). New York: Scholastic.

...in which Dan and Amy are reunited (finally), the true secrets of the Madrigals are revealed, the hunt moves to Jamaica, and the death of someone not connected to the hunt deeply affects Dan, Amy, and Nellie. Oh yes, and one more thing, most excellent reader, David Pittu, finally finds an accent that's too hard to handle - Jamaican patois.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 2010. The 39 Clues: Into the Gauntlet. (Book 10). New York: Scholastic.

In this longest of all the 39 Clues titles, the Starlings return to play a major role (remember them from the bomb blast at the Franklin Institute?) and all of the clues are finally revealed as the hunt moves to London. 

The series did not wrap up as I had anticipated and surprisingly, the door has been left open for further adventures.  All in all, it was a good run.  Kids love the series and it keeps them reading.

And a surprise addition -

The Emperor's Code

I'm finally caught up (almost!) in the hunt for the 39 Clues!  The final book, Into the Gauntlet (#10) is due out this month, and I'm just now starting Storm Warning (#9) by Linda Sue Park. These last two books in the series are the only titles with female authors.  Will it make a difference? I'll find out soon.  In the meantime, here's the quick scoop on:

Korman, Gordon. 2010. The Emperor's Code. Read by David Pittu. Scholastic Audiobooks. (on Playaway)
(Book #8 in the 39 Clues series)

...in which
Dan and Amy travel to China, Tibet, and the summit of Mount Everest; suspicions about the au pair, Nellie, are reignited; the siblings become separated; and Jonah Wizard surfaces once again.

Although these are books for 9-12 year-olds, Gordon Korman throws in a few words worthy of PSAT prep - troglodyte, stymied, and more.

As with all of the audiobooks in the series, bonus material follows the story - this time, Cora Wizard's Nobel Prize acceptance speech - not too enlightening.

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The Viper's Nest

Lerangis, Peter. 2010. The Viper's Nest. Read by David Pittu. Scholastic Audiobooks.

About 5 hrs on CD or Playaway.

Still plugging along through the 39 Clues series, trying to catch up.  The Viper's Nest (Book 7) was not available from my library for digital download, so I checked out the Playaway version.

(If you’re not familiar with Playaway audio books, they are single-purpose, multi-use, mp3 players. It’s a very simple mp3 player loaded with one book and lacking recording capabilities. It has basic command buttons – on/off, play/pause, fast forward, reverse, volume. It begins each time at the farthest listening point. That’s it! Easy as pie. Larger than a typical mp3, but smaller than an iTouch, they’re durable, portable and convenient. Your public library probably offers them.)

As usual with the other audiobooks in the series, David Pittu does a fine job in narrating the story.  This time, he must add South African accents to his ever-expanding repertoire as Dan, Amy and Nellie continue their hunt for the clues - this time following the trail of Zulu warrior, Shaka Zulu and his curious connection to British PM, Winston Churchill.  In this installment, Dan and Amy discover a clue and a shocking revelation about their family. The books, in general, are fairly formulaic in nature and read seamlessly regardless of the author, however, Peter Lerangis' sense of humor is evident in The Viper's Nest.  Nellie has some great one-liners.

Once again, the audio version offers bonus materials - this time in the form of a recorded deposition from Mrs. Thembeka regarding the theft of the Churchill letter.

On to Book 8 and I've got to hurry. The tenth and final book, Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix will be released on August 31, 2010.  There will be a live webcast with all of the authors.

39 Clues: In Too Deep

Watson, Jude. 2009. The 39 Clues: In Too Deep. Read by David Pittu. Scholastic Audio.

The 39 Clues Book 9, Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park is out and I'm struggling to catch up, just finishing Book 6, In Too Deep, in which:

Irina Spasky gets a conscience, Nellie reveals some mysterious abilities, Dan and Amy travel to Australia and Indonesia, Alistair Oh turns up unexpectedly, Amy has flashbacks from the night her parents died, Isabel Kabra joins the story, and the first of the clue hunters perishes (or appears to).

As with the other audiobook versions, bonus material follows the final chapter. In this case, a recorded interview with Isabel Kabra.

I continue to be amazed at the seamless manner in which so many well-known authors can maintain the character and voice of the series.  I would love to know what guidelines each author is given and how much latitude each is allowed in making his/her mark on The 39 Clues brand. I'm looking forward to checking out a woman's touch in Books 9 & 10 by Linda Sue Park and Margaret Peterson Haddix.  David Pittu is the reader for all the books in the series and does well with the many accents and characters he must portray.  He even does Nellie's Hispanic accent mimicking an Aussie accent.  Try that!

Listen to a sample from the Barnes and Noble site, or download the audiobook free from your public library.

If readers are interested in more information about the famed Krakatao Volcano (featured in the book), point them to the fascinating nonfiction title, The Day the World Exploded.

Check out all things 39 Clues related at The 39 Clues official site.

On to Book 7, The Viper's Nest.  I can't stop now!

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The 39 Clues ...

An update on The 39 Clues series... I've fallen behind in this series that may not have been the Harry Potter blockbuster that Scholastic was hoping for, but still appears to be quite popular.  I've just finished books 4 and 5, Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson and The Black Circle by Patrick Carman as audio book downloads. Both books are read by David Pittu, who does a fine job, considering the many characters and their many diversities.  I continue to be amazed that despite being written by popular and signature authors, each book flows smoothly into the next.

A quick note on both titles:

In Beyond the Grave, Irina Spasky's character becomes more developed, Dan and Amy have their first real "falling" out, the one-dimensional Holts are (thankfully) mostly absent, and Jude Watson does a fine job of highlighting the wondrous nature and historical significance of Ancient Egypt.

In The Black Circle, set in Russia, Dan and Amy find out more about their parents, the Madrigals role becomes somewhat more defined, and the Holts reappear as major characters (though thankfully, Hamilton Holt, at least, becomes more singularly identifiable).  Also in book 5, Dan and Amy finally obtain a source of money and venture forth without au-pair, Nellie Gomez.  Bonus material is available in the audio book version.

Book 9, Storm Warning is due out in 5 days and is written by Linda Sue Park (I love her books and am looking forward to a female author's contribution to the series).

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The Sword Thief

Lerangis, Peter. 2009. The Sword Thief. New York: Scholastic.

In The Sword Thief, the 3rd installment in the 39 Clues series, Dan and Amy Cahill race to Japan and Korea in search of the next clue; and alliances will be made and broken. Told in much the same fashion as the earlier books with two exceptions - Peter Lerangis adds a hint of romance (Can Ian Kabra actually be developing a more human side?) and most importantly, a sense of direction, a hint at where the clues may ultimately lead.

And…something I missed in Maze of Bones and One False Note that my book club group brought to my attention - there are clues hidden in the page numbers of each book! Have you figured them out yet?

The 39 Clues: One False Note

Korman, Gordon. 2008. One False Note. New York: Scholastic.

Book two in the 39 Clues series, continues Dan and Amy Cahill's quest to find the mysterious 39 clues left by generations of wealthy, influential, or ground-breaking Cahills of the past. Maze of Bones left Dan, Amy and their au pair, Nellie in Paris, following a trail of clues left by Benjamin Franklin. One False Note finds them hot on the hunt for clues left by another gifted Cahill, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Chased by the brutish Holts, the cunning Kabras, wily Uncle Alistair, ruthless Irina Spasky, and the famous Jonah Wizard, Dan and Amy and their au pair track the clues from Paris to Vienna to Venice and beyond. The hunt continues...

This second book in the series is written by Gordon Korman. Korman follows effortlessly in the pattern left for him by Rick Riordan, author of the first book. There seems to be little noticeable difference in the style of the two stories, except perhaps that Korman, a humorous author in his own right, seems to go for fewer punchlines than Riordan did in the first installment. One can only imagine that each succeeding author will find it increasingly difficult to knit the threads of story and character together in seamless fashion. However, so far, so good.

I am somewhat disappointed in the companion website. The site, while interesting and very interactive, stands completely independent of the published stories, and at times, does not even appear to be connected. In the book, Dan and Amy are following the clues of Mozart in Vienna. On the website, I am trolling the bottom of the Loch Ness for a clue lost in Grace Cahill's plane crash. Additionally, the website tale appears to be at a standstill. I have followed the clues to a dead end. My inbox is empty and I have no new leads to follow. Perhaps with the release of the third book, more clues will appear. BTW, I'm a Lucian.

I have not seen the hoped-for blockbuster interest in The 39 Clues series, but as word travels, interest may snowball. It's too early to tell. The books are perfect for kids who enjoy mysteries, series, history, or adventure.

Maze of Bones

Since all of my library’s copies of The 39 Clues: Maze of Bones, were checked out, I tired of waiting and uploaded the book from CD to my mp3. Maze of Bones is the first in a scheduled, ten-book series, and is the continuing saga of Amy and Dan Cahill and their quest to find the mysterious 39 clues. (see earlier posts for more details on the storyline)

The first installment is written by Rick Riordan, and read by David Pittu. Pittu does an admirable job inventing accents and distinct voices for the many characters of varying nationalities - no small feat and very helpful in sorting out the many members of the vast and varied Cahill clan. One minor complaint -his voice is not ideally suited for portraying the young female characters.

I don’t think that this series will be Scholastic’s answer to the Harry Potter void, but The 39 Clues concept has a lot of potential. The accompanying online game (http://www.39clues.com/) and trading cards add interest and intrigue to a story that contains enough of both to stand on its own. Several kids have told me that they enjoy the online game. The online quest does not require the player to read the book (a shame in my opinion).

As a public librarian, I'm not too sure about how the enclosed trading cards will work. The cards contain a code that can be used to obtain clues for the online quest. The downside - the code may only be used once - making them impractical for public library circulation. I understand that future library editions will not contain trading cards. Hopefully, the cards are not essential in solving the mystery.

It will be interesting to see how future authors will pick up on the threads of Rick Riordan, and if the interest will grow with each new book. Anything that entices kids to read is a winner in my book, so I hope the multi media concept is successful!

A co-worker described Maze of Bones as "National Treasure meets Spy Kids. " I can't sum it up any better than that. Enjoy!

Book #2 is due out in January and will be written by Gordon Korman.

NOTE: I just discovered something! The audiobook has one more chapter than the print version does...more intrigue for followers of the 39 Clues!

39 Clues

The buzz continues for Scholastic's new adventure, 39 Clues. The first book, Maze of Bones, written by Rick Riordan (of Percy Jackson and the Olympians fame) is already out in advance reader copies, although even the advance readers are missing the ending! Here's a link to an excerpt released by Scholastic http://the39clues.scholastic.com/ Let the countdown begin!