A Clatter of Jars - an audiobook review

A Clatter of Jars by Lisa Graff
Read by Ellen Archer
2016, Listening Library

Quirky magical realism.
Read my full review at AudioFile Magazine.

A Clatter of Jars is Lisa Graff's follow up to 2013's, A Tangle of Knots.  I reviewed A Tangle of Knots in 2013, and declared, "If you read no other middle grade fiction book this year, you will have made a good choice." The magic doesn't wear off in A Clatter of Jars, a deftly woven, magical realism story set in the same world as the preceding book, where many people possess Talents - from the mundane (ability to understand frogs) to the powerful (telekinesis).  I particularly enjoyed this story because it features a boy who we may assume has some sort of spectrum disorder, and it has a subtle Lord of the Rings reference.

I often tell kids at the library that it's OK to start with a second book in a series if the first book is unavailable. (I don't like to see them go home empty-handed!)  Most authors do a fine job of catching the reader up on prior events.  However, because of the rich details of the world Lisa Graff has created, A Clatter of Jars is best read after A Tangle of Knots.


An audio excerpt from A Clatter of Jars and my review for AudioFile Magazine may be found here. [http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/114587/a-clatter-of-jars-by-lisa-graff/]

Summer of the Swans

Byars, Betsy. 1970. Summer of the Swans.

This 1970 Newbery Award winner is still showing up on school summer reading lists, so as I’ve been scrambling to order enough books for all the local school children, I took the opportunity to place a hold on Summer of the Swans for myself.

Summer of the Swans is the classic story of Sara, a young, angst-filled teenager, who lives with her brain-damaged younger brother, Charlie, her older sister, Wanda, and her Aunt Willie. In the midst of a difficult summer in which Sara struggles with her self-confidence and indeed, her sense of self, she learns, through Charlie’s disappearance, the importance and true measure of love, family, and self.

This is a timeless story; although, because of its age (first published in 1970 with numerous reprintings), it can almost read as historical fiction. Sara’s friend, Mary, does her hair up in “rollers” to attend a party. Charlie is called “retarded.” Aunt Willie, flustered by Charlie’s disappearance, makes an “operator-assisted” call; and there are references to The Jolly Green Giant, Gentle Ben, and Green Acres. When I asked a young colleague if she knew of these television icons of the 60s and 70s, she assumed that they were books. I wondered if the book still has resonance for a generation reared on iTunes and Wii. My daughter, however, affirmed for me that Summer of the Swans (required reading in her school), was a great book. I agree – a gentle, timeless, positive novel.

The London Eye Mystery

Dowd, Siobhan. 2008. The London Eye Mystery. New York: David Fickling.

Just a quick review - a modern mystery with a twist. Salim, Ted and Kat's teen-aged cousin disappears from a sealed pod on London's famous tourist attraction, The London Eye. Ted, who has a spectrum disorder and a sometimes rocky relationship with his sister, Kat, works with her to solve the mystery that baffles both parents and police. The characters are engaging and believable, particularly Ted, who struggles with his brain's "unique operating system." There is some sibling humor, as when Kat heartily approves of the usually very honest and literal Ted's new found ability to lie, "Go, Ted, Kat whispered. She punched me in the arm so hard I nearly fell down the stairs. "Never thought I'd see the day. You lied.'"

The London Eye Mystery should be popular with 5th - 8th graders.