Picture book audiobook reviews

Here are two audio books that I reviewed recently for AudioFile Magazine.  Both are historical fiction, picture books for older readers/listeners and are based on real events.

Flowers for Sarajevo by John McCutcheon is a child-centered look at living in a war-torn city. Though difficult to do, John McCutcheon coaxes optimism from misery. Read the full review for Flowers for Sarajevo at AudioFile Magazine.  

 Read an excerpt here: [http://peachtree-online.com/…/Flowers-for-Sarajevo-Excerpt.…]

 

The Cellist of Venice by Kim Maerkl with music by Bach, is a brief historical fiction audio book. Music and narration are combined to tell a magical, melancholy, musical, and mysterious story.  My full review of The Cellist of Venice is available from AudioFile in print or online.

Don't forget to check out Audiobook SYNC free audio books all summer! There are two titles available every Thursday.  One is a classic and one is a modern YA book with a similar theme to the classic.  Books are free and yours to keep!  Spread the word! You can find SYNC on Facebook.

[http://www.audiobooksync.com/]

The Badger Knight - a review

Erskine, Kathryn. 2014. The Badger Knight. New York: Scholastic.
(Advance Reader Copy)

After the great plague, Adrian's father is overly protective. Having lost his wife and daughter, he is determined to protect his12-year-old son, Adrian.  Small and weak, Adrian has what we now call asthma and albinism. In the rural England of the 1300s, however, his condition is more often considered an unlucky and unholy affliction - rendering him only slightly more popular than Thomas the leper. Though he is quick of mind, skillful with a bow, and able to scribe, he is nonetheless treated as useless and dim-witted.

When the Middle March is threatened by war with the Scots, Adrian sees a chance to prove his mettle,

"Soon I hear the blacksmith's voice in my head: Nock! Mark! Draw! Loose! I spread some dirt under my eyes to counteract the bright sun, close my left eye, ready  my bow, and take aim at a single leaf fifty feet away.  On my second shot I split the leaf in two.  As I practice more, I can hit a leaf on my first try, even when it sways in the breeze.  I lose all sense of time and feel like I'm in another world.
Until I hear someone approach through the woods, and I grab my arrows, stowing them quickly with my bow inside the tree trunk.  For years I haven't been discovered and I don't intend for anyone to find me out now.  When the time is right, I will shock them all.  So I stand and look up at the branches to divert attention away from the trunk and to show that I'm simply addlepated Adrian looking at birds."

The Badger Knight is a historical fiction adventure that touches upon many common themes (bullying, friendship, gender bias, coming of age, survival, the nature of good and evil) as Adrian goes off to war and becomes a man - not by might, but by right.

 "... I'm reminded of Nigel and his search for the truth.  I think of what I always believed to be truths — Scots are pagans, thieves are bad, knights are noble, girls are weak, war is glorious — and how these "truths" aren't real at all.  They're things I was taught or everyone believes, just as all people who look like me are supposedly angels or, more often, devils.  I didn't believe Nigel when he said that scribing was power, that seeking the truth and sharing it is mightier than being a soldier.
     Now I see what he means."

The Knight Badger is rich in historical details - from the minor particulars of everyday life and the societal hierarchy of medieval England to the gruesome manner of medieval warfare. Erskine offers an unvarnished look into the lives of serfs, tradesmen, religious leaders, free lances, city street urchins, and robber barons. The author's thoughts on the nature of war are on display throughout, but readers are encouraged to come to their own conclusions and examine their own biases.

A solid adventure story that should appeal to boys and girls.  There is room for a sequel.

On shelves 8/26/14.   Target audience: ages 8-12, Gr 3-7
352 pages

Pure Grit - a review

Today is a perfect day to highlight Mary Cronk Farrell's latest book which chronicles the actions of Army and Navy nurses serving in the Phillipines during WWII.  Although amazingly, none of the nurses perished during their harrowing years on the forward battle lines and in prison camps, their service to their country and the fighting men was nothing short of heroic.

Farrell, Mary Cronk. 2014. Pure Grit: How American WWII Nurses Survived Battle and Prison Camp in the Pacific. New York: Abrams.

Pure Grit is a narrative nonfiction account, told with compelling human details. Photographs, quotes, correspondence, newspaper accounts, maps and military records were combined to create a gripping story that breathes new life into a little-known story that is fading from our collective memory.  Farrell was very fortunate to have interviewed the last surviving nurse of the seventy-nine who were taken as POWs by the Japanese.

Containing a Foreward, Introduction, Glossary, List of Nurses, Select Timeline, Endnotes, Bibliography, Web Sites for More Information, Acknowledgments, Image Credits and an exhaustive Index, Pure Grit could easily be considered a scholarly treatise on the topic — but Farrell has chosen to present her topic in a manner that simply cannot be ignored: a gripping story with personal and human details that will appeal to anyone over age 12 with even a passing interest in history.  Highly recommended.




Links of interest:

• Kirkus book review of Pure Grit
• An essay by Pure Grit author, Mary Cronk Farrell
• An interview with Mary Cronk Farrell
• Teacher's Guide for Pure Grit
• A history of Memorial Day as compiled by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

As you enjoy today's kick-off to the summer season, perhaps celebrating with friends or family or enjoying a well-deserved day off from work, consider participating in the National Moment of Remembrance.

From the U.S. Dept. of Veteran's Affairs:

...in December 2000, the U.S. Congress passed and the president signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106-579 ...

The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation.

The Boy on the Wooden Box - an audiobook review

Below is my starred review of The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible on Schindler's List, as it appeared in the February, 2014, edition of School Library Journal.

LYESON, Leon. The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible … on Schindler's List. 4 CDs. 4:15 hrs. Recorded Books. 2013. $46.75 ISBN 9781470369439. Playaway. Digital download.

Gr 4-9--In an intimate look at one family on Oskar Schindler's famous "list," Leyson's (born Leib Lezjon) memoir (S & S, 2013) begins with his earliest memories of his poor but idyllic life in a Polish village. His large Jewish family was short on money, but never on love or a sense of purpose and belonging. They eventually move to Krakow, a city that Leib finds enchanting. When the Nazis invade, however, life becomes desperate for the 10-year-old protagonist, his parents, sister, and three brothers. By sheer happenstance, Leib's father becomes a worker for Schindler, beginning a chain of improbable events that leads to Leib's survival, despite pogroms, ghettos, and Nazi work camps. Young Leib's feelings of fear, dread, and despondency are relayed simply. Narrator Danny Burstein speaks in decorous, measured tones, yet sounds conversational. The words have power, no embellishment is necessary. Despite the horrific subject, Burstein imparts Leyson's peaceable nature and even delivers a natural-sounding laugh or chuckle when relating the rare bright spots. Leyson here shares only his own memories and does not speculate or pontificate on the larger story. If he does not know the fate of a relative or friend, that uncertainty, too, is part of his story. Randomness, luck, and split-second actions that delineated life and death--these are the truths of the Holocaust, and of those on Schindler's list. A moving and heartfelt conveyance of Leyson's gratitude to his family and to Oskar Schindler.

Copyright © 2014 Library Journals, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.
Reprinted with permission.

The Boy on the Wooden Box was recognized as an Honor Book for Older Readers in the 2014 Sydney Taylor Book Awards.

Visit today's roundup of nonfiction books for young people at the Nonfiction Monday blog.

Caminar - a review

Brown, Skila. 2014. Caminar. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.


While many other families in Carlos' rural Guatemalan village are large and boisterous, he and his mother live alone.  He's not yet a man.  He's afraid of the dark. He listens to his mother.

Guerilla Rain

They came
in rain,
the end
of wet
season, when
rain was
no longer
welcome.

          Yet
it beat
our roof,
turned floor
to mud,
washed off
the army
camp.
          Guerillas.

they came
in rain.
We huddled
inside, waited
for earth
to stop
its          slide.

They came,
sacks          empty
bellies         empty
guns            full.

          Rebels.

They marched
right through
our town,
made their
way into
the jungle.

And when
the last
of them
had been
sucked in
by thick
green arms,

the rain
stopped.

       
 
After the rebels pass, his mother knows that the soldiers will be back, and she tells him,

"You
 will
 run."

Unsure of who is the enemy, the rebels or the army's soldiers, Carlos heads for the place where he is most comfortable, the trees. In the cover of the trees, he makes his way up the mountain toward his grandmother's village.  When he meets up with guerilla fighters, he must make the biggest choice of his life.

A debut novel in verse, Caminar is a rural boy's perception of a sad time in 1981, when the fighting between Guatemalan rebels and soldiers (which, according to the author's note claimed 200,000 lives over the course of time), disrupted his village of  Chopán forever. In Carlos' fictional Chopán, where the people still speak indigenous languages, there is disagreement.  Are the guerilla fighters Communists, rebels, freedom fighters? Are the Guatemalan soldiers oppressors, liberators, defenders?  To non-Spanish-speaking, non land-owning villagers, it matters not.  In the end, they are both the enemy.

Featuring different types of poetry, including one styled after Marilyn Singer's unique "reverso" poems, Skila Brown often employs "concrete" effects, using spacing to punctuate a feeling or mood.  Poetry is an excellent vehicle for delivering a complex and nuanced book on a disturbing topic to a young audience. Brown deliberately leaves space for reflection between the leaves.

A Note from the Author, Glossary, Q&A with the Author, and Acknowledgments help to round out the historical aspects of the story. Best for middle-grade readers.

Review copy supplied by the publisher.  Due on shelves in March, 2014.

A Long Walk to Water - an audiobook review

I first reviewed Linda Sue Park's, A Long Walk to Water in 2010.  At the time, I wrote:

In an interview, author Linda Sue Park says that this was an easy book to write because she let Salva's story speak for itself.  Linda Sue Park gave Salva's powerful story a voice. Brief and straightforward, A Long Walk to Water is inspiring for its truth and simplicity.  Park eschews sentimentalism and allows Salva's understated dignity, perseverance and virtue to awe the reader.  No embellishment is necessary. This is a compelling story.  Highly recommended.

Recently, I was offered the opportunity to review the new audiobook version of A Long Walk to Water.  It was my pleasure. Following is my starred review of the audiobook as it appeared in the January, 2014, edition of School Library Journal.


A Long Walk to Water. By Linda Sue Park. 3 CDs. 2:45 hrs. Full Cast Audio. 2013. ISBN 9781936223121. $34.

Gr 5–9 -- Differentiated, African-inspired chapter introduction music assists in delivering this parallel story of two very different, but equally difficult, lives in Sudan. The story alternates between Nya, a composite character based on the lives of real girls, in 2008, and Salva, a young boy in the war-torn Sudan of 1985. Nya's life consists of the grueling and monotonous task of hauling water. All day, every day, her task is finding, acquiring, and transporting brown, dirty water to meet her family's needs. Salva's story unfolds in the midst of a horrific civil war. Separated from everything and everyone he knows, he spends more than 15 years walking across Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya, living in refugee camps, and struggling to survive. His is a true story based on the experiences of one of the "lost boys of Sudan." An echo effect is used to highlight the nagging questions that are always in the forefront of Salva's mind, "When will I see my family again?" and "What will become of me?" Readers David Baker and Cynthia Bishop worked with a dialect coach to ensure authenticity in pronunciation and accents. An update on Salva's ongoing project follows the story. Listeners will not ever leave the tap water running without thinking of this powerful story.

##

Copyright © 2013 Library Journals, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.

 Reprinted with permission.

Note:
Amazon.com offers a free audio excerpt on the book's product page: http://www.amazon.com/A-Long-Walk-to-Water/dp/B00GJ6LE6S

It is heartbreaking to think that the tribal violence between the Dinka and Nuer that precipitated Salva's tortuous years of exile back in 1983, has erupted again in South Sudan, the world's newest country.

The Midnight Zoo - a review

My review of The Midnight Zoo  (as it appeared in the March 2012 edition of SLJ)

The Midnight Zoo (unabr.). 4 CDs. 4.33 hrs. Prod. by Bolinda Audio. Dist. by Brilliance Audio. 2011. ISBN 978-1-7428-5126-6. $49.97.

Gr 7–10-- Like a 20th-century version of Avi's Crispin, who fled across 14th-century England, 12-year-old Andrej is without parents and adrift in Europe during World War II with his younger brother, Tomas, and infant sister in tow. Without destination or an understanding of the war that has divided them from their nomadic Roma clan, the siblings travel by night and sleep by day, sensing danger at every juncture. Andrej scavenges for their food and necessities for the baby. One moon-drenched evening, the trio arrives at a zoo in the ruins of a bombed village. They encounter a menagerie of talking animals, trapped in zoo cages with neither keeper nor keys. Throughout a surreal evening, the boys and animals share life stories. Through the animals, Andrej and Tomas begin to understand the nature of man and war. This understanding, however, offers more questions than answers. Richard Aspel's, rich and sonorous voice creates memorable characterizations for the many humans and animals in Sonya Harnett's novel (Candlewick, 2011), including German-speaking soldiers; his Aussie pronunciation requires a keen ear. Listeners who persevere will be rewarded with a stellar performance. With some aspects of fable, minimal dialogue, and heavy use of allegory, this artfully crafted look at the character of man and the concept of freedom may have limited popular appeal.

Copyright © 2012 Library Journals, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

Guantanamo Boy: a review

Perera, Anna. 2011. Guantanamo Boy. Chicago: Albert Whitman.

(first published in the UK, 2009)
Advance Reader Copy supplied by the publisher.  Due on shelves in August.

"We must remember that once we divide the world into good and bad, then we have to join one camp or the other, and, as you've found out, life's a bit more complex than that."

Funny (or not so funny) - in searching for related links, further information and other reviews on Guantanamo Boy, I actually found myself wondering (worrying?) if my every passing stop along the Internet seeking information related to Guantanamo Bay will be tracked by some government official in a cubicle somewhere.  Just the fact that such a thought crossed my mind, is an indication of the intense fear, distrust and paranoia that is gripping our world because of terrorism.  With that worldwide fear and paranoia as a backdrop for Guantanamo Boy, Anna Perera has crafted an entirely plausible story about a 15-year-old British boy, Khalid, from Rochdale, a large town in Greater Manchester, England.

Khalid is much like any other boy from his town, interested in good grades, his mates, soccer ("footy"), girls, and online gaming.  Though his family is Muslim, Khalid is a casual practitioner.  When his family visits Pakistan to assist an aunt, Khalid's father inexplicably disappears.  Khalid goes to check the address where his father was last seen, threading his way through a street protest enroute.  Unable to find his father, he returns to his aunt's home where he is later kidnapped in the late night hours,

Surely only his dad could be coming through the door without knocking this time of night?

But he's badly mistaken. Blocking the hallway is a gang of fierce-looking men dressed in dark shalwar kameez.  Black cloths wrapped around their heads.  Black gloves on their hands.  Two angry blue eyes, the rest brown, burn into Khalid as the figures move towards him like cartoon gangsters with square bodies.  Confused by the image, he staggers, bumping backwards into the wall.  Arms up to stop them getting nearer.  Too shocked and terrified to react as they shoulder him to the kitchen and close the door before pushing him to his knees and waving a gun at him as if he's a violent criminal.  Then vice-like hands clamp his mouth tight until they plaster it with duct tape.  No chance to wonder what the hell is going on, let alone scream out loud.

And so begins Khalid's descent into a frightening labyrinth of secret prisons, interrogation rooms, and finally Guantanamo Bay detention center.
A few lengthy passages are didactic in nature, but they are few in number. Khalid's unique perspective as a boy, a British citizen and non-practicing Muslim of Pakistani descent, offers a superb vantage point into the previously termed War on Terror. His sensibilities are Western, his concerns are adolescent, his perspective is that of  outsider - he has known discrimination in England, he is too Western for his Pakistani relatives, he has little in common with his fellow inmates.  Khalid is the perfect protagonist for this third-person narrative.

Heart-wrenching and frighteningly enlightening, Guantanmo Boy is not without bright spots - the power of small acts of kindness, the love of family, the virtue of forgiveness.  A thought-provoking read for teens and young adults.

Contains an Afterword by the founder and director, of Reprieve.
 Teacher's Guide

More reviews @
Finding Wonderland
guardian.co.uk

The Crossing: How George Washington Saved the American Revolution

Murphy, Jim.2010. The Crossing: How George Washington Saved the American Revolution. New York: Scholastic.

The brave young men who first enlisted as soldiers under General George Washington's command were promised

a few happy years in viewing the different parts of this beautiful continent, in the honourable and truly reputable character of a soldier, after which, he may, if he pleases return home to his friends, with his pockets FULL of money and his head COVERED with laurels.

Of course, anyone familiar with the Revolution knows that nothing could have been further from the truth, which is why the choice of this 1775 recruiting poster makes such an excellent place to begin The Crossing: How George Washington Saved the American Revolution. After the victories at Lexington and Concord, Congress and soldiers were feeling brave and confident.  It seemed that only George Washington understood the gravity of the situation and the enormity of the task ahead. 

Jim Murphy's latest book is not a chronicle of the American Revolution, but rather a close look at the period between June 15, 1775, when Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental army, and January 3, 1777, when the Continental army defeated the British troops at Princeton, following the famous victory at Trenton on December 26, 1777.  This was, Murphy contends, the most crucial period in the American Revolution, the period when the very survival of the nation hung in the balance.

In seven chronological chapters, Murphy carefully recounts the strategy, battles, and general mood of the soldiers and citizens during this period.  Maps, period artwork and quotations help to set the desperate mood of the times. At one point, after George Washington's "humiliating retreat through New Jersey,"

even a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Richard Stockton, gave "his word of honor that he would not meddle in ... American affairs" and swore allegiance to King George III.

(Here I am left to wonder why one of New Jersey's colleges is named after Mr. Stockton, though he apparently did, at a later date, again swear allegiance to the United States.)

During a retreat from Fort Lee in November of 1776, just barely ahead of advancing British troops, Murphy writes that Washington's

desperate soldiers abandoned cooking kettles, muskets, ammunition pouches, and unnecessary clothing as they staggered along.  A New Jersey citizen recalled that these soldiers "looked ragged, some without a shoe to their feet, and most of them wrapped in their blankets."

As always, Jim Murphy's book is thoroughly researched, highly engaging, and exhaustively indexed.   A timeline, list of Revolutionary war sites, and notes and sources are also included.

As a New Jerseyan, an undergrad history major, and  mother who has accompanied the annual 4th graders' class trip to Trenton, I am quite familiar with New Jersey's Revolutionary history, but still found The Crossing to be enlightening and engrossing.  Particularly interesting to me is the lengthy explanation following the final chapter, of the famously inaccurate painting, "Washington Crossing the Delaware." Murphy has given me new insight into, and appreciation for artist Emanual Gottlieb Leutze's iconic painting, depicting the standing George Washington crossing the Delaware River.  Art (and history) teachers would do well to use Murphy's text to introduce this painting. I plan to take a fresh look at it myself, as unfortunately, in keeping with the book's sepia-tones on white pages, only the back of the book jacket shows the painting in color in its entirety.

Highly recommended.

Enjoy this virtual visit to the present-day site of the famous landing spot,
 Washington Crossing State Park in NJ, where a reenactment is held each Christmas.

 

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A Long Walk to Water

Park, Linda Sue. 2010. A Long Walk to Water. New York: Clarion.

A Long Walk to Water begins as the parallel stories of Salva, a young boy in the Southern Sudan of 1985 and Nya, a young Sudanese girl in the year 2008. 

Salva once had the life of a well-to-do villager's son.  His father owned many cows.  He attended school. He herded the cows.  But when the rebels arrived, shooting at everyone in the village, his life changed in an instant.  Now he is alone.  Get to the next hill, the next watering hole, the next day.  This is the mantra that keeps him going, one painful step at a time, searching for years for a safe haven - across deserts, war zones and countries.

Nya's life consists of providing water for her family.  When the brackish pond is full, she walks hours each day - first to the pond to collect water, then  home, carrying a full container upon her head.  After a quick meal of thin gruel, she has enough time for a second trip.  During the months when the pond is dry, her family relocates to a temporary shelter near a dry lake bed.  The work is easier there.  Nya spends all day digging in the mud, waiting for subterranean water to fill the hole she has dug with her bare hands.  She scoops out the water, one gourd full at a time and waits for the hole to refill.  It is tedious work and takes all day, but at least she does not have to walk for miles in the heat with the heavy water atop her head.

Park's minimal use of dialogue fits the stark landscape and mood of the story,

The nurse, a white woman, was talking to Nya's mother. "Her sickness came from the water," the nurse explained.  "She should drink only good clean water.  If the water is dirty, you should boil it for a count of two hundred before she drinks it."

Nya's mother nodded that she understood, but Nya could see the worry in her eyes.

The water from the holes in the lakebed could be collected only in tiny amounts.  If her mother tried to boil such a small amount, the pot would be dry long before they could count to two hundred.

Nothing else needs to be said.  How can a mother choose between dehydration and cholera for her children? 

As Salva's arduous journey continues, the years add on until Park has woven his story from the Sudanese Civil War years into the modern day Sudan of Nyla's time, of our time.  Sudan is Africa's largest country, full of wildlife and riches and oil and beauty and war and poverty and genocide and starvation. The reader can sense that the two stories will intertwine, but is at first, unsure how. When it becomes apparent how the lives of Salva and Nyla will intersect, it almost unbelievable, considering the circumstances.  And yet, their stories are true. Despite the overwhelming odds against Salva's survival, and Nyla's fragile subsistence existence, they do survive.

Salva, after more than ten years of wandering becomes one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, miraculously chosen from the untold tens of thousands of people in Kenyan refugee camps- chosen to start a new life in the United States.  And with his new life, he returns to repair his old one.

In an interview, author Linda Sue Park says that this was an easy book to write because she let Salva's story speak for itself.  Linda Sue Park gave Salva's powerful story a voice. Brief and straightforward, A Long Walk to Water is inspiring for its truth and simplicity.  Park eschews sentimentalism and allows Salva's understated dignity, perseverance and virtue to awe the reader.  No embellishment is necessary. This is a compelling story.  Highly recommended.

Review copy provided by NetGalley. Due on shelves, November 15, 2010.

 Linda Sue Park talks about A Long Walk to Water.


Watch Salva and see the work of his creation, the non-profit, Water for Sudan.


The November 2010 edition of National Geographic Magazine offers two feature articles on Sudan, "Sudan's Shaky Peace" and "The Lost Herds are Found."  Both are well worth reading.
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Peace, Locomotion

Woodson, Jacqueline. 2010. Peace, Locomotion. Read by Dion Graham. Brilliance Audio.
(about 2 hours on CD, mp3 download, or Playaway)

Peace, Locomotion continues the story of Lonnie Collins Motion (or Locomotion) first begun in Locomotion.  After their parents perished in a fire, Lonnie and his sister, Lili were sent to separate foster homes. Years have passed.  Lonnie is now twelve and although they miss each other, both have settled in to their new homes.

Locomotion was a novel written in verse, as Lonnie learned the forms of poetry from a caring teacher.  Peace, Locomotion is an epistolary novel, consisting of letters from Lonnie to Lili as he  endeavors to chronicle his feelings, his memories of their earlier life together, and the daily occurrences of his new life.  He saves the letters in the hope that when he is someday reunited with Lili, he can relive and share with her each day that they were apart.  He struggles with the fact that his younger sister begins to call her foster mother, Momma, and can barely remember their parents.  One of his friends is moving away, his teacher is mean, and he does poorly on tests and homework.  At home, he has another problem.  One of his foster mother's sons is serving in the war (the listener does not know if it is the war in Afghanistan or Iraq) and things are not going well.  Lonnie is tempted to pray for Jenkins' safe return but his foster brother Rodney suggests that he pray for peace instead - explaining,  if peace comes, all things will follow.  In spite of the many obstacles that life has placed in Lonnie's path, he remains positive and thoughtful, never quick to draw conclusions or pass judgment. He finds joy in a church choir, a snowball fight, a good friend.  He is kind and wise beyond his years.  Although this is a story about African American families, it could be about any family in similar circumstances.  It is a story about hope and family and finding peace wherever one may.

The challenge of narrating a novel consisting of letters from only one person is a great one, and Dion Graham's reading rises to the test. He is superb. Graham perfectly captures the many moods of Lonnie Collins Motion with precision, never exaggeration.  The listener can hear a smile begin to spread across Lonnie's lips,  tears well up in his eyes, a sparkle light up his face. Lonnie recounts conversations within his letters, allowing Graham to create character voices of Lili, Lonnie's friends, and his foster family; but Locomotion is the star of this novel and all ears are upon him.  Highly recommended for middle grades.

Peace, Locomotion was named a 2010 Odyssey Honor Audiobook, and was named to ALSC's 2010 Notable Children's Recordings.

Listen to an excerpt here.

Penguin Young Readers offers a free downloadable discussion guide.

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House of Dolls

Block, Francesca Lia. 2010. House of Dolls. Illustrated by Barbara McClintock. New York: Harper Collins.

Again, a small and beautifully illustrated cover attracted my attention.  This time, however, seeing that the author is Francesca Lia Block, whom I remember for Weetzie Bat, I was expecting something out of the ordinary.

Unlike The Very Little Princess, this time I got what I expected.  In The Very Little Princess, it is the beautiful doll who is behaving badly.

In the House of Dolls, it is the young girl, Madison, who vents her loneliness, resentment and frustration on the stoic inhabitants of the dollhouse - the beautiful Wildflower, Rock Star and Miss Selene, and their unlikely companions, the camouflaged Guy, and B. Friend, "a devastatingly handsome stuffed bear," with a red crochet beret and flannel vest.

Disturbed by the news and her unfulfilling family life, Madison Blackberry sends Guy and B. Friend "to war." Then B. Friend is pronounced MIA. The usually serene dolls are devastated.

The dolls did not know that "war" was really a dusty box in a closet of the apartment where the dollhouse lived.  It didn't matter. As far as Guy and Wildflower were concerned, that was war. War was life without each other.

Eventually, the real war is over, and with the love of a caring grandmother and a tiny doll determined to make a difference, so too is the war in Madison's heart.

And Guy whispered, "War is being blinded and locked in a box, unable to see, hear, or touch you, my wildflower.  War is being reminded that you are completely at the mercy of death at every moment, without the illusion that you are not.  Without the distractions that make life worth living."

 A serious book that parallels much from the famous prayer, teaching the serenity to accept the things one cannot change; courage to change the things one can; and wisdom to know the difference.


Only 61 pages, beautifully and abundantly illustrated in black and white sketches, however, again, a book about dolls that is best suited for a more mature reader.

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Evolution and the Pelican

I have delayed posting reviews of Katherine Paterson's, The Day of the Pelican, and Jacqueline Kelly's, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, because I have mixed feelings about them both. I think they are well-written, thought-provoking books; however, I do question their "suggested reader" age ranges and their general appeal to children.

Paterson, Katherine. 2009. The Day of the Pelican. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

The Day of the Pelican (so named for an incident involving a drawing of a pelican that occurred on the day that Meli's life took a turn for the worse) is a historical fiction account of the flight of 11-year old Meli Lleshi's Kosovar Albanian family from the Serbian ethnic cleansing campaign of terror.  Meli comes from a large, tight-knit extended family, however the focus of the book is primarily on Meli, her older brother Mehmet, and her parents.  After Mehmet is arrested, jailed, beaten and left for dead by the local police force, the Lleshis are forced to admit and react to the fact that they are no longer welcomed in their homeland.

This book is suggested by the publisher for grades 5-9.  I disagree.  The underlying reason for the Lleshi family's flight is the ethnic cleansing of Albanian Kosovars.  Additionally, there is veiled reference (explained more fully in the author's notes following the story) to war crimes against women - both very heavy topics for 10-year old readers. Additionally, Meli's brother, Mehmet, who becomes, understandably, radicalized by his treatment at the hand of the Serbs, is a difficult character for young readers to embrace.  It is easy to dislike Mehmet for his headstrong and moody demeanor; and it will take an older, more experienced reader to comprehend the reality that makes Mehmet's character not only believable, but sadly commonplace.

Congratulations to Katherine Paterson on her appointment as the new National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. She follows in the esteemed footsteps of the first National Ambassador, Jon Scieszka.  "Read for Your Life" is the theme for Ms. Paterson's platform. She has her own website and a fan page on FB.

Kelly, Jacqueline. 2009. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. New York: MacMillan.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate takes place in rural Texas at the turn of the 20th century.  Eleven-year-old, Calpurnia is the only daughter in a family consisting of six brothers, Calpurnia, her parents, and Granddaddy.  The Tate's successful farm was established by Granddaddy, but he has since retired after serving in the Civil War, and has turned his attention to scientific endeavors - not the least of which is an attempt to create liquor from distilled pecans.  Calpurnia and Granddaddy develop a very close relationship based on Calpurnia's interest in the new and controversial book, On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. Each chapter begins with a passage from Darwin's book. The "evolution" in Kelly's novel refers not only to the evolutionary adaptations of Texas' native plants and insects, but also to Calpurnia herself, who evolves into a budding feminist, ready to challenge the societal expectations for women at the dawn of a new century.

Kelly's story is a mix of science, Darwinian Theory, family life, and a large helping of humor.  There is no crisis in the story, no action-packed turning point - just a warm, familial march to an unknown future.  Calpurnia is a delightfully funny and intelligent protagonist.

MacMillan's discussion guide for The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate offers discussion questions and a list of words that may send young readers (hopefully) scurrying for a dictionary (ignominy, dragooned, desiccated, to name a few).  These words, however, weren't the ones that sent me to my online nook dictionary. I had to hunt up several archaic words, most of which did not appear in the nook dictionary. (Note to Barnes and Noble: Merriam-Webster would be nice.) This book's suggested age range is grades 4-7.  Although I am a proponent of challenging vocabulary for children, I think that the level of vocabulary difficulty combined with the scientific premise of the book may be off-putting for young readers.

Bottom line - recommend these books to thoughtful, older readers who enjoy history, science, and/or world cultures.  Readers who stick with these two titles will end up enlightened.

Truce

Murphy, Jim. 2009. Truce. New York: Scholastic.
"[I]f I had my way, some person in authority would proclaim that Christmas will not be celebrated this year....Enemy, Death, and a Christmas tree - they cannot live so close together." German Captain Rudolf Binding (from Truce)

Jim Murphy's Truce, tells the remarkable true story of the spontaneous truces that broke out all along the entrenched battle lines of Europe in December, 1914. It is estimated that tens of thousands of British, German and Belgian soldiers took part in the cease-fires that lasted, in some instances, for several weeks. More than a cessation of hostilities, the hiatus was almost joyful as soldiers fraternized with each other - singing, exchanging gifts, and taking photos.

In six chapters, Murphy provides ample background information to give meaning and context to the remarkable occurrence of the many spontaneous truces and celebrations. One chapter recounts enemy soldiers praying together, translating the sermon from English to German, and burying their dead in solemn ceremonies. In another instance, German and British soldiers sing Christmas carols, alternating verses, one in English, one in German, and then joining in Latin to sing Adeste Fideles.

The truces ended, not because the men desired to resume fighting, but rather, because they could no longer hold out against the will of their commanders.

The German High Command ... issued a terse order: "Commander Second Army directs that informal understandings with enemy are to cease. Officers ...allowing them are to be brought before a court-martial." In some areas, these orders had immediate results. British private Bernard Brookes was standing guard at midnight on December 25 when "our artillery sent over ... four shells of small caliber to let them know that the truce, at which the whole world would wonder, was ended, and it its place, Death and Bloodshed would once again reign supreme." The Germans countered with an artillery barrage of their own.

The award-winning, Murphy, has meticulously researched his topic, and includes a Timeline, Notes and Sources, More about World War I, an Index, and a wealth of photographs, maps, period art and newspapers. The Epilogue, while factual, is more editorial than informational in nature.

The text is large and sepia-toned, to match the many accompanying photographs. Photographs of the desolate and razor-wired No Man's Land and the hideous trench conditions offer a stark contrast to those of smiling enemy soldiers posing for posterity.

To read this story in the men's' own words, is both compelling and thought-provoking. Readers will not come away unaffected.

Best for ages 10 and up. Truce should be a Sibert Medal contender.

Keeper of the Grail

A second video booktalk for Keeper of the Grail by Michael Spradlin, Book 1 in the Youngest Templar series. These video booktalks can be a lot of fun to make!



A great historical fiction, adventure story that ponders the great questions of war and religion. Action-packed with a cliffhanger ending. There is a strong female character in this story as well. Enjoy!

An Innocent Soldier

Holub, Josef. 2005. An Innocent Soldier. New York: Arthur A. Levine. ISBN 0439627729.

PLOT SUMMARY

The year is 1812, and Napoleon is gathering his Grande Armée for an assault on Russia. When a privileged farmer’s son is sought as a new recruit, the farmer sends his unwitting farmhand, Adam, to serve in his stead. The poor servant boy is exposed to grueling conditions –depravity, deprivation, and the horrors of war as he struggles to survive the ordeal and make sense of it all.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

An Innocent Soldier is a historical fiction novel best suited for a YA audience due to its mature subject matter. The book is the 2006 winner of the Mildred Batchelder Award for an outstanding children's book first published in a foreign language. The story by Josef Holub and translated from German by Michael Hofmann, tells the story of Napoleon's grand march to Russia and subsequent retreat, through the eyes of an uneducated, though not unintelligent, teenaged farmboy, Adam. Betrayed by his master and forced to substitute for the master's son, Adam travels with the army through the Germanic Kingdoms, Prussia and Poland and finally to Moscow itself. French spellings (Armée and troupe) are scattered throughout the text to remind the reader that Adam has been thrust into a foreign army, while the names of the soldiers in his troop are indicative of Adam's home in Wurttemburg (Konrad Klara, Kleinknecht, Krauter). Adam tells the story in a kind of musing format, with sparse dialogue. "On the street lies an upset barrel. Thousands of kopek pieces have spilled onto the dirt. What riches! But no one is interested. If only it were bread. What would we do with metal coin?" This format suits his position and condition; an innocent farmhand assigned as a lieutenant's servant in a cold, miserable, and eventually pointless military campaign.

Although set amidst a tragic military campaign, the overriding theme of Soldier is one of friendship. Through shared hardships, Adam becomes the friend and confidant of the noble-born, Konrad Klara, and becomes respected in his own right. Ironically, Adam receives succor from an elderly Russian woman, and his greatest enemy is a sadistic member of his own regiment, underscoring the perplexities of war and the transforming power it has over human nature.

The story of An Innocent Soldier is timely despite its 1812 setting. The weapons, tactics, and adversaries may change, but the moral questions of war remain constant throughout the years. Young teens should relate to Adam as he grows in maturity and overcomes adversity. A period map and historical notes precede the book.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

"Arthur A, Levine Books has been awarded the 2006 Mildred L, Batchelder Award for its publication of An Innocent Soldier, The award is given for the most outstanding children's book originally published in a foreign language and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States, The book was written by Josef Holub, translated from the German version by Michael Hofmann."

2006. "Mildred L. Batchelder Award." Teacher Librarian 33, no. 4: 12-12. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed June 7, 2007).

"This is a well-wrought psychological tale that might have a difficult time finding an audience, but has a lot to offer to those seeking to build a deep historical fiction collection."

Stenson-Carey, Christina, Jones, Trevelyn E., Toth, Luann, Charnizon, Marlene, Grabarek, Daryl, and Dale Raben. 2005. "An Innocent Soldier." School Library Journal 51, no. 12: 148-148. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed June 7, 2007).

CONNECTIONS

This book is an obvious choice for an integrated curriculum based on this period in history. The rich historical details of daily wartime struggles can add life to the study of this era.

Though it may be a difficult sell because of its unappealing cover art (Adam appears too feminine and childlike to be a battle-weary soldier, and Konrad Klara appears more as an "add-on" than an integral part of the cover *), this book has great possibilities for a book discussion group. The themes of friendship, war, and morality are sure to engage older teens.
Read Thura's Diary: My Life in Wartime Iraq (2004) by Thura al-Windawi for a view of the current war through the eyes of a teen.

* since I first reviewed this book, an alternative cover has been designed