Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy.....

 When teenager Carrlos Duarte lands a job at the FeatureFace makeup counter at Macy's, he is well on his way to fulfilling his dream of becoming a larger-than-life makeup artist to the stars.This New York teenager is sure to capture your heart as you cheer him on through every obstacle that coincides with his dreams.His sister is in an abusive relationship, and his single Mom loses her job. Despite setbacks, Carrlos' optimism and self assurance never seem to waver. PUTTING MAKEUP ON THE FAT BOY, written by Bil Wright, is the winner of the 2012 Stonewall Award. (Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2011).

Black & White

BLACK AND WHITE, by Larry Dane Brimner, chronicles the confrontation between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene "Bull" Connor. Through photo-essay recounts,the events of the 1950's and 60's conflict in Birmingham, Alabama are told in three three major sections. The first part of the book focuses on Preacher Fred and his fight for racial equality. The second section focuses on the Commissioner " Bull" who changed his campaign message from fighting crime and lowering taxes to fighting integration. The final section focuses on their conflict and the major events of the Civil Rights Movement. There is so much to learn from this book. The photographs show the pain and passion of all involved in these historical events in our nation's history. This book is a 2012 Sibert Honor Book winner. (Calkins Creek, 2011).

Allen Say

DRAWING FROM MEMORY , written and illustrated by Allen Say, is the autobiographical story of Say's journey to becoming the renowned artist he is today. As a  boy growing up in Japan, Allen was shunned by his father who told him that he "expected him to be a respectable citizen, not an artist, who is lazy and scruffy". After the war began in 1941, Allen, his mother, and sister fled to a Japanese village between Hiroshima and Iwakuni. His parents later divorced and Allen remained estranged from his father. At the age of 12, Allen was given his own apartment, and he began apprenticing under the great cartoonist, Noro Shinpei. Shinpei became his Sensei (master or teacher)and spiritual father. This is the story of a young boy who followed his dreams and passion despite family and cultural pressures to do otherwise. The story is filled with Say's wonderful illustrations as well as actual photographs taken from his life. DRAWING FROM MEMORY is a 2012 Sibert Honor Book winner. (Scholastic Press,2011).

Death.....Grave Robbing.....Intrigued?

Are you drawn to all things macabre? Are you a fan of R.L. Stein, Stephen King, Scott Westerfeld, or Guillermo Del Toro? If you love a good horror story, then you need to check out the book ROTTERS by Daniel Kraus. You will not be disappointed. This is the tale of Joey Crouch, a sixteen year old straight A student living in Chicago with his single Mom. He leads a quiet, protected life that consists of going to school and playing the trumpet. When his mother tragically dies, Joey is sent to live with his biological father, Ken Harnett who is the garbage man in a small rural Iowan town. His father, whom he has never known,  lives in a  dirty cabin, and Joey most often  must fend for himself. Joey is bullied and ridiculed daily at his new high school. His father is a mystery. He leaves at night only to return days later. He has weird tools in his cabin and a safe containing valuable objects. Joey is curious about what his father is doing each night, so he sneaks into his truck and accompanies him on one of his nightly journeys. This journey reveals a secret society of men dedicated to the art of grave robbery, and Joey is hooked.He and his father find a common bond, and Joey finds a way to escape from the daily challenges of his new life. This audiobook was awarded the  2012  Odyssey Award for young adults. (Random House Audio Publishing, 2011).

Celebrating Diversity !

MARISOL MCDONALD DOESN’T MATCH, written by Monica Brown and illustrated by Sara Palacios, is the delightful tale of young Marisol who has flaming red hair and nut-brown skin. She loves to wear polka dots with stripes and eat peanut butter and jelly burritos. She is a Peruvian-Scottish-American girl who refuses to be put into a box. She celebrates her uniqueness and mismatched style. This lively bilingual tale is written in English on one page with the Spanish translation on its partner page. This wonderful story celebrates multicultural backgrounds and individuality. Monica Brown wrote this story because, like over 6 million Americans, she is multiracial. Her mother instilled in her that she is an American AND a citizen of the world.  Her message is that “we need to open our arms and embrace all peoples”. You are sure to fall in love with this precious young girl and her uplifting story. This book is a 2012 Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Award winner.(Children's Book Press, 2011).

Caldecott Winners

 Mom on her computer, sister on her cell phone, Dad working in the kitchen.....sound familiar? BLACKOUT written and illustrated by John Rocco is the story of a typical summer night inside a busy family's apartment where no one is available to play even a simple board game. Outside, horns honk, streetlights blare and the summer city night is hot and noisy. Then......the lights go out......and the magic begins! Families and neighbors play together and  street parties emerge above and below the apartment. This story will take you back to simpler times and memories of long nights playing outside in the dark.This book was named as a 2012 Caldecott Honor Book. You will love it! ( Disney-Hyperion Books, 2011)

                                                                                                                   

 A BALL FOR DAISY written and illustrated by Chris Raschka is the 2012 Caldecott Medal Winner. This delightful wordless picture book shows you all the fun a dog can have with her ball. We follow Daisy through a range of emotions and activities she experiences with her ball.....joy, excitement, security, and then we move to worry and sorrow when another dog pops her ball! Sadness takes over Daisy at the loss of her round plastic companion, but then a thoughtful gesture restores her good nature and all ends well! (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011)

The Notorious Benedict Arnold

The only fact most people know about Bendict Arnold is that he was a traitor whose deceit had major repercussions for our American Revolutionary cause. Did you also know that he was a General who was fearless in the line of fire and a genius at strategy? He was actually one of America’s first war heroes, but his drive for fame and recognition became his ultimate downfall. The biography, THE NOTORIOUS BENEDICT ARNOLD by Steve Sheinkin, includes first -person accounts, action packed battle scenes and a look at the private life of one of America’s most infamous villains. This well told story was awarded the 2012 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults. (Flash Point/Roaring Book Press,2010).

Morris and Printz Award Winning YA Literature

"Living in Lily, Arkansas, is sometimes like living in the land that time forgot, " says 17 year old Cullen Witter. The summer before his senior year of high school, his entire world is shaken. His cousin dies of an overdose and his younger brother goes missing. In WHERE THINGS COME BACK, by John Corey Whaley, two tales are tightly woven into a page turning thriller. Cullen's pain in searching for his brother and his grief in watching his parents and aunt struggle through loss is so  poignantly written. I found myself connecting to every aspect of his small town life, and I realized that even big things can happen in small places. Woven into the story is the subplot of the Lazarus woodpecker, thought to be extinct, that allegedly reappears in Lily and begs the question "Do things ever come back?". This beautifully written story is the 2012 winner of the William C. Morris Award for a debut book written for teens as well as a Printz Award winner for excellence in YA literature.( Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011)

Parent of a Picky Eater?

What is a parent to do when his child refuses to eat the meal that's prepared for him? Get creative. TALES FOR VERY PICKY EATERS, by Josh Schneider, is the wacky tale of James' refusal to eat his broccoli, oatmeal, lasagna, milk, and eggs."What else is there to eat?" he asks his father. "Well....there's dirt or already chewed gum," replies his father. This, along with other creative techniques, are eventually successful in getting James to eat his food.This book won the 2012 Theodor Seuss Geisel award for the most distinguished beginning reader book.(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011)

Coretta Scott King Author Book Winner

HEART AND SOUL: THE STORY OF AMERICA AND AFRICAN AMERICANS, written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, is a moving story that chronicles the lives of African Americans throughout U.S. history. The story begins with slavery and moves through the Civil War, Reconstruction , Westward Expansion, the Depression, World Wars, and the Civil Rights Movement.It  discusses the injustices and struggles African Americans faced as they helped define their country. It is a story of hope, inspiration, and courage. Beautiful oil painting illustrations depict African American life from the colonial days to the present.This book was awarded the Coretta Scott King Author Award.(Balzer + Bray, 2011).

Schneider Middle School Book Awards

WONDERSTRUCK, by Brian Selznick, is the unique tale of two deaf children growing up 50 years apart. Rose is a deaf girl growing up in the 1920s. Her story is told solely through beautiful pencil- sketched illustrations. She runs away to NYC to find the star Lillian Mayhew, her birth mother. Lillian is furious when she sees her, so Rose runs away again, this time to the same museum as Ben. Ben's story takes place 50 years later and is told through text only. Ben travels to NYC in search of his father. Eventually, they meet in a bookstore and realize that Rose is Ben’s grandmother. She tells him the story of his father. Their intertwining stories are uniquely told in an overlap of text and pictures.Tween readers are sure to love this book written by the creator of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. This book was named as a Schneider Family Award Winner for middle school readers (ages 9-13). (Scholastic Press, 2011)

                                                                                                                                
CLOSE TO FAMOUS, by Joan Bauer, is the delightfully sweet (no pun intended) of Foster McFee. Chased out of town by an Elvis impersonator, Foster and her mother end up in the small town of Culpepper. Foster has big dreams. She is a baker with an enormous talent for making muffins and cupcakes. She dreams of one day having her own cooking show like her idol, Sonny Kroll.There's one small problem. Foster can't read. She listens and memorizes her recipes, but she can't read a cookbook. With the help of an award winning actress living in Culpepper to escape Hollywood, she learns to read. She and her mother begin their new life in this wonderful town full of interesting characters. This feel good story is full of determination and perseverance. It was recently named as a Schneider Award winner for middle school books.(Viking, 2011).

Elephants and Bears....oh my!

I BROKE MY TRUNK, written and illustrated by Mo Willems, is part of the adorable Elephant and Piggie series. Elephant Gerald is careful. Piggie is not. In this book, Gerald tells Piggie the long, crazy story about how he broke his trunk.This beginning reader book has clean pages with simple illustrations and sentences. Colored thought bubbles surround Gerald and Piggie's conversation making it easy to distinguish who is saying what.Elephants thought bubbles are gray and Piggie's are pink.This delightfully charming book was named as a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book.(Hyperion Books for Children, 2011)
 

I WANT MY HAT BACK, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen, is about a bear who has lost his hat and worries he will never see it again.......or wait, has he? Bear asks friend after friend if they have seen his missing hat. Their replies are written in contrasting colors of ink. Simple sentences, clean pages, and earth tones provide a neutral canvas against the missing hat's pop of bright red.Will you spot it? This beginning reader book is a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor recipient.(Candlewick Press, 2011)

Overcoming Obstacles

THE RUNNING DREAM, written by Wendelin Van Draanen, is the story of Jessica, a middle school student and track star. Her life’s passion is running. It’s what she does, who she is, and all she knows. She is well on her way to an athletic scholarship. This dream comes to a tragic end, however, when the bus carrying her and her track team crashes and Jessica loses her leg. Now, her motivation for getting up each day is suddenly gone, and she wonders how she can go on.  Jessica has to relearn everything…including how to walk. This story follows Jessica’s journey in the year after her accident when her amputated leg is still in bandages.  She learns to use crutches and walk with a prosthetic leg. Her team raises money to buy her a “running leg” so she can rejoin the team. As Jessica heals, we go through the process of seeing the person instead of the disability. She becomes friends with a girl in her class who has cerebral palsy and learns to see her in a different light. This heart touching  story was recently named as a Schneider Family Book Award winner for teens.(Alfred A. Knopf, 2011).





 

INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN, written by Thanhha Lai, is the story of 10 year-old Kim Ha who is forced to leave Saigon with her mother and older brothers during the peak of the Vietnam War. Her father has been MIA for nine years, and the family continually hopes for his return. Knowing that if they go, there will be no real way for their father to find them again, the family is faced with the heart wrenching decision to leave behind the world they know and love. On a  ship with tight quarters and little food to eat, the family slowly makes their way to the United States. They end up in Alabama in the early-70's, with racial tensions at an all time high. Ha is bullied at school, and her teachers think she is dumb because she hasn’t learned English yet. Throughout all of her obstacles, she remains strong. A semi-autobiographical story, this unforgettable novel is written in free verse poems broken into four main chapters: Saigon, At Sea, Alabama, and From Now On. This novel was recently named as a Newbery Honor Book recipient.( HarperCollins, 2011).

Child's Play

ME...JANE , written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell, is the charming story of Jane Goodall.As a young girl., Jane receives a stuffed toy chimpanzee that she takes everywhere she goes. She explores birds, spiders, squirrels and other plants and animals in her backyard.She makes sketches and takes detailed notes of her findings. She dreams of one day traveling to Africa to study and help the animals there. The story ends with the realization of this dream and an actual photograph of Jane Goodall with a baby chimpanzee.This sweet story is a Caldecott Honor Book winner.(Little, Brown and Company, 2011).
 

 BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY, written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet, is a Sibert Award Winner. This is the story of Tony Sarg , the puppeteer of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. As a boy, Tony loves marionettes and puppets. He spends all of his spare money on toys that are curious and interesting.Fascinated by these puppets, he studies them and the mechanics behind how they move. He later moves to London and then New York where he begins performing on Broadway. Macy's commissions him to design their parade in 1928.It is such a hit and becomes a tradition we still enjoy today.(Houghton Mifflin, 2011).

East Meets West

BREAKING STALIN’S NOSE, written and illustrated by Eugene Velchin, is the story of ten year old Sasha Zaichik. Sasha has known the laws of the Soviet Young Pioneers since the age of six.  Sasha’s father is a Communist and a hero. Sasha writes a letter to Stalin thanking him personally for allowing him to be fortunate enough to live in the Soviet Union. He goes on to say that he has read how hard life is for children in capitalist countries, and he is so thankful to be in the USSR .He looks forward to one day joining the Young Soviet Pioneers. Sasha and his father live in an apartment that they share with 48 other Soviet citizens. One night, officers from the Kremlin storm into their apartment and take Sasha’s father away. We spend that night and the next day with Sasha as he begins to question everything he knows about the Soviet government and the cynicism of the system he once trusted. This book was recently named as a John Newbery Honor Book. (Henry Holt and Company, 2011).

 

THE SCRAPBOOK OF FRANKIE PRATT a novel in pictures, written by Caroline Preston, is the delightful tale of Frankie Pratt who graduates from high school in 1920. She is given a scrapbook and an old typewriter for graduation.Through an array of vintage postcards, letters, magazine ads, ticket stubs, catalog pages, and other assorted memorabilia, we follow Frankie on her journey in search of success and love. She attends Vassar, falls in love, and moves to Greenwich Village where she pursues her career in writing. She later moves to Paris where she meets two exiled Russian princes. A family crisis calls her back to New England where she finds what she has been searching for all along. This whimsical novel recently received the Alex award for being one of the top ten adult books that appeal to teen audiences.(Harper Collins, 2011).

Out of Africa

The Elephant Scientist, by Caitlin O'Connell and Donna M. Jackson, is the story of American Scientist Caitlin O'Connell's study of African Elephants in the desert of Etosha National Park in Nambia (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2011). Camouflaged and holding binoculars to her eyes, Caitlin and her team study African Elephants in their natural habitat.Through her compelling photographs and research, we catch a glimpse of one of nature's largest, most complex, and most intelligent mammals. Along with Caitlin, we discover that elephants can communicate through vibrations in the ground....helping them to sense danger and react accordingly. This fascinating nonfiction piece is one you can't put down! It was recently awarded  as a 2012 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book .

 Never Forgotten, by Patricia C. McKissak with artwork by Leo and Diane Dillon, is a 2012 Coretta Scott King Author Honor book. Set in West Africa, this lyrical story-in-verse is about a young black boy who is kidnapped and sold into slavery. Told through his father's grief, Mali raises his child himself when the infant’s mother dies in childbirth. Dinga enlists the Mother Elements of Earth, Fire, Water and Wind to help raise Musafa. One day, Dinga sends Musafa into the brush to collect wood. It is here that he is captured by “men with the blue of the sky in their eyes”.Full-page  paintings in acrylic and watercolor use strong black lines, almost like woodcut engravings, to tell the story visually. The boy, later named Moses, becomes a gifted apprentice blacksmith in Charleston, S.C.,  and is eventually freed by his blacksmith owner. (Schwartz & Wade 2011).

And the Winners Are....

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith was named this week as a Caldecott Honor Book. In true "Lane Smith" creative styling, this sweet tale explores aging, memory, and the bonds of family love....all with simple wording and beautiful illustrations.Grandpa Green's great-grandson takes us on a journey through his garden where memories are handed down in the form of imaginative topiary trees. Your imagination soars as you reflect on your own family history.

 The Cazuela That The Farm Maiden Stirred, written by Samantha R. Vamos and illustrated by Rafael Lopez, was selected this week as a Pura Belpre' Honor Book. This entertaining story comes alive with vibrant illustrations of a farm girl who starts cooking with the help of all of the farm animals. A bilingual tale that pays tribute to the nursery rhyme "The House That Jack Built". Readers delight as the farm girl and animals dance and sing.....but forget to watch the cazuela! Great story to use for introducing Spanish vocabulary. It also includes a glossary and recipe for Rice Pudding in the back of the book.

Bug's Perspective

 

  MASTERPIECE, by Elise Broach, is the magnificent tale of  friendship between a talented beetle , Marvin, and a young boy named James. Marvin and his family live in the sink below James' NYC apartment. One day James discovers a miniature drawing depicting the street scene below his window. He soon discovers it was created by the small beetle living in his apartment.Thus begins their journey in which the unlikely pair discover a mutual love of art and work together to solve a major art heist.This story includes wonderful illustrations by Kelly Murphy and page turning action.