Pigeon & Pigeonette

Pigeon & Pigeonette by Dirk Derom, illustrated by Sarah Verroken. Enchanted Lion Books. 2009. Official book website. Review copy provided by publisher. Picture book.

The Plot: Pigeonette, small, can see but not fly; Pigeon, large, can fly but cannot see. What will happen when these two become friends?

The Good: Pigeonette's small wings means she is left behind in winter, hopping across the snow. Pigeonette cannot see. Eventually they realize teamwork will save the day, with Pigeonette shouting instructions ("Flap!" "Turn Right!") as Pigeon flies. Pigeon and Pigeonette is a beautifully illustrated story of teamwork between friends, with each using their own strengths.

The illustrator, Verroken, wrote and illustrated Feeling Sad. I love her work. As in Feeling Sad, Verroken uses woodcuts; but with Pigeon and Pigeonette, there is much more color, from the pigeons to the grass, the trees and leaves. The background is awash in colors; greens, blues, reds, browns. Even the endpapers are delightful; the soft background colors, with two sets of footprints, one small, one big.

The publisher's website for this book, Pigeon and Pigeonette, provides not just samples of Verroken's work but also book-related games, coloring pages and such. In terms of "cool fun facts," Derom and Verroken were both born in Belgium and now live in New Zealand.


Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Encouraging Reading

In December, 2007 and again in April, 2009 I did some guest blogging at ForeWord Magazine's ShelfSpace Blog. While ForeWord Magazine is going strong, they have discontinued doing that guest blogging. So, I am going to rerun those posts here at Tea Cozy. Any edits to remove confusion about things like dates is in brackets.

Encouraging Reading

This past November [2007], the National Endowment of the Arts published a report, To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence. The picture it presents is not pretty. Time spent reading is decreasing, and along with that, reading scores. Decreased reading affects everything from employment to attendance at cultural events to volunteerism. Many people asked questions about the report, its method of gathering data, and its interpretation. People may not be as "not to read" as portrayed.

Whether or not you agree with the data and issues in the report, it raises the obvious question. What can we do to encourage reading? To encourage not just the act of reading, but to encourage a love of reading as well? To those of us who love reading and stories, it seems a no-brainer. Reading is fun, of course people want to do it!

Reading is fun. And I think that should be enough reason to encourage reading, and to praise reading, and to value it when we, and kids, read. Linking reading to increased employment opportunities and civic duty may be necessary to get press attention or involve employers and other organizations, but c'mon; does a ten year old care about that? Should they? No; they shouldn't read "because I will be a better person." They shouldn't read "because then I will make more money." They should read because it's fun.

So, how to make reading fun? Is that even possible, or are some people just readers and others non readers? People are as varied as books; there is no one size fits all approach. That said, here are some of my ideas. Since I am a children's/ teen services librarian, I am, of course, thinking about encouraging kids and teens to read. But seriously? I think these things are true for anyone, regardless of age. And when I say "your kids," they could be your own children, the children in your classroom, other family members.

Value Reading. We often hear about valuing books; but what about the act of reading? When the house is dusty, the yard needs mowing, laundry is piling up, where on the list of "things that need to get done" does reading fall? People looking to get into physical shape are told to exercise several times a week and make it a priority. How often do you make reading a priority?

Read yourself. Modeling that reading is fun is the best way to show others that it is fun. Have books in the house. Read books in front of your kids. And discuss books; as people in the kidlitosphere will tell you, half the fun is reading the book. The other half? Talking about the book with someone.

Respect the reading people are already doing. Saying "that genre / series / author stinks, now here is a good book" wins over no-one. But then again, I think the way to win over people is to be nice, not mean. Want to see a kid get excited? Ask them about the book they are reading; ask them, why do you like it; and finally, ask them what books they would recommend to you. Nothing beats an excited kid telling an adult what the adult should read "because it's really, really good."

Read what your kids are reading. Before you start complaining about the time, or not being interested, or having other things to do, think of what you are asking your kids to do. If you want them to, say, read, classics, they're thinking "not interested, no time." So now, you turn around and say the same thing back to them? Not cool. Reading the books your kids are reading gives you a better understanding of what that book is about and what your kid wants from books. It also shows kids that you value their choices and allows you to discuss the books with them.

Discuss books with respect. Respect the book and the reader. Don't talk about books in a "homework" way; talk about books in an "omg, this was so awesome, I have to share it with someone," or "I cannot believe that ending." There is a time and a place for critical examination of books and language and reading; but if your goal is to get people to know reading=fun, now is not the time to tear apart their favorite book, making snarky jokes about the writing. "Oh you like that? Wasn't it done so much better by this other author?" Nope; the goal is not you showing off your book knowledge, but getting someone else excited and engaged about what they read. Discussing books is one reason to read the books your kids choose; it gives you a common experience. You may find some gems amongst the books your kids are reading; or, you may find what they want from a book and have a better idea of what to recommend for further reading.

Alternate formats are good. For some kids, a movie version of Moby Dick watched at nine and a graphic novel of Moby Dick read at eleven is just the right foundation to make that high school required reading fun. (For the record? That was me. Yes, I loved Moby Dick!) Knowing the basic structure and characters helped tremendously, and this is especially true of books written long ago enough to seem to be written in a foreign language. Watch the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice instead of reading the book? No; but watch it for the visual clues about class that a modern reader may miss? Yes.

Covers Matter. Every reader knows that "don't judge a book by a cover" is a lie. Covers matter; so if you are going to invest in books, get ones that look good and appealing. Keep in mind, for some kids, the appeal is a dusty old volume dug up from the attic.

Keep it fun. We're not talking about homework or something someone "has" to do. Turn any of this into "have to" or punishment and you've lost the battle. Making every Tuesday night "the night we discuss books" can end up with everyone (you included) dreading Tuesday nights.

I don't think there is any "magic bullet". A reader may be born at age three, or thirteen, or thirty. That "one book" that provides the "click" moment of reading=fun could come anywhere, at any time. Be ready for it!

This was originally posted in December 2007 at the ForeWord Magazine's ShelfSpace blog.


Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Doing Write-Ups, So I Don't Have To

So how was that Children's Literary Cafe at New York Public Library on Saturday, November 7?

As someone sitting in the front of the room, it was terrific! It doesn't get any better than talking about something you feel passionate about: books, blogging, community. We only had an hour; and while we covered a lot of things, an hour is like a blink of the eye.

The photos were taken by Melanie Hope Greenberg and I copied them from Betsy at Fuse #8. Left to right, we are Betsy aka Fuse #8; Susan aka Chicken Spaghetti; me; Anne Boles Levy aka Cybils organizer; and Pam aka MotherReader.


The other panelists have written about the day: Fuse #8; MotherReader; and Anne Boles Levy.

Bookish Blather shares her experience as a member of the audience (and of course, based on her description, I'm trying to figure out who she was!)








Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children

The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children: A Novel by Keith McGowan; illustrated by Yoko Tanaka. Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. 2009. Brilliance Audio, 2009. Narrated by Laural Merlington. Review copy supplied by Brilliance Audio.

The Plot: A modern retelling of Hansel and Gretel. Sol and Connie Blink's father and stepmother have decided they don't want their children around anymore; luckily, there's a witch who will take care of the children for them.

The Good: "I love children. Eating them, that is." So begins the tale of Faye Holaderry, witch.

Hansel and Gretel is one of the more disturbing of the Grimm's Fairy Tales. What's worse, the witch eating children or the ultimate betrayal, that it's your parents who abandon you?

McGowan takes these two horrors, embraces them, and balances scary with funny. In his tale, it's not just a parent abandoning a child in a time of famine; oh no, it's much worse. It's parents who willingly turn their children over to the witch for every reason from bad grades to being kind to homeless people. Derek Wisse, turned over for disappointing his parents, doesn't disappoint Fay; not when "baked with secret ingredients and served with my very yummy homemade key lime pie." Mmmm, key lime pie. I love how the author uses humor, but also ups the horror by giving the nameless murdered children names, personalities, histories. Recipes.

As in the fairy tale, Mrs. Blink is a stepmother; McGowan plays with some of the fairy tale aspects, making Mr. Blink not who he seems. Various standards from fairy tales are used, twisted, reinvented, such as riddles, helpers, hunters.

Sol is 11; Connie, 8. Sol fashions himself as a scientist and inventor, like his mother, who died years before. Sol's scientific mind is a nice contrast against the magic of Holaderry. Holaderry has had to adjust to modern times (no house made out of candy or bread); but she is a witch who has lived centuries. Magic remains, even if its the magic of herbs, of hiding in plain sight. Sol and Connie find people who help them along; people who hinder; but ultimately, they need to rely on themselves and each other.

I love, love, love the ending. It's delicious. Your young horror fans will be thrilled. Grownups may worry about The Witch's Guide being too scary for kids (witches eating children! bad parents!) but kids will eat it up. Professional reviews vary as to whether this is for 9, 10, or 11 and up; I say, it depends on how much the reader likes scary stories. For someone like my niece, who loves Goosebumps and scary stories and Jurassic Park? Age 9. For other kids, it will be older.

I listened to this on audio, and the narrator realistically gave voice to a boy, a girl, a witch. Upon visiting the author's website, I realized I did miss out on some spectacular, haunting illustrations by Yoko Tanaka (and I was really tempted to say to hell with copyright and copy and paste one to this post. But I didn't.)

There is a lot of bonus humor for the adult reader. Holaderry has a dog named J. Swift. McGowan takes a playful swing at the current "perfect helpful librarian" trope. The Witch's Guide is full of risks. It's not just the jokes for the grownups, the eating children, the satire of parenting where it's better to get rid of the child than to parent; but also in giving Sol and Connie depth of character. Sol, an inventor, wants, needs, craves respect and love and success; Connie clamors for attention, acts without thinking. McGowan's real risk is that he doesn't answer all the questions; he leaves things open; despite the humor, despite the supernatural, he makes this real because no one's life is tidily wrapped up with a bow. Questions always remain.

What else? Easily a favorite book read in 2009.


Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

2009 Winter Blog Blast Tour; thanks, Colleen!

You know you're too busy when you have to say "no" to things you really, really want to do.

Colleen at Chasing Ray has put up the schedule for the 2009 Winter Blog Blast Tour; and this time around, I'm not participating.

What is a blog blast tour, you may ask? Quite simple; over one short week, there are a ton of different author interviews at different blogs.

Who sets it up? The blogs; the bloggers decide who they want to interview and cross fingers that the people they ask want to participate. It's all voluntary and independent; but the people involved strive to have a good mix of authors, of various genres, etc. It's not about a publisher or author promoting a specific title; though goodness knows, new titles will be discussed.

Colleen is the main organizer and cat-herder, in terms of scheduling times, posting schedules, and posting round-ups. As the week goes on, each day she not only posts that day's schedule, but she also pulls a great quote from each interview. Half the fun is seeing which quote Colleen will choose.

Colleen has been organizing this since 2007; in Why I Organized the Summer Blog Blast Tour: Third in a Series on Reviewing, posted June 2007, Colleen explains the origin of the Tours.

As I reread Colleen's original manifesto, I think, Wow, was it only just two years ago we were being called maggots and cat people? That we were defending our experience and right to write reviews? Can you believe that in 2009 we are still defending ourselves?

In 2007, Colleen wrote about the "significant contribution that the kidlitosphere makes to the national literary conversation." It's still something we find ourselves defending, sometimes from interesting and unexpected accusations and sources. And it's why these blog tours will continue, because what Colleen said in 2007 is still true today: with the blog blast tours "we can show just one way that the blogosphere can accomplish a great and worthy task with relative ease, and get the word out on a lot of excellent writers in the process." It's about the books; it's about what bloggers can accomplish.

And I'd forgotten the earlier conversation in April 2007, when Colleen responded to the charges that bloggers could be bought with a cupcake, in You Can't Buy Me Love. Where Colleen notes what is the most important thing to her, and, dare I say, to most people: the readers and the books.

Interested in reading more about these blog blast tours? Colleen has tagged most of them either SBBT (Summer Blog Blast Tour) or WBBT (Winter Blog Blast Tour), so its under those two tags, SBBT/WBBT, at Chasing Ray.

Here is the week's schedule:

Monday

Jim Ottaviani at Chasing Ray
Courtney Sheinmel at Bildungsroman
Derek Landy at Finding Wonderland
Mary E. Pearson at Miss Erin
Megan Whalen Turner at Hip Writer Mama
Frances Hardinge at Fuse Number 8

Tuesday

Ann Marie Fleming at Chasing Ray
Laurie Faria Stolarz at Bildungsroman
Patrick Carman at Miss Erin
Jacqueline Kelly at Hip Writer Mama
Dan Santat at Fuse Number 8
Nova Ren Suma at Shelf Elf

Wednesday

Sy Montgomery Pt 1 at Chasing Ray
Jacqui Robbins at Bildungsroman
Sarwat Chadda at Finding Wonderland
Cynthia Leitich Smith at Hip Writer Mama
Beth Kephart at Shelf Elf

Thursday

Sy Montgomery Pt 2 at Chasing Ray
Laini Taylor at Shelf Elf
Jim DiBartolo at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Amanda Marrone at Writing & Ruminating
Thomas Randall at Bildungsroman
Michael Hague at Fuse Number 8

Friday

Lisa Schroeder at Writing & Ruminating
Alan DeNiro at Shaken & Stirred
Joan Holub at Bildungsroman
Pam Bachorz at Mother Reader
Sheba Karim at Finding Wonderland
Robin LaFevers at Hip Writer Mama


Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Warning: Christian Fiction Ahead!

My Friend Amy's Faith 'n' Fiction Saturday asks, "Do you 'warn' people about Christian Fiction?" I've read her post and the comments and it got me thinking. (Obviously, or I wouldn't be posting!)

My various thoughts, in no particular order.

"Christian Fiction" means, to me, fiction by Christian publishing houses, rather than fiction that happens to include characters (or themes or plots) who are Christian.

As a Catholic, my back gets up at the idea that I'm not Christian. Yet, because "Christian Fiction" often means Protestant Fiction (and sometimes Evangelical Protestant Fiction), I am indeed "not a Christian." (I believe that Mormons encounter the same issue).

I've read, and enjoyed, fiction published by religious publishers, including Christian and Jewish Fiction. A good book is a good book is a good book; and I like reading books that are "windows" into worlds outside my own.

As a reader, I want to know ahead of time if the book is actually a tool for conversion. There are enough good Christian Fiction books that don't ask whether Jesus is my personal saviour, that I can self-select out of reading those books. In all honesty, if the point of the book is not telling a good story but changing the reader, chances are it isn't that great a book because it let the message trump the storytelling. But, on the other hand, a good review could point that out, but review the book in such a way that I want to read it anyway.

I want to be told if the book includes anything that is anti-Catholic. Though I cannot imagine anyone, knowing my religion, would seriously recommend such a book to me. But for a blog post? I guess if a book was that offensive to me (i.e., the usual, we worship the Devil, Catholics: they're doing it wrong, it doesn't take much expertise with Google to find the sites because I refuse to link to them), and I read it, and went back and saw that the original blog didn't talk about it or downplayed it, I would assume it's because the blogger agreed with that. And I'd know not to trust those reviews for me because our world view is different. This is different than a character being anti-Catholic, which happens in books (and real life). So, again, this wouldn't be a total book-killer; it would depend on the book.

The use of a different Bible for quotations doesn't bother me, so I don't need that pointed out in a review. It's often in the front of the book, so I'll know from the start which Bible is being used.

As a librarian, I like when library catalogs clearly indicate the publisher and accurately use cataloging to indicate the difference between a book that is about Christians or Christianity versus a book that is Christian Fiction. Because if a person wants a book that is indeed Christian Fiction, they should be able to get that instead of a book where the person starts out as Christian and the point of the story is the realization that religion is wrong and bad.

One big problem, though, is that sometimes people read for different things and we have to be a bit understanding about that! A quick reference that I pick up as anti-Catholic may not even be noticed by someone else; just as I may not notice something about a book but another reader may.

And at the end of the day --- a good book is a good book is a good book. And I want to know about good books!


Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

What's On Your List?

When I was at Internet Librarian 2009, one of the fascinating presentations was about evaluating websites and blogs.

In a nutshell, here's what you do.

First, create a list of all the blogs you're going to analyze. Which, in itself, is HUGE, right? One would have to look at all the different directories, click through blog rolls and links, etc.

Second, create the list of factors you're going to evaluate.

Third, evaluate each blog based on those factors.

Fourth, crunch the numbers.

Fifth, presto! You have a scientific study of the "best" blogs.

I'll add a sixth: now call yourself a consultant and sell this expertise to people like publishers. The presenters noted that their clients subscribe to this type of service and get quarterly updates. I'm not quite sure what the price would be; enough to pay you for what is a lot of time, especially at the beginning. But quarterly updates should also include new blogs; remove dead blogs; and always keep on eye on those factors. What gets added, removed, change in importance.

I'm enough of a nerd (or is it a geek?) that this type of thing fascinates me. I especially love how it shows there is no quick and easy answer to the question, "how do you judge a blog?" Rather, it takes a look at both quantitative and qualitative factors. Also, it removes the potential for bias based on friendships.

So it got me thinking. What should be on the list of factors to evaluate book blogs? These are in no particular order; but I imagine, done correctly, some factors should carry more weight than others.

Statistics, including unique visits, returning visitors, length of visit.

Comments, including quantity, quality, reason.

Subscribers via RSS.

Subscribers via email.

Age of blog.

Amount of posts per week.

Links into blog.

Links out of blog.

Technorati rating.

Content of blog posts (what is being blogged about, as well as quality)

Quality of blog posts (multiple points here: accuracy, originality, grammar, spelling).

Authority (who is the blogger, as well as recognition of blog).

What else would you add to the list? Or leave off? And what gets more "weight" than something else? To me, content is very important, so the content would somehow carry more weight than something like age of the blog.

I have only had one cup of coffee, so I know I'm omitting some important factors.


Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Assassination of a High School President

Assassination of a High School President. Sony Pictures. 2009. DVD, via Netflix. Rated R.

The Plot: Bobby Funke, sophomore, journalist for his High School paper. An assignment to profile the school president becomes something more when the SATs are stolen. Don't worry; Funke is on it!

The Good: A black comedy; Funke narrates this as if he is a New York Times reporter, tracking the big story. Pretty much everyone is a target. If you're looking for who is "good" or who is "bad", who is "right" or who is "wrong," look elsewhere.

While not as sophisticated and dark as Brick or Election, it's still an entertaining and occasionally insightful look at high school as representing all the worst of real life. (Seriously, when people say something is like high school, is it ever in a good way?)

Funke tells the story as if he were narrating a film about a major newspaper investigation; actually, more as if he was narrating a 1950's film about a major newspaper investigation. Reece Thompson, the actor playing Funke, gives a great performance; he always plays it straight, taking this seriously so the viewer does also.

Unfortunately, the big mystery (who stole the SATs) is pretty obvious to at least this viewer, even though the why was fuzzy until the end. Still, it was good to see the investigative process Funke followed as he got to the point of knowledge, and, dare I say, wisdom.



Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Posh and Prejudice

Posh and Prejudice by Grace Dent. Little Brown, June 2009. Reviewed from ARC from publisher. (The publisher link says a June 09 release date, as did the ARC, but all I can find at Amazon or B&N is the December 09 paperback release).

The Plot: Shiraz Bailey Wood, 16, is waiting to hear about her exam results. Shiraz isn't sure what she wants -- but a dead end job, and a living the life her mother wants her to is NOT what she wants. So it's off to Mayflower Academy, AKA Superchav Academy, for another year of studies.

The Good: Shiraz is hysterical. I love her, I love her world view.

A little background. This is the second book in Dent's Diary of a Chav series. Do you have to read Diva without a Cause, the first book, to read this? No; but why wouldn't you? A Chav, is, well, a Chav is "Chav: (n.) A British insult for white working-class people fixated on street fashions derived from American hip-hop such as imitation gold and fake designer clothing, e.g.,"It's a bruv who wears crap clothing and manky gold jewelry, innit?"" It's an insult; and Shiraz explains she is not a Chav. And those who attend Superchav Academy (also known at one time as "the worst school in Britain") are not Chavs. Even though they may wear hoodies; and listen to hip hop; and are working class people on the lower socio-economic class. While this definition says "white," Dent's book portrays Shiraz's neighbors and classmates as a very modern Britain, with a mix of races, ethnicities, and religions.

Shiraz is named for a drink. As is her older sister (Cava-Sue) and younger brother (Murphy). Yep. That says a lot, doesn't it? This year in Shiraz's life includes her best friend, Carrie, whose parents are the local people who made it good so the family has money so can spend it on anything; Uma, the "real Chav" who surprises everyone with her grades; Wesley Barrington Bains II, Shiraz's boyfriend; and the new kids at school, including Joshua Fallow, who if this was set in the US I'd call an uberpreppie but in Shiraz's world is, I guess, "posh."

Shiraz talks about school, and her subjects, and what she likes, and how hard it is, especially without support at home; but it's all very funny and part of me was tempted to write this all in Shiraz speak, ending every sentence with, innit. Except, I'm not funny like Grace Dent (or Shiraz) is. When Shiraz explains about a show she and her friends put on, and the outfits the participants insist on wearing -- you're just going to have to read it.

Dent (and Shiraz), while being funny, shows respect for Shiraz's working class world. "My mother -- Mrs Diane Wood -- says work ain't meant to be exciting. Mum reckons the important thing is that I'm bringing home some cash and earning my keep." So Mum's reaction to Shiraz staying in school? "Oh, bleeding wonderful!" said Mum, pointing at me. "Another one of my kids farting about after school instead of earning a living." Yes, Shiraz wants something different from what her Mom expects; but Dent does not talk down to Mum, and shows these characters great respect. While also having a few laughs. She's not laughing at them; we're laughing with them.

The Wesley/Shiraz relationship is brilliant; I don't want to say too much, but Dent does a great job of showing a realistic relationship between two people who have some things in common but are separated by other things.

So, ultimately, who is Shiraz? Is she Chav, or Posh? What are her own prejudices, and how will that help, or hurt, her future choices?

If you're worried about the words and slang, there is a glossary (see the definition of Chav, above). But, if you've watched any BBC shows or British shows, or read other books set in the UK, the words aren't that unfamiliar.

In Britain, there are already six titles in this series, so I'm already looking forward to the next book. If you don't mind spoilers galore, check out the blingtastic website for Shiraz Bailey Wood.


© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Little Brown. Publication Date December 2009. Reviewed from ARC supplied by publisher. Official Book Website.

The Plot:

Ethan Wate wants out of his small, sleepy, South Carolina town, where nothing ever changes and only "the stupid and the stuck" stay. It's a town where any "new girl" is the subject of much attention. All the more so when the new girl is Lena Duchannes, niece of Old Man Ravenwood, the town recluse who lives in a run-down plantation house. She is pale in a town where the girls are tan; wears black; and has numbers scrawled on her hands. Weird; but Ethan cannot stop thinking about her, even dreaming about her.

Odd thing is; the dreams started even before she moved to town.

The Good:

There are family trees. More than one. There are certain types of readers who, just knowing this, will put this on their TBR list.

The tricky thing about reviewing a book like this -- a book that is about secrets -- is figuring out just how much, if any, of the secrets to reveal. On the one hand, readers like to discover things for themselves as they read the book; on the other hand, one or two of those secrets may need to be told up front, because they could be the reason a reader wants to read the book. For example, in my review of Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth, I said "zombies". So here I will say "supernatural" and "witches" (er, "casters" is the preferred term in Beautiful Creatures.)

Now that I've given that away, this is a lushly written Southern Gothic tale, with family and town secrets, and teens discovering that the world is not what they thought it was. It's not just finding out that the supernatural is real; it's learning that trusted adults have kept secrets. And then trying to figure out what to do about it; and trying to take charge of your future when everyone is telling you that future is set in stone.

I won't say this is the next Twilight (because I'm scared of Carlie and she hates reviews that do that.). I will say that this has several elements that will appeal to those who liked Twilight: an against-the-odds, everything-is-working-at-keeping-them-apart romantic pairing; a unique author(s) created supernatural mythology built around "casters"; a setting (Gatlin, SC) that is as much a character as any of the people in the book; it's long, with a lot of details and description for readers to sink their teeth into; and plenty of teasers for a next book. (Yes, this book isn't technically published yet and I already want to read the next one.)

What else to say about the book without giving anything important away?

I kept on wanting to call this Dangerous Creatures.

I read it on vacation in North Carolina, so the southern Carolina town atmosphere made a huge impact on me.

Beautiful Creatures stuck with me; after reading it, I'm still thinking about Lena, Ethan, their family and friends, the casters, and other details.

It's two authors! The narrator is Ethan, so it's not like they did the old "you pick one person to write, I pick the other." Not that I know either author's writing styles, but the writing was seamless. You never thought, hm, I distinctly hear one voice here, another style there. I imagine they did what Sophie and I did in writing our book; pass chapters back and forth with so much revisions that it became truly a joint project.

Links:
Caster Girls Blog. Best read after you read the book.
Joint Author Site.
My Twitter Review.
Teaser

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

This Blog's For You

School Library Journal continues it's coverage of book blogs with This Blog's For You: Ten of the best blogs for folks who take kids' lit seriously (but not too seriously) by Elizabeth Bird (aka Fuse #8 Production, a SLJ blog). As Bird's article notes, SLJ covered blogs as early as August 2005, with a cover story, Blogomania! Every day 12,000 new blogs are created. Here's how you can get in on the action. Two years later, in February 2007, I wrote Curl Up With a Cup of Tea and a Good Blog for SLJ.

So now it's 2009; how do things look in the blog world?

Bird's article is fabulous; it conveys much of what I think and believe about book blogging, especially blogging about children's and young adult literature.

Disclaimer: not only do I appear in photos for the article, I also am quoted. But -- and this is important -- I am not one of the "ten of the best blogs" listed. It's important because it shows that those ten are independently judged; are best; and that Bird isn't defining "best" as "my friends, the people I know and talk with." Bird scores additional points by not saying "the ten best blogs"; saying ten of the best infers that there are more best blogs, this is ten of them.

Back to the article. Bird addresses why people blog (and read blogs) and the role of book bloggers in the universe of authors, bloggers, publishers, librarians, etc. Bird wonders if this is all just an internal "you're so pretty" "no you're so pretty" group, i.e., an insular group. And explains why the answer to that is "no." There's talk of the usual to us bloggers -- transparency. Ethics. Just why one is blogging. But those who read SLJ may not be aware that in the "wild west" no rules of blogging, we ask those questions, and apply the answers to what we do.

Anyway, enough about me and why I like it. Go, read it, think about it, and post, tweet, and comment away. People are already adding other "must read" blogs in the comment section.

Links:

Last week, I gave a behind the scenes look at the photoshoot.

In More Meta, Roger Sutton at the Horn Book Blog considers what Bird wrote about blogs and collection development.

Jen Robinson's Book Page points out how articles like Betsy's reach a broader, non-blogging audience.



Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Mayflower 1620 A New Look At A Pilgrim Voyage

Mayflower 1620 A New Look At A Pilgrim Voyage by Plimoth Plantation with Peter Arenstram, John Kemp and Catherine O'Neill Grace; Photographs by Sisse Brimberg and Cotton Coulson. National Geographic. Library copy.

The Plot: A look at the myths and legends of the Mayflower voyage and founding of Plymouth. Full of gorgeous photos from some of the sailing done by the Mayflower II.

The Good: How do you bring to life a time in the past that existed before photography, let alone color photography? By well done recreations, including the ones done by the Plimoth Plantation organization that are based not on wish fulfilment, myths, or legends, but on research. And the actual journey wasn't redone in the new ship; but the Mayflower II has traveled up and down the East Coast of the US.

This book is full of interesting details, and always sticks to the facts. It explains, simply, that "history is complicated. People sailed on the Mayflower for different reasons." A list of provisions is included, but it's clearly noted that the list is from a 1629 ship making a similar voyage with a similar number of passengers and mariners. It sorts myths from reality; and yes, it clearly states that the corn was stolen. The chronology starts 4,000 to 1,000 years before 1620.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, as I've mentioned before in My 2006 Thanksgiving Post. I like the turkey; I like the history. But even with a favorite, one has to acknowledge its faults and consider the whole picture; the bigger picture; and what it means to people besides me.

So, must-reads for keeping attitudes and teaching about Thanksgiving real are American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving (10/2009) from Debbie Reese (aka the blog American Indians in Children's Literature); American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving, PDF, from National Museum of the American Indian (link from Reese); for use year round, Teacher and Librarian Resources for Children's and YA Books with Native Themes from Cynthia Leitich Smith; and Native Youth Literature widget from JacketFlap; thanks to Cynthia Leitich Smith for reminding me of this widget, which is on my sidebar for the month of November.

Nonfiction Monday is at Abby (the) Librarian.

Shiver

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. Scholastic Press. 2009. ARC copy either from BEA or ALA.

The Plot: It's a story as old as time. Girl meets Wolf. Wolf meets Girl. Wolf turns into Boy. Girl and Boy fall in love. But Boy has to turn back into Wolf, eventually.

The Good: Shiver is a beautifully written, lyrical love story. As early as page 8, I was marking passages: "...the afternoon sunlight bleached all the books on the shelves to pale, gilded versions of themselves and warmed the paper and ink inside the covers so that the smell of unread words hung in the air."

This is a romance; and yes, it's supernatural, also -- werewolves -- but it's not about drawing out the reveal. The jacket copy tells us that Sam is also a werewolf; and as early as page twelve, Grace lets us know that she knows: "I didn't realize that the wolves in the wood were all werewolves until Jack Culpeper was killed."

The supernatural element is given full attention by Stiefvater. She has created an intriguing explanation, where wolves don't shift from the phases of the moon but rather from the temperature. The body reacts to cold, becoming a wolf; once it gets warmer, it becomes human. Grace and Sam's romance is a race against the autumn days growing cooler. To make it that much worse, eventually a werewolf stops turning back to human; and, wouldn't you know it, even though most werewolves have decades of change, Sam -- bitten as a child, now eighteen -- is facing his final change into wolf. Adding to the drama? Each chapter heading (which is told either by Sam or Grace) contains the temperature. We can worry along with Sam and Grace as it gets colder and colder.

The romance is hot -- despite the couple's battle against the cold. They are star-crossed, with the intensity and angst ramped up by Sam's wolfish state. From the moment Sam meets Grace in his human form, they are together, except when something like school interferes. He stays at her house; they share meals, hopes, dreams, a bed, and because this is an intense first love great love romance, all this just deepens how attracted to each other they are, how "cannot be apart" they are. They cynical part of me cannot help but wonder, can this intensity be maintained beyond the few short months that Shiver covers?

The werewolf backstory and hierarchy is disturbing. We see people turned into werewolves, sometimes willingly, other times, not so much. Sam is a werewolf because he was attacked and bitten as a child; Grace herself was attacked by werewolves as a child, but wasn't turned into one. That attack is when the two first really meet, but Sam is in his wolf form. Oddly, despite the traumatic attack, described at the beginning of the book in chilling detail, Grace doesn't grow up fearing wolves. She grows up almost obsessed with them.

The family dynamics have been pointed out in other reviews; Grace's parents are so involved with their jobs and with each other that they leave Grace on her own most of the time. Sam is basically living with Grace, in her room, sleeping in her bed, but her parents are the type who don't come into her room to check on her when they return home late so they never notice.

Oddly, Grace's biological family is portrayed as cold and self-involved, while Sam's adoptive wolf family is portrayed as loving and warm. Yet Sam's family is created by a series of violent acts, because a werewolf bite is needed to turn one into a werewolf. So that violence -- that almost tearing away or destroying of the original, human family -- is excused because the adoptive family cares for each other. Say what you will of Grace's parents, at least they haven't killed anyone.

There are no cliffhangers at the end of Shiver; we get an ending. Yet, we also have the promise of more as Stiefvater's site reveals that there will be a sequel, called Linger. I am hoping some of my questions (and speculation) will be addressed in that book.

Shiver would make an excellent book discussion book; I have tons of questions. The following may be viewed as spoilers, I guess, so stop reading now if that bothers you.

Was Grace deliberately attacked as a child?

How much about the wolves do her parents really know? And does that explain some of how she is (and isn't) treated by them?

How much of Grace's own personality was shaped by the werewolf attack?

Is Grace replicating her parents relationship in her own intense bonding with Sam?

And, finally, more an observation than a question --- raise your hand if you don't trust Beck.


Must watch, via Booklist: Interview with Maggie Stiefvater; the booktrailers for Shiver.



Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Please Come To Boston

Come January, I'll be attending American Library Association Midwinter Meeting 2010 in Boston, aka Midwinter. I'm on the Schneider Family Book Award Committee; the books will be announced, with the other awards, on Monday January 18. As we get closer, I'll post more about my schedule at Midwinter.

In the meanwhile -- Tweet up, for all you kidlit and YA bloggers who will either be at Midwinter or are in the Boston area! Mitali Perkins and Deborah Sloan have made all the arrangements, as explained at Mitali Perkins' blog, Mitali's Fire Escape: ALA Midwinter Kid/YA Lit Tweetup. I expect it to be very, very fun!

As Mitali's blog explains, the Tweet up is January 16, 2010 from 4-6 in the Birch Bar at Boston's Westin Waterfront Hotel. Mitali explains it all, so please click through the links above.
Space is limited, so sign up now (and check out the other people who will be there!)





Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

November: American Indian Heritage Month

(image from 2009 Indian Health Service Heritage Site)

November is American Indian Heritage Month.

Various links of interest, in no particular order:

The Creation of National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month (via Indian Health Services)

The National Museum of the American Indian, especially its Education page.

American Indians in Children's Literature by Debbie Reese, which should be read all year round, but November is a good time to remind you to add it to your must-read lists.

Teacher and Librarian Resources for Children's and YA Books with Native Themes (again, an all year not just November resource) from Cynthia Leitich Smith

Native Youth Literature widget from JacketFlap; thanks to Cynthia Leitich Smith for reminding me of this widget, which is on my sidebar for the month of November.

Native American Heritage Month resources from the Library of Congress.

Readergirlz is also celebrating; they are spotlighting Sweetgrass Basket by Marlene Carvell.



Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Get It Now: November 2009

The following books were reviewed from ARCs and are being published in November:

Letters to Anyone and Everyone by Toon Tellegen


Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

JOMB; Thank You, Mark & Andrea!

JOMB - or Just One More Book! is the premiere children's book podcast. American Library Association/Association for Library Services for Children named it one of its Best Web Sites for Kids. Others have dipped their toe into podcasting; but not plunged in.

Mark Blevis and Andrea Ross plunged in and then some. From JOMB: "a thrice-weekly podcast which promotes and celebrates literacy and great children’s books. Each weekday morning, we take a few minutes out of our morning coffee ritual to discuss one of our many favourite children’s books. We also feature weekly interviews with authors, illustrators and experts and enthusiasts in the areas of children’s literature and literacy as well as listener-submitted audio reviews."

Mark and Andrea are advocates of reading; of literacy; of the pleasures of children's books. Their podcast was a labor of love, dating back to 2006. They supported the kidlitosphere conferences, where I had the privilege (and the flat-out fun) of meeting Mark and Andrea in person.

In September, 2009, Mark and Andrea shared the following disappointing news with the kidlit world: having been "pushed beyond my limits by members of the book industry’s dark side," JOMB was going silent after a handful of commitments were wrapped up.

Disappointing news.

The sad news followed in October, with Mark and Andrea's typical strength and conviction: Making Andrea a Breast Cancer Survivor. It took a second to understand what they were telling us. Mark and Andrea -- positive as usual. And the blogosphere will be there for them.

Want to share JOMB? Because there is a heck of a lot of content there. Add a widget to your sidebar! With JOMB's permission and support, The Reading Tub created a widget. You can see it at The Reading Tub's blog; as well as my sidebar.

Edited to add: in the comments, Andrea shares with us the latest updates. Yesterday, she found that she needs a second surgery. Please continue to send good vibes, prayers and warm wishes; here and at the Reading Tub or at JOMB.


Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy