Sunday, January 31, 2016

January Favorites

On a previous blog, I would post monthly recaps of my favorite reads. I've decided to start doing it on this blog. Each post will have a variety of books I really enjoyed reading, whether they are children's or young adult, fiction or nonfiction, graphic or prose.


Through the Woods by Emily Carroll. I love this beautifully creepy collection of short stories. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked it up - I’d heard a lot of buzz about it, but thought it was just a fairy tale graphic novel. I was pleasantly surprised! The stories aren’t outright scary, but they’re delightfully unsettling, and quick and easy to read.

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Ada was born with a clubfoot, and her mother is ashamed of it. Because of that, Ada has never been out of the house, never learned anything, even though she is…or at least THINKS she is, 10 years old. Her little brother Jamie, on the other hand, is their mother’s favorite, and can play outside and attend school. As the war gets closer to London, Jamie is going to be sent to the country to stay safe. Ada sneaks out with Jamie, and they get on a train with the other children from London. People who live in the country are going to take in children until World War II is over, but what if no one wants Ada and Jamie? This was a very engrossing book, and I don’t usually enjoy historical fiction. The ending of this book is one of the most satisfying I’ve read in a long time, with a perfect last line. Highly recommended! Check out my video review: A Book a Minute.

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham. I love Lauren Graham, mostly as Lorelai Gilmore, so I was worried I was going to imagine her as the character in this book. Luckily the story is about Franny trying to make it as an actress in New York, and she’s silly and funny, so imagining Lauren Graham as the character totally fit. I love reading about people trying to make it as actors, so I loved this book. The overall resolution was a little obvious, but there were nods throughout the book that Graham knew what was going on, so it seemed a little less hokey. The ending itself was very well-written. I’d love to read more from her.

Jane, the Fox, and Me by Fanny Britt. This graphic novel is beautiful. Overall it looks very simple, with scratchy pencil drawings, but there are so many details in the images. The story is about a girl who used to have friends, until they abruptly turn on her and she is the class loner. It’s a story that’s been told over and over again (and I feel like most of the books I’ve read recently deal with this issue), but it’s well-done, and worth a read since it’s quick.

FAVORITE RE-READS
Matilda by Roald Dahl. I haven’t read this book since childhood, and I was delighted that it’s still just as entertaining to read as an adult! I’m a huge Roald Dahl fan so it was fun to start reading his works again. I read this right as I saw Matilda, Tim Minchin’s musical, so it was nice to compare the book to the musical (which actually stayed fairly true to the story)!

One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis. I previously read this in February 2013 and loved it - the review from my now-defunct blog is actually in the paperback version! I loved it just as much re-reading it now. I remembered the biggest plot point, but had forgotten a lot of the little twists along the way so it was a lot of fun to read again. Still highly recommend this book if you want a fast-paced, suspenseful read.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Schneider Family Book Award Winners 2016

The Schneider Family Book Awards were given during the Youth Media Awards at ALA Midwinter on January 11, 2016.
The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. The award is donated by Dr. Katherine Schneider. Three annual awards are presented for the best Teen, Middle School and Children’s Book.
Last year I read several books that were previous Schneider Family Book Award winners, and I really enjoyed them. Once the award winners were announced, I found the middle grade and teen winners in my library system.



The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten is the teen winner.
Adam has OCD to the extent that he goes to group therapy. The other teens in the group have trouble opening up and coping, so they all have superhero alteregos to use during the sessions. When Robyn joins the group, Adam is smitten. He’s determined to get better for her, to stop lying, to stop his compulsions, and to start doing the work assigned in therapy. His mother, however, has her own issues that keep Adam’s anxiety high. I’ve never known much about OCD so it was enlightening to read about teens suffering from it, and the different things they do, as well as the different ways to cope. This book was incredibly suspenseful, with Adam's anxiety rising throughout the story, coupled with the mystery of what his mother is going through.

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is the middle grade winner.
Ada was born with a clubfoot, and her mother is ashamed of it. Because of that, Ada has never been out of the house, never learned anything, even though she is... or at least THINKS she is, 10 years old. Her little brother Jamie, on the other hand, is their mother’s favorite, and can play outside and attend school. As the war gets closer to London, plans are made for Jamie to be sent to the country to stay safe. Ada sneaks away with Jamie, and they get on a train with the other children from London. People who live in the country will take in children until World War II is over, but what if no one wants Ada and Jamie? This was a very engrossing book, and I don’t usually enjoy historical fiction. The ending of this book is one of the most satisfying I’ve read in a long time, with a perfect last line. Highly recommended!

Friday, January 22, 2016

CLOUD901 – A Digital Learning Lab Exclusively for Teens

CLOUD901 is a digital learning lab that opened September 16, 2015 in the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library in Memphis, Tennessee. At 8,300 square feet over two floors, it is one of the largest learning labs in the country—and it’s all for teens. To enter the lab, you must be a library card holder between the ages of 13-18 (or be an adult on a scheduled tour). The space is amazing—I never thought I’d willingly be in high school again… but CLOUD901 would make it worth it.

Read the full post on YALSAblog and share your thoughts!

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

The Many Matildas


Roald Dahl has been one of my favorite authors since childhood. I tried to start a reading project a couple of years ago where I re-read all of his works in the order they were published. School and life got in the way, but after re-reading Matilda, I think I absolutely have to re-read Dahl's works!

I re-read Matilda because my husband and I had tickets to see Matilda the Musical at the beautiful Orpheum Theater. I wanted the story to be fresh in my mind because I love comparing the book to the movie, or in this case, the play.

I was only halfway through the book when we went to see the play, but I liked it that way - I couldn't remember the original ending, so the play was still somewhat suspenseful. The book was still so enjoyable as an adult; the text is straight-forward and easy for even young readers to understand. Dahl's insulting language is so creative that it will encourage vocabulary expansion in readers!

My husband and I both really enjoyed the play. It's hard to review because... it's amazing. I would have gone to see it again the next night if I could have! The stage looks fantastic with all the letters and colors and blocks, and it pulls you right into Matilda's world. The actors are perfect in their roles. We saw a native Memphian play Matilda on opening night, so that was a nice perk!

The next day, I finished the book and watched the movie. I remember seeing the movie as a child, but it's just as good as an adult! The movie differs a little in that there are some added scenes involving Matilda, Miss Honey, and Trunchbull, but this storyline fits in with the overall story, and isn't a major discrepancy like some plot changes are in movies.

The musical differs quite a bit in that Matilda's mother has a different hobby, which doesn't add much to the story, in my opinion. Matilda also tells an ongoing story she's made up, which is overly sentimental and also doesn't add much to the story, especially since Miss Honey's backstory is explained so concisely in the book. But I am a huge Tim Minchin fan, so I appreciate how these divergent storylines help develop the musical side of the story. Tim Minchin's songs are very clever and add jokes and wit to the story.

As an added bonus, Quinn Mattfeld, who played Mr. Wormwood, came to the Central Library on Friday and read the opening of Matilda! I think it's so cool that actors from a major traveling production would take time out of their rehearsal-filled days to read to kids!

I think the movie and musical are both so good because they stay pretty close to the original story. I'm usually not a big fan of books that are made into movies; I'm in the camp that the book is always better than the movie. One exception is To Kill a Mockingbird, which is an amazing film that really does the book justice. Now that my memory has been refreshed, I'm adding Matilda to that list. And though the musical strays from the original story, I highly recommend seeing it if you get the chance!

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Celebrating Dreams with Martin Luther King

Today was the first 2016 library program for adults with disabilities! Since Martin Luther King, Jr. day is Monday, he was the subject of the day.


Several individuals knew about Dr. King's life and work, so we started by talking about what we knew. Since we live in Memphis, Tennessee, we have the unfortunate distinction of being the city where Dr. King was shot and killed. Many individuals in today's program have visited the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, where there is a tribute to Dr. King on the balcony where he was shot.

By reading A Picture book of Martin Luther King, Jr., we learned a lot about him that we didn't already know. We learned that his birthday is January 15th, which is why Martin Luther King, Jr. day is around that date every January. He graduated from high school at 15 and started college early!

I Have a Dream is a selection from Dr. King's famous speech illustrated by beautiful paintings. We read this one, and then talked about our dreams for a perfect world, or even just a perfect day. We wrote and drew our dreams.


A lot of people said their dream of a perfect world started with their homes or churches -
spending time there with family and friends who care about them.


One person traced his hand and drew people holding hands across it.


This just might be my favorite...all the colors working together to make a beautiful picture.


I've also written about previous library programs for adults with disabilities.

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Back to Front and Upside Down!


Back to Front and Upside Down! is a picture book about the frustration of learning to write. Stan's class is making birthday cards for the school principal, Mr. Slippers. Stan is excited to draw pictures on the card, but then the teacher says that everyone needs to write "Happy Birthday". Stan has a lot of trouble with writing; some of his letters were backwards, some were upside down, and some didn't even look like letters. Stan's classmates are writing correctly, and he's too intimidated to ask for help. Stan doesn't want to be laughed at. With some encouragement from a friend, Stan learns that it's ok to ask for help.

The illustrations in this book are brightly colored, and convey a lot of emotion even though they're not incredibly detailed. Each character is a different animal, so there is potential for talking points when reading this book aloud by asking the child what animal each character is. The font looks like handwriting, which ties the story together nicely since Stan is struggling with his writing!

This book never explicitly says it's about dyslexia, and Stan's quick improvement suggests that it is not, but it's still a good book to read to children with learning disabilities. They'll be reassured that other people have similar problems, like Stan and Mimi in the story. It will also show them that it's ok to ask for help, and it's ok if it takes them longer to learn, read, or write things. Overall, it's a great book for any child to show them that you can always ask for help, and to accept others as they are, without laughing at their struggles.

Read it for yourself!
Alexander, Claire. Back to Front and Upside Down! Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2012. Print.