"I am poetry, surrounding the dreamer"

If you like to dream and wonder and ponder, I imagine you would enjoy The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan.  This is a fictionalized account of the childhood of Neftali, the boy who became Pablo Neruda, a popular poet who lived in Chile.  As a child, Neftali loves words and books,  and he treasures his collections of objects from nature, such as twigs and shells. Unfortunately, his domineering father makes his life miserable, but Uncle Orlando, a newspaper writer who recognizes the boy's sensitivity and writing talents, sympathizes and takes Neftali under his wing.  The lyrical expression of Neftali's emotions - the utter joy at finding the perfect place to read, the haunting sadness of his father's disrespect - are accompanied by the beautiful illustrations of Peter Sís.  A book to read slowly and savor.

Take the plunge

I kept thinking of the word "enchanting" while I devoured The Mermaid's Mirror by L. K. Madigan.  Lena is fifteen and lives on the California coast.  Even though she's a great swimmer, her father won't let her take surfing lessons because of an accident he had years ago.  However, after she thinks she sees a mermaid, she takes lessons on the sly and eventually learns an incredible secret about her past.  The author does such a great job with realistic thoughts, actions, and dialogue, that it's easy for the reader to go along with the idea that Lena learns she's half-mermaid and gets to take an amazing journey to their undersea world.  Will she stay, or will she return to her family and friends on land?  A wonderfully believable and mesmerizing story.

Telling the truth or stretching it?

Reviews of Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon use words like "gentle," "brilliance," and "intriguing."  I have to agree.  This is a fictionalized account of one autumn in the childhood of author Zora Neale Hurston, and it's told in the first person by her best friend, Carrie.  Set in Eatonville, Florida, at the turn of the century, Zora is known for her fantastic storytelling talents.  When a murder occurs, she's convinced the suspect is Mr. Pendir, a reclusive neighbor who shape-shifted into a "gator man."  As Zora and Carrie slowly discover they truth, they also learn about secrets, family, and racial relations.  A terrific book for discussion, it's the only project endorsed by the Zora Neale Hurston Trust that wasn't written by Hurston herself.  

Brain cramp

Okay, I kept thinking, "Um....what?" as I read Brain Camp, a graphic novel by Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan.  Definitely different.  Underachievers Lucas and Jenna are sent to Camp Fielding, which claims to "prepare any child for the SATs and beyond."  It doesn't take long for them to discover a lot of weird stuff is going on, such as campers disappearing, counselors coming into the cabins at night with hypodermic needles, and kids acting like zombies.  Lucas and Jenna, besides starting to fall for each other, find out the truth (it involves a giant alien bird!), but can they get help before they get transformed themselves?  While the illustrations are appropriate for older middle schoolers, some are not for the squeamish. The pace of the story felt jumpy and rushed to me, but I know an eighth-grader who read this and really liked it.  If you're into graphic novels, check it out.

2011 Newbery winner

And the winner is...Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. It's 1936, and Abilene is twelve years old.  For reasons she doesn't understand, her father has sent her to Manifest, Kansas, to live with his friend Shady - once a bootlegger and now a pastor. Through stories told by Miss Sadie (a diviner) and old newspaper clippings, Abilene starts to put together the pieces of Manifest's past, but she can't figure out why it's so hard to learn about her father's life there.  The imagery, characters, and dialogue seem very authentic for the time period, and they pull the reader along while Abilene uncovers many of the community's secrets.  I was a bit disappointed, though. I figured a Newbery winner would really impress me, and I was just left with an "okay" impression.  But if you like historical fiction and/or strong female characters, give the book a try!

"Grown-upness is truly wasted on grown-ups"

If you can go with the far-fetched premise of Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce, you'll probably appreciate the book. Liam is twelve, but because of his height and a bit of early facial hair, he's often mistaken for an adult.  When he wins a vacation package to what he thinks is an amusement part, he pretends to be a dad and takes his friend Florida along as his daughter.  They end up in China, where the other prize-winning kids and one adult will train for a ride on an actual rocket ship!  Liam ends up going aboard, and all is well until there's an "oops" and the rocket is seemingly stuck in outer space.  Fortunately, Liam's skills obtained from hours of playing World of Warcraft save the day.  The story was originally published in Great Britain, and the British words and references may be confusing to some readers in the U.S., but the kids' humor, the general idiocy of the other fathers, and Liam's likable character make this a fun read.

Is this what our future will be like?

Lots to think about both during and after the reading of Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry.  Kira is a young girl with a deformed leg.  As the book opens, she has become an orphan and fears she will be cast out of her village.  However, the Council of Guardians sees that she has a very special talent for embroidery, and they decide that Kira's new job will be to care for the robe of the Singer, who wears it once a year during the village's Gathering.  While living at the Council's Edifice, Kira becomes friends with Thomas, an orphan with an amazing woodcarving talent who works on the Singer's staff.  Kira's new life at first seems ideal - a wonderful place to stay, plentiful food, and meaningful work.  But bit by bit (and I loved this about the book), I got an uneasy feeling that all was not well.  Whose voice does Thomas hear crying at night?  Do the "beasts" that supposedly killed Kira's father really exist?  What is in store for Kira's future?  I usually like stories that have everything wrapped up neat and tidy by the end, but I make an exception for this book, which would be fantastic for a book club to discuss.

Football isn't just for boys

I absolutely love the voice of the narrator, D. J. Schwenk, in Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. D. J. is 15, and she does all the work on her family's dairy farm ever since her older brothers (former Red Bend high school football stars) left for college and her dad broke his hip. D. J. herself knows quite a bit about football, and she gets the chance over the summer to coach Brian Nelson. But things get complicated because 1) Brian is quarterback for Hawley, which is Red Bend's arch rival, 2) D. J. starts to like Brian, and 3) D. J. decides to go out for - and makes - the Red Bend football team, and now she'll be playing against Brian. D. J.'s voice is funny and authentic, covering the wide range of emotions and feelings that teens really have, as she learns about herself, her family, and her capabilities. If you like this book, the story continues in Off Season.

What a road trip!

The Chicago Auto Show is underway, and I wonder what the characters in Around the World in 100 Days by Gary Blackwood would think of it?  The year is 1891, and most people don't think this new idea of a car is ever going to catch on.  Harry Fogg is a young man with a steam-powered automobile.  For a variety of reasons, he bets that he can travel around the world - about 25,000 miles! - in 100 days.  He's allowed to take boats over water, but other than that, all traveling has to be done in his car. Most of the trip is taken with Johnny, a friend and incredible mechanic; Charles, the son of one of the men he bet against; and Elizabeth, a reporter who dreams of becoming famous.  If the "travel around the world" idea sounds familiar, it's because Harry is the son of fictional character Phileas Fogg, who attempted the voyage (in 80 days) in a book by Jules Verne.  Blackwood's story has adventure, humor, setbacks, danger, and suspicion of sabotage, and the bottom of each page shows which day they're on, which adds to the sense of urgency.  Will they make it in time?

What's behind that door?

Falling In by Frances O'Roark Dowell is quite different from Dowell's other books (like Dovey Coe), but enjoyable never-the-less.  Middle-schooler Isabelle Bean opens a closet door at school to follow the squeak of a mouse, and she falls into another whole world!  This world feels fairy tale-ish, with a forest, villages, and fear of a local witch.  Isabelle meets another young girl named Hen, and together they come upon Grete, an elderly woman who takes them in and teaches them about herbs and healing. Isabelle learns she's related to Grete (no, I won't tell you how), and that Grete's the suspected witch; Isabelle becomes determined to clear her name.  The first half of the book seemed slow, but there's a neat and unexpected twist half-way through.  Then the pace picks up, and the story becomes more complicated and interesting.  The ending is especially satisfying.  A great book for readers with active imaginations.