Tricking the Tallyman; Pippo the Fool; Roman Diary; You Are Weird; Food for Thought; Big George; and B Is for Battle Cry

E Davies, Jacqueline; illustrated by S. D. Schindler. Tricking the Tallyman : The Great Census Shenanigans of 1790, unpaged. Alfred A. Knopf, 2009.
When Phineas Bump rides into the small Vermont village of Tunbridge, he encounters residents who have mistaken ideas about the purpose of the first census of the United States and try to skew his count in their favor. After two counts that were first too small and then too big, the townsfolk persuade Mr. Bump to count them one last time when they learn that the census was to determine taxes and soldiers owed to the government as well as their representation in that government. The author includes one page of nonfiction information about the first census and types of questions asked.
EL – ADVISABLE.
List : US Birth of Nation (ERA)


E Fern, Tracey E.; illustrated by Pau Estrada. Pippo the Fool, unpaged. Charlesbridge, 2009.
When Filippo Brunelleschi hears about his town’s contest to design a dome for the cathedral, he sees the chance he’s been waiting for. His designs for peculiar machines that no one needs and sketches of outlandish structures no one wants to build have earned him the nickname Pippo the Fool, but he knows he can solve this new architectural challenge. Based on the true story of how the cathedral of Florence gained a dome, Pippo meets the challenge and becomes known as Pippo the Genius. This story has beautiful illustrations and could be used for a character-development lesson.
EL – ESSENTIAL; MS – ADVISABLE.
Lists : Middle Ages & Renaissance (ERA); Art (HOOK); TA (HOOK).


E Platt, Richard; illustrated by David Parkins. Roman Diary : The Journal of Iliona of Mytilini, Who Was Captured by Pirates and Sold as a Slave in Rome, AD 107, 64 pgs. Candlewick Press, 2009.
With a larger-than-typical page size, two-column text format, and graphic-novel illustrations, this fictional diary of a young Greek girl who works as a slave in Rome gives the reader an educational glimpse into life in ancient Rome. One learns about common practices of the day, such as the slave trade, education, public baths, social classes, military ranks, the senate, indoor plumbing, religion, gladiator fights, theater, and dining. The last six pages contain nonfiction information about all these topics, as well as a timeline of Roman history. Includes glossary and index. There are enough facts and great illustrations to make this of interest to some middle-school students.
EL – REQUIRED; MS – ADVISABLE.
Lists : Ancient Civilizations (ERA); Reluctant Readers (FORM).


612 Swanson, Diane; illustrated by Boake Kathy. You Are Weird : Your Body’s Peculiar Parts and Funny Functions, 40 pgs. Kids Can Press, 2009.
Single-spread chapters talk about unusual aspects of the human body : skin, canine teeth, appendix, and so on. Space is too limited for in-depth studies, but readers learn interesting and little-known facts about our bodies. Each spread includes a “freaky fact” and a sidebar that often contains a related experiment or observation the reader can try that relates to the topic. The illustrations have the life-like look of computer animation, and include a lot of expression and humor. Includes glossary and index.
Complete contents include : bacteria, skin, sweat glands, body hair, goose bumps, sinuses, wisdom teeth, canine teeth, eyeballs, wiggling ears, nose, appendix, plantaris and palmaris (superfluous) muscles, tail bone, finger nails, and toes.
Language, Sex, Violence – G.
EL – ADVISABLE; MS – OPTIONAL.
Lists : Factoids (FORM); Health & Medicine (HOOK).


641.3 Robbins, Ken. Food for Thought : The Stories Behind the Things We Eat, 45 pgs. Roaring Brook Press, 2009.
Robbins relates famous stories, anecdotes, historical highlights, and nutritional tidbits for several common foods : apples, oranges, corn, bananas, tomatoes, potatoes, pomegranates, grapes, and mushrooms. Four pages devoted to each food, this book leaves the reader with some interesting and, most likely, previously unknown trivia. Each chapter is illustrated with photos and paintings.
EL – ESSENTIAL; MS – ADVISABLE.
Lists : Factoids (FORM); Foods (HOOK).


973.4 Rockwell, Anne; illustrated by Matt Phelan. Big George : How a Shy Boy Became President Washington, unpaged. Harcourt, 2009.
This picture book introduces the reader to George Washington, from a shy boy, through his teens and brother’s death, to his time as a young officer during the French and Indian War. By the time the American Revolution begins, Washington has the best experience, and is the best prepared to accept the responsibility of leadership. It talks about his innovative battle tactics and touches on the Delaware crossing, Valley Forge, and Yorktown. The author’s note includes additional information about the stain on the flag of this new country – slavery.
EL – ESSENTIAL.
Lists : US Birth of Nation (ERA); Picture Book (FORM).


973.7 Bauer, Patricia; illustrated by David Geister. B Is for Battle Cry : A Civil War Alphabet, unpaged. Sleeping Bear Press, 2009.
For each letter, Bauer has written a four-line stanza that introduces a topic related to the Civil War and also would work as a verse in Stephen Foster’s Civil War-era song “Hard Times Come Again No More.” The more significant portion of the text fills the outer third of each page and provides explanatory information about each of the 26 topics. Accompanied with beautiful paintings, this text is a very satisfactory introduction to the Civil War. The actual stanzas, however, are too choppy and forced to work well as poems, and without a copy of Foster’s song, it is impossible to see how well they might work as a song. Contains glossary.
EL – ESSENTIAL; MS – OPTIONAL.
Lists : US Civil War (ERA); Factoids (FORM); Picture Book (FORM).

F Tocci, C. Lee. Stone Voice Rising, 411 pgs. Harcourt, 2009.
The other kids all laugh at Lilibit because she talks to stones. Todd gets the same reaction when he talks to birds. So Todd pretends for five years not to hear the birds talking. Lilibit, on the other hand, draws the attention of the Decreator, known currently as Syxx, who has her kidnapped and used as a research subject to the point of death. When Lilibit is kidnapped again, away from Syxx, and placed in the same foster care home as Todd, the stones she offers as gifts aid Todd and the other orphans as they try to find their way to Kiva, a place the kids hope is real but may very well turn out to be imaginary, while alluding the very real Reclamation Teams. Set in a magical world with elements of native American symbolism and tradition, this story is great fun with lots of action, dangers, and new friends throughout.
Language – G. Sexual Content – G. Violence – PG (battles).
MS – ESSENTIAL.
Labels : Worldbuilding Fantasy.


F Lowery, Pat. Hidden Voices : The Orphan Musicians of Venice, 345 pgs. Candlewick Press, 2009.
Anetta, Luisa, and Rosalba take turns telling about their lives in an orphanage in early 18th-century Venice, studying and performing music under a young Antonio Vivaldi. Their musical gifts have spared them a life of mindless drudgery, but they chafe under their constant supervision and are relentlessly pushed to work hard and perform well for the maestro. This is a story about young love, and the limited options available to these young women to make choices for themselves about their future. When flirty Rosalba sees a chance to arrange a clandestine meeting with a handsome young man she’s been spying on for over a year, she naively makes a play for love, with disastrous results. Luisa is sent to the countryside to recuperate from a serious bout of fever and finds sweet, reciprocated love with the local farm boy, while Annetta struggles to understand her own secret feelings of love and to be a good friend . I think the author throws too many kinds of young love into one story that, subsequently, ends up feeling too contrived, the plot too manipulated. I also think that Venice is not portrayed well enough to be vividly imaged by a reader unfamiliar with this incredible city.
Language – G. Sexual Content – PG13 (rape, gay character). Violence – PG.
MS, HS – OPTIONAL.
Labels : Medieval & Renaissance Era. Connections to Music & Art.


590 Turner, Pamela S. A Life in the Wild : George Schaller’s Struggle to Save the Last Great Beasts, 104 pgs. Melanie Kroupa Books, 2008.
Born in Germany. George comes to the United States as a 14-year-old with his family at the end of World War II. He studies zoology and anthropology at the University of Alaska and goes on to pioneer the practice of studying wild life in their natural habitat. He makes great contributions to our knowledge of gorillas of Africa, tigers of India, lions of Africa, big cats in the Himalayas, pandas in China, and hoofed animals on the Tibetan Plateau. He was a life-long advocate for preserving wild spaces and showing respect to both animals’ lives and habitat. Each chapter describes his family life at the time, and his professional challenges and contributions, enabling the reader to gain a better sense of his work as a zoologist and of the life of the animal under study. Contains index, sources, internet and multimedia resources, and information for getting involved.
Language, Sexual Content, Violence – G.
MS – ESSENTIAL.
Labels : Nature & Environment. World Cultures & Geography.


523.8 Jackson, Ellen; photographs and illustrations by Nic Bishop. The Mysterious Universe : Supernovae, Dark Energy, and Black Holes, 58 pgs. Houghton Mifflin, 2008.
This book follows around Alex Filippenko, an astronomer, on a few nights’ work using some of the world’s most powerful telescopes. Sprinkled throughout is information about supernovae, the Big Bang theory, the size of the universe, dark energy and dark matter, white dwarfs, black holes, and other topics related to telescopes and space. Visually appealing, the text illustrates how astronomers spend their time, and explains how they are helping answer some of the questions about our universe. Contains an index, glossary, bibliography, resources for students, websites for teachers, and related clubs and organizations.
Language, Sexual Content, Violence – G.
MS – ADVISABLE.
Labels : Space & Technology Nonfiction. Connections to Business.


939 Woods, Michael and Mary B. Woods. Seven Wonders of the Ancient Middle East, 80 pgs. Twenty-First Century Books, 2009.
This book provides background, highlights, and current status of seven architectural wonders : the ziggurat at Ur, the library at Nineveh, Persepolis, King Solomon’s Temple, Petra, Hagia Sophia, and Krak Des Chevaliers. Each chapter contains photographs, a map, pull-out quotes and sidebars, and the current situation of the site. It is a good introduction to this area of the world, and some of its history. Contains an index, further readings and websites, bibliography, source notes, glossary and pronunciation guide, choose an eighth wonder activity, and timeline.
Language, Sexual Content, Violence – G.
MS – ADVISABLE.
Labels : World Cultures & Geography Nonfiction. Ancient Civilizations Era.



F Booraem, Ellen. The Unnameables, 316 pgs. Harcourt, 2008.
Medford Runyuin and Prudence Carpenter are friends. They spend many afternoons together on Bog Island. But the time of their naming approaches and Medford’s adoptive dad, Boyce Carver, says they shouldn’t hang out there together anymore. It is not a useful thing and people are beginning to talk. No use, no name, the Book says. On the day of naming, Medford is denied a name by the Counsel for another year, and Prudence becomes a Learned, one who studies the Archives and teaches others from the Book. Their friendship is further strained when Medford meets a Goatman and has to add this acquaintance to the many other Unnameables he must hide. Reminiscent of The Giver, this story examines a community that lives strictly by the writings of a book and how such a community might react to an outsider with different traditions, or to a new idea from someone within their community.
Language, Sexual Content, Violence – G.
MS – ADVISABLE.
Labels : Keeping Secrets. Touched with Magic. Politics & Rulers.


F Bodeen, S.A. The Compound, 245 pgs. Feiwel and Friends, 2008.
Six years ago, the world succumbed to a nuclear holocaust, but Eli’s billionaire father had been planning for that day for years. Within the forty-minute window, most of the family was safely sealed within the Compound, an underground complex with all the luxuries of home. Grandma and Eddy, Eli’s twin, didn’t make it. Now, however, the food is running out, and the longing for a sea breeze, memories of Eddy, and a yearning for something – anything – out of the routine are tugging on Eli’s spirits. But the outside world won’t be safe for another nine years. Or will it? The suspense of what’s behind the yellow door, and what the father is really up to kept me reading this fast-paced story to the end.
Language – G (two swear words). Sexual Content – G. Violence – PG.
MS – ADVISABLE.
Labels : One False Move. Keeping Secrets.


811.54 Prelutsky, Jack. Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry : How to Write a Poem, 191 pgs. Greenwillow, 2008.
Including many stories from this children’s poet laureate’s childhood, Prelutsky shows how experiences can lead to poems. He shares twenty writing tips, such as “write what you know,” and “always carry paper and pencil to write down your ideas at once,” and “make lists,” and “exaggerate.” This entertaining and quick read also offers explanations and examples of various literary conventions, such as voice, point of view, irony, rhythm and rhyme, and poetic license. I can see language arts teachers using it to introduce a lesson, and kids enjoying the anecdotes and resulting poetry. Includes table of content, glossary, and index to the poems.
Language, Sexual Content, Violence – G.
EL, MS – ADVISABLE.
Labels : Poetry. Biographies & Memoirs. How-Tos.

F Cashore, Kristin. Graceling, 471 pgs. Harcourt, 2008.
With the Grace of killing, people fear and despise Katsa. She hates it too, and dreads having to do the king’s bidding who uses her to bully people. But she’s found a way to live with herself. With the aid of Giddon, the king’s underlord and spy, and Oll, the king’s captain, she forms the Council, a secret organization devoted to righting injustices with as little harm to others as possible. It’s intriguing to enter this world of seven kingdoms where Graces are used as weapons, and to watch Katsa learn more about herself, her Grace, and how Graces affect relationships and kingdoms. Though I disagree with Katsa’s conclusions about marriage, I found Cashore’s world and Katsa’s adventure completely engrossing.
Language – G. Sexual Content – PG13 (brief depiction of first sexual encounter). Violence – PG13 (brief descriptions of torture and hand-to-hand combat).
MS, HS - ESSENTIAL.
Label : Worldbuilding.


F Carroll, Michael. The Awakening (Quantum Prophecy, bk. 1), 264 pgs. Philomel Books, 2006.
Colin can’t believe how fast Danny moved to saved Brian’s little sister from that school bus. Could he be a superhero, even though everyone says they all disappeared 10 years ago? It would be so cool, he thinks, to be a superhero. But when he starts developing his own superpowers, he realizes that superpowers don’t mean you make good choices or that you know who to trust. This adventure story has some great characters, great action, and great twists.
Language – G. Sexual Content – G. Violence – PG.
EL, MS - ESSENTIAL.
Label : SciFi-Computers & Governments


808.83 Tan, Shaun. Tales from Outer Suburbia, 96 pgs. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2008.
This collection of 15 short stories – some very short, only a paragraph or two long – are combined with illustrations that relate stories about events and characters in a most unusual suburb. There is a water buffalo that offers directions, stick figures whose presence confuses the other residents, an amnesia machine, and a missile in every back yard. Brothers travel to the point where the map ends; a family takes in a foreign exchange student; grandpa relates the events of his wedding day. From curious to thought-provoking, these stories offer interesting reads. Could be used to discuss relationship between text and images, or to practice predictions.
Language – PG. Sexual Content – G. Violence – G.
EL, MS - ADVISABLE.
Labels : Flights of Fantasy.  

Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge, 2003.
Rating : Liked
LA hook (poetry, diary)
Sports (baseball)
Character development & growth
Overcoming – Death and Grief
Overcoming (sickness)
Careers (writer)
When Kevin must spend several weeks recuperating from mononucleosis, he sneaks a poetry book out of his dad’s home office and practices writing different types of poems. He reflects on his relationships with his dad, especially since his mom has died, and with his teammates and past girl friends. He surprises himself when he continues writing even after he is back playing baseball. It helps him process what’s important and what’s not as he struggles to regain his strength and meets a new girl.

I read this for an upcoming Literature Selection Committee discussion because a teacher would like to use it as a read-aloud. I finished it in an hour or so, and I am not a fast reader. I liked the insights OK. The poetry references sound a bit gimmicky to me, but may help introduce the material without resorting to a textbook.




Everlost by Neal Shusterman, 2006.
Rating : Loved
Fantasy
Death
Adventure
After a fatal car crash, two teens collide into each other while heading toward the light at the end of a tunnel. They knock each other out of the tunnel, and end up in Everlost, a place between life and where they are going. Allie and Nick slowly realize they are dead, and, with the help of another afterlife known as Leif, learn the ways of Everlost enough to try to make their way to their families. They get sidetracked when they encounter Mary Hightower living in the ghost Twin Towers and caring for several children. Though Mary tries to convince them to stay with her, Allie is determined to leave and convinces Leif and Nick to visit the Haunter with her to learn more secrets of Everlost. Their encounter proves disastrous, and Allie must get on the ghost ship Sulphur Queen and confront the monster McGill to save her friends from an eternity inside a pickle barrel.

I reread this book because it is our current selection for our school’s Brown Bag Book Club. What a fun story! Very original and thought-provoking. What makes us us? How would we retain our humanity if all the rules have changed? Great read.




Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, 2007.
Rating : OK
Adventure
Mystery
School story
Science fiction
Friendship
After passing a series of mind-bending tests, four children are selected for a secret mission that requires them to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. My sister loved this story, but I found it slow moving and couldn’t complete it at this time.