The Picture Book of the Month is Math Curse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith. The Scieszka/Lane picture books always have great humor in the text and detailed illustrations. Prepare to be bombarded with questions in what I think is the best of their books.

READ REVIEW

Current Pick and Previous

The Dark Is Rising is the best of Susan Cooper’s awesome series by the same name. The Grey King and Silver on the Tree are also exceptional, though different. With all of the books that I have read, this is still one of my very favorites. There are only a couple series that I like as well.

Highly symbolic, there are connections between modern time and the medieval as the quest against evil starts to unfold. The worlds are parallel with intertwining points and transporting pathways. Greatly fantastical, the book has a strong sense of realism nonetheless.

One of the things that is so striking about the book is that Will Stanton is surrounded by his family as he celebrates the Christmas season-and yet, he is not. He is elsewhere. The sense of a historical time happening right alongside ours and even mixing with it is extraordinary. People he has known all his life are also of a different time. There are places where the times blend seamlessly, and there is the sense that it is all too real.

REVIEW OF BOOK & SERIES

It’s hard to believe there is less than a month to the long-awaited climax of the series. I have no doubt that JKR will leave us hanging with unanswered questions. The speculation and rumination will continue for quite some time with her enthusiastic fans. But the anticipation of the biggest questions will be satisfied. Will Snape-as I believe-be exonerated? Who will Harry’s mentor be now (since he obviously doesn’t know enough yet)? How can He Who Must Not Be Named finally be defeated, and does that mean the Death Eaters will have no hope of rising again? Is Dumbledore still alive? After all, some of us will continue to believe until we are faced with incontrovertible evidence.

There aren’t too many authors that I am in awe of, but I thank JKR for creating a world that has kept so many people entertained, inspired, analyzing, and communicating in their shared enthusiasm. It has been a tremendous experience to participate in this global forum as the story has enfolded.

review and reference

The Book Thief is the story of a foster child living near Munich, Germany during WWII. In one of the poorest families, she grabs as many soul-nourishing moments as possible. Books become some of her most valued memories. Stealing the books becomes a habit as a couple are thrown into her path and one is given to her by the mayor’s wife. She learns to read by pouring over these books, and she learns to comfort those in desperate need through reading.

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Dylan’s family owns the gas station in a quiet Welsh town known for having the least crime. Their business is failing because the road leads to nowhere and there is no exit sign along the highway. The National Gallery of Art decides to store paintings in the local abandoned slate mine to protect them from flooding in London.

This story is a quirky accounting of how the paintings transform the lives of all of the townfolk. The Gallery representative sees Dylan as a fellow art lover and lets him in on the secret not realizing it is too big of a secret to be kept. The official expects little appreciation from the less educated community, but the incredible art brings out the best in the people. Much of the story is comical with some great inspirational moments.

related-auto maintenance and repair, art galleries, business enterprise, family life, separation, Wales, eccentrics
RL=4th-YA

Matt at NTUGO.com has a new book rating scale he calls the LibRate scale. It’s funny, and I like the concept of basing it on the total enjoyment of the book, which I believe is the most important factor. The best indicator of excellence is whether or not the reader wants to continue reading it-either more of a series or the same book over and over.

Personally, I would alter his scale slightly. I don’t think Harry Potter stands alone at the top. I believe others share that excellence in their own ways (The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper, The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt, etc). I also think the space between ratings 4 and 5 could be wider.

Some people might argue that there should be a category for more challenging books at the top such as classics. But I would not have them separate. They would be mixed in, and their rating would depend on how well they have retained their enjoyability. Some have, many have not.

Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson. il Hudson Talbott.
G. P. Putnam’s Sons/Penguin Young Readers Group: NY, 2005.
Newbery Honor 2006

This is a beautiful family story (and history) presented through the use of quilt designs. It incorporates the quilts showing the fugitives the way North, the battle for civil rights, the strength and determination of the women in the family, and the lessons learned turned to crafts that bring income.

I love the beauty, subtlety and thoughtfulness of the illustrations. Some of them are truly treasures. Even more amazing is that they frame and increase the depth of a powerful story.

related-quilts, tradition, mother and daughter, slavery, African Americans
RL=1st-4th and read aloud

Current Pick and Previous

Written in diary/scrapbook format, this novel seeks to round out the story of Elizabeth Van Lew and her freed slave Liza, who worked as a team passing Confederate information to Union troops hoping to ensure a speedy end to the Civil War. It is a fascinating portrayal of 2 women who have been credited for the importance of their assistance.

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This is not a new book, but it is gaining in importance as our economy is being pushed closer towards a catastrophe. Within our country there has been argument about how the 1930s Depression was handled ever since it happened. There are some people now saying that the sooner we have a collapse the better-we will then be able to start rebuilding. They are ignoring the widespread devastation that would result, and there are many people again who would do little to help individuals through the devastation. This is an account of the 1930s Depression by a historian who lived through it.

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Illustrated with Waldman’s paintings as well as his relatives’, his autobiography consists of anecdotes from his formative years. They create stirring images of the experiences which influenced his career as an artist and writer.

His stories are glimpses of his old journals which he says were important in developing his talent. He encourages students to keep journals both as a form of practice (for sketching and writing) and as reminders of what they have already learned and experienced. Another point not mentioned is that using a journal focuses attention and emphasizes the particular idea being recorded at that moment. So, it becomes imprinted more firmly in the mind.

Out of the Shadows is enjoyable reading and also enlightening and inspirational for hopeful young artists and writers.

related-Neil Waldman, childhood and youth, illustrators, Jewish artists, American history and biography
RL=4th-8th