Battle and Bad Kitty

 Nick Bruel's Bad Kitty has turned into a mini-dynasty.  What began with a short and hilarious picture book has turned into a continuing series - two picture books and three, soon to be four, longer books.  Bad Kitty is ba-a-a-ad with a capital B and Bruel's illustrations are bright, colorful, clever and chaotic.  Check out Bad Kitty's website for more information on the books, Nick Bruel and for games, too

Back to the Battle!  This morning's contest was between The Odyssey by Gareth Hinds and One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams- Garcia.  Newbery award-winning author Karen Hesse was the judge.

Alas, I have read neither of these books.  I skimmed through One Crazy Summer because Williams-Garcia is an author I truly admire and her books are well written and heartfelt.  And The Odyssey has not been on the shelf since the library bought it.  I am a library girl.  Don't do book stores so much.

Hesse does a very thorough job of explaining her choice.   The Odyssey is the winner!

Next Match-up Round 1

Hereville : how Mirka got her sword by Barry Deutsch squared off against Kathi Appelt's Keeper. The judge was Susan Patron. 

Hereville is a graphic novel set in the Jewish Orthodox community of Hereville.  Although Mirka tangles with fantastic characters - a talking pig, a witch - the time period is today.  Mirka wants to be a dragon slayer and she also loves arguing with her step-mother, a woman who loves Mirka very much.  The book is about independence, and about learning about one's place in a larger community.  It is also about facing obstacles and being a kid, regardless of the social rules that surround you.  The artwork is clever, the dialogue is realistic and often funny.  And the book introduces the Jewish Orthodox community to a larger audience.  What's not to like?

Keeper is her name and she is convinced that her mother is a mermaid.  She is so convinced that she sets off in a boat to find this absent mother.  Keeper has been raised by a small seaside community, including her mother's best friend.  Her search for her mother, her dog's struggle with the ocean and the way her community wraps itself around her and swaddles her with love make a wonderful story.  This is almost a fantasy.

The similarities between these two books are clear.  Both heroines are being raised by people other than their mothers - people who love them and want to keep them safe and whole.  Both girls want desperately to be other than they are.  Mirka wants to fight dragons; Keeper hopes to be half-mermaid.  And both girls set off on an adventure to make things different in their lives.  Nice job of matching books, BOTKB crew!

Patron chose Keeper to go on to the next round.  What a difficult choice that had to have been!  Both books are winners in my eyes.

Still Round 1

Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan went up against The Good, the Bad and the Barbie by Tanya Lee Stone.  Barry Lyga had to make the decision that sent one book on to round 2.

His decision making process forced him to delve deeply into the skill of the writers and the intent, impact and content of each book.  And it's fun to read as well.  So read what Barry has to say before you go any further.  I'll wait.

Done yet?  Well, if you are done, you don't need me to tell you the results.  And if you DID read what Barry had to say, you are probably just as baffled as I am about his decision.  Did you or did you not think he was going to choose the other book??  I know I did.

Dreamer is the fictionalized account of the Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda's childhood and it is written with touches of magic realism as befits the subject.  The book was a joy to read; I felt as if I was being carried along on a river surrounded by the sounds and sights that the young Neruda experienced.  Neruda's words and Peter Sis' artwork made the whole book even more dreamlike.  This book is a masterpiece.

The Good, the Bad and the Barbie is detailed, structured, and informative to the max - a very complete history of the Barbie doll and the way it influenced popular culture and vice versa.  Peppered with photos and with quotes from Barbie aficianados and critics alike, the book is cleverly written.  And, wait, this book is a masterpiece of an entirely different kind.

It's like comparing a luxury hybrid with a Hummer, or a butterfly with a honey bee, or a glider with a cargo plane or a....Actually, it's not like any of those comparisons.  It's like comparing a novel to a work of non-fiction. 

So, which book moves on to Round 2?  I'm surprised but not entirely baffled by Lyga's choice.  The Winnah! is The Good, the Bad and the Barbie!  (A slight pause is followed by thunderous applause.)

Day 2: The battle wages on

Today's contenders were A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner and Countdown by Deborah Wiles.  Talk about comparing apples and oranges.  "A Conspiracy of Kings" take place in an ancient kingdom and is filled with strategy and political wrangling and battles and intrigue, kidnapping, slavery and clever maneuvering AND it kept me on edge the whole way through.  If you've read the other books in the series, you will appreciate how the friendships between Eugenides, the king of Attolia, and the Sophos, the young king of Sounis, change after Sophos ascends to the throne. The connection between Sounis, Attolia, the third kingdom of Eddis and the threat of the Mede against all three has as much to do with personalities as it does with borders and battles. I need to read the rest of the series now.

Deborah Wiles wrote an absorbing account of a young girl's loss of a friend against the background of the Cuban Missile crisis in the 1960s.  Countdown sandwiches the day to day life of 6th graders and their families with news clips, photos, quotes and biographies of the major players during the 1960s.  Civil Defense drills and plans for a bomb shelter indicate how frightening the stand-off between the United States and Cuba was to the people who lived through it.

So which of these very different books will move on to the next round?  I would have had a very difficult time choosing.  One book is full of long ago intrigue and adventure.  The other book hits close to our daily lives and helps put what is happening today in context.  Both are written masterfully and the stories are absorbing for very different reasons.



Dana Reinhardt, the judge of this match, chose Countdown.   Countdown  will go up against The Cardturner  when Round 2 begins in a few days.

Tomorrow, Pam Munoz Ryan's lyrical book, Dreamer, goes up against The Good, the Bad, the Barbie by Tanya Lee Stone, a complete history of America's favorite doll.   I'd hate to be the judge of that match-up.  The only things these books have in common is their bookiness! 

Battle Has Been Joined!

The Battle of the Kids Books began yesterday when Judge Francisco X. Stork had to decide between Lynn Rae Perkins "As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth" and Louis Sachar's "The Cardturner".  Stork's books are more complex studies of teen boys in challenging realistic circumstances.  Knowing a little something about the judge enabled me to hazard a guess about which book he would pick even before I read either of these titles.

"As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth" drops a teen boy in the middle of nowhere without a cell phone!!!  OMG!  as the teens might text!  He proceeds to meet a series of very kind and quirky people; one in particular helps the lad hunt down his parents who are on their first ever romantic getaway.  The parents thought their son was at a month long camp.  And they ALL assumed their new home and dogs were in the care of the grandfather.  The book is fun and fascinating while evoking a dreamlike feel at the same time.  There are boxcars, sailboats, trucks, diners and late night meals and a trip to a tropical island as well.

"The Cardturner" is about bridge - the game - with a capital B.  17-year-old Alton is drafted into driving his blind great-uncle to duplicate bridge matches.  His blind great-uncle is very rich and Alton's parents are positively gleeful about Alton's indenture.  Alton is surprised at how quickly he gets sucked in by the complicated almost manic game of Bridge.  Well, I found this book fascinating.  I could NOT put it down.  It helps that I am a terrible bridge player myself and find the game frustrating beyond belief.  Alton's longer explanations, bracketed by whales to let the reader know they can be skipped, and his shorter summaries - for readers who wanted to skip the explanations but needed basic knowledge - were a stroke of genius.  The relationships that developed between Alton and his great-uncle and Alton and the other bridge players, including one younger teen girl-type, are well-drawn.  Good book.

My guess about what book would be chosen yesterday was right.  Can you guess?  Take a minute now.

Give up?  Stork chose (wild cheering)  "The Cardturner",  just as I knew he would.

Today was another decision which I will post in an hour or two.  I want to give you time absorb the awesomeness of yesterday's contest.

Wimpy Kid Contest!

 

http://www.wimpykid.com/contest/

Kids!!!! Win money for yourself and the library of your choice (Parkland Community Library, of course!)

  Enter the Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Comics Contest.    

Very Short Post

March 20th is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" Day!!  Hooray for little green caterpillars that eat a LOT!  Check out the Very Hungry Caterpillar page for wallpapers and to download activity sheets.  WARNING:!  This website is a commercial site and will try to sell you adorable caterpillar related items.

All things Seuss

This past week has been all about Dr. Seuss, with birthday celebrations (he'd be 107 years old!) and Read Across America Day.

One of the Teen Teller leads her Seuss Trivia experts, including Thing 1, at last Saturday's party.

The Parkland Community Library celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday last weekend with a Dr. Seuss birthday party complete with red and white striped hats, stories and games. 

Check out the websites in the Featured sites sidebar for Seussical fun and information.  Dr. Seuss's pioneering work with beginning readers has spawned thousands of imitators.  And his signature character, the Cat in the Hat, has gone on beyond reading readiness and into the world of science and nature.

Educators and young readers alike owe a lot to Dr. Seuss.  We doff our hats, striped, dotted or covered in peace signs, to this wonderful author and artist.

Another Teen Teller in the green hat, consults with her team of Seuss trivia experts in the Facts and Figures Seuss Trivia Game.

Women's History Month

Welcome to March, Women's History Month!


There has been a trend in children's books to write short, illustrated biographies for younger readers.  In the past year there have been several books written about women in vehicular sports, race car drivers, pilots and even cyclists. 

Soar, Elinor! by Tami Lee Brown is the surprising story of young Elinor Smith who got her pilot's license in 1928 at the age of sixteen.  She was a daredevil pilot and is famous for being the first pilot - ever - to fly under all four bridges on New York City's East River and she did it in a single flight.  The illustrations show just how daring this stunt was.

Fearless : the story of racing legend Louise Smith by Barbara Rosenstock is full of beautiful paintings of the bulbous nosed cars of the 1930s and 1940s.  Louise Smith got her first race car driving job as a "stunt" to drum up business for her sponsor.  Once she got a taste of the excitement of racing, there was no turning back for Louise.  The stories of her racing successes and escapades are fun and fast-paced.

Tillie the terrible Swede : how one woman, a sewing needle, and a bicycle changed history by Sue Stauffacher tells the story of Tillie Anderson, who first revolutionized cycling outfits for women in the 1890s and then proceeded to win bicycle race after bicycle race.   Readers will enjoy the clever drawings and reading about the bicycle craze of the end of the 19th century.

Stretching back even further, Charley Parkhurst drove stagecoach her entire life and no one knew she was a woman until she died.  In Rough, Tough Charley, Verla Kay writes about Charley's rivoting life in rhymed couplets describing how Charley masqueraded as a stable boy and became a very able stagecoach driver.  In simple verse, Kay also explains why Charley's disguise was necessary for a woman who wanted to follow that career.  The realistic oil paintings are accurate to the time period of the mid-19th century.

Women, wheels and wings combine to make great reading for Women's History Month.