Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame

Recommended grades 4-7.  L.L. Sampson borrows much from Lemony Snicket in the opening novel to her series, The Enchanted Attic.  Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame (Zonderkidz, 2012) has a tangential, well-read narrator, near-orphans with adult hobbies and interests, and enough literary allusions to keep kids jumping to Wikipedia.  The series follows twins Ophelia and Linus who discover a magical laboratory kept by a former tenant in their aunt and uncle's attic.  This laboratory has the power to bring fictional characters into the present day reality, or to transport a reader into their favorite story.  The nefarious mad scientist Cato uses the lab to rob fictional words of their precious treasures.  The story is funny, the dialogue (too?) witty, and the references to classical novels thorough enough for young readers to get a sense of the allusions without tromping through French literature.  Fans of Lemony Snicket will enjoy the series, while waiting for the original to continue his craft; Samson does not add to Snicket's style.  Recommended, ***

Peter and the Star Catchers

Recommended grades 4-6.  Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson attempt to answer the question, "How did Peter meet Captain Hook?"  in their prequel to J.M. Barrie's timeless tale of the boy who would never grow up, Peter and the Starcatchers (Hyperion, 2004).  In the first book of what is now a series, readers find Peter aboard a ship called the Neverland with fellow orphans, headed to be dropped in the hands of a loathsome Caribbean king.  On the way, Peter comes in contact with inexplicable magic that will change his fate forever.

Barry and Pearson craft a fun and fast-paced narrative, sure to keep readers entertained.  Published under Disney's publishing arm, the book has been optioned for a series sure to entertain fans of Pirates of the Caribbean and the many adaptations of Barrie's original work.  The authors provide convincing backstories while still allowing for the magic created by Barrie.  And for that, this Peter Pan fan is grateful.

Highly recommended, ****

Revolution

Recommended grades 7-10.  A love for all things historical pushed me to read Jennifer Donnelly's Revolution (Delacorte, 2010).  Donnelly draws from extensive research on the French Revolution and the family of Louis XVI to craft the dual narratives of 18th century actress-turned-radical-royalist Alexandrine and 21st century aficionado of teen-angst and musical theory Andi.

On the whole, the concept was fascinating.  Even those well-versed in French history can appreciate the depth of description and characterization of this most chaotic period.  The royalist perspective is rarely explored with such clear sympathy in the heroic narrative of liberté, egalité, fraternité.  


That said, the pace and flow of the novel left much to be desired.  Far too much time was spent on Andi's self-pitying diatribe, which even angsty teens themselves will be annoyed by.  In trying to speak for her audience, Donnelly may insult and alienate them.  There are so many aspects of this novel Donnelly may well have explored without wasting the vast majority of the novel on unmoving points and unconvincing relationships.

Ambivalent recommendation, ***

The Future of Us

Recommended grades 7-10.  Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler bring forward a fascinating question; if you were able to see our future Facebook posts in 1995, what would you think of the life you lead today?  This is exactly what happens to Josh and Emma, high school Sophomores who unwittingly download a free AOL sample and gain access to their Facebook pages in 2010.  The 1995 world they create will make older reader smile, and will make all readers think about how we use social networking technology.  The narrative, which switches perspectives between the two characters, is fast-paced and engaging.  This book is a wonderful thought experiment, and a great coming-of-age story.  Highly recommended, ****.

Recommended grades 6-8.  Steven Shenkin loves Benedict Arnold, and he wants readers to share his appreciation.  Shenkin pulls together years of research into a narrative of Benedict Arnolds tumultuous years on both sides of the Revolutionary War.  Shenkin paints a conflicted Arnold, desperate for   acknowledgement (and payment) for his heroics.  Shenkin draws quotes from primary sources, and provides an extensive reference list at the back of the book.  The narrative Shenkin creates is engaging, and he provides vintage-looking maps to illustrate the major battles Arnold participated in.  This book will teach young adults (and adults alike!) to appreciate the sometimes flawed heros that fill history books.  The narrative could have been improved with an insight into Shenkin's process, tough overall an excellent book, well worth the recognition it has received.
Recommended, ***

Khan Academy

Recommended grades 6-12.  Khan Academy is an online tutoring website for students in upper grades.  Focused primarily on math, but with sections for science and humanities, Khan Academy starts with video "lectures," a teacher working out problems and then offers practice problems for students to work on.  This is a valuable tool as a re-teach, or as homework help.  If teachers and students create free accounts, they can work together to pick goals to work towards through the "coach feature."  Students can save their work and teachers can track and guide their progress.  This site has great potential for remediation, and for enrichment for students who want to go beyond classwork.  The site is very easy to navigate, and users can integrate their accounts with existing Google or Facebook accounts.  Highly recommended, *****

Ticket to Ride

Recommended grades 6 and up.  Ticket to Ride is a German-style board game that allows players to earn points by building train-routes across the country.  Players need to strategize by building routes before their opponents can.  Ticket to Ride can be adapted to the middle school level because the rules are simple, and unlike other strategy games like Risk, a single game can be played relatively quickly.  As users' skills increase, the game becomes more challenging.  Playing this game can build geography skills as well as critical thinking.  The original game board is a map of the United States, though other versions are available, including Europe, Germany, and Asia.  The game does include lots of little pieces which can be easily lost.  Highly recommended, ****

Brainpop

Recommended grades K-12.  Brainpop contains educational videos on a wide variety of topics featuring two lovable characters, Tim & Moby.  Tim is your average knowledgeable guy and Moby is his curious and mischievous, fact-loving robot.  Together they explore the major academic content areas, from history to math to science.  Tim & Moby make complex topics seem shockingly simple, and their videos will be great introductions to students that are new to topics. Videos come with interactive quizzes and worksheets to complete while watching the videos.  Brainpop Jr. leaves Tim behind for Annie, a younger guide with videos meant for a K-3 audience.  Brainpop comes with a hefty price tag, but could be useful in a variety of settings, from independent research, to whole class lessons.  Information in the videos is high quality and very engaging, even to the most reluctant learners.  Brainpop does provide rotating material for free.  Recommended, ****

International Children's Library

Recommended grades K-6.  The International Children's Library is a digital collection of children's books available online, free of charge.  Though the main page is a little overwhelming with small, hard-to read links, by selecting a "simple search" young readers will find a kid friendly interface where they can search by age, character type, and even by cover color.  As an international site, the collection hosts digital books in a variety of languages, including Spanish, Arabic, and Tagalog.  Users can search, as well as read, in their native language, or a new language that they are trying to pick up.  For this reason, this could be a great resource for high school level language classes.  One great feature is that users can contribute to the translation process of books new to the collection; they can create and edit translations in the system.  The International Children's Library is an inspiring project, and already very useful!  Highly recommended, *****

The Anne Frank Case

Recommended grades 4-8.  Susan Goldman Rubin shares a biography of Simon Wiesenthal, the 'Nazi hunter,' on his quest to find the man who arrested Anne Frank and family in their Amsterdam hideaway.  The story begins after World War II as Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor, is confronted by postwar Neo-Nazis and Holocaust denial.  Though a mature subject, Rubin manages to explain the Holocaust and neo-Nazism in a remarkably clear way.  The book explores Wiesenthal's own experience in concentration camps, and explains his unrelenting drive to find former Nazis and to bring them to trial.  Illustrator Bill Barsworth contributes dark paintings of Wiesenthal, the Holocaust violence, and the afterwar period.  Some of the images in are chilling in their detail; one portrait of Anne Frank, with warm eyes looking off in the distance as she sits writing in her diary, is particularly haunting.  The biography is clearly well-researched; Rubin includes detailed source notes, photographs of Wiesenthal, and a glossary for readers new to the subject.  Though a beautiful picture book, it is definitely meant for mature readers.  This could be a wonderful addition for classes studying the Holocaust using longer narratives, like Number the Stars, or the Diary of Anne Frank itself.  Overall, an incredible story, definitely one worth passing down and including in any class study of the Holocaust. Highly recommended, *****.

American Girl Magazine

Recommended grades 4-6.  American Girl magazine mimics women's magazines in style, though offers developmentally appropriate reading material for young girls.  Adult authors pack the glossy pages with crafts, life tips (like how to avoid stress), exercises to be enjoyed with friends, and complementary quizzes (where no answer is a wrong answer).  American Girl makes room for reader contributions featuring art and short stories submitted by readers, empowering girls to create and contribute.  Other than a couple plugs for the American Girl franchise, including their dolls and books, there are no advertisements in this magazine, which will be welcomed by parents.  For girls who want to start reading magazine, this is a good alternative to teen magazines, and celebrates tweens where they are, without pushing them to grow up, but still respecting their individuality.  Recommended, ***.

YALSA Blog

Professional Blog.  The official blog of the Young Adult Library Services Association, YALSA provides quick tips and up-to-date news on techniques for reaching out and connecting with teen patrons.  The site lists over fifty authors from libraries all over the country, many of whom provide examples of what they are doing in their own libraries.  Authors clearly see new media as a way to reach out to adolescent users; to YALSA, it is not enough to build a teen room in your library and leave them to their own devices; young patrons need programs that will engage and stimulate them, and YALSA will connect librarians to many new ideas.  Navigation of the blog is simple, with tags to direct readers to specific topics like podcasts or social media.  Longer entries can be expanded to a full page, but readers have to navigate away from the main blog to do so.  YALSA is a great place to get new ideas, whether you are comfortable with new technologies or not, there is something to be learned from these passionate youth librarians.  Recommended, ****

Bananagrams

Recommended grades 3 and up.  Bananagrams (costs around $15.00) can be described simply as competitive, speed, solitaire Scrabble.  Players receive individual tiles and create their own connecting words.  The first user to use all of their tiles after several rounds wins.  Because players are in charge of their own words, the game works at any level; third graders can play within their working vocabulary, while seniors in high school can play within theirs.  Younger players may need more oversight and guidance in playing the game. One drawback is the little pieces, which can easily be lost, but the game can still be played with a few missing letters.  This is an excellent pick-up game that does not require much set-up and easily adapts itself to any players.  Educational, friendly, and competitive, this game will make an excellent edition to a board game collection.  Highly recommended, *****.

Dear Dumb Diary

Recommended grades 4-6.  Jamie Kelly has great taste in music, just ask her!  In Me, Just like You, Only Better (Scholastic, 2011), Jamie details the progression of her favorite bands, and her frustration when everyone in her class copies her style!  Jamie Kelly decides to trick them into liking horrible music to get back at them for being so unoriginal.  Author and illustrator Jim Benton seems to have true empathy for middle school girls.  Although Jamie Kelly is a little annoying, and very self-important, Benton has created a truly endearing character.  Gray-scale doodles accompany most pages, illustrating the exaggerated impressions Jamie has of the people around her.  She also includes hilarious asides and lists.  Like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, the Dear Dumb Diary series will attract older elementary readers who understand what it's like to be a little different.  Benton includes more jokes for adults than Jeff Kinney, and though Jamie is a girl, both boys and girls will enjoy her sense of humor and obliviousness to the world around her.  Recommended, ***.

Demigods Ride Again

Recommended grades 6-8.  Rick Riordan revives Camp Half-Blood, the boot camp for the mortal children of Greek gods featured in the best-selling Percy Jackson Series.  In The Lost Hero (Hyperion, 2010), Riordan introduces us to three new heroes destined to save the gods, and all of humanity.  Lovers of Percy Jackson will equally enjoy this new adventure, even though their favorite hero is missing for the adventure-packed 500+ pages.  Rick Riordan has a talent for bringing ancient myths to life- this time he introduces Medea, King Minos, and many other classic Greek characters.  Riordan stays true to the mythic characters, while having fun with his young demigods.  Highly recommended, ****.

Russian Vampires

Recommended grades 7-12.  Duchess Katerina of Oldenburg has a lot on her plate.  She wants nothing more than to become a doctor, but in the high society of Tsarist Russia, she is expected to marry a prince. Her prince turns out to be anything but charming, as he comes from an evil family of sorcery and blood-drinking.  Author Robin Bridges recreates an imperial magic filled with magic; good and evil.  Katerina must choose a side to protect everything she cares about.  The Gathering Storm (Delacorte, 2012) is Twilight meets Anna Karenina.  Fans of Twilight will definitely want to check this out, but Twilight nay-sayers should check it out too.  Bridges carefully researched Russia and writes artfully.  The characters are true flesh and blood (no pun intended!).  Highly recommended, ****

Secrets in the Shadows: Bluford High

Recommended grades 7-10.  Roylin Bailey doesn't have a perfect life, after his mother sent his father away for abusing the family, Roylin had to take a job to support his family.  He's a football player, but not a great one, and he can't seem to get his grades above a C, no matter how hard he tries.  All of this changes when Korie Archer shows up in his history class at Bluford High.  Roylin will do anything to impress her, even if it means destroying his whole life and following in the footsteps of his convict father. The third book in the Bluford High series, Secrets in the Shadows (Scholastic, 2002) deals with mature issues, including domestic violence and drug abuse, written at a level struggling readers can achieve.  Though the character development is not top priority to Anne Schraff, the Bluford series is a great way to motivate struggling readers in upper grades.  Additional Selection, ***.

Guys Lit Wire

Review Blog.  Guys Lit Wire pulls together books for boys, a notoriously hard group to find material for.  In near-daily posts, the group of bloggers behind Guys Lit Wire review books that will get guys excited about reading.  Most of the books reviewed are targeted at a middle school to high school range, though a few lower level books slip in here and there.  Most reviews are long and include passages, critiques, and the personal reflections of the bloggers.  Many of the writers include a short excerpt on the main page with a link for more material, so that readers can decide if they want to go through the full review or not.  The bloggers employ a system of tagging, though navigation is not always clear to the reader, with categories including, "Flying Cars and Lost Cities," and "So You Want to Rule the World."  Guys Lit Wire reviews a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction, contemporary and classic.  They push the edges of what boys would be interested in; they don't settle for flashy action books, but encourage the adults who influence boy readers to get into the classics too.  Definitely recommended for book lovers who work with teenage boys.  Recommended, ****

Walk Two Moons

Recommended grades 4-6.  Salamanca Tree Hiddle has heard the American Indian proverb, "Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins," so she, along with her grandma and grandpa, are walking in the moccasins of her mother, who left their family in their home of Bybanks of Kentucky and took a bus to Idaho.  Along the way, Salamanca shares the story of her friend, Phoebe, another girl left behind with no mother.  Walk Two Moons (Scholastic, 1994), is a story of friendship, forgiveness, and above all, family.  Sharon Creech brings to life an incredible cast of unforgettable characters; from Gram & Gramps Hiddle, who married because Gramps treated his beagle well, to Phoebe who frets about cholesterol and lunatics, and of course, Salamanca, who kisses trees to taste blackberries and find her mother's love.  Walk Two Moons is, and will remain, a timeless classic well worth its Newberry Medal and it's permanent place in library collections.  Highly recommended, *****.

Whole Story of Half a Girl

Recommended grades 5-7.  Sonia Nadhamuni is a girl of the 21st century-- half Indian, half Jewish, and completely conflicted.  The Whole Story of Half a Girl (Delacourt Books, 2012) is an excellent updated companion to Judy Bloom's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.  Like Margaret, Sonia inhabits the grey area between her parents' cultures.  When her father loses his job, Sonia must leave the comfort of her progressive private school to face public school.  There she is forced to choose a racial identify-- should she join the perky blond cheerleaders or align herself with the African-American students bussed from other neighborhoods?  Sonia is neither blond nor black, and is frustrated at having to identify as Jewish because her family is not religion.  Sonia faces the question that many young people face today-- with an over abundance of cultures, how can you pick and choose which to identify with?  Author Veera Hiranandani gives Sonia an eloquent and empathetic voice, and addresses sensitive issues with grace.  In addition to race and religion, Sonia reckons with her father's chronic depression, which tears him away from the family.  Overall an excellent, entertaining, intellectually stimulating YA novel that would complement any library collection. Highly recommended, ****.