Series For Kids and Teens Part 1

Lately I've found that more people are interested in books that are part of a series.  I understand the reasoning behind this because a favorite series or author is found then its much easier to pick out books based on that information. I like series books and admit that as a kid I had favorite series some are still in print and others come in and out of print.  Below are some series titles that you may want to take a look at for a child in your life.

The 39 Clues series are 10 books written by different authors with a story arc created by Rick Riordan.  The series follows the adventures of Amy and Dan Cahill and their au pair Nellie as they travel around the world on a scavenger hunt of sorts to become the head of the world's most powerful family.  As Amy and Dan try to find each clue they face danger and adventure as they learn more about the family they belong to. The books are not long and a great read aloud .  I have a book club based around this series at the school I teach at and some of the kids have commented that they have discovered new things hearing me read it aloud that they missed when they read it. The books do get darker and the danger more intense as the series goes along.  This series is also great for introducing readers to a variety of authors including Gordon Korman, Peter Lerangis, Jude Watson,  Patrick Carman, among others.  The final book in this series will be in September of 2010.  This series also features trading cards and an online game.  I generally recommend it for kids 8 and older.

The next series is the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan (and yes it is the same Rick Riordan who wrote book 1 of the 39 Clues series).  Many of you will be familiar with the first title in this five book series The Lightning Thief from the movie that was recently in theaters.   This series is filled with action, adventure and Greek Gods who are now in a more modern setting.  It is a great way to introduce mythology and get kids interested in wanting to know more about the gods and goddesses.  The adventure will keep reluctant readers involved and the story set up that more advanced readers will find themselves caught up in the story as well. This book is great for kids who have finished Harry Potter and are looking for another series with that feel.

Reluctant readers are discovering  a couple of series that I loved as a kids.  Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol and the Choose Your Own Adventure series.  I grouped these two together because of their appeal to kids who may find the idea of a typical chapter book to be a little intimidating.


Encyclopedia Brown is the name of a boy who solves mysteries with the help of his friend Sally.  The book is set up that each chapter is a short mystery that ends with Encyclopedia solving the mystery.  The final sentence in each chapter is a question directed to the reader to come up with how Encyclopedia solved the mystery and the answer in the back of the book.  I can say from my own childhood that I devoured these books and reread them often.  I can also tell you that my 10 year old nephew has become a fan of these books as well.  A great one to begin with in this series is Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective.


The Choose Your Own Adventure series has the distinct place in my mind of the series of books most adults of a certain age remember from their own childhood and want the children in their lives to read.  For a long time these books were out of print but fortunately not only are they back but their popularity has created a series of these titles for emerging readers as well.  The great thing about these titles is the fun in being told that you shouldn't read this book from cover to cover.  The idea that you help decide what the character does and ultimately decides the characters fate helps give any reader regardless of reading ability the feeling of power over the written word.  These books are so popular that a few years ago a grown up version called Pretty Little Mistakes: A Do-Over Novel  (and this one is definitely for adults and not children) was released and many adult women who were fans of  the Choose Your Own Adventures growning up had fun discovering this title.

For teens there is a new trend of trilogies.  Two outstanding ones that are out there are The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2 of the 3 in this trilogy are available with the third available in August) and The Last Survivors series by Susan Beth Pfeffer.  Both are stories of survival that test the characters to the limits. 


In the The Hunger Games you have a story of a futuristic America that is no longer broken into states but into 12 districts and the Capital.  There was once a 13th district  but when it tried to revolt it was destroyed.   The Hunger Games are a "celebration" of the destruction of this district.  The ultimate reality show, the Hunger Games require the competitors to use all that they have make it to the end.  If they win they will never want for anything again and those that don't win pay the ultimate price. 


The Last Survivors series looks at what happens to two families when the moon is knocked out of its orbit around the earth.  Life As We Knew It  tells the story of Miranda who lives in a rural Pennsylvania town with her mother and brothers and how she and her family try and keep their lives as normal as possible when the moon is knocked out of its orbit.  The Dead and the Gone (The Last Survivors, Book 2) tells the story of Alex Morales and his two sisters, living in New York City.  His parents are missing and he assumes the role of the authority figure trying to keep his family safe, healthy and alive while trying to do normal things such as go to school and church.  In the third book of the trilogy This World We Live In (The Last Survivors, Book 3) Miranda and her family and Alex and his family are brought together in a world that has changed dramtically for both of them.

There are so many series out there that this topic will become an ongoing one.  Please feel free to add your own series suggestions in the comment box and I'll continue highlight more in the upcoming weeks.

Keep reading!

Why Why Why must they try to make movies out of beloved children's books???

In the interest of fairness this tirade...I mean blog posting...has been roaming around in my head since Friday.  You all have been warned so continue on at your own risk.

Over the years Hollywood has turned children's stories into movies with mixed results.  Disney has made a major corporation using this technique (even when they say its an original idea-Lion King=Hamlet...I'm just saying.)  Now some I can separate book from movie (Harry Potter, Twilight series are just two examples).  Then there are others that are ok and can be looked at as good but not the book....(the early 90's version of Harriet the Spy) and then there are the horrific versions that have no explanation or defense (The nothing like the book...I don't care if the director says she's a huge fan...even the author slammed it on CNN...ABC version of A Wrinkle in Time -and yes I have a huge bias about this book as anyone who knows me understands.  A Wrinkle in Time is my all time favorite book.)  There are of course countless others including the following currently in theaters:  Diary of A Wimpy Kid, How to Train Your Dragon.  This past Friday night, however, I was home and flipping the channels on the television and came across Disney's latest addition to the mix Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars. Harriet is now a teenager competing  to write the school blog.  All of the names you remember from Louise Fitzgerald's book are there including "Ole" Golly who looks all of 22 (which seems very strange considering Harriet looks about 16).  At least they didn't call her "Ole Golly" just Golly.  Now granted Disney did not play this up to be a remaking of the book but I would hope (and perhaps this is where my disappointment stems from in a majority of these movies) is that if the author has written what the characters look like in his or her books that perhaps a movie company should not feel the need to ignore that and cast anyone they want in those roles whether they look like the characters as described in the book or not.  Ole Golly is the perfect example in both of these movies...the visually sketch in the book Harriet the Spy is of an older woman with a bun on her head, on the thin side and very prim and proper...this, in my humble opinion, does not translate into Rosie O'Donnell (the first movie) or Kristin Booth (the current movie).  Unfortunately I feel lately that I may be in a minority about this but I would just like to think that if a movie studio options a book to turn it into a movie or even take a beloved character and come up with an original story at least stay true to descriptions in the book that the story or characters come from. 

I realize that this rant is based more on one television movie and that there are examples where there has been outstanding casting and development for a movie based on a children's book but they appear to be harder and harder to come by.   I'd love to read your examples of the good, the bad and the ugly.  I'm sure there are plenty more out there.

Until next time...happy reading!

Award time

Everybody has reasons for liking the winter...for most people it has something to do with being outside.  Other people appreciate the idea of winter being a good time for being inside by a roaring fire, drinking warm things and wearing bulky sweaters.  Then there's me...I like winter because it means that the American Library Association Awards are announced.   Today was that day and I was up bright and early (like when I was a kid and got up early to watch cartoons on a Saturday) to get the computer set to go and listen to the award announcements live from Boston.

This past year there were so many amazing books that were released that I don't envy anyone on the committee trying to make such a tough decision.  I had my favorites from this past year and some of them made the list and others did not but that's the way awards go.  I'll be curious to hear the buzz from others about what they think about today's honorees.  Anyway...enough of my babble here are the winners for today's ALA awards.

First the Andrew Carnegie Medal which is for an outstanding Children's Video.  This year the winner is Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus done by Weston Woods Studios.  If you've ever seen the Scholastic DVD Box set in stores....those are Weston Wood DVDs and they do wonderful work.  They are well worth the investment and a great way for kids to get a different view of a favorite story.

Next up the Alex award which is presented to 10 books that are written for adults but have appeal to 12-18 year olds.  These are the 10 books that recieved the honor this year: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff, Everything Matters! by Ron Currie, Jr., The Good Soldiers by David Finkel,
The Kid's Are All Right: A Memoir by Diana Welch and Liz Welch with Amanda Welch and Dan Welch, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, My Abandonment by Peter Rock, Soulless: An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger, Stitches: A Memoir by David Small, Tunneling to the Center of the Earth by Kevin Wilson

Next is the Mildred L. Batchelder award which is given to a  children's book originally printed in a foreign language in a foreign country and subsequentally published in the United States in English.  (I have found some great books this way including Brave Story by Miyuki Miyabe).  This year's winner is A Faraway Island  by Annika Thor. 

The Excellence In Non Fiction for Young Adults award is given to non fiction books geared towards young adults (12-18) published during a November 1-October 31 publishing year.  This year the award was given to Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman. (This years finalists were outstanding as well.  If you go to http://www.ala.org/ and click on awards, grants and scholarships you can find a full list of the awards).

The Theodore Seuss Geisel award is awarded to the best beginning reader books.  This year the ALA awarded 4 honor titles as well as a winner.  The honor titles are I Spy Fly Guy! by Tedd Arnold, Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith, Mouse and Mole: Fine Feathered Friends by Wong Herbert Yee,
Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day by Kate McMullan.  The winner is Benny and Penny in the Big No-No! by Geoffrey Hayes.

Coretta Scott King Book Awards were designed to commemorate the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace, the Coretta Scott King Book Awards annually recognize outstanding books for young adults and children by African American authors and illustrators that reflect the African American experience. Further, the Award encourages the artistic expression of the black experience via literature and the graphic arts in biographical, social, and historical treatments by African American authors and illustrators. (Thank you to the ALA for this description where this was taken from-they describe it much better than I could!)  This year's honor title for writing is Mare's Ware by Tanita S. Davis.  This year's winner for writing is Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshall by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.  The honor for illustration went to The Negro Speaks of Rivers illustrated by E.B. Lewis, written by Langston Hughes and the winner for illustration is My People illustrated by Charles R. Smith Jr., written by Langston Hughes.

The Michael L. Printz award is awarded to an outstanding book in young adult literature.   This year there were four honor titles as well as the winner.  The four honor titles are Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman, The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey, Punkzilla by Adam Rapp and Tales from the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973 by John Barnes.  This year's Printz award winner is Going Bovine by Libba Bray.

The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is awarded to a distinguished children's informational book.  This year's winner is Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone.

The John Newbery Award is awarded to the author of the book that is considered to be the most distinguished for the the past publishing year.  This year in adition to the winner there were four honor titles named.  The honor titles for 2010 are Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice written by Phillip Hoose,
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate written by Jacqueline Kelly, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg written by Rodman Philbrick, and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin.  This year's winner is When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.

The Randolph Caldecott Medal is awarded to the illustrator of a book considered to be the most distinguished for the past publishing year.  This year the committee named 2 honor titles as well as a winner.  The honor titles are All the World illustrated by Marla Frazee, written by Liz Garton Scanlon, and Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Joyce Sidman.  The Caldecott Medal winner for 2010 is The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney.

This year has been a great year for books and I can tell you that both the Newbery and Caldecott winners are outstanding.  It couldn't have been easy to choose, especially for the Newbery award.  If you get a chance pick up some of these books and give them a try and then drop a comment to tell me what you thought of them.  

Happy Reading!
Melinda




 


 

Higher and Higher Picture Books of Distinction in 2009 Part 2

In my last post I shared some of the books that were on a list of picture books of distinction for 2009 that I received at the Eric Carle Museum on December 12.  Here are more titles from the list.

Jeremy Draws a Monster  by Peter McCarty.  When I first saw this book I couldn't wait to read it and instantly loved the story about a little boy who after longingly looking at the kids outside playing draws himself a friend in the shape of a monster.  Unfortunately this monster immediately wants Jeremy to draw him more and more and more and Jeremy finally comes up with a solution.  This book is a modern take on the classic stories of Harold and the Purple Crayon and the story of the Magic Paintbrush. 

Bubble Trouble by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Polly Dunbar.  What do you do when your baby brother is caught in a bubble that has gotten away from you?  Follow it of course along with your mother and the rest of the townspeople to help get him down.  Bright colors give the illustrations in the book a sense of fun including one page where you see what the baby is seeing when he looks down at everyone else.

Bear Flies High by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Adrian Reynolds.  Michael Rosen who is best known for his telling of the children's rhyme Going on a Bear Hunt has a new series of books involving a bear.  In this book Bear wants to fly and tries to figure out how to make his dream come true.  A group of children help Bear make his dream come true when they take him to an amusement park.  Take a look for Michael Rosen's other book about Bear in Bear's Day Out.  This book is great for fans of Jez Alborough or Karma Wilson.

Birds by Kevin Henkes, illustrated by Laura Dronzek.  Henkes who is known for his various books including Kitten's First Full Moon, Chrysanthemum and Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse has now added a book with various observations about birds to his substantial title list.  This book is punctuated by illustrations by Dronzek who's thickly outlined birds and primary paintbox colors add to each pages thoughts about birds.

How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham  This book simply tells the story of a bird, the boy who sees him fall in a city where no one else does, and the supportive family who helps the boy take of the bird while he heals.  The illustrations reveal the story as it conveys a feeling of hope that this little boy and his family have that this injured pigeon that no one else saw fall out of the sky will once again be able to fly. 

Mission Control, This is Apollo: The Story of the First Voyages to the Moon by Andrew Chaikin and Victoria Kohl, illustrations by Alan Bean.  This year when we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 two books bring their own unique point of view to the story of the space program that we have watched for so many years.  This book looks not only at the July moon landing of Apollo 11 but the missions that came before and after that historical day.  The illustrator of this book has a special perspective of the space program.  Alan Bean was a part of the Apollo 12 mission and walked on the moon as a part of that mission. 

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca.  This book focuses specifically on the Apollo 11 mission that happened in July of 1969 that led to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin being the first men to walk on the moon.  This book begins with the preprerations for their trip as well as their trip into outer space.  The illustrations are done in watercolors, ink and acrylics and the writing brings science and descriptive language together that will have young and old enjoying this book.

Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan.  What I have seen and heard about this book (and unfortunately I have not read it from cover to cover) reminds me of Chris Van Allsburg's book The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.  I am looking forward to getting my hands on this book and talking more about it in a later post.

There are still 6 titles to go in the list and I will let you know what they are soon.  As always let me know what you're reading and any comments you have about the books I've mentioned in any of my posts.

Keep Reading!
Melinda

Higher and Higher:Picture Books of Distinction-December 12 at the Eric Carle Museum

This past Saturday I attended a lecture at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, MA.  The topic of the lecture was taking a look at picture books of distinction for 2009 and the lecturer was Susan P. Bloom, Professor Emeritus, Simmons College, Boston.  Some of the books mentioned I was was familiar with and others I'm looking forward to taking a closer look.  Here are the first 10 on the list with more to follow.

Higher! Higher! by Leslie Patricelli  Who hasn't pushed a child on a swing and heard the words "Higher! Higher!"?  In this story as a child is pushed on the swing each time she see's things further and further away including inside the zoo, the top of a building, and an explorer at the North Pole as well as things that are further away. 

Imogene's Last Stand by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter.  This picture book is one of my favorites of 2009.  Imogene is a young girl who is fascinated by history.  From an early age her passion for history is obvious from her costumes to her current discovery of the town's historical society.  When she finds out that the historical society is being torn down to make way for a shoelace factory Imogene, in the words of a famous american, has not yet begun to fight.  From the end papers that tell where historical quotes come from to the spunky and passionate Imogene this book is wonderful for girls who are looking for the next level from Fancy Nancy and Pinkalicious.  It is also a great book to show older children that picture books are appropriate no matter what age you are. 

Princess Hyacinth: The Surprising Tale of a Girl who Floated.  by Florence Parry Heide, illustrated by Lane Smith.  Princess Hyacinth has a problem:  She floats.  The king and queen employ a variety of "solutions" to keep her down to earth.  Finally Princess Hyacinth  had enough and after shedding her weighted down clothing (and thanks to the help of a balloon man) she gets to experience what it is like to float free.

Only a Witch Can Fly by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo.  One little girl wants nothing more than to fly and tries repeated with the help of a cat, an owl and her little brother.  A book that reminds us to reach for the stars by following your heart. 

Button Up! Wrinkled Rhymes by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Petra Mathers.  Each of these rhymes focuses on a piece of clothing in a rhyme and the relationship it has with its owner.

Thunder-Boomer! by Shutta Crum, illustrated by Carol Thompson  Nothing feels better in the summer on a hot, steamy day than an old fashion summer storm a.k.a. a thunder boomer.  For this farm family a thunder boomer brings relief and an unexpected surprise.

Egg Drop by Mini Grey  Humpty Dumpty may have had a great fall but in this tale a mother hen tells her chicks about the egg who wanted to fly which has its ups and downs.

Odd Egg by Emily Gravett  For fans of Leo Lionni's An Extraodinary Egg this tale of a duck who wants an egg of his own to hatch when he sees all the other birds with their eggs will be a wonderful companion book.

Hook by Ed Young  In the latest book from Caldecott winner Ed Young, a young Native American boy finds an abandon egg and gives it to his hen to hatch.  Hook is a young eagle who is named for his curved beak and his young friend is determinded to help teach Hook to fly.

Georgia Rises: A Day in the Life of Georgia O'Keefe by Kathryn Lasky, illustrated by Ora Eitan. Kathryn Lasky imagines a day in the life of Georgia O'Keefe while she lives in New Mexico.  The day begins early in the morning and the colors convey the desert that O'Keefe drew inspiration from.

What I've read lately. (The they've-read-the-Twilight-Series-now-what edition)

This week with the release of New Moon by Stephanie Meyer I've been thinking quite a bit about what other books are out there that a fan of the Twilight series might want to read next.  Right now there are quite a few books out there and here are a series and 2 books that I've read and think that Twilight fans may also enjoy.

The House of Night Series by P.C. and Kristin Cast
Zoey has been marked as a fledgling vampire and is attending the House of Night school.  She attends school at night and sleeps during the day along with her friends/classmates Stevie Rae, Erin, Shaunee and Damien.  This series begins with the book Marked and continues with Betrayed, Chosen, Untamed, Haunted and the most recently released title Tempted.  I found myself drawn into the first book quickly and looking forward to finding out what happened to Zoey and her friends.  This series is geared toward teenagers and I would recommend not younger than 13 because of some of the situations Zoey finds herself in.

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Nora Grey is making it day by day after the murder of her father and her mother being away for work most of the week.  She has her best friend Vee and isn't looking for romance, no matter how hard her friend tries to get her to notice.  Then Patch enters her life.  Patch seems to be the ultimate bad boy...or is he?  Nora isn't sure and she finds her self unsettled by how Patch knows more about her than her closest friends do and how he always seems to be around.  After Nora encounters a number of terrifying events she finds herself trying harder to figure out what, if anything, Patch has to do with any of them and if she should run from him or run to him.  The events that happen to Nora had me on edge and there were twists throughout the books that I didn't see coming and I found myself wanting to read whenever I had a chance to pick up the book just to find out what happened next.  Like the House of Night Series, this book is geared towards teens and given the nature of some of the things that happen to Nora, I would advise older teens give this book a try.

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
What do you do when you begin your senior year of high school, a few months away from your 18th birthday and the new exchange student arrives on your doorstep to let you know that you are actually a Romanian Vampire Princess and he is in fact your betrothed?  Ask Jessica Packwood a.k.a. Anastasia Dragomir who has just learned all of this from Lucius Vladescus who has arrived to take her back to Romania so that they can marry and fullfill the agreement that was made years ago to prevent these two Vampire families from going to war.  Told from Jessica's point of view, letters Lucius writes home to his uncle and occasional  passages from Growing Up Undead: A Teenage Vampire's Guide to Dating, Health and Emotions ( a book which Lucius gives to Jessica to help her understand what she is) this book has moments of humor and romance which help lead to a story that is a good read.  Again this book is geared for teens and is well suited for 14 and up.


In upcoming posts I'll tell you about books I've been reading geared for interemediate readers (4th-6th grade), titles that may appeal to fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, as well as a variety of other books.  If you have any suggestions or have a book that you'd like to recommend please leave a comment.  I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Reading!
Melinda