What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA (13)

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  Jen & Kellee from 

Teach Mentor Texts have adapted this to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

Each week I'll recap what I've read/reviewed the week before 

and then look ahead to what I am planning on reading/reviewing in the upcoming week.

 

Last week's book adventures:

Just as I thought I was getting back into a steady reading groove, I had one of those weeks where I wasn't home most evenings.  This led to a pretty nominal reading week (1 YA, 1 early chapter book, 1 early reader, and 5 picture books).  I find I get cranky when I don't have time to read.  It probably has more to do with not having time to recharge, but reading is one of the ways I recharge.  I did have a great week in terms of books and author encounters.  I am working on some posts about the fabulous Katherine Applegate's visit to my school, the Breathless Reads Tour that stopped by Once Upon a Time, and also the wonderful SCIBA Dinner. 

 

Here are my favorites from the past week:

The Amazing Adventures of Supercat! by Kate McMuller; Illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre

The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

I am saving one of the books for Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday so I won't mention it yet.

Upcoming book adventures:

Timeless by Gail Carriger - If I read nothing else this week, I am going to read this book.  It is on my must read list and it comes out on Thursday.  I am addicted to Carriger's Steampunk Paranormal Series.  I admit that it is complete cotton candy reading fun, but sometimes that is the best kind of book.  Timeless is the final book in the series and I just can't wait to read it.

So, what are you reading this week? 

Please share! And remember to check in at Sheila's or Jen & Kellee's blog to see what they and others are reading!    

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday (7)

As part of the Non-Fiction Picture Book Challenge 2012 (Twitter: #nfpb2012), my goal is to read and review as many of the new non-fiction picture books that are released this year.  Wednesdays will be my primary day to post the reviews.

Alien Investigation: Searching for the Truth About UFO's and Aliens
Author: Kelly Milner Halls
Illustrated: Rick C. Spears
Publisher: Millbrook Press (January 1, 2012)
Audience:  Grades 4 to 8
Source: Copy for review/giveaway

Description from Publisher:
Imagine . . . you're in the woods after dark. Eerie green lights appear in the distance. Then there's a sudden flash and everything is dark again. You decide to take a closer look. You come upon a saucer-shaped craft hovering silently just above the ground. You reach out to touch it, but the object suddenly shoots up into the sky. Have you just seen a UFO?

Some people say they have had experiences like this. Are they telling the truth? To find out, Kelly Milner Halls investigated stories of eyewitnesses from around the world. She explored UFO sightings, landings, crashes, aliens, and even a few hoaxes. She also interviewed several of the world's UFO experts. Examine her findings and decide for yourself whether visitors from other worlds are real.

My thoughts on the book:
Children often find stories about aliens and spaceships fascinating and interesting.  They typically have lots of questions too.  To find a book that provides children a mixture of facts, pieces of information from the news, and interviews all in an easy to understand format is not easy.  Kelly Milner Halls has provided just such a book.  The book is divided into four chapters that looks at UFO's or space ship sightings over the years.  This is followed by a chapter on Crashes and Landings.  Next up is a section on Aliens, and it is followed by Hoaxes and Misunderstandings.  Throughout the book, children are cued in by the term Imagine and a team of bold alien explorers provide a view point of the aliens preparing to travel.  The book concludes with the question "Real or Unreal?"

Though the book has only 64 pages, it is filled with a significant amount of text and information.  I sometimes find that teachers might consider a book of this length as not long enough for use for a report.  However, in reading through this book, Milner Hall has managed to do an admirable job of condensing extensive amount of research into a form that children will find accessible.   Additionally, the book does not lean in one direction or the other.  It allows the reader to form their own conclusions and to explore further the possibility that life exists beyond earth.

After reading through this book, I would recommend it for any school or classroom library.

For more information about Kelly Milner Hall and her books, please click here. 

Giveaway Rules:

1. Though comments are very much appreciated, please do not enter any personal information in the comments section (including your email, website, etc.).  If you do enter personal information, you comment will not be posted.

2.  You must complete the Entry Form to officially enter the contest.

3.  The Contest runs from 12:00 a.m. Pacific Time on February 22, 2012 to 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on February 28, 2012.

4.  You must be 13 or older to participate in this contest.

5.  If you are selected as a winner, I will notify you by e-mail.  If you do not respond within 48 hours, I will select a new winner.

6.  International participants are welcome to enter the contest.

New Books & News for Author/Illustrator James Burks

If you follow this blog with any regularity, then you have probably heard me mention Gabby and Gator and creator James Burks.

James has a new picture book coming out on March 1st - Beep and Bah (Carolhoda Picture Books).
 
Here is the book trailer:


And he has more good news.  His graphic novel Gabby and Gator is being developed into a Television show.

Check out the promo clip:



And it doesn't end there.  In August, his newest graphic novel, Bird and Squirrel (Scholastic/Graphix), will be released.  I have shared the Advanced Copy with some students and they are already singing its praises.

Congratulations James - Looks like 2012 will be a wonderful year!

What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA (12)

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  Jen & Kellee from 

Teach Mentor Texts have adapted this to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

Each week I'll recap what I've read/reviewed the week before 

and then look ahead to what I am planning on reading/reviewing in the upcoming week.

Last week's book adventures:

This week's reading picked up, but I also started and stopped several books.  I'll come back to them but sometimes my mood points me to a different book than one I expected.  My quest to read all of the Caldecott Honor Books has resumed and I was able to get a few other books in.  To spare everyone a long list of books, I have selected my favorites to highlight.

 

Here are my favorites from the past week:

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson - I listened to this one on audiobook and at times I wish I had an actual hard copy because I wanted to read it faster than the narrator was going.  Don't get me wrong, the narrator was good, but there were times I just wanted to find out what was going to happen next to Hattie and I knew I could read it faster.  Regardless or audiobook or print copy, Larson did an amazing job creating characters that you cared about and you wanted to know.  I felt like Hattie and all of her neighbors were real and I became so engrossed in their lives.  I was so excited to find out on twitter today that there will be a sequel.  Yay!

Listen to My Trumpet by Mo Willems - Elephant and Piggie are back.  That is reason enough to celebrate.  This time Piggie has a special surprise for Elephant.  I won't spoil it.  Fans of this series will love the newest book.

And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano, Illustrated by Erin Stead - There are times when I hold a book in my hands and read it and know that it will win an award or be on a bunch of end of the year lists.  This was wonderful in both text and illustrations.  Stead, who won a Caldecott for A Sick Day for Amos McGee, has another winner on her hands.  I loved this one.

Just Behave, Pablo Picasso by Jonah Winter, Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes - A biographical picture book about Pablo Picasso and his stubborn determination to paint what he wanted to paint despite people who criticized him.

When Blue Met Egg by Lindsay Ward - This one is just simply a make you smile & chuckle book. 

Future Release:

Squid and Octopus Friends for Always by Tao Nyeu - If you haven't heard of this book, put it on your summer TBR pile.  This is going to be a favorite.  I loved this book. Mouse & Mole, Frog & Toad, Elephant & Piggie and now Squid and Octopus. Not truly an early reader but this one will appeal to the audience who loves all those other great friendships. The story is fun but the little side notes are almost funnier. I can't wait to see the final version of this book but I know I will be recommending it.

Caldecott Challenge Books:
I read 13 Caldecott Honor Winners this week.  This was the only one that I gave higher than a 3 star (a few would have received negative stars if that was an option).

Nothing at All by Wanda Gag -  This 1942 Caldecott Honor Book actually reminds me of a children's picture book.  It is quirky and fun.  It even has a different type set.

Upcoming book adventures:
I actually have to start tackling more reading for an Award Committee that I am serving on.  I will probably be digging into that pile this week.  Not sure which books though...so you will have to wait and see.

So, what are you reading this week? 

Please share! And remember to check in at Sheila's or Jen & Kellee's blog to see what they and others are reading!  

Book Review - Born Wicked

Author: Jessica Spotswood
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons / Penguin Young Readers (Released: February 7, 2012)
Source: Advance Readers Copy
Audience: Young Adult
Reviewed by: Kate G.

Good Reads Description:
"Blessed with a gift..."cursed" with a secret." 

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship - or an early grave. 

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word . . . especially after she finds her mother's diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra. 

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood - not even from each other.

Kate's thought's on this book:
A historical YA fantasy fiction set in the time of the Puritan- like society sounds like a winner, right? I am happy to say, “Yes”! I was a bit wary of this novel when I started to read it. I found myself getting angry and flustered in every chapter. About three to five chapters in, I figured out why. The author, Jessica Spotswood had me totally invested. I was experiencing the same emotions as the Cahill sisters. It started with the political and societal environment but is soon got deeper than that. I felt Cate’s anger at her mother. I resented the loneliness and feeling of neglect that Maura felt as a middle child.  (This hit very close to home being a middle child myself.) I envied the wisdom Tess gained from her curious and intellectual nature. Underlying it all, there is the constant undeniable push and pull of their bond as sisters and witches.

Even more surprising, I didn’t find the obligatory love triangle (between Cate, Paul, and Finn) trite or characteristically familiar. The guys are on equal footing. There is no extra talent or leg-up for either of them. (Ms. Spotswood does foreshadow a possible paranormal consequence to one of the pairings but to us readers, not Cate herself.) It was refreshing to see such a normal struggle in a world permeated with Magic.

This book is not without it’s curiosities, like why Dubai is mentioned as an ideal for these witches over and over again. I, for one, can’t wait to discover why and how the Cahill sisters will survive the politics, the Prophecy, and each other.

Check out this book trailer:



For more information about author Jessica Spotswood:
http://www.jessicaspotswood.com/

On twitter: @jessica_shea
Facebook:  The Cahill Witch Chronicles