Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday (12)

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.

This week's Nonfiction Picture Books are centered around baseball.  I didn't intend to do theme related books two weeks in a row but it seems to work at the moment.  

Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team
Author: Audrey Vernick
Illustrator: Steven Salerno
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (April 3, 2012)
Audience: 7 to 10 years old

When I read this book, I kept reading parts of it aloud to a friend.  It was like one of those Believe It or Not Fact books.  Can you imagine a family with 12 boys and 4 girls?  Can you imagine having one of the 12 brothers on the school team for over 22 years?  I was fascinated with this family's story and Vernick's telling of their tale.  I wasn't aware that there were brother teams who played on local leagues and in the case of the Acerra family, semi-pro ball.  The Acerras in particular were committed to baseball and family.  I loved the way that when one of the brothers was injured and lost an eye the other brothers practiced with him until he could return to the game.  And the illustration of 3 generations of Acerras playing baseball is priceless.  A fun read for baseball fans or those who just like a little piece of history.  

Lipman Pike: America's First Home Run King
Author: Richard Michelson
Illustrator: Zachary Pullen
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press (February 14, 2011)
Audience: 7 to 10 years old

I somehow missed this book last year but glad to have discovered it this year.  Did you realize that before baseball was called "baseball" that it was referred to as "base".  Yes, I didn't realize this.  I also didn't realize that there was a time in the history of baseball where it was technically illegal to pay players to play baseball.  Of course, people still found a way around this but it was interesting.  It was also interesting to learn about Lipman Pike and his skill both as a hitter and runner.  I loved how they compared how fast he was to a race horse and the subsequent 100 yard dash against a race horse.  The book also refers to early prejudices against Jewish immigrants and how some of Pike's team members were concerned if he could be loyal to them being both Jewish and from Brooklyn.  Another interesting picture book for baseball fans or those who just like learning about history. 

Don't forget to add a link to your own nonfiction picture book reviews from this past week. Thanks for participating in the challenge.

The Right and The Real Book Trailer Reveal & Birthday Bash

Author: Joëlle Anthony
Publisher: Putnam (April 26, 2012)
Audience: Young Adult
Fiction * Cults * Homelessness

Description from the publisher:
Jamie should have known something was off about the church of the Right & the Real from the start, especially when the Teacher claimed he wasn't just an ordinary spiritual leader but Jesus Christ himself. But she was too taken by Josh, the eldest son of one of the church's disciples, and his all-American good looks. Josh was the most popular boy at school, too, and the first boy outside the drama geeks to give Jamie a second look. But getting her dad involved in a cult was not part of the plan when she started dating Josh. Neither was her dad's marriage to the fanatic Mira or getting kicked out or seeing Josh in secret because the church has deemed her persona non grata. Jamie's life has completely fallen apart. Finding her way back won't be easy, but when her dad gets himself in serious trouble, will Jamie be ready to rescue him, and maybe even forgive him?

Today is author Joëlle Anthony's birthday and she is celebrating with the release of the book trailer for The Right and the Real:

 

For more information about Joëlle Anthony and wish her a happy birthday, check out the following sites:  website | facebook | twitter

Look for The Right and the Real at your local school or public library.  When possible, please consider purchasing from an Independent Bookstore.

It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA (20)

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.

Last week's book adventures:
The first week back from spring break was a busy one and didn't leave me with as much time to read as I would have liked but I did manage to squeeze in a stack of picture books and some novels in verse. 

Favorite Books from the Week:

Back A-B-See by Maria van Lieshout - A fun A, B, C book using familiar road signs.

I Don't Want to Be a Pea! by Ann Bonwill - A book about friendship and compromise that made me laugh out loud.

Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World by Laurie Lawlor - A biography on Rachel Carson for younger students.  A good introduction to Carson's life & work.

Squish #3: The Power of the Parasite by Jenni and Matt Holm - Book 3 comes out in May and I had a chance to see an advanced copy.  I love Squish.  Matt and Jenni must have so much fun writing him.

The Wild Book by Margarita Engle - This novel in verse is beautifully written about a young girl in Cuba at the beginning of the 20th century. 

The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf  - This novel in verse looks at the story of the Titanic from the perspective of 20 different passengers (including the Ship's rat).  The endnotes were particularly fascinating. 

Check out my review of Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman.  Also, last week's Nonfiction Wednesday post had some fun mini-reviews of books I read last week. 

So, what are you reading this week?

Last week wasn't bad for the first week back from break.  Not sure what I will be reading this week. 

Taste Book Trailer & Excerpt Reveal

Cover Art: Liliana Sanches

Taste
Author: Kate Evangelista
Publisher: Crescent Moon Press (May 2012)
Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Taste blurb:
At Barinkoff Academy, there's only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans.


When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.

Book Trailer:




Song Credits: "Hunger" © Noelle Pico.
Full Download available at http://sheisnoelle.bandcamp.com 

Author Bio: When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn't going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master's courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. Today, she has four completed Young Adult novels.

Author Website: www.kateevangelista.com 
Twitter: @KateEvangelista 
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kate-Evangelista/165693410143202
Find Taste on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13484226-tasteCrescent Moon Press page for Taste: http://crescentmoonpress.com/books/Taste.html

Read an excerpt from Taste: 

I sat up and followed Calixta’s gaze upward. I rubbed my eyes. I didn’t know what I was seeing at first. A statue? ¬My brain refused to snap together coherent thoughts. I didn’t realize I’d fallen so close to one of the garden benches until I stared up at the boy that sat on one. He was strikingly beautiful. His tumble of blonde hair curled just above his sculpted cheekbones. He wore a silk shirt and a loosened cravat, like he’d become bored while dressing and decided to leave himself in disarray. His ivory skin and frozen position was what had me mistaking him for something carved from marble by Michelangelo. Then he sighed—a lonely, breathy proof of life. If I had to imagine what Lucifer looked like before he fell from heaven, the boy on the bench would certainly fulfill that image. My brain told me I had to look away, but I couldn’t.

“Luka,” Calixta said again, her voice unsure, almost nervous. It no longer contained the steel and bite she had threatened me with, which made me wonder who the boy was.

He leaned on his hands and crossed his legs, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on the night sky. His movements spoke of elegance and control. I’d encountered many people with breeding before, but his took on the air of arrogance and self-assuredness of someone used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it.

I only realized I’d been holding my breath when my lungs protested. I exhaled. My heart sputtered and restarted with a vengeance. Luka tore his gaze away from the stars and settled it on me. I’d expected pitch-black irises, like the other Night Students, but blue ice stared back at me.

“Human,” he whispered.

He reached out, and with a finger, followed an invisible trail down my cheek. I stiffened. His touch, cooler than Demitri’s, caused warm sparks to blossom on my face. He lifted his finger to his lips and licked its tip. He might as well have licked me from the way my body shivered.

Luka’s curious gaze held mine. “Leave us,” he said, but not to me.

“But—” Calixta protested like a spoiled child.
He spoke in a language I hadn’t heard before, remaining calm yet firm. The words had a rolling cadence I couldn’t quite follow, like rumbling thunder in the distance. They contained a harsh sensuality. The consonants were hard and the vowels were long and lilting.

Footsteps retreated behind me.

Luka reached out again.

It took me a minute to realize he wanted to help me up. I hesitated. He smiled. I smiled back timidly and took his hand, completely dazzled. Even with my uniform soaked from melted snow, I didn’t feel cold—all my attention was on him and the way his callused hand felt on mine. Without moving much from his seated position, he helped me stand.

“What’s your name?” he asked. He had a voice like a familiar lullaby. It filled my heart to the brim with comfort.

I swallowed and tried to stop gawking. “Phoenix.”

 “The bird that rose from the ashes.” Luka bent his head and kissed the back of my hand. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”

My cheeks warmed. My head reeled, not knowing what to think. I couldn’t understand why I felt drawn to him. And the strange connection frightened me.

From behind, someone gripped my arms and yanked me away before I could sort out the feelings Luka inspired in me. I found myself behind a towering figure yet again. Recognizing the blue-black silk for hair tied at the nape, relief washed over me. Calixta hadn’t come back to finish me off.

Demitri’s large hand wrapped around my wrist. Unlike the night before, no calm existed in his demeanor. He trembled like a junky in need of a fix. The coiled power in his tense muscles vibrated into me.

 “What are you doing here?” Demitri asked.

I didn’t know he’d spoken to me until I saw his expressionless profile. I sighed.

“Phoenix.”

I flinched. The ruthless way he said my name punched all the air out of me. “You owe me answers,” I said with as much bravado as I could muster.

 “I owe you nothing.” He glared. “In fact, you owe me your life.”

 “I don’t think so.”

 Ignoring my indignation, he faced Luka, who’d remained seated on the bench during my exchange with Demitri. “Why is she with you, Luka?”

 “I wasn’t going to taste her, if that’s what you’re implying,” Luka said. “Although, she is simply delicious. I wouldn’t mind if you left us alone.”

There it was again. Taste. The word that kept coming up between these Night Students and I was connected to it in an increasingly uncomfortable way. To taste meant to sample, but what? My flesh? They had to be joking because the alternative wasn’t funny.

“The sins of the father …” Demitri left his sentence unfinished.

Luka’s smile shifted into a snarl. “Obey my command.” His chin lifted. “Kneel.”

Demitri’s stance went rigid. His grip tightened around my wrist.

Okay, weird just got weirder. Why would Luka want Demitri to kneel before him?

I thought back to Eli and the others bowing to Demitri when he questioned them, but they didn’t kneel. Seriously? Were they all living on a different planet or something?

“Kneel.” Luka’s detestable smirk made his features sinister rather than angelic. The real Lucifer: a fallen angel.

Without letting go of my wrist, Demitri knelt down on one knee and bowed his head, his free hand flat at the center of his chest. “Your command has been obeyed,” he said formally.

Luka nodded once.

Demitri stood up and pulled me toward the school without telling me where we were going. Not having the time to thank Luka for saving me from Calixta, I risked a glance back. Luka smiled at me. His smile spoke of whispers, secrets, and promises to be shared on a later date.

Extra Yarn Event at Unwind

Today, at Unwind (a Yarn store in Burbank and not the dystopian novel by Neal Shusterman), Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen stopped by to celebrate their book Extra Yarn (Balzer & Bray, January 17, 2012).  The event was a part of Unwind's celebration of Yarn Crawl LA (a four day, self-guided tour Los Angeles County's Yarn Stores).

Alethea (@frootjoos on twitter) is a knitter and pulled her buddies (Thuy, Kimberley, Alyson, and more) from Bridge to Books into helping with this event.  Yeah, twist our arms.  We are all big fans of Jon and Mac so it didn't take much to convince us to help.

Alethea kept in the spirit of the story and covered wooden block letters to look like the cover.

Thuy (@fishgirl182) yarnbombed some little houses so they would look like they were pulled right out of the book.

Mac and John signed books, chatted with fans, and entertained young readers who came out to draw and have some fun.



Mac read Extra Yarn to the audience.  Don't watch the clip if you don't want to hear the end of the book.  However, this was my favorite part since Mac does a great Archduke.

Also, the Extra talented Alethea made yarn inspired cake pops for the event.  I wish I had taken a close up of these yummy treats.

I also finally ran into Carter Higgins, a twitter buddy.  One of these days, we will also run into each other at Vroman's.

To celebrate today's event, I am giving away a signed copy of Extra Yarn to one lucky person.  Please fill out the form to enter.  You have until April 21, 2012 to enter to win.

Please note:  This post has been crossed posted over at Bridge to Books.