It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to Young Adult - 6/10/13

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.

Recently, I have been reading some powerful Middle Grade books which has resulted in a heavier picture book and early reader stack this week.  Sometimes, I am just not ready to leave the feeling I had when reading a book.  What I find best in these situations is move to something completely different.  Also, check back on Wednesday for some nonfiction picture books that made it into last week's pile. 

Here is what jumped out of the stack this week:

Sea Monster and the Bossy Fish by Kate Messner; Illustrated by Andy Rash  (Chronicle Books, July 9, 2013) - Sea Monster is back and will be available in time for the start of the school year.  Kinder and first grade teachers add this to you opening school year books to read aloud list.

The Monstore by Tara Lazar; Illustrated by James Burks (Aladdin, June 4, 2013) - More to come on this one.

Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos; Illustrated by Joy Ang  (Clarion Books, May 14, 2013) - What a funny book to read aloud.  Kids are going to enjoy this one.

Dodsworth in Tokyo by Tim Egan (Houghton Mifflin Books, April 16, 2013) - The newest installment in this series finds Dodsworth and Duck in Tokyo.

The Meanest Birthday Girl by Josh Shneider (Clarion Books, May 7, 2013) - What do you give a mean birthday girl?  Read this early reader/chapter book from Geisel winner Josh Schneider.

Battle Bunny by Jon Scieszka and Mac Bartnett; Ilustrated by Matthew Myers  (Simon & Schuster, October 22, 2013) - Ok, the adults are going to find this one hysterical.  Will have to see how it reads as a read aloud and if young kids get it at the same level as the "big" kids.

Feed by M.T. Anderson (Candlewick Press, 2002) - This came up on my TBR list because we were reading it for book group.  Kind of prophetic, kind of sad, kind of scary.  That's all I am saying.

What I am re-reading this week and most excited about this week:

Pie by Sarah Weeks (Scholastic, 2011) - I am leading a Middle Grade book club on Wednesday and PIE is up for discussion.  Thought I should re-read it in time for the meeting.

Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas by Jim Ottaviani; Illustrated by Maris Wicks (First Second, June 11, 2013) - I received my shipping notice that this will be at my house on Tuesday.  Yay!

Book Review - Doll Bones

Author: Holly Black
Illustrator:  Eliza Wheeler
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (May 7, 2013)
Source:  Finished Copy for review by publisher
Audience: Ages 9 to 13
Fiction * Friendship * Coming of Age * Ghost Story

Description from GoodReads:
Zach, Poppy and Alice have been friends for ever. They love playing with their action figure toys, imagining a magical world of adventure and heroism. But disaster strikes when, without warning, Zach’s father throws out all his toys, declaring he’s too old for them. Zach is furious, confused and embarrassed, deciding that the only way to cope is to stop playing . . . and stop being friends with Poppy and Alice. But one night the girls pay Zach a visit, and tell him about a series of mysterious occurrences. Poppy swears that she is now being haunted by a china doll – who claims that it is made from the ground-up bones of a murdered girl. They must return the doll to where the girl lived, and bury it. Otherwise the three children will be cursed for eternity...

My thoughts on the book:
Doll Bones by Holly Black is a middle grade tale that will hook readers in and hold onto them until the end. It is the story of three 12 year olds – Zach, Alice, and Poppy – who have created an elaborate storytelling/role-playing game with action figures and dolls. When Zach’s father throws away Zach’s bag of action figures in a misguided attempt to help his son “grow up”, it sets in motion a series of actions and reactions that lead the three children on a journey of discovery and change.

Zach’s refusal to play the storytelling games and his fear in telling Alice and Poppy the truth leads Poppy to remove the “Queen” (a bone china doll) from her mother’s cabinet. Poppy reveals to Alice and Zach that the doll contains the actual ashes of a young girl who died. The girl’s ghost has asked to be returned to her grave in East Liverpool, OH (which is a long bus ride from where the children live in PA). Whether Alice and Zach really believe Poppy, each child strikes out on the journey for his/her own reasons. The reader is left to decide whether the doll is really communicating with Poppy.

Part of Black’s brilliance in her storytelling is that she has chosen to keep the story firmly in reality. Readers like the children have to come to their own conclusion about the Doll; however, each piece of the journey never seems contrived, but seems like something a group of tweens could have undertaken. This also keeps the balance between being just right scary vs. frightening scary.

Ultimately, Doll Bones is significantly more than a ghost story. It is a deep story of friendship, change, growing up, and leaving things behind. This is a journey story that results in characters growing and evolving in a meaningful way. The story is well-crafted without using more words than are needed. The pacing moves deliberately and never once did I want to scan a paragraph or skip a page. Additionally, Black is spot on with the voice of each of the tweens. It is easy to have children sound younger or older than they are, but here, the dialogue was real. The inclusion of dramatic dialogue that comes from times when the children fall into their character roles never dominates or takes over the story and just works to enhance the adventure.

In my opinion, Black has written her best story to date.  A book that will be in high demand once the children in classrooms or libraries learn about it.  And though I have absolutely no control over the decisions of the 2014 Newbery Committee, may I just say, I would be ecstatic if Doll Bones came away as a winner.

This is Holly Black's first foray back into the world of books for Middle Graders after a string of successful Young Adult novels.  For young fans, who may have missed her work on the Spiderwick Chronicles with Tony DiTerlizzi, Simon and Schuster has re-released the series with all new covers to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide.  Click here to see all of the covers.

For more information on Holly Black: website | blog | twitter | facebook | tumblr | pinterest

Otis Dooda Blog Tour Part II - Ellen and Ian Potter Share Their Favorite Books

Hi Ellen and Ian - Welcome to Kid Lit Frenzy.  I am so excited that you are willing to answer a few questions about your favorite books.

Since it is time for summer reading, I am looking for some book recommendations and I am hoping that you can help.

OTIS DOODA made me laugh. Can you name your top 3 summer reads that will make kids laugh?

1.The BFG, by Roald Dahl (those Whizzpoppers get me every time).
2. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty MacDonald (I know a few Thought-You-Saiders that could use some of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle’s potions).
3. The Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar (pure ridiculous fun).

Of course, Otis has a bit of a mystery to solve and some adventures. What 3 mysteries or adventure stories do you recommend?

1. Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer (did you know Sherlock Holmes had a brilliant crime-solving sister? And that she rocks?)
2. Gilda Joyce Psychic Investigator series by Jennifer Allison (you will fall in love with Gilda, I promise!)
3. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (quirky fiction at its finest)

What 3 books (any genres) do you think Otis would recommend to readers?

1. Brick City by Warren Elsmore (it’s all about Legos, of course!)
2. Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger (love this book, you will)
3. The Adventures of Tintin by Herge (Great snakes, this series is exciting!)

And Ian, just curious, what is in your summer “to-read” pile?

1. The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee by Tom Angleberger (because I loved Origami Yoda)
2. Alex Rider: Eagle Strike by Anthony Horowitz (I like all the spy gadgets)
3. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White (I have a signed copy form E.B. White’s granddaughter! Plus E.B. White liked dachshunds and so do I.)

Ian's friend Nigel guarding the pile of summer reading.

Thank you Ellen and Ian for sharing so many great titles.  This is going to make for some fun summer reading and of course, OTIS DOODA: STRANGE BUT TRUE should be on everyone's summer reading list.

Check out the official book trailer:


And don't forget to check out illustrator, David Heatley's Guest Post.

Thanks to Ellen, I am giving away a signed copy of Otis Dooda: Strange But True.  Open to those with a US mailing address.

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Otis Dooda Blog Tour Part I - Guest Post by Illustrator David Heatley

Recently, I had an opportunity to ask the talented David Heatly about his work on OTIS DOODA: STRANGE BUT TRUE by Ellen Potter.

David, I have heard of authors and illustrators who listen to music while they work (write or draw). Lots of authors create playlists for their books. In your case you took it one step further and developed your own soundtrack for Otis Dooda. In listening to the soundtrack, it matches the book perfectly. Is this the first time you have created an actual soundtrack for a book? What was the process like? 

Thanks for the compliment about the book and soundtrack matching perfectly. I've spent over a year now with Otis and his family and friends, drawing them all a hundred times each. I think the music comes from that same inspirational well that helped me decide what everything looks like in Dooda-land. When I was done illustrating Strange But True, it felt hard to just let the whole thing go. Ellen and I were brainstorming some ideas for marketing the book, including doing an animated book trailer. It hit me that it would be fun to write a theme song for the book to be used in the trailer. I've written songs since I was a teenager, but in the last few years, I've had new songs coming out of my ears. They come to me when I wake up from a dream or in the middle of the day. I have to have my phone nearby so I can hum the melodies I'm hearing into my "voice memo" app. It's usually a piece of the chorus or verse that's the starting point. Then I write out in my lyric book what I have and I start trying to piece the rest of it together—like doing a crossword puzzle. With Otis it was similar. Once I had the idea of a theme song, a few different versions of it started arriving in my head and haunting me. The second idea I had is ultimately the one that became the real song (attaching two of the original voice memos). Once I had all the lyrics written, I "demoed" the song in my own art studio with a minimal set up: 1 semi-professional mic and two pieces of semi-professional recording software. It came out great and Ellen loved it! Her agent (now my agent too) Alice Tasman also loved it. Even better, their KIDS loved it! And my own two kids who were following every step of the illustration process wanted to hear it over and over again. I was onto something here.

I wanted to write more songs. Years ago, I had thought about doing a soundtrack to a book I did for adults, but only got as far as making a 6-song EP. This time I looked at the table of contents of the book and could see immediately there were 15 other songs I could write. Just while jotting down the titles, I started hearing some melodies and chorus ideas for several of them. I have to say, I've never had a musical project come through me so quickly and I think it's a testament to how strong the story and characters are and what a fantastic writer Ellen is. Within a couple months, I had written and recorded all 16 songs of the soundtrack. (For comparison sake, another album I finished recently with 13 songs on it took about 2 years!) I really had a blast doing it—staying up late in my studio til 3 in the morning, shouting like a crazy person about Potted Plant Guy or Peaches the farting pony. I really stretched myself musically and tried to do as many different styles as I could. I also wanted the right emotional balance on the album: some joyful songs, some irreverent and silly, some creepy and some sad. The song "Up In Cat's Room" has a special place in my heart. It really captures the longing I was feeling as the illustration job on book 1 was wrapping up and before I was contracted for Otis 2. I've actually gotten teary listening back to it a few times. I sing "I wanna stay a while up in Cat's Room. Don't make me go home just yet.... please let me stay!" The kid in me just loves living in this world that Ellen has created and I don't want it to end. I hope we continue the series and I get to write even more songs for these characters. Now it's up to the kids and their parents... In other words, "Buy the book or the subway zombies will get you!!!" :)

To purchase a copy of the Otis Dooda Soundtrack, click here.

Check out this great video of David and Ellen talking about Otis Dooda.



Thanks David for stopping by.  Check out Part II of the Otis Dooda Blog Tour, and find out about some of Ellen Potter and her son, Ian's favorite  books.

Thanks to Ellen, I am giving away a signed copy of Otis Dooda: Strange But True.  Open to those with a US mailing address.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Giveaway

As part of the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge, I try to give a heads up on new releases for the month; however, lately I am having trouble tracking down nonfiction picture books released for the month.  Typically, I have used a couple of sources to find new nonfiction picture books prior to their release.  I tend to be picky.  I am not interested in the standard issue hot teen bios or mass series produced titles.  I am looking for quality nonfiction picture book biographies, poetry, or information text. Lately, those sources have not been as reliable for pointing me in the direction of new titles.  Consequently, I am reaching out to you my wonderful readers to say - how do you track down new nonfiction releases?  What titles do you know that are being released in June and July?

If you take a moment to fill out the rafflecopter below with some titles or sources, you will be entered for a chance to win a nonfiction picture book of your choice (worth $20 or less and available through Amazon or Book Depository).

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And don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews: