This is W.A.R.

This is W.A.R.
by Lisa Roecker and Laura Roecker
Soho Teen, 2013
Audience:  High School
ISBN:  9781616952617
Publication Date:  July 2, 2013

Everyone has a different memory of what happened on July 4, but they all know one thing-Willa Ames-Rowan was killed by James Gregory.  But justice doesn't come swiftly at Hawthorne Lakes Country Club, especially when it comes to convicting a Gregory.  Four girls-Marge, Sloane, Lina, and Rose-are brought together by their love for Willa to avenge her death and make the Gregory's pay.  Little do they know that they are being targeted too, and this whole mystery goes deeper than they understand.  Another revenge fantasy from the author's of The Liar Society with plenty of action and deception, but a lackluster ending.  The Roecker Sisters coming along but not quite there yet.

I am really starting to think that Revenge Fiction is the next Dystopia.  Either that or they have a way of finding me.  I picked up This is W.A.R. for a very ridiculous reason:  a free necklace.  I'm a sucker for a giveaway.  I pre-ordered Scarlet for lip gloss.  So, I pre-ordered This is W.A.R. for a cheap faux-gold key necklace that I likely could have picked up at Claire's, but it's kinda cute and the book was pretty good, so no harm done.

The revengers (revenger-seekers, revenge-a-nistas?) were well drawn characters that each had their own reasons for feeling guilty about Willa's death.  Marge, the step-sister, was angry with Willa for leaving the boat at all that night and felt like she should have done more.  Sloane, the not-so-perfect daugther, also feels like she could have stopped Willa from getting so wasted.  Lina, the attention sneaking friend, knows that she wasn't the best friend to Willa.  Rose, the outcast, wishes that she had gotten to know Willa better while she was alive.  Each of these girls have their own secrets and tell the story from their own point of view.  The lead characters are the most compelling part of this story.

The villains are a little shallow.  Grandpa Gregory, or The Captain, is your stereotypical country club aristocrat and is willing to pay off the town to keep his good name.  His grandsons, Trip and James, are also one dimensional.  James is lost to booze and Trip is just psycho, although we never quite learn why Trip is the psycho one.  I'm not sure if there will be a sequel, but it seems to me like the reader needs to learn more about Trip.

I was cruising along with his book just fine until the ending, which went something like this "You're right.  We've entirely been covering this up, and we've successfully succeeded in framing you, but he's a sick boy and should be punished.  The End, now go have some ice cream."

That was fast.  It felt too simple, too clean, too easy.  I don't buy it.  And if there is another book, which I keep thinking there has to be, I'm not sure how long it can really keep the reader hooked.

But This is W.A.R. was better then The Lies that Bind, I'll give the authors that.  They are coming along, but they do need to work on creating a more complex ending.  I have no doubt that they will get there, but by then, revenge fiction may have gone the way of shiny vampires.

Happy Reading!

The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins

The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins
by Barbara Kerley
Illustrated by Brian Selznick
Scholastic Press, 2001
2014 Bluestem Nominee
Audience:  Elementary School
ISBN:  9780439114943
Publication Date:  January 1, 2001

Waterhouse Hawkins dreamed of dinosaurs and making them come alive to everyone.  With the help of famed scientist Richard Owen, Waterhouse created life-size models of extinct dinosaurs using only a few bones.  He was eccentric and daring and passionate.  But a trip to America in the late 1800's had him questioning his dream as his models were destroyed by vandals.  Not only is the story moving, but the illustrations hold so much emotion and depth that many readers will spend more time pouring over them than reading the text.  This is a fitting tribute to the man that brought dinosaurs to life.

Brian Selznick's illustrations really do overshadow the text, which is likely why this book received a Caldecott Honor.  The dinosaurs are drawn in their various stages of creation, and wonderful attention is paid to the destruction and how low that made Waterhouse feel.  Also, as Selznick writes in his ending note, he incorporated many small details like the borders and the book plate drawing from the original notebook of Waterhouse Hawkins.  This is a wonderful example of how powerful illustrations can be in retelling a story and why illustrations are not just for simple children's picture books.

The story itself is also incredible.  Waterhouse Hawkins used few bones and fossils coupled with modern animal skeletons to design a dinosaur.  While it is true that many of his designs were wrong, he was able to capture the size of the dinosaurs and make them into something real.  He was the visionary that first dared to recreate something that has been gone thousands and thousands of years.  And to think that some small minded bully destroyed years worth of work is just tragic, but imagine was could be found under the soil in Central Park!  There might be a fictional story there.  I should file that idea away for a rainy day.

I do like The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins as a Bluestem Nominee.  It is informative and beautiful and will capture readers.  Plus the subject matter is a real crowd pleaser.  This might even make my top three.

Please share this book with any young reader than can't get enough dinosaurs, because we owe everything to Waterhouse Hawkins.

Happy Reading!

Nubs

Nubs:  The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine, & a Miracle
by Major Brian Dennis, Kirby Lawson, and Mary Nethery
Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009
Audience:  Elementary Readers
2014 Blustem Nominee
ISBN:  9780316053181
Publication Date:  November 1, 2009


While on assignment in Iraq, Major Brian Dennis and his platoon met a pack of wild dogs.  All of the dogs seemed friendly, except for their leader who took much longer to warm up to the men.  Once he did warm up, Nubs, as the dog was called, became best friends with Major Dennis.  Nubs even walked over 70 miles while quite sick to catch up to his friend.  This story tells not only have Major Dennis saved Nubs, but how much joy a dog can bring in a tough situation.

I used to be pretty ambivalent about dogs.  I didn't particularly like them when I was growing up, but then we got Lucy and now I am a bona fide dog person now.  And as a dog person, this book took my heart!  He rescued a sad and lonely dog from a war zone!

Back to evaluating this story as a book.  The story is illustrated with pictures of Nubs and Major Dennis, so readers will see soldiers in uniform and see what kind of conditions the soldiers live in.  The text is laid out quite well.  The main points are presented in a large font size that would be enough to read in a storytime, or you can dig a little deeper with the text in a smaller font size and get the complete story.

I think that Nubs has a good chance as a Bluestem.  There are several things working in it's favor like universal appeal, short in length, and full of heart.  It's a short story that is not childish, so I see many readers picking it up just to make their Bluestem quota.  Also, it's a story that sticks with readers, so I don't think there will be much chance of readers forgetting about it when voting time comes around.

I loved it.  I read it to my husband, who normally hates when I do that, but since it was a dog story he allowed it.  I tried reading it to my dog, but she was more interested in sticks.  For more great heart-warming dog stories, check out Two Bobbies also by Kirby Lawson.  Pair that books with Nubs for a full story time of incredible dogs.

Happy Reading!

Little Wolf's Book of Badness

Little Wolf's Book of Badness
by Ian Whybrow
Audience:  Early Elementary
2014 Bluestem List
ISBN:  9781572055503
Publication Date:  November 1, 1995


Little Wolf writes letters home as he journeys to his Uncle Bigbad's school of badness and tries to convince his parents to let him come home because he was only be good as a joke.  Little Wolf describes his situation with all of the gloominess of a typical letter from camp.  Once at his uncle's, he finds that the school is in complete disrepair and that his uncle is the very definition of bad.  But, after a chance meeting with a scout master, Little Wolf learns that their might be a better way to live and ends up befriending the scouts instead of being bad.  This is a quick, sweet little book about being yourself.

Little Wolf's adventure reminded me of Little Oink and Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, because you have a character that is acting correctly according to our standards (brushing his teeth, being nice to his brother), but is acting out of turn for his species.  I think that is a lesson that many readers will enjoy.  Especially when it comes to the other scouts.  Instead of getting one badge for badness, Little Wolf can get dozens of badges for more interesting pursuits like climbing and navigating.  Isn't that a better deal?

I also like his messages within the letters to his cousin Yeller (cousin to a wolf?  Maybe Yeller is Ol' Yeller?) and his brother Smellybreath.  I thought those little asides showed that maybe not all of the little wolves out there want to be big and bad.

I am more familiar with Ian Whybrow as a picture book author than a beginning chapter book author, and again, I think this is a book that is better suited for the Monarch List.  The letters are short with plenty of drawings and the action is pretty well suited for beginning elementary.  I would think that most fifth graders would turn their nose at this book, so I don't see it going very far.  I see Little Wolf staying near the back of the Bluestem pack.

But, if you know a strong, independent first or second grade reader, this is a great pick.

Happy Reading!

Winger

Winger
by Andrew Smith
Audience:  Young Adult
ISBN:  9781442444928
Publication Date:  May 14, 2013
Read from Netgalley preview


As a scrawny fourteen year old that is already a junior in high school, Ryan Dean West has a way of sticking out.  He's smart, a wiry rugby player, and an inadvertent trouble maker, and that's how he lands himself in Opportunity Hall at this prestigious boarding school.  Aside from being the youngest student in all of his classes, Ryan Dean is your average fourteen year old boy, which is to say that he is horny for any girl within a 200 mile radius.  He's in love with his best friend Annie, he gets into a huge fight with a good friend JP, he's secretly making out with his roommate's girlfriend, and he's becoming good friends with his team captain, Joey, who is openly gay.  The whole plot revolves around Ryan Dean's experience in school dealing with girls and friends and sports all with a sense of humor that fits a fourteen year old boy.  It's all fun and games until Halloween, then the entire tone of the story changes so drastically that readers will wonder what the real purpose of the book is:  Ryan Dean's story, or Joey's.

Be warned:  there are spoilers.

Winger has been hanging out on my Kindle for several months and I just never gave it the time of day (much like Annie with Ryan Dean).  Then I was looking for something new to read while at the eye doctor, and this seemed like as good a time as any.  Lucky for me, it was a long wait, and I was able to read pretty far into the first part of the book.  Ryan Dean is a lot to take.  He ranks every girl he sees on a hotness scale, and has regular fantasies about them.  And he draws plenty of pictures and comics of him being hit on by sexy nurses and stewardesses and the like.  I asked me husband if this is how all fourteen year old boys are and he said yeah.  We're not having boys.  I thought girls would be hard to raise, but I am so not dealing with his.

Horniness aside, Ryan Dean is a good character.  He's a jerk to Chas and JP, but he knows it and wants to make things right.  He's a really smart kid that is in over his head and he's genuinely funny.  And despite all the jerk moves, he was really just taking advantage of an opportunity.  In his heart, Ryan Dean is a good kid that is trying to survive high school.

Then there's Joey.  Joey is the senior captain of the rugby team and he's gay.  It's something that everyone knows and everyone likes to act like they don't have a problem with it.  As Ryan Dean becomes better friends with Joey (because Joey is the voice of reason and probably the only person that is keeping Chas from killing him), he keeps saying that it doesn't matter that Joey is gay, but the reader gets the sense that it really does matter.  Everyone is so okay with it, but they also don't acknowledge that it might be hard for Joey to be gay, and they don't talk about it at all.  Ryan Dean starts talking about it.  Actually Ryan Dean is most human when he's with Joey.

And it is hard for Joey.  He is attacked after a rugby game, but his roommate takes the blow for him.  He is harassed by football players, and in the end, he's killed because he is gay.

So, is this a funny book about a fourteen year old kid, or is it a book about being a true friend to someone that is hurting?  Maybe it's both.  But honestly, what I remember most about the book right now is the scene describing how Joey died.  Everything before that just seems washed out.  It's a pretty amazing thing that an author can have me laughing so hard through the vast majority of the book, then bring me to my knees in one sentence.

This is a teen book.  No adults allowed, unless, of course, you are a YA junkie and can handle the inner-working of the fourteen year old male mind (and believe me, adults do not want to see what's going on in there!).  But it's a powerful book.  One that I would really recommend to most high school students and it would also make a great book club book.  Let's also think about all of those Diary of a Wimpy Kid fans that are growing up and will need reading material.  I think that Winger is the perfect grown-up Wimpy Kid.

In the end, let's all be a better friend.  That's the big lesson here.  That, and Pokemon underwear are very comfortable.

Happy Reading!

Clementine

Clementine
by Sara Pennypacker
Turtleback Books, 2006
Format:  Beginning Chapter Book
Audience:  Early Elementary
ISBN:  9781417815388
Publication Date:  September 12, 2006


While most adults think that Clementine has a problem paying attention, she really pays excellent attention, just to unusual things.  Like the clouds out the window, the mustard on her teachers shirt, and ceiling snakes.  Also, she's helpful, but not in a normal way either.  When Margaret gets glue in her hair and tries to cut it out, Clementine helps by evening out the haircut, or cutting off all her hair, and then helps some more by coloring Margaret's head with permanent marker.  Clementine is the type of character that has a heart of gold, but some trouble executing her plans, except when it comes to pigeons, then she's right on!

Clementine is the first book that I read from the Bluestem List.  Since Bluestems tend to be longer, I didn't quite think it would be fair to blow through them all in four or five posts.  Also, I need more material to talk about.

Clementine as a Bluestem is tough.  Clementine is in 3rd grade and her friend is in 4th grade, which makes this a pretty solid book for 2-3 grades, but this is an award that goes up to 5th.  And, Clementine was already on the Monarch List in 2009, and it came in 6th.  See what I mean by saying that the Bluestem is going through some growing pains?  This list is still trying to figure out where it fits in with the Monarch and Caudill.

Forget the Bluestem for a minute.  Clementine as a character is very interesting.  She is definitely part of the spunky, yet age-appropriate backlash that came after the success of Junie B. Jones.  She has definite kid appeal, and readers will love her.  I'm sure that boy would enjoy hearing about some of her exploits, but this might be a hard sell for some boys as leisure reading.

There is also an important lesson about friendship and family in this book that gets overshadowed by Clementine's energy and enthusiasm.  The end is very touching and readers will know that her parents are not going to get rid of her, but haven't we all had that moment when we know we're not "the easy one".  And that realization is hard for kids to swallow.  Well, not me, because I was the perfect child.  You can stop laughing mom.

In general, Clementine strikes a chord with readers.  She's a little edgy, but honestly kind, and with a whole series to back her up, it's comfortable for readers to go back to her world.  As a Bluestem, I'm just not seeing a ton of success here.  It doesn't have quite enough appeal for a wide age range.  I give it 20-1 odds and I expect to find it in the bottom ten.  Not that it's not a great book, it is, but it's for a very specific age group.

Happy Reading!

Monarch Round-Up: My Picks

After weeks of tirelessly reading all 20 of the 2014 Monarch Award Nominees (really, it's 20 picture books and easy readers-this award list is a breeze), I've made my picks!

Now, the ranking of this list is very scientific.  I have researched student reading habits, Lexile levels, controlled vocabulary, signs of the moon, patterns found in rock formations, and the migration habits of bluebirds.  No, I haven't done any of that.  This is all just my opinion.

I think I'll start at the end and work my way up to the grand reveal!

20.  Same, Same by Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw (15-1)
19.  Swirl by Swirl:  Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman (20-1)
18.  The Camping Trip that Changed America:  Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir and Our National Parks by Barbara Rosenstock (20-1)
17.  The One and Only Stuey Lewis:  Stories from Second Grade by Jane Schoenberg (15-1)
16.  Perfect Square by Michael Hall (15-1)
15.  Bibloburro:  A True Story from Colombia by Jeanette Winters (10-1)
14.  Chicken Big by Keith Graves (8-1)
13.  One by Kathryn Otoshi (10-1)
12.  The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murray (10-1)
11.  Balloons Over Broadway:  the True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet (8-1)
10.  11 Experiments that Failed by Jenny Offill (3-1)
9.  Brothers at Bat:  The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick (7-1)
8.  The Trouble with Chickens by Doreen Cronin (20-1)
7.  Clever Jack Takes the Cake by Candace Fleming (8-1)
6.  Say Hello to Zorro! by Carter Goodrich (5-1)
5.  One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo (5-1)
4.  Meet the Dogs of Bedlam Farm by Jon Katz (10-1)
3.  Tales for Very Picky Eaters by Josh Schneider (5-1)
2.  I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen (3-1)
1.  I Wanna New Room by Karen Kaufman Orloff (5-1)

Putting together this ranking is kinda like picking my NCAA March Madness Bracket, I just go with my gut and sometimes I am surprised by the results.   Like 11 Experiments that Failed - I really like it, but I'm starting to doubt the kid appeal.  Also, after reading a great review on Goodreads, I had to give dark horse status to The Trouble with Chickens.  I do feel pretty confident that I Wanna New Room will finish strong, maybe not first place, but top five.

What are your thoughts?  Do you agree, disagree, would you like to passionately endorse Perfect Square or Same, Same but Different?  Leave me a comment or send me an email at misstiffread at gmail.com.

And for all things Monarch, check out the full list and round-ups one, two, three, and four.

Happy Reading!