Current & previous staff reviews (by year):
September 2010
Book Reviews from The Children's Bookstore Staff
Featuring Book Festival Authors' Books
Zombies vs. Unicorns
(Friday 9/24, 6:30PM, Zombies vs. Unicorns Debate)
It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths—for good and evil—of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad) side of zombies. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors, including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn?
Leviathan
(Friday 9/24, 6:30PM, Zombies vs. Unicorns Debate - Team Zombie)
Best-selling author Scott Westerfeld has brought his insight into the lives of young people and his talent for creating worlds to this new Steampunk alternate history novel set during WWI. It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists and their allies rely on genetic engineering to create new species like the great whale airship Leviathan. The story centers around Alex, the fugitive orphaned son of the assassinated Archduke Ferdinand and Daryn Sharp, a girl disguised as a boy serving as an airman for the British Aerial Service.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth
(Friday 9/24, 6:30PM, Zombies vs. Unicorns Debate - Team Zombie)
The Forests of Hands and Teeth is set in a post-apocalyptic world of wire-fenced communities in constant peril of being overrun by 'The Unconsecrated' (those who refuse to stay dead and who crave the flesh of living humans) whose bites are poisonous. When the community's defenses are breached, Mary and a small band of survivors are forced to flee into a previously unknown maze of wire tunnels through the Forest of Hands and Teeth.
Skin Hunger
(Friday 9/24, 6:30PM, Zombies vs. Unicorns Debate - Team Unicorn)
(Saturday 9/25, 5:00PM)
In a world where magic has been banned, vestiges are hidden in old rhymes and hearth tales and in people like Sadima. When rumors of her gift reach a young nobleman obsessed with restoring magic, he sends his servant Franklin to find her. Franklin's irrevocable bond to the brilliant and dangerous Somiss traps Sadima, too. Centuries later magic has been restored, but it is strictly controlled by wizards within a sequestered academy of magic. Hahp, the expendable second son of a rich merchant, is forced into the academy. Only one of the ten students will graduate—and the first academic requirement is survival. Sadima's and Hahp's worlds are separated by generations, but their lives are connected in surprising and powerful ways in this National Book Award Finalist.
Ascendant
(Friday 9/24, 6:30PM, Zombies vs. Unicorns Debate - Team Unicorn)
Forget everything you knew about unicorns... Astrid Llewelyn has always scoffed at her eccentric mother's stories about killer unicorns. But when one attacks her boyfriend—ruining any chance of him taking her to prom—Astrid finds herself headed to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter at the ancient Cloisters the hunters have used for centuries. However, all is not what it seems at the Cloisters. Outside, unicorns wait to attack. And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from bone-covered walls that vibrate with terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to her growing attraction to a handsome art student... an attraction that could jeopardize everything.
Good Neighbors Book 1: Kin
(Holly Black - Friday 9/24, 6:30PM, Zombies vs. Unicorns Debate - Team Unicorn & Ted Naifeh - Friday 9/24, 5:30PM)
This young adult graphic novel is an urban fairy adventure that combines classic elements of fairy folklore with Holly Black's mastery of the genre and Ted Naifeh's stunning illustrations. In this 1st book of a series, Rue Silver (child of a Faerie mother and a human father) must venture into Faerie to find her mother who was snatched back into Faerie when Rue’s father broke a promise.
Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things
(Friday 9/24, 5:30PM)
Courtney Crumrin is a strange girl with extremely materialistic parents with whom she does not relate. When the Crumrin family moves in with their wealthy uncle, Professor Aloysius Crumrin, Courtney is even more unhappy; not only is she a complete outcast at school, but Prof. Crumrin's home seems to be full of unseen creatures. Uncle Aloysius calls them the "Night Things." Courtney soon becomes a student of the mystical arts and begins the path to becoming a witch. Her encounters with the dark creatures lingering at the edges of our world are sometimes frightening and sometimes funny. Courtney is a tough girl, and she walks a thin line between good and dark magic.
Dave the Potter
(Saturday 9/25, 1:00PM)
The moving true story of a slave with astonishing talent, Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by National Book Award Finalist Laban Carrick Hill and Caldecott Honor illustrator Bryan Collier is a tribute to a little-known but extraordinary historic figure. During his life as a slave in South Carolina in the 1800s, Dave created innumerable works of superb pottery, which were sometimes inscribed with his own poems ranging from the whimsical to deeply emotional. Dave's pottery is valued today not only for its creative accomplishment but for its major influence on the history of ceramics.
If You're a Monster and You Know It
(Saturday 9/25, 1:30PM)
Children will stomp their paws, twitch their tails, snort and growl, and wiggle and wriggle along with this bright and bold picture book twist on "If You're Happy and You Know It." Rebecca Emberley has written a rollicking text, which she has illustrated in collaboration with her father, Caldecott Medalist Ed Emberley. Includes a fun sing-along song by Adrian Emberley which can be downloaded at www2.scholastic.com/browse/media.jsp?id=1358
Todd's TV
(Saturday 9/25, 2:00PM)
Todd's parents were pretty busy people. When the phone rang they told him to go watch TV, when it rained outside they put him in front of the TV, when they had parent things to discuss Todd watched TV. Then one night, when his parents were trying to figure out who would go to Todd's parent-teacher conference, Todd's TV volunteered to do the job. Soon, Todd's TV was doing just about everything for Todd. Then one day, the TV announced it's desire to adopt Todd legally. What could Todd's parents do? Luckily, Todd has the answer.
Goliath: Hero of the Great Baltimore Fire
(Saturday 9/25, 2:30PM)
Goliath was a noble Percheron who led the team of horses that pulled the five ton water tower for engine company fifteen. Engine Company 15 was first to arrive at the John E. Hurst Company, where the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 began. Goliath was badly burned when the building exploded but he pulled the water tower and its driver to safety. Any ordinary horse would have died of the injuries Goliath suffered but when he returned to the firehouse after months of healing, Goliath was ready and willing to take up his work again. Claudia Friddell (a teacher at Gilman School) has brought to light a fascinating piece of Baltimore history. Friddell's text is accompanied by Howell's beautiful illustrations.
Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom
(Saturday 9/25, 3:00PM)
Franklin Piccolino's alter ego Frankie Pickle (a mix of pop culture icons including Indiana Jones) has great adventures. In this first book of the series, Frankie Pickle's messy room spawns a wild adventure. Short chapters combined with black and white cartoon illustrations make for a fun read.
Lunch Lady and the Author Visit Vendetta
(Saturday 9/25, 3:00PM)
She may dish out the daily special at lunch time, but that's not all she does. Lunch Lady doesn't just serve out sloppy joes—she serves out justice. In the Author Visit Vendetta, Lunch Lady senses something off about the visiting world famous author and in Summer Camp Shakedown, Lunch Lady takes on the legend of the swamp monster. Once again the Breakfast Bunch (Dee, Hector, and Terrence) must help Lunch Lady prevail against a secret enemy!
Dragonbreath
(Saturday 9/25, 3:00PM)
Danny Dragonbreath is the only mythical creature at a school full of amphibians and reptiles. Danny's got it rough: he can't breath fire, the bully keeps stealing his lunch, and now he's gotten an F on his report about the ocean and has to rewrite it using real research. Danny has a much better plan than getting his research done at the library. In Attack of the Ninja Frogs, Danny takes on a band of ninja frogs trying to kidnap the new foreign exchange student.
68 Rooms
(Saturday 9/25, 4:00PM)
The Thorne Rooms, the 68 exquisitely detailed miniature rooms of varying time periods housed at the Chicago Art Institute, are the setting for this art-inspired adventure-fantasy. Jack and Ruthie are able to travel in time and to change their size from dollhouse miniature to real size. These abilities allow them to solve more than one intriguing mystery.
Enola Holmes and the Missing Marquess
(Saturday 9/25, 5:00PM)
When Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of detective Sherlock Holmes, discovers her mother has disappeared—on her 14th birthday nonetheless—she knows she alone can find her. Disguising herself as a grieving widow, Enola sets out to the heart of London to uncover her mother's whereabouts but not even the last name Holmes can prepare her for what awaits. Suddenly involved in the kidnapping of the young Marquess of Basilwether, Enola must escape murderous villains, free the spoiled Marquess, and perhaps hardest of all, elude her shrewd older brother—all while collecting clues to her mother's disappearance!
Sphinx's Queen
(Saturday 9/25, 5:00PM)
Ancient Egypt springs to life in this enthralling sequel to Sphinx's Princess. As she did in Nobody's Princess and Nobody's Prize, author Esther Friesner offers readers a fresh look at an iconic figure, blending historical fiction and mythology in a heady concoction.
Animal Crackers Fly the Coop
(Saturday 9/25, 6:00PM)
Animal Crackers Fly the Coop is executed in the same artistic and linguistic style as Gimme Cracked Corn and I Will Share. This retelling of the Bremen Town Musicians is populated by a comedi-hen, a stand-up dog, a crooning cat, and a cow-medien, plus a whole load of corny jokes and fun puns.
N.E.R.D.S. National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society
(Sunday 9/26, 12:00PM)
A group of nerds run the National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society (N.E.R.D.S.) from within their elementary school. With the help of cutting-edge science their nerdy qualities are enhanced to become superpowers. (The paste-eating kid can stick to walls, and there are some seriously high-tech braces.) The N.E.R.D.S. battle a variety of diabolical villains including the Hyena, a beauty pageant contestant turned assassin.
Dust Devil
(Sunday 9/26, 12:30PM)
Here is the thrilling, thigh-slapping companion to Swamp Angel, the beloved Caldecott Honor–winning picture book. Swamp Angel has a reputation as the greatest woodswoman and wildest wildcat in all of Tennessee. But when she grows too big for that state, she moves to Montana, a place so sizeable, even Angel can fit in. It's there that she wrestles a raging storm to the ground and, at its center, finds herself a sidekick—a horse she names Dust Devil. And when Backward Bart, the orneriest, ugliest outlaw ever known, starts terrorizing the prairie, seems like Angel and Dust Devil may be the only ones strong enough to stop him.
The Night Fairy
(Sunday 9/26, 1:00PM)
Barrett's exquisite illustrations enhance Schlitz's already charming, witty garden adventure of Flory, a dark-skinned wingless fairy with substance and determination. A thoughtfully produced volume, The Night Fairy should become a classic. This world needs more Florys!
Pals in Peril: Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware
(Sunday 9/26, 1:30PM)
It is a land of wonders. It is a land of mystery. It is a land that time forgot (or chose specifically not to remember). Cut off from the civilized world for untold years by prohibitive interstate tolls at the New Jersey border, this land is called: Delaware. It is into the mist-shrouded heart of this forbidden mountainous realm that our plucky and intrepid heroes, Jasper Dash: Boy Technonaut and his friends Lily Gefelty and Katie Mulligan, must journey to unravel a terrible mystery in this weird, wonderful, and wacky adventure.
The Real Spy's Guide to Becoming a Spy
(Sunday 9/26, 2:00PM)
This is the official handbook for kids who dream of one day becoming a spy or working in the intelligence field. Have you ever wondered what spies really do. This fascinating, fact-filled book answers these questions and more while providing a historical timeline, definitions of key terms, suggestions for further reading, an index, quizzes, and exercises to see if you have the right spy stuff.
Lulu and the Brontosaurus
(Sunday 9/26, 2:30PM)
Lulu wants a pet brontosaurus for her birthday. When her parents say no, Lulu takes matters into her own hands. In the forest, she meets Mr. Brontosaurus who thinks that having a pet would be a wonderful thing. The only problem: Mr. B wants Lulu to be his pet.
Emily's Fortune
(Sunday 9/26, 3:00PM)
From Newbery Award winner Phyllis Reynolds Naylor comes a witty tale of the Wild West filled with comical cliffhangers and featuring a cast of plucky orphans and dastardly villains. Emily Wiggins is poor and timid, without a drop of self-confidence. When she is unexpectedly orphaned, she is left all alone except for her turtle, Rufus. What in blinkin' bloomers should Emily do? Emily's neighbors, Mrs. Ready, Mrs. Aim, and Mrs. Fire, have the answer: Emily must travel by stagecoach to the home of her honorable aunt Hilda. What a rootin' tootin' grand idea! But Miss Catchum of the Catchum Child-Catching Services will get a big bonus for delivering Emily to her next of kin, the vicious Uncle Victor. How the ding dong dickens will Emily escape Miss Catchum? It will take all the gumption and cunning of fellow orphan and traveler Jackson to help Emily find her confidence, her conniving spirit, and the true reason Uncle Victor wants to claim her. But how in flippin' flapjacks will Emily outsmart Uncle Victor?
The Snowball Effect
(Sunday 9/26, 4:30PM)
Lainey Pike can tell you everything you need to know about the people in her family just by letting you know how they died. Her reckless stepfather drove his motorcycle off the highway, causing the biggest traffic jam in years. Her long-suffering grandmother lived through cancer and a heart attack before succumbing to a stroke. And Lainey's mother—well, Lainey's mother hanged herself in the basement just days after Lainey's high school graduation. Now Lainey's five-year-old brother is an orphan and her estranged older sister is moving back home to be his guardian. Meanwhile, Lainey's boyfriend is thinking about having a family of their own, and her best friends are always asking the wrong sorts of questions and giving advice Lainey doesn't want to hear. As she tries to pull away from everything familiar, Lainey meets an intriguing new guy who, through a series of Slurpees, burgers, and snowballs, helps her to make peace with a parent she never understood.
Freak Magnet
(Sunday 9/26, 4:30PM)
Gloria is the freak magnet, Charlie is the freak. When they first meet, Gloria assumes Charlie is just like all the other freaks who feel compelled to talk to her. She'll write him down in her Freak Folio (a record of a year's worth of encounters) and forget about him. Circumstance and contrivance work to bring these two together in a friendship both desperately need.
Forget-Her-Nots
(Sunday 9/26, 4:30PM)
Something—some power—is blooming inside Laurel. She can use flowers to do things, like bring back lost memories or help friends ace tests, or make people fall in love. She suspects her newfound ability has something to do with an ancient family secret. Clues, signs, and secret messages seem to be all around Laurel at Avondale School, where her mother had also boarded as a student. Can Laurel piece everything together quickly enough to control her power, which is growing more potent every day? Or will she set the stage for the most lovestruck, infamous prom in the history of the school?
The Unwritten Rule
(Sunday 9/26, 4:30PM)
Sarah and Brianna have always been friends, and it's always gone like this: guys talk to Sarah in order to get closer to Brianna. So even though Sarah met Ryan first, she's not surprised that he ends up with Brianna (even though Sarah has a massive crush on him). The three of them hang out, and Sarah and Ryan's friendship grows until one night an innocent exchange between them leads to a moment that makes Sarah realize that Ryan might be interested in her after all. But if there's one unwritten rule, it's this: you don't mess around with a friend's boyfriend. So Sarah tries to resist temptation. But with the three of them thrown together more and more, tension builds between Sarah and Ryan, and when they find themselves alone together at one point, they realize they just can't fight how they feel anymore....