Shelly's Book Blog

Johanna Hurwitz is the author of Pee-Wee's Tale, which is the first in the Park Pals Adventure series. This is a short book, appropriate for third- or fourth-graders. Pee-Wee is a guinea pig whose mother used the torn-up newspaper in the bottom of their cage to teach him how to read. Pee-Wee is adopted as a pet but later abandoned in a public park.
He misses the boy who owned him but quickly makes friends with a squirrel named Lexi, who helps Pee-Wee find food and shelter. Pee-Wee's reading skill helps him help his new friends, and the story has a happy ending.
The other two books in the series are Lexi's Tale and Pee-Wee and Plush. This is a charming little series for kids who don't want anything too long and who like books with animal main characters.

Elizabeth Bird, who blogs for School Library Journal, included Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor on her list of books that might be 2009Newbery winners, so I decided to read it. The story is told from the perspective of a 12-year-old girl named Addie, who lives with her mother, Denise, in a small trailer.
Although we are never told directly, it appears that Denise suffers from bipolar disorder. Addie says that with her mother it has to be "all or nothing." Whatever the reason, Denise is a lousy mother, leaving Addie alone for days to fend for herself. Addie seems to be quite the optimist, and she copes with her mother's odd behavior well. Still, throughout this story we see her dealing with more than a 12-year-old should have to face: divorce, theft, and even cancer and death.

Despite the serious issues which challenge Addie, the book is not a downer. On the contrary, I found Addie's cheerful disposition and strength in the face of so much adversity inspiring. This is not a book that everyone will like, but Addie's story may be very appealing and comforting for kids who find themselves in similar circumstances.

Since I liked Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series so much, I decided to read her new, adult novel called The Host, and I found it to be just as much a page turner as her previous three novels. The premise is a bit strange -- the heroine is an alien "soul" who takes over the body of another woman. The other woman, however, refuses to relinquish her body and the two end up sharing the body.
Of course, it would not be a proper Stephenie Meyer novel if there were not an intense, all-consuming love interest, so enter Jared, who is part of a rebel colony of humans who have not yet been taken over by the invading alien species. Wanderer, the soul, and Menalie, the human whose body she inhabits, both feel a strong desire to find Jared, and so the adventure begins.

The novel is good science fiction in that it is not just about weird aliens and space ships but also about how those aliens' habits and philosophies shed light on what it means to be human. The "souls" are a gentle species, despite their seemingly violent, parasitic nature, and we humans appear pretty violent and petty in comparison. It's not all bad, though, because humans' anger, jealousy, and resentment are balanced by equally positive emotions such as love, loyalty, and commitment.

I cannot possibly say enough good things about The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, by Jeanne Birdsall. This is one of those books that I couldn't wait to finish because I wanted to know what happens, but at the same time I was sad to finish because that meant my time spent with these wonderful characters was at an end. The Penderwicks are one of those endearing families in literature whose imperfections seem to be the source of their charm. The family consists of Martin, the widowed father who is a college professor and often expresses himself in Latin, his four daughters, Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty, and the family dog, Hound. The wife and mother, Elizabeth, died tragically from cancer shortly after the youngest daughter, Batty, was born.



They live in an idyllic house in an idyllic neighborhood. There is an unspoiled woodland area within walking distance of their home where the girls have played their whole lives, and they seem well acquainted with all the neighbors on their quiet cul-de-sac -- except for the new single mom who has just moved in with her infant son. I suppose the widowed father + widowed mother/new neighbor set up is a bit predictable, but the author has plenty of excitement to offer her readers that keeps us turning page after page.

For example, Jane, who likes to write stories, and Skye, who is good at math and science, decide to trade homework assignments. Jane writes a play about the Aztecs for Skye, and Skye writes an essay for Jane about how science has helped improve our lives. Unfortunately, Jane's play is chosen to be performed at the school and Skye is chosen to be the lead. There is also a story about Martin beginning to date again, much to the horrow of his eldest daughter, Rosalind. She gathers the sisters together to come up with a plan to save their father by arranging dates with horrible women so that he will give up the idea altogether. The results of both storylines are very funny. I just loved this book and hope that Jeanne Birdsall will write more about these characters!

I'm not a horror fan, but Coraline, by Neil Gaiman, is one scary story I found well worth reading. Actually, I would say creepy is a better word to describe this strange but compelling story. Coraline is a young girl who lives with her rather neglectful parents (or so it seems to Coraline). She is often bored, and the story finds her interacting with her neighbors, looking for entertainment. Unfortunately, the neighbors can't even seem to get her name right (they call her Caroline). Coraline enjoys exploring, but unfortunately this leads to trouble. There is a mysterious, locked door in her family's apartment that opens onto a brick wall. Coraline's mother explains that the building used to be one house, and when it was divided into apartments this door was permanently blocked.

One day Coraline, left again to her own devices, unlocks the door and is surprised to see that the brick wall has been replaced by a long, dark passageway. She walks through and the nightmare begins. The other side is a sort of copy of her own house and comes complete with "the other mother" and "the other father," along with copies for other people, places, and even animals that inhabit Coraline's world. This alternate world seems great at first (these other neighbors at least get her name right), but it is not long before Coraline realizes that something is amiss.

This short but inventive tale should satisfy horror fans' desire for frightening situations and images, but I recommend it because it tackles, in an original and thoughtful way, that "grass is greener" issue that so many of us deal with in our real lives.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey was every bit as good as the first book. In this story, the four children are supposed to participate in a scavenger hunt, designed by Mr. Benedict, as a way of celebrating their first anniversary together. However, Mr. Benedict's evil twin brother, Mr. Curtain, captures his brother and the fun turns into another dangerous mission that will require the skills of all four members of the Benedict Society. We meet some interesting new characters, such as the cheerful and helpful Cannonball and Mr. Benedict's friend, Captain Nolan. There is even a kindhearted librarian named Sophie who believes in and helps the children at one of their more difficult moments. Lots of adventure here, as well as some important issues such as trust, loyalty, and truth, to think about.
I hightly recommend this book for both boys and girls!

Rick Riordan has a new installment of his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series coming out this month: The Battle of the Labyrinth. While I am eagerly awaiting the book’s arrival, I thought I’d revisit the first three books in the series, which are some of my favorite recent reads. Book 1 is called The Lightning Thief, and it is here that the series hero, Perseus Jackson, finds out that his father is Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. Book 2 is The Sea of Monsters, and book 3 is The Titan’s Curse. In each of these books Percy and his friends (most of them kids who also have a Greek god for a parent) go on exciting adventures and meet many characters from Greek mythology, most of whom are presented with a humorous modern twist. I really love this series, as a mom because I know my kids are learning about Greek mythology as they read, but also as a reader because Riordan knows how to write a compelling story.

In my April 24 post about David Lee Stone's Ratastrophe Catastrophe (Book 1 of The Illmoor Chronicles ), I said I did not care for it because it was just not my kind of humor and the characters were not well-developed. Well, my husband read the book and loved it! His comment was that Stone seems "like Terry Pratchett's son," (i.e., not quite as good as Pratchett but with a promising future as a Pratchett-styled satirist). My husband is now reading the sequel, The Yowler Foul-UP, and he says he's sure our boys will love these books. Since my library does not have Book 1, I will recommend it to the children's librarians.

Since so many kids have been asking at the library for Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid, I decided to buy a copy for myself and find out why it's so popular. Then, before I had a chance to read it, one of my sons picked up the book and read the whole thing in one sitting. As soon as he finished, he read the sequel, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules -- all this in one afternoon, without stopping. Keep in mind that my son rarely reads anything but video game guides and Garfield comic books unless he has to, so I decided to move this one up on the "to read" list.
I was glad I did. This book is a true gem -- very funny and easy to read, with plenty of comic book style illustrations to add to the humor. I really enjoyed it and I think this series is going to have wide appeal -- for reluctant and avid readers alike. George and Harold (the stars of Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants books) and Greg Heffley, the journal writer of the Wimpy Kid books, have a lot in common, so if you're a Captain Underpants fan, you're going to love the Wimpy Kid books.

The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart, was just terrific! The main characters are four children who, for one reason or another, find themselves alone in the world and are recruited by Mr. Benedict to go on a dangerous mission to save the world. Before they are chosen for the assignment, though, they are put through a series of tests, which the reader can kind of take along with them, trying to figure out riddles and come up with solutions to difficult problems. I especially liked the question about chess!

The kids eventually are enrolled in L.I.V.E. (Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened) in order to try to figure out what exactly the Institute's founder is up to with his "Whisperer" machine. The plot is exciting, the characters memorable and well-developed, and the ending satisfying. I am now reading the sequel, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey. If you liked Lemony Snicket's books, you will probably like these as well.