12.31.2012
The Year of the Book, written by Andrea Cheng, illustrated by Abigail Halpin, 146 pp, RL 3
What better way to start the new year than with The Year of the Book byAndrea
Cheng and illustrated by Abigail
Halpin? If I ever wrote a book, The Year of the Book is exactly the kind of book I would write. If I could write. As a reader and connoisseur of books, you may never think about how hard it is to actually write a book because you are too busy enjoying them. That was me. With my new job, I get to read a lot of books in the manuscript form, in varying stages of completion, from people with contracts and agents and people without and my respect for the job that writers do has deepened profoundly. I have always been in awe of craftsmen who work with wood because of the precision, math and skill that is required to make something. I now feel that way about authors who write great books. Even mediocre books. Writing is hard! And I know from personal experience. I have to confess to having one of those, "How hard can it be?" moments a few months ago and I couldn't even write a full page, despite the great outline I made. So, I want to start off 2013 with a big salute to those of you who write! I respect the hard work that you do and, as someone who had/has a relationship with books similar to that of Anna Wang, the main character in The Year of the Book, I am eternally grateful to writers for creating friends for me, teaching me empathy and expanding my intellect, as a child and as an adult.
The Year of the Book is a "quiet book," an industry term I learned recently. Nothing catastrophic happens, nobody dies an there are no big "Aha!" moments with laughs and hugs at the end. Nevertheless, The Year of the Book is a book that will impact readers and linger in their memories long after the wonderfully illustrated covers are closed. Anna Wang is in fourth grade. Her best friend, Laura has started hanging around with Allison and Lucy, who are not very nice to Anna or Laura, for that matter. But Anna has her books to keep her company and she reads every chance she gets. Anna does not read to fill the absence, but because she genuinely loves to read. A challenge Anna faces in The Year of the Book is knowing when to put her book aside and pay attention to her friends. And, while Allison and Lucy are mean girls, navigating their social circle - even staying out of it -takes some work.
As Veronica Chambers eloquently says in her review of The Year of the Book for the New York Times,
While Anna draws lessons from reading, she also hides in her books
to avoid the messy work of friendship. Ultimately, it is Anna’s mother
who teaches her what it means to be the sort of person you read about in
novels. Mrs Wang may struggle with the language, but she has no
trouble translating the gift of nurturing friendship and building
community.
Cheng layers Anna's story with the embarrassment that she feels when her classmates learn that her mother rides the bus to clean people's apartments with the fact that Anna usually accompanies her and enjoys this time, especially the elderly Mr Shepherd who takes an interest in Anna's creative side, giving her paints and fabric that belonged to his wife. There is also Mr Simmons, the crossing guard, that Anna looks forward to seeing and chatting with everyday. Anna shows him the cloth drawstring bag she sews herself (easy four-step directions are on the back cover of The Year of the Book) and makes one for him later on in the story. There is also the Chinese school Anna starts attending on the weekends and the writing assignments Mrs Robinson gives the fourth grade class. Finally, there is Laura and the disintegration of her family that has her vacillating between Allison and Anna, leaving Anna cautious about sharing her time (and putting down her book) for Laura. But, in the often quiet way that real life often unfolds, Anna makes it through her Year of the Book.
Abigail Halpin's illustrations in The Year of the Book are perfect, and this is my absolute favorite! Anna's class goes to Mr Schmizt's room for science and, in the back of the classroom is a bathtub filled with pillows and a bookcase within reach. Anna makes sure to get her work done early so she can have a few minutes in the reading tub and gets so engrossed in From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler by EL Konigsberg book that she doesn't hear the rest of the class as they prepare to leave. Which leads me to another thing I love about The Year of the Book. Cheng mentions, by name, every single book that Anna reads and enjoys over the course of her Year of Books and Halpin does recognizable illustrations of the jackets of these books on cover of The Year of the Book, and they make up a stellar reading list!
Source: Review Copy
12.28.2012
The Best Middle-Grade and Chapter Books of 2012
While I have made four "Best of" picture books list now, this is only my second "Best of" list for middle-grade and chapter books and I am still refining it. As I was compiling and winnowing my list for this year, I noticed some themes. So, this year the list is categorized! And, like a stripy shirt or the right pair of jeans, I am hoping the categories will hide the true heft of the list(s). I'll start with a genre that has existed for a very long time, (John Bellairs, an author from my childhood, is a great example and I really need to review his books here) mysteries with a bit of magic but I just sort of noticed it this year. Interestingly enough, three of the four books in this category could also be termed Historical Fantasy, mysteries with a touch of magic set in the past, my favorite! And, please excuse the size of the graphic novel list. It was too hard to narrow it down...
The Best MYSTERIES with MAGIC of 2012
Here Where the Sunbeams Are Green by Helen Phillips
The Apothecary by Maile Meloy
The Aviary by Kathleen O'Dell
Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms by Lissa Evans
The Best HISTORICAL FICTION of 2012
13 Hangmen by Art Corriveau
The Best HISTORICAL FICTION of 2012
City of Orphans by Avi
Tracks by Diane Lee Wilson
The BEST ANIMAL STORIES of 2012
Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani
Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker
The Best FANTASY of 2012
The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver
Cold Cereal by Adam Rex
A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle
The Best GRAPHIC NOVELS of 2012
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales by Nathan Hale
DRAMA by Raina Telgemeier
A Wrinkle In Time adapted and illustrated by Hope Larson
The Stone Frog by David Nytra
Earthling! by Mark Fearing
Fangbone! Third-Grade Barbarian by Michael Rex
Explorer : The Mystery Boxes edited by Kazu Kibuishi
A Wrinkle In Time adapted and illustrated by Hope Larson
The Stone Frog by David Nytra
Earthling! by Mark Fearing
Fangbone! Third-Grade Barbarian by Michael Rex
Explorer : The Mystery Boxes edited by Kazu Kibuishi
Best CHAPTER BOOKS of 2012
Sadie and Ratz by Sonya Hartnett
And, of course, these brilliant graphic-novel-beginnning-to-read books from TOON BOOKS that came out in 2012!
The BEST ADULT BOOK THAT IS GREAT FOR TEENS of 2012
Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
12.24.2012
Best Picture Books of 2012
THE BEST PICTURE BOOKS OF 2012
This marks my fourth annual list of the best picture books of the year. This also marks my last year of compiling this list as a professional story-time lady. Working at the bookstore, weekly story times were always my favorite part of the job. I loved trying out books on the kids (who, on the whole, sat rapt no matter what I read) and I especially loved finding lesser known books to share with my little listeners. Besides the chagrin I feel at the loss of event that was part of my life for seventeen years, I am a little nervous about my abilities to share the best in picture books with you without the opportunity to test drive them on a live audience, so to speak. However, there is a lovely little independent bookstore near my office and I think I might just start heading over there once a week for their story time so I stay in touch with the people these books are being written and illustrated for.
I tried to keep my list to 20 books and failed. So, to make it seem not-so-long, I have divided it into categories!
14 PICTURE BOOKS I JUST LOVE -
FOR THE ART AND THE STORY
MATTHEW CORDELL SPECIAL MENTION
These three books would have made it onto this "best of list" anyway, but I just thought it was so cool that this spectacular author/illustrator had FOUR picture books out this year, three of which I reviewed here and read at story time and love to bits!
BEST WORDLESS PICTURE BOOKS
I think that Enchanted Lion has this genre covered, especially while Arthur Geisert keeps making books!
BEST ROBOT BOOKS
Need I say more?
BEST HALLOWEEN BOOK (or anytime book) OF THE YEAR
The rhyme and pace of Nathan Hale and Rick Walton, as well as the illustrations, are spot on and they parody Ludwig Bemelman's MADELINE in the best spirit possible.
BEST INTERACTIVE BOOK
Alan Ahlberg returns to the glory of the JOLLY POSTMAN books that he wrote and his wife Janet illustrated. This time, daughter Jessica takes over the illustrating and does a lovely job.
BEST CONCEPT BOOK
A brilliant example of what a creative mind paired with fantastic design can do with an old theme.
BEST PICTURE BOOK FEATURING A
SURREALIST ARTIST AS A CHARACTER
DB Johnson is a genius when it comes to taking an adult figure from the world of art, history or philosophy and making the person and concept they are best known for (as he did with Henry David Thoreau in his Henry books) interesting to kids.
BEST PICTURE BOOK FEATURING A BEAT WRITER AS A CHARACTER
This book captures wonderfully the exuberant love of his country and joyful freedom of travel that Jack Kerouac experienced and channeled into his book On the Road.
BEST PICTURE BOOK THAT INTRODUCES WORLD RELIGIONS TO KIDS
A spectacular journey through the Muslim world and holidays, gorgeously illustrated.
BEST NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK
This beautifully written and delightfully illustrated book tells the story of Julia Child's Parisian cat, Minette.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)