Fall Reading 2013 Fortunately, the Milk

Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors, so I had to try out his new book. Reminiscent of And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, the father in Fortunately, the Milk has a very interesting tale to tell when he returns from an everyday errand down the street. The boy narrating the book explains that his mother is at a conference presenting a paper on lizards, so the dad is left in charge. When breakfast cannot be eaten because there is no milk for the cereal (or for dad's tea), he heads out to the store to get some. He is gone for "ages and ages." When the boy and his sister ask what took so long, the explanation involves - aliens, a spaceship, dinosaurs, a hot air balloon, a time travel machine, a volcano... You can see why the trip to the corner store took longer than expected, even when you leave out the bit about the piranhas. 

As usual, Gaiman's sense of humor pulls us into the story and has us laughing hard enough to make milk come out our noses (if we were unfortunate enough to have taken a drink while reading). The black and white line drawings by Skottie Young add a sense of manic energy to the action. If you enjoy Gaiman's other books, or stories that seem take on a life of their own, then you should definitely read this.

The publishers in the UK have provided videos of Neil Gaiman and the illustrator of the British version of the book (Chris Riddell) on the book's webpage. The book was published on September 17, 2013. HarperKids has a trailer featuring Neil Gaiman and there's another from Bloomsbury Publishing.

Fall Reading 2013 Lilly Babysits Her Brother

Brenda Bellingham's books about Lilly are an amusing addition to the First Novels series. This time Lilly is allowed to babysit her younger brother Mac while their parents go shopping for Mac's birthday present. She is even allowed to have her mom's smart phone so that she can call if there is a problem. Her friend Minna is helping at the family store, so she can't babysit with Lilly, but her friend Theresa comes over. Everything goes well until Mac finds a dead bird in the garden.

The characters in the Lilly stories are likable and realistic. Lilly likes both her friends, but wishes Minna was there to help babysit. She enjoys having Theresa over, but when Theresa tells Mac off and gets him upset - Lilly just wishes she would go home. Mac is a typical four-year-old; he's excited about his birthday and wants a puppy, even though he knows he is allergic and can't have one. Their parents are average suburban parents - they both have smart phones, have checked in with the neighbors to let them know Lilly may need backup during her babysitting assignment, and have waited until the last minute to go pick out a birthday present. It's just the sort of easy realistic fiction that beginning chapter book readers can relate to.

I would recommend this to readers who still think the Junie B. Jones or Judy Moody books are too long and prefer something closer to the size of the Bailey School Jr. books. you can find out about the other Lilly books on the webpage set up by the publishing company.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley. It will be published on April 1, 2014.

Fall Reading 2013 Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy

Andy Briggs has done a reboot on the Tarzan legend for its 100th anniversary. Tarzan first appeared in a story by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912 and has never left pop culture since. For today's audience Briggs portrays Tarzan as the son of wildlife activists, whose plane crashed in Zaire and Tarzan has no memory of them. He has grown up with a tribe of gorillas and become king of the jungle in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Jane comes to the jungle with her father and his friend Clark. The men have a "get rich" scheme of illegal logging in the rain forest and Jane is stuck in the logging camp with only one other person her age, a young man named Robbie who has stowed away on a freighter from the U.S. When Jane becomes lost, she encounters Tarzan and begins to piece together his story. The area is full of wildlife, rebel forces, poachers, and other dangers - but Jane comes to appreciate the wild beauty and even the brutality of survival.

If you enjoy adventure, eco-warriors defending the wild places of the Earth, heart-stopping danger, and daring heroes, then you should give Tarzan a try. This is no kind-hearted "George of the Jungle." Tarzan is 100% jungle predator. And the book has even captured the approval of Jane Goodall.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley, but the paperback and e-book were released last year..

The publisher's website includes a video with the author about the 100th anniversary of Tarzan stories. The author also has a trailer for this first book in the series.

Fall Reading 2013 Oddkins

Dean Koontz's fable is what would happen if "Toy Story" met The Velveteen Rabbit. When toymaker Isaac Bodkins dies, the magical toys he has created must make a dangerous journey to find the new toymaker that will take his place. The person they are looking for is Colleen Shannon, a toymaker who can accept her role and continue the work of making magical toys to help children. But there are dark forces at work to prevent Colleen from becoming the next owner of Isaac's factory. Evil toys trapped in the subcellar of the factory awaken and pursue the good toys across town, trying to catch them and rip their stuffings out. Isaac's nephew Victor plans to sell the contents of the factory, then tear it down and build a subdivision on the land. And a sinister felon wants to buy the factory and make more evil toys like the ones from the cellar. Can stuffed animals, no matter how determined, stand up to all these opponents?

Along their journey they learn things about themselves and about life - the importance of friendship, faith, and courage, among other things. Besides The Velveteen Rabbit, this also reminds me The Tale of Despereaux with his long journey and the way he comes to understand that he is not the most important thing in the world. If you liked either of those books, or "Toy Story," then you'll love this book.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley, but it was published September 4, 2012.

Fall Reading 2013 The Naturals

Jennifer Lynn Barnes tells the story of teenagers with incredible perception, "Naturals," who are recruited by the FBI. The plan is to hone their natural gifts and create incredible agents, a real asset to the Bureau. Of course with teenagers you have hormones and rebellion and drama. And when you're dealing with teenagers who have also had some sort of tragedy or trauma in their past, you can count on an extra dose of personality quirks. Cassie is recruited due to her ability to profile people and she learns there's another Natural like her named Dean. Michael can intuit people's emotions. Lia is a walking lie detector and Sloane is a genius with math and patterns.

If you took a couple of teens with Monk's ability to read the clues in a scene and combined them with a teenage girl version of Charlie from Numb3rs, you are starting to get the picture of the team. Anyone who enjoys detective dramas, police procedurals, or thrillers will probably enjoy this story. There are plenty of surprises and tense moments to keep you from putting it down until you reach the end.  Barnes also leaves enough untold that this could easily lead into an entire series with these characters. Due to the graphic descriptions of crime scenes, this would probably be best for teens and older readers. Here's a trailer for the book.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Fall Reading 2013 Ariel Bradley: Spy for General Washington

Lynda Durrant's story is based on real events from the Revolutionary War. Ariel Bradley was only nine years old when General George Washington asked him to help gather information on British troops in the area near his family's farm. Ariel pretended to be a country boy lost on his way to the mill and wandered into (and out of) British and Hessian camps. The soldiers all saw him as a harmless boy. They didn't realize he was looking carefully around and getting an estimate of their troop strength and firepower. His reconnaissance helped General Washington plan a successful engagement with the British at White Plains, New York. Ms. Durrant has retold the story with details of what Ariel probably thought and felt while he conducted his mission.

If you enjoy American history or stories of heroic children, then you should read this book. 

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley. It was published September 1, 2013.

Fall Reading 2013 Nowhere to Run (Unstoppable Book One)

Jude Watson has written the first book in the latest 39 Clues series. This time the Cahills are up against an adversary that seems unbeatable. He controls major media outlets and has begun a campaign to ruin their reputation and possibly cover up their deaths as being accidents during dangerous stunts. No matter where they go, he keeps Amy and Dan plastered on the newspapers, magazines and gossip websites with terrible headlines that make them out to be spoiled rich kids playing pranks for amusement. Meanwhile, he has his goons hunting them down and trying to kill them. The only hope for the Cahills lies in old journals Grace has stored away for them in a safe-house. As the crew swings back into action they travel to Ireland, then Istanbul and Nellie bravely takes on their opponent closer to home in Delaware. Jonah, Ian, Hamilton, Jake, and Atticus are also working to defeat this mysterious enemy. 

If you've followed the 39 Clues through the original series and then Cahills vs. Vespers, you won't want to give up now. Try out this latest series and prepare for more adventure, danger, and ancient cultures. Don't forget to join the online game at the Scholastic website. (The website is open for Scholastic Kids accounts only. Sign up for an account if you don't have one yet.)

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley, but we have a copy in the library. If you have followed the Cahills this far, you need to come check out this latest release. Watch some Reader's Theater with a few of the authors from the 39 Clues series.