Children's Festival of Reading May 17, 2014

The Picture Book Panel - including our friend Jessica Young

Ms. Costner with her "keypal" Toni Buzzeo

Andrea Davis Pinkney reading one of her books to the crowd

Brian Pinkney sketching his wife Andrea

Toni Buzzeo acting out Stay Close to Mama with help from volunteers

Chris Grabenstein reading Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Zachariah Ohora drawing Bernard from Stop Snoring, Bernard

Ms. Costner with Clifford the Big Red Dog

Summer Reading 2014 Leroy Ninker Saddles Up: Tales from Deckawoo Drive #1

Kate DiCamillo fans everywhere, rejoice! In this return to the neighborhood of Mercy Watson, Kate tells the story of a man on a quest. To be specific, it is the story of a cowboy in search of a horse. Leroy Ninker works at the Bijou DriveIn Theater and loves watching the Western double features each week. He dreams of being a cowboy and wears boots, a hat, and a lasso - but he has no horse. How can he be a cowboy if he can't ride off into the sunset? So he searches the "for sale" ads to find a horse and finds Maybelline. Leroy is a tiny little man who is hugely funny, especially when you combine him with his horse. The way he talks to and feeds Maybelline will draw chuckles from readers of all ages.

If you enjoy Kate's other books, particularly the style of her Mercy Watson stories, then you must read Leroy Ninker Saddles Up. It will have you calling out, "Yippie-i-oh!" before you know it. For those who haven't tried a DiCamillo book yet, this warmhearted story of a man pursuing his dream (and his horse) is a great introduction to her work.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley. It will be released in stores on August 26,  2014.

Summer Reading 2014 Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor

As funny as a chapter-book version of Robot Zot! Frank Einstein is staying with his grandpa Al in his Fix It shop while Frank's parents are traveling in Antarctica. He combines some of the spare parts and broken appliances lying around and makes a robot, which he tries to charge up with an electrical storm. That experiment fails, but later that night a stray spark causes part of the robotic brain to begin working and Klink assembles himself - a robot with artificial intelligence capable of learning and becoming smarter. Klank also assembles himself, mostly, but without the computing power of Klink's brain. Together with Frank and his friend Watson, they work to build a winning entry in the Midville Science Contest. But will Frank's nemesis, T. Edison, take the prize and Frank's best ideas?

Jon Scieszka is always funny and this book is no exception to that rule. He makes Frank's fascination with science into something entertaining and fun. I know many readers will be wishing for their own robots and antimatter motors by the time they finish the story. The illustrations and the extra material in the back matter just add to the overall zaniness. (And the references to Professor Poopypants are helpful, too.)

Readers of all ages who enjoy inventions, gadgets, and scientific theories will be laughing out loud and cheering for Frank Einstein - and eagerly awaiting his next adventure.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley. It will be published August 19, 2014.  In the meantime, visit Jon's website or follow him on Twitter. 

Update: We added a copy of this book to our library through our Fall Scholastic Book Fair.

Summer Reading 2014 Zombie Halloween (Goosebumps Most Wanted Special Edition #1)

I need to ask you, if you ran to your mother and told her that zombies were in you basement would she: a) tell you that the joke was not funny, b) say that you have been watching too many horror movies and violent video games, or c) very calmly say, "I know...the real estate agent warned me," well? Unfortunately for Mario Manzetti, the answer is C. His mother took the house because it as all she could afford and didn't warn her sons, which is where all the problems began...back in 1944. Now it is the present day and Mario is a grandfather. His son's family has moved into the family house with him and his grandson Kenny's favorite video game is "The Walking Zombies." Little does Kenny realize, there may be more zombies in the world than just the ones on his TV screen. I'll leave the rest to your imagination, or to the author's imagination, that is. Zombie Halloween is sure to be another best seller for the master of fright.

I must confess, Goosebumps were not around when I was a kid (although my younger brother and sister both read them). However, I know how incredibly popular they are with my students. So when I saw that a new book was coming soon, I wanted to check it out (a little library humor there). The fact that zombies were the main monsters of the story was also a reason to read it. I love books like World War Z and Rot and Ruin, and I was curious how Stine would approach the subject. He manages to make it scary without being over the top in the gore department.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley. It will be released in stores on June 24, 2014.

Summer Reading 2014 The School Is Alive! (Eerie Elementary #1)

Sam Graves has a problem. He has been appointed the hall monitor for his school,Eerie Elementary. It's bad enough when he thinks the job is reminding everyone to get to class on time and not to run in the hallways. But when he tries to retrieve someone's lost cap from the playground and he's nearly swallowed by quicksand, Sam knows that there is something strange going on. Although his friends don't believe him, Sam is sure that he can hear a heartbeat and feel the school breathing through the ventilation system. Weird things keep happening with locker doors, fire hoses, and the oak trees on the lawn. The night of the school play, events are more dramatic than the teachers and parents had expected them to be. Lucky for them - Sam is on the job! 

This is perfect for early chapter book readers who are looking for some thrills and chills, but aren't quite ready for the length of a Goosebumps book. The story line will appeal to those who enjoy things like the Black Lagoon adventures or the Bailey School Kids series. Keep an eye out for more adventures with Sam, Antonio, Lucy, and Mr Nekobi.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley. It will be released in stores June 24, 2014.

Summer Reading 2014 Red Riding Hood Gets Lost

This series is so much fun! For the second book, Red Riding Hood is trying out for a part in the school play. She feels that she is a great actress and has all the lines memorized, but then faints during her audition. One of the boys at school, Wolfgang, helps her up from the floor and even offers to practice lines with her over the weekend. Red isn't sure that she trusts him. She has seen him sitting with Cinda's "Steps" and there are also rumors that he runs around inside the Nevermore Forest and may even be a shape-changer. There's definitely something different about that boy. While Red worries over whether to try again at the next audition, she and her friends are also busy with other plans. They are trying think of a way to save the school since the principal's alchemy experiments aren't producing any gold. Bake sales, pet shows, crafts, makeovers, they come up with a lot of good ideas, but which one should they suggest?

The world of Grimmlandia continues to gain depth as we read each new story. More and more characters from famous literature keep working their way in, such as Red's roommate Gretel - who leaves crumbs everywhere she goes and has nightmares of the cafeteria lady locking her in an oven. We also find out more about the E.V.I.L. society that seems to be growing even among the faculty at Grimm Academy. Along with the fairy tale elements there are also regular school worries such as the play auditions and fundraisers that make the characters seem much more real. Fans of fairy tales, princesses, and magical settings are in for a treat with the Grimmtastic Girls.

I won an autographed copy in a giveaway on The Children's Book Review.

Summer Reading 2014 Willow-Mia Pig: 1 in 100 Million

Based on a true story, Willow-Mia Pig is told from the title character's point of view. And, yes, she's a pig. When she's just a piglet, she is taken from her mother and put in a crate with her brothers and sisters to be trucked off to another farm. Willow-Mia manages to escape from the crate when the truck slows down and she winds up in a ditch by the highway. When she is rescued at last, she is a thin and hungry little pig that is taken to the animal shelter. Slowly she regains her health, but grows sad that the people who come to the shelter always pay attention to the dogs and no one adopts her. Then she meets Mollie. Mollie comes to visit her and brings her treats, teaches her tricks, and gives her belly rubs. With Mollie's help, Willow-Mia is taken to an animal sanctuary farm that becomes her "forever home."

Willow-Mia's story is intended to help make people aware of the harsh life of factory farms and the need for more humane treatment of all animals. It also shows how just one person's care and concern makes a difference. There is a photo of the author and Willow-Mia Pig at the back of the book, along with URLs for the Humane Society of the U.S. and Winslow Farm Animal Sanctuary (where Willow-Mia lives). 

As someone who has adopted 6 dogs and regularly supports the Humane Society, I am glad to see books like this that show people who care about animals. I think young readers will enjoy hearing about Willow-Mia's adventure from a pig's-eye point of view. Snortle, snortle.

I won an autographed copy of the book from The Children's Book Review.