Four titles from the Rebecca Caudill nominee list for 2008 have kept me cozily reading this month. I'm not surprised that most of the books on the list feature male protagonists. J.K. Rowling was no fool when she made her star a boy. Why is it that girls will read books about boys, but it takes a minor miracle to get a boy to read a book about a girl?
Regardless of the underlying psychology, MVP: The Magellan Voyage Project, by Douglas Evans, will be a hit with all kids. The plot is a race to be the first twelve year old to travel around the world in forty days or less. The prize is four million dollars. What they didn't tell Adam Story is that he would be competing against 23 other kids, backed by some of the most ruthless despots in the world. This fast-paced, easy read has a lot of geography and world history references, similar to the original "Carmen Sandiego" products. Recommended.
The Schwa Was Here, by Neal Shusterman, is a melancholy story set in modern day Brooklyn. Anthony is the narrator, but the main character is Calvin Schwa, the invisible kid. He has the "Schwa Effect," by which he goes completely unnoticed by everyone, including his father, and if he is noticed, he is immediately forgotten. When the two boys befriend a blind girl, the inevitable love triangle threatens their friendship. But the story that drives the book is the mysterious disappearance of Calvin's mother from a grocery store when he was five years old. Lexie and Anthony set about uncovering the truth and proving to Calvin that he can be noticed for who he is.
Spoiler: Calvin's mother ran off with the butcher from the grocery store and abandoned him in the frozen food section. Very troubling and sad. Calvin's mother is described as someone who either had a life crisis or was struggling with depression. In the end, Calvin discovers that she has been writing to him for years and reunites with her. On the upside, Anthony's family is Catholic and they're not portrayed as evil freaks, just a normal loving family with ups and downs.
Recommended.
Listening for Lions, by Gloria Whelan, is my favorite of this group, reminding me greatly of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novels. Set in Africa, shortly after World War I, Rachel Sheridan grows up with her missionary parents among the Kikuyu people. When her parents are suddenly taken by the influenza epidemic of 1919, she suddenly finds herself alone. She travels to the nearest house, the home of the wealthy and cruel Pritchards, who have just lost their daughter, Valerie, coincidentally same age and red hair as Rachel. The Pritchards snatch up Rachel and force her to become Valerie, so that she may travel to England and win back the heart and inheritance of Mr. Pritchard's wealthy father. Rachel's future depends on when and where she decides to reveal the truth of her identity. Highly Recommended.
When Tobin McCauley's mother died of cancer, his father emotionally checked out, his older siblings became juvenile delinquents and his grandmother began a feud with his father, blaming him for her daughter's death and fighting over Tobin. Tobin survives by avoiding contact with everyone except Grandma. Chicken Boy, by Frances O'Roark Dowell, is about Tobin's life after he befriends one person. Henry is obsessed with chickens, raising them, singing to them, even working on a research project to determine if chickens have souls. Henry drags Tobin back into humanity, and as a result, Tobias brings his family together as well. Highly Recommended.
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Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Four for Four
Four titles from the Rebecca Caudill nominee list for 2008 have kept me cozily reading this month. I'm not surprised that most of the books on the list feature male protagonists. J.K. Rowling was no fool when she made her star a boy. Why is it that girls will read books about boys, but it takes a minor miracle to get a boy to read a book about a girl?
Regardless of the underlying psychology, MVP: The Magellan Voyage Project, by Douglas Evans, will be a hit with all kids. The plot is a race to be the first twelve year old to travel around the world in forty days or less. The prize is four million dollars. What they didn't tell Adam Story is that he would be competing against 23 other kids, backed by some of the most ruthless despots in the world. This fast-paced, easy read has a lot of geography and world history references, similar to the original "Carmen Sandiego" products. Recommended.
The Schwa Was Here, by Neal Shusterman, is a melancholy story set in modern day Brooklyn. Anthony is the narrator, but the main character is Calvin Schwa, the invisible kid. He has the "Schwa Effect," by which he goes completely unnoticed by everyone, including his father, and if he is noticed, he is immediately forgotten. When the two boys befriend a blind girl, the inevitable love triangle threatens their friendship. But the story that drives the book is the mysterious disappearance of Calvin's mother from a grocery store when he was five years old. Lexie and Anthony set about uncovering the truth and proving to Calvin that he can be noticed for who he is.
Spoiler: Calvin's mother ran off with the butcher from the grocery store and abandoned him in the frozen food section. Very troubling and sad. Calvin's mother is described as someone who either had a life crisis or was struggling with depression. In the end, Calvin discovers that she has been writing to him for years and reunites with her. On the upside, Anthony's family is Catholic and they're not portrayed as evil freaks, just a normal loving family with ups and downs.
Recommended.
Listening for Lions, by Gloria Whelan, is my favorite of this group, reminding me greatly of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novels. Set in Africa, shortly after World War I, Rachel Sheridan grows up with her missionary parents among the Kikuyu people. When her parents are suddenly taken by the influenza epidemic of 1919, she suddenly finds herself alone. She travels to the nearest house, the home of the wealthy and cruel Pritchards, who have just lost their daughter, Valerie, coincidentally same age and red hair as Rachel. The Pritchards snatch up Rachel and force her to become Valerie, so that she may travel to England and win back the heart and inheritance of Mr. Pritchard's wealthy father. Rachel's future depends on when and where she decides to reveal the truth of her identity. Highly Recommended.
When Tobin McCauley's mother died of cancer, his father emotionally checked out, his older siblings became juvenile delinquents and his grandmother began a feud with his father, blaming him for her daughter's death and fighting over Tobin. Tobin survives by avoiding contact with everyone except Grandma. Chicken Boy, by Frances O'Roark Dowell, is about Tobin's life after he befriends one person. Henry is obsessed with chickens, raising them, singing to them, even working on a research project to determine if chickens have souls. Henry drags Tobin back into humanity, and as a result, Tobias brings his family together as well. Highly Recommended.
Regardless of the underlying psychology, MVP: The Magellan Voyage Project, by Douglas Evans, will be a hit with all kids. The plot is a race to be the first twelve year old to travel around the world in forty days or less. The prize is four million dollars. What they didn't tell Adam Story is that he would be competing against 23 other kids, backed by some of the most ruthless despots in the world. This fast-paced, easy read has a lot of geography and world history references, similar to the original "Carmen Sandiego" products. Recommended.
The Schwa Was Here, by Neal Shusterman, is a melancholy story set in modern day Brooklyn. Anthony is the narrator, but the main character is Calvin Schwa, the invisible kid. He has the "Schwa Effect," by which he goes completely unnoticed by everyone, including his father, and if he is noticed, he is immediately forgotten. When the two boys befriend a blind girl, the inevitable love triangle threatens their friendship. But the story that drives the book is the mysterious disappearance of Calvin's mother from a grocery store when he was five years old. Lexie and Anthony set about uncovering the truth and proving to Calvin that he can be noticed for who he is.
Spoiler: Calvin's mother ran off with the butcher from the grocery store and abandoned him in the frozen food section. Very troubling and sad. Calvin's mother is described as someone who either had a life crisis or was struggling with depression. In the end, Calvin discovers that she has been writing to him for years and reunites with her. On the upside, Anthony's family is Catholic and they're not portrayed as evil freaks, just a normal loving family with ups and downs.
Recommended.
Listening for Lions, by Gloria Whelan, is my favorite of this group, reminding me greatly of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novels. Set in Africa, shortly after World War I, Rachel Sheridan grows up with her missionary parents among the Kikuyu people. When her parents are suddenly taken by the influenza epidemic of 1919, she suddenly finds herself alone. She travels to the nearest house, the home of the wealthy and cruel Pritchards, who have just lost their daughter, Valerie, coincidentally same age and red hair as Rachel. The Pritchards snatch up Rachel and force her to become Valerie, so that she may travel to England and win back the heart and inheritance of Mr. Pritchard's wealthy father. Rachel's future depends on when and where she decides to reveal the truth of her identity. Highly Recommended.
When Tobin McCauley's mother died of cancer, his father emotionally checked out, his older siblings became juvenile delinquents and his grandmother began a feud with his father, blaming him for her daughter's death and fighting over Tobin. Tobin survives by avoiding contact with everyone except Grandma. Chicken Boy, by Frances O'Roark Dowell, is about Tobin's life after he befriends one person. Henry is obsessed with chickens, raising them, singing to them, even working on a research project to determine if chickens have souls. Henry drags Tobin back into humanity, and as a result, Tobias brings his family together as well. Highly Recommended.
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