Great Books, part 3

I usually go for the dead teens books. However, last year's "No more dead teens" group really must have meant it because there were no dead teen books this year. So I chose "An Element of Danger".

1. In Epoch by Timothy Carter, everyone is going to die. Because the world is going to end. Vincent has been waiting for this, since his parent's religion has been proclaiming the end of the world for years. However, he discovers that it really is going to happen when he starts to see elves, pixies, and demons. And he learns that every civilization has its epoch and when it's over, it's over. Usually, there are portals that transport creatures from the ending epoch away, however this time something is blocking the portals and Vincent and his friends can't find out why, it's the end of everyone. I liked this story. I thought it was clever and unique. I'd recommend it to those who like fantasy and well as teens into rebellions.
2. In Boot Camp by Todd Strasser, Garrett, an incredibly bright teenager, is kidnapped in the middle of the night sent to a juvenile detention facility for delinquent teens. His parents have arranged this because he skips school once in awhile, breaks curfew, and won't stop dating his former teacher, who is 8 years his senior. A Lake Harmony, teens must admit their mistakes and confirm to their parents expectations to be released. If they don't, they will stay there until they are 18. Garrett is forced to endure both physical and mental abuse. This story is very powerful and is a strong and disturbing indictment of the boot camps that have sprung up all over the world.
3. In Right Behind You by Gail Giles, 14 year old Kip McFarland has spent the last 4 years in a psychiatric ward for violent offenders. When he was 9, he killed a young friend after setting him on fire. After his release, "Wade" moves to Indianna, but life is too good and his secret is revealed. Forced to relocate once again to Texas, Wade wants to trust Sam, his beautiful neighbor, who has her own past. But will she ever accept him for what he is? This is an interesting story told as the story is revealed to Sam. I thought it worked well.
4. This year's Kevin Brooks contribution is Being. This is the story of 16 year old Robert who goes to the hospital for a routine endoscopy (are endoscopy's really routine for 16 year olds?). Once there, he discovers that he is not human and mysterious people are after him. I thought the story dragged, especially after Robert and Eddi skip to Spain. I don't want to reveal too much, but the ending was really awful. I don't know why all the violence, especially when no answers resulted. No who is Robert, no who are these people after him. Not satisfying at all. After a pretty good start, there was so much potential in the story, but none of it was realized. I did not enjoy as much as last year's much more powerful, and equally violent, but fully wrapped up Road of the Dead.

Great Books, part 2

When choosing my Great Picture Books group, I usually try to look for a theme or topic that I think will contain books I can use in drop-in story times. I usually try for some sort of animal group (you can almost always find a book or two to use with animal books). This year, there didn't seem to be an animal group, so I chose "Home Sweet Home".

1. In Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk, Sam is a mouse who lives in a library. One day he decides to write his own book. He leaves it in the collection where it is found by the librarian. Sam continues to do this and his books become very popular. When asked to come and meet the children, Sam does something to encourage the author in everyone to emerge. This is a cute story with bright and vivid illustrations. A little long for the typical story time, but would be good to use with a kindergarten - second grade class.
2. In The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend, Jack the cat is hungry for omelets, so he builds the perfect nest to attract a chicken to supply him with some eggs. It's the perfect plan until a chicken, a duck, and a goose all lay claim to the nest, leaving Jack many more complications than he anticipated. Nice illustrations, fun use of language and not too long. This would work well for a drop-in.
3. In Some Dog by Mary Casanova, George has had a wonderful life as with his owners and they find him very special. All that is threatened by the arrival of a stray puppy who is full of mischief and energy. Can George compete with Zippity? A nice story. Maybe a tad bit long. Could be used with an older group.
4. Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine is based on the true story of Henry Brown, a slave who first loses his parents and then his wife and children. With nothing to lose and help from the underground railroad, Henry shuts himself into a packing crate and is mailed to freedom in the north. A very powerful and inspiring story, beautifully illustrated. Would be a good choice for an elementary school age program. Would be good for Black History Month programs.
5. Stealing Home by Robert Burleigh is two stories in one. First it is a simple descriptive story of how Jackie Robinson stole home plate during game one of the 1955 World Series. It is also the story, told in baseball card fact boxes on each page of Robinson's integration into Major League Baseball. Nicely illustrated. The layout is a little complex in that I needed to read the facts separate from the story or else the story got lost for me. I'd recommend this as a one on one read with a child/student.