Isabella: Girl on the Go by Jennifer Fosberry and Mike Litwin

It's a beautiful day out, and Isabella's father is looking for some help in the backyard from his favourite little girl. But Isabella isn't a little girl - she's an archeologist, and the hidden treasures in the sandy pyramids call out to her. No, wait - she's an artist, drawing inspiration from the streets of Paris. But she's also an astronomer, peering up into the night sky at all the unknown mysteries of the world. She can travel all over the world - but there's only one place that's her most favourite place of all.

Isabella: Girl on the Go is a fun picture book that looks at how a child's imagination can inspire a whole host of creative expeditions. The illustrations are very clever, playing with tone and perspective to show how the world can change depending on how Isabella is experiencing it at that moment in time. There's lots of fun stuff to look for in the pictures, too, like how her stuffed friend transforms from page to page. I really like the character of the Dad, who indulges and supports his daughter's imagination while still getting his yardwork done. Isabella could definitely hang out with other spunky picture book girls like Stella, Olivia, and Lilly.

Check out Jennifer Fosberry and Mike Litwin's websites for more information about their other projects.

I read an advance review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Sourcebooks.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
My Name is Not Isabella by Jennifer Fosberry
My Name is Not Alexander by Jennifer Fosberry
Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
When Stella Was Very Very Small by Marie-Louise Gay

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

In the mid-2000s, actress and writer Mindy Kaling was hired as a writer for an NBC mid-season replacement based on a hit British sitcom. That show was The Office, which became one of NBC's biggest shows. In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), she writes about her childhood, her early auditions and successes, behind-the-scenes stories of Hollywood, and, best of all, her opinions on almost anything.

In a year of strong writing and performances by very funny women (Bossypants, "Bridesmaids"), Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? easily sits alongside the best. Mindy Kaling is funny and smart and conversational in a great way. The pieces are short and precise and have both humour and heart. It's been awhile since I've thought "Man, that celebrity and I could be such great friends!" but I kind of think that about Mindy Kaling. There are some times where I would roll my eyes and be like, "Whatever, Mindy" (like the piece in here about how indignant she got when a cupcake store approached her about promotional tweeting) but then we would watch a Will Farrell movie and go get some donuts and talk about awkward dates. I listened to the audiobook, and the chatty, breezy tone of the book contributed to this thinking. I've heard that the audiobook of Bossypants was like inviting Tina Fey to your bookclub; listening to Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? was like riding the bus with Mindy Kaling and being confident that you were the funniest people on board.

Want more? Mindy Kaling had a website!

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Matt and Ben by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Seriously, I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler

A Day in the Office of Doctor Bugspit by Elise Gravel

Welcome to the office of Doctor Bugspit! Have a seat - the doctor will be right with you. He's a little busy at the moment, but don't worry - his super-secret Fix-It-Up syrup will have his patients cured in no time!

With a zany free-for-all quality to the writing and illustration, Doctor Bugspit is a wild look at a doctor's office you probably wouldn't want to visit in real life. Just as in Adopt a Glurb, Elise Gravel has taken something with roots in real life (there, a pet; here, a visit to the doctor) and has spun it into something completely imaginative. The graphic novel-style makes it perfect for kids transitioning out of picture books. I get so excited when I see new Balloon Toon titles, so I hope we see a lot more from Elise Gravel!

See more of Elise Gravel at her website. Learn more about Balloon Toons at Blue Apple Books.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Adopt a Glurb! by Elise Gravel
Zoe and Robot, Let's Pretend by Ryan Sias
Doggie Dreams by Mike Herrod

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

It's 1996 and Emma's family has just gotten a computer that can connect to The Internet. It's a great distraction, especially because things with her longtime best friend Josh have gotten a little weird lately (he tried to kiss her). But when Emma puts in the America Online CD, something strange happens. She's looking at something called Facebook...and it's showing her what her life is like years in the future! Someone has to be playing a joke on her, but how do they know so many details? Emma becomes obsessed with her future and is determined to make sure that she gets her happily-ever-after...but where does that leave Josh?

I really liked the premise for this book. My family first got the internet in 1998, so there were a lot of details that I remembered about those days (making sure no one else had to use the phone before I went online, the screech of a modem, the relative rarity of having the internet). All of this nostalgia made me wonder if the best audience for this book wouldn't be young adults - people who would be Future Emma's age now rather than Past Emma's age now. Would teens and tweens be interested in the premise? But I think they will be. I know that I used to think of what future me would be like - and I still do now. I shared Josh's frustration at Emma's determination to shape her future and the way she didn't really realize that even if she got the future lined up that she wanted, there would be millions and millions of small choices that would shape her future between now and then. I appreciated that the jokes about Facebook were kept to a minimum (I have so many friends, I must be super popular! I wouldn't share it with everyone if it wasn't really important!). I think the book also can be a good opening for talking about the way that Facebook has shaped how we share our lives. If you saw a Facebook slice of your life (like the new Timeline feature, I guess), how accurate would it be? Do we exaggerate - the good and the bad - what we share? I liked the male/female back and forth of chapters from Josh and Emma's point of view and think that this is a good semi-supernatural story for teens and tweens who like thinking about time travel, technology, and identity.



Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
Gimme a Call by Sarah Mylnowski

The Sea of Bath by Bob Logan

The captain was asleep on his boat when the tide carried him out to sea. He never knows how he ends up on the Sea of Bath, but once out there he sees all kinds of strange sights: ducks that squeak instead of quack, rain that comes and goes, an odd little boat named Soap. Then, as suddenly as it came, the tide goes out and the Captain can go back to sleep until his next journey on the Sea of Bath.

I was enchanted by this book. That's the best way I know how to describe it. The art, the text, the idea behind the book - I just found it to be the perfect amount of cleverness. I love that it takes something so ordinary - bathtime - and turns it into a celebration of storytelling and possibility. It's just the kind of book that will spark creative ideas in children who tend towards creativity and can show others just how much fun imagination can be. Definitely do not miss this book.

Check out Bob Logan's website for other examples of his artwork.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter
Pirates Don't Take Baths by John Segal
Rocket Town by Bob Logan

My Name is Elizabeth! by Annika Dunklee and Matthew Forsythe

This little girl's name is Elizabeth. She loves her name! She loves that it has nine letters; she loves that there's a Queen with the same name. She loves the way it sounds and the way it makes her mouth feels. But she doesn't love it when people call her something other than Elizabeth. Her grandfather calls her Lizzy, a friend calls her Liz, and the crossing guard calls her Betsy (which isn't even close). Doesn't anyone understand that her name is Elizabeth?!

I really identified with this book, both because I love my name and because it's often mangled by other people. It's such a simple concept but I think that even as a small child I would have cheered as Elizabeth stood up to the others and insisted on being called by her full and proper name. Even those who don't suffer from forced nicknames will still see a small child making choices about her identity and that's a very powerful message. The blue-based illustrations by Matthew Forsythe were right on point and helped to make this a book for kids and adults alike. This one was on all kinds of "Best of" lists for 2011 so make sure to check it out for yourself.

(Also, it amused me that the French-language version of this book is "Je m'appelle Catherine!" What? Her name's Elizabeth!)

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Ojingogo by Matthew Forsythe
What Shall We Call Wibbly's Puppy? by Mick Inkpen
Olivia by Ian Falconer

The Juggling Pug by Sean Bryan with drawings by Tom Murphy

A juggling pug? Who's heard of such a thing! But when this little pug starts juggling, he becomes an international sensation! Fame starts to go to his head: he gives curtains a tug, destroys plates and mugs...and sometimes he even poops on the rug. The townspeople enable his behaviour because he's so famous until finally one says "Enough!" Will that be the end of the juggling pug?

I was enchanted by the lovely cover of this book. I love how it plays with conventions like "The title should be easy to read" and incorporates the juggling theme from the very beginning. I can see this book going over very well with children: it has an animal protagonist, funny rhymes, there's juggling (which always seems like a really impressive feat to me, even when it's done by people), and there's even a mention of poop! This was the first Sean Bryan/Tom Murphy collaboration that I read, and it had me quickly setting off to find more. I did read an eBook version of The Juggling Pug and it didn't always look just right in the Adobe Digital Edition viewer, but maybe it looks better in other readers (and of course the physical book).

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
A Boy and His Bunny by Sean Bryan and Tom Murphy
A Girl and Her Gator by Sean Bryan and Tom Murphy
The Usborne Book of Jugging by Clive Gifford

Degrassi Junior High: Shane by Susin Nielsen

Shane has never been the kind of guy who stood out in a crowd. He was never all that popular or the best at anything. That's why he was so surprised when he started dating Spike. She was so confident and popular; everything seemed pretty great. Then Spike got pregnant and Shane's world turned inside out. He tried avoiding her (and the pregnancy) for awhile, but that didn't change anything. His deeply religious parents  barely speak to him, Spike doesn't want anything to do with him, and he has no friends to turn to. Shane feels like his life is out of control. Is there anything he can do to get back on track?

In many ways, Shane is a companion book to Spike, another book in the Degrassi series. Shane starts after Spike is pregnant and opens with him finally telling his parents what's going on. There are some continuity errors and inconsistencies between the two books (and a bit with the TV series), but nothing that really changes anything too much. Shane's story, though, isn't singly defined by his teenager fatherhood. After his daughter is born (when he's only fourteen), Shane gets a job to make more money and makes a new friend who's the classic definition of a bad influence. Shane lies to his parents, blows of his parental responsibilities, and starts experimenting with drugs and alcohol. While Spike has more of a hopeful optimism, Shane reads a bit more like a cautionary tale. Also, I find it very interesting to read about attitudes towards teen fathers and parenthood; more than one person, including adults, tell Shane that it's best for him to just forget about his child, to act like she doesn't exist and move on with his life, and that he's not responsible for any decision Spike makes because that's her life. I love exploring these concepts and how they're presented in books for teens.

Find it at Amazon.

Read it with:
Degrassi Junior High: Spike by Loretta Castellarin and Ken Roberts
Degrassi Junior High: Snake by Susin Nielsen
Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen

Ice Dreams by Lisa Papademetriou

Rosa Hernandez is still adjusting to her family's move from Miami to Chicago. She's not looking forward to cold winters with lots of snow - but she is looking forward to more opportunities to develop her figure skating. In her new skating class she meets some really great friends...and one girl who's practically an Ice Queen! Jacqui Darcy is really competitive and not always that nice. Rosa would love to avoid her altogether, but Jacqui's brother Anton is really cute! There's a big competition coming up that's putting a lot of stress on the skaters. Can Rosa find new music to skate to, win over Jacqui, spend time with Anton, and land her jumps?

There's a lot of really great stuff in Ice Dreams. There's a strong female protagonist with a Hispanic background being raised by a single parent (and she loves and respects her family). She doesn't always make the best decisions but she learns from her mistakes and apologizes when she's wrong. She learns a lot about family, success, friendship, and honesty - but all of this comes out organically and it never tips over into preachy territory. Plus, there's lots of figure skating details (which is a big plus for me!). This book is a "Candy Apple Book," but I don't think that that means that it's in a series of related books. I read it without having read any other Candy Apple Books, and I could follow it just fine.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Dream Big, Little Pig! by Kristi Yamaguchi
Sugar and Ice by Kate Messner
Babymouse: Skater Girl by Jennifer L. Holm

Again! by Emily Gravett

A little dragon loves one story so much that he just wants to hear it again and again. Reach the end? Again! No more words? Again! Time for bed? No - again! And you should watch out, because if he doesn't get his way, there's no telling what could happen!

Emily Gravett is so ridiculously talented that there are almost no words for it. She's one of my absolute favourite picture book authors/illustrators and I love seeing how what she comes up with each time. I picked this book up on the strength of her name alone. The illustrations are playful and appealing and the story (of a story that gets shorter and shorter as patience gets thinner and thinner) is one that I think both kids and adults will relate to. It would work as a lap book but I think also as a storytime pick. I don't want to give too much away, but please - if you see this book, don't turn it over and start reading the back cover. Just start reading the book. That's what I did and was so happy that I did.

Also check out Emily Gravett's website.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears by Emily Gravett
Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

Degrassi Junior High: Spike by Loretta Castellarin and Ken Roberts

Spike is used to people looking at her because of her hair, but now people are starting to look at her for a different reason: she's pregnant. Only fourteen years old, she and her boyfriend Shane got carried away in a dark bedroom at a friend's party. Now she must deal with her changing body, classmates' reactions, an unsupportive boyfriend, and a disappointed mother. Will she be able to figure out what the best decision is for herself and the baby?

I remember the original Degrassi (Junior High and High) airing on CBC while I was growing up, but I didn't really get into it until I watched reruns after school in 10th grade. I love the drama of it all and the way that serious storylines, like teen pregnancy, are woven in with storylines about sexy dreams or walking naked through the cafeteria. Anyway. Spike picks up after Spike and Shane "did it" at Lucy's party and early on she discovers she's pregnant; it ends just after the birth of her child. Much of the book, certainly the main storyline, sticks very closely with the TV series; it's been awhile since I watched my Degrassi Junior High DVDs, but I think even whole bits of dialogue are straight from the TV scripts. Does the book stand alone if you haven't seen the TV show? Probably, although it definitely would be a different reading. What I like about this book is that it fills in a bit of background information that doesn't come through in the show, mostly about Spike's relationship with her mother. These books were out of print for a long time but then recently were available again, so if you have a fond memory for Degrassi or are curious about the series, give these books a look.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Degrassi Junior High: Shane by Susin Nielsen
Star in the Middle by Carol Larese Millward
Butterflies in May by Karen Hart
Degrassi Generations: The Official 411 by Kathryn Ellis

Are You in the House Alone? by Richard Peck

Gail's life is pretty ordinary. She gets decent grades, has a good relationship with her boyfriend, and makes money by baby-sitting on the weekends. But then she finds a strange note in her locker. It unsettles her, even as her best friend tells her to just forget about it. Then the phone calls start, and it's clear that someone isn't just joking around. Is there anything Gail can do...before it's too late?

(Spoilers below)

This book is two scary horror stories in one. The first part seems like it's a standard thriller: obscene phone calls, random notes, a young girl left alone. But then partway through the story changes - or rather, continues. It doesn't stop with Gail being heroically rescued at the last minute. Instead, she's raped by her stalker and ends up in the hospital. Then there are pages and pages spent talking about how futile it would be to press charges against her assailant - a man that Gail knows and can easily identify. In addition to his being from a prominent family, Gail was on the pill and had previously had sex with her boyfriend, so arly she's unrapable. Not only that, but if she does press charges, her lawyer cautions her that the accused would likely turn around and sue her.   These passages were so infuriatingly frustrating, and made worse because I knew that it was not that exaggerated to how real life was (and, in many ways, still can be). This book doesn't flinch from showing how Gail's rape affects her family and relationships or from how the world pigeonholes women into certain roles. It's a book I came across sort of by accident at the library but it quite an interesting read.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Babysitter by R.L. Stine
Amanda, Miranda by Richard Peck

The Flying Beaver Brothers and the Fishy Business by Maxwell Eaton III

Ace and Bub are back! This time they're hanging out with their new friends, Bob and Bob, and trying to enjoy some delicious pancakes. But a strange volcano catches their attention - they don't remember a volcano there before. Or a factory that produces Fish Styx - wooden toys that are environmentally friendly! There appears to be a logical explanation for everything, but it all just seems a little off...will Ace and Bub be able to put it all together and get everything back to normal?

I really enjoyed The Flying Beaver Brothers and the Evil Penguin Plan, but I think I liked The Flying Beaver Brothers and the Fishy Business more. Maybe I was more used to the humour and the style; maybe it was because I read it on my Kobo and I read the first on my computer. They're both both very strong books, though. This one was packed with lots of jokes about spokespeople and environmentally-friendly products, visual jokes and callbacks, and a fair amount of action. This is definitely a series that I want to see more of, and I think there are a lot of young readers who will feel the same way.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Random House Children's Books.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:

The Flying Beaver Brothers and the Evil Penguin Plan by Maxwell Eaton III
Two Dumb Ducks by Maxwell Eaton III
Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires
Midway Monkey Madness by Sarah Hines Stephens and Art Balthazar

The Snow Day by Komako Sakai

A young bunny wakes up one morning to a world covered in snow. It's amazing! And even better, school is cancelled and it's a snow day! The day belongs to playing cards with Mom and watching the snow fall outside. There's so much snow that it delayed his father's plane. Will the snow ever stop falling?

This is just a lovely, lovely book. The illustrations are just gorgeous. Done in shades of brown, black and grey, the pages are muted but never boring. One of the things that I love the most is that it depicts winter in a city. The little bunny lives in an apartment building; he goes outside and plays in the snow on his balcony and watches the snow fall from a window high above the ground. So many books that look at snow and winter look at it from a rural point of view, and it's refreshing to see this urban setting. But whether you live in a city or in a town, there's still so much to enjoy about this book: the bunny's excitement at the snow, the hushed quiet to the city, the sweet relationship between the bunny and his mother. Don't miss this book.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Mad at Mommy by Komako Sakai
Bedtime for Bear by Brett Helquist

Inside Edge by Christine Brennan

Figure skating is a sport that captivates it audience. Behind the sequins and glitter there is hard work and strength; behind the perfectly made up faces there is heartbreak and sacrifice. In Inside Edge, journalist and author Christine Brennan goes beyond the surface to profile skaters - veterans, stars, up-and-comers and a year in the life of figure skating. Beginning where the 1994 Olympics leave off and culminating with the 1995 World Championships, this is a book that figure skating fans cannot miss.

I received this book as a young figure skating fan in 1996 and immediately read it from cover to cover. When I was at home over Christmas, I picked up my dog-earred hardcover copy and read it again. I was amazed by the level of detail in this book and how candidly some of the people involved spoke about the sport. Some of the chapters become interesting because of what came later - Tara Lipinski is profiled as a young junior skater who might be trying to do too much too fast (she would win the 1998 Olympic gold medal, although in 1995 she was not able to win the junior national title), while Rudy Galindo is looked at as a perennial also-ran who was destined to anonymity (he would win the 1996 national title and the 1996 world bronze medal). This book is a snapshot (or maybe a series of time lapse photographs) of a particularly interesting time for skating. Post-1994, skating enjoyed some of its highest levels of popularity, so there were incredible outlets for skaters to develop their art, perfect their skills, and earn money.  It was also a time of a number of different threads that would shape the sport for many years to come: the shift of the top women skaters from young women to young teens to even younger teens, the portrayal of masculinity shown by Elvis Stojko and others, the necessity of having the top triples and quads to compete, the conflict between the sport's professionals and amateurs. Beneath all of this is incredibly solid writing and a skill at asking the right questions. Even though it's now more than fifteen years since it was published, Inside Edge still stands as a must-read book for skating fans.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Edge of Glory by Christine Brennan
Figure Skating: A Celebration by Beverly Smith
A Year in Figure Skating by Beverly Smith
A Passion to Skate by Sandra Bezic
Stars on Ice by Barry Wilner