The Research Virtuoso: How to Find Anything You Need to Know by the Toronto Public Library with art by Victor Gad

Research: if you're in school, you're going to have to do it at some point. There will be a class that requires an essay or a project and you will have to know how to find information, assess it, and bring it together in a meaningful way. It can seem like a daunting task, and there are so many different ways that you can go about it. The Research Virtuoso can help you clarify your assignment, collect your thoughts, and follow through with a solid end result. This is one book that could help you get an A - and help you build some skills you can use throughout your life.

This is an updated edition of an earlier publication, which is a very smart move considering all of the ways that today's technology plays a role in information gathering. Online resources are covered (including Wikipedia and the standard cautions around using it as a definitive source) but they are found alongside print resources and subscription databases. In addition to instructions about how to research a topic The Research Virtuoso also includes templates and tips to get you started. There are definitely some ideas that I wish I knew about when I was in school. The tone is authoritative (and it should be, coming from the Toronto Public Library) but not stuffy; if this book was a person, it would be your cool older cousing who's in graduate school. This might not be a book that high school or university students run to pull off of the shelves (or maybe it is), but it's definitely a book that they should look into.

I received a copy from NetGalley courtesy of Annick Press.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Research Ate My Brain by The Toronto Public Library
The New York Public Library's Guide to Research by Deborah Heiligman
Painless Research Projects by Rebecca Elliott

My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer by Jennifer Gennari

Summer is the perfect time for June to work on perfecting her talent: pie making. She's sure that if she can just find the right combination, she can win a blue ribbon in the Champlain Valley Fair pie competition. It's hard to stay focused on baking, though. Vermont has become a state filled with political tension around the legalization of civil unions, and many citizens are determined to "take back" Vermont. This upsets June, her mom, and her mom's girlfriend, and sets them apart from many people in their town. June loves her mom, but she also wants to blend in with other families ...and having two moms is definitely a way to stick out. June is sure of one thing: it's going to be a long summer.

In many ways, this is a very traditional middle grade book. A girl worried about fitting in and making/keeping friends, who doesn't get along with her mom's partner, who has arguments with her parents, who's determined to be successful at something she loves doing. Maybe one day it won't be a big deal if the character is a girl who has two parents of the same sex (sadly, I don't think we're quite at that stage yet). June's struggle felt organic for the character - she loved her mom and wanted her to be happy, but was conflicted because she didn't feel close to her mom's girlfriend and was unhappy about the attention that her mom's relationship brought to the family. I think it's a good thing to have books that reflect a wide spectrum of kids experiences, especially when it comes to GLBTQ families. On a different note, I spent many summers at a cottage not far from Vermont and Lake Champlain, so it was neat for me to read a book set in that area.

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Visit Jennifer Gennari's website for more information about her.

Find it at Amazon.

Read it with:
I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson
The Popularity Papers by Amy Ignatow
Smile by Raina Telgemeier
Calli by Jessica Lee Anderson

Stacey and the Stolen Hearts by Ann M. Martin

Stacey is really excited about Pete Black's great Valentine's Day fundraiser. The Student Council will sell Valentine-grams for $1 and then hand them out on February 14. It seems like all of Stoneybrook Middle School has gotten swept up in the spirit and the fundraiser is a big success. But then the valentines are stolen while Stacey's on duty... and the list of suspects is a mile long. Even worse, someone is making the private messages very, very public. What's Stacey going to do?

As far as Baby-Sitters Club Mysteries go, this one was pretty enjoyable. It was a mystery that made sense to have thirteen-year-olds investigating it (I wasn't screaming at the book for them to go to the police). Plus, it has the late-in-the-series character of Cary Retlin, who I always enjoy reading about. (In this book he even has a secret basement lair!) There are some other plots going on, including the mandatory one involving children (this time it's a Valentine's Day party at the library) but even that didn't seem over-the-top. Stacey did have a few passive aggressive comments about her best friend Claudia that I probably wouldn't have picked up on when I was younger, but in general this was a good entry in the BSC series.

Find it at Amazon.

Read it with:
Karen's in Love by Ann M. Martin
Abby's Un-Valentine by Ann M. Martin
Stacey's Ex-Boyfriend by Ann M. Martin

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Lissa is tired of playing second fiddle to a sports rivalry. Her boyfriend is on the football team, and it seems like his top priority is to focus on the football/soccer rivalry at Hamilton High. But Lissa has had enough, and she's encouraged the other girlfriends to fight back with the best weapon at their disposal: their sexuality. They are officially cutting off their boyfriends until the rivalry ends. It's not long before the guys are starting to feel the effects of this stance - but rather than giving in, they decide to fight back. Has Lissa started more than she can handle?

I enjoyed The DUFF and was really eager to read Kody Keplinger's second novel. My favourite parts were the sleepover scenes where the girls addressed sexual stereotypes and expectations. Those were, I thought, very honest, touching, and realistic. I also really liked that the book explicitly mentioned Lysistrata (although I'll confess that it was quite a while before I made the Lissa/Lysistrata connection - my excuse is that I was listening to an audiobook). There were some things that I would have loved to have seen explored more, like Lissa's issues of trust, compulsion, and abandonment, or the girlfriends in a role beyond that of "the girlfriends," but the dialogue and tone of the book went a long way to making it an enjoyable read.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
Lysistrata by Aristophanes
Troy High by Shana Norris

Treasures at the Museum by Deborra Richardson and illustrated by George Hilton III

Robbie and Brittany are heading to the museum with their Aunt Imani, but Robbie doesn't want to go! He thinks it's going to be boring and that he won't have anything in common with the archives. But Aunt Imani explains that museums aren't the only things that have archives and collections - people have them too! And who knows what kinds of treasures they might find at the museum?

This is a fun look at museums and archives and a great introduction to the Smithsonian for children. It successfully takes what could be big, impersonal concepts ('what is an archive?') and makes them easy for children to relate to. Given the specialized subject matter, it's a bit hard to picture kids picking up this on their own to read for fun (not that it's not a fun book!), but teachers interested in using it with classes will find some supplementary material at the end of the story to help them with their lesson plans. This would be a great addition to classroom or school libraries, particularly if visiting a museum or archive is part of your school field trip plans.

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of The Elevator Group.

Read it with:
Ulysses Kay: A Bio-Bibliography by Deborra Richardson
Lost in the Museum: Buried Treasures and the Stories They Tell by Nancy Moses
The Rarest of the Rare: Stories Behind the Treasures at the Harvard Museum of Natural History by Nancy Pick and Mark Sloan
A Kid's Guide to the Smithsonian edited by Ann Phillips Bay and Barbara Hehner

Dead Indeed by M. R. Hodgkin

All of New York's publishing world has turned out to the celebration at the New York Public Library - a new children's book award is set to be announced. It might not have the prestige of the Caldecott or the Newbery, but with a $5000 cheque attached to it, it's certainly attracted the attention of the book industry. Before long, however, the winner will be found dead on a couch in his publishers' offices. Little things had been going wrong at Brewin Books - missing papers, destroyed illustrations - but has someone escalated to murder? Everyone is a suspect, and many people had a motive for wanting the illustrator dead. Will the murderer be discovered before he - or she - strikes again?

I loved all of the bookishness of this book. The opening scene set in the New York Public Library, the discussions about Caldecotts and Newberys, dealing with the slush pile of manuscripts - in many ways this is a perfect mystery for librarians, book sellers, and anyone in publishing. And therein lies the problem (too strong? the issue, then) of books that are so clearly from another time. Several passages reveal attitudes and vocabulary about race that was quite shocking to me. Additionally, there was a casual sexism that just ran through the workplace scenes, even though there were many women in leadership positions (and the author is a woman). There's also a smallish subplot about one of the authors who is harassing one of the women, but it turns out okay, because it's true love after all. Of course, it's important to recognize works in their proper context, and I'm not saying to never read things that have any difficult content, but how do you recommend that someone read this? I guess with caveats like the ones I've just written. It's interesting to think about, especially given the books (Little House on the Prairie comes to mind) that live in public libraries.

See more at A Fuse #8 Production and Collecting Children's Books. That's where I first learned about this book, and I knew I had to read it. A few short weeks later, through the magic of interlibrary loans, I had it in my hands.

Read it with:
Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom by Ursula Nordstrom
Student Body by M. R. Hodgkin
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

43 Old Cemetery Road: Till Death Do Us Bark

Seymour Hope, illustrator-in-residence at 43 Old Cemetery Road, is happy living with Ignatius B. Grumply and Olive C. Spense, but there's something missing in his life: a dog. When one follows him home one day, he's sure that it's a sign. But Mr. Grumply isn't sure that it's right to keep the dog, and Olive is more a cat person - or a cat ghost - than a dog ghost. The dog used to belong to Noah Breth, a wealthy old man who recently passed away. Mr. Breth's bickering children, Kitty and Kanine, have come back to town in search of his wealth. But Mr. Breth didn't make it easy for them, and to solve the mystery of where his money is, they'll have to figure out a series of limericks. Strange things are happening in Ghastly, Illinois, and Seymour is right in the middle of it.

I loved this book; it was funny and clever and had a good story. It unfolds through a series of letters and newspaper articles (characters even write each other when they live in the same house). I loved the formality of it; it's amazing how letters (not email, texting, or messaging) can make something feel old-fashioned. This was the first 43 Old Cemetery Road book that I've read, and even though it was #3 in the series, there was a great part at the beginning that got me all up to speed. I don't feel like I missed anything (I'm going to be checking out the first two, though). The cover art is striking in person (the colours don't come through as fully on a screen) and there are so many small details to uncover and appreciate. A great choice for fans of mysteries, ghosts, word play, or books written in letters.

I received an advance copy through NetGalley, but it's out in stores now.

See more at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
43 Old Cemetery Road: Dying to Meet You by Kate and M. Sarah Klise
43 Old Cemetery Road: Over My Dead Body by Kate and M. Sarah Klise
Grounded by Kate Klise
The Mummy, The Will, and The Crypt by John Bellairs

I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson

Emma Freke doesn't really fit in. That doesn't surprise her, considering that her name sounds like "am a freak." Knowing that, though, doesn't make it any easier, especially when her mother isn't at all concerned about Emma's uniqueness. So when Emma has the chance to go to a family reunion and meet the members of her father's family, she thinks that maybe this is her chance to fit in. The Frekes, though, are not what she was expecting. Emma is about to learn a lot about what makes a family and how to truly be a Freke and a freak.

There should be more books set at family reunions. They provide such a natural place for stress, conflict, and big emotional moments. Emma is an engaging character and she's strongly supported by all of the other people in her life, whether she knows it or not. This is a sweet, funny story that I'm glad I picked up.

Find it at IndieBound.

I read a copy at NetGalley courtesy of Carolrhoda Books.

Check out Elizabeth Atkinson's website.

Read it with:
A Sudden Change of Family by Mary Jane Auch
From Alice to Zen and Everyone in Between by Elizabeth Atkinson
A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt

Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians by Jarrett K. Krosoczka

The Lunch Lady is back! And this time, she's battling...librarians? Weird things are happening around the library, and the Lunch Lady is determined to get to the bottom of it! I think I liked this one even more than Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute. There's groany puns (usually on peoples' names) and clever writing (the high school librarian prefers to be called a "media specialist"). Lunch Lady (and her sidekick, Betty) are two awesome female characters who can kick butt and serve lunch - all in the same day.


Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Boom! by Mark Haddon
The Librarian from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler

The Wind Blows Backward by Mary Downing Hahn

Lauren quietly slips through her high school classes, trying not to draw attention to herself. When people do notice her, it's usually to make fun of her squeaky voice or her good grades. Lauren and her best friend call Spencer the Prince of Jocks because he plays sports, gets good grades and dates beautiful girls. Lauren and Spencer used to be friends back in middle school - bonding over a love of science fiction - but since then they've barely even spoken. That's why Lauren is so shocked when Spencer does start paying attention to her again, but that shock turns to excitement and happiness when they start dating. But she soon learns that Spencer is hiding a troubled, reckless side of his personality and she starts worrying about Spencer's life - and her own.

This is the first non-ghost story of Mary Downing Hahn's that I read, and I was really glad that I didn't miss the supernatural stuff. Lauren sometimes seemed so naive and oblivious to the warning signs that Spencer was throwing up all over the place, but I had to keep reminding myself she was blinded by her first real emotional relationship. There's a lot of angst in this book and while some of the references (and the cover) reveal its early-90s publish date, the storyline is still one that would resonate with teens today.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Ann Peters
Crash Into Me by Albert Borris

Miss Brooks Loves Books (and I don't) by Barbara Bottner

There's no other way to say it: Miss Brooks loves books! She loves reading books, she loves sharing books, she even loves dressing up like book characters! One little girl, though, does not understand what's so great about books. She hasn't found a story that she loves - and when she has to do a book report in front of the class, she doesn't know what to do. Will she ever find a book that she likes?

This is a wonderful story about a reluctant young reader and an enthusiastic librarian. The message, that there's a book out there for everyone, is a really important one, especially for children who haven't found theirs yet (and their parents). The language in the book is wonderful - great vocabulary words.
This book has gotten handed around from person to person by everyone I know who has read it, usually with a recommendation of "You HAVE to read this." The Michael Emberley illustrations are a perfect counterpoint to Barbara Bottner's great story. If you're looking for gift for your favourite school teacher, librarian, book seller, or book lover, this should be #1 on your list.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Shrek! by William Steig
Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk
The Librarian from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler
The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians by Carla D. Morris